Cisco Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Audio Server Installation Guide

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1-4  Introduction 
Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server Installation Planning Guide
February 27, 2004
What’s new in this release
MeetingPlace Audio Server 5.2 includes the following new features.
Feature
Description
Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) enhancements
VoIP scalability
MeetingPlace 8112 systems can now scale to a maximum of 960 IP 
ports. MeetingPlace 8106 systems can scale to a maximum of 480 IP 
ports.  All current MeetingPlace features, including in-session features, 
are identical. (For more information, see 
)
SIP protocol support
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is an IP telephony protocol developed 
by the IETF. It is modular in nature and provides extensions for 
presence and mobility applications. In this release, MeetingPlace 
supports SIP, in addition to H.323 for IP call control. MeetingPlace can 
handle H.323 and SIP calls simultaneously, adding flexibility to 
environments that have multiple IP call controls.
G.729a compression codec 
support
MeetingPlace IP currently supports G.711 codecs, which takes up 64 
Kbps of bandwidth per call and has the best voice quality of all 
available codecs. When deploying Voice Over IP, customers may 
decide to use the G.729a compression codec for connections where 
bandwidth is scarce. For this reason, MeetingPlace IP supports G.729a 
compression codec for conferencing in this release. However, for 
optimal voice quality, G.711 is recommended. 
N
OTE
By default, MeetingPlace is configured to G.711 only. To 
configure MeetingPlace to accept G.729a, see the Cisco MeetingPlace 
Audio Server 5.2 Customer Engineer Guide
, or contact your Cisco
 
customer support representative.
Hold and transfer feature
MeetingPlace IP Gateway allows VoIP users to put a line on hold, 
including a line to a MeetingPlace conference, from their handset to 
answer, transfer, or outdial another call on a multi-line phone. In the 
same way, users can perform simple phone transfers via the handset 
during meetings.
Multiple IP Gateways
In large IP deployments, multiple MeetingPlace IP Gateways can be 
deployed against a single 8100 series system to provide load balancing 
and system redundancy. Calls can be routed round-robin to the IP 
gateways. If one IP gateway fails, calls that are in session will fail; 
however, new callers will be routed to the alternative IP gateway to 
connect with the audio server.
Registration, Admission, and 
Status (RAS) support
RAS is part of the H.323 protocol that refers to the management of IP 
devices through registration with a gatekeeper. Typically, this is not 
required for Cisco Call Manager or Avaya Communication Manager IP 
deployments, but may be needed for integrated IP video deployments. 
MeetingPlace IP can now support registration requirements on an IP 
network. (For configuration details, see the MeetingPlace IP Gateway 
5.2 System Manager’s Guide
.)