Servers

The servers menu allows you to add, remove and edit servers which are managed via vspPanel. Once a server is added to the vspPanel, vspPanel will recognise it through out the software and will allow you to add routes and providers to the server as well as get usage statistics and view and manage calls in progress through the asterisk management interface provided by the asterisk PBX.

You may add 1 or more asterisk servers to vspPanel. If you have more then 1 Asterisk server you will be able to cluster them to allow for simultaneous access of user accounts.

Adding a server

Adding a server in vspPanel is relatively easy. Simply enter in the details requested by the add server menu. The details are as follows:

Server Name: A descriptive name for your server. One word only with no spaces or spacial characters.
IP Address: The IP address of the server. If Asterisk is on the same server as vspPanel then it can simply be entered as 127.0.0.1
Asterisk Manager Username: The username you are using for your asterisk management interface as defined in the Asterisk servers manager.conf file in /etc/asterisk/ on the asterisk server.
Asterisk Manager Password: The password you are using for your asterisk management interface as defined in the Asterisk servers manager.conf file in /etc/asterisk/ on the asterisk server.
Asterisk Manager Port: The port you are using for your asterisk management interface as defined in the Asterisk servers manager.conf file in /etc/asterisk/ on the asterisk server. Default port is traditionally 5038

An example Manager.Conf file is shown below:

[general]
displaysystemname = yes
enabled = yes
port = 5038
bindaddr = 0.0.0.0
;
; Add a Unix epoch timestamp to events (not action responses)
;
;timestampevents = yes

[asteriskmanager]
secret = mypassword
deny=0.0.0.0/0.0.0.0
permit=127.0.0.1/255.255.255.255
read = config,log,command,agent,user
write = config,log,command,agent,user

The vspPanel Models

vspPanel is a versatile software package which allows for same server architectures as well as distributed to allow for load balancing and redundancy. The three common models are explored in more detail below.

The Basic vspPanel Server Model

vspPanel's most basic implementation is to have all the pieces installed on a single server. This gives you ease of management however no failover or cluster capabilities. Generally speaking this is how most people first install the vspPanel software before continuing to a distributed or clustered model for futureproofing.

Fig 1. The standard vspPanel model - "All on 1 server"

The Distributed vspPanel Server Model

The second method of deploying vspPanel allows for a distributed model therefore allowing you to install vspPanel on 1 server which you will use for management. Then deploying Asterisk on a second server for voice translation and finally mySQL on a third server to be used for data storage and access.

By using a distributed model you are protecting your data against failure and additionally can modify the power requirements of the system on an individual level.

Fig 2. The distributed vspPanel model showing each section on a different server.

The Clustered vspPanel Server Model

The final vspPanel model and most recommended is the "Clustered" model. vspPanel allows you to access and run multiple Asterisk servers in unison which therefore allows you to have multiple voice servers. Having multiple voice servers is useful for both load balancing and redundancy and is easily setup simply by having your Database (MySQL) on a seperate server along with 2 or more Asterisk servers. Simply add each server into the servers section of vspPanel and vspPanel will handle all data redundancy for your customers.

Finally you may choose multiple methods to allow your customers to login to 1 point of presence other then choosing between servers. The most simple is "DNS Round Robin", however we recommend using an LVS cluster or proprietary hardware for network level clustering. For more information on clustering please see the community forums.