Matthew Rubenstein wrote: > I just got SIP firmware images from Cisco for installation on 7970G. > Cisco requires you buy a SmartNet account (about $15, no other > dependencies apply) that entitles you to download a SIP firmware image > file from their protected support website. The 7970G now needs a > different image than the other 79xx phones, but the same rules apply to > all of them. Those rules do not require any other license or other > restriction, once you have legitimately obtained and installed the > firmware on the phone, to use the phones with Asterisk (or any other 3rd > party system). Of course, to use the phones with Cisco's CallManager > product, you must have a licensed copy of the CallManager product, with > all the other restrictions and fees that come with it. > > FWIW, the procedure of buying that SIP image from Cisco was a > nightmare. I had to buy the SmartNet account from a reseller which did > nothing to ensure that I completed the download transaction that was the > stated purpose (as they described it to me) of buying the license. Then > navigating to the license I needed, among the many versions and > revisions, was confusing and opaque. The SmartNet account took days to > send to me, and didn't work for the required access when it arrived. > Cisco consumed an entire workweek to deliver the license that didn't > unlock the website, then of course ignored requests for support through > the weekend (into which their late delivery forced my request to be > made). When I finally got Cisco to respond, they did deliver a > knowledgeable and honest support tech who stuck with me until I had > everything I needed to proceed. Though every stated "maximum" turnaround > time for every phase in the process was exceeded, sometimes by many > multiples. > > But since the image can be used only with a Cisco phone, which must > (ultimately) be bought from Cisco, the kafkaesque procedure is > intolerable. The image should be a one-click download that charges your > credit card and comes with a SmartNet account, if they absolutely must > charge the $15. In a sane world, the SIP image wouldn't have any > restrictions, a free download that people could just email each other > (or its URL), because its distribution would market Cisco phones. But > probably Cisco knows that the SIP image lets (free) Asterisk compete > with its proprietary CallManager, so they make it both a revenue source, > and as complicated as possible. >
The way I understand it, that $15 doesn't actually even give you the right to use the SIP firmware. It only gives you the right to "access" the download area. The whole model is silly, at best. -- Jason Parker Digium _______________________________________________ Sign up now for AstriCon 2007! September 25-28th. http://www.astricon.net/ --Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com-- asterisk-users mailing list To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit: http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
