Cisco Expressway VKM Configuration Guide

Overview 

Cisco Expressway is designed specifically for comprehensive collaboration services. It features established firewall-traversal technology and helps redefine traditional enterprise collaboration boundaries, supporting a vision of any-to-any collaboration.

Cisco Expressway is often deployed as a pair:

• Expressway-C with a trunk and line-side connection to Unified Communications Manager (UCM).
• Expressway-E deployed in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) and configured with a traversal zone to an Expressway-C.

Expressway provides various tools and APIs for administrating, monitoring, and troubleshooting the system. While many of these functions are similar between the C and E, there are C and E specific configurations, thus are administered and monitored separately.

For an Expressway cluster, a cluster name is defined. One of the servers (peers) in the cluster is designated as the Configuration Primary from which all relevant configuration is replicated to the other servers (peers) in the cluster.

Clusters are used to:

• Increase the capacity of your Expressway deployment, as opposed to a single Expressway.
• Provide redundancy in the event an Expressway becomes inaccessible or while it is in maintenance mode.

An Expressway server can be part of a cluster of up to six Expressway servers of the same type, such as a cluster of Expressway-C servers or a cluster of Expressway-E servers.

Configuration changes are made on the Configuration Primary Expressway server, which is usually the first deployed Expressway server. The servers (peers) in the cluster share information with each other about the use of bandwidth, registrations, and user accounts. This allows the cluster to act as one large Expressway system.

If clustering is not configured, then each Expressway element is administered and maintained separately.

Note

Nectar Cisco Expressway VKM supports onboarding both single-node and clustered Expressway systems and refers to Expressway systems as clusters, even for single- node systems.

About this Guide

This guide explains how to enable and configure the Cisco Expressway VKM, including:

Configure the Nectar RIG

Configure Cisco Expressway

Configure Cisco Expressway VKM

Configure Alarms

View Inventory

Manage Expressway Clusters

Supported Software Versions

• Nectar UCMP v8.7
• Cisco Expressway vX8.9 and later

Configure the Nectar RIG

Configuring the Nectar RIG includes the following tasks:

Enable the Cisco Expressway Module

Configure the receiver-module.properties File

Enable the Cisco Expressway Module

Follow these steps to enable the Cisco Expressway module:

1. Navigate to RIG > Module Configuration. The Module Configuration window appears.
2. Select Cisco Expressway.

1. Click Apply.

Figure 2-1 Enable Cisco Expressway

1. To restart the RIG and apply the changes:
   1. Navigate to RIG > Admin > Restart.
   2. When the following message appears, click Yes.

Figure 2-2 Restart

Configure the receiver-module.properties File

Follow these steps to locate, download, update, and save the receiver-module.properties

file, as needed:

1. Navigate to RIG > File Manager. The File Manager window appears.

Figure 2-3 Remote File System

1. Look for the Remote File System pane on the right; then navigate to

etc\server.properties configuration file in the RIG installation directory.

Figure 2-4 receiver-module.properties File

1. Right-click on the receiver-module.properties file and select Download.
2. Save the receiver-module.properties file to the local destination.
3. Navigate to the receiver-module.properties file.
4. Right-click on the receiver-module.properties file and select Open With.
5. Open the file using Notepad.

Enable Syslog.

1. Navigate to File > Save to save the changes.
2. Navigate to RIG > File Manager. The File Manager window appears.
3. Navigate to etc\receiver-module.properties configuration file in the RIG installation directory.
4. Right-click on the receiver-module.properties file and select Upload.
5. Browse to the updated receiver-module.properties file, select, and click Open. The Upload File window appears.
6. Click Upload.
7. To restart the RIG and apply the changes:
   1. Navigate to RIG > Admin > Restart.
   2. When the following message appears, click Yes.

Enable Syslog

Figure 2-5 Restart

To enable Syslog, add the following property and value:

Figure 2-6 syslog.enable

Configure Cisco Expressway

Configuring the Cisco Expressway includes the following tasks:

Configure Expressway SNMP

Configure Nectar User

Configure Expressway SNMP

Follow these steps to configure the Expressway SNMP parameters for each Expressway server (peer) being monitored:

1. Navigate to the IP address/FQDN of the Cisco Expressway C or E or cluster primary server, if using a cluster.

Note

If clustering is not used, a single node system is still referred to as a ‘cluster’ when onboarding.

1. Login to the Web Administrative Interface.

1. Navigate to System > SNMP.

Figure 3-1 Administrator Login

Note

SNMP settings are specific to each server (peer). They can be different for each server (peer).

The SNMP window appears.

Figure 3-2 Cisco Expressway - SNMP

1. Complete the following parameters:

1. Click Save to apply the changes.

Table 3-1 Configure SNMP

Configure Nectar User

Follow these steps to configure the Nectar (API) User to be used when you onboard a Cisco Expressway cluster:

1. Navigate to the IP address/FQDN of the Cisco Expressway cluster.
2. Login to the Web Administrative Interface.

Figure 3-3 Administrator Login

1. Navigate to Users > Administrator Accounts. The Administrator Accounts window appears.

1. Click New.

Figure 3-4 Administrator Accounts

The Administrator Accounts window appears.

Figure 3-5 Add a New User

1. Enter the following information for the new administrator account:

Table 3-2 Parameters

1. Click Save.

Table 3-2 Parameters

Configure Cisco Expressway VKM

This section explains how to:

Add a Cisco Expressway Cluster

View Collections

Add a Cisco Expressway Cluster

Follow these steps to add a Cisco Expressway cluster.

1. Navigate to Modules > Cisco > Expressway.

Figure 4-1 Modules > Cisco > Expressway

The Cisco Expressway Setup - Configurations window appears.

1. Click Add.

Figure 4-2 Cisco Expressway Setup - Configurations

The Add Cisco Expressway - General window appears.

Figure 4-3 Add Cisco Expressway - General

1. Enter the following information; then click Next.

Table 4-1 Add Cisco Expressway - General

The Add Cisco Expressway - SNMP window appears.

Figure 4-4 Add Cisco Expressway - SNMP

1. Enter the following SNMP information; then click Next.

Table 4-2 Add Cisco Expressway - SNMP

Note

For more information, see also Configure Expressway SNMP.

The Add Cisco Expressway - API window appears.

Figure 4-5 Add Cisco Expressway - API

1. Enter the following API User information.

Note

The API settings must be the same for all peers in the cluster.

1. Click Next.

Table 4-3 Add Cisco Unity - API

The Add Cisco Expressway - Cluster window appears.

Figure 4-6 Add Cisco Expressway - Cluster

1. Select and configure the peer(s) you want to use.

Note

The values for the SNMP and API tabs for each peer are inherited from the values entered for the Configuration Primary server (peer).

You can also select a peer and:

• Click Edit to make changes to the peer (SNMP settings only). The API settings are not editable; therefore, must be the same for all peers in the cluster.
• Click Remove to delete the peer.

1. Click Finish.

The new cluster appears in the Cisco Expressway Setup - Configurations window.

Figure 4-7 Cisco Expressway Cluster

The VKM collection processes and Nectar monitoring are also initiated. For more information, see View Collections.

Note

If you need to edit an Expressway cluster, see Edit a Cisco Expressway Cluster.

Manually Add a Peer

Follow these steps to manually add a server (peer):

1. Navigate to the Cluster tab of the Add or Edit Cisco Expressway - Cluster window.

Figure 4-8

1. Click Add to manually add an additional server (peer) to the cluster. The Add Peer window appears.

Figure 4-9 Add

1. Enter the Name, IP Address, and SNMP settings for the new peer; then click OK.

Note

Repeat Step 2 and Step 3 for each additional peer to be added to the cluster. Up to six Expressway servers (peers) can be part of a cluster.

You can also select a peer and:

• Click Edit to make changes to the peer (SNMP settings only). The API settings are not editable; therefore, must be the same for all peers in the cluster.
• Click Remove to delete the peer.

1. Click Finish.

The new Expressway cluster is added to the Cisco Expressway Setup - Configurations window.

View Collections

Follow these steps to view a list of collections for a Cisco Expressway cluster:

1. Navigate to Modules > Cisco > Expressway. The Cisco Expressway Setup window appears.
2. Select the new Expressway cluster; then click View Collections.

Figure 4-10 View Collections

The Collections window appears.

Figure 4-11 Collections

1. Notice that the status of the Collection changes from Executing to Success.

When the status of all Collections shows Success, the cluster is onboarded and being monitored.

Note

For more information on collections, see Manage Collections.

Configure Alarms

Alarms occur when an event or configuration change has taken place on the Expressway that requires some manual administrator intervention, such as a restart. Alarms may also be raised for hardware and environmental issues, such as faulty disks and fans or high temperatures.

Expressway servers should be configured to send alarms to our Cisco Expressway VKM using the remote syslog configuration. When received, an event is created.

Event level/severity settings provide a filtering mechanism for the alarms and messages that the system collects. The system forwards only alarms and messages that exceed the configured threshold.

Note

The Cisco Expressway servers should be onboarded successfully before being configured to send alarms to the RIG.

For additional information on configuring Cisco Expressway alarms, see:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/unified-communications/expressway- series/products-installation-and-configuration-guides-list.html

Configure Cisco Expressway Alarms

Follow these steps to enable Cisco Expressway alarms and specify the severity level of the alarms that will be forwarded to the RIG (remote Syslog server).

Note

These settings are configured for each Expressway server (peer) being monitored

1. Navigate to the IP address/FQDN of the Cisco Expressway cluster.
2. Login to the Web Administrative Interface.

Figure 5-1 Administrator Login

1. Navigate to Maintenance > Logging.

Note

The Event and Configuration logs on each peer only report activity for that particular Expressway. The log level and the list of Remote Syslog servers are specific to each peer.

The Logging Configuration window appears.

Figure 5-2 Logging Configuration

1. Scroll to the Remote Syslog Servers section.

Figure 5-3 Remote Syslog Servers

1. Enter the IP address or FQDN of the RIG to which this system will send log messages.
2. Click the Options button for the selected server. The Remote Syslog Servers 1 window appears.

Figure 5-4 Remote Syslog Servers 1

1. Enter the following information:

1. Click Save.

Table 5-1 Parameters

1. Repeat Step 5 through Step 8 for each Expressway server (peer) to be monitored.

6.View Inventory

Follow these steps to view inventory data for a specific Expressway cluster or all clusters.

1. Navigate to Reports > Inventory > Cisco > Expressway.

Figure 6-1 Reports > Inventory > Cisco > Expressway

The Cisco Expressway Inventory window appears.

Figure 6-2 Cisco Expressway Inventory

1. Select an inventory category, such as Clusters.

The Listing pane appears to the right along with information about the Clusters for the Expressway. In this example, there is an Expressway C and Expressway E cluster.

Figure 6-3 Example

1. Notice the Expressway Clusters drop-down.

You can click the drop-down to select a specific Expressway cluster when there are more than one onboarded clusters to filter the list.

Figure 6-4 Example

Manage Expressway Clusters

This section explains several tasks that can be used to manage the Expressway clusters, including:

Edit a Cisco Expressway Cluster

View Agents and Poll Functions

View Dependency Tree

Manage Collections

Edit a Cisco Expressway Cluster

Follow these steps to edit a Expressway cluster, as needed:

1. Navigate to Modules > Cisco > Expressway.

The Cisco Expressway Setup - Configurations window appears.

Figure 7-1 Cisco Expressway Setup - Configurations

1. Select an existing Expressway cluster that you want to edit.
2. Click Edit.

The Edit Cisco Expressway window appears.

Figure 7-2 Edit Cisco Expressway

1. Click one of the following tabs:

General

SNMP

API

Cluster

1. Edit the Expressway cluster, as needed.

Note

The Name of the cluster under the General tab cannot be edited.

1. Click OK.

The updated Expressway cluster is displayed on the Cisco Expressway Setup - Configurations

window.

Remove or Offboard an Expressway Cluster

Follow these steps to remove or offboard an Expressway cluster, as needed:

1. Navigate to Modules > Cisco > Expressway. The Cisco Expressway Setup window appears.

Figure 7-3 Cisco Expressway Setup

1. Select an existing Expressway cluster that you want to remove or offboard.
2. Click Remove.
3. When the following message appears, click Yes.

Figure 7-4 Remove

The Expressway cluster is removed and no longer listed on the Cisco Expressway Setup - Configurations window.

View Agents and Poll Functions

The Cisco Expressway VKM adds an agent and poll functions for each onboarded cluster.

Option 1 - View Agents

Follow these steps to view the new agent and poll functions that were created for each cluster:

1. Navigate to Health > Elements.

1. Click Agents.

A list of agents appears.

Figure 7-5 Elements > Agents

Note

The actual list of agents will depend on the architecture of each individual Cisco Expressway deployment.

1. Click on an Expressway agent to view the poll functions for that agent.

View the following example.

Figure 7-6 Agent > Poll Functions

You can also select a poll function and modify parameters and thresholds.

View Agents - Option 2

Follow these steps to view the new agent and poll functions that were created for each cluster:

1. Navigate to Health > Elements.

The Elements window appears.

Figure 7-7 Health > Elements

1. Click Folders.

A list of folders appear.

Figure 7-8 Elements > Folders

1. Click the Cisco Expressway folder.

The Infrastructure pane appears and contains a folder for each cluster, such as Controller

and Edge.

Figure 7-9 Infrastructure/Cluster Folders

1. Click a cluster folder, such as Controller, to view the agent(s) for that cluster.

Figure 7-10 Infrastructure/Agent

1. Click on an Expressway agent, such as Controller, to view the poll functions for that agent. View the following example.

Figure 7-11 Poll Functions

You can also select a poll function and modify parameters and thresholds.

View Dependency Tree

Follow these steps to view the dependency tree for an agent/cluster:

1. Navigate to Configure > Dependency Trees. The Dependency Trees window appears.

Figure 7-12 Dependency Trees

1. Select a Cisco Expressway dependency tree in the left pane; then click View. The dependency tree appears in the right pane.

Figure 7-13 View Dependency

Manage Collections

Managing collections includes the following tasks:

Enable a Collection

Disable a Collection

Change a Collection Schedule

Execute a Collection

Note

To view a list of collections for a Cisco Expressway cluster, see View Collections.

Enable a Collection

Follow these steps to enable a collection for a particular Expressway cluster:

1. Select a collection you want to enable.
2. Right-click and select Enable.

The Enabled column for the collection changes to Yes.

Disable a Collection

Follow these steps to disable a collection for a particular Expressway cluster:

1. Select a collection you want to disable.
2. Right-click and select Disable.

The Enabled column for the collection changes to No.

Change a Collection Schedule

Follow these steps to change the collection schedule for a particular Expressway cluster:

1. Select a collection you want to change.
2. Right-click and select Change Cron String. The Update Cron String window appears.

Figure 7-14 Update Cron String

1. Enter the new collection schedule using a Cron expression.
2. Click OK.

The updated collection schedule appears in the Cron column.

Execute a Collection

Follow these steps to execute a collection:

1. Select a collection you want to execute.
2. Right-click and select Execute Now.

The collection executes. The Status column changes to Executing; then changes to Success

when completed.