IP Office for Conference service

[jeffjacobs]

We are running CM3 on an S8700 platform. Our top executive office wants to be able to make their own conferences of more that 6 people. Our Avaya Business Partner has talked our management into connecting an IP office system to our CM3. They are telling us that the executive secretaries will have 2 phones on their desk. One telephone from the CM3 and the other telephone from the IP office. If they need to make a conference call of more than 6 people they will have to use the IP office phone.

Is this correct? Isn’t there an easier way?

 

[gblucas]

The easier way is to install an EMMC server, Expanded Meet-Me Conference Server. The CM platform can now support up to 300 people in a single conference, or multiples, up to that number. I have one, and it works great...

gblucas

 

[kflounders]

The IPO solution can be linked to your PBX via IP or T1, so you dont need seperate phones. the EMMC Server is the better way to go, but the IPO will save you a few bucks.

 

[jeffjacobs]

I was told we were going to take analog line out of our CM3 and feed them into the IP office as analog trunks.

Is there a better way for the end user to access the conference funtionality but still use her CM3 telephone set?

 

[tlpeter]

Why use analog trunks if you can use iptrunks ???


ACA - Implement IP Office
ACA - Voice Services Management
______________
Women and cats can do as they please and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea!

 

[jeffjacobs]

I am just going by what our Business Partner and my manager cooked up.

 

[tlpeter]

Your business partner do not know what they talk about
A communication manager and the ipoffice are ipbased systems
Do not use analog trunks for this, it is a stupid idea


ACA - Implement IP Office
ACA - Voice Services Management
______________
Women and cats can do as they please and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea!

 

[jamcb80]

I am currently running CM 2.0 with IP Office for conferencing. The expanded meet-me is much better however, the IP Office cost me about $3,500. (but I also had to buy 2 DS1 cards as well) I took the existing meet-me vdns and changed them to regular vectors and hard coded the pass codes. The route-to numbers are UDP extensions that match incoming routes and shor codes on the IP Office. This is integrated with 2 PRIs (Qsig). Personally, I would not think about using analog trunks. I can get up to 48 people on a single conference call (no D channel on the PRIs which actually hurt me in the long run...) With this setup, there was not a need for us to use 2 phones; not sure why they would suggest that.

 

[gblucas]

I don't mean to be rude, but I agree with tlpeter, the design engineers at your BP are idoits...

The IPO was a solution for this problem, when Avaya didn't have a better choice for the CM platform. The EMMC server runs completely SIP, and it totally in the background. You don't even know it is there or running. The users do the same thing that they always did on the CM platform (6)user conference. I just supplied a different VDN and vector for the EMMC server, and the users can go up to 50 users on my setup. As I understand it, you have to buy users in groups of 50. All it takes is an S8500 and the EMMC software, SIP licenses, and the setup. It was really easy to setup, or at least for me it was, it was included in my CM4 upgrade.

gblucas

 

[TivoNut]

We have an IP Office attached to our Definity doing exactly this, for three years now. We've been using the IP Office as conference bridge, tied to the PBX via two T1s, direct between the units. I think I bought to T1 cards from ebay for the PBX and hooked it all up myself.

We just dial an extension on the Definity phone and (via UDP) it rings to the IP Office. Nonsense about 2 phones on the desk. We also have a 800 number that points to the extension on the PBX so it can be used from inside and out. It works fine.

 

[jeffjacobs]

Once the IP Office system is connected to the Call Manager, how do we program the lines or numbers to connect to the IP Office? Do the user's dial a trunk access code for the trunk that is connected to the IP Office? Or, do we set up a meet me bridge that does that for her?

 

[kwing112000]

I have done this a few times. It has always been T1 connection. Analog will only let you conference 2 parties i think. we have done it with simple meet-me conferences and also with full blown conference center. works well in both situations. all you do is UDp extensions over to the IPO and set the IPO up to do what you need with them.

 

[Mitch672]

you setup UDP (Uniform Dial Plan) and setup aar routes, to use the H.323 or PRI trunk group you have connected to the IPO.

AVAYA Certified Specialist