Cisco Unified

Communications
Manager Architecture
Developed for the Cisco Networking Academy Community

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Content
• Objective
• Introduction
• Cisco UC Solution Components
• Cisco UC Network
• CUCM Functions
• CUCM Signaling and Media Paths
• CUCM Hardware, Software, and Clustering
• CUCM Cluster
• CUCM Operating System
• Cisco UC Database
• CUCM Licensing
• Summary 2
Objective
• Describe the components of a Cisco Unified Communications solution
and each component’s functionality.
• Describe the architecture and role of CUCM.
• Describe the hardware requirements for CUCM.
• Describe the characteristics of the CUCM operating system.
• Describe the characteristics of the CUCM database and how it
provides redundancy.
• Describe the licensing model of CUCM.

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Introduction

• Cisco Unified Communications (UC)

• IP-based communications system
• Integrating voice, video, data, and mobility products and
applications

• It enables more effective, secure communications and can

transform the way in which we communicate.

• Cisco UC removes the geographic barriers

• Cisco UC create more effective communications without losing the

personal nature of a face-to-face conversation

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Cisco UC Solution Components

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 Cisco UC Solution Components –
Infrastructure Layer

• Consists of routers, switches, and voice gateways.

• Carries voice, video, and data between all network devices and
applications.
• Provides high availability, management, quality of service (QoS), and
network security.

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Cisco UC Solution Components –
Call Control Layer

• Provides call processing, device control, and administration of the dial

plan and features.
• Call control can be provided by CUCM, Cisco Unified Communications
Manger Express (CUCME), or CUCM Business Edition (CUCMBE).
• Call processing is independent from the infrastructure layer.
- CUCM, CUCMBE, or CUCME in San Jose, California, can process
call control for a device physically located in another site over a
WAN (for example, Chicago).
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 Cisco UC Solution Components –
Applications Layer

• Applications are independent from call-control functions

and the physical voice ports.
• Application servers are integrated through IP, which allows
the applications to reside anywhere within the network.

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 Cisco UC Solution Components –
Applications Layer

• Voicemail, integrated messaging, and unified messaging

applications are provided through Cisco Unity, Cisco Unity
Express, or Cisco Unity Connections products.
• Contact centers of various sizes can be built with Cisco
Unified Contact Center Enterprise (UCCE) and Cisco
Unified Contact Center Express (UCCX).

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 Cisco UC Solution Components –
Applications Layer

• Cisco Unified MeetingPlace is a conferencing servers that

support video integration.
• Cisco Emergency Responder (CER) enhances the existing
emergency functionality offered by CUCM.
• Cisco ER provides physical location updates for mobile devices.
It identifies the caller’s physical location to the switch port and
maps the call to an emergency line identification number.

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 Cisco UC Solution Components –
Applications Layer

• The Cisco Unified Presence (CUP) server collects information regarding the
availability, willingness, and communications capabilities of a user and provides
this information to watchers of the user as a status indication.

• The status information is based on the user’s device availability (on hook, off
hook, or unregistered).

• The status information is augmented by the user’s communication preferences

(phone, video, instant messaging, or email) if the user has the ability to publish
this information and the watcher’s application has the ability to view the
information.

• The Cisco Unified Personal Communicator (CUPC) software client is only

supported if there is a CUP server in the cluster. 11
 Cisco UC Solution Components –
Endpoints Layer

• The endpoints layer brings applications to the user, whether the end
device is a Cisco IP Phone, a PC using a software-based phone, or a
communications client or video terminal.

• Cisco UC provides multiprotocol support for Skinny Client Control

Protocol (SCCP), H.323, MGCP, and SIP.

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Cisco UC Network

Cisco UC System
integrates the following
major communications
technologies:
• IP telephony
• Customer contact center
• Video telephony
• Rich-media conferencing
• Third-party applications

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CUCM Functions
• Call processing: Refers to the complete process of originating,
routing, and terminating calls, including any billing and statistical
collection processes.

• Signaling and device control: Terminates and coordinates all

signaling events between call endpoints and directs devices such as
phones, gateways, and conference bridges to establish and tear
down streaming RTP media connections.

• Dial plan administration: The dial plan is a set of configurable

patterns that CUCM uses to perform call routing. CUCM is
responsible for digit analysis (DA) of all calls into or out of the
CUCM cluster.

• Phone feature administration: CUCM extends supplementary

services such as hold, transfer, forward, conference, speed dial,
redial, and call park to IP phones and gateways.
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CUCM Functions
• Directory services: User authentication can be performed locally or
against an external directory service. Directory synchronization
allows centralized user management. Directory synchronization
allows CUCM to leverage users already configured in a corporate-
wide directory service, such as Microsoft Active Directory.

• Backup and restore tools: CUCM provides a Disaster Recovery

System (DRS) to back up and restore the CUCM configuration
database. The DRS also backs up call detail records (CDR), call
management records (CMR), and the CDR Analysis and Reporting
(CAR) database.

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CUCM Signaling and Media Paths
• CUCM uses SIP or SCCP to communicate with Cisco IP Phones for
call setup and teardown tasks.

• All supplementary services (call hold, park, transfer, conference) are

transported as call-signaling events.

• When the called party picks up his ringing phone, CUCM completes
the call setup phase, resulting in a media exchange that occurs
directly between the Cisco IP Phones across the IP network using
the Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP).

• CUCM is not involved in any call processing after the call has been
set up unless a softkey feature is initiated.

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CUCM Signaling and Media Paths

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CUCM Hardware, Software, and
Clustering
• CUCM Release 8.0 is a complete hardware and software solution that works
as a network appliance.

• A network appliance is a closed system that supports only Cisco-authorized

applications and utilities. Goals of the appliance model include simplifying
installation, security, and patching of the system.

• CUCM is also provided as a software-only product, which can be installed on

supported Cisco Media Convergence Servers (MCS) or Cisco-approved,
third-party server platforms, such as VMWare vSphere.

• System administration is performed through a GUI, CLI, or documented APIs

for third-party access.

• CUCM supports clustering of servers to provide high availability and

scalability. Database redundancy is provided by sharing a common database
replicated across the CUCM servers.
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CUCM Cluster
• Clustering allows the network to scale to several thousands of
endpoints, provides redundancy in case of network or server failure,
and provides a central point of administration.

• CUCM clustering allows call signaling to be distributed among

multiple servers, increasing the scalability and performance of the
product.

• A CUCM cluster can have up to 20 servers in it.

• Cisco IP Phone configuration settings are stored in the IBM IDS
database. The database is the repository for all CUCM configuration
information.

• The database replicates the configuration information in a hub-and-

spoke topology.

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CUCM Cluster

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CUCM Operating System
• The operating system that the CUCM application resides on is Red
Hat Linux Enterprise.

• Operating system and application updates are provided by, and

digitally signed by, Cisco Systems.

• Root access to the file system has been locked down

• Cisco has hardened the underlying Red Hat Linux operating system
by disabling all unnecessary accounts and services.

• Cisco Secure Agent (CSA) is included with the appliance to provide

protection against known and unknown attacks.

• A DHCP server has also been integrated into CUCM to provide IP

telephony devices with their IP addressing requirements if required.
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Cisco UC Database

• Two types: Static Configuration Data and User-Facing Features

• Static Configuration Data

- Created as part of the configuration of the CUCM cluster
- Read/Write access on Publisher, Read local access on
Subscribers
- Replication is unidirectional, from Publisher to Subscribers
- Call Detail Records (CDR) and Call Management Records
(CMR) are replicated from Subscribers to Publisher.
- CDR – Calling & called party, start & stop time, call duration
- CMR – QoS details

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Cisco UC Database

• Two types: Static Configuration Data and User-Facing

Features

• User-Facing Features
- Dynamic configuration data, Read/Write access on all
servers.
- Allow certain information to be modified if publisher is
unavailable
- UFF data is replicated between all servers in the cluster.
- UFF examples: Call Forward All (CFA), Message Waiting
Indication (MWI), Do Not Disturb (DND).

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CUCM Licensing
• The Publisher is the only licensing server.

• The licensing server is the logical component that keeps track of the
licenses purchased and the licenses used.

• If the publisher fails, new phones cannot register, and no configuration

changes will be allowed. Existing phones will continue to operate during
a publisher outage.

• Device license units (DLU)

- The maximum number of provisioned devices in the CUCM
database will be tracked and enforced.
- A demo license allows 150 DLUs and 3 call-processing servers.
- Also called phone licenses.

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CUCM Licensing
• Application licenses
- CUCM Software is bound to the MAC address of the publisher
- On VMware vSphere server, the license is bound to the hash of
various system settings.
- Required for every CUCM server and it is referred to as node
licenses.

• Software licenses
- Tied to major version of the software.
- Required for upgrades from one major version to another.
- Application license would be required to do a major version upgrade
(e.g. CUCM 7.1 to CUCM 8.0).

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Summary
• Cisco Unified Communications (UC) is a community of components
designed to enable rapid, efficient communications.

• UC components include the following:

- Endpoints
- Application integration
- Call control
- Infrastructure

• CUCM provides call setup and teardown services.

• CUCM provides a centralised command and control topology to

configuration management while leveraging the distributed nature of
IP communications.

• Three types of licenses are required: devices, applications and

software. 26
Thank you

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