Unified CM route patterns and partitions configuration

Do

Decide the tiers you need; Cisco documents building classes of service from partitions and CSSs, with an example ladder of Base_CSS (emergency and internal), LocalPSTN_CSS, NationalPSTN_CSS and InternationalPSTN_CSS, each adding call types to the previous one 3. For each tier, plan one partition for the patterns it unlocks and one calling search space that lists the partitions that tier may reach 3 6. Name partitions using alphanumeric characters, spaces, hyphens and underscores 21. Keep partition names short: the list of partitions in a calling search space is limited to a maximum of 1024 characters 4. Cisco's table shows that the maximum number of partitions in a CSS falls as name length increases: 340 partitions for 2-character names, 172 for 5-character names, 92 for 10-character names, and 64 for 15-character names 22. A calling search space name can be up to 50 alphanumeric characters 9.

Verify

Suggested check: write down the planned partition names for each tier and sum their character lengths to ensure the total remains within the calling search space limit.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: no changes have been applied to the cluster yet.

Do

In Unified CM Administration, navigate to Call Routing > Class of Control > Partition and click Add New 33. Enter the partitions, placing each on its own line to create multiple entries at once 33. Put every dial plan entry into a named partition; any calling device can reach an entry left in the <None> partition, and Cisco recommends not leaving dial plan entries there 24. Digit analysis treats an unassigned item as belonging to the Null default partition, which all users can reach and which the system always searches last 25.

Verify

Suggested check: return to Call Routing > Class of Control > Partition and confirm each created partition appears in the list.

Rollback

Before a partition can be deleted, the items that use it must be moved to a different partition or deleted 31. Deleted partitions cannot be retrieved 10.

No, permissions are the same around the clock

Do

Leave the Time Schedule drop-down menu unset for each partition 34.

Verify

Suggested check: open each partition at Call Routing > Class of Control > Partition and verify that the Time Schedule field remains unassigned.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: no schedule settings were applied.

Yes, some partitions should only be reachable during set hours

Do

Configure time-of-day routing by creating a time period, then a time schedule 47. Open Call Routing > Class of Control > Partition, select the schedule in the partition's Time Schedule drop-down, and save 47. Select either Originating Device or a Specific Time Zone to determine which clock the schedule evaluates against 34.

Verify

In Dialed Number Analyzer, test a call with a chosen calling search space and time to simulate a caller's permissions during and outside active schedule windows 13.

Rollback

Open Call Routing > Class of Control > Partition, change the Time Schedule drop-down to None, and save the partition 47.

Do

Navigate to Call Routing > Class of Control > Calling Search Space and choose Add New 7. For each tier, move partitions from Available Partitions to Selected Partitions and set their sequence using the arrow buttons 7. If two patterns match the dialed digits equally well, digit analysis chooses the one in the partition listed first in the calling search space 46. WarmTransfer's reading of the sources is that partition order in a CSS does not make a less specific pattern in an earlier partition win over a more specific pattern in a later one, because order decides only between equally good matches 27.

Verify

Suggested check: re-open each calling search space under Call Routing > Class of Control > Calling Search Space and verify that the Selected Partitions list preserves the intended tier hierarchy and partition sequence.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: remove the calling search space assignments from any associated lines, devices, or translation patterns, then delete the calling search space from Call Routing > Class of Control > Calling Search Space.

Through a route list and route groups (Cisco's recommendation)

Do

Follow Cisco's call routing task flow order by creating route groups and route lists before route patterns 45. Navigate to Call Routing > Route/Hunt > Route Group to configure a route group, which sets the order in which the system selects gateways for outgoing calls 36. Go to Call Routing > Route/Hunt > Route List, add the route group with Add Route Group, save the list, and select Apply Config 38. A route list can contain only route groups and local route groups, not individual gateways or trunks 37. If local gateway egress is required, configure local route group names at Call Routing > Route/Hunt > Local Route Group Names and map the Standard Local Route Group to a route group under the device pool settings at System > Device Pool 20 59.

Verify

Suggested check: open Call Routing > Route/Hunt > Route List, verify that the route group appears in the member list, and confirm that Apply Config has been applied.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: remove the route group from the route list and delete the route list at Call Routing > Route/Hunt > Route List, then delete the route group at Call Routing > Route/Hunt > Route Group.

Straight to one gateway or trunk

Do

Skip route group and route list creation; in the next step, select the destination gateway or trunk directly in the Gateway/Route List drop-down on the route pattern 40. Although a route pattern can point directly to a gateway, Cisco recommends configuring route lists and route groups for flexibility and scalability 39. Note that a gateway or trunk that a route pattern points to directly is not available for association with a route group 11.

Verify

Suggested check: confirm that the destination trunk or gateway is registered and active in Unified CM Administration.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: no route lists or route groups were created in this step.

With an access code such as 9, compulsory stripped before the call leaves

Do

Navigate to Call Routing > Route/Hunt > Route Pattern to create a pattern for each tier, selecting the destination in the Gateway/Route List drop-down 40. Assign each route pattern to the partition of the tier it unlocks 41. In route patterns, the dot (.) separates an access code from the rest of the dialed number 52, X matches any single digit 0 through 9 55, square brackets enclose a range of values with a hyphen denoting a range 54, ! matches one or more digits 0 through 9 51, and @ matches all National Numbering Plan numbers (with only one @ allowed per pattern) 50. For a pattern such as 9.@, set the Discard Digits option to PreDot to strip the external access code so the PSTN can route the call 29. Classifying a route pattern as Off-Net lets users hear a secondary dial tone that indicates the call is leaving the organization 26.

Verify

Test the dial string in Dialed Number Analyzer using the target calling search space to verify that the matched pattern and outgoing trunk or gateway appear in sequence 13 15.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: locate the route pattern at Call Routing > Route/Hunt > Route Pattern and delete it.

With an access code that a translation pattern rewrites to +E.164, and route patterns match the + form

Do

Configure translation patterns at Call Routing > Translation Pattern to rewrite dialed strings into +E.164 56 15. Assign each translation pattern to a partition and configure its Calling Search Space field to reach the +E.164 route patterns 56. Unified CM applies the translation and then routes the call again using the translation pattern's calling search space 57. Each translation pattern's combination of partition, route filter and numbering plan must be unique 58. Next, create the outbound route patterns at Call Routing > Route/Hunt > Route Pattern, using + as the international escape character to match a leading plus sign 40 53. Assign these route patterns to a partition included in the translation pattern's calling search space, and choose the destination in the Gateway/Route List drop-down 40 41 57.

Verify

In Dialed Number Analyzer, verify that test output displays the translation pattern match first, followed in sequence by the rewritten +E.164 route pattern and trunk 15.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: navigate to Call Routing > Route/Hunt > Route Pattern to delete the route patterns, then delete the translation patterns at Call Routing > Translation Pattern.

With an access code such as 9, compulsory stripped before the call leaves

Do

Configure route patterns configured to block calls that should not be routed, such as Cisco's example pattern 91900XXXXXXX to prevent calls to 900 services or specific area codes to mitigate toll fraud 1. Assign the block patterns to a partition included in calling search spaces alongside broader dialing patterns 41. WarmTransfer's reading of the sources is that a block pattern that provides a more specific match will take precedence over a broader route pattern regardless of partition order within the calling search space 27.

Verify

In Dialed Number Analyzer, enter a blocked test number under the calling search space to verify that the block pattern matches 13 15.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: navigate to Call Routing > Route/Hunt > Route Pattern, select the block pattern, and delete it.

With an access code that a translation pattern rewrites to +E.164, and route patterns match the + form

Do

WarmTransfer's reading of the sources is that when a translation pattern rewrites dialed numbers to +E.164 before route patterns are matched, block patterns have to be written against the rewritten string and placed in a partition that the translation pattern's CSS reaches 2. Configure route patterns to block calls that should not be routed, including 900 services or specific area codes for toll fraud prevention 1.

Verify

In Dialed Number Analyzer, test a blocked dialed number to verify that digit analysis traces through the initial translation pattern and matches the +E.164 block pattern 15.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: delete the block route patterns at Call Routing > Route/Hunt > Route Pattern.

Do

Identify patterns where a dialed string fully matches one entry but overlaps a longer pattern, including expressions using the exclamation-mark wildcard 51 28. When a dialed string fully matches one entry but overlaps a longer pattern, Unified CM runs the T302 interdigit timer to allow further digits before routing 28. The interdigit timeout is set by the T302 service parameter in the Clusterwide Parameters (Device - General) section, with a default of 15 seconds 44. With Urgent Priority enabled on a directory number, a call to that number routes at once without waiting for the interdigit timeout, even when an overlapping pattern exists 48. WarmTransfer's reading of the sources is that marking a route or translation pattern as urgent is expected to route the call as soon as that pattern matches instead of waiting for T302 49.

Verify

When testing dialed patterns on an endpoint, wait at least 10 seconds after the last digit before evaluating an uncompleted call as a failure, because the call may be waiting for the interdigit timer to expire 18.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: uncheck the Urgent Priority setting on modified directory numbers, route patterns, or translation patterns.

On the phone (device) only

Do

Assign each directory number to an internal partition rather than leaving it in the <None> partition 24 41. Set the Calling Search Space on the phone device to the appropriate tier CSS 3. Ensure every tier CSS includes the internal directory number partition, because a calling search space determines which call destinations a caller can reach 6.

Verify

Suggested check: place internal and external calls from a test phone assigned the target device CSS. In Cisco's troubleshooting case where the dialed number matched no pattern in any partition the caller's CSS could reach, the phone received reorder tone 23.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: revert the phone's Calling Search Space setting to its previous configuration.

On both the line (directory number) and the phone

Do

Assign each directory number to an internal partition rather than the <None> partition 24 41. Assign a Calling Search Space on the line configuration and a Calling Search Space on the phone configuration 5. When a calling search space is assigned both to the caller's phone and to the caller's directory number, Unified CM concatenates the two and searches the partitions of both 5. On an IP phone that has both a line CSS and a device CSS, the line CSS takes precedence over the device CSS 19. If two patterns match the dialed digits equally well, digit analysis chooses the one in the partition listed first 46.

Verify

Suggested check: make test calls across different classes of service to verify line and device CSS interactions. In Cisco's troubleshooting case, when a dialed number matched no pattern in any partition reachable through either the line or device CSS, the phone received reorder tone 23.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: restore the prior Calling Search Space values on both the directory number and the phone device.

Do

Dialed Number Analyzer lets an administrator test a Unified CM dial plan configuration before deploying it 16. Dialed Number Analyzer is enabled at Tools > Service Activation by activating Cisco Dialed Number Analyzer and Cisco Dialed Number Analyzer Server, and is then reached at https://<node>/dna 12. Cisco recommends activating the Dialed Number Analyzer services on only one cluster node, the one with the least call-processing activity 14. Cisco warns that the Dialed Number Analyzer service consumes a lot of resources and should be activated only during off-peak hours 17. Test numbers using the calling search space and time input options to evaluate dial plan logic across tiers 13.

Verify

Dialed Number Analyzer output shows each pattern matched in sequence, such as a translation pattern that rewrites the number followed by the route pattern and trunk the call would use 15.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: navigate to service activation under tools and deactivate both dialed number analyzer services once testing completes.

Do

Access Call Routing > Route Plan Report to review the detailed route plan, and save the output as a CSV file to preserve an as-built audit record 43. If route filters were implemented, note that Cisco cautions against assigning a single route filter to too many route patterns 35.

Verify

Suggested check: open the exported CSV file and confirm that all route patterns, translation patterns, and directory numbers reside in their intended partitions, with none remaining in the Null or <None> partition 24 43.

Rollback

Suggested rollback: this is a read-only reporting step; no configuration changes need to be reversed.

See also

See also Unified CM dial plan partitions and calling search spaces. See also Unified CM device pools and device configuration model. See also Unified CM Bulk Administration Tool export formats.