Cisco ATA 180 Series Analog Telephone Adaptors

Document ID: 27129

Contents

Introduction
Prerequisites
      Requirements
      Components Used
      Conventions
Problem
      Explanation
Solution
Related Information

Introduction

This document provides background information and suggested resolutions for a problem with the executable file upgrade method when using a Windows XP PC as the upgrade server during an Analog Telephone Adaptor (ATA) upgrade.

Prerequisites

Requirements

There are no specific requirements for this document.

Components Used

The information in this document is based on the software and hardware versions:

• ATA 180 Series Telephone Adaptors

The information in this document was created from the devices in a specific lab environment. All of the devices used in this document started with a cleared (default) configuration. If your network is live, make sure that you understand the potential impact of any command.

Conventions

For more information on document conventions, see the Cisco Technical Tips Conventions.

Problem

The problem is an ATA upgrade failure when the executable file method is used and the upgrade server is using Windows XP.

There have been a number of these cases noted by Cisco Technical Support. The symptoms are as follows:

• The upgrade fails.

• The upgrade server (the ata186us.exe upgrade utility), shows no message.

• The interactive voice response (IVR) message on the ATA says upgrade failed.

The problem appears to be an IP connectivity issue. However, the upgrade server PC can reach the ATA by pinging and by browsing to the http://<ip_of_ATA>/dev page.

Explanation

Windows XP includes Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) software. If the firewall is enabled on the upgrade server's LAN adapter then it can restrict communications between that PC and the ATA.

ICF is not enabled by default. It is activated on an adapter by adapter basis and is only meant to be activated over direct internet connections, usually not LAN adapters. One situation in which you may wish to activate ICF on the LAN adapter is if you use a DSL or cable modem for connecting to the internet. In this case, you would need to punch holes in the firewall for other network connectivity through the same LAN adapter.

The default behavior for a Windows XP PC on which ICF is activated is as follows:

• Outbound—ICF allows all outgoing requests on the adapter for which ICF is enabled. In particular, pinging and browsing is possible.

• Inbound—ICF does not respond to pings or allow other incoming service requests. In particular, requests into port 8000 are blocked.

The upgrade server ata186us.exe uses port 8000 by default. Therefore, if enabled on the LAN adapter connecting the upgrade server and the ATA, ICF blocks requests from ATA to upgrade server. Therefore, while it is possible to ping and browse from upgrade server to ATA, the upgrade itself fails.

Solution

Under this situation, there are four options:

1. Open up port 8000 in ICF for incoming requests to the upgrade server.

2. Port 8000 is the default port used by the ata186us.exe upgrade server. However, if another port is already available in ICF that allows incoming access to the upgrade server, you can use that port instead. The syntax of the command is as follows:

   ata186us -p<port_number> <upgrade_image> 
   
   !--- For the full syntax, type ata186us help.
   
   

   Note: You should also make sure that outgoing requests from the upgrade server can also be made for uploading the image to the ATA. In this case, the upgrade server looks for a free port on the host PC. It starts with port 8500 and goes up to 8999. You need to make sure one free port in the range is open for outgoing data. The default behavior for ICF, as noted above, is to allow all outgoing requests.

3. Turn off ICF on the adapter you are using to communicate between the upgrade server and the ATA. See Use the Internet Connection Firewall to Secure Your Small Network for more information about how to disable ICF from a Windows XP PC.

4. Use a PC on your network that either is not running Windows XP or is running Windows XP but does not have ICF enabled on the LAN adapter you wish to use to connect to the ATA.

Related Information

• Voice Technology Support
• Voice and Unified Communications Product Support
• Recommended Reading: Troubleshooting Cisco IP Telephony
• Technical Support - Cisco Systems