CUCM 10.5 - Adding lines/directory numbers via Universal Line Template and BAT. How???

[voip7372]

Has anyone been able to get universal line templates to work with BAT?  I have everything working with Self-Provisioning, Universal Device Templates and BAT with the exception of the Universal Line Template.  

Ultimately what I'm trying to do is manually create the new users via BAT and with as few extra BAT jobs as possible, also create the directory numbers and devices via Universal Line Template and Universal Device Template (associated with a 'User Profile').  

When I use BAT to add new users, I assign the User ID and other personal info for each user and also assign the 'User Profile'  The User Profile contains the universal device template and universal line template.  The catch seems to be that in order to associate a 'Primary Extension' with the User ID (self provisioning won't work right without it), you have to have the Directory Number created first (unless I'm doing something wrong).  My hope was that you could define the primary extension on the User BAT spreadsheet and because it also had the User Profile assigned which contains the Universal Line Template, it would automatically create and assign the directory number to the User based on the settings in the universal line template.  Anyway, it's not working that way. 

I've been able to make it partially work like this:

1. Create Directory Numbers (via web interface) with general info that applies to all the users I'll create

2. Add users via BAT 

3. Update users via BAT to associate the DN (Primary Extension) with the user.  (for some reason, you have to add the user first and THEN go back and associate the 'primary extension' with the user)

After doing that, I can successfully dial the self provisioning number and get the phone to automatically update with the correct device info in the universal device template and the DN is assigned correctly.  However, I'm now left with lots of directory numbers that have no personalized Description, Alerting Name or anything else that I want to be personalized to a certain user's directory number.  

Surely someone has been able to make this work???  I've tried adding the users in various ways using BAT, trying to get the Universal Line Template to be applied to each user's lines/directory number, but so far nothing has worked.  If I use the web interface's 'Quick User/Phone Add' on the User Management > User/Phone Add menu, it works perfectly.  If I can get this to work right using BAT, I will be very happy :-)  

[dsobrinho]

Hi,

You can use the option to Export Phone AllDetails, and use it to create a script to import.

Bulk Administration>Phones>Export Phone>All Details

Best regards,

Daniel Sobrinho

[voip7372]

You mean use the process you describe for updating the names on the directory numbers after I activate the phones via self provisioning?  I can do that, but I'd really love to get the universal line template to work the way I think it's supposed to work.  Then I'd be able to avoid running a BAT job to go back and correct the names and so on.  

[ali.haidar85]

Hi,

Self provisioning is not currently supported with BAT. I recently raised a PER with Cisco on this. The way self provisioning works is by auto-generating DNs using the Feature Group Template (Universal template groups) which is available if you are syncing users with LDAP or manually adding user using the Self Prov Quick add option.

As a workaround there are two ways:

1) if your are not using LDAP, try to run Microsoft AD temporary and sync your users. You can then remove LDAP. You can also try to convert your users to local users or export them and import again using BAT if needed. This method will generate you DNs using the ULT

2) option 2 is not neat but you can use BAT to import all your devices first using dummy MAC address. This will generate your DNs using your final configuration. Then delete all the devices from CUCM but leave the DNs (Self Prov do not overwrite the dummy MAC addresses). Then finally import your users using the BAT and assign the Primary Extension in BAT. Primary Extension will now works cos the DNs already exists. Self Prov will work and your UDT will work as well but UTL in this case becomes useless.

Hope this helps until Cisco introduces the Feature Group Template option to BAT!!

Regards,

Ali

[voip7372]

I accidentally discovered a way to make this work so that the DN is automatically created for me :-)  I don't have to go to the directory numbers page anymore and create the DNs before I create the users, but I do still need to do a BAT job to associate the primary DN with the user after it's created via a different BAT job.  

I'll try to briefly explain.  It's a little convoluted, but it works and saves me the task of manually creating the DNs and self-provisioning works just fine after the 5 BAT jobs I run to add my new users, RDP and UDP profiles.  

1. Use BAT to insert new USERS

2. Use BAT to insert new RDP (remote destination profiles) profiles using the appropriate templates My RDP template refers to a dummy User ID that I created just for the purpose of having a USER ID to put in the User ID field on the RDP template.  The RDP template refers to a Universal Line Template for the Line related to the RDP template.  The universal line template has all the basic info I need in there like the CSS for the Line, forwarding info, the user's name (because #LastName#, #FirstName# on the universal line template is replaced by the actual user's info), etc.

3. Use BAT to update USER to associate the primary DN that was automatically created when I inserted the new remote dest profiles.

4. Use BAT to insert new UDP profiles for Ext Mobility use

5. Use BAT to update USER to associate the new UDP (controlled profiles) profile to the user. 

Now you can use Self-Provosioning to activate the users at the desk or a user can activate their IP Communicator via self-prov.  They also can use extension mobility because of the UDP I created for them) and single number reach (because of the remote destination profile I created for them).

And the best part of all this?    I couldn't care less about what someone's MAC address is on their PC or on their desk phone, because after the steps above, I don't have to care about the MAC address ;-)   Self-provisioning will do everything for me at this point.   I've also restricted self-provisioning after a user has 2 devices, so I can not worry about them using Self-Prov to add device after device when they get a new PC, etc.  I won't have lots of orphaned devices eating up licenses.  When they try to activate another device after they already have 2, self-prov will tell them they're not able to do that and to contact the administrator for help....so they'll come asking for help and we'll then know to remove the old device (like CIPC associated with an old PC no longer used) and then they can use self-prov to activate their new device :-)

[sergiope]

Not sure if this is still relevant or not, but here's another way I found how to make Self-Provisioning much easier.

1. Create Universal Device Templates: this can be done using BAT (Phones > Insert Phones > All Details) Make sure your device type is set to "Universal Device Template". You should be able to use the same BAT template as the All Details.

2. Create Universal Line Templates: this needs to be done manually, as apparently there is no way to BAT these into CUCM.

3. Create User Profiles as needed (User Management > User Settings > User Profile). Make sure you assign the newly created UDT and ULT.

4. Import users and phones using BAT using dummy MAC addresses (Phones & Users > Insert Phones with Users). Please note that the BAT CSV template is different, you can grab it from Phones & Users > Phone & Users File Format > Add file format, just upload a blank CSV file to CUCM first so you can input the format there. VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure you assign a Self-Service User ID and the Primary Extension, also don't forget to assign the proper User Profile to each user accordingly.

5. Once you have successfully run the Phones & Users BAT job (it will displayed failed users and phones separately), just go back and delete the phones with the dummy MACs, CUCM will delete the phone, but not the DN, and said DN will still be assigned to the end user, which means you will be able to self-provision the phone using whatever Self-Service User ID you assigned to the user, and self-provisioning will pull all the DN information based on the Primary Extension assigned in the BAT template for the users.

A couple additional notes:

>Make sure your Phones & Users job is completely clean, if the phone fails to add, BAT will create the phone and you will have to go back and configure the user, likewise, if you have a user failing to create, you will have to go back and assign everything manually.

>You can add any field you need to the phone configuration on the phone side of the BAT template. 

HTH,