Adding MRA to VCS C/E Pair

[anthonykaune]

We have an existing VCS C/E pair that is registering endpoints and handling B2B calling.   We would like to add MRA, but I am wondering what the impact will be.  Currently we have H.323 and 3rd party SIP devices along with Cisco devices registered.  I know I can enable MRA on a VCS C/E Pair, but I am thinking the impact may be undesirable.  If I turn on MRA for my domain, I believe it will try to register everything to the CUCM, which I am guessing will not work for those h323 and 3rd party sip devices.  Is this correct? 

Would I possibly be better off standing up an Expressway pair just for MRA and use the existing VCS for the B2B calling?

[Enrique Alberto Fallas Rojas]

As per Mobile Remote Access via VCS Deployment Guide, for endpoints to register though MRA, they need to change their Provisioning method to Cisco UCM via Expressway.

• Ensure that the provisioning mode is set to Cisco UCM via Expressway. (Page 14)

If this setting is not change, the device will get register to VCSC/E as usual.

As you mentioned, third party devices does not support MRA, if you enable MRA on the VCS, they will also register normally to the VCS server.

• Third-party SIP or H.323 devices can register to the VCS Control and, if necessary, interoperate with Unified CM-registered devices over a SIP trunk (Page 7)

Now in regards of deploying a separate set of server (Expressway) for MRA, that will depend on the amounf of users that will use the feature.

Keep in mind that if you device to enable MRA on your current deployment, you will need to do some changes on the connection between CUCM and VCSC, please refer to http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/solutions/CVD/Collaboration/Feb2014/CVD-CollabEdgeUsingBE6000-Apr14.pdf (pages 28-44)

Regards,

[anthonykaune]

Thank you.  I have already looked at the MRA on VCS guide a few times.  This is what has lead to my confusion as to what all happens when that is enabled.  Since a bunch of these are single endpoints at remote locations I want to be able to migrate them slowly to CUCM.  If I enable MRA on the current VCS config would those endpoints now try to register to CUCM, or would they remain on the VCS until their provisioning is changed? 

I've heard a few times on setting up the separate Expressway with MRA not for capacity, but in order to control that migration.