So we’ve filled the Avaya IP Office IP500 at our management office. At other offices, we just buy a DS16 or DS30, depending on site. But at this office, we run a VOIP trunk, so have a VCM32, and only use up to 10 channels on that.
As we discovered, the VCM32 comes with 12 IP Endpoint Licenses. – with means we can run 12 IP Phones!
Well, that makes much more monetary sense, than installing a DS16. – 1608’s are only 20 bucks or so more expensive than the 1408’s we usually use!
So we ordered a couple of play with, and hit two snags.
1) They’re expecting you to use a POE enabled Switch. Which we probably will, once we have a few of these phones. But for now? No, it’s not financially viable! So we ordered Power Supplies, at $11 a pop.
2) I thought maybe the phones would be smart enough to grab an IP from DHCP, then do a broadcast to find the IP Office box. C’mon Damien, this is Avaya, it’s not that smart!.
Instead, I had the phone boot, get an IP, and then sit there saying ‘No FileSv Address’. So a bit of searching around, and I found this thread. A few minutes later, I’d added a new DHCP option to the LAN segment on our pfSense firewall, and voila, it was working!
The magic Option?
Option 242, Text “PCIPADD=192.168.40.221,MCPORT=1719,HTTPSRVR=192.168.40.221”.
Of course, you’d use the IP address of your own IP500 unit, ours won’t work 😉