Polycom®, the Polycom “Triangles” logo, and the names and marks associated with Polycom’s products are
trademarks and/or service marks of Polycom, Inc., and are registered and/or common-law marks in the United
States and various other countries.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Java is a registered trademark of Oracle America, Inc., and/or its affiliates.
Patent Information
The accompanying product may be protected by one or more U.S. and foreign patents and/or pending patent
applications held by Polycom, Inc.
End User License Agreement
Use of this software constitutes acceptance of the terms and conditions of the Polycom DMA 7000 system end-user
license agreement (EULA).
The EULA is included in the release notes document for your version, which is available on the Polycom Support
page for the Polycom DMA 7000 system.
Polycom, Inc.
6001 America Center Drive
San Jose CA 95002
USA
No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of Polycom, Inc. Under the law, reproducing
includes translating into another language or format.
As between the parties, Polycom, Inc., retains title to and ownership of all proprietary rights with respect to the
software contained within its products. The software is protected by United States copyright laws and international
treaty provision. Therefore, you must treat the software like any other copyrighted material (e.g., a book or sound
recording).
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate. Polycom, Inc., is not
responsible for printing or clerical errors. Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
This chapter provides an overview of the Polycom® Distributed Media
Application™ (DMA™) 7000 system. It includes these topics:
•Introduction to the Polycom DMA System
•Polycom Solution Support
•Working in the Polycom DMA System
•Third-Party Software
™
7000 System
Introduction to the Polycom DMA System
The Polycom DMA system is a highly reliable and scalable video collaboration
infrastructure solution based on the Polycom
The following topics introduce you to the system:
•The Polycom DMA System’s Primary Functions
•The Polycom DMA System’s Three Configurations
•System Capabilities and Constraints
•System Port Usage
Polycom, Inc. 1
®
Proxias™ application server.
DMA Operations Guide Introduction to the Polycom DMA System
The Polycom DMA System’s Primary Functions
Conference Manager
The Polycom DMA system’s Conference Manager uses advanced routing
policies to distribute voice and video calls among multiple media servers
(Multipoint Control Units, or MCUs), creating a single virtual resource pool.
This greatly simplifies video conferencing resource management and uses
MCU resources more efficiently.
The Polycom DMA system integrates with your Microsoft® Active
Directory®, automating the task of provisioning users with virtual meeting
rooms (VMRs) for video conferencing. Combined with its advanced resource
management, this makes reservationless video conferencing on a large scale
feasible and efficient, reducing or eliminating the need for conference
scheduling.
The Polycom DMA system’s ability to handle multiple MCUs as a single
resource pool makes multipoint conferencing services highly scalable. You can
add MCUs on the fly without impacting end users and without requiring reprovisioning.
The Conference Manager continually monitors the resources used and
available on each MCU and intelligently distributes conferences among them.
If an MCU fails, loses its connection to the system, or is taken out of service,
the Polycom DMA system distributes new conferences to the remaining
MCUs. The consequences for existing calls and conferences depend on
whether they’re H.323 or SIP:
•H.323 calls and conferences on the failed MCU are terminated. But callers
simply need to redial the same number they used for their initial dial-in.
Conference Manager relocates their new conference to the best available
MCU (provided there is still sufficient MCU capacity).
•SIP calls on the failed MCU are automatically moved to another MCU or
MCUs (if available), up to the capacity available.
Call Server
The Polycom DMA system’s Call Server provides the following functionality:
•H.323 gatekeeper
•SIP registrar and proxy server
•XMPP server (client-to-client connectivity, including chat and presence
information, for clients logged into the server)
•H.323 <—> SIP transition gateway
•Dial plan and prefix services
•Device authentication
2Polycom, Inc.
Introduction to the Polycom DMA System Polycom® DMA™7000 System Overview
•Bandwidth management
The Call Server can also be integrated with a Juniper Networks Service
Resource Controller (SRC) to provide bandwidth and QoS assurance services.
RealPresence Platform API
This version of the Polycom DMA system optionally allows an API client
application, developed by you or a third party, to access the RealPresence
Platform Application Programming Interface (API). This API access is licensed
separately. It provides programmatic access to the Polycom DMA system for
the following:
•Provisioning
•Conference control and monitoring
•Call control and dial-out
•Billing and usage data retrieval
•Resource availability queries
The API uses XML encoding over HTTPS transport and adheres to a
Representational State Transfer (REST) architecture.
No separate license is needed in order for a Polycom RealPresence Resource
Manager system to integrate with the DMA system via the API. This
integration provides the full programmatic access to the DMA system
described above, and enables users of the RealPresence Resource Manager
scheduling interface to:
•Schedule conferences using the DMA system’s MCU resources.
•Set up Anytime conferences. Anytime conferences are referred to as preset
dial-out conferences in the DMA system (see “Edit Conference Room
Dialog Box” on page 329)
Note
Integrating the Polycom RealPresence Resource Manager system with the DMA
system via the API is separate and distinct from integrating the DMA system with a
Polycom CMA or RealPresence Resource Manager system.
•The former enables RealPresence Resource Manager users to obtain
information from and use functionality of the DMA system that would otherwise
be accessible only in the DMA system’s management interface.
•The latter enables the DMA system to retrieve site topology and user-to-device
associations from the CMA or RealPresence Resource Manager system.
For convenience, however, when you perform the former operation, the latter
integration is automatically performed for you so that the DMA system will have the
site topology and user-to-device information that the RealPresence Resource
Manager system expects it to have.
Polycom, Inc. 3
DMA Operations Guide Introduction to the Polycom DMA System
SVC Conferencing Support
This version of the Polycom DMA system supports the Annex G extension of
the H.264 standard, known as H.264 Scalable Video Coding (SVC), for both
point-to-point and multipoint (VMR) calls.
SVC is sometimes referred to as layered media because the video streams
consist of a base layer that encodes the lowest available quality representation
plus one or more enhancement layers that each provide an additional quality
improvement. SVC supports three dimensions of scalability: temporal (frames
per second), spatial (resolution and aspect ratio), and quality (signal-to-noise
ratio).
The video stream to a device can be tailored to fit the bandwidth available and
device capabilities by adjusting the number of enhancement layers sent to the
device.
For multipoint conferencing, the MCU doesn't have to do processing-intensive
mixing and transcoding to optimize the experience for each device. Instead, it
simply passes through to each device the enhancement layers that provide the
best quality the device can support.
Polycom’s SVC solution focuses on the temporal and spatial dimensions. It
offers a number of advantages over standard AVC conferencing, including:
•Improved video quality at lower bandwidths
•Improved audio and video error resiliency (good audio quality with more
than 50% packet loss, good video quality with more than 25% packet loss)
•Lower end-to-end latency (typically less than half that of AVC)
•More efficient use of bandwidth
•Lower infrastructure cost and operational expenses
•Easier to provision, control, and monitor
•Better security (end-to-end encryption)
Polycom’s SVC solution is supported by the Polycom RealPresence Platform
and Environments, including the latest generation of Polycom MCUs and
RealPresence room, personal, desktop, and mobile endpoints. Existing RMX
MCUs with MPMx cards can be made SVC-capable with a software upgrade,
and doing so triples their HD multipoint conferencing capacity.
See also:
“Introduction to the Polycom DMA System” on page 1
4Polycom, Inc.
Introduction to the Polycom DMA System Polycom® DMA™7000 System Overview
The Polycom DMA System’s Three Configurations
Two-server Cluster Configuration
The Polycom DMA system is designed to be deployed as a pair of co-located
redundant servers that share the same virtual IP address(es). The two-server
cluster configuration of the Polycom DMA system has no single point of
failure within the system that could cause the service to become unavailable.
The two servers communicate over the private network connecting them. To
determine which one should host the public virtual IP address, each server
uses three criteria:
•Ability to ping its own public physical address
•Ability to ping the other server’s public physical address
•Ability to ping the default gateway
In the event of a tie, the server already hosting the public virtual address wins.
Failover to the backup server takes about five seconds in the event of a graceful
shutdown and about twenty seconds in the event of a power loss or other
failure. In the event of a single server (node) failure, two things happen:
•All calls that are being routed through the failed server are terminated
(including SIP calls, VMR calls, and routed mode H.323 calls). These users
simply need to redial the same number, and they’re placed back into
conference or reconnected to the point-to-point call they were in. The
standby server takes over the virtual signaling address, so existing
registrations and new calls are unaffected.
•Direct mode H.323 point-to-point calls are not dropped, but the
bandwidth management system loses track of them. This could result in
overuse of the available network bandwidth.
•If the failed server is the active web host for the system management
interface, the active user interface sessions end, the web host address
automatically migrates to the remaining server, and it becomes the active
web host. Administrative users can then log back into the system at the
same URL. The system can always be administered via the same address,
regardless of which server is the web host.
The internal databases within each Polycom DMA system server are fully
replicated to the other server in the cluster. If a catastrophic failure of one of
the database engines occurs, the system automatically switches itself over to
use the database on the other server.
Polycom, Inc. 5
DMA Operations Guide Introduction to the Polycom DMA System
Single-server Configuration
The Polycom DMA system is also available in a single-server configuration.
This configuration offers all the advantages of the Polycom DMA system
except the redundancy and fault tolerance at a lower price. It can be upgraded
to a two-server cluster at any time.
This manual generally assumes a redundant two-server cluster. Where there
are significant differences between the two configurations, those are spelled
out.
Superclustering
To provide geographic redundancy and better network traffic management,
up to five geographically distributed Polycom DMA system clusters (twoserver or single-server) can be integrated into a supercluster. All five clusters
can be Call Servers (function as gatekeeper, SIP proxy, SIP registrar, and
gateway). Up to three can be designated as Conference Managers (manage an
MCU resource pool to host conference rooms).
The superclustered Polycom DMA systems can be centrally administered and
share a common data store. Each cluster maintains a local copy of the data
store, and changes are replicated to all the clusters. Most system configuration
is supercluster-wide. The exceptions are cluster-specific or server-specific
items like network settings and time settings.
Note
Technically, a standalone Polycom DMA system (two-server or single-server) is a
supercluster that contains one cluster. All the system configuration and other data
that’s shared across a supercluster is kept in the same data store. At any time,
another Polycom DMA system can be integrated with it to create a two-cluster
supercluster that shares its data store.
It’s important to understand the difference between two co-located servers forming
a single DMA system (cluster) and two geographically distributed DMA clusters
(single-server or two-server) joined into a supercluster.
A single two-server DMA system (cluster) has the following characteristics:
•A single shared virtual IP address and FQDN, which switches from one server
to the other when necessary to provide local redundancy and fault tolerance.
•A single management interface and set of local settings.
•Ability to manage a single territory, with no territory management backup.
•A single set of Call Server and Conference Manager responsibilities.
A supercluster consisting of two DMA clusters (single-server or two-server) has the
following characteristics:
•Separate IP addresses and FQDNs for each cluster.
•Separate management interfaces and sets of local settings for each cluster.
•Ability for each cluster to manage its own territory, with another cluster able to
serve as backup for that territory.
•Different Call Server and Conference Manager responsibilities for each territory
and thus each cluster.
6Polycom, Inc.
Introduction to the Polycom DMA System Polycom® DMA™7000 System Overview
System Capabilities and Constraints
The following capabilities and constraints apply to the entire supercluster:
•Number of sites: 500
•Number of clusters in a supercluster: 5 (not counting an integrated
Polycom RealPresence Resource Manager or CMA system)
•Number of MCUs enabled for conference rooms: 64
•Number of territories enabled for conference rooms (Conference Manager
enabled): 3
•Number of concurrent VMR calls: 1200 per territory (Conference
Manager), up to 3600 total
•Size of Active Directory supported: 1,000,000 users and 1,000,000 groups
(up to 10,000 groups may be imported)
The following capabilities and constraints apply to each cluster in the
supercluster:
•Number of registrations: 15000
System Port Usage
•Number of concurrent H.323 calls: 5000
•Number of concurrent SIP calls: 5000
•Total number of concurrent calls: 5000
•Number of network usage data points retained: 8,000,000
•Number of IRQ messages sent per second: 100
The table below lists the inbound ports that may be open on the Polycom DMA
system, depending on signaling and security settings, integrations, and
system configuration.
Table 1-1Inbound port usage
Port Protocol Description
22 TCP SSH. Only available if Linux console
access is enabled (see “Security Settings”
on page 48).
80 TCP HTTP. Redirects to 443 (HTTP access is
not allowed). Disabled in maximum
security mode.
443 TCP HTTPS. Redirects to 8443.
1718 UDP H.323 RAS. Default port; can be changed
(see “Signaling Settings” on page 71).
Polycom, Inc. 7
DMA Operations Guide Introduction to the Polycom DMA System
Table 1-1Inbound port usage (continued)
Port Protocol Description
1719 UDP H.323 RAS. Default port; can be changed
(see “Signaling Settings” on page 71).
1720 TCP H.323 H.225 signaling. Default port; can
be changed (see “Signaling Settings” on
page 71).
1935 TCP/UDP XMPP. Traditional RTMP, Flash
communication server.
1936 TCP/UDP XMPP. Flash communication server.
4449 TCP LDAP. OpenDJ replication
(superclustering).
5060 TCP/UDP Unencrypted SIP. Default port; can be
changed or disabled (see “Signaling
Settings” on page 71).
5061 TCP SIP TLS. Default port; can be changed
(see “Signaling Settings” on page 71).
5080 TCP/UDP XMPP. Tomcat or jetty servlet container.
5222 TCP Unencrypted XMPP. Default port; can be
changed or disabled (see “Signaling
Settings” on page 71).
5223 TCP XMPP TLS. Default port; can be changed
(see “Signaling Settings” on page 71).
5269 TCP/UDP XMPP. Server to server communications
for federation.
7070 TCP XMPP HTTP connections.
8088 TCP XMPP. Traditional RTMP tunneled over
(superclustering).
9090 TCP HTTPS. Upgrade status monitoring (only
while upgrade process is running).
XMPP server administration console.
36000-61000 TCP H.323 H.245 port range.
8Polycom, Inc.
Introduction to the Polycom DMA System Polycom® DMA™7000 System Overview
The table below lists the remote ports to which the Polycom DMA system may
connect, depending on signaling and security settings, integrations, and
system configuration.
Table 1-2Outbound port usage
Port Protocol Description
80 TCP HTTP. MCUs, Exchange Web Services
(calendaring). Only available if
unencrypted connections are enabled
(see “Security Settings” on page 48).
389 TCP LDAP. Active Directory integration.
443 TCP HTTPS. MCUs, Exchange Web Services
(calendaring).
389 TCP LDAP. Active Directory integration.
1718 UDP H.323 RAS. Default port; can be changed
(see “Signaling Settings” on page 71).
1719 UDP H.323 RAS. Default port; can be changed
(see “Signaling Settings” on page 71).
1720 TCP H.323 H.225 signaling. Default port; can
be changed (see “Signaling Settings” on
page 71).
3268 TCP Global Catalog. Active Directory
integration.
3269 TCP Secure Global Catalog. Active Directory
integration.
4449 TCP OpenDJ replication (superclustering).
5060 TCP/UDP Unencrypted SIP. Default port; can be
changed or disabled (see “Signaling
Settings” on page 71).
5061 TCP SIP TLS. Default port; can be changed
(see “Signaling Settings” on page 71).
8443 TCP HTTPS. Management interface access.
8444 TCP Supercluster communication.
8989 TCP OpenDJ replication (superclustering).
36000-61000 TCP H.323 H.245 port range.
32768-61000 TCP/UDP XMPP. Ephemeral port range.
Polycom, Inc. 9
DMA Operations Guide Polycom Solution Support
Polycom Solution Support
Polycom Implementation and Maintenance services provide support for
Polycom solution components only. Additional services for supported thirdparty Unified Communications (UC) environments integrated with Polycom
solutions are available from Polycom Global Services and its certified Partners.
These additional services will help customers successfully design, deploy,
optimize, and manage Polycom visual communications within their UC
environments.
Professional Services for Microsoft Integration is mandatory for Polycom
Conferencing for Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Office Communications
Server or Lync Server 2010 integrations. For more information, please visit
www.polycom.com/services/professional_services/ or contact your local
Polycom representative.
Working in the Polycom DMA System
This section includes some general information you should know when
working in the Polycom DMA system.
Accessing the Polycom DMA System
The Polycom DMA system’s management interface is accessed by pointing a
compatible browser equipped with Adobe® Flash® Player to the system’s
host name or IP address (a two-server cluster or an IPv6-only single-server
cluster has a virtual host name and IP address, and we strongly recommend
always using the virtual address). Minimum requirements:
•Microsoft Internet Explorer® 7 or newer, or Mozilla Firefox® 3 or newer,
or Google Chrome 11 or newer
•Adobe Flash Player 9.0.124 or newer
•1280x1024 minimum display resolution (1680x1050 or greater
recommended)
Note
The Polycom DMA system’s Flex-based management interface requires Adobe
Flash Player. For stability and security reasons, we recommend always using the
latest version of Flash Player.
Even so, be aware that your browser’s Flash plugin may hang or crash from time to
time. Yo ur browser should alert you when this happens and enable you to reload
the plugin. In some cases, you may need to close and restart your browser.
In the Google Chrome browser, use the Adobe Flash plugin, not the built-in Flash
support.
10Polycom, Inc.
Working in the Polycom DMA System Polycom® DMA™7000 System Overview
Field Input Requirements
While every effort was made to internationalize the Polycom DMA system, not
all system fields accept Unicode entries. If you work in a language other than
English, be aware that some fields accept only ASCII characters.
Settings Dialog Box
The Settings dialog box shows your user name and information about the
server you’re logged into. Click the button to the right of the menus to
display it.
In addition, you can change the text size used in the system interface and the
maximum number of columns in the Dashboard. Note that larger text sizes
will affect how much you can see in a given window or screen size and may
require frequent scrolling.
Polycom DMA System User Roles and Their Access Privileges
The Polycom DMA system has three system user roles (see “User Roles
Overview” on page 312) that provide access to the management and
operations interface and, if available, the separately licensed RealPresence
Platform Application Programming Interface (API). The functions you can
perform and parts of the interface or API resources you can access depend on
your user role or roles, as shown in the tables below.
Table 1-3Management interface access privileges
Menu/Icon Admin ProvisionerAuditor
Home. Returns to the Dashboard.
Network >
Active Calls
Endpoints
1
DMAs
••
• • •
• •
• •
Polycom, Inc. 11
DMA Operations Guide Working in the Polycom DMA System
Table 1-3Management interface access privileges
Menu/Icon Admin ProvisionerAuditor
MCU > MCUs
MCU > MCU Pools
MCU > MCU Pool Orders
Site Statistics
Site Link Statistics
Site Topology > Sites
Site Topology > Site Links
Site Topology > Site-to-Site Exclusions
Site Topology > Network Clouds
Site Topology > Territories
External Gatekeeper
External SIP Peer
External SBC
1
••
1
••
1
••
1
1
••
1
••
1
••
1
••
1
••
1
••
1
••
1
••
1
••
• •
User >
2
Users
••
Groups
1
Login Sessions
••
Change Password
Reports >
Call History
Conference History
Registration History
Network Usage
Microsoft Active Directory Integration
Enterprise Passcode Errors
Orphaned Groups and Users
Conference Room Errors
3
•
3
•
3
•
•
• • •
• • •
• • •
• • •
• •
• •
12Polycom, Inc.
Working in the Polycom DMA System Polycom® DMA™7000 System Overview
Table 1-3Management interface access privileges
Menu/Icon Admin ProvisionerAuditor
Maintenance
System Log Files
4
••
Troubleshooting Utilities > Ping,
Traceroute, Top, I/O Stats, SAR
Shutdown and Restart
Software Upgrade
Backup and Restore
Admin > Conference Manager >
Conference Settings
Conference Templates
Shared Number Dialing
Admin > Call Server >
Call Server Settings •
Domains
Dial Rules
Hunt Groups
Device Authentication
Registration Policy
1
Prefix Service
••
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
• •
•
•
Embedded DNS
History Retention Settings
Admin > Integrations >
Microsoft Active Directory •
Microsoft Exchange Server
Polycom RealPresence Resource
Manager or CMA System
Juniper Networks SRC
Polycom, Inc. 13
•
• •
•
•
•
DMA Operations Guide Working in the Polycom DMA System
Help. Opens the online help topic for the
page you’re viewing.
1. Provisioners have view-only access.
2. Must be an enterprise user to see enterprise users. Provisioners can’t add or remove roles
or endpoints, and can’t edit user accounts with explicitly assigned roles (Administrator,
Provisioner, or Auditor), but can manage their conference rooms.
3. Must be an enterprise user to view this report.
4. Administrators can’t delete log archives.
14Polycom, Inc.
• • •
• • •
Working in the Polycom DMA System Polycom® DMA™7000 System Overview
Table 1-4API resource access privileges
Conference
Room
API Resource Admin ProvisionerAuditor
1 2
user
conference-room
conference-template
1 2
3
• • •
• • •
• •
Owner
billing
conference
participant
conference-observer
participant-observer
mcu
mcu-pool
mcu-pool-order
territory
call-server-configuration
device
device-observer
group
status
subscription
user-role
1
•••
1
•••
1
•••
1
••
1
•••
• • •
• •
• •
• •
• •
• •
• •
• •
• •
• • •
• •
1. Conference Room Owners can only access resources that they own and can’t use PUT,
POST, or DELETE methods on their user account or conference rooms.
2. Provisioners can’t add or remove roles or associated endpoints, and can’t edit user
accounts with explicitly assigned roles (Administrator, Provisioner, or Auditor), but can
manage their conference rooms.
3. Provisioners can GET a list of conference templates, but can’t GET a specific conference
template.
Polycom, Inc. 15
DMA Operations Guide Third-Party Software
Third-Party Software
Open Source Software
The Polycom DMA system uses several open source software packages,
including the CentOS operating system. CentOS is an enterprise-class Linux
distribution that contains hundreds of open-source components. For more
information about CentOS, visit http://www.centos.org/.
The packages containing the source code and the licenses for all the opensource software, including CentOS and its components, are included on the
Polycom DMA system software DVD, mostly in the
Modifying Open Source Code
The LGPL v2.1 license allows you to modify the LGPL code we use, recompile
the modified code, and re-link it with our proprietary code. Note that although
you’re free to modify the LGPL modules used in the Polycom DMA system in
any way you wish, we cannot be responsible if the changes you make impair
the system.
/SRPMS
directory.
To replace an LGPL library with your modified version
1On the DMA DVD, find the source code for the module you want to
modify.
2Modify the source code and compile it.
3Go to Admin > Local Cluster > Security Settings, select Allow Linux
console access, and click Update.
4Contact Polycom Global Services for the root password for the Polycom
DMA server.
5Use ssh to log into the server as root.
6Upload the modified software via wget or scp.
7Find the module you’re replacing and install the new version to that
location.
8Reboot the system.
License Information
The following table contains license information for the open source software
packages used in the Polycom DMA system. Note that the source code and the
licenses for all the open-source software, including CentOS and its
components, are included on the Polycom DMA system software DVD. This
list is provided as a convenient reference.
16Polycom, Inc.
Third-Party Software Polycom® DMA™7000 System Overview