Message Mgr.

[Behind8ball]

Anyone out there use this technology? We can't seem to make it consistently work. We have a number of sales reps that use it, and some of there customers will be able to send them faxes but sometimes it does not work. I look at the cdr reports and see the call came into the Msg Mgr extension but it did not connect. So we have the customers send them to a regular fax machine and it works fine. Any suggestions on what to look at?

 

[mlgriggs]

We use Message Manager for our Intuity/Audix system (rel 5.2, I think) that we'll be retiring soon when we go to Modular Messaging. At that time, we'll be converting our fax users to new RightFax numbers. I am really looking forward to that, although I have been pretty happy with Intuity/Audix and Message Manager all along.

I've found that Intuity usually manages to accept faxes of up to 3 pages with average density. But if the faxes are very dense (edge-to-edge photos) or >3 pages of text, they don't come through so well. Worse, the senders will often get a "fax transmission successful" message and think all is well!

When I add a fax number to an Intuity voicemailbox, I make sure to tell the user that this is a "personal" fax designed for 3 pages or fewer; faxing needs greater than that should go to a physical machine.

I have occasionally conveyed a couple of the following self-construed thoughts/theories to our users who seemed accepting of them. It's the best I could do, since Avaya would consistently tell me nothing was wrong even when we had evidence to prove otherwise. I gave up contacting Avaya about the failed faxes. Whether these points are valid or not, I leave to your judgment:
1. It's an old system.
2. The transmission rate is slow.
3. During transmission, the slightest hiccup can make the whole thing fail. The slower the transmission, the greater the chance for a failure.
4. Voicemail ports are generally used for 30-60 seconds for incoming messages, rarely greater than 180 seconds for message retrieval. Faxes often take more than 60 seconds PER PAGE, depending on density. The longer the duration of a fax, the more likely a hiccup.
5. Voice messages are more forgiving than fax messages. A garbled syllable or word is not often enough to make the whole message unintelligible, but one bad byte can kill a fax.

It's not a scientific analysis, but it's what I've come up with over the past 5 years using this system. Wish I could offer some real assistance, but perhaps a little commiseration will help?

 

[AvayaTier3]

You should look at your trunking. Poor quality circuits would be the most likely point of failure. "isdn" and "t1" trunks are much more reliable than "loop start" or "ground start" for data transmissions. Also check the synchronization source(s) and clocking for your pbx / switch / gateway(s).

A great teacher, does not provide answers, but methods to teach others "How and where to find the answers"

bsh

36 years Bell, AT&T, Lucent, Avaya
Tier 3 for 26 years and counting

http://bshtele.com

 

[Behind8ball]

I don't think the T1 is the issue, it just happens coming from the same numbers. I'm thinking some of the fax machines may not be compatible with Msg Mgr.

 

[lopes1211]

We've only found it compatible with 90% of fax machines. Haven't taken the time to isolate why but user will make 15 attempts, then use a different machine and all is well. Even had them swap the machines and the trouble followed the machine, not the line.

-CL

 

[Behind8ball]

When I look in the error log, this is what I see. It looks like therer must be some kind of a protocol issue from the far end fax machine.

x x
xVSC 5 EVN VSC 5 28 x
xApp: VM EventID:VSC0116 Date/Time Rec:07/21/10 09:23:56 Cnt: 1 x
xaux1/2=20/0,fax rec NO PROTOCOL sub=2573 cng= x
x x
xVSC 9 EVN VSC 9 28 -
xApp: VM EventID:VSC0116 Date/Time Rec:07/21/10 14:24:42 Cnt: 1
xaux1/2=20/0,fax rec NO PROTOCOL sub=2581 cng= .
x x
xVSC 5 EVN VSC 5 28 x
xApp: VM EventID:VSC0116 Date/Time Rec:07/21/10 14:26:22 Cnt: 1 x
xaux1/2=20/0,fax rec NO PROTOCOL sub=2581 cng= x
x x
xVSC 21 EVN VSC 21 28 x
xApp: VM EventID:VSC0116 Date/Time Rec:07/21/10 14:28:03 Cnt: 1 x
xaux1/2=20/0,fax rec NO PROTOCOL sub=2581 cng= x