The Phone Data Exchange (PDX) from Praxon (Campbell, CA - 408-871-1600, www.praxon.com) has been around (in name, at least) for several years, but has undergone rapid evolution over the past twelve months. Until recently, the PDX was exclusively configured to use BRI trunks, which in our view made it something of a niche product. Late last year, Praxon added analog and T-1 trunk options, which brings the PDX solidly into the ranks of next-generation PBX systems. We decided a look at this unusual system was overdue, and that it would be a good fit into our ongoing Next-Gen PBX test series.

The PDX is an interesting beast, with a complete set of basic PBX features integrated into a single box along with a slightly quirky selection of other small office communication features. It is hands-down the most compact and self-contained system we have tested, a single, turnkey, industrial-grade chassis that is 90% up and running as soon as it is connected to trunk, extension, and network wiring. Even the user client software is stored on the unit, ready for individual user download and installation.

But simplicity comes at a price, as testing and hands-on evaluation were to show.

Features & Functions

In this test series, we have generally concentrated on each system's PBX and telephony features, and not on any ancillary capabilities. The Praxon PDX has all of the basic features normally expected for PBX duty, and adds in some interesting messaging and document-sharing capabilities that some small companies may find indispensable. (See Table 1: Praxon Phone System Features)

The PDX is similar to several of the systems we've tested in that it uses plain analog 2500 sets for extensions and puts the advanced features in a DTMF/prompt-driven TUI and a workstation GUI. The Praxon's telephony feature set is much slimmer than most of the other systems we've seen, and eschews fanciness for a lean, solid set of call control and voice messaging capabilities.

On the plus side, the PDX brings virtually turnkey communication services to a small company with up to 64 users. Along with its phone and voice messaging capabilities, it adds e-mail server functionality, with voice-to-e-mail and e-mail message notification. It also adds small Intranet capabilities with shared document, home page, and contact list features, and offers automatic fax detection and routing.

The PDX is a small, very solidly built chassis with a front panel of interchangeable expansion cards. The base system card contains the processor, RAM, and hard drive, as well as the network port and eight FXS station ports. The WAN or trunk ports are carried on an expansion card. The options are an eight-port FXO analog trunk card, a six-port BRI trunk card, or a T-1 trunk card that supports fractional and full T-1. Trunk cards cannot be mixed - i.e., you can't have BRI and analog trunks in the same unit. Station ports can be added in 16- or 32-port increments, for a maximum of 64. Other ports on the PDX provide input for music on hold and an output for an overhead paging amplifier.

The PDX will quickly plug into most existing office data and telephone networks, and its features and functionality are almost instantly ready to use. Minimal initial configuration on a system- and company-wide scale, with simple and efficient setup for individual users, is all that's required.

INITIAL EVALUATIONS

Prior to the automated testing, CT Labs (an independent firm specializing in CT testing and product evaluation services) performed a number of hands-on evaluations of various aspects of the Praxon PDX system, including installation, admin and user documentation, and quality of manufacturer tech support. Although these evaluations are subjective, CT Labs approaches them from the viewpoint of a moderately skilled and experienced VAR/installer. Difficulties, problems, and strong points are evaluated in terms of this viewpoint.

Installation & Initial Configuration

When CT Labs performs the initial installation and configuration of each system to be tested, the manufacturer is invited to provide one or more support technicians for the process. Praxon elected to send one representative. As it turned out, the support rep may as well have taken a vacation day. Installation and configuration of the Praxon was extremely fast and simple.

Installation of the system unit consisted of connecting it to the CT Labs test LAN, station phones, and the Hammer Technologies automated call generator; turning it on; and performing a few basic setup operations to enable a network browser to reach the configuration utility. This took fifteen minutes. Once the browser could communicate with the system, system configuration took just 30 minutes. No problems were encountered, and the CT Labs test engineer found that only low levels of operating system, networking, and CT knowledge were needed for the setup tasks - the first "triple low" (i.e., the best result) scored by a system in our test series.

Installing the user client on a sample workstation was just as easy, and consisted of retrieving the installation file from the PDX (via FTP or browser) and installing it. Total time to retrieve, install, and configure a single user station was ten minutes.

CT Labs liked that a station set and a simple TUI could be used to enter basic configuration information (such as the PDX's IP address). They found the Admin GUI, being browser-based, to be a little slow when modifying individual user profiles, but not overwhelmingly so. Not surprisingly, CT Labs awarded the PDX a perfect 10 for the installation and configuration evaluation based on its clean simplicity and error-free execution.

Graphic User Interfaces

The PDX has three graphic user interfaces (GUIs), two browser-based and one presented by a proprietary utility. The Administrator interface is browser-based and for administrative tasks only (configuration and maintenance). The browser-based User interface is used for user-level configuration, messaging control, and document management, and also duplicates most of the proprietary User GUI features and functions. The proprietary User GUI emulates a feature phone dialpad and display and enables most basic call control and messaging features with a basic 2500 station set.

Both browser-based interfaces (Administrator and User configuration) can be used from anywhere on the network to which the PDX is connected. The browser-based interfaces are very slick and polished, with a system of tiered tabs that let the user quickly select the exact screen needed. Wizards help with most basic setup tasks, making first time or infrequent configuration simple. However, more experienced users can save time by bypassing the wizards and going directly to configuration screens.

The proprietary Virtual Phone interface has buttons for up to six internal or external lines, as well as speed dial and status buttons for all users on the system. It is easy to see another user's call status at a glance, and a call can be placed with a few mouse clicks.