Cisco Cisco TelePresence Video Communication Server Expressway

Replace a Peer

This section summarizes the procedure for replacing a cluster peer VCS with a different unit.

Ensure that the VCS to be replaced is not the primary VCS.

If it is the primary VCS, follow the steps in

to make a different peer the primary.

Remove the existing peer from the cluster:

If the cluster peer to be replaced is not accessible, use the procedure defined in

If the cluster peer to be replaced is accessible, use the procedure defined in

Add the replacement peer to the cluster using the procedure defined in

Replace a Peer And Keep Its Configuration

This procedure assumes that you are replacing an accessible VCS peer with a different VCS.

Ensure that the VCS to be replaced is not the primary VCS.

If it is the primary VCS, follow the steps in

to make a different peer the primary

Remove the peer safely, as described in

You must clear the clustering configuration from the peer, and update the clustering configuration on all the
other peers (primary first),

before you take the backup

Backup the configuration of the removed peer

Generate and apply option keys for the new VCS. You must apply the same set of keys that are applied to the
other peers

Restore the backup onto the new VCS

Check the DNS configuration of the new VCS is the same as the other peers, and synchronize it with the same
NTP servers

Add the replacement peer to the cluster using the procedure defined in

You already have much of the configuration described in the linked procedure. The most important steps
described there are summarized here:

Add the new peer's address to the clustering configuration on the primary

Add the new peer's address to the clustering configuration on other existing peers

Enter the clustering configuration on the new peer (cluster name, shared secret, ordered peer list)

Restart the new peer

Wait for approximately five minutes, then check the cluster status and resolve any alarms

Note:

If you replaced a peer in a cluster of VCS Controls, and that cluster was configured for SSO of MRA clients, then

SSO will fail some of the time until you update the IDP with the cluster's new SAML metadata.

This is because one of the peers has a new serial number, and the serial numbers of the peers are used to generate the
cluster's metadata.

You must export the cluster's SAML metadata and copy it to the IDP. See

Mobile and Remote Access via Cisco VCS, at

Cisco TelePresence VCS Cluster Creation and Maintenance Deployment Guide