The Cisco TelePresence® Multipoint Switch (Multipoint Switch) allows geographically dispersed organizations to hold Cisco TelePresence meetings across multiple locations reliably and easily. With support for up to 90 screens in a single meeting across a mix of endpoints, the switch allows all participants to be seen in life-like, high-definition video and heard in CD-quality, spatial audio combined with the industry's lowest latency.
The industry-leading design of the Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch delivers voice-activated switching either site-by-site (site switching) or by individual table segment (segment switching). This affordable appliance is also easy to install and manage.
True to the user-friendly Cisco TelePresence design, multipoint meetings are scheduled using enterprise groupware (such as Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes), and they start with just a push of a button on the meeting-room phone. It is simple - there is no need for support personnel to set up meetings for you. Organizations can connect participants quickly and easily with multiple locations in the same meeting, empowering you to communicate and collaborate like never before (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Cisco TelePresence Meeting
Features and Benefits
The Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch offers the following important features and benefits:
• Support for 48 video screens: The system supports conferences with up to 48 total screens. Any combination of the following endpoints is supported:
– Cisco TelePresence System 500 Series (single screen)
– Cisco TelePresence Systems 3010 and 3210 (three screens)
– Cisco TelePresence System 1300 Series (single screen)
– Cisco TelePresence System Profile Series (single screen)
– Cisco TelePresence System EX Series (single screen)
– Cisco TelePresence System 500 Series (single screen)
• Videoconferencing interoperability: When linked with the Cisco MXE 5600 Media Experience Engine, the Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch provides full interoperability with the installed base of H.323 and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) videoconferencing endpoints.
• Spatial, interactive audio: Multichannel, discrete audio means sound comes from the direction of the speaker, allowing voice tracking as audio is switched between locations. Sub-10-ms latency brings transparent switching between sites or segments during a multipoint call.
• Cisco TelePresence WebEx® OneTouch: When combined with Cisco TelePresence Manager, audio and data collaboration can be shared with the Cisco WebEx® application, also allowing sharing of participant lists and viewing of Cisco TelePresence video for the current speaker.
• Affordable and easy to install and manage: Web-based administration with role-based profiles is easy for administrators at both group and department levels. Three roles are available: system administrator for access to all functions, conference management for control over meetings, and diagnostics-only for technical access to system processes.
• Cisco Prime™ Collaboration Manager support: As an end-to-end monitoring and troubleshooting system for Cisco TelePresence meetings, Cisco Prime Collaboration Manager monitors the status of all Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switches discovered within the network. For more information about Cisco Prime Collaboration Manager, please visit http://www.cisco.com/go/cpcm.
Table 1 summarizes the features and benefits of the Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch.
Table 1. Features and Benefits of Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch
Feature
Benefit
Scalability
The Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch is designed for any sized workgroup to deliver multipoint meetings among Cisco TelePresence endpoints, with support for up to 48 screens in a single meeting. Additionally, Multipoint Switch cascading is supported to enable meetings with up to 90 screens. Please note that only static meetings are supported when cascading.
Impromptu Calling
During an active meeting, the conference manager can add another party from the web interface and the participant is automatically added to the meeting.
Additionally, Automated-Attendant capabilities on the Multipoint Switch allow any Cisco TelePresence endpoint to dial into a scheduled meeting. After you enter the conference ID that the Automated-Attendant requests, you are joined into the appropriate meeting.
High Performance and Low Latency
The high-performance Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch server provides very low latency, allowing natural conversation and quick multipoint switching between Cisco TelePresence meeting rooms.
Audio Add-On
Remote, audio-only participants can join a meeting by using conferencing features on the meeting-room phone or by integrating an audio conferencing bridge into the meeting in both point-to-point and multipoint calls.
Director Controls
For special events, custom video switching and audio mixing are often required. It is now possible using the web-based controls in the Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch Administration.
Encryption
The Cisco TelePresence solution supports full media and signaling encryption with no discernable latency to the Cisco TelePresence call for up to 48 screens. In addition, Cisco TelePresence meetings can be designated as nonsecure, secure best effort, and always secure. Meeting encryption status is indicated on-screen at the start of a call or when it changes, and on the phone at all times.
Video Announce
This configurable option allows new participants joining a meeting to briefly be shown on the displays of all participants already in the meeting so they know a new party has joined.
Bandwidth Management
Automatic camera transmission control significantly reduces network traffic by eliminating the data feeds of nonspeaking meeting participants. Each meeting can be assigned a maximum quality (rate). If a Cisco TelePresence endpoint that has been assigned a lower bandwidth rate joins, the bandwidth rate of the conference automatically decreases.
Comprehensive Diagnostics
Diagnostics features include system status information, alarms, downloadable logs (syslog messages), and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) support.
Call Detail Records (CDRs)
Call records provide meeting start and stop data and participant details. You can export records to a third-party application for manipulation and data sorting.
Meeting Controls
Multipoint Switch provides the following meeting control features:
• Participant list: Allows you to view a list of all the endpoints in the meeting
• View control: Displays the active speaker or the active room
• Meeting access: Enables or disables other endpoints from joining the current meeting
Table 2 lists the specifications of the Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch (Version 1.8).
Table 2. Product Specifications
Cisco TelePresence Attribute
Specification
Call Signaling
SIP trunk with Cisco Unified Communications Manager Version 6.1.3 or later and IP Version 4 (IPv4).
Media Protocol
Real-Time Control Protocol (RTCP) and Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and IP Unicast.
A single multipoint meeting on a single Multipoint Switch can accommodate up to the total capacity of the Multipoint Switch, which supports 48 video streams.
Cascading two Multipoint Switches together to support a meeting with up to 90 screens is also supported. Additionally, there is no limit on the number of simultaneous meetings on the Multipoint Switches that are cascaded. However, each cascade link requires 3 ports on each Multipoint Switch (4 ports if 1080p 30 presentation is deployed). Please note that only static meetings can be cascaded.
Concurrent Meetings
The capacity of the Multipoint Switch can be divided into any number of meetings. For example, with three Cisco TelePresence System 1000 systems per meeting, the switch supports 16 concurrent meetings. The maximum number of concurrent meetings (with at least two Cisco TelePresence System 500 or 1000 systems) is 24.
Latency (Added by Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch)
Less then 10 milliseconds (ms).
Jitter (Added by Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch)
Less then 0.05%.
Availability
99.99% (estimated).
SNMP MIBs
RFC 1213, ENTITY, IF, ENTITY-FRU-CONTROL, HOSTRESOURCES, UMSEVENT, and UMSLMSSENSOR.
CDR Data
CDR ASCII format.
Administrative Interface
HTTP and Secure HTTP (HTTPS), Secure Shell (SSH) Protocol, role-based access control (RBAC), and password protection.
Application Programming Interface (API)
Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) or XML for real-time (active meeting) conference and participant management.
Quality of Service (QoS)
Support for Differentiated Services (DiffServ) markings.
Table 3 lists the products and releases compatible with Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch (Version 1.8).
Table 3. Product Compatibility
Product
Release
Backward Compatible With
Cisco TelePresence System 500
CTS 1.8
CTS 1.6 and CTS 1.7
Cisco TelePresence Systems 3010 and 3210
CTS 1.8
CTS 1.6 and CTS 1.7
Cisco TelePresence System 1300 Series
CTS 1.8
CTS 1.6 and CTS 1.7
Cisco TelePresence System Profile Series
TC 5.0 (Also must have Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.6)
Cisco TelePresence System EX Series
TC 5.0 (Also must have Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.6)
Cisco UCS requires VMware ESXi 4.1, which you can purchase from Cisco or VMware directly.
The Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch software is sold as an appliance model where the software is provided on a DVD. The application comes with a single firmware image that includes the underlying operating system.
Please note that the top-level part number for this product has recently changed: please choose the server first.
Table 4. Ordering Information
Product Name
Part Number
One Cisco Computing Server (UCS) or Media Convergence Server is required per Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch implementation
UCS C210 for Cisco TelePresence Manager or Multipoint Switch (Order as spare)
UCS-C210M2-VCD2
VMware ESXi/VSphere Standard for 1 processor, 1 year support (ESXi 4.1 required for UCS, purchase from Cisco or VMware directly. Version 5 purchased on software download/registration choose 4.1 option)
VMW-VS5-STD-1A
Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch Software only for UCS install
CTS-CTMS-K9
MCS-7845-I3 for Cisco TelePresence Manager or Multipoint Switch (Choose First)
MCS7845-I3-CTS1-K9
Choose Power Cord Type
AC Power Cord (North America), C13, NEMA 5-15P, 2.1m
CAB-AC
AC Power Cord (China/Australia), C13, AS 3112, 2.5m
CAB-ACA
AC Power Cord (Europe), C13, CEE 7, 1.5M
CAB-ACE
AC Power Cord (Italy), C13, CEI 23-16, 2.5m
CAB-ACI
AC Power Cord (Argentina), C13, EL 219 (IRAM 2073), 2.5m
CAB-ACR
AC Power Cord (Switzerland), C13, IEC 60884-1, 2.5m
CAB-ACS
AC Power Cord (UK), C13, BS 1363, 2.5m
CAB-ACU
AC Power Cord (Japan), C13, JIS C 8303, 2.5m
CAB-JPN
Choose Cisco TelePresence Multipoint Switch Software and License
LIC-CTS-CTMS-1.8
Service and Support
Critical to delivering the innovative Cisco TelePresence experience in your organization are integrated lifecycle services. Designed specifically for multisite organizations, these services deliver the Cisco TelePresence experience and accelerate the successful deployment of a high-quality, reliable "in-person" meeting experience. Initial prepare, planning, and design services prepare your network and organization to deliver the expected consistent quality level of the Cisco TelePresence meeting application. Operate services provide peace of mind for your IT staff and reduce risk of downtime by providing critical day-2 maintenance support. These services use the proven Cisco Lifecycle Services approach to deliver a Cisco TelePresence experience. For more information, please visit http://www.cisco.com/go/services.
