Configuration Checklist: Configure Office 365 Unified Messaging to Work with a Session Border Controller

Applies to: Office 365 for enterprises

This checklist helps you configure Office 365 UM to work with a session border controller (SBC). Following the steps in this checklist will help you learn:

• How to configure an SBC to establish communication between your on-premises telephony equipment and Office 365 UM
• How to configure Office 365 UM to work with an SBC
• How to find the Office 365 UM configuration notes for SBCs

Before you begin

To complete this checklist, you’ll need the following software and hardware:

• From an SBC vendor   A supported SBC with required hardware. See the SBC vendor configuration notes for specific models. Before you order, review Session Border Controllers Tested with Exchange Online UM. Also review Plan for UM, which will help you to determine the capacity (the maximum number of concurrent calls) required by your organization. Make sure you specify the required capacity when ordering.
• From Office 365 Online   Office 365 for Enterprises, with a service plan that includes UM.

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How an SBC fits into your UM deployment

For more detailed information about setting up UM, see the following topics:

• If you have a PBX that doesn’t support direct SIP communication with UM (that is, requires a VoIP gateway between it and UM), see Checklist: Connect a Traditional PBX to Exchange Online UM.
• If you have an IP PBX that supports direct SIP communication with UM, see Checklist: Connect an IP PBX to Exchange Online UM.

Note   For customers with Microsoft Lync Server for Enterprise Voice, the Lync Edge Server role performs the same function as the SBC, so an SBC isn’t required for Lync deployments. For more information, see Checklist: Connect Lync Server 2010 to Exchange Online UM.

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Configuration Checklist

You’ll have to complete the following steps in order to configure an SBC and Office 365 UM to work together. You must configure DNS and UM first, and then configure the SBC to route traffic to and from Office 365 UM.

Step 1: Configure DNS for the SBC
Step 2: Create and configure a UM dial plan
Step 3: Create a UM IP gateway
Step 4: Configure an SBC

Note   You must replace the SBC’s self-signed certificate. To communicate with Office 365 UM, you must have a certificate signed by a recognized certification authority (CA). You can do this while configuring the SBC but may want to review the requirements before starting the configuration. For more information, see Get a Certificate for Exchange UM Online.

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Step 1: Configure DNS for the SBC

When the Office 365 UM service initiates or receives communication from the SBC, it places and accepts calls based on the domain name for the external interface of the SBC.

To configure DNS on the SBC

1. To allow UM to initiate communications, you must assign an IP address and host name for the external interface of the SBC. Choose a name, for example, sbcexternal.contoso.com. The host name must also be the same as the Subject Name on the certificate installed on the SBC.

2. Add the domain name and address to the public DNS entries for your domain, following the procedures supported by your DNS infrastructure.

3. To accept calls from the SBC, Office 365 UM requires that the SBC’s name be in a domain that’s an Exchange Online accepted domain. For example, for UM to accept calls from sbcexternal.contoso.com, you must ensure that contoso.com is listed as an accepted domain. For more information about accepted domains, see Accepted Domains (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=225132).

   Note   You must control the DNS record for the SBC domain used for the certificate so you can verify the domain. You can’t use the domain that was issued when you created your Office 365 organization. For example, you can’t use contoso.onmicrosoft.com.

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Step 2: Create and configure a UM dial plan

Office 365 UM uses UM dial plans to represent a set of fixed-length extension numbers and the PBX (or equivalent) through which these numbers are routed. All Microsoft Exchange users whose mailboxes are enabled for UM are associated with a UM Dial Plan.

To configure a UM dial plan that works with the SBC, you have to create it with these options:

• URI Type   Telephone Extension
• Extension length   The length of extension used by your PBX

For instructions, see Create a New UM Dial Plan and Configure a UM Dial Plan.

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Step 3: Create a UM IP gateway

A UM IP Gateway represents the external interface of your SBC. Configure the UM IP gateway with these options so that it works with the SBC:

• Address   Enter the domain name for the public (external) interface of your SBC (for example, sbcexternal.contoso.com).
• UM dial plan   Select the Telephone Extension UM dial plan you just created.

At the end of your configuration, take note of the Forwarding Address created for your UM IP gateway. Forwarding addresses are of the form guid.um.outlook.com, where guid is replaced by a 36-character string that uniquely identifies the organization that’s using UM within the Office 365 system. You’ll need this forwarding address when configuring your SBC.

For more instructions, see Create a New UM IP Gateway and Configure a UM IP Gateway.

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Step 4: Configure an SBC

You now must configure your SBC to work with Office 365 UM. For supported SBCs and links to vendor configuration notes, see Session Border Controllers Tested with Exchange Online UM.

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