Deploy software updates for CCM automatically

[schemberg]

Hi,

is there any (supported) way to distribute e.g. OS-software update to Cisco Callmanager automatically?

I am thinking of Microsoft SMS or something similar.

Kind regards,

Axel

[pbarman]

Automatic Updates should be disabled in CallManager, and all updates should be applied manually with console access.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/partner/products/sw/voicesw/ps556/prod_pre_installation_guide09186a008016166b.html#322894

[schemberg]

Your answer is what I unfortunately expected.

How many people do you have, to do those tons of updates for hundreds of CCMs?

Manually software distribution is not up to date! I expect a global player like Cisco Systems to know that and to find a solution for this problem!

Kind regards,

Axel

[pbarman]

Please check this link for additional information. Automatic updates may impose security risks for the critical applications that you run on these servers. While you definitely can configure them, you are at your own risk if something goes wrong. Cisco does not particularly test any of these tools.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/partner/netsol/ns340/ns394/ns165/ns391/networking_solutions_white_paper09186a00801f8e47.shtml

[teid]

We use VNC, which is supported by Cisco, as a way to install patches on CCM. This way you can install a patch on many servers from a single location without being at the console.

For security reasons, we leave the VNC service disabled and only enable it when we need to apply a patch.

Tony.

[scott-crosby]

IMHO, it's a generally a very poor idea to do mass updates on critical servers such as CallManager. Since this is considered a critical, core service any issues replicated in masse to all of your CallManagers could leave your whole phone system down for a very long time until you fixed them all manually.

Also, you would want to deploy your patches one at a time so you wouldn’t cause service interruption to your clients that would be connected to your CallManager clusters.

Personally, I run a checklist of post upgrade tests on the servers after they come back up from an upgrade before inflicting them on clients. This also would suggest a “hands on, step by step” approach that doesn’t lend itself to scripting or mass software push techniques.

Now I could see using SMS or other products to deploy client software such are IP software, Attendant Console or Desktop Agents. Screw one of those up, no big deal.

The security issues with mass updates on critical servers should be self evident.

--Scott

[schemberg]

Hi Scott,

I asume, that if you are using a software deployment, you will have a lab to develop such an update-packet and test it. After you verified, that this software work - imagine all your server are mostly similar, because you even installed with software deployment - you put your packet on some CCM. If you have no trouble to distribute it to the rest of the CCM.

Our company use NetInstall to install all windowsbased servers for about 145 locations and it is NO security or anything else problem.

If you do updates manually, you will never have homogeneous softwareversions.

Kind regards,

Axel