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There are many alarms that will be generated on an Administrator’s phone from time to time and I thought this might be a good venue to explain what they mean. There are two categories: alarms requiring service personnel and alarms not requiring service personnel. The breakdown is as follows

Alarms Requiring Attention from Service Personnel

Note: Some require service personnel but it most cases can be fixed over the phone.

Minor alarm numbers 100-199 are reserved for system problems that require attention from service personnel. These alarm messages (as they appear in the error message printout) currently include:

• 100 Device x.y.z ‘xxxxx’ Reset Due To Excessive Data Errors — The indicated keyset has detected an unusually large number of data errors from the corresponding keyset card and has been reset (dropping any active call). If the resets continue, the system will “lock out” the keyset. The data errors may be caused by a defective keyset (perform keyset self-test), defective wiring, defective station cable, or a defective keyset card.
• 101 Device x.y.z ‘xxxxx’ Reset Due To Excessive Hardware Failures — The indicated keyset has been reset (dropping any active call) because the corresponding keyset card has detected an unusually large number of hardware errors. If the resets continue, the system will “lock out” the keyset. The hardware errors may be caused by a defective keyset (perform keyset self-test), defective wiring, defective station cable, or a defective keyset card.
• 102 Logical Port nn Tx Interrupt Is Not Operational — The indicated serial port (nn) has a transmit interrupt problem. Replace the component that has the defective serial port (CPU128 Card, CPU020/PCM Card, OPC, or PCDPM) and return it for repair.
• 103 Logical Port nn Clock Is Not Operational — The indicated serial port (nn) has a clock problem. Replace the component that has the defective serial port (CPU128 Card, CPU020/PCM Card, OPC, or PCDPM) and return it for repair.
• 104 CPU: Database Corruption — The system database stored in battery-backed memory on the CPU Card appears to be corrupt. Although it may be corrupt, try saving the database onto backup disks (but not on top of a previously known-good database). Turn off the system AC power and turn it back on. The system should default the database and the red DATABASE ERROR LED on the CPU Card should be lit. Initialize the system clock through database programming (or do some other database programming) to turn off the LED. Then turn the system power off and back on again. If the database does not default the second time, the CPU CPU020/PCM Card may be okay. Try restoring the database. If the restore is not successful, restore an older version of the database. If the database defaults the second time, replace the defective CPU Card and return it for repair. Then try restoring the database in the new CPU Card. If the restore is not successful, restore an older version of the database.
• 105 CPU: Write-Protect Is Not Operational — The circuitry that prevents the software or hardware from accidentally writing to the database is no longer functioning properly. Replace the CPU Card and return it for repair.
• 106 CPU: Real-Time Clock Is Not Operational — During power-up, the system has detected that the real-time clock circuitry on the CPU Card is not functioning properly. The system is now using a software clock, which may not be as accurate. Check to make sure that all of the components on the card are properly seated and that no pins are bent. If this does not solve the problem, replace the card and return it for repair.
• 107 CPU: Watchdog Is Not Operational — The watchdog circuitry on the CPU Card is not functioning properly. Replace the CPU Card and return it for repair.
• 108 CPU: Interval Timer Is Intermittent — The interval timer on the CPU Card is not functioning properly. Replace the CPU Card and return it for repair.
• 109 CPU: Watchdog Expired During Minor Reset — When the system attempted a minor reset, it did not recover and refresh the watchdog timer, so the hardware watchdog assumed the system was down. Check the error message output, note the circumstances under which the message(s) occurred, and contact Technical Support for assistance.
• 110 CPU: Database Feature Bundling Error — The system has detected an inconsistency between the PAL on the CPU Card (i.e., the hardware information about the number of feature bundling units available) and the information stored in the database. When the problem is detected, the system automatically defaults the database to the basic feature configuration. (This will prevent a computer “hacker” from stealing feature units.) This alarm also occurs when attempting to restore a database that has more features enabled than the PAL allows. In database programming, enable the appropriate number of features. If the problem persists, try another PAL. If the problem still persists, replace the CPU Card and return it for repair.
• 111 CPU: Battery Backed Memory Too Low — The system has detected a battery-backed memory problem. Either the database is so large that the battery-backed memory cannot store further information (such as message requests, reminder messages, queue requests, hardware configuration changes, etc.) or there is a system software problem. Cancel all message requests, reminder messages, and queue requests. If this does not solve the problem, try saving the faulty database (for possible future evaluation) and contact Technical Support for assistance.
• 112 CPU: Running Low On System Dynamic Memory (Heap) — The system has detected a dynamic memory problem. Either there is so much call handling activity that the dynamic memory on the CPU Card is running low or there is a software problem. The system uses “dynamic” memory for performing call handling functions, storing temporary information, etc. Each device in the system (CO trunk, keyset, single-line set, Voice Processing PC port, etc.) requires some dynamic memory. In addition, each call that is currently active requires some dynamic memory.

  When the first memory-low threshold is met (currently set to less than 160k free), the system starts forcing multiple CO ring-ins to ring only at the primary attendant since ringing one station will consume less dynamic memory than ringing several stations. The alarm and a delayed major reset are activated at this time.

  If the condition persists and the second low-memory threshold is met (currently set to less than 60k free), the system starts to prevent new calls from being made. CO ring-ins are ignored, and station users cannot make calls (they see an ALL CIRCUITS BUSY display). The alarm and a delayed major reset are activated at this time.

  If the condition persists and no dynamic memory is available, the system immediately performs a major reset (drops all active calls) to free up the dynamic memory.

  If the customer’s configuration has multiple trunks ringing into multiple stations and/or has multiple all-ring hunt groups with large numbers of stations in them, it can consume a lot of dynamic memory each time a call rings in because the call “fans out” to make one call to each device in the list. Try reducing the number of stations in each multiple ring-in group. If the problem still persists, contact Technical Support for further assistance.

• 114 T1/E1 Card [dd] In Red Alarm — The indicated T1/E1 Card has detected some type of red alarm error condition for at least two to three seconds (e.g., loss of the T1/E1 signal), either internally or from outside the system. All calls on the card are dropped. Check the alarm message and field service diagnostic output; then attempt to correct the problem.
• 115 Alarm History Frozen Due To System Exception — The system has frozen the call processing history automatically because a system exception has occurred. Save the database and the CP Error Information and contact Inter-Tel Technical Support for further assistance.
• 119 Link To Secondary Cabinet Lost — The system has detected a loss of communication with the PCM-F Card in the slave (third) chassis in a tri-cabinet or quad-cabinet configuration. Check to make sure the fiber-optic cables between the first (master) and third (slave) chassises are properly connected.
• 123 Remote KSU Is Offline — The system has detected that a remote KSU is offline. When generated, the PCMA group number that is currently offline is indicated. Check the cabling connections between the KSUs and/or the ATM Switch.
• 124 System Running on Backup Key: Hours Remaining – The connection to the master redundancy CP Server has been lost, and the backup CP Server will continue to run for hours (up to 100 hours). Either the cable is removed or compromised, or the PC lost power or is failing. All devices in the KSU and attaching cabinet will continue to function until the time expires, at which point the audio is terminated. If the master PC had a major failure, remove the key on the master and place it on the backup PC to reduce the risk of losing audio resources.
• 125 Invalid Software License – Reset in X Minutes – An invalid software is detected for a variety of reasons (see Software License Upload Errors). When this alarm is generated, the reset timer counts down from 240 minutes (four hours), indicated by X. The alarm is then generated every five minutes. If the software license is not validated before this timer expires, the system resets, dropping all calls. The alarm is generated again until the license issue is resolved. Log into Database Programming and upload the correct software license (see Upload Software License). If you have uploaded the correct software license and the alarm is still generated, the license may be corrupt. Transfer the software license to a new CPC or CP Server security key and notify Inter-Tel immediately.

Minor alarm numbers 200-299 are reserved for Voice Processing PC problems that require attention from service personnel.

NOTE: Even though a Voice Processing PC alarm has been registered, the System itself may still be functioning properly.

These alarm messages (as they appear in the error message printout) currently include:

• 200 Voice Processing Unit: Hard Drive Failure — The system has detected a possible Voice Processing PC hard disk failure. If the problem persists, save the current database (if possible) and replace the hard disk.
• 201 Voice Processing Unit: Channel(s) Failure — The system has detected a failure of one or more of the voice channels between the System and the Voice Processing PC. If the problem persists, check the cabling between the two and reboot the PC. If the problem still persists, check for a defective Audio Interface Card, Voice Processing Card, CPU/MEM Card, CPU020/PCM Card, or Options Card.
• 202 Voice Processing Unit: Database Corruption — The Voice Processing applications database stored on the PC’s hard disk appears to be corrupt. Reboot the PC. If the problem persists, try saving both the System and Voice Processor databases (for possible future evaluation), then restore older valid versions or reprogram manually. (It is possible to restore just the System database and then reprogram the Voice Processing database, if desired.) If the problem still persists, try replacing the hard disk. If this does not solve the problem, contact Technical Support for further assistance.
• 203 Voice Processing Unit: Communications Link Down — The system has detected a loss of communications between the System and the Voice Processing PC. This alarm is generated whenever the PC crashes or is rebooted, the RS-232-C cable is disconnected, or a communications channel is rendered inoperable (e.g., due to a bad serial port or RS-232-C cable). First verify that the problem still exists by placing a call to a valid voice mail extension number. If any message other than “xxxxx IS UNPLUGGED” is displayed, the communications link is now okay. If not, check the RS-232-C cable and make sure it properly connected, and verify that the Voice Processing PC communications port is still enabled and set to 9600 baud and software handshaking. If the problem persists, reboot the Voice Processing PC. If the communications link is still down, reboot the System. (NOTE: This will drop all calls). If rebooting both systems does not clear the problem, replace the RS-232-C cable or replace the component that has the defective serial port (CPU/MEM Card, CPU020/PCM Card, or Disk Controller Combination Card) and return it for repair.
• 204 Voice Processing Unit: Version Mismatch — The version of software on the Voice Processing PC is not compatible with the version of software on the System. Upgrade one or both to the appropriate version. If any other alarm messages are encountered, note the circumstances under which the message(s) occurred and contact Technical Support.

Minor Alarms that are User Correctable

Minor alarm numbers 000-019 are reserved for System problems that can be corrected without calling service personnel. These alarm messages (as they appear in the error message printout) currently include:

• 000 Alarm Automatically Cleared — The alarm was automatically cleared.
  
• 001 Alarm Manually Cleared ‘Ext. xxxxx’ — An administrator entered the Clear Alarm feature code (9850) and cleared the alarm manually.
• 002 Network Alarm Automatically Cleared — The network alarm was automatically cleared.
• 003 Network Alarm Manually Cleared ‘Ext. xxxxx’ — An administrator entered the Clear Network Alarm feature code (9851) and cleared the alarm manually.
• 010 Device x.y.z ‘xxxxx’ Is Off Hook — The indicated station is off hook and the Inactivity Alarm timer has expired. (The station’s display shows STATION OFF HOOK, and the station’s associated key on DSS/BLF Units and other keyset speed-dial keys flutter continuously.) Locate the station and place the handset back in its cradle.

NOTE: Calls being transmitted over the secondary voice path are not affected or interrupted by an off-hook alarm condition. Also, there is a system option to disable this alarm, if desired.

• 011 Emergency Call Made By Device x.y.z ‘xxxxx’ — A user at the indicated station dialed the Emergency Call feature code – 911 (999 for Europe).
• 012 SMDR Printer Off-Line — The system has been unable to write to the SMDR printer for at least five minutes. The indicated printer or serial port is not functioning properly. Make sure the printer is turned on and has plenty of paper and ribbon. Check to see that the interface cable and power cord are properly connected.
• 013 Message Printer Off-Line — The system has been unable to write to the Message Print printer for at least five minutes. The indicated printer or serial port is not functioning properly. Make sure the printer is turned on and has plenty of paper and ribbon. Check to see that the interface cable and power cord are properly connected.
• 014 Real-Time Clock Needs To Be Set — The system real-time clock on the CPU Card has not been initialized or has been corrupted. Set the system time and date from an administrator station.
• 015 Hardware Real-Time Clock Inoperative — During normal operation, the system has detected that the real-time clock circuitry on the CPU Card is not operating properly. The system is now using a software clock, which may not be as accurate. Check to make sure that all of the components on the card are properly seated and that no pins are bent. If the problem persists, replace the card and return it for repair.

Minor alarm numbers 020-031 are reserved for Voice Processing PC problems that can be corrected without calling service personal.

NOTE: Even though a Voice Processing PC alarm has been registered, the System itself may still be functioning properly.

These alarm messages (as they appear in the error message printout) currently include:

• 020 Voice Processing Unit: Printer Off-Line — The system has been unable to write to the Voice Processing PC printer for at least one minute. The Voice Processing PC printer or parallel port is not functioning properly. Make sure the printer is turned on and has plenty of paper and ribbon. Check to see that the interface cable and power cord are properly connected.
• 021 Voice Processing Unit: Voice Mail Storage 80% Full — The portion of the Voice Processing PC hard disk reserved for voice mail is 80% full. Have the users delete all old messages. If the alarm continues to occur, it may be necessary to install a larger hard disk.
• 022 Voice Processing Unit: Voice Mail Storage 100% Full — The portion of the Voice Processing PC hard disk reserved for voice mail is completely full and cannot accept any new messages until more disk space is made available. Have the users delete all old messages. If the alarm continues to occur, either increase the assigned disk space or install a larger hard disk. NOTE: In order to send out a broadcast message to all users telling them to delete their old messages, it is necessary to first clear up some disk space by deleting some existing messages.
• 023 Voice Processing Unit: SMDR Storage 80% Full — The portion of the Voice Processing PC hard disk reserved for SMDR is 80% full. Empty the SMDR buffer using the Inside Track call accounting software. If the alarm continues to occur, empty the buffer more often or increase the size of the buffer. NOTE: Changing the SMDR buffer size discards all stored SMDR records.
• 024 Voice Processing Unit: SMDR Storage 100% Full — The portion of the Voice Processing PC hard disk reserved for SMDR is completely full. The oldest SMDR records are discarded as new ones arrive. Empty the SMDR buffer using the Inside Track call accounting software. If the alarm continues to occur, empty the buffer more often or increase the size of the buffer. NOTE: Changing the SMDR buffer size discards all stored SMDR records.
• 025 Voice Processing Unit: Avdap Message — This alarm message type is reserved for any alarm message text that the AVDAP wishes to send.
• 026 Voice Processing Unit: E-mail Gateway Is Disabled — The Voice Processing Unit E-mail Gateway is disabled because the number of mailboxes programmed for Email Gateway has exceeded the maximum number permitted by the license. Disable E-mail Gateway for some mailboxes so that the total number of E-mail Gateway enabled mailboxes would not exceed the permitted license number.

In addition, you may see a transient alarm, called Alarm 032. This indicates that the IP network does not have enough bandwidth to support the IP call that is currently connected. This alarm is generated if the IPRC detects that the audio-receive timer has expired without receiving the first audio packet or that the Average In Time Frame Percentage has fallen below the threshold specified in Database Programming. When this alarm is generated, a transient message is displayed on the affected IP phone. In addition, the administrator station displays SYS ALARM #32 X INSUF BAND where is the extension number of the affected device.

NOTE: This alarm is displayed only if the Insufficient Bandwidth Alarm flag is enabled in Database Programming (SystemFlags).

If generated, this alarm indicates a network problem, which may result in packet loss. Make sure the affected device is not behind a firewall or NAT.

Insufficient Bandwidth is always a problem on the network. I’ve told many a customer that the alarm itself is simply an indicator of network activity. It is like a low fuel light in your own car. This has been a concept that hasn’t been received well but hey, what can you do?

Feel free to offer comments if you have any questions.

John
forums.socalphonepros.com
www.socalphonepros.com

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