Looking for a string to turn message light on and off?

[btc5488]

The call center manager wants me to find out for him if there is a string that can be sent to a meridian phone to turn the message indicator light on and then another to turn it off. Basically it would alpha numeric in nature and just sent to the extension.

Any idea if this can be done?

Bill

 

[ArchTelecom]

You can install MIK and MCK keys on a phone and manually do it. Not good enough?

 

[btc5488]

Don't think that will work. Need to send a string to it.

Bill

 

[btc5488]

For instance is there a way to dial an extension and enter a combination that willturn the light on?

Bill

 

[johnpoole]

your running into a problem, i don't think you can do the mik/mck function with a spree plus a ffc. ld 57 prt ffc all, will show you all the possible features you can use from an analog set. those are the system limits. i've never known of a tech that found a workaround for that. you could use the chip out of a 2616, on a modem interface card, but your talking major eng., it's doable and not that hard to get around, prototype cost would prevent most of us from working on that. mytel voice mail (centigram), uses the pcb from a 2616 for a digital interface, starting with one of those would be a major help. that interface does lamps, and interfaces back to the os of the voice mail..

john poole
bellsouth business
columbia,sc

 

[acewarlock]

As archtelecom said "You can install MIK and MCK keys on a phone and manually do it." you push MIK or MCK and the Ext number of the phone you want to change the message light on and it turns the Message light on or off.

 

[ArchTelecom]

This is pretty Rube Goldberg, but...

I do not know how meridian mail activates the lamp, but I looked at the programming of the associated sets and there are no MCK MIK keys present. With that info, I would suspect the instruction is passed to the switch via the LSL or HSL. If you can stick a datascope between the links and the Meridian Mail system (if possible, I don't think you could not on an opt11) you could drop messages into people's mailboxes and watch the interaction on the scope. If you can see a way that you can duplicate, then create a second VAS with their own link, which would be your PC or device that needs to send these commands and see if you can do the trick that way.

I may be speaking out of ignorance here....if anyone out there knows for sure how Meridian Mail sends the commands, please add or correct me.

Secondly, Nortel, then Northern Telecom sold a package called "Message Center" which allowed a thrid party voicemail system to communicate with the Meridian system, which included the activation of message waiting lamps. I am not sure how it worked as, when I checked it out, it was extremely expensive and the third party voicemail systems were coming up with SL1 and 2616 emulators to perform the functions. I do not know if they even offer this anymore and if it would do the trick for you.

You could also contact the various telephony set emulator board manufacturers and see what their boards cost and how you would have to interface with them.

All of this depends on how much of a need you have to do this and how inventive you feel. As the old saying goes.....where there is a will, there is a way.

 

[johnpoole]

you could scope that, with full intergration, it would be on the aml, migh be eaiser to copy on a call pilot ethernet link.. either way the mwk/mik would be a cleaner fix. even if you had the code for the hsl, how would you send it to the switch, i don't beleive it would happen over an analog link.. we are both gussesing.. it's do-able with some r and d

john poole
bellsouth business
columbia,sc

 

[acewarlock]

Quote "btc5488 (MIS) 27 Apr 05 16:25
For instance is there a way to dial an extension and enter a combination that willturn the light on?

Bill "

Thats what the MIK/MCK keys do, except you hit the key first than the ext number.

 

[sandyml]

btc5488, I don't know that this would be appropriate for a call center manager, but there is a way to do this using a TTY port. It's the PMS background command function, no login required.

It is completely documented in the Hospitality NTP 553-3001-353. That is how a hotel/motel front office system can send checkin-checkout, message light, name, etc. You can configure a tty with BGD in the USER field.

Here is an excerpt that deals with Message Waiting and Do Not Disturb:

The telephone Message Waiting lamp is normally controlled by the Message
Center attendant. Do Not Disturb (DND) is controlled from an Attendant
Console. With PMSI enabled, it is possible to turn these lamp conditions ON
or OFF using the PMS computer.

At the physical link layer, the PMS computer functions as a TTY and is
connected to the switch by means of a switch serial data interface (SDI) port.
In the switch, each character received from the PMSI data link is treated as if
it were entered from a TTY, and each character transmitted to the PMS
computer is handled the same way as character output to a TTY.
The command processor interprets only the first two letters of each command
word typed in. These letters are shown in uppercase, while the rest of the
commands, including input parameters, are shown in lowercase. Parentheses
indicate a keyword that is optional (or a variable that is a default).
The exact commands listed here are expected to have the appropriate protocol
appended.

Message Waiting:

SEt STatus DN MW (ON)
SEt STatus DN MW OFf
Do Not Disturb:
SEt STatus DN DNd (ON)
SEt STatus DN DNd OFf

For PMSI, all new and existing commands are supported. In addition, the new
parameter, LAnguage, added to the OPtion, STatus, and CPnd commands, is
also recognized by the PMSI.

 

[ArchTelecom]

Isn't the hospitalitypackage needed for that? If not, you got your wish.

 

[johnpoole]

yes with a gac term and a link to it, those commands do work, good catch sandy, i hadn't thought of those. the original question deals with turning msg lamps with a analog interface, unless i read it wronge. those mught work with rlogin

john poole
bellsouth business
columbia,sc

 

[sandyml]

john, I guess you could configure a tty with the BGD (and nothing else) and maybe give a direct connect (like diaperterm), you could give him an interface to enter those commands. It's very true you would need to check your packages; also, the phones may need to be reprogrammed for CCSA, I'm not sure.

 

[webstergl]

Not sure if anyone is still interested but you could use LD 77 turn on the DMTN monitor on a TN then use a MIK key on another set to turn the MWI light on capture the SSD messages then use the MCK key to turn the light off then you could possibly use a TAPI interface to create the SSD messages to be sent to the set.

 

[johnpoole]

if you have a pri that is lighting lamps, i would enl msgo, and capture that string.. don't know why i didn't test that when this was a current post..and webstergl, most of us are regulars because we like to learn. and surf while the boss thinks we are working

john poole
bellsouth business
columbia,sc

 

[SpelingChampeon]

BTC5488 - For instance is there a way to dial an extension and enter a combination that willturn the light on?

I would think Nortel would avoid the keystroke deal, simply because once that got out to the masses, you'd have people playing around instead of working.

 

[sandyml]

SpelingChampeon, that is giving me ideas. How about a sequence that sets the light to turn on and off repeatedly, at odd intervals?? This could be a lot more fun than working!

 

[ArchTelecom]

Oh boy! You can tell it's Friday.

 

[mars1947]

Sandyml: That would be "the clapper".

 

[sandyml]

So we could patent it and run infomercials to sell it??