How To Setup Basic Asterisk Server on CentOS 7

In simple world Asterisk is an open source framework that can be used for building communications applications like IP PBX, VoIP Gateway and other solutions. Asterisk is a open source PBX software packages, which is used to convert normal computer into a communications server.

In this article I am going to explain how you can setup a basic Asterisk server.

Setup Basic Asterisk Server

Follow the below steps to configure basic Asterisk server.

1. Download and Install the Prerequisites packages: First of all you have to download and install prerequisites packages using yum command:

# yum -y install make wget openssl-devel ncurses-devel subversion newt newt-static newt-devel libxml2-devel kernel-devel gcc gcc-c++ mysql sqlite-devel uuid-devel libuuid-devel speex-devel libuuid libxslt uriparser

Now you have to download and install “Jansson” package for Asterisk server.

# cd /usr/src/
# wget http://www.digip.org/jansson/releases/jansson-2.10.tar.gz
# tar -xvf jansson-2.10.tar.gz
# cd jansson-2.10
# ./configure
# make && make install && make check

You will get some output like below:

make[3]: Entering directory `/usr/src/jansson-2.10/test'
make[4]: Entering directory `/usr/src/jansson-2.10/test'
PASS: run-suites
============================================================================
Testsuite summary for jansson 2.10
============================================================================
# TOTAL: 1
# PASS: 1
# SKIP: 0
# XFAIL: 0
# FAIL: 0
# XPASS: 0
# ERROR: 0
==================================================================
make[4]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/jansson-2.10/test'
make[3]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/jansson-2.10/test'
make[2]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/jansson-2.10/test'
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/jansson-2.10/test'
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/jansson-2.10'
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/jansson-2.10'

Now you have to download the Asterisk, DAHDI and Libpri  package.

Download Asterisk Package

# mkdir -p /usr/src/asterisk
# cd /usr/src/asterisk
# wget http://downloads.asterisk.org/pub/telephony/asterisk/asterisk-14-current.tar.gz

Download DAHDI and Libpri Package

# wget http://downloads.asterisk.org/pub/telephony/dahdi-linux-complete/dahdi-linux-complete-current.tar.gz
# wget http://downloads.asterisk.org/pub/telephony/libpri/libpri-current.tar.gz

DAHDI stands for Digium Asterisk Hardware Device Interface.

Configure DAHDI

# tar -xvf dahdi-linux-complete-current.tar.gz
# cd dahdi-linux-complete-2.11.1+2.11.1/
# make
# make install
# make config

Install Libpri Package

Libpri package is used to connect to a PRI service.

# tar -xvf libpri-current.tar.gz
# cd libpri-1.6.0
# make
# make install

Install Asterisk Package

Now install Asterisk package following below command:

# cd /usr/src/asterisk
# tar -xvf asterisk-14-current.tar.gz
# cd asterisk-14.5.0
# ./configure --libdir=/usr/lib64

You will get some output like below:

. . . . . . .
configure: Menuselect build configuration successfully completed
               .$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$=..
            .$7$7..          .7$$7:.
          .$$:.                 ,$7.7
        .$7.     7$$$$           .$$77
     ..$$.       $$$$$            .$$$7
    ..7$   .?.   $$$$$   .?.       7$$$.
   $.$.   .$$$7. $$$$7 .7$$$.      .$$$.
 .777.   .$$$$$$77$$$77$$$$$7.      $$$,
 $$$~      .7$$$$$$$$$$$$$7.       .$$$.
.$$7          .7$$$$$$$7:          ?$$$.
$$$          ?7$$$$$$$$$$I        .$$$7
$$$       .7$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$      :$$$.
$$$       $$$$$$7$$$$$$$$$$$$    .$$$.
$$$        $$$   7$$$7  .$$$    .$$$.
$$$$             $$$$7         .$$$.
7$$$7            7$$$$        7$$$
 $$$$$                        $$$
  $$$$7.                       $$  (TM)
   $$$$$$$.           .7$$$$$$  $$
     $$$$$$$$$$$$7$$$$$$$$$.$$$$$$
       $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

configure: Package configured for:
configure: OS type  : linux-gnu
configure: Host CPU : x86_64
configure: build-cpu:vendor:os: x86_64 : pc : linux-gnu :
configure: host-cpu:vendor:os: x86_64 : pc : linux-gnu :

Note :- If you are installing Asterisk on 32-bit operating system then you don’t need to mention library directory.

Now run the below command:

# make menuselect && make && make install && make samples && make config

You will get someput like below:

Installing file configs/samples/udptl.conf.sample
Installing file configs/samples/unistim.conf.sample
Installing file configs/samples/users.conf.sample
Installing file configs/samples/voicemail.conf.sample
Installing file configs/samples/vpb.conf.sample
Installing file configs/samples/xmpp.conf.sample
Updating asterisk.conf
/usr/bin/install -c -d "/var/spool/asterisk/voicemail/default/1234/INBOX"
build_tools/make_sample_voicemail "//var/lib/asterisk" "//var/spool/asterisk"
Installing file phoneprov/000000000000.cfg
Installing file phoneprov/000000000000-directory.xml
Installing file phoneprov/000000000000-phone.cfg
Installing file phoneprov/polycom_line.xml
Installing file phoneprov/polycom.xml
Installing file phoneprov/snom-mac.xml

2. Enable and Start Asterisk Service: Now restart and enable the Asterisk service using below command:

# /etc/init.d/asterisk start
Starting asterisk (via systemctl):                        [  OK  ]

Check Asterisk Status

# /etc/init.d/asterisk status
● asterisk.service - LSB: Asterisk PBX
   Loaded: loaded (/etc/rc.d/init.d/asterisk; bad; vendor preset: disabled)
   Active: active (running) since Thu 2017-06-01 03:11:00 EDT; 4s ago
     Docs: man:systemd-sysv-generator(8)
  Process: 16068 ExecStart=/etc/rc.d/init.d/asterisk start (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
 Main PID: 16093
   CGroup: /system.slice/asterisk.service
           ├─16091 /bin/sh /usr/sbin/safe_asterisk
           └─16096 sleep 4

Jun 01 03:10:59 astserver systemd[1]: Starting LSB: Asterisk PBX...
Jun 01 03:10:59 astserver asterisk[16068]: Starting asterisk:
Jun 01 03:10:59 astserver systemd[1]: PID file /var/run/asterisk/asterisk.pid not readable (yet?) after start.
Jun 01 03:11:00 astserver systemd[1]: asterisk.service: Supervising process 16093 which is not our child. We'll most likely not notice when it exits.
Jun 01 03:11:00 astserver systemd[1]: Started LSB: Asterisk PBX.

# /sbin/chkconfig asterisk on
# chkconfig --list | grep asterisk

3. Connect To Asterisk CLI: Now connect to Asterisk CLI mode using below command:

#  asterisk -rvvvv
Asterisk 14.5.0, Copyright (C) 1999 - 2016, Digium, Inc. and others.
Created by Mark Spencer <[email protected]>
Asterisk comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; type 'core show warranty' for details.
This is free software, with components licensed under the GNU General Public
License version 2 and other licenses; you are welcome to redistribute it under
certain conditions. Type 'core show license' for details.
=========================================================================
Connected to Asterisk 14.5.0 currently running on astserver (pid = 2491)
astserver*CLI>

If your facing below error, then you have to disable SELinux.

#  asterisk -rv
Unable to connect to remote asterisk (does /var/run/asterisk/asterisk.ctl exist?)

SELINUX=disable

Thanks:)