Make it Easier for Video Devices to Join Meetings with OBTP
Make it Easier for Video Devices to Join Meetings with OBTP

Set up One Button to Push (OBTP) so that when a scheduled meeting includes video devices, a green Join button appears on the devices right before the meeting begins, just as it does in the Cisco Webex app.

August 22, 2023
Overview of One Button to Push (OBTP)

Set up One Button to Push (OBTP) so that when a scheduled meeting includes video devices, a green Join button appears on the devices right before the meeting begins, just as it does in the Webex App.

Overview of OBTP

Join button on Board, Desk, and Room series device

Any of these methods can be used by users to schedule meetings and incorporate Cisco devices featuring the Join button:

Webex meetings

To provide One Button to Push on Cisco devices, you need to deploy the Hybrid Calendar. The details of the deployment depend on the type of calendar environment that you have and on the type of device.

One button to push availability for different types of meetings

The following tables show the situations in which the Hybrid Calendar Service can provide OBTP to either premises or cloud-registered endpoints.

Hybrid Calendar runs on devices that can register to the Webex cloud by using RoomOS.

Table 1. OBTP for Meeting Services

Meeting type

TMS-managed with XE

Hybrid Calendar Service

Webex

PT-scheduled only

Yes

Personal Room meeting

PT-scheduled only

Yes

Cisco Meeting Server

Yes

Yes

Microsoft Teams

No

Yes

Google Meet

No

Yes

Third-party

No

Yes

Table 2. Calendar platform by service
Calendar platform

TMS-managed

Hybrid Calendar Service

Microsoft Exchange

Yes

Yes

O365

Yes

Yes

Google Calendar

No

Yes

Table 3. Device support

Device

TMS-managed

Hybrid Calendar Service

Room OS/CE

Yes

Yes

CTS

Yes

No

MXP

Yes

No

C Series

Yes

No

August 22, 2023
One Button to Push with Microsoft Exchange

One Button to Push with Microsoft Exchange

OBTP for cloud-registered devices

How OBTP works with cloud-registered devices

Figure 1. OBTP for cloud-registered devices with the Expressway-based Calendar Connector
  1. You can schedule a meeting using a keyword or video address, and invites a cloud-registered video endpoint by its room resource calendar.

  2. If the endpoint is available at that time, Microsoft Exchange automatically accepts the invitation on its behalf.

  3. EWS notifications from Microsoft Exchange alert the Calendar Connector that a meeting is scheduled.

  4. For Webex meetings, the Hybrid Calendar Service retrieves the join details from the Webex cloud and updates the meeting invitation.

  5. Just before the meeting time, cloud-registered devices receive OBTP information from the cloud.

OBTP for cloud-registered devices deployment task flow

Before you begin

If you haven't yet set up the Hybrid Calendar Service, see the Deployment guide for Webex hybrid calendar service. If the service is running, proceed with these instructions to add OBTP for cloud-registered room devices and boards.

  Command or Action Purpose
1

Add Hybrid Calendar to workspaces with Board, Desk, and Room Series

Toggle on the calendar service for the device, and configure the room mailbox email address.

2

Associate personal rooms with Webex App

If your Webex site is managed in Control Hub or users on your Webex site are Webex App linked, you can skip this task.

3

Test OBTP with Board, Desk, and Room series

Schedule a meeting from the calendar and add a cloud-registered device.

Add Hybrid Calendar to workspaces with Board, Desk, and Room Series

Before you begin

This task assumes that you've already created places for the Board, Desk, and Room devices. If you need to create the workspace, see Add shared devices and services to a workspace.

1

Sign in to the customer view of https://admin.webex.com/login.

2

In the left-hand navigation pane, under Management click Workspaces and select the workspace to modify.

3

Go to Scheduling and select Calendar so that users can use One Button to Push (OBTP) on their devices.

4

Select the calendar provider.

5

Enter the email address of the room mailbox. (For help locating this email address, see "Create and manage room mailboxes" on the Microsoft Docs website.)

This is the email address that will be used to schedule meetings.

6

Click Save.

Associate personal rooms with Webex App

To provide the join button to devices when scheduling Webex Personal Room meetings, users must have their Personal Room associated with their Webex App account. This can happen in one of the following ways:

  • The users on your Webex site have been Webex App linked. (For site linking steps, see Link Webex sites to Control Hub.)

  • Users change their own preferred Webex site from the Webex App settings or preferences, see Change your default meeting site

  • For a comprehensive approach, use the bulk CSV import process from Control Hub to set users’ preferredWebExSite in the steps that follow.

1

Sign in to the customer view in https://admin.webex.com.

2

In the left-hand navigation pane, under Management click Users.

3

Click Manage Users.

4

See this article for the detailed CSV import/export procedure.

5

Use a CSV editor to change the preferredWebExSite attribute for all or some users.

6

Import the CSV file.

Test OBTP with Board, Desk, and Room series

1

In Outlook, Outlook Web Access, or https://mail.office365.com, create a new meeting, and then add @meet or @webex to the Location field.

2

Go to the Scheduling Assistant and click Add room, and choose the device you want to add.

3

Fill out other meeting information as needed, and send the invitation.

4

When the meeting is scheduled to begin, verify that the Join button appears on the device.

OBTP for premises-registered devices

How OBTP works with premises-registered devices

Figure 2. OBTP for premises-registered devices with the Expressway-based Calendar Connector
  1. A user schedules a meeting using a keyword or video address, and invites a premises-registered video endpoint by its room resource calendar.

  2. If the endpoint is available at that time, typically Microsoft Exchange automatically accepts the invitation on its behalf.

  3. EWS notifications from Exchange alert the Calendar Connector and Cisco TMSXE that a meeting has been scheduled.

  4. For Cisco Webex meetings, the Hybrid Calendar Service retrieves the join details from the Cisco Webex cloud and updates the meeting invitation.

  5. The Calendar Connector populates the description field with all available join details, and sets the value of the user attribute "TMS:ExternalConferenceData" to the meeting's SIP URI.

  6. EWS notifications from Exchange alert Cisco TMSXE of a meeting update.

  7. Cisco TMSXE updates the meeting in Cisco TMS to Externally Hosted and sets the OBTP dial string.

  8. Cisco TMS sends OBTP information for upcoming meetings to the endpoints.

Set up OBTP for premises-registered devices

For premises-registered endpoints, OBTP works with Hybrid Calendar Service and the Productivity Tools plugin for meeting invitations:

  • Hybrid Calendar Service (scheduling keywords or supported video address) populates the user attribute "TMS:ExternalConferenceData" with the SIP URI for TMS to set the OBTP dial string.

  • The Productivity Tools plugin populates the attribute "UCCapabilities" attribute with the SIP URI for TMS to set the OBTP dial string.

1

Set up Cisco TMS 15.0 and Cisco TMSXE 5.0 or higher with Microsoft Exchange integration. See the Cisco Collaboration Meeting Rooms (CMR) Hybrid Configuration Guide (TMS 15.0 - WebEx Meeting Center WBS30).

2

To make conference rooms schedulable in Microsoft Outlook/Exchange, configure them in XE as if you were using on-premises conferencing. To configure rooms in Exchange, use the Cisco TelePresence Management Suite Extension for Microsoft Exchange Administration Guide.

3

Obtain licenses for TMS and TMSXE.

TMS and XE Licensing is the same as if using on-premises resources. You require enough licenses to cover the number of endpoints that will use OBTP. A TMS license is needed to manage the endpoint and to push the speed dial button on the touchpad at the time of the scheduled conference. A TMS-XE license is needed for the endpoint to be scheduled in Exchange.

4

If you plan to deploy a hybrid Exchange environment with Office 365, enable TNEF for remote domains in Exchange Online. Having TNEF disabled causes Exchange Online to strip the TMS:ExternalConferenceData and UCCapabilities attributes, breaking OBTP for Unified CM-registered endpoints.

If you have on-premises conferencing, you can add OBTP with Cisco Webex Meetings and run both at same time. We support OBTP functionality only; auto connect is not available.

Troubleshoot the Join button

No Join button on premises-registered devices

Problem In a hybrid Exchange environment, the Join button does not appear on any premises-registered device.

Possible Cause In hybrid Exchange environments, disabling TNEF for remote domains causes Exchange Online to strip the TMS:ExternalConferenceData and UCCapabilities user attributes for the meeting. This breaks OBTP for Unified CM-registered endpoints. Without these attributes, Cisco TMSXE cannot update the meeting in Cisco TMS, and Cisco TMS cannot set the OBTP dial string for the meeting.

Solution To fix this condition, verify that TNEF is allowed for remote domains. For instructions, see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/mail-flow/content-conversion/tnef-conversion.

No Join button on a specific device

Problem A device does not show the join button when meetings are about to start.

Possible Cause The device does not automatically accept meeting invitations.

Solution Check the resource calendar for the device, and see if it has accepted the meeting invitation. If not, configure the device's resource mailbox to automatically accept meeting requests.

August 22, 2023
One Button to Push with Office 365

One Button to Push with Office 365 (Cloud-Based Service)

OBTP for Cloud-Registered Devices

How OBTP Works with Cloud-Registered Devices

Figure 1. OBTP for cloud-registered devices with the Hybrid Calendar Service for Office 365
  1. A user schedules a meeting using a keyword or video address, and invites a cloud-registered video endpoint by its room resource calendar.

  2. If the endpoint is available at that time, typically Office 365 automatically accepts the invitation on its behalf.

  3. The Microsoft Graph API posts a notification alerting the Hybrid Calendar Service that a meeting has been scheduled.

    For Cisco Webex meetings, the Hybrid Calendar Service retrieves the join details from the Cisco Webex cloud and updates the meeting invitation.

  4. Just before the meeting time, cloud-registered devices receive OBTP information from the cloud.

OBTP for Cloud-Registered Devices Deployment Task Flow

Before you begin

If you haven't yet set up the Hybrid Calendar Service, see the Deployment guide for Webex hybrid calendar service. If the service is running, proceed with these instructions to add OBTP for cloud-registered room devices and boards.

  Command or Action Purpose
1

Add Hybrid Calendar to workspaces with Board, Desk, and Room series

Toggle on the calendar service for the device, and configure the room mailbox email address.

2

Associate Webex personal rooms with Webex App

If your Webex site is managed in Cisco Webex Control Hub, or users on your Webex site have been linked, you can skip this task.

3

Test OBTP with Board, Desk, and Room series

Schedule a meeting from the calendar and add a cloud-registered device.

Add Hybrid Calendar to workspaces with Board, Desk, and Room series

Before you begin

This task assumes that you've already created places for the Board, Desk, and Room devices. If you need to create the workspace, see Add shared devices and services to a workspace.

1

Sign in to the customer view of https://admin.webex.com/login.

2

In the left-hand navigation pane, under Management click Workspaces and select the workspace to modify.

3

Go to Scheduling and select Calendar so that users can use One Button to Push (OBTP) on their devices.

4

Select the calendar provider.

5

Enter the email address of the room mailbox. (For help locating this email address, see "Create and manage room mailboxes" on the Microsoft Docs website.)

This is the email address that will be used to schedule meetings.

6

Click Save.

Associate Webex personal rooms with Webex App

To provide the join button to devices when scheduling Webex Personal Room meetings, users must have their Personal Room associated with their Webex App account. This can happen in one of the following ways:

  • The users on your Webex site have been Webex App linked. (For site linking steps, see Link Webex sites to Control Hub.)

  • Users change their own preferred Webex site from the Webex App settings or preferences, see Change your default meeting site

  • For a comprehensive approach, use the bulk CSV import process from Control Hub to set users’ preferredWebExSite in the steps that follow.

1

Sign in to the customer view in https://admin.webex.com.

2

In the left-hand navigation pane, under Management click Users.

3

Click Manage Users.

4

See this article for the detailed CSV import/export procedure.

5

Use a CSV editor to change the preferredWebExSite attribute for all or some users.

6

Import the CSV file.

Test OBTP with Board, Desk, and Room series

Use these steps to set up a test meeting and verify OBTP on a registered device.

1

In Outlook, Outlook Web Access, or https://mail.office365.com, create a new meeting, and then add @meet or @webex to the Location field.

2

Go to the Scheduling Assistant and click Add room, and choose the device you want to add.

3

Fill out other meeting information as needed, and send the invitation.

4

When the meeting is scheduled to begin, verify that the Join button appears on the device.

OBTP for Premises-Registered Devices

How OBTP Works with Premises-Registered Devices

Figure 2. OBTP for premises-registered devices with the Hybrid Calendar Service for Office 365
  1. The organizer creates a meeting in Office 365 and then adds @meet in the Location field. The organizer invites users and video devices from the Office 365 directory.

  2. Office 365 sends a notification to the Hybrid Calendar .

  3. The Hybrid Calendar requests and receives the encryption key, and then uses it to encrypt the meeting information.

  4. The Hybrid Calendar validates meeting creation and recipients and the calendar connector sends details to TMS.

  5. The TMS creates the meeting on the on-premises conference bridge and sends the join details back to the calendar connector.

  6. The connector updates the meeting invitation with the join details that are provided by TMS, and the updated join details appear when invitees view the meeting in Office 365.

  7. Just before the meeting time, the video devices that were invited to the meeting receive the Webex join details information from the TMS.


Cisco TMSXE is not part of this integration. The Calendar Connector handles the role of coordinating between Cisco TMS and the calendar system.

Requirements for TMS integration

This integration requires the following components:

  • The cloud-based Hybrid Calendar with Office 365, deployed and configured

  • TelePresence Management Suite (TMS) 15.9 or later, installed and running, with the following configuration in place:

    • A valid CA-signed server certificate must be installed. This integration does not support self-signed certificates.

    • Each endpoint to be booked must already be added to TMS and licensed for general TMS usage.

    • The TMS must have the same option key that is required to book endpoints with TMSXE, which is either of the following:

      • Small deployments—One TelePresence Management Suite Extension for Microsoft Exchange (TMSXE) option key for every 25 telepresence endpoints that are integrated with TMS (part number L-TMS-MSEX-25).

      • Larger deployments—One Application Integration Package option key (part number L-TMS-APPINT).

      If both types of option key are present, TMS only uses the Application Integration Package key.

      If you already have TMSXE or Application Integration Package option keys:

      • If you are not currently using the option key, you can use it with the Hybrid Calendar integration.

      • If you are using the option key with TMSXE, contact your partner or sales team to request a second option key (or set of keys) for the Hybrid Calendar integration. If you plan to migrate from TMSXE within a short period of time, you can request a 90 day trial, and then reuse your original option key(s) once the migration to the Hybrid Calendar is complete.

    • On-premises conference bridge resources, if used for this integration, must be configured (Meeting Server recommended).

    • Users' time zones in TMS must match their time zones in the calendar system. For instructions on setting the time zone in TMS, see "User Administration" in the applicable Cisco TelePresence Management Suite Administrator Guide.

  • A single Expressway node (to serve as the connector host between your TMS and the Hybrid Calendar), installed and running

    • Download from software.cisco.com at no charge.

    • We recommend the latest release of Expressway for connector host purposes. See Expressway Connector Host Support for Cisco Webex Hybrid Services for information about Expressway version support.

    • We currently support only a single Expressway node dedicated to hosting this integration. The node must not be running any other hybrid service connectors. Also, this node must be the only calendar connector host in your Webex APP organization.

    • We recommend a maximum of 10,000 scheduling users for this integration.

Deployment task flow for the TMS integration

To add the TMS integration to your Hybrid Calendar with Office 365 deployment, perform the following tasks.

Before you begin

If you haven't yet set up the Hybrid Calendar, see the Deployment guide for Hybrid Calendar instead of this article. If you've already got the service running, proceed with these instructions to add the join button for premises-registered devices.

  Command or Action Purpose
1

Complete the prerequisites for the TMS integration

2

Configure the @meet keyword action

Allows users to schedule with the TMS integration.

3

Configure Office 365 room mailboxes in TMS

Maps video device systems in TMS to the email addresses of Office 365 room mailboxes, so that the Hybrid Calendar can recognize when users invite the devices to meetings and coordinate the join button with TMS.

4

Register Expressway-C connector host to the Webex cloud

Connects your Expressway to the Webex cloud. This creates a resource in https://admin.webex.com and downloads connector software on to the Expressway.

5

Link the calendar connector to TMS

Configures the details that the calendar connector needs to communicate with TMS and adds on-premises conference bridge telephony details to invitations, if applicable.

6

Add a meeting server to TMS

Enables the integration to schedule @meet meetings on-premises.

7

Test the Office 365 and TMS integration

Verifies the integration with TMS.

Complete the prerequisites for the TMS integration

1

If you haven't already done so, set up the cloud-based Hybrid Calendar with Office 365. See https://www.cisco.com/go/hybrid-services-calendar for instructions.

2

Make sure you have met all of the Requirements for TMS integration.

3

Provide the following port access for the Expressway that will serve as your Calendar Connector host for the TMS integration:

  • Port access for HTTPS or secure web sockets outbound from Expressway to *.rackcdn.com, *.ciscospark.com, *.wbx2.com, *.webex.com, *.webexcontent.com, and *.clouddrive.com: TCP port 443 (secure)

  • Port access for HTTPS outbound from Expressway to TMS: TCP port 443 (secure)

Configure the @meet keyword action

Do these steps to have the integration schedule a meeting that is hosted with on-premises conference bridge resources when users use this keyword.

By default, the @meet keyword creates a space in Webex and adds join details for it.

With the TMS integration, when a scheduler invites a room to the meeting, TMS books the room and sends OBTP to the associated devices. OBTP works regardless of how you configure the @meet keyword, and it also works for @webex.

1

Sign in to the customer view of https://admin.webex.com/login.

2

In the left-hand navigation pane, under Services click Hybrid.

3

From the Hybrid Calendar card for Exchange, click Edit settings.

4

In the Keywords section, for @meet, choose Cisco TelePresence Management Suite.

5

Click Save.

Configure Office 365 room mailboxes in TMS

Use this procedure to add the Office 365 room mailbox addresses of video devices one at a time in TMS. Alternatively, you can use Bulk Upload to configure multiple addresses. For instructions, see "Bulk Room Email Mapping for Endpoints" in the applicable Cisco TelePresence Management Suite Administrator Guide.

Before you begin

  • Each video system that users want to add to meetings must have a room mailbox in Office 365 in order for TMS to provide the join button. For help creating room mailboxes, see Creating and managing resource mailboxes in Office 365.

  • Gather the credentials of an organization domain account with Admin privileges to TMS.

1

If you have not already done so, create the room mailboxes in Office 365.

2

From a web browser, sign in to TMS.

3

Go to Systems > Navigator.

4

Locate and click the video system to configure with the room mailbox address.

5

On the Summary tab, click Edit Settings and enter the room mailbox address in the Email Address field.

6

Click Save.

7

Repeat steps 4 through 6 for each video device.

Register Expressway-C connector host to the Webex cloud

Use this procedure to register a single Expressway-C node to the cloud and download connector software onto the Expressway-C. (We currently support only a single Expressway node for this integration.)

The TMS integration uses Hybrid Calendar for Microsoft Exchange setup process, but ultimately you will link the Calendar Connector to TMS. Once you link to TMS, you must not link any connector in your Webex App organization to Microsoft Exchange.

Before you begin

  • Make sure your Expressway-C is running on a version that's supported for hybrid services. See the Supported Versions of Expressway for Cisco Webex Hybrid Services Connectors documentation (https://help.webex.com/article/ruyceab) for more information about which versions are supported for new and existing registrations to the cloud.

  • Sign out of any open connections to the Expressway-C interface that are open in other browser tabs.

  • If your on-premises environment proxies the outbound traffic, you must first enter the details of the proxy server on Applications > Hybrid Services > Connector Proxy before you complete this procedure. Doing so is necessary for successful registration.

1

Sign in to the customer view of https://admin.webex.com/login.

2

In the left-hand navigation pane, under Services click Hybrid.

The Webex cloud rejects any attempt at registration from the Expressway web interface. You must first register your Expressway through Control Hub, because the Control Hub needs to hand out a token to the Expressway to establish trust between premises and cloud, and complete the secure registration.

3

Click Set up on the Hybrid Calendar for Microsoft Exchange card, and then click Next.


 

Do not set up this integration if you already have an Expressway connector host for Microsoft Exchange or Office 365 registered for your organization.

4

Choose Register a new Expressway with its Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN), enter your Expressway-C IP address or fully qualified domain name (FQDN) so that Webex creates a record of that Expressway-C and establishes trust, and then click Next. You can also enter a display name to identify the resource in Control Hub.


 

To ensure a successful registration to the cloud, use only lowercase characters in the hostname that you set for the Expressway-C. Capitalization is not supported at this time.

5

Click Next, and for new registrations, click the link to open your Expressway-C. You can then sign in to load the Connector Management window.

6

Decide how you want to update the Expressway-C trust list:

A check box on the welcome page determines whether you will manually append the required CA certificates to the Expressway-C trust list, or whether you allow Webex to add those certificates for you.

Choose one of the following options:

  • Check the box if you want Webex to add the required CA certificates to the Expressway-C trust list.

    When you register, the root certificates for the authorities that signed the Webex cloud certificates are installed automatically on the Expressway-C. This means that the Expressway-C should automatically trust the certificates and be able to set up the secure connection.


     

    If you change your mind, you can use the Connector Management window to remove the Webex cloud CA root certificates and manually install root certificates.

  • Uncheck the box if you want to manually update the Expressway-C trust list. See the Expressway-C online help for the procedure.

     

    When you register, you will get certificate trust errors if the trust list does not currently have the correct CA certificates. See Certificate Authorities for Hybrid Services.

7

Click Register. After you're redirected to Control Hub, read the on-screen text to confirm that Webex identified the correct Expressway-C.

8

After you verify the information, click Allow to register the Expressway-C for Hybrid Services.

  • Registration can take up to 5 minutes depending on the configuration of the Expressway and whether it's a first-time registration.

  • After the Expressway-C registers successfully, the Hybrid Services window on the Expressway-C shows the connectors downloading and installing. The management connector automatically upgrades itself if there is a newer version available, and then installs any other connectors that you selected for the Expressway-C connector host.

  • Each connector installs the interface pages that you need to configure and activate that connector.

    This process can take a few minutes. When the connectors are installed, you can see new menu items on the Applications > Hybrid Services menu on your Expressway-C connector host.

Troubleshooting Tips

If registration fails and your on-premises environment proxies the outbound traffic, review the Before You Begin section of this procedure. If the registration process times out or fails (for example, you must fix certificate errors or enter proxy details), you can restart registration in Control Hub.

Certificate Authorities for Hybrid Services

The table lists the Certificate Authorities that your on-premises or existing environment must trust when using Hybrid Services.

If you opted to have Webex manage the required certificates, then you do not need to manually append CA certificates to the Expressway-C trust list.


The issuers used to sign the Webex host certificates may change in future, and the table below may then be inaccurate. If you are manually managing the CA certificates, you must append the CA certificates of the issuing authorities that signed the currently valid certificates for the hosts listed below (and remove expired/revoked CA certificates).

Cloud hosts signed by this CA

Issuing CA

Must be trusted by

For this purpose

CDN

O=Baltimore, OU=CyberTrust, CN=Baltimore CyberTrust Root

Expressway-C

To ensure Expressway downloads connectors from a trusted host

Common identity service

O=VeriSign, Inc., OU=Class 3 Public Primary Certification Authority

Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 hosting the Cisco directory connector

Expressway-C

To synchronize users from your Active Directory with Webex and to authenticate Hybrid Services users

Webex App

O=The Go Daddy Group, Inc., OU=Go Daddy Class 2 Certification Authority

Expressway-C

Link the calendar connector to TMS

Add a meeting server to TMS

When you configure @meet to use the TelePresence Management Suite action, the TMS uses any bridge configured in the Administrative Tools > Configuration > Conference Settings > Advanced.

To allow users to schedule meetings on a meeting server using the Hybrid Calendar integration with TMS, add the server using the steps in the meeting server section of the applicable Cisco TelePresence Management Suite Administrator Guide.

Test the Office 365 and TMS integration

Use these steps to schedule a test meeting and verify the integration.

1

Test meeting scheduling with @meet:

  1. In a web browser, sign in to https://outlook.office365.com with an Office 365 user account that is enabled for Hybrid Calendar.

  2. Click New > Calendar event.

  3. Enter an event title in the Add a title for the event text box.

  4. Enter @meet in the Add a location or a room text box.

  5. In the People tab, invite users and add rooms (or other video devices) for OBTP.

  6. Send the invitation.

    The Hybrid Calendar updates the meeting with the join details.

2

In a web browser, sign in to TMS and go to Booking > List Conferences.

The test meeting and other meetings that are scheduled with @meet are listed in TMS with 'Calendar Connector' in the External Service column.

 

You cannot edit Calendar Connector meetings in TMS.

Troubleshoot the TMS integration

Use these tips to check the status of the various components of the TMS integration with the Hybrid Calendar.

1

Sign in to the customer view of https://admin.webex.com/login.

2

In the left-hand navigation pane, under Services click Hybrid.

3

Verify the number of users who are enabled for the Hybrid Calendar.

4

Check the status of the connectors in Control Hub.

  1. In the left-hand navigation pane, under Services click Hybrid, and then click All Resources from the on-premises resources card.

  2. From the resource card for the TMS integration, click the Node link below the resource FQDN or IP address.

5

Compare the status above to the status of the connectors on the Expressway connector host.

From Expressway, go to Applications > Hybrid Services > Connector Management.

Notable behavior for the TMS integration with Office 365

This section lists limitations and notable behavior for the TMS integration with Office 365.

  • Editing a meeting series during an active instance of the series results in the following behavior:

    • TMS updates all instances other than the in-progress instance.

    • The currently active instance becomes an exception in TMS.

    This is the expected behavior, but differs from the behavior of Office 365, which updates the active instance as well.

  • A meeting that is scheduled more than 5 months in the future may not get immediately processed by the cloud-based Hybrid Calendar for Microsoft Office 365. The service processes meetings that are 5-6 months in the future on a daily basis using a sliding window, so once the meeting's scheduled date falls within the window, it will get processed and the meeting scheduled in TMS.

    This is a limitation of the cloud-based Hybrid Calendar for Microsoft Office 365 for all types of meetings.

August 22, 2023
One Button to Push with Google Calendar

One button to push with Google Calendar

OBTP for Cloud-Registered Devices

How OBTP Works with Cloud-Registered Devices

Figure 1. OBTP for cloud-registered devices with the Hybrid Calendar Service for Google Calendar
  1. A user schedules a meeting using a keyword or video address, and invites a cloud-registered video endpoint by its room resource calendar.

  2. If the endpoint is available at that time, typically Google Calendar automatically accepts the invitation on its behalf.

  3. The Google Calendar API posts a notification alerting the Hybrid Calendar Service that a meeting has been scheduled.

    For Cisco Webex meetings, the Hybrid Calendar Service retrieves the join details from the Cisco Webex cloud and updates the meeting invitation.

  4. Just before the meeting time, cloud-registered devices receive OBTP information from the cloud.

OBTP for Cloud-Registered Devices Deployment Task Flow

Before you begin

If you haven't yet set up the Hybrid Calendar Service, see the Deployment guide for Webex hybrid calendar service. If the service is running, proceed with these instructions to add OBTP for cloud-registered room devices and boards.

  Command or Action Purpose
1

Enable Calendar Resource Access

If you didn't enable calendar resource access when you set up the calendar service, do so now.

2

Add Hybrid Calendar to workspaces with Board, Desk, and Room series

Toggle on the calendar service for the device, and configure the resource email address.

3

Associate personal rooms with Webex App

If your Webex site is managed in Cisco Webex Control Hub, or users on your Webex site have been linked, you can skip this task.

4

Test OBTP with Board, Desk, and Room series

Schedule a meeting from the calendar and add a cloud-registered device.

Enable Calendar Resource Access

If you did not set up calendar resource access when initially deploying the Hybrid Calendar Service with Google Calendar, do so now.

1

From https://admin.webex.com, under Services, click Hybrid, and then go to the Google Hybrid Calendar card.

2

Click Set up and follow the steps.

3

If you use room resources, you need an authorized access control list (ACL) admin account.

Add Hybrid Calendar to workspaces with Board, Desk, and Room series

This task assumes that you've already created places for the Board, Desk, and Room devices. If you need to create the workspace, see Add shared devices and services to a workspace.

Before you begin

  • Webex room devices must have email addresses that match the Google room resource format, @resource.calendar.google.com.

    If your room device email format uses a domain prefix, you must verify the domain in the prefix. For example, verify company.com (if you didn't already do so when verifying the domain of the account that manages access control lists) for devices that have email addresses such as:

    company.com__3130313639353739333032@resource.calendar.google.com

    Newer resource email addresses may not include a domain prefix, as in the following example:

    c_0803348627605091471198@resource.calendar.google.com
    

1

Sign in to the customer view of https://admin.webex.com/login.

2

In the left-hand navigation pane, under Management click Workspaces.

3

Go to Scheduling and select Calendar so that users can use One Button to Push (OBTP) on their devices.

4

Select the calendar provider.

5

Enter or paste the Google resource email address from G Suite (Calendar > Resources).

This is the email address that will be used to schedule meetings.

6

Click Save.

Associate personal rooms with Webex App

To provide the join button to devices when scheduling Webex Personal Room meetings, users must have their Personal Room associated with their Webex App account. This can happen in one of the following ways:

  • The users on your Webex site have been Webex App linked. (For site linking steps, see Link Webex sites to Control Hub.)

  • Users change their own preferred Webex site from the Webex App settings or preferences, see Change your default meeting site

  • For a comprehensive approach, use the bulk CSV import process from Control Hub to set users’ preferredWebExSite in the steps that follow.

1

Sign in to the customer view in https://admin.webex.com.

2

In the left-hand navigation pane, under Management click Users.

3

Click Manage Users.

4

See this article for the detailed CSV import/export procedure.

5

Use a CSV editor to change the preferredWebExSite attribute for all or some users.

6

Import the CSV file.

Test OBTP with Board, Desk, and Room series

Use these steps to set up a test meeting and verify OBTP on a registered device.

1

In https://calendar.google.com, click Create to start an event, and then add @meet or @webex to the Where field.

2

Click Rooms, and choose the device you want to add.

3

Fill out other meeting information as needed, and then click Save.

4

When the meeting is scheduled to begin, verify that the Join button appears on the device.

OBTP for Premises-Registered Devices

How OBTP Works with Premises-Registered Devices

The following diagram illustrates how the Hybrid Calendar interacts with TMS and the calendar system to provide the Join button for a meeting that is hosted by on-premises conference bridge resources.

Figure 2. OBTP for premises-registered devices with the Hybrid Calendar Service for Google Calendar
  1. The organizer creates a meeting in Google Calendar and then adds @meet in the Location field. The organizer invites users and video devices from the Google Calendar directory.

  2. Google Calendar sends a notification to the Hybrid Calendar .

  3. The Hybrid Calendar requests and receives the encryption key, and then uses it to encrypt the meeting information.

  4. The Hybrid Calendar validates meeting creation and recipients and the calendar connector sends details to TMS.

  5. The TMS creates the meeting on the on-premises conference bridge and sends the join details back to the Calendar Connector.

  6. The connector updates the meeting invitation with the join details that are provided by TMS, and the updated join details appear when invitees view the meeting in Google Calendar.

  7. Just before the meeting time, the video devices that were invited to the meeting receive OBTP information from the TMS.


Cisco TMSXE is not part of this integration. The Calendar Connector handles the role of coordinating between Cisco TMS and the calendar system.

Requirements for the TMS integration

This integration requires the following components:

  • The cloud-based Hybrid Calendar with Google Calendar, deployed and configured

  • TelePresence Management Suite (TMS) 15.9 or later, installed and running, with the following configuration in place:

    • A valid CA-signed server certificate must be installed. This integration does not support self-signed certificates.

    • Each endpoint to be booked must already be added to TMS and licensed for general TMS usage.

    • The TMS must have the same option key that is required to book endpoints with TMSXE, which is either of the following:

      • Small deployments—One TelePresence Management Suite Extension for Microsoft Exchange (TMSXE) option key for every 25 telepresence endpoints that are integrated with TMS (part number L-TMS-MSEX-25).

      • Larger deployments—One Application Integration Package option key (part number L-TMS-APPINT).

      If both types of option key are present, TMS only uses the Application Integration Package key.

      If you already have TMSXE or Application Integration Package option keys:

      • If you are not currently using the option key, you can use it with the Hybrid Calendar integration.

      • If you are using the option key with TMSXE, contact your partner or sales team to request a second option key (or set of keys) for the Hybrid Calendar integration. If you plan to migrate from TMSXE within a short period of time, you can request a 90 day trial, and then reuse your original option key(s) once the migration to the Hybrid Calendar is complete.

    • On-premises conference bridge resources, if used for this integration, must be configured (Meeting Server recommended).

    • Users' time zones in TMS must match their time zones in the calendar system. For instructions on setting the time zone in TMS, see "User Administration" in the applicable Cisco TelePresence Management Suite Administrator Guide.

  • A single Expressway node (to serve as the connector host between your TMS and the Hybrid Calendar), installed and running

    • Download from software.cisco.com at no charge.

    • We recommend the latest release of Expressway for connector host purposes. See Expressway Connector Host Support for Cisco Webex Hybrid Services for information about Expressway version support.

    • We currently support only a single Expressway node dedicated to hosting this integration. The node must not be running any other hybrid service connectors. Also, this node must be the only calendar connector host in your Webex APP organization.

    • We recommend a maximum of 10,000 scheduling users for this integration.

Deployment task flow for the TMS integration

To add the TMS integration to your Hybrid Calendar with Google Calendar deployment, perform the following tasks.

Before you begin

If you haven't yet set up the Hybrid Calendar, see the Deployment guide for Hybrid Calendar instead of this article. If you've already got the service running, proceed with these instructions to add the join button for premises-registered devices.

  Command or Action Purpose
1

Complete the Prerequisites for the Cisco TMS Integration

2

Configure the @meet Keyword Action

Allows users to schedule with the TMS integration.

3

Configure Google room mailboxes in TMS

Maps video device systems in TMS to their room mailbox email addresses in Google Calendar, so that the Hybrid Calendar can recognize when users invite the devices to meetings and coordinate OBTP with TMS.

4

Register Expressway-C Connector host to Webex Cloud

Connects your Expressway to the Webex cloud. This creates a resource in https://admin.webex.com and downloads connector software on to the Expressway.

5

Link the Calendar Connector to Cisco TMS

Configures the details that the Calendar Connector needs to communicate with TMS and adds on-premises conference bridge telephony details to invitations, if applicable.

6

Add a meeting server to TMS

Enables the integration to schedule @meet meetings on-premises.

7

Test the Google Calendar and TMS integration

Verifies the integration with TMS.

Complete the Prerequisites for the Cisco TMS Integration

1

If you haven't already done so, set up the cloud-based Hybrid Calendar Service with Google Calendar. See https://www.cisco.com/go/hybrid-services-calendar for instructions.

2

Make sure you have met all of the Requirements for the TMS integration.

3

Provide the following port access for the Expressway that will serve as your Calendar Connector host for the TMS integration:

  • Port access for HTTPS or secure web sockets outbound from Expressway to *.rackcdn.com, *.ciscospark.com, *.wbx2.com, *.webex.com, *.webexcontent.com, and *.clouddrive.com: TCP port 443 (secure)

  • Port access for HTTPS outbound from Expressway to TMS: TCP port 443 (secure)

Configure the @meet Keyword Action

Do these steps to have the integration schedule a meeting that is hosted with on-premises conference bridge resources when users use this keyword.

By default, the @meet keyword creates a space in Webex and adds join details for it.

With the TMS integration, when a scheduler invites a room to the meeting, TMS books the room and sends OBTP to the associated devices. OBTP works regardless of how you configure the @meet keyword, and it also works for @webex.

1

Sign in to the customer view of https://admin.webex.com/login.

2

In the left-hand navigation pane, under Services click Hybrid.

3

From the Hybrid Calendar card for Exchange, click Edit settings.

4

In the Keywords section, for @meet, choose Cisco TelePresence Management Suite.

5

Click Save.

Configure Google room mailboxes in TMS

Use this procedure to add the Google Calendar room mailbox addresses of video devices one at a time in TMS. Alternatively, you can use Bulk Upload to configure multiple addresses. For instructions, see "Bulk Room Email Mapping for Endpoints" in the applicable Cisco TelePresence Management Suite Administrator Guide.

Before you begin

  • Each video system that users want to add to meetings must have a room mailbox in Google in order for TMS to provide OBTP. For help creating room mailboxes, see Manage Calendar resources for more information.

  • Make sure that you have checked the My organization uses calendar resources (such as conference devices) check box in Control Hub, and entered the name of an authorized access control list administrator account. (From https://admin.webex.com, go to Services, find the hybrid calendar card, and then go to the Google Settings.)

  • Gather the credentials of an organization domain account with Admin privileges to TMS.

1

If you have not already done so, create the room mailboxes in the Google Admin console.

2

From a web browser, sign in to TMS.

3

Go to Systems > Navigator.

4

Locate and click the video system to configure with the room mailbox address.

5

On the Summary tab, click Edit Settings and enter the room mailbox address in the Email Address field.

6

Click Save.

7

Repeat steps 4 through 6 for each video device.

Register Expressway-C Connector host to Webex Cloud

Use this procedure to register a single Expressway-C node to the cloud and download connector software onto the Expressway-C. (We currently support only a single Expressway node for this integration.)

The TMS integration uses Hybrid Calendar for Microsoft Exchange setup process, but ultimately you will link the Calendar Connector to TMS. Once you link to TMS, you must not link any connector in your Webex App organization to Microsoft Exchange.

Before you begin

  • Make sure your Expressway-C is running on a version that's supported for hybrid services. See the Supported Versions of Expressway for Cisco Webex Hybrid Services Connectors documentation (https://help.webex.com/article/ruyceab) for more information about which versions are supported for new and existing registrations to the cloud.

  • Sign out of any open connections to the Expressway-C interface that are open in other browser tabs.

  • If your on-premises environment proxies the outbound traffic, you must first enter the details of the proxy server on Applications > Hybrid Services > Connector Proxy before you complete this procedure. Doing so is necessary for successful registration.

1

Sign in to the customer view of https://admin.webex.com/login.

2

In the left-hand navigation pane, under Services click Hybrid.

The Webex cloud rejects any attempt at registration from the Expressway web interface. You must first register your Expressway through Control Hub, because the Control Hub needs to hand out a token to the Expressway to establish trust between premises and cloud, and complete the secure registration.

3

Click Set up on the Hybrid Calendar Service for Microsoft Exchange card, and then click Next.


 

Do not set up this integration if you already have an Expressway connector host for Microsoft Exchange or Office 365 registered for your organization.

4

Choose Register a new Expressway with its Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN), enter your Expressway-C IP address or fully qualified domain name (FQDN) so that Webex creates a record of that Expressway-C and establishes trust, and then click Next. You can also enter a display name to identify the resource in Control Hub.


 

To ensure a successful registration to the cloud, use only lowercase characters in the hostname that you set for the Expressway-C. Capitalization is not supported at this time.

5

Click Next, and for new registrations, click the link to open your Expressway-C. You can then sign in to load the Connector Management window.

6

Decide how you want to update the Expressway-C trust list:

A check box on the welcome page determines whether you will manually append the required CA certificates to the Expressway-C trust list, or whether you allow Webex to add those certificates for you.

Choose one of the following options:

  • Check the box if you want Webex to add the required CA certificates to the Expressway-C trust list.

    When you register, the root certificates for the authorities that signed the Webex cloud certificates are installed automatically on the Expressway-C. This means that the Expressway-C should automatically trust the certificates and be able to set up the secure connection.


     

    If you change your mind, you can use the Connector Management window to remove the Webex cloud CA root certificates and manually install root certificates.

  • Uncheck the box if you want to manually update the Expressway-C trust list. See the Expressway-C online help for the procedure.

     

    When you register, you will get certificate trust errors if the trust list does not currently have the correct CA certificates. See Certificate Authorities for Hybrid Services.

7

Click Register. After you're redirected to Control Hub, read the on-screen text to confirm that Webex identified the correct Expressway-C.

8

After you verify the information, click Allow to register the Expressway-C for Hybrid Services.

  • Registration can take up to 5 minutes depending on the configuration of the Expressway and whether it's a first-time registration.

  • After the Expressway-C registers successfully, the Hybrid Services window on the Expressway-C shows the connectors downloading and installing. The management connector automatically upgrades itself if there is a newer version available, and then installs any other connectors that you selected for the Expressway-C connector host.

  • Each connector installs the interface pages that you need to configure and activate that connector.

    This process can take a few minutes. When the connectors are installed, you can see new menu items on the Applications > Hybrid Services menu on your Expressway-C connector host.

Troubleshooting Tips

If registration fails and your on-premises environment proxies the outbound traffic, review the Before You Begin section of this procedure. If the registration process times out or fails (for example, you must fix certificate errors or enter proxy details), you can restart registration in Control Hub.

Certificate Authorities for Hybrid Services

The table lists the Certificate Authorities that your on-premises or existing environment must trust when using Hybrid Services.

If you opted to have Webex manage the required certificates, then you do not need to manually append CA certificates to the Expressway-C trust list.


The issuers used to sign the Webex host certificates may change in future, and the table below may then be inaccurate. If you are manually managing the CA certificates, you must append the CA certificates of the issuing authorities that signed the currently valid certificates for the hosts listed below (and remove expired/revoked CA certificates).

Cloud hosts signed by this CA

Issuing CA

Must be trusted by

For this purpose

CDN

O=Baltimore, OU=CyberTrust, CN=Baltimore CyberTrust Root

Expressway-C

To ensure Expressway downloads connectors from a trusted host

Common identity service

O=VeriSign, Inc., OU=Class 3 Public Primary Certification Authority

Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 hosting the Cisco directory connector

Expressway-C

To synchronize users from your Active Directory with Webex and to authenticate Hybrid Services users

Webex App

O=The Go Daddy Group, Inc., OU=Go Daddy Class 2 Certification Authority

Expressway-C

Link the Calendar Connector to Cisco TMS

Before you begin

The TMS must have a valid CA-signed server certificate installed. This integration does not support self-signed certificates.

1

From the Expressway-C connector host, go to Applications > Hybrid Services > Calendar Service > Cisco Conferencing Services Configuration, and then click New.

2

Select Type as TMS under Conferencing Services Type.

3

Enter the username and password of the TMS administrator account that you want the calendar connector to use to connect to TMS.


 

Enter only the username, without the domain, in the username field.

4

Under TMS Server Details, enter the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) and domain in the respective fields.


 

Enter the NETBIOS domain name for the TMS Domain Name field.

5

Under Telephony Invite Details, enter the appropriate information for Toll Identifier, Toll Number, Toll Free Identifier, Toll Free Number, and Global Call-in Numbers (URL).

6

Click Save.

TMS is listed under Cisco Conferencing Services Configuration.
7

Click TMS and click Test Connection.

The calendar connector tests the connection to the TMS environment. If the test returns an error message, correct any errors in the configuration and try the test again.
8

When you've confirmed the connection, go to Applications > Hybrid Services > Connector Management and click Calendar Connector Service.

9

Select Enabled from the Active drop-down list and click Save.

The calendar connector starts and the status changes to Running.

Add a meeting server to TMS

When you configure @meet to use the TelePresence Management Suite action, the TMS uses any bridge configured in the Administrative Tools > Configuration > Conference Settings > Advanced.

To allow users to schedule meetings on a meeting server using the Hybrid Calendar integration with TMS, add the server using the steps in the meeting server section of the applicable Cisco TelePresence Management Suite Administrator Guide.

Test the Google Calendar and TMS integration

Use these steps to schedule a test meeting and verify the TMS integration.

1

Test meeting scheduling with @meet:

  1. In a web browser, sign in to https://calendar.google.com with a Google Calendar user account that is enabled for Hybrid Calendar.

  2. Double-click today's date to schedule the test meeting.

  3. Enter an event title in the text box where Add title displays.

  4. Enter @meet in the text box where Add location displays.


     

    Enter only one keyword in this field. Grouping of keywords, for example @meet @webex, is not supported.

  5. In the Guests tab, invite users and add rooms (or other video devices) for OBTP.

  6. Send the invitation.

    The Hybrid Calendar updates the meeting with the join details.

    .
2

In a web browser, sign in to TMS and go to Booking > List Conferences.

The test meeting and other meetings that are scheduled with @meet are listed in TMS with 'Calendar Connector' in the External Service column.

 

You cannot edit calendar connector meetings in TMS.

Troubleshoot the TMS integration

Use these tips to check the status of the various components of the TMS integration with the Hybrid Calendar.

1

Sign in to the customer view of https://admin.webex.com/login.

2

In the left-hand navigation pane, under Services click Hybrid.

3

Verify the number of users who are enabled for the Hybrid Calendar.

4

Check the status of the connectors in Control Hub.

  1. In the left-hand navigation pane, under Services click Hybrid, and then click All Resources from the on-premises resources card.

  2. From the resource card for the TMS integration, click the Node link below the resource FQDN or IP address.

5

Compare the status above to the status of the connectors on the Expressway connector host.

From Expressway, go to Applications > Hybrid Services > Connector Management.

Notable behavior for the TMS integration with Google Calendar

This section lists limitations and notable behavior for the TMS integration with Google Calendar.

  • Editing a meeting series during an active instance of the series results in the following behavior:

    • TMS updates all instances other than the in-progress instance.

    • The currently active instance becomes an exception in TMS.

    This is the expected behavior, but differs from the behavior of Google Calendar, which updates the active instance as well.

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