You can use Active Roles to configure Unified Messaging users. Unified Messaging is a technology in Microsoft Exchange Server that combines voice messaging and e-mail messaging into one store, accessible from a telephone and a computer. Unified Messaging puts all e-mail and voice messages into one Exchange mailbox that can be accessed from many different devices. Once a user has an Exchange mailbox, you can configure the user for Unified Messaging. This can be accomplished by using the Active Roles console or Web Interface.
This section provides information on how to perform the following tasks of managing Unified Messaging users:
When you enable a user for Unified Messaging (UM), a default set of UM properties are applied to the user, and the user will be able to use the Unified Messaging features. You have the option to add a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) or E.164 address for the user. However, the user must still have an extension number configured.
You can configure the extension number automatically or manually when enabling the user for Unified Messaging. An extension number is required for each UM-enabled user associated with a telephone extension, SIP Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), or E.164 dial plan. The extension number must be the correct number of digits, as specified in the UM dial plan for the UM mailbox policy. If the user is associated with an E.164 dial plan, you can manually configure an E.164 address for the user when you are enabling the user for Unified Messaging. If you associate a user to a SIP URI or E.164 dial plan, you must manually enter an extension number and the SIP or E.164 address for the user.
To enable a user for Unified Messaging
- Do one of the following, depending on whether you are using the Active Roles console or Web Interface:
- In the Active Roles console,
- Right-click the user, and then click Exchange Tasks;
- Follow the steps in the Exchange Task wizard;
- On the Available Tasks page, click Enable Unified Messaging, and then click Next.
- In the Web Interface, click the user, and then click the Enable Unified Messaging command.
- On the Unified Messaging Mailbox Policy page, complete the following field:
- Unified Messaging mailbox policy Click Browse and select the Unified Messaging mailbox policy that you want to associate with the user’s mailbox.
Unified Messaging (UM) mailbox policies define settings such as PIN policies and dialing restrictions. Each UM-enabled user must be associated with a certain UM mailbox policy.
- Click Next.
- On the Unified Messaging PIN page, complete the following fields:
- Automatically generate PIN to access Outlook Voice Access Select this option to automatically generate a Unified Messaging PIN for the user. This is the default setting. If you select this option, a PIN is automatically generated based on the PIN policies configured on the user’s UM mailbox policy. The automatically generated PIN will be sent in an e-mail message to the user’s mailbox.
- Manually specify PIN Select this option to manually specify a Unified Messaging PIN for the user. The PIN you specify with this option will be sent in an e-mail message to the user’s mailbox.
- Manually specify PIN Select this option to manually specify a Unified Messaging PIN for the user. The PIN you specify with this option will be sent in an e-mail message to the user’s mailbox.
The PIN must comply with the PIN policies configured on the user’s UM mailbox policy. For example, if the UM mailbox policy is configured to accept only PINs that contain five or more digits, you must specify a PIN at least five digits long.
- Require user to reset PIN at first telephone logon Select this check box to force the user to reset the Unified Messaging PIN the first time that the user accesses the Unified Messaging system from a telephone. It is a security best practice to force UM-enabled users to change their PIN upon their first logon to help protect against unauthorized access to their mailbox data.
- Click Next.
- On the Extension Configuration page, complete the following fields:
- Automatically-generated mailbox extension Select this option if you want the extension number for the user’s mailbox to be automatically generated from the telephone number specified in Active Directory. This option is selected by default if the user’s UM mailbox policy is associated with a Telephone Extension dial plan; otherwise, the option is unavailable. The automatically generated extension will be sent in an e-mail message to the user’s mailbox.
- The automatically generated extension will comply with the number of digits specified on the dial plan for the user’s UM mailbox policy. For example, if the dial plan is configured to use 5-digit extension numbers, the Unified Messaging server will take the last 5 digits of the user’s telephone number and use those digits as the user’s mailbox extension.
- Manually-entered mailbox extension Select this option if you want to manually specify the extension number for the user’s mailbox. The extension number you specify with this option will be sent in an e-mail message to the user’s mailbox.
- The extension must comply with the number of digits specified on the dial plan for the user’s UM mailbox policy. For example, if the dial plan is configured to use 5-digit extension numbers, you should specify an extension containing exactly 5 digits.
- Automatically-generated SIP resource identifier Select this option if you want the SIP resource identifier or SIP address for the user’s mailbox to be automatically generated. If Microsoft Office Communications Server is deployed in your organization, then the user’s SIP address is taken from the msRTCSIP-PrimaryUserAddress attribute in Active Directory. If this attribute is not populated, the user’s primary SMTP address will be used for the SIP address, such as john.smith@company.com.
- Automatically-generated SIP resource identifier Select this option if you want the SIP resource identifier or SIP address for the user’s mailbox to be automatically generated. If Microsoft Office Communications Server is deployed in your organization, then the user’s SIP address is taken from the msRTCSIP-PrimaryUserAddress attribute in Active Directory. If this attribute is not populated, the user’s primary SMTP address will be used for the SIP address, such as john.smith@company.com.
- This option is available only if the user’s UM mailbox policy is associated with a SIP URI dial plan. This option will be unavailable if the user’s UM mailbox policy is associated with a Telephone Extension or E.164 dial plan.
- This option is available only if the user’s UM mailbox policy is associated with a SIP URI dial plan. This option will be unavailable if the user’s UM mailbox policy is associated with a Telephone Extension or E.164 dial plan.
- This option also requires that you manually enter a mailbox extension for the user. This extension number is used when the user accesses the mailbox via Outlook Voice Access. The number of digits in the extension number must match the number of digits configured on the SIP URI dial plan for the user’s UM mailbox policy.
- Manually-entered SIP resource identifier Select this option if you want to manually enter the SIP or E.164 address for the user. This option is available if the user’s UM mailbox policy is associated with either a SIP URI or E.164 dial plan. This option will be unavailable if the user’s UM mailbox policy is associated with a Telephone Extension dial plan.
- If the user’s UM mailbox policy is associated with an E.164 dial plan, you have to enter an E.164 address for the user. The address must be in the correct E.164 format, such as +14275551234. If the user’s UM mailbox policy is associated with a SIP URI dial plan, you have to enter a SIP address for the user. The address must be in the correct format, such as john.smith@company.com.
- If the user’s UM mailbox policy is associated with an E.164 dial plan, you have to enter an E.164 address for the user. The address must be in the correct E.164 format, such as +14275551234. If the user’s UM mailbox policy is associated with a SIP URI dial plan, you have to enter a SIP address for the user. The address must be in the correct format, such as john.smith@company.com.
- This option also requires that you manually enter a mailbox extension for the user. This extension number is used when the user accesses the mailbox via Outlook Voice Access. The number of digits in the extension number must match the number of digits configured on the dial plan for the user’s UM mailbox policy.
- This option also requires that you manually enter a mailbox extension for the user. This extension number is used when the user accesses the mailbox via Outlook Voice Access. The number of digits in the extension number must match the number of digits configured on the dial plan for the user’s UM mailbox policy.
- Do one of the following, depending on whether you are using the Active Roles console or Web Interface:
- In the Active Roles console, click Next and wait while Active Roles performs the task. Then, click Finish to complete the wizard.
- In the Web Interface, click Finish and wait while Active Roles performs the task.
After you have enabled a user for Unified Messaging (UM), you may also want to view or change the UM-related properties of that user. For instructions, see View or change the properties of a UM-enabled user later in this document.
You can use Active Roles to view or configure the Unified Messaging (UM) properties of a user who is enabled for Unified Messaging. When you change a user’s UM properties, you can control the user’s access to various UM features. For example, you can enable or disable Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) or fax receiving.
To view or change the UM properties of a UM-enabled user
- Do one of the following, depending on whether you are using the Active Roles console or Web Interface:
- In the Active Roles console,
- Right-click the user, and then click Properties;
- In the Properties dialog box, click the Mailbox Features tab;
- On the Mailbox Features tab, click Unified Messaging, and then click Properties.
- In the Web Interface,
- Click the user, and then click the Exchange Properties command;
- On the Exchange Properties page, click the Mailbox Features tab;
- On the Mailbox Features tab, click Unified Messaging, and then click Properties.
- Use the Unified Messaging Properties dialog box to view or change the following properties of the UM-enabled user:
- UM Mailbox Status This area shows the Unified Messaging (UM) lockout status of the user’s mailbox. Normally, the status is listed as Not locked out. The status of Locked Out indicates that the user is locked out of Unified Messaging due to a number of attempts to enter an incorrect Unified Messaging PIN in Outlook Voice Access.
- Unified Messaging mailbox policy This field shows the name of the Unified Messaging mailbox policy associated with the UM-enabled user.
- UM extensions This box displays the extension number and the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) or E.164 address that are assigned to the UM-enabled user. The contents of this box depends upon the dial plan of the user’s Unified Messaging mailbox policy. With a Telephone Extension dial plan, only the extension number configured for the user appears in this box. With a SIP dial plan, the extension number and SIP address are listed. With an E.164 dial plan, the extension number and E.164 address are listed.
- Enable for Automatic Speech Recognition When selected, this option indicates that the UM-enabled user can access the mailbox by means of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR). This option is selected by default, which allows the user to use voice commands when accessing the mailbox via Outlook Voice Access. Even if enabled for ASR, the user must still use the keypad to enter the extension number and PIN.
- Allow UM calls from non-users When selected, this option allows incoming calls from unauthenticated callers through an auto attendant to be transferred to the UM-enabled user. By default, this option is selected, allowing callers from outside your organization to be transferred to the user inside the organization.
If this option is not selected, then an external caller who tries to transfer to the user receives the following response from the UM system: “I'm sorry, I am unable to transfer the call to this user.” The caller is then transferred to the operator configured on the auto attendant.
This option does not affect callers who have signed in to their mailbox using Outlook Voice Access and are sending a voice message to the user.
- Allow the user to receive faxes When selected, this option allows the UM-enabled user to receive incoming faxes. By default, this option is selected. Unselect it if you do not want the user to receive incoming faxes.
This option is also configured on UM dial plans. If you select this option for a UM-enabled user, but the dial plan is configured to disallow fax receiving, the UM-enabled user is unable to receive faxes.
- Allow diverted calls without a caller ID to leave a message When selected, this option indicates that, for diverted calls without a caller ID, the caller is allowed to leave a message in the user’s mailbox. By default, this option is selected, which makes it possible for the UM-enabled user to accept anonymous calls.
- Allow users to configure call answering rules When selected, this option allows the UM-enabled user to create personal auto attendants. This option is available to users with mailbox on a server running Exchange 2013 or later which does not hold the role of a Unified Messaging server. If this option is disabled on the UM dial plan or on the UM mailbox policy, it is not available to UM-enabled users associated with that UM mailbox policy.
- Personal operator extension Use this field to specify the operator extension number for the user. This enables incoming calls for the UM-enabled user to be forwarded to the extension number that you specify in this field. By default, an extension number is not configured. The range for the extension number is from 1 through 20 characters.
Other types of operator extensions can be configured on dial plans and auto attendants. However, those extensions are normally meant for company-wide receptionists or operators. The personal operator extension setting could be used when an administrative assistant or personal assistant answers incoming calls before they are answered by the user.
When a UM-enabled user is locked out of the mailbox because of a number of attempts to enter an incorrect Unified Messaging PIN in Outlook Voice Access, or the user forgot the PIN, you can use Active Roles to reset the user’s PIN. When you reset a user’s PIN, you can configure Unified Messaging to automatically generate a PIN or you can manually specify the PIN. The new PIN is e-mailed to the user. If you prefer, you can specify additional PIN options when resetting the user’s PIN.
To reset the Unified Messaging PIN for a UM-enabled user
- Do one of the following, depending on whether you are using the Active Roles console or Web Interface:
- In the Active Roles console,
- Right-click the user, and then click Exchange Tasks;
- Follow the steps in the Exchange Task wizard;
- On the Available Tasks page, click Reset Unified Messaging PIN, and then click Next.
- In the Web Interface, click the user, and then click the Reset Unified Messaging PIN command.
- On the Reset Unified Messaging PIN page, complete the following fields:
- Automatically generate PIN to access Outlook Voice Access Select this option to automatically generate a new PIN for the UM-enabled user. This is the default setting. If you select this option, a PIN is automatically generated based on the PIN policies configured on the user’s UM mailbox policy. The automatically generated PIN will be sent in an e-mail message to the user’s mailbox.
- Manually specify PIN Select this option to manually specify a new PIN for the UM-enabled user. The PIN you specify with this option will be sent in an e-mail message to the user’s mailbox.
The PIN must comply with the PIN policies configured on the user’s UM mailbox policy. For example, if the UM mailbox policy is configured to accept only PINs that contain five or more digits, you must specify a PIN at least five digits long.
- Require user to reset PIN at first logon Select this check box to force the user to change the Unified Messaging PIN the first time that the user accesses the Unified Messaging system from a telephone after you reset the PIN. It is a security best practice to force UM-enabled users to change their PIN upon their first logon to help protect against unauthorized access to their mailbox data.
- Do one of the following, depending on whether you are using the Active Roles console or Web Interface:
- In the Active Roles console, click Next and wait while Active Roles performs the task. Then, click Finish to complete the wizard.
- In the Web Interface, click Finish and wait while Active Roles performs the task.
