Nortel/Avaya BCM50: Descriptions of the LEDs and What They Indicate
The
BCM50 hardware LEDs offer a lot of information about the system state and can be
used to troubleshoot in the case of failures. The indicator LEDs can lead you to
understand a system issue in a state that needs
attention. A red alarm indicates a critical alarm on the unit and must be
cleared using the BCM Element Manager app. The steps to clear the critical alarm are
shown below.
Avaya purchased Nortel in 2009 and announced that the Norstar and BCM systems would continue being manufactured, but under the Avaya name.
Another issue that can occur is the unit's LAN connection can be found to be operating at 10 Mbs. If this happens, the LED will show yellow as an indicator.
Below is a summary of various Nortel/Avaya BCM50 hardware LED indicator lights and what the different colors indicate. Using them can be very helpful when tackling any issues on the PBX. For more BCM50 Guides.
BCM50 Hardware LED Indicator Descriptions
BCM50 KSU LEDs. The KSU has two system status LEDs on the BCM50 which indicate the current state. The top light shows status and the bottom of the two lights indicates power.
How to clear a red LED Status light on a BCM50.
If the KSU Status light shows red the alarm must be cleared through Element Manager. To do this first open Element Manager then:
- First, select the Administration tab from the Task Navigation Panel on the left.
- Next select Alarms.
- Then click on the Reset LEDs button, which will clear the red alarm LED.
BCM50 Boot Sequence LEDs. These LED descriptions occur after the control unit has started to boot up.
Two solid green lights, one for Power and the other for Status show the unit is in normal operation. Additionally when checking for normal operation, check the LAN Ethernet port for any yellow LED that indicates that the port is operating at 10 Mbs.
BCM50 LAN connection LED descriptions.
Nortel BCM50 - Avaya BCM50
After Avaya's acquisition of the Nortel Enterprise Division, they announced that the Norstar and BCM (Business Communication Manager) systems would continue being manufactured, but under the Avaya name. You will see these systems after 2009 with the Avaya name. Avaya also manufactured the Norstar/BCM systems and telephone sets to integrate with the Avaya IP Office via Avaya Aura.
A popular PBX, the Nortel BCM50 (Business Communication Manager) can have a built-in router depending on the hardware configuration.
Avaya then announced that October 2012 they would cease selling the BCM systems, however would continue to offer upgrades and expansions for these systems. As of October 1, 2018, Avaya no longer offers support for the BCM product line, but there are plenty of these systems in North America and worldwide. Whether they show the Nortel name (older PBX KSUs) or Avaya they are still the same reliable systems and can be widely found available for purchase.