Since the announcement last autumn of FreePBX 16 GA, we’ve been encouraged to see continuing and steady adoption of 16. While the FreePBX 16 install base has been taking off, the additional QA and testing work for PBXact (the commercially supported PBX system based on Asterisk and FreePBX) has been underway, and is now concluded. So today, on this Groundhog Day Eve, we officially announce the GA release for PBXact 16.
Here are some of the highlights of features that version 16 brings to the table:
- Support for PHP 7.4
- Many GraphQL Method Additions to the API Module – automated deployment of new instances and remote config is easier than ever
- Standardizing on PJSIP as a Single SIP Driver – With the deprecation of chan_sip, the project continues to move toward the day of a single SIP driver in PBXact. (chan_sip can still be enabled for those who need it.)
- User Control Panel Templates – Administrators can now customize the UCP user experience before the user logs into UCP for the first time
- Overhaul of the Firewall module and integration of Intrusion Detection features with Firewall. One place for all system security configuration.
- Adjustable Thresholds for Responsive Firewall – for administrators looking for fine control over how the responsive firewall detects and blocks SIP traffic from unrecognized source IPs
- HTTPS Redirect – Administrators can configure individual http services to redirect to https
- SSL Protocol Config – individual SSL protocols are configurable by the administrator, both for Apache httpd and for the Asterisk mini-http server. Need to disable obsolete TLS versions? Now you can.
- AMI bindaddr – A new FreePBX install will set the AMI bind addr to localhost by default
- UCP Password Validation – The Administrator can enable and configure various password complexity rules to enforce password complexity for users updating passwords
- SMS Webhooks – Need to trigger an external event when an SMS message is received or sent? Need to archive messages? You can add these customizations using SMS webhooks.
The preferred method of migrating from an earlier version to PBXact 16 is to restore a backup to a new install from the PBXact 16 ISO. As with previous major upgrades, we have published a 15->16 version upgrade module that will do a system check and perform an upgrade in place. Full technical details on upgrading PBXact can be found in the wiki at: https://wiki.sangoma.com/display/PPS/Upgrade+to+PBXact+16
As always, a major release like this depends on the work of many people, and so a hearty thank you goes out to the Engineering team as well as the many coders, contributors, testers and users, who make this all possible. Current FreePBX users who are interested in moving to a PBXact system can contact sales to review options.