What is Single inbox and Who needs it ?   As IT infrastructure and the applications are growing in a fast pace, IT administrators in Enterprise segment have the greatest challenge - How to integrate solutions of multiparty vendors deployed already in the infrastructure and how to simplify  the end user experience. // Here in this document I shall refer to Microsoft’s Outlook e-mail application for describing how it works. This is one of the application among others which Cisco supports Singe Inbox feature. ++ Single Inbox is a innovative method by Cisco which can provide Customers the Unified Messaging experience. ++ Single inbox is a  Voicemail option that will allow you to receive your voicemail in your Exchange (Outlook) email inbox, as well as on your desk phone. ++ It means users can listen to their Voicemail messages and delete them right from their email inbox, without picking up the phone.   Note :: // Single Inbox helps to simplify and unify the messaging system in your existing infrastructure. // Cisco Jabber solution if available, could also retrieve the Voicemail messages if integrated properly with the Cisco Unity Connection. //  If you are syncing your Exchange email to your mobile device, you will also be able to check your voicemails through the email app on your mobile device.   How it works ? All voice messages, including those sent from Cisco Unity Connection ViewMail for Microsoft Outlook, are first stored in Cisco Unity Connection and are immediately replicated to the Microsoft Exchange mailbox for the recipient. All voice messages remain on the Cisco Unity Connection server regardless of the type of messaging deployment.Cisco Unity Connection is the authoritative source of voice messaging traffic, notifications, and synchronisation.   Note :: // Replication to Microsoft Exchange Mailbox is optional. // If required, you may configure the feature per individual user, not cluster wide.     Where the messages are being stored ? The user’s email becomes a single container for all messages, including email and voicemail. If a message is moved to any other folder under the user’s Inbox, it will continue to show up in Cisco Unity Connection. Note :: //  If the user moves voice messages into Outlook folders that are not under the Inbox folder, the messages are deleted from Cisco Unity Connection but they can still be played by using ViewMail for Outlook because a copy still exists in the Outlook folder.   //   If the user moves the messages back into the Inbox folder or into a folder under the Inbox folder, the message is synchronized back into the Cisco Unity Connection mailbox for that user.     What will happen when you delete a message ? When a user deletes a voice message from Cisco Unity Connection message gets deleted.  Due to  ageing policy in Cisco Unity Connection, the message is also deleted from Microsoft Exchange.   Note ::   // When a voice message is deleted from Microsoft Exchange, it is also deleted from Cisco Unity Connection.     Secure and Private messages and associated policies If a message is marked as secured and private, the actual message is not replicated in Microsoft Exchange; instead, a placeholder with a brief description is created for the message and you can view the same in the Microsoft Outlook application.   Note ::   // The only copy of actual message in this case stays on Cisco Unity Connection, and when the user retrieves the message it is played back from Cisco Unity Connection directly instead of from a local source, unlike in the case of a normal message. This also means that there is no local access to the audio file if it is accessed through voicemail from Outlook.   // Movement of the secure and private message to any folder other than Inbox and folders below Inbox would result in deletion of the message permanently, thereby leaving no opportunity for retrieval.   Choices of clients that may be used  to play, compose and delete Cisco Unity Connection Voice Messages 1. GUI access to Cisco Unity Connection using a native browser - Unity Connection Web Inbox 2. Microsoft Outlook - Cisco Unity Connection Viewmail add-in 3. Blackberry devices - supported by default.Client should be angled with Active Sync technology 4. IMAP Email Clients and Other Email Clients that are configured to synchronise to Exchange by Single inbox feature 5. Cisco Jabber   Deployment considerations (Important ones only cited below . Check design guides below for more information)   // The minimum size of the message in Microsoft Exchange should be bigger than the maximum size in Cisco Unity Connection. //  HTTPS is chosen as the default option for communications between Cisco Unity Connection and Microsoft Exchange. // HTTP is also supported but not recommended because it reduces security and might also need further configuration on Microsoft Exchange. // There is an option to validate the Microsoft Exchange certificate, provided that access to the certificate server is available.   References for Design and Implementation :: Single inbox in Cisco Unity Connection 8.5 :: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/8x/design/guide/8xcucdgx/8xcucdg032.html Single Inbox in Cisco Unity Connection 9.x :: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/9x/design/guide/9xcucdgx/9xcucdg032.html Single Inbox in Cisco Unity Connection 10.x :: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/10x/design/guide/10xcucdgx/10xcucdg032.html Single inbox in Cisco Unity Connection 11.x :: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/voice_ip_comm/connection/11x/design/guide/11xcucdgx/11xcucdg032.html   RTMT trace references to troubleshoot the problems with Single Inbox issue  :: // Connection Conversation Manager // Connection Message Transfer Agent // Connection Mailbox Sync traces // Connection Tomcat Application // Connection REST Service // Connection IMAP Server More Information Cisco now supports the single inbox feature with majority of the pioneers and existing players in the E-mail client and Server market. Here are some of them -   // Microsoft E-mail Products :: Cisco Unity Connection supports the Single Inbox feature with Microsoft Exchange 2003, 2007, and 2010 (clustered or non-clustered). Cisco Unity Connection can support all three of these Microsoft Exchange versions simultaneously or any one of them separately. Cisco Unity Connection also supports interoperability with the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS)-Dedicated Services and Microsoft Office 365 cloud-based exchange server. // IBM E-mail Products :: Cisco Unity Connection can be integrated with IBM Lotus Domino using software from Cisco partners Esnatech and Donoma to enable the Single Inbox feature. Esnatech Office-LinXTM Cloud Connect Edition and Donoma Unify for Lotus Notes both enable integration between Unity Connection and IBM Lotus Domino. // Other 3rd party cloud based applications :: Cisco Unity Connection also supports integrated voice and fax services with cloud-based applications such as Google Apps Gmail and VMware Zimbra. Unity Connection can be integrated with these email applications using Esnatech Office-LinXTM Cloud Connect Edition. This solution allows for bidirectional synchronisation of voice messages between Cisco Unity Connection and these email applications.   Note :: // Esnatech Cloud Connect Edition uses the Cisco Unity Connection Messaging Interface (CUMI) API and the Cisco Unity Connection Provisioning Interface (CUPI) API for synchronisation of subscriber and messaging information. // Users can also initiate calls through Gtalk using the Click-to-Dial feature.This call control information gets exchanged with Cisco Unified Communications Manager through the CTI (TAPI) interface.         ... View more

Why Disaster Recovery System ?   Database is one of the key elements in the IT infrastructure and the same is to be protected and need to be restored during the occasion of an unprecedented incident like natural calamities, hard disk failure, database corruption…etc Cisco Unified Communications Application provides a Disaster Recovery System (DRS) to back up and restore the database, be it the configuration or statistics related to the application.   For Example, Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) backs up - call details records (CDR), call management records (CMR), the CDR Analysis and Reporting (CAR) database...etc Cisco Unity Connection (CUC) backs up - Recorded greetings and voice names, Connection Database, Messages...etc Cisco Unified Presence Server (CUPS) backs up - Presence database, XMPP Configuration Files (XCP), Cluster Manager and other files   Disaster Recovery System The Disaster Recovery System allows you to perform regularly scheduled - automatic or user-invoked data backups. DRS restore its own settings (backup and schedule setting) as part of the platform backup/restore-  DRS backup and restore drfDevice.xml and drfSchedule.xml files. When the server is restored with these files, you do NOT need to reconfigure DRS backup device and schedule.   How to  Login to the DRS page in UC Applications ???   In CUCM Administration page, choose Disaster Recovery System from the Navigation menu in the upper, right corner of the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration window, and click Go. In CUC Administration page, in the Navigation list, click Disaster Recovery System , and click Go In CUPS Administration page, Select Navigation > Disaster Recovery System from the menu in the upper, right corner of Cisco Unified Presence main window, and click Go     DRF Master and DRF Local :   The Disaster Recovery System contains two key functions, Master Agent (MA) and Local Agent (LA). MA coordinates backup and restore activity with LA. The system automatically starts the MA service on each node of the cluster, but MA is functional only on the First node. The MA on the subsequent nodes DO NOT perform any function. LA is the one who perform backup and restore functions. ALL the servers in the cluster including the server that contains the MA, must have its own LA to perform backup and restore functions for the server.   // TROUBLESHOOTING // DRS use an SSL-based communication between the MA and the LA for authentication and encryption of data between the publisher and subscriber servers. DRS make use of the IPSec certificates for its Public/Private Key encryption.     Configuring and Adding Backup Devices::   We must create backup devices on which to back up data and configure the locations where you want the backup files to be stored. We can configure up to 10 backup devices. Make sure that you have access to an SFTP server to configure a network storage location. The Disaster Recovery System only supports SFTP servers that are configured with an IPv4 address or hostname/Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN). The account that you use to access the SFTP server must have write permission for the selected path.   Select Backup > Backup Device   // TROUBLESHOOTING // ++ You cannot delete a backup device if you configured it as the backup device in a backup schedule     Creating a Schedule for Backup ::   You have the option to name/add/edit a schedule for backing up your data .Here you associate a backup device added earlier , select components to backup and set the frequency of the backup schedule (daily, weekly, monthly..etc) Select Backup > Scheduler   ++  Manual Backup can be performed from here::  Backup > Manual Backup ++  Current status of the backup can be checked from here :: Backup > Current Status   // TROUBLESHOOTING // Backup .tar files are encrypted by a randomly generated password. Server uses the cluster security password to encrypt this password and save it along with the backup .tar files. If you change this security password through the Command Line Interface or a fresh install, the Disaster Recovery System will prompt you for the old security password. Therefore, to use old backups, you need to remember the old security password or perform a fresh backup immediately after you reset or change the password. Cisco recommends to schedule backups during off-peak hours to avoid processing interruptions and impact to service     Restoring the backup::   Here you can restore the data that had already been backed up and restore your cluster/node.   STEP 1  :: Select the backup device from which to restore the data STEP 2  :: Select the backup file that you want to restore.              ++ The backup filename indicates the date and time that the system created the backup file. STEP 3 :: Select the features that you want to restore.                ++ Only the features that were backed up to the file that you select display. STEP 4 :: Check Perform file integrity check using SHA1 Message Digest to run a File Integrity Check. STEP 5 :: When you are prompted to choose the node to restore, choose the appropriate node   Select Restore > Restore Wizard   // TROUBLESHOOTING // Restoring the first node restores the whole database to the cluster. This may take up to several hours based on number of nodes and size of database that you are restoring. If you choose the first node to restore the data, the Disaster Recovery System automatically restores database on the subsequent nodes. If a subsequent node is down or not connected to the cluster during the cluster restore, the database component restore will skip that node and proceed with the next one. You must carry out a fresh install of the instance on these subsequent nodes. Even if you are restoring only to the first node, you must restart all nodes in the cluster. Cisco recommends that you restart the subsequent nodes before you restart the first node. If you selected the Perform file integrity check using SHA1 Message Digest check box, the Disaster Recovery System runs the File Integrity Check on each file when you select Restore. If the system finds discrepancies in any .tar file during the check, it aborts the restore process immediately. File Integrity Check process consumes a lot of CPU and network bandwidth, which will considerably slow down the restore process The Disaster Recovery System does not migrate data from Windows to Linux or from Linux to Linux. A restore must run on the same product version as the backup.   Last, But not the least - Traces   Trace files for the Master Agent  and each Local Agent will be printed to the following locations: For the Master Agent, platform/drf/trace/drfMA0*     // DRF MASTER AGENT LOGS // For each Local Agent, platform/drf/trace/drfLA0*      // DRF LOCAL AGENT LOGS //   ++ You can collect the same traces from RTMT as well specifying the time stamp and a local download location       ... View more

What is a MWI ?   An MWI is a lamp, flashing LCD panel, or special dial tone on user phones that lets users know a voice message is waiting.The type of indicator depends on the phone system and the user phones. For Example, Phone systems that support message counts may also display the number of messages that the user has. Note::   MWIs are NOT the same as message notification, which is the feature that notifies a user of new voice messages by calling a phone, pager, or other device, or by sending an email message.   Events that can trigger Cisco Unity Connection to turn MWIs ON and OFF:    1. When a message for a user arrives on the Cisco Unity Connection, it notifies the phone system to turn ON an MWI on the phone for that user. ++ Note:: Any message that arrives on the Connection message store (for example, voice messages, emails, and faxes) trigger turning MWIs ON and OFF. 2. When the user listens to the message, Unity Connection notifies the phone system to turn OFF the MWI on the phone. 3. When the user saves a ‘listened-to’ message as a ‘new message’, Connection notifies the phone system to turn ON the MWI on the phone for that user. 4. When a user deletes a new message without listening to it, Connection notifies the phone system to turn OFF the MWI on the phone. ++ Note:: When MWIs are synchronized, Connection queries the message store to determine the status of MWIs on all phones, and resets the applicable MWIs.   An MWI remains ON under the following conditions:   ++ Conditions in which more messages are waiting to be heard. (When all new messages are listened to, the MWI is turned OFF) ++ A new message arrives while the user is listening to the original message. ++ The user listens on the phone to only part of the message, and then either hangs up or skips to the next message before hearing the entire message. ++ In an email application or in Cisco Unity Inbox, the user marks a ‘listened-to’ message as ‘unread’.   Note:: Messages in an external message store do not trigger Connection to turn MWIs ON and OFF.   Running the Check Telephony Configuration Test   Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, in the Related Links list in the upper right corner of any Telephony Integrations page, click Check Telephony Configuration and click Go. If the test is not successful, the Task Execution Results displays one or more messages with troubleshooting steps. After correcting the problems, run the test again. Step 2 In the Task Execution Results window, click Close.     Determining the MWI Port Activity ++ Do the following procedure to generate a report with which you can evaluate the activity of your MWI ports. Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Serviceability, on the Tools menu, click Reports. Step 2 On the Serviceability Reports page, click Port Activity Report. Step 3 On the Port Activity Report page, select the applicable options for the report. Step 4 Click Generate Report.   Synchronizing MWIs   ++ To Synchronize MWIs for a Phone System Integration Step 1 In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Telephony Integrations, and then click Phone System. Step 2 On the Search Phone Systems page, click the name of the phone system for which you want to synchronize all MWIs. Step 3 On the Phone System Basics page, under Message Waiting Indicators, click Run.   ++ Note:: Synchronizing MWIs for the phone system may affect system performance. Cisco recommends that you do this task when phone traffic is light.   Traces in Cisco Unity Connection   ++ Diagnostic traces can be used as a tool to assist you in troubleshooting problems. ++ In Cisco Unity Connection Serviceability, you enable traces to troubleshoot Cisco Unity Connection components. ++ In Cisco Unified Serviceability, you enable traces to troubleshoot services that are supported in Cisco Unified Serviceability. After the traces are enabled, you can access the trace log files by using Real-Time Monitoring Tool (RTMT) or the command line interface (CLI).   Cisco Unity Connection Serviceability micro traces Used to troubleshoot problems with specific Cisco Unity Connection components. Cisco Unity Connection Serviceability macro traces Used to troubleshoot general areas of Cisco Unity Connection functionality.   ... View more