atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Other TDM Phone Systems ESI Telephones & Systems ESI S-Class Hard Drive

Ed,

Your point is well-taken, Ed. I've overreacted here. And I definitely don't understand the intricacies related to telephone service.

Something about seeing that little Fujitsu drive, and knowing the value of the hardware was probably about $50 - $75 at most, really got to me. I certainly do not think that ESI intended for me to get a defective drive. Actually, the drive probably lasted longer than many other hard drives I've replaced in PC's. I'm not frustrated that the drive failed, only that replacing it requires a price in the upper hundreds of dollars.

I do feel like I've paid for the proprietary software already, I'm not asking for "upgraded" software -- I just want the identical software I had before, put onto a working physical drive. I really think I should be able to accomplish this in the low hundreds of dollars, rather than in the high hundreds I've been quoted.

For me as an IT guy -- I'm frustrated about how telephone systems are so secretive and proprietary. When something is wrong with the computer network, I can research, learn, and figure things out.

When it's the phone network, everything seems to be a secret.

That could be for good reason. I know that the tech's have training & experience that I don't. And I know I could really mess things up badly. But if we're willing to take that risk...is it really such a bad thing?

Sorry to ramble here. Thanks, Ed, I've heard your constructive criticism and understand that you've made some good points on this.

Josh, you are not wrong in venting your level of frustration. I wish there was an easier answer, but there just isn't one. With ESI's gravitation toward flash-based (solid state) drives, I'll say again that if you buy a replacement, it will be your last time.

If it helps you go at least get a bit of a chuckle out of this experience, I'm a phone guy with 25+ years of experience but I'm dumb as a stump when it comes to computers.

As for the "secrecy" thing, I will say that many of these perceived issues date back to the days when the phone company owned the systems and shame on you if you got caught trying to circumvent their regulated system. While today's manufacturers really don't subscribe to that way of doing business, the perception by the customers remains. If you review other posts in the ESI category over the past day or two, you will see that other end-users in your position are equally-frustrated. This is not limited to ESI systems.

If I started in sharing my experience with electronic components in cars that I've owned and had to replace, we would be here all night. I hope that my insight helped to soften the blow. That is all that I intended.

Hi, Josh....

to the BB. Yep, phone people are a real bunch, alright. As you've stated, you are the company IT guy so your boss thinks you can fix anything. WRONG!

With a year or so of daily work in the field of telephony, you would be an expert. Why? Computers and their networks are giant "party lines" in the telephone world. Telephone systems are totally different. Each brand "talks" a different language between the set and the service unit. Each set is a dedicated (think static IP) circuit. So each system, while similar, are totally different. Think of a Ford mechnic working on Dodges.

As for ESI, one of the finer systems, they also do a strong networked telephone system. This allows for the best of both worlds. Most major brands give you that option. The size of your system makes an IP system overkill.

Anyway, good luck to you, hope your "server" is fixed quickly and you can get back to normal.

Oh, and I've been doing this for over four decades....and Cisco still doesn't make a decent voice system.

:scratch:

Thanks Ken!

That's a pretty good explanation. With your example of a Ford Mechanic working on a Dodge -- I'm starting to wonder if it's actually more like a Ford Mechanic trying to work on a Jet Plane Engine.

:rofl:

:thumb: to Josh's local dealer for installing what appears to be a C-Class under emergency circumstances. I know of many phone guys that would not have done that in order to keep your back to the wall.

I shall return later today with official soap box.

That's true, John, they were willing to install the C-Class on a quick emergency response service call (they were at our office within an hour of our call to them). I give them props for that, and was very happy to pay for them for the emergency call and the temporary installation of that C-Class.

We invested (for us) a lot of money in that system, and it was tough to hear our dealer say that we should just buy a whole new system now, since repairing this one would cost so much anyway.

I'm basically asking: Is our dealer right about this? For those of you who are ESI dealers, is this what you'd recommend if we were your customer?

You guys have mentioned solid state drives -- an idea which sounds good to me. Our dealer did as well, but implied (though didn't state this outright) that we would have to purchase a different system to get an SSD. He never mentioned installing an SSD in our existing S-Class.

Keep in mind your reseller was buying that hard drive from ESI and was probably just marking it up a fair amount so they can make enough money to stay in business and be there within an hour when your phones are down.......you can't really blame ESI for using their own proprietary drives as they are then able to have a standard piece of equipment for their techs to support versus wondering whether there are any hardware issues.

A 42S is fairly old but with a new drive will last years....i wouldn't upgrade if it does everything you need.

I've never dealt with replacing hard drives with flash drives so i can't add to that.

Just to add a bit to the conversation, I've replaced a number of older HD's with Flash drives and they work great (and they don't typically crash). There is an adapter cable that goes from the motherboard to the flash drive, and away you go, new life for an old system!

Josh

In the beginning I didn't take the time to greet you properly since I detected a bit of haste in your situation. I'm glad you joined and presented your circumstances. The information I have is not just for you but for others with a similar problem.

On the subject of the component (hard drive or flash drive). Even though you describe it as something common only worth $50 to $75 your not judging it fairly. The value is in what it will do for you, not in what it cost to make. It kinda reminds me of the movie "Stroke of Genius". An inventor back in the early 60's created the intermitant wiper blade for Ford. He did it with common cheap parts available at any Radio Shack but it was the correct assembly that made it valuable.

I happen to have a Flash Drive for the 56s G2 system and if your system is a 56s G2 then it will work for you. If I were to quote a price to you it would be comparable to the local quotes you have already received. Based on wholesale costs and the ball park price you have provided I got to say your current ESI dealer is doing an excellent job of servicing your needs.

We say around here that equipment is only a small part of the equation and the more important is the service from the dealer and from what I'm reading you have a good one. By the way, I'm pretty well known for bustin down hard on any dealer that isn't on the up and up.

My advice is this: Call your dealer and ask him for a Flash Drive to replace the Hard Drive and let him do his/her job. They were there for you with the loaner and deserve your loyalty.

Hang around here and throw us your questions and we will give you a unbiased opinion.