Month: October 2014

Adding Subscriber node to an existing CUPS cluster

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If you are attempting to add a subscriber node to an existing Cisco Unified Presence Server cluster across the WAN, chances are you will get the following error during network configuration validation:

“Configuration validation with [publisher name] ([ip address]) failed.

Could not send/receive UDP packets to publisher on port 8500.

  • Is this node in the application server list on the Cisco Unified Communication Manager?
  • Is Network connection to [publisher name] up?
  • Is the MTU size correct for this network?
  • Does the network allow packet fragments?”

Here’s a screenshot of the message:

CUPS configuration validation error

 

If you talk to Cisco TAC, they will tell you that “CUP servers are very particular to network requirements” and quote you CSCug28096 (Sub Installation over WAN Fails – 3 different instances ver 8.6.4,9.1.1) or a similar bug. Fact is, my installation of the subscriber node failed even on a LAN connection between the nodes. Let me just cut down to the solution:

  1. Install the new node on the same host as the Publisher (host being the key word here).
  2. Use VMware vSphere Replication or otherwise copy the VM to the remote data center where it should belong.
  3. Once the VM is moved, change IP address, subnet mask (if applicable) and default gateway to match the network configuration at the remote site. The system will reboot.
  4. Update the IP address for the node’s A Record in DNS.
  5. Verify replication state of the cluster on the Publisher server.

The above workaround has worked flawlessly. Hope it works for you if you are having the same issue.

Cisco WebEx Meetings Server 2.5

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The Cisco WebEx Meetings Server 2.5 has been released on October 17th. This version comes with a long-awaited Multi-Data Center (MDC) support, which is essentially High Availability and load sharing between two geographically distributed areas. Be warned, though, that a separate MDC license is required (read more about MDC Licenses in CWMS 2.5 Administration Guide). The other neat feature that could be attractive to multi-national companies is the IVR language selection for system access telephone numbers (13 languages are supported).

The ISO is available from CCO. Please refer to release notes for full information.

Jabber for Windows 10.5.1 released

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Cisco has released an updated Jabber for Windows client yesterday (October 8th), available for download on CCO (login required). The build number for this release is 10.5.1.43318 (be sure to check out Release Notes).The release contains a number of fixes and the following 5 are may be of particular interest:

  1. Jabber clients try to authenticate multiple times when using Expressway for Mobile and Remote Access (MRA). (CSCuq54657)
  2. Jabber search on a user is returning multiple Outlook contacts for users. (CSCup78097)
  3. Phone, company and photo intermittently missing on Windows 8. (CSCup29889)
  4. Jabber for Windows 10.5. 0 client registers with BOT or TCT device. (CSCuq93337)
  5. IM history does not show for some days even if available in the db file. (CSCuq90236).

 

Jabber vs. OCS/Lync – Feature Comparison

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Many are wondering how Cisco Jabber compares to OCS/Lync in terms of features and user experience. The two share some similarities and clearly leave other competing products far behind – as Gartner analysts clearly suggest. I have tried to summarize all features of the two in the following table:

Feature Jabber OCS/Lync
Presence
Presence indicators in Microsoft applications Yes Yes
Rich presence (e.g. “on the phone”) Yes No
Custom status messages Yes Yes
Instant Messaging
Group chat Yes Yes
File transfer Yes Yes
Screen capture-to-IM Yes No
Conversation history in Outlook No Yes
IM History for compliance Yes Yes
Telephony and Video
PC-to-PC audio calling Yes[i] Yes
PC-to-PC video calling Yes[i] Yes
PC-to-PSTN audio calling Yes No
URI dialing (e.g. someone@domain.com) Yes Yes
Click-to-call support Limited[ii] Yes
Mobility
Native iPhone/iPad client Yes Yes
Native Android client Yes Yes
Native Windows Phone client No Yes
Native BlackBerry client Limited[iii] Yes
Other
AD integration: authentication Yes Yes
AD integration: directory search Yes Yes
WebEx integration (click-to-meet) Yes Yes
Desktop sharing Yes Yes
Remote control sharing Yes Yes
Skype federation No Yes
Federation with other standards-based clients Yes Yes
VPN-less connectivity Yes Yes

[i] CUCM-registered client only
[ii] Limited support (from MS Office applications only)
[iii] Limited support (IM-only; EOL)

Your comments, as always, are welcome.

Bash Environment Variable Patch for UCM versions 8, 9 and 10

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Update: The patch is also applicable to Cisco Unity Connection versions 8.5.1 and up. I have updated the post to reflect this information.

With yet another vulnerability that has become public in the recent week, vendors are scrambling to issue security patches for their systems. Cisco is no exception here, and that’s a good thing. On October 1st Cisco has released bash environment patch for CUCM/CUC versions 8, 9 and 10 to protect these systems from Shellshock bug. All future software updates for CallManager/Unity Connection versions that have not reached E-O-M will be released with the patch included. But for now, affected customers should download and install ciscocm.bashupgrade.cop.sgn available on CCO under Products > Unified Communications Call Control Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CallManager) > Cisco Unified Communications Manager Version x.x > Unified Communications Manager / CallManager / Cisco Unity Connection Utilities-COP-Files.

The update does not require system reboot, but Cisco advises to make a backup copy just in case. Be sure to check patch installation instructions and you may also want to review the CSCur00930 (CUCM) and CSCur05328 (CUC) on the Bug Tracker for more information.

Stay safe!