Debian 12 Server Preparation

1. Set up a new server with a fresh installation of Debian 12.
2. Install VitalPBX 4.5 by following the official installation instructions here.
3. Install the same add-ons used on your current production server.
4. Complete the wizard setup for the Sonata and VitXi modules. Use placeholder credentials during the setup; these will be replaced when the backup is restored.
5. If OpenVPN is installed and configured on your existing server, install and configure it on the new Debian 12 server.

Actions on the Debian 11 Server

1. Use the Backup and Restore module in VitalPBX to create a backup of
your settings.
2. For large CDR data and call recordings, transfer these manually (instructions below).
3. Save the backup file to your local machine.
4. Revoke the VitalPBX license(s) from your current production server.

Importing the Backup to VitalPBX 4.5 (Debian 12)

1. Activate the necessary license(s) on the new server.
2. Use the Backup and Restore module to import and restore the backup file.
3. Run the following commands to ensure all settings are applied correctly.

vitalpbx build-db
vitalpbx fully-gen-conf

Copy

4. If the CDR and call recordings were migrated manually, execute the
commands above after transferring the data.

Manually Moving Call Recordings and CDR Data

Call Recordings

To transfer call recordings from /var/spool/asterisk/monitor on the Debian
11 server to the same path on the Debian 12 server, run the following rsync command on the Debian 12 server.

rsync -avz root@<Debian11_IP>:/var/spool/asterisk/monitor/
/var/spool/asterisk/monitor/

Copy

Replace <Debian11_IP> with the IP address of the Debian 11 server.

CDR Data

To migrate CDR data from the Debian 11 server to the Debian 12 server follow
the steps below.

1. Create a MySQL Backup on the Debian 11 server.

mysqldump -u root --add-drop-table --ignore-table=asterisk.cel
asterisk > cdr_backup.sql

Copy

2. Use SCP to transfer the backup file to the Debian 12

scp cdr_backup.sql root@<Debian12_IP>:/root/

Copy

3. On the Debian 12 server, restore the database.

mysql -u root asterisk < /root/cdr_backup.sql

Copy

Post-Migration Testing

1. Verify all settings, trunks, extensions, and modules.
2. Test critical features like inbound/outbound calls, voicemail, and call
recordings.
3. Confirm that CDR data and call recordings are accessible and accurate.

You can add a Mobile and Home Phone Number, Organization, and Job Title. Once you add this information, remember to Save/Update and Apply Configurations. You will now see this additional information from any device that uses our centralized phonebooks.

• VitalPBX Wiki – https://wiki.vitalpbx.com/
• VoIP Info – https://voip-info.org
• Asterisk – https://asterisk.org
• Asterisk AMI – https://docs.asterisk.org/Configuration/Interfaces/Asterisk-Manager-Interface-AMI/
• LINBIT creators of DRBD – linbit.com/en/
• Pacemaker – clusterlabs.org/pacemaker
• VitalPBX Github – https://github.com/VitalPBX
• strftime documentation – https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man3/strftime.3.html
• VitalPBX Commercial FAQ – https://wiki.vitalpbx.com/wiki-category/commercial-faq/

VitalPBX Technical FAQ –https://wiki.vitalpbx.com/wiki-category/faq/

If you ever have any comments or questions, send us an email to sales@vitalpbx.com and we will gladly guide you to the right place.

To see the list of available commands, run the following command.

root@debian:~# vitalpbx --help

To reset the password for any Web UI user, run the following command.

root@debian:~# vitalpbx reset-pwd [username]

Where [username] is the user you wish to change the password.

To rebuild the VitalPBX database, run the following command.

root@debian:~# vitalpbx build-db

This will execute a series of scripts to build the VitalPBX database.

To generate the Asterisk configurations and rebuild the Asterisk database for the main tenant only, we run the following command.

root@debian:~# vitalpbx gen-conf

To generate the Asterisk configurations and rebuild the Asterisk database for all tenants, we run the following command.

root@debian:~# vitalpbx fully-gen-conf

To check for any issues regarding directories/files and their permissions and owners, we run the following command.

root@debian:~# vitalpbx check-integrity

To apply the changes made on the Firewall module on VitalPBX, we run the following command.

root@debian:~# vitalpbx apply-firewall

You can manually restore from a backup file you have uploaded manually by running the following command.

root@debian:~# vitalpbx restore-backup path/to/file.tar

This is especially useful when the backup file is too big to upload from the web interface. You can upload it manually using an SCP or SFTP application to your VitalPBX, then run the command and specify the path to the backup file to restore the system from it.

To reset the SSL certificates and disable the force HTTPS option, run the following command.

root@debian:~# vitalpbx reset-apache-conf

This will help you in case your SSL certificate expires or you don’t have access to your server via HTTPS.

To optimize the performance of MariaDB/MySQL, you can run the following command.

root@debian:~# vitalpbx optimize-mariadb

Keep in mind that this will restart MariaDB.

To optimize the Apache configurations on your VitalPBX, run the following command.

root@debian:~# vitalpbx optimize-apache

To disable 2FA for a user, run the following command.

root@debian:~# vitalpbx disable-2FA [username or email address]

With this, you can disable 2FA for a specific user in case they lose access to their 2FA application. You can use either their username or email address.

To update VitalPBX and all its dependencies, run the following command.

root@debian:~# vitalpbx update

With this, you can control your VitalPBX installation from the command line and troubleshoot any issues you may have.

root@debian:~# sngrep --help

To run SNGrep simply enter the following command.

root@debian:~# sngrep

This will show you the SNGrep interface.

Here, you will see a list of events occurring on your VitalPBX. You can navigate the list of events using the arrow keys. You can enter an event by pressing the Enter key on your keyboard. This will show you all the details of the event. You can navigate the stages using the keyboard. This will show you all the details of the event. You can navigate the stages using the arrow keys.

This will help you get direct information on the current status of your devices, calls, and registration.

You will see that we will have a lot of information that is constantly being sent on the main list of events. For this, we can filter our list to see only the events we are interested in. So, on the main page for SNGrep, press the F7 key on your keyboard. This will show you a prompt where you can filter the events by the SIP From and To, Source and Destination, and Payload. You can also apply a filter by the type of event you want to monitor.

With your filters set, navigate with the arrow keys to Filter and press Enter on your keyboard.

You will see that the list of events will now show the events related to your filter.

This is a great tool for you to troubleshoot the SIP/PJSIP events on your VitalPBX. To quit the SNGrep interface press the Escape key on your keyboard and then select Exit by pressing the Enter key on your keyboard.

root@debian:~# asterisk -rvvvvvvvvv

Or simply

root@debian:~# a

However, monitoring the Asterisk CLI with high verbosity while the system is under production can show us a lot of information at a very fast pace. For this, we can filter out the Full log for Asterisk to trace actions that affect a particular call only.

We start by running the following command.

root@debian:~# tail -f /var/log/asterisk/full | grep {PHONE_NUMBER}

Where {PHONE_NUMBER} is a particular phone number you want to trace within the full log. Remember that you don’t have to include the curly braces. For example, you will enter something like this.

root@debian:~# tail -f /var/log/asterisk/full | grep 15554846868

In the beginning, you may see nothing if information including this number has not been set. Once any activity starts that includes this phone number you will start to see anything related to it.

This phone number you monitor can be an external number calling into your VitalPBX and you want to see the route it uses. Or it can be a DID on your system and you want to see that it is used appropriately for your inbound routes. This can help you monitor how your VoIP provider sends your DID information so you can enter it correctly on your Inbound Routes. It can also be a specific Extension Number you want to monitor their current call. Use this option to make your call troubleshooting easier during active hours on your VitalPBX.

To see the possible Fail2Ban commands, run the following command from the Linux Command Line.

root@debian:~# man fail2ban-client

To see the clients that have been banned due to too many failed attempts through SSH, run the following command.

root@debian:~# fail2ban-client status sshd

To see the clients that have been banned due to too many failed attempts to register through Asterisk, run the following command.

root@debian:~# fail2ban-client status asterisk

To unban an IP Address, run the following command.

root@debian:~# fail2ban-client set sshd unbanip {IP_ADDRESS}

Where {IP_ADDRESS} is the exact IP address to unban. Do not include the curly braces.

To ban an IP address, run the following command.

root@debian:~# fail2ban-client set sshd banip {IP_ADDRESS}

Where {IP_ADDRESS} is the exact IP address to ban. Do not include the curly braces.

To block an IP address using IPTables, run the following command.

root@debian:~# iptables -I INPUT 1 -s IPAddress -j DROP

To unblock an IP address using IPTables, run the following command.

root@debian:~# iptables -D INPUT -s IPAddress -j DROP

Using these commands you can manage the Intrusion Detection system directly through the Linux Command Line.