PRI problems - bad card??

[ncc63725]

I just did a new install of a Magix R4 V7.1 with the following cards:

CKE5 Proc
024 TDL
Merlin Messaging R4
100DCD
408 MLX (using temporarily for analog line access until the numbers are ported to the PRI)

Everything is working except the PRI was delivered and turned up on Monday and I cannot get the D channel to come up. I've got my end set to ESF/B8ZS on the T1 side and 5ESS as the switch type on the PRI side. Carrier confirms they have the same setup and are running AT&T Custom protocol to me. The only error I get is PRI-D Channel Inoperative and occasionally a DS1 Slip. I followed the instructions on this thread to no avail (minus replacing the card and processor):

http://www.tek-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=4279

In addition I had the carrier send a tech out and he was able to put his gear on my end of the smartjack and place calls using the B-channels and had his gear configured to AT&T Custom, so I'm reluctant to blame this on the carrier anymore.

My question is, can anyone suggest anything else to try before I give up on the card and replace it (and then the processor if still no-go)? The carrier is Paetec (now Windstream) and I've had other installs like this with their circuits with no problems so I will replace the card if you guys think that's where the problem is. The only thing that makes me think the card is OK is that the DS1 Signal Loss errors start when I disconnect my connection cable and then stop when I put it back, so it's definitely seeing framing from the T1. The card also passes the demand tests so I'm deeply confused. I've pasted the T1 info and PRI info print below as well. Thanks guys.

----- Site: CCA. Captured: 03/07/12 -----
DS1 INFORMATION



DS1 SLOT ATTRIBUTES

Slot Type Format Supp Signal LineComp
3 PRI ESF B8ZS DMI-MOS 1

CSU/DSU ATTRIBUTES

Slot 3
CSU: Deactivated
Assigned Channels:
DSU: Deactivated
Data Port 1
Receive Clock: DTE
Invert Transmit Clock: No
Invert Receive Clock: No
Invert Transmit Data: No
Invert Receive Data: No
Rate: 56 kbps
Assigned Channels:
Data Port 2
Receive Clock: DTE
Invert Transmit Clock: No
Invert Receive Clock: No
Invert Transmit Data: No
Invert Receive Data: No
Rate: 56 kbps
Assigned Channels:



----------------------------------- ANNOTATION -----------------------------------

----- Site: CCA. Captured: 3/7/2012 -----
PRI INFORMATION



Slot 3 Switch: 5ESS

System: By line

BchnlGrp #: Slot: TestTelNum: NtwkServ: Incoming Routing:
1 3 CallbyCall By Dial Plan

Channel ID: 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14
13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4
3 2 1

Line PhoneNumber NumberToSend
801
802
803
804
805
806
807
808
809
810
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823

Network Selection Table

Entry Number: 0 1 2 3
Pattern to Match: 101**** 10***

Special Service Table

Entry Number: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Pattern to Match: 011 010 01 00 0 1
Operator: none OP OP OP/P OP none none none
Type of Number: I I I N N N N N
Digits to Delete: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Call-By-Call Service Table

Entry Number: 0 1 2 3 4
Pattern 0: 0
Pattern 1: 1
PRI INFORMATION


Pattern 2: 2
Pattern 3: 3
Pattern 4: 4
Pattern 5: 5
Pattern 6: 6
Pattern 7: 7
Pattern 8: 8
Pattern 9: 9
Call Type: BOTH BOTH BOTH BOTH BOTH
NtwkServ: No Service
DeleteDigits: 0 0 0 0 0

Entry Number: 5 6 7 8 9
Call Type: BOTH BOTH BOTH BOTH BOTH
NtwkServ:
DeleteDigits: 0 0 0 0 0

Dial Plan Routing Table

Entry Number: 0 1 2 3
NtwkServ: Any service
Expected Digits: 0 0 0 0
Pattern to Match:
Digits to Delete: 0 0 0 0
Digits to Add:

Entry Number: 4 5 6 7
NtwkServ:
Expected Digits: 0 0 0 0
Pattern to Match:
Digits to Delete: 0 0 0 0
Digits to Add:

Entry Number: 8 9 10 11
NtwkServ:
Expected Digits: 0 0 0 0
Pattern to Match:
Digits to Delete: 0 0 0 0
Digits to Add:

Entry Number: 12 13 14 15
NtwkServ:
Expected Digits: 0 0 0 0
Pattern to Match:
Digits to Delete: 0 0 0 0
Digits to Add:



----------------------------------- ANNOTATION -----------------------------------

 

[mikedphones]

At a glance it looks right to me. I don't have another in front of me at the moment. On your first print for just T1 I can't recall if the DMI-MOS is right, but maybe someone else can comment.

I just went through this last week for 3 days straight. My answer was bringing in another Carrier, Station card, and T1 board, plunking it down on the floor and saying, OK, changed the entire system - tag you're it.

I have seen reference to L1 flags. You may want to throw that term out and see if they are on or off and try the opposite.

Lastly, if you have another site with the same carrier and an ATTCUSTOM setup, you ask them to compare the two.

The tech who makes calls from his TBird is not always 100%. The guy last week stood on his head telling me it was ATTCUSTOM. it wasn't till we got their higherups to log in that they realized it was NI2. Great week.

Anyhow, hope some of this helps.

Mike

 

[ncc63725]

mikedphones - I threw the L1 flag question at the tech I've been working with and this was his response, which makes me think they really do have it programmed for AT&T Custom; every reference I've seen to the L1 flag issue was when the CO was using a DMS switch which they aren't:

On our 5ESS, being set up for AT&T Custom, L1 flags are not even part of the programming for the PRI. It must be handled automatically when AT&T Custom is selected. The only thing we have to select is NETWORK = PAETEC & USER=CUSTOMER. Do you have any options like that on your set up ?

 

[SYQUEST]

What is this "NETWORK =" AND "USER =", it does not appear in SPM?

Have you gone into maintenance and checked the DCH status, cleared any alarms, busied out, reset, and put back in service? The Magix Feature Reference document and the Legend maintenance document may be of help to you. You can download them for free from support.avaya.com.

....JIM....

 

[ncc63725]

Hey Jim - those are apparently options that he has inside his 5ESS switch for the AT&T Custom protocol. I've never been in a 5ESS so I couldn't tell you what they're for exactly but guessing they are probably are just some kind of comment field.

As for the status/resets, yep did all of that. Followed the document I linked; kept going back to PRI-D Channel Inoperative and occasionally a DS1 Slip and/or DS1 Misframe error.

I went ahead and sent another 100DCD card overnight, hopefully that will clear it up. If not, I'm stumped.

 

[mikedphones]

Good luck with it. I feel your pain.

As I mentioned earlier, if you (or they) happen to have another Paetech customer with a Magix or Legend on a PRI, they could refer to it just to make sure all the settings are correct throughout.

If the second card doesn't work and the programmming is correct, you have effectively come to the point that I came to last week where I plunked down a whole different system on the floor and got the same result. It was then and only then that they looked harder at their stuff and got it working.

I think if you are confident on your part that all is correct, the new card doesn't make a difference, and your slot and ports aren't in maint busy, I would reply with "Well I have this configured like all my other sites right to the letter, I have even replaced the T1 board" I am out of options. In virtually everyone of my turnups in 24 years, 10 or 12 have gone this route and if you leave them with the "I have replaced everything - other than the provider " scenario, the senior guys seems to show up in the background and things work.

I had a Broadview one that did this and they had ATTCUSTOM on the router at site, but back in their switch (I think he said meta switch??? he was NI2 or something that didn't align, you may suggest that both ends agree if they have such a setup).

In the end if you are wrong,,,,,simply say "sorry".

Good luck.

 

[ncc63725]

It was indeed a bad 100DCD card. Slapped the new card in and it came right up, running smooth. I've found 90+% of the time it's the carrier so I hated to cry uncle on this one but when it's bad gear it's bad gear. Thanks guys for all of your help with this.

 

[SYQUEST]

I'm glad you found it and fixed it! When these CLECs use all this non-standard weird stuff, like IADs, etc. and you don't have a DS1 straight to the CO switch all bets are off, since most of these people from my experience are totally inept!!! With Paetec they have NO excuse with all the 5ESS switches they have employed!

Just remember in the 4ESS, 5ESS, DMS series all DS1s terminate in TRUNK GROUPS, PRI or CAS; they still use trunk groups with attributes like TRUNK GROUP NUMBERS or NAMES, and ROUTE INDEXES or even TGIDs and 2-6 codes. The channels can be busied out just like any trunk. The switch people can do tests from the switch if they know anything at all.

....JIM....

 

[mikedphones]

Congrats ncc! In my case too it is 90%+ the carrier so I too am reluctant to be too pushy, but replacing the hardware first allowed you to eliminate items that it could be and do so in a logical order. If the card ended up not working, you may have had to move to the next step of "Cry Uncle" ! Glad it's fixed. It's such a relief!

 

[merlinman]

The only monkey wrench I would throw in is, Could the card have been busied out in the Magix, only to come back to life when a new/different one was installed?

Just a thought.

http://home.comcast.net/~merlinman

-merlinmansblog.blogspot.com

 

[ncc63725]

Hey merlinman!

I did check the maint busy and even tried busying out and restoring as well as resetting the slot myself just to see if it made a difference and it didn't. What is confusing is that the card sees the framing from the T1 part (DS1 Loss of signal alarm goes away when you plug in the PRI) but it never sees the D channel.

The only thing I do not know about are the dip switches physically located on the DCD card and quite honestly I didn't have the time to play with them to see if they would come up as I was facing a deadline on number porting so when I saw replacing the card fixed it I just moved ahead with the new card. The smart thing to do would have been to compare the dip switch placement of the new and working card to the old one just to make sure they were all set the same but again, I just ran out of time. I brought the bad one back to my shop so I'll dig up another one and see what's different about them. I found a brief explanation of the dip switch settings in the Magix R3 install guide but while it showed what the switches did it did not really explain what they did in any detail but I'm sure if they were set wrong that could cause problems.