BE6K Unity Connection Deployment Options

[ysloh]

Hi

In the deployment of BE6K cluster consisting of 2 nodes, what are the deployment options available for the Unity Connection applications ? Does BE6K supports the deployment of 2 separate Unity Connection instances (operating independently) ? Is active/passive HA supported ?

What are the network bandwidth requirements for these supported deployment options ?

[R. Clayton Miller]

Unity Connection would be run in an active/active clustered configuraiton with a VM on each server.  I don't know why you would want to run two unclusted VMs, unless you had some mutitenant administration requirement or something.

For BW considerations between the servers, as well as clustering benefits and guidelines see the SRND:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/9x/design/guide/9xcucdg060.html#wp1053006

[ysloh]

The concern is over the bandwidth requirements to deploy the Unity Connection active/active cluster over a WAN. If we forgo the HA capability, is deployment of 2 separate instance of Unity Connection supported in BE6K ?

[R. Clayton Miller · Accepted solution]

The idea behind the BE6000 marketing bundle is that it is designed to support up to 1000 users per system, given the lower cost C220M3 server configuration (SATA drives).  In a Unity Cxn HA cluster running A/A, 500/500 would be ideal.  If you place both Unity Cxn servers in standalone mode with 500 users each, I can't see that offering any different load on the system.  So you should be ok, just realize if you separate the UCM cluster across a WAN, you also have a BW requirement to meet, although this is much less most likey - min 3Mbps but depends on your busy hour calculations.  UCM BW requirement is discussed in the main UC SRND.

[Ramon Romero Rodriguez]

Just an update for the Unity Connection on BE6k:

"The Unity Connection cluster feature is not supported for use with Cisco Business Edition."

You will find this statement at the Unity Connection SRND:
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/10x/design/guide/10xcucdgx/10xcucdg060.html#pgfId-1050709

Best Regards

[R. Clayton Miller]

Hi Ramon, I have to admit that is bad wording in the CUC SRND and I have asked the product team to change that statement.  It actually refers to the older Business Edition 5000 server..  The BE5000 was a combined UCM/CUC app running on bare metal and did not support HA.  If you go back as far as the CUC 7.0 design guide, you will see this same statement - BE6000/BE7000 did not exist in the 7.0 time frame. 

[Ramon Romero Rodriguez]

Hi Clay,

I also want to do some clarification, I did more research today and the correction is:

BE6k does support HA and Clustering (also CoW).

It is not supported with BE3k and BE5k as you say, due to they were on the same VM as the CUCM.

Regards and sorry for the confusion.

[priyank.kiran]

Hi Clay and Ramon,

Does this also hold true for Intrasite and Intersite CUC networking on the BE6Ks? Right now the SRND suggests that CUC cluster networking is not supported with the Business Editions.

Thanks,

Priyank

[R. Clayton Miller · Accepted solution]

BE6000 and BE7000 support CUC clustering for local HA and CoW HA.  Voicemail Networking (if that is what you are referring to) is a cluster to cluster feature, and is supported as well.
 

[priyank.kiran]

Thanks for your prompt response!

Yes, was referring to the voicemail networking. So for example, there is one Unity Connection cluster on the east coast and other Connection cluster on the west coast for the same company and all of them reside on BE6000 platforms.

Does that mean the product team will possibly be changing the SRND wording for CUC networking sections as well?

Priyank

[R. Clayton Miller]

As we state above, you really have to take the "Business Edition" legacy verbiage in context, because historically that referred to the much more restrictive BE5000, BE3000 platforms that are both at end of sale.  I will bring this back up with the BU to make any SRND corrections.  BE6000 in particular have very few if any feature restrictions - it is mainly a marketing bundle designed for a fixed scalability.