Configuring CUCM 8.6 to Register Cisco Telepresence EX90 Endpoints

Good morning!

Currently, Cisco's high-quality video and video communications solutions, the so-called Cisco Telepresence technology, are becoming more widespread. When you hear the word Telepresence, you usually immediately associate with Telepresence rooms, specially equipped for videoconferencing and designed for teamwork. However, there are also personal products in the Cisco Telepresence family of solutions that provide easy integration of video communication functions at employee workplaces, provide access to phone books, and allow video meetings with colleagues, customers or suppliers. One of these personal products is the Cisco Telepresence EX series terminals - EX60 and EX90, and today I want to share how to configure the CUCM to register these terminals.

So let's get started :) EX90 terminals can work together with CUCM via SIP protocol. In CUCM version 8.6, the EX90 has a special terminal type, the Cisco Telepresence EX90. It must be selected when configuring the data block of the terminal itself. However, as practice has shown, only EX90 terminals with software version TC5 are registered on CUCM 8.6 as true EX90 without any problems. If there is a terminal with an earlier version of TC4 software, then you need to upgrade to TC5. If the upgrade is not possible for some reason, then you can register the EX90 with TC4 firmware as a third-party SIP terminal (the so-called SIP third-party).

According to the vendor's recommendations, the procedure for configuring CUCM to register the EX90 is as follows.

1. Create a new SIP profile with specific parameters for EX series Telepresence terminals, in which the following parameters are set:

- "Redirect by Application" is enabled;

- "SDP Session-level Bandwidth Modifier for Early Offer and Re-invites" set to TIAS and AS;

- Enable "Use Fully Qualified Domain Name in SIP Requests";

- Enable "Allow Presentation Sharing using BFCP".

2. In the Region settings that the EX90 terminals are going to use, you need to expand the Bandwidth to 4000 kb/s.

3. On the server where the EX90 terminals will be registered, the following services must be activated:

- Cisco Call Manager;

- Cisco IP Voice Media Streaming Application;

- Cisco TFTP;

- Cisco User Data Services (this service will be used by EX90 terminals to get the phone book)

Services are activated in the Cisco Unified Serviceability interface.

4. For EX90 with software version TC5, you have to configure the phone similarly to any other Cisco IP Phones . Actually, the settings for the EX90 video terminal are no much different from the settings of a regular phone:

- set terminal type (EX90) and signaling protocol (SIP);

- set MAC address, Device Pool, Phone Button Template;

- Device Security Profile and SIP Profile are selected (a new SIP profile specially created for EX terminals has to be selected);

- a Directory number is configured.

5. EX90 terminals with TC4 firmware must be configured as SIP third party devices. The main particularity of the setting is that for third-party SIP devices, the MAC address is not used (the MAC must be entered as an arbitrary one). Instead, for registration and authentication according to the SIP Digest Authentication procedure, the following are used: - phone number; - CUCM username (End User), which is configured for this device as a parameter "Digest User";

- password (optional, not required, although highly recommended for security reasons). Thus, in the configuration of a third-party SIP device, set the following parameters: - arbitrary MAC address; - Device Pool, Phone Button Template; - Device Security Profile, SIP Profile (just like for EX90 TC5, a new profile is selected, specially created for EX terminals, see item 1); - Digest User. is that for third-party SIP devices, the MAC address is not used (it must be entered as an arbitrary one). Instead, for registration and authentication according to the SIP Digest Authentication procedure, the following are used: - phone number; - username CUCM (End User), which is registered for this device as a parameter "Digest User"; - password (optional, not required, although highly recommended for security reasons). Thus, in the data block of a third-party SIP device, set the following parameters: - arbitrary MAC address; - Device Pool, Phone Button Template; - Device Security Profile, SIP Profile (just like for EX90 TC5, a new profile is selected, specially created for EX terminals); - Digest User.

Here, in fact, is the whole trick. :) Now you can register terminals and try video calls.

The Cisco document describing the integration of EX90 TC5 terminals and CUCM 8.6 is located here.