Given all the IP addresses, usernames, and passwords you just created, it is a good idea to note those that you used so that you don’t forget them and later end up locked out of the VM. VMware has a Description section (Notes in VMware 7) for each VM. This is a good place to store information for a lab server. (This would be a security risk for a production server, however.) Before you forget, enter all the items you entered while building the server in the description. See Figure C-34 for an example.
Figure C-34. VMware Notes Task 7: Tips for Cisco Unified Communications Servers and VMware Workstation
• When starting a Unified Communications server VM image that is shutdown, it takes time for all of the services to load.
Even if the command prompt is responding, the services for the administrative web pages might not be loaded yet. On really slow machines, tested in the classroom, it took as long 20 minutes to completely boot a CUCM server from an external USB 2.0 hard drive. (See the next tip to help with this problem.)
• While I would not attempt this in a production environment, to avoid having the class wait for the servers to start up, I have used the VMware Suspend and Resume options on the VMs successfully for weeks at a time. (Make sure your NTP source is accurate, and never goes back in time.) If you follow this tip, to avoid any possibility of problems, make frequent backups of the VM.
• VMware Workstation has a handy feature called Snapshot. A snapshot takes an image of the VM and allows you to
experiment with the VM, and later restore the VM back to the point in time when the snapshot was made. This can be a great feature when experimenting with new features without worrying about losing your previous work. (Using a snapshot is recommended when doing Lab 9-9.) However, snapshots do not replace the necessity of backups. VMware recommends that you create no more than two or three snapshots without reverting back, or the performance will degrade on the VM.
See VMware knowledge base article 1025279 for more details. Also be aware that if you take a snapshot of a running VM, the entire contents of the RAM of the VM gets saved to disk as a file, which can quickly increase the disk space used by the VM.
Lab C-2: Build Cisco Unity Connection (CUC) Image
Figure C-34. Topology Diagram Equipment Required
This lab uses the following equipment:
• Cisco router.
• Switch that supports voice VLANs.
• Lab configuration from Lab 3-2. (NTP must be accessible or simulated on the router for the build to complete.)
• PC with VMware Workstation installed and enough disk space and memory. This lab demonstrates VMware Workstation 8 on a machine with a minimum of 8 GB RAM. (The results are identical with VMware 7.x.) Note: The Unity Connection VM requires 4 GB to build, so a host machine with 4 GB RAM would be page-swapping memory, causing extremely slow performance.
• Access to the install DVD or ISO file for CUCM and Unity Connection. (This lab shows both versions, 8.6.2 and 8.5.1.
Versions later than 6.0 should work, but might require work-arounds. Specifically, any CUC before version 8.0 was not designed to run in VMware, so search the Internet for solutions on the install.)
Task 1: Configure and Cable Devices
Cable the router, switch, and PC together as shown in the topology diagram. Apply the configuration from Labs 3-1 and 3-2 to the router and switch. Make sure that the router is receiving NTP from the Internet or another Cisco router as detailed in Lab 3-2, as an NTP server with a stratum less than or equal to 6 is required to install CUC.
Task 2: Build the Virtual Machine
Note
The process to install and build the Cisco Unity Connection (CUC) server is nearly identical to installing the CUCM server. In fact, the software is on the same ISO file or DVD that was used for building the CUCM server.
Repeat all the tasks in Lab C-1, but make the following changes in the steps indicated.
Step 2-4: Choose Machine Name and File Location
Enter the virtual machine name as CUC and add the version of CUC you are using. Click the Browse button and navigate to the location where you want to save the virtual machine. Click Next. See Figure C-36.
Figure C-36. CUC Naming the Virtual Machine Step 2-5: Specify Disk Capacity
Enter 180 for the Maximum disk size (GB), and leave the Split virtual disk into multiple files radio button selected. See Figure C- 37.
Figure C-37. CUC Specify Disk Capacity
Note
CUC 8.5 and 8.6 require only 160 GB to build, but VMware Workstation 7 and 8 do not allocate all the disk space up front. Instead, the file grows as it is used; thus the 160 GB becomes a maximum. The disk size is one of the few things that cannot be changed after the machine is built, so it is better to set it higher than needed now.
Step 2-6: Customize Hardware
The virtual machine settings are displayed. The memory and network adapter settings need to be changed before the machine can be built. Click the Customize Hardware button.
Note
CUC 8.5 and 8.6 require a minimum of 4 GB RAM and 160 GB of disk space, or the option to install will not even show up. The install will also fail if you allocate more than one processor to the VM during the build.
In the Hardware window,
1. Click Memory and enter 4096 in the Memory for this virtual machine field, as shown in Figure C-38.
Figure C-38. CUC Hardware Options 2. Click Network Adapter and click the Bridged radio button.
3. Optimize the machine by removing unnecessary hardware, such as the floppy drive, USB controller, and printer.
4. Click OK to return to the hardware summary. All of these options can be easily changed after the VM is built.
Step 2-7: Create Virtual Machine
Review the settings for the virtual machine and click Finish, as shown in Figure C-39.
Figure C-39. CUC Hardware Settings Summary Task 3: CUC Installer
Step 3-2: Product Selection
Now that the server has more memory and hard disk space, the installer offers the option to select CUC. Press the Tab key to move to the Cisco Unity Connection item and press the spacebar to select. See Figure C-40. Press Tab again to select the OK, and press Enter.
Figure C-40. CUC Product Deployment Selection Step 3-11: Assign IP Address
Enter the following information, where x is your pod number (see Figure C-41):
• Host Name: Enter CUC and add the version of CUC you are using.
• IP Address: 10.x0.0.8
• IP Mask: 255.255.255.0
• GW Address: 10.x0.0.1
Figure C-41. CUC Static Network Configuration Press Enter on the OK option.