Help with design

[jamjam200]

ok so I have 3 sites Main Site, B, C
there are 150 users at each site
each site has 3 work groups, huntgoups, VM, AA, recording.

All three sites are connected over a WAN. I currently have the director installed at the main site.

unfortunately the WAN is not stable and when it goes down the sites B,C get none of the functions like HG, AA, and work groups also a few times the director server has crashed (its only windows I suppose)

so what are my options here for making those features redundant.

Can I put a director server at each site but still central manage them or can I have backup servers that take over if the WAN or main HQ director goes down?

my last questions is how do I backup and restore a HQ server or the shoretel DB in the event of failure

thanks

[eazeaz]

WAN issues

I know this is probably not the answer that you wanted, but before I started trying to make the phone system tolerant of an unstable WAN, I would fix the WAN.

More towards your question, a distributive voicemail server at each location will allow that location to be able to function a bit more during a wan outage. There are a ton of "gotcha's" with the DVM setup currently (why we dont use them). I don't have all the specifics, but they don't work like you would think they would. Very limited. I believe in the next release or two, they plan to make them much more robust, and allow director itself to fail over to other servers.

There are some backup scripts on the forums here somewhere that allow you to backup all the necessary files, etc.

Good luck. I hope someone can post the script URL for you so you dont have to hunt around.

[jamjam200]

so when shoretel talk about site surviability its only in terms of dial tone, outbound and inbound dialling. What if your main number goes through an AA or uses a work group?

I know this is probably not the answer that you wanted, but before I started trying to make the phone system tolerant of an unstable WAN, I would fix the WAN.

More towards your question, a distributive voicemail server at each location will allow that location to be able to function a bit more during a wan outage. There are a ton of "gotcha's" with the DVM setup currently (why we dont use them). I don't have all the specifics, but they don't work like you would think they would. Very limited. I believe in the next release or two, they plan to make them much more robust, and allow director itself to fail over to other servers.

There are some backup scripts on the forums here somewhere that allow you to backup all the necessary files, etc.

Good luck. I hope someone can post the script URL for you so you dont have to hunt around.

[eazeaz]

Dvm

Some of this may not be true, I am going off of memory....

If the wan goes down, and you have a DVM at the site, I believe voicemails can be left for the person at the "dead" site. I dont think the end user can retrieve them until the link is back up. I believe workgroups at the site will function as well with a DVM (if assigned to that server?).

If the HQ server goes down, I dont believe a DVM will take messages for headquarters users, nor can you use director (make any changes, etc). Any workgroups assigned to the HQ server also die as well? This doesnt really apply to your wan link problem.

Anyway, we are only talking about voicemail and workgroups, etc. Even without a server at all, the system (dialtone) will continue to function. I believe hunt groups function as well. You are really just losing voicemail, workgroups, and director.

We have our main number go through a hunt group for exactly these reasons. It all depends on how big/small the deployment is.

And again, dont take any of this for gospel. I am going off of memories from a year ago when we were going to deploy a DVM... it just didnt do anything for us at that time.

We expected that a DVM would act more like a cluster, with both servers being able to do the other's job instantly if necessary......... which I think is in the works (at least partially anyway).

If your links are really bad, then a DVM would atleast solve part of the voicemail being down problem.

[Jason Learmouth]

Some of this may not be true, I am going off of memory....

If the wan goes down, and you have a DVM at the site, I believe voicemails can be left for the person at the "dead" site. I dont think the end user can retrieve them until the link is back up. I believe workgroups at the site will function as well with a DVM (if assigned to that server?).

If the HQ server goes down, I dont believe a DVM will take messages for headquarters users, nor can you use director (make any changes, etc). Any workgroups assigned to the HQ server also die as well? This doesnt really apply to your wan link problem.

Anyway, we are only talking about voicemail and workgroups, etc. Even without a server at all, the system (dialtone) will continue to function. I believe hunt groups function as well. You are really just losing voicemail, workgroups, and director.

We have our main number go through a hunt group for exactly these reasons. It all depends on how big/small the deployment is.

And again, dont take any of this for gospel. I am going off of memories from a year ago when we were going to deploy a DVM... it just didnt do anything for us at that time.

We expected that a DVM would act more like a cluster, with both servers being able to do the other's job instantly if necessary......... which I think is in the works (at least partially anyway).

If your links are really bad, then a DVM would atleast solve part of the voicemail being down problem.

A couple of corrections and clarifications on this post:

The DVM will keep taking messages at the remote site and users at the remote site can retrieve them at the remote site, even if the WAN is down. (the assumption here is that the call isn't coming over the WAN) If the *DVM server* goes down then the HQ server will take messages for the DVMs users (as long as the WAN is up) but the won't be able to retrieve them until the DVM comes back up and HQ server transfers the messages.

Workgroups live on the HQ server only, if it is down or unreachable then calls will be routed to the workgroups backup extension which can be a hunt group. Hunt groups will keep working but you need to make sure that the hunt group is on a switch at the remote site.

If you want all calls to go to an AA then I recommend putting them through a workgroup first which always forwards to the AA, the work groups back up extension should be a hunt group or an extension that will be accessable from the remote site during a WAN outage, since the WG and AA will both be unavailable at the same time (when the WAN dies) the calls will route to the back up extension.

You also loose call manager when the server goes down. I too have been caught out thinking that the DVM was a clone of HQ, it isn't. It really is a Distrubuted *Voicemail* Server.

You can setup PSTN failover for users to keep the appearance of extension level dialing when the WAN is down.

Fixing your WAN would be the best way to ensure things work well consistently...

[jamjam200]

I also presume Call forwards , directory etc will not work either.

Is there a method to clone the HQ server in a cluster type format?

A couple of corrections and clarifications on this post:

The DVM will keep taking messages at the remote site and users at the remote site can retrieve them at the remote site, even if the WAN is down. (the assumption here is that the call isn't coming over the WAN) If the *DVM server* goes down then the HQ server will take messages for the DVMs users (as long as the WAN is up) but the won't be able to retrieve them until the DVM comes back up and HQ server transfers the messages.

Workgroups live on the HQ server only, if it is down or unreachable then calls will be routed to the workgroups backup extension which can be a hunt group. Hunt groups will keep working but you need to make sure that the hunt group is on a switch at the remote site.

If you want all calls to go to an AA then I recommend putting them through a workgroup first which always forwards to the AA, the work groups back up extension should be a hunt group or an extension that will be accessable from the remote site during a WAN outage, since the WG and AA will both be unavailable at the same time (when the WAN dies) the calls will route to the back up extension.

You also loose call manager when the server goes down. I too have been caught out thinking that the DVM was a clone of HQ, it isn't. It really is a Distrubuted *Voicemail* Server.

You can setup PSTN failover for users to keep the appearance of extension level dialing when the WAN is down.

Fixing your WAN would be the best way to ensure things work well consistently...

[Forum]

When it comes to site survivabilty, you have to have an intimate knowledge of how the system works. Basically, the fact that currently, you can only fail up the ladder, not down. Obviously, this will be changing in the near future.

You have 2 options.
#1 Doubletake HQ Server
#2 Have a DVM at HQ, and assign users to it. When it fails, it fails over to the HQ server.

Charles