I85PREP
⌘ K
CCIE Collaboration study materials
CCIE Collaboration study resources

CCIE Collaboration: Collaboration Applications and Services

CCIE Collaboration · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Collaboration Applications and Services

Domain 2: Collaboration Applications and Services

This domain tests the design and integration of the user-facing collaboration services: Unity Connection voicemail, IM and Presence, Jabber, Cisco Meeting Server, Emergency Responder, attendant consoles, and directory integration. The exam favors service dependencies and failure behavior over isolated feature lists.

Core rules

  • Unity Connection integrates with CUCM through a SIP trunk and a voicemail pilot; the voicemail profile on the line sends calls to the pilot. MWI is controlled by SIP NOTIFY or an outcall, and the SIP trunk must permit the method used.
  • A Unity Connection cluster uses a publisher and subscriber; both can answer calls, but the publisher owns the database. Port capacity and voicemail storage are design inputs.
  • IM and Presence provides presence and instant messaging over SIP/XMPP; high availability uses a presence redundancy group, and intercluster peering supports cross-cluster presence.
  • Jabber obtains configuration and contact search through UDS and CUCM, uses IM&P for presence, and uses Expressway Mobile and Remote Access for off-network users without VPN.
  • Cisco Meeting Server provides spaces and SIP video conferences; CMS clustering and Expressway traversal are common design elements.
  • Cisco Emergency Responder uses ERLs and ELINs, tracks switch ports by SNMP, and relies on CUCM for emergency call routing.

Worked example

A 2,000-user site needs voicemail with MWI and LDAP-synced users. Deploy a Unity Connection cluster, create a SIP trunk to CUCM, define voicemail pilot 5000 and a voicemail profile, assign the profile to the line CSS, enable LDAP synchronization, and test MWI. Reasoning: the pilot and profile route unanswered calls; the SIP trunk carries voicemail and MWI; the cluster protects voicemail if one node fails; LDAP avoids duplicate user administration.

Traps

  • Building voicemail integration without a voicemail profile on the line, so calls never reach the pilot.
  • Assuming MWI always works over SIP; some integrations require specific NOTIFY handling or an outcall.
  • Treating Jabber MRA as VPN; Expressway provides the traversal path.
  • Forgetting that CER ELINs must be provisioned in the PSAP database, not just CUCM.
  • Designing CMS or Expressway without matching certificates and DNS records.