Polycom KIRK WIRELESS SERVER 6000 User Manual

Configuring the Redundancy Feature in

a Polycom® KIRK® Wireless Server 6000

Application Note

Version 1.3 l October 2010 l 14205401

Configuring the Redundancy Feature in a Polycom® KIRK® Wireless Server 6000

Introduction

The redundancy feature of the Polycom® KIRK® Wireless Server 6000 solution allows
adding a backup server to the system, offering both better availability and better

performance due to load balancing. By adding a backup server, the most critical failure
point of the system is eliminated, allowing the system to continue running and provide
service to the users, even in the event that a server fails. Any active calls or sessions
handled by the failed component will however be lost.

The redundancy feature is designed to be as non-intrusive as possible. Except for a few
simple redundancy options, configuration and administration of a redundant solution is
not different from a single server solution. All configurations are executed on the
master, and everything is presented in the same familiar menus. Configuration data and
statistics are automatically propagated between all the KIRK Wireless Server 6000
entities, e.g. base stations, media resource and server.

This application note describes how to design, configure and administer a redundant
KIRK Wireless Server 6000 solution including a master and a backup server.

Note: Please note that if a third party application is connected to the KIRK Wireless

Server 6000, e.g. a messaging application or a nurse call application, this
application must connect to the master KIRK Wireless Server 6000. In case of a
failure in the master server, the application will not be able to communicate with
the handsets unless the application is designed for redundancy. This is further
described in the XML-RPC SDK document available for download on the KIRK
Wireless Server 6000 support page at www.polycom.com.

Firmware compatibility

The KIRK Wireless Server 6000 supports the redundancy feature from firmware version
PCS06A.

The communication protocol between the KIRK Wireless Server 6000, the KIRK Media
Resources and the KIRK IP Base Stations is not backward compatible starting with
PCS06A of the KIRK Wireless Server 6000 and PCS06A of the KIRK IP Base Station. This
means that KIRK IP Base Stations or KIRK Media Resources with a firmware version older
than PCS06A will not be able to connect to a KIRK Wireless Server running firmware
PCS06A or newer. To minimize downtime, update KIRK IP Base Stations, KIRK Media
Resources and KIRK Wireless Server 6000 to firmware PCS06A before rebooting any of
these. This will ensure that no firmware older than PCS06A will try to connect to a
PCS06A or newer firmware.

Design

Designing a redundant KIRK Wireless Server 6000 solution is very similar to designing
any other redundant network service. In a redundant KIRK Wireless Server 6000

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