CatalystTech

The IP500 control unit uses the integral smartcard for licensing functions of the system.  The smartcard is much improved in the implementation over the previous methods of remote Feature Key Dongles installed on servers or PCs.  The only gotcha, the card must be present in order for the system to boot.

This can come as a surprise to the un-suspecting technician on site with a spare control unit, or to the bench tech that is pre building a system.  The solution: buy a spare.  The Smartcard (700417470) retails for around $20 and can save time, and act as a test should a control unit not boot with an existing card.  The card shouldn’t need any licenses attached as it would never be placed into production expect an emergency replacement.

Well I had to come off the excitement of serving on jury duty to write about what is likely some of the best news to hit Avaya IP Office users this year.  Firmware version 4.2(4) was just released on Monday, Aug 11th.  Now, in the past the knee jerk reaction was if the release was less than (10) it was not worth messing with.  I have to say that with the new Avaya System Verification and all the testing that went into this new code train, the 4.2 release looks very stable.  Combine that with the above par feature set, and IP Office is the best option for any small or medium business.  Read more to look at some of the new features and links to downloads…

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Everyone is by now used to the old IP400 chassis, but now the new IP500 chassis throws a few curve-balls into the mix. Here are some basics to remember when installing a new IP500 Control Unit.

1.) Ensure that the Smart Card is in place. The IP500 Chassis is useless with out this. If the CF and CPU light blink continuously it indicates that the Smart Card is not being detected. Once the card is detected on boot-up, these lights will proceed from the blinking Red status on to the solid Green status.

2.) Ensure that the unit is upgraded before you try to pull a config. There is no configuration file to pull on a IP500 with the 4.0.0 code as it arrives from the factory. This version of code is solely for testing purposes during manufacturing, and has no functionality. Upgrade the Unit to functional GA code prior to pulling a config. It can actually go directly to any of the Available GA as of this writing.

3.) Ensure that licenses are loaded prior to connecting Expansion Modules. Expansion Module ports are not enabled until the IP500 STD to PRO license is validated. Once this license is in place, the Expansion Modules will work as normal.