What is the difference between MCU & Cisco TelePresence Server?

[YAARUB F. MILAD]

Hello Pros,,

I would like an answer for this question "What is the difference between MCU & Cisco TelePresence Server?" to help us find a solution that best fits our requirements . 

also I would appreciate it if you refer to a document that directly discusses the difference in a straight-forward manner.

Thanks for taking the time trying to help ,,  

[juriss]

Take a look at the release notes found here

http://software.cisco.com/download/release.html?mdfid=284183236&softwareid=280886992&release=TS3.1%281.95%29&relind=AVAILABLE&rellifecycle=&reltype=latest

From what I understand...  TS software was typically run on the 8710 blades, however with a recent release they allows TS software to run on 8510 blades

There is some tricky math as to how the port licenses get translated to screen licenses

We have a few 8510 blades and the 4.X MCU software has been so rick solid, we are hesitant to move to the TS software...   we have no Multiscreen Telepresence system

Hope that helps

[Wayne DeNardi · Accepted solution]

Advantages of TelePresence Server vs MCU:

1. TelePresence Server supports the TIP protocol - so immersive TelePresence works nicely – if you have the multi-screen endpoints such as the CTS Series
2. TelePresence Server allows better utilisation of the HD/SD port capabilities (when paired with a Conductor)
3. TelePresence Server, again, with a Conductor, allows custom conference aliases (nice names, rather than conference numbers).

Disadvantages of TelePresence Server vs MCU:

1. does not support Auto Attendants
2. does not support Web Conferencing
3. does not support the same Custom Conference Layouts as the MCU
4. does not support advanced conference control via web or TMS as the MCU allows

While there is a migration path and a “free” upgrade from the software on a 8510 MCU to make it an 8710 TPS, there are licencing implications – the licences are not a 1:1 transfer.  It’s the little things like this that are often overlooked when considering an upgrade.

Hope that helps.

Wayne
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[mfisher]

I'd like to add that I believe the TPS used a different type of transcoding to better handle the immersive traffic as the MCU was not supported for 3 screen systems. Not sure if this changed in the most recent software but that was a factor before.

[Wayne DeNardi]

I mentioned that in my first point above - the TelePresence Server supports the Telepresence Interoperability Protocol (TIP) which is used for the multi-screen.

Wayne
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[eaniefiok]

hello Wayne,

Nice to get this from you,
pls have attached a BOM from a client for you to see,reason are that the clients wants to have a video bridge functionality as a solution but from their BOM i did notice that mid density be6k has its limitations when trying to add more virtual resources like the vTelepresence server and the conductor to assist on the bridge functionality.

Now pls advice me what can be done from the attached document to allow for effective video bridge resources and probably a codian kind of auto attendant for the client.

i really feel that resource has been exhausted on this server, pls advice.

thanks for your help in advance

eaniefiok 

[Mikhail Kalita]

Wayne DeNardi, what did change last year regarding the difference between MCU and TS?

[Patrick Sparkman]

Nothing much has changed on the MCU side, it still has the same feature set really.  Only things that are notable that have changed is the addition of ClearPath and encryption for SIP calls are the two biggest features in the latest release, don't expect any large features for the MCU as Cisco works to leverage everyone to migrate to the TelePresence Server as most of the MCU product line can be migrated to a TelePresence Server and that is where the most active development is.

Recent MCU changes can be seen in the MCU 4.5 Release Notes.

Recent TelePresence Server changes can be seen in the TPS 4.0 Release Notes and TPS 4.1 Release Notes.

In the most recent TPS 4.1 release, which came out last month, no MCU features were added because they were focusing most if not all the development on scheduling with TMS and Conductor, and to improve the existing TPS features already in place.

[giuseppepratola]

About active presence ? It's supported on MCU ?

[Wayne DeNardi]

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@giuseppepratola wrote:

About active presence ? It's supported on MCU ?

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Yes, the MCU can do Active Presence, but "supported" is a loose term, as the MCU platforms go end of software support on 31 May 2020 - so very shortly.  Not to mention that they're already End of Sale (since May 2017).

The MCUs were replaced by the TelePresence Server, which itself went end of Sale and was replaced by the Cisco Meeting Server.  Moving forwards, you would be best off looking towards the Webex Cloud (or Hybrid Services).

[giuseppepratola]

About active presence ? It's supported on MCU ?

THX Regards 

[Patrick Sparkman]

To add to Wayne's list.

Advantages of TelePresence Server vs MCU:

4. TelePresence Server has more immerse layouts compared to the MCU's continuous presence layouts.  However, as noted by Wayne, the MCU does have greater layouts and the ability to customize them unlike the TelePresence Server.

Disadvantages of TelePresence Server vs MCU:

5. No automatic lecture mode (ie: active speaker sees a continuous presence layout of all participants, while others see a single fullscreen image of the active speaker.)

[Wayne DeNardi]

Thanks for adding some more Patrick.

I guess, the shortest way to summarise the whole discussion is: use TelePresence Server if you need TIP (or a combination of TelePresence Server and a MCU), otherwise just use a MCU.

I'm hearing rumors that Cisco would like to move everyone to away from MCUs and to TelePresence Servers (and hence some of their "upgrade" promotions mentioned earlier), but until they can do the same functions as the majority of us use MCUs for now, we're not making that switch until we have to.

Wayne
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[Patrick Sparkman · Accepted solution]

I've heard the same things as Wayne, per the movement to TelePresence Server.  I've been told Cisco knows that users are looking for some of the MCU features to be implemented into the TP Server, so we'll see where that goes, if anywhere.

However great the optimized resources of Conductor and TP Server is, as well as some of the other features it provides, there are features of the MCU that are keeping us from making that move ourselves.

Another advantage of the TP Server is clearpath, MCU doesn't have that.

[Mk23]

What are the advantages of using TelePresence Server and a MCU in combination?