Aastra
- Nathaniel Halbrooks
Aastra makes a very popular series of SIP phones that work with Asterisk and FreePBX.
Current models include the 673xi series, the 675xi series, the 686xi series, and the older 9000i series.
The most popular Aastra phones are the 6730i (an entry level phone with no POE), the 6731i (same as 6730i, but with POE), the 6757i (a full featured executive phone with a large display, lots of buttons, and POE), and the 6737i (same as the 6757i, but with gigabit Ethernet).
The 6757i and 6737i phones come with stands that hold the phones at a low angle. Aastra sells a high-angle stand for these phones separately.
Using an Aastra Phone with FreePBX/Asterisk
To use an Aastra phone with FreePBX, you must set-up an Extension in FreePBX using the Extensions Module Module. When you do so, you will select an extension number and password which the phone will use to register to your FreePBX system.
Next you must configure the Aastra phone to connect to your FreePBX system.
Configuring an Aastra Phone using the web interface
The easiest way to configure a single Aastra phone is to connect to the phone using it's web interface. When you connect an Aastra phone to your network and power it up, it will obtain an IP address from your DHCP Server (in most cases, your router).
To find out the IP address, hit Options, 3, 1 on your phone.
Using a web browser, type in the IP address. You will be asked for a username and password. The default username for an Aastra phone's web interface is admin, and the default password is 22222.
Go to the Global SIP page on the phone's web interface, and set the Phone Number and Authentication Name fields to your extension #, Password field to the extension password (NOT the voicemail password), and Proxy Server and Registrar Server to your PBX's IP address. Save and reboot, and your phone should work.
Configuring an Aastra Phone to download configuration files
If you want to make advanced configuration changes or configure a large number of phones, you may find it easier to configure the phones either using the EndPoint Manager Module (a commercial module available for purchase from FreePBX) or by creating your own configuration files in the /tftpboot directory of your FreePBX.
When an Aastra phone first boots up, it will query your DHCP server for an IP address to use. It will also ask your DHCP server if it supports "Option 66." If your DHCP Server does, the Aastra phone will obtain the information set in Option 66 and use it to attempt to download a configuration file from the source designated. In most cases, you'll want to configure your DHCP Server to supply the following:
tftp://192.168.1.50
Note: Replace 192.168.1.50 with the IP address of your FreePBX machine.
Now, reboot each of your phones (Options, 6) and during boot stage, they should obtain an IP address and automatically configure themselves to download configuration data from the configuration files.
If your router does not support DHCP Option 66, then you'll need to manually configure each Aastra to download the configuration files from you FreePBX install. Follow the instructions above to gain access to the web interface and then click on "Configuration Server" on the left hand side of the screen (towards the bottom). In the Configuration Server Settings page, make the following changes:
Download Protocol: TFTP
TFTP Server: 192.168.1.50
Note: Replace 192.168.1.50 with the IP address of your FreePBX machine.
Now click "Save Settings" at the bottom.
Creating Configuration Files
Most distros that include FreePBX and Asterisk (including the FreePBX Distro) includes a TFTP server that will respond to TFTP requests by supplying files contained in the /tftpboot folder.
When an Aastra phone attempts to download configuration files, it looks for two files:
aastra.cfg
and
MACADDRESS.cfg
(where MACADDRESS is the MAC address of the phone in upper case, such as 00085D2CFFFF.cfg).
Optionally, the phone can also download a company directory and a private directory.
Both of these files are text files that contain configuration parameters that are used to configure the phones. Configuration parameters are typically a word or group of words, a colon, and a value. Any line that begins with a # is a comment and will have no effect. You can place any configuration parameter into either aastra.cfg or the MACADDRESS.cfg file. Parameters contained in aastra.cfg will be loaded by every phone, while parameters in MACADDRESS.cfg will be loaded only by the phone that has that particular MACADDRESS. If a parameter is duplicated in both the aastra.cfg and the MACADDRESS.cfg file, the parameter in the MACADDRESS.cfg file will control. Changes made using the phone interface will control over any configuration file parameter, until the phone is reset. A phone will not load any configuration parameters unless it finds the aastra.cfg file (which can be empty).
To create the configuration files, login to your PBX's command prompt and type the following:
cd /tftpboot nano aastra.cfg |
|---|
Now insert whatever information you want to appear in the configuration file, and then hit CTRL-X and then Y to save and exit. Repeat the above commands with the MACADDRESS.cfg in place of aastra.cfg in order to create a phone specific configuration file.
Create configuration files from the web interface
You can create a configuration file (or find the proper value for a particular configuration entry) from the web interface. Start by configuring your Aastra phone from the web interface. When you're done, click on "Troubleshooting" on the left hand side of the screen towards, the bottom. Scroll down to "Support Information," and then click the "Save As" button to the right of "Get local.cfg." This will download a file to your computer called local.cfg with all the entries that you configured using the web interface.
Sample Configuration Files
aastra.cfg
# A # before the item means that the line is a comment line. The phone ignores the line.
# A ! before the item means that it cannot be changed by the user.
# A ^ before the item means that any user changes will be erased when the phone reboots
# If a setting appears here and in a MACADDRESS.cfg file, the setting in MACADDRESS.cfg controls
# Change Admin Password (default is 22222).
admin password: 12345
# IP Address and Port of PBX
sip proxy ip: 192.168.1.50
sip proxy port: 5060
sip registrar ip: 192.168.1.50
sip registrar port: 5060
# Dial plan
sip dial plan: "1XXXXXXXXXX|[2-9]XXXXXXXXX|[2-9]11|*80XX|X+#|XX+*"
# Timeout if digits don't match dial plan
sip digit timeout: 5
# Number to automatically dial if user picks up phone and dials nothing in timeout listed
sip autodial number: 611
sip autodial timeout: 10
# Time Format/Zone (change this to your timezone)
time format: 0
time zone name: CA-Pacific
# Registration Period in seconds
# If connecting to a remote server, you may wish to change this to a shorter period (45 seconds)
# to keep your NAT firewall open
sip registration period: 300
# BLF subscription period in seconds
sip blf subscription period: 300
# subscribe to Message Waiting
sip explicit mwi subscription: 1
# Microphone Volume Levels
handset tx gain: -6
headset tx gain: 0
# Silence Suppression? (0=disabled)
sip silence suppression: 0
# Mute microphone on intercom call? (1=yes)
sip intercom mute mic: 0
# Intercom settings (2=server controlled)
sip intercom type: 2
sip intercom prefix code: *80
# Directed Call Pickup Feature Code (match setting in Feature Code Module)
directed call pickup: 1
directed call pickup prefix: **
# Default voicemail feature code (match setting in Feature Code Module)
sip vmail: *97
# See the DTMF digits dialed after call completes? (0=no)
display dtmf digits: 1
# Silence Inbound DTMF? (1=yes)
suppress incoming dtmf playback: 1
# Directory File to load?
directory 1:directory.csv
# Directory Upate: 0 (change this number to force a directory update on reboot).
# (Without a change in the aastra.cfg file somewhere, changes in the directory.csv
# will not be loaded).
# While on a call when another comes in, should the goodbye key cancel the call you're on (0)
# or cancel the call that is coming in (1)?
goodbye cancels incoming call: 0
# Pitch of the ring-tone
ring tone: 0
# Unlock the Save and Delete Keys on the 673x phones
prgkey5 locked: 0
prgkey6 locked: 0
# Phones will update Caller ID based on P-Asserted-Identity Header
sip pai: 1
# Park extension (does not work properly in Firmware version 2.6)
sprecode: 70
# pickup extension (does not work properly in Firmware version 2.6)
pickupsprecode: *70
# Phone will boot faster with these
lldp: 0
lldp startinterval: 0
contact rcs: 0 |
MACADDRESS.cfg
# This is a sample .cfg file for use in a MACADDRESS.cfg file, such as 00085D2CFFFF.cfg
# It is designed for use in an Aastra 6757i/6737i, but will work in other phones if you modify the
# the softkey entries.
# The entry below sets the extension number/user name/password and the two screen names that
# appear on the phone. By default, this will apply to all physical buttons on the phone.
sip auth name: 100
sip password: Password
sip user name: 100
sip screen name: "(212)555-1212 x. 100"
sip screen name 2: "James Smith"
sip proxy ip: 192.168.1.50
sip proxy port: 5060
sip registrar ip: 192.168.1.50
sip registrar port: 5060
sip registration period: 300
# If you wish to override the above for a particular line button
# Use these lines. Change "line5" to whichever line button you desire.
# Note that the 6757i has Lines 5 through 9 hidden, but you can access them
# using the left and right arrow buttons on the phone (under the display)
sip line5 auth name: 101
sip line5 password: Password
sip line5 user name: 101
sip line5 screen name: "(212)555-1212 x. 101"
sip line5 screen name 2: "Secretary"
sip line5 proxy ip: 192.168.1.50
sip line5 proxy port: 5060
sip line5 registrar ip: 192.158.1.50
sip line5 registrar port: 5060
sip line5 registration period: 300
# These set the phone to use a Static IP address
# Comment them out or omit them if you want the phone to use DHCP
dhcp: 0
ip: 192.168.1.100
default gateway: 192.168.1.1
dns1: 8.8.8.8
dns2: 8.8.4.4
# Obtain configuration files from TFTP (necessary if you disable DHCP using lines above)
tftp server: 10.1.1.30
# Upper softkeys
# The 6757i and 6737i support ten upper softkeys
# These examples configure the upper buttons as
# Busy Lamp Fields, which can be used to
# show the status of other phones on
# the system and to call or transfer
# calls to those phones.
topsoftkey1 type: blfxfer
topsoftkey1 label: Secretary
topsoftkey1 value: 102
topsoftkey2 type: blfxfer
topsoftkey2 label: John
topsoftkey2 value: 103
topsoftkey3 type: blfxfer
topsoftkey3 label: Mike
topsoftkey3 value: 104
topsoftkey4 type: blfxfer
topsoftkey4 label: Smitty
topsoftkey4 value: 105
topsoftkey5 type: blfxfer
topsoftkey5 label: Brad
topsoftkey5 value: 106
topsoftkey6 type: blfxfer
topsoftkey6 label: Melissa
topsoftkey6 value: 107
topsoftkey7 type: blfxfer
topsoftkey7 label: Dave
topsoftkey7 value: 108
topsoftkey8 type: blfxfer
topsoftkey8 label: Fran
topsoftkey8 value: 109
topsoftkey9 type: blfxfer
topsoftkey9 label: Confrnce
topsoftkey9 value: 110
topsoftkey10 type: blfxfer
topsoftkey10 label: Kitchen
topsoftkey10 value: 111
# Lower softkeys (on phones that have them)
# The 6757i/6737i support 20 lower softkeys
# These instructions assume that you want 10
# If you want more, duplicate the entries and
# change the numbers
softkey1 type: speeddial
softkey1 label: Voicemail
softkey1 value: "*98100,,,1234#"
# Do Not Disturb Button
softkey2 type: dnd
softkey2 label: DND
softkey2 value:
# Caller's List Button
softkey3 type: callers
softkey3 label: Callers
softkey3 value:
# Direcotry Button
softkey4 type: directory
softkey4 label: Directory
softkey4 value:
# Intercom Button
softkey5 type: icom
softkey5 label: Intercom
softkey5 value:
softkey6 type:
softkey6 label:
softkey6 value:
softkey7 type:
softkey7 label:
softkey7 value:
softkey8 type:
softkey8 label:
softkey8 value:
softkey9 type:
softkey9 label:
softkey9 value:
softkey10 type:
softkey10 label:
softkey10 value:
# This sets the contrast level on the phone
contrast level: 1
# This sets how long the backlight stays on (in seconds) after you stop pushing buttons
bl on time: 60
# This sets the speakerphone button mode
# (0- speakerphone only 1-headset only 2-speaker/headest 3-headset/speakr)
audio mode: 0
# This sets the speaker volume for speakerphone
speaker volume: 6
# This sets how loud the ringer is
ringer volume: 3
# Download new configuration files at 4:00 a.m.
auto resync time: 04:00
auto resync mode: 3
# The line below will enable a ring splash when a BLF monitored phone rings (if uncommented)
# play a ring splash: 1 |
directory.csv
# ATTN: Names must be NOT MORE THAN 15 Characters
# If a name is more than 15 characters, the phone
# May fail to display multiple entries that bear
# the same first 15 characters
# <----- Any name that cross over this arrow is TOO LONG!
Mike Smith,12125551212,1,Home
Mike Smith,12125551213,1,Mobile
Baby Ruth,12135551214,1,Home
Baby Ruth,12135551215,1,Mobile |
Updating the firmware
Aastra provides firmware files for download here:
http://www.aastrausa.com/document-library.htm?curr_nav=2
For the Aastra 6730i, 6731i, and 6757i, we recommend Firmware version 2.6.
Firmware updates can be installed by placing the firmware files into the /tftpboot folder along with file named aastra.cfg (it can be empty), configuring the phones to obtain configuration files from your PBX (see above), and then rebooting the phones.
Rebooting the phones
To reboot most Aastra phones, pull the power or hit Options, 6, 1.
Alert Info
A number of FreePBX call flow objects can set an "Alert Info" field to customize the resulting ring generated by phones. For example, a ring group can have an alert info field set to "<Bellcore-dr3>" (with the angle brackets) to have calls coming through the ring group ring with a distinctive ring.
Here are the valid alert info ring patterns. Note that the pitch and style of the ring do not change. The only change is the ring length and ring pattern.
This was tested with Aastra 6737i phones.
Alert Info string | Ring pattern |
|---|---|
<Bellcore-dr1> | this is the regular ring (one long ring) |
<Bellcore-dr2> | one medium length ring + one medium length ring |
<Bellcore-dr3> | one short ring + one short ring + one medium length ring |
<Bellcore-dr4> | one short ring + one medium length ring + one short ring |
<Bellcore-dr5> | one short ring + silence for remainder of normal ring time |
For more information
You can find more information about configuration file options in the Aastra Administration Guide for your phone and firmware:
http://www.aastra.com/cps/rde/aareddownload?file_id=7041-13675-_P06_XML&...
For Aastra phones that require paper labels on buttons, you can find a label template here: