The Cisco Multimedia Conference Manager (MCM) feature bundle includes two features: the Cisco IOS H.323 Gatekeeper and the MCM Proxy. The Cisco IOS Gatekeeper described below is a supported feature in the Cisco IOS platforms. However, the MCM Proxy function has been superseded by the more powerful Cisco Multiservice IP-to-IP Gateway.
Cisco Multimedia Conference Manager (MCM) gives a network administrator the ability to:
- Identify H.323 traffic
- Limit the H.323 traffic on the LAN and WAN
- Provide user accounting for records based on the service utilization
- Inject QoS for the H.323 traffic generated by VoIP and conferencing applications
- Implement security for H.323 communications
Gatekeeper
As a point of control for a variety of voice and video components that are attached to an IP network, the Gatekeeper facilitates the building of large-scale multimedia service networks. It also defines an open API for customized application development. The Gatekeeper performs the following functions:
- H.323 administrative zone establishment
- User authentication, call authorization, and accounting
- Call establishment within a zone and between zones with admission control
- Bandwidth and session management within a zone and between zones
- Address lookup and resolution, and translation between E.164 and IP addresses
