Cisco Unity Connection System Administration Guide, Release 1.x - Messaging [Cisco Unity Connection]

Table Of Contents

Messaging

Types of Messages

Message Recording

Message Delivery

Default Recipient Accounts

How Cisco Unity Connection Handles Messages That Cannot Be Delivered

How Cisco Unity Connection Handles Messages When System Components Are Unavailable

How Cisco Unity Connection Handles Messages That Are Interrupted by Disconnected Calls

How Cisco Unity Connection Handles Messages When Mailbox Quotas are Exceeded

Message Storage

Messaging

After you have implemented a call management plan and determined conversation versions and options, you are ready to focus on how Cisco Unity Connection will collect, handle, and store messages. This chapter outlines the types of messages that are available in Connection, and discusses how Connection handles the recording, delivery, and storage of messages.

See the following sections in this chapter:

•Types of Messages

•Message Recording

•Message Delivery

•Message Storage

Types of Messages

Cisco Unity Connection supports a number of different types of message that can be used depending on the needs of the organization.

Outside Caller Voice Messages

Callers who are not Cisco Unity Connection users can reach user mailboxes to leave messages in a number of different ways, depending on the Connection configuration. A caller can call the main phone number for the Connection server and spell by name or enter an extension to reach the user by using a directory handler, or can be directed to the user mailbox (or to a distribution list) through a call handler. Or, the caller can call the user extension and be forwarded to Connection when the user does not answer, and then leave a message.

When an unidentified caller leaves a message, the From field of the message displays "UnityConnection@<servername>" in Cisco Unity Inbox or an e-mail client, if applicable. The Subject field displays the phone number of the caller, if it is available.

By default, messages from outside callers cannot be marked private. (However, you can set all messages from outside callers to be encrypted secure messages, by changing a setting on the System Settings > Advanced > Secure Messaging page in Cisco Unity Connection Administration.) If allowed by the recipient user message settings, messages from outside callers can be marked urgent. Finally, messages from outside callers can be forwarded to other users, but cannot be replied to.

User to User Voice Messages

Users can call Cisco Unity Connection and log in, then send a message to one or more other Connection users or to a distribution list. Connection identifies the sender of the message as a user; when the called user later listens to the message, Connection plays the recorded voice name of the user (or displays the user name when the called user views the message in Cisco Unity Inbox or from an IMAP client).

Alternatively, a user can call the extension of another user and be forwarded to Connection when the called user does not answer, and then leave a message. In this case, if Identified User Messaging is enabled and supported by the phone system, and the user is calling from their primary extension or an alternate device, Connection recognizes that the calling extension is associated with a user and identifies that user as the sender of the message.

Note Cisco Unity Connection does not perform any caller authentication or verification when a message is left by a caller identified as a user via Identified User Messaging.

Identified User Messaging is enabled by default. You can disable it for all users by using the Disable Identified User Messaging Systemwide setting on the System Settings > Advanced > Conversations page.

User-to-user messages can be marked private and/or urgent. Users can reply to or forward messages from other users. Users can also "live reply" to a message from another user by calling the sender after message playback.

Groupware E-Mail Messages

By using the IMAP protocol, Cisco Unity Connection can access e-mail messages stored in user mailboxes in Microsoft Exchange so the messages can be played via Text to Speech (TTS). User access to TTS for e-mail messages is controlled by a class of service setting. For details on setting up TTS and e-mail access for users, see the "Text to Speech" section in the "Setting Up Features and Functionality That Are Controlled by User Account Settings" chapter of the Cisco Unity Connection User Moves, Adds, and Changes Guide. The guide is available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.

Connection offers TTS playback for e-mail messages provided that the text portion of the message does not exceed 1 MB in size and the text format of the message is supported by Connection. Supported formats include plain text, quoted-printable text, HTML, and XML.

Note that when users access e-mail messages stored on a Microsoft Exchange server both from a Microsoft Outlook client and from Cisco Unity Connection, they may experience unexpected and confusing behavior when deleting messages. The difference in behavior occurs when the Microsoft Outlook client is configured to use MAPI, the Microsoft interface for connecting to Exchange, and stems from the fact that MAPI and IMAP—the protocol used by Connection—use different mechanisms for marking messages as deleted.

When a user deletes a message from Microsoft Outlook, the message is moved from the Inbox to the Deleted Items folder. At this point, Connection can no longer access the message, and will no longer indicate that the message exists either as a new, saved, or deleted message.

When a user deletes a message from Connection, the message remains in the Inbox but is flagged to indicate that it has been marked deleted by the user. However, when configured to use MAPI, Microsoft Outlook does not recognize this flag as a deletion, and will continue to display the message as a new or saved message in the Inbox.

If you have users who access a Microsoft Exchange server by using Outlook (with MAPI) or Outlook Web Access and also use Connection to manage e-mail messages on the same message store, be sure to alert them to this behavior.

Private Messages

In Cisco Unity Connection, messages that are marked private cannot be forwarded by phone or from the Cisco Unity Inbox. All users are able to mark a message private when they send it. In addition, when a message is marked private, the Save Recording As option is disabled on the Options menu on the Media Master in the Cisco Unity Inbox.

For users who require more secure messaging, consider the following:

•You can prevent users from saving any voice message—regardless of its sensitivity—to their hard disks from the Cisco Unity Inbox by disabling the Save Recording As option on the Options menu of the Media Master control bar. To disable the option for all messages, in Cisco Unity Connection Administration, go to the System Settings > Advanced > PCA Configuration page, and check the Unity Inbox: Disable Save Recording As Option in Media Master check box. Changing this setting affects all Cisco Unity Inbox users.

•When users access voice messages by using an IMAP client, the IMAP client may allow users to save messages to their hard disks or to forward messages regardless of whether they are marked private. You can prevent users from saving or forwarding private message audio via IMAP clients by using the Allow Users to Access Message Bodies Except on Private Messages setting when configuring IMAP client access in the Licensed Features section of a class of service.

•You can set up Secure Messaging and enable users to use it.

Secure Messaging

Secure messaging provides security through the use of public/private key encryption for voice messages that users record when they log on to Connection by phone. Voice messages that are encrypted by being marked secure cannot be heard by anyone other than a Connection user who is homed on the Connection server. For information on how to set up secure messaging, see the "Setting Up Secure Messaging" section.

System Broadcast Messages

System broadcast messages are recorded announcements sent to everyone in an organization. System broadcast messages are played immediately after users log on to Cisco Unity Connection by phone—even before they hear message counts for new and saved messages. Users must listen to each system broadcast message in its entirety before Connection allows them to hear new and saved messages or to change setup options. They cannot fast-forward or skip a system broadcast message.

Note System broadcast messages do not light message waiting indicators (MWIs) on user phones, nor do they cause distinctive dial tones to notify users of a new message when they pick up their desk phone receiver. System broadcast messages also do not trigger message notifications for alternative devices, such as a pager or another phone.

See the "Setting Up Broadcast Messaging" chapter for more information on setting up and using system broadcast messages.

Notifications

Cisco Unity Connection can send message notifications in the form of text messages to e-mail addresses, and also to text pagers and text-compatible cell phones. When a message arrives that matches the criteria selected in the message notification settings, the Connection Messaging System sends a text message entered by you or the user, such as "Urgent message for Technical Support."

Connection can also dial a phone number to alert the user of a new message and allow the user to enter credentials to log in and listen to the message.

Receipts

Users can request a read receipt when sending a message. As soon as the recipient listens to the message, the receipt is sent to the message sender. New receipts activate the message waiting indicator on the user phone and can trigger message notifications.

When a voice message cannot be delivered, if the sender is a user and is configured to accept receipts, Cisco Unity Connection alerts the sender with a nondelivery receipt (NDR). The NDR contains a copy of the original message, which the user can use to resend the message at a later time or to a different recipient.

Interviews

By using interview handlers in your call management plan, you can have Cisco Unity Connection collect information from callers by playing a series of questions that you have recorded, and then recording the answers offered by callers. For example, you might use an interview handler to take sales orders or to gather information for a product support line.

When all the answers have been recorded, they are forwarded as a single voice message, with beeps separating the answers, to the recipient (user or distribution list) that you designate in the interview handler configuration.

Live Record

Live record allows users to record conversations while they talk to callers. The recorded conversation is stored as a message in the user mailbox, and the user can review it later or redirect it to another user or group of users. Operators in your organization may find live record particularly useful.

Live record is supported only when Cisco Unity Connection is integrated with a Cisco CallManager phone system. In addition, live record does not work for users who have full mailboxes. When a user who has a full mailbox records a call, the feature seems to work normally, but the recorded conversation is not stored as a message in the user mailbox.

Message Recording

Typically, Cisco Unity Connection uses the same audio format (or codec) for recording a message that the playback device uses. For example, if users listen to messages primarily on a phone system extension, Connection should record messages in the same audio format that the phone system uses. If the users listen to messages on Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), however, Connection should record messages in the audio format that the PDAs use (such as GSM 6.10).

You should consider the following when setting the audio format for recording messages:

•Setting the audio format for recordings affects all messages, greetings, and names systemwide for all users.

•Minimizing the number of different audio formats in use on Connection for recording and playing back recorded messages, greetings, and names reduces transcoding between audio formats that Connection must perform and reduces the impact on the performance of the Connection server.

•When a message, greeting, or name is recorded in a lower quality audio format and later transcoded to a higher quality audio format during playback, the sound quality is not improved. Usually, the sound quality of a recording suffers during transcoding, especially when the sampling rate is changed.

For example, sound quality suffers when messages that are recorded in the G.729a audio format are played back on devices that use the G.711 Mu-Law audio format. However, sound quality is preserved when messages that are recorded in the G.711 Mu-Law audio format are played back on devices that use the same audio format.

•Changing the audio format for recordings affects only messages, greetings, and names that are recorded after the setting is changed. Existing messages, greetings, and names that were recorded in a different audio format are not affected by the new setting.

To choose a different audio format for recording messages, do the following procedure.

To Change the Audio Format for Recording Messages

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand System Settings, then click General Configuration.

Step 2 On the General Configuration page, in the Recording Format field, click the applicable setting.

If the playback device uses a different audio format, Connection must transcode the messages, greetings, and names into the applicable audio format or the playback device will not be able to play them.

Step 3 Click Save.

Message Delivery

In most cases, Cisco Unity Connection delivers messages from callers by using a standard process—Connection logs on to the sender account (either the Unity Connection Messaging System account for unidentified caller messages, or the user voice mailbox), composes and addresses the message to the recipient or to the members of the recipient distribution list, and delivers the message.

Default Recipient Accounts

The default Cisco Unity Connection configuration includes several accounts that play a role in message delivery or receive messages when callers are routed to one of the default system call management objects.

Operator

When a caller to Connection 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. By default, messages left in the Operator call handler are sent to the voice mailbox of the Operator user. We recommend that you assign someone to monitor this mailbox, or reconfigure the Operator call handler to send messages to a different user or to a distribution list.

During installation, the Operator account is assigned randomly-generated voice mail and web application passwords. To log on to the account, you must change the passwords by using Cisco Unity Connection Administration. See the "Passwords" section in the "Setting Up Features and Functionality That Are Controlled by User Account Settings" chapter of the Cisco Unity Connection User Moves, Adds, and Changes Guide for instructions. The guide is available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.

UndeliverableMessagesMailbox

By default, this mailbox is the only member of the Undeliverable Messages distribution list. We recommend that you assign someone to monitor this mailbox, or add a user to the Undeliverable Messages distribution list, to monitor and reroute (as appropriate) any messages that are delivered to the list.

During installation, the UndeliverableMessagesMailbox account is assigned randomly-generated voice mail and web application passwords. To log on to the account, you must change the passwords by using Cisco Unity Connection Administration. See the "Passwords" section in the "Setting Up Features and Functionality That Are Controlled by User Account Settings" chapter of the Cisco Unity Connection User Moves, Adds, and Changes Guide for instructions. The guide is available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.

Unity Connection Messaging System

This account acts as a surrogate sender for messages from unidentified callers. Thus, user messages from unidentified callers are identified as coming from the Unity Connection Messaging System mailbox (UnityConnection@<servername>).

The alias for this account is UnityConnection. This account can be viewed in Connection Administration, but cannot be modified or deleted.

How Cisco Unity Connection Handles Messages That Cannot Be Delivered

Occasionally, messages cannot be delivered to the recipient that the caller intended to reach. The system behavior in this case depends on the type of sender and the reason that the message could not be delivered.

In general, if Connection cannot deliver the message because of issues that are not likely to be resolved (for example, the caller was disconnected before addressing the message, or the recipient mailbox has been deleted), the message is sent to the Undeliverable Messages distribution list, and Connection sends a nondelivery receipt (NDR) to the sender.

Note that the sender will not receive a nondelivery receipt in the following cases:

•When the sender of the original message is an unidentified caller

•When the sender is a user, but the user is configured to not accept NDRs

•While the Microsoft SQL database is down (in this case, the NDR will be delivered when the database becomes available)

However, if the original message is malformed or contains non-voice messaging content, instead of sending the message to the Undeliverable Messages list, Connection will place the message in the MTA bad mail folder (UmssMtaBadMail). This folder is automatically checked nightly by the Monitor Bad Mail Folders task, and if messages are found, an error is written to the application event log indicating troubleshooting steps.

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

How Cisco Unity Connection Handles Messages When System Components Are Unavailable

During temporary outages, the system behavior depends on the nature of the outage.

Message Delivery Components

If the components involved in message delivery on the Connection server are unavailable (for example, if Microsoft SQL Server 2000 or MSDE is down), Connection will queue any messages that are recorded by users or outside callers, and deliver them when the component becomes available.

Groupware Server Is Unavailable

If Connection is configured to allow users Text to Speech (TTS) access to e-mail messages stored in Microsoft Exchange, and network or other conditions slow or prevent responses when Connection attempts to retrieve messages from Exchange, Connection will announce to users that e-mail is unavailable when they attempt to access e-mail messages. The time period that Connection will wait for a response from Exchange defaults to 4 seconds, and is configurable in Connection Administration. Do the following procedure to change the length of the timeout.

To Change the Timeout Period That Connection Waits for a Response for TTS Access

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand System Settings > Advanced, then click Conversations.

Step 2 On the Conversation Configuration page, change the Maximum Delay for TTS Access Before Timeout setting to the desired value (in milliseconds). The setting defaults to 4000 milliseconds, or 4 seconds.

Step 3 Click Save.

The change takes effect immediately.

How Cisco Unity Connection Handles Messages That Are Interrupted by Disconnected Calls

You can change how Cisco Unity Connection handles messages that are interrupted by disconnected calls while users are in the process of sending, replying to, or forwarding messages. Calls can be intentionally or unintentionally disconnected—for example, when a user hangs up or when a cell phone loses its charge or signal.

By default, Connection sends a message when the call is disconnected in the following circumstances:

When a user is replying to or sending a message

As long as the message has at least one recipient and the recording is more than one second (1,000 ms) in length. This means that Connection sends the message even though the user may not have finished recording or addressing the message.

When a user is forwarding a message

As long as the message has at least one recipient. This means that Connection sends the message even though the user may not have recorded an introduction or completely addressed the message.

You can configure Connection to delete interrupted messages unless users have pressed the # key to send their messages. Thus, if a call is disconnected before a user has a chance to press #, Connection deletes the message rather than sending it.

The setting is applied systemwide to all users associated with the Connection server. You cannot make the change for an individual user or a specific group of users.

Do the following procedure to change how Connection handles messages when calls are disconnected.

To Change How Connection Handles Messages Interrupted by Disconnected Calls

Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand System Settings > Advanced, then click Conversations.

Step 2 On the Conversation Configuration page, uncheck the Send Message If User Hangs Up During Recording check box to set Connection to delete the interrupted message unless the user has pressed the # key. Check the check box to set Connection to send the interrupted message even if the user has not pressed the # key (this is the default setting).

Step 3 Click Save.

The change takes effect immediately.

How Cisco Unity Connection Handles Messages When Mailbox Quotas are Exceeded

Message handling when send or send/receive quotas have been exceeded depends on whether the sender is an outside caller or a user.

Quota Handling for Outside Caller Messages

By default, if an outside caller attempts to send a message to a user whose send/receive quota has been exceeded, Cisco Unity Connection will indicate to the caller that the recipient mailbox is full, and will not allow the caller to record a message for the recipient.

If the recipient mailbox has not yet exceeded the send/receive quota at the time an unidentified caller records a message, but the quota is exceeded in the act of delivering the message, Connection will deliver the message regardless of the quota.

Quota Handling for User-to-User Messages

If a user whose voice mailbox has exceeded the send quota logs in to Connection and attempts to send a message to another user, Connection will indicate that the send quota has been exceeded, and will not allow the sender to record the message. If the user calls another user and is forwarded to a voice mailbox, the user will be able to leave a message, but the message will be sent as an outside caller message.

If a user attempts to send a message to another user whose mailbox has exceeded the send/receive quota, or if the quota is exceeded in the act of delivering the message, Connection will send a nondelivery receipt to the message sender.

Connection delivers read receipts and nondelivery receipts to users regardless of whether their quotas have been exceeded.

Message Storage

Cisco Unity Connection stores voice messages in the system message store on the Connection server. The message store utilizes Microsoft SQL Server to store message content and header information.

The message store is comprised of all user voice mailboxes on the system. Two tools are available to help control the size of user voice mailboxes: mailbox quotas and message aging.

By using Cisco Unity Connection Administration, you can configure a set of system-wide default mailbox size quotas. When a user mailbox reaches the size specified in the warning quota, the user is warned that the mailbox is reaching the maximum size allowed. When the mailbox reaches the size specified in the send quota, the user is prevented from sending any more voice messages. When the mailbox reaches the size specified in the send/receive quota field, the user is prevented from sending or receiving any more voice messages.

You can also configure per-user custom quotas that override the default quotas. The custom quotas can be configured in a user template, to be applied when users are created based on the template, or can be modified on individual user accounts. For more information, see the "Mailbox Size Quotas" section in the "Setting Up Features and Functionality That Are Controlled by User Account Settings" chapter of the Cisco Unity Connection User Moves, Adds, and Changes Guide. The guide is available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6509/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html.

A message aging policy allows you to determine whether messages will be automatically moved or deleted from user mailboxes after a specified amount of time has passed. Separate message aging rules allow you to configure whether read messages will be moved to the Deleted Items folder, and whether messages will be permanently deleted from the Deleted Items folder, as well as the timeframes for performing each of these actions. The message aging rules are applied to all user voice mailboxes that are configured to have the message aging policy enabled. By default, Connection is configured to automatically purge messages from the Deleted Items folder after 15 days, but is not configured to automatically move read messages to the Deleted Items folder. For procedures to configure the message aging policy settings, see the "Changing the Message Aging Policy" section on page 14-1.