A UCx solution that supports Nortel 1165E, i2007, i2004 Phase 0, 1535 SIP, and M3000 Touchphone

[DominicUCx]

When I worked at Nortel and Bell Canada a while back, I managed to collect/purchase some of their "one of" phones. Most were analog, but a few were digital.

I know a UCx20 can handle Unistim IP sets like the 1165E, i2007, i2004 (Phase 0 BNR purple), and the 1535 video SIP phones Nortel issued in its final days. But, I've got two old legacy Meridian M3000 LCD Touchphones that came out with X11 Release 7 (late 80s?). I don't know if they were ever de-supported in a future release after manufacturing stopped. Can I get these sets to work on 100% UCx hardware/software to call each other, and make and receive calls from analog PSTN lines?

Those two Meridians have been sitting in boxes unused for 25 years and they would be considered part of "M2xxx Aries" line. They were cool in their day -- they had infrared hookswitches (no levers), no buttons, and a piano-like touch interface that you could create custom ring tones with (stored on the phone itself), as well as private number directories (again, stored locally on the phone, not the PBX). Back in those days, the set would connect to an ordinary digital line card (NT8D02). The only thing I can think of that would be reasonable in a residential setting is a used Option 11c mini, but it's impossible to find one that works where the passwords are known, etc. etc. Any ideas? Here are some shots of it.

 

[telcodog]

If they are digital sets, you will need the appropriate digital gateway to get them to work.......if they will work at all.

In this case, you would need at minimum, an MG cabinet (or Option 11 mini or Option 11) equipped with an MGC card with a DSP daughterboard (preferably a 96 port), MGC loadware from Emetrotel and a DLC card (along with the appropriate UCx gear and licenses).

Emetrotel can clarify but I don't believe you can run the MDSE software on the UCx20 though.

 

[DominicUCx]

telcodog ... if I had all that, I wouldn't need e-Metrotel. The M3000 would work on the Option 11 mini. What I don't remember is if that package (89 - TSET) required a keycode to enable it.

If somebody has access to an X11 or CS1K, what do you get when you type this ... ?

> LD 22

REQ: PRT
TYPE: PKG 89

 

[UCXNortel]

Your question was,"Can I get these sets to work on 100% UCx hardware/software to call each other, and make and receive calls from analog PSTN lines?"-

telcodog gave the correct answer as to what is needed for UCx operation. You would need the UCx to be on 4.5 software release,a Meridian Cabinet (CS 1000 or Opt. 11, Meridian Gateway Card, the MDSE (Meridian Digital Set Emulator), which is keycode\licensed enabled, and then build from there. The analog PSTN lines would be from the UCx via a UCXFXO-4 or 8 Port internal card, or a standalone Grandstream FXO Gateway.

Hope this helps!

http://www.ucidirect.com

Stocking Distributor for E-Metrotel

 

[DominicUCx]

Hi UCXNortel, thanks for your response, but the question I asked was ...

Can I get the Meridian-1 M3000 Touchphones to work on 100% UCx hardware/software to call each other, and to make and receive calls to/from analog PSTN lines ... meaning, a la BCM50x.

I guess the answer is NO, because it requires legacy hardware other than the phones.

Besides, their MDSE doesn't support the M3000 Touchphone. That's a rare set, but then I noticed it doesn't support the M2317 either. That's why those M3000 phones have been sitting in boxes for 25 years -- we switched to Centrex and so Bell just gave them to me.

For some reason, I thought UCx20/50 natively supported (hardware and software) a mix of all the old Nortel digital p-phones and Unistim IP sets with one or more small BCM50-like units, or something along the lines of Citel's Portico TVA appliances, but smaller. I can plug analog, Norstar digital, and Unistim phones directly into a BCM50, and so I thought their system was like that, except that they had added support for the other Meridians as well in the same direct way.

Anyhow, it looks like those phones will be sitting in boxes for another 25 years!

 

[UCXNortel]

The Meridian 2xxx and 3xxx series require the CS 1000\Opt. 11 parameters. The M7xxx, T7xxx, require the Digital Gateway Server and IP phones will work "as is" with UNISTIM firmware with UCx.

http://www.ucidirect.com

Stocking Distributor for E-Metrotel

 

[RLSbutton]

If you were wanting to use the Meridian1/CS1000 digital phones on a UCx platform, you can purchase an MGC card and an existing MG1000 or Option 11 cabinet quite inexpensively on eBay.

The UCx is a server, similar to the Signaling Server on the CS1000. Like the UCx Server, the signaling server on the CS1000 controls the entire system, not just the telephones. In order to make the CS1000 telephones operate, you also needed the actual MG1000 to house the DLC cards, and MGC cards, etc. The CS1000 Signaling Server didn't have a digital phone output ampehenol connector on the back of the unit. Instead the digital phones themselves were controlled on the MG1000 Cabinets with DLC cards, and the same holds true for the UCx. The UCx is a slim compact processor, while you still need a place to plug in hundreds of digital telephones. This place is the MG1000 box or the Option 11/51/61/81 cabinets.

The M3000 touch screen isn't currently supported, but it's definitely on the mind of the E-MetroTel guys. We have talked about it a few times. If you are a customer and you have a unique situation, you never know what these E-MetroTel guys will be able to pull off. They have made miracles happen with this equipment. All you need to do is get on their website or call their number, and tell them of your interest.


Joseph Sus Jr. Nortel Enthusiast

http://www.joetheucxguy.com

 

[RLSbutton]

Actually I believe it's the signaling server AND CS1000 call server that needed to work together....quite a complicated system. Nevertheless, the phones were still controlled from a different box that allowed hundreds of phones to be connected via an amphenol connection.

Joseph Sus Jr. Nortel Enthusiast

http://www.joetheucxguy.com

 

[DominicUCx]

That's just the interface the PBX administrator sees.

Citel somehow managed to do it -- they can even take Meridian Digital Centrex sets if you're a Centrex shop and want to move to a hosted VOIP PBX somewhere in the clouds ...

So, they have 3 Nortel 12 or 24 port appliances for Meridian -- one for DMS-100 Digital Centrex series (I don't own those line cards, but do I own those phones, or am I still renting them?), one for Meridian X11/CS1K sets, and another one for Meridian Norstars -- the Ford Model Ts. On one side they're all talking PCM, the other SIP, in all cases. To Asterisk, everything is SIP.

So I called them and said, do you support the M3000? Nope. About $1,200 for an appliance for 12 ports of one Meridian "type". So that's 120 bucks per station. But how much does a new IP phone cost? When you do the math, it doesn't make financial sense for a corporation unless you really like those Meridian phones.

It looks like the M3000 stays in the coffin. That Grandstream Android touchscreen IP phone looks good.

 

[klocke77]

I remember these phones being demo'ed at the Nortel Campus in Brampton when I was on course there. I was so in love with them, they were so futuristic for the time. They were incredibly expensive though. I hope eMetrotel does something to the UCX to allow them to work with it at some point. If nothing else, for the Nortel nostalgia.

 

[telcodog]

If I can get my hands on one, I'll be more than happy to see if they will work with the proper gateway. I won't buy one, but if someone wants to send me one or two, I will connect them and see how they work. When done, I will send them back.

I have a bunch of the 1535 sets working on the UCx and even have the video function working. I have 2 systems connected via SIP trunks and the video works over that connection as well. I don't see why these 3000 sets wouldn't work if they worked on the M1 before.

 

[DominicUCx]

telcodog ... the 1535s are SIP -- those will work on any non-proprietary IP-PBX. UCx is an Asterisk-based IP softswitch running on general purpose hardware that interfaces with legacy equipment via a gateway. A 1985 M-1 was mostly a specialized TDM-TCM hardswitch. The software logic isn't the same.

The second you plug an M3000 into a TCM loop on an NT8D02 16 port digital line card and plug in the transformer, the line card will alert the main system that a set was plugged in. The main system would then initiate a conversation with the phone's microprocessor -- this TCM loop is defined as an M3000. Are you an M3000? Yes. Etc. etc. OK, here is the touch feature profile config the administrator entered for your TN. Currently, you can't even define an M3000 in UCx. Also, the way that phone works is the screen changes based on call states, and it only shows softkeys that are valid in a particular state ... on hook, off hook, call connected, so certain features had go on certain softkey numbers if they were enabled. UCx needs to know that template layout.

It's sort of like the ADSI phones and Deluxe Call Waiting Options on the DMS-100 -- the softkey labels and DTMF digits were loaded in advance in a script into the phone, and the call waiting ADSI beep would invoke code in the script to activate the applicable softkeys ... switch to new caller and put current caller on hold, tell new caller to hold and that I'll be with him shortly, forward 2nd caller to voice mail, play announcement that I'll call him back and disconnect him, switch to new caller and drop current caller, conference 2nd caller in. Then I remember if you selected conference, the screen changed again and the options were just disconnect 1st, disconnect 2nd.

 

[telcodog]

My only point regarding the 1535 sets was to point out that just because s model is not listed on emetro's site doesn't mean they won't work. I am an emetrotel reseller and I'm very aware of how the system works and the type of sets supported and how to program them.

I was only offering to test one of those sets on a system that has all the required hardware and software to support Nortel digital sets. Who knows, setting it as a different model in the system just might make it work. I'm not familiar with that particular model but it looks like it would be an awesome addition to sets that are supported on the UCx. The only way to know for sure is to test it. You could ask emetro to do it but they will likely charge you for their time to do it because of the rarity of the model which would yield low demand.

My offer still stands. Good luck with it.

 

[UCXNortel]

DominicUcx, to say "UCx is an Asterisk-based IP softswitch "is a light look at the platform. The system does quite a bit and more so than a standard based Asterisk switch. I agree with telcodog in that just because a phone isn't listed doesn't mean it won't work. I am using an 1165 with no issues and I also use various Yealink sets that aren't "in the list "as well. However, you are kind of on your own if you use something other than what is listed as supported in documentation. If it works, great! If it doesn't then the issue is yours.
We use the UCx daily as our operating system as we are an E -EMetrotel stocking distributor.

http://www.ucidirect.com

Stocking Distributor for E-Metrotel

 

[DominicUCx]

telcodog ... that's very kind of you, but the M3000 phone will hang during the initialization/identification phase when it boots up. I thought the UCx guys were ex-BNR guys who had the specs or the old Protel code for X11 R7 and the M3000 4.x/5.x firmware. This stuff is 30 years old.

UCxNortel ... 1165E's original Unistim 3.3 and 4.1 can be replaced with the SIP firmwares that Avaya released later on. If your 1165 phones have Avaya's SIP firmware on it, they will work on plain Asterisk too. Yealink is SIP too, so there's nothing special going on there. I'm not trying to criticize UCx -- I'm just saying that's why it works. It is better than Asterisk's Unistim channel driver for Nortel IP phones that can't be changed to SIP.

 

[klocke77]

To me, the UCX is more like a toolbox for IP/non-IP telephony than an "Asterisk-based IP softswitch." It's also a constantly evolving work in progress, due to eMetrotel responding to customer feedback and bugs quickly. I'm actually glad I don't have to wait until the next fiscal quarter for another patch to be available for a bug or product improvement.

 

[RLSbutton]

I've used the 1165e on both unistim and sip on the UCx and I'll never go back to sip again. It's not because of the UCx, it because of the firmware in the sip set version of the 1165e is much more primitive than when it operates as a unistim CS1000 phone. That's on any SIP platform. If I have the opportunity, I am going to use unistim.

Joseph Sus Jr. Nortel Enthusiast

http://www.joetheucxguy.com

 

[DominicUCx]

It depends on the lowest common denominator. Avaya's SIP 4.4 firmware for the 1165E probably provides the same kind of features on its IP Office ver x that a Unistim 5.5 on a CS1K Rel x or BCM50 Rel x would. I haven't really looked at the two in detail though. I heard that the higher versions of both require license keys and need to be properly matched to the PBX and its software release level. The original Unistim on those sets was 3.3 and SIP 2.x probably enabled less features. So, if you're on a Grandstream SIP PBX that extra stuff won't work. Looking at the compatibility and feature matricies of those phones is very confusing. So many bugs.

I was a bit surprised at how UCx did things, because if they had their own code that understood Unistim, I thought they would have been privy to the Meridian Unistim "ATA" adaptors that were installed underneath Meridian sets. Those little buggers gave each Meridian phone an ethernet port and a power cord, but they cost more than the phone itself. They essentially turned an M2000 series phone into a Unistim set for remote workers and the "reach" line cards did the reverse.