---===---===---===---===---===---===--- = = - RAMBUG'S HACKING VOLUME #3 - = = - -CALL THESE GENODICAL SYSTEMS- - = =--------------------------= = - - = THE NEUTRAL ZONE ][ (604) 478-1363 = - TCL (604) 384-3085 - = /\/\ETALLAND 1 (503) 538-0761 = - /\/\ETALLAND ][ (503) 253-5300 - = THE METAL AE (201) 879-6668 = - - = = ---===---===---===---===---===---===--- IN THIS VOLUME WE WILL TALK ABOUT HOW MA BELL WORKS. BUT, BEFORE I GO ON, I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY THANXS TO: THE HIGHWAY MAN JUDGE DREDD MYSTIC WARRIOR THE WOLF --------------------------------------- OKAY, SO YOU SAY YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW MA BELL WORKS EH! WELL, IN THIS VOLUME I WILL TRY AND COVER ALL KEY POINTS AND ISSUES THAT ARE IMPORTANT. NOW ON WITH IT..... BASICALLY, MA BELL IS YOUR LOCAL PHONE COMPANY (NO KIDDING!). THEY ARE IN CHARGE OF YOUR PHONES AND LINES RUNNING FROM YOUR HOUSE OR BUSINESS. YOU ARE RENTING YOUR PHONE FROM THEM AND THEY HAVE THE POWER TO TAKE IT AWAY, NO QUESTIONS ASKED. THEY ARE YOUR LINKS TO OTHER PLACES LONG-DISTANCE (UNLESS, YOU'RE USING SPRINT,MCI, OR AT&T). NOW THAT YOU KNOW WHAT MA BELL IS, I WILL GO ON AND EXPLAIN WHAT KIND OF JUNK THEY DO AND HAVE. LONG DISTANCE CALLS =-----------------= THERE ARE BASICALLY THREE KIND OF LONG DISTANCE CALLS: A DIRECT DIALED CALL, OPERATOR-ASSISTED STATION-TO-STATION CALL, AND OPERATOR-ASSISTED PERSON- TO-PERSON CALL. A DIRECT DIALED CALL: A CALL YOU DIAL DIRECTLY WITHOUT OPERATOR ASSISTED. OPERATOR-ASSISTED STATION-TO-STATION CALL: A CALL THAT MAY REQUIRE OPERATOR ASSISTANCE FOR COMPLETION. YOU WILL TALK TO ANYONE WHO ANSWERS, BUT YOU MAY NEED AN OPERATOR'S AID TO REACH THE NUMBER OR FOR ANY OTHER REASONS. EXAMPLES OF SUCH CALLS ARE: CALLING CARDS, COIN CALLS, COLLECT CALLS, BILLED TO THIRD NUMBER CALLS, HOTEL/ MOTEL CALLS, AND TIME OR CHARGES. CHARGING BEGINS WHEN THE CALLED TELE- PHONE IS ANSWERED. OPERATOR-ASSISTED PERSON-TO-PERSON CALL: FOR THOSE TIMES WHEN YOU WOULD LIKE TO TALK DIRECTLY TO A PERSON, TELEPHONE, DEPARTMENT, OR OFFICE REACHED THROUGH A CUSTOMER'S SWITCH- BOARD (PBX). PERSON-TO-PERSON CALLS MAY BE COMBINED WITH CALLING CARDS, COIN, COLLECT, BILLED TO THIRD NUMBER, HOTEL/MOTEL, AND TIME AND CHARGES CALLS. CHARGING STARTS WHEN CONVER- SATION BEGINS. CALLING CARDS =-----------= A CALLING CARD, YOU MAY PLACE CALLS FROM TOUCH-TONE PHONES AND CHARGE THEM TO THEIR CALLING CARDS. THESE CALLS ARE MORE CONVENIENT THAN "COLLECT" AND "BILL TO THIRD NUMBER" CALLS. BILL TO THIRD NUMBER =------------------= THIS IS AN INTERESTING FEATURE THAT MA BELL HAS FOR US. YOU CAN PLACE A CALL FROM A PHONE AND CHARGE IT TO YOUR OWN PHONE. WHAT A LITTLE NICE TRICK TO DO IS, GO TO A PAY PHONE AND CHARGE THE LONG-DISTANCE PHONE CALL TO THEM. IT WORKS, CAUSE THE OPERATOR, THINKS YOU DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY, OR SOMETHING, AND IF YOU ASK SHE/HE HAS TO GIVE IT TO YOU. TRY IT. IT CREATES ALOT OF HAVOC... CONFERENCE CALLS =--------------= YOU CAN TALK WITH SEVERAL PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME. A SPECIAL CHARGE IS MADE FOR THESE KIND OF CALLS. WELL, THAT BASICALLY COVERS THE KINDS OF MAIN CALLS YOU CAN MAKE. OTHER KINND OF CALLS INCLUDE: TIME AND CHARGE CALLS, RADIOTELEPHONE CALLS, INTER- NATIONAL CALLS, 800 SERVICE, 900 SERVICE. NOW, TO END THIS FILE, I WILL TALK ABOUT THE THREE TYPES OF SWITCHING SYSTEMS. STEP BY STEP SWITCHING SYSTEM =---------------------------= IT WAS THE FIRST SWITCHING SYSTEM TO EVER BE USED BY MA BELL. IT IS A LONG, AND CONFUSING BUNDLE OF SWITCHES. IT IS A VERY SUCKY SYSTEM. ITS DISAD- VANTAGES INCLUDE: SWITCH TRAIN MAY BECOME JAMMED BLOCKING THE CALL. NO TOUCH-TONE DIALING. BREAKS DOWN ALOT, AND USES ALOT OF ELECTRICITY. AND LAST, BUT NOT LEAST, THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS HARDWIRED. YOU CAN TELL IF YOU ARE CALLING THROUGH A STEP-BY-STEP SWITCH- ING SYSTEM BY JUST A FEW SIMPLE THINGS: NO PULSING DIGITS AFTER DIALING OR DTMF. IT SOUNDS LIKE A BUNCH OF TYPE- WRITERS. THERE IS NO SPEED CALLING, CALL FORWARD, AND OTHER SERVICES. PAY PHONE WANTS MONEY FIRST BEFORE DIALING. CROSSBAR SWITCHING SYSTEM =-----------------------= CROSSBAR SWITCHING HAS BEEN MA BELL'S PRIMARY SWITCHING SYSTEM AFTER 1960. THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF CROSSBAR SWITCHING THAT EXIST: #1 CROSSBAR (1XB), #4 CROSSBAR (4XB), AND #5 CROSSBAR (5XB). A SWITCHING MATRIX IS USED FOR ALL THE PHONES IN AN AREA. IN OTHER WORDS, WHEN SOMEONE CALLS, THE ROUTE WHERE THEY ARE CALLING FROM IS DETERMINED AND IS MET UP WITH THE OTHER PHONE. THERE IS REALLY NO DEFINATE RE- MARKED FEATURES OF CROSSBAR SWITCHING. ESS SWITCHING =-----------= WITH ESS SWITCHING (YUCK!), ANYTHING YOU PRACTICALLY DO, BELL KNOWS ABOUT THE TIME YOU PICK UP THE PHONE, TO THE TIME YOU HANG-UP. WITH ESS MA BELL KNOWS THE FOLLOWING: [1] EVERY DIGIT DIALED [2] WHO YOU CALLED [3] WHEN YOU CALLED [4] HOW LONG YOU WERE CONNECTED [5] IN SOME CASES, WHAT YOU TALKED ABOUT! ESS IS PROGRAMMED TO PRINT OUT PEOPLE WHO MAKE EXCESSIVE CALLS TO WATT LINES OR DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE. THIS IS CALLED "800 EXCEPTIONAL CALLING REPORT" OR KNOWN EVEN BETTER AS "800 ECR". TRACING IS DONE VERY QUICKLY AND IS PRINTED OUT ON THE COMPUTER'S MONITOR OF THE OPERATOR IN CHARGE. ESS CAN ALSO PICK UP FOREIGN TONES ON THE LINE, LIKE BLUE BOX TONE'S (2600 HZ). YOU KNOW IF YOUR LOCAL PHONE COMPANY IS USING ESS BY THE FOLLOWING CLUES: SUPPORTS 911 FOR EMERGENCIES. DIAL TONE FIRST BEFORE PUTTING COIN IN ON PAY PHONES. CALLING SERVICES LIKE CALL FORWARDING, SPEED DIALING, AND CALL WAITING. ANI, (AUTOMATIC NUMBER IDENTIFICATION) FOR LONG DISTANCE CALL.