Latest

All about Cisco Unified Communications Manager- CUCM

 CUCM stands for Cisco Unified Communications Manager is generally uses to do call processing and call routing in the network. It allows more effective, with security and changes the way in which we interacting. Cisco Unified Communications (UC) is an IP based communications system assimilating voice, video, data, and mobility products and applications. 


Fig 1.1- CUCM connectivity


UC eliminates the geographic barricades of effective interaction through the use of voice, video, and data incorporation. Business can be conducted with a variability that growths and evolves. Data has been at our fingertips for a long time, but UC permits the allocation of this data to create information and worth.

The components of the standard layers are as follows
  • Infrastructure layer: The infrastructure layer contains of routers, switches, and voice gateways. The infrastructure layer transmits data, voice, and video among all network devices and applications. This layer also delivers high availability, management, quality of service (QoS), and network security.
  • Call control layer: Call control can be provided by a CUCM, CUCM Express, or CUCM Business Edition (CMBE). Call processing is actually independent from the set-up layer. For example, a CUCM, Cisco Unified CMBE, or CUCM Express in Amritsar can process call control for a device physically located in New Delhi.
  • Applications layer: The Applications are impartial from call-control functions and the physical voice-processing setup. Applications, with those listed here, are unified through IP, which permits the applications to inhabit anywhere within the network.
  • Endpoints layer: The endpoints layer conveys 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.
CUCM Functions
CUCM spreads enterprise telephony structures and functions to packet telephony network devices. These packet telephony network devices comprise Cisco IP Phones, media- processing devices, VoIP gateways, and multimedia applications. Added data, voice, and video services, such as converged messaging, multimedia conferencing, collaborative contact centers, and interactive multimedia response systems, interact with the IP telephony solution through the CUCM application programming interface (API).


CUCM provides these functions:
  • Call processing: Call processing mentions to the wide-ranging procedure of originating, routing, and terminating calls, containing any billing and statistical collection processes.
  • Signaling and device control: CUCM sets up all the signaling links among call endpoints and directs devices such as phones, gateways, and conference bridges to begin and tear down streaming connections. Signaling is also mentioned to as call control and call setup/call teardown.
  • Dial plan administration: The dial plan is a set of configurable lists that CUCM uses to perform call routing. CUCM is accountable for digit analysis of all calls. CUCM permits users to create accessible dial plans.
  • Phone feature administration: CUCM covers services such as hold, transfer, forward, conference, speed dial, redial, call park, and many other features to IP phones and gateways.
  • Directory services: CUCM customs its own database to accommodate user data. User authentication is accomplished locally or beside an external directory. Directory synchronization permits for centralized user management. Directory synchronization agrees CUCM to leverage users already configured in a corporate-wide directory. Microsoft Active Directory (2000 and 2003), Netscape 4.x, iPlanet 5.1, and Sun ONE 5.2 directory integrations are braced. The local CUCM database is a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)-compliant database (LDAPv3) module in the IBM Informix Database Server (IDS).
  • Programming interface to external applications: CUCM delivers a programming boundary to external applications such as Cisco IP Softphone, Cisco IP Communicator, Cisco Unified IP Interactive Voice Response (IP IVR), Cisco Personal Assistant, Cisco Unified Personal Communicator, and CUCM Attendant Console.
  • Backup and restore tools: CUCM delivers a Disaster Recovery System (DRS) to back up and reestablish the CUCM configuration database. The DRS system also backs up call details records (CDR), call management records (CMR), and the CDR Analysis and Reporting (CAR) database.