Cisco Unity Fundamentals
Cisco Unity Fundamentals
Cisco Unity is the official unified messaging solution for the Cisco
Architecture for Voice, Video, and Integrated Data (AVVID) and
complements the full range of Cisco IP-based voice solutions,
including Cisco CallManager and Cisco Personal Assistant.
Copyright
About the Authors
About the Technical Reviewers
Acknowledgments
Icons Used in This Book
Command Syntax Conventions
Introduction
Goals and Methods
Who Should Read This Book?
How This Book Is Organized
Part I. Cisco Unity Administration
Chapter 1. Cisco Unified Communications System Fundamentals
Understanding Cisco Unity's Call Flow Essentials
Understanding Unified Communications Integrations
Understanding Cisco Unity Features
Chapter Summary
Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 2. Using Your Cisco Unified Communications System
Using Cisco Unity
Understanding Cisco PCA
Chapter Summary
Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 3. Setting Up Cisco Unified Communications
Using the Cisco Unity System Administrator
Configuring a Cisco Unity System
Chapter Summary
Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 4. Unified Communications Subscribers
Understanding Cisco Unity Global Subscriber Accounts, Templates, and
Settings
Understanding Cisco Unity Individual Subscriber Accounts, Templates, and
Settings
Chapter Summary
Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 5. Cisco Unified Communications System Customization
Understanding Cisco Unity Call Handlers
Using User-Defined Call Handlers
Chapter Summary
Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 6. Cisco Unified Communications System Maintenance
Understanding Cisco Unity System Monitoring and Maintenance
Understanding Cisco Unified Communications System Reporting
Chapter Summary
Chapter Review Questions
Part II. Cisco Unity Engineering
Chapter 7. Understanding Cisco Unified Communications System Hardware
Understanding Cisco Unity Server Hardware�Platform Overlays
Using Unified Communication Voice Cards
Chapter Summary
Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 8. Cisco Unified Communications System Software
Understanding the Cisco Unity for Exchange Architecture
Understanding the Cisco Unity for Domino Architecture
Understanding Cisco PA Architecture
Understanding Unified Communications Software
Installing Cisco Unified Communications Software
Upgrading Cisco Unified Communications Software
Chapter Summary
Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 9. Cisco Unified Communications Integrations
Defining a Communications Systems Integration
Understanding the Attributes of Cisco Unified Communications Integrations
Understanding the Types of Cisco Unified Communications Integrations
Chapter Summary
Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 10. Unified Communications Networking
Cisco Unity Networking Fundamentals
Implementing Digital Networking in Cisco Unity
Understanding SMTP Networking
Understanding VPIM Networking
Understanding AMIS Networking
Understanding Bridge Networking
Chapter Summary
Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 11. Unified Communications Backup and Utilities
Backing Up Cisco Unity Systems
Understanding Administration Tools and Utilities
Understanding Audio Management Tools and Utilities
Understanding Diagnostic Tools and Utilities
Understanding Reporting Tools and Utilities
Understanding Unity Switch Integration Tools and Utilities
Troubleshooting and Monitoring Cisco PA
Chapter Summary
Chapter Review Questions
Appendix A. Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Index
Copyright
Copyright © 2005 Cisco Systems, Inc.
Published by:
Cisco Press
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Indianapolis, IN 46240 USA
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
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or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from
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The information is provided on an "as is" basis. The authors, Cisco Press, and Cisco
Systems, Inc. shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity
with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information contained in this
book or from the use of the discs or programs that may accompany it.
The opinions expressed in this book belong to the author and are not necessarily
those of Cisco Systems, Inc.
Trademark Acknowledgments
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have been appropriately capitalized. Cisco Press or Cisco Systems, Inc., cannot
attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be
regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.
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Credits
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at www.cisco.com/go/offices.
Copyright © 2003 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. CCIP, CCSP, the Cisco
Arrow logo, the Cisco Powered Network mark, the Cisco Systems Verified logo, Cisco
Unity, Follow Me Browsing, FormShare, iQ Net Readiness Scorecard, Networking
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All other trademarks mentioned in this document or Web site are the property of
their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership
relationship between Cisco and any other company. (0303R)
Dedications
Brian Morgan:
This book is dedicated to Beth, Emma, and Amanda. Thank you for making me
complete and putting up with the timelines and deadlines associated with the
creation of this book.
Moises Gonzalez:
He's been active in the networking industry for more than 14 years. Prior to
teaching, Brian spent a number of years with IBM in Network Services where he
attained MCNE and MCSE certifications. He was involved with a number of larger
LAN/WAN installations for many of IBM's Fortune 500 clients.
Brian is the proud father of fraternal twin girls (Amanda and Emma) and husband to
Beth. His hobbies include spending time with his family and friends as well as scuba
diving and writing the occasional book.
Moises Gonzalez is a Cisco AVVID test engineer for the Cisco System IP
Communications Business Unit, where he focuses on testing Cisco CallManager with
Cisco Unity and other voice-mail systems. Since joining Cisco, Moises has written
comprehensive technical documentation for Cisco Systems. He has more than 10
years of networking and telecommunications experience. Prior to joining Cisco
Systems, Moises tested and provided third-level support for the Unity product as
well as other products. Moises has also been an instructor for CTI-based solutions.
He has an MCSE, CNE, Unity Engineer certifications, and has passed the Cisco IP
Telephony (CIPT) exam.
About the Technical Reviewers
Jeremy Cioara, CCIE No. 11,727 is a Cisco network instructor at Interface Technical
Training (www.interfacett.com), where he teaches courses on IP Telephony, CCNP,
and CCIE lab preparation. He has focused on network technologies for more than a
decade. During this time, he has achieved many certifications including CCIE, MCSE,
and CNE. Some of his field work includes network design and consulting at
MicroAge, Qwest, and Health Dialog. He is currently focusing on technical instruction
and authoring on topics including Cisco IP telephony, routing, and switching.
Mike Ciarfello is a senior consultant for an upstate New York Cisco GOLD certified
Partner network consulting and integration firm. Throughout his more than 8 years
of industry experience, Mike has been through the gauntlet of the computer
industry, starting with PC and application support, then moving into the network
operating systems arena, in which he obtained his Novell Master CNE. He then
transitioned into the LAN and WAN arena, obtaining CCNA, CCDA, CCDP, CCNP, and
CCIE written certifications or tests. Mike currently specializes in voice over IP and IP
Telephony solutions and is holding or pursuing certifications from multiple vendors.
Mike also has a very broad array of clients ranging from small to medium businesses
to Fortune 500 companies, including various national and international enterprise
clients, telecommunications providers, and Internet-backbone providers.
Jim Rzegocki is the training manager for the Cisco Enterprise Communications
Software Business Unit (ECSBU), the group within Cisco that makes Cisco Unity. He
is responsible for developing training materials and certification exams for Cisco
Unity, as well as providing classes and training material for Cisco Personal Assistant.
Jim also works closely with ECSBU trainers to provide customized, focused classes
on Cisco Unity on a worldwide basis for Cisco employees, partners, and end users.
Jim has been at Cisco for 3 years and has worked for more than 16 years developing
training materials for computer hardware and software companies. He has been a
professional educator for 29 years with certification to teach in three states.
Martin Walshaw, CCIE No. 5629,CISSP, CCNP, CCDP, CCSP is a Systems Engineer
working for Cisco Systems in the Enterprise Line of Business in South Africa. His
areas of specialty include Convergence, Security & Content Delivery Networking,
which keeps him busy both night and day. During the last 15 years or so Martin has
dabbled in many aspects of the IT Industry, ranging from Programming in RPG III
and Cobol to PC Sales. When Martin is not working, he likes to spend all of his
available time with his patient wife Val, and his sons Joshua and Callum. Without
their patience, understanding and support projects such as this would not be
possible.
Acknowledgments
Brian Morgan:
I would like to give special recognition to Amy Moss. Her understanding and patient
assistance throughout this project is nothing short of miraculous.
Thanks to Moises Gonzalez for picking up the project and making it what it is. He
put in a great deal of effort above and beyond the call.
A big "thank you" goes out to the production team for this book. Jim Schachterle,
Christopher Cleveland, and Dan Young have been incredibly professional (not to
mention patient) and a pleasure to work with. I couldn't have asked for a finer team.
It was great to be reunited with Chris and Dan for this project.
I'd like to acknowledge the work of the technical edit team of Jeremy Cioara, Michael
Ciarfello, Jim Rzegocki, and Martin Walshaw.
Moises Gonzalez:
I would like to acknowledge the following people: Michael Kale, Michael McCann, Bill
Baldwin, Chris McAlpin, Jeff Lindborg, Marquis Harper, Jennifer Baldwin, Steve Oliver,
Betty Mai, Dennis Kurian, Jack Lungrattanasang, and T.J. Garner for their technical
expertise; Cliff Chew, Nancy Griffin, and Becky Rodriguez for their support; and
Anne Smith and Dan Young for guiding me through the development of this book.
One key methodology used in this book is to help you discover which important
topics you need to review in more depth, to help you fully understand and
remember those details, and to help you prove to yourself that you have retained
your knowledge of those topics. So, this book does not simply assume that you will
memorize the information that is presented; instead it helps you to truly learn and
understand the topics, by providing the following:
Cisco Unity installers, administrators, and engineers are the primary intended
audience. However, the information is presented in a manner that makes it well
suited to anyone who simply desires knowledge of the functions and features offered
by Cisco Unity.
How This Book Is Organized
Although this book could be read cover to cover, it is designed to be flexible and
allow you to easily move among chapters and sections of chapters to cover just the
material that you need more work with. Chapters 1 through 11 are the core
chapters and can be covered in any order. If you do intend to read them all, the
order in the book is an excellent sequence to use. Each section includes introductory
text regarding the information to follow as well as requisite knowledge
recommended to fully benefit from the information to be presented.
The core chapters, Chapters 1 through 11, cover the following topics:
Chapter 2, "Using Your Cisco Unified Communications System," introduces the basic
administration tasks and tools in Cisco Unity, along with a more in-depth discussion
of the Cisco Personal Assistant.
Chapter 11, "Unified Communications Backup and Utilities," deals with the ongoing
needs of backing up a system. It also covers a number of extremely valuable tools
that you can use in the day-to-day operations of the environment.
Describe how calls are routed between Cisco servers and telephone switching
equipment
Describe the flow of information between Cisco Unity servers and telephone
switching equipment
In Cisco Unity, an outside caller is someone who Cisco Unity cannot identify as a
Cisco Unity subscriber. Generally, this is a person who is calling in from the outside
who wants to reach an individual at a place of business. When a subscriber is busy or
away from their phone, Cisco Unity can answer the call and take a message for
them. The subscriber can later hear their message either over the phone or by using
IBM Lotus Notes, Microsoft Outlook, or Cisco Unity Inbox (depending on the
configuration setup of the Cisco Unity system). In addition, if Cisco Unity
subscribers call in from a phone other than their defined office extension, Cisco
Unity treats those calls as outside callers until they sign in and identify themselves.
Figure 1-1 illustrates how a call from an outside caller might flow through the
system, the corresponding steps of which are described next:
Step 1. The outside caller dials a phone number from his mobile phone. The
phone number dialed is a Direct Inward Dialing (DID) number that belongs to
a Cisco Unity subscriber.
Step 2. The Public System Telephone Network (PSTN) routes the caller to the
office communications equipment.
Step 4. The telephone rings four times, but the subscriber does not answer
the phone because he is busy working on a presentation. The telephone
system has been programmed to forward any unanswered calls to voice mail
after four rings. The telephone system forwards the outside caller to the voice-
mail system.
Step 5. Cisco Unity receives the call and the extension of the subscriber to
take a message for. Cisco Unity has a list of subscriber extensions and the e-
mail aliases to send messages to. Cisco Unity records a message from the
caller, addresses it to the subscriber's alias, and then sends it to the message
store server.
Step 6. The message store server receives the message and stores the
message for the subscriber.
Step 7. While Cisco Unity is monitoring events in the message store, it notices
a new voice-mail message for the subscriber and sends the message waiting
indicator (MWI) ON code to the telephone system for the subscriber's
extension.
Step 8. The telephone system lights the lamp at the subscriber's telephone
set. The telephone now displays an MWI to alert the subscriber of a new
message.
NOTE
If a previous message had been sent to this subscriber, the MWI would
have been activated at that time. Therefore, the lamp or indicator
remains activated.
Subscriber Call Flow
A Cisco Unity subscriber is a person who has a user account on the Cisco Unity
system. Each subscriber account has a Profile page that stores specific information
about that subscriber, such as the extension, security code, recorded name, and the
e-mail alias to send messages to.
Figure 1-2 illustrates the call flow of a subscriber who is retrieving a message from
Cisco Unity, the corresponding steps of which are described next:
Step 1. The subscriber notices the MWI on her telephone and calls the voice-
mail system to retrieve messages.
Step 2. The telephone system directs the call and the caller information (the
telephone extension) to the Cisco Unity system.
Step 3. Cisco Unity receives the call and the extension of the telephone from
the telephone system. Cisco Unity recognizes the extension from its list of
subscribers, and accesses the subscriber's e-mail message store to retrieve the
voice message. Cisco Unity asks the subscriber to enter her password. After
entering the password, Cisco Unity offers to play the message for the
subscriber.
Step 4. The subscriber chooses to listen to the message. Cisco Unity plays it
and then offers a menu of actions to take with the message, such as save as
new, delete, or forward. The subscriber presses the digit 3 to delete the
message. While the subscriber is listening to the message, Cisco Unity sends
an MWI OFF code. If the subscriber hangs up while the message is being
played or does not press 3, then the MWI turns back on.
Step 5. Cisco Unity verbally confirms to the subscriber that the message is
deleted and sends the subscriber's delete message command to the message
store server.
Step 6. The message store deletes the message. (The message is either
deleted or moved to the deleted items folder, depending on the settings in the
subscriber's account.)
Step 7. Cisco Unity sends the MWI OFF code to the telephone system.
Step 8. The telephone system receives the MWI OFF code and turns off the
MWI on the phone.
Cisco PA is a system that provides a way to connect calls to the particular telephone
number at which you can be reached at a given time. When callers try to contact
you through Cisco PA, you can set it up with different instructions on where you
would like to be reached depending on the calling number and time.
Figure 1-3 illustrates how a call from an outside caller might flow through a system
that is using Cisco PA, the corresponding steps of which are described next:
Step 1. The outside caller dials a phone number from his cell phone. The
phone number dialed is a DID number that belongs to a Cisco PA subscriber.
Step 2. The PSTN routes the caller to the office communications equipment.
(Cisco PA integrates only with Cisco CallManager.)
Step 3. Cisco CallManager has been set up to route the DID call to Cisco PA's
media ports.
Step 5. Cisco PA checks the subscriber's transfer rules and the current date
and time so it can correctly process the call based on previous instructions the
subscriber has given Cisco PA. At that time, the rules indicate the subscriber
wants all calls sent to the desk phone.
As a subscriber to Cisco PA, you can set up specific rules to manage when and where
the calls you receive go. You can also use speech recognition with a corporate
directory (or personal address book) to have PA dial a telephone number by saying
the name of the user.
Figure 1-4 illustrates a call flow of a subscriber interacting with PA, the
corresponding steps of which are described next:
Step 1. The subscriber wants to call Pat Carpenter on Pat's mobile number.
The subscriber picks up the handset and dials the extension of Cisco PA.
Step 3. PA requires the subscriber to log on. After the subscriber is logged on,
Cisco PA asks the subscriber what to do. In response to this question, the
subscriber says "Call Pat Carpenter's mobile phone."
Step 4. Cisco PA performs the speech recognition and looks for a match in the
corporate directory, where it finds an entry for Pat's mobile phone. Cisco PA
then sends the transfer-initiate sequence to Cisco CallManager and the
telephone number to connect the call.
Step 5. Cisco CallManager receives the request and the phone number. It
makes a connection to the appropriate office communications equipment and
sends Pat's mobile number to the PSTN.
Step 6. Pat's mobile phone rings, and Pat answers the phone.
It is very important that system administrators of both Cisco Unity and Cisco PA
understand how the unified communications servers exchange information with
telephone switching equipment. Once you know how Cisco Unity integrates with this
equipment, you can troubleshoot problems with it as necessary.
Communications Integration
The voice-messaging system also uses this information. When you are on the phone
and someone calls you, the phone system sends the call to the forwarding
destination. In this case, it is the voice-messaging system. When the telephone
system sends the call to the voice-messaging system, it also sends information
about the person who is calling and the reason the call is being forwarded. After the
voice-messaging system receives the call and the information, it can react to the call
in the correct way. In this way, when someone calls you at your desk, the call routes
to your phone. If you are unavailable, the call then goes to voice mail, giving the
caller the opportunity to leave you a message. After the caller leaves a message, the
voice-messaging system sends information to the telephone system, telling it to
light the lamp on the desk phone.
Figure 1-5 illustrates the type of data sent between the phone system and Cisco
Unity.
MWIs� MWIs alert end users that they have a new message in their voice
mailbox. Indicators can be a light on the phone (blinking or steadily lit), a
word on the liquid crystal display (LCD) panel of a phone, a message-waiting
ring on the phone, or a stutter dial tone. This corresponds to arrow 3 in Figure
1-6.
Figure 1-6 illustrates the attributes of an integration between Cisco Unity and a
telephone switch.
For more information on the integration between a telephone system and the Cisco
Unity system, see Chapter 9, "Cisco Unified Communications Integrations."
The type of integration the telephone system supports determines how the delivery
of information between Cisco Unity and the telephone system takes places. The five
integration types supported by Cisco Unity 4.0 are as follows:
Cisco CallManager
The information shared between the telephone system and Cisco Unity is the
common information that was discussed earlier, in the "Communications
Integration" section of this chapter.
Cisco PA integrates with Cisco CallManager through media points. Cisco CallManager
passes calls to Cisco PA through the use of CTI route points. You must build these
structures at the Cisco CallManager console.
If the user has routing rules or call forwarding configured, Cisco PA then routes the
caller to the appropriate destination through Cisco CallManager.
The destination of the routed call could be a mobile phone, home phone, or any
other phone that you can dial from the Cisco CallManager, such as a Cisco IP
SoftPhone, Cisco IP Phone, and even Cisco Unity voice mail.
NOTE
The standard features in Cisco Unity discussed in this section include (* = new
feature in Cisco Unity 4.0):
Voice mail
Automated attendant
Audiotext application
Live Reply*
Flex Stack*
SIP support*
Additional Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) voice board support
Digital networking
Voice Mail
Voice mail allows outside callers and internal users (called subscribers) to leave
detailed, private messages 24 hours a day, seven days a week. An outside caller
records the message with their own voice, which eliminates misunderstood and
inaccurate written messages and captures the tone of the caller's voice. Subscribers
gain access and listen to their messages from any touch-tone phone. It allows
subscribers to listen to their messages, send voice messages to other subscribers,
and customize settings such as their personal greetings.
Voice mail saves time by allowing a caller to leave a message immediately, even if
the person the caller is trying to reach is away or on the telephone. Voice mail
allows a company to better manage its communications and its employees' time.
Automated Attendant
You can set up the automated attendant feature with Cisco Unity, which can make
the answering and handling of calls in an organization much easier. Cisco Unity's
automated attendant greets and guides callers through the system in a friendly and
timely fashion. By doing this, it makes the messaging process as effortless as
possible. Cisco Unity gives the caller the option to press a touch-tone key at any
time during the voice-mail conversation to speak to an operator.
If the system is using the automated attendant feature and an external caller enters
a subscriber's extension number from the opening greeting, the extension can be
set up in Cisco Unity to ring that phone's extension. If the subscriber picks up the
handset, the call connects. If there is no answer or if the extension is busy, the call
routes to the subscriber's voice mailbox, where the caller receives the subscriber's
personal greeting.
If a caller does not know the extension, the caller may be able to search the
directory of subscribers (referred to as the Alpha Directory in Figure 1-8). If the
system finds only one match, Cisco Unity connects the caller directly to the
extension. If it finds more than one match, the caller can then choose the
appropriate extension from the list given by Cisco Unity's automated attendant.
Figure 1-8. Cisco Automated Attendant
Figure 1-8 illustrates the call flow options of a caller using the Cisco automated
attendant.
Audiotext Application
Call handlers are the building blocks of the Cisco Unity system. A call handler is a set
of call-processing instructions that tells the system what to do when a call reaches
that particular system ID. All the entities on a Cisco Unity system, whether they are
subscribers, the operator, the opening greeting, or some other user-defined box, are
call handlers. Some of them are special cases, so they look different from a standard
call handler. However, they are the same.
You can use call handlers to set up specialized call routing, create one-key dialing
menus, or provide announcements of prerecorded information. Your call handlers
can be as simple or as complex as you wish. One of the simplest applications is the
delivery of prerecorded information (called an audiotext application).
When you use the automated attendant to answer incoming calls, you're really using
a call handler. The Opening Greeting call handler, to which callers first dial in, can be
very simple, or it can take advantage of some powerful features, such as one-key
dialing. You can provide a menu of choices for incoming calls with one-key dialing.
Callers press one touch-tone key to route their call to the department or service
they want. In the background, the one-key dialing menu routes the call to a system
ID, whether it is to another menu (another call handler), an extension, or any other
system ID. One-key dialing is a shortcut to any listed system ID.
Figure 1-9 is an example of an opening greeting call handler that uses one-key
dialing to offer a menu of choices.
In this example, pressing the touch-tone 1 routes the caller to the spell-by-name
Cisco Unity directory (also known as the directory handler). Pressing the touch-tone
2 routes the caller to a call handler that is set up to play a list of job opportunities.
Pressing the touch-tone 3 routes the caller to a call handler that is set up to offer a
second layer of menu choices for the Homework Hotline and Community
Announcements. There are two choices within that call handler in this example.
When someone wants to check the Homework Hotline, they press the touch-tone 3,
while the opening greeting is playing. Then, in the next call handler, they hear the
second menu of choices, and they can press the indicated touch-tone button that
routes them to the Homework Hotline list.
For more information about call handlers, refer to the Cisco Unity System
Administration Guide, which you can find at Cisco.com by performing a search of
the title.
System Administration Web Page
The Cisco Unity System Administration web page, shown in Figure 1-10, is a web-
based console that provides a single point of administration. It is designed to be
easy to use and simplifies some of the functions of Microsoft Windows 2000 and
Exchange. This includes the creation of users in Active Directory and Exchange for
subscribers. It does not require giving up Exchange administrative rights to
administrators. The easily accessible console has an HTML interface using Microsoft
Internet Information Server (IIS) to serve up Active Server Pages (ASPs).
ASPs are dynamic HTML structures. This allows Cisco Unity to hold a wide variety of
data in many of the screens. For instance, the Subscriber pages can hold data on
any of the subscribers (up to 7500 on the largest servers) on the system.
Cisco PCA
Cisco PCA is a feature that is enabled or disabled by modifying the class of service
(COS) of a subscriber. This is a browser interface that has two components: the
Cisco Unity Inbox and the CUA.
The Cisco Unity Inbox gives subscribers the option to listen to, compose, reply to,
forward, and delete messages through a website. For Cisco Unity 3.1 and earlier, this
was known as the Visual Messaging Interface (VMI). The CUA gives subscribers the
option to customize their personal settings, such as recorded greetings and message
delivery options, from their computers. On Cisco Unity 3.1 and earlier, this was
known as the Active Assistant (AA).
The interface to Cisco PCA is a web browser that allows a Cisco Unity subscriber to
collect and send voice-mail messages without using the telephone. The subscriber
can use Microsoft Internet Explorer to access it through a web session. You can
configure Cisco Unity to send an SMTP type of notification to an e-mail alias with an
attached link to access the Cisco PCA Inbox.
It is groupware independent.
CUA
The CUA is the second component of the Cisco PCA. Most voice-mail systems allow
users to change the settings of their voice-mail account via a conversation that is
available only over the telephone. Cisco Unity offers a fully functional telephone
conversation for all users, but it also offers the CUA.
A subscriber can do most of the day-to-day maintenance of their account via a web
browser. You enable a subscriber to use the CUA by modifying their COS on the
Licensed Features page. Once the CUA is enabled, a subscriber can record their own
greetings either over the telephone or by using a microphone on a multimedia PC;
change their call-transfer and screening options; change a wide variety of message
settings concerning notification, playback, and addressing; and change a variety of
personal settings, including their recorded name, telephone password, and directory
listing. The ability to change some of these settings is dependent on settings that
can be made on a number of Cisco Unity administration pages.
It is easy to use.
Subscribers have another option with which to make changes to their personal
settings for voice mail.
Cisco Unity subscribers can be set up to use a secure login mechanism called the
two-factor user authentication. The type of enhanced phone security is provided
when working with the RSA SecurID system and Cisco Unity. The RSA SecurID
system has two main components:
The RSA SecurID Authenticators system and the RSA ACE/Agent assigns each
authorized Cisco Unity subscriber an RSA SecurID authenticator. The authenticator
generates and displays a new, unpredictable number every 60 seconds. This number,
also known as a secure ID or token code, is unique to the subscriber. RSA offers
authenticators as hardware, software, and smart cards. Each Cisco Unity subscriber
who has an authenticator must have a user account on the ACE/Server.
You use the RSA Database administrator program on the ACE/Server to create and
maintain the user accounts. A user account contains the RSA alias and PIN, and
information about the user authenticator. By using the information in a user
account, the ACE/Server generates the same secure ID as the user authenticator.
In the Cisco Unity Administrator, you assign subscribers to a Class of Service (COS),
which has the enhanced phone security enabled. By default, Cisco Unity uses a
subscriber Exchange alias as the subscriber RSA alias. When logging on to Cisco
Unity over the phone, subscribers enter an ID as usual. Then, instead of a password,
subscribers enter a passcode, which is a number that combines the subscriber PIN
and the secure ID displayed on the subscriber authenticator. The first time that a
subscriber logs on, they need to create a PIN, unless they are already assigned one.
In these cases, a subscriber needs to enter only a secure ID, instead of a passcode.
Then the subscriber conversation walks the user through the process of creating a
PIN.
Cisco Unity uses the ID to look up the user RSA alias, and then sends the RSA alias
and passcode to the ACE/Agent installed on the Cisco Unity server. The ACE/Agent
encrypts the RSA alias and passcode and sends it to the ACE/Server. The ACE/Server
looks up the user account, and then validates the passcode by using the information
stored in the account. The ACE/Server returns a code to the ACE/Agent, which in
turn passes it along to Cisco Unity.
Access denied� The Cisco Unity system prompts the subscriber to enter the
passcode again. You may see this return code if the ACE/Server is unavailable.
Secure ID expired� The secure ID of the subscriber has expired and Cisco
Unity prompts them to enter the next secure ID shown on the authenticator.
New PIN needed� A new PIN is needed and Cisco Unity prompts the
subscriber to enter a new PIN.
CUGA
CUGA is a new feature in Cisco Unity 4.0. It allows any subscriber who is the owner
of a call handler, or a member of a distribution list that is assigned as the owner of
the call handler, to rerecord that call handler greeting over the phone using the
telephone user interface (TUI), without using the System Administrator console. The
new conversation component (called the Greetings Administrator) allows you to do
this. The Cisco Unity System Administrator sets up a way for subscribers to access
the Greetings Administrator conversation. Prior to Cisco Unity 4.0, an administrator
needed to log on to the System Administration web page to modify call handler
greetings.
With Cisco Unity 4.0, the administrator must define how secure they want to make
Greetings Administration access. You can set this with a simple one-key dialing entry
from any call handler greeting or a call routing rule configured to use Dialed Number
Identification Service (DNIS). The owner of the call handler needs the following
information to use the Cisco Unity Greetings Administrator:
The phone number or call handler caller input to dial for access to the CUGA
The RSA SecurID system is not available for subscribers who use the Cisco Unity
Greetings Administrator to change call handler greetings using the TUI.
FlexLM
FlexLM is the new licensing-control method used by Cisco Unity 4.0. Before version
4.0, Cisco Unity used a security dongle that attached to the server via either a
parallel or USB port. Cisco Unity now uses a software file licensing mechanism that
removes the need for the external device. When you purchase Cisco Unity, the
software license file is the control component that ensures you have all the features
and capacity you paid for, while controlling your ability to make duplicate copies of
Cisco Unity.
Each Cisco Unity server requires a separate and unique license file. The file is
obtained from Cisco and added to the Cisco Unity system as part of the install
process. You can change it at any time as part of an update/upgrade process. If the
network interface card (NIC) fails on your Cisco Unity 4.0 server and needs
replacement, you need to contact Cisco Systems to obtain a new license file. You
can do this by contacting the Cisco licensing team at [email protected] and
providing them with the original MAC address (physical address) of the NIC and the
address of the new NIC. The e-mail should include an explanation of why you are
switching the NIC. The licensing team will deactivate the license associated with the
old NIC and issue you another license file for the new one.
Live Reply
Live Reply is a new feature in Cisco Unity 4.0 that enables Cisco Unity to
immediately transfer a user to the subscriber who left a message they are listening
to. Live Reply is a COS-controlled feature. When enabled, subscribers who are
listening to messages by phone can act on a subscriber message by pressing 4-4 to
have Cisco Unity call the subscriber immediately. If you are using the Optional
Conversation 1, press 8-8 for this feature. Live Reply is disabled by default.
Cisco Unity dials the extension of the subscriber who left the message only when:
The subscriber who left the message is homed on the same Cisco Unity server
as the subscriber who is attempting to reply.
The Transfer Incoming Calls to Subscriber's Phone setting for the subscriber
who left the message is set to ring an extension or another number. (The
Transfer Incoming Calls to Subscriber's Phone field is on the Subscribers >
Call Transfer page on the Cisco Unity System Administration web page.)
Live Reply does not work if the message was left from an outside caller or a
nonsubscriber. In addition, it does not work for Internet, Bridge, or AMIS
subscribers. These are used for users that do not have mailboxes in the local
message store. They are discussed in detail in Chapter 10, "Unified Communications
Networking."
When Live Reply is enabled, it is not mentioned in the main Cisco phone menus.
Consider telling subscribers that it is available. It is, however, referenced in the Help
menu for the Cisco Unity phone conversation, the Cisco Unity User Guide, and the
Cisco Unity at a Glance card.
Flex Stack
Flex Stack is a new feature that allows subscribers using the TUI to have their
messages played back to them according to message type (voice, fax, e-mail),
priority, or the order in which the messages were recorded (last-in, first-out [LIFO]
or first-in, first-out [FIFO]). This feature can be set at a per-user level, so each
subscriber can choose in what order they want their messages played back to them
during the TUI message playback session. The Cisco Unity system administrator can
set this up for each user, or subscribers can set the Flex Stack order themselves with
Cisco PCA, depending on the COS they belong to.
Based on the needs of a given subscriber in a given application, the Cisco Unity
system administrator can set up a subscriber account to use a 12-hour a.m./p.m.
time format or a 24-hour military time format. Cisco Unity uses that time format
when a subscriber who is using the TUI is checking messages, when Cisco Unity
states someone left a message, or when the subscriber is setting up a message-
delivery schedule. If using the 12-Hour clock setting, subscribers hear 1:00 p.m.
when listening to a time stamp for a message left at 1:00 p.m. If using the 24-Hour
clock setting, subscribers hear 1300 when listening to a time stamp for a message
left at 1:00 p.m.
CUSPA
CUSPA is a new Cisco Unity 4.0 tool developed to help simplify the process of
making a server ready for Cisco Unity software installation. CUSPA checks the server
for all Microsoft Windows components and applications that are needed by Cisco
Unity and provides semiautomated installation for what is missing.
The CUICA is a launch pad for the various wizards that you must use to complete
Cisco Unity software installation and configuration. These wizards include: Cisco
Unity Permissions Wizard, Cisco Unity Setup Program, Cisco Unity Install License File
Wizard, Cisco Unity Service Configuration Wizard, Cisco Unity Message Store
Configuration Wizard, and Cisco Unity Telephony Integration Manager. The CUICA
interface enforces dependencies by guiding the installer through the wizards in this
order. The interface also provides the installer with updated status as each wizard is
successfully completed. This is run after CUSPA.
DVD Installation
Cisco Unity comes with ten CD-ROMs for all of its software. You can now order the
software either on one DVD or ten CD-ROMs. Because the computer industry is
moving toward making DVD drives the standard on all PC platforms, Cisco Systems
offers the option to its customers to take advantage of the computer resources
available. Presented with the choice to insert one DVD or to put in ten CD-ROMs
sequentially, the simpler, streamlined method seems destined to be the favorite. CD-
ROM sets of Cisco Unity are still available to accommodate those servers that do not
have a DVD drive installed.
NOTE
You need Microsoft Windows 2000 Server software if you did not order
the part number that includes Windows 2000.
The multiple directory handler feature provides a way to quickly and effectively
perform directory searches for systems that have a large number of subscribers. You
can use this feature for call routing where Cisco Unity provides centralized call
processing in branch office deployments or headquarters.
On a new installation, Cisco Unity 4.0 comes with one default directory handler. A
subscriber is listed in it as long as the subscriber's profile has three components:
All subscribers who meet those requirements are listed in the default directory
handler. Prior to Cisco Unity 4.0, only one spell-by-name directory handler was
available. In Cisco Unity 4.0, you can build as many directory handlers as you need.
You can choose the subscribers that will be available in each directory handler based
on local Cisco Unity server, location, COS membership, distribution list membership,
or dialing domain membership. This enables you to provide segmented directories
for departments, branch offices, outside sales people, or whatever other
classification makes sense in a corporate setting.
SIP Support
SIP is the Internet Engineering Task Force's (IETF) standard for multimedia calls
over IP. SIP is a peer-to-peer, ASCII-based protocol that uses requests and
responses to establish, maintain, and terminate calls (or sessions) between two or
more endpoints. Cisco Unity accepts calls from a proxy server and direct invites from
a SIP-enabled endpoint (for example, a SIP IP phone). Cisco Unity relies on a proxy
server or call agent to authenticate calls. SIP uses a request/response method to
establish communications between various components in the network and to
ultimately establish a conference (call or session) between two or more endpoints. A
single call may involve several clients and servers. A unique phone or extension
number identifies users in a SIP network.
The unique SIP address uses the format sip:userID@domain, which is similar to an
e-mail address. The user ID can be either a username or an E.164 address. When a
user initiates a call, a SIP request typically goes to a SIP server (either a proxy
server or a redirect server). The request includes the caller's address (From) and the
address of the called party (To).
When someone initiates a call, a SIP request is normally sent to a SIP server. This
can either be a proxy or redirect server. The request includes the calling party's
address (who it is coming from) and the called party's address (who the call is going
to).
SIP messages are in text format, which uses the ISO 10646 in UTF-8 encoding. SIP
messages also contain a start line, which specifies the method and protocol, several
header fields that state call properties and service information, and an optional
message body that contains a session description.
Cisco Unity supports several new voice boards: the D/120JCT-LS and D/120JCT-Euro
revision-two cards and the D/41JCT-LS and D/41JCT-Euro cards.
To make Cisco Unity 4.0 integrate with more European circuit-switched telephone
systems, these new voice boards have been added to the list of supported voice
boards. Different voice boards are necessary because varying voltages and wiring
patterns are used in different parts of the world. The Cisco Unity Installation Guide
provides an appendix on voice boards that gives technical and setup information.
This guide can be found at Cisco.com by performing a search of the guide's name.
Digital Networking
In Cisco Unity, networking is the general term for messaging between a Cisco Unity
server and other messaging systems (including another Cisco Unity server). There
are several forms of networking, which are all dependent on the kind of servers
involved as targets for messages. Digital networking is available as a standard
feature; all other forms are optional. If an organization has multiple Cisco Unity
servers and they all have access to the same global directory, then digital networking
allows messages to pass between servers easily. If there is a networked telephone
switch also attached to these servers, it would be possible for outside callers to
search the directory of any Cisco Unity server they call in to, select a subscriber on
any other Cisco Unity server, and leave a message to the subscribers.
The optional features in Cisco Unity that are discussed in this section include the
following:
Text-to-speech feature
Localized versions
Unified Messaging
Cisco Unity delivers UM via ViewMail for Outlook (VMO) and Domino Unified
Communications Services (DUCS). This give users better access to, and
management of, all of a subscriber's messages�e-mail, voice mail, and fax. VMO
integrates with Microsoft desktop clients such as Outlook 98, 2000, and XP. DUCS is
an IBM Lotus�developed client software package that enables UM features to
function on the Lotus Notes client.
Cisco Unity provides an intuitive GUI that is accessible from any networked PC. With
just a click of the mouse, subscribers can access e-mail, voice mail, and fax
messages, and reply to, forward, or save them in public or personal folders within
Exchange/Outlook. The icons accompanying those messages make it easy to
distinguish between e-mail, voice, and fax communications, saved and new
messages, and the priority (normal, urgent, and private) with which you receive
messages. You can view your faxes on screen and print them from any networked
PC, or forward them to any fax machine from a touch-tone telephone. Subscribers
can download all types of messages and work with them off line, and apply Inbox
Assistant rules to streamline communications management.
In addition, UM enables you to listen to your e-mail over the phone with an optional
text-to-speech (TTS) engine. When integrated with a supported third-party fax
server, you can also forward fax messages to a location where you may be staying.
Cisco Unity unites traditionally independent communications methods so that
employees can work more efficiently.
Integrated Faxing
One of the other features of Cisco Unity is Integrated Faxing when using Cisco Unity
UM with Exchange. With one of the approved fax server/software solutions, you can
configure Cisco Unity to call you, send a numeric page, or send a text page to alert
you of a new fax. When you are using the TUI, Cisco Unity can be set up to state
how many new faxes you have and offer to send them to a fax machine telephone
number you specify. You can forward a fax message to another subscriber or reply
with a voice message if the fax message was from another subscriber. Subscribers
can also send their e-mail messages to a fax machine. The third-party fax solutions
that are qualified for Fax Integration with Cisco Unity are the following:
For more information on Cisco Unity fax integration, go to Cisco.com and perform a
search for Article ID: 4628, "Cisco Unity Supported Third-Party Fax Integrations."
Text-to-Speech Feature
The TTS feature enables you to hear your e-mails over the telephone. Cisco Unity
reads the text portion of an e-mail message to you and provides other information
such as the name of the sender (if the sender is a subscriber) and the time and date
that the message was sent. This is a COS option that the system administrator can
set up. The text-to-speech feature is available for up to 36 sessions, based on the
platform you use. Cisco Unity supports the RealSpeak engine only. In addition, Cisco
Unity no longer supports the TTS3000 speech engine with Cisco Unity 4.0. The
RealSpeak engine is now available in many languages; its speech is regarded as
among the best, if not the best, in the speech-synthesis field. The TTS engine can
be installed for several languages. You can install up to nine TTS languages with
Cisco Unity 4.0.
Localized Versions
The Cisco Unity system architects designed the localized components so that Cisco
Unity can easily localize into whatever languages the market demands. Cisco Unity is
available in English with several different prompt sets, depending on the locale of
the server. It is also available in fully localized versions for French, German, and
Japanese. In a fully localized version, all prompts, administrative interfaces, TTS
engines, and documentation are in the native language, with prompts spoken by a
native language speaker. Partially localized versions are available in Dutch,
Norwegian, two varieties of Spanish (Columbian Spanish and European Spanish),
two varieties of Chinese (Chinese Mandarin and Taiwan Mandarin), Italian, Brazilian
Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, and Korean. Partially localized versions always have
the prompts, recorded by a native language speaker, and often have TTS engines in
the native language. The administrative interfaces and documentation of partially
localized versions are in the English language.
The number of languages that you can load and use for phone and GUI languages
depends on how many languages you are licensed for. For example, if a company
has two language licenses, but four languages are installed, Cisco Unity allows only
two languages to be loaded and used at any particular time. You do have the option
to choose which languages to select at any given time. Figure 1-13 illustrates the
Cisco Unity 4.0 localized components.
Figure 1-13. Cisco Unity 4.0 Localized Components
NOTE
The main goal of networking in Cisco Unity is to deliver messages from a Cisco Unity
server to a target messaging server and from the target to a Cisco Unity server. This
can be either between Cisco Unity servers or from a Cisco Unity server to a third-
party messaging system. The experience that a user has is very simple: they leave a
message for someone who is a subscriber on the system, and the subscriber receives
it. The user does not need to know what type of server the subscriber resides on or
the communications protocols and software setup that are required to transfer the
message. This is all transparent to the user.
The optional networking features in Cisco Unity that are discussed in this section
include the following:
AMIS-a Networking
Cisco Unity can be set up to use AMIS when the target messaging server is another
voice-mail server that supports the AMIS-a specification. This provides an analog
method for transferring voice messages between different voice-messaging systems.
AMIS-a support is available when integrating with Microsoft Exchange. You can use
AMIS networking to assist customers in transitioning their legacy voice-mail systems
to an IP telephony solution. The industry-standard protocol provides a way for
disparate voice-mail systems to exchange messages. The protocol uses DTMF to
address and control format, and analog voice to transfer messages. The originating
system sets up the call, establishes a connection over the telephone network, and
then sends data frames as DTMF tones and voice data as audio to the destination
system. The destination system sends response frames as DTMF tones. For each
subscriber that is located on another voice-mail system, you add an AMIS subscriber
to Cisco Unity. These subscribers are accessible through the Cisco Unity directory.
Siemens PhoneMail
Nortel CallPilot
Avaya Interchange (supported only with Cisco Unity 4.0(x) in the voice-
messaging configuration)
Bridge Networking
Cisco Unity uses a Cisco Unity Bridge server to communicate with remote Avaya
Octel messaging systems. The Cisco Unity Bridge server is like a networking gateway
that resides between Cisco Unity and an Octel system or Avaya Interchange on an
Octel analog network. Cisco Unity sends VPIM messages to a Bridge server via IP.
The Bridge server in turn, communicates to the OctelNet nodes using the Octel
analog networking protocol. The Bridge server does this via analog lines connected
to a Brooktrout TR114 four-port card installed and configured inside the Bridge
server. The Bridge must be installed on its own dedicated server and it can
communicate with up to 998 Octel servers. You can configure up to 24 analog ports
per Bridge server. The messages are delivered in real time via these analog ports to
the target OctelNet nodes, so delivery of 100 hours' worth of messages takes 100
hours of port transmission time.
Follow Me
Name synchronization with a personal address book and Exchange contacts list
Mail browser
Rules-based routing
Speech recognition
Follow Me
The Follow Me feature is a special rule type that uses speech recognition to
immediately redirect all callers to an alternate destination (telephone), over a
specified period of time. For example, a user could route calls to a hotel room
telephone during a business trip. You can also activate predefined rules from any
phone.
Name Dialing
Name Synchronization
Name synchronization allows users to synchronize their personal address book with
their Exchange contacts list. Just as with a personal address book, the contacts list
may contain business associates or friends of the user who are not normally listed in
the corporate directory. If you synchronize your Exchange contacts with your
personal address books, the contacts become part of the personal address book and
Cisco PA can then access them for verbal dialing through speech recognition or
rules-based routing. The personal address book entries can also become part of your
Exchange contacts list.
Mail Browser
Cisco PA also allows access to Cisco Unity through verbal commands. By using the
voice-recognition feature, a user is able to access Cisco Unity, listen to, send, skip
over, save, or delete messages. PA can also recognize commands given through your
touch-tone keypad. After PA is set up, you can start using this feature by simply
dialing into PA and saying "voice mail."
Cisco PA web-based administration comes in two forms: the user and the
administrator's interfaces. Figure 1-14 illustrates the Cisco PA User Web
Administration Console.
Create and modify destination groups for you can be reached in multiple
numbers
PA system administrators can use the web administration interface to perform the
following:
Load-balance calls
Figure 1-15 illustrates the Cisco PA 1.4 System Administration, Server Configuration
page.
Rules-Based Routing
The Cisco PA rules-based routing is a powerful tool that allows users to redirect calls
to their phone based on certain rules. The rules can be set by a schedule (time of
day, day of week, or range of dates), and/or calls from certain individuals or a group
of individuals. PA can redirect calls to mobile phones, home phones, or voice mail,
or it can even try more than one destination.
Figure 1-17 illustrates the Cisco PA 1.4 User Administration Rule-Sets page.
Speech Recognition
The speech-recognition feature allows callers to speak commands to Cisco PA. This
includes dialing a person by telling Cisco PA, for example, to "call Mary Lane";
activating or deactivating a predefined Rule-Set; accessing, listening to, and deleting
Cisco Unity voice or e-mail messages; and even sending an e-mail page to a
colleague.
Cisco PA also allows a user to work within Cisco Unity through verbal commands.
The user is able to access Cisco Unity and listen to, send, skip over, save, or delete
messages using voice commands.
Localizations
Localizations
French (full)
German (full)
With a full localized version, the TUI (also known as the conversation), automatic
speech recognition (ASR), and the web-based administrative interfaces are all
available in the targeted language. This is the case with English, French, and
German. The French-Canadian and British English localizations provide the TUI and
ASR.
IP Phone Productivity Services brings the power of Cisco PA to Cisco 7940, 7960,
and 7970 IP display phones. The CalendarView feature allows users to view their
appointment calendar by day or by week. They can respond to meeting requests or
change their responses. As a reminder, IP Phone Productivity Services can provide
notification of upcoming appointments by phone display or pager. It also allows you
to log in to any 7940/7960/7970 Cisco IP Phone in a Cisco CallManager cluster for
access, including any desk, coworker's office, conference room, or lobby phone.
The MailView feature allows users to access their voice-mail and e-mail messages in
their Cisco Unity mailbox without dialing the voice-mail server. They can listen to
their voice-mail messages and then reply to, forward, or delete them. They also can
read, forward, or delete their e-mail messages and see whether the message is read
or unread.
Also available with IP Phone Productivity Services is the ability to synchronize the
personal address book with the Microsoft Exchange contact list through the IP
phone display. You may also activate or deactivate Rule-Sets, or confirm a certain
Rule-Set is active.
Figure 1-19 illustrates the Cisco PA 1.4 IP Phone Productivity Services available on
7940 and 7960 Cisco IP display phones.
What new feature enables Cisco Unity to transfer a user immediately to the
3:
subscriber who left a message that the user is currently listening to?
5: Which IETF standard does Cisco Unity now support in version 4.0?
What client software package allows Unified Messaging on Lotus Notes client
6:
desktops with Cisco Unity?
Name three of the qualified third-party fax solutions for Cisco Unity
7:
Integrated Faxing.
What new networking feature in Cisco Unity 4.0 uses a standard that is
9:
based on the SMTP and MIME protocols?
Use the Cisco Unity features and functions to route calls and present subscriber
options for voice message retrieval
This chapter discusses the basics of the Cisco Unity system operation. The basis of
the Cisco Unity system is, of course, managing calls. However, that is where its
overall similarity with traditional voice-messaging systems ends. The manner in
which the Cisco Unity system handles calls is of particular importance. Use of the
Cisco Unity system Telephone User Interface (TUI) is discussed in this chapter as an
additional introduction to the system.
The Cisco Unity system offers a diverse feature-set to its users. This diversity
includes the capability to receive voice messages in a Microsoft Outlook or Lotus
Notes e-mail client through the use of ViewMail for Outlook (VMO) or Domino
Unifiec Communications Services (DUCS). Also of interest in this chapter is a
discussion of Cisco PCA.
Cisco PA, not to be confused with Cisco PCA, allows a subscriber to customize the
method by which calls are handled. Rule-sets are used in Cisco PA to specify how
personal calls should be treated when certain conditions are met and these rule-sets
can be configured through a web interface.
Using Cisco Unity
When you administer a Cisco Unity or PA system, you need to provide services
directly to end users of the system. To accomplish this, you must thoroughly
understand the array of available features and functions and how to properly deploy
those features and functions. You also need to gain comprehensive knowledge of
various modes and facets of system-to-user and user-to-system interaction. This
first-hand knowledge of the technologies that are being used will help you to
support the system.
Knowing the extent of the form and function of a Cisco Unity or PA installation is
important because it helps you to reduce troubleshooting and the mean time to
repair (MTTR) in an outage or other user-support situation.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have the following
prerequisite skills and knowledge. (If you need a quick review, see the designated
chapter, where you can find more information on the topic.)
Knowledge of how calls are handled in a Cisco Unity system (See Chapter 5,
"Unified Communications System Customization")
Managing Calls
Upon seeing that the call is not sourced from a configured Cisco Unity subscriber,
the Standard Opening Greeting is played to the caller. In cases where a subscriber-
to-subscriber call is being made, the caller simply hears the subscriber conversation
as configured by the individual.
When the Cisco Unity System receives a call from an outside caller, the caller hears
the Cisco Unity conversation, a prerecorded set of instructions and options that is
made available to callers and subscribers to meet the needs of each. The Cisco Unity
conversation enables the caller to access the Cisco Unity Automated Attendant,
conduct subscriber searches using directory assistance, use call-routing options, and
play audiotext messages. Subscribers hear the subscriber conversation, which
enables them to enroll as new subscribers, send or receive messages, record
greetings, and change personal settings.
For subscribers, there are two types of conversations, the standard conversation and
the optional conversation. The standard conversation is the default subscriber
conversation. The optional conversation allows subscribers to hear message-retrieval
menus that closely resemble traditional voice-messaging choices with which they
may be familiar. The optional conversation needs to be activated to use it.
As a best practice, you should always configure an option to "0-out" during the
personal greeting or while in the Auto Attendant to get a human operator. There are
a number of options that can be configured using one-key dialing beyond the simple
operator functionality.
If the caller does not make any selections on the keypad, they are automatically
routed to the operator as if they had pressed 0 in the Auto Attendant. This also
serves to aid any callers who are using pulse-dial telephones.
By choosing to use the Automated Attendant feature, the caller may enter a
subscriber extension. The Cisco Unity system forwards the call according to the
configuration of the subscriber Profile. Of course, if that subscriber does not answer,
the call can be routed back to the Cisco Unity system, and then to appropriate call
handlers for additional forwarding to voice mailboxes, cell phones, pagers, and any
number of other configurable options.
In situations where a caller does not know the direct subscriber extension, a search
function can be executed to parse the directory of subscribers based on extension or
name. When the caller finds a single match, the call is forwarded to the subscriber's
voice mail or directly to the extension. The automatic forward feature on a single
match is a configurable feature. Optionally, you can present the caller with the
chance to verify the subscriber name before the call is forwarded. In the case of
multiple matches, the caller is presented with a choice of the matches to choose
from before the call is forwarded. This is known as a Directory Handler and will be
discussed in the "Setting Up Cisco Unity" section of Chapter 3, "Cisco Unified
Communications General Setup."
In cases where a subscriber is dialing into the system, the TUI presents the same
basic options; however, the subscriber is able to access personal settings and, of
course, messages. The TUI settings available to the suscriber are as follows:
Greetings:
Call Transfers:
Transfer calls to an extension or send to the greeting
Change extension
Message Notification:
Message Playback:
Message Addressing:
Personal Settings:
Record a name
Change password
Private Lists:
Defining Subscribers
A Cisco Unity subscriber is simply defined as a person for whom a Cisco Unity
account is created. This can include a number of available options, but at the most
basic level, the subscriber is a voice-mail user.
When a call comes into the Cisco Unity system, the system verifies the calling and
called number information. In doing so, it scans the Cisco Unity system directory,
seeking a match based on the source extension of the call. If the system finds a
match, it prompts the subscriber for the password. Essentially, the system
recongnizes that someone is attempting to retrieve messages or access the system
for other available features. If the system does not find a match, it plays the
Opening Greeting by default.
If a call is forwarded to the Cisco Unity system, Cisco Unity looks at the called party
number received by Cisco CallManager or some other telephone system to search its
directory for an extension match. If the Cisco Unity system finds a match, it plays
the Standard Greeting of the called extension. If no match is found, the Opening
Greeting is played, unless otherwise configured by the system administrator.
When a subscriber accesses the system for the first time and presses * and then
enters their extension number, they are typically presented with a special first-time
subscriber conversation that is meant to enroll them in the system. The system
prompts the subscriber to record a voice name and a personal standard greeting. It
then provides the opportunity to set a password.
When a subscriber is first created in the Cisco Unity system, their Microsoft Windows
default password is set to 12345678 and the phone (voice mail) password is set to
12345; these defaults can be changed by using the appropriate subscriber template
for creating additional subscribers.
Each subscriber must set their own personal password, as mandated by the
subscriber template in effect at login. The administrator has the option of
configuring the subscriber template to not require a password. The password is not
stored in clear text anywhere in the system. If a subscriber forgets their password,
an administrator can, using the Cisco Unity System Administrator, delete the
existing password and assign a new, temporary password, which the user should
change at first login. Otherwise, the only information available to the administrator
is that the subscriber box does indeed have a password set and when it was last
changed. Passwords on subscriber mailboxes are optional, but are highly
recommended.
The normal subscriber conversation proceeds through a series of four major actions
each time a subscriber calls into the system. For each of the actions, subscribers
may use full or brief menus for the actions after login. The choice of full or brief
menu structure, once made, affects the entire subscriber mailbox. The subscriber
can take the following actions:
1. Check new messages� Upon receipt of a new voice message, the system
lights the message waiting indicator (MWI) on the subscriber's phone. The
messages are sorted in the mailbox in the configured order. The order can be
changed by the subscriber. Depending on the choices made by the
administrator when adding subscribers, Cisco Unity can tell how many new and
saved messages are in the stack, who the sender is, how long the message is,
and what number message this is in the total stack. The following list shows
the standard conversation for the retrieval of messages when using a
telephone:
d. After-message options:
2. Send a message� Subscribers can quickly and easily send messages to other
subscribers or distribution lists, such as all sales representatives. This can be
done by entering extensions or by using the subscriber directory. Subscribers
have the option to pause while recording a message or start over from the
beginning of the message.
3. Review old messages� The options available here are the same as those
listed under Step 1, "Check new messages." Once a message has been heard in
its entirety, it is changed in status to an old message. The old message is
moved to the old-message stack and the MWIs are extinguished.
NOTE
When you are logging in, you can press 4 to access the setup options. Here are
then the options:
In addition, at any time during the conversation (whether you are checking a
message or setting up options), the subscriber can press 0 for help or * to
cancel or move back one level in the menu structure.
Table 2-1 illustrates the configurable standard conversation options available in the
Cisco Unity System Administrator. These options are found on the SA Subscribers
> Subscriber Template > Conversation page.
Field Considerations
Field Considerations
Full Menus�
Subscribers hear
comprehensive
instructions; select
for a new subscriber.
Brief Menus�
Subscribers hear
abbreviated versions
of the full menus;
select for a more
experienced
subscriber.
NOTE
To use TTS
e-mail, your
organization
must have
purchased
TTS e-mail
licenses and
installed the
appropriate
TTS
languages.
TTS e-mail
is controlled
by COS.
Field Considerations
System Default�
Subscribers hear
message time
stamps in the time
format specified in
the Use 24-Hour
Time Format for
Conversation and
Schedules field on
the System >
Configuration >
Settings page.
12-Hour Clock�
Subscribers hear
1:00 p.m. when
listening to the time
stamp for a message
left at 1:00 p.m.
24-Hour Clock�
Subscribers hear
13:00 when listening
to the time stamp
for a message left at
1:00 p.m.
Call Handler�
Sends the call to the
call handler that you
select.
Directory
Handler� Sends the
call to directory
assistance.
Greetings
Administrator�
Sends the call to a
conversation for
changing call handler
greetings over the
phone.
Hang Up�
Disconnects the call.
Use carefully;
unexpected hang-ups
can appear rude to
callers.
Interview
Handler� Sends the
call to the interview
handler that you
select.
Subscriber� Sends
the call to the
subscriber that you
select.
Field Considerations
In the subscriber
conversation,
subscribers can
switch between
addressing by name
and addressing by
extension by
pressing the # key
twice. Note that
when the Enable
Spelled Name Search
check box is
unchecked on the
System >
Configuration >
Settings page,
subscribers can
address messages
over the phone only
by entering
subscriber
extensions.
Field Considerations
Press 2 to hear e-
mails
Press 4 to hear
receipts
The Media Master control when using Microsoft Outlook supports the creation and
editing of subscriber recordings via the multimedia devices on the workstation or
the phone. The ViewMail for Outlook form can be used with Microsoft Outlook 98,
Outlook 2000, and Outlook XP. As of this writing, ViewMail cannot be used with
Microsoft Outlook Web Access because it does not support the use of Microsoft
Outlook forms.
NOTE
The Cisco Unity system may require that subscribers enter their
credentials when they use the phone as a playback or recording device in
VMO, such as when subscriber computers are in a different domain than
that of the Cisco Unity system.
The form presents the voice message to the user who is using the Media Master
Control, an intuitive play/pause/record set of controls. In addition, the first control
on the Media Master is the Options menu, where users set their playback and
recording devices and can copy and paste voice messages onto their desktop, for
example. The Media Master control when using MS Outlook is an eXtensible Markup
Language (XML) control that is used in every place in the Cisco Unity system
interface where sound needs to be played or recorded. It is the same in the SA, the
Cisco Unity Assistant (CUA), and the Cisco Unity Inbox.
If the subscriber has not installed VMO, the voice messages are simply e-mailed as
.wav file attachments. VMO also provides the capability to hear the messages
through PC speakers. If the message was left by another subscriber, it is possible to
reply to the message simply by clicking the VMO Reply button. The Media Master
Control when using MS Outlook allows a message to be recorded and sent. The
Cisco Unity system processes the message just as if it had been left via a telephone
handset and activates the MWI of the destination subscriber. If a user uses the
Outlook Web Client, the file appears as a .wav attachment. This is especially useful
for traveling or remote users. As an added feature, the text of the message can be
included in the e-mail along with the voice-message attachment.
DUCS for Cisco Unity is a desktop interface that allows unified messaging features
for an IBM Lotus Notes user. IBM Lotus has constructed a software suite of
applications called Domino Unified Communications Services (DUCS). DUCS for
Cisco Unity is an application that is included with the purchase of the DUCS software
suite. E-mail and voice-mail capabilities are provided in one software application.
The DUCS for Cisco Unity software is installed on the client workstation by the
administrator or the end user.
The software is essentially a Lotus Notes Mail template built and supported by IBM
Lotus and, as mentioned, obtained from IBM or an IBM reseller through the
purchase of the DUCS software suite. Subscribers are able to listen to, send, reply
to, or forward voice mails. The client software supports the capability for subscribers
to record through their multimedia device or through their phone.
Customizing VMO
The sound that notifies the subscriber of new voice messages arriving in the Inbox
can be customized by importing a custom .wav file. This enables the subscriber to
add a more personal touch to the delivery of voice-mail messages to their desktop.
However, this option is available only if the subscriber's computer has multimedia
speakers.
Another setting that can be altered is the one dealing with message playback.
Setting up the automatic voice message playback feature causes voice messages to
begin playing as soon as they are opened. With automatic playback disabled, the
Media Master control bar is used to play voice messages.
If your Outlook Inbox is set to save copies of sent messages in the Sent Items
folder, a copy of each voice message that you send using VMO is also saved. Over
time, this can cause hard disk constraint issues. Therefore, the option to disable the
saving of sent messages has been provided in the VMO client.
At times, there will be deployments and installations to sites that are using lower
bandwidth links. In these circumstances where throughput is limited, it is possible,
though not the default action, to configure messages to download to the local
workstation prior to playback.
Understanding Cisco PCA
Cisco PCA serves as a centralized point of access to subscriber web-based
applications. The Cisco PCA portal includes the Cisco Unity Inbox (formerly known in
Cisco Unity version 3.1 and earlier as the Visual Messaging Interface, or VMI) and
the Cisco Unity Assistant (formerly known in verions of Cisco Unity 3.1 and earlier as
Active Assistant, or AA). Cisco PCA is available to subscribers through a URL.
Subscribers need not have any particular COS rights to access it, but they do need
appropriate COS rights to the Cisco Unity Inbox and the CUA. Cisco PCA is
automatically installed during the Cisco Unity system installation. This easy-to-use
web interface gives subscribers desktop access to manage their voice-mail account.
To fully benefit from this section, it is recommended that you have the following
prerequisite skills and knowledge (refer to Chapter 1, "Cisco Unified Communications
System Fundamentals," for a quick review of either topic):
NOTE
From this interface, subscribers can change their greetings, passwords, message
notification devices, and schedules, create private lists, enable or disable call
screening, and change their call transfer. The CUA is considered appropriate for
"power" voice-mail users. Some administrators are uncomfortable allowing
subscribers to change their greetings and program message notification for other
devices. With some training, almost any subscriber will find that the CUA is a
powerful tool to use to manage their voice-messaging account.
The Cisco Unity Assistant (CUA) allows subscribers to access their voice-mail
messages via Internet Explorer.
By using the CUA, a subscriber can change a number of options, including the
following:
Greetings:
Call Transfers:
Change extension
Select the action that Cisco Unity performs for unidentified callers when the
subscriber phone is busy, including placing the caller on hold, prompting the
caller to hold or leave a message, and sending the caller directly to the
greeting
Select the action that Cisco Unity performs when the subscriber answers calls
from unidentified callers, including telling the subscriber who the call is for,
announcing that Cisco Unity is transferring the call, prompting the subscriber
to accept or refuse a call, and prompting the caller to say their name
Message Notification:
Select the types of messages and message urgency for which Cisco Unity calls
a device
Set up a notification schedule, and specify what happens when a device does
not answer, is busy, or fails
Message Playback:
Select the action that Cisco Unity performs when the subscriber calls Cisco
Unity, including greeting the subscriber by name and announcing the number
of new messages by type
Select the action that Cisco Unity performs when messages are played,
including announcing the name and number of the sender who left a message,
whether the time stamp is played before or after the message, and the volume
level at which messages are played
Message Addressing:
Specify the order in which to address messages by name (last name followed
by first name, or vice versa)
Caller Options:
Personal Settings:
Record a name
Change password
Private Lists:
Record a name
�
When a Cisco PA�enabled subscriber number receives an outside call from the
Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), PA retrieves subscriber information from
the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory. Cisco PA works only in
conjunction with a Cisco CallManager system. Subscribers can configure individual
rules for calls that are destined for their own phone number(s). If rules have been
configured, those rules are executed to route the call as specified. Calls can also be
set up with the "follow me" feature where no rules lookup occurs and all calls are
immediately sent to an alternate location or device. Rules-based call routing can be
handled according to caller ID, date and time of day, or the user's meeting status
based on the user's calendar.
Cisco PA has the capability to forward and screen incoming calls according to
subscriber-configured rules set up in the PA web interface. The PA administrator
should provide end users the URL for the PA server. Upon initial use of the PA web
interface, a welcome screen is presented. On this page, the default language is
configured. This specifies the language in which system prompts are heard.
Subsequent visits result in the presentation of the Rule-Sets page to configure call-
forwarding preferences.
The web interface offers numerous features. However, the focus at this time is on
two of the more important features, Destinations and Callers, which are accessible
through links at the top of the web interface page. Figure 2-2 shows the Cisco PA
web interface, particularly the Rule-Sets page.
When calling into PA, the subscriber is prompted to enter a PIN. This PIN is
established in the Cisco CallManager (CCM) system. PA may not always prompt for
the PIN. The deciding factors of whether or not the subscriber is prompted for the
PIN depends on the source of the calling number and the function PA is attempting
to execute. The PA must recognize the calling number. Otherwise, the PIN is required
by the system to permit the subscriber to use any PA functions. Also, any time rules
are altered or executed, the Follow Me feature is enabled or disabled or other call-
forwarding functions are altered, the PIN will be required by the system.
Once logged in, the subscriber hears all prompts in their configured language. If no
language was configured, PA uses the default language established by the system
administrator. Speech-enabled directory dialing allows calls to be placed through PA
by speaking a subscriber's name or phone number aloud.
Cisco PA's voice-recognition features allow the subscriber to access Cisco Unity
voice-mail messages through spoken commands. PA also interprets touch-tone
commands. When the subscriber dials into PA for voice-mail access, PA first plays a
welcome message and prompts for the desired action. The subscriber simply speaks
the desired command, such as "Check messages". The system prompts the
subscriber for the PIN. The PIN used for PA and the subscriber password to access
Cisco Unity are not the same. They are stored in different locations, one in PA or
CCM, the other in Cisco Unity. If PA cannot verify the entered PIN, the subscriber is
transferred to the Cisco Unity voice-mail system and prompted to enter the
password established with it.
While listening to messages, the subscriber may use voice commands to complete
tasks, such as list or read messages, skip messages, delete messages, and call back
the sender of a message (if listed in the corporate directory). The voice-mail session
is ended by the voice command "Good bye."
Chapter Summary
In this chapter, you learned about the Cisco Unity features and functions to route
calls. Specifically, you learned how to do the following:
Determine the means by which calls are handled for individual subscribers.
Use tools to aide in the delivery, sending, and manipulation of messages such
as VMO and PA to further complement the user-friendliness of the system
overall.
Use the Cisco PA web interface to create and activate Rule-Sets for the
subscriber based on time of day, date, location, and other pertinent variables
Cisco Unity User Guide. This is available for both Microsoft Exchange and Lotus
Domino installations; make sure that you choose the correct version. Go to
Cisco.com and select Products and Services > Voice and Telephony >
Cisco Unity > Technical Documentation > User Guides to choose the
appropriate guide.
Chapter Review Questions
Use this section to test yourself on how well you learned the concepts discussed in
this chapter. You can find the answers to the review questions for this chapter in
Appendix A.
Explain briefly the process that occurs when a Cisco Unity subscriber logs in
1:
to the system for the first time.
2: List four typical voice-mail subscriber options when using the TUI.
3: List at least two items that can be customized in the VMO settings.
When a user is prompted for a PIN by Cisco PA, what is the result when the
4:
PIN cannot be verified due to an incorrect entry?
Describe the circumstance that will cause the MWI on the subscriber phone
7:
to be turned off.
To configure call hold and screening features, which utility, discussed in this
8:
chapter, should be used?
Use the Cisco Unity System Administrator to perform supervisory tasks, such
as create subscriber accounts, set system schedules, specify settings for
individual subscribers or groups of subscribers through the use of subscriber
templates, and implement a call management plan
Among the topics discussed in this chapter is the basic use of the Cisco Unity
System Administrator web tool to administer the system. Nearly every facet
pertaining to the configuration of Cisco Unity is web-based in nature.
Before you begin to read about how to use this tool, to fully benefit from this
section, it is recommended that you have the following prerequisite skills and
knowledge. (If you need a quick review, see the designated chapter, where you can
find more information on the topic.)
A working knowledge of the Cisco Unity telephone user interface (TUI) and
subscriber tools for managing voice messages and settings (see Chapter 2,
"Using Your Cisco Unified Communications System")
A solid understanding of Cisco Unity basic features and functions (see Chapter
1, "Cisco Unified Communications System Fundamentals")
Navigation bar� The navigation bar on the left holds all the links to the
different areas of administration and it's organized by section.
Title strip� The title strip gives the title of the page; that is the name of the
subscriber or call handler. It also contains the command icons to view, add,
and delete, and the name of the record being accessed.
Page body� The page body gives all the current information and settings.
Whereas the address of the console is dependent on your naming conventions,
the default address of the Cisco Unity System Administrator is http://<Cisco
Unity server Name>/Saweb.
Figure 3-1 shows a logical view of the entire page, including the navigation bar, title
bar, and page body.
The navigation bar is one of the primary tools used on the main page of the Cisco
Unity System Administrator. This bar exists on the left margin of the Cisco Unity
System Administrator main page so that it is easily accessible by the Cisco Unity
System administrator.
Two levels of navigation are available in the Cisco Unity System Administrator. The
first level of the navigation bar shows individual data categories and furnishes web
links to each group of pages within each of the categories.
The second level furnishes web links to each page within a selected group. After you
select a page, you can access individual records on that page by clicking the Find
icon.
The navigation bar consists of six major portions (see Figure 3-2):
Call Management� This is where you set how a call is handled by Cisco Unity.
This section includes links to the call handlers, directory handlers, interview
handlers, call routing, and restriction tables pages.
Reports� This is where you can generate reports for either subscribers or
system information. This section includes links to subscribers and system
reports pages.
Network� If you are linking Cisco Unity with another voice messaging
system, this section will show the different options available for networking.
The networking options you are licensed for will appear here. This section
includes links to both primary and delivery location pages. If the system is
licensed for AMIS or bridge networking, you see those options here also.
Unity Servers� Includes links that provide a list of all the Cisco Unity servers
that are digitally networked together.
The title strip is relatively self-explanatory. It serves to display the name of the
record or of the group of settings that appears on the page. The title strip also
features command icons that initiate actions, such as saving and finding records. At
any given time, the icons are presented in color. If a grayscale icon appears, it
indicates that the option associated with that icon is unavailable on that particular
page. These icons include:
Save� Saves entered data. This option is grayed out until changes have been
recorded in the record. If a different major link is clicked after making changes
to the entries but not saving the changes, the system prompts the
administrator to save the changes, do not save, or cancel.
Find� Opens the Find window to allow for a search of available records for the
displayed category.
Delete� Deletes the displayed record after prompting for confirmation of the
deletion.
Field Help� Displays question marks next to fields and buttons for which
Help is available.
The page body of the Cisco Unity System Administrator is relatively self-explanatory.
When you click a link, the corresponding page fills this space and you can make
configuration entries. When you select the links displayed, this is where you will see
actual information for each page that is entered into the Cisco Unity system. The
page name is highlighted at the top of the page.
As with any high-or unrestricted-access account, it is imperative that you protect the
system administrator account. A Cisco Unity system has numerous security features
to provide some level of protection. Among the features offered by the system is a
choice between two authentication methods, the Anonymous method and the
Integrated Windows method (formerly Windows NT Challenge/Response
authentication). The Microsoft website contains general information about both
authentication types, including strengths and weaknesses of each.
The manner in which the authentication is performed has an effect on the behavior
of the system. The administrator account, however, remains unchanged. It is
possible to maintain only the initial (default) administrator account. Typically, for
customization, and even for tracking and change control, separate accounts are
created for each administrative user in the domain.
Internet Explorer uses the Microsoft Windows 2000 Challenge and Response for
System Administrator (SA) access. Netscape Navigator is not supported for SA
access because there is no mechanism for challenge/response processes. SA
permissions are based on a subscriber's COS. Through COS, you can delegate the
system administration tasks, or a portion of them, to other subscribers. A Cisco
Unity administrator must also be a Cisco Unity subscriber.
To further augment security, IIS in Windows 2000 can be configured to govern the
length of time that the browser can be left idle/unattended before Cisco Unity
automatically logs off the administrator. This is configured by altering the Session
Timeout limit in IIS. After 20 minutes of inactivity, the subscriber is logged off
automatically by the idle timer; the browser must then be refreshed and login
credentials re-entered. Once the user is logged off, the system provides a link to log
on again.
NOTE
Two help icons are available on the console: a question mark icon (?) and an icon of
a book. The ? icon is a field help icon, whereas the book icon is used to access Cisco
Unity online documentation. Figure 3-4 illustrates these two icons.
Figure 3-5 shows the result of clicking the online documentation icon. Note that a
new window has opened with information specific to the selected field.
To enable you to record and play back voice, Cisco Unity uses the same interface
consistently throughout the product. The drop-down menu allows you to choose the
phone or the PC speakers and microphone to record and play back voice. It is also
possible to copy and paste voice files (.wav only). The Options selection is where you
specify what telephone extension Cisco Unity dials to reach a subscriber, and the
name of the Cisco Unity server that will dial the extension.
The Media Master control bar appears on each Cisco Unity System Administrator
page on which recordings can be made. It allows recordings to be created and
played, either with a phone or with a computer microphone and speakers, by
clicking the Media Master controls. Figure 3-6 shows the Media Master control bar.
Before you study how to set up a Cisco Unity system, to fully benefit from this
section, it is recommended that you have the following prerequisite skills and
knowledge. (If you need a quick review, see the designated chapter, where you can
find more information on the topic.)
NOTE
If the Cisco Unity system will use the failover feature, begin the
installation on the primary server. The task list alerts you when to install
the secondary server. Both Cisco Unity servers must have the same
configuration.
This section discusses the basic steps of getting through a new installation of the
Cisco Unity software.
When you are installing a system that will become a critical piece of the overall
network infrastructure, you must exercise proper due diligence. Before you perform
the installation, you must assemble various pieces of information, software
packages, and a proper hardware platform on which to install the system. You must
decide how and where this particular Cisco Unity system will fit into the network.
Figure 3-7 provides a snapshot of the steps necessary to ensure a successful rollout.
After the Microsoft Windows 2000 and Microsoft Exchange or Lotus Domino
installations are complete, the Cisco Unity installation, itself, can proceed. The first
few steps in the task list are some of the most vital.
Get oriented: In the orientation phase, you make crucial decisions regarding
placement and server roles. These decisions dictate how and where the server
will interact with the network as a whole. Improper placement or
underestimation of the load and demand that will be placed on the server has
the potential to easily create problems. All of these considerations should be
taken into account before you place any Cisco Unity server platform, to ensure
that you purchase the proper hardware and licensing.
Make decisions: Once you have defined the roles and responsibilities for the
Cisco Unity system, you should consider the subscriber population of the
system. Some questions that need to be answered ahead of time include: How
many subscribers? What kinds of subscriber templates and distribution lists
will be necessary? What features should be made available to subscribers, such
as one-key dialing, voice-command capabilities, and so on?
To open the Configuration Settings page, select System > Configuration >
Settings in the Cisco Unity System Administrator. This page contains significant
information about the system. These settings are typically adjusted as part of the
"customize" phase (refer to Figure 3-7). As such, the values must be supplied, or left
at default settings, on any system you set up. The Settings page is composed of
system-wide settings, such as the default schedule, time format, search and security
option, and cleanup intervals for diagnostic and log files. The Software Versions
page provides information regarding what software is running, and all the associated
Cisco Unity services and their version numbers. This information is useful when you
need to contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC).
Cisco Unity allows you to replicate to the Cisco Unity database Cisco Unity directory
objects, which include mail users, locations, and distribution lists. The replication
settings allow you to replicate objects on a specific schedule. There is, however, a
Replicate feature that allows forced replication on demand.
Be careful about what you replicate, because replicating all Cisco Unity directory
objects may significantly impact system performance. Also, consider replicating all
objects during off hours.
Table 3-2 provides field names and descriptions for the options on the Configuration
Settings page.
Use 24-Hour Time Format for Check this check box to use a 24-hour
Conversation and Schedules time format for all Cisco Unity
Conversation operations; otherwise, a 12-hour format
is used.
Default: unchecked.
Default: checked.
Default: unchecked.
Field Description
NOTE
Default: unchecked.
Cleanup Interval for Logger Data Indicate how often data files should be
Files in Days deleted.
Default: 7 days.
Default: 7 days.
Cleanup Interval for Report Files in Indicate how often report files should
Days be deleted.
Default: 7 days.
Cisco Unity Computer Settings Display only. This setting shows the
name of the Cisco Unity server and the
Windows Domain name.
Graphical User Interface (GUI) The settings on this page determine the
Languages languages in which the Cisco Unity
System Administrator pages can be
displayed. A default GUI language and
other system-wide GUI language
settings can be specified.
It is useful to understand the settings and capabilities of the Cisco Unity System.
Proper configuration of the Recordings, Contacts, Phone Languages, and GUI
Language settings is necessary to ensure proper operation of the system.
Recording Settings
The Recordings page contains settings for recording time limits and for silence
thresholds (the amount of silence before Cisco Unity assumes the caller is no longer
on the line) before, during, and after recordings.
G.711 A-law
G.729a
GSM 6.10
For information on choosing and implementing audio codecs, refer to "White Paper:
Audio Codecs and Cisco Unity," which is available at Cisco.com (click Products &
Solutions> > Voice & IP Communications > Voice Software > Cisco Unity>
> White Papers).
WARNING
Table 3-3 includes additional information about the recordings settings in the
configuration section of the System Administrator.
Field Considerations
Field Considerations
Default: 170
milliseconds.
Default: 10
seconds.
Field Considerations
Allow How Much Silence Before Time Out in Seconds Select the
number of
seconds after
which Cisco
Unity will end
the message,
greeting, or
recorded name
if the subscriber
or caller has not
begun speaking.
A value lower
than 2 or 3
seconds may
not give the
subscriber or
caller enough
time to begin
speaking.
Default: 5
seconds.
Default: 1
second.
Field Considerations
Default: 2
seconds.
Field Considerations
Default: 3
seconds.
Contacts
The System > Configuration > Contacts page is where the names and phone
numbers of those people responsible for maintaining or administering the Cisco
Unity server should be entered. This information will be useful should it be necessary
to access the Cisco Unity system from offsite.
Phone languages are the languages in which Cisco Unity can play system prompts to
subscribers and callers. You can specify a default phone language, along with other
system-wide phone language settings. In addition, you can configure the default
TTS language, which is the language that subscribers hear when their e-mail is read
to them over the phone. Note that to use TTS languages, your organization must
have TTS e-mail and the appropriate languages installed.
If you prefer, you can customize the language settings for specific Cisco Unity
components, such as subscriber accounts, routing rules, call handlers, interview
handlers, and the directory handler.
Field Considerations
License Counts � Total Display only. This setting shows the total number
of phone language licenses for the installation.
This determines how many phone languages can
be loaded at one time. Note that the number of
phone language licenses does not limit the
number of phone languages actually installed on
the Cisco Unity server.
License Counts � Loaded Display only. This setting shows the number of
languages in the Loaded list.
License Counts � Unused Display only. This setting shows the number of
unused phone language licenses. Note that this
number might not be the same as the number of
languages in the Available list.
Field Considerations
The settings on the GUI Languages page determine the languages in which the Cisco
Unity System Administrator pages can be displayed. The default GUI language and
other system-wide GUI language settings can be specified.
To change the GUI language used in the Cisco Unity System Administrator or Cisco
PCA, select a language in the browser. (Subscribers use the Cisco PCA website to
access the Cisco Unity Assistant and the Cisco Unity Inbox.)
For the Cisco Unity System Administrator, the language selected in the browser
must be one of the languages in the Loaded list on the GUI Languages page. If the
language selected in the browser is not among the loaded languages, Cisco Unity
uses the default GUI language. For Cisco PCA, the language selected in the browser
must be one of the languages that Cisco PCA offers.
WARNING
If you have a Cisco Unity failover system, recordings settings are not
replicated between the primary and secondary servers. You must change
values manually on both servers.
The System Schedules page can be found by clicking on the System > Schedules
links in the Cisco Unity System Administrator. Schedules are one of the variables
that Cisco Unity uses to manage calls. The standard and closed subscriber and call
handler greetings play according to the days and times specified in a schedule.
Cisco Unity offers two predefined schedules in the Settings page: All Hours�All
Days, and Weekdays, both of which can be modified. Any defined schedule, be it
default or defined, may be used as the default schedule for Cisco Unity. The default
schedule is set to Open from 8 a.m. local time to 5 p.m. local time and the Observe
holidays option is checked. This default schedule is used for all call handlers,
subscriber templates, and call routing tables. The Cisco Unity system may use up to
64 different schedules.
Every call handler in the system uses a schedule to determine which greeting it
plays. The Standard greeting is played during the time set as Open (for example,
"Thank you for calling XYZ Corp. If you know your party's extension, enter it at any
time or press '0' for an operator."); the Closed greeting plays during all other times
(for example, "Thank you for calling XYZ Corp. Our offices are now closed. Please
call back during our normal business hours 8 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through
Friday.") This schedule is typically configured by the administrator and based upon
business hours and holidays. A holiday schedule is configured and activated using an
Observe holidays check box. During that time, Cisco Unity will play the Closed
greeting during all hours for the specified holiday(s).
When a holiday setting is in effect, Cisco Unity plays closed greetings and observes
closed transfer rules. You can configure several years of holidays in advance. Those
holidays can be copied from one year to the next, adjusting dates as necessary.
Because many holidays occur on different dates each year, confirm that the holiday
schedule remains accurate annually.
Licensing
Software licensing has long been a controversial issue. Cisco Unity is similar to the
vast majority of software packages on the market in that it does require licenses to
install the software legally.
Cisco Unity itself is not the only licensed portion of the overall product. Cisco Unity
provides the base functionality. There are add-on software products that also must
be properly licensed. Functions, such as the Cisco Unity Inbox subscribers and Audio
Message Interface Standard (AMIS) networking, are licensed, whereas other
functions, such as ViewMail and Cisco PCA, are not licensed.
All the licensing issues can be complex to track. Thereof, Cisco Unity provides a
licensing tool that tracks the number of used and unused Cisco Unity subscribers,
vendor-managed inventory subscribers, and secondary server licenses available to a
particular server. This provides a single point of reference to be used in keeping
track of license counts for various features offered by the system. Prior to version
4.x, Cisco Unity servers required a hardware key to activate the system. The
hardware key is simply a small USB device or a parallel port device roughly the size
of a key chain. With the use of the FlexLM licensing product, this key is no longer
necessary because all licensing information is held in a system file on the hard drive.
This file contains all the information about ports, features, number of users, and so
on that are enabled on this Cisco Unity system.
License files are required to install or to upgrade Cisco Unity software and to change
licensed features. To obtain the license files that provide the settings purchased by
the customer, the Cisco Unity software must be registered on Cisco.com.
Shortly after registration, Cisco e-mails the license files. The e-mail from Cisco
contains instructions on how to save and store the files. The Cisco Unity Installation
Guide provides specific instructions later in the installation process on the use of the
license files during the installation or upgrade.
Media Access Control� The MAC address (physical address) for the network
interface card (NIC) in the Cisco Unity computer. If the Cisco Unity server uses
dual NICs as a fault-tolerant team, a virtual MAC must be identified by the
administrator and assigned by the device driver (for the team rather than
either physical MAC address) when the license is ordered. The license file will
be registered to the specified virtual MAC address and the active NIC used. The
virtual MAC is assigned in the NIC configuration under the network properties
on the server.
Product Authorization Key� The PAK is listed in the Cisco Unity Software
Keys booklet that is shipped with the software CD-ROMs. Lotus Domino
integration packages may not include a license book. In that case, the PAK is
imprinted on the CD-ROM sleeve.
Registered users of Cisco.com can browse to the following URL to begin the
registration process:
http://www.cisco.com/cgi-bin/Software/FormManager/formgenerator.pl
Nonregistered users can browse to the following URL to begin the registration
process:
http://www.cisco.com/pcgi-bin/Software/FormManager/formgenerator.pl
In either case, the license information should be e-mailed back to the e-mail address
of record in the registration within 24 hours. If it does not come back in a timely
manner, it is recommended that you contact TAC to investigate the matter.
It is worth the time invested to check out these URLs when setting up a Cisco Unity
system for the first time. It allows verification of correct license features, add-ons,
and number of licenses.
Setting Up Authentication
Authentication settings dictate the logon and lockout policy, which applies when
subscribers access Cisco Unity by using Cisco PCA. If the Cisco Unity System
Administrator uses the Anonymous authentication method, the policy that you
specify here also applies when subscribers use the Cisco Unity System Administrator
to access Cisco Unity. The basics of the available authentication options were
discussed earlier in this chapter, in the section "Protecting System Administration."
This section discusses the Cisco PCA that is used by individual subscribers
(nonadministrators).
Note that the authentication settings represent a different logon and lockout policy
from the one that applies when subscribers access Cisco Unity by phone. Table 3-5
describes the authentication settings.
Field Considerations
Remember Logons for __ Days If desired, check this box and enter
the number of days that Cisco Unity
will store logon information. When
this box is checked, logons are stored
and encrypted as cookies on the
subscriber computer.
Default: blank.
Field Considerations
Remember Passwords for __ Days If desired, check this box and enter
the number of days that Cisco Unity
will store password information. When
this box is checked, passwords are
stored and encrypted as cookies on
the subscriber computer.
Default: blank.
Field Considerations
Default: 20 minutes.
Default: checked.
Accounts Are Locked Out For __ Enter the number of minutes that
Minutes Cisco Unity will prevent subscribers
from accessing Cisco Unity by using
Cisco PCA.
Default: 30 minutes.
Field Considerations
Accounts Will Lock Out After __ Enter the number of failed logon
Logon Attempts attempts after which subscribers
cannot access Cisco Unity by using
Cisco PCA.
Default: 5 attempts.
Default: 30 minutes.
The integration settings are specified during installation in the Cisco Unity Telephony
Integration Manager (UTIM), which configures Cisco Unity to work with the specified
phone system. Once the integration is set up, there should be no need to change
the integration settings, but they can be reviewed on the Integration page or
revised in UTIM.
NOTE
Table 3-6 details the settings available for Cisco CallManager integration. All the
fields are display only.
Field Displays
Trunk Access Code The number that Cisco Unity dials to transfer a call from
one phone system to the other. This code was entered in
(for dual phone UTIM.
system integrations
only)
Real-Time Protocol The first (or base) port number for RTP used by the
(RTP)/IP Port Base Cisco CallManager servers. This first port number was
entered in UTIM.
MWI Off Extension The extension that Cisco CallManager uses to turn MWIs
off. This extension was entered in UTIM.
Resynchronize At The time each day that Cisco Unity resynchronizes MWIs
for every subscriber account. This time was entered in
UTIM. Resynchronization occurs only when it is enabled
in UTIM.
The choice of whether to use the Automated Attendant or a live operator is one to
be made by individual companies or entities. If a live operator is not made available
for every incoming call, Cisco Unity can provide an unattended switchboard function
in its Automated Attendant feature. The opening greeting, found under the Call
Handlers page, is the one that all external callers hear. Once on the Call Handlers
page, the Opening Greeting is found via a search using the Search icon. In essence,
this is the operator. This greeting guides callers through the options available to
them when they attempt to contact individual subscribers. It should be thorough in
its options and concise in its wording.
The Opening Greeting is a call handler. The responsibility of this call handler is to
answer all calls forwarded to the Cisco Unity system when using Automated
Attendant. The settings that are necessary for the Automated Attendant feature to
work, mapping inbound trunk calls to be forwarded to Cisco Unity, are set at the
phone system. If you decide to use the opening greeting, you'll probably prefer to
rerecord the default Cisco Unity greeting because it is somewhat generic in its
offerings. Cisco Unity greetings and messages may be recorded in two ways:
Via telephone� The Media Master has a drop-down menu that allows you to
choose which device to use. The Phone Record and Playback setting must be
set with an extension to call. The Cisco Unity system will dial that extension
and be ready to record or play back greetings when it is answered. When using
the telephone option, the Cisco Unity system uses the last port configured for
TRaP.
"Thank you for calling the XYZ Corp. If you know your party's extension,
please dial it at any time. For a directory of extensions, press 555. Otherwise,
please press 0 or hold. An operator will be with you shortly."
The Opening Greeting may also involve more elaborate settings, such as one-key
routing. Options available using one-key dialing in this way are endless and make for
a more complete caller experience. From the caller's point of view, the fewer keys to
push the better the experience. For example:
Ideally, there should be an option for the caller to press 0 at any time to get to a
live operator. Of course, the presentation of the "zero-out" option is at the discretion
of the administrator(s).
The directory handler is a special predefined call handler with default settings. The
settings included for the directory handler include an optional extension, search
options, match list options, and caller input options.
The system directory setup provides the opportunity to specify how the system acts
when a caller searches for a particular subscriber. Each subscriber may be enabled to
add or delete themselves in the system directory through their system setup
options. The system directory can be accessed by outside callers and subscribers by
last name, first name, or extension. Additionally, the system provides the capability
to choose the course of action to take if a unique match (by either name or number)
is made, as well as whether or not extension numbers are spoken to callers. If the
menu format is selected, the system presents a conversation similar to the
following:
"To speak with Amanda, press 1; to speak with Emma, press 2; to speak with
Beth, press 3; …"
In a multiple Cisco Unity server network environment, those servers that are
digitally networked can be configured to limit the search to a local Cisco Unity server
or you can configure a dialing domain, which links several Cisco Unity servers
together. It also makes it easier on the subscriber to address messages and for
outside callers to find and be transferred to subscribers across Cisco Unity servers.
The ability to do this depends on the ability of existing telephone systems to
network together.
Beginning with Cisco Unity version 4.x, it is possible to create multiple directory
handlers, which enables the Cisco Unity system to to present a subset of all
subscribers based on settings such as Class of Service, Public Distribution Lists,
Dialing Domain, and so on. They can be useful when you want to separate your
directory, such as when you are using centralized call processing models, or a hub-
and-spoke model.
The operator may be an individual who uses a physical extension other than 0. To
accommodate that, the transfer options of the operator call handler must reflect the
extension of that individual. Also, keep in mind the need for an appropriate greeting
on the operator box for when the operator is not available.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter, you learned about the Cisco Unity System Administrator and some
of the configuration options available within the system. Specifically, you learned
how to do the following:
Plan and design the Cisco Unity installation using specific information that
must be provided ahead of the actual installation.
Use the Cisco Unity System Administrator to manipulate the Cisco Unity
server.
Provide the necessary ports to support the needs of the network and
subscribers, and the licensing to provide additional features and functions to
those subscribers prior to installation.
Handle calls when they arrive at a business and receive an automated greeting.
This greeting can have a profound effect on the client relationship. If callers do
not consider their first contact with your company to be a positive experience,
then it is quite conceivable that it will be their only contact with your company.
Give callers options, such as pressing 0 to get to a live operator, and at the
same time, the ability to access a corporate directory to dial by name (first or
last), as well as direct dialing of an extension to expedite the handling of the
call through the system.
Design an efficient menu structure that you have tested so that callers have a
positive experience.
1: List the three basic sections of the Cisco Unity System Administrator page.
List the two basic methods of authentication that are available for Cisco
2:
Unity subscribers.
List at least three options available on the Configuration Settings page and
5:
their functions.
On a date for which the Cisco Unity server has been configured as a holiday,
6:
which greeting will callers hear upon calling in?
Instead of using a hardware key for Cisco Unity licensing, what is used in
7:
Cisco Unity 4.x?
Describe and change Cisco Unity global subscriber accounts, templates, and
settings
Now that you have completed the general setup of the Cisco Unity system, it is time
to begin adding subscribers. A number of options are available not only to the
administrator but also to each subscriber who is added into the Cisco Unity system.
This chapter discusses the features and options that are available to both the
administrator and the subscriber.
The subscriber experience with Cisco Unity will be based largely on the manner in
which the system is configured by the administrator at this point. Much of the work
that has been accomplished in getting to this phase of the installation lays the
groundwork to support subscribers. Software add-ons, call routing, system
schedules, and all the other aspects of the system come down to this. The system
should be subscriber- and caller-friendly. These two facets of the overall experience
can have a profound effect on the usability of the system and, of course, on those
who must use the system.
Understanding Cisco Unity Global Subscriber Accounts,
Templates, and Settings
Global subscriber settings influence many aspects of Cisco Unity system behavior for
individual subscribers. Changes made in these areas affect many, if not all,
subscribers. There are a number of changes that can be made to an individual
subscriber's account; however, these changes affect only that one account. There are
areas of subscriber settings that affect a subset of subscribers or that may have a
global effect on all Cisco Unity subscribers. These settings include:
Account Policy
Subscriber Templates
Good planning and preparation can make your administrative task of adding
subscribers much easier. This section focuses on considerations you must keep in
mind when planning and preparing to add subscribers.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have the following
prerequisite skills and knowledge. (If you need a quick review of either topic, see
Chapter 3, "Setting Up Cisco Unified Communications," where you can find more
information.)
The settings made on the Account Policy page determine telephone password
restrictions and how and when accounts become locked out. By default, the Number
setting is set to six invalid attempts within 30 minutes. A locked-out account is
reinstated after 60 minutes. There is also a setting to allow for "no account lockout."
Each of these settings influences the security of the system and affects only
telephone access to the subscriber's Cisco Unity account for the Cisco Unity system
over the telephone. The settings have no effect on account policy for other Microsoft
Windows or Exchange servers. When a setting is changed on the Account Policy
page, it takes effect immediately.
Additionally, you can alter the minimum required length of a password. This setting
takes effect for all accounts except those that are permitted a blank password. The
last setting, which governs telephone password history, determines whether
subscribers must generate a unique password each time they change it. You can also
simply set the number of unique passwords that the subscribers need to generate.
Describing COS
Control access to the Cisco Unity Administrator, and add functionality such as
text-to-speech e-mail or Live Reply.
Control the manner in which subscribers interact with the Cisco Unity system.
For instance, a COS can specify the maximum length of subscriber messages
and greetings. It can also determine whether subscribers have the choice to be
listed in directory assistance and can specify whether subscribers can send
messages to a public distribution list.
Specify the restriction table that is used to control the phone numbers that
subscribers can use for fax delivery, message notification, call transfer, and
other tasks.
Changes made to a COS affect all users in a group. The COS settings affects profiles,
subscribers, system access, transfer options, messages, greetings, licensing of
features, and restriction tables. The changes are immediate and require no
additional action to take effect.
NOTE
The settings made for a Cisco Unity COS help to determine the security of the
system and the features that are available to subscribers. Cisco Unity ships with two
default classes of service: administrator and subscriber. It is possible to add as many
classes of service as necessary. The classes can be based on workgroup membership,
job function, or any other desired classification. A new COS can be based upon an
existing definition or a new definition. It is often easier to base a new class on an
already-existing or similar definition, to minimize necessary changes. In the
subscriber template, the COS to be used must be specified. Subscriber COS
membership can be reassigned at any time.
Every subscriber will not necessarily need every feature. Because many of the add-on
features are licensed, it is useful to have the ability to modify the subscriber
experience based on the needs of the individual. In this type of scenario, licensing
can be controlled through COS. For example, an organization may grant access to
the Cisco Unity Inbox, a visual messaging interface, for those members of a COS
that have workstation access, while denying access to subscribers that use Cisco
Unity only over the telephone, thus preserving licenses for subscribers who require
the functionality.
Distribution Lists
It is possible to create lists, called distribution lists, that allow messages to be sent
to multiple subscribers simultaneously. Cisco Unity creates a few distribution lists by
default. These are known as public distribution lists.
The subscribers assigned to a public distribution list typically are subscribers who
need the same information on a regular basis, such as employees in a department or
members of a team.
All Subscribers� All subscribers are automatically added to this list upon
creation.
Initially, the Example Administrator account is the sole member of both the
Unaddressed Messages and System Event Messages distribution lists.
NOTE
You may alter the system-installed lists as you deem necessary. You can also create
new lists if the existing lists do not meet the needs of your system or subscriber
base, and you can import public distribution lists from Microsoft Exchange. You can
include both subscribers and nonsubscribers as members of an imported distribution
list. However, nonsubscribers will not be displayed in the Cisco Unity Administrator.
Any messages addressed to an imported list are forwarded to all members of the
list. This includes nonsubscriber list members unless nonuniversal groups are
imported from Microsoft Exchange 2000. With nonuniversal groups, not all of the
public distribution list members may receive messages as expected.
As shown on the left side of Figure 4-2, the information that can be input in either
the Administrator or Subscriber Template page includes the following:
Profile
Account
Passwords
Conversation
Call Transfer
Greetings
Caller Input
Messages
Distribution Lists
Messages Notification
A subscriber template defines the rules for subscriber accounts and the settings for
most users. Whereas account policy and COS settings take effect immediately and
apply to subscribers retroactively, changes made to a subscriber template apply only
to subscribers who are added after the changes are made. Multiple subscriber
templates can be used, as many as 64 of them, to customize each one for a different
group of subscribers. A recommended strategy for the use of subscriber templates is
to define the settings as they will apply to most subscribers in a group, before you
create the subscribers. This enables you to cover the needs of the masses more
effectively. After you have completed the generic templates, you can address
individual needs on an as-needed basis.
Many of the settings that are available for templates are also available for individual
subscribers. To make subscriber template changes, navigate to Subscribers >
Subscriber Template, indicate the desired template, and then specify the page to
modify. To change a setting for an individual subscriber, navigate to Subscribers >
Subscribers, find the individual subscriber, and then choose the appropriate page
to modify.
The following is a list of the pages that the Subscriber Template link contains:
Profile
Account
Passwords
Conversation
Call Transfer
Greetings
Caller Input
Messages
Distribution Lists
Message Notification
The first page called Profile defines the settings on how Cisco Unity identifies a
subscriber. Settings such as Name, COS, Active Schedule, Time Zones, Switch (for
dual phone system integrations only), Display Name Generation, Set Subscriber for
Self-Enrollment at Next Login, List in Phone Directory, and Exchange Alias
Generation are stored here. Although some of these settings are defined in the
subscriber template for subscribers that are created, most are defined in the Cisco
Unity account for each individual subscriber that has been defined on the system.
Two particularly crucial settings are selected on the Profile page: the COS and
Schedule that subscribers will use. It is possible to specify how display names are
generated, and whether subscribers are selected for self-enrollment.
Also available is the specification of phone directory listing, as well as the option to
Show Subscriber in E-mail Server Address Book. In addition, on the profile page is
the pattern used to create aliases for new Exchange and Active Directory (AD) users.
It is possible to customize the naming conventions; however, any account names
created in Cisco Unity need to be edited to match the custom pattern. To
"customize" the naming conventions, the users must be added to the Exchange/AD
member list with the desired naming convention, then imported into Cisco Unity.
This method makes for a rather cumbersome process to add users. A final option
here would be to choose None and use no particular pattern. This is not
recommended, but it is an option.
In any event, the naming convention should match the existing Windows accounts
and Exchange mailboxes, if any. The Import utility searches for the Exchange
mailbox that matches the alias when parsing a comma-separated value (.csv) file.
The matching Exchange mailbox will be associated with the subscriber account.
When you are creating accounts for users who have neither a Windows account nor
an Exchange mailbox, the ALIAS column is optional in the .csv file to be imported.
If an alias is not specified in the .csv file, the Exchange alias is derived from this field
in the subscriber template, using a combination of first and last name.
Alternatively, you can add users through the Exchange administration or AD console,
and then import them as Cisco Unity subscribers. Adding users is not yet possible in
Cisco Unity for Lotus Domino implementations, though, because all subscribers
must be created in Lotus Domino and imported into Cisco Unity.
The Account page is used to set an account as "locked" when it is initially created
using a particular template. This page also includes options to associate billing ID
information with the subscriber account.
Creating Passwords
The Passwords page enables you to specify a phone password policy and the default
phone passwords for new subscribers. You also specify on this page the password
change requirements to be used by subscribers. The change takes effect on the
subscriber's next login. It is possible to create a default password to be changed at
the first login. If a new AD account is created, the same default password can be
used.
Also included are settings for volume of played messages, language used for
prompts, time forwarding, and a 12- to 24-hour clock or system default. Under the
Conversation Style, you can specify the action to be taken when exiting a
conversation. The template choices here can be configured to specify, once a
subscriber has logged on, which conversations should be played and what
information should be provided regarding messages (such as number of fax
messages, voice messages, saved messages, new messages, and so on). Also
specified here is the manner in which saved messages are sorted (by time sent or by
source phone number).
The Call Transfer page presents call-handling settings, including whether calls are
transferred to the subscriber's extension (most are) and which of the following two
transfer types to use:
Release transfer� Use this transfer type (also called blind transfer) in
situations where the telephone switch (PBX) provides call forwarding. This
allows Cisco Unity to process calls more quickly.
Supervise transfer� Use this transfer type at times when Cisco Unity should
act as a receptionist, keeping control of the call (and keeping a port used until
the call is extended), and waiting the specified number of rings before
answering the call. The number of rings is configurable and should be set to a
realistic number, such as three rings, to provide adequate answer opportunity
to the subscriber. Another recommendation is to set the number of rings to
two less than the number the telephone switch will use to forward the call in a
ring-no-answer (RNA) condition.
You should use supervise transfer when you want to implement options such
as call screening and call holding. Supervise transfer allows Cisco Unity to
maintain control over the call so that it can implement these features.
In the event of a supervised transfer, the Gather Caller Information section of the
page contains settings that can help individual subscribers manage incoming calls.
Many of the options are self-evident, though a few, such as If the Call Is Busy,
Always Hold and Announce, require some explanation.
The setting If the Call Is Busy allows the subscriber to specify options such as
Always Hold. If enabled, the caller is placed on hold until the subscriber can pick up
the call. You can also use the No Holding option. When selected, the caller is
prompted to leave a message for the subscriber. Neither of these options is available
when using release transfer, because the Cisco Unity system does not retain control
of the call in that specific instance.
The Announce setting causes the voice mail to sound a tone, letting the subscriber
know when an incoming call has been transferred to their telephone. If the box
beside Ask Caller's Name is checked, the Cisco Unity system asks an outside caller
"Who may I say is calling?" and records their answer for playback to the subscriber.
This allows the subscriber to screen incoming calls by accepting or refusing the call.
If the call is refused, the caller is asked to leave a message for the subscriber.
Setting Greetings
Cisco Unity offers the possibility of using five different greetings, depending on the
date, time of day, various system settings, and the capabilities of the telephone
switch. The greetings used most often include the standard (used during normal
business hours), closed (used during all hours not defined as open for business), and
alternate (used when out of the office for an extended period) greetings. Whether or
not the internal or busy greetings are used depends on the capabilities of the
telephone system. Administrators, as subscribers, have the option of using the
system greeting supplied by Cisco or recording their own greeting.
Most subscribers on a system have the standard greeting enabled by default. If all
users of the Cisco Unity system have the same greeting for a particular
circumstance, such as while the business is closed, it would be appropriate to choose
that greeting and record it on a Subscriber Template page. Otherwise, individual
subscribers should record greetings as a part of self-enrollment (if enabled).
You must enable each greeting that is going to be used on the system and choose a
source. If subscribers will be recording their own greetings, click the Recording radio
button on the Greetings page. If you want to allow caller input during any greeting,
check the appropriate box on the page.
Finally, set the After Greeting action. In most cases, the Take Message option is
used, because that is the main function of a voice-messaging system. You also have
the Send Caller To option, which provides additional options for managing the call.
There may be cases in which all users of the system have some keys enabled for
caller input. In these situations, it is best to configure a subscriber template to
define and allow the key presses. For example, consider that an option is configured
to allow all callers to skip the subscriber's greeting and proceed directly to recording
their message by pressing the 1 key during the greeting. On the Caller Input page,
simply select the 1 key, check the Lock This Key to the Action box, and select the
Skip Greeting radio button. This, along with any other system-wide caller input
options, is implemented here.
Setting Messages
On the Messages page, you can set the Maximum amount of time for voice message
left by outside callers, as well as what options are available to them after leaving a
message. In most cases, once an outside caller has left a message, they are ready to
exit the system; choosing the Say Goodbye radio button is the appropriate choice in
those circumstances. In addition, you can choose whether callers are offered the
option of marking their messages as Urgent, what language your callers hear by
default (or more than one language if properly licensed), and whether to use
message waiting indicators (MWIs) for message notification. In almost every case,
you will use MWIs, unless otherwise deemed necessary by the needs or demands of
subscribers.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have the following
prerequisite skills and knowledge. (If you need a quick review, see the designated
chapter, where you can find more information on the topic.)
Once a subscriber has been added using a particular template, any changes you
make to the account must be made on the individual subscriber's page. Changes
made on the subscriber template apply only to subscribers added after the template
is changed. This is the primary reason for verifying the proper template
configuration during the initial system setup.
Private Lists� In Cisco Unity 4.0(2) or later, there is no defined limit on list
membership. In previous versions of Cisco Unity, subscribers or administrators
were limited to the creation of up to 20 private lists with 25 members each.
Alternate Extensions� Each subscriber can have up to nine alternate
extensions available.
There are some settings that are available on individual subscriber pages that are
not shown on any Subscriber Template page. Private lists and alternate extensions
are features that are available to subscribers on an individual basis and make sense
only in that context.
Private lists are available for each subscriber on a Cisco Unity system. The subscriber
that owns these lists manages them either over the telephone or by using Cisco
Unity Assistant. Cisco Unity Assistant (formerly known as Active Assistant) is a web
page that allows subscribers to customize personal settings. This includes recorded
greetings and message delivery options. The subscriber is the only person that may
send messages to their private lists. When addressing a message to the list, the
subscriber must use the group number, not the group name. Private lists
significantly differ from Exchange personal distribution lists because information is
stored in different locations. Exchange personal distribution lists are stored in the
Microsoft Outlook client; Cisco Unity's private lists are stored on the Cisco Unity
server with the subscriber's other settings. There is no reference to the private lists
in Exchange. For this reason, a subscriber can address messages to their private lists
only by using the telephone user interface (TUI).
NOTE
Each subscriber can have up to nine different alternate extensions. This feature has
two different purposes: It can provide easy message access for the subscriber. When
you enter the subscriber's cell phone number in the Alternate Extension field, Cisco
Unity recognizes the incoming digits of the subscriber's cell phone number and asks
for the subscriber's password as if the person were using their desk extension. This
happens as long as the PBX passes the Caller ID digits along to Cisco Unity.
The Alternate Extension field can also be used in an environment in which multiple
Cisco Unity servers and multiple telephone switches are networked together. Cisco
Unity servers are differentiated by the location data in the Cisco Unity System
Administrator. If an alternate extension is added for subscribers that exactly mirrors
the number other subscribers would dial when telephoning another subscriber
directly through the networked telephone switches, then they are able to message
each other through the telephone using that same number. A Cisco Unity system
administrator can add alternate extensions for the subscriber.
Cisco Unity has the capability to place a telephone call to any subscriber and notify
that subscriber of new messages.
Telephone
Pager
System administrator
Individual subscriber by using the TUI (four devices only, including home
phone, work phone, spare phone, and pager)
Each device has settings for the time of day and day of week to notify you, as well
as entries to specify for which type of messages to use the device. As an example,
Cisco Unity could send a text message for regular voice messages that notifies the
subscriber every 60 minutes. If an "urgent" message is left by a caller, Cisco Unity
can send an Urgent text message notification every 5 minutes. As soon as the
messages are collected, Cisco Unity stops notification, because Cisco Unity notifies
only when new (unread) messages exist.
Via the TUI, and depending on the phone system's capabilities, a subscriber can set
up only four devices: home phone, work phone, spare phone, and pager. The first
three are labels only; the phone could be any one that Cisco Unity is capable of
dialing while adhering to its Call Restriction tables.
Installer account
As part of the installation process, Cisco Unity for Exchange or Domino creates
default subscriber accounts. Two of the accounts are the Example Administrator and
the Example Subscriber. The main difference between the Example Administrator
and the Example Subscriber accounts is the COS. The Example Subscriber account
does nothing more than give an example of what a basic subscriber account looks
like. The Example Subscriber account takes up a user license, but it can be deleted
to recover the user license. The Example Administrator account is the "owner" and
"message recipient" of all default call handlers. The Example Administrator account
cannot be deleted via the Cisco Unity System Administrator tool. In a situation in
which you need to recover a single user license or you encounter a security issue
about the account, you can delete the Example Administrator account. However, you
should first carefully consider and research the issue before you make a decision to
delete the Example Administrator account. The deletion of the account can have a
significant effect on the Cisco Unity system.
Another account that is created during the installation process is called the Unity
"server name" messaging account. This is a hidden account and does not take a user
license. This is the account that Cisco Unity uses to send messages from outside
callers to a subscriber's inbox.
There is also a hidden Microsoft Structured Query Language (SQL) account that is
secretly associated to the current logon account during installation. The SQL
account is called the Installer account and has the administrator COS. This gives
your Microsoft Windows 2000/Exchange 2000 installer account the ability to log on
to the Cisco Unity System Administrator and modify system and user settings. An
analogous account is created for Cisco Unity for Domino.
Figure 4-3 provides a flowchart reference that is useful in deciding what type of
subscriber to define for a particular situation.
This flowchart can assist you in making the decision of what type(s) of subscribers to
add to the system. In many cases, new user types will be defined and added as
necessary. In every case, the target message server on which the subscriber holds an
account dictates the type of subscriber to be created.
When you add new users to the Cisco Unity system, you have the choice of adding
the following types of Cisco Unity subscribers:
New subscriber� If you are adding a new subscriber, Cisco Unity creates a
mail-enabled user account in Windows 2000 Active Directory.
Import Exchange user� If you are importing an existing Exchange user, the
system modifies the voice attributes of an existing user in AD.
Import Lotus Domino user� Importing from the Lotus Domino system is
the only method available for adding users from Lotus Domino. The system
creates individual subscribers as with other imports. Any new Lotus Domino
users have to be added to the Lotus Domino system, then imported to gain a
Cisco Unity subscriber account.
The following list of subscriber types lists network subscribers. They have a spelled
and recorded name and show up in the Exchange global address list (GAL) but
cannot log on to Cisco Unity to retrieve messages, record greetings, or do several
other normal functions that a full subscriber can do. Using these network subscribers
is a method of making a remote person look like a subscriber. Messages to network
subscribers are not actually stored on the local Exchange system, but instead are
sent to the remote recipient's message store. The method that is used to send the
message is based on the type of subscriber that is created and the licensing
purchased.
When you are creating an Internet subscriber, setup options relating to the
local message store are not available. These options include phone password,
private lists, conversation, and message notification. In other words, the
mailbox acts as a pointer to the SMTP address that is specified when creating
the Internet subscriber account. Both outside and internal callers benefit from
the ability to address messages to the subscriber over the telephone in most
cases, and internal users also have an option to address to them using the
GAL. The Internet subscriber has a recorded voice name and greeting just like
any other Cisco Unity subscriber. The main difference between a regular Cisco
Unity subscriber and an Internet subscriber is that when mail is left for an
Internet subscriber, the mail is delivered out the SMTP gateway (Internet Mail
Service [IMS] for Exchange 5.5) to its Internet destination as specified within
their account. The end location could be any other mail server or even another
voice-mail system therefore, from the sender's perspective, offsite Internet
subscribers with whom the sender is interacting appear as if they are actually
onsite, such as field technicians or outside sales personnel.
Additionally, Internet subscribers can be used to link offices, without the need
to set up messaging connectors and directory replication connectors between
sites. However, the administrator must manually and individually set up
Internet subscribers for each destination location. This requirement may be
unacceptable if a large number of users exist in remote offices. For
organizations with many users in various locations, using Blind Addressing is
typically a better choice than using Internet subscribers.
As with Internet subscribers, any options that relate to the local message store
are unavailable. This means that AMIS subscribers cannot log on to Cisco Unity
to check or send messages, log on to Cisco Unity via the telephone, or use
Cisco Unity Assistant to change personal settings, own private lists, set up or
receive message notification, or receive MWIs via Cisco Unity. Messages sent to
AMIS subscribers are transferred to the target voice-mail system through
telephone calls placed from one server to another server and messages played
over the analog phone lines.
VPIM subscriber� Cisco Unity Version 4.0 enables users to interface with
third-party voice-mail systems using Voice Profile for Internet Messaging
(VPIM). The messages sent to the VPIM subscriber are sent as an SMTP e-mail
with an attached .wav file to a VPIM-compliant voice-mail system via the
Internet. As with AMIS, a VPIM subscriber's off-box storage is going to be a
different voice-mail system. They would be set up as Contact(s) in AD. A 5-
minute message sent via SMTP takes no more than 1 minute to transmit,
whereas the same message sent via AMIS takes more than 5 minutes to
transmit. The main difference is that the messages are transmitted via SMTP
rather than as an analog message over the Public Switched Telephone Network
(PSTN).
As with Internet subscribers, any options that relate to the local message store
are unavailable. This means that VPIM subscribers cannot log on to Cisco Unity
to check or send messages, log on to Cisco Unity via the telephone, use Cisco
Unity Assistant to change personal settings, own private lists, set up or receive
message notification, or receive MWIs via Cisco Unity.
AMIS, VPIM, Internet, and Bridge subscribers share all other features with
regular Cisco Unity subscribers. You can give them an off-campus telephone
number, and calls will be transferred there. Outside callers may look up
Internet, Bridge, VPIM, or AMIS subscribers in the directory (unless you have
restricted this access) and leave them voice mail. They can be members of
distribution lists. The main purpose of these recipients is to receive messages
in a transparent manner.
Adding Subscribers
Once you have set the account policy, created your COS, set up your distribution
lists, created your subscriber templates, and decided what types of subscribers to
add, all you need to do is create a list of employees and their telephone extension
numbers. To create this information, log on to the Cisco Unity System
Administrator, click the Subscriber link, click the Add button, and enter the data.
Figure 4-4 shows the Subscribers setup page.
Other Cisco Unity database information such as call handlers, call routing tables, and
restriction tables are also not carried over.
If you are creating subscribers individually and they do not have an existing
Exchange account, Cisco Unity will create a mail-enabled Windows 2000 Active
Directory account for them. It is not possible to add users directly in Cisco Unity for
Domino due to restrictions on writing to the Domino database. You must first add
them as users in Domino and then import them into Cisco Unity.
Deleting Subscribers
If you are deleting subscribers from Cisco Unity by using the System Administration
tool, the tool will remove the Cisco Unity subscriber's information from the SQL
database on the Cisco Unity server. It will not remove the mail accounts in Domino
or Exchange; it will remove only the Cisco Unity�specific data from those accounts.
The System Administration tool will not delete the account. To completely remove
the account from the Domino Names.NSF file or the Windows 2000 Active Directory
list, the appropriate administration tool must be used for that software. To delete a
Cisco Unity subscriber, select the subscriber's account, click the red Delete button,
and confirm the action. This does not delete the AD or Domino account; it only
removes the Cisco Unity data from the account.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter, you learned how to do the following:
Describe a COS.
For additional information on the preceding topics, refer to these resources, found
at Cisco.com by performing a search of the text:
2: When does a change made in the Account Policy page take effect?
Cisco Unity provides three default distribution lists to provide the ability to
5: send messages to multiple users simultaneously. List each of these three
distribution lists and its purpose.
Subscriber templates provide a powerful tool for setting user options. What
7:
should be configured prior to the creation of any subscriber templates?
A Cisco Unity subscriber can create private distribution lists. How many lists
8: may be created by subscribers and administrators in Cisco Unity 4.0(2) or
later? Where are they created?
Cisco Unity has the capability to place a call to any subscriber to notify
9: them of new messages. What means of notification are available to
subscribers when new messages arrive?
10: List the Cisco Unity accounts created by the Cisco Unity installation process.
Chapter 5. Cisco Unified Communications System
Customization
Upon completion of this chapter, you will be able to perform the following tasks:
Use Cisco Unity call handlers to manage sets of instructions for treating and
forwarding calls from the Cisco Unity server, including predefined, special, and
user-defined call handlers
Set and plan call handler settings, and understand call routing rules
In this chapter, the topic of discussion centers on the use of call handlers in Cisco
Unity, because they represent the basic building blocks of any Cisco Unity system.
Understanding Cisco Unity Call Handlers
Call handlers do exactly what their name implies, they handle calls. Calls that are
not answered are forwarded to Cisco Unity, which in turn answers calls, greets callers
with recorded prompts, provides callers with information and options, routes calls,
and takes messages. Your plan for call handlers may fall anywhere within a wide
range of options, from a simplistic plan that uses only the predefined Cisco Unity
call handlers, to a complex plan that uses an unlimited number of new call handlers.
Call handlers can be used in numerous ways, including as an Automated Attendant
(autoattendant), as a message recipient, for prerecorded audio, or to transfer calls.
The call handler defines a set of call-processing instructions so that the system
knows what to do when a call reaches a particular system ID. All the entities defined
in a Cisco Unity system are call handlers, whether they are subscribers, the operator,
the opening greeting, or some other user-defined box. Some of them may be
considered special cases, or look different than a standard call handler, but they are
call handlers.
There is no hard limit to the number of call handlers that a Cisco Unity system can
define. The handlers allow administrators to provide a wide range of services beyond
those included with standard voice mail, including (but certainly not limited to)
audiotext applications of any size, emergency notification services, job lines, and call
routing. Call handlers have a wide range of capabilities.
Virtually every entity in a Cisco Unity system has an ID. Whether discussing
subscribers, extensions, mailboxes, or other objects within the Cisco Unity system, a
unique ID exists that identifies each entity to the Cisco Unity system. A call handler
does not require that a physical extension be associated with it. It can be
distinguished simply by the given name. Additionally, the call handler can be
selected by the system based on administrator-defined criteria, such as time of day
or holiday schedules.
When Cisco Unity is set up with its default settings, it can use many of the standard
features and it is highly customizable. You need to know what call handlers are and
how to use them, and learn the procedures for creating call handler applications
efficiently. This will enable you to customize a Cisco Unity system to the degree
required to meet your business messaging needs.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have the following
prerequisite skills and knowledge (see Chapter 1, "Cisco Unified Communications
System Fundamentals," for more information on either topic):
All other keys are set to Ignore Key, meaning that if the
caller presses 1, Cisco Unity will not take any action while
the caller is in this handler.
Goodbye This call handler is used at the end of a call cycle within
Greeting the Cisco Unity system. The goodbye call handler can be
configured with the same options as any other handler. A
goodbye call handler is designed to be used with an
audiotext application or to stop callers from being part of
voice-mail jail. It also ends a call gracefully instead of just
hanging up. By default, no extension is set.
The Operator call handler is an important component. Callers have the expectation
that they will be connected to an operator after they press 0. This call handler is
associated with the system ID of 0 by default. If a caller does nothing during the
opening greeting, they will also reach the operator. The operator may be an
individual who uses a physical extension other than 0. That extension can simply be
associated with the call handler. Keep in mind that a voice mailbox should be
appropriated to the operator in case of missed calls.
The Opening Greeting call handler is installed with a default opening greeting. This
default opening greeting should be altered and customized for individual needs. This
will be the opening greeting that all callers hear, including outside callers and those
who are not defined in the Cisco Unity system. It should direct them to the options
that may be necessary to satisfy the purpose of their call, such as options to go to a
directory of extensions (directory call handler), dial a desired extension, stay on the
line, or press 0 for the operator. Other options, of course, are possible as deemed
necessary in the configuration of one-key dialing.
The Goodbye Greeting call handler is used to play a short goodbye message and
then hang up if it does not detect caller input. By default, the Goodbye call handler
enables a caller to dial the applicable extension to reach the sign-in conversation, or
the Operator call handler. If the After Greeting action is altered from the default of
Hang Up to Take Message, the messages left in the Goodbye call handler will be sent
to the Example Administrator account mailbox.
The default directory handler is used to search for subscribers in the Cisco Unity
system. This call handler allows callers to search for subscribers by last name or
extension. You can choose to let callers who know the name of the person they want
to reach, but not their extension, search for the person's extension by pressing
touch-tone keys whose letters correspond to as many of the letters of the
subscriber's name as they wish to use. This allows callers to route themselves to
extensions without burdening the operator or receptionist. It is possible to set this
up to correspond to either first or last names.
The Cisco Unity directory status of each subscriber is determined systemwide but
can be modified on an individual basis. When the directory handler is used (by a
caller, for a subscriber search based on extension), the system searches the
subscriber directory for matches as each digit is dialed. Once a unique or near match
is found for a caller-dialed extension (and the directory handler is set to "request
caller input first"), the system begins announcing the matched name(s). Be default,
it uses a menu format, which announces the extension with each name. However,
you can configure this to simply announce the extension alone, thus omitting the
subscriber name. Caller input is slightly different here than for a standard call
handler; you have four options to set here:
A new feature in Cisco Unity 4.0 is the capability to configure multiple directory
handlers. This capability is most useful in systems with subscribers numbering in the
hundreds or thousands. It is also quite useful in centralized call-processing
environments that provide services to one or more remote sites.
You can use the default Directory handler as a template for the creation of new
directory handlers. You can use location, class of service (COS), and public
distribution list membership as filters for listing subscribers in a directory.
Subscribers can be listed in more than one directory. In order for a subscriber to be
listed in any directory, they must have a recorded voice name and have the List in
Directory box checked on their Profile page.
There is also an option to use Search In. Options for Search In include Local Cisco
Unity Server Only (default), Location, Class Of Service, Dialing domain and Public
Distrubution List. The List in Directory is an option configured on the subscriber
templates. By default, this option is checked on the default subscriber template.
This means that when a subscriber is created and associated with this template, they
become part of the directory. During first-time enrollment, the users are told, by
default, that they are listed in the directory and that they may have the option to
remove themselves from it.
An interview handler plays each question, in turn, followed by a beep. The interview
handler then records the answer given by the caller. Once the caller stops speaking,
or the maximum recording time has elapsed, the next question is presented. The
process continues until the last question has been presented and a response has
been provided.
When the message is delivered, the recipient hears only the answers, separated by
beeps. For this reason, the recipients must know the order and content of the
questions. If a caller does not answer a question, this shows up in the message as
two beeps in a row without an intervening response.
Cisco Unity comes with a sample interview handler. The questions asked, their order,
and how messages left are handled can be seen in the system. When using an
interview handler, it is beneficial for the first question to contain any instructions or
introductions that are necessary to complete the interview, such as the number of
questions, response time, and so on.
Once you are done with the first recording, ask the questions in a logical order,
making certain to leave callers an adequate response time. The system will truncate
the recording based on its length if the entire response time has not been used.
Some of the specific onscreen settings for the interview handler include:
Response Urgency� After you answer all the questions, you can configure
Cisco Unity, to mark the message in a specific urgency response, or by using
the Ask Caller setting, you can ask the caller if they want to mark the interview
message as urgent. Your choices are: Mark as Urgent, Mark as Normal, or Ask
Caller.
After Interview Action� You can send the caller to any of the following,
after the interview is complete: Send To: CVM Mailbox Reset, Call Handler,
Directory Handler, Greetings Administrator, Hang Up, Hotel Checked Out,
Interview Handler, Sign-In, or Subscriber. The default for a newly created
interview is to Send to Goodbye Call Handler.
1. At the tone, please answer each of the following questions. At the end of each
answer, you may press #. What person or department are you trying to reach?
All are set to 30 seconds by default. If enabled, a warning tone sounds before the
maximum message length is reached.
Before you record a message, it is a good idea to write the message out exactly as it
is to be recorded.
Using User-Defined Call Handlers
Call handlers can be used to set up specialized call routing, create one-key dialing menus,
or provide announcements of prerecorded information. As mentioned previously, call
handlers can be as simple or as complex as you desire. An example of a simple
application of a call handler is the delivery of prerecorded information, also known as
audiotext.
The automated attendant is a call handler. The Opening Greeting, where callers first dial
in, either can be very simple or can take advantage of some powerful features, such as
one-key dialing. With one-key dialing, you can provide a menu of choices for incoming
calls. Callers press one touch-tone key to route their call to the department or service
they want. In the background, the one-key dialing menu routes the call to a system ID,
whether it is to another menu, an extension, or any other system ID. One-key dialing is a
shortcut available to callers that allows quick access to any listed system ID (entity).
One-key dialing and audiotext are in widespread use on a global basis. Everyone, at some
time or another, has used such applications, whether calling someone at work or calling
the local movie theater and choosing to hear the dates and show times for movies. For
example, when you call to check what is showing at the movie theater, you may
encounter a message such as the following:
Hello and thank you for calling Movie House Theaters. If you would like to check
movie show times, press 1. To purchase tickets, press 2. For theater location and
directions, please press 3. To speak to a customer service representative at any
time, press 0.
Call handlers can be quite customized based on individual subscriber needs. Knowing how
to customize them allows you to design and implement a structured audiotext application
that meets specific corporate messaging needs.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have the following
prerequisite skills and knowledge. (If you need a quick review, see the designated chapter,
where you can find more information on the topic.)
How Cisco Unity handles calls (see Chapter 2, "Using Your Cisco Unified
Communications System")
Call handlers have numerous customizable settings that you can employ to provide the
highest level of service from the Cisco Unity system. These settings include a few basic
pieces of information, such as the following:
Profile settings� Specify ownership of the call handler, schedule to determine the
times that standard and closed transfer rules and greetings are in effect, as well as
the extension of the call handler.
Greeting settings� Specify which greeting plays based on predefined criteria, such
as time of day, day of week, holiday, and so on.
Caller input settings� Specify action(s) taken when a touch-tone key is pressed.
The Profile page defines the call handler. This page stores the name, time of creation, and
system ownership information. Be sure to record the name of the box here, which will
provide assistance in troubleshooting. The owner of the box is the subscriber or
distribution list specified on the Profile page. This is the person (or group of persons) who
may request that changes be made by the administrator. The owner can change the
greeting in the box using the Cisco Unity Greeting Administrator (CUGA). The schedule
can be set for this handler to follow what schedules the greetings and extension will be in
effect when callers reach this call handler. Handlers in the middle of an application that
are reached only from another handler do not need an extension number in your
numbering plan. Figure 5-2 shows the call handler Profiles page. Table 5-2 lists and
describes the fields on the Profile page.
Figure 5-2. Cisco Unity Call Handler, Opening Greeting, Profile Page
Field Purpose
Created Display only. Shows the date and time that the call
handler was created.
Default: Subscriber
Active Schedule The schedule determines the times that standard and
closed transfer rules and greetings are in effect for
the call handler. These default settings are for new
call handlers that are not based on existing handlers.
If based on existing handlers, the new handler is
created as a duplicate of the original.
Default: Weekdays
Extension The number that callers dial to reach the call handler.
The extension should be supplied only if callers are
allowed to dial it to reach the handler (not a one-key
dialing situation). In addition, this is not an
extension to which calls are transferred. This is used
only to reach the handler itself.
Default: Blank
Default: Inherited
Field Purpose
Switch The phone system that the call handler uses. If set
incorrectly, Cisco Unity will not be able to transfer
calls to or from the call handler. This is used for dual
phone system integrations only.
You use the settings on the Call Transfer page to specify whether unidentified callers are
transferred to the call handler's greeting, to the recipient's extension, or to the subscriber
at a particular number. Figure 5-3 shows the Call Transfer page.
Figure 5-3. Cisco Unity Call Handler, Opening Greeting, Call Transfer
Page
Additionally, the Call Transfer page enables you to specify how Cisco Unity handles a
transfer (release it to the phone system or supervise its transfer).
You can have three customizable transfer rules. One of these rules is for standard hours,
one is for closed hours of the active schedule, and the third is an alternate transfer rule
(in effect at all times) that can override the first two rules. By default, the standard and
closed handlers are enabled and the alternate call handler is disabled, which is known as a
supervised transfer.
Another type of transfer is a release transfer. Release transfer is a blind transfer of the call
to its intended destination. In this case Cisco Unity releases the call.
When you are developing an audiotext application, typically you should ensure that
callers hear the greeting in the box immediately. This can be accomplished by disabling
the transfer. If the caller is transferred to an extension, a supervised or release transfer
can be used.
NOTE
If you create a large number of call handlers, all of which have been set to
transfer directly to their greeting, and then you decide later that the calls
should first transfer to an extension, you can use the Bulk Edit Utility in the
Tools Depot to make the change. Call handlers can be edited in bulk to alter
nearly any of the available options. More information on this is provided in the
"Cisco Unity Administration Tools" section of Chapter 11. See the discussion
on the Audio Text Manager (ATM). ATM provides an extremely useful tool in
dealing with call handlers.
Send the caller directly to the handler's greeting (this is the default on a newly
created handler that is not based on an existing handler).
When the administrator chooses either the second or third option, the this setting allows
the setup of transfer to either release or supervised. If supervised is set, there is the
option to set approximately how many times Cisco Unity will ring the destination before
it brings back the call to the recipient's greeting. The default value is two rings, but it can
be changed the same way on the Subscribers page>Call Transfer page, Subscriber
template, or by using Bulk Edit.
When supervising transfers, Cisco Unity can provide additional control with call holding
and call screening.
Call holding simply means that the system is set up to tell the user that the line is busy
and the system places the caller on hold. The two options available for this on Figure 5-3
are called Always hold and Ask caller. With Always hold, the system will immediately place
the caller on hold. The Ask caller option will ask the caller if they would like to wait.
When on hold the system can then play hold music (if Music On Hold is available) and tell
the caller on hold how many callers are ahead of them and it also allows them to continue
holding, leave a message, or try another extension. When these options are enabled, the
caller is prompted every 30 seconds. There is no hard limit to the number of callers that
can be on hold at a given point in time.
Call screening has the system ask for the caller's name prior to connecting the caller to a
subscriber. Upon hearing the name of the caller, the subscriber can accept or refuse the
call. These are found under the Gather caller information section of the Call Transfer
page.
Settings on the Greetings page provide the capability to record appropriate greetings
based on the set schedule from the Profile page. Greetings can be recorded for any
number of possible scenarios and specified here. There is a default schedule set to include
All Hours and All Days. Alternate greetings are typically used for holidays, emergencies,
or any time the standard greetings need to be preempted. Using the CUGA, a call handler
owner can toggle between the alternate and standard greetings or rerecord the standard
greeting over the telephone. There are five greetings in all: Alternate, Busy, Closed,
Internal, and Standard. When Alternate is enabled, it simply overrides the other
greetings. Figure 5-4 shows the Call Handler, Greeting Settings page.
Closed� A greeting that plays during the hours specified as closed in the active
schedule (such as nonbusiness hours).
Standard� The greeting played during the standard hours specified in the active
schedule unless overridden by another greeting.
Figure 5-4. Cisco Unity Call Handler, Opening Greeting, Greetings Page
For a Standard call handler, the only greetings that are turned on by default are Closed
and Standard. All others need to be configured. For each greeting configured, several
options need to be specified.
Status� To enable a greeting, check the Greeting Enabled check box. The following
are the possible settings:
Source� The greeting source specifies how the greeting will be recorded. Three
options are available for the greeting source setting:
Once the greeting has been recorded, by either method, it is necessary to click
on the Stop button to end recording.
During Greeting� This setting dictates what the caller can do, if anything, during
the playing of the greeting. This option has one setting:
Settings:
After Greeting� After the greeting is played, this setting dictates what action
should be taken by the Cisco Unity system. The following are the possible settings:
- Take Message� The default on a newly created handler that is not based
on an existing handler. It specifies that the Cisco Unity system should record
the caller's message.
- Send Caller To� Specifies that the caller should be transferred to the
selected destination. Possible options here include: Send To: CVM Mailbox
Reset, Call Handler, Directory Handler, Greetings Administrator, Hang Up,
Hotel Checked Out, Interview Handler, Sign-In, or Subscriber.
- Reprompt the User After This Many Seconds of Silence� Specifies the
number of times to reprompt the caller if no input is received from the caller
by voice or keypad number press. Two seconds is the default setting, if
enabled.
Figure 5-5. Cisco Unity Call Handler, Opening Greeting, Caller Input
Page
With the keys unlocked, the system waits a set length of time (1 to 2 seconds) after every
key to determine whether or not another key is to be pressed. This is a configurable
option and is set in milliseconds. The default value for newly created handlers is 1500
milliseconds (1.5 seconds). The Allow Callers to Dial an Extension During Greeting check
box is checked by default on newly created handlers. The action taken as a result of the
key being pressed will, of course, depend on the call handler.
For every key press, 0 to 9, *, and #, the option of either locking the key to the action,
such as specifying that 0 will go to the operator handler, is available. In this case, it will
not wait for another digit. In addition, for each key, you can set it to include:
Ignore Key� Cisco Unity does not take any action.
Skip Greeting� Cisco Unity skips the greeting and performs the After Greeting
action. By default, # is assigned to this action.
Send Caller To� Sends the call to a conversation for changing call handler
greetings over the phone.
On a newly created handler, not based on an existing handler, the only keys configured
include:
0� It is not locked, and set for Send Caller to Attempt Transfer to Operator
(basically taking them to the Operator handler).
#� It is locked, and set for Skip Greeting, taking the caller to whatever the After
Greeting action is set to.
The call can be forwarded to one of several destinations, including the following, or you
can hang up the phone. The destinations and their purposes are as follows:
Another call handler� Presents the caller with recorded prompts and provides
information and available options, routes calls, and takes messages.
The default maximum message length is 300 seconds, and a warning tone sounds before
the maximum message length is reached. The Max and Min for this option can be from 1
to 999 seconds. Messages less than 1 second in length are discarded. Discarded
messages, in this case, generate an event that is recorded in the application event log.
Figure 5-6 shows the Call Handler Messages page.
Figure 5-6. Cisco Unity Call Handler, Opening Greeting, Messages Page
The After Message action settings, by default, on a newly created call handler is set to
Say Goodbye; however, there is also the option to set it to one of the following options,
which are similar to the Call Input one-key options: Send To: CVM Mailbox Reset, Call
Handler, Directory Handler, Greetings Administrator, Hang Up, Hotel Checked Out,
Interview Handler, Sign-In, or Subscriber.
The After Message actions also include the option to allow the caller to edit their
messages; by default, this is turned on. The last option allows you to specify whether or
not you want to mark the messages as urgent: Always, Never, or Ask Caller for Their
Preference. The default on a newly created handler, not based on an existing handler, is
Never.
Careful planning for your system components, including call handlers, interview handlers,
directory handlers, and call routing tables, is key to setting them up efficiently. Creating a
call management map is a way to document your plan. Additional information on call
routing tables is provided in the "Defining Call Routing Rules" section later in this chapter.
One-key dialing options include Send To: CVM Mailbox Reset, Call Handler, Directory
Handler, Greetings Administrator, Hang Up, Hotel Checked Out, Interview Handler, Sign-
In, or Subscriber.
This menu of choices designates a single digit to represent a subscriber extension, call
handler, interview handler, or directory handler. The one-key system can be bypassed by
entering a full subscriber extension or by pressing no keys in the menu system. The call
should be sent to the operator call handler automatically. The system can be set to pause
a certain number of seconds for additional key presses before routing the call to allow for
full extension dialing. As mentioned previously, certain keys can be locked to take the
caller directly to the action programmed for that key. The handler greeting should be
used to tell callers what one-key options are available. In this handler, as in many others,
it is important to give callers every available option in the recorded greeting.
As with network designing, the design of the Cisco Unity menu structure should be
planned out and documented. A good way of doing both concurrently is to create a call
management map. In this map, include a menu of one-key dialing options, all possible
navigation choices, and, if desired, the predefined call handlers.
Figure 5-7 illustrates a sample call management map. As is evident in the figure, the call
management map is a simple, logically flowing tiered structure that allows the caller to
actively choose how the call is treated.
Step 2. Create each call handler, beginning with those that route calls to
subscribers and/or distribution lists, as shown in the bottom tier of the call
management map in Figure 5-7.
Step 3. Create each tier of the call map in the Cisco Unity system. Continue
working from bottom to top in the hierarchy of the call map until the top tier is
complete. Again, refer to Figure 5-7 for a brief example.
When calls arrive, they must be acted upon according to the defined rule sets. The rules
specify that calls need to be forwarded to specific destinations, therefore a call routing
table is used. All calls are forwarded in some form or fashion, even if the call is forwarded
to Hang Up. Call routing tables are used to direct incoming calls to the operator, specific
subscribers, call handlers, directory handlers, or interview handlers. Call routing tables
also route subscribers to the subscriber logon conversation. Default routing rules come
with the system, each with its own settings.
When Cisco Unity receives a phone call, the system must determine whether the call is
direct or forwarded. This is done based on the information received from the phone
system. The routing is done on a "first match" basis. That is, the first time a call matches
all of the criteria of a particular rule, the call is forwarded. If the call fails to match even a
single portion of the rule criteria, that rule is skipped and the next rule is processed. The
process continues until a match is made. The last rule in the table is the Default Call
Handler. Any call that has not already been processed by a rule in the table is processed
by this rule.
Although the order of the rules can be altered, the predefined call routes cannot be
modified. A call can be forwarded to a number of potential destinations. Each has a
particular function in the call routing table. These include:
Attempt Sign-In� If the calling number matches that of the subscriber, the call is
sent to the subscriber logon conversation. If not, the next rule in the table is
applied to the call.
Sign-In� Sends the call to the subscriber logon conversation. This differs from
Attempt Sign-In in that the system prompts for the subscriber extension rather
than checking the calling number. This allows a sign-in from any phone or
extension.
Direct Calls� Handles calls from subscribers and unidentified callers that are
directly dialed to the Cisco Unity system; for example, a subscriber who is calling to
check their voice mail and retrieve messages. Table 5-3 illustrates the rules for
direct calls.
Forwarded Calls� Handles calls that are forwarded to Cisco Unity from a
subscriber extension or an extension that is not associated with a subscriber
account; for example, an external call that is forwarded to the Cisco Unity system
because the subscriber has set the Call Forward No Answer option. The subscriber
extension does not ring. Instead, the call is automatically redirected to the
subscriber's configured greeting. Table 5-4 illustrates the routing rules for forwarded
calls.
Obviously, call routing rules make decisions regarding the destination of a call. These call
routing tables contain the routing rules. You can add additional rules as you deem
necessary. You should modify routing tables only after you have created the call handlers,
directory handlers, and other necessary components.
Direct calls are those that are sent directly to Cisco Unity. The default rules for direct calls
are Attempt Sign-In and Default Call Handler. Neither of these rules can be altered.
This section provides additional information on the numerous fields in Table 5-3. They are
as follows:
Rule� The name of the rule (for example, Live Record). This field accepts words or
numbers. The name should probably reflect the purpose.
Status� The choices are Enabled and Disabled. The default on a new rule is
Enabled.
Call Type� The choices are Internal Calls, External Calls, and Both. The default is
set to Both.
Port� A fill-in parameter that specifies to which port it applies this rule to as the
call arrives. If left blank (which is the default), it considers all ports on a direct call
when trying to match the rule. You can also specify a range of ports
- Schedule� Specifies whether to Always use this rule, use All Hours�All
Days schedule, or Weekdays schedule. The default is Always. Any schedule
that is defined in the Cisco Unity system may be used. These two schedules
are provided by default when the system is installed.
- Send Call To� Specifies what action to take. Here, there are additional
options, including Attempt Forward, Attempt Sign-In, CVM Mailbox Reset, Call
Handler, Directory Handler, Greetings Administrator, Hotel Checked Out,
Interview Handler, Sign-In, Start Live Record, and Subscriber. The default
when a rule is first created is Directory Handler.
The call type, port, trunk, DNIS, ANI, and schedule settings all allow the limiting of the
call or to direct specific calls to particular destinations.
For example, consider the CUGA. A Cisco Unity administrator can arrange to have a
specific DID number ring directly to Cisco Unity. When calls come in with that particular
DNIS information, the Send Call To destination can be CUGA. In that way, only people
who know the CUGA phone number can use it.
The set of call routing rules is one of the most powerful and least understood features of
Unity.
Forwarded calls are those that are sent to the Cisco Unity system from either a subscriber
extension or an extension that is not associated with any subscriber account. The
predefined rules for forwarded calls are Attempt Forward to Greeting and Default Call
Handler. You cannot modify these two rules, although you can add additional rules.
This section provide additional information about the numerous fields in Table 5-4. They
are as follows:
Rule� The name of the rule (for example, Attempt Forward Greeting). This field
accepts words or numbers. The name should probably reflect the purpose.
Status� The state of the rule, Enabled or Disabled. The default on a new rule is
enabled.
Call Type� The source of the call. Options are Internal Calls (such as calls from
subscribers), External Calls (such as calls from unidentified callers), or Both. The
default Call Type for a new rule is Both.
Forwarding Station� (Forwarded Calls page only.) The extension (station) that
the call was forwarded from. Wildcards can be used in this field, for instance, 3*, or
it can be left blank for all numbers dialed.
Dialed Number (DNIS)� The called-party number. Wildcards can be used in this
field, for instance, 800*, or it can be left blank for all numbers dialed.
Calling Number (ANI)� The calling-party number. It uses the same parameters
as DNIS.
Schedule� Specifies whether to Always use this rule, use All Hours�All Days
schedule, or Weekdays schedule. The default is Always.
Send Call To� Specifies what action to take. The options here include Attempt
Forward, Attempt Sign-In, CVM Mailbox Reset, Call Handler, Directory Handler,
Greetings Administrator, Hotel Checked Out, Interview Handler, Sign-In, Start Live
Record, and Subscriber. The default when a rule is first created is Directory Handler.
In cases where there is an integration of Cisco Unity and telephone switches, call routing
tables and rules are even more important. There are some issues that may arise in any
integration. Some of these lie in the realm of call routing. Call routing rules are not
meant to repair broken integrations. Call routing may work better because of the types
and amounts of information capable of passing between the Cisco Unity system and the
phone switch, but the rules do not provide a fix for a flawed integration. However, you
should understand that improper call routing can break or impair a properly executed and
implemented integration.
Call routing tables are processed from top to bottom, and from left to right. First, the
Live Record rule is processed. Live Record allows the recording of a call conversation and
is very dependent on the capabilities of a telephone system. When Live Record is
requested, the call is handed back to Cisco Unity and recorded as the conversation
progresses.
The phone system must be able to transmit a barge code and an extension as the call is
arriving at the Cisco Unity port. A barge code is a short sequence that tells Cisco Unity to
open a silent conference with the call already in progress at the specified extension. The
setting Start live record begins recording a message that contains whatever is being
spoken at the extension.
If no barge code and extension are passed, the rule fails and Cisco Unity moves on to the
next, Attempt Sign-In. If the PBX passes a sequence of * and a subscriber's extension,
then it begins the sign-in process. This is how Easy Message Access (one of the three
main features of an integration) is accomplished. If Cisco Unity does not receive a
sequence of * plus a valid extension, then it uses the last rule and sends the caller to the
Opening Greeting. You may have as many call routing rules on a system as you wish.
There is no practical limit to the number that will execute in a very short period of time.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter, you have learned how to do the following:
For additional information on the preceding topics, refer to these resources, found
at Cisco.com by performing a search of the text:
Which default call handler is used to allow callers to search for subscribers in
2:
a Cisco Unity system?
If a voice message is less than 1 second in length, how does the Cisco Unity
4:
system handle it?
If a call is compared to all rules in the call routing table, and it matches
5:
none of the defined rules, how will the call be routed?
The Cisco Unity system provides two default routing tables. List them along
8:
with a brief description of each.
Which call handler is typically used at the end of a call cycle within the Cisco
10:
Unity system?
Chapter 6. Cisco Unified Communications System
Maintenance
Upon completing this chapter, you will be able to perform the following tasks:
Use diagnostic traces, reports, and logs to monitor the health of the Cisco
unified communications systems
After setting up your Cisco Unity system with your subscribers added and your
system configured, the next step is to put it into production and start using it.
Proper maintenance and monitoring are very important to the continued health of
Cisco unified communications systems. This chapter provides information about
implementing maintenance practices, and introduces the different monitoring tools
available in Cisco Unity and Personal Assistant (PA).
Understanding Cisco Unity System Monitoring and
Maintenance
You can use Cisco Unity monitoring tools to capture current real-time activity and
information.
Once you have that information, it is important to maintain and monitor a Cisco
Unity system after placing it in a production environment, to ensure that it
continues to perform at the level it is able to, while maintaining optimal
performance.
To fully benefit from this section, it is recommended that you have the following
prerequisite skills and knowledge. (If you need a quick review, please see the
designated chapter, where you can find more information on the topic.)
Knowledge of the different Cisco Utility tools and utilities (see Chapter 11,
"Unified Communications Backup and Utilities")
Complex systems such as Cisco Unity and Cisco PA need consistent monitoring to
maximize their effectiveness over time. Information that is monitored falls into two
categories: real-time and historical.
Real-time monitoring means exactly that, monitoring the system functions as they
happen. Issues to monitor in real time on a frequent basis include such things as
how much space is left on the hard drive and what ports are dialing out to notify
users of messages and lighting the lamps on their phones.
Here is a quick list of some of the real-time monitoring tools that can be used with
Cisco Unity that is discussed in this chapter:
Status Monitor.exe
When developing information, the type of data you are trying to gather determines
the type of tool you will use to collect that information. You would use real-time
monitoring to collect information when trying to duplicate a specific failure, such as
a user who collects all messages but whose lamp does not turn off.
Status Monitor, shown in Figure 6-1, is a Cisco Unity application with an HTML
interface that runs separately from the Cisco Unity System Administrator. It is
possible to run both the System Administrator and Status Monitor at the same
time. The class of service (COS) in Cisco Unity controls access to Status Monitor. On
the Class of Service > System Access page for those administrators who will use
Status Monitor, ensure the Access Status Monitor check box is selected. Status
Monitor requires the use of Internet Explorer 6.0 or later.
http://unity-server-name-or-ip/status/default.asp
A port attached to a Cisco Unity system is capable of carrying one call at a time. The
Ports page gives you a quick look at the current state (within the latest refresh
interval) of the ports on the system. You can see at a glance which ports are active
and how long they have been so. You also get information about the state of the
call and details about which part of the system conversation the call is currently in.
If the port appears locked in an off-hook state (and therefore unavailable to the rest
of the system), you can select the port, and then click the Reset button in the lower-
right corner of the page body to attempt to make the port available again.
The Reports page shows the status of reports submitted. It provides information
about which state the report is in, who ran it, and whether or not the report has
been started or is complete. The information on this page can be quite useful
because some reports on the system have the potential to take a long time to
complete. You can choose to cancel a report that is already in queue by selecting the
report and clicking the Cancel Report button.
The Disk Drives page gives you a quick look at how much disk space the Cisco Unity
system has and how much of it is currently free. You can see all the disk drives on
the system, including physical or logical drives. It does not include floppy and CD-
ROM drives. If you wish to get more details about the physical drives on the system,
including their partitioning and formatting information, you can use a tool such as
the Microsoft Windows Computer Management tool.
The last page on the Status Monitor tool is the online Help. It is a pop-up web page
that gives you more information about Status Monitor, the Cisco Message Store
Manager utility, and the Cisco Event Monitoring Service (EMS).
The Status Monitor program is another real-time tool that you can use to watch
what is happening on each of the ports, as shown in Figure 6-2. This includes when
a Cisco Unity subscriber calls in to listen to new messages, when Cisco Unity dials
out to light the message waiting indicator (MWI) or calls a cell phone to deliver a
message, and when an outside caller calls in and navigates through a one-key audio-
text application. This tool is found in the \commserver\techtools folder and is called
StatusMonitor.
When you start a monitor, the monitor settings control the state information that is
shown. You can monitor port status based on Application, Display, or Conversation:
Application� Displays the state of the Cisco Unity application during the
monitoring session. States include Idle, Attempt Sign-in, Transfer, and
Greeting. This is the same information you would see if you were using the
HTML Status Monitor. As an example, when a user is attempting to log in to
their mailbox, using a port that is being monitored, the Application display will
show Attempt Sign-in. This is useful information when troubleshooting a call
to know at what stage of the application the call is in.
Status Monitor also allows you to log status information to a text file. You can also
busy-out a port, or disable it. It also has "Show New Calls" and "Show Port
Availability" buttons, which will display that information in real time.
Cisco Unity also comes with another tool called the Port Status Monitor program. It
provides the same information as the Status Monitor application. In addition, it
allows you to clear all traces from the Status Monitor window and turn on/off the
auto-scroll feature, and it has a real-time display option, which gives you more
description information about what is occurring on a port. It also gives you the
option to specify the maximum traces in the trace window and maximum traces in a
log file. This tool is found in the Cisco Unity Tools Depot. Figure 6-3 shows the Port
Status Monitor program and a caller leaving a message on Cisco Unity port 5.
Run Exchange Optimizer on Exchange 5.5 when more than 100 subscribers are
added.
Keep up to date with Cisco Unity qualified service packs and hot fixes. Service
packs that are installed on a Cisco Unity system go through a Cisco
qualification process before they are supported on this system.
Twice a year run the Exchange Eseutil utility from Microsoft, available at
http://support.microsoft.com. This is a Microsoft maintenance utility for
Exchange Server databases.
Verify that the backup medium used has enough available space to back up the
Cisco Unity server.
Include Cisco Unity servers in the schedule if you are restarting other network
servers.
Check that messages left in the Unity Messaging Repository (UMR) are
delivered to subscriber mailboxes.
Check whether Cisco Unity System Administrator sessions are not being
released and whether any are not being used.
If using Exchange, check for mailboxes that are over their size limits.
All the software and hardware associated with the Cisco Unity server require ongoing
maintenance to ensure high performance. The pieces affected by this can also affect
server performance in general. Performing regular maintenance on the Cisco Unity
server may ensure continuous reliability and performance.
Messages that are not delivered in Cisco Unity return to the Unaddressed Messages
distribution list. The following are possible reasons why messages may go to this
distribution list: the network is not available, the server assigned to the intended
subscriber is not available, the intended subscriber exceeded its message storage
limit, or someone left a message using the Operator call handler because the
operator was unavailable.
Step 2. On the left side, click the Public Distribution Lists link.
Step 6. Select Add and Find the subscriber you would like to add to this
distribution list.
Step 7. Select the subscriber and click the "Add to List" button. This
automatically saves this information. So, there is no need to click the standard
Save button on the SA.
When running virus scanning and backups on a daily basis, it is good practice to run
them during off hours, when the Cisco Unity server is less busy. Some things to
consider, however, when running backups are the delivery of messages for Audio
Messaging Interchange Specification (AMIS) and Bridge networking, which may
occur off hours as well. The virus-scanning software should be set up to notify you
every week or two to check with the manufacturer for updates to its virus-scanning
definitions. If there is a policy in place to do so for other systems on the network
already, you can include the Cisco Unity server with them. If there is no policy in
place, Cisco recommends that you update the definitions on the Cisco Unity server
whenever the virus-scanning software alerts you of new definitions. "Cisco Unity
Requirements, and Supported Hardware and Software," available at Cisco.com,
contains a list of virus-scanning software that is qualified for use with Cisco Unity.
For Microsoft Exchange 5.5, when 100 or more Exchange mailboxes or Cisco Unity
subscribers are added, you should run Exchange Optimizer. More information on this
can be found on Microsoft's website. Refer to Article ID 266051, "Understanding the
Microsoft Exchange Server Performance Optimizer" (white paper), at
http://www.microsoft.com.
Microsoft also occasionally releases service packs that contain fixes generated since
the last general product release. Because the service pack scope is broad, each
service pack must go through thorough testing to ensure that changes do not
adversely affect Cisco Unity. Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) does not
support new service packs until they have been qualified for use with Cisco Unity.
You must uninstall unqualified service packs before Cisco TAC provides assistance in
resolving issues.
For information on which service packs have been qualified for use with Cisco Unity,
refer to "Cisco Unity Requirements, and Supported Hardware and Software,"
available at Cisco.com.
On a monthly basis, you should check that the backup medium that is used to back
up your Cisco Unity system has enough space.
Proper backup of your Cisco Unity system is important in case a system recovery is
required. The backup software used for Cisco Unity should provide the ability to also
back up the software products that Cisco Unity uses as well as their data. These
include Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, Microsoft SQL Server 2000, Microsoft SQL
Server 2000 Desktop Engine (MSDE 2000), and, for some setups, Microsoft
Exchange Server 2000. Cisco Unity also includes the Cisco Unity Disaster Recovery
Backup tool, which can be used to back up and restore Cisco Unity data. It can be
found in the Cisco Unity Tool Depot on the Cisco Unity server.
For more information on backing up and restoring a Cisco Unity server go to
Cisco.com and perform a search on "Backing Up and Restoring a Cisco Unity System
(Version 4.0)."
If you restart your servers on a regular basis on your network, you should include
the Cisco Unity servers also. Cisco Unity comes with a Cisco Unity Schedule Restart
Tool, which allows you to schedule a restart for the Cisco Unity server. Cisco
recommends that you use this tool to schedule automatic restarts for the Cisco
Unity server. The Cisco Unity Schedule Restart Tool is found in the Cisco Unity Tools
Depot.
Running the DbWalker utility will ensure the integrity of the Cisco Unity database. It
checks for unassociated (orphaned) call handlers and invalid links caused by not
removing all references to already deleted call handlers in the database. It also
checks each subscriber, subscriber template, interview handler, location object, and
directory object for values not present, broken links, and other issues. These can
cause instability in the Cisco Unity server and system lockups if left unattended.
They will affect any attempt to restore a database made from a backup that contains
a corrupted database. You should also run a backup before you run this utility.
Another maintenance item to consider on your Cisco Unity server is to verify that
messages left in the UMR are being processed on a daily basis. One way to check this
is by looking at the \Commserver\UnityMTA folder to see if messages have not been
processed.
There may be times where Cisco Unity Administrator sessions are not being
released. You can check this by running a report using the CUPID tool. CUPID can
collect the following data for this:
If you are using Exchange as your message store and you have set limits to the
maximum size of the subscriber mailboxes, on a monthly basis you should also
monitor which mailboxes are full or have met their maximum size. This will help you
determine whether mailboxes have the appropriate maximum size. You can monitor
this by scheduling a Subscriber Message Store Status report using the Message
Store Manager utility. This tool can be found in the Cisco Unity Tools Depot or at
http://www.ciscounitytools.com.
Use the Message Store Manager to also schedule mailbox maintenance tasks for
Exchange. You can schedule items such as deleting old messages and archiving
messages.
The system clock should also be updated on the Cisco Unity system if it is connected
to the network. An authoritative time server can be set up on the network to make
sure all the computers on the network use the same time. You can find more
information on how to set up a time server on Microsoft's website, Article ID
216734, "How to Configure an Authoritative Time Server in Windows 2000." When
the time on the Cisco Unity server is significantly behind the actual time, message
delivery may seem to be slow for subscribers, when it is actually not.
If the Cisco Unity system is not on the network, on a monthly basis you should
check the system clock for accuracy. It should be within one minute of the actual
time. You can change it by going to the Windows Start menu and clicking Settings
> Control Panel > Date/Time.
NOTE
If you change the time on the system clock while using the Cisco Unity
Administrator, this may produce inconsistencies in the data. There may
be values that you have changed that still appear as if they have not
been changed. It is recommended not to change the system time while
using the Cisco Unity Administrator.
There are many forums available for Cisco products. Forums are great sources to
find answers to specific questions. The following is the link to the Cisco Networking
Professionals Connection:
http://forums.cisco.com/eforum/servlet/NetProf?page=Voice_and_Video_discussion
The white papers listed, as well as others listed go into much greater depth about
these topics. You can also perform a search on the same website for "Cisco Unity
White Papers" to find the latest available white papers for the Cisco Unity product.
Please check it regularly for the most current and new information.
Understanding Cisco Unified Communications System
Reporting
Cisco Unity Administrator reporting tools show historical system activity and
information.
Cisco Unity administrators must understand how to use these tools, analyze the
performance of their Cisco Unity system, and put the information in context. An
administrator can come to understand what is normal for their system when using
reporting tools. Once you establish a normal baseline, it is easier to establish a
context for interpreting real-time information captured from the system.
To fully benefit from this section, it is recommended that you have the following
prerequisite skills and knowledge. (If you need a quick review, please see the
designated chapter, where you can find more information on the topic.)
Cisco Unity reporting tools provide historical information about functions on the
system. Cisco Unity provides the historical information in two broad categories:
activity that has taken place over a specified period of time and information that is a
"snapshot" in time.
Port activity is a good example of information you can capture over a specified
period.
The type of data that you want to gather determines the type of tool that you
should use to collect that information. If you want to see, for example, how many
times a specific user received calls that the automated attendant transferred, you
use a reporting tool to gather historical information. In addition, if a report
indicates that there were particular times during the day when system bottlenecks
occurred, it would be useful to observe the system as it is running during those
times.
Historical information is data that was previously collected, which you can use to
create reports. The report-generating tools go back through the logs and look at
events from the Cisco Unity or Cisco PA point of view. You can use reports to
develop information about two broad categories: information that is related to
subscribers and information that concerns system activity.
You can specify different settings on Cisco Unity Administrator reports, depending
on the type of report. You can choose what subscribers, administrators, and
distribution to include, the date and time range to use, and what data field to sort
on. In addition, you also specify the file format that Cisco Unity will use when it
generates the report.
What file format you should use depends on what you want to do with the report
after you generate it. You can have the report delivered in either web page (HTML)
or comma-separated values (CSV) format. If you will be doing some post processing
on the report for further analysis or charting, then setting it up as a comma-
delimited file is best. If you want the information in the report with no further need
of processing, then select the web page format. At present, web browsers are
limited to opening files of no more than 220 MB. If you suspect that your report will
be larger than that, use the comma-delimited format.
Each individual component in Cisco Unity runs its own log file. The event log reads
all the components and combines them into a readable form. You can configure how
long to keep the log files saved in the system by using the Cisco Unity System
Administrator. The System > Configuration > Settings page has three separate
settings for log file cleanup. Each of the settings defaults to 7 days, but you can
make them longer or shorter as you require. There is a setting for data, diagnostic,
and report files. If you wish to run reports that encompass more than the last 7
days, then you must make the Cleanup interval for the logger data files longer. If
you do not keep reports after they are generated, then you can shorten the Cleanup
interval for report files from the initial 7 days. In Figure 6-4, Status Monitor is
showing two reports.
When the report is finished, Cisco Unity sends an e-mail to the account of the
person who started the report. Depending on the size of the message store being
queried and how busy both message store and Cisco Unity are, the amount of time
that is needed to generate the report can be highly variable. Some reports, because
of their complexity, may take as long as 18 hours to run. The best time to generate
reports is when the system is not busy taking calls or when no other system-
intensive process (such as a backup) is in progress. In the present release of Cisco
Unity, you cannot schedule reports in advance. In addition, if Cisco Unity is stopped
while processing a report, all reports in the queue will be deleted.
Subscribers
Distribution Lists
Failed Login
Storage Usage
OutCall Billing
Subscribers Reports
You can run Subscribers reports for all subscribers, for a selected subscriber, or for a
public distribution list. The report contains profile and account information on the
subscriber(s) selected. This information includes their name, mail alias, COS,
extension, and inbox size. This report can be useful in determining which subscribers
are using Cisco Unity and the degree to which they are using it. Running the report
a week or so after introducing the system will give you an idea of which subscribers
may need some extra training or encouragement. Figure 6-5 shows the Cisco Unity
Administrator, Subscriber Reports page.
A subscriber may report that they are not getting their messages or that their MWI
is not turning on or off in a timely fashion. If that is the case, this is the report to
run. When gathering information from a subscriber about delayed messages, you
should get information about when the problem occurred, whom the message was
from, and what they did in response to the message. You can then set up the report
to bracket the time. You can run the report only for a specified subscriber at a time.
Once run, the report will tell you everything it knows about the message activity of
that subscriber, including when they responded to it, what telephone DTMF digits
they pressed (if they accessed it over the telephone), what application generated the
message, and when the message arrived in their inbox. Armed with this information,
you should be able to address most reports of delayed messages. Our experience
indicates very few verified cases of delayed messages. In most cases, the perception
of a delayed message can be traced to either a misunderstanding on the part of the
subscriber or an error they made in using their account.
Distribution Lists Reports
You can generate a report for any single distribution list or all distribution lists on
your Cisco Unity system. When you do, you'll know its creation date, the name of
the list's owner, the total number of members, and, optionally, the members of the
list. If the distribution list has other public lists as a member, the report lists them
as well. This report only tells you about public distribution lists; private lists of
subscribers are not included in this report.
The report can list all subscribers or a selected subscriber. If a subscriber calls with a
locked account, it would be important to find out how the account came to be
locked. You can use this report to list all login failures for the selected subscriber,
which might be helpful in establishing a pattern or determining a need for further
end-user training.
- Subscriber name
- Alias
- Subscriber DTMF
- Failure number
- Username
- Computer
- User domain
- Event ID
- Date and time of failure
- Failure number
You can use the Transfer Call Billing report to obtain information about calls that are
transferred from a subscriber's account or from a call handler. You could use this
report for billing purposes or to keep track of transfers to long distance phone
numbers. You can generate the report for all subscribers, billing IDs, or call handlers
or for a specific subscriber, public distribution list, billing ID, or call handler. The
report tells you when the call was made, what number was called, and the result of
the call (whether it was connected, busy, unanswered, or some unknown condition
occurred).
Another report, similar in function to the Transfer Call Billing report, is OutCall
Billing. You use it to obtain information about outbound calls made by Cisco Unity
for message notifications. This report also provides information about outbound
calls when subscribers use the Media Master control over the phone. You can use
this report for billing purposes, or to keep track of message notifications sent to
long distance phone numbers.
You can generate the report for all Cisco Unity subscribers or billing IDs, or for a
specific subscriber, billing ID, or public distribution list. You can generate a summary
version of the report or a detailed version, which includes additional information
about each call. The summary version contains the time and length of each call. The
detailed version contains information on the time the call was made, the notification
device used, the dialed number, the result of the call (busy, connected, failure, port
disabled, port unavailable, no answer, release, which typically happens for
notifications sent to pagers), or unknown, and how much time the call took.
NOTE
The following is a list of the different System Reports available on Cisco Unity:
Event Log
Port Usage
System Configuration
Unresolved References
When you need to track which system administrator changed values in Cisco Unity
and what values they changed, use this report. You can run the report for all
administrators or a selected one and you can set the report for a particular date and
time range. The report tells you whether data was created, updated, or deleted, and,
if so, who did it and when. In addition, it gives you details about the name of every
setting changed and what its new value is. With the hectic pace of business today, a
tool like this that helps track the changes made in the system can be very useful.
You can use this report to list events from the Windows event log. You can look at
all events in the log, or you can filter it so that only Cisco Unity events show up. All
the events shown are application events, because Cisco Unity does not write system
or security events. Of course, you can view the same information using the Microsoft
Windows Event Viewer; Cisco Unity is giving you a way to do it so that you can
either maintain a record (by keeping the file) or do it without leaving the Cisco Unity
Administrator interface.
Port Usage Reports
To have a clear picture of whether or not your Cisco Unity system is running close to
its full capacity, you should run this report on a regular basis. It would be best to
run it each week for a few weeks after installing a new system, to gauge whether the
ports have been set up correctly for your system traffic. You can run this report for
all ports or a selected range of them. The report tells you how many calls arrived on
the port, their length and average length, the percentage that the port is being
used, and how many calls per day and calls per hour are coming in. If you find that
a majority of your ports are running at or above 80 percent capacity during the
busiest times of your working day, this may indicate a need for either more port
capacity or a rearrangement of port status. Rearrange port status only in
consultation with the installer of the system, because, as with simple changes, it
could have a profound effect on the way Cisco Unity works.
The System Configuration report gathers information from several places in the
Cisco Unity Administrator and makes it accessible all in one place. You can view all
of this information (and much more) in the System > Configuration section of the
Cisco Unity Administrator on several of its pages. This would be a good report to
print out before a call to the Cisco TAC.
Here are some of the items listed in the System Configuration report:
OEM code
Number of languages
- Text-to-speech engine
When you delete subscribers by using the Microsoft Windows 2000 Active Directory
Users and Computers console without first deleting the subscriber by using the Cisco
Unity Administrator, call handlers can be left in an invalid state. Use the Unresolved
References report to locate primary call handlers (call handlers associated with a
subscriber's account) and other call handlers, and to interview handlers that are left
in this way.
The Unresolved References report examines the Cisco Unity information stored in
the SQL database and reports any problems that it finds. The report identifies the
errant handler, describes the problem, and suggests a solution.
If the report finds an invalid primary call handler, you need to run Cisco Unity's
SysCheck utility to remove it. To access the SysCheck utility, on the Cisco Unity
server, select Start > Programs > Unity > Cisco Unity Tools Depot and double-
click SysCheck.
The DbWalker tool can also be used to find call handler references with invalid
states.
The Unresolved References report contains information about the handler's name,
what kind of call handler it is, the handler's access ID (if any), who "owns" the
handler, and who receives messages (if any) left for this handler.
Once you have built an audio-text application using call handlers, you can use the
Call Handler Traffic report to track the number of calls handled by it. The report
shows the number of calls going through a particular call handler, and how callers
are choosing to exit that handler.
A caller can exit a call handler in four ways: hang up, choose a one-key dialing
option, dial an extension that transfers the call to another call handler (or
subscriber), or be routed automatically by the after-greeting action (for example, be
routed to the Good-bye call handler). The Call Handler Traffic report contains
columns for each exit method and a tally of how many times each method is used
for the handler (or handlers). You can run this report for a particular handler or for
all of them on the system, as well as for a particular timeframe.
The AMIS Outbound Traffic report provides a variety of data for the system
administrator. This report provides the following information:
The delivery phone number Cisco Unity dialed to deliver the message
The AMIS Inbound Traffic report provides information about the progress of
inbound AMIS messages. The following information is included:
Date and time when Cisco Unity receives transmission of incoming messages
There are several tools that can be used to monitor the performance of a Cisco Unity
system. Among them are Microsoft Performance Monitor and Cisco Unity
Performance Information and Diagnostics (CUPID), shown in Figure 6-6.
Microsoft Performance Monitor can be used to track items such as processor usage
information, memory, Cisco Unity authentication, Cisco Unity integration, and so on.
Cisco Unity integration contains counters to track voice mail port usage, total port
usage percentage, ports locked, and current ports used.
You can also use CUPID to track the Cisco Unity performance items such as system
memory, outgoing calls/sec, and many other things. It is a service that logs its data
into a CSV output file and can be used to do performance analysis. Once you start
CUPID, it creates a CSV file in the \Commserver\logs folder. If you open it, you see
all the items it keeps track of. It requires less system resources than Microsoft
Performance Monitor. Once installed, it starts automatically on a system restart. You
can change this default behavior by using the Services applet and changing the
status of the CUPID service. It can be found in the Cisco Unity Tool Depot of the
Cisco Unity System, and it is also available at http://www.ciscounitytools.com.
Monitoring PA
The Cisco PA performance statistics are collected and displayed by using Microsoft
Windows Performance Monitor. You can use more than 25 counters to monitor PA,
including items such as the following:
Number of errors in the speech system while callers were trying to dial a party
by name
All the counters are renewed when the Cisco PA server is restarted.
You can use Call History Information logs to help identify toll fraud on your system.
You can use the CiscoWorks2000 Syslog facility to write the collected information to
syslog. If not, Cisco PA writes the call history records to a series of 2-MB files called
PACallHistoryxx.log. Their numbers range from 00 to 99. Cisco PA will begin reusing
the logs once they reach the 2-MB limit.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter, you have learned about real-time and historical monitoring tools,
Subscriber and System reports, and maintenance practices. In particular, you have
learned how to do the following:
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/voice/c_unity/whitpapr/index.htm
When generating a Cisco Unity report, which two file formats can you
4:
choose from to have Cisco Unity generate the report?
When running a Cisco Unity report, if you suspect that it will be larger than
5:
220 MB, which file format should you use?
If there are some Cisco Unity reports in queue and an administrator stops
6:
Cisco Unity, what happens to the reports?
A user is stating that their MWI does not turn on immediately after they
7: receive a message on their Cisco Unity voice mailbox. Which Cisco Unity
Subscriber report can you run to help troubleshoot this issue?
When you want to track which system administrator changed values in Cisco
8: Unity and what values they changed, which System report will help you
track these changes?
Which Cisco Unity report will help you determine how many times callers
9:
simply hung up from the opening greeting?
What are some of the PA statistics you can monitor by using Performance
10:
Monitor counters?
Part II: Cisco Unity Engineering
Select the server platform specifications for Cisco Unity deployment and
understand how the choice of server platform affects the efficiency of the Cisco
Unity Voice Mail (VM) only and Unified Messaging (UM) capabilities
Use voice cards in Cisco Unity integrations with either a PBX alone or in
combination with a Cisco CallManager
A Cisco Unity server will be a heavily used network host in your network. The
hardware platform that you select should be constructed with this in mind. It is
imperative that you meet the minimum system specifications supported for use with
Cisco Unity. To facilitate ease of construction and to support issue resolution, Cisco
has specified hardware platform overlays. Platform overlays are varying options of
hardware and machine horsepower that are necessary for a variety of installation
scenarios or missions. Essentially, the platform overlays specify configuration of
processors, hard disk space, and memory for a specific server size or Cisco Unity
user population.
Cisco Unity support is not your sole concern overall in selecting a hardware
platform. Other functionality offered, but not necessarily deployed in every instance,
can also factor into the necessary horsepower of a server platform. An example of
this is the Cisco Personal Communications Assistant (CPCA) server functionality,
discussed later in this chapter.
Understanding Cisco Unity Server Hardware�Platform Overlays
As mentioned, Cisco has opted for a platform overlay model to specify platforms for Cisco Unity servers. The
platform overlays that are available provide a wide range of functionality and cost. The intent here is to make basic,
acceptable Cisco Unity performance available to all customers, from single server users to corporate enterprise
services.
Knowing the proper hardware to choose for specific deployments is important, to ensure that it performs properly
and meets your customer needs.
Cisco has created a five-level template. Beginning at level 1 and moving up to level 5, the robustness and
performance of the server increases. The basic configuration and specifications for each level are set for "acceptable"
performance.
To further facilitate ease of support, Cisco has certified specific hardware vendors. Each of these vendors offers a
server solution according to each platform overlay. These vendors are Hewlett-Packard/Compaq (one company now
that they have merged, referred to as HP for the remainder of the chapter) and IBM. Specific solutions will be
discussed along with each platform overlay. Dell solutions were previously sold, however they are no longer available
for purchase through Cisco for the Cisco Unity 4.0 product.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have the following prerequisite skills and knowledge.
(If you need a quick review of either topic, see Chapter 3, "Setting Up Cisco Unified Communications," where you
can find more information.)
In-depth knowledge and understanding of the tasks necessary to install and configure the Cisco Unity system.
Table 7-1 shows the five levels of Cisco's platform overlay model. In the table, the amount of message storage time
is presented in hours. Two compression algorithms (coder/decoder [codecs]) are in use on Cisco Unity servers,
G.711 and G.729a. These two specifications are defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for
voice encoding/compression and transmission in digital form.
IBM x345
dual
processor
VM with
off-box
message
store users
Ports 16 32 48 72 72
TTS 8 16 24 36 36
sessions
Platform Platform Platform Platform Platform
Platform
Overlay Overlay Overlay Overlay Overlay
Overlay
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
G.711 is a pulse code modulation (PCM), which uses a 64-kbps encoding scheme. G.729a is Conjugate Structure
Algebraic�Code Excited Linear Predicting (CSA-CELP), which uses an 8-kbps encoding scheme. G.711 is known as
"toll-quality" in the telephony world. This is typically the quality of the voice that is heard in day-to-day phone calls
on the legacy PSTN. G.729a provides near-toll-quality voice at 8-kbps per-call encoding, compared to G.711's 64-
kbps per-call encoding. The encoding bit rate is not necessarily proportionate to bandwidth utilization when
discussing voice over data networks. The encoded portion is carried as payload in data packets and therefore
requires additional overhead. The additional overhead varies based on several factors, including, but not limited to,
TCP header compression and Layer 2 of the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model framing type (not all frames
are created equally).
In Mean Opinion Scoring (MOS), a voice quality comparison study, most participants find it difficult to distinguish
between calls made using G.711 and calls made using G.729a. The difference between them is important due to
bandwidth restraints experienced across WAN links with Voice over IP (VoIP) calls (again referring to bandwidth
utilization per call). G.711 offers the best quality, but at a high bandwidth cost, whereas G.729 provides nearly the
same quality utilizing a fraction of the bandwidth, but with an increased latency of 10 to 20 ms due to
compression/decompression processing.
These codecs work in conjunction with IP telephony integration: Cisco CallManager and Session Initiation Protocol
(SIP). These codecs are important because when an integrated system is present, bandwidth utilization is a
consideration. Cisco CallManager 4.0 can be configured for G.729, G.711, G.723, G.728, G.722, wideband, and
global system for mobile communication (GSM). Cisco Unity only accepts G.729 and G.711 calls from a Cisco
CallManager, though. If Cisco CallManager is configured with any other codec to use with Cisco Unity, voice-quality
issues will likely arise. Bandwidth considerations are especially important if the Cisco Unity system and Cisco
CallManager exist at different sites.
NOTE
For a single call, Cisco CallManager allocates 80 kbps for a G.711 call and 24 kbps for a G.729 call. These
should be considered when planning a deployment.
Most significant to the needs of a Cisco Unity system is the dramatic effect of the codec selection on the size of the
message store, in minutes. Table 7-1 illustrates this point.
As shown in Table 7-1, some models of Cisco Media Convergence Server (MCS) platforms are offered in two
enterprise communications configuration options for Cisco Unity. These are known as ECS1 and ECS2
configurations. The ECS1 configurations are optimized for VM-only deployments, because each has extra hard drive
capacity and a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) configuration to support storage of messages on the
same server. In contrast, ECS2 configurations are optimized for UM deployments or for VM deployments in which
messages are stored on a separate server. These ECS2 configurations typically possess fewer RAID-configured hard
drives, which makes them more cost effective when the additional on-box message store capacity is not needed.
Understanding Cisco Unity Server Physical Storage Configurations
The new Cisco 7800 Series of MCSs showcase the updates in Cisco's recommended configuration for physical hard
disk and mass-storage devices for the Cisco Unity application. The ECS2 platforms are configured with 2 X RAID 1
hard drives for off-box message storage, whereas ECS1 versions typically have either 3 X RAID 1 or 2 X RAID 1 plus
RAID 10 arrays. These mass-storage configurations are designed to optimize platform input/output performance by
separating binaries, transaction logs, and databases onto their own RAID arrays.
All multiprocessor Cisco-supported servers carry multiple RAID volumes. A configuration with three RAID-1 volumes
is a server that has three RAID volumes and is optimized for installing Cisco Unity in a VM configuration with
Exchange 2000 on the same system. This setup allows binaries, transaction logs, and databases to reside on
separate hard drives.
A configuration with two RAID-1 volumes is a multiprocessor server (in Platform Overlays 4 and 5) that is
configured for a Cisco Unity system, which does not have the message store on the same system (off-box message
store). The binaries and transaction logs can be separated, but a third RAID volume is not necessary for the
Exchange databases.
The reference to two RAID-1 volumes in Platform Overlay 3 refers to a multiprocessor server, which can have
Exchange 2000 either on the same Cisco Unity system or on a separate system.
NOTE
A RAID 10 array is formed using a dual-layer hierarchy of RAID types. At the lowest level of the
hierarchy is a set of RAID 1 subarrays (for example, mirrored sets). These RAID 1 subarrays, in turn, are
then striped to form a RAID 0 array at the upper level of the hierarchy. The collective result is a RAID 10
array, as mentioned above.
When you are ordering the hardware for each platform, the part numbers will be formatted with ECS1 or ECS2 as a
suffix, such as:
MCS-7845H-ECS1
MCS-7845H-ECS2
Each of these is a 7845 MCS. However, the suffix of each platform immediately brings its capabilities into focus.
As is evident in Table 7-1, the selection of a hardware platform for just about any Cisco Unity subscriber-based need
is realistic. From single- to quad-processor solutions, varying degrees of RAID, and varying quantities of RAM, the
configuration of the server hardware is fairly straightforward. That, when coupled with the part-numbering scheme,
makes specification of customer requirements easier.
When you are using the failover options that are available to some platform overlay models, it is necessary for the
primary and secondary systems to have identical hardware specifications and the same number of voice-mail ports.
This allows the secondary system to take over voice-mail functionality if the primary Cisco Unity system becomes
unavailable on the network. These systems function at the traditional 10/100-Mbps Ethernet speeds, and are soon
to incorporate 1-Gbps Ethernet capabilities.
When you are configuring Cisco Unity failover, you must always install the message store off-box, on a separate
system, to make sure that messages are available even if one of the Cisco Unity systems becomes unavailable. Also
note that the TAC does not support any Cisco Unity server installation that is not running on a supported platform.
The following sections discuss each platform overlay separately. The discussion does not include all server models
currently available from each vendor. Table 7-1 lists the currently supported platforms for each platform overlay.
Platform Overlay 1 supports up to 16 ports, 499 VM/UM users (message stores), 8 TTS sessions, and 50 Cisco PCA
sessions. Typically this system assumes that you are using an 8-GB system partition for recovery and you are using
Exchange (voice-mail run-time) Standard edition. In UM deployments, the amount of storage time available for
messages is, of course, dependent on the Microsoft Exchange or Lotus Domino physical disk space capacity. Refer to
Table 7-1 for storage time specifications.
The MCS 7815 and MCS 7825 fall into Platform Overlay 1. These systems have a single processor and 512 MB RAM.
They ship with DVD-ROM and hard drives. The 7815 contains a single 40-GB hard drive, whereas the 7825 ships
with two 36-GB hard drives. IBM and HP have equivalent systems as well.
These systems fit the minimum requirements for Platform Overlay 1 in Cisco's model and are appropriate for small
office implementations.
Platform Overlay 2 is similar, in many ways, to Platform Overlay 1. The primary difference is in the hard drive
configuration. Whereas Platform Overlay 1 implements a single hard drive, Platform Overlay 2 implements a dual
drive system using RAID 1. This system represents an implementation suitable for moderately sized office
deployment.
Platform Overlay 2 supports 32 voice-mail ports, 1100 VM or 1599 UM users, 16 TTS sessions, and 100 Cisco PCA
sessions. This system assumes that you are using a 8-GB system partition for recovery and are using Exchange
(voice-mail run-time) Standard edition. In UM deployments, the amount of storage time available for messages is,
of course, dependent on the Exchange or Domino physical disk space capacity. Refer to Table 7-1 for storage time
specifications.
The MCS 7835 falls into Platform Overlay 2. This system ships with 512 MB RAM, a DVD-ROM drive, and dual 36-GB
hard drives that use RAID 1 drive mirroring. Also available is the IBM x345 server with 512 MB RAM, a DVD-ROM
drive, and a hard drive configuration that is identical to that of the MCS 7835.
Platform Overlay 2 offers some fault tolerance; however, it is somewhat limited on storage space.
For midsize to large deployments, Platform Overlay 3 is appropriate. This is a higher-end system that offers higher
redundancy and performance than Platform Overlays 1 and 2. This overlay specifies 1 GB RAM and five hard drives.
Platform Overlay 3 supports 48 ports, 2200 VM or 2500 UM users, 24 TTS sessions, and 150 Cisco PCA sessions.
This system assumes that you are using a 8-GB system partition for recovery and are using Exchange (voice-mail
run-time) Standard edition. In UM deployments, the amount of storage time available for messages is, of course,
dependent on the Exchange or Domino physical disk space capacity. Refer to Table 7-1 for storage time
specifications.
Cisco ships the MCS 7845 with dual processors, 1 GB RAM, and a DVD-ROM drive. The ECS1 version is built to
handle voice mail only with an on-box message store. It contains four 36-GB plus two 72-GB hard drives in a 3 X
RAID 1 mirrored configuration. The ECS2 version is built for unified messaging and an off-box message store. It
contains four 36-GB hard drives in a 2 X RAID 1 configuration.
IBM and HP offer comparable options as well. All have sufficient system specifications to match the requirements of
Platform Overlay 3.
Platform Overlay 3 systems can offer higher redundancy and symmetric multiprocessing capabilities along with
adequate storage space for user data.
For large deployments, those consisting of up to 7500 unified messaging users, 3000 voice-mail users, or 3000
message store users, Platform Overlay 4 is appropriate. Platform Overlay 4 offers the option of quad processors, but
requires only dual processors. This overlay specifies a 2-GB RAM minimum requirement.
Platform Overlay 4 supports 72 ports, 3000 VM or 7500 UM users, 36 TTS sessions, and 200 Cisco PCA sessions.
Refer to Table 7-1 for storage time specifications.
Cisco ships the MCS 7855 with dual processors, 2 GB RAM, and a DVD-ROM drive. The ECS1 version of this model
is optimized for VM-only deployments and on-box message store. The hard drive configuration contains four 36-GB
hard drives configured for 2 X RAID 1 arrays along with four 72-GB hard drives configured for RAID 10.
Platform Overlay 4 is suitable for larger deployments where redundancy and dependability are vital for the voice-
messaging system. The additional mirror set allows the separation of the Exchange transaction logs from the
application logs to minimize Exchange log stalling.
Platform Overlay 5 is the pinnacle of performance and redundancy in the Unity server arena. This system is suitable
for large to very large deployments of VM and UM.
Platform Overlay 5 supports 72 ports, 3000 VM or 7500 UM users, 36 TTS sessions, and 300 CPCA sessions. Refer
to Table 7-1 for storage time specifications.
The flagship of the Cisco server line is the MCS 7865, which ships with quad processors, 4 GB RAM, and a DVD-ROM
drive. The ECS1 version of this model is optimized for VM-only deployments and on-box message store. The hard
drive configuration contains four 36-GB hard drives configured for 2 X RAID 1 arrays along with four 72-GB hard
drives configured for RAID 10.
As with all platform overlays, IBM and HP offer equivalent server platforms.
Cisco keeps an updated list of certified platforms at Cisco.com. This site includes information on legacy server
platforms, current server platforms, and working customer platforms. For questions concerning issues of whether or
not Cisco Unity will run on a particular platform, go to
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/products_data_sheet09186a008009267e.html
The web page can also be reached by navigating to Cisco.com and clicking Products & Services > Voice and
Telephony > Cisco Unity > Product Literature > Data Sheets > Cisco Unity Supported Platforms List.
This page is updated regularly with the most current information regarding hardware platform support for Cisco
Unity servers. This page provides some of the best information available regarding Cisco Unity systems.
When ordering Unity 4.0, you can choose to order it as software-only or with all the items, such as the servers and
voice cards, as needed to build your complete system. The software-only version does not include Windows 2000
Server.
Cisco Systems provide an online tool called the Dynamic Configuration Tool that can assist you in choosing the
proper options for your Cisco Unity requirements. It also includes a configuration guidance option. When enabled, it
can determine system incompatibilities as you choose your options. You can access this tool by going to
http://www.cisco.com/order/apollo/configureHome.html. You must log in.
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/products_quick_reference_guide09186a008011c984.html
There are several additional items you should consider when choosing a Cisco Unity server.
You can have multiple NICs for adapter fault tolerance (AFT) on a Cisco Unity system (this is also referred to as
network fault tolerance (NFT) by some server manufacturers). This technology provides a second backup connection
between your server and the hub or switch it is connected to. This is done by assigning one of your NICs as the
primary and the other as the backup (or secondary) NIC. In a typical setup, if your primary NIC fails, the connection
to the secondary NIC automatically becomes the active link. To use AFT/NFT you need two NICs installed in the
Cisco Unity system and they must be connected on the same network segment. One IP address is assigned to both
NICs and the operating system identifies only one NIC on the system.
There are some Cisco Unity servers and switch blades that come with Gigabit Ethernet. You can use this technology
with a Cisco Unity server. However, it is not required.
The Cisco PA package has been mentioned previously in passing. The PA functions were discussed in Chapter 2,
"Using Your Cisco Unified Communications System." For now, however, it is important to understand the hardware
requirements that are necessary to properly deploy Cisco PA.
The MCS 7825H and MCS 7835H are well suited to run PA. Any of the overlay qualified systems will perform
adequately with PA. Figure 7-1 shows the MCS 7825H.
The Cisco PA server software package includes ten user licenses and two speech-recognition sessions. Customers can
add more users by purchasing additional user licenses and increase automatic speech recognition (ASR) capabilities
by purchasing speech-recognition expansion sessions. Most customers require one speech-recognition session for
approximately 50 users; however, Cisco recommends a lower user-to-session ratio for enterprise customers with
high speech-recognition usage. Tables 7-2 and 7-3 summarize system capacity per server for the Cisco PA server
and the speech-recognition server.
Server
MCS-7825 MCS-7835
Installation
[*] Cisco PA supports 15,000 BHCA. Divided by an estimated six calls per person per hour, approximately 2500 users can be supported. See the Cisco Personal Assistant Design Guide for detailed
deployment scenarios.
IP Phone Productivity Services should be deployed on a corporate web server or a separate server from the Cisco PA
server and speech-recognition servers.
To properly understand the information represented in Tables 7-2 and 7-3, some terminology must be defined first:
Busy hour call attempts (BHCA)� The BHCA is the number of calls placed (or attempted) in a continuous
1-hour period, lying wholly in the time interval concerned, for which the traffic or the number of call attempts
is greatest. BHCA capacity is one of the primary metrics in determining the capacity and capabilities of a
telephone switch.
Acoustic model� Used with ASR in the Cisco PA, the acoustic model is essentially the language database or
dictionary to be used (or recognized as the case may be). Currently, Cisco Unity contains acoustic models for
American English, U.K. English, French, French Canadian, and German.
For acoustic models other than English.America, a Cisco Unity administrator can expect performance capacity
ranges as follows:
Approximately the same performance capacity for other locales with a similar acoustic model (plus or minus 5
percent).
Approximately 5 to 10 percent reduced performance capacity for each additional locale running on the same
PA speech server (for example, multiple acoustic models in simultaneous operation on one server).
In a typical enterprise, Cisco PA servers can be scaled into N+1 configurations to provide redundancy. They can also
be deployed in distributed environments. Multiple Cisco PA servers can be configured into a single environment and
then associated with a single Cisco CallManager cluster or multiple clusters, if desired.
For further information on provisioning, refer to the Cisco Personal Assistant Design Guide available at Cisco.com.
As with all products associated with Cisco CallManager, the Cisco PA system administrator must understand the
impact of configuration decisions on the Cisco CallManager environment.
The ASR server can support a maximum of 45,000 entries for accurate recognition in the standard configuration
with the English.America.3 acoustic model. Cisco PA can be configured to allow users to clarify duplicate name
matches (when searching for subscribers in the directory) by department or location. Refer to the Cisco Personal
Assistant Design Guide for instructions on procedures that handle larger deployments.
Using Unified Communication Voice Cards
Voice cards are used in Cisco Unity integrations with a circuit-switched PBX either
alone or in combination with a Cisco CallManager. Using voice cards is also necessary
in the implementation of a Cisco Unity Bridge server to communicate with an Octel
voice-mail node. The type of PBX used in the integration dictates the type of voice
card(s) necessary for the integration. The total number of voice-mail ports that will
be connecting the PBX is the determining factor in calculating the number of cards
necessary to provide adequate port capacity for the integration. When integrating
solely with a Cisco CallManager or SIP, voice cards are not required.
Knowing the proper voice cards to choose for specific deployments is important, to
ensure that they meet your customer needs.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have the following
prerequisite skills and knowledge. (If you need a quick review, see the designated
chapter, where you can find more information on the topic.)
It is also possible to use voice cards in the implementation of a Cisco Unity Bridge
server to communicate with an Octel voice-mail node. Cisco Unity Bridge
communicates with Octel voice-mail systems over the PSTN using Octel's analog
messaging protocol. The Cisco Unity Bridge uses a four-port Brooktrout voice card.
The installed voice cards in a Cisco Unity system run as a software service in
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server. Each voice card is dependent on its individual
service for functionality. As the boot process of the Cisco Unity server completes, the
voice cards initialize and start their services. If the services do not properly initialize,
the Cisco Unity services will be unable to start.
Through the combined efforts of the hardware and software, voice cards perform the
same functions as a typical telephone user. The voice card can initiate a call, send
dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) tones, and interpret tones on the phone line as
dial-tone, ringback, or busy signals. The voice card can interpret DTMF tones it
receives to perform digit analysis. Each function allows it to coexist with, and
send/receive information to/from, the Cisco Unity server.
A second function that voice cards perform is modulation and demodulation. This is
the process of converting digital signals to analog (and back) as necessary when
performing playback of digital files that the voice card receives from Cisco Unity
(either system prompts or a subscriber's recorded greeting). This is necessary
because the greetings and system prompts must be played over the analog PSTN to
the subscriber or outside caller. The same is true when analog-to-digital conversion
takes place. That is when a message, greeting, or voice name is spoken over the
telephone network and is then converted into a digital file residing on a server's
hard drive.
As mentioned, the voice cards are available in 4-, 12-, or 24-port versions. The cards
can be installed in any Cisco Unity server that meets the minimum hardware
requirements mentioned in any of the five overlay templates. Each voice card is
manufactured by Intel/Dialogic. Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) voice cards are
not supported for new Cisco Unity 4.0 installations or upgrades. Use the
documentation provided with each voice card, and make sure to follow the warnings
and precautions so that you do not damage the hardware during installation and
configuration.
If the Cisco Unity system installation is performed outside the United States and is
connecting directly to a central office using an analog loop, it may be necessary to
install inline telco filters on the Intel/Dialogic voice cards to filter tax impulse
signals. You can find more information about this in the Intel/Dialogic
documentation that ships with the voice cards.
The Intel/Dialogic D/41EPCI, D/41JCT-LS, and D/41JCT-Euro voice cards are meant
for use with all circuit-based switches using DTMF or Simplified Message Desk
Interface (SMDI) integration. Each card provides
All cards in one system share the same interrupt request (IRQ) and base
memory address.
Set SW2 switches to off as shown in the Cisco Unity Installation Guide.
Set jumpers JP2 through JP7 as shown in the Cisco Unity Installation Guide.
Uses six RJ-14 connectors; ports 1 and 2 use the top connector and ports 11
and 12 use the bottom connector.
All cards in one system share the same IRQ and base memory address.
Set SW1 to On-hook for each card; otherwise, they will not answer calls.
Each card is configured using -DCM. This utility writes information into the
Registry.
Cisco recommends using the newer Universal (3.3Vdc or 5Vdc dual voltage)
Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) versions of the D/120JCT-LS and the
D/120JCT-Euro cards, rather than the older, single-bus voltage (5Vdc) versions of
the cards. Note that older (Revision 1) LS cards are still supported for use with Cisco
Unity version 4.0(x).
The Intel/Dialogic D/240PCI-T1 voice card provides 24-port service. This connection
is accomplished via a single RJ-48 (8-pin modular) connector. This connection uses
T1 TDM technology. It provides the following:
All cards in one system share the same IRQ and base memory address.
Each card is configured using the Dialogic Configuration Manager (DCM). This
utility writes information into the Registry.
The Intel/Dialogic voice cards are useful in many configurations. These represent the
core of the Cisco Unity voice card options.
Each card is supplied with a cable that has an RJ-45 plug at one end and four RJ-14
connectors at the other end. All cards in one system share the same IRQ (10) and
base memory address.
Because Brooktrout PCI analog voice-and-fax cards are designed for the PCI
expansion bus, the interrupts and memory (I/O) addresses used by the cards are
assigned by the platform BIOS, not by configuring jumpers or switches.
Refer to the Cisco Unity Bridge server hardware documentation to determine how to
configure the platform to assign IRQ 10 to expansion slots used by PCI voice-and-
fax cards. Figure 7-2 shows a typical voice card.
Occasionally, you may need additional hardware functionality for your Cisco Unity
system. In such situations, you need to make sure to choose hardware that is
supported by Cisco Unity. It can range from the simple external modem to virtually
any functional configuration that can be contrived. This section focuses on the
optional hardware that is supported and unsupported with Cisco Unity.
The following optional hardware is supported for use with Cisco Unity 4.0(x):
External modem� This is used with the Symantec pcAnywhere, which has
been selected as the Cisco TAC remote-access method. Note that modems and
Symantec pcAnywhere software must be provided by the customer. The option
may also exist to use Remote Desktop capabilities. Cisco recommends an
external V.34 modem rather than an internal modem because the external
modem does not use a slot in the system or the PCI subsystem resources,
which an internal modem may require. This is more of a concern when
integrating Cisco Unity with circuit-switched telephone systems that require
voice cards. An external modem uses system resources, but it uses only one
IRQ and I/O port map.
Allocation� Some configurations may require three serial ports (Cisco Unity
servers normally have two serial ports). You may have a situation where you
need a serial port for an external modem, a UPS, and a serial data connection
for your telephone system. In this case, an internal modem may be used
instead.
Tape drives for system backup� A tape autoloader may also be attached to
a Cisco Unity server, although network backup to a dedicated backup server is
recommended for high-capacity backup and recovery scenarios.
Note
Dual NICs� You can use two or more network interface cards (NICs) to form a
fault-tolerant team, sharing the same IP address (active-passive configuration).
Out-of-band management cards� The following cards are supported for use
with Cisco Unity 4.0(x):
Hardware that has not been qualified for use with Cisco Unity is not supported for
use on or connected to a Cisco Unity server. Cisco TAC will ask that it be removed,
disconnected, or disabled during troubleshooting.
The following are hardware configurations that are not supported:
Multiple NICs for load balancing� When a Cisco Unity server has dual NICs
and each is set up for different network segments, messages may not be
delivered when using Exchange 2000. In addition, when someone calls into
Cisco Unity, they may hear the standard prompts, but Cisco Unity may not
hear the caller speaking.
The voice cards used for Cisco Unity and Cisco Unity Bridge server
Cisco Unity System Requirements, and Supported Hardware and Software, available at Cisco.com.
Chapter Review Questions
Use this section to test yourself on how well you learned the concepts discussed in
this chapter. You can find the answers to the review questions for this chapter in
Appendix A.
List two hardware manufacturers that are certified to provide Cisco Unity
1:
server and PA server functionality.
Which voice card provides the highest density of ports available for a Cisco
3:
Unity server?
5: List three types of optional hardware that are supported by the Cisco TAC.
What codecs can you use when integrating Cisco CallManager with Cisco
7:
Unity?
What type of modem is typically recommended for use with the Cisco Unity
9:
system?
10: How many voice ports does the Intel/Dialogic D/240PCI-T1 card provide?
Chapter 8. Cisco Unified Communications System
Software
Upon completing this chapter, you will be able to perform the following tasks:
Describe Cisco Unity for Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino architectures
Describe the use of Cisco Unity Server Preparation Assistant (CUSPA) and Cisco
Unity Installation and Configuration Assistant (CUICA)
Cisco Unity and Cisco PA are built upon an involved architecture. Knowing the
structures will help you perform a smooth and healthy installation and maintain the
system. Understanding how the different software components interact with the
Cisco unified communications products will help you to troubleshoot the products.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have the following
prerequisite skills and knowledge. (If you need a quick review, see the designated
chapter, where you can find more information on the topic.)
Knowledge of the way Cisco Unity and Cisco PA handle calls (see Chapter 2,
"Using Your Cisco Unified Communications System")
General knowledge of Cisco Unity and Cisco PA features (see Chapter 1, "Cisco
Unified Communications System Fundamentals")
General knowledge of Cisco CallManager and Telephone systems (see Chapter
1)
Understanding the Cisco Unity for Exchange Architecture
The foundation of the Cisco Unity architecture is the hardware. You can purchase
Cisco Unity on several different platforms. (For more information or to review this
topic, take a look at Chapter 7, "Cisco Unified Communications Server Hardware.")
Cisco Unity uses Microsoft Windows 2000 Server (or Windows 2000 Advanced
Server) as its operating system. Cisco Unity stores a small amount of user data on
Windows 2000 Server or Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory (AD);
however, it uses an SQL database to store all of its information.
Figure 8-1 illustrates the Cisco Unity 4.0 unified architecture with Exchange message
store.
The Cisco Unity system console screens are HTML-based windows. It uses Microsoft
Internet Explorer 6.0 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) to provide the HTML screens.
Netscape is currently not supported.
When you use the Cisco Unity Administration Active Server Pages (ASP) to add,
delete, or modify a Cisco Unity subscriber, you are modifying the SQL database.
Cisco Unity stores information about Cisco Unity subscribers, as well as selected
Cisco Unity configuration data, in a Microsoft SQL Server 2000 server. Cisco Unity
uses either Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE 2000) or Microsoft SQL Server 2000
software depending on your Cisco Unity configuration and customer requirements.
This is really based on the number of subscribers and number of ports the
configuration requires. If the system will be set up with 32 ports or less, then MSDE
can be used. For systems that require more than 32 ports, MS SQL Server 2000 is
required.
When there are two or more Cisco Unity servers on an AD forest or Microsoft
Exchange 5.5 directory, a small amount of information is stored on each SQL
database of the other subscribers. The Cisco Unity Directory Monitor synchronizes
the information in the MS SQL Server 2000 database with information in AD or in
the Exchange 5.5 directory. If Cisco Unity information is changed by using another
type of application, such as when you modify subscriber data by using AD Users and
Computers, then the Cisco Unity Directory Monitor automatically discovers the
change and propagates the change to the MS SQL Server 2000 database
accordingly. If it is changed in SQL first, the information is then passed to Microsoft
Windows AD through either the Microsoft Active Directory Connector (ADC) for
Exchange 5.5 or the AD Connector for Microsoft Exchange 2000 or Microsoft
Exchange 2003. This choice is made during the Cisco Unity installation process.
Cisco Unity has the ability to store voice-mail messages in an Exchange 2000, 2003,
or 5.5 Message Store, or in a Lotus Domino message store. On some Cisco Unity
configurations, Exchange is installed on the same system as the Cisco Unity server.
In this type of configuration, the message store that Cisco Unity uses is local to the
server. In other Cisco Unity setups, Exchange can be installed on one or more other
servers, where the message store may or may not be local to the Cisco Unity
system.
In these solutions, some or all of the subscribers may have their Exchange
mailboxes on other Exchange servers. Cisco Unity can have subscribers on multiple
Exchange servers. When you create a subscriber from Cisco Unity, you specify which
message store it will use or you can import a user from any message store that is
visible to Cisco Unity.
If Cisco Unity is using an off-box Exchange server as its message store and the Cisco
Unity Message Repository (UMR) discovers that it is unavailable, new subscriber
messages will be stored on the Cisco Unity server until the Exchange server becomes
available again.
Cisco Unity 4.0 can reside within a Windows Server 2003 AD network. You can
upgrade your existing Microsoft Windows 2000 Domain Controller (DC), Global
Catalog (GC) servers, and member servers to Windows 2003 servers . Before you do
so, review the notes in the following online document, which provides more details
on the types of upgrade and current options and limitations:
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/788/AVVID/MS_2003.pdf
Telephone Systems and Cisco Unity with Exchange
The connections for a circuit-based telephone system are physical; voice cards are
installed on the Cisco Unity server and, in some integrations, a serial link is installed
that carries call information and message waiting indicator (MWI) information. A
discussion of various voice cards appears in Chapter 6.
You also need software drivers and a TAPI service provider (TSP) to run the
hardware, and a software interface to configure and modify the TSP settings. The
Cisco Unity Telephony Integration Manager (UTIM) installs the TSP provided by the
manufacturer of the device that communicates with the telephone system. It can
also be used to manage the different types of integrations configured on the Cisco
Unity system, such as for Cisco CallManager or Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). A
maximum of two integrations is currently supported. This means that you can have
a telephone switch and one or more Cisco CallManagers installed on the system. Or
you can have a SIP proxy server and also Cisco CallManager integration.
Once Cisco Unity is configured, you can reach UTIM in either of two ways. You can
go to the Control Panel and click Phone and Modem Options, click the Advanced
tab, choose Cisco Unity-CM TSP, and click Configure. The second way is to go
through the Tools Depot: choose Start > Programs > Unity > Cisco Unity Tools
Depot.
Here are some of the actions that you can perform with UTIM for Cisco CallManager
configurations:
Assign the Cisco CallManager device name prefix of the voice-mail ports.
Verify the connection between CallManager and Cisco Unity. Basically, UTIM
pings the CallManager and verifies that each voice-mail port is configured
correctly on the primary server. If there is a secondary server, UTIM will verify
that configuration as well.
Add/remove ports to a particular integration. You can have more than one
Cisco CallManager cluster configured on a Cisco Unity system.
Figure 8-2 illustrates UTIM with a CallManager integration and a telephone system
integration setup.
When Cisco Unity receives a voice-mail message, it passes the subscriber messages
to the appropriate Exchange message store. The message is then placed into the
Cisco Unity subscriber's Exchange Inbox, which is part of the Exchange Information
Store (IS).
The following example indicates what happens when an outside caller (also known as
an unidentified caller) leaves a message for a subscriber:
3. After the caller hangs up, the message is temporarily stored locally on the
Cisco Unity server's hard disk.
4. Cisco Unity attempts to send the message to the Exchange server, which in
turn delivers the message to the subscriber's home server. (This may or may
not be the Cisco Unity server.) Then the Exchange server stores the message in
the subscriber's mailbox.
While Cisco Unity is temporarily storing that message locally, if network issues
exist or Cisco Unity cannot contact the Exchange server that it communicates
with, Cisco Unity retains the message until Exchange becomes available again.
If the subscriber's mailbox is full, the message is not delivered to that
subscriber. Instead, it is sent to the Unaddressed Messages distribution list.
NOTE
Cisco Unity will continue to answer calls, play greetings, and record
messages for subscribers as long as it is running. This gives callers the
opportunity to perform these things even though Cisco Unity may not
be communicating with an off-box Exchange server at the time.
However, when a subscriber calls to retrieve messages during this time,
they receive a greeting that indicates Cisco Unity is temporarily
unavailable.
Cisco Unity can be set to use several different methods to notify subscribers:
When a subscriber has a phone that is connected to a phone system or Cisco
CallManager, Cisco Unity turns on the subscriber MWI on the subscriber's
phone.
When Cisco Unity is set up for UM, the messages appear in the subscriber's e-
mail inbox.
Cisco Unity also has other Message Notification options that are configurable
through the Cisco Unity Assistant. A subscriber can configure their personal
options to have Cisco Unity call one or more phones or pagers, or send an e-
mail to a text pager to notify the subscriber that they have received a new
voice-mail message.
When a subscriber leaves a message over the phone, Cisco Unity responds very
similarly to how it responds when an outside caller leaves a message, as just
described. The conversation played for the subscriber is slightly different because
the subscriber has extra options that the outside caller does not have, such as the
ability to change personal settings. The message left is also identified by the
subscriber's information instead of from arriving from the Cisco Unity Messaging
System mailbox. For example, Cisco Unity can play the following before the message
is heard: "From extension one, zero, zero, one."
The main differences in how Cisco Unity responds come into play when either the
network is having issues or one or more of the Exchange servers on the network are
not up and working properly. In these situations, the following can occur:
When the intended subscriber's home Exchange server is down, or the caller's
home Exchange server and Cisco Unity cannot contact the recipient's home
Exchange server because of network issues, the message resides on the caller's
home Exchange server until both Exchange servers start communicating again.
1. A subscriber calls into Cisco Unity over a phone by entering their extension
followed by their password. If the calling party's call is identified by Cisco Unity
as a direct call from a subscriber, then Cisco Unity prompts for their password
only.
2. When the subscriber enters their password, Cisco Unity checks its SQL
database to verify whether the password entered is correct.
When the password is correctly entered, Cisco Unity logs in to the subscriber's
mailbox using MAPI. If the subscriber's home Exchange server is down or there
are network issues preventing connection to that Exchange server, Cisco Unity
tells the subscriber that the mailbox is currently unavailable. If messages were
left for that subscriber during the down time, Cisco Unity asks the subscriber if
they would like to listen to those messages. These messages are being held by
Cisco Unity locally until it can communicate with the targeted Exchange server
again.
In a normal situation, however, the subscriber simply follows the Cisco Unity
conversation to listen to their messages. When a voice-mail message is played,
it streams from the subscriber's home Exchange server to Cisco Unity (which
can actually be the same server, depending on the configuration) and then to
its targeted phone system to play on the subscriber's phone.
NOTE
3. After hearing the complete message, the subscriber has the option to follow
the Cisco Unity prompts to save, delete, or listen to the message again. While
the message is playing, the subscriber also has the option to delete it without
hearing the entire message.
A guide to the software components that make up the Cisco Unity system is
provided later in this chapter in the "Understanding Unified Communications
Software" section.
Understanding the Cisco Unity for Domino Architecture
The Cisco Unity for Domino architecture is very similar to the Cisco Unity for
Exchange architecture; however, this configuration uses Domino as the message
store. MS SQL Server 2000 or MSDE components communicate with Domino
through a Domino connector, which is specified during the Cisco Unity installation
process. Lotus developed the Domino Unified Communications Service (DUCS) for
Domino, which can be used to integrate Domino with Cisco Unity. The collaboration
between Cisco Systems and IBM/Lotus resulted in the Cisco Unity UM for Domino.
This enables Cisco Unity to provide UM capabilities in Domino.
DUCS must be installed on a Domino directory server in every domain and on each
Domino messaging server where a Cisco Unity subscriber mailbox resides. Currently,
DUCS requires Domino Version 5.0.10 or 5.0.11 for Cisco Unity 4.0(1). In addition,
Cisco Unity 4.0(2) supports Domino 5.0.12, and Cisco Unity 4.0(3) and later
supports Domino 6.0.0, 6.0.1, and 6.02.
Lotus Notes software, which is the e-mail client for Domino, must also be installed
on the Cisco Unity platform. This supplies the message notification function for
Cisco Unity for Domino.
Figure 8-3 illustrates the Cisco Unity 4.0 unified architecture with a Domino message
store.
Cisco PA 1.4 integrates with Cisco CallManager 3.2 or later. For name lookups in the
corporate directory, a directory server such as Cisco CallManager's DC directory
server is required. (You can use a third-party directory service, such as Microsoft
Active Directory or Netscape Directory Services).
Voice-mail functionality is added through the integration of Cisco Unity Version 3.1
or later with Exchange 2003, Exchange 2000, or Exchange 5.5 and PA 1.4(3) or
later. Or you can use Ayaya Octel Messaging as the messaging system.
You can have one PA server per Cisco CallManager cluster. However, one PA server
can interact with several Cisco CallManager clusters.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have the following
prerequisite skills and knowledge. (If you need a quick review, see the designated chapter,
where you can find more information on the topic.)
Understanding of the models presented in the "Understanding the Cisco Unity for
Exchange Architecture" and "Understanding the Cisco Unity for Domino Architecture"
sections of this chapter and how they work together to provide solutions
As previously mentioned, Cisco Unity systems have Windows 2000 Server installed. When
installing it, you choose different options depending on what platform you install it on.
If you use Cisco Unity Platform Overlay 1, 2, and 3 servers (in English, German, or French),
Windows 2000 Server is required.
For Cisco Unity Platform Overlay 4 and 5 servers, Windows 2000 Advanced Server (in
English, German, French, or Japanese) is required when performing a new installation,
replacing an existing system, or purchasing an additional Cisco Unity Platform 4 or 5 server.
If the system is not purchased from Cisco, you must purchase Windows 2000 Advanced
Server for these platforms. Windows 2000 Advanced Server is also supported, but not
required, on Platform Overlays 1, 2, and 3. Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, Microsoft
Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, and any edition of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 are
currently not qualified to be installed on a Cisco Unity server itself. However, Cisco Unity
can reside on a Windows 2003 Active Directory network. Upgrading existing Platform
Overlays 4 and 5 to Windows 2000 Advanced Server is not required, but is recommended.
For Cisco Unity to function properly, the following Windows 2000 Server components must
also be installed: Internet Information Server (IIS), Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3
(SP3), Message Queuing Services, and Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP). Microsoft
Windows Terminal Services should also be installed for troubleshooting purposes. Service
Pack 4 (SP4) can also be installed after Cisco Unity has been successfully installed. Microsoft
AD needs to be installed on the Cisco Unity server if Cisco Unity will be in VoiceMail�only
configuration and, therefore, in its own domain. If, however, Cisco Unity will be joining an
existing domain as a member server, the AD option is not installed on the Cisco Unity
server. The Cisco Unity server should not act as a Domain Name System (DNS) or Dynamic
Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server for the network.
Which Windows 2000 Server CD-ROM you should use for installation of the operating
system depends on from whom you purchased the Cisco Unity server. If the server you
intend to use for Cisco Unity was purchased from Cisco, you would install Windows 2000
Server from the Platform Configuration CD-ROM that came with the Cisco Unity server
bundle. However, if only the hardware was purchased from Cisco, or the server was not
purchased from Cisco, you would use the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) CD-ROM
that came with the system. This CD-ROM contains OEM drivers for Compaq, Dell, or IBM
computers that allow you to use a retail version of Windows 2000 Server.
The following are some of the required components for a Cisco Unity system:
Internet Explorer 6.0: This Web browser must be installed on Windows 2000
Server when using IIS. Cisco Unity does not support Netscape Navigator. Microsoft
Internet Explorer supports Windows authentication, which is one of the items used by
Cisco Unity.
eXtensible Markup Language (XML): Microsoft's MSXML3 and MSXML SP1 parsers
are installed and can be found on Cisco Unity CD 1.
Microsoft .NET Framework: .NET supports the Tabular Data Stream (TDS)
protocol. This allows client applications to securely access the Cisco Unity database in
SQL, without having to set up mixed authentication on the MS SQL server.
The following is a list of other, optional software components that can be installed on Cisco
Unity 4.0 for Exchange:
Items installed during Window 2000 Server installation: Microsoft Message Queuing
service, NNTP, and IIS 5.0.
Exchange 2000 SP3 or Exchange 5.5 SP4 (message store software shipped only with
voice-mail systems).
Symantec pcAnywhere Version 10.0 or later (should be used with external modem)
and Microsoft .NET Framework, Version 1.1.
The Windows hot fix described in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-007 and Microsoft
Knowledge Base article 815021.
The Windows hot fix described in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-026 and Microsoft
Knowledge Base article 823980.
On a system that has more than 32 voice ports or that is using Cisco Unity Failover,
MS SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition (other editions of SQL Server are not
supported).
On a system that has 32 or fewer voice ports or that is not using Cisco Unity Failover,
MSDE 2000 (other editions of MSDE are not supported).
For Cisco Unity 4.0(2) and later, MS SQL Server 2000 SP3 or MSDE 2000 SP3,
depending on which software package you are using.
For Cisco Unity 4.0(1), MS SQL Server 2000 SP2 and MS SQL Server 2000 Security
Rollup Package (SRP) 1 August 2002. (SP2 and SRP1 are required both for a system
running MS SQL Server 2000 and for a system running MSDE 2000.)
If you are integrating with Cisco CallManager, a compatible Cisco Unity-CM TSP
version is required. For more information on which TSP to use, go to the following
link:
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/voice/c_unity/tsp/index.htm
Windows Terminal Services (optional). This is the default remote access software
included with Windows 2000 Server.
NOTE
The Cisco Unity-CM TSP used for Cisco CallManager/Cisco Unity integration is
not the same TSP included with Cisco CallManager. It is the one included with
Cisco Unity.
NOTE
When running Cisco Unity Failover, the system requires MS SQL Server 2000
Standard Edition even though it may have less than 32 ports.
These software requirements also do change. For the latest requirements, go to Cisco.com
and search for "Cisco Unity Software Requirements."
NOTE
Microsoft's e-mail servers include Exchange 2003, Exchange 2000, and Exchange 5.5. Cisco
Unity uses the Exchange 2003, 2000, or 5.5 message store to store subscriber messages,
and uses the AD in Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003. Cisco Unity can also be
installed to integrate with Microsoft Exchange 5.5 SP4, Exchange 2000, or Exchange 2003.
Beginning with the release of Cisco Unity 4.0, Cisco Unity, installed in the UM mode,
supports Exchange 2000 only in an "off-box" configuration, and the message store software
is not shipped with the other Cisco Unity software. The term off box means the message
store that Cisco Unity will use is installed on a system other than the Cisco Unity server.
With the introduction of Cisco Unity 4.0(3), Cisco Unity supports Exchange 2003 as the
message store for UM configurations. However, Exchange 2003 is not supported for
VoiceMail-only configurations. Also, Exchange 2003 is not supported when installed on the
Cisco Unity system itself, because Cisco UM requires the message store to be off box. The
Cisco Unity Voice Connector for Exchange 2000, which is used for the networking options
such as Audio Messaging Interchange Specification (AMIS), Bridge, Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol (SMTP), and Voice Profile for Internet Messaging (VPIM), can be used with
Exchange 2003. Currently, there is not a separate version of the Cisco Unity Voice
Connector for Exchange 2003.
Windows Terminal Service is the default remote access software for the Cisco Unity servers
and comes in Windows 2000 Server. pcAnywhere Version 10.0 or greater, which is optional
software on the Cisco Unity system, allows the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) to
access the Cisco Unity server for maintenance and repair. Cisco recommends that an
external modem be used with pcAnywhere.
Cisco UM with Exchange requires that the Exchange server be installed on a server other
than the server on which Cisco Unity 4.0(x) resides. You must either move the Exchange
users to another off-box Exchange server or install Exchange on another server to move
those users to the new system. If your Cisco Unity system is configured for Voice
Messaging, Exchange 5.5 is supported only if you are upgrading from a previous version of
Cisco Unity. However, Exchange 2000 is supported for upgrades and new installations.
Cisco.com offers a Cisco Unity Service Pack CD-ROM, the contents of which can also be
downloaded as an image, and posts updates periodically. The image is available in multiple
languages, which are noted by the three-letter language acronym in the filename. For
example, ENU in the filename CiscoUnity4.0-ServicePacks-ENU-CD1 stands for U.S. English.
MSXML3 SP1
The Windows hot fix described in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-007 and Microsoft
Knowledge Base article 815021
The Windows patch described in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-026 and Knowledge
Base article 823980 (in the Patches directory)
March 2003 Exchange 2000 Server Post-SP3 Rollup, described in Microsoft Knowledge
Base article 813840 (in the Patches directory)
Exchange 2000 SP2 is currently the required service pack for Exchange 2000. It is
recommended that you install SP3 and the March 2003 Exchange 2000 Server Post-SP3
Rollup, in that order, because they resolve an intermittent issue with message notification.
NOTE
If you install SP3 and the Post-SP3 Rollup on the Cisco Unity server, it is
recommended that you install them on all the Exchange 2000 servers to which
the Cisco Unity subscribers are homed. The reason for this is that if they are not
installed, Exchange will send additional User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packets
to ports on the Cisco Unity server that are not expecting packets. This scenario
is observed by intrusion-detection systems (IDSs) as attacks or port scans.
The Cisco Security Agent for Cisco Unity v1.1 is a standalone agent that provides intrusion
prevention, malicious code protection, operating system integrity assurance, and audit log
consolidation. This agent should be considered an additional line of defense that can
improve security when operating with other defenses, such as firewall and virus-scanning
software. Cisco Systems currently provides it free of charge for Cisco Unity servers that
meet system requirements. Make sure that you read the release notes before you install
and use it.
For more information, go to Cisco.com and perform a search for "Cisco Security Agent for
Cisco Unity."
Domino is the IBM Lotus database and messaging product. Cisco Unity for Domino resulted
from the collaboration between Cisco Systems and IBM Lotus. IBM Lotus created DUCS for
Cisco Unity as part of this collaboration. This component enables Cisco Unity to deliver UM
in a Domino environment.
Software components installed with Cisco Unity 4.0 for Domino (some are optional) include
the following:
Items installed during Window 2000 Server installation: Message Queuing Services,
NNTP, and IIS 5.0.
The Windows hot fix described in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-007 and Microsoft
Knowledge Base article 815021.
The Windows hot fix described in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-026 and Microsoft
Knowledge Base article 823980.
On a system with more than 32 voice ports, Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Standard
Edition (other editions of SQL Server are not supported).
On a system with 32 or fewer voice ports, MSDE 2000 (other editions of MSDE are
not supported).
For Cisco Unity 4.0(2) and later, MS SQL Server 2000 SP3 or MSDE 2000 SP3,
depending on the Cisco Unity configuration setup you have or will be setting up.
For Cisco Unity 4.0(1), MS SQL Server 2000 SP2 and MS SQL Server 2000 SRP 1
August 2002. (The service pack and SRP are required both for a system running MS
SQL Server 2000 and for a system running MSDE 2000.)
If you are integrating with Cisco CallManager, a compatible Cisco Unity-CM TSP
version is required.
Microsoft Windows Terminal Services (optional). This is the default remote access
software included with Windows 2000 Server.
DUCS can be purchased through IBM Lotus; it is not supplied by Cisco Systems. DUCS is
currently qualified by IBM Lotus to work on Windows 2000 Server. However, this can
change. Any Domino server hosting a message store for Cisco Unity subscribers needs
Windows 2000 Server as its operating system. Cisco Unity for Domino currently is
supported only in a UM configuration with Domino installed off-box. DUCS requires
Domino Version 5.0.10 or later.
The Domino directory server requires DUCS in each Domino domain. You must install
DUCS on every Domino message store server where Cisco Unity subscribers' mailboxes
reside. The Windows OS is currently the only operating system supported.
Message categorization
Which versions of Domino, DUCS, and Lotus Notes that are supported on the Cisco Unity
server varies slightly for each of the Cisco Unity 4.0(x) versions prior to Cisco Unity 4.0(3).
The following is a list of the supported versions with Cisco Unity 4.0(3) and later:
DUCS versions: 1.2.1 (the download on the IBM Lotus website is called Version 1.2)
Cisco PA Server
Cisco PA Server software is installed on its own server, separate from any other Cisco
Architecture for Voice, Video, and Integrated Data (AVVID) product. The PA Server
software provides Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory lookups, rule-
based call transfers, and voice-mail access. It allows users to synchronize personal address
books with their Exchange contact lists. This can be achieved through either the PA Web
Administration software or the optional IP Phone Productivity Services software.
The Cisco PA Server software is compatible with Cisco CallManager 3.2, 3.3, and 4.0
starting with PA 1.4(3); Cisco Unity 3.x and 4.0 for voice-mail features; and Exchange 5.5,
Exchange 2000, and Exchange 2003 for calendar, e-mail, and contact synchronization
features.
The Cisco PA Speech Recognition Server software enables users to verbally perform
directory lookups, verbally ask for your voice-mail box, and configure routing-rule
instructions verbally. Speech Recognition Server software can be installed on the PA server
or its own server. As previously mentioned, installing the Speech Recognition Server
software on its own server enhances system performance. Speech Recognition engines are
available in U.S. English, British English, French, French Canadian, and German. Currently,
the limit is 45,000 directory entries for accurate recognition of names.
The Cisco PA Web Administration software is installed on the same server as PA and allows
for web-based administration from either the PA server or a client workstation. This allows
clients to administer their own PA features. The client requires either Internet Explorer 6.0
(or later) or Netscape Navigator 7.0. The web-based GUI is available in English, French, and
German.
Cisco PA Server
An Internet browser, either Internet Explorer 6.0 (or 5.x), or Netscape Navigator.
Cisco Unity with Exchange 5.5 or Exchange 2000, Version 3.x or later. (Only one
version is required when you are integrating Cisco PA with a messaging system.)
If you would like to collect error messages to SysLog for analysis purposes,
CiscoWorks 2000 Resource Manager Essentials (RME) 3.3 is supported.
If you are using Cisco Unity as the message store, Cisco Unity messages and recorded
names must be encoded in G.711 Mu-Law format.
NOTE
Cisco IP Phone Productivity Services software enhances the capabilities of the Cisco 7940,
7960, and 7970 IP phones through the use of scrolling keys for checking e-mail, voice mail,
personal contacts, and calendar information from the Exchange server. Through the
CalendarView feature of the IP Phone Productivity Services software, the user can view
appointments either by day or week on the IP phone display.
The MailView features allow access to e-mail and Cisco Unity voice messages. Users can
scroll through and read e-mail messages on the IP phone display. They can also listen to
and delete voice-mail messages by using the IP phone soft keys.
IP Phone Productivity Services software allows users to activate or deactivate their routing
Rule Sets directly from the IP phone and synchronize their personal address book with their
Exchange contacts list. IP Phone Productivity Services software is installed on its own server
and requires IIS 4.0 or later.
For more information about the most current software requirements for Cisco PA Server,
go to the following link:
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/voice/assist/assist14/relnote/pa141rn.pdf
Cisco Unity ViewMail for Outlook (VMO) is a special form in Outlook that has a set of
control buttons. With these controls and the toolbar of buttons on the form, you can listen
to, send, reply to, and forward voice-mail messages. VMO can be used with Microsoft
Outlook 98, Microsoft Outlook 2000, and Microsoft Outlook XP. VMO cannot be used with
Microsoft Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook Web Access because these clients do not
support Microsoft Outlook forms.
VMO software can be found on the Cisco Unity Installation CD 1 in the ViewMail folder, and
is installed on the client workstations, not the Cisco Unity server. Although VMO is not
required, it makes listening to voice-mail messages much easier. If VMO is not installed,
voice-mail messages appear as .wav attachments in your in box. UM can be deployed
without losing any functionality at the client workstations.
Clients may also want to access their mailbox settings through the Cisco Personal
Communications Assistant (CPCA). The two Cisco PCA components are the Cisco Unity
Assistant and Cisco Unity Inbox, which allows the user to change their mailbox settings
through a user-friendly web-based GUI, rather than over the phone. Any mailbox settings
that are available through the telephone are available through Cisco PCA. Class of service
(COS) in Cisco Unity controls access to CPCA. Additionally, the client workstation must be
running Internet Explorer 5.5 or later. With the introduction of Cisco Unity 4.0(3),
upgrades from Cisco Unity 3(x) to 4(x) no longer require subscribers to have special CoS
privileges to use VMO. Subscribers that have ViewMail installed can take advantage of these
features.
Site administrators of Cisco Unity can also access the Cisco Unity Administration windows
through their desktops. Clients must have Internet Explorer 6.0 or later on their
workstations.
Figure 8-5 illustrates the client view of a Cisco unified architecture�with a Microsoft
Exchange message store.
The software required on the client side for Cisco Unity for Domino configurations is very
similar to the software that is required for Exchange configurations. The Lotus Notes client
is used instead of Outlook. Figure 8-6 illustrates the client view of a Cisco Unified
architecture with a Lotus Notes message store.
English
French
German
The current qualified software versions of IBM Lotus iNotes are 6.0.2, 6.0.1, 6.0.0, and
5.0.12, and Lotus Notes Versions 6.0.2, 6.0.1, 6.0.0, 5.0.12, 5.0.11, and 5.0.10 (with
Cisco Unity with Domino).
For the most current version combinations of software that are qualified for Cisco Unity
4.0, go to the following link:
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/voice/c_unity/cmptblty/clientmx.htm
As with VMO, DUCS client software gives the end user an easy GUI from which to check
their voice mail and e-mail, and to send, reply to, or forward either type of messages.
DUCS client software is a Notes Mail template built and supported by IBM Lotus.
CoS controls access to Cisco PCA features and the Cisco Unity Administration windows and
requires Internet Explorer 6.0 or later to function.
Using Client Software for Cisco PA
Once Cisco PA is set up on your network, it works like a virtual assistant. Cisco PA can
forward and screen your incoming calls based on the rules you set using the Cisco PA web
GUI. These rules tell Cisco PA which calls you would like forwarded, which calls you would
like screened, if any, and where you would like to receive calls, enabling you to receive a call
on a phone number other than your extension. These rules can be activated by using either
the Cisco PA web GUI or spoken commands over your phone handset or headset. With
spoken commands, Cisco PA can also assist you in placing and receiving calls and browsing
your voice mail.
The following is an example of what a phone dialog would sound like when user "John"
performs a directory dialing and call screening takes place:
Cisco PA: John, welcome to Personal Assistant. What would you like to do? Say the full
name of the person you are trying to call.
(When Cisco PA plays John's name, it plays the recorded name of the person.)
Cisco PA: I'm sorry, I didn't understand. Say the first and last name of the person you
want to call or say "Voice mail."
(When Cisco PA plays the name, it plays the recorded name of the person.)
John: Yes.
Cisco PA: (Cisco PA starts to locate Mr. Davis.) Please wait while locating.
John: Hi. Did you set up Cisco PA to screen your calls? Because Cisco PA said to "Please
wait while locating" before you answered.
Mr. Davis: Yes, it's a very easy feature to set too. All you need to do is go to your Rule
page on the Cisco PA user website and select call screening.
Mr. Davis: When I picked up, Cisco PA said, "You have a call from John." It included your
recorded name. Then Cisco PA said, "Press 1 to connect, or press 2 to transfer the call to a
different number." There's also an option to send the call to voice mail.
Mr. Davis: You can set your call screening to all the calls you receive or to individual
callers, based on the rules you set up.
You can find more information on this topic at Cisco.com by searching the Cisco Personal
Assistant User Guide text.
Installing Cisco Unified Communications Software
Understanding the installation process of the software will help you to perform a smooth
installation of the Cisco Unity system and PA. In addition, the installation process for Cisco Unity
is different from previous versions.
To benefit fully from this section, you should be familiar with the concepts and software
components presented in the "Understanding the Cisco Unity for Exchange Architecture" and
"Understanding the Cisco Unity for Domino Architecture" sections of this chapter.
As part of installation process you must gather general system information. The setup process
needs this information to install the correct languages on the system, including the correct text-
to-speech language, and to install Cisco Unity in the correct folder and partition on the hard
drive. It loads the default database, which consists of the Cisco Unity Installer account, the
Example Administrator account, the default call handlers, and all the other default objects.
Chooses a language
CUSPA is a preparation tool that helps you to prepare your Cisco Unity system for a Cisco Unity
installation. This tool, located on the Service Pack CD-ROM, checks the Cisco Unity server for the
required software and service packs. CUSPA asks for your Cisco Unity server characteristics, such
as UM or VM, Failover, and the number of Cisco Unity ports.
CUSPA checks for the proper versions of SQL, MSXML, Windows, NNTP, Internet Explorer, and
.NET Framework, and checks for the proper service packs. If a software component or service
pack is not installed on the system, you can choose to install it through CUSPA. CUSPA does not
check to make sure that the AD Schema has been extended for an Exchange 2000 installation.
Extending the AD Schema is required before you begin the Cisco Unity installation in an
AD/Exchange 2000 environment. In addition, CUSPA does not check the Exchange or Domino
version.
When you first open CUSPA, it prompts you with a welcome window that indicates it will do the
following:
Determine whether your server is ready to have Cisco Unity installed and configured
XML3 SP1
IIS
NNTP Service
SMTP Service
In the following example, CUSPA checks the system and reports what is and is not installed on
the system. It also gives you the option to click the service/software component that is not
installed and configure it. CUSPA provides a link to the component so that you can install it from
there.
Figure 8-7 illustrates CUSPA showing which components are not installed.
CUICA replaces the two-part Cisco Unity installation introduced in Cisco Unity 3.0. You run CUICA
after CUSPA and it guides you through the entire setup process, from setting the correct
permissions to installing Cisco Unity to integrating Cisco Unity with a telephone system.
CUICA is actually five individual wizard utilities, listed next, combined with the Cisco Unity Setup
program:
Permissions Wizard
Cisco UTIM
After you have installed Cisco Unity, you can run all but the Message Store Configuration Wizard
individually by accessing the Tools Depot of Cisco Unity. It is recommended that you use the
Service Configuration Wizard to install Cisco Unity 4.0. The final step when using CUICA is to set
up Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) for Cisco Unity.
Using the Cisco Unity Permissions Wizard
The Permissions Wizard enables you to set the permissions that are needed to install Cisco Unity
and for the Cisco Unity services to log on and run properly. It is the first wizard executed by
CUICA. Using the wizard to set the correct permissions will help you to avoid complications as the
Cisco Unity installation proceeds.
Before the wizard can set the correct permissions, you need to tell it which message store you are
using: Exchange 5.5, Exchange 2000, Exchange 2003, or Lotus Domino. This is the first step of
the wizard, shown in Figure 8-8. After you select your message store, click Next.
Depending on your configuration, the wizard asks different questions, such as which account
should be given permissions to install and configure Cisco Unity, which account Cisco Unity
directory services will log on with, and which account to log on with to the message store.
NOTE
The Permissions Wizard can be run individually without the use of CUICA. The version
that comes with Cisco Unity 4.0(3) and later cannot be used with earlier versions of
Cisco Unity for new installations, because the new Permissions Wizard limits the
permissions granted to certain accounts. It can, however, be used on Cisco Unity
Versions 3.1(1) through 4.0(2) for systems that have Cisco Unity installed already.
The next step is choosing a Windows Account that will be responsible for the Cisco Unity message
store services.
Figure 8-9 illustrates selecting a Microsoft Windows account that will own Cisco Unity message
store services.
Figure 8-9. Selecting a Windows Account that Will Own Cisco Unity Message
Store Services
The next step is choosing an account that will be used to install Cisco Unity.
Figure 8-11 illustrates selecting an account that will own the Cisco Unity directory services.
Figure 8-11. Selecting an Account that Will Own the Cisco Unity Directory
Services
Installing the License File Wizard
At least 24 hours before you install Cisco Unity, you need to contact Cisco to register and obtain
your Cisco Unity license file. You need to have the Media Access Control (MAC) address (physical
address) for the network interface card (NIC) in the Cisco Unity computer and the product
authorization key (PAK), which is listed in the Cisco Unity Software Keys booklet that is shipped
with the software CD-ROMs or on the bottom from corner. With that information, you can access
the license file generator website at http://www.cisco.com/pcgi-
bin/Software/FormManager/formgenerator.pl.
It is not enough to simply copy license files onto the file system of the Cisco Unity server. You
need to run and complete the License File Wizard in order for Cisco Unity to use the information
in the files. You specify the names of each of your license files in the wizard. You should specify
all the files you want Cisco Unity to use from that point forward, even if some of the files were
installed previously. The wizard extracts the information from the files and checks the data for
errors. If no errors are found, you may complete the wizard. Please check that what you have
purchased is included in the license file.
Once you complete the wizard, Cisco Unity begins using the license information from the files. If
the wizard detects errors in the files, it tells you what the problems are and does not permit you
to proceed to the completion page. If you encounter problems, you should contact Cisco TAC.
The Service Configuration Wizard helps you to configure three groups of Cisco Unity services that
are installed by your system. The wizard uses the selections you made during the Permissions
Wizard as default accounts for the services. Because these are the accounts that have the correct
permissions associated with them, it is best to accept the defaults. If you are not changing the
accounts, you must enter the password for the accounts when asked. If, however, you change
which accounts to use, make sure they have the proper permissions.
The first wizard window prompts you to choose whether you are configured for Exchange 5.5,
Exchange 2000, Exchange 2003, or Lotus Domino. This leads to different wizard setup versions,
depending on which configuration you chose. The Directory Services sets the Cisco Unity account
it will use to access the AD or the Domino database. The message store services need to run
under an account that is allowed access to Exchange 2000 and 2003 mailboxes. The Cisco Unity
local services, in an Exchange or Domino configuration, run under an account that allows them
access to registry files, the file system, and the MS SQL Server 2000.
Directory services
Local services
The Message Store Configuration Wizard asks you to choose the following:
A message store
Cisco UTIM steps you through the process of integrating Cisco Unity with your telephone system.
Cisco Unity supports integrations for IP telephony (Cisco CallManager), circuit-switched PBXs, and
SIP. You can find a list of supported circuit-switched PBXs and integration methods in Chapter 1.
If you choose TSP for Cisco CallManager integration, before you can run UTIM, you must have
your Cisco CallManager configured to integrate with Cisco Unity. UTIM asks for the Cisco
CallManager IP address, the display name for the voice-mail ports created, and the Message
Waiting On and Off directory numbers. At the end of the process, you can run a test to ensure
that the integration process was successful. You can find instructions on setting up Cisco
CallManager to integrate with Cisco Unity in the Cisco CallManager Integration Guide by
performing a search for "Cisco CallManager" at Cisco.com.
UTIM pings the CallManager server and checks that each port is configured correctly. If there is an
issue, you normally receive an error message that indicates there is a problem.
TIP
One of the most common issues when configuring the TSP on Cisco Unity for Cisco
CallManager is the prefix spelling of the voice-mail port names. Make sure that the
spelling used on both Cisco CallManager and Cisco Unity is identical.
SIP is an important emerging Internet protocol that is designed to easily build up and tear down
IP sessions. Numerous vendors are embracing SIP as the next big Internet protocol for VoIP.
Currently, Cisco Unity's SIP integration supports interactions with Cisco SIP Proxy Server, as well
as Cisco SIP-enabled 7960 phones, Pingtel Expressa phones, and MSN Messenger.
A copy of the Cisco Unity Installation Guide is shipped with each Cisco Unity system. The
installation manual contains information on installing the Cisco Unity system as a baseline (server
purchased from Cisco) and as a component system (server supplied by the customer). It also
includes instructions for upgrading earlier versions of Cisco Unity to Version 4.0.
If you are integrating Cisco Unity with Cisco CallManager, the Cisco CallManager integration
guides are extremely helpful. There are different versions of the guides depending on your
version of Cisco CallManager. Included are instructions for setting up your CallManager to
integrate with Cisco Unity, and instructions for setting up dual-switch integration.
There are also various integration guides for supported circuit-switched telephone systems. These
guides cover the programming that is necessary to integrate the various circuit-based telephone
systems with Cisco Unity. You can view these guides at
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/voice/c_unity/integuid/index.htm. CUICA
contains Read Me files to help guide you through the installation.
You can find these resources by going to Cisco.com and searching for the corresponding text.
Cisco PA has three components that you can install separately or together:
Cisco PA Server
Most of the configuration process for PA takes place after installation. Be sure to use the Personal
Assistant Installation Guide when performing an install. Before you perform a new installation of
PA, follow these steps:
Step 1. Determine how many users the system will need to support and which of the three
PA configurations is the most appropriate. You need this information during the installation.
For more information on planning for PA, go to the following link:
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/voice/assist/assist14/ag/ag141/paplan.pdf
Step 2. Find the hardware and software requirements for PA 1.4 and your users. You can
find out more information about this in the latest release notes at Cisco.com by searching
for "Cisco Personal Assistant Release Notes."
Step 3. Find out whether there are any system limitations and restrictions on how PA may
be configured on your network and, if so, whether they affect the setup you will be
installing. You can find more information about this in the release notes at Cisco.com by
searching for "Cisco Personal Assistant Release Notes." If your system is using AD for the
business directory, you must prepare the directory system to work with PA. This information
can be found in the "Setting Up Active Directory as the Corporate Directory for Personal
Assistant" section of the "Installing and Upgrading Personal Assistant" document located at
Cisco.com.
Step 4. Disable the McAfee NetShield services and the Cisco Security Agent on the PA
server if they are installed. Doing so ensures that they will not interfere with the PA
installation program.
After you have performed the previous steps, install Cisco PA Server, PA Speech Recognition
server, and user and administrative interfaces. Instructions on how to install these are found in
the Cisco Personal Assistant Installation Guide, which is located at Cisco.com.
Step 1. When you install these components, the next step is to install the enhanced Text to
Speech server. This may or may not be one of your configuration requirements.
Step 4. Refresh your PA system. To do so, log on to the PA administration interface and
select System > Speech Services > Refresh Now.
NOTE
Step 5. Re-enable the McAfee NetShield services and Cisco Security Agent if they are
installed on the PA server.
Upgrading Cisco Unified Communications Software
Understanding the supported upgrades and the upgrade process will help you to
successfully upgrade Cisco Unity and PA. Some upgrades require more steps than
others, and not all upgrades from previous versions of Cisco Unity to Cisco Unity 4.0
are supported. This is also true when upgrading to PA 1.4. Being familiar with this
will help you to avoid possible configuration issues and problems that may occur
during the upgrade process.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you should already be
familiar with the following information. (If you need a quick review, see the
designated chapter or section, where you can find more information on the topic.)
The new features that come with Cisco Unity 4.0 (see Chapter 1)
The upgrade to Cisco Unity 4.0 from previous versions of Cisco Unity is supported.
However, versions of Cisco Unity prior to 3.0 require a reinstallation of Cisco Unity,
which includes re-entering the database. Versions prior to Cisco Unity 3.0 stored
database attributes in Exchange's custom attributes 12 to 15, because the Exchange
Directory Service was not extensible. With the release of Cisco Unity 3.0, Microsoft
SQL Server 2000 or MSDE became the main database store. It is not possible to
move the attributes from Exchange to SQL without reinstalling the database.
The procedures for performing the supported upgrades are discussed later in this
section.
When upgrading, as an option you can choose to prepare for a possible downgrade
if there are problems with the upgrade. There are instructions for this in the Cisco
Unity Installation Guide, which you can find at Cisco.com. (You can also choose to
make a backup.)
NOTE
When upgrading from Cisco Unity 2.4(x), you must first upgrade to Cisco
Unity 4.0(2), then upgrade to the latest version of Cisco Unity.
To determine the software versions for Cisco Unity and the Cisco Unity-CM TSP, you
must find the Cisco Unity version number and the Cisco Unity-CM TSP version.
There are two ways you can find the Cisco Unity version used on your system. The
first way is to use the Cisco Unity Administrator. Go to the Cisco Unity
Administrator > System > Configuration > Software Versions page.
The second way is to look at the properties of the AvCsMgr.exe file. This list is for
Cisco Unity 3.0(4) and later:
Step 2. Find the AvCsMgr.exe file, right-click it, and then choose Properties.
To check the Cisco Unity-CM TSP version, you can either use UTIM or check the
properties of the AvSkinny.tsp file.
Step 2. Find UTIM under Switch Integration Tools and double-click it.
The Cisco Unity-CM TSP version is shown in the TSP Version field.
To determine the Cisco Unity-CM TSP version by checking the AvSkinny.tsp file, do
the following:
To upgrade from Cisco Unity 3.0 to Cisco Unity 4.0, you need to obtain a new
license file from Cisco, because the upgrade procedure itself does not upgrade the
license file (as it has done in the past).
You should also ensure that Exchange 2000 SP3 has been installed on the message
store that you will use for your subscribers. CUSPA does not check for the Exchange
version; however, CUICA does, and the Cisco Unity installation will not continue if it
does not find the correct version. However, it does inform you of what could be the
problem.
The AD Schema Extension utility, which is run on the domain controller to extend
the AD Schema for Cisco Unity, has a new option to extend the AD Schema for the
VPIM option. You need to run the utility for the VPIM option to function properly.
You need to run CUICA to load the new Cisco Unity 4.0 files. During this process,
there will be no database loss. During the upgrade process, the Cisco Unity system
will be out of service, so you need to plan accordingly. If you have Cisco Failover set
up, do not use your secondary server to provide voice-messaging services while the
primary is being upgraded, and vice versa.
The following is a list of the general items to keep in mind when you are upgrading
to Cisco Unity 4.0 for Exchange:
Obtain a new license file if you are upgrading Cisco Unity from an earlier
version of 4.0.
Verify that Exchange 2000 SP3 has been installed on the message store.
Use CUSPA.
Use CUICA.
There may be circumstances in which you need to upgrade from Cisco Unity for
Exchange to Cisco Unity for Domino. Customers in a Domino environment may have
purchased Cisco Unity in a VoiceMail-only configuration while awaiting the Cisco
Unity Domino release. Cisco Unity VoiceMail-only configuration is supported only in
an Exchange environment.
When attempting to perform an upgrade from Cisco Unity 3.x for Exchange to Cisco
Unity 4.0 for Domino, keep in mind that this is basically a reinstallation. There is no
way to carry over the database from one to the other because you have two
completely different messaging systems. If you would like to save the subscriber
database, you must export the subscriber database from Exchange, modify the
subscriber database to a form acceptable to Domino, import it into Domino, and
then import the subscribers from the Domino server into Cisco Unity 4.0. The
information that will be exportable includes the subscribers' names and extensions,
but not information such as spoken names and greetings. Subscribers' messages will
not be carried over. Cisco does not offer a utility to accomplish this.
Other Cisco Unity database information such as call handlers, call routing tables, and
restriction tables are also not carried over.
The following is a list of the items to keep in mind when preparing for a Domino
upgrade from Cisco Unity 3.x:
If you are upgrading from PA Version 1.2, you must first upgrade to Version 1.3,
then apply the patch for Version 1.3(3).
WARNING
Detailed instructions for upgrading Cisco PA can be found in the Cisco Personal
Assistant Installation Guide, which you can find on Cisco.com.
The following is a list of items to keep in mind when you are performing a PA
upgrade:
Install PA 1.4.
When you are performing a PA upgrade, keep the following tips in mind:
Disable the McAfee NetShield services and the Cisco Security Agent on the PA
server, if they are installed, so that they will not interfere with the PA
installation program.
More information on this can be found in the Cisco Personal Assistant Installation
Guide.
Step 2. After all PA services are stopped, install the new PA server, speech
recognition server, and user and administrative interfaces.
If you are performing the upgrade to the enhanced Text to Speech server,
install the enhanced server.
Step 4. If you have McAfee NetShield or the Cisco Security Agent installed,
enable these services.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter, you learned about the different Cisco unified communications
architectures, the software that is needed to perform a successful installation of the
unified communications products, the Cisco Unity system installation process, the
use of CUSPA and CUICA, and the upgrade process for the Cisco unified
communications products. Specifically, you learned how to do the following:
Describe the client software for both Cisco Unity for Exchange and Domino
Describe the resources available to assist with the Cisco Unity installation
You the can find these guides at Cisco.com by searching for the preceding titles.
Chapter Review Questions
Use this section to test yourself on how well you learned the concepts discussed in
this chapter. You can find the answers to the review questions for this chapter in
Appendix A.
Name the different message stores that you can choose when installing
1:
Cisco Unity 4.0.
When is the Microsoft SQL Server 2000 software required for a Cisco Unity
2:
installation, as opposed to the MSDE?
5: When is Windows 2000 Advanced Server required for Cisco Unity 4.0?
When installing Cisco PA 1.4, where can the Cisco PA Speech Recognition
7:
Server software be installed?
This chapter discusses the different types of communication used between a Cisco
unified communications server and a telephone system.
The chapter continues by discussing the telephone integrations supported for Cisco
Unity 4.0. It also includes examples of IP, dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF),
Simplified Message Desk Interface (SMDI), PBXLink, and SIP integrations.
Defining a Communications Systems Integration
A telephone system and a voice-processing system communicate with one another
via integration. Integration between Cisco Unity and a PBX takes place when the
following three essential features are present, as shown in Figure 9-1:
These features are present when the PBX and the voice messaging system are
exchanging information with each other in an agreed upon manner. The delivery of
this information between the two systems varies from integration to integration.
The basic integration types are IP-based, in-band DTMF, SMDI, PBXLink, and SIP.
Cisco messaging systems currently integrate with the majority of telephone systems
in the business telephone market. Once an integration is made, the PBX and the
voice-mail system work together, sharing information regarding call routing and
message notification.
- PBXLink integrations must have special digital lines installed that will
transmit this information.
- A SIP integration uses requests and responses to set up, maintain, and
end sessions (calls). This information is sent in ASCII-based packets
through the network cable connecting Cisco Unity with another endpoint
for each session.
The reason code why the call was sent to Cisco Unity. This can either be
because the extension was busy on the other line and it was forwarded to
Cisco Unity, did not answer because they were away from their desk, or the
extension is set to forward all calls to voice-mail because they are on vacation.
Another reason could be when an extension calls Cisco Unity directly to check
their messages.
Understanding the Attributes of Cisco Unified Communications
Integrations
Understanding the attributes of a communications integration will help you during
installation and while analyzing integration issues that may arise. This understanding
will enable you to save valuable time when troubleshooting these issues.
To fully benefit from this section, it is recommended that you have the following
prerequisite skills and knowledge (see Chapter 1, "Cisco Unified Communications
System Fundamentals," for a quick review of any of these topics):
Computer-based telephone systems are becoming more and more popular. Most of
them communicate via an Ethernet connection. This new method requires new ways
of integrating voice mail with them. Cisco Unity uses the Skinny Client Control
Protocol (SCCP) to communicate directly with Cisco CallManager. Because Cisco
Unity and CCM are on separate servers, each requires some information from the
other to communicate. CCM, for example, must know information such as the
names of the voice-mail ports and the extensions that should be assigned to the
voice-mail ports. The Cisco Unity side requires information such as what the IP
addresses are of the CCMs that Cisco Unity will be servicing and what Message
Waiting on and off numbers are assigned in CCM. With each voice-mail port given a
specific name by using a number suffix incremented for each, Cisco Unity must also
know what common prefix has been assigned to the group of ports being
configured.
You can configure Cisco Unity and CCM in many ways, depending on the customer's
requirements and the site's existing network topology.
The issues involved are normally focused on WAN deployments. Most LAN
deployments are very flexible because they have fewer bandwidth constraints. It is
important to understand how all the components interact to determine what works
best for the customer. Figure 9-2 illustrates a Cisco Unity and CCM integration.
The information that passes between the Cisco PA and CCM is basically call
information carried as IP packets over a company's LAN. The PA uses interceptor
ports to identify the telephone extensions that PA will intercept from CCM. You
must configure these ports as computer telephony integration (CTI) route points
and translation patterns in CCM to identify them in the PA server configuration. The
CTI route point's configuration allows PA to intercept the call; the translation
patterns allow calls to go through to the extension if the PA server is unavailable.
Figure 9-3 illustrates the following steps to complete a Cisco PA and CCM
integration:
1. A call arrives for an extension from the Public Switched Telephone Network
(PSTN).
2. Because this extension has a PA interceptor port (CTI route point) configured
for it, CCM routes the call to PA.
4. In this example, the user has a rule set to have calls sent to a branch office
where the user is working. The call extends to a phone on the branch office.
Figure 9-3. Cisco PA and CCM Integration
Understanding the relationship between a telephone system and a Cisco Unity voice-processing
system and its integrations contributes to the proper installation and troubleshooting of Cisco
Unity.
To fully benefit from this section, it is recommended that you have the following prerequisite
skills and knowledge (see Chapter 1 for more information on any of these topics):
The ability to list the telephone switch integrations supported by Cisco Unity 4.0
Integrating with IP
Cisco Unity messaging systems integrate with CCM by using the Cisco Unity-CM TAPI service
provider (TSP) in a pure IP environment. Because Cisco Unity and CCM communicate without
the use of traditional voice boards, all call information, including session, signaling, and audio,
travels as packets across the network. Figure 9-4 illustrates a Cisco Unity and CCM integration.
NOTE
The Cisco TSP referred to is one that comes with the Cisco Unity product. This is
different from the Cisco-TSP that comes with Cisco CallManager.
Cisco Unity 4.0 uses SCCP to provide the call session and signaling information between CCM
and itself. This bidirectional communication between Cisco Unity and CCM takes place via the
Cisco Unity-CM TSP, a piece of software that opens and maintains that communication channel.
The TSP is installed on the Cisco Unity system. You can configure it by using the Cisco Unity
Telephony Integration Manager (UTIM) application.
A telephone system (PBX, using a DTMF integration) sends a series of DTMF tones to the
voice-processing system that communicates information needed for call forwarding to personal
greeting and easy message access. The voice-processing system in turn sends DTMF packets
over the analog lines to the telephone system to tell it to turn the MWI on or off. It does not
use an RS-232 serial cable connection. Figure 9-5 illustrates a DTMF integration.
When a call initially comes in to Cisco Unity and the caller hears the general greeting from the
Cisco Unity AutoAttendant, the caller enters an extension. The system then places the caller on
hold and dials the extension listed in the subscriber's page for the extension ID (extension
1000 in Figure 9-5). Once the caller is on hold, Cisco Unity pulses out the extension and then
either waits on the line and listens for ringing (supervised transfer, as referred to in the System
Administrator [SA] web page) or releases the call (release to switch, sometimes also referred
to as blind transfer). If the call goes unanswered for the specified number of rings (either in
Cisco Unity's or the PBX's programming, dependent on the transfer type used), the call comes
back to Cisco Unity. In the case of a supervised transfer, Cisco Unity still has control of the call,
so it sends the call directly to the personal greeting. In the case of a release to switch, Cisco
Unity answers as if it is a new incoming call and the PBX pulses out in DTMF packets the call
forwarding digits needed by Cisco Unity to play the correct subscriber's personal greeting.
An SMDI integration usually uses an RS-232 cable to connect the voice-mail system and the
telephone system. The serial cable plugs into the voice-processing system, which in this case
can be a Cisco Unity system on one end and the telephone system on the other. This is also
known as out-of-band signaling because the information about the call is carried on a different
path than the voice traffic. In contrast, an in-band (DTMF, for example) solution carries the
information about the call on the same path that carries the voice traffic.
SMDI integrations (using a serial cable) have a 100-foot connection limit that is determined by
the technical specifications of the RS-232 standard. If you are using Centrex lines, where the
central office serves, in effect, as an off-site PBX, having a dedicated line connected by
modems at each end allows you to bypass the 100-foot limit. You can also use modems on site
to bypass the RS-232 limit. The serial packets sent are sometimes referred to as SMDI packets.
This is the standard protocol used by Centrex, but it is also used by the NEC 2000 and the NEC
2400 telephone systems, among others.
A serial integration is more difficult to configure because of the variables involved: telephone
system programming, cable configurations, and COM port configurations. Once it has been set
up, it is both extremely reliable and quicker than a DTMF integration, particularly in the area of
servicing MWI requests. Figure 9-6 illustrates an SMDI integration.
The voice boards used with the PBXLink use PCI slots. The PBXLink connects to the telephone
system by using digital lines. Analog lines connect the PBX to the voice boards, which together
provide a channel for all the voice and DTMF traffic. The integration information travels to
Cisco Unity via an RS-232 cable between it and the PBXLink box.
You attach the PBXLink to the PBX via digital lines and program them on the PBX side. The
PBXLink uses the busy indicators to determine which analog lines between the PBX and the
voice-mail system are busy. Also, when calls arrive at the voice-mail system, the PBXLink
gathers the call information from the display of the digital set.
The PBXLink reads the digital information about the call (the called party's extension, the
reason for the forward, and the calling party's extension on internal calls), translates that into
SMDI packets, and sends the information through the RS-232 cable to voice mail. The PBXLink
box sends the information about the call (for example, which personal greeting to play when a
call forwards to voice mail on a ring with no answer) across the RS-232 cable. The PBX sends
the call to the voice-messaging system through the analog lines that connect the voice boards
and the telephone system. Figure 9-7 illustrates a PBXLink integration.
SIP is a peer-to-peer Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard that is designed for
multimedia calls over IP.
A SIP proxy server is a system that receives SIP requests from a client, such as a SIP-enabled
IP phone, and then forwards the requests on behalf of the client. These proxy servers receive
SIP messages, and then can forward them to other SIP servers. SIP proxy servers can provide
capabilities such as authentication, authorization, network access control, routing, reliable
request retransmission, and security. Figure 9-8 illustrates a SIP integration.
Figure 9-8. SIP Integration
A Cisco Unity SIP integration uses a SIP proxy server to set up communication between the
voice messaging ports on the Cisco Unity server and the appropriate endpoint, such as an IP-
enabled phone. The communications occur through an IP network (LAN, WAN, or Internet) to
all SIP-enabled devices connected to it, a SIP-enabled gateway to the PSTN, and all phones
connected to it.
The proxy server sends the following information in the SIP message along with the forwarded
call:
In the Form header, the extension of the calling party (for internal calls) or the SIP URL
of the calling party (if it is an external call and the system uses caller ID)
Compatibility among voice and unified messaging systems, the existing PBX equipment, and IP
telephony solutions is a primary concern for most enterprises. Users must experience
uninterrupted service and be offered a familiar interface to ensure a smooth migration from a
traditional PBX system to an IP telephony environment.
Dual-switch integration provides an integration for customers who currently have a traditional
circuit-switched PBX and would like to migrate to CCM. This integration preserves a customer's
investment in its circuit-switched infrastructure while simultaneously allowing for migration to
packet-switched technology at any pace the customer chooses. This allows enterprises to
operate in a hybrid environment while maintaining consistent voice-messaging service across
the organization. Figure 9-9 illustrates a dual-switch integration using Cisco Unity and CCM.
Cisco Unity solutions are designed to provide connectivity with CCM and existing PBX
equipment at the same time. In addition to connectivity, Cisco Unity solutions also support
complete voice-mail integration between both systems simultaneously.
Dual-switch integration can be used to connect CCM and a Cisco SIP proxy server. It is also
available for a Cisco SIP proxy server and a supported traditional circuit-switched PBX when
connecting with Cisco Unity.
The best source for information about the Cisco Unity and CCM integration in a dual-switch
environment is the Cisco CallManager Integration Guide series. These guides are available in
Adobe Acrobat PDF format from several sources. They are available at Cisco.com by
performing a search on "Cisco CallManager Integration Guide."
The following are the currently supported telephone systems for Cisco Unity 4.0:
Centrex (SMDI)
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/prod_configuration_guides_list.html
Cisco conducts extensive testing before qualifying a telephone system for use with Cisco Unity.
Telephone systems are tested under many different call scenarios, and troubleshooting
information is created. Therefore, Cisco TAC will not support systems that are not first
qualified. If you do decide to install Cisco Unity with a nonsupported telephone system, you
will be responsible for all integration issues on that system.
The Cisco Unity voice-mail ports are a crucial part of general setup. Ports are also referred to in
many of the Cisco Unity documents as sessions. The term port is from the telephony world,
referring to when a physical connection is made between the voice-mail system and the
telephone system. Session is the term used in the IP telephony world.
In CCM, you configure each Cisco Unity messaging port as a voice-mail port. In circuit-based
PBX integrations, the Cisco Unity messaging ports are analog extensions with one extension
used per port.
There are various settings for the Cisco Unity messaging ports.
Figure 9-10 shows the Ports Configuration page from the System Administrator (SA) tool.
When you open the SA, on the left-hand side you will see a list of links. Scroll to the bottom
and you will see the Ports link. Click it to go to the Ports page.
The following is a list of the settings configured for each messaging port:
Enabled� This setting means that the port is in service. If this setting is unchecked, the
port is out of service. In that scenario, the caller who reaches that port receives ringing
tones but Cisco Unity does not answer. You might uncheck this setting if you are having
issues with that particular port or extension from the telephone system and you do not
want callers to access that port. You should remove that port from the hunt group you
created, to prevent such a scenario from happening.
Answer Calls� This setting means Cisco Unity will answer a call received on this port.
This can be either a call coming in from the PSTN or an internal call coming from a
subscriber's office extension number. Unchecking this setting means Cisco Unity will not
accept an incoming call on this port.
Message Notification� This setting allows the Cisco Unity port to dial out calls for
message notification, such as to a pager, mobile phone, or text pager. Dialouts are
subject to Restriction Table settings. Simply saving this information will enable this
function.
Dialout MWI� This setting allows the Cisco Unity port to dial out the message lamp on
and off codes that are associated with telephone systems. Typically, the last few ports are
reserved for dialout and outbound MWI traffic only because this type of traffic will not
interfere with calls Cisco Unity is receiving. By default, however, all ports are enabled for
this functionality. The number of recommended ports varies for this depending on the
size of the deployment and how Cisco Unity will be used.
TRAP (Telephony Record and Playback) Connection� This setting is used during
telephone recording and playback of greetings through the Media Master in Cisco Unity.
The Media Master is used when recording or playing greetings using the Cisco Unity
Assistant or through System Administration screens. Unchecking this setting for all ports
would require each user to use the microphone of their PC's multimedia device for record
and playback.
Each Cisco Unity messaging port can be configured to one or more of these five settings:
Enabled, Answer Calls, Message Notification, Dialout MWI, and TRaP Connection. AMIS Delivery
is an optional setting that is available if your Cisco Unity system contains an AMIS license. How
the individual ports on your Cisco Unity are configured will depend on your corporate
messaging needs. Some considerations are discussed in the next section.
The determining factor on how to configure the Cisco Unity ports is your client's corporate
messaging needs. As you have seen, Cisco Unity is feature rich and your use of these features
directly impacts how the ports will be configured.
The AutoAttendant feature can affect the port configuration by requiring the Answer Calls
setting to be used on all ports. To ensure that callers do not receive a busy signal when calling,
you would want as many ports as possible set to answer those calls.
The Message Notification feature of Cisco Unity can greatly increase the dialout usage of the
ports. As you know, subscribers have the option of having up to 13 different message
notification devices configured to notify them when they have messages in their mailbox. If a
port is not available, the message notification will be queued and a user's notifications may be
delayed. How long the delay is will depend on how many message notifications are queued.
If the Dialout MWI setting is not selected on a sufficient number of Cisco Unity ports, there will
be a delay of the lighting and extinguishing of MWIs on the user's telephone. This may result
in user complaints of delayed messages (messages in their mailboxes but the lamps not being
lit) or that lamps are not going out after they retrieve their messages. These scenarios can
occur on those installations that use DTMF or (to a much lesser extent) IP integrations. (Serial-
and PBXLink-type integrations do not use Cisco Unity messaging ports to light message
waiting lamps. However, at least one messaging port must be configured for MWIs).
As a guide, 25 percent of Cisco Unity messaging ports should be set for Dialout MWI for DTMF
integrations. This can be adjusted if issues arise or if corporate needs have specific
requirements.
As a guide for IP integrations, one Dialout MWI port should be configured for every 16 ports of
the Cisco Unity system. Although the Cisco Unity port is not sending out Touch-Tones to light
lamps on an IP integration, the channel still needs to be open.
Using TRaP for hearing voice messages can also have an impact on port usage. If not enough
ports are configured for TRaP, some users will receive an error such as, "Unknown problems are
preventing the completion of this call." Those users then need to use their PC's multimedia
microphone to record greetings during that session, or they can call back when a port becomes
available.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter, you learned the attributes that make up Cisco unified
communications integrations, the types of Cisco unified communications
integrations, and the different uses and types of configurations for messaging ports
in a Cisco messaging system. Specifically, you learned the following:
For additional information on the topics presented in this chapter, refer to the
following resources:
Name the three main integration features present when integration between
1:
Cisco Unity and a PBX takes place.
3: When using PA, what type of ports must you configure in CCM?
List at least three types of integration that Cisco Unity 4.0 uses to integrate
4:
with telephone systems.
When using DTMF integration, what mechanism does Cisco Unity use to
5:
turn on a lamp on a phone?
What type of cable does the SMDI integration usually use to send
6:
information about a call?
When using PBXLink integration, you attach the PBXLink box to the PBX
7:
using what type of lines?
What is the TRaP Connection setting used for on the Cisco Unity messaging
9:
ports?
List at least three telephone systems that Cisco Unity 4.0 currently
10:
supports.
Chapter 10. Unified Communications Networking
Upon completing this chapter, you will be able to perform the following tasks:
Select which scenarios would appropriately use blind addressing in Cisco Unity
from a list of possible scenarios
This chapter covers the networking components that are used with Cisco Unity to
establish communication with other messaging systems for voice mail, e-mail, and
fax.
Before you implement networking between Cisco Unity and other messaging
systems (which may include another Cisco Unity server), you must first understand
the basic concepts and terminology on which it is built. This section defines all the
fundamental concepts for each of the later sections that concentrate on specific
implementations of networking.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have these
prerequisite skills and knowledge. (If you need a quick review of either topic, see
Chapter 1, "Cisco Unified Communications System Fundamentals," where you can
find more information.)
In Cisco Unity, "networking" is the general term for defining messaging between
Cisco Unity servers and Cisco Unity and other messaging systems. In these cases,
messaging systems may include voice mail, e-mail, and fax messaging.
In Cisco Unity Version 3.x and earlier, networking had a limited meaning. It referred
only to the capability of one subscriber to call into voice mail and address a message
to another subscriber residing on a remote Cisco Unity server. This server may have
been in a remote Exchange site. Cisco Unity 4.0 expands the definition of
networking by adding more capabilities, which are described next. Whether or not
you can use each of the new capabilities depends on the type of telephone switch
network you are using and the configuration of your mail store.
In a Cisco Unity networked environment, any subscriber can leave a message for any
other subscriber in the organization by name or extension. Callers can dial into any
Cisco Unity server and the Cisco Unity Automated Attendant will transfer that call to
the correct subscriber in the organization, regardless of which Cisco Unity server the
called subscriber is associated with. Outside callers can also dial into any Cisco Unity
server and find any subscriber by name in the directory and be transferred to them,
regardless of which Cisco Unity server the subscriber is homed to. Finally, any
number of Cisco Unity servers can be bound together in a dialing domain so that
subscribers can address messages and perform auto-attendant transfers simply by
dialing the same number they use to reach that person through the telephone
system.
Figure 10-1 illustrates the different types of networking that Cisco Unity is capable
of handling.
The main goal of networking in Cisco Unity is to deliver messages from a Cisco Unity
server to a target, and from the target to a Cisco Unity server. The experience that a
user has is very simple: the caller leaves a message for someone who is a subscriber
on the system. The caller does not need to know what type of server the subscriber
resides on, nor where they are physically located. The target server may not even be
a Cisco Unity server, in which case communication protocols and software setup are
used to make that message transfer to the remote messaging system once the user
leaves the message. This makes it transparent to the user who is leaving a message.
Cisco Unity has five different types of networking communication methods available,
each of which enables Cisco Unity to be connected to a variety of other messaging
systems for delivery of messages. The type of networking used with Cisco Unity
depends on the target server the subscriber's message needs to be delivered to. The
following list presents a brief look at each type of target server and the method used
to reach it:
VPIM� If the target voice-mail system supports the VPIM protocol, then this
is the preferred method of transferring messages between voice-mail servers.
This is a digital standard based on SMTP and the Multipurpose Internet Mail
Extension (MIME) protocol. Voice, text, and fax messages may be transferred
between target servers.
Digital networking can be used in a Cisco Unity 4.0 and Domino environment. It is
enabled on every Cisco Unity server, and it can be easily configured. Besides the
digital networking requirements, the other required configuration is of the primary
location object on each server. The primary location object is a system object,
created by default when Cisco Unity is installed, and it cannot be deleted. It contains
the information each Cisco Unity server requires to send messages to other servers.
You can find the primary location object in the Cisco Unity Administrator, located
under Network.
Figure 10-2 illustrates the Primary Location page of a Cisco Unity system.
Further information about the requirements for, and configuration of, digital
networking is given in the section "Implementing Digital Networking in Cisco Unity"
later in the chapter.
With the addition of Internet Voice Connector (IVC), Cisco Unity 4.0 for Exchange is
capable of the full range of networking solutions. Users may send messages to
subscribers residing on other Cisco Unity servers, on SMTP servers, on VPIM-
compliant messaging servers, on AMIS-a-compliant voice-mail servers, or on Octel
voice-mail systems that are using the Octel analog protocol. The following sections
explore the capabilities and configuration of each of these networking solutions.
They also discuss when and how the IVC software is used with Cisco Unity and the
other messaging systems.
IVC is a separate installation from Cisco Unity and is located on the Cisco Unity
Installation CD-ROM. After you install IVC, it appears as an Exchange connector
object similar to Internet Mail Service (IMS in Microsoft Exchange 5.5) or SMTP
Connector (Microsoft Exchange 2000, and is a Windows NT service as well). Thus, an
entry is created in the Exchange Gateway Address Routing Table for a message type
of VOICE. Because IVC uses SMTP, it requires the IMS connector to function
properly in Exchange 5.5.
If you are upgrading to Cisco Unity 4.0, then you should use the latest connector. It
is also important that you have only one connector installed. Instructions for
removing earlier versions of the connector differ from the instructions for removing
the most current connector. You can find these instructions at Cisco.com in the
Networking in Cisco Unity Guide (with Microsoft Exchange).
If you install IVC after you have established subscribers on your Cisco Unity system,
and that system will be a remote location (or AMIS location) to other Cisco Unity
systems, you need to run the Extension Address Utility to generate the proper
addresses for your subscribers. To locate this utility, choose Start > Programs >
Unity. It creates user addresses of the type VOICE and SMTP, both necessary for
blind addressing. Once you install IVC, any new subscribers who are added to Cisco
Unity automatically have those addresses generated for them as a part of the
normal subscriber creation process. If you change your location ID or domain name
after creating extension addresses, you need to rerun the utility to create correct
addresses. Instructions for running the utility are located in the Cisco Unity System
Administration Guide.
This section explains in general the message transfer and directory replication
process in a messaging environment. In addition, this section describes Cisco Unity's
interactions with Active Directory (AD) in Microsoft Windows 2000.
Figure 10-3 illustrates the message transfer and directory replication process.
Cisco Unity servers synchronize information in this directory with their local SQL
database. Information such as all mail users, Unity objects, and public distribution
lists are examples of the data that is kept in the SQL database. As a result, directory
lookups across the organization can take place very quickly because a copy is stored
locally on each Cisco Unity server.
Earlier versions of Cisco Unity copied a large amount of information from SQL to the
directory. In Cisco Unity 4.0, that information has been reduced to a smaller set.
Only information that is needed to address messages to subscribers, find
subscribers, and transfer calls to subscribers' phones is now stored in the directory.
The rest of the information is on the SQL database. The type of information copied
to the directory includes the following:
First name.
Last name.
Display name.
Recorded voice name.
E-mail alias.
Fax ID. This ID is used when using third-party fax integrations. It allows faxes
that are intended for a particular subscriber to be sent directly to their
mailbox.
Primary ID. This ID is used when subscribers log on to their voice-mail boxes.
It is usually their extension number.
System ID. This identifies the Cisco Unity server the subscriber is associated
with.
Transfer string. This field identifies the exact digits that are necessary to ring
the subscriber's phone during a transfer. This can include dual-tone
multifrequency (DTMF) digits, trunk access codes, and pauses. Each subscriber
can have only one string.
If a subscriber is added in Seattle, the previous information, along with all the other
subscriber information, is written to the local SQL database. Replication is set
between the database and directory so that the items listed above are transferred to
the directory periodically.
Now that the Seattle local SQL database and directory are in sync, the next step is
to have the SQL database in Chicago pick up the updated information from the
directory. (If there were another site, the same method would be used.) After all the
SQL databases have received the new information, a subscriber in Chicago can look
up the new Seattle subscriber while in voice mail. The subscriber can perform this
either by name or by extension. When addressing a message, the Chicago subscriber
can also choose to hear the voice name of the intended subscriber as confirmation.
In Figure 10-3, the direct message connections are limited to the servers in the local
site. Any subscriber can send messages to users outside the site by using the
message transfer "cloud" (that is, the Message Transfer Agent [MTA] in Exchange
5.5). However, you can log in and access messages only on a server at your site. The
same sort of limitations apply to Exchange 2000/2003 and Domino. Only the names
of the defined boundaries will change.
The following sections examine how messages are transferred within and between
Exchange sites (for Exchange 5.5) and routing groups (for Exchange 2000/2003).
Then, you learn how Cisco Unity interacts with AD in Windows 2000 in terms of the
directory replication process.
Intrasite Messaging in Exchange 5.5
If a particular site has only one Exchange server, all messages and directory
information reside on that server. However, if that site has more than one server,
messages need to be delivered to the appropriate home server, and each of the
directories must be replicated across the servers. To achieve this, Exchange relies on
the Directory Service (Exchange 2000/2003 uses AD instead) to provide information
about where the recipient is homed.
The home server for a recipient is specified when they are created. However, an
administrator may modify which server is the recipient's home server at any time.
This server is where the recipient's mail is physically kept on disk for retrieval. Once
a server is added to a site, directory replication occurs automatically so that each
server on the site knows the list of recipients on every other server at that site.
Directory replication occurs approximately every 5 minutes and typically does not
need to be modified. Figure 10-4 illustrates the process of delivering a message
within an intrasite messaging Exchange 5.5 environment.
The numbers of the steps in the following list correspond to those in Figure 10-4:
1. Fred, in Exchange1, composes a message, addresses it to Joe, and sends it.
(Step 1a is a recognition that Exchange 5.5 servers within a site replicate
information automatically.)
5. The Exchange2 MTA performs a directory lookup in the DS and finds that Joe's
mailbox is homed locally.
All directory services within a site communicate with each other directly to maintain
the Exchange directory synchronization. This occurs about 5 minutes after a change.
There are many similarities between connecting multiple servers in a site and
connecting multiple servers at multiple sites, but a few differences do exist. In a
multiple-site environment, an Exchange administrator between the sites must set up
messaging connectors and directory replication connectors. Some of the messaging
connectors for Exchange 5.5 are site connectors, X.400 connectors, IMS connectors,
and Dynamic Remote Access Service (DRAS) connectors. Determining the best
messaging connector is important because each provides different sets of features
and functionalities. For example, some connectors for Exchange 5.5 have user and
message size restrictions.
After you set up the site connectors, your next step is to configure the proper
directory replication connectors. This configuration varies based on the
organization's topology. The directory replication connector uses the messaging
connector to send its directory replication messages. Therefore, the messaging
connector must be in place before the directory replication connector is set.
Directory replication between sites is scheduled to occur every 3 hours by default,
but may be accelerated. Upon initial installation of the directory replication
connector, directory replication occurs within a few minutes and typically does not
need to be accelerated. After the initial replication, only changes are sent on
subsequent updates to the directory. Once directory replication is completed,
subscribers can address messages to anyone in the organization by accessing either
the Cisco Unity telephone directory conversation or the Exchange-based global
address list (GAL).
Figure 10-5 illustrates how messages are passed within an Exchange 5.5
organization with multiple sites and servers.
The numbers of the steps in the following list correspond to those in Figure 10-5:
4. The Exchange1 MTA notices that Joe's home server is at the remote site Los
Angeles and selects the site connector. The Exchange1 MTA sees that it must
send all mail using the site connector to the site connector bridgehead,
Exchange2.
5. The Exchange2 MTA performs a directory lookup in the DS, realizes that it
must pass this message to the remote site Los Angeles, and uses the site
connector.
7. Exchange3's MTA performs a directory lookup and sees that Joe's home server
is Exchange4.
8. Exchange3's MTA passes the message to the Exchange4 MTA.
In order for directory replication to occur between sites, you must install the
directory replication connector after you install a site connector. As part of the
installation process, you must define a bridgehead server at each site. Replication
between these bridgehead servers then occurs once every 3 hours by default. This
number may be changed in the connector's properties pages. All directory service
changes are sent between bridgeheads as mail messages. The local MTAs are
responsible for delivery.
Routing groups are used in Exchange 2000 to carry out functions that are similar to
what is referred to as sites in Exchange 5.5. If a server in a routing group is the only
server, all messages and directory information reside on that server. However, if two
or more servers exist in a routing group, messages must be delivered to the correct
home server and the directories must be accessed.
4. The Exchange1 SMTP server opens an SMTP connection with the Exchange2
SMTP server and delivers the message.
5. The Exchange2 SMTP server performs a directory lookup in AD and finds that
Joe's mailbox is homed locally.
AD handles all directory services within a Windows 2000 forest, which maintains a
one-to-one correspondence with the Exchange organization. The time it takes to
replicate information varies depending on the links between servers and groups in
Windows 2000. Inside a routing group, all servers should be on fast, permanent LAN
links, so that replication of updated attributes for the directory objects takes place
every 5 minutes.
There are many similarities between connecting multiple servers in a routing group
and connecting multiple servers in multiple routing groups, but there are a few
differences. In a multiple routing group environment, routing group connectors
must be set up between the groups. The Exchange administrator configures this.
Bridgehead servers must be set up in both routing groups, and a cost needs to be
configured for each route. Multiple routing group connectors can also be set. This
enables you to continue to deliver messages if the primary link between the routing
groups is not available.
The manner in which messages are passed within an Exchange 2000 organization
with multiple routing groups and servers is illustrated in Figure 10-7 and described
next.
5. The Exchange2 SMTP server performs a directory lookup in AD, realizes that it
must pass this message to the routing group Los Angeles, and uses the
connector.
7. Exchange3's SMTP server performs a directory lookup and sees that Joe's
home server is Exchange4.
8. Exchange3's SMTP server passes the message to the Exchange4 SMTP server.
9. Exchange4's SMTP server performs a lookup and sees that Joe is homed on
Exchange4.
Replicating AD
This section gives a detailed look at the way Cisco Unity interacts with AD.
Once the administrator saves the data, it is written to Unity 1's local SQL database.
Figure 10-10 illustrates the process of user data being added to the SQL database.
Now that the data is located in AD, it is replicated through the forest on its already
established schedule. Figure 10-12 illustrates how the information is distributed
across AD.
The Global Catalog Monitor passes a message to the Directory Change Writer to
send the changes to the local SQL database in Unity 2. Figure 10-14 illustrates how
new data is passed on to the SQL database.
Digital networking in Cisco Unity 4.0 uses the process previously explained. Each
Cisco Unity server has a primary location object configured. All subscribers homed
on that server are known to all subscribers in the forest, and messages addressed
from any Cisco Unity server in the forest will be delivered. This makes digital
networking easy to set up and efficient in terms of handling delivery of messages.
Network Subscribers
This section details the options that are available for adding subscribers and
presents a decision tree for selecting the most appropriate type of subscribers.
Internet Subscribers
Internet subscribers are used for users who do not have a mailbox in the local
message store. They are used for digital networking and SMTP delivery. These
subscribers can be manually created by using the Cisco Unity Administrator, under
Subscribers. The key parameters when creating these subscribers are that the
Subscriber Type must be set to Internet Subscriber and the SMTP address must be
set.
Exchange custom recipients, which are called contacts in Windows 2000 and
Exchange 2000, are the underlying mechanisms to implement Internet subscribers.
Internet subscribers do not have a local message store. That is because this
subscriber's message store is actually located in a remote server. As a result, items
such as phone passwords, private lists, conversations, and message notification
information are not kept in Cisco Unity.
Internet subscribers do have the option of having a recorded name and greeting,
though. The mailboxes created for these users in Cisco Unity are basically pointers
to the remote server. The SMTP address is the key information that allows messages
to be addressed to the other server. Basically, when a message is left for an Internet
subscriber, that message is packaged and sent to the user via e-mail using the
Exchange 2000 SMTP gateway, called IMS in Exchange 5.5. The end location could
be any other mail server or even another voice-mail system.
When a caller leaves a voice-mail message for an offsite user, the offsite user
appears to the caller as if they are actually on site, whereas in fact they may be field
technicians or outside sales personnel who are not in the office. Internal users can
also address a message to them by using the GAL.
Internet subscribers can also be used to connect offices, without the need of
directory replications and message connectors. The administrator needs to
individually define Internet subscribers for each destination's location. In
organizations that have a large number of users, blind addressing typically is the
ideal choice because of the possible administrative overhead involved.
AMIS Subscribers
When you create an AMIS subscriber, you must set three key parameters: you must
set the Subscriber Type to AMIS subscriber, populate the remote mailbox number
extension, and select the location of the remote voice-mail system. (Normally, this
would be the subscriber's extension number on the remote voice-messaging server.)
VPIM Subscribers
VPIM subscribers contain items that have similar limitations as AMIS subscribers. All
options that relate to the local message store are unavailable. VPIM subscribers
cannot log on to Cisco Unity via the telephone or use Cisco Unity Assistant to
change personal settings. They also cannot own local private lists, receive message
notifications, or receive MWIs through Cisco Unity.
When you create a VPIM subscriber, you must set three key parameters: set the
Subscriber Type to VPIM subscriber, populate the remote mailbox number extension,
and select the location of the remote voice-mail system. (Normally, this would be
the subscriber's extension number on the remote voice-messaging server.)
Bridge Subscribers
Bridge subscribers in Cisco Unity 4.0 are used when interfacing with an Octel analog
voice-mail system. The Cisco Unity Bridge server is used as a networking gateway to
connect to an analog Octel network. Bridge subscribers are very similar to AMIS and
Internet subscribers. The main difference is that the Bridge subscriber's message
store resides on the Octel voice-mail system.
Bridge, VPIM, and AMIS subscribers all share the other features that regular Cisco
Unity subscribers do. An off-campus telephone number can be assigned to them and
calls will be transferred to that number. Callers can perform a directory lookup and
leave a message for these subscribers, although this can be restricted. They can also
be part of distribution lists. The availability of these different types of subscribers
enables you to connect Cisco Unity to other voice-mail systems while maintaining a
transparent look and feel to outside callers.
This section provides information on the choices that are available when determining
the best implementation for particular scenarios.
The flowchart shown in Figure 10-16 represents a decision tree for choosing what
type(s) of subscribers to create on a Cisco Unity server. The choices are not mutually
exclusive.
If you connect messaging servers that are not Cisco Unity servers and you want
callers to be able to find those messaging servers' subscribers in the directory, then
you would implement them as AMIS, VPIM, Internet, or Bridge subscribers. The one
you should choose depends on the target server. If the target servers are not Cisco
Unity servers and you do not wish to have the subscribers listed in the directory,
then blind addressing is your best option.
After asking the administrator a series of three or four questions, you can determine
which type of target server and what kind of addressing to use. First, find out
whether all the target servers are Cisco Unity servers and, if they are, whether they
all use the same global directory. If they do, then implementing digital networking is
the best choice. If not, blind SMTP addressing will work best for you.
Implementing Digital Networking in Cisco Unity
Digital networking is a feature that allows subscribers to exchange voice messages
among one another in organizations that have multiple Cisco Unity servers in one
global directory. This section presents how to implement digital networking and the
different components involved based on organizational requirements.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have these
prerequisite skills and knowledge:
Knowledge of the Cisco Unity standard and optional features (see Chapter 1)
Location objects play an important role when you are using digital networking.
When Cisco Unity is first installed, the installation creates a default location called
the primary location object. It cannot be deleted, because it represents the local
subscribers. As subscribers are added to Cisco Unity, they become members of this
location. The Cisco Unity Administrator allows you to create additional location
objects, called delivery locations, that represent other remote messaging servers,
including Cisco Unity systems. If a location is created on a Cisco Unity server, the
other Cisco Unity servers on the same AD forest will be able to see the new location.
Locations can be found in the Cisco Unity Administrator under Network.
When a new location is created, this information is passed along to the global
directory. Each Cisco Unity server has a Directory Monitor service that checks the
global directory for any changes every 15 minutes. As a result, other Cisco Unity
servers may not immediately see that information.
NOTE
The primary location object contains information that Cisco Unity needs
to route messages between Cisco Unity servers. Its name should reflect a
geographical location.
Location objects can be grouped together using a property called a Dialing Domain
ID. The grouping together of location objects allows you to create a virtual group
that spans multiple Cisco Unity servers by assigning them all the same Dialing
Domain ID. Location objects are used to easily span sites or other networking
boundaries and to provide "transparent" dialing capabilities to customers that have
networked telephone switches.
NOTE
In Cisco Unity, subscribers and any other system objects can be associated only with
the primary location object that is created during initial installation. All other
location objects are used solely for addressing purposes.
When outside callers use the Cisco Unity directory, they are presented with a list of
names that includes members of the primary location object. Directory search
options, which are also called addressing options, can be configured so that all other
administrator-created locations are available to callers. Users who are associated
with any location object other than the default object may be added to public and
private distribution lists or added to message address lists by subscribers only.
When you define the primary location object, you give it a unique Dial ID. Creating
a dial plan for your organization that will result in callers reaching subscribers
correctly and efficiently is very important, so be sure that the Dial IDs do not
conflict with previously assigned IDs.
NOTE
In the Cisco Unity Administrator, all location objects are visible within one global
directory. However, only the administrator can edit and delete the delivery location
objects that were created on their Cisco Unity system. Location objects that
replicate from other sites are read-only.
The original location object that is installed with the system (the primary location
object) can be edited but not deleted from the system. When primary location
objects are replicated to the other Cisco Unity servers, they appear as delivery
location objects there. Primary location objects should contain a meaningful name
so that when they appear as delivery locations on the other servers, they can easily
be identified.
Before you set up digital networking, you must meet some prerequisites, which this
section explains for both Domino and Exchange environments.
Subscribers who require digital networking must be able to access and address each
other. Practically, this means that in a Domino environment, all the partner servers
must be in the same Notes domain. Each Cisco Unity server monitors the primary
Domino directory for the domain names.nsf file. In an Exchange environment, all
servers must be members of the same AD forest, be members of the same Exchange
5.5 site, or be members of sites in an Exchange 5.5 organization that are connected
through directory replication.
When these conditions are met, all subscribers will be able to see all locations and
subscribers at the other locations.
Here is a quick list of the general steps involved when setting up digital networking:
Step 2. Customize primary location objects on all Cisco Unity servers, which
controls which subscribers local users will be able to find.
An optional step would be to assign alternate extensions. One reason you may want
to implement the optional fourth step is to match an extension address with the
number that other subscribers use to call that extension directly. For example, if
someone's extension is 5445222 but subscribers dial 85445222 to reach them
directly, you would enter 85445222 as an alternate extension. Another reason you
may want to add alternate extensions is to provide easy message access (automatic
sign-in to a subscriber account) from telephones other than the subscriber's primary
extension.
If the Cisco Unity servers are attached to a networked telephone system, then you
should follow the optional fifth step to set up Cisco Unity Automated Attendant
transfers. If each Cisco Unity server is integrated with a separate phone system, this
step is not necessary.
Search options (also called addressing options) are configured on each of the
primary locations. These options are used to define how extensive a search may be
in several cases, such as when a local subscriber is addressing a message, when local
subscribers are being added to public or private distribution lists, when callers reach
the local opening greeting for your company, or when an outside caller is looking for
a subscriber in the directory. The primary location on each of the other servers
performs the same function for that server's local subscribers. These locations work
in conjunction with the dialing domain and global directory.
The administrator can limit the searches to the local server, the dialing domain
(when the server is part of one), or to the entire global directory, as shown in Figure
10-17. The searches are normally configured based on the customer's requirements.
In addition, locations can also be included when subscribers are searching for a
subscriber. Basically, this allows them to dial the Dial ID that is assigned to the
remote location, before they enter the subscriber extension. These options are
located on the primary location addressing options. If the locations check box is
unchecked, the Dial ID of the remote location will not be found during a search.
In a networked phone system, subscribers can dial one another without having to
use a trunk access code or prefix. On a networked phone system, all extensions
must be unique. If a company has several Cisco Unity servers, with some attached
to a networked phone system and others attached to separate phone systems, then
the networked phone systems and the separate systems may have an overlapping
dial plan. Cisco Unity addresses this issue by introducing dialing domains in Cisco
Unity 4.0. A dialing domain is a collection of Cisco Unity servers that are integrated
with the same phone system or phone system network. A dialing domain is a group
scheme that allows Cisco Unity to handle overlapping dial plans by having multiple
dialing domains.
Subscribers can address messages directly to subscribers who reside on other Cisco
Unity systems (and if alternate extensions are implemented, this number may be the
same number they use to reach the subscriber directly by telephone). Subscribers
who are on any Cisco Unity server within the dialing domain can be added to public
or private distribution lists. Outside callers who dial in to any Cisco Unity server in
the dialing domain can look up any subscriber in the directory and be transferred to
that subscriber. This assumes that the search scope has been expanded to include
the dialing domain.
Understanding SMTP Networking
SMTP networking is yet another powerful instrument that Cisco Unity uses to allow
local subscribers to send voice-mail messages to recipients who reside on remote
servers. E-mail users who are connected to the Internet can be sent voice mail. Even
other Cisco Unity subscribers who do not share the same directory as the local
server can be sent messages in this way.
Your organization may have specific needs for some of its voice-mail users. These
needs may require that you extend to someone outside the directory on which Cisco
Unity resides the ability to send a message. To meet these needs, SMTP networking
enables you to extend this capability to any messaging system on the Internet that
uses SMTP.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have these
prerequisite skills and knowledge:
Knowledge of the Cisco Unity standard and optional features (see Chapter 1)
SMTP, which is defined by Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) RFC 821, is a
messaging service that enables mail servers to deliver messages among one another.
This service works in conjunction with Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3) and
Internet Message Access Protocol 4 (IMAP4) to provide end users the availability of
e-mail to their desktops. POP3 provides end users the ability to retrieve their
messages even if they are not connected to the messaging server on the Internet.
Normally, users have some type of dial-up connection to the Internet, using an
Internet service provider (a point-of-presence provider). Once they have established
that connection, they can connect to the mail server and download their messages.
IMAP works basically the same way; however, instead of first downloading all the
messages, it first downloads the header of each message for purposes of reducing
the amount of data that is sent to the client. IMAP and POP3 are not required if
there is a permanent connection to the messaging servers.
Exchange 5.5 uses the IMS connector to provide Internet messaging capabilities.
IMS uses the SMTP, POP3, and IMAP4 protocols to provide this service. By default,
IMS is not configured on a new Exchange 5.5 server; you use the Exchange
Administrator tool to configure it. Before you configure it, though, IMS requires a
Domain Name System (DNS) server for the purpose of resolving the fully qualified
domain name (FQDN) and delivering the messages.
When users are created in Exchange, an SMTP address is automatically generated for
them also. By default, Exchange uses the user's alias followed by
@ExchangeSiteName.ExchangeOrganizationName.com. The format of this address
can by modified to accommodate organizational needs. For example, if the
organization is a university, the address requires an .edu extension. It is common for
administrators to remove ExchangeSiteName from the default naming address for
purposes of simplifying the sending of SMTP mail.
In Exchange 2000, SMTP is used in a variety of ways. SMTP is one of the services
installed when setting up Internet Information Server (IIS). Exchange 2000 uses
SMTP as its message transport method, even before the administrator installs the
SMTP connector. Exchange 2000 uses SMTP for the delivery of messages. When the
SMTP connector in Exchange is installed, it enhances the functionality and
manageability of the existing SMTP service for Exchange. Some examples of these
enhancements are the capability to relay messages to particular domains, add
inbound/outbound security, and define routes for traffic.
To ensure that AD and Exchange 2000 work well in an organization, DNS must be
designed and configured correctly.
Cisco Unity uses the SMTP connector provided in Exchange 2000 (known as IMS in
Exchange 5.5) to deliver messages to other Cisco Unity servers that do not share
the same local directory. The SMTP connector also delivers messages to messaging
servers that are not Cisco Unity servers but that also use SMTP. The SMTP connector
is used to send and receive messages from messaging servers that also support
SMTP. This can be either an Exchange server or a non-Exchange server on the
Internet.This functionality is extended to Cisco Unity when the connector is properly
installed.
Using SMTP to deliver messages to remote mail servers has many advantages over
using other protocols. However, one of its disadvantages is the fact that when Cisco
Unity sends a voice-mail message to a subscriber on a remote server using the SMTP
connector, the Cisco Unity voice attributes are not preserved. This means that when
the message arrives at the remote server, the message appears as a regular e-mail
with a WAV attachment. In addition, if the Cisco Unity subscriber does not belong to
the same local Exchange organization directory, then they need to be configured in
Exchange in a specific way to preserve the Cisco Unity attributes. They must either
be added manually to the Exchange directory as custom recipients or be added on
each local e-mail client such as Microsoft Outlook. They can be added as address
book entries in the personal address book on the client.
Cisco Unity addresses these concerns by using IVC along with SMTP networking to
retain the Cisco Unity voice attributes when messages are sent across the Internet.
When installed, IVC registers with the local Exchange server so that it may handle all
the messages with type VOICE. When Exchange receives a VOICE message, it
redirects it to IVC. IVC repackages the message in MIME format and hands it off to
the SMTP service, which then sends it across to the intended recipient. Once the
message is received by the target server (assuming that the server also is Cisco
Unity with IVC implemented), it is sent to IVC, which in turn reconverts the
message while maintaining the VOICE attributes. The message then is delivered to
the subscriber as a voice-mail message. This means that the subscriber gets an MWI
lamp and can pick up the message over the phone or the desktop. If the target
server does not have IVC installed, then these messages are sent as e-mail with a
WAV file attachment.
Here is a quick list of the general steps that are involved when you set up SMTP
networking:
Step 7. Create delivery locations (if remote subscribers are on Cisco Unity).
The steps required to set up SMTP networking between a Cisco Unity server and
another messaging system are similar to the steps required to set up digital
networking. The only difference is that with SMTP, IVC must be installed.
Dial planning is also an important factor when you are implementing SMTP
networking. Dial planning means making sure that there are no conflicting IDs that
could potentially confuse someone who is searching for a subscriber. If Exchange 5.5
is the server used, IMS must be installed on the server that IVC will be installed on.
However, this is not required in Exchange 2000 because SMTP is the default
messaging transport method used.
After you install IMS and confirm successful connectivity, the next step is to install
IVC, which should be installed if one or more of the remote servers are Cisco Unity
systems. There should be only one installation of IVC for an Exchange 5.5 or AD
forest. Make sure the latest version of IVC is installed. If a previous version is
already installed, you must remove it before you install the latest version.
Figure 10-18 shows the first menu that you see when you start the IVC setup for
Exchange 2000.
Figure 10-18. IVC Setup for Exchange 2000
The next step after you install IVC is to customize the primary location object on
the Cisco Unity server. This includes populating the name field and Dial ID and
recording a voice name. If suitable, you can also make the location object a member
of the dialing domain. The dialing domain needs to be entered only once from a
Cisco Unity server if you are creating a new one. The rest of the servers in that
domain will be able to select it after replication takes place.
The next step is to enter the SMTP domain name. If the domain has more than one
Cisco Unity server using SMTP networking, then you must configure the primary
location of all the servers, especially the SMTP domain name. If this is not
configured, then SMTP networking will not work for subscribers on the other Cisco
Unity servers.
SMTP networking carries the same set of considerations as digital networking when
you are setting up addressing and search options. You should create delivery
locations for each remote Cisco Unity server also.
The following is the general information included in a delivery location object: the
location name, a Dialing Domain ID, a recorded name, the destination type, and the
SMTP domain name. Each specific delivery location, however, such as SMTP, AMIS,
and VPIM delivery locations, has its own specific settings. The settings for each type
of delivery location are covered later in the chapter in each of their own delivery
location section.
The following are the steps for creating a delivery location object for SMTP:
Step 3. Click the plus command icon to create a new delivery location.
Step 4. Fill in the Name, which will represent the remote messaging server (for
example, UNITY04).
Step 5. Assign a Dial ID that will be used to reach this remote location (for
example, 555).
Step 6. For the purpose of this exercise, select SMTP as the location type.
Step 7. Fill in the SMTP with the domain of the remote messaging system,
without adding the @ sign, such as unity40Domain.cisco.com.
Step 8. Click Add to insert the delivery location into the database.
Adding the location object is one of several steps involved in setting up networking
for Cisco Unity. As a reminder, you create delivery locations for remote messaging
systems that are not part of the same global directory.
Just as in dialing domains, you should create the delivery locations on one server in
the network. If there are multiple Cisco Unity servers in the same directory, they will
be able to access the newly created location because the location data is stored in
the global directory and will be replicated to the entire Cisco Unity server there.
Internet subscribers are another type of voice-mail recipient used in Cisco Unity.
They are used with SMTP networking for users who do not have a local message
store in Exchange. In other words, they are used for sending mail to users homed
on remote messaging servers. When you add a new subscriber through the Cisco
Unity Administrator, if you change the Subscriber Type to Internet, a new field called
SMTP Address appears at the bottom of the page, as shown in Figure 10-19. This
basically is the e-mail address of the remote user, such as
[email protected]. When Internet subscribers are created in Cisco
Unity, they are created in Exchange 2000/Windows 2000 as mail-enabled contacts
and in Exchange 5.5 as Exchange custom recipients. These users do not have a local
Exchange message store.
Figure 10-19. Adding a New Internet Subscriber with Internet
Subscriber Key Components
NOTE
Making good dial plan decisions before you implement SMTP networking
is very important. When you create Internet subscribers for another
remote Cisco Unity server, you assign to them the Dial ID of the remote
server (delivery location) within their SMTP address. If the administrator
of the remote server changes its Dial ID, you need to manually change
the Dial ID assignment of each of the existing Internet subscribers. The
Extension Addresses Utility, which is normally used to modify subscribers,
cannot be used to modify this action.
Internet subscribers in Cisco Unity enable users to send a voice-mail message to a
user even though the Internet Subscriber's message store is not local. Because the
message store is not local, the setup options that normally are available with the
message store are not available, as identified in Figure 10-20. That means the
following personalized options are not configurable for these subscribers using the
Cisco Unity Administrator: view and set account status, set a billing ID, set a logon
password, create and edit personalized groups of message recipients, set options for
what callers hear when interacting with Cisco Unity, and set device and schedule
options.
An Internet subscriber is a pointer to a remote mail server. The SMTP address for
these subscribers is the key element. Internal and outside users can send voice-mail
messages to these subscribers. Internal users benefit even further because they can
address Internet subscribers by using the GAL. Internet subscribers also have the
option of having a recorded name and the different types of greetings that are
available to regular subscribers. Because Internet subscribers do not have access to
Cisco Unity via the Telephone User Interface (TUI) or Cisco Personal Communications
Assistant (CPCA), the administrator must record these for them. When a message is
left for the Internet subscriber, the message is actually delivered out of the SMTP
gateway (IMS), to the Internet, and then to IMS. The messaging server can also be
a mail server of another voice-mail system. For the person who is leaving the voice-
mail message, an Internet subscriber is presented just like any other regular
subscriber on the Cisco Unity system.
With Internet subscribers, you also have the option to link offices without setting up
messaging connectors and directory replication connectors between sites. The
administrator must set up Internet subscribers for each destination location. If the
organization has a large number of users, blind addressing would be more practical
to use.
When Internet subscribers are used, the remote messaging server can be a Cisco
Unity system also. If it is not, the voice-mail messages that are sent will arrive at
the other messaging server as WAV attachments in e-mails.
Internet subscribers have certain limitations in terms of using Cisco Unity. They
cannot log on to Cisco Unity either over the phone or using Cisco Unity Assistant. As
a result, they cannot adjust personal settings identified earlier in Figure 10-20. In
addition they cannot use VMO or Cisco Unity Inbox. The underlying reason for these
limitations is that Internet subscribers do not have a local mailbox in Exchange.
Understanding VPIM Networking
VPIM is a standard used by different messaging systems to exchange voice, fax, and
text messages among different systems over the Internet or a TCP/IP network. VPIM
networking enables Cisco Unity to exchange this type of information with other
systems that are also using VPIM. This section presents the basic concepts and
procedures involved with VPIM networking and Cisco Unity.
If your organization needs to exchange messages between Cisco Unity and a VPIM-
compliant messaging server, then you need to understand how VPIM works and the
procedures for setting it up in Cisco Unity. Once it is set up, callers will have a
transparent experience when messaging across the systems.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have these
prerequisite skills and knowledge:
Knowledge of the standard and optional Cisco Unity features (see Chapter 1)
Knowledge of how Cisco Unity messaging handles calls (see Chapter 2, "Using
Your Cisco Unified Communications System")
VPIM is a standard that was introduced in the industry for the intended purpose of
having a common format for exchanging different types of messages digitally
among messaging systems. It is based on the SMTP and MIME protocols. Voice, fax,
and text can be exchanged over the Internet or on a TCP/IP network. As a result,
organizations can potentially save on long-distance toll charges for messages sent
among messaging systems.
VPIM defines the format of the messages, the protocols used, and the message
addresses exchanged between two VPIM-compliant messaging systems. It is up to
the messaging servers to specify how these messages are handled and presented to
the end users. The type of client application used is an example of an item that
varies depending on the actual messaging system used. Some servers may provide
access to these messages through a telephone, an e-mail client application, or both.
More information about the VPIM standard is available at http://www.ema.org/vpim.
VPIM networking is a licensed feature in Cisco Unity and is used with Microsoft
Exchange 5.5/2000 integrations. If multiple Cisco Unity servers are networked
together, then only one Cisco Unity server requires the VPIM license and
configuration for VPIM networking. Licensing information can be viewed by using the
Cisco Unity License Manager.
Figure 10-21 shows where you can check whether you are licensed for VPIM.
VPIM messages can contain several different types of MIME-encoded pieces, such as
a voice message, a fax message, a text message, the sender's spoken name, or even
a vCard, which is an electronic business card.
TIP
Cisco Unity can be configured to include the spoken name and vCard for
outgoing messages. This is set using the Cisco Unity Administrator tool
on the VPIM Delivery Location page.
For incoming messages, Cisco Unity allows the spoken name to be included in the
message if it is attached as a WAV file. This means, for example, that when a
subscriber receives a voice message, the subscriber can hear the spoken name of the
sender first, then the actual voice message. In addition, a vCard sent to Cisco Unity
can be viewed from a subscriber's Outlook client using VMO. Voice messages that
are sent across VPIM are encoded using the International Telecommunication Union
(ITU) G.726 Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation (ADPCM) standard, and fax
messages are encoded using the Tagged Image File Format, class F (TIFF-F)
standard.
When Cisco Unity records a message, it records it in the format defined in Cisco
Unity. When a message is addressed to a subscriber on a remote VPIM-compliant
messaging system, the VPIM connector converts the message into the G.726
standard. The same is true when a subscriber receives a message from a messaging
system. Cisco Unity receives the message in the G.726 format, and then IVC
converts it to what Cisco Unity is defined to, so that its local subscribers will be able
to hear the message correctly.
NOTE
When you are setting up VPIM, you must insert a VPIM delivery location object.
When VPIM messages are addressed, VPIM uses the information set up in the VPIM
delivery location object to format the To: field of the message. It also uses the
information from the primary location object to format the From: field of the
message being sent.
Here is a quick list of the general steps that are involved when you set up VPIM
networking:
Step 7. Create delivery locations for the remote system for VPIM.
NOTE
Be sure that the SMTP service is running on the Exchange server that the
VPIM connector will be installed on and also that the SMTP service or
gateway is properly installed on the remote messaging server. More
information on this can be found at Cisco.com in the Networking in Cisco
Unity Guide (with Microsoft Exchange).
The next step is to further extend the AD schema specifically for VPIM networking.
You accomplish this by using the AD Schema Setup utility found on the Cisco Unity
CD 1. Instructions for this are located in the Networking in Cisco Unity Guide (with
Microsoft Exchange), which is available at Cisco.com.
Extending the schema for VPIM means adding information to the Cisco Unity
location object class. Keep in mind that this may not be the same extension
performed while first installing Cisco Unity. More information about the schema
changes made are located in a file called vpimgateway.ldf, which is located on Cisco
Unity CD 1 in the Schema\LdifScripts directory.
TIP
After you extend the schema and test connectivity, the next step is to install IVC on
an Exchange 2000 server. Although the installation is only supported on Exchange
2000, it is also supported on a mixed-mode environment that includes Exchange
2000. There should be only one installation of IVC for an AD forest. Also make sure
the latest version of IVC is installed. If a previous version is already present, you
must remove it before you install the latest version. During the installation, you are
prompted to choose whether to install the SMTP Transport Event Sink, using the
check box option shown in Figure 10-22. By default, this option is unchecked. Install
this component on all the messaging servers that will be accepting incoming VPIM
messages. This means that if only one server will be receiving these types of
messages in the organization, that system is the only one that requires the SMTP
Transport Event Sink.
Figure 10-22. VPIM IVC Setup Option to Install the SMTP Transport
Event Sink
The next step after you install IVC is to customize the primary location object on
the Cisco Unity server. This includes populating the name field and Dial ID and
recording a voice name. If suitable, you can also make the location object a member
of the dialing domain. The dialing domain needs to be entered only once from a
Cisco Unity server if you are creating a new one. The rest of the Cisco Unity servers
in that domain will be able to select it after replication takes place.
Entering the SMTP domain name is the next step. If the domain has more than one
Cisco Unity server using digital networking, then you must configure the primary
location of all the servers, especially the SMTP domain name. If this is not
configured, then VPIM networking will not work for subscribers on the other Cisco
Unity servers.
VPIM networking carries the same set of considerations as digital networking when
you are setting up addressing and search options. You should create VPIM delivery
locations for each remote voice-messaging server. Just as in dialing domains, you
should create the delivery locations on one server in the network. If multiple Cisco
Unity servers are networked together, they will be able to access the newly created
location because the location data is stored in the directory.
Creating the VPIM subscribers is the next step. These are created only for users who
would like to appear in the corporate directory. The final step is to configure the
remote system for VPIM networking.
Location objects play an important role when you are using VPIM networking. When
you install Cisco Unity, the installation creates a single default location referred to as
the primary location object (named Default Location Object when Cisco Unity is first
installed). As subscribers are added to Cisco Unity, they become members of this
location. The Cisco Unity Administrator allows you to create additional location
objects that represent other messaging servers, including Cisco Unity. If you are on
the same AD forest, you do not need to create additional locations, because they
will be available within minutes of their creation as default objects on the other
systems. Location objects can be linked together using a property called a Dialing
Domain ID. The linking together of these objects allows you to create a meta-
location that spans multiple Cisco Unity servers by assigning them all the same
Dialing Domain ID. Using Dialing Domains also allows you to easily span sites or
other networking boundaries and to provide "transparent" dialing capabilities to
customers who have networked telephone switches.
On a Cisco Unity system, subscribers and any other system objects can be
associated only with the primary location object that is created by the setup
program. All delivery location objects are used solely for remote addressing
purposes.
When outside callers use the Cisco Unity directory, they are presented with a list of
names that includes members of the primary location object. Directory search
options can be configured so that all other administrator-created delivery locations
are also available to callers. Users who are associated with any location object other
than the default object may be added to public and private distribution lists or
added to message address lists by subscribers only.
When you define the primary location object, you assign a Dial ID. Creating a dial
plan for your organization that will result in callers reaching subscribers correctly
and efficiently is very important, so be sure that the Dial IDs that you create do not
conflict with previously assigned IDs. Another key setting on the primary location
when using VPIM is the SMTP domain name. The domain is likely to be the same
that is used when setting up the Event Sink domain.
Within the primary location, you also define the addressing options. Addressing
options are relevant when Cisco Unity subscribers are addressing messages using the
telephone. The default search limit is to the local server. This means that local
subscribers can address only local subscribers from the Cisco Unity server. This
option can be changed to search on the global directory or dialing domain if you
have other Cisco Unity servers networked together.
Another option that can be configured on the Primary location page is the Blind
Addressing ability of local subscribers to send messages to other locations.
NOTE
When you record a name for the delivery location, and someone is blind
addressing, the confirmation they will receive of that location is that
location's recorded name.
When you are creating location objects in Cisco Unity, they are all visible in the Cisco
Unity Administrator from the Cisco Unity servers within the same global directory.
However, only the administrator can modify or delete the locations created on their
Cisco Unity server. Locations that are created on other servers are replicated, but
they appear as read-only on the rest of the other servers. In addition, the primary
location object can be modified but not deleted from any of the Cisco Unity
systems.
Figure 10-23 is an example of a VPIM delivery location setup on a local Cisco Unity
server. The following fields are shown:
A. Display Name� The name given to the delivery location object and the
name by which other Cisco Unity servers identify this location.
B. Dial ID� A unique ID given to the delivery location for the purpose of
blind addressing to this location.
C. Recorded Name� The recording that is played if a caller dials the Dial ID
of this location to find a subscriber. The recorded name is played to the caller
so that they can determine whether they have reached the proper location
before they search for a subscriber there.
H. Sender's Recorded Name� When this check box is checked, the sender's
recorded name is sent along with the voice message that is sent.
I. Sender's vCard� When this check box is checked, the sender's vCard is
sent along with the voice message that is sent.
NOTE
When Cisco Unity receives a message, the SMTP Transport Event Sink first detects it
and then redirects the message to IVC. The Event Sink is a component that is used
with Cisco Unity to readdress messages and send them to IVC. When IVC receives a
message, it checks whether the message was sent by a defined delivery location and
whether the intended extension is in fact defined. If any of these do not match, the
message is rejected and sent back to the sending original messaging system with a
nondelivery report (NDR). If the message is validated and the delivery location is
found, IVC starts to prepare the message for local delivery. IVC removes the prefixes
placed on the To: and From: fields. IVC then checks that the recipients of the
message exist. The message is then converted back from MIME to MAPI. Voice
attachments are also converted into the format specified in the VPIM Delivery
Location page. The last step is to send the message to Exchange so that it can
handle the delivery of it to the subscriber's mailbox.
VPIM and Internet subscribers are very similar in terms of the information stored in
Exchange. They are Cisco Unity subscribers with no mailbox storage on the
Exchange mail store. Before you create VPIM subscribers, make sure the delivery
locations are created on the server where they will reside.
When you are creating these subscribers, you must specify the VPIM delivery
location and the remote mailbox number of the subscribers. Although a Cisco Unity
local extension is required, it does not need to be the same as the remote
extension.
AD stores VPIM subscribers as contacts. These subscribers can be deleted either
individually or by deleting the VPIM delivery location associated with them. This also
deletes any VPIM subscriber associated with that delivery location. In any of these
cases, the contact information is preserved in AD. Cisco Unity Administrator does
not remove this information.
Figure 10-24 shows the window that you use to add a new VPIM subscriber with the
VPIM key components.
TIP
The Bulk Import tool can be used to add multiple VPIM subscribers at
one time.
The message store options are not available to VPIM subscribers, because they do
not have a local message store. Like Internet subscribers, VPIM subscribers cannot
log on to Cisco Unity via the telephone or use the Cisco Unity Assistant to receive
message notifications, receive MWIs, or own private lists.
Understanding AMIS Networking
AMIS-a is a Cisco Unity�supported protocol that is used to transfer voice-mail
messages among AMIS-compliant messaging systems. This section covers AMIS
networking concepts and the overall actions that you take to implement AMIS
networking with Cisco Unity.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have these
prerequisite skills and knowledge:
More information on the DTMF tones that are transmitted during a call can be found
in the following white paper at Cisco.com: "AMIS Analog Networking Definitions (for
Cisco Unity with Microsoft Exchange)."
AMIS networking is a licensed feature in Cisco Unity. Only one server requires the
AMIS license in an organization with multiple Cisco Unity servers. The server with
AMIS enabled is treated as the AMIS server. For load-balancing purposes, more
AMIS servers can also be added to a network.
Figure 10-25 shows the versatility that Cisco Unity has as a messaging server. It is
capable of assisting an organization that is transitioning its circuit-switched (legacy)
PBX to an IP-based PBX network. The drawing contains two switches that are
connected to Cisco Unity. One is a circuit-switched telephone system that is
connected to Cisco Unity via analog interfaces. The other is a Cisco CallManager, an
IP-based PBX that connects to Cisco Unity by using the Cisco IP-based network
protocol called Skinny Client Control Protocol (SCCP). Cisco Unity can manage
subscribers from both IP telephones and standard single-line extensions attached to
the circuit-switched PBX. Cisco Unity can also send and receive voice-mail messages
using the AMIS-a protocol through the analog lines connected to the circuit-
switched PBX and voice mail.
Step 3. For each Cisco Unity server that is handling AMIS calls:
SMTP, digital, VPIM, and AMIS networking share similarities in terms of their setup,
including the IVC installation. However, one distinction AMIS has is that it uses
analog telephone lines to exchange voice-mail messages with other systems. As a
result, AMIS networking has different setup instructions.
Before you begin, it is important to verify that the destination server is AMIS
compliant. A list of supported AMIS servers is available in the Cisco Unity Pre-
Installation Guide found at Cisco.com.
Installing IVC on an Exchange server is one of the first things to do. As mentioned
earlier in the section "Setting Up SMTP Networking," only one installation of IVC
should exist on an AD forest, Exchange site, or multisite organization. If an earlier
version is already installed, you must remove it before you install the newest
version.
NOTE
If you are preparing to install IVC on an Exchange 5.5 server, make sure
that your Cisco Unity server is on the same site. Also, verify that IMS is
installed.
TIP
Is IVC already installed on your Exchange 5.5/2000 system?
On Exchange 2000, open the Exchange System Manager and locate the
Tools instance, within which is a folder called Monitoring and Status.
Highlight the subfolder called Status. If IVC is installed, you will see an
"AVExchangeIVC_" entry.
After you install IVC, you must complete several other steps on each of the AMIS
servers on which you will be installing AMIS (if your setup requires multiple AMIS
servers).
Step 1. Create the UAmis mailbox on the AMIS server and designate which
ports will be used for outbound AMIS calls. In terms of receiving AMIS calls,
any port can be used to accept incoming calls.
Step 2. Customize the primary location object on the Cisco Unity server. This
includes populating the Name and Dial ID fields and recording a voice name. If
suitable, you can also make the location object a member of the dialing
domain. The dialing domain needs to be entered only once from a Cisco Unity
server if you are creating a new one.
The primary location also contains settings that are specific to AMIS. These are
called the AMIS Node ID settings (see Figure 10-26) and they are present only if you
are licensed for AMIS. The AMIS Node ID contains the country code, area code, and
phone number. When combined, they make up the Node ID, which is sent through
DTMF tones along with any voice messages that are intended for a remote AMIS
node. This is how the remote AMIS node identifies the calling node. The only
required field of these three is the phone number, because some voice-messaging
systems only require this number. When configuring the country code and area
code, they must match what is expected on the target system (which may not be
called area code). This is important for international numbers.
In addition, you must create a delivery location for the remote AMIS messaging
system. If multiple Cisco Unity servers are networked together, they will be able to
access the newly created locations, because the location data is stored in the
directory.
The next step is to decide whether to create the AMIS subscribers or use blind
addressing. You create AMIS subscribers only for users who would like to appear in
the corporate directory. The final step is to configure the remote system for AMIS
networking.
A Cisco Unity system that will be used for outgoing AMIS calls must be assigned
ports to use for this purpose. All ports that are set for outgoing calls can be used for
inbound AMIS calls as well. By their nature, AMIS calls can be lengthy; a 5-minute
message sent to a target AMIS server takes 5 minutes to transmit the message, plus
the time needed for the two servers to set up the transfer. Some of this overhead
takes place with every call. A 2-minute message, for example, that is sent to a
distribution list of 200 AMIS recipients is sent individually to each recipient. That
message will take at least 6 hours and 40 minutes to successfully transmit
((2x200)/60).
TIP
When logged in as a Cisco Unity administrator, you can use these tools to
configure AMIS delivery ports: Cisco Unity Administrator�Ports page,
and UTIM. Each offers the same configuration functionality for this.
When multiple ports are set up to handle outbound AMIS calls, the load is spread
out among them. When multiple messages are queued for a single destination,
messages are grouped in batches of nine and each batch is sent to a different port
for load balancing. When multiple destinations are involved, separate ports are used
for each destination.
You can set up AMIS schedules so that transmission of voice-mail messages takes
place at times of lower system activity. After-business hours are generally times of
less activity. You can base this consideration on how many AMIS calls and how much
activity are taking place, because AMIS transmissions can be lengthy. One possible
advantage of using a schedule is to have transmissions take place during times of
lower long-distance rates. You can also configure AMIS schedules so that all urgent
messages are sent immediately. Users should be informed when AMIS schedules are
set for after-hours so that they may choose to send an e-mail instead if the matter
requires a faster response. AMIS schedules are set within the AMIS Options menu
using the Cisco Unity Administrator.
AMIS Options are settings that are used to place restrictions and create schedules
for sending outbound messages to remote AMIS nodes. These settings determine
when and where AMIS calls will be delivered.
Within the AMIS Options area, there are two sections: AMIS Delivery Options and
Schedule Settings. This can sometimes be misleading because AMIS Delivery
Options seem similar to the options found within the AMIS Delivery Location page.
However, they are separated into a different section within the Cisco Unity
Administrator because of their functionality. The AMIS Delivery Options enable you
to configure whether urgent messages are going to be allowed for immediate
delivery, set restriction tables based on administrator-defined dial strings, configure
what actions to take when the remote system rings but does not answer, and
configure what actions to take when the remote system is busy.
The Schedule Settings section allows you to configure when delivery of messages
will occur if you have set up a schedule. The AMIS Schedule Settings schedule works
in a similar way to the System Schedule in Cisco Unity. If you check a half-hour
interval on the Schedule Settings page, it means delivery of messages will occur
within that time period. If it is unchecked, then any messages left within that time
frame are queued until the available time period. By default, all AMIS nodes are
allowed to deliver messages at all times. The restriction table on the AMIS Delivery
Options page and the Schedule Settings page determines this.
NOTE
When messages are sent from the Cisco Unity server to a remote AMIS system, they
are first placed in the UAmis mailbox. The mailbox is created on the Exchange server
that contains the Cisco Unity AMIS license.
NOTE
The UAmis mailbox is created using the ConfigMgr tool located in the
Cisco Unity server \Commserver folder. It is not created using the Cisco
Unity Administrator, because it is a special type of mailbox. In addition,
this mailbox should be created on the AMIS bridgehead server or on
AMIS servers that will be handling inbound and outbound AMIS
messages.
Outgoing AMIS messages are placed in the UAmis mailbox for delivery. This mailbox
is created on the Exchange server that is associated with the Cisco Unity server that
is licensed for AMIS. Storage limits for this mailbox are important because AMIS
transmissions can be lengthy. By default, mailboxes that are created in Exchange use
the storage defaults put in place by the system administrator. This can be changed
for individual mailboxes and it should be considered for the UAmis mailbox. Items
that you should consider include any dialing and scheduling restrictions placed on
AMIS, times of day when AMIS traffic spikes occur, and drive space limits on the
Exchange server.
It is recommended to also monitor outbound AMIS traffic by using the AMIS Out
traffic report, available on the Cisco Unity Administrator. The report can give you a
baseline as to peak times of AMIS usage, which you can then use to set up the limits
on the UAmis mailbox.
Because UAmis is another Exchange mailbox, it can also be moved. If you move it,
you need to restart Cisco Unity to reestablish the connection with the mailbox in its
new location. Otherwise, messages sent to the mailbox may be held there and not
transmitted during the regularly scheduled time.
In Cisco Unity, AMIS outgoing messages are queued by node and sent in batches of
a maximum of nine. When there are more than nine, Cisco Unity hangs up, waits a
short while, and then places another call to continue delivery of the rest of the
messages. Each of these messages has a time limit of 8 minutes. During a
transmission, the length of the message is sent first. If it exceeds the maximum, the
destination node may refuse the message. Cisco Unity, however, will accept
messages that exceed that limit under certain conditions. The subscriber who is
receiving the message must have their mailbox set up to allow this and their
mailbox must have enough free space to accept the message.
Also, incoming AMIS messages can be delivered only to subscribers and not to
public distribution lists.
In Cisco Unity, subscribers and any other system objects can be associated only with
the primary location object that is created by the Setup program. All delivery
location objects are used specifically for addressing remote messaging systems.
When outside callers use the Cisco Unity directory, they are presented with a list of
names that includes members of the primary location object. When you define the
primary location object, you assign it a Dial ID. Creating a dial plan for your
organization that will result in callers reaching subscribers correctly and efficiently is
very important, so be sure that the Dial IDs that you create do not conflict with
previously assigned IDs.
All location objects that are created are visible in the Cisco Unity Administrator.
However, only the administrator can modify or delete locations that are created on
the Cisco Unity server they manage. Locations that are created on other sites are
replicated and appear as read-only to the rest of the other sites. The primary
location object can be modified but not deleted from Cisco Unity.
A delivery location must be configured for every remote AMIS node to exchange
messages. The AMIS delivery location contains two key items to ensure delivery of
AMIS messages: the Delivery Phone Number and Node ID. The Delivery Phone
Number is the digits that Cisco Unity dials out when attempting to deliver a
message to this remote voice-mail system. This number may include a trunk access
number, depending on your setup. The Node ID setting is used when receiving
messages from the remote voice-mail system. When Cisco Unity receives an AMIS
call, the remote voice-mail system identifies itself by sending its Node ID. Cisco
Unity tries to match that ID with the delivery location AMIS Node ID. If it does not
match, the message is not accepted.
TIP
The delivery location needs to be created on only one Cisco Unity server. It is then
replicated in the directory, where all the other servers in that directory will be able to
access it.
Using IVC and AMIS Networking
Cisco Unity uses IVC to send and receive AMIS messages. When a subscriber
addresses a message to an AMIS recipient, the message is passed to the IVC that is
registered with Exchange. IVC formats the To: and From: field addresses and places
the message in the UAmis mailbox for delivery.
When you are using Cisco Unity in an all�Exchange 5.5 environment, IVC for
Exchange 5.5 is required. However, if it is an all�Exchange 2000 environment (or is
mixed with Exchange 5.5), then use IVC for Exchange 2000 instead. When in a
mixed environment, do not use the Exchange 5.5 Administrator program to manage
IVC for Exchange 2000. Instead, use the appropriate Microsoft Management Console
(MMC) snap-in.
AMIS subscribers are similar to VPIM subscribers in terms of the information stored
in Exchange. They are Cisco Unity subscribers with no mailbox storage on the
Exchange mail store. Before you create these subscribers, you must create the AMIS
delivery location object for them, because when you add a new AMIS subscriber, you
must select a defined AMIS delivery location and remote extension number of the
subscriber. Although a Cisco Unity local extension is required, it does not need to be
the same as the remote extension.
Figure 10-29 shows the window that you use to add a new AMIS subscriber with
AMIS key components.
The Bulk Import tool can be used to create multiple AMIS subscribers at
a time.
The message store options are not available to AMIS subscribers, because they do
not have a local message store. Like VPIM and Internet subscribers, AMIS
subscribers cannot log on to Cisco Unity via the telephone or use the Cisco Unity
Assistant to receive message notifications, receive MWIs, and own private lists.
Understanding Bridge Networking
Bridge networking with Cisco Unity allows messages to be transferred between Cisco
Unity and Octel voice-mail servers within an Octel analog environment.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have these
prerequisite skills and knowledge:
Cisco Unity Bridge is a gateway that runs on a server that allows Cisco Unity to
communicate with Octel nodes within an Octel analog network. On the Octel
network, the Bridge appears as another node on the network. This is similar to how
Cisco Unity appears as a node on an AMIS network. The Cisco Unity Bridge's main
function is to translate messages between two different protocols. When the Bridge
communicates with an Octel node, it actually places a call to the Octel system, and
then it uses the Octel analog protocol. When it communicates with the Cisco Unity
system Octel uses VPIM with proprietary extensions for added functionality. Because
VPIM uses TCP/IP to communicate, messaging between Cisco Unity and the Bridge
can be done over the Internet or a TCP/IP network using SMTP.
Bridge networking is a licensed feature of Cisco Unity and requires a separate Bridge
server. If you have multiple Cisco Unity servers in your organization, only one server
needs to be licensed for and designated as the Bridge server. For purposes of load
balancing, you can add more bridge servers. Bridge servers exist in a one-to-one
relationship with Cisco Unity servers, which means that if there are two Bridge
servers, two Cisco Unity servers are required to be configured for Bridge networking.
TIP
To check whether your Cisco Unity server contains a license for Bridge
networking, open the license Manager by going to Start > Run >
Programs > Unity > Licensing.
There, you will see all the features that are licensed, including the Bridge
sessions. If the value of Bridge sessions is greater than 1, then you are
licensed for at least one session on the Cisco Unity server.
You can find a list of supported Octel systems in the Cisco Unity Pre-Installation
Guide found at Cisco.com.
Figures 10-30 and 10-31 illustrate how the Cisco Unity Bridge can be implemented
in an enterprise's messaging infrastructure.
When Cisco Unity is combined with Cisco Unity Bridge, it is a solution that is capable
of helping an organization manage the transition from legacy telephone equipment
to a converged IP network. In the diagram, Cisco Unity is integrated with two
switches: a circuit-switched (legacy) PBX and a Cisco CallManager. It can manage
voice-mail accounts for subscribers with either IP telephones or standard single-line
extensions attached to a circuit-switched PBX. In addition, Cisco Unity Bridge can
send and receive voice-mail messages using Octel's analog messaging protocol
through the analog lines that connect the legacy PBX and voice-mail system. In this
manner, an enterprise may maximize its return on investment on older telephone
equipment, while transitioning subscribers to an IP telephone network at a planned
pace.
Figure 10-31 illustrates using Cisco Unity Bridge with Cisco CallManager.
In this design, Cisco Unity is providing messaging services to subscribers who are
being served by Cisco CallManager. However, a circuit-switched PBX is providing
voice-mail services to the subscribers on an Octel system. Cisco Unity Bridge is
helping the organization to manage the transition from legacy telephone equipment
to a converged IP network. Cisco Unity can use the Cisco Unity Bridge to send and
receive voice-mail messages using Octel's analog messaging protocol. These are
provided through the analog lines that connect the legacy PBX and voice-mail
system.
Step 2. Provide network connectivity between the Exchange server with IVC
installed and Cisco Unity Bridge.
Step 6. Create the UOmni mailbox on the Cisco Unity bridgehead server.
Step 10. Create delivery locations for each remote Octel system.
Step 12. Set up remote system(s) with Bridge's Octel node information.
SMTP, digital, VPIM, AMIS, and Bridge networking share similarities in terms of their
setup, including the IVC installation. Bridge networking uses analog communication
to interact with other Octel systems. Therefore, Bridge networking has its own
unique set of important setup instructions.
Before you move to other steps, be sure the server meets the requirements in the
Cisco Unity Bridge System Requirements, and Supported Hardware and Software
document available at Cisco.com. Designing a dial plan before you implement Bridge
networking will result in a system that does not have any conflicting IDs that can
confuse those searching for subscribers' addresses.
The next step is to provide network connectivity between the designated Exchange
2000 server for the IVC connector and the Cisco Unity Bridge.
The next step is to extend the AD schema for Bridge networking by using the AD
Schema Setup utility. The schema changes that you make are additions to the
Bridge delivery location object class. If this is not done, then Bridge delivery
locations will not be able to be inserted using the Cisco Unity Administrator. A full
description of the schema changes is provided in the file vpimgateway.ldf located in
the Schema\LdifScripts directory on Cisco Unity CD 1.
On step 2 you may need to grant the Bridge server permissions to relay e-mail
through the Exchange SMTP virtual server and you may need to configure an SMTP
connector to route messages to the Bridge. Once this is done, you can install IVC on
the Exchange 2000 server. There should be only one installation of IVC in an AD
forest. If a previous version was installed, you must remove it before continuing.
There are a number of things that you must do after installing IVC. The following
should be performed on every Bridge networking server installed.
1. Create the UOmni mailbox on the Cisco Unity bridgehead. This mailbox is used
to deposit incoming and outgoing Bridge messages.
NOTE
The UOmni mailbox is created using the ConfigMgr tool located in the
Cisco Unity server \Commserver folder. It is not created using the
Cisco Unity Administrator because it is a special mailbox. When you
run the ConfigMgr tool, it also adds the Bridge subscriber template,
which is used when auto-creating Bridge subscribers.
2. Configure the primary location object on the Cisco Unity server. This includes
giving the location a name, Dial ID, and recorded voice name and, if
appropriate, making it part of the dialing domain. The name for the domain
needs to be inserted on only one server. There are two other key components
defined on this page that are specific to Bridge networking, the Node ID and
the server address of the Bridge server.
3. The Node ID is the serial number, which is also configured on the Cisco Unity
Nodes page in the Bridge Administrator. This number is also used to configure
the Bridge server. The Bridge server and the Cisco Unity server both share this
ID on the Octel network. They are basically acting as one node on the Octel
environment.
4. The server address of the Bridge server is populated with the FQDN, or full
computer name, of the Bridge server. Here is an example: ne059-
unity.unity40.ipcbu.cisco.com.
6. Configure the Bridge options using the Cisco Unity Administrator. They are
located under Network, Bridge Options. The first option is called Subscriber
Creation. The Bridge server uses these options when it automatically creates
Bridge subscribers. Here, you can select the subscriber template that the
Bridge server will use to create a subscriber. There is also a check box that can
be checked to allow newly created subscribers to be shown in the e-mail server
address book.
NOTE
These settings apply only to Bridge subscribers that will automatically
be created due to directory propagation of the Bridge server and Octel
systems. These settings do not affect the existing Bridge subscribers in
Cisco Unity or subscribers who are manually created using the normal
subscriber menu.
NOTE
If you click the Synchronize button on this page, information on all the
Cisco Unity subscribers within the scope defined is sent to the Bridge
server. When performing a synchronization, consider doing it at a time
when the system is less busy, such as after business hours of
operation.
8. After you set the Bridge options, the next step is to create a delivery location
for each remote Octel system to which subscribers will be sending messages.
10. As an option, Bridge subscribers can be created for those that would like to be
found on the corporate directory on a permanent basis.
11. The final step on a new installation of a Bridge is to configure the Octel
systems so that they are aware of the new Node ID on the Octel network.
Understanding the UOmni Mailbox
The UOmni mailbox is created on the Exchange server that is linked to the Cisco
Unity system that is licensed for Unity Bridge. When it is first created, it has the
default storage limitation put in place by the Exchange administrator. This limitation
may be acceptable, because most of the messages it will receive are notification
messages that subscriber change events have occurred, such as the creation of a
subscriber. If necessary, you can move the UOmni mailbox after it is created.
However, this requires that you stop and restart the Cisco Unity system, so that
Cisco Unity is aware of UOmni's new location. Messages may be held in the mailbox
if this is not performed.
The Cisco Unity Bridge delivers fax and voice-mail messages between Cisco Unity
and Octel nodes by translating the different protocols involved, then delivering the
messages in the format the intended server is expecting. The Bridge server
maintains a table for each system involved, which it uses for the translation that it
performs. The Cisco Unity table contains the Cisco Unity server name, assigned
serial number, and domain name. The Octel tables contain the server name, unique
Octel serial number, and telephone number of each Octel node it needs to
communicate with. When the Bridge server receives a message, it can look up the
address of the intended server, reformat the message in the way that the target
server is expecting, and then send the message to its destination.
Just as in the other forms of networking with Cisco Unity, location objects play a
very important role in Bridge networking. When you are configuring the primary
location for Bridge networking, there are two key properties that are specific for
bridge networking: the Bridge Node ID and the server address. The Bridge Node ID
is Cisco Unity's identification on the Octel analog network. The server address is the
FQDN of the Bridge server that Cisco Unity is associated with. As previously stated,
creating a dial plan for your organization that will result in callers reaching
subscribers correctly and efficiently is very important, so be sure that the Dial IDs
that you create do not conflict with previously assigned IDs.
You must create a delivery location for each Octel system using Bridge networking
that subscribers will be sending messages to. When you are creating a delivery
location, select Bridge as the destination type, and then enter the Octel Node ID,
which is the serial number of the Octel node. The Octel Node ID must match on
both the Octel node and the Bridge Administrator.
Cisco Unity uses IVC to send and receive Bridge messages. When a subscriber
addresses a message to a remote Bridge recipient, the message is passed to IVC as
an OMNI message. Because IVC is registered with Exchange for these types of
messages, IVC changes the message into the VPIM proprietary format and sends it
to the Bridge via SMTP. Incoming messages are changed from the VPIM format into
voice messages and sent to Exchange for delivery.
When using Bridge networking, the IVC for Exchange 2000 is the only supported
version. If your organization has both Exchange 5.5 and 2000 servers, the Exchange
5.5 Administrator cannot be used to manage IVC for Exchange 2000. You can use
the appropriate MMC snap-in.
Like VPIM and Internet subscribers, Bridge subscribers have no mailbox storage in
the Exchange mail store. They each represent a subscriber on an Octel system.
When you are creating these subscribers, be sure to first create the Bridge delivery
location of where that subscriber is located.
There are three ways a Bridge subscriber can be created. You can use Octel's
NameNet emulation to automatically create them in Cisco Unity; you can create
them permanently on the Cisco Unity Bridge; or you can manually create them by
using the Cisco Unity Administrator. When a subscriber is created, modified, or
deleted using NameNet, that information is sent from the Bridge server to Cisco
Unity. The same thing occurs when changes occur on the Bridge server.
Figure 10-32 shows a new Bridge subscriber being added with its key components.
The message store options are not available to Bridge subscribers, because they do
not have a local message store. Like Internet, AMIS, and VPIM subscribers, Bridge
subscribers cannot log on to Cisco Unity via the telephone or use the Cisco Unity
Assistant to receive message notifications, receive MWIs, and own private lists.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter, you learned different types of networking options with Cisco Unity.
Knowing how messages are delivered and directories replicated is important in order
to understand how Cisco networking works. You learned how SMTP, AMIS, VPIM,
and the Cisco Unity Bridge are used to deliver messages, what Cisco Unity
addressing options are available, which scenarios would appropriately use blind
addressing in Cisco Unity, the advantages of Cisco Unity's networking capabilities,
creating and using Internet, AMIS, VPIM, and Bridge subscribers. In particular, you
learned how to do the following:
Select the Cisco Unity software components that are used to implement digital
networking
Select which search options are appropriate in the Cisco Unity System
Administrator given a particular addressing and server configuration scenario
For additional information about Cisco Unity networking, refer to these resources:
Cisco Unity Bridge Networking Guide
When using SMTP networking between two Cisco Unity servers that do not
2: share the same global directory, are the voice attributes preserved when
sending voice messages between the Cisco Unity systems and using IVC?
What method of communication does AMIS networking use with Cisco Unity
4:
to transfer voice messages between voice-messaging systems?
What tool do you use to create the UAmis and UOmni accounts for AMIS
5:
networking and Bridge networking, respectively?
What types of voice-mail systems can Cisco Unity communicate with when
6:
using Bridge networking?
What types of messages can the UOmni mailbox receive when using Bridge
7:
networking?
When Cisco Unity synchronizes its Unity SQL database with the global
8:
directory, what type of information copies over onto the directory?
10:
You are the administrator of one Cisco Unity server in an organization that
is using networking to communicate with other messaging systems. If you
log in to your server using Cisco Unity Administrator, what location objects
can you not delete from this server?
Chapter 11. Unified Communications Backup and
Utilities
Upon completing this chapter, you will be able to perform the following tasks:
This chapter discusses the recommended backup procedures and various system
utilities of a Cisco Unity server. In addition, it explores the general troubleshooting
techniques to help find root causes for Cisco Unity and Cisco PA issues.
Backing Up Cisco Unity Systems
Cisco Unity, whether in a VoiceMail-only or Unified Messaging setup, requires regular
maintenance to ensure an efficiently running system. Knowing the proper backup
procedures for Cisco Unity is an important component of the maintenance.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have the following
prerequisite skills and knowledge. (If you need a quick review, see the designated
chapter, where you can find more information on the topic.)
Here is a quick list of guidelines to follow when you are backing up a Cisco Unity
system:
Cisco Unity Standard Backup� Use Backup Exec to back up the following
items:
- Cisco Unity
- System state
Having a good backup strategy in place that provides a schedule for performing full
backups is important for the restoration of a Cisco Unity system, if the server
requires it. If your organization does not have a strategy already in place as part of
its disaster recovery plan for Microsoft Exchange, then you need to develop one;
refer to the documentation provided by the backup software that is used by the
organization and to the appropriate documentation available at
http://www.microsoft.com.
If your organization does not already have a software package for performing
scheduled backups, then consider the following data management programs, which
have been qualified by Cisco to use with Cisco Unity 4.0(x) for backups:
VERITAS Backup Exec for Microsoft Windows NT and Microsoft Windows 2000,
version 8.5 and later
For technical assistance with Backup Exec or NetBackup, contact the VERITAS
Software Corporation through its website at http://www.veritas.com.
When you are preparing your system for backups, one of the recommended steps is
to turn off circular logging in Exchange. When new messages arrive on the Exchange
server, the server writes them into a transaction log. The transaction logs can later
assist you in restoring a message store if it becomes corrupted. When circular
logging is on, the newest messages can potentially overwrite the oldest messages in
the transaction log. When the system starts to overwrite log entries, you should not
use the transaction logs to restore a message store.
NOTE
By default, Microsoft Exchange 2000 has circular logging turned off, but
it is on by default on Microsoft Exchange 5.5.
The best time to perform backups on the Cisco Unity server is when the system is
the least busy. This means when the system is not processing calls, such as after
regular business hours or when no other tasks are running. This may include when
the system is not generating system reports or you have some reports in queue to
generate.
Understanding Administration Tools and Utilities
The administration tools, which are located in the Tools Depot of Cisco Unity, enable you to import different types of users into the
system, upgrade the system, perform disaster recovery, and change certain registry settings.
Understanding the administration tools that are available in a Cisco Unity system will help you to maintain and possibly troublesho
system. Knowledge of and experience with these tools will make maintenance of Cisco Unity much easier.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have the following prerequisite skills and knowledge. (If you need a
review, see the designated chapter, where you can find more information on the topic.)
Knowledge of Cisco Unity UM and voice-mail configurations, including the role of subscribers and call handlers. (see Chapter
"Setting Up Cisco Unified Communications")
Knowledge of how calls are handled in Cisco Unity (see Chapter 2, "Using Your Cisco Unified Communications System")
The Audio Text Manager application provides a fast, graphical view of the flow patterns of call handlers configured in the Cisco Unit
database and allows you to modify the flow patterns quickly and easily. This is particularly useful for systems with complicated aud
applications with many call handlers. It can be especially useful for troubleshooting an audio text application. To run Audio Text Ma
you must have Cisco Unity 3.1(3) or later installed, and it can run only on the local Cisco Unity system. Remotely using the applica
through Terminal Services is possible. It also requires that the user have read and write access to the Cisco Unity database SQL tab
which by default the local Administrator group has.
You can view information in Audio Text Manager in either Tree View or Grid View. Figure 11-1 shows the application opened in Tree
It shows the Opening Greeting with the option 0 highlighted. On the right side of the application, the tabs allow you to view most
information that is normally available to an administrator through the System Administrator (SA). You can use the SA to view
information about call handlers (such as Interviewer Directory call handlers). In the example shown in Figure 11-1, you can see an
changes to the settings of the Operator handler.
The Cisco Unity Bulk Edit utility enables you to make changes to a large number of call handlers or subscribers simultaneously. Alm
every parameter that you can change via the system administrator is also available to change in volume using Bulk Edit, as well as
items that are not visible in the System Administrator. However, Bulk Edit has no undo method after you perform a change. This m
that, for example, if you change a field incorrectly for a large number of subscribers while using this utility, you will need to run Bu
again or individually correct the field using the System Administrator.
Figure 11-2 illustrates Bulk Edit being used to enable transfers to all the subscribers on a Cisco Unity system.
Bulk Edit also allows you to view a list of all the subscribers on Cisco Unity, or just a few of them. The tool also has the following
capabilities: edit a range of subscribers with any specified starting and stopping extension; edit all subscribers on a particular distr
list or class of service (CoS); edit all subscribers attached to a particular telephone switch (in a dual-switch integration); or edit all
subscribers referenced in a supplied comma-separated values (CSV) file.
The Cisco Unity Disaster Recovery Backup tool, shown in Figure 11-3, captures all the Cisco Unity�specific data from a server so t
can be restored using the Disaster Restore tool. This is useful both for disaster recovery purposes using regularly scheduled backup
for migration purposes. It works if you are using Exchange 5.5 and Exchange 2000 as the message store and Cisco Unity 3.1(1) or
The Restore utility will work on a newly built system with a different server name, on a different domain, or if Cisco Unity was orig
installed on a different drive or folder. The restore utility will also work when the back-end connection is different. In other words,
backup performed was on a Cisco Unity system that is running Exchange 5.5, it is also possible to restore it on a clean installation
running the same version of Cisco Unity, but with Exchange 2000 now installed. However, in all of these cases, you must install the
version of Cisco Unity that existed when the original backup took place. The new Cisco Unity system must also be up and running.
If you are connecting to Cisco CallManager, you also need to configure your Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI) s
provider (AvCiscoTSP) to integrate with the Cisco CallManager voice-mail ports. Once you have the system working as a new, clean
you can perform the restore operation.
The information that is preserved includes all Cisco Unity objects and data such as greetings, voice names, routing rules, password
handlers, interviewers, subscriber data, and switch configuration. Disaster Recovery Backup also gives you the option to back up re
data and subscriber messages.
NOTE
DiRT should not be used to replace normal tape backups of your Exchange message store.
The Disaster Recovery tools are ideal for sites that install Cisco Unity in a UM configuration and whose users are homed off-box. Ty
sites already have Exchange backup procedures in place and want a way to quickly and easily back up and restore the Cisco Unity�
configuration information, without having to back up the entire Cisco Unity server. This is also useful for sites that want to upgrad
server that Cisco Unity is running on, or would like to change the disk partition configuration or location of where you installed Cis
Unity. The Disaster Restore tool handles that on the fly.
DiRT does, however, have some caveats that are important to remember. Disaster Recovery Backup works only in an Exchange
environment, not Domino. Restoration is possible to a system with the same version of Cisco Unity that the backup gathered. In o
words, taking a Cisco Unity 3.1(1) database backup and trying to restore it to a Cisco Unity 3.1(5) or 4.0 system will not work.
NOTE
Once the restore is in progress, there is no undo feature. The Restore utility replaces the entire SQL database named UnityDb
Read the help files carefully before you use these Disaster Recovery tools in a production environment.
Using Failover Monitor
Cisco Unity has an optional feature called Failover Monitor that provides simple redundancy, maintaining voice-mail message funct
users if the Cisco Unity server becomes unreachable or when you want to perform maintenance. For Cisco Unity failover, you can in
Cisco Unity on two servers, one being the primary and the other the secondary (or partner).
Figure 11-4 illustrates the Failover Monitor application where the Local Cisco Unity server is the active one.
Failover Monitor enables you to view real-time status information, such as the state of your primary and partner failover Cisco Uni
servers. You can see which one is active and ready to process voice-mail functions and which one is inactive. You can also perform
failover condition between the two Cisco Unity servers to perform maintenance. For more information on Cisco Unity failover, visit
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/products_installation_and_configuration_guide_book09186a00801b924
Migrate Subscriber Data Tool, shown in Figure 11-5, enables you to move subscriber settings from a Cisco Unity subscriber accoun
regular mail user account. This tool allows you to preserve all the subscriber settings, such as voice name, greetings, and private
distribution lists, because it adds these Cisco Unity�specific attributes to the mail user account attributes. The mail user becomes
new Cisco Unity subscriber. The tool is useful for moving from a VoiceMail-only installation to UM, or for migrating users from ano
voice-mail system to Cisco Unity (for example, migrating Octel users who have been set up as Bridge subscribers).
His alias, display name, and first and last name transfer over from his e-mail account to his subscriber record. His primary call han
alias changes to match his e-mail account alias. These modifications take place first within the Cisco Unity database, not the direct
Migrate Subscriber tool removes the subscriber-specific settings from his previous subscriber directory account, but it does not de
account. When you exit the tool, the Cisco Unity database then synchronizes itself with the directory. When the directory synchron
is complete, any new voice-mail messages that John receives arrive at his e-mail account, which is now his subscriber account as w
Using the Cisco Unity Licensing utility, shown in Figure 11-6, is an easy way to view Cisco Unity licensing information. The Cisco Un
server shown in Figure 11-6 is licensed for 72 voice ports. The FlexLM licensing controls many aspects of your Cisco Unity configur
such as how many languages, voice ports, and text-to-speech sessions are allowed on the system. If you try to install a new featur
add another language and the system does not allow you to do so, it may be because the license is not present. You would need t
purchase additional licenses. When you receive the new license file, you would run the License Wizard and then, as a check, look at
License Viewer to confirm that your new licenses are active.
GSM displays your Cisco Unity network in a tree, organized by DDs and servers. The top of the Cisco Unity network is the Global d
Under the Global directory is a node for each DD. Under each DD is a node for each server within that DD. If a Cisco Unity server d
belong to a DD, it shows up at the DD level with its name in curly brackets, {}.
Clicking any node in the tree shows all subscribers at that level. For example, clicking a DD shows all subscribers homed on any se
that is a member of that DD. Clicking the Global node shows you all subscribers in your entire Cisco Unity network.
Once you have located the subscriber you want to view in more detail or edit, you just double-click that specific subscriber and the
will launch the system administrator console on the subscriber's home server and bring you right to their profile page.
An organization may need to change the codec it uses on an existing Cisco Unity
implementation. Modifying the audio levels may also be required after an upgrade.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have the following
prerequisite skills and knowledge. (If you need a quick review, see the designated
chapter, where you can find more information on the topic.)
Knowledge of how to change the different greeting in Cisco Unity (see Chapter
3)
The Set Record Format utility, shown in Figure 11-8, allows you to choose any
sound codec installed on the Cisco Unity server and make it the default recording
format that Cisco Unity uses for all new recordings. By default, the record format is
set to 8Kbps Mu-Law (codec 711). You can select any codec and adjust the sample
rates. Existing recordings and greetings do not convert to the new codec. It is not
possible to select specific formats for items such as individual users, ports, and WAV
file types. After you make a change, you need to restart Cisco Unity for the
recording format changes to take effect.
The Set WAV Format tool, shown in Figure 11-9, allows you to convert all the
existing greetings and voice names on a Cisco Unity server to a selected WAV codec.
You can choose from G.711 Mu-Law, G.711 aLaw, or G.729a.
If a site has selected to change recording formats from G.711 (default) to G.729a,
for instance, you may want to use this tool to convert all standard greetings and
voice names into G.729a. Although Cisco Unity will convert from G.711 to G.729a
(and vice versa) on the fly using software, this conversion does require some CPU
cycles, so it is often desirable to have all WAV files in the same format to prevent
this.
Cisco strongly recommends that you back up your greetings and voice names before
changing their format. If the conversion damages the WAV files or the sound quality
is poor, you can then recover some or all of them. The Set WAV Format tool has a
built-in backup-and-restore mechanism for all greetings and voice names. You would
simply check the Save Original Files To check box and then click Browse and select a
directory to copy greetings to. Before modifying the WAV files, the tool copies all
greetings and voice names to the target directory.
To restore these greetings, you would select the Restore Backed Up Greetings and
Voice Names option from the File menu.
Set WAV Format does not convert standard messages in subscribers' mailboxes.
Converting WAV files from G.711 to G.729 and back to G.711 degrades their sound
quality, because the compression process of each format is different and you lose a
certain amount of information during the conversion. After you convert messages,
you do not need to reboot the Cisco Unity system for the changes to take effect.
NOTE
Setting a file to the same codec does not have any negative effect on the
WAV files. The Set WAV Format tool will identify these instances and not
modify the file.
Using WaveGain
The WaveGain utility, shown in Figure 11-10, allows you to adjust the overall volume
for all new recordings or for all playbacks when using Cisco CallManager. The volume
values used are in decibels, where a positive number increases the volume and a
negative number decreases it. The changes take place immediately while Cisco Unity
is running so that you can quickly adjust the playback/record levels until you are
happy with them. Once you have found the values you want, you need to write them
into the registry either manually or by using the Advanced Settings tool. In either
case, you must edit the registry for the values to take effect the next time you
restart your system.
The Cisco Unity diagnostic tools assist you to maintain a properly running Cisco
Unity system. For example, the dbWalker utility checks the integrity of your
database, and the Diagnostic Traces utility logs further information for Cisco
TACACS to help troubleshoot any issues with your system.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have the following
prerequisite skills and knowledge. (If you need a quick review, see the designated
chapter, where you can find more information on the topic.)
One of the main features of the Cisco Unity Data Link Explorer (CUDLE) tool, shown
in Figure 11-11 with the Subscriber table highlighted, is that it helps you quickly
explore the Cisco Unity database in Microsoft SQL in a read-only view. It is safe to
use because no updates can be made to the database, and you can run it off-box to
connect to other Cisco Unity servers. The CUDLE tool also has the option to view the
Cisco Unity local registry tree, and it comes with its own Query Builder, SQL Query
Analyzer, that is similar to the one that comes with SQL 2000 Enterprise. The CUDLE
tool is useful for learning more about Cisco Unity SQL tables.
The dbWalker utility, shown in Figure 11-12, examines the Cisco Unity database and
makes a series of checks on all objects in the database, including call handler,
subscriber, subscriber template, Interview handler, location, and Directory handler
objects. If dbWalker encounters an issue, the string "(error)" appears in red in the
output HTML. Warning strings show up in yellow and start with "(warning)". They
indicate items that you should check on, but they may not be actual problems. If an
item is automatically fixed, a string that starts with "(fixed)" is logged in green
directly under the error to indicate what was done.
NOTE
The first time that you run dbWalker, it is strongly recommended that
you run it with no options selected for it to automatically fix any issues
that it finds. Instead, run dbWalker and check the results to see what
errors or warnings it has found first. Once you understand the changes
that the tool will make, choose the options that specify what you prefer
it to fix automatically and then run dbWalker again.
Some problems are logged as errors and fixed automatically (that is, if dbWalker
finds the standard contact rule or greeting rule disabled, it re-enables it on the fly).
The utility can optionally fix some problems if you indicate that it should do so (for
example, it removes orphaned call handlers if you check the option for it to do so at
the top of the form).
Other problems require manual intervention to clear up the issue. You can set the
Logging Detail drop-down list box to show information about all objects checked
during the database walk or you can choose to limit the output to only those
objects that encounter one or more errors (default). Each time you click the Walk
Database button, the utility generates a new output file and stores it under the
\logs\ directory where you installed dbWalker. To view the logs directory quickly,
select File > View Log Directory and File Explorer will open to that directory
automatically. Whenever dbWalker runs, it automatically deletes any logs in this
directory that are older than 10 days.
Event Monitoring Service (EMS) for Cisco Unity provides basic notification options
when particular events are recorded in the event logs. You can choose which events
will trigger a notification, who will be notified, and how they will receive the
notification.
You can choose to send a voice mail or e-mail notification to either a subscriber or
distribution list, or send an e-mail to one or more SMTP addresses that you define
when an event arrives in the event log.
You can set up a notification for when a specific event ID is written to the event log
or for any event IDs.
In Figure 11-13, the highlighted Monitored Event is for the source CiscoUnity_TSP,
with event ID 114. If this error is written to the event log, a notification will be sent
to the associated recipient, John Davis. John Davis will be sent an SMTP e-mail to
the defined SMTP address.
If you would like more information about Cisco Unity�specific errors that
appear in the Application Event log, go to the following link and perform
a search based on the event ID: http://www.ciscounitysupport.com.
The Cisco Unity Diagnostic Tool enables you to create and view diagnostic log files to
troubleshoot issues with Cisco Unity. Figure 11-14 illustrates Diagnostic Traces at the
Macro Traces level.
Macro traces� These are component traces that are grouped together to help
diagnose particular issues. Some examples of problems are message waiting
indicators (MWI) problems and system problems.
Micro traces� These are the individual component traces. Each component has
up to 32 traces that you can choose from, and they normally provide more
detail of the actual component or service that you want to monitor.
The Cisco Unity Diagnostic Tool also allows you or the Cisco TAC staff to perform
the following tasks:
Configure log settings� You can adjust the maximum disk space allowed for
all diagnostic log files. The default setting is 400 MB. The Logging Properties
window also a
Understanding Reporting Tools and Utilities
There are additional reporting tools that are part of the Tools Depot in Cisco Unity.
These reporting tools gather important information about your Cisco Unity system.
Some are useful particularly for monitoring or troubleshooting the Cisco Unity
Bridge. Running them can assist you to keep a Cisco Unity system running efficiently
and to isolate issues.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have the following
prerequisite skills and knowledge. (If you need a quick review, see the designated
chapter, where you can find more information on the topic.)
Knowledge of the historical reporting tools available with Cisco Unity (see
Chapter 6)
Knowledge of the messaging ports used with Cisco Unity (see Chapter 9)
The Bridge Traffic Analyzer tool, shown in Figure 11-16, enables you to obtain traffic
data on your Cisco Bridge units to determine the following:
The Port Availability report does not take any parameters; instead, it processes
analog port activity on the log for the entire day. The purpose of this report is to
show how many analog ports the Cisco Bridge uses to communicate to Octel nodes
at any given time of the day. The report shows a bar for each minute of the day,
indicating how many ports are in use and how many ports are available to take calls.
You can choose to show busy ports, ports available to take calls, or both, by using
the check boxes at the top of the report form.
The Message Queue Activity report shows how many messages and how much data
are passing through the inbound and outbound message queues on the Bridge
server. Inbound messages are those traveling from Octel nodes to the Bridge via
analog lines and then to the Cisco Unity servers via IP. Outbound messages are
those traveling from Cisco Unity to the Bridge via IP and then to the Octel node.
The Message Latency report enables you to see how long messages sit in the
outbound queue before they are delivered to the Octel nodes via the analog lines on
the Bridge. This report shows only the outbound messages because inbound
messages that arrive at the Bridge server from Octel use the IP network to deliver
the message, and, therefore, the total time in the queue is very short. Outbound
messages, on the other hand, arrive from Cisco Unity via IP, enter the queue, and
then the Bridge uses the analog lines to deliver the messages to the target Octel
node. If port resources are limited on the Bridge unit, messages can wait in queue
for delivery for a long time and thus create a bottleneck at the analog lines.
The Node Message Traffic report shows how many messages and how much data are
passing between different Cisco Unity and Octel nodes. For example, this report can
show which Octel nodes a specific Cisco Unity server exchanges messages with most
heavily. As with the Message Latency report, you can run a report for a time range
by selecting one or more Cisco Unity nodes.
NOTE
You can run Bridge Traffic Analyzer on or off the Cisco Unity server. The
only necessity is access to the logging directory on the Bridge server.
However, if possible, do not run the tool on the Cisco Unity server, to
avoid adding additional overhead.
Port Usage Analyzer, shown in Figure 11-17, can assist you to determine whether an
implementation of Cisco Unity requires more ports. Having an insufficient number of
ports could cause callers to receive a busy signal when they dial Cisco Unity, cause
delay dialouts for message notification, or cause delayed MWIs, resulting in
complaints of delayed messages.
Call Distribution� This report shows what types of calls are coming in or
going out of each port over the time range specified. By default, the report
runs for the entire day and shows totals of call types for each port. However,
you can select a custom time range to run against.
Port Time Use� This report shows the same type of information that the Call
Distribution report shows. However, it shows how many seconds each port was
busy with each type of call. By default, the report also runs over the entire day.
Call Traffic� This report shows how many of each of the five types of calls
went into a port or originated from a port for each minute of the day. As with
the other reports, the Call Traffic report runs over the course of the entire day,
but you can zoom in from a full 24 hours to as close as 1 hour of data shown
at a time using the Zoom menu. The Call Traffic report can be useful in
gauging how many calls are being processed by the system during different
times of the day, in particular, if Cisco Unity is acting as a call redirector to
internal extensions or similar extension. In conjunction with the Port
Availability report, it should give you a good idea of the traffic-load patterns
that your system is experiencing over the course of a day.
The Gather Unity System Information (GUSI) utility, shown in Figure 11-18, gathers
basic information about the local Cisco Unity server installation and the last 5 days'
worth of Application Event and System Event log data.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have the following
prerequisite skills and knowledge. (If you need a quick review, see the designated
chapter, where you can find more information on the topic.)
The Call Viewer application, shown in Figure 11-19, displays call information for
incoming calls on an IP integration. It displays all incoming call information, which is
sometimes used to create call routing rules in Cisco Unity. If any information for a
call is not displayed by this application, then the switch integration did not send that
information. You can use Call Viewer to initially troubleshoot calls that are not going
to the proper mailbox, to view call duration, and to view the port numbers used for
incoming calls.
The Cisco TAC team may want to review call data on your system. Call Viewer has
an option that allows you to save this information to a log file. It can log up to 1000
calls before clearing the log.
Call Viewer works only with IP integrations, such as Cisco CallManager. It does not
work on circuit-switched PBXs. For circuit-switched PBXs, you would use Integration
Monitor, discussed later in the chapter in the section "Using Integration Monitor."
The Switch Configuration utility allows you to edit specific integration information
for a switch on the Cisco Unity server. You can set data such as MWI ON/OFF codes,
the number of rings before Cisco Unity answers an incoming call, delays or access
codes needed for out-dialing to a telephone switch, as well as tone definition
settings, call supervision settings, and integration settings.
Figure 11-20 illustrates the Switch Configuration utility in Editor mode showing the
Incoming Calls tab settings.
The Integration Monitor utility, shown in Figure 11-21, displays detailed call
information that is coming from a circuit-switched phone system. This utility shows
much of the same information that Call Viewer shows, but it also includes raw
packet information. It also has the ability to monitor outbound call information.
An efficiently running Cisco PA system greatly increases the customer's satisfaction with the product.
Knowledge of how to troubleshoot Cisco PA will help you to find a resolution to a problem quicker.
To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have the following prerequisite skills and
knowledge. (If you need a quick review, see the designated chapter, where you can find more information
on the topic.)
You may encounter many common issues with Cisco PA. Here is a quick list:
If you encounter other issues that are not listed here, a good place to look for a resolution is in the
"Troubleshooting Cisco Personal Assistant" chapter of the Cisco Personal Assistant Administration Guide
available at Cisco.com.
If a user is not able to log in to the Cisco PA user interface, verify that the user is using the correct login
name, which should match the unique user attribute identified in the corporate directory. This may be
the user's e-mail name or telephone number.
If users have to use touch-tone dialing because voice commands are not functioning, check that the
speech-recognition server is working properly. If that is not the cause, you may have an inadequate
number of speech-recognition server licenses to handle the number of users. In that case, you may need
to add more speech licenses. You should also make sure you refresh the servers after you add any new
speech-recognition server licenses. You must perform this before those servers can support users.
Users may report that too many matches are offered when they are using dial-by-name. Lowering the
Max Disambiguate parameter located within the speech-recognition settings on the Cisco PA server will
reduce the number of matches.
When searching for options on how to configure dial rules, it is possible to configure them in Cisco PA
through the Cisco PA administration interface or through the user interface. Those that are set through
the administration interface take priority. Therefore, if a user configures a dial rule that conflicts with one
configured by the administrator, the system uses the administrator's dial rule.
If all users are unable to browse their voice-mail messages in Cisco Unity through Cisco PA, then select
System > Messaging and check the messaging configuration. Cisco PA requires the use of unqualified
DNS names to identify the voice-mail servers; in other words, Unity1 must be used rather than
Unity1.domain.com. The IP address of the voice-mail server will also not work if it is used in place of the
unqualified DNS name.
If only one user cannot browse their voice-mail messages, you should check to see that the user's voice
mailbox number matches the user's extension in Cisco CallManager, and that the user's ID is the same in
both as well.
Monitoring Performance of PA
Here is a list of performance monitor counters that are common when troubleshooting Cisco PA:
Calls Answered
Dial-by-Name: Disambiguations
Dial-by-Name: Reconfirmations
Voice Mail
Cisco PA monitoring counters use Microsoft Windows Performance Monitor. These counters are helpful in
determining issues that occur. For example, if there are many Dial-by-Name: Disambiguations, this may
indicate issues related with speech recognition. Other counters may be helpful in determining whether
the system requires additional resources for more speech-recognition sessions or overall Cisco PA
sessions.
The "Troubleshooting" section of the Cisco Personal Assistant Administration Guide, available at
Cisco.com, includes an explanation of all the counters.
A customer may ask you to investigate telephone toll fraud on its system. The Call History logs can help
you to track this information. The first line in the log file tells you how to read the call history records.
Cisco PA writes call history records to a series of files named PACallHistoryxx.log while xx represents the
range 00 to 99. These are stored on the Cisco PA server under the \logs folder. Each log is limited to 2
MB; when the logs are full, they start to write over existing log information.
100 files
Cisco TAC may request traces from the Cisco PA server if you contact it for assistance on an issue.
Collecting traces can have a performance impact on the system. Therefore, you should capture traces
only when requested by Cisco TAC. Once the traces are captured, you can turn the traces off. Traces are
set under the System Configuration menu in Cisco PA. When you go to the Traces page, you can select
which traces to collect, and then click Save. After you do this, the traces start to be captured
immediately. When you are finished collecting the traces, turn off the trace and then debug by clicking
Clear All for each of the options you selected before and then clicking Save.
The following are the trace packages available, in which the packages trace:
SS_PA_MAIL� Subsystem that interacts with the voice mail and paging
The collected trace information is stored in the \logs folder of the Cisco PA directory.
If you install CiscoWorks 2000 Syslog, the system will also write the collected trace information to
syslog.
Example 11-1 shows a sample of the type of information that is found in the Cisco PA log files.
check is true
prepareEndResult method
to PA
prepareEndResult method
Chapter Summary
In this chapter, you learned about the guidelines for backing up Cisco Unity, about
the different selected Cisco Unity utilities and tools, and about the troubleshooting
approaches for Cisco Unity and Cisco PA.
Specifically, you learned about the function of the following utilities and tools:
WaveGain
Database Walker
Diagnostic Traces
SysCheck
Call Viewer
Switch Configuration
Integration Monitor
Monitor PA performance
These references can be found by going to Cisco.com and searching for the exact
reference names.
Chapter Review Questions
Use this section to test yourself on how well you learned the concepts discussed in
this chapter. You can find the answers to the review question for this chapter in
Appendix A.
Which utility can you use to view the flow patterns of call handlers that are
3:
configured in the Cisco Unity database?
Suppose that you have ten subscribers in Cisco Unity and you would like to
4: require them to change their phone password the next time they log in.
Which Cisco utility best helps you to set this up quickly?
John Smith has two accounts in Exchange, one for voice mail only and the
other for e-mail. He would like to have only one account for both functions.
5:
Which Cisco Unity utility can help you to consolidate these into one account
for John?
Which Cisco Unity tool can you use to change the codec of all standard
6:
greetings and voice names from G.711 to G.729?
Which Cisco Unity utility can examine the Cisco Unity database by
performing a series of checks on all call handler, subscriber, subscriber
7:
template, interview handler, location and directory handler objects in the
database?
When using Bridge networking with Cisco Unity, which reporting tool can
8:
show you the amount of message traffic on your Bridge server?
10:
If users are reporting that too many matches show up when they are using
the dial-by-name feature in Cisco PA, what can you do to reduce the
number of matches?
Appendix A. Chapter Review Questions
Chapter 1
Answer: The following are new standard features introduced in Cisco Unity
4.0:
Cisco PCA
CUGA
Live Reply
Flex Stack
CUICA
DVD installation
SIP
A2:
Answer: The following is the new networking feature introduced in Cisco
Unity 4.0:
VPIM. Cisco Unity voice-mail only (VM) and Cisco Unity unified
messaging (UM) for Exchange support VPIM with the Meridian Net
Gateway for Meridian Mail, Mitel/Baypoint NuPoint Messenger, and
Nortel CallPilot
What new feature enables Cisco Unity to transfer a user immediately to the
3:
subscriber who left a message that the user is currently listening to?
5: Which IETF standard does Cisco Unity now support in version 4.0?
What client software package allows Unified Messaging on Lotus Notes client
6:
desktops with Cisco Unity?
Name three of the qualified third-party fax solutions for Cisco Unity
7:
Integrated Faxing.
A7:
Answer:
What new networking feature in Cisco Unity 4.0 uses a standard that is
9:
based on the SMTP and MIME protocols?
Explain briefly the process that occurs when a Cisco Unity subscriber logs in
1:
to the system for the first time.
Answer: When a subscriber accesses the system for the first time and
presses * (if the system does not recognize the calling party number) and
then enters their extension number, they typically are presented with a
special first-time subscriber conversation that is meant to enroll them in the
A1:
system. If the system recognizes the calling party number as a subscriber, it
logs in the subscriber with the default password. The system prompts the
subscriber to record a voice name and a personal greeting. It then provides
the opportunity to set a password.
2: List four typical voice-mail subscriber options when using the TUI.
3: List at least two items that can be customized in the VMO settings.
When a user is prompted for a PIN by Cisco PA, what is the result when the
4:
PIN cannot be verified due to an incorrect entry?
6:
Each subscriber must set a password as mandated by the subscriber
template in effect at login. If a subscriber loses or forgets the password set,
what course of action should be taken?
Answer: Only a Cisco Unity administrator can delete the existing password
A6: and set a new temporary password for the subscriber. The subscriber should
change the temporary password at first login.
Describe the circumstance that will cause the MWI on the subscriber phone
7:
to be turned off.
Answer: The last unheard message in the voice mailbox must be heard in its
A7:
entirety.
To configure call hold and screening features, which utility, discussed in this
8:
chapter, should be used?
A8: Answer: The Cisco Unity Assistant inside the Cisco Unity PCA.
Answer: List or read messages, skip messages, delete messages, and call
A10: back the sender of the message (if the message was left by a subscriber in
the corporate directory).
Chapter 3
1: List the three basic sections of the Cisco Unity System Administrator page.
List the two basic methods of authentication that are available for Cisco
2:
Unity subscribers.
List at least three options available on the Configuration Settings page and
5:
their functions.
On a date for which the Cisco Unity server has been configured as a holiday,
6:
which greeting will callers hear upon calling in?
Instead of using a hardware key for Cisco Unity licensing, what is used in
7:
Cisco Unity 4.x?
A7:
Answer: FlexLM licensing and license files stored on the Cisco Unity server.
Answer: After six failed logon attempts within any 30-minute period, an
A1: account is locked out. This is the default setting. The account is reinstated
after 60 minutes.
2: When does a change made in the Account Policy page take effect?
Answer: Account policy changes take effect immediately for all subscribers.
A2:
Subscribers are subject to the settings at next logon.
Cisco Unity provides three default distribution lists to provide the ability to
5: send messages to multiple users simultaneously. List each of these three
distribution lists and its purpose.
A5:
Answer: The following are the three public distribution lists that are created
by default:
All Subscribers� All subscribers are automatically added to this list upon
creation.
�
System Event Messages� Subscribers added to this list receive messages
from the Event Notification utility. This could include error messages,
problem notifications, or warnings about potential problems with the Cisco
Unity server.
Initially, the Example Administrator account is the sole member of both the
Unaddressed Messages and System Event Messages distribution lists.
Account
Passwords
Conversation
Call Transfer
A6:
Greetings
Caller Input
Messages
Distribution Lists
Messages Notification
Subscriber templates provide a powerful tool for setting user options. What
7:
should be configured prior to the creation of any subscriber templates?
A Cisco Unity subscriber can create private distribution lists. How many lists
8: may be created by subscribers and administrators in Cisco Unity 4.0(2) or
later? Where are they created?
A8:
Answer: There is no defined limit. Private lists are defined in the Cisco Unity
Assistant or via the subscriber telephone.
Cisco Unity has the capability to place a call to any subscriber to notify
9: them of new messages. What means of notification are available to
subscribers when new messages arrive?
10: List the Cisco Unity accounts created by the Cisco Unity installation process.
Which default call handler is used to allow callers to search for subscribers in
2:
a Cisco Unity system?
If a voice message is less than 1 second in length, how does the Cisco Unity
4:
system handle it?
Answer: Calls lasting less than 1 second are deleted and the Cisco Unity
A4:
system generates an event in the application log.
If a call is compared to all rules in the call routing table, and it matches
5:
none of the defined rules, how will the call be routed?
Answer: The last rule in any call routing table is the Default Call Handler.
A5:
This rule exists to catch calls that do not match any other rules in the table.
A6:
Answer: Attempt Sign-In attempts to match the calling number to that of
the subscriber. If a match is found, the call is sent to the subscriber logon
conversation. If not, the next rule in the table is applied to the call.
Sign-In sends the call to the subscriber logon conversation, causing the
system to prompt for the subscriber extension rather than checking the
calling number. This allows a sign-in from any phone or extension.
The Cisco Unity system provides two default routing tables. List them along
8:
with a brief description of each.
Answer:
Direct Calls� Handles calls from subscribers and unidentified callers that
are directly dialed to the Cisco Unity system; for example, a subscriber who
is calling to check their voice mail and retrieve messages.
A8: Forwarded Calls� Handles calls that are forwarded to Cisco Unity from a
subscriber extension or an extension that is not associated with a subscriber
account; for example, an external call that is forwarded to the Cisco Unity
system because the subscriber has set the Call Forward No Answer option.
The subscriber extension does not ring. Instead, the call is automatically
redirected to the subscriber's configured greeting.
Which call handler is typically used at the end of a call cycle within the Cisco
10:
Unity system?
A3:
Answer: These are tasks to consider when maintaining a Cisco Unity server:
Keep up to date with Cisco Unity qualified service packs and hot fixes.
Verify that the backup medium used has enough available space to
back up the Cisco Unity server.
Include Cisco Unity servers in the schedule if you are restarting other
network servers.
Run the DBWalker utility.
If using Exchange, check for mailboxes that are over their storage
limit.
When generating a Cisco Unity report, which two file formats can you
4:
choose from to have Cisco Unity generate the report?
Answer: Cisco Unity can generate the report in either web page (HTML) or
A4:
CSV format.
When running a Cisco Unity report, if you suspect that it will be larger than
5:
220 MB, which file format should you use?
If there are some Cisco Unity reports in queue and an administrator stops
6:
Cisco Unity, what happens to the reports?
A user is stating that their MWI does not turn on immediately after they
7: receive a message on their Cisco Unity voice mailbox. Which Cisco Unity
Subscriber report can you run to help troubleshoot this issue?
A7:
Answer: The Subscriber Message Activity report will help to troubleshoot
this issue.
When you want to track which system administrator changed values in Cisco
8: Unity and what values they changed, which System report will help you
track these changes?
Answer: The Administrative Access Activity report will assist in finding this
A8:
information.
Which Cisco Unity report will help you determine how many times callers
9:
simply hung up from the opening greeting?
Answer: The Call Handler Traffic report can help in finding out this
A9:
information.
What are some of the PA statistics you can monitor by using Performance
10:
Monitor counters?
Answer: You can use Performance Monitor counters to keep track of the
following information:
List two hardware manufacturers that are certified to provide Cisco Unity
1:
server and PA server functionality.
Which voice card provides the highest density of ports available for a Cisco
3:
Unity server?
5: List three types of optional hardware that are supported by the Cisco TAC.
Answer: External modem, tape drive, UPS, mass storage array, and multiple
A5:
NICs.
What codecs can you use when integrating Cisco CallManager with Cisco
7:
Unity?
A7:
Answer: Cisco Unity accepts only G.729 and G.711 calls from a Cisco
CallManager.
Answer: Multiple NICs for load balancing, remote data storage connectivity
through frame or packet switch fabrics or networks, such as Fibre Channel,
A8:
In.niBand, or IP packetization, and multiple IP addresses for two or more
load-balanced NICs.
What type of modem is typically recommended for use with the Cisco Unity
9:
system?
10: How many voice ports does the Intel/Dialogic D/240PCI-T1 card provide?
Name the different message stores that you can choose when installing
1:
Cisco Unity 4.0.
Answer: Exchange 5.5, Exchange 2000, Exchange 2003 (with Cisco Unity
A1: 4.0(3) and later), and Lotus Domino are the message stores supported for
Cisco Unity 4.0.
When is the Microsoft SQL Server 2000 software required for a Cisco Unity
2:
installation, as opposed to the MSDE?
Answer: For Cisco Unity systems that require UM or more than 32 ports,
SQL Server 2000 is required. If the system will be a VoiceMail-only setup
A2:
with 32 ports or less, then MSDE can be used. It is also required for all
Cisco Unity Failover configurations.
A3: Answer: You can use the DUCS component provided by IBM Lotus.
5: When is Windows 2000 Advanced Server required for Cisco Unity 4.0?
Answer: Windows 2000 Advanced Server is required for Cisco Unity Platform
Overlay 4 and 5 servers when performing a new installation, replacing an
A5:
existing system, or purchasing an additional Cisco Unity Platform 4 or 5
server.
A6:
Answer: Cisco Unity for Domino currently is supported in a UM
configuration with Domino installed off-box.
When installing Cisco PA 1.4, where can the Cisco PA Speech Recognition
7:
Server software be installed?
Answer: The CUSPA tool helps you to prepare your Cisco Unity system for a
A9: Cisco Unity installation. It checks the Cisco Unity server for the required
software and service packs.
Name the three main integration features present when integration between
1:
Cisco Unity and a PBX takes place.
Answer: The following are the three main features present when integration
between Cisco Unity and a PBX takes place:
3: When using PA, what type of ports must you configure in CCM?
A3: Answer: You must configure CTI route points in CCM for PA to work.
List at least three types of integration that Cisco Unity 4.0 uses to integrate
4:
with telephone systems.
A4:
Answer: The following are the types of integration that Cisco Unity 4.0 uses
to integrate with various telephone systems:
IP integration
DTMF integration
SMDI integration
PBXLink integration
SIP integration
When using DTMF integration, what mechanism does Cisco Unity use to
5:
turn on a lamp on a phone?
Answer: Cisco Unity sends DTMF tones to the telephone system to tell it to
A5:
turn MWI on or off on a particular phone.
What type of cable does the SMDI integration usually use to send
6:
information about a call?
When using PBXLink integration, you attach the PBXLink box to the PBX
7:
using what type of lines?
A7: Answer: You attach the PBXLink to the PBX via digital lines.
A8: Answer: Session is another term for messaging port in Cisco Unity.
What is the TRaP Connection setting used for on the Cisco Unity messaging
9:
ports?
List at least three telephone systems that Cisco Unity 4.0 currently
10:
supports.
A10:
Answer: The following are the currently supported telephone systems for
Cisco Unity 4.0:
CCM (IP)
Centrex (SMDI)
When using SMTP networking between two Cisco Unity servers that do not
2: share the same global directory, are the voice attributes preserved when
sending voice messages between the Cisco Unity systems and using IVC?
Answer: Yes. Voice-mail messages between these two Cisco Unity systems
have the ability to retain their voice attributes because of IVC. Not installing
A2:
IVC would result in a message arriving at its destination as an e-mail with a
WAV attachment.
A3: Answer: Only one requires the VPIM license and VPIM configuration.
What method of communication does AMIS networking use with Cisco Unity
4:
to transfer voice messages between voice-messaging systems?
Answer: AMIS networking uses the PSTN to place calls to transfer the voice
A4: messages. It uses standard analog telephone lines to exchange voice-mail
messages with other systems.
What tool do you use to create the UAmis and UOmni accounts for AMIS
5:
networking and Bridge networking, respectively?
Answer: You use the ConfigMgr tool, located in the \Commserver folder of
A5:
the Cisco Unity server.
6:
What types of voice-mail systems can Cisco Unity communicate with when
using Bridge networking?
What types of messages can the UOmni mailbox receive when using Bridge
7:
networking?
Answer: The UOmni mailbox can receive messages that provide notification
A7: of automatic creation, modification, and deletion of Bridge subscribers as a
result of Octel NameNet emulation.
When Cisco Unity synchronizes its Unity SQL database with the global
8:
directory, what type of information copies over onto the directory?
First name
Last name
Display name
Fax ID
Primary ID
System ID
Transfer string
9: When determining the type of Cisco networking to use, what is the
preferred choice when all the target servers are Cisco Unity servers and all
use the same global directory?
You are the administrator of one Cisco Unity server in an organization that
is using networking to communicate with other messaging systems. If you
10:
log in to your server using Cisco Unity Administrator, what location objects
can you not delete from this server?
Answer: You cannot delete the primary location, or any other delivery
locations that were created on remote Cisco Unity servers that other
A10: administrators configured. Delivery locations created on a remote Cisco
Unity server appear as read-only on the local system. You can, however,
delete delivery locations created locally on that Cisco Unity server.
Chapter 11
Cisco Unity
System state
Answer: The best time to perform backups of a Cisco Unity system is when
the system is the least busy�when the system is not processing many calls,
A2: such as after regular business hours or when there are no other tasks
running. This may also include a time when the system is not generating
system reports.
Which utility can you use to view the flow patterns of call handlers that are
3:
configured in the Cisco Unity database?
Answer: Audio Text Manager allows you to view the following settings: Call
A3: Handlers, Subscriber information, Interviewer Handler, as well as Directory
handler information.
Suppose that you have ten subscribers in Cisco Unity and you would like to
4: require them to change their phone password the next time they log in.
Which Cisco utility best helps you to set this up quickly?
A4:
Answer: The Bulk Edit utility allows you to set this for all ten subscribers at
one time.
John Smith has two accounts in Exchange, one for voice mail only and the
other for e-mail. He would like to have only one account for both functions.
5:
Which Cisco Unity utility can help you to consolidate these into one account
for John?
Which Cisco Unity tool can you use to change the codec of all standard
6:
greetings and voice names from G.711 to G.729?
Answer: You can use the Set Wave Format tool to convert existing standard
A6:
greetings and voice names from G.711 to G.729.
Which Cisco Unity utility can examine the Cisco Unity database by
performing a series of checks on all call handler, subscriber, subscriber
7:
template, interview handler, location and directory handler objects in the
database?
Answer: The Database Walker utility examines the Cisco Unity database for
A7:
these things.
When using Bridge networking with Cisco Unity, which reporting tool can
8:
show you the amount of message traffic on your Bridge server?
Answer: Bridge Traffic Analyzer can show you message traffic on your Bridge
A8:
server.
Answer: Call Viewer helps you to troubleshoot this situation. Call Viewer can
A9:
be used to troubleshoot Cisco Unity with an IP integration.
10:
If users are reporting that too many matches show up when they are using
the dial-by-name feature in Cisco PA, what can you do to reduce the
number of matches?
Answer: Lower the value of the Max Disambiguate parameter located within
A10:
the speech-recognition settings on the Cisco PA server.
[SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [L] [M] [N] [O ] [P ] [R] [S] [T] [U]
[V] [W] [X]
[SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [L] [M] [N] [O ] [P ] [R] [S] [T] [U]
[V] [W] [X]
account policies
setting
accunts
default Cisco Unity accounts
ACE/Server
Active Directory (AD)
AD
directory replication
two unity systems in an AD forest
AD (Active Directory)
AD forests
directory replication 2nd
VPIM networking
adapter fault tolerance (AFT)
adding
Cisco Unity subscribers 2nd 3rd
subscribers
addressing
subscriber
Administrative Access Activity Reports
Administrator reports [See Cisco Unity Administrator reports]
AFT (adapter fault tolerance)
AMIS (Audio Message Interchange Specification)
AMIS (Audio Messaging Interchange Specification)
AMIS Options Delivery Options page
AMIS Outbound and Inbound Traffic Reports
AMIS subscribers
AMIS-a
networking
Internet subscribers
IVC
location objects
message delivery 2nd
port usage and schedules 2nd 3rd
restriction tables
setup 2nd 3rd
UAmis mailbox
subscribers
Amis-a networking
AMIS-a networking
Anonymous authentication
advantages/disadvantages
ASR (automatic speech recognition)
ASR servers
audio
quality
audio management tools
Set Record Format utility 2nd
Set WAV Format tool 2nd
WaveGain utility 2nd
Audio Messaging Interchange Specification (AMIS)
Audio Text Manager
overview
audiotext application
authentication
advantages/disadvantages
Authentication Settings page 2nd 3rd
automatic attendant
automatic speech recognition (ASR)
[SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [L] [M] [N] [O ] [P ] [R] [S] [T] [U]
[V] [W] [X]
backups 2nd
Audio Text Manager
overview
Bulk Edit utility
Cisco qualified software packages
Disaster Recover Backup tool 2nd 3rd
Failover Monitor 2nd
Global Subscriber Manager (GSM) 2nd
Licensing utility 2nd
Migrate Subscriber Data Tool 2nd
BHCA
(busy hour call attempts)
blind addressing 2nd
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BM1222595
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Bridge networking
bridge networking
Cisco CallManager
dual integration
Internet subscribers 2nd
location objects
overview
setupr 2nd 3rd
synchronization
Bridge networking
UOmni mailbox
bridge networking
UOmni mailbox
Bridge servers
subscribers
Bridge subscribers
Bridge Traffic Analyzer tool 2nd
bridgehead servers
routing groups
Bulk Edit utility
Bulk Import tool
busy hour call attempts
(BHCA)
[SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C ] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [L] [M] [N] [O ] [P ] [R] [S] [T] [U]
[V] [W] [X]
call flow
Cisco PA
Cisco PA outside call flow 2nd 3rd
Cisco PA subscriber call flow
outside caller 2nd
subscriber
call forward to personal greeting geature
Call Handler Traffic Reports
call handlers
defining 2nd
customizing default
directory call handlers
interview handlers 2nd
planning use
user-defined
customizing settings 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th
Call History Logs 2nd
call routing rules
defining 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
call transfer settings
Call Viewer
CallManager [See CCM]
integrating
CCM
(Cisco CallManager)
integrating
with PA
integration with Cisco Unity
circular logging
Cisco CallManager
codecs
Cisco CallMangaer
integration
Cisco Media Convergence Server [See MCS]
Cisco Messaging systems
messaging ports 2nd 3rd
Cisco PA
assistant administration rule-sets page
call flaow
Call History logs 2nd
client software 2nd
Follow Me
hardware requirements
installing 2nd 3rd
integration
IP Phone Productivity Services
monitoring
optional features
PA-driven voice mail
rules-based routing 2nd
software requirements
speech recognition
standard features
troubleshooting 2nd
upgrading from 1.3 to 1.4
web-based system administration
web-based user administration 2nd
Cisco PA caller call flow 2nd 3rd
Cisco PA subscriber call flow
Cisco PCA 2nd 3rd
Cisco Unity Inbox
CUA 2nd
Cisco Personal Assistant Design Guide(IT)
Cisco Personal Communications Assistant [See CPCA]
CIsco Personal Communications Assistant (CPCA)
Cisco Personal Communications Assistant (CPCA)
Cisco Security Agent for Cisco Unity v1.1
Cisco Unity Administration Active Server Pages (ASP)
Cisco Unity Administrator reports
specifying settings
Cisco Unity Assistant (CUA) 2nd
Cisco Unity AVDSGlobalCatalogMonitor service
Cisco Unity Bridge server
Cisco Unity Bridges
Cisco CallManager
dual integration
Internet subscribers 2nd
location objects
network setup 2nd 3rd
network synchronization
overview
UOmni mailbox 2nd
Cisco Unity Data Link Explorer (CUDLE) 2nd
Cisco Unity Diagnostic Tool 2nd
Cisco Unity failover
configuring
Cisco Unity Greeting Administrator (CUGA)
Cisco Unity Inbox
Cisco PCA
Cisco Unity Inbox (Cisco PCA)
CIsco Unity Installation Guide(IT)
Cisco Unity Licensing utility 2nd
Cisco Unity server
ConfigMgr
Cisco Unity servers
AMIS-a networking
hardware
optional
hardware considerations
installing option hardware
networking
AMIS-a 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th
communication methods
digital networking 2nd
IVC for Exchange 2nd
message transfer and directory replication 2nd
SMTP 2nd 3rd
VPIM 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th
performance capacity
Platform Overlay 1
Platform Overlay 2
Platform Overlay 3
Platform Overlay 4
Platform Overlay 5
platform overlays 2nd
levels 2nd
storage configurations 2nd 3rd
subscribers
addressing
selecting
Cisco Unity Service Pack CD-ROM
Cisco Unity System Administer
CoS configuration
Cisco Unity System Administration Guide(ital)
Cisco Unity System Administration web page
Cisco Unity System Administrator
Media Master
control bar
Navigation bar
onscreen help
overview
page layout
protecting the system administrator account 2nd
subscriber conversion options 2nd 3rd 4th
title strip 2nd
Cisco Unity systems
AD forests
adding Cisco Unity subscribers 2nd 3rd
adding subscribers
administrator accounts
audio management tools
Set Record Format utility 2nd
Set WAV Format tool 2nd
WaveGain utility 2nd
Cisco unity systems
audiotext
automated attendant
Cisco Unity systems
backups
Audio Text Manager
Bulk Edit utility
Cisco qualified software packages
Disaster Recovery Backup tool 2nd 3rd
Failover Monitor 2nd
Global Subscriber Manager (GSM) 2nd
Licensing utility 2nd
Migrate Subscriber Data Tool 2nd
Cisco unity systems
call flow
Cisco PA outsider caller 2nd 3rd
Cisco PA subscriber
outside caller 2nd
subscriber
Cisco Unity systems
call handlers
customizing default
defining
defining call routing rules 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
directory call handlers
planning use
speciality 2nd
call handlersdefining
Cisco PA
client software 2nd
installing
software requirements
Cisco unity systems
Cisco PA
speech recognition
Cisco PCA
Cisco Unity Inbox
CUA 2nd
Cisco Unity systems
communications system integration
attributes
CCM
DTMF
dual phone systems
IP
PA and CCM
PBXLink
SIP 2nd
SMDI
types of
communications system reporting
Subscriber Rreports 2nd 3rd 4th
using tools
configuring
changing directory handler
changing opening greeting
Configuration Settings page 2nd 3rd
creating task lists 2nd 3rd
Phone Languages page 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th
Recordings page 2nd
Cisco unity systems
CUGA
FlexLM
Live Reply 2nd
CUSPA
Cisco Unity systems
default Cisco Unity accounts
deleting subscribers
diagnostic tools
Cisco Unity Data Link Explorer 2nd
Cisco Unity Diagnostic Tool 2nd
dbWalker 2nd
EMS 2nd
SysCheck
digital networking
implementing 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th
Cisco unity Systems
DUCS
Cisco Unity systems
DUCS
client software 2nd
installing 2nd
software components 2nd
Cisco unity systems
EMEA voice board support
Cisco Unity systems
Exchange architecture 2nd 3rd
client software
software requirements 2nd 3rd
telephone systems 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
Unity Service Pack CD-ROM 2nd
Cisco unity systems
features
Flex Stack
Cisco Unity systems
Global subscriber settings
account policies
CoS 2nd 3rd 4th
CoS settings and subscriber interactions
distribution lists 2nd
subscriber templates 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
installing
unified communications software 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th
12th 13th
Cisco unity systems
integration
attributes
telephone systems 2nd
managing calls
Cisco Unity systems
monitoring
PA
performance counters
Cisco unity systems
MTTR
multiple directory handlers
SIP support
Cisco Unity systems
networking
communication methods
defining 2nd
digital networking 2nd
IVC for Exchange 2nd
Cisco unity systems
optional features
integrated faxing
localized versions
networking features
unified messaging
Cisco Unity systems
PA archetecture 2nd
real-time monitoring tools 2nd
Status Monitor 2nd
System Status page
reporting tools
Bridge Traffic Analyzer tool 2nd
GUSI 2nd
Port Usage Analyzer tool 2nd
Cisco unity systems
RSA security
Cisco Unity systems
subscriber accounts vs. subscriber templates
alternate extensions
message notifications
private lists
subscribers
Cisco unity systems
support
Cisco Unity systems
supported platforms
switch integration tools
Call Viewer
Integration Monitor utility 2nd
Switch Configuratin utility 2nd
System Reports
Administrative Access Activity Reports
Call Handler Traffic Reports
Event LogReports
Unresolved References Reports
System ReportsAMIS Outbound and Inbound Traffic Reports
Cisco unity systems
TUI 2nd 3rd
defining subscribers 2nd
sending messages
subscriber conversion options 2nd 3rd 4th
Cisco Unity systems
unified communications software
upgrading unified communications software 2nd
Cisco PA 1.3 to Cisco PA 1.4
Exchange to Domino
locating version number 2nd
user-defined call handlers
customizing settings 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th
voice cards 2nd
installing hardware 2nd
Cisco unity systems
voice mail
Cisco Unity sytems
maintaining
additional resources
servers 2nd 3rd 4th
Cisco Unity Telephony Integration Manageer (UTIM)
Cisco Unity Telephony Integration Manager (UTIM)
Cisco Unity Tools Depot
audio management tools
Set Record Format utility 2nd
Set Wav Format tool 2nd
WaveGain Utility 2nd
reporting tools
class of service (CoS)
client software
Cisco PA 2nd
DUCS 2nd
Exchange
comma-separated values (CSV)
communications architectures
Cisco PA
client software 2nd
installing
software requirements
DUCS
client software 2nd
components 2nd
installing 2nd
Exchange architecture 2nd 3rd
client software
software requirements 2nd
supported software
telephone systems 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
Unity Service Pack CD-ROM 2nd
PA architecture 2nd
communications integration
communications sytems
integration
attributes
Cisco Unity and CCM
DTMF
dual phone systems
IP
PA and CCM
PBXLink
SIP 2nd
SMDI
telephone systems
types of
messaging ports in Cisco Messaging system 2nd 3rd
ConfigMgr tool
Configuration Settings page 2nd 3rd
configuring
Cisco Unity failover
Cisco Unity systems
changing direcory handler
changing opening greeting
Configuration Settings page 2nd 3rd
creating task lists 2nd 3rd
Phone Languages page 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th
Recordings page 2nd
message ports
conversations
exiting
conversion options (subscribers) 2nd 3rd 4th
CoS
describing 2nd 3rd 4th
CoS (class of service)
CPCA
(Cisco Personal Communications Assistant)
CPCA (Cisco Personaal COmmunications Assistant)
CPCA (Cisco Personal Communications Assistant)
creating
default Cisco Unity accounts
subscriber templates 2nd
call transfer options
caller input
passwords
Profile page
CSV (comma-separated values)
CUA 2nd
CUA (Cisco Unity Assistant) 2nd
CUDLE (CIsco Unity Data Link Explorer) 2nd
CUGA
FlexLM
Live Reply 2nd
CUGA (Cisco Unity Greeting Administrator)
CUICA
Permissions Wizard 2nd 3rd
CUICA (Cisco Unity Installation and Configuration Assistant)
CUPID
(Cisco Unity Performance Infomration and Diagnositc)
CUSPA
CUSPA (Cisco Unity Server Preparation Assistant) 2nd
customizing
VMO
customizing default call handlers
[SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [L] [M] [N] [O ] [P ] [R] [S] [T] [U]
[V] [W] [X]
dbWalker 2nd
DBWalker tool
DCM (Dialogic Configuration Manager)
default Cisco Unity accounts
defining
call handlers 2nd
customizing default
directory call handlers
interview handlers 2nd
call routing rules 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
Cisco unity subscribers 2nd
messaging port configuration
primary location objects
deleting
subscribers
delivery location objects
creating
diagnostic tools
Cisco Unity Data Link Explorer 2nd
Cisco Unity Diagnostic Tool 2nd
dbWalker 2nd
EMS 2nd
SysCheck
Dial IDs
Dialing Domain IDs
dialing domains
Dialogic Configuration Manager (DCM)
Dialout MWI setting
DID (Direct Indward Dialing)
digital networking 2nd
Cisco Unity 4.0
implementing
dialing domains
location objects 2nd
prerequisites
search options
setup
direct calls
Direct Inward Dialing (DID)
directories
handlers
changing
directory call handlers
directory replication 2nd 3rd
AD
AD forests 2nd
intersite 2nd 3rd
intrarouting groups 2nd
two Unity systems in an AD forest
DiRT 2nd
Disaster Recovery Backup tool 2nd 3rd
Disk Drives page
distribution lists 2nd
subscriber templates
Distribution Lists Reports
DNS (Domain Name System)
Domain Name System (DNS)
Domino [See also DUCS]
Domino Unified Communication Services [See DUCS]
Domino Unified Communications Services (DUCS)
DTMF
integration
DTMF tones
(dual-tone multifrequency)
dual phone systems
integration
DUCS 2nd 3rd 4th
(Domino Unified Communications Services)
client software 2nd
installing 2nd
upgrading to, from Exchange
DUCS (Domino Unified Communication Services)
DVD installation
Dynamic Configuration Tool
[SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [L] [M] [N] [O ] [P ] [R] [S] [T] [U]
[V] [W] [X]
e-mail
Lotus Notes
VMO
customizing
EMEA voice board support
EMS
(Event Monitoring Service) 2nd
Event Log Reports
Event Monitoring Service [See EMS]
Exchage 2000
routing group message passing
Exchange
circular logging
Disaster Recovery Backup tool
upgrading to Domino
Exchange 2000
contacts
intrarouting group message transfer and directory replication
IVC
Exchange architecture 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
client software
software requirements 2nd
supported software
telephone systems 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th
Unity Service Pack CD-ROM 2nd
Exchange networking
exiting conversations
Extension Addresses Utility
[SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [L] [M] [N] [O ] [P ] [R] [S] [T] [U]
[V] [W] [X]
G.711
G.729
GAL (global address list) 2nd
Gather Unity System Information utility (GUSI) 2nd
global address list (GAL) 2nd
Global Catalog Monitor
Global Subscriber Manager (GSM) 2nd
Global subscriber settings
account policies
CoS 2nd 3rd 4th
CoS settings and subscriber interactions
distribution lists 2nd
subscriber templates 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
greetings
changing
subscriber templates
GSM (Global Subscriber Manager) 2nd
GUI Languages page
system schedules
GUSI (Gather Unity System Information utility) 2nd
[SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [L] [M] [N] [O ] [P ] [R] [S] [T] [U]
[V] [W] [X]
macro traces
MailView features (Cisco PA)
maintaining
Cisco Unity servers 2nd 3rd
additional resources
message verification
MAPI (Messaging Application Programming Interface)
MCS
(Cisco Media Convergence Server)
mean time to repair (MTTR)
Media Master
control bar
Message Latency report
message ports
configuring
Message Store Configuration Wizard
message transfer 2nd 3rd
AD forests
intersite 2nd 3rd
intrarouting groups 2nd
intrasite messageing in Exchange 5.5 2nd
Message Transfer Agent (MTA)
message waiting indicator (MWI)
message waiting indicators (MWIs) 2nd
messages
AMIS 2nd
sending
sorting
sorting:messages
subscriber templates
time stamps
VMO
Media Master Control
VPIM
Messaging Application Programming Interface)
messaging ports
defining configuration
micro traces
Microsoft Exchange Eseutil
Microsoft Windows 2000 Active Directory Users and Computers console
deleting subscribers
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 AD
Migrate Subscriber Data Tool 2nd
monitoring
Cisco PA 2nd 3rd
PA
performance counters
real-time monitoring tools 2nd
Status Monitor 2nd
System Status page
MTA (Message Transfer Agent)
MTTR (mean time to repair)
multiple directory handlers
SIP support
MWI
extenguishing
MWI (message waiting indicator)
MWIs
(message waiting indicators)
MWIs (message waiting indicators)
[SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [L] [M] [N ] [O ] [P ] [R] [S] [T] [U]
[V] [W] [X]
name dialing
name synchronization
NDR (nondelivery report)
Netscape
SA
network fault tolerance (NFT)
networking 2nd
AMIS-a 2nd
Internet subscribers
IVC
location objects
message delivery 2nd
port usage and schedules 2nd 3rd
setup 2nd
UAmis mailbox
bridge networking 2nd
Cisco CallManager
Internet subscribers 2nd
location objects
setup 2nd 3rd
synchronizatoin
UOmni mailbox
communication methods
digital networking 2nd
IVC for Exchange 2nd
message transfer and directory replication 2nd
SMTP 2nd 3rd
creating location delivery objects
Internet subscribers 2nd
setup
subscribers
Internet
VPIM
addressing
creating delivery location objects
installing IVC
Internet subscribers
IVC
licensing
location objects 2nd 3rd
setup 2nd
networks
digital networking
NFT (network fault tolerance
NICs
AFT/NFT
nondelivery report (NDR)
[SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [L] [M] [N] [O ] [P ] [R] [S] [T] [U]
[V] [W] [X]
OLE_LINK1 2nd
one-key dialing
routing callers
Online Documentation Help icon
optional features (Cisco unity systems)
integrated faxing
localized versions
networking features
unified messaging
OutCall Billing Reports
outside caller call flow 2nd
[SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [L] [M] [N] [O ] [P] [R] [S] [T] [U]
[V] [W] [X]
PA
integrating with CCM
PA (Personal Assistant)
monitoring
PA architecture 2nd
PAK (product authorization key)
passwords
subscriber templates
PBX (private branch exchange)
PBXLink
integration
PCM (pulse code modulation)
performance
Cisco PA
performance capacity 2nd
performance counters
monitoring
Permissions Wizard 2nd
Personal Assistant [See PA]
Phone Languages page 2nd
authentication settings 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
licensing
planning
call handler use
Platform Overlay 1
Platform Overlay 2
Platform Overlay 3
Platform Overlay 4
Platform Overlay 5
platform overlays 2nd 3rd
levels 2nd
Port Usage Analyzer tool 2nd
Port Usage Reports
Ports page
private branch exchange (PBX)
product authorization key (PAK)
Profile page (subscriber templates)
PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network)
pulse code modulation (PCM)
[SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [L] [M] [N] [O ] [P ] [R ] [S] [T] [U]
[V] [W] [X]
RAID 2nd
real-time monitoring tools
defining 2nd
Status Monitor 2nd
System Status page
Recordings page 2nd
recovery
reporting tools
Bridge Traffic Analyzer tool 2nd
GUSI 2nd
Port Usage Analyzer tool 2nd
Reports page
restriction tables
(AMIS-a)
routing
rules-based 2nd
routing group message passing 2nd
RSA security
enhanced phone security
rules-based routing 2nd
[SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [L] [M] [N] [O ] [P ] [R] [S] [T] [U]
[V] [W] [X]
s
SA (System Administrator)
SCCP (Skinny Client Control Protocol)
schedules
AMIS transmissions
AMIS-a
security
protecting system administrotr account 2nd
RSA security
selecting
subscriber addressing
subscribers
sending messages
servers
maintaining (Cisco Unity systems) 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
networking
SMTP
Service Configuration Wizard
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)
Set Record Format utility
Set WAV Format tool 2nd
setting
account policies
setup
SIP
integration 2nd
SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)
SIP support
Skinny Client Control Protocol (SCCP)
SMDI
integration
SMTP
networking 2nd 3rd
creating location delivery objects
Internet subscxribers 2nd
setup
SMTP Transport Event Sink
software
Cisco PA
client software 2nd
installing
software requirements
DUCS
client software 2nd
components 2nd
installing
Exchange architecture
client software
optional components
requirements
supported software with Cisco Unity
Unity Service Pack CD-ROM 2nd
unified communications
speciality call handlers
directory call handlers
speciality handlers
interview handlers 2nd
Status Monitor 2nd
storage
Cisco Unity servers 2nd 3rd
Storage Usage Reports
subscriber accounts vs. subscriber templates
alternate extensions
message notifications
private lists
subscriber call flow
Subscriber Message Store Status report
Subscriber Reports
OutCall Billing Reports
Storage Usage Reports
Subscirber Message Activity Reports
subscriber templates 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
caller input
conversion options
distribution lists
greetings
message notification options
setting messages
vs. subscriber accounts
alternative extensions
message notifications
private lists
subscribers
adding
adding Cisco Unity subscribers 2nd 3rd
AMIS-a
Bridge servers
Cisco PCA 2nd
conversion options 2nd 3rd 4th
deleting
exiting conversations
Internet
adding in SMTP networking
AMIS-a
Cisco Unity Bridges 2nd
connecting offices
options
VPIM networking
listening to voice-mail
selecting
addressing
VPIM
Switch Configuration utility 2nd
switch integration tools
Call Viewer
Integration Monitor utility 2nd
Switch Configuration utility 2nd
SysCheck
system administration
web-based
System Configuration Reports
system mrecovery
System Reports
Administrative Access Activity Reports
AMIS Outbound and Inbound Traffic Reports
Call Handler Traffic Reports
Event Log Reports
Unresolved References Reports
System Schedules page
System Status page
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UAmis mailbox
UMR (Unity Message Repository)
Unaddressed Messages distribution list
unified communications software
Exchange 2nd
Unified communications software
installing
Cisco PA 2nd
CUICA
CUSPA 2nd
integrating with telephony systems 2nd
License File Wizard
Message Store Configuration Wizard
Permissions Wizard 2nd
Service Configuration Wizard
Unity System setup
upgrading 2nd
Exchange to Domino
from Cisco PA 1.3 to Cisco PA 1.4
locating version number 2nd
unified messaging
Unity 1 Directory change Writer
Unity Message Repository (UMR)
Unresolved References Reports
UOmni mailbox 2nd
upgrading
Unified communications software 2nd
Cisco PA 1.3 to Cisco PA 1.4
Exchange to Domino
locating version number 2nd
user-defined call handlers
customizing settings 2nd 3rd
call transfer settings
caller input settings 2nd
greeting settings 2nd
message settings
profile settings 2nd
UTIM 2nd
UTIM (Cisco Unity Telephony Integration Manager) 2nd 3rd
[SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [L] [M] [N] [O ] [P ] [R] [S] [T] [U]
[V] [W] [X]
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