few questions about CCM

[bkoum]

Hi

there is an ISP providing the CCM services, and i would like to ask if we can host some services by using CCM or CCM express. Whats the best choice. And the CCM version is it important using front and back end or doesnt matter.

And something else.CCM works only in UNIX/LINUX or windows too ?

thanks

[CHRIS CHARLEBOIS]

I assume that you are refering to something IP Centrex service, in which you only have the IP phones onsite, while the CCM servers are located and supported by the ISP. Is that correct?

So my question is, are you asking what options you have as add-ons to this services, by providing them locally, or what can you do to provide this service yourself?

The first question is better asked of your ISP. However, the short answer is "not much". You can arrange to get Music-on-Hold multi-cast locally, if the ISP allows it. You can set-up local hardware-base conferncing and transcoding resources, if the ISP will use them. And you can setup local Service funtions, such as directories, or entertainment-based lookups like weather or local movie times. But in terms of practical features, you are really at the mercy of the ISP. Which, I might add, is not a bad thing if they are a good ISP.

Ultimately, the phone needs to home to a single CCM Cluster; either the ISP's or your own.

If you want to do it in house, that is definitely an option. You can even discuss the idea of your ISP providing some remote support for your own server, if you'd like. And then the decsion between CallManager and CallManager Express comes down to scalability and features, although I beleive Cisco has come very close to feature parity. So how many phones do you need to support?

Current shipping CCM runs on a Linux-based appliance. The question of Windows vs Linux is not really relevant because you should never need to deal with the underlying OS and it must run on a dedicated server.

[bkoum]

thanks for your replay and yes you assume correctly . Actually we need some basics services , like changing the registered name or assign different 4digit number to an end user or making workgroups. i thought maybe it works like the front and back end system so any changes localy can rely to the ISPs system .

There are about 500 Ip phones devices.

[CHRIS CHARLEBOIS]

That part depends on what version your ISP is running and how permissive they are. With CCM 5 and 6, it is possible to create limited admin roles that only have permission to do certain things, such as administrate phones, and not other things, like change route plans or reboot the system. However, these are only function aware, not partition aware. Which means that if the ISP gives you permission to administrate phones, you would have permission to administrate phones for all the customers that share that CCM Cluster. In our environment, we can do that, since we have a limited client base and our customers are somewhat related, but not everyone has that luxury.

[olasupo.ashafa]

Hi,

I was just wondering.... what does it take to provide such IP Centrex Services as an ISP?

Is my thinking below correct?

-same CUCM 6.1 in use for the enterprise?

-voice gateways to terminate the E1 links to the customers?

-creating different partitions on the CUCM?

-any others?

thanks