Provision a Flat-Phone with Cloud Voice

Flat-Phone desk phones can be brought online automatically through Cloud Voice auto provisioning combined with DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) option 66. Auto provisioning means you configure the phone centrally in the management portal instead of typing settings into the handset by hand, which is what makes it practical to roll out many phones at once.

Here is the sequence: you add the phone in the portal, Cloud Voice builds a configuration file keyed to the phone’s MAC (Media Access Control) address, and the DHCP server tells the phone where to find that file when it boots. DHCP option 66 is the field that carries that location. This guide uses a Flat-Phone B10 running firmware 15.66.7.12.234 as the working example.

Requirements

Confirm that your Flat-Phone and Cloud Voice are running firmware versions no older than the ones listed below. Provisioning may not work if either side is behind these minimums.

Model	Phone Firmware	Cloud Voice Version
B6	15.63.11.12.234 or later	84.19.0.110 or later
B10	15.66.7.12.234 or later	84.19.0.110 or later
C10	15.60.11.12.234 or later	84.19.0.110 or later

Prerequisites

• A DHCP server is available on the subnet to assign the phone an IP (Internet Protocol) address.

  Note

  Only one DHCP server may be active on the subnet where the phones are deployed. If more than one is present, the phones may not obtain an IP address.

• The auto-provisioning template for the phone model has been downloaded. You get it from Auto Provisioning > Resource Repository > Default Templates in the management portal. This template holds the base settings Cloud Voice applies to the phone, so it must be in place before you provision.

• The phone has been reset if it was used previously.

  Caution

  A factory reset returns the phone to its default settings and erases any existing configuration, including its current extension registration. Only reset a phone that is out of service or that you intend to re-provision.

• You have the phone’s Vendor, Model, and MAC address on hand. The MAC address is usually printed on a label on the underside of the phone.

Step 1. Add the Flat-Phone in Cloud Voice

Register the phone in the management portal. Cloud Voice generates a configuration file for it based on the MAC address you enter, so that file is unique to this one handset.

1. Sign in to the Cloud Voice management portal and go to Auto Provisioning > Phones.

2. Click Add > Add.

3. Under IP Phone, enter the device details.

   

   • Vendor: Select Flat-Phone.

   • Model: Select the phone model. This example uses B10.

   • MAC Address: Enter the phone’s MAC address.

     Caution

     Enter the MAC address exactly as printed on the phone. Cloud Voice matches the configuration file to this address, so a wrong or mistyped MAC address means the phone downloads the wrong file or none at all, and provisioning fails.

4. Under Options, configure the provisioning settings.

   

   • Template: Choose a template from the drop-down list.

     Note

     You can use the default template that matches the phone model, or build your own custom auto-provisioning template.

   • Provisioning Link: Cloud Voice generates this link automatically. It points to where the phone’s configuration file is stored.

     Note

     Make a note of the provisioning link. You will need it when you configure the DHCP server in Step 2.

5. Under Assign Extension, assign an extension to the phone.

   

   Tip

   If the extension you want is missing from the drop-down list, it is already tied to another IP phone. You can either release the extension from that phone, or enable concurrent registration for the extension so it can register with more than one SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) endpoint. By default, an extension registers with only a single endpoint.

6. Click Save.

Step 2. Configure DHCP option 66 on the DHCP server

On the subnet where the phone is deployed, point DHCP option 66 at the provisioning link so the phone knows where to fetch its configuration when it boots.

1. In the management portal, open the phone’s detail page and copy its provisioning link.

   

2. On the DHCP server, set option 66 to the provisioning link. The example below shows how this looks once configured.

   

   Caution

   Option 66 applies to the whole DHCP scope, so every device that requests an address from that scope receives the provisioning link, not only the phones. Set it on a scope dedicated to the phones where possible. Most other devices ignore option 66, but confirm this before applying it to a scope shared with computers or other equipment.

Result

Note

Some phones reboot on their own after the configuration is delivered. If yours does not, reboot it manually so the settings take effect.

• Once the phone reboots, it obtains an IP address from the DHCP server, downloads its configuration from Cloud Voice over the provisioning link, and applies the settings automatically.

• The extension registers on the phone. You can confirm the registration status at Auto Provisioning > Phones in the management portal.