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What year were the 6400 Digital Sets Introduced by Avaya/Lucent?

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GordonKapesMZ4

GordonKapesMZ4

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Nov 28, 2010
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I am just curious about the history behind these phones....quite impressive sets...even though they are defunct now. Why did Lucent release these sets and what did they replace?

"Keep the Peace, Use RLS"
 
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Were the 6400 sets developed as the main phone to compete with the Nortel M2000 Meridian One Phones? Interesting that Nortel then introduced the self labeling keys and big display in 1999 with the M3900 sets. Avaya didn't introduce the large display phones, the 2400 sets until 2002?

"Keep the Peace, Use RLS"
 
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Were these phones ever meant for SME or originally designed for large PBX use? - NO

I don't know about the other big vendors, but between Avaya and Nortel, the SME solution was always a scaled down version of the enterprise system. So scaled down that you couldn't get to such a granular level of feature implementation. So, while the "Meridian Norstar" was a slimmed down version of Meridian, it was done in a way that went down to the ports and sets you could put on those ports.

Now, considering 200 sets for a Norstar was relatively huge at the time, and SME solutions scaled further and further up, you had options in the 200-400 seat space of having a small enterprise solution or a large SME solution. Previously, there was no/not much overlap between SME and Enterprise level. Now, you can have IP Office replacing Prologix - the smallest Definitys (Definities?). Where that's the case, there wouldn't be a strong value proposition in changing all the phones, so Avaya chose the TDM/digital environment of enterprise to take over at the IP Office level. They also made modules for Norstar phones to make IP Office a relatively modular replacement for Norstar or small Definity, and still support Merlin phones.

So, to answer your question of why not having Magix integration, its because the platforms are just too far apart, and too established to effect any major change on them. IP Office is a current middle ground.


 
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When you say "while the "Meridian Norstar" was a slimmed down version of Meridian" - are you implying they used the same software, just slimmed down?
 
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I mean to say that at some deep design level, yes. Not in the context of you being able to actually get into any of that code or use it in any way, but in a way of Nortel saying "How do we make a small enterprise product based on the success of our larger one?" that the answer had something to do with streamlining various elements of their larger software in a tight little package that could be easily programmed from a phone with 2 rows of keys and a 2 line display.
 
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I know the guy that headed up the Norstar system in Calgary. He's now in Kanata. He's still in the business, but not with Avaya (he left Nortel many years ago when it started to go bad).

I asked him this exact question many years ago - as I was very interested. Norstar was a complete design from the ground up. For Norstar, nothing came from SL1 or M1. In fact the original processors weren't powerful enough to even execute much of the SL1/M1 code.

He also told me the softkeys (3 keys under the display) were a really big deal back then - and I guess to a certain degree are still today. He told me those three softkeys were vital to the success of Norstar.

It turned out to be a pretty good phone system. The only real problem ever seen was the power supply. Still very good power supplies, but they do eventually die.
 
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Thats very interesting Mitel.

A few things always aggravated me about the Norstar....

Lack of Internal Background Music Hold
7 digit limitation on internal CLID
No Call Buzz when a second call comes through
Only 4 ring tones
No Red LED lights for MWI on the original M series sets

Other than that, I really can't find much wrong with the system.

I will say, the E-MetroTel guys probably know the Calgary guy....I'll have to ask them about it. They are all former Nortel guys and what's cool is that with their UCx you can use the Nortel PBX and Norstar Phones side by side on the same system....works quite cool. I even get a call buzz on the Norstar sets and Internal hold music on the UCx.

What I find cool about the UCx alongside my IP Office and Norstar, is that I have set up SIP trunks between all 3 systems....so to the naked eye, it seems that I have Avaya H.323 and Definity phones working with Meridian 1 sets/Norstar sets.....damn I am a mad scientist! No wonder why I am single....lol.




"Keep the Peace, Use RLS"
 
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That's a pretty amazing setup. I've looked at the UCx system - it looks cool - with some serious possibilities. Their company has also brought on some top sales tallent here in Ontario.

When you say buzz - do you mean like a 2250 console hum/buz?

I'ld like to get my hands on a UCx software package some day. Could be some real fun. I know they found the same lady that did the original Meridian Mail/CallPilot voice-overs. They've really cleaned that up!

Again, some day I'll hopefully get a chance to check out their stuff in more detail.
 
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Hi there Mitel, I also have heard EMetroTel has really good representation by some seasoned former Nortel sales people in Ontario.

The buzz I am referring to is similar to the M2250 but actually the single burst tone that announces a second call on the M2000, M3900 sets. The volume for it can be controlled via the program button and 002 on the Aries sets. On the UCx you can actually change the pitch of the buzz tone.

The voice over was actually my doing lol. I befriended Joan Kenley even before the Emetrotel days by writing an email to her telling her how much I appreciate her voice on Meridian Mail and Call Pilot. Fast forward a few years and I introduced her to the EMetroTel guys and they hired her for the voice overs! There is no other comparable demanding yet friendly voice than her in the voicemail world. She is a super nice lady!

If you want to talk more, sure you can find me on LinkedIn.

Joe Sus Chicago



"Keep the Peace, Use RLS"
 
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That's too much! [flip] I'm laughing. It's a small world - especially in North American telecom.

I actually have her voice on my PC. Whenever I make a mistake, as to listening to that error sound from Microsoft, I hear "the command you entered cannot be used at this point."

I would attach it here, but I don't know how to do that? It's an MP3 or wave file for sure.

Thanks
 
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Glad I cools bring you a laugh!

She is on my IVR on my UCx system!

Sure is a small world! One Emetrotel guy designed the i2004 phones, another was chief designer on the option 11, yet another was a lead engineer on BCM, while another guy headed up Meridian One, while yet another guy was the head or lead director of Norstar Tech support at Nortel....

"Keep the Peace, Use RLS"
 
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I couldn't have helped but stumble across this thread while I was digging up more information on the Avaya Aura platform. Currently, we have several CS1000's at my work that are going to become part of an Aura system (which as I understood it, and this forum verifies, are based on the Definity platform).

Joe, I have heard about eMetroTel, and I like what I see. I know this is slightly off-topic here, but I'd like to be a tester/demo person for it, but specifically, test the platform on VMWare servers. I specifically would like to see how it performs in a virtualized environment versus real-time hardware and how it would interact with a BCM or an MG1000 setup coming from a virtualized/solely IP-based environment (including FXO/FXS, SIP, and other connectivity methods). I've worked on the M1 PBX line for years now, as well as Norstar/BCM, and it's really exciting to know that the guys who developed the Nortel technology are still around and creating great things based on it. I have a VMWare environment here with 3 nodes that I could test it on with plenty of horsepower behind it, as well as a local BCM system.

How could I get involved in that?

Thanks

J Panzer, Memphis, TN
 
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Hey J Panzer,

It is really exciting what the E-MetroTel guys are doing. I believe I just added you to LinkedIn and we can discuss more.

Thank you,

Joe

"Keep the Peace, Use RLS"
 
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