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System expansion requires the deployment of a new primary system, and the transfer of the system data from the original system to the expanded system. Expansion of a system requires that your existing Host licenses be re-hosted on the expanded system. (See Re-hosting Licenses after a Major System Modification.)
Remove secondary data centers (see Removing a Data Center).
Expand the primary, single-data center system.
Obtain MDC licenses for the expanded system and load the licenses on the primary system.
Create a new secondary data center of the same size as the primary data center.
Join the data centers (see Joining a Data Center to a MDC System.)
Budgeting for any additional hardware.
Anticipating the number of concurrent meetings and their average size over the next few months.
When an original system is upgraded or expanded, a parallel system is created. If there is time left in the trial period of the original system, that time is transferred to the upgraded or expanded system. Valid Permanent Host licenses on the original system can be transferred to an upgraded or expanded system by re-hosting the licenses.
Obtain the OVA file used to install the existing system version and complete the expansion checklist:
Field Name | Current Value For Your System |
---|---|
WebEx Site URL | |
Administration Site URL | |
Private VIP Address | |
Public VIP Address |
Note | Upgrading from an un-encrypted version to an encrypted version or upgrading from an encrypted version to an un-encrypted version is not supported. Obtain the OVA based upon your existing system deployment. |
When expanding a Multi-data Center (MDC) system, it is necessary to first remove any secondary data centers. (See Removing a Data Center.)
Step 1 | Sign in to the
Administration site.
In a Multi-data Center system, the DNS determines which data center Dashboard appears. All data centers can be managed from this Dashboard. | ||
Step 2 | If you are expanding a MDC system, remove the all but the primary data center. | ||
Step 3 | If you are
expanding n MDC system, create a new data center running Cisco WebEx Meeting
Server to be joined after the primary system is expanded.
See Joining Data Centers to Create a Multi-data Center (MDC) System. | ||
Step 4 | Create a backup of the original system. (See Creating a Backup by using VMware vCenter.) | ||
Step 5 | Turn on Maintenance Mode. See
Turning Maintenance Mode On or Off for Version 2.5 and Later.
Unless you are expanding a system, we recommend that you take a snapshot of each virtual machine. (See Taking a Snapshot by using VMware vCenter.) Turning on Maintenance Mode on all active data centers shuts down conferencing activity and prevents users from signing in to the WebEx site, scheduling meetings, joining meetings, or playing meeting recordings. If this data center is part of a Multi-data Center (MDC) system and another data center is active, in-progress meetings will fail over to the active data center. This might cause a brief interruption in active meetings. See About Maintenance Mode for information about which system tasks require Maintenance Mode to be turned on. | ||
Step 6 | Select Continue. | ||
Step 7 | Select . | ||
Step 8 | Select Expand System Size. | ||
Step 9 | Select
Continue.
Your system checks connectivity to the virtual machines. If there are connectivity problems with one or more virtual machines, you must fix the problems before you can continue. If there are no connectivity problems, your system performs an automatic backup. After the backup is complete, you are notified that you can proceed with your expansion. | ||
Step 10 | Using the VMware vSphere client, select Deploying the OVA File From the VMware vSphere Client.) on the virtual machines for the original system. (See | ||
Step 11 | Using the
vSphere client, deploy the Admin virtual machine for the new system size.
If you are performing an automatic expansion, we will create the other virtual machines for your system. If you are performing a manual expansion, you can create the other virtual machines for your system. | ||
Step 12 | Attach Hard disk 4 from the original system Admin virtual machine to the Admin virtual machine for the expanded system. (See Attaching an Existing VMDK File to a New Virtual Machine.) | ||
Step 13 | Power on the
Admin virtual machine for the expanded system and write down the deployment
URL.
If you are performing an automatic expansion, we will power on the other virtual machines for your system. If you are performing a manual expansion, power on the other virtual machines for your system. | ||
Step 14 | Enter the deployment URL into a web browser and continue the deployment of your expanded system. | ||
Step 15 | Select your preferred language for the deployment of the expanded system. (See Selecting Your Language for Setup.) | ||
Step 16 | Select . | ||
Step 17 | Confirm the
system size. (See
Confirming the Size of Your System.)
This system size must be larger than or equal to the original system. | ||
Step 18 | Select Install a primary system. | ||
Step 19 | Select
automatic or manual deployment. (See
Choosing the Type of Deployment.)
If you chose manual deployment, continue to the next step. If you chose automatic deployment: Use the same OVA file you used to deploy your original system and deploy the Admin virtual machine for the new system size. Your system notifies you once the expansion is complete. | ||
Step 20 | If you want
public access for your expanded system, then ensure there is a check in the
Create
an Internet Reverse Proxy virtual machine check box. Otherwise,
uncheck this check box. (See
Adding Public Access to Your System by using IRP.)
If you have chosen to add public access: | ||
Step 21 | Enter the
public VIP address for the WebEx site URL. (See
Entering the Public VIP Address.)
You can enter the same public VIP address that you use for your original system, or change it to a new IP address. If you change it, then make the necessary updates in the DNS server. | ||
Step 22 | Enter the
private VIP address for the WebEx site URL. (See
Entering the Private VIP Address.)
You may enter the same private VIP address that you use for your original system, or change it to a new IP address. If you change it, then make the necessary updates in the DNS server. | ||
Step 23 | Enter the
WebEx Common site URL. (See
Entering the WebEx Common Site and Administration Site URLs.)
Participants access this URL to host and attend meetings. This URL resolves to the private VIP address or the public VIP address, depending on whether or not you are using a split-horizon DNS. You may enter the same WebEx site URL that you use for your original system, or change to a new one. If you do change it, then make the necessary updates in the DNS server. Retain your original site URL on the DNS server. Redirect your original site URL to the new site URL. If users attempt to use the original URL and you have not redirected it to the new URL, they will not be able to host or join meetings. | ||
Step 24 | Enter the
WebEx Administration site URL for administrators to access the Cisco WebEx
Administration site. (See
Entering the WebEx Common Site and Administration Site URLs.)
This URL resolves to the private VIP address. You can enter the same WebEx site URL that you use for your original system, or change to a new one. If you do change it, then make the necessary updates in the DNS server. Retain your original site URL on the DNS server. Redirect your original site URL to the new site URL. If users attempt to use the original URL and you have not redirected it to the new URL, they will not be able to host or join meetings. | ||
Step 25 | Verify that you have made all the networking, DNS server, and firewall configuration changes required for your system. (See Confirming that the Network is Configured Correctly.) | ||
Step 26 | After your virtual machines have deployed successfully, select Next to continue to the system check. (See Deploying Virtual Machines.) Along with the system check, we update the expanded system with any required updates to match the software version of the original system, before expansion. (These updates might take up to an hour.) When complete, the system restarts. (See Checking the System.) | ||
Step 27 | Select Restart. | ||
Step 28 | Sign in to the
Administration site.
In a Multi-data Center system, the DNS determines which data center Dashboard appears. All data centers can be managed from this Dashboard. | ||
Step 29 | If you are expanding a MDC system, Join it to the MDC system. (See Joining a Data Center to a MDC System.) | ||
Step 30 | Turn off Maintenance Mode. See
Turning Maintenance Mode On or Off for Version 2.5 and Later.
When you turn off Maintenance Mode, the system determines if a restart (takes approximately 3 - 5 minutes) or a reboot (takes approximately 30 minutes) is required and displays the appropriate message. If this data center is part of a Multi-data Center (MDC) system, the administrator is re-directed to the global admin URL. The data center that the administrator sees is determined by the DNS resolution policy. If Key Regeneration is enabled, taking one data center out of Maintenance Mode automatically takes all data centers in the system out of Maintenance Mode. Meeting service for users on this data center is restored. | ||
Step 31 | Select
Continue.
The
system restarts. You can sign into the Administration site when the restart is
completed.
| ||
Step 32 | Test the
expanded system. (See
About System Testing.)
If the expansion is unsuccessful, then power off the expanded system and power on the original system. If necessary, contact Cisco TAC for further assistance. | ||
Step 33 | Re-host the Host licenses or the MDC licenses as appropriate for the expanded system. (See Re-hosting Licenses after a Major System Modification.) |