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Table of contents

This section provides detailed information on the basic questions you *must* ask when requesting ISDN service.

Be certain to request and carefully save this information because:

Your ISDN service will not work if you do not have the switch properly provisioned and your ISDN adapter correctly configured.
Most regular folks don't know this.
1. What is the central office switch configuration?
2. What services are the individual B-channels provisioned for?
3. What are my phone number(s)?
4. What are my SPID's

Central Office Switch Configuration

There are only about 4 possible central office switch configurations within North America.

National ISDN 1, or NI-1
Nortel/Northern Telecom DMS Custom
ATT/Lucent Custom Multipoint
ATT/Lucent Point To Point

Many of the newer ISDN adapters will automatically detect the central office switch configuration on their own. Purchase of an ISDN adapter that has this capability is a good idea. However, I have personally experienced situations where the ISDN service provider inadvertently misinformed me as to the central office switch configuration. So having this information at hand is a good idea.

B-channel Provisioning

ISDN B-channels are basically phone lines from a users perspective. When you subscribe to an ISDN Basic Rate service you should get two of them. It's like having two phone lines on the same wire! In an ISDN the B-channels must be provisioned (configured) by the phone company. The important thing is that if the line is provisioned incorrectly, then the service may not work at all!

Phone Number(s)

Buffer is always forgetting his.

SPID's About SPID's

SPID stands for Service Profile Identifier. You now know as much about them as 99% of all phone company ISDN tech's.

A SPID is a number that will look sort of like your phone number, and may or may not have garbage at the beginning and end. For each phone number you receive with your ISDN Basic Rate Service you will receive a SPID.

SPID configuration is an important "gotcha" when configuring an ISDN phone line. If the SPID's are not properly configured the line will not work correctly. Most ISDN equipment requires two SPID's for correct configuration. Be sure you have verified and configured your SPID's before attempting to use your ISDN adapter.

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