For many administrators, this message signals a broken phone. For others, it appears fleetingly as a normal step. But when you add the word into the troubleshooting mix—specifically, hunting for a "repack" of the xmldefault.cnf.xml file—you enter a niche area of legacy VoIP restoration.
Always backup your working XMLDefault.cnf.xml and SEP files. In ten years, when the last Cisco 7960 finally dies, that repack might be the only copy left on the internet. Have a unique repack story or a custom XMLDefault file that worked? Share it in the comments below. cisco ip phone downloading xmldefault cnf xml repack
<device> <deviceType>Cisco 7960</deviceType> <loadInformation>SIP70.9-0-2S</loadInformation> <callManagerGroup> <members> <member priority="0"> <callManager> <ports>2000</ports> <processNodeName>192.168.1.100</processNodeName> </callManager> </member> </members> </callManagerGroup> <sipProfile> <sipInviteRetry>2</sipInviteRetry> <sipRegisterRetry>2</sipRegisterRetry> <timerRegisterExpires>3600</timerRegisterExpires> <dtmfDbLevel>-3</dtmfDbLevel> </sipProfile> </device> Replace 192.168.1.100 with your PBX/SIP server IP. Step 2: Create the SEP File for Your Phone Copy the above file, but rename it to SEP<MAC>.cnf.xml (e.g., SEP001122334455.cnf.xml ). Change the <loadInformation> to match your phone’s actual firmware. Step 3: Serve the Files Place both XMLDefault.cnf.xml and SEP<MAC>.cnf.xml in your TFTP server’s root directory. Ensure the TFTP service has read permissions. Step 4: Power Cycle the Phone The phone will download XMLDefault.cnf.xml , realize it needs a specific SEP file, download that, and then register. Part 5: Advanced "Repack" Scenarios Scenario A: The "Broken Repack" Loop You downloaded a repack from a forum. The phone continuously shows "Downloading xmldefault.cnf.xml...requesting...Done...rebooting." For many administrators, this message signals a broken phone
If you are stuck in this loop, remember: Open it, validate it, and serve it correctly. Your phone will stop downloading xmldefault.cnf.xml and finally register. Always backup your working XMLDefault
The XMLDefault.cnf.xml contains a <callManagerGroup> with an IP that the phone cannot ping, or the firmware version in the XML does not match the actual firmware on the flash.