IVR FAQ

WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW

Frequently Asked Questions

You're not the first to ask.

Licenses

Common Error Messages

Integration

General

LICENSES

Q My VBVoice Runtime licenses won’t activate using Auto-Activate, what should I do?

VBVoice Runtime Manager License activation can also be done using the Manual Activation process. This is sometimes necessary when there is limited access to the Internet from a site. To perform Manual Activation follow these steps:

Click the checkbox in the bottom left of the VBVoice Runtime Manager interface to agree to the license agreement statement
Click on Manual Activate button
In the window that appears copy the entire alphanumeric string in the upper panel
Open a web browser and go to http://activate.pronexus.com/register/
Paste the alphanumeric string into step 7 and click Submit
You should see a new alphanumeric key returned at the top of your web browser. Copy/paste this into the VBVoice Runtime Manager Manual Activation window, in the lower panel
Click Finish button and the licenses should activate.

NOTE: If the licenses do not activate contact sales@pronexus.com for assistance. You may require a License Move in order to allow migration or rehosting of licenses.

COMMON ERROR MESSAGES

QDuring the installation of VBVoice on a Windows 7 system I get an unsigned driver error. What is this, what is its impact?

The VBVoice installation includes a hardware against software piracy (HASP) dongle driver for use when implementing a USB dongle solution for VBVoice license activation. Microsoft sees it as an unsigned driver, gives the message, but does allow the VBVoice installation to complete after clearing the message.

QERROR: VB Mode running period has expired and system has been stopped

This is common error, which occurs when running the .exe.

This error occurs if the integrated development environment (IDE) is open and you run the compiled application and it has detected that Visual Studio® is open and has grabbed the development licenses rather than VBVoice runtimes.

So, the two-hour limitation that you would see when running from debug applies in this situation. To develop and run the .exe at the same time, close Visual Studio, run the .exe (right click Run-As Administrator) and then you can open Visual Studio after the .exe is running.

QWhy do I get the error message "Failed to initialize lines either because of missing license or general error. See VBVlog for more info"? And VBVLog shows the message "missing a required license."

The VBVoice application requires access to VBVoice Runtime licenses in order to run a compiled application, which will connect with Dialgoic media. Verify the system has valid VBVoice runtime licenses activated in the Runtime Manager. Also ensure the application is successfully contacting an available run time meter (RTM). With the VBVFrame showing when you launch your .exe, click the More button and select the “Licenses” option to identify the target RTM and what licenses are available.

INTEGRATION

QThe VBVoice Controls did not get added to my Visual Studio Toolbox. Why, and how do I add this now?

There are two likely causes of why the VBVoice Controls don’t get automatically added to the Visual Studio Toolbox during the VBVoice installation:

VBVoice does not support Visual Studio Express. While it has been shown that VBVoice will integrate with Visual Studio Express, we have not fully tested it. The controls don’t appear because the VBVoice installer didn’t detect the express version of the IDE. Use Visual Studio Express at your own risk.

Visual Studio did not run at least once to perform the initial setup and preference configuration before VBVoice was installed. You must run Visual Studio at least once before installing VBVoice in order for the VBVoice installer to detect the IDE and add the Controls to the Toolbox automatically.

In either case, the VBVoice Controls can be manually added to the Toolbox.

Right click on Toolbox
Click Add Tab and assign a name to the tab (e.g., Pronexus)
Right click on this new tab
Select Customize Toolbox from the pop-up menu. A dialog box appears.
Click on .NET framework components and use the Browse button to locatethe control library: Pronexus.VBVoice.dll.
Check all VBVoice controls
Press OK to add controls

QWhat server hardware is recommended?

We rely on server hardware specs and chassis requirements rather than specific make/model when considering compatibility. In particular, the CPU must be supported by Dialogic:

Pentium III, Pentium 4, Pentium M, Pentium Extreme Edition, Celeron M, and single- and dual-core Intel Xeon processor-based platforms
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) Opteron server processors

The chassis must be able to physically accommodate a full length PCI board in the event you intend to use Dialogic boards for the telephony connection. PCI slot orientation is of consideration. Keep in mind, in general the full length boards a 12.5 inches long, and 3.5 inches tall. Check the Dialogic board’s specification sheet for specific requirements.

We do have a number of customers who have deployed high density IVR solutions on the following makes/models of servers:

Dell, model numbers 310, 510, 710, 715, T320
HP, model numbers DL360*, DL380*
HP Proliant G6, G7 or G8, model numbers 120**, 150**, 180**

See all the system requirments for VBVoice here.

* Scalable for virtual machine setup.

** 1U chassis server, which will fit full length Dialogic boards.

GENERAL

QCan the VBVoice IVR application send notification when it is down?

While VBVoice does not provide a native method to send notification of an application failure or that the IVR has gone down, it is possible to implement simple network management protocol (SNMP) monitoring, as well as Microsoft® notification if the application is run as a Windows® Service. The VBVoice application can also be monitored via Microsoft Performance Monitor to look for odd behavior. Custom logging can also be implemented using the VBVoice LineStatus Control to send notifications in the event odd behavior is identified. At the telephony layer, load balancing and failover of call routing can be achieved by configuring your local switch or private branch exchange (PBX) to reroute calls to a secondary IVR system in the event the primary system is not responding to calls sent to it.

QHow long does Pronexus plan to support VBVoice™ applications on Windows Server 2003, now that the server has been designated EOL by Microsoft?

Pronexus will does not support VBVoice™systems using Windows® Server®2003 post effective July 15, 2015. We advise our customers not to plan new systems on W2003 and to take measures to upgrade before July 15, 2015. Current installations will continue to work but we cannot support an OS which is not supported by the manufacturer.

QPCI-express board not in the Dialogic Configuration Manager

Once you have installed a Dialogic PCI express board it is possible that it will appear in the Windows Hardware Manager, but not in the Dialogic Configuration Manager (DCM).

The most common reason for this is that the PCI-express power provided to the Dialogic board is incorrect based on the PCI-express form factor requirements. Some motherboards allow power budgeting to be configured in the basic input/output system (BIOS).

Alternatively, Dialogic provides a power budgeting jumper on PCI-express boards. Refer to the Dialogic Quick Install Card for your particular Dialogic board model for full details and procedure.

QWhat is the best way to improve IVR responsiveness using master and slave applications?

When dealing with master and slave interactive voice response (IVR) applications, it is prudent to remember that VBVoice events, being executed in the same thread, are queued and executed sequentially; custom code could delay events and affect the IVR’s responsiveness. If you are routing calls from a master application that has a dependent slave application, a way to improve IVR responsiveness is to add one or more identical slaves so that the load is distributed in smaller amounts between the slaves. For example, a master application with 150 channels could have two slave applications handling 75 channels each; or, you could have three identical slaves each handling 50 channels. By organizing your IVR this way, you can decrease the load of each slave and improve IVR responsiveness.

QWhat VBVoice Reference should I use when developing my application?

The VBVoice .NET interface is now consolidated in one assembly, Pronexus.VBVoice.dll. This simplifies development because only one reference is needed in VBVoice projects, instead of multiple Pronexus assemblies that had to be referenced before. By default the PronexusVBVoice.dll reference is found in C:\Program Files (x86)\Pronexus\bin In your VBVoice project you will set the properties of this Reference for Copy Local = False (so the application will not use its own directory for the .dll) and Use Specific Version = False (making future upgrades easier)

QWhich format should my tagged image file format (TIFF) file be in to get sent by SendFax on a Dialogic card?

You have to use the Dialogic TIFF format. The specs are: GROUP 3 FAX format, i.e. Bits Per Sample = 1 Compression = CCITT Group 3 Fax Res X = 204DPI Res Y = 196DPI The color must be 1 bit