Switching jobs, Nortel Tech to Avaya Tech 4

[CTIEng2004]

Any opinions on how long it takes to go from being a Nortel Meridian tech responsible for adds, moves, scripting to an Avaya 97xx w/ Call Center Elite, CMS & AES?

In the Avaya environment we will be using 3rd pary CTI from Genesys so there will also be some vector programming required.

Thanks!

 

[wildcard100001]

My guesses would be:

Shadowing somebody who knows what they are doing: maybe 1-2 months, depends if you are the type of person who remembers and "gets it" or not.

Basic MAC work.. a day or so.

On your own... Years

If the system is already setup... you deal with the problems as they come up and learn along the way.

This forum has help me a lot. It ROCKS as it has saved me many times or has lead me in the right direction.

I've been working with Avaya PBXs for 11 years... I'm still learning.

Good luck!
Thanks,

Wildcard

 

[JediBMC]

Not too long ago, I made a more drastic change than Nortel to Avaya. I went from being a Server Admin to Telecom and had 0 days to learn it. Without having ANYONE to shadow, I would say it took me about 3-4 months to get to the point that I knew what I was doing. That included a great deal of learning about how telephone switches work, the basics of Tip and Ring telephone operation, and the right way to wire things. I also had to learn a great deal about the crazy wiring at my facility. With that in mind, I would say that someone with prior telephone experience could cut that time down drastically.

When I think about what my day-to-day work is like, it is mostly A/M/D. In reality, that requires very little learning... you need to learn how ports are addressed in the system, how stations are assigned to ports, and where additional information may need to be populated (such as CDR data). This, with the addition of basic error/alarm log viewing will get you through for a long time... After all you (presumably) already know how to connect things from the switch to the set; now you just need to learn the inner workings of the switch programming.

I would say that anyone with basic understanding of telephone systems and how to troubleshoot problems can probably be up to speed in 2 weeks max. That is not to say that you will be an expert, I have been doing this for 2 years and I am no where near that level… but I can certainly do a great deal more than when I started this and I am able to handle most things that come my way.

-Brian-
I'm not an actor, but I play one on TV.

 

[mikeydidit]

I am pretty much like wildcard. I have been doing this for 17 years now and still learn something new on here everyday. It should not be that hard on you though.

The Nortel's are a lot more complicated than the Avaya's as far as programming them. Avaya's switches are more user friendly, so I am told. You will just have to cross your Nortel terminologies with Avaya's and away you go.

You can do a search here for "Avaya training" and you should come up with a lot of great information. Look for the “little book series” for basic admin, advanced admin, and for maintenance. They will be a world of help to you. Welcome to the Avaya world and feel free to post in here when you do need help.


"Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something."
(Plato)

 

[Cam22]

I did the switch over that you are describing, I am/was certified on Rel.23 Administration, on Meridian working on a 61C, an option 11C, and a bunch of option 11 compacts, all networked together.
Changed over to a 3rd Party Call center shop, using a G3R with Rel 9.5, moved it up to Communication Manager 3.0 on S8700 servers, and networked together 7 -S8700 sites, plus a remote site in Manila using 4620 IP Phones.

The difference from Meridian X11 to Communication manager is like, going from PC DOS to MAC OS.

Remember to make generous use of the help key <F5> using ASA. The biggest challenge you will face, is the difference in terminology. For some unknown reason, the software designers, and documentation writers at Avaya have allowed the Marketing types to get involved in labeling of stuff in the programming, so the terminology changes based on the version of the software. Example: the software name has changed from Definity up to release 10.5, then it changed to MultiVantage from release 11.1.X to 11.3.X, then it changed to Communication Manager from 11.3.2 to current release. They also appear to have dropped the first digit on the release numbers, so instead of Communication Manager 12.1, it is Communication Manager 2.1 .
Once you get used to some of these idiosyncrasies, it is easy. Best advice is use the Help key, second best is get a copy of the Administration manual for the version of software you are running from the Avaya support site. It has screen references for most commands, and fields that show on the admin screens, Acrobat will let you search the PDF for the thing you are looking for clarification on. When that is no help, call your Avaya support folks, if you have already done, the above, and you indicate that you are still having trouble, I don't know a tech that will give you a hard time, about asking a question when you have already read the manual.
Good Luck!
Cam
Links:

http://support.avaya.com/japple/css/japple?PAGE=Home

Commands:
list con soft <will tell you version of software you are running>

 

[clayndwoods]

I, also, am a lomg time Nortel freak, and now am responsible for an Avaya G3V6 (I think). And yes, the "help" key is wonderful. The logic of the software is as twisted, if not more so than Nortel's, and I think Nortel's is far better documented in a way that one can FIND things. Both switches seem equal in reliability, but on the Nortel you can actually monitor (in real time) the data exchange on the PRI D-channel for troubleshooting.

Regardless, can someone point me at something about VECTORS?

Is there a manual or something?

 

[Toni269]

I too came from Nortel over 10 years ago. I found tremendous value in the Avaya Local User Groups and networking with my peers who already had years of experience I could call on when I got into a jam:

http://www.inaau.org/LUG/

 

[clayndwoods]

To be quite honest, the people on this site have been an invaluable resource to me in the transition. When I am absolutely stumped, I come here. If someone else hasn't already had the problem or faced the issue I have before me I ask, and it has always been answered.

There are some sharp, and good natured folks here.

There are in the Nortel section of Tek-tips as well.

 

[phonechic]

I made the switch also. I worked on 2 Meridian 81Cs with MAX and CCR. My company added a remote site a few years ago and went with A Prologix. They sent me to a few classes. Basic adds, moves and changes are the same, its just learning the different commands. I now work for a differnt company. Learning Avaya made me more marketable in my area. Once you get into the more indepth programming it changes a bit, but the basics always seem to be the same. Having a voice background is what will help you the most. Cam22 gave some good advice. Use the F5 key in ASA. After 7 years woring on Avaya systems I still use it. Avaya's web site is loaded with manuals. If you have Avaya support - I think I learned the most from their techs. When I opened a ticket, I would ask what they did step by step. I have never had a tech refuse to answer. Once you learn Avaya, I think you will find you are more marketable.