Cisco IP Phones

Cisco IP telephones provide the end-user with an interface into the IP telephony
architecture.There have been two generations of IP telephones produced by
Cisco: first-generation and second-generation.
Cisco’s first-generation IP telephones came with the acquisition of Selsius
Technologies.These telephones are now discontinued.There were two models of
the first-generation telephones: the 30 VIP/SP+IP telephones and the 12-Series
IP telephones, the latter being the most popular.These telephones had a very
limited, button-based feature set, while the network interface was a 10 Mbps hub,
with an extra interface for a PC or printer. Also, these phones require an external
power source, whereas second-generation phones can utilize inline power. Both
the 30 VIP/SP+IP telephones and the 12-Series support either G.711 or G.723.1
coder-decoders (CODEC), support Microsoft NetMeeting, H.323 support, and
DHCP/Boot P support.
While sharing many similarities with their predecessors, such as support for
open standards and the ability to interact with Microsoft NetMeeting, secondgeneration
phones represent a vast improvement over the first-generation phones.
Certain second-generation phones interface with the network via a 10/100 Mbps
switched connection, also providing an extra port for a PC or other peripheral
device, as well as an RS-232 port for additional capabilities. Second-generation
phones such as the 7940 and 7960 offer an LCD screen used for a menu-based
feature set as opposed to the button-based feature set of their predecessors.The
most impressive feature of the second-generation phones is the ability to utilize
inline power. Now instead of using an external power supply, these phones,
through the use of a specialized inline-power patch panel or specialized modules
for the Catalyst switch line, can be powered directly through their category-5
cable.We will discuss inline power options in the infrastructure section later in
this chapter.
There are currently four phones in Cisco’s second-generation phone offering:
 The 7910/7910+SW phone
 The 7940 phone
 The 7960 phone
 The 7935 phone
Cisco also offers a completely software-based logical IP telephone called the
IP SoftPhone.The SoftPhone provides an alternative to the hardware-based second
generation IP telephones. It offers a PC-based software application that interfaces
directly with the CallManager server to provide IP telephony.
The 7910/7910+SW, 7940, and 7960 are all end-user phones, the only difference
really being the features supported, such as menu options, speaker phone,
display, and number of lines each phone supports.
The 7960 stands out among its peers as being the only second-generation
telephone to offer support for the Station Initiation Protocol (SIP). SIP allows
the 7960 to operate without a CallManager on the local LAN. Instead, it communicates
directly with the gateway.The 7960 can be expanded further by use of
the 7914 expansion module.
The 7914 provides an additional 14 lines to your 7960 telephone, plus two
7914 units can be daisy chained together to provide an additional 28 lines of support.
This serves as a great solution for receptionist telephone stations.The 7935
is the speakerphone offering in the second-generation product line. Once again,
you should consult the Cisco Web site for the latest product offerings in this line.
Table 2.1 discusses the different features of the second-generation IP telephones.
Cisco Gateways
Gateways are devices used to connect your IP telephony infrastructure to the
Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or to legacy PBX systems. Cisco’s
product line currently includes over 20 different gateway products, each supporting
the various types of gateway protocols. Currently there are three different
types of gateways supported by the Cisco IP telephony solution:
 Skinny Gateway Protocol
 H.323
 MGCP
The Skinny Gateway Protocol is based on the industry standard SGCP protocol;
however it is only used on the Cisco Gateway product line. In other words,
while SGCP is an open standard, the Skinny Gateway Protocol is a proprietary
standard used by Cisco only. (This reminds one of the Cisco implementation of
High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC)—while HDLC is an industry standard,
Cisco has written extensions into it making its implementation inoperable with
other vendor’s equipment.) Devices that support the Skinny Gateway Protocol
include the DT-24+ and DE-30+ gateways, the Catalyst 4000 WS-X4604-GWY
module, and the Catalyst 6000 WS-X6608-x1 module.
H.323 is an open industry-wide standard. H.323 gateways are most commonly
found in integrated router gateway devices and in communication to
Cisco CallManager. Devices that support H.323 include:VG200, the 1750 router,
the 3810 router, the 2600 router, the 3600 router, the 7200 router, the 5300
access server, and the Catalyst 4000 WS-X4604-GWY module.
Media Gateway Control Protocol is the most recent of the gateway platforms.
MGCP is a Cisco-supported standard and is currently only used in communications
between Cisco CallManager and the VG200 standalone gateway, although
several members of the Cisco product line will support it in the future.This
group includes the MCS 3810, the 2600 Series routers, the 3600 Series routers,
the Catalyst 4000 WS-X4604-GWY module, and the Catalyst 6000 WS-X6608-
x1 module. As always, consult the Cisco Web site for information regarding new
product support.
Unity Voice-Mail/Unified Messaging Solutions
Unified messaging refers to several products in the Cisco product line that allow
end users and administrators to manage all communication from a single point of
administration.This product line has undergone several changes within its lifetime,
the latest of which came with the Cisco acquisition of the Active Voice
Corporation in 2000.With this acquisition, Cisco is offering the Unity product
suite as its unified messaging solution.The previous unified messaging solution
was a product line known as uOne, which has been discontinued.
The Unity product line is a powerful collection of tools that allows a user
to retrieve e-mail, voice-mail, and faxes all from one location—a truly converged
solution. Like the rest of Cisco’s IP telephony product offering, the Unity
product suite is continually being revised.We will discuss some of the features
available as of this writing, but bear in mind that new features are most likely to
appear in the near future.
Unity integrates with Microsoft Exchange server and the Outlook Mail client
to provide a centralized application where a user can retrieve e-mail, voice mail,
and faxes.This solution allows users to send, receive, and manage voice messages
directly from the Outlook client. Unity also gives users the ability to send and
receive faxes directly from the user’s Outlook mail client. A user can either fax
directly or send e-mail that will be received in the form of a fax. Prior to the
acquisition by Cisco, the Unity product line offered an integrated fax solution
known as Active Fax.This product is no longer in production. In order to utilize
a fax solution with the Unity product suite, a third-party fax server such as that
from RightFax or Omtool must also be purchased. Consult the Cisco Web site
for the most current listing of approved fax server software.
A personal Web assistant is also included with the Unity suite, allowing users
to manage their voice-messaging options directly from a Web page. Users have
the ability to change passwords, greetings, mailbox options, and so on, taking the
burden off the system administrators and providing users the ability to make
changes to their systems as they see fit.
This type of solution provides users with a great deal of flexibility and
mobility.A company executive called away on urgent business at the last minute
could use her laptop to check her voice-mail and fax, and she could use the personal
Web assistant to update her greeting, letting everyone know she is not in
the office.
Exploring IP Telephony Applications
Legacy PBX and similar systems have set a very high benchmark for reliability, scalability,
and service. In order for IP telephony to become a viable solution and to
either eliminate and/or compete with these systems, the same levels of service and
available features must be achieved. Cisco and other vendors, such as Interactive
Intelligence, Latitude Communications, and Intelligent Telemanagement Solutions,
are developing a number of applications to meet this challenge.The sections that
follow discuss a number of these applications and their features and benefits.
Introducing Cisco’s IP Telephony Applications
Cisco and other vendors have developed software solutions to further enhance
their IP telephony solutions. Along with the opportunities they are fostering, of
course, come new and difficult challenges.When we think about Cisco Systems,
the first thing that comes to mind is probably not the role of a software vendor,
but the world leader in networking hardware. IP telephony applications allow
Cisco to augment their IP telephony hardware with features and services to make
IP telephony an even more viable solution for Cisco’s customers. In the following
sections, we’ll describe Cisco’s WebAttendant, IP SoftPhone, Internet
Communications Software (ICS), Interactive Voice Response (IVR), and
AutoAttendant services.
Cisco Web Attendant
Cisco WebAttendant is designed to replace traditional manual attendant consoles.
It is a Web-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) that allows the user to receive
and dispatch calls from any IP phone within the network.WebAttendant works
on a client server architecture that allows the IP phone in use to interface directly
with the CallManager to direct calls and to monitor the status of lines, much like
a traditional receptionist console.
Another added benefit of WebAttendant is the ability it provides system
administrators to perform system maintenance from that same easy-to-use Webbased
GUI as opposed to the interface of the legacy PBX systems.WebAttendant
offers many of the same features offered by traditional PBX systems such as hunt
groups and multiple attendant consoles.
WebAttendant is included as part of the basic package when purchasing
CallManager 3.x. It has the ability to scale to meet the size of almost any IP telephony
infrastructure. A single WebAttendant console can monitor up to 26 calls
at a time.A single CallManager cluster utilizing WebAttendant can support up 32
hunt groups with 16 members per hunt group. Also, a cluster can support up to
96 WebAttendant consoles.That means up to 512 (96 consoles x 26 calls) calls at
one time.
When designing your infrastructure to include WebAttendant, make sure to
take into consideration all the design limitations discussed in the previous paragraph,
such as number of hunt groups (32), number of members within those
hunt groups (16), as well as the maximum number of simultaneous conversations
possible (512).Your design should never reach the limitations of the
WebAttendant system—if you are approaching these design limits you should
consider utilizing multiple CallManager clusters.
Cisco IP SoftPhone
Cisco IP SoftPhone is a client-based application that integrates seamlessly with
Cisco CallManager, and is designed to allow users to utilize IP telephony from
any network-attached PC. All the client requires is a microphone and speaker,
and they now have a fully functional IP telephone handset. A GUI on the user’s
PC provides a dial-pad and other functions present on a standard IP telephony
handset.This application provides a great solution for traveling users who need
the benefits and features of IP telephony, but are unable to take a regular IP telephony
handset with them. An important note to make regarding IP SoftPhone is
that it consumes 20 device units on a CallManager server, as opposed to the one
used by a standard IP telephone handset. Another note to make regarding IP
SoftPhone is that it must be installed with Microsoft NetMeeting—SoftPhone
will not work without it. If you are planning to deploy IP SoftPhone on more
than a limited basis, ensure that your infrastructure is equipped adequately for the
load it will face.
Internet Communications Software
Internet Communications Software (ICS) is a suite of five tools designed for service
and application providers to further grasp the benefits of IP telephony.These
components are:
 Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
 Cisco IP Contact Center (IPCC)
 Intelligent Contact Management (ICM)
 Customer Interaction Suite
 Network Applications Manager (NAM)
Automatic Call Distribution
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) is a tool used to reroute calls to different
customers serviced via the same central office.ACD is provided as part of the
Network Applications Manager (NAM), which will be discussed later in this
section.
Cisco IP Contact Center
Cisco IP Contact Center (IPCC) is an IP telephony solution that allows call centers
using IP telephony to receive regular POTS calls as well as IP telephony
calls. IPCC can provide the following features: intelligent call routing, computer
telephony integration, integration with legacy ACD, and integration with legacy
as well as IP-IVR.
Intelligent Contact Management
Intelligent Contact Management (ICM) is due to be released in the first part of
2002. It is a software solution used for direction and relay of customer contact
information between resources.This system will utilize a set of user-defined roles
in order to route voice,World Wide Web (WWW), and e-mail correspondence to
the appropriate system or resource.
Customer Interaction Suite
Customer Interaction Suite is an IP telephony solution that allows corporations
and service providers the ability to interact with their customers on the Internet
or network in a real-time manner.There are four components to the Customer
Interaction Suite: Cisco Media Manager, Cisco Media Blender, Cisco E-Mail
Manager, and Cisco Collaboration Server:
 Cisco Media Manager works with Cisco Collaboration Server to
direct a customer to the resource that will best serve their needs or
requests.
 Cisco Media Blender does just what its name implies; it blends the
different types of media into one format.Voice, text, and WWW traffic
can all be combined into one medium, offering a significant cost savings
over the traditional model of separate dissimilar systems used to manage
customer data and communications.
 Cisco E-Mail Manager is used to direct received e-mail to the appropriate
party or resource.This allows an organization to cut down on lag
time from the moment when e-mail is sent to the organization and
when the organization is able to respond to the e-mail.
Network Applications Manager
Network Applications Manager (NAM) is the software solution that gives organizations
the ability to utilize all the other ICS components we have just discussed.
It provides a hierarchical structure providing a range of services from very simple
to very complex. NAM has a long list of benefits and features, including ACD,
CTI, IVR, customer relationship management (CRM),Web collaboration, e-mail
response management, and call management. Consult Cisco’s Web site for the
most current information on NAM as well as other IP telephony applications.
Interactive Voice Response
Interactive voice response (IVR) is a voice application designed to handle calls on
systems serving as voice-gateways.This system is available in two packages, either
as a router equipped with VoIP interfaces and feature sets, or as a server-based
Java solution running on Windows NT/2000 servers.The server-based solution is
the newest and most feature-rich offering for IVR within the industry.This
system offers a Web-enabled GUI management interface, with an open programming
customizable model. IVR is used to provide information in the form of
voice in response to a user-initiated string of information such as spoken word,
key-tones, or telephone line signaling. A very practical application of this solution
would be a prepaid calling card system. In such a system, a user would enter a
calling-card number and personal identification number (PIN). IVR could be
used to allow/disallow the call, report to the user the number of minutes left on
the card, and so on. For more information on IVR and its uses/capabilities, refer
to the Cisco Web site.
AutoAttendant
AutoAttendant is a Cisco application that works with IVR and CallManager software
to provide call routing services. It allows CallManager to receive calls on
specific extensions and then forward that call based on caller input.This type of
system could be found in organizations that utilize menu-based systems offering
caller options such as dialing a user’s extension and/or dial-by-name systems.
Third-Party IP Telephony Applications
As we discussed earlier, Cisco is a networking hardware designer and manufacturer,
not a software company. Its primary focus is, and should be, the hardware
aspect of IP telephony. Because Cisco’s AVVID architecture is built on open standards,
it has opened the door for numerous vendors to either write new software
to become interoperable with Cisco’s solutions and/or to make their existing
software interoperable. It seems to have worked. Although IP telephony is a still a
relatively new technology, companies are already seeing its potential and have
started to develop applications designed to work alongside Cisco’s IP telephony
architecture.This can only continue to make IP telephony a more accepted alternative
to the traditional systems.This section will introduce three vendors who
have designed software to work with the IP telephony solution: Interactive
Intelligence, Latitude, and ISI. Chapter 7 will discuss these as well as other applications,
and how to choose the appropriate applications for your needs.
Interactive Intelligence’s Solutions
Interactive Intelligence (www.inin.com) has an Original Equipment
Manufacturer (OEM) agreement with Cisco, in which Interactive Intelligence’s
Interaction Center platform will be included on the Cisco ICS 7750 platform.
The Interaction Center platform of software provides a single platform to integrate
voice, fax, e-mail, Internet text-chats,WWW requests, and VoIP calls.
Interaction Center was designed to run on top of Windows 2000 and includes
several different software components. As with most similar software solutions,
Interaction Center runs on a client/server architecture, with software installed on
both a central processing server and on each Interaction Center client. Interactive
Intelligence has also created three specialized versions of the Interaction Center
platform: Customer Interaction Center (CIC), Enterprise Interaction Center
(EIC), and Service Interaction Center (SIC).
Latitude Communication’s Solutions
Latitude Communications (www.latitude.com) has developed a specialized
e-conferencing platform that integrates with Cisco CallManager.Their product
is known as MeetingPlace IP. MeetingPlace IP is a client/server based videoconferencing
application for mid- to large-sized enterprise environments.
MeetingPlace IP offers real-time collaboration applications used for videoconferencing,
training, and project management.
Intelligent Telemanagement Solutions
Intelligent Telemanagement Solutions (ISI, at www.isi-info.com) is the first company
to introduce an IP telephony accounting application.This is a function that
legacy PBX systems and similar devices have been performing for several years,
which IP telephony is still far behind on.The ISI system allows administrators to
further utilize the benefits of IP telephony toll-bypass, by allowing an administrator
to analyze traffic patterns and optimize their infrastructure based on their
findings.The ISI system works with the CallManager system, utilizing the CDR
for each IP telephony call.
Introduction to Video
Traditional old world video transmissions typically consist of one to several ISDN
basic rate interface (BRI) lines connecting proprietary video-conferencing endstations.
These ISDN lines typically operate in a point-to-point infrastructure utilizing
the H.320 specification. Usually the bandwidth used is anywhere from 128
Kbps to 384 Kbps, and is kept completely separate from the existing data and voice
infrastructures, which results in a large under-utilization of available resources.
Although some advanced PBX systems can terminate the BRI lines for the video
conferencing systems, the BRI lines and voice lines are kept completely separate
from one another. As the technology has improved over the last several years, this
type of system has gained a great deal of popularity and it is not uncommon to
find some form of this system in most mid- to large-sized organizations.
New world IP-based video conferencing systems allow you to utilize your
existing data networking infrastructure as opposed to working with a separate
infrastructure, resulting in much better utilization of your network resources.
IP-based video conferencing, on the other hand, utilizes the H.323 specification
(discussed earlier in this chapter), allowing you to utilize video conferencing over
a variety of mediums including shared and switched media such as Ethernet,
leased lines, and nonbroadcast multiaccess networks such as Frame Relay and
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM).
As part of the AVVID line of solutions, Cisco offers several solutions to enable
video-conferencing to meet the varying needs of organizations of a range of sizes.
In the following section we will discuss IP-based video conferencing in greater
detail, as well as some of the components used for IP-based video conferencing.
Understanding Video Components
As we discussed in the Introduction to IP Telephony section,VoIP is very intolerant
to delay and dropped packets.The statement is even more true when we
discuss IP-based video-conferencing or video over IP. Just imagine if you were
watching a video conference that was not received in real-time, perhaps a sales
presentation or some type of training, and the information was received out of
sequence—you could be looking at a chart that you heard about five minutes
ago. IP-based video transmissions as well as IP telephony are very similar in
nature.Voice, or in this case, video data is encapsulated into IP packets and transported
to the end destinations. In the following sections we will discuss some of
the components needed to facilitate IP-based video conferencing, such as gateways,
gatekeepers, multi-point control units (MCU), video terminal adapters
(VTA), and endpoints.We will also briefly discuss the IP/TV product line and
the services it provides. As with the rest of the AVVID product offerings, it is
highly recommended you consult Cisco’s Web site for the most up-to-date information
on the products and solutions that we will discuss in this section.
Gateways
Gateways are used to provide you with IP-based video conferencing network
access outside of your network.They provide protocol translation, such as H.323
to H.320, and translation to ISDN from other network mediums. For a gateway
solution, Cisco offers the IPVC product family. Currently Cisco is offering the
IPVC 3520, 3525, and 3540 platforms.These are modular platforms offering
LAN, ISDN BRI, ISDN Primary Rate Interface (PRI), and V.35 connection
options. As this line is growing rapidly, I would expect that more product offerings
are just around the corner for the IPVC 35xx product family.
Gatekeepers
A Gatekeeper is a device used to permit or deny requests for video-conferences;
they are an integral part of the IP-based video conferencing solution. It is responsible
for deciding if enough resources are available for the video conference to
occur, and if the device requesting the conference can gain access to the
requested resources. Currently, there are two solutions in the Cisco product line
that offer Gatekeeper functionality, the IPVC 3510, and the Multimedia
Convergence Manager (MCM) IOS feature set available for the 2500, 2600,
3600, 7200, and MC3810 platforms.
Multi-Point Control Units
A Multi-Point Control Unit (MCU) serves as a center for video-conferencing
communications and infrastructure. It serves as a single point of control governing
the establishment, joining, and termination of video transmissions.An
MCU is needed whenever three or more participants need access to the same
real-time video conference.A single MCU can also control several different video
conferences simultaneously.
Currently, Cisco offers the IPVC 3510 MCU and IPVC 3540 Multipoint
Conference Unit (MCU module) platforms to fill this role.The 3510 can support
up to 15 participants in either a single conference or multiple conferences,
whereas the 3540 can support up to 100 users in either a single conference or
multiple conferences.
Video Terminal Adapter
The Video Terminal Adapter’s (VTA) role in video conferencing is to provide an
interface to legacy video-conferencing systems.This is accomplished by providing
a protocol translation between the legacy H.320 specification for video-conferencing
over ISDN and the IP telephony H.323 protocol.As we discussed in the
Introduction to Video-Conferencing, many mid- to large-sized organizations have
already invested in video-conferencing technology. Utilizing VTAs, these organizations
can protect their investment in legacy equipment while still enjoying the
benefits of the new IP-based video-conferencing solutions. Currently, Cisco
offers the IPVC 3530 platform for VTA functionality.
Endpoint Devices
Endpoints are the end-user devices that subscribe to and receive services from
video-conferencing. Cisco does not manufacture an endpoint series of devices;
however, their video-conferencing solutions do support many of the industry
standard endpoint devices that support the H.323 specification.This list currently
includes Microsoft, PictureTel, Polycom, Sony, TANDBERG,VCON, VTEL, and
Zydacron.While systems vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, you will typically
find the same components, usually a video camera, video screen, and audio
components. Usually manufacturers differentiate themselves by offering better
resolution or screen refresh time, while the core functionality for each unit is
generally the same.The list of supported vendors is growing almost daily. Consult
Cisco’s Web site as well as your chosen vendor’s Web site to ensure endpoint
compatibility.
Cisco IP/TV
The Cisco IP/TV product line is a hardware and software solution designed to
provide real-time one-way video broadcasting services to desktop computers.
There are two components to this product offering, the IP/TV series of servers
and the IP/TV desktop software.The system differs from typical video-conferencing
systems in that it utilizes multicast traffic to allow several subscribers to
view the same presentation from a single source.This system is often utilized for
employee training or company-wide conferences in which only a few parties
speak.
The IP/TV server family includes five servers. All are preloaded Windows
2000 servers: the 3411, 3422, 3423, 3431, and 3415.The 3411 serves as a management
and broadcast control server. It is responsible for scheduling, server access,
balancing of network resources, and control of video services.The 3422 and 3423
servers are responsible for the actual capture, storing, and transmission of live or
archived video broadcasts.These servers receive their direction and control from
the 3411 server.The 3431 server is an archive server. It is responsible for the
storing and cataloging of prerecorded video-transmissions such as training material.
This material can then, at any time, be retransmitted by the 3411 and
3422/3423 servers.The 3415 server is the video starter system. It provides an allin-
one IP/TV solution for small organizations that are just getting started with
IP/TV. It offers control, broadcast, and storage facilities.While offering an all-inone
solution, it is not intended to replace, nor can it offer the same functionality
of the 3411, 3422/3423, and 3431 servers. Rather, it is intended to be a steppingstone
into the larger environment.
The client side of the IP/TV system is a software application known as the
IP/TV viewer.This software communicates directly with the 3411 control server
to attain information regarding available broadcasts and program listings.Whenthe appropriate program is selected, the IP/TV viewer allows the user to view
the broadcast.