Future-Proofing FreePBX Distro with Incredible PBX Skin

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A FORK OF THE FREEPBX PROJECT. IT IS AN EMERGENCY PATCH TO NEUTRALIZE THE DAMAGE POSED BY SANGOMA’S PUBLIC THREAT TO DISRUPT THE COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES OF APPROPRIATELY LICENSED INCREDIBLE PBX 2020 TRUNKING PLATFORMS ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2020. See 18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(7).

The Incredible PBX branding module is owned by Clearly IP and, with their permission, it is being offered at no cost for use on FreePBX Distro platforms pursuant to the terms of the AGPLv3 license. What does it do? In a nutshell, it gets you out from under the yoke of Sangoma for module administration and unauthorized tampering with your PBX.

Here are the specifics on what deployment of the Incredible PBX branding module will do:

1. Rebrands FreePBX with Incredible PBX logos and artwork.
2. Adds Incredible PBX and Nerd Vittles RSS Feeds to the FreePBX Dashboard.
3. Disables the flow of proprietary info about your phones, trunks, and usage to Sangoma.
4. Offers multiple module repository setups (soon) for sites with varying technical skillsets.
5. Links Incredible PBX to ClearlyIP stores for Trunking and Incredible Phone purchases.
6. Supports multiple GPG key signatures including the original FreePBX GPG key.
7. Connects Module Admin to ClearlyIP Module Repos for future FreePBX updates.

As if the last few weeks haven’t provided enough reasons for any administrator to separate their PBX from the whims of Sangoma, here are some other factors which, we believe, make this migration compelling:

1. Future-proofs your PBX from future Sangoma surprises that may damage your PBX.
2. Provides a more redundant repository platform unlike Sangoma’s fragile repository.
3. Provides instant access to all ClearlyIP-developed modules moving forward.
4. Provides instant access to all existing and future FreePBX module releases.
5. Addition of future Incredible PBX components is exclusively on an opt-in basis.
6. Provides access to ClearlyIP Trunking module with integrated SMS and Kari’s Law 911.
7. Provides access to Incredible IP Phone store for plug-and-play SIP telephones.
8. Provides a revenue stream for Incredible PBX and ClearlyIP future development.

This deployment guide assumes you have a functioning FreePBX Distro platform with FreePBX 15, Linux 7.x, and Asterisk 16. If not, start here. Otherwise, login to the FreePBX web GUI as an administrator and perform the following steps:

• Make a Backup (Admin • Backup & Restore • Add Backup)
• Download the Incredible PBX Module to your Desktop PC
• Install the Module (Admin • Module Admin • Upload Module from Hard Disk)
• Update the patched Framework Module (Admin • Module Admin • Check Online)
• Install Clearly Devices and Trunking Module, if desired
• Verify all is well by viewing FreePBX Dashboard (see screenshot above)

Originally published: Tuesday, February 11, 2020

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The lynchpin of Incredible PBX 2020 and beyond is ClearlyIP components which bring management of FreePBX modules and SIP phone integration to a level never before available with any other Asterisk distribution. And now you can configure and reconfigure your new Incredible PBX phones from the convenience of the Incredible PBX GUI.

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Special Thanks to Vitelity. Vitelity is now Voyant Communications and has halted new registrations for the time being. Our special thanks to Vitelity for their unwavering financial support over many years and to the many Nerd Vittles readers who continue to enjoy the benefits of their service offerings. We will keep everyone posted on further developments.