Unified Communications

Arslan,

It's been almost four years since you posted this question. I assume you figured out how to convert your 2,000 phones from H.323 to SIP.  In classes, this is a question I am frequently asked. Consequently, I have spent hours searching unsuccessfully for an answer. So, how did you do it? 

Specifically, how did you convert/upgrade the users' accounts in CM from H.323, AND create the corresponding SIP account?

(Because this is Arslan's post, I address the question to him.  But this is an open question for the whole Avaya community.  There has to be more than one way to solve this problem.)

Arslan,

It's been almost four years since you posted this question. I assume you figured out how to convert your 2,000 phones from H.323 to SIP.  In classes, this is a question I am frequently asked. Consequently, I have spent hours searching unsuccessfully for an answer. So, how did you do it? 

Specifically, how did you convert/upgrade the users' accounts in CM from H.323, AND create the corresponding SIP account?

(Because this is Arslan's post, I address the question to him.  But this is an open question for the whole Avaya community.  There has to be more than one way to solve this problem.)

I recently went through this process after I upgraded the system. I have a mixed environment of J179 and 9611g. AURA 10.2

Project was to convert 9611 H.323 to 9611SIP, specifically for the move to IPv6. I went a more manual route due to the sensitivity of the users and button needs and be as least intrusive as possible to the populace. I used SLAMon to pull all device MAC addresses and create a list of phones out there by sub-net. I used chatGPT to help me create <MAC>.txt from excel files with random passwords and correct username so I can auto login the devices when they rebooted and upgraded. Uploaded that in AADS/Utility server. Updated DHCP scopes I was working on daily and added SIG=2 to the 242 option string. Fully zero touch. Created the user in SMGR and rebooted the phone by busy and release the H.323 phone in CM. Since the phone takes about 7 mins to upgrade, after the reboot, I went into CM and changed the profile to 9611SIP and updated the SIP trunk parameter to the OPTIM trunk, fixed buttons and set half screen. I completed the project in a couple months and doing on average 50 phones a day. About half my day.

I used SLAMon to watch phones come back up as it was nicer then watching Session Manager registrations

It was a very long process and painful but this was the best approach as approved by the customer. Plus changing 9611CC to 9611SIPCC required additional work as there are a few changes to their processes that needed to be dealt with.

Hope this helps!

Jamison,

Thank you for this level of detail. I am impressed by your cleverness!

Please correct me if my summary is wrong.

Preparation for Handset Migration

Use SLAMon to get list of all H.323 phones, their MAC and their IP

Create <MAC>.txt for each phone, containing SIP User Name and Password

Uploaded those files into AADS-Utility

Uploaded SIP firmware onto AADS-Utility

Preparation for Server Migration

In SMGR, for all users create their SIP User profiles and assigned CM Application Sequence

(Ignored error message about CM endpoint)

Migration (done on a per-subnet basis)

For the targeted subnet, modify DHCP Option 242 to SIG=2 (SIP)

In CM, Busy & Reset one H.323 endpoint

While that phone is rebooting & converting to SIP firmware, change its endpoint model to SIP and update its trunk parameter to the OPTIM trunks (and make other appropriate changes)

Then start migration of next H.323 phone with a Busy & Reset…

Confirm successful migration by monitoring them in SLAMon.

(BTW:  Michael Mason--Thanks for your post, too!)

I recently went through this process after I upgraded the system. I have a mixed environment of J179 and 9611g. AURA 10.2

Project was to convert 9611 H.323 to 9611SIP, specifically for the move to IPv6. I went a more manual route due to the sensitivity of the users and button needs and be as least intrusive as possible to the populace. I used SLAMon to pull all device MAC addresses and create a list of phones out there by sub-net. I used chatGPT to help me create <MAC>.txt from excel files with random passwords and correct username so I can auto login the devices when they rebooted and upgraded. Uploaded that in AADS/Utility server. Updated DHCP scopes I was working on daily and added SIG=2 to the 242 option string. Fully zero touch. Created the user in SMGR and rebooted the phone by busy and release the H.323 phone in CM. Since the phone takes about 7 mins to upgrade, after the reboot, I went into CM and changed the profile to 9611SIP and updated the SIP trunk parameter to the OPTIM trunk, fixed buttons and set half screen. I completed the project in a couple months and doing on average 50 phones a day. About half my day.

I used SLAMon to watch phones come back up as it was nicer then watching Session Manager registrations

It was a very long process and painful but this was the best approach as approved by the customer. Plus changing 9611CC to 9611SIPCC required additional work as there are a few changes to their processes that needed to be dealt with.

Hope this helps!

Jamison,

Thank you for this level of detail. I am impressed by your cleverness!

Please correct me if my summary is wrong.

Preparation for Handset Migration

Use SLAMon to get list of all H.323 phones, their MAC and their IP

Create <MAC>.txt for each phone, containing SIP User Name and Password

Uploaded those files into AADS-Utility

Uploaded SIP firmware onto AADS-Utility

Preparation for Server Migration

In SMGR, for all users create their SIP User profiles and assigned CM Application Sequence

(Ignored error message about CM endpoint)

Migration (done on a per-subnet basis)

For the targeted subnet, modify DHCP Option 242 to SIG=2 (SIP)

In CM, Busy & Reset one H.323 endpoint

While that phone is rebooting & converting to SIP firmware, change its endpoint model to SIP and update its trunk parameter to the OPTIM trunks (and make other appropriate changes)

Then start migration of next H.323 phone with a Busy & Reset…

Confirm successful migration by monitoring them in SLAMon.

(BTW:  Michael Mason--Thanks for your post, too!)

I recently went through this process after I upgraded the system. I have a mixed environment of J179 and 9611g. AURA 10.2

Project was to convert 9611 H.323 to 9611SIP, specifically for the move to IPv6. I went a more manual route due to the sensitivity of the users and button needs and be as least intrusive as possible to the populace. I used SLAMon to pull all device MAC addresses and create a list of phones out there by sub-net. I used chatGPT to help me create <MAC>.txt from excel files with random passwords and correct username so I can auto login the devices when they rebooted and upgraded. Uploaded that in AADS/Utility server. Updated DHCP scopes I was working on daily and added SIG=2 to the 242 option string. Fully zero touch. Created the user in SMGR and rebooted the phone by busy and release the H.323 phone in CM. Since the phone takes about 7 mins to upgrade, after the reboot, I went into CM and changed the profile to 9611SIP and updated the SIP trunk parameter to the OPTIM trunk, fixed buttons and set half screen. I completed the project in a couple months and doing on average 50 phones a day. About half my day.

I used SLAMon to watch phones come back up as it was nicer then watching Session Manager registrations

It was a very long process and painful but this was the best approach as approved by the customer. Plus changing 9611CC to 9611SIPCC required additional work as there are a few changes to their processes that needed to be dealt with.

Hope this helps!