Tek-Tips is the largest IT community on the Internet today!

Members share and learn making Tek-Tips Forums the best source of peer-reviewed technical information on the Internet!

  • Congratulations strongm on being selected by the Tek-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

3 BCM guides that you might find useful 6

Status
Not open for further replies.

Firebird Scrambler

Systems Engineer
Apr 7, 2003
7,199
GB
I've recently done 3 guides and the main one is the setup of the email server and professional call recording features that are really useful on the release 6.0 versions. There are a few traps that prevent it from working, but I have explained it all using screen shots where possible.

Firebird Scrambler

Nortel & Avaya Meridian 1 / Succession & BCM / Norstar Programmer

Website = linkedin
 
Thanks Brian. Just a shame that the BCM life has ended. So much could have been done to keep it going.

Firebird Scrambler

Nortel & Avaya Meridian 1 / Succession & BCM / Norstar Programmer

Website = linkedin
 
Thanks

Too add or maybe add to the docs at the beginning about being supported that only 32 Bit is supported.

Have you tested (or anyone else) Personal Call Manager on a 32 bit Windows 10?


________________________________________
small-logo-sig.png


=----(((((((((()----=
Toronto, Canada

Add me to LinkedIN
 
These are awesome Guides: very clear and concise - thanks FirebirdScrambler for another Essential for the Toolbox!

Now that BCM life has ended - is there anything to stop new software/reverse-engineering being applied to it?

Verulam Telephone:
Communicating is our Pleasure!

Serving Eastern Ontario
 
Many thanks for the kind comments regarding the guides I do. I try to make them as simple as possible and I think those of us who know some of the workings of the BCM structure will probably no longer be able to produce anything new other than what has already been discovered in the past couple of years.

The development could have continued with Avaya support, but they decided to ditch it and just sell Avaya IPO. Any customer who has a BCM 50 / 450 system can be assured that it's still good with loads of features at release 6.0 and I use mine with SIP trunks without many issues.

With regards to licensing and KRS, there are other ways to overcome this.



Firebird Scrambler

Nortel & Avaya Meridian 1 / Succession & BCM / Norstar Programmer

Website = linkedin
 
Other ways ? like... Some DarkArts? :D

Great Job for your guides, i just saw it !
You are right, so much could be done to make an R7 ! Firebird, do you think we have enough knowledge to make our own OpenSource R7 ?

Otherwise i think the flag has been passed to E-Metrotel, i think this is the best alternative, but ofcourse too expensive.

If the BCM could have its SIP Client for sets completely developped and have calls histories/Redial List on sets plus compatibility with the Nortel Application Gateway (MG1000)

I will have nothing to ask more, it will look very complete to me. Sad because i know that machine could do it with its actual resources (Talking about BCM450)

**********************************
* Doc Robotnik
* Network & Hardware Administrator
* Likedin
 
Thanks for the comments. Unless we know of a developer who writes Linux with a passion and knows BCM, then it's unlikely that there will be any reason to continue with trying to improve the product. Although the BCM 450 has a good processor when it was produced, the older BCM 50 was suffering resource issues due to it's outdated CPU.

It's a shame that there wasn't a way to boost performance from it, as the extra features at release 6.0 when used could slow things down and the BCM Monitor is a good place to check.

TAPI on 64 bit was never developed and this means that some existing applications such as "PCM" won't work now that 64 bit computers are widely used. Many ACD applications and Outlook add on's today won't work. All this needs to be updated and therefore it's another reason why the BCM is end of life now. Such a shame.

Firebird Scrambler

Nortel & Avaya Meridian 1 / Succession & BCM / Norstar Programmer

Website = linkedin
 
I tried again to play with the Personal Call Manager yesterday and could not get it to sync with my BCM50. Most of the CTE applications were not sufficiently developed to work with anything higher than 32-bit Win7. Avaya just let the BCM line die on the vine. [thumbsdown]

Brian Cox
Georgia Telephone
 
exsmogger,

The best OS i ever tryed for this is WinXP, my Win10 32Bits do not work also !

I belive we don't need Avaya. I belive many techs who pratice DarkArts/BCM_LinuxWriters will see the day, now that BCM will became a kind of abandonware, i think we will see more websites dedicated to it, or secret tools etc. BUT ! Maybe some developpers will get out and join the communutie who know? i just hope this will not just creat a big breach for the BCM'S security.

Why i belive this ? Because this is the cheapest telecom unit on ebay market, and there is MANYS !
It just need a minimum of popularity to get great. Many fans with great skills can join.

Or maybe i'm just too much optimist ! The time will tell the truth!

I started to learn telecom in 2012 with a Compact ics, only with google here and mikecook book,and the official manuals.
Now i ended up in BCM IP phone friwmare i learn the DarkArts from my DarkMaster, i learn linux that i never touch of my whole life !
I modify some part of the core of the BCM for my personal amusement. If i reached this level, i belive i can do more maybe not a R7 but improvements, with a high skill programmer i'm sure i can do a R7 with him but... Time is missing, to do this you need indeed to be very passionated, i have the passion for sure ! But i have a wife also ! I can't anymore stay as an addict on a project like i did before. But i where able do it many others can i'm sure if they have time !!!

If some one wish to start a serious project about it, i'm interested to join, but not as an addict, i will invest only few hours per weeks.

**********************************
* Doc Robotnik
* Network & Hardware Administrator
* Likedin
 
-This forum is not a place for that discussion as you were told earlier
-There is Nortel programming and not just linux
-The system has been discontinued for years
-There is not much more you will be able to do then has been done already
-You hijacked this thread
-Take your wife out more often, lol



________________________________________
small-logo-sig.png


=----(((((((((()----=
Toronto, Canada

Add me to LinkedIN
 
Yes i did, with a SIP phone CISCO 7911G and a SPA2102. I get borred because there where bugs and glitchs.
It did not last 2 months. I tried also TrixBox, did not get impressed also. I tryed E-MetroTel I GOT IMPRESSED !

But God Damn ! Totaly overpriced.



**********************************
* Doc Robotnik
* Network & Hardware Administrator
* Likedin
 
Doc....I sell and service the emetrotel product line and I have no idea why you would say it's expensive. How cheap do you expect a hybrid telephone system to be? Every quote I do, it blows the competition out of the water as far as price goes.
 
This sounds like someone is comparing the price of an end of life used unsupported telephone switch from eBay with the price of a new switch with warranty and support. Even worse, that person also appears to completely ignore the fact that a lot of functionality of the "eBay system" does not require expensive licenses only because someone successfully hacked the licensing system and can enable all features for free (call it DarkArts or whatever else you want, I would still question the legality of doing so). In my opinion, those who remember Nortel / Avaya pricing for a new BCM system with all necessary licenses wouldn't likely consider the E-MetroTel system "Totaly overpriced".
 
I tried again to play with the Personal Call Manager yesterday and could not get it to sync with my BCM50. Most of the CTE applications were not sufficiently developed to work with anything higher than 32-bit Win7. Avaya just let the BCM line die on the vine."

exsmogger, attempts to get PCM working under 64-bit windows are futile. The connection between BCM and PC applications was implemented using CTE (a Nortel toolkit that used a proprietary communications protocol over TCP). The Nortel TSP was just a relatively thin layer on top of CTE that implemented "TAPI 2.x service provider". PCM is a TAPI application that uses TAPI 2.
The reason why you cannot get PCM working under 64-bit Windows is simple - TAPI 2 is NOT supported by 64-bit Windows. Due to that, Nortel TSP doesn't work under 64-bit OSes and PCM has no TAPI 2 libraries to connect to. The situation is better with 3rd party applications written to use CTE directly - these applications can still be used via the WOW compatibility layer (Windows on Windows).
 
Ah damn... i forgot how easy you trigger on Joe.


Just to clarify.

That person never said it's overpriced vs Nortel or Avaya. When i say overpriced i talk about to play with at home without to be a bussines with a salary of a janitor. That what that person mean. I'm not a bussiness and i don't do telecom services or calls, it's only a hobby to play with those system at home.

While a cisco call manager set is avalaible for 500$ or that BCM i got for 300$ plus 1500$ of licences.
The UCX start at 2000$ no licences, having enough licence to play with all feature and possibility it offert and learn from it,
i estimated it will cost around 5000$ of licences. I do 28'000$ per year, so for my salary it's totaly over priced for a toy.
I was talking for myself based on my personal wallet,was not talking for the actual market for bussiness.

I know E-MetroTel is the best on market, i admit it i tryed the demo version and saw many videos.And i will be the first one to promote it to actual bussiness in my area who have actually a old nortel system. But i just can't afford it as a simple person.


And curlycord i know i may break 2k of rules again, sorry.
I will go to see my wife now.
Sorry Firebird for stealing your post.


**********************************
* Doc Robotnik
* Network & Hardware Administrator
* Likedin
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor

Back
Top