The Cisco® Unified Presence Server is a critical component for delivering the full value of a Cisco Unified Communications environment. It collects information about a user's availability status, such as whether or not you are using a communications device such as a phone at a particular time. It also collects information regarding a user's communications capabilities, such as whether Web collaboration or video conferencing is enabled. Using user information captured by the Cisco Unified Presence Server, applications such as Cisco Unified Personal Communicator and Cisco Unified CallManager can improve productivity by helping users connect with colleagues more efficiently through determining the most effective way for collaborative communication.
The Cisco Unified Communications system of voice and IP communications products and applications enables organizations to communicate more effectively-helping them to streamline business processes, reach the right resource the first time, and impact the top and bottom line. The Cisco Unified Communications portfolio is a key part of the Cisco Business Communications Solution-an integrated solution for organizations of all sizes which also includes network infrastructure, security, and network management products, wireless connectivity, and a lifecycle services approach, along with flexible deployment and outsourced management options, end-user and partner financing packages, and third-party communications applications.
Product Overview
Cisco Unified Presence Server enables you to deploy Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) technology to support new voice services in your enterprise environment. SIP enhances the voice network by providing a core set of behaviors for session establishment and control that can be applied in a wide array of features and services. In addition to core SIP support, Cisco Unified Presence Server uses SIMPLE (SIP for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions) technology to support both instant messaging (IM) and presence.
Cisco Unified Presence Server consists of a SIP presence engine and a SIP proxy function. The presence engine collects user presence information (such as busy, idle, away, or available status) as well as user capabilities (such as the ability to support voice, video, IM, and Web collaboration) and compiles the data in a repository for each user. This repository is accessed by the applications and features that each user employs. Unique user rules and privacy can be applied by each user to ensure that only authorized applications and users have access to presence information. The SIP proxy function allows for efficient and accurate routing of both presence and general SIP messaging through the enterprise.
Cisco Unified Presence Server is strongly integrated with various desktop clients and applications. It enables Cisco Unified Personal Communicator, the Cisco enterprise desktop client, to perform numerous functions such as click-to-dial and phone control as well as voice, video, and Web collaboration. In addition, Cisco Unified Presence Server provides a core IM service for Cisco Unified IP Phones connected to Cisco Unified CallManager. Cisco Unified Presence Server also supports interoperability with enterprise desktop applications such as IBM Sametime and Microsoft Office Communicator, enabling these desktop applications to operate in conjunction with Cisco Unified IP phones supported on Cisco Unified CallManager.
Key Features and Benefits
Standards-based SIP/SIMPLE Network Interface
Cisco Unified Presence Server provides a standards-based peering environment to any SIP/SIMPLE enabled applications and networks. In effect, any user status that is maintained in Cisco Unified Presence Server can be requested using the IETF standards for status and presence sharing. These SIP/SIMPLE standards define the accepted messaging to initiate and maintain a status request and to provide appropriate responses. Status information can be collected and distributed by Cisco Unified Presence Server depending on the needs of the services deployed.
This implemented interface is providing a standardized way to inter-operate with numerous Cisco partners building value add services for Cisco Unified Communications customers.
Cisco Unified Personal Communicator Network Interface
Cisco Unified Presence Server is required to support the core functions for Cisco Unified Personal Communicator, storing personal data including status and capabilities for users as well as their individual rules and preferences. Cisco Unified Presence Server also enables phone control and monitoring for click-to-dial service from Cisco Unified Personal Communicator. A highly secure environment helps ensure the integrity of this personal information ranging from user passwords to network connectivity information to personal contact lists.
IP Phone Messenger Network Interface
The IP Phone Messenger service included with Cisco Unified Presence Server provides Cisco Unified IP phones with an IM client complete with presence-enabled contacts lists. Its real-time collaboration capabilities give phone users who might be away from their PCs a quick way to check on the presence status of colleagues (Figure 1). They can also send and receive short text messages, many of them available in a list of phrases and full sentences to save typing them on the phone keypad (Figure 2). Message recipients can reply to their messages or press the Dial soft key to call back without having to look up or dial the number (Figure 3).
Figure 1. IP Phone Messenger Contacts List
Figure 2. Selecting a Preconfigured Message
Figure 3. Receiving an Instant Message on the Cisco Unified IP Phone
IP Phone Messenger client features include:
• Support for Cisco Unified IP phones 7905G, 7911G, 7912G, 7920, 7940G, 7941G, 7941G-GE, 7960G, 7961G, 7961G-GE, 7970G, and 7971G in SCCP mode and Cisco Unified IP phones 7911G, 7941G, 7941G-GE, 7961G, 7961G-GE, 7970G, and 7971G in SIP mode
• Manual setting of user status as available, busy, busy but interruptible, do not disturb, out of office, vacation, show as logged off, or unavailable
• Configurable contact list of up to 100 contacts per user shows presence status based on phone activity and PC activity if using Cisco Unified Personal Communicator
• Receive instant messages displayed on phone text display with audible and visible indication (flashing of the phone's message waiting indicator light)
• One-button call back to instant message originator
• View and clear previously received instant messages
• Preconfigured messages to compose or reply to instant messages
Microsoft Office Communicator Interoperability
Cisco Unified Presence Server enables users with the Microsoft desktop environment to interoperate with Cisco Unified IP phones connected to Cisco Unified CallManager. It supports Microsoft Office Communicator click-to-dial and phone monitoring functions with all the associated features. This is done by enabling Microsoft Office Communicator capabilities in Cisco Unified Presence Server and identifying the users that wish to have Microsoft Office Communicator. (See Microsoft specifications for the full requirements and list of capabilities supported by Microsoft Office Communicator.)
Product Architecture and Features
Software Structure
Cisco Unified Presence Server uses the same platform infrastructure as Cisco Unified CallManager 5.0, following its appliance model principles. Cisco Unified Presence Server Appliance is a single software entity that provides access to administration with a GUI and enables initial set up and installation on a command-line interface (CLI) similar to those on other Cisco products. Information retrieval takes place through standard interfaces such as Cisco AVVID XML Layer (AXL) and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP).
Cisco Unified Presence Server 1.0 is a software product that must be loaded onto a Cisco Media Convergence Server (MCS) 7825, 7835, or 7845 and run as a stand-alone application. It cannot be deployed co-resident with any other Cisco application on that hardware.
Serviceability
Because it runs on the same software infrastructure and hardware as Cisco Unified CallManager 5.0, Cisco Unified Presence Server takes advantage of the same serviceability features. In addition, Cisco Unified Presence Server has further capabilities in the following areas:
• Alarms-The Presence Engine and SIP proxy components have alarms for various failure scenarios and unexpected behaviors, and the IP Phone Messenger service has alarms to identify any abnormalities.
• Performance counters-Objects and counters are defined to support the presence engine and SIP proxy components, tracking metrics such as number of actual subscriptions, notifications, registrations, and instant messages sent through Cisco Unified Presence Server.
• Debug and trace utilities-SDI trace capability is supported to provide the ability to log, debug, and analyze specific trace data.
• Service activation-All Cisco Unified Presence Server components and services can be started, stopped, and restarted. While core network components, such as configuration agents, are started automatically upon system boot up, various feature capabilities, such as the presence engine and the SIP proxy, require manual activation for start up.
• Monitoring-The Real Time Monitoring Tool (RTMT) provides all alarming as well as trace and debug information.
Security
The Security module of Cisco Unified Presence Server 1.0 addresses internal environment security as well as external security between Cisco Unified CallManager, Cisco Unified Personal Communicator, and external applications. Its functions include:
• Platform security-The appliance model defined for the common infrastructure within Cisco Unified Presence Server and Cisco Unified CallManager 5.0 includes Secure Shell (SSH) / Secure File Transport Protocol (SFTP) for access to the platform as well as secure HTTP (HTTPS) for access to management applications.
• Internal application security-Cisco Security Agent supports Cisco Unified Presence Server as part of the base application security.
• IP signaling and transport security-Supported through Transport Layer Security (TLS) and IP Security (IPSec).
Administration Interfaces
The following administration functions are supported:
• System administrator GUI for provisioning of system data and default end-user data
• Bulk Administration Tool for creation of end users
• End-user GUI for provisioning of end-user service data
SIP/SIMPLE Presence Capabilities
The following presence functions and capabilities are supported:
• SIMPLE core functionality (from RFC 2778/2779)
• Subscribe for presence
• Notify of presence
• Publish of presence
• Watcher information and watcher information template-package
• Presence event package
• Registration event package
• Resource list subscription
• Presence data information format and extensions
• Rich presence extensions
SIP Proxy Capabilities
The following capabilities for proxy of SIP messages are supported:
• SIP core proxy functionality (from RFC 3261)
• Instant message routing
• Method-based and event-based routing
• Domain name system service record capabilities (DNS SRV)
• Asserted identity
• Diversion indication
Localization
English is the only language supported at initial release of Cisco Unified Presence Server 1.0. The following languages are planned to be supported within 6 months of the initial release: Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (Simplified, Hong Kong, Taiwan), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, French (Europe), Finnish, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Europe, Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish (Europe), Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Swedish.
Product Specifications
Table 1. Product Specifications
Product compatibility
Cisco MCS 7825, 7835, or 7845 platforms
Protocols
SIP, SIMPLE, HTTPS, AXL/SOAP, SNMP, CLI, TLS, QBE
Connectivity
IP
Features and functions
Presence, SIP proxy, IP Phone Messenger, Cisco Unified Personal Communicator, Microsoft LCS 2005 interoperability
Memory
2 GB required
Reliability and availability
High availability through redundant Cisco MCS platforms
Programming interfaces
SIP, SIMPLE
System Capacity
Cisco Unified Presence Server software is required for the Cisco MCS platform. The user support levels listed in Table 2 may vary based on services and features.
Table 2. System Capacity
Cisco MCS Platform
User Support
Redundancy Mode (2 MCSs)
7825
1,000
2,000
7835
2,000
4,000
7845
5,000
10,000
Ordering Information
To place an order, contact your local Cisco representative or visit the Cisco Website.
Cisco Unified Presence Server Software
Cisco Unified Presence Server software is required to provide the core service support. The same software Part Number is used for the Cisco MCS 7825, 7835, and 7845 platforms.
Table 3. Cisco Unified Presence Server Software
Part Number
Description
SW-PAS1.0-K9=
License PAS1.0 Server Software
Cisco Unified CallManager Device Licenses
One Device License is required for each presence enabled user within Cisco Unified CallManager.
Table 4. Device Licenses for Presence Enabled Users
Part Number
Description
LIC-CM-DL-10=
CallManager Device License-10 units
LIC-CM-DL-100=
CallManager Device License-100 units
LIC-CM-DL-500=
CallManager Device License-500 units
LIC-CM-DL-1000=
CallManager Device License-1000 units
LIC-CM-DL-5000=
CallManager Device License-5000 units
LIC-CM-DL-10000=
CallManager Device License-10,000 units
LIC-CM-DL-25000=
CallManager Device License-25,000 units
LIC-CM-DL-50000=
CallManager Device License-50,000 units
LIC-CM-DL-100000=
CallManager Device License-100,000 units
LIC-CM-DL-500000=
CallManager Device License-500,000 units
Cisco Unified Communications Services and Support
Using the Cisco Lifecycle Services approach, Cisco Systems and its partners offer a broad portfolio of end-to-end services to support the Cisco Unified Communications system. These services are based on proven methodologies for deploying, operating, and optimizing IP communications solutions. Upfront planning and design services, for example, can help you meet aggressive deployment schedules and minimize network disruption during implementation. Operate services reduce the risk of communications downtime with expert technical support. Optimize services enhance solution performance for operational excellence. Cisco and its partners offer a system-level service and support approach that can help you create and maintain a resilient, converged network that meets your business needs.
For More Information
For more information about Cisco Unified Presence Server, contact your Cisco representative or visit: http://www.cisco.com/go/voice/.
