Exchange 2013 is here and with it, a new and improved Unified Messaging architecture has introduced. Unlike it’s predecessors, UM 2013 is distributed among the Mailbox Server and the CAS Server.

Mailbox server hold the Unified Messaging Service and the CAS Server holds the Unified Messaging Call Router service. Those roles are collocated in to the CAS and Database servers. To understand in detail about the new voice architecture within new UM 2013, visit http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj150516(v=exchg.150).aspx

Let’s move on to the UM configuration process. Below are the steps i’m going to follow through out the deployment process

1. Configure Certificates and assign 

Configuring and assigning certificates are pretty much the same as Exchange 2010. Only one difference is that the Certificate need to be assigned to both UM Service and UM Call Router service

Request a new certificate from the internal CA and import the certificate to Exchange certificate wizard to complete the request

Assign the new certificate to UM Service and UM Call Router Service. Both mentioned windows services has to be restarted to get the change to effect. Both the services will not come up until the Start up mode is completed.

2. Setting the Service Start up mode for UM Service

The UM and UM Call router Services will not come up as expected. Now jump in to the Exchange Server Management Shell and run,

Set-UMService -Identity “<Exchange DB Server FQDN>” -IPAddressFamily any -UMStartupmode TLS

Now, Restart the UM windows service.

once you set the startup mode to “TLS” and the certificate is not assigned, the UM Service will not come up

3. Configure UM Dial Plan 

Fire up the Exchange Management Console Web Tool and select the Unified Messaging component. Select to create a new UM Dial Plan. Specify a name to the Dial Plan and set the Security mode as Secured.

Click on “Configure” to configure the rest of the Dial Plan.

The General Configuration of the Dial Plan.

Unlike Exchange 2010, now you can upload a customized Welcome greeting for Outlook Voice Access. Configure a number for Subscriber Access and save.

Configure the Settings for the Dial Plan. Here, you can specify the operator Extension which the calls can send to if the name look up fails. Save the configuration once completed. I’ve left the defaults there.

Configure the Dialing Rule. This part is important as here you configure rules to route calls to Extensions within the UM Dial plan. If Dialing Rules are not configures, dialing extensions while in Auto Attendant and Play On Phone feature in Outlook for Voice mail will fail.

This is the Dialing Rule that I’ve created. This rule will allow any digit without any restriction.

Set the Dialing Authorization and associate the above created Dialing Rule.

This completes the UM Dial Plan configuration. Now to configure the UM Auto Attendant.

4. Configure UM Auto Attendant

Select to create a new UM Auto Attendant. Configure a Number for the Attendant and set the attendant to respond to voice commands

Now the Dial Plan and Auto Attendant configuration is complete.

5. Setting the Service Start up mode for UM Call Router Service

Now to set the star up mode for UM Call Router Service. Run,

Set-UMCallRouterSettings -Dialplans <created dial plan> -Server <CAS Server FQDN> -UMStartupMode TLS

Now, Restart the Um Call Router windows service.

A certificate need to be assigned in to UM Call router service. Else, the service will  not start.

6. Assigning the UM Dial Plan to Um Servers.

Now to assign the Dial Plan to Servers. run,

Set-UMService -Identity <DB Server FQDN> -MaxCallsAllowed 50 -DialPlans <Name of the Dial Plan>

Set-UMCallRouterSettings -Dialplans <Name of the Dial Plan> -IPAddressFamily Any -Server <CAS Server FQDN>

7. Configure the UM IP Gateway for Lync Server 2013

Before going to this stet, verify that the UM Call Router and the UM services are up and running.

Jump in to Exchange Management Shell and navigate to, C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V 15\Scripts and run .\EXUMUCUtil.ps1

This Script will create the UP IP gateway for Lync Server by getting the server configuration from the AD.

8. Configure Objects in Lync Server for Subscriber Access and the Auto Attendant

Navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Lync Server 2013\Support and run the OCSUMUtil.exe tool. Refresh to import the configured objects in UM Server.

Click on “Add” and select the “Subscriber Access”. Specify the name for the Subscriber Access and specify a OU for the object to be created. Check the Pilot Identifier number is correct and click on OK to configure the Object.

Now, Select the “Auto Attendant” and specify a Name for the Auto Attendant and set an OU to create the object (I’ve left the name for UM and SA as the same so i had to change the OU). Click on OK once done.

8. Enable users in to UM and Test

Enable users in to UM. Verify that the AD phone Number field is populated with the users DID number before proceed with this.

Now test both the Subscriber Access and Auto Attendant by dialing the Pilot Identifier numbers.