Provisioning Polycom SIP Phones. May 1. 5, 2. 01. 3 by Jeff Schertz The process documented in this article can be used in any Lync 2. Polycom SIP phones running Polycom Unified Communications Software UCS. This article is not intended to replace or accompany any official Polycom documentation. Instead this process alone can be used to deploy a basic provisioning server in a lab or testing environment when evaluating Polycom SIP phones, and much of the guidance contained reflects a non production scenario. Also note that some of this guidance differs from instructions found in the official Polycom provisioning guides, most importantly the guidance to use a large number of parameters which no longer need to be defined for Lync interoperability as of the introduction of the Lync Base Profile. Background. Traditionally Lync Optimized devices e. CX6. 00 receive all of their provisioning information and software update packages directly from a Lync server. Although Qualified devices e. VVX4. 00 do also receive a lot of information in band from the Lync Server, UCS devices contain a variety of configurable parameters available outside of what the Lync Server can provide itself. When looking to provision any of these out of band features, like Paging, or when dealing with device firmware updates then it is required to deploy a centralized server to provide this today. The provisioning server is not a specific product or solution, it is basically just a centrally accessible file store which contains certain files that the devices are programmed to look for. The phones will look for specific firmware files to perform an upgradedowngrade and will download and upload configuration data in XML files. Polycom UCS devices can utilize a variety of different file server platforms to store and manage both firmware packages and configuration files, no additional third party software is required. In this article a basic FTP server will be used but the phones also support the TFTP, HTTP, and HTTPS protocols. When a factory reset device is first powered on it will check for specific DHCP Options that may be defined on the network which would provide a path to the provisioning server. If this information is found then it will connect to that file service, authenticate with a pre configured username and password, and then look for one of two specific filenames stored in the root directory. First the device will look for a configuration filename matching its MAC address e. UCS distributable package e. Regardless of which file is downloaded it will contain a defined parameter which tells the device where to locate firmware packages and what if any additional configuration files to look for. By default the firmware packages are stored at the root of the directory and each individual phone model is programmed to look for a specific filename unique to each model e. Additionally the device can also upload files to the directory to store device side settings e. Configure Provisioning Server. Specifically Microsoft FTP services in Internet Information Server are used in this example, running on Windows Server 2. Any standard FTP service e. File. Zilla, War. FTP can be used. It is not recommended to use an existing Lync Server also as the FTP server, thus the guidance that a separate Windows host be utilized. Authentication. Before setting up the file server it is important to understand that the UCS firmware is pre programmed with a default username and password which is used during authentication to the provisioning server. The default credentials use the same string for both the username and password and are stored in as case sensitive so if the FTP server uses case sensitive username andor password make sure the uppercase and lowercase characters are used correctly. Traditionally username are not case sensitive while passwords are, but this may depend on the actual file server product used. Username. Plcm. Sp. Ip. Password. Plcm. Sp. Ip. It can be difficult to discern if some of these characters are an i, L, or a 1. The leading p is uppercase, followed by a lowercase L c m, then an uppercase s, lowercase p, uppercase i, lowercase p. The name comes from the string Polycom. Soundpoint Ip. If using a custom set of user credentials is desired then they can be changed manually on each phone prior to provisioning by accessing the Settings Advanced Administration Settings Network Configuration Provisioning Servermenu. For this lab environment the Windows Active Directory password policy was customized to disable strong password complexity requirements as the default password does not meet the complexity of the default Windows AD password policy. In a production environment it would not be advisable to alter the password complexity policy simply for this reason, but a different file server platform which is not AD integrated could be used which may not have this same limitation. Create a new Active Directory user account or a local user account in the event that the FTP Server is running on a standalone Windows server. Name Resolution. To facilitate simple access to the FTP site select a dedicated hostname and configure it for name resolution. Select a fully qualified domain name for the FTP server e. The process documented in this article can be used in any Lync 2010 or 2013 environment to setup a centralized provisioning server for managing Polycom SIP phones. DNS Alias CNAME record in the proper zone pointing the physical server Host A record where the FTP service is installed and listening. FTP Service. Using the directions provided in Tech. Net to Build an FTP Site on IIS add the FTP Server role, as well as any prerequisite IIS Web Service roles in the event that IIS is not currently installed on the desired server. Launch Internet Information Services IIS Manager inetmgr. Right click Sites and select Add FTP Site. Enter a name for the new FTP site e. On the Bindings and SSL Settings page disable secure sockets layer by selecting No SSL. On the Authentication and Information page enable Basic authentication and then select Specified Users in the Allow access to drop down list. Enter the desired user name e. Plcm. Sp. Ip in the field below, and enable both Read and Write permissions. Because the devices need to be able to upload configuration data as well as download it then both Read and Write permissions are required. FTP Directory. Now that the FTP service has been prepared the root directory needs to be populated. This is a simple process given that every UCS package released by Polycom always includes the entire set of base files needed, so any version of UCS can be used to first populate the directory. The desired software package can be downloaded from the Polycom Support site, either directly from the support page for a specific phone model, or from the Software Release Matrix page. Depending on the number of different device models which need to be supported multiple packages may be required, but the first package selected is sufficient to instantiate the directory. As this article is using a Polycom VVX 4. From the Polycom support site download the Polycom UC Software 4. It is recommended to always download the split package, the combined packages can be ignored. Expand the contents of the software package to the root of the defined FTP directory e. The package contains a number of directories and files but most of these can be ignored when dealing with Lync integration, including the directories which store sample configuration and localization files as well as the image and audio files. The important files are highlighted in the table below. Name. Description. Default Master SIP Configuration File. Firmware files for each unique phone modelsip. Text file which stores the full version number for this package. To insure that the phones have the appropriate rights to the directory add the desired user account e. Plcm. Sp. Ip to the root folders Access Control List and grant it Modify permissions. An additional recommendation is to create dedicated directories to store call and diagnostic logs for each phone. By default they would all be written to the root directory which in larger deployments can lead to a lot of files being stored there, making it more difficult to weed through and manage files configuration files. Create new folders named calls and logs in the root directory. Edit the master configuration file 0. Step by step Microsoft Lync 2. Asterisk and Skype installationintegration guide. Once a year I give my blessing to the wife to go away on a long weekend with the girls and usually I try to call in a few child minding favours from my parentsin laws and this weekend, thank goodness, is no exception to the rule Last time I was given these days of peace I wrote a TrixboxExchange 2. Asterisk friendly UI Bad bad badso from here on in I have chosen to move to Asterisk. NOW. Trixbox is a great distribution of Asterisk, however it does break certain Asterisk standards and you cant beat a good ol command line yes in Asterisks case the command line is easier than a web interface. So why not plain old Asterisk Asterisk. NOW makes light work of the install and Im by no means a Linux guru You can still opt for the Free. PBX front end but we will choose to not go down this dark path trust me on this So lets talk objectivesSetup Asterisk. NOW, configuring a SIP extension and corresponding dial plan. Install and configure Skype for Asterisk SFA, ensuring the SIP extension above can route inout Skype. OutTake the Lync 2. Server install performed here and integrate it with Asterisk. NOW. Make calls to and from the Asterisk SIP extension Lync SFAMake calls to and from the Lync client SIP SFASo here is an idea of how this will all piece together Sounds like a tall order rightWrong. With Asterisk. NOW and Lync Server 2. I will endeavour to document the end to end setup process. Before I begin let me talk about SFASkype as you may or may not be aware offers two SME level Vo. IP integrations Skype for SIP now re branded as Skype Connect essentially a way of integrating Skypes cloud of PSTN inout connectivity including the capability to call Skype users 2. I type to an SIP enabled IP PBX for supported vendors see here. Skype for Asterisk SFA an add on Asterisk channel driver which allows for Skype to Skype calls and access to Skypes uber cheap calling rates via your Asterisk end point. If you are already running an Asterisk based PBX you will probably want to know the difference. From a high level it comes down to the following Cost Skype Connect is subscription based, you pay 6. Functionality SFA is not channel based, it is user based, for a one off charge of 6. A single license would give you one channel. In this guide we will enable a single license be configured to route out from either SIP or Lync end points. From an inbound perspective you could create a Lync response group or Asterisk call group to broadcast inbound calls to multiple users. One or should i say three last caveat before we get on with the good stuff Lync is currently in release candidate, it is unlikely to change on a grand scale, but be aware it is not supported by Microsoft. Lync or OCS Asterisk integrations are not supported by Microsoft. This is a just for fun guide or lab setup only. Okay, with that over with lets look at requirements. Ill be using Windows Server 2. R2 with Hyper V to run Lync Server 2. RC Asterisk. NOWI have assigned 2gb of memory to Lync Server 2. RC and 5. 12mb to Asterisk. NOW I know this seems minimal but it is enough for this small test setupYoull need to setup a Skype business accountas SFA will not work with regular consumer accounts you can route Skype to Skype calls between business and consumer accountsOnce you have setup a free Skype business account youll need credit as without credit it wont route out to PSTN. I suggest you test the account by adding it to a Skype software client first if you hit any roadblocks further down the line youll be pleased to have ruled this potential issue outBuy an SFA single channel license which can be purchased directly from Digium, the makers of Asterisk, via their online store currently at 6. Lets beginDownload a copy of Asterisk. NOW, I have opted for the 6. VM. Create a name Set memory Dont connect it to your virtual network, well need to create a legacy network adaptor as we are using Linux. Im going to accept the default options when configuring my virtual disk this isnt usually recommended for performance, but for Asterisk. NOW itll be sufficientOnce your bootable Asterisk. NOW ISO is downloaded, select this as the operating system to boot from within Hyper V Manager. Our summary, click Finish. Before we kick off the install, youll need to go to your settings andadd one hardware component, the legacy network adaptor mentioned earlier and make sure this is connected to your virtual network. Lets start our VMFingers crossed the Asterisk. NOW ISO will boot and the install commences, select option 5 Asterisk 1. Asterisk 1. 6 for TCP support, a SIP trunk requirement for OCS and LyncSelect yes, to accept the creation of partitions and wiping of data. The default partition scheme is fine, select next. Set your region, select next and create a root or Administrator password then click next. The install will now commence, in my case Im going to grab some breakfast Im back and the install is complete, eject your ISO via the Hyper V toolbar, Select Media DVD Drive Eject. Then click reboot. During the boot sequence youll see a ton of text, which will all hopefully end with OK . Upon completion you will see a Setup Agent, quit this and you will be presented with the screen below. Login with your root account and start the network configuration utility, type system config network. You will then be presented with the screen below. Edit your network device eth. Digital Equipment Corporation DECchip 2. Faster. Net, remove the DHCP optionand set a static address, in my case 1. Save and now edit your DNS configuration. In my case I have a local DNS server 1. I have also set my host name as ast. Then Save Quit. Once you are back to the command line type shutdown r now this will result in a reboot of the system. Once the system has completed a restart, login again as root. You should now be able to ping from this system to another address on your local network including the Internet to check this, ping www. In some cases I have found that you need to head back into the network settings and re input the DNS, this issue shouldnt re occur. Now you are back to your Asterisk command line, typeyum install register, youll be prompted to download the package, accept this by inputting Y and hitting enter. YUM is an abbreviated word for Yellow dog Updater Modified, it is a command line package management tool. The Register package is used to activate your SFA license. Next well update our version of Asterisk. NOW, typeyum update asterisk. Once completed, well install SFA, typeyum install asterisk. Once installed reboot, type shutdown r now. Once the reboot has completed login and well register the SFA module using the license key received from Digium. Login as root and type, register. Select option 1 Digium Products, then option 7 Skype for Asterisk. Next you will be prompted to enter you SFA key, enter the key and register now. Click the space bar to run through the license agreement does anyone read these and accept the agreement. Complete your personal details and your license should be written to varlibasterisklicenses you should back this up Ill explain this next. But one last reboot first, type shutdown r now, our Asterisk install is now complete, next well need to configure it To configure our Asterisk PBX we need to edit a number of text files, there are Linux based editors, but in my experience they are not that user friendly and I like to perform this remotely using my friendly Windows PC, to do this you need an SSH client I use Win. SCP. Download a free copy via their website here. Once installed add a new site see belowThen change the default remote directory as per the illustration below and save the site. Once saved click login. The first time you connect you will be prompted to save your Asterisk server key, click yes to add the host key to your cache. Finally enter your password, once connected an explorer type view of your Asterisks file system will be displayed I have changed to a detailed view choose view detailsBack up your SFA license by copying the file from varlibasterisklicenses there should only be one. Now head back to the folder etcasterisk this is where our Asterisk config files are located. We will be editing three files right click and edit within Win.
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