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A Secure and Free PBX in your Cloud in Minutes : Hop-On the PBX Express

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Bianca Allery

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New deployment tool sets up 3CX in a cloud of your choice for free LONDON, UK, 16 MARCH 2017 - 3CX, developer of the next generation software-based Unified Communications Solution, announces its latest product development. The release of PBX Express which is a web-based wizard enabling users and resellers to easily setup a complete cloud PBX system...
Continue reading the Original Blog Post.
 
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Thanks for the headsup red45!
 
pbx-express-300x197.jpg

New deployment tool sets up 3CX in a cloud of your choice for free


LONDON, UK, 16 MARCH 2017 - 3CX, developer of the next generation software-based Unified Communications...

Continue reading the Original Blog Post.

Bianca I can't spin up a PBX seems to hang at the Google Cloud part. Used it with no issues on 3/14/17, attempting to setup a second box and once I log in my Google Cloud account it just sits and let's me select the project but the regions never populate. Help!
 
Thanks for the headsup red45!

Bianca or Nick just wanted to update that I was able to use the same project from previously, and for some reason one of my other old projects refreshed as well. Any of the projects I created earlier today would not refresh and give me the option for region / compute size. I started the process multiple times, removed and re-added permission on my Google account in the wizard, tried different browsers, etc.

For now I was able to create another box on the same Project I used last time on 3/14/17, would prefer to put them on seperate projects on Google Cloud but doesn't seem to like that currently. Just a heads up.
 
Try and create an instance from the Google Cloud console first.
If your projects do not show up, it could be that you did not grant the necessary rights.
Trying multiple times confuses google even more. Just eliminate this by trying with another account, and if it works, you need to contact google.
If you can do the same thing manually and you cannot do it from the PBXExpress, send us a private message with FQDN and time you performed the test so we can see whats happening.
 
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Very impressed with the PBXExpress installation process. Will 3CX be publishing a document with next steps? Specifically, steps and best practices for how to connect a group of phones located in an office to the cloud server?
 
Thank you for your comments.
No need to wait for documents, everything is already published and phones connect in the same way they have been connecting for years.

The same concept applies if you had to create a machine without the pbx express on a hosted environment.
Phones VS a hosted machine And Phones VS a machine created with the pbx express are exactly the same.

So you can have your group of phones connect in one of the following ways:
  1. Direct using Stun (RPS) - this is the default. So technically after spinning the pbx express, you can launch a phone, factory reset and you should be prompted with a username and pin.. https://www.3cx.com/docs/manual/configuring-ip-phones/
  2. Via SBC https://www.3cx.com/docs/3cx-tunnel-session-border-controller/
  3. If 3CX client using Tunnel (Just send a welcome email and re-provision your phone)
If you have a supported phone go for 1. Its the quickest
 
No you don't need to reinstall again.
Change the IP. Then get the new IP and set it as STATIC and press APPLY OK.
3CX will automatically work "as if it was a dynamic address that changed for the ultimate time".
It will update the FQDN records to the new IP. Maybe you will need to restart the machine once for all components to update the new IP and off you go.
 
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Try and create an instance from the Google Cloud console first.
If your projects do not show up, it could be that you did not grant the necessary rights.
Trying multiple times confuses google even more. Just eliminate this by trying with another account, and if it works, you need to contact google.
If you can do the same thing manually and you cannot do it from the PBXExpress, send us a private message with FQDN and time you performed the test so we can see whats happening.

Hey Nicky thanks for checking in and giving a few ideas. Seems that my new projects in GCloud even though compute engine was initialized it seems that the compute engine API wasn't enabled / on in the API manager when checking in the projects in question. Running that manually on those projects seemed todo the trick.

Thanks for for the suggestions! Hopefully that'll help others if they run into something similar with GCloud!
 
No but that API permission is there to GRANT the pbxexpress (or something like it) to create a machine on YOUR BEHALF with YOUR Google account. Yes it is expected that when you create it manually it works without the option. You do not invoke the API when you do it manually.. together with an oauth token it is very ideal..

These are interesting times mate!!
The hosting solutions right now are AWESOME!!! Its absolutely impressive the machines you can spawn - the performance they offer..
 
With that machine I make 24sim calls with no problems.
Look it depends on many factors. Will you use recording, then don't expect a scheduled backup to run at the same time or clients to connect because you will not have enough power / resources to do this work. Will you use G729 to save bandwidth? Then you will make 20 calls because that is also expensive. If you have 10k contact records in your directly, then it is an enterprise installation - so you need a larger machine.

But the base point is the number of extensions. How many extensions you have? With that machine you can go up to 16 for sure and get all the features. Then you need to choose another machine flavor.

Go here to get an idea https://www.3cx.com/docs/recommended-hardware-specifications-for-3cx/

But if you are new, first you need to learn how the google machine works.
So start with the lowest form like you did. The beauty of this is that if you see choppy voice or CPU Usage high or GOOGLE ITSELF "Recommends" more power, then go in the interface, click a couple of options and there you go..

I mean Google does this for you also - it tells you that this instance is overloaded showing the yellow exclamation mark... and you should do something about it.
 
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Thank you for your comments.
No need to wait for documents, everything is already published and phones connect in the same way they have been connecting for years.

The same concept applies if you had to create a machine without the pbx express on a hosted environment.
Phones VS a hosted machine And Phones VS a machine created with the pbx express are exactly the same.

So you can have your group of phones connect in one of the following ways:
  1. Direct using Stun (RPS) - this is the default. So technically after spinning the pbx express, you can launch a phone, factory reset and you should be prompted with a username and pin.. https://www.3cx.com/docs/manual/configuring-ip-phones/
  2. Via SBC https://www.3cx.com/docs/3cx-tunnel-session-border-controller/
  3. If 3CX client using Tunnel (Just send a welcome email and re-provision your phone)
If you have a supported phone go for 1. Its the quickest


Hi Nicky. If using STUN with multiple phones on the same LAN (typical office environment, but with the PBX in the cloud), do we still need to adjust the RTP ports start & end so there is no overlap between phones?
 
Hi the60

We are actually working on a very interesting trick that theoretically network wise, should not work... But it actually does!!
We were not promoting this because it relies heavily on the firewall's internal logic, and in some you can change this behavior but others you require port-forwarding. Lets give it a shot.

Go in your extension - Provisioning, and set the phone's network interface to use the FQDN (from the dropdown).
Set the phone to provisioning mode "Stun Direct"
Each phone you add behind this external network, you Increment the sip and RTP ports.
You select the checkbox 3CXPBX DELIVERS AUDIO on all phones behind this external network (this is the important change)
NOW you can test: REMOVE the firewall rules you made on the border device (or if this is your first attempt to get telephony working between these 2 networks just don't add them at all).
(If you had this configuration before give the device a restart if it is a cheap one. If it is enterprise don't.)

Then make the calls.. And tell me how it works..
 
Hi the60

We are actually working on a very interesting trick that theoretically network wise, should not work... But it actually does!!
We were not promoting this because it relies heavily on the firewall's internal logic, and in some you can change this behavior but others you require port-forwarding. Lets give it a shot.

Go in your extension - Provisioning, and set the phone's network interface to use the FQDN (from the dropdown).
Set the phone to provisioning mode "Stun Direct"
Each phone you add behind this external network, you Increment the sip and RTP ports.
You select the checkbox 3CXPBX DELIVERS AUDIO on all phones behind this external network (this is the important change)
NOW you can test: REMOVE the firewall rules you made on the border device (or if this is your first attempt to get telephony working between these 2 networks just don't add them at all).
(If you had this configuration before give the device a restart if it is a cheap one. If it is enterprise don't.)

Then make the calls.. And tell me how it works..

Hi Nikky.

If we still need to increment each phones RTP ports, then there's no point. I was trying to avoid that. (or, am I misunderstanding something?)

It'd be great if someday (soon) 3CX has a fully supported cloud-based SBC (separate box, or built-in; included or extra $) that facilitates remote phones connecting to a 3CX PBX without needing an on-prem SBC or modification to each phone's RTP ports. In a larger environment, tracking the RTP ports is cumbersome. On-prem SBC has limitations as well, especially with lots of endpoints, or lots of BLFs, like a company full of YL T48s.

Would LOVE plug & play auto-configuration of phones for AWS-based instances, with zero on-prem except for phones.
 
Read carefully what I said:
Before you had to increment the sip port AND port forward them on the firewall. (2 CHANGES)
Now I am asking you to Increment the sip ports AND DO NOT port forward them on the firewall (1 CHANGE)

There is a point yes.
Like this you can HELP a firewall preserve port mappings.
If this works, then you can try the NEXT STEP and do not increment the ports..

Step 1: Increment ports and port forward.
Step 2: Increment ports and no port forward
Step 3: Do not increment ports and no port forward.

Check all 3 and work at the mercy of your border device.

Actually we have somethign better than plug and play - did you not check RPS yet?
https://www.3cx.com/docs/manual/configuring-ip-phones/
 
Read carefully what I said:
Before you had to increment the sip port AND port forward them on the firewall. (2 CHANGES)
Now I am asking you to Increment the sip ports AND DO NOT port forward them on the firewall (1 CHANGE)

There is a point yes.
Like this you can HELP a firewall preserve port mappings.
If this works, then you can try the NEXT STEP and do not increment the ports..

Step 1: Increment ports and port forward.
Step 2: Increment ports and no port forward
Step 3: Do not increment ports and no port forward.

Check all 3 and work at the mercy of your border device.

Actually we have somethign better than plug and play - did you not check RPS yet?
https://www.3cx.com/docs/manual/configuring-ip-phones/


Hi Nicky - Thanks for that explanation.

I can assure you that multiple phones on the same LAN peered with a hosted 3CX using STUN works fine with no substantial firewall modifications on either end, outside of 3CX-side recommended ports being opened.

My next test will be using STUN without making any changes to the ports, with your recommended settings stated above.

Thanks for the clarification!
 
Hi i created my account in 3cx PBX express but i dont know how to add my extension to my server can you please give me an idea to do that ?
 
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