Changing Numbering Plan

[itcmerlin]

Our system is currently on the 3-digit Numbering Plan. We currently have 60 extensions in our system (16 Digital and 34 Analog).

I plan on adding an expansion cabinet. When I do I want to re-arrange the modules and add more Digital Lines. I know that if I re-arrange the modules I will have to do a System Renumber and reprogram many of the extension. So I want to change the Numbering Plan to Set-Up Space at this time as well.

When I do this, can I do all of the reprogramming with the SPM or does some of it have to be done at the Console?

 

[XrayboX]

SPM is simply a console emulator, so you could do it all from either Console or SPM
(WinSPM adds Quick Access(actually slow)).
If your going to rearrange modules, you might want to do a system reset, that way you won't have residual extension/line/calling group/etc programming haunting you.
before you do anything, do a backup, as well as a print-all to your computer, then you can see how the extensions were originally programmed.
be sure to power power off before adding expansion carrier or rearranging modules

To do a full reset (Frigid start) THIS WILL WIPE ALL CUSTOM PROGRAMMING

Maintenance (SPM F6)
slot (F2)
00
Enter (F10)
Demand test (F2)
Press the button that's two below Peek twice (F3 F3)
Yes (F2)

system will restart

It will restart in Key mode with 2 digit extensions

When Linux is Free and Open, who needs Windows or Gates?

 

[merlinman]

Re-arranging modules is a TOTAL NIGHTMARE! - Why do you want to do this?

Let me say again; "Re-arranging modules is a TOTAL NIGHTMARE!".

You can spend DAYS WITH THE SYSTEM OUT OF SERVICE WHILE YOU GET IT STRAIGHTENED BACK OUT!!!

As XRAY was kinda' saying, if you just have to re-arrange modules, erase the ENTIRE THING and REPROGRAM IT FROM SCRATCH.

STANDARD SPM is the BEST PROGRAMMING TOOL FOR THIS. I do use the WINDOWS part of it for adding/changing labels, but little else.

So really, why do you want to do this?

http://home.comcast.net/~merlinman

-merlinmansblog.blogspot.com

 

[itcmerlin]

The main reason that I want to rearrange modules is so that the Digital Modules will be "upfront". We are slowly switching over from analog phone to MLX sets. As we do this we will eventually be able to eliminate some of the analog modules. If I don't rearrange the modules, I would never be able to pull the unused analog module out of the system.

At the very least I want to switch from the 3-digit numbering plan to the set-up space plan. I am frustrated with the 3-digit plan as the extensions that I want to use are reserved even though nothing is there. How much of an issue is switching plans even if I don't rearrange modules?

I was under the impression that even with switching plans that I would have to reprogram every thing from scratch anyway.

 

[XrayboX]

Renumbering doesn't force you to reprogram from scratch, the system links everything to their (hidden) unique "SID" number, thus when you renumber, it simply assigns a new extension/group/Adjunct/line/etc to the SID's, all the programming remains the same.
So if the second extension on the first card is extension # 109 (it's SID would be 3003), and the next one is 110 (assuming digital card, it's SID would be 3005)
If extension 209 has button 4 programmed as Auto Dial 210, then after renumbering to setup-space, then it will be Extension 7101 (still SID 3003), and button 4 would be Auto Dial 7102 (SID 3005)


Plain as mud

That being said, if you are planning on eventually ditching the analog cards so you can upgrade to magix, then rearranging now would probably be the best bet
If it,s to simple so digital extensions are low numbers, you don't have to shuffle cards.
After renumbering to setup-space, you can renumber individually as well as ranges from 2 to all, so you can selectively renumber the 7### digital extensions to their new 3 digit number, and leave the unused analogs in setup-space.
You'll still have to program line/coverage/buttons on the new digital extensions, as well as remove it from old analog extensions, but that can be a phased approch.

Personally, I'd start from scratch, but, like Merlinman said, depending on the complexity of your current system (lines/PRI/VM/DID/) it could bite you in the butt.
If your thinking about a from scratch build, Backup to pc, and label all the cards original positions, then if it turn into a fiasco, you do a restore

When Linux is Free and Open, who needs Windows or Gates?

 

[merlinman]

"Renumbering doesn't force you to reprogram from scratch.... - No it doesn't FORCE you to, but I promise if you shuffle cards around, re-programming from scratch is a lot more "economical" than trying to fix the issues one at a time. (While the entire office wait's to get their Phone System back to fully working order.) In fact, you will plow up some snakes that you can never put back in the ground. A case in point, on a system I came in on late, someone moved modules around, and the LOGICAL PORTS that had been the ones associated with Voice Mail, could NEVER be un-restricted. It's things like that you WILL run into. (and worse)

http://home.comcast.net/~merlinman

-merlinmansblog.blogspot.com

 

[itcmerlin]

Merlinman: I hear what you are saying. But our setup couldn't be more basic. We don't have voicemail or AA. We have 4 GS trunk lines and 60 extensions.

XrayBoX: So basically what you are saying is if I print an extension list, change the numbering plan to set-up space, print another extension list and renumber the extensions back to the first list I would be done. I wouldn't have to re-do the MLX buttons.

 

[1043]

Merlinman is 100% correct.if not 120%. Default and reprogram.

 

[itcmerlin]

Merlinman: Instead of re-shuffling cards, maybe a better option would be to swap out the 016 TRR cards with 016 MLX and re-add the 016 TRR at the back end. That way it won't mess up the programming on any of the other cards.

 

[TouchToneTommy]

16 port single line cards and 16 port multiline cards are NOT an equal substitution, due to the adjuncts associated with the multiline stations. The 016MLX card has 32 logical ID's on it.

 

[XrayboX]

itcmerlin
Don't swap 016 MLX with 016 T/R, the MLX card has 16 Adjuncts, the T/r doesn't.
If your end goal is simply "rearrange" extension numbers to have MLX(digital) lower than the original extensions, then

XrayBoX: So basically what you are saying is if I print an extension list, change the numbering plan to set-up space, print another extension list and renumber the extensions back to the first list I would be done. I wouldn't have to re-do the MLX buttons.

almost correct.
lets say your extensions are 100,101,102,103,104,105,106,107,108,109......159
adding a 016 MLX, do a BOARD renumber not system renumber, and your new extensions would then be 160 to 176
if you then did a system renumber (setup-space)
your extensions would be 7100 to 7176, with 7160 to 7176 being the new 016 MLX.
If the user with extension 109 was an analog but was getting a new digital set, you'd renumber say 7160 as 109 and program it to match 7109,
anywhere old 109(setup-space 7109) shows up in your "print-all", you would have to replace it with the "NEW" 109, so if another extension has an autodial, it would need to follow the "NEW" 109, not 7109

You say you don't have voice mail, do you use any of the coverage groups? calling groups? those entries would also need to reflect the "NEW" digital extension.


When Linux is Free and Open, who needs Windows or Gates?

 

[itcmerlin]

We have 3 different discussions going on here so I am getting a little confused. Let's drop the module reshuffle and the analog to digital 016 swap and just deal with changing the numbering plan from 3-digit to Set-Up Space.

For discussions sake let's say that the extensions are 100-159. Even though we only have 16 Digital lines, all 200 Adjunct Extensions are reserved (300-499).

If I change the numbering plan to Set-Up space, the extensions would be renumbered to 7100-7159 and the adjuncts would bee 7300-7499).

So I would obviously renumber 7100-7159 back to 100-159.

Now if before the change extension 101 had auto dials programmed on his phone for extensions 105-109, after I changed the numbering plan and renumbered the extensions back down into the current range would extension 101's auto dials still be 105-109.

If I understand correctly, after changing the numbering plan to set-up space extension 101 would become 7101 and the auto dials would be 7105-7109. After I change 7101 back to 101 and 7105-7109 to 105-109, would the programmed auto dials reflect that.

As I mentioned before we don't use VM. We also aren't using any coverage or calling groups.

 

[XrayboX]

itcmerlin
Yes you are correct

It's only if you upgrade someone to a digital extension that you have to reprogram phones/coverage/directory etc.


When Linux is Free and Open, who needs Windows or Gates?

 

[XrayboX]

If you REALLY want to shuffle the cards around, go on ebay, pick up some spare parts (backplane, power supply, processor(magix doesn't support analog cards), line/ext cards), then not only will you have spares, you can program/test without killing the live system.

keep in mind what version your running, WinSPM(you can download latest version from Avaya) can "upgrade" a backup to a newer version, but you can't "downgrade"
ftp://ftp.avaya.com/incoming/Up1cku9/tsoweb/legend/WinSPM9.zip


With WinSPM, you can put only the processor in and program in "surrogate" mode, just choose "boards", and tell the system what boards you want to use, thus you can program even if you don't have enough spare line/ext cards.

with the Legend/Magix discontinued, besides being cheap, it isn't a bad idea to stock up on spares before they get scarce.
Heck if you shop around, you can probably pick up a complete system with enough digital phones/cards to upgrade everyone

When Linux is Free and Open, who needs Windows or Gates?

 

[XrayboX]

itcmerlin
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At the awesome Gmail (you know the rest)



When Linux is Free and Open, who needs Windows or Gates?

 

[1043]

Merlinman
How many systems have you put in and how many years?

 

[merlinman]

I have not put in but a few dozen. My expertise in the system is this: I have been in the Telephone Business since going to work for Southwestern Bell in 1965. I have worked as a Cable Splicer, a repairman, and many other jobs, Heck, I even worked in accounting for a while. Starting in 1984 with AT&T, I have also worked as a Tier-3 Tech Support Engineer on Computers, and spent time as a Unix System Administrator. I have worked on this product since BEFORE it was a product. And when I say "worked on this product", I mean I have been a Tier 3 Technical Support engineer on the entire Merlin Line since 1985 for AT&T, Lucent and Avaya. So I guess that's about 18 years or so just on the Merlin Line. Since retiring 12 Years ago, I have had to install some of these systems, but mostly I'm still doing the Tech Support stuff.

Considering the simplicity of your system, shuffling the modules around will cause minimal problems, but to give proper advice, I would like to see your "BEFORE" Layout and then your "AFTER" desires as to how you want to swap them around. You would probably want a PRINT ALL in order to re-program the Speed Dials (or other features) that will MOVE as the MODULES move.

But one last thought, doing what's going to be required to pull this off is somewhat silly. Considering the ease of renumbering things with this system, and, if you need to expand, the low cost of Replacement parts, this just seems to me like a lot more work than it's worth.

http://home.comcast.net/~merlinman

-merlinmansblog.blogspot.com

 

[merlinman]

Oops, that's 28, not 18. i hadn't had my coffee yet.

http://home.comcast.net/~merlinman

-merlinmansblog.blogspot.com