VCS Expressway B2B

[chadreynolds]

Currently, my customer has the VCS Starter Pack Expressway deployed at their main site that connects to their CUCM via SIP. Now, they want to add another VCS appliance to an off-site location.  My question is since they already have the VCS Expressway deployed at their main site, can I simply add another VCS Expessway appliance to the existing network?  Or do I have to purchase a VCS-Control appliance and put it where the current VCS Expressway resides and then put the current VCS Expressway outside the Firewall for the off-site location to connect to?

Any thoughts, input, or clarification would be much appreciated.  Thanks!

[Robert Krenn]

A VCS Expressway is basicly a VCS Control with added functions to work as a Firewall Traversal Server. It can be used as an VCS Control in your example and be paired to another VCS Expressway. You are not forced to use a VCS Control.

However. The VCS Expressway call licenses are at a higher cost compared to a VCS Control, but that might not be a issue if what you want is the expressway functionality at your new site also.

There might be limitations to what you can and can not do with a VCS Starter Pack Expressway compared to a normal VCS Expressway. I have never used a Starte Pack so I can not tell what, but you should look it up before you design a larger deployment including such produtcs.

//Robert

[Alok Jaiswal]

Hi,

As mentioned by Robert, the VCS expressway can act as a traversal and can be paired directly to VCS-expressway in other organization to make calls.

Also with VCS starter pack you get limited functionality in terms of provisioning and if you will expand in near future with a fully grown setup involving controls and expressway which gives better security plus MOVI and other factors you should go for expressway and later incorporate the control and TMS as and when required.

Thanks

Alok

[daphoeni]

I understand hownthe VCS-E handles signlaing, but I dont understand in detail how the media is handled end to end. In the following call flow how is the video media rotued between devices assuming both companies have the Expressway in the DMZ?

abc.com                                                  xyz.com

EX90--->VCS-C--->VCS-E--->Internet--->VCS-E--->VCS-C---EX90

[Robert Krenn]

If everything is setup and configured according to Cisco Deployment guides, then media will flow exactly as you have described it.

abc.com                                                                                               xyz.com

EX90--->VCS-C--->VCS-E--->Internet--->VCS-E--->VCS-C---EX90

Since the call is routed over one or more expressways, the VCS control(s) will also take care of the media from the EX90.

- Media will flow from the EX90 to VCS-C.

- VCS-C have a traversal link to VCS-E and the media flow in that link.

- VCS-E will set up a H.323 or SIP call to the external VCS-E, media will flow between them over internet.

- VCS-E at xyz.com have a traversal lint to their VCS-C. media will flow in that link.

- VCS-C at xyz.com will pass media to th EX90.

//Robert

[Alok Jaiswal]

Hi,

Since the call is a traversal then the media has to be traversed all the way from Ex90 on one side to Ex90 on the other side by utilizing the traversal functionality.

VCS-E as site A will present the media to site B VCS-E and then again the media will traversed utilizing traversal functionality.

Thanks

Alok

[Acevirgil de Ocampo]

Hi,

Do we have a deployment guide on how we do the B2B between two VCS Expressway?

Endpoint ----> VCSc -----> VCSe ------> Internet ------> VCSe ------> VCSc -----> Endpoint

(abc.domain1.com)                                                                           (xyz.domain2.com)

Thank you.

Br,

Acevirgil