PnP with preconfigured phones

[oJo]

Ihave configured several Extensions with a preconfigured phones, but when the appropriate phone becomes available via PnP, there is no way to adopt it. In my opinion, the server should do it automatically, but if not that I should be able to just "adopt" it.

 

[Saqqara]

Please provide more info - https://www.3cx.com/community/threads/information-to-provide-when-requesting-help.67558/

Please explain more how you have pre-configured the phones

 

[oJo]

I added them to the Extensions, selecting their appropriate template and entering their MAC Address...

 

[Saqqara]

The phones do not know anything about 3CX , and how to pickup their configuration.

You need to setup dhcp option 66 , to add the provisioning url to the phones if you have already configured them within 3CX - https://www.3cx.com/sip-phones/dhcp-option-66/

Or select the phone when it appears in the console, and assign them to an existing or new extension using the pnp method

 

[oJo]

Yes but why cant the 3CX PBX just adopt them when it already knows their MAC Address?

 

[JohnS_3CX]

Hi oJo,

Lets unpack the word "adopt", I will try to give a short description of what happens in the background, so you can understand why the PBX does not just adopt a phone. There are 2 completely different ways of provisioning:

PnP

1. The PBX is listening for multicast messages from phones
2. When a phone boots up, it announces its presence (and can be seen as new under "Phones")
3. The PBX will not do anything with that phone, you have to tick it, and assign it to an extension using the PnP method
4. When you press "OK" on the extension to save the phone, something else happens: the PBX will send a notification to the phone and say "hey, here is your provisioning link, go and provision yourself automatically"
5. The phone does rest, and comes online as registered

The PBX will not automatically send those notifications unless you do the above process. So if that's what you want, you will have to look into the next way of provisioning:

DHCP Option 66

1. You must have a configurable DHCP Server on your network
2. DHCP Servers have a number of additional options to configure, and no. 66 is the one that tells devices where to look for provisioning. You must add your provisioning URL in this option.
3. The phone boots up, and tries to connect to the network
4. It finds the DHCP Server and asks for an IP and Options
5. The DHCP Server assigns the IP, but it also tells the phone "hey, here is your provisioning link, go and provision yourself automatically"
6. The phone does rest, and comes online as registered

 

[oJo]

Hi oJo,

Lets unpack the word "adopt", I will try to give a short description of what happens in the background, so you can understand why the PBX does not just adopt a phone. There are 2 completely different ways of provisioning:

PnP

1. The PBX is listening for multicast messages from phones
2. When a phone boots up, it announces its presence (and can be seen as new under "Phones")
3. The PBX will not do anything with that phone, you have to tick it, and assign it to an extension using the PnP method
4. When you press "OK" on the extension to save the phone, something else happens: the PBX will send a notification to the phone and say "hey, here is your provisioning link, go and provision yourself automatically"
5. The phone does rest, and comes online as registered

The PBX will not automatically send those notifications unless you do the above process. So if that's what you want, you will have to look into the next way of provisioning:

DHCP Option 66

1. You must have a configurable DHCP Server on your network
2. DHCP Servers have a number of additional options to configure, and no. 66 is the one that tells devices where to look for provisioning. You must add your provisioning URL in this option.
3. The phone boots up, and tries to connect to the network
4. It finds the DHCP Server and asks for an IP and Options
5. The DHCP Server assigns the IP, but it also tells the phone "hey, here is your provisioning link, go and provision yourself automatically"
6. The phone does rest, and comes online as registered

I am currently solving this through DHCP, but I'd rather just have a button to send the provisioning link to the phones, after they have already been created with their MAC Address. As it stands right now, I can only create them again.

 

[JohnS_3CX]

Not doable, they are not yet registered at that point so you need to manually select it and assign it again on the spot, or keep doing what you are doing now (which is already the correct action - use option 66)

 

[oJo]

Alright then.