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Overview
The
MX1200 is a media exchange that integrates multimedia
communications for the enterprise into a compact system that
has standard interfaces for all connections. The MX1200
integrates the functions of many devices previously available
only in several disparate boxes. By integrating these functions
into a single unit, Zultys provides a solution for your
company’s communication needs that is cost effective and
easily expanded.
The MX1200 combines the functions of an Internet gateway
(switch and router) with a PBX (line interface, analog
circuits, auto attendant, voice mail, and ACD), and
adds support for video calls. The system uses SIP to
communicate with IP devices on the LAN or WAN. This
standard protocol allows you to use the phone built into
Windows Messenger or desktop phones from many manufacturers.
You can connect up to 28 phones and PCs directly to the
MX1200. Twelve of the circuits have in line power that
ensures you can have phone service even when the ac power
in the building has failed. You use a copper or fiber Ethernet
circuit to connect additional users through a standard switch
external to the MX1200.
The MX1200 uses one to eight T1 or E1 circuits to connect
to the CO and ISP. You provision these individually
for CAS or ISDN PRA for voice, and PPP or Frame Relay for
data. If you have multiple offices, you can transport voice
traffic over IP between MX1200s at each location.
PBX and Telephony
Regardless
whether you receive voice service over TDM connected to a telephone exchange
or over the IP WAN, the MX1200 provides full PBX functionality. You obtain
these features whether you use a soft phone, an IP phone, or an analog
telephone. The MX1200 supports all of the 25 recognized standard PBX Functions.
The MX1200 supports T1 and E1 CAS and ISDN PRA. With CAS, the MX1200 supports
ground start with caller ID and E&M wink with DID. On ISDN, the MX1200
supports subaddressing. In either mode, the system can recognize DTMF
digits. The system provides music on hold through an external connection
or from its internal hard disc. You can deploy the MX1200 as an independent
system, with the MX1200 as a peripheral to an existing PBX, or with a
PBX as a peripheral to the MX1200.
The MX1200 has up to eight analog circuits, so you can connect analog
telephones or fax machines. If you have connected a battery supply to
the MX1200, these circuits maintain power in the event of an ac power
failure.
Data Networking
The
MX1200 is capable of switching data traffic at line rates between its
Ethernet ports. Each port on the MX1200 can optionally belong to one or
more VLANs. The system supports VLANs based upon IEEE 802.1Q.
You can have one instance of the Spanning Tree Protocol (IEEE 802.1D)
active on each VLAN. The MX1200 functions as an edge router and supports
RIP (version 1 and version 2) and OSPF version 2. The MX1200 also allows
for the provisioning of default routes (used in many cases where the MX1200
provides IP WAN access over PPP or Frame Relay).
You can connect a firewall externally that supports NAT and VPN. The system
has one long reach Ethernet (circuit fiberoptic, 100Base-FX) capable of
connecting to the ISP or other devices at a distance up to 2 kilometers.
MXIE — The Tool for
User Productivity
Utilizing
MXIE (pronounced "mixee"), a PC application
that interfaces with the MX1200, users can configure their presence and
view the presence of others, send instant messages, set call handling
rules, access voice mail, make and terminate calls, and bind the application
to a phone. The presence is an indication of the current state of a user,
such as available or busy. Other people in the enterprise may see that
presence and be able to take action based upon it. For example, an operator
might route a call to an assistant if a person is busy in a meeting.
Instant messaging allows users to communicate using text messages in a
secure manner. Users can also initiate chat sessions and chat conferences.
The call handling rules allow users to configure actions to be taken by
the MX1200 on incoming calls. The rules can be very flexible and based
upon presence, date and time, or calling party number. The MX1200 can
be configured to transfer calls to a number outside the enterprise, such
as a mobile phone.
Users can access voice mail either from their phone or MXIE. With MXIE,
a voice mail message can be played on the PC, saved to a folder, dragged
as an email attachment, or forwarded to another user. By binding MXIE
to a phone, the user can initate calls from the PC while using the phone
to communicate. Users can log in at any PC to MXIE, bind the application
to a phone, and then receive calls at that location.
A user who is authorized to be an operator or member of an ACD group uses
the same software and determines how to log into the system. As an operator
or agent, the program changes in appearance and presents additional features
to the user.
Ethernet Interfaces
There
are 28 10/100 Ethernet circuits in the MX1200 used to connect to any IP
device. When you connect a battery source to the MX1200, 12 ports supply
power in compliance with IEEE802.3af. Any compatible device can draw its
power from the MX1200 and will continue to operate in the event of a an
ac power failure.
To connect other devices, you need an external switch connected to the
MX1200. You make this connection with a 10/100 Ethernet circuit or 1G
Ethernet fiberoptic port.
The system has one long reach Ethernet (circuit fiberoptic, 100Base-FX)
capable of connecting to the ISP or other devices at a distance up to
2 kilometers.
ACD — Automatic Call Distribution
An
ACD routes calls to a group of agents based on flexible distribution rules.
Without any additional purchase, you can have up to 64
ACD groups, each with up to 64 agents. Routing to a specific ACD group
can be based on the calling party number, or can be reached through an
automated attendant or operator.
Skill based routing is achieved by assigning different priority to agents.
Users can be members of multiple ACD groups simultaneously and if desired,
can also log into the system as an individual. This allows them to make
personal calls.
Productivity is enhanced using the presence and instant messaging capabilities
in MXIE. As an agent answers a call, MXIE automatically changes the presence,
and includes a wrap up state at the end of the call. Each agent can view
the presence of other agents in a group, allowing for supervisor monitoring.
If agents are using a popular CRM package that has a TAPI interface, the
caller's information can be displayed with a screen pop. Agents can transfer
calls by dragging the session within MXIE to another agent.
Auto Attendant and Voice
Mail
The
auto attendant can answer all incoming calls. You can have up to 16 auto
attendants to service different applications or languages. You can configure
schedules for each auto attendants, to provide
different behavior at different times of the day and different days of
the week. If you do not schedule any attendant
to be active, the MX1200 routes calls to to an operator.
The voice mail has capacity to store 400 hours of speech. You can select
how this is divided among the users.
The MX1200 supports a total of 48 simultaneous
voice streams to the auto attendant and voice mail. This means that all
incoming calls can be simultaneously answered or routed to voice mail.
Further, all incoming calls can be recorded – ideal for call center applications.
Operators
You
can define 16 groups of operators. You do not need any special equipment
for an operator – the software provided by Zultys makes it easy to accept
and transfer calls. You can prioritize operators so that calls are routed
to some operators only if people at the front desk are busy.
Connection
Options
To
supply phone service to a user, you have multiple choices.
Using a standard IP phone with a built in switch, you need only run a
single Ethernet circuit to the desk.
The PC is connected to the other side of the phone. If you already have
two Ethernet circuits to the desk, you can connect one to the phone and
the other to the PC.
You can use the multimedia capabilities of the PC by connecting a headset
to it. You need only run a soft phone application on the PC, such as Windows
Messenger. Such an application can allow you to easily make or receive
voice and video calls at minimal cost.
Call Detail Recording
The
MX1200 records call data to provide comprehensive reports about users
and traffic. Using these reports, you can reconcile your phone company's
bill. You can generate predefined reports using the reporting tools included
with the MX1200. The system integrates Crystal Reports allowing you to
create custom reports.
Quality of Service
At
Layer 2, the MX1200 implements QoS based upon IEEE 802.1P. You can define
up to 8 priority levels or classes of service. Based upon these levels,
traffic can be marked and placed into different queues. Delay sensitive
traffic such as voice and video are placed into priority queues, whereas
data traffic is placed into lower priority queues. Queue servicing is
optimized so that no particular queue is starved and throughput is maximized.
At Layer 3, QoS based upon Differentiated Services (RFC 2474 and 2475)
is implemented. The MX1200 is capable of marking the differentiated services
codepoints (DSCPs) based upon the type of traffic received. In this way,
the MX1200 can enforce a QoS policy set up by the Administrator for traffic
entering the enterprise’s domain.
System Capacities
When
you purchase the MX1200, it is equipped with all the hardware necessary
to support 1200 users. A minimum system supports 25 users. You subsequently
expand the functionality and capacity by purchasing software licenses
for the system. You add these licenses without having to power down the
system and do not need to return the system for any hardware upgrades.
The system does not keep track of devices such as PCs and the MX1200 does
not impose a limit to the number you can have on your network. The database
allows each user to have eight contacts where he or she can be reached.
A contact can be a telephone number or a SIP URI. When a user is called,
the MX1200 can attempt to reach the user on any or all of these contacts,
following rules defined by the user.
The MX1200 can accommodate 4800 SIP registrations. A SIP registration
is the action of an IP device indicating to the MX1200 where it can be
reached.
System Administration
The
system administration software gives you complete control over the system
from a single integrated interface. The software runs under Windows and
the PC can be located anywhere in your network. You can update the system
software as Zultys adds new features. When you perform this update, the
disruption in traffic can be as short as ten minutes.
When you initially deploy the MX1200 the software guides you through the
steps required to configure the system. You can modify the configuration
at any time. You can have multiple administrators and can assign different
privileges to each. The dial plan is intuitive and allows flexibility
to have extension numbers of different lengths, internal and external
emergency numbers, and call blocking. You assign the extension to the
user, not to a physical phone.
You add the data about users manually or import the data from a file,
an Outlook list, an LDAP server, or an Exchange server.
You define the devices that you are using and assign them to users. This
process ensures that as users move locations you do not need to make any
changes to the configuration on the MX1200. Users retain their extensions
regardless where they plug their phone in your enterprise.
You select the auto attendant and voice mail scripts and the schedule
(time of day) for these scripts to operate. You can modify or create scripts
through the GUI.
The software allows you to monitor the status of any user or device on
the system, and also to monitor SIP, CAS, and ISDN protocols.
Power
The
MX1200 derives its power from ac, –48 Vdc, or both. The ac input operates
from 90 Vac to 240 Vac, 47 Hz to 60 Hz. The maximum power drawn is 200
W.
You can connect a –48 V battery that must supply between 200 W and 350
W. Zultys supplies a battery system that provides between one and three
hours of backup power in the event of an ac failure. You can concatenate
these supplies to provide longer backup.
Environmental
Operating
temperature: 10°C to 40°C (50°F to 104°F)
Storage temperature: 0°C to 50°C (32°F to 122°F)
Weight: 7 kg (15 lb). Shipping weight 10 kg (22 lb)
Size: 430 mm (W) x 380 mm (D) x 85 mm (H) (17" x 15"
x 3˝")
Mount: Standard 19" rack from front, mid, or rear; 2 RU (89
mm)
Safety: UL 60950, CSA-C22.2, EN 60950:2001
EMI: FCC Part 15, ICES-003 class A, CISPR 22, AS/NZS 3548 Class
A
EMC: CISPR 24 (EN55024:1998), EN61000-4
Warranty: one year
Technology
The
MX1200 was designed and built from its inception to be a media exchange.
Most similar products were originally designed with IP in their core and
then telephony was added on top, or they are traditional PBXs designed
with telephony at their core and then IP was added on top. Those systems
use proprietary phones and have closed architectures. Conversely, the
architecture of the MX1200 has been optimized to combine voice and data
technologies while using standard interfaces and phones.
Internally, there are four computers running real-time Linux. Each computer
performs 800 MIPS. The Linux operating system yields a product that has
very high reliability and allows easy introduction of new services and
features. The MX1200 has two SCSI hard discs, each with 18 GB capacity.
One stores the voice mail allowing fast and non-blocking access. The other
stores the application code, databases, and call detail records.
The MX1200 is based on SIP. This protocol is now widely recognized as
the standard for IP telephony. The MX1200 includes a SIP registrar, user
agent client, user agent server, and presence server. You can use any
standard SIP phone or SIP softphone with the MX1200 making it the first
IP communications system that is truly open.
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