Analog phone with conference bridge software?

[Marcelo Bergamini]

Hi all!!

Could someone help me?

My customer has a VG204 and four analog phones. The phones are registered in CCM at a remote location. The phones are resgistered in a Device Pool with Media resource group e list correct.

The VG204 doesn't have DSPs.

Its possible the analogs phones to use CCM resouces, to complete conferences? There are some configuration required beyond the basic configuration?

[Harmit Singh]

Hi Marcelo,

As per the data sheet for VG 204, 3 party conferencing is possible and they will consume the CCM resources to complete conferences if software conference media resource or hardware conference media resource, depending on what is available in the MRG/MRGL:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/voicesw/ps6790/gatecont/ps2250/ps5516/product_data_sheet09186a00801d87f6.html

Also, these analog gateways would have DSPs on them in order for the analog ports to come up and be used for calling. These DSPs are embedded on the motherboard and cannot be expanded.

HTH.

--
Regards,
Harmit.

[Marcelo Bergamini]

Hi Harmit! Thanks for your reply!

I undestand your information. For some reason, the conference it doesn´t work. The call complet,but the thirdy person caled can´t  listen the others.

Assuming tha every basic configuration are OK, what other problem could cause it.

The device has no problem.

Some question about the codecs or other thing?

Thanks again!

[Harmit Singh]

Hi Marcelo,

Are all 3 parties analog phones on the VG204 or is there a PSTN party / IP Phone in the conference?

Is the third person one of the analog phones or IP Phones or PSTN party? Can the other two parties hear the third person i.e. is it one way audio or no way audio?

Is software or hardware conference bridge getting invoked for the conference call?

If it was a codec mismatch, the conference should not have completed successfully between the 3 parties.

Kindly provide the above info.

--
Regards,
Harmit.

[Marcelo Bergamini]

Hi Harmit!

It happens like this:

1 - Analog Phone calls another number, which can be PSTN or IP phone.

2 - The call completes normally.

3 - User presses the hook and third number calls which can also be PSTN or IP. The call completes normally.

4 - When the user presses the hook again to estabeler the conference, he keeps talking to the second number called, but I could not hear over the first and the conference is not established. It happens like this:
1 - Analog Phone calls another number, which can be PSTN or IP phone.
2 - The call completes normally.
3 - User presses the hook and third number calls which can also be PSTN or IP. The call completes normally.
4 - When the user presses the hook again to estabeler the conference, he keeps talking to the second number called, but I could not hear over the first and the conference is not established.

I checked the part of media resource and is ok. It shoul use the software conferenceI need to hit the party codec.

Its possible the VG to use hardware resouces with only the motherboard resources, and to configure dspfam profile conference and max. session?

Thanks.

[Harmit Singh · Accepted solution]

Hi Marcelo,

Thank you for the detailed explanation. Software Conference bridge will support G711 calls. Are all call legs G711 here? If not, then you would either need to ensure that the codec is G711 or use a hardware conference bridge, which is configured on another Voice Gateway which has enough DSP resources. The VG204 wont be able to serve that purpose since it has fixed DSP resources. Here is a defect which explains this:

http://tools.cisco.com/Support/BugToolKit/search/getBugDetails.do?method=fetchBugDetails&bugId=CSCsz92704

Symptom:

========

IOS Voice GateWay (VGW) platform families like the IAD2430, VG224, VG202, and

VG204 are fixed form-factor VGWs which have C5510 DSPs soldered right onto the

mainboard.  As such they are not expandable to install extra DSP resources and

are meant primarily as TDM-IP devices.  Nonetheless in most IOS releases it is

possible to configure

dsp services dspfarm

under the

voice-card 0

CLI in the

running-config as well as to set

dspfarm profile N < conference|transcode>

even though transcoding and conferencing services are not supported on these

platforms.  There simply aren't enough DSPs available to make these DSP services

viable in addition to accomodating regular TDM-IP VoIP calls.  Attempts at

sustaining a conference or transcoding call fail, and users are confused and

open up TAC Service Requests.

Conditions:

===========

This behaviour is observed on fixed form-factor IOS Voice GateWay platform

families like the Cisco IAD2430, VG224, VG202, and VG204, installed with any

release of IOS.

To clear up the confusion it is proposed that we perform a platform type check

to see whether DSP transcoding and conferencing services are supported or not,

and if not then we should generate an informational message stating that the

features are unsupported on the platform.  Something as simple and generic as

the following would do:

Router#configure terminal

Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.

Router(config)#voice-card 0

Router(config-voicecard)#dsp services dspfarm ?

< cr>

Router(config-voicecard)#dsp services dspfarm

% DSPfarm features are not supported on this platform type.

Router(config-voicecard)#

Workaround:

===========

Not applicable.  DSP transcoding and conferencing features are not supported

on the aforementioned VGW platforms            

HTH.

--
Regards,
Harmit.

[Marcelo Bergamini]

Thanks for your help.

Your information left clear my doubts. I will review the case with much property.

Finally, if you can send me a sample configuration where the VG uses resources from another gateway with DSP, it would be great.

But if you can not, no problem.

Even more!

Your information

left

clear

my

doubts.

I will

review the case

with

much

property.

Finally,

if you can

send me

a sample configuration

where the

VG

uses

resources

from another

gateway

with

DSP,

it would be great.

But

if you can not, no problem

.

Even

more!

[Harmit Singh]

Hi Marcelo,

Glad I could help.

Here is a doc which talks about configuring enhanced IOS transcoding and conferencing:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps556/products_configuration_example09186a008084fe1f.shtml

Youl would need to configure hardware conferencing on a voice gateway with sufficient DSPs for the same. Then ensure that the VG204 ports have that hardware conference bridge resource available in it's MRG/MRGL.

HTH.

--
Regards,
Harmit.

[sumitkum]

Hi,

the conference should be work with CCM conf resources if using G711. can u provide me the some info

.# the Region setting of the Device Pool using for the Phone.

[Marcelo Bergamini]

Hi Kumar!

The regions its system default!

The system default in service parameters, for inter-region its G.729.

The phones are on diferent Device-Pool!

[Sadaseeven Saminaden · Accepted solution]

Hi Marcelo.

How many device pools do you have?

Normally, for all your phones you would configure an Enhanced IOS conference bridge

The config is to be done on a device that has DSP resources available (probably your PSTN/MGCP/H.323 geateway)

Then you define the same on your CUCM.. (use doc provided by Harmit below)

Make sure that in IOS config, you are transcoding G.729, since you mentionned inter-region calls are G.729.

However all this depends on whether you have actually defined the VG.204 on a separate region or not (via device pool)

[Marcelo Bergamini]

Hi Sadaseeven!

I have 10 Device Pools. For VG204 I configured a specific Device Pool. To speak with Mother, where are the resources allocated to hardware and software, configured the region to use the G.711 codec. Yet the problem persisted! Media resource group list and also are configured correctly for their Device Pool.

[Sadaseeven Saminaden · Accepted solution]

I am assuming you do not have an IOS conference bridge at your remote location.

In this case you will have to add the conference bridge located at your corporate HQ as option to the device pool.

Hence, your remote devices will be able to use the bridge higher up.

If possible, do you have a high-level voice routing schematic of the design you are trying to achieve?

Can you please share?

[Marcelo Bergamini]

Yes I have site A and site B. At site B is the VG204. The site is in the CCM. On site there is also a gateway B with capabilities to configure DSP Hardware conference. I tried to VG204 that the conference sought to appeal both the CCM, Software Conference Bridge, the gateway to the DSPs. In neither case worked.

I'm now checking if there is any physical problem with the phone.

[Sadaseeven Saminaden]

Can you post the following info:

CUCM version

Phone model

Phone load ID

IOS version

also can you share relevant parts of your config?