Time to jump into BCM? Newbie planning...

[RampageRick]

Well, I've been wanting to move to BCM for a while now. We're currently running an 8X24 DR5.1 expanded to 16x40 with a Flash4. We also have a half dozen rental units, each with a separate POTS line.

What struck me was the low prices I've seen for BCM 400s lately. Made me think harder about making the switch. The ability to switch from 16-20 analog lines to maybe 10 trunks on a PRI is appealing. Budget constraints are fierce right now, having just rebuilt the entire active directory from scratch. If I were able to put together a BCM for $2k rather than the $10k we've been quoted in the past, it might fly. I've got a few concerns though.

Firstly, what is the general consensus on buying a BCM 400 on ebay? Any stories I should be made aware of? I'm aware of the motherboard cap situation, so that should be easy enough to inspect for upon delivery. How about keycodes? I've never had to deal with installing them, so what's the procedure? Does Nortel become difficult with you if you circumvent normal sales channels? I guess my main concern is that I'll run into difficulty caused by the fact that I didn't buy from a local vendor.

Second, I'm debating the merits of starting with v3.7, or snap up v4.0 right from the start. The general opinion seems to be "if you've got 3.7, might as well stick with it" but there's not much advice for newbies planning new installs. I wouldn't mind Linux, especially if there's stability to be had. Thus far the only place I've managed to sneak in other-than-Windows is our firewall (IPCop)

Now, another thing I'm pondering is the availability of the Hospitality feature set. I've read snippets here and there, but as of yet I have not read anything conclusive about support of the Hospitality features on the 400. At this point I'm only really looking at features like call billing and being able to tie several stations to one 'room' (hunt groups?) I have seen more references to Hospitality on the BCM50, and I've considered the possibility of using a BCM50 for the rental units, with trunks back to the BCM400. Would it be advantageous if I'm running 4.0 on both units?

Thanks for any advice offered...

~Rick

 

[wonga316]

I have never purchased nortel gear from non-nortel certified suppliers. From my experience unless you have signed a support agreement with a nortel partner it's very difficult to get related doco or patches.

I do know occasionally nortel do have promotional sales where they chuck in a few extra licenses for VOIP or V/M but these are few and far between.

 

[acewarlock]

If you need someone to support you, then you need to to use a Nortel Partner. If you know how to do most of the repair and programming, then buying on Ebay shouldn't be a problem.

 

[acewarlock]

CDR is built into the BCM, but you'll need a 3rd party software to do the billing.

 

[MagnaRGP]

Keycodes should come with the unit. A search on the system ID can be done on Nortels Keycode Retrieval site to verify the sellers claims. Get the system ID before you buy and verify the keycodes.

Adding them later won't be an issue as long as you buy them through proper channels.

Other than that, I don't see too much issue with buying from ebay other than the likelyhood that the unit fell off the back of the truck.

 

[NewTechinTown]

Bcm 50's are at 2.0 s/w. For the 400 3.7 is more reliable than 4.0 to date... Nortels 1st run of any new release is always scarry. And for the record... Support for BCM's is not near as difficult as Nortel wants you to beleive.
We can help you with everything you've listed; Tech Support, Hospitality, CDR, Networking, Authorized Keycodes... just to name a few. Check us out @ AlexanderNetcom.com

 

[RampageRick]

Repairs and programming aren't an issue for me. I built, programmed, and maintained our 8x24 system and our AD, so this can't be much more difficult than that. I was more concerned with the availability of parts and upgrades.

From what I've read, I'm assuming it's equipped with:

-Enterprise Edge 1000
-Enterprise Edge 1000e
-DTM module
-ASM8 module
-BRI-4 module
-DSM-32 module

I'm assuming there's a good possibility this unit can be upgraded to at least v3.7? I know the Edge is the precursor to the BCM 1000, so I should be able to get the same functionality? Any benefits with going with a 1000 instead of a 400? I'm also looking at the 2200 WLAN handsets, which I assume would be compatible if I can get this system up to at least v3.7?

I'm thinking about driving out and inspecting the unit in person. All I have now is the S/N of the chassis which I doubt will tell me anything. I looked at Nortel's KRS but you need an account first.

What are the important points to check? I can think of: M/B Rev, M/B capacitors, HDD, RAM, and MSC version. If I can boot it I guess I should check for System ID and installed keycodes.

Thanks for the advice,
~Rick

 

[RampageRick]

Grrr... it somehow clipped a part out of the middle. Either that or my multiple personalities are popping up again.

Anyways, I was saying there's a system available locally. Bit more than I want to spend, but it comes with a bunch of phones that I can resell. As a bonus, the original vendor might be local too. Let me know what you think...

 

[acewarlock]

It all depends on the price.

 

[acewarlock]

I have about 15 1000's and 5 are Enterprise, all at 3.6 as 3.7 doesn't have anything I need and it is more stable.