Unified IP is primarily a software-based system, it’s perhaps easiest to look at it from the perspective of logical architecture.

1. Aspect Unified IP-
Logical Architecture Overview
Vishad Garg

2. Unified IP Logical Architecture
• Unified IP is primarily a software-based system, it’s perhaps easiest to
look at it from the perspective of logical architecture.
• Certainly for getting the “big picture,” for seeing how the system is
organized and how it operates, this is probably the best way to
approach it.
• We’ll start by looking at the major divisions, or layers, and the
functions of each layer. After that, we will look at each layer a bit more
deeply, seeing how it works and how the components at that layer
interact and work together.

3. Unified IP Logical Architecture
At the heart of the system is core processing
layer, which provides core control, agent
selection, and IVR capabilities. The core layer
talks to the media processing layer, which
provides the actual telephony interfaces, and to
a web service layer, which provides APIs for the
agent desktop, and to a set of applications
which can be used to configure and monitor the
system. There are also reporting and database
components. Our customers interact with User
Interfaces at the agent desktop and application
layer, and do not have direct contact with the
core processing or the media access layer.
Datab
ases
Core Processing
Application LayerDesktop
Media Access Layer
Enterprise Layer
Web Services

4. Media Acquisition Layers
•Contact Center media enter and exit
Unified IP, thru Media Acquisition Layer.
•Media Acquisition layer is entry exit point
for telephony, chat, email and workflow.
•Voice interactions enter/exit thru TA/DCP
or TMS.
•Non-voice contacts enter/exit thru UCM,
Chat server and screen gateway.

5. TMS
DCPTA
Trunk
SIP
Proxy
VXML
Server
UCM
Lync
Exchange
SMS
Provider
Chat
Server
Chat
Tomcat
Screen
Gateway
Agent
CTI
Server
ACD
Media Acquisition Layers

6. Media Acquisition Layers (Voice Media)
TMS
DCPTA
Trunk
SIP
Proxy
VXML
Server
CTI
Server
ACD
Voice media uses telephony trunks to come to UIP.
•DCP/TA and TMS- which is responsible for PSTN calls and with the help of CenterCord route them to
appropriate resource.
•SIP Proxy- Which supports IP calls and facilitate audio connection between two SIP devices. SIP proxy is
configured with TMS (TA/DCP) and uses CC to route the call to right resource. Once CC advise the end-point
to SIP Proxy it transfer the call to that end device.
•VoiceXML server or Aspect Voice Portal (AVP) executes VXML scripts under control of M3 workflow. When
the M3 workflow decides to include the VoiceXML Server in the call, it instructs the DCP to place a SIP call to
the VoiceXML Server.
•CTI Server- The CTI Server provides an abstraction layer to access various PBX/ACD switches and control
agent and call functionality.

7. Media Acquisition Layers (Non-Voice Media)
On Non-voice side
•UCM (Unified Communication Manager) Server is the gateway between non-voice 3rd party media and
Unified IP. The medias handled and processed by UCM Server are:
•IM (Instant Messaging from Lync)
•Inbound and Outbound Email (Exchange Server)
•Outbound SMS (Short Message Service)
•Chat server is responsible for Chat requests routing with the help of CC.
•Screen Capture Gateway is responsible for recording the agent screen during conversation with customer.
Screen Capture Web Service facilitate the screen capture with Gateway.
UCM
Lync
Exchange
SMS
Provider
Chat
Server
Chat
Tomcat
Screen
Gateway
Agent

8. Core Processing Layer
Core Processing layer is the brain of the UIP system and handle
contacts and transactions. Main responsibilities are:
•Call classification: assigns calls to services based on DNIS.
•Agent selection: If call assigned service needs an agent, Core
Processing selects the agent, routes the call with screen pop. It
can also route a call directly to an agent based on DID number.
•Load balancing for IVR, chat and email. If a call is assigned to a
service that requires IVR treatment, it decides which instance of
M3 to invoke.
•Media prioritization. For agents , those are in multiple
services, it decides which media take priority.
•Outbound campaign management. It decides when to start
and stop outbound campaigns.
•Outbound pacing. it determines how fast outbound calls are
generated.
•Agent and call state tracking.
•Realtime statistics generation
•Call detail record generation for historical reporting
•License enforcement (on the number of concurrent calls or
agents, etc.)
•Resource management (CTI connections, Telephony
connections, email and chat server connections).

9. Core Processing Layer- Components
Centercord – the main processing component of the system. Its
responsibilities include handling agent and contact transactions,
generating realtime and historical reporting data, outbound
campaign management, license enforcement and agent routing
selection,.
CC2DCP - an abstraction process that enables Centercord and M3 to
communicate with one or more TA/DCP and/or TMS
M3 Service - general workflow engine whose capabilities are defined
by the set of steps that have been built. These steps are combined
into scripts that implement UIP's workflows.
DBI Service - legacy interface to SQL Server databases for other
components.
IPNIQ Service - allows the Unified IP system to request an agent
from another Unified IP system, Aspect Call Center, or Aspect
Spectrum system. Also allows Unified IP to request agents with
particular skills and/or route names.
EDM Loader - loads call and M3 detail records into the Detail
Database and recording data into the Recording Database. The EDM
Loader gets these records from flat Persistent Data Provider (PDP)
files. The PDP files are written by Centercord.

10. Core Processing Layer- Components
Import Export - Supports the import of call table info for non-
Advanced List Management outbound dialing campaigns. As
the campaign proceeds, Import Export Server supports the
export of called table record information, including call detail
information that is appended to the record.
SMServer - gathers real-time statistics from CenterCord and
makes them available to UCC realtime reporting clients.
OSMS - gathers real-time statistics from CenterCord and makes
them available to clients.
Summarization Service - reads call detail information from the
Detail reporting database, summarizes it and stores the result
in the Summary reporting database.
Log Service - common logging facility responsible for
accumulating log files from all log clients.
Alert Server - allows components to publish and subscribe to
status alerts. Can also send remote notifications to Aspect
Support of critical problems in the field. Handles fail-over for
CenterCord and the Import/Export Server.

11. Database Layer
The principal goal of the database layer is to
provide persistent data storage capabilities to
various, deserving, UIP components.
The database component assumes a critical
role and supports five major functional areas:
•Real-time operational data
•System configuration data
•Reporting data
•Recordings data
•Knowledge Base data
A typical UIP deployment consists of three
distinct interconnected SQL Server instances:
•UIP_CONFIG
•UIP_REPORTING
•UIP_RECORDING

12. Database Layer- Components
Primary Database System (PDS):
Config database contains information about agents, call
tables, services, and applications. It is replicated and the
system will not run without it. There is one instance of
the Config_epro database per tenant.
Application Database stores call tables for outbound
campaigns. There is one instance per tenant.
Lookup DB contains read-only information such as
enumerations of call types. It is replicated and the system
cannot function without it. Since the information is
common to all tenants, there is only a single instance for
the unified ip site.
Resource Database contains information on system-wide
resources, such as what servers there are in the system
and where the TAs are. It also contains complete tenant
information.
UCCConfigDB database contains information about UCC
Admin configurable entities such as target systems,
security profiles, enterprise entities. One instance per
enterprise.
URMDB Database contains information on IT related
alerts and audit information on telephony configuration
changes that were made. One instance per enterprise.

13. Database Layer- Components
Reporting Database System
Detail Database contains call detail records for reporting.
There is one instance per tenant.
Summary Database contains summary information for
reporting. There is one instance per tenant.
Recording Database System :
Recording databases stores meta data associated with
recordings for voice, M3, voice mail, screen, chat, IM.
This meta data includes information such as the location
of the recordings and the call and agent ids used in the
recordings. There is one instance per tenant. There are
two distinct databases. One stores the meta data for new
recordings – the newrecordings_epro. By default this
meta data is moved (aged) to the recordings_epro when
its 60 days old
Knowledge Base (KB) Database contains data on
solutions to problems or relevant information an agent
can access when responding to customer questions

14. Database Layer- HA and DR Model
HA and DR model
Database high availability is achieved through the use of SQL server mirroring which enables a second, up to
date, instance of a database to be ready to process client requests if the first instance fails
Principal role – SQL Server hosts the instance of the database that clients can connect and send requests to.
Mirror role – SQL Server hosts the instance of the database which will be updated with all transactions that go
to the principal database. Clients cannot connect to this instance for read or write operations.
Witness role – SQL Server participates in determining whether a failover from the principal database instance
to the mirrored database instance should occur. There must always be connectivity between two out of the
three SQL server instances to ensure that all clients connect to the same instance of the mirrored database.

15. Web Service Layer/Portal
Web Services Layer provides a mechanism for clients in the
Application Layer and internal components to make requests
that are serviced by the system.
The Web Service Layer is sometimes referred to as the
Portal. It consists of a set of Web Services running inside
Tomcat that provide APIs to various clients.
There are four major classes of web services:
Agent Portal: This group of web services primarily service
the needs of agent desktop type clients (e.g. Unified Agent
Desktop, Agent Toolbar, custom clients built from the Agent
Soap SDK). These are the Java based legacy web services of
the system.
Director Portal: This group of web services primarily
services the needs of the director administration client.
These are the Java based legacy web services of the system.
Windows Communication Framework (WCF): These are the
newest, Windows based, class of web services provided by
the system. They enable clients and internal components to
access administrative operations, sharepoint repositories
and external CTI functions that were added in the latest
releases of Unified IP.
M3 Services: These web services are focused on the needs
of the M3 component of the system. They provide access to
VXML scripts residing on an external web server and a
mechanism for M3 instances to access configuration data.

16. Web Service Layer/Portal- Components
• Agent Web Service- Provides the main API for all agent desktop. Send
commands as Dial, Hangup to CC. Also talk to chat server and send text and
URL receives from agent.
• Event Web Service- Handles agent real time event as Idle, Wrap etc. and send
to presentation layer.
• Alert Web Service- Publish UIP alerts.
• Agent Scoring Web-Service- allows users to score agent recordings and to view
scores.
• Host Con Web Service- Used to access data from non UIP data sources for M3,
Lyricall Designer and custom agent pages.
• Provisioning Web Service- provides access to backend configuration data for
UD Director, the Agent Web Service, and the User Interface for Import/Export
Server.
• Import/Export Web Service- Handle on-demand and scheduled imports and
exports of outbound call tables and exclusion records.
• Numbering Plan Web-Service- provides a web service front end to the
configuration database for numbering plan information (information on which
DNIS is associated with which CenterCord service) .

17. Web Service Layer/Portal- Components
• Security/Authentication Web Service-The main function of the
Security/Authentication Web Service is to authenticate user IDs and
passwords .It can work with Active Directory, LDAP or IAS as the authentication
authority.
• M3 VXML Web Service- serves VXML pages to VXML Servers and returns any
results from those servers to the M3 Server.
• M3 Data Cache Web Service- Provides configuration information to M3 Server
and M3 Designer. It allows M3 designer to work off-line from UIP system.
• Screen Recording Web-Service- use for recording and monitoring agent
screens
• Recording Manager Web Service- use to store and retrieve recordings of all
types, including screen recordings, voice mail recordings, M3 prompts, agent
sessions, etc. It does not do the recording, but manages the files afterwards

18. Application Layer
The application layer also known as Desktop Application
Layer or client application layer contains the various
applications where agents, administrators and programmers
interface with Aspect Unified IP system..
There are four major groups of application layer:
1.Agent Applications
1. UAD
2. LYRICall Agent
3. Agent AMP
2.Supervisor Applications
1. UCC-RTR
2. Enterprise Monitor
3. Data Views
3.Administrator Applications
1. UCC Admin
2. Unified Director
3. Server Configurator
4. URM
4.Programmers Applications
1. M3 Designer
2. Lyricall Designer
3. Agent SOAP API
4. RTR Producer
5. VXML Studio

19. Application Layer- Agent Applications
1. Unified Agent Desktop: is a standard agent interface for
UIP. It provide softphone control and screen pop object
to allow an agent to handle inbound and outbound calls.
UAD support multi line feature also.
2. LYRICall Agent - is a browser based agent interface that
allows customization of the agent desktop by allowing
customers to create custom scripts for agents.
3. Agent AMP- is a thick client agent toolbar providing
basic agent screenpop and agent oriented telephony
control.

20. Application Layer- Supervisor Applications
1. UCC-RTR: is used to examine real time statistics on
multiple systems, enterprise wide. It allows
supervisors/admins/managers to monitor the activity
levels and utilization of services, agents and other
resources (trunks).
2. Enterprise Monitor- is a tool to monitor various
services. Monitor, start, stop o/b tables and services.
Also perform monitoring of live agent calls.
3. Data Views- use to create enterprise wide historic
reports.

21. Application Layer- Administrator Applications
1. UCC-Admin: can manage multiple Aspect systems at
enterprise level (ACD, UIP, AQM, WFM) It allows to
build and maintain users, services, schedules,
dispositions, and email administration.
2. Unified Director- is other admin application which
manages numbering plan, alerts, agent
recording/scoring, voice mail, table definitions,
exclusions etc.
3. Server Configurator-manages servers setup during the
initial configuration process. Provide interface to push
the hot fixes and monitor the service status.
4. URM- is used to provision telephony resources. It also
uses for system messages creation (recording).

22. Application Layer- Programmer Applications
1. M3 Designer: use to create IVR, email, chat, ASBR and
IPNIQ scripts. Implement custom business rules and self
service applications.
2. LYRICall Designer- use to design web based agent
screens to use with UIP system for agent login.
3. Agent SOAP API-use to integrate phone functionality
into existing desktop applications. It allows customers
own agent desktop or third party tools to write to new
SOAP interface used by Aspect UIP system.
4. RTR Producer- is used to create custom canvases to
monitor the real time statistics of contact center.
5. VXML Studio- is a tool to create the voiceXML scripts for
IVR application development.

23. Sample Simple Call Processing Flow
TMSTMS
User Agent
Desktop
User Agent
Desktop
Agent PortalAgent Portal
centercordcentercord
cc2dcpcc2dcp
New Call Arrives
Centercord determines based
on DNIS the service to use then
selects an agent
New Call Notification

24. Sample Agent Login Flow
User Agent
Desktop
User Agent
Desktop
Agent PortalAgent Portal
centercordcentercord
Get agent services and skills
Login Request
Admin web
service
Admin web
service
Config
Database
Agent is authenticated
Login Request
Get agent services and skills

25. Enterprise Layer
Enterprise Layer encompasses components which provide
functions to one or more Unified IP systems across one or
more geographic locations.
•Business administration – for example agents, services, etc.
•IT administration – for example telephony circuits and
Microsoft Lync endpoints.
•Outbound campaign management
•Realtime reporting

26. Enterprise Layer- Components
There are four major components of Enterprise Layer:
Unified Command and Control Administration (UCC Admin): This
component enables user interfacing clients as well as internal components to
perform business administration operations across one or more unified ip,
workforce management, call center and/or performance management
systems.
Advanced List Management (ALM): This component provides outbound
campaign management functions for one or more unified ip systems.
Unified Command and Control Realtime Reporting (UCC RTR): This
component populates browser based canvases with user definable realtime
reporting metrics for one or more unified ip systems.
Unified Resource Manager (URM): This component allows user interfacing
clients to perform IT/telephony management and configuration operations
across one or more unified ip systems.

27. Enterprise Layer- Interaction
This diagram depicts how the enterprise
layer components enable the desktop
applications in the application layer to have
visibility into and manage the data in
multiple unified ip systems.

28. Enterprise Layer- Administration Interaction
This diagram shows the interactions between the
application, enterprise, web services and database
layers to execute a request to retrieve and display a
list of unified ip inbound services to a client session.

29. Enterprise Layer- Administration Interaction
This diagram displays interactions between the
application, enterprise and core processing
layers to fulfill a request from a realtime canvas
running in a web browser to periodically show
status data for all inbound services running on a
particular unified ip system.

30. Component Distribution - Non-Multi-Tenant
Deployments
Core Machine
•Centercord
•DBI
•Alert Service
•CC2DCP
•DBAccess
•IPNIQ Service
•Admin Web Service
•UCC Admin Adapter
•Director Portal (under 1000)
•Expert Query Web Service
•SM Server (under 2000 HA
only)
Primary DB Machine
•SQLServer : Configuration
•SQLServer: Reporting (100-non HA)
Reporting DB Machine
•SQLServer: Reporting
•SQLServer : Configuration Mirror (HA)
•Summarization Service
•EDM Loader
•Scheduled Reporting Service
Recording DB Machine
•SQLServer: Recording, Knowledge Base
•Summarization Service
•EDM Loader
•SM Server
•URM Adapter
Core Expansion Machine
•Notification Service
•Agent Portal
•OSMS Proxy Service
•M3 Service
•Aspect SIP Proxy
•Import/Export
•CTI Service
•CTI Portal Service
•Screen Capture Portal
Agent M3 Expansion Machine
•Agent Portal
•M3 Service
Director Core Expansion
Machine (above 1000)
•Director Portal
•M3 Service
•OSMS Proxy Service
•SM Server (2000 HA only)
UCC Machine
•UCC Admin Server
•URM Server
•UCC Admin Change Notification Service
•UCC Admin Alert System
•UCC Bulk Import/Export
•URM Web App
•SQLServer Express: UCC Admin Cache
Multimedia Machine
•Chat Server
•Load Balancer
•Chat Web Server
•UCM Server
•UC Media Load Balancer
•UCM Recording
ScreenCapture Gateway
Machine
TMS/TA/DCP
•DCP Svr
•XCoder
ALM Machine
•ALM DB
•ALM Server
•ALM Web Server
•Logging Server
RT Broker Machine
•Smartsockets RT Server
RTR Expansion Machine
(2000 only)
•SM Server

31. Component Distribution - Non-Multi-Tenant
Deployments