[cisco-voip] Torn apart by choices - old or new solutions?Simplyspeaking: CM5.0 or CM4.x

Thu Apr 13 11:54:31 EDT 2006

I will echo Lelio.

Go with CM 4.2.  I don't know if CM 5.0 even has a IPCCx version yet.
4.x is very stable and works very well.  I tend to be a little too
bleeding edge and I would not start with 5.0 unless you have to.  I
really like the upgrade/patch process of 5.0 but I don't think it's
worth the TAC calls just for that or SIP.  

IMHO go with 4.x and upgrade in a year or so to 5.x after they have had
enough time to test it out in the real world.

Scott

________________________________

From: cisco-voip-bounces at puck.nether.net
[mailto:cisco-voip-bounces at puck.nether.net] On Behalf Of Lelio Fulgenzi
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 8:38 AM
To: netfortius at gmail.com; cisco-voip at puck.nether.net
Subject: Re: [cisco-voip] Torn apart by choices - old or new
solutions?Simplyspeaking: CM5.0 or CM4.x

Personally speaking, I'd go with 4.2. 4.x is a more mature product than
5.0 and I'd never install a "dot oh" of anything. 4.2 has a very large
feature set (more than 5.0) so you have to weigh what you would be
losing if you don't go with 5.0. SIP is a big one for sure. Appliance
model is another. There may be others. The biggest thing you want to
look out for when migrating is not so much new features but existing
feature replacement and of course stability. I think you would get that
with 4.2, not sure about 5.0. Look at upgrading in two years to 5.1 or
5.2 when you're not the guinea pig.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
Lelio Fulgenzi, B.A.
Network Analyst (CCS) * University of Guelph * Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1
(519) 824-4120 x56354 (519) 767-1060 FAX (JNHN)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
Sanity First : Number of days with fewer than
50 messages in my inbox at the end of the day:   buffer overrun

	----- Original Message ----- 

	From: Netfortius <mailto:netfortius at gmail.com>  

	To: cisco-voip at puck.nether.net 

	Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 11:33 AM

	Subject: [cisco-voip] Torn apart by choices - old or new
solutions? Simplyspeaking: CM5.0 or CM4.x

	You may have already gotten used to my last string of questions
here, which - 
	I am not hiding it - are part of my attempt to gain info from
the more 
	experienced people, on this subject, regarding a project I am
working on for 
	deployment of multi-site IPT & VoIP. I have gone into some
details, for some 
	questions I had, but now - reading tons of material every day, I
have become 
	very worried about the full blown solution chosen, vs. what is
being promised 
	just "around the corner". Here is where I would appreciate any
comments, of 
	any nature, thoughts, experience, "what-if" - anything you can
share about 
	this subject:

	Scenario: multi-site deployment of Cisco CM, with the following
objectives in 
	mind:

	1. Replacement of existing old telephony solution, Nortel-based,
consisting of 
	PBX in each location, with Cisco-based IP-based communication
systems (and 
	not only one-to-one replacement of phones, but also steps toward
unified 
	communications)

	2. Installation of Cisco solution consisting of:
	a. CM 4.x (advised by Cisco) at the HQ + Unity integrated with
Exchange 2003 
	and a handful of IP phones (major testers of the technology) and
integration 
	with existing Nortel PBX at the HQ (PHASE 1)
	b. IP phones in the remote location (complete replacement of
everything old, 
	including PBX) + SRST + standalone (storage-wise) Unity (PHASE
1)
	c. Unified messaging at the HQ, in the "pilot" group, to the
best of the 
	abilities and availability of products around CM 4.x (e.g. PA,
among others, 
	as an example of what I am getting at) (PHASE 1)
	d. Experience from c> ==> full implementation of unified
messaging at the 
	first remote ("upgrade" of the standalone Unity into an
Exchange-tied one - 
	is this even possible?!?) (PHASE 2)
	e. remote site used as template fro all other sites (PHASE 2)
	f. full upgrade at the HQ (PHASE 2), with the exception of Call
Center
	g. Cisco IPCC replacement of the existing Nortel Call Center,
after the 
	entire VoIP and IPT has proven reliable to sustain a Customer
Service (PHASE 
	3)

	3. The unified communications (including messaging) will
eventually adddress 
	various business needs, primarily focused on mobility and
real-time 
	communications and sharing

	Having said all of the above, here are the issues I am
struggling with:

	- I have (and nobody in my network geeks group) no real
experience with Cisco 
	VoIP/IPT;
	- the suggested solution, from Cisco, revolves around a CM 4.2
and, gradually, 
	as explained above, updates to the point of full unified
messaging - still 
	4.2-based
	- I am getting conflicting messages from our Cisco group - they
advise us to 
	do the install with CM 4.2 (which would end up as a cluster of
multiple 
	servers, at the HQ), not CM 5.0, but:
	- I am reading and reading, and it appears to me that some
features associated 
	with CM 4.2 are dying (e.g. PA), while CM 5.0 seems to open the
door for much 
	more, but not everything backward compatible with 4.x
	- tons of features are being advertised as related to CM 5.0,
only, but are 
	not ready yet, and are to be released this year (majority in
second quarter)

	Bottom line - I am struggling with one major question (with no
easy answer - 
	thus appreciating any comments this list may have): should I
move ahead as 
	started, with the one site + pilot HQ, on CM 4.2 (PHASE 1), then
go over all 
	phases, then analyze what would need to be upgraded to a 5.0
environment, if 
	certain additional features would become available and needed,
and not 
	backward compatible
	OR
	should I just put a stop to the CM 4.x analysis and planning,
and redo 
	everything (with the delay caused by various products
availability) around CM 
	5.0?

	As I said - any $0.02-$64K comments will be really appreciated.
I will try to 
	consolidate this type of info, in something useful, if enough
data warrants 
	it.

	Thanks,
	Stefan
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