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Thirdlane

Initial Setup Wizard

The Initial Wizard is the guided first-run setup that appears the very first time you open Configuration Manager after installing. Its job is to collect the handful of settings a Thirdlane server cannot operate without - license acceptance, deployment mode, registration and trial license, domain and SSL, network topology, license activation, and your administrator account - so you reach a working system without hunting through menus. Until every required step is completed, Configuration Manager keeps showing the wizard.

Some steps are mandatory and cannot be bypassed, while others can be skipped and revisited later once you have the information (for example, an SSL certificate) they need. The exact set and order of steps depends on your product edition. The steps below describe a standard single-server (All-in-One) setup - for cluster installations, contact Thirdlane for guidance.

Initial Wizard Steps

License Acceptance

The first Initial Wizard step displays the terms of Thirdlane Software End User License agreement.

If you agree with the terms of the license agreement, check to box to accept the terms, and click “Next” to proceed with the installation.

Deployment Mode

Select your deployment mode. For a standard single-server installation, choose All-in-One - all services run on one server, which suits most small to medium deployments and is the path these steps follow.

This choice determines which features and menu sections are available in Configuration Manager.

Installations too large for one server use a cluster deployment, where the manager, user access, the telephony frontend and the telephony workers are separate servers. Cluster setup has additional steps and planning - contact Thirdlane for guidance rather than following this single-server walkthrough. See Deployment Options.

Contact Information (Registration and Trial License)

This step registers your installation with Thirdlane and creates a temporary Trial License so you can start using the system immediately. Fill out the form and a license activation email is sent to the address you provide - you complete activation at the License Activation step below.

All fields are required:

FieldNotes
Email / Confirm EmailWhere the license activation email is sent - enter it carefully; the two must match
Company NameYour organization’s name
Street, City, State, ZIP, CountryCompany address
First Name, Last NameYour contact name
PhoneContact phone number

After submitting, watch for the activation email (check your Spam folder too), then continue through the wizard.

Domain and SSL Certificate

Thirdlane Connect application uses WebRTC for browser based voice and video and requires a domain and a corresponding SSL certificate. If you are using a wildcard certificate, you must specify at least one subdomain so we could use it to enable TLS for your TURN server.

If you don’t have a certificate at this time you can obtain free certificate from “Let’s Encrypt” and change it later if required. Note that TCP port 80 has to be open for inbound traffic if you will be installing and using “Let’s Encrypt” certificate.

Domain. Enter your fully qualified domain name (FQDN), for example pbx.example.com. This is the public hostname phones, Connect, and webhooks will use.

Description. Short description.

Subdomains. Extra hostnames this certificate covers. If you are using a wildcard SSL certificate, specify at least one concrete subdomain so TURN can use TLS.

Upload option. SSL certificate and private key may have been provided to you in two separate files, included in one file, or you may have a certificate chain. Enter (copy/paste) the content of certificate and private key file(s).

The following options are available:

  • Certificate and Private Key in one file. Just paste-in your “Certificate”.
  • Certificate and Private Key in separate files. Paste-in your “Certificate” and “Private Key” in the corresponding fields.
  • Certificate Chain. in this case you would have to paste-in the “Root Certificate”, the “Intermediate Certificate” as well as your “Certificate” and “Private Key”.
  • Request and Install Let’s Encrypt Certificate. If you don’t currently have a certificate, you can obtain free certificate from “Let’s Encrypt”.

Private Key Secret. In case your Private Key is protected by a secret, you can enter the “Private Key Secret” here.

Network Topology

This section of the Initial Wizard is the same as the Network Topology section, please see the Network Topology for reference.

Earlier releases included Template Bundles and Provisioning Settings steps after Network Topology. Both have been removed: phone templates ship preinstalled with the platform via the thirdlane-phone-templates-{mte,ste} RPM, and /etc/asterisk/provisioning.txt is seeded automatically on install with sensible defaults. Adjust those defaults later in Provisioning Settings, and install only the firmware bundles you need on the new Phone Firmware screen.

License Activation

This step shows your current License Activation status and is where you confirm the license created during registration.

  • Not yet activated - the wizard reminds you that an email with activation instructions was sent to your address (check your Spam folder). Follow the link in that email to activate, then return here and click Complete License Activation, followed by Next to proceed. Use that button to re-check the status if the screen has not updated yet.
  • Activated - the wizard confirms “Your license is active”; click Next to continue.

You cannot finish the wizard until the license is active, so complete the email activation before moving on.

Administrator

After the installation, the only user with full permissions in Configuration Manager. To manage your system using Configuration Manager securely, you should create an administrator with full permissions in Configuration Manager but limited system level permissions.

Here you can accept the default values, or enter your own user name and password.

Clicking “Next” will complete the Initial Wizard, and take you to the Configuration Manager.

If a step will not advance

Next does nothing when something on the page is not accepted. The wizard scrolls to the first field it objects to and marks it, so the reason is on screen rather than in a dialog you have to dismiss first. On a long step the field may be above or below where you were looking - follow the scroll rather than clicking Next again.

Best practices

  • Use a real, monitored email for registration. The license activation link is sent there; a typo or an unmonitored inbox means you cannot complete the License Activation step and finish the wizard. Check Spam if it does not arrive.
  • Get the domain and SSL right the first time. Thirdlane Connect’s browser voice and video depend on a valid certificate for your FQDN; if you have none yet, use the built-in Let’s Encrypt option (with TCP port 80 open) and replace it later if needed.
  • Create a dedicated full-permission administrator at the Administrator step and use it instead of root for everyday management.
  • Use All-in-One unless you specifically need a cluster. A single-server deployment suits most small and medium sites and is the simplest path. Failover does not require a cluster - an All-in-One server can be given a second server afterwards, in either of two ways. Contact Thirdlane before starting if you need large scale.
  • Double-check Network Topology (internal vs. external addresses); getting NAT settings right here prevents one-way-audio and remote-phone problems down the line.