-
Cisco Unity System Administration Guide (With Microsoft Exchange), Release 4.0(2)
-
Index
-
Preface
-
Introduction
-
Accessing the Cisco Unity Administrator
-
Using the Cisco Unity Administrator
-
Setting Up Cisco Unity to Use SSL
-
Default Accounts and Message Handling
-
Cisco Unity Conversation
-
Setting Up Client Applications
-
Subscriber and Operator Orientation
-
Maintaining Cisco Unity
-
Enhanced Phone Security
-
Multiple Languages
-
Integrating a Fax Server with Cisco Unity
-
Subscriber Template Settings
-
Class of Service Settings
-
Creating Subscriber Accounts
-
Deleting Subscriber Accounts
-
Subscriber Settings
-
Public Distribution List Settings
-
Account Policy Settings
-
Call Management
-
Call Handler Settings
-
Directory Handler Settings
-
Interview Handler Settings
-
Call Routing
-
Restriction Tables
-
Reports
-
Network Settings
-
System Settings
-
Appendix A: Exiting and Starting the Cisco Unity Software and Server
-
Glossary
-
Feedback
Table Of Contents
Overview: Maintaining Cisco Unity
Configuring Cisco Unity for Maintenance Tasks
Monitoring Cisco Unity Performance
Configuring Exchange for Maintenance Tasks
Setting a Maximum Size for Exchange Mailboxes
Monitoring the Message Transfer Agent
Selecting Virus-Scanning Software
Updating Virus-Scanning Definitions
Managing the Location of Log Files and Database Files
Performing Scheduled Maintenance on the Cisco Unity Server
Forwarding Unaddressed Messages to the Appropriate Recipients
Unaddressed Messages Distribution List
System Event Messages Distribution List
Operator, Opening Greeting, and Goodbye Call Handlers
Checking for Mailboxes that Are Over Their Size Limit
Installing Service Packs and Updates
Upgrading Third-Party Software
Installing New Hardware and Drivers
Restarting the Cisco Unity Server
Accessing Cisco Unity Remotely
Using Windows Terminal Services
Windows Terminal Services Limitations
Using a Virtual Private Network
Moving the Unity Messaging System, UAmis, and UOmni Exchange Mailboxes
Unity Messaging System Mailbox
Backing Up and Restoring a Cisco Unity System
Cisco Unity Data and Message Storage
Maintaining Cisco Unity
Overview: Maintaining Cisco Unity
All of the software and hardware associated with the Cisco Unity server requires maintenance to ensure availability. Degradation in any piece of the installed software can affect server performance. If you do regular maintenance, you can reduce the likelihood of unplanned downtime.
See the following sections in this chapter for more information:
•
Scheduling Maintenance Tasks—This section provides an overview of system maintenance tasks and suggested frequency.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Scheduling Maintenance Tasks
The frequency of scheduled maintenance depends on your particular environment, taking into account such issues as system size, configuration, and traffic levels. At a minimum, we recommend that you do scheduled maintenance as indicated in Table 9-1. If you already do the following tasks more frequently than we recommend, use your schedule rather than our recommendations.
Table 9-1 Maintenance Tasks and How Often to Do Them
Forward unaddressed messages to the appropriate recipients. For more information, see the "Forwarding Unaddressed Messages to the Appropriate Recipients" section.
Continually
Scan for viruses. See the "Scanning for Viruses" section.
X
Back up the Cisco Unity server. See the "Backing Up and Restoring a Cisco Unity System" section.
X
Verify that messages in the Unity Messaging Repository (UMR) are being delivered.
X
Determine if failover has occurred.
X
Check to see if Cisco Unity Administrator sessions are not in use and are not being freed by Cisco Unity.
X
Verify that the system back-up is complete before the beginning of the next business day.
X
Verify that the back-up medium has enough room to back up the entire contents of the Cisco Unity server.
X
Exchange: Check for Exchange mailboxes that are over their limit. See the "Checking for Mailboxes that Are Over Their Size Limit" section.
X
Exchange: Schedule the Message Store Manager to do mailbox maintenance tasks, such as deleting old messages and running the Subscriber Message Store Status report. See the "Message Store Manager Utility" section.
X
Or, as necessary, daily or weekly
Install the latest Cisco Unity-qualified service packs and security hot fixes. See the "Installing Service Packs and Updates" section.
X
Run the Dbwalker Utility to check database integrity. Fix any errors encountered by following the on-screen instructions.
X
Update the system clock. See the "Updating the System Clock" section.
X
Exchange 5.5 and Exchange 2000: Free unused space in the Exchange database by using the Eseutil utility. Refer to Article ID 192185, "How to Defragment with the Eseutil Utility," on the Microsoft website.
Offline defragmentation every six months
Exchange 5.5: Run the Exchange Optimizer. Refer to Article ID 266051, "The `Understanding the Microsoft Exchange Server Performance Optimizer' White Paper Is Available," on the Microsoft website.
Whenever you add 100 or more Exchange mailboxes or Cisco Unity subscribers
Upgrade third-party software. See the "Upgrading Third-Party Software" section.
As needed
Install new hardware and drivers. See the "Installing New Hardware and Drivers" section.
As needed
Update virus-scanning definitions. See the "Updating Virus-Scanning Definitions" section.
Whenever new definitions become available
Restart the Cisco Unity server. See the "Restarting the Cisco Unity Server" section.
According to your current schedule, or as needed
Run and review Cisco Unity reports.
As needed
Monitor system resources.
According to your current schedule, or as needed
Monitor the available forums for Cisco Unity.
As needed
Setting Up a Test Environment
If your system resources allow it, we recommend establishing a test environment for the entire Cisco Unitydeployment. The test environment can be smaller in scale than the production environment, but should have the same configuration characteristics.
Use the test environment to validate any proposed changes prior to implementing them on the production system. This includes any upgrades or patches to Cisco Unity, the phone system, and the network, including but not limited to auto-attendant, ports, schedules, call handlers, class of service and distribution lists, languages, the mail store, and third-party software.
Document both the production and test environment initial configurations, and keep a log of all changes made. Failing to do so can impact the supportability of Cisco Unity in the current environment, causing unnecessary delays if support personnel must work around undocumented changes. Also, failing to document the current environment and any changes made will impact the ability to efficiently and successfully expand the system and to do major upgrades in the future.
Configuring Cisco Unity for Maintenance Tasks
See the following sections:
•
Status Monitor
The Status Monitor is a Web-based application on the Cisco Unity server that runs separately from the Cisco Unity Administrator. It contains pages that provide information about system status, ports, reports, and disk drives.Each page of the Status Monitor displays key status information from the other Status Monitor pages in the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. (See Table 9-2 for information about each page in the Status Monitor.)
To access the Status Monitor, use one of the following two procedures. The method you use to log on to the Status Monitor depends on which authentication method it uses. Note that the authentication method that you choose to use for the Cisco Unity Administrator automatically applies to the Status Monitor. (To learn more about the authentication methods that you can use with the Cisco Unity Administrator and the Status Monitor, see the "About Cisco Unity Administrator Authentication" section.)
To Log On to the Status Monitor When It Uses Integrated Windows Authentication
Step 1
Step 2
If you logged on to the Status Monitor on a computer other than the Cisco Unity server, start Internet Explorer, and go to http://<Cisco Unity server name>/status.
Step 3
To Log On to the Status Monitor When It Uses Anonymous Authentication
Step 1
Step 2
If you logged on to the Status Monitor on a computer other than the Cisco Unity server, start Internet Explorer, and go to http://<Cisco Unity server name>/status.
Step 3
Table 9-2 describes each page in the Status Monitor.
Access to the Status Monitor is controlled by class of service. Internet Explorer is also required to view the Status Monitor pages.
To Set Up or Modify Access to the Status Monitor
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Message Store Manager Utility
The Message Store Manager utility, available in Tools Depot, can be used for a variety of subscriber message store maintenance tasks, including reporting message demographics, archiving messages, deleting messages, setting mailstore limits, and hiding mailboxes from the address book, according to configurable schedules.
The Message Store Manager utility allows administrators to set up subscriber groups, called agents. Each action that an administrator does by using the Message Store Manager utility is performed on an agent, or on a specified subset of the members of the agent. Agents are set up by using Cisco Unity distribution lists, classes of service, extension ranges, imported .csv files, or home mail servers, and any membership changes to these groups that are made by using the Cisco Unity Administrator are automatically carried forward to the Message Store Manager agents.
After setting up the agents, configure and schedule the Subscriber Message Store Manager tasks appropriate for each agent to be run daily, weekly, or monthly according to the needs of your site.
One of the maintenance functions of Message Store Manager is the Subscriber Message Store Status report. The Subscriber Message Store Status report is a .csv file that contains detailed data about each subscriber mailbox that was included in the selected agent. It allows administrators to see and have a record of subscriber mailbox information, including the capacity of each mailbox, if mailbox full warnings have been generated, the count and size of all messages in the mailbox, and other information specific to message type.
Subscriber Message Store Status reports are written to a file that is unique to the agent and to the time that the report generation began. For example, the file name for a report for the "Sales" agent could be Sales_MailboxDump_021002_091437.csv. These report files are saved in the Temp folder of the account used to run the report.
For more information on setting up agents and using the Message Store Manager utility, see the online Help for the utility.
Event Notification Utility
The Event Notification utility sends e-mail, voice mail, or both to subscribers or public distribution lists in response to an error condition or potential problem on the Cisco Unity server. The utility monitors the Windows application log and sends notification when a specified event occurs, such as "Disk almost full." In addition, the utility can also automatically restart the Cisco Unity server when a specified event occurs.
The Event Notification utility has several predefined default event notifications, though some event notifications, such as those which require the Cisco Unity server to automatically restart, are disabled. The notification settings for the default event notifications specify that an e-mail is sent to the System Event Messages distribution list. Because the Example Administrator is by default the only member of this distribution list, assign the appropriate subscriber(s) or public distribution list to the list to ensure that someone receives event notifications. Note that if you later delete the assigned subscribers or distribution lists, Cisco Unity does not prompt you to assign a replacement.
You can disable or enable existing event notifications, as well as modify the event which is monitored, how you are notified when the event occurs, and who receives notification. You can also add new event notifications. There are two types of event notifications that you can create:
Note that Cisco Unity writes events only to the Windows application log; it does not write events to the system or security logs. For information on how to generate an Event Log report for all application events on the Cisco Unity server, or for the events that apply only to Cisco Unity, see the "Event Log Report" section on page 26-9. You can also view application events by using the Windows Event Viewer (on the Windows Start menu, click Programs > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer). You can identify the Cisco Unity events as those events that begin with CiscoUnity (for example, "CiscoUnity_LogMgr"). For more information on Windows events, refer to the Windows Event Viewer online Help.
To Modify or Add an Event Notification
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
•
•
–
–
Step 4
•
•
•
Step 5
•
•
Step 6
•
•
Step 7
•
•
Step 8
Step 9
Step 10
To Set Up or Modify Voice Mail Notification
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
To Set Up or Modify SMTP Message Notification
You can set up the Event Notification utility to send an e-mail message through an SMTP gateway in response to an error condition or potential problem on the Cisco Unity server. This capability is useful when Exchange has gone down, or if you want to send notification through the Internet to an e-mail address at another location.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
Monitoring Cisco Unity Performance
Refer to the White Paper: Monitoring Cisco Unity Performance, available on Cisco.com at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/prod_technical_reference_list.html.
Configuring Exchange for Maintenance Tasks
On any Exchange server that is the home server for Cisco Unity subscribers, do the tasks in the following sections:
•
•
Existing Microsoft best practices can be researched and utilized based on system scaling and traffic patterns. Refer to the Microsoft website for best practices on maintaining Microsoft products.
Setting a Maximum Size for Exchange Mailboxes
Voice messages can consume significant amounts of disk space. For example, voice messages recorded by using the G.711 codec consume 480 KB/minute. If all Cisco Unity subscribers save every voice message they receive, the hard disk where messages are stored can quickly run out of space. To prevent this from happening, set limits on the size of subscriber Exchange mailboxes.
To view and set the size of subscriber mailboxes, you can use the Message Store Manager utility, available in Tools Depot (see the "Installing Service Packs and Updates" section.) Or, if you prefer, use the following procedures for Exchange 2000 or Exchange 5.5.
For more information on Exchange 5.5 and Exchange 2000 storage limits, refer to the Microsoft Exchange documentation. You can also review the White Paper: Understanding How Exchange 2000 Storage Limits Work with Cisco Unity, available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/prod_technical_reference_list.html.
To learn more about how Cisco Unity handles subscribers with full mailboxes, see the "How Cisco Unity Handles Subscribers Whose Mailboxes Are Full" section.
Exchange 2000
To Set Limits for all Users in Exchange 2000
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
If you want to set different limits for individual users (for example, set no limit for the company president), do the following procedure.
To Set Limits for Individual Users in Exchange 2000
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
Exchange 5.5
To Set Limits for all Users in Exchange 5.5
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
If you want to set different limits for individual users (for example, set no limit for the company president), do the following procedure.
To Set Limits for Individual Users in Exchange 5.5
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Circular Logging in Exchange
You can configure logging in one of two ways: either the existing logs are overwritten when hard disk space runs low, or the existing logs are never overwritten. Turn on circular logging if you want to do full backups every time you back up the system. Otherwise, turn it off to have more flexibility with your backup schedule.
Exchange 5.5 and Exchange 2000 store data in Jet databases. The most current transactions are stored in the Edb.log file. When the Edb.lg file reaches 5 MB in size, Exchange checks to see if the oldest transactions in the file have been committed to the database. If they have, then the old transactions are overwritten with new transactions, preventing the total size of the log files from growing beyond 25 to 30 MB in size. Exchange will not, however, overwrite any transactions that have not been committed to the database. This process is referred to as circular logging. When circular logging is enabled, full backups of Exchange are always required.
When circular logging is disabled, and the Edb.lg file reaches 5 MB in size, Exchange creates a new log file of the same name, and renames the inactive file. The number of log files increases as more transactions are logged, and the system continues to create new log files until a backup is completed. If you disable circular logging, we recommend that you set a backup schedule to do full backups periodically, and incremental backups at all other times.
After you back up the message store by using Exchange-aware backup software, the backup software clears the transaction logs. At this point, the backup reflects the current state of the message store, so the transaction logs are no longer required to restore the message store.
Caution
If you decide to disable circular logging, confirm that scheduled incremental and full backups continue to run and that they do not fail or stop working for any reason. If backups are not done, the transaction logs can cause the hard disk to fill up, which in turn causes Exchange to stop working, and subsequently can cause Cisco Unity to stop working.
We strongly recommend that you do the following:
•
•
To Turn Circular Logging Off for Exchange 5.5
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
If you also want to turn circular logging off for the directory, you can also uncheck the Directory check box.
Monitoring the Message Transfer Agent
Monitor the MTA (UnityMTA and UnityMTA\failed folders) to confirm that messages are going to the appropriate subscriber home servers. The MTA queue can contain messages that did not go to subscriber home servers if there has been a loss of network connectivity, if the Exchange server has gone off-line, or if there is a DNS issue (if the name of either the sending or home server cannot be resolved, the messages cannot be sent to the home server.)
For Exchange 5.5 systems, refer to Microsoft Knowledge Base article 247133, available on the Microsoft support website, for additional information.
Monitoring System Resources
Monitor for low free disk space on all hard disks and partitions on the Cisco Unity server. What constitutes low disk space can vary from partition to partition. For the operating system partition, 10 percent available disk space may suffice. For the data store, 25 percent or less of available disk space should generate a notification to the system administrator.
The Cisco Unity Performance Information and Diagnostics utility, available in Tools Depot, provides logging of performance data to a .csv file.
Scanning for Viruses
Selecting Virus-Scanning Software
For a list of the virus-scanning software that has been qualified for use with Cisco Unity, refer to the System Requirements document for your version of Cisco Unity, available on Cisco.com at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/prod_pre_installation_guides_list.html.
Scheduling Virus Scanning
Schedule virus scanning to occur daily. Ideally, virus scanning should occur when the server is least busy so that it does not interfere with Cisco Unity voice messaging functions.
Updating Virus-Scanning Definitions
Your virus-scanning software should be configured to alert you every week or two to check the manufacturer website for new virus-scanning definitions. If you already have a policy for updating these definitions on the other computers on your network, follow the same policy for the Cisco Unity server. If you do not already have a policy, download and install the new definitions on the Cisco Unity server whenever the software prompts you to do so.
Managing the Location of Log Files and Database Files
The way in which logical drives on the Cisco Unity server are partitioned and what content is located on the drives depends on the size of the Cisco Unity system, the RAID volume configuration used, whether the system will be installed as Voice Messaging Only (VM) or as Unified Messaging (UM), and whether Exchange is used on-box or off-box.
The partition and drive content recommendations from the Cisco Unity Installation Guide should continue to be followed when maintaining your system.
For more information on storage issues, refer to White Paper: Physical Storage Best Practices for Cisco Unity with Microsoft Exchange, available on Cisco.com at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/prod_technical_reference_list.html.
Performing Scheduled Maintenance on the Cisco Unity Server
See the following sections for detailed information on scheduled maintenance tasks:
•
•
•
•
•
Forwarding Unaddressed Messages to the Appropriate Recipients
In some situations, messages left in Cisco Unity are not associated with a specific recipient, and therefore they must be screened and routed to the appropriate subscriber or call handler. A subscriber should be assigned the responsibility of reviewing these messages frequently, and forwarding them to the appropriate recipient(s). See the procedure below for instructions on adding subscribers to the applicable distribution list(s).
To Add Subscribers to the Unaddressed Messages or System Event Messages Distribution Lists
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Unaddressed Messages Distribution List
Messages that cannot be delivered because the network or a server assigned to a subscriber has gone off-line or is otherwise unavailable to the Cisco Unity server, 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, verify 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. To add subscribers to the distribution list, do the procedure, "To Add Subscribers to the Unaddressed Messages or System Event Messages Distribution Lists" section. (For information about public distribution lists, see the "Overview: Public Distribution Lists" section on page 18-1.)
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, any 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. (To learn more about how Cisco Unity handles subscribers with full mailboxes, see the "How Cisco Unity Handles Subscribers Whose Mailboxes Are Full" section.)
System Event Messages Distribution List
Messages sent from the Event Notification utility are forwarded to the System Event Messages distribution list. By default, this distribution list contains the Example Administrator as its only member. To route these messages properly, add a subscriber (such as the operator) to the System Event Messages distribution list.
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 21-13.
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 the Example Interview 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 23-1.
Checking for Mailboxes that Are Over Their Size Limit
If you set limits on the maximum size of subscriber mailboxes as recommended in the "Setting a Maximum Size for Exchange Mailboxes" section, run the Subscriber Message Store Status report as described in the "Message Store Manager Utility" section. To learn more about how Cisco Unity handles subscribers with full mailboxes, see the "How Cisco Unity Handles Subscribers Whose Mailboxes Are Full" section.
Installing Service Packs and Updates
Microsoft updates (referred to by a variety of names, including security updates, critical updates, patches, and hot fixes) are limited to changes that fix specific problems. They do not include general defect fixes or new functionality. All of these Microsoft updates are qualified by Cisco from the day that Microsoft releases them. Cisco recommends that these Microsoft updates be applied to the Cisco Unity server as they are released. Cisco TAC provides support for a Cisco Unity system on which such updates have been installed.
Microsoft also occasionally releases service packs that contain fixes generated since the general product release, including most fixes that were released as updates.
Because the service pack scope is broad, each service pack must be thoroughly tested to ensure that changes do not adversely affect Cisco Unity. Cisco TAC does not support new service packs until they have been qualified for use with Cisco Unity. Do not install a service pack or maintenance release that has not been qualified, or Cisco TAC will not help you resolve problems until you uninstall it.
For the most current information on which Microsoft service packs have been qualified for use with Cisco Unity, refer to Compatibility Matrix: Required and Recommended Third-Party Service Packs, available on Cisco.com at
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/prod_pre_installation_guides_list.html.Upgrading Third-Party Software
Cisco support policy is that customers can deploy third-party software for backup, monitoring, and security on the Cisco Unity server. However, Cisco expects that customers (or their systems integration partners) will have tested the interoperability of such products with Cisco Unity before the products are deployed, to mitigate the risk of problems being discovered within the production environment between Cisco Unity and the third-party products loaded on the Cisco Unity server.
If a customer calls Cisco TAC with a problem, a Cisco TAC engineer may require that such third-party software be turned off or even removed from the Cisco Unity server during the course of troubleshooting. If it is determined that the interoperability between the third-party software and Cisco Unity was the root cause of the problem, then the third-party software will be required to be disabled or removed from the Cisco Unity server until such time that the interoperability issue is addressed, so that the customer can continue to have a functional Cisco Unity system.
Before installing any qualified Microsoft service pack on the Cisco Unity server, confirm that the manufacturer of any optional third-party software or hardware that you plan to install on the Cisco Unity server—or that is already installed—also supports the service pack for use with its product.
For information on third-party software that has been qualified for use with Cisco Unity, refer to Cisco Unity System Requirements, and Supported Hardware and Software, available on Cisco.com at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/prod_pre_installation_guides_list.html.
Installing New Hardware and Drivers
Cisco Unity servers that you purchase from Cisco Systems are configured for a specific hardware setup. Do not add or change any hardware on the server, other than to add voice cards, processor(s), memory, a tape drive, an external modem, or a rail kit.
Running the DbWalker Utility
The DbWalker utility checks each call handler, subscriber, subscriber template, interview handler, location object, and directory object in the Cisco Unity database for missing values, broken links, and other problems. Dbwalker must be run on the Cisco Unity server. It can not be run off-box.
The utility runs in two modes: scheduled and manual. Scheduled mode is a read-only review of the database. Manual mode can make automatic database repairs using site-specific information.
Both scheduled and manual modes create an output log file. The log file lists any errors found, shows automatic repairs of missing values and broken links, and also gives advisory warning messages for any items that require investigation and that may require a manual repair. The log file can be sent to a system manager or designated subscriber via e-mail, provided that the site security configuration allows this. The DbWalker utility also offers a choice for log file output content. We recommend that only the errors and warnings are reported, not a complete list of the entire database, due to the potential for a very large output file.
Schedule the DbWalker utility to run (in read-only mode) monthly. Following each monthly scheduled run, two tasks are required of the system manager or their designee for database maintenance:
•
•
To Schedule the DbWalker Utility to Run Monthly (Read-Only)
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
Step 9
Step 10
Step 11
Step 12
Step 13
Step 14
Step 15
Step 16
Step 17
To Run the DbWalker Utility Manually (With Database Repairs)
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Updating the System Clock
When the Cisco Unity server is connected to the network, we recommend that you configure an authoritative time server to ensure that all computers in the organization use a common time. Refer to Article ID 216734, "How to Configure an Authoritative Time Server in Windows 2000," on the Microsoft support website.
When the system clock on the Cisco Unity server is slow by a significant amount, subscribers may believe that Cisco Unity is delaying message delivery.
If the Cisco Unity server is not connected to the network, check the system clock monthly to ensure that the time is accurate to within a minute. To change the time, use the Date/Time Control Panel (on the Windows Start menu, click Settings > Control Panel > Date/Time).
Do not change the time on the system clock while you are using the Cisco Unity Administrator, or you may encounter inconsistencies in the data. This is due to an IIS caching problem. The new values have been written to the SQL Server database, but the old values still appear in the IIS cache, so the Cisco Unity Administrator seems to show that you have not changed values that you did change.
Restarting the Cisco Unity Server
Depending on how your network is configured, Cisco Unity services may rely on the availability of a number of other servers on the network, as follows:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The availability of each of these servers, the network connection to these servers, and the corresponding components on the Cisco Unity server may each affect Cisco Unity services.
When you restart servers or network devices on your regular schedule, include Cisco Unity servers in this schedule.
The Unity Schedule Restart tool, available in Tools Depot, allows you schedule an automatic restart of the Cisco Unity server (recommended), or just the Cisco Unity services. You can also use the tool to view Application Event log entries related to restarting Cisco Unity.
To Schedule Cisco Unity Restarts
To change an existing schedule, delete the task and schedule a new task, as shown in the following steps.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Accessing Cisco Unity Remotely
There are several methods that allow remote access to the Cisco Unity server so that you can do tasks—such as loading updates or patches, and transferring files—that otherwise would have to be done locally. Depending on your site, you can set up remote access to the Cisco Unity server by using:
•
•
•
Using Windows Terminal Services
Windows Terminal Services (WTS) comes with Windows 2000, and should already be set up on the Cisco Unity server. In order to set up and use WTS on your remote computer, do the following procedures. (For details on setting up WTS on the Cisco Unity server, refer to the Cisco Unity Installation Guide.)
To find additional information about WTS, refer to the online Help available from either the Terminal Services server program on the Cisco Unity server, or from the Terminal Services Client program that you install on the remote computer. You can also refer to the Microsoft website.
To Create the Windows Terminal Client Install Disks
To use WTS on a remote computer, you must first create a set of install disks by using the WTS host program on the Cisco Unity server. You will need two blank disks—labeled "Disk 1" and "Disk 2"—to do this procedure.
Step 1
Step 2
•
•
Step 3
Step 4
To Set Up the WTS Client on a Remote Computer
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
To Start a Remote Session with WTS
When you connect to the Cisco Unity server from a remote computer by using WTS, your computer controls the server. The Cisco Unity server screen appears within a window on your remote computer and, in general, you can access any of the server files and applications. It is recommended that the Cisco Unity server host only one WTS connection at a time.
Step 1
•
•
Step 2
To Do File Transfers
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
To End a Remote Session with Windows Terminal Services
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Windows Terminal Services Limitations
WTS is supported in the following cases:
•
•
Using pcAnywhere
You can install pcAnywhere on the Cisco Unity server and on remote computer(s) that will be used to access the Cisco Unity server in your organization. Contact your reseller for the appropriate number of licenses.
Use the following procedures to set up and use pcAnywhere on a remote computer. For more detailed procedures or information about the other pcAnywhere capabilities that may be useful to you, refer to the pcAnywhere documentation.
To Set Up pcAnywhere on a Remote Computer
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
•
•
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
To Start a Remote Session with pcAnywhere
When you connect to the Cisco Unity server from a remote computer by using pcAnywhere, your computer controls the server. The Cisco Unity server screen appears within a window on your remote computer and, in general, you can access any of the server files and applications. Before you start a remote session, confirm that pcAnywhere is running in host mode on the Cisco Unity server. If you plan to use a modem connection, confirm that there is no checkmark in the Launch With Windows check box on the Settings tab of the Host Properties dialog box.
Note that a Cisco Unity server can host only one pcAnywhere connection at a time.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
When a connection with the Cisco Unity server is established, the desktop of the Cisco Unity server appears, and the pcAnywhere online toolbar is displayed across the top of the screen.
Step 4
a.
b.
Step 5
To End a Remote Session with pcAnywhere
Step 1
Step 2
Using a Virtual Private Network
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a private network that uses public phone lines (or in some cases a cable modem). Privacy is maintained through encryption and the use of secure protocols. When you use a VPN to access Cisco Unity through a firewall, you will be able to use Cisco Unity as if you were inside the network.
VPN is required if you need to:
•
•
Note
Discuss setting up a VPN with your LAN administrator.
Moving Subscriber Mailboxes
From time to time you may need to move subscriber mailboxes to another server that is faster or has more disk space available, or you may want to move mailboxes when you add new servers to your network. It is possible to move subscribers between servers without having to shut down Cisco Unity.
Caution
If your Cisco Unity server is connected to Exchange 2000, follow the instructions in the Microsoft Exchange documentation to move mailboxes from one server to another. However, if your Cisco Unity server is connected to Exchange 5.5, you need to use the Bulk Logout utility to direct the Cisco Unity server(s) to log out of the mailboxes that you plan to move before you move them in Exchange. With the Bulk Logout utility, you can select the subscriber mailboxes that you want to log out of Exchange 5.5 on each Cisco Unity server in your site. You can select one or more of the following:
•
•
•
–
–
For example:
first name, last name, home server, alias, domainAlex, Abade, EXServer1, aabade, ENG_MAINKelly, Bader, EXServer1, kbader, ENG_MAINTo move multiple subscriber mailboxes between Exchange 5.5 servers while Cisco Unity is running, do the appropriate procedures that follow, in the order listed. Note that if your Cisco Unity server is connected to Exchange 2000, you do not need to do these procedures. Instead, you can move Exchange 2000 mailboxes by following the instructions in the Microsoft Exchange documentation.
To Force Cisco Unity to Log Out of Multiple Exchange 5.5 Mailboxes
Step 1
Caution
Step 2
Step 3
•
•
•
•
•
Step 4
If you selected subscribers from a CSV file, note that only those subscribers with mailboxes associated with the local Cisco Unity server are displayed.
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
Step 9
To Move Exchange 5.5 Mailboxes
Step 1
Step 2
Caution
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Before you force directory replication, it is a good idea to discuss this with the Exchange administrator for your site. If you decide to force directory replication, do so for the Cisco Unity server where the mailbox(es) used to reside and for the server to which the mailbox(es) were moved. Refer to the Microsoft Exchange 5.5 documentation for detailed procedures.
Step 7
To Synchronize the Servers
Repeat this procedure for each Cisco Unity server from which subscribers have had their mailboxes moved in the previous procedure.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
To Run the Exchange 5.5 Optimizer
If you have moved more than 100 subscribers in Exchange 5.5, run the Exchange Optimizer on the Cisco Unity server. Otherwise, you may encounter problems with Cisco Unity not accepting dialed extensions for subscribers and call handlers, and with conversation-related errors in the event log. If there are other Exchange servers in the site, you do not need to run the Exchange Optimizer on the other Exchange servers.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
a.
b.
c.
Step 5
Moving the Unity Messaging System, UAmis, and UOmni Exchange Mailboxes
The Unity Messaging System, UAmis, and UOmni mailboxes are special Exchange mailboxes with specific functions.From time to time, you may need to move mailboxes to a server that is faster or has more disk space available, or you may want to move mailboxes when you add new servers to your network.
You use the same procedures to move the Unity Messaging System, UAmis, and UOmni mailboxes that you use to move ordinary subscriber mailboxes in Exchange—but with a few extra steps to prevent problems that can occur after these special mailboxes are moved.
To avoid inadvertently moving the Unity Messaging System, UAmis, or UOmni mailboxes when you move a group of subscriber mailboxes, consider changing their Exchange display names so that these mailboxes are clearly identified as requiring "special" treatment.
The following sections describe the mailboxes and how to move them correctly.
Unity Messaging System Mailbox
When an unidentified caller—an outside caller or a caller from inside the organization calling from a phone that is not associated with a subscriber account (such as a conference room)—leaves a message for a subscriber, Cisco Unity gives the message to the subscriber home server (if not the Cisco Unity server) and stores it in the subscriber mailbox. Such messages are identified as coming from the Unity Messaging System mailbox, which is homed on the server that Cisco Unity gives the message to, and has the display name Unity Messaging System.
For more information on the Unity Messaging System mailbox and its associated account, see the "Default Accounts" section.
To Move the Unity Messaging System Mailbox
Step 1
Step 2
a.
b.
Once the UMR service has restarted (it may take a few minutes), Cisco Unity exhibits the following behavior:
•
•
Step 3
UAmis Mailbox
Outgoing AMIS messages are placed in the special Exchange mailbox that has the display name UAmis_<Servername>. For more information on the UAmis mailbox, refer to the "The UAmis Mailbox" section in the "AMIS Networking" chapter of the Networking in Cisco Unity Guide, available on Cisco.com, at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/products_installation_and_configuration_guide_books_list.html.
To Move the UAmis Mailbox
Step 1
Step 2
UOmni Mailbox
Administrative messages from the Cisco Unity Bridge to create, modify, or delete Bridge subscribers are placed in the special Exchange mailbox that has the display name UOmni_<Servername>.
To Move the UOmni Mailbox
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
The Bridge Connector monitors the UOmni mailbox. Restarting it immediately after the mailbox move ensures that the Active Directory contacts that are associated with Bridge subscribers are created correctly and messages do not get stuck in the UOmni mailbox. Once you have restarted the Connector, Bridge subscribers can be added, modified, and deleted without any problems.
Cisco Unity Failover Feature
Failover is a feature that provides a simple redundancy, allowing voice messaging functions to continue if the Cisco Unity server fails or when you need to perform maintenance. To set up failover, you install and configure Cisco Unity on two servers, a primary server and a secondary server.
Under normal circumstances, the primary server is active—Cisco Unity answers phone calls and takes messages, sends message notifications, and turns message waiting indicators (MWIs) on and off. The secondary server is inactive—Cisco Unity is running, but it does not perform any voice messaging functions.
If the primary server fails or if the Cisco Unity service on the primary server stops, the secondary Cisco Unity server automatically becomes active and starts performing standard Cisco Unity operations. This shift from primary to secondary Cisco Unity servers is called failover. If you want to stop the primary Cisco Unity server for maintenance, you can also initiate failover manually.
For details, see the Cisco Unity Failover Configuration and Administration Guide, which is available on Cisco.com at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/products_installation_and_configuration_guide_books_list.html.
Backing Up and Restoring a Cisco Unity System
The software installed on a Cisco Unity server includes Windows 2000 Server, SQL Server 2000 or MSDE 2000, and, for some configurations, Exchange 2000. There are a number of suitable backup software products that are tailored to back up this software and the accompanying data. In addition, Cisco Unity includes a Disaster Recovery Tool that you can use to back up and restore Cisco Unity data.
For detailed information on backing up and restoring a Cisco Unity system, refer to the White Paper: Backing Up and Restoring a Cisco Unity System, available on Cisco.com at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/prod_technical_reference_list.html.
Cisco Unity Data and Message Storage
Information about subscriber accounts and other Cisco Unity data is stored in a SQL Server database on the Cisco Unity server. Additionally, a small subset of the Cisco Unity information is also stored in the directory. Cisco Unity keeps the information in the directory and in the SQL Server database synchronized.
The directory that Cisco Unity uses for data storage depends on what was selected when Cisco Unity was installed. During installation, you specify a partner Exchange server for Cisco Unity to communicate with. The partner server can be either an Exchange 5.5 or Exchange 2000 server. When the partner server is an Exchange 5.5 server, the directory in which Cisco Unity stores data is the Exchange 5.5 directory. When Exchange 2000 is the partner server, Cisco Unity stores data in Active Directory.
By storing its data in a SQL Server database, Cisco Unity derives many performance, reliability, and scalability benefits. Because very little information is stored in the directory, and because that information is not likely to change often, directory replication caused by changes to Cisco Unity data is minimal after the initial creation of subscriber accounts.
Cisco Unity Functions When the Network Is Down
In addition to the SQL database that contains subscriber names and extensions, the Unity Messaging Repository (UMR) is also on the Cisco Unity server. When an Exchange server or even the entire Exchange network is down, Cisco Unity can answer calls, allow unidentified callers to look up subscriber extensions, and take voice messages. While the e-mail system or network is off line, new voice messages are stored in the messaging repository on the Cisco Unity server. During this time, subscribers checking their voice messages hear the UMR conversation, which explains that their Exchange server is not available but lets them access voice messages left from the time that it went down. When the Exchange server or network is back on line, the voice messages stored in the messaging repository are routed to the subscriber mailboxes.
