Applies to: Exchange Server 2007
Topic Last Modified: 2007-07-12

In Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, the Unified Messaging server role is one of several server roles that you can install and then configure on a computer that is running Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. The Unified Messaging server role is new to Microsoft Exchange.

The Unified Messaging server role depends on the Exchange 2007 Hub Transport, Mailbox, and Client Access server roles. For a user to be able to use the Unified Messaging features found in Exchange 2007, they must have an Exchange 2007 mailbox.

Use the Unified Messaging objects and properties to customize your configuration.

Note:
To modify how objects are displayed in the MMC, click View in the action pane. For more information about the View options, see Organization Configuration (RTM).
UM Dial Plans

Use the UM Dial Plan tab to configure UM dial plans. A UM dial plan is an Active Directory container object that logically represents sets or groupings of Private Branch eXchanges (PBXs) that share common user extension numbers. In practical terms, users' extensions that are hosted on PBXs share a common extension number. Users can dial one another’s telephone extensions without appending a special number to the extension or dialing a full telephone number. A UM dial plan is a logical representation of a telephony dial plan.

UM IP Gateways

Use the UM IP Gateway tab to manage UM hunt groups and other UM IP gateway configuration settings. The UM IP gateway is an Active Directory container object that contains one or more Active Directory UM hunt groups and other UM IP gateway configuration settings. UM IP gateways are created within Active Directory to logically represent a physical hardware device called an IP gateway or VoIP gateway. The UM IP gateway can represent either an IP gateway or an IP PBX. The combination of the IP gateway object and a UM hunt group object establishes a logical link between an IP gateway hardware device and a UM dial plan.

UM Mailbox Policies

Use the UM Mailbox Policies tab to create, apply, and standardize UM configuration settings. Unified Messaging Active Directory mailbox policies are required when you enable users for Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging. They are useful for applying and standardizing Unified Messaging configuration settings for UM-enabled users. You create UM mailbox policies to apply a common set of policies or security settings to a collection of UM-enabled mailboxes. You use Unified Messaging mailbox policies to set Unified Messaging settings for UM-enabled users, such as the following:

  • PIN policies

  • Dialing restrictions

  • Other general UM mailbox policy properties

For example, you can create a UM mailbox policy to increase the level of PIN security by reducing the maximum number of logon failures for a specific group of UM-enabled users, such as executives.

UM Auto Attendants

Use the UM Auto Attendant tab to configure UM auto attendants. In telephony or Unified Messaging environments, an automated attendant or auto attendant menu system transfers callers to the extension of a user or department without the intervention of a receptionist or a human operator. In many auto attendant systems, a receptionist or operator can be reached by pressing or saying zero. The automated attendant is a feature that is found in most traditional and Unified Messaging telephony environment.

Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging enables you to create a single or multiple UM auto attendants, depending on the needs of your organization. Unlike other Unified Messaging objects, such as UM dial plans and UM IP gateways, you are not required to create UM auto attendants. However, auto attendants help internal and external callers locate users or departments that exist in an organization and transfer calls to them.

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