Upgrade Recommendations 5.0.26 -> 8.1?

[vtphilk]

I have a question and need some help determining my best path. My vendor I was buying from has been MIA and not answering emails so not sure if I need to find a new one or what. So been looking online but I have a client with an IPO 500. They have asked we upgrade it to get to the latest release (8.0). This system started at 3.x and I have upgraded them over the years. They started at a IP400 which we upgraded in going to a 500. However, now things have gotten so complicated with the upgrade charging..

Here is the system they have:

40 or so users.
40 or so extens are digital
1 local voip exten, 5 5621 remote vpn phones connected in via a cisco pix

These are the licenses on the system today running 5.0.26:
Voicemail Pro (4 Ports)
VPN IP Extensions - 5 instances
Phone Manager Pro (per seat) - 1 instance
Mobility Features – 1 instance
IP500 Universal PRI (Additional channels) – 2 instances

Hardware in the system:
Base:
slot 1 = DIGSTA8 + PRIu
slot 2 = DIGSTA8
slot 3 = PHONE8 + ATM4
slot 4 = Legacy Carrier + VCM8


3 expansion modules:
1 = ATM16
2 = DCPx16 (Old digital station module for the 44xx phones
3 = DCPx30v2


Most phones are 5410/5420's however they have a large chunk of 44xx old digital phones. Also the IP are 5610 or 5621 running the vpn sw.

As you can see they also have a Voicemail Pro server. I guess that means for us to get to 8.x we will need a preferred edition license. However, my question is what is the best upgrade path to get there?

Also they have a IPO500. So I'm wondering if it would make sense to go ahead and purchase an IPO500v2, then slap the SD card we have in the IP500 in there, then presumable it would like me upgrade? Or not? I have been reading some thoughts of people going to IPO 7.x, then once there it does some virtual license which then you can upgrade to 8.1> But then I read that the latest release of 8.x does not allow the 90 free upgrade which I think is crazy!

Anyhow, my thought was that we would then have a disaster recovery plan if the IP500v2 failed we could swap all the cards and sd card into the older 500.

Thanks for any tips!

Any help much appreciated!

 

[intrigrant]

For 8.1 you need a essential license, the vmpro license equals the preferred license.
VPN phone licenses have been taken out but you need a Avaya IP endpoint lic per IP phone, the VCM 8 card will give 3 x 8 = 24 Virtual Avaya IP endpoint licenses so no need to buy them.
Phonemanager lic is still valid.
I don't know if the mobility lic can be used, that is the most confusing part of licensing.
For me I would try first, you always can buy a new lic afterwards, within a day or what you will have it.

Regarding the upgrade path, add the 8.1 upgrade lic before upgrading then first go to 7.0 and then goto 8.1.


A simple mind delivers great solutions

 

[tlpeter]

The mobility licenses with go Dormant (not in use anymore) and that is because 8.x introduced free mobile twinning.
But you will need a new mobile user license if you want to use the one-x mobile preferred app.


BAZINGA!

I'm not insane, my mother had me tested!

 

[vtphilk]

Awesome thanks for the info!

Any thoughts on if we should upgrade the IP500 v1 to a v2? Would that skirt the requirement of buying a upgrade license? I believe we would have to transfer our card to a SD or something. It seems IP500 v1 will be supported for sometime so we can leave that hardware upgrade to another day but just thought if we could save the upgrade license fee by purchasing the newer hardware this might be the time since it seems they will be removing that option in the near future.

 

[tlpeter]

That makes no sense as the upgrade license is cheaper then a new control unit

BAZINGA!

I'm not insane, my mother had me tested!

 

[vtphilk]

I just was thinking the newer hardware is twice the cost but the unit they have in there is about 3yrs old and just went out of warranty. This is running two doctors offices so it would not hurt to have a backup one in case one decided to die. But since the 500v2 uses a different card for the license then v1 I wouldn't be able to just swap cards would it?

 

[amriddle01]

No, and you would need to send Avaya the old licence dongle(smart card) after swapping or you pay for all the licences again

 

[yankblan]

Don't want to throw a wrench here, but a colleague of mine updated this summer from 5 to 8.X, and the distributor was adamant that you can't go that up on a 500V1 without major problems... So we changed the cabinet too.

Just saying you should double check to make sure...

http://interconnexionsld.ca/

 

[intrigrant]

Well, I have a customer upgraded from rel6 to rel8.1 on a IP500v1 and the only thing what intermittently work/don't work is name/number presentation on analog phones. Very annoying.
I have loaded the config on a IP500v2 and tested without any problem so it maybe related to the IPO 500v1

A simple mind delivers great solutions

 

[Bill211]

We upgraded this year from 5 to rel 8, on an IP500 v1 and it's working fine for us.

8.1 will work on an IP500v1, with VoiceMail Pro, Manager, IP 400 Digital Station, IP400 Analog Trunk, Phones: 5410, 5420, 4406, 4412, 40 users/phones, 50 DIDs, Chronicall for reporting.

Only problem was upgrading 5410 phones to latest firmware, which isn't needed, I've been told.