===================================================================== Comdial PCIU Service Provider 3B Updated: June 29, 1999 www.comdial.com Read Me Notes ===================================================================== WHAT DOES THE PCIU DO? ====================== The Personal Computer Interface Unit (PCIU) allows telephone users to initiate telephone-related functions from their personal computers. With the PCIU properly connected between a Comdial digital telephone and a PC, and with the PCIU Service Provider software installed, Microsoft Windows* applications that support TAPI (Telephony Applications Programming Interface) can perform telephone-related functions. TAPI-compliant applications let users enter a line type. With the PCIU, the choice for this entry is the name of the telephone or its extension (like "Bill" or "x101"). The only software that PCIU requires is a TAPI compliant application (such as Impact Call, ACT!, or Outlook). The PCIU requires no other Comdial software. *Microsoft Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington COMMON EQUIPMENT AND TELEPHONE CONFIGURATION ISSUES =================================================== - GENERAL ISSUES ============== The default manner in which the PCIU makes outbound calls requested by the user is as follows: PCIU presses the intercom button, PCIU dials access digit or digits (like a 9), PCIU dials the desired telephone number. Although the PCIU service provider supports making calls by first pressing a line button, many TAPI applications support only the default manner, which is starting a call by pressing intercom. Therefore, Comdial advisors recommend that the PCIU station have line group access. Users must enter the digits they need to dial to make external calls in the Dialing Properties dialog. They access this dialog by clicking on Start, Control Panel, and Telephony. If a TAPI application supports direct line access (rather than requiring users to first press intercom) that application will probably let the user select an Address. Selecting a line, in that case, causes the telephone to seize that line for outbound calls. If installers change any button-mapping for the PCIU telephone, the PCIU service provider must query that telephone again to know about the changes. (See the "Responding To Changes In Telephone Settings" section of the installation documentation.) The large screen Impact SCS speakerphone does not work with the PCIU. If users employ an Impact SCS telephone, installers must insure that the PCIU station's intercom button is at its default button-mapping location(that is, the lower right-hand button of the 12 or 24 programmable buttons). Users should not map any extra intercom buttons to the PCIU telephone. If users attempt to dial a number that has the same area code as the area code entered in the "My Location" tab of the Telephony Control Panel settings, the number may be dialed as a local number(just the seven-digit number). TAPI applications typically provide an option to "Dial as a long distance call" or "Dial as a toll call" or at least allow users to edit the digits to be dialed. The PCIU service provider has no control over what digits an application requests to dial. - DXP/DXP PLUS/FX ISSUES ====================== Installers can avoid many call-processing problems by being sure that the PCIU telephone has line appearances for the lines on which it handles external calls. Installers must set the 'Enhanced LCD display' feature to 'No' (its default setting) for the class of service in which the PCIU resides. If the setting is 'Yes,' caller ID information may be invalid and call processing may intermittently fail. Changing DND status from a TAPI application works best when installers map a button to DND. - DSU/DSU2 ISSUES =============== Changing DND status from a TAPI application ONLY works when installers map a button to DND. When calling stations with voice announce block off from the PCIU station, the PCIU service provider cannot tell whether the called station has answered the call or not. This problem makes it so an application-initiated conference in which a voice announce station is the consultation party cannot be completed until the consultation call is answered. With Impact Call this means only supervised conferences will work in this case. The PCIU will work best with voice announce block on. With a headset enabled, caller id information may not be available until a call is answered. If prime line is assigned for the PCIU station, headset mode must be off in station programming. Otherwise querying the phone will fail during the PCIU configuration. Also, the headset must be disabled while attempting to query the phone. The PCIU will not work properly with the background music feature on. When on a call with somebody, manually pressing the TRNS/CNF button may not do anything. If this happens, call states reported by the PCIU may be invalid. The user should try pressing TRNS/CNF again and continue. When the transfer or conference is finished, the calls should all go away and the PCIU should function properly. Attempting to start a transfer or conference from an application can fail for the same reason, but call states will be correct. The user can try again or set up the transfer or conference manually. KNOWN PROBLEMS AND ISSUES ========================= - GENERAL ISSUES ============== The PCIU service provider no longer supports Visual Call Manager (VCM). The PCIU does not always notify TAPI applications when a party drops from a conference call. Once all parties have dropped from a conference call, then the PCIU will notify TAPI applications that the conference call is over. If users make a conference with two lines and place the conference on hold, the conference may eventually recall. If it does recall, the PCIU service provider may not properly identify the states of the calls and call control may be lost. - ACT! 3.X, 4.0 ISSUES ==================== Except for application-initiated transfers and conferences, ACT! Does not provide call processing support for more than one call at a time. Therefore, when multiple calls are necessary at the same time, users must manually handle these calls from their telephones. When users hang up a conference from ACT!, the "Hang Up" button remains the only active option even though the call has actually hung up. To cause the proper options to be displayed users must press the intercom and speaker buttons on the telephone. If users make a call, place it on hold, and manually make another call, the first call may eventually recall at which point ACT! presents the "Answer" option. If users click "Answer," the system answers the call but then drops the call in a few seconds. To prevent this, when multiple calls are necessary at the same time, users must manually handle them from their telephones. - GoldMine 4.X ISSUES =================== A check-box for GoldMine in the PCIU configuration dialog must be checked when using GoldMine's TAPI support for making calls. This is necessary so that calls don't get dropped against the user's will. When this box is checked, no TAPI application will be able to drop a call, so this box should not be checked when using other TAPI applications. When making a call with GoldMine, wait until all the digits of the phone number have been dialed before clearing the call window or an error message may pop up. But even if an error pops up, the call should still be made correctly. - Impact Call ISSUES ================== To transfer calls to voice mail from Impact Call, installers must map a button for transfer-to-voice-mail (XVM##). Speaker, ringer, and headset volume levels can be viewed and changed from Impact Call. When volume programming is accessed, the phone goes off-hook and prompts the volume levels to appear on the display to determine current levels. This feature only works when no calls are active on the phone. Headset volume can only be determined if a headset is plugged in and a headset button is mapped to the phone. Handset volume must be viewed and changed manually.