Linking two MICS 5.0 systems 4

[robbLA]

I have a question about connecting (linking) to remote offices together with the MICS 5.0 systems.

We need to link our two offices (LA and NY) together. I have just bought a new MICS 5.0 + NAM Voice Mail 4.0 system. I've already been given the bad news that we can't link the voice mail to the remote office.

What I would like to know are:


1. What do I need to order from a provider as far as lines/T1's/ISDN??

2. What equipment do I need to buy on the remote end of the equation?

3. What features can I expect by linking the two systems?
a. Transfer external calls from LA to NY?
b. Transfer external calls to the remote offices voice mail,
ie: "Jane is in our NY office and I can
transfer you to her voice mail."
c. Set up a single receptionist to handle all the operator calls?
d. Any other *cool* features/functions that I'm missing???

Thanks! --

-r

 

[jeter]

A point to point T1 is the answer. You will need to have a DTI ( digital trunk interface ) at each site. you will have to setup routes but you can get dial tone and internal stations over this pipe. Jeter@LasVegas.com
Fisher CCNA
Sprint-Data

 

[VEASEL]

There's a couple things that will make it go better
First, set your DN lengh to 4. Then make one site
2200 ect and the other site 4200 ect. Actually
any numbering plan will work as long as they're
4 digit and start different. Get a T1 or PRI
at each site. DID's certainly help. You have to
set up routing in the Service section of
programming.
If everything is done right a call can ring in
at one location, be answered by the system
and be routed to the correct location eithor
by an auto attendant or by a receptionist. If
you have a Installer Guide they give a decent
description of it.
Good Luck,
Randy Earles

 

[th7700]

I need to do the same thing (only from Houston to Dallas, though). Can this be accomplished without a DTI? The CLEC I'm talking to is suggesting providing 6 voice, 3 point-to-point channels, and Internet on one T-1 at each end. They will supply a channel bank to generate analog dialtone or they'll split off the voice and tie lines with a csu/dsu and connect to a DTI. Is the first solution even possible?

Thanks!

 

[Guest_imported]

I've heard of the NAM being networked succesfully

 

[robbLA]

>> I've heard of the NAM being networked succesfully

This is great news... Do you have any idea what was done, who did it, or if it's a work-around/hack unsupported by Nortel...

I really want to do this, but have no idea where to start... Networking these switches seems so far out of my lease.. but then I guess I always feel that way when I come up against a challenge that I have no idea where to start... <grin> --
robb

 

[mikescience]

Actually you could use AMIS or VPIM to network the voicemails together. It's kind of a pain but it will allow a network mailbox for the other system.
As far a dialing between you just need DID's at both locations and build routing to have transparent dialing between. 4 digit is a must. If you do a startup with 3 digit, it could take up 3 or 4 digits per system and you only have 10 total!

Mikescience

 

[jerryreeve]

The advantage of going with a T-1/is that if you set up both ends to see the T-1 as a PRI(call by call) then you can pass name/number info across the T-1 between offices.

another way of setting up would be with E&M tie lines between offices (here it would depend on the number of simultaneous calls you needed to meke that would drive how many lines are needed) straight E&M does not pass originator calling number/name info.

Norstar makes a claim on their website that you can connect a BRI between offices to make a network, I have not seen this and would take it with a grain of salt.

in either of the first two cases you would want to use routes and destination codes along with target lines for the calls so that your network would be transparent to the person making the calls.

also remember that when you do this you can set up routes and tables in a way that the person sitting in the office in network location 1 could pick up and dial a phone number on the public exchange local to network location 2 that could use the trunking and reduce the long distance charges that the customer ends up with.

a last note is that with MICS software release 5.0 they decided to allow use of a single voicemail ONLY if the voice mail is connected to a Meridian option 11 as the controlling site.
JerryReeve
Communications Systems Int'l
com-sys.com