CCIE Collaboration key terms

The call-processing core of a Cisco collaboration deployment. It manages endpoint registration, dial plans, and call routing, and stores configuration in a replicated database shared across cluster nodes.

A CUCM service that replicates and monitors the cluster configuration database across subscribers. If replication breaks, configuration changes may not propagate, causing inconsistent call routing between nodes.

A group of CUCM nodes sharing one database, with up to three publishers-capable call-processing subscribers plus additional subscribers. Publisher holds the master database; subscribers run call processing and replicate from it.

A CUCM container that groups endpoints sharing regional settings, date/time groups, call-manager groups, and SRST references. Assigning a device pool lets administrators change these properties for many phones at once.

A CUCM setting that defines the maximum codec bit rate permitted between devices in different regions. Links between regions determine which codecs are allowed for inter-region calls.

A CUCM construct used for call admission control. It defines the bandwidth available to and from a site and blocks or reroutes calls when the configured audio or video bandwidth is exhausted.

CUCM call admission control that tracks bandwidth per location and per call, including video. It can deny calls, allow them with a different codec, or route them over an alternate path.

Survivable Remote Site Telephony. A Cisco IOS feature that lets a branch router take over call processing for local phones when they lose connectivity to the CUCM cluster, preserving internal dialing.

A voice gateway controlled by CUCM through the Media Gateway Control Protocol. The gateway handles the media and PSTN interfaces while CUCM supplies call signaling and dial-plan logic.

A voice gateway using H.323 signaling to connect CUCM to the PSTN or to other H.323 systems. Unlike MGCP, it performs its own call signaling and acts as a peer to CUCM.

A logical connection in CUCM that sends and receives SIP signaling to another system, such as an ITSP, a gateway, or a cluster. It carries dial-peer style routing via route groups and route lists.

An ordered list of gateways or trunks that CUCM can use for a call. Route groups are referenced by route lists and provide failover when the first device is unreachable.

A prioritized collection of route groups that CUCM uses to reach a destination. It is selected by a route pattern and enables sequential failover across multiple paths.

A dial-plan entry in CUCM that matches dialed digits using wildcards and directs the call to a route list, gateway, or trunk. It can also block dialing or apply digit manipulation.

A CUCM dial-plan element that matches digits and transforms them before further routing. It is commonly used for number normalization, site-code insertion, and steering calls to different partitions.

CUCM's dial-plan permission model. Partitions group route patterns and directory numbers, while a calling search space is an ordered list of partitions a device may reach.

A Cisco IOS configuration object that defines how a gateway matches inbound or outbound calls and which voice port, session target, or codec to use. Inbound and outbound peers are matched separately.

A CUCM template that defines SIP behavior for trunks and endpoints, including security settings, early media, and header handling. Trunks and phones inherit these settings from the profile.

A keepalive mechanism in which CUCM sends periodic SIP OPTIONS messages to a trunk destination to detect reachability. Failure marks the trunk out of service so route lists can fail over.

A call setup mode where the originating side sends SDP in the initial INVITE so the media path and codecs are known before the call is answered. It avoids forking and simplifies media handling.

A call setup mode where the initial INVITE contains no SDP. The offer is sent by the answering side in a reliable provisional response or the 200 OK, which is the classic CUCM default.

A Cisco collaboration edge appliance that provides firewall traversal for remote endpoints and business-to-business calls. The Expressway-C sits inside the enterprise; the Expressway-E sits in the DMZ.

A Cisco edge architecture that lets Jabber clients register to CUCM from outside the network without a VPN. It uses Expressway-C and Expressway-E with a traversal zone between them.

A connection between Expressway-C and Expressway-E that carries signaling and media through the firewall. It uses SIP and encrypted media to traverse the DMZ safely.

A CUCM service that issues and manages certificates for phones and other endpoints. It supports locally significant certificates and third-party CA integration for secure signaling and media.

An encryption standard for RTP media that provides confidentiality, message authentication, and replay protection for voice and video streams. It requires a key exchange such as SDES or DTLS.

A Cisco IOS or IOS XE session border controller that interconnects SIP networks. It provides protocol interworking, security, topology hiding, and call admission control at the edge.

Cisco's voicemail and unified messaging application. It integrates with CUCM over SIP or SCCP for message-waiting indication, greetings, and voicemail routing.

A signaling feature that turns on a lamp or icon on a phone when a new voicemail exists. It is sent from the voicemail system to CUCM and then to the endpoint.

A CUCM-integrated service that provides presence status, instant messaging, and availability information. It uses SIP for presence subscriptions and publishes to clients such as Jabber.

Cisco's collaboration client for presence, messaging, voice, video, and conferencing. It registers to CUCM over SIP and can operate remotely through Expressway without a VPN.

A CUCM feature that lets users dial a number and join a shared audio conference bridge. Participants use a bridge resource configured on the cluster, and the conference can be secured.

A CUCM grouping of media resources such as conference bridges, MTPs, and annunciators. Media resource group lists then control which resources a device can use.

Media Termination Point. A CUCM resource that terminates and relays media, used for DTMF conversion, early-offer interworking, and supplementary services between differing SIP implementations.

See SRST: router-based call processing for branch phones when the WAN to CUCM fails. It relies on a configured SRST reference in the device pool.

A Cisco management application that monitors collaboration inventory, call quality, and alerts. It collects performance data and provides dashboards for proactive fault and quality management.

A CUCM diagnostics tool that shows real-time counters, alarms, and logs for cluster services. It is used to troubleshoot registration, replication, and performance issues.

The Administrative XML interface for CUCM. It exposes SOAP-based web services for reading and writing configuration, enabling automation and integration with provisioning tools.

A CUCM application for inserting, updating, or deleting many devices and users at once using CSV files. It automates large provisioning tasks that would otherwise be done manually.