How to backup and restore FreePBX Legacy to latest v17
Upgrading from a legacy version of FreePBX to FreePBX 17 requires a backup and restore process, as there is no direct in-place upgrade path. The "manual" process involves creating a full backup of your legacy system and then restoring it onto a fresh installation of FreePBX 17.
Before you begin
- Perform a test migration first: Set up a temporary test environment to practice the migration. This will help you identify any potential issues before working on your live system.
- Switch to PJSIP: FreePBX 17 uses Asterisk 22, which does not support the older chan_sip protocol by default. You must convert all chan_sip trunks and extensions to PJSIP on your legacy system before creating the backup. While the restore process has an option to attempt this conversion, it is much safer to do it manually beforehand.
- Document everything: Record all of your current system's settings, custom configurations, and commercial module license information.Step 1: Backup your legacy FreePBX system
- Create a full backup: Log in to your legacy FreePBX web interface and navigate to Admin > Backup & Restore.
- Create a new backup job: Create a new backup job and name it something descriptive, like "Migration to v17."
- Include all items: Drag the "Full Backup" template and any other relevant items like "System Audio" or "Voice Mail" to the Backup Items section. If your system has a very large Call Detail Record (CDR) database, you may want to omit it to reduce the backup file size and restore time.
- Save to local storage: Drag Local Storage to the Storage Servers section to save the backup file locally on the server.
- Run the backup: Click Save and Run to start the backup job. A pop-up window will show the progress.
- Download the backup file: Once the backup is complete, go to the Restore tab in the Backup & Restore module. Click the Download icon next to your new backup file to save the .tgz archive to your computer.Step 2: Install and configure FreePBX 17
- Set up a new server: Install a fresh instance of FreePBX 17 on a new machine, virtual machine, or cloud instance.
- Release your Deployment ID: If your old system has commercial modules, you must release the Deployment ID from the legacy server to transfer the licenses. This is done through the Sangoma Portal.
- Activate the new server: Log in to the new FreePBX 17 web interface and perform the initial setup, including activating it with a new Deployment ID. This allows for the license transfer.
- Install commercial modules: Manually install any commercial modules that were on your old system. You can retrieve licenses in the new system after the Deployment ID is transferred.Step 3: Restore the backup to FreePBX 17
- Upload the backup: In your new FreePBX 17 web interface, go to Admin > Backup & Restore. On the Restore tab, click Click to upload a backup file and select the .tgz archive you downloaded earlier.
- Use the command line for large backups: If your backup file is very large and the GUI times out, you can upload the file to /var/spool/asterisk/backup/uploads/ via SCP/SFTP and restore it using the command-line interface (CLI).
sh
# Restore the backup
fwconsole backup --restore /var/spool/asterisk/backup/uploads/backupfilename.tgz- Select items to restore: After uploading, you will see a list of items to restore. Deselecting large or unnecessary items like CDRs can speed up the process.
- Start the restore: Click the Restore button. A pop-up window will display the progress.
- Reboot the server: Once the restore is complete, reboot the server to apply all changes.
Step 4: Post-migration tasks
- Re-activate modules: Any commercial modules you use will need to be re-activated after the restore.
- Check configurations: Log in to the FreePBX 17 web interface and verify that all extensions, trunks, inbound routes, and other configurations have been restored correctly. Pay special attention to any manual changes you had to make for PJSIP conversion.
- Test functionality: Make test calls to ensure inbound and outbound routing, voicemail, and other critical features are working as expected.
- Check for issues: If you encounter errors, the FreePBX Community Forums are an excellent resource for known issues and solutions.