What is new in 2.9 for administrators

This is an overview of new features and changes that are relevant for administrators.

Events for mute status

Previously Meeting Management would get information about mute status via the Meeting Server API. In this release, the Meeting Management will get this information via events to improve performance. Video operators may notice this when they enter a large meeting or scroll through a long participant list.

Idle session timeout

Previously, users would stay signed in for up to 24 hours whether they were active or not. In this release you can decide whether users should be signed out if they are inactive, and you can set a specific time limit for how long users can be inactive before they are signed out.

For instructions, see Configure advanced security settings

Connect LDAP servers to Cisco Meeting Servers and import users

Previously, LDAP mappings for importing users have been configured via the Meeting Server API. In this release, you can use Meeting Management to can enter LDAP server details and configure LDAP mappings from a Provisioning page which you can access from the Servers page.

For instructions, see Provisioning.

Create space templates for web app users

Previously, settings for spaces have all been configured separately via the Meeting Server API. In this release, Meeting Management lets you create space templates that consist of pre-configured settings that you make available for web app users so they can use them to create one or more different types of spaces. For instance, you can let them choose between a team space where all participants have the same privileges and a host and guest space where some participants are guests with limited privileges.

See instructions for administrators in Provisioning - Allow users to create spaces. To see what web app users will see in their end, see the Cisco Meeting Server web app User Guide.

Lock out all new participants

Previously, the meeting lock would only affect non-Activators (non-members who need activation to join a meeting). The lock still works like this for Meeting Server versions 2.8 or earlier.

For Meeting Server 2.9 we have implemented a new lock mode that makes the meeting lock affect all participants. This new lock mode is the default for Meeting Server 2.9.

For video operator instructions, see Use the meeting lobby and lock meetings. For more information about how the new lock mode works, see the Cisco Meeting Server 2.9 Release Notes.

Meeting lock for scheduled meetings

In the previous release, the meeting lock button was disabled for scheduled meetings. In this release, the meeting lock button is enabled for all scheduled meetings.

Use the meeting lobby and lock meetings has been updated to reflect this.

Admit all lobby participants

For meetings hosted on Meeting Server 2.9, the Admit all button will let all participants into the meeting, whether or not an Activator is present in the meeting.

For meetings hosted on Meeting Server 2.8 or earlier, the Admit all button will work as it did in previous releases.

Use the meeting lobby and lock meetings has been updated to reflect this.

Support for Cisco Meeting Server web app

In this release we have added a call type named web app, which is short for the Meeting Server web app.

For information about the new web app, see the Cisco Meeting Server web app Important information document.

CBC3 cipher suites no longer available

The following cipher suites are no longer available for Meeting Management:

• ECDHE-RSA-DES-CBC3-SHA;
• DES-CBC3-SHA

Configure advanced security settings has been updated to reflect this.

Changes to requirements

Meeting Management 2.9 supports Meeting Server version 2.7 or later. We recommend using version 2.9, which is required for admitting all participants, and for using the new lock mode.

For all requirements and prerequisites for Meeting Management 2.9, see Before you start.