Can't call external units via IP_ADDR##Alias

[richard Beck]

All,

First, thanks for your time.

When I try dialing an endpoint outside our network using IP_ADDR##ALIAS the call will not go through. When I look at the call log it seems that the destination of the call has been truncated or stripped. So for example I am dialing 192.168.1.1##15, when I look at the cal history the destination has been stripped down to just 15. So it looks like the unit is trying to call 15 - no other information is listed. So, something somewhere is stripping out the rest of the information.

I have found this thread here https://supportforums.cisco.com/discussion/11407121/vcs-search-rules-and-polycom which is a similar but not exactly. It seems my system can't get to the point of performing a transform.

Any ideas?

[Patrick Sparkman]

IP_Address##Alias is a Polycom specific dial string, Cisco doesn't understand it, and isn't compatible which is why it is failing.  You should instead dial the address using Alias@IP_Address from the codec, which is Cisco's dialing scheme.

If you use a call control server, such as a VCS, you could create a transform to convert Polycom's dialing method to Cisco's by doing the following:

Pattern type:  Regex
Pattern string:  (.*)##(.*)
Pattern behavior:  Replace
Replace string:  \2@\1

[richard Beck]

Patrick,

I have discovered that information in this thread but I am still having an issue. For some reason my transform is not working. Look at the destination value in the call log below. Notice how it states 13. The unit is not calling just the number 13 - the unit is calling SOMEIP##13 and the VCS is stripping the IP## off before I can apply a transform rule to it. Thoughts?

• Search (9)
• • State: Completed
• • Found: False
• • Reason: Not Found
• • Type: H323 (ARQ)
• • CallSerial Number: 0afa3aa6-667f-4251-b922-566798345103
• • Tag: 991adf4f-1c69-4689-9769-1b86ff5dd3c2
• • Source (1)
  • • Authenticated: True
  • • Aliases (1)
    • • Alias (1)
      • • Type: H323Id
      • • Origin: Endpoint
      • • Value: Rm 150
    • • Alias (2)
      • • Type: E164
      • • Origin: Endpoint
      • • Value: SOMEALIAS
  • • Zone (1)
    • • Name: Internal IP Ranges
    • • Type: Local
  • • Path (1)
    • • Hop (1)
      • • Address: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
• • Destination (1)
  • • Alias (1)
    • • Type: E164
    • • Origin: Unknown
    • • Value: 13
• • StartTime: 2014-11-04 14:52:54
• • Duration: 0.03
• • SubSearch (1)
  • • Type: Transforms
  • • Action: Not Transformed
  • • ResultAlias (1)
    • • Type: E164
    • • Origin: Unknown
    • • Value: 13
  • • SubSearch (1)

[Patrick Sparkman]

Can you show us what search rules or transforms you have in place?

[richard Beck]

Transforms on VCS-C attached

[Patrick Sparkman · Accepted solution]

What happens when you try to dial the address using the Cisco (Annex O) format?  That might be the best solution here, just get into the habit of reformatting the Polycom addresses before they are dialed.

[richard Beck]

Cisco Annex O format works fine. I was just hoping to make it easier on the Nurses when they are told what address to dial. I did push out phonebooks with the correct addresses and that works fine. 

[Jens Didriksen]

As I pointed out earlier - the one and only way you can hope to achieve that for outbound calls from you, is by creating a neighbour zone for each and every IP##Alias address.

Inbound to your systems is a simple to do, outbound not so simple.

/jens

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[richard Beck]

All,

Thanks for your help. I just trained the users to the use the published address book on the units where i entered the addresses as alias@IP_ADDRESS. Seems to have worked fine.

Thanks for all your time!

[Martin Koch]

What kind of endpoints do you use anyhow?

Is it ANY IP address which you need to dial or is it a specific one

or just a hand full.

Espeically if its just one destination IP (like a specific MCU or other remote site) it could be worth just do some dialplan magic so they can just dial a e164 number with a prefix mapped to that specific ip address via the VCS.

If the complete address is static phonebook entries could help as well.

An external control panel could also be helpful.

It all depends on how your requirements look like.

[richard Beck]

Search Rules on VCS-C

[Jens Didriksen]

You do realise that this only applies for calls to your systems from external systems, i.e. old Polycom or LifeSize systems unable to use Annex O?

That particular thread is a bit confusing as it mixes up inbound and outbound calls, however, as Paolo points out, you might achieve what you want to do by creating a neighbour zone for each and every system you wish to call using that particular format.

Probably would be a lot simpler if the external party decided to actually support the standard, which is Annex O; alias@domain.

Having said that, if you want these systems to be able to call you using IP##Alias, then the transform must have a higher priority than any other related transforms and/or search rules. I.e. my IP#Alias transform has priority "4", whereas my Alias@IP_address --> Alias@domain transform has priority "5" followed by relevant search rules with much lower priorities.

/jens

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