RE: (ASCEND) RE: Bad News.

["Georges J. JAHCHAN, P. Eng." <gjahchan@diabelec.com>]

Bugs identified so far:
1)	No call-logging data was issued for calls received by the analog AM36 card. NavisAccess call reporting features do not work if it does not receive call-logging data from the TNT!
2)	TNT marks as "failed" any modems that receive calls before the card is fully up and ready. So if the incoming phone lines are part of a hunt group at the CO (which it typically is), resetting the slot or the shelf where the card resides will result in any modems receiving calls being marked as "failed" if the card is not "UP" yet. They will still be marked as "failed" when the card is "UP". When a modem is marked as "failed", it will not answer calls or ring busy. So a dial-in customer will be faced with an ISP that seems "not be there". Good luck if a slot or shelf reset is required during a "busy" period... Unlike digital modems, calls are routed by the CO to a hardwired (so to speak) TNT analog modem, so the ISP cannot reroute calls around a "failed" modem. The phone company does not know about it either.	

To work around the problem, we have built "busy out" DB37 female connectors which, when connected to the phone patch panel in lieu of the AM36 card, will cause 12-lines/connector to ring "busy" (while maintenance work is being performed). It is not elegant and requires physical access to the TNT, but it gets us by until a fix comes from Ascend. We have also been warned that keeping such a plug on for an hour or more may cause a circuit breaker within the CO to trip. So this has to be used with care.
Regards,
Georges J. Jahchan, P. Eng.
General Technical Manager
& Intel Product Manager.
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