DHCP Configuration

[iboyd]

We are migrating our DHCP Service from routers to servers, and we are also slowly installing our Mitel 3300's at some of the sites.  As I build out the scopes I know i need Opt 43, and several local techs here in SW Washington/Oregon suggest to put in Opt 128, 129, 130.  My boss feels that is overkill, since he has been told that the Mitel phones only need Opt 43 and it deals with the patch level of the phone. 

Any thoughts, suggestions, recommendations?

[bluewhite4]

Option 43 is the "new" way of doing it, and technically the correct way now.

128, 129, 130, etc. are the older way and work just as well. Your boss is correct that they are technically overkill, but sometimes are needed depending on the model phone. I think IP Page adapters require the older scope options, and if you're using phones with old firmware initially, they may need the old options in order to upgrade and begin to use the new ones.


My opinion, while yes they are overkill, because they're sometimes needed its not a bad idea to have them.

[iboyd]

Is there a way to check the patch level/firmware load of the Mitel phone before it touches the network?

[VinceWhirlwind]

Options 128-135 were the old way, Mitel was using them as Vendor options but they are now public options.
Option 43 is a public option, often used because it exists by default on any DHCP server.
Option 125 is the new Vendor option, sometimes not used because people don't know how to create a vendor option to put in their scopes, or, because the DHCP service is running on a router or something that doesn't support the creation of vendor options.
 
My approach would be to use Option125, or fallback to Option43 if necessary.
 
In your situation, I would get one model of each of the phones that exist in your production environment and put them on a fresh subnet/VLAN with DHCP forwarder pointing at your DHCP server, create a new scope for that subnet and put Option125 on that scope and see if all the phones successfully register with the controller using that Option.

[iboyd]

Vince,

What am I putting into Opt 125?

[VinceWhirlwind]

Say it's for VLAN 200:
id:ipphone.mitel.com;sw_tftp=10.1.2.10;call_srv=10.1.2.10;vlan=200;l2p=6;dscp=46;
 
If you have LLDP running on your switch, telling the phones the Voice VLAN is 200, then this option goes on the scope for VLAN200.
If you don't have LLDP, then this option needs to go in the normal Data VLAN as well.

[acejavelin]

Remember Option 125 is an encapsulated hex option, not plain ASCII text... Option 43 uses the same format, just in PLAIN ASCII text.

Also, the "final" DHCP Offer should not include the VLAN tag.

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk

[iboyd]

How does this look. MS DHCP servers don't have "encapsulated HEX" as I see it. Granted I am new to MS DHCP management.  We use this same Data/Binary/ASCII for Option 43 with great success

Maybe if I did this on the router it needs to be HEX and not this way?

[VinceWhirlwind]

Did that work?

[iboyd]

Yes it did.  One thing I have noticed is the null statements that start off Opt 125, that seem to be the trick.  Since this, my Opt 125 Configs have been typed into that binary/hex/ascii using Hex.  By making the first 8 characters 00 00 04 03, I have had success with all types of phones registering.  Now if only the Paging adapters caught up, they are the bane of my existance.  Thanks for the help guys!

-Ian