Collaboration

Locations & Regions

Simon Birtles

Region settings specify the maximum allowed bandwidth per call per type (Voice, Video & Immersive) between regions.

Location settings specify the maximum total aggregate bandwidth of calls allowed between regions for each call type (Audio, Video & Immersive)

Amount of Bandwidth Requested by the Static Locations Algorithm

Call Speed / Static Location Bandwidth Value
G.711 audio call (64 kbps) / 80 kbps
G.729 audio call (8 kbps) / 24 kbps
128-kbps video call / 128 kbps
384-kbps video call / 384 kbps
512-kbps video call / 512 kbps
768-kbps video call / 768 kbps

e.g.
G.729 call with voice payload size of 20 bytes (20 ms);
(40 bytes of IP/UDP/RTP headers + 20 bytes voice payload) * 8 bits per byte * 50 pps = 24 Kbps

Device Location Selection

For device configuration, selecting “Hub_None” is really stating “Use Device Pool” location setting if a device pool is configured otherwise use actually use “Hub_None”. The device pool may have either “Hub_None” or a custom location configured. Selecting any other location in the device Location field will use that location and ignore the device pool configuration regardless of the device pool location setting.

Media Resources

Media resources have location settings, some only have device pool, so the location will be used from the device pool location setting.

CUCM Service

The CUCM Service “Location Bandwidth Manager” must be activated for the Location bandwidth configuration to take effect otherwise the Location settings have no effect. LBM group configuration is required. The Enhanced Location Based CAC is an uplift of the previous LCAC.

CUCM Service Parameters

Call Manager Service Deduct Audio Bandwidth Portion from Audio Pool for a Video Call

This parameter applies to Location based Call Admission Control. When this parameter is set to true, audio bandwidth portion for a video call (between desktop video and immersive video endpoints) will be deducted from audio bandwidth pool configured on locations and links. When this parameter is set to true, audio bandwidth deducted includes audio bandwidth as per bitrate corresponding to negotiated codec plus the IP and UDP overhead. When this parameter is set to false, audio portion of bandwidth for video call will be deducted from video pool only. There will not be any additional deduction for audio bandwidth overhead. Default: False
For example:
  • If this service parameter is true and audio codec negotiated is G.711 and video bitrate is 320 kbps , then 80kbps (64kbps bit rate corresponding to G.711 + 16kbps IP/UDP headers) will be deducted from audio pool and 320 kbps ( video bitrate ) will be deducted from video pool.
  • When this parameter is false, 384 kbps (64 kbps audio bitrate + 320 kbps video bitrate) will be deducted from video pool only.

CUCM Configuration

As well as the LBM configuration, for each CUCM Admin – “SystemUnified CM Configuration” there is a LBM selection option to select the applicable LBM group.

 

Monitoring Locations Available Bandwidth

RTMT >> System >> Performance >> Select the server >> Cisco Locations >> Choose the locations  >> Bandwidth Available

RTMT >> Real Time Trace

  1. For call setup failures due to Locations (LBM); search for
    1. LBMRegisterRes
    2. LBM_FAIL
    3. LBMIF
    4. LBMIF: RSV XML
    5. FailureRC

References

Simon Birtles

I have been in the IT sector for over 20 years with a primary focus on solutions around networking architecture & design in Data Center and WAN. I have held two CCIEs (#20221) for over 12 years with many retired certifications with Cisco and Microsoft. I have worked in demanding and critical sectors such as finance, insurance, health care and government providing solutions for architecture, design and problem analysis. I have been coding for as long as I can remember in C/C++ and Python (for most things nowadays). Locations that I work without additional paperwork (incl. post Brexit) are the UK and the EU including Germany, Netherlands, Spain and Belgium.