Cisco UCCX
Cisco UCCE runs its automated voice experiences through the Virtualized Voice Browser (VVB), which executes VoiceXML but has no speech engine of its own — it reaches out to an external ASR/TTS resource over MRCP. Capacity Private Cloud is that resource. Connecting the two is largely a matter of telling VVB where the Media Server is and which protocol to speak.
Once UCCE is installed and confirmed working, you register the platform's ASR and TTS servers in the VVB Administration console, choose the MRCP protocol and codec, restart the VVB engine, and confirm the servers report as REACHABLE.
Assumptions
These instructions assume the host running the Media Server and the ASR and/or TTS services is separate from the UCCX host. We strongly recommend installing the platform on a server separate from UCCX.
They also assume you have installed and verified your Capacity Private Cloud configuration independently of UCCX.
Note: This document is believed to be correct for Cisco UCCX 8.5 through UCCX 11.5, though minor differences between versions of the UCCX configuration screens may be seen.
Network Topology
The following diagram gives a simple overview of a UCCX system and where the platform's ASR/TTS server fits. UCCX can be configured in many ways, so this is not exhaustive or the only valid design — refer to the Cisco documentation for details.
Add the MRCP TTS Provider
Use the UCCX TTS Providers configuration page to define the platform as your TTS provider; this is referenced in the next step when you add the TTS server.
From the UCCX Administration menu, choose Subsystems > MRCP TTS > MRCP TTS Providers to open the MRCP TTS Provider Configuration page.
Click Add MRCP TTS Provider in the upper-left corner.
Specify a provider name — this guide uses LumenVox TTS — then click OK.
On the MRCP TTS Provider Configuration page, click Add.
Note: Disregard the UNKNOWN status shown for the TTS provider at this point — it is not fully configured yet. That is covered in the next section, where the TTS server is configured.
Add the MRCP TTS Server
With the provider defined, add a corresponding TTS server. From the UCCX Administration menu, choose Subsystems > MRCP TTS > MRCP TTS Servers to open the configuration page.
Click Add MRCP TTS Server in the upper-left corner.
In the TTS server configuration:
- Set Server Name to the IP address (or hostname) of your speech server.
- Select your provider — LumenVox TTS — from the Provider Name drop-down (the entry created above).
- Click Add Language to select the language options you need, based on the TTS voices and languages installed and licensed on your TTS server.
Port Number: This must match the RTSP_PORT setting in your media_server.conf on the speech server. The platform default is 554, while the Cisco default may be 4900. We recommend changing the Cisco value to match the platform's 554, though you may set both to 4900 instead. Whichever you choose, the Cisco Port Number field and the platform's RTSP_PORT must match. This sets the RTSP (MRCPv1) connectivity port.
Once the language is set, enable the language(s) and gender for the system to use, then click Add.
Click OK to confirm that the default gender is configured for the server.
Select the Default Gender for the TTS Provider
Use the MRCP TTS Default Gender configuration page to specify a default gender per locale, per provider. This is used whenever a prompt for a locale is specified without a gender.
From the UCCX Administration menu, choose Subsystems > MRCP TTS > MRCP TTS Default Genders.
Choose the default gender for each enabled locale. By default this is Neutral unless configured here; we recommend selecting a specific gender for each language.
At this point the TTS provider status should be IN_SERVICE and the TTS server should be REACHABLE if configured correctly. The following images show a correctly configured TTS provider and TTS server:
Add the MRCP ASR Provider
Use the UCCX ASR Providers configuration page to define the platform as your ASR provider; this is referenced in the next step when you add the ASR server.
From the UCCX Administration menu, choose Subsystems > MRCP ASR > MRCP ASR Providers to open the MRCP ASR Provider Configuration page.
Click the Add New icon in the upper-left corner to add a new ASR provider.
Specify your ASR provider name — this guide uses LumenVox ASR — along with the number of ASR licenses installed on your system, select OSR 3.1.x from the Grammar Variant drop-down, then click Add to apply the changes and return to the previous page.
Note: Disregard the UNKNOWN status for the ASR provider — it is not fully configured yet, as described in the following section.
Add the MRCP ASR Server
With the provider defined, add a corresponding ASR server. From the UCCX Administration menu, choose Subsystems > MRCP ASR > MRCP ASR Servers to open the configuration page.
On the MRCP ASR Server Configuration page, click Add New.
- Set Server Name to the IP address (or hostname) of your speech server.
- Select your provider — LumenVox ASR — from the Provider drop-down (the entry created above).
- Select the locales (languages) you need, based on the ASR languages installed and licensed on your server, then click Add or Update to apply.
Port: As with TTS, the ASR port must match the RTSP_PORT in your media_server.conf (the platform default is 554; the Cisco default may be 4900). The Cisco Port field and the platform's RTSP_PORT must match. This is the same port for both ASR and TTS, and sets the RTSP (MRCPv1) connectivity port.
You are returned to the MRCP ASR Server Configuration page, which lists the newly created ASR server.
Note: Disregard the UNREACHABLE status for the server — you still need to configure the MRCP ASR dialog group, described next.
Configure the MRCP ASR Dialog Group
With the ASR server added, use the MRCP Groups configuration page to define an MRCP ASR dialog control group, which enables UCCX applications to use speech recognition.
From the UCCX Administration menu, choose Subsystems > MRCP ASR > MRCP ASR Dialog Groups.
On the MRCP ASR Dialog Group Configuration page, choose Add New.
This page lists any preconfigured entries with the following information:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Group ID | Identifier for the group. |
| Description | Description of this dialog group. |
| Provider | Name of the MRCP ASR provider. |
| Channels | Maximum number of sessions. |
The page also displays the number of licensed IVR channels.
Select the LumenVox ASR entry created earlier from the Provider Name list, make sure the language(s) added for the MRCP server in the previous steps are selected, then click Add. The MRCP ASR Dialog Group Configuration page opens so you can configure the remaining fields.
Important: Your language selections may differ from those shown here. Be sure to enable the languages you have licensed and intend to use.
At this point the ASR provider status should be IN_SERVICE and the ASR server should be REACHABLE if configured correctly. The following images show a correctly configured ASR provider and ASR server:
Note: If the provider status is OUT_OF_SERVICE at this point, check the firewall to ensure the ports required by the platform's services are open. For a complete list, see Firewall Port Requirements.
Testing the Integration
Once the system is configured, place a call into the UCCX system to test ASR and TTS and confirm that connectivity between the two systems is working correctly.
Additional Information
Refer to the Cisco Unified CCX Administration Guide for other configuration information relating to setting up your server.