Partner ACS query about VM, parts & phones, please ??

[vtsnaab]

Hi Folks.
Added to this thread & hope more info may be fothcoming...Thanks.

Original post:
Went for a deal on some very nice phones & got VERY lucky...it just happened to include a newer ACS in the deal.

The system I've been working with is ACS V6 & the newer one is V8, which is very cool as I can now use the cable & remote admin stuff I was wanting to try out.

Here is what I am curious about if anyone is willing to educate me:
These systems both have PCMCIA cards, but they are slightly different.
I would like to get some education about the differences between them, please.

1.
There is a Partner Backup/Restore PC Card dated 1997 in the V6 system - and in the newer ACS there is a Partner Remote Access PC Card which also says: '(Remote Access, Upgrade, Backup/Restore)'.

2.
The older/defective VM module had a Partner Mail VS card with 4 ports & 20 mailboxes; whereas the newer (& nicely silent) VM module has a Partner Messaging 4 port card that makes no mention of mailboxes, but appears to be dated from 2000.

My remaining queries regard phones & possibly labels for them...

3.
The nice, clean, lightly used phones I went for are MLS-12D phones; the older system came with a batch of Partner 18D phones and a 34D phone (which is used as the ext. 10 phone).

Given that there will be 5 POTS lines and 3-4 active extensions in daily usage, having extra buttons is not really any concern, but having good phones & sound quality IS.

The phone questions, please=>
- Is there anything glaringly better or worse about these different model & vintage phones which may help me to decide what is likely to be the best fit ??

- Would someone be willing to please point me to a good source for printable/punched labels and/or matching s/w so I can make neat labels for the phones we use, please ??

Thanks.

 

[Dexman]

Let me take a shot at the questions....

1. Lucent/Avaya created 2 variants of the backup/restore card. One acts strictly as a medium for storing the processor configuration. The other adds remote access capability. The R7 & R8 versions do have internal memory and a jack for an external modem, but an external card will allow you to easily transfer configurations from a defective processor to a replacement.

2. The Partner Mail VS card is used to expand the number of ports & mailboxes inside that particular voice mail system. The Partner Messaging card is used in conjunction with the newer Avaya Partner Messaging voice mail system. Both cards will store portions of the voice mail system's configuration.

3. MLS phones predated the Euro phones. From the standpoint of the processor, they are the same. They MLS phones were prone to develop problems with the keypad. Euro phones were less problematic.

I use desi.com for my supplies of Partner and Merlin Magix desi supplies. Software to print desis can be downloaded from the company website.

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http://dexman.webs.com/

 

[vtsnaab]

Thanks Dexman - that is great & very helpful onfo !!

The MLS phones look to be in really great shape & there's plenty of them, so if any have keypad issues it'll be easy enough to just change out a bad one.

I have used Desi in the past with very good results - thank you for the recommendation.
(It seems curious to me that they seem to be the only folks who offer these things...?)

At any event, it looks like we have the right stuff for this minimal situation to get through a few years more of POTS usage; hopefully after that it can all be switched to VOIP !!

 

[vtsnaab]

A further query regarding the 2 different PCMCIA VM cards that we have, please:
The documentation that I have seems to indicate that it is possible to make use of the PCMCIA card for VM without the using entire VM module.

Given that we are not using any AA features whatsoever - just one system-wide VM box with a single greeting, is it possible to just install the Partner Messaging 4 port card into the processor module and use that alone for the VM functions that we need ??

Thanks for being so helpful !!

 

[Dexman]

Nope. You would need to purchase a Partner Voice Messaging. That plugs into an open slot in the processor and provides 4 or 16 mailboxes.


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http://dexman.webs.com/

 

[vtsnaab]

Thanks Dexman.

Wow.
What a difference a single word makes...a Partner Messaging card is a whole different animal from a Partner -VOICE- Messaging card - I kind of missed that detail I guess.

Makes me wonder what it would cost to get one of those, just out of curiosity (because it seems like the simplest solution for simple VM of all..).

Bottom line here is that we now have a bunch of good stuff that we'll not need or use so maybe I need to look for some good way to move it along.

 

[Dexman]

If you have the Avaya Partner Messaging module and port card, you can use it as a turbo charged answering machine.

But with everything that it can do, maybe the auto attendant feature could come in handy for after hours calls. Everyone can get their own extension and voice mail box. The Avaya Partner Messaging is the "Cadillac" of the Partner voice mail systems.

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http://dexman.webs.com/

 

[vtsnaab]

Thanks Again Dexman.
The AA stuff and/or any direct extension access from outside is exactly what is not wanted - which is why it would be great to have just a PCMCIA card with simple VM.

Given that those cards are pricey, we'll just keep using the really nice Amanda unit that we already have - I just like examining all the possibilities.

Looks like we just have extra/unused goodies is all, for now.