Chapter 7 Troubleshooting the Cisco IP Phone
Resolving Startup Problems
7-16
Cisco IP Phone Administration Guide for Cisco CallManager 3.2, Cisco IP Phones 7960/7940/7910
78-10453-04
Symptom: Cisco IP Phone Does Not Start Up and LCD Screen
Does Not Display
If you connect a Cisco IP Phone into the network port, the LEDs should light up
and messages should appear on the LCD display (see the “Verifying the Phone
Startup Process” section on page 3-9 for information on the normal startup
process). If the phone does not proceed through this normal startup process, you
must determine if the phone is functional or if anything else in the configuration
is causing the phone to not start up properly.
To determine whether the phone is functional, you must eliminate any other
potential problems, such as faulty cables, network outages, lack of power, and so
on. Follow these suggestions to systematically eliminate these other causes.
Procedure
Step 1 To verify that the network port is functional:
a. Exchange the Ethernet cables with cables you know are functional.
b. Disconnect a functioning Cisco IP Phone from another port and connect it to
this network port to verify the port is active.
c. Connect the Cisco IP Phone that will not start up to a different, known good
network port.
d. Connect the Cisco IP Phone that will not start up directly to the port on the
switch, eliminating the patch panel connection in the office.
Step 2 To verify that the phone is receiving power:
a. Verify that the electrical outlet is functional.
b. If you are using in-line power, use the external power supply instead.
c. If you are using the external power supply, switch with a unit you know to be
functional.
Step 3 If after attempting these solutions, the LCD screen on the Cisco IP Phone persists
in not displaying any characters for at least 5 minutes, contact a Cisco technical
support representative for additional assistance.