Step 4: Configuring Extensions and Phones

Step 4 Configuring Extensions and Phones

On Cisco CME you normally configure DNs (ephone-dns) before configuring the phones (ephones). This is different from Cisco CallManager, where phones must register before you configure extensions. On Cisco CME, you can configure extensions regardless of whether the phones are registered. The following sections walk you through setting up phones and extensions on this chapter's sample system.

Defining Extensions

The Cisco CME Setup Utility has already created basic DN and phone definitions for the number of phones you specified. For the Site A setup, five phones were specified.

One of the Setup Utility questions that inquires about dual-line phones is, "Do you want dual-line extensions assigned to phones?" For Site A, the reply was yes (refer to Example 15-2). A dual-line configuration is needed for features such as call transfer, call waiting, and call conferencing. A dual-line configuration uses one line with two channels so that a second call to the same line can be put in call waiting mode, or a call transfer or conference call can be initiated using the second channel.

You cannot change a nondual-line ephone-dn to dual-line mode. You have to insert the ephone-dn with this mode. If you chose dual-line mode in the Setup Utility, as in Example 15-2, you're all set. If not, you may have to delete the ephone-dns created by the utility. (Use the command no ephone-dn x, where x is the number of the ephone-dns.) Reenter them in dual-line mode using the ephone-dn x dual-line command.

Example 15-7 shows the first two of the five ephone-dns created by the utility log shown in Example 15-2. Because the replies in the utility also specified that a voice mail system existed and that the pilot number was 2105, the call forward CLI has already been entered for the ephone-dns.

Example 15-7. Ephone-dns Created by the Setup Utility

cme-3725#show running-config
ephone-dn 1 dual-line 
 number 2001
 call-forward busy 2105
 call-forward noan 2105 timeout 10
!
ephone-dn 2 dual-line 
 number 2002
 call-forward busy 2105
 call-forward noan 2105 timeout 10

You can create additional ephone-dns using the CLI, or you can log into the GUI at this point and add extensions via the Configuration > Extensions screen.

Many types of DNs and different ephone-dn features exist. The configuration done so far in this section provides only the basic extension (DN) configuration necessary to make calls, but you have not yet configured the phones. The following section shows you how to complete some basic phone configuration.

Assigning Extensions to IP Phones

The Cisco CME Setup Utility shown in Example 15-2 has already entered ephone definitions into the configuration. They show up as a single line only in the CLI, as shown here, until the phones are powered, connected, and registered with Cisco CME:

ephone 1
ephone 2

As soon as the phones are powered and registered (setup steps completed in the earlier sections "Connecting Phones" and "Adjusting Basic Cisco CME Parameters"), the MAC addresses of the IP phones are known to Cisco CME and are automatically populated into the configuration, as shown in Example 15-8.

Example 15-8. Ephones Created by the Setup Utility

cme-3725#show running-config
ephone 1
 mac-address 0003.6BAA.D1F8
 type 7960
!
ephone 2
 mac-address 0003.6BAA.D362
 type 7960

Next, you have to assign extensions (ephone-dns) to the phones by using the button CLI command, as shown in Example 15-9, or by going to the Configuration > Phones GUI screen and configuring the extensions on each phone's buttons. The number following the colon in the button command refers to the ephone-dn (the extension) attached to this button.

Example 15-9. Basic Button Mappings for the Ephones

cme-3725#show running-config
ephone 1
 mac-address 0003.6BAA.D1F8
 type 7960
 button 1:1 
!
ephone 2
 mac-address 0003.6BAA.D362
 type 7960
 button 1:2 

You can set up a Cisco CME system in Key System mode or in private branch exchange (PBX) mode. In Key System mode, you normally configure two or more lines per phone, so buttons 1 and 2 (and more) on each phone are each mapped to an individual extension. In PBX mode, there is usually only one line per phone, so you configure only button 1 with an extension on each phone.

If you did not use the Cisco CME Setup Utility to create initial ephone definitions, you can discover the MAC addresses of the phones connected to Cisco CME by using the show ephone command, as shown in Example 15-10, and then use the MAC addresses shown in the output to configure your ephone definitions.

Example 15-10. Discovering IP Phone MAC Addresses

router#show ephone
ephone-1 Mac:0008.218C.05D8 TCP socket:[-1] activeLine:0 UNREGISTERED
mediaActive:0 offhook:0 ringing:0 reset:0 reset_sent:0 paging 0 debug:0
IP:0.0.0.0 0 Unknown 0 keepalive 0 max_line 0

 

Resetting or Restarting Phones

Configuration changes on an IP phone or its associated DNs usually require a phone restart or reset to take effect. Note that when a PC is connected to the LAN from the access port on an IP phone, the PC temporarily loses network connectivity while the phone resets. It may take up to 5 minutes for the PC to regain network connectivity.

• The restart command performs a softphone reboot without contacting the DHCP and TFTP servers. If you have a PC connected to the IP phone being restarted, this PC doesn't lose network connectivity during the time the phone is being restarted.
• The reset command performs a complete phone reboot that includes contacting the DHCP and TFTP servers for the latest configuration information.

You may reset or restart an individual IP phone or globally reset all or restart all the IP phones connected to the same Cisco CME system.

The restart all or reset all commands cause the router to pause for 15 seconds between the reseting of each successive phone. See Example 15-11.

Example 15-11. Resetting or Restarting All the IP Phones

cme-3725(config-telephony)#reset all ?
 <0-60> time interval in seconds between each phone reset
cme32-3745(config-telephony)#restart all ?
cme32-3745(config-telephony)#reset sequence-all

The sequence-all option on the reset command causes the router to wait until one phone's reset is complete before resetting the next phone.

Example 15-12 shows how to restart or reset phone 1 or globally reset or restart all the phones connected to the Cisco CME system.

Example 15-12. Resetting and Restarting Phones

cme-3725#show running-config
telephony-service
ephone 1
restart 

telephony-service
ephone 1
reset 

telephony-service
reset all 

telephony-service
restart all

 

Making Calls Between IP Phones

At this point in the configuration, you can make calls from one IP phone to another. You should also see the extension mapped to each of the phone buttons appear on the phone's display. Calls can also be transferred and conferenced (because of the dual-line configuration used earlier) between IP phones.

You can use the following debug commands for troubleshooting if your system does not allow you to make calls or if your phones have not registered correctly. You may also refer to Chapter 16, "Troubleshooting Basic Cisco IPC Express Features," for more details on troubleshooting.

• debug ephone error
• debug ephone register
• debug ephone detail
• debug tftp events
• debug dhcp detail
• debug ip dhcp server event

Step 5 Configuring the PSTN Interface