PhonixPBX is the successor of AskoziaPBX and can take over the configuration of an existing AskoziaPBX system: phones, providers with their dial patterns and incoming routes, call groups, applications, conference rooms, voicemail and e-mail settings, transfer and parking codes, manager users and the system settings. The source is the config.xml file of the old system, version 2.1 or older; older versions are upgraded automatically during the import.
Getting config.xml
Download config.xml from the web interface of the old system (System → Backup) or copy conf/config.xml from the first partition of its CompactFlash card or disk. Keep the file safe: it contains all passwords in plain text.
Importing at the first boot
The easiest way for a new installation:
- Write the PhonixPBX image to the card or disk.
- Before the first start, copy
config.xmlto the boot partition (PHXBOOT), either at the top level or asconf/config.xml– the same place as on the old system. - Start the PBX. During the first boot the file is imported in Replace mode and renamed to
config.xml.imported.
In the OCI container, place the file at import/config.xml in the data volume before the first start.
After logging in, the dashboard shows the import report until an administrator clicks Dismiss. Review it like the result of an import in the web interface (see below).
Importing in the web interface
- Open System → Backup/Restore and go to the card Legacy AskoziaPBX.
- Drop
config.xmlon the field Drop config.xml here or click to upload (or click it and choose the file). - A preview appears. Nothing has been changed yet. It shows, per section, how many objects would be created (create), updated (update) or skipped (skip), the sections that are not supported (Not supported, dropped: …) and a list of messages, each marked
error,warningorinfo. - Choose the Mode (see below) and click Import. Confirm the question Import this configuration now?.
- The Import result appears. Review the imported configuration, then click Apply changes in the banner at the top.
If the preview contains errors, the import cannot be applied as is (The import has errors and cannot be applied as is.): correct the file or the conflicting objects and upload it again.
Replace or merge
| Mode | Effect |
|---|---|
| Replace current configuration (backup first) | The default. A backup of the current configuration is created first. Then all phones, providers, call groups, conference rooms, applications and manager users are removed and replaced by those from the file. The system settings (host name, time zone, network, SIP/IAX/RTP, voicemail, e-mail, feature codes) and the web password are taken from the file as well. |
| Merge into current configuration | Adds the objects from the file to the current configuration. Objects are matched by their AskoziaPBX ID, then by extension; on a conflict the object is skipped and reported. Global settings and the web password stay as they are. |
Replace also takes over the network settings of the old system (DHCP or static address, gateway, DNS). If both systems run at the same time, check System → Network before you apply, so the new PBX does not take the address of the old one or become unreachable.
Web password: with Replace, the web login of the old system (usually
admin) gets the old system’s password, if it has at least 8 characters. Shorter passwords are not imported and the current password stays. The report says which applies.
What is converted
- SIP phones and providers are converted from the old
chan_sipto PJSIP; codecs (in their order), NAT, DTMF and qualify settings are carried over. - Application logic written for Asterisk 1.8 is adapted where possible, for example
MeetMebecomesConfBridge. Anything that cannot be adapted automatically is marked for review in the report – check those applications after the import. - The built-in applications (voicemail
000086, call forwarding000023, test numbers) are matched with the PhonixPBX versions.
What is not imported
PhonixPBX does not support telephony hardware. These parts are left out and listed in the report:
- analog and ISDN phones, providers and fax (DAHDI, Redfone gateways, GSM),
- Skinny (SCCP) phones, virtual fax machines,
- storage disks and services, dynamic DNS and RFC 2136 updates, the captive portal, phone provisioning, third-party integrations, manually edited configuration files.
If phones or dial patterns depended on an analog or ISDN provider, the report tells you. Replace such a line with a SIP gateway and add it as a provider.
Exporting back to config.xml
On the same card, Export config.xml downloads the current configuration in the AskoziaPBX format, for example to return to an old system. The export is best effort: features that AskoziaPBX does not know – IVR menus, business hours, TLS/SRTP, the firewall, several administrators, PJSIP-only options – are left out. The file contains all passwords in plain text.
On the command line
The same import and export is available with phonix legacy: phonix legacy import config.xml --dry-run prints the report without changing anything, --merge selects the merge mode, phonix legacy export config.xml writes the export. Scripts can use the REST API (/api/v1/legacy/import and /api/v1/legacy/export).
AskoziaPBX hardware
PhonixPBX does not run on the PC Engines ALIX and WRAP boards that many AskoziaPBX systems used (their CPUs lack SSE2). Copy config.xml from such a box and import it on a Raspberry Pi, a PC, a virtual machine or a container.