Greetings.

I am a Systems Admin for a place in Seattle and have been tasked with handling the phone systems here. This is not my area of expertise but I have a willingness to learn!

We are setup on a Toshiba DK280 system, we have 8 lines, two fax and 6 and voice from qwest. Our Toshiba system has 4 cabinets with a variety of cards in them.

Right now we are running about 25 phones, most of our calling is from one extension to another with the exceptions being the receptionists and the office manager who make outside calls very regularly.

We are essentially adding on to our business and will need an additional 5 perhaps 10 adds into this system. I believe we have the capability as this building/system used to be a call center with over 50 phones running. I have boxes of phones laying around extra and I believe plenty of room in the system.

In the immediate future, read next week I am trying to learn how to do adds myself as I have 3 that need to be completed by Friday. I might have to call in a tech to do this but from my perspective it seems like a waste of money simply paying someone else to do, what should be simple like add in a couple lines or possibly move some around.

I have plenty of experience, toning lines, pulling cables, 110/66 block punchdowns, etc. I just don't have much PBX experience...

So, my questions.

1) Should I invest time and money learning and maintaining the system we have? I don't want to be throwing money down the tube when I could have something that's easier to program with more features.

2) I have some experience with trixbox/asterisk- Should I move in that direction?

3) If I do, is there a way to slowly add new IP based phones and still interface the old ones so I don't have to take a huge 5-10k hit up front for new phones? Or possibly is there a way to keep our Toshiba phones and just upgrade the back end to asterisk?

I have had several quotes for a new system and they have all been between 9 and 25 grand. That kinda money is really not in the budget to overhaul our aging phone system.

4) If we did decide on a drastic upgrade, whats the market like on around 50 used phones and 4 Dk280 cabs with various cards?

5) Adding 3 phones next week- Should I call a tech? Id love to take a learning class but don't have the time right now, or is this something you forum members would be willing to help walk me through?

I appreciate any and all help you can offer.

I personnaly wouldn't invest a lot in that system. I learned how to use the DK systems after I was already programming the Strata CTX line from Toshiba. I don't know if anyone will be offering a class on a system that is discontinued and no longer suported by Toshiba, unless its a history of telecom class. I personally would rather just work on the Stata CIX system.

If you moved to the new CIX phone system from Toshiba, you could reuse the phones and probably most card. The process and cabinets would have to go. Of coarse they have new phones and cards made for the new system, but most of the old cards will work.

The CIX is more complex then the DK system, but with the admin software you get a GUI interface, which is far easier then programming through the phone on the DK. Ya, there is admin softwre for the DK, but I have never used it.

That DK 280 will not do VoIP. Maybe you can try to connect a VoIP system to is somehow, but why would you. You would have the features of an analog phone.

The CIX will do VoIP, and work along side of the phones you have already. It doesn't have some features of a full VoIP system by itself, like a software call manager. You can add a server later that will do a lot more, such as call reporting, automatic call distribution (especially nice with a call center), and software interface that runs on a PC.

Other people will have to answer if an Astrisk system is ready to run a small to mid sized comapany reliably.

Like Newtecky said, most of the cards and phones will migrate to the latest Toshiba systems, and you'd be surprised how much money that saves and how much additional functionality you will achieve with such a minimal investment. I'd strongly consider looking into upgrading and reusing as much of what you have as possible. Then you can start introducing IP phones into the system whenever you're ready. A small investment now will set you up for years of future prof technology.

Any specific models/series that I should be looking at that will support what we have now and give me a little headroom for expansion down the road?

You guys have already been a big help.

Any idea on my 3 adds?

Lazy J,

Yes, you can use and learn your existing system, as it is a rock solid system, but realize the age and inherent limitations of it, because of the age. My suggestion, call your local Toshiba dealer to get a quote on an upgrade and trade-in.

Invest in a CIX 670. All the digital cards will migrate and you can probably work a trade-in with the installing company for trading your excess for their labor, I'm sure you'll be able to work out something with them.

Basically, just backing up what newtecky said!
:thumb:

Again, agreed. Upgrade to CIX670. You could probably fit all of your existing cards from 4 cabinets into 3 CIX670 cabinets (10 avail. slots per cabinet vs. 6). Then make sure you get the dealer to give you the eManager software and train you on using it.

Each PDKU card in the system support 8 phones each. If a dealer installed the system they would have likely marked the 66 block with a 3 digit number starting with 000 on the first block. Those are the port numbers.

Maybe you can find 3 open ports after the last phone. Depending on how the tail was connected it may skip every other pair. Some installers consolodate 3 cards onto 1 block by not connecting the unused pairs in between and at the end. Hopefully it will make some sense to you when you look at it.

Connect a phone and check the display for the extension number. Dial intercom #402 to get port info.

But that would be the easy part. Programming the buttons, ringing, etc involves getting into programing. You did not mention if you had voicemail in your system.

As I have seen others mention in this forum, this is a place to offer user level support, and it is recommended that you call a Toshiba dealer to help with programing and installation.

If you get the programming manual, then it would be eaisier to understand how to program it. It seemed very complicated to me the first time. I adapted much quicker to the CIX eManager (called WinCTX at the time)interface.

If you are only going to use 40 phones you could probably fit into a 1 cabinet CIX670. It has 8 slots.
5 PDKU cards with 8 ports each = 40
1 RSTU for Voicemail
1 RCOU/RCOS for 8 lines
1 available slot (maybe)
Lazy J if you are looking for an inexpensive way of managing your phone system, ask your Toshiba dealer to just quote the basics or ask another dealer for their opinion.
Dwight Jones
Exordium Consulting, LLC
www.exordium.net

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~ edited ~
Removed pricing information. If you want to discuss pricing, please do it via PM, thanks!

Most of our customers are actually using the DK280, Dk380 and Strata CT happily with no intention to upgrade them. Since these models are so robust and long lasting, it was money well spent.

Personally, unless they're looking for Call Centres and IP communication, these systems are still OK for a few years more. And bear in mind, the programming of the DK280 (phone button) is very different from the CIX (software GUI) series.

Recently, we completed a project and save a customer thousands by just using DISA to connect between a CIX670 and a 5-cabinet DK280 (with 70% Electronic phones) instead of using IP solutions.