Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch Release 1.7 Administration Guide
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Table Of Contents

Preface

Contents

General Description

New in CTMS Release 1.7.2

Video Quality for Scheduled Meetings

Quality Value Displayed in Active Meetings Page

Cisco WebEx User Password Expiration or Reset

Cisco WebEx Via Proxy Server

Cisco TelePresence WebEx OneTouch Enhanced With Cisco Media Experience Engine Interoperability

New in CTMS Release 1.7.0

Cisco TelePresence WebEx OneTouch

Cisco Media Experience Engine Interoperability

Cisco Unified Videoconferencing 7.1 and Cisco Unified Videoconferencing Manager Interoperability

Director Controls in the CTMS Web UI

Dual-Presentation Streams

Conference Control Protocol for Web Services

Reverse Message Polarity (Smart Media)

Meeting Termination and Extension Policy and CTMS Resources

Manageability Improvements

TIP Support

Cisco TelePresence Commercial Express Version of CTMS Release 1.7

New in CTMS Release 1.6

Standard Event Controls: VIP Mode, Auto Lecture Mode, and Boardroom Mode

Professional Event Controls: Director Controls Through the CTMS Administrative CLI

High Definition Interoperability

Extended Reach

System Requirements

CTMS Administration Guide Organization

Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request


Preface

Created: September 2010
Revised: April 2011

Contents

•General Description

•New in CTMS Release 1.7.2

•New in CTMS Release 1.7.0

•New in CTMS Release 1.6

•System Requirements

•CTMS Administration Guide Organization

•Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request

General Description

The Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch (CTMS) is designed to support multipoint (multi-location) Cisco TelePresence meetings for up to 48 table segments (48 single-screen systems, 16 three-screen systems, or a mix of both) in a single meeting. Table 1 summarizes some of the features of the CTMS:

Table 1 CTMS Features 

Feature
Benefit

Scalability

CTMS is designed to support small workgroup applications to large Cisco TelePresence multipoint meetings. Up to 48 table segments are supported.

Simple scheduling and "one-button-to-push" dialing

CTMS and integration with Cisco TelePresence System Manager (CTS-Man) allow scheduling through enterprise calendaring tools (for example, Microsoft Outlook), providing easy one-button-to-push call launch for both point-to-point and multipoint meetings.

Scheduled, static, and ad hoc meeting support

CTMS supports scheduled and static meetings for dial in. During any active meeting, users with Meeting Scheduler privileges can add another party using the CTMS administrative software.

Users with Meeting Scheduler privileges can also create ad hoc meetings.

Audio add-in

Audio only participants can be added to any multipoint meeting by touching the Confrn softkey on the CTS phone.

Video switching

Voice-activated room and speaker video switching is supported. Additionally, static mapping and locking endpoint segments in a meeting are supported using Director Controls.

Video announce

Upon joining the meeting, Cisco TelePresence rooms will be shown to all other rooms for two seconds. This prevents a muted room from joining without being noticed.

Troubleshooting and monitoring tools

To troubleshoot CTMS issues, the CTMS administrative UI includes system messages, process status, system information, and log files. It also provides a means of monitoring active meetings and system resources.

Call detail records

Call records provide meeting beginning and ending information as well as meeting participant details. Call records are included in cdr.log, which you can access using the Troubleshoot > Log Files page of the CTMS administrative UI.

Interoperability

Cisco TelePresence is based on open standards, including SIP, H.264. AAC-LD RAW, G.711, and G.722. With Cisco TelePresence System (CTS) Release 1.6, Cisco TelePresence supports interoperability between Cisco TelePresence systems and traditional video conferencing/video telephony endpoints using the Cisco Unified Videoconferencing 5230 series MCS (CUVC).

Network Time Protocol

CTMS supports Network Time Protocol (NTP); NTP is used to synchronize the clocks on Cisco IP telephony servers with an external network time server that uses NTP.

HTTP Proxy

CTMS supports an inbound HTTP Proxy. The external URL provides CTMS web services for external third-party web service clients in an intercompany communication environment. You can set up the external URL in the Configure > Services page of the CTMS administrative UI.

Security Features

CTMS supports the following security features:

•Multipoint Encryption (MPE)

•Media Encryption in the absence of Secure SIP Signalling

•Secure Web-Services communication between CTMS and CTS-Man

•Cisco WebEx proxy server


New in CTMS Release 1.7.2

Video Quality for Scheduled Meetings

In CTMS releases before 1.7.2, the video quality of a scheduled multipoint meeting was determined by the endpoint with the lowest video quality.

Release 1.7.2 introduces an enhanced approach to determining the video quality of a scheduled meeting. From the list of scheduled participating endpoints, CTMS now determines the endpoint with the highest video quality and sets the meeting to that quality.

The video quality of a scheduled meeting is also affected by the setting of the Allow Downspeed attribute, which can be accessed in the Default Meeting Settings page of the CTMS Administrative UI. By default, this attribute is set to Yes, which means that if an endpoint with lower video quality joins a higher quality meeting, CTMS adjusts the quality of all endpoints to match the lower quality endpoint. If the parameter is set to No, an endpoint with a lower video quality is not allowed to join the meeting because of the quality mismatch.

For a summary of how video quality is determined for all meeting types, see the "Understanding How Video Quality Is Determined For Multipoint Meetings" section on page 28.

Quality Value Displayed in Active Meetings Page

As a result of the video quality enhancements described in the "Video Quality for Scheduled Meetings" section, the value of the Quality attribute displayed in the Manage > Active Meetings page has been updated in CTMS 1.7.2. This attribute now displays the current meeting quality, factoring in the dynamic changes made by the CTMS as endpoints join and leave the meeting, and per the setting of the Allow Downspeed attribute.

For more information on the Manage > Active Meetings page, see the "Active Meetings" section on page 2. For more information on the Allow Downspeed attribute, see the "Default Settings" section on page 24.

Cisco WebEx User Password Expiration or Reset

A user's Cisco WebEx password can expire, or the Cisco WebEx administrator might reset the user's password but they never use the new password. If either of these events occurred and the user tries to start a scheduled multipoint meeting with Cisco WebEx, the phone UI displays this message:

WebEx account issue, please check your WebEx account.

After receiving this message, the user must specify a new Cisco WebEx password as follows:

•If the user's password expired, they should log into their Cisco WebEx website with the expired password. They will then be prompted to set a new password.

•If the user's password was reset, they should find the reset notification email sent by the Cisco WebEx administrator. This email should include a URL from which they can log in and set a new password. If they cannot find the email, they can contact the Cisco WebEx administrator.

After specifying a new password, the user should be aware of the following points:

•They do not need to re-authenticate with the WebEx server because the Cisco WebEx account itself did not undergo any changes.

•They will be able to join Cisco Webex meetings scheduled after they specify their new password, but they will not be able to join any Cisco Webex meetings scheduled before they specify their new password.

For complete information on using Cisco WebEx conferencing, see the Cisco TelePresence System User Guide, which you can access at this location:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/partner/products/ps8332/products_user_guide_list.html

Cisco WebEx Via Proxy Server

Note To successfully use this feature, both CTMS and CTS-Manager must be running software version 1.7.2.

To maintain the Cisco WebEx server's anonymity, a precaution that provides an additional layer of security, you can set up a proxy server through which the CTMS and Cisco WebEx TelePresence gateway communicate.

For complete information on how to configure the proxy server for CTMS as well as CTS-Manager, see the Cisco TelePresence WebEx OneTouch Configuration Guide for the Cisco TelePresence System at the following location:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps8332/products_installation_and_configuration_guides_list.html

Cisco TelePresence WebEx OneTouch Enhanced With Cisco Media Experience Engine Interoperability

Note This feature will be available in an upcoming release.

Media Experience Engine (MXE) integration with Cisco TelePresence WebEx OneTouch requires a new version of MXE software that will be qualified with the CTMS and CTS-Manager in an upcoming release.

New in CTMS Release 1.7.0

Cisco TelePresence WebEx OneTouch

The Cisco TelePresence WebEx OneTouch bridging solution integrates the Cisco WebEx conferencing server with Cisco TelePresence multipoint meetings. When the first CTS endpoint connects to a meeting, the CTMS automatically connects with the Cisco WebEx conferencing server. The presentation and audio are automatically shared.

For information about configuring CTMS for Cisco TelePresence WebEx OneTouch interoperability, see the Cisco TelePresence WebEx OneTouch Configuration Guide for the Cisco TelePresence System, which is available at this location:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps8332/products_installation_and_configuration_guides_list.html

Cisco Media Experience Engine Interoperability

CTMS release 1.7 supports the Cisco Media Experience Engine (MXE), which provides interoperability between video conferencing (VC) endpoints. The MXE acts as a transcoder for the VC endpoints that want to join a TelePresence multipoint meeting or dial directly to a CTS endpoint.

All scheduled MXE meetings that include one or more CTS endpoints are multipoint and therefore involve the CTMS.

The following are caveats for interoperability with the MXE in CTMS release 1.7:

•A meeting with only VC endpoints is considered to be a non-TelePresence meeting and is in error state in CTS-Manager.

•VC endpoints dial into scheduled meetings and do not have One-Button-to-Push (OBTP) functionality.

•CTS endpoints in the multipoint meeting must be running CTS release 1.5, 1.6, or 1.7. If the CTS endpoint is running release 1.5, the meeting does not support HD.

•The MXE currently supports the presentation audio stream only. As a result, the VC endpoints receive only the audio stream from a CTS presentation with audio. The endpoints currently do not receive the video stream.

•If a multipoint meeting includes an MXE VC room, Cisco TelePresence WebEx OneTouch is not supported.

•CTS-Manager allows the scheduling of a meeting with an MXE or a Cisco Unified Videoconferencing (CUVC) device. It does not allow the scheduling of a meeting that includes both devices.

Cisco Unified Videoconferencing 7.1 and Cisco Unified Videoconferencing Manager Interoperability

CTMS release 1.7 supports interoperability with Cisco Unified Videoconferencing (CUVC) 7.1 and CUVC Manager (CUVC-M).

The following are caveats to interoperability with a CUVC when a Cisco Tandberg Video Communication Server (VCS) is used to dial into the CUVC:

•Using a VCS as a proxy to dial in to a CUVC is not a supported configuration. If endpoints use a VCS as a proxy, the CUVC audio mixer might terminate, which results in audio failure. CTS endpoints in an Interop meeting with CUVC 7.x might not see or hear video conference callers. These callers might not connect to CUVC or might be connected without audio. SIP calls are rejected with SIP return code "603 declined." This conditions occurs with or without CUVC-M in the call path.

If this condition occurs, you must reboot the CUVC to restore service and place calls directly from Cisco Tandberg endpoints to the CUVC.

•The Movi client is not supported on CUVC.

Director Controls in the CTMS Web UI

Director Controls, one of several ways to set what rooms and room segments in active meetings see and hear, was available only through the CLI in CTMS release 1.6. In CTMS release 1.7, Director Controls functionality is also accessible through the Web user interface after the feature is enabled through the CLI.

For information about using Director Controls in the Web user interface, see the "Director Controls" section on page 9 of Chapter 5, "Managing CTMS Meetings."

Dual-Presentation Streams

CTMS release 1.7 introduces additional quality when a Presentation Codec (CTS-HFR-COLLAB) is used. If an endpoint that is presenting includes this optional codec, two presentation streams are sent. Depending on the capability of the participating endpoints, both streams are sent at 5 frames per second (FPS) and 30 FPS, or at 1 FPS and 30 FPS. This feature adds approximately 500 kbps bandwidth to a call.

Conference Control Protocol for Web Services

CTMS uses Conference Control Protocol (CCP) to provide CTS endpoints with access to in-meeting functions, such as the participant list; room or speaker switching policies; and the lock meeting feature.

The participant list should include all endpoints, including audio add-ins. However, if an audio add-in is included through a CTS 1.6 or older endpoint, the audio add-in is not included in the participant list.

CCP is delivered over HTTP or HTTPS and can be forwarded to HTTP proxies in a secure enterprise domain where direct HTTP Internet access is not possible.

For information about configuring access to Web services, see the "Services" section on page 14 of Chapter 3, "Configuring CTMS Administration Software."

Reverse Message Polarity (Smart Media)

Reverse Message Polarity (RMP), also known as Smart Media, provides CTMS with a way to classify the quality of video streams. These streams can then be targeted for quality adjustments.

For information about how RMP works, see "Understanding Reverse Message Polarity" section on page 14 of Chapter 6, "Troubleshooting and Monitoring CTMS."

Meeting Termination and Extension Policy and CTMS Resources

A meeting organizer or participant might want to extend a scheduled meeting beyond its scheduled end time. CTMS has a limited number of audio and video resources, so the CTS-Manager (CTS-Man) administrator must create a policy that determines how the CTMS handles termination and extension. This policy indicates who can extend and for how many minutes.

The CTMS administrator does not have to configure anything for meeting termination and extension to work. The CTMS accepts the configured policy from the CTS-Man and handles CTMS resources according to that policy.

For information about how the CTS-Man meeting termination and extension policy affects CTMS resources, see the "Understanding Meeting Termination, Meeting Extension, and CTMS Resources" section on page 18 of Chapter 5, "Managing CTMS Meetings."

Manageability Improvements

Troubleshoot > System Messages in the CTMS web interface provides a list of messages about CTMS events or conditions that might affect the performance of endpoints in a multipoint meeting. In CTMS release 1.7, a column called "Recommendation" has been added to this list page. When appropriate, a message includes a recommendation for troubleshooting the cause of the event or condition.

For information about system messages, see the "System Messages" section on page 2 of Chapter 6, "Troubleshooting and Monitoring CTMS." Also, see Appendix A "System Messages."

TIP Support

CTMS release 1.7 supports Telepresence Interoperability Protocol (TIP) version 6.0 and version 7.0.

Cisco TelePresence Commercial Express Version of CTMS Release 1.7

The Cisco TelePresence Commercial Express product bundle is delivered as a single Cisco MCS server with one or more Cisco TelePresence application DVDs, license keys, and instructions to install the product, including the recommended VMware configuration. During installation, the common infrastructure component within the Cisco applications detects the VMware and identifies it as supported hardware.

Once you have VMware installed on your system, the basic procedure to install CTS-Manager, CTMS, and CTRS are the same. You can install the CTMS and CTRS in any order once you have installed, configured, and set up licensing for CTS-Manager.

For Commercial Express versions of CTMS, the number of schedulable segments and the number of ad hoc and static segments is determined by the Commercial Express license, which is loaded in CTS-Manager. After you have set up licensing in CTS-Manager, the CTMS administrator can reconfigure the number of ad hoc and static segments to any number less than the total number of permitted segments.

New in CTMS Release 1.6

Note For the most recent version of the CTMS Release 1.6 Administration Guide and Command Reference, see the online version of the document at the following URL:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps7315/tsd_products_support_series_home.html

Standard Event Controls: VIP Mode, Auto Lecture Mode, and Boardroom Mode

In addition to VIP Mode, which was supported in previous releases, CTMS Release 1.6.0 supports Auto Lecture Mode and Boardroom Mode. All modes enable the CTMS administrator to manage the audio and video for specific events.

•Auto Lecture Mode

With CTMS Release 1.6.0, CTMS supports Auto Lecture Mode. When Auto Lecture Mode is enabled for a particular multipoint meeting (using the CMTS administrative GUI), the first speaker or room speaking uninterrupted for 60 seconds (60 seconds is the default) becomes the "lecturer." In Auto Lecture Mode, all sites see the "lecturing" speaker or room based on the switching policy (room or speaker). The lecturing site sees a scrolling view of all rooms in the meeting; a new room is displayed every 10 seconds (10 seconds is the default). During the meeting, if someone other than the lecturer speaks for approximately 2 seconds (approximately 2 seconds is the default), the lecturer is reset and the meeting returns to its standard switching policy. A lecturer is set again as soon as someone speaks uninterrupted for 60 seconds.

When organizing an interoperability meeting, keep in mind that CTS endpoints only can assume the role of "lecturer." CUVC endpoints cannot assume this role.

You can customize the Auto Lecture Mode default times by entering the set damping command in the CTMS admin CLI. See the CTMS release 1.6 command reference for information about this command:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps7315/prod_command_reference_list.html

•Boardroom

With CTMS Release 1.6.0, CTMS supports Boardroom Mode through the CTMS administrative GUI. Boardroom Mode allows for a highly customized boardroom configuration. When Boardroom Mode is enabled for a particular multipoint meeting, the administrator must first set a room as the boardroom. Then the administrator can specify presenters. The boardroom must use a CTS 3x00. Boardroom Mode must be enabled through the CTMS administrative CLI in order to use this feature from the CTMS administrative GUI.

Professional Event Controls: Director Controls Through the CTMS Administrative CLI

With CTMS Release 1.6.0, CTMS supports Director Controls. Director Controls allows an administrator to take complete control of any multipoint meeting. Large events or scripted meetings often require manual mapping and locking of video and mapping or muting of video on a per-segment basis. With Director Controls, an advanced administrator can script and control large multipoint meetings. CTMS release 1.6 provides Director Controls through the CTMS admin CLI. See the CTMS release 1.6 command reference for a complete list of commands:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps7315/prod_command_reference_list.html

Note To use the CLI commands for Director Controls, the CTMS and CTS must run software release 1.6 or a later release.

High Definition Interoperability

With CTMS Release 1.6, Cisco TelePresence supports high definition interoperability between Cisco TelePresence systems and other video conferencing/video telephony endpoints using the Cisco Unified Videoconferencing 5230 MCU using CUVC Release 7.0 software (CUVC 7.0).

Extended Reach

With CTMS Release 1.6, you can enable or disable Extended Reach (the default is enabled). With Extended Reach enabled, if a T1/E1 endpoint joins a meeting, Conference Manager downgrades the meeting quality to 720p Lite. All 720p Lite endpoints are kept in the meeting, but pre-1.6 endpoints are dropped. If you disable Extended Reach, Conference Manager rejects incoming T1/E1 endpoints. Pre-1.6 endpoints are kept in the meeting.

The CTMS admin CLI to enable or disable Extended Reach is set t1mode {true | false}, where true mean enable and false means disable.

System Requirements

•Cisco MCS-7845-H2 (for upgrade from a previous CTMS software version) or MCS-7845-I3 Media Convergence Server.

•Cisco TelePresence System Release 1.7.x; IP phone with MIDlets version TSPM.1-7-0-1S or later.

•Cisco TelePresence Manager Release 1.7.x.

•Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Cisco Unified CM), Release 6.1.3, 7.0.2, or 7.1.3.

•SBC 3.7.1 plus patch.

•CTS 500, CTS 1000, CTS 1100, CTS 1300, CTS 3000 and/or CTS 3200 systems.

CTMS Administration Guide Organization

The CTMS Release 1.7 Administration Guide is organized into the following chapters:

•Chapter 1: "Using CTMS Administration Software"
This section provides information about the CTMS Administration software interface

•Chapter 2: "Configuring Cisco Unified Communications Manager for CTMS"
This section provides instructions on how to configure Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Cisco Unified CM) so that is supports CTMS functionality.

•Chapter 3: "Installing CTMS Administration Software"
This section describes how to install the CTMS administration software on the Cisco MCS-7800 Series Media Convergence Server.

•Chapter 4: "Configuring CTMS Administration Software"
This section provides information about configuring the initial CTMS system settings.

•Chapter 5: "Managing Meetings"
This section describe how to set up and administer static and ad hoc meetings using CTMS Administration software.

•Chapter 6: "Troubleshooting and Monitoring CTMS"
This section describes how to view and categorize system error messages and alerts and how to filter and download log files. This section also describes how to monitor CTMS system processes.

•Chapter 7: "Interoperability with Video Conferencing Devices"
This section describes how to configure settings in Cisco Unified CM, CTMS and Cisco Unified Videoconferencing 5230 MCUs (CUVC) to support Cisco TelePresence Interoperability.

For command line interface (CLI) commands associated with CTMS, refer to Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch Release 1.7 Command Reference.

Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request

For information on obtaining documentation, submitting a service request, and gathering additional information, see the monthly What's New in Cisco Product Documentation, which also lists all new and revised Cisco technical documentation, at:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/general/whatsnew/whatsnew.html

Subscribe to the What's New in Cisco Product Documentation as a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed and set content to be delivered directly to your desktop using a reader application. The RSS feeds are a free service and Cisco currently supports RSS Version 2.0.