ATT Passageway For Partner Communications System User Guide

							Appendix B: PC Serial Ports
Given the scenario described in item (1) above (that is, a mouse on COM1 a
fax/modem card on COM2, and PassageWay Solution on COM3), you might
buy a bus mouse and configure it to use, say, IRQ2 or IRQ5. This would then
permit you to move PassageWay Solution onto COM1 (IRQ4), where it could
then be used simultaneously with both the mouse and the fax/modem.
Likely candidates for conversion from a serial interface to some other interface
include mice (which can be converted to bus mice) and serial printers (which
can be converted to an additional parallel printer port).
Workaround 3: If your serial port hardware permits you to select IRQs
other than the default ones (IRQ3 and IRQ4), make use of one or more
unused IRQs in your system to assign each COM port a unique IRQ.
This solution is generally not possible for built-in serial ports since these are
usually hard wired and cannot be changed. Although most add-in cards
containing serial ports permit you to change the IRQs assigned to them, many
cards do not let you select IRQs other than IRQ3 and IRQ4. For example, an
internal modem card generally has jumpers or switches which permit you to
administer the serial interface on the card to be COM1, COM2, COM3, or
COM4, but the I/O port addresses and IRQs associated with each of these
configurations is usually fixed to the settings in the table.
Fortunately, some serial port add-in cards do permit you to select IRQs other
than 3 or 4 (the additional choices are often IRQ2 and IRQ5). If your serial
port hardware provides this flexibility – and at least one of the IRQ numbers
available as an option is currently unused in your PC setup – you can solve
the IRQ conflict directly.
For example, consider once again the scenario of a COM1 mouse, a COM2
fax/modem card, and a COM3 PassageWay Solution. If the COM3 serial port
is located on an add-in card which permits IRQs other than 3 or 4 to be
selected, you could configure the COM3 serial port to use a different
(available) IRQ in your system, say, IRQ5. After making the necessary
changes to the card (for example, adding or removing some jumpers or
adjusting the positions of some switches), the last step would be to configure
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							Appendix B: PC Serial Ports
Windows to monitor IRQ5 rather than IRQ4 for the COM3 serial port – this is
accomplished using the Windows Control Panel under the Ports option (see
your Windows documentation for details).
If you attempt this solution, you must be certain that you do not choose an IRQ
which is in use by some other device in your system – if so, you will only trade
one type of IRQ conflict for another. You should be aware that many common
add-in cards use IRQs, including network cards and multimedia sound cards,
both of which are commonly used under Windows. Your PC hardware vendor
can assist you in configuring IRQs. You may also need to consult the
documentation for your PC and any add-in cards which are installed to
determine which IRQs, if any, are available on your system.
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							Appendix B: PC Serial Ports
Selecting an Add-In Serial Port Card
This section presents advice on how to choose an add-in serial port card for
use with PassageWay Solution. Because PassageWay Solution does not have
any unique requirements with respect to serial ports, this advice applies
generically to selecting a serial port for use with any peripheral.
In general, there are two main things to consider when selecting a serial port
for use with PassageWay Solution:
1.Choose a card which offers the flexibility to configure its serial port IRQs
to values other than IRQ3 and IRQ4 (for example, to IRQ2 or IRQ5).
This capability often proves to be very beneficial, especially if you are
purchasing the card to add a COM3 and/or COM4 port to your system.
As described at length in Workarounds and Solutions to the IRQ
Conflict Problem, for PCs which do not support IRQ sharing (which
includes most PCs, unfortunately), the ability to relocate the IRQ for
COM3 or COM4 away from the defaults (IRQ4 and IRQ3, respectively)
represents the only direct solution to conflicts which may arise when
attempting to use COM1 along with COM3 or COM2 along with COM4
under Windows.
If you know your PC does not support IRQ sharing, or if you are not
sure, it’s a good idea to purchase a card with this capability. If you
know your PC supports IRQ sharing, this capability is not as potentially
important.
2.For best performance with PassageWay Solution, choose a card which
has hardware support for high-speed communications.
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							Appendix B: PC Serial Ports
PassageWay Solution operates at a relatively high data rate (19.2 kbps,
or 19200 baud), and it relies on Windows to manage the flow of data
through your PC’s serial port. Depending upon your configuration,
Windows may have problems maintaining high data rates through
traditional serial ports. In these situations, a serial port designed for
high-speed communications can eliminate such problems while
providing a reduced load on the microprocessor (thus increasing the
performance of Windows during data transfers relative to standard serial
ports). In most cases, the price differential for such a card is quite
modest and a worthwhile investment
Many serial port cards on the market (and most built-in serial ports) use
either the 8250 or 16450 Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter
(UART) as their key component. Although these UARTs can operate at
high speeds, they do not assist the PC’s microprocessor in dealing with
high-speed data transfer. Under Windows, in particular, data can be
lost at high baud rates using these UARTs. If this data loss occurs,
PassageWay Solution cannot function properly.
Whenever possible, select a serial port card which uses the 16550
UART. This industry standard UART is an improved version of the
16450 with hardware support to help offload the microprocessor during
high-speed data transfers. Windows 3.1 has built-in support for the
16550, so no special software configuration is required to obtain the
benefits of the 16550’s enhanced capabilities. In addition, any high-
speed peripheral can benefit from the 16550 (for example, a 9.6 kbps or
14.4 kbps data and/or fax modem), not only PassageWay Solution.
In generall, since there is no way of knowing ahead of time if your
particular PC configuration requires an enhanced serial port for
PassageWay Solution, AT&T strongly recommends that you purchase a
card based on the 16550 UART to insure trouble-free operation with
PassageWay Solution.
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							Appendix B: PC Serial Ports
B-12 
						

							Appendix C: Running AT&TBuzz
in Export via Paste Link DDE Mode
The Microsoft Windows operating system provides the Dynamic Data
Exchange (DDE) method for transferring data between applications. One form
of DDE supports a registered clipboard format called Link. When associated
with the application’s Copy and Paste Link commands, the Link clipboard
format allows the user to establish DDE conversations between applications by
copying a data item in one application and paste linking it into the other.
AT&TBuzz running in Export via Paste Link DDE mode supports this method
for transferring call origin information to other Windows applications.
AT&TBuzz starts up the paste link operation when the user chooses to run in
Export via Paste Link DDE mode or when the user selects Initialize Paste Link
from the Setup menu in AT&TBuzz. This operation destroys the current
contents of the clipboard. The user must then do a Paste Link from the Edit
menu in the other Windows application. In most cases, the process to create
the link between the two applications will only have to be performed once.
After the link is created, AT&TBuzz will send a string of information to the other
application whenever a new Caller ID is received. The string contains four
fields. Each field is enclosed by quotation marks and separated from the other
fields by a comma and a space. The string has the following format:
, , , 
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							Appendix C: Running AT&TBuzz in Export via
Paste Link DDE Mode
where:
nhandle is an integer that refers to the handle of the telephone call.
ncaller id is the telephone number of the calling party.
nline label is the label of the line that the call came in on.
ncall origin info is the complete call origin string. For PARTNER systems,
the call origin info is identical to the caller id.
A macro should be written in the other application to parse the string when it is
received. It may want to look up the caller id in its data base and display that
record. The macro governs what is done in that other application when new
Caller ID information is received.
The other application may also want to send information back to AT&TBuzz to
be displayed in the Call Label field of the call record list box. The application
will have to:
1.Initiate a DDE conversation with AT&TBuzz using the Call_Label topic.
2.Use the DDE Poke command to send the strings.
3.Terminate the conversation.
The string must be in the CF_TEXT clipboard format and look like this:
, 
where
nhandle is an integer that refers to the handle of the telephone call. This
number was passed to the application with the Caller ID and should be
passed back to AT&TBuzz so it knows to which call the string belongs.
nstring of info. can be anything the application would like AT&TBuzz to
display (for example, the name of the caller). The string can be up to
122 characters in length. If the string contains any quotation marks, they
should be doubled (for example, James Jimmy Smith).
The Readme file has examples of macros in some common applications.
C-2 
						

							Glossary
A
AT&TBuzz
Application that enables you to manage incoming calls (answer, hold, or drop)
and view Caller ID (when available) for each call appearing at your telephone.
AT&TCall
A card file application that enables you to maintain information such as names,
addresses, and telephone numbers.
AT&TConnect
Application that manages AT&TBuzz, AT&TCall, and AT&TSet and ensures
correct operation of the serial port to which your PassageWay Adapter is
connected.
AT&TSet
Extension programming application that enables you to program user features
and personal speed dial list for your MLS-34D, MLS-18D, or MLS-12D
telephone from your PC. If you are the System Manager, you can use
AT&TSet to perform Centralized Telephone Programming from your PC for any
telephone type (system or standard phones) and to program the system speed
dial list.
B
bank
The collection of cards in an AT&TCall file.
GL-1 
						

							Glossary
C
call log
A PassageWay file that stores an entry of every call you make from the Dial
buttons of a card or Quick Dials in an AT&TCall file, and incoming calls you
receive while AT&TBuzz is running.
call log archive file
A file in which you may store call log entries.  This is an ASCII file in which
each field of data is separated by a tab.
Caller ID
The call origination information that may be delivered with an incoming call.
card
A data record in an AT&TCall file. This record contains a maximum of 13 data
fields.
comma separated values format
A data file that contains records consisting of horizontal fields of data. Each
field of data is separated from the next field by a comma (,).
D
dialpad window
A window in AT&TCall that functions like the dialpad on your telephone.
GL-2 
						

							Glossary
L
Log Viewer
An application that enables you to view call entries that are stored in the
PassageWay call log.
S
standard phones
Industry-standard single-line rotary or touch-tone telephones, including feature
phones with built-in feature buttons and lights.
system phone
AT&T telephones specifically designed to work with the PARTNER system.
These include the MLS-34D, MLS-18D, MLS-12D, MLS-12, MLS-6, and MLC-6
model telephones.
GL-3