First Published: June 19, 2019

Last Updated: May 17, 2021

Introduction to Cisco Collaboration Systems

As part of our standard methodology for each Cisco Collaboration Systems Release, we:

  • Perform system-wide testing of Cisco Collaboration products to supplement the product-level testing performed on each collaboration product.

  • Recommend compatible software releases that were verified by the testing teams. The recommendations are not exclusive and are in addition to interoperability recommendations for each of the individual applications or products.

    For software compatibility data, see the Cisco Collaboration Systems Release Compatibility Matrix.


    Note
    Not all Collaboration System product release versions may be available at the same time. For latest product version availability, see individual product support pages at, Support and Downloads.

This document focuses on the Collaboration components tested as part of the Cisco Collaboration Systems Release. For information focused on Contact Center components that were tested as part of Cisco Collaboration Systems Release, see: Release Notes for Contact Center: Cisco Collaboration Systems Release at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/unified-communications/unified-communications-system/products-release-notes-list.html

This document provides release notes details based on the system-wide testing which includes the following types of components:

  • Call Control components, such as Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM and Presence Service, Cisco Business Edition, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express, and Cisco Unified Survivable Remote Site Telephony.

  • Conferencing components, such as Cisco Meeting Server, Cisco Meeting App, Cisco Meeting Management, Cisco TelePresence Management Suite, Cisco TelePresence Management Suite Provisioning Extension, and Cisco TelePresence Management Suite Extension for Microsoft Exchange.

  • Enterprise Edge components, such as Cisco Expressway Series and Cisco Unified Border Element.

  • Server Applications, such as Cisco Emergency Responder, Cisco Paging Server, and Cisco Unified Attendant Consoles.

  • Cloud and Hybrid Services, such as Cisco Webex Teams, Cisco Webex Meetings for Cisco Collaboration Meeting Rooms (CMR) Cloud, Cisco Webex Meetings Server, Cisco Webex Meetings, and Cloud Webex Edge Video Mesh.

  • Voicemail and Messaging components, such as Cisco Unity Connection and Cisco Unity Express.

  • Endpoint components, such as Cisco IP Phone Series, Cisco Webex Desk Series, Cisco Webex Room Series, Cisco TelePresence IX5000, Cisco Jabber, and Cisco Jabber Softphone for VDI.

  • Service Management components, such as Cisco Prime Collaboration.

  • Communication Gateway components, such as Cisco Integrated Services Routers (ISR).

Collaboration Release Alignment

Cisco Collaboration Systems Release 12.6 aligns with the following core Collaboration applications:

  • Cisco Unified Communications Manager 12.5(1)SU1

  • IM and Presence Service 12.5(1)SU1

  • Cisco Unity Connection 12.5(1)SU1

  • Cisco Emergency Responder 12.5(1)SU1

  • Cisco Expressway X12.5

  • Supported Cisco IP Phone 78xx and 88xx Series 12.5(1)SR3

  • Cisco Jabber (on Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac or Windows) 12.6

For a detailed breakdown of product components and up to date Recommended releases for the Cisco Collaboration Systems Release, see Cisco Collaboration Systems Release Compatibility Matrix.

Tested Functionality

System-wide testing was done for features and upgrade paths.

Feature Testing for 12.6

In Release 12.6, the following solution features were tested:

Simplicity Features (Ordering, Deploying, Managing and Upgrading)

  • Headset Provisioning and Management via Cisco Unified Communications Manager—You can now configure customized headset templates for Cisco headsets. In addition, Headset Serviceability updates let you manage your headset inventory and call diagnostics for headsets right from the Cisco Unified Communications Manager user interface.

  • Video Endpoint Provisioning via Cisco Unified Communications Manager—This feature makes it simpler to provision and manage Cisco TelePresence video endpoints. In addition to provisioning, administrators can also configure the Product-Specific Configuration fields that previously could be assigned only from the endpoint itself.

  • Enhanced Location Tracking for Cisco Jabber—The Location Awareness feature now includes location tracking for Cisco Jabber clients.

Mobile and Remote Access

  • Activation Code Onboarding over MRA—Device activation code support is enhanced to include the onboarding of supported 7800 and 8800 series phones over Mobile and Remote Access (MRA).

  • Active Control for Cisco Jabber over MRA—The Encrypted iX channel lets Cisco Jabber clients assume active control of conferences while connecting via MRA

  • SIP OAuth Mode for Cisco Jabber over MRA—SIP OAuth Mode privodes encrypted signalling and media without impacting the Certificate Authority Proxy Function (CAPF). This release updates SIP OAuth Mode support to include Cisco Jabber clients whom are connecting via MRA.

Security & Compliance Features

  • Encryption of Data at Rest—Self-encrypting hardware drives further enhance your deployment's security in the event that a hardware drive is lost or replaced.

Recording

  • CTI Monitoring for Mobile Recording—This feature provides CTI monitoring for the recording of calls over mobile devices. This feature provides partners in the financial industry with additional support that lets their system comply with MiFID requirements. (MiFID Phase I)

Licensing

  • Smart Licensing for CUBE—The Smart Licensing feature is updated to include licensing for the trunk side of a Cisco Unified Border Element.

Webex Calling Interop

  • Webex Calling Interop Updates—Webex interoperability updates include local gateway support.

Product-Specific Features

  • Session ID in Logs—New Session ID CDR and CMR records are added to Cisco Unified Communications Manager to provide additional call session analytics.

  • SIP Line Support for Gateway—VG450 and ISR 4461 gateways are enhanced to support FXS ports that register to Unfiied Communications Manager. This update lets you register analog phones as SIP endpoints.

Upgrade Paths

The system-wide functionality testing included verifying upgrade paths across various product components for a single stage upgrade from Cisco Collaboration Systems Release 12.0 to Cisco Collaboration Systems Release 12.5, 12.6, 12.7 and 12.8.

For a list of versions that are compatible with this release of Cisco Collaboration Systems, see the Cisco Collaboration Systems Compatibility Matrix.

New and Changed Features

For details about what is new for Cisco Collaboration Systems Release 12.5, 12.6, and 12.7 see the Solution Overview.

System Requirements

This section provides information about system requirements for this Cisco Collaboration Systems Release.

End-of-Sale Components

Product Components that are End of Sale

As of March 31, 2021, the following product components are End-of-Sale (EOS), but are still supported. Refer to the corresponding link for up to date information.

The EOS date is the last date to order the product through Cisco point-of-sale mechanisms. The product is no longer for sale. Another process, the end-of-life (EOL) cycle, guides the final business operations associated with the product.

The EOL process consists of a series of technical and business milestones and activities that, when completed, make a product obsolete. After a product becomes obsolete, it is not sold, manufactured, improved, repaired, maintained, or supported.

For information about recommended replacements and a comprehensive list of announcements, see Products & Services End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Products.

Go to End-of-Life Policy for more information about the EOL policy.

Software Versions

Refer to the below links for information on which software versions are End of Sale for that product component:

Deployment Considerations

This section lists deployment considerations for Cisco Collaboration Systems Release. Cisco Collaboration Systems validation does not test every rebuild. Therefore, more regression testing in a customer or Cisco-specific certification lab is recommended before deployment.


Note

For your reference, see the Cisco Collaboration Systems Release Design Guides.

When deploying Cisco Collaboration Systems, consider the following.

Component Versions

For current Cisco Collaboration Systems Release compatible component versions, refer to the Cisco Collaboration Systems Compatibility Matrix.


Note

Product-specific compatibility documents provide complete compatibility information between components.


Note
Not all Collaboration System product release versions may be available at the same time. For latest product version availability, see individual product support pages at, Support and Downloads.

Note

You can set up a virtualized environment by running collaboration applications on a virtual machine on a Unified Computing System (UCS). For more details, including UCS hardware information and third-party requirements, see:

https://www.cisco.com/go/virtualized-collaboration


Note
Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution (Cisco HCS) is a hosted solution that includes various Cisco Collaboration Systems release components. For more information about Cisco HCS, see: Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution and Cisco HCS Product Support.

Related Documentation

Product Documentation

For documentation that covers the product components that make up a Cisco Collaboration Systems Release, refer to the below table. For each product component, the table provides links to:

  • Product Overview pages, from which you can access general product information such as product data sheets and additional marketing material.

  • Documentation pages, from which you can access technical documentation such as release notes, design, installation, configuration, and troubleshooting guides.


Note

For details about which product versions are recommended for this Collaboration Systems Release, see Cisco Collaboration Systems Release Compatibility Matrix at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/uc_system/unified/communications/system/Compatibility/CSR-Compatibility-Matrix.html.

Table 1. Product Documentation Links

Component

Links

Calling

Cisco Unified Communications Manager

Cisco Webex Calling

Cisco Business Edition 6000

Cisco Business Edition 7000

Cisco Emergency Responder

Cisco Paging Server

Cisco Unified Attendant Console Standard

Cisco Unified Attendant Console Advanced

Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express

Cisco Unified Survivable Remote Site Telephony

Voicemail

Cisco Unity Connection

Cisco Unity Express

Messaging

Cisco Unified Communications Manager IM & Presence Service

Cisco Webex

Enterprise Edge

Cisco Expressway Series

Cisco Unified Border Element

Contact Center

Cisco Packaged Contact Center Enterprise

Cisco Unified Contact Center Express

Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise

Cisco Finesse

Cisco Unified Intelligence Center

Cisco Virtualized Voice Browser

Cisco Unified Intelligent Contact Management Enterprise

Cisco Unified Customer Voice Portal

Meetings

Cisco Meeting Server

Cisco Meeting App

Cisco Meeting Management

Cisco Webex Meetings

Cisco Webex Meetings Server

Cisco TelePresence Management Suite

Cisco TelePresence Management Suite Provisioning Extension

Cisco TelePresence Management Suite Extension for Microsoft Exchange

Cisco TelePresence Server on Virtual Machine (EOS)

Cisco TelePresence Server on Multiparty Media 820 (EOS)

Cisco TelePresence Conductor (EOS)

Cisco TelePresence MCU 5300 Series (EOS)

Cisco Collaboration Meeting Rooms (CMR) Cloud

Cisco Collaboration Meeting Rooms (CMR) Hybrid

Cisco TelePresence Video Communication Server
Note 
As of the publishing date, this product is still available, but the End of Sale date is announced.

Endpoints

Cisco Headset 500 Series

Cisco Headset 700 Series

Cisco Webex Board Series

Cisco Webex Desk Series

Cisco Webex Room Phone

Cisco Webex Room Series

Cisco Webex Share

Cisco TelePresence System EX Series (EOS)

Cisco TelePresence System 500-32 (EOS)

Cisco TelePresence System 500-37 (EOS)

Cisco TelePresence IX5000

Cisco TelePresence MX Series

Cisco TelePresence SX Series

Cisco TelePresence System 1100 (EOS)

Cisco TelePresence Integrator C Series (EOS)

Cisco TelePresence Precision 60 Camera

Cisco IP Phone 7800 Series

Cisco IP Phone 8800 Series

Cisco Jabber for Android

Cisco Jabber iPhone and iPad

Cisco Jabber for Mac

Cisco Jabber for Windows

Service Management

Cisco Prime Collaboration (Provisioning, Assurance)

Cisco Prime Collaboration (Deployment)

Cisco Webex Cloud-Connected UC

Cisco Directory Connector

Communication Gateways

Cisco IOS 15 M&T

Cisco IOS XE 16

Cisco Unified SIP Proxy

Cisco ATA 180 Series Analog Telephone Adapters

Cisco ATA 190 Series Analog Telephone Adapters

Cisco VG Series Gateways

Cisco ASR 1000 Routers

Cisco 2900 Series Integrated Services Routers (EOS)

Cisco 3900 Series Integrated Services Routers

Cisco 4000 Series Integrated Services Routers

Limitations and Restrictions

If you are a Cisco partner or a registered Cisco.com user with a Cisco service contract, you can use the Bug Search tool to find caveats of any severity for any release. Access Bug Search at: https://bst.cloudapps.cisco.com/bugsearch/.

We offer a Cisco Notification Service that allows you to set up one or more profiles. These profiles enable you to receive email notification of new Field Notices, Product Alerts, or End of Sale information for the products that you have selected. The Product Alert Tool is available at: https://www.cisco.com/cisco/support/notifications.html.

Important Notes

This section includes important notes related to the testing of this Cisco Collaboration Systems Release.

System Crashes when Allocating Memory for Multiple Threads Simultaneously

Cisco Unified Communications Manager has been observed to crash in situations with very heavy call loads. This may occur due to multiple threads allocating memory simultaneously. In normal conditions, this situation does not occur as simultaneous memory allocation would not occur.

For additional details, see CSCvn77809.

show dspfarm profile Information Not Displayed

In calls from endpoints that don’t support Keypad Markup Language (KPML), the show dspfarm profile command doesn’t show the actual resources being used. The profile shows only the SCCP connections. For more details, see CSCvd91119.

Caller-ID Not Changed After Transfer

On Cisco Webex Call phones, the caller-ID is not updated properly after a transfer from enterprise phones. For more details, see CSCve56223.

Support for Hostname When Configuring InformaCast Wizard

If you enter the FQDN of the InformaCast server on the Connecting to InformaCast page of the wizard, the install wizard for Emergency Notifications Paging may fail to connect to InformaCast. To work around this potential issue, enter the IP Address instead of the FQDN of the InformaCast.

For more details, see CSCvf58052.

Show Connection Status Not Updated After Unified Communications Manager Failover for Jabber in Mobile and Remote Access Deployment

When Jabber is registered using Mobile and Remote Access, the "Connection status" window shows connected address as the primary Unified Communications Manager, even after a Unified Communications Manager failover has happened, and the client is registered to the secondary Unified Communications Manager. For more information, see CSCuo89949.

Open Caveats

The following table lists known caveats, grouped by severity, related to Cisco Collaboration Systems Release testing. It also includes caveats from previous releases, which were not resolved at the time this document was written. For more information about each defect, click the linked caveat number in the Identifier column.

For information about a defect not listed in the table, go to Bug Search Tool.

Troubleshooting

For troubleshooting information, tips, and recommendations related to Cisco Collaboration Systems Releases, see individual product Troubleshooting Guides located in Component Documentation.