Cisco IP Communicator Administration Guide (2.0)
Deploying and Updating Cisco IP Communicator
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Table Of Contents

Deploying and Updating Cisco IP Communicator

Installing Headsets and Other Audio Devices

Using Third-Party Headsets and Handsets with Cisco IP Communicator

Deploying the Application

Deployment Methods

Deploying to a Shared Location

Using a Software Deployment Tool

Using the Installer on the Client PC

Deploying Languages Other Than English

Customizing Deployment with Command Line Options

Updating the Application

Using AutoUpdate

Configuring Software Version Verification

Specifying a Default Software Load for All Cisco IP Communicator Devices

Specifying a Non-Default Software Load for a Specific Device

Pushing Updates Using a Software Deployment Tool


Deploying and Updating Cisco IP Communicator

This chapter includes the following topics to help you deploy and update Cisco IP Communicator software components:

•Installing Headsets and Other Audio Devices

•Deploying the Application

•Updating the Application

Note Before completing tasks covered in this chapter, be sure to read "Preparing to Deploy Cisco IP Communicator." This chapter includes an overview of tasks that you might need to perform before deployment.

Installing Headsets and Other Audio Devices

Before the user installs Cisco IP Communicator on the client PC, you or the user should install and configure any audio devices that require drivers, such as sound cards, USB handsets, or USB headsets.

If users are installing audio devices and Cisco IP Communicator themselves, you should recommend that they complete any guided installations (such as the Found New Hardware Wizard or manufacturer instructions) after plugging in audio devices and before installing Cisco IP Communicator.

Users must select and tune audio devices before using those devices with Cisco IP Communicator. The ideal time to do this task is at first launch after installation. Cisco IP Communicator launches the Audio Tuning Wizard at initial startup; users must complete the wizard before Cisco IP Communicator will launch. If the user installs a new device after start up, Cisco IP Communicator will not recognize the device until the user relaunches the application.

Using Third-Party Headsets and Handsets with Cisco IP Communicator

While Cisco does perform basic testing of third-party headsets and handsets for use with Cisco IP Communicator, it is ultimately the customer's responsibility to test this equipment in their own environment to determine suitable performance. Due to the many inherent environmental and hardware inconsistencies in the locations where Cisco IP Communicator is deployed, there is not a single "best" solution that is optimal for all environments.

Before customers begin deploying any headsets or handsets (especially deployment in quantity) in their production network, Cisco recommends thorough testing at the customer site to check for voice quality issues, especially hum and echo.

The primary reason that support of a headset or handset would be inappropriate for an installation is the potential for an audible hum. This hum can either be heard by the remote party or by both the remote party and the Cisco IP Communicator user. Causes for this humming sound range from electrical lights near the PC to the PC power source itself. In some cases, a hum experienced by a user plugged directly into the PC Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be reduced or eliminated by using a powered USB hub.

In some instances, the mechanics or electronics of various headsets can cause remote parties to hear an echo of their own voice when they speak to Cisco IP Communicator users. The Cisco IP Communicator user will not be aware of this echo.

Finally, some analog headsets do not match the electrical characteristics for which some soundcards are designed. The microphones on such headsets are frequently too sensitive, even when the input levels in Cisco IP Communicator are reduced to their lowest values; the users of such headsets will sound distorted to remote parties.

It is important to ask Cisco IP Communicator users whether a particular headset sounds good to them. In addition, remote parties should be queried as to the reception from Cisco IP Communicator when using a particular headset.

Related Topics

•Deploying the Application

•Updating the Application

•Selecting and Tuning Audio Devices

Deploying the Application

You can deploy Cisco IP Communicator using either of the following installer packages:

•CiscoIPCommunicatorSetup.exe—This executable contains the required Windows Installer engines and default verbose logging for typical deployments.

•CiscoIPCommunicatorSetup.msi—This Microsoft Windows Installer package (MSI package) allows you to provide deployment customization using command line options. Logging is not automatically set when you use the MSI package.

Note If users in your system have more than one network interface on their PCs or use laptops with docking stations, be sure to read the "Selecting a Device Name" section.

See these sections for details:

•Deployment Methods

•Customizing Deployment with Command Line Options

Deployment Methods

Using either the executable or MSI package, you have three options for performing installation:

•You can place the installer on a shared location where you or a user can run it. (To use this method, users must have administrative privileges on their PCs.)

•You can perform installation for an entire enterprise by using a software distribution technology. (This method will temporarily elevate user privileges for installation purposes, if necessary.)

•You can perform installation operations directly on an individual's computer.

Note If users in your company do not have administrator rights on their computers, Cisco recommends that you use a software deployment tool for initial deployment. Alternately, you (the administrator) can install Cisco IP Communicator manually on each client PC.

This sections contains these topics:

•Deploying to a Shared Location

•Using a Software Deployment Tool

•Using the Installer on the Client PC

Deploying to a Shared Location

You can deploy the executable or MSI package to a shared location, such as a web server, where users can access it to perform installation. Alternately, you can use the following command line option with the MSI package to create a server image of Cisco IP Communicator at a specified network location: 

msiexec.exe /a CiscoIPCommunicatorSetup.msi

See the "Customizing Deployment with Command Line Options" section for more information about using command lines.

Related Topics

•Using a Software Deployment Tool

•Using the Installer on the Client PC

•Updating the Application

Using a Software Deployment Tool

You can use a software deployment tool to distribute Cisco IP Communicator to client PCs. In fact, you must use this deployment method if users do not have administrative privileges on their computers (and if you want to avoid installing the application manually on each client PC). A software deployment tool can temporarily elevate user privileges on the client PC for installation purposes.

Software deployment tools include group policy-based tools such as Active Directory, or more advanced tools, such as the System Management Server (SMS) software from Microsoft.

Using a software distribution tool that can pass a command line to a system allows you to take advantage of the Windows Installer package and customize values such as the device name and TFTP server address(es) at the time of deployment. Using command line options to specify these values at deployment means that users do not have to configure these settings after installation. This greatly simplifies the post-installation process for users. See the "Customizing Deployment with Command Line Options" section for information about using command lines.

Note Cisco IP Communicator does not support the "advertising" or "publishing" deployment whereby a user installs the application by opening an icon that the administrator has placed on the user's desktop.

Related Topics

•Deploying to a Shared Location

•Using the Installer on the Client PC

•Updating the Application

Using the Installer on the Client PC

You can deploy either the executable or the MSI package directly to the client PC and perform installation by running the installer and following the installation wizard. If necessary, use an administrator account to do this task.

If you use the MSI package, you can use command line options on the client PC to customize the installation. See the "Customizing Deployment with Command Line Options" section for information.

Related Topics

•Using a Software Deployment Tool

•Using a Software Deployment Tool

•Updating the Application

Deploying Languages Other Than English

When using the CiscoIPCommunicatorSetup.exe file, a drop-down dialog box prompts you to choose the language for which you want to install Cisco IP Communicator.

If you are customizing deployment of Cisco IP Communicator using command-line options, you must add an extra TRANSFORMS parameter to the command line in order to install the language locales. You must associate the correct locale .mst file to the TRANSFORMS parameter in order for the command line option to function properly. For example, to install the French locale: 

c:\ Msiexec.exe /i CiscoIPCommunicatorSetup.msi /qb+ 
TRANSFORMS="French.mst"

Customizing Deployment with Command Line Options

The Microsoft Windows Installer package (MSI package) provides numerous command line options and properties that allow you to customize the installation and management of an application.

For Cisco IP Communicator, you can use command line options to specify the device name, the TFTP server address(es), and other variables. Doing so reduces the number of configuration tasks that users will otherwise need to perform during and after installation.

There is a command line option to create the device name using a specified network interface. Specifying the network interface in particular is helpful if users have PCs with multiple network interfaces and/or a removable network interface (such as a laptop with a docking station). If users in your company use multiple computer models with a combination of network interfaces, you can configure a software distribution tool to detect the target computer model and then execute the corresponding command line option with the appropriate device name variable specified.There is also a command line option you can use to specify a free-form device name. You may only use this option if you are connecting to Cisco Unified CallManager release 5.0(1) or above. This option allows administrators to set a unique device name for users that is not based on MAC addresses. This option can be helpful for administrators of companies where user PC's are refreshed often. When a PC is refreshed, Cisco IP Communicator can be installed on the new PC by using the same device name that was used on the old PC. Therefore, there would be no administration necessary on the Cisco Unified CallManager when a PC is refreshed. The free-form device name must be less than 15 characters and can only contain ASCII characters.

Table 3-1 provides examples of command line options that you can use when deploying Cisco IP Communicator with the MSI package. (Values given for variables are examples only.)

Table 3-1 Using command line options with the MSI package

If you want to....
Use this command line

Prevent users from interacting with the installation process, but allow them to view its progress 

msiexec.exe /i C:\CiscoIPCommunicatorSetup.msi /qb

Specify an installation directory location 

msiexec /i \\server\share\CiscoIPCommunicatorSetup.msi /qb 
INSTALLDIR="D:\Newlocation"

Specify the device name by using the network interface of the target PC. 

msiexec /i CiscoIPCommunicatorSetup.msi /qb  
DEVICENAME="Network Adapter Device Name"

Specify the device name using a free-form device name

Note Only for use with Cisco Unified CallManager 5.0(1) and above 

msiexec /i CiscoIPCommunicatorSetup.msi /qb 
FREEFORMDEVICENAME="freeformdevice"

Specify one TFTP server address 

msiexec /i CiscoIPCommunicatorSetup.msi /qb  
TFTP1="IP Address 1"

Specify multiple TFTP server addresses 

msiexec /i CiscoIPCommunicatorSetup.msi /qb  
TFTP1="IP Address 1" TFTP2="IP Address 2"

Combine the device name using a network interface and TFTP server address(es) in one command line 

msiexec /i CiscoIPCommunicatorSetup.msi /qb 
DEVICENAME="Network Adapter Device Name"  
TFTP1="IP Address 1" TFTP2="IP Address 2"

Combine the device name using a free-form device name and TFTP server address(es) in one command line.

Note A free-form device name can only be used with Cisco Unified CallManager 5.0(1) and above. 

msiexec /i CiscoIPCommunicatorSetup.msi /qb

FREEFORMDEVICENAME="freeformdevice"

TFTP1="IP Address 1" TFTP2="IP Address 2"

Note•For the DEVICENAME option, the device name string that you enter must be the exact device name that appears on Cisco IP Communicator (right-click > Preferences > Network).

•The options to specify device name and TFTP variables apply to new installations only, not upgrades.

•If you want Cisco IP Communicator to display a dialog box that users must manually dismiss before the installer reboots the machine, add a "+" character after "qb" in the command line options in Table 3-1.:

•If you use the DEVICENAME option, it will hide the free-form device name option from the user in the Cisco IP Communicator preferences dialogs (right-click > Preferences > Network).

•If you use the FREEFORMDEVICENAME option, it will also hide the network adapter selection in the Cisco IP Communicator preferences dialog (right-click > Preferences > Network).

•If you do not use either the DEVICENAME option or the FREEFORMDEVICENAME option, then the Cisco IP Communicator preferences (right-click > Preferences > Network) will give the user the ability to use either the network interface card or a free-form string to generate the device name.

Related Topics

•Deploying the Application

•Updating the Application

•Specifying a TFTP Server

•Selecting a Device Name

Updating the Application

You can download the latest available software from the Cisco IP Communicator Software web site:

http://www.cisco.com/pcgi-bin/tablebuild.pl/ip-comm

After you obtain updated software, you can update Cisco IP Communicator in one of the following ways, depending on whether or not users are granted administrator privileges on the client PCs:

•If users have administrative privileges on client PCs, you can use the AutoUpdate tool in conjunction with the Verify Software Versions feature to detect and obtain software updates. See the "Using AutoUpdate" section for details.

•If users do not have administrative privileges on the client PCs, use a software deployment tool to handle updates. A software deployment tool can temporarily elevate privileges for installation purposes. (In this case, you probably used a software deployment tool to initially deploy the application, as well.) See the Pushing Updates Using a Software Deployment Tool for details.

Note Cisco Unified CallManager Administration refers to components of the Cisco IP Communicator application that can be updated as "firmware" instead of "software," and uses the descriptor "phone load" instead of "software load."

This section contains these topics:

•Using AutoUpdate

•Pushing Updates Using a Software Deployment Tool

Using AutoUpdate

AutoUpdate is part of the Cisco IP Communicator software that helps you automatically update Cisco IP Communicator. Every time Cisco IP Communicator registers with a Cisco Unified CallManager, AutoUpdate compares Cisco IP Communicator's current software load with the version in the configuration file. AutoUpdate downloads and installs new software components from the TFTP server when it detects that they are available.

In addition, AutoUpdate can use HTTP to download from the server if you have enabled HTTP access to your TFTP server. To do this, run the Cisco IP Communicator Administration Tool and click the Enable HTTP check box. Enabling HTTP will improve the performance of AutoUpdate for remote users. (Downloading software updates over a dialup or broadband connection using TFTP can take more than 15 minutes). In order to enable HTTP access, run the Administration Tool. See the "Running the Cisco IP Communicator Administration Tool" section.

Before using AutoUpdate, you should obtain an updated software load. Then run the phone load installer to install the updated software files on the TFTP server.

Note Users must have administrative privileges on their PCs in order for AutoUpdate to work. If they do not have these privileges, use a software deployment tool instead. See the "Pushing Updates Using a Software Deployment Tool" section.

See these topics for more information about configuring AutoUpdate and specifying software loads:

•Configuring Software Version Verification

•Specifying a Default Software Load for All Cisco IP Communicator Devices

•Specifying a Non-Default Software Load for a Specific Device

Configuring Software Version Verification

AutoUpdate can inspect all of the files necessary to run Cisco IP Communicator and verify that they are complete and unmodified since the Cisco IP Communicator application was installed or last updated.

To control how often AutoUpdate goes through this process, you can modify the Verify Software Versions setting in the Product Specific Configuration panel of the Phone Configuration page in Cisco Unified CallManager Administration.

This setting can be configured to run AutoUpdate either:

•On Upgrade—AutoUpdate verifies existing software components only when the configuration file lists a new software version (default setting)

•At Startup—AutoUpdate verifies existing software components each time Cisco IP Communicator is started, whether or not the software version in the configuration file has changed.

If this option is set to On Upgrade (the default), Cisco IP Communicator will launch quickly but will not be able to automatically heal itself if any of its files are deleted or modified by the user. If this option is set to At Startup, Cisco IP Communicator will launch more slowly, but will detect and repair most such modifications or corruption.

Related Topics

•Specifying a Default Software Load for All Cisco IP Communicator Devices

•Specifying a Non-Default Software Load for a Specific Device

Specifying a Default Software Load for All Cisco IP Communicator Devices

You can apply a default load to all Cisco IP Communicator devices by specifying a software load in the Device Defaults Configuration page of Cisco Unified CallManager Administration. This occurs automatically if you use the phone load package to put software files on the TFTP server. Therefore, if you want to specify a different load other than the one that the phone load package specified to serve as the default for all devices, you must enter this software load manually in the Device Defaults Configuration page in Cisco Unified CallManager Administration.

Note Cisco Unified CallManager Administration refers to components of the Cisco IP Communicator application that can be updated as "firmware" instead of "software," and uses the descriptor "phone load" instead of "software load."

Related Topics

•Configuring Software Version Verification

•Specifying a Non-Default Software Load for a Specific Device

Specifying a Non-Default Software Load for a Specific Device

You can apply a non-default load to a specific Cisco IP Communicator device by specifying a software load in the Device Defaults Configuration page of Cisco Unified CallManager Administration.

If you want AutoUpdate to apply a specific software load to a specific Cisco IP Communicator device, specify that load in the Phone Configuration page in Cisco Unified CallManager Administration. It will override whatever value is in the Device Defaults Configuration page.

Note Cisco Unified CallManager Administration refers to components of the Cisco IP Communicator application that can be updated as "firmware" instead of "software," and uses the descriptor "phone load" instead of "software load."

Related Topics

•Configuring Software Version Verification

•Specifying a Default Software Load for All Cisco IP Communicator Devices

Pushing Updates Using a Software Deployment Tool

You can use a software deployment tool to push software updates. You must use this method if Cisco IP Communicator users do not have administrator privileges on their client PCs (and if you do not want to administer updates locally on each user's machine).

To push updates using a software deployment tool, perform the following tasks in Cisco Unified CallManager Administration:

•In the Phone Configuration page, verify that the Phone Load Name field is blank

•In the Device Defaults Configuration page, delete the value for Cisco IP Communicator

Note You should not use the phone load package to download software files to the TFTP server. Using the software installer will automatically populate the software load field in the Device Defaults Configuration page.

Related Topics

•Deployment Methods

•Customizing Deployment with Command Line Options

•Using AutoUpdate