Example administrator, bulk import

[admin_2]

Is it safe to remove this mailbox? If so, what needs to be done first? I have created an administrator class and assigned accounts to it.<br><br>Also, is there a utility/way to bulk create mailboxes? I would need the capability for the "imported mailbox" class. I have found and used the great update tool (thanks, Jeff!), but we really need something to help automate the creation of the mailboxes.<br><br>

[#2]

The Example Administrator is also used as the default message recipient and owner for call handlers so you need to be sure to replace it on the subscriber template, the operator call handler and example interviewer box with another subscriber you want to fill this roll. If you've created other call handlers he'll likely be the owner and/or the recipient on those... clean those up as well. You can use BulkEdit for this if you've created a lot of handlers.

It's also the only account by default in the UnaddressedMessages and System Event Messages distribution lists. You definitely want to get someone in those DLs or you'll miss important messages.

How are you wanting to create users in bulk? The Import utility can create them from CSV file information or you can import standing mailusers in Exchange as well. What did you have in mind for this?


Jeff Lindborg
Unity Product Architect/Answer Monkey
Cisco Systems
lindborg@cisco.com
http://www.AnswerMonkey.net (new page for Unity support tools and scripts)

[#3]

Jeff, thanks for the info. As far as the bulk import, what I am looking to be able to do is create mailboxes for a specific subset of people. We are rolling out IP phones on a departmental basis, and it would be nice to export something from our internal database and use it as a source for import. I saw the Import tool you were talking about (not sure how I missed that!), but it is not quite as flexible as what I need. However, if there is not another methodology, Import is usable. What I was thinking of was something like when you use the Admin utility of Exchange Server to import from a CSV. If this isn't easily do-able, then we can certainly make do with the included utility. Sorry for missing such an obvious thing. As you can probably tell, Unity/Call Manager was recently installed by a 3rd party and we are kind of stumbling through figuring things out.

[#4]

So what would you like the import utility to do that it doesn't? Update standing users instead of creating new ones via CSV? If so, you can take another approach and prepopulate the business phone field in Exchange with the extension you want to assign to Unity and then import them from Exchange instead of from CSV (the extensions will already be filled in and you just hit the import button and go). here's post on how to prepopulate the Exchange business phone field in bulk:

http://avforums.isomedia.com/cgi-bin/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=unityent&Number=737&page=&view=&sb=&vc=1#Post737

if that's not what you're looking for, perhaps you can be more specific about what you'd like to see in the CSV import capability that's not there.


Jeff Lindborg
Unity Product Architect/Answer Monkey
Cisco Systems
lindborg@cisco.com
http://www.AnswerMonkey.net (new page for Unity support tools and scripts)

[#5]

I'll try. For example, when we have a new employee, they go into a database. From that database, we run a procedure that 1) creates the network account via ADSI, 2) creates the mailbox by creating a csv file and using exchange admin import (too lazy to redo in ADSI at this point), and 3) creates necessary folders. What I am imagining is something like 2). I set certain defined attributes of the voice mailbox in a database. I then export selected accounts to a csv file that has all the info that is required to create the voice mailbox (they would still be tying to an existing Exchange mailbox, though). It would have the following benefits over the Import tool (unless I am missing something).
1) The accounts to be used would not have to be manually selected in Import.
2) Any special attributes for the voice mailbox are set as it goes in, and no further editing is required. I know that subscriber classes can set most of that, but extra flexibility would be nice.
3) When we add new people that are too get voice mail, we use one automated process to create everything instead of having to do manual adds in Unity/Import.

I would be extremely happy with a set of headers to use in an Exchange import scenario, or with field names for creation through ADSI.

Again, if that isn't possible, it's not the end of the world. I am just exploring possibilities.

[#6]

based on your description, I think the import that ships with Unity 3.x can handle this. The import tool was expanded to allow creating subscribers from standing Exchange users, not only for creating new users from scratch that don't already exist in Exchange.

A new column, "UPDATE_SUBSCRIBER_ACCOUNT", was added to allow you to control this. If it's set to 0 or missing it works as it does today, if it is set to "1" it'll use the ALIAS field to find the existing user and just add the Unity properties to that account.

This sounds pretty close to what you'd need to tie into your existing automated user management scheme. There's no "silent" command line driven mode for import, however, so it's not quite a slam dunk. But it's pretty close.


Jeff Lindborg
Unity Product Architect/Answer Monkey
Cisco Systems
lindborg@cisco.com
http://www.AnswerMonkey.net (new page for Unity support tools and scripts)

[#7]

Ok, that sounds good. I appreciate your assistance very much, Jeff.

Bill Mayo