C H A P T E R
7
High Latency and Low Bandwidth
Interconnection
Cisco IPICS provides support for environments that include high latency and low or variable bandwidth
links, such as satellite links. In these types of environments, connectivity may become unstable because
of the geographical location of the user, weather elements, and other interferences. In this release, Cisco
IPICS compensates for these dynamically variable bandwidth scenarios and enhances its support for
mobile operations.
Cisco IPICS supports the following deployment scenarios:
•
Central site server solution—Supports a Cisco IPICS server that is installed at a central site and a
distributed router media service (RMS) and end-user client components that are installed at a remote
site.
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•
Remote locations solution—Supports deployment of the Cisco IPICS server, RMS, and end-user
clients at two remote sites that are connected by M1:U12:M2 tunnels.
Remote PMC solution—Supports a Cisco IPICS server and a distributed RMS at a central site and
end-user PMC clients at a remote site.
Note
Note: With this deployment scenario, remote PMC clients must be configured to use the
“Optimize for low bandwidth” setting in the PMC Settings > Channels menu. For information
about how to configure the PMC for use in this deployment scenario, refer to the “Configuring
the PMC Application” chapter in Cisco IPICS PMC Installation and User Guide, Release 2.0(1).
The M1:U12:M2 tunneling technology enables these deployment scenarios. For more information about
This chapter includes these topics:
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•
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Supported Deployment Solutions
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The RMS and the Cisco IPICS server automatic synchronization mechanism must be disabled in this
scenario. Therefore, you must manually synchronize these components. For more information about
the manual configurations that you must perform, see the “Disabling the RMS Comparator” section
•
•
To conserve bandwidth, you must disable the PMC upload log frequency. For more information, see
Although the M1:U12:M2 connection trunk consumes dedicated bandwidth between the central site
and the remote site, it does provide for bandwidth optimization by allowing transcoding to the G.729
codec.
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•
This deployment solution does not support the use of IP phone XML services at the remote
locations. IP phone XML services are available only at the central site.
There is no support for direct PMC access to the remote locations. The PMC clients can be at the
remote site or the central site but they cannot remotely connect across sites.
Remote Locations Solution
In the remote locations solution, a Cisco IPICS server, RMS, PMC, and other end-user clients are located
at two remote sites. High latency, low bandwidth links that connect these remote sites enable
communications flow.
This deployment enables communications by the use of fixed M1:U12:M2 tunnels that are configured
between the channels that are hosted on each RMS at each remote site, such that each channel is mirrored
on the other sites.
The M1:U12:M2 connection trunk also provides the capability for IP phone XML services and PMC
clients to communicate between sites.
additional configurations that apply to this deployment.
Caveats
Be aware of the following caveats when you use the remote locations deployment solution:
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The M1:U12:M2 connection trunks consume dedicated bandwidth between the remote sites,
however bandwidth optimization is enabled by allowing transcoding to the G.729 codec.
•
If you use several Cisco IPICS servers that each control their own RMS, care must be taken not to
duplicate VTGs when defining channels. Because each channel is mirrored on the other remote site,
audio loops can occur between the sites when you use the same VTGs at each site.
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This deployment provides support for IP hone XML services at either the central site or the remote
sites. The IP phone XML services must be local to the site where they are deployed.
There is no support for direct PMC access to the remote locations. The PMC clients can be at the
remote site(s) or the central site, but they cannot remotely connect across the sites (they must be
local to the site where they are deployed).
M1:U12:M2 Configuration Examples
The following tables provide configuration examples for the multicast portion of the M1:U12:M2
connection trunks.
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Requirements and Support Information
For detailed examples that show how to configure the unicast portion of the M1:U12:M2 connection
trunk, see Chapter 6, “Cisco IPICS Deployment Models.”
The two multicast addresses that are being tunneled in the following configuration examples are
239.192.21.3:21000 and 239.192.21.5:21000.
Table 7-1 illustrates the manual commands that are required to configure the voice port and dial peer
entries in RMS location #1 to enable the M1 portion of the M1:U12:M2 connection trunk.
Table 7-1
RMS Location #1 Configuration
RMS Location #1 Multicast Dial Peer M1
Configuration
RMS Location #1 Voice Port Configuration
voice-port 0/0:1
auto-cut-through
lmr m-lead audio-gate-in
lmr e-lead voice
dial-peer voice 3 voip
destination-pattern 2001
session protocol multicast
session target
no echo-cancel enable
playout-delay mode adaptive
playout-delay maximum 250
playout-delay minimum high
playout-delay nominal 100
no comfort-noise
ipv4:239.192.21.3:21000
(RMS M1)
codec g711ulaw vad aggressive
timeouts call-disconnect 3
timing hookflash-in 0
timing hangover 40
connection trunk 2001
Table 7-2 illustrates the manual commands that are required to configure the voice port and dial peer
entries in RMS location #2 to enable the M2 portion of the M1:U12:M2 connection trunk.
Table 7-2
RMS Location #2 Configuration
RMS Location #2 Multicast Dial Peer M1
Configuration
RMS Location #2 Voice Port Configuration
voice-port 0/0:2
auto-cut-through
lmr m-lead audio-gate-in
lmr e-lead voice
dial-peer voice 3 voip
destination-pattern 1001
session protocol multicast
session target
no echo-cancel enable
playout-delay mode adaptive
playout-delay maximum 250
playout-delay minimum high
playout-delay nominal 100
no comfort-noise
ipv4:239.192.21.5:21000
(RMS M2)
codec g711ulaw vad aggressive
timeouts call-disconnect 3
timing hookflash-in 0
timing hangover 40
connection trunk 1001
Requirements and Support Information
Cisco IPICS provides the following levels of support:
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Delay—Provides support for up to three seconds end-to-end latency.
Packet Loss—Supports up to 10% packet loss over the network.
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Performing Additional Configurations on the Cisco IPICS Server
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Jitter buffer—Enables support for up to 250 ms of maximum jitter on the network (to support burst
latency).
Link outages—Provides support for temporary link outages so that if the connection from the PMC
is interrupted, the connection automatically continues when it becomes available again. (The PMC
user is not informed of the outage.)
•
Bandwidth—Supports 64 kbps bandwidth per channel configured over an M1:U12:M2 connection
trunk.
Caveat
The first time that the PMC logs in to the server, an error message displays to inform the user that the
channels are being disabled. This error occurs because of the time delay to connect. To recover from this
error, click OK. After the server completes its tasks, the channels will display on the PMC (this timing
will vary based on latency).
Performing Additional Configurations on the Cisco IPICS Server
The following additional configurations are required when you use the central site server or the remote
locations deployment solution:
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Updating the RMS Configuration
When you use the central site or the remote locations deployment solution, you must update every RMS
that is configured with Cisco IPICS and that is used over a high latency, low bandwidth connection. This
configuration update modifies the maximum TCP outgoing queue on a per-connection basis.
To modify the maximum TCP outgoing queue, perform the following procedure on each RMS:
Procedure
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Enter global configuration mode by entering the following command:
Router# configure terminal
To set the maximum TCP outgoing queue to 100000 packets, enter the following command:
Router(config)# ip tcp queuemax 100000
To save your configuration, enter the following command:
Router(config)# write mem
To exit the router configuration mode, enter the following command:
Router# exit
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Performing Additional Configurations on the Cisco IPICS Server
Adjusting ARP Commands
If you use the central site server solution and you do not have a local router installed at the central site,
you may need to increase the ARP timer in the server. This adjustment helps to prevent timeouts and to
ensure reachability between the server and the RMS when these components are connected via Ethernet
and separated by a high latency link.
If you encounter issues with ARP timeouts and ping response times, contact the Cisco Technical
Assistance Center.
Disabling the RMS Comparator
The RMS comparator is the mechanism that checks the responsiveness of the RMS and checks whether
there have been changes made to the configuration. If there have been changes to the RMS configuration
and these changes are not reflected in the Cisco IPICS server, the RMS comparator automatically
updates the configuration so that the two components are synchronized.
Because this synchronization mechanism can interject delay, the RMS comparator needs to be manually
disabled. To disable the RMS comparator, perform the following procedure.
Note
This change is a global change and affects all RMS components that are configured in the server.
Procedure
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Log in to Cisco IPICS the server as a system administrator.
From the Administration Console, choose Administration > Options.
From the General tab, check the Disable RMS Comparator check box that is located in the RMS pane.
This change disables the RMS comparator so that it does not run.
Click Save to save your change.
Step 4
Step 5
In the RMS pane, verify that the Disable RMS Comparator check box is checked and that the RMS
Polling Frequency field is dimmed.
Merging the Configuration
After you have disabled the RMS comparator, you must merge the configuration to make sure that the
router is synchronized with the server.
Note
As a best practice, make sure that you merge the RMS configuration whenever manual changes have
been made to the RMS. This process ensures that the components are synchronized. Perform this
procedure before you perform any configuration changes, such as activating a VTG.
To merge the configuration, perform the following procedure:
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Procedure
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
From the Cisco IPICS Administration Console, choose Configuration > RMS.
Check the check box that corresponds to the RMS that you need to manage.
From the Configuration drop-down list, choose Merge to merge the RMS configuration.
Wait while this process completes. Cisco IPICS displays the changes in the Edit Router Details area.
Disabling the PMC Upload Activity Log Frequency
To conserve bandwidth, you must disable the PMC upload log frequency. To disable the PMC upload log
frequency, perform the following procedure.
Note
Be aware that this change is a global change and affects all PMC clients that connect to the server.
Procedure
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Log in to the Cisco IPICS server as a system administrator.
From the Cisco IPICS Administration Console, choose Administration > Options.
Click the PMC tab to access the PMC configuration options.
In the Configuration pane, check the Disable PMC Activity Log Upload check box.
This change disables the PMC log upload mechanism so that the PMC clients that are connect to this
server never upload their logs to the server.
Step 4
Step 5
Click Save to save your change.
In the Configuration pane, verify that the Disable PMC Activity Log Upload check box is checked and
that the PMC Send Logs on Rollover, PMC Activity Log Update, and PMC Log Upload Frequency fields
display as dimmed.
Adjusting Internet Explorer Browser Settings
When you use a high latency, low bandwidth connection, you may encounter browser timeout errors
when you try to update the RMS configuration for any RMS that is configured with 12 or more loopback
interfaces.
To resolve this issue, you must modify the Internet Explorer settings on your PC to adjust the timeout
duration. This configuration modifies the ReceiveTimeout data value to allow for the additional delay.
Caution
Use extreme caution when you modify the registry. If you are not familiar with editing the registry, you
should seek technical support assistance before you perform this procedure. If you modify the registry
incorrectly, you may need to reinstall the operating system. Therefore, make sure that you back up the
registry before you modify it and are aware of how to restore the registry, if a problem occurs.
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Tip
For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, access the Microsoft
Support site at http://support.microsoft.com and search the Microsoft Knowledge Base for a description
of the Microsoft Windows registry.
To modify the ReceiveTimeout data value, perform the following procedure on the PC that you use to
access the Cisco IPICS Administration Console:
Procedure
Step 1
Step 2
On the PC that you use to access the Administration Console, choose Start > Run.
In the Open dialog box, enter regedit.
The Registry Editor displays.
Step 3
Click the + sign that displays next to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER entry.
The folders that contain root configuration information for the user who is currently logged in displays.
Step 4
Step 5
Click the + signs that display next to each of the folder names to navigate to the
Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ folder.
Click the + sign that displays next to the Internet Settings folder.
At this point, you have navigated to this folder:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings.
Step 6
Step 7
In the Internet Settings folder, look for the ReceiveTimeout name.
To modify this setting, right-click the ReceiveTimeout name, then click Modify.
The Edit DWORD Value dialog box displays. The current DWORD value displays in hexadecimal
format.
Alternatively, you can choose to delete the ReceiveTimeout name by clicking Delete. If you take this
action, be aware that you could wait indefinitely for the server to respond.
Step 8
Step 9
Click the Decimal radio button to display this value in decimal format.
To configure this value to the recommended setting to accommodate high latency, low bandwidth links,
enter 480000 in the Value data field.
This modification configures the timeout value to 8 minutes.
Step 10 Click OK to save your change.
Step 11 To exit the Registry Editor, choose Registry > Exit.
Step 12 Restart your PC for the change to become effective.
Performance Guidelines
Be aware of the following guidelines:
•
Each RMS can support a predefined number of commands, such as VTG activation, VTG
deactivation, and PMC SIP (remote) connections. If the number of commands that the RMS receives
exceeds this threshold, the excess commands fail and must be resubmitted.
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For high latency, low bandwidth deployments, allow 1.5 minutes for every three channel/VTG
activations.
If five dispatchers submit commands, or if the same dispatcher submits several commands, a wait
time of 1.5 minutes should be allotted before resubmitting new command requests.
For constant load conditions, a frequency of about 18 seconds per simple VTG command should be
allotted on 2811 routers (RMS components), on average. Additional RMS components must be
installed to support above average load conditions.
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