asterisk users - Nov 2008 - Using MAC or extension number as SIP identifier

Hi,

For a long time, I was wondering if I should use MAC address instead of
Extension number to identify SIP endpoints (as I'm mostly not using
softphones).

Before diving into this, I wondered how people using MAC address are using
CLI as it seems more natural and simple to type
"sip show peer 4566"  as opposed to "sip show peer
00147F784512".
Is there something obvious I'm missing (auto-completion ? aliasing ? ...) ?

Cheers
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It will auto-complete if you hit tab, just like the shell.  But I  
would recommend against it.  I can't really think of a good reason to  
do it.  'sip show peer 268' I can remember to see that status of  
extension 268 when somebody calls and says "I can't dial 268".   
Whereas 'sip show peer 00147...wtf was his MAC address again?', I have  
to lookup the extension somewhere and find the MAC address.

Any reason you want to use the MAC address?  If it is just for easy  
provisioning, I just put a MAC address field in the realtime SIP table  
and use a php script to take the phone's MAC address and feed it the  
login information it needs.

Daniel
> Hi,
>
> For a long time, I was wondering if I should use MAC address instead  
> of Extension number to identify SIP endpoints (as I'm mostly not  
> using softphones).
>
> Before diving into this, I wondered how people using MAC address are  
> using CLI as it seems more natural and simple to type
> "sip show peer 4566"  as opposed to "sip show peer
00147F784512".
> Is there something obvious I'm missing (auto-completion ?  
> aliasing ? ...) ?
>
> Cheers
> _______________________________________________
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On 20 Nov 2008, at 16:14, Daniel Hazelbaker wrote:
> Any reason you want to use the MAC address?
Bet he used to use Cisco ;)

Olivier schrieb:
> For a long time, I was wondering if I should use MAC address instead of
> Extension number to identify SIP endpoints (as I'm mostly not using
> softphones).
> 
> Before diving into this, I wondered how people using MAC address are using
> CLI as it seems more natural and simple to type
> "sip show peer 4566"  as opposed to "sip show peer
00147F784512".
> Is there something obvious I'm missing (auto-completion ? aliasing ?
...) ?
SIP accounts are about users (not extensions or devices).


   Philipp Kempgen

-- 
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Olivier wrote:
> 2008/11/20 Eric ManxPower Wieling <eric at fnords.org>
> 
>> Personally I use the MAC-x wherex=the line appearance number.  MAC-a
for
>> first line appearance, MAC-b for 2nd, etc.
>>
> 
> Is it easy to use (CLI, logs...) ?
> Would you step back to an extension-based identification scheme ?
I would never go back to extension based sip accounts.

Some of our users have multiple different extensions per phone and many 
extensions appear on more than one phone.  It is very nice to be able to 
say to the user "read me stuff on the white sticker on the bottom of the 
phone" (which is where Polycom puts the MAC).  Then we know EXACTLY 
which phone the user is talking about, which phone config file, which 
parts of the dial plan, etc.


-- 
Consulting and design services for LAN, WAN, voice and data.  Based near 
Birmingham, AL.  Now accepting clients worldwide. Contact me for Tellabs 
echo canceling systems.  Also see http://www.fnords.org/skillslist.html