Cisco CallManager System Guide, Release 4.1(3)
Time-of-Day Routing

Table Of Contents

Time-of-Day Routing

Understanding Time-of-Day Routing

Time Periods

Time Schedules

End-Users and Time-of-Day Routing

Dependency Records

Where to Find More Information


Time-of-Day Routing


Time-of-Day routing routes calls to different locations based on the time of day when a call is made. For example, during business hours, calls can route to an office, and after hours, calls can go directly to a voice-messaging system or to a home number.

This section covers the following topics:

Understanding Time-of-Day Routing

End-Users and Time-of-Day Routing

Dependency Records

Where to Find More Information

Understanding Time-of-Day Routing

Time-of-Day routing comprises individual time periods that the administrator defines and groups into time schedules. The administrator associates time schedules with a partition. In the Partition Configuration window, the administrator chooses either the time zone of the originating device or any specific time zone for a time schedule. The system checks the chosen time zone against the time schedule when the call gets placed to directory numbers in this partition. The Time Period and Time Schedule menu items exist in the Route Plan menu under the Class of Control submenu. The Partition and Calling Search Space menu items also have moved to the Class of Control submenu.

Time Periods

A time period comprises a start time and end time. The available start times and end times comprise 15-minute intervals on a 24-hour clock from 00:00 to 24:00. Additionally, a time period requires definition of a repetition interval. Repetition intervals comprise the days of the week (for example, Monday through Friday) or a day of the calendar year (for example, June 9).

Examples

You can define time period weekdayofficehours as 08:00 to 17:00 from Monday to Friday.

You can define time period newyearsday as 00:00 to 24:00 on January 1.

You can define time period noofficehours that has no office hours on Wednesdays. For this time period, the associated partition is not active on Wednesdays.


Note In defining a time period, the start time must precede (be less than) the end time.



Tip To define an overnight time span that starts on Monday through Friday at 22:00 and ends at 4:00 the next morning, create two time periods, such as lateevening (from 22:00 to 24:00 on Monday through Friday) and earlymorning (from 0:00 to 4:00 on Tuesday through Saturday). Use the Time Schedule Configuration window to associate the lateevening and earlymorning time periods into a single time schedule that spans the overnight hours.


After the administrator creates a time period, the administrator must associate the time period with a time schedule.

Time Schedules

A time schedule comprises a group of defined time periods that the administrator associates. After the administrator has configured a time period, the time period displays in the Available Time Periods list box in the Time Schedule Configuration window. The administrator can select a time period and add it to the Selected Time Periods list box.


Note After the administrator selects a time period for association with a time schedule, the time period remains available for association with other time schedules.


After the administrator has configured a time schedule, the administrator can use the Partition Configuration window to select either the time zone of the originating device or any specific time zone for a defined time schedule. The selected time zone gets checked against the time schedule when the user places the call.

The Time-of-Day feature filters the CallingSearchSpace string through Time-of-day settings that are defined for each partition in the CallingSearchSpace.

After time-of-day routing is configured, if the time of an incoming call is within one of the time periods in the time schedule, the partition gets included in the filtered partition list search for the call.

Examples

You can define time schedule USAholidays as the group of the following time periods: newyearsday, presidentsday, memorialday, independenceday, laborday, thanksgivingday, christmasday. The administrator must first configure the applicable time periods.

You can define time schedule library_open_hours as the group of the following time periods: Mon_to_Fri_hours, Sat_hours, Sun_hours. The administrator must first configure the applicable time periods.

End-Users and Time-of-Day Routing

If time-of-day routing is enforced, users cannot set certain CFwdAll numbers at certain times. For example, User A's Calling Search Space for forwarding includes a Time-of-Day-configured partition that allows international calls from 8:00 to 17:00 (5:00 pm). User A wants to configure his CFwdAll number to an international number. He can only set this number during the 8:00-to17:00 time period because, outside these hours, the system does not find the international number in the partition that is used to validate the CFwdAll number.

If the user sets the CFwdAll during office hours when it is allowed, and the user receives a call outside office hours, the caller hears fast-busy.

Users cannot reach directory numbers in some partitions that are configured for time-of-day routing and that are not active during the time of call, depending upon the configuration of partitions.

Users also cannot reach the Route/Translation pattern in partitions configured with time-of-day routing which is not active at the time of call.


Note Although a user may not be able to set Forward All for a phone due to the partition and time-of-day settings that apply to the phone, an administrator or a user can still set the Call Forward All option on the phone from the Cisco CallManager Administration page.



Note TOD settings comes into effect when the lines are included in a Hunt List. The settings only apply to the Hunt Pilot and not to the lines within that Hunt List.


Dependency Records

If you need to find specific information about time periods and time schedules, click the Dependency Records link that is provided on the Cisco CallManager Administration Time Period Configuration and Time Schedule Configuration windows. If the dependency records are not enabled for the system, the dependency records summary window displays a message.

Time Period Dependency Records

The Dependency Records Summary window for time periods displays information about time schedules that are using the time period. To find more information, click the record type, and the Dependency Records Details window displays.

Time Schedule Dependency Records

The Dependency Records Summary window for time schedules displays information about partitions that are using the time schedule. To find more information, click the record type, and the Dependency Records Details window displays.

For more information about Dependency Records, refer to Accessing Dependency Records, Cisco CallManager Administration Guide.

Where to Find More Information

Related Topics

Time Period Configuration, Cisco CallManager Administration Guide

Time Schedule Configuration, Cisco CallManager Administration Guide

Partition Configuration, Cisco CallManager Administration Guide

Calling Search Space Configuration, Cisco CallManager Administration Guide

Partitions and Calling Search Spaces

Understanding Route Plans

Additional Cisco Documentation

Cisco IP Telephony Solutions Reference Network Design