Music On Hold Live Feed to CallManager

[kkkkhine]

I'd like to use a multicast audio stream option instead of sound card option.

I found following document on cisco website which tricked audio stream by manipulating TTL.

But I could not find a way to make TTL to 1 for multicast stream from CallManager.

On top of that, I've an unpleasant experience with the way IOS handle the packets when TTL reaches 0. Basically, all the packets with TTL 0 are process-switches which make CPU very unhappy. I'm talking about 6500 with Sup-720 with moderate amount of traffic.

Anyway, I wonder if someone already had success with Music-On-Hold with live audio streaming feed (not with an external sound card) either in a lab or production.

Thanks in advance.

Links

1. Music-On-Hold using live audio stream Doc from cisco.com

(http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps556/products_implementation_design_guide_chapter09186a0080447511.html#wp1043752)

[thomas.chen]

I use MOH with live audio stream and have no issues with it. By the way, which CCM version are you using.

[kkkkhine]

I'm using CCM 4.0.1.

Are you talking about live stream using a sound card or a live stream via a multicast stream?

I'm looking for multcast stream solution.

Thanks ...

[stancikpl]

I am trying to implement a similar solution where we use an existing multicast audio stream on the LAN for our MOH. I don't know how to make the call manager have the phone send a join request for the stream.

[ethernetguru]

Hello,

Did you ever resolve this issue? We're looking to do the exact same thing, and in fact have it working at one site, but are having trouble at another.

Would you care to share your resolution?

Thanks!

Chester

Prosound

877.677.6768

[Sajjit Rajagopal]

A sound card is needed if you intend to use a fixed audio source, such as a CD-ROM or sound input, such as live radio. Otherwise, the MoH server streams the local .wav files that are on its own hard drive.

You can configure the MOH server to stream multicast or unicast stream.

Following is the multicast configuration checklist:

n

• Atleast one audio source needs to be configured for multicast
• MOH server needs to be enabled for multicast
• MRG needs to be enabled with "Use Multicast for MOH Audio check box“
• MRGL needs to include multicast enabled server
• Network infrastructure needs to be enabled for multicast

The part about setting multicast ttl to zero is when you want to stream multicast from branch router so as to save WAN bandwidth. In essence, you are tricking the phones to listen to multicast ip and port number but the audio is streaming from the flash on local router.

Also, as part of this design you will need to pervent multicast packets from crossing the WAN. Following are some of the ways to do it:

• Max-hops set to 1 in CM MOH configuration
  
• Multicast disabled on central site router
  
• ACL on central site router to block  multicast
  
• “ip multicast boundary” command on central site router

Here are some useful links:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cusrst/admin/srst/configuration/guide/srs_moh.html#wp1011698

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/partner/products/sw/voicesw/ps556/products_qanda_item09186a0080094766.shtml

nhttp://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucm/admin/7_1_2/ccmfeat/fsmoh.html

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucm/admin/4_2_3/ccmfeat/fsmoh.html

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Sajjit

[ethernetguru]

Thanks for the response.

Actually, what we're trying to do is place a device on the network that streams G.711 u-Law audio, and set the Call Manager to pick up that stream for the MOH.

We've had a client get this working on their own, and now we're trying to put together the documentation for other clients.

Here's what we've got so far...does this look right to you? (at least the CIsco part!)

http://prosoundusa.com/cisco

[Sajjit Rajagopal]

The cisco part looks good and it is the same as the documentation links I had provided in my earlier post. I am not sure about Extreamer though. I would assume it needs to be connected as a fixed source.

-Sajjit

[ethernetguru]

I've got the Extreamer part down. That's the part we know.

Thing is, for the Cisco part...The music on holder server setting only allows for two servers.  And the ip in question is the address of the physical server?

In other words, do we set the IP as the address of the CM server, and then "spoof" the streaming with our device?

[Sajjit Rajagopal]

I believe what you are trying to achieve is similar to the scenario wherein MOH is streaming from the flash:

Refer to : http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cusrst/admin/srst/configuration/guide/srs_moh.html#wp1011698

In this case , srst router and cucm is configured to stream to the same multicast ip and port . During MOH setup, cucm instructs phone to listen to that multicast ip and as a result phone sends a join to that multicast grp. The multicast stream from the cucm can be killed by setting ttl to 1 in which case phone will listen to the stream from the other device.

[shabeebmohammed]

Hi,

Can you please provide the password for this post. Its locked.

Thanks and Regards

Shabeeb