Running 3CX on a non-dedicated server.

[Ralph]

I was searching through the fourms and came across some posts that indicated some people are running 3CX on non-dedicated servers.

I was wondering how this was working out. Currently I am planning on running 3CX on dedicated servers but the possibility of running it on non-dedicated servers is interesting since it would reduce cost considerably.

How is performance of 3CX on non dedicated servers?
Any problems or pitfalls to watch out for?
Any software that doesn't play well with 3CX?
Networking issues?

Thanks again

 

[RobLloyd]

Hey Ralph - This shouldn't be a problem unless the non-dedicated machine doing any high network usage services - major file sharing.

I have a W2k3 server PIII, 512 meg ram and it works fine as long as that's the only thing it's doing. I was trying to do some packet capturing and was running into issues with calls being choppy. I know this box is not high end (especially in RAM) but the packet capture was causing problems.

What are the specs of this box? I'm planning on doing 3CX on a new SBS2003 server and i don't think there will be any issues. I'll know in a couple weeks if this will be a viable option or not.

 

[Anonymous]

Configuration 1:

SBS2003 and any combination of the server function as it comes out of the box (print server, file server, Active Dir, DNS etc) works fine with 3CX installed. IIS might be a bit fiddly but works.

Configuration 2:
SBS2003
ISA Server
Install 3CX on the Internal domain and it works fine as inhouse PBX. If you want to have external access to the PBX, than install it on the DMZ.

Configuration 3:
SBS2003 and Exchange 2003 including the normal stuff like AD, DNS etc works fine with 3CX installed. If you want to run Exchange 2007 than have them both on a sperate box (It is not advisable to have Exch 2007 and your AD on the same box anyway) but for 3CX you need a seperate box than.

Configuration 4:
Any version of Vista works fine with 3CX. Our prefered atm is that we run 3CX on our Office MediaCentre (Yep, we are spoiled) and it works like a dream (the latest 3CX version that is).

Virus scanners and Firewalls:
Norton Enterprise
Kaspry
work fine with 3CX.

Office apps work fine with 3CX installed, but would not recommend to use the same machine for office work as for 3CX, unless you want to use the computer from the receptionist (which is considered low Office work in our books).

Tip:
3CX can run just fine on a LAPTOP, our future releases will be most likely on LAPTOPS reason being is that the software does not need a lot of grund and a laptop has its own powersupply. We have our main switch on a UPS, the phones are POE and if we put 3CX on a laptop in case of power outage we have atleast a few minutes to make emergency calls before the VoIP dies.

 

[RobLloyd]

Henk - Nice summary. I'm sure you'll be asked this later... how much RAM do you have in these boxes?
What about hard drive configurations? RAID 5, RAID 1

Just figure I'd cover some questions that come up.
Personaly I don't do less than 2gb ram, 4gb for larger offices (due to Exchange) and always use RAID 5.

 

[Anonymous]

Henk - Nice summary. I'm sure you'll be asked this later... how much RAM do you have in these boxes?
What about hard drive configurations? RAID 5, RAID 1

Just figure I'd cover some questions that come up.
Personaly I don't do less than 2gb ram, 4gb for larger offices (due to Exchange) and always use RAID 5.

That is a trade secret .

No you spot on with the whe 4GB for Exchange, but keep in mind that you should not install exchange 2007 and 3CX on the same box. (well it is not recommended) appart from that exchange 2007 does not play well with AD.

But 4GB for the average Exchange machine is correct.

Currently the 3CX runs on the Vista MediaCentre. That is a straight Intel 3500Mhz and 1.5Gb Ram.

Running it on config 1 or 2 we used 933Mhz and 2Gb (no raids) but we found in the end that the call was a bit with gaps. Looking closer into it it appeared that at those times there was a lot of IO on the disk. Moving it to a seperat disk made it better.

Now on the Vista box it is a difference of day and night, it works really smooth now.

 

[Ralph]

Thanks itfarmer

Thanks itfarmer,

I appreciate all the info.

I'm leaning to using it on a stand alone server (hardware keeps getting cheaper) so that it doesn't compete with the other services on the existing servers.

Although I haven't used Vista yet. Does 3CX actually run better on Vista then on Server 2003??

Thanks again

 

[josvic]

I tried 3CX system on a Windows XP, Windows 2k3 and recently on a Vista machine... my personal impresion is that 3CX work great on all of them but Vista for me are not the perfect Operating System to work.

If you have an "old" machine with 1,5Gh and 512Mb... are perfect for an standalone 3CX server, but if you own an Windows 2003 Server machine and the network is not overloaded, you can use it and no other machine is needed.

A Vista system requires an expensive hardware to work properly, if you have it, no other is required to 3CX work.

 

[flaviost]

Hello, Itfarmer. Did you wrote above that one possible configuration is install the "3CX on the Internal domain and it works fine as inhouse PBX".
I some times have some stupid ideas and don't understand very well few things about the NET . But what you wrote means that I can "host" the 3CX in a webhoster?
If the answer is yes. How can I do it? How I run the installing program inside the host? There is any special configuration that this hoster should have?
Because in this case all problem about non-dedicate server, external access to set-up and others things will finish, at least to me.
Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Hello, Itfarmer. Did you wrote above that one possible configuration is install the "3CX on the Internal domain and it works fine as inhouse PBX".

Incontext of ISA you have (generally) 3 "domains" or should i say networks.

Internal, this is where all you office things happen.
External, this is the big bad world
DMZ, this is where your webpages sit and can be access through the firewall.

Yes you can run 3CX in a DMZ environment and have it sitting on the "net".

If you have an "old" machine with 1,5Gh and 512Mb... are perfect for an standalone 3CX server, but if you own an Windows 2003 Server machine and the network is not overloaded, you can use it and no other machine is needed.

A Vista system requires an expensive hardware to work properly, if you have it, no other is required to 3CX work.

True and correct,
But like all good things in live it needs planning and good gear.
Vista needs a bit of grund, but on a straight Intel 3500Mhz and 1.5Gb Ram it runs easy.

The resource requirement for 3CX is really very small, it is when you use the mediaserver (bind to mediaserver) that is where you might get a bit of an HW issue.

We are running the app on a Vista box now, after they made some changes to make it run on Vista better (v3.1.2434.0) and it works.

Vista is not a server environment (not even the ultimate version we running) so you MUST treated like that. In order of "best" windows version:

2003 SBS
Vista Ultimate (perhaps the other vesions aswell but we run domains so we need Ultimate or Business)

Any other version, honestly I would not use perhaps for the smaller installations but demand requires GRUND.

Hope this helps.