Music On Hold

• Music On Hold Overview, on page 1

• Music On Hold Prerequisites, on page 5
• Music On Hold Configuration Task Flow, on page 5
• Music On Hold Interactions and Restrictions, on page 32
• Music On Hold Troubleshooting, on page 34

Music On Hold Overview

Use the integrated Music On Hold (MOH) feature to place on-net and off-net users on hold with music from
a streaming source. This source makes music available to any on-net or off-net device that you place on hold.
On-net devices include station devices and applications that an interactive voice response (IVR) or call
distributor places on hold, consult hold, or park hold. Off-net users include those users who are connected
through Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP) or Skinny Call Control Protocol (SCCP) gateways, Cisco
IOS H.323 gateways, and Cisco IOS Media Gateway Control Protocol gateways. The system also makes the
Music On Hold feature available for Cisco IP POTS phones that connect to the Cisco IP network through
Foreign Exchange Station (FXS) ports on Cisco IOS H.323 or MGCP and for Cisco MGCP or SCCP gateways.
Start Cisco Unified Communications Manager to create a media resource manager. Music On Hold server
registers to the media resource manager with its music on hold resources. Music On Hold server is a software
application that provides music on hold audio sources and connects a music on hold audio source to multiple
streams.
When an end device or feature places a call on hold, Cisco Unified Communications Manager connects the
held device to a music resource. When the held device is retrieved, it disconnects from the music on hold
resource and resumes normal activity.

Caller-Specific Music On Hold

For SIP calls that a phone receives over the SIP trunk, Cisco Unified Communications Manager can use a
different MOH audio source.
An external application, such as the Cisco Unified Customer Voice Portal (CVP) contact center solution,
determines the most appropriate MOH audio source based on the caller ID, dialed number, or IVR interaction
when a call is received from the public switched telephone network (PSTN).
For details, see the Cisco Unified Customer Voice Portal documentation at http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/
support/customer-collaboration/unified-customer-voice-portal/tsd-products-support-series-home.html.

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 Music On Hold
Increased Capacity of IP Voice Media Streaming Application and Expanded MOH Audio Source

Increased Capacity of IP Voice Media Streaming Application and Expanded

MOH Audio Source
Cisco IP Voice Media Streaming application is installed automatically when you install Cisco Unified
Communications Manager. Activate this application to enable the Music On Hold (MOH) feature.
With this release, the capacity of Cisco Unified Communications Manager to support unique and concurrent
MOH audio sources, while the Music On Hold service is running on the MOH server, is increased from 51
to 501. The MOH audio sources are numbered from 1 to 501 with the fixed MOH audio source remaining at
the number 51.
The fixed MOH device cannot use an audio source that connects through a USB MOH device, because Cisco
Unified Communications Manager does not support USB when running on VMware. Use of the fixed MOH
USB device is not supported on VMware. However, provision the external sound device for use with
deployments that utilize Cisco Unified Survivable Remote Site Telephony (SRST) multicast MOH.
You can configure each MOH audio source to use a custom announcement as an initial greeting and/or an
announcement that is played periodically to callers who are hearing the music. Cisco Unified Communications
Manager provides 500 custom announcements that you can use on one or multiple MOH audio sources. These
announcements are not distributed between the Cisco Unified Communications Manager servers within a
cluster. You have to upload these custom announcement files to each server that provides the MOH and
announcement services. You must also upload each custom music file for MOH audio sources to each server.

Performance Impact of Media Devices with Services

The Cisco IP Voice Media Streaming application runs as a service for four media devices—annunciator
(ANN), software conference bridge, Music On Hold (MOH), and software media termination point. Activate
this service on a Cisco Unified Communications Manager server as coresident with call processing. When
you activate this service, ensure that you configure these media devices for limited capacity to avoid any
impact on the call processing. The default settings for the media devices are defined based on this coresident
operation. You can adjust these settings by reducing the use of one or more media devices to increase other
settings.
For example, if you are not using software media termination point devices, you can choose the Run Flag
setting for the SW MTP to False, select System > Service Parameters > Cisco IP Voice Media Streaming
App service > MTP Parameters , and add the MTP Call Count setting to Media Resource > MOH Server >
Maximum Half Duplex Streams configuration. Depending on the call traffic, you can modify the default
settings. However, monitor the server performance activity for CPU, memory, and IO wait. For higher capacity
clusters, such as the ones using 7500 user OVA configuration, it is possible to increase the default media
device settings for Call Count by 25%.
For installations where you expect high usage of the media devices, such as Music On Hold, or where high
call volumes require higher number of media connections, activate the Cisco IP Voice Media Streaming
application service on one or more of the Cisco Unified Communications Manager servers which do not have
call processing activated. Activating this service limits the impact of media device usage to other services,
such as call processing. Then, you can increase the configuration settings for maximum number of calls for
the media devices.
When you activate Cisco IP Voice Media Streaming application as co-resident with Cisco Unified
Communications Manager service, it can impact call processing performance. To increase the capacity settings
for Music On Hold or annunciator from the default settings, it is suggested to activate Cisco IP Voice Media
Streaming application on a server without activating Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

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Configuration Limitations for Capacity Planning

The CPU performance is impacted by MOH when active callers are on hold or when multicast MOH audio
streams are configured.

Table 1: General Performance Results

Configuration Notes CPU Performance

Dedicated MOH server, 1000 held calls, 500 MOH 25–45% (7500 user OVA configuration)
sources with greeting and periodic announcements.

Native call queuing with dedicated MOH server and 25–45% (7500 user OVA configuration)
annunciator server, 1000 queued calls, 500 MOH
sources with greeting and periodic announcements.
An annunciator can play up to 300 simultaneous
greeting announcements.

Dedicated MOH server, 500 held calls, 500 MOH 15–35% (7500 user OVA configuration)
sources with greeting and periodic announcements.

Table 2: Extrapolated Recommendations

Configuration Recommendation Limit

When Cisco IP Voice Media Streaming application MOH: 500 held callers, 100 MOH sources, and 48 to
is co-resident with Cisco Unified Communications 64 annunciator callers.
Manager on 2500 OVA (moderate call processing).

When Cisco IP Voice Media Streaming application MOH: 750 held callers, 250 MOH sources, and 250
is a dedicated server on 2500 OVA. annunciator callers.

When Cisco IP Voice Media Streaming application MOH: 500 held callers, 250 MOH sources, and 128
is co-resident with Cisco Unified Communications annunciator callers.
Manager on 7500/10K OVA (moderate call
processing).

When Cisco IP Voice Media Streaming application MOH: 1000 held callers, 500 MOH sources, and
is a dedicated server on 7500/10K OVA. 300-700 annunciator callers (with 1 MOH codec).
Note Reduce annunciator to 300 for two MOH
codecs.

Note These recommendations are specific to MOH/ANN devices. If you combine these devices with the software
media termination point (MTP) and call forward busy (CFB) devices, reduce the limits to provide streams.

Configuration Limitations for Capacity Planning

The Cisco IP Voice Media Streaming application and Self Provisioning IVR services use a media kernel
driver to create and control Real-time Transfer Protocol (RTP) streams. This media kernel driver has a capacity
of 6000 streams. These streams allow the media devices and IVR to make resource reservations.
These reservations are based on the following capacity calculations:

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Configuration Limitations for Capacity Planning

Media Device Capacity

Annunciator (Call Count service parameter) * 3

Where 3 indicates total of receiving (RX) and transmitting (TX) calls for
endpoint and 1 for .wav file.

Software Conference Bridge (Call Count service parameter) * 2

Where 2 indicates total streams of RX and TX endpoints.

Software Media Termination (Call Count service parameter) * 2

Point
Where 2 indicates total streams of RX and TX endpoints.

Music On Hold ((Maximum Half Duplex Streams) * 3) + (501 * 2 * [number of enabled MOH
codecs])
Where:
• (Maximum Half Duplex Streams) is a configuration setting on the MOH
device configuration administration web page.
• 3 indicates total steams of RX, TX, and greeting announcement .wav
file.
• 501 indicates the maximum number of Music On Hold (MOH) sources.
• 2 indicates music .wav stream and possible multicast TX stream.
• [number of enabled MOH codecs] is based on how many MOH codecs
are enabled in the Cisco IP Voice Media Streaming application service
parameters.

Self Provisioning IVR (500 * 2)

Service
Where 500 indicates callers, and 2 indicates total streams from RX and TX
streams.

Hence, to enable MOH to support a maximum of 1000 callers, use the following equation: 1000 * 3 +
501 * 2 * 1 = 4002 driver streams with one enabled codec and 1000 * 3 +501 * 2 * 2 =
5004 with two enabled codecs. Reduce the remaining devices and deactivate the Self Provisioning IVR
service to limit total reservations to 6000, which allows the MOH device to make these reservations. It may
also require that you do not activate the Self Provisioning IVR service on the same server with Cisco IP Voice
Media Streaming application.
If configuration settings of the media devices exceed the capacity of the media device driver, the media devices
that register with the device driver first will be able to reserve their required stream resources. The media
devices that register later are restricted to fewer than requested stream resources. The later registered media
devices result in logging some alarm messages and automatically reducing the call count for the restricted
media device.

Note A media kernel driver with a capacity of 6000 streams might not support that many simultaneous media device
connections.

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Music On Hold Prerequisites

Music On Hold Prerequisites

• A Cisco Unified Communications Manager system that is configured to use the Music On Hold (MOH)
streams that the MOH server provides when a call is placed on hold.
• Before you configure multicast, ensure that you configure MOH server and audio sources. If you want
to use fixed audio source, configure it before you configure multicast.

Music On Hold Configuration Task Flow

Before you begin
• Review Music On Hold Prerequisites, on page 5

Procedure

Command or Action Purpose

Step 1 Enable Music On Hold. See Enable Music on Enable the Music On Hold service.
Hold, on page 6.
Step 2 Configure Music On Hold server. See Stream Music on Hold from Music On Hold
Configure Music On Hold Server, on page 7. data source files that are stored on their disks
or external audio source.

Step 3 Configure MOH audio. See Music On Hold • Upload a Music On Hold audio file to
Audio Source Configuration, on page 11, and make it available for use as a Music on
perform the following subtasks: Hold audio source.
• Upload an MOH audio file. See Upload • Convert the Music On Hold file to the
Music On Hold Audio File, on page 11. appropriate formats for use by the Music
• Convert MOH Files. See Convert Music On Hold server.
On Hold Files, on page 12.
• To place on-net and off-net users on hold
• Configure MOH audio source. See
(end user hold or network hold) with
Configure Music On Hold Audio Source,
music streamed from a streaming source.
on page 13.

Step 4 (Optional) Configure fixed MOH audio source. Configure the fixed MOH audio source in
See Configure Fixed Music On Hold Audio addition to the file stream sources.
Source, on page 18.
Step 5 Configure Media Resource Group. See Define logical groupings of media servers.
Configure Media Resource Group, on page
20.
Step 6 Configure Media Resource Group list. See Specify a list of prioritized media resource
Configure Media Resource Group List, on groups.
page 21.
Step 7 View MOH audio file. See View Music on View a list of Music On Hold audio files that
Hold Audio File, on page 22. are stored on the system.

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Enable Music on Hold

Command or Action Purpose

Step 8 Enable security for MOH. See Enable Security Enable security for Music On Hold devices
for Music On Hold, on page 23. through the Cluster Security Mode enterprise
parameter.
Step 9 (Optional) Enable secured MOH through When you enable the Cisco Unified
SRTP. See Enable Secured Music On Hold Communications Manager cluster or system
through SRTP, on page 24. for security, the MOH server registers with the
Cisco Unified Communications Manager as
an SRTP-capable device.

Step 10 Configure multicast by performing the Configure the various Cisco Unified
following subtasks: Communications Manager services to allow
multicasting. For details on unicast and
• Plan MOH Server capacity. See Plan
multicast audio sources, see Unicast and
Music On Hold Server Capacity, on page
Multicast Audio Sources, on page 25.
26.
• Verify Music On Hold service
parameters. See Verify Music On Hold
Service Parameters, on page 27.
• Configure multicast Music On Hold audio
sources or fixed MOH audio source. See
Configure Multicast Music On Hold
Audio Sources/Fixed MOH Audio
Source, on page 27.
• Configure multicast Music On Hold
server. See Configure Multicast Music
On Hold Server, on page 28.
• Configure a multicast-enabled media
resource group. See Configure a
Multicast-Enabled Media Resource
Group, on page 29.
• Configure multicast Music On Hold over
H.323 intercluster trunks. See Configure
Multicast Music On Hold over H.323
Intercluster Trunks, on page 30.

Step 11 (Optional) Reset or restart a Music On Hold Reset or restart a music on hold server for
server. See Reset or Restart a Music On Hold changes to take effect, if required.
Server, on page 30.
Step 12 (Optional) Synchronize Music On Hold server. Apply configuration to the selected music on
See Synchronize Music On Hold Server, on hold servers.
page 31.

Enable Music on Hold

When you install Cisco Unified Communications Manager, the Cisco IP Voice Media Streaming application
is installed automatically. However, you need to enable the Music On Hold feature to use it.

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Configure Music On Hold Server

Note During installation, Cisco Unified Communications Manager installs and configures a default Music On Hold
audio source. Music On Hold functionality can proceed by using the default audio source.

Procedure

Step 1 In Cisco Unified Serviceability, choose Application > Serviceability Webpage, and enter a valid username
and password.
Step 2 Choose Tools > Service Activation.
The Service Activation window appears.
Step 3 Choose a server from the Server drop-down list.
Step 4 From the CM Services section, check the Cisco IP Voice Media Streaming App check box.
The Music On Hold service is enabled.

What to do next
Configure Music On Hold Server, on page 7

Configure Music On Hold Server

Before you begin
• Enable Music on Hold, on page 6.
• Make sure one or multiple Music On Hold (MOH) servers are available.

Note The Cisco Unified Communications Manager MOH server is automatically added when the Cisco IP Voice
Media Streaming Application service is activated.

Procedure

Step 1 In the Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose Media Resources > Music On Hold Server.
The Find and List Music On Hold Servers window appears.
Step 2 Choose the two drop-down list boxes to search for a music on hold server.
Step 3 Choose the Music On Hold server that you want to update.
The Music On Hold (MOH) Server Configuration window appears.
Step 4 Configure the fields from the Music On Hold (MOH) Server Configuration window. See the Related Topics
section for more information about the fields and their configuration options.
Step 5 Click Save.

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Music On Hold Server Fields for Music On Hold

The Music On Hold server is updated in the database. When a server is updated, Cisco Unified Communications
Manager adds the media termination point, conference bridge, annunciator, and Music On Hold devices to
the database.

What to do next
Configure Music On Hold Audio. Perform the following procedures:
• Upload Music On Hold Audio File, on page 11
• Convert Music On Hold Files, on page 12
• Configure Music On Hold Audio Source, on page 13

Related Topics
Music On Hold Server Fields for Music On Hold, on page 8

Music On Hold Server Fields for Music On Hold

Table 3: Device Information

Field Description

Registration Displays the registration information of the device.

IPv4 Address Displays the IPv4 address.

IPv6 Address Displays the IPv6 address.

Device is trusted If the device is trusted, a green checkmark appears.

Host Server Displays the IP address of the existing host server.

Music On Hold Server Enter a unique name for the MOH server. The name can comprise up to 15
Name characters. You can form the name by using letters, numbers, spaces, dashes,
dots (periods), and underscores.

Description Enter a description for the MOH server. The description can include up to 50
characters. Ensure that this field does not contain ampersand (&), double quotes
(“), brackets ([]), less than (<), greater than (>), or the percentage (%).

Device Pool Choose a device pool for the Music On Hold server from the drop-down arrow
and choose a device pool from the list that appears.

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Music On Hold Server Fields for Music On Hold

Field Description

Location Use locations to implement call admission control (CAC) in a centralized

call-processing system. CAC enables you to regulate audio quality and video
availability by limiting the amount of bandwidth that is available for audio and
video calls over links between locations. The location specifies the total bandwidth
that is available for calls to and from this location.
From the drop-down list, choose the appropriate location for this MOH server.
The Hub_None location field indicates that the locations feature does not keep
track of the bandwidth that this MOH server consumes. The Phantom location
field indicates a location that enables successful CAC across intercluster trunks
that use H.323 or SIP protocol.
To configure a new location, use the System > Location menu option.

Maximum Half Duplex Enter a number in this required field for the maximum number of unicast Music
Streams On Hold streams that this Music On Hold server supports. This value determines
the maximum number of devices that can be on unicast Music On Hold that is
streamed from this Music On Hold server at any given time. Valid values range
from 0 to 1000.

Maximum Multi-cast Enter a number in this required field for the maximum number of multicast Music
Connections On Hold streams that this Music On Hold server supports. This value determines
the maximum number of devices that can be on multicast music on hold that is
streamed from this Music On Hold server at any given time. Valid values range
from 1 to 999999.

Fixed Audio Source Enter the device name of the fixed audio source device. This device serves as the
Device per-server override that is used if the server has a special sound device installed.

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Music On Hold Server Fields for Music On Hold

Field Description

Use Trusted Relay Point From the drop-down list, enable or disable whether Cisco Unified Communications
Manager inserts a trusted relay point (TRP) device with this media endpoint.
Choose one of the following values:
• Off—Disables the use of a TRP with this device.
• On—Enables the use of a TRP with this device.

A trusted relay point (TRP) device designates an Media Transfer Protocol (MTP)
or transcoder device that is labeled as Trusted Relay Point.
Cisco Unified Communications Manager places the TRP closest to the associated
endpoint device if more than one resource is needed for the endpoint (for example,
a transcoder or RSVPAgent).
If both TRP and MTP are required for the endpoint, TRP is used as the required
MTP.
If both TRP and RSVPAgent are needed for the endpoint, Cisco Unified
Communications Manager first tries to find an RSVPAgent that can also be used
as a TRP.
If both TRP and transcoder are needed for the endpoint, Cisco Unified
Communications Manager first tries to find a transcoder that is also designated
as a TRP.

Run Flag Use this required field to choose a run flag for the Music On Hold server. To do
so, click the drop-down arrow and choose Yes or No. Choosing No disables the
music on hold server.

Table 4: Multicast Audio Source Information

Field Description

Enable Multicast Audio Check or uncheck this check box to enable or disable the multicast of audio
Sources on this MOH sources for this Music On Hold server.
Server
Note If this MOH server belongs to a multicast media resource group, a
message asks you to enable multicast on this MOH server or to update
the specified media resource groups either by removing this MOH
server or by changing the multicast field of each listed group.

Base Multicast IP Address If multicast support is needed, enter the base multicast IP address in this field.
Valid IP addresses for multicast range from 224.0.1.0 to 239.255.255.255.
Note IP addresses between 224.0.1.0 and 238.255.255.255 are in the reserved
range of IP multicast addresses for public multicast applications. Use
of these addresses may interfere with existing multicast applications
on the Internet. We strongly recommend using IP addresses that are
in the range that is reserved for administratively controlled applications
on private networks (239.0.0.0 – 239.255.255.255).

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Music On Hold Audio Source Configuration

Field Description

Base Multicast Port If multicast support is needed, enter the base multicast port number in this field.
Number Valid multicast port numbers include even numbers that range from 16384 to
32766.

Increment Multicast on Click Port Number to increment multicast on port number.

Click IP Address to increment multicast on IP address.
Note Use multicast by incrementing IP address as the preferred method in
firewall situations. This results in a unique IP address for each multicast
audio source and helps to avoid network saturation.

Table 5: Selected Multicast Audio Sources

Field Description

No. This field designates Music On Hold audio stream number that is associated with
a particular multicast audio source. Only audio sources that are defined as allowing
multicasting appear.

Audio Source Name This field designates the name of the audio source that is defined to allow
multicasting.

Max Hops For each multicast audio source, enter the maximum number of router hops
through which multicast packets should pass. Valid values range from 1 to 127.
Note Using high values can lead to network saturation. This field also gets
identified as Time to Live.

Music On Hold Audio Source Configuration

• Upload Music On Hold Audio File, on page 11
• Convert Music On Hold Files, on page 12
• Configure Music On Hold Audio Source, on page 13
• Configure Fixed Music On Hold Audio Source, on page 18

Upload Music On Hold Audio File

When you upload an audio file, it is available for use as a Music On Hold audio source. If you use the Media
Resources > Music On Hold Audio Source menu option to add a new audio source, the addition makes the
newly uploaded audio file available in the MOH Audio Source File drop-down list.

Note You must upload Music On Hold audio source files to each MOH server.

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Convert Music On Hold Files

Before you begin

Configure Music On Hold Server, on page 7

Procedure

Step 1 In the Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose Media Resources > MOH Audio File Management.
The Music On Hold Audio File Management window appears.

Step 2 Click Upload File.

The Upload File popup window appears.

Step 3 If you know the path to a file that specifies an audio file, enter the path in the File field. If you do not know
the path and file name, search for the audio file by clicking Browse to the right of the File field. After you
find the audio file, click the desired audio file and click Open.
The path to the chosen audio file appears in the File field of the Upload File popup window.
Step 4 Click Upload to upload the specified audio file.
After the audio file gets uploaded, the Upload Result window shows the result of the upload.
Note The uploading procedure uploads the file to the Cisco Unified Communications Manager server
and performs audio conversions to create codec-specific audio files for MOH. Depending on the
size of the original file, processing may take several minutes to complete.

Note Uploading an audio source file to an MOH server uploads the file only to one MOH server. You
must upload an audio source file to each MOH server or each server in a cluster by using Cisco
Unified Communications Manager Administration on each server. MOH audio source files do not
automatically propagate to other MOH servers in a cluster.

Step 5 (Optional) Click Close to close the Upload Result window.

What to do next
• Convert Music On Hold Files, on page 12
• Configure Music On Hold Audio Source, on page 13

Convert Music On Hold Files

When you import an audio source file, Cisco Unified Communications Manager processes the file and converts
the file to the proper formats for use by the Music On Hold server.
These are some examples of a valid input audio source files:
• 16-bit PCM .wav file
• Stereo or mono
• Sample rates of 48 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 32 kHz, 16 kHz, or 8 kHz

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Configure Music On Hold Audio Source

Before you begin

Upload Music On Hold Audio File, on page 11

What to do next
• Configure Music On Hold Audio Source, on page 13

Configure Music On Hold Audio Source

Perform the following procedure to add or update a Music On Hold audio source, to associate an existing
audio source with an audio stream number, or to upload a new custom audio source.

Note If a new version of an audio source file is available, perform the update procedure to use the new version.

Procedure

Step 1 From Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose Media Resources > Music On Hold Audio Source.
The Find and List Music On Hold Audio Sources window appears.

Step 2 Enter search criteria to update an existing audio source. To list all records in the database, ensure that the
dialog box is empty. Click Find.
Step 3 Click Add New to add a new Music On Hold audio source.
Step 4 Configure the fields in the Music On Hold Audio Source Configuration window.

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Audio Source Fields for Music On Hold

Note • For the Audio Stream Number, choose from a list of available MOH source numbers that are
not already provisioned. You can provision Audio source number 51 in the MOH Fixed Audio
Source menu.
• The MOH Audio Source File drop-down list displays all the MOH source files that have been
uploaded and are available for assignment to an MOH Audio Stream Number.
• The MOH Audio Source Name is available to provide a description for this MOH Audio Source
Number.
• The Initial Announcement is optional and the drop-down list shows the available announcements.
You can use the Announcements menu to add new custom greeting announcements or change
the audio .wav file that is associated with an announcement.
• If you have to use the MOH Audio Source with the Native Call Queuing feature, the Initial
Announcement may be configured to be played before routing to a hunt member. Use the
Played before routing to Hunt Member option in the Native Call Queuing feature by using
an Annunciator. If you select the Play when call is queued option for configuring the Initial
Announcement or if you are not using the MOH Audio Source with Native Call Queuing, the
initial announcement is played to the queued or held caller by the MOH device when the caller
is queued or placed on hold.
• Use the Periodic Announcement option to choose an announcement to be played on a periodic
basis while callers are listening to the MOH Audio Source File.
• Use the Locale Announcement configuration to choose which language to be used for the
announcements if you have provisioned multiple language announcements. A MOH Audio
Source supports only one language (locale).

Step 5 Click Save.

The list box at the bottom of the window shows the new Music On Hold audio source. The MOH Audio
Source File Status pane shows the MOH audio translation status for the added source.

Audio Source Fields for Music On Hold

Table 6: Music On Hold Audio Source Information

Field Description

MOH Audio Stream Use this field to choose the stream number for this MOH audio source. Click the
Number drop-down arrow and choose a value from the list. For existing MOH audio
sources, the value appears in the MOH Audio Source title.

MOH Audio Source File Use this field to choose the file for this MOH audio source. Click the drop-down
arrow and choose a value from the list.

MOH Audio Source Enter a unique name in this field for the MOH audio source. This name includes
Name up to 50 valid characters, such as letters, numbers, spaces, dashes, dots (periods),
and underscores.

Allow Multicasting Check this check box to specify that the selected MOH audio source allows
multicasting.

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Audio Source Fields for Music On Hold

Field Description

MOH Audio Source File This pane displays the following information about the source file for the selected
Status MOH audio source:
• InputFileName
• ErrorCode
• ErrorText
• DurationSeconds
• DiskSpaceKB
• LowDateTime
• HighDateTime
• OutputFileList
• MOH Audio Translation completion date

Note OutputFileList includes information on ULAW, ALAW, G.729, and

Wideband wav files and status options.

Table 7: Announcement Settings

Field Description

Initial Announcement Choose an initial announcement from the drop-down

list.
Note To select MoH with no initial
announcement, choose the Not Selected
option.

Click the View Details link to view the following

Initial Announcement information:
• Announcement Identifier
• Description
• Default Announcement

Note • Played by MOH server only when the

Audio Source has “Allow
Multi-casting” unchecked and “Initial
Announcement Played” set to 'Only
for queued calls'.
• Played by ANN if “Allow
Multi-casting” is checked or if “Initial
Announcement Played” is set to
'Always.'

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Audio Source Fields for Music On Hold

Field Description

Initial Announcement Played Choose one of the following to determine when to

play the initial announcement:
• Play announcement before routing to Hunt
Member
• Play announcement if call is queued

Periodic Announcement Choose a periodic announcement from the drop-down

list.
Note To select MoH with no periodic
announcement, choose the Not Selected
option.

Click the View Details link to view the following

Periodic Announcement information:
• Announcement Identifier
• Description
• Default Announcement

Note Initial announcements are always simulcast

to each new caller. Periodic announcements
are multicast to queued callers at the
specified time interval. Callers who join
the queue after the periodic announcement
has begun to play may only hear a portion
of the announcement.

Periodic Announcement Interval Enter a value (in seconds) that specifies the periodic
announcement interval. Valid values are 10 to 300.
The default value is 30.

Locale Announcement Locale Announcement depends upon the locale

installation package that has been installed.
Note • Prompts played by MOH will use the
setting for Locale Announcement.
• Prompts played by ANN will use the
User Locale of the calling party.

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Audio Source Fields for Music On Hold

Table 8: Music On Hold Audio Sources

Field Description

(list of MoH audio sources) This list box shows the MOH audio source that you
add. Select the audio stream number of an MOH audio
source to configure that MoH audio source.
Audio source ID is an ID that represents an audio
source in the Music On Hold server. The audio source
can include either a file on a disk or a fixed device
from which a source stream Music On Hold server
obtains the streaming data. An MOH server can
support up to 51 audio source IDs. Each audio source,
represented by an audio source ID, can stream as
unicast and multicast mode, if needed.
Note If you select <None> , the system default
MoH audio source service parameter
(Default Network Hold MoH Audio
Source ID) is used for the MoH audio
source.

Upload File To upload an MOH audio source file that does not
appear in the drop-down list, click Upload File. In
the Upload File window, either enter the path of an
audio source file or navigate to the file by clicking
Browse. After you locate the audio source file, click
the Upload File button to complete the upload. After
the audio file gets uploaded, the Upload Result
window displays the result of the upload. Click Close
to close this window.
Note When you upload a file, the file is uploaded
to the Cisco Unified Communications
Manager server and performs audio
conversions to create codec-specific audio
files for MOH. Depending on the size of
the original file, processing may take
several minutes to complete.

Note Uploading an audio source file to an MOH

server uploads the file only to one MOH
server. You must upload an audio source
file to each MOH server in a cluster by
using Cisco Unified Communications
Manager Administration on each server.
MOH audio source files do not
automatically propagate to other MOH
servers in a cluster.

Music On Hold
17
 Music On Hold
Configure Fixed Music On Hold Audio Source

Configure Fixed Music On Hold Audio Source

The Music On Hold server supports one fixed-device stream source in addition to the file stream sources.
This source represents the fixed audio source, which you configure in the Fixed MOH Audio Source
Configuration window. The fixed audio source originates from a fixed device that uses the local computer
audio driver.
For each cluster, you may define one fixed audio source. You must set up the fixed audio source that is
configured per cluster on each MOH server.

Before you begin

Configure Music On Hold Audio. Perform the following procedures:
• Upload Music On Hold Audio File, on page 11
• Convert Music On Hold Files, on page 12
• Configure Music On Hold Audio Source, on page 13

Procedure

Step 1 In the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, choose Media Resources > Fixed MOH
Audio Source.
The Fixed MOH Audio Source Configuration window appears.

Step 2 Configure the fields in the Fixed MOH Audio Source Configuration window. See the Related Topics section
for more information about the fields and their configuration options.
Step 3 Click Save.

What to do next
Configure Media Resource Group, on page 20
Related Topics
Fixed Music on Hold Audio Source Fields for Music On Hold, on page 18

Fixed Music on Hold Audio Source Fields for Music On Hold

Table 9: Fixed MOH Audio Source Information

Field Description

Source ID This field displays the stream number for this fixed
MOH audio source.

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18
Music On Hold
Fixed Music on Hold Audio Source Fields for Music On Hold

Field Description

Name Enter a unique name in this field for the fixed MOH
audio source. This name can comprise up to 50
characters. Valid characters include letters, numbers,
spaces, dashes, dots (periods), and underscores.
Note For virtual servers, the fixed Music On
Hold device cannot specify an audio source
that connects through a Universal Serial
Bus (USB), because Cisco Unified
Communications Manager does not support
USB when running on VMware. Internal
Music On Hold is supported on VMware.

Allow Multi-casting Check this check box to specify that this fixed MOH
audio source allows multicasting.

Enable (If checked, Name is required.) To enable this fixed MOH audio source, check this
check box.

Table 10: Announcement Settings for Held and Hunt Pilot Calls

Field Description

Initial Announcement Choose an initial announcement from the drop-down

list box.
Note To select MOH with no initial
announcement, choose the default option,
which is Not Selected.

Select View Details to view the following Initial

Announcement information:
• Announcement Identifier
• Description
• Default Announcement

Note To disable Initial Announcement

completely, set Initial Announcement to
Not Selected and set Initial
Announcement Played to Only for
Queued Calls.

Initial Announcement for queuing-enabled Hunt Pilot Choose one of the following options from the
calls drop-down list:
• Play announcement before routing to Hunt
Member
• Play announcement if call is queued

Music On Hold
19
 Music On Hold
Configure Media Resource Group

Field Description

Periodic Announcement Choose a periodic announcement from the drop-down

list:
Note To select MOH with no periodic
announcement, choose the default option,
which is Not Selected.

Click the View Details link to view the following

Periodic Announcement information:
• Announcement Identifier
• Description
• Default Announcement

Periodic Announcement Interval Enter a value (in seconds) that specifies the periodic
announcement interval. Valid values specify 10 to
300. The default value is 30.

Locale Announcement Locale Announcement depends upon the locale

installation package that has been installed.

Configure Media Resource Group

Media Resource Group is a logical grouping of media servers. You may associate a media resource group
with a geographical location or a site, as required. You can also form media resource groups to control server
usage, or unicast or multicast service type.

Before you begin

Configure Music On Hold Audio. Perform the following procedures:
• Upload Music On Hold Audio File, on page 11
• Convert Music On Hold Files, on page 12
• Configure Music On Hold Audio Source, on page 13

(Optional) Configure Fixed Music On Hold Audio Source, on page 18

Procedure

Step 1 In the Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose Media Resources > Media Resource Group.
Step 2 Click Add New if you have to configure a new Media Resource Group.
The Media Resource Group Configuration window appears.
Step 3 Enter search parameters to find a Media Resource Group if you have to configure an existing Media Resource
Group.

Music On Hold
20
 Music On Hold
Configure Media Resource Group List

The system displays the records that match all the criteria in the Media Resource Group Configuration
window.
Step 4 Configure the following fields in the Media Resource Group Configuration window:
• Name—Enter a name for the media resource group.
• Available Media Resources—From this list, select one or multiple media resources.
• Selected Media Resources—Using the arrow key, select one or multiple media resources to use for
multicasting.

Step 5 Click Save.

This media resource group is then configured to be a member of a Media Resource Group List (MRGL). The
MRGL is associated with devices, such as phones.

What to do next
Configure Media Resource Group List, on page 21

Configure Media Resource Group List

Media Resource Group List lists the prioritized media resource groups. An application can select required
media resources from among ones that are available according to the priority order that is defined in a media
resource group list.
• Held parties determine the media resource group list that a Cisco Unified Communications Manager uses
to allocate a Music On Hold resource.
• Following are the two levels of prioritized media resource group list selection:
• Level two media resource group list—Provides the higher priority level, which is device based.
Cisco Unified Communications Manager uses the media resource group list at the device level if
this media resource group list is defined.
• Level one media resource group list—Provides the lower priority level, which is an optional
DevicePool parameter. Cisco Unified Communications Manager uses the DevicePool level media
resource group list only if no media resource group list is defined in the device level for that device.

• If no media resource group lists are defined, Cisco Unified Communications Manager uses the system
default resources. System default resources comprise resources that are not assigned to any existing
media resource group. Ensure that system default resources are unicast.

Before you begin

Configure Media Resource Group, on page 20

Procedure

Step 1 In Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose Media Resources > Media Resource Group List.
Step 2 Click Add New if you have to configure a new Media Resource Group List.

Music On Hold
21
 Music On Hold
View Music on Hold Audio File

The Media Resource Group List Configuration window appears.

Step 3 Enter search parameters to find a Media Resource Group List if you have to configure an existing Media
Resource Group List.
The system displays the records that match all the criteria.
Step 4 Configure the following fields in the Media Resource Group List Configuration window:
• Name—Enter a name for the media resource group list.
• Available Media Resource Groups—From this list, select one or multiple media resource groups.
• Selected Media Resource Groups—Using the arrow key, select one or multiple media resource groups.

Step 5 Click Save.

What to do next
View Music on Hold Audio File, on page 22

View Music on Hold Audio File

Perform the following procedure to view music on hold audio files that are stored on the system.

Before you begin

Configure Media Resource Group List, on page 21

Procedure

Step 1 In Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose Media Resources > MOH Audio File Management.
The Music On Hold Audio File Management window appears.
Step 2 View the following information for each record:
• Check box—If the audio file can be deleted, a check box appears before the File Name column.
• File Name—This column displays the audio file name.
• Length—This column displays the audio file length in minutes and seconds.
• File Status—This column displays one of the following statuses of an audio file:
• Translation Complete—This status appears after a file is uploaded successfully and is available
for use as audio files for a music on hold audio source.
• In Use—This status appears after you add a Music On Hold audio source that uses this audio file
as its MOH audio source file.
Note You cannot a delete a file with In Use status.

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22
 Music On Hold
Enable Security for Music On Hold

What to do next
Enable Security for Music On Hold, on page 23

Enable Security for Music On Hold

You can enable the security mode of an MOH server in a cluster. Select a value in the Cluster Security Mode
enterprise parameter so that the Music On Hold devices are automatically enabled for security. Enter one of
the following values for this parameter:
• 0—Implies Non Secure, which means that the cluster allows the phones to register with no security.
• 1—Implies Mixed, which means that the cluster allows the registration of both secure devices and
non-secure devices.

Note The Cluster Security Mode enterprise parameter is a noneditable parameter. To change the cluster security
mode, you must run the Certificate Trust List (CTL) Client plugin. Then, you must restart Cisco Unified
Communications Manager for the parameter change to take effect.

Before you begin

View Music on Hold Audio File, on page 22

Procedure

Step 1 In Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose System > Enterprise Parameters.

Step 2 In the Security Parameters section, set the Cluster Security Mode option to 1.

What to do next
(Optional) Enable Secured Music On Hold through SRTP, on page 24
Configure multicast by performing the following subtasks:
• Plan Music On Hold Server Capacity, on page 26
• Verify Music On Hold Service Parameters, on page 27
• Configure Multicast Music On Hold Audio Sources/Fixed MOH Audio Source, on page 27
• Configure Multicast Music On Hold Server, on page 28
• Configure a Multicast-Enabled Media Resource Group, on page 29
• Configure Multicast Music On Hold over H.323 Intercluster Trunks, on page 30

Music On Hold
23
 Music On Hold
Enable Secured Music On Hold through SRTP

Enable Secured Music On Hold through SRTP

Cisco Unified Communications Manager enhances the Cisco IP Voice Media Streaming application service
to support Secure Real-Time Protocol (SRTP). Hence, when you enable the Cisco Unified Communications
Manager cluster or system for security, the MOH server registers with Cisco Unified Communications Manager
as an SRTP capable device. If the receiving device is also SRTP-capable, the music media is encrypted before
streaming to the receiving device.

Note In a secure mode, the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration device page for Music On
Hold displays a Device is trusted message with a green check box, indicating that it is a trusted device.

Before you begin

Enable Security for Music On Hold, on page 23

Procedure

Step 1 In the Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose System > Enterprise Parameters.
Step 2 In Enterprise Parameters window, set the Cluster Security Mode parameter to Mixed Mode.
Note The media streaming between the devices is done through SRTP. When calls are secure, an icon
with a secured lock appears on the Cisco Unified IP Phone, indicating that the call is protected for
both signaling and media.

This parameter indicates the security mode of the cluster. A value of 0 indicates Non Secure (phones register
in nonsecure mode); 1 indicates Mixed (the cluster allows the registration of both secure devices and nonsecure
devices). Because this parameter is read-only, to change the cluster security mode, you must run the CTL
Client plugin.

Step 3 Click Save, and restart Cisco Unified Communications Manager for the parameter change to take effect.

What to do next
Configure multicast by performing the following subtasks:
• Plan Music On Hold Server Capacity, on page 26
• Verify Music On Hold Service Parameters, on page 27
• Configure Multicast Music On Hold Audio Sources/Fixed MOH Audio Source, on page 27
• Configure Multicast Music On Hold Server, on page 28
• Configure a Multicast-Enabled Media Resource Group, on page 29
• Configure Multicast Music On Hold over H.323 Intercluster Trunks, on page 30

Music On Hold
24
 Music On Hold
Unicast and Multicast Audio Sources

Unicast and Multicast Audio Sources

Unicast Music On Hold is the system default option. However, you need to configure for multicast, if required.
Both multicast and unicast configurations present the same audio-source behavior to held parties. Each audio
source is used once, and the stream is split internally and is sent to the held parties. The only difference between
multicast and unicast, in this case, is how the data is sent over the network.

Table 11: Differences Between Unicast and Multicast Audio Sources

Unicast Audio Source Multicast Audio Source

Consists of streams that are sent directly from the Consists of streams that are sent from the MOH server
MOH server to the endpoint that requests an MOH to a multicast group IP address. Endpoints that request
audio stream. an MOH audio stream can join multicast MOH, as
needed.

A unicast MOH stream is a point-to-point, one-way A multicast MOH stream is a point-to-multipoint,

audio RTP stream between the server and the endpoint one-way audio RTP stream between the MOH server
device. and the multicast group IP address.

Unicast MOH uses a separate source stream for each Enables multiple users to use the same audio source
user or connection. As more endpoint devices go on stream to provide MOH.
hold through a user or network event, the number of
MOH streams increases.

An MOH audio source may be configured with an For multicast users, this announcement is not heard.
initial (greeting) announcement, which will be played
to unicast held parties. For unicast MOH users, this
announcement is heard from the beginning.

The additional MOH streams can have a negative Multicast MOH conserves system resources and
effect on network throughput and bandwidth. bandwidth.

Extremely useful in networks in which multicast is Can be problematic in situations in which a network
not enabled or devices are incapable of multicast. is not enabled for multicast or the endpoint devices
are incapable of processing multicast.

Includes managing devices only. Includes managing devices, IP addresses, and ports.

No requirement to define the Music On Hold server. Administrators must define at least one audio source
to allow multicasting. To define Music On Hold
servers for multicast, first define the server to allow
multicasting.

Functions without configuring MOH audio source, Functions only if both media resource groups and
MOH server, or media resource group list. media resource group lists are defined to include a
multicast Music On Hold server. For media resource
groups, you must include a Music On Hold server that
is set up for multicast. These servers are labeled as
(MOH) [Multicast]. Also, check the Use Multicast
for MOH Audio check box when you define a media
resource group for multicast.

Music On Hold
25
 Music On Hold
Multicast Configuration

Note The Multicast MOH Direction Attribute for SIP service parameter determines whether Cisco Unified
Communications Manager sets the direction attribute of the Session Description Protocol (SDP) in its multicast
Music On Hold (MOH) INVITE message to sendOnly or recvOnly.
If your deployment uses SIP phone uses Release 8.4 and earlier for Cisco Unified IP Phones 7940 and 7960,
or SIP phone uses Release 8.1(x) and earlier for Cisco Unified IP Phones 7906, 7911, 7941, 7961, 7970, and
7971, set this parameter to sendOnly. Otherwise, leave this parameter set to the default value, recvOnly.

Multicast Configuration
Plan Music On Hold Server Capacity
It is crucial to plan the capacity of the deployed and configured hardware and to ensure the support it can
provide for the anticipated call volume of the network. You need to know the hardware capacity for MOH
resources and consider the implications of multicast and unicast MOH in relation to this capacity. Ensure that
network call volumes do not exceed these limits. When MOH sessions reach these limits, an additional load
can result in poor MOH quality, erratic MOH operation, or loss of MOH functionality.

Before you begin

• Enable Security for Music On Hold, on page 23
• (Optional) Enable Secured Music On Hold through SRTP, on page 24

Procedure

Step 1 In Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose Media Resources > Music on Hold Server.
Step 2 In the Find and List Music On Hold Servers window, enter the search parameters and click Find.
The system displays the records that match all the criteria.
Step 3 Check the check box of the MOH Server for which you want to plan the capacity.
The Music On Hold (MOH) Server Configuration window appears.
Step 4 Configure the following fields in the Music On Hold (MOH) Server Configuration window:
• Maximum Half Duplex Streams—This parameter determines the number of devices that you can place
on unicast MOH. By default, this value is set to 250. Set this parameter to the value that is derived from
the following formula:
(Server and deployment capacity) – ([Number of multicast MOH sources] * [Number of
enabled MOH codecs])

The value of this parameter should be set according to the platform and deployment type (coresident or
standalone).
Note Regarding the maximum suggested number of MOH streams (250 MOH streams on Cisco
MCS 7815 and 7825 Series and 500 MOH streams on Cisco MCS 7835 and 7845 Series) –
Count each multicast audio source as two MOH streams. For example, for Cisco MCS 7835
and 7845 Series, if three multicast MOH audio sources and four codecs are enabled, no more
than 476 unicast MOH streams should be generated at the same time (2 * 3 * 4 + 476 = 500).

Music On Hold
26
 Music On Hold
Verify Music On Hold Service Parameters

• Maximum Multi-cast Connections—This parameter determines the number of devices that you can
place on multicast MOH. By default, this value is set to 30,000. Set this parameter to a value that ensures
that all devices can be placed on multicast MOH, if necessary. Although the MOH server can generate
only a finite number of multicast streams (a maximum of 204), many held devices can join each multicast
stream. This parameter should be set to a number that is greater than or equal to the number of devices
that might be placed on multicast MOH at any given time.

Step 5 Click Save.

The changes take place when the streaming to the device is idle.

What to do next
Verify Music On Hold Service Parameters, on page 27

Verify Music On Hold Service Parameters

Perform the following procedure to verify the Music On Hold server and its service parameters:

Before you begin

Plan Music On Hold Server Capacity, on page 26

Procedure

Step 1 In Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose System > Service Parameters.

The Service Parameter Configuration window appears.
Step 2 Select a server from the Server drop-down list.
After you select a server, the Service field appears.
Step 3 Select a service from the Service drop-down list.
The server and service parameters appear in the Service Parameter Configuration window.
Step 4 Verify the server and service parameters.
Note All the parameters apply only to the current server except the parameters that are in the cluster-wide
groups.

Step 5 Click Save.

What to do next
Configure Multicast Music On Hold Audio Sources/Fixed MOH Audio Source, on page 27

Configure Multicast Music On Hold Audio Sources/Fixed MOH Audio Source

For multicast to be available, configure the Cisco Unified Communications Manager services to allow
multicasting on MOH audio sources or fixed MOH audio source.

Music On Hold
27
 Music On Hold
Configure Multicast Music On Hold Server

Before you begin

Verify Music On Hold Service Parameters, on page 27

Procedure

Step 1 In Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose Media Resources > Music On Hold Audio Source.
Step 2 Enter search parameters to find a Music On Hold audio source.
The system displays the records that match all the criteria.
Step 3 In the Music On Hold Audio Source Configuration window, check the Allow Multi-casting checkbox to
allow multicasting.
Step 4 Click Save.

What to do next
Configure Multicast Music On Hold Server, on page 28

Configure Multicast Music On Hold Server

After you allow multicast Music On Hold (MOH) on audio sources, you must enable the MOH server for
multicast Music on Hold.
When you use multicast MOH and when the devices that listen to multicast MOH streams are not in the same
IP network, you must enable multicast routing in the IP network. Take care when you enable the multicast
routing to avoid the potential flooding of parts of the network with wrongly sent multicast packets (specially,
across WAN links). Disable multicasts on interfaces on which the multicast MOH packets are not required
and use the Max Hops parameter.

Note To use multicast MOH when you use Media Resource Group and Media Resource Group Lists to implement
media-resources access control and when you assign a multicast MOH server to a Media Resource Group,
you must also enable multicast MOH for the Media Resource Group.

Before you begin

Configure Multicast Music On Hold Audio Sources/Fixed MOH Audio Source, on page 27

Procedure

Step 1 In Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose Media Resources > Music On Hold Server.
Step 2 Enter search parameters to find a Music On Hold server.
The system displays the records that match all the criteria.
Step 3 In the Music On Hold (MOH) Server Configuration window, check the Enable Multi-cast Audio Sources
on this MOH Server checkbox.
The Base Multi-cast IP Address, Base Multi-cast Port Number, and Increment Multi-cast On fields are
populated automatically. You can modify these values as desired.

Music On Hold
28
 Music On Hold
Configure a Multicast-Enabled Media Resource Group

Step 4 (Optional) Configure the following fields in the Music On Hold (MOH) Server Configuration window:
• Base Multi-cast IP Address—Enter the multicast IP addresses that range from 224.0.1.0 to
239.255.255.255.
Note IP addresses between 224.0.1.0 and 238.255.255.255 fall in the reserved range of IP multicast
addresses for public multicast applications. Use of such addresses may interfere with existing
multicast applications on the Internet. Use IP addresses in the range that is reserved for
administratively controlled applications on private networks (239.0.0.0 - 239.255.255.255).

• Base Multi-cast Port Number—Enter the multicast port numbers that include even numbers and range
from 16384 to 32766.
Note Increment multicast on IP address instead of on port number. Doing so results in each multicast
audio source to have a unique IP address and helps to avoid network saturation in firewall
situations.

• Increment Multi-cast On—Click Port Number to increment multicast on port number or click IP
Address to increment multicast on IP address.
Note All MOH audio sources that you configure to allow multicasting are listed in the Selected Multicast
Audio Sources section of the Music On Hold (MOH) Server Configuration window.

Step 5 Click Save.

What to do next
Configure a Multicast-Enabled Media Resource Group, on page 29

Configure a Multicast-Enabled Media Resource Group

Multicast Music On Hold (MOH) works only if you assign the Multicast-enabled MOH server to a
Multicast-enabled Media Resource Group. Configure this Media Resource Group to be a member of a Media
Resource Group List. Then, you can associate the Media Resource Group List with devices, such as phones.

Before you begin

• Assign a multicast-enabled MOH server to a multicast-enabled Media Resource Group for the multicast
MOH to work.
• Configure Multicast Music On Hold Server, on page 28

Procedure

Step 1 In Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose Media Resources > Media Resource Group.
Step 2 Enter search parameters to find a Media Resource Group.
The system displays the records that match all the criteria.
Step 3 Configure the following fields in the Media Resource Group Configuration window:
• Name—Enter a name for the media resource group

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29
 Music On Hold
Configure Multicast Music On Hold over H.323 Intercluster Trunks

• Available Media Resources—From this list, select one or multiple media resources.
• Selected Media Resources—Using the arrow key, select one or multiple media resources to use for
multicasting.

Step 4 Check the Use Multi-cast for MOH Audio check box, if at least one multicast resource is available.
Step 5 Click Save.
This media resource group is then configured to be a member of a Media Resource Group List (MRGL). The
MRGL is associated with devices, such as phones.

What to do next
Configure Multicast Music On Hold over H.323 Intercluster Trunks, on page 30

Configure Multicast Music On Hold over H.323 Intercluster Trunks

Using the multicast MOH over H.323 intercluster trunk feature, you can multicast MOH to work over H.323
intercluster trunks (ICT).
Consider these guidelines for configuring multicast MOH:
• This feature does not work if any middle box between Cisco Unified Communications Managers does
not pass the new fields in Terminal Capability Set (TCS) and OLC message.
• This feature requires no additional configuration for field up multicast MOH, and applies only between
Cisco Unified Communications Managers that support single-transmitter multicast.
• The feature remains active by default. To turn off the feature, set the value of the Send Multicast MOH
in H.245 OLC Message service parameter to False. Setting this value can resolve interoperability issues
that the feature might cause.

Procedure

Step 1 In Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose System > Service Parameters.

Step 2 In the Service Parameter Configuration window, select a server and the CallManager service.
Step 3 In the Clusterwide Parameters (Service) section, set the value of Send Multicast MOH in H.245 OLC
Message service parameter to True.
Step 4 Click Save.

Reset or Restart a Music On Hold Server

Perform the following procedure to reset or restart an existing Music On Hold server.

Before you begin

Configure multicast by performing the following subtasks:
• Plan Music On Hold Server Capacity, on page 26
• Verify Music On Hold Service Parameters, on page 27

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30
 Music On Hold
Synchronize Music On Hold Server

• Configure Multicast Music On Hold Audio Sources/Fixed MOH Audio Source, on page 27
• Configure Multicast Music On Hold Server, on page 28
• Configure a Multicast-Enabled Media Resource Group, on page 29
• Configure Multicast Music On Hold over H.323 Intercluster Trunks, on page 30

Procedure

Step 1 In Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose Media Resources > Music On Hold Server.
Step 2 Check the check box for the Music On Hold server that you want to reset, and click Reset.
A popup window shows an information message.
Step 3 Click Restart to restart the Music On Hold server, or click Reset to reset the Music On Hold server.

What to do next
(Optional) Synchronize Music On Hold Server, on page 31

Synchronize Music On Hold Server

To synchronize a Music on Hold Server with the most recent configuration changes, perform the following
procedure. After you perform this procedure any outstanding configuration is applied in the least-intrusive
manner possible. For example, a reset or restart may not be required on few affected devices.

Procedure

Step 1 In Cisco Unified CM Administration, choose Media Resources > Music On Hold Server.
Step 2 Enter search parameters to find a Music On Hold server, and click Find.
The system displays the search results for the records that match all the criteria.
Step 3 Check the check boxes next to the Music On Hold servers that you want to synchronize. To select all MOH
servers in the window, check the check box in the matching records title bar.
Step 4 Click Apply Config to Selected.
Step 5 Click OK.

Music On Hold
31
 Music On Hold
Music On Hold Interactions and Restrictions

Music On Hold Interactions and Restrictions

Music On Hold Interactions
Feature Interaction

Multicast Music On Hold Using the multicast MOH over H.323 intercluster trunk feature, you can multicast
over H.323 Intercluster MOH to work over H.323 intercluster trunks (ICT). When a call connects over
Trunks an intercluster trunk and one of the parties presses the Hold key, MOH streams
over the intercluster trunk. If you have turned on the multicast MOH and have
configured the holding party and trunk to use the multicast MOH server, MOH
streams with multicast. Only one multicast MOH stream streams over the trunk
regardless of the number of calls that are put on hold on this trunk.

Music On Hold Failover The MOH server supports Cisco Unified Communications Manager lists and
and Fallback failover as implemented by the software conference bridge and media termination
point. Upon failover, the system maintains connections to a backup Cisco Unified
Communications Manager, if available.
When a Music On Hold server fails during an active Music On Hold session, the
held party hears no music from this point. However, this situation does not affect
normal call functions.

Call Park and Directed Music On Hold allows users to place calls on hold with music that a streaming
Call Park source provides. Music On Hold allows two types of hold:
• User hold—The system invokes this type of hold when a user presses the
Hold button or Hold softkey.
• Network hold—This type of hold takes place when a user activates the
Transfer, Conference, or Call Park feature, and the hold automatically gets
invoked. This hold type applies to directed call park because directed call
park is a transfer function. However, Directed Call Park uses the Cisco Call
Manager service parameter, Default Network Hold MOH Audio Source, for
the audio source.

Extension Mobility Cross Examples include RSVP Agent, TRP, Music On Hold (MOH), MTP, transcoder,
Cluster—Media resources and conference bridge.
for the visiting phone
Media resources are local to the visiting phone (other than RSVP Agents).

Hold Reversion Cisco Unified Communications Manager supports MOH on a reverted call if
MOH is configured for a normal held call.

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32
 Music On Hold
Music On Hold Restrictions

Music On Hold Restrictions

Restriction Description

Multicast Music On Hold Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) and media termination point (MTP)
Support devices do not support the multicast Music On Hold feature. If you configure
CTI or MTP devices with a multicast MoH device in the media resource
group list of the CTI device, call control issues may result. CTI and MTP
devices do not support multicast media streaming.

Internet Protocol Support Multicast Music On Hold supports only IPv4. The Cisco IP Voice Media
Streaming Application, which is a component of Music On Hold, supports
both IPv4 and IPv6 audio media connections for unicast Music On Hold.
Multicast Music On Hold supports IPv4 only. Devices with an IP addressing
mode of IPv6 only cannot support multicast.

Distribution of fixed-device Cisco Unified Communications Manager does not support distribution of
audio sources fixed-device (hardware) audio sources across Music On Hold servers within
a media resource group.

Unacceptable Audio Quality Because the G.729a codec is designed for human speech, if you use it with
with G.729a codec Music On Hold for music, it may not provide acceptable audio quality.

Cisco Unified Communications A Cisco Unified Communications Manager cluster or system supports only
Manager System Support virtualized deployments on Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) servers
or other Cisco-approved third-party server configurations. You cannot use
the Music On Hold feature with an external source (USB audio dongle) for
the nodes that provide MOH from an external source.

Multicast Support The administrator can designate a Music On Hold server as either unicast
or multicast, provided that resources exist to support multicast.

Caller-specific MOH Support Caller-specific MOH is not supported when calls are received or transferred
over QSIG tunneling-enabled SIP trunks.

MP3 Format Support The Music On Hold feature does not support the MP3 format.

Interoperability between H.323 Multicast MOH does not support interoperability between H.323 and SIP
and SIP Protocols protocols.

SRTP Support Multicast MoH audio streams are not encrypted and do not support SRTP.

Multicast Streams MTPs do not support multicast streams.

Encryption of Multicast Music Cisco Unified Communications Manager does not support encryption of
On Hold RTP Streams multicast Music On Hold RTP streams. For secure MOH audio, you should
not configure multicast audio sources.

Fixed Music On Hold Device The fixed Music On Hold device cannot specify an audio source that
connects through a USB, because Cisco Unified Communications Manager
does not support USB when running on VMware. However, VMware
supports internal Music On Hold.

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Music On Hold Troubleshooting

Restriction Description

MOH Server Failure Cisco Unified Communications Manager takes no action when a Music On
Hold server fails during an active Music On Hold session.

Multicast MOH When an MTP resource gets invoked in a call leg at a site that is using
multicast MOH, Cisco Unified Communications Manager falls back to
unicast MOH instead of multicast MOH.

Provisioning If you do not provision the user and network MOH audio source identifiers,
or if one or both values are invalid, the caller-specific MOH information
in the SIP header is ignored. The call reverts to tone on hold and an invalid
MOH audio source alarm is raised.

Header Values • When both the user and network MOH audio source identifiers are
present in the header, any invalid value is replaced by the default value
(0).
• If both values are zero, or the only value is zero, the header in the
incoming INVITE is ignored.

MOH Audio Source Identifier • If you provide only one MOH audio source identifier in the SIP header,
including if a comma appears before or after the MOH audio source
identifier value, the same MOH ID is used for both user and network
MOH. The SIP trunk populates both the user and the network MOH
audio source identifiers in the SIP header so that Call Control always
receive both values.
• If there are more than two MOH audio source identifier values
separated by a comma in the header, then the first two values are used.
Subsequent values are ignored.

Administrators for Consistent Administrators are responsible to maintain consistent caller-specific MOH
Caller-specific MOH configurations when multiple Cisco Unified Communications Manager
Configurations clusters are involved.

Original Incoming Caller The original incoming caller to the call center cannot change during the
course of the entire call.

MOH Information The Music On Hold information is shared only across SIP trunks.

Music On Hold Troubleshooting

Music On Hold Does Not Play on Phone
Phone user cannot hear Music On Hold.
• G.729a codec is used with MOH for music, which may not provide acceptable audio quality.
• An MTP resource is invoked in a call leg at a site that is using multicast MoH.

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Music On Hold
Music On Hold Does Not Play on Phone

• Verify the IP addressing mode of the device where Music On Hold is played. If the IP addressing mode
for the device is IPv6 Only and if Music On Hold is configured for unicast Music On Hold, ensure that
a dual-stack MTP is configured and available for media translation.
• When an MTP resource gets invoked in a call leg at a site that is using multicast MoH, the caller receives
silence instead of Music On Hold. To avoid this scenario, configure unicast MoH or Tone on Hold instead
of multicast MoH.

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 Music On Hold
Music On Hold Does Not Play on Phone

Music On Hold
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