sundance-communications.com/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Inter-Tel Telephones & Systems Need to Replace the Phone System PC

The PC that our phone system runs on is about 10-15 yrs old and I am wanting to replace it before it decides to break. My questions are:
1. Will any PC work? (If not, what do I need?)
2. How do I get it set up for the phone system - i.e. programs, etc. to make it work.
3. I assume I need something from Inter-Tel (i.e. file/program) to install. Can I get it off the old hard drive or do I need to do it from scratch?
Answers to these questions and any additional insight would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
KewlWM

The Axxent looks like a PC tower - is that what you have? Or are you referring to a PC that runs your programming software?

System type would definitely be helpful in determining what you need.

Sorry about that. We have Axxess phones by Inter-Tel. The program is Inter-Tel Axxess 4.3. It does look like a PC tower (just without the keyboard, mouse, or monitor).

The Axxess 4.3 would be in the old box cabinet


The PC is most likely the voicemail system

Yep, you're looking at the voicemail system. V4.3 would definitely be the OS/2 voicemail.

The only two things I've ever had go wrong with those is P/S or HD. They really are pretty bullet-proof.

See if you can find a small white barcode with a part number, on the back of the unit.
If it's the voicemail you will have a small line cord going into an RS232 port on the KSU, and a larger cable going into a PCM port on the KSU.
If it was an Axxent, you would have 25 pair cables connected to cards on the bottom of the PC tower.

You're right, it's the voicemail system. The phone system is mounted just below it. What do I need to do to replace the PC for the voicemail (same questions as above)?

Your VPU has extremly custom cards made by Inter-Tel in ISA slots. Most likely you'll need a system that has at least 4-5 ISA slots. There are slim to none "modern" PC systems with these specs that can run as the VPU.

Don't treat the box as a PC. Treat it as a custom piece of hardware that the phone system needs to run. If you are concerned about failure, take out a service maintenance contract on it with a phone dealer company that services Inter-Tel. Fixing it will require software, potentially hardware only obtainable from Inter-Tel to their dealers.

If it breaks, they can fix it.

If you want something more modern, you can upgrade to the EM, and upgrade your Axxess to a more modern code base. Its not going to be cheap, it'll be thousands of $ for that upgrade option. Even so, the EM isn't exactly too "modern" a PC either.

But to repeat, don't think of it as a PC, think of it as a blackbox, and setup a relationship with a company that can fix it for you. It is possible to learn enough about the system to maintain it on your own, but it isn't easy (understanding the glory of ISA interupt handling, voice card drivers, *old* OSs, etc).

This advice is coming from an end-user, not a dealer..