Specifications

Glossary
Planning and Installation Guide Glossary – 3
External Call
A telephone call directed to or from outside the telephone system, and over
the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
FSK Frequency Shift Key, a modulation technique used with low-speed modems; also
used with CallerID and message-waiting lamp indicators.
FXO Foreign Exchange Office. An FXO interface connects to the public switched
telephone network (PSTN) central office and is the interface offered on a standard
telephone. An FXO interface is used for trunks, tie lines, or connections to a PSTN CO
or PBX that does not support E&M signaling (when local telecommunications
authority permits).
FXS Foreign Exchange Station. An FXS interface supplies ring, voltage and dial tone for
basic telephone equipment, keysets, and PBXs. The FXO interface is useful for off-
premises station applications.
Greeting The voice recording sent to the caller when a call is answered by voice mail or
by the auto-attendant; usually a single file, and not the concatenation of smaller
phrases.
GUI In ShoreTel documentation, the graphical user interface presented to the user as
part of the software application that runs on the user’s workstation.
Handled Call A call answered by an employee or a device, such as an auto-attendant or
voice mail, as opposed to being blocked or abandoned.
Hang Up The act of putting the telephone receiver back on the hook to indicate to the
telephone system that the user is done with the call.
Hold As in “on hold”; the situation in which a caller is placed in the user’s call
management stack for later handling.
Internal Call A telephone call dialed between internal extensions.
Java The platform-independent programming language developed by Sun
Microsystems for providing complete programs, including animated graphics.
Line See Trunk.
Loop Start One of the mechanisms used to signal the telephone system that the calling
party wants to make a call. Loop start is a completion of the circuit using a set load
between the two wires (tip and ring).
Message Notification A set of features that inform the user that a new message has
arrived in his or her voice mailbox, such as lighting the call-waiting lamp, paging the
user, or dialing a telephone number.
Music-on-Hold (MOH) Background music heard when callers are put on hold, letting
them know they are still connected. Most telephone systems have the ability to connect
to any sound-producing device—for example, a radio, a cassette, or a CD player.
On Hook/Off Hook The state of the telephone as being either on the hook (hung up) or
off the hook and seizing the line.
Operator The person who monitors the telephone system and transfers calls to the
appropriate extensions.