This year is starting out with a real bang for the FreePBX team as we once again come to you with a lot of great enhancements and features on the new 2.4.0 Final Release. It has been an exciting beta program that we officially launched 9 weeks ago and has been tested by over 1300 systems with fantastic feedback from our community.
The list of features, enhancements and bug fixes (most bugs from version 2.3 and prior) is much to long to share with you here but some highlights include :
- Simultaneous support for Asterisk version 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 (best effort for 1.6< as it is still in beta)
- New Voicemail Blast Group Module
- New Language Module
- Vast improvements and many feature enhancements to Paging and Intercom Module
- Internal improvements and several new features to Queues Module
- DUNDi™ Trunk support with automatic dialplan integration
- Vast improvements to handle Zap Channel Inbound routing and incorporating Zap Channel + CID routing abilities
- System wide extension and destination registry and automatic conflict and integrity detection
- New Custom Apps module to integrate custom applications and extensions into the above registries
- Vast improvements to Devices and Users mode especially around adhoc devices
Call Confirmation support for hunt ring strategy in Ring Groups and Follow-Me
And the list goes on! Despite the many new features introduced, there has been a focus on building capabilities to help the administrator maintain internal integrity and detect issues when they occur. This effort started back in version 2.3 when we introduced the Notification Panel in the System Status Dashboard and continues to evolve as we report on more error conditions, and as we introduce more mechanisms such as the Extension and Destination registries and internal integrity checking ability as mentioned above.
So how do you get 2.4.0 onto your system when we told you that you would be able to upgrade your 2.3 systems from Module Admin? After spending all day yesterday writing and testing the upgrade module that will enable this, my family informs me that I will be taking them out to a really expensive restaurant for abandoning them (and not just yesterday!) so I’m holding it up for ransom. Once enough people use the following button we’ll get it out!
Seriously though … the donations will be much appreciated but the Update Module is on its way and will be published and available on 2.3 systems within a few days. We are delaying it just briefly for two reasons. We are monitoring the conversion rate of 2.4 beta test sites to the final release to make sure there are no issues reported in the last bug fixes that got rolled in since RC1 was released. We are also asking some of the community to beta test the upgrade module to make sure it functions smoothly when we publish it. You can get information in this forum post if you would like to help.
You can also go the traditional route to either upgrade or build new installs by using the standard install and upgrade processes listed in our site’s Upgrade Instructions.
If you’ve been following the other activities happening here at FreePBX then you probably did not miss the Open Telephony Training Seminar we have been talking about. We are thrilled at the response we have gotten on this upcoming event which has now completely SOLD OUT more than two weeks before its start date! These lucky participants will be the first to receive formal training based on the 2.4.0 release announced today, including many internal capabilities not always exposed in the GUI interface. We have had many inquiries from would be participants who could not make those dates or were looking for something a little closer to their homes and we are happy to say that we will soon be choosing and organizing the next event to accommodate those requests.
With the current training being held in Charleston, South Carolina it is only natural to plan the next event on the other Coast. We have not made any choices but are considering locations like Las Vegas (or just outside to keep the distractions during the event down a bit) or San Diego but we want to hear from you both where and when we should hold this. So feel free to reply and give your feedback to if you are hoping to attend one of our next sessions!
For now, go check out the new 2.4.0 Release and if you like what you see, or want to get the 2.3 to 2.4 Upgrade module out quicker, go press that donate button above to show your support and appreciation for all the great work and hundreds of volunteer hours that have gone into bringing you this new version!
Philippe on behalf of the FreePBX Team!