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Trixbox CE on Embedded Alix Success

dustobub
Posts: 2
 Member Since:
2008-02-05
Submitted by dustobub on Wed, 02/13/2008 - 3:00pm.

I just wanted to let people know that I successfully and easily installed Trixbox CE onto an Alix 2C2. If you don't know about the Alix boards they are the successor the WRAP boards and run an AMD Geode LX800 processor, 256mb ram, 1-2 MiniPCI slots, 1-3 Lan ports, and cost under $140. They have been primarily used for firewalls/routers/access points although there are a couple of Asterisk projects designed with embedded hardware in mind (Askozia, AstLinux).

I tried both Askozia and AstLinux and while they both show promise, neither of them provide the polish or amount of features that Trixbox provides. So I looked for someone who had installed Trixbox on an Alix, or any embedded platform, but could not find any info. I tried a few things that didn't work out, but eventually came to a simple solution that works 100%. Here is what I did:

1. Download latest Trixbox ISO
2. Download and install latest Vmware Server 1.x edition (do not use the new beta 2.0)

* I used a 4gb Microdrive however a Compact Flash card would work, although I would be careful with the limited write cycles they have.

3. Plug in your compact flash or microdrive into a usb reader. Open Vmware server and create a new custom virtual machine (Linux 2.6kernel, 256mb ram, 1 serial port, 1 usb port, and the same number of LAN ports that are actually on the Alix). The most important part is to tell Vmware to use the PHYSICAL drive that you inserted into the usb reader. Be careful to not pick your OS hard drive as it will certainly corrupt it. Tell Vmware to use the Trixbox ISO as its cdrom.

4. Boot the virtual machine, and install Trixbox.

5. Once Trixbox is installed, let it boot up and login. Then follow the instructions on this page to get your serial console working.

http://www.ghidinelli.com/2006/11/06/configuring-console-access-f...

6. Once this is done you can go ahead and configure the Trixbox while still running in the virtual machine, or you can wait till you transfer the hard drive to the Alix.

7. Turn the virtual machine off, and then remove the usb reader. Install the microdrive/CF into the Alix, plug it in, and voila, you have a fully functional embedded Trixbox.

I have been running this exact setup for about a week now and it is working perfectly. I have around 15 extensions, 1 trunk, 1 inbound route, 1 outbound route, 2 IVRs, Voicemail, VM Email notifications, Paging, and it all works perfectly. I have tested it with 2 simultaneous
external calls and it works fine. I think there is enough power to handle 4-5 simultaneous external calls, any more and you will most likely have issues.

I would recommend this setup to only residential/SOHO setups or extremely small businesses due to the hardware's performance limitations. However, for $125-$140, you can not beat the price, the size, or the functionality.

Dustin

‹ Trixbox with Openvpn Trixbox under VMWare Server 2.0 hosted on Linux ›

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mustardman
Posts: 1289
 Member Since:
2006-06-18
The lack of a PCI slot would
Wed, 02/13/2008 - 3:46pm

The lack of a PCI slot would be a show stopper for most people unless they just want a cheap SIP trunk solution.

If you don't need the PCI slot then it's a much cheaper way to go than the Soekris for essentially the same thing.


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dustobub
Posts: 2
 Member Since:
2008-02-05
I can't think of where I
Wed, 02/13/2008 - 4:46pm

I can't think of where I read it, but I know there is a company that makes a minipci fxo card. Although I do agree, it's mainly more useful as a simple SIP trunk.


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lagreca
Posts: 123
 Member Since:
2007-03-09
How many extensions will
Thu, 05/15/2008 - 12:46am

How many extensions will your ALIX based Trixbox handle or do you run on it? Simultaneous calls, etc?

I'm wondering if this would work for a small office of maybe 2-5 extensions?


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lagreca
Posts: 123
 Member Since:
2007-03-09
I have create a wiki entry
Thu, 05/15/2008 - 10:25am

I have create a wiki entry with my full list of instructions. It can be found here:

http://trixbox.org/wiki/how-install-trixbox-ce-2-6-0-7-alix


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dstroot
Posts: 148
 Member Since:
2006-06-01
I am VERY interested in doing this
Thu, 05/22/2008 - 11:06am

I run an install of Trixbox at home since the old A@H days. I have about 7 extensions and we normally never go over two simultaneous calls and I use ulaw for everything so I don't normally transcode.

Can somone comment how well this works? I use an ALIX board to run pfsense today and I have a spare microdrive so all I need is another ALIX board. But I'd hate to do this and find it really doesn't work well - choppy sound, etc.

So would it work well for my home??


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lagreca
Posts: 123
 Member Since:
2007-03-09
dstroot:
Thu, 05/22/2008 - 2:39pm

dstroot:

I have been running my Alix 2c3 with Trixbox 2.6.0.7 full time for a little over a week now and am impressed.

Boot up takes about 2.5 minutes using a Seagate 8GB microdrive. I am currently shopping around to find a good deal on a 4+ GB CF to replace the microdrive.

Here is the "show translation" output (reason why you DO NOT want to transcode):

pbx*CLI> show translation
Translation times between formats (in milliseconds) for one second of data
Source Format (Rows) Destination Format (Columns)

g723 gsm ulaw alaw g726aal2 adpcm slin lpc10 g729 speex ilbc g726 g722
g723 - - - - - - - - - - - - -
gsm - - 13 13 25 13 12 48 189 289 241 24 -
ulaw - 25 - 1 14 2 1 37 178 278 230 13 -
alaw - 25 1 - 14 2 1 37 178 278 230 13 -
g726aal2 - 35 12 12 - 12 11 47 188 288 240 1 -
adpcm - 25 2 2 14 - 1 37 178 278 230 13 -
slin - 24 1 1 13 1 - 36 177 277 229 12 -
lpc10 - 106 83 83 95 83 82 - 259 359 311 94 -
g729 - 59 36 36 48 36 35 71 - 312 264 47 -
speex - 56 33 33 45 33 32 68 209 - 261 44 -
ilbc - 62 39 39 51 39 38 74 215 315 - 50 -
g726 - 36 13 13 1 13 12 48 189 289 241 - -
g722 - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As you can see, the processor is just not fast enough to do transcoding.

There is also a longer post dial delay when using an Alix, as its slower processing call routing. I would estimate about 9 seconds PDD. I suppose this would vary with different outbound routing plans.

Backups are VERY easy with a 2+ GB USB thumb drive:
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/usb
dd if=/dev/hda bs=1k conv=noerror,sync | gzip -c > /mnt/usb/trixbox-backup.img
umount /mnt/usb

But call quality sounds very good. It is silent, generates very little heat, and probably uses very little electricity (I will need to hook it up to my kill-a-watt to get an exact reading).

I believe it is a perfect fit for your home, as long as you can handle a little longer than normal PDD. Let me know if you have any other questions.


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SkykingOH
Posts: 9541
 Member Since:
2007-12-17
Thanks for the information
Thu, 05/22/2008 - 2:43pm

Nice informative post with hard data.

Much appreciated.

--

Scott

aka "Skyking"


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lagreca
Posts: 123
 Member Since:
2007-03-09
skykngoh: Thanks. I'm glad
Thu, 05/22/2008 - 2:54pm

skykngoh:

Thanks. I'm glad I found a way, with my limited VOIP knowledge, to finally give back to the trixbox community.

As far as some more hard information:

I just plugged the Alix into my kill-a-watt, here is some power consumption data:

4-6 watts or 9-11 VA
0.08-0.10 amps


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angelonardone
Posts: 4
 Member Since:
2007-04-19
physdiskwrite image
Fri, 08/01/2008 - 3:46pm

Could you post a physdiskwrite image?
Although I have Vmware, I have a Mac version, and doesn't allow me to mount a physical drive.

Thanks

Angelo


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mjoyner
Posts: 142
 Member Since:
2007-06-11
Complete recommended parts list?
Fri, 08/01/2008 - 8:10pm

Complete recommended parts list?


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lagreca
Posts: 123
 Member Since:
2007-03-09
I tried making an image for
Mon, 08/04/2008 - 11:55pm

I tried making an image for you tonight, but it was going to take hours to write. I think its the way my reader accesses the CF card. So I couldn't do it, sorry.


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angelonardone
Posts: 4
 Member Since:
2007-04-19
I finally was able to get
Thu, 08/14/2008 - 3:14pm

I finally was able to get hold of a PC with VMWARE, I followed the instructions, but is not booting

This is the message i get on the serial console:

--------------------------
PC Engines ALIX.2 v0.99
640 KB Base Memory
261120 KB Extended Memory

01F0 Master 044A CF 4GB
Phys C/H/S 7769/16/63 Log C/H/S 971/128/63
------------------
and stops here....
Any Idea?

Thanks
Angelo


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AC
Posts: 7
 Member Since:
2009-01-23
Trixbox on Flepo MiniPC2
Fri, 01/23/2009 - 3:25pm

Hi,
thanks for this very useful guide. It helped me to setup Trixbox on a Flepo MiniPC2, with local IDE harddisk.
I would have been able to do so without your instructions. The system is now up and running, and I'm starting to configure it.
Thanks.


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binary_dreamer
Posts: 12
 Member Since:
2009-09-14
i am afraid that something i
Tue, 10/06/2009 - 6:37am

i am afraid that something i am doing wrong.
i have cf through usb card reader.
i am starting vmware and searchine for the cf through my computer.
i can find the cf and i access it. then it asks for a name to save the project.
i can do the install but when i put it in the alix board i do not get any boot at all!
any ideas?


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binary_dreamer
Posts: 12
 Member Since:
2009-09-14
could someone be so kind and
Tue, 10/06/2009 - 6:37am

could someone be so kind and upload an image for a compact flash (not microdrive), please?


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thewisp
Posts: 17
 Member Since:
2006-11-21
Will not install on Flash
Tue, 01/12/2010 - 5:31pm

I have tried and tried and tried. However, everytime I try to install trixbox on the flash drive it states that there was not enough room on the drive to create the /boot partition. This is a 2gb drive, and should work fine!

What am I doing wrong?


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