AvayaTier3, yes, I too have used "orange cards" and upgraded many SI and CSI switches, from the sound of his request though, they just took this switch over, and most likely, the customer doesn't want to spend any money.
The S8400 upgrade is only $4500 List, however, they will also be charged for RTU upgrade from R3 to R5, and that will not be cheap. This is why we usually just replace the older CSI's with S8300/G350 or G450's, because there are 4 RTU bundles for the S8300 that are very inexpensive (50, 100, 150 and 200 user), that combinded with the lower cost of the S8300 and media gateways its almost a no brainer. Also if they do the S8400 upgrade, and they wanted to use the free, included IA770, they would need to add in a TN2302AP Medpro, and that will add another $5500, so as you can see, it's not cheap to upgrade an old switch, and this is by design; they want them replaced, not upgraded.
Mitch
AVAYA Certified Expert