After you install and configure the Unified Messaging server role on a computer that is running Exchange 2007, you create Active Directory objects that enable the Unified Messaging functionality that is found in Exchange 2007. You must create the following objects after you successfully install the Unified Messaging server role:

• Dial Plan objects
  
  
• IP Gateway objects
  
  
• Hunt Group objects
  
  
• Mailbox Policy objects
  
  
• Auto Attendant objects
  
  
• Unified Messaging Server objects
  
  

The Active Directory UM objects provide the configuration information that is required to integrate Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging, Active Directory, and the existing telephony infrastructure. Each type of object that is created in Active Directory controls a feature set in Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging.

For example, when you create a UM Auto Attendant object, the settings on the Auto Attendant object control the features and settings for that auto attendant. When you configure or modify an Auto Attendant object, you control such settings as business hours, non-business hours, informational greetings, and whether to use dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) inputs or to enable speech recognition for the auto attendant.

For more information about Unified Messaging objects, see Overview of Unified Messaging Active Directory Objects.

When internal or external callers call in to the Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging system, a series of voice prompts assists them in moving through the menu system called an auto attendant. The auto attendant enables the caller to connect to a person in an organization or locate a user in the organization so that they can place a call without assistance from a human operator. Callers hear voice prompts instead of a human operator, such as, "Press 1 for technical support."

You can create multiple auto attendants in Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging. Within Active Directory, each auto attendant is represented as an object. Configuration settings for an auto attendant are made on the Active Directory object and can include language settings, customized menus, and other menu navigational settings. You can also configure each UM auto attendant so that when an external caller or an internal caller places a call, and it is answered by a UM auto attendant, the caller can use either DTMF inputs or voice inputs to move through the Unified Messaging menu system.

Note:
When a caller uses the keypad on a telephone to move through the menu system, it is called DTMF input. If this is the case, the telephone user interface (TUI) is used.

For more information about auto attendants, see Understanding Unified Messaging Auto Attendants.

Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging gives subscribers access to the Unified Messaging system. A subscriber is an internal business user or network user who has been enabled for Unified Messaging and has an Exchange 2007 mailbox. Subscriber access is used by the internal users to access their individual mailboxes to retrieve e-mail, voice messages, and contact and calendar information. Each Dial Plan object that is created contains at least one subscriber access number or extension number. Subscribers use this telephone or extension number to access their individual mailboxes.

For more information about subscriber access, see Understanding Unified Messaging Subscriber Access.

There are two Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging user interfaces available to UM-enabled subscribers: the telephone user interface (TUI) and the voice user interface (VUI). In Exchange 2007, these two interfaces together are called Outlook Voice Access. A subscriber can use Outlook Voice Access when they access the Unified Messaging system from an external or internal telephone. They can use Outlook Voice Access to access their Exchange 2007 mailbox, including their personal e-mail, voice messages, and calendar information.

Note:
For a copy of the Microsoft Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging Outlook Voice Access Quick Reference Guide, visit the Microsoft Download Center.

There are many components and features that are found in Unified Messaging. For more information about these components and features, see the following topics:

• Understanding Unified Messaging Incoming Call Handling
  
  
• Understanding Unified Messaging Audio Prompts
  
  
• Understanding Unified Messaging Audio Codecs
  
  
• Understanding Custom Prompt Distribution
  
  
• Understanding Unified Messaging Languages
  
  
• Understanding Automatic Speech Recognition Directory Lookups
  
  
• Understanding the DTMF Interface
  
  
• Understanding Storage Quotas and Voice Mail
  
  
• Understanding Unified Messaging VoIP Security
  
  
• Understanding Faxing in Unified Messaging
  
  
• Understanding Operator Transfers in Unified Messaging
  
  
• Understanding Outdialing
  
  
• Understanding Dial Codes, Number Prefixes, and Number Formats
  
  

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