CallManager, IP Phone, Catalyst Switch, Voice-enabled Router

To Mike or other fellow Voice Expert,

I want to know how to connect this devices together :

CallManager, IP Phone, Catalyst Switch, Voice-enabled Router
I don't know which order is correct...

Is this enough to practice with that or I have to follow :
1 Compaq CallManager 4.1 server
1 VG200 gateway with 2 FXO and 2 FXS ports
1 MCS3810 gateway - 4 FXS, 2 FXO, 1 T1/E1
2 2600's (make great Gatekeepers)
2 7910 phones, 1 7940, 1 7960, 1 7912
1 2900 switch
1 Asterisk server - Free!

Is this correct ? ^-^'

CallManager Server/Compaq --> 2900 Switch --> MCS3810 gateway > Voice Gateway VG200
|_____________________________|
|_____________________________|
7910 Ip Phone_________________ Gatekeeper 2600

Please advice...

Thanks

Marius

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networker050184

What kind of router do you have? The phone oubviously gets plugged into the switch and the switch into the router. Plug the callmanager into the switch as well and ensure they all have connectivity.

mikej412

As I mentioned in the CCVP Topology thread

mikej412 wrote:

It will make more sense when you start studying CVOICE.

Also

mikej412 wrote:

check out their Rental Voice Rack Configurations (or their Rack Partners) for a better idea of equipment layouts.

Did you look at some of the CCIE Voice Rack Rental Configurations? The NLI CCIE Voice Rack webpage might have a link to a PDF of their Voice Physical Cabling Diagram (a Headquarters and 2 Branch Offices).

IPExpert's voice racks are at Proctor Labs and the link to a PDF of their CCIE Voice Topology is on that page. It's also a HQ and 2 Branch office configuration.

You probably won't have all the equipment (to start, or maybe ever).... but figure you'll have at least a "Headquarters" and at least 1 Branch office -- configure your equipment as best you can to start. Create VLANs on your switch for each of your locations, plug in your equipment, and start reading

And as Derek said in the ccvp lab again thread

dtlokee wrote:

I think you'll find building the lab is part of the learning process.

Check out the CCVP Certification page and check out the individual exam pages. Any of the tasks that start with Configure, Implement, Implement and Configure, Troubleshoot, Correlate events, or Identify the Cisco IOS commands probably should be practiced hands-on. Page through the books for an idea of the equipment and layouts used in any examples.

Also check out these CCVP forum threads:
Doubt about CCVP equipments
Home CCVP Lab

I agree with sexion8 in the "Doubt" thread -- the MC3810 still have some life in them for learning purposes.

And if you start to wonder if the CCVP is worth it, check out the New to CCVP, looking for some advice thread for some motivation. I've said voice is hot in a few threads, but DaPunnisher says it best in that thread

DaPunnisher wrote:

I just completed CCVP. I updated and posted my Resume on the job boards and since then my phone has been ringing off the hook! My salary has also jumped 33%! W00t!

dtlokee

I like the 3810 to simulate a PBX if you don't have one, you can create a trunk to them then attach some analog phones.

Another execellent post Mikej412

hendychow

Mike,

Thank you for your reply. It was helpful. I really appreciate that.

I've checked your lab recommendation already but
They told me that per 1 session is about 6 or 8 hours.

CCIE Voice Rack Rental Configurations:
1. The NLI CCIE Voice Rack webpage has a link to a PDF of their Voice Physical Cabling Diagram (a Headquarters and 2 Branch Offices). ---> 6 hours per session

2. IPExpert's voice racks are at Proctor Labs and the link to a PDF of their CCIE Voice Topology is on that page. It's also a HQ and 2 Branch office configuration. ----> 8 hours per session

What am I gonna do with 6 hours ???
the CVOICE book only has a few lab examples.. Have no idea what to do

Thank You

Marius

mikej412

mariusac wrote:

What am I gonna do with 6 hours ???

Find a rack rental place for Voice that offers 4 hour time slots..... or build a home lab.

The PDFs I linked to were to give you an idea of the topology. There are a lot more Voice Rack rental places, but from what I remember when I searched for them, most of them used the HQ with 2 Branch Office topology -- so that's what I built when I pieced together my home CCVP lab.

The first thing you do in CVOICE is get one phone attached to a router to ring another phone attached to the router (analog or IP). You don't need a 6 hour (or even a 4 hour session) for that. But that leads to the CCIE Discussion about Labs -- build or rent.

If you build a home lab, it's available as you are studying. You can try things out as you are reading them, and that helps you learn and retain the information by reinforcing the concepts.

If you rent rack time, you have to be prepared before your reservation. You'll have to have read, and hopefully understand the topics and configurations and plan out what you are going to try and configure in your next rack session. For something like the CCVP & CCSP you may have to go through a bunch of material before you think you have enough stuff to try during your rack time slot -- and then you find out you need another rack session to finish. Or something doesn't work.... and you have to decide to try something else or read a book (or online Docs) while the clock is ticking on your rack rental.

The advantage of renting is it might eventually force you to study, prepare, and plan ahead. The disadvantage is that if you can't do that, it costs you more money and you burn up rack time (and $) while reading the book. But if you ever price an empty 6503 Chassis on eBay, you might decide reading with a ticking clock on your lab session isn't so bad after all. Then add what it costs to fill the 6503 chassis and you may just decide paying to have rack time available when you think you might be reading is a good idea.

Interruptions are also fun -- with rack rental an interruption costs you money. But you may be able to train work, family, pets, and friends to "respect" your rack time and let you do your hands on practice interrupted. With a home lab, people (and pets) are harder to convince that they should let you work uninterrupted.

Some people do have a problem with a home lab -- they spend their time "playing with their lab." They rack their equipment, cable it nicely, and spend their time finding that "perfect configuration" -- but they never seem to actually use it to study.

The best compromise is some home lab equipment -- depending on the $ you can spend -- and rack rental for practicing on those expensive pieces of equipment or software applications.

Oh -- home voice lab hint -- consider getting a switch that supports Power over Ethernet, so you don't need to get power cubes for the phones. I think its worth it just to reduce the lab clutter, but you might want to do some shopping on eBay and price it out -- 6 cubes vs 1 PoE Switch.

hendychow

Hi Mike,

Thank you for the answer.

I have another question.

The main purpose of the whole voice network is to make "All the call succeed", right ?

So, in order to make it succeed,
Do I have to configure ALL the devices such as CallManager, Voice enabled routers, switches, etc... ?

Specifically, If I have already configured Callmanager,
Do I also have to configure dial peer on the voice enabled router ?
or I still have to configure both ?

Based on my knowledge now,
Dial peer ---> configure pattern.
CallManager --> dial plan, dial list, dial group..

Looks like the same.. confused me

Thank You

Marius

mikej412

mariusac wrote:

Looks like the same.. confused me

Keep reading

It is basically the same thing -- just the number of end users and phones you can configure and support in your lifetime are different.

You can manually program the phones and a router at your house and share the one outside phone line and have an IP Phone in every room of your house.... and that would take you less than an afternoon.

Now try doing that for 30000 users and phones..... and then there are the "business class services" they expect (call waiting, conferencing, music on hold, voice mail, stock quotes, etc) that your simple manual install wouldn't provide. That's where tossing Call Manager and other toys into the mix lets you compete with the PBX crowd (on features, not uptime

).

CallManager Express competes with the Key Systems for small offices (and has other uses in a Cisco VoIP network).

This and a lot of the phone and VoIP background stuff will be covered in the CVOICE stuff.

hendychow

Mike,

Great answer !! Thanks again, Mike..

But is there a possibility to mix both method ?

Or strictly the dial peer is for a small environment
and CallManager is for a Big environment like business

I already did the skimming for both CVOICE and CIPT books, but
now I need to see a bigger picture before reading those in detail and do some practice or configuration.

If I can't see the bigger picture, It will be confusing to me.

Thank You

Marius

networker050184

You can mix both methods. You can call from CCME to CCM and the other way. Is that what you are asking? You can have a mixed inviroment with CCM at your "main office" and CCME at your "branch" offices. You can use your CCM to route all the calls between the "branches" or you have them call directly. There are a lot of different options in setting up a voice network. Like Mike said you should probably get a good book and read for a while and a lot of your questions will probably be answered.

Cucumber

mariusac wrote:

Specifically, If I have already configured Callmanager,
Do I also have to configure dial peer on the voice enabled router ?

Yes.

Voice gateways need dial peers to comunicate Call Manager to other devices like Analog Phones, the PSTN, etc. So yes you will use dial peers in a voice gateway even if you have configured Call Manager.