Configuration Guide for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5 - Troubleshooting Video Issues [Cisco Unified MeetingPlace]

Table Of Contents

Troubleshooting Video Issues for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace

What to Try First When Troubleshooting Video

Checking the System Status, Alarms, and Logs

Checking that Video Blades are Associated with Audio Blades in the Hardware Media Server

Checking Video Licenses

How to Resolve Problems with Video Connections

Video Does Not Work

Poor Video Quality

How to Resolve Problems with Video Endpoints

Video Endpoint Gets One-Way Video or No Video

Call is Dropped When Entering a Meeting, Entering a Breakout Session, or Entering #31 to Dial Out

Jumpy Video

Voice User Interface is Significantly Slow

Additional References for Troubleshooting Video Issues

Troubleshooting Video Issues for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace

Release 8.5

Revised: April 22, 2013 10:47 pm

•What to Try First When Troubleshooting Video

•How to Resolve Problems with Video Connections

•How to Resolve Problems with Video Endpoints

•Additional References for Troubleshooting Video Issues

•Voice User Interface is Significantly Slow

What to Try First When Troubleshooting Video

•Checking the System Status, Alarms, and Logs

•Checking that Video Blades are Associated with Audio Blades in the Hardware Media Server

•Checking Video Licenses

Checking the System Status, Alarms, and Logs

Procedure

Step 1 Sign in to the Administration Center.

Step 2 Check the system status:

a. Select Services > System Status.

b. Select View Status.

c. Verify that this text appears in the output:
System mode: Up
Media control: Up
d. Verify that none of the modules show DOWN status.

e. If the system status details indicate an unexpected DOWN state, check the Alarm Table or the Exception Log to see why the module or system is down, and resolve the issue.

Step 3 Check the Alarm Table:

a. Select Services > Alarms.

b. If the alarm table displays a relevant alarm entry, check the Exception Log for actual relevance to and details for the failed call.

Checking the Exception Log is recommended because the Alarm Table combines multiple alarm occurrences into a single table entry.

Step 4 Check the system logs:

a. Select Services > Logs > View System Logs.

b. Set the parameters according to your needs.

For example, you might want to first limit the displayed output to major log entries for the day when the issues occurred.

c. Select View Logs.

d. Repeat Step 4 as needed.

For example, if the output does not include any relevant issues, expand the output to include lower severity levels.

If you see relevant log entries for specific Module Numbers, you can narrow the log output to issues for a specific module.

Related Topics

•Using Alarms and Logs on Cisco Unified MeetingPlace module

Checking that Video Blades are Associated with Audio Blades in the Hardware Media Server

See Viewing Media Processors for the Hardware Media Server in the Configuring the Hardware Media Server Using the MSA Interface module.

Checking Video Licenses

Procedure

Step 1 Sign in to the Administration Center.

Step 2 Select Maintenance > Licenses > Licenses Summary.

Step 3 Verify that the correct video licenses are installed and enabled on your system.

If necessary, re-install licenses.

Related Topics

•Planning Guide for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/ps5664/ps5669/products_implementation_design_guides_list.html

•Installing and Managing Licenses for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace module

How to Resolve Problems with Video Connections

•Video Does Not Work

•Poor Video Quality

Video Does Not Work

Problem   Video does not work, but audio does.

Recommended Action    Try pressing the hold button and then the resume button on the phone. This can sometimes clear up transient problems related to video.
Possible Cause    The meeting scheduler cannot host video meetings, so video is not enabled for the meeting.
Recommended Action    Check the Can host audio/video meetings setting in the user profile of the meeting scheduler.
Possible Cause    In Cisco Unified Communications Manager, the DTMF Signaling Method for the SIP trunk to Cisco Unified MeetingPlace is configured to use RFC 2833.
Recommended Action    Set the DTMF Signaling Method field to No Preference.
Problem   Video does not work.

Possible Cause    Check if video is enabled on the system.
Recommended Action    Select System Configuration > Media Resource Configuration. Make sure that Video enabled is set to Yes.
Problem   During a video conference, the call drops after 20 seconds, and there is no video or audio during that time. The SIP B2BUA log from Infocap shows that Cisco Unified Communications Manager sent TIAS with a negative value: [.INFO] [..MESSAGE] b=TIAS:-1000, and this is because the Video Call Bandwidth field was set to NONE in Region setting.

Solution   Set the correct value for the Video Call Bandwidth field in the Region setting in Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

Problem   The video type (of the conference) the endpoint is trying to join does not match the video profile of the endpoint.

Possible Cause    If the conference is a high-definition (HD) conference and the endpoint can only support CIF, the CIF endpoint will not receive video. The video type of the conference must be the video type of the participant scheduling the conference.
Recommended Action    Check for the mismatch between the scheduler and participant video profile settings.
Problem   The active speaker endpoint video is not showing up.

Possible Cause    This might be the result of the video not being sent by the active speaker endpoints.
Recommended Action    Ask participants at other video endpoints in the conference to speak so they become the active speaker and their video is seen by others in the conference.
Problem   During switching, video sometimes freezes.

Possible Cause    If you are using an Electronic Media Server (EMS) system and video freezes, it might be because there is a delay in the I-frame being received. When there is a new active speaker, this is normal.
Recommended Action    Check the video statistics for the active speaker channel and look for the I-frame Req Sent and I-frame Response Received.
Related Topics

•Searching for a Specific User Profile in the Configuring User Profiles and User Groups for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace module

•Configuring Cisco Unified Communications Manager Release 6.x or Later: SIP Trunk to Cisco Unified MeetingPlace in the Configuring Call Control for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace module

Poor Video Quality

Problem   The video has a pixelated image or poor quality.

Possible Cause    Network issues are causing packet loss between the endpoint and Cisco Unified MeetingPlace.
Recommended Action    Check the network for and correct any packet loss or excessive bandwidth utilization along the path between the video endpoint and Cisco Unified MeetingPlace.
Possible Cause    (CSCso95109) The input stream is from the Cisco Unified IP Phone 7985. This potentially affects video calls with Cisco Unified MeetingPlace when the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace is in hardware media mode and the video format is set to "standard rate" (384kb).
Workaround: In the Administration Center, set the Video Preferences to High rate on the Add User Profile Page. Verify that the Type of media server is set to Hardware Media Server.

Recommended Action    For full compatibility with Cisco Unified MeetingPlace, upgrade the Cisco Unified IP Phone 7985 to application load 4.1(7) or later.
Recommended Action    (EMS systems only) Set a higher DSCP value for video streams. Select System Configuration > Call Configuration > Media Parameters. Set a new value for Video media IPv4.
Related Topics

•See the "Network Management" chapter and the "Call Admission Control, QoS, and Bandwidth" section in the "Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Integration" chapter of the Cisco Unified Communications Solution Reference Network Design (SRND) that applies to your version of Cisco Unified Communications Manager at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps556/products_implementation_design_guides_list.html.

How to Resolve Problems with Video Endpoints

Note Make sure that the video endpoints are supported by your release of Cisco Unified MeetingPlace. See the Compatibility Matrix for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/ps5664/ps5669/products_device_support_tables_list.html.

•Video Endpoint Gets One-Way Video or No Video

•Call is Dropped When Entering a Meeting, Entering a Breakout Session, or Entering #31 to Dial Out

•Jumpy Video

Video Endpoint Gets One-Way Video or No Video

Problem   A video endpoint gets no video or gets only one-way video.

Possible Cause    The video endpoint does not support escalation to video through H.323 Empty Terminal Capabilities Set (ECS) or SIP re-INVITE after the voice call is established. This can result in either partial or complete lack of video reception after connecting to a meeting.
Recommended Action    Check with the endpoint vendor for a firmware update.
Recommended Action    Use the video terminal in Direct-to-Meeting Mode for Invited Terminals.
Recommended Action    In some situations, video might not be offered to the user because of incompatible video profile levels.
Possible Cause    If the endpoint cannot negotiate up to the same AVC level as the conference, Cisco Unified MeetingPlace does not deliver video to this endpoint.
Related Topics

•How to Configure Video Terminal Profiles in the Configuring Endpoints for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace module

•For information about video profile level negotiation, see the Planning Guide for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/ps5664/ps5669/
products_implementation_design_guides_list.html.

Call is Dropped When Entering a Meeting, Entering a Breakout Session, or Entering #31 to Dial Out

Problem   A call is dropped when:

•Video endpoint is about to enter a meeting.

•Video endpoint is about to enter a breakout session.

•Video endpoint user enters #31 in the TUI to initiate a dial-out call.

Possible Cause    The video endpoint does not support media transfer through H.323 Empty Capabilities Set (ECS) or SIP re-INVITE.
Recommended Action    Check with the endpoint vendor for a firmware update.
Recommended Action    Use the video terminal in Direct-to-Meeting Mode for Invited Terminals. See "How to Configure Video Terminal Profiles" in the Configuring Endpoints for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace module. Also:
–Do not attempt to move the video terminal into a breakout session.

–Do not initiate dial-out calls from the video endpoint by entering #31.

Jumpy Video

Problem   The video display appears to be unstable.

Possible Cause    When the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace is in hardware media mode and the video format is set to standard rate, and video terminals are using the H.264 codec, Cisco Unified MeetingPlace negotiates the video connection at 15 frames per second, which is consistent with the H.264 Level 1.2 specification. However, many video terminals ignore the frame rate limitation for H.264 Level 1.2 and send frames at a higher rate. This overloads the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace video blade and results in corrupted video output. Note that the effect might be observed on terminals other than the one causing the problem.
Recommended Action    Identify suspect terminals and check with the endpoint vendor for a firmware update.
Recommended Action    In the Administration Center, set the Video Preferences to High rate on the Add User Profile Page, or configure the video terminals to use H.263 instead of H.264.

Voice User Interface is Significantly Slow

Problem   The Voice User Interface (VUI) is running significantly slow.

Recommended Action    Check the settings of the write cache on your RAID controller (Default Write option). When the Default Write option is set to Write Back with BBU and the battery backup unit (BBU) fails or goes offline to a re-learn cycle, the Default Write setting fails back to Write Through. Without a working battery backup unit, this value is safer in case of power failure. But it also results in a performance penalty on the I/O subsystem of the host device. While the faulty battery backup unit is being repaired, the work around is to enable the cache explicitly (Disk Cache option), even if it's set to the No Change setting, and put the Default Write setting explicitly to Write Through mode. This should return the voice user interface to an acceptable level until the faulty battery is replaced and you can safely set the Default Write option back to Write Back with BBU mode.

Additional References for Troubleshooting Video Issues

Topic

Documentation

Video endpoint support

System Requirements for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace and the Compatibility Matrix for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/ps5664/ps5669/products_device_support_tables_list.html

Troubleshooting call connections

Troubleshooting Phone Issues for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace module

Troubleshooting user issues

Administration Guide for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/ps5664/ps5669/prod_troubleshooting_guides_list.html

Hardware Media Server installation and configuration

Quick Start for Installing and Configuring Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5 module

Basic video conferencing configuration

Quick Start Configuration: Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Basic Voice and Video Conferencing module

Call control configuration

Configuring Call Control for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace module

QoS, network management, and overall network design for Cisco Unified Communications

Cisco Unified Communications Solution Reference Network Design (SRND) at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps556/products_implementation_design_guides_list.html