The calling device needs to be able to dial more than one number for a
connection, or you need a hunt group - simple as that. A BSPro can be
configured to dial 2 numbers, one for each channel. All Livingston ISDN
products can be configured to dial more than one number in a location.
But it doesn't seem that Ascend has provided this feature. So if the
box dialing in is an Ascend it can only use one B channel, or it needs a
hunt group. I believe the Ascend proprietary MP+ allows for no hunt
group - but this is proprietary instead of the system we use and Motorola
uses, which doesn't care what the other end is at all.
>If this is impossible, what's the benefit of using the PM2e-10i-u =
>instead of regular ISDN terminal adapters on any terminal server, such =
>as a Computone that can do >115kbps per port?
It wouldn't help to use an external TA. If the calling device can only
dial one number, you'd still only get one B channel. And since that
TA has *2* B channels but connects to *1* serial port, you lost the other
B channel since no one else can use it. You still need a hunt group to
get multiline support. This is *worse* than using the PM-2ei since in that
case you at least aren't throwing way B channels.
With the pricing I've seen, external TAs are more expensive then the
internal solution. They use more space. Consume more power. Generate
more heat. You have all the drawbacks of external modems - configuring,
monitoring, etc. You bottleneck thoughput - limited to 115.2 instead of
128 for 2 B channels. You have wire soup. For devices that can do MP
with multiple lines you limit it to a max of 2 B channels. You add a
digital-to-async-to-digital step in order to pass through the serial
port.
I could go on...
-MZ
-- Livingston Enterprises - Chair, Department of Interstitial Affairs Phone: 800-458-9966 510-426-0770 FAX: 510-426-8951 megazone@livingston.com For support requests: support@livingston.com <http://www.livingston.com/> Snail mail: 6920 Koll Center Parkway #220, Pleasanton, CA 94566 See me in person: Internet Expo, Boston, MA, October 16-17, Booth 422 ;-)