Enabling Remote Unified Messaging Connectivity Monitoring

Applies To: Exchange Server, Operations Manager 2007 R2

The Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Management Pack uses the Test-UMConnectivity cmdlet to test Unified Messaging (UM) connectivity. Test-UMConnectivity will monitor local connectivity out of the box without any additional configuration. To monitor remote voice connectivity, you need to modify the parameters of the script that executes Test-UMConnectivity to provide a telephone number and an IP gateway.

The Test-UMConnectivity cmdlet checks connectivity to Unified Messaging servers in several ways, depending on the parameters that are passed to it. For voice connectivity, there are three modes of testing:

• Local: The cmdlet tries to establish basic VoIP communication with the Unified Messaging server that runs on the same computer.

• Local with TUI login: The cmdlet tries to establish VoIP communication with the Unified Messaging server that runs on the same computer. If it connects, it tries to log on to one or more UM-enabled mailboxes by signaling the extension and PIN of the mailbox under test.

• Remote: The cmdlet tries to dial in to a Unified Messaging server, which may be running on another computer, by placing a call through a VoIP gateway. If it connects, it performs some basic checks on the media paths.

To perform remote connectivity checks, the administrator must provide the details necessary to allow the Test-UMConnectivity cmdlet to dial in to a Unified Messaging server. The details required will depend on the telephony arrangements at the site. The details are as follows:

• Extension numbering plan: To place a call to a Unified Messaging server, the cmdlet must know which telephone number to call and it must be a number that will be answered by a Unified Messaging server.

• Name and number of IP gateways: To place the call, the cmdlet must know the identity of an IP gateway that connects it to the telephone network. The IP gateway must both:

  • Have an IP address that can be accessed from the cmdlet host.

  • Be configured to allow outgoing calls that are enabled by default. The Get-UMIPGateway cmdlet can be used to discover the gateways, their IP addresses, and whether they support outgoing calls.

• How incoming calls are distributed by the IP gateways to the Unified Messaging servers: Distribution of incoming calls is less easy to relate to connectivity testing. However, it can be important in configurations where Unified Messaging servers are not all doing the same kind of call processing. There are two ways that Unified Messaging servers can answer incoming voice calls.

  • Users who call in to a subscriber access number on a dial plan will hear the default prompt, "Welcome. You are connected to Microsoft Exchange. To access your mailbox, enter your extension…" and so on. This prompt provides users who are logged on with Outlook Voice Access with access to their Exchange Server 2007 mailbox, and directory search to unauthenticated callers.

  • Users who call in to a telephone number that is configured on an Auto Attendant will hear the default prompt "Welcome to the Microsoft Exchange Auto Attendant". This provides callers with access to the directory, custom menus, and so on. This is an optional Unified Messaging feature that must be created and configured separately.

By default, all Unified Messaging servers that are associated with a dial plan will answer both voice calls that are placed to the dial plan's subscriber access number and calls that are answered by one or more Auto Attendants that are associated with the dial plan. However, some customers may choose to configure their IP gateways and Unified Messaging hunt groups so that a single Unified Messaging server answers only calls to the dial plan subscriber access number, and another Unified Messaging server answers only incoming calls answered by one or more Auto Attendants. In such configurations, connectivity checks to a given Unified Messaging server will have to take its configured function into account. Consider the following:

• For Unified Messaging servers answering calls to the subscriber access number for a dial plan pilot number, remote connectivity checks should specify the dial plan pilot number as the Phone parameter. A list of dial plans can be obtained with the Get-UMDialPlan cmdlet. A list of subscriber access numbers for each dial plan can be obtained from its AccessTelephoneNumbers property.

• For Unified Messaging servers that provide Auto Attendant service only, remote connectivity checks must specify in the Phone parameter a number answered by an Auto Attendant. The Auto Attendant pilot numbers are displayed in the PilotIdentifierList property. This is displayed as part of the default listing obtained with Get-UMAutoAttendant.

After you have identified the appropriate UMIPGateway and Phone parameters, you must use the following steps to enable the rule because it is disabled by default. Then, you must create an override for the script parameters in the Operations Manager Operations Console.

1. Click the Authoring button in the Operations Console, and then select Management Pack Objects\Rules.

2. Under Look For, enter Test-UM_Connectivity Remote Voice, and then click Find Now.

3. Right-click the rule Exchange 2007 Test UM Connectivity Remote Voice Collection, select Overrides\Override the Rule, and then select For all objects of class: Microsoft Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging Roles.

   Note

   Use this option if you want to enable this rule for all Unified Messaging servers.

4. In the Override Properties dialog box, click to place a check mark in the Override column for the Enabled Parameter name, and then check that the Override Setting is set to True.

5. In the Override Properties dialog box, click to place a check mark in the Override column for the cmdletCommand parameter name. Also change the following settings:

   • Override the UM IP Gateway parameter with the name of your UM IP Gateway.

   • Override the Phone parameter with the appropriate number as identified previously, and then click OK.