Cisco Systems OL-14619-01 manual Voice Messaging with Customer-Provided Infrastructure

Chapter 4 Designing a Cisco Unity System with Exchange as the Message Store

Deployment Models

•Each Voice Messaging subscriber requires a separate Exchange mailbox that holds only Cisco Unity voice messages on a separate, dedicated Exchange server that homes only Cisco Unity voice messages.

The advantages of this model include the following:

•The customer does not need to extend the Active Directory schema in the existing forest.

•Some companies have one department that manages the phone and voice-messaging system and a separate department that manages Exchange. Dedicated Exchange servers for Cisco Unity voice messages may simplify implementation and maintenance.

•Some customers like to keep voice messages and e-mail messages separate.

•If Active Directory accounts are created in an existing forest and mailboxes are stored on existing Exchange servers, the customer is responsible for support for the servers. If accounts are created in a dedicated forest and mailboxes are stored on Exchange servers that are dedicated to Cisco Unity voice messages, Cisco will support the entire Cisco Unity system, including dedicated DC/GCs (if any) and dedicated Exchange servers.

The disadvantages of this model include:

•A more complicated and time-consuming migration to a Unified Messaging configuration.

•More overhead for maintaining the Active Directory and Exchange infrastructure.

•Possible additional hardware expense.

Voice Messaging with Customer-Provided Infrastructure

Revised May 6, 2008

In this deployment model:

•Each Voice Messaging subscriber requires a separate Active Directory user account in the existing forest. The customer can create a separate domain for these accounts, but that is not required.

•Each Voice Messaging subscriber requires a separate Exchange mailbox that holds only Cisco Unity voice messages. The mailbox can be stored on existing Exchange servers or can be stored on separate, dedicated Exchange servers that home only Cisco Unity voice messages. If the mailboxes are stored on existing Exchange servers, the customer is responsible for support for the servers. If the mailboxes are stored on Exchange servers that are dedicated to Cisco Unity voice messages, Cisco will support the Exchange servers.

This model has the following advantages:

•It simplifies the migration from a Voice Messaging Configuration to a Unified Messaging configuration.

•Some companies have one department that manages the phone and voice-messaging system and a separate department that manages Exchange. If the two departments do not communicate with one another, dedicated Exchange servers for Cisco Unity voice messages may simplify implementation and maintenance.

Multi-Site WAN with Distributed Messaging

When deploying Cisco Unity in a multi-site WAN with distributed messaging, the customer uses two or more of the deployment models discussed earlier in this section, either at the same physical site or in geographically diverse data centers connected by a WAN. In this deployment, network bandwidth should meet the minimum Microsoft Exchange server inter-site requirements.

Design Guide for Cisco Unity Release 5.x

OL-14619-01 4-3