Best Practices for Achieving IP-PBX Reliability Approaching the 5 nines with the 5 R s Asterisk is a registered trademark of Digium, Inc.
Agenda Introduction to Xorcom Asterisk: Popularity and Pitfalls Traditional Approaches to IP-PBX Reliability Five Utilities that Build in Reliability Questions & Answers
Introduction to Xorcom Established in 2004 Worldwide distribution channel Flexible and modular telephony interface solutions based on XPP technology (USB2) 3 families of IP-PBX (SOHO, SMB, Enterprise) channel banks Xorcom drivers: standard component in Asterisk since v. 1.2.4 (Feb 06)
Powerful Open-Source Engine Asterisk is a registered trademark of Digium, Inc.
Asterisk Worldwide body of avid developers Robust and accepted platform as per Jan 09 report: http://www.easternmanagement.com/pbx.htm Most popular open-source OS for telephony (85% share) 18% of N.A. installs in 2008 Minimal $$ needed to start; higher flexibility Open Source PBXs typically cost ~40% less than conventional telephone systems Simple to integrate software applications
But What About Reliability?!
Reliability by PBX Type High Low
Popular Ways of Achieving Reliability Use only mature Asterisk versions Depend on early adopters to test new versions and follow progress of new builds Eager and willing community members Companies anxious to utilize new features Employ ruggedized hardware Redundant power supplies, disks, fans, etc. Drawbacks: Useless if software fails Expensive
The Xorcom Way Approach the five nines with your ipbx by employing utilities providing the five R s : Redundancy RAID1 Replicate & Restore Rescue Rapid Tunneling
XPP: Cornerstone of Reliability Innovative system design, ongoing R&D, and ruggedized hardware High speed 480 Mbit/s USB2 connectivity External support for telephony interfaces and trunks Modular and scalable Additional ports are hot pluggable
New Standard for Asterisk Connectivity
R 1 = Redundancy
High Availability Solution for Asterisk Provides full redundancy for a complete PBX system, including telephony interfaces Quick and automatic failover process keeps downtime to an absolute minimum Auto detection of server failure & switch to backup server Firmware-based switching mechanism is not network-dependent Solution components: XPP Technology two Xorcom IP PBX units with identical configurations Xorcom Astribank channel bank(s) with dual USB ports
TWINSTAR True Redundancy Solution for Asterisk PBX with Multiple Telephony Interfaces
Initial Setup: Identical Servers Two Xorcom servers + dual-usb Astribank USB Xorcom server (primary) Xorcom server (backup) USB LAN/WAN PSTN IP Phones Astribank (front panel) USB-connected channel bank providing analog/digital telephony interfaces Analog Phones
Standard Operation: Primary Active Dual USB ports; Firmware monitoring/switching USB Xorcom server (primary) Xorcom server (backup) USB LAN/WAN PSTN IP Phones Astribank (rear panel) USB-connected channel bank providing analog/digital telephony interfaces Analog Phones
If the Primary Server Fails Server Failure USB Xorcom server (primary) Xorcom server (backup) USB LAN/WAN PSTN IP Phones Astribank (rear panel) USB-connected channel bank providing analog/digital telephony interfaces Analog Phones
the Backup Server is Activated Switch Changes to Backup Server Backup Server assumes Primary Server IP Address USB Xorcom server (primary) Xorcom server (backup) USB LAN/WAN PSTN IP Phones Astribank (rear panel) USB-connected channel bank providing analog/digital telephony interfaces Analog Phones
TwinStar Demo
R 2 = RAID1 Support
RAID1 Support Geometrically increases IP-PBX hard-drive reliability Suitable for XR2000 and XR3000 Two hard disks are supplied; all blocks replicated/mirrored If the active hard disk fails: the second hard-disk automatically takes over an alarm e-mail is sent to the system admin PBX continues working seamlessly
R 3 = Replicate & Restore
Rapid Recovery: Backup & Restore Utility and storage space 2GB USB Disk-on-Key (DOK) Supports XR1000, XR2000 and XR3000 Backs up entire PBX including user-defined options: configuration files voice prompts voice mail Descriptive name for each backup Single DOK for multiple system backups; Up to four* different system recoveries on single DOK * For XR2000 and XR3000. A single, non-compressed backup is supported for XR1000.
R 4 = Rescue: Temporary Recovery
Live Rescue: Temporary Recovery Bootable Disk-on-Key (DOK) Runs Xorcom XR1000, XR2000 and XR3000 directly from USB port Simple, safe and speedy disaster recovery: human error disk crash other disaster Utilizes Xorcom Rapid Recovery backup Temporary solution until maintenance can be scheduled
R 5 = Rapid Tunneling Utility
Rapid Tunneling Utility Secure remote access to IP-PBX Pre-installed on all IP-PBX models Targeted, real-time support End user determines when to connect/disconnect No technical knowledge required of end user In real time, Xorcom support specialist can: troubleshoot perform diagnostics correct configuration issues
Summary: Building in High Availability Approach the five nines with the five R s : Redundancy RAID1 Replicate & Restore Rescue Rapid Tunneling
Questions?
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