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Planning Your System Upgrade

Table Of Contents

Planning Your System Upgrade

Introduction to System Upgrade

Targeted Software Releases

Upgrade Overview

Upgrade Roadmap

Systems Test Release 4.1 Components

Cisco Unified Communications Release 5.0 Components

Adding New Components and Features in Cisco Unified Communications

Removing Components from Cisco Unified Communications

System Upgrade Paths

System Upgrade Strategy

Single Stage Upgrade Using Existing Hardware

Single Stage Upgrade Using New Hardware

Multi-Staged System Upgrade Using Existing Hardware (Hybrid System)

Multi-Site Migration


Planning Your System Upgrade


This topic provides an overview of the upgrade process, the software releases that are involved in the upgrade process, and the different upgrade strategies that can be used based on the size of the customer network.

This topic contains the following sections:

Introduction to System Upgrade

Targeted Software Releases

Upgrade Overview

System Upgrade Strategy

Introduction to System Upgrade

Cisco Unified Communications is defined around commonly deployed enterprise topology models in North America and European & Emerging Markets (EUEM) with the goal of growing and evolving over the next 12 to 18 months.

This system is built upon individual IP telephony and contact center products including, but not limited, to the Cisco Unified CallManager (Unified CallManager), Cisco Unified CallManager Express, Cisco Unified Intelligent Contact Management (Unified ICM), Cisco Unified Customer Voice Portal (Unified CVP), Cisco Unity, Cisco Unity Express, Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise (Unified CCE), Cisco Customer Response Solutions (CRS), and voice-capable gateways and routers.

Cisco Systems provides an integrated system to meet customer needs. Cisco Unified Communications system testing is a process for specifying (designing) and validating the interoperability of enterprise voice products working together as an integrated system. IP Communications Systems Test Release 4.1 and Cisco Unified Communications System Release 5.0 define a set of software releases for each of the system components.

Targeted Software Releases

A "Release Set" is defined as the combination of products, components, and software versions that were tested to work together as an integrated system. A particular system release is also referred to as a Release Set.

The system that is targeted for the upgrade process and discussed in this document include:

IP Communications Systems Test Release 4.1—The currently deployed software release set that is being upgraded. Detailed information on the deployment models and topologies developed to test the 4.1 release set is available in the following documents at: http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/voice/ip_tele/gblink/system/gbtst4x/index.htm

Systems Test Architecture Reference Manual for IPCC Enterprise

Systems Test Architecture Reference Manual for North America IPT

Systems Test Architecture Reference Manual for EMEA IPT

Cisco Unified Communications Release 5.0—The new software release set that is the goal of the upgrade process. For detailed information on the deployment models and topologies developed to test the Cisco Unified Communications release set, refer to Review Tested Deployment Models for IP Telephony or Review Tested Deployment Models for Contact Center.


Note A majority of the IP telephony and contact center components' names have changed as part of Cisco Unified Communications System Release 5.0. Consequently, in this document, we use the new names to reference Cisco Unified Communications Release 5.0 components and old names to reference the same components when part of the Cisco IP Communication (IPC) Systems Test Release 4.1.


Upgrade Overview

The upgrade process as discussed in this document addresses different upgrade strategies, preparation for the upgrade operation, order of operations such as the sequence in which the system components should be upgraded, and other dependencies such as backward compatibility of software.


Note This document only provides information related to upgrading components that are present in both of the targeted release sets (previous and next). It does not provide installation information about components that are not part of the existing production network and are being newly added to the network as a part of the next release. This information is available in the individual component installation documents.


Upgrade Roadmap

Perform the system-level upgrade of IP Communications (IPC) components using the following high-level roadmap:


Step 1 Review your hardware requirements and perform all required hardware equipment checks. For instance, verify that the deployed hardware and operating system support the new Cisco Unified Communications releases. Also verify that the DVD ROM drive in the server where you plan to perform the upgrade tasks is operational before you start the upgrade process.

For a list of supported MCS servers for Cisco Unified CallManager 5.0(2) (Unified CallManager), see the Cisco Unified CallManager Server Upgrade Program at:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/voiceapp/ps378/prod_brochure09186a0080174928.html


Note Unified CallManager 5.0(2) only supports MCS servers with a "-EVV" or "-IPC" suffix. It does not support servers with "ECS" appended to the end of the model number.


Step 2 Upgrade the existing network components from the 4.1 release set to the Cisco Unified Communications release set versions using one of the upgrade strategies described in the System Upgrade Strategy section. Be aware that the strategy you select should depend on a number of factors, including your size, topology, and the presence or absence of shared components among sites (such an ICM system that spans multiple clusters).


Note The assumption for this roadmap is that the current test bed deployment includes components that are already supported by the 4.1 release set. Please verify that your hardware configurations are ready for an upgrade to the Cisco Unified Communications Release 5.0 release set.


Step 3 Add any new components supported by the Cisco Unified Communications release set to the network by installing and configuring them. See the individual components' installation and configuration documents listed in the Adding New Components and Features in Cisco Unified Communications section.

Be aware that this document does not provide upgrade and backup procedures for:

Individual stand-alone components such as Cisco CallManager, IPCC Enterprise, and Cisco Unity. It only addresses the upgrade procedures of IP Communications components at the system-level.

Third-party co-resident applications (although they can be used during the upgrade and backup process) such as:

Antivirus

Security

Server management

Remote access

Additional third-party off-board applications such as:

Operator console

VoIP recording

Billing and accounting

Server replacement (hardware upgrade) for components. See individual components' installation documents for this information.

Step 4 Remove any components from your network that are not part of the Cisco Unified Communications release set or have reached EOL (end-of-life). Follow proper procedures to uninstall these components.


Systems Test Release 4.1 Components

The following Cisco Systems enterprise voice products are considered part of the 4.1 release set:

Cisco ATA 186/188

Cisco Agent Desktop (CAD)

CAD Server

Cisco CallManager

Cisco CallManager Express

Cisco Catalyst Switches

Cisco Emergency Responder

Cisco Intelligent Contact Management (ICM) / IPCC Enterprise

Cisco MeetingPlace

Cisco Personal Assistant

Cisco Security Agent

Cisco Supervisor Desktop

Cisco Unity

Cisco Unity Bridge

Cisco Unity Express

Cisco Video Telephony (VT) Advantage

CiscoWorks IP Telephony Environment Monitor (ITEM)

CiscoWorks Management Center for Cisco Security Agents

Cisco Remote Monitoring Suite

CTI OS Agent/Supervisor Desktop

Customer Response Solutions (CRS) (IP IVR & IPCC Express)

Customer Voice Portal (formerly ISN) (Application Server and Voice Browser)

Enterprise Gateway 2200

FXS Gateway VG224 and VG248

IP SoftPhone

IOS devices (including SRST and Voice/VXML gateways)

IOS Gatekeepers

IP Video Gateway 3521 and 3526

IP Video Conferencing Multipoint Control Unit (IP/VC MCU) 3511 and 3540

Music On Hold

Cisco Outbound Option Dialer

TDM Gateway

Video Endpoint Tandberg 550 and 1000

VoIP Monitor

Wireless IP Phone 7920

Wireless Access Point 1100 and 1200

Cisco Unified Communications Release 5.0 Components

Adding New Components and Features in Cisco Unified Communications

In addition to the above list of components, the following new components have been added to the Cisco Unified Communications Release 5.0 deployment:

Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Express

Cisco Unified MobilityManager (Mobile Connect or Single Number Reach (SNR))

Cisco Unified Contact Center Gateway Enterprise (Unified CCGE)

Cisco Unified System Contact Center Gateway (Unified SCCG)

Cisco Unified System Contact Center (Unified SCC)

Cisco Unified IP Phones (SIP support)

Cisco Unity Connection


Note Unified CCGE, Unified SCCG, Unified SCC are only available with Unified CCE/Unified ICM Release 7.0(0) or later. For more information, see Cisco Intelligent Contact Management Considerations and Upgrading a Specific Contact Center Test Bed.


You must install the new components into the network and configure them (rather than upgrade them). See the individual component's installation and configuration documents at the following URLs:

Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Express:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6533/products_installation_guide_book09186a008057b547.html 

Cisco Unified MobilityManager:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6567/products_installation_guide_book09186a008063d351.html 

Cisco Unified System Contact Center Gateway and Cisco Unified Contact Center Gateway Enterprise:
http://www.cisco.com/application/pdf/en/us/guest/products/ps1001/c1097/ccmigration_09186a0080626383.pdf 

Cisco Unified System Contact Center:
http://www.cisco.com/application/pdf/en/us/guest/products/ps1844/c1676/ccmigration_09186a00804d8b1c.pdf 

Cisco Unified IP Phones (SIP):
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/phones/ps379/prod_installation_guides_list.html 

Cisco Unity Connection:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/products_installation_guide_book09186a00805201e8.html 


Note CiscoWorks ITEM is now implemented in Cisco Unified Communications as Cisco Unified Operations Manager and Cisco Unified Service Monitor.


Cisco Unified Operations Manager:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6535/products_installation_guide_book09186a008063c22a.html 

Cisco Unified Service Monitor:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6536/prod_quick_installation_guide09186a0080629079.html 

Removing Components from Cisco Unified Communications

The following components are not included in the Cisco Unified Communications release set and should be removed from the network:

Cisco IP SoftPhone

Cisco Personal Assistant

System Upgrade Paths

This section provides the general information required to migrate from a common starting point (in IP Communications Systems Test Releases) leading up to the Cisco Unified Communications System release.

If you want to upgrade from an IPC Systems Test Release Set to the Cisco Unified Communications release set, be aware of the possible upgrade paths as listed below. You can access a complete listing of all the IPC Systems Test releases at:

http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/voice/ip_tele/gblink/ipcmtrix.htm

Major System Test to Minor System Test: (N-1).0 to (N-1).X. For example, System Test release 4.0 to 4.1.

Minor System Test to Minor System Test: (N).(X) to (N).(X+1). For example, System Test 3.1 to 3.2.

Minor System Test to Major System Test: (N).(X) to (N).0. For example, System Test 3.1 to 4.0.

Systems Test release set to Cisco Unified Communications System release set: The only supported path is IPC Systems Test Release 4.1 to Cisco Unified Communications Release 5.0.


Note You can perform future system upgrades of Cisco Unified Communications using these allowed upgrade paths: from major Cisco Unified Communications to minor Cisco Unified Communications, and from major Cisco Unified Communications or minor Cisco Unified Communications to System Maintenance (SM) Cisco Unified Communications.


Figure 1-1 illustrates the recommended upgrade path from:

Major IPC Systems Test release set to major IPC Systems Test release set

Minor IPC Systems Test Release 4.1 to major Cisco Unified Communications Release 5.0 release set

Figure 1-1 Upgrade Paths for IPC Systems Test Releases

System Upgrade Strategy

This section discusses the upgrade strategies for all components in the Cisco Unified Communications Release 5.0 deployment scenarios. Details of individual components upgrades are not described unless additional information or clarification is required.

The following upgrade strategies are available with the Cisco Unified Communications Release 5.0:

Single Stage Upgrade using Existing Hardware (Flash-cut)—All components in the network start at the 4.1 release set and all components can be upgraded to Cisco Unified Communications within a single maintenance window.

Single Stage Upgrade using New Hardware (either Flash-cut or Shrink-and-Grow)—A parallel Cisco Unified Communications network should be built using new hardware and pre-staged with configuration to support the existing production network.

All users can then be moved from the existing production network to the new network in one of two ways:

In a single maintenance window using a Flash-Cut upgrade process

- or -

In several maintenance windows using a Shrink-and-Grow upgrade process (where a single maintenance window is used to implement the new release versions on the new hardware, but multiple windows are used to migrate the users)

The above upgrade strategies involving the Single Stage upgrade approach are appropriate for small sites (less than 300 seats) with a smaller number of components in the network.

Multi-Staged System Upgrade using Existing Hardware (Hybrid System)—The components in individual sites can be upgraded from the 4.1 release set software to the Cisco Unified Communications release set in stages during separate maintenance windows.

At the completion of each intermediate stage, the network exists as a "hybrid system" with a mix of the following:

Some components are operating on the 4.1 release set

Other upgraded components are operating on Cisco Unified Communications release set


Note "Hybrid system" refers only to inter-product versions, not to intra-product versions. For instance, all Cisco CallManager servers in the same cluster, or all servers that are part of the same ICM system, will remain at the same software release version.


The Multi-Staged System upgrade approach is recommended for medium-to-large sites (ranging from 301-1499 seats for medium and 1500-4999 seats for large) with a greater number of components in the network.

Multi-Site Migration (via Hybrid Network with Release Set inter-working)—Components are upgraded from the 4.1 release set to Cisco Unified Communications on a site-by-site basis during separate maintenance windows.

At the completion of each maintenance window, a "hybrid network" exists with a mix of the following:

Sites whose components are operating on the 4.1 release set

Sites whose components are operating on the Cisco Unified Communications release set

Sites whose components are a "hybrid system" as described in Multi-Staged System Upgrade Using Existing Hardware (Hybrid System)

This model assumes that sites may be upgraded independently. However, with the Multi-Site Migration strategy, you must account for distributed applications with shared components among sites. For example, if you have deployed a distributed ICM system, a Cisco Emergency Responder supporting multiple Cisco CallManager clusters, or a Cisco CallManager cluster using Clustering-over-WAN (CoW), then these sites must be upgraded concurrently.

Users can be moved in stages from the existing production network to the new network operating on Cisco Unified Communications release software.

The Multi-Site Migration strategy is recommended for large multi-site environments (more than 5000 seats) with a large number of components in the network.

Single Stage Upgrade Using Existing Hardware

All components in the network start at the 4.1 release set and all components are upgraded to Cisco Unified Communications release software within a single maintenance window (MW). Since all components are upgraded within a single maintenance window, interoperability is not required between the 4.1 release set and Cisco Unified Communications release set.

The Single Stage upgrade on existing hardware approach is typically not recommended for large customer sites/networks, since it has to be performed within a single maintenance window.

Figure 1-2 shows the single maintenance window that is involved in the Single Stage upgrade on existing hardware approach:

Figure 1-2 Single Stage Upgrade Using Existing Hardware

Single Stage Upgrade Using New Hardware

A parallel Cisco Unified Communications network should be built using new hardware and pre-staged with configuration to support the existing production network. All users can be then moved from the existing production network to the new network operating with Cisco Unified Communications release software either in a single maintenance window (using Flash-Cut) or in several maintenance windows (using Shrink-and-Grow).

The Single Stage upgrade on new hardware approach is not recommended for large customer sites/networks for the following reasons:

The upgrade cannot be performed within a single maintenance window.

The expense of a complete new parallel network is significant.

Figure 1-3 shows the maintenance windows that are involved in the Single Stage upgrade on new hardware approach:

Figure 1-3 Single Stage Upgrade Using New Hardware

Multi-Staged System Upgrade Using Existing Hardware (Hybrid System)

Individual components and/or sites can be upgraded in stages, from the 4.1 release set software to Cisco Unified Communications release software, during separate maintenance windows. At the completion of each intermediate stage, the site exists as a "hybrid system" with a mix of the following:

Some components operating on the 4.1 release set

Other upgraded components operating on the Cisco Unified Communications release software

The Multi-Staged System upgrade on existing hardware is the recommended approach for medium-to-large networks. In this case, individual components within a single site and/or individual sites in a multi-site environment are progressively upgraded over the span of several days or weekends.

This type of staging is required because:

Sufficient time may not be available (maintenance window) to take the system out of service for the complete upgrade of all the components involved.

You must test existing functionality following the upgrade.

You must test new functionality following the upgrade.

You can view a staged upgrade as a series of maintenance windows separated by inter-maintenance window intervals. During each maintenance window, one or more components of the system or a subset of the components is upgraded.

Customers typically have a maintenance window during which service disruptions are likely to have minimal impact and affect only a limited number of users, for example, during the night or during a weekend.

Before the staged upgrade is completed, the whole network exists in a partially upgraded state where some components have been upgraded to Cisco Unified Communications release software and the remaining components are operating with the 4.1 release set software.

Backward compatibility of the components is critical during the staged upgrade, so that Cisco Unified Communications components are able to interoperate with the 4.1 release set components. If any component is not backward compatible, this can potentially result in prolonged periods of service outage spanning several maintenance windows (possibly several weeks).

Therefore, during multi-stage upgrades, it is mandatory to have interoperability between the 4.1 release set software and Cisco Unified Communications software versions. For more information on software and backward compatibility considerations, see Chapter 2, "System Upgrade Dependencies."

Figure 1-4 shows the maintenance windows that are involved in the Multi-Staged System upgrade on existing hardware approach:

Figure 1-4 Multi-Staged System Upgrade Using Existing Hardware (Hybrid System)

Multi-Site Migration

Components are upgraded from the 4.1 release set to Cisco Unified Communications release set on a site-by-site basis during separate maintenance windows.

At the completion of each maintenance window, a "hybrid network" will exist across multiple sites. Within each site, either a Single Stage or Multi-Stage System Upgrade strategy can be used to upgrade that particular site's components from the 4.1 release set to the Cisco Unified Communications release set.

Interworking can be expected among sites on "pure" 4.1 release set versions and sites on "pure" Cisco Unified Communications release set versions as shown in Figure 1-5. However, interworking will not be possible between these "pure" sites and "hybrid system" sites.


Note If you have a component that is common to multiple sites, such as a shared Cisco Emergency Responder or ICM system, this may impact the interoperability itself, the order in which sites may be upgraded, and/or which sites must be upgraded concurrently.


Users can be moved in stages from the existing production network to the new network operating with Cisco Unified Communications release software. The number of users on the existing 4.1 release network will shrink while the number on the Cisco Unified Communications network will grow correspondingly.

This migration process can span several weeks and, sometime months, if necessary. During this upgrade approach, it is essential that the two networks, existing and new, should be able to communicate with each other.

Figure 1-5 shows the maintenance windows that are involved in the Multi-Site Migration approach:

Figure 1-5 Multi-Site Migration

Table 1-1 provides a summary of the preceding upgrade strategies:

Table 1-1 Summary of Upgrade Strategies 

Features
Single Stage Upgrade
Multi-Staged System Upgrade
Multi-Site Migration Upgrade

Recommended for Installations

Small single-site
Small multi-site
(less than 300 seats)

Medium single-site
Medium multi-site
(between 301 and 1499 seats)
Large single-site
(between 1500 and 4999 seats)

Large multi-site
(more than 5000 seats)

Maintenance Window (MW)

One (1)

Multiple

Multiple

Interoperability between Releases at Component Level

Not Required

Required

Required

Interoperability between Releases at Site Level

Not Required

Not Required

Required

User Migration

Complete in one stage

Partial until final stage

Partial until final stage

Upgrade Time Period

One time slot, for example, during a weekend maintenance window

Several days to weeks

Several weeks to months