Table Of Contents

Resource Manager Overview

Resource Manager User Types

Administrative Permissions

Understanding Videoconferencing

Network Devices

Cascading For Flexible Conferencing

First-time Login

Single Sign-on (SSO)

Interface Orientation

Toolbar

Configuration Workflow

Resource Manager Overview

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The Resource Manager is a component in Cisco Unified Videoconferencing Manager. This section provides an overview of this component and includes the following sections:

•Resource Manager User Types

•Understanding Videoconferencing

•First-time Login

•Interface Orientation

•Configuration Workflow

Resource Manager User Types

The following user types are used by the system. Each user type has its own set of permissions.

•Organization Administrator

•Meeting Operator

•Meeting Organizer

•Regular User

Administrative Permissions

Each user type has a default set of permissions and a default view of the user interface. The following table outlines the different permissions for the user types.

Table 2-1 Resource Manager User Types and Default Permissions 

Resource Manager Permissions	Organization Administrator	Meeting Operator	Meeting Organizer	Regular User
Manage multiple organizations
Manage all network devices across multiple organizations.
Manage all network devices, room terminals, and users within the organization.	x
Manage all meetings across multiple organizations.
Manage all meetings within the organization.	x	x
Schedule and manage own meetings. Manage own Virtual Room.	x	x	x
Attend meetings. Moderate meetings.	x	x	x
Modify own profile.	x	x	x	x

Understanding Videoconferencing

This section describes the main aspects of videoconferencing.

Network Devices

Entering complete information about each device attached to your network ensures that the Resource Manager accurately predicts resource availability, reserves resource, and then schedules meetings accordingly.

Cascading For Flexible Conferencing

With MCU cascading, Resource Manager can combine meetings hosted on multiple MCUs, resulting in larger meetings with many more participants than can be supported by a single MCU. Cascading is also used to save network bandwidth by distributing network load over multiple MCUs.

With dynamic cascading, participants can join a meeting on-the-fly (that is, ad-hoc) and if originally scheduled resources are not available, Resource Manager can automatically schedule and assign MCU resources to accommodate the new participants. This means that a large conference can increase to a size greater than that of the conference originally scheduled, providing that sufficient network resources are available.

Cascading, in general, creates a distributed environment that reduces potential drain on network resources. Processing resources required in order to host a meeting are distributed among participating MCUs.

First-time Login

On the login window, enter your user ID and password. The first time you login to Resource Manager, the User Provisioning window appears in which you must select one of the following database options:

•Via Resource Manager—To use the internal Resource Manager database.

•Via Directory Server Type—To use an LDAP database, you must provide information about the LDAP database in the required fields (URL, Login, LDAP Server Domain, and LDAP Search Base).

•You are automatically logged out of Resource Manager after configuring the User Provisioning window. A second login brings you to the Resource Manager Admin user-interface.

Single Sign-on (SSO)

With SSO selected, users who log in to their Microsoft Windows account within their organization can log in to the Resource Manager directly without having to enter their usernames and passwords. Resource Manager automatically authenticates the users using their Windows login ID, password, and domain name.

Interface Orientation

Toolbar

The Resource Manager toolbar is located in the upper-right corner of the window. The following table describes the graphic elements on the toolbar.

Table 2-2 Toolbar details 

Element Name	Graphic	Description
Customization Tool		The Customization Tool icon is enabled in Configuration Tool > System Configuration > UI Settings > Customization Tool. Click the icon to open a new window and follow the steps to customize any Web interface display label in Resource Manager according to your needs.
Help About		Opens a window that contains license and version information about Cisco Unified Videoconferencing Manager.
Help Icon		Opens the online help window for Resource Manager.
Information About		Opens a window that contains Resource Manager log files,
Restart Server icon		Restarts the Cisco Unified Videoconferencing Manager service
Logout Icon		Logs out of Resource Manager.

Configuration Workflow

It is recommended that administrators configure Resource Manager according to the following workflow:

•Network Configuration—Optional (required only for distributed deployment)

–IP Topology

–ISDN Topology

•Gatekeepers / SIP servers

•MCUs

–Meeting Types

•Gateways

•Meeting Rooms—Optional

•Terminals

•Users

•Schedule first meeting

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Note Some sections of the user-interface are hidden by default, according to settings in the Configuration Tool; however, these sections are included in the documentation.

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