Unity Messaging with Nortel PBX

[jason.morris]

I currently am running a dual integration in my transition period to IP Telephony. In my current sitiation we are running a Nortel Meridian 1 Option 81c PBX and also Cisco CallManager 4.0. They are both integrated with Cisco Unity 4.0. Our problem is that our IP Phones are able to dial * then the extension and leave a message without ringing the phone. The PBX users, however, are not able to do this. This is becoming an increasing problem as we roll out the voicemail conversion. A local Cisco engineer as hold me it is possible to add it to the dial plan for the PBX, but our PBX technician disagrees. Can anyone send me an example of how to get this functionality for all phones. Thanks in addvance.

[eschulz · Accepted solution]

Do the Nortel phones have similar functionality with the old voicemail system? Or do the users see this as a new feature that comes with the migration? On the CCM-Unity side this is really a feature of the phone system. Unity is not doing anything special to allow for it. From Unity's perspective, calls routed through *[ext] look exactly the same as a call that was forwarded from [ext].

If you can't get similar functionality from the Nortel PBX then here's the closest thing I can think of... set a pilot number that lets PBX users call into the Unity opening greeting (instead of the sign-in conversation). From there they dial [ext]#2. This will take them directly to the greeting for [ext] without ringing the phone.

-Eric