Sunday, June 27, 2010

Understanding Callmanager Services

There are 2 groups of services in Callmanager.

1. Networks Services, these services are required for basic functionality you cannot activate or deactivate them. But you can stop/start/restart them in case of troubleshooting. The expected status of these services should be "Running".

2. Feature Services, these services are required for application feature, you can activate/deactivate/stop/start/restart them. Depending on your environment, you should activate only necessary services to reduce resource consumption.

Before activate these services I would recommend you to change CM hostname to IP Address in System> Server page configuration. This will tell the IP Phones to use IP Address instead when they're registering to Callmanager (DNS Server is required if you set it to hostname).

CM Services

Cisco CallManager - This service is used for call control function including features such as Call Pickup, Call Park, Hunt Group, etc...

Cisco TFTP - When IP Phone is booting up it will contact this service to get the list of Callmanager that it should register.

Cisco Messaging Interface - This service use the serial port of Callmanager to send SMDI message to 3rd party voice-mail system. In most case you don't need to activated this service.

Cisco Unified Mobile Voice Access Service - This service is required if you plan to use features like the following
1. Mobile Connect - Incoming call to IP Phone also ring to your mobile phone simultaneously
2. Enterprise Feature Access or Mobile Voice Access - You dial-in from your mobile phone to Callmanager and use the call control function as if you're using the IP Phone (I'll explain how to configure it in another article).

Cisco IP Voice Media Streaming App - This service is used for the application like music on hold (MoH), Annunciator.

Cisco CTIManager - This service is required for JTAPI/TAPI applications will connect such as Cisco UCCX, Arc Console Connect, Cisco Attendant Console, Cisco IPMA, QRT.

Cisco Extension Mobility - Activate this service if you plan to use extension mobility feature (You can login to IP Phone anywhere in the network to get your phone profiles).

Cisco Extended Functions - Activate this service if you plan to use Quality Report Tool (QRT) softkey to submit voice quality feedback from IP Phone back to the system.

Cisco Dialed Number Analyzer - This service is used for Numbering Plan Diagnostic. You can use this tool to analyze what the number pattern matched for a certain dialed-number.

Cisco DHCP Monitor Service - Activate this service if you use CM Server act as a DHCP Server.

CTI Services

Cisco CallManager Attendant Console Server - Activate this service if you plan to use attendant console software (free version). Note that beginning with V7.0 attendant console software will not be available to download from Callmanager plug-in page. But you can still use the software from V6.x to connect to this service in V7.x, Cisco has a plan to remove this service in V8.x.

Cisco IP Manager Assistant - Activate this service if you plan to use IPMA feature. If you don't know what it is just do not activate it.

Cisco WebDialer Web Service - Activate this service if you plan to use click-to-call feature (You can make an outgoing call by click the number on the web page or click-to-call program).

CDR Services
Cisco SOAP - CDRonDemand Service - Activate this service if you have 3rd party billing application that query CDR record directly to CM Server via SOAP.

Cisco CAR Web Service - Activate this service if you want to access CDR Analysis and Reporting page to see call data such as user call log, gateway utilization, etc...

Database and Admin Services

Cisco AXL Web Service - AXL Service is used for accepting the AXL client SOAP request to update Callmanager configuration. For example in hotel business will use PMS to send AXL SOAP request to update CSS to guest room phone, when guest checked-in they can call outside, when guest checked-out phone cannot call out.

Cisco UXL Web Service - Activate this service if you allow user to use Personal Address Book.

Cisco Bulk Provisioning Service - This service is used for administrator to add/update many phones at the same time, import phones from csv file, update all phone configuration, etc...

Cisco TAPS Service - This service is used to update phone MAC-Addresses when you create dummy MAC addresses for Callmanager auto-register. This service require Cisco CRS Server to function.

Performance and Monitoring Services

Cisco Serviceability Reporter - Activated this service to generate daily report for particular statistics, you access the archived report in Tools> Serviceability Reports Archive.

Cisco CallManager SNMP Service - Activated this service for server performance monitoring like CPU usage, memory usage, etc...

Security Services

Cisco CTL Provider - This service work with CTL Provider Utility to change security mode for the cluster. If you don't know what it is just do not activate it.

Cisco Certificate Authority Proxy Function - This service is used for issue/upgrade/retrieve/delete phone certificate, the example for phone certificate using is SRTP. If you don't know what it is just do not activate it.

Directory Services

Cisco DirSync - This service is used to integrate Callmanager user database with external directory service, for example you can integrate Callmanager user directory to Microsoft Active Directory user.


How to install cisco callmanager in VMware

This article will show you the step by step to install Cisco Callmanager V7.0. It also apply to V6.x and V8.0.x with a little bit different menu.

Hardware Setup: VMware with 1GB of RAM, HDD 80GB, 1CPU.
Note: For Callmanager V8.0 2GB of RAM is required.

Step1. Media check, select No to skip (media checking quite take time to complete).

Step2. For V7.0 you will see the warning about VMware is not supported platform in production environment, select Agree to continue.

Step3. Product Deployment Selection, select Cisco Unified Communications Manager and click OK.

Step4. The installation will show you the current version on hard drive and the version that are going to be installed, just select Yes to continue.

Step5. Apply Patch, select No. (If you have patch you can apply it later).

Step6. Import Windows Data, select No.

Step7. Timezone Configuration, select your timezone.

Step8. NIC auto negotiation, select Yes.

Step9. MTU Size, select No to keep the default MTU.

Step10. DHCP Configuration, select No we will use static IP Address.

Step11. Enter Host name, IP Address, Subnet Mask and Gateway for your CM Server.

Step12. DNS Configuration, If you have DNS Server enter your DNS Server IP Address and domain otherwise select No.

Step13. Administration Login Configuration, enter your administrator id and password, this account will be used in console administration interface (command line).

Step14. Certificate Information, enter your detail to generate self-sign certificate for CM Server.

Step15. First Node Configuration, since this is our CM publisher server select Yes.

Step16. NTP Configuration, If you have NTP Server to synchronize time select Yes otherwise choose No.

Step17. If you don't use NTP Server the installation will prompt you to manually enter your date&time.

Step18. Security Password, enter password that used for secure communication between cluster (when you're installing CM subscriber you have to enter the same password here).

Step19. SMTP Configuration, If you have mail server select Yes otherwise choose No.

Step20. Application User, enter your administrator id and password, this account will be used in web administration.

Step21. After enter all information, Select OK to begin the installation.

Step22. Wait about 1 hour, finished.

Note: After install V7.0 in VMware I've found some issues.

1. Every time the image is booting up it'll always ask you to agree to used it in VMware.
2. CM Server never sync to NTP Server.

Upgrade to V7.1.3 will eliminate these issues and this version also install VMware tool during upgrade to improve performance.