TELECOM Digest     Mon, 2 May 94 14:26:00 CDT    Volume 14 : Issue 193

Inside This Issue:                          Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: NANP and Switches (Al Varney)
    Re: NANP and Switches (Randal Hayes)
    Re: E1 Help Wanted (Steve Daggett)
    Re: Using Call Forwarding to Avoid Tolls (billy@mix.com)
    Re: Using Call Forwarding to Avoid Tolls (Sean P. Peacock)
    Re: X.25 Information Request (Ketil Albertsen)
    Re: ISDN Bridge Advice Please (Curtis Sanford)
    Re: ISDN Bridge Advice Please (Ken Germann)
    Re: Answering Machine With Voice Mail and Paging? (Rob Lockhart)
    Re: Answering Machine With Voice Mail and Paging? (D. Castillo)
    Re: Answering Machine With Voice Mail and Paging? (Sean Daly)
    Re: Basic ISDN Question (William H. Sohl)
    Re: CO's and Disasters (Andrew Ayers)
    Re: CO's and Disasters (Michael Jacobs)
    Re: Telco MUX to Home? (Kendall Willis)

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----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 02 May 94 10:20:10 CDT
From: varney@uscbu.att.com
Subject: Re: NANP and Switches
Organization: AT&T Network Systems

In article <telecom14.190.13@eecs.nwu.edu> lincmad@netcom.com (Linc
Madison) writes:

> In article <telecom14.182.5@eecs.nwu.edu> is written:

>> We currently have a Northern Telecom Meridian Option 61 (software
>> relase 17) with 44 DID trunks, a T1 for long distance, and about 1300
>> active phones.  We have been told by Ameritech that, in order for us
>> to be able to comply with the implementation of the new North American
>> Numbering Plan (NANP) on January 1, 1995, we must upgrade our switch
>> with an additional memory card, another ROM board and software release
>> 19.  My questions are (1) is this really necessary and (2) can we wait
>> until the middle of 1995 before doing this and still provide access
>> via NANP?  Any help out there would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

> I don't know about the hardware/software requirements for your
> specific switch, but whatever changes your switch requires to work
> with the "new-style" area codes *CANNOT* wait until mid-1995.  They
> *MUST* be up and running and fully functional absolutely no later than
> 1/15/95, when the first two "new" area codes go into service.
> Otherwise, Murphy's Law guarantees that someone will try to call
> Alabama.

   Alternatively, you can tell your 1300 users that attempts to reach
numbers where NPA is not of the N0X/N1X form must be made through your
IXC operator, using operator dialing.  There is no requirement that
all numbers in the NANP (or the world) be directly dialable from your
CPE.

   Whether or not this would cause irate users, I have no idea.  You
could try to guess which, if any, of the new NPAs would be commonly
called.

   Again, there is no REQUIREMENT of CPE to be able to reach all
dialable points using direct dialing -- but it sure is nice to be able
to do so.


Al Varney

------------------------------

From: HayesR@uihc-telecomm-po.htc.uiowa.edu
Date: 2 May 94 10:30 CST
Subject: Re: NANP and Switches


> must upgrade our switch. 1)Is this really necessary, and 2)can we wait 
> until the middle of 1995 before doing this and still provide access via
> NANP?

I was just at a seminar with Harry Newton, and, although it is necessary 
to accomodate switches for the NANP, he had a suggestion for those who may 
have a need to delay a switch upgrade for this purpose.

Harry suggested putting in a couple of Centrex lines for the switchboard 
operator/receptionist, and anyone needing to place calls to areas with the 
new style area code could go through them for call placement. Centrex
lines will surely be able to reach the new area codes.

Although this suggestion will not be acceptable in all companies, it
may buy some time for those who are buying a new switch/upgrading a
little beyond January 1, 1995.

Just passing on what sounds like an interesting idea.


randal-hayes@uiowa.edu

------------------------------

From: sdaggett@netrix.com (Steve Daggett)
Subject: Re: E1 Help Wanted
Organization: NETRIX Corporation
Date: Mon, 2 May 1994 18:29:33 GMT


Jack W. Lix - jwl@netcom.com writes:

> I need some information about "real world" E1 usage.  Does timeslot 16
> (normally used for signaling) ever get used for data in point to
> point usage.  I also understand some satellite transceivers use an E1
> interface.  Would they also reserve timeslot 16??  If so, whats the
> point??

It's pretty simple really.  If ANY of the timeslots in the E1 require
A/B signaling in timeslot 16 then TS 16 MUST be reserved for Channel
Associated Signaling (CAS).

If NONE of the timeslots require A/B signaling then TS 16 MAY be used
for data.  This is of course dependent on the transmission network
being able to pass TS 16 as a clear channel.  Some networks don't
allow TS 16 as a clear channel.

The satellite modems shouldn't care what's being carried in any of the
timeslots. The satellite modems I'm familiar with only require a 2.048
meg clock and an adequate 1's density in the data stream.  They didn't
care about framing or signaling at all.

(BTW: I've installed voice/data networks running E1's lines in Europe
and Africa.)


Steve Daggett  sdaggett@netrix.com

------------------------------

From: billy@mix.com
Subject: Re: Using Call Forwarding to Avoid Tolls
Organization: Digital Equipment Computer Users Society
Date: 2 May 94 12:26:02 -0400


In article <telecom14.184.1@eecs.nwu.edu> Tom Holderby <holderby@inca.
gate.net> writes:

> I've recently become aware of the fact the many BBS's and Internet
> service providers use the call-forwarding trick where they go buy a
> phone number (without a phone) in outlying exchanges which are
> permanently call-forwarded to their main lines, thereby increasing
> their local call area.  Apparently some of them carry this to the
> point of multiple forwarding, which may get them 50 or 75 miles
> without a toll.

> I was just wondering how the phone companies feel about this.  Is this
> something that you can just tell them you want to do, being very open
> about it?  Or do you need to sneak around, get the numbers in different 
> names, etc?

I'm the guy who started this back in the early 80's here in the Los Angeles 
area.  My own BBS is a non-profit thing, but many others around here are 
not; they make money (and for some of them, lot of it) and four or five 
hops are quite common now, providing a rather big toll free calling area.

Some years ago one of the spoil-sport BBS operators here tried to turn
in all the other BBS operators for making commercial use of a
non-commercial service.  (Back when I began this one could use remote
call forwarding for it, which is a business service, as there was no
metering of time used.  It was later changed in California around
1984/85 to measured service, thus forcing the use of phones lines
actually terminating at a residence -- this sent the bill for a month
on such a line from about $14 to $440+).  The result -- nothing
happened, and it's still business as usual here.  I don't know the
details, perhaps someone reading this does ...?

> Also, assuming that this is legal and acceptable, can you forward
> multiple calls off of one line, or do you need one line per call?

This depends on how the central office switch is set up to handle
this.  Here Pac Bell forwards all calls on the same one line.  GTE
will only pass the first call, all other callers get a busy signal.  I
have not tried to talk them out of this, I instead moved my lines to
Pac Bell when the local limit here went from 8 to 12 miles (for other
reasons like crummy service).  This is not a fun thing to attempt
getting changed in many phone companies.


Billy Y.

------------------------------

From: speacock@netcom.com (Sean P Peacock)
Subject: Re: Using Call Forwarding to Avoid Tolls
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Mon, 02 May 1994 18:23:35 GMT


Tom Holderby (holderby@inca.gate.net) wrote:

> I was just wondering how the phone companies feel about this.  Is this
> something that you can just tell them you want to do, being very open
> about it?  Or do you need to sneak around, get the numbers in different 
> names, etc?

> Also, assuming that this is legal and acceptable, can you forward
> multiple calls off of one line, or do you need one line per call?

Depends on how the CO is set up. PacBell has the capability to, but
has not implemented 1 forwarded call per forwarded line _yet_.

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Generally, using the *regular, residential
> variety* of call forwarding will NOT save money where toll charges are
> concerned unless you are able to link two or three large toll free calling
> areas together. Generally, two or more short calls linked together cost
> more than a single long-haul call covering the same points. 

[...]

Usually the forwarded lines are within local calling distance of each
other and are flat-rate service. I know of at least five BBS services
in my local area that provide this service. Most commom is that a
member is given a free account and a monthly allowance to drop in a
second line that is permanently forwarded.

As for size, there is one group of about 20 people splitting the cost
of a forwarded line to save on toll charges.


Sean

------------------------------

From: ketil@edb.tih.no (Ketil Albertsen,TIH)
Subject: Re: X.25 Information Request
Organization: T I H / T I S I P
Date: Mon, 02 May 1994 08:43:23 GMT


In article <telecom14.187.12@eecs.nwu.edu>, vandusen@Starbase.NeoSoft.
COM (Mike Vandusen) writes:

> I am looking for general reference material (ie. books, ftp'able docs,
> etc.) describing X.25.  I am interested in documentation that starts
> with conceptual overview, discusses details of the various other
> protocols involved (X.28, X.29, etc.), and finally addresses typical
> software interfaces.

> I understand that the CCITT Fascicle recommendation is not available
> for ftp ... and makes for rather dry reading anyway;-)

It certainly is available -- gopher to info.itu.ch and climb the tree
through ITUDOC / Search using group structure / ITU Telecom
Standardization Sector / Recommendations / X series.  You won't find
them all there, but X.25, X.28 and X.29 are certainly there right now,
in Postscript format (som recs are also or only available in
MS-Word-for-Windows format).

Yes, it is dry reading, but I have never seen any textbook going to
sufficient depth to make the recommendations superfluous.  In our
tech.college we use W.Stallings: Data and Computer Communications, 4th
ed, MacMillan 1994, for an introduction to X.25.  It does not cover
X.28/X.29, and there are other books going in greater depth about X.25
(I think Uylless Black's book on OSI networking is somewhat more
thorough), but Stallings' book is a good preparation for attacking the
recommendation!

I too wonder what a "typical software interface" to X.25 looks like :-)


ketil

------------------------------

From: sanford@Ascend.COM (Curtis Sanford)
Subject: Re: ISDN Bridge Advice Please
Date: 02 May 1994 09:03:45 GMT
Organization: Ascend Communications, Inc.


In article <telecom14.189.10@eecs.nwu.edu>, Bob Larribeau <blarrib@netcom.
com> wrote:

> In article <telecom14.181.10@eecs.nwu.edu> idddsb@iddss1.iddis.com
> (Dean Banfield) writes:

>> We have a 10baseT Ethernet lan and would like an outlier individual to
>> have access on a hardwired basis.  ISDN sounds great, but I have no
>> idea what's required here.

> You can get either bridges or routers.  Bridges are available from
> Combinet, Digiboard, Gandalf, Extension Technology.  Routers are
> available from Cisco, Ascend, and ACC.  Prices for bridges start about
> $2,000 and routers around $3,000.

Bob is generally correct.  However, our newest model (Pipeline 50) can
be either a bridge or a router, and starts at $1,495.  Contact
info@ascend.com for more information.


Curtis Sanford    Ascend Communications

------------------------------

From: keng@skypoint.net (Ken Germann)
Subject: Re: ISDN Bridge Advice Please
Date: 02 May 1994 06:26:34 -0500
Organization: SkyPoint Communications, Inc.


In article <telecom14.189.10@eecs.nwu.edu>, Bob Larribeau <blarrib@netcom.
com> wrote:

> In article <telecom14.181.10@eecs.nwu.edu> idddsb@iddss1.iddis.com
> (Dean Banfield) writes:

> You can get either bridges or routers.  Bridges are available from
> Combinet, Digiboard, Gandalf, Extension Technology.  Routers are
> available from Cisco, Ascend, and ACC.  Prices for bridges start about
> $2,000 and routers around $3,000.

The Digiboard ISDN, New Port Server with the NET C/X for SCO and
Novell drivers and a demo for ATM will be shown at Interop in Las
Vegas next week.

The Digiboard ISDN products are priced from $795.00 to $3200.00
depending on the configuration.


Ken Germann   SkyPoint    keng@skypoint.com
Voice: (612)475-2959      MCIA      Modems: (612)473-5646.

------------------------------

From: rlockhart@aol.com (RLockhart)
Subject: Re: Answering Machine With Voice Mail and Paging?
Date: 02 May 1994 08:13:03 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)


In article <telecom14.177.1@eecs.nwu.edu>, Fclark@deathstar.cris.com
(Franclark) writes:

> When the customer calls in the operator dumps the message in my
> voice mail and I am paged.  This is cumbersome, time consuming, and
> expensive.

and

> I would like to be able to capture the calls on an answering machine
> which would automatically ring my pager(preferrably alphanumeric) upon
> receipt of each call. Are there answering machines available with this
> capability? Is software available to do this via modem?

There are some answering machines that'll turn 'round and outdial a
preprogrammed number on receipt of a message (Panasonic makes one, I
believe), but these rely solely on DTMF and blind timers to send the
numeric message, not any sort of handshaking protocol.  This is less
than optimal 'cause during the busier paging times of the day (the
'busy hour'), that timing can be *way* off to where you get a portion
of your preprogrammed dial back number or even no number or page at
all ... your message just gets 'blindly thrown over the wall' with no
regard top anyone on the other side capable of catching it.

An alternative, if you want to play, is to get a voice mail add-on to
your PC or Mac that supports DDE or Apple Events and link it up with
one of the alpha paging apps that supports paging via DDE or Apple
Events (e..g. EvTek, Ex Machina, InfoRAD ... to name a few).  This
way, when your voice mail comes in, you would link the event to the
alpha paging app and let the TAP alpha page protocol stiffen up the
link to the paging system for you ... and if you could find a voice
mail card that supported CLI, you could have it link *that* information 
to the page, as well.


Rob Lockhart
Resource Manager, Interactive Data Systems
Paging Products Group Motorola, Inc.
Desktop I'net:  Lockhart-EPAG06_Rob@email.mot.com
Wireless Data I'net (<32K characters):  Rob_Lockhart-ERL003E@email.mot.com
Wireless Data I'net (< 1K characters):  Rob.Lockhart@RadioMail.Net

------------------------------

From: castillo@unm.edu (D. Castillo)
Subject: Re: Answering Machine With Voice Mail and Paging?
Date: 02 May 1994 10:58:36 -0600
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque


Another really cheap way of having your answering call your pager
(sort of) is what I did.  I assume you have a computer and modem,
you're posting here after all :-) I wrote a real simple script for my
comm software (commo, ms-dos based) that sits there and looks for
RING, waits two minutes (you can set it for any length, but if they
have to leave a message longer than two minutes it's probably someone
without a life).  Then I've got it call my pager: xxx-xxxx,,,any
number here (in my case my home number with a couple of **) So far
it's worked great, and it basically didn't cost me anything.  You have
to leave your computer on, true, but that's a whole other discussion.

Someone with a CID modem could write something really neat where it
would send the actual number of the person that called to your pager!


Castillo@hydra.unm.edu

------------------------------

From: dalysea@elof.acc.iit.edu (Sean Daly)
Subject: Re: Answering Machine With Voice Mail and Paging?
Organization: Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago
Date: Mon, 02 May 94 08:27:28 GMT


In article <telecom14.177.1@eecs.nwu.edu> Fclark@deathstar.cris.com
(Franclark) writes:

> I need some advice. I own a small refrigeration company (two employees).
> Currently we lease a phone line from an answering service. When the
> customer calls in the operator dumps the message in my voice mail and
> I am paged.  This is cumbersome, time consuming, and expensive.

> With an eye to the future, when I can afford full time office
> help, I am getting my own business line in June. I would like to be
> able to capture the calls on an answering machine which would
> automatically ring my pager(preferrably alphanumeric) upon receipt of
> each call. Are there answering machines available with this
> capability? 

If you want to spend around $300, I saw a device in Damark called a
Bogen Friday or something like that. I know the brand name was Bogen
and I have seen a company listed in other magazines as Bogen
Telecommunications Products. Anyway, it connects to two phone lines.
Then, you program eight mailboxes. Four of them are for outside calls
to leave messages for four employees. Three are for internal messages,
and the last was described as a "gateway" for a modem or fax. You can
program each mailbox to 1) forward to another number, 2) take a digital
message, or 3) take a message, then page you.  When I called them, they
said all those options can be set remotely.  This was the coolest
answering machine I've ever seen.

------------------------------

From: whs70@cc.bellcore.com (sohl,william h)
Subject: Re: Basic ISDN Question
Date: 02 May 1994 09:26:50 -0400
Organization: Bell Communications Research (Bellcore)


In article <telecom14.186.9@eecs.nwu.edu>, Mike Jones <jonesmd@aule-tek.
com> wrote:

> ISDN has recently become available here in this corner of NYNEX-land.
> The cost is a $10 surcharge onto normal business rates. We're
> interested in using the 64 Kbps data channel to connect to a local
> internet provider; I've checked with NYNEX and ISDN is available at
> both our and their CO's. My question is, how does this practically
> work? I have a moderate understanding of ISDN at a conceptual level,
> but no real feel for how you go about hooking things up.  Any
> information would be appreciated.

That depends on the purpose of the connection.  If the ISDN connection
is to simply connect you as an "end user" to your Internet provider,
then it is a simple 64Kb dial up connection to the Internet provider.
To do so, you need ISDN AND the Internet provider must have an ISDN
line also.  The bottom line is that the connection is no different
(other than the transmission speed and the termination equipment ...
ISDN) from a typical modem connection operating at a lower speed.

Another possibility is that your location wants to connect to an
Internet provider using ISDN B channel dial-up between your location
for a multitude of users on a Local Area Network (LAN) that you and
others at your location connect to.  In that arrangement, the ISDN
connection is made between the LAN and the Internet provider without
any involvement by you (or other users) on your LAN.

That's a very short explanation, I know, but that's it in brief.
Any questions, please post or call us:

Bill Sohl - Bellcore ISDN Hotline  1-800-992-ISDN

For additional information...check out Bellcore's FTP site at:

                    info.bellcore.com

look for ISDN information in the subdirectory: /pub/isdn


Bill Sohl (K2UNK) BELLCORE (Bell Communications Research, Inc.)
Morristown, NJ             email via UUCP      bcr!cc!whs70
201-829-2879 Weekdays      email via Internet  whs70@cc.bellcore.com

------------------------------

From: Andrew Ayers <cnay@ucs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Re: CO's and Disasters
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Mon, 02 May 1994 09:12:42 GMT


In article <telecom14.172.8@eecs.nwu.edu> Thomas Tengdin, teto@mbari.org
writes:

> I was at an earthquake disaster training session this week and 
> a statement was made:

> The telephone company computers will connect some customers
> at a higher priority that others.  

> Doctors, etc were mentioned.

> This is the first I have heard of calls being processed in any other
> way than first to finish dialing, first to be processed (more or
> less).

> Is there something in CO Class of Service? or other programming that
> gives "priority" service to a select class of lines?

 It is possible to do that sort of thing in programming. You
can also wire an MDF so that if a switch goes down, certain subscriber
lines still have access to a tandem (long-distance) switch.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 02 May 94 19:07:00 EDT
From: Michael Jacobs <JMT0%LAFAYACS.bitnet@lafibm.lafayette.edu>
Subject: Re: CO's and Disasters


The program that administers priority handling of calls during
emergency situations is the National Communications System's
Telecommunications System Priority program.  Most CO switches have the
capability to assign higher service priority to designated lines for
either originating or terminating service.  I believe Bellcore in its
role as government SPOC (single point of contact) is involved in this.
Last year at the Network Reliability Council's meeting in Arlington,
VA, there was mention made of expanding this service to include cellular 
operators since many emergency and essential service providers use
cellular extensively.  If anyone has details on the implementation of
this, please let me know since I have been trying to get TSP priority
for certain cellular numbers used by a Hax-Mat response team with
which I am involved.


Michael W. Jacobs <JMT0@lafibm.lafayette.edu>
Service Technician - Bell Atlantic-Pennsylvania

------------------------------

From: kowillis@umr.edu (Kendall Willis)
Subject: Re: Telco MUX to Home?
Date: Mon, 02 May 1994 03:41:17 GMT
Organization: University of Missouri-Rolla, Missouri's Technological
University


Roger Marquis (marquis@netcom.com) wrote:

> When Pac Bell recently installed a second line into my (1940s) apartment 
> building they didn't run any new wire but instead installed a new demark/
> junction box.  When I opened this box to connect my second line I was
> surprised to find only the one original line going in, and _two_ lines
> coming out!  Could it be my lines are MUXed to the local switch?

> I've tested the quality of both lines by making a voice call on one and a 
> data call on the other (while executing 'sz /dev/zero' at 14.4+) without 
> finding any measurable degradation.

> The alleged MUX measures 2*3*3 in. and is fully sealed except for the
> contacts.  Does anyone know what I have here?

Don't ever fool yourself into thinking that you will see high tech
stuff installed by the phone company anywhere near your house. :) The
whole philosophy is to keep your end of the connection simple and
their end modern.  Even the much ado and hoopla given to network
interfaces is ridiculous.  Most are glorified junction boxes and the
exceptions are rare.  I doubt it is a MUX.  More likely it is a new
box with two more connections.

Many locations are capable of adding a second line without stringing
another wire because there is plenty of wires in the original bundle.
You may not have to run a second wire into your apartment if you
really did not want to.

The four-conductor wire in many houses is capable of handling two
lines.  The green and red are tip and ring of Line one and the yellow
and black are for Line two.  The big problem is that some equipment is
not designed to take advantage of this.  That is why you have two
wires at the network interface.  You could wire it up in this fashion,
though.

Now a word of caution.  If you have inside wiring that is blue, orange
and white, the system won't work obviously.  Also, sometimes that
extra yellow-black pair is hooked up to a power transformer somewhere
in the house which lights the dial and pushbuttons in older TrimLine
phones.  Don't shock yourself, test them before using.


Kendall Willis   kowillis@umr.edu

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V14 #193
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