CUAC Advanced: Need over 255 devices

[billmatthews]

We're running Cisco Unified Attendant Console Advanced Server System Version: 10.5.1.10-3, and running near the maximum of 255 devices.  We have 80 CT gateway device, 80 park, and 80 service devices.  And we need to expand.

What are our options?  Do we just run a separate CUAC server instance?  Look at a third party product?

Thanks

[Chris Deren]

What is the reason you need to expend? Do your operators actually park 80 concurrent calls at a time and at the same time you have many other calls in queue, etc?

[billmatthews]

Good point, perhaps it's just our design?  

We have these devices split into 8 sites, with 10/10/10 for the ports.  So each site uses 30 ports.  That's so that the park numbers etc are site specific.

And now we have a couple new sites opening.  Would there have been a better way to design? 

[Terry Cheema]

CT gateway devices are the ports which will service the calls in queue

Service device ports are used by operator for hold, transfer etc.

Park ports are used when calls are parked by operator

I would suggest something along the lines my friend Chris has pointed (+5) that you re-design your attendant console based on your requirements and may be look into using a consolidated or shared pool basis.

Calculate how many concurrent logged on Operators will be there and an estimated number of calls handled per operator, overflows etc. Based on your requirements you can define a global pool of lets say X CT gateway devices, Y Service Devices, Z Park Devices.

Lets say you have 120 CT gateway devices, 90 Service Devices and remaining 45 park devices.

Every time you add a queue assign it to the same global queue device group and use the shared ports.

But if you need dedicated ports per queue - for example you want to play site specific greetings or MoH - then you will need to have site based ports. Even then define the ports based on your needs and if you run out of ports still then the last option is to add a second CUAC server.

By the way here is a guide line from Cisco on number of CTI ports:
http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucmac/cuaca/10_5_1/design_guide/CUACA1051DG.pdf

-Terry

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[Wilson Samuel]

Great response by Terry (+5)

Regards

[billmatthews]

Thank you Terry, +5.

A single shared pool is sounding like a great solution.  We don't have the need for custom greetings/MoH.  We did like the dedicated ports just because it made it easy to see in CDR which call center was answering the CUAC call  (Because we numbered the CTI ports with site specific identifiers). But that's a minor detail.

Are there any other considerations for shared vs separate device pools? 

[Terry Cheema · Accepted solution]

Bill nothing much AFAIK. In fact this shared device group feature was introduced in CUAC 9.X, just to add queue specific behavior like custom CSS/Partitions/MoH etc.

But having said that there is another option as well, looks like the CUAC 11 now supports upto 1000 devices; see below release notes for CUAC 11. So your second option is to upgrade to 11 - 11 is pretty much new and normally its recommended to wait for the release to get stable and not go for any .0 release. But still just letting you know there another possible option.

Ref: http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucmac/cuaca/11_0_1/install_admin_guide/CUACA1101WAG.pdf

Please feel free to let me know if you have got any more questions.

-Terry

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