BARS programming course
- Programming Details -

This lesson is going to jump around a bit to cover some of the more subtle "gotchas" that are hiding in the BARS system. It will cover the usage of Time Of Day Schedules (TODS), Account (Mobile Authorization) Codes, Equal Access restrictions, System Speed Call List (SSCL) interactions and some other goodies.

• Time of Day Restrictions:
  Each day starts at 00:00:00 and ends at 23:59:59. The entire day is in TODS 0 as default. The other schedules are defined by moving 15-minute blocks into the other seven schedules. Each block of time, therefore, can only be in one schedule, and each schedule can have one or more non-contiguous blocks of time. Multiple blocks can be moved at one time by defining the start and ending times. It makes no difference which TODS the time may be in at the start of the command, it will all be moved into the destination schedule.

Time blocks all start at hh:00:00, hh:15:00, hh:30:00, or hh:45:00. These blocks each end at hh:14:59,
hh:29:59, hh:44:59, and hh:59:59 respectively. To move the hour of noon into schedule seven, the command would be:

TODS 7 12 00 12 59

ETO:
The Extended Time Of Day schedule does the same thing for the days of the week. It allows routing controls to be in effect for the period defined in the ETOD.

RTCL:
The routing control flag in the ESN activates the ability of the system to change a station's NCOS on a temporary basis. It is turned on by any of three possible methods. The first is the <RTC> key on the attendants console. The other two are TODS 7 and the ETOD. The NMAP prompt in the ESN is where the redefinition is made. The first number is the normal NCOS, the second is the NCOS the station user will have when routing controls are in effect.

NMAP 0 0
NMAP 1 1
NMAP 2 2
NMAP 3 7

Will change every station with an NCOS of 3 into an NCOS of 7 whenever TODS 7 is in effect, the ETOD is in effect, or the attendant&'s <RTC> key is depressed. NCOS 0, 1, and 2 stations will not be affected.

The final use of the TODS is in the Route List. The flag TOD will allow each entry in the list to be allowed or denied depending on time of day. A TOD X0 will block an entry from use during schedule 0. A TOD 2 7 will make it available during schedules two and seven. Notice that when it is used in the route block, schedule seven behaves just like all of the others. This is not considered "routing control", so this function is not affected by the state of the RTCL flag in the ESN.

• Authorization Codes:
  Authorization codes can be used to change a station&'s class of service, network class of service, trunk group access restriction, or to track calls on the SMDR print out. Authcodes are programmed in two steps in Load 88.

First, the authcode data block must be programmed with the desired characteristics and a class code number (CLAS). If the request was NEW then the AUTO feature can be used to generate up to 50,000 codes at one time for each class code.

Second, the authcode entries data block (AUT) can then be used to assign, delete, or change a CODE and assign it a CLAS. These commands require the use of a secure data password, default= "0000".

Once the codes are in place and have been distributed to the intended users, they can be used to make any authorized call by that user on any phone in the system as though it was the user&'s own. They override everything including time of day restrictions. The only exception to this is the Station Specific Authorization Code which can be used to limit use of authorization codes on single line phones.

• System Speed Call:
  System speed call works with BARS, for the most part, just as it does when direct trunk route access is used. The only difference is in load 90. It allows the definition network speed call lists.

LD 90
CUST	0
FEAT	NET
TRAN	AC1
TYPE	NSCL	Network Speed Call List
ITIE	xxx	Incoming trunk group exclusion index
NSCC	xxx	Network speed call access code
SSCL	0-253	System speed call list number

• Equal Access restrictions:
  This feature can be used to prevent some stations with a certain NCOS from dialing an equal access toll call (101xxxx+1+) on certain trunk routes. Its effect is to block equal access calls that might result in a charge back to the telephone system owner. The feature is activated in load 87 by answering YES to the EQA prompt, and applied in load 16, when defining the Route Data Block at EQAR YES. Notice that the business end of this thing isn't in the BARS load; it&'s in the trunk group definition. An obsolete parameter in Load 17 gate opener: TYPE PARM, prompt OCAC (NO) YES, controls if the system will recognize the old three-digit carrier codes. It defaults to no and can be left that way.
• Flexible ESN "0" routing:
  Entries in the translation table (ESN) are left-wise unique. That is, if "123" is in the table, then "1234" can't. The system is not able to match patterns by length. The sole exception to this is the flexible 0 routing. It allows 0, 00, 01, and 011 all to be in the table at the same time.

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