Newbie question on UC560 voice system. Problem registering phones.

[Brandon Smith]

Hello.  I am a newcomer to the professional IT world, and have fairly limited experience with voice and networking.  My boss has assigned me the task of implementing our new voice system, and seeing as I'm the one IT guy here it all falls in my lap .  I'm having an issue with the UC560 voice system registering our SPA508G IP phones.  I believe the problem is that the UC560 IP address (192.168.10.1) lies on a different subnet than the phones (192.168.1.x).  I am also unable to access the UC560 from my office computer through CCA since it also lies on a different subnet.  Can anyone guide me in the right direction to fixing this so that the Cisco Configuration Agent telephony wizard picks up the IP phones automatically?  Thank you!

[Daniele Giordano]

Can you PING the UC from "phone subnet"?

If yes, are SIP and RTP ports reachable from "phone subnet"?

If no, can you describe your net? Is there a router between networks? Is NAT enabled?

What is the model of router? Can you add the ip route or a tracert from "phone subnet" to UC?

Regards.

[mdobiac]

Mr. Smith,

As I am not sure how far you have gone in your configuation first I would do the following with the UC560 off your network, if an intial deployment.  However in the post by David he mentions very good key points before the deployment of your Voice network and should be addressed.  What I suggested is after the majority of that has been answered.

Probably will need a lap top for this.  First upgrade to software pack 8.2.0 (will take about and hour) and make sure you are using the CCA utility 3.1(1).  After that run the Telephony Wizard in CCA and put in a basic running configuration, after this and when it is applying the configuration it will take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour.

Next once you verify that you have access to the UC560 after the initial configuration you want to assign a Static IP address to the UC560 from your Data network.  Two thing to do go to Configure > DHCP server and delete the Data DHCP pool as I am assuming you do not want the UC560 to do DHCP for your Data network.  Next go to Switch and change Vlan 1 to have an available IP address from your data network.  This way you can manage the UC560 and have remote management access to it, if necessary. 

After that I would recommend a Sx300 series switch for easier deployment of your Voice network as the Sx300 series switch on the latest software supports CDP and that will help in associating your Voice traffic to your Voice vlan.  Vlan 100 is the default Voice Vlan.

Once the switch is configured and part of the network then I would associate your IP phones to the network.  CCA will auto discover them and under User and Extension > User and phones you can edit the user profiles to have the correct information.  There are some other ways to configuring your phones, however I feel this is best when you are just getting used to the systems mechanics.

I hope this initial advice helps.

Thank you,

Mike D.

[David Trad]

Hi Brandon,

OK big deep breaths....and....STOP!!!

Do NOT do anything before you answer the following questions please

1. Is this a pre-existing system and in operation I.E "Live"?
2. Are there any Cisco Switches there, and if so what model/series are they?
3. Do you have a Network Diagram of how your network looks and where the UC-500 is situated?
4. Do you have a basic understanding of voice principles? Call routing, hunt/blast groups etc..etc..??
5. Do you have good fundamental network understanding? Like how VLAN's work and what they are?
6. Do you have a SBSC support contract active on this system? I am going to assume yes since it is a UC-560
7. Do you know who sold this to you? Are they a Cisco certified partner??
8. Are Certified like SMB 650-195 or CCNA or CCVP or CCDA?
9. Do you have access to Cisco's UC-500 download section to get the latest updates for your system?
10. Finally do you have CCA 3.1.1?

The next move you do can be the difference of being in a world of pain, or on the way to building your first UC-500 and successfully.

We the community need to know how this is all situated before we can give you full and proper assistance, and if you are a complete novice with the UC systems, potentially offer you free remote support if you or the system is not covered under a support contract, and I would be willing to do that so long as a few things meet the requirements.

Also pease make sure you have the following things ready before you even consider moving forward and buikding the system:

• What subnets will be used for the Data VLAN, Voice VLAN and since it is a UC-560 the CUE VLAN.... Although I will work pretty hard to convince you to stay default all the way
• Also what is the extensions you want to use, I.E 4 digit, 3 digit and who gets what extension... Map this all out and write the name and extension number on each phones box so we can associate it to the MAC address
• Are staff getting DID numbers and if so have you worked out the allocation?
• If you have an SBS server there, is this the domain controller? We need to know this 100% to work out if the UC-560 is going to be your network concentrator or not, if it is then fantastic, your life will be much better
• You need to allocated Static IP's addresses to your switches, basically you put the UC on .1 and your switch on .254 and work backwards for every switch thereafter, all the UC equipment needs to have static IP's (With the exception of the phones)

How many users are going to be on this system as well, this will give an indication on how long it will take to build it from scratch as well?

You need to understand that the above is just the beginning, this is not a matter of just plug and play and make a couple of changes, you are building a complex and pretty advanced system which can do more than just make/receive phone calls, it is a full blown router, robust firewall and many other things, you need to brace yourself for the journey which is made 100X more easier for you because of CCA, but you still need to understand what you are doing

I'll leave it at this for now, do not want to overwhelm you anymore than what I have potentially done already, but I assure you I will give you as much support as possible, you just need to be willing to learn and do it

I eagerly await your reply...

Cheers,

David.

Message was edited by: David Trad

[Brandon Smith]

Thanks for the replies so far.  Starting to wonder if this project is gonna be over my head.  Gonna answer your questions the best I can David.

1.  This isn't a pre-existing system and is currently NOT live.

2.  We have a Cisco Small Business SF 300-48P switch

3.  I don't have a network diagram currently but I can work on making one up.

4.  I have a very basic understanding, nothing too deep.

5.  I have a good grasp on network fundamentals and I understand how VLANS work.  My problem is the practical application part..haven't had much real world experience with this kind of equipment.

6.  Yes we have a support contract.

7.  We bought the system through CDW.

8.  No certs.

9.  I will have access soon.  There was a mixup and we didn't get our service contract number yet.

10.  Yes

As for the other questions:  There will be roughly 35 users on the system.  Our domain controller is a Windows 2008 server.  Not sure on the subnets and the DID numbers yet.  I know this system is probably way above my current level of expertise.  I was hoping to use it as a learning opportunity while being successful in implementing it at the same time.  Thanks for any replies and assistance!

[David Trad · Accepted solution]

Hi Brandon,

Great work mate

1.  This isn't a pre-existing system and is currently NOT live.
Excellent this makes life easier for both of us 
2.  We have a Cisco Small Business SF 300-48P switch
Excellent good choice of switch... Make sure it is firmware 1.0.0.8 on it, and statically assign it an IP address (We can work out which one that is after if you want)
3.  I don't have a network diagram currently but I can work on making one up.
Diagrams are a major plus and help out HEAPS
4.  I have a very basic understanding, nothing too deep.
Thats all you need 
5.   I have a good grasp on network fundamentals and I understand how VLANS  work.  My problem is the practical application part..haven't had much  real world experience with this kind of equipment.
OK we can work through the VLAN stuff, it is quite important you understand their roles though as the UC's work of them fundamentally
6.  Yes we have a support contract.
Great, because I will get you to a point... There after you can hit support up for assistance if it goes beyond what have done initially.
7.  We bought the system through CDW.
Will they provide you after sales support or are they just box droppers?
8.  No certs.
Oh well no big deal, you should studdy and sit for the SMB 650-195 field engineer one day, it is worth it 
9.  I will have access soon.  There was a mixup and we didn't get our service contract number yet.
Good 
10.  Yes
Excellent this is the ground work covered LOL

At first the project will seem as though you have bitten of more than you can chew, just relax you will get through it so long as you work through it slowly and don't try and rush yourself into understanding it all

Since there is 35 users, you need to do the following:

• Go to program files and check the Cisco SMB folder, somewhere in there (Don't remember exact location) in the CCA section there will be a bulk user import file... YOU WILL need this to make life easier for you
• Fill it out, keep user names simple. I would highly recommend using extension numbers as username this makes life easier if a staff member leave with not having to delete the user and re-creating a new one
• Fill out the extension numbers, you can assign these based on DID numbers if you are getting any, if not then do it sequentially, leave 5 spaces between receptionist extension and the others I.E Reception 100, start all others users from 105 onwards (You will thank me later for that )
• Fill in First and Last name section, no spaces, apostrophes, hifened names, etc..etc.. So a name like "Nick Van Derveer" needs to be "Nick Vanderveer"
• Fill out the rest of the columns, this will reduce about 30-60 minutes of programming time during the CCA Telephony Wizard (A big difference in my opinion)

Find out what the SBS servers IP address is, from there we can allocated the data subnet to the UC, give it a static IP and also the switch, and after the wizard is finished turn DHCP off on the UC.

Also to do this, the UC will need to be tottaly disconnected from the network, a computer with AV and Firewall turned off completley, and the PC directly connected to the UC not through the switch.

Alternatively... We can do this remotely, a little on the danger side but have done it a few times with other forum members, basically you connect the UC into the network via the WAN interface with it set to DHCP, this way the UC is live on the net and you can run Teamviewer through it so I can log onto the system and go through the whole telephony wizard setup with you and walk you through it, show you what each section means how it works and how the call routing is done.

Get the basics as shown above ready and you will be good to go.

Cheers,

David.

[Brandon Smith]

Hello David,

Thank you very much for your help so far.  It has been wonderful.  I have a quick question before I do some of the stuff listed.  What is meant by SBS Server?  We currently don't run an SBS server unless you are referring to the Windows Server 2008 we have that handles DHCP.

Edit:  Also, can I make 2 digit extensions?  We are replacing our current phone system obviously and we all had 2 digit extensions before.  When I try and put in a 2 digit extension in the bulk user import document it says they should be greater length than 2.  Thanks!

[David Trad]

Hi Brandon,

My bad with the reference to SBS that's just me typing in auto pilot

I was referring to you Windows server anyway...

In regards to extension length, in theory you can go 2 digit dialing but I would never recommend it and you should go 3 digit. I understand that this may not be what you want but in order to get full functionality from the system, it is highly recommended to follow recommended settings.

Understand that 2 digit dialing can cause problem with outbound dialing rules and it can cause functionality restrictions, this option is generally only used when in Key System mode not PBX mode, and with 35 users I can tell you that you do not want to put the system in Key System mode

Cheers,

David.

[Brandon Smith]

One more question before I finish up the bulk user file...how do I configure it so that the CFNA and CFB go to voicemail?  Would I just put the extension number of the user in those fields?  Guess I'm not understanding how voicemail is accessed with the system.

[David Trad]

Hi Brandon,

Right.... You are asking good questions, I like

Ok I don't know what extension range you are using, but lets assume you used 1XX... In this scenario you wound make your Voice Mail pilot number 199, put it right at the end of the range right away from the rest of the other phones.

You will have to give CCA the directive in the Telephony wizard to assign 199 to the VM, but that is simple, you will also assign the Auto Attendant if you are thinking of using one 198 and the administration number for the AA 197... I call this structured numbering plan, you know where everything is and it remains organized.

This brings me to the next step, during the wizard you will need to assign pilot numbers to various other services if you are going to use them, I would prefer though to assist you with this even over skype, I can talk you through it without having to look at the screen, just keep telling me what screen its up too

Structured Pilot Numbering:

• Auto Attendant = 198
• Blast Group = 500 > ( Sequentialy Move Up)
• Hunt Group = 300 > ( Sequentially Move Up)
• Meet-Me Conference = 700 > ( Sequentially Move Up)
• Live Record = 900

It may not make a lot of sense to you now but trust me it will as you are movig along with the Wizard, Ive done it quite a few times

I'll wait for your next round of questions

Cheers,

David.

"Posted using my Iconia A500"

[Brandon Smith]

David,

So am I understanding it correctly that I can put whatever extension I choose for the voicemail as the CFNA and CFB numbers in the bulk user import file?  Since it won't let me leave the fields blank? 

[David Trad]

Hi Brandon,

Yes... But why would you? You need to put a valid one in that will actually

be used, if you don't it will be fubar when you go to use the system.

So if you can follow the guide I provided, life will be much simpler for

you.

Cheers,

David.

"Sent from my Acer Iconia A500"

[Brandon Smith]

Sorry David maybe I am misunderstanding.  My point is that we don't want calls forwarded to another number for no answer or busy.  We want them to go to voicemail.  So what do I put in the CFNA and CFB boxes in the bulk user import?

[David Trad]

Hi Brandon,

My bad :-D maybe I haven't been specific enough I'm sorry...

OK let's assume again that you will use extension range 1XX and you follow

the guide and designate 199 to be your VM pilot number, this is what you

put in there, the 199.

You dot have to use that range, its just as an example although much easier

to use t than not.

If I'm still not clear let me know and I will show you an example of a bulk

user file to help out.

Cheers,

David.

"Sent from my Acer Iconia A500"

[Brandon Smith]

Alright..bulk user import file is filled out.  We are using extensions 1xx with 199 as VM 198 as attendant.  We aren't spacing them like you had suggested though because my boss wants to keep them as similar as we can to our old extensions.  So it basically goes in increments of 1 from 110 to 140 as the extensions.  DHCP server has a static IP of 192.168.1.99.  What should my next steps be?