CUCM migration from 11.0 to 14

[jaheshkhan]

What is the best way to migrate from 11.0 to 14.

Since there was no existing contract we can only build new cluster and migrate the data from cucm 11 cluster to new cucm 14 cluster..

what all things to consider in this case?

do we need to use new IP for new cucm 14 cluster?

in this case can we backup data from CUCM 11 and restore to NEW CUCM 14 cluster? Doing so we will get all our phones another configuration data to new cluster.

is this possible?

for the phones to get register to new cluster what we need to do? I think we will face certificate issue ? we have 600 phones .. how we can overcome this issue as well?

[Nithin Eluvathingal]

Thank you, @Roger Kallberg , for sharing this. I hadn’t previously explored this feature of the PCD. Appreciate it.

[Faisal Saoud]

Thank you @Roger Kallberg  for your support, I think my concerns about transferring the ISO files over the WAN due to bandwidth limitations or potential network issues have been cleared now by adding multiple SFTPs at each site. By doing this, we would minimize the amount of data that needs to traverse the WAN, and the upgrade process would pull the ISO files from the local network, which should be faster and more reliable.

[Faisal Saoud]

@Roger Kallberg  What is the version of this PCD that supports multiple SFTP servers?

[Roger Kallberg]

Oh that’s a great question. I have no idea. I think we’ve used it ever since 12.5 minimum. We always use the very latest version of PCD, right now that would be v15.

[jaheshkhan]

This way i didnt think in my previous installaiton because i did installation in low traffic time in the evening. when i see screenshot i was thinking why i didnt try SFTP in Datacenter where we can upload all ISO file locally available SFTP.

i thhink we can deploy PCD in each location and use one PCD for all process. other PCD will act as SFTP role only.

[Nithin Eluvathingal]

I would advise against installing the cluster over the WAN. My preference is to complete the installation in one location and then relocate the servers as needed.

I manage a site with 8-10 clusters that are spread across the WAN, and at the headquarters, we have a PCD for upgrades and migrations. In locations where the WAN speed is slower, I resort to using a local PCD.

However, the method you’re suggesting, which involves one PCD for the main site and another for the branch site, isn’t feasible. PCD performs a cluster installation, not a node installation. Therefore, you can’t use PCD to add a node to the cluster.

That being said, it’s not impossible to use a PCD in your scenario. You could have a PCD at the main site and use it to migrate the CUCM at both the headquarters and the site. in the event of a remote installation failure, proceed with a manual installation.

When the ESXi is discovered, PCD will automatically create an NFS folder on each discovered ESXi, to my knowledge. This folder is used for storing the ISO images required for installations, eliminating the need for you to manage the ISO files. You simply need to upload the necessary files to the appropriate folder on the PCD’s SFTP.

[Faisal Saoud]

@Roger Kallberg @Nithin Eluvathingal  I know that the total number of CUCM nodes that can run as call processing is eight, can we increase this, or will impact the system? 

Also, If the RTT between Pub and remote Sub is more than 80 ms, Does it impact the system performance?

[Roger Kallberg]

If you want more CPE nodes then you’ll need to work with Cisco Advanced Services to get a Mega Cluster approval.

Yes it will have impact if the RTT is above the defined max limit.

[Nithin Eluvathingal]

@Roger Kallberg mentioned if you need more nodes then you need to consider MegaCluster which can have up to 16 subscriber. But this need BU approval.

Yes its will impact if the RTT is more than 80, The maximum round-trip delay allowed between two CUCM servers in a cluster is 80 ms.

[Faisal Saoud]

@Nithin Eluvathingal another question bro, When network settings will be changed during the upgrade and migration by PCD, How the phones will take the new TFTP IP and register to the new cluster? Do I have to change the TFTP IP on DHCP during the migration or before? plz can you explain more this point, and Can I keep the old system up for a while in this case?

[Nithin Eluvathingal]

What I do is request the customer to stop making changes and complete the migrations. Once both servers are up, I perform a bulk certificate exchange. Now it’s time to move the phones to the new cluster. One week before the cutover date, I reduce the DHCP lease time for the phones to the minimum so that updates will be quicker. During the cutover, I update the Option 150 IP on all Voice DHCP scopes and restart the phones from the old CUCM. This process ensures that the phones register with the new CUCM

[Faisal Saoud]

@Roger Kallberg  What is the best SFTP application to use it during migration from 11 to 14 using PCD with multiple SFTP to avoid WAN consumption in ISO transferring?  I am using Windows 11 at each site for SFTP purposes or we must have an SFTP with Linux based.

[Shalid Kurunnan Chalil]

Hi @Faisal Saoud 

You can use the PCD TFTP directly for this purpose.

As you may already know, you can access the PCD as an SFTP server using the default SFTP user "adminsftp" and the corresponding password.

Regards

Shalid

[Faisal Saoud]

@Shalid Kurunnan Chalil  We have cluster version 11 distributed over WA and we are upgrading and migrating to 14, however as I understand from @Roger Kallberg we can use local SFTP at each site with centralized PCD, must this SFTP application be Linux-based or Windows-based can work? We hope to use multiple SFTPs to avoid transferring the ISO over WAN by PCD during the migration, we need to force the PCD to use the local SFTP for each site.

[Nithin Eluvathingal]

That’s not the scenario that @Faisal Saoud  asked about. The scenario is different, where PCD can make use of remote NFS for migration/fresh install and remote SFTP for upgrades. This way, we can avoid using the WAN to transfer huge files for upgrades by using local SFTP for upgrades or local NFS for migrations / fresh install in branches.