Cisco Conference Connection Administration Guide (DOC-7814554=)—Describes how to plan for, install, configure, manage, use, and troubleshoot Cisco Conference Connection. An Adobe Acrobat (PDF) version of this manual is available in the Cisco Conference Connection online help.
Cisco Conference Connection User's Guide—Describes how to use Cisco Conference Connection to create and manage conferences. The guide is only available online at the above URL, or in a PDF file available on the Cisco Conference Connection Information page.
What's New in Cisco Conference Connection 1.2
These are the major new features and other changes in Cisco Conference Connection 1.2:
Metalink agreements no longer required—In Cisco Conference Connection 1.1, user information was kept in a separate directory from the Cisco CallManager directory. Keeping this directory up-to-date required a metalink agreement with the Cisco CallManager directory.
In Cisco Conference Connection 1.2, the separate directory is eliminated and user information is accessed directly from the Cisco CallManager directory. This eliminates the need for the metalink agreement.
Enhanced directory support—Because Cisco Conference Connection now draws information directly from the Cisco CallManager directory, you can now use any type of directory that Cisco CallManager supports. In Cisco Conference Connection 1.1, you had to use the DC directory.
Integrated user management—All user information is now accessed from the Cisco CallManager directory. Thus, all user management is done in Cisco CallManager. The ability to create and list users has been eliminated from Cisco Conference Connection.
No guest user—Cisco Conference Connection 1.2 eliminates the concept of a guest user. All users defined in the Cisco CallManager directory can log into Cisco Conference Connection as regular users (that is, they can create conferences).
Change to administrators—Cisco Conference Connection 1.2 uses a different method of identifying administrators. If you have a list of administrators for a 1.1 server, that list will not be valid for 1.2. To log in the first time as an administrator, you must log in using the cccadmin user name (which you must define in Cisco CallManager). Then, you can create a new list of administrators based on Cisco CallManager user names (the old list of administrators is preserved for your convenience).
Password-protection for conferences—Owners can now set passwords for conferences, thus increasing the security of sensitive conferences. Administrators can also enforce security policies (each of these is independent of the others):
You can force owners to set passwords for new or changed conferences.
You can force owners to select randomly generated passwords.
You can hide all password-protected conferences.
You can set a default password to protect conferences that do not have owner-assigned passwords.
End-of-conference announcement—Cisco Conference Connection now gives you a five-minute notice that a conference will end.
IP Phone Service changes—The Cisco Conference Connection IP Phone Service works differently in this release to accommodate password-protected conferences. The service prompts for the owner-supplied password if a conference is configured with one. Also, the gateway prefix no longer appears in the conference list.
Upgrading from Cisco Conference Connection 1.1
If you are upgrading a Cisco Conference Connection 1.1(3) server, follow the instructions in Cisco Conference Connection Administration Guide for upgrading the product. Ensure that you completely remove metalink agreements and uninstall the software, as described in the administration guide, before you install Cisco Conference Connection 1.2.
You must configure these items to complete the upgrade:
The cccadmin user—To log into Cisco Conference Connection 1.2 as an administrator (for the first time), you must use the cccadmin user name. You must create cccadmin in Cisco CallManager before you can use the name. See the administration guide for information on creating the cccadmin user.
Updating the administrator list—The Cisco Conference Connection administrators you configured in 1.1 no longer apply in 1.2. You must create a new list of administrators based on Cisco CallManager user names. The administration guide explains how to do this; the software preserves your old list of administrators to help you create the new list.
Set a default password (optional)—The Conference Director IVR application now includes a default password parameter. If you set a default password, then conference attendees must enter a password for every conference, even if the conference owner does not set a password. If you decide that this level of security is required, update the Conference Director configuration as described in the administration guide.
Configure password requirements (optional)—Through the Cisco Conference Connection web interface, you can force conference owners to set passwords for all new or modified conferences. You can also force owners to select randomly-generated passwords, rather than passwords they select. Finally, you can choose whether all conferences with passwords are also hidden conferences. See the administration guide for more information on these system settings.
Cisco Conference Connection Known Problems
Known problems are unexpected behaviors or defects in the product. They are graded according to severity level. These release notes contain information about some of the more likely known problems that you might encounter.
You can search for additional known problems on the Cisco bug tracking system tool, called Bug Toolkit. To access Bug Toolkit, open http://www.cisco.com/support/bugtools in your web browser.
Table 1 describes restrictions or other known issues for using Cisco Conference Connection 1.2.
Table 1 Cisco Conference Connection Known Problems
Bug ID
Summary
Explanation
CSCdx49278
Callers experience up to a 15 second delay before the system plays the welcome prompt.
This occurs after a Cisco CallManager server fails over to a secondary server.
If a Cisco CallManager server fails over, advise Cisco Conference Connection users that they will experience a delay before the system plays the welcome prompt.
CSCdx38786
Database subsystem shows status OUT_OF_SERVICE on the Application Administration Engine status page, but the system is processing calls and validating database steps.
You may see this problem if you log in to the Application Administration web pages before the SQL server starts the DCMS database used by Cisco Conference Connection.
This problem does not affect callers.
To work around this problem, restart the engine from the Application Administration Engine status page. This will refresh the DB subsystem status. While the Engine is restarting, callers will be unable to initiate new conferences.
CSCdu79125
A conference may run indefinitely.
If a participant leaves a conference during a Cisco CallManager restart or failover, Cisco Conference Connection may assume that the participant is still present. As long as the conference has a participant and there are resources available, the system will extend the conference automatically.
To prevent this problem, schedule a 10 minute conference call during off hours that requires all available licenses. This will force all calls and conferences in progress to be terminated.
CSCdx82469
Unsupported endpoints may experience one-way audio.
This problem can occur when using an endpoint that is not supported by Cisco CallManager to directly dial into a conference. For more information about supported endpoints, refer to the Cisco CallManager System Guide.
To work around this problem, dial into the conference via a gateway, or use a Cisco CallManager supported endpoint.
CSCdx67492
Users cannot log in to Cisco Conference Connection and administrators cannot access the User Administration page.
This happens when the primary Cisco CallManager fails over to a secondary Cisco CallManager and the LDAP directory is unavailable. The directory is not available until the primary Cisco CallManager is returned to service.
To work around this problem, postpone scheduling and user administration tasks until Cisco CallManager fails back to the primary server.
CSCdy40890
The Cisco Conference Connection database exceeds the allowed size
User synchronization or other database operation fails because the PRIMARY file group is full. New pages cannot be allocated.
To work around this problem, use the Start Program button in Windows Explorer to restart Cisco Conference Connection. The system runs a utility program that removes past records from the resource table.
CSCdx87373
Cisco Conference Connection will not start after an upgrade or reinstall due to an incorrect database password.
During a reinstall or upgrade of Cisco Conference Connection, you need to provide the correct database password. If you provide the incorrect password, Cisco Conference Connection will not start.
To work around this problem, use the Cisco Conference Connection password update utility to correct the database password.
The utility is installed on the Cisco Conference Connection server in the following directory:
After you update the password, restart Cisco Conference Connection.
CSCdy36504
G.729 calls to Cisco Conference Connection do not receive transcoding resources when using Cisco Voice Gateway 200 (VG 200).
In IOS, make sure the PreferredMillisecondPacketSize value for the VG200 is set to 20 or 30 ms.
CSCdy36113
Callers hear echo when calling into conferences through the Cisco Catalyst 6608 gateway.
Please call TAC to get the latest information on this issue.
CSCdx83743
Can't start Cisco Conference Connection on Phones with Shared Lines
Phone A has line 1 and Line 2 (shared). Phone B has Line 1 (shared) and Line 2. When Phone A is active on Line 1, Phone B gets a "Line in Use" message when attempting to start a conference call using the Services button.
There does not appear to be a way to get Phone B to use Line 2 even though Line2 is available.
If Phone B tries to select Line2 Before starting the call, Phone B gets stuck in a loop for 30 seconds. During this time, no features work.
There are several suggestions to work around this problem.
1) Always configure primary line as a first line on the phone, and then shared line as a second line
2) Load the latest version of the Cisco IP Phone Firmware available.
CSCdy07497
Conference participants hear broken audio, often while other participants are logging in to the conference.
This might happen when other participants are calling into the conference and are in the process of entering DTMF digits, or using other features that involve the Application Engine.
To work around this problem, turn off all debug tracing on the Application Administration Engine web page. Use debug tracing only to investigate problems and only for short periods of time. Leave alarm tracing turned on.
CSCdy55814
Unable to access the Application Administration web page after installation or upgrade.
This may occur as a result of an obsolete ccndir.ini file. The Conference Connection server refers to the ccndir.ini file to locate the LDAP server. If the IP address for the LDAP server changes while the Cisco Conference Connection server is offline for an installation or upgrade, the ccndir.ini file is not updated with the new location.
To work around this problem, delete the ccndir.ini file on the Cisco Conference Connection server. This file is located in the following directory:
c:\WINNT\system32\ccn\ccndir.ini file
CSCdy56236
The system reports that the JTAPI subsytem is OUT_OF_SERVICE after installation. This occurs even after upgrading the Cisco CallManager plug-in.
The version of the JTAPI client bundled with Cisco Conference Connection may not be compatible with the version of Cisco CallManager you are using.
To work around this problem, stop the Application Engine and uninstall the JTAPI client on the Cisco Conference Connection server using Add/Remove Programs. Then reboot the Cisco Conference Connection server and install the JTAPI client version that is bundled with Cisco CallManager.
Ensuring Audio Quality
If conference participants hear echo, jittery voices, or clipped voices, it may be due to a problem on the network. These problems are more likely when participants join a conference through gateways and in a highly routed or switched environment.
Cisco recommends taking the following precautions to ensure conference audio quality:
Ensure that your voice network implementation is consistent with quality of service (QoS) guidelines.
Connect the Cisco Conference Connection server directly to a switch port.
Configure the switch port to run at 100Mbps Full Duplex (do not set it for automatic detection).
Configure the Network Interface Card (NIC) on the Cisco Conference Connection server to run at 100Mbps Full Duplex mode.
Disable Voice Activity Detection (VAD).
Upgrade your gateway firmware to the latest version published on CCO.
Make sure that network routing is giving priority to voice.
Turn off Application tracing.
Obtaining Documentation
The following sections explain how to obtain documentation from Cisco Systems.
World Wide Web
You can access the most current Cisco documentation on the World Wide Web at the following URL:
Cisco documentation and additional literature are available in a Cisco Documentation CD-ROM package. The Documentation CD-ROM is updated monthly and may be more current than printed documentation. The CD-ROM package is available as a single unit or through an annual subscription.
Ordering Documentation
Cisco documentation is available in the following ways:
Registered Cisco.com users (Cisco direct customers) can order Cisco product documentation from the Networking Products MarketPlace:
Nonregistered Cisco.com users can order documentation through a local account representative by calling Cisco corporate headquarters (California, USA) at 408 526-7208 or, elsewhere in North America, by calling 800 553-NETS (6387).
Documentation Feedback
If you are reading Cisco product documentation on Cisco.com, you can submit technical comments electronically. Click the Fax or Email option under the "Leave Feedback" at the bottom of the Cisco Documentation home page.
You can e-mail your comments to bug-doc@cisco.com.
To submit your comments by mail, use the response card behind the front cover of your document, or write to the following address:
Cisco Systems Attn: Document Resource Connection 170 West Tasman Drive San Jose, CA 95134-9883
We appreciate your comments.
Obtaining Technical Assistance
Cisco provides Cisco.com as a starting point for all technical assistance. Customers and partners can obtain documentation, troubleshooting tips, and sample configurations from online tools by using the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) Web Site. Cisco.com registered users have complete access to the technical support resources on the Cisco TAC Web Site.
Cisco.com
Cisco.com is the foundation of a suite of interactive, networked services that provides immediate, open access to Cisco information, networking solutions, services, programs, and resources at any time, from anywhere in the world.
Cisco.com is a highly integrated Internet application and a powerful, easy-to-use tool that provides a broad range of features and services to help you to
Streamline business processes and improve productivity
Resolve technical issues with online support
Download and test software packages
Order Cisco learning materials and merchandise
Register for online skill assessment, training, and certification programs
You can self-register on Cisco.com to obtain customized information and service. To access Cisco.com, go to the following URL:
The Cisco TAC is available to all customers who need technical assistance with a Cisco product, technology, or solution. Two types of support are available through the Cisco TAC: the Cisco TAC Web Site and the Cisco TAC Escalation Center.
Inquiries to Cisco TAC are categorized according to the urgency of the issue:
Priority level 4 (P4)—You need information or assistance concerning Cisco product capabilities, product installation, or basic product configuration.
Priority level 3 (P3)—Your network performance is degraded. Network functionality is noticeably impaired, but most business operations continue.
Priority level 2 (P2)—Your production network is severely degraded, affecting significant aspects of business operations. No workaround is available.
Priority level 1 (P1)—Your production network is down, and a critical impact to business operations will occur if service is not restored quickly. No workaround is available.
Which Cisco TAC resource you choose is based on the priority of the problem and the conditions of service contracts, when applicable.
Cisco TAC Web Site
The Cisco TAC Web Site allows you to resolve P3 and P4 issues yourself, saving both cost and time. The site provides around-the-clock access to online tools, knowledge bases, and software. To access the Cisco TAC Web Site, go to the following URL:
All customers, partners, and resellers who have a valid Cisco services contract have complete access to the technical support resources on the Cisco TAC Web Site. The Cisco TAC Web Site requires a Cisco.com login ID and password. If you have a valid service contract but do not have a login ID or password, go to the following URL to register:
If you cannot resolve your technical issues by using the Cisco TAC Web Site, and you are a Cisco.com registered, you can open a case online by using the TAC Case Open tool at the following URL:
If you have Internet access, it is recommended that you open P3 and P4 cases through the Cisco TAC Web Site.
Cisco TAC Escalation Center
The Cisco TAC Escalation Center addresses issues that are classified as priority level 1 or priority level 2; these classifications are assigned when severe network degradation significantly impacts business operations. When you contact the TAC Escalation Center with a P1 or P2 problem, a Cisco TAC engineer will automatically open a case.
To obtain a directory of toll-free Cisco TAC telephone numbers for your country, go to the following URL:
Before calling, please check with your network operations center to determine the level of Cisco support services to which your company is entitled; for example, SMARTnet, SMARTnet Onsite, or Network Supported Accounts (NSA). In addition, please have available your service agreement number and your product serial number.
This document is to be used in conjunction with the documents listed in the "Documentation Roadmap" section.
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