Issabel 4, a popular unified communications solution based on VoIP, uses CentOS 7 as its base operating system. However, CentOS 7 has reached its End of Life (EOL), meaning the official CentOS 7 repositories are no longer active and no longer receive updates. This directly affects Issabel 4 users still using CentOS 7, as they will be unable to install new packages or receive security updates in the traditional way.
Fortunately, the CentOS team has archived CentOS 7 packages in what is known as the CentOS Vault, an archive repository that allows users to still access the packages, although without support or updates. In this article, we will explain how to move Issabel 4 repositories to CentOS Vault and how this can benefit those still using this version.
The CentOS Vault is an archive repository that contains older versions of CentOS, including CentOS 7. These repositories no longer receive security or maintenance updates and are provided solely for reference or for those who still need access to older packages.
By switching the Issabel 4 repositories to the CentOS Vault, users will be able to:
For Issabel 4 users who haven’t yet migrated to a newer version or are operating in environments where system stability is critical, switching the repositories to the CentOS Vault allows them to:
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to switch Issabel 4 repositories to the CentOS 7 Vault. This process is straightforward and will allow you to continue using the available packages, though, as mentioned earlier, no new security updates will be provided.
1 Connect to the Issabel 4 server as a user with root privileges.
2 Open a terminal and verify that your system is using CentOS 7:
cat /etc/centos-release
This should return something like: CentOS Linux release 7.x.
3 Modify the CentOS repository files:
Use the following commands to disable the old repositories and point to the Vault repositories:
# Disable the ‘mirrorlist’ line in the repository files
sed -i ‘s/mirrorlist/#mirrorlist/g’ /etc/yum.repos.d/CentOS-*
# Change the ‘baseurl’ to point to the Vault
sed -i ‘s|#baseurl=http://mirror.centos.org|baseurl=http://vault.centos.org|g’ /etc/yum.repos.d/CentOS-*
4 Verify that the repositories now point to the Vault:
To confirm that the repositories are correctly configured, run the following command:
yum repolist
This command should show active repositories now pointing to
vault.centos.org.
5 Update the system (optional):
Once the repositories are configured, you can try updating your system to ensure you have the most recent packages available before CentOS 7 reached EOL:
yum update
Keep in mind that you won’t receive any new updates, but you will have the latest versions that were available before the EOL.
While switching Issabel 4 repositories to the CentOS Vault will allow you to continue installing and updating packages, keep in mind the following:
Switching the repositories of Issabel 4 to the CentOS Vault is a viable solution for those who need more time before migrating. This process will allow you to continue using your system and have access to the packages available until CentOS 7 reached its EOL. However, it is important to remember that this is not a permanent solution, and it is recommended to plan a migration to a platform with active support as soon as possible to ensure the security and stability of your system.
Migrating to a solution like Rocky Linux will allow you to continue using Issabel in a modern and secure environment. Issabel 5 is already developed on Rocky Linux 8.10, a stable version that is supported until May 2029, providing a long-term, reliable foundation with regular security updates and maintenance. This presents an excellent opportunity to migrate to a supported platform, ensuring continued compatibility and stability with Issabel.
“I am honored to recognize Issabel, LLC with a 2023 Product of the Year Award for its commitment to excellence and innovation,” said Rich Tehrani, CEO, TMC.
Issabel® is developed and managed by Issabel® LLC. company formed by a group of professionals from different countries.
Our team is a leader in open source innovation with implementations and success stories in different continents. Our experience in developing these technologies has allowed us to develop, maintain and improve unified communications platforms.