3CX v15 VPS replaces the multi-tenant version of 3CX Phone System 14
3CX Phone System 15 is a universal system that can be installed on a Windows server, on a Linux “box” and on cloud hosting. V15 can be not only automatically deployed in the cloud, but also supports automated administration (we will discuss these features in more detail in this article). In addition, the Linux version of 3CX is very undemanding to resources. All these advantages make the new 3CX especially attractive for hosting partners!
Today’s realities impose quite different requirements on unified communications systems that were interesting 5 years ago. Customers are interested in complex integrated systems. They want to take calls only through the CRM system, use intelligent algorithms for handling customer requests and create video conferencing at any time. Employees must work from any place and from any device that is at hand ... Such opportunities place increased demands on the fault tolerance and data security of the UC system. If you use a regular cloud PBX - how can you guarantee the integrity of your information? How can you save the system configuration, for example, if you want to refuse provider services and install the system locally? It is possible to fundamentally solve this problem only by using our own, “dedicated” virtual PBX.
Let's remember the attempts to host several web sites on the same physical server, which were popular in the late 90s. They ended when it became clear - the launch of one incorrect PHP script can “put” the server and all the sites on it. Users realized that for serious work you need to have your own “dedicated” server, even if it is virtual, but with guaranteed reservation of resources. Communication technology is taking the same path today. The era of multi-tenant PBX ends. They no longer meet the requirements of the market. Therefore, 3CX abandons the multi-tenant version of the system in favor of the dedicated one, completing the 3CX V14 Multitenant development cycle.
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Most of the new data centers (including Google and OVH) use a simple management interface that allows you to customize the firewall and manage the configuration of virtual machines through the script interface. That is, you can focus on telephony support, not on infrastructure management.
Why did we decide to abandon the multi-tenant PBX in favor of virtualization?
The only drawback of this approach is the need to reserve an IP address for each virtual PBX. However, an individual public IP address has several advantages, for example, convenient management of security policies, simple port configuration and “direct” connection of IP phones without using NAT and 3CX SBC.
To simplify the management of virtual PBXs, we plan to create a special portal where partners can centrally monitor customer systems, manage backups and other important functions. The portal should appear in the first half of 2017.
For a start, we placed 3CX in the Google cloud and on a VPS hosting of the largest European data center OVH. Anyone with a Google account can try Google Cloud Compute Engine. And OVH is simply the largest European data center with very affordable prices for VPS servers. Strictly speaking, you can use any Debian VPS using KVM / Hyper V / VMware virtualization. We have prepared 3CX installation manuals for the three platforms mentioned:
In the new 3CX SP4, which is currently under development, we will provide partners with the ability to quickly create ready-made pre-configured 3CX systems from an XML template. You create a typical PBX configuration, including extension numbers, SIP trunks, IP phones and other settings, and “impose” it on a new client PBX. The system is ready to work in minutes! The ability to pre-configure IP phones by MAC addresses allows you to send new devices to the customer and ask them to simply plug into the network. Thanks to technology 3CX RPS (Remote Provisioning Server) they will be configured automatically - both for the local system and for the cloud!
The PBX configuration template can be applied automatically using a script or cloudinit tools used in many data centers. You can also apply the template manually, specifying it during the installation of the system - in much the same way as you do backup recovery. We have prepared a manual on working with automatic PBX autoconfiguration templates, which will be relevant after the release of the V15 SP4
If you are planning to transition from 3CX V14 Multi Tenant to V15, pay attention to the following points:
Detailed configuration instructions are contained in the How to migrate v14 tenant to v15 guide.
Today’s realities impose quite different requirements on unified communications systems that were interesting 5 years ago. Customers are interested in complex integrated systems. They want to take calls only through the CRM system, use intelligent algorithms for handling customer requests and create video conferencing at any time. Employees must work from any place and from any device that is at hand ... Such opportunities place increased demands on the fault tolerance and data security of the UC system. If you use a regular cloud PBX - how can you guarantee the integrity of your information? How can you save the system configuration, for example, if you want to refuse provider services and install the system locally? It is possible to fundamentally solve this problem only by using our own, “dedicated” virtual PBX.
Let's remember the attempts to host several web sites on the same physical server, which were popular in the late 90s. They ended when it became clear - the launch of one incorrect PHP script can “put” the server and all the sites on it. Users realized that for serious work you need to have your own “dedicated” server, even if it is virtual, but with guaranteed reservation of resources. Communication technology is taking the same path today. The era of multi-tenant PBX ends. They no longer meet the requirements of the market. Therefore, 3CX abandons the multi-tenant version of the system in favor of the dedicated one, completing the 3CX V14 Multitenant development cycle.
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Advantages of dedicated virtual PBX
- The quality of user experience is completely independent of what is happening on neighboring virtual PBXs.
- User data and PBX configuration are completely isolated from other systems and are accessible only to the administrator of a specific dedicated PBX.
- Enhanced integration capabilities such as user scripts, CRM integration, external data sources, etc. are seamlessly supported.
- PBX, virtualized in the data center, does not require complex configuration of the firewall and NAT - connections to VoIP operators, auto-tuning phones and other network functions will work correctly immediately after installation.
- Users will be able to individually install additional modules, for example, a module of a private PBX. It is easy to maintain your own configuration for phones, VoIP operators, gateways, etc.
- Cloud and local version of PBX are available simultaneously, because they are identical. Cloud clients no longer need to give a special multi-tenant version.
- You can transfer control of both the server and the PBX to the end user at any time.
- Now you can use Linux virtual servers VPS in many world-class datacenters and at a very attractive price:
- OVH - Linux VPS hosting starting at $ 3.50 per month https://www.ovh.com/us/vps/
- Google Cloud - starting at about $ 12, depending on the amount of data transferred
- Any local data center using Openstack infrastructure and KVM
- We check the work of 3CX in new data centers and add them to the list of recommended
- For a small 3CX installation to work, Debian 8 is enough; 1+ virtual core, 2 Gb RAM
Most of the new data centers (including Google and OVH) use a simple management interface that allows you to customize the firewall and manage the configuration of virtual machines through the script interface. That is, you can focus on telephony support, not on infrastructure management.
Completion of the development of multi-tenant PBX
Why did we decide to abandon the multi-tenant PBX in favor of virtualization?
- New cloud technologies like Openstack make it easy to manage large numbers of virtual machines.
- Very small 3CX memory consumption on Debian eliminates the economic benefit of running a multi-tenant version on a single physical server.
- Container technology further reduces the impact of the operating system.
- You no longer need to learn the features of the multi-tenant version installation.
- The 3CX automatic update technology (under development) frees the administrator from updating the virtual systems group
- All the underlying network infrastructure is served by a data center, unloading the administrator to control only the PBX functions
The only drawback of this approach is the need to reserve an IP address for each virtual PBX. However, an individual public IP address has several advantages, for example, convenient management of security policies, simple port configuration and “direct” connection of IP phones without using NAT and 3CX SBC.
Centralized management of virtual PBX
To simplify the management of virtual PBXs, we plan to create a special portal where partners can centrally monitor customer systems, manage backups and other important functions. The portal should appear in the first half of 2017.
Examples of placing 3CX in the cloud
For a start, we placed 3CX in the Google cloud and on a VPS hosting of the largest European data center OVH. Anyone with a Google account can try Google Cloud Compute Engine. And OVH is simply the largest European data center with very affordable prices for VPS servers. Strictly speaking, you can use any Debian VPS using KVM / Hyper V / VMware virtualization. We have prepared 3CX installation manuals for the three platforms mentioned:
- Installing 3CX on OVH hosting
- Installing 3CX on Google Cloud
- Installing 3CX on Debian Linux 8 (Jessie)
Installing 3CX using a template
In the new 3CX SP4, which is currently under development, we will provide partners with the ability to quickly create ready-made pre-configured 3CX systems from an XML template. You create a typical PBX configuration, including extension numbers, SIP trunks, IP phones and other settings, and “impose” it on a new client PBX. The system is ready to work in minutes! The ability to pre-configure IP phones by MAC addresses allows you to send new devices to the customer and ask them to simply plug into the network. Thanks to technology 3CX RPS (Remote Provisioning Server) they will be configured automatically - both for the local system and for the cloud!
The PBX configuration template can be applied automatically using a script or cloudinit tools used in many data centers. You can also apply the template manually, specifying it during the installation of the system - in much the same way as you do backup recovery. We have prepared a manual on working with automatic PBX autoconfiguration templates, which will be relevant after the release of the V15 SP4
- Deploying automatically using Cloudinit / Setup Template (SP4 - expected)
Transition from 3CX V14 Multi Tenant to v15
If you are planning to transition from 3CX V14 Multi Tenant to V15, pay attention to the following points:
- For ease of setup, use the 3CX DNS servers.
- If you use modified phone patterns, they should be updated when upgrading to V15. Take as a basis the new V15 templates and re-make the necessary changes to them. In general, we strongly advise against modifying 3CX regular templates.
- Ports of all V14 entities are reset to standard values. You can change them back if you use NAT with a single public IP address, or a third-party SBC controller.
Detailed configuration instructions are contained in the How to migrate v14 tenant to v15 guide.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/314772/
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