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Differences between the E-Metrotel and the BCM systems 10

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Firebird Scrambler

Firebird Scrambler

Systems Engineer
Apr 7, 2003
7,265
GB
Hello guys

I understand that the E-Metrotel offers many features and is in effect the follow on from the Nortel/Avaya BCM platform. I have a number of questions that I have that I hope could be answered by the people who use the product on a regular basis and would therefore be able to give me an honest opinion.

Some of the questions I have are..

Can an existing customers (BCM)database be migrated into the E-Metrotel configuration

Do they all use SSD

Do they have more features enabled than the current BCM offering such at the 4 analogue trunks and 4 analogue extensions on the BCM 50. Also does it offer the 4 BRI trunks as on the BCM 50b model.

Is access to the configuration of it via the Element Manager tool or do they have their own tool for programming.

Do they have patches available or just software updates and is it a chargeable facility.

Can the software be loaded up onto a hard disk or do you have to buy a ready made disk from them.

Are the licensing limits greater than those available on the existing BCM range such as 32 IP sets for the BCM 50 etc.

Can i purchase a used BCM 50 system and then upgrade it to E-Metrotel as a cost effective solution.

Can SIP IP phones be used in addition to those offered by Avaya / Nortel etc.

Does it offer remote IP working?

Costs involved in installing this product compared to the Avaya BCM

Service support as E-Metrotel is not widely known across the pond in Europe.

Any E-Metrotel test systems available for those of us to evaluate in our labs.

The quality of the product compared to the BCM range

ACD and voice recording and many other features and if continued update support will be available as currently the BCM RCC ACD package will no longer be supported. I'm referring to Windows 10 support and perhaps any software for use on Linux computers.

Full ISDN support given for all types such as PRI, PRI2, QSIG, Q931, DASS, DPNSS, and many others etc.

Tone dialing plans available for different countries as the UK has different settings.

Any help would be greatly appreciated please.



Firebird Scrambler
Nortel Meridian 1 / Succession and BCM / Norstar Programmer in the UK
Advance knowledge on BCM support
 
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Firebird,
See if this helps. I have taken your questions and answered after the question in bold type.

Can an existing customers (BCM)database be migrated into the E-Metrotel configuration- No, not at this time. I believe development is working on this at some point.

Do they all use SSD- The UCx 20 and UCx 50 have SSD drives, the UCx 450 has a Serial ATA hard drive

Do they have more features enabled than the current BCM offering such at the 4 analogue trunks and 4 analogue extensions on the BCM 50. Also does it offer the 4 BRI trunks as on the BCM 50b model.- The Digital Gateway Server that is modeled after the BCM 50 DOES NOT have any trunking capabilities. The capacity is 12 digital stations and 4 analog FXS ports. Additional digital extensions can be used with the Expansion Cabinets which connect to the Digital Gateway Server.

Is access to the configuration of it via the Element Manager tool or do they have their own tool for programming.- All programming access is via web browser. Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are recommended. There is no management client such as Element Manager to install.

Do they have patches available or just software updates and is it a chargeable facility.- Patches and Updates are available via download straight to the UCx, unlike the BCN which requires download from Avaya and then installing via Element Manager. Patches & Updates are provided at no charge as long as the UCx is under an Assurance Support Plan. The first year is included when purchasing the UCx. Additional years for Software & Hardware Warranties can be purchased on a per year or multi-year basis.

Can the software be loaded up onto a hard disk or do you have to buy a ready made disk from them.- At this time, software is available only from E-Metrotel via a pre-loaded drive.

Are the licensing limits greater than those available on the existing BCM range such as 32 IP sets for the BCM 50 etc.- User Licensing is based on the size of the UCx. For example, a UCx 50 can accommodate 80 Users, and it doesn’t matter what type of phones you have, digital or IP sets. In fact, if you have a digital set and want to change it to an IP set, the process is simple and does not require any additional licensing. In UCx, a “User is a User”, and is not based on the type of phone. In addition, ALL features are included with a User License such as Follow Me, Unified Messaging, Professional Call Recording, Call Center Agent, etc.

Can i purchase a used BCM 50 system and then upgrade it to E-Metrotel as a cost effective solution.- There is a process to convert an existing BCM 50 to a Digital Gateway by purchasing the SSD Drive form E-Metrotel. The process to convert is simple. A BCM 450 can be used as a Digital Gateway as well. The process is the same, a hard drive change out\replacement.

Can SIP IP phones be used in addition to those offered by Avaya / Nortel etc.- Yes, there are various types that can be used such as Yealink, Polycom, etc. the E-Metrotel web site has the listed supported models.

Does it offer remote IP working?- Yes, the UCx would need to have the Public IP address of the customer programmed in it to allow this. Works great! We have several remote users with no issues.

Costs involved in installing this product compared to the Avaya BCM- In my honest opinion, UCx is much easier to install and takes less time. The web based GUI is much easier and faster to navigate then Element Manager.

Service support as E-Metrotel is not widely known across the pond in Europe.

Any E-Metrotel test systems available for those of us to evaluate in our labs.- E-Metrotel offers a cost effective Partner Starter Bundle Demo system for resellers to purchase to do your testing, evaluations, etc.

The quality of the product compared to the BCM range- Very high quality and very reliable.

ACD and voice recording and many other features and if continued update support will be available as currently the BCM RCC ACD package will no longer be supported. I'm referring to Windows 10 support and perhaps any software for use on Linux computers. – Since all the applications such as management GUI, User Portal, Contact Center Reporting, etc. are web based through the browser, the OS of the PC doesn’t come into play here.In addition, the applications such as Reporting for Contact Center, Professional Call Recording, etc. are already loaded onto the UCx and NO separate severs are needed.

Full ISDN support given for all types such as PRI, PRI2, QSIG, Q931, DASS, DPNSS, and many others etc.- UCX cards support key standard based protocols including T1, E1, PRI, FXS, FXO, R2MFC, etc. In addition, external Gateways can be used for additional trunking.

Tone dialing plans available for different countries as the UK has different settings.- UCx is a Global system and can accommodate various dialing plans.

If it is any help, I was at Nortel 18 years before getting laid off and spent 5 ½ years in the Norstar ITAS Technical Support Team, and then 10 years supporting BCM in Pre-Sales Engineering and development testing. Our company is sold on UCx and we don’t offer any other platforms.

Have a blessed day!

Stocking Distributor for E-Metrotel
 
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Hello UCXNortel

Many thanks for taking the time to answer my demanding list of queries. A star from me. Now I need to see how I go about being a reseller for the UCX product in the UK!.


Firebird Scrambler
Nortel Meridian 1 / Succession and BCM / Norstar Programmer in the UK
Advance knowledge on BCM support
 
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That could be a good idea. It appears there is no reseller in the UK at this time and a huge number of customers with BCM systems... [smile]
 
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One thing that I have forgot to mention, which could be a problem is if the BCM 50 can still use it's add on modules for PRI, GATSM, DTM etc and that the 4 analogue lines and extensions (on a standard BCM 50) can still be used.

The reason for my asking is that I hear that a gateway has to be used and that this is extra expense.

Also can backups be saved onto the USB stick as well as via the other methods.


Firebird Scrambler
Nortel Meridian 1 / Succession and BCM / Norstar Programmer in the UK
Advance knowledge on BCM support
 
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The Digital Gateway or the Expansion Cabinets have NO trunking options available. The models support trunking as follows:

UCx 20 -Internal DAHDI (4 or 8 Port FXO),or external FXO Gateways, but DOES NOT support PRI.
UCx 50- Internal DAHDI (4 or 8 Port FXO), or external FXO Gateways, and WILL support PRI.
UCx 450\1000\1000E- Internal PRI, or external FXO Gateways, DOES NOT support internal DAHDI (4 or 8 Port FXO)

The Media Bay Modules DTI (PRI), GATM, etc. are NOT supported.

The Digital Gateway Server supports 12 Digital extensions and 4 analog station ports, NO trunking options.

You CAN use a USB stick to perform Backup\Restore sessions. In addition, the Remote Management capabilities of the UCx allow you to simply click on the link of a Backup and download the file to your PC.

Hope this helps, if you are doing BCM now, the UCx is the perfect fit going forward! ...Have a blessed day!


Stocking Distributor for E-Metrotel
 
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Hi FirebirdScrambler

The BCM50 can only be used as a digital gateway with 12 digital ports, 4 analog ports available.
Nothing else can be used on the BCM50 ie 4 co ports, paging port etc.
All that can be used on the expansion modules are DSM32s to enable 12+32+32 digital ports.
Cant use PRI module.
PRI card can be internal in the UCX50 or above chasis, or an external can be used.
Hope this clears things up.

Thanks - Mike

Owner
Sideline Telephone Service Inc.
Canadian - Reseller
 
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Sorry UCXNortel

We responded at the same time!!

Owner
Sideline Telephone Service Inc.
Canadian - Reseller
 
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If you don't need 32 ports, the DSM 16 can be used, also the 4x16 combo (although the trunks are not supported)
 
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A few points to clarify:

1. The UCx20/UCx50/UCx450 platforms support one internal expansion card. The UCx1000 platform supports up to 5 internal expansion cards.
2. For any of the platforms, you can use internal expansion cards with up to 8 FXO trunks, up to 4 BRI loops or up to 4 PRI spans.
3. The E-MetroTel documentation assumes that nobody would use PRI in UCx20 or FXO in UCx1000, but there are no technical reasons why you couldn't use such a combination.

UCx digital gateways support all BCM media bay modules with digital set interfaces (32DSI, DSM32, DMS32+, DSM16, DSM16+) as well as combo modules with digital set interfaces (only the digital set part is used). They also support analog station modules (e.g., GASM8). That means you can get up to 80 stations on the BCM50 (12 digital ports + 4 analog ports on the main chassis, 32 digital ports on expansion 1 and 32 digital ports on expansion 2). The BCM450 hardware can get you up to 320 stations (10 times 32 digital ports).
 
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Hello guys

Many thanks for the replies. It is a great shame that the analogue exchange line ports aren't supported on the BCM 50 as that would appeal to many customers that I know still use them. I forgot to ask about the other feature such as the music on hold facility. The BCM allows you to load in a music file via the AMP web tool. Does the UCX offer the same thing?.


Firebird Scrambler
Nortel Meridian 1 / Succession and BCM / Norstar Programmer in the UK
Advance knowledge on BCM support
 
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Yes you can use the included MOH, load your own file, stream from the internet, or CD player, radio, etc using the audio in jack on the UCx
 
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The UCx 50 is the ONLY system of the line of products that has an Audio In jack. You can use that as islandtech suggested IF you have a UCx 50, OR you can upload .wav files and create a Music On Hold Playlist. The great thing about UCx is you can have MULTIPLE MOH Categories, so if you have a Sales Dept that wants their own MOH and maybe Support wants their own, this can be done by assigning the MOH Category to respective trunks, Queues, etc.

Stocking Distributor for E-Metrotel
 
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Good thread, stars for all!

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We take the time to try to answer your questions for free, please return the favor and take the time to answer back and include any resolution you found elsewhere, thanks.

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Toronto Canada
 
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Thank you all for this thread.
I am also in the process of merging to a UCx50.
I am using my Bcm50 R.6 to about 80% of its features.

I want to make sure before I make my descision that I will not loose any Bcm50 features.
Have a nice day!

Regards
 
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UCXNortel hi
i have a question too, if we migrate a BCM50 with a DSM32+ that would be 44 digital users and 4 analog users making a total of 48 users. These users will use their digital sets ( M,T ) would these users require an paid license in order to function? or they function out of the box as they connect to UCX?
Thanks
Nikos
 
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A user license is required for each station so in your example you would have to have 48 user licenses to utilize all the ports available to you

Stocking Distributor for E-Metrotel
 
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