What are the best practices for optimizing network infrastructure for UC traffic?
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— The LinkedIn Team
Unified communications (UC) is the integration of various communication channels, such as voice, video, chat, and email, into a single platform that enables seamless collaboration and productivity. However, UC traffic can pose significant challenges for network infrastructure, as it requires high bandwidth, low latency, and reliable performance. How can you optimize your network infrastructure for UC traffic? Here are some best practices to consider.
Before you implement any UC solution, you need to evaluate your current network capacity, quality, and configuration. You can use tools such as network analyzers, bandwidth calculators, and quality of service (QoS) testers to measure the baseline performance and identify any bottlenecks, errors, or vulnerabilities. You also need to review your network architecture, such as routers, switches, firewalls, and VPNs, and ensure that they are compatible and up to date with the UC requirements.
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Deanti Nichols
OPSTech at Amazon Corporate LLC
Intent based routing and hardware selection during device (profile) creation to segregate Video/Rich media traffic from voice (signalling, RTP) as well and end to end QoS configuration (according to whether you're using CoS or DSCP) and properly configured and balanced SRV record deployment.
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Kazim Shahid
Transmission Specialist
UC traffic requires **high-performance, secure, and scalable** network infrastructure. Some of the best practices for optimizing network infrastructure for UC traffic are ¹²³: - Implementing **TCP window scaling** to increase throughput and reduce latency. - Increasing **link bandwidth** to accommodate high-volume data transfers. - Using **fabric enabled line cards** and **Cisco Express Forwarding** to enhance switching capacity and routing efficiency. - Applying **server load balancing** and **routed access layer** to distribute traffic and improve availability. - Enforcing **quality of service** policies to prioritize UC traffic and ensure reliability.
QoS is a set of techniques that prioritize and allocate network resources based on the type and importance of traffic. For UC traffic, QoS can help to ensure that voice and video packets are delivered with minimal delay, jitter, and packet loss, while other less critical traffic can be handled with lower priority. You can implement QoS policies at different levels of your network, such as the edge, core, and access, and use parameters such as class of service (CoS), differentiated services code point (DSCP), and bandwidth reservation to classify and manage traffic.
Wide area network (WAN) is the backbone of your UC solution, as it connects your geographically dispersed sites and users. However, WAN can also introduce latency, congestion, and reliability issues that can affect the quality of UC traffic. To optimize your WAN, you can use technologies such as WAN optimization, which reduces the amount of data sent over the network by using compression, caching, and deduplication; WAN acceleration, which improves the speed of data transmission by using protocols such as TCP optimization and application acceleration; and WAN failover, which provides redundancy and backup in case of network failures.
Cloud services can offer many benefits for UC solutions, such as scalability, flexibility, cost-efficiency, and security. By using cloud-based UC platforms, you can reduce the complexity and maintenance of your on-premises network infrastructure, and access the latest features and updates without investing in hardware and software upgrades. You can also use cloud services to supplement your existing UC capabilities, such as cloud storage, backup, and disaster recovery. However, you need to ensure that your cloud provider meets your UC needs and SLAs, and that your network connectivity and security are adequate for cloud access.
Optimizing your network infrastructure for UC traffic is not a one-time task, but an ongoing process that requires constant monitoring and troubleshooting. You need to use tools such as network management systems, performance dashboards, and alert systems to track and analyze the network status, performance, and usage. You also need to have a clear and effective troubleshooting procedure that can identify and resolve any network issues that may affect the UC traffic, such as bandwidth congestion, packet loss, jitter, latency, or security breaches.
By following these best practices, you can optimize your network infrastructure for UC traffic and enhance the quality and efficiency of your communication and collaboration.