Vocera Communications System Release Notes

Vocera Voice Server Version 5.8.0.148

Release Date: March 2023

Updated: April 21, 2023

  1. New and Enhanced Features
  2. Prerequisites and Reminders
  3. Installation
  4. Fixed Issues
  5. Known Issues

New and Enhanced Features

The Vocera Voice Server 5.8.x platform has new features and enhancements.

This section summarizes prominent features and functionality for each release.

New and Enhanced Features in 5.8.0.148 (HF4)

This is a maintenance release that does not introduce any new features.

New and Enhanced Features in 5.8.0.144 (HF3)

This is a maintenance release that does not introduce any new features.

New and Enhanced Features in 5.8.0.140 (HF2)

This is a maintenance release that does not introduce any new features.

New and Enhanced Features in 5.8.0.135 (HF1)

This is a maintenance release that does not introduce any new features.

New and Enhanced Features in 5.8.0.133

The following list displays new features in this version of the Vocera Voice Server.

Vocera Voice User Interface

  • Refinements to the play messages intent―The play messages intent now plays text messages as well. Earlier, the play messages intent plays only voice messages and it required to specify the word 'text' to play text messages.
  • Voice users can now call Edge app users and also receive calls from Edge app users.

Vocera Voice Server

  • Vocera Voice Server Administrators can now enable or disable pairing of Minibadge with VCS inside the badge property editor.
  • Vocera Voice Server has been enhanced to accommodate the new mechanism that informs Minibadge users about an incoming caller while in a call.
  • Vocera Voice Server Signaling has been enhanced to help the Minibadge users
    • Differentiate between unread urgent and unread normal voicemail messages.
    • Differentiate between alerts and text messages.
    • Differentiate between normal, high, and urgent priority unread messages and alerts.
  • New properties have been added to control the enunciation of messages in Minibadge.
  • New hidden properties have been added to
    • Override DND settings for call forwarding
    • Make urgent calls follow the call forwarding options
    • Block calls forwarded to cell phone when a user is logged out
  • BPE has been updated to support new country-specific channels for Minibadge.
  • The internal port ranges Vocera uses for audio have changed slightly. If you use access control lists (ACLs) to lock down network activity with the Vocera applications, refer to the Vocera IP Port Reference Guide.

Third-party Software Versions

The following third-party software versions are included in this release and provide 64-bit compatibility or security enhancements:

3rd-party Software Version
Apache HTTP Server 2.4.52
Apache Tomcat 9.0.58
JRE (Zulu built on OpenJDK) 1.8.0_282-b08 (Zulu JDK 8.60.0.21)
MySQL Server 8.0.28 (VS)/5.7.37 (VRS)
ODBC Connector Not installed; used at install-time only
TLS 1.3 and 1.2
PJSIP 2.9

Vocera Firmware Versions

The following firmware versions are included in this release:

Vocera Device Firmware Build Number
V5000 5.0.7.13
B3000n 4.3.3.18
B3000 3.1.3.13
C1000 1.3.56

Prerequisites and Reminders

Before you install Vocera Voice Server along with its components and consoles, ensure that the following prerequisites are met.

Prerequisites for Vocera Voice Server and server components:

  • Verify that you have one of the following Vocera products installed, if you are upgrading from an earlier version of Vocera:
    • Vocera Server Version 5.x (5.0.1 or later)
    • The GA release or any service pack of Vocera Server 4.3.0 or 4.4.0.
  • Ensure all B3000n badges are operating on firmware version 4.3.1.17 or later before upgrading. Otherwise, a signaling change may cause B3000n badges to continuously reboot. B3000n firmware 4.3.1.17 can be installed on Vocera Voice Server version since 4.3 SP4. B3000n firmware version 4.3.1.17 ships with Voice Server 5.3.0.415.
  • Starting with Voice Server 5.7.0, B2000 devices are no longer supported.
  • Verify that you have turned the Compatibility Mode off in the browser, if you are using any of the following consoles:
    • Administration Console
    • User Console
    • Staff Assignment Console
    • Report Server Console
  • Perform one of the following to get a telephony connection to Vocera Voice Server 5.x:
    • If you have an analog or digital PBX, connect to the Vocera SIP Telephony Gateway through a hardware gateway such as the Sangoma Media Gateway.
    • If you have a SIP PBX, connect to the Vocera SIP Telephony Gateway directly.

Installation

Follow these instructions to install Vocera Voice Server or upgrade it to the latest version. .

Installation prerequisites

  • If Vocera Secure Texting (VST) is installed in your environment, you must uninstall the Vocera Secure Texting Sync Connector before you upgrade to the latest version of Vocera Voice Server.

    Re-install the Vocera Secure Texting Sync Connector after you complete the Vocera Voice Server upgrade.

    See How to Uninstall the Vocera Secure Texting Sync Connector in the VST Vocera Administrator Guide.

  • Ensure that you download and install the latest version of the Vocera Secure Texting Sync Connector.
  • Ensure that you have installed an English-based language pack in Windows Operating System where you are installing Vocera Voice Server and any subsequent Vocera localization packs.

To install or upgrade:

Note: While installing or uninstalling, you can be repeatedly presented with pop-up messages instructing you to reboot for changes to be applied. Do not reboot when prompted. Wait until the installation is complete to reboot.
  1. To perform a new installation, follow the steps described in the Running theVocera Voice Server Installation Program section of the Vocera Voice Server Installation Guide.
  2. To upgrade from previous Vocera versions, follow the steps described in Upgrading Vocera Voice Server to Version 5.6.0 section of the Vocera Voice Server Installation Guide.
    Note: Your previous system configuration remains in the database that is restored at the end of the upgrade. Because some 4.x features have been deprecated.
    • Update the values in your database as follows:
      1. Open the Vocera Voice Server Administration Console and navigate to the System > Preferences page.
      2. Choose Save Changes.

        The server updates your database and removes any settings for deprecated features.

    • Convert custom names directory:
      • If you are upgrading from a version 4.x deployment and have a custom names dictionary, convert the custom names directory to the version 5.x format manually.
      • If you are upgrading from version 5.x and have a custom names dictionary, no conversion is required.

Fixed Issues

The following list contains fixes and improvements made to the Vocera Voice Server 5.8.x platform.

Fixed Issues in Version 5.8.0.148

The following list includes items fixed or improved in this version of the Vocera Voice Server.

  • CRVC-24481 After upgrade to VS 5.8 HF2, the scheduled dataload task may sporadically fail.
  • CRVC-24600 Process authentication requests time out when a high volume of Smartbadge clients attempt to log in after a failover.
  • CRVC-24643 Active Voice Server unexpectedly shuts down and fails over to the Standby node. Alert notification is sent to the administrator. This event gets triggered when a C1000 device using an invalid signal is connected to the Voice Server.
  • CRVC-24691 Voice Server crashes when trying to send a Device Off Network notification.

Fixed Issues in Version 5.8.0.144

The following list includes items fixed or improved in this version of the Vocera Voice Server.

  • CRVC-24379 In some situations, the B3000n badge does not display the sender information when a message is initiated from VMP.
  • VCXP-16641 Speech port is not getting released because Nuance takes longer time to reply to BYE request.

Fixed Issues in Version 5.8.0.140

The following list includes items fixed or improved in this version of the Vocera Voice Server.

  • CRVC-24104 Multiple security vulnerabilities impacting Voice Server (VS) and Vocera Report Server (VRS) web consoles have been corrected.

Fixed Issues in Version 5.8.0.135

The following list includes items fixed or improved in this version of the Vocera Voice Server.

  • CRVC-23304 A sporadic error on the VCG can cause VCS clients attempting to make a call to fail and display the error “unable to login to voice services.”

Fixed Issues in Version 5.8.0.133

The following list includes items fixed or improved in this version of the Vocera Voice Server.

  • VCXP-14954 The Text-to-Speech engine was not properly pronouncing the word 'Respiratory.' The pronunciation has been corrected.
  • VCXP-15429 Voice Server ignores SIP responses and it does not release the speech port. This issue has been adressed.
  • VCXP-15433 Enabling GroupMode in B3N led to issues in end-of-speech detection and recognition because of background audio. This is because ASRBoker used a different RTP port range, which was outside of the B3N configuration. This issue has been resolved by changing the default RTP Port range in the ASRBroker.

  • CRVC-21210 Voice Server crashes when conference call is transferred to an extension already in a conference.

  • CRVC-21516 After performing the failover, Staff Assignment was not displaying units or groups. This issue has been addressed.
  • CRVC-21958 In certain situations, when a VCS client loses connectivity while in an instant conference, the session can fail to properly clear on receiving clients. This situation has been properly handled.

  • CRVC-21981 Voice Server crashes on pressing Call button when two VMI alerts are enunciated.

  • CRVC-22061 In certain rare situations involving poor wifi connectivity, the VCG incorrectly sends a flood of silent RTP packets causing calling issues on VCS clients. This situation is now prevented by limiting the number of silent RTP packets used to correct lost RTP packets.
  • CRVC-22152 In certain situations, customers experience failover after a broadcast ends. This issue has been resolved.
  • CRVC-22989 A special character in a message response option can lead to a failover if the option is selected using a soft key during message enunciation. This issue has been addressed.

Known Issues

A few issues are known to exist in the Vocera Voice Server 5.8.x platform and this section summarizes all the known issues in the release.

Known Issues in the Vocera Voice Server

This section summarizes known product defects and limitations, including any workarounds we may have, for the Vocera Voice Server 5.8.x platform.

  • CRVC-22026 Character limit in the Call Signaling Address field doesn't allow VSTG to start. After upgrading to VS 5.7.0 or higher version, VSTG doesn't connect to the Voice Server when the Call Signaling Address field value exceeds 60 characters. The Vocera Control Panel status remains to display the following message:

    “Connecting to Vocera Server..”

    Workaround: Reduce the number of IPs in the Call Signaling Addresses list (60 or less characters) and restart VSTG (stop/start) through the Run menu on the Control Panel.

  • CRVC-21935 Certain situations such as corrupted data file can cause the staff assignment data file to be incorrectly written. This can lead to a staff assignment outage if the server is restarted or the cluster is failed over. Staff Assignment console displays some or none of the expected sites, units, staff, or assignments, and it displays the following error message:

    "Vocera Staff Assignment Error: Unexpected exception. You may need to refresh or log back in to Vocera Staff Assignment. Please note the error and contact your Administrator."

    Workaround: Contact Vocera Support to recover or restore data.