Frequently Asked Questions

1. How is the cost for a call calculated?

It is calculated like this shows:
$bill_increments = round up("total billable seconds" - "Seconds included in the connect charge"/increments)
$billseconds = $billincrements * increments
$cost = ($bill_seconds / 60) * "marked up per minute rate" + "connection cost"
This is not the exact code but it does show the method used.
2. My Configuration is not being saved!!

Please check your permissions and file ownerships. This is almost always the problem. If you are not running this on an Asterisk@Home box, edit the Makefile and change USER to reflect the owner of your apache process.
3. My Calls/Brands/Cards are not showing up!!
Please check that your database is up and that your status fields contain either 0, 1, or 2. ASTPP will not process a NULL status.
4. My Configuration is not being loaded!!

Please check and ensure that your configuration file is in unix format. You can convert it using the dos2unix program. ie "dos2unix /var/lib/astpp-config.conf" and "dos2unix /var/lib/astpp-enh-config.conf" Also CHECK YOUR PERMISSIONS!! This is the #1 cause of failure.
5. My brands don't work!!

We changed the handling of the status fields for brands. Check to make sure that the status is either 0 or 1. This should resolve the issue.
6. What is the format of the csv file?

Account Number,Cost in dollars,Disposition,Date & Time,Destination,Billable Seconds
7. What are these patterns all about in routes and outbound routes?

Books have been written on regular expressions but we have a few samples here REGEX
8. Will you add feature X that I really think is needed?

We are adding features continually. If you would like to improve the chance of yours being added, consider opening a bounty by going to the bugtracker. When adding the item please specify how much you are willing to contribute as well as appropriate contact information.
9. The web interface doesn't work, nothing comes up.
Many of us have been bitten by SELinux?. I won't comment on SELinux? being good or bad but it makes this a challenge. Currently I recommend turning it off. Here's the info you need on that: http://fedora.redhat.com/docs/selinux-faq-fc3/
10. How do I clean up calls in the "error" list?

There are two ways to do this. 

Method 1:  The first method is the most thorough.  These are cdrs that astpp was not able to rate for some reason.  You can find out why by manually running the rating engine and checking the output or else by checking the logs.  You can then add the appropriate routes or adjust the cdrs.
Method 2:  Alternatively you can go into the cdr database (asteriskcdrdb) and set the "cost" field to something other than "none".  This will mark the cdrs as billed and they will not show up anymore.