Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!bu.edu!telecom-request From: rfarris@rfengr.com (Rick Farris) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Safety in Numbers Message-ID: Date: 26 Feb 91 04:41:15 GMT Sender: news@bu.edu.bu.edu Organization: RF Engineering, Del Mar, California Lines: 36 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 161, Message 6 of 10 As I rushed to meet a client today, I ran over to the AT&T 730 that I've programmed to call the number which activates call forwarding of my main number to my cellular phone. Things worked as usual, I watched as the phone dialed 72#259-6793. All of a sudden, it occurred to me that I wasn't dialing from the line which has call-forwarding installed. (I had swapped phones around a couple of months ago.) Out of curiosity, I called 259-6793 to see if it was forwarding correctly. It was. Here's what I think is happening: I have six lines, all billed to the main 259-6793 number. Clearly, when I call long-distance from any of the six lines, the billing office is getting ANI (BNI?) from the 259-6793 line. Near as I can tell, the call-forwarding computer (subroutine) is also receiving the 259-6793 ID, no matter which line I call from. Therefore, I can activate call-forwarding on 259-6793 by calling from any of my six numbers. Pretty cool, huh? On the other hand, suppose I wanted to be able to forward one of my other numbers, independently? I called the business office and they didn't have the slightest clue about how call-forwarding worked, and transferred me to repair who was similarly clue-less. Oh well. The good news is that when CLI starts up later this year, I don't have to worry about accidently compromising one of my "private" numbers -- I had already started training myself to always dial out from "public" numbers. Rick Farris RF Engineering POB M Del Mar, CA 92014 voice (619) 259-6793 rfarris@rfengr.com ...!ucsd!serene!rfarris serenity bbs 259-7757