00 · Header
T5 · Dedicated Instance
What Dedicated Instance Is
Dedicated Instance is a Webex Calling add-on: a dedicated cloud instance based on Unified CM. Calling features are not harmonized with multi-tenant Webex Calling. Peering design lives in the next rooms.
01 · Executive summary
Five lines, then why it matters
- Knowledge Workers and Common Area devices captured in the First Time Setup Wizard determine how many call-processing nodes Cisco deploys. Sizing is a function of the Dedicated Instance team, not of the old on-premises cluster size. [cite:1]
- The first cluster in a region is activated within 48 hours. Later clusters in that region are activated within 5 business days. More than three clusters in a region need customer-provided subnets. Cisco-provided subnets support only up to three. [cite:1]
- SME is eligible when three clusters are deployed. One SME can span regions. Its node-to-node and database replication traffic uses the Cisco backbone. [cite:1]
- Nightly backups keep the latest three in the data center. They are for disaster recovery. You do not get access, and they are not a change-backout strategy. [cite:1]
- Base configuration creates interop objects whose names start with patterns such as WXC-DI. Cisco says not to modify or delete the default trunks. The base-configuration article was updated May 27, 2025. [cite:2] re-check
02 · Architecture map
What the add-on deploys
- 1Cluster shape
- 2Optional and region-limited apps
- 4Features are not harmonized
- 5Connectivity is a later room
Mermaid source (not rendered)
flowchart LR FTSW[Knowledge Workers] --> C1[First cluster] C1 --> C2[Later clusters] C2 --> SME[SME after three]
03 · Core concepts
A private Unified CM, still inside Webex Calling
Webex Calling includes a dedicated cloud instance based on the Cisco Unified Communications Manager architecture. It is integrated with Webex Calling and is an add-on. It supports the same features as on-premises Unified CM, including Jabber and Webex App, and it can trunk to third-party PBXs. It is orderable as an add-on for Webex Calling Flex Plan 3.0 through partners in specific countries. See the Global Availability Guide for countries. [cite:1]
Customers can place users on both platforms. The introduction says the calling features are not harmonized. The example is that Webex Calling users cannot be part of a hunt group on Dedicated Instance. [cite:1]
A cluster is a publisher plus subscribers. The publisher role named in the sizing section is provisioning. Other subscriber roles include TFTP, MOH, and call processing. A fully deployed cluster supports up to 8 call-processing servers or approximately 50,000 devices on version 14 and above. Do not activate call processing on TFTP, MOH, or publisher nodes other than the nodes Cisco activated. [cite:1]
Cisco takes a backup of all Dedicated Instance UC applications every night and keeps the latest three in the data center. They are password protected and used only to restore after disaster recovery. On a major hardware failure the cluster can be reinstalled and restored from the daily DRS backup. Restore time depends on database size and which components you restore. This is not a change-backout strategy, and you will not have access to these backups. [cite:1]
What each application is for
| Application | How the introduction describes it | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Unified CM | The calling application. Cluster size follows Knowledge Workers and Common Area devices from the First Time Setup Wizard. | [cite:1] |
| IM and Presence | Optional, chosen in the First Time Setup Wizard, installed as a subscriber. Sizing is the Dedicated Instance team’s. | [cite:1] |
| Unity Connection | Installed from the Knowledge Worker count for the region. Office 365 integration needs a Cisco Support case because it affects sizing. | [cite:1] |
| Expressway-C and Expressway-E | Deployed for Mobile and Remote Access and business-to-business calling. Entitlement is 100 percent of Knowledge Workers for MRA licenses and 5 percent for B2B calls. Operations deploys MRA for 20 percent at activation. Expand toward 100 percent by a Cisco Support case. | [cite:1] |
| Emergency Responder | Americas region only, in the add-on list. | [cite:1] |
| SME | Eligible at three clusters. Centralizes SIP trunks, voicemail, and conferencing, and avoids a full mesh. Needs Business Unit approval. The account manager contacts the Session Manager team named in the cited article. | [cite:1] |
| Security features named | Encrypted media, secure SRST, and secure over-the-top registration using MRA. Also SRST, Emergency Responder, and Nomadic E911. | [cite:1] |
| Localization | Phone and gateway tones in 82 countries, self-care portal in 50 languages, clients in more than 30 languages. | [cite:1] |
04 · Ecosystem
What sits beside the add-on
Glossary
- Dedicated Instance
- Dedicated cloud instance based on Unified CM, integrated with Webex Calling, sold as an add-on. [cite:1]
- Knowledge Worker
- Count captured in the First Time Setup Wizard. Drives call-processing nodes, Unity Connection, and Expressway entitlements. [cite:1]
- Common Area device
- The other First Time Setup Wizard count that drives call-processing node count. [cite:1]
- Full-size cluster
- Up to 8 call-processing servers or about 50,000 devices on version 14 and above. The configuration limit stated to the partner is 50,000 configured devices. [cite:1]
- 160,000 end users
- Maximum that may be configured or synchronized over LDAP. They may be active or present only for directory or service discovery. [cite:1]
- Not harmonized
- Dedicated Instance and Webex Calling keep different calling features. Hunt-group membership does not cross. [cite:1]
- A2Q
- Required for multi-cluster provisioning and activation. [cite:1]
- Additional clusters SKU
- The article’s name is “Additional Webex Calling Dedicated Instance Clusters.” It grants Unified CM, IM and Presence, Unity Connection, Expressways, and Emergency Responder. [cite:1]
- WXC-DI trunks
- Default multi-tenant interop trunks, one toward each Dedicated Instance data center in the region. Do not modify or delete them. [cite:2] re-check
- DRS backup
- Nightly. Latest three kept. Password protected. Restore only. No customer access. [cite:1]
- Expressway-E call policy
- Preconfigured to block all inbound B2B calls. Update it during B2B testing so calls come from valid sources. [cite:2] re-check
Mind map
Mermaid source (not rendered)
mindmap
root((Dedicated Instance))
Webex Calling
Unified CM
Unity Connection
Expressway
Sister matrix
| Sister | What the cited page says | Why it matters | Config touchpoint | Typical failure | Cite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workforce management | Not sized in the introduction. py6u9h is a contact-center WFO article. | Knowledge Workers are not contact-center agent seats. | A contact-center room if the user is an agent. | Using the 50,000 device line as a WFM server count. | [cite:1] [cite:3] |
| Quality management and recording | Not given a retention number in dk3o5r. | DRS backups restore UC applications. They are not call recordings. | The recording product you licensed. | Asking Cisco for a backup to recover a deleted recording. | [cite:1] |
| E911, RAY BAUM, Kari, RedSky | The introduction names Emergency Responder for the Americas, Nomadic E911, and SRST. The base configuration names RedSky trunks and route groups with an x prefix, and a HELD customer ID the partner adds to the service profile. | Americas-only CER is a product limit. RedSky object names are a base-config fact. | Base configuration article. Do not delete x-prefixed objects. | Expecting CER in every region because Nomadic E911 is mentioned. | [cite:1] [cite:2] |
| Analytics and reporting | Not a CUIC or Analyzer design in the introduction. | Call history inside Unified CM is not Webex Contact Center Analyzer. | The UC reporting guide for the apps Cisco deployed. | Opening T4 CUIC to explain a Dedicated Instance user. | [cite:1] |
| Salesforce, Dynamics 365, ServiceNow | The introduction says open APIs enable third-party integrations. It does not name those three CRMs. | An integration claim needs the API guide for that CRM. TODO-verify any specific CRM connector from this article alone. | developer.webex.com or the CRM’s Cisco guide, once read. | Listing a CRM as included in the add-on. | [cite:1] |
| Virtual agents | Not part of the add-on list. | A contact-center bot is a T4 topic. | T4-R10 for Hybrid IVR. | Putting Dialogflow inside the Expressway entitlement. | [cite:1] |
| IVR and self-service | Not a CVP design in this article. Unity Connection is voicemail, sized from Knowledge Workers. | Voicemail and contact-center IVR are different applications. | Unity from the Knowledge Worker count. IVR from T4-R05 if the user is a contact-center caller. | Treating Unity Connection as CVP. | [cite:1] |
| Digital channels | Not in the Dedicated Instance application list. | Webex Connect channels are a contact-center what’s-new topic. | T4-R10. | Adding WhatsApp to the Expressway B2B percentage. | [cite:1] |
| Identity and SSO | The introduction does not walk an IdP. The base configuration says not to modify DNS, NTP, or clustering addresses on Expressway. | Directory sync of up to 160,000 users is an LDAP limit, not an SSO procedure. | Activation and directory articles. Leave Expressway DNS and NTP as Cisco set them. | Repointing Expressway NTP during an SSO project. | [cite:1] [cite:2] |
Integration edges
| From | To | Mechanism | What moves | Cite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webex Calling multi-tenant | Dedicated Instance | Interop SIP trunks, one per data center | Basic interop. Default trunks must stay. | [cite:2] re-check |
| Dedicated Instance | Third-party PBX | Trunk | Migration schedule the introduction allows. | [cite:1] |
| First Time Setup Wizard | Call-processing nodes | Knowledge Worker and Common Area counts | How many nodes Cisco deploys. | [cite:1] |
| Customer | Extra clusters | Control Hub service request | Calling, Dedicated Instance, Service Request, UC Application Management, Request Cluster Expansion. | [cite:1] |
| SME nodes | Other SME nodes | Cisco backbone | Node-to-node traffic and database replication. Not the customer network. | [cite:1] |
| Expressway-E | Inbound B2B | Preconfigured call policy | Blocked until you update the policy for valid sources. | [cite:2] |
| Location | Route group | Main number and PSTN connection | Without them, users cannot make or receive calls through that location’s route group. Premise PSTN is allowed when you are not using Cisco Calling Plan. | [cite:2] |
Bridges
| This article | Neighbor | Peer label | Cite |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the add-on is | T5-R02 is architecture and the two-link peering rule. | T5-R03 is which connectivity option you order. | [cite:1] |
| Hunt groups stay inside one platform | Multi-tenant hunt groups are a Webex Calling feature room, not a shared group. | Contact-center queues are T3 or T4, not this hunt-group sentence. | [cite:1] |
| Flex Plan 3.0 add-on | Country list is the Global Availability Guide, which this room does not copy. | Webex Contact Center Enterprise is a different add-on family. | [cite:1] |
Future hooks
- When the Global Availability Guide is read into a room, attach the country list. Until then the sentence is “specific countries.”
- Base-configuration names were read from an article updated May 27, 2025. Re-check them before a change window.
- Activation permanence, the first voice domain, and the end of new EMEA regions are in the activation article used by T5-R02. This room points there instead of repeating that drill.
Ecosystem troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely mix-up | Check | Move | Cite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Webex Calling user is missing from a Dedicated Instance hunt group | Features were assumed to be harmonized | The introduction’s example is this exact case | Keep the hunt group on one platform. | [cite:1] |
| Call processing was turned on the publisher | On-premises habit | Only nodes Cisco activated may run call processing | Stop the extra service and talk to Cisco before adding services. | [cite:1] |
| A fourth cluster has no subnet | Cisco-provided subnets were assumed to scale forever | Cisco-provided subnets support up to three clusters per region | Provide customer subnets. | [cite:1] |
| Someone asks for yesterday’s backup to undo a translation pattern | DRS was treated as a backout | The article says it is not a change-backout strategy and you will not have access | Use your own change plan. | [cite:1] |
05 · Flow
From an order to a usable interop trunk
| Step | From | To | Mechanism | Notes | Cite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Partner order | Webex Calling Flex Plan 3.0 | Add-on | Specific countries. Global Availability Guide. | [cite:1] |
| 2 | First Time Setup Wizard | Node count | Knowledge Workers and Common Area devices | Dedicated Instance team sizes the applications. | [cite:1] |
| 3 | Activation | First cluster | 48 hours | Later clusters within 5 business days. | [cite:1] |
| 4 | Control Hub location | Interop trunk | Location is mandatory | Pattern WXC-DI-*-LOC. Main number and PSTN connection or calls through that route group fail. | [cite:2] |
| 5 | Cisco | Trunk and route group | Default objects | WXC-DI-*-TRK- one per data center. WXC-DI-*-RG. Do not modify or delete. | [cite:2] |
| 6 | Three clusters | SME | Business Unit approval | Account manager emails the address in the article. | [cite:1] |
06 · Config
Objects Cisco creates, and the ones you still fill in
| Item | Where | Rule | Cite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Control Hub, Calling, Location | Name pattern WXC-DI-*-LOC. Required for the interop SIP trunk. | [cite:2] re-check |
| Main number | That location | Required, with a PSTN connection, or users cannot use the route group. Premise PSTN is allowed if you are not on Cisco Calling Plan. | [cite:2] |
| SIP trunk | Calling, Call Routing, Trunk | WXC-DI-*-TRK-. One to each Dedicated Instance data center. Cisco-created. Do not modify or delete. | [cite:2] |
| Route group | Calling, Call Routing, Route Group | WXC-DI-*-RG. Link a custom dial plan to this default group. | [cite:2] |
| RedSky on Unified CM | x-prefixed trunk, route group, and route list | Names include x_e911_RedSky. Partner adds the RedSky account ID. Do not delete x-prefixed Cisco objects. | [cite:2] |
| Expressway-E call policy | Edge components | Blocks all inbound B2B calls until you update it for valid sources during B2B testing. | [cite:2] |
| DNS, NTP, clustering | Expressway System menus | Should not be modified. | [cite:2] |
| Cluster expansion | Control Hub service request | Calling, Dedicated Instance, Service Request, Raise Request, UC Application Management, Request Cluster Expansion. A2Q for multi-cluster. | [cite:1] |
| MRA capacity | Operations at activation, then a case | Starts at 20 percent of Knowledge Workers. Entitlement is 100 percent. B2B entitlement is 5 percent. | [cite:1] |
07 · Limits
Numbers the introduction prints
| Limit | Figure | Notes | Cite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call-processing servers | Up to 8 | Or approximately 50,000 devices, version 14 and above. | [cite:1] |
| Configured devices | 50,000 | Full-size cluster. Partner or customer configuration limit. | [cite:1] |
| End users | 160,000 | Configured or LDAP-synced. Active or directory-only. | [cite:1] |
| First cluster | 48 hours | From the time of service activation. | [cite:1] |
| Later clusters | 5 business days | Same region. | [cite:1] |
| Cisco-provided subnets | Up to 3 clusters per region | More clusters need customer subnets. The article recommends starting with customer subnets if you plan to pass three. | [cite:1] |
| MRA at activation | 20 percent of Knowledge Workers | Entitled to 100 percent by case. B2B entitlement is 5 percent. | [cite:1] |
| SME eligibility | Three clusters | Business Unit approval. One SME may span regions. | [cite:1] |
| Backups retained | Latest 3 | Nightly. No customer access. | [cite:1] |
| Emergency Responder | Americas only | Listed in the add-on contents. | [cite:1] |
| Tones, portal, clients | 82 countries, 50 languages, more than 30 languages | Same localization claim as on-premises Unified CM, as the article states it. | [cite:1] |
08 · Troubleshooting
Rows from the introduction and the base configuration
| Symptom | What to inspect | What the page implies | Cite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Users cannot call through the location route group | Main number and PSTN connection on the WXC-DI location | Both are required. Premise PSTN is valid when Cisco Calling Plan is not in use. | [cite:2] |
| Interop calls fail after a trunk edit | Whether a WXC-DI trunk was modified or deleted | Cisco says those default trunks should not be modified or deleted. | [cite:2] |
| Inbound B2B calls never arrive | Expressway-E call policy | The policy blocks all inbound B2B calls until you update it for valid sources. | [cite:2] |
| MRA licenses look short on day one | The 20 percent deployment versus the 100 percent entitlement | Expansion is a Cisco Support case, based on consumption. | [cite:1] |
| Office 365 voicemail sizing is wrong | Whether a support case was opened | Office 365 integration affects Unity Connection sizing. | [cite:1] |
| CER is missing outside the Americas | The add-on contents line | Emergency Responder is Americas only. | [cite:1] |
| A hunt group rejects a multi-tenant user | Which platform owns the group | Features are not harmonized. | [cite:1] |
09 · Self-question
Twelve rungs
L0What is Dedicated Instance, in the introduction’s first definition?
A dedicated cloud instance based on Unified CM, integrated with Webex Calling, and an add-on. [cite:1]
L1Which application is Americas-only?
Cisco Emergency Responder. [cite:1]
L1Can a Webex Calling user join a Dedicated Instance hunt group?
No. The article uses that as the example of features that are not harmonized. [cite:1]
L2What sets the call-processing node count?
Knowledge Workers and Common Area devices from the First Time Setup Wizard. The Dedicated Instance team sizes the apps. [cite:1]
L2What is the full-cluster device figure?
Up to 8 call-processing servers or approximately 50,000 devices on version 14 and above, and 50,000 configured devices as the partner limit. [cite:1]
L2How many end users can be in the cluster?
A maximum of 160,000, configured or synchronized over LDAP. [cite:1]
L3When is SME eligible, and whose network carries SME replication?
At three clusters. Replication traverses the Cisco backbone, not the customer network. [cite:1]
L3What is MRA on day one versus the entitlement?
Deployed at 20 percent of Knowledge Workers. Entitled to 100 percent. B2B entitlement is 5 percent. [cite:1]
L3Who can use the nightly backups?
Cisco, for disaster recovery. You do not have access, and they are not a backout tool. [cite:1]
L4What happens if the location has no main number?
Users cannot make or receive calls through the route group associated with that location. [cite:2]
L4Why do inbound B2B calls fail on a new Expressway-E?
A call policy blocks all inbound B2B calls until you update it for valid sources. [cite:2]
L5Where do you go for the two-link peering rule?
T5-R02. This room defines the add-on. Connectivity choices are T5-R03. [cite:1]
10 · Lab
Paper lab: name the objects before you touch them
11 · Quiz
Twelve checks
Dedicated Instance is:
- A Webex Calling add-on based on Unified CM
- Multi-tenant calling with a new name
- Webex Contact Center Enterprise
- A survivability gateway only
Reveal
A. [cite:1]
Emergency Responder in the add-on list is:
- Americas region only
- Every region
- EU only
- Optional everywhere
Reveal
A. [cite:1]
A full cluster’s call-processing servers top out at:
- 8, or about 50,000 devices on version 14 and above
- 2
- 160,000 servers
- 20 percent
Reveal
A. 160,000 is the end-user figure. [cite:1]
A Webex Calling user must join a Dedicated Instance hunt group. What does the article say?
Reveal
Webex Calling users cannot be part of a hunt group on Dedicated Instance. Features are not harmonized. [cite:1]
IM and Presence is:
- Optional, driven by the First Time Setup Wizard, installed as a subscriber
- Mandatory in every region
- Americas only
- The same node as Unity Connection
Reveal
A. [cite:1]
MRA at activation is deployed for:
- 20 percent of Knowledge Workers
- 100 percent on day one
- 5 percent
- 8 servers
Reveal
A. Entitlement is 100 percent. B2B entitlement is 5 percent. [cite:1]
Cisco-provided subnets support up to:
- Three clusters per region
- Eight clusters
- One cluster worldwide
- 160,000 clusters
Reveal
A. [cite:1]
You want last night’s backup to undo a route-pattern change. What does the article allow?
Reveal
Nothing for you. Backups are for disaster recovery, you have no access, and they are not a change backout. [cite:1]
Default interop trunks:
- Must not be modified or deleted
- Are built by the customer with any name
- Replace Expressway
- Exist only for Meetings
Reveal
A. Pattern WXC-DI-*-TRK-. [cite:2]
Expressway-E ships with a call policy that:
- Blocks all inbound B2B calls
- Allows every source
- Disables MRA
- Deletes the location
Reveal
A. Update it during B2B testing. [cite:2]
Draw SME traffic.
Reveal
Node-to-node and database replication on the Cisco backbone, not the customer network. Eligible at three clusters. [cite:1]
The introduction article header used here is:
- September 23, 2026
- May 27, 2025
- March 15, 2025
- Undated
12 · Audio
Slots for Studio
Transcript slot
Studio fills this from the cites.
Transcript slot
Studio fills this from the cites.
Transcript slot
Studio fills this from the cites.
13 · Interview
Oral answers
30 seconds. Dedicated Instance is a Webex Calling add-on built on Unified CM. It includes Unity Connection, Expressway, optional IM and Presence, optional SME, and Emergency Responder only in the Americas. Calling features are not the same as multi-tenant Webex Calling. A Webex Calling user cannot sit in a Dedicated Instance hunt group.
2 minutes. Cisco sizes the cluster from Knowledge Workers and Common Area devices, not from the old on-premises bill of materials. A full cluster is up to eight call-processing servers or about 50,000 devices on version 14 and above. I do not turn on call processing on the publisher or on TFTP and MOH nodes Cisco left inactive. I can configure 50,000 devices and up to 160,000 end users, including LDAP users who are only there for directory lookup. The first cluster in a region comes up within 48 hours. Later ones within five business days. Past three clusters I bring subnets. SME waits until I have three clusters, and its replication stays on the Cisco backbone.
30 seconds, operations. Nightly backups keep the latest three. I cannot download them to undo a mistake. MRA starts at 20 percent of Knowledge Workers even though the entitlement is 100 percent. B2B entitlement is 5 percent. Expressway-E blocks inbound B2B until I change the call policy.
2 minutes, the boundary. Default interop trunks use the WXC-DI name pattern, one toward each data center, and I do not edit them. The location needs a PSTN connection and a main number or the route group is unusable. RedSky objects are x-prefixed and the partner fills in the account ID. Peering, ASN 13445, and the choice among Partner Connect, Virtual Connect, and Edge Connect are the next two rooms. The introduction I am quoting was updated September 23, 2026. The base-configuration names come from May 27, 2025, so those rows stay re-check.
What you will not say. You will not say the platforms share hunt groups, and you will not treat a DRS backup as your rollback plan.
14 · Citations
Ledger
Retrieved 2026-10-14. Study notes from public sources.
- Introduction to Dedicated Instance — help.webex — article dk3o5r — header September 23, 2026 — Introduction to Dedicated Instance. Add-on contents, sizing, 8 servers, 50,000 devices, 160,000 users, MRA percentages, multi-cluster timing, subnets, SME, backups, Flex Plan 3.0, localization, hunt-group example, security features named in the article.
- Dedicated Instance for Webex Calling base configuration — help.webex — article 2vpf1 — header May 27, 2025 — Base configuration. WXC-DI location, trunk, and route group patterns. Do not modify or delete default trunks. RedSky x-prefixed objects. Expressway-E call policy. DNS, NTP, and clustering left unchanged. re-check
- Webex WFO: Feature Specific SKUs — help.webex — article py6u9h — help.webex.com article py6u9h. Contact-center WFO scope. Not a Dedicated Instance sizing table.
15 · Re-engineer later
Still open
- Open questions: country-by-country availability stays in the Global Availability Guide. A named CRM connector is TODO-verify from the open-API sentence alone.
- Facts still marked re-check: the entire base-configuration article, updated May 27, 2025.
- Assets missing: application-set SVG export, audio, a redacted Control Hub location screenshot.
- Ideas for v1.0: a card that separates 8 servers, 50,000 devices, and 160,000 users.
- Next review: re-read 2vpf1 when Cisco updates it. dk3o5r was current on September 23, 2026 at retrieval.
Sources and go deeper
Checked links were opened this month. A confirm row has no address because that page was not opened.
- Wikipedia Webex (Wikipedia) last checked 2026-10
- Vendor doc Webex Help Center last checked 2026-10
- DevDocs Webex developer documentation last checked 2026-10
- DevDocs Webex developer getting started last checked 2026-10
- Community Webex community last checked 2026-10
- SRND Cisco Collaboration design zone last checked 2026-10
- RFC RFC 3261 SIP: Session Initiation Protocol last checked 2026-10
- Port table IANA service name and port number registry last checked 2026-10
- Port table Port reference for Webex Calling last checked 2026-10
- Release notes What's new in Webex Calling last checked 2026-10
- Vendor doc Introduction to Dedicated Instance last checked 2026-10
- Vendor doc Base configuration last checked 2026-10
- Vendor doc help.webex.com article py6u9h last checked 2026-10
sources.json for this page.