Hello,

I do few test to group billing system with Centova Cast, but as i see on IHost and WHMCS, you have the place when you create a New Packed to add slots , bitrate, disk quite... etc  but don't allow to create only if you setup before on Centova Cast a Account Template and you put inside on IHost and WHMCS the name of that template.

Now my question is:
Why i have to work for 2 times, when you have already option to customize that pack on billing system?

I mean i have to create for each streaming packed a template, and after to go on billing system as IHost or WHMCS and to do the almost same think? Why don't allow me to customize direct on IHost or WHMCS?

I hope i will get a answer and maybe a solution to don't work allot on this simple setups .

Thank you

Because every time we add a new feature we have to update all the billing modules, which is 1) a pain for us, and 2) a very, very slow process.  Billing system vendors won't release updated control panel modules until the next release of their product.  That means that every time we release a new version of Centova Cast with new account fields, you can't use it with your billing system until the billing system vendor approves our new module and releases a new version of their system, which in some cases can be a matter of months.

And even if we found that to be acceptable, which we don't, there are some settings you just can't make configurable using the APIs provided by the billing systems -- they're just not flexible enough.

So instead we provide the basic fields (bit rate limit, bandwidth limit ,etc.) in the billing module, and if you need anything more complicated than that, you have to set it up in the account template.  If you don't need anything more complicated than that, then you don't need to create separate account templates for each billing package so no harm done.

Because every time we add a new feature we have to update all the billing modules, which is 1) a pain for us, and 2) a very, very slow process.  Billing system vendors won't release updated control panel modules until the next release of their product.  That means that every time we release a new version of Centova Cast with new account fields, you can't use it with your billing system until the billing system vendor approves our new module and releases a new version of their system, which in some cases can be a matter of months.

In this case why you recommend this Billing systems if is so hard to update? All your files are encrypted, that made impossible for others to change something or to update alone that script, all can do is to start from zero to do a module what is already made and is necessary to be update (witch is "pain for us")

And even if we found that to be acceptable, which we don't, there are some settings you just can't make configurable using the APIs provided by the billing systems -- they're just not flexible enough.

Why Centova don't do own billing system, as i recommend in past, 1 year ago, is not so hard to add management part on your panel like created and expire date, expire reminder, order mode, paypal subscription. I'm sure many will be pay for that and the cost be under other Billing system and the work for future new account fields will be simple to do from your side.

So instead we provide the basic fields (bit rate limit, bandwidth limit ,etc.) in the billing module, and if you need anything more complicated than that, you have to set it up in the account template.  If you don't need anything more complicated than that, then you don't need to create separate account templates for each billing package so no harm done.

Is what i say on my preview message, that fields can not be used as billing system don't allow you, only if you put the template there, blank field is not allow on product for Centova module, this was basic request from begin, to allow me to add product without template fields, based on slots, bitrate, transfer, quite, with or without autodj.

PS: As i see IHost looks allot similar with Centova on icons, on template mode, etc ... so i believe is made by same programmers team if is not same company, so for that billing system module must be more simple as for others, but have similar problem: don;t allow to add products centova without template account fields.



Best regards,
CyberMix

In this case why you recommend this Billing systems if is so hard to update?

For the same reason that virtually every other control panel on the planet -- CPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin, etc. -- work in this manner: because it provides the best possible experience to the clients.  And that's more important than whether or not it's easy for us to release module updates.

All your files are encrypted

I fail to see how that's relevant to billing integration.

Why Centova don't do own billing system, as i recommend in past

We get this request ALL THE TIME, likely because "that other" stream control panel supports this so people think it makes sense.  IMO, it does not.

Trying to generalize your product to "do everything" forces you to stretch your development resources to the point where you can't make it "the best" at any one thing.  We prefer to focus on developing (what we hope to be) the best streaming control panel available, and let the billing system developers focus on developing the best billing solution they can.  Combine them and you get two polished, feature-rich products rather than one half-assed one.

this was basic request from begin, to allow me to add product without template fields, based on slots, bitrate, transfer, quite, with or without autodj

Without a valid account template, Centova Cast would have no idea what server type you want, what autoDJ type you want, etc. etc.  We can't just hardcode those as options in the billing module because the server/autoDJ software will be different on each server depending on what the admin has installed.  That's just one example but I trust that you'll understand the point I'm trying to make.

Anyway, what I was trying to explain earlier is that you can just create a single account template called "generic" or "standard" or something like that, and then use that template for ALL of your packages.  Then you don't have to worry about creating a new template for each package, and that's just as good as being able to leave it blank.

PS: As i see IHost looks allot similar with Centova on icons

The silk iconset is free (http://www.famfamfam.com), and yes, iHost uses it too.  So does WHMCS, Sourceforge.net, and probably tens of thousands of other web sites and software products.