Unified Communications

The growing use of Wi-FiWi-Fi is a technology that allows electronic devices to connect to a WLAN network, mainly using the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio bands. Wi-Fi can apply to products that use any 802.11 standard. and the proliferation of mobile, tablet, portable, and smart devices and clients cause control and visibility challenges for communication and collaboration applications such as Lync or Skype for Business. To overcome these challenges, Aruba offers the Unified Communications service to manage your enterprise communication ecosystem.

The Unified Communications service provides a seamless user experience for voice and video calls and application sharing when using Lync or Skype for Business applications. The service actively monitors and provides visibility into Lync or Skype for Business traffic and allows you to prioritize sessions. The Unified Communications service leverages the functions of the service engine and provides rich visual metrics for analytical purposes.

The Unified Communications service supports the following functions based on the type of device:

Session prioritization—Based on the type of device provisioned in your network, the Unified Communication service receives call control information from APs, switches, and controllers. The Unified Communications service uses this data to detect and classify the traffic type and dynamically prioritize voice and video call traffic over data traffic. Based on the type of device, the following information sources are used for session prioritization.

The Lync or Skype for Business SDNSoftware-Defined Networking. SDN is an umbrella term encompassing several kinds of network technology aimed at making the network as agile and flexible as the virtualized server and storage infrastructure of the modern data center. APIApplication Programming Interface. Refers to a set of functions, procedures, protocols, and tools that enable users to build application software.—The SDN API provides an interface for the Aruba devices to access diagnostic information for a comprehensive and a real-time view of applications, users, devices, the Wi-Fi, and the LANLocal Area Network. A LAN is a network of connected devices within a distinct geographic area such as an office or a commercial establishment and share a common communications line or wireless link to a server. network infrastructure. The Unified Communications service uses this data to prioritize voice and video traffic. The SDN API can be installed on a Lync or Skype for Business server.

Heuristics—A built-in method that detects the Lync or Skype for Business traffic and works with all on-premises and Skype for Business online deployments. The heuristics data detection and classification method is used to identify clients in the call, classify, and prioritize media packets. Switches do not support heuristics-based prioritization. The session prioritization for switches is based on the data from the Skype server through OpenFlowOpenFlow is an open communications interface between control plane and the forwarding layers of a network..

Session visibility—The application also provides call session visibility correlated across the Skype server and mobility network to simplify operations for the network administrator. The administrators can monitor wireless and wired network connectivity health on a per-session basis and analyze the quality of experience.

Enabling Unified Communications

To access the Unified Communications application, obtain a valid subscription. To obtain a subscription for the Unified Communications application, contact the Aruba Central Sales team.

Enabling Call Prioritization

To enable call prioritization:

1. In the Network Management app, use the filter bar to select all devices.

2. Under Manage, click Applications > UCC.

3. Click the settings icon.

4. To enable call prioritization, move the slider to the right.

Editing Protocol

To edit a protocol:

1. In the Network Management app, use the filter bar to all devices.

2. Under Manage, click Applications > UCC.

3. Click the settings icon.

4. On the desired protocol, click edit under Action.

5. Edit the following parameters:

Table 1: Protocol Parameters

Parameter	Description
Voice	Configure voice priority tag.
Video	Configure video priority tag.
Desktop Sharing	Configure desktop sharing priority tag.
DNS Server	Configure DNSDomain Name System. A DNS server functions as a phone book for the intranet and Internet users. It converts human-readable computer host names into IP addresses and IP addresses into host names. It stores several records for a domain name such as an address 'A' record, name server (NS), and mail exchanger (MX) records. The Address 'A' record is the most important record that is stored in a DNS server, because it provides the required IP address for a network peripheral or element. server priority tag.

6. Click Save.

Configuring Devices for Session Prioritization

Based on the ArubaOS software version, controllers support session prioritization using both SDN API and heuristics as the source for information. If both methods are enabled, the SDN API-based Skype for Business classification takes precedence.

OpenFlow Configuration

For both SDN API and heuristics-based classification and prioritization, OpenFlow configuration is required.

In the SDN API-based Skype for Business classification method, the Unified Communications application receives the media identification data from the SDN Manager and call quality report from the devices through OpenFlow.

In heuristics-based media classification method, the Unified Communications application receives media identification and the call quality reports from the devices through OpenFlow.

Enabling OpenFlow on Controller

To enable the OpenFlow on controller, issue the following commands in the CLI:

(host)# configure terminal

(host)(config)# openflow-profile

(host)(openflow-profile)# controller-ip <controller-ip> 30633

(host)(openflow-profile)# bind-vlan 1

(host)(openflow-profile)# bind-vlan add <range of vlan-ids>

(host)(openflow-profile)# openflow-enable

(host)(openflow-profile)# write memory

(host)(openflow-profile)# exit

To enable OpenFlow in the user-role and virtual AP of a controller, issue the following commands in the CLI:

(host)(config) # user-role <user-role>

(host)(config-submode)# openflow-enable

(host)(config-submode)# exit

(host)(config) #wlan virtual-ap <virtual-ap>

(host)(Virtual AP profile "<virtual-ap>") #openflow-enable

(host)(Virtual AP profile "<virtual-ap>") #write memory

Enable OpenFlow on Switch

To enable OpenFlow on switch:

1. To configure OpenFlow on switch, issue the following commands in the CLI:

(host)# configure terminal

(host)(config)# openflow

(host)(openflow)# controller-id <number> ip <ip-addr-of-OFC> port <OFC-TCP-port> controller-interface vlan <vlan-id-used-to-connect-to-OFC>

(host)(openflow)# write memory

(host)(openflow)# exit

2. To configure OpenFlow instance on switch, issue the following commands in the CLI:

(host)# configure terminal

(host)(config)# openflow

(host)(openflow)# instance <instance-name>

(host)(openflow)# member vlan <vlan-id-of-the-member>

(host)(openflow)# controller-id <same as the number given for controller-id in the OFC details>

(host)(openflow)# version 1.3

(host)(openflow)# pipeline-model standard-match

(host)(openflow)# exit

3. To enable OpenFlow and OpenFlow instance on switch, issue the following commands in the CLI:

(host)(config)# configure terminal

(host)(config)# openflow instance <instance-name> enable

(host)(config)# openflow enable

(host)(config)# exit

Enabling OpenFlow on AP

If the Unified Communications subscription is enabled on the APs, OpenFlow is automatically enabled on the APs. Therefore, no explicit configuration from the user is required for enabling OpenFlow.

SDN API-Based Classification

For the Lync/Skype for Business SDN API to dynamically prioritize traffic at the edge of a network using OpenFlow, the OpenFlow controller and its instances must be configured on switches. For information on configuring OpenFlow instances, see OpenFlow Configuration.

Configuring SDN Manager for SDN API

To enable Skype SDN Manager to send XMLExtensible Markup Language. XML is a markup language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. messages to the Unified Communications application, complete the following configuration:

1. Log in to the Skype SDN Manager.

2. Ensure that you have the SDNManager.exe program installed.

3. Open the command prompt and go to the folder in which the SDNManager.exe program is installed.

4. Execute the following command:

SDNManager.exe p s <some-string> submituri=[https://<Cluster-IP>/skypeSDN/<customer-id>

HTTPS Connectivity with SDN Manager

The customer premises with the Lync/Skype for Business SDN infrastructure must access Aruba Central through an HTTPSHypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. HTTPS is a variant of the HTTP that adds a layer of security on the data in transit through a secure socket layer or transport layer security protocol connection. connection only. Aruba Central acts as a server while Lync/Skype for Business SDN Manager acts as a client.

For the client and server mutual authentication and TLSTransport Layer Security. TLS is a cryptographic protocol that provides communication security over the Internet. TLS encrypts the segments of network connections above the Transport Layer by using asymmetric cryptography for key exchange, symmetric encryption for privacy, and message authentication codes for message integrity. handshake, the client must have a root CACertificate Authority or Certification Authority. Entity in a public key infrastructure system that issues certificates to clients. A certificate signing request received by the CA is converted into a certificate when the CA adds a signature generated with a private key. See digital certificate. certificate provided by GeoTrust to validate the certificate presented by Aruba Central.

Heuristics Classification

In the heuristics method, APs perform deep packet inspection on the Skype for Business traffic to determine Skype for Business voice and video traffic. For the heuristics classification method, no changes or additional components are required on the Skype for Business server.

The heuristics classification method includes the following steps:

ACLAccess Control List. ACL is a common way of restricting certain types of traffic on a physical port. definition on the controller to listen on port TCPTransmission Control Protocol. TCP is a communication protocol that defines the standards for establishing and maintaining network connection for applications to exchange data. 5061 and 5063. The classify-media option in the ACL is enabled and is mapped to a user role.

When the Skype for Business calls are established, classify-media in the ACL is triggered and Skype for Business clients are marked as media-capable clients.

Any subsequent UDPUser Datagram Protocol. UDP is a part of the TCP/IP family of protocols used for data transfer. UDP is typically used for streaming media. UDP is a stateless protocol, which means it does not acknowledge that the packets being sent have been received. data flow with source/destination port numbers above 1023 from or to media-capable users go through the Skype for Business media DPIDeep Packet Inspection. DPI is an advanced method of network packet filtering that is used for inspecting data packets exchanged between the devices and systems over a network. DPI functions at the Application layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model and enables users to identify, categorize, track, reroute, or stop packets passing through a network. .

If an RTPReal-Time Transport Protocol. RTP is a network protocol used for delivering audio and video over IP networks. session is based on DPI, the payload type in the RTP header is used to determine if it is a voice or video session.

Configuring ACLs on Controllers for Media Classification

If the controllers are running ArubaOS 6.5.x release version, configure the following commands to classify media:

host)(config)# ip access-list session <acl-name> any any tcp 5061 permit classify-media

or

host)(config)# user-role authenticated access-list session skype-acl

or

host)(config)# firewall allow-stun

For more information on configurations steps related to heuristics classification method, see the ArubaOS User Guide.

Creating a Management Server Profile on Controller

If the controllers are running ArubaOS 6.5.x.x or 8.x.x.x, configure the controllers to send call session data through AMONAdvanced Monitoring. AMON is used in Aruba WLAN deployments for improved network management, monitoring and diagnostic capabilities. periodically. After Aruba Central receives these AMON messages, it displays the aggregated and per-client statistics on the Unified Communications > Activity page. This helps the administrator to assess the overall health and troubleshoot issues if any.

To configure the management server profile on controller:

1. Access the controller CLI.

2. Configure the following commands:

(host)(config)# mgmt-server profile <name>

(host)(Mgmt Config profile “<name>”)# uccmonitoring-enable

(host)(Mgmt Config profile “<name>”)# stats-enable

(host)(Mgmt Config profile “<name>”)# sessions-enable

(host)(Mgmt Config profile “<name>”)# monitored-info-enable

(host)(Mgmt Config profile “<name>”)# monitored-info-del-enable

(host)(Mgmt Config profile “<name>”)# monitored-info-snapshot-enable

(host)(Mgmt Config profile “<name>”)# mgmt-server primary-server <Central-SE-cluster-virtual IP> profile <profile-name>

(host)(Mgmt Config profile “<name>”)# write memory

(host)(openflow)# exit

Configuring Devices for Session Visibility

If the controllers are running ArubaOS 6.5.x.x or 8.x.x.x, configure the controllers to send call session data through Application Monitoring (AMON) periodically. After Aruba Central receives these AMON messages, it displays the aggregated and per-client statistics in the UI. This helps the administrator to assess the overall health and troubleshoot issues if any.

To enable controllers to send AMON feeds about Unified Communications statistics to Aruba Central, ensure that the Aruba Central management server profile is configured on the controller.

To configure the management server profile, complete the following steps:

1. Access the controller CLI.

2. Configure the following commands:

(host)(config)# mgmt-server profile <name>

(host)(Mgmt Config profile “<name>”)# uccmonitoring-enable

(host)(Mgmt Config profile “<name>”)# write memory

(host)(openflow)# exit

For more information about configuration required for the Unified Communications application on the controller, see the ArubaOS User Guide.

Unified Communications Dashboard

The Application > UCC page provides a variety of charts and lists that allow you to assess the quality of calls in the network. The banner in the header pane shows the following details:

Calls—Displays the total number of calls that have ended.

Good—Displays the total number of good calls that have ended.

Fair—Displays the total number of fair calls that have ended.

Poor—Displays the total number of poor calls that have ended.

Unknown—Displays the total number of calls whose status is unknown.

The Charts view in the Applications > UCC page provides the following charts:

Calls—Displays the chart of all, good, fair, poor, or unknown calls. Chart can be viewed by Health, SSIDService Set Identifier. SSID is a name given to a WLAN and is used by the client to access a WLAN network., Protocol, Operating System, Session Type, or Quality. In any chart, hover your mouse over any segment of the chart to view additional information.

Access Points—Displays the chart of access points. Chart can be viewed by Poor Quality % or Most Calls. Use Show More to view more details of the calls.

Clients—Displays the chart of clients. Chart can be viewed by Poor Quality % or Most Calls. Use Show More to view more details of the calls.

The Show More option in the Access Points chart displays the following details of the calls:

Table 2: Access Points with Calls

Parameter	Description
Access Point Name	Displays the name of the AP.
Calls Total	Displays the total number of calls.
Calls Good	Displays the total number of good calls.
Calls Fair	Displays the total number of fair calls.
Calls Poor	Displays the total number of poor calls.
Calls Poor Percentage	Displays the percentage of poor calls.
Calls Unknown	Displays the total number of unknown calls.

Hover your mouse over any row in the list to view additional information.

The Show More option in the Clients chart displays the following details of the calls:

Table 3: Clients with Calls

Parameter	Description
Client Name	Displays the name of the client.
Calls Total	Displays the total number of calls from the client.
Calls Good	Displays the total number of good calls from the client.
Calls Fair	Displays the total number of fair calls from the client.
Calls Poor	Displays the total number of poor calls from the client.
Calls Poor Percentage	Displays the percentage of poor calls from the client.
Calls Unknown	Displays the total number of unknown calls from the client.

Hover your mouse over any row in the list to view additional information.

The List view in the Applications > UCC page provides a variety of lists that allow you to assess the quality of calls in the network. The banner in the header pane shows the following details:

Calls—Displays the total number of calls that have ended.

Good—Displays the total number of good calls that have ended.

Fair—Displays the total number of fair calls that have ended.

Poor—Displays the total number of poor calls that have ended.

Unknown—Displays the total number of calls whose status is unknown in the last 5 minutes.

The CALLS list displays the following details of the calls:

Table 4: Call Details

Parameter	Description
From	Displays the device originating the call.
To	Displays the device receiving the call.
Start Time	Displays the date and time when the call originated.
Duration	Displays the duration of the call.
State	Displays the state of the call. Possible values are: Active Success Terminated
Quality	Displays the quality of the call. Possible values are: Good Fair Poor Unknown
AP Name	Displays the name of the AP.
Client	Displays the name of the client.

The List view in the APPLICATIONS > UCC page provides variety lists that allow you to assess the quality of calls in the network. The banner in the header pane shows the following details:

Calls—Displays the total number of calls in the last 5 minutes.

Good—Displays the total number of good calls in the last 5 minutes.

Fair—Displays the total number of fair calls in the last 5 minutes.

Poor—Displays the total number of poor calls in the last 5 minutes.

Unknown—Displays the total number of calls whose status is unknown.

The Calls list displays the following details of the calls:

Table 5: Call Details

Parameter	Description
From	Displays the device originating the call.
To	Displays the device receiving the call.
Start Time	Displays the date and time when the call originated.
Duration	Displays the duration of the call.
State	Displays the state (terminated) of the call.
Quality	Displays the quality of the call. Possible values are: Good Fair Poor Unknown
AP Name	Displays the name of the AP.
Client	Displays the name of the client.