Elastix Unified Communications Server's operating system is CentOS Linux. To install it, we need a PC or server and a bootable CD-ROM with Elastix Unified Communications System. The most common installation process is via CD-ROM. However, it is possible to install Elastix by using a USB device or virtualization software. For the purposes of this book, we will be working with Elastix Stable Release 2.5.0, which can be downloaded from www.elastix.org.

Depending on the hardware specifications, we have to choose between a 32-bit and a 64-bit distribution. Considering that 32-bit operating systems cannot work with more than 4 GB RAM computers, it is always desirable to work with 64-bit operating systems in order to have a more stable and reliable system.

The minimum system requirements for a small office with 12 analog lines (or trunks) and perhaps 12 extensions are as follows:

It is very important to create a very good design for any Unified Communications System from the beginning. It does not matter how many features your system may have (which involves the PBX part) or how amazing it is, if the voice quality is poor, the chances of replacing your system with another solution are very high.

The main elements to cover when designing a VoIP solution are as follows:

Before installing Elastix Unified Communications Server, it is necessary to check whether the PC or the server has CD-ROM booting capabilities. If this booting option is not available, please try using a USB device or an external CD-ROM device.

In order to check the booting capabilities of a PC/server, we must access its BIOS (which stands for Basic Input Output System (BIOS) and follow its menu either to check it or enable it. This is usually done by pressing the Delete, F1, F2, or Esc key.