Unity 4.0(4) Installation for UM, but no separate Exchange yet

[chinmf]

Hi,

I am planning to install Unity 4.0(4) for unified messaging on an MCS7285 running on Win2k Server. For now, we do not have Microsoft Exchange installed in a separate server as we have yet to purchase it(will purchase sometime soon)

Some things to clarify.

1) Can I go ahead and install the message store on the Unity Server to enable voice messaging for the time being? According to the system requirement docs for Unity 4.0, for Unified Messaging, installing the message store on the Cisco Unity server is not supported.

2) Will it be difficult to upgrade to UM later?

3) Or shld I just wait for the Exchange server to be purchased and install UM once and for all?

Any response will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Hin Lee]

Are there any exchange servers in the existing Windows 200x domain?

[chinmf]

No, there aren't any exchange servers installed

[Hin Lee]

If there is no urgency in adding the Unity server, I'd wait for the exchange server.

You can certainly install exchange on the unity server in preparation for the new exch-svr; after the new server is installed, you can then move the subscriber mailboxes to the new server and then uninstall exchange off the unity server. The problem here is that removing exchange server is not easy.

Wait if you can to do it right the first time.

[Ginger Dillon]

Hi -

Something else I thought of in addition to Hin Ho's excellent information ... You will need to run the Exchange related schema updates in your AD forest in preparation (ForestPrep and DomainPrep) before installing Unity. Here is a good reference that explains the process. It's for Exchange 2003, but would be the same process for Exchange 2000 - http://www.msexchange.org/tutorials/Forestprep-Domainprep-Explained.html

Regards,

Ginger