Working with Configurations
This chapter describes how to work with the configurations for meeting spaces.
Managing Configurations for a Location
The Configurations tab in the Cisco Smart+Connected Spaces (Smart+Connected Spaces) portal for managing meeting spaces and digital signage (solutions) allows you to associate configurations to locations. You can add, view, edit, and delete the configurations on the Configurations tab. You can specify a name for each configuration and assign it to a location or a set of locations.
A configuration allows you to select a list of features, such as, light controls, air conditioning controls, fault messages, signage messages, and energy-saving settings. These features are available for the location to which the configuration is associated. End users can access the features to control devices using the Cisco IP Phones at the location.
Note To enable end users to place requests for booking equipment and other resources using the Smart+Connected Spaces user portal (calendar), you must add the equipment and resources using the Devices tab in the SDP.
A location can have only one configuration active for it at a time. If you want to associate a different set of features to a location(s), then you can create a new configuration and associate this configuration to the location(s). The new configuration overrides the existing configuration associated with the location.
Adding Configurations
You can create a configuration for a location and include the required features, fault items, messages, and energy-saving settings by using the Add option.
To add a configuration, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Log in to the Smart+Connected Spaces portal for managing meeting spaces and digital signage.
By default, the Configurations tab is selected. The Configurations tab is divided into two panes. The left pane displays the location hierarchy, and the right pane displays the Configuration List area.
Step 2 In the left pane, right-click the Location Hierarchy folder and click Expand to view the available locations. Alternatively, click the plus sign next to a location name to view its child locations.
Step 3 Check the check box for the location to which you want to associate the configuration.
Step 4 Click Add in the Configuration List area.
The Details, Features, Faults, Messages, and Energy Saving tabs are displayed. The Details tab is selected by default.
Step 5 To add the details for a configuration, perform the following the steps:
a. Enter the name for the configuration in the Configuration field.
b. The Enabled check box is checked by default. Uncheck it if you want to disable the configuration.
Note Only the configurations that are enabled are available on the Cisco IP Phones.
Step 6 To add the features for a configuration, perform the following the steps:
a. Click the Features tab.
The Available Features column and the Included Features column appear.
The features listed in the Available Features column that can be accessed using a Cisco IP Phone or Room Panel are as follows:
- Blinds Control—Enables the user to control the window blinds in the room.
- Case Management—Enables the user to report a fault in the meeting room to the trouble ticketing/case management system.
- Digital Signage Messages—Enables the user to send messages to be displayed on the digital signage that shows the conference room view.
- Fan Speed Control—Enables the user to control the fan speed for the air conditioner.
- Lights (Dimmer) Control—Enables the user to set different levels of brightness for the lights in the room. Applicable only if the room lighting system has dimness/brightness control.
- Lights (On/Off) Control—Enables the user to switch the lights on/off in the meeting room.
- Manual Release—Enables the user to release the room earlier than the scheduled meeting end time.
- Extend Meeting—Enables the user to extend a meeting in a conference/TP rooms using the room panel.
- Room Booking—Enables the user to book the room using the Cisco IP Phone and digital signage.
- Room Mode—Enables the user to activate and switch between room modes (one touch control for lights, projector, and projector screen).
- Thermostat (On/Off) Control—Enables the user to switch the air conditioning on or off in the room.
- Thermostat (Set Point) Control—Enables the user to set the temperature (as allowed by the administrator) for the room.
- A/V Control—Enables the user to control of A/V resources, such as the projector and projector screen.
The following features can be controlled using Cisco IP Phones:
- Conference Room Details—Enables display of the meeting/conference room details, such as meeting room name, temperature, and schedule.
- Daylight (Sensor) Control—Enables automatic control of the brightness levels of the lighting based on the actual daylight present in the room. This is applicable only if a daylight sensor is available and configured for the particular room.
- Occupancy (Sensor) Control—Enables integration of the solution with the Occupancy sensor in the room (if present).
- TelePresence—Enables booking of TelePresence rooms.
Note The Available Features column lists all of the existing features. The Included Features pane appears empty until you move some features from the Available Features list.
b. Choose the required feature from the Available Features column.
- To include a specific feature to the configuration, choose the feature and click
.
- To select and move all features from the Available List to the Included List, click
.
- To exclude a specific feature from the configuration, choose the feature and click
.
- To select and move all features from the Included List to the Available List, click
.
Note The buttons described are also available on the Faults, Messages, and Energy Saving tabs.
Step 7 To add fault items for the configuration, perform the following steps:
a. Click the Faults tab.
b. The Available Faults column and the Included Faults column appear. The available fault items are the faults that you create using the Faults Menu tab.
c. Choose the required fault from the Available Faults list.
d. Click to include the fault item for the configuration.
Step 8 To add the digital signage messages to the configuration, perform the following steps:
a. Click the Messages tab.
The Available Messages column and the Included Messages column appears. Available messages are the messages that you create using the Signage Menu tab.
b. Choose the required message from the Included Messages list.
c. Click to include the message for the configuration.
Step 9 To configure energy-saving settings, perform the following steps:
a. Click the Energy Saving tab.
b. Enter the number of minutes in the Energy Saving Scheduler Interval field.
The interval at which the energy-saving scheduler runs. For example, if you enter 30, the scheduler checks for room occupancy every half an hour, and applies the energy-saving mode to the included devices if the room is unoccupied.
c. Choose the resource to which you want to apply energy savings from the Available Resources list and click .
The resource appears in the Included Resources list.
The features listed in the Available Features column are as follows:
- Aircon
- Auto Release
- Light
- Light Occupancy Sensor
- Manual Release
- Extend Meeting
- Projector
d. Enter the duration for switching on the device before meetings in the Minutes field.
If the conference room is unoccupied, the selected resources (including but not limited to) aircon, light, and projector are changed to non-occupancy settings to save energy. The resources are reverted to the occupancy mode (x) minutes prior to the meeting. Where x is the duration that you specify in this field. For example, if you enter 10, the resource is changed to occupancy mode half an hour prior to the scheduled meeting start time.
Note The duration for switching on the Aircon should be equal to the Energy Savings Scheduler interval or a multiple of it. For example, if the Energy Savings Scheduler is set to 5 minutes, then configure the air conditioning duration value as 5, 10, 15, and so on. In this case, the scheduler checks for occupancy every 5 minutes and the next occupancy check is conducted at 10 minutes.
Note The extend meeting interval must be greater than the auto release interval. For example, if the auto release interval is set to 10 minutes, then the interval for extend meeting should be set to 15 minutes.
Step 10 Click Save to add the configuration to the selected location.
Note Clicking Clear at any point when adding a configuration clears all of the changes that are made, and returns you to the Details tab. Clicking Cancel closes all tabs and discards all of the changes that are made.
Viewing Configurations
You can view the configurations in the Configuration List area.
To view the configurations, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Log in to the Smart+Connected Spaces portal for managing meeting spaces and digital signage.
By default, the Configurations tab is selected. The Configurations tab is divided into two panes. The left pane displays the location hierarchy, and the right pane displays the Configuration List area.
Step 2 In the left pane, right-click the Location Hierarchy folder, and click Expand to view the available locations. Alternatively, click the plus sign next to a location name to view its child locations.
Step 3 Click a configuration name in the Configuration List area to view the configuration details and the associated location(s).
Locations associated with the selected configuration appear in the left pane with the icon.
The Configuration List area displays the following column headers:
- Configuration—The name of the configuration. By default, the list is sorted in ascending alphabetical order based on the configuration name. You can change the order to descending by clicking the column header.
- Status—Informs whether the configuration is enabled or disabled.
- Updated By—The name of the user who made the latest updates to the configuration.
- Updated On—The date on which the configuration was last updated.
Note These columns can be sorted in ascending or descending order. Click any column header to reverse the sorting order.
The Configuration List area displays only a certain number of configurations in a page. Click the page number shown below the configuration list to see the configurations in the subsequent pages.
Editing Configurations
You can add more features, fault items, and messages or remove the existing ones by editing an existing configuration.
To edit a configuration, perform the following the steps:
Step 1 Log in to the Smart+Connected Spaces portal for managing meeting spaces and digital signage.
Step 2 In the Configuration List area, click the name of the configuration that you want to edit.
The Details, Features, Faults, Messages, and Energy Saving tabs are displayed.
Step 3 Click the required tabs and make the necessary changes.
Note Whenever you make changes using the Energy Saving tab, click Refresh Energy Savings on the Tools tab. Unless this is done, the new settings are not applied.
Step 4 Click Save to save the changes.
Note Click Clear to clear the changes that were made, or click Cancel to cancel the changes and close all tabs.
Deleting Configurations
If you delete a configuration that is associated with some location(s), then end users are unable to access the features using the Cisco IP Phone(s) at the location(s) with which the deleted configuration was associated.
To delete a configuration, perform the following the steps:
Step 1 Log in to the Smart+Connected Spaces portal for managing meeting spaces and digital signage.
Step 2 In the Configuration List area, click the name of the configuration that you want to delete.
Step 3 In the left pane, right-click the Location Hierarchy folder, and click Expand to view the locations to which the configuration is associated. Alternatively, click the plus sign next to a location name to view its child locations.
Step 4 Check the check box for the configuration that you want to delete.
Step 5 Click Delete. The confirmation dialog box appears.
Step 6 Click Yes to delete the configuration, or click No to close the dialog box and return to the Configurations List area.
Smart Spaces Outlook Plug-in Configuration
Before installing the Smart Spaces Outlook Plug-in, ensure that the autodiscover functionality is enabled in the MS Exchange server, and execute the following command in the Exchange Management Shell:
Set-WebServicesVirtualDirectory -identity "<FQDN>\EWS (Default Web Site)" -internalURL https://<FQDN>/EWS/Exchange.asmx.
Where, FQDN is the Fully Qualified Domain Name of a system.