Introduction #

Are you looking to save your web hosting business from unwanted errors and loss in profits through manual billing, unclear transactions and faulty invoices? Are you looking for a billing software that makes your payment fast and effortless? 3CX Hosted Billing is the answer!

3CX Hosted Billing is an automated interface billing software specially created for web-hosting providers. The application is a simple yet powerful tool that connects to all your clients’ 3CX hosted servers and then generates a report of total extension count and simultaneous call count. It also allows you to know if the ‘Transcription’ feature is enabled or not. This makes your billing easier, with less room for errors.

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Prerequisites #

Before you begin with the installation steps mentioned in this guide, you need to ensure that your computer meets the minimum requirements mentioned below for installing 3CX Hosted Billing.

• 3CX Version V18 (Professional or Enterprise Version Only)
• Windows 10 or above / Windows Server 2012 or above
• Microsoft SQL Server 2014 or above (Including the free SQL Express edition)
• Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) 7.0 or above
• .Net 4.7.2 or above
• Port number 7700 opened on your device.

NOTE:

• When installing SQL Server, we recommend you install it in “Mixed Mode” to include SQL Authentication, and install SQL Management Studio

• When installing IIS, be sure to install Basic Authentication, .Net Extensibility, and ASP.Net 4.X

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Installation overview #

	Download software	You can order ‘3CX Hosted Billing’ on-line at https://www.voiptools.com.  Your order confirmation email will include your license key and a link to download the software.
	Install Prerequisites	There are a number of prerequisites that must be installed prior to installing ‘3CX Hosted Billing’. These prerequisites include Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) and Microsoft SQL Server
	Install 3CX Hosted Billing	This User Guide contains step-by-step instructions to successfully install ‘3CX Hosted Billing’.  Begin by extracting the installer from the downloaded zip file (Step 1 above), then run the setup program named HostedBillingInstaller.exe
	Register your License Key	You must register your license key to activate ‘3CX Hosted Billing’. Your license key is included in your order confirmation email, and can also be found in your order history on our website.

Step By Step Installation Procedure #

The following section guides you through a detailed walk-through of the installation process:

Step 1: Download 3CX Hosted Billing #

1. Find the software download link in the Order Confirmation Email, or you can find it in your order history on our website and download the 3CX Hosted Billing application.
2. In the Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, click the More Info option.

3. Click the Run Anyway option to start the installation.

Step 2:  Install Prerequisites #

Click on the software installer that was downloaded in step 1 above. The installation wizard will automatically identify the needed prerequisites and assist you with the install of the prerequisites needed to run ‘3CX Hosted Billing’. These include .NET Framework (Web Installer), SQL Server Express (Web Installer) and, SQL Server Management Studio.

1. Click the downloaded installer executable to launch the Prerequisites Setup Wizard and click Next.

2. In the Prerequisites window, the installer will identify the missing prerequisites. It is important that you install all the required prerequisites. However, you can select/unselect the applications to be installed based on your unique requirements. Click Next to continue.

The installer will download and install the selected applications.

3. The Microsoft SQL Server License Terms page gets displayed if you install SQL Server Express. Click Accept to acknowledge the license terms and continue.

4. In the Media Location field, browse to change the location and click Install to begin the installation of SQL Server Express.

5. Click Close when you install the prerequisites.

Installation is in progress. It may take several minutes to complete the installation.

6. Click Yes in the Confirmation Message Box to reboot the computer.

Figure 10: Reboot confirmation message box

Step 3: Start the installation process #

1. After all the prerequisites are installed, the 3CX Hosted Billing Setup Wizard appears. Click Next to Continue.

2. On the Select Installation Folder window, the Folder field displays the location where the ‘3CX Hosted Billing’ will be installed. Note that you cannot change the path.
3. Click Next to continue.

Step 4: Configure the database #

When configuring 3CX Hosted Billing, select an existing Microsoft SQL Server instance in your environment.  The database server can be a remote SQL Server (How-to configure SQL Server to permit remote connections), or a local instance running on the VoIPTools server.

1. On the SQL Database window, in the Server field, select the desired instance of SQL Server

NOTE:

We encourage you to use SQL Authentication rather than Windows authentication.  Many of our tools leverage a Call Flow Designer (CFD) application running on the 3CX.  Frequently our CFD applications require access to a SQL database.  If the 3CX server and the database server are not in an Active Directory domain, Windows authentication will fail.  To use SQL authentication, your SQL Server must be configured to run in “Mixed Mode”.  If you installed SQL Server with one of our tools, we configure SQL in “Mixed Mode”.

1. To use SQL Authentication, be sure to uncheck the Trusted Connection checkbox.
2. In the Username and Password fields, enter valid SQL login account credentials
3. To use Windows Integrated Authentication (not recommended), check the Trusted Connection (Windows integrated authentication) checkbox.
4. In the Database field, the installer will automatically display the default database name.  We encourage you to use the default name.  If you are upgrading or reinstalling 3CX Hosted Billing, select the existing database name from the list.
5. Click the Test SQL Connection button to confirm connectivity to SQL Server and then click Next to continue.

Step 5: Installing 3CX Hosted Billing #

1. In the Ready to Install window, click Install to start the installation of the ‘3CX Hosted Billing’.

The application installation progresses.

2. Once the installation is complete, check Launch 3CX Hosted Billing check box and then click Finish. The 3CX Hosted Billing configuration screen opens. If you want to simply close the installer without opening the configuration screen, then simply uncheck Launch 3CX Hosted Billing check box and then click Finish.

Step 7: Register your Software #

Registration is required to authorize your software. Registering also makes it possible for VoIPTools to provide a replacement key if your license key is ever lost. Also, it enables VoIPTools to notify you of any product updates.

1. Click the Hosted Billing desktop icon to open the Hosted Billing web application.
2. Log in to the ‘3CX Hosted Billing’ web portal and then click the License tab.
3. Enter your registration information in all the fields (Note that the red dot denotes a required field).
4. Click Register to complete the software registration.

Web Portal #

To access the ‘3CX Hosted Billing’ web portal, click on the desktop icon that was created during the installation process (3CX Hosted Billing Web). The web application has the following screens,

• Servers screen
• Reports screen
• Settings screen
• License screen
• About Screen

Servers #

The Servers screen enables you to add multiple FQDN servers, query 3CX to know count of extensions and server simultaneous calls, know if ‘Transcription’ feature is enabled or not, and apply extension filter to know the count of test extensions. You can also filter the search results to identify the desired FQDN server or extension filter. The Reports screen displays data as per the settings configured in Servers screen.

Extract the data #

1. In the Extract Data box, check the following checkboxes as per your requirement so that the report will display data accordingly;

Extension Count	To know the extension count in each of the FQDN servers.
Server Simultaneous Count	To know the simultaneous call count in each of the FQDN servers.
Transcriptions	To know if the ‘Transcription’ feature is enabled or not in each of the FQDN servers.
Recordings	To know the total used space for recordings and if the recordings quota is reached or not.

2. Click the Query 3CX button.

NOTE:

If you uncheck a specific checkbox, then the respective column will not display in the report results.

Create extension filters #

You can add one or more FQDNs of all the servers that you want to include in the report. To add/delete new or existing FQDN, follow the instructions below:

1. To add new FQDN, in the 3CX Servers box, click the Add button.
2. In the Customer field, enter customer name.
3. In the Server Name field, enter the server name.
4. In the FQDN field, enter the ‘3CX Console Management’ login url.
5. In the Username and Password fields, enter the ‘3CX Console Management’ username and password for respective FQDN. If you have entered valid credentials, then the data will be saved in Servers tab else, an error message will display.
6. Once the application validates the credentials, click Test button so that the application re-validates if the credentials remain the same as those that were added last time. If the data is valid then the application automatically checks the Autorized checkbox for the respective FQDN else, the re-validation fails and the respective Authorized checkbox remains unchecked.
7. Click Save Changes.
8. To delete FQDN, select the desired FQDN that you want to delete and then click Delete button beside the respective FQDN and click Save Changes.

NOTE:

You will not be able to query a server until connectivity is verified. Authorized servers cannot be deleted for 35 days.

Filter the extensions #

You can add one or more extension filters and add the desired filter that you want to include in the report.

1. To add an extension filter, in the Exclude Extensions That Contain box, click Add button.
2. In the Extension filter field, enter the text so that the extensions with the respective name will not be counted in the report data.
3. To delete the extension filter, select the desired extension filter that you want to delete and then click the Delete button beside the respective extension filter and click Save Changes.

Reports #

The Reports screen displays report data as per the scheduled 3CX queries, FQDNs and extension filter applied in the Billing Host screen. From here, you can export data in various formats, view server details for the desired customer and, group column name and display report.

SERVER FQDN	3CX Server FQDN.
WEBMEETING FQDN	3CX Webmeeting FQDN
VERSION	3CX Version
RESELLER	Name of the reseller
EXT. COUNT	Total extension count for respective customer
LICENSE KEY	License Key of 3CX Server.
LICENSE EXPIRES	License expiry date & time.
SUPPORT EXPIRES	Support expiry date & time.
PUBLIC IP	Public IP of the 3CX Server.
TRANSCRIBE	If transcription feature for the respective FQDN is enabled or disabled.
TRUNKS UP	No. of trunks currently registered.
EXTENSION UP	No. of extensions currently registered.
ACTIVE CALLS	No. of active calls.
BLACKLISTED IPS	Count of blacklisted IPs for the respective FQDN
LAST BACKUP	Last backup date & time.
CPU USAGE	% of CPU utilization
MEMORY USAGE	% of memory utilization
DISK USAGE	Disk space utilization.
USED	Total used space from 3CX Phone System for respective FQDN and the Maximum recording storage space (storage limit).
RECORDINGS	If the storage has not yet crossed the recording quota (recordings will not be stopped) or crossed recording quota (recordings will be stopped).

Export Report #

To export report data into desired file format, click on the desired export button and then browse the path where you want to save the file.

View Server Details #

To view the server details associated to a specific customer, simply click on the respective customer name. 3CX Server Details popup appears.

SERVER FQDN	3CX Server FQDN.
WEBMEETING FQDN	3CX Webmeeting FQDN
VERSION	3CX Version
RESELLER	Name of the reseller
EXT. COUNT	Total extension count for respective customer
LICENSE KEY	License Key of 3CX Server.
LICENSE EXPIRES	License expiry date & time.
SUPPORT EXPIRES	Support expiry date & time.
PUBLIC IP	Public IP of the 3CX Server.
TRANSCRIBE	If the transcription feature for the respective FQDN is enabled or disabled.
TRUNKS UP	No. of trunks currently registered.
EXTENSION UP	No. of extensions currently registered.
ACTIVE CALLS	No. of active calls.
BLACKLISTED IPS	Count of blacklisted IPs for the respective FQDN
LAST BACKUP	Last backup date & time.
CPU USAGE	% of CPU utilization
MEMORY USAGE	% of memory utilization
DISK USAGE	Disk space utilization.
USED	Total used space from 3CX Phone System for respective FQDN and the Maximum recording storage space (storage limit).
RECORDINGS	If the storage has not yet crossed the recording quota (recordings will not be stopped) or crossed recording quota (recordings will be stopped).

Group Columns #

You can display report results by grouping the desired column name. This is done by dragging the desired column header into space above the column header.

If you want to have the main group as Customer and the subgroup as Server FQDN, you must drag the Customer column first followed by the Server FQDN column.

Settings #

The ‘Settings’ screen enables you to configure refresh rate for refreshing 3CX Servers information and also configure specific mail ids to get notified whenever the CPU and RAM reaches the threshold level.

General Settings #

The ‘Settings’ screen enables you to set page ‘Refresh Interval (in seconds only)’ to refresh 3CX servers information in ‘Reports’ page.

1. In the Settings page, click Settings tab.
2. Under General and in the Refresh Interval field, enter the time in seconds so that the 3CX servers information will refresh for every specified interval in the Reports page.
3. Click Save.

Email Settings #

The ‘Email Settings’ enable you to configure specific email ids which you want to notify whenever the CPU and RAM capacity reaches the threshold level of 90%.

1. In the Settings page, click Email Settings tab.
2. Under Email Server:
   1. In the Server field, enter the IP address or Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of your email server. Examples: 192.168.1.20 or mail.mydomain.com
   2. In the Port field, enter SMTP Port number. Default port number is 25.
   3. In the From Email field, enter the reply email address for email notifications of CPU and RAM if reached threshold levels.
   4. In the To Email field, enter the desired email addresses (separated by comma) to which you want to notify whenever the CPU and RAM capacity reaches to a threshold level of 90%.
3. Under Authentication:
   1. Enter valid credentials in Username and Password fields.
   2. Check Requires SSL/ TLS check box if your mail server requires a secure connection – Secure Socket Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) to relay email. Gmail, Google Apps and Microsoft 365 require a secure connection.
   3. Click Test button to test if Email Server is able to communicate with 3CX Phone System.
4. Click Save to save the data.

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Support #

Visit our website to access our on-line manuals and receive quick answers to most of your questions. Otherwise, you can contact us by phone, email, live chat and on the VoIPTools forums.

Our team is ready to assist you with answers to your technical questions and we now offer 24/7 support, 365 days a year.

Windows Event Log (Applications and Services) #

• The Windows Event Log lists various errors, information messages and warnings related to all our VoIPTools applications and services. The data here can be used for troubleshooting various application errors.

Forums #

• Our forum is intended for VoIPTools customers to collaborate on real-life challenges, solutions and best practices. You can participate on our forum at: https://www.voiptools.com/community/

Submit a Bug #

• If you suspect a bug in any of our VoIPTools products, you can bring it to our notice by reporting your issue at: https://www.voiptools.com/report-a-bug/

Live Chat #

• Our chat support team is ready to acknowledge your queries in real-time. You can start a live chat with us by simply clicking on the Live Chat button at the lower right corner of our web page.

Email #

• You can email us at: support@voiptools.com. Be sure to describe your issue in detail. We’ll get back to you within one business day of receiving your request.

Phone #

• You can call us at +1 801-642-4655 to reach a representative. VoIPTools will accept calls at this number from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM (Central Standard Time).

Support Services #

• Free Support:
  • If you purchased our products through a VoIPTools Partner, your Partner will provide first level support. Partners have access to 100% free technical support, provided they participate actively in the troubleshooting process.
  • VoIPTools customers have access to our on-line manuals and we will respond to emails (next business day) and live chat, but we will not login to your servers remotely.
• Paid Support:
  • If you purchase “Installation Support’ our support team can login to your servers and install and configure all our tools for you. This includes installing SQL Server Express and Internet Information Server if required. Our team will work with you to configure our applications to best meet your needs.