Build a Development Lab for PAWS

To begin working with PAWS you will need to create a lab that has Cisco Unified Communications Manager installed on a server that is accessible from your application server.

Solution Partner Program members can obtain development licenses for Unified CM through the Cisco Unified Communications Not-for-Resale program. This program allows partners to acquire the core components of Cisco Unified Communications System for use in non-revenue generating activities such as labs, demos, and internal course development and training.

For more information about the "Not For Resale" Program, visit the Developer Discount Purchase Section.

Working with PAWS

Because PAWS is used to perform and monitor upgrades, setup and test iteration time for PAWS development tasks can be lengthy.

Here are some best practices and helpful tips that you can use to help minimize the time for setup and the time for each test iteration when developing with PAWS:

• Using Virtualized Servers and snapshots can make reverting upgrades quick and painless. You can create a Virtualized Server snapshot of fresh Unified CM installation, test and upgrade using PAWS, and then revert to the snapshot instead of having to wipe and reinstall. You can find out more about running Unified CM in a Virtualized Server here.
• You can reduce the time for performing upgrade tests by using a small Cisco Option Package (.cop) file (example: the latest device pack) as the test upgrade target.
• You can reduce the time for performing backups and upgrades by testing on a clean test system with very few configured devices.
• You should always test PAWS on a non-production server.