Table Of Contents
Introducing the Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server System
Audience
Scope
Naming Conventions Used in This Guide
New Features in This Release
Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration Features
Crisis Management Features
Reservationless Meeting Enhancements
Serviceability Enhancements and Others
Additional References
Introducing the Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server System
This chapter contains the following topics:
•
Audience
•Scope
•Naming Conventions Used in This Guide
•New Features in This Release
•Additional References
Audience
This guide is intended for anyone who will be installing, configuring, or using the Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server system. We recommend that users have a thorough understanding of voice and data terminology and concepts.
Scope
The Getting Started Guide for Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server Release 5.3 contains general information about the Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server system. It also contains a roadmap to the other Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server system documentation. The information in this guide describes the Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server Release 5.3 for the Cisco MeetingPlace 8106 and the Cisco MeetingPlace 8112.
Naming Conventions Used in This Guide
The following naming conventions are used in this guide:
Product
|
Convention
|
Cisco MeetingPlace MeetingTime Release 5.3
|
MeetingTime
|
Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server Release 5.3—software and hardware on which Release 5.3 is installed
|
Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server system
|
Cisco MeetingPlace H.323/SIP IP Gateway
|
Cisco MeetingPlace H.323/SIP IPGW
|
Cisco IPVC Multipoint Control Unit 3.5plus
|
Cisco IPVC MCU 3.5plus
|
New Features in This Release
The following sections list the new features in Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server Release 5.3. For details, see the Administrator's Guide for Cisco MeetingPlace H.323/SIP IP Gateway Release 5.3 and the Administrator's Guide for Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration Release 5.3:
•Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration Features
•Crisis Management Features
•Reservationless Meeting Enhancements
•Serviceability Enhancements and Others
Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration Features
Scheduling Video Resources for Cisco IPVC MCU 3.5plus
•The Cisco MeetingPlace scheduling algorithms for audio conference resources are extended to include video resources from Cisco IPVC MCU 3.5plus. This includes Cisco MeetingPlace configuration concepts, such as overbook ports and floater ports.
•After you install and configure Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration, Cisco IPVC MCU 3.5plus provides capacity information to the Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server system. All scheduling requests from Cisco MeetingPlace Web Conferencing or Cisco MeetingPlace for Outlook are passed to the Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server system for resource allocation.
•This integrated-scheduling ability provides tremendous convenience for end users and drives more effective virtual meetings and improves productivity for the entire organization.
New Configuration Fields for Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration
•Added new database fields to user profiles, including the default E.164 endpoint number, bandwidth, and whether the user may schedule video resources.
•Added new fields to track the total number of video minutes that are used for each meeting (available through the Meeting Details Report) and the number of video minutes for each participant (available through the Participant Join Leave Report).
•Integrated reporting allows system administrators to easily manage their resources from a single data source.
Cisco MeetingPlace Meeting Parameters Applied to Integrated-Video Meetings
•When you deploy Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration, all current Cisco MeetingPlace meeting parameters (that control when a meeting ends, when a meeting automatically extends, for how long it extends, and so on) are applied to the video meeting on Cisco IPVC MCU 3.5plus.
•Configure these parameters in MeetingTime.
•Participants can attend a meeting through audio only, video only, or through all media.
Crisis Management Features
Automatic Blast Outdial From Continuous Meetings
•You can manually initiate the blast outdial feature from the phone or from MeetingTime. The Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server dials out to a list of invited participants simultaneously to quickly bring them into the meeting. This feature is typically used in crisis management situations where there is a great need to assemble a group of people into a meeting as quickly as possible.
•In Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server Release 5.3, to improve the speed of assembling the team, you can automatically trigger this dialout from a continuous meeting as soon as the first person joins the meeting.
Multiple Dialing Groups for IP Gateways
•System administrators can create different dialing numbers for different applications, such as one number for crisis meetings and a different number for general conferences. This feature has been available through the port-group configuration for TDM deployments but not for IP deployments.
•With the Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server Release 5.3, you can create multiple dialing groups on the Cisco MeetingPlace H.323/SIP IP Gateway to support this deployment model.
Reservationless Meeting Enhancements
Simplified Reservationless Access
•This system setting provides a reservationless system-only configuration and a simplified telephony user interface (TUI).
•If this configuration is selected, the following features will not be available through the TUI:
–Scheduling a future meeting through the phone. Scheduling is still available through Cisco MeetingPlace Web Conferencing, Cisco MeetingPlace for Outlook, Cisco MeetingPlace for IBM Lotus Notes, and MeetingTime.
–Attending a regular scheduled meeting as a profiled user.
•This configuration saves you two keystrokes over scheduled-only or scheduled and reservationless mode.
Reduced Keystrokes to Start a Meeting From the Waiting Room
•For customers who have deployed DID access for reservationless meetings to simplify the TUI, this feature uses one less keystroke than before.
Passwords for Reservationless Meetings (Audio Only)
•This feature lets you set up a meeting password just before you start a meeting. Because no notifications are sent with the password information, you must communicate this password to the participants ahead of time. This option is available for audio meetings only.
Serviceability Enhancements and Others
System Administrator Login is Compatible with Other Cisco Products
•The default Cisco MeetingPlace login username and password are now compatible with other Cisco products.
Null Modem Cable is Included in Every Shipment
•Cisco Systems ships a null modem cable, which is required for all new Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server installations to connect to a terminal and keyboard, with all Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Servers.
MeetingTime Enhancements
•You can use MeetingTime to generate a system configuration file that includes the hardware and license configuration for the Cisco MeetingPlace system.
•You can use MeetingTime to generate a Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server system log, which was previously available only through a CLI command.
•You can upload the entire license file on to the Cisco MeetingPlace system instead of loading the license keys into MeetingTime one by one.
New Audio Prompts for US English and UK English
•Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server Release 5.3 has new prompt recordings in US English and UK English. These recordings provide a consistent user experience across all Cisco MeetingPlace voice products.
Note If you have recorded your own custom prompts, the upgrade will not affect you. If you previously paid for a professional to record your custom prompts, we will provide you with a professional recording of those prompts using the Cisco voice. Contact your Network Consulting Engineer for more information.
ANI Information is Available on the Participant List
•The ANI (Automatic Number Identification or Caller ID) of a guest attending a meeting now appears in the participant list for both Cisco MeetingPlace Web Conferencing and MeetingTime. This feature helps identify a specific caller, especially when a number of meeting participants attend as guests.
Upgrade Paths
•You can use an upgrade path to upgrade from Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server Release 5.2.x or Release 5.1.x or you can use a conversion utility to migrate from the Cisco MeetingPlace PCI Audio Server Release 4.3.1.
Additional References
See "Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server System Documentation Roadmap," for additional references.
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