Upgrading CUCM from 10.5 to 12.5

[alshakhsa]

Hello all,

I need you help to upgrade our CUCM 10.5 to the latest version 12.5. is there any road map? how can I start to do that?

here is a table and specification we have for our CUCM system.

Sn	Description	Current Version	Upgrade Version
1	Cisco Unified CM Administration	10.5.1.10000-7	Cisco Unified Communication Manager 12.5
2	Cisco Unified CM IM and Presence Administration	10.5.1.10000-8	Cisco Unified CM IM and Presence 12.5
3	Cisco Unity Connection Administration	Version 10.5.1.10000-7	Cisco Unity Connection 12.5
4	Cisco MediaSense Administration	10.5.1.10000-23	Alternate solution : Imagicle
5	Cisco Unified CCX Administration	10.0.1.11001-37	Cisco Unified Contact Center Express 12.0(1)
6	Cisco Unified Intelligence Center	10.0(1) build 1 (10_0_1_11001_37)	Cisco Unified Intelligence Center 12.0(1)

and here is a table of our hardware for CUCM:

Server	Description	HDD	RAM	CPU	REMARKS
CUCM PUB	CUCM Publisher	200 GB	4 GB	2 Core	Check requirements for Latest version
CUCM SUB	CUCM Subscriber	200 GB	4 GB	2 Core	Check requirements for Latest version
IMP	IM & Presence	150 GB	2 GB	1 Core	Check requirements for Latest version
Mediasense	Cisco Mediasense	400 GB	6 GB	2 Core	Please check requirements for IMAGICLE solution ( Alternative for Mediasense)
CUC	Cisco Unity Connection	200 GB	2 GB	1 Core	Check requirements for Latest version
UCCX-Pub	Cisco Contact Center (Publisher)	500 GB	8 GB	2 Core	Check requirements for Latest version. Add Subscriber server as well ( HA)
EXP-C	Cisco Expressway C	NA	NA	NA	Not present. Need to implement
EXP-E	Cisco Expressway E	NA	NA	NA	Not present. Need to implement

please 

[Jaime Valencia]

You'll have to review the following for each product, for the target version (names of the docs might vary):

A) Upgrade and migration guide

B) Release notes

C) Compatibility matrix (might be included in any of the other docs)

D) HW/ESXi compatibility

E) README/RN of the OVA for target release.

That's your fist step in order to plan any upgrade, for any product.

[alshakhsa]

First, Thank you for sharing your experience, highly appreciated.
second, we are using Redhat linux 6. why should I change it to Centos 7?
Third,I have also the UCCX , should I upgrade it first and then Upgrade the CUCM?
finally, which upgrading method is the easiest and best? is it by the SFTP/TFTP or using .ISO ?
Thank you very much

[davisjaron · Accepted solution]

Keep in mind with this recommendation that I am not a TAC engineer.  If you have any serious doubts, open a TAC case and ask for their suggestions.

I'm not a linux expert, so I can't really tell you the difference between Red Hat Linux 6 and CentOS 7.  From my understanding CentOS is a lighter version of Linux.  But CUCM 12.5 is based on the CentOS 7 OS, so whether you change the base OS on the VMWare or not, it will be running CentOS 7.  If you don't change the base OS on the VMWare, it could cause issues with VMWare tools and executing certain commands.

I would recommend upgrading as much as possible head of the upgrade.  Anything not compatible with CUCM 10.5 and 12.5 needs to get to a level where it is before you do the CUCM upgrade.  When I did my upgrade, I upgraded UCCX to version 11.6 so that it was compatible with both CUCM 10.5 and 12.5.  Then, if you want UCCX on a later version, after the CUCM upgrade, you can go back and upgrade UCCX again.

Personally, I find upgrading via the .ISO mounted to the VMWare to be a lot easier and less time consuming.  You can get the .ISO uploaded and mounted ahead of the upgrade, which cuts down the time spent actually performing the upgrade.  Beyond that, there is less chance of failure at that stage.

[john.f.spencer]

What sort of problems did you have with 10.5-12.5?  You use PCD or OS Admin to upgrade?  Did you do a simple migration or upgrade?  At what point did you upgrade the VMtool (v13)?   Any issues with Contact Center 11.6 /Finesse agents after upgrade?

[alshakhsa]

First, Thank you for sharing your experience, highly appreciated.
second, we are using Redhat linux 6. why should I change it to Centos 7?
Third,I have also the UCCX , should I upgrade it first and then Upgrade the CUCM?
finally, which upgrading method is the easiest and best? is it by the SFTP/TFTP or using .ISO ?
Thank you very much

[Roger Kallberg]

---

@alshakhsa wrote:

First, Thank you for sharing your experience, highly appreciated.
second, we are using Redhat linux 6. why should I change it to Centos 7?
Third,I have also the UCCX , should I upgrade it first and then Upgrade the CUCM?
finally, which upgrading method is the easiest and best? is it by the SFTP/TFTP or using .ISO ?
Thank you very much

---

CM, CUPS and CUC are using CentOS  7, that’s why the version on the VM for guest OS needs to changed as part of the upgrade.

ISO that is put in the VM data store and mounted would be the quickest and safest option.

[Chris Deren]

Your environment has quite a few applications all of which have to be handled independently yet considering compatibility with other apps.  Have you done such upgrade before?  If not, you may want to considering professional as there are many things that can go wrong due to sometimes missing simple step in your plan.

[alshakhsa]

Actually, this is my first time upgrading CUCM. but I need some guidelines to do it. at least I need the requirements of version 12.5 for software and hardware side as well as the VM ware info.

Thanks

[Jaime Valencia]

That's within the docs I mentioned, you have a lot of reading to do if you want to do this yourself. 

As you have not done this before, I'm with, Chris, it would be in your best interest to hire a professional to do this. 

[davisjaron]

Have you performed upgrades on any Cisco systems in the past?  UCCX, Unity, or CIMP?  The process itself is similar.  If you've never upgraded a Cisco Collaboration product, I'm inclined to agree with them on consulting a professional.

[BalajiSivaraj49175 · Accepted solution]

Review the installation requirements and record the configurations settings for each server that you plan to
install.
Step 2 For every node in your cluster, create virtual machines using the Virtual Server Template (OVA file)
recommended for your current release.
Different OVA files are available; choose the correct OVA file based on the environment in which you are
deploying Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
Step 3 Place the installation ISO file in a location where the virtual machine can accessit and edit the virtual machine's
DVD drive to map to the file. Select the option to mount the DVD drive when you power on the virtual
machine.
When you power on the virtual machine, it will mount the ISO file and start the installation process. Do not
begin the installation process until you have completed all of the steps in this procedure.
Step 4 If you are installing a cluster or adding a node, verify that the links between servers meet the 80-ms round-trip
time (RTT) requirement and that you have enough bandwidth to support database replication

[BalajiSivaraj49175]

Step 5 If you are getting the system time from an NTP server (mandatory for VMware deployments), verify that the
publisher node can synchronize with the NTPserver before you install a subscriber node. Log into the Command
Line Interface on the publisher node and enter the following command: utils ntp status
To avoid potential compatibility, accuracy, and network jitter problems, the external NTP servers
that you specify for the primary node must be NTPv4 (version 4). If you are using IPv6 addressing,
external NTP servers must be NTP v4.
Note
For more information, see the Command Line Interface Reference Guide for Cisco Unifed Communications
Solutions.
If the publisher node fails to synchronize with an NTP server, installation of a subscriber node can
also fail.
Caution
Step 6 If your firewall is in the routing path, disable the firewall between nodes, if possible. Also, increase the firewall
timeout settings until after you complete the installation.
To temporarily allow network traffic in and out of the nodes (for example, setting the firewall rule for these
nodes to IP any/any) does not always suffice. The firewall might still close necessary network sessions
between nodes due to timeouts.
Step 7 Do not run Network Address Translation (NAT) or Port Address Translation (PAT) between servers where
you are installing Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
Step 8 Ensure that the network interface card (NIC) speed and duplex settings on the switch port are the same as
those that you plan to set on the new server.
For GigE (1000/FULL), you should set NIC and switch port settings to Auto/Auto; do not set hard values.
Step 9 Enable PortFast on all switch ports that are connected to Cisco servers. With Portfast enabled, the switch
immediately brings a port from the blocking state into the forwarding state by eliminating the forwarding
delay [the amount of time that a port waits before changing from its Spanning-Tree Protocol (STP) learning
and listening states to the forwarding state].
Step 10 If you use DNS, verify that all servers on which you plan to install Cisco Unified Communications Manager
are properly registered in DNS.

[BalajiSivaraj49175]

Download the license from from Existing licensing and upload the license in the product license registration apply new set of license in it

[BalajiSivaraj49175]

In the lower right corner of the screen, the count of Unused DLUs Remaining needs to equal 0. (DLU
is the acronym for Device License Unit.) Modify the parameters in the Adjust Recommended Count
column so that you get 0 Unused DLUs Remaining. Cisco recommends that you select the highest
value of license type that is most used in the cluster and that you consider a few higher if possible.
Remember, you can borrow licenses automatically with the licensing tool in CUCM. In this example,
select a number of CUWL Standard and CUWL Professional licenses and include a few Basic or
Enhanced licenses.