Astertest is a Windows application that can test the CPU load of your Asterisk PBX server. In order to use it you must have advanced knowledge in VoIP. To complete the test you must have an Asterisk PBX server that originates the calls and one more Asterisk server which to be tested. You can download the application from http://astertest.com/downloads/. You will need most of the things there. Let us start doing the things one by one.

1.Select the servers

You must have clear idea which machine will be used as Origination server and which one as Test server.

2.Audio Files

The audio files are stored in /usr/src/asterisk/sounds/. Copy astertest-rtp.gsm from http://astertest.com/downloads/ to the Origination server. On the Test server you have to copy all the sound file formats you wish to test. For alaw you need some *.alaw audio file for example - ast-test-al.al. You can use your own files with different name, but make sure when you configure the extensions.conf on the Test server to use the correct audio file name with the Playback command, ast-test-gsm.gsm for gsm tests, ast-test-ul.ul for ulaw, ast-test-ilbc.ilbc etc. Now when you have the audio files for the test you have to implement some new modules in asterisk that will give you the information for the actual CPU load while testing.

3.New Asterisk Modules

The modules below must be installed on both Asterisk servers:

app_securax_cpuinfo.c
app_securax_serverload.c
securax_utils.c
securax_utils.h

Copy these files in /usr/src/asterisk/asterisk/apps/ on both Origination server and Test server.

4. Changing the application’s Makefile

Now Asterisk has to be told that these modules really exits and they have to be loaded. For this purpose you have to change the Makefile in /usr/src/asterisk/asterisk/apps/. Open the Makefile that you have downloaded and copy the bolded lines to their corresponding places in the original Makefile.

So you have to add these two modules in the beginning in “APPS” - app_securax_serverload.so and app_securax_cpuinfo.so – here is how this part of your Makefile has to look after you change it.

Further on you have to add the following module definitions (this is used when you compile Asterisk).

Here is how this part of the Makefile should look after you change it:

You have to change this Makefile in both Origination and Test server. In order these changes in the Makefile to take effect you have to recompile the Asterisk on both of the servers.

5.Re-compiling Asterisk

Go to the Asterisk source - /usr/src/asterisk/asterisk and recompile it.

cd /usr/src/asterisk/asterisk
make
make install

Now your Asterisk servers have the modules implemented. We have now to add just some more things in the managers.conf and securax_serverload.conf files (/etc/asterisk)

6.Configuring securax_serverload.conf

This file also has to be downloaded to /etc/asterisk/. You can also create file with same name in the mentioned directory and write in the data needed. Here is how you can do it:

cd /etc/asterisk
vi securax_serverload.conf
[general]
push_level=1

This file has to exist again on both – Origination and Test servers.


7.Configuring managers.conf

In this file which is placed in /etc/asterisk you have to create a user on the Origination server and one on the Test server, so you should have users on both servers in managers.conf. When you start the application and before beginning a test you will be prompted to provide username and password for each server (Origination and Test). This is username and password for the relevant user in /etc/asterisk/managers.conf. Below you can see my configuration.

Above the [general] account is disabled by default i.e. enabled = no. So first you have to change this to yes. Then you have to create an account.

You need to add some users and extensions to servers now.

8.Configuring iax.conf

Astertest uses some certain users for the test. Here is what you have to add to Asterisk Test servers, no specified users are needed for the Origination server. Here are the users you have to add to /etc/asterisk/iax.conf on the server you are going to test.

Here is the complete list of all users you can have. For every audio codec format you want to test you must have separate user.


9. Configuring extensions.conf

Astertest also needs some certain extensions on both the Origination and the Test server. This file is in /etc/asterisk/.

Origination Server

This context and extensions have to be added in among your extensions.


Test Server

The following context has to be added in extensions.conf of your Test server.

Now you have all the things you need to start the test. Restart Asterisk on both of the servers and then enter the command line (CLI). To make sure that the new modules are working – check if they are loaded. Type in CLI show modules and if app_securax_serverload.so and app_securax_cpuinfo has a corresponding 1 that means they are loaded. Another way to check this is to type show modules like app_securax – this will again show you the modules with that name. Every module will have value 0 if it is not loaded and 1 if it is loaded. So if everything seems correct we may start the test itself, and if you have some problems check whether you followed precisely the steps above.

As you see above you need to have separate extensions for the different users, so as in my file not all possible extensions are used, here is the full list of extensions for all the users.


10. Starting Astertest