Troubleshooting Guide for Cisco Unity Connection Release 10.x

Ports Too Busy to Make Notification Calls Promptly

When the ports that make notification calls are also set to perform other operations, they may be too busy to make notification calls promptly. You can improve notification performance by dedicating a small number of ports to exclusively make notification calls.

Systems that handle a large volume of calls may require additional ports to improve notification performance.

To Review Port Configuration for Message Notification

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Telephony Integrations, then select Port.

Step 2 On the Search Ports page, review the existing port configuration and determine whether one or more ports can be set to dial out for message notification only.

Not Enough Ports Set for Message Notification Only

When a small number of ports are set to make notification calls and Unity Connection takes a lot of messages, the notification ports may not always be able to dial out promptly.

If the percentage of ports used for dialing out for message notification exceeds 70 percent usage during peak periods, review the existing port configuration and determine whether more ports can be set to dial out for message notification only.

If the percentage of ports used for dialing out for message notification does not exceed 70 percent usage during peak periods, the number of notification ports is adequate. Contact Cisco TAC to resolve the problem.

To Determine if Number of Message Notification Ports is Adequate

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Serviceability, expand Tools and select Reports.

Step 2 On the Serviceability Reports page, select Port Activity Report.

Step 3 On the Port Activity Report page, select the applicable file format for the report output.

Step 4 Set a date range by selecting the beginning and ending month, day, year, and time.

Step 5 Select Generate Report.

Step 6 View the report output, depending on the file format that you chose in Step 3.

Step 7 If the port usage during peak periods does not exceed 70 percent, the number of message waiting indication ports is adequate. Skip the remaining steps in this procedure.

If the port usage during peak periods exceeds 70 percent, in Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Telephony Integrations, then select Port.

Step 8 On the Search Ports page, review the existing port configuration and determine whether more ports can be set to dial out for message notification only.

Confirm that Phone System Sends Calls to the Ports Set to Answer Calls

If the phone system is programmed to send calls to a port on Unity Connection that is not configured to answer calls, it is possible for a call collision to occur, which can freeze the port.

To Confirm That Calls Are Being Sent to the Correct Cisco Unity Connection Ports

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Telephony Integrations and select Port.

Step 2 In the phone system programming, confirm that calls are only being sent to ports set to answer calls. Change the phone system programming if necessary.

Step 3 If you make a change to the phone system programming, in Cisco Unity Connection Administration, select the display name of the port that you changed in Step 2.

Step 4 On the Port Basics page, under Phone System Port, select Restart.

Step 5 When prompted that restarting the port terminates any call that the port is currently handling, select OK.

Step 6 Repeat Step 3 through Step 5 for all remaining ports that you changed in Step 2.

Message Notification Setup is Inadequate

When a user complains that notification calls are not being received when expected, the problem may be with the notification settings.

To Determine Whether Notification Setup is Adequate

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Users, then select Users. On the Search Users page, in the Search Results table, select the alias of the applicable user.

Step 2 On the Edit User Basics page, on the Edit menu, select Notification Devices.

Step 3 On the Notification Devices page, select the display name of the correct notification device.

Step 4 On the Edit Notification Device page, confirm that the notification device is configured to meet the needs of the user. If the user has selected a very busy phone for Unity Connection to call, ask the user if there is an alternate device to use for message notification.

Step 5 In the Related Links list, select Edit Notification Device Details, and select Go. Verify with the user that the notification schedule that is specified on the Cisco Personal Communications Assistant page is consistent with the days and times that the user is available to receive notification calls.

Notification Attempts are Missed

A user who is frequently away from or busy using a notification device (especially when the device is a phone) may repeatedly miss notification attempts. To the user, it appears that Cisco Unity Connection has delayed message notification.

To Resolve Missed Notification Attempts

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Users, then select Users. On the Search Users page, in the Search Results table, select the alias of the applicable user.

Step 2 On the Edit User Basics page, on the Edit menu, select Notification Devices.

Step 3 On the Notification Devices page, select the display name of the correct notification device.

Step 4 On the Edit Notification Device page, check the Repeat Notification If There Are Still New Messages check box.

Step 5 If the user has another notification device available, for On Notification Failure, select Send To, and select the device.

Note Because Unity Connection does not detect notification failure for SMTP devices, the On Notification Failure field is not available for notification devices of this type.

Step 6 For phone or pager notification devices, in the Busy Retry Limit and RNA Retry Limit fields, increase the numbers so that Unity Connection makes more notification calls when the device does not answer or is busy.

Step 7 For phone or pager notification devices, in the Busy Retry Interval and RNA Retry Interval fields, decrease the numbers so that Unity Connection makes notification calls more often when the device does not answer or is busy.

Step 8 Select Save.

Step 9 If you chose another device in Step 5, do the following sub-steps:

a. On the Edit User Basics page, on the Edit menu, select Notification Devices.

b. On the Notification Devices page, select the display name of the correct notification device.

c. On the Edit Notification Device page, enter settings for the additional device and select Save.

Step 10 For phone notification devices, suggest that the user set up an answering machine for the notification phone, so that notification calls are received even when the user is unavailable.

When Unity Connection is set to call a phone that has an answering machine, verify with the user that the answering machine greeting is short enough so that the machine starts recording before the notification message is repeated.

Repeat Notification Option is Misunderstood

Setting Unity Connection to repeat notification at a particular interval when there are still new messages can be useful for users who receive a lot of messages but who do not need immediate notification. However, when a user chooses not to have Unity Connection restart notification each time a new message arrives, setting a long interval between repeat notification calls may lead the user to believe that Unity Connection is delaying notification.

To Resolve a Repeat Notification Problem

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Users, then select Users. On the Search Users page, in the Search Results table, select the alias of the applicable user.

Step 2 On the Edit User Basics page, on the Edit menu, select Notification Devices.

Step 3 On the Notification Devices page, select the display name of the correct notification device.

Step 4 On the Edit Notification Device page, in the Notification Repeat Interval box, set a shorter interval, such as 15 minutes and select Save.

Notification Device Disabled or the Schedule Inactive

When you are troubleshooting message notifications, start by confirming that the device is enabled, and that the notification schedule for the device is currently active.

To Verify a Device Status and Schedule

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Users, then select Users. On the Search Users page, in the Search Results table, select the alias of the applicable user.

Step 2 On the Edit User Basics page, on the Edit menu, select Notification Devices.

Step 3 On the Notification Devices page, select the display name of the correct notification device.

Step 4 On the Edit Notification Device page, confirm that the Enabled check box is checked.

Step 5 In the Related Links list, select Edit Notification Device Details, and select Go. Verify with the user that the notification schedule that is specified on the Cisco Personal Communications Assistant page is consistent with the days and times that the user is available to receive notification calls.

Only Certain Types of Messages Set to Trigger Notification

Unity Connection can be set so that a user is notified only of certain types of messages. For example, if user notification is set up only for urgent voice messages, regular voice messages do not trigger the notification device.

To Change the Message Types That Trigger a Notification Device

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Users, then select Users. On the Search Users page, in the Search Results table, select the alias of the applicable user.

Step 2 On the Edit User Basics page, on the Edit menu, select Notification Devices.

Step 3 On the Notification Devices page, select the display name of the correct notification device.

Step 4 On the Edit Notification Device page, under Notification Rule Events, verify the selected message types with the user.

Notification Number Incorrect or Access Code for an External Line Missing (Phone and Pager Notification Devices Only)

If notifications to a phone or pager are not working at all, the user may have entered a wrong phone number for Unity Connection to call.

To place an external call, a user usually must dial an access code (for example, 9) to get an external line. When the phone system requires an access code, an external message notification phone number set in Unity Connection must include the access code.

In addition, some phone systems may require a brief pause between dialing the access code and being connected to an external line.

To Verify the Device Phone Number and Access Code for a Phone or Pager Notification Device

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Users, then select Users. On the Search Users page, in the Search Results table, select the alias of the applicable user.

Step 2 On the Edit User Basics page, on the Edit menu, select Notification Devices.

Step 3 On the Notification Devices page, select the display name of the correct notification device.

Step 4 On the Edit Notification Device page, under Phone Settings, confirm that the correct access code and phone number are entered in the Phone Number field for the device.

If the phone system requires a pause, enter two commas between the access code and the phone number (for example, 9,,5551234).

To Test a Phone or Pager Notification Device

Step 1 If the notification device is a mobile phone or pager, ask the user to have it available for the test.

If the notification device is a home phone or another phone away from the office, ask the user to have someone available to answer the phone during the test.

Step 2 Confirm that the notification device is on.

Step 3 Set up a test phone (Phone 1) for single-line testing. Use a line connected to a port that is set to dial out for message notification.

Step 4 On Phone 1, dial the notification number set in Unity Connection for the device.

If the pager is activated or the phone rings, you have confirmed that Unity Connection can call the device.

If the pager is not activated or the phone does not ring, there may be a problem with the device. Consult the documentation from the device manufacturer, or ask the user to obtain a different notification device and repeat the test.

Notification Device Phone System Assignment Incorrect (Phone and Pager Notification Devices Only)

To Verify Notification Device Phone System Assignment

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Users, then select Users. On the Search Users page, in the Search Results table, select the alias of the applicable user.

Step 2 On the Edit User Basics page, on the Edit menu, select Notification Devices.

Step 3 On the Notification Devices page, select the display name of the correct notification device.

Step 4 On the Edit Notification Device page, under Phone Settings, note the phone system that is specified in the Phone System field.

Step 5 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Telephony Integrations, then select Port.

Step 6 On the Search Ports page, confirm that the phone system assigned to the notification device has at least one port designated for message notification. Correct the port settings if necessary.

SMS Notifications Not Working

If SMS notifications are not working, in Cisco Unity Connection Administration, check the settings on the System Settings > Advanced > SMPP Providers > Edit SMPP Provider page to confirm that the settings match the settings specified by the provider.

If settings on the Edit SMPP Provider page are correct, enable the SMS Device (level 30) micro trace to collect trace information that helps you troubleshoot the problem. For detailed instructions on enabling and collecting diagnostic traces, see the “Diagnostic Traces in Cisco Unity Connection 10.x” chapter.

Common error codes and explanations for SMS problems are listed in the following table:

SMTP Message Notification Not Working at All for Multiple Users

If SMTP notifications are not working, in Cisco Unity Connection Administration, check the System Settings > SMTP Configuration > Smart Host page to confirm that a smart host is configured. To enable Unity Connection to send text message notifications using SMTP, your Unity Connection server must be configured to relay messages through a smart host.

If a smart host is already configured on the Smart Host page, note the IP address or host name of the smart host and check to make sure that this smart host is configured to accept messages from the Unity Connection server.

If the smart host settings are configured correctly, you can use traces to track whether the SMTP notification messages are being sent by the Unity Connection server. The default SMTP micro traces (levels 10, 11, 12 and 13) indicate if there is a permanent problem with delivery of a notification message to the smart host. The SMTP micro trace level 18 (Network Messages) shows the details if the notification message is delivered to the smart host. For detailed instructions on enabling and collecting diagnostic traces, see the “Diagnostic Traces in Cisco Unity Connection 10.x” chapter.

Unable to Send Comet Notification over SSL

If Unity Connection is unable to send comet notifications over SSL, make sure:

• User workstations are establishing connection on 7443 port.
• Firewall is not blocking the traffic on 7443 port.
• The “show cuc jetty ssl status” command is executed on both the primary and secondary nodes and the SSL mode is enabled.
• Connection Jetty service is restarted on both the primary and secondary servers.

For more information, see:

• “Unity Connection Service Ports” section of the “IP Communications Required by Cisco Unity Connection 10.x“ chapter of the Security Guide for Cisco Unity Connection, Release 10.x, available at http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/10x/security/guide/10xcucsecx/10xcucsec010.html#pgfId-1055349.
• Command Line Interface Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Solutions, Release 10.0(1), available at

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucm/cli_ref/10_0_1/CUCM_BK_CBEED39F_00_cucm-cli-reference-guide-100.html.