|
|
 |
Software Overview
[Software Overview] [Summary of Features]
The following is a summary of the features to be found in the ISPDB Software.
Contents of this page:
- Product System:
ISPDB pioneers a unique product system to wrap up the atomic services
into salable packages. These packages can be easily integrated
into an e-shop, allowing your customers to purchase, configure and
utilise their services immediately. ISPDB can be configured to
invoice your customers automatically according to a predefined payment
schedule.
ISPDB administrators can add product
templates to the database. These templates are used as the basis for
all products created by the system. Once created the administrator
has full control over the product, and can create, delete and edit
atomic services within it. The product templates also include
provisional billing information and product durations, which the
system will use to calculate repeat billing events, and product expiry
and renewal. Support for email invoices and web based invoices (over
the secure customer interface) are included.
- Domain Names:
Interfaces to all the major domain name registrars are already present
in ISPDB; others are being added all the time. Database zone storage
and automatic name daemon configuration make ISPDB the premiere tool
for managing your and your customers' domain names.
ISPDB currently includes interfaces to automatically communicate
database entries, removals and changes to Nominet, OpenSRS, Internet Names WorldWide and
Network Solutions. More registrars will be added as necessary.
All active domain names are configured with
default entries where appropriate to run on the local name servers;
all products under ISPDB's control will automatically be listed in
the zone files. There is additional support for customer specified
resource records, including sub-domains, which will take precedence
over the default entries provided by the system. ISPDB will also
register and track domains which are being hosted on remote name
servers.
- E-mail:
ISPDB will automatically filter incoming e-mail; the filtering process
can be managed by the customer using a secure web interface. The
filtered mail can be held in local mail boxes for retrieval using a
POP3 compliant application or forwarded on to other e-mail addresses.
ISPDB will also permit your dialup customers to use your mail relays
for outgoing mail. ISPDB ships with a modified version of GNU POP3D
which authenticates customers against the database.
All products can contain support for mail handling; each product may
ship with a predefined number of POP boxes. The customer can
configure the user names and passwords for these boxes through the
customer interface. The customer interface also allows the customer
to direct incoming mail for a domain to the relevant box or boxes.
ISPDB is designed for use with Exim as the MTA, although
interoperation with other MTAs is possible. Outgoing SMTP relaying
can be enabled for customer who use third-party connectivity solutions
and have no other way of setting the "From:" field in their
emails.
- Web Hosting:
Web hosting can be configured at the touch of a button. The
parameters and permissions of each web hosting account can be
modified.
ISPDB ships with built in support for Zeus
and Apache, and several virtual server templates for their use. ISPDB
allows virtual servers to be deployed from the secure administrative
interface; all Zeus/Apache configuration is automatic. Support for
chroot-ing is built into the system to provide for secure CGI hosting.
Included with ISPDB is a modified ProFTPD, which will authenticate ftp
access to customers' webspace; it is possible to log in as a customer
and access all the websites belonging to that customer, or to log in
as a website -- this is useful for publishing mechanisms which do not
support setting the initial directory.
- Dialup Access:
The ISPDB database ships with an integrated RADIUS daemon; your
network access servers can use this facility to authorise your dialup
clients.
ISPDB Limited supplies a modified Cistron
RADIUS daemon which includes support for interfacing with the ISPDB
database.
- Customer Billing:
Product templates all include billing information - for example the initial fee payable, a monthly fee, an annual fee, and a renewal fee (for when the product has expired). Tax can be included or excluded, and the currency can be specified.
The billing system will generate invoices for customers, alert you to outstanding payments (see Report Generation), and integrate with your online payment provider.
- Report Generation:
The administrative interface also includes a report generating mechanism
which will produce daily/weekly/monthy sales figures, outstanding
money and cancellation reports.
The ISPDB administrator may generate reports based on all the VISPs using the system, or on any selection of these VISPs. VISP administrators may only generate reports based on their own figures.
- Reseller System:
Multiple ISPs can coexist happily within a single ISPDB installation.
A simple permissions system prevents ISP administrators from accessing
sections of the customer database not within their jurisdiction. The
site owner is permitted free rein.
Each VISP is provided with a series of administrative interface logins
and is responsible for supporting its customers.
- Administrator Interface:
All aspects of the system can be viewed and modified through the
administrator interface; the interface uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL)
technology to protect sensitive customer information. Administrator
privileges can be specified, to protect the contents of the database.
The administrative interface can be accesses at two
levels. Partial access grants administrators the power to view their
VISP's customer and product records, and configure them appropriately.
Full access additionally grants the administrator the power to
configure ISPDB (e.g. add and remove machines from the ISPDB cluster);
full access is not recommended for day-to-day operations.
- Customer Interface:
Purchased products can be tailored by the customer to suit their own
needs. Inter-operation between several products purchased by a single
individual or organisation can be easily achieved.
The interface grants the customer the ability to configure their
products online without having to phone your technical support line.
The interface also allows customers to produce and print an online
invoice. Outstanding payments can be settled online, using your
online payment provider. Payments can,
of course, be settled by cash or cheque, and processed by the ISP
administrator. The interface is fully customisable, so each ISP can
have a branded site.
- Signup Server:
ISPDB incorporates a powerful sign up server, which allows each ISP to
customise their interface. Customers can purchase and configure any
of the products, held in the database, that are marked for public
consumption.
Product templates held in the database,
can be marked with a 'public' flag; templates with this flag set will
be offered for sale to the public via the sign-up server. A single
installation can support multiple sign-up servers; it is prerequisite
that they have SSL certificates to reassure the public of their
legitimacy. The sign-up server operates using Apache-SSL; the FastCGI
servers read, modify and serve template forms, provided by each ISP
(for a branded interface). The process of selecting a product
through to purchasing and using it takes minutes at most.
- Database Integrity:
All ISPDB customer and product information is stored in a central
database (PostgreSQL). This ensures that all the information you need is at your
fingertips when you need it. To ensure that this valuable information
is not lost, ISPDB will, by default, perform a full system backup
every night. These backups can be stored off-site for added security.
Daily backups are compressed, and can either be sent
to tape or moved off the machine, depending on your needs.
|
