VFC to WFE Metadata Integrator Configuration Guide

AVAILABLE IN 9.7.7 AND ABOVE

Overview

The VFC to WFE Metadata Integrator must be configured to connect to both the VFC and WFE environments.

When the Integrator is installed, appsettings.json, a default configuration file is created in the Integrator installation folder (referenced as INSTALLDIR in the Installation Guide), where the Vfc.Integrator.Service.exe file is located. This file is read-only, and only serves as a reference for the default values supplied with the installation.

When the Integrator first runs, it creates its editable configuration file, appsettings.<environmentName>.json. The default value of environmentName is Production, otherwise, if configured, the value matches the DOTNET_ENVIRONMENT environment variable configured on the server. Any references to appsettings.Production apply to this file.

The configuration of the Integrator must take place in the appsettings.Production.json file, and missing or incorrect values can cause the Integrator service to fail.

More configuration settings are stored in the PersistedSettings.json file, which must not be manually modified. When updating, repairing, or uninstalling an existing Integrator installation, the appsettings.Production and PersistedSettings files, the Logs folder and its contents remain, while all other files get removed.

Prerequisites

Before you begin the configuration, the following items must be completed:

1. Ensure all steps in the Prerequisites and Deployment process sections of the VFC to WFE Metadata Overview are complete.
2. Follow the Installation Guide to install the VFC to WFE Metadata Integrator. Verify the installation returned no errors.

Compulsory appsettings parameter configuration

There are values in the appsettings.Production file that must be configured to match your deployment. Some of these values include default values, some of which need to be overwritten with correct values or the Integrator cannot run. Some of the values are optional to edit or include.

WFE

Parameters to configure that describe WFE-related settings.

• The ParentOrganizationName parameter must specify the name of the parent organization created earlier in the VFC to WFE Metadata Integrator deployment process.
• The ParentGroupName parameter must specify the name of the parent group created earlier in the VFC to WFE Metadata Integrator deployment process.
• The recommended value for the ServerName parameter is the host name of the VFC Media Repository, as it allows for an easy identification of the VFC deployment in WFE.

Related information

Organizations and groups (WFE User Management Guide)

VFC

Parameters to configure that describe VFC-related settings.

• The Eid must describe the VFC environment the Integrator is configured for. The default environment ID is 0000, so the parameter only needs to be modified if the environment ID of the VFC environment has been configured to be different.
• The MediaRepositoryDbConnectionString is a semicolon-separated string of values that are parsed as the connection details to the VFC database from which the Integrator reads data. The minimum required connection details are supplied as the default value for the MediaRepositoryDbConnectionString parameter, but you must edit this string to fit your deployment requirements. After the secrets in the appsettings file are encrypted, the value of the parameter shows an AES256 hash of the connection string.
• The value of the ADSyncGroupSeparator parameter must match the Group Naming - Separator parameter configured in VFC in the Organization Units section of Administration > Active Directory Synchronization.
• The ObfuscateMeetingTopic parameter is only applied to newly processed Zoom Meetings recordings.
• The SupportedVfcDataSources parameter is an internal setting for the Integrator and must not be modified.
• The ConfiguredVfcDataSources parameter requires at least one of the VfcDataSource values listed in SupportedVfcDataSources specified. Do not enter a full SupportedVfcDataSources object.

Related information

Encrypt secrets stored in the Integrator configuration file

Configuring database connection (VFC Deployment Guide)

Active Directory Synchronization Configuration Reference (VFC Administration Guide)

DataMapping - Data Sources

Data source configuration parameters used to create WFE data sources that accurately represent VFC recorded switches.

• The data source name defined by WfeDatasource must be unique per WFE installation.
• The comma-separated list of VFC recorders defined by VfcServers must all be in the same time zone.
• VfcDataSourceName must be one of the values from the ConfiguredVfcDataSources parameter in the WFE section of the appsettings.Production file. The value of this parameter populates the Recorded Platform property of the data source that is created in WFE.
• There must be at least one data source object configured in this section for each platform specified in the ConfiguredVfcDataSources setting.
• The ImportSourceIDs parameter is not required if the VfcDataSourceName parameter describes a recorded platform type data source. It can be omitted if the data source is an import source, in which case all VFC data sources with the specified VfcDataSourceName are associated with the same data source in WFE. If included, the parameter is in the format of a comma-separated list of individual import source IDs.
• The Extensions parameter is not required if the VfcDataSourceName parameter describes an import source type data source. It can be omitted if the data source is a recorded platform, in which case all existing extensions are associated with the same data source in WFE. If included, the parameter is in the format of a comma-separated list of individual extensions or extension ranges. Individual extensions are supported in an alphanumeric format, while extension ranges are supported in the integer range format <startExtension>-<endExtension>. In extension ranges, both the startExtension and endExtension values are included as configured for the data source.
• The Timezone value must be specified in the IANA time zone format <area>/<location>. For example, Africa/Windhoek, or America/Los_Angeles.

Only a subset of IANA time zones is supported in WFE. Select a value to use from the following list that represents your required time zone the closest:

See Switches and data sources for more information about the creation of data sources in WFE.

Related information

IANA Time Zone Database

DataMapping - Groups

Parameters to configure group name synchronization.

Related information

User groups

Secrets

Parameters to configure to authenticate access to the WFE and VFC APIs.

• The WfeApiKey parameter must specify the Key ID and Key value of the External API Key created earlier in the VFC to WFE Metadata Integrator deployment process.
• The VfcApiUser parameter must specify the user name and password of the API User created earlier in the VFC to WFE Metadata Integrator deployment process.

When the secrets are encrypted, the configuration file only shows the following parameter:

Related information

Encrypt secrets stored in the Integrator configuration file

Generate an API key (WFE Enterprise Configuration and Administration Guide)

User Configuration (VFC Administration Guide)

Non-compulsory appsettings parameter configuration

There are values in the appsettings.Production file that are internal to the Integrator and have been configured for optimal operation. Most of these values should only be changed with caution.

HighAvailability

Parameters relating to the Integrator resilience.

Refer to Resilience to find out more about the usage of the VFC database lock.

Bootstrap

Parameters relating to the dependency verification of the Integrator.

The Integrator depends on several parameters and connections being accurately set up, and runs an internal dependency check service. The status of dependencies is saved, and if a dependency failed during the last check, new verification process runs after the DependencyRecheckIntervalSeconds period elapses.

Synchronisation

Parameters relating to the synchronization process carried out by the Integrator.

Specify ResyncStartAtTimeOfDay based on your system and organizational usage trends. Choose a time in the day when the least network activity takes place to avoid affecting business-critical operations.

CallMarking

Parameters relating to the process of the Integrator marking call data to the WFE environment.

Call marking is the process of reading in a call record from the VFC database, evaluating it against the Integrator configuration, and sending it to the WFE database. These parameters define how often calls get marked, and how many call records are processed at a time.

• The values of InternalMs and ReadBatchSize can be adjusted depending on call volumes.
• The PostCallDelayInMinutes starts after the last update is made to the call record in the database. Any of the internal VFC services can update a record, therefore the parameter is specific to system configuration. The value can be adjusted depending on system and network connection speed. Setting the parameter to too large a value can result in calls taking excessively long to be synchronized for use by WFE applications. In cases of high call volumes, this can also cause large batches of data to be processed simultaneously, increasing network traffic. Too short a time value can result in calls being marked repeatedly as VFC internal services update the database record of the call, causing excess load on the system and the network.
• InitialHistoryDays specifies a number of days before the current time, and the Integrator only marks calls that were made since that point in time. This parameter is only applied on the first run of the Integrator.

See Recorders and call metadata for more information about call marking.

RecordingExpectation

Parameters relating to the synchronization of extensions.

ContactIdCaching

Parameters relating to the processing of contact objects during the call metadata synchronization process.

The unit of measurement for the MaximumCachedEntries parameter is number of contact objects. As the concept of contacts describes related call sessions in VFC, contact objects can be different sizes depending on the number and length of related calls, but this setting has no effect on overall system performance.

See Recorders and call metadata for more information about contacts.

Advanced - ResponseCaching

Parameters relating to the caching of HTTP responses from WFE APIs.

The Integrator caches responses from WFE APIs to some HTTP requests to minimize network communication and load on the APIs. To keep data relevant, cached responses are periodically invalidated, and new queries are sent to the APIs. Some cached responses are only invalidated if they are not queried by the Integrator in a set time period, while others are always invalidated after a time.

Advanced - ArchivedLogsCleanup

Parameters relating to the archiving of log files.

• The ArchivedFolderName parameter describes where archived log files are saved, relative to the Serilog Logs folder.
• The CompressionLevel parameter sets the level of compression to apply to the archiving of a log. Setting the parameter to a low compression setting can impact system performance, so edit with caution.
• The KeptArchivesCount parameter specifies how many archived log files can be kept. Specifying the value as 0 keeps all archived log files. Setting the parameter to too high a number can impact system performance, so edit with caution.

Serilog

Parameters describing the Serilog logging configuration.

Troubleshooting

See the VFC to WFE Metadata Integrator Troubleshooting Guide for more information on investigating and preventing problems.