Cisco Unity System Administration Guide (With Microsoft Exchange), Release 4.0(4)
Default Accounts and Message Handling

Table Of Contents

Default Accounts and Message Handling

Overview: Default Accounts and Message Handling

Default Accounts

Message Handling

How Cisco Unity Handles Full Mailboxes

How Cisco Unity Handles Messages Without a Specific Recipient

Adding Subscribers to a Distribution List

How Cisco Unity Handles Messages That Are Marked Private

How Cisco Unity Handles Messages That Are Interrupted by Disconnected Calls


Default Accounts and Message Handling


Overview: Default Accounts and Message Handling

Cisco Unity uses default accounts to provide example configurations for a subscriber and for an administrator; to provide an owner for default entities involved in message handling, such as call handlers and distribution lists; and to serve as members of default classes of service.

See the following sections in this chapter for more information:

Default Accounts

Message Handling

Default Accounts

During the installation of Cisco Unity, the installer is asked to choose the account that will be used to administer Cisco Unity. The purpose of this account is to allow administrator access to the Cisco Unity Administrator for initial setup. (See the "About the Accounts That Can Be Used to Administer Cisco Unity" section for more information about administrative accounts.)

In addition to the account used to access the Cisco Unity Administrator, Cisco Unity creates several other default accounts and public distribution lists that you use when setting up the system. The Cisco Unity default accounts are detailed below. For a description of the default public distribution lists, see the "Message Handling" section and the "Subscriber Template Distribution Lists Settings" section on page 13-24.

Example Administrator

During installation, Cisco Unity creates the Example Administrator account based on the {Default Administrator} template. The account is assigned to the Default Administrator class of service, which offers the highest level of system access.

The Example Administrator has an Exchange mailbox and a Windows domain account. The account alias is EAdministrator, and the default extension is 99999. The default phone password for the Example Administrator is 12345. (Note that the default password may be different for your system. If your system is a new installation, the installer was prompted to change the default phone password for the {Default Administrator} template during installation. However, if your system was upgraded from a version earlier than Cisco Unity version 4.0(4), the installer was not prompted to change the default phone password during installation.)

To help protect Cisco Unity from unauthorized access and toll fraud, it is a good idea to specify a long—20 or more digits—and non-trivial password for this account. You can change the phone password for the Example Administrator account on the Subscribers > Subscribers > Phone Password page in the Cisco Unity Administrator at any time.

The Example Administrator account serves as a default owner, message recipient, and member of the following Cisco Unity entities:

Unaddressed Messages distribution list (by default, the Example Administrator is the only member of this distribution list)

All Subscribers distribution list

Operator call handler

Opening Greeting call handler

Goodbye call handler

Example Interview call handler

Default Directory handler

Default Administrator Class of Service (by default the Example Administrator is the only account with this class of service)

The Example Administrator subscriber account cannot be deleted from the Cisco Unity Administrator. In fact, the account includes the instructions "Do Not Delete" as part of the subscriber name. However, the account can be deleted if necessary, by using SQL and Exchange tools. For example, you might want to delete the account if the licensed subscriber limit has been reached, or if the account is perceived to be a security hazard even with a strong password.


Caution Do not delete the Example Administrator account unless you have finished assigning the appropriate subscriber(s) or public distribution list(s) as message recipients or members (as applicable) of the Cisco Unity entities with which the account is associated. For more information on the impact of deleting the Example Administrator account, see the "Deleting Subscriber Accounts" chapter.

Unity Messaging System

The Unity Messaging System account sends notification when a Cisco Unity report is complete. This account also acts as a surrogate sender for messages from unidentified callers. Thus, subscriber messages from unidentified callers are identified as coming from the Unity Messaging System mailbox. This account also receives nondelivery receipts (NDRs) for voice messages that cannot be delivered—for example, when a subscriber mailbox is full—which it then forwards to the public distribution list called Unaddressed Messages.

The alias for this account is Unity_<Servername>. The account cannot be seen in the Cisco Unity Administrator, but the account is created in the Active Directory, and the associated Exchange mailbox appears in the Exchange Administrator. The mailbox has the display name Unity Messaging System.

Example Subscriber


Note The Example Subscriber account is no longer created during Cisco Unity installation. However, you may still have an Example Subscriber account if you upgraded from a version of Cisco Unity earlier than 4.0(3), as the account is not removed during the upgrade process.


The Example Subscriber account provides an example of typical subscriber settings; it is based on the {Default Subscriber} template and assigned to the Default Subscriber class of service. The alias for the account is ESubscriber, and the default extension is 99990.

The default phone password for the Example Subscriber is 12345. To help protect Cisco Unity from unauthorized access and toll fraud, it is a good idea to specify a long—20 or more digits—and non-trivial password for this account. You can change the phone password for the Example Subscriber account on the Subscribers > Subscribers > Phone Password page in the Cisco Unity Administrator at any time.

You can delete the Example Subscriber account at any time.

Message Handling

See the following sections:

How Cisco Unity Handles Full Mailboxes—This section describes how Cisco Unity handles full mailboxes. The section also provides information on how you can enable a full-mailbox check and prompt for outside callers.

How Cisco Unity Handles Messages Without a Specific Recipient—This section describes how Cisco Unity handles messages that are not associated with a specific recipient, and what you must do to make sure that messages are properly routed to the applicable subscriber or call handler.

How Cisco Unity Handles Messages That Are Marked Private—This section describes how Cisco Unity handles messages that are marked private.

How Cisco Unity Handles Messages That Are Interrupted by Disconnected Calls—This section describes how to change the way that Cisco Unity handles messages when calls are disconnected while subscribers are in the process of sending, replying to, or forwarding a message.

How Cisco Unity Handles Full Mailboxes

This section explains what Cisco Unity subscribers and callers experience when subscribers have full mailboxes.

What Subscribers Experience When Their Mailboxes Exceed Their Limits

Microsoft Exchange dictates the storage limits for subscriber mailboxes. There are three storage limits in Exchange, and the Cisco Unity phone conversation and the Cisco Unity Inbox warn subscribers when they have reached each limit:

Issue Warning—When subscriber mailboxes reach the specified value for this storage limit, Cisco Unity notifies subscribers when they log on to Cisco Unity by phone by playing the prompt, "Note. Your Inbox is almost full. Please delete some messages now." A similar message is displayed in the Cisco Unity Inbox.

Prohibit Send—When subscriber mailboxes reach the specified value for this storage limit, subscribers are prohibited from sending messages. Cisco Unity notifies subscribers when they log on to Cisco Unity by phone and when they attempt to send a message by playing the prompt, "Sorry. Your Inbox is full. You cannot send new messages. Please delete some messages now." A similar message is displayed in the Cisco Unity Inbox.

Prohibit Send and Receive—When subscriber mailboxes reach the specified value for this storage limit, subscribers are prohibited from sending and receiving messages. Cisco Unity notifies subscribers when they log on to Cisco Unity by phone and when they attempt to send a message, by playing the prompt, "Sorry. Your Inbox is full. You cannot send or receive new messages. Please delete some messages now." A similar message is displayed in the Cisco Unity Inbox.

Additionally, when a subscriber mailbox reaches the Prohibit Send And Receive limit, ViewMail will not load when the subscriber starts Outlook. The ViewMail form cannot be published until the mailbox size is reduced.

For ways in which you and subscribers can manage subscriber mailbox size, refer to the "Best Practices for Managing Subscriber Mailbox Size" section in the "Configuring Cisco Unity for Maintenance Tasks" chapter of the Cisco Unity Maintenance Guide.

For more information on Exchange 5.5, Exchange 2000, and Exchange 2003 storage limits, refer to the "Setting a Maximum Size for Exchange Mailboxes" section in the "Configuring Exchange for Maintenance Tasks" chapter in the Cisco Unity Maintenance Guide, or refer to the Microsoft Exchange documentation.

The Cisco Unity Maintenance Guide is available at http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/voice/c_unity/unity40/maint/maint404/ex/index.htm.

What Callers Experience When a Subscriber Mailbox Has Reached the Prohibit Send and Receive Limit

By default, Cisco Unity does not check whether a subscriber mailbox has exceeded the Prohibit Send and Receive limit before allowing a caller to leave a message, although Cisco Unity does check before sending the message to the subscriber mailbox. If the subscriber mailbox is no longer allowed to receive messages, Cisco Unity handles the message as follows:

If the message was left by an unidentified caller, Cisco Unity sends the message to the Unaddressed Messages distribution list, which should be monitored by the Cisco Unity system administrator or another subscriber.

Note that if the mailbox(es) of the subscriber(s) who are assigned to check the Unaddressed Messages list exceed the Prohibit Send and Receive storage limit that is specified in Exchange, the messages sent to the Unaddressed Messages distribution list are lost. To avoid this problem, specify a generous value for the Prohibit Send and Receive storage limit for the mailbox of at least one subscriber who is a member of the Unaddressed Messages list, and encourage the subscriber to dispose of messages promptly so that the Exchange mailbox does not fill up.

If the message was left by another subscriber, Cisco Unity sends a nondelivery receipt (NDR) message to the subscriber who left the message.

Cisco Unity can be set to check whether a subscriber mailbox has exceeded the Prohibit Send and Receive limit when an outside caller tries to leave a message for the subscriber. In this circumstance, when the mailbox is full, the outside caller hears the following prompt: "Sorry. You cannot record a message for <Subscriber>. This mailbox is full." After playing the prompt, Cisco Unity transfers the caller back to the Opening Greeting and logs the following message to the Windows Application Event log: "The mailbox for [Alias: subscriber alias] is full. The subscriber cannot send or receive new voice messages until mailbox size is reduced. Mailbox size limits are specified in the message store, not Cisco Unity."

To enable Cisco Unity to check whether a subscriber mailbox is full when an outside caller tries to leave a message for the subscriber, you edit two registry keys:

A key to allow you to specify that Cisco Unity will check whether a subscriber mailbox is full when an outside caller wants to leave a message.

A key to allow you to enable or disable the prompt that informs callers that they cannot leave a message when the mailbox is full. (Editing this key is optional.)

See the "To Enable the Full-Mailbox Check and Prompt for Outside Callers" procedure for detailed instructions. Note that enabling full-mailbox checks for outside callers does not affect how Cisco Unity handles messages from other Cisco Unity subscribers to a full mailbox. Also, Cisco Unity behaves as if the full-mailbox check feature is disabled in the following circumstances:

When an outside caller leaves a message for a call handler whose recipient is a distribution list (for example, the default recipient for the Operator call handler is the Unaddressed Messages list).

When an outside caller leaves a message for an interview handler.


Note For Cisco Unity failover, registry changes on one Cisco Unity server must be made manually on the other Cisco Unity server, because registry changes are not replicated.


To Enable the Full-Mailbox Check and Prompt for Outside Callers


Step 1 On the Cisco Unity server desktop, double-click the Cisco Unity Tools Depot icon.

Step 2 In the left pane, under Administrative Tools, double-click Advanced Settings Tool.

Step 3 In the Unity Settings pane, click Full Mailbox Check Feature.

Step 4 In the New Value list, click 1, and then click Set.

Step 5 When prompted, click OK.

Step 6 In the Unity Settings pane, click Full Mailbox Check Prompt.

Step 7 In the New Value list, click 1, and then click Set.

Step 8 When prompted, click OK.

You do not need to restart Cisco Unity to enable the registry changes.

Step 9 Click Exit.


How Cisco Unity Handles Messages Without a Specific Recipient

In some situations, messages left in Cisco Unity are not associated with a specific recipient; these messages must be screened and routed to the applicable subscriber or call handler. A subscriber should be assigned the responsibility of reviewing these messages frequently.

Such messages are left as follows:

Unaddressed Messages Distribution List

Messages that cannot be delivered because the network or a server assigned to a subscriber goes down, or because the subscriber mailbox has exceeded the Prohibit Send and Receive limit specified for the mailbox in Exchange, are forwarded to the Unaddressed Messages distribution list. By default, this distribution list contains the Example Administrator as its only member.

To route these messages properly, ensure that the Unaddressed Messages distribution list has at least one member (such as the operator) who will monitor the mailbox and handle messages that cannot be delivered. (See the "Adding Subscribers to a Distribution List" section for instructions.)

Note that if the mailbox(es) of the subscriber(s) who are assigned to check the Unaddressed Messages list exceed the Prohibit Send and Receive storage limit that is specified in Exchange, the messages sent to the Unaddressed Messages distribution list are lost. To avoid this problem, specify a generous value for the Prohibit Send and Receive storage limit for the mailbox of at least one subscriber who is a member of the Unaddressed Messages list, and encourage the subscriber to dispose of messages promptly so that the Exchange mailbox does not fill up.

Operator, Opening Greeting, and Goodbye Call Handlers

When a caller to Cisco Unity dials the operator and no operator is available, the caller can leave a message, depending on the call transfer settings for the Operator call handler. Call transfer settings in the Opening Greeting and Goodbye call handlers also can allow callers to leave a message. By default, messages left in any of these call handlers are sent to the Unaddressed Messages distribution list. For more information on call handler message recipient settings, see the "Call Handler Messages Settings" section on page 22-15.

Example Interview

When callers are routed to the Example Interview, which gathers basic information about who they are and who they are trying to reach, the answers to the questions are routed by default to the Example Administrator. If you want these messages to be routed to another recipient, choose a subscriber (such as the operator) or a distribution list as the recipient. For information on choosing an interview response recipient, see the "Overview: Interview Handler Settings" section on page 24-1.

Adding Subscribers to a Distribution List

To Add Subscribers to the Unaddressed Messages Distribution List


Step 1 In the Cisco Unity Administrator, go to any Subscribers > Public Distribution Lists page.

Step 2 Click the Find icon.

Step 3 Double-click the Unaddressed Messages distribution list.

Step 4 Change settings as applicable, and then click the Save icon.


How Cisco Unity Handles Messages That Are Marked Private

Messages marked private cannot be forwarded by phone or from the Cisco Unity Inbox. This includes any voice message that a Cisco Unity subscriber marked private, and as applicable, any e-mail message that a subscriber or another sender marked private in Outlook. In addition, when a message is marked private, the Copy and Copy To options are unavailable from the Media Master control bar in the Cisco Unity Inbox.

How Cisco Unity Handles Messages That Are Interrupted by Disconnected Calls

You can change how Cisco Unity handles messages that are interrupted by disconnected calls while subscribers are in the process of sending, replying to, or forwarding messages. Calls can be intentionally or unintentionally disconnected—for example, when a subscriber hangs up or when a cell phone loses its charge or signal.

By default, Cisco Unity sends a message when the call is disconnected in the following circumstances:

When a subscriber is
replying to or sending
a message

As long as the message has at least one recipient and the recording is more than one second (1,000 ms) in length. This means that Cisco Unity sends the message even though the subscriber may not have finished recording or addressing the message.

When a subscriber is
forwarding a message

As long as the message has at least one recipient. This means that Cisco Unity sends the message even though the subscriber may not have recorded an introduction or completely addressed the message.


By using the Advanced Settings Tool to change the registry, you can set Cisco Unity so that it will delete interrupted messages unless subscribers have pressed the # key to send their messages. Thus, if a call is disconnected before a subscriber has a chance to press #, Cisco Unity deletes the message rather than sending it.

How Cisco Unity handles a message interrupted by a disconnected call depends on the registry value you set:

0

Cisco Unity sends the interrupted message even if the subscriber has not pressed the # key.

1

Cisco Unity deletes the interrupted message unless the subscriber has pressed the # key.


The registry change is applied system-wide to all subscribers associated with the Cisco Unity server. You cannot make the change for an individual subscriber or a specific group of subscribers.


Note For Cisco Unity failover, registry changes on one Cisco Unity server must be made manually on the other Cisco Unity server, because registry changes are not replicated. 


Do the following procedure to change how Cisco Unity handles messages when calls are disconnected.

To Change How Cisco Unity Handles Messages Interrupted by Disconnected Calls


Step 1 On the Cisco Unity server desktop, double-click the Cisco Unity Tools Depot icon.

Step 2 In the left pane, under Administrative Tools, double-click Advanced Settings Tool.

Step 3 In the Cisco Unity Settings pane, click Subscriber Send Message Hang-Up Action.

Step 4 In the New Value list, click the applicable value, and click Set.

Step 5 When prompted, click OK.

Step 6 Click Exit.

You do not need to restart the Cisco Unity software for the registry change to take effect.