CallManager and Alternate Gatekeeper

[pbarman]

Does CallManager support alternate gatekeeper? When I configure a gatekeeper cluster, I mention the IP of the alternate gatekeeper. Now CallManager as a H225 trunk is registered to the primary gatekeeper. What happens when the primary gatekeeper is down? Is there any mechanism by which CallManager can register to the alternate gatekeeper in this case.

I could not get this working, and assume CallManager doesn't support alternate gatekeeper. Please confirm!

[pbarman]

One way to do this would be to add two Gatekeepers to CallManager; Add two h225 trunks to the two gatekeepers; use a route group & route list to prefer one trunk, and fallback to the other trunk when first one's unavailable.

[Karla Lopez]

Hi Barry Sheen:

It also depends. If you have a gatekeeper cluster you can make another configuration on the gatekeepers that belong  to this cluster. In this way each zone is configured on each gatekeeper and you can use zone cluster local comand to make a cluster for this zone. So, if your zone is registered to GK1... when GK1 is gone this same zone will know how to register to another GK and still working. For example:

GK1 - IP 10.10.10.2

zone local test cisco.com 10.0.0.1

zone cluster local test-Cluster test
  element test-GK2 10.10.10.1 1719
  element test 10.10.10.2 1719

GK2 - IP 10.10.10.1

zone local test-GK2 cisco.com

zone cluster local test-Cluster test

  element test 10.10.10.2 1719

  element test-GK2 10.10.10.1 1719

In this way, test zone "belongs" to GK1 but when GK1 is gone... this zone will register to GK2. If you have more gatekeepers, you may want to have another option in case GK1 and GK2 are gone. From the point of view of CUCM you just need to make a trunk to GK1.

Regards,

Karla

[stavropouloss]

The configuration that you've done it's wrong. It is not possible to add an element with a name that is already configured as a zone local. In your case: 

zone local test cisco.com 10.0.0.1

element test 10.10.10.2 1719

same with 10.10.10.1:

zone local test-GK2 cisco.com

element test-GK2 10.10.10.1 1719.

This is not possible, gatekeeper won't let you configure this