BE6000S

[ken.chi22]

Hello everyone,

         We are deploying a BE6000S for our office (less than 30 users), and currently we are using internet service provider router as our DNS, and don't have access to make changes.

          Would deploying the BE6000S without a proper DNS server affect it's performance in this scenario?

[jarias]

If you are using Jabber, then FQDNs are needed and this obviously would require DNS.

I’ll ask around for other DNS dependencies from the BE6000S apps suite (PCP, UCM, CUC, IMP, Paging).

For at least UCM/IMP they would be called out in the design guides and Preferred Architectures at www.cisco.com/go/srnd<http://www.cisco.com/go/srnd> , but that’s a lot of content to go through.

-james

[ken.chi22]

Hi Jarias,

              Thanks for your response. Kindly pass me any further updates you get about the other servers.

              I already read the SRND document and other documents what I got on  DNS is that it’s optional. But I’m not exactly sure what services will be impacted if I don’t use it.

Thanks,

Emmanuel

[jarias]

Additional info from the Technical Marketing Engineers...

1. Best practice is to use DNS when you can.  It's also an integral and required part of the Enterprise Preferred Architecture (but you may instead be aligning with the Midmarket Preferred Architecture?)
2. When is DNS critical or mandatory?
   • Jabber service discovery
   • Expressway MRA
   • Anything involving certificate-related security

So extremely basic deployments may not need DNS, but as you add capabilities it starts to become necessary.

-james

[Andrew Hickman]

Hi All,

Just to add to James' responses.  If you are using the BE6000S preconfigured images, then you will need DNS (the applications have been configured to look for DNS services at 172.27.199.5).  You don't necessarily need to configure anything though, as the ISR has been configured to provide these services for the collaboration applications.

Andy

[jarias]

So ISR can be a DNS Server? I don’t need Cisco Network Registrar or “the server team’s” DNS?

Why wouldn’t partners just use any old router as a DNS server to keep it in the family?

-james

[Andrew Hickman]

Hi James,

IOS can certainly provide the functionality required for the applications to work (i.e. it can provide both forward and reverse resolution) and it could probably do this comfortably for a small deployment. I won’t suggest that IOS should be used for more formal corporate name server requirements though.

Andy

[jarias]

Makes sense. We get queries all the time about where the line should be drawn between “basic DNS” (handle via voice/video team using ISR or other Cisco DNS source) vs. “advanced DNS” (handle via the company’s ‘regular’ DNS environment … more robust but can also be more complex to integrate to or sustain).

-james

[ken.chi22]

Hi Jarias,

        I'm trying to install the apps on BE6000S, but I am getting a DNS error for UCM. From the ISR config, I see

ip host ntp.ciscolocal.com 172.27.199.1

ip host pcp.ciscolocal.com 172.27.199.10

ip host plm.ciscolocal.com 172.27.199.11

ip host ucm-pub.ciscolocal.com 172.27.199.11

ip host ucn1.ciscolocal.com 172.27.199.12

ip host imp1.ciscolocal.com 172.27.199.13

so I us "ucm-pub" as the CUCM name. There is an error message which indicates that the name I am using for the address 172.27.199.11 doesn't correspond with the name in DNS.

           Do you have an idea on where the issue could be coming from?

Thanks

[Andrew Hickman]

Hi,

If you are reinstalling the applications on the BE6000S, then I expect you are using using your own IP addressing and/or domain name.

You have two options here - either update the IOS configuration to correctly reflect your environment i.e.

ip host <your UCM host name>.<your DNS domain> <your UCM IP address>

Remove the host entries that aren't required:

no ip host ucm-pub.ciscolocal.com 172.27.199.11

Alternatively, use your own DNS server if you already have one and direct UCM to this during installation.  When creating host records for the applications in your name server, don't forget to create reverse pointer records for each as these are required to complete the installation.

Andy

[ken.chi22]

Hello,

         I intend to use the pre-configured settings on the BE6000S, as I'm not using a DNS server. I'm not sure if the applications have been completely installed, as I am adviced to proceed with installation upon hovering over the applications in vSphere. 

      This is also the procedure in the installation guide

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucm/BE6000/InstallationGuide/11_0_1/CUCM_BK_B592E7F4_00_be6000-insta…).

[Andrew Hickman]

Ok - the applications are actually fully installed on delivery.  Completing the install just resets the passwords to your preference.

When specifically are you seeing the DNS error?

Andy

[ken.chi22]

Hi,

   Here is a Screen short from when I hover on the CUCM app. Now I can't get to the where I hard the DNS error, as I am asked to restart the install. It comes to the same page (dump diagnostices) when I try to restart.

I guess I have to download the OVA and lunch the a fresh installation? or is it possible to reset the preloaded CUCM.

[ken.chi22]

The DNS error comes within the blue installation screen, when it is doing the network check

[Andrew Hickman]

Ah - I see.  This is an export unrestricted BE6000S.  These did not have fully installed applications until very recently - now I see why you were going through the install process... that would be expected in this case.

I'm not sure why the install is failing though.  The IOS configuration would be the same in either case, so provided you either followed the IP address plan used for the preconfigured images (172.27.199.x etc refer to this document) when installing the applications, or adjusted the IOS configuration to suit your own addressing, things should be ok.

It is important that the network services are all properly configured before starting the application install though.

If you would like to reinstall the applications from scratch, the install files are available in the hypervisor datastore.

If you would like to use the preconfigured images, unrestricted versions are now available through software center here.

Andy