TIPS Incredible PBX for Ubuntu Issues

[hawk#1]

I have incredible pbx 13-13.10 set up in the cloud. I set it up using http://nerdvittles.com/?p=25930. The only changes I made was the passwords. I have received 2 voicemails that went to ext 701. The problem I'm having is that I can't get to the mailbox. I have a yealink T46g on ext 701. I need some help instructions) setting up voicemail so that I can get the voicemail from the T46g. TIA for any help.

 

[kenn10]

Have you tried the standard feature codes like *97 for your own mailbox and *98+Ext for other mailboxes?

 

[hawk#1]

yes I tried, when I dial *97 it gives a 1 ring signal and then after a few seconds it disconnects. *98701 gives 1 ring signal, silence for 10 seconds and disconnects.

 

[hawk#1]

@ward
I have found a couple of errors in the Incredible PBS 13-13.10 for ubuntu http://nerdvittles.com/?p=25930. First one is there is no /root/passwords.FAQ as mentioned in setting up a soft phone. The error is with the install script itself. There is no var/www/html/admin/libraries/Composer/vendor/php-console/phpconsole/tests/scripts/init_default_hand
ler.phptee: so it shows an error during the 2nd run of .Incredible*. The error is near the end and it exits the install before displaying the information screens for knock.FAQ and other info. I hope you can figure out and fix the script.

 

[Eliad]

Yesterday I tried an install too. It looks there is an error for the MySQL and the dashboard wont start. Also at the first incredible install it just reboots suddenly, then after the reboot seems to install but there are errors.

 

[hawk#1]

@Eliad

I noticed there is no message or warning about it rebooting, it just disconnects ssh and that is it. It would be nice to at least echo a message on the screen that let's you know that it completed the first phase and to run phase 2 after it reboots. I didn't have any issues with MySQL so I have no idea what happened with your install. Hopefully Ward will pop in and look into these errors and also fix the script. I hope you find a solution to your issues

 

[wardmundy]

We will obviously look into this; however, it's worth repeating that CENTOS 6 IS AN EXTREMELY STABLE PLATFORM with none of the gotchas that seem to occur regularly because Ubuntu is always "improving" things and moving the goalposts. It hasn't been a month since the last catastrophe.

 

[kenn10]

We will obviously look into this; however, it's worth repeating that CENTOS 6 IS AN EXTREMELY STABLE PLATFORM with none of the gotchas that seem to occur regularly because Ubuntu is always "improving" things and moving the goalposts. It hasn't been a month since the last catastrophe.

Ubuntu is good desktop environment and I personally use it on my laptop. However, it is not a stable server environment for a PBX. Everyone thinks Ubuntu has more of a "cool" factor for some reason. PBX's should run on a dedicated machine or instance without sharing. You can't beat CentOS 6 for a platform that just works. Nubes don't take the time to read about all the Ubuntu issues no matter how many times @wardmundy warns them.

I've run the IncrediblePBX 13-13-10 install script on three different cloud companies plus a local Intel NUC using CentOS 6. Each one works immediately and correctly. I don't understand the issues that others seem to have.

 

[hawk#1]

@kenn10
Hmm. I not the one that posted this comment
"If you’re as big a fan of Ubuntu as we are, then you’ll be pleased to know that the month-old update to Ubuntu 18.04 LTS is rock-solid."
Which I do not interpret as a warning from @wardmundy. So now I know not to go by what is posted on Nerdvittles web site. I also have installed installed Incredible PBX 13-13 on other systems and have not had any issues with it. I was just trying to let Ward know that he has created errors in the install script one of the times that he edited script. If you installed the same version of the script that I had, and if you watched on the screen during the install, you would see the error on your screen. I'm not a NUBE when it comes to computers. I started back in the late 70's with TI 99. I may not have a lot of experience running a PBX, but I do know that this is an error "var/www/html/admin/libraries/Composer/vendor/php-console/phpconsole/tests/scripts/init_default_handler.phptee" because the script is looking for something that does not exist, not even on your "perfectly working" installed Incredible PBX. I also know that the same same script will cause the same error even on "Centos 6 once you edit the script for centos not ubuntu" I also know that the other error I reported, "/root/passwords.FAQ" does not exist even on a Centos 6 install of Incredible PBX 13-13.10. so Guru-ish, this is the place that "NUBES" are supposed to come to report problems and ask for help, not be criticized by someone who thinks they know so much, but don't.

@wardmundy,
Sorry, but I'm tired of comments about "NUBES" that post here looking for help. I also know that you are busy and things take time to fix. If you want to ban me for my above comments then so be it. I have read all over the internet, that if you need help with your PBX, then go to pbxinaflash forums for some friendly help from others. I do not feel that his comments were helpful or friendly.

 

[Eliad]

Centos 6.10 is definitely more stable and more up to date than any other IncrediblePBX installs. I have tried Ubuntu install because I think there is something wrong with the latest Centos 6.10 IncrediblePBX install on a local server. I think for some reason Centos last install script(the one used for Google cloud) makes the outgoing calls from a physical voip phone fail from either VOIP.MS and Skyetel trunks. What is weird is when you use Yate softphone it seems to work.

 

[krzykat]

@kenn10
I have read all over the internet, that if you need help with your PBX, then go to pbxinaflash forums for some friendly help from others. I do not feel that his comments were helpful or friendly.

I've always found that PBXinaFlash forum is more friendly than the others, and I've been on pretty much every one of them. Sometimes people get wound up - and make some incorrect assumptions.

 

[kenn10]

Folks, first let's consider that IncrediblePBX is free. People donate to the cause and Ward also gets minimal funding from some of the companies whose service he promotes. Many, many users never pay a dime for the application. There are so many versions of so many Linux operating systems now, I don't know how he keeps any of the versions working.

Ubuntu is very active with updates. It seems like my laptop running Ubuntu 18.04 is updated almost weekly. CentOS is basically downstream Red Hat Linux and generally has most of the bugs worked out of it prior to release. From the early days of Asterisk at Home to PBX in a Flash to IncrediblePBX, Red Hat derivations such as CentOS have been the go to operating system for this PBX application.

IncrediblePBX is a compilation of hundreds of different Linux modules in addition to the FreePBX, Asterisk and other apps. There are an awful lot of moving parts. While I know that most of the scripts are well tested by the IncrediblePBX team prior to releasing them, what works at release may not work after a yum update or an apt-get update. I personally tried to run IncrediblePBX on Ubuntu but could not keep it working when auto-updates were happening. CentOS is the most stable platform for IncrediblePBX and the most widely adopted by people on this discussion board.

On the broad scale, not all hardware is compatible with all Linux systems. Customizing firewalls may interfere with system operation. Your router can keep your system from working correctly. Linux repositories can move or be unavailable at install of a system. Anyone spending time over the years dealing with Asterisk and its subtending applications knows it is a royal pain in the a** at times.

I personally get annoyed at people who have just joined the discussion board and gripe about things not working when they have not read the documentation or didn't take time to research the back posts on various problems. To this day, I still need to search the forums to remember how I fixed something in the past. Regular and frequent reading of the forums is important. No matter how experienced you may be in Linux, a PBX is very complicated. It requires not only computer skills but also an understanding of VOIP and network architecture.

@hawk#1, fussing at Ward because a script shows error messages is counter productive. If the install works regardless of the error message, why sweat it? I agree that it is a good idea to post the errors in the appropriate thread of the forums with all relevant log information. I'm sure Ward will analyze and correct the scripts in a reasonable period of time. Keep in mind that older versions are available on the repository and are generally more reliable than the latest release. Being on the bleeding edge is risky at best. I was a "nube" myself at one time but I usually did my due diligence before posting and I frequently got yelled at when I posted without due diligence. (The FreePBX forums used to be brutal.)

Let's not forget that the FreePBX distribution and 3CX are good "just install and forget" PBX systems and are also available for free. Those may be the best choice for folks who just want a working PBX which doesn't require tinkering or that you be a hobbyist at heart.

 

[wardmundy]

@kenn10
Hmm. I not the one that posted this comment
"If you’re as big a fan of Ubuntu as we are, then you’ll be pleased to know that the month-old update to Ubuntu 18.04 LTS is rock-solid."
Which I do not interpret as a warning from @wardmundy. So now I know not to go by what is posted on Nerdvittles web site. I also have installed installed Incredible PBX 13-13 on other systems and have not had any issues with it. I was just trying to let Ward know that he has created errors in the install script one of the times that he edited script. If you installed the same version of the script that I had, and if you watched on the screen during the install, you would see the error on your screen. I'm not a NUBE when it comes to computers. I started back in the late 70's with TI 99. I may not have a lot of experience running a PBX, but I do know that this is an error "var/www/html/admin/libraries/Composer/vendor/php-console/phpconsole/tests/scripts/init_default_handler.phptee" because the script is looking for something that does not exist, not even on your "perfectly working" installed Incredible PBX. I also know that the same same script will cause the same error even on "Centos 6 once you edit the script for centos not ubuntu" I also know that the other error I reported, "/root/passwords.FAQ" does not exist even on a Centos 6 install of Incredible PBX 13-13.10. so Guru-ish, this is the place that "NUBES" are supposed to come to report problems and ask for help, not be criticized by someone who thinks they know so much, but don't.

@wardmundy,
Sorry, but I'm tired of comments about "NUBES" that post here looking for help. I also know that you are busy and things take time to fix. If you want to ban me for my above comments then so be it. I have read all over the internet, that if you need help with your PBX, then go to pbxinaflash forums for some friendly help from others. I do not feel that his comments were helpful or friendly.

Please don't shoot the messenger. We don't hard-code install images like some others. Many of the components are compiled from the latest source when you run the installer. This provides the flexibility for users and developers to easily make changes and upgrades at any time. The downside is Incredible PBX has 1,000+ moving parts. Every time we fix an Ubuntu build and say something nice about them, the installer works for a few weeks and then we're right back to threads like this. I'm not suggesting we don't make mistakes. But, if the error is a deal-breaker as you suggest, it's usually something that was changed on the Ubuntu side. The reason is because we test new builds, and we eat our own dog food.

As for your specific error, it would be most helpful if you would post some of the install log that precedes this error. Our installer does not directly access that library at all so I suspect it is an issue with a portion of the FreePBX installer, but I'm just guessing at this point as I have not yet had time to run a new Ubuntu install through its paces.

FYI: phptee does not show up in any of the logs of our CentOS builds.

 

[krzykat]

Let's not forget that the FreePBX distribution and 3CX are good "just install and forget" PBX systems and are also available for free. .

I think the FreePBX distro and the Incredible or PIAF distros are almost identical - they are both built on the same architecture with differences of opinion on things such as firewall as the main different IMHO.

@wardmundy has always provided new and different flavors on everything from the version of PBX to Hardware supported, and often goes onto the "bleeding edge". Just read, learn some knowledge and play around with it. I mean having the Rasberry Pi version for those that can't afford even the server is a pretty cool idea for the hobbyist. Nothing I'd use in production, but hey - something different for all.

 

[hawk#1]

[QUOTE="kenn10,

@hawk#1, fussing at Ward because a script shows error messages is counter productive. If the install works regardless of the error message, why sweat it? .[/QUOTE]

I sweat it because the install never finished. It never even got to the end of the script to display the the final message with the port knock info screen, which I mentioned in my earlier post. I wasn't fussing at Ward, I posted an error that showed on my screen before his script was able to finish. I don't understand how that is counter productive. I was providing as much info as possible that might point to why the script failed to finish.

 

[wardmundy]

@ward
I have found a couple of errors in the Incredible PBS 13-13.10 for ubuntu http://nerdvittles.com/?p=25930. First one is there is no /root/passwords.FAQ as mentioned in setting up a soft phone. The error is with the install script itself. There is no var/www/html/admin/libraries/Composer/vendor/php-console/phpconsole/tests/scripts/init_default_hand
ler.phptee: so it shows an error during the 2nd run of .Incredible*. The error is near the end and it exits the install before displaying the information screens for knock.FAQ and other info. I hope you can figure out and fix the script.

Your comment doesn't mention the cloud provider, and unfortunately that matters. We can find no reference to init_default_handler.phptee in our install log. We removed the passwords.FAQ file because of security concerns, but you can reset your passwords by running update-passwords. We will update the tutorial.

Cloud providers build their own O/S images. Some do it correctly, and others don't. For example, we just tried an install on HostFlyte using their Ubuntu 18.04 image, and it was a total mess. We developed and tested our build using the Canonical 18.04.2 Live Server ISO. This is the developer' standard, and Incredible PBX 13-13.10 still installs without errors using that image. We just completed a new install with VirtualBox and experienced no errors. You can test it yourself on any desktop computer by installing VirtualBox and then following our tutorial as written.

With your permission, we will add your comment to the tutorial as a cautionary note but that's about as far as we can assist unless your cloud provider allows you to upload the Canonical ISO. We're obviously not in a position to debug hosting provider's independent releases of what they choose to label as Ubuntu 18.04. Sorry.

 

[hawk#1]

@wardmundy

Thanks for all you have done. As I mentioned earlier I thought it was just a typo in the script. It was near the end of the script where it scrolls on the screen several different files all ending with ,php. then this one scrolls up on the screen ending in .phptee and the error shows on the screen. Then the install stops and the server disconnect from the ssh session. I had previously installed it without the error shortly after you posted the tutorial on a woothosting, but I never was able to retrieve the 2 voicemails, and was not even able to access the voicemail system to even set it up, so I wiped that machine and had woothosting re-install the ubuntu from the link I had previously provided. Then I got the error and wiped that machine also. Thanks for the link to the ubuntu that you used and know it is working. I have it downloaded and will try it out on virtual box asap. You have my permission to post anything that I have posted here.

Thanks for letting me know about the passwords.FAQ

 

[wardmundy]

As time permits, we'll try to find a Cloud Provider with an Ubuntu 18.04 build that actually works. Frankly, WootHosting would not be on that short list. My goto sites for wrinkles like this would be Digital Ocean and OVH, both of whom have very knowledgeable IT folks. But I have not yet tried either of them. And, as many of us have cautioned before, for VoIP deployments, YOU ARE MUCH SAFER FOR THE LONG TERM STICKING WITH CENTOS 6 RATHER THAN UBUNTU.

 

[wardmundy]

@hawk#1: Digital Ocean $5 platform worked fine. They're probably your best bet in the low cost cloud department. If you've never used them, our coupon may still get you some freebies but the $100 deal may already have expired. By all means spend the extra dollar a month and enable automatic backups, particularly with Ubuntu.

 

[kenn10]

Looks like you can get $100 for two months still:

https://try.digitalocean.com/perfor..._medium=Referral_Program&utm_source=CopyPaste