Setting up numeric paging is similar to setting up text paging in that both involve creating a [
Configurations
] definition for each service provider and (optionally) a [Destinations
] definition for each pager. One difference is that a typical numeric pager is associated with its own unique phone number, so theNumber
setting (as in phone number) usually appears as part of the destination, not the [Configurations
] definition. A more fundamental difference rests with the challenge of getting your modem to communicate with the numeric paging service.When you use TelAlert to send a text page, you call a line reserved for modem-to-modem
communication. Your modem—whether in the Engine or an external one—already understands how to participate in the handshaking process required to communicate with the service provider; no special settings are required to instruct the modem what to do, or when to do it.
Some numeric paging services also provide special lines for modem-to-modem communications. If that method is available, we strongly recommend you use it, as described below in “Sending Numeric Pages Using the TAP Protocol.” Other numeric paging services require TelAlert to dial the same number used by human users. In that case, follow the instructions in Sending Numeric Pages Without TAP.
7.4.1 Sending Numeric Pages Using the TAP Protocol
The better of the two alternatives is to send the numeric page using the service provider’s text-paging (or TAP) line, just as if you were sending a text message. Most local text text-paging services support this by default; most national services do not but will enable it for your account free of charge, upon request. Be sure to check with your provider before proceeding.
1. Create a special [
Configurations
] definition for the TAP-based paging service through which you will be sending numeric pages. Base this definition on information you will find in the appropriate pager configuration file provided by Vytek Messaging Services, Inc.(/usr/telalert/Pagers
is the default location for these files). For example:[Configurations]
...
{ATTWichitaTextPagerNumeric}
Type=TextPager Speed=2400 AreaCode=316 Number=636-4110
NumericMessageOnly=True
2. Make two changes to the settings you find in this file (these changes are reflected in the above sample):
First, give it a special name to indicate that it is a text paging [
Configurations
] definition intended for numeric pages only.Second, include a special setting,
NumericMessageOnly=True
. This is necessary to ensure that TelAlert does not attempt to send text pages using this [Configurations
] definition.This setting may come into play in a send to a group of destinations that specifies both a text and a numeric message in order to let TelAlert decide which version to send to each destination. Normally, the
Type
setting determines which version of the message is sent to a given destination, but settingNumericMessageOnly
toTrue
overrides this, ensuring that TelAlert sends only the numeric message to pagers using this [Configurations
] definition. For more information, refer to the discussion of message-specific command line options(-m, -mi, -mp
, etc.)
in Chapter 3: Command Line Reference in theTelAlert Keyword and Command Reference.
3. Next, under [
Destinations
], create entries for all the numeric pagers to which you will be sending pages using the special [Configurations
] definition you created. For instance:[Destinations]
...
{CynthiaNumericPager}
Configuration=ATTWichitaTextPagerNumeric PIN=5551212
In each of these entries, be sure to refer to the appropriate [
Configurations
] definition by name. Assuming each pager has its own unique local phone number, this number (without the area code) will serve as the correctPIN
value.You can send pages by issuing a command that invokes the destination. For example:
telalertc -i CynthiaNumericPager -m "0123456789"
You can also send pages using the above [
Configurations
] definition and no destination, if you like, by passing information specific to the pager on the command line:telalertc -c ATTWichitaTextPagerNumeric -pin 5551212 –m "0123456789"
7.4.2 Sending Numeric Pages Without TAP
As discussed above, if your numeric paging service supports TAP, you should use it.
If you cannot use TAP, you can send numeric pages with a conventional modem. You must set a fixed amount of time to wait after dialing before sending the page. If the number of rings before the line picks up varies, or the length of any voice recording changes, TelAlert may send the page too late or too soon, and the message will not go through. This method is highly reliable only with paging services that always answer the line in exactly the same way.
Multiple Pages Per Phone Call With TAP
In addition to simplifying the numeric paging setup, the TAP option lets you send more than one page per phone call. This is not possible when you send numeric pages using your service provider’s standard numeric paging dial-up number.
Sending Numeric Pages Without TAP, Using a Conventional Modem
If you cannot use TAP, and do not have a TelAlert Engine (or have one but are reserving it for voice applications), you will send your numeric pages using a conventional modem. This is problematic, since a standard modem cannot detect the tone or silence that indicates it is time to send the page: it can recognize a busy signal but nothing more. Thus, instead of telling it what to listen for and under what conditions to respond, you are limited to telling it how long to wait before
delivering the message, before ending the call, etc.
In other words, the modem does much of its work “blind.” For that reason, the crucial keyword in such configurations is called
BlindAnswerWait
.1. Under [
Configurations
], create an entry for the numeric paging service based on the appropriate configuration information found in the file callednumeric
in thePagers
subdirectory. For example:
2. Make necessary changes to this [
Configurations
] definition, as detailed below:First, be sure the definition points exclusively to the TelAlert modem port. If you also have an Engine port configured and both list
NumericPager
among their types, havingType=NumericPager
in the [Configurations
] definition is not sufficient. Above,Model
has been set toModem
; this, in combination with theType
value, should uniquely identify the modem port.Second, set
PINRequired
toFalse
if your numeric paging service does not require a PIN (typically, local numeric paging services assign each pager a unique local phone number that serves to identify it).Third, examine the settings related to the timing of TelAlert’s delivery of the message.
Remember, your modem cannot listen for or respond to a tone; here, it is simply a matter of coming up with a “blind” timing pattern that allows it to deliver the message at the right time, relative to what takes place at the other end of the line. You will have to experiment with these settings to find the combination that works best with your service. These settings are:
BlindAnswerWait
—10s
specifies how long after the completion of dialing TelAlert will wait before “blindly” delivering its message. If this is set too low, TelAlert may deliver the message when the phone is still ringing. If it is set too high, the service may hang up on TelAlert before it delivers the message. To determine what value to assign here, call the numeric paging service and count the seconds that elapse from the time you finish dialing until you hear the tones. Repeat this procedure until you are confident of the consistency of this timing. To accommodate each additional ring, you will need to add a full six seconds to theBlindAnswerWait
value, since a standard ring cycle is six seconds. You must make sure that this additional time does not cause the service to time out on occasions when the line is answered more quickly.Terminator
—This is the tone that TelAlert issues to signal the end of message transmission. Most services ask callers to press the pound (#
) key after entering the numeric message. After issuing this tone, TelAlert waits the amount of time specified byPostMsgWait
and hangs up.PostMsgWait
—2s
specifies how long after message transmission (which includes the issuing of the terminator tone) TelAlert should wait before hanging up. This is needed in cases where the service provider issues a “fake” busy signal after it hears the terminator tone; if you permit the modem to detect this, it will report that it received a busy signal and you will not know whether the message was actually delivered.
3. Under [
Destinations
], create an entry for each numeric pager. For example:[Destinations]
...
{CynthiaNumericPager}
Configuration=NumericPager Area Code=316
Number=555-1212
Since this pager has its own unique telephone number, this number appears here, not in the [
Configurations
] definition.4. Have TelAlert re-read its configuration file, then test the configuration by sending a page to the destination, like so:
telalertc -i CynthiaNumericPager -m "0123456789"
Even if the message goes through the first time, you should pay close attention to your success rate for messages sent using this [
Configurations
] definition, in case adjustments are needed.If it does not go through, you will need to try again, this time tracking dial and call progress in the
telalert.trail
file. To do this, give one of the following two commands in a separate command window. On UNIX:tail -f $TELALERTDIR/telalert.trail
On Windows:
tail -f telalert.trail
Tone Recognition Settings Not Needed
Some of the configuration settings used for sending numeric pages via the Engine’s modem are not needed here (e.g.,
ToneWait
,AnswerToneOnly
,ToneRepeats
,MinToneOn
,MaxToneOn
,MinToneOff
,MaxToneOff
, andPreMsgWait
).If you model your standard numeric paging [
Configurations
] definition on a definition that contains these settings, you can either delete them or leave them intact.Assigning a value to