Enable CDR on a BCM

The following are intended as tech notes, and not a beginners guide.

Note: Make sure you turn off the Windows Firewall (which invariably blocks FTP).

Follow these steps:

BCM Programming:

BCM ➤ Management ➤ User Manager

- click "Configuration" top menu, and select "add a user"

- User: CDRUser / Password: CDRUser1 / Member of: CDRUserGroup

BCM ➤ Services ➤ Call Detail Recording

- make sure the service is enabled and up

BCM ➤ Services ➤ Call Detail Recording ➤ Data File Transfer

- set "Transfer Type" to "PUSH daily"

- set "IP Address or Machine name" to the CallBill PC IP address

- set "Remote User" name: CDRUser / Password: CDRUser1

BCM ➤ Services ➤ Call Detail Recording

- click "Configuration" top menu, and select "commit" to apply these changes.

On the CallBill computer:

CallBill is a Call Cost Accounting software package from Phoneware. But this doesn't really matter! What is important, is that we're running the IIS FTP server service, and have a directory set asside for the BCM Call records files. To do this, proceed as follows:

Goto the control panel: "add windows components"

- double click "Internet Information Services (IIS)", in the next window, select "File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Service", and the "Internet Information Services Snap-In", "common Files" may be added.

Goto the control panel: "user accounts"

- add a user - "CDRUser / Password: CDRUser1"

Goto the control panel: "administritive tools"

- double click "Internet Information Services".

- Right-click "default FTP site" -> Properties.

- Uncheck "allow annonymous connections" in the security tab

- Choose a root-directory in the "home directory" tab. This is the directory where your CDR records will be dumped, and where CallBill can pick them up.

Start the FTP service by pressing the "play" button.

Testing

At this stage, I recommend finding another PC (or laptop), hooking it up to the CallBill with a crossover ethernet cable, opening a command prompt, and typing ftp. At the FTP> prompt, type open <ip address of CallBill>. When prompted, enter your username and password (CDRUser / Password: CDRUser1). If you don't get prompted for the username/password, make sure the windows firewall is off, and try again. Typing exit will terminate the FTP client.

If still no go, play with the IIS FTP Server settings. The FTP Server must work, and be accessible with "CDRUser / Password: CDRUser1" in order for The CDR records to be deposited correctly.

Points to note:

• You MUST be able to FTP into the CallBill computer, test this from a laptop or something.
• It MUST prompt you for a user name and password (if it doesn't, suspect the firewall).
• The user name and password MUST be CDRUser/CDRUser1.
• This user MUST exist both on the PC AND the BCM.
• On the BCM, the user MUST also be a member of the CDRGroup.

And finally...

After setting up the FTP Server on CallBill, hook it back up to the BCM. Log into the BCM, and goto the CDR section again.

From: BCM ➤ Services ➤ Call Detail Recording ➤ Data File Transfer

click "Configuration" top menu, and select "Transfer Immediately" to send now.

Give it a few seconds, and then look in your FTP server root directory. There should be a ZIP file there containing the call records.

By default the CDR files are zipped (compressed), but CallBill needs them un-zipped. Go to the BCM CDR->"data file transfer" settings and uncheck the zipped box, while you're there, turn off the metrics files too. "CDR->Report Params" should be set to SL1, this is the standard Meridian format which CallBill is compatible with.

Congratulations! Thats it! If you get this far, the only thing left to do is get CallBill to pull its data from the FTP server root directory, but thats a story for another article (or call Ireland).

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