Managing Video Greetings in Cisco Unity Connection 10.x

See the following sections:

Overview of Video Greetings in Unity Connection 10.x

Cisco Unity Connection 10.0(1) is a feature-rich voice messaging platform that now provides immersive experience of video greetings. Video greetings add personal touch to the user greetings. Unity Connection facilitates the user to record and play video greetings for the identified callers using a video endpoint. For the outside callers, Unity Connection only plays the video greetings depending on the class of service configuration.

Note • Outside callers are those who are not Unity Connection users, however, calling from a supported video endpoint—the caller can call the user extension and be forwarded to Unity Connection when the user does not answer, and then the call will be video only depending on the class of service configuration.

  • A video endpoint is a telephone with a video display, which allows users to record and play video greetings.

To enable the video greetings feature for a user, the administrator needs to create video services accounts for a user and configure it with the video services. Video services allow Unity Connection to integrate with video server for the storage and retrieval of video greetings recorded by the user. For more information on video services and video service accounts, see Configuring Video Services and Video Services Accounts in Unity Connection 10.x.Unity Connection

NoteFor video servers, Unity Connection 10.0(1) only integrates with Cisco MediaSense video server.

Cisco MediaSense supports recording, playback, and storage of media, including audio and video recording. Unity Connection does not integrate with Cisco MediaSense cluster for the storage and retrieval of video greetings. Only single Cisco MediaSense node is supported with Unity Connection. With Unity Connection 10.0(1) only the standard Cisco MediaSense video server is integrated, which is installed using one of the Cisco-provided OVA templates. If an incorrect OVA template is used, or if the virtual machine's configuration is changed after the OVA template is applied, the server is considered to be not supported.For more information on integrating Cisco MediaSense with Unity Connection, see Installing, Integrating, and Accessing Cisco MediaSense.

Note If the state of video server is unavailable or the resources get exhausted:

  • When establishing a video call, Unity Connection will not treat the call as video.
  • When recording or playing video greetings, Unity Connection will downgrade the call to audio.

We recommend that you enable the video greetings feature in IPv4 mode only. Video greetings are not supported in both the IPv6 and dual (IPv4/IPv6) modes.

When a call comes, Unity Connection applies all the pre-checks required to establish a video call. A user will be able to record and play video greetings, if all the pre-checks required for each video call are satisfied. For more information on pre-checks, see Pre-checks Required for Video Greetings.

Unity Connection users login via direct sign-in using the telephone user interface (touchtone conversation) to record and play video greetings, which is supported by the setup options and self-enrollment. A user can play video greetings, when the calling user receives unanswered call (“ring-no-answer”) from the called user. For more information on recording video greetings using telephone user interface, see the “Enabling Users to Play and Record Video Greetings” section of the “Managing Your Personal Greetings” chapter in the User Guide for the Cisco Unity Connection Phone Interface .

NoteIn case of a video call, voice-recognition conversation is not supported. For more information on voice recognition conversation, see the Touchtone and Voice-Recognition Conversations section athttp://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/10x/user_mac/guide/10xcucmacx/10xcucmac040.html#pgfId-1273985.

For more information on direct sign-in and ring-no-answer using attempt forward, see the Enabling a User Greeting section at http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/10x/user_mac/guide/10xcucmacx/10xcucmac040.html#pgfId-1275823 .

To allow the playback of video greetings for each user, enable the My Personal Recording option in the Callers See section. For more information on Callers See and Callers Hear settings, see the Allowing Users to Playback Video Greetings in Unity Connection 10.x section in the Changing Conversation Settings for All Users in Cisco Unity Connection 10.x chapter of System Administration Guide for Cisco Unity Connection .

Installing, Integrating, and Accessing Cisco MediaSense

Cisco MediaSense is a video server that integrates with Unity Connection to support the recording, playback, and storage of audio and video recordings. Cisco MediaSense has a default setting of pruning enabled for 60 days, which means that MediaSense deletes all video greetings after 60 days and will not be available any more. To avoid your video greetings getting deleted, disable the MediaSense Prune Policy setting.

This section explains the procedures:

Installing and Integrating Cisco MediaSense

To install and integrate Cisco MediaSense with Unity Connection 10.0(1)

Step 1 To download and install Cisco MediaSense, see the “Cisco MediaSense Installation” chapter at

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cust_contact/contact_center/mediasense/901/inst_admin/CUMS_BK_IFE33F4B_00_mediasense-install-and-admin-guide_chapter_010.html

Step 2 When the Cisco MediaSense is installed successfully, integrate the Cisco MediaSense with Unity Connection.

Step 3 To integrate, enter the Cisco MediaSense IP address or hostname in the Video Server field while creating or modifying video services. For More information on creating and modifying video services, see the Modifying Video Service in Unity Connection 10.x.

Note The Video Server(1) field only support IPv4 address and hostname.

Step 4 Select Save .

 

Accessing Cisco MediaSense Administration

To access Cisco MediaSense Administration

Step 1 From a web browser on any computer in your Unified Communications network, go to http://servername/oraadmin.

The servername is the IP address of the server where you have installed Cisco MediaSense.

Step 2 A Security Alert message may appear, prompting you to accept the self-signed security certificate, if you have not already installed it. This certificate is required for a secure connection to the server. Click the required button. This security message may not appear if you have already installed a security certificate. The Cisco MediaSense Administration Authentication page appears.

Step 3 Enter the Application Administrator User ID and password for the server. Click Log In.

 

Uploading Cisco logo from Cisco MediaSense

To upload Cisco logo from Cisco MediaSense

Step 1 From the Cisco MediaSense Administration menu, select Media File Management.

Step 2 On the Media File Management toolbar, click Add.

Step 3 On the Add Media File screen, enter a title for the image to be uploaded. Make sure that the title name of the image should be CiscoUnityConnectionLogo.mp4.

Step 4 (Optional) Enter a description of the file.

Step 5 Browse and select the Cisco logo in the File field.

NoteYou can either select a customized logo from your system or can select the standard Cisco logo.

Step 6 Click Save.

 

Supported Specifications of a Customized logo

The customized logo must be added must be in MP4 format and meet the following specifications:

  • H.264 constrained baseline profile
  • Resolution 1080p, 720p, 480p, or 360p
  • Audio AAC-LC (MediaSense converts it to AAC-LD upon import)
  • 48000 Hz sampling frequency
  • Mono
  • Maximum 2GB file size

Disabling Cisco MediaSense Prune Policy

To disable Cisco MediaSense Prune Policy

Step 1 From the Cisco MediaSense Administration menu, select Prune Policy Configuration.

Step 2 On the MediaSense Prune Policy Configuration page, uncheck the Automatically prune recordings after they are more than 60 days old, and when disk space is needed for new recordings (1) checkbox.

Step 3 Click Save.

Step 4 Restart all the Cisco MediaSense media services on all the nodes.

 

Configuring Video Services and Video Services Accounts in Unity Connection 10.x

To enable the video greetings feature, the administrator needs to create the video services. The video services are then configured with each user using the video service account. Video services allow Unity Connection to integrate with video server to store and retrieve all the video greetings recorded by the user. In addition, it allows Unity Connection to verify the state of video server, codecs, and user credentials used with video server.

See also:

See the following sections:

Creating Video Service in Unity Connection 10.x

To Create a New Video Service

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, navigate to Video > Video Services .

Step 2 On the Search Video Service page, select Add New .

Step 3 On the New Video Service page, select the type of video service from the drop down box and enter a display name. Default value: MediaSense. (For field information, on the Help menu, select This Page)

Note Fields marked with * (an asterisk) are required.

Step 4 Select Save or Test .

Note The administrator can see the Tasks Execution Results, when selects the Status image on the Search Video Service page and the Test button on the New Video Service page.

Note the following:

  • When the Test button is selected, Unity Connection displays the Tasks Execution Results:

– Video server state: Displays whether Unity Connection is able to ping the IP address, FQDN, or hostname of video server.

– Video server certificates: Displays the failure while validating video server certificates.

– Credentials verification: Displays the authentication results of user credentials on video server.

– Media capabilities: Displays the list of codecs used with video server.

 

Modifying Video Service in Unity Connection 10.x

To Modify a Video Service

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, navigate to Video > Video Services .

Step 2 On the Search Video Service page, select the display name of the video service that you want to modify.

Step 3 On the Edit Video Service page, change settings as applicable. (For field information, on the Help menu, select This Page)

Step 4 When you have finished changing settings on the Edit Video Service page, select Save or Test .

Note The administrator can see the Tasks Execution Results, when selects the Status image on the Search Video Service page and the Test button on the New Video Service page.

Note the following:

  • When the Test button is selected, Unity Connection displays the Tasks Execution Results:

– Video server state: Displays whether Unity Connection is able to ping the IP address, FQDN, or hostname of video server.

– Video server certificates: Displays the failure while validating video server certificates.

– Credentials verification: Displays the authentication results of user credentials on video server.

– Media capabilities: Displays the list of codecs used with video server.

 

Creating Video Services Accounts in Unity Connection 10.x

See the following sections:

To Add a Video Service Account for an Individual User or User Template to Access Video Service

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, find the user account or user template that you want to edit.

Step 2 On the Edit menu, select Video Services Accounts .

Step 3 On the Video Services Accounts page, select Add New . (For field information, on the Help menu, select This Page)

NoteFor each user, you can add only one video service account.

Step 4 On the New Video Services Accounts page, in the Video Service list, select the display name of the service that you want to configure with the video service account.

Step 5 (Display Only) In the Service Type field, the type of server to which the video service account connects is added by default.

Step 6 Select the Map Video Service check box to configure the video service with video service account.

Step 7 Select Save.

Note If there are no video services, Unity Connection displays an error message and asks you to create a video service on the Video Services Accounts page.

When selected the Save button, a status icon appears on the Video Services Accounts page. The status icon that indicates the status of the video service account for a Cisco Unity Connection user:

  • Success image: Displays No problems found when the video service is added. When the administrator selects this image, Cisco Unity Connection displays the successful status on the Task Execution Results page.
  • Warning image: Displays One or more problems found when the video service is added. When the administrator selects this image, Cisco Unity Connection displays the error status on the Task Execution Results page.

The Task Execution Results page displays the following information:

  • Video service enabled: Displays whether the user has enabled the video service or not.
  • Video server state: Displays whether Unity Connection is able to ping the IP address, FQDN, or hostname of the video server.
  • Credentials verification: Displays the authentication results of user credentials on video server.
  • Media capabilities: Displays the list of codecs used with the video server.
  • Video capabilities: Displays whether the video settings in the Edit Class of Service page are enabled or not.

 

To Map Video Services Accounts for Multiple User Accounts in Bulk Edit Mode

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, on the Search Users page, select the applicable user check boxes, and select Bulk Edit.

If the user accounts that you want to edit in bulk do not all appear on one Search page, select all applicable check boxes, and then select Bulk Edit.

Step 2 On the Edit menu, select Video Services Accounts.

Note If there are no video services, Unity Connection displays an error message and asks you to create a video service on the Bulk Edit Video Service Accounts page.

Step 3 On the Video Services Accounts page, select the Map Video Service check box to associate video service accounts of the users with their respective video services.

Step 4 Select Submit.

 

Deleting Video Service Account in Unity Connection 10.x

To Delete a Video Service Account for an Individual User

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, find the user account that you want to edit.

Step 2 On the Edit menu, select Video Service Accounts .

Step 3 On the Video Service Accounts page, select the check box adjacent to the display name of the video service account that you want to delete.

Step 4 Select Delete Selected .

Step 5 In the dialog box that asks you to confirm the deletion, select OK .

 

Using the Unity Connection 10.x Bulk Administration Tool to Manage Video Services Accounts

The Bulk Administration Tool allows you to create, update, and delete multiple video services accounts at the same time by importing information contained in a comma separated value (CSV) file. In addition, it allows you to export information about video service accounts from Cisco Unity Connection to a CSV file.

To Access the Bulk Administration Tool

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, navigate to Tools.

Step 2 Select Bulk Administration Tool.

 

To learn more about using the tool, see the http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/10x/user_mac/guide/10xcucmacx/10xcucmacappa.html .

Pre-checks Required for Video Greetings

Pre-checks are required to establish a video call. A user will be able to record and play video greetings, if the pre-checks for each video call are satisfied.

Note Unity Connection will make the call as audio:

  • If any one of the pre-checks required to establish a video call is not met.
  • If the primary DNS is unresponsive and the response time is more than one second.

When the calling user receives unanswered call (“ring-no-answer”) from the called user, the calling user receives video greetings of the called user. Cisco Unity Connection performs the following pre-checks before treating a call as video and allowing the calling user to play video greetings:

1. Identification of Caller Type: Cisco Unity Connection supports two types of callers; identified callers and unidentified callers. Unity Connection verifies whether the calling user is an identified or unidentified caller. To play video greetings to the unidentified callers, Unity Connection verifies whether the administrator has enabled the Outside Callers option in the class of service (COS) settings.

2. Identification of Video EndPoint: Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) identifies whether the calling user is using a video phone or an audio phone to play greetings.

3. Enabling Class of Service (COS) settings: The class of service (COS) allow users with mailboxes to enable video greetings feature. Unity Connection verifies whether the administrator has enabled the video greeting settings in the class of service for both the calling user and called user. For more information on Class of Service Settings (COS), see the “Cisco Unity Connection 10.x Class of Service Settings” section of “Cisco Unity Connection 10.x Class of Service Settings” chapter in the Interface Reference Guide for Cisco Unity Connection Administration at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/10x/gui/guide/10xcucguix.html.

4. Mapping users to Video Services Accounts: To access the video greetings feature, a user needs a video service configure with the video service account. Unity Connection verifies the mapping of video services accounts for both the calling user and called user. For more information on video services accounts, see the Configuring Video Services and Video Services Accounts in Unity Connection 10.x.

Note For each user, you can add one video service account.

5. Identification of video server state: Unity Connection integrates with video server for the storage and retrieval of video greetings and verifies whether the video server state active or not. For more information on video server state, see the Modifying Video Service in Unity Connection 10.x.

6. Verification of the Concurrent sessions limit: Unity Connection supports only 25 video sessions and session limits at a time and verifies whether the current video call is not exceeding the concurrent session limits. For more information on concurrent session limits, see the http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/10x/gui_reference/guide/10xcucgrgx/10xcucgrg086.html chapter in the Interface Reference Guide for Cisco Unity Connection Administration .

When a user record and play video greetings to single or multiple users, Cisco Unity Connection verifies the following pre-checks before allowing the user to record and play a video greeting:

1. Identification of Video EndPoint: A video endpoint is a telephone with a video display, which allows users to record and play video greetings. Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) identifies whether the calling user is using a video phone or an audio phone to play greetings.

2. Mapping users to Video Services Accounts: To access the video greetings feature, a user needs a video service configure with the video service account. Unity Connection verifies the mapping of video services accounts for both the calling user and called user. For more information on video services accounts, see the Configuring Video Services and Video Services Accounts in Unity Connection 10.x.

Note For each user, you can add one video service account.

3. Enabling Class of Service (COS) settings: The class of service (COS) allow users with mailboxes to enable video greetings feature. Unity Connection verifies whether the administrator has enabled the video greeting settings in the class of service for both the calling user and called user. For more information on Class of Service Settings (COS), see the “Cisco Unity Connection 10.x10.x Class of Service Settings” section of “Cisco Unity Connection 10.x Class of Service Settings” chapter in the Interface Reference Guide for Cisco Unity Connection Administration http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/10x/gui/guide/10xcucguix.html .

4. Identification of video server state: Unity Connection integrates with video server for the storage and retrieval of video greetings and verifies whether the video server state active or not. For more information on video server state, see the Modifying Video Service in Unity Connection 10.x.

5. Verification of the Concurrent sessions limit: Unity Connection supports only 25 video sessions and session limits at a time and verifies whether the current video call is not exceeding the concurrent session limits. For more information on concurrent session limits, see the http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/10x/gui_reference/guide/10xcucgrgx/10xcucgrg086.html chapter in the Interface Reference Guide for Cisco Unity Connection Administration .