Reflash your Cisco 7940, 7941, 7960 or 7961 phone to SIP

Cisco 7960 This guide applies to the Cisco 7940, 7940G, 7941G, 7960, 7960G and 7961G. These phones are the real work horses of the I Telephon! industr!. The!"re sturd!, configura#le and when used with Call $anager %er! ro#ust. &owe%er !ou"re not here to learn how to use these phones with Call$anager !ou"re hear to use reflash the' to (I , #ecause !ou want to use the' with )sterisk, ia*, Tri+#o+, or an! other (I #ased ,-. This process is not that difficult #ut it can #e frustrating without the right instructions, which is wh! I"' here to help. *irstl!, I"' not a #ig fan of these phones in a (I at'osphere, I ha%e one on '! desk so the!"re #! no 'eans terri#le, #ut realisticall! Cisco"s (I fir'wares are 'uch 'ore li'ited than their (CC fir'wares. If !ou ha%en"t !et #ought !our phone, I"d reco''end !ou #u! a phone fro' .inks!s. The!"re 'ade of %irtuall! the sa'e parts, e+cept designed for the ('all ,usiness and (I custo'ers. .et 'e e+plain 'ore or less what !ou are doing, !ou are taking whate%er fir'ware is on !our phone and !ou will #e reflashing it to the latest (I fir'ware. T!picall! these phones co'e fro' Cisco with the (CC , often called /(kinn!0 protocol. This protocol onl! works with the proprietar! Cisco Call$anager platfor' or with special asterisk 'odules. )lthough it is %er! rare to 1#rick" these phones, it is possi#le. It is %er! i'portant that !ou are patient with each step as well as careful that all of !our connections are solid. )lright, to reflash this phone !ou"re going to need2 1. 3&C (er%er 4. T*T (er%er 5. 0(560767600.8ip 4. c'ter'679406796069.11.006sip.cop 7. -$.3efault.cnf.+'l configured correctl! for !our fir'ware. If !ou ha%e a Cisco ('artnet Contract alread! !ou can get the fir'wares here. If !ou don"t ha%e a ('artnet Contract I reco''end !ou #u! one fro' C3:. ;ou can chance it on the internet tr!ing to find a good (a'aritan who has uploaded the fir'wares for !ou #ut it"s seriousl! worth the 9<=!ear to ha%e access to fir'ware updates. >ow the unusual part a#out reflashing these phone is that to get the' to the 'ost recent fir'ware often ti'es the! will ha%e to #e flashed twice. This is #ecause so'eti'e around the 7.7 fir'ware Cisco changed what I #elie%e was the phone"s #ootloader. *or this reason it is necessar! to take the phones directl! fro' (CC to 0(560767600 then to 96 11. Technicall! so'e phones 'a! #e a#le to go directl! to the latest %ersion fro' Cisco,

#ut #ecause it see's like the %ast 'a?orit! of phones with the (CC fir'ware on the' re@uire this process, I now ?ust assu'e that it will need to #e done to strea'line the process. I"' going to steal a few #its fro' '! Cisco 7970G Guide !ou can alwa!s use whate%er T*T ser%er and 3&C ser%er !ou like as long as !ou ha%e the a#ilit! to set the 3&C options 'anuall!. &ere we are going to use tftpd54, it has #oth a tftp and dhcp ser%er inside. To start 'ake a folder on the desktop, I na'ed 'ine C 67940. A+tract the contents of 0(560767600.8ip c'ter'679406796069.11.006sip.cop with 78ip or :inB)B. If the archi%er doesn"t auto'aticall! detect it"s e+tracta#le when !ou right click. )dd a .g8 to the end, it"ll figure it out. Then 'o%e the -$.3efault.cnf.+'l that !ou downloaded fro' 'e into the sa'e folder. >ow !ou should ha%e2

c'ter'679406796069.11.006sip.cop copstart.sh C(79--.T-T 00560767600.#in 00560767600.s#n 005609611600.#in 005609611600.s#n 0(560767600.#in 0(560767600.loads 0(560767600.s#4 0(5609611600.loads 0(5609611600.s#4 sipDload7.t+t sipDload9.t+t -$.3efault.cnf.+'l

The 0056E files are (CC files, and can #e safel! ignored for the 'ost part. (I fir'wares are t!picall! la#eled 0(56E >ow we ha%e to 'odif! our -$.3efault.cnf.+'l file to reflect our intent to reflash the phone. Aither download '! starter file fro' a#o%e or add these line to !our -$.3efault.cnf.+'l. &ere I"%e included the settings for #oth the 7940 as well as 7960 generation of phones. FloadInfor'ation9 'odelG0I hone 7940HI 0(560767600F=loadInfor'ation9I

FloadInfor'ation7 'odelG0I >e+t let"s configure T*T d54

hone 7960HI 0(560767600F=loadInfor'ation7I

*irstl!, deter'ine how !ou are going to connect !our 7940=60 to !our 3&C =T*T ser%er. ;ou"re going to need to 'ake sure that there is no other routers on the network that could send co'peting 3&C #roadcasts. I reco''end one of two scenarios. Connecting the hone and Co'puter directl! with a Crosso%er ca#le. Connecting the hone and Co'puter together on a network switch with no other de%ices. >otice I sa! SWITCH not a R !T"R. ;ou could use a router if !ou configured it properl!, #ut that"s another stor!. The switch option works a #it #etter #ecause it pre%ents the co'puter"s .)> interface fro' going up and down depending on if the phone is plugged in or not. #e$t you are %oin% to nee& to %et a copy of tftp&'(2 >ow that !ou ha%e tftpd54 open and running, we need to configure it2 Cpen up the settings #o+ Ana#le 3&C (er%er, T*T (er%er, and .og Jiewer, all others can #e unchecked. $ake sure that !ou ha%e set the director! into the sa'e director! as !our Cisco *ir'ware *iles. $ake sure !ou ha%e the correct configuration files in the director! including a -$.3efault.cnf.+'l that at least partiall! rese'#les this one2 Kright click sa%e asL (et T*T (ecurit! to (T)>3)B3, in the i'age it sa!s >one. $ake certain that the #ind address is set to the correct interface. T*T 354 Configuration :hen done go to the 3&C ta# $ake sure a 3&C and 3>( ser%er are set. Mnder additional options set /69H and 'ake the I the sa'e as !our T*T ser%er. T*T 354 3&C (ettings for Cisco 7960 7940 Check for an! settings that I 'a! ha%e 'issed and dou#le check that e%er!thing is correct.

>ow it"s ti'e to #oot up the phone. If the phone is alread! on, a @uick wa! to re#oot it is #! holding down the E ke!, the si+ ke!, and the settings ke! si'ultaneousl!. )s the phone #oots up watch the logs. :ith an! luck it should #oot up, and tr! to pull the (A $)C.cnf then gi%e up and 'o%e on to -$.3efault.cnf.+'l. :hen it sees that file it should start downloading the fir'ware files and re#oot. If after re#ooting !ou see the phone look for a (I $)C.cnf file then (I 3efault.cnf, !our phone is successfull! reflashed. If the phone isn"t reflashing, dou#le check !our T*T settings and 'ake sure the phone is detecting !our T*T ser%er. ;ou 'a! ha%e to go into >etwork (ettings and ena#le alternate T*T ser%er. T!picall! !ou can do this #! 'o%ing to the option then pressing EEN EEto unlock it or going to setting then option 9. The default password is /cisco0. Then go to >etwork Configuration KCption 5L Then ena#le /)lternate T*T (er%er0 KCption 54L then t!pe in the T*T ser%er address. The 'ost co''on pro#le' though is an error in the -$.3efault.cnf.+'l file. I find '!self ha%ing to do this %er! often on 'an! networks. Cnce !ou see the (ip logo in the upper right corner !ou are now safel! flashed to 7.7. ;ou"ll need to perfor' this process one 'ore ti'e to #ring the phone up to the latest fir'ware. )t the ti'e of this writing that was 9.11. Cpen up !our -$.3efault.cnf.+'l file and replace the pre%ious lines with FloadInfor'ation9 'odelG0I FloadInfor'ation7 'odelG0I hone 7940HI 0(5609611600F=loadInfor'ation9I hone 7960HI 0(5609611600F=loadInfor'ation7I

Be#oot the phone again and it should update to the latest fir'ware.