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Twin Data-Link units save legacy call accounting system


A public relations firm needed to collect data from a branch office, and transfer call data records (CDR) to their central office. Their main office’s legacy call accounting software (CAS) created a challenge because it has only one port for incoming CDR. That was fine for managing their local PBX, but the firm expanded to a second office and needed to collect data and perform administration on the remote PBX as well. With only one CDR input port, they could not collect both local and remote CDR. They chose not to purchase a new $10,000 CAS for their remote site. Instead, they extended the life of their legacy CAS by installing an Asentria Data-Link unit at each PBX.


Solution

The firm collects and processes CDR data to bill its clients in the same manner as a law office. They needed a way to transfer CDR from two PBXs into a single file in order to accommodate the single port of their CAS. They installed a Data-Link at each PBX to solve this problem. The central office PBX sends data via serial connection to the Data-Link, which stores the CDR in its memory File 1. The remote office PBX sends CDR to its connected Data-Link, which transfers the data over their network via FTP Push to the local Data-Link File 1. CDR from the two locations is collected in the same storage file of the central office Data-Link. The combined data is then transferred to the CAS in a single data stream.


Two Data-links diagram


That solved the problem for data collection. However, the firm also wanted maintenance access to both PBXs. Data-Link easily accommodated this as it offers two, four or six serial ports. The telecom manager simply connected each PBX maintenance port to a respective Data-Link serial port. The central office PBX can be administered via serial connection. To perform adds, moves and changes on the remote PBX, the firm can use a Telnet session (among other protocols) via either network or modem connection. Currently, they perform routine maintenance two to three times a week on the PBX, and they intend to add their voicemail system in the future.

abercrombie & fitch