TP License

[bobby.jacob]

Hello all,

We have C60 and Profile55 installed all over internally in our campus, there are 10 endpoints registered with VCS. None of the endpoints has Multisite license, multi point calls are done using MCU.

Since we have only 10 traversal license, and managment planning to have more endpoints, do we need to buy more traversal license?

We have only internal calls within the network.

Tnx

Bobby

[Jens Didriksen]

Are you sure you only have 10 traversal licences?

The VCS-C normally comes with 100 traversal licenses, so 10 non-traversal licenses would make more sense,

The traversal licenses only come into play doing firewall traversal, interworking between H.323 and SIP and interworking between IPv4 and IPv6, so you won't have an issue in that regard.

Non-traversal licenses are the licenses used for internal calls, so no firewall traversal nor any interworking involved. If you plan to have more than 10 concurrent calls within your own network, then yes, you will need to buy more non-traversal licenses.

/jens

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[bobby.jacob]

Thats right jens,

Correction-Its 10 Non-Traversal Licenses, so can i know for a point to point internal call it consume only one license or two licenses? Hows its for a 3 party multi point call?

tnx

Bobby

[Paulo Souza · Accepted solution]

Hi Bobby,

Each point to point call consume one single call license.

Regarding multipoint calls (either third party or not), the concept is simple, each participant connected to the MCU (or to the multisite-enabled endpoint) will consume one single call license. Therefore, if you have 5 endpoints connected to the MCU (assuming that the call was made through VCS), it will consume 5 call licenses.

Regards

Paulo Souza

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[Jens Didriksen]

I concur with Paulo.

Sad fact is, on a VCS-E local calls will utilize traversal licenses once all non-traversal licenses (if any installed) are in use, whereas the VCS-C cannot do this. Guess it's a bit of a Cisco revenue raiser...

/jens

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[Paulo Souza]

Hi Jens,

That is true. But think with me, If we could use traversall call licenses in VCSc to make common calls, I am sure that Cisco wasn't going to sell VCSc with 100 traversall call licenses. I am sure!!

However, you can take advantage of these free 100 traversall call licenses in VCSc. I have seem people (I am not going to tell who kkkkk) doing this:

If you have 50 endpoints, you can register half of them using SIP and half of them using H323, 25 and 25. If you have MCU, register it to VCS by using one single protocol, either SIP or H323, but not both. Enable interworking in VCSc. By doing this, you will have to buy only 25 non-traversall call licenses (asuming that you have MCU as well), because, statistically speaking, this is the maximum number of non-traversall licenses that you would take, for example, to connect 25 endpoints to MCU or to connect 25 endpoints in several point to point calls.

I know that interworking has some limitations, but in general, with Cisco endpoints, it works very well.

I hope Cisco do not remove the free 100 traversall licenses from VCSc's bundle after reading this rsrsrs...

Paulo Souza

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[Jens Didriksen]

Oh yeah, I understand that, but I'm not so sure if those 100 licenses are really "free", I'm pretty sure Cisco ain't losing any money on that one. Still, nice to have them as part of the default configuration though.

Paulo Souza wrote:
If you have 50 endpoints, you can register half of them using SIP and half of them using H323, 25 and 25. If you have MCU, register it to VCS by using one single protocol, either SIP or H323, but not both.

That is just plain devious Paulo, but I love it.

/jens

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[Paulo Souza]

hat is just plain devious Paulo, but I love it. 

kkkkk... I dont think so! You just said that we pay for those licenses, so I am just taking advantage from what I have bought!

There is no Cisco policy that says, "Hey Paulo, you cannot do that, please, buy additional licenses" rsrs..

Paulo Souza

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[Nick Halbert-Lillyman]

To add to what Pauolo has said, if most of your calls will use the MCU, then just register all your endpoints as SIP and your MCU as H323 or visa versa.  Then all calls to and from the MCU will use traversal call licenses.

[Paulo Souza]

Yeah, that is a nice option too!!

I have one more option:

Instead of registering half with SIP and half with H323, you can normally register your endpoints using both SIP and H323 protocols, then you create a dial plan that forces interworking, something like this:

Create two search rules to route calls to local zone, one for SIP and another for H323, just like Cisco documentation suggests (VCS basic configuration guide). But make the following adjustment in the rules:

Name: RP-SIP-LOCAL-01

Protocol: H323

Pattern string: (.*)@domain.com

Leave

Traget: Local Zone

Name: RP-H323-LOCAL-01

Protocol: SIP

Pattern string: (.*)@domain.com

Replace

Replace string: \1

Traget: Local Zone

Te result will be: If the source is SIP, VCS routes H323, if the source is H323, VCS routes SIP. So you will always have interworking playing.

I know that interworking has some limitations, mainly when you have integration with internet where there are all sorts of strange equipements (one time I saw an old polycom rebooting after an interworking call in VCS ). But you can avoid interworking only to calls from and to internet. It is simple:

Enable interworking only for registered endpoints. Create two additional search rules in VCSc to receive calls from internet/VCSe. I am assuming that you have endpoints registered using SIP and H323.

Name: RP-SIP-LOCAL-02

Source: Named - Traversal Zone

Protocol: Any

Pattern string: (.*)@domain.com

Leave

Traget: Local Zone

Name: RP-H323-LOCAL-02

Source: Named - Traversal Zone

Protocol: Any

Pattern string: (.*)@domain.com

Replace

Replace string: \1

Traget: Local Zone

You can apply the same concept if you have neighbor zones to third party gatekeeprs and system that do not work fine with interworking, so you will be able to avoid interworking only for those endpoints. I don't need to say that, in this case of neighbor zone, a common non-traversall license will be taken.

That works just fine!

Of course, in complex deployments will be hard to keep rules like that, but I think it can be applied for simple enviroments without issues.

Regards

Paulo Souza

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