atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Comdial Telephones & Systems Comdial phone system problems

Hello all,
First off, please forgive me for my ignorance when it comes to phone systems.
I am the network admin for a small school district. We are having huge problems with our Comdial phone system dropping calls. I'm not sure of the phone system model, but we have Impact headsets. However, I can probably get any information needed. The phone company refers to it as the PBX. We switched from Pots lines to a PRI. We have 4 schools, and they are all connected via fiber. We wanted to utilize that fiber and have all of the systems talk to each other for intercom purposes, and all of the schools use the PRI for outside calls. There is a voicemail computer at the "main" phone system which the AA transfers all calls.
The company that set all of this up has no idea what is causing the problem. Let me describe the problem:
A person can call our number, and the AA answers. We have the system set up so that you can enter your party's extension at any time. Sometimes you can enter an extension and it transfers the call. Sometimes you get hold music before entering anything at all. A lot of the time, the call is dropped after entering the extension.
The configuration has been checked, and quadruple checked. The phone system firmware/OS has been updated. Lots of things have been updated.
AT&T has done extensive testing on the PRI and finds no problems.
This has been going on for months. I'm at my wit's end. I know there are a LOT of variables involved, but I am hoping that someone here might have a hunch for us to go on. Thanks for reading!

Wow you do have quite a few issues going on. The first thing you're going to have to do is find the model of the Comdial systems at each location. That will give us an idea of where to start the troubleshooting process. Post back what you have and we'll see if we can't get you some relief. Welcome to the forums.

Awesome, I will get that info as soon as possible. Thanks for the reply and the welcome!

I don't see any official model numbers on the cabinets. I decided to take some pictures of the main cabinets, hoping they might help.

Voicemail - we originally had only 4 lines, which easily got tied up and folks were getting busy signals a lot. We bumped that up to 12 lines, and the busy signal problem has been resolved.


Inside the main cabinet



Network card in main cabinet



Side of Main Cabinet



Inside Expansion Cabinet



Side of Expansion Cabinet

The telephone man updated the software on the main system yesterday and is going to update the software on the other systems today. We have not noticed any improvement in performance since the upgrade.

Issues started after PRI install?

Yes. One thing I should mention is that our phone guy tried to call one of his support numbers - when he pressed 2 (or whatever number it was) for the menu option he wanted, the call dropped just like when someone calls in to our phone system. He was calling out and it happened. That leads me to believe something is wrong with the PRI - noise on one of the lines or something? Maybe the dropped calls are random because you don't always get the same channel of the PRI. However, AT&T did do that extensive test and said nothing was wrong. Just brainstorming...

ATT ALWAYS says it's not their problem. It's built into their entire psych.

Do you know if the PRI is provided by a soft switch versus a tradition telephone central office?

I suspect you are correct, it is an ATT issue. Unfortunately it may be difficult for your vendor to prove.

I'm not sure about the PRI. A while back, we had an issue where the phones (outside calls only) would go down at about 3:30 pm every day. Turns out there were issues with the connection between our town and the next so errors were being generated on our PRI. After so many errors, the line would shut itself off. That was fixed, and ATT says there are no problems now...

Have your tech pull the status logs in Hyperterminal. It will show if the PRI is having issues.

BTW you have a 2 cabinet FXII with a 12 port Corporate Office voice mail. Also you have a SRVS-3 board...ask the tech if they installed the on board synch chip for T1/PRI clocking.

Also you should not have box 10, 11, 12, 100, 101, 102 installed if you have 4 digit extensions....look at all the lost voice mails in those boxes.

Just a question. How come Box 101, Box 11 and Box 1021 have so many new messages in them?? Just curious.

I will check on the status logs and sync chip the next time the tech is here. I could do it myself with some guidance, but I'll wait. Very good points about the voicemail boxes - could those "lost" voicemails have something to do with our issues?
We do use 4 digit extensions, the 2 digit boxes might be messing it up?

No idea what those boxes are, or why they have so many messages. It definitely warrants investigation.
What if somehow the system tries to send a call to a 2 digit box, say box 10, when someone enters an extension like 1009. For some reason the system drops the call, and box 10 gets a blank voicemail. Just thinking outloud, I really don't know how it works. I just know my administration is losing patience!

If someone pauses while dialing 10XX number it's going to the 10 box. You definitely need some house cleaning on that voicemail. Those boxes are left over from the original install...KeyVoice comes up with example boxes of 10,11,12 and 100,101,102, and 1000,1001,1002. All non applicable boxes should be deleted if they are in violation of your 4 digit dial plan.

So I need to delete the 2 and 3 digit mailboxes, as long as they aren't being used. I don't think they are because all of the extensions are 4 digits. Thanks!

Also, why are some of the mailboxes highlighted in black?

I just tried calling and dialing extension 10. It tells me the extension is not available and gives 3 options: press 1 to leave a msg, 3 to enter another extension, or 0 for operator.
I can call and try extension 1009 and it hangs up on me probably 2 out of 5 calls.

Dlr920 - if you posted something, I'm not seeing it. Just checking.

Ok here are some recent changes and updates from my phone tech.
Does any of that info help?

I came in this morning and box 11 is now full, with 200 messages. I'm not sure why because none of our extensions start with 11.

Deleted all boxes (except box 70, which is supervisor box) with 2 or 3 digit extensions. Called in and tried to dial extension 1009 - the system immediately hung up on me.
Tried calling back and get nothing. No greeting, just silence. Hung up on me after 45 seconds or so. I'm ready to trash the whole thing and have a secretary answer all the calls.

I can call in and watch the VP screen. It shows playing the greeting. I enter in an extension, and the call is dropped. However on the screen it shows the correct box, says Pausing, Please hold, Xfer dialing. Sometimes I hear the "Please hold" before it hangs up, sometimes not - it seems to get cut off at random times.
That to me seems to indicate the call is being dropped outside the VP unit at least. Might be the phone system, might be the PRI.

The next time I tried - I entered ext 1009, but the VP screen showed 1001! I know it was me because no other line was active.

Do you have a manual for this voicemail? There is a trace function that will print to screen and show what the voice mail is seeing. If the tech didn't modify the trans.xxx field after PRI installation then I have a hunch where your main issues are. What about the synch chip on the SVCS3 board? A slipping PRI will cause issues as well.

Yes, I have the manual printed out - it's huge! I'll see if I can find how to use the trace function.
I'll check with the tech to see if the trans.xxx file was modified. I'll also ask about the sync chip.
I know there was some issue with a card being in the main cabinet and sync with ATT. Once he moved said card to the secondary cabinet, things were supposed to be in sync with the T1 rather than the internal clock (or something like that, sorry, I'm going on memory).

Just talked to tech - he said that the trans.xxx file has not been modified to his knowledge. However he stated that it probably does not need to be altered just because we switched from a POTS line to a PRI.

He did verify that the chip on the SVCS3 board is syncd to ATT.

Is there something I can check to see if the trans.xxx is set up correctly?

Invoke the trace procedure and make a call and see what's on the screen. Compare a good call with a bad call.


BTW going from POTS to PRI is exactly why most sites require a trans.xxx mod.

I will do this asap and let you know. Thanks for all your help.

I've got the trace going. I'm testing with my extension as to not bother folks (when a call really goes through) My Ext is 1009. I've called several times using my iPhone and have seen these results:

Dialed 1009 and only 11 showed up on the screen, which sent me straight to la-la land with hold music. No message, nothing but music.

Dialed 1009, 1009 shows received, but call is dropped.

Dialed 1027 (my boss's ext), only 102 registered on the screen and the call was dropped.

Dialed 1027, 1027 shows up on the screen but the call is dropped.

will try more when the lines aren't quite as busy.

This error just popped up on the screen:

SYSTEM ERROR: 5207 cannot go from 1021 to 888 - new box does not exist

A P trace gives this:

Dialing digits [!,,,1009]
Dialing digits []

Sometimes it says this:

Dialing digits [!,,,1009]
Line 3 progress result: 0A
Evt=0, On=0, Off=0, MaxSil=0, AnsDur=0, Con=0
Dialing digits []

More than once, I've dialed my extension, hold music comes on for a few seconds, then silence and I hear the digits being dialed, then the call is dropped.

I just tried to call and check voicemail and it hung up on me after entering the password.

There seems to be no rhyme or reason to this...

Do a DT trace for digits and translations...hate to bail on ya but I got 6 Grandkids waiting on their annual fishing trip to the coast. Maybe someone else can assist as I'll be checking in infrequently....Gone Fishin'.

Have a great trip and thanks for all of your help!

DT trace shows:
TRANSLATION try: [C@#xxxx#] [1] (No)
TRANSLATION try: [DDxxxxDD] [1] (No)
TRANSLATION try: [DAxxxx##] [1] (No)
TRANSLATION try: [DAxxxx#yyyy#] [1] (No)

and a lot more of the same, with different things in the brackets. A screenshot will be easier, I'll post one later.
If someone knows how to fix our issues, I'd be happy to pay... just shoot me a PM!

Hi,

It could be a bad dtmf receiver on the system. Have the tech do a dtmf test on all the recivers in the system. Is your voicemail hooked up to analog ports or is it ivpc?

Jim Hoey

SST Commuications
Long Island, New York

631 956 0100

ComdialJim - thanks for the reply. I'll talk with him about the DTMF receivers. Not sure how the VM is hooked up.

Here is a screen from a DT trace.

The dropped calls are very random, which might be explained by bad DTMF receivers. However, we don't see many (if any) dropped calls when making direct extension to extension calls. It always seems to happen when calling in from outside. Although, I'm not sure the VP box has anything to do with direct ext to ext calls.... :scratch:

Today we are going to take the AA out of the picture and answer the phone directly. I hope that will help narrow the problem down.

After taking the voicemail box out of the picture, we didn't have dropped calls. There might have been a couple quirks but it seemed to alleviate the problem. Our tech is going to request that Vertical send a new box and we'll go from there. He is also going to check up on the trans.txt
It really feels like a hardware glitch, so we'll see.

Oh and the tech said he has checked the DTMF receivers, and the VM connects with ivpc

ok if ivpc takes dtmf issue out of equation. Om your screen shot what did you dial to get the screen shot?

Jim

Is this a new voicemail?

I could see the "Serial" in the screen shot! Could be you're losing the serial link!

Yes, it is new voicemail.
Can't remember what I dialed to get that in the screenshot.

are you sure first time setup was done correctly? Is your tech comdial certified?
Jim

I'm not sure if it was done correctly or if he is comdial certified. He said he ran the setup program in which you tell the VM box what kind of phone system it is connected to.

He talked to Vertical and they think it is a configuration problem, and they will not send a replacement VM box until we verify the configuration.

I think they are right. In that screen shot you show information that does not make sense for a system setup as you describe. Also you have a dos based voicemail there. Why not the newer XP windows. So much more you can do with it. I am not sure but something does not sound right as far as the relationship of the dealer and comdial. If someone is taking on a project of the size you describe he should have a spare voicemail he can throw in for testing. It is rare I agree with tech support but it does sound like a config issue. With the right person there it should not take days to fix. If the dealer can not fix it call vertical comdial and get another dealer in your neck of the woods. I have helped you as far as I can. Really most of this troubleshooting is for techs only. Let me know the company you are dealing with and the person. I will give them a call.

Thanks

Jim

Also the fact that he left mailbox 10,11,12 etc leads me to believe he may be in over his head

Jim - thanks for your time and the call. The tech is back today and on the phone with Vertical tech support. I'll let you know the results.

The tech worked with Vertical all day going over the configuration. He said he submitted a report to them for review so they could determine if it is a configuration problem or hardware problem. He seemed to think they were leaning towards a hardware problem.

This morning I get several emails and calls saying that the phones aren't working correctly. If a person dials our main number, it just rings and rings. I went to check on the system and sure enough the vm box was locked up. I unplugged it for a minute and booted it back up. It started to answer calls for a few minutes and then went back to the blue loading screen, followed by a quick scroll of text on a black screen. The machine then completely rebooted. I unplugged it and the poor secretary at extension 1000 is answering all of the calls.

The reset is common after a reboot as it is synching up time across the serial link with the phone system. Wish I lived closer...

Well, Vertical is sending a new VM Box. Should be here Monday, the tech says. Which means it might get installed Tuesday.

Hope that fishing trip went well, RBF

Just got the new VM up and running. Tried a call, entered my extension, and it promptly disconnected.

Back to square one! AAAARRRGGGG

Hi,

Sounds like the configuration. Let me know if you need help

Jim

I'm thinking at this point that it is a problem with the configuration of the ports on the phone system. Apparently Vertical's techs can't figure it out...we may be giving you a call, Jim.

Archive a copy of your database as a .dbr file and email it to me with some contact info. Either Jim or myself will look into your issue but somebody on site is going to have to be our eyes.

I've been out sick. But yesterday the tech said Vertical is going to send ANOTHER VM box. This one will not only replace the machine, but all of the cards as well.
If I am well enough to go to work tomorrow, I'll check into the .dbr file. Thanks guys

I'm very hopeful that the problem has been solved. They did not send another VM. The tech sent a certain log file to Vertical, which showed the station card was bad. Replaced that and I have not dropped a call. *knock on wood*
We'll let it run for a few days and see what happens...

So far so good!
Now I get to nit-pick a little about smaller problems. For instance, why does the caller ID not show up until after you've answered a call? When a call comes in, it says VM 3 calling (or one of the other 11 Voicemail lines). I understand that the call is being transferred via the VM, but it would be very nice to see who is calling before answering.

CID will only show on a ringing set. If your set does not ring the CID will not display until the call is answered.

Sounds as if the vmail answers the incoming call and then does a supervised transfer instead of a blind transfer to the extension.

RBF - the reason I ask is because sometimes the caller ID comes up before I answer. At least it did sometimes with the old VM box, but it was hit or miss.

Is that something I can change in the voicemail? If I recall correctly, all mailboxes were setup with blind transfer. Although that could have changed with this new VM box. I'll look.

Just to confirm, I just got a call where the caller ID showed up before I answered. Why does that happen on some calls and not on others?

Blind transfer is not on by default. Unless it was changed that could be your issue. Log into the voice mail and check your mailbox parameters.

It was set to 'wait for answer'. I changed it to blind and it works. Is there an easy way to change all of the mailboxes at once?

Well we aren't getting the disconnects, but the system just doesn't work well. The voicemail takes 10+ rings to pick up, if it ever does. I can leave a vm, but the handset never tells me I have one. The time is wrong on the messages left.
I've had secretaries say that they are trying to call another secretary, and that the phone rings and rings. They try to call again and the secretary said the phone never rang.

Just throwing these symptoms out there in case someone might recognize a problem. It's probably all configuration. Getting the tech out here to work on the system is half the battle...

Hi,

Let me know if you need me. You have all kinds of troubles there. Going to need someone on site who knows what is going on with system. All the things listed are for a certified techniican to do it, is not something for you as an end user to work on. You can do more damage than good.

Good luck

Jim

Jim

I understand - thanks Jim.

i need to know how to add the number of mailboxes to an already programmed dx 80 had to replace the existing on with another used that i had in stock pls help thanks

You need to start a new topic. This topic is about a different kind of system and voice mail.