Cisco IP Phone 7961G/7961G-GE and 7941G/7941G-GE Administration Guide for Cisco CallManager 4.1(3) - Preparing to Install the Cisco IP Phone on Your Network [Cisco Unified IP Phones 7900 Series]

Table Of Contents

Preparing to Install the Cisco IP Phone on Your Network

Understanding Interactions with Other Cisco IP Telephony Products

Understanding How the Cisco IP Phone Interacts with Cisco CallManager

Understanding How the Cisco IP Phone Interacts with the VLAN

Providing Power to the Cisco IP Phone

Power Guidelines

Obtaining Additional Information about Power

Power Source Design

Redundancy Feature

Understanding Phone Configuration Files

Understanding the Phone Startup Process

Adding Phones to the Cisco CallManager Database

Adding Phones with Auto-Registration

Adding Phones with Auto-Registration and TAPS

Adding Phones with Cisco CallManager Administration

Adding Phones with BAT

Configuring the Cisco IP Phone 7961G and 7961G-GE to Support the Cisco IP Phone 7914 Expansion Module

Preparing to Install the Cisco IP Phone on Your Network

Cisco IP Phones enable you to communicate using voice over a data network. To provide this capability, the IP Phones depend upon and interact with several other key Cisco IP Telephony components, including Cisco CallManager.

This chapter focuses on the interactions between the Cisco IP Phone 7961G/7961G-GE and 7941G/7941G-GE and Cisco CallManager, DNS and DHCP servers, TFTP servers, and switches. It also describes options for powering phones. For related information about other major components in a Voice over IP (VoIP) network, refer to the Cisco IP Telephony Solution Reference Network Design (SRND) for Cisco CallManager 4.0, which is available at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/go/srnd

For related information about voice and IP communications, refer to this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/partner/products/sw/voicesw/index.html

This chapter provides an overview of the interaction between the Cisco IP Phone and other key components of the Voice over IP (VoIP) network. It includes the following topics:

•Understanding Interactions with Other Cisco IP Telephony Products

•Providing Power to the Cisco IP Phone

•Understanding Phone Configuration Files

•Understanding the Phone Startup Process

•Adding Phones to the Cisco CallManager Database

•Configuring the Cisco IP Phone 7961G and 7961G-GE to Support the Cisco IP Phone 7914 Expansion Module

Understanding Interactions with Other Cisco IP Telephony Products

To function in the IP telephony network, the Cisco IP Phone must be connected to a networking device, such as a Cisco Catalyst switch. You must also register the Cisco IP Phone with a Cisco CallManager system before sending and receiving calls.

This section includes the following topics:

•Understanding How the Cisco IP Phone Interacts with Cisco CallManager

•Understanding How the Cisco IP Phone Interacts with the VLAN

Understanding How the Cisco IP Phone Interacts with Cisco CallManager

Cisco CallManager is an open and industry-standard call processing system. Cisco CallManager software sets up and tears down calls between phones, integrating traditional PBX functionality with the corporate IP network. Cisco CallManager manages the components of the IP telephony system—the phones, the access gateways, and the resources necessary for such features as call conferencing and route planning. Cisco CallManager also provides:

•Firmware for phones

•Authentication and encryption (if configured for the telephony system)

•Configuration file and CTL file, via TFTP service

•Phone registration

•Call preservation, so that a media session continues if signaling is lost between the primary CallManager and a phone)

For information about configuring Cisco CallManager to work with the IP devices described in this chapter, refer to the Cisco CallManager Administration Guide, the Cisco CallManager System Guide, and to the Cisco CallManager Security Guide.

For an overview of security for the Cisco IP Phone, see the "Understanding Security Features for Cisco IP Phones" section on page 1-11.

Note If the Cisco IP Phone model that you want to configure does not appear in the Phone Type drop-down list in Cisco CallManager Administration, go to the following URL and install the latest support patch for your version of Cisco CallManager: http://www.cisco.com/public/sw-center/sw-voice.shtml

Related Topic

•Telephony Features Available for the Cisco IP Phone, page 5-2

Understanding How the Cisco IP Phone Interacts with the VLAN

The Cisco IP Phone 7961G/7961G-GE and 7941G/7941G-GE have an internal Ethernet switch, enabling forwarding of packets to the phone, and to the access port and the network port on the back of the phone.

If a computer is connected to the access port, the computer and the phone share the same physical link to the switch and share the same port on the switch. This shared physical link has the following implications for the VLAN configuration on the network:

•The current VLANs might be configured on an IP subnet basis. However, additional IP addresses might not be available to assign the phone to the same subnet as other devices connected to the same port.

•Data traffic present on the VLAN supporting phones might reduce the quality of Voice-over-IP traffic.

•Network security may indicate a need to isolate the VLAN voice traffic from the VLAN data traffic.

You can resolve these issues by isolating the voice traffic onto a separate VLAN. The switch port that the phone is connected to would be configured to have separate VLANs for carrying:

•Voice traffic to and from the IP phone (auxiliary VLAN on the Cisco Catalyst 6000 series, for example)

•Data traffic to and from the PC connected to the switch through the access port of the IP phone (native VLAN)

Isolating the phones on a separate, auxiliary VLAN increases the quality of the voice traffic and allows a large number of phones to be added to an existing network where there are not enough IP addresses for each phone.

For more information, refer to the documentation included with a Cisco switch. You can also access related documentation at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/lan/index.htm

Related Topics

•Understanding the Phone Startup Process

•Network Configuration Menu, page 4-6

Providing Power to the Cisco IP Phone

The Cisco IP Phone 7961G, 7961G-GE and 7941G, 7941G-GE can be powered with external power or with Power over Ethernet (PoE). External power is provided through a separate power supply. PoE is provided by a switch through the Ethernet cable attached to a phone.

The following sections provide more information about powering a phone:

•Power Guidelines

•Obtaining Additional Information about Power

•Power Source Design

•Redundancy Feature

Power Guidelines

Table 1 provides guidelines for powering the Cisco IP Phone 7961G and 7941G.

Table 2 provides guidelines for powering the Cisco IP Phone 7961G-GE and 7941G-GE.

Table 1 Guidelines for Powering the Cisco IP Phone 7961G and 7941G

Power Type

Guidelines

External power— Provided through the CP-PWR-CUBE-3 or CP-PWR-CUBE-2 external power supply.

The Cisco IP Phone 7961G and 7941G use the CP-PWR-CUBE-3 or CP-PWR-CUBE-2 power supply.

PoE power—Provided by a switch through the Ethernet cable attached to the phone.

•The Cisco IP Phone 7961G and 7941G support PoE.

•The Cisco IP Phone 7961G and 7941G support IEEE 802.3af power on signal pairs and spare pairs.

•The inline power patch panel WS-PWR-PANEL is compatible with the Cisco IP Phone 7961G and 7941G.

•To ensure uninterruptible operation of the phone, make sure that the switch has a backup power supply.

•Make sure that the CatOS or IOS version running on your switch supports your intended phone deployment. Refer to the documentation for your switch for operating system version information.

Table 2 Guidelines for Powering the Cisco IP Phone 7961G-GE and 7941G-GE

Power Type

Guidelines

External power— Provided through the CP-PWR-CUBE-3 external power supply.

The Cisco IP Phone 7961G-GE and 7941G-GE use the CP-PWR-CUBE-3 power supply.

PoE power—Provided by a switch through the Ethernet cable attached to the phone.

•The gigabit Ethernet Cisco IP Phone 79161G-GE and 7941G-GE do not support Cisco pre-standard PoE.

•The Cisco IP Phone 7961G-GE and 7941G-GE support IEEE 802.3af power on signal pairs and spare pairs. The Cisco IP Phone 79161G-GE and 7941G-GE are not compatible with Cisco switches that are not IEEE-compliant.

•The inline power patch panel WS-PWR-PANEL is not compatible with the Cisco IP Phone 7961G-GE and 7941G-GE.

•To ensure uninterruptible operation of the phone, make sure that the switch has a backup power supply.

•Make sure that the CatOS or IOS version running on your switch supports your intended phone deployment. Refer to the documentation for your switch for operating system version information.

Obtaining Additional Information about Power

For related information about power, refer to the documents shown in Table 3. These documents provide information about the following topics:

•Cisco switches that work with the Cisco IP Phone 7961G/7961G-GE and 7941G/7941G-GE

•The Cisco IOS releases that support bidirectional power negotiation

•Other requirements and restrictions regarding power

Table 3 Related Documentation for Power

Document Topics

URL

PoE Solutions

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/
ns340/ns394/ns147/ns412/networking_solutions_package.html

Cisco Catalyst Switches

http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/
doc/product/lan/index.htm

Integrated Service Routers

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/routers/index.html

Cisco IOS Software

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/iosswrel/products_ios_cisco_ios_software_category_home.html

Power Source Design

The phone and upstream switch automatically determine which power source the phone uses. (An upstream switch is any switch that connects to Cisco IP Phones, such as a Cisco Catalyst 4500 switch.) The phone user will experience different results based on which power source is being used by the phone.

Use the following information to choose a power source for the phone:

Case 1: The upstream switch can provide power over Ethernet

•If you plug a phone into the local power supply before plugging it into the network, the phone is powered by the local power supply.

•If you then unplug the phone from the power supply, the phone resets. If the switch port is configured for 10/100 Mbps, the switch recognizes the loss of power and brings the phone back up.

•If the switch port is configured for 10 Mbps only, you must unplug the network connection and plug it back into the phone for the switch to recognize the phone's loss of power.

•If, however, you plugged the network connection into the phone before you plugged in the power supply and since the power used by the phone may be shared between the switch and the power supply, unplugging the power supply may cause the phone to reset. If the switch reboots, the phone will then be powered by the power supply.

Case 2: The upstream switch cannot provide power over Ethernet

•If you plug a phone into the optional power supply before plugging it into the network, the phone is powered by the power supply.

•If you then unplug the phone from the power supply, the phone powers off and is unusable until a power supply is plugged into it again.

Caution If the upstream switch is not capable of providing power over Ethernet and the only source of power available to the phone is the local power supply, always unplug the upstream Ethernet cable from the phone before unplugging the power supply. Unplugging the power supply before unplugging the upstream Ethernet cable could result in a service interruption on the network.

Redundancy Feature

For redundancy, you can use the Cisco AC adapter even if you are using inline power from the Cisco Catalyst switches. The Cisco IP Phone can share the power load being used from the inline power and external power source. If either the inline power or the external power goes down, the phone can switch entirely to the other power source.

To use this redundancy feature:

1. Set the inline power mode to auto on the Cisco Catalyst switch.

2. Connect the unpowered Cisco IP Phone to the network.

3. Connect the external power supply to the phone after the phone powers up.

Related Topics

•Understanding Interactions with Other Cisco IP Telephony Products

•Adding Phones to the Cisco CallManager Database

•Installing the Cisco IP Phone, page 3-8

Understanding Phone Configuration Files

Configuration files for a phone are stored on the TFTP server and define parameters for connecting to Cisco CallManager. In general, any time you make a change in Cisco CallManager that requires the phone to be reset, a change is made to the phone's configuration file automatically.

Configuration files also contain information about which image load the phone should be running. If this image load differs from the one currently loaded on a phone, the phone contacts the TFTP server to request the required load files. (These files are digitally signed to ensure the authenticity of the files' source.)

In addition, if the device security mode in the configuration file is set to Authenticated and the CTL file on the phone has a valid certificate for Cisco CallManager, the phone establishes a TLS connection to Cisco CallManager. Otherwise, the phone establishes a TCP connection.

Note If the device security mode in the configuration file is set to Authenticated or Encrypted, but the phone has not received a CTL file, the phone will continuously try to obtain a CTL file so that it can register securely.

A phone requests a configuration file whenever it resets and registers with Cisco CallManager.

A phone accesses a default configuration file named XmlDefault.cnf.xml from the TFTP server when the following conditions exist:

•You have enabled auto-registration in Cisco CallManager

•The phone has not been added to the Cisco CallManager Database

•The phone is registering for the first time

If auto registration is not enabled and the phone has not been added to the Cisco CallManager Database, the phone registration request will be rejected. In this case, the phone will reset and attempt to register repeatedly.

If the phone has registered before, the phone will access the configuration file named SEPmac_address.cnf.xml, where mac_address is the MAC address of the phone.

Understanding the Phone Startup Process

When connecting to the VoIP network, the Cisco IP Phone 7961G/7961G-GE and 7941G/7941G-GE go through a standard startup process that is described in Table 2-4. Depending on your specific network configuration, not all of these steps may occur on your Cisco IP Phone.

Table 2-4 Cisco IP Phone 7961G/7961G-GE and 7941G/7941G-GE Startup Process

Step

Description

Related Topics

1. Obtaining Power from the Switch

If a phone is not using external power, the switch provides in-line power through the Ethernet cable attached to the phone.

•Adding Phones to the Cisco CallManager Database.

•Resolving Startup Problems, page 9-2.

2. Loading the Stored Phone Image

The Cisco IP Phone has non-volatile Flash memory in which it stores firmware images and user-defined preferences. At startup, the phone runs a bootstrap loader that loads a phone image stored in Flash memory. Using this image, the phone initializes its software and hardware.

Resolving Startup Problems, page 9-2.

3. Configuring VLAN

If the Cisco IP Phone is connected to a Cisco Catalyst switch, the switch next informs the phone of the voice VLAN defined on the switch. The phone needs to know its VLAN membership before it can proceed with the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request for an IP address.

•Network Configuration Menu, page 4-6.

•Resolving Startup Problems, page 9-2.

4. Obtaining an IP Address

If the Cisco IP Phone is using DHCP to obtain an IP address, the phone queries the DHCP server to obtain one. If you are not using DHCP in your network, you must assign static IP addresses to each phone locally.

•Network Configuration Menu, page 4-6.

•Resolving Startup Problems, page 9-2.

5. Accessing a TFTP Server

In addition to assigning an IP address, the DHCP server directs the Cisco IP Phone to a TFTP Server. If the phone has a statically-defined IP address, you must configure the TFTP server locally on the phone; the phone then contacts the TFTP server directly.

Note You can also assign an alternative TFTP server to use instead of the one assigned by DHCP.

•Network Configuration Menu, page 4-6.

•Resolving Startup Problems, page 9-2.

6. Requesting the CTL file

The TFTP server stores the certificate trust list (CTL) file. This file contains a list of Cisco CallManagers and TFTP servers that the phone is authorized to connect to. It also contains the certificates necessary for establishing a secure connection between the phone and Cisco CallManager.

For more information, refer to the Cisco CallManager Security Guide

7. Requesting the Configuration File

The TFTP server has configuration files, which define parameters for connecting to Cisco CallManager and other information for the phone.

•Adding Phones to the Cisco CallManager Database

•Resolving Startup Problems, page 9-2.

8. Contacting Cisco CallManager

The configuration file defines how the Cisco IP Phone communicates with Cisco CallManager and provides a phone with its load ID. After obtaining the file from the TFTP server, the phone attempts to make a connection to the highest priority Cisco CallManager on the list. If security is implemented, the phone makes a TLS connection. Otherwise, it makes a non-secure TCP connection.

If the phone was manually added to the database, Cisco CallManager identifies the phone. If the phone was not manually added to the database and auto-registration is enabled in Cisco CallManager, the phone attempts to auto-register itself in the Cisco CallManager database.

Note Auto-registration is disabled when security is enabled on Cisco CallManager. In this case, the phone must be manually added to the Cisco CallManager database.

Resolving Startup Problems, page 9-2.

Adding Phones to the Cisco CallManager Database

Before installing the Cisco IP phone, you must choose a method for adding phones to the Cisco CallManager database. The following sections describe these methods:

•Adding Phones with Auto-Registration

•Adding Phones with Auto-Registration and TAPS

•Adding Phones with Cisco CallManager Administration

•Adding Phones with BAT

Table 2-5 provides an overview of these methods for adding phones to the Cisco CallManager database.

Table 2-5 Methods for Adding Phones to the Cisco CallManager Database

Method

Requires MAC Address?

Notes

Auto-registration

No

Results in automatic assignment of directory numbers

Auto-registration with TAPS

No

Requires auto-registration and the Bulk Administration Tool (BAT); updates information in the Cisco IP Phone and in Cisco CallManager Administration

Using the Cisco CallManager Administration

Yes

Requires phones to be added individually

Using BAT

Yes

Allows for simultaneous registration of multiple phones

Adding Phones with Auto-Registration

You can add phones with auto-registration without first gathering MAC addresses from the phones.

Note Cisco recommends you use auto-registration to add less than 100 phones to your network. To add more than 100 phones to your network, use the Bulk Administration Tool (BAT).

When auto-registration is enabled, Cisco CallManager begins the automatic startup process to obtain a directory number. During auto-registration, Cisco CallManager automatically assigns the next available sequential directory number to the phone.

When you use this method, Cisco CallManager automatically assigns directory numbers to new phones as they register with Cisco CallManager.

You can use auto-registration to quickly enter phones into the Cisco CallManager database. You can then modify any settings, such as the directory numbers, from Cisco CallManager. Additionally, you can move auto-registered phones to new locations and assign them to different device pools without affecting their directory numbers.

Auto-registration is disabled by default.

For information about enabling and configuring auto-registration, refer to the Cisco CallManager Administration Guide.

Note When you configure the cluster for mixed mode through the Cisco CTL client, auto-registration is automatically disabled. When you configure the cluster for non-secure mode through the Cisco CTL client, auto-registration is automatically enabled.

Related Topics

•Adding Phones with Auto-Registration and TAPS

•Adding Phones with Cisco CallManager Administration

•Adding Phones with BAT

Adding Phones with Auto-Registration and TAPS

You can add phones with auto-registration and TAPS without first gathering MAC addresses from phones.

Note Cisco recommends you use auto-registration and TAPS to add less than 100 phones to your network. To add more than 100 phones to your network, use the Bulk Administration Tool (BAT).

TAPS, the Tool for Auto-Registered Phones Support, works with the Bulk Administration Tool (BAT) to update phones that were already added to the Cisco CallManager database with dummy MAC addresses. Use TAPS to update MAC addresses and download pre-defined configurations for phones.

To implement TAPS, you or the end-user dial a TAPS directory number and follow voice prompts. When the process is complete, the phone will have downloaded its directory number and other settings, and the phone will be updated in Cisco CallManager Administration with the correct MAC address.

You must make sure that Auto-registration is enabled in Cisco CallManager Administration (System > Cisco CallManager) for TAPS to function.

Note When you configure the cluster for mixed mode through the Cisco CTL client, auto-registration is automatically disabled. When you configure the cluster for non-secure mode through the Cisco CTL client, auto-registration is automatically enabled.

Refer to the Bulk Administration Tool User Guide for Cisco CallManager for detailed instructions about BAT and about TAPS.

Related Topics

•Adding Phones with Auto-Registration

•Adding Phones with Cisco CallManager Administration

•Adding Phones with BAT

Adding Phones with Cisco CallManager Administration

You can add phones individually to the Cisco CallManager database using Cisco CallManager Administration. To do so, you first need to obtain the MAC address for each phone.

For information about determining a MAC address, see the "Determining the MAC Address for a Cisco IP Phone" section on page 1-20.

After you have collected MAC addresses, choose Device > Add a New Device in Cisco CallManager Administration to begin.

For complete instructions and conceptual information about Cisco CallManager, refer to the Cisco CallManager Administration Guide and to the Cisco CallManager System Guide.

Related Topics

•Adding Phones with Auto-Registration

•Adding Phones with Auto-Registration and TAPS

•Adding Phones with BAT

Adding Phones with BAT

The Cisco Bulk Administration Tool (BAT) is a plug-in application for Cisco CallManager that enables you to perform batch operations, including registration, on multiple phones.

To add phones using BAT only (not in conjunction with TAPS), you first need to obtain the appropriate MAC address for each phone.

For information about determining a MAC address, see the "Determining the MAC Address for a Cisco IP Phone" section on page 1-20.

For detailed instructions about using BAT, refer to the Cisco CallManager Administration Guide and to the Bulk Administration Tool User Guide for Cisco CallManager.

Related Topics

•Adding Phones with Auto-Registration

•Adding Phones with Auto-Registration and TAPS

•Adding Phones with Cisco CallManager Administration

Configuring the Cisco IP Phone 7961G and 7961G-GE to Support the Cisco IP Phone 7914 Expansion Module

The Cisco IP Phone 7914 Expansion Module attaches to a Cisco IP Phone 7961G and 7961G-GE to extend the number or line appearances and/or programmable buttons on your phone.

You might also want to customize the button templates for the Cisco IP Phone 7914 Expansion Module. See the "Modifying Phone Button Templates" section on page 5-16 for details.

Note For more information about the Cisco IP Phone 7914 Expansion Module, refer to the Cisco IP Phone 7914 Expansion Module Phone Guide available at this URL: http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/voice/c_ipphon/index.htm

To configure the Cisco IP Phone 7961G and 7961G-GE to support the Cisco IP Phone 7914 Expansion Module, perform the following steps.

Procedure

Step 1 Log in to the Cisco CallManager Administration application.

The Cisco CallManager Administration page appears.

Step 2 From the menu, choose Device > Phone.

The Find and List Phone page appears. You can search for one or more phones that you want to configure for the Cisco IP Phone 7914 Expansion Module.

Step 3 Select and enter your search criteria and click Find.

The Find and List Phone page reappears showing a list of the phones matching your search criteria.

Step 4 Click the IP Phone that you want to configure for the Cisco IP Phone 7914 Expansion Module.

The Phone Configuration page appears.

Step 5 Scroll to the Expansion Module Information section of the page.

Step 6 To add support for one expansion module, in the Module 1 field, select 7914 14-Button Line Expansion Module.

To add support for a second expansion module, in the Module 2 field, select 7914 14-Button Line Expansion Module.

In the Firmware Load Information section of the page, there are two fields for specifying the firmware load for Modules 1 and 2. You can leave these fields blank to use the default firmware load.

Step 7 Scroll to the top of the page and click Update.

A message appears asking you to reset the phone for the changes to take effect. Click OK.

Step 8 Click Reset Phone for the changes to take effect.

Note Make sure you tell your users how to access their Cisco CallManager User Options web pages so that they can configure speed dial buttons and program buttons to access phone services on their Cisco IP Phone 7914 Expansion Modules. See the "How Users Subscribe to Services and Configure Phone Features" section for more details.

Related Topic

•Configuring Softkey Templates, page 5-16