Technical information
Ordering Guide
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Help with Unified Workspace Licensing orders - use the cuwl-support@cisco.com alias.
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Resolving orders on New Product Hold (NPH) - Start at https://www.cisco.com/cgi-
bin/Software/FormManager/formgenerator.pl?fid=10520 and then consult the product management alias for
the affected product. NPH for Cisco Unified Communications Manager appliances is often due to one of the
following:
◦ Cisco Manufacturing process requirements - All new SKUs are automatically placed on NPH until enough
inventory exists to cover backlog and required inspections are complete. Note that manufacturing has
required “blackouts” at certain fiscal quarters and at year end, and that may delay lifting of NPH. You can
check mcs-team@cisco.com to verify for Cisco MCS 7800 servers or appliances.
◦ Promotional SKU bundled with Cisco Unified Communications Manager software that requires NPH.
Consult product management aliases to verify.
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Where to get Software Images - i.e. receiving a DVD or file containing the software image needed for the
install or upgrade:
◦ Use Product Upgrade Tool (PUT) at http://www.cisco.com/upgrade for Major and Minor Release install
images, and upgrade images that span Major Releases. These images are available only on DVD.
◦ Use Software Center http://www.cisco.com/kobayashi/sw-center/sw-voice.shtml for all upgrade images that
don’t span Major Releases. These images are available as software downloads or on DVD.
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Where to get Software License files - Product Authorization Keys (PAKs) ship with the media kits for an
order. These must be submitted at http://www.cisco.com/go/license to be converted into license files that must
be uploaded to the Cisco software products. Electronic License Delivery (eLD) is currently available
worldwide. eLD emails PAKs to a designated email address instead of sending them with the media kits.
Where available, eLD-specific SKUs will be enumerated in the ordering tools.
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Where to get VMware software if purchased from Cisco – Customer will be shipped a paper document by
Cisco containing license agreement, license key and an activation URL with instructions on how to activate
the license key at vmware.com. Customer visits vmware.com, activates the key, and is then entitled to
download software images, media, documentation, and activate/run the software using the license key.
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Lead Times, Inventory, and Effects on Orderability
◦ Expediting lead time - Product management cannot perform expedites. All expedites must be requested of
and performed by Customer Service at cs-support@cisco.com, or http://wwwin-
tools.cisco.com/Sales/WWExp/createNew.wwexp?method=goStartDetails&solcatId=&menu=20&subMenu.
◦ Lead Times are volatile and based on constantly changing supply/demand vs. current order backlog vs. BU
forecast. Typical lead times for Cisco MCS 7800 servers are 3-4 weeks but will vary. Some examples of
supply/demand factors that affect lead times are below:
Seasonality - Expect higher demand during end of fiscal quarter/year.
Customer purchasing behavior - For example, the Cisco Unified Communications Manager 7.0 take rate
was much higher than was historically expected for a .0 release. This rate was therefore much higher than
forecast, and our inventories decreased faster than expected for the servers that could support Cisco
Unified Communications Manager 7.0.
Manufacturing process - A new SKU may be on NPH pending completion of required manufacturing
processes. If this situation occurs during a required manufacturing blackout during fiscal quarter/year end,
then lead times will be affected.
Server turnover - As OEM servers approach the end of their lifecycle, it becomes harder to replenish
inventory quickly because server vendors start ramping down their production lines.