| ==Phrack Inc.== |
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| Issue XIV, File 4 of 9 |
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| The Reality of the Myth |
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| REMOBS |
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| by Taran King |
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| In the past, many misconceptions have been made of the legendary |
| REMOBS system. The term has been used and abused. It used to be known as |
| REMOB, rather than the proper REMOBS, which stood for Remote Observation. The |
| REMOBS is a REMote service OBservation System manufactured by Teltone, a |
| company which makes various telephone equipment peripherals. |
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| REMOBS has a number of features. The REMOBS permits evaluation of |
| equipment or employee performance. It allows observation of subscriber lines, |
| CO, toll, and E&M trunks, repair bureaus, and operator positions. It can be |
| portable or set up as dedicated remote terminals. The observer console can |
| sample entire networks. REMOBS is compatible with all types of switching and |
| transmission media. |
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| The purpose of the REMOBS system is to measure performance and |
| service provided to customers in an impartial and unbiased manner. By |
| monitoring the subscriber connections throughout the network switch, this can |
| be achieved. The customer experiences are recorded and statistics are derived |
| to provide service level indices. |
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| REMOBS is compatible with all switching systems including Step by |
| Step, Crossbar, and electronic equipment. In each situation, it can observe |
| almost any transmission point such as subscriber lines, inter- and |
| intra-office trunks, toll trunks, E&M trunks, repair bureaus, commercial |
| offices, and operator positions. The console operators can observe by phone |
| line, from one location, any switch location/CO with the remote unit |
| installed. |
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| The M-241 system (which includes the console and remote terminal) |
| observes up to 40 circuits, but can scan up to 100 lines with a remote |
| terminal. The terminal may observe up to 5 locations simultaneously, with a |
| capacity to observe 500 circuits at any one time. |
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| The REMOBS system can observe all remote terminals at any switching |
| system location through the console controls, making it feasible to observe an |
| entire network. Remote terminals are equipped with plug-in connectors so they |
| can be moved routinely to observe desired locations. |
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| The M-241 Remote Terminal: The remote terminal is located at the point of |
| ========================== observation. It may be ordered in portable or |
| dedicated configuration. The remote terminal remains inactive until accessed |
| by the controlling console. The remote unit is 6.5" high, 22.88" wide, and |
| 11.7" deep, arranged for relay rack mounting. |
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| The M-242 Observer's Console: Console operators access the remote terminals |
| ============================= through telephone lines. Access to the remotes |
| is limited to console operators who know the access number, timing, and four |
| digit security code. Additional security is available with the optional |
| security dialback feature. The System automatically scans observed circuits. |
| The first circuit to become busy is selected and held by the system until the |
| necessary information is secured, the operator presses the reset button, or |
| the calling party goes on-hook. Timing circuits automatically drop the call |
| 100 seconds after the calling party goes off-hook or, if answer supervision is |
| present, 15 seconds after the called party answers. The console itself looks |
| very much like a cash register. Where the digits are normally, there are |
| places for the trunk identity, called number, stop clock, and memory. The |
| pushbutton controls consist of the following: power (key switch), hold |
| buttons, select buttons, calling party, called party, display hold, clear, |
| O.G. line, auto reset, reset (manual), read (stop clock operate), talk, voice |
| exclusion, memory, plus a standard touch-tone keypad with the A, B, C, and D |
| keys. There are 2 monitor jacks, a volume control and, for the primitive |
| lines and switches, a rotary dial next to the touch-tone keypad. The |
| operator's console stands 2.25" in the front and 8.25" in the back; it's |
| 17,25" wide and 16.5" deep. |
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| The observation system network is set up in the following manner. |
| The operator observer is in an observing center at the local Central Office |
| with the M-242 REMOBS Central Console (which looks like a telephone to the |
| Central Office). Through the standard telephone network, communications |
| occurs between the console and the remote. From the CO, through the incoming |
| circuitry, it goes through the connector to the M-241 REMOBS Remote Terminal |
| (which looks like a telephone to the access line). From there the connection |
| is made to the circuits to be observed including the subscribers lines, |
| line-finders, toll trunks, repair lines, etc. |
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| The information provided is both visual and audible. The visual |
| display, showed on the panel, includes the identity of the remote terminal, |
| the identity of the observed circuit, the signalled digits (up to 52), the |
| status of the calling and called parties (on/off-hook), and the timing of the |
| call. The audible information (which is provided through headset or handset) |
| includes the call progress tones for disposition (dial tone, type of |
| signalling, 60 IPM, 120 IPM, ringing, answer, etc.) and voice transmission |
| (calling and called parties). |
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| The REMOBS system is very much different from often-misconceived |
| system known as 4Tel made by Teredyne. REMOBS is very much different from the |
| dial-up - enter 1 code - be given instructions simplicity of the 4Tel but it |
| still has the legendary capabilities of listening in remotely. |
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| If you wish to gain more information about the REMOBS system, Teltone |
| Corporation can be written to at 10801 - 120th Avenue N.E., Kirkland, WA 98033 |
| or phoned at (206) 827-9626. |
| ______________________________________________________________________________ |
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