This problem can occur in several different ways.  Take a look at the following for some basic troubleshooting tips.

• Collect Information:
       Ask additional questions of the person/people experiencing the malfunction.  User complaints are often vague and incomplete and time can be wasted troubleshooting the wrong problem.  A clear and accurate statement of the problem will lead to a quicker solution.
       Is this an issue with all extensions or just some of them?  This will tell you whether you have a systemic problem or an issue with programming on just a few extensions.
       Is there any time of the day or day of the week that call records fail to appear or is this a constant problem?  Again, this will tell you if there's a systemic problem or if the failure is related to another process or some other equipment that causes the fault at predictable intervals.
       When did the problem first start and was there any repair or maintenance work done in the building around this time?  Problems like this often result from upgrades and maintenance to other systems or from disturbance of cabling or power connections that happen during repair or maintenance work.
       If none of your questions narrow down the problem to more specific occurrences, proceed with troubleshooting the entire system with the steps shown below.    
  
• Troubleshoot the Call Accounting setup:
       It seems too basic, but start by being sure the problem is on the Mitel side and not your call accounting setup.  Be sure that your call accounting device is plugged in and communicating with any attached printer or PMS interface.
• Troubleshoot the Cabling:  
       It's just a fact that the majority of telephone and computer interconnection problems are caused by cabling faults.  Start tracing back from your call accounting device, checking each connector to see that it's properly seated and secured and checking every cable for damage. Quite often this will quickly resolve the problem.
• Troubleshoot the Mitel Port:
       If you've traced the cabling back to the Mitel, you know which serial port should be sending SMDR (Station Message Detail Recording) to your call accounting.  Remove the serial connector from the call accounting device, open a Hyperterminal session on your laptop's COM port (for test purposes, start at 1200/8/N/1), and connect the SMDR cable to your laptop.  Now make a long distance test call from an extension that should be reported to call accounting and stay on the line for at least two minutes.  That two minute duration is important because it will force the call past any reasonable answer supervision timers.  Very soon after you hang up from the test call, you should see data in the Hyperterminal window.  
       Any data, even if it's not legible, indicates that the Mitel is outputting SMDR.  If this is the case, there is either a mismatch of serial port parameters or a problem with the Call Accounting serial port.  It's unlikely that the Mitel's serial port parameters have changed accidentally, so identify the parameters of the Mitel port that is sending the data and adjust the Call Accounting system to those parameters and re-test.  If this doesn't resolve the problem, start troubleshooting the Call Accounting system itself.
       If nothing comes across the Hyperterminal window, place a null-modem adapter in the cabling and repeat the test.  If you still see no characters on the screen, repeat these tests directly from the Mitel's serial port using serial cables that are known to be good.  If you start seeing data, the problem is a cabling defect not revealed in the prior step.  Resolve the problem by repairing or replacing the cabling setup and re-test.  
       If none of these tests send data to your laptop, the next step is to look for programming faults in the Mitel.
• Check the Mitel programming.  (These steps assume you are familiar with and have access to the Mitel Programming Interface.  If not, you're strongly encouraged to stop here and contact an experienced Mitel technician for help.)
       Open the CDE screen and look in Form 34 to see where the SMDR is being directed.  If the programming looks right, move on to the next step. (If it's going to anywhere other than the Printer Port, make a note of that destination for future reference.)  Don't see it anywhere?  You've probably found your problem.  Do you see it but it's not being directed where you expected?  You've probably found your problem.  Correct the programming and re-test.      
       Now look in Form 16 to see if SMDR is turned on in the trunk groups.  If the programming looks right, move on to the next step.  If not, enable SMDR in the trunk groups and re-test.    
       Look in Form 14 and/or Form 15 to identify the COS(s) being used for the trunks, then look in Form 3 to be sure the "SMDR - Does Not Apply' option is disabled is disabled and "SMDR - Overwrite Buffer" is enabled for the COS(s).  If the programming looks right, move on to the next step.  If not, correct these COS Options and re-test.  
       Look in Form 9 to identify the COS(s) of the extensions you're trying to monitor, then look in Form 3 to be sure "SMDR - Does Not Apply' option is disabled is disabled and "SMDR - Overwrite Buffer" is enabled for the COS(s).  If the programming looks right, move on to the next step.  If not, correct these COS Options and re-test.  
       Return to Form 34 and direct SMDR to another port (using the com port on a Superconsole is an easy option) and re-test from there.  If you're able to receive SMDR over the new port, it's most likely that the original port has a hardware failure.  If practical, you can choose to permanently redirect the SMDR data through the new port.  If not, pursue repair of the hardware failure.  If you're not able to receive SMDR, even over a correctly programmed new port, return to the first programming check and recheck all your programming.  
       If none of these steps produce data across one of the Mitel serial ports, come back here and post your problem and note that you've completed these FAQ steps.  Hopefully, another Forum member can offer more suggestions.
  
  
  

PLEASE NOTE: If this FAQ helps solve your problem, come back to the Forum and let us know!

This is an Open FAQ.  If you have questions, additions, or corrections, feel free to reply.