Configuring an Asterisk server requires some text file edition directly on the console of the server. This task is not always easy for most of administrators without knowledge of text editing and most of the time a graphical interface would be more convenient. This article is introducing a rich interface for Asterisk configuration called: AsteriskGUI.

The most cumbersome part of Asterisk for a rookie is probably linked to configuration file organisation and the lack of an embedded configuration interface that would allow the configuation. The way Asterisk has been developed is really turned towards feature and not administration tasks, in that sense, text files are really a good option. We could discuss on the file format, line approach versus XML, but this would not change anything. In addition, text configuration files allows very easy development and provides a way to automate the configuration aspect from external application or coupling with some specific tools.

This fact has been heard by developers long time ago and popularity of the Asterisk solution is really pushing for an easier way to do simple installations. The answer is AsteriskGUI, the embedded configuration module, that can be accessed through a standard internet browser interface. Keep in mind that this product is not allowing to configure every bit and bytes within Asterisk but this is not the purpose.

The main features that can be configured through AsteriskGUI are:

• phones profiles (users.conf)
• dialing rules (extensions.conf)
• physical interfaces management (ie ZAP)
• voice over IP peers (mainly SIP and IAX)
• voice mail, forward to email services
• conference bridge
• waiting queues
• voice responder (IVR)

Installation

On your preferred Unix distribution, grab the Asterisk source tarball (tested on the 1.4.4 version) as well as the asterisk-gui package, if not available easily, use the subversion package:
svn checkout http://svn.digium.com/svn/asterisk-gui/trunk asterisk-gui.

Both compile doesn’t require any particular attention, but install as proposed the samples (make sample), therefor the /etc/asterisk directory will be prepared with appropriate files that AsteriskGUI will look for.

Before starting AsteriskGUI

The browser connexion requires first some small modifications in the configuration files (you need to do that only once), mainly in order to accept the remote connection and manage authentication of the administrator.

in manager.conf

Change the following:

enabled = yes
webenabled = yes

[admin]
secret = password
deny=0.0.0.0/0.0.0.0
permit=192.168.16.0/255.255.255.0
read = system,call,log,verbose,command,agent,user,config
write = system,call,log,verbose,command,agent,user,config

The network address and mask in permit requires to match your networking installation as well as the administrator name and password, these credentials will be asked in the browser.

in http.conf

enabled=yes
enablestatic=yes
bindaddr=0.0.0.0
prefix=asterisk

start Asterisk, we are ready.

Let’s go

It is now time to connect with your favourite browser to the port 8088 (if not changed in the configuration file) and from a host authorised in the permit of manager.conf, with the following URL: http://asterisk-test:8088/asterisk/static/config/cfgbasic.html (change the name at least).

The first time the interface will scan all configuration files on the Asterisk server, these will be modified directly by the application.

Conclusion

With very few modification and from a scratch Linux system we can easily create a small PBX without having to dive in the configuration files and their logic. On the other hand, you will probably be blocked on some specific requirements and have to modify directly the configuration files.
It is also possible to use some more complex solutions¹ that allow more feature configuration with a browser interface, but can still show some limitation in some cases.

Since AsteriskGUI is at the very begining in 1.4 release, we can imagine that next releases will be richer and will allow to go further in configuration details without having to open a text editor.

Stay tuned…

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