Cisco Prime Collaboration Usage

[Chi Fai Leung]

Hi,

Many Asia costumers complain it is very difficult to maintain the Cisco Collaboration system.
So we are considering the Cisco Prime Collaboration system, see which can help or not.

I have few questions about the Cisco Prime Collaboration Provisioning (CPCP) for SME customer / Cisco Prime Collaboration Assurance (CPCA) for Big customer.

1. CPCP Standard version is free? one cluster? no adv. features? What is the adv. features on adv. versions?

2. I see the CPCP will deploy the new configurations into the CM clusters, that is fine on the new CM, but the existing CM will access the CPCP push into new configurations? Any impacts will happen on delopying the new CPCP into the existing CM?

3. CPCA lic. counted by every end devices, that is really expensive. Any cost effective methods to deploy the CPCA?

4. If we want to monitor the TP endpoints or DX video phones, I have to plug the lan to the 37XX or above switches? 29XX cannot? 

Medianet-Capable Devices

Feature	Routers	Switches	Cisco IOS®Software Release Supported
Mediatrace 1.0	Cisco 1800, 2800, 2900, 3800, 3900 Integrated Services Routers	Cisco Catalyst® 3560E, Catalyst 3560X,  Catalyst 3750,  Catalyst 3750-Metro (only 12.2SE), Catalyst 3750E, and Catalyst 3750X	12.2SE 15.0SE 15.1T 15.1M
IP service-level agreement (SLA) video operation	Routers will be supported soon. Please check the feature navigator as mentioned below	Cisco Catalyst 3560E, Catalyst 3560X, Catalyst 3750, Catalyst 3750E, and Catalyst 3750X	12.2SE 15.0SE

[Chi Fai Leung]

Any cheap methods can I start to use the Cisco Prime Collaboration Assurance? Can I just monitor the Collaboration servers only? Not count the IP-Phones & TPs?

[Anthony Gerbic]

Hi,

Any cheap methods can I start to use the Cisco Prime Collaboration Assurance?

The free Standard version is an option for single clusters. It is much less featured than the Advanced version but is a couple steps up from the RTMT provided in CM.

Can I just monitor the Collaboration servers only?

Not really an option, to my knowledge.

Not count the IP-Phones & TPs?

You can monitor IP-phones only, using Mass Endpoint licenses. TP monitoring can be added later with Codec licenses.

In cases where a user has a desk phone and a Jabber and they share a line, this is counted as one license. Where a user has both but they don't share a line, it counts as two licenses (endpoints are separate and use separate lines/DNs).  If you have a lot of shared license uses, the license count will be lower.

Regards

[Chi Fai Leung]

Hi Anthony,

Really Thanks for your ans., that mostly let me know all ans. ...

Let do it~ I just installed the CPCA (Assurance) and I got the license as "PC9-ASSURANCE-CPW". I don' know the license is Standard / Enterprise. "-CPW" should be the partner CUWP (CUWL Professional?) Standard? free? Why I installed the lic., but still showing Evaluation?

[jiwhitte]

Did you install Prime Collaboration Assurance 9.x or 10.x?  This CUWP license referenced is for 9.x.  Did you get any error message when you installed the license, such as "wrong version"?

I recommend installing the Prime Collaboration 10.5.1 (available on Cisco Promotional Software Store - 10.6 will be there shortly) https://cisco.mediuscorp.com/market/networkers/listSubCat.se.work?TRGT=9&/nxt/rcrs/=1127, or PC Assurance 10.6 from Cisco.com software download site https://software.cisco.com/download/navigator.html?mdfid=284255727&i=rm.

The PC 10.x license for CUWP is attached, licensed only for use in a CUWP partner network installation and not a production customer.  The .zip inlcludes both assurance and provisioning licenses. (PCM is Assurance), so be sure to install the correct one for the server you are deploying.

I don't know why your current installation is still in eval mode if you installed the PC 9.x license on the PC 9.x software.

Please email me directly for ongoing issues: jiwhitte@cisco.com

Thanks,

Jim Whitten, Product Manager

[Anthony Gerbic]

Hi,

Been out of the office but see that no one has yet responded to this. I can answer some of the questions.

1. CPCP Standard version is free?

CUCM 10+ users are entitled to use the Standard version.

 one cluster?

Yes

 no adv. features?

Not missing a lot, especially for smaller one cluster networks.

What is the adv. features on adv. versions?

The Standard and Advanced versions are pretty much the same except for the following:

• Advanced can handle multi-cluster networks
• Advanced allows administrator delegation. This means that different administrators can be assigned to different groups of end-users.
• Standard does not have advanced workflows (Approver, MAC assigner, Shipper and Receiver).
• Advanced provides a northbound API for integration to another network management application, HR system or custom UI.

2. I see the CPCP will deploy the new configurations into the CM clusters, that is fine on the new CM, but the existing CM will access the CPCP push into new configurations?

CPCP can push configurations to new or existing clusters. Changes made directly on a cluster will be pulled back to PCP so they stay in sync.

Any impacts will happen on deploying the new CPCP into the existing CM?

CPCP was designed to add to a UC network at any time. When added to an existing network, CPCP can use it's reverse sync process to import users and CM configurations.

3. CPCA lic. counted by every end devices, that is really expensive.

List price may appear really expensive but you need to work with a sales person to determine the actual price. There is also the option to have an enterprise license agreement which might be more cost effective if this is for a Big Customer.

Any cost effective methods to deploy the CPCA?

ELA as mentioned above, or use the free standard version.  It the standard version provides enough functionality, it might be an option.  Cost effective may be hard to define.  If the product significantly lowers the cost to operate the network (faster fault resolution, less administrators, usage reports, resource utilization savings, etc.) it would be cost effective.  I don't know how big the Big Customer is or what/how many endpoints/devices/apps are in the network so I cannot provide any better advice.

I am not sure how to answer the last question so will leave it for a TME or other expert on CPCA.  It looks like a medianet question. CPCA is not completely dependent on medianet to monitor TP environments and can provide some call trace and performance without it.  This is best answered by someone on the Assurance PM/TME team.

Regards

[selvagur]

Regarding your Q4, in order to monitor the TP or DX endpoints they don't have to be plug into specific type of switches. They just need to reachable via the required (SNMP/HTTP) credentials. Only when you want to troubleshoot the quality of experience of a particular video session of these endpoints, you need the specific type of switches that supports Medianet capability.