After version 12, CUCM will jump 13 for suchreasons, and will probably appear as 14 early next year. In version 14, as in the 11.5 and 12 versions, some IP phones will not be supported either.
IP Phone Models Won’t Be Supported in CUCM 14
With the CUCM version 14, some IP phone models that have been in the market for many years will no longer be available. The following list includes models that will not be supported:
- Cisco Unified IP Phone 3911, 3951
- Cisco Unified IP Phone 6911, 6921, 6941, 6945, 6961
- Cisco Unified IP Phone 7906G, 7911G, 7925, 7925G-EX, 7926, 7931, 7936, 7937G, 7940, 7941, 7960, 7961, 7985
- Cisco Unified IP Phone 8941
If you are using any of these phone models, CUCM will block registration for these phones after upgrading to CUCM version 14. If the IP phone stays on, it will create unnecessary network traffic as well as load the CallManager service as the phone will try to register itself again and again.
Reasons For Not Supporting These Phones
Apparently Cisco will only use the 7800 and 8800 series telephones at the end of the day, and the reasons for this are explained in four subheadings:
- Security – Because older phone models cannot receive critical software updates, to protect users as new security issues arise.
- New Features and Applications – Since some phone models have been introduced many years ago (eg, 7900 series was introduced in early 2000’s), the older processors and hardware in these phone models creates a number of problems in implementing new applications and security features, so that the user experience can not be maximized.
- Sustainability – To ensure sustainability because older phones no longer have development support or regression tests.
- End-of-Life Products – The phone models listed above have made end-of-sale and end-of-life announcements in the past. These phone models will expire when the CUCM 14 is launched.
If you have a plan to upgrade to CUCM 14 and you have older model phones that is no longer supported, Cisco offers the following advice:
- Identify unsupported phones and schedule your upgrade to version 14 on time.
- Take advantage of competitive trading programs (Trade-in, Cisco Capital, etc.) or work with Cisco teams to cost-effectively renew the phones.
- Consider the strategy of migrating to software-based end devices like using Jabber.
- Talk with Cisco partners about switching to 7800 and 8800 series IP phones which are supported.
You can find the Field Notice on Cisco.com by clicking this link.