CUCM Regions Between Inter cluster trunks

[warquezho0612]

We're gonna have a deployment where we will deploy another CUCM  cluster and connect it thru ICT via WAN to the existing CUCM cluster.

In the existing CUCM cluster, there are 9951 ip phones  with camera and ex90/c60 video endpoints. The way I set this up is to  have 2 regions, one for 9951 and one for ex90/c60.

Calls between 9951 to 9951 will have a voice bandwidth of 64kbps and video bandwidth of 384kbps

Calls between 9951 to ex90/c60 will have a voice bandwidth of 64kbps and 384kbps

Calls between ex90/c60 to ex90/c60 will have a voice bandwidth of 64kbps and video bandwidth of 768kbps

The  way I set this region up is because 9951 only accepts 384kbps video  bandwidth, higher than that will display a blank page in 9951. We will  have the same type of devices deployed to the upcomming CUCM Cluster and  or course same region settings in that cluster.

Now I have a question regarding regions. Since I will  connect them using ICT, and that ICT link will have a device pool with  region set to it, what type of bandwidth (voice/video) will a caller  from Cluster A (using 9951 or ex90/c60) use when traversing thru the  ICT, calling and endpoint (9951, ex90/c60) to the Cluster B? Since  Cluster A cannot see the region of Cluster B and vice versa. Will the  call use the default settings for voice/video bandwidth which is 64kbps  for voice and 384kbps for video since that is the default settings under  System>System Paremeters?

[Chris Deren]

It will use whatever region is assigned to the ICT. So, the same region for all calls across clusters.

HTH,

Chris

[warquezho0612]

Yes it will use the region assign to the device pool assigned to the ICT, but can a region in cluster A see the region in cluster B under its matrix? And what do you mean by this statement "So, the same region for all calls across clusters"

[Chris Deren]

No, regions are local to a cluster and not replicated between clusters.  So, on cluster A you will need to define that codec is used between RegionA on clusterA and ICT region and then you can have another definition between RegionB on clusterA and ICT region, if that is what you are looking for.

Chris

[warquezho0612]

Here is my scenario

In Cluster A I have 2 regions

9951_RegionA

ex90/c60_RegionA

In Cluster B I have 2 regions

9951_RegionB

ex90/c60_RegionB

So if I will connect Cluster A and Cluster B via ICT, I want to have a relationship that calls from

Cluster A 9951_RegionA --> Cluster B 9951_RegionB use 64kbps voice 384kbps video

Cluster A 9951_RegionA --> Cluster B ex90/c60_RegionB use 64kbps voice 384kbps video

Cluster A ex90/c60_RegionA --> Cluster B 9951_RegionB use 64kbps voice 384kbps video

Cluster A ex90/c60_RegionA --> Cluster B ex90/c60_RegionB use 64kbps voice 784kbps video

Cluster B 9951_RegionB --> Cluster A 9951_RegionA use 64kbps voice 384kbps video

Cluster B 9951_RegionB --> Cluster A ex90/c60_RegionA use 64kbps voice 384kbps video

Cluster B ex90/c60_RegionB --> Cluster A 9951_RegionA use 64kbps voice 384kbps video

Cluster B ex90/c60_RegionB --> Cluster A ex90/c60_RegionA use 64kbps voice 784kbps video

Can this be done? Because since Cluster A cannot see Cluster Bs region in its matrix and vice versa, the way I see this is that when calls from Cluster A to Cluster B pass, whatever region is set under the device pool assign to the ICT, it will use the system default values of 64kbps voice 384kbps video since that is the default settings under  System>System Paremeters?

Any thoughts?

[Chris Deren]

This cannot be done, as Cluster A 9951_RegionA and Cluster A ex90/c60_RegionA can only have relationship with ICT_ClusterA region and you would not be able to determine which region on clusterB is needed.  Sorry. Perhaps looking at RSVP might accomplish what you want.

HTH,

Chris

[warquezho0612]

Yeah, thats what I'm also thinking that it cannot be done. But looking at the matrix of each region, there is a implicit default statement there that states "Regions not displayed will use System Default" and that System Default has a default value of 64kbps voice and 384kbps video. So do you think this system default will be used by ClusterA when calling ClusterB since ClusterB's region is not known to ClusterA?

[Chris Deren]

The default pertains only to the cluster, all this does is simply allows you to define the default values in service parameters and then you do not need to build the matrix unless you need to overwrite any of the values. Assume you are going to use g711 codec inrta-ste and g729 for intersite, this is the default service parameter configuration so when you build your regions you do not have to assign anything. Let's say now you want to force G711 between couple of the regions you would then simply hard code this only between these 2 regions. 

Again, this would not help in your requirements.

HTH,

Chris

[Ayodeji Okanlawon]

Chris,

Excellent way to explain the system default settings. I have always see this parameter but never bothered to know that the deafult inter-site is G729. That way you dont need to explicitly define region matrix for different regions. Thats really good.

On another note, I an investigating an issue, was wondering if you could spare a few minute to share your thoughts on this..

Thread is here

https://supportforums.cisco.com/thread/2142095?tstart=0

[warquezho0612]

Thanks for confirming this Chris, it just puzzles me on what codec and how much bandwidth will a call from ClusterA to ClusterB vice versa will use specially for Video as I have a requirement that when a call originates from a 9951 phone calling anything then video codec must only be at 384kbps, while if it originates at ex90/c60 then video codec with ex90/c60 wmust be 768 above for better quality, if it is with 9951 then it should lower to 384 since 9951 does not accept resolution above

640 x 480

[Chris Deren]

If i recall the default for video bandwidth is 384k which you can change under service parameters, or if you want you can change between the siteA and ICT region. So you could do this:

Cluster A 9951_RegionA --> ICT  64kbps voice 384kbps video

Cluster A ex90/c60_RegionA --> ICT use 64kbps voice 384kbps video

HTH,

Chris

[warquezho0612]

Let me try to understand it.

- A call within a cluster will use whatever region assigned to an endpoint right? So lets say Cluster A with 9951 ip phone with 9951_RegionA will use that 9951_RegionA's matrix within Cluster A calls.

- A call external to a cluster will use the region assigned to the ICT regardless if the caller (9951 ip phone) has a region assigned to it, this holds to h.323 gateways where we can assign a devicepool with region, correct?

So looking at my requirement a 9951 ip phone at ClusterA will use not the region assigned to that phone, but the region assigned to the ICT when it tries to call another endpoint at ClusterB. And since the region assigned in the ICT that will be used by 9951 endpoint in ClusterA does not have any matrix to the region of endpoints in ClusterB, I'm ust wondering if what bandwidth will it use and where it will be based

[Ayodeji Okanlawon]

Warque,

I think its better understood like this

Cluster A 9951_RegionA --> ICT -----64kbps

Cluster B 9951_RegionA--->ICT--------64kbps..

Resulting bandwidth to use for a call between cluater A and cluster B will be 64Kbps..

if

Cluster A 9951_RegionA --> ICT -----64kbps

Cluster A 9951_RegionB --> ICT -----384kbps

I am not sure which bandwidth will be sued here..but for your scenario that should not be a bother. You should define a uniform badnwidth between your endpoints and the ICT region on both cluster

so you will have the ff region matrix

cluster A

9951_Region-----> ICT =384Kbps video

ex90/c60_Region--ICT=768Kbps-video

Cluster B

9951_Region-----> ICT =384Kbps video

ex90/c60_Region--ICT=768Kbps-video

This way you are guranteed that 384k will be used for 9951 cross cluster and 768 will be used for ex90/c60 cross cluster

[warquezho0612]

aokanlawon,

hmm the way i see your explanation is that an endpoint and an ICT will have their own matrix in a Cluster,

like the following:

Cluster A

9951_RegionA ----> ICT_RegionA = 64kbps voice and 384kbps video

All this time I thought that when a call from 9951 with 9951_RegionA passes to the ICT with ICT_RegionA, the 9951 will stripped its 9951_RegionA and replace it with the region configured on ClusterA's ICT going to the Cluster B, and that region configured on the ClusterA's ICT will of course does not have any matrix to the endpoints region in Cluster B

Did I get you right? If I do, then your explanation below with the following matrix is good so you will have the ff region matrix

cluster A

9951_Region-----> ICT =384Kbps video

ex90/c60_Region--ICT=768Kbps-video

Cluster B

9951_Region-----> ICT =384Kbps video

ex90/c60_Region--ICT=768Kbps-video

This way you are guranteed that 384k will be used for 9951 cross cluster and 768 will be used for ex90/c60 cross cluster

However I have a problem here, since there is a bug which I don't know if it is already resolved that 9951/9971 will only accept 640x480 resolution which is 384kbs video bandwidth with voice

CSCtc43440

https://supportforums.cisco.com/thread/2097130

http://tools.cisco.com/Support/BugToolKit/search/getBugDetails.do?method=fetchBugDetails&bugId=CSCtc43440

So from your explanation above, a call from

9951 to 9951 intercluster will have no issues, 384kbps will be used

ex90/c60 to ex90/c60 intercluster will have no issues, 768kbps will be used

but a call from

9951 to ex90/c60 intercluster and ex90/c60 to 9951 intercluster might have a problem, because ex90/c60 from experience if configured with more than 384kbps video bandwidth in its region will display a blank screen on the 9951 ip phones, that is why I want to have a bandwidth control between from 9951 to ex90/c60 intercluster or ex90/c60 to 9951 intercluster to have a maximum bandwidth of only 384kbps.

One solution I can think is the same example of Chris, but that only limits the video call on either device to 384kbps intercluster, which is not bad but ex90/c60 to ex90/c60 will have a better video output with higher bandwidth.