Chas2002

jaseinatl

Many emails to 'webmasters' are blocked - not because they don't want to hear from you but because of all the 'spammers' out there.

I'd suggest giving them a call: 1-800-Comdial, explain the problem and ask for a temp password to the Charter site.

Note: I sent a test email and webmaster@comdial.com is Unknown. Also, do a search on this site for "PC-DBA" - it seems a couple of others had a problem too.

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epnut99

Chas2002, thanks for the reply.

As it turns out, having been the webmaster of numerous sites of varying sizes, I am well aware of the problems associated with Spammers, specifically with regards to common SMTP routing paths like webmaster@host.com.

In my professional opinion, if a website is going to have a link that says:
mailto://webmaster@host.com for any questions regarding the site, the link should be directed to a page that provides a custom form with visual key or other security mechanisms used to prevent spamming. This way, the website is able to not only achieve the level of service that one expects when contacting a site's webmaster, but it is also able to focus the needs of the users to make further communication more efficient.

Regardless, a blanket mailto:// link (as was provided at the Comdial website), goes a long way towards influencing one's opinion about the reliability or even existence of other common SMTP routing paths like support@host.com or help@host.com or comments@host.com.

As for contacting Comdial in the morning, I plan to do just that. I was really hoping to have worked out the changes I need before tomorrow and was hoping my post would reach the sympathetic ears of some generous soul who knows how important it can be to get work done on the weekend before the office opens on Monday.

With that said, I would like to once again thank you for taking the time to reply. I plan to visit the link you provided for Chaos Theorem and I look forward to checking out the other links as well. Thanks again for your input.

Best Wishes,

Jase

rixride

Jase, good luck on this, keep us informed of what transpires.

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jaseinatl

So, I called Comdial Technical Support and was of course transferred to Vertical Systems and informed that Vertical Systems had acquired Comdial. I found it not only interesting, but also entertaining that the transfer from 1-800-comdial to Vertical Systems menu for Tech Support took about 3 minutes and was plagued by poor line quality, clicking and hissing during the switch.

Although Vertical was more than happy to help by routing me to another noisy series of menus through which the automated attendant was able to surmise that I was not a Certfied Marketer or Certified Technician. Of course, then I was connected with "Team East" sales team for Comdial...or rather I was put on hold for "Team East".

After this miserable experience, I gave up on Comdial and began looking elsewhere. Fortunately, a kind gentleman on this service came to my aid and not only provided the exact software that I needed, he did so without charging a penny or pressuring me for anything. It appears that he had been in a similar situation and was more than willing to help.

Though I am not done with Comdial, I found this definition and thought I would share:

[the term "RACKET"] implies that the business is making money by selling a solution to a problem it created. This term has been applied in this pejorative sense to:

• Software developers who charge for updated version of their software (ie, selling bug fixes and better functionality when it's their fault the software was buggy or lacked functionality in the first place)

I am going to post a couple of blog entries and continue to press Comdial to do the right thing. As soon as I am able to, however, I will make the software I use available to anyone who requests it.

Best wishes,

jase

p.s. thanks for the forum and for the support.

jaseinatl

Because I figure there are several other people who are going through or who have gone through the same series of steps through which I am going, I hope that by posting my experiences, others will either gain some insight into the mess that I am facing or perhaps have some advice...

To catch up: I work for a small law firm managing phone, data, facilities, etc. Less than a year ago, without my input, my boss decided that the phone system at the office needed to be upgraded. He was probably right as the old PBX was on it's last legs and you couldn't buy handsets for it easily...

So he had his office manager call around and get quotes on a phone system that would basically provide 12 digital phones, handle voicemail, etc. The bid that came in was for the Comdial DX-80 with 12 digital phones, 32 digital ports (2 cards with 24 digital extensions), 4 analog ports, VoiceMail (8 ports), and 1 line card with 4 ports.

The person installed the cabinet right over the top of the old PBX and wired the digital extensions to the left side an antiquated, 66 pair block with the 4 analog lines on the right. Then he managed to somehow get each office punched down correctly though it is not clear how considering the lines were all over the place and the old PBX was still wired in.

On the logic side of things, he numbered the extensions 101-office manager 102-company president and then sequential moved down the office heirarchy to assign the other extensions. So a month or two ago, before we had some personnel changes, it was easy to see just how important you were...larger numbered extensions, obviously not that important.

So, when I inherited this mess, I tore out all of the station wiring, put in a 19" telco rack and mounted seperate Voice and Data patchpanels (RJ45 front-110 on back). I seperated the ports geographically so that all of the first floor ports are numbered between 1 - 12 and all of the second floor ports are numbered 13-24. I then wired the digital extensions and analog extensions sequentially on a seperate panel so that patching a numbered extension to any port in the building can be done easily.

Next, I wanted to make changes to the DX-80 database in the hopes of making the extensions match up with the ports better (thus eliminating the poor extensions numbering scheme listed above and making it easier to patch a new extension). I worked through the ridiculous manuals and was able to make some changes via the digital phone. But it quickly became obvious that I needed the PC-DBA software.

After unsuccessfully trying to download the software from Comdial (as it says to do in all of the support manuals) and after being told that my supplier would send me the software (but never has), I came to PBXinfo for help.

When I finally got the WINPC-DBA software from a kind gentleman who had similar problems with a DX-80 he inherited, I was psyched and thought that my problems were solved. No such luck.

I was only able to get the HW/SW revision levels for my DX-80 using the WIN PC-DBA software as the HW revision on my DX-80 was 33 and the Windows GUI for DX-80 database administration was only available on levels 39 and greater.

NEXT....contacting Comdial Again...

Cnavarro

I haven't worked on a DX-80 for a couple of years, but I have the DOS based software. If you have a serial port, you're welcome to it.

Drop me an email directly with your address and I'll get it to you.

Carl

cnavarro@wcnet.org

norteltx

I don't think you did yourself any favors by refering to a manufacturer who supports their dealer channel (as all manufacturers should and do) as being in racketeering. The support documents you reference all technician installer manuals that assist certified technicians in getting software and factory backed tech support. There is not a single manufacturer that will give you database maintenance software as an enduser. You'll find that each rev of DX80 had it's own PCDBA. Every manufacturer is going to tell you to contact an authorized dealer for service especially if it is under warranty. The dealer that installed your system would probably void your warranty for rewiring the system without being certified. Sure seems that you would have saved a ton of time by calling in a channel partner to address your issues. They might have supplied you with the software you request in you are indeed capable of working on the system. Keep in mind that most manufacturers that get calls from endusers and refuse to call a dealer is usually perceived as someone who may be trying to get out of paying invoices owed to a dealer. That is one reason why the maintenance support is not given to anyone who calls and expects it. Sell 4 different brands of phone systems and all manufacturers work exactly like Comdial.

Chas2002

Well, at least, you have some success - allbeit - not the level of service you're looking for.

Imagine if you had given up...

Chas2002

__________________
Free Preview of my fictional book: "Chaos Theorem": http://www.lulu.com/content/249842. Full PDF Download just $3.99. (Note: Portions of monies generated are donated to great causes: Feed the Children Fund and Childrens Hospital of the Kings Daughters).
Checkout pbxjobs.com and pbxlance.com

New music site http://www.vnertia.com/mnap - Best Video Jukebox on the net.

timmah

Here's something intresting:

"“Rather, what Gulfstream seeks here is to use its claimed copyright in its manuals to gain a judicially enhanced monopoly in maintenance-tracking services for Gulfstream aircraft. That outcome would be injurious to the free-market public policy advanced through antitrust and restraint-of-trade laws. It would be especially egregious since Gulfstream is required by federal regulations to produce the manuals anyway. Gulfstream’s monopolization efforts should not get an assist from the Court through an expansive reading of copyright law. It does not take an economic visionary to see that granting manufacturers copyright in their federally mandated maintenance manuals would create service monopolies for those manufacturers, thus decreasing service-center choices (and potentially safety) for consumers in the aircraft industry and other industries.”


w ww.ainonline.com/Issues/07_06/07_06_gulfstream_6.htm