sundance-communications.com/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Nortel Telephones & Systems BCM50 - Extensions/ports dormant until activated?

As you may be aware from my recent rash of questions, I recently started playing around with BCM50's.

At time of install (by some hack), client insists he paid for keycodes to 32 sets. Element Manager indicates only 20 sets/ports active. There are exactly 20 sets installed at the location.

Question is: Is there a way to "activate" dormant ports/extensions? Do they lay dormant until activated, or is their inactivity an indication that they were not purchased?

Station ports are activated by license.

Right. So, if licensed, they would appear "active" in the list of ports when viewing through Element Manager? Right now, all ports in excess of the original 20 are grey'ed out.

I'm wondering if I have to do something else to "activate" the ports within Element Manager (assuming they are bought/paid for).

The MOST digital station key codes you can activate with digital key codes are 12. Those 12 reside on the main unit.
If you want more than 12, then you add an expansion unit.
You must have 1 keycode for the expansion unit.
That keycode will enable whatever module you have in the expansion unit.
If you put a 16 DSM in there you will have 16 digital ports.
If you put a 32+ DSM in there you will have 32 digital ports.

If you have a second expansion unit, you need another expansion key code and it will enable what ever module you put in there.

And the expansion ports may not show enabled until you connect a digital phone to each set of 16 ports.

Just taking a guess at your "only 20 ports" showing.

Do you have a 16-port DSM in the expansion?
That would give you 16 ports.

Then you may have only activated 4 digital ports on the main unit.

That would give you the 20 ports.

Most sales will come with enabling expansions before enabling main unit ports. Cheaper.

There are two expansion cabinets. One expansion houses the PRI card. The second expansion appears to have a 16-port DSM card.

Not sure which is which, as the amphenols are not labeled, and I'm not familiar enough with the port numbering to know which ports are on the main cabinet and which are on the expansion. I guess I'll have to do some more reading/exploring in the browser.


If I punch down a set to the next available port, the system will see it, but the phone doesn't show time/date (no power to the digital set).

I think you may be correct with the 4 digital ports on the main/16 on the expansion. I'll have to physically trace the amphenols to determine what's/what.

Thank you.

DN's on expansion would have different bus # than the one on the main base unit if you look at them thru Element Manager. If you have the license but have no actual set plugged in, the stat will show enabling instead of enabled .

Danny,
It sounds like you are mixing up how Norte (now Avaya) licenses the BCM50. All VM license are based on Key codes. The Stations and Analog ports are mixed licensed. example: The base unit is key code driven but any MBM in the expansion slot are whole licensed by the expansion key code.

Danny,
Also please keep in mind that the BCM50 works on a resource bases and the system was designed to support 30 phones.

Very easy to find the amount he paid for by the element manager under licensing or logging on to the KRS website (avaya partners only) for the current licensing in the system