Chapter 1. Tested Deployment and Site Models for CSR 10.6(1)

Overview

Collaboration Test Bed and Deployment Architecture

Call Processing

Unified CM and Unified CM SME

Cisco Video Communication Server (Cisco VCS)

Cisco UC Integrationâ„¢ for Microsoft Lync/Microsoft Lync Server

Cisco Unified Communication Manager Express

Cisco Unified Survivable Remote Site Telephony (Unified SRST)

Endpoints, Edge, and Cloud

Cisco Expressway Collaboration Edge

Instant Messaging (IM) and Presence

Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM and Presence Service

Voicemail and Messaging

Cisco Unity Connection

Conferencing

Cisco TelePresence Conductor

Cisco TelePresence Server (virtual)

Cisco TelePresence MCU (MCU)

Cisco TMS/Cisco TMSPE/Cisco TMSXE

Cisco WebEx Meetings Server

PSTN/IP PSTN

Business to Business (B2B) and Cloud Collaboration Meeting Room (CMR) Interoperability

Chapter 1. Tested Deployment and Site Models for CSR 10.6(1)

- Overview

- Collaboration Test Bed and Deployment Architecture

- Call Processing

- Endpoints, Edge, and Cloud

- Instant Messaging (IM) and Presence

- Voicemail and Messaging

- Conferencing

- Cisco WebEx Meetings Server

- PSTN/IP PSTN

- Business to Business (B2B) and Cloud Collaboration Meeting Room (CMR) Interoperability

Overview

The Cisco Collaboration Systems test bed validates functionality applicable to large cross section of collaboration customers. The test bed architecture is based on principles and design guidance documented in the Cisco Collaboration Systems Solution Reference Network Designs (SRND). The set of functionality deployed in the test bed is a superset of functionality documented in Cisco Preferred Architecture Guides. The test bed architecture allows continuous system test and integration and critical system level feature testing. For Cisco Collaboration Systems Release 10.6(1), architecture enhancements were made in the areas of conferencing and edge.

For details about the new and changed component features for Cisco Collaboration Systems Release 10.6(1), see System Release Notes for Cisco Collaboration Systems, Release 10.6(1).

Collaboration Test Bed and Deployment Architecture

This figure provides an overview of the Cisco Collaboration Systems Release 10.6(1) test bed. This high level topology centers on the Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Unified Communications Manager). To address the needs of a global customer, the test bed contains Collaboration elements that are spread across different Unified Communications Manager clusters in multiple time zones and geographical boundaries.

For a Visio version of the test bed topology diagram, see the Resource Library chapter of the Technical Information Site.

Collaboration Systems Release 10.6(1) Test Bed Architecture

The test bed addresses collaboration functionality wanted by large customers.

- Call Processing

- Endpoints, Collaboration Edge, Cloud

- IM and Presence

- Messaging

- Conferencing

Call Processing

Call control is the core element for any communications deployment. It provides endpoint registration, call processing, and call admission control. Due to the critical nature of call processing operations, it is important to design collaboration deployments to ensure that call processing systems are distributed and scalable enough to handle the required number of users and devices. The deployments are resilient enough to handle various network and application outages or failures. The following are some of the key call processing components deployed in the Cisco Collaboration Systems test bed.

- Unified CM and Unified CM SME

- Cisco Video Communication Server (Cisco VCS)

- Cisco UC Integration™ for Microsoft Lync/Microsoft Lync Server

- Cisco Unified Communication Manager Express

- Cisco Unified Survivable Remote Site Telephony (Unified SRST)

Unified CM and Unified CM SME

Typical to very large customers, the test bed has Unified Communications Manager as distributed session manager clusters. SEA/WDC represents a mega cluster in the American region that has Unified Communication Manager deployment leveraging the Clustering Over WAN (CoW) model. Eight of the sixteen subscriber nodes in the mega cluster are in SEA (West Coast Data Center) and the remaining eight subscriber nodes in WDC (East Coast Data Center). LHR represents a medium size Unified Communications Manager cluster with four nodes in the EMEA region.

The Unified CM SME is an eight subscriber node cluster with half of the nodes in JFK (East Coast Data Center) and other half of the nodes in SFO (West Coast Data Center) leveraging a CoW mechanism. Unified CM SME provides inter-connectivity services among various Unified Communications Manager clusters, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express (Unified CME) nodes, and other components. Several trunk connectivity arrangements are commonly in place at various collaboration customer deployments in this test bed.

The Unified CM SME serves as egress point from a Business to Business (B2B) perspective. The Unified Communications Manager site at PDX in the West Coast represents a partner location that has B2B communications with the main enterprise customer.

Cisco Video Communication Server (Cisco VCS)

A leaf cluster based on Cisco Video Communication Server (Cisco VCS) is associated with SEA/WDC and provides support to a branch cluster that hosts legacy 323 endpoints. Cisco VCS is connected to parent SEA/WDC through SIP trunk.

Cisco UC Integration™ for Microsoft Lync/Microsoft Lync Server

The Cisco VCS Expressway, serving as a gateway, provides voice/video connectivity to the Cisco UC Integration™ for Microsoft Lync server to facilitate interoperability. The gateway provides necessary transcoding functionality. The test bed topology includes connectivity to Cisco UC Integration™ for Microsoft Lync endpoints through Cisco VCS Expressway gateway to SEA/WDC cluster.

Cisco Unified Communication Manager Express

Cisco Unified Communication Manager Express (Unified CME) represents a branch cluster that is connected to other components in the test bed through Unified CM SME. Some endpoints are located in small branch offices based on Unified CME.

Cisco Unified Survivable Remote Site Telephony (Unified SRST)

Certain endpoints are located in remote branch office location that utilizes Cisco Unified Survivable Remote Site Telephony (Unified SRST). Two types of Unified SRST branches are deployed in the topology: SIP-Unified SRST and Unified CME-as-Unified SRST. The Unified SRST branches have the advantage that even if the endpoint encounters a loss in WAN connectivity to the Unified Communications Manager cluster, it remains functional because the call control in such a scenario is provided by the Unified SRST node.

Endpoints, Edge, and Cloud

A variety of endpoints are used in the Cisco Collaboration deployment. These endpoints are spread throughout the deployment models. The endpoints in SEA/WDC and LHR clusters can be located on-premise, in remote branch offices, or on the internet. Remote endpoints located on internet can ingress through two mechanisms: VPN access through Cisco AnyConnect VPN or VPN less access through Cisco Expressway Collaboration Edge.

For a detailed list of all the endpoints that are part of the Cisco Collaboration Systems Release 10.6(1), see Compatibility Matrix.

- Cisco Expressway Collaboration Edge

Cisco Expressway Collaboration Edge

Cisco Expressway Collaboration Edge Architecture combines the capabilities of Cisco gateway offerings with the core capabilities of Cisco Collaboration solutions and the network.

Instant Messaging (IM) and Presence

The main presence component of the solution is the Unified CM IM and Presence Service.

- Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM and Presence Service

Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM and Presence Service

IM and Presence Service enables Cisco Jabber, Unified Communications Manager applications, and third-party applications to increase user productivity by determining the most effective form of communication to help connect collaborating partners more efficiently. It incorporates the Extensible Communications Platform (XCP) and supports SIP/SIMPLE and Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) for collecting information regarding a user's availability status and communications capabilities.

IM and Presence Service is deployed with the equivalent version of Unified Communications Manager in SEA/WDC and LHR sites in Collaboration test architecture for Cisco Collaboration Systems Release 10.6(1). In SEA/WDC cluster, IM and Presence Service functionality is provided by six IM and Presence Service nodes that are split across WAN (3:3) leveraging CoW. In the LHR cluster, IM and Presence Service functionality is provided by two IM and Presence Service nodes. Second enterprise has a PDX cluster. In the PDX cluster, IM and Presence Service functionality is provided by a single IM and Presence Service node. XMPP federation between SEA/WDC cluster and PDX cluster is facilitated by Cisco Expressway C/E nodes located in SFO and PDX.

Voicemail and Messaging

Cisco products provide several voice messaging options for large and small collaboration systems, and the ability to integrate with third-party voicemail systems using standard protocols. The voice messaging portfolio for Cisco Collaboration Systems test bed consists of two main messaging products: Cisco Unity Connection and Cisco Unity Express.

- Cisco Unity Connection

Cisco Unity Connection

Cisco Unity Express is added to the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express (Unified CME) router and is integrated with Unified CME to provide voicemail services to users and phones registered to Unified CME.

SEA/WDC mega cluster leverages Cisco Unity Connection cluster for messaging capabilities. This two node Cisco Unity Connection cluster is split (1:1) across the WAN and provides messaging capabilities using SCCP and SIP connectivity. Messaging capabilities for LHR cluster are provided by a single node Cisco Unity Connection, that is centrally located in SFO location and is connected to Unified CM SME through SIP trunking.

Conferencing

Ability for three or more people to participate and communicate in real time by using voice and video technologies is an essential component of collaboration. The conferencing architecture takes advantage of call processing capabilities of Unified Communication Manager. Cisco rich media conferencing uses the existing infrastructure for point-to-point calls and provides three types of conferences:

- Adhoc or instant conference - A conference that is not scheduled or organized in advance. For example, a call between two parties who add other parties to the call is an adhoc conference.

- Rendezvous or permanent conference - A conference that requires callers to dial a predetermined number or URI to reach a shared conferencing resource. Meet-me, static, and permanent are other names for this type of conference.

- Scheduled conference - A conference planned in advance with a predetermined start time. Typically, conference resources are guaranteed to be available upon the start of the scheduled conference.

The conferencing topology in Collaboration Systems Release 10.6(1) will address:

- Unified Communications Manager based adhoc Conference

- Unified CM SME based rendezvous conference (both non cascaded and cascaded conferences)

- Unified CM SME based scheduled conference, assured Scheduling, and best effort scheduling

- Unified CM SME based scheduled conference and Cisco WebEx enabled TelePresence

- Cisco WebEx enabled rendezvous conference

- Cisco TelePresence Conductor

- Cisco TelePresence Server (virtual)

- Cisco TelePresence MCU (MCU)

- Cisco TMS/Cisco TMSPE/Cisco TMSXE

Cisco TelePresence Conductor

Cisco TelePresence Conductor enables simple, reliable, and efficient multiparty conferencing. It orchestrates the allocation of conferencing resources such as Cisco TelePresence Server and Cisco Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) to every user in a meeting. The Cisco TelePresence Conductor helps ensure intelligent conference placement and optimum resource utilization, and delivers powerful, comprehensive administrative control, making simple natural conferencing a reality.

The test topology supports Cisco TelePresence Conductor based adhoc, rendezvous, and scheduled conferencing functionality. The conference bridge resources are arranged in different pools that are spread across multiple Unified Communications Manager clusters and Unified CM SME locations.

Cisco TelePresence Server (virtual)

Cisco TelePresence Server (virtual) components serve as conference bridges in various pools and are deployed along with Cisco TelePresence Conductor.

Cisco TelePresence MCU (MCU)

Cisco TelePresence MCU component is deployed along with Cisco TelePresence Conductor and serve as conference bridges in a pool providing adhoc, rendezvous functionality.

Cisco TMS/Cisco TMSPE/Cisco TMSXE

Cisco TelePresence Management Suite (TMS) is a software product used by customers to manage, maintain, log, and schedule Cisco TelePresence conferences. The Cisco TMS application also provides users with enhanced features such as directories and one button to push (OBTP) on controlled endpoints.

Cisco TelePresence Management Suite Provisioning Extension (TMSPE) creates collaboration meeting rooms (CMRs) for users according to the permissions and feature limits defined by the administrator.

Cisco TelePresence Management Suite Extension for Microsoft Exchange (TMSXE) allows end users to schedule meetings using their Microsoft Outlook clients and to include the room system video resources by selecting the room as a resource.

Cisco WebEx Meetings Server

Cisco WebEx Meetings Server is a highly secure, fully virtualized, private cloud meetings solution designed for medium to large companies. It delivers a consistent and engaging user experience to diverse platforms, clients, and mobile devices.

Cisco WebEx Meetings Server is deployed in the Unified CM SME cluster in SFP site. Cisco WebEx Meetings Server includes two servers for redundancy. IRP is also setup in the DMZ in a redundant manner.

PSTN/IP PSTN

PSTN/IP PSTN routing can be provided through local or centralized gateways. In the current deployment, PSTN connectivity for Unified Communications Manager clusters is provided through local PSTN gateways utilizing different protocols. Centralized IP PSTN connectivity is provided through Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE) and Unified CM SME.

Business to Business (B2B) and Cloud Collaboration Meeting Room (CMR) Interoperability

The Unified CM SME serves as egress point for Business to Business (B2B) communications. Cisco VCS Expressway-E (in DMZ) and Cisco VCS Expressway-C nodes connected to Unified CM SME provides B2B capabilities (Voice/Video and IM and Presence). Endpoints off a main enterprise can reach out to a mid-market enterprise through B2B. The mid-market enterprise site also has its own Cisco VCS Expressway-E and C pair for B2B purposes. The Cisco VCS Expressway-E (in DMZ) and Cisco VCS Expressway C pair provides connectivity to Cisco WebEx Cloud.