Configuring Time-of-Day Routing

To access the time-of-day routing configuration components, choose Route Plan > Class of Control > Time Period or Route Plan > Class of Control > Time Schedule. Figure 13-6 illustrates these options.

Figure 13-6. Time-of-Day Routing Configuration

To configure time-of-day routing, follow these steps:

Step 1.	Create the individual time periods.
Step 2.	Create the time schedule and assign the time periods to it.
Step 3.	Assign the time schedule to a partition.

Configuring Time Periods

To add and configure a time period, follow this procedure:

Step 1.	In the menu bar, choose Route Plan > Class of Control > Time Period.
Step 2.	Click Add a New Time Period.
Step 3.	Enter the time period name, start time, end time, and repetition interval.
Step 4.	To add the new time period, click Insert. The message "Status: Insert completed" appears.
Step 5.	To add more time periods, click Add a New Time Period and repeat this procedure.

Figure 13-7 shows an example of a time period named OfficeHoursTP, a start time of 08:00, an end time of 17:00, and a weekly repetition interval of every Monday through Friday.

Figure 13-7. Time Period Configuration Window

Table 13-1 provides a list of options available to you when implementing time periods.

Table 13-1. Time Period Options

Parameter	Description
Time Period Name	Enter a name in the Time Period Name field. The name can include up to 50 alphanumeric characters and can contain any combination of spaces, periods (.), hyphens (-), and underscore characters (_). Ensure that each time period name is unique to the plan. Use concise and descriptive names for your time periods. The hours_or_days format usually provides a sufficient level of detail and is short enough to enable you to quickly and easily identify a time period. For example, office_M_to_F identifies a time period for the business hours of an office from Monday to Friday.
Start Time	Time when this time period starts. The available start times are 15-minute intervals throughout a 24-hour day. The default value is No Office Hours. No Office Hours means that the selected partition will not be active for the defined day of year or days of week. To start a time period at midnight, choose the 0:00 value.
End Time	Time when this time period ends. The available end times are 15-minute intervals throughout a 24-hour day. The default value is No Office Hours. To end a time period at midnight, choose the 24:00 value.
Repeat Every	Click one of the radio buttons to set a schedule: Week From If you click the Week From radio button, use the drop-down menus next to From and Through to choose the days of the week during which this time period applies. Examples: Choose a From value of Mon(day) and a Through value of Fri(day) to define a time period that applies from Monday to Friday. Choose a From value of Sat(urday) and a Through value of Sat(urday) to define a time period that applies only on Saturdays. Year On If you click the Year On radio button, use the drop-down menus to choose the month and day of the year on which this time period applies. Example: Choose the month Jan(uary) and the day 1 to define a time period that applies yearly on New Year's Day.

Figure 13-8 shows how to create a time period using the No Office Hours time interval and a repetition interval with a specific day of the year defined. When the No Office Hours time interval is selected, the associated partition is not active for the defined days of the week or day of the yearin this example, December 25.

Figure 13-8. Creating a Christmas Time Period

Use the No Office Hours time interval and the Year On repetition interval for days, such as Christmas, New Year's Day, and national holidays, when for example, the company is closed, certain departments are closed, or certain employees are on holiday.

Configuring Time Schedules

After the time periods are created, you can create the time schedule:

Step 1.	In the menu bar, choose Route Plan > Class of Control > Time Schedule.
Step 2.	Click Add a New Time Schedule.
Step 3.	Name the time schedule in the Time Schedule Name field.
Step 4.	Choose the desired time periods from the Available Time Periods pane, shown in Figure 13-9, and use the down arrow to move them to the Selected Time Periods pane. Move any time periods you do not want in the Selected Time Periods pane to the Available Time Periods pane.   Figure 13-9. Creating a Time Schedule
Step 5.	To add the new time schedule, click Insert (or Update if the time schedule already exists and you are changing it). The message "Status: Insert completed" appears.
Step 6.	To add more time schedules, click Add a New Time Schedule and repeat this procedure.

Applying Time Schedules

Associating the time schedule (collection of time periods) to a partition is the final step in configuring time-of-day routing. A time schedule is not activated until it is assigned to a partition. In Cisco IOS software, this process is similar to creating an access control list (ACL) that does not become activated until it is assigned to an interface.

Tip

Cisco CallManager allows you to create duplicate route patterns as long as they are assigned to different partitions. This grants the flexibility to create a route pattern and assign it to a partition for which you have assigned specific time-of-day restrictions for some users. You can then create an identical route pattern and assign it to a partition without time-of-day calling restrictions for other users. You can control user access privileges through the partition you assign to their calling search space.

You can create a new partition from the Partition Configuration window and assign the time schedule to it or assign the time schedule to an existing partition, as shown in Figure 13-10. The process is the same:

Step 1.	From the Time Schedule drop-down menu, choose a time schedule to associate with this partition.
Step 2.	Choose either the time zone of the originating device or any specific time zone for a time schedule. The system checks the chosen time zone against the time schedule when the call is placed to directory numbers in this partition.

Figure 13-10. Assigning a Time Schedule to a Partition

Table 13-2 provides a list of available options when applying a time schedule to a partition.

Table 13-2. Time Schedule Application Options

Parameter	Description
Time Schedule	From the drop-down menu, choose a time schedule to associate with this partition. The associated time schedule specifies when the partition is available to receive incoming calls. The default value specifies None, which means that time-of-day routing is not in effect and the partition remains active at all times. In combination with the time zone value in the following field, associating a partition with a time schedule configures the partition for time-of-day routing. The system checks incoming calls to this partition against the specified time schedule.
Time Zone	Choose one of the following options to associate a partition with a time zone: Originating Device If you choose this option, the system checks the partition against the associated time schedule with the time zone of the calling device. Specific Time Zone If you choose this option, choose a time zone from the drop-down menu. The system checks the partition against the associated time schedule at the time that is specified in this time zone. These options all specify the time zone. When there is an incoming call, the current time on the Cisco CallManager is converted into the specific time zone that you set. This specific time is validated against the value in the Time Schedule field.