Call Manager Express

Introduction to Call Manager Express

IOS-based call processing software Can control VOIP and POTs lines and trunks Runs completely independent of a Call Manager Server Able to perform many of the services that a Call Manager can provide. Centralizes most data and voice functions of the local network to a single platform. Provides a means to ensure efficient use of bandwidth via QoS

Ciscos Call Manager Express is a completely self-contained call control and VoIP device management system capable of running on a number of Ciscos intermediate to higher-end routers. They give smaller locations many of the same key call management features that a full-blown Call Manager can provide including the ability to connect to POTS lines and VoIP trunking and provide dial tone to both digital and analog devices. There is absolutely no need for a Call Manager to be present in the network for CME to work. CME also gives the added benefit of centralizing all data and voice functions to a single device. Since the CME portion of the router can also be programmed completely via the CLI, there is no requirement for the administrator to learn a new configuration method.

Call Manager vs. Call Mgr Express

Call Manager

Call Manager Express

PC server hardware Microsoft Server based GUI-only management Highly scalable Located at JNN and UHN

Cisco router hardware Cisco IOS software CLI or GUI management Limited number of devices Located at CP Nodes

The above illustrate both the similarities and differences between Call Manager Servers and Call Manager Express. The primary difference is that the CME system is marketed and geared towards the small to medium business, while CCM is for large-scale or enterprise operations. The tactical correlation is that the CME is found at the smaller battalion CP locations where only a few phones are found, with limited call processing requirements.

CME Call Path in JNN System

HUB Routes to Hub and Inter-UA Route to JNN, secondary Inter-UA Intra-UA Route HUB Node

UA 1

UA 2

UA1 JNN

UA2 JNN

CP Node 1

CP Node 2

CP Node 1

CP Node 2

The CME routers are found exclusively in the battalion nodes of the JNN system. As the name suggests, these are generally designated to be employed at the battalion level. A common misconception for the use of CME on the battalion nodes has been that it is simply there to enable intrasite phone calls during a network outage. There are actually several important reasons to have it no need to register with a particular JNN, an independent dial plan, minimized downtime during network outages, and localization of the phones image file. The only path that a CP Node typically has in the network will be over a highly-latent satellite connection. By having all device registration and management functions, as well as several dial plans with routes to intra-brigade peers the CP Node has little to no reliance on an external call management device.

CME Functional Requirements Minimum Requirements

Optional Files

CME-enabled IOS CME-capable platform Firmware for phones

Music on Hold file (MOH) CME-GUI files

The only file that is actually needed to run CME on a router, is a CME-enabled IOS. Check the current Configuration Management buildouts for the IOS used for each router. The only reason that the phone firmware is needed is in the case where a phone is being used for the first time in a network and is running the wrong version of firmware. For that reason, it is always a good idea to have the firmware files loaded into the flash memory of the CME router. If you wish to make available music on hold for the devices off of the CME router, then an audio file named music-on-hold.au must reside in the flash memory of the router. A default file is provided with the software, but any audio file of type .au or .wav can be used, as long as it is renamed music-on-hold.au. Besides using the command line interface typically used to configure all Cisco routers, it is possible to administer all the telephony functions of the router via a web GUI interface. It is provided in an archived file of type .tar and the proper command must be entered into the command line interface in order to properly upload and extract the files into their proper locations on the CME router. This command is archive tar /xtract tftp://IP_Addr/filename.tar flash: The file name will include versioning information that should match the version of IOS being run. For example, on a 2600 router, if c2600-advipservicesk9-mz.123-11.T5.bin is being run as the IOS, then cme-123-11T.tar should be the tar file uploaded using the above command.

Cisco Devices CME/CPN

7940, 7940G 7960, 7960G 7910, 7910+SW ATA 186/188

The phones currently issued to the JNN, CPN and Hub nodes are the 7940G series of phones. However, all of the above listed phones have been utilized in the JNN network at some point and will continue to be used as units maintain stockage of them. 7940(G) & 7960(G) - The 7940 & 7960 IP phones, along with their global (G model) variants are executive level telephones that provide advanced features to the user. The 7940 provides two line capability, while the 7960 provides up to 6. In addition to the calling features, both support XML services which can allow directory information, as well as stock info, weather, and just about any other interactive information that can be programmed via XML. 7910 A lower end phone commonly used in general-use areas where advanced features are not a requirement. The +SW version of the phone includes an 100MB connection which allows a PC/laptop to be connected off the backend, requiring only a single Cat5 line to be run to the area. Has programmable softkeys and a two-line LCD display. ATA 186/188 - These models of Analog Telephone Adapter are a smaller version of the VG-224/248s in that they provide for the connection of 2 analog (FXS) lines to the IP network.

Call Manager Express File Structure

CME System: Drive
Directory of system:/

CME SYSTEM:ITS Directory

(portion of) Directory of system:/its/

10 3 dr-x 1 -rw2 dr-x

drwx 0 3200 0

<no date> its

<no date> memory <no date> running-config <no date> vfiles

105 drwx 21 -rw22 -rw20 -rw14 -rw12 -rw11 -rw13 -rw18 -rw23 -rw15 -rw19 -rw17 -rw16 -rw-

0 897 970 1065 313 760 444 760 564 408 408 793 899 899

<no date> <no date> <no date> <no date> <no date> <no date> <no date> <no date> <no date> <no date> <no date> <no date> <no date> <no date>

united_states XMLDefault-1.cnf.xml XMLDefault-2.cnf.xml XMLDefault.cnf.xml XMLDefault7902.cnf.xml XMLDefault7905.cnf.xml XMLDefault7910.cnf.xml XMLDefault7912.cnf.xml XMLDefault7920.cnf.xml XMLDefault7935.cnf.xml XMLDefault7936.cnf.xml XMLDefault7960.cnf.xml XMLDefault7961.cnf.xml XMLDefault7970.cnf.xml

When a CME-enabled IOS is loaded onto a router, a drive called system: is created. This directory contains phone configuration templates and locality settings used by the telephony service. Within the its directory there are also some additional locality directories with the various languages that are available.

All of these device configuration templates are updated upon execution of the following command Telephony-service create cnf-files There will be one XML-type file created for each device available on the system.

IP Phone Firmware Naming Examples

Platform
ATA-186, ATA-188 7902 7905G 7910 7912G 7914 Exp. Module for 7960 7920 Wireless 7935 7936 7940/7960 7940G/7960G

Filename
ATA030100SCCP040211A.ZUP CP79020040000SCCP040701A.sbin CP79050040000SCCP040701A.sbin P00403020214.bin CP7912040000SCCP040701A.sbin S00103020002.bin cmterm_7920.3.3-01-08.bin P00503010100.bin Cmterm_7936.3-3-5-0.bin P00305000301.sbin P00303020214.bin

These are the only devices that are supported on the Call Manager Express platform in IOS version 12.3. If using any of these devices within the CME network, the requisite firmware must be made available on the router. There are two commands needed to point to these files

tftp-server flash:P00303020214.bin tftp-server flash:P00403020214.bin tftp-server flash:P00503010100.bin

and within telephony-service:

load 7960-7940 P00303020214 load 7910 P00403020214 load 7935 P00503010100.bin

Notice that with the tftp-server command, the entire filename, including extension is needed. Within the telephony service command, the extension is not needed for 7910, 7940, or 7960 phones, but any other does need the extension.

The tftp-server command allows the router to be utilized as a tftp server, but only for the file(s) specified. The load command specifies which devices will run off this router, and associates a firmware name with the device.

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How It Works

Call Manager Express is an IOS-based call control agent.

Registration SCCP

Registration SCCP

Several things happen during the registration of each IP phone or device. Once the phones begin power up and have an IP address, they begin to communicate with the call manager. This address is typically given via DHCP as option 150, or if manually assigned, it is entered in the field for the TFTP server.

As the device is recognized by the call manager, it verifies that the phone has the correct version of firmware and then checks for an existing configuration file. If it requires firmware, it is downloaded to the phone via TFTP and the device is rebooted automatically. If it does not have a current configuration file, it is downloaded from the call manager.

An additional point to remember is that Call Manager Express does not support devices on anything other than its local LAN. It is possible to get a device to register over a WAN connection, but it is not recommended to do so.

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Configuration Steps
Set IP Address on Telephony Device
DHCP Automatically set address

Turn on and Configure telephony-service Create directory numbers Apply directory numbers to devices

The basic requirements to initially configure the CME system is listed above and described on the next several pages. These include the following steps: 1. Device IP Addressing There are any number of ways to have a device acquire an IP address, whether manually or automatically. The main requirements in any case are IP Address, proper subnet mask, proper gateway address and Option 150 specifying the TFTP server that will provide the CME configuration files. 2. 3. Telephony-service This is the global IOS command which sets system level CME parameters. Directory Numbers Always create directory numbers BEFORE configuring devices. Part of the device configuration is binding one or more directory numbers to the phone. 4. Device Configuration Very little is required to have a device completely register with the system - a MAC address and the button command to set directory numbers for the phone.

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Example - DHCP Server Settings

ip dhcp pool VOICE network 22.230.40.254 255.255.255.192 default-router 22.230.40.254 option 150 ip 22.230.40.254 show ip dhcp binding

When any Cisco phone device boots, one of the first things it looks for is a DHCP server with which to get its IP settings and also the Cisco Call Manager address. This is especially important to remember when a device has either been booted for the first time or has recently had a factory reset performed on it. In those cases, it is required to have both a DHCP server and a TFTP server available for the devices. The settings above are the minimum settings needed by any Cisco device in order to get it to function. IP dhcp pool VOICE creates a DHCP pool called VOICE, which is case-sensitive. The network command describes the range of addresses that will be provided to a client. The default-router points to the gateway, which in this case is also the CME router, but doesnt always have to be the case. Option 150 is a setting utilized by Cisco to identify the address of the TFTP server to the client device. It also will be the address of the Call Manager, but again doesnt always have to be the case. The device configuration file received via TFTP will actually have the Call Manager address which the device will use to register.

The show command above will list any devices that have received an address from this DHCP server.

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Ex - Telephony-service commands

telephony-service load 7910 P00403020214 load 7960-7940 P00303020214 max-ephones 8 max-dn 8 ip source-address <IP Address> port 2000 timeouts interdigit 5 max-conferences 4 call-forward pattern .T moh music-on-hold.au transfer-system full-consult transfer-pattern .T create cnf-files

The above contains the settings used within telephony-service to configure the call management properties of the router. LOAD command Specifies the devices expected and their associated firmware files.

MAX-EPHONES Sets the maximum number of physical devices allowed to be registered off the CME router.

MAX-DN Sets the maximum number of directory numbers allowed on the CME router.

IP SOURCE-ADDRESS Specifies which IP address the router should be listening for SCCP traffic off of. This is normally the IP address of VLAN 58 on a CP node within the JNN system.

TIMEOUTS INTERDIGIT The amount of time, in seconds, that the system waits between dialed digits.

MAX-CONFERENCES Sets the maximum number of simultaneous conferences on the system

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CALL-FORWARD PATTERN In the case of the JNN CMEs all calls are forwarded.

MOH Specifies the name of the music on hold file, stored in the root of the flash: drive. In this case it is music-on-hold.au.

TRANSFER-SYSTEM Sets the type of transfers allowed on the system blind or full-consult

TRANSFER-PATTERN Specifies which directory numbers that are allowed to transfer active calls. A pattern of .T allows all extensions to make transfers.

CREATE CNF-FILES This command is used to automatically create the default device configuration files.

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Ex. - Ephone-dn Command

ephone-dn 1 dual-line number 6605201 ! ! ephone-dn 2 dual-line number 6605202 ! ! ephone-dn 3 dual-line number 6605203 ! ! ephone-dn 4 dual-line number 6605204

This is the most basic settings available for the ephone-dn command. This command is used to create the actual directory numbers used on the system. At this point they are virtual, and are not tied to any specific device. The number directly after ephone-dn is the tag number, which is normally sequential. The dual-line option is necessary for call waiting, conferencing and transfers to be enabled as this allows two virtual voice ports to be dedicated to the phone device. The number command sets the 7 digit number.

Additional commands: NAME <WORD> - Used to create a free-text name that is used on both the phone and is also passed during call setup as the Caller ID Name. DESCRIPTION <display-text> - Unlike most applications of the description command, this is actually used as a header bar display along the top of the phone. LABEL <string> - Used to mark the line button on the phone device, rather than the line number.

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Ex. - Ephone Command

ephone 1 mac-address <mac-address> type 7960 button 1:1 ! ! ephone 2 mac-address <mac-address> type 7960 button 1:2 ! ! ephone 3 mac-address <mac-address> type ata button 1:3 !

The ephone command is used to associate a physical device (an ethernet phone) to directory numbers.

NOTE: If a phone has already been plugged in and is active on the system, it will automatically bind to the first available ephone number. This can be seen when a phone displays the date and time, but no directory number. The show ephone summary command may be run on the CLI to determine which ephone it has bound to, by MAC address. The administrator still needs to perform the above commands and type in the MAC address in order to fully register and bind a directory number to the device.

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Call Processing - Internal

Phone A calls Phone B

Call Setup SCCP Voice TrafficRTP

Call Setup SCCP

PHONE A

PHONE B

A call sequence within one CME router is quite simple. The phone dials the requested number and the most specific match will be the directory number of the destination device. The same CME router handles the call control for both devices and then hands the call off to the devices. The are two protocols involved:

SCCP Skinny Call Control Protocol Used primarily as the signaling method between a device and its registered call manager or between to call managers. Only used during device registration, call setup and call teardown. RTP Real-Time Transport Protocol Used as the end-to-end transport mechanism for applications passing real-time data, such as audio or video. Allows for time-stamping and packet sequencing to enable the devices to reassemble the packets in the correct order.

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Call Processing CME to CME

dial-peer voice 66053 voip description Primary Route for calls to bn3 preference 1 destination-pattern 66053.. session target ipv4:22.230.44.254 codec g711ulaw no vad BN 2 CME 22.230.40.254 Call Setup H.323 BN 3 CME 22.230.44.254 Call Setup SCCP

Call Setup SCCP Phone A calls Phone B Voice TrafficRTP/H323/RTP

PHONE A 6605201 22.230.40.199

PHONE B 6605301 22.230.44.199

When phone A goes offhook and begins dialing, the BN 2 CME is continually attempting to match the dialed digits with its most specific dial peer or directory number. Once the caller dials the sequence of 67273, the CME has now narrowed the possibilities down to the above dial peer. After the final digits are dialed and the requisite pause set by the interdigit timeout, the directory number request is immediately sent to the session target, in this case BN3 CME for directory resolution. As the call is in progress between the WAN connection, the CMEs act as a sort of proxy for their respective voice devices. The RTP voice data is converted to H.323 signaling to be passed between the CME devices. Once received at the distant CME, the packet IP and UDP headers are rewritten for transmission for the device endpoint. The purpose of this conversion of RTP to H.323 is to take advantage of the QoS features inherent within H.323 such as RSVP and priority queuing.

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Ex. Dial Peers for JNN System

dial-peer voice 5 voip description Primary route to MSE to JNN1 preference 1 destination-pattern 5...... session target ipv4:<UA JNN1 CCM IP> codec g711ulaw no vad ! dial-peer voice 9993 voip description All NNXXXXX calls not matching more detailed go to HUB preference 1 destination-pattern [2-9][2-9]..... session target ipv4:148.22.246.29 codec g711ulaw no vad ! dial-peer voice 9994 voip description All MYXXXXXXXX calls go to HUB preference 1 destination-pattern [2-8][0-1]........ session target ipv4:148.22.246.29 codec g711ulaw no vad

Standard route to MSE lines via the main UA JNN.

Routes 7 digit calls to the HUB.

Routes 10 digit calls to the HUB.

Ex. Dial Peers Cont.

dial-peer voice 9995 voip description All 9YXMYXXXXXXXX calls go to HUB preference 1 destination-pattern 9[0-1].[2-8][0-1]........ session target ipv4:148.22.246.29 codec g711ulaw no vad ! dial-peer voice 9998 voip description All other calls go to hub for routing preference 1 destination-pattern .T session target ipv4:<HUB CCM Address> codec g711ulaw no vad ! dial-peer voice 66052 voip description RingAroundtheRosey prevention permission none huntstop destination-pattern 66052.. session target ipv4:<yourCME_IP> gateway timer receive-rtp 12000

Allows NATO routing up to HUB CCM.

Description self-explanatory. There are additional .T dial-peers, with different preferences (2,3,4,etc.) when additional default paths are available.

Each CPN now includes this dial-peer, pointing to its own dialplan in order to prevent misdialing or non-registered phone directory numbers from leaving the local CME system.

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These are several dial peers in the JNN CME systems that are common to all CMEs. Every BN node directs any non-matched directory numbers to the Cisco Call Manager at the Unit Hub Node which includes 7, 10, NATO, and default match patterns. Any calls for the MSE system are sent to the primary JNN for the BN nodes parent brigade. If this unit is task organized to another unit that has a JNN node, it would need to be modified to go to its Call Manager.

Something to keep in mind with these dial peers and any others, for that matter, is they merely direct the call to the call management system that most likely contains the directory number dialed. Call completion will still follow the IP route to the actual IP-enabled device for call setup.

An additional function that the default dial-peer performs does not involve outbound calls, but inbound. It ensures that the proper codec is used for call setup, which in this case is g.711. If this was not the case, there would be the possibility that an inbound number would not match one of the dial peers and would use the default dial-peer 0 settings, which includes compression. Dial-peer 0 does not actually appear on the router configuration and cannot be modified, which is why it is always important to include a default dialpeer in your telephony configurations.

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Ex. Dial Peers Cont.

dial-peer voice 6605 voip description Primary Route for calls to UA1 preference 1 destination-pattern 6605[0-1].. session target ipv4 :<UA JNN1 CCM IP> codec g711ulaw no vad dial-peer voice 66053 voip description Primary Route for calls to bn3 preference 1 destination-pattern 66053.. session target ipv4:<CME IP of BN3> codec g711ulaw no vad

This is one of the two entries needed to go directly to brigade JNNs.

This entry is typical for routing to another battalion CP node in the same brigade.

These dial peers enable the CME to directly negotiate with the call control device handling the directory number being called. There is always the possibility that a brigade combat team will be deployed in a stand alone configuration. This ensures that all units normally organized under the brigade will be reachable with no reconfiguration required.

During deployments where the BN node is organized under a different UA, additional dial peers may be added to reach the dial peers within that UAd network. It is not recommended to delete the existing dial peers.

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Trunking Lab
Build dial-peers to all other CME routers
codec g711ulaw no vad

Using the dial-peer examples found on the preceding pages, and information found in the voice overview tab, create dial-peers pointing to every other call manager express router in the lab. Remember to specify the correct CODEC and use the destinations VLAN 58 router address as the session target. The lab is complete when the classroom network is fully meshed and calls are completed successfully.

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Show Commands

Command
show ephone show ephone summary show telephony-service show telephony-service all show dial-peer voice summary show voice call active brief

Description
shows detailed information about all registered telephony devices shows summary information useful for getting MAC address info. shows current CME-related configuration info Shows more detailed information related to CME Shows all configured dial-peers, to include ephone-dns shows all calls in progress

These show commands are useful specifically for the operation and troubleshooting of a Call Manager Express system.

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Additional CME options

DSP Resources
Conferencing

Call Park Intercom

PLAR replication

G.729 Conferencing - Some additional options to use include making use of PVDM chips to allow both G.729 and G.711 conference calls to operate on the CME router. Call Manager Express utilizes a softwarebased G.711 audio mixer for conference calls. In order for a party running G.729 to participate it must first be transcoded into G.711 before being added to the audio mixer. Cisco routers cannot do this natively, but can do so if there are available DSP resources. The commands used to enable this are as follows:

voice-card 0 dspfarm dsp services dspfarm

sccp local <vlan 58 interface> sccp ccm <vlan 58 I/F IP address> identifier 1 sccp

sccp ccm group 1 associate ccm 1 priority 1 associate profile 1 register xcd001 keepalive retries 5

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dspfarm profile 1 transcode codec g711ulaw codec g711alaw codec g729ar8 codec g729abr8 codec gsmfr codec g729r8 maximum sessions 12 associate application SCCP

Call Park In order to park calls, a process that allows you to put a call on hold and then retrieve the call from any phone onsite, you must create an ephone-dn specifically set to be of type park. If an active call is parked, then anyone who dials the call park number can retrieve the held call. The following is an example using number 1234 as the call park retrieval number:

ephone-dn 20 {dual-line} number 1234 park-slot

PLAR Private Line Automatic Ringdown serves as a form of hotline phone which when applied to a phone allows it only to call a single specified directory number. The following example shows that phone number 10, with directory number 5000 will only be allowed to call directory number 4000 when it goes off-hook:

ephone-dn 10 dual-line number 5000 intercom 4000 barge-in

ephone 10 button 1:10 autoline 1

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CME Administration GUI

Cisco provides a web-based means of managing the Call Manager Express portion of the router Files need to acquired from Cisco website and extracted to router flash drive

cme-gui-<vers>.tar MUST match version of CME running

Minimal configuration required to enable Separate credentials can be used for CME administration Also allows a means for local user to modify their phone settings

One of the main markets for Call Manager Express are Small to Medium businesses. Many times these companies require telephony systems but cant maintain a fulltime staff member to maintain it. Cisco includes a web-based administration system that can be used to easily perform many of the housekeeping operations in such a way that it does not require an IT person to do so.

When loading an IOS that includes Call Manager Express, you must also acquire the TAR package that includes the matching version GUI files in order to use this feature.

Once the files are loaded and very little additional configuration is required to enable it.

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CME GUI Setup Process

TAR file copied from TFTP server and extracted to flash drive

May also be accessed via USB after 12.4

HTTP or HTTPS services enabled and configured CME administration credentials added
System Administrator Customer Administrator User

Login via url http://<CME IP>/ccme.html

The TAR file needs to be served from a TFTP server, if TFTP it the method used. Starting with IOS 12.4, many of the routers have USB ports which allow plug and play of FAT16 formatted thumb drives. Then the following command needs to be run:

archive tar /xtract <source> <destination>

Execution of that command not only copies the TAR file from the location, but also extracts and saves the files to the specified destination. When entering the filename, it is case-sensitive. In this particular instance, the destination must be flash:, which is the root of the flash drive. The following are example formats for the source:

tftp://<ip address>/<filename> usbflash0:<filename>

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After verifying the GUI files are now in the flash directory, enter the following commands at the global configuration prompt:

ip http server ip http auth local ip http path flash:

And these commands from the telephony-service command subset:

web admin system name <admin name> password <password> dn-webedit time-webedit

You may now login to the GUI via the url of http://<cme IP>/ccme.html

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CME GUI Main Menu

This is the main menu when logging in with system administrator credentials. All possible configuration items are available from the configure menu. There are additional login levels available as well customer admin and users. The customer administration screens can be adjusted to make only selected configuration options available. The users are only able to see and modify the phones and extensions that they are applied to.

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CME Web System Parameters

Modifies settings that are found within telephony-service in CLI System Time modification must be allowed via CLI time-webedit

The system parameters screen makes available almost all options that can be set from within the telephony-service command subset on the routers command line. One of the main uses for this screen will be the ability to easily create a site local directory service for all users to be able to access. All options changed here and saved are immediately changed on the router and saved to the running configuration. You must select save router config in order to commit the changes to the routers startup configuration.

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CME Web - Extensions

The extensions screen corresponds to the ephone-dn command line set. This will allow you to add, modify or delete directory numbers, which then may be assigned to one or more phone devices.

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CME Web - Phones

The phones menu corresponds directly to the ephones interface command set. From this menu, you can modify existing phones or add phones that have registered with Call Manager Express, but not yet been assigned a directory number.

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CME Web Call History Reports

Shows calls recently made to or from CME system Memory buffer is adjustable in global CLI config

call-history-mib max-size <0-500> call-history-mib retain-timer <0-500> (in minutes)

The Call History screen provides only a small snapshot of calls that have been handled by the call manager express system. It will show up to the last 500 minutes of calls, or a maximum of 500 calls within that same time period. For more detailed and long term histories, a 3rd party plugin will be required.

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