Cisco Cisco Expressway Maintenance Manual
Expressway Types
Each Expressway can be configured as one of two types, which offer different capabilities.
Expressway-C
Expressway-C delivers any-to-any enterprise wide conference and session management and interworking
capabilities. It extends the reach of telepresence conferences by enabling interworking between Session Initiation
Protocol (SIP)- and H.323-compliant endpoints, interworking with third-party endpoints; it integrates with Unified CM
and supports third-party IP private branch exchange (IP PBX) solutions. Expressway-C implements the tools required
for creative session management, including definition of aspects such as routing, dial plans, and bandwidth usage,
while allowing organizations to define call-management applications, customized to their requirements.
capabilities. It extends the reach of telepresence conferences by enabling interworking between Session Initiation
Protocol (SIP)- and H.323-compliant endpoints, interworking with third-party endpoints; it integrates with Unified CM
and supports third-party IP private branch exchange (IP PBX) solutions. Expressway-C implements the tools required
for creative session management, including definition of aspects such as routing, dial plans, and bandwidth usage,
while allowing organizations to define call-management applications, customized to their requirements.
Expressway-E
The Expressway-E deployed with the Expressway-C enables smooth video communications easily and securely
outside the enterprise. It enables business-to-business video collaboration, improves the productivity of remote and
home-based workers, and enables service providers to provide video communications to customers. The application
performs securely through standards-based and secure firewall traversal for all SIP and H.323 devices. As a result,
organizations benefit from increased employee productivity and enhanced communication with partners and
customers.
outside the enterprise. It enables business-to-business video collaboration, improves the productivity of remote and
home-based workers, and enables service providers to provide video communications to customers. The application
performs securely through standards-based and secure firewall traversal for all SIP and H.323 devices. As a result,
organizations benefit from increased employee productivity and enhanced communication with partners and
customers.
It uses an intelligent framework that allows endpoints behind firewalls to discover paths through which they can pass
media, verify peer-to-peer connectivity through each of these paths, and then select the optimum media connection
path, eliminating the need to reconfigure enterprise firewalls.
media, verify peer-to-peer connectivity through each of these paths, and then select the optimum media connection
path, eliminating the need to reconfigure enterprise firewalls.
The Expressway-E is built for high reliability and scalability, supporting multivendor firewalls, and it can traverse any
number of firewalls regardless of SIP or H.323 protocol.
number of firewalls regardless of SIP or H.323 protocol.
Cisco Expressway Base
In version X8.7, the system is called "Cisco Expressway Base" if you register it for Hybrid Services but do not apply a
release key. The release key is not required for a system that is being used for Hybrid Services.
release key. The release key is not required for a system that is being used for Hybrid Services.
In X8.8, this behavior changed with the introduction of the Service Setup Wizard. You still do not need to apply a
release key, but you must select Expressway-C when you run the service setup wizard.
release key, but you must select Expressway-C when you run the service setup wizard.
About the Service Setup Wizard
The Expressway can be used in different ways, some of which do not work together. Version X8.8 improves the user
experience of configuring the Expressway for its chosen purpose in your environment.
experience of configuring the Expressway for its chosen purpose in your environment.
When you first launch the user interface, you see a Service Setup Wizard instead of going straight into the menu. You
can select the system series (VCS or Expressway) and type (VCS Expressway/VCS Control or Expressway-
E/Expressway-C). These choices affect the list of services available.
can select the system series (VCS or Expressway) and type (VCS Expressway/VCS Control or Expressway-
E/Expressway-C). These choices affect the list of services available.
Then you select from a number of popular Expressway services:
■
Cisco Spark Hybrid Services
■
Mobile and Remote Access
■
Jabber Guest Services
■
Microsoft Interoperability
■
Registrar/ Proxy registrations (previously only possible on VCS, now also possible on Expressway)
■
Collaboration Meeting Rooms (CMR) Cloud
■
Business to Business Calling
When you have selected from the list, the wizard helps you to apply appropriate licenses for your selection, verify
your basic configuration (network settings should have been configured previously), and then restart the system.
your basic configuration (network settings should have been configured previously), and then restart the system.
10
Cisco Expressway Administrator Guide
Introduction