Introduction

Aastra IP phones 6753i, 6755i, 6757i, 6757i-CT, and 6731i have been tested with MAXCS and certified by AltiGen as third-party IP phones for MAXCS Release 6.5 and above. This document shows how to configure these models of Aastra IP phones, how to deploy the phones in volume, and the MAXCS features that are not supported by the Aastra IP phone.

We recommend that you quickly go through the configuration steps for a single phone and then focus on "Deploying Aastra phones in volume", even if you just have one phone to configure.

Prerequisites

• MAXCS 6.5 with Quickfix (6.5.0.1206) or above
• Aastra IP phone 6753i (53i), 6755i (55i), 6757i (57i), 6757i-CT (57i-CT) or 6731i (31i)
• An AltiGen third-party SIP Device license for each Aastra IP phone

Contents

1. Configure extension to accept 3rd party SIP phone
2. Set up Aastra IP phone and find IP address
3. Log in to the web interface
4. Update firmware
5. Configure Aastra phone settings through the web interface
6. Setting programmable Keys
7. Reset to factory defaults
8. Changing an Aastra IP Phone Extension’s Password
9. Deploying Aastra phones in volume
10. MAXCS Features Not Supported by the Aastra IP Phone
11. Limitations when Using the Aastra IP Phone with MaxCommunicator/MaxAgent Aastra IP Phone Configuration Guide

Configure Extension to Accept 3rd Party SIP Phone

1. In MaxAdmin, select PBX > Extension Configuration > General, and create an extension with Enable IP Extension and Enable 3rd Party Sip Device checked. Extension 100 is used in this example.

   Note: Do not configure Static IP address for 3rd party SIP device. This may cause SIP registration failure.

   

2. In MaxAdmin, select PBX > AltiGen IP Phone Configuration. Select extension 100 and on the General tab, in the 3rd party SIP Device panel, check Enable SIP Telephony Service. This will enable the extension to use SIP Hold, Transfer, and Conference.

   

Set Up the Aastra IP Phone

WARNING! The Aastra IP phone uses a 48V DC power adapter. Do NOT plug the adapter into an AltiGen IP phone. This will cause severe damage to the AltiGen IP phone.

WARNING! Some Aastra IP phone power adapters (48V DC output) can only take 110V AC as input. If you are in a country that uses 220V AC as an input, a transformer from 220V AC to 110V AC may be required. Whether the adapter can support 220V AC as an input can be found in the label of the adapter.

Find the IP Address

1. Attach the network cable to the Aastra phone. A DHCP server is required in the network.
2. Power up the Aastra phone and wait for it to fully start up.
3. Press  or Options button on the phone.
4. Select Admin Menu and enter the default password 22222.
5. Under Network Setting > IP Address, find out the IP address of the Aastra phone. In this example, we are using IP address 10.10.1.194.

Log in to the Web Interface

1. Open a web browser and type http://10.10.1.194/
2. Enter the account, admin, and the default password, 22222.
3. Check firmware version from Status > System Information, Firmware Information section Aastra IP Phone Configuration Guide

Update the Firmware (if the version is not 2.5.1.x)

• For 6753i, Go to http://www.aastratelecom.com/cps/rde/xchg/SID-3D8CCB6A- A1AB1A25/03/hs.xsl/21543.htm to download firmware, 6753i (53i) SIP, V2.5.1.2000 patch, July 09.
• For 6755i, Go to http://www.aastratelecom.com/cps/rde/xchg/SID-3D8CCB6A- 2AFB3DC1/03/hs.xsl/21554.htm to download firmware, 6755i (55i) SIP, V2.5.1.2000 patch, July 09.
• For 6757i, Go to http://www.aastratelecom.com/cps/rde/xchg/SID-3D8CCB73- 1AC50F14/03/hs.xsl/21552.htm to download firmware, 6757i (57i) SIP, V2.5.1.2000 patch, July 09.
• For 6757i-CT, Go to http://www.aastratelecom.com/cps/rde/xchg/SID-3D8CCB73- 1AC50F14/03/hs.xsl/21550.htm to download firmware, 6757i CT (57i CT) SIP, V2.5.1.2000 patch, July 09
• For 6731i, Go to http://www.aastratelecom.com/cps/rde/xchg/SID-3D8CCB73- 1AC50F14/03/hs.xsl/32093.htm to download firmware, 6731i SIP, V2.5.1.2000 patch, July 09

1. Run AltiGen TFTPNAT.exe application and unzip the file ****.st (**** is the name of Aastra phone model; for example, the file name for the 57i phone is 57i.st) to TFTPNAT.exe’s working directory. Assuming that TFTPNAT.exe is running on a server with IP address 10.10.0.228.
2. In the Aastra browser configuration, under Advanced Settings > Configuration Server > Setting > Download Protocol, select TFTP.
3. Under Advanced Settings > Firmware Update, change the Server IP to 10.10.0.228. Also, change the File Name to ****.st (**** is the name of Aastra phone model; for example, the file name for the 57i phone is 57i.st).
   
   Note: The Path field needs to be blank before the download will work.
4. Click Download Firmware and follow the instructions in the browser to update the firmware.

Configure Aastra Phone Settings through Web Interface

Important Note: For every configuration page, click the Save Settings button after you change the configurations. You can finish all the changes for different configuration pages and reboot the phone once for all the changed settings to take effect.

1. Go to Advanced Settings > Global SIP > Advanced SIP Settings > Explicit MWI Subscription. Select Enabled.
2. Go to Advanced Settings > Global SIP > Advanced SIP Settings > Explicit MWI Subscription Period. Set to 60.
3. Go to Advanced Settings > Global SIP > Basic SIP Authentication Settings
   Enter Phone Number 100.
   Enter Authentication Name 100.
   Enter Password of extension 100 defined in the AltiGen extension configuration screen.
4. Go to Advanced Settings > Global SIP > Basic SIP Network Settings
   [Assuming 10.10.0.228 is the AltiGen MAXCS server IP address]
   Set Proxy Server to 10.10.0.228.
   Set Proxy Port to 5060.
   Set Registrar Server to 10.10.0.228.
   Set Registrar Port to 5060.
   Set Registration Period to 60.
5. Go to Advanced Settings > Global SIP > RTP Settings
   Set DTMF Method to SIP INFO.
   Each phone can be configured up to 3 lines with 3 different extension numbers. For each extension number, a third-party SIP device license is required.
6. Go to Basic Settings > Preferences > General, and set Local Dial Plan to SIP dial plan:
   0|911|##|#[1-3]x|#[5-9]x|#41xx|#4[2-9]|xxx+^|[1-7]xx|9[2-9]xxxxxx|91[2-9]xxxxxxxxx
   • 0 means user can dial 0 to ring operator extension or WG defined in the AltiGen server
   • 911 means accepting 911
   • ## means accepting ## to access voice mail
   • #[1-3]x means accepting feature code #1x, #2x, and #3x
   • #[5-9]x means accepting feature code #5x, #6x, #7x, #8x, and #9x
   • #41xx means accepting system call park with two-digit ID
   • #4[2-9]xxx+^ means accepting other feature code starting #4 with extra numbers and ending with a Send or # key
   • [1-7]xx means your extension length is 3-digit with prefix starts with 1 to 7. (This means extension 123 is a valid extension number, but 823 or 923 are not valid extension numbers).
     If your extension digit length is 4, then change [1-7]xx to [1-7]xxx.
   • 9[2-9]xxxxxx means dialing trunk access code 9 plus 7-digit local call. If you local call is 10-digit dialing, you need to change this to 9[2-9]xxxxxxxxx
   • 91[2-9]xxxxxxxxx means dialing trunk access code 9 plus 11-digit long distance number except 911.
   • Note: if the dialed number is not defined in this dial plan, the user needs to wait for time out or press the softkey "Dial" to initiate dialing.
7. Select Send Dial Plan Terminator and click Enabled.
8. Set Digit Timeout(seconds) to 4.
9. Go to Operation > Reset, and click the Restart button to restart the phone and make the changes take effect.

Setting Programmable Keys

For 6753i

1. Go to Operation > Programmable Keys:
   Change the Key 5 to Transfer and Key 6 to Conference.
2. Change the rest of the keys to None.

For 6755i

1. Go to Operation > Programmable Keys:
   Change the Key 4 to Transfer. This will make the programmable key on the phone a "Transfer" key.
2. Change the rest of the keys to None.

For 6757i and 6757i CT

1. Go to Operation > Handset Keys
   Change the Key 2 to Line1 and its label to Line1.
   Change the rest of the keys to None, if you only configure one line on for this phone.
   Change the Key 3 to Public and its label to Public.
   Change the rest of the keys to None, if you only configure one line on for this phone.

For 6731i

Reset to Factory Defaults

1. Go to Operation > Reset, and click the Restore button.

Miscellaneous

An Aastra IP phone has many different configurations that are beyond the scope of this document. Please refer to Aastra’s web site for more information. Here are some miscellaneous settings.

• Time Server setting is under Advanced Settings > Network > NTP Time Servers.
  You can use the URL, "time.nist.gov" in Time Server 1, 2 or 3.
• The time zone setting can be configured through the phone directly. Press  or Options button, and go to Preferences > Time and Date > Time Zone.
• How to clear the missed-calls display from the LCD:
  For the Aastra 6757i / 6757iCT / 6731i
  1. Press the softkey Callers.
  2. Press the GoodBye / Hangup button or the softkey Quit.
  For the Aastra 6753i / 6755i
  1. There are 6 buttons on the left side above the phone’s LCD. Press the 3rd button.
  2. Press the GoodBye / Hangup button.
  Note: Make sure you use the aastra.cfg file provided by this configuration guide. If you don’t, the buttons might be mapped to other functions.
• Log in to Voice Mail Dial "##" in off hook state, then press RIGHT KEY or DIAL button to dial.

Changing an Aastra IP Phone Extension’s Password

Deploying Aastra IP Phones in Volume

Introduction

Although you can configure each IP phone from the phone menu or the web interface, it is time consuming to go through the configuration process for each phone. Alternatively, you can deploy multiple Aastra SIP phones through a configuration server. This server can be a TFTP, FTP, or HTTP server.

By default, the Aastra phone will try to get the configuration server (TFTP server is used in this guide) IP address from the DHCP server. Once the TFTP server address is acquired, the Aastra phone will download the configuration files automatically after each reboot. If the "auto resync" option is turned on, the phone will try to update the configuration files from the server every 24 hours.

There are two kinds of configuration files:

• The generic configuration file, aastra.cfg. This file will be downloaded by every phone.
• The phone-specific configuration file, mac.cfg, where mac is the MAC address of the phone. For example, the configuration file name of a phone with mac address 00-08- 5D-19-2C-68 is 00085D192C68.cfg, and this file will be downloaded only by this phone.

.cfg should be put under the same directory of TFTPNAT.exe. Because there are different ways to change an Aastra IP phone configuration, configuration values will be set in the following sequence:

1. Default values hard-coded in the phone software, which can be overwritten by
2. aastra.cfg from the configuration server, which can be overwritten by
3. mac.cfg file, which can be overwritten by
4. values stored in the local configuration on the phone.

Note: Local configuration refers to the changes stored on the phone that were entered using either the IP phone menu or the web user interface. The local configuration values will not be overwritten by aastra.cfg or mac.cfg after reboot.

Creating Configuration Files

The format of the configuration files is like the format of a Unix configuration file; for example, simple key:value pairs. Comment lines start with "#" symbol.

aastra.cfg

To create a generic configuration file, use Notepad.exe to create a file called “aastra.cfg” then copy and paste the following configuration sample to the "aastra.cfg" file. After you finish the editing save the "aastra.cfg" file to the TFTP server's root directory.

# network 
# DHCP Setting 
# ============= 
dhcp: 1 # DHCP enabled. 
# Configuration Server Settings 
# ============== 
download protocol: TFTP     # valid values are TFTP, FTP and HTTP 
tftp  server: 10.100.2.126 
auto resync mode: 1         # auto resync configuration files only. 
auto resync time: 00:00     # auto resync on 00:00 every 24 hours 
 
Time Server Settings 
===================== 
time server disabled: 0  # Time server disabled. 
time server1:time.nist.gov # Enable time server and enter at 
time server2:time.nist.gov # least one time server IP address or 
time server3:time.nist.gov # qualified domain name. 
Time Server Disabled: 
0 = false, means the time server is not disabled. 
1 = true, means the time server is disabled. 
 
# General SIP Settings 
# ====================== 
sip digit timeout: 4        # set the inter-digit timeout in 4 seconds 
sip dial plan terminator: 1    # enable sending of the "#" symbol 
                            # to the proxy in the dial string 
sip dial plan: "0|911|##|#[1-3]x|#[5-9]x|#41xx|#4[2-9]|xxx+^|[1-7]xx|9[2-9]xxxxxx|91[2-9]xxxxxxxxx" 
sip dtmf method: 1 # use sip INFO to send DTMF
sip line1 dtmf method: 1 
sip vmail: "##"                 # the number to reach voicemail on 
# If all the Sip phones will login into the same server, 
# we can add the sip server setting here, 
# and skip them in mac.cfg 
sip mode: 0                     # line type: 
sip proxy ip: 10.100.2.127      # IP address or FQDN of proxy 
sip proxy port: 5060            # port used for SIP messages on the 
sip registrar ip: 10.100.2.127  # IP address or FQDN of registrar 
sip registrar port: 5060        # as proxy port, but for the registrar 
sip registration period: 60     # registration period in seconds 
sip centralized conf: conf 
sip explicit mwi subscription: 1 
sip explicit mwi subscription period: 60 
sip silence suppression: 0 
 
# Programmable Key Settings 
# =========================== 
# These programmable key settings are for Aastra 53i, 55i and 6731i, 
# 57i will safely ignore them 
# prgkey1 type: flash 
# prgkey1 value: "Voice Mail" 
# prgkey1 line: 1 
prgkey2 type: speeddial 
prgkey2 value: voicemail 
prgkey2 line: 1 
prgkey3 type: directory 
prgkey4 type: callers 
 
# Soft keys and feature keys for 57i 
# i53 will safely ignore them 
topsoftkey1 type: callers 
topsoftkey1 label:  
topsoftkey2 type: speeddial 
topsoftkey2 label: VoiceMail 
topsoftkey2 value: voicemail 
topsoftkey2 line: 1 
#topsoftkey3 type: flash 
topsoftkey4 type: directory 
handset list version: 7 
handset1 name: "480i Cordless" 
key list version: 25 
#featurekey1 label: Flash 
#featurekey1 type: flash 
featurekey2 label: Line1 
featurekey2 type: line1 
featurekey3 label: Xfer 
featurekey3 type: xfer 
featurekey4 type: conf 
featurekey4 label: Conf 
featurekey5 type: public 
featurekey5 label: Public 
featurekey6 type: line2 
featurekey6 label: Line2 
featurekey7 type: line3 
featurekey7 label: Line3 
featurekey8 type: line4 
featurekey8 label: Line4 
featurekey9 type: none 
featurekey9 label: 
featurekey10 type: none 
featurekey10 label: 

mac.cfg

Since almost all the common options are defined in the aastra.cfg file, you only need to add SIP line configurations for each phone in the mac.cfg file. Or you can also add any options you want to overwrite the ones in aastra.cfg.

sip screen name: John 3003 
sip user name: 3003 
sip display name: John 3003 
sip auth name: 3003 
sip password: 22222  
sip proxy ip: 10.100.2.127 
sip proxy port: 5060 
sip registrar ip: 10.100.2.127 
sip registrar port: 5060 
time zone name: US-Pacific 
sip dial plan terminator: 1

Please make sure "sip proxy ip" and "sip registrar ip" point to MAXCS server address. "Sip user name" and "sip auth name" are the extension number. The extension password can be pre- defined through "sip password" (make sure it matches the extension password on MaxAdministrator).

Note: Be sure the Aastra firmware is removed from the TFTP directory before you copy configuration files. If it’s there, the phone may keep downloading the firmware again and again without stopping.

Note: You may see that aastra.cfg is downloaded twice with one error. This is normal.

Restore To Factory Defaults

As referred in the Introduction section, the local configurations will overwrite the configurations from the cfg file. If you need to restore configurations back to factory defaults, you can do this from the web user interface (Operation > Reset > Restore To Factory Defaults).

If you cannot configure your DHCP server to add the TFTP Server address, you have to add the TFTP server address manually by changing the Advanced Settings > Configuration Server Settings > TFTP Server in the web user interface. Also, make sure the Download Protocol option on the same page is set to TFTP.

Setting up the TFTP Server

You can use Altigen's TftpNat.exe as a TFTP server and put all the configuration files into the same directory as TftpNat.exe.

In order to get the TFTP server IP addresses automatically from the IP phones, make sure to add the TFTP server's address into your DHCP server's option. If you don’t have access to your DHCP server, you have to set the TFTP server address for every IP phone manually (see Restore To Factory Defaults).

Reboot All the Phones

Make sure TFTP and DHCP servers are running. Boot or reboot all the IP phones to get the new configurations.

If you want to upgrade the firmware at the same time, just put the firmware files under the TFTP server's directory. The firmware will be downloaded in the boot time.

General Limitations of using 3rd party SIP phone with AltiGen system

Limitation	Description
Cannot detect 3rd party SIP phone Off-hook state	AltiGen server cannot detect the off-hook state of a 3rd party SIP phone. This is a general limitation of SIP protocol. This limitation may cause problems when a call center agent’s phone is off-hook and the server is trying to dispatch a call to that agent at the same time.
Cannot synchronize password	AltiGen's extension password and 3rd party SIP phone password, stored in the phone, are not synchronized. User needs to manually set the new password on the 3rd party SIP phone after changing the extension password.
Cannot display extension DND/FWD status	3rd part SIP phone cannot display DND and FWD (Forward) status when user enables DND or FWD using feature code or through client appellation.
Cannot display Activity (Presence)	Activity status is an AltiGen proprietary feature. 3rd party SIP phone is not able to display this information.
Cannot be overridden by another IP phone or IPTalk	While a 3rd party IP phone is registered to the MAXCS server, another IP phone or IPTalk cannot register to the same extension number to override the phone.
Not Supported Telephony Features
BLF and call answer Line Park call appearance and call pickup Distinctive ringing IP phone paging Monitor WG status	These features are AltiGen proprietary features.
Feature Code Limitations
Cannot park a call (Flash#31 and Flash#41)	If the 3rd party IP phone does not support SIP-INFO FLASH function, personal and system call park feature codes (Flash#31 and Flash#41) will not work.
Cannot enter Account Code (Flash#32)	Not supported because of the lack of a FLASH key.
Cannot use #81 and #82	Due to lack of off-hook detection and Flash support in most 3rd party SIP phones, #81 and #82 cannot function properly.
Cannot use #26/#27 to log out/log in an extension	AltiGen server does not have the control to dynamically change the SIP registration stored in the SIP phone. The login/logout feature code cannot work in an IP phone.
Cannot return PSTN call from IP phone call log	A 3rd party SIP phone may not be able to insert the trunk access code automatically.
Limitation when using 3rd party IP phone with AltiGen client applications
Call Control	You are not able to Unhold, Transfer, or Conference another party from MaxCommunicator/MaxAgent when Hold, Transfer, or Conference is initiated from a 3rd party IP phone. You have to complete the operation from that phone. Likewise, you cannot Hold a call from the client application and try to Unhold the call from the 3rd party IP phone.
Multiple call waiting	When the extension has multiple call waiting feature, and LINE keys on the 3rd party IP phone are used to answer multiple calls, you cannot reconnect to a call that is in the Hold state from the client application. When using the client application to answer multiple calls, the LINE indicators on the 3rd party IP phone will disappear. You need to handle all calls from the client application.
Other Limitations
NAT traversal	3rd party IP phone may require a STUN server.

Limitations when Using the Aastra IP Phone to transfer a call to a cell phone

When using Aastra IP phone to blind transfer a call to a cell phone, the Aastra IP phone will drop the first call to the cell phone then requests MAXCS system to make another call to the cell phone. In this case, the cell phone user will receive a missed call; and then 3 to 10 seconds later (due to the response time of cell phone network) it will receive the transferred call. Aastra support claims it is the correct behavior.