System Administration Guide for Cisco Unity Connection in Cisco Unified CMBE Release 6.x
Administrative Tools

Table Of Contents

Administrative Tools

Application Plug-ins

Cisco Unity Connection Administration

Cisco Unity Connection Bulk Administration Tool

Cisco Unity Connection Bulk Edit Utility

Cisco Unity Connection Import and Synch Users Tools

Cisco Unity Connection Serviceability

Cisco Unity Connection Task Management Tool

Cisco Voice Technology Group Subscription Tool

Real-Time Monitoring Tool

Cisco Unified Serviceability

Remote Database Administration Tools (Cisco Unity Connection Version 2.1 and Later)

Enabling Database Access for Remote Administration Tools

Cisco Utilities Database Link for Informix (CUDLI)

Connection User Data Dump (CUDD)


Administrative Tools


This chapter provides brief descriptions of and procedures for accessing a selection of tools and utilities for administering Cisco Unity Connection. (To configure a browser to access Connection web applications, see the "Configuring the Browser on an Administrator Workstation" chapter.)

See the following sections:

Application Plug-ins

Cisco Unity Connection Administration

Cisco Unity Connection Bulk Administration Tool

Cisco Unity Connection Bulk Edit Utility

Cisco Unity Connection Import and Synch Users Tools

Cisco Unity Connection Serviceability

Cisco Unity Connection Task Management Tool

Cisco Voice Technology Group Subscription Tool

Real-Time Monitoring Tool

Cisco Unified Serviceability

Remote Database Administration Tools (Cisco Unity Connection Version 2.1 and Later)

Application Plug-ins

Application plug-ins extend the functionality of Cisco Unity Connection. For example, the Real-Time Monitoring Tool (RTMT) plug-in allows an administrator to monitor system performance.

For more information, see the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration Guide at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps7273/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.

Cisco Unity Connection Administration

Cisco Unity Connection Administration is a web application that you use to do most administrative tasks, including specifying settings for users and implementing a call management plan. Many of the tools listed in this section are available from Connection Administration.

For information on accessing and using Cisco Unity Connection Administration, see the "Accessing and Using Cisco Unity Connection Administration" chapter.

Cisco Unity Connection Bulk Administration Tool

The Cisco Unity Connection Bulk Administration Tool (BAT) allows you to create and delete multiple system contacts at the same time by importing information contained in a comma separated value (CSV) file. (To update multiple user accounts at once, you must use the BAT available in the Cisco Unified CM Administration.) In addition, it allows you to export information about users or system contacts from Cisco Unity Connection to a CSV file.

To Access the Cisco Unity Connection Bulk Administration Tool


Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Tools.

Step 2 Click Bulk Administration Tool.


For information on using the Connection BAT, see the "Using the Cisco Unity Connection Bulk Administration Tool" chapter in the User Moves, Adds, and Changes Guide for Cisco Unity Connection in Cisco Unified CMBE, available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps7273/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.

For information on using the BAT in Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CM) (formerly known as Cisco Unified CallManager), see the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Bulk Administration Guide, available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps7273/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html

Cisco Unity Connection Bulk Edit Utility

The Cisco Unity Connection Bulk Edit utility allows you to select large numbers of user accounts or call handlers and quickly make the same changes to all of them at one time.

To Access the Cisco Unity Connection Bulk Edit Utility


Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Tools.

Step 2 Click Bulk Edit.


For information on using the tool, see the following, as applicable:

To learn how to use Bulk Edit to modify user accounts, see the "Setting Up Features and Functionality That Are Controlled by User Account Settings" chapter in the User Moves, Adds, and Changes Guide for Cisco Unity Connection in Cisco Unified CMBE, available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps7273/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.

To learn how to use Bulk Edit to modify call handlers, see the "Managing Call Handlers" chapter.

Cisco Unity Connection Import and Synch Users Tools

When the Connection server is integrated with a Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CM) (formerly known as Cisco Unified CallManager) phone system, you can use the Import Users tool to automatically create multiple users with voice mail accounts from existing Cisco Unified Communications Manager users.

The Synchronize Users tool allows you to manually refresh the information you imported from Cisco Unified Communications Manager when you created voice mail users.

To Access the Import and Synch Users Tools


Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Tools.

Step 2 Click Import Users or Synch Users, as applicable.


For information on using both tools, see the "Creating Multiple User Accounts from Cisco Unified Communications Manager Users" chapter in the User Moves, Adds, and Changes Guide for Cisco Unity Connection in Cisco Unified CMBE, available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps7273/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.

Cisco Unity Connection Serviceability

Cisco Unity Connection Serviceability, a web-based troubleshooting tool for Cisco Unity Connection, provides the following functionality:

Displaying Connection alarm definitions, which you can use for troubleshooting.

Enabling Connection traces. You can collect and view trace information in the Real-Time Monitoring Tool (RTMT).

Configuring the logs to which Connection trace information will be saved.

Viewing the status of the Connection feature services.

Starting, stopping, and restarting the Connection feature services.

Generating reports that can be viewed in different file formats.

Depending on the service and component involved, you may perform serviceability-related tasks in both Cisco Unity Connection Serviceability and Cisco Unified Serviceability. For example, you may need to start and stop services, view alarms, and configure traces in both applications to troubleshoot a problem.

For more information, see the Administration Guide for Cisco Unity Connection Serviceability, at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.

Cisco Unity Connection Task Management Tool

The Task Management pages list a variety of system maintenance and troubleshooting tasks that Cisco Unity Connection automatically runs on a regular schedule. Tasks can be run at the same time as backups and anti-virus scans.

The default settings and schedules for each task are optimized for functionality and performance. We recommend that you not change the default settings and schedules.


Caution Some tasks are critical to Connection functionality. Disabling or changing the frequency of critical tasks may adversely affect performance or cause Connection to stop functioning.

To Access the Task Management Tool


Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Tools.

Step 2 Click Task Management.


Cisco Voice Technology Group Subscription Tool

You can use the Cisco Voice Technology Group Subscription tool to be notified by e-mail of any Cisco Unity Connection software updates. To subscribe, go to the Cisco Voice Technology Group Subscription Tool page at http://www.cisco.com/pcgi-bin/Software/Newsbuilder/Builder/VOICE.cgi.

Real-Time Monitoring Tool

The Real-Time Monitoring Tool (RTMT), which runs as a client-side application, uses HTTPS and TCP to monitor system performance, device status, device discovery, and CTI applications for Cisco Unity Connection. RTMT can connect directly to devices via HTTPS to troubleshoot system problems. RTMT can also monitor the voice messaging ports on Cisco Unity Connection.

RTMT allows you to perform the following tasks:

Monitor a set of predefined management objects that monitor the health of the system.

Generate various alerts, in the form of e-mails, for objects when values go over/below user-configured thresholds.

Collect and view traces in various default viewers that exist in RTMT.

Translate Q931 messages.

View syslog messages in SysLog Viewer.

Work with performance-monitoring counters.

For more information, see the Real-Time Monitoring Tool Administration Guide for Cisco Unity Connection at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.

Cisco Unified Serviceability

Cisco Unified Serviceability, a web-based troubleshooting tool for Cisco Unity Connection, provides the following functionality:

Saves alarms and events for troubleshooting and provides alarm message definitions.

Saves trace information to various log files for troubleshooting.

Monitors real-time behavior of components through the Real-Time Monitoring Tool (RTMT).

Provides feature services that you can activate, deactivate, and view through the Service Activation window.

Provides an interface for starting and stopping feature and network services.

Generates and archives daily reports; for example, alert summary or server statistic reports.

Monitors the disk usage of the log partition on a server.

Monitors the number of threads and processes in the system; uses cache to enhance the performance.

Depending on the service and component involved, you may perform serviceability-related tasks in both Cisco Unified Serviceability and Cisco Unity Connection Serviceability. For example, you may need to start and stop services, view alarms, and configure traces in both applications to troubleshoot a problem.

For more information, see the Cisco Unified Serviceability Administration Guide for Cisco Unity Connection at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.

Remote Database Administration Tools (Cisco Unity Connection Version 2.1 and Later)

Beginning with Cisco Unity Connection version 2.1, a database proxy can be enabled to allow the use of some Windows-based remote database administration tools that are available on the Cisco Unity Tools website (http://ciscounitytools.com), where updates to utilities are frequently posted between Cisco Unity Connection releases.

See the following sections:

Enabling Database Access for Remote Administration Tools

Cisco Utilities Database Link for Informix (CUDLI)

Connection User Data Dump (CUDD)


Note You can sign up to be notified when the utilities that are posted on the Cisco Unity Tools website are updated. Go to http://ciscounitytools.com and click Sign Up Here.


Enabling Database Access for Remote Administration Tools

In order to use the remote tools, you must first enable remote database access. Because opening up database access for remote administration tools can introduce a security risk to your system, several layers of security are involved with enabling access:

The username and password of a user with the Remote Administrator role is required to run remote tools.

The Connection Database Proxy service is disabled by default.

A built-in shutdown timer disables the Connection Database Proxy service after a configurable number of days.

To enable remote database access, do the following three procedures in the order presented:

To Assign the Remote Administrator Role to One or More Users

To Change the Database Proxy Service Shutdown Timer

To Start the Database Proxy Service

To Assign the Remote Administrator Role to One or More Users


Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, click Users.

Step 2 On the Search Users page, find the applicable user account.


Note As a best practice, do not use the default system administrator user account for remote access. Instead, use a different administrative user account to avoid having the default system administrator account become locked due to too many failed authentication attempts.


Step 3 On the Edit User Basics page, on the Edit menu, click Roles.

Step 4 On the Edit Roles page, in the Available Roles field, click Remote Administrator, then click the up arrow to move it into the Assigned Roles field.

Step 5 Click Save.

Step 6 Repeat Step 2 through Step 5 for each user who needs access to remote administration tools.


To Change the Database Proxy Service Shutdown Timer


Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, click Settings > Advanced.

Step 2 In the Database Proxy: Service Shutdown Timer field, enter a value between 1 and 999 days.

A value of 0 (zero) disables the Database Proxy Service.

Step 3 Click Save.


To Start the Database Proxy Service


Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Serviceability, click Tools > Control Center - Feature Services.

Step 2 From the Server drop-down box, choose the Cisco Unity Connection server, and click Go.

Step 3 Click the radio button next to the Connection Database Proxy service, and click Start.


Cisco Utilities Database Link for Informix (CUDLI)

The Cisco Utilities Database Link for Informix (CUDLI) tool allows you to navigate the Cisco Unity Connection database, learn about the purpose of data in a particular table or column, and jump between referenced objects in the database. It also provides the ability to show stored procedures and includes a custom query builder. Because the tool has read/write access to the database, care should be taken to avoid unintentionally modifying data.

For more information and to download this tool, go to the Cisco Unity Tools website at http://ciscounitytools.com and click CUC 2.x Tools.

Connection User Data Dump (CUDD)

The Connection User Data Dump (CUDD) allows you to export specific information about users to a file that can then be viewed or imported into another application such as a database utility or Excel. When the data is exported, the tool automatically creates a header row that lists the data type found in each column of the output, for ease of import into other programs.

For more information and to download this tool, go to the Cisco Unity Tools website at http://ciscounitytools.com and click CUC 2.x Tools.