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Vicidial Hardware Specifications Guide

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34 views4 pages

Vicidial Hardware Specifications Guide

Uploaded by

ultimatekush7
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Vicidial Hardware Requirements Status of 06/26/08

Preamble

Please read the whole document before ordering or specifying any hardware!
If you are not sure if you want to read the whole document, we offer preloaded Vicidial systems on our Website
[Link]
All Hardware used for Vicidial Systems has to be fully Linux compatible. This includes but is not limited to:
● Motherboard (Chipsets and BIOS)
● Network Card
● Graphics card
● Hard drive Controller (see Page 3)
Since OpenSuSE is one of our supported OS Platforms you can check their website for supported Hardware:
[Link]

Vicidial Suggested Hardware

● All-In-One Server (Database, Web Server, and Dialer)


 Processor: 2.4 Ghz Quad-Core
 Memory: 4 GB ECC
 Hard Drives: >70 GB SCSI drives in Hardware Raid-1
 Network: 10/100 Ethernet
 CD-Rom: Any (only needed for installation)

● Core Server (Database and Web Server or medium Database-Only)


 Processor: 2.4 Ghz Quad-Core
 Memory: 4 GB ECC
 Hard Drives: 2 * >70 GB 10K rpm class SCSI drives Hardware Raid-1
 Network: 10/100 Ethernet
 CD-Rom: Any (only needed for installation)

● Larger Database Server


 Processor: 2 * > 2.0 Ghz Quad-Core
 Memory: 16 GB ECC
 Hard Drives: 4 * >70 GB 15K rpm SCSI drives Caching Hardware Raid-10 for higher
load
 Network: 10/100 Ethernet
 CD-Rom: Any (only needed for installation)

● Dialer Server or Web server


 Processor: 2+ Ghz Dual-Core
 Memory: 4 GB ECC
 Hard Drive: >70 GB Raid-1
 Network: 10/100 Ethernet
 CD-Rom: Any (only needed for installation)

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Vicidial Hardware Requirements Status of 06/26/08

Vicidial Minimal Hardware1

● All-In-One Server (Database, Web Server, and Dialer) with at most 5 Agents
 Processor: 1.8 Ghz Single-Core
 Memory: 1GB
 Hard Drives: 18 GB UDMA IDE, SATA or SCSI
 Network: 10 or 10/100 Ethernet
 CD-Rom: Any (only needed for installation)

● Core Server (Database and Web Server) with at most 10 Agents


 Processor: 1.8 Ghz Single-Core
 Memory: 512 GB
 Hard Drives: 18 GB UDMA IDE, SATA or SCSI (Raid-1 strongly recommended)
 Network: 10 or 10/100 Ethernet
 CD-Rom: Any (only needed for installation)

● Dialer Server with at most 10 Agents


 Processor: 1.8 Ghz Single-Core
 Memory: 1 GB (or 512MB when not recording)
 Hard Drive: 18 GB UDMA IDE/ATA, SATA or SCSI
 Network: 10 or 10/100 Ethernet
 CD-Rom: Any (only needed for installation)

Clarifications

Single Server / All-in-One


An all-in-one server is a single server installation of Vicidial where all of the application components
(database, web server, dialer) run on the same system. An All-In-One system should only be used by
call centers with less than 10 seats and not exceeding 50 active calls. Under certain conditions more
Agents can be connected to a all-in-one server however we would not want to make it a general rule.

When I need more then one Server and which do I need?


- The Core server is the heart of a multi-server installation of Vicidial and depending on the number of
seats or active calls can house database server and/or web server. The Vicidial Group recommends
splitting the database and web server when the number of agents in the call center is over 100 or when
the number of active calls is over 500. It may however be necessary to split the database and web
server with a lower number of agents or active calls depending on the load on the core server.

1 This is no guarantee in any way that all systems that meet these specifications will be able to run Vicidial, however only
that we have seen Systems that are running Vicidial successful on hardware that matches these standards. We however
also have seen systems that match these settings but were not running satisfactory, frequently because their setup was
not correct for vicidial, they were not optimized for the hardware, the hardware was not properly supported in Linux or
they used substandard components or faulty BIOS's.

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Vicidial Hardware Requirements Status of 06/26/08

- The Dialer and Web server is part of a multi-server installation of Vicidial and is responsible for
handling the web and voice connection to the agent as well as sending or receiving calls. The Vicidial
Group recommends having no more than 25 agents or handling more than 125 active calls on a single
dialer server. In order to handle more agents than this multiple dialer servers should be added to the
installation. Depending on the nature of the call center a single dialer system may handle less or more
agents or active calls. It is really dependent on the load on the dialer server.

- A faster dedicated Database Server is usually needed for over 200 Agents, for systems with over 300
Agents it is strongly recommended that you get a specific hardware profile for your installation done.
The Vicidial Group is happy to offer this as a service since we feel that at this size over the thumb
estimates do not suffice.

Warnings

Higher requirements when using TDM Cards


When using TDM Cards (T1 / E1 / J1 and alike) your machine benefits from a faster multi-core
processor greatly, it usually increases stability and can prevent dropped calls and malfunctions of the
system. We usually recommend to put at most a 4 Port TDM Card in a dialer. We have however, even
so we would not recommend it, successfully installed systems with up to 12 T1s in a specially
optimized single high powered dialer server. Systems with TDM cards are more critical when using
Software Raids, a Hardware Raid controller is strongly recommended.

Database performance in clustered setups


The Database is used as synchronization point in a multi system setup, for this it should be as fast as
affordable and properly configured. Latency for all queries beside lead or hopper loads should be under
1sec. Database Servers should use battery buffered caching RAID controllers with the fastest
affordable drives. At least 4 same batch 15K rpm SCSI/SAS are strongly recommended, one or two hot
stand-by drives are a good idea. The more and faster the cores the better. When you operate a Dialer
with over 100 seats this is one of the last places where you want to save money. Most problems that
you can get from underpowered servers (and flaky hardware) are bad to diagnose, it is usually easiest to
prove that they disappear once proper hardware is in place.

Software Raid
Linux software RAIDs are not recommended with Vicidial Dialers and Database Servers. Linux
software RAID mirroring (RAID 1) can be used as a cheaper alternative when used with two identical
SCSI or SATA drives which support NCQ, it requires certain kernel parameters to be set, but otherwise
works under low to medium load. Under higher load a hardware controller is required.

Fake Hardware Raid Controller


Do not under any circumstances use “fake” hardware RAID controllers. We call them fake hardware
RAID, because they will usually claim or suggest that they are hardware based RAID controllers, but in
reality they provide a special driver with the controller that does the work that on a real hardware RAID
controller is off-loaded from the CPU. To make things worse, these drivers are usually optimized to
deliver best hard drive performance on the cost of other processes running on the system, this is
particularly bad in machines that run realtime critical applications like Asterisk, or in some cases the

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Vicidial Hardware Requirements Status of 06/26/08

database server. The total performance of a web or database server in a vicidial setup can be reduced to
less then half when using these controllers2. In a Dialer they can cause audio problems and dropped
calls! Especially deadly are these controllers when used in combination with TDM Cards that do not
provide echo cancellation.

Consumer vs. Enterprise grade Hardware


Vicidial puts very high stress on the hard drives, it is strongly recommended to only use enterprise
grade hardware. Especially the hard drives in dialer and database servers are critical. Even so some
consumer drives now show way better numbers then several years ago, you can not compare those
numbers directly to any enterprise grade drive, consumer drives usually expect a workload of less then
20% some under 10% and most are designed to be regularly powered off, while enterprise drives a
designed to operate constantly under a load of 80% or more. Which results in many consumer drives
failing within 2 years or less when used in a server. To make things worse, vicidial puts a very high
load on drives all of the time. We have seen consumer drives failing within weeks when used with
vicidial, we even see enterprise grade drives fail, just usually not as fast and not as often. Because of
this it is recommended to use RAID 1 or 10 for all systems as well as to regularly perform backups.

2 We have seen practical examples where we replaced a Highpoint Rocket Raid controller with a 3ware hardware raid
controller and the system load on idle (IDLE!) dropped from around 2.4 to 0.3 on a Quad Core processor.

Page 4 of 4 © Vicidial Group 2008

Common questions

Powered by AI

A dedicated high-powered database server is necessary for setups exceeding 200 agents to ensure quick execution of queries and maintain system responsiveness. Benefits include decreased latency in database operations, which is crucial when synchronizing data in a multi-server environment, leading to better overall system performance .

For handling more than 100 seats, Vicidial setups require powerful dialer servers possibly configured in clusters, with multiple processors and RAID configurations to manage substantial loads. Proper server configuration, including the use of dedicated high-capacity RAID controllers and enterprise-grade hardware, is critical to prevent bottlenecks, ensure efficient resource utilization, and maintain system stability .

Enterprise-grade hardware is designed to handle continuous workloads of 80% or more, whereas consumer-grade hardware is typically built for workloads of less than 20% and for regular power-offs. As Vicidial imposes high load demands on systems, using consumer-grade hardware can lead to failures within weeks, whereas enterprise-grade hardware offers greater durability and reliability under constant use .

TDM cards significantly increase processing demands on the system, necessitating faster multi-core processors to prevent instability and dropped calls. Most notably, a hardware RAID controller is emphasized over software RAID to enhance system stability. Additionally, limiting the number of TDM cards per server (ideally up to 4 ports) avoids overloading, thus ensuring better performance .

A dedicated hardware RAID controller offloads processing from the CPU, thereby maintaining system performance by preventing other processes from being compromised. In contrast, software RAIDs rely on CPU cycles, which can affect critical applications like Asterisk running in Vicidial setups, leading to reduced performance and potential audio problems. In tests, replacing a "fake" hardware RAID with a true hardware RAID reduced system idle load significantly, demonstrating the performance benefits .

"Fake" hardware RAID controllers use drivers that perform tasks meant for RAID controllers, thus burdening the CPU. This can severely impact the performance of real-time applications like Asterisk. Such controllers are problematic with TDM cards, as they can cause significant audio issues and dropped calls because they do not efficiently handle the load balancing required for echo cancellation .

Multiple servers are necessary when the number of agents exceeds 100 or active calls exceed 500, as splitting roles between servers improves load distribution. Separating the database and web servers as the call center grows prevents bottlenecks and enhances system performance and reliability .

Consumer-grade hard drives are not designed for sustained high-load operations like those in Vicidial, which can cause premature failure, often within two years. To mitigate this, it is strongly recommended to use enterprise-grade drives designed for constant use, and to implement RAID 1 or 10 setups along with regular backups to ensure data integrity and hardware durability .

Hardware configurations not tailored for Vicidial can fail to deliver satisfactory performance due to incorrect setup, non-optimized settings, unsupported components, or faulty BIOS. These misalignments often result in systems that underperform or fail under high load, causing inefficiencies and reliability issues, such as dropped calls and slow processing .

RAID configurations play a crucial role in Vicidial systems by providing data redundancy and improving read and write speeds, critical for handling high call volumes and continuous data operations. RAID 10 is recommended for higher performance and fault tolerance, while RAID 1 serves as a cost-effective mirroring solution under lower loads, though with less write performance .

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