Recommendation for cloud hosting (which package from AWS, Google, OVH or 1&1 should I choose?)

[mamo]

I did read the guides for installing 3CX on AWS, Google Cloud, OVH or 1&1 and found them very helpful. So thank you very much for sharing them! However I am missing recommendations as to what package I should choose.

I am especially unsure about the RAM requirements. The official page about Hardware Requirements says that 2 GB is needed. However the installation guide for 1&1 seems to recommend Cloud Server M, which only includes 1 GB of RAM. The guide for Google Cloud does even mention the always free option which (if my research is correct) is an f1-micro that apparently only includes 600 MB or RAM.

So my guess is that the 2 GB recommendation is a bit generous and 1 GB will be more than enough for small system with a max. of 8 simultaneous calls?

Probably the smallest available packages from all those four providers, respectively will work just fine?

 

[eddv123]

I personally use AWS, reasons for this were:

* Free yearly trial was available (and may still possibly be) when I signed up.
* Supporting documentation was very good for this platform. Both technical and commercial.
* Good/well known name.
* Sign up was quick and easy, un-like some of the other providers who want your life story.

I have not had any issues with them so far installing and running 3CX was and is very easy although I would be aware of hidden charges for features such as elastic IP's etc. This is where the support documentation is handy:

http://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/checklistforunwantedcharges.html

 

[OCWI]

OVH's cheapest SSD solution combined with a raspberry pi SBC and yealink phones backed by a approved trunk provider = perfect reliability.

AWS is ok too but we have had better luck with OVH.

 

[OCWI]

Correction, near perfect reliability. Only weakpoint is needed to restart the raspberry pi every once in a great while if the internet goes out / ect. There was a patch for it recently released however that may have corrected that - time will tell. Either way raspberry pi SBC far far more reliable than windows SBC.

 

[eddv123]

I would not say "perfect reliability" although you run this risk of outages with any platform provider - this one just made headlines: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/12/07/ovh_second_major_outage_in_a_month/

 

[mamo]

Thanks very much for all the answers. Seems like I did not make myself clear enough. I wanted to know which package you recommend. So lets say I take AWS, then t2.nano might be enough, or does it have to be t2.small or even t2.medium? Similar: Is "VPS SSD" from OVH enough or does it have to be something bigger?

From looking at the offerings of the different providers, my current favorite would be "Cloud Server M" from 1&1. Not sure if this is a smart choice. Reasons for it being that it has a reasonable price, seems one of the most transparent (price models of AWS and Google seem very confusing to me) and it offers hosting in Germany, which is the country I am situated in.

Correction, near perfect reliability. Only weakpoint is needed to restart the raspberry pi every once in a great while if the internet goes out / ect. There was a patch for it recently released however that may have corrected that - time will tell. Either way raspberry pi SBC far far more reliable than windows SBC.

Interesting. I already have very positive experience with raspberry pi as SBC, as I am running one for almost a year now without any issue. Only problems I had so far come from unreliable internet connection at our main office, where the PBX server is currently located (which is the reason, I am considering to move it into the cloud).

 

[StefanW]

(dont take the below message based on that I work for 3CX and shall not reflect the company it self)

Some Infos why I personal use Google , I like the interface and the command line the most. Also, the 614MB of ram (Micro Instance) are 100% mine and the instance is fully redundant. OVH is best effort of the RAM/CPU and the instance is just on one host (amongst others) with no redundancy other then the local raid. This is why the pricing for OVH is great. Google's Micro can run mini installs like PBXeditions but not more, after this small or stdn1 is good to go. Important on the low mem server to create a SWAP to offload some unused mem to disc and you are good to go.

Biggest dislike in Google, no IPv6, which will come available in 3CX in 2018 to fully use and utilise it...

1&1 and AWS I only know the interface but never used it for any production workload. AWS traffic pricing put me off mainly to not follow further...

 

[3cxBora]

For those that hosts on Google or AWS, have you used VPN instead of SBC for over 20 phones? SBC for RasPi2 is only 20 phones or less. For 140 extension, what instance you recommend?

 

[sip.bg]

Host the PBX somewhere else, where you can make a site-to-site VPN.

 

[cobaltit]

So you can install the SBC on Debian so a regular PC could handle the load of 140 extensions if it was beefy enough. That being said a S2S VPN is definitely preferred in that scenario, or even better, using an internet provider that has a peering agreement with your cloud provider. Many providers can setup a vMPLS circuit to the big cloud providers (Azure, AWS, Google Cloud)

 

[accentlogic]

We have setup site-to-site VPN with Google Cloud, so that is possible. Basic VPN, no multicast, so you can't use plug and play. Using DHCP option 66 to provision the phones should not be an issue if your environment can do the VPN.

If you use an SBC I believe 50 extensions is the most supported, so you would need to split the load between multiple ones if you have more and can't do VPN.

Another consideration of cloud hosts is location - here in the US using OVH is probably not the best option.

On the memory question, the specifications are published for a Windows environment - if you use Debian then you can reduce it quite a bit.

 

[Alphabetic]

Hi Guys,

Make yourself a bit of money.

Get yourself a dedicated server where you can install HyperV role. install Debian VMs and buy IP addresses for them.

I've literally never touched Linux until a week ago. Debian is so easy to use with 3CX and restoring backups to it is a doddle too.

Just need to start getting more customers onboard now.