IIUC Notes - VoIP Structures

Feel free to correct.  No need to sugar-coat it; I’m pretty new at this stuff.  🙂

• Advantages of VoIP
  • Reduces costs of communications:  Eliminates/reduces long distance and international call tolls
  • Reduces costs of cabling:  No need for second network of phone lines
  • Integrates all voice into one large network:  All your remote offices can be implemented/maintained/controlled centrally
  • Provides mobility:  Moves, adds, and changes (MACs) are (nearly) eliminated since your phone is just a network node
  • Allows use of IP Softphones
  • Unifies emails, voice mails, and faxes:  All these can be treated as a single box for user messages
  • Increases productivity:  Ringing multiple devices at the same time eliminates phone tag.   <— pushing it, eh?
  • Enhances communications:  Applications can be launched/updated from a voice call through application servers
  • Provides open, compatible standards:  You can connect different vendor devices into the same VoIP network.   <— I’ve never seen that happen

• Cisco VoIP Structure
  • Infrastructure:  Switches, routers, firewalls, etc.
    • QoS!
  • Call processing:  Call signaling, routing, etc.
  • Applications:  Additional functionality like IM support and unified messaging
  • Endpoints:  Phones

• Cisco Call Processing
  • Unified Communications 500 (UC500): Standalone device with switch, router, firewall, voice processing, voice mail all built in
  • Communications Manager Express (CME):  Voice capabilities contained in ISR router
  • Communications Manager Business Edition:  Server solution with most voice capabilities integrated
  • Communications Manager (CM): Full server-cluster solution to support many thousands of phones

• Cisco Applications
  • Interactive Voice Response (IVR):  Those troublesome menus where you say your account number but it never understands you
  • Auto attendant:  Interactive interface where users direct themselves to the correct person/group/team/department by using touch tones.
  • Cisco Unified Contact Center:  Provides IVR, auto attendant, automatic call distribution (ACD), computer telephony integration (CTI), chat/web/email integration
  • Cisco Unity Express:  Linux-based appliance in a router for limited voice mail, IVR, and auto attendant
  • Cisco Unity Connection:  Server-based solution for more robust VM, IVR, and auto attendant
  • Cisco Unity:  Fully-integrated solution running on server clusters

• Phones
  • Entry-level
    • 3911
      • Inline power
      • Fixed buttons
      • Half-duplex speakerphone
    • 7906G/7911G
      • Inline power
      • Onscreen soft keys
      • Basic XML support
      • 7911G has built-in switch
    • 7931G
      • Inline power
      • Onscreen soft keys
      • Basic XML support
      • Built-in switch
  • Business-class
    • 7940G
      • Built-in switch
      • Inline power
      • Broader XML support
      • Onscreen soft keys
      • Full-duplex speaker
      • Headset support
    • 7941G = 7940G + better display with backlight
    • 7941G-GE = 7941G + 10/100/1000 switch
    • 7942G = 7941G + high-fidelity audio and Internet Low Bitrate Codec (ILBC)]
    • 7945G = 7941G-GE + 16-bit color display
    • 794X phones support 2 lines; the same 796X phones support 6 lines.
  • Touchscreen phones
    • 7970G:  7940G + touchscreen
    • 7971G-GE: 7941G-GE + touchscreen
    • 7975G: 7945G + touchscreen + 5″ display
  • Specialty phones
    • 7985G:  Video phone
    • 7921G:  Wireless VoIP phone
    • 7937G:  Conference station
    • ATA 186/188:  Converts analog phones to VoIP
    • Cisco IP Communicator:  Softphone
    • VT Advantage:  Integrates webcam and computer with phone
    • 7914/7915/7916:  Expansion modules for 796X and 797X phones