VICIfast
Blog

The operator's perspective.

On VICIdial, SIP, and call-center ops.

Long-form pieces by people who run dialers. TCPA changes that actually matter, the hidden cost of self-hosting VICIdial, choosing a SIP carrier without getting locked in, why provisioning time matters more than agent count. We post when we have something to say.
Read the docs

7-day free trial · Cancel anytime · Pay with card, PayPal, or USDT

Page 7

Operator writing, sorted newest first.

Rebuilding VICIdial conf files after changes

VICIdial regenerates Asterisk config from the database. Here is what the rebuild conf files step does, when it fires, and how to trigger it safely.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

Running the VICIdial database on its own server

Splitting MySQL onto a dedicated database server frees the telephony box for Asterisk and opens the door to replication. Here is when and how to do it.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

Installing audio codecs (g729 and friends) for VICIdial

G711 ships free with Asterisk; g729 and g723 are licensed. Here's what each codec costs in bandwidth, why g729 needs registration, and how to install it cleanly.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

Going from zero to a running dialer in under a minute

Pay, and in under 40 seconds you have a dedicated VPS running secured VICIdial on a branded HTTPS subdomain with root SSH. Bring your SIP carrier and start dialing.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

How to run VICIdial on Hetzner Cloud

A practical walkthrough of running VICIdial on a Hetzner Cloud VPS: instance type, public IPv4, the firewall rules for SIP and RTP, snapshots, and the audio caveats.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

The VICIdial keepalive scripts and crontab

VICIdial keeps its dialer alive with a set of AST Perl scripts run from cron every minute. Here is what each one does and how the crontab holds the dialer up.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

How long a VICIdial install really takes

A clean VICIdial install runs 45 minutes if everything cooperates and a weekend if it doesn't. Here's where the time actually goes — and the managed alternative.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

Load balancing across VICIdial servers

Load balancing spreads agent and web traffic across telephony nodes in a VICIdial cluster. Here is what balances, what does not, and where the limits are.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

A backup strategy for a VICIdial server

A real VICIdial backup covers three things: the database, the recordings, and the config. Here is what to dump, how often, and where to keep it.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

Running a VICIdial database schema upgrade

When VICIdial code expects new columns, you run the upgrade SQL script to bring the schema forward. Here is what the ALTER scripts do and how to run them safely.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

How to run VICIdial on AWS

Running VICIdial on AWS EC2: instance sizing, the Elastic IP for the public-IP requirement, security groups for SIP and the RTP UDP range, EBS for recordings, and the cost reality.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

Common VICIdial install errors and fixes

The install errors that actually stop a VICIdial build — missing Perl modules, Asterisk compile failures, MySQL grant problems, and SELinux — and how to clear each one.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

Installing VICIdial on a VPS

A VPS is a fine home for VICIdial if you get three things right: a real public IP, an open RTP range, and NAT handled. Here's how each one bites.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

Running SVN trunk vs a stable VICIdial release

Trunk gets the newest VICIdial fixes and features first, but a tagged release is tested and predictable. Here is how to pick the right one for a production dialer.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

Self-installing VICIdial vs managed hosting

Self-install gives you full control and a real learning curve. Managed hosting gives you the same VICIdial in under 40 seconds. Here's the honest trade-off.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

Running VICIdial in the cloud: the complete guide

Why teams move VICIdial to the cloud, the per-provider landscape, the universal gotchas, and how BYOI and managed hosting compare for a working dialer.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

How to upgrade VICIdial safely

Upgrading VICIdial is backup, then svn update, then the database upgrade script, then test. Do it in that order on a snapshot you can roll back to.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

Sizing a VICIdial server for your agent count

VICIdial sizing comes down to concurrent calls, not just agents. Here is how to estimate cores, RAM, and disk from your dial ratio and agent count.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

How to run VICIdial on Google Cloud

Running VICIdial on Google Cloud Compute Engine: machine type, an external static IP, VPC firewall rules for SIP 5060 and RTP 10000-20000, persistent disk, and NAT audio.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

Moving VICIdial to new server hardware

Migrating VICIdial to a new box is five jobs: dump the database, sync recordings, cut over the IP and DNS, rebuild the config, and re-register your trunks.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

Setting up a VICIdial archive server

An archive server pulls old recordings and call logs off the dialer box so disk pressure never slows your live campaigns. Here is how to set one up.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

Web server vs telephony server roles

In a multi-server VICIdial, the web role runs Apache and PHP while the telephony role runs Asterisk. Here's what each does and why splitting them matters.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

Personalizing VICIdial after a fresh install

A fresh VICIdial install boots generic. Set the timezone, server IP, passwords, branding, and a first campaign before you ever dial a live number.

Guides & tutorialsRead post

Setting the server time zone and NTP for VICIdial

VICIdial enforces call times and stamps every report by the server clock. Set the OS time zone, point at NTP, and match the GMT offset in System Settings.

Guides & tutorialsRead post