Scaling Servers On-Premise for High Availability
This guide explains how to configure cluster servers for a High Availability (HA) PortSIP PBX deployment, capable of supporting over 1 million users, approximately 50,000 online (registered/signed-in) users, and up to 10,000 simultaneous calls. The setup is also well-suited for high-demand scenarios, including large meetings, IVR, and call queues.
Prerequisites
Before configuring the cluster servers, please ensure that you have completed the PBX HA installation and configuration on the Main Server by following the guide High Availability Installations on Ubuntu.
Note: In this step, just need to install the PBX only, is no need to install the IM server at this stage, as it will be installed later in this guide.
Preparing Cluster Servers
We need to prepare the Linux servers for installing the following cluster application servers:
Media Servers
Queue Servers
Meeting Servers
IVR servers
In this guide, we assume that the following servers are being installed for the cluster:
Main Server: Install the PBX HA with a virtual IP address of 192.168.1.130.
Server 1: Install a media server with a private IP address of 192.168.1.21 and a static public IP of 104.101.137.60.
Server 2: Install a queue server with an IP address of 192.168.1.22.
Server 3: Install a meeting server with an IP address of 192.168.1.23.
Server 4: Install an IVR server with an IP address of 192.168.1.24.
A server can only deploy one type of PortSIP server at a time. For instance, it's not allowed to deploy both the media server and queue server simultaneously on Server 1.
Supported Linux OS
Ubuntu 24.04, 64bit.
We recommend allocating at least 128 GB of disk space, with no need for an additional data partition.
All cluster servers must run the same version of the Linux OS as the PBX in High Availability (HA).
When setting up the PBX cluster, please ensure there is sufficient network speed and bandwidth between the servers. Insufficient network resources may cause the PBX to not work as expected.
Preparing the Linux Host Machine for Installation
Tasks that MUST be completed before installing cluster servers.
Ensure the server date-time is synced correctly.
If the Linux server is on a LAN, assign a Static Private IP address.
For the media server cluster, each media server also needs a Static Public IP address if you want the user to call from the Internet.
Install all available updates and service packs before installing the cluster server.
Do not install PostgreSQL on the server.
Ensure that all power-saving options for your system and network adapters are disabled (by setting the system to High-Performance mode).
Do not install TeamViewer, VPN, or similar software on the host machine.
The server must not be installed as a DNS or DHCP server.
Set password-free login for all these servers
The following commands provided below should only be executed on the PBX HA node "pbx01".
The following commands provided below should only be executed on the PBX HA node "pbx01".
If you are prompted to choose an option (yes/no), please enter yes.
Add the Cluster Servers
To add the cluster servers in the web portal, sign in to the PBX Web portal as the system administrator.
Disable Default Servers
The PortSIP PBX installation comes with default media, queue, meeting, and IVR servers. We recommend disabling these default servers so that the Main Server only handles SIP signaling, allowing it to support more users and calls.
To do this, please select the Servers menu, expand each server type (media servers, queue servers, meeting servers, IVR servers), and turn off the default server as the below screenshot shows up.
Note: The IM server does not need to be disabled.
Add Media Server
To add a new media server, please follow the below steps:
Select the Servers > Media Servers menu and click the Add button.
Enter the server information as shown in the screenshot, and then click the OK button to save it. Please remember the server name "media-server-1", we will use it in a later step.
If your PBX is deployed for internet users to access, it is mandatory to assign a static public IP to this extended media server. Enter the static IP address as shown in the screenshot below.
Note: Suggest don't set the maximum of call sessions to more than 5,000.
Run the following command only on the HA PBX node pbx01. The process may take some time, so please be patient and wait for it to complete, don't interrupt or reboot.
-s media-server-only: This parameter indicates that only the media server should be installed.
-n media-server-1: This parameter specifies the name of the media server, which must match the name entered in step 2 above.
-a 192.168.1.21: This parameter specifies the private IP address of Server 1 (the extended media server).
Once the process is completed, the server will appear as Online in the PBX web portal under the menu: Servers > Media Servers.
Add Queue Server
To add a new queue server, please follow the below steps:
Select the Servers > Queue Servers menu and click the Add button.
Enter the server information as shown in the screenshot, and then click the OK button to save it. Please remember the server name "queue-server-1", we will use it in a later step.
Run the following command only on the HA PBX node pbx01. The process may take some time, so please be patient and wait for it to complete, don't interrupt or reboot.
-s queue-server-only: This parameter indicates that only the queue server should be installed.
-n queue-server-1: This parameter specifies the name of the queue server, which must match the name entered in step 2 above.
-a 192.168.1.22: This parameter specifies the private IP address of Server 2 (the extended queue server).
Once the process is completed, the server will appear as Online in the PBX web portal under the menu: Servers > Queue Servers.
Add Meeting Server
To add a new meeting server, please follow the below steps:
Select the Servers > Meeting Servers menu and click the Add button.
Enter the server information as shown in the screenshot, and then click the OK button to save it. Please remember the server name "meeting-server-1", we will use it in a later step.
Run the following command only on the HA PBX node pbx01. The process may take some time, so please be patient and wait for it to complete, don't interrupt or reboot.
-s meeting-server-only: This parameter indicates that only the meeting server should be installed.
-n meeting-server-1: This parameter specifies the name of the meeting server, which must match the name entered in step 2 above.
-a 192.168.1.23: This parameter specifies the private IP address of Server 3 (the extended meeting server).
Once the process is completed, the server will appear as Online in the PBX web portal under the menu: Servers > Meeting Servers.
Add IVR Server
To add a new IVR server, please follow the below steps:
Select the Servers > IVR Servers menu and click the Add button.
Enter the server information as shown in the screenshot, and then click the OK button to save it. Please remember the server name "vr-server-1", we will use it in a later step.
Run the following command only on the HA PBX node pbx01. The process may take some time, so please be patient and wait for it to complete, don't interrupt or reboot.
-s vr-server-only: This parameter indicates that only the IVR server should be installed.
-n vr-server-1: This parameter specifies the name of the IVR server, which must match the name entered in step 2 above.
-a 192.168.1.24: This parameter specifies the private IP address of Server 4 (the extended IVR server).
Once the process is completed, the server will appear as Online in the PBX web portal under the menu: Servers > IVR Servers.
Note: You can repeat the above steps to set up more IVR servers. If you set up multiple servers, they must not use the same server name or IP address. Especially, you must ensure that the server name specified in the commands matches the one entered on the web portal.
Managing Servers
In the below media server example commands, use the parameter -s to specify the service name. PortSIP PBX supports these services:
media-server-only
queue-server-only
meeting-server-only
vr-server-only
You can replace the media-server-only with another service name, such as mentioned above, and also need to replace the -a 192.168.1.21 with a corresponding server IP address.
All the below commands must be performed on the pbx01 node, even if it is not the current active node.
Perform the following command only on the HA PBX node pbx01, even if it is not the current active node.
Upgrade Server
First, please ensure you have upgraded the PBX HA as per this guide: Upgrading High Availability Installation.
After that, perform the below command to download the latest HA resoruces:
The example commands below are just for the media servers; for other servers, you need to use the -s and -a parameters to specify the service name and its IP address:
media-server-only
queue-server-only
meeting-server-only
ivr-server-only
Start Server
Restart Server
Stop Server
Remove Server
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