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

Thu Apr 13 12:06:37 EDT 2006

IPCC 4.5 is for CM 5.0.  Its probably in New Product Hold right now, but
the documentation is available.

-Dylan Vanderhoof
Semaphore Corporation

	-----Original Message-----
	From: Voll, Scott [mailto:Scott.Voll at wesd.org] 
	Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 8:55 AM
	To: Lelio Fulgenzi; netfortius at gmail.com;
cisco-voip at puck.nether.net
	Subject: Re: [cisco-voip] Torn apart by choices - old or
newsolutions?Simplyspeaking: CM5.0 or CM4.x

	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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