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pkinane
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

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Please rate helpful content (i.e. videos, documents, comments). Also, please select the correct answer(s) if any comment(s) answer your question otherwise the questions remains on the support forums as unanswered.

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Here are some notes I put together that help avoid issues should you need to configure Informacast.

 

These notes were tested with CUCM 10.5.2 and Cisco Paging Server (Informacast) 11 in a lab environment. It is the responsibility of the person making configuration changes in their network to know the full impact of the configurations. This document does not remove the need to review official Cisco documentation as the information below supplements the official documents.

 

 

 

NOTE: This document provides many details that you can use, or change, however you see fit. Some examples are Application User names, partition and CSS names, SNMP string, etc...

 

Configurations on CUCM

 

Enable and configure SNMP

 

  1. Login to your Cisco Unified Serviceability GUI
  2. Navigate to tools > service activation and confirm the following services are running:
    1. Cisco CallManager
    2. Cisco TFTP
    3. Cisco CTIManager
    4. Cisco AXL Web Service
    5. Cisco CallManager SNMP Service
  3. Confirm the SNMP service is running by navigating to tools > Control Center - Feature Services > selecting your CUCM servers and confirming the SNMP service says started and activated
  4. Navigate to snmp > v1/v2 > community string
  5. Select a server from the drop down menu then click find
  6. Click add new
  7. Do the following
    1. String = InformaCast (or whatever you want, be sure to remember exactly what you put)
    2. Accept packets from any host
    3. Privileges - read only
    4. Select the option to apply to all nodes

 

Configure a region for Informacast / Cisco Paging Server

 

  1. Login to your CM Administration GUI
  2. Go to system > region information > region and click add new
  3. Name it INFORMACAST_REGION (or whatever you want) then click save
  4. Set the audio codec to be 64K and the video to be none. This should be done between the newly created region and all other regions on your CUCM. For example, if you have Building1_Region and Building2_Region, the relationship for those regions with INFORMACAST_REGION should be 64K for audio and the video should be none. If you don't do this you may find yourself getting a reorder tone when trying to page the phones.
  5. Save the configuration

 

 

Configure a device pool for Informacast / Cisco Paging Server

 

  1. Go to system > device pool and click add new
  2. Name it INFORMACAST_DP (or whatever you want)
  3. Select the INFORMACAST_REGION
  4. Select the appropriate values for any required fields then save the configuration

 

Configure a partition for Informacast / Cisco Paging Server

 

  1. Navigate to call routing > class of control > partition then click add new
  2. Name it INFORMACAST_PT (or whatever you want)
  3. Save the configuration

 

Create a new CSS for Informacast / Cisco Paging Server

 

  1. Navigate to call routing > class of control > calling search space then click add new
  2. Name it INFORMACAST_CSS (or whatever you want)
  3. Add the appropriate partitions to this CSS
  4. Save the configuration

 

Create a new AXL control group for Informacast / Cisco Paging Server

 

  1. Navigate to user management > user settings > access control group (user group in older versions) then click add new
  2. Name it InformaCast AXL User Group (or whatever you want) then click save
  3. Use the related links section of the web page and select "Assign Role to Access Control Group) then click go then click assign role to group then click find
  4. Select the standard AXL API access role and add it to your recently created access control group
  5. Save the configuration

 

Create an application user for Informacast / Cisco Paging Server

 

  1. Navigate to user management > application user > click add new
  2. Make the user ID INFORMACAST (or whatever you want)
  3. Use your team's standard password
  4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click add to access control group then add the following groups
    1. InformaCast AXL User Group
    2. Standard CTI Allow Control of All Devices
    3. Standard CTI Allow Control of Phones supporting Connected Xfer and conf
    4. Standard CTI Allow Control of Phones supporting Rollover Mode
    5. Standard CTI Enabled
    6. Save the configuration

 

Enable web access on the phones you want to be able to page

 

  1. "Navigate to device > phone > then click find then click next
  2. Select a phone you want to receive paging
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and allow web access then save and apply the configuration
    1. A faster way to do this would be to navigate to device > device settings > common phone profile then click find and select the standard common phone profile to make the change there. Don't forget to reset after you save the configuration

 

At this point you make a choice about how to integrate InformaCast. You can either integrate using CTI route points, or a SIP trunk. Both options are listed below with the first option listed being CTI route points.

 

Integration method 1: CTI Integration

(This method is not recommended as it is not as easy to troubleshoot when there are issues)

 

Configure route points for Informacast / Cisco Paging Server

 

  1. Navigate to device > CTI route point then click add new
  2. Name it INFORMACAST (or whatever you want)
  3. Add the INFORMACAST_DP
  4. Save the configuration
  5. Click line 1 and enter the directory number while using the recently created partition (It must be a unique DN and not overlap with anything in use else where. For example this DN should not be assigned to any of the CTI Ports)
  6. Make the alerting names and display names INFORMACAST
  7. Save the configuration

 

NOTE: InformaCast can support multiple CTI route points as long as they are created in Communications Manager and associated to the InformaCast application user.

TIP: Instead of creating a CTI route point for every number you need for DialCasts, you could also add multiple lines to a single CTI route point. Another option would be to use wild card patterns to match a range numbers.

 

Create CTI ports for Informacast / Cisco Paging Server

 

  1. Navigate to device > phone then click add new
  2. Name it INFORMACAST1 (or whatever you want) then you can same your subsequent CTI ports INFORMACAST2, INFORMACAST3, etc...
  3. Add the INFORMACAST_DP
  4. Add the INFORMACAST_CSS
  5. Set the owner to anonymous
  6. Select the standard SCCP non-secure profile as the security profile
  7. Save the configuration
  8. Click line 1 then add the DN and put it in the INFORMACAST_PT
  9. Make the alerting names and display names INFORMACAST
  10. Save the configuration and make more CTI ports if you want, increment the DNs by 1
  11. Add the CTI route point and CTI ports as controlled devices on the INFORMACAST application user's configuration

 

 Integration method 2: SIP Integration

(This method is recommended)

 

Create a SIP trunk and route pattern for Informacast / Cisco Paging Server

 

  1. Navigate to device > trunk > add new and select the options to create a SIP trunk
  2. Name it INFORMACAST_SIP_TRUNK (or whatever you want)
  3. Associate it with the INFORMACAST_DP
  4. Run on all active nodes
  5. Put the ip address of the informacast server as the destination address
  6. Use the non-secure SIP trunk profile and the standard SIP profile
  7. Save the configuration
  8. Navigate to call routing > route/hunt > route pattern then click add new
  9. Make the pattern a unique number and put it in the INFORMACAST_PT
  10. Select the SIP trunk you just created from the Gateway/Route List dropdown menu
  11. Select the Route This Pattern radio button
  12. Select OnNet from the Call Classification dropdown menu
  13. Deselect the Provide Outside Dial Tone checkbox
  14. Save the configuration

 

Configurations on Informacast / Cisco Paging Server

 

Login to the Informacast server

 

  1. Browse to the webpage of your Informacast / Cisco Paging Server
  2. There should be three option (this may vary based on version) and they are InformaCast, Initiate Intercom, and Access Application Management Tools. Click on InformaCast
    1. The initial login credentials for all interfaces are admin (login) and changeMe (password)
    2. Fill in the information for the required fields then click get started

 

Change the administrator's password

 

  1. Navigate to admin > change password
  2. Make the password your team's standard password
  3. Save the configuration

 

 Configure the default CUCM cluster and discover IP phones

 

  1. Navigate to admin > telephony > CUCM cluster then click edit
  2. Change the name if you want
  3. Enter the credentials of your informacast application user
  4. Select the option to use the application user for AXL
  5. Leave the "AXL IP Address(es)" field blank
    1. "If you leave this field blank, InformaCast will attempt to find a server running the AXL service among those servers running the CallManager service."
  6. Add your CUCM's IP address(es)
    1. "you can list all of their addresses, separated by commas"
  7. Add the SNMP community string you recently created
    1. http://<IPAddressOfYourPagingServer>:8081/InformaCast/phone/auth
    2. Please note that this URL will go in both the non-secure, and secure URL boxes in the enterprise parameters (keep it as http, don’t use https in the secure URL)

      NOTE: If you have a device that requires the default CUCM URL, Informacast knows to send authentication requests back to the CUCM when needed. If you use a URL that is not the default authentication URL on CUCM, you will need to add the non-default URL to the section titled "XML Push Authentication" in Informatcast (Admin > Telephony > CUCM Cluster > Edit). If you have any questions, post them in the comments.

    1. Be mindfull of the section that is titled XML Push Authentication
  8. Save the configuration then log back into informacast with your new credentials (ir you get logged out). Once you login you should be at the CUCM Cluster page
  9. Click on the link that says "refresh the Recipient Group list"
  10. Click update then click update again and you should receive a message stating that the recipient group members have been updated.

NOTE: You should only see phones that are registered

 

 

Add the broadcast dialing configuration

 

  1. Navigate to admin > dialcast > dialing configurations and click add
  2. Make the dialing pattern the same as your recently created route point (if doing CTI integration method with CUCM) or the same as the recently created route pattern (If doing the SIP integration method with CUCM)
    1. If you are doing the SIP integration method, make sure you read the section "Allow For SIP Access If Using SIP Integration"
  3. Select the intended recipient group
  4. Save the configuration

 

Please be advised that only registered phones will show in InformaCast when CUCM is polled.

 

Allow For SIP Access If Using SIP Integration

This is only needed if you did the SIP integration method. If you did the CTI Route Point method (JTAPI method) you can skip this part.

 

  1. Navigate to admin > SIP > SIP access
  2. Change the radio button to allow and save the configuration

 

 Enable audio broadcast support

 

  1. Navigate to admin > broadcast parameters
  2. Make any changes you want; however, the defaults usually work without issues
  3. You can leave the option to send commands to the phone using JTAPI as default (unchecked); however, you may want to read this first. With that being said, it is recommended to the use JTAPI to send commands to the phones as JTAPI works with more locales and JTAPI better monitors the status of the line.
    1. NOTE: To move from HTTP to JTAPI for communicating with the phones you simply check the box then add the "Standard CTI allow control for all Devices" user group to the Informacast application user.
  4. Save the configuration if you made any changes

 

 


 

Everything above this line is the bare minimum to integrate the Cisco Paging Server. Everything below this point is recommended but not always necessary.

 

Update JTAPI In Informacast If Using JTAPI Integration

 

These steps were taken directly from the Informacast Installation & User Guide.

When you initially install InformaCast Virtual Appliance or whenever you change versions of CUCM, you need to update the JTAPI library used by InformaCast Virtual Appliance to the same version used by your CUCM server.

Note: Updating JTAPI through the Virtual Appliance will update the JTAPI version for all of the Singlewire applications that use JTAPI.

 

Step 1. Log into Webmin (https://<YourInformaCast'sIP>:10000/).

Step 2. Go to System | Bootup and Shutdown. The Bootup and Shutdown page appears.

Step 3. Scroll down the list of actions until you come to Singlewire’s.

Step 4. Select the singlewireInformaCast checkbox and (if applicable) the singlewirePTT checkbox.

Step 5. Scroll down the page and click the Stop button. It will take a minute or so for your application(s) to stop.

Note: Leave this window open. You will come back to it.

Step 6. Use an SSH client (Singlewire recommends PuTTY) to access InformaCast’s command line interface.

Step 7. Open PuTTY. The PuTTY Configuration window appears.

Step 8. Enter InformaCast’s IP address in the Host Name (or IP address) field.

Step 9. Leave the Port field at its default of 22.

Step 10. Click the SSH radio button.

Step 11. Click the Open button. The command-line interface for InformaCast appears.

Step 12. Enter admin at the prompt and press the Enter key.

Step 13. Enter changeMe at the prompt and press the Enter key. The command-line interface refreshes, showing you that you’re logged in.

Step 14. Enter updateJTAPI <CUCM IP Address>, where <CUCM IP Address> is replaced by the IP address of your CUCM, at the prompt and press the Enter key. If an error condition occurs, please contact Singlewire Support.

Step 15. Enter exit at the prompt and press the Enter key.

Step 16. Go back to the Bootup and Shutdown page.

Step 17. Select your checkbox(es) again and click the Start button. It will take a minute or so for your application(s) to start.

 

Should I use HTTP or JTAPI to send messages to the phone

 

You can use either regardless of whether or not you do SIP integration; however, you may want to use JTAPI if you are paging to phones using a locale that is non-English (this can be found on the phone web-page see image below).  What differs based on integration method is busy detection.

 


InformaCast uses different busy detection methods depending on how you send messages to the phones (HTTP or JTAPI).

HTTP:
* Busy detection only works with phone locales running English loads

CTI:
* Works with non-English phone locales

Busy detection also works differently according to protocol as well as line type and line state.

Shared line with call in use on another phone, no call on hold: CTI: idle   HTTP: idle
Off hook, collect digits:                                                               CTI: busy   HTTP: not busy
Talking, active call:                                                                     CTI: busy   HTTP: busy
On hold, inactive call on shared line:                                         CTI: busy   HTTP: not busy
On hold, inactive call on unique line:                                         CTI: busy   HTTP: not busy

 

Known Issues

 

SNMP Error when the configuration is correct

 

Confirm your DNS configuration on CUCM is correct.

https://tools.cisco.com/bugsearch/bug/CSCtb70375

You may also be using a community string that exceeds the maximum number of characters for the community string. If you are copying the community string from CUCM and pasting it into the Informacast configuration, try typing it in to see if you can type the whole string. In Informacast verison 11 the maximum number of characters is 18.

 

Not able to access the GUI for informacast using chrome or FF

 
Please review this defect:

 

Phones light up but don't play the audio

 

If you configure informacast and the phones light up but don’t get audio when you are paging them, this is 99% of the time an issue with multicast routing and not an issue with your Cisco IP Telephony servers/devices. You can gather a pcap from Informacast and a phone to confirm Informacast is sending the audio while the phone is not receiving the audio. This would confirm the issue is in the network.

NOTE: If you are using Meraki switches, they have IGMP snooping enabled by default. This can cause issues and needs to be disabled by Meraki. Once you contact them and have them disable IGMP snooping, test the paging again.

The link below will take you to a 12 minute video that covers how to troubleshoot this issue.

https://supportforums.cisco.com/video/12940111/no-audio-played-when-paging-informacast

 

8800 Series phone no multicast audio

https://bst.cloudapps.cisco.com/bugsearch/bug/CSCuy56088

 

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Please rate helpful content (i.e. videos, documents, comments). Also, please select the correct answer(s) if any comment(s) answer your question otherwise the questions remains on the support forums as unanswered.

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Comments

When I need 2 Paging Servers, what can i do?.

I have a paging server and cucm in main site, they are working ok. But the client have a remote site and multicast doesnt workin. I think install other Paging Server in Site Remote inside same LAN of Ip Phone, but I cannot add a Second paging Server in CUCM via URL Authentication. There is other way of implement this application?.

Thanks

pkinane
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

Possibly, I will need to test.

It would require you to use the Send Commands to phones using JTAPI setup and I won't know if it works until I test some time soon.

The auth URLs would be changed back to the original URLs in the setup. I will let you know how it goes when I am done testing.

http://<CUCM IP or FQDN>:8080/ccmcip/authenticate.jsp

http://<CUCM IP or FQDN>:8080/ccmcip/authenticate.jsp

Somebody in Internet say me that only using CTI and not URL Authentication is possible doing working. I dont know if Paging working No URL Authentication. Is possible that? All of guides indicate URL Authentication and Secure, not regard if CUCM and Paging are by SIP or CTI.

Yours commnets.

Saludos

Gregory Brunn
Spotlight
Spotlight

Singlewire makes a paging gateway that can send the multicast traffic as unicast across the WAN.  For the remote site you could just get the paging gateway and configure it in the receipt group for that remote site.

Paul Freiberg
Level 1
Level 1

 Hi,

 

thanks a lot for your guide.

Is the system able to interrupt or intercom calls, before sending broadcast?

I just can enable idle phones.

 

Thanks

tony.skiver
Level 1
Level 1

 @Marco Antonio Canales Naveda

Yes, I have done it without using the auth URL. Usually this is when you want to add another site there is a centralized CUCM with InformaCast installed currently and SIP integration is not a valid solution.

 

This is when you have to do a CTI integration. If you have any questions let me know.

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