PumpKIN TFTP Client & 2210 Wireless LAN Phones 3

[chippowell9]

Could someone nutshell this for a voice guy without much of a data/networking background? We use a couple Nortel wireless LAN handsets, the 2210 model. I have an admin PC attached to my PBX that does lots of different things...call accounting, SCCS thick client, monitor and keyboard for CallPilot server, etc. Also running on this PC is a TFTP client called PumpKIN. (TFTP = Trivial File Transfer Protocol). I am told this needs to always be running to support the 2210 wireless phones. Well, for a long time it wasn’t running, but the phones seemed to work more or less OK. Now the TFTP client is running again, and the phones continue to operate as they always have.

But I’m dealing with some other service quality issues here that I won’t really go into again on the newsgroup. I’d like to be able to speak semi-intelligently about how this setup works. If someone with an understanding of this could give me a quick rundown on what the TFTP client is, and why it is supposed to be there in respect to the 2210 wireless phones, I would very much appreciate it. I don’t need the whole history of data networking, just a bare bones idea of what this is doing. Why do the phones seem to work just fine whether it’s on or off?

Thanks so much!

--Chip

 

[johnpoole]

well it all started way back 46.. not really.. tftp needs a working server and to xfer to and from that box you need tftp client running. other then that wtf? i have never had to install tftp to use or install nortel voip. BUT i don't have a working 2210.. i3000 series only. the set may use tftp for firmware down load, since it's not real time protocol that voice would need, i can't understand how it would be needed.. maybe come one else uses that set.

john poole
bellsouth business
columbia,sc

 

[phoney]

We have approx 300 i2211 handsets in operation. We store our firmware for the handsets on our TFTP server. When we configure a new phone, part of the configuration process is to go and download the latest firmware from the TFTP server. If the TFTP server is not running, we get a "Bad Code Type" error message on the display of the handset and the phone cannot be configured.

 

[chippowell9]

Phoney, since you seem to be heavy user of these handsets (I only have two of the 2210 model), maybe I can ask you...do your users ever report that the phone just plain doesn't ring? Like, they're sitting there staring at it and the next thing you know someone kicks in the door, swearing they called and called but no one answered? This is happening to one of my areas occasionally, but I cannot recreate the problem. Probably user error, but the location in question is a densely packed computer room/data center type area, with literally hundreds of servers in racks, etc. All wireless equipment is up to date, Nortel ETAS has confirmed all s/w is good, and again, I cannot recreate the problem. At this point, I'm chalking it up to "the nature of wireless" in general, as not being quite as reliable as landlines, as well as "possible" (ha!) user error.

So to confirm the original issue, if a phone is working, it really doesn't matter if the TFTP client is running or not. It won't prevent the phone from operating, or cause any problems with it...it's just that it won't be able to get firmware downloads, etc?

Thanks for your input.

 

[phoney]

I haven't had any complaints like the one you're referring to. (That's not to say they don't exist, just that nobody's told me....). Our handsets work quite well. Our wireless network doesn't have much else on it right now (aside from the phones), but more devices will be coming online in the near future. I'm sure I'll have more issues like what you've described in the future. Our wireless phones running in their own VLAN on the wireless network. Our networking administrators worked quite closely with Nortel on the deployment of the handsets on the wireless LAN. Maybe you can tap into some resources on your networking side?

To confirm, no, it doesn't matter if the TFTP server is running for normal opeartion of the phones.

 

[cresendez]

There are only 2 reasons you need TFTP Server running:

1. To upload firmware to a new, out of the factory box, phone. These phones do not have any firmware loaded at the factory.

2. To upload new firmware to all handsets. Turn it on and tell everyone to powercycle their phones to download new firmware.

It is not needed for day to day operation of the phones.