[TUTORIAL] Cisco Collaboration in EVE-NG

Hey guys,

Recently managed to wrap up my Route/Switch journey and quickly set my sights on the CIPTV2 (300-075) which is required in order to bump the CCNP Voice to Collaboration and not loose the cert. status.

I was also glancing over the CCIE Collaboration v2.0 lab details and saw that a lot of it can / should allow virtualization. I was also involved in a project at work for training our non-Cisco engineers and bringing them to the dark side of voice so about 1 week into toying around & reading stuff up, I managed to get EVE-NG set up to allow creating Collaboration sandboxes with (but not limited to) the following devices:

- CUCM
- Unity Connection
- IM & Presence
- UCCX / Finesse
- Cisco Meeting Server
- Expressway Core/Edge

Naturally, all the other types of images that EVE-NG supports (Nexus, IOS, IOU/IOL, ASA, F5, Windows Clients & Win Server etc.)can be integrated into these voice topologies to create some awesome labs.

Anyway, here's the write-up I did on request if anybody wants to try setting up their own Collaboration lab with EVE-NG:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cisco-collaboration-ccie-ccnp-ccna-sandbox-eve-ng-tudor-adrian-negru/

Good luck! Onto CIPTV2 now!

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Comments

Technoracer

If you pass the CIPTV2 exam before your CCNP Voice expires you should be good to go. Since Cisco is retiring the Voice track it is good to double check the expiration date of your CCNP Voice Certification in the Certification Tracking System. The expiration for my CCNA Voice was April 3, 2018, because Cisco retired this track. So, unless the CCNP Voice is still valid you might have to pass both CCNA Collaboration exams first, and then pass the four CCNP Collaboration exams, which are now $300 a pop.

negru_tudor

Technoracer wrote: »

If you pass the CIPTV2 exam before your CCNP Voice expires you should be good to go. Since Cisco is retiring the Voice track it is good to double check the expiration date of your CCNP Voice Certification in the Certification Tracking System. The expiration for my CCNA Voice was April 3, 2018, because Cisco retired this track. So, unless the CCNP Voice is still valid you might have to pass both CCNA Collaboration exams first, and then pass the four CCNP Collaboration exams, which are now $300 a pop.

NP Voice still valid until August so just need this one sorted.

Welly_59

Mate just what I needed! I have an interview with a UC outfit on Tuesday so this is perfect prep

negru_tudor

Welly_59 wrote: »

Mate just what I needed! I have an interview with a UC outfit on Tuesday so this is perfect prep

Enjoy! Me & the guys at work managed to get some really nice topologies up & running with several UC / VoIP platforms alongside Cisco inside EVE-NG. It's awesome!

alcor

That virtual lab sounds fantastic, but does it work without expensive licenses from Cisco?

negru_tudor

alcor wrote: »

That virtual lab sounds fantastic, but does it work without expensive licenses from Cisco?

CUCM, Unity, IM&P, UCCX/Finesse work with grace licenses. Tandberg stuff (Expressway, VCS, TPS, Conductor) need licenses; a NFR kit can help out

Amad Ali

Hi Everyone, I need ccnp collaboration exam discount voucher and ****.

alcor

Don't you need some DX60/70/650 phones for this lab?
These phones are very rare here in Germany.
So, if "nobody" uses them, what's the point in learning the technology?
Also with Skype you can share your screen and files for free.

I'm just asking because I really don't understand.

negru_tudor

alcor wrote: »

Don't you need some DX60/70/650 phones for this lab?
These phones are very rare here in Germany.
So, if "nobody" uses them, what's the point in learning the technology?
Also with Skype you can share your screen and files for free.

I'm just asking because I really don't understand.

The principles and technologies you learn on the CCNP Collab track (AAR, Locations, Regions, dial-peers, QoS, CME, CUBE, Localization, Globalization, Line/Device CSS approach, ILS with GDPR, CCD and SAF, SME, VCS, Expressway, TPS, Conductor etc) go way beyond 3 types of endpoints (ex. DX60, EX etc). You'll be learning the building blocks of a full UC / Collab solution; those endpoints may just as well go End-of-Life tomorrow but the core concepts that drive your clusters will stay more or less the same.

I'm not saying nobody's using them. It's just that they're usually the kind of kit Cisco loves to sell because they're expensive vs the stuff enterprises really need most of the time. In the environments I work in, Cisco 78XX, 8831 and Jabber rule the world. Rarely do we get EX or DX endpoints. Our customers use third-party Crestron Mercury units for some of their conference rooms and SX codecs. Yours may vary.

You mentioned Skype allows file sharing and desktop sharing "for free". Indeed it does but so will a Cisco UC cluster with IM&P. There will be a capital expense that comes with it but after you've purchased the stuff, all your Jabber users can share files / screens + you'll have full control over the solution whereas Skype, from our point of view, is a black-box solution. Not saying that Cisco isn't locked but as an admin you'll be able to turn some knobs to customize things.

Hope this helps.

alcor

Thanks, that helped a bit.