Lucent Technologies 101-1620-005 User Manual

Octel Unified Messenger

Concepts and Planning Guide

101-1620-005

Your comments on this document are welcome.
They can assist us in improving our products.
Please address comments to:

Unified Messenger Documentation Team
Lucent Technologies, Octel Messaging Division
1001 Murphy Ranch Road
Milpitas, CA 95035-7912
USA
[phone]

http://www.octel.com/um
E-mail: [e-mail]

This software is the property of Lucent T echnologies Octel Messaging Di vision, formerly Octel Communications
Corporation, and may not be used without a valid written license agreement. This software is protected by the
copyright laws of the United States, international copyright treaties, and all other applicable national laws. The
right to copy this document is granted to authorized resellers and customers for their use and the use of their
customers, as specified in their agreements with Octel Communications Corporation, a subsidiary of Lucent
Technologies. Any unauthorized use, reproduction (except for legally permissible archival copies), distribution
or transfer of this software, or preparation of derivative works is strictly prohibited.
Copyright 1996-1999 Octel Communications Corporation, a subsidiary of Lucent Technologies. All rights
reserved.

TM

All trademarks identified by the

or ® symbol are trademarks or registered trademarks, respectively, of Octel
Communications Corporation, a subsidiary of Lucent Technologies. All other trademarks belong to their
respective owners. Printed in the USA.

U.S. Government Restricted Rights Notice

This software is provided with RESTRICTED RIGHTS. Use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government is
subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraphs (c)(1) and (2) of the Commercial Computer Software ­Restricted Rights clause at FAR Section §52.227-19, in the applicable software license agreement pursuant to
DFARS §227.7202-3(a) (1995), or in (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at
DFARS Section §252.227-7013 (OCT 1988), as applicable. Unpublished rights reserved under the copyright
laws of the United States. Contractor/Manufacturer is Octel Communications Corporation, a subsidiary of
Lucent Technologies, 1001 Murphy Ranch Road, Mi l pitas, CA 95035-7912, US A.

Overview

Preface

This guide provides:

n Guidelines for planning and sizing a new installation.
n A descript ion of the hardware and software comp onents of Octel

Unified Messenger.

n The concepts underlying Octel Unified Messenger, including

voice mail domai ns, addressing, client and serv er ope rat io ns, and
telephony concepts.

Audience

This guide is intended for use by anyone recommending, purchasing, or
installing Octel Unified Messenger. Readers should be familiar with the
concepts and operation of Windows NT and Microsoft Exchange.

101-1620-005 iii

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Octel Unified Messenger documentation

See the following documentation for more information about Octel
Unified Messenger:

Installation Guide, 101-1621-005

Provides information on the installation process.
Available on the Octel Unified Messenger CD-ROM.

Administrator’s Guide, 101-1618-005

Provides information on ad ministering the Octel Unified Messenger
system.

Available on the Octel Unified Messenger CD-ROM.

Subscriber’s Reference Guide, 101-1619-005

Provides information on using Octel Unified Messenger client
applications.

Available on the Octel Unified Messenger CD-ROM.

Unified Messenger At-A-Glance, 101-1622-004

Provides at-a-glance information on using Octel Unified Messenger from
the telephone user interface.

Configur ati on No te s

Provides integration information for types of PBX and fax devices.
Available from your Octel Unified Messenger support representative.

Rhetorex User’s Guide for AccuCall+ for Windows 95 and Windows NT,
Revision 1.0, 201-0048-000

Provides information on configuring the voice board driver software to
communicate with a PBX.

Available on the Octel Unified Messenger CD-ROM.

Rhetorex Hardware and Software Installation Guide for Windows 95 and
Windows NT, 201-0050-000

Provides information on installing a Rhetorex Voice Processing board,
and on installing and configuring Rhetorex driver software and firmware.

Available on the Octel Unified Messenger CD-ROM.

iv 101-1620-005

Unified Messenger Online Support

For Octel Unified Messenger support, contact your Octel Unified
Messenger support representative.

For important, up-to-date information on Octel Unified Messenger, see
the Readme file available on the Octel Unified Messenger C D-ROM.

Conventions

The following conventions are used in this guide:

Convention Description

Preface

ALL
CAPITALS

Initial Capitals Names of applications, programs, menu items, and

italic type Book titles.

Filenames and extensions, directory names, paths,
and acronyms.

dialog boxes.

101-1620-005 v

This page intentionally left blank.

Contents

Chapter 1 Introducing Octel Unified Messenger

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-2

Product features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-3

The unified mailbox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-4

Telephone user interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-5

PC user interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 -5

Networked components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-6

Microsoft Exchange Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-6

Voice server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-7

Tracing server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 -7

Fax server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-8

PBX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-9

TUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-9

LAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-10

PC user interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 -10

Benefits summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-11

Subscriber convenience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-11

Ease of administration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-11

Send messages near and far . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-11

Chapter 2 Sizing the system

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-2

Design rules for voice mail domains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3

Sizing ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-4

Calculating the number of voice servers required. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-9

vii101-1620-005

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Hardware and software requirements for Octel Unified Messenger servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10

Evaluating the additional load on Microsoft Exchange servers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12

Evaluating the additional network traffic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14

Using Octel Unified Messenger via slow network connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16

Using multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16

ConfigurationUsing the telephone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17

The effect of slow network connections on Octel Unified Messenger applications . . . . . . 2-19

Octel Unified Messenger interoperability with third-party fax servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20

Requireme nts for third-p arty fax server interoperability with Octel Unified Messenger . . 2-2 1

Enabling Octel Unified Messenger subscribers for fax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21

Routing inbound fax calls to the third-party fax server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22

Chapter 3 System architecture

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Voice mail domain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Addressing messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

System components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

Client components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

Server components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

PBX integration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10

Audio encoding formats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12

Chapter 4 Designing addressing schemes

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

Local mailbox numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

Dial-by-Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4

Numeric addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Chapter 5 Providing interoperability with existing Octel servers

Introduction to OctelNet ™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

OctelNet Messaging Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3

Designing an OctelNet addressing scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4

Prefix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4

Additional digits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4

Mailbox length. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5

OctelNet addressing scheme design rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5

Addressing OctelNet messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7

Addressing OctelNet messages from Octel Unified Messenger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7

viii 101-1620-005

Addressing OctelNet messages to Octel Unified Messenger recipients. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-7

Providing single-site interoperability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 -8

Automatic mailbox forwarding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-8

Chapter 6 Connecting with the PBX

and establishing security rules

Connecting with the PBX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-2

Establishing security rules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-3

Access to voice mail domain administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-3

Access to subscriber accounts administration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-3

Access to subscriber mailboxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-3

Appendix A Appendix A - Sizing for ports

Calculating the number of supported subscribers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2

Appendix B Appendix B - Grade of service

Contents

Calculating busy hour traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2

Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GL-1

Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IN-1

ix101-1620-005

This page intentionally left blank.

PART 1

CONCEPTS

This page intentionally left blank.

1

Introducing Octel Unified Messenger

This chapter introduces Octel Unified Messenger and discusses the
following top ics:

n Octel Unified Messenger product features.
n The “unified mailbox” concept.
n Networked components of the Octel Unified Messenger

environment.

n Benefits of using Octel Unified Messenger.

101-1620-005 1-11-1

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Introduction

Today e-mail, voice mail, and fax are established as strategic, enabling
technologies at companies large and small. As a result, people are
receiving both a larger volume and more types of messages than ever
before.

However, each kind of mes sag e typically requires its own access medium
(telephone, personal computer, or fax device) and support structure
(capital equipment, management tools, and service procedures). The task
of retrieving, prioritizing, and storing messages can be inconvenient,
complex, and time-consuming, even though messaging should enhance
and streamline the communications process.

To make this task easier, Octel Unified Me ss enger provides the follo w i ng
features:

n Messaging con venience

Octel Unified Me ssenger enables everyone to view, listen to,
send, store, and retri eve all their messages from one mailbox (the

“unified mailbox”) with whatever access tool is the most
convenient at any particular time: telephone, desktop computer,
portable computer, or fax device.

n Simplified messaging management

With Octel Unified Messenger, organizations can simplify
communications administration, maintain accurate messaging
directories, and reduce communication costs.

n Interoperability

Utilizing OctelNet, Octel Unified Messenger systems
interoperate with other Lucent Technologies Octel Messaging
Division (OMD) voice messaging systems. This means that
subscribers can exchange voice messages with users on other
Octel messaging servers t hat support O ctelNet.

1-2 101-1620-005

Product features

OMD uses th e next-generation client/server messaging system Microsof t
Exchange Server to deliver a truly unified messaging architecture that
meets the mission-critical demands of even the largest organization.
Specific features of Octel Un ified Messenger include:

Introducing Octel Unified Messenger

n A single unified view of messages using the Exchange Server

mailbox.

n Telephone access to the Exchange Server mailbox.
n Fax, voice, and e-mail management using personal folders in

Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft Outlook.

n A single data store for all messages in the Microsoft Exchange

Server.

n A common, enterprise-wide directory for all messages.
n A single point of administration through enhanced Microsoft

Exchange Server administration.

n Text-to-speech (TTS) delivery of e-mail and fax subject headers

or the entire body of text messages.

n Fax delivery of e-mail messages (including attachments) using

third-party fax servers.

n Voice message playback through multimedia equipment or a

telephone.

n Voice messages addressed using the Microsoft Exchange

directory.

n Ability to send, forward, or reply by voice across a local area

network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or the Internet.

n Voice object embedding in OLE 2.0 and ActiveX compliant

documents.

101-1620-005 1-3

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

The unified mailbox

For each Octel Unified Messenger subscriber, all voice mail, telephone
answering, e-mail, fax, and data messages (including documents and
forms) are stored in the unified mailbox. Messages can be viewed,
listened to, stored, or retrieved using either telephone, PC, or fax.
Figure 1-1 shows the concept of the unified mailbox.

Figure 1-1. Unified mailbox

1PC
2 Telephone
3Fax

21 3

1-4 101-1620-005

Telephone user interface

Subscribers can access their unified mailbox from a telephone user
interface to do the following:

n Send and receive voice messages.
n Play back voice messages.
n Listen to e-mail messages, using TTS conversion.
n Forward fax messages to other recipients or to a fax device for

n Store, delete, reply to, or forward e-mail, voice, or fax messages.
n Print e-mail messages on a fax device.

PC user interface

Introducing Octel Unified Messenger

printing.

Subscribers can access their unified mailbox from a PC to do the
following:

n Send and receive voice messages.
n Play back voice messages through the telephone or through PC

multimedia equipment.

n Send and receive e-mail messages.
n Send and receive fax messages.
n Store, delete, reply to, or forward e-mail, voice, or fax messages.

101-1620-005 1-5

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Networked components

Figure 1-2 shows the networked components of the Octel Unified
Messenger environment.

Figure 1-2. Octel Unified Messenger networked components

1

4

8

5

7

2

1PBX
2 Telephone user interface
3 Fax (optional)
4 Octel voice server
5 Fax server (optional)
6 PC user interface
7LAN
8 Octel tracing server
9 Microsoft Exchange server

Microsoft Exchange Server

The Microsoft Exchange server is a Windows NT-based system that
contains all user mailboxes and all directory information. It
communicates with other Exchange servers on the LAN, with Exchange
servers on remote sites via WAN or network dial-up, and through
gateways with other e-mail systems across the Internet. The Exchange
server provides a single point of administration for subscriber mailboxes.

3

9

6

1-6 101-1620-005

Voice server

Introducing Octel Unified Messenger

The voice server is a Windows NT-based system that is the integral link
between the LAN and the telephone network. It performs the following
functions:

n Answers PBX-forwarded telephone ca lls.
n Plays personalized greetings.
n Records messages.
n Sends compressed message files to subscriber mailboxes for

storage.

n Retrieves stored messages for playback through the telephone or

through multimedia.

n Provides the capability for TTS conversion of e-mail messages.
n Detects incoming faxes and forwards them to third-party fax

servers.

Multilingual
text-to-speech

The voice server includes a speech synthesis device that allows
subscribers to hear their e-mail messages over the telephone. This feature
is also used for name confirmation when a record ed name is not availa bl e.

Organizations that receive e-mail in more than one language can enable a
multilingual TTS. This identifies the language of the e-mail message and
reads the message in that language.

The following languages are available:

n English
n French
n German
n Spanish
n Dutch
n Italian
n Russian

Tracing server

The tracing server is a separate system that records operational
information about activity in the v oice mail domain. Events, for example,
port acti vity, are stored in an ope rati on hist ory dat abase. An a dmin istrato r

101-1620-005 1-7

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

can generate reports summarizing voice mail activity using the Octel
Unified Messenger Reporting Tool application.

Fax server

The fax server is a third-party component to which the voice server
delegates all functionality related to sending and receiving faxes. For
more inform ation on thir d-party fax server compatibil ity with Octe l

Unified Messenger, see “Octel Unified Messenger interoperability with
third-party fax servers” on page 2-20.

Octel Unified Messenger, in conjunction with a com patible fax server,
offers the following fax features:

n Fax messages can be received and stored in a subscriber’s

mailbox.

n Subscribers can send fax messages and e-mail messages to fax

devices for printing.

n A copy of a subscrib er’s Inbox listing can be fax ed to a f ax de vice

through the telephone user interface.

For more information on how to set up fax servers, see “Octel Unified
Messenger interoperability with third-party fax servers” on page 2-20.

Incoming faxes Incoming faxes may be received in two ways, depending on whether the

system is set up with Direct Inward Dialing (DID):

n On systems with DID, callers call int o a subscriber’s mailbox and

press Start on their fax device.

n On systems without DID, callers call the subscriber’s automated

attendant from the fax machine’s telephone, select the
subscriber’s extensions by using either Dial-by-Name or by
entering the subscriber’s extension number, and press Start on
their fax device.

Once fax calls are received, Octel Unified Messenger transfers the call
from the voice server to the fax server. When the fax server answers the
call, the v oice ser ver identif ies the in tended r ecipien t and swit ches the call
to the fax server to receive the fax. The fax server then delivers the fax
message into the recipient’s mailbox.

1-8 101-1620-005

Introducing Octel Unified Messenger

Access to faxes
using the TUI

PBX

The telephone user interface recognizes messages of the message type
IPM.NOTE.FAX. If a fax server doe s not support thi s message type, Octel
Unified Messe nge r does not classify messages as faxes but only as e-mail
messages with TIFF attachments.

Subscribers can send fax messages to other recipients or to a fax device
for printing. They can also send e-mail messages to a fax device for
printing.

E-mail messages that have attachments, for example, a document in
Microsoft Word or Micros oft Exc el f ormat c an be converted to f ax for mat
by the fax server and can be printed to a fax device. Which types of
attachments can be printed to a fax device depends on the capabilities of
the fax server.

The PBX or s witch transfers calls from within the enterprise or from the
outside telephone network to the OMD voice server. This capability can

also be provided by the service provider’s central office equipment,
known as Centrex.

TUI

An Octel Unified Messenger voice server includes a “PBX integration”.
This is a specialized connection to the PBX that provides information
about calls as they are routed, such as:

n Who the call was originally intended for (called party).
n Who placed the call (calling party).
n What caused the call to be directed to the voice server (for

example, there was no answer or the telephone was busy).

Subscribers can use a touchtone telephone to do the following:

n Record voice messages.
n Listen to voice and e-mail messages.
n Reply to voice, e-mail, or fax messages.
n Instruct the system to store, forward, or dele te messages.
n Send fax and e-mail messages to a fax device for printing.

101-1620-005 1-9

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

LAN

The LAN provides a high-speed (minimum 10 Megabit per second
switched) connection between servers and client systems. Octel Unified
Messenger supports Ether net and tok en ring ba sed LAN topologi es. Octel
Unified Messenger takes advantage of the file streaming capabilities of
Windows NT to transfer voice files across the network. This minimizes
network traffic congestion and provides speedy message playback and
navigation.

PC user interface

The PC user interf ace can be a portable or deskt op c ompute r that is either
connected by a LAN or part of a re mote netwo rk. This co mputer e x e cutes
Octel Unified Me ssenger clien t software that manages th e display of al l

messages contained in the subscriber’s mailbox, facilitates and controls
the recording and playback of voice messages, and interacts with the
Exchange client.

1-10 101-1620-005

Benefits summary

Octel Unified Me ssenger provides the following benefits to your
organization.

Subscriber convenience

With Octel Unified Messenger, subscribers can:

n Store all messages in one place, regardless of the message type.
n Access voice , e-mail, and fax messages from e it her t he telephone

n Reply to messages in one medium (for example, voice) with

n Send voice messages with the same ease and convenience as

Introducing Octel Unified Messenger

or PC user in terface.

another medium (for example, e-mail).

sending e-mail messages.

n Use TTS con ver sion to liste n to e-ma il messag es when access to a

PC is not possible.

Ease of administration

Octel Unified Me ssenger offers adm inistrators the following cap abilities:

n All messaging administration can be handled by a single

administrator.

n Management tools are combined into one application.
n A single directory for voice, e-mail and fax messages makes

system management easier.

n PC user interface tools make it easy to create or update mailbox

information.

Send messages near and far

Octel Unified Messenger systems can utilize OctelNet to connect to
existing Octel voice messaging systems at the same location or at remote
locations. Subscribers can send and receive messages from remote
subscribers as easily as if they were all using the same local system.

101-1620-005 1-11

This page intentionally left blank.

PART 2

PLANNING

This page intentionally left blank.

2

Sizing the system

This chapter discusses the main points to consider when sizing the
hardware for Octel Unified Messenger. It contains information about:

n Voice mail domain design rules.
n Establishing the number of voice ports required.
n Calculating the number of voice servers required.
n Hardware and software requirements.
n Evaluating the additional load on the Microsoft Exchange server.
n Evaluating the additional network traffic.
n Using Octel Unified Messenger via slow network connections.
n Enabling fax servers to comm unicate with Octel Unified

Messenger.

101-1620-005 2-12-1

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Introduction

Sizing the hardware for Octel Unified Messenger involves the following
steps:

1. Designing the voice mail domain structure for the organization.

2. Calculating the number of voice ports required.

3. Calculating the number of OMD voice servers needed.

4. Designing fax server and voice server communication.

5. Evaluating the additional load on Microsoft Exchange.

6. Evaluating the additional network traffic that must be handled.

2-2 101-1620-005

Design rules for voice mail domains

Designing voice mail domains (VMDs) is very similar to designing
domains in Microsoft NT.

When designing Octel Unified Messenger voice mail domains, the
following rules must be observed.

n Each voice server can belong to one voice mail domain only.
n Each voice mail subscriber can belong to one voice mail domain

only.

n Each voice server has a single peer Exchange server.
n Different voice servers in a voice mail domain can have different

peer Exchange servers, provided that those Exchange servers are
in the same Exchange site.

n An Exchange server ca n be a pe er ser ver for more than one voice

server.

Sizing the system

n An Exchange server can be a peer server for voice servers from

different voice mail domains. However, the voice mail domains
must be located in the same Exchange site as the Exchange
server.

n A Microsoft Exchange site can contain more than one voice mail

domain.

n In a voice mail domain, there can be one tracing server only.
n Voice mail domains cannot spread across multiple Exchange

sites.

n There is only one PBX integration link per voice server. This

means that if yo ur PBXs a re int egrat ed, you need one vo ice serve r
per PBX.

n There can be several PBX types in one voice mail domain.

However, each PBX must be linked to its own voice server and
the voice mail domain properties must match every PBX type.

101-1620-005 2-3

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Sizing ports

Accurate port sizing is critical to the successful implementation of any
voice processing application. A careful analysis of system traffic patterns
must be made. Specifically, the volume of calls generated by internal
subscribers and external callers to the system during the busiest hour of
the day must be determined.

Busy hour traffic is used in the calculation to determine the number of
ports needed to provide an acceptable level of service to the users. Most
newer PBXs provide traffic statistic reports that can provide an accurate
picture of traffic patterns on the switch. When preparing the
implementation of a messaging system, the planner should study a

minimum of one week’s traffic data to determine daily and hourly call
volumes.

How to determine
the busy hour

Most PBXs can generate tra ff ic reports t hat pro vide stat istics on a weekly,
daily, or hourly basis. Usually these reports break out the traffic statistics
by type of call, for example, incoming calls, outgoing calls, and calls to
specific hunt groups. These reports can be used to determine specific
traffic patterns and when the busy hour occurs.

Suppose that during the course of a typical business week the traffic
report indicates that Monday is the busiest day for incoming calls. On
Monday a total of 3,500 calls are received, and the hourly statistics show
that the busiest hour of the day occurs between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., with
350 incoming calls. Therefore 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. is the customer’s busy
hour.

Another way of expressing busy hour traffic is as a percentage of total
daily traffic. In the example above, 350 busy hour calls is 10% of the
3,500 total calls received for the day. If traffic statistics are not available,
then an educated guess at busy hour traffic is required. The tables in
Appendix A, “Sizing for Ports” can be used as guidelines for estimating
how many users can be supported with a given number of ports based on
some assumptions about average daily port usage per subscriber. These
tables also provide for traffic patterns of 10%, 14%, or 18% busy hour
traffic.

2-4 101-1620-005

Sizing the system

Units of
measurement for
busy hour traffic

Calculating the
amount of busy
hour traffic

Busy hour traffic is normally expressed in units of measurement such as
minutes, Erlangs, or Centum Call Seconds (CCS).

Note: 1 CCS = 100 call seconds. For example, there are 3,600

seconds in 1 ho ur . To determine the number of CCS i n 1 hour,
divide 3,600 by 100 to get 36 CCS.

Minutes, Erlangs, and CCS are different ways of expressing busy hour
traffic. For example, during busy hour, 120 calls are generated with an
average length of 30 seconds each. This equals 3,600 call seconds (120 x

30) of busy hour traffic. This same number can also be expressed as 60
call minutes, 1 Erlang, or 36 CCS of busy hour traffic. That is:

3,600 call seconds(/60) = 60 call minutes(/60) = 1 call hour or
Erlang = 36 CCS

“Calculating the amount of busy hour traffic”, below, describes how to
calculate busy hour offered traffic in seconds and how to convert to
minutes, Erlangs, or CCS units.

Standard traffic engineering tables are used to determine the proper
number of ports based on busy hour offered traffic. Offered traffic is the
total traffic offered to a group of ports during the busy hour, including
calls that are blo cked . It i s usually e xpress ed in mi nutes, E rlangs , or CCS.
Carried traffic is the total busy hour traffic that was offered to the group
of ports minus the blocked calls. To calculate the total minutes of busy
hour offered traffic, two variables must be known or estimated:

n The aver age nu mber of c alls genera ted d uri ng th e b usy hour. This

is all calls incoming and outgoing.

n The average length of a call, also known as average hold time

(AHT), usually expressed in seconds or minutes. The hold time
must include call setup and tear-down time. Setup time starts
from the moment a port is seized, that is, when ringing starts.
Tear-down time is the time it takes for the port to be available to
process another call after a caller hangs up or is disconnected by
the server.

Below is a telephone answering/messaging example with no other
applications in use:

If 1,500 calls (forwarded and direct calls) are generated during the busy
hour, and the AHT of a call is 45 seconds, the total busy hour traffic can
be calculated as follows:

1,500 calls x 45 seconds = 67,500 call seconds of busy hour offered
traffic.

101-1620-005 2-5

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

To convert this total into call minutes, divid e by 60:
67,500/60 = 1,125 call minutes.
To convert this total into Erlangs, divide by 3600:
67,500/3600 = 18.75 Erlangs.
To convert this total into CCS, divi de by 100:
67,500/100 = 675 CCS.
To predict busy hour traffic accurately, you must collect reliable traffic

data that reflects the calling patterns specific installation or application. If
busy hour calls are underestimated, the number of ports may not be
sufficient to provide users with an acceptable level of service. If busy hour
calls are overestimated, the additional number of ports increases the cost
of providing the service needlessly. To calculate the number of ports

accurately, it is necessary to unde rsta nd the c oncept of “gr ade of servi ce”,
see below.

Grade of service Grade of service (GOS) is the probabili ty that an incoming cal l is blocke d

and therefore the caller hears a busy signal because all ports are in use.
This is express ed a s a pe rcent age of call ers who call during the busy hour .
For example, if the number of ports is sized so that no more than 2 out of
100 calls are likely to be blocked during the busy hour, the system is said
to provide a P.02 GOS. If no more than 5 out of 100 calls are likely to be
blocked, the system provides a P.05 GOS. P.01 is a better GOS than P.05
and therefore requires more ports.

Common industry GOS for messaging servers are P.01, P.02, P.03, and
P.05.

There is an obvious trade-off between cost and grade of service. The
choice is a busi ness dec isio n based on a numbe r of f actor s, incl uding ho w
critical the application is to the business, and the cost of ports and other
physical resources that are required to provide the desired GOS.

The tables in Append ix B “ Grad e of Ser vice” sh o w the maximum a mount
of busy hour traffic supported by a number of ports for each GOS.

2-6 101-1620-005

Sizing the system

PBX integration
device sizing

Sizing outgoing call
features: Intercom
Paging and OctelNet

As described in “PBX integration” on page 3-10, PBX integrations are
accomplished by different methods depending on the PBX type and the
capabilities of the PBX. Although all PBX Integration Devices (PIDs)
perform the same basic functions, they all accomplish it in a slightly
different manner. Therefore, the number of PIDs required to support a
given number of ports varies based on:

n The number of integrated ports.
n The type of PID used.
n The incoming call volume during the busy hour.

Outgoing call features include intercom paging and OctelNet message
delivery. These features require the user of a port by the voice server to
place an outgoing call.

The traffic generated by these features can significantly affect the GOS if
this traffic is not included in the estimate of busy hour offered traffic. If
outcall deli very traffi c is m anage d so tha t th e major ity o f i t occu rs ou tsid e
of the busy hour, the impact on busy hour GOS is minimized. For
instance, network delivery schedules can be defined to allow only urgent
messages from prio rity sub scribers to be de li v ered dur ing the b usy period.
If a large a mount of outcall traf f ic is e xpe cted dur ing the b usy hour , it may
be preferable to s ize a separ ate group of out going p orts and dedi cate th em
to outcalling applications only.

For a conservative estimate of the number of ports required for outgoing
OctelNet messages, use this calculation:

Number of ports = 1 + (a vera ge messag e length * es timated da ily
number of messages) / total daily duration of the window during
which Octel Net is free to outcall.

Note: When using this calculation, the following is assumed:

n The ports are not taken up by other outgoing calls.
n The schedule is the same for all priority messages.

101-1620-005 2-7

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Total estimated port
requirements

To summarize, when sizing the number of total ports required for any
given server to provide a desired GOS, the following factors must be
considered.

n Estimated total busy hour offered traffic generated by both

internal and external callers.

n Estimated total busy hour offered traffic generated by all

applications, including those that place outgoing calls.

A system planner shoul d all o w for a saf ety or growth factor of 5% to 15%
when sizing the initial implementation.

2-8 101-1620-005

Sizing the system

Calculating the number of voice servers required

Having established the total number of voice ports, it is possible to
calculate the minimum number of voice servers needed. The minimum
number of servers is equal to the tot al number of ports need ed, di vi ded b y
the number of ports to be installed on each of the servers. An Octel
Unified Messenger voice server can support up to 24 voice ports.

To determine the correct (not the minimum) number of servers needed, it
is necessary to consider the effects of the following factors:

n The voice mail domain design. For more information, see

“Design rules for voice mail domains” on page 2-3.

n The PBX configuration and integration.
n Potential heavy processing demands, such as those imposed by

the tracing system.

Note: The Octel Unified Messenger tracing system should

be installed on a separate machine that does not run
the voice server software. This is particularly
recommended for any implementation of Octel
Unified Messenger that uses eight or more voice
ports.

101-1620-005 2-9

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Hardware and software requirements for Octel Unified Messenger servers

Octel Unified Messenger servers require the following configuration:

Minimum voice
server requirements

n For systems using 4 to 12 ports: 200 MHz Intel Pentium.

For systems using 16 to 24 ports: 400 MHz Intel Pentium.

n 128 MB RAM.
n Access to a CD-ROM drive to install the s oftware.
n Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with the latest service pack.
n Rhetorex VPS4, 8-port PCI cards ( Vantage PCI_8L o r PCI_8LH),

or VRS24 with ATSI voice card(s) (available in US and Canada
only).

n Microsoft Exchange Client software.

Note: When using Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.5, it

is recommended that you use Microsoft Outlook 98.

n Rhetorex Insta llation Suite.
n 1 GB free disk space.

Note: Ensure there is sufficient disk space on the voice

server. If the voice server runs out of disk space, you
will obtain unpredictable results. Microsoft
recommends that you k eep at le ast 20% of disk spa ce
free to guarantee good performance.

Recommended Processor:

The processor recommended for an OMD voice server depends on two
key factors:

n The number of voice ports to be supported by the server.
n The maximum number of simultaneous text-to-speech (TTS)

sessions to be allowed on the server. The number cannot exceed
the number of TTS licenses purchased.

Note: T oo ma ny TTS sessi ons ca n have a detrimental ef fe ct

on the voice server’s performance.

2-10 101-1620-005

Sizing the system

Minimum tracing
server requirements

n For systems with up to 2 voice servers: 200 MHz Intel Pentium.

For systems with more than 2 voice servers: 400 MHz Intel
Pentium

n 64 Mbytes RAM.
n Access to a C D-ROM drive to install the software.
n Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with the latest service pack.
n Microsoft Exchange Client software.
n 2 Gbyte free disk space.

101-1620-005 2-11

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Evaluating the additional load on Microsoft Exchange servers

Implementing Octel Unified Messenger affects the activity of the
Exchange servers and the disk space usage.

Number of
Exchange users

Use the foll owin g guidelines to estimate the effect of adding Octel
Unified Messeng er to an existing Exchange environm ent:

n Adding Octel Unif ie d Messenger capability to a single Exchan ge

mailbox is equi valent to adding appro ximatel y 30% to th e syst em
load that would otherwise be required for that mailbox.

n Adding one line of voice activity to an Exchange server affects

Exchange response time in the same way as the addition of 10
medium-activity e-mail users.

n Generally, the load imposed by voice mail usage represents a

quarter of the load imposed by e-mail usage from the same
population. This in turn represents a 25% to 30% increase in the
required capacity of the Microsoft Exchange servers.

Example: calculation of impact on the Exchange servers capacity

n With a hunt group of 24 lines, which covers a fully configured

Octel Unified Messenger voice server, the system is capable of
supporting approximately 16.6 Erlangs at the peak hour. This
represents a load on the Exchange system equivalent to
approxim ately 160 simultaneously active voice mail u sers.

n The 24 lines should be able to support a total voice mail

population of approximately 720 subscribers with 30 users per
line.

2-12 101-1620-005

Sizing the system

Disk space
requirements

Voice messages require 4 Kbytes per second (240 Kbytes per minute) of
space for storage.

Subscriber mailboxes

A subscriber who receives five voice messages per day, with an average
message length of 60 seconds, requires 1.2 Mbyte of storage space to
keep all messages s tored o n the Ex chan ge ser ve r or on a nother machine if
the subscr iber stores t he messages in Persona l Folders. However, most
people have no need to store all o f the messages they receive. Subscribers
should be encouraged to remove unnecessary copies of messages from
their Exchange folders. For example, they should make sure the Deleted
Items and Sent Items folders are not retaining copies of messages longer
than necessary.

Off-line message taking

When the Exchange server is not running, all voice messages from
outside callers are temporarily stored on the Octel Unified Messenger
voice server. This offline spooling facility requires enough available disk
space on the voice server to hold all voice mail coming in during that
time.

101-1620-005 2-13

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Evaluating the additional network traffic

Implementing Octel Unified Messenger results in the flow of voice data

over the organization’s data network. This section provides the
information required to calculate the additional network traffic generated
by an Octel Unified Messenger system. This calculation is based on
several factors, in cluding:

n The number of voice servers in the voice mail domain (S).
n The number of ports on each voice server (P).
n The usage characteristics.
n The voice encoding rate (32 kilobits per second).

Worst-case network
load

Dedicated
connection

To calculate the worst-case ne twork load contributed by an Octel Unified
Messenger voice mail domain, substitute the number of voice servers in
the voice mail domain for S and the number of ports on each voice ser ver
P into the following formula:

Worst-case network bandwidth = S x P x 32 kilobits per second.
For example, for a site with a voice mail domain containing five voice

servers, each with 24 ports, the worst-case network bandwidth is
5x24x32=3,840 kilobits per second. In addition, it is necessary to apply a
factor to allow for the overheads applicable to the network protocols and
options that are in operation.

This calculation is based on the worst-case assumption that all ports are
recording or play ing voice data at the same time. I t pr ovides a calculation
of the total netw ork traf f ic potentia lly added , but no ind ication conc ernin g
the direction or path taken by this data.

Average values will be much lower than indicated by the worst-case
calculation presented above. However, they can still represent a
significant load on the LAN connections between the voice servers and
the Exchange servers. For that reason, each voice server in a multiserver
environment should be given a dedicated switched Ethernet spur or
switched token ring segment connecting directly into the backbone
network.

2-14 101-1620-005

Sizing the system

Types of operations The Octel Unified Messenger voice servers open data streams between

voice servers and:

n Exchange servers.
n Client systems.

The actual Exchange server associated with each data stream depends on
the operation and, in some cases, the associated mailbox:

n The operation of telephone answering results in the e stablis hment

of a data stream between the voice server and the voice server’s
peer e-mail server.

n The following operations result in the establishment of a

connection between the voice server and the Exchange server
containing the mailbox of the relevant subscriber:

— Playing back a voice message over the telephone.
— Recording a voice message to be sent to another subscriber.
— A caller listening to one of the subscriber's prerecorded

greeting messages.

It is possible, usin g the in formati on above, to calculate the w orst -case and
normal throughput r equirement f or each v oice serv er and Exchange serv er
pairing.

101-1620-005 2-15

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Using Octel Unified Messenger via slow network connections

Octel Unified Messenger applications move voice messages between
Octel Unified Messenger client systems and:

n Octel Unified Messenger voice servers.
n Octel Unified Messenger client systems and Exchange servers.

How the data flows between systems is dependent on whether a
subscriber uses multimedia or the telephone and whether voice messages
are recorded or played back.

This section explains how the data flow is affected by slow network
connections, for example, Remote Access Services (RAS), when playing
back or recording messages using multimedia or the telephone. It also
lists client applications and administration utilities that may be affected.

Using multimedia

Playing back voice
messages

Recording voice
messages

Note: This section does not address the connectivity between voice

servers and e-mail se rvers. Thes e require high- bandwidth and

low-laten cy connecti vity and ar e described in “Ev aluating the
additional network traffic” on page 2-14.

Voice messages can be played back or recorded using multimedia.

Before playback starts, a voice message is copied to the client PC. A
delay in copyi ng th e message from the Exchange server to the PC may be
experienced. This delay depends on the message length and the network
bandwidth between the client PC and the Exchange server. Once the
message is copied, playback is not affected by slow network connections.

When recording a voice message, the message is stored on the client PC
until recording is completed. Only then is the message copied to the
Exchange server mailbox. This means that a slow network connection
does not affect the recording process. However, a delay in copying the
message from the client PC to the Exchange server may be experienced.
This delay depends on the message length and the network bandwidth
between the client system and the Exchange server.

2-16 101-1620-005

Using the telephone

Sizing the system

Voice messages can be played back and recorded using the telephone.

Playing back voice
messages

When playing back a voice message, the message is moved from the
Exchange server to a telephone via the voice server. The playback is not
affected by the speed of the client network connection. However, if
playback controls ar e us ed, for example, fast forw a rd or r ewind, these are
routed through the network connection. Playback controls occupy little
bandwidth, so they are only slightly affected by a slow network
connection.

Figure 2-1 shows the data flow when playing back messages using the
telephone.

Figure 2-1. Data flow when playing back messages using the telephone

Public

telephone

network

4

When playing back

Playback controls

6

Playing
back a
message

1 2

1 Exchange server
2 Voice server
3RAS machine
4PBX
5 Modem
6 Telephone
7Client PC

5

3

5

7

101-1620-005 2-17

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Recording voice
messages

When recording voice messages, the data must be copied from the voice
server to the client PC via slow network connections. It is stored on the
client PC until the recording is stopped. Once recording is stopped, the
message is copied to the Exchange server mailbox. Therefore it is very
important to have adequate network bandwidth. Although lower speeds
may work, a minimum speed of 56 kilobits per second between the client
PC and the voice server is recommended.

Figure 2-2 shows the data flow when recording voice messages using the
telephone.

Figure 2-2. Data flow when recording v o ice mess a ges usin g the tele phon e

Public

telephone

network

4

When message
is saved or sent

When recording

6

Recording
a message

1

2

1 Exchange server
2 Voice server
3RAS machine
4PBX
5 Modem
6 Telephone
7Client PC

5

3

5

7

2-18 101-1620-005

Sizing the system

The effect of slo w netw ork connections on Octel Uni fied Messenger applications

This section lists all Octel Unified Messenger applications and how each
is affected by slow network connections.

Octel Unified Messenger Voice Form

If Octel Unified Messenger Voice Form is used with multimedia, a slow
network connection is sufficient.

If the Octel Unified Messenger Voice Form is used with a telephone to
play back voice messages only, a slow network connection is sufficient.
However, if voice messages are recorded, a high-speed connection is
needed. For more information, see Figure 2-2 on page 2-18.

Using Microsoft Exchange Offline. If Microsoft Exchange is used in of fline

mode and messages are synchronized with the Exchange server message
store, it is recommended to use multimedia to listen to and recor d
messages.

Octel Unified Messenger Voice Recorder

It is recommended that you use Octel Unified Messenger Voice Recorder
with local multimedia when using a slow network connection.

Octel Unified Messenger Options

A slow network connection can be used for all configuration operations,
for example, setting call handling. However, a high-speed connection is
required when recording prompts and greetings over the telephone.

Visual Voice Editor

It is recommended that you use multimedia or a 56 kilobits per second
network connection to work with the Visual Voice Editor prompts.

Voice Mail User Administration Extension

A slow network connection can be used for all configuration operations,
for example, setting call handling. However, a high-speed connection is
required when recording the Spoken Name prompt using the telephone.

Port Monitor, Voice Mail System Configuration, Operation History
Viewer, and Reporting Tool

Since none of these applications transmit voice messages, they all work
over slow connections. Operation History Viewer connects to the Octel
Unified Messeng er Tracing Server. If it is to be use d in live mode, the
network connection must have enough bandwidth for the amount of data
to be viewed.

101-1620-005 2-19

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Octel Unified Messenger interoperability with third-party fax servers

This section desc ri bes how third-party fax servers interoperate wit h Oct el
Unified Messeng er. It is recommended that the third- party fax server
resides on a separate Windows NT server. The fax hardware is connected
to a fax hunt group on the PBX.

Figure 2-3. Octel Unified Messenger interoperability with third-party fax
servers

1

1 PBX
2Fax cards
3Voice cards
4 Fax server which contains:

n

Fax server software

n

Fax routing

n

Windows NT

5 Unified Messenger server which contains:

n

OctelNet

n

PBX integration/devices

n

TTS

n

Telephone user interface

n

Windows NT

6 Microsoft Exchange server which contains:

n

Message transport

n

Message database (mailboxes)

n

Directory

n

Windows NT

7 Client machines which contain:

n

Octel Unified Messenger software

n

Fax client software

n

Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft Outlook client

n

Windows ‘95 or Windows NT

4

7

2

3

5

6

2-20 101-1620-005

Sizing the system

Requirements for third-party fax server interoperability with Octel Unified Messenger

The following are the requirements for third-party fax server
interoperability with Oc tel Unified Messen ger:

n Octel Unified Messenger version 2.0 or higher must be installed.
n The fax serv er mus t be int egrated with Microsoft Exchange as an

Exchange Connector or an Exchange gateway for fax.

n The fax server must use a FAX address type that is specified to

Octel Unified Messenger. Th is is so that one-of f addresses can be
created and messages can be delivered to the fax server for
transmission.

n The fax server must support DTMF detection and collection.
n The fax server must match the DTMF fax routing number

supplied by Octel Unified Messenger with a subscriber’s
FAXROUTE address.

n The fax server must create faxes as e-mail messages with .TIF

attachments and send th em to the inten ded Exchange reci pient for
storage within the Exch ange message store.

n The fax messages placed in the subscriber’s Outlook inbox

should be identif ied by a unique mes sage cla ss (IMP.NOTE.FAX)
so they can be detected as faxes by Octel Unified Messenger.

Enabling Octel Unified Messenger subscribers for fax

Octel Unified Messenger subscribers are fax-enabled when a system
administrator adds a FAXROUTE address as an e-mail address type for
the subscriber.

Octel Unified Messenger subscribers with fax-enabled mailboxes can use
the telephone user int erface to acce ss fax messages in their mailbox. Fro m
the telephone user interface, fax-enabled subscribers can route fax or
e-mail messages (with or without attachments) to any fax device for
printing. When a subscriber requests the printing of a fax or e-mail
message, Octel Unified Messenger forwards a copy of the message to a
one-off address of the form [FAX:nnnnnnnn], where FAX is the actual
address type for the fax server and nnnnnnn is the telephone number of
the fax device supplied by the subscriber.

101-1620-005 2-21

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Routing inbound fax calls to the third-party fax server

Like voi ce cal ls, f ax ca lls placed to a su bscri ber’s extension ar e re direc ted
to the Octel Unified Messenger voice server when these calls encounter a
ring-no-answer or busy condition. Whenever the voice server receives a
call and detects that it is a fax, it places the call on courtesy hold and
initiates a call to the fax server hunt group. After a fixed time delay
(5-second def ault) Octe l Unif ied Messenger sends f ax routing informat ion
as DTMF codes to the fax server and then cuts through the fax call. The
fax routing infor mation sent b y Octel Unif ied Messe nger is determ ined by
retrieving the Microsoft Exchange FAXROUTE address for the
subscriber, based on the called extension number or entered mailbox
number.

After the fax server receives the fax, it determines the Exchange
subscriber’s address by finding the subscriber with a matching
FAXROUTE address. Then the f ax server creates an e-mai l message with
a .TIF attachment (TIFF group 3 fax format), sets the message class to
IMP.NOTE.FAX, and sends the message to the subscriber’s mailbox.

2-22 101-1620-005

3

System architecture

This chapter introduces the Octel Unified Messenger system architecture
and describes some of its key concepts, such as the voice mail domain
(VMD) and addressing mechanisms. This chapter also contains a list of
the main system components, including client, server, and telephony.

101-1620-005 3-13-1

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Introduction

This section introduces the concept of a v oi ce mail domain, as well as the
various methods that subscribers can use to address voice messages.

Voice mail domain

An Octel Unifie d Messenger voice mail do main is a group of OMD voice
servers that share the same set of properties, for example, PBX settings.
Any changes made to a voice mail domain’s properties are updated and
replicated automatically to all voice servers in the domain. Voice mail
domains provide the ability to store and retrieve properties that belong to
a set of servers working together to give integrated call answering.

A voice server has configurable properties, which are maintained by the
system administrator using administrative utilities. Many of these
properties are configured identically for all the ser ver s. An e xample is the
dates of public holidays. It would be unacceptable to have one server
announcing that the office is open for business, while another server is
simultaneously claiming that the business is closed in observance of a
holiday. It would also be unacceptable to require administrators to ensure
that these properties are configured identically in several voice servers
because of the workload involved, and the risk of error.

The group of v oice s erv er s in a v oice mail do main can be see n as a single ,

“virtual” serv er for tha t domain. This vir tual vo ice serv er allo ws any Octel
Unified Messenger subscribers in the domain to call in using the
telephone user interface, access their mailboxes, and retrieve their
messages. Also, the virtual voice server can call the telephone of any
subscriber who runs Octel Unified Messenger PC client applications to
play back voice messages.

An organizatio n can cr eate mult iple v oice mai l domains, f or ex ample, one
in each major geographical site. Figure 3-1 shows a typical
implementation. It co nsists of two voice mail domains, one in San
Francisco with three voice servers and two Exchange servers, and one in
London with one voice server and one Exchange server.

3-2 101-1620-005

System architecture

Figure 3-1. Example of typical implementation of voice mail domains

3

LAN

San Francisco

4

1

4

4

2

Voice mail domain 1

WAN

6

6

2

5

1

4

Voice mail domain 2

1PBX
2 Subscribers VMD1
3 Octel Tracing Server for VMD1
4 Octel Voice Server
5 Octel Tracing Server for VMD2
6 Microsoft Exchange server
7 Subscribers VMD2

6

LAN

London

7

7

101-1620-005 3-3

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Addressing messages

When sending voice messages, subscribers enter recipients’ addresses
differently depending on whether they use the PC user interface or the
telephone user interface.

From the PC user
interface

From the telephone
user interface

A subscriber can retrieve recipients’ addresses from the Exchange
directory, in other words, from t heir addr ess bo oks. Exc hange s upport s an
enterprise-wide directory, which has the following benefits to Octel
Unified Messenger subscribers:

n The worldwide corporate directory uses unique identifiers valid

from anywhere in the enterprise.

n Directory information updated in one location is automatically

available in every location.

The following methods are available for subscribers to designate the
recipients of a message using the telephone user interface:

n The local mailbox number.
n The numeric address.
n Dial-by-Name.
n The OctelNet address.

For more information about addressing mechanisms, see Chapter 4,
“Designing addressing schemes”.

3-4 101-1620-005

System architecture

System components

The system components of Octel Unified Messenger are classified in
three categories:

n Client components
n Server components
n Telephony components

Client components

The client applications enable subscribers and administrators to access
Octel Unified Messenger from the telephone or from their desktop PCs.

Telephone access Outsid e callers inte ract with Octel Unified Messeng er through the

telephone to leave voice messages or faxes.
In addition, subscribers can access the following applications through the

telephone user interface.

Octel Unified Messenger Options

This application enables subscribers to configure the main voice mail
properties of their mailbox. Subscribers can also override the default fax
number to print a fax to a different fax machine.

Note: Octel Unified Messenger Options can also be accessed from a

desktop PC.

Voice mail system

The telephone user interface provides voice mail subscribers with a
friendly and easy way to record, send, reply to, or forward voice mail
messages. Voice mail subscribers can also forward fax messages to other
subscribe rs or to a fax device for printing.

Exchange e-mail system

Subscribers can save, forward, or delete e-mail, voice, and fax messages.
They can also use the text-to-speech conversion feature of Octel Unified
Messenger to listen to e-mail messages over the telephone.

101-1620-005 3-5

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

PC access From a desktop PC, subscribers and administrators can use the following

Octel Unified Messenger applications.

Octel Unified Messenger Options

The Octel Unified Messenger Options application enables subscribers to
modify their mailbox settings at any time from their PC user interface.

Note: The Octel Unified Messenger Options can also be accessed

from the telephone user interface.

Subscribers can modify all or some of their mailbox settings, depending
on how the mailbox is configured by the administrator.

When a mailbo x is initially enabled for voic e mail, the adm inistrator sets
subscriber defaults for incoming call and message handling. The
administrator also determines the initial telephone password, sets defaults
for the greeting played to outside callers when the line is busy or
unanswered, determi nes how voice messages are sorted in the subscriber
mailbox, and specifies the default fax printing telephone number.

For more information on Octel Unified Messenger Options, see the Octel

Unified Messenger Subscriber’s Reference Guide.

Octel Unified Messenger Voice Form

The Octel Unified Messenger Voice Form application provides a quick
and easy way to send voice messages from within Microsoft Exchange. It
makes recording and sending voice messages from the de sktop PC as easy
as writing and sending e-mail messages.

Subscribers can reply to and forward voice messages with both voice and
e-mail messages. They can al so attach an e- mail or v oice message to a fax
message.

For more information on Oc tel Unified Messenger Voice Form, see the

Octel Unified Messenger Subscriber’s Reference Guide.

Octel Unified Messenger Voice Recorder

With Octel Unified Messenger Voice Recorder, subscribers can record
voice and embed recordings as a voice object into an OLE or ActiveX
application, such as Microsoft Word. Recipients of the document can
listen to and change the recording, using Octel Unified Messenger Voice
Recorder.

Octel Unified Messenger Voice Recorder works independently from

Microsoft Exchange and Octel Unif ied Messenger ’ s Voice Form. It can be
used to send voice messages.

3-6 101-1620-005

System architecture

Administration
applications

System administrators can use the following applications and tools to
manage Octel Unified Messe nger.

Voice Mail System Configuration

This application displays property pages for configuring and maintaining
the voice mail system. Pr opertie s that are shared acr oss v oices s erver s in a
voice mail domain can be configured centrally. Any changes made to a

voice mail domain’s properties are then replicated to all voice servers in
the domain.

Voice Mail User Administration Extension

This tool adds voice mail administration for a mailbox to Microsoft
Exchange Administrator. It allows an Octel Unified Messenger
administrator to voice enable a mailbox, and maintain voice mail
information for an Octel Unified Messenger subscriber.

Operation History Viewer

This diagnostic tool lets administrators view events generated by voice
mail system activity that are logged in the Octel Unified Messenger
operation history dat ab ase. The y can view live e v ents as the y ar e added t o
the operation histor y database, or view histor ical events.

Reporting Tool

This tool enables administrators to generate reports for monitoring voice
mail system usage, for planning capacity, and for tracking security. Once
a report is generated, an administrator can zoom in on a specific area of
interest or p rint t he repo rt for easy r eference . Report s can a lso be exp orted
to several popular file formats, or attached to a message sent via a
MAPI-enab led e-mail system.

Port Monitor

This application provides a graphical interf ace for che cking an d changi ng
the status of ports on a voice server.

OctelNet Gateway Administration Extension

This tool extends Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator with
administration for an OctelNet gateway.

Visual Voice Editor

This application presents a graphi cal interface for recording customized
company prompts for use by the automated attendant. For example, the
organization’s Welcome greeting. Customized prompts can be recorded
using multimedia equipment or a telephone. Visual Voice Editor displays
audio data as a waveform to enable precise prompt editing.

101-1620-005 3-7

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Server components

Octel Unified Messenger adds two types of servers, the voice server and
the tracing server, to the Microsoft Exchange Server environment.

Voice server An Octel Unified Messenger voice server provides or supports the

following func ti ons:

n Call management. This function provides an interface between

the voice cards and the Octel Unified Messenger telephony
applications.

n Messaging. This function provides communication between

Microsoft Exchange and the Octel Unified Messenger
applications.

n User Profile. This function provides access to the data associated

with individual subscribers, such as numeric address and spoken
name.

n Text-to-speech. The voice server includes a speech synthesis

device that allows subscribers to hear their e-mail messages over
the telephone. This feature is also used for name confirmation,
when a recorded name is not available.

n Administration, configuration, and addressing support.
n OctelNet gateway support.
n Significant Event Log. The server software records significant

events or alarms in the Windows NT Event Log.

n Statistics and performance counters. The voice server software

outputs statistics and performance information using the
Windows NT Performance Monitor.

n Operation history event generation. Voice server software

components generate operation history events during their
execution. Thes e events are written to the operation history
database.

n Fax capability. The server software detects faxes and forwards

them to third-party fax servers.

n Print capability. The server software forwards fax and e-mail

messages to third-party fax servers for printing.

3-8 101-1620-005

System architecture

Tracing server A tracing server maintains connections with all voice servers in a voice

mail domain, and performs the following tasks:

n Collects the events that are of interest to an administrator for

diagnostic purposes, for example, a Call Waiting state generated
by the telephone user interface.

n Writes the events to the operation history da tabase.
n Periodically creates transactions from the operation history

database, and writes them to the transaction database.

n Periodically cleans up expired events from the operation history

database and from the transaction database.

101-1620-005 3-9

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

PBX integration

Callers who are forwarded to a voice server can leave a message for the
called party without additional intervention. This is made possible
through the integration of the PBX or Centrex with the Octel Unified
Messenger voice server.

With an integrated voice server, callers are greeted by the personal
greeting of the called party, inviting them to leave a message. Integration
also provides callers with the option to transfer to another extension if
they choose not to leave a message.

In an interfac ed environment, in other words, w ithout PBX integration,

calls to a subscriber’s telephone are forwarded, but no information about
the call is passed to the voice message server. The caller is requested to
reenter the mai lbox or e xtension number of the pe rson who i s being c alled
in order to play the personal greeting.

Integration is accomplished when a call is forwarded to the voice server
and the telephone system passes information about the call. This
information includes calling party identification if known, called party
identification, and a forwarding reason code.

There are four ways to integrate a PBX with Octel Unified Messenger:

n In-band signaling
n Serial RS-232 data channel
n Digital Meridian Integration Device (DMID)
n Voice Bridge II

In-band signaling In-band signaling involves connecting the voice server to the PBX as if it

were a series of single-line telephones or a series of trunks in a hunt
group. The term “in-band” is used because all of the call identification
information is passed from the PBX to the voice server using DTMF
signals on the same line as the voice connection.

Series RS-232 data
channel

This method of int egrat ion involves the connectio n of an RS-232 dat a link
from the PBX to the voice server. When an incoming call is sent to the
voice server, it is accompanied by a digital message from the PBX. This
messages contains the call infor mation. Although it is sent ov er a sepa rate
path from the incoming voice call, the call identification i nformation is
linked to a particular voice port on the messaging server. This port
answers the call and plays the appropriate greeting. Data is sent to the
voice server using a standard protocol called Simplified Message Desk
Interface (SMDI) PBX-proprietary protocol.

3-10 101-1620-005

System architecture

Digital Meridian
Integration Device

The Digital Meridian Inte gration De vice (DMI D) is a de vice tha t pro vides
integration with Northern Telecom switches, such as the Meridian SL-1.
The DMID is located between the PBX and the voice server and appears
as one or two digital telephones to the PBX, depending on the number of
analog ports required. It is connected to the voice server via an RS-232
link. Analog line cir cuits for th e v oi ce pat h appea r on the digit al se t of th e
DMID. When a call is received on the DMID, it simultaneously rings at
the analog port. The DMID interprets the call display information and
transmits i t to the voice server, which answers the caller with the
appropriate personal greeting.

VoiceBridge II The VoiceBridge II is a device tha t provides integration with s everal

switch types, including the AT&T G3 and the Rolm 9751. It is connected
to the PBX through one or more digital telephone lines and to the voice
server via an RS-232 link. When a call is received, the VoiceBridge II
routes it to an available voice port and transmits the call information to the
messaging server in SMDI format. The caller is answered with the
appropriate greeting.

101-1620-005 3-11

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Audio encoding formats

Octel Unified Messenger supports the following audio encoding formats:

n ADPCM audio encoding format. This is a high quality audio

encoding algorithm with a coding rate of 32 kilobit per second.

n Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) 6.10 audio

encoding format. Th is au dio en codi ng fo rmat ha s a c oding rate of
approximately 13 kilobit per second.

GSM has the following benefits:

n Voice messages using GSM only use 40% of the storage

space compared with ADPCM messages. This reduces the
network bandwidth and storage requirements. It has a more
significant impact if a high proportion of subscribers use
Octel Unified Messenger through slow network connections.

n The GSM audio compression manager codec is available on

all Windows desktops. Voice messag es recorded using Octel
Unified Messenger and sent to non-Unified Messenger users
can be played back using Microsoft Sound Recorder on a
multimedia-equipped PC without requiring any additional
software.

System administrators de ci de whether to use GSM or ADPCM format by
voice mail domain in Voice Mail System Configuration.

Important information for Octel Unified Messenger subscribers
upgrading from earlier releases

The selection of GSM as the preferred audio format for existing
installations should be carefully considered. Octel Unified Messenger
releases earlier than release 3.0 do not support the GSM format.
Consequently, any voice messages encoded using GSM format cannot be
played back by earlier releases of Octel Unified Messenger. System
administrators should ensure their system uses ADPCM only until all
Octel Unified Messenger components throughout their enterprise are
updated to Octel Unified Messenger 3.0.

When changing to GSM, all client systems need to be updated with the
new configuration information. This is achieved by using Octel Unified
Messenger Options to connect to an Octel Unified Messenger voice
server. Until subscribers update their desktops, they will continue to send
voice messages in ADPCM format.

3-12 101-1620-005

4

Designing addressing schemes

This chapter introduces different forms of addressing and describes the
following addressing schemes:

n Local mailbox number.
n Dial-by-Name.
n Numeric addresses.

101-1620-005 4-14-1

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Introduction

Octel Unified Messenger subscribers can use different forms of
addressing:

From the PC user interface

Subscribers use the Microsoft Exchange directory for addressing
messages. An address is alw ays unique within th e Exchange director y . An
address en tered at any location is auto matically available at all locations
within the organization.

From the telephone user interface

Octel Unified Messenger supports four custom forms of addressing.
These four forms are needed because the telephone user interface (TUI)
does not provide a facility to enter alphabetic characters easily. They also
reduce the number of digits that are needed to address messages from the
telephone user interface. The four special forms of addressing are as
follows:

n Local mailbox number
n Dial-by-Name
n Numeric address
n OctelNet address

This chapter contains information on the first three addressing schemes.

For information on OctelNet addresses, see Chapter 5, “Providing
Interoperability with Existing Octe l Servers”.

4-2 101-1620-005

Local mailbox numbers

Local mailbox numbers are used to addr es s any Octel Unified Messenger
subscriber in a voice mail domain from the telephone user interface.
Traditional voice mail systems typically use this form of addressing.

Within a voice mail domain, all local mailbox numbers must have the
same number of digits. Each l ocal mailbox numbe r must be uniq ue within
the domain. Many o rgani zations use t elephone e xtension number s as local
mailbox numbers. This means that a separate directory item for mailbox
numbers does not need to be maintained.

In a Centrex environment, many organizations use only the last four or
fiv e di gits of the subscr iber tel ephone nu mbers as loc al mail box number s.
This provides a shorter number that is easy to enter, but still unique. Other
schemes are also possible.

Note: A local mailbox number has no signif ica nce outsi de the v oice

mail domain. For example, it cannot be used as an element of
an OctelNet address.

Designing addressing schemes

101-1620-005 4-3

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Dial-by-Name

Dial-by-Name is a method of addressing messages by spelling the

recipient’s name using the keys on the telephone keypad.
T o sup port Dial- by-Name addressi ng, Octel Unif ie d Messenge r maintain s

an internal database of all recipients in the Exchange directory. This
database is indexed by the DTMF codes corresponding to their spelled
names in “last name, first name” order. Any user in the Exchange
directory can be selected through Dial-by-Name addressing, making it
basically equivalent to entering a recipient's spelled name on the desktop
PC. This provides a means of addressing messages to both Octel Unified
Messenger subscribers and users on other OMD Octel systems.

Note: With Dial-by-Name, if subscribers do not record their own

names, the telephone user interface voices their Microsoft
Exchange display names. This should be taken into
consideration when setting up a format for display names in
the Microsoft Exchange directory.

4-4 101-1620-005

Numeric addresses

A numeric address enables subscribers to address any Octel Unified
Messenger recipient in an organization.

Every Octel Unified Messenger recipient must be assigned a unique
numeric address. The numeric address allows a subscriber to send a
message to any reci pient from the telephone us er interf ace wit hout ha ving

to know the recipient’s location. The Exchange directory ensures that all
numeric addresses are unique, and makes them available to all locations
within the organization.

It is recommended that all numeric addresses have the same number of
digits. However, the length of a numeric address must not be the same as
the length of the local ma ilbox number in any voice mail domain within
the organization. If the lengths conflict, Octel Unified Messenger cannot
distinguish between a local mailbox number and a numeric address. It
assumes the address is a local mailbox number. To avoid conflicts with
the length of any local mailbox numbers, leading digits may be added to
numeric addresses.

Designing addressing schemes

Organizations may choose to use telephone numbers for numeric
addresses because they are unique. Other possible schemes include:

n A geographic location code associated with a local mailbox

number.

n Social sec urity numbe rs.
n Employee numbers.
n Short numeric addresse s, such as “55” f or a Help Desk, or “1” for

the CEO’s office etc.

101-1620-005 4-5

This page intentionally left blank.

5

Providing interoperability

with existing Octel servers

This chapter describes how existing Octel servers can communicate with

Octel Unified Messenger. It introduces Oc telNet, OMD’s solution for
voice networking between Octel servers. It includes information on:

n Designing an OctelN et addressing scheme .
n Addressing OctelNet messages.
n Providing single-site interoperability.

101-1620-005 5-15-1

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Introduction to OctelNet

OctelNet is a networking application that allows users on one OMD
system to exchange messages with users on other OMD systems. For

example, organizations already using OMD’s Octel system can provide
interoperability with Oc tel Unified Messenger through O ctelNet. This
allows them to link all employees in one cost-effective messaging
network that is easy to use and manage.

With OctelNet, OMD servers may be located in the same building, in
different cities, or in different countries around the world. Octel Unified
Messenger supports OctelNe t as an Exch ange gateway. This allows Octel
Unified Messenge r subsc riber s to exch ange voice messages with users on
Octel servers inside of their organization. Subscribers can also exchange
voice mail messages with users outside of their organization, such as
customers or vendors, as long as those users have Octel servers with
OctelNet s oftware.

Figure 5-1. OctelNet provides networkin g between Octel servers and Octel
Unified Messenger

™

5-2 101-1620-005

OctelNet M essaging Fe at ures

When sending or receiving messages via OctelNet, subscribers can:

n Mark messages as urgent.
n Request message confirmation.
n View envelope information.
n Reply to messages.
n Address messages by spelling a recipient’s name, using

NameNet.

n Receive spoken name confirmation, using NameNet.

Providing interoperability with existing Octel servers

NameNet

™

NameNet allows users to address messages to recipients in the Exchange
directory by spelling the recipient’s name on the telephone keypad. This
feature is known as Dial-by-Name.

NameNet also provides spoken name confirmation for OctelNet

messages. Wi th spok en name conf irmati on, the recip ient’s name is played
to the sender when the message is addressed. This confirms that the
message is being sent to the right person.

Note: With Dial-by-Name and spoken name confirmation, if

subscribers do not record their own names, the TUI voices
their Microsoft Exchange display names. This should be
taken into consideration when setting up a format for display
names in the Microsoft Exchange directory.

101-1620-005 5-3

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Designing an OctelNet addressing scheme

For messages to be sent via the OctelNet gateway, the administrator must
set up an OctelNet addressing scheme. If required, multiple addressing
schemes can be set up for a single OctelNet node. This allows OctelNet
messages to be addressed in different ways to the same destination
system.

Setting up an OctelNet addressing scheme

An OctelNet addressing scheme consists of:

n A prefix.
n Additional digits.
n Mailbox length.

Prefix A prefix is a number used by the sending system as a way of addressing

OctelNet messages to the destination system. For more information on

setting up prefixes, see “OctelNet addressing scheme design rules” on
page 5-5.

Additional digits Additional digits are the number of dig its that t he subscri ber must enter in

addition to the prefix to form a complete OctelNet address. Since an
OctelNet address consists of the pr efix followed by the mailbox number,
additional digits are normally the same as the number of digits in the
mailbox number on the destination system. For example,

1234 (prefix) + 6002 (mailbox number)
= 12346002 (OctelNet address)

In this example, the number of additional digits is 4, because 4 digits
(6002) must be added to the prefix to form a complete OctelNet address.

In some cases, however, the prefix can include only some digits of the
mailbox number. For example:

1234 (prefix) + 4002 (mailbox number)
= 1234002 (OctelNet address)

In this example, the number of additional digits is 3 (for the digits 002),
because the 4 of the prefix overlaps with the 4 of the mailbox number.

Mailbox length Mailbox length is the number of digits in the mailbox numbers on the

destination system.

5-4 101-1620-005

Providing interoperability with existing Octel servers

OctelNet addressing scheme design rules

When designing OctelNet addressing schemes, the following rules must
be observed.

n The mailbox length must be greater than or equal to 3 digits.
n The additional digits must be less than or equal to the mailbox

length.

n The number of digits in the prefix plus the additional digits must

be greater than or equal to the mailbox length.

n In multiple addressing schemes, no two prefixes can contain the

same first digits, if the sum of the additional digits and the
number of digits in the prefix is the same in each case. For more

information, see “Examples” on page 5-6.

Note: This rule applies to addressing schemes across all

OctelNet nodes in the organization.

101-1620-005 5-5

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Sample addressing scheme s

Table 5-1 shows examples of valid OctelNet address schemes. Table 5-2
shows examples of invalid OctelNet multiple addressing schemes.

Table 5-1. Valid OctelNet multiple addressing schemes

Addressing scheme Why is this valid

prefix

1234

additional
digits

4

mailbox
length

5

Although all the pref i x es ha v e t he
same first digits, the sum of the
additional digits and the number
of digits in the prefix is different

1234
12345

prefix

12345

5
5

additional
digits

3

5
5

mailbox
length

4

in each case. (See rule 4.)

Although the sum of the
additional digits and the number
of digits in the prefix is the same
(8), the first digits of the prefix

4321
4322
4323

Table 5-2. Invalid OctelNet multiple addressing schemes

Addressing scheme Why is this invalid

prefix

1234
12345

4
4
4

additional
digits

4
3

4
4
4

mailbox
length

4
4

are different in each case. (See
rule 4.)

1234 has the same first digits as
12345, and in each case the sum
of the number of digits in the
prefix and the addition al digits is
the same (8). (See rule 4.)

prefix

1234
1234

5-6 101-1620-005

additional
digits

5
6

mailbox
length

4
5

The number of additional digits i s
greater than the mailbox length.
(See rule 2.)

Providing interoperability with existing Octel servers

Addressing OctelNet messages

OctelNet addresses provide a means of sending voice messages to
recipients on a v oice messagi ng server that suppor ts OctelNet ne tworking,
such as any OM D Octel Message Server.

Addressing OctelNet messages from Octel Unified Messenger

Two methods can be used for addr ess ing messages to OctelNet recipients :

n Administered OctelNet addressing.
n Casual OctelNet addressing.

Administered
OctelNet addressing

Casual OctelNet
addressing

With administered OctelNet addressing, the administrator creates a

“custom recipient”. Each OctelNet custom recipient entry must contain
the recipient’ s Oct elNet address and name. OctelNet custom recipient s are
automatic ally replicated to all Exchange server s in an organization.

To send a message to an OctelNet recipient from the telephone user
interface, t he subscribe r enters t he OctelNet ad dress and re ceiv es a spok en
name confirmation.

To send an OctelNet message from the desktop PC, the subscriber selects
the custom recipient from the Exchange Address Book.

To send a message to an OctelNet recipient from the telephone user
interface with casual OctelNet addressing, the subscriber enters an
OctelNet address. This address is made up of a prefix number and a
mailbox number. The OctelNet gateway delivers the message to the
address specified. Spoken name confirmation does not take place with
casual OctelNet addressing.

To send a casual OctelNet message from the desktop PC, the subscriber
enters an address of the type [OCTELNET:ppppmmmm], where pppp is
the prefix and mmmm is the mailbox address.

Addressing OctelNet messages to Octel Unified Messenger recipients

To send an OctelNet m essage to an Octel Unified Messenger recipient,
the user enters an addr ess. This add ress consi sts of the pr efi x for th e Octel
Unified Messeng er OctelNet gateway node, followed by th e numeric
address for the Octel Unified Messenger recipient.

101-1620-005 5-7

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Providing single-site interoperability

Although OctelNet is generally used to link multiple sites, it can also be
used to exchange messages betwe en Octel Unif ied Me ssenger su bscriber s
and Octel message server users at the same site. When an Octel Unified
Messenger system and an Octel server share the same PBX, OctelNet
networking can be configured to operate like a single voice server by
using automatic mailbox forwarding.

Automatic mailbox forwarding

Automatic m ailbox forwarding capa bility is provided by the
Follow-Me-Forward feature on Octel servers with Aria™ software, and

the Auto-Co py/Auto-Delete feature on Octel servers with Serenade™
software. On systems that use automatic mailbox forwarding:

n Automated Attendant allows outside callers to use Dial-by-Name

to reach any user on the PBX regardless of which server (Octel
Unified Messenger or Octel message server) the user resides on.

Forwarding Octe lNet
messages

n All messages sent to the mail box on the Octel mess age serv er can

be forwarded a utomatically to the Octel U nified Messenger
mailbox, if a subscriber has a mailbox on an Octel message ser ver
and an Octel Unified Messenger mailbox.

n When sending messages, Octel message server users can address

messages to Octel Unified Messenger subscribers in the same
way that they address messages to users on the Octel server, that
is, by entering a mailbox number. Messages for Octel Unified
Messenger subscribers are automatically forwarded to their
mailboxes on the Octel Unified Messenger system.

With automatic mailbox forwarding, users on Octel servers at other sites
can send OctelNet messages to Octel Unified Messenger subscribers
without any changes to the OctelNet addressing scheme. The message is
received in the subscriber's mailbox on the Octel server, where it is
automatically forwarded to the Octel Unified Messenger mailbox.

5-8 101-1620-005

6

Connecting with the PBX

and establishing security rules

This chapter introduces the following:

n How to connect with the PBX.
n The Octel Unified Messenger’s security features that prevent

unauthorized access.

101-1620-005 6-16-1

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Connecting with the PBX

Using the Voice Mail System Configuration application, an administrator
can specify the parameters necessary to enable PBX integration to the
voice server.

See the Octel Unified Messenge r documentati on for the specific
information required for the major PBX types. These notes are available
from the Octel support representative.

6-2 101-1620-005

Connecting with the PBX and establishing security rules

Establishing security rules

Octel Unified Me ssenger offers several features that reduce the risk of
fraudulent long distance charges, unintended disclosure of confidential
information, and decreased performance of the voice servers.

Access to voice mail domain administration

Administrators creat e and mai ntain v oice mail doma ins, and conf igure t he
voice servers in these domains. The Voice Mail System Configuration
application presents a collection of property pages for performing these
tasks.

The OMD voice servers run under the Microsoft Windows NT operating
system. All access to the servers is mediated by the Windows NT domain
security mechanism.

Access to the Voice Mail System Configuration application is strictly
controlled through the voice mail domain security feature. This enables
administrators to maintain lists of users and grou ps who are authorized to
administer the voice mail domain. For information on configuring
security for a voice mail domain, see the Octel Unified Messenge r
Administrator’s Guide.

Access to subscriber accounts administration

Octel Unified Messenger administrators create and configure voice mail
accounts for subscribers. OMD has extended the Microsoft Exchange
Administrator with the Voice Mail property page which can only be used
by Exchange ad ministrators.

Access to subscriber mailboxes

Octel Unified Messenger subscribers gain access to the message server
from a desktop PC or through the telephone user interface. Access to
messages via the desktop PC is controlled by the security scheme
established for Microsoft Exchange users. Access through the telephone
user interfa ce is contro lled by a subscriber passw ord. Thi s pass w ord is set
through Octel Unified Messenger Options or through the telephone user
interface.

The following Oc tel Unified Messeng er features a llow th e administrator
to minimize the risk of unauthorized access to the messaging server,
messages and long distance lines.

101-1620-005 6-3

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Subscriber
password for the
telephone user
interface

Octel Unified Messenger subscribers maintain a password for accessing
their voice mail through the telephone user interface. They can do this
either from Octel Unified Messenger Options on their desktop PC or
through the telephone user interface.

The administrator enables a subscriber account for voice messaging and
determines the i nit ial passw ord for t eleph one acces s. The i nit ial passw or d
can be a randomly generated number. When subscribers access the voice
mail system through the telephone user interface for the first time, they
are prompted to change their passwords. Administrators can reset a
subscriber password at any time, but they are unable to view the
password.

Subscriber passw or ds for the telephone user i nterface can be from 0 to 3 2
digits in length. The Octel Unified Messenger administrator establishes
the minimum password lengt h as a system- wide paramet er. Increasing the
number of digits in a password lowers the probability that an
unauthorized user might guess it. Table 6-1 shows the probability of
guessing a passw ord co rrectly, as a functi on of the lengt h of the password .
With a 6-digit password, the probability of guessing a password is 1 in
900,000.

6-4 101-1620-005

Connecting with the PBX and establishing security rules

The administrator can also enable password expiration that forces
subscribers to change passwords at predetermined time intervals.
Changing passwords periodically reduces the chances of an unauthorized

user gaining access to a subscriber’s mailbox.

Table 6-1. Probability of guessing password

Number of digits in the
password

Odds of correctly guessing the
password

11 in 9
21 in 90
31 in 900
4 1 in 9,000
5 1 in 90,000
6 1 in 900,000
7 1 in 9,000,000
8 1 in 90,000,000
9 1 in 900,000,000
10 1 in 9,000,000,000
11 1 in 90,000,000,000
12 1 in 900,000,000,000
13 1 in 9,000,000,000,000
14 1 in 90,000,000,000,000
15 1 in 900,000,000,000,000

101-1620-005 6-5

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Recipient’s name
confirmation

Disconnecting
callers who enter
incorrect passwords

Handling callers
who make too many
errors

Octel Unified Messenger confirms the name of the recipient before
sending a voice message from one subscriber to another. This feature
makes it possible for sender of voice messages to ensure that their
messages are delivered to the intended destination.

If a caller enters an incorrect password to a subscriber’s account, Octel
Unified Messenger informs the caller of the error, and requests entry of
the correct password. The caller is offered another opportunity for two
reasons:

n The caller might ha ve pres sed key s quickly, inadvertent ly missing

digits.

n The caller may have recently changed his or her password and

accidentally entered the old password.

Octel Unified Messenger can be configured to disconnect when a
threshold of between one to three attempts has been met. If a caller does
not enter the correct password in the allowed number of attempts, the
caller is automatically disconnected. This feature prevents unauthorized
users from trying various numbers repeatedly in order to discover a
password.

Octel Unified Messenger has t he capability to disconnect or transfer
callers who make too many errors while trying to navigate through the
system. The number of erro rs - from 0 to 9 er rors - can be conf ig ured on a
system-wide basis.

Monitoring system
usage reports

Other security
precautions

Octel Unified Messenger provide s two standard re ports that allow the
administrator to monitor the system for potential misuse. These can be
generated using the Reporting Tool application.

n The Port Statistics report shows the number of calls coming into

the ports. Substantial activity occurring at unusual times of the
day can be an indicator of unauthorized system usage.

n The Login Failure s report recor ds informati on about unsucces sful

telephone logins due to an incorr ect passw ord or mail box number
being entered. Numerous login failures may indicate
unauthorized users trying to access Octel Unified Messenger.

Additional security measures can be implemented on PBX or Centrex
systems.

Access restrictions can be imposed by limit ing access to the lines used by
Octel Unifie d Messenger for call proc essing thr ough toll re strict ion. Long
distance carriers also have security services available to help control
unauthorized users. They can monitor normal usage and provide
immediate notification of unusually high long-distance call activity.
Organizations should contact their long distance carrier for more
information about these services.

6-6 101-1620-005

A

Appendix A - Sizing for ports

This appendix gives guidelines for estimating how many users can be
supported with a given number of voice ports.

101-1620-005 A-1

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Calculating the number of supported subscribers

Table A-1 through Table A-18 can be used as guidelines for estimating
how many users can be sup port ed with a given number of ports, based on
average daily port usage per subscriber. These tables also provide for
traffic patterns of 10%, 14%, or 18% Busy Hour traffic.

Table A-1. Number of supported subscribers with four ports

Average usage per
subscriber per day
(minutes)

Busy hour peak (% of
daily calls)

Number of
subscribers

10 18 36
10 14 46
10 10 65
81845
81458
81081
61860
61477
610108
418 90
414116
410163
218181
214232

A-2 101-1620-005

Appendix A - Sizing for ports

Table A-2. Number of supported subscribers with eight ports

Average usage per
subscriber per day
(minutes)

Busy hour peak (% of
daily calls)

Number of
subscribers

10 18 120
10 14 155
10 10 217
818150
814193
810271
618201
614258
610361
418301
414387
410542
218602
214774
2101083

101-1620-005 A-3

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Table A-3. Number of supported subscribers with twelve ports

Average usage per
subscriber per day
(minutes)

Busy hour peak (% of
daily calls)

Number of
subscribers

10 18 220
10 14 283
10 10 397
818275
814354
810496
618367
614472
610661
418551
414708
410992
2181102
2141417
2101983

A-4 101-1620-005

Appendix A - Sizing for ports

Table A-4. Number of supported subscribers with sixteen ports

Average usage per
subscriber per day
(minutes)

Busy hour peak (% of
daily calls)

Number of
subscribers

10 18 327
10 14 420
10 10 588
818409
814525
810735
618545
614700
610981
418817
4141051
4101471
2181634
2142101
2102942

101-1620-005 A-5

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Table A-5. Number of supported subscribers with twenty ports

Average usage per
subscriber per day
(minutes)

Busy hour peak (% of
daily calls)

Number of
subscribers

10 18 439
10 14 564
10 10 790
818549
814705
810988
618731
614940
6101317
4181097
4141411
4101975
2182194
2142821
2103950

A-6 101-1620-005

Appendix A - Sizing for ports

Table A-6. Number of supported subscribers with twenty-four ports

Average usage per
subscriber per day
(minutes)

Busy hour peak (% of
daily calls)

Number of subscribers

10 18 554
10 14 712
10 10 997
818692
814890
8101246
618923
6141187
6101661
4181384
4141780
4102492
2182769
2143560
2104983

101-1620-005 A-7

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Table A-7. Number of supported subscribers with twenty-eight ports

Average usage per
subscriber per day
(minutes)

Busy hour peak (% of
daily calls)

Number of
subscribers

10 18 671
10 14 863
10 10 1208
818839
8141079
8101510
6181119
6141438
6102014
4181678
4142158
4103021
2183356
2144315
2106042

A-8 101-1620-005

Appendix A - Sizing for ports

Table A-8. Number of supported subscribers with thirty-two ports

Average usage per
subscriber per day
(minutes)

Busy hour peak (% of
daily calls)

Number of
subscribers

10 18 791
10 14 1017
10 10 1423
818988
8141271
8101779
6181318
6141694
6102372
4181977
4142542
4103558
2183954
2145083
2107117

101-1620-005 A-9

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Table A-9. Number of supported subscribers with thirty-six ports

Average usage per
subscriber per day
(minutes)

Busy hour peak (% of
daily calls)

Number of
subscribers

10 18 911
10 14 1171
10 10 1640
8181139
8141464
8102050
6181519
6141952
6102733
4182278
4142929
4104100
2184556
2145857
2108200

A-10 101-1620-005

Appendix A - Sizing for ports

Table A-10. Number of supported subscribers with forty ports

Average usage per
subscriber per day
(minutes)

Busy hour peak (% of
daily calls)

Number of
subscribers

10 18 1032
10 14 1327
10 10 1858
8181291
8141659
8102323
6181721
6142212
6103097
4182581
4143318
4104646
2185162
2146637
2109292

101-1620-005 A-11

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Table A-11. Number of supported subscribers with forty-four ports

Average usage per
subscriber per day
(minutes)

Busy hour peak (% of
daily calls)

Number of
subscribers

10 18 1156
10 14 1486
10 10 2080
8181444
8141857
8102600
6181926
6142476
6103467
4182889
4143714
4105200
2185778
2147429
2 10 10400

A-12 101-1620-005

Appendix A - Sizing for ports

Table A-12. Number of supported subscribers with forty-eight ports

Average usage per
subscriber per day
(minutes)

Busy hour peak (% of
daily calls)

Number of
subscribers

10 18 1280
10 14 1645
10 10 2303
8181600
8142057
8102879
6182133
6142742
6103839
4183199
4144113
4105758
2186398
2148226
2 10 11517

101-1620-005 A-13

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Table A-13. Number of supported subscribers with fifty-two ports

Average usage per
subscriber per day
(minutes)

Busy hour peak (% of
daily calls)

Number of
subscribers

10 18 1404
10 14 1805
10 10 2527
8181755
8142256
8103158
6182340
6143008
6104211
4183509
4144512
4106317
2187019
2149024
2 10 12633

A-14 101-1620-005

Appendix A - Sizing for ports

Table A-14. Number of supported subscribers with fifty-six ports

Average usage per
subscriber per day
(minutes)

Busy hour peak (% of
daily calls)

Number of
subscribers

10 18 1529
10 14 1965
10 10 2752
8181911
8142457
8103440
6182548
6143276
6104586
4183822
4144914
4106879
2187644
2149827
2 10 13758

101-1620-005 A-15

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Table A-15. Number of supported subscribers with sixty ports

Average usage per
subscriber per day
(minutes)

Busy hour peak (% of
daily calls)

Number of subscribers

10 18 1655
10 14 2127
10 10 2978
8182068
8142659
8103723
6182758
6143546
6104964
4184137
4145318
4107446
2188273
2 14 10637
2 10 14892

A-16 101-1620-005

Appendix A - Sizing for ports

Table A-16. Number of supported subscribers with sixty-four ports

Average usage per
subscriber per day
(minutes)

Busy hour peak (% of
daily calls)

Number of subscribers

10 18 1781
10 14 2289
10 10 3205
8182226
8142862
8104006
6182968
6143815
6105342
4184451
4145723
4108013
2188903
2 14 11446
2 10 16025

101-1620-005 A-17

Octel Unified Messenger Concepts & Planning Guide

Table A-17. Number of supported subscribers with sixty-eight ports

Average usage per
subscriber per day
(minutes)

Busy hour peak (% of
daily calls)

Number of subscribers

10 18 1907
10 14 2452
10 10 3433
8182384
8143065
8104292
6183179
6144087
6105722
4184769
4146131
4108583
2189537
2 14 12262
2 10 17167

A-18 101-1620-005

Appendix A - Sizing for ports

Table A-18. Number of supported subscribers with seventy-two ports

Average usage per
subscriber per day
(minutes)

Busy hour peak (% of
daily calls)

Number of subscribers

10 18 2034
10 14 2615
10 10 3662
8182543
8143269
8104577
6183390
6144359
6106103
4185086
4146539
4109154
2 18 10171
2 14 13077
2 10 18308

101-1620-005 A-19

This page intentionally left blank.