Tariscope 4.6. Administrator's guide

Chapter 4  Tariscope configuration

After the installation and the initial start, Tariscope automatically starts Tariscope assistant if you installed it with the empty Tariscope database.

4.1 Tariscope assistant

The Tariscope assistant provides a basic configuration of the system, facilitating and accelerating this process.

The wizard allows to configure:

• Country and area codes.
• Telecommunications node name (company name).
• VAT percent.
• Main currency.
• Currency profile and a service for automatic update of currency rates.
• Telecommunications equipment type.
• Advanced settings of telecommunications equipment.
• Long distance dialing and international dialing prefixes.
• The data source through which the data will be collected (a serial port, TCP server/client, FTP server/client, etc.), and its parameters.
• Service provider, through which telephone system is connected to the telephone network (PSTN).
• Access code to PSTN.
• The internal numbering plan.
• Prefixes.
• Import of subscribers' (customers') parameters.
• Parameters of the database backup, archiving and optimizing.

After completing the initial configuration, the Tariscope administrator can change these settings at any time or configure the new parameters that are not available in the wizard.

Start

The page of the Tariscope assistant wizard is automatically opened after the initial startup of Tariscope (Figure 4.1.1). The Tariscope administrator can omit any of the steps of the wizard and continue the configuration of these parameters at any later time or opt out of this configuration.

Figure 4.1.1

The first page of wizard is an information one. After acquaintance with contents of the first page, click Start.

Configuration steps

Initial Tariscope configuration

The first step allows you to configure the main Tariscope parameters (Figure 4.1.2).

Figure 4.1.2

In the Company name box, enter your company name.

In the Country code box, enter your country code instead of "+".

In the VAT percent box, you can type percent of VAT, which can be used when you create reports on the cost of calls.

In the Set Main Currency list, select the currency name, which will be the main in the Tariscope.

If you use Tariscope Provider, you can assign an account number yourself or Tariscope will assign the account number automatically. In order to Tariscope will assign account numbers automatically, turn on the Account Id assigned automatically switch.

Tariscope can automatically execute some tasks. You should use Tariscope Tasks for this purpose. Turn on the Enable Tariscope Tasks switch, in order to activate this service. The Initial Tariscope configuration page contains four tasks that Tariscope Tasks can perform.

To automatically create the Tariscope database backup, turn on the Create database backup switch. In the Period list, select the desired period of the backup creation. In the Path box, enter a path to save the backup.

If you will use call rates, which are set in the different currencies, and you want to recalculate the call cost into the main currency, turn on the Update the currency rate switch. And in the list, you should select the desired profile to get the currency rates. Currently profiles are available for Ukraine, Russia, Georgia and Kazakhstan:

• UA-NBU. Currency rates in relation to the UAH according to the National Bank of Ukraine.
• UA-PIB. Currency rates in relation to the UAH according to the Prominvestbank of Ukraine.
• GE-NBG. Currency rates in relation to the GEL according to the National Bank of Georgia.
• RU-CBR. Currency rates in relation to the RUB according to the Central Bank of Russian Federation.
• KZ-NB. Currency rates in relation to the KZT according to the National Bank of Kazakhstan.

If the required profile is not in the list, skip this setting. You can execute it later in another configuration page.

If you do not need to store calls information for more than 1 year to reduce the size of the database, you can delete old calls automatically. Turn on the Clear up old calls every month older than 1 year switch.

If you want to automatically optimize the parameters of the Tariscope database each month, turn on the Monthly database optimization switch.

Click Next.

Step 1. Communication nodes

This page of configuration wizard to create a new telecommunication node (Figure 4.1.3).

Figure 4.1.3

Click Create. The New node window appears as shown in Figure 4.1.4.

Figure 4.1.4

In the Node name box, enter a node name and click Save. If you want, you can create some communication nodes.

Select the table row with the node for which you will add a list of telephone systems.

Click Next.

Step 2. Create an equipment and configure the minimum required parameters

The page of the second configuration step is shown in Figure 4.1.5.

Figure 4.1.5

In the Name box, enter a telephone system name. For example: CUCM or 3CX, or another.

In the Long distance prefix box, enter the prefix. For most of the countries it is 0.

In the International code box, enter the code. For most of the countries it is 0.

In the Country code list, the country name is displayed that you selected on the Initial Tariscope configuration page. If you wish, you can change the country name.

In the Area code box, enter the area code where your telephone system is located.

Click Next.

Step 3. Set the equipment type and configure CDR data source

A choice of the telephone system type affects on the correctness of processing call information. When the choice is wrong, the processing of call information will not be executed, or it will be executed with mistakes.

The choice of the desired type of telephone system is executed in the Equipment list (Figure 4.1.6).

Figure 4.1.6

Select the desired type of telephone system. It is possible to specify additional parameters for some telephone systems. In this case, the Advanced settings button appears on right from the Equipment list (Figure 4.1.6). If the button has appeared, click on it. The Advanced settings window appears. It is specific one for each type of telephone system. The example of the window for Cisco Unified Communications Manager is show in Figure 4.1.7.

Figure 4.1.7

If necessary, select the desired parameters in this configuration window.

If you do not know exactly the type of your telephone system, Tariscope can determine it himself in most cases.

Leave the Auto value in the Equipment list (Figure 4.1.6). In this case Tariscope will try automatically to determine the type of telephone system when it will process CDR. But for a number of PBXs (Alcatel OmniPCX Office, Aura, S8800, S8700, S8500, S8400, S8300, Definity) due to the fact that they have a custom CDR format it cannot be used the automatic recognition.

If you want that Tariscope will automatically receive CDR data, you should create Tariscope Observer service. It is a Windows service that collects CDR data and save them in the Tariscope database.

Turn on the Create observer switch.

In the Data source list, select a data source that will be used to collect CDR data. For example, it can be FTP or SFTP server for Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

To define which data source is used in your telephone system, see the documentation on your telephone system. Improper selection or improper configuration of source parameters will not allow receiving information from the telephone system.

Click on the Advanced settings button located on the right from the Data source list. The Data source configuration window appears. The window is specific to each data source. The example of the window for FTP server is shown in Figure 4.1.8.

Figure 4.1.8

You can find a detailed description of all parameters for each type of data source in the Tariscope documentation or articles of the site.

As a result of the data source choice and assignment of its parameters, the profile will be created. At the same time the appropriate Windows service will be started. After the setup wizard finishes, install and launch the Tariscope Observer service.

Click Next.

Step 4. Choose a telecom provider to rate calls

An example of this page is shown in Figure 4.1.9. The page contains a list of telecom providers. Also, you can create a new provider or import the provider from the Tariscope site.

Figure 4.1.9

Click on the Providers for import button. You will get the list of providers. Select the desired provider from the list.

If you have not found the required provider. You can create it.

To do this, click on the Create now button. The New provider window appears as shown in Figure 4.1.10.

Figure 4.1.10

In the Name box, enter the provider name.

In the Description box, you can enter a description for the provider.

Click Save. The provider name will be displayed in the provider table on the Available provider configuration page.

Select the desired provider.

If in your telephone system the access code is used to access to the provider, enter the access code in the Access code box.

Click Next.

Step 5. Configure the numbering plan

The Numbering plan page allows you to set an internal numbering plan (Figure 4.1.11).

Figure 4.1.11

This setting can be useful when you must manually enter the large number of extensions in the Tariscope database, as well as you have telephone systems in which the definition of extension is difficult without a numbering plan. These are such telephone systems:

• Asterisk,
• Cisco IOS VoIP (CallManager Express - CME),
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM),
• Microsoft IAS,
• Elcom.

If the Default range (100-9999) switch turns on, this means that extensions will be from 100 to 9999. If you have extensions with other telephone numbers, you should turn off the switch and click Add. The window appears as shown in Figure 4.1.12.

Figure 4.1.12

In the Name box, type the name of a numbering plan.

In the Type list, select the Phone Numbers item.

In the From box, type a telephone number from which the numbering range is started.

In the To box, type a telephone number which the numbering range is ended. Click Save.

If necessary, repeat the procedure.

After the input, click Next.

Step 6. Create the prefixes

The Prefixes configuration page (Figure 4.1.13) is used to change a prefix in dialed numbers for outgoing calls or telephone numbers of calling party for incoming calls.

Figure 4.1.13

If you do not use prefixes, click Next.

To specify a prefix, click Add. The window appears as shown in Figure 4.1.14.

Figure 4.1.14

In the Name box, type a rule name to change prefixes. This is an information field.

If you want that a telephone number after application of the prefix rule will be saved, click on the Save changed number.

If you wish to use this rule to group of prefixes, which have different digits in the same position, turn on the Prefix code is mask switch. In this case, in the Replace to box, you should type the underscore character ("_") in the required position.

In the Prefix box, type a prefix, which you want to change on another code.

When the rule should be applied only to a certain length of telephone number, turn on the Number length switch and specify its length.

In the Replace to box, type a value of the prefix, which should replace the beginning of the telephone number.

If you wish to rate calls that contain this prefix using specific rates, select a telecom provider name from the Provider list, which provides such rates.

The prefixes can be set to dialed numbers or the telephone numbers of calling party from which incoming calls were made. Depending on which type of phone numbers you want to use a prefix, in the Call direction list, select: Outgoing or Incoming.

The From and To boxes allow you to specify a valid period of the prefix rule.

Click Save.

Repeat these actions to add the next prefix rule.

Click Next.

Step 7. Select an option to add subscribers

The Subscribers page (Figure 4.1.15) allows you to select an option to add subscribers' data into the Tariscope database.

Figure 4.1.15

Tariscope supports several different options of the customer (subscriber) data entry. In the wizard, you can enter the data only in automatic modes:

• Import from file. The subscriber data are imported from files of the following formats: Microsoft Excel, Excel 2007, Access, Access 2007, CSV, TabText, dBase.
• Import from Active Directory. The subscriber data are imported from Microsoft Active Directory or LDAP catalog.
• Automatically create subscribers. The subscriber data are created during the time of processing of CDR data. A subscriber will have a name that is the same as his phone number with 'a' prefix.

Select the desired option and import the subscriber data.

If you wish to input the subscriber data into the Tariscope database later, select the I will add subscribers later option.

Click Next.

The Equipment creation wizard will finish its work. If you will need to add another communication node or telephone system, you can launch the wizard from the Tariscope menu.

Previous page   Next page

Contents of "Tariscope 4.6. Administrator's guide"