This page provides answers to common questions that IT personnel might have when planning or considering the addition of a Business Edition Premise system to their site. The information on this page applies to 8.1.x versions of Business Edition Premise.
Hardware
This section contains common questions about BEP hardware requirements.
[+] Can I deploy Business Edition Premise in a High Availability (HA) configuration?
Yes, please contact Genesys Professional Services for more information.
[+] What type of disk configuration is used?
Business Edition Premise uses a RAID-5 disk configuration.
[+] Is the storage disk or data encrypted?
No, the storage disk or data is not encrypted, although some of the logs do have masking ability.
[+] Which system components do I need to monitor (for example, uptime, disks, ports)?
The Dell iDRAC system management tool is built-into the system board and can be configured to provide all required hardware and system monitoring.
[+] How do I get replacement parts? What is the warranty and service arrangement?
This depends on your agreed maintenance contract. If you are experiencing hardware issues, contact your BEP provider for diagnostics and replacement of failed components.
[+] My servers are utilizing the iDRAC7 controller, but I am unable to access or login after several days of continuous use.
For best performance, make sure the iDRAC firmware is version 1.57.57 or higher. For workarounds and additional information, visit Dell support.
[+] What are the memory requirements for Business Edition Premise 8.1.201?
The Business Edition Premise 8.1.201 single-host VM image is assigned with 32 GB memory. In addition, the ESXi 5.5 operating system requires a minimum of 4 GB memory (8 GB is required for full functionality). The Business Edition Premise server (Dell PowerEdge) has dual CPUs, which use dual memory banks that must contain the same amount of memory in each bank.
To ensure maximum system performance, a total of 48 GB memory is recommended for Business Edition Premise 8.1.201.
Software
This section contains common questions about BEP software requirements.
[+] Which operating systems does BEP use?
Business Edition Premise uses the following operating systems:
- ESXi 5.5
- Windows Server 2008 R2
[+] Does the system include a database?
Yes, Business Edition Premise uses the following database types:
- Postgre SQL (Configuration Server)
- MS SQL Server 2008 R2 (all other Genesys servers)
- Apache Cassandra (ORS, GWS)
[+] Can MS SQL Server be used instead of Postgre SQL?
Yes, if you prefer to use MS SQL Server, you can remove Postgre SQL. After your Business Edition Premise solution is fully tuned-up, contact Professional Services and ask them to migrate your Configuration Manager database from Postgre SQL to MS SQL Server.
[+] Does the system have a built-in antivirus or anti-malware package?
No, customers are responsible for their own antivirus and anti-malware monitoring.
[+] Which types of authentication methods are used (for example, Kerberos, RADIUS, or LDAP)? Will it work with Active Directory?
[+] Does the system store any personally-identifiable information (PII) or protocol-control information (PCI)?
Yes, during the course of normal operations the Universal Contact Server (UCS) database does store some caller information.
[+] How do I back up the critical system files and configuration files?
The VM Snapshots utility (included as part of the VMware server software) allows you to capture the VM images in their present state and, if required, instantly restore the system to a known good earlier state. Genesys recommends that you create snapshots of each VM before performing the tune-up procedures, as well as when performing important deployments and configuration modifications. Note that the VM Snapshots are stored on the ESXi server, so you will need to monitor the hard disk space being used for the backups.
For more information, refer to the following document: VMware-vCenter-Server-5.5-Technical-Whitepaper.pdf.
[+] What kind of routine maintenance procedures are required?
The Genesys component software in Business Edition Premise requires limited maintenance. Any required maintenance is described in the documentation for each component.
[+] How do I update the operating systems for security and critical fixes?
You can update the operating systems using the following methods:
- For Windows, use the Windows 2008 Server Download and Install Updates function on the VM. (If your Business Edition Premise installation does not have internet access, you can update Windows offline. Contact Genesys Professional Services for more information.)
- For VMware, use the VMware vSphere Update Manager.
[+] For a multi-VM deployment, is there a specific order in which the Virtual Machines must be powered-on or off?
Yes, the VMs must be powered-on in the following order:
- core
- db
- aux
- gvp
- ui
There is no specific order in which the VMs must be powered-off.
[+] Are any routing applications deployed automatically during BEP installation?
Yes, the voice routing application is deployed automatically during BEP installation.
[+] Where do I get the required licenses?
For information about requesting licenses, contact your Genesys representative or visit this page.
[+] While executing the tuneup_boe script on the ui VM (for a multi-VM deployment), I received a CMS error. What might be the cause?
The db VM hostname must be resolvable in DNS or the BOE installation will fail. Check the network configuration by performing an nslookup command (both forward and reverse) for all VMs.
For example:
nslookup <FQDN version of VM hostname>
nslookup <IP version of VM hostname>
Do this for each VM in your system. Each should return a successful result.
[+] During tuneup, I entered incorrect information. What do I do?
If you enter incorrect information during the tuneup script configuration, Genesys recommends that you redeploy the VM and begin the tuneup script configuration again. If you made a snapshot of the VM prior to entering any data for the tuneup configuration script, you can revert to that snapshot.
In a multi-VM environment, you would redeploy the core VM or revert to a snapshot. But note that if you redeploy the core VM (or revert to a snapshot), you must also redeploy the other VMs.
[+] I am receiving calls from gateways that are not represented as Trunk DNs in my environment. How do I fix this?
Go to the SIP Server application in Configuration Manager. Under the T-Server option, make sure that the value of the enable-unknown-gateway option is false. This secures the SIP Server so that it only accepts calls from configured Trunk DNs within the configuration environment.
[+] I want to install chat but I am not using the email application. Can I do this?
No, you cannot install chat as a standalone application. It can only be used if the email application is also installed and activated.
[+] I have deployed my email (or chat) strategy but they are not routing. What could be wrong?
After you exported the .war file in Composer, did you copy it to the \\g1-core-p\c$\GCTI\apache-tomcat\webapps folder? Once copied, the .war file will automatically extract itself to a new GensysOne_xx folder and the routing should work correctly. (If this folder is not automatically generated, a restart of the Apache/Tomcat service may be required. To do this, use Genesys Administrator to restart the apache-tomcat_ors application.)
[+] How do I optimize my Universal Contact Server database so that it does not use too much disk space?
Genesys recommends that you configure automatic pruning of the Universal Contact Server (UCS) database to prevent it from growing too large in size. You can do this by modifying the main database maintenance settings in Universal Contact Server Manager.
[+] How do I check the software version of the pre-installed components?
To view the supported version numbers (available after the virtual machine(s) are deployed and tuned up), go to http://VM name or IP address (for multi-VM, use the core VM).
[+] I’m making changes to the configuration sever settings. What is the [chef] section used for?
This section is used by Genesys during the deployment of your software and can be ignored. It has no impact on Genesys servers or services.
[+] Our installation is in a Middle Eastern time zone. Why do our reports not show the correct local time?
If your system is in a Middle Eastern time zone, you should select NET for your local time zone.
Networking
This section contains common questions about BEP networking requirements.
[+] How many IP addresses are required?
This depends on which version of the Virtual Machine (VM) platform you decide to install (single-VM or multi-VM). Business Edition Premise requires the following IP addresses to prepare the server for delivery and to finalize the server installation and configuration at the Premise site:
For single-VM:
- The Dell iDRAC configuration requires one IP address that is within a management control subnet to allow hardware alarms to be sent using email (the email address used to receive alarms must have access to the email server at the site).
- The ESXi server requires one IP address that is within the same subnet and is available on a Windows domain running DNS/DHCP services.
- The Virtual Machine requires an IP address that is within a single subnet and is available on the Windows domain running DNS/DHCP services. You will also need to assign a hostname for the VM for entry into a DNS server.
For multi-VM:
- The Dell iDRAC configuration requires one IP address that is within a management control subnet to allow hardware alarms to be sent using email (the email address used to receive alarms must have access to the email server at the site).
- The ESXi server requires one IP address that is within the same subnet and is available on a Windows domain running DNS/DHCP services.
- Each of the five Virtual Machines (VM) requires an IP address that is within a single subnet and is available on the Windows domain running DNS/DHCP services. You will also need to assign five hostnames for the VMs for entry into a DNS server.
[+] Do external vendors require remote access?
[+] Does the server need access to the internet?
Internet access is not required; however, if you choose to deploy optional eServices features, such as Chat or Email, the virtual machine(s) will require internet access.
[+] Does the system have a built-in firewall?
The Virtual Machine(s) use the Windows operating system, which has a built-in firewall that is disabled by default. If desired, you can enable and configure this firewall.
[+] What are the network speeds, and can I configure network load balancing or link aggregation?
Business Edition Premise uses 1 GbE (Gigabit Ethernet) networking and is compatible with network load balancing configurations.
