Collaboration Design

[W S H FERNANDO]

Hi

We have Ex90, Ex60 ,Sx20, MCU and CUCM 8.6.2, We need to register EndPoints with CUCM and Should have able for Video Conferencing, but I have Some doubts

1. After Registering how can we dial anothe video End Point ?  Which have a Publich IP,

2. How Incoming calls will come ?

Regds

$

[William Bell]

First, let me apologize for my response in advance. I have not had coffee yet ;-)

You would need a VCS solution of some sort. You need a VCS Expressway function incorporated in the design to properly facilitate communication with external (i.e. Internet) systems. There are a couple of options.

One option is to add the Cisco VCS and the Cisco VCS Expressway (VCSe) to your design. You build a SIP trunk from CUCM to VCS and peer the VCS and VCSe. 

A generic call flow with this type of config:

(CUCM)   --->    (VCS)   ---->  (VCSe)   ------> (Internet)

The VCSe is key in this design. It will allow you to traverse your internal firewall/NAT device securely. It will also hide your topology from the outside world. All media and call signaling  to the big-I flow through the VCSe. It will allow you to cleanly interoperate with other Cisco and non-Cisco systems, whether they run H323 or SIP.  For instance, you said you want to call an external Endpoint by IP. That means you are talking H323. CUCM can talk H323 but VCS/VCSe is the solution of choice when integrating H323 video with a Cisco UC infrastructure.

Since you are having endpoints and MCU register to the CUCM, adding a VCS + VCSe may not be the best option from an economics perspective. So, I'd explore two other options.

Option 2 would be to use the VCS Expressway Starterpack. The Starterpack is essentially a VCSe with some tweaked features.. Just like the VCSe, this system will allow you to communicate with external video systems securiely. The main upside to the Starterpack is that the system can provision Jabber/Movi clients. Which can video-enable your mobile work force. There is a sizing consideration though. I think the Starterpack maxes out at 50 concurrent video calls. Finally, with this approach I would purchase the DUAL network license option

Lastly, you could use a VCSe without a VCS to interop with CUCM. I haven't done this (I have done CUCM to VCS / VCSe and CUCM ot VCS Starter Pack). Technically it should work just like the Starterpack. You wouldn't be able to do the Movi/Jabber provisioning piece though. Well, not unless you added another component to the mix. Again, I would get the DUAL network license option.

HTH>

-Bill (http://ucguerrilla.com)

[W S H FERNANDO]

Hi William

Thanks for the info,

Can't we go without VCS or VCSe ? Cant we use Video firewall feature in MCU ? (mcu 5310), So NAT will goignt o handle by MCU right ?

CUCM --> MCU --> Internet ?

Regds

$

[William Bell]

That is a good question. I have worked on a design where the MCU was in the DMZ and was dual-homed. With one Nic on the internal LAN and one in the DMZ. That was a Codian 8510 and the solution worked fairly well. It allowed internal and external video parties to communicate via the bridge. I have not worked with the 5310. A quick read through of the data sheet suggests it may work in a similar fashion.

The consideration would be egress call setup. In my experience, the dual-homed MCU was handling ingress calls from external H.323 parties and treating the calls with a video IVR to join conferences. I believe the MCU can originate a call but it would want to send the call set up to its callprocessing server. In your scenario, that would be CUCM and then CUCM would send the call where? I don't think the MCU would be able to handle bi-directional traversal calling in the way the VCS does. I think of it more as a "destinatiion" than a tandem routing point.

My point is you need to lay out your specific call flow, identify if your proposed solution fits, find the gaps, and determine if you want to change your workflow around said gaps. Maybe someone else has more experience with using the MCU in this way and give you more specific advice.

-Bill

[caroline_parks]

CCNA Collaboration certification is for network video engineers, IP telephony and IP network engineers who want to develop and advance their collaboration and video skills in line with the convergence of voice, video, data and mobile applications.