Introduction
Amit Singh is a Customer Support Engineer at the Cisco Technical Assistance Center in Bangalore, India. He has six and a half years of experience in these areas of expertise: Wireless, Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Multiservices, Cisco Unity, and Cisco Unified Contact Center Express. Amit has been involved in various escalation requests from India, Singapore, and Australia. He is currently working as a technical lead for the Voice team in Bangalore, India. He is a Computer Science graduate.
The related Ask The Expert sessions are available here: https://supportforums.cisco.com/thread/2175778
Cisco Unified Communications Manager Version 9.0 Licensing
Q: Does this presentation include UCS related topics?
A: As far as licensing is concerned, there is no appreciable difference between UCS and MCS installation. The procedure explained will work just fine.
Q: When you click the "synchronize now" button, what occurs? If I install a new license but do not synchronize, does CUCM / UCXN receive the new installed license?
A: There is a scheduled sync between the CUCM/UC and the ELM. However, after installation of a new license, Cisco recommends that you click the "synchronize now" tab in order for the licenses to take effect immediately.
Q: I have read that synchronize occurs automatically every 24 hours. Is there a way to stop this automatic sync or change the time?
A:There is no way to change the time or to stop the automatic synchronization. If you do not want a particular server to participate in the licensing, you can remove the product instance for that server from ELM.
Q: Is the Jabber Mobile client available under the UCL Enhances or Advanced License?
A: The Cisco Jabber UC client is supported with any License above Cisco Enhanced UCL. However, Enhanced UCL provides you with the option of only CTI controller Jabber desktop client. Anything above Enhanced UCL provides full blown functionality.
Q: Does CUWL contain basic voice mail functionality?
A: Yes, it does.
Q: Will the IP Communicator be calculated as a phone?
A: In CUCM 9.x, User Based Licenses are used, compared to the previous version of CUCM where it used Device License Units based on phone models, etc.
Q: Is UCT available to download for free?
A: You can download this from this link:
Q: Do I need to download and install on the CUCM server?
A: No, UCT needs to be installed on a Laptop/Desktop. UCTZIP-Ver1.0.zip contains the "UCTapplication.jar".
Q: Is UCT part of ELM?
A: ELM would be a separate standalone server, as UCT is a separate software.
ELM would be a separate standalone/Co-Resident server. ELM Concept is introduced in 9.0 and above.
UCT is a separate software used to calculate your DLU's to 9.x License usage and used with Pre-9.x Unified Communications Products.
UCT doesn't do any actual conversion of Licenses.
Q: Where do we run this UCT utility? Do we need to have CallManager online or can we upload the existing CallManager 8.x license file in UCT?
A: It is a tool you can download on your PC or MAC, and it needs to communicate with your CUCM cluster to get the existing license information.
Q: Is it possible to run UCT on a PC where ELM is running?
A: UCT can be run on a PC or MAC. You need to download it from:
Q: Is it possible to have one ELM PC for more than one CallManager 9.x cluster?
A: Enterprise License Manager is a server which you can run as a standalone server or a co-host with your CUCM or UC.
Q: Is there a CUWL premium license in Release 9?
A: CUWL premium license was present only unto CUCM 9.0.
From CUCM 9.1 onwards, we only have CUWL Professional and standard.
However, since these changes were implemented in 9.1, 9.0 still operates with the old licensing with CUWL Premium. Many of the devices that used to require CUWL Premium now only require UCL Enhanced
Q: How many Enhanced UCLs should I use for a 9971 model phone?
A: You need one enhanced UCL for a 9971 phone. This provides:
1) User Profile
2) Device enhanced Voice/Video
3) IM and Presence
4) Jabber Desktop
Q: How many clusters can be integrated with one ELM?
A: There is no limitation.
Q: If ELM fails, will CallManager keep working?
A: CallManager will run for 60 days. You need to get the ELM up in that grace time period.
Q: Do we have redundancy for ELM?
A: No. At the moment, it is a standalone server. You can have it as a separate stand along server, or you can co-host with one of your CUCM servers. During the installation, you will receive an option to choose.
Q: I am still not clear on the ELM part. Is it going to be a separate server that runs apart from publisher and subscriber?
A: You can have it as a separate stand along server, or you can co-host with one of your CUCM servers.
During the installation, If you choose the option to install "Call Manager", ELM gets installed as a Co-Resident ELM.
If you choose the option of ELM install, then Standalone ELM will be installed.
Q: Will the customer agree to open their ELM server / CUCM server to Internet?
A: It is up to the customer. You will still have the option open for manual fulfillment.
Q: Is it possible to have ELM running in a different VM image of the UCS server?
A: Yes.
Q: What is this IP and username in the Product Add snapshot? Is it Publisher?
A: Yes.
Q: In CUCM 7.x some DLUs were supposed to be consumed as features, such as SNR. If the end user did not configure those features, can those unused DLUs be converted to extra licenses in 9.x?
A: During the 9.x upgrade, all the unused DLU's will be taken into account. Only during the upgrade, this calculation is being done.
You can then define your UCL/CUWL requirement , while generating the " License Migration Request".
Q: Can I have both UCL and CUWL licenses installed in CM9.0/ELM?
A: Yes
Q: Can customers download ELM separately? If yes, from where?
A: It comes as a part of CUCM 9.x Media. During installation you can choose if you want it to be CUCM and ELM, or only ELM.
Q: Are TelePresence Room licenses used for immersive systems only, or used for multipurpose and personal systems too?
A: You can use them for personal systems too. You would need Advanced UCL.
Q: Is it OS administration username and password, or application administration credentials of PUB?
A: Application Username/Password.
Q: Can I have both UCL and CUWL licenses installed in CM9.0/ELM?
A: CUCM 9.x signifies a complete migration to UCL. ELM has the functionality to do the conversion for you.
Q: If ELM is co-resident with Publisher, in case of failure of Pub, will my subscriber and phones work seamlessly?
A: Yes, but you will have a 60 day grace period to get the ELM up and working.
Q: What are the expected timelines for 9.1?
A: Currently, we are not able to give you a definitive timeline for the same. The best I am allowed to say is very soon.
Q: Because UCL or CUWL in 8.x is converted to DLU in the server, when the system migrates to 9.x, will the license be converted by the purchased numbers in PO or by the number of DLU? There are a large number of unused DLUs in 8.x.
A: It will be based on DLUs. You need to upload all the licenses before you perform the upgrade in your pre 9.x server which you are planning to upgrade to 9.x+.
Q: Which license should I procure if the end user needs the deskphone and one Jabber for IPad?
A: If the end user wants Jabber on his IPad you need an Advanced UCL as Jabber on IPad. This means that the client would need to run in Soft Phone mode. This would also allow for the client's deskphone. If the end user wants Jabber only in CTI controlled mode, then Enhanced UCL would do.
Q: If ELM is not supported on pre 9.x version, then how can I add an instance of the same in ELM?
A: You need to install all the licenses in your Pre 9.x cluster, upgrade to 9.x+ and then add that instance to the ELM and use the migration tool on ELM to convert your DLU based licenses to User Based Licenses.
Q: Can we have a single centralized ELM server for CallManager 9.x clusters, thereby configuring separate instances for respective clusters?
A: Yes, you can run a single ELM server and use it for multiple CUCM 9.x clusters.
Q: If CM9.x is based on UCL only, what is the significance of showing the licenses in both UCL and CUWL model in User count tool?
A: CUCM 9.x supports both UCL and CUWL.
Q: Do we have to run Backup for ELM as we do for CUCM? Or, does the Backup for CUCM include ELM?
A: Yes, there is a Backup option for ELM.
Q: Why do you say that in CUCM 9.x there are only UCL licenses? Licenses which include VoiceMail are no longer in CUWL? Or, is this a new naming convention?
A: You can have CUWL licenses with Messaging Add on.
Q: What about extension Mobility and the new licensing?
A: This feature is supported all the way from the Basic UCL.
Q: What if i am migrating to new HW while upgrading?
A: The procedure would still be valid. However, you might have to re-host the licenses once you are in the new Hardware.
Q: Is it possible to have a combination of both UCL and CUWL licenses on the same cluster?
A: Yes.
Q: Can the ELM be installed on the same UCS server with CUCM and Unity?
A: Yes.
Q: Will i be able to convert unused CUWL Premium users to one or several UCL Enhanced users?
A: You can make the modification to your license requirement, only while generating the License Migration Request. Once you have unused CUWL licenses, they will be borrowed by CUCM as UCL Enhanced.
Q: Will there be any impact to system functionality if any cluster cannot connect with the ELM server?
A: No, but you will have a 60 day grace period to fix any issues in accessing ELM.
Q: I saw that the "Production instance" only contains CUCM and UCX. Does it also include IPCC?
A: Not at the moment.
Q: Does ELM require any license to work?
A: For ELM to work you should not need any special licenses.
Q: Is there any limitation of ELM in terms of number of CallManagers and Unity Connection server association?
A: We do not have a limitation right now.
Q: From ELM, can we tell how many licenses are used in each CUCM cluster?
A: You should be able to do the same from ELM.
You need to got to "Product Instance" Section and click on the Product instance. There is a "License Usage" Tab.
Q: If I am going to use a fresh install of 9.0 (not upgrading from pre 9.X) and have an unused license from pre 9.X. will I be able to use that?
A: No, in 9.x we can't use DLU's. You will need to work with your Cisco Accounts team to get these Licenses replaced.
OR
If you have a Virtual environment (Avoids H/w Server), install the Pre 9.x CUCM --- > Install the Pre 9.x Licenses --- > Upgrade this VM to 9.x --- > Add to ELM and generate "License Migration Request" --> Install the Obtained License and you will have additional Licenses.
Q: Will ELM be used in the future for other Cisco products, such as router licenses?
A: There are no plans at the moment, but you will continue to receive updates on the changes that will be made in the future.
Q: Is a permanent Internet connection needed for licensing, or can I do this via temporary connection and cut the connection once ELM has connected with Cisco?
A: A one time connection is enough as long as you do not need to get more licenses.
Q: If we are running Unity Connection in HA mode, does the switchover to ELM from active Unity Connection server to the other server occur automatically?
A: Could you kindly clarify the question a bit more? From my understanding of the question, the solution is to install ELM as a standalone server in your system.
Q: How do you classify the users depending on the model and features? Is there a URL for this?
Q: Because CUCM does not have capabilities to assign licenses, how would we assign licenses for Presence?
A: In earlier versions such as 3.9x, there was an option to assign capabilities for the Presence. However, that option is missing now. Additionally, we cannot add a product instance of Presence to the ELM. One of the reasons is Presence picks up the license from CUCM, and CUCM is already talking to the ELM. Depending on the license type, for example basic or enhanced, you can always have a user profile with IM and Presence. If you navigate to the enduser page you can find an option to assign Presence capabilities. You need to check that option. This is how your Presence user will be provisioned, and it will start using a basic, advanced or enhanced license which will have the capability of getting Presence.
Q: What are the benefits of this licensing structure over the previous DLU structure?
A: The main benefits of using ELM are the following:
- You do not have to keep on calculating your assistants, such as how many DLUs you have based on which type of phones and how many are you going to use now. You can structure your user group as per the usability. You can have a pool of licenses and CUCM can pick as per the requirement. Licenses will be released if not being used. The licensing is more of user-based now according to the feature that has been used by the users. For example, you can have certain users in your office that need only a basic phone. There will be some users which need additional capability. This way you can separate your users into different groups and order the services or licenses accordingly.
- In case of VMWARE, use 8 to 9 parameters to generate a license MAC. Even if you change any one of the parameters, such as NTP Address or the Time Zone, the license MAC will change. Then, you need to procure new licenses. However, with this Enterprise License Manager in place, even if you made those changes you do not have to worry about the licenses. There is a product instance that has already been added to the ELM. Even if you make any changes, it will grab the required license from ELM.
- You can have multiple clusters added with one ELM.
Q: The Ordering Guide only mentions CUWL Standard and CUWL Professional. Why no Premium?
A : There are only CUWL Standard and CUWL Professional now.
CUWL Premium is gone.
However, since these changes were implemented in 9.1, 9.0 still operates with the old licensing with CUWL Premium.
Since many of the devices that used to require CUWL Premium now only require UCL Enhanced
In 9.1, everything should be straightened out.
Q: Are IPCCx seat licenses in scope? What about SRST or CUBE licenses for the gateways?
A: Not right now. ELM is a framework and it depends on the IPCCx or SRST/CUBE product teams to integrate or not.
Q: My question is for Unity Connection working in High availability mode. If one Unity server goes down, will the other Unity server automatically switch to the ELM server, or do we need to start any service on the Unity Connection box?
A: In a high availability situation the Primary is the one that is connecting and reporting to the ELM.
If the Primary goes down, the secondary continues to function but will report that it is not able to connect to the ELM. You have 60 days to bring the Primary back up. After 60 days we turn functionality off.
Q: There are some commands such as license management users, license management change username. What do we do with these?
A:
Using the " License Management Change User" command, you can Modify the Name/Password of the existing user.
admin:license management list users
App user: ssiddiqi
App user: amit
"License Management Change" gives you 2 options :
========================================
admin:license management change user
license management change user name
license management change user password
If you want to Modify an existing ELM Admin username:
==========================================
admin:license management change user name
The username: amit
User Password: *****
The new username: amitsingh
The user name is changed.
If you want to change the password of an existing ELM Admin Username:
========================================================
admin:license management change user password
Getting the userinput
ctrl-c: To quit the input.
Please enter the data specific Product Server:
User name:: amitsingh
Entter the new password:: *********
Reenter the new password:: *********
Password for amitsingh changed successfully.
Related Information:-
- Licensing Architecture: Cisco Unified Communications Manager Version 9.0 - slides from live Webcast
- Ask the Expert session:https://supportforums.cisco.com/thread/2175778
- Cisco Unified Communications 9.0 Licensing
- Cisco Unified Communications Licensing : http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9156/index.html
- Cisco Unified Communications Manager 9.0 Data Sheet
Hello Amit,
Thanks for your clarification, Really, it helps...
I have upgraded my CUCM from 7.1 to 9.1 and currently, I am trying to migrate the license and I have some questions...
1. ELM, License Planning, is it a tool used to design just unused DLUs ? then, I cannot modify already used DLUs ?
2. As attached, I can see that I have already used 1075 license (when choosing UCL mode) but red signs indicates -1082 ? What does it means ? Where is the difference?
3. If I am going to choose CUWL mode, you can see that it shifts the already used license up to CUWL standard. does it mean it will give the already configured license or users the privilege of CUWL license without any harming ? What is the difference if I just choose CUL license for the already consumed license instead? Note: I am talking about the already consumed license..
4. Could you please give me example of Enhanced plus situation? As I tried to associate 2 device to the same user but it indicates just enhanced license ..
5. I can see that Essential license will cost me “0”? So, what if I am going to configure it for 2000 will it harm anything?
Thanks Amit,
