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Upgrade or reinstall FreeSWITCH

FS PBX application updates do not automatically upgrade FreeSWITCH. Follow this procedure when an FS PBX feature requires a newer FreeSWITCH version or when you need to reinstall the supported build.

Before you begin​

  • Plan a maintenance window. Restarting FreeSWITCH interrupts active calls.
  • Make sure the server has internet access to download packages and source code.
  • Make sure FS PBX is on the version whose FreeSWITCH build you want to install. See How to update FS PBX.
  • Back up any manual changes under /etc/freeswitch.

1. Check the running version​

sudo fs_cli -x version

If you are upgrading for a feature that requires a minimum FreeSWITCH version, compare that requirement with the reported version. Stop here when the requirement is already met. Continue if an upgrade is required or if you need to reinstall the current supported build.

2. Build and install FreeSWITCH​

cd /var/www/fspbx
sudo bash install/install_freeswitch.sh

The script builds and installs the FreeSWITCH version supported by the current FS PBX checkout. It replaces /etc/freeswitch with the configuration included with FS PBX and saves the previous directory as /etc/freeswitch.orig. An older /etc/freeswitch.orig backup is replaced.

The running FreeSWITCH process is not restarted automatically. It continues using the old binary until you restart the service in step 5.

3. Restore SQLite-in-RAM configuration when used​

Most installations should run this step

SQLite in RAM is the default FS PBX configuration, so most installations should run the command below. Skip this step only if FreeSWITCH was intentionally reconfigured to use PostgreSQL for its runtime databases. This does not refer to the PostgreSQL database used by the FS PBX application.

The installer replaces the FreeSWITCH XML configuration with the version shipped by FS PBX. If this server uses SQLite databases in RAM, reapply that configuration before restarting:

sudo -u www-data php artisan fs:migrate-sqlite-to-ram

This command restores the /dev/shm database paths, rebuilds vars.xml, and flushes the generated FreeSWITCH XML cache.

4. Confirm restart preparation​

Before it finishes, the script rebuilds /etc/freeswitch/vars.xml from the FS PBX database and flushes the generated FreeSWITCH XML cache. Confirm that the output includes:

Rebuilt vars.xml from the FS PBX database.
Flushed the FreeSWITCH XML cache.
FreeSWITCH variables and XML cache prepared successfully.
Preparation warning

If the script reports that automatic restart preparation was incomplete, do not restart FreeSWITCH yet:

  1. Open Advanced > Variables and click Sync XML.
  2. Open Status > SIP Status and click Flush Cache.

After these two actions succeed, continue with the service restart below.

5. Restart FreeSWITCH​

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl restart freeswitch

This restart activates the newly installed binary and interrupts active calls.

6. Verify the installation​

sudo systemctl status freeswitch --no-pager
sudo fs_cli -x version

Confirm that the service is running and that fs_cli reports the expected version. Also confirm that the expected SIP profiles are running under Status > SIP Status.

When restart preparation completed successfully, you do not need to reload XML, rescan the SIP profiles, or restart each profile separately.

If FreeSWITCH does not start, review the service log:

sudo journalctl -u freeswitch -n 100 --no-pager