Summary
This article describes how to install Broadcast Server.
Requirements
Broadcast Server is a software component residing inside Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS). As such, the minimum requirements for Broadcast Server are:
- A 1 gigahertz (GHz) Intel Pentium CPU with 256 megabytes (MB) RAM and 50 MB hard disk space.
- Windows 2000 Server Service Pack 4, Windows XP Service Pack 2, or Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1.
- Microsoft IIS 5.0 for Windows 2000 or Microsoft IIS 6.0 for Windows 2003 with ASP enabled; Windows XP (limited)
Note: If your distribution list has 10 or fewer entries and you have a small number of phones, you can also alternatively install Broadcast Server on Windows XP and use Microsoft IIS 6.0 for Windows XP. A limitation of Windows XP is that it cannot handle more than 10 concurrent requests.
As a result, if this limit is exceeded, IIS does not receive confirmations from the Application Gateway and thus sends duplicate alerts to some subscribers. In addition, Windows XP can subscribe only 10 phones at a time. - ActiveX controls must be downloadable from the Web server.
- The server must have a static IP address.
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or later.
- The server must be configured to use the same Network Time Protocol (NTP) time server as the Application Gateway.
- Client requirements fall into two categories—users and subscribers.
Users: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or later.
Subscribers: Supported Cisco IP phones (refer to the Pre-Installation Checklist for information on supported phones).
Background
Broadcast Server delivers alerts consisting of text, graphics, and audio to IP phones.
Using a Web-based interface to create alerts, the Broadcast Server user targets the alerts for delivery to groups of telephones. The grouping of subscribers (that is, telephones) is based on user-defined distribution lists.
Procedure
The Broadcast Server installer is provided on a CD-ROM. On-screen prompts guide you through the required steps.
Note: The credentials requested are for Broadcast Server only.
- On the device to be used as the Broadcast Server, insert the Broadcast Server CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive.
- If the installer does not start automatically, run setup.exe.
- Follow the steps in the Setup Wizard. Upon completion, the Setup program opens a browser window displaying the Broadcast Server Configuration Wizard.
- Follow the steps in the Configuration Wizard.
Note: Use a static IP address for Broadcast Server.
- Upon completion, the Configuration Wizard opens the Broadcast Server administration window.
- Log on and complete the items listed in the Outstanding tasks area on the Broadcast Server home page. These steps include changing the administrative password, defining groups, and creating users.
Connecting the Application Gateway and Broadcast Server:
To enable the Application Gateway to locate Broadcast Server, you must specify the route to the Broadcast Server in the Application Gateway Administration Tool. The Application Gateway communicates with the Broadcast Server over port 9998.
To specify the Application Gateway route to Broadcast Server:
- Make sure that the Application Gateway is running.
- From a Web browser, connect to the Application Gateway by entering the following URL:
https://<ipAddress>:<adminPort>
Where <ipAddress> is the IP address of your Application Gateway and <adminPort> is the administration port of your Application Gateway (9001). - If a Security Alert dialog box appears, click Yes.
- Click the Operation tab. The Administration Tool logon dialog appears.
- Enter your administrative user name and password for the Application Gateway. The default credentials are root/rootadmin.
- Go to the Operation > Voice Office > IP Phone page.
- Click Submit.
The Application Gateway registers with Broadcast Server so that the two servers can communicate.
Note: After you restart the Application Gateway, its system log indicates whether the registration was successful. For example:
“bcs: AG Successfully Registered with BCS at http://bcs_ip/bcs
bcs: AG Registration Failed at http://bcs_ip/bcs HTTP Code 500”
Synchronizing the Broadcast Server and Application Gateway clocks:
The clocks on the Broadcast Server and Application Gateway must be synchronized. If the time on the Broadcast Server is ahead of the time on the Application Gateway, messages are sent to phones after the time difference between the two. If the time of the Broadcast Server is behind the time on the Application Gateway, no messages are sent.
The Application Gateway synchronizes with an NTP time server based on the Time Zone and Time Server that you specify on the Administration > Date page. Use an Internet Time Service (ITS) tool to synchronize the Broadcast Server with the specified time server. For more information, refer to NIST Internet Time Service.
Confirming installation and configuration:
To test your configuration:
- From a Web browser, connect to the Broadcast Server Web-based interface by entering the following URL:
http://BCS_ipAddress/BCS - To send a broadcast, specify the distribution list(s) to receive the alert. You can work with automatically created distribution lists and custom distribution lists as follows:
- The Application Gateway supplies distribution lists to the Broadcast Server from the departments defined in the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) and/or comma-separated value (CSV) directory sources specified on the Application Gateway Administration Tool’s Operation > Voice Office > Directory page. You can verify the members of a distribution list on the Broadcast Server Managed Distribution List page.
- You can use the Manage Distribution List page to create a distribution list and add subscribers to it.
- In the Broadcast Server interface, click Messages to create a text alert and send it to one or more distribution lists. Verify that the alert is retrieved correctly by the telephone(s).
- Create a graphic alert and send it to one or more groups. Verify that the alert is retrieved correctly by the telephone(s).
- Delete the test alerts created in the previous steps. The Broadcast Server is now ready for production. You can begin posting alerts.
