Video conference solution help

[mohamed sebaey]

Hi

I have a customer and he asked me to help for a video conference solution , and i do not have a big experience in video  , customer requirement as the below

1- Video conference for 6 units.

Customer has CUCM v8.6 and all IP phones 9971 , all new . My solution for him

1- VCS server.

2- MCU.

3- End points for video confernece as EX60.

Please i need help , if this solution right or wrong what are the considerations for wan connection ,etc..

Thank you

please rate if this will help

[Jonathan Schulenberg]

The 9971 phones are capable of VGA video with the - typically free - add-on camera. Is the customer specifically asking for larger formfactor endpoints or are the 9971 phones sufficient?

If they are seeking larger or HD-capable endpoints the EX series are a great choice. You can register them directly to CUCM in 8.6 though 9.0 is required should you wish to do URI dialing (e.g. jsmith@company.com instead of only +14045550100). This means that VCS may not be required unless: a) you wish to allow external calling across the internet; or, interop with non-Cisco, typically H.323, endpoints.

As for conferencing you can get away with the PVDM3 modules of the ISR G2 platform if you're going to use the 9971 phones. They don't support content sharing (a.k.a. BFCP) though. For the EX or other TelePresence equipment I would suggest either the TelePresence Server or 5300 MCU platform. Each has different features so be sure to review the data sheets before making a choice. For example, only the TelePresence Server has the ActivePresence (aka film strip) view that you may have seen in demos.

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[slaam2013]

Hi

Thanks jonathan for your information.  Please confirm if i am right , i  have the same problem i will use Ex60 and VCS ( because there will be conference through internet) and MDU 5300 , is there any other devices ?. I can not use 9971 because we need to do conference and can see the partticpants through a big screen. For conference through internet what will i need.

Thanks

[Jonathan Schulenberg]

You would order both a VCS Control and Expressway. The Control resides behind the firewall in the same type of protected-network position that you place CUCM. Expressway resides in the DMZ with a public IP address (not NAT). The Control works with the Expressway for firewall traversal. CUCM cannot replace VCS-C at this point because it lacks the proprietary Ascend traversal client functionality that Control uses to jump the firewall to Expressway.

Also keep in mind that Cisco is recommending that any greenfield deployments register endpoints to CUCM, not VCS at this point to align with future portfolio/product positioning. So the way this would work is a SIP trunk from CUCM to VCS-C which then works with VCS-E for Internet calling. The MCU would also register to CUCM. Plan on upgrading to CUCM 9.0.

One other major component of most TelePresence solutions is TelePresence Management Suite. It provides scheduling, management, monitoring, and additional features such as One Button To Push. It may not be needed if you're just looking to do adhoc calls but it's still worth consideration.

This is of course a highlighy summarized answer. If you lack the appropriate TelePresence ATP you'll want to join with another Cisco partner who has this skillset on the deal; I do not believe you can order the equipment without this specialization. Your Cisco channels team can also provide additional detail.

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[slaam2013]

very helpful , can you tell me if i will do the same scinario internally between 5 devices , will i use VCS and MCU or not?.

thanks

[Jonathan Schulenberg]

Internally you are typically fine with CUCM unless you needed to interop with non-Cisco gear (e.g. Polycom, Sony, etc). The MCU is always required for conference calls. In some cases you can use the PVDM3 modules as an MCU but they cap out at 720p and have some limitations. Probably better of getting a 5300 or TelePresence Server if budget allows for it.

Please remember to rate helpful responses and identify helpful or correct answers.