More on ShoreTel V switches!

When installing a Shoregear switch, one of the parameters that you enable is to indicate which server is to manage this switch!    Normally this is no big deal, but with the V switch, you need to pay attention to this parameter as it will impact your Automated Attendant and Hunt Groups.

Let us assume we have a V switch installed in Dallas, Texas which is in the CST zone.    If this switch is managed by a server in the PST zone, then we need to adjust the schedules.    When using a V switch in another time zone, which would normally not be managed by a local DVM,  the site will need separate schedules applied to hunt groups and auto attendants.   The hunt group schedule will need time expressed in the time zone of the HQ server (example: site is in CST but HQ is in PST, 8-5 CST would then be entered as 6-3 PST on the schedule for hunt groups).   The auto attendant schedule will use the time zone of the application server (the local V switch) so the time can be entered in the local time zone.

The first time you set this up it will undoubtedly bite you!  So be aware of this configuration issue and save yourself a service call from the impacted User Group!

Putty Telnet into ShoreGear SG50V/SG90V

We had a lot of requests for examples of telneting into the SG Voice switches, so we though we would do a quick video on that process. The V switch is a very different animal from the rest of the SG family. Basically, a small Linux server lives inside the switch and contains a Flash memory card to hold Automated Attendant and Voice Mail for users assigned to that “server”. There are some characteristics about the V switch that you should know and we have tried to summarize them below. One of the most important characteristics, is that a V switch MUST have a time source or bad things will happen!

The entire telnet process into this switch is different. You can find your way down to the subdirectory that contains the famous IPBXCTL security shell and run it using the normal command sequence. You will see the “telnet enabled” message, but you will pull you hair out before you can telnet into the V switch. To get inside the switch, you will need to use an SSH client like Putty. You will also need to log in as either the Admin or the Root users. The Admin gets you to a safe menu configuration option and you should have no problem configuring the switch. Remember, you have to have that NTS in your configuration! Log in as the root user however, gets you a more powerful set of trouble shooting command and enable you to back up the Flash card, and to some other debugs that you can not do from the admin user.

The video clip below walks you through the process. Here are some of the highlights we have discovered working with the V switch,

· Limited media stream capability.

· 1U Half Width Switch

· Voice Mail stored as 8-bit WAV files from G.711/G.729

· Switch can negotiate ADPCM but can Not proxy G.729

· Switch runs under Linux (not VxWorks)

· Voicemail Switch uses Qmail not SMTP and does not support SMDI

· SG90V supports 90 voice mail boxes

· 1GB Compact Flash stores about 1500 minutes or 15 minutes per user

· Full CF Card = “voice mailbox full” message

· Holds all Automated Attendant Messages?

· Store prompts for up to four languages

· At boot, requires connectivity to HQ server for configuration

· Once operational, does not need server connectivity for VM/AA

· V switch MUST have NTS SMTP and FTP resource

· Console port = Linux Shell STCLI is default