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Windows 2003 AD/ new install of Unity UM

Tommer Catlin
VIP Alumni
VIP Alumni

Couple questions..

I have an existing small Windows 2003 AD enviroment with clustered Exchange 2003 boxes. I am going to be adding in Unity. In the past, I have always added Unity boxes with this config:

Unity server has SQL, Exchange 2000 and SQL loaded on the same box. The Exchange server is part of an Exchange Organization. Unity takes the message, looks at what store the subscriber resides on and routes the message to that store or server. (VM Situation only)

Now, looking at the documentation from Cisco, if I were to implement UM, would I not do the same config? It says I should keep Exchange off the Unity box, and point it towords the existing Exchange box? (keeping Unity and SQL local to the new server)

I'm trying to figure why this is. If Exchange is offline for some reason or down, I would think that the Unity box with Exchange/Unity/SQL loaded on it hold the messages in the Message Que and wait for the store to come up at the Cluster.

any advise?

Thanks much!

6 Replies 6

Hin Lee
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

In UM, the exchange server is there for both storing vm and also processing emails.

In case the exch server is offline, then messages are saved locally on unitymta folder.

but is there any method to the madness of when designing a Unity rollout for the servers.

Exsisting AD with Exchange Cluster all 2003.

A new Unity Server, built on 2000 in AD. are there pro/cons with Exchange being installed on the Unity server and added to the Exchange 2003 cluster?

It's a tough one to answer. In vm only, you cannot use exchange 2003. In Unified, TAC does not support having exchange on the same box, but offbox Exchange 2003 is supported.

Does that help?

yeah that makes sense. I know the VM it's only 2000. But I find it strange... because the basis of Exchange it knows which information store and server each subscriber is located on. So I am not sure why it matter to tac if Unity is installed on not the Primary Exchange Cluster, (which has the main message store for all users).

How is the migration then from VM to UM then with Cisco? If I had a rollout of existing VM's and i wanted to switch to UM, I would have to dump all the Unity Servers that had E2k on them and rebuild everything and migrate those boxes to a seperate Exchange 2000/2003 box?

I think what TAC is doing with stating that Exchange 2000/2003 is not support with Unity installed is to keep knuckleheads from taking there for instance, their Exchange Cluster and install Unity on top of it.

Where as what I was planning installing:

- Windows 2000

- Exchange 2003 (Unity Information Store)

- SQL (Unity Database)

- adding this Exchange server to my existing Exchange Org.

Just to clarify, this is not supported.

Thanks for you help... million points for you.

In VM only, you can have exchange on-box or off-box. However you cannot have exchange 2003.

In UM, Exchange has to be off-box. However it can be exchange 5.5, 2000, or 2003.

I think I might be confused about Cisco terminology and Microsoft thinking. Cisco does not want you to install Unity on a Server that *already has* exchange it. The Unity install will install it’s own “Unity Information Store” on the Windows 2000 server, which is... Exchange 2000 or 2003, which ever the customer had ordered.

Does this make sense?

Thanks!