Installation guide

268 Planning and Installation Guide ShoreTel 14.2
IP Phone Installation Overview
14
Overview
ShoreTel’s IP phones are pre-configured to work with a ShoreTel system and the network’s Dynamic
Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP) server. After you configure the servers and voice switches and
plug the phones into the network, the ShoreTel system automatically adds the phones to the network.
This chapter describes prerequisites, network considerations, and procedures for installing IP phones
in your system.
Preparing Your ShoreTel System for IP Phones
Preparing your system for IP phones involves the following steps:
 Configure voice switches to support IP phones.
 Assign configuration switches to phones.
 Set IP address ranges for each site if your system includes more than one site.
Configuring Voice Switches for IP Phone Support
To provide PSTN local dialing for IP phone users, every site where IP phones are in use must have a
ShoreTel voice switch configured to support the number of IP phones at the site, plus local analog or
T1 trunks.
Configuring IP phone support on a ShoreTel voice switch involves reserving ports for IP phones. You
do this through the Voice Switches edit page in ShoreTel Director. For additional information, see the
chapter on configuring switches in the ShoreTel System Administration Guide.
ShoreTel voice switches send a heartbeat to the IP phones every 60 seconds. If the heartbeat is not
acknowledged within approximately 4 seconds, the switch considers the IP phone to be offline or
unavailable. The voice switches continue to broadcast the heartbeat every 60 seconds. If an IP phone
that was previously offline recovers and returns an acknowledgement, it is then considered online and
available.
Assigning the Configuration Switches
You need to designate a voice switch to handle configuration, including initial service requests, for IP
phones installed on your ShoreTel system. Every IP phone installation must have at least one
configuration switch. In addition, to provide a backup in case of network problems, you have the option
of assigning two switches for the IP phone configuration function. If you do not assign a switch for
configuration, the ShoreTel system automatically assigns the first two ShoreTel voice switches added
to the system that are managed by the Headquarters server.
To be added to the system, IP phones must be able to contact at least one voice switch, as follows:
 ShoreTel 400-Series IP phones must be able to contact any voice switch at the site to which their
IP address is mapped or at Headquarters.