Groups
From Zenitel Wiki
All the subscribers in the exchange can be divided into groups. The exchange can handle up to 250 different groups of stations. There is no limitation to the number of members in each group and a station can be member of more than one group. The groups are used for several purposes:
- Voice Paging - calling all stations (All Call) or a group of stations (Group Call).
- Set-up of audio program or simplex (program) conference to a group.
- Send mail messages to a group of stations.
- Send Call Request to a group of stations.
- Group hunt - calling one station in a group (e.g. to access on of several telephone line).
- Restrict access on calls to/from a group of stations.
Additional Information:
- Only stations can be members of a group.
Contents
Group Membership Configuration
Group 1
All subscribers are members of group 1 after autoload. A Group Call to group 1 is then heard at all stations.
Group 49
This group is used for stations that are not allowed to use the telephone feature. The telephone network interface PNCI is normally configured to reject calls from members of this group. The group is empty after autoload.
Additional Information
Further access restrictions to the PNCI (such as access to make local calls only) are programmed in the PNCI itself.
Group 50
This group is by default used for a group hunt to external telephone lines. All the PNCIs connected to external telephone lines should be entered in this group. When you dial 0 to get access to a telephone line, group 50 is used to find a free line. The group is empty after autoload.
Group 51 to 60
These groups are used for defining Ringing Groups, autoload directory numbers 6701 - 6710 are autoloaded with relation to these groups. Groups 51 to 60 are empty after autoload.
Assigning Stations to Groups
To assign stations to a group, each station must be specifically included. It is possible to include a station in any number of groups.
Group Call/Announcements
Groups are most frequently used to activate calls to a group of stations. If the group call includes all stations (group 1) it is usually called an All Call.
In the autoload the following directory numbers are available for Group call feature:
- 84 All Call to group 1 (all subscriber by default members)
- 85 - 88 Group Call to groups 2 - 5 (empty groups)
- 890 - 899 Group Call to groups 6 - 15 (empty groups)
To initiate a group call, dial the directory number of the desired group. Both you and the group members hear a ding-dong signal. Press the M-key while you speak. Your voice will be heard on all stations belonging to this group. To repeat the message, press the M-key and speak again.
Anybody in the group can answer you within a given period (default 30 seconds). If nobody answers, the call is automatically canceled when the time-out period expires. You can also cancel the answer period yourself by pressing the C-key.
The exchange is often programmed to restrict the possibility to make an All Call to certain stations, for example the one at the switchboard. You can also exclude any station from receiving an All Call /Group Call.
Answering Group Calls (Meet Me)
If someone is searching for you using a Group Call or All Call, you can dial 99 (Group call answer feature) on an intercom station within the answer period (default 30 seconds). You will automatically be connected to the person who initiated the call (unless the caller cancels the answer period).
Additional Information
- If you use simultaneous group calls, you must answer from a station belonging to the group.
Simultaneous Group Calls
The exchange can send out more that one group call at the same time, keeping track of which station made which group call. There must not, however, be any overlap in members of the simultaneous groups. If there is overlap, the second group call is queued. When simultaneous group calls is used, answering a group call must always be done from a station belonging to the group.
Additional Information
- The possibility to have simultaneous group calls can be disabled. A new group call will then meat a busy signal if the ongoing call has the same or higher priority. An ongoing group call will be canceled by a new group call with higher priority.
- The gong is a common resource. If two group calls are started at the same time, the second must wait till the gong is finished, no matter what the priorities are. If the repeated gong is used, the gong may be occupied for some time, according to the programming of the repeated gong.
Voice Paging Exclusion To Prevent Acoustic Feedback
In certain situations there may be a problem with acoustic feedback between neighboring stations during Group Calls. With Voice Paging Exclusion each subscriber may exclude up to eight neighboring stations from receiving the audio during a group call initiated by the subscriber. (Before 10.30: max four neighbor stations in list).
Group Call Priority
The group calls can have 4 different levels of priority:
- Low (1)
- Medium (2)
- High (3)
- Alarm (4)
By default all groups have Low priority, but this can be changed by programming. The group call priority works in the following way:
- With simultaneous group calls: A group call is canceled by a group call with higher priority if there is overlap between members.
- Without simultaneous group calls: An ongoing group call is canceled by a group call with higher priority.
- Group Calls with Alarm priority. This priority should be used for alarm group calls only. It has the following attributes:
- Priority over group calls with lower priority.
- Override of volume setting on the TouchLine InterGuard stations. The alarm call is always distributed at maximum volume.
- Override of handset off on the TouchLine InterGuard stations. The alarm call comes through the main speaker even if the handset is accidentally misplaced.
- On-going conversations are canceled if the exchange needs the hardware resources to get the Alarm Group Call through to everybody.
Additional Information
- The gong is a common resource. If two group calls are started at the same time, the second will wait till the gong is finished, no matter what the priorities are. If the repeated gong is used, the gong may be occupied for some time, according to the programming of the repeated gong.
Group Restrictions
Group Access Level
You restrict the access for a station to activate some group calls by using the Group Access Level. There are 3 access levels for groups: Low - medium - high. The access level is assigned to each group during commissioning of the system. Each station also has a group access setting. Your station must have the same or higher level than defined for the group to be able to activate the group call. This is typically used to restrict access to using All Call to one or two stations (switchboard operator and receptionist).
Additional Information
- By using the Class of Service feature you can also restrict a station from access to all group calls.
Restrictions to Recieve Calls from a Group of Stations
It may be desirable to restrict who may call whom. For each station, you can define a group which is not allowed to call the station. This can be used to set up a group of stations that are not allowed to call the PNCI number, thus limiting access to any telephone lines in the AlphaCom system.
Supplementary Access Control to Using Features
You also use group set-up when defining stations that are allowed/not allowed to use a feature, although it is excluded/included in the station’s Class of Service
Group Call Reception Filter
Each station can activate a Group Call Reception Filter which makes it possible only to receive Group Calls with setup priority above a defined priority level. You simply dial 793x to activate the wanted filter on the station.
7930 = Filter off 7931 = Filter 1 Group Setup low priority 7932 = Filter 2 Group Setup normal priority 7933 = Filter 3 Group Setup high priority
When the feature has been activated on the station the display shows which filter is active for your station.
7931 GrpFilt 1 7930 GrpFiltCanc
Aditional Information
- The feature is not included in Class of Service 1.
Software
- AMC 08.00 or later.
Programmable Gong
The default gong pattern for the group calls is a ding-dong tone. By default there are four alternatives available:
- Ding-dong
- Dong-ding
- Repeated gong
- 4-tone gong
The selected gong type and tones applies to all group calls.