Video recording. Automatically add TCS to every call.

[siggiv]

Hi

I am looking at a solution to record all video calls in a company. The infrastructure is based on VCSs, MCUs and more (Tandberg legacy setup no CUCM). The request is to record all calls automatically. There is no solution from Cisco that does this so I am looking at a way to use the TCS but it is clearly not built for this but none the less I dont see any other option. So I am trying to find a way to automatically add the TCS to every call using the VCS for example.

Any ideas from the experts of the forums ?

[Patrick Pettit]

HI .  If you can, would you be able to let us know whether or not your using TMS or not?  Are these scheduled calls from TMS, or is the MCU in play here, one of those systems that is just doing ad hoc conferences and you wish to record all of them? 

1) In TMS, you can add the TCS and just add it to every scheduled meeting in TMS.

2) Cisco Telepresense Conductor can do this as well by setting the Conductor to call when the Alias is called and requested from Conductor. 

3) You may also want to try and setup permanent meetings on the MCU and setup numeric id and Guest numeric id on the MCU.  Add the recording alias's to the MCU as preconfigured endpoints in the MCU.  Then add the recording alias to the MCU conference as a preconfigured participant. 

Set the meeting up with parameter:

And..

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On the MCU, when adding the recording alias as an endpoint in MCU, check this to:

So the main chair person calling towards the MCU will dial the numeric ID for the conference.  When this occurrs, and the MCU receives the call, it will invite the preconfigured participants (TCS Recording Alias), and it should show up as a guest on the MCU.  Then any other participants who will join, will dial the guest numeric id and show us a Guests on the MCU.  See below:

So in this call, Patrick Pettit (the sip user) is the chair and the TCS and the H323 users are guests.  So when the Chair disconnects, all participants including the content server and the h323 user will drop off. 

I set it this way because, if you don't, the TCS will record forever unless someone goes in there, and manually disconnects it. 

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The 2nd option, using Conductor, will basically do all of this for you depending on your setup on the conductor etc.This may be your preferred way to go if your user is running alot of ad hoc conferences and they need to be recorded at all times. 3rd option is to try and provide what I've layed out for you here, but that would mean your users would have to dial guest and chair numeric ID's to show correctly, and to be disconnected when the chair leaves so that the TCS doesn't record forever and ever. 

Hope this helps. 

VR

Parick

[siggiv]

Hi

Thank you very much for your reply the TMS is of course what I am doing and that is a good way but what I am looking for is that it also happens for Point to Point calls even.

I need to look deeper into the conductor and see if I can use that.

Have you or anyone reading this post used the Call Policy on the VCS (X7.2) ? Would it be possible to force the VCS to check a Call Policy and in that add the TCS ?

[Patrick Pettit]

HI.  CPL or script policy, from my understanding of it, will only manipulate calls in and out, verify authentication and allow or disallow calls etc.  I don't believe the Call Policy on VCS X7 will say when point to point call is established, send API command to C-series with Multisite to call Content Server etc.  I think the biggest thing here is to have your user demo Conductor in there environment as Conductor is built for exactly what you want to do here. 

Will explore more about the Call Policy and CPL etc, but your best bet would be to verify and demo Conductor with MCU, as this may be your resolution to this. 

VR

Patrick

[siggiv]

@Patrick. Thank you again I will definitely look better into the conductor there is a conductor planned in the installation anyway. If anyone has done this or has a reference doc for the confit I would be extremely thankful.

For the CPL script then I heard that I could possibly point to an external CPL server that would have a script that does this but to be honest I don't see it as the best solution.

[Martin Koch]

Hi!

TMS booking and the usage of conferences with pre defined participants (=recording aliases) could be an option.

But adhoc calls would not work.

A call CPL alone would not help, as each established call has only two sides, but here you would

need to fork the media of an active call whats not possible.

I would say it should be possible to program something what you ask for,

if its just some local endpoints (with multisite) you might use a control system and

automatically add the tcr to the call. Maybe that could also work with multiway.

With a CPL you could redirect the call to the mcu  (which could have a recording alias active),

but then you still lack the second call leg. In theory this could also be fixed by a control system

getting a feedback by the vcs and then dialing out from that virtual meeting rooom to the

initial dialed 3rd party, but that would be quite complex.

Did you talk to  Cisco (Parter)? You could file a feature request for that.I would assume

that this request will come more and more often.

I could picture something like a combination of VCS, TMS, MCU and Conductor to address the issue,

maybe also some endpoint ehancements, ... but that would be quite cost intense.

The VCS itself now als has its own media encryption capability, so I could picture some feature like

media forking to the tcs could be possible in the future as well, ....

[epicolo]

In past a was a TANDBERG Compliance Appliance (TCA) to ahcieve this, but is in EoS.

Maybe someone from Cisco can inform us if will be a replacement...

[siggiv]

@Elter I wish. This would make my life so much easier the took it out of the portfolio in the merge with Cisco but since video is the new voice then there will be more and more demand for this.

[Lyn Dickerson]

Great Potatoes Patrick! Great answer!

Sent from Cisco Technical Support Android App

[siggiv]

Im still struggling with this and I have looked into using the Conductor.

My idea was the following and I was hoping it was possible.

• All calls are routed to the conductor (except ones to and from the MCU prefix (using call policy)).
• Conductor checks next available conference (Creates an MCU conference) and calls the TCS Alias and transfers calling and called to the MCU created.
• All calls use the MCU.
• If an endpoint is called during a conference he will answer and like normal transfer the call to the MCU if the third party can join.

According to Cisco they say this is not possible because the only way to make this work with the Conductor would be to have different Aliases for all endpoints because it is not possible for the Conductor to know all incoming Aliases and add them a conference.

They recommend using External Policy servers (Web Servers) but Im afraid of that it will not scale very well with the solution. Cisco_VCS_External_Policy_Deployment_Guide_X7.pdf

Any thoughts from the experts on the forum ?

[Tomonori Taniguchi]

TelePresence Conductor XC1.2 support multiway call handing (with or without using conference factor on VCS).

By configuring regex call search pointing to TelePresence Conductor, Conductor will automatically setup conference call on MCU including pre-configure auto dial out participant (i.e. TCS recording session).

So scenario to auto recording call including point-to-point call as follow.

[Pre-Configure]

- Endpoint-A

    xConfiguration SystemUnit MultiwayURI: “Meetme.Endpoint1001”

    xConfiguration Conference H323Alias E164: “1001”

- VCS

    Regex “meetme\.(.*)” point to TelePresence Conductor

- TelePresence Conductor

    Conference alias and pre-configure Endpoint match up with “meetme\/(.*)”

Call step:

1. Endpoint (Endpoint-A) that will host conference call initiate own multiway conference call (for example, call Meetme.Endpoint1001).This automatically create conference call on MCU and establish the conference call with pre-configured auto dial out participant.
2. Other participant dial to Endpoint-A alias or Endpoint-A multiway alias.
   If call into Endpoint-A multiway alias (for example, call Meetme.Endpoint1001), call automatically establish with conference created in step 1).
   If call into Endpoint-A alias (for example: 1001), Endpoint-A will receive it as additional call and need to operate “join” for bring into this new Endpoint to multiway conference call on MCU.

[siggiv]

Thank you very much for a great suggestion and reply this is very interesting. But what I am looking for is a way to make this transparent to the user and if I understand it correctly Multiway is only used when the user presses Join.

So what I am looking for is

Endpoint A@vc.com calls External Endpoint X@video.org

Call is pointed to the Conductor.

Conductor Automatically adds TCS and the MCU to the call.

Do see this possible with the Conductor ?

[Tomonori Taniguchi]

Multiway with TelePresence Conductor and configuring unique multiway address on Endpoint allow to meet participant on multiway conference by all participant to dial-in unique multiway conference (i.e. meetme.siggiv@domain.com).

But also allow this specific Endpoint to redirect the call to multiway conference if any participant directly call into Endpoint (yes, by pressing “join” manually).

This is enhancement since first release of multiway by using TelePresence Conductor.

Unfortunately TelePresence Conductor doesn’t support transparent call from MCU.

TelePresence Conductor only lookup conference matching and redirect call to MCU not making additional call from MCU except pre-configure auto dial-out participant with current release software.

However this will be great feature to look into.

Would you please reach out your Cisco representative and raise feature request about this (Conductor to support transparent call from MCU conference while creating new conference)?

[Tomonori Taniguchi]

Please note for above solution...,

• If Endpoin-A doesn’t operate “join” when receive the call from other Endpoint, they will remain point-to-point call without recording the conversation.
• Pre-configure dial-out participant must set to “No” on “Keep conference alive” parameter making sure recording session terminate once all participate disconnect from conference call.

[Tomonori Taniguchi]

I have upload TelePresence Conductor Introduction for XC1.2 software release.

First section cover Multiway support including signal flow and configuration.

Document is available from https://supportforums.cisco.com/docs/DOC-26799.