WARP Xtra

There has been a new release of the PIKA Application Development Suite, PADS, to version 2.1.0.403. This is a major update to PADS that all users of FreePBX on the WARP should upgrade to. Read more about this PADS release in the post on it.

As always, a new PADS release means I roll out another new version of FreePBX on top of it. This time there were some changes to the FreePBX code base but most of the fixes in the release are from the PADS version we are using.

The major changes in FreePBX code base were:

1. Merge to use PADS 2.1.0.403 as base. There are lots of fixes here, read the Release Notes for more details.
2. FreePBX version was upgraded to 2.6.0 from the previous 2.5.2 version.
3. The script that does the language translations was fixed so that it now only takes 20 seconds, not 20 minutes, to run. As a result this is always enabled now.
4. Major upgrade to burn mechanism, read more below.
5. Build script changes to save RAM on running WARP. There are savings of 10% or more in RAM usage.
6. Read full ChangeLog.

If you wish to compile your own version of this release, please follow the instructions here, using svn tag found here, http://svn.pikatech.com/pads/addons/tags/freepbx-2.1.0.403. If you wish to flash the latest load, you can retrieve the image files here in tarball or zip format.

NOTE:

This release of software needs a firmware update of both u-boot and the fpga as well. The upgrade packages above contain all of the firmware and image files required to flash your WARP appliance. There are 9 files in the package and all are needed to update the WARP to this release. As with all previous FreePBX releases, one of the files is an autorun file. This file will update your WARP with all the firmware and images required. The recommended procedure to do the update is:

1. Back up any files you wish to preserve.
2. Copy all of the files from the downloaded package to the base of a USB key or SD card. If the card or key is already in the WARP and you copy to it, you can reboot to trigger the burn. If you stick the key or card into the WARP the burn should start right away.
3. The autorun script will burn the new firmware then reboot.
4. On the reboot, the new image files will be burnt from u-boot. You can watch the LCD to follow along with what it is doing. Make sure you do not unplug you WARP, SD card or USB key during this time.
5. The WARP will the reboot again and boot into your freshly installed FreePBX system. It will run several install scripts and reboot a final time.
6. This whole process takes about 15 minutes in total so if you are doing this remotely, be patient. Once it is complete you will find a log of the burn in the /persistent/ directory.
7. Restore your backups if you need to.
8. Log into your freshly upgraded system. The first time you do this, FreePBX GUI takes a minute or 2 to load so don’t worry. Subsequent loads are much faster.

As always, have fun and enjoy

Skar

The 2.1 maintenance release of software for the WARP appliance is now available. You can retrieve it from the PIKA website from the WARP downloads page.

This release is a must for all WARP users for many reasons. The most important reason is discussed in this technical bulletin but there are also a ton of fixes in this release. Read the Release Notes for more details. This release requires a special upgrade procedure so make sure you read the section on that in the Release Notes.

Skar

PIKA will be releasing an important maintenance release of software for the Warp (PADS 2.1.x) the week of March 1st, 2010. This new release will NOT be backwards compatible with your existing Warp image, and it will be necessary for you to transition your solution to this release as soon as possible.

Warps shipped from PIKA after that date, will be preloaded with this new u-boot and kernel that will not be compatible with your current Warp Image.

Technical Bulletin and FAQ can be read here:  http://forum.pikatechnologies.com/showthread.php?t=378

Many people have asked for support for Aastra XML scripts on the WARP, including posts on our forum here and here. So I endeavored to create a package that can be installed on WARP Enterprise. I think I have succeeded but I would love to get feedback on this.

The package I have created contains version 2.2.1 of the Aastra XML scripts and version 2.5.1 of the firmware and language packs. To use this package requires that you be using the FreePBX package for the WARP and have an SD card installed. To get further details on how to install the package on the WARP and what it can do, please read here.

Have fun

Skar

There has been a new release of the PIKA Application Development Suite, PADS, to version 2.0.14.5. This is a minor update since the last time we released a build of FreePBX on the WARP here. The most significant fix is an additional fix to FAX that improves reliability of FAX when using a FAX machine attached to an FXS port on the WARP.

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PIKA Technologies recently announced that its GSM module for the PIKA WARP Appliance for Asterisk and FreePBX has received a “Best of Show Award” in the Most Innovative Product category at TMC’s ITEXPO East 2010 in Miami.

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There has been a new release of the PIKA Application Development Suite, PADS, to version 2.0.13.3. This update provides many improvements to the WARP appliance since the last time we released a build of FreePBX on the WARP here. The most significant fix is FAX over BRI now works properly. If you suffered from fax failures using BRI lines, you should use this update.

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Get your free VIP pass for ITEXPO in Miami January 20 – 22 here.

When adding different packages in the PADs framework, I frequently find myself searching for a list of PADS variables and their values.  With PADS residing on my machine in the ‘/home/mark/pads/2.0.11.2′ directory, below are my variables.

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This article illustrates how to customize the Warp’s LCD by adding a second text line on the screen when the IP address is displayed in the FreePBX image.

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