If you are installing a new Cisco Unified Communications system, end-user training can be an issue. Cisco has done an excellent job in creating video tutorials specifically to solve that problem.
I am sure you will you find them useful. Click on the link below:
Cisco recently announced that it would stop supporting the built-in free Attendant Console as of Cisco Unified Communications Manager 7.0. Its replacement is Cisco Unified Business Attendant Console which is an OEM from Arc Solutions. For those of you that are not familiar with Attendant Console, it is the software that the front desk receptionist uses to answer and route calls. I have worked with Attendant Console since it was called Web Attendant and it had its short coming, but overall the product worked well for the small and medium-sized business market. That is why I as a little surprised that Cisco decided to remove it from Unified Communications Manager.
If you do a fresh installation of 7.0 you will notice that all the configuration options are still available for Attendant Console, but you will not find the AC installation file under Plug-ins. You can still download it from Cisco.com. If you upgrade to 7.0 from a previous version you will not have an issue.
Cisco Unified Business Attendant Console is supported on the Unified Communications Manager versions 4.3, 5.1, 6.X and 7.0. There is a client and server component to the solution. Server hardware requirements of the Cisco Unified Business Attendant Console are as follow:
• Pentium IV 1 GHz or better
• 1-GB RAM
• 80-GB hard disk drive
• 100/1000 network card
• SVGA (1024 x 768) display card with correct drivers
• Sound card
• Windows 2000 or 2003 Server plus SP2 running Windows English Regional settings
You can install the server software for the Cisco Unified Business Attendant Console to a dedicated hardware server or load it on a desktop PC. For mission-critical installations, a dedicated hardware server is recommended because shutting off the PC server will cause the Cisco Unified Business Attendant Console to lose Cisco Unified Communications Manager connectivity.
Client hardware requirements of the Cisco Unified Business Attendant Console follow:
• Pentium II or III 700 MHz
• 512-MB RAM
• 3-GB available hard disk drive
• 100 network card
• SVGA (1024 x 768) display card with correct drivers
• Sound card
• Windows 2000 Professional or Vista plus SP2 or Windows XP with SP2
The Cisco Unified Business Attendant Console offers a rich set of features, including a call queuing engine, busy status, and directory search capabilities, which are integrated into the Cisco Unified Communications Manager directory and support for Cisco Unified Presence Server. The Cisco Unified Business Attendant Console is available for supporting up to six operator clients per Cisco Unified Communications Manager cluster.
Here is a quick configuration for configuring direct to voicemail transfer. In this configuration I am configuring number 1+Extension number as the way to go directly to a users voicemail box. All my user extensions are in the 7000-7999 range.
First create a voice translation-rule and profile to strip the “1″.
voice translation-rule 1
rule 1 /^17/ /7/
!
voice translation-profile strip1
translate redirect-called 1
!
Then apply the translation profile to voicemail dial-peer:
dial-peer voice 400 voip
description Voicemail
translation-profile outgoing strip1
destination-pattern 2500
session protocol sipv2
session target ipv4:192.168.1.5
dtmf-relay sip-notify
codec g711ulaw
no vad
!
Lastly, create an Directory number that uses wildcards and have it call-forward all to the voicemail number:
ephone-dn 15
number 17…
description transfer directly to VM
call-forward all 2500
!
Check out our free Unified Communications Tutorial at http://www.voip-tutor.com/freetutorial.htm
There are a lot of ways to manipulate digits on a voice gateway. The simplest way to do digit manipulation is to use the Cisco global command “num-exp”.
In the first example the incoming called number 2000 is translated to 3050.
num-exp 2000 3050
In this example we are translating 2000 to 5552000:
num-exp 2000 5552000
There are a couple of ways to translate the outgoing caller ID on a PRI. I typically use the a voice translation rule. In the following example I am translating the caller ID of all internal extensions in the 2000-2999 range to a full e.164 number by pre-pending 248555 to the extension number:
voice translation-rule 1
rule 1 /^2/ /2485552/
!
voice translation-profile outboundid
translate calling 1
voice-port 0/0/0:23
translation-profile outgoing outboundid
To pre-pend 91 to incoming Caller-id so you can dial directly from the “Missed Calls” menu on the IP Phone use the following example:
voice translation-rule 2
rule 1 /^\(.*\)/ /91\1/
!
voice translation-profile prepend-91
translate calling 2
!
voice-port 0/0/0:23
translation-profile incoming prepend-91
Cisco has recently added four Unified Communications Proxy features to their Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) firewall:
•Phone proxy
•TLS proxy for encrypted voice inspection
•Mobility proxy
•Presence federation proxy
The most interesting of these features is Phone Proxy. It allows phones to securely communicate over the internet to an internal Unified Communications Manager Server. ASA Phone proxy uses industry standard protocols Security Real Time Protocol (SRTP) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) for secure remote access. A benefit of ASA Phone proxy is that it does not require Virtual Private Network (VPN) configuration. So this makes the solution easy to deploy and scalable.
ASA Phone Proxy
Adaptive Security Appliance
ASA Operating System 8.0(4) or higher
Cisco Unified Communications Manager
The following versions of Unified Communications Manager are supported with the phone proxy:
•Cisco Unified CallManager Version 4.x
•Cisco Unified CallManager Version 5.x
•Cisco Unified Communications Manager 6.x
•Cisco Unified Communications Manager 7.x
Cisco Unified IP Phones
The following IP phones in the Cisco Unified IP Phones 7900 Series are supported with the phone proxy:
•Cisco Unified IP Phone 7975
•Cisco Unified IP Phone 7971
•Cisco Unified IP Phone 7970
•Cisco Unified IP Phone 7965
•Cisco Unified IP Phone 7962
•Cisco Unified IP Phone 7961
•Cisco Unified IP Phone 7961G-GE
•Cisco Unified IP Phone 7960 (SCCP protocol support only)
•Cisco Unified IP Phone 7945
•Cisco Unified IP Phone 7942
•Cisco Unified IP Phone 7941
•Cisco Unified IP Phone 7941G-GE
•Cisco Unified IP Phone 7940 (SCCP protocol support only)
•Cisco Unified Wireless IP Phone 7921
•CIPC for softphones (CIPC versions with Authenticated mode only)
The UC Proxy features require a license per TLS session. The ASA comes with 2 free licenses for testing purposes. Below are the licensing requirements:
ASA Unified Communications Proxy Licenses
The licenses can be purchased in tiers of 24, 50, 100, 250, 500, 750, 1000, 2000 and 3000. Be forewarned that the licenses are not cheap. The 24 port license (ASA-UC-24=) list for $2,995.00.
As part of my proof-of-concept, I setup a 7960 and 7970 Cisco IP phone in my home office. I reconfigured my ASA in the data center was and able to get both IP phones to register to my backbone Cisco Unified Communications Manager running version 6.0.1. I was also able to make and receive calls over my SIP trunk to the Public Switch Phone Network (PSTN). Overall, I really like the solution.
If you are interested in learning more or would like help with your own implementation visit our Consulting Page at: http://www.voip-tutor.com/consulting.htm
Are you looking to boost your career or have more job security? If so, Cisco’s newest CCNA Voice specialization may be the right step for you. This past summer, Cisco released three new certifications:
# CCNA Voice
# CCNA Security
# CCNA Wireless
These exams are add-on concentrations to Cisco’s very popular Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification. For many years the CCNA has been the most sought-after entry level computer networking certification in the industry which focuses mostly on Router and Switch configuration.
What are some of the key motivators for getting the CCNA Voice certification? Based on research by Forrester Consulting the demand for specialized IT professionals will be very strong in the coming years. One finding was that 69% of the companies surveyed expect to have a dedicated voice technologies specialist in their organization within five years. Another motivator is salary. Certification Magazine’s 2007 annual salary survey found a worldwide average salary of US$74,810 for people with a CCNA certification. In comparison, attaining the professional-level Cisco Certified Voice Professional (CCVP) certification beyond the CCNA resulted in a 23 percent higher salary, at an average of US$92,350. Job roles available for individuals who obtain a CCNA Voice certification include:
# Voice Administrators
# Voice Technicians
# Voice Engineers
The CCNA Voice concentration provides candidates with a good foundation in traditional telephony and Cisco Unified Communications. The exam focuses on testing a student’s knowledge to install, configure and support a Cisco Unified Communications solution from 8 – 250 phones. In order to attain the certification there are two routes a candidate can go:
Option 1
Pass the three following exams:
1) Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices (640-822 ICND1)
2) Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices (640-816 ICND2)
3) Implementing Internet Unified Communications (640-406 IIUC)
Option 2
Pass the two following exams:
1) Cisco Certified Network Associate (640-802 CCNA)
2) Implementing Internet Unified Communications (640-406 IIUC)
Having the CCNA Voice is a new a requirement for achieving the Cisco Certified Voice Professional (CCVP). The one caveat is if you have already passed the CCNA you will have until June 2009 to pass the CCVP without taking the CCNA Voice.
No one will argue that the current economy is bad. As a consultant, I have noticed a significant decrease in project opportunities over the last 6 months ending 2008. The same has happened in the IT job market. Organizations are looking to cut cost. The question you have to ask yourself is “How can I survive in this environment?”
I believe the best thing any IT professional can do is increase their knowledge. One of the best ways to do that is to pursue a certification. I started my IT career working with Microsoft technology and then progressed into working with Cisco equipment. So I will narrow my comments to networking certifications.
When I first learned about certifications, I was going through a tough time in my career. I was out of work with very few prospects. I started researching different certification programs and was surprised to learn what Microsoft Certified System Engineers (MCSEs) and Cisco Internetwork Experts (CCIEs) were earning. That motivated me to purse first the MCSE and then CCNA, CCDA, CCNP, CCDP, CCSP, CCVP and then finally the CCIE. I can say without a shadow of a doubt, that it has been one of the best investment I have ever made. Each certification I have obtained has provided me with bigger and better career opportunities. It has also helped me differentiate myself from the competition.
Getting certified is not easy. It requires discipline and hard work, but there is a multitude of learning opportunities available today to help you reach your goal. You no longer need to purchase a bunch of lab equipment. You can rent online racks of equipment for a small fee. I personally believe that hands on is the best way to learn a subject. You also do not need to travel to take classes anymore. There are many companies offering online training classes and video-on-demand options.
If you are interested in getting certified, but are not sure which route to go, here are a few recommendations. Unified Communications is a growing field. Voice and video over IP is just getting started and there will continue to be a demand for qualified Engineers. Network Security is another good alternative. As more kinds of devices get connected to the internet, security concerns will continue to grow.
Here are a few of the certifications I recommend:
Unified Communications
• CompTIA Convergence+
• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
• CCNA Voice
• Cisco Certified Voice Professional (CCVP)
• Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Voice
Network Security
• CompTIA Security+
• CCNA
• CCNA Security
• CCSP
• CCIE Security
I challenge you to investigate which is the right certification for you and to get started now. You will not be sorry you did!
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In case you have not heard, Cisco has an affordable Small Business Unified Communications solution. It consists of two components, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express (CME) and Cisco Unity Express (CUE). CME is the call processing engine. UC Manager Express runs on an Integrated Services Router (ISR) and does not require a dedicated server. The same ISR router can be used for access to the Internet, the corporate Wide Area Network (WAN) and Virtual Private Network (VPN). Depending on the router, UC Manager Express can support between 8 – 250 IP Phones. It supports the majority of IP phones and also supports softphone, IP Communicator.
CUE is Cisco’s voicemail solution for the ISR router. It can support between 12 – 250 mailboxes. CUE comes as either a Network or Advance Integration Module (AIM). Both platforms support features like Integrated Messaging, which allows users to see their voicemail in email. With Unity Express you can create multiple Automated Attendants and play different greetings based on the time of day. Other nice features supported by Unity Express include Fax integration, Live Reply, Live Record, VoiceView and Remote message notification.
When combined together these two products provide a very powerful communications solution for any small to medium sized business.
Communications Manager Express is one of the key topics covered in Cisco’s new Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) specialization for Voice exam. Candidates will need to know how to design and implement Communications Manager Express and Unity Express. After Completing the CCNA Voice students can pursue the Cisco Certified Voice Professional (CCVP). The CCVP is one of the highest paying Professional level certifications.
I have followed Nortel’s stock since I first joined Cisco back in April of 2000. It is incredible to see how far they have fallen. They were once the largest company in Canada. It was no surprise to me that they filed for bankruptcy today.
The Canadian company known for their phone systems and networking equipment has been struggling for the last 8 years. They were one of the first major vendors to integrate with Microsoft’s Unified Communications offering Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007. They will now be forced to sell off their assets to pay down debt.
I do not think this will be the last company in the Unified Communications space to go under.
SIP trunking is becoming a very popular way to connect to the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN). Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is a signaling protocol, widely used for setting up and tearing down multimedia communication sessions such as voice and video calls over the Internet. Instead of a line from your local provider (AT&T, Verizon, etc..) you connect to one of a number of SIP trunk providers, sometimes referred to as Internet Telephony Service Provider (ITSP). They can provide telephone numbers in most of the area codes and provide features like Direct Inward Dial (DID) and Caller-Id over the SIP trunk. Think of Vonage, but on an enterprise scale.
What is confusing to a lot of people is that the SIP Trunk is a logical connection. It is not like POTs, T1 or PRI that are physical connections. The most common ways to connect to the ITSP is over the Internet or a private MPLS circuit. The biggest limitation of using the Internet is the lack of Quality of Service (QOS), but it is surprising how well it works.
SIP Trunks have been supported in Cisco Unified Communications Manager for awhile. Configuring SIP trunks directly into UCM has it limitations. This is why Cisco has recently added expanded SIP trunking support on their routers. Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE) is a feature set that can be added to the voice gateway. There is an added cost for the software, but when compared with the cost savings of going to SIP it can make a lot of sense.
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