ATA 186 through a TFTP Server

Configure the ATA 186 through a TFTP Server

This method of provisioning makes it easier to scale large deployments of Cisco ATA 186 adaptors. When the Cisco ATA 186 is powered up, it contacts the TFTP server for a specific profile to download. The Cisco ATA 186 has an internal local nonvolatile cache of the profile so that if the TFTP server is not reachable after three attempts, it uses its own locally cached profile from the previous configuration to continue normal operation. A TFTP server needs to host a profile (configuration) for each Cisco ATA 186.

Create the Profile

Complete these steps in order to create the profile.

1. Modify the example text file (for an H.323 image, the file name is h323_example.txt ) with the required configuration changes and save as a new file, such as h323_example_new.txt.
   The configuration changes depend on the network in which the Cisco ATA 186 is used. For more information, refer to the documents listed in the Related Information

Related Cisco Support Community Discussions section.
The example text file is included in the latest Cisco ATA 186 software release zip file located at the Cisco ATA186 Terminal Adapter Software Download (registered customers only) section of Cisco.com.
Note: The Cisco ATA 186 cannot take the configuration directly from the text file. You need to convert the text file into binary format. Use the cfgfmt.exe application to create the binary version of the file.

Name the binary profile file.
The binary profile file must be named as "ataxxxxxxxxxxxx ", where each xx is the two-digit lowercase hex representation of each integer in the MAC address of the Cisco ATA 186. For example, if the MAC address of the Cisco ATA 186 is 1.2.3.4.5.6, the file name should be ata010203040506.
Note: The file can be optionally encrypted for security reasons with option e of the cfgfmt.exe application. When you use encryption, the Cisco ATA 186 must be configured with the right key to be able to decrypt the file. The field to be configured is EncryptKey. A value of 0 in this field indicates that no encryption was made on the incoming profile from the TFTP server. In order to specify the key used to encrypt the profile from the TFTP server, type an alphanumeric string (eight characters maximum) in this field.

Store the configuration file on the TFTP server.
This example shows the use of the cfgfmt.exe application to create the binary version of the text file:

D:\Documents\My Documents\voice\ata>cfgfmt.exe
usage: cfgfmt [-eRc4passwd] [-tPtagFile] input output
     -eRc4Passwd -- use Rc4Passwd to encrypt or decrypt input
     -tPtagFile  -- specify an alternate PtagFile path
D:\Documents\My Documents\voice\ata>cfgfmt.exe h323_example_new.txt ata010203040506 

Configure the Cisco ATA 186 to Download its Profile from the TFTP Server

The DHCP server can be configured to provide the TFTP server's URL and file name to the Cisco ATA 186. In the absence of a DHCP server that provides such information, the TFTP server's URL must be manually provisioned either through a web server or IVR. This table lists the fields that need to be provisioned:

Parameter	Description	IVR Access Code	Default
CfgInterval	Specifies the number of seconds (interval) between each configuration update. For example, when you use TFTP for provisioning, the Cisco ATA 186 contacts the TFTP server each time the interval expires to get its configuration file the next time the box is idle. You can set the CfgInterval to a random value to achieve random contact intervals from an individual Cisco ATA 186 to the TFTP server.	80002	3600 (1 hour)
EncryptKey	Determines if encryption is to be made on the incoming profile from the TFTP server. An encryption key can be configured which must be the same as the one used for the encryption of the configuration file by the cfgfmt.exe application. This enables the Cisco ATA 186 to decrypt the file. The encryption algorithm used is rc4.	320	0
TFTP URL	The IP address or URL of the TFTP server to use. This is needed if the DHCP does not provide the TFTP address. You can optionally include the path prefix to the TFTP file to download. For example, if the TFTP server IP address is 192.168.2.170 or www.cisco.com, and the path to download the TFTP file is in /ata186, then you can specify the URL as 192.168.2.170/ata186 or www.cisco.com/ata186. Note: From the IVR, you can only enter the IP address; from the web server, you can enter the actual URL.	905	0

Note: You can also update the Cisco ATA 186 profile from the TFTP server before the CfgInterval expires. To do this, open your Web browser and enter http://<ipaddress>/refresh where ipaddress is the IP address of the Cisco ATA 186 you want to update). The Cisco ATA 186 responds with an OK