Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5 -- Hardware Requirements

From DocWiki

Revision as of 02:10, 7 September 2011

Main page: Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5

One page up: System Requirements

Print PDF: Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5 -- Print System Requirements

This document provides information for all releases of Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5, including the following:

• Release 8.5.1
• Release 8.5.2

Any release-specific information is indicated as such.

For deployment specific requirements, see the following:

• System Requirements for Audio-Only Deployments

• System Requirements for WebEx-Scheduling Deployments (multinode)

• System Requirements for MeetingPlace-Scheduling Deployments

Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 8.5 Hardware Specification for Cisco UCS Platforms

Notes:

• For system capacity information, see System Capacity Quick Reference Tables.

• For scalability information, see Scalability for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5.

• For information about how to configure RAID settings on the UCS B or C series server, see the "Installing on a Virtual Machine" section of the Installation, Upgrade, and Migration Guide for Release 8.5 at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/ps5664/ps5669/prod_installation_guides_list.html.

Virtual Machine Requirements

• VMware ESX(i) 4.1 or later running Enterprise Plus Edition VMware license
• Install one virtual machine, per blade on a supported Cisco Unified Computer Server (UCS)
• LAN connection must support up to 1GB/s
• Component-specific requirements are indicated in the following table:

Note: Cisco UCS does not support co-resident virtual machine (VM) images. This means that you cannot install a VM image of Cisco Unified MeetingPlace if you have a VM image of another application installed on the same physical server. Examples of other applications are Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Cisco Unity Connection.

For more information about the Enterprise Plus Edition VMware license, see http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1010839.

Supported Cisco UCS C Series Servers (General-purpose rack-mountable servers)

Note: Cisco UCS requires dedicated servers for each component of Cisco Unified MeetingPlace software.

Cisco UCS C210 M2

The Cisco UCS C210 M2 is supported with both Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5.1 and 8.5.2.

The UCS-C210M2-VCD2 (TRC#1) is fully supported with VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus License (2 CPU), same capacity as bare metal configuration. http://docwiki.cisco.com/wiki/Unified_Computing_System_Hardware#Hardware_Requirements

OR

The following table describes a component level description of the Cisco UCS C210 M2 for bare metal UCS server specification. This configuration is validated as a supported platform for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5. This configuration also includes VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus License (2 CPU), and hardware and software support contracts.

• 2xCPU
• 6x300GB HD
• 16GB RAM
• vSphere Enterprise Edition Plus

Note: Periodically UCS SKUs may change. Make sure that you reference the description for the proper part and the following Data Sheet: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10889/index.html.

Release 8.5 also supports the following CPUs for M2 models: X5670, (2.93GHz), X5650 (2.66GHz), E5640 (2.66GHz).

Cisco UCS C200 M2

The Cisco UCS C200 M2 is supported with Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5.2 only. The Cisco UCS C200 M2 is a smaller platform that supports a maximum of 500 G.711 ports per conference node with a maximum of two nodes. This platform is supported with the following deployments:

UCS-C200M2-VCD2 (TRC#1) http://docwiki.cisco.com/wiki/Unified_Computing_System_Hardware#Hardware_Requirements

• Audio-only in an active/standby deployment
• WebEx-scheduling with two Meeting Directors/Application Server/Express Media Server
  • Provides active/active redundancy for 500 ports using G.711 Codecs, less if G.729/G.722 is used
  • Cisco WebEx Node for MCS is optional; it is not supported on the Cisco UCS C200 platform
  • VMware vSphere Standard and VMware VSphere Advanced are both supported with this smaller configuration

Use the Netformx tool to complete the Cisco UCS C200 M2 series order configuration using the following specification:

• 1xCPU
• 4x300GB HD
• 16GB RAM
• 1 vSphere Standard or Advanced

Notes:

• Periodically UCS SKUs may change. Make sure that you reference the description for the proper part and the following Data Sheet: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10889/index.html.
• Both VMware vSphere Standard and VMware vSphere Advanced are supported with the Cisco UCS C200 M2. However, Standard edition is not orderable through Cisco. Customers are responsible for providing their own VMware vSphere Standard edition.

Supported Cisco UCS B Series Servers (General-purpose blade servers)

Release 8.5 supports the Cisco UCS B200 M2.

UCS-B200M1-VCS1 (TRC#1)with 2x vSphere Enterprise Edition Plus, same capacity as bare metal specification http://docwiki.cisco.com/wiki/Unified_Computing_System_Hardware#Hardware_Requirements

Notes:

• Cisco UCS requires dedicated servers for each component of Cisco Unified MeetingPlace software.
• For more information about the chassis, see the Data Sheet at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10279/index.html.
• For more information about the blades, see the Data Sheet at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10280/index.html.

Use the Netformx tool to complete your B series bare metal order configuration if desired. Here is a sample with one blade:

• 2xCPU
• 2x146GB HD
• 16GB RAM
• 2x vSphere Enterprise Edition Plus

Note: Periodically UCS SKUs may change. Make sure that you reference the description for the proper part and the above Data Sheet references.

Notes:

• The above configuration is based on 1 chassis and 1 blade. Additional interconnect, fabric extender, and other components are required for redundant configurations.
• Release 8.5 also supports the following CPUs for M2 models: X5680 (3.33GHz), X5670 (2.93GHz), X5650 (2.66GHz), and E5640 (2.66GHz). The E5640 is supported with Release 8.5.2 only.
• VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus license is not included in the specifications above.
• Cisco product and service contracts are not included in the specifications above.
• Additional network equipment (i.e., Nexus switch) and accessories (i.e., 10Gb SFP + Cables) are not included in the specifications above.

B Series Blade Specification

A Cisco UCS B-series chassis can host eight blades. Blades can be ordered separately. VMWare ESXi Enterprise Edition is included here.

Following is a sample configuration:

B-Series SAN Specifications

Release 8.5 supports EMC Clarion CX4-120 or better SAN storage systems. SAN recommendations are:

• 300GB HD space allocated for each image
• 4GB FC link between SAN system and switch
• 10K RPM or faster SAS hard drives
• RAID 5 with 5-8 spindles (hard drives)
• Logical Unit Number (LUN) running on separate controllers and ports.
• Minimum LUN performance specifications are:
  • Throughput - I/O Operations per Second (IOPS): >1000
  • Latency: <10ms
  • Bandwidth: >50MBps

Application Server Requirements

Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Application Server software is installed on either a Cisco Media Convergence Server (MCS), or on VMware ESX(i) 4.1 and later running on top of Cisco Unified Computer Servers (UCS).

• The Express Media Server (EMS) is co-resident with the Application Server.
• If your system has less than four Conferencing nodes, Meeting Director components can also be installed co-resident with the Application Server/EMS on the same MCS or UCS hardware.

Notes:

• For system capacity information, see System Capacity Quick Reference Tables.

• For scalability information, see Scalability for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5.

Hardware

Release 8.5 supports the following hardware for installing the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Application Server.

• Cisco UCS C series as described in the following table for bare metal data center sku's or UCS-C210M2-VCD2(TRC #1) or UCS-C200M2-VCD2 for smaller capacity customer systems (Max of 2 servers only)

http://docwiki.cisco.com/wiki/Unified_Computing_System_Hardware#Hardware_Requirements

• Cisco UCS B200 M2 as described in the following table for bare metal data center sku's or UCS-B200M2-VCS1(TRC #1)

http://docwiki.cisco.com/wiki/Unified_Computing_System_Hardware#Hardware_Requirements

• Cisco MCS-7845, MCS-7835 or third-party equivalent as described in the following table

Notes:

• VMware is the only supported environment for Cisco UCS. A physical installation without VMware is not supported. For more information, see Virtual Machine Requirements.
• If you are using a Cisco Media Convergence Server, we recommend that you use a Cisco MCS 7845. Performance degradation will occur on the Cisco MCS 7835 due to its lower specifications.
• Cisco MCS 7835-I3 and 7845-I3 require a firmware update before use. For more information, see the "Updating the Firmware on a Cisco MCS 7835-I3 or 7845-I3" section of the see the Installation, Upgrade, and Migration Guide for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5 at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/ps5664/ps5669/prod_installation_guides_list.html.

IMPORTANT: The DL380-G6 Server (AX690A, AX693A) is shipped with an internal USB Drive. The drive conflicts with the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Linux OS and causes an illegal opcode error. The workaround is to remove the USB Drive from the system.

• There is a video clip at the following URL that illustrates how to remove the USB drive: https://videosharing.cisco.com:8443/vportal/VideoPlayer.jsp?ccsid=C-2fbbdacb-65d5-4101-a070-ada46c84ecb7:1#
• If the URL does not work, visit https://videosharing.cisco.com:8443/ and search for MeetingPlace.
• You can also use the following steps:

  1. Remove the top cover of the server

  2. Look on the left side of the server all the way toward the middle, near the edge of the secondary (internal) cover, next to the connectors for two cables coming from the HDDs,you should see a USB flash drive plugged in

  3. Pull the drive out and close the cover.

For additional information about supported IBM server equivalents, see: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/voicesw/ps6790/ps5748/ps378/product_solution_overview0900aecd80091615.html.

For additional information about Cisco UCS specifications, see Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 8.5 Hardware Specification for Cisco UCS Platforms.

Express Media Server Requirements

The Express Media Server (EMS) is a set of software modules that reside on the Application Server.

Notes:

• For system capacity information, see System Capacity Quick Reference Tables.

• For scalability information, see Scalability for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5.

• During installation, you will have the option to choose between the Hardware Media Server and Express Media Server. You do not need to enable both.

Audio Codecs

• G.711, G.729, G.722

Video Codecs

• H.264 AVC
  • Video-mode setting: per user profile configuration
  • Levels available: Mobile, Compatibility, High Quality, High Definition at 720p
• H.263
  • Video-mode setting: per user profile configuration
• Standard Definition (SD) quality
  • Decode: QCIF, CIF, 4CIF, QSIF, SIF, 4SIF, VGA, 480p, 640 x 360 (quarter 720p) and 320 * 180 (one-eight 720p)
  • Encode: QCIF, CIF, and VGA
• High Definition (HD) quality
  • Encode/Decode: 720p (16:9 Widescreen Aspect Ratio)

Note: If you are deploying the Express Media Server you are responsible for providing adequate echo cancellation in your voice gateways. For calls within a single continent, we recommend a minimum of 64ms of echo cancellation in all voice gateways that are connected to the PSTN. For calls between North America, Europe, and Japan, we recommend 128ms. If you are unable to provide this protection in voice gateways, or if you are taking intercontinental calls across satellite links or from outside North America, Europe, and Japan we recommend that you consider deploying the hardware media server instead, which has a built-in echo cancellation capability.

Express Media Server and Secure Audio Conferencing in Release 8.5.2

Release 8.5.2 supports secure audio conferencing (TLS/SRTP) in audio-only and MeetingPlace-scheduling deployments with the following restrictions:

• TLS is supported on SIP interfaces. It is not supported on SCCP interfaces.
• SRTP is supported on audio streams only. It is not supported for video streams.
• The system supports a maximum of 249 ports when it is configured in secure conferencing mode.
• Secure audio conferencing is not supported on the Cisco UCS C200 M2.

Note: Secure audio conferencing is also supported on the Hardware Media Server (HMS) in both Release 8.5.1 and Release 8.5.2.

Hardware Media Server Requirements

The Cisco Unified Hardware Media Server (HMS) is comprised of a set of Audio Blades and/or Video Blades.

• Each Hardware Media Server supports a maximum of four Blades.
• You can mix and match Hardware Media Servers.

For example, if you deployed a Cisco Unified MeetingPlace solution using a Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 3515 Media Server, you could add more video ports to the solution by adding a Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 3545 Media Server chassis plus a Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 3545 Media Server Video Blade.

The Hardware Media Server supports the escalation of audio calls to video if the endpoint is video-enabled.

Notes:

• For system capacity information, see System Capacity Quick Reference Tables.

• For scalability information, see Scalability for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5.

Hardware

Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 3515 or 3545 Media Server

• The 3515 Media Server is delivered with a predetermined number of ports.
• The 3545 Media Server can be configured to support a wide range of audio and/or video ports.

Audio Blade

Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5 supports a maximum of eight Audio Blades. Each Audio Blade must be configured with at least one Video Blade. In other words, if your system is configured with eight Audio Blades, you must also purchase eight Video Blades so that each Audio Blade has an associated Video Blade.

Maximum system audio capacity is dependent on your deployment type, the global audio mode of your Cisco Unified MeetingPlace system, and whether or not you have secure audio conferencing (TLS/SRTP) enabled. If you have a MeetingPlace-scheduling or audio-only deployment with secure audio conferencing enabled, the system is limited to 249 audio ports.

In other words:

• If the global audio mode is set to G.711, G.729 without LEC, the system supports 250 ports per blade for a maximum of 2000 audio ports per node.

• If the global audio mode is set to G.711, G.722, G.729, the system supports 166 ports per blade for a maximum of 1328 audio ports per node.

• If you have secure audio conferencing enabled (TLS/SRTP) in a MeetingPlace-scheduling or audio-only deployment, there is a system maximum of 249 audio ports.

Notes:

• Secure audio conferencing is not supported in WebEx-scheduling deployments.
• Configuration of G.729 with or without LEC occurs on the Call Configuration > Media Parameters page of the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Administration Center.

Video Blade

Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5 supports a maximum of eight Video Blades. Maximum system video capacity is dependent on whether hardware video resources are scheduled as High Rate video ports or Standard Rate video ports. High Rate/Standard Rate is configured in the user profile.

Note: In practice, some users may be restricted to scheduling Standard Rate video ports while others are able to schedule High Rate video ports. The total maximum system video capacity, therefore, is between 160 and 300 based on the maximum allowable hardware of eight Video Blades.

Media Server Administration Pages

The following browsers are supported for configuring the Media Server Administration pages:

• Microsoft Windows
  • Internet Explorer 6, 7, or 8 (recommended)
  • Mozilla Firefox 3.5.7
• Apple Mac
  • Internet Explorer 6, 7, or 8 (recommended)
  • Mozilla Firefox 3.5.7

Related Information

For information about physically installing and configuring the Hardware Media Server, see the Installation, Upgrade, and Migration Guide for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5 at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/ps5664/ps5669/prod_installation_guides_list.html

Cisco WebEx Node Requirements

The primary purpose of the Cisco WebEx Node is to receive conferencing data from meeting presenters and distribute it to other meeting participants. Cisco WebEx Nodes are used by internal network connections for web meetings only. They do not provide any audio/video mixing.

Notes:

• For system capacity information, see System Capacity Quick Reference Tables.

• For scalability information, see Scalability for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5.

This release of Cisco Unified MeetingPlace supports the following variations of the Cisco WebEx Node:

Operating System

Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Linux OS (installed with the Cisco WebEx Node software)

Supported Hardware

One of the following:

• Cisco UCS C210 M2
• Cisco UCS C200 M2
• Cisco UCS B200 M2
• Cisco MCS 7845, MCS 7835 or third-party equivalent per node as described in the following table
• Cisco ASR 1000 router

Notes:

• VMware is the only supported environment for Cisco UCS. A physical installation without VMware is not supported. For more information, see Virtual Machine Requirements.
• If you are using a Cisco Media Convergence Server, we recommend that you use a Cisco MCS 7845. Performance degradation will occur on the Cisco MCS 7835 due to its lower specifications.
• Cisco MCS 7835-I3 and 7845-I3 require a firmware update before use. For more information, see the "Updating the Firmware on a Cisco MCS 7835-I3 or 7845-I3" section of the Installation, Upgrade, and Migration Guide for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5 at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/ps5664/ps5669/prod_installation_guides_list.html.

For additional information about supported IBM server equivalents, see: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/voicesw/ps6790/ps5748/ps378/product_solution_overview0900aecd80091615.html.

For virtual machine requirements, see Virtual Machine Requirements.

For additional information about Cisco UCS specifications, see Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 8.5 Hardware Specification for Cisco UCS Platforms.

Web Server Requirements

In Release 8.5.1, a Web Server is Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Web Server software that is installed on a Cisco Media Convergence Server (MCS).

In Release 8.5.2, the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Web Server is also supported on VMware ESX(i) 4.1 and later running on top of Cisco Unified Computer Servers (UCS).

Notes:

• A Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Web Server is only required with MeetingPlace-scheduling deployments. It is optional for audio-only deployments. WebEx-scheduling deployments do not require a Web Server. For more information about deployment options, see Planning Your Deployment.

• For system capacity information, see System Capacity Quick Reference Tables.

• For scalability information, see Scalability for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5.

Operating System

Notes:

• MeetingPlace Windows OS DVD is shipped with the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Web Server Release 8.5 software.
• If you are reusing a Cisco MCS, you will have to rebuild it first with the MeetingPlace Windows OS before installing the Web Server Release 8.5 software.
• The Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Windows operating system is provided by Cisco and is the only supported operating system on the Web Server. Customer-provided operating systems are not supported.

Hardware

Cisco UCS, MCS or third-party equivalent as described in the following table.

For additional information about supported IBM server equivalents, see: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/voicesw/ps6790/ps5748/ps378/product_solution_overview0900aecd80091615.html.

Notes:

• Cisco MCS 7845-I3-RC1 does not support the Application Server or Cisco WebEx Node for MCS because it is a single-processor configuration. Dual-processors are required for MCS 7845 models that are used for the Application Server/Cisco WebEx Node for MCS.

• Cisco MCS 7835-I2-RC2 must have at least 4GB of memory using the following memory module: MEM-7835-I2-2GB=

• Cisco MCS 7835-I2 and 7845-I2 require a firmware update before use. For more information, see the “Installing the Web Server Software” section of the Installation, Upgrade and Migration Guide for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5 at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/ps5664/ps5669/prod_installation_guides_list.html.

• If you are using a Cisco Media Convergence Server, we recommend that you use a Cisco MCS 7845. Performance degradation will occur with the MCS 7835 due to its lower specifications.

Networking Requirements

• If you are migrating to Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5 from Release 8.0 and want to preserve recordings, you must configure the Web Server with two static IP addresses on the same subnet.

Two static IP addresses are not required for new installations of Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5.

• Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Web Servers must be connected to network switch ports that are configured for 100/1000 Mb full duplex.

Related Information

• For information about physically installing the Cisco MCS, see the documentation at this location: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/voiceapp/ps378/prod_installation_guides_list.html
• For information about installing the Web Server software, see the Installation, Upgrade, and Migration Guide for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5 at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/ps5664/ps5669/prod_installation_guides_list.html
• For information about Cisco Security Agent, see http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/secursw/ps5057/tsd_products_support_series_home.html.

Segmented Meeting Access (SMA) Requirements

Cisco Unified MeetingPlace supports Segmented Meeting Access (SMA) deployments for external access.

Hardware

Two single Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Web Servers as described in the Web Server Requirements Hardware section:

• One Web Server deployed inside the private corporate network functioning as internal Web Servers.
• One Web Server deployed in a network segment, such as a DMZ, functioning as external Web Servers.

Software

Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Web Server Release 8.5

• Installed on the internal web server with the "Internal (Full Access)" server location option.
• Installed on the external web server with the "External (Limited Access)" server location option.

DNS Configuration

• For segmented DNS, the same hostname must resolve to the internal Web Server on the internal DNS and resolve to the external Web Server on the external DNS.
• The internal hostname and IP address is accessible only from the internal network.
• The external hostname or IP address is accessible from both the internal network and the Internet.

Port Access

The following ports must be open between the DMZ and the internal network:

• TCP ports 5003 and 5005 are open bidirectional between the Web Server and the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Application Servers (active server and standby server, if one exists).
• If you configured your network for reverse connection, where your Web Servers are configured with a Cisco Unified MeetingPlace hostname instead of an IP address, the Application Server can initiate a reverse connection to the Web Server in the DMZ when port 5003 inbound is blocked.

The following ports are open inbound from the Internet to the DMZ:

• TCP Port 80
• TCP Port 443 (if SSL is implemented)

The following ports are open outbound from the Web Server to Cisco WebEx:

• TCP Port 443

Synchronized Globally Unique Identifiers (GUIDs)

The database of the internal Web Server and the database of the external Web Server must contain identical GUIDs.

Related Information

• For information on installing an SMA configuration, see the Installation, Upgrade, and Migration Guide for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5 in the following location: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/ps5664/ps5669/prod_installation_guides_list.html.

• For information on configuring your system for SMA, see the Configuration Guide for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Release 8.5 in the following location: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/ps5664/ps5669/products_installation_and_configuration_guides_list.html.

Cisco Unified IP Phone Requirements

See Audio Endpoint Compatibility.

Video Requirements

This release of Cisco Unified MeetingPlace supports the following video options:

Note: If you have a WebEx-scheduling or MeetingPlace-scheduling deployment, you must choose between the two video options. This release of Cisco Unified MeetingPlace does not support the use of both video options on the same system.