Cisco numberplan and free numbers

What it is for

The numberplan shows every number from the number ranges of your locations with its state: free, in use in the CUCM, reserved, covered by a route or translation pattern, used by an external PBX or blocked. For each number you see the assigned end users, the users of the line and the devices that carry the number.

The list comes from a background run, the numberplan job. It reconciles the number ranges with lines, users and patterns in the CUCM. The page therefore shows the state of the last scan and names its time.

The same states apply to device creation: the Create Device dialog reads the numberplan during number selection, and the server rejects numbers that are reserved, blocked or covered by patterns.

Prerequisites

• The license module cucm is installed, and the correct CUCM connection is selected.
• Role ROLE_APP_VIEW_NUMBERPLAN_PAGE for the Numberplan menu item.
• Role ROLE_APP_UPDATE_NUMBERPLAN for reserving, blocking, LDAP linking and comments. Role ROLE_APP_CREATE_DEVICE for Add Device and Add Device Profile. Without one of these two roles, the Actions button is missing.
• The buttons at the top right (upload, overlap check, export) are visible only to the role ROLE_APP_ADMIN.
• Number ranges are maintained for the locations. Without a number range, a location has no entries in the numberplan.
• The numberplan job has run at least once.

Step by step: finding a number and checking its usage

1. Open EasyUC Cisco → Numberplan. The page is called Telephone Numbers.
2. In the Location filter, select the location and, if required, a single range under Range.
3. Under Phone Number, enter the number or a part of it. In front of it, select the search type begins with, contains or ends with.
4. Use Show to narrow the list down to one state, for example Free Numbers, Used Numbers or Reserved Numbers.
5. Under Limit, set how many rows appear per page (10, 20, 50 or 100).
6. Read the row: the number is colored according to its state. Below it are existing CUCM lines with their partition.
7. Move the mouse over the eye icon at Status Details. The window shows Primary Status and Additional Statuses.
8. Check the columns Endusers and Line User(s) as well as the device columns Phone, PC, IPhone, Android, Tablet and DP. A red cross means: no device of this type. The tooltip names the device names.
9. A click on an end user opens that user's profile.

Step by step: reserving or blocking a number

1. Find the number as described above.
2. Click Actions in the row.
3. Select Reserve to hold back a free number for a later purpose. The entry appears only for free numbers without a line and without a user.
4. Select Mark as Don't Use to exclude a number from assignment permanently.
5. Answer the prompt Are you sure? and enter the reason in the field Commentary (please write a short description).
6. Confirm with Reserve or Mark.
7. To undo this later, select Actions → Unreserve or Unmark as Don't Use.
8. With Actions → Number Commentary you read the history of the number with state, comment, time and editor.

Step by step: creating a device from a free number

1. Filter with Show → Free Numbers and select location and number range.
2. On the desired number, click Actions → Add Device. The Create Device dialog opens with this number.
3. For an Extension Mobility profile, select Add Device Profile instead.
4. Fill in the dialog and save. Then check the number again in the numberplan.

Step by step: checking overlaps and reconciling an external PBX

1. As an administrator, click Check Overlap at the top and confirm. This starts the numberplan job in the background. The overlap check is its last step.
2. Follow the progress in the Overlap check card. With Show overlaps you open the pairs that were found. A number overlaps if it is the beginning of another number that is already in use, or vice versa.
3. For numbers that are still on another system, click Upload external PBX, select the CSV file and the import mode import once only or import on every numberplan job.
4. You maintain individual numbers manually via Actions → Mark as used by external PBX or Reserve in external PBX.
5. With Export external PBX you download the state as CSV: all numbers, only those from the CSV import or only those marked manually.

Fields and options

Check the result and troubleshoot

• The note The results are displayed from last scan: with a date shows how old the list is. Changes in the CUCM appear only after the next numberplan job.
• The list is empty: check location and number range in the filter. Without a maintained number range, the location has no entries.
• A number counts as in use although no phone carries it: open Status Details. Often a route or translation pattern covers the number, or a line without a device still exists. In the second case, Delete Unused Numplans helps.
• You exclude pattern matches that are not a real collision on the CUCM connection under Numberplan Exclude Patterns.
• Check Overlap is disabled: the numberplan job is currently running or starts by itself in less than a minute. The reason is shown below the buttons.
• Device creation reports is not a part of any defined range: the option Check Number Range is active, and the number is not in any number range. Add the range at the location.
• The number selection in the Create Device dialog reports The number plan could not be verified. Please try again.: click Retry. If the error persists, check whether the CUCM connection can be reached.
• There is no export of the entire numberplan on this page. Only the state of the external PBX is exported.