New 3CX Installation

[danny_h]

Hello,

I am new to 3CX and have a few basic questions on how to get it installed in Azure.

1. Does anyone recommend using pbxexpress tool to deploy it for production or rather use 3CX image from marketplace and install it manually? Personally I feel like manual installation is more preferable as pbxexpress configuration process is not transparent.
2. Would you recommend using custom FQDN or one managed by 3CX? It seems that FQDN managed by 3CX requires an active maintenance license?
3. Does 3CX setup require public inbound access or can it be behind VPN?
4. Could someone please elaborate on the licensing?

I see that standard licensing is free: https://www.3cx.com/ordering/pricing/ for 25 users. Does it mean that each user can have multiple extensions? What is counted as a user? Also, does standard license include maintenance needed for hosted FQDN or does it require perpetual pricing?

We have about 15 users and I am just looking for the most cost-efficient option in terms of pricing. Any help here is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[diamond9]

Hi Danny

1. Use 3cx image from market place, or use a hosting provider who can manage this for you
2. I always use 3cx domain as it requires no management
3. 3cx does require external access for SIP, Provisioning and Activation
4. 3CX licensing is not for an amount of users it per Sim Call, you could have 100 ext on 16sc but you can only make 16 calls at once

Regards

 

[danny_h]

Hi Danny

1. Use 3cx image from market place, or use a hosting provider who can manage this for you
2. I always use 3cx domain as it requires no management
3. 3cx does require external access for SIP, Provisioning and Activation
4. 3CX licensing is not for an amount of users it per Sim Call, you could have 100 ext on 16sc but you can only make 16 calls at once

Regards

Thanks for your reply. Yeah, while working on a setup I realize that it will have to be publicly accessible, at least on certain ports.

In terms of 3CX domain and licensing, according to this page:
https://www.3cx.com/docs/fqdn-management-allocation/

customers with valid maintenance....what kind of license does that require? If I go with 8 sc, which is covered by standard license, will that include 3CX domain hosting? Also, with 8 sc is there any additional cost required or that would fall under free standard license?

 

[cobaltit]

At this point any new license will be a valid license and 3CX domain hosting is 3CX FQDN so as not to assume 3CX will do anything with your OWN domain.

I think these two pages cover your questions:

https://www.3cx.com/ordering/pricing/

https://www.3cx.com/ordering/pricing/

 

[JohnS_3CX]

You can start with a Standard free license and upgrade as needed.
This includes the 3CX FQDN and is automatically renewed as free.

In case you wish to buy a bigger SC limit, Pro or Enterprise, you will then need to pay annual fees maintain the license size and extra features, otherwise it will revert back to Standard (so back where you started).

 

[danny_h]

@cobaltit @JohnS_3CX thanks for your replies. We have a pretty small set up so I assume if I stick with a standard license, for now, it should cover FQDN hosting and the standard license itself is apparently free. We might consider upgrading but at this moment that should be enough.

 

[danny_h]

One more question regarding the networking setup. One of the initial set up steps is asking for "Select the default network adapter", where I can pick a local network IP or local FQDN. However, the FQDN I am using is managed via 3CX and points to public IP (in azure). Should I be using a local IP in this case or point it to FQDN instead?

 

[JohnS_3CX]

Hi Danny,

Yes use the IP. The other option is for people who use a local FQDN (usually when installed as an on-premises server in the local LAN).

 

[danny_h]

Hi Danny,

Yes use the IP. The other option is for people who use a local FQDN (usually when installed as an on-premises server in the local LAN).

Thanks, I also figured that is the better option.