When starting, Avaya IP phones request various files from an HTTP or HTTPS file server. This is sometimes also called the 'provisioning server'.
For example, a phone may request:
An upgrade file: This file tells the phone what firmware the IP Office supports.
Firmware Files: If the phone is not already running that firmware, it then requests the necessary files indicated by the upgrade file.
Settings File: This provides the phone with settings specific to how it should operate on the customer's IP Office system.
Additional Files: Some phones may also request specific languages and font files. Also if specified in the settings files, image files for displays and screen savers.
For IP Office operation, the IP Office system can act as the file server for most phones. This is the recommend method since normally the appropriate firmware, language and font files needed by the phones are already present on the system and are automatically upgraded if necessary when the system is upgraded. The IP Office also auto-generates any necessary settings files.
However, if necessary a third-party file server can be used. That then means that the files on that server need to be manually updated and maintained.
If using the IP Office system for DHCP, the IP Office system tells the telephone which file server to use, using file server settings within its configuration. If using a third-party DHCP server, the file server address is set through the addition DHCP options.
File Server Redirection
For some types of phone, the phones and IP Office support HTTP Redirection. Using this, when the phone requests firmware files from the IP Office, the phone is redirected to a separate third-party HTTP file server.
Phones
Description
H175 and Vantage telephones
A separate HTTP/HTTPS file server must be used. If the IP Office is set as the file server for these phones, it automatically redirects their firmware file requests to its HTTP Server IP Address or HTTP Server URI setting regardless of whether HTTP Redirection is enabled or not.
9600 Series and J100 Series phones
The HTTP Redirection setting can be enabled. When that is the case, the IP Office system redirects firmware requests for .bin files from those phone to the system's HTTP Server IP Address of a separate file server.
B199 Phones
For B199 phones running B199 R1.0 FP6 or higher firmware, IP Office R11.1 FP2 SP4 supports the use of HTTP Redirection.
