Even before we first received the IP600 Internet Protocol
Communication Server, Avaya talked up their IP-PBX to us like it was the
best product since the original telephone, espousing virtually every IP
feature currently available in voice and data communications. Of course, we
wanted them to back up their claims by sending TMC Labs the IP600 to
examine. They complied quickly, setting us up with the 19-inch rack-mounted
server with the gateway and gatekeeper installed, an assortment of IP
phones, call center software, and other goodies.
At first, we received the Release 9.5 board, but no sooner did we get
that, they delivered us the Release 10 board. The main differences between
the two boards are that the R10 board has a Pentium III processor, 20-GB
hard drive, and 256 MB of RAM, so it runs much faster than the old R9.5
board. In addition, R10 runs Windows 2000 Server and has a DHCP server and a
configurable TFTP server built in. We swapped the R9.5 board for the R10
board in only a few short minutes, and most of that time consisted of
powering down the server. This impressed us greatly since the whole system
was working as soon as we booted the server back up. This was more important
because there was no backup processor in the chassis, although a watchdog
application does run in the background to monitor the processor�s health
� this application is not exactly as safe as using a redundant processor,
but it is more cost-effective.
SET UP AND ADMINISTRATION
We had little difficulty setting up the system since the IP600 server was
already pre-configured for our network. We only needed to connect the
Ethernet cables from the various boards in the chassis, including the C-LAN
gatekeeper and the media gateway, to a hub. We also connected a few IP
phones, such as the new Avaya 4630 IP Screenphone, a laptop that included
Avaya�s IP softphone, and another laptop with Avaya IP Agent (formerly
CentreVu IP Agent) installed. Since an analog trunk and line card was also
included in the IP600 chassis, we added analog phones onto the system that
could be called from any phone on the network.
From there, we added users from the Avaya Site Administration (ASA)
graphical interface, a Windows-based interface that uses wizards for many of
the configurations. In this way, the administration was not difficult,
although the interface does feel somewhat busy with many options that may
need to be learned. Context-sensitive help files assisted us in our learning
though. We could also Telnet into the command line interface if we
preferred, as it offered many of the same options using a more old fashioned
type of configuration tool. However, the site administration interface
allows commands to be administered in its main window, making it less likely
that the command line interface would be needed unless the ASA is not
installed.
For more administration and user services configurations, we could access
the IP600 Web-based interface through any Web browser. This interface is
mostly used for configuring the INTUITY AUDIX Multimedia Messaging System as
well as managing the IP600 and downloading additional applications. INTUITY
provides voice, fax, and e-mail messaging on a single processor.
Text-to-speech and message manager functionality are incorporated into the
system as well.
OPERATIONAL TESTING
The 4600 series of IP phones allows the end-users to perform just about any
telephony function, including transferring, holding, and conferencing calls.
In addition, we could access our voice mail and had the use of a
speakerphone. We tried nearly all of the telephony functions, communicated
from IP phone to IP phone, IP phone to analog phone, and even made a
conference call from hard IP Phone to an analog phone, and then conferenced
in the softphone.
The softphone�s interface was very toned down, seemingly with the
intention of having a functional and reliable interface without any of the
flashiness often seen with other desktop call control software. We actually
preferred the Avaya softphone interface over many of these others,
especially since the softphone still offered very similar functionality to
its hardware counterparts, such as the 4624 IP phone. The hard IP phones
usually showed slightly better audio performance, but we were impressed with
the sound quality of the softphone, and we hardly needed to change any of
the audio settings. The one problem we had though was that the softphone
froze up on occasion (but rarely when actually on a call), so we had to
reboot the PC in order for the software to work again.
The Avaya IP Agent accommodates call center agents working remotely or in
a branch office location. Unfortunately, we could not access the server from
the laptop we were using, which we found odd since we were using a very
similar method as we did when accessing the server with the IP softphone.
Maybe the problem was due to a faulty laptop, but in any case, we could only
take a preliminary look at this interface. However, we could tell that it
worked much like the IP softphone, but was oriented for the call center. In
general, the focused features of IP Agent allow agents to access existing
corporate database information by means of the Lightweight Directory Access
Protocol (LDAP). It also includes an integrated call history feature showing
a detailed view of calls made and received. In addition, contact center
managers can administer screen pops based on commonly used triggers, such as
Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS), Automated Number Identification
(ANI), and prompted digits.
THE CREAM OF THE CROP
Most of Avaya�s IP phones are similar to others we have tested, such as
from Cisco, 3Com, and Siemens. While the Avaya phones are comparable to
these other models, there�s nothing that really distinguishes them �
that is until we saw their new IP Phone, the Avaya 4630 IP Screenphone. This
IP phone showed advancements in technology that are above and beyond the IP
phones that we have seen. While it does carry the higher price tag of $995,
there is much to merit this price. The screen itself is a 1/4 VGA color
display (320 x 420 pixels), which is very impressive, given that most IP
phones don�t even use color displays. Then there�s the fact that it�s
a touch screen � many of the features can be accomplished with the touch
of a stylus. On occasion, it did have trouble recognizing some of the
smaller, less used touch points on the screen, which did present a bit of an
annoyance to us.
The main touch points for the screenphone are Phone, Speed Dial, Call
Log, Directory, and Web Access, all located at the bottom of the screen.
When touching the Phone button, the screen acts like a desktop call control
application with five lines available. Up to 120 speed dials are available
that are separated into five groups of 24 so that the speed dials can be
organized by any means the user sees fit. The Call Log lists up to 100
incoming and outgoing calls by name, number (with caller ID), type, and
length of call. The Directory button gives users access to corporate
directory information on an LDAP server. In our case, we downloaded and
installed an evaluation of the iPlanet Directory for this purpose. For the
purposes of our tests, we used an Apache HTTP Server for access to the Web,
where we downloaded a few .html files to be included for this Web Access
feature. Upon touching the Web Access button, the home page we had
designated appeared, and we could access any other page linked to that home
page.
The one missing touch point was for voice mail. We noticed this quickly
in our testing, even before looking at the documentation of the phone. We
were informed that this would be added shortly, probably by the time this
review is in print. Although we could access voice mail through more
traditional methods, this touch point will add to the features and make the
IP phone even easier to use. This IP phone already has a plethora of
features, so seeing the addition of sending and receiving e-mail would make
this phone an absolute powerhouse.
INFRARED CAPABILITIES
After exploring all of this functionality, we had one more area to examine
� the infrared capabilities of the IP phones. With the release of the 1.6
firmware, VCard dialing can be accomplished in which telephone numbers can
be beamed from a Palm PDA and dialed through the IP phone. Since the
infrared scanners from the PDA to the phone need to be facing each other at
close range, this feature only saves a second or two of dialing time but
does have a �coolness� value to it. We attempted this from a PALM III to
the IP screenphone with success. The screenphone called the VCard number we
had requested.
Transferring files from one Palm PDA to another Palm PDA can also be
accomplished when on a call. An address book record, date book entry, or a
memo can be beamed from one IP phone to the other and then beamed into the
other party�s Palm PDA. Since only the screenphone had the latest firmware
installed and we needed at least two IP phones using the R1.6 firmware, we
did not test this functionality. We could have downloaded this latest
firmware for the other IP phones but did not take the time since we had no
doubt that the file transfer would work because of the success of our
earlier testing.
CONCLUSION
For the most part, our testing of the IP600 proved to us that Avaya�s
espousing of IP features were well founded. Of course, what we tested isn�t
everything that Avaya is espousing. There is the new Enterprise Class IP
Solution (ECLIPS) portfolio using Avaya MultiVantage software with an array
of operating systems, Media Servers, and Media Gateways. This includes what
will be the next version of IP600 � the Avaya S8100 Media Server with G600
Media Gateway. Also, there is the Avaya S8700 Media Server, their new
Linux-based IP server for support of up to 12,000 users per server, with
their new G700 Media Gateway as well as the S8300 blade that fits into that
G700 gateway, which is used for remote offices. In addition, Avaya will be
introducing software that can be installed on any PC-based handheld that
allows the PDA to become an IP phone.
Overall, Avaya has made a strong case in their favor for leveraging their
systems over their competitors, especially since they already have a strong
base with their DEFINITY system in the traditional PBX world. We think any
medium-sized enterprises would be thrilled with the IP600 Communication
Server. And based on our testing of the IP600, we think larger corporations
should give the S8700 Media Server some serious consideration.
[ Return
To The May 2002 Table Of Contents ]
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