CUCM SQL Queries: Finding that CSS Dependency

Sometime in May (or was it April?) I was working on a project to migrate a customer's dial plan from their legacy design to a new "normalized" (my flavor of Cisco's "globalized") dial plan. I did most of the conversion leveraging AXL/SOAP and SQL queries. One of the "interesting" issues I came across was during the clean up process. 

There was this one CSS that just didn't want to leave the party. The CUCM barked at me and said the CSS was in use. However, the Dependency Records report said it wasn't. Why? Well, the CSS table is one of the cool kids on campus. It is heavily referenced by other tables in the database. It may even be more popular than the device table. The core issue is that the dependency report is not checking every table reference.  

Apparently, I am not the only one to stumble across this issue. One of the readers of my blog posed a similar question. I figured that instead of burying my response in an obscure comment I'd post it as a new entry. I needed to add something to blog anyway. 

Installing Cisco RTMT for CUCM 8.6 on Mac OS X

This is a follow up to a blog entry I added a while back covering the installation of Cisco RTMT on Mac OS X. This original blog was just a quick blurb highlighting the work done by @ciscomonkey. The original article is still alive and well. Most of the information provided is still valid. However, I recently discovered that there is an issue when installing the RTMT plugin from a CUCM 8.6 or later system on a Mac OS X (Snow Leopard or Mountain Lion). 

I received a handful of comments from readers that they were running into problems with the installer. Well after some research I think I figured out what has happened and how to fix it. Applying this fix should help people get pass the installer issue that has been reported with RTMT plugin version 8.91. I believe it is likely that this issue exists in CUCM 9.x RTMT installers, too. I have not tested that yet (I need to rebuild my 9.1 VM).

The Cisco MCS Days are Numbered

This is probably not new news for Cisco UC/Collaboration partners. Especially those that are even remotely active in the Collaboration Community. Cisco recently announced the End of Sale / End of Life for Cisco 7800 series Media Convergence Servers (MCS). Originally, Cisco was planning to have the End of Sale (EoS) date milestone occur December 2013. However, Cisco has moved this milestone up to October 2013 as customers (and I assume distributors) have been stocking up. 

It is even possible that Cisco will sell out of all the MCS servers prior to the October EoS milestone. It is reminiscent of ticket scalping in the real world and stocking up on bottled water in a post-apocalyptic fictional drama. Makes me wonder if MCS server prices from certain distributors will sky rocket after October. I guess it doesn't matter. 

What does matter is that there won't be another generation of MCS servers. The migration plan is to go to virtual machines. After the EoS milestone, new purchases of UCM 8.x/9.x must go one of several virtualization paths. This can make things interesting for integrators and customers starting after Cisco Live in June (where I expect there will be some more announcements that lay out the 12-18 month roadmap).

Most of my customers are already going the virtual route and my team and I have been doing UC VMs for years now. However, I do have a couple of customers that have organizational obstacles which puts them in a position of saying they won't virtualize their UC environment. Fortunately, they are in the minority but every customer is important and this recent Cisco announcement should make for some interesting conversations. Still, I think this is right path for Cisco and I am actually looking forward to saying bye-bye to the MCS platform. Of course, that won't happen over night. Unfortunately. 

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CCIE-V Lab Strategy Part 1 - Formulate Your Strategy

I know what you are thinking, yet another blog on CCIE-V test taking strategy. Well, of course I would do that. It is almost a right of passage. An obligatory first step for any who have passed the exam. It is a glorious sign that you have arrived! Right? Not really. It is actually a sign that you have nothing better to do and are struggling with how to burn through the huge amount of free time that now lay in front of you! 

So, yes I am going to talk about test taking strategy. This started as just a single blog entry and then I realized it was becoming a little too long for just one blog. I wouldn't really go as far as saying this will be a series but it is certainly going to be more than one entry. 

For part 1, I wanted to walk through a couple strategies I came across as I was trying to determine my own path. I also want to discuss some of the factors you should account for when coming up with your own, personal strategy. You see, I believe that a well-prepared candidate will have a strategy that is unique to them. Even if that strategy borrows heavily from other approaches. You don't want to blindly follow someone else's strategy just because they appear to know what they are talking about. Listen, learn, and form your own opinion. 

Using SQL to Look at EM Profile MOH Sources

In this installment of the SQL query series I wanted to actually explore a request that came by way of the Cisco Support Community. The scenario/question:

What would the query be to obtain the MOH source for DN's that are assigned to EM Profiles?

The individual posing the question was primarily interested in listing MOH sources for directory numbers associated with Extension Mobility profiles. The query to grab this data is a simple variation on a query I presented a few months ago in the blog entry: Using SQL to Look at MOH Source Configurations.

CCIE-V "I Shoulda' Checked That" Tip #5: Dial-Peer Zero is Bad Like Vad

This is the fifth installment in what I am calling the "I Shoulda' Checked That" series. The inspiration for this series is covered in the first installment. To save readers some time, I am going to jump right into things. On this go around, I am going to discuss the fifth tip of the series: Don't Forget Dial-Peer 0. 

Cisco UC Apps Native Prompt Recording - CCIE-V

There are several applications that are in the CCIE-V blueprint that may require a candidate to create a custom recording or prompt. Unity Connection, Unified Contact Center Express, BACD, and Unity Express all leverage prompts in some way. All of these applications, save BACD, also have the ability to record prompts. So, the question becomes what approach (or approaches) do you apply when sitting for the exam? 

In the "real" world you probably have tools that you have grown accustom to using. I have a set that I discuss in a UC Toolkit series hosted on the NetCraftsmen site. Unfortunately, you won't have access to 3rd party tools and will need to make do with the inherent capabilities of the UC applications in the blueprint. 

There are a variety of ways to address the need. I have played around with a few options and I figured I would share my approach. Just in case someone else may find it useful. 

Using SQL to Look at MOH Source Configurations

In this installment of the SQL query series I wanted to actually explore a request that came from one of my customers. The scenario/question:

Is there a query that could show me the music on hold audio source configurations for phones?

The driver behind the question is that my customer has been adding a lot of phones to his Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) environment. He has a very specific MoH configuration and lately has "heard" (sometimes, literally) issues with the MoH that is being played out. So, he wants to dump some data to look for inconsistencies.  

This is pretty straightforward and may be handy to other readers. So, in the words of Ben Grimm: "It's clobberin' time" (yeah, I'm a dork).

CCIE-V "I Shoulda' Checked That" Tip #4: Media Resources and Live Record

This is the fourth installment in what I am calling the "I Shoulda' Checked That" series. The inspiration for this series is covered in the first installment. To save readers some time, I am going to jump right into things. On this go around, I am going to discuss the third tip of the series: Don't Forget the Media Resources. This one could also be called: Just because they didn't ask doesn't mean you shouldn't do it...

CCIE-V "I Shoulda' Checked That" Tip #3: MTP Out To Lunch

This is the next installment in what I am calling the "I Shoulda' Checked That" series. The inspiration for this series is covered in the first installment. To save readers some time, I am going to jump right into things. On this go around, I am going to discuss the lazy MTP.

Using SQL to Verify Configurations for CCIE-V Lab

It was bound to happen: two separate blog series have collided. Ever since I started down the path of getting the CCIE-V I have been thinking of ways to leverage the
Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) CLI to speed up the provisioning process. In most cases, I have determined that while I could do some complex provisioning from the CLI it didn't really save much time (or, in many cases, it cost more time).

That isn't to say there aren't some shortcuts available via the CLI. In fact, I think using SQL select queries from the CLI can save time when doing verification. A case in point: this past week I had a problem with RSVP between two sites that resulted from a configuration issue. I used SQL to identify the configuration issue and eventual fix in about 1.5 minutes.

Cisco Jabber for iPad Pt 2 Individual Accounts and Hosted Services

Last month I posted a blog on provisioning Cisco Jabber for iPad to use CUPS and CUCM. For part deux, I wanted to switch gears and provide a walk through for provisioning the Jabber client to use hosted services for Presence and video. 

Namely, I am going to discuss using Cisco WebEx Connect for IM/Presence and Cisco's Jabber Video for TelePresence (or as I like to call it, @jabber.com). It is worth noting that we are going to explore the "Personal Account" provisioning track here. That means discussion of WebEx Connect with CUCM or Cisco VCS won't be front and center. That will come later.

Using SQL to Report on Route Lists and Groups in CUCM

In this installment of the SQL query series I wanted to actually explore a query that is inspired by one of the comments on my blog. The reader asked:

Is there a command that will show the route list, route group, and gateway a pattern points to?

Seems like a reasonable request to me. Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) doesn't provide a command that will dump this information but there are a couple of ways to get at the data and using SQL is one.  

In the toolkit I developed to survey customer sites, I have a query that does exactly that. Using SQL, or more accurately using AXL/SOAP API to access SQL queries, is the best option when bulk surveying a site for the purpose of gathering data that will be processed off line. However, there is another method that is more straightforward for a quick view of the path a pattern will take through your dial plan.

Cisco Jabber for iPad Pt 1 Provisioning CUPS and CUCM

As noted in my blog on Cisco Jabber for iPad Now Has Video, the latest version of Cisco Jabber for iPad was released on July 11, 2012. This version of Jabber not only adds video capabilities that leverage the built-in cameras on the iPad2 and 3rd generation iPad, but it also combines call processing, presence, and IM functionality into a unified client. 

In this series on provisioning, I am going to go through the various provisioning options for the Cisco Jabber for iPad. We'll initially start with the basics of getting the client communicating with various back-end services by using the Cisco Unified Presence Server and Cisco Unified Communications Manager integration options.

Using SQL to Fix CUCM Enterprise Services

In this installment of the SQL query series I wanted to actually explore some queries that came in handy during a CCIE-V mock lab. One of the lab questions was to disable the Corporate Directory look-up functionality on one of the phones in the lab. There are several ways to approach this. I did a write up discussing how to disable the Corporate Directory on my NetCraftsmen blog some time ago.  

It just so happens that one of my fellow classmates went the path of deleting the Enterprise Subscription completely. Of course, this broke other phones in the lab. So, what do you do? You re-add the Enterprise services and all is well, right? Not quite, this creates a problem that can only be resolved by using your handy-dandy SQL commands.

Side Effects of CCM-MANAGER Config

One of the lessons I learned this past week has to do with the logistics of shutting down and turning up my home lab gear. I just recently decided that my wallet may appreciate me more if I shut down the equipment rack I have in my lab on a nightly basis. Being as "nice" to my lab as possible, I shut everything down gracefully. I shut down all of my VMs first. A little later in the evening, I saved router/switch configs and powered off the rest of the gear. 

As I found out the next time I turned up the gear to do some studying, this was a mistake.

Cisco Jabber for iPad Now Has Video

I know there are a fair number of people out there in Cisco land that have been waiting for Cisco to bring video capabilities to the iPad via their Jabber client. Well, the wait is finally over. 

On July 11, 2012 the Cisco Jabber for iPad client appeared in the AppStore. The new Jabber client (yes, it is a 1.0 release) is an application that provides instant messaging (IM), video and voice calling, corporate directory, and presence all in one client. 

Cisco RTMT on Mac OS X

Typically, it isn't my style to post what I call a "cover blog". But I had to make an exception this time around. While I was at Cisco Live 2012 I got into a conversation about switching to the Apple Mac OS X platform and porting applications that are traditionally Windows-based. Specifically, the conversation revolved around applications that end users and administrators of Cisco UC solutions can use. 


Whenever I get into this discussion, the question of running Cisco's Real Time Monitoring Tool (RTMT) application on OS X is a popular talking point, right behind soft phones. In this brief blog spot I wanted to highlight a resource I stumbled across a while ago that was very helpful in getting RTMT running on Mac OS X. 


Of course I am talking about @ciscomonkey's article that is aptly titled "Real Time Monitoring Tool on Mac OS X" (http://www.ciscomonkey.net/rtmt-on-mac/). There isn't much to say except that the article is well written, accurate, and an indispensable book mark. In fact, there was a period of time where I couldn't find the article after I first discovered it. Fortunately, the author was kind enough to re-publish this invaluable resource (and I promplty archived an offline copy). 

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Thanks for reading. If you have time, post a comment!

Querying IP Phone Service Subscriptions

In this installment of the SQL query series I wanted to explore IP phone service subscriptions. An administrator provisions IP phone services on the Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM). To leverage these services on an IP phone, the phone must subscribe to the appropriate service, with the appropriate parameters. On this initial foray into the IP phone service arena, we will focus on reporting on service subscriptions.

I typically leverage this type of query when doing deployments or upgrades. For deployments, I have had instances where I needed to double check how devices or device profiles were provisioned. For upgrades where we are migrating to a new CUCM version, we'll use queries like this to prepare for the data move. We also query phone services when doing clean up.

Redundancy Considerations and Cisco IP Phone Services

Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) and, more specifically, Cisco IP Phones support application extensibility by leveraging web server applications and the Extensible Markup Language (XML). Anyone who has used Extension Mobility, Corporate Directory, Missed Calls, Received Calls, and other similar apps on a Cisco IP phone has witnessed a XML application in action. 


Users of these standard applications and the numerous other productivity applications optimized to leverage the Cisco IP Phone XML capabilities have grown to expect these applications to be 100% available. A common question I field from customers and one I have seen on the Cisco Support Forums from time to time is: "how to make these web-based applications redundant?".