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Understanding Unified Messaging Users

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Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 will reach end of support on April 11, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.

 

Applies to: Exchange Server 2007, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP3

With Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging (UM), the users in an Exchange 2007 organization can receive all their e-mail, voice, and fax messages in one mailbox. The Unified Messaging functionality found in Exchange 2007 greatly increases user productivity and enables more flexible messaging throughout an organization.

When you are creating an Exchange 2007 recipient, you are given the option of creating a mailbox or connecting to an existing mailbox. After the mailbox is created for the user or the user is connected to an existing mailbox, you must enable the mailbox so that the user can use the Unified Messaging capabilities found in Exchange 2007. After the user is enabled for UM, all e-mail, voice, and fax messages will be delivered to the user's Inbox. By using Outlook 2007, Outlook Web Access, a mobile device that is enabled for Exchange ActiveSync, or a regular or cellular telephone, the user can access their e-mail, voice and fax messages, and calendaring information.

User UM Properties

By default, a user who has an Exchange 2007 mailbox is not enabled for UM. You must create a mailbox for the Exchange 2007 user before the user can be enabled for UM. After the user is enabled for UM, you can manage, modify, and configure the UM properties for the user.

Note

To enable multiple UM users, use the Enable-UMMailbox Exchange Management Shell cmdlet.

There are two locations in which UM properties are stored for a user: the Mailbox object and the user's Active Directory object. When you enable a user for Unified Messaging, you set the UM property on the user's Mailbox object. After the Mailbox property is set to "enabled" for Unified Messaging, the user can use the Unified Messaging features found in Exchange 2007.

After a user is enabled for UM, the user's Unified Messaging properties are stored in the user properties and the user's mailbox. The user's Unified Messaging properties, such as the user's extension number, spoken name, and other properties for the user, are stored in the user's properties in the Active Directory directory service.

You can manage Unified Messaging (UM) properties for an Active Directory user on the mailbox of the Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging user by using the Exchange Management Shell or the Exchange Management Console.

The Relationship of the UM User to Other Active Directory Objects

When you enable a user for Unified Messaging, the user must be associated with or linked to an existing UM mailbox policy and you must provide the extension number for the user. You can associate a user with a UM mailbox policy by using the Enable-UMMailbox cmdlet or by selecting the UM mailbox policy when you create the user's Exchange mailbox.

A UM mailbox policy contains settings such as the dialing restrictions and PIN policies for a user. When a UM mailbox policy is created, the UM mailbox policy must be associated with only one UM dial plan. The UM dial plan is then associated with at least one Unified Messaging server. Any Unified Messaging server that is associated with the UM dial plan can provide Unified Messaging services for a UM-enabled user who uses the UM dial plan. Associating these Active Directory objects in this manner delivers the Unified Messaging services by using Active Directory. After the user is enabled for UM, the settings from a UM mailbox policy object are applied to the UM-enabled user.

Note

In a circuit-switched telephony environment, the user's telephone must be programmed in the Private Branch eXchange (PBX) to forward busy or unanswered calls to a UM IP gateway that is associated with the user's dial plan.

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