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This chapter describes the procedure to configure lines, which represent the channels across which voice and data signals travel. These lines can be E1, T1, V.35, or Ethernet lines carrying CEPT, DS1, V.35, or IP signals, respectively.
After you have selected a site to work with, the Lines tab appears to the right of the Sites tab. The Lines tab is available whether you have created a site, an access server, or a TPx component on the Sites tab. The Lines tab shows the lines for the selected site, grouped into separate lists for subscriber, access, access server, network, TransPath, and external lines. When you right-click in this tab, even if you have not highlighted a line, a popup menu appears with several options. (See Figure 8-1.)
Each node in a list shows a line icon, a line tag, and line type.
Subscriber lines---TDM lines (either E1 or T1) that feed into a mux. The signal channels are groomed off and sent to the telephony controller via the TransPath lines. The bearer channels are mulitiplexed to the network lines.
When you click on a line, the channels appear. To make the data easier to manage, it is displayed in groups of channels by usage. You can expand this node and see all channels individually. (See Figure 8-2.)
When you select a line, this menu allows you to set its channel type to bearer, signaling, blocked, or administrative (B, D, X, and A, respectively). You can do this for a single channel, for one or more groups of channels, or for all channels on one or more lines. (Refer to the "Set Channel Function" section for more information.)
The tree supports multiple selections of non-adjacent nodes and you can select different levels at the same time (mixing lines, groups, and channels). When you change the functions of one or more channels, the tree adjusts its group display so that it still shows groups for adjacent channels of a given function.
When you click on Add Line from the popup menu, the line dialog box appears showing the tag; you can specify the type and impedance (as drop-down selections), and the description (optional). The sequence number of the tag is just the first available line sequence number within the site, not within that line type.
You can change the tag to a word, number, or combination, but the default is to assign the next number in sequence, a hyphen, and the initial letter for the type of line (S for subscriber, N for network, and so on.) The default usage and type depend on where the menu was opened. For example, 4-S E1-75 represents E1 subscriber line number 4.
You might find it easier to recognize a tag that you have specified for each line (for example, NAS1_0n where n is the number of the previous line plus 1).
During an Add Line operation, the Line Detail dialog box has buttons for OK and Cancel. When you click on OK, the Cisco Software Release 4 telephony controller configuration tool verifies that the new line has a unique tag, then adds the new line to the list. If the tag is not unique, you see an error message and you can try again.
When you are a adding a line and have not yet selected OK or Cancel, the configuration tool does not let you change your selection or view a different tab until you click on one of the two buttons.
When you choose Add Multiple Lines from the menu, you will see a variation on the Line dialog box. (See Figure 8-3.)
Here you can specify the number of lines to be added, their usage, their type and impedance, and a common description (optional) to be used for all the newly created lines.
When you click on OK, the new lines are created as specified. A range of sequence numbers is assigned and tags are generated based on the usage and a per-usage sequence number.
When you select a line in one of the lists and choose Properties, the Line Properties dialog box shows details on the selected line. These details include usage, type, tag, and description (optional). You cannot change the usage (apart from deleting the line and adding a new one), but you can choose a different type and modify the tag and description. If the line is connected, you can modify its description but not its type or tag. (See Figure 8-4.)
When you click on OK, the configuration tool verifies that the line still has a unique tag. If it does, the appropriate list is updated. If it does not, it shows an error message and you can modify the tag and try again.
When you have made changes and have not yet selected OK or Cancel, the configuration tool does not let you change your selection or view a different tab. You must first choose OK or Cancel to finish the current operation.
If you select one or more unconnected lines in one of the lists and choose Delete Line from the menu, the selected lines are deleted. A line cannot be deleted if it is connected to a port or to a line interface (LIF). If you select a connected line, the Delete Line option is disabled.
When you expand a line in one of the lists, you see its channels. Each channel or group of channels is identified with a channel number and a function letter B (bearer), D (signaling), X (blocked), or A (administrative). Each channel is also marked as "mapped" or "not mapped." When you create a line, it is given an initial set of channel numbers based on the line type. The channels are initially all bearer channels. You can modify the functions of unmapped (but not of mapped) channels by selecting them, right-clicking on the channel, group of channels, or line, and choosing Set Channel Function from the popup menu that appears. (See Figure 8-5.)
To highlight non-sequential channels for which you want to set channel functions, hold down the Ctrl key and click on the channels to select them. Then select Set Channel Function and select B, D, X, or A. To set or reset all the channels in a particular line at one time, highlight the line, right-click on it, and select Set Channel Function. You can have different channel functions within a single line type.
Posted: Fri Nov 12 16:23:13 PST 1999
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