Sir voipmuch,
"""I seem to be asking questions that do not get replies... """
It may be for two reason:
1: This is a "free" forum and one sometimes has to wait for responses when there are some people to answer them,
2: may also be a lack of understanding of what each "portal" as you put it is for.
""""There is a user portal (domain.com) that is the Elastic portal. This portal is nice and professional looking, but shows too much to a user, like the application version and does not have all the calling features like Follow-me and Web Playback Settings.""""
This tells me you haven't read the book/manual called "Elastix without tears" otherwise I think you would have a better understanding of how to set the "portal" up for your users. If you are the one maintaining the system, setting up the users, YOU select what is displayed to the user under "System", User Groups" by selecting (or placing a check mark in the box) what you want the user to have access to. You as system admin (or anyone else you set up as "admin" right) sets up the extensions, assign the follow-me routine, ect.....
""""There is another user portal(domain.com/reporting/) that is the freePBX portal. This one is OK but not very professional looking. """""
There again, read the manual.... You read the manual and you will find out that FREEPbx was one of the first PBX user portals. It has remained around throughout the version changes for several reason, one because some people like it, two because some functions and mods are only available within FreePbx, and three because some functions are available within both Elastix & FreePbx and is your choice as to which one you use,
""""and there is yet another user portal (domain.com/a2billing/customer/) that is the a2billing portal. This one is dedicated to calling card billing functions."""""
a2billing "portal" is yet another function (accessory if you would), written by another open source provider and is included with Elastix as a option for calling cards, or voip billing, etc.., and is provided as a option that you can have or not have depending on what you are trying to do. Some people download Elastix strictly for the calling card feature. Elastix provides it for you so that "NEWbee" don't have to go through a lot of pain figuring out how to install the thing and make it work, you only have to learn of to make the "billing" parameters work for what you need. You can read about it at a2billing.org ( I believe that is the correct web url).
"""Why so many user portal? Can there not be just be one user portal? """
There again, it is based on what you want to do with the software and the type of service you want to provide. Since it is free and open source, it is easier to include/provide certain applications then to have ten million people wanting it and tying up our time explaining how to install then explaining how to make it work for them. I know, because I write open source applications and I can telling you from experience. A lot of times it's easier for me to include additional apps with my stuff since I have checked it out and know that it works then to try and help gobs of people to make it work.
""""What am I missing here? """"""
A strong knowledge in communication software and where such systems as Elastix started from. But that's ok, you still have time to research PBX systems, phone systems, calling card history and advances other such thing to get you up to speed where sooner or later you will know more than me.
I think the questions here you should be asking is:
1: Can I provide an avenue for a user to setup and change the "follow-me" setting through a slim user interface,
and,
2: how can I provide access to "web playback" settings for the user to access?
I am researching this to try and help you, maybe someone else will respond also. But I would start searching this forum for those questions and see if you can locate answers to them. Now I too, aint on here a lots, so don't be expecting a super thunder lightning response from me.
Amphibian
