Cloud Computing: Terms and what they mean - Post 1

You can ask me what they mean and we can discuss further.

- PaaS: Platform as a Service
- SaaS: Software as a Service
- IaaS: Infrastructure as a Service
- DCaaS: Data Center as a Service
- Messaging as a Service: Example: Self-service MMX queues and topics
MMX, Messaging Multiplexer will get a message from a queue and output it to one or more queues. Context information is maintained across the message.
How is this relevant in cloud computing?. When VDC is deployed and Saas is implemented, MaaS is needed across VDC's to work.
- Schema as a Service: Example: Self-service Oracle DB schema
Today to create tables (schema) in Oracle DB, we need to approach DB architects. Schema as a Service is again a self service mechanism or can say as automated mechanism to create schema in VDC environment.

Future of Screen Technology

Consolidation of steps - Preparing MOC clients for RCC using CUP

The below configuration details is to configure the MOC clients for RCC using CUP. Versions used MOC clients on Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2, CUP 8.0.X and CUCM 8.0.X

Detailed steps listed below:

Configuring Cisco Unified Communications Manager:
1] Enable Presence globally on CUCM
System>Service Parameter>Cisco Call Manager
Search for "Inter-presence" keyword and set "Allow Subscription"

2] Create SIP trunk security profile in CUCM

Special setting is required for SIP trunk which runs from CCM to Presence.
Copy “non Secure SIP Trunk Profile” to “Presence non-secure SIP trunk Proifle”
Modify below parameters:

1. Device security mode: Non-Secure
2. Incoming Transport type: TCP+UDP
3. Outgoing Transport Type: TCP
4. Incoming Port 5060 (untick Enable digest authentication)
5. Enable application Level Authentication UNTICK
6. Accept Presence Subscription TICK
7. Accept Out-of-Dialogue REFER TICK
8. Accept Unsoliciliated Notification TICK
9. Accept Replace header TICK
10. Transforms security status UNTICK

Save it


3] Add SIP trunk from CUCM to Presence

Device>TRUNK>SIP-trunk>
Protocol = SIP
fill below:

1. Device Name : PRESENCE-TRUNK
2. Description : blah blah
3. Device Pool : DP_HQ
4. Common Dev conf : None
5. call classification : On-Net
6. Media resource Grp : MRG_HQ
7. Location : HQ_LOC
8. AAR GROUP : HQ_AARG (if not using AAR leave empty)
9. Packet Capture mode : None
10. Packet Capture duration: 0
11. MTP required : TICK
12. Retry Video call as audio : TICK
13. SIP information – Desitnation Add: 142.2.64.51

DST is a SRV : UNTICK

1. Destination port : 5060
2. SIP PROFILE : Presence non-secure SIP trunk Proifle

Save above.


4] Make your IP Phone presence capable
Note: Make sure you already added IP phone.

1. Register a phone 2001 name it HQ-Phone1
2. Create end user “test” and associate HQ-Phone1/2001 with the “test” user
3. Make sure test user is a part of “Standard CCM End User” and “standard CTI enable”
4. Make sure Primary extension “2001” is selected when you create the above “test” user

5] Add an Application User for IPPM and MOC CTI ports

This will be used by Presence server to initiate IP Phone services:
Go to > User Management>Application User>

1. User ID : CtiGW
2. pass : blah
3. Presence Grp : Standard
4. Device Information: Add the device you would like to add for presence from the list
5. CTI controlled Device profiles: Add the profile created in step 10  (you can save it without adding the profile and add the profile later)
6. Groups : Standard CCM End User

save it

Note: Make sure to TICK the "Accept presence subscription" field. TICKING ALL doesn't do any harm..:)

B) Go to > SYSTEM>Application Server> Add NEW
add Presence server IP address here I..e 142.2.64.51
save this as well. Damn too many things to save 

6] Create IP Phone Service URL

Note: Make sure "Cisco Extension Mobility Service" is activated under "Network Services" in Cisco Serviceability.

Go to> Device>Device Settings> IP Phone Service

1. Service Name : EM
2. ASCII Service Name : EM
3. Service Description : Extension Mobility (can be anything)
4. Service URL : http://142.2.64.11:8080/emapp/EMAppServlet?device=#DEVICENAME#
5. Service Category : XML Service
6. Service Type : Standard IP Phone Service
7. Blank
8. Blank
9. Enable : TICK

It’s standard Phone URL we create and subscribe in CCM. Nothing new!!
Make sure you copy the correct URL from the DOC CD.
Save above as well.


Subscribe above service to Phone 1/2001
Go to Device>Phone and select phone
From the right side drop down list, select "Subscribe/Unsubscribe services"
Select the profile created above "EM" from the drop down list and subscribe.
Save and reset phone.

7] Create End User and assign to Phone.
Go to User Management>End User> Add new

1. User ID: RCC01
2. Password: blah
3. Confirm Password: blah
4. PIN: blah
5. Confirm PIN: blah
6. Lastname: Pool2 (can be anything, I used the pool of OCS user)
7. Telephone Number: Same as HQ phone 1/2001
8. Controlled Devices: HQ Phone 1/2001
9. CTI controlled device profiles: Assign the profile created in step 10 (This come later, you can save it for now and assign it later.. Don't forget)
10. Presence group: Standard presence group
11. Primary extension: Select 2001
12. Enable Mobility: TICK (Select the HQ Phone in the device)
13. Groups: Standard CCM users, Standard CTI enabled

Save it


8] Enable Presence Licensing for each user

Go to> System>License>Capability Assignment>
Then Find the end user you want to assign the presence license.
Tick the user and hit
a new pop up window with pop-up. Tick both check-boxes in that and save.

1. Enable CUP – TICK
2. Enable CUPC - TICK (My configuration does not include this).

9] Add phone selection plugin in OCS client.
You can find the plugin installation instruction in www.cisco.com (As of today, this information wrt CUCM 8.0 is not posted on www.cisco.com yet)


10] Configure User device profiles for every IP Phone user wants to log into. The Device profile should include the DN associated with that user
Go to Device>Device Settings> Device Profile and add new

1. Product type: your IP phone type
2. protocol: sccp/sip
3. Login User ID: End user created in step 7
4. In the DN, Associate the extension of HQ Phone 1/2001
5. TICK Allow Control of device from CTI (Associate the device and IP phone service created in step 6)

Save it.

Subscribe above service to phone profile created earlier in step 6

From the right side drop down list, select "Subscribe/Unsubscribe services"

Select the profile "EM" created above from the drop down list and subscribe.

Save and reset.

11] Enable Extension Mobility on the phone configuration page on the IP Phone the user will login to.

Go to Device>Phone and Select Phone

TICK "Enable Extension Mobility" and select the Device profile created in step 10.

Save and reset.

Configuring Cisco Unified Presence

1] After installing basic presence, you’ll see presence post install setup screen on your web browser by typing presence Server IP address on your browser and supplying credentials to the login screen.
(hehe, I call it doggie screen, sitting like a dog waiting for your fingers to feed it like dog wait for food )
So you’ll see “Post Install Setup” screen with below options:

1. CUCM Publisher IP address : 142.2.64.11 (default, not changeble)
2. AXL User : Administrator
3. Axl password : blah blah..
4. Confirm password : blah blah
5. Security password : blah blah (whatever you supplied during installation)
6. Then hit the “CONFIRM” (Ignore the warning)

Finally you will get 3 options:

A) Home B) Status C) TOPOLOGY

7. Click on “HOME” you’ll see you are in a new home i.e. preseence main admin page.

2] Upload License and activate all Presence Services.

1. first upload the license if you haven’t done that so far.
2. GO to > Cisco Unified Servicebility>>Tools>Activate services
   Activate all services, it will take 2-3 minutes.

3] Now jump straight on Presence Admin page>>Diagnostic>System Troubleshootor

Pay attention to RED crossed balls and yellow exclamation ! Signs and fix them one by one.

1. Under Presence Engine: Click on FIX under “no commnication presence” this will take you to add presence gateway:

Add NEW> Presence Gateway type : CUCM  description : blah Presence Gateway : 142.2.64.11 ← CCM IP Double check the settings under below menus:

2. SYSTEM> CCM Publisher : Check all parameter under this
3. SYSTEM> Application Listioner>Default class SIP TCP Listioner (make sure its what you have defined in the SIP trunk on CCM – transport method TCP or UDP, both should have the same protocol/port) we are using:
   Protocol = TCP
   PORT = 5060
4. SYSTEM> Security>INCOMING ACL
   Add NEW> description=blah/all address pattern=all. (make sure you have OCS enabled and is specific to each pool and CUCM is automatically enabled).
5. PRESENCE>Settings, verify TICK for "Enable SIP PUBLISH for CUCM"

4] Tune the Presence Engine Service Parameters

SYSTEM>> Service Parameter>Select active CUPS Server> Select Presence Engine

1. Search “Proxy Domain” and set it to : 142.2.64.51 (or domain name)
2. Search “Transport Preferred Order” and set it to : TCP/UDP/TLS

5] Configure IPPM (IP Phone Messenger) on Presence Server

Application>IP Phone> Setting

1. IPPM Application Status : ON
2. Application user Name : CtiGW (created in step 5 of CUCM configuration)
3. Application Password : blah…
4. confirm password : Blah
5. Max Instant message : 25 default
6. Subscription timeout : 3600 default
7. Publish timeout : 3600 default

Hit “SAVE”

6] Select a SIP trunk between presence to CUCM.

Tell presence which SIP trunk should be used for pumping calls to CCM.
Presence>>Setting>

1. CUP CVP Support : UNTICK
2. MAX Contact List Size : 200
3. Enable Instalt messeging : TICK
4. Enable SIP Publish on CUCM TICK
5. CUCM SIP Publish Trunk : <– A MUST

Don’t forget to save after above. Above SIP trunk will be automatically listed above. This we is the one we created on CUCM.


7] Configure Deskphone Control Settings
Goto Application>Desk Phone Control> Settings
The Desk Phone control application provides connectivity between Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) and soft clients that provide Click-to-Dial/Phone control-type services. You can configure the Desk Phone control application to connect up to a maximum of eight CUCM servers.


Now go to Application>Deskphone Control> User Assignment and select all the users and assign Desk phone Control.

Verify UserManagement> End User lists all the users with "Licensed CUP" and "Desk phone Control" rights.

Now time to run the Presence troubleshooter again. This will tell you whats remaining and how to fix it. Once those are done, activate the presence and other services and bingo.. you are ready to rocck!! on hang on, oh no!! Still remaining:

1. MOC integration
2. Creating users and testing presence
3. Voicemail integration with Presence

Note: Some of the information here is taken from Pushkar's UC blog and modified/added more information either missing or changed in CUCM 8.0/Microsoft OCS 2007 R2

Bloom box energy

This is really amazing news.....  Clean and green energy from a small box and at a very low price. I hope this will give a run for energy companies and hope this is not discouraged and killed by big guys....

Already Google, Fedex, Wal-mart, staples, ebay etc invested in it and that's a good sign.....

Read this article and also see the video and interview of K.R. Sridhar.

Some of the coolest mac os x applications

I happen to find these cool applications while surfing on the web. These are free and I think very useful.

1] Skitch (Similar to mspaint of windows...but more advanced)

2] Perian (This adds multiple video formats a Quicktime player can play)

I will add more if any of you like these......:)

Is this really Global Warming?

After the snow storm hit the East Coast, I have seen several articles against Global Warming and of course few of them explaining it as results of Global Warming. In general, how a common person who is not really in to the science behind Global Warming behavior understand this ?. As per many theories for the past few years, we understand that the Antarctic snow melting, water level rising, less rains, more heat etc are the indications of Global warming. Now, scientists say that snow storm is also effect of Global Warming and only a person who can understand the science behind it can understand this.
As far me, am now in a confused state trying to understand science behind this....  :)

Do you think people who supported Global Warming, trying to defend themselves with the new scientific theory ? or Is it that as one of the columnists said, effects of nature can never be understood and what is in store for the near future cannot be predicted.......

What's your take....?

Solution if Airport on mac OS X doesn't remember password (WPA2)

My mac os x keeps prompting for password everytime I restart when connecting to WPA2 enterprise wireless network. It works fine with my WEP home network. Went through many forums and saw different solutions for this problem. I tried out my own approach after collecting information from various forums. The below solution worked on my Snow leopard. Am not sure whether this works on other mac versions.

Steps:
1] Turn Airport OFF
2] Open Network preferences (can be opened from Airport icon - Open network perferences on menu bar or System Preferences - Network)
3] Select Airport and click on Advanced
4] Delete your network from Airport remembered networks list.
5] Go to 802.1X and delete the USER PROFILE associated with the wireless network you are troubleshooting (Make sure you know all the values to enter at a later time. Its good idea to take a screenshot before deleting).
6] Open Keychain Access from Utilities
7] Select login from Keychains and All items from Category
8] Delete the keychain associated with your wireless network (If multiple entries for the same SSID exist, delete them all).
9] close all applications and restart (Not sure if restart is mandatory, but it worked for me).
10] Turn Airport ON
11] Select Join other network (even if your network is in the list).
12] Enter the network name and security type and then enter remaining details (same as in the 802.1x configuration page).

Now you should be able to connect to network and restarting should not prompt for password.

Best of luck