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Overview
The MX250 is a media exchange that integrates multimedia
communications for the enterprise into a compact system that
has standard interfaces for all connections. The MX250
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
MX250 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. Administrators use a single GUI on a PC
to configure and monitor every aspect of the system. Initial
deployment of the system is simple and straightforward. A
list of users can be imported and phones can be automatically
provisioned.
The MX250 connects to a standard Ethernet switch and to that
switch you connect computers and phones. The connection to the
LAN is made with one or two 100Base-T circuits, thereby
providing redundancy. Additional redundancy is available with
dual hard discs in a RAID 1 configuration, and ac and dc power
inputs. Servicability is simplified with a removable fan tray
and clock battery.
The MX250 has three slots that accommodate interfaces for
connection to the CO and ISP. Voice is supported
on an analog module. Voice and data are supported on BRA, T1,
and E1 modules.
PBX and Telephony
The MX250 comes standard with two analog FXS circuits and has
three slots to accommodate telephony interfaces. You can use
modules to connect to analog (FXS and FXO), ISDN BRA (S/T),
T1, and E1. You can configure the digital interfaces to carry
voice or data traffic, or mixed voice and data.
Regardless whether you receive voice service from a telephony
interface or over the WAN, the MX250 provides full PBX
functionality. You obtain these features whether you use a
soft phone, an IP phone, or an analog telephone. The MX250
supports all of the 25 recognized standard PBX functions.
The MX250 supports T1 and E1 ISDN PRA and T1 CAS. The CAS
protocols are loop start and ground start with caller ID, and
E&M wink with DID. The ISDN protocols are Lucent custom,
Nortel custom, US National, and ETSI with subaddressing. The
BRA protocol is ETSI with or
without SPIDs.
The first two analog FXO circuits connect directly to the FXS
circuits in the event of complete power failure to provide
lifeline support.
The MX250 includes fax termination on any telephony interface.
Incoming faxes can be answered by the MX250 and converted to a
graphical file which can then be sent by email to a user or
retrieved using MXIE.
The MX250 provides music on hold through an external
connection, from the Internet, or from its internal hard disc.
It supports overhead paging using an FXS circuit or a 3˝ mm
audio output. The system also supports paging through the
phones which can be separated into multiple zones.
You can deploy the MX250 as an independent system, with the
MX250 as a peripheral to an existing PBX, or with a PBX as a
peripheral to the MX250. The MX250 can connect to other MX250s
or other standard SIP equipment, either over LAN or WAN. G.729
compression is supported to reduce
bandwidth requirements over a WAN.
Data Networking
There are two 10/100Base-T circuits. You connect at least one
of these to an external switch to provide connectivity to
devices such as PCs and phones. You can connect both circuits
to switches for redundancy and use the spanning tree protocol
on the MX250 to handle fail over.
The MX250 functions as an edge router and supports RIP
(version 1 and version 2) and OSPF version 2. The MX250 also
allows for the provisioning of default routes (used in many
cases where the MX250 provides IP WAN access over PPP or Frame
Relay).
The system incorporates a firewall with NAT, for connection to
the Internet. Also DHCP, TFTP, and NTP servers provide
services within the enterprise. You can optionally disable any
of these functions if you provide
them external to the MX250.
The MX250 can provide SIP application layer gateway (ALG)
function when the internal NAT and firewall functions are
used. This allows you to make SIP calls outside of the private
address space used within the enterprise.
The MX250 provides VPN functionality for 50 users. This allows
remote users to securely access all functions of the MX250
and the corporate network.
MXIE — The Tool for User Productivity
MXIE (pronounced "mixee") is a PC
application that interfaces with the MX250. This software can
be used by all people in the enterprise whether the person is
logged in as an individual, an operator, or a member of an ACD
group. Users can configure their presence and view the
presence of others, send instant messages, set call handling
rules, access voice mail and fax mail, make and terminate
calls, and bind the application to a phone. You can use the
mouse to perform most functions. For example, you can transfer
a call to another user by dragging and dropping the call
indication
onto the user’s name.
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 real time. The administrator can control whether
or not messages exit the enterprise. Users can also initiate
chat sessions and chat conferences.
The call handling rules editor allows users to configure
actions to be taken by the MX250 on incoming calls. The rules
can be very flexible and based upon presence, date and time,
or calling party number. The MX250 can be
configured to transfer calls to a number outside the
enterprise, for example 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, attached to an email, or forwarded to another
user. Users can access fax mail on their
PC, print, copy, and forward to other users.
By binding MXIE to a phone, the user can initiate 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.
E ncryption
The MX250 supports 128-bit AES encryption. This allows
you to fully encrypt conversations within the enterprise. In
addition, you can secure traffic over the PSTN or WAN that may
leave the enterprise.
ACD —
Automatic Call Distribution
An ACD routes calls to a group of agents based on flexible
distribution rules. You can have up to 16 ACD or hunt groups,
each with up to 64 agents. Routing to a specific ACD group can
be either based on the called party number, or through an
automated attendant or operator.
Skill based routing is achieved by assigning different
priority levels 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 and receive 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
You can have up to four auto attendants to service different
applications or languages. You can configure schedules for
each auto attendant to provide different behavior at different
times of the day and on different
days of the week. If you do not schedule any attendant to be
active, the MX250 routes calls to an operator.
The voice mail has capacity to store 100 hours of speech. You
can select how this is divided among the users.
The MX250 supports a total of 24 simultaneous voice streams to
the auto attendant and voice mail. This means that incoming
calls can be answered or routed to voice mail even under high
loads. Further, all incoming calls can be recorded – ideal for
call center applications.
Operators
You can define four groups of operators. Within each
group you can have 64 operators and can assign them priorities.
Therefore, calls are routed to some operators only when the
primary receptionists are busy or not available. Operators
use MXIE and do not need any special equipment. This allows
you to locate operators anywhere, even at a different site.
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 MX250 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 MX250. The system integrates Crystal Reports allowing
you to create custom reports.
Quality of
Service
At Layer 2, the MX250 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 MX250 is capable of marking the
differentiated services codepoints (DSCPs) based upon the type
of traffic received. In this way, the MX250 can enforce a QoS
policy set up by the Administrator
for traffic entering the enterprise’s domain.
System Capacities
When you purchase the MX250, it is equipped with all the
hardware necessary to support 250 users. A minimal system
supports 5 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
MX250 does not impose a limit to the number you can have on
your network.
The MX250 allows each user to have eight contacts where he or
she can be reached. Any analog phone or SIP device can be a
contact. When a user is called, the MX250 can attempt to reach
the user at any or all of these contacts, following rules
defined by the user.
The MX250 can accommodate 1000 concurrent SIP registrations.
A SIP registration is the action of an IP device indicating
to the MX250 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 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 can define the devices that you are using and assign them
to users. As users move locations you do not need to make any
changes to the configuration on the MX250. 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 for these scripts to operate. You can modify or
create scripts through the GUI.
All of the configuration, the voice mail, and CDR can be periodically
backed up. 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. The MX250 can send events to a Syslog
server.
Power
The MX250 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 100 W.
You can connect a –48 V battery that must supply 100
W. Zultys supplies a battery system that provides about
six 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: 8.2 kg (18 lb). Shipping weight 10.5 kg (23 lb)
Size: 430 mm (W) x 269 mm (D) x 85 mm (H) (17" x 10" 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 MX250 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 MX250 has been optimized to combine
voice and data technologies while using standard interfaces
and phones.
Internally, there are two computers running real-time Linux.
Together, they perform 1400 MIPS. The Linux operating system
yields a product that has very high reliability and allows
easy introduction of new services and features. The MX250 has
one or two SCSI hard discs. The two discs operate in a RAID 1
configuration. The discs store the voice mail, application
code, data bases, and call detail records.
The MX250 uses the SIP protocol which is now widely recognized
as the standard for IP telephony. The MX250 includes a SIP
registrar, user agent client, user agent server, and presence
server. You can use any standard SIP phone or SIP soft phone
with the MX250 making it the second IP communications system
that is truly open.
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