Configurations

Step 1 - Register Usage and Billing Resource Provider with Windows Azure Pack

Note: If you are upgrading from a previously supported installation, the resource provider registration could be skipped as it might already be registered. If you changed the username or password on the previous step, then do not skip this step and must proceed with updates as mentioned below.

• Logon to WAP Admin portal, click on Usage and Billing on the Left.
• Click on the Quick Setup Icon .

• Click ‘Connect the portal to your CloudAssert Usage & Billing resource provider’.

The following dialog box appears.

• Enter the Endpoint URL for Usage and Billing API Service.

For example, ‘http://CloudAssertBillingAPIServiceMachine:30045/’ or ‘http://localhost:30045/’ for single machine setup.

• Enter the username and password which was used for registering the Usage and Billing API service during the installation (refer step 1.6 from Install Usage and Billing API Service).

• The username and password can also be obtained from the ‘Web.config’ file located in the machine where the Usage and Billing API Service is installed. The ‘Web.config’ file can be found in ‘C:\inetpub\MgmtSvc-CloudAssertBilling’.

• Click at bottom to complete the registration.
• If the registration fails, check the username and password again with ‘Web.config’ of Usage and Billing API service and try again.

Step 2 – Configure Basic Settings for Usage and Billing

After registering the resource provider successfully, the basic settings such as ‘Usage Processor Settings’, ‘WAP Server Settings’, ‘WAP Admin API Endpoint Settings’ and ‘Email notification Settings’ (Optional) needs to be configured.

• Logon to WAP Admin portal, click on Usage and Billing on the Left.
• Click on the Quick Setup Icon .

• Click ‘Quick Setup Wizard’.

Step 2.1 – Configuring Usage processor Settings

• Enter the Endpoint URL of WAP Usage Service.

For example, ‘http://WAPUsageServiceMachine:30022/usage’.

• To get the Azure pack usage endpoint user name, open ‘Windows Azure Pack Configuration PowerShell’ and type the following command:

Get-MgmtSvcSetting -Namespace UsageService -Name Username

• If the usage endpoint password is not known or if this is the first time setting up the Usage and Billing solution, use following commands to setup both usage endpoint user name and password:

Set-MgmtSvcSetting -Namespace UsageService -Name Username -Value [yourUserName]

Set-MgmtSvcSetting -Namespace UsageService -Name Password –Value [password] –Encode

• Enter the username and password in the quick setup wizard and click next.

Step 2.2 – Configuring WAP Database Server Settings

• Enter the WAP database Server name.

• Specify the SQL authenticated User name and Password.

• Click next.

Step 2.3 – Configuring WAP Admin API Endpoint Settings

• Enter the Endpoint URL of WAP Admin API. For example, ‘https://AdminAPIMachine:30004.

• Specify the Domain name if any.

• Specify the username and password of the machine in which the WAP Admin API Component is installed.

Note: The username that has to be specified is the user that has permission to access the Windows Azure Pack Admin portal. To know the active admin users open ‘Windows Azure Pack Configuration Powershell’ and execute the cmdlet ‘Get-MgmtSvcAdminUser’. To add a new admin user, execute the cmdlet ‘Add-MgmtSvcAdminUser -Principal "Domain\user"’ by replacing the Domain and user name accordingly.

• Select the authentication type ‘WINDOWS’ or ‘ADFS’.

• Enter the Endpoint URL of WAP WindowsAuthSite. For example, ‘https://WindowsAuthSiteMachine:30072.

• Select the admin logon type. Some of the Logo types are as follows

cid:[e-mail]80AD10

• Logon type can also be directly given in ‘Web.Config’ file located in the machine where the Usage and Billing API Service is installed. The ‘Web.config’ file can be found in ‘C:\inetpub\MgmtSvc-CloudAssertBilling’.

• Click next.

Step 2.4 – Configuring Email Notification Settings (optional)

1. Specify the SMTP host name or IP address.

2. Specify the SMTP Port number.

3. Check ‘SHOULD AUTHENTICATE WITH SMTP SERVER?’ if the SMTP server requires authentication.

4. Enter the SMTP user id and password. (valid email-id and its password)

5. Check ‘USE SSL TO TALK To SMTP SERVER?’ if the SMTP server uses SSL.

6. Specify the ‘ADMIN EMAIL ID(S)’, each email id needs to be separated by a comma (,). The notification email is delivered to the email id(s) specified here.

7. Enter the tenant URL.

8. For example, ‘https://TenantSiteMachine:30081.

9. Click next to complete the basic settings.

Note: Configuring ‘Email’ notification settings will enable automatic email notifications to users upon successfully subscription creation, deletion, suspension of subscription, invoice warning and due date notification, etc.

STEP 3 – Activating License

STEP 3.1 - Steps for Activation

There are two ways to activate the license, first one is online directly from the WAP Usage and Billing Admin Page and the second one is manually via email.

3.1.1 Activate Online

To activate online, Usage and Billing API service needs to have access to internet. If Admin deployment is inside an isolated network that doesn’t have access to internet, please skip this section and follow the steps mentioned in ‘Activate via Email’.

• Navigate to WAP Admin Portal Usage and Billing License Tab.

• Click on the ‘Activate Online’ button:

• In the resulting dialog enter license key and email id associated with the license.

• Click the submit button and if everything is valid, installation will be activated and administrator will see the confirmation message.

3.1.2 Activate Via Email

If Usage and Billing API Service installation is not connected to internet follow the steps below to activate manually.

1. Navigate to WAP Admin Portal Usage and Billing License Tab.

2. Copy the ‘Activation Text’ and email to ‘[e-mail]’.

3. We will generate activation file and reply to you in email.

4. Admin can then ‘Upload’ the activation file via the Upload button in the License Tab.

Step 3.2 - Considerations for Multiple Instances of Usage and Billing and Offline Activation

When there are more than one Usage and Billing API service deployed for high availability scenarios, the activation must be done multiple times for each of the machine. Currently this cannot be achieved through the admin portal online activation. Follow the steps below to manually activate each installation.

1. Identify a machine in your labs that has internet access, and in that machine download ‘VConnect.zip’ and extract all the files to a local folder.

2. On each machine that has Usage and Billing API service installed, do the following:

   • Copy the VConnect extracted files to the machine’s local folder.

   • Open a command prompt with ‘Run as administrator’ and go to the local folder that contains the extracted files.

   • Run ‘VConnect.exe GetActivationText’ and copy the activation text in the result.

   • Now, go back to the machine identified in Step 1, and open a command prompt with ‘Run as administrator’ and go to the local folder that contains the extracted VConnect.zip files.

   • Run ‘VConnect.exe ActivateOffline licenseKey emailId activationText’, by editing the highlighted text as follows:

     • Replace licenseKey and emailId with the values shared earlier

     • Replace activationText with the activation text identified in Step 2.c above

     • The above step will generate a License.cal file in the same folder as VConnect.exe. Copy the ‘License.cal’ file.

   • Now go back to the Usage & Billing API service VM where Step 2.c was executed, and paste the generated activation file ‘License.cal’ in the Usage & Billing API Service bin directory: [C:]\inetpub\MgmtSvc-CloudAssertBilling\bin.

   • Recycle the MgmtSvc-CloudAssertBilling application pool using IIS manager.

3. Make sure to perform the above steps by keeping one node in the cluster at a time.

4. Now if you go to WAP Admin Portal Usage & Billing License tab, you should see the production license quotas properly.

Please contact us at [e-mail] for any questions.

Step 4 – Configuring Tenant Site

Once all the basic settings are configured, it is mandatory to configure the ‘Web.config’ file of the WAP tenant Site.

• Logon to the machine where WAP Tenant site component is installed.

• Open ‘Windows Azure Pack Configuration PowerShell’ and type the following command

Unprotect-MgmtSvcConfiguration -Namespace "TenantSite”

• Navigate to ‘C:\inetpub\MgmtSvc-TenantSite’ and open ‘Web.config’ file.

• Add the following lines under <appSettings> tag:

  • <add key="CloudAssertBilling.Endpoint" value="http://Cloud Assert Billing API Service Machine:30045/" />

  • <add key="CloudAssertBilling.Username" value="username used for registering Usage and Billing Resource provider" />

  • <add key="CloudAssertBilling.Password" value="password used for registering Usage and Billing Resource provider" />

• Refer ‘Step 1 - Register Usage and Billing Resource Provider with Windows Azure Pack’ section for knowing the endpoint, username and password.

• Once the three settings are added save the ‘Web.config’ file.

• Give the following command in ‘Windows Azure Pack Configuration PowerShell’

Protect-MgmtSvcConfiguration -Namespace "TenantSite"

Step 5 – Enabling/Disabling Product Features

Once the basic settings have been configured the product feature of Usage and Billing can be enabled or disabled.

• Logon to WAP Admin portal, click on Usage and Billing on the Left.

• Click on the ‘SETTINGS’ Tab.

• Click ‘PRODUCT FEATURES’ sub tab.

• Each of the product feature can be enabled or disabled by checking or unchecking the checkboxes and clicking the ‘SAVE’ button below.

The following are the description of each product feature that are available in Usage and Billing solution.

Is Promotions Feature Enabled?

The Promotion Feature is used to create a pricing profile with either One-Time credit or Recurring credit. One-Time credit is given for a fixed number of days for which the tenant need not pay. Recurring credit is a fixed amount that is credited recursively on every month for the tenant.

Is Notifications Feature Enabled For Tenant?

The notification feature is used to indicate the tenant that the credit is running low. It sends a notification message to the tenant when the credit limit is met. The administrator can set the credit limit that has to be met in order to send the notification message. Notification can be configured from ‘NOTIFICATIONS’ tab under Usage and Billing admin portal.

Is Invoice Feature Enabled For Tenants?

Enabling this feature allows the tenants to view their invoices. The tenants can also view all their invoices till the previous month (i.e.) invoices from the first month of subscription to the previous month.

Can Tenant Download Invoice PDF?

Enabling this feature allows the tenants to download their invoice in a PDF format. In order for this feature to work, the ‘IS INVOICE FEATURE ENABLED FOR TENANTS?’ needs to be enabled.

Should Show Co-Admin Subscripitons To Tenants?

This feature is enabled by default. Disabling this feature hides the all co-administrator subscriptions in the tenant portal for users who are co-administrators.

Is Pricing Catalog Feature Enabled?

The Pricing Catalog Feature allows the tenants to subscribe a plan or add-ons from WAP tenant portalUsage and BillingMarketplace tab. Disabling this feature removes the ‘Marketplace’ tab from the Usage and Billing tenant portal.

Should Invoke Subscription template Operation?

Enabling this feature allows the administrator to implement invocation of custom scripts when subscriptions are created, updated, or deleted by the tenant. The details of the custom script execution are displayed under Admin portal ‘OPERATIONS’ tab.

Is Payment Gateway Feature Enabled?

This is a licensed feature and it might not be available for trial versions of Usage and Billing solutions. Enabling the feature allows the admin and tenants to pay their invoices through an integrated payment gateway.

Is User Profile Feature Enabled?

This is yet another licensed feature of Usage and Billing solutions. Enabling the feature mandates the tenants to complete a user profile in order to use all the services provided by Usage and Billing.

Note: in-order for Payment gateway to work, both payment gateway feature and user profile feature needs to be enabled.

Is CSP Feature Enabled?

This is yet another licensed feature of Usage and Billing solutions. Enabling the feature will allow the tenants to create customer profile, create users, buy license/add-ons and assign licenses to users in Microsoft partner center from within Usage and Billing Solutions.

Step 6 – Configure Invoice Settings

This is an optional setting that can be configured any time once the basic settings is configured.

• Logon to WAP Admin portal, click on Usage and Billing on the Left.

• Click on the ‘SETTINGS’ Tab.

• Click ‘INVOICE’ sub tab.

• Specify the content to format how the Invoice PDF should look like.

• Set the ‘INVOICE DUE DATE (IN A GIVEN MONTH)’ to send an email notifying the due date to the tenant every month on the specified date. (Optional setting)

• If the ‘INVOICE DUE DATE’ is set, then set the ‘NUMBER OF DAYS PRIOR TO DUE DATE FOR SENDING REMINDER E-MAIL’ to send a reminder email notifying the tenant that the due date is approaching (Optional setting even if ‘INVOICE DUE DATE’ is set).

• Set ‘TAX RATE (IN %)’ to include the tax amount of the total cost in the invoice. (Optional Setting)

• Check ‘APPLY TAX?’ checkbox in order for the tax rate to take effective.

• Check/Uncheck ‘PRORATE MONTHLY FIXED FEE IN PRICING PROFIES?’ to enable/disable proration of fixed fee.

• Check/Uncheck ‘PRORATE FIXED FEE ADD-ONS?’ to enable/disable proration of fixed fee of Add-Ons.

NOTE: The ‘APPLY TAX?’ check box is available for versions higher than v1.9.0.2.

The ‘PRORATE MONTHLY FIXED FEE IN PRICING PROFIES?’ and ‘PRORATE FIXED FEE ADD-ONS?’ check box will be available for versions higher than 1.9.2.12.

Step 7 – Configure Pricing Catalog Terms of Service URL

The pricing catalog terms of service URL needs to be set if the Pricing Catalog feature is enabled from Settings Product features tab.

• Logon to WAP Admin portal, click on Usage and Billing on the Left.

• Click on the ‘SETTINGS’ tab.

• Click ‘PRICING CATALOG’ sub tab.

• Specify the URL to the Terms of Service page and click save button at the bottom.

Step 8 – Configure API Security

The API Security tab allows the admin to specify the whitelisted IPs of machines which can make use of the Usage and Billing API directly.

• Logon to WAP Admin portal, click on Usage and Billing on the Left.

• Click on the ‘SETTINGS’ tab.

• Click ‘API SECURITY’ sub tab.

• Check the ‘IS ALLOW ONLY WHITE LISTED IPS’ and specify the list of IPs separated by comma.

• Click ‘SAVE’ button.

Step 9 – Customizing MARKET PLACE Tab

The marketplace is tab in tenant portal from which the users can subscribe for any public plan. Admin can advertise a plan by customizing it from the Pricing profile tab of Usage and Billing.

• Logon to WAP Admin portal, click on Usage and Billing on the Left.

• Click on the ‘PRICING PROFILE’ tab.

• Select a desired pricing profile and click edit button.

• Click Next button.

• Click Next button.

• Specify the ‘Display Name’, ‘Display Sequence Order’, ‘Advertised Amount’ and ‘Advertisement Text’ and click finish button.

NOTE: Specifying the ‘Display Sequence Order’, orders the pricing catalogs accordingly in the tenant portal ‘MARKTPLACE’ tab.

Once the pricing profile is linked to a public plan (Refer Adding Cloud Assert Usage and Billing Service to a WAP Plan), the tenant portal Usage and Billing extension would look like the following image.

The users can subscribe for the plan from the ‘MARKETPLACE’ tab. All the resources and its monthly unit price that are associated with the plan can be seen by clicking the ‘VIEW DETAILS’ button at the button.

Step 10 – Installing Usage and Billing Agent Service

The agent service setup alone is installed after all the preliminary setting are configured in the admin portal. The agent service can be installed in both Single Machine Setup and Distributed Multi-Machine Setup.

Pre-Requisites for Distributed Setup:

• • Choose a machine with at least 4 GB RAM, preferably 8 GB

  • Ensure that firewall is configured to allow access to port outbound port 30045

  • Ensure that this machine can talk to all WAP endpoints (usually ports 30071 to 30100). Specifically, Admin API endpoint (usually port 30004), Admin Auth endpoint (30072), Usage API endpoint (usually port 30022).

  • Ensure that this machine can talk to the SQL database server on which the Usage and Billing database will be configured (refer GENERAL PRE-REQUISITES)

  • Ensure that this machine can talk to WHMCS (if WHMCS integration is planned).

Note: Usage and Billing Agent Service supports a master/slave architecture to ensure high availability. This component can be installed in two machines, with one acting as the master and the other acting as a slave (on standby).

• Download the ‘CloudAssert.WAP.Billing.AgentService.Setup’ installer after registering into https://www.cloudassert.com/register

10.2. Repeat steps 1.2 to 1.4 from ‘Install Usage and Billing API Service’ above.

10.3. Specify the host name of the machine (localhost for single machine setup) in which the Usage and Billing API service is installed under ‘API URL’.

• Specify user name and password which was set during the Usage and Billing API installation. (refer 1.6)

  1. Click the ‘Test’ button.

  2. If the ‘Test Result’ label displays a green tick mark click ‘Next’ button.

• Repeat steps 1.7 to 1.11 from installing Usage and Billing API Service.

• Click ‘Install’ button to install the Usage and Billing – Agent Service, click ‘Finish’ button to exit the installer after completion of the installation.