We see a lot of request that can be summarized as   “can we dial from within<(insert your favorite application here>?   Outlook, for example, has an ability to let you select the ShoreTel TAPI line so that you can dial from a Contact.  Here is how you set it up.  First, in the tool bar of the Outlook Contact, you should  see a PHONE ICON.  Selec the Icon to open configuration options: The select the “Dialing Options”.  In the [...]

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 [...]

Generally, we do not fill out  forms given to us by Carriers.   Most Carrier forms use nomenclature that is “Marketing Speak” and not technically driven.   It seems we have 100 different ways to refer to a TDM with PRI signalling and only one of them means anything to an engineer.   There are a variety of new delivery methods being offered to clients for PRI service and it is important to understand exactly what type of circuit you [...]

Both models of the ShoreTel VG90 and VG50 are availabe in V switch configurations.   The V switch configuration enables you to provide local voice mail and autoamted attendant functionality to a smalll site economically.  Compared to the cost of adding a distributed voice mail server, the SG50V and SG90V are economically viable alaternatives that should be considered as you plan for resilency and site continuity during a WAN outage. Due to the CF card capacity, daily backup of  voice [...]

A typical trouble ticket might sound like “when another extension calls me, I can hear them, but they can not hear me”!  Actually, one of my personal faviroites.  Over the years I have come to learn that this is usually the result of one of two issues: someone has the wrong default gateway; or port 5004 is being blocked by some firewall in one direction.  As we move more and more toward SIP and media streams move away from a [...]

Most ShoreTel System Administrators learn early on that the “Quick Look” link in the ShoreWare Director is your best friend! After all, telephony trouble indications are easy to spot: Green is good, Red is Bad and yellow means “something needs attention”. At the first report of a trouble indication, a System Administrator will bring up a browser and get to the log in screen of the Shoreware Director portal. Quick Look, Under the Maintenance section of the administrator portal, provides [...]

In both ShoreTel Release 8 and 9 there is a very interesting behavior that will ultimately bring a client call to your support center.   The behavior is most obvious in a multi-site deployment in which there is only one HQ server providing voice mail services.    A call to a user at a remote site, is RNA (i.e. ring no answer) transferred to the voice mail system.   The call entered the system on a PRI at the remote [...]

This is one of those trouble tickets that keeps an engineer awake at night. A V switch was installed at a remote site to provide Automated Attendant and Voice Mail services for that site.   The V switch was one of three switches at that site and each switch had analog CO lines connected.   For reasons that nobody could explain, the observed behavior was that the AA would not change from On Hours to Off Hours as scheduled. An [...]

Call Screening is a popular telephone feature though some people consider it both annoying and insulting.    In ShoreTel 9 you have this option using “find me follow me” to ask the caller something equivalent to “who may I say is calling”?   The caller then speaks their name or wisecrack, they are asked to “please hold while I locate your party” and then  you are called on your specified” find me follow me” location.   When your phone rings [...]

Lately the subject of ShoreTel Route Points and IRN’s has been getting a lot of “mind share” from those working with them.   Two questions:  How many Route Points can a ShoreTel server support?  How many IRN’s can an ECC support?  How many DNIS numbers can a ShoreTel support.   Seems like a simple set of questions, but the answers are something like “herding cats”.    Route Points are used in a ShoreTel system to accomplish call routing and TAPI [...]