Bulk Create SIP Extensions

When you need many extensions at the same time, the bulk add tool lets you generate a numbered range in one pass and apply the same profile, language, and registration settings to every extension you create. An extension is the internal number a user dials to reach a phone or app, and SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is the standard that phones and apps use to register with the phone system and set up calls.

Note

Every setting on this form is shared: whatever you enter is applied to all of the extensions in the batch. Anything that needs to be different per person (for example, a display name) can be adjusted on each extension afterward.

Create the extensions

1. In the management portal, go to Extension and Trunk > Extension, click Add, and choose Bulk Add.

2. Fill in the basic settings that apply to all the new extensions.

   1. Under User Information, upload an avatar if you want the new extensions to share one.

      

      1. Click the camera icon.
      2. Pick an image from your computer and click Open. The file must be a .jpg or .png no larger than 1 MB.
      3. Position the image the way you want it to appear, then click Upload.

      Note

      The avatar is optional. Users can also set their own avatar later from the Cloud Voice App (web, desktop, or mobile), which overrides this shared one.

   2. Set the general user details:

      Setting	Description
      Start Extension Number	The first number in the range. Extensions are numbered upward from this value. It can be up to 11 characters long.
      Create Number	How many extensions to generate. Enter a whole number from 1 to 999.
      Organization	One or more organizations the extensions belong to. This field appears only when Organization Management is turned on.
      Job Title	A job title shown for the extensions in the Cloud Voice App.

      Caution

      Create Number accepts only a whole number from 1 to 999, and Start Extension Number allows at most 11 characters. Values outside these limits are rejected, so the batch will not be created.

   3. Under Language, choose the language preferences for the extensions:

      Setting	Description
      Notification Email Language	The language of the automated email notifications the system sends to each extension.
      System Prompt Language	The language of the system prompts the user hears during calls. Available languages come from the system prompts configured under PBX Settings > Voice Prompt > System Prompt.
      Voicemail Language	The language of the voicemail prompts callers hear when they reach an extension’s voicemail. Available languages also come from PBX Settings > Voice Prompt > System Prompt.

      Note

      Choosing Follow System for the notification email language applies whatever is set under System > Email > Email Templates > Notification Email Language. This affects only the default system emails, not any custom email templates.

      Note

      If an extension’s voicemail has a custom greeting, that greeting plays instead and the voicemail language setting is ignored.

   4. Under Extension Information, set how the extensions register. Registration is how a phone or app proves who it is and stays reachable on the system.

      Setting	Description
      Registration Name	How each registration name is built. Choose one: Generate Randomly creates a random name per extension; Prefix + Extension Number adds the value you enter in Name Prefix; Extension Number + Suffix adds the value you enter in Name Suffix; Fixed Name uses the single value you enter in Fixed Name; Extension Number uses the extension number itself.
      IP Phone Concurrent Registrations	How many IP phones (desk phones that connect over the network) can register to each extension at the same time. Maximum is 5.
      Cloud Voice App Web Client Concurrent Registrations	How many web clients can be signed in to each extension at once. Maximum is 3.
      Cloud Voice App Desktop Client Concurrent Registrations	How many desktop clients can be signed in to each extension at once. Maximum is 3.
      Cloud Voice App Mobile Client Concurrent Registrations	How many mobile clients can be signed in to each extension at once. Maximum is 3.

      Tip

      Choosing Fixed Name gives every extension in the batch the same registration name. That is easy to guess, so Generate Randomly is the safer default unless you have a specific reason to set a fixed name.

3. (Optional) Define the outbound caller IDs the extensions may use. This controls the number that shows on the other person’s phone when these extensions call out.

   Setting	Description
   Emergency Outbound Caller ID	The caller ID presented on emergency outbound calls.
   Allow Selecting Outbound Caller ID	Lets users pick which outbound caller ID to present. For the full setup, see Allow Users to Select Outbound Caller ID (DOD) to Call. DOD stands for Direct Outward Dialing: the specific number shown to the person being called.

   Danger

   The Emergency Outbound Caller ID is the number sent to emergency services (911) when these extensions place an emergency call, and it is how dispatchers identify and call back the location. Because bulk add applies one value to the whole batch, an incorrect or blank entry affects every extension you create. Confirm it maps to the correct physical location before saving.

4. (Optional) Open the other tabs to configure additional shared settings:

   Tab	Description
   Presence	Set the presence options.
   Voicemail	Turn on Enable Voicemail and pick a PIN method from Voicemail PIN Authentication (see the PIN options below).
   Features	Configure email notifications, time-based presence switching, call handling rules, call recording, and more.
   Advanced	Adjust advanced options.
   Security	Set SIP security and call restriction options.
   Cloud Voice App Clients	Enable and manage the Cloud Voice App clients for the extensions.
   Function Keys	Provision function keys that are pushed to the Cloud Voice App or to associated IP phones through auto provisioning.

   On the Voicemail tab, Voicemail PIN Authentication sets the PIN (Personal Identification Number) a user enters to open their voicemail. The options are:

   • Generate Randomly: a random PIN per extension.
   • Prefix + Extension Number: enter a value in PIN Prefix.
   • Extension Number + Suffix: enter a value in PIN Suffix.
   • Fixed Password: enter one PIN in Fixed PIN Code.
   • Extension Number: the extension number becomes the PIN.
   • Disabled: no PIN is required to reach voicemail.

   Caution

   Applied in bulk, Disabled and Extension Number leave every mailbox in the batch open or trivially guessable, and Fixed Password gives them all the same PIN. For anything beyond a lab setup, prefer Generate Randomly so each mailbox is protected by its own PIN.

   Tip

   You can also tailor voicemail notifications and playback behavior. See Set Up Extension Voicemail.

5. Click Save, then Apply.

   Caution

   Both steps are required. The new extensions do not go live until you click Apply.

Result

• The extensions are created.
• Each extension gets a randomly generated registration password and user password.
• A confirmation shows how many extensions were created and lists their extension numbers.

What to do next

Register the new extensions on physical phones. See Set up a SIP Phone.