Payment Express Server - Windows

The Payment Express® solution for E-Commerce is designed to provide customers with a connection to their choice of bank via the Internet for authorisation and settlement of Credit Card payments in real-time. Payment Express® provides a host computer on the web allowing for a gateway between the internet and bank settlement systems for credit card payments.

Linux And Unix Users visit the PX Daemon developer information.

Technical Specifications/ Features:
  • XML Interface
  • Legacy Interface

Requirements/ Downloads:

Please note, Payment Express will operate on a Windows 95 or Windows 98 platform. NT or Windows 2000 is recommended.

Installation

Download the Payment Express Server software (PX_179.EXE). Note: A username and password is required to download this software.

PX_185.EXE is a self-extracting ZIP file. Note: You must be logged on as Administrator to properly install Payment Express. Figure 1 provides an example SETUP.EXE dialog.  Select the installation directory and press “Install”. SETUP.EXE will install all files required by Payment Express. A system reboot is not required for NT installation. You must have obtained a Username and a Password from Direct Payment Solutions Limited to successfully install Payment Express.


Figure 1 Payment Express SETUP.EXE Dialog

Firewall Considerations

If your e-commerce computer running Payment Express Server s located behind a firewall, ensure that TCP port 3007 is enabled for outgoing access. Note that the local port exposed by Payment Express for access by Payment Express compatible applications is 3004, not 3007. The local port is designed to accept connections from unencrypted links to applications on the local server (the local server is the computer running Payment Express). The local port may be reconfigured if required after install. See Figure 5 for more details.

The Payment Express Server is installed as a NT Service. Refer to Figure 2 for an example of the installed service viewed via NT “Services” tool accessible via NT Control Panel. The service is configured to start automatically and run as a background task whenever NT is running. It is not necessary for any user to be logged on to NT in order for Payment Express to operate.

Figure 2 Payment Express Service

Configuration

To configure Payment Express, locate the PX.EXE application. This is usually installed in directory \Program Files\Px on the system boot drive. Double click on PX.EXE to display the Payment Express control panel. The control panel is initially displayed as in Figure 3 . Payment Express requires a valid username and password for operation. This username and password is supplied by DPS. Select the “Access” page, as illustrated in Figure 4 . Enter the correct username and password. The password must be entered twice in both “Password” and “Confirm” entry fields. Password characters are not echoed to screen. The access information is saved and is preserved across system reboots.

Figure 3 Payment Express Control Panel

Figure 4 Payment Express Access Information

Enter your allocated username and password here. Note: Both username and password are case sensitive and password must be entered twice to confirm.

Figure 5 Payment Express Server :Local Setup

This page determines the local server port used for accessing Payment Express by local LAN applications like the DPSAuth COM object. Normally these parameters are not changed, however it may be necessary to reassign the listener port from the default value of 3004 if this conflicts with other applications.

Payment Express Dynamic Connect

By default, Payment Express is configured to maintain a permanent, encrypted, authenticated socket connection to the Payment Express Host. This configuration provides the most responsive connection and is recommended for most customers. If required, Payment Express Server can dynamically connect as required and automatically disconnect from the Payment Express Host after a configurable idle period. An idle period is defined as an interval without any transaction traffic being generated by clients of Payment Express Server. To configure Payment Express for dynamic connect mode, refer to Figure 5. Uncheck the "Permanent" check box and use the Idle Timeout to adjust the idle interval as required.

Applications/Interface Options

There are several industry standard interfaces and applications available for use with the Payment Express Server.
Component Description

DPSAuth COM Object

Available for integration with Active Server Pages (ASP) and Cold Fusion web servers.

DPSAuthP Pipeline Object

Available for integration with Microsoft Site Server Commerce Edition.

ActiveX Control

Available for integration with Microsoft Windows applications for which the DPSAuth COM object is unsuitable.

Generic Socket Interface

Available for integration with Unix/ Linux.

Application Description

PX Batch Processor

The Batch Processor is designed to process input files containing credit card payment information for authorisation.

Uninstalling Payment Express

Payment Express may be removed from a Windows NT computer via the “Add/Remove Programs” icon accessible via the system control panel. Select the “Payment Express” entry and press “Add/Remove”.

Using Payment Express

Once Payment Express Server is installed and access information entered, verify that the service is running correctly and connected to the Payment Express Host as illustrated by Figure 3 . The Link Ok and Logged On indicators should both display "OK". If the system is ready. Please refer to the the section entitled Application/ Interface Options for interface details and off the shelf applications.

Architecture

Please refer to Figure 7 for an overview of the critical Payment Express components. Credit card transactions are acquired by the Payment Express Host via encrypted socket connections.

Payment Express Architecture

Figure 7 Payment Express Network Architecture.

Payment Express Operation

(Note this example uses the web page as the means for data entry)

Once the credit card holder has entered their payment details into the Merchant's web page the transaction is processed via the internet to the Payment Express Server Application (IIS Web server). The Payment Express Server maintains an encrypted, authenticated socket connection to the Payment Express Host. If the connection to the primary host is interrupted due to failure of communication links or the processor, then transactions are sent via a secondary host.

Payment Express Host

The Payment Express Host exposes a single TCP Port, accepting socket connections from Payment Express Servers. The socket connection between the Server and the Host is encrypted and the client is authenticated via username/password combination. The Payment Express Host links Payment Express Servers to banks via proprietary banking networks.

Payment Express Service for Windows

The Payment Express Server (PX.EXE) software is installed as a NT service on the web server then the Payment Express Host establishes and maintains an encrypted socket connection. The Payment Express Client service accepts connections on behalf of COM object clients within the customer web server environment or within the customer LAN and forwards transactions generated by the DPSAuth COM Object or the DPSAuthP COM Object component to the Payment Express Server. The Web Server application or other applications access the Payment Express Server via a socket protocol. The socket connection between DPS DPSAuth COM object and the DPS Payment Express Client is not secure and is not intended for use across insecure networks such as the internet. Typically, the COM object or pipeline object will reside on the same NT Server or Workstation as the Payment Express Client service.