Spark Meetings on a hybrid deployment

[sjonnada]

On a spark hybrid service, where are meetings hosted? If they are hosted on spark cloud can we configure a PSTN dial-in access to those meetings through an on-premise PSTN Gateway?

[skilambi]

When you say Spark meetings do you mean basic aka M2 or advanced aka m3 aka webex powered

If it's M2 there is no PSTN dial in

If it's M3 then yes as webex has that

Thanks

Srini

[sjonnada]

Thanks Srini for your quick response. With Spark plan M3, external users can dial-in through PSTN to the spark meetings, is that right?

And should we have an on-premise conferencing server for this to work? or just an on-premise CUCM with M3 will do the job?

[skilambi]

M3 is webex so nothing different here. Get an audio plan and your cisco phones to dial via voip or video sip call back or a regular pstn through your audio GW

Spark meeting is not M2 in this case to be clear which you get inside a spark room. There is no Pstn for that

No on premise here, just CCM and ideally expressway to allow for video calling into CMR. Otherwise no need of expressway

Thanks

Srini

[sjonnada]

So the summary is, as M3 is similar to WebEx we can deploy hybrid services and have PSTN dial-in to spark meetings through on premise gateway, is that right?

If possible, can you please direct me to any online documents that provide technical information of conference dial-in?

[skilambi]

The audio bridge for M3 can be hosted by Cisco or an audio partner. So the audio mixing is in the cloud so to speak. If your Cisco phone wants to dial a number to join, that is no different from dialing a regular PSTN call using route patterns on UCM pointing to your VG. Of course if you can avoid that and use VOIP audio on PC/Mobile or use SIP video call back feature or URI dial in feature through the expressway and bypass the PSTN

If you want documents on spark hybrid services so that a spark client can a PSTN number then see here

The last link here is a good start

Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS) - Cisco Spark Hybrid Media Service - Cisco

[sjonnada]

Thanks Srini, I am getting closer. I understood your explanation, but my requirement is slightly different. I already have call service (CUCM) deployed with PSTN connectivity with allocated set of DIDs. The question now is, can I configure spark meeting bridge with my DID? When an external users wants to dial-in to the spark meeting, the call should flow through my PSTN GW rather than using Cisco provided trunk and DID.

On-Prem PSTN GW--> CUCM-->Expressway--->Spark Meeting Bridge    (Is this scenario possible?)

[skilambi]

Can I ask why you need this? If a user is external why not have them dial direct? Why makes this flow through your system

If you install webex meeting server(keep in mind the product isn't a flagship product and may not have a long lifespan) then can host internal. You can also use CMS but that product is first a video bridge and doesn't have all the features of an audio bridge.

In any case you could have the user dial a number owned by you then you translate that to the cisco number or service provider number and send it back out but seems clunky.

Thanks

Srini

[sjonnada]

I want to assign spark conference bridge my own number. Just like when someone dials a user within the organization who is enabled for Spark, the call comes to my GW and is routed to spark cloud through Expressway. Similarly can I have my own DID assigned to the spark conference bridge and have the PSTN users dial-in to the bridge?

[skilambi]

Yes but the question is why? What do you lose by dialing a number owned by someone else? If you are external you save usage on your trunks to begin with plus extra hops too. Your internal phones, can dial that number too. But to answer your question, when you buy an audio package from Cisco or a SP partner, that number is owned by those entities. With CCA (Cloud connected audio enterprise not CCA-SP), there is a way to have a SIP trunk from your network to the provider like Cisco and have a number assigned to you which sends the call to WebEx but thats for a very large audio deployment. Also CCA-ENT is only available under A-WX plan and not A-SPK plans

http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/collaboration/CCA/Deployment/CCAEnterpriseDeploymentGuidelines.pdf

[sjonnada]

Thanks Srini for your continuous effort in helping me find what I needed. Based on your statement "when you buy an audio package from Cisco or a SP partner, that number is owned by those entities". So when I buy a cisco spark M3 package, are the PSTN numbers provisioned to the conference bridge hardcoded and cannot be configured?

[skilambi]

The numbers are what the provider gives and not your DID range unless doing CCA-ENT. Like I said you can try translating them on UCM to that number but seems clunky

[sjonnada]

Thanks Srini for your help.

[g.kim2Arkadin]

HI Srinivasan,

Please bear in mind that I've been still trying to understand Spark

Can CCA-SP be interoperate with Spark? If, which license does customer need to have? if they have M3 & CCA-SP only, then is it possible for them to use CCA-SP audio within Spark meeting?

[skilambi]

No you cannot spark audio is provided by cisco there is no integration with CCA SP.

Only in webex do you have the integration with SP audio.

When you have a multi party call inside spark client you are using the M2 licensing which today is self contained inside spark clients

Thanks

Srini