atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Avaya - Lucent Telephones & Systems Problem with PMS

I am not a Telephone tech to start off with, I am a network analyst for a Hotel Management Company. We just recently acquired a new AVAYA system for one of our properties and have had some difficulty setting up the PMS interface. The CDR(call accounting) is working flawlessly but for some reason when we link up the PMS we get this on the screen.



It alternates on the numbers from 52, 54, and 55. The PMS link status is UP but the PROTOCOL Link state is DOWN. Anyone have any insight?? I am using ipockets and rs232 to the pc and I have AVAYA systems at 3 other properties and didnt have any problems there?? anyway, thanks in advance.

What Avaya system?

Avaya s8400 i believe

Nearly every result from a Google search of "ipockets" says something about an iPod. Please expand on the use of the ipockets software over a serial interface.

You say that CDR is working, but not your PMS. How does Property Management Software (if that's what you're talking about) fit in with your other trouble-free Avaya sites? Call Detail Recording, a.k.a. Call Accounting, is just a small part of managing sites, which I assume is REALLY important in a tourist-heavy city like Honolulu. You've gotta work a little harder at describing exactly what information you're trying to extract from the PBX.

Lastly it should be pointed out that any time you receive regular (yet unrecognized) characters from a serial interface, that parity and bps can be tweaked without any negative side affects. That garbage you are receiving may not be garbage at all.

Sorry for being unclear about the use of the system, the Call accounting(CDR) is working fine with the defualt settings of 9600 8 n 1. We used the teleseer format and worked it out for our call accounting software.

The Ipockets i refer to are standard rs232 to ip converters. We use them at our properties where the interfaced computers are far from the Phone system...much easier to run 1 cat5 cable with a switch than 3 seperate long serial cables.

The PMS (property management software) interface is for turning on the phones for guests and resetting the voicemail as well as updating the PBX with guest names. The PMS has settings that are for default AVAYA/Lucent systems and work fine normally...at this property they do not and give jiberish instead of data.

I am trying to determine if it is a configuration issue with the Avaya system or the computer running the interfaces. The phone techs insist it is our PC but using the speed settings given to us by them (same as CDR 9600 8 n 1) we get the lines above. I am just trying to clarify what the problem actually is. Thanks for your help...it is greatly appreciated

Also, i failed to mention that the ipockets are set to 9600 8 n 1 and i didnt know if they were supposed to be set to something else for the PBX interface?? Are there a list of default port settings somewhere for reference?? Thanks

UPDATE

I think at this point we have established that the data shown above is just practically saying i am here. We looked at another site and saw similar output when nothing was going on. Really all i need now is the actual "format" of the SMDR 'commands'(or whateever they are called. I have a sample from one of the other sites but it doesnt show the ascii characters


[stx]&[159]CKI10xxxxbbbfLAST, FIRST [ETX]

where xxxx is extension and last is last name etc... the question is what other 'commands' are there for the SMDR??? thanks

Does anyone know wether an AVAYA s8400 can 'emulate' a Mitel or Nortel system for it's PMS interface?? the Company i am working with only has Mitel or Nortel formats preconfigured and creating a new one for the Avay is very costly. Thanks

Dennis

Avaya's PMS interface information format is fixed. I'm surprised that you don't have an Avaya configuration. What I used to see with a new PMS system was 'we don't do Mitel'. (Never mind that Mitel has had about 70% of the hospitality market forever!) I also assume the "8400" is the Avaya 'modem' for want of a better description! If so, you need to lock the word length, parity, etc. The 8400 is out-of-box 'autoconfiguring' and usually confuses the PMS system. Usually the PMS systems are NOT 'self-healing' for want of a better word. And I assume you are actually trying to interface to a Definity, using the 8400 data module. Every time the 8400 loses protocol link, for whatever reason, if the word length, etc are not fixed and locked, you probably will NOT bring the protocol link up again, without lots of tears and hair loss. To tell if you have a valid link, the red and green LED's wink every 10-20 seconds. Kinda "I'm here are you there?" "Yes, I'm here and I see you". Are my assumptions correct, or have I created an ass-u-me. John C. (Not Garand)