Cisco and other vendors with voip

jcarrillo26

Hello ,

I just have a general question regarding voip. I am new to voip, so I was wondering can cisco run with other voip phones like avaya? I know cisco runs sccp while avaya runs sip. Can this happen? Do most vendors allow for industry standard protocols to run on different vendor equipment? I hope I explained this right.

jcarrillo26

I know this is the case for ospf, rip, 802.1q. I am just unsure for voip.

TheNewITGuy

Cisco will do SIP but you're gonna be better off running SCCP or SPCP

jcarrillo26

Hello,

Thanks for the feedback and the reply. So i am assuming that SIP is industry standard while SCCP or SPCP is vendor specific for Cisco right?

TheNewITGuy

Correct, SCCP is vendor specific to Cisco however I think Asterisk has a SCCP implementation. Linksys SPA phones use SPCP or SIP. Mitel uses MiNet, Avaya uses proprietary protocols as well or extensions. Shortel even..

OfWolfAndMan

It depends on the model of phone. For example, the 7925 wireless Cisco VoWLAN phone only supports SCCP:
Cisco Unified Wireless IP Phone 7925G - Cisco

While the wired 7962G supports both:
Cisco Unified IP Phone 7962G - Cisco

Same with many other protocol implementations, Cisco or not. Some use open standard, some use strictly proprietary, some use a mix of both (Which is the most common as of more recent). For example, LLDP and CDP are both supported on newer Cisco network nodes, however on the older CDP was only supported. Having LLDP support for your Avaya VoIP really helps as you don't have to configure your phones as a trunk port.

Russell77

The problem with running a different phone set on another manufacture's equipment is the firmware that the phones load for all the buttons and features of the phone. When a phone connects to a controller and goes through it's registration it will download the latest firmware load that the controller offers via TFTP server. An Avaya controller will not have the loads for a Cisco phone. If the phone is set to use SIP most controllers can be set to accept that but features are limited or it will not work at all. For some things like analog adapters This is fine because they only are used for basic functions like paging or door phones.

kohr-ah

It has been a while since I tweaked with a Cisco call manager besides a CME/CUE router.

If I remember right they will run Polycom but only specific models. They will not run Avaya

Russell77

Also to add Avaya IP office uses H.323 as it's standard protocol for Avaya telephone sets.

jcarrillo26

Thanks for your feedback and reply! So what type of equipment does avaya run off of? So your saying its possible sip can run for avaya on cisco equipment? It really depends on the models that you are rolling out for it to work.

jcarrillo26

Russell,

I want to learn the ins and outs of avaya phones so i planned on getting the cisco equipment but avaya phones. Thanks for your reply and feedback. I guess i am trying to figure out what protocols to run.

stlsmoore

When you refer to Cisco are you talking about just their Unified Communication servers, Cisco network equipment, or all the above? It'll be best to work close with you Avaya vendor if you have one to determine if your Cisco equipment will be compatible.For example non-Cisco phones can't utilize CDP for the phone boot-up process; typically you'll need Cisco switches that can support LLDP instead.

Russell77

jcarrillo26 wrote: »

Thanks for your feedback and reply! So what type of equipment does avaya run off of? So your saying its possible sip can run for avaya on cisco equipment? It really depends on the models that you are rolling out for it to work.

From what I am aware of at the moment Avaya has three platforms. An pbx/voip hybrid which is the IP office where the equipment is installed at the customers site much like traditional phone systems. They have a server based platform which is all IP where the controller is loaded on a local server whether it be a stand alone or on VMware. The third offering is a Cloud based platform where they host the server and the customer pays a monthly per set fee (like vonage with more features that would be needed for business solutions).

If you are new to phone systems step back from the networking part and focus on the things that a phone system does. All phone systems do the same things at a basic level. So study trunk groups, hunt groups, voice mail, auto attendant etc. It's pretty easy to get your hands on an old pbx system these days since many of them are headed for the dumpster. Learn how to program one type the second type will be easier. If you are looking for a job right away contact the local vendors and see if they need help running wire. It can get your foot in the door faster than having knowledge but no experience.

jcarrillo26

Russell77 wrote: »

From what I am aware of at the moment Avaya has three platforms. An pbx/voip hybrid which is the IP office where the equipment is installed at the customers site much like traditional phone systems. They have a server based platform which is all IP where the controller is loaded on a local server whether it be a stand alone or on VMware. The third offering is a Cloud based platform where they host the server and the customer pays a monthly per set fee (like vonage with more features that would be needed for business solutions).

If you are new to phone systems step back from the networking part and focus on the things that a phone system does. All phone systems do the same things at a basic level. So study trunk groups, hunt groups, voice mail, auto attendant etc. It's pretty easy to get your hands on an old pbx system these days since many of them are headed for the dumpster. Learn how to program one type the second type will be easier. If you are looking for a job right away contact the local vendors and see if they need help running wire. It can get your foot in the door faster than having knowledge but no experience.

Russell,

Thank i appreciate all the help. I was wondering if you recommend any intro books on Unified Telecom. I want to learn how to get my foot in the door as far as that. I agree, i need to step back and learn the essentials of the phone systems.

Russell77

Eli the computer guy has some intro videos on you tube for pbx, Voip, and some other telecom subjects. If you get with a vendor they will get you access to the training material for the products they support. Some of the vendor material is free but some classes cost a lot of money. Vendors pay for the classes though if you are working for them.

jcarrillo26

Russell77,

Thanks ill check out his videos.

nice343

If the Ayaya phone supports SIP the cisco CUCM will be able to manage it. CUCM supports any IP phone capable of doing SIP but keep in mind you will lose the proprietary Cisco features that come with SCCP.

CBT nuggets in my opinion have the best VOIP training on the market. Jeremy teaches it for real world implementations and not just certifications. Check it out