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Hi Sarah,
How Cisco IP Communicator Interacts with Cisco Unified Communications Manager
Cisco IP Communicator is a software application that enables you to communicate by using voice over a data network. To provide this capability, Cisco IP Communicator depends upon Cisco Unified Communications Manager to set up and tear down calls between phone devices, integrating traditional PBX functionality with the corporate IP network. Cisco Unified Communications Manager manages all components of the IP telephony system—the phone devices, access gateways, and the resources necessary for such features as conference calls and route plans. Cisco Unified Communications Manager also provides:
•
Firmware for phones
•Authentication (if configured for the telephony system)
•Device configuration file and certificate trust list (CTL) file through the TFTP service
•Cisco IP Communicator registration
•Call preservation so that a media session continues if signaling is lost between the primary Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Cisco IP Communicator
As you would do with other Cisco Unified IP Phones that rely on Cisco Unified Communications Manager, you must configure and manage Cisco IP Communicator as a network device through Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration.
How Cisco IP Communicator Interacts With the Network at Startup
At startup, Cisco IP Communicator interacts with the network as follows:
1. Locates the configuration server.
Upon startup, Cisco IP Communicator always attempts to use DHCP to locate its TFTP server. Cisco IP Communicator first tries to use HTTP (by default) to retrieve files from the server, and if it is not able, Cisco IP Communicator uses TFTP.
If you used the Cisco IP Communicator Administration Tool, Cisco IP Communicator can also use HTTP to retrieve software updates, thereby accelerating file transfer for remote users. This tool is for Windows-based Cisco Unified Communications Managers only.
If you do not use DHCP in your network to identify TFTP servers, or if you want the device to use an alternate TFTP server, you must manually configure your TFTP server from Cisco IP Communicator or instruct users to do this task.
2. Requests the CTL file (if security is configured).
The TFTP server stores the CTL file, which contains a list of Cisco Unified Communications Managers and TFTP servers that Cisco IP Communicator is authorized to connect to. It also contains the certificates necessary for establishing a secure connection between Cisco IP Communicator and Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
The security CTLFile.tlv file is downloaded to the [ApplicationData]\Cisco\Communicator\sec folder.
3. Requests configuration files.
Configuration files (.cnf.xml) reside on the TFTP server and define parameters for connecting to Cisco Unified Communications Manager. In general, any time you make a change in Cisco Unified Communications Manager that requires a device to be reset, a change is made to the configuration file for that device.
–If you have enabled auto-registration in Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Cisco IP Communicator accesses a default configuration file (xmldefault.cnf.xml) from the TFTP server.
–Otherwise, Cisco IP Communicator accesses a .cnf.xml file corresponding to its device name.
4. Downloads locale strings.
The.cnf.xml file configuration file tells Cisco IP Communicator which user locale strings to use. To make this request, Cisco IP Communicator first tries to use HTTP. If you have not enabled HTTP access, Cisco IP Communicator uses TFTP.
5. Contacts Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
After obtaining the configuration file from the TFTP server, Cisco IP Communicator attempts to make a connection to the highest priority Cisco Unified Communications Manager on the list. If security is implemented, Cisco IP Communicator makes a TLS connection; otherwise, it makes a nonsecure TCP connection.
–If the device was added to the database individually (through Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration or in bulk through the Bulk Administration Tool (BAT), Cisco Unified Communications Manager identifies the device. This is only true if you are not using BAT with the Tool for Auto-Registered Phones Support (TAPS).
–Otherwise, the device attempts to register itself in the Cisco Unified Communications Manager database (when auto-registration is enabled in Cisco Unified Communications Manager).
Note Auto-registration is disabled when security is enabled on Cisco Unified Communications Manager. In this case, you must manually add Cisco IP Communicator to the Cisco Unified Communications Manager database.
HTH.
Regards,
Harmit.
Hi Sarah,
How Cisco IP Communicator Interacts with Cisco Unified Communications Manager
Cisco IP Communicator is a software application that enables you to communicate by using voice over a data network. To provide this capability, Cisco IP Communicator depends upon Cisco Unified Communications Manager to set up and tear down calls between phone devices, integrating traditional PBX functionality with the corporate IP network. Cisco Unified Communications Manager manages all components of the IP telephony system—the phone devices, access gateways, and the resources necessary for such features as conference calls and route plans. Cisco Unified Communications Manager also provides:
•Firmware for phones
•Authentication (if configured for the telephony system)
•Device configuration file and certificate trust list (CTL) file through the TFTP service
•Cisco IP Communicator registration
•Call preservation so that a media session continues if signaling is lost between the primary Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Cisco IP Communicator
As you would do with other Cisco Unified IP Phones that rely on Cisco Unified Communications Manager, you must configure and manage Cisco IP Communicator as a network device through Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration.
How Cisco IP Communicator Interacts With the Network at Startup
At startup, Cisco IP Communicator interacts with the network as follows:
1. Locates the configuration server.
Upon startup, Cisco IP Communicator always attempts to use DHCP to locate its TFTP server. Cisco IP Communicator first tries to use HTTP (by default) to retrieve files from the server, and if it is not able, Cisco IP Communicator uses TFTP.
If you used the Cisco IP Communicator Administration Tool, Cisco IP Communicator can also use HTTP to retrieve software updates, thereby accelerating file transfer for remote users. This tool is for Windows-based Cisco Unified Communications Managers only.
If you do not use DHCP in your network to identify TFTP servers, or if you want the device to use an alternate TFTP server, you must manually configure your TFTP server from Cisco IP Communicator or instruct users to do this task.
2. Requests the CTL file (if security is configured).
The TFTP server stores the CTL file, which contains a list of Cisco Unified Communications Managers and TFTP servers that Cisco IP Communicator is authorized to connect to. It also contains the certificates necessary for establishing a secure connection between Cisco IP Communicator and Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
The security CTLFile.tlv file is downloaded to the [ApplicationData]\Cisco\Communicator\sec folder.
3. Requests configuration files.
Configuration files (.cnf.xml) reside on the TFTP server and define parameters for connecting to Cisco Unified Communications Manager. In general, any time you make a change in Cisco Unified Communications Manager that requires a device to be reset, a change is made to the configuration file for that device.
–If you have enabled auto-registration in Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Cisco IP Communicator accesses a default configuration file (xmldefault.cnf.xml) from the TFTP server.
–Otherwise, Cisco IP Communicator accesses a .cnf.xml file corresponding to its device name.
4. Downloads locale strings.
The.cnf.xml file configuration file tells Cisco IP Communicator which user locale strings to use. To make this request, Cisco IP Communicator first tries to use HTTP. If you have not enabled HTTP access, Cisco IP Communicator uses TFTP.
5. Contacts Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
After obtaining the configuration file from the TFTP server, Cisco IP Communicator attempts to make a connection to the highest priority Cisco Unified Communications Manager on the list. If security is implemented, Cisco IP Communicator makes a TLS connection; otherwise, it makes a nonsecure TCP connection.
–If the device was added to the database individually (through Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration or in bulk through the Bulk Administration Tool (BAT), Cisco Unified Communications Manager identifies the device. This is only true if you are not using BAT with the Tool for Auto-Registered Phones Support (TAPS).
–Otherwise, the device attempts to register itself in the Cisco Unified Communications Manager database (when auto-registration is enabled in Cisco Unified Communications Manager).
Note Auto-registration is disabled when security is enabled on Cisco Unified Communications Manager. In this case, you must manually add Cisco IP Communicator to the Cisco Unified Communications Manager database.
HTH.
Regards,
Harmit.
