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Unity using Corporate Exchange, VM or UM

Dear, all,

I have the follwoing intro:

CUCM 4.2(3)

Unity 4.2(1)

Integration type via SCCP (TSP)

Windows domain 2003

Unity server member of Windows 2003 domain

Corporate Exchange: 2003

Configuraton: VM (not UM)

Message Store type: Off-Box

At the very beginning I had an intention to install the Message Store On-Box.

You can see the preceding thread by visiting the link: http://forum.cisco.com/eforum/servlet/NetProf?page=netprof&forum=Unified%20Communications%20and%20Video&topic=Unified%20Communications%20Applications&topicID=.ee835d2&fromOutline=&CommCmd=MB%3Fcmd%3Ddisplay_location%26location%3D.2cc15018

Now I want to use corporate Exchange 2003 to store voicemail messages,

and not to install Exchange on-box, on the Unity.

Cannot understand will it be UM configuration ?

I mean if the message store is the corporate Exchange server does my Unity configuration remain VM ?

Or if I use corporate Exchange server, Unity configuration automatically becomes UM ?

Please, advice.

2 Accepted Solutions

Accepted Solutions

a) These are VM only licenses, so you cannot use a single account for email and VM. This would require a UM license.

b) You could either create the account in AD and import into Unity or if you setup Unity with the capability of creating accounts, you can create the account from Unity SA. So, f you have a current AD account of "thelden", you could create a second account called "thelden-vm" for voicemail.

Hope this helps.

Brandon

View solution in original post

You can use a demo license or use the default license on the Unity server. You will be able to upgrade it to the appropriate license and remove the demo/default license. According to the link below, this will require a reboot.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/unity/5x/upgrade/guide/ex/5xcuruge030.html#wp1104771

Hope this helps.

Brandon

View solution in original post

18 Replies 18

Brandon Buffin
VIP Alumni
VIP Alumni

You could configure either VM only or UM using the corporate Exchange server. If you use the existing email accounts as VM accounts, you will have UM assuming you have the correct licenses. The other option is for each user to have 2 accounts - one existing account for email and a new account for voicemail. This would give you VM only.

Hope this helps.

Brandon

Brandon, thank you. If you don't mind, a few questions else.

a) I have UNITYV4-100USR license. What if I want to use a single account ?

I mean the existing email account to store also voicemail messages ? Will it be possible and workable configuration ?

b) If VM configuration, using corporate Exchange infrastructure, cannot have a single account for email and voicemail messages while using VM license, what is the methodology to create additional second account, you've mentioned, to store voicemail messages ? Can you please point me into the appropriate document ?

a) These are VM only licenses, so you cannot use a single account for email and VM. This would require a UM license.

b) You could either create the account in AD and import into Unity or if you setup Unity with the capability of creating accounts, you can create the account from Unity SA. So, f you have a current AD account of "thelden", you could create a second account called "thelden-vm" for voicemail.

Hope this helps.

Brandon

Brandon, your explanations are highly appreciated.

Thank you very much.

Could you please advice what method of creating vm account to prefer: through the AD or by Unity interface ?

Currently there are 2,5 hundreds users already that exist in the directory.

With this number of users to create, your best option would be to use the Bulk Import Tool. You can find this on the Unity server under Start > Programs > Unity > Cisco Unity Bulk Import. This will allow you to import users in bulk either from existing AD accounts or from a CSV file.

Hope this helps.

Brandon

Brandon, it's great!

Can you also advice is the Exchange Management Tools component, installed on the Unity server, mandatory ?

Will the overall configuration be proper if I won't install it on Unity ?

Installation of the Exchange tools on the Unity server is mandatory. The following is from the Unity Installation Guide.

"You install Exchange 2003 administration software on the Cisco Unity server because it includes the Microsoft messaging API (MAPI). MAPI is the application programming interface that Cisco Unity uses to communicate with Exchange for addressing, sending, and retrieving messages."

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/unity/5x/installation/guide/umexnofo/5xcuigumenofo060.html#wp1939020

Hope this helps.

Brandon

Brandon,

I have another one question in according to Unity On-Box configuration.

As I've mentioned earlier, we had been already discussing such a possibility on the following link:

http://forum.cisco.com/eforum/servlet/NetProf?page=netprof&forum=Unified%20Communications%20and%20Video&topic=Unified%20Communications%20Applications&topicID=.ee835d2&fromOutline=&CommCmd=MB?cmd=display_location&location=.2cc15018

The essense of the information our colleague Tommer Catlin provided to me, is:

A) You cannot have 2 (two) autonomous Exchange servers in the same forest

B) You can have multiple Exchange servers in the same domain/forest, BUT

they will be in the same Exchange Organization, i.e. these Exchange servers

will share the same address book, rules, and so forth.

I want to ask you what do you think about the best practises for the On-Box configurations ?

Should I create the separate domain/forest for Unity server and make this server as Domain Controller ?

Or it's a better to integrate Unity as member into existing windows domain as Tommer mentioned ?

Are there any other unobvious recommendations ?

If possible, I would recommend using the existing corporate Exchange server for the message store. If you want VM only, configure sepearate "user-vm" accounts. If you need to use a separate Exchange server for VM, create a separate forest/domain for the Unity installation and make the Unity server the DC as well as the Exchange server.

Brandon

You need to install exchange tools on the Unity server no matter what. Unity will not work if it is not installed. That is how Unity (talks) to exchange and sends messages and so forth. .

Off box Exchange you for sure need Exchange tools installed on the Unity.

Randy

Disregard this already stated and this is late.

Brandon,

Thank you much for your recommendations and efficiency.

1. Could you also, please, explain why do you think using corporate Exchange is more preferable than the separate one ?

2.1 Are you informed is there any Exchange tool that allows to create a few hundreds of "user-vm"

accounts in a batch mode ? Or these accounts are all should be created by hands, i.e. manually ?

2.2 Do you recommend to create a separate AD Organisational Unit for "user-vm" accounts to simplify

posterior import process of these accounts into Unity by means of Bulk Import tool ?

3. In your previous post you've stated "... make the Unity server the DC as well as the Exchange server ...".

You know the customer does not have separate h_a_r_d_w_a_r_e server to support new Exchange.

They want me to install Unity and Exchange servers on the same hardware, i.e. On-Box.

I have no successfull installation where (DC + Exchange + Unity) live without conflicts.

Maybe it was my fault, maybe another reason, I'm not sure. This question is a little bit confusing for me.

Somebody on the NetPro confirmed he had implemented such configuration, but my colleagues who are specialized

with Microsoft products say it's not recommended to install Exchange server on the Windows DC. Please advice, if you know.

You can introduce yourself with my unsuccessfull attempt I've mentioned going to the following link:

http://forum.cisco.com/eforum/servlet/NetProf?page=netprof&forum=Unified%20Communications%20and%20Video&topic=Unified%20Communications%20Applications&topicID=.ee835d2&fromOutline=&CommCmd=MB%3Fcmd%3Ddisplay_location%26location%3D.2cc0720f

Thank you, Brandon.

1. Using the existing Exchange server allows you to have only 1 Exchange server to administer, patch, etc. Also, using the existing server would make moving to unified messaging easier in the future.

2. You can use the Unity Bulk Import Tool on the Unity server to create accounts in bulk.

3. With a VM only configuration, it is supported to have Unity, Exchange and DC/GC functions on the same box. See the installation guide for steps to do this.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/unity/5x/installation/guide/vmexnofo/5xcuigvmenofo050.html

Hope this helps.

Brandon

Brandon,

Thank you very much again.

I have the one question else, the last one, I hope.

We have the problem with activating customer's PAK number.

We do not have a .lic file for now as consequence.

As I remember license activation step is included in CUICA wizard (see attachment).

Is it possible in the temporary absence of license file to somehow skip this step

and to complete all others ? I mean a possibility to implement the whole Unity software

package, and later, a few weeks ago, for example, activate/add a license file ?

It seems to me that no, but may be I'm wrong.

Sorry, forgot the attachment.

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