Cisco Systems 5.x Addressing Options for Non-Networked Phone Systems

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Networking Guide for Cisco Unity Release 5.x (With Microsoft Exchange)

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Chapter 2 Digital Networking

Digital Networking Concepts and Definitions

Subscribers on the Cisco Unity servers in the dialing domain can use the phone to send messages to and

reply to messages from the subscribers on Unity 3, and vice versa. However, identified subscriber

messaging is not available between the subscribers on Unity 3 and the subscribers on the Cisco Unity

servers in dialing domain A.

Although subscriber extensions must be unique within a dialing domain, it is possible that subscribers

who are associated with a Cisco Unity server outside of the dialing domain could have extensions that

are the same as extensions used by subscribers who are associated with the servers within the dialing

domain. In other words, it is possible that extensions may overlap in the global directory when there are

Cisco Unity servers that are integrated with different phone systems.

Grouping the Cisco Unity servers into a dialing domain allows Cisco Unity to handle overlapping

numbering plans. The dialing domain allows the subscribers within the dialing domain to use extensions

to address messages without conflicting with the extensions of the subscribers on the other phone

system. See the “How Cisco Unity Searches for a Matching Name” section on page 9-4 and the “How

Cisco Unity Searches for a Matching Number” section on page 9-4 for a detailed description of how

dialing domains shield against overlapping numbering plans.

Addressing Options for Non-Networked Phone Systems

If your organization has a separate phone system for each location, subscribers at one location dial a

complete phone number, not just an extension, when calling someone at another location. When

subscribers log on to Cisco Unity to send messages to subscribers on another Cisco Unity server, the

number they enter when addressing the message depends on whether the Cisco Unity numbering plans

overlap across locations, as described in the following sections.

When Cisco Unity numbering plans do not overlap across locations—that is, when subscriber extensions

are unique across locations—subscribers enter an extension when addressing a message to a subscriber

who is associated with another Cisco Unity server.

As a convenience for subscribers, you may choose to add alternate extensions to each subscriber account.

With alternate extensions, the number that a subscriber enters when addressing a message to someone at

another location can be the same number that the subscriber dials when calling. When set up this way,

subscribers do not need to remember two different numbers—one for calling a subscriber directly, and

one for addressing a message.

For example, a subscriber, Kelly Bader, has subscriber extension 4060, as illustrated in Figure 2-2.

Suppose that Chris, a subscriber at a remote location, dials 456-4060 to reach Kelly by phone. When

Chris logs on to Cisco Unity to send a message to Kelly, he has to remember just to dial the extension

(4060) and not dial the prefix (456) when addressing the message, rather than using the same number he

dials to call Kelly. However, you could assign to Kelly the alternate extension 4564060. If this alternate

extension has been set up, Chris can enter either 4060 or 4564060 when addressing a message to Kelly.