Table Of Contents
Planning How the Voice Messaging Ports Will Be Used by Cisco Unity
Introduction: Issues to Consider When Planning Port Setup
Determining How Many Voice Messaging Ports to Install
Determining How Many Voice Messaging Ports Will Answer Calls
Determining How Many Voice Messaging Ports Will Only Dial Out, and Not Answer Calls
Planning How the Voice Messaging Ports Will Be Used by Cisco Unity
See the following sections in this chapter:
•
Introduction: Issues to Consider When Planning Port Setup
•Determining How Many Voice Messaging Ports to Install
•Determining How Many Voice Messaging Ports Will Answer Calls
•Determining How Many Voice Messaging Ports Will Only Dial Out, and Not Answer Calls
Introduction: Issues to Consider When Planning Port Setup
Before programming the phone system, you need to plan how the voice messaging ports will be used by Cisco Unity. The following considerations will affect the programming for the phone system (for example, setting up the hunt group or call forwarding for the voice messaging ports):
•The number of voice messaging ports installed.
•The number of voice messaging ports that will answer calls.
•The number of voice messaging ports that will only dial out, for example, to send message notification, to set message waiting indicators (MWIs), to make AMIS deliveries, and to make telephone record and playback (TRAP) connections.
The following table describes the voice messaging port settings in Cisco Unity that can be set in UTIM, and that are displayed as read-only text on the System > Ports page of Cisco Unity Administrator.
Table 2-1 Settings for the Voice Messaging Ports
Field
|
Considerations
|
Extension
|
Enter the extension for the port as assigned on the phone system.
|
Enabled
|
Check this check box to enable the port. The port is enabled during normal operation.
Uncheck this check box to disable the port. When the port is disabled, calls to the port get a ringing tone but are not answered. Typically, the port is disabled only by the installer during testing.
|
Answer Calls
|
Check this check box to designate the port for answering calls. These calls can be incoming calls from unidentified callers or from subscribers.
|
Message Notification
|
Check this check box to designate the port for notifying subscribers of messages. Assign Message Notification to the least busy ports.
|
Dialout MWI
(not used by serial integrations)
|
Check this check box to designate the port for turning MWIs on and off. Assign Dialout MWI to the least busy ports.
For serial integrations, uncheck this check box. Otherwise, the integration may not function correctly.
|
AMIS Delivery
(available with the AMIS licensed feature only)
|
Check this check box to designate the port for making outbound AMIS calls to deliver voice messages from Cisco Unity subscribers to users on another voice messaging system. Cisco Unity supports the Audio Messaging Interchange Specification (AMIS) protocol, which provides an analog mechanism for transferring voice messages between different voice messaging systems.
This setting affects outbound AMIS calls only. All ports are used for incoming AMIS calls.
Because the transmission of outgoing AMIS messages may tie up voice ports for long periods of time, you may want to adjust the schedule on the Network > AMIS > Schedule page so that outgoing AMIS calls are placed during closed hours or at times when Cisco Unity is not processing many calls.
|
TRAP Connection
|
Check this check box so that subscribers can use the phone as a recording and playback device in Cisco Unity web applications and e-mail clients. Assign TRAP Connection to the least busy ports.
|
Determining How Many Voice Messaging Ports to Install
The number of voice messaging ports to install depends on numerous factors, including:
•The number of calls Cisco Unity will answer when call traffic is at its peak.
•The expected length of each message that callers will record and that subscribers will listen to.
•The number of subscribers.
•The number of ports that will be set to dial out only.
•The number of calls made for message notification.
•The number of MWIs that will be activated when call traffic is at its peak.
•The number of AMIS delivery calls.
•The number of TRAP connections needed when call traffic is at its peak. (TRAP connections are used by Cisco Unity web applications to play back and record over the phone.)
•The number of calls that will use the automated attendant and call handlers when call traffic is at its peak.
It is best to install only the number of voice messaging ports that are needed so that system resources are not allocated to unused ports.
Determining How Many Voice Messaging Ports Will Answer Calls
The calls that the voice messaging ports answer can be incoming calls from unidentified callers or from subscribers. Typically, the voice messaging ports that answer calls are the busiest.
You can set voice messaging ports to both answer calls and to dial out (for example, to send message notifications). However, when the voice messaging ports perform more than one function and are very active (for example, answering many calls), the other functions may be delayed until the voice messaging port is free (for example, message notifications cannot be sent until there are fewer calls to answer). For best performance, dedicate certain voice messaging ports for only answering incoming calls, and dedicate other ports for only dialing out. Separating these port functions eliminates the possibility of a collision, in which an incoming call arrives on a port at the same time that Cisco Unity takes the port off-hook to dial out.
Determining How Many Voice Messaging Ports Will Only Dial Out, and Not Answer Calls
Ports that will only dial out and will not answer calls can do one or more of the following:
•Notify subscribers by phone, pager, or e-mail of messages that have arrived.
•Turn MWIs on and off for subscriber extensions.
•Make outbound AMIS calls to deliver voice messages from Cisco Unity subscribers to users on another voice messaging system. (This action is available only with the AMIS licensed feature.)
•Make a TRAP connection so that subscribers can use the phone as a recording and playback device in Cisco Unity web applications.
Typically, these voice messaging ports are the least busy ports.
Caution In programming the phone system, do not send calls to voice messaging ports in Cisco Unity that cannot answer calls (voice messaging ports that are not set to Answer Calls). For example, if a voice messaging port is set only to Message Notification, do not send calls to it.
