[comp.sys.att] Recycling 3b1's

thad@cup.portal.com (Thad P Floryan) (11/15/89)

With reference to Message-ID: <3396@eagle.wesleyan.edu>  8 Nov 89 21:49:55 GMT
posted by: flinton@eagle.wesleyan.edu 
Concerning:

	In article <1989Nov6.141634.10216@chinet.chi.il.us>, 
	randy@chinet.chi.il.us (Randy Suess) writes:
	> 
	> 	BTW, I was just on a tour of the AT&T distribution plant
	> 	in West Chicago, and saw thousands of 3b1's sitting there being
	> 	converted into something called "Master Control"  Seems AT&T
	> 	is buying back as many as they can find from VARS, etc.
	> 	Prices going up, perhaps???
	> 
	It was noted in a comp.dcom.telecom posting that's already expunged from
	our holdings here that AT&T seems to be putting unsold 3b1's to use as
	Starlan/Voicepower/PBX controllers.  Sorry I'm so vague, I didn't pay it
	that much mind the day that posting came my way.  For more accurate
	details, consult the TELECOM-Archives.  

I checked the Telecom-Archives (cs.bu.edu [ IP 128.197.10.1 ]) and found:

	TELECOM Digest     Sat, 14 Oct 89 14:00:06 CDT    Volume 9 : Issue 447
	....
	From: "Robert L. Oliver" <hutch!robert@cbmvax.commodore.com>
	Subject: Re: Phone Design For Humans
	Date: 5 Oct 89 02:36:21 GMT
	Organization: Rabbit Software Corp., Malvern, PA

	.... < in a discussion concerning the  AT&T System-25 PBX > ....

	BUT I LIKE THE SYSTEM 25.  Don't get me wrong...  

	Trivia note: The "Master Console" (option, I believe) of the System 25
	is a re-labeled AT&T Unix PC!  Yes, the original AT&T/Convergent Tech.
	machine (was it called a system 7100 or something?) that was AT&T's
	much-touted Byte-front-covered not-so-huge success.


Thad Floryan [ thad@cup.portal.com (OR) ..!sun!portal!cup.portal.com!thad ]

jcm@mtunb.ATT.COM (was-John McMillan) (11/16/89)

The System 25 has an Automated Attendant option.  The 3B1, using
Voice Power board & software, provides that functionality.  This
provides your standard "If you want to speak to Sales, enter 1..."
dialogue with the callers.

That feature turned out to be much more popular than they expected:
they had not inventoried enough 3B1's to cover sales until the
6386 version became [becomes] ready.  Ergo, they are taking older
machines and upgrading them to required RAM/disk levels.

(Conversely, the 6386 VP has probably not become available as
quickly as they'd expected.)

That's more than I know on the subject.

john mcmillan	-- att!mtunb!jcm -- muttering to SELF, not THEM