C H A P T E R B
Setting Up and Using a Cisco Unified
IP Phone as a Cisco IPICS
Push-to-Talk Device
Cisco IPICS provides the Cisco IPICS service, which allows several
Cisco Unified IP Phone models to communicate on PTT channels and participate
in channels and VTGs.
Before a user can access the Cisco IPICS service, Cisco IPICS must be configured
as a phone service for Cisco Unified Communications Manager or for
Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express. In addition, users in a
deployment that includes Cisco Unified Communications Manager must
subscribe to the Cisco IPICS service by using the Cisco Unified Communications
Manager User Options application.
The total number of Cisco Unified IP Phones, LMR and multicast ports, PMC
clients, dial users, and ops views cannot exceed the number that is specified in
your Cisco IPICS license. For more information about licenses, see the
“Managing Licenses” section on page 2-107.
This appendix includes the following topics:
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•
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Chapter B Setting Up and Using a Cisco Unified IP Phone as a Cisco IPICS Push-to-Talk Device
Configuring Cisco IPICS as a Phone Service for Cisco Unified Communications Manager
•
For Cisco Unified Communications Manager 5.x or later—Choose Device >
Device Settings > Phone Services.
Step 2
In the page for configuring IP phone services, enter the following information:
a. In the Service Name field, enter Cisco IPICS.
This field specifies the name that displays for the service on the Cisco Unified
IP Phone.
b. In the Service Description field, enter Access to the Cisco IPICS System,
or a similar description.
This field contains a description of the content that the Cisco IPICS service
provides. You can enter any appropriate description.
c. Cisco Unified Communications Manager 5.x only: In the ASCII Service
Name field, enter Cisco IPICS.
This field designates the name of the service to display if a phone cannot
display Unicode.
d. In the Service URL field, enter one of the following URLs:
–
If you want to require users to log in before accessing the service, enter:
http://<ipics server IP address>/ipics_server/servlet/
IPPhoneManager
Replace ipics server IP address with the IP address of the Cisco IPICS
server.
–
If you do not want to require a user to log in before accessing the service,
enter the following for the user:
http://<ipics server IP address>/ipics_server/servlet/
IPPhoneManager?method=LOGIN&user=<userID>&PIN=<pin>
Replace ipics server IP address with the IP address of the Cisco IPICS
server, userID with the digit ID of the user, and pin with the digit
password (PIN) of the user who will not need to log in.
This field specifies the URL of the Cisco IPICS service.
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Configuring Cisco IPICS as a Phone Service for Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express
Step 3
(Optional) If you are configuring a service for a user who does not have to log in
to use it, configure these parameters in the Service Parameter Information area:
•
•
method—Set this parameter to LOGIN and designate it as required.
user—Set this parameter to the Cisco IPICS digit ID of the user and designate
it as required.
•
PIN—Set this parameter to the Cisco IPICS digit password (PIN) of the user
and designate it as required.
Configuring Cisco IPICS as a Phone Service for
Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express
To configure Cisco IPICS as an available service in Cisco Unified
Communications Manager Express, perform the following procedure:
Procedure
Step 1
Step 2
Log in to the Cisco IOS router that runs Cisco Unified Communications Manager
Express.
Type this command to access the enable prompt:
Router> enable
Step 3
Enter the following commands to provision a router that is running Cisco Unified
Communications Manager Express with the URL of the Cisco IPICS IP Phone
service so that Cisco Unified IP Phones can function as Cisco IPICS PTT devices:
Router# configure terminal
Router(config)# telephony-service
Router(config-telephony)# url services http://
<ipics server IP address>/ipics_server/servlet/IPPhoneManager
(replace ipics server IP address with the IP address of the Cisco IPICS server)
Press Ctrl-Z to return to the enable prompt.
Step 4
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Moving the Logout Softkey Location on a Cisco Unified IP Phone
Step 5
Step 6
Enter this command to save your configuration:
Router# write running-config startup-config
Log out of the Cisco IOS router.
Moving the Logout Softkey Location on a
Cisco Unified IP Phone
When a Cisco Unified IP Phone user finishes using the Cisco IPICS service, the
user presses the Logout softkey on the phone. By default, a user must press the
Back softkey after exiting a channel or VTG to access the Logout softkey.
However, you can configure a phone to display the Logout softkey when a user is
connected to a channel or VTG. To do so, add the following parameter to the
Cisco IPICS Service URL:
buttonLayout=logoutOnPTT
Note
If you configure this parameter, a user may need to press the More softkey on
some phone models to see Logout.
Subscribing to the Cisco IPICS Service
Cisco Unified IP Phone users in a deployment that includes Cisco Unified
Communications Manager must subscribe to the Cisco IPICS service before they
can access the service from a phone.
The information in this section does not apply to users in a deployment that
includes Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express. Cisco Unified
Communications Manager Express supports one active service and users are
subscribed to that service automatically.
Before a user can subscribe to the Cisco IPICS service, the service must be
configured as described in the “Configuring Cisco IPICS as a Phone Service for
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Chapter B Setting Up and Using a Cisco Unified IP Phone as a Cisco IPICS Push-to-Talk Device
Subscribing to the Cisco IPICS Service
To subscribe to the Cisco IPICS service, perform the following procedure:
Procedure
Step 1
Log in to the Cisco Unified Communications Manager User Options web site.
For more information about accessing the Cisco Unified Communications
Manager User Options web site, and for additional information about the phone
features for your phone model, refer to the Cisco Unified IP Phone documentation
at the following URL:
Step 2
Step 3
From the Cisco Unified Communications Manager User Options Menu, choose
your device type or profile from the drop-down list.
From the Cisco Unified Communications Manager User Options Menu, choose
Configure your Cisco IP Phone Services.
Cisco Unified Communications Manager displays a list of subscribed services and
allows you to choose from a list of available services.
Step 4
Step 5
Choose the Cisco IPICS service from the Available Services drop-down list, then
click Continue.
To subscribe to the Cisco IPICS service, click Subscribe.
The information that is configured in Cisco Unified Communications Manager
Administration, such as the service description, the IP address of the Cisco IPICS
server, and the path to the service, displays in this window.
Step 6
Click Log Off.
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Using the Cisco IPICS Service on a Cisco Unified IP Phone
Using the Cisco IPICS Service on a
Cisco Unified IP Phone
This section describes how to use the Cisco IPICS service from a Cisco Unified IP
Phone. Before a user can access the Cisco IPICS service from a
met:
Table 0-1
Prerequisites for Using the Cisco IPICS Service
Prerequisite
Reference
Cisco IPICS service must be
configured.
See the “Configuring Cisco IPICS as a
Login credentials must be configured A Cisco IPICS user can configure
for the user.
personal login credentials as described
in the “Managing Your User Profile”
section on page 5-2.
A Cisco IPICS operator can configure
login credentials for a user as
described in the “Managing Dial Login
Information for a User” section on
page 3-13.
Users in a Cisco Unified
Communications Manager
environment must subscribe to the
Cisco IPICS service.
See the “Subscribing to the Cisco
In addition, users should be aware of the following guidelines:
•
To obtain help with using the Cisco IPICS service on a Cisco Unified IP
Phone, press the Help softkey.
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Using the Cisco IPICS Service on a Cisco Unified IP Phone
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•
•
The Cisco IPICS operator configures the digit ID and digit password (PIN)
that are used to log into the Cisco IPICS service, or configures the system so
that these login credentials are not required. For more information, see the
“Managing Dial Login Information for a User” section on page 3-13.
The channels and VTGs that display in the menu are those that are available
for a user when the Cisco IPICS service starts. To view an updated list of
channels, press the Update softkey. The Cisco IPICS server does not
automatically download channel or VTG information to the phone.
Channels returned from Cisco IPICS to a Cisco Unified IP Phone must have
a multicast connection defined in the Default Location field in the Dial Login
tab for the user. (For more information about this tab, see the “Managing Dial
Login Information for a User” section on page 3-13.) Channels that do not
meet this requirement do not display on the phone.
•
A Cisco Unified IP Phone receives a list that is composed of associated
channels in alphabetized order, followed by a list of associated VTGs in
alphabetical order.
•
•
A Cisco Unified IP Phone does not receive direct two-way channels or direct
dial channels because these channels require SIP unicast connections.
By default, a phone automatically logs out of the Cisco IPICS service after
30 minutes of inactivity. (You can configure this setting in the Administration
> Options window. For more information, see the “Managing Cisco IPICS
Options” section on page 2-127.)
•
•
A Cisco IPICS user can be logged in to the Cisco IPICS service with the same
login credentials on two or more phones simultaneously. In this case, the user
can send and receive audio on all of the phones.
If a phone loses connectivity to the Cisco IPICS server while the phone user
is logged in to the Cisco IPICS service, the service retains its current state and
the user can continue to use the PTT functionality for the channel or VTG that
is currently selected. However, the phone cannot connect to other channels or
VTGs until connectivity to the server is re-established.
•
When the Cisco Unified Wireless IP Phone 7921 is connected to an active
Cisco IPICS channel or VTG, the phone goes into continuous listening mode.
In this mode, the phone remains in an active receive state even if Cisco IPICS
is not transmitting audio. In this state, the phone continues to draw power
from the battery, which limits the battery life to approximately eight hours of
talk time. (When the channel or VTG is deactivated, the phone enters standby
mode to conserve power.) To ensure that you have adequate an power supply
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Using the Cisco IPICS Service on a Cisco Unified IP Phone
for your Cisco Unified Wireless IP Phone 7921, Cisco recommends that you
maintain a backup battery for use with your phone. For more information
about the Cisco Unified Wireless IP Phone 7921, refer to the Cisco Unified
IP Phone documentation that is available at the following URL:
•
•
You can customize the softkeys on the Cisco Unified Wireless IP Phone
7920/7921 to enable direct access to the Services menu. For details, refer to
the Cisco Unified Communications Manager documentation at this URL:
The PTT button on the Cisco Unified Wireless IP Phone 7921 does not
require any special configuration. A user can use either this button or the PTT
softkey to communicate in a VTG or a channel. The PTT button cannot be
used to latch a channel. To latch a channel, you must press the Latch softkey.
To access the Cisco IPICS service from a Cisco Unified IP Phone, perform the
following procedure:
Procedure
Step 1
Step 2
Access the Services menu on the phone.
The procedure for accessing the Service menu varies by phone model. Refer to
your Cisco IP Phone documentation for specific instructions.
Choose the Cisco IPICS service, then press the Select softkey.
If the Cisco IPICS service is configured to prompt for login credentials, continue
If the Cisco IPICS service is not configured to prompt for login credentials and if
more than one channel or VTG is assigned to you and activated for your use,
Cisco IPICS displays the list of these channels and VTGs. In this case, go to
If the Cisco IPICS service is not configured to prompt for login credentials and if
only one channel or VTG is assigned to you and activated for your use, the
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Using the Cisco IPICS Service on a Cisco Unified IP Phone
Step 3
Enter your digit ID and digit password (PIN); then, press the Submit softkey.
If more than one channel or VTG is assigned to you and activated for your use,
Cisco IPICS displays the list of these channels and VTGs. In this case, continue
If only one channel or VTG is assigned to you and activated for your use, it
Step 4
Step 5
To participate in a channel or VTG, use the Navigation button to scroll to the
channel or VTG in which you want to participate; then, press the Select softkey.
When you choose a channel or VTG, it becomes active on your Cisco Unified IP
Phone.
To talk on the channel or VTG, press and hold the PTT softkey.
If you want to latch, or lock in, the channel or VTG, press the Latch softkey on
the Cisco Unified IP Phone. You can disengage the latch by pressing the Stop
softkey. (On some phone models, you must press the More softkey to see Latch.)
Step 6
Step 7
When you are done talking, release the PTT softkey to return to listen-only mode.
When you are done using the Cisco IPICS service, take one of these actions:
•
If the Logout softkey appears, press that key. On some phone models, you
must press the More softkey to see Logout.
•
Press the Back softkey and then press the Logout softkey.
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