[asterisk-users] Cisco 7940G licensing with asterisk

[Matthew Rubenstein]

	I just got SIP firmware images from Cisco for installation on 7970G.
Cisco requires you buy a SmartNet account (about $15, no other
dependencies apply) that entitles you to download a SIP firmware image
file from their protected support website. The 7970G now needs a
different image than the other 79xx phones, but the same rules apply to
all of them. Those rules do not require any other license or other
restriction, once you have legitimately obtained and installed the
firmware on the phone, to use the phones with Asterisk (or any other 3rd
party system). Of course, to use the phones with Cisco's CallManager
product, you must have a licensed copy of the CallManager product, with
all the other restrictions and fees that come with it.

	FWIW, the procedure of buying that SIP image from Cisco was a
nightmare. I had to buy the SmartNet account from a reseller which did
nothing to ensure that I completed the download transaction that was the
stated purpose (as they described it to me) of buying the license. Then
navigating to the license I needed, among the many versions and
revisions, was confusing and opaque. The SmartNet account took days to
send to me, and didn't work for the required access when it arrived.
Cisco consumed an entire workweek to deliver the license that didn't
unlock the website, then of course ignored requests for support through
the weekend (into which their late delivery forced my request to be
made). When I finally got Cisco to respond, they did deliver a
knowledgeable and honest support tech who stuck with me until I had
everything I needed to proceed. Though every stated "maximum" turnaround
time for every phase in the process was exceeded, sometimes by many
multiples.

	But since the image can be used only with a Cisco phone, which must
(ultimately) be bought from Cisco, the kafkaesque procedure is
intolerable. The image should be a one-click download that charges your
credit card and comes with a SmartNet account, if they absolutely must
charge the $15. In a sane world, the SIP image wouldn't have any
restrictions, a free download that people could just email each other
(or its URL), because its distribution would market Cisco phones. But
probably Cisco knows that the SIP image lets (free) Asterisk compete
with its proprietary CallManager, so they make it both a revenue source,
and as complicated as possible.



On Mon, 2007-10-01 at 09:43 -0500,
asterisk-users-request at lists.digium.com wrote:
> Message: 18
> Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2007 10:21:34 -0400
> From: "Glenn Cobb" <gec at davisfloyd.com>
> Subject: Re: [asterisk-users] Cisco 7940G licensing with asterisk
> To: "'Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion'"
>         <asterisk-users at lists.digium.com>
> Message-ID: <00d701c80436$5ea70b90$cbeffea9 at GECXP>
> Content-Type: text/plain;       charset="US-ASCII"
> 
> In trying to verify licensing requirements I called Tech-Data and
> spoke to
> the Cisco licensing reps there (my company is set up as a reseller
> through
> Tech-Data) and was informed by them that a license for Cisco VoIP
> phones is
> only required if connecting it to a Call Manager or any other Cisco
> voice
> technology solution such as a Cisco router. If you are connecting a
> Cisco
> phone to any other pbx they consider it a "third party solution" and
> licensing requirements for that vendor are your responsibility.
> 
> Glenn 
-- 

(C) Matthew Rubenstein