asterisk users - Sep 2006 - Running Multiple Instances of Asterisk

I'd like to know if anyone has sucessfully managed to run multiple instances
of Asterisk on the same system.

- Did you run each instance as a separate user?
- Did you have any install or config problems?
- It looks like the G729 codec registration utility doesn't work when files
aren't installed in standard places. Did you have this problem?
- How many instances could be run on a single Asterisk box?

Thanks,
Doug.

Asterisk does not support this, as it already has features for 
multi-client configuration within a single Asterisk installation/process.

Douglas Garstang wrote:
> I'd like to know if anyone has sucessfully managed to run multiple
instances of Asterisk on the same system.
> 
> - Did you run each instance as a separate user?
> - Did you have any install or config problems?
> - It looks like the G729 codec registration utility doesn't work when
files aren't installed in standard places. Did you have this problem?
> - How many instances could be run on a single Asterisk box?

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Eric "ManxPower" Wieling [mailto:eric@fnords.org]
> Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 11:24 AM
> To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
> Subject: Re: [asterisk-users] Running Multiple Instances of Asterisk
> 
> 
> Asterisk does not support this, as it already has features for 
> multi-client configuration within a single Asterisk 
> installation/process.
> 
> Douglas Garstang wrote:
> > I'd like to know if anyone has sucessfully managed to run 
> multiple instances of Asterisk on the same system.
> > 
> > - Did you run each instance as a separate user?
> > - Did you have any install or config problems?
> > - It looks like the G729 codec registration utility doesn't 
> work when files aren't installed in standard places. Did you 
> have this problem?
> > - How many instances could be run on a single Asterisk box?
What do you mean 'does not support'?

How easy do you think the management of the configuration files is going to be
if your trying to host several dozen companies on the one Asterisk instance?
Sure, you can split things into contexts, but just try and imagine how complex
the management is going to become when several companies comprise the same file
space.

Doug

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Brian Rogan [mailto:brogan@syderial.com]
> Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 12:40 PM
> To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
> Subject: Re: [asterisk-users] Running Multiple Instances of Asterisk
> 
> 
> Doug,
> 
> Why do you want to do this to begin with?  I think the best 
> solution is
Because we are trying to build a hosted IPT solution, not an enterprise
solution.
> to use the realtime stuff, and build your own management tools, which
> would allow you to do this (you could drastically cut the complexity
> with the right tools).  Even if you could run them together, how
> would you put everything on the appropriate ports?  How would you deal
> with multiple instances accessing hardware?
Realtime is resource intensive, requiring many queries to perform simple
lookups. We can easily create multiple virtual IP address, and since each
virtual IP address can bind to port 5060, each phone can register with
domain.com:5060 without a problem. We don't need multiple instances to
access hardware as this is a SIP only solution. Our PSTN access is via external
Audiocodes gateways, not via Digium T1 cards.

The dial plan was not able to handle the complexity we needed (for example the
MySQL() application command could not do nested queries), and so right now, we
have a 2000 line python script and several very complex MySQL stored procedures
in order to fulfull our requirements.
> 
> I'm not convinced that maintaining the config files, binaries 
> and other
> components of multiple asterisk's is easier than just building better
> tools to configure one.
I am. I look at our configuration which is currently for one customer, and
there's already several dozen contexts in order to cover a lot of
complexity. Multiply that by a couple of hundred, and I won't want to be
administering it!
> 
> You could also try User-Mode-Linux or something like that.
I was going to give v-servers a try. There's a guide at:
http://www.telephreak.org/papers/vpa/

We aren't accessing ZAP channels. No Digium hardware is installed!
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Eric "ManxPower" Wieling [mailto:eric@fnords.org]
> Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 1:24 PM
> To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
> Subject: Re: [asterisk-users] Running Multiple Instances of Asterisk
> 
> 
> Best of luck getting multiple instances of Asterisk to play nice when 
> accessing Zap channels.
> 
> 
> James Texter wrote:
> > Doug,
> >     I actually see this as a pretty logical way to solve 
> the problem.
> > Please keep us posted if you have any luck sorting out 
> running multiple
> > instances, or mail me off-list if no one else is interested.
> > 
> > Thanks,
> > 
> > 
> > On 9/25/06 1:52 PM, "Douglas Garstang" 
> <dgarstang@oneeighty.com> wrote:
> > 
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> From: Brian Rogan [mailto:brogan@syderial.com]
> >>> Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 12:40 PM
> >>> To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
> >>> Subject: Re: [asterisk-users] Running Multiple Instances 
> of Asterisk
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Doug,
> >>>
> >>> Why do you want to do this to begin with?  I think the best
> >>> solution is
> >> Because we are trying to build a hosted IPT solution, not 
> an enterprise
> >> solution.
> >>
> >>> to use the realtime stuff, and build your own management 
> tools, which
> >>> would allow you to do this (you could drastically cut the 
> complexity
> >>> with the right tools).  Even if you could run them together,
how
> >>> would you put everything on the appropriate ports?  How 
> would you deal
> >>> with multiple instances accessing hardware?
> >> Realtime is resource intensive, requiring many queries to 
> perform simple
> >> lookups. We can easily create multiple virtual IP address, 
> and since each
> >> virtual IP address can bind to port 5060, each phone can 
> register with
> >> domain.com:5060 without a problem. We don't need multiple 
> instances to access
> >> hardware as this is a SIP only solution. Our PSTN access 
> is via external
> >> Audiocodes gateways, not via Digium T1 cards.
> >>
> >> The dial plan was not able to handle the complexity we 
> needed (for example the
> >> MySQL() application command could not do nested queries), 
> and so right now, we
> >> have a 2000 line python script and several very complex 
> MySQL stored
> >> procedures in order to fulfull our requirements.
> >>
> >>> I'm not convinced that maintaining the config files,
binaries
> >>> and other
> >>> components of multiple asterisk's is easier than just 
> building better
> >>> tools to configure one.
> >> I am. I look at our configuration which is currently for 
> one customer, and
> >> there's already several dozen contexts in order to cover a 
> lot of complexity.
> >> Multiply that by a couple of hundred, and I won't want to 
> be administering it!
> >>
> >>> You could also try User-Mode-Linux or something like that.
> >> I was going to give v-servers a try. There's a guide at:
> >> http://www.telephreak.org/papers/vpa/
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> --Bandwidth and Colocation provided by Easynews.com --
> >>
> >> asterisk-users mailing list
> >> To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:
> >>    http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
> > 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> --Bandwidth and Colocation provided by Easynews.com --
> 
> asterisk-users mailing list
> To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:
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>

This is a non-commercial discussion list, hence the name "Asterisk Users
Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion". Post this to the -biz group.

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>
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>
>
> _______________________________________________
> --Bandwidth and Colocation provided by Easynews.com --
>
> asterisk-users mailing list
> To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:
>    http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
>


-- 
Alex Robar
alex.robar@gmail.com
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On Mon, Sep 25, 2006 at 06:09:02PM -0400, Alex Robar wrote:
>    This is a non-commercial discussion list, hence the name "Asterisk
>    Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion". Post this to the
-biz
>    group.
He does this every month or so ............


Steve

-- 
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UK +44-(0)20 79932612 / US +1-(310)8577715 / Fax +44-(0)20 7483 2455
Skype/GoogleTalk/AIM/Gizmo/Mac stevekennedyuk / MSN steve@gbnet.net
Euro Tech News Blog http://eurotechnews.blogspot.com

>>>>> "DG" == Douglas Garstang
<dgarstang@oneeighty.com> writes:
DG> I'd like to know if anyone has sucessfully managed to run multiple
DG> instances of Asterisk on the same system. - Did you run each
DG> instance as a separate user? - Did you have any install or config
DG> problems? - It looks like the G729 codec registration utility
DG> doesn't work when files aren't installed in standard places. Did
DG> you have this problem? - How many instances could be run on a
DG> single Asterisk box?

We run multiple asterisks with vserver. It has a slight disk space and
memory penalty, but nothing compared to proper paravirtualisation or
true virtualisation. It works very well. They are SIP only though --
it would be a bit more difficult if there was hardware involved.

Most people on this list think one asterisk instance will cut it for
tens or even hundreds of business customers. Best of luck to them, of
course. I guess the first thing they do is replace callgroups and
pickupgroups with something else.


/Benny