Cisco Unified Intelligent Contact Management Enterprise

Document ID: 20417

Contents

Introduction
Prerequisites
      Requirements
      Components Used
      Conventions
What is Phone Home?
      Distributed Diagnostics and Services Network
      Customer Support Forwarding Service (CSFS)
      DDSN Transfer Process (DTP)
      The Listener
      AlarmTracker
Get Started
Logger Component Properties
      Customer Support
      CSFS Configuration
      Contacting Support
Logger Registry Settings
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Introduction

This document provides information on how to set up the Cisco Intelligent Contact Management (ICM) Phone Home feature. Phone Home is comprised of the Data Transfer Process (DTP) and Customer Support Forwarding Service (CSFS) processes on the customer side, and the Listener and AlarmTracker processes on the support side. Each of these processes is described in this document.

Prerequisites

Requirements

Cisco recommends that you have knowledge of regedt32.

Components Used

The information in this document is based on Cisco ICM versions 4.5.x. through 4.6.2.

The information in this document was created from the devices in a specific lab environment. All of the devices used in this document started with a cleared (default) configuration. If your network is live, make sure that you understand the potential impact of any command.

Conventions

Refer to Cisco Technical Tips Conventions for more information on document conventions.

What is Phone Home?

Distributed Diagnostics and Services Network

Each computer that runs the ICM Logger at a customer site is equipped with a modem in order to support the DDSN. The Logger uses the Windows NT Remote Access Service (RAS) to send data to the Listener through a dial-up connection. Loggers located at customer premises also allow dial-in connections. Dial-in connections allow Support to connect to either side of the Logger to fully diagnose problems in the system.

The DDSN Transfer Process (DTP) retains Event Management Service (EMS) events in memory until the DTP delivers the events to the Listener. Messages are sent periodically in batches in order to minimize the traffic to the Listener and the number of dial-up connections that are needed over time. However, if the DTP receives a high priority event, the DTP immediately sends the event to the Listener. If an attempt to establish a RAS connection fails because of a busy phone or no answer, the DTP process periodically tries to re-establish the RAS connection.

You can place exported log files (for example, .txt files) in the export directory on the local machine.

Every 30 minutes, the DTP checks whether there are EMS events in the memory or any new files in the export directory of the Logger. When the memory contains new events and files, the DTP sends the events and files to the Listener, and establishes a RAS connection, if necessary. Any files sent to the Listener are then deleted from the export directory of the Logger.

Customer Support Forwarding Service (CSFS)

CSFS receives events. Then CSFS filters the events, and holds the events in memory.

DDSN Transfer Process (DTP)

DTP transfers the events and export files to the machine that runs the Listener. DTP uses either a dial-up connection and the RAS, or a direct network connection. The Listener stores the events in an customer-specific directory on the machine that runs the Listener.

The Listener

The Listener is the process at the CSC that receives events from multiple ICM installations. The events reported to the Listener come from various parts of the system and are of various types. The events range from informational messages to reports of serious errors. The event mechanism gives quick notification to customer support representatives when a problem occurs. The event mechanism also provides a history of activity at each system.

AlarmTracker

An alarm and event management program called AlarmTracker allows customer support personnel to monitor the events that the Listener receives. AlarmTracker enables support personnel to view events generated from one or more ICM installations. AlarmTracker reads these events from the Listener process.

Get Started

First, check with the Listener administrator for information on:

• Primary Listener

• Listener drive letter

• Customer abbreviation

The Listener administrator must assign this information for each new customer added to the Listener.

Provide this information in the Listener administrator when you set up Phone Home:

1. When you plan to test Phone Home

2. When the CSC must begin to monitor this customer

Run SETUP.EXE from the ICM CD-ROM or ICM/BIN directory in order to set up Phone Home. These sections explain the setup process that SETUP.EXE performs.

Logger Component Properties

The logger setup program enables you to turn on Phone Home. The logger can send CSFS messages three different ways:

• RAS dial-up connection

• Local network connection

• Serial feed connection

Customer Support

In order to enable the ICM to send diagnostic messages directly to the address translation gateway (ATG), you must enable the DDSN. Complete these steps to enable the DDSN:

1. Check the Phone home check box in the Logger Component Properties dialog box of the ICM Setup.

   Figure 1 – Select Phone Home, and Click Configure

   

2. Click Configure.

   The Phone Home Configuration dialog box is displayed (see Figure 2).

3. Enter the name of the customer and the site in the Customer name and Site name fields in the CSFS configuration section.

4. Specify how to contact the Listeners in the Contacting Support section.

   Figure 2 – Enter the Customer and Site Names

   

5. Click OK.

Note: The fields in the Phone Home configuration dialog box in Figure 2 are described in detail in the later sections of this document.

CSFS Configuration

You must change the values of two fields in the CSFS configuration section.

Customer Name

Enter the name of the customer exactly as the name appears on the Logger.

Note: Remember that the customer name entered here is the name that appears on AlarmTracker. You must ensure that the CSC does not already use the customer name you enter here.

Site Name

Enter the site name in the Site name field. When you complete this section, include both the city name and the node side (SideA or SideB). This information assists the CSC to troubleshoot Phone Home issues. Without this information, you cannot identify which Logger phoned home.

Suppression Limit

This value is used for threshold timeouts. Specify the number of occurrences of a single event within the suppression time before a threshold event is raised. This field is typically set to 5.

Suppression Time

The value in the Suppression Time field is used for threshold timeouts. Specify the time limit before a threshold event is raised. Time is measured in minutes. The value in this field is typically set to 60.

Contacting Support

When you complete the Contacting Support section, consider which Listener you want to set as the primary Listener. In general, customers A-G use Listener A as their primary Listener, and customers H-Z use Listener B.

Note: In order to balance the load of customers that Phone Home to the CSC, this division can change. Contact the Listener Administrator for more information.

Phone Number

When you enter the phone number, enter the appropriate prefix followed by a comma to get through the PBX of the customer (if applicable). For example 9,0001234567. The Phone Number field must not contain periods, dashes, hyphens, or spaces.

Note: If you use a local network feed for Listeners, you must enter a placeholder number into the Phone Number field. You must enter a number in this field for Phone Home to function properly.

Heartbeat Interval

The Heartbeat interval is set in minutes. Cisco recommends that you set the Heartbeat interval to 720. If you use a local network feed for Phone Home, the customer generally decides the Heartbeat send interval, but Cisco recommends that the interval must be no greater than 30 minutes.

Import Directory

The Import directory needs to have only the drive letter on the Listener to which the information is sent. Check with the Listener Administrator to determine which drive letter on the Listener you must use.

Local Network

Check Send data over local network if the Listeners are located on a local network. In other words, check the option if the Loggers do not use RAS to Phone Home.

UserID

In general, the UserID is set to ABCUser, where ABC is the customer name used in the Customer name field.

Password

Enter the password for the username that is configured on the Listener.

Import System Name

The Import system name must correspond to the phone number used in the Phone Number field.

Import Domain

Enter the Domain Name of the Listener that you phone home. If the Listener is in a work group, enter the machine name of the Listener.

Logger Registry Settings

This section explains how to set up the backup Listener for Phone Home. Because the setup utility does not cover how to set up the backup Listener for Phone Home, you need to enter the information manually into the registry. Use either regedit or regedt32 to make changes to the registry. In the Registry Editor, go to the DTP section in this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > GeoTel > ICR > ABC (Customer Name) > LoggerX (X =A or B) > DTP > CurrentVersion.

Backup Import Directory

The backup import directory needs to have only the drive letter on the Listener to which the information is sent. Check with the Listener Administrator to determine which drive letter on the Listener you must use.

Backup Import Domain

Enter the Domain Name of the Listener that you are phoning home. If the Listener is in a work group, enter the machine name of the backup Listener.

Backup System Name

Set the backup import system name to the Listener that was not set as primary.

Backup Phone Number

The backup phone number must correspond to the backup system name.

Note: If you use a local network feed for Listeners, enter a placeholder number into the Phone Number field. You must enter a number in this field for Phone Home to function properly.

Note: If your system is set up to use Phone Home to contact Cisco Technical Support, refer to Technical Support.

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