Good idea or shot in the foot?

[dtdude]

I've mainly worked on Nortel and Cisco in the past. I'm curious about Mitel and would like to tinker with it...

I have the opportunity to buy a used 3300 CX for a couple hundred bucks. Would only ever use it on the bench...maybe at home.

The CX comes with known passwords and has loads of licenses (like 50 IP users and sets. 60 something advanced VM boxes, even some ACD agents). I even have access to its application record ID. It seems like a good deal....but are there going to be any "gotchya's" I am missing here??

Only thing I am worried about is it throwing a hissy fit for not syncing to AMC.

Also, is there any hope in the world of getting a SIP trunk license added without having a vendor totally re-license the unit?  (which would be silly expensive for home).

[jrg0852]

As you know, systems are binded to specefic customers and/or VARs. I would be very careful and suspicious of this. Anyone else?.........................

[LoopyLou]

If you get a system with licenses then you are free to play with it. It only needs to get to the AMC when you are adding licenses but otherwise it will work. You might have access to the application record but I doubt you will have access to the AMC licensing center. I might suggest you would not want to sync to the AMC as whoever sold it to you might have moved the licenses off your applicaiton  record before they sold it to you. Syncing would  then blank your system licenses. You will not be able to buy additional licenses without vendor  intervention to relicense  the system. Agree you would not want to pay to have that done just for a lab. Otherwise have fun.

[LoopyLou]

Note you don't own the licenses that come with the system so their are so legal aspects to it but if you are not trying to sell it as a working systems I don't think anyone will be  kicking down your door.

[jrg0852]

Thanks for clarifying this, Lou.

[dtdude]

Well this is good to hear.

For some reason I thought AMC syncing was an automatic process. So essentially avoid this, and I should be good as long as I'm not running an illegal underground Mitel ring in the basement of the bar down the street!

Should I avoid this system having internet access altogether?

[acejavelin]

No, you can connect it to the Internet... the 3300 will not attempt to contact the licensing center unless you manually initiate it.

Remember that the license cannot be "backed up" and a wipe or factory reset will lose the license forever unless it can resync to AMC with the correct AMC record (a 50/50 crap shoot in my mind). Just something to keep in mind.

[dtdude]

So just delete unnecessary users/trunks/mailboxes. Don't attempt to clear the database?

[dtdude]

And thanks for the help everyone!

[acejavelin]

So just delete unnecessary users/trunks/mailboxes. Don't attempt to clear the database?

Correct... If you do a database clear, I am pretty sure it clears the licenses as well, but it has been so long since I have done that I don't recall exactly. Just make a backup so that if you clear something that breaks it, you can always restore the database.

[lundah]

So just delete unnecessary users/trunks/mailboxes. Don't attempt to clear the database?

Correct... If you do a database clear, I am pretty sure it clears the licenses as well, but it has been so long since I have done that I don't recall exactly. Just make a backup so that if you clear something that breaks it, you can always restore the database.

Clearing the call control database (via "DBMS Flag Off" and a reboot") shouldn't touch the license file, but keep in mind the system will retain some of the IP config programming.

[dtdude]

Well. Thanks to everyone's help I am up and running. Spent a few hours stumped as to why DHCP wasn't working and why phones would register, even with static IP's....then I learned about DBMS saved.

Turns out the software is a bit old. ICP 9, but it will do for a learning system.

Now I've got some sets programmed, voicema ports and hunt group set, just waiting on a few ATAs to arrive so I can get some trunks setup (no SIP license trunk, having to do SIP --> analog)