VQCM’s DMA Directory Services enable businesses to easily manage large Cisco-collaboration device estates. It helps streamline processes when using hierarchical address book functionality.
So, what is DMA Directory Services? Let’s discuss the basics.
DMA Directory Services – the basics
Data Sources
Data sources are basis of any Address Book that is to be created in and made available by DMA Directory Services to the video endpoint devices in your environment.
The first and most important data source for DMA is its own list of devices under management, your organizations devices. This source is predefined in DMA and named ‘Internal DMA’ by default.
In this first release of DMA, the application supports the creation of Address Books from the Internal DMA devices list, sub-sets (using filters) of the Internal DMA list or imported data from pre-formatted CSV files.
Address Books (Phone Books)
DMA Address Books are designed to replicate Cisco’s TMS ‘Corporate Directory’ Phone Book. They are created primarily from the DMA managed device list and are made searchable to assigned video endpoints via the same SOAP XML API method used by TMS.
DMA Address Books can be accessed by endpoints that have been set to ‘TMS mode’ in Phone Books and have the URL set to point at the VQ Conference Manager server’s DMA Directory Service.
The Address Books are secure and can only be accessed by ‘Assigned’ (permissioned) groups of devices in the same way they are in TMS through the ‘Set on Systems’ command. In addition to replicating the method of querying/searching the Address Books, DMA Directory Services supports the presentation of the results based upon the hierarchy defined using the Locations feature
Locations
Locations in DMA can be equated to the hierarchy that was previously created in TMS using the Navigator function. The primary use case for Locations is essentially as a categorization and filing system for your devices.
In the main orgaizations use location, hierarchies describe the physical and geographic locations of devices, e.g., regions, countries, states and cities. They might also use an organisational design that allows for clear identification of who owns a device or what it is used for, possibly in an environment where devices are not stationary.
To begin building out or adding to your hierarchy, select the Locations feature from the side bar menu
If you want to add a new ‘child’ node to an existing branch, click on the ‘Action’ dots at end of the chosen ‘parent’ node. You will be presented with a drop-down list of available actions.
The same process can be used to edit an existing node, or to delete a node that is no longer in use.
Please note: To delete a node, it must first be empty of other nodes and devices.
Labels
In DMA, we have introduced a new concept not seen in TMS but often seen in more modern workflow applications – Labels.
Labels are additional free text ‘tags’ that can be added to devices enabling additional groupings and identification when filtering devices for actions. In our examples, we show one of the most common use cases we have seen, tagging ‘VIP’ devices – though we’re sure there are plenty of others.
Having discussed the basics concepts, let’s now look at how to create and work with Address Books, step by step.
How to create and work with DMA Directory Services Address Books
Creating an Address Book
To create an Address Book, you must first have a Data Source to connect it to. The data source will have been added in DMA v1.0 either by importing the devices from TMS or importing from a CSV file using the CSV Import Tool available from VQ.
Step 1
Select the Address Book feature from the side bar menu.
The new address book will now be included in the Address Book list.
Step 2
While still in the Address Book, select the ‘Assign to Devices’ tab.
Using the filter creation box, build your device list to be assigned the Address Book.
Assigning Address Books to endpoints
To provide access to an Address Book from a video endpoint device or group of devices, use the ‘Assign’ action.
Select Address Books from the side bar menu.
Select ‘Assign to Devices’ from the drop-down menu to enter the Address Book assignment tab.
Once in the Assign to Devices page click the ‘ADD FILTER’ button.
Using the filter creation box build your list of devices to be assigned the Address Book.
Once you’re happy with the list, check the boxes of the systems the Address Book will be assigned to, and(the top box selects all devices shown on the current page) click the ‘Assign’ button to make the Address Book available to the selected endpoint devices.
Working with data sources
If you want to use a sub-set of the DMA Internal Device list to create an Address Book to be used by specific devices, then you will need to create a new Data Source. The new data source can be filtered to contain only the devices you wish to appear as contacts in it.
Select the Data Sources option on the side menu bar.
Select the ‘Add New’ button at the top of the page.
Give the new Data Source a name that describes the devices that you are going to filter into this new source, e.g., ‘UK Systems’
Create a filter that selects only the devices that you want in the final Address Book, e.g., ‘Location – Equals – UK’
Note: In this first release of DMA, there is only one Data Source available, the Internal DMA device database. This can be created from imported TMS device data or using a specially formatted CSV file.
Future releases will include Data Sources that have been created by connecting to external sources of data such as CUCM, Active Directory or LDAP.
Interested in finding out more?
This piece on DMA Directory Services is one of a series of blogs. The others in the series cover:
There is also much more information available in the Resources section of our website.
If you’ve any other questions and would like to speak with us, please feel free to contact us:
Email: info@vqcomms.com
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