Partner ACS Setup/Admin query. 1

[vtsnaab]

Editing the OP to reflect what has been learned from the helpful replies;
This thread in no longer about using the PC to program the system and has become a thread about properly setting up this system.

As a new member here I wish to express my gratitude to the amazingly skilled & helpful folks who have pitched in to set me right in this project & I will further greatly appreciate more guidance...Thanks !!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am helping a friend who is stuck with POTS lines in his rural area to install an Avaya ACS R6.

It was bought from some city folks who upgraded to VOIP and appears to be working fine.
When feature 59 is used, it says PACS 6.0.4 .

I would like to re-program it for his place, preferably with as much ease as possible.

Looked around for info - got manuals - and have seen in the various manuals that as long as it has the backup/restore card that it is possible to use the remote PC admin s/w to do this on all of these from V3 on.

We got a DB9 breakout and used the pinout as described in thread688-1344059 - but the s/w does not connect.

The basic question that occurs to me is that there is no port labeled 'admin' as was posted before - and I was hoping that the RJ-45 SMDR port was also the admin port - and of course that may be a totally wrong assumption on my part.

My query:
Does the lack of a clearly labeled admin port mean that this system can ONLY be remotely accessed via modem with the PC s/w ??

Thanks for any help.

Addendum:
I have since seen a photo of an R7 system and how clearly labeled the Admin port is on that one - so it is now completely obvious to me how the R6 system is lacking this port.

 

[Dexman]

I'm not familiar with the Amanda. I suspect that the provisioning within the Partner ACS processor would be similar to the...now ancient...Partner Mail...which was a wall-mounted standalone PC that functioned as a voicemail/auto attendant.

In some ways, using an auto attendant is a good thing. I have the A.A active on my home system to keep telemarketers at bay. Most of them use predictive dialers that cannot respond to "press 10 to reach Paul, press 11 to reach Charles"...etc. If the greeting is long enough, the telemarketer's system just gives up.

That just about eliminates all of the junk messages in my mailbox.

I "FEATURE 00"

http://dexman.webs.com/

 

[vtsnaab]

OK, so back to the simplest solution of all=>
I also have a perfectly good answering machine hanging around.

Using the AA is not a fit for his place as he does not want anyone able to reach the extensions from outside calls.

I think the Amanda would be the best solution instead of the (likely) failing VM module - but:

Since the info of how to integrate it is not to be found - how does one integrate a simple anwering machine to take all unanswered incoming calls from all 5 lines, please ??

Thanks.

 

[Dexman]

Generally, you would connect the answering machine to an open station port on the Partner ACS. Then you would assign (point) all 5 of the telephone lines to that port and set each one for Immediate Ring. Then you would want to configure the answering machine to wait long enough for a live person to grab the call.

All of the voicemail options would need to be eliminated and the PMVS card removed from the carrier.

I'm a bit rusty on the specific options, but what TTT has posted should offer the clues as to what changes need to take place.

I "FEATURE 00"

http://dexman.webs.com/

 

[vtsnaab]

OK, TouchToneTommy posted what looks like a good answer to this (thread688-1145493):
"You could use a 1 line answering machine to answer both lines, but of course only one line at a time. Just assign both lines with immediate ring.
You could also plug it into the aux port of a ringing extension, and turn it off during the day, when you didn't want it to answer."

So it seems most likely that the easiest/simplest solution will be to just connect it at the main desk & let it answer one line at a time.

I still think it may be a good idea to repair the VM module as well - and wonder if just putting a blank/formatted HDD in there is how that may be done ??

Thanks.

 

[Dexman]

The drive would need to contain proprietary software, so, a blank HDD won't work. Ebay is a good source for the flash drives. You would need to specify the revision of the PMVS when ordering.

Yup, the aux port on the 18D and 34D will work just as well.

I "FEATURE 00"

http://dexman.webs.com/

 

[vtsnaab]

Given that there is no potential loss here, I spudged open the VM module and had a look.
It contains a very old, very ordinary 2.5" NB HDD - PATA - 1.6GB .
Investigated more deeply - and yes, that is the noisemaker.

As it happens, it appears to be a storage-only device and oddly has only a single FAT partition using 240MB of the 1.6GB, so this makes me suspect that it has already been replaced at some point.

I know that there are flash modules which mimic PATA drives - and can likely be had via ebay - which I've learned to highly distrust.

The answering machine idea seems practical, but limited to a single caller at once and thus an imperfect solution.

At this point all that I've seen really makes me wish to find out how to use the Amanda somehow as it is 100% functional and needs nothing.

I have searched for the needed info and simply cannot find what must be done at the ACS for it to use the Amanda, and that is where I am now stuck...

Thanks.

 

[Dexman]

The Avaya documents won't specifically address how to connect the Amanda to the ACS. Once a good grasp of how ports and groups interact with each other, then, setting up the ACS to communicate properly with any external 3rd party device will be a snap.

I "FEATURE 00"

http://dexman.webs.com/

 

[vtsnaab]

Please pardon my persistent digging on all of this !?!
It is a very long drive for me to where this system will be installed and I want as much as possible to be ready & correct before it is put into place.

The gist of the VM info needed comes down to the following=>
There was some incomplete and/or confusing info in the Amanda manuals.
Searching WAY down memory lane has brought the needed info.

I was able to re-connect with the very nice & helpful man it was originally bought from.
He affirms that the unit we have does work well with the Partner ACS.

Here are the important details:
The Amanda is a 4 port VM device.
It must 1st be told the correct code which is either 110, 111, or 112.
Its ports get connected to ACS extension ports.
The ACS must be set up with the proper hunt group settings for those ports to be the VM ports.
(This is where I am still a bit vague with regards to the ACS...?)
The only other setting is for the transfer to VM buttons, which I also do not know for certain.

The rest of the Amanda setup is already in place for just a single VM box for the old PBX and should just work like any other day once the above is looked after correctly.

So, finally, I think I can ask these questions clearly in hopes of not bugging folks here further:

- Do I need to connect the VM device's ports to any specific ACS extension ports ??
- How to set up the ACS hunt group correctly for those ports to be the VM ports ??
- How to set up the phone's transfer to VM buttons for the correct extension ??

Thanks for being so patient & helpful with me !!

 

[TouchToneTommy]

Here are the important details:
The Amanda is a 4 port VM device.
It must 1st be told the correct code which is either 110, 111, or 112.

The manual located HERE says Partner ACS is 112

Its ports get connected to ACS extension ports.

Pick the last 4 ports on the 308 in slot 1, thus 22-23-24-25

The ACS must be set up with the proper hunt group settings for those ports to be the VM ports.
(This is where I am still a bit vague with regards to the ACS...?)

Assign 22-23-24-25 to Hunt Group 7 - #505-7-22-1, #505-7-23-1, #505-7-24-1. #505-7-25-1

The only other setting is for the transfer to VM buttons, which I also do not know for certain.

Transfer to Voicemail Button is Feature 14. It is used if you have a live caller on your phone, and you want to send the caller to someone's voicemail box to leave a message, and you don't want to transfer the caller to the extension, and wait for the phone to ring and cover to voicemail. While speaking with the caller, you press the Transfer to VM button, or press Feature and dial 14, then you dial the extension number of the mailbox that you want to answer.

To program the Transfer to VM button itself, at the Partner phone, press Feature, dial 00, press the button you want to program, press Feature, dial 14, press Feature, dial 00


To dial into the voicemail system itself, press Intercom and dial 777

 

[vtsnaab]

Huge Thanks Once Again TouchToneTommy !!!
The reason I posted that the code may be other than 112 is that the model I have to work with is older and the seller said it may only have 110 & 111 - but that I should only try them if 112 is refused when I try that 1st.

Looks like I now have every important detail needed to finalize this but for this:
If there will be just the processor & 1 308 module in the carrier, is that single 308 placed to the left of the processor's center slot ??

I am very grateful for all your wonderful help and will be making printed notes to keep on hand in case I need to re-do any of this at a later date.

Thank You.

 

[TouchToneTommy]

You will see that the slots are marked 1-2-P-3-4 - ALWAYS start with slot 1, and don't skip any slots

 

[vtsnaab]

Thanks Again !!
So - if I am not being too much of a literal-minded dunce here, the above means that I place the single 308 in slot 1 with the processor in the 'P' slot, yes ??
(And this is OK even though it leaves an empty slot at #2...?)

Given (perhaps) that the 308 is for 3 lines and 8 extensions, just 1 of those along with the processor will cover the need to accomodate 5 lines & 8-10 extensions and the VM ports as well.

Please correct me if I am being really stupid and/or ignorant of the specs here ?!?

Thanks, Best Wishes, and Happy Holidays to All !!!