4 Server Cluster IPCC Express-HA

mwheinz · ‎08-03-2007

My customer has purchased a 4 server cluster, CRS 4.0(5) with HA. I'm wondering how to install and split up. I'm thinking engine and DB on 2 servers and HR and monitoring on the other 2. Questions: Do I install all components on all 4 and just activate what I need? Will SQL install on all 4? Is this the best way to utilize 4 servers?

Thanks!

aghaznavi · ‎08-09-2007

Cisco IPCC Express Edition 4.0 supports an N = 2 cluster consisting of one active and one (optional) standby Cisco IPCC Express Edition server as well as additional optional expansion servers. All system services are provided by the active server. Customers must deploy the optional standby server if High Availability is desired. If the standby server detects failure of the active server, all system services failover to the standby server automatically. All ACD, computer telephony integration (CTI), IVR, and desktop system services are operational within five seconds of failover. The system automatically logs in all agents and supervisors with agent state set to "not ready." For large numbers of agents it may take up to one minute for this automatic login process to complete. All database services are replicated, and they also participate in the failover process. In addition, a failure of only a database server results in automatic failover to the replicated standby database.

For additional information, refer to the updated account manager and systems engineer presentations at: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/partner/products/sw/custcosw/ps1846/prod_presentation_list.html

mwheinz · ‎08-12-2007

Thanks. The solution was in the SRND. Two servers have the engine component installed and the other two have SQL and the database components installed, along with monitoring and recording. Works like a champ!

Tom Dillon · ‎08-12-2007

Hi Michael, I have deployed a four server HA cluster. Two servers run the CRS engine and two servers have the SQL server installed. You are correct about selecting the components you want installed on each server, but the standby server must have the same components as the primary. I split the SQL to the expansion servers to allow for more concurrent historical reporting clients and to allow reporting during prime time.

The HA works great, but it does take the full 60 seconds for the Desktop Agent to reconnect to the standby CRS engine when the primary fails. Calls coming into the cluster are immediately answered by the standby server when the primary fails. This makes upgrades much easier if you have 24/7 IVR applications.

One word of caution about deploying expansion servers. It looks like Cisco is not going to continue supporting expansion servers with versions after 4.0. When version 4.5 was released to support Callmanager 5.0, HA and expansion servers were not supported. HA was finally added back with IPCCX version 5.0. Last year the BU said they would have expansion servers added with IPCCX version 7.0 due out in 2008 or later. However, this year at Networkers it looks like expansion servers may never be supported again. This is huge for us and we are looking at going to IPCC Enterprise System 7.x.

mwheinz · ‎08-15-2007

Thanks, good info here, especially about the future of the product.