Problems with Disconnect-Call Notification on Analog Cards

  • Article

By Ian Rae, Pronexus Inc.

Many developers, and in particular those that are new to Microsoft Speech Server and telephony, have experienced difficulties obtaining disconnect-call notification on analog cards.  This issue is not unique to Microsoft® Speech Server and the Intel® NetMerge™ Call Manager Telephony Interface Manager (TIM), but given the broad exposure of this exciting new technology, more developers than ever before may be confronted by it.  

Microsoft Speech Server, in conjunction with the Intel® NetMerge™ TIM, supports the following Intel® NetStructure™ telephony boards:

  • D41JCT LS

  • DMV160 LP

  • DMV480A 2T1 PCI

  • DMV960A 4T1 PCI

The latter two cards are digital, while the D41JCT LS and the DMV160 LP are analog. It is only when using the analog cards that developers have reported issues with receiving call-disconnect notifications.  

This article outlines how to properly configure and use these two analog telephony cards to successfully detect a disconnect-call notification.

On This Page

Configuring the DMV160 LP card Configuring the DMV160 LP card
Configuring the D41JCT LS card Configuring the D41JCT LS card
Updating the Tones.tzp file Updating the Tones.tzp file
Running the Intel Update Profile utility Running the Intel Update Profile utility
Disabling Board-level Disconnect Supervision Disabling Board-level Disconnect Supervision
Design-time Alternatives to PBX Systems Design-time Alternatives to PBX Systems

Configuring the DMV160 LP card

For this card, you will perform the following high-level steps:

  1. Use the Intel Board Configuration Utility, DCM, to stop the boards and enable disconnect tone detection.

  2. Edit the board’s dmv160lp.config configuration file (located in: /program files/dialogic/data).

  3. Regenerate the .fcd (firmware) file from the modified configuration file. (This is also described on page 2 of the Help file for the Intel Pbexpert utility.)

  4. Use the updated .fcd file as input to the Intel PBX Expert utility.

  5. Restart the boards in DCM.

Perform these steps before starting System Services on the analog card.

To enable disconnect tone detection

  1. Click Start , point to All Programs , select* * Intel Dialogic System Release 6.0 PCI, and then select DCM.

  2. Use the utility to stop the boards (click the Stop button).

  3. In the DCM display, right-click the pertinent DMV160 LP card.

  4. From the pop-up menu, select Configure device.

  5. Click the Misc tab, and click the DisconnectTone parameter.

  6. Ensure that this parameter is set to Yes.

  7. In the Misc tab, in the field that specifies TSFFileSupport, enter the name of the .tsf file generated by PBX Expert.

  8. Restart the boards by clicking the Start button.

To edit and regenerate the configuration file

  1. In the dmv160lp.config file, under the [CHP] section, search for SetParm=0x00001312,0.

  2. The final zero is the default setting (hook status = OFF).

  3. Change the final digit to 1. This specifies hook status = ON.

  4. In the same dmv160lp.config file, search for Tone_SigId4.

  5. Comment out the line: Don't enable disconnect tone supervision.

  6. Uncomment the line: Enable disconnect tone supervision.

  7. Save the file.

  8. Run the fcdgen utility to regenerate the .fcd file.

  9. Use the new .fcd file as input to the Intel PBX Expert utility (see below).

  10. This utility detects all the tones used by your PBX to indicate various states, including call disconnect.

For more information, see the Configuration Guide for DM3 Architecture PCI products in your Intel documentation.

To run PBX Expert

  1. Stop both the TIM and TAS services.

  2. Click Start , point to All Programs , select *** *** Intel Dialogic System Release 6.0 PCI, and then select PBX Expert.

The PBX Expert Wizard guides you through the rest of the procedure. After completing the Wizard, your tones should be properly detected.

 

Configuring the D41JCT LS card

With this card, the Call Manager TIM uses its own tone-definition file, Tones.tzp, so there is an additional layer of configuration to perform. The high level steps involved are:

  1. Stop the TIM and TAS services.

  2. Run PBX Expert.

  3. Use the generated .tsf file to update Tones.tzp.

  4. Run the Intel Update Profile utility.

  5. Disable board-level disconnect supervision.

  6. Restart the boards.

  7. Restart TIM and TAS.

Running PBX Expert has been described previously.

Updating the Tones.tzp file

The tone definitions in the Tones.tzp file contain information similar to that contained in the PBX Expert-generated .tsf file. Refer to the definitions stored in the .tsf file, which are specific to your PBX. (The generated file takes the form <PBXNAME>.tsf.)

To update Tones.tzp

  1. Search the .tsf file for the disconnect tone definition.

  2. Manually copy the disconnect tone values from the .tsf file into the section in the .tzp file that defines the Call Manager TIM disconnect tone.

  3. The contents of the disconnect tone section from a sample Tones.tzp are listed here:

    \Tones[3]\ToneName=DISCONNECT

\Tones[3]\ToneType=DualCadence
\Tones[3]\ToneFreq1=350
\Tones[3]\ToneFreq2=440
\Tones[3]\ToneAmp1=-20
\Tones[3]\ToneAmp2=-20
\Tones[3]\ToneOnTime=25
\Tones[3]\ToneOffTime=0
\Tones[3]\ToneOnTimeVar=-25
\Tones[3]\ToneOffTimeVar=0
\Tones[3]\ToneRepetitions=0

  1. Save the updated Tones.tzp file.

Running the Intel Update Profile utility

After modifying Tones.tzp, you must run the Update Telephony Profile utility to make the changes effective.

To run Update Profile

  1. Click Start, point to All Programs, and then select Intel NetMerge Call Manager Software Package, Intel NetMerge CallManager, and Update Telephony Profile.

Disabling Board-level Disconnect Supervision

Finally, to avoid contention between the Call Manager TIM and the board itself, the board-level disconnect supervision must be disabled. To do this, use the Intel Board Configuration Utility described previously.

To disable board-level disconnect supervision

  1. Click Start , point to All Programs , select Intel Dialogic System Release 6.0 PCI, and then select DCM.

  2. Use the utility to stop the boards (click the Stop button).

  3. In the DCM display, right-click the pertinent D41JCT LS card.

  4. From the pop-up menu, select Configure device.

  5. Click the Misc tab, and click the DisconnectTone parameter.

  6. Ensure that this parameter is set to No.

  7. Restart the boards by clicking the Start button.

  8. After this completes, restart the TIM and TAS.

Design-time Alternatives to PBX Systems

If problems persist during development, you may consider other alternatives. For instance, your switch may support being configured to provide a momentary drop in loop current, rather than providing a disconnect tone. As a result, capturing the disconnect tone becomes irrelevant.

Or you may choose to avoid using a PBX altogether during development and instead use a simple single line simulator that lets you connect a phone to a port on the D41 card. (The Skutch AS-4A Basic Telephone Line Simulator is an example here).  In this case, call disconnect is performed by a change in electrical current. No tones are involved, so disconnects are detected without fail.  

However, during predeployment or pilot testing you will still need to verify that the disconnect-call notifications are being sent correctly to and from the PBX.

Ian Rae is a Senior Software Architect at Pronexus Inc., a Microsoft Speech Partner and expert in telephony and speech with over 3,500 clients worldwide.  For more information on Pronexus, and its tools, solutions and services for Microsoft Speech Server, visit www.Pronexus.com