This white paper explains how and when to use the mixed Voice Messaging/Unified Messaging (VM/UM) license for Cisco Unity® for Lotus Domino. It also discusses factors to consider and provides best practices and recommendations for effectively managing the mixed VM/UM license for Cisco Unity Unified Messaging.
Concepts
This document assumes that you understand how to install and operate Cisco Unity Software correctly and effectively. In addition, you should understand the following:
• The purpose of a mixed license: Refer to the section "Why Use Mixed VM/UM Licenses?"
• The use of IBM Lotus Domino Unified Communications (DUC) with Domino and Cisco Unity Software.
• How voice messaging users can interact with unified messaging users: Refer to the section "User Types and Interaction".
• Conceptual considerations for the setup and configuration of a mixed VM/UM license: Refer to the section "How to Set Up a Cisco Unity Configuration to Support a Mixed VM/UM License: Segmenting Voice Messaging Subscribers".
Why Use Mixed VM/UM Licenses?
The Cisco Unity Unified Messaging solution offers a variety of configuration options. The core architecture of Cisco Unity Software centers on enabling unified messaging in a converged environment (where voice and data systems are combined). Although many organizations use the unified messaging capabilities of Cisco Unity Software, some organizations require a voice messaging solution in which Cisco Unity Software functions as a traditional voice messaging system.
The unified messaging and voice messaging configurations require different licenses. An organization can purchase unified messaging licenses or voice messaging licenses for its subscribers, and Cisco Unity Software enables the organization to manage the licenses and control which features subscribers can use, based on those licenses.
A third option now available is to allow a mixed voice messaging and unified messaging licensed environment. This option allows an organization to give the unified messaging functions to some of its users while allowing other users to use the Cisco Unity solution only for voice messaging. Enabling this third option gives many organizations ultimate flexibility and allows them to fully adopt unified messaging on a schedule that fits their needs.
User Types and Interaction
The features and functions available to a unified messaging subscriber are somewhat different from the features and functions available to a voice messaging subscriber. This section explains the differences and also explains how each subscriber type interacts with the other.
Unified Messaging Subscriber
A unified messaging subscriber (all Cisco Unity users are called subscribers regardless of the type of user they are) has three tools with which to manage voice, fax, and e-mail messages: the telephone user interface (TUI), the Lotus Notes Inbox (using Lotus Notes with the DUC component CS-Client), and I Notes.
Using the Telephone User Interface
Subscribers can access the Cisco Unity system by phone, and can perform all traditional voice messaging functions, including sending, receiving, replying to, forwarding, saving, and deleting messages. All messages are sent through the e-mail back end to the intended recipient(s).
Subscribers can also listen to e-mail messages through the TUI by using the Text-to-Speech feature, and can forward or reply to those messages through the TUI.
Using the Lotus Notes Inbox
Unified messaging subscribers can access messages of all types - e-mail messages, voice messages, and faxes-from their Lotus Notes client. How voice messages are managed from the Notes Client depends on whether Notes is set up to use the CS-Client portion of the DUC interface required to supply unified messaging with Cisco Unity Software deployed into a Domino environment.
• With DUC-enabled Notes clients, subscribers can play and record voice messages from their Lotus Notes client by using the VCR-style controls on the Media Master control bar. They can also use DUC-enabled Notes to send voice messages to other subscribers, third-party Cisco Unity subscribers, and public distribution lists.
• Without the Notes client enabled with DUC, subscribers can play voice messages from their Notes or I Notes clients by using a multimedia player.
Using I Notes
Unified messaging subscribers can use the I Notes interface to listen to, compose, reply to, forward, and delete voice messages. However, if the unified messaging subscriber has a DUC-enabled Notes client, that tool provides more functions and would likely be the preferred tool.
The Cisco Unity Voice Messaging subscriber can use the TUI to send, receive, and manage voice messages. The licensing for a normal voice messaging user does not permit a subscriber to use an e-mail client to send and receive voice messages.
Using the Telephone User Interface
The voice messaging subscriber uses the TUI to send, receive, and manage voice messages. The voice messaging subscriber cannot receive e-mail through the telephone because the Text-to-Speech feature is not available with a voice messaging license.
Using the Notes Client
Cisco Unity Voice Messaging subscriber accounts are separate from their e-mail accounts, so the Notes client cannot be used for managing voice messages.
Interaction Between Unified Messaging and Voice Messaging Subscribers
You should consider the following factors when implementing a mixed UM/VM license with Cisco Unity Software:
• Voice messaging subscriber accounts should be segmented and managed separately from unified messaging subscriber accounts, which are combined with e-mail accounts.
• The voice messaging subscribers must be restricted to receiving voice messages through only the TUI.
• Voice messaging subscribers need to be differentiated from unified messaging subscribers in the global address list.
• Cisco® recommends creating separate distribution lists for voice messaging and unified messaging subscribers.
• A unified messaging subscriber can send a voice message from the TUI, Notes client, or the I Notes interface. A voice messaging subscriber can send a voice message only from the TUI. If a unified messaging subscriber uses the Notes client to send an e-mail to the unique address of a voice messaging subscriber in the global address list, the voice messaging subscriber will not be able to access the e-mail message. These interactions can be managed with careful planning.
How to Set Up a Cisco Unity Configuration to Support a Mixed VM/UM License: Segmenting Voice Messaging Subscribers
To allow for careful management of voice messaging subscribers, Cisco recommends creating a separate Domino Domain or providing a single server that houses all voice messaging subscribers with uniquely identifiable names as being voice messaging-only users. Although this segmentation is not required, it will make management of those accounts easier; the administrator can establish separate mailbox-retention policies, manage quotas and disk space, and manage account particulars such as password resets and display name changes. In addition to managing the voice messaging subscribers in Domino, the administrator can segment the voice messaging subscribers in the Cisco Unity system by configuring a separate class of service and subscriber template, so that features and functions can be controlled for existing and new subscribers.
Planning
As with planning any new installation of the Cisco Unity system, consider user licenses and homing of subscribers. Regardless of how many of each type of subscriber license you have, determine where these subscribers will be homed (which message store server), and how they will be listed and addressed in the directory.
Licenses
When using a mixed license, Cisco recommends that you track the number of unified messaging licenses and voice messaging licenses against the total number of licenses you purchased. One way to track this number is to segment the subscribers into different classes of service, and place the user accounts into different Domino domains or names address lists.
Another consideration when licensing a mixed unified messaging and voice messaging solution is that all subscribers will reside in the same messaging infrastructure, meaning that if your unified messaging subscribers are already licensed to use Domino, additional licenses (client access licenses [CALs]) to support the mixed UM/VM solution are not necessary for the unified messaging users, but you must purchase Domino licenses or CALs from Cisco for the voice messaging-only users. The voice messaging users will then have voice messaging Domino mailboxes, and the licenses for these mailboxes are covered under the Cisco Unity software license.
Naming Convention
The need for a clear naming convention is particularly important in a mixed VM/UM environment, to allow easy identification of subscribers in your address book as unified messaging or voice messaging.
For unified messaging subscribers, the naming conventions used in the Names.NSF database have already been established. Cisco Unity Unified Messaging uses this same naming convention when the user is imported into the Cisco Unity system as a subscriber. The voice messaging subscriber, on the other hand, should have a unique identifier in the display name. For example, the following can be used for a unified messaging account: Display Name: John Doe; Alias: jdoe. The display name may or may not be different from the alias, but in the mixed VM/UM licensed environment, the display name is what users composing a message see when searching for an address. When creating voice messaging subscriber accounts, you should use a different naming convention such as one of the following:
Display Name
• VM: John Doe
• John Doe: VM
• John Doe: Voice Messaging
Alias
• VM: jdoe
• Jdoe: VM
• Jdoe-vmessaging
Account Policies, Public Distribution Lists, and Subscriber Templates
You can set different account policies and create separate public distribution lists and subscriber templates to help manage voice messaging and unified messaging subscribers separately. For information about how to manage subscribers with these tools, refer to the Cisco Unity System Administration Guide at: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.
Note: Cisco recommends that you not import existing distribution lists when introducing Cisco Unity Unified Messaging into the environment because these existing lists may contain accounts that are not Cisco Unity subscribers and could affect how that person receives a message.
Cisco strongly recommends that you not use existing e-mail distribution lists for voice messaging subscribers (you can, however, add unified messaging subscribers to an e-mail distribution list). Instead, create a voice messaging-specific distribution list in Domino.
Implementation
Segmenting Subscribers
To segment subscriber types into separate distribution lists, first create the distribution list or lists, add the Cisco Unity user type to the list, and then import them into the Cisco Unity system. Also, configure the subscriber template to use a voice messaging distribution list.
Upgrades
Adding Voice Messaging Licenses to a Unified Messaging Configuration
If a Cisco Unity customer has an existing unified messaging configuration, a unified messaging readiness assessment should have already been performed. Before adding voice messaging subscribers, you must conduct additional capacity planning.
The actual mechanics of adding additional mixed-license users to an existing unified messaging configuration are the same as for an upgrade to any Cisco Unity system. Simply install the incremental license file onto the server to allow addition of more users to the system. Refer to the section "How to Order" for more information.
Adding Unified Messaging Licenses to a Voice Messaging Configuration
Adding unified messaging subscribers to a voice messaging configuration is a more complex process. In effect, the upgrade is like a voice messaging-to-unified messaging migration, but with the extra steps of checking for and configuring the naming scheme to avoid clashes between the voice messaging accounts and unified messaging and e-mail accounts for each voice messaging subscriber.
At a high level, the steps to perform this upgrade include installing the Cisco Unity server into the Domino environment and creating your accounts according to their type (UM/VM).
With the move from a voice messaging-only installation of Cisco Unity Unified Messaging to a mixed installation of unified messaging and voice messaging, the back-end message store and directory structure will change and will require reinstallation of the system.
How to Order
When ordering a mixed licensing system, the same process is used as typically followed when ordering a standard Cisco Unity system, except that both unified messaging and voice messaging subscriber licenses are included in the order. Because only deployments of greater than 1500 users are currently supported, the configurator tool will not allow configuration of orders of fewer than 1500 user licenses.
To add additional voice messaging or unified messaging licenses to an existing deployment, follow the standard upgrade order process for adding users. For information about ordering Cisco Unity Unified Messaging, refer to: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/index.html.
