VCS Starter Pack and Movi user management

[pdinapoli]

Hi all.

looking for feedback from someone who's an expert with Movi deployments.

I have a Cisco SE person telling me that TMS server + licenses are now required to make Movi work.  I have been directly involved with several VCS based TelePresence deployments that had no TMS server running...and I'm thinking she's wrong - TMS is not required.  But her last message to me was this:

"You may not have a TMS appliance but you have an instance of TMS licenses somewhere… the Movi license key gets applied to TMS."

I find this when I dig around on CCO:

Cisco TelePresence Video Communication Server (Cisco VCS) Starter Pack Express: documentation and configuration information The Cisco VCS Starter Pack Express includes 50 Movi registrations, a  Cisco VCS Expressway with basic capability, 50 FindMe accounts,  capability for five concurrent calls and five PrecisionHD™ USB cameras. See the Cisco VCS Starter Pack Express deployment guide (document number  D14618) for full information about how to configure a Cisco VCS  Expressway to act as a provisioning server, registrar and proxy server  for Movi endpoints. This article applies to the following products: Cisco TelePresence Movi Cisco Video Communication Server June 16th, 2011

What would be the point of selling the Starter Pack with Movi Registrations - if you then had to spend another few thousand on TMS.

Can someone help clarify?

Thanks,

Paul

[Justin Ferello]

Paul,

If you have already purchased the VCS Starter Pack, then you do not need TMS to create or use MOVI.  You would create the users right from the VCS interface.

Justin

[pdinapoli]

Thanks for the feedback Justin.

We are in agreement.  I dont know why this Cisco SE is telling me this.  I hate to argue with them and tell them they're wrong...but in this case - her insisting we have to sell TMS to make Movi work makes me think she has a boat payment to make, or an expensive vacation home and this is just a wayt to sell more infrastructure.

I've seen too many instances where TMS was simply not in the picture to support her claim that movi license keys are tied to TMS.

Thanks again,

Paul

[Martin Koch]

To make movi work a Cisco VCS Starter Pack Express shall be enough.

But this is quite limited. Without knowing your planned deployment with its needs/demands it is hard to say if the

starter pack is the best solution.

[pdinapoli]

Yep - agreed.  for just a few Movi clients (starter pack comes with 5) - direct provisioning with VCS seems fine.

Totally understand that if the environment starts to grow and get more complicated - TMS is really nice to have.  But definitely not required to make Movi function.

Unless of course Cisco is about to announce some changes when they start calling Movi "Jabber for TelePresence" client and they do something to force TMS requirement.

[Martin Koch]

It is already called "Cisco Jabber Video for TelePresence". 4.3 is released:

4.3.12.13351

http://www.cisco.com/cisco/software/release.html?mdfid=283613653&catid=280789323&softwareid=280886992&release=4.3.12.13351&rellifecycle=&relind=AVAILABLE&reltype=latest

So you can try it! :-)

I would guess it will still work, but sure some new features might only

work properly with TMS (or at least its easer to configure)

Please vote the answers!

[Ricardo Sicheran]

Martin,

Can I use TMS with VCS Starter pack to provision Movi clients on the VCS starter and devices?

[Martin Koch]

Hi Ricardo!

What is your idea behind that thought? Which functionality do you lack?

The VCS Starter Pack Express is designed to be stand alone / out of the box.

You can upgrade the starter pack to a "real" vcs-e if you have demands which you

can not solve with the starter pack and then add it to a TMS for full blown

provisioning and management.

Martin

[Ricardo Sicheran]

Hi Martin,

The VCS Starter is working as it should.  The thought was to view how TMS handle provisioning and phonebooks to endpoints.

Thanks!