9-9
Cisco IP Phone Administration Guide for Cisco CallManager, Cisco IP Phone 7961G/7961G-GE and 7941G/7941G-GE
OL-6966-01
Chapter 9      Troubleshooting and Maintenance
    Cisco IP Phone Resets Unexpectedly
• Verifying DHCP Settings, page 9-9
• Checking Static IP Address Settings, page 9-10
• Verifying the Voice VLAN Configuration, page 9-10
• Verifying that the Phones Have Not Been Intentionally Reset, page 9-10
• Eliminating DNS or Other Connectivity Errors, page 9-11
Verifying the Physical Connection
Verify that the Ethernet connection to which the Cisco IP Phone is connected is 
up. For example, check if the particular port or switch to which the phone is 
connected is down and that the switch is not rebooting. Also make sure that there 
are no cable breaks.
Identifying Intermittent Network Outages
Intermittent network outages affect data and voice traffic differently. Your 
network might have been experiencing intermittent outages without detection. If 
so, data traffic can resend lost packets and verify that packets are received and 
transmitted. However, voice traffic cannot recapture lost packets. Rather than 
retransmitting a lost network connection, the phone resets and attempts to 
reconnect its network connection.
If you are experiencing problems with the voice network, you should investigate 
whether an existing problem is simply being exposed.
Verifying DHCP Settings
The following suggestions can help you determine if the phone has been properly 
configured to use DHCP:
1. Verify that you have properly configured the phone to use DHCP. See the 
“Network Configuration Menu” section on page 4-6 for more information.
2. Verify that the DHCP server has been set up properly.
3. Verify the DHCP lease duration. Cisco recommends that you set it to 8 days.