Troubleshooting Guide for Cisco Unity Release 5.x (With IBM Lotus Domino) - Message Waiting Indicators (MWIs)  [Cisco Unity] - Cisco Systems

Table Of Contents

Message Waiting Indicators (MWIs)

How MWIs Function

When MWIs Turn On and Off

What Causes MWIs To Turn On and Off

What Causes MWIs to Behave Differently Than Expected

Troubleshooting MWIs When They Do Not Turn On or Off

Miu Component

Resolving Cisco Unified Communications Manager Integration Problems

Subscriber Phone System Assignment Is Incorrect

Notifier and Notifier Queue Components

Troubleshooting MWIs When They Are Delayed Turning On and Off

Cisco Unity Domino Server Is Down or Is Disconnected

Ports Are Too Busy to Turn MWIs On and Off Promptly

Not Enough Ports Are Set for MWIs

Calls Are Sent to Cisco Unity Ports That Set MWIs but Do Not Answer Calls

Troubleshooting MWIs When They Sometimes Do Not Turn Off

MWIs Have Lost Synchronization

The Domino Server Notes.ini File Is Not Correctly Configured

MWIs Are Randomly Turned On

Additional References

Message Waiting Indicators (MWIs)

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This chapter describes message waiting indicators (MWIs), how they function in Cisco Unity, and methods for troubleshooting them.

See the following sections:

•How MWIs Function

•Troubleshooting MWIs When They Do Not Turn On or Off

•Troubleshooting MWIs When They Are Delayed Turning On and Off

•Troubleshooting MWIs When They Sometimes Do Not Turn Off

•Additional References

How MWIs Function

An MWI is a lamp, flashing LCD panel, or special dial tone on subscriber phones that lets subscribers know a voice message is waiting. The type of indicator depends on the phone system and the phones that subscribers use.

MWIs are not the same as message notification, which is the feature that notifies a subscriber of new voice messages by calling a phone or pager, or by sending an e-mail message.

When MWIs Turn On and Off

There are two principal events that cause Cisco Unity to activate and deactivate MWIs:

•When a caller leaves a message for a subscriber, Cisco Unity notifies the phone system to activate the MWI on the phone for that subscriber.

•When the subscriber listens to the message, Cisco Unity notifies the phone system to deactivate the MWI on the phone.

There are two additional events that cause Cisco Unity to activate and deactivate MWIs:

•When a subscriber deletes a new message without listening to it or moves it to another folder, Cisco Unity notifies the phone system to deactivate the MWI on the phone.

•When MWIs are manually resynchronized—for example, by clicking Resynchronize Now on the Properties tab in the Cisco Unity Telephony Integration Manager (UTIM)—Cisco Unity queries the Data Object Hierarchy (DOH) to determine the status of MWIs on all phones, and resets all MWIs.

However, an MWI remains activated under the following conditions when a subscriber listens to a new message:

•More messages are waiting to be heard. When all new messages are listened to, the MWI will be turned off.

•A new message arrives while the subscriber is listening to the original message. When all new messages are listened to, the MWI will be turned off.

•The subscriber listens on the phone to only part of the message, then either hangs up or skips to the next message before hearing the entire message.

•The server with the message store is offline and the message is stored in the Unity Messaging Repository (UMR).

•(Unified Messaging only) In the Lotus Notes Inbox, the subscriber marks a listened-to message as unread.

•(Unified Messaging only) The subscriber uses the e-mail Inbox in offline mode to listen to messages.

•(Unified Messaging only) The subscriber uses the Lotus Notes Inbox in offline mode to listen to messages. When the Lotus Notes Inbox replicates with the Domino server, the MWI will be turned off.

In certain situations, MWIs are not activated:

•(Unified Messaging only) E-mail messages arrive. Cisco Unity monitors only voice messages.

•Fax messages arrive. Cisco Unity monitors only voice messages.

•(Unified Messaging only) Return receipts arrive. Cisco Unity monitors only voice messages.

•(Unified Messaging only) An Inbox rule automatically moves voice messages to another folder. Cisco Unity monitors only the Inbox.

•The server with the message store is offline and the message is stored in the UMR.

•(If a message store outage has occurred) After the offline message store has come back online, the messages that were stored in the UMR during the outage are moved to the message store, but MWIs will not be activated until you manually refresh them.

What Causes MWIs To Turn On and Off

The phone system is set up with one code or extension to turn MWIs on and a second code or extension to turn MWIs off. Cisco Unity sends the code or dials the extension to turn the MWI on and off for a subscriber.

You enter these codes or extensions in Cisco Unity in the Cisco Unity Telephony Integration Manager (UTIM)—click Programs > Cisco Unity > Unity Telephony Integration Manager.

Four Cisco Unity components—Domino Monitor, Notifier queue, Notifier, and Media Interface Unit or Miu—work together to turn MWIs on and off. Figure 8-1 shows how these components interact.

Figure 8-1 Components That Turn MWIs On and Off

 

 

When a new message arrives in a subscriber Inbox, these components work together in the following sequence to activate the MWI on the phone of the subscriber:

1. The Domino Monitor receives DUC notification from the Domino server each time a change occurs in the Inbox of each subscriber (when new voice messages arrive). When this happens, the Domino Monitor sends an MWI activation message to the Notifier queue.

2. The Notifier queue adds the MWI activation message as an MWI activation request (with the activation code or extension) to send to the phone system.

3. The Notifier queries the Data Object Hierarchy (DOH) to determine the status of the MWI on the phone of the subscriber.

If the DOH responds that the MWI is turned off, the Notifier sends the MWI activation request in the Notifier queue to the phone system.

If the DOH responds that the MWI is turned on, the Notifier discards the MWI activation request.

4. The Miu—which includes the integration—enables Cisco Unity to communicate successfully with the phone system. The phone system receives the request and activates the MWI on the phone of the subscriber.

5. The phone system sends the new status of the MWI (activated) to the Notifier, which then sends the status to the DOH where Cisco Unity records the MWI status.

When there are no more new messages in the subscriber Inbox (all new messages have been listened to, deleted, or marked as read), the same four Cisco Unity components work together in the following sequence to deactivate the MWI on the phone of the subscriber:

1. The Domino Monitor receives DUC notification from the Domino server each time a change occurs in the Inbox of each subscriber (all voice messages are listened to, deleted, or marked as read). When this happens, the Domino Monitor sends an MWI deactivation message to the Notifier queue.

2. The Notifier queue adds the MWI deactivation message as an MWI deactivation request (with the deactivation code or extension) to send to the phone system.

3. The Notifier queries the DOH to determine the status of the MWI on the phone of the subscriber.

If the DOH responds that the MWI is turned on, the Notifier sends the MWI deactivation request in the Notifier queue to the phone system.

If the DOH responds that the MWI is turned off, the Notifier discards the MWI deactivation request.

4. The Miu—which includes the integration—enables Cisco Unity to communicate successfully with the phone system. The phone system receives the request and deactivates the MWI on the phone of the subscriber.

5. The phone system sends the new status of the MWI (deactivated) to the Notifier, which then sends the status to the DOH where Cisco Unity records the MWI status.

What Causes MWIs to Behave Differently Than Expected

The following conditions cause MWIs to behave differently than expected:

•(Unified Messaging only) An Inbox rule automatically moves voice messages to another folder. Cisco Unity monitors only the Inbox, so the MWI is not activated.

•The DOH, which records the status of the MWI for each subscriber, received an indication that an activation or deactivation request had not succeeded when in fact it had. Consequently, the Notifier may discard subsequent MWI requests.

•There are an inadequate number of voice messaging ports on the Cisco Unity server resulting in the ports not being immediately available to dial out for activating and deactivating MWIs.

•An inadequate number of voice messaging ports on the Cisco Unity server are set to Dialout MWI, resulting in the ports being too busy to dial out immediately to activate and deactivate MWIs.

•No voice messaging ports on the Cisco Unity server are enabled to dial out.

•(Multiple Cisco Unified Communications Manager clusters) There are no voice messaging ports on the Cisco Unity server that are dedicated to activating and deactivating MWIs. There should be one port dedicated to each cluster.

•(Cisco Unified Communications Manager) In the UTIM, the MWI On Extension and MWI Off Extension fields on the MWI tab do not have the extensions that the phone system requires.

•(Circuit-switched phone systems) In UTIM, the MWI On Code and MWI Off Code fields on the MWI tab do not have the code that the phone system requires.

•The codes or extensions are switched (for example, the code that activates MWIs is entered in the MWI Off Code field).

•(Cisco Unified Communications Manager) The extensions that activate and deactivate MWIs are not in the same calling search space that contains the phones and voice mail ports.

•The subscriber may not have the correct phone system assignment set on the Subscribers > Subscribers > Profile page.

•MWIs are not enabled for the subscriber on the Subscribers > Subscribers > Messages page.

•The wrong extension for the subscriber is entered in the Extension field on the Subscribers > Subscribers > Messages page.

•The Domino server is shut down or is off line.

•The phone system is programmed to send calls to a voice messaging port on the Cisco Unity server that sets MWIs but does not answer calls.

•(Cisco Unified Communications Manager) A route plan (or dial plan) overlaps with an MWI extension number, so while the phone system waits for additional digits, Cisco Unity abandons the MWI request and the DOH records that the request failed. The phone system then successfully completes the MWI request.

•(Serial integrations) A faulty RS-232 serial cable passes data from the phone system to Cisco Unity but not from Cisco Unity to the phone system. The result is that Cisco Unity sends MWI requests to the phone system, but the phone system does not receive them.

•When a Lotus Domino user is imported into Cisco Unity, the ownership information is used for MWI functionality. Occasionally, Lotus Domino incorrectly sets the Owner field on the voice message file for a Cisco Unity subscriber, so MWIs will not be activated or deactivated for the subscriber.

Troubleshooting MWIs When They Do Not Turn On or Off

To troubleshoot MWIs when they do not turn on or off, do the procedures for the following components in the order given:

•Miu Component

–Resolving Cisco Unified Communications Manager Integration Problems

–Subscriber Phone System Assignment Is Incorrect

•Notifier and Notifier Queue Components

Miu Component

This section describes troubleshooting the Miu component, which includes the integration. Many MWI problems can be resolved by troubleshooting this component. In addition, if MWI requests reach the Miu, the components that handle MWIs before the Miu probably are processing MWIs correctly. Figure 8-2 shows the focus.

Figure 8-2 Miu Component in the Troubleshooting Process

 

 

Do the following procedures in the order given.

To Verify Phone System and Port Settings in UTIM

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Step 1 On the Windows Start menu of the Cisco Unity server, click Programs > Cisco Unity > Unity Telephony Integration Manager. UTIM appears.

Step 2 In the left pane, click the applicable integration.

Step 3 In the right pane, click the MWI tab.

Step 4 Confirm that the codes or extensions to activate and deactivate MWIs are correct:

•(Circuit-switched phone systems) In UTIM, the values for the MWI On Code and MWI Off Code fields match the codes that the phone system uses.

•(Cisco Unified Communications Manager) In UTIM, the values in the MWI On Extension and MWI Off Extension fields match the extensions that the phone system uses.

Step 5 If you changed any settings, click Save.

Step 6 Click the Ports tab.

Step 7 Confirm that the correct port ranges have been assigned to the applicable phone system.

Step 8 Confirm that the range of ports that is assigned to each phone system has been set up on the phone system. (For example, if 24 ports assigned to a phone system in UTIM, the phone system must have 24 ports set up to which Cisco Unity connects.) If the ports have not been set up on the phone system, set up the ports or delete the ports from the Ports tab in UTIM.

Step 9 If you changed any settings, click Save.

Step 10 Confirm the settings on the remaining tabs.

Step 11 Exit UTIM. If prompted, restart the Cisco Unity services.

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To Confirm That MWIs Are Enabled for the Subscriber

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Step 1 In the Cisco Unity Administrator, go to the Subscribers > Subscribers > Messages page for the subscriber.

Step 2 Confirm that the Use MWI for Message Notification check box is checked.

Step 3 Confirm that the MWI Extension field is set to X (indicating the primary extension assigned to a subscriber) or to the extension number on which MWIs will be set for the subscriber.

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To Set the Subscriber Ownership for a Lotus Domino Voice Message File

When an IBM Lotus Domino user is imported into Cisco Unity, the ownership information is used for MWI and message notification functionality. Occasionally, Lotus Domino incorrectly sets the Owner field on the mail file for a Cisco Unity subscriber, resulting in MWIs and message notification not being activated or deactivated for the subscriber.

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Step 1 In the Lotus Notes client, open the mail file of the subscriber.

Step 2 On the Tools menu, click Preferences.

Step 3 Under User Configuration, in the This Mail File Belongs To list, click the Cisco Unity subscriber name.

Step 4 Click OK.

Step 5 Close the mail file.

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To Confirm That the Miu Allows Cisco Unity and the Phone System to Communicate

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Step 1 In the Cisco Unity Administrator, go to the Subscribers > Subscribers > Message Notification page for the subscriber.

Step 2 Set up message notification for urgent messages for the subscriber.

Step 3 Send an urgent message to the subscriber. If message notification of the urgent message arrives, the problem with MWIs is probably caused by the integration. Continue with the following "To Troubleshoot Miu Problems" procedure.

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To Troubleshoot Miu Problems

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Step 1 In the Cisco Unity Administrator, go to the Subscribers > Subscriber > Messages page.

Step 2 Confirm that the Use MWI for Message Notification check box is checked and that the Extension field is either X (which causes Cisco Unity to use the MWI on the subscriber extension) or the actual subscriber extension.

Step 3 On the Cisco Unity desktop, double-click the Cisco Unity Tools Depot icon.

Step 4 In the left pane of the Tools Depot window, expand Switch Integration Tools.

Step 5 Double-click Port Status Monitor.

Step 6 In the list of ports in the left pane of the Port Status Monitor window, click Start All Monitors.

Step 7 Go to the Subscribers > Subscriber > Messages page, and click Resynchronize MWIs.

Step 8 In the right pane of the Port Status Monitor window, confirm that the following message appears:

Dialing (MWI) 'X'

Step 9 If the message appears, the MWIs are resynchronized and function correctly. Skip the rest of this procedure.

If the message does not appear, on the Windows Start menu, click Programs > Cisco Unity > Cisco Unity Diagnostic Tool.

Step 10 On the Cisco Unity Diagnostic Viewer screen, click the Configure Micro Traces icon.

Step 11 Set the following diagnostic traces:

•MiuGeneral—0-4, 12, 16

•MiuIO—11, 14

•MiuMethods—10, 12, 14, 18

•(Circuit-switched phone systems) MiuMethods—20, 22

•MiuIntegration—12

Step 12 On the Cisco Unity Diagnostic Viewer screen, click Start New Log Files.

Step 13 Leave a message for a subscriber.

Step 14 Review the diagnostic logs to determine the cause of the problems.

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Note The command SetMWI is the one that is used by the Miu to set the MWI on a phone.

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Step 15 On the Cisco Unity Diagnostic Viewer screen, click the Disable All Traces icon.

Step 16 In the Disable All Traces wizard screen, check the Disable All Traces check box, and click Finish.

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Resolving Cisco Unified Communications Manager Integration Problems

Consider the following issues if Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CM) (formerly known as Cisco Unified CallManager) is integrated with Cisco Unity:

•The unique extensions for turning MWIs on and off may not have been entered in the Cisco Unified CM server, or the Cisco Unified CM server has not been restarted to enable these values. For instructions on setting these extensions, see the applicable Cisco Unified Communications Manager integration guide.

•A Cisco Unified CM route plan may include the unique extensions for turning MWIs on and off. For example, a route plan could send all numbers starting with 9 to a gateway, while the extension that turns MWIs on is 99991. Revise the route plan so it does not include the MWI extensions or alter the extensions. For instructions on setting up route plans, see the applicable Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration Guide at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps556/tsd_products_support_series_home.html.

•The unique extensions for turning MWIs on and off may not have been entered in the MWI On Extension and MWI Off Extension fields in UTIM, or Cisco Unity may not have been restarted to enable these values. Enter the applicable values in UTIM. For instructions on setting these values in UTIM, see the applicable Cisco Unified Communications Manager integration guide.

•The IP phone may not be in the same calling search space and partition as the Cisco Unity voice messaging ports. From a phone, dial the extension that turns on MWIs. If you hear the reorder tone, the extension for turning MWIs on is not assigned the correct calling search space and partition in Cisco Unified CM. If you do not hear the reorder tone but the MWI is not activated or deactivated, a route plan may be causing the problem.

•The unique extensions for turning MWIs on and off in Cisco Unified CM may not be identical to the values entered in the MWI On Extension and MWI Off Extension fields in UTIM. Confirm the values and restart the Cisco Unified CM servers and Cisco Unity server. For instructions on setting these values, see the applicable Cisco Unified Communications Manager integration guide.

•If the site has a publisher (primary) and subscriber (secondary) Cisco Unified CM server, the unique extensions for turning MWIs on and off may not have been set on the subscriber Cisco Unified CM server, or the subscriber Cisco Unified CM server may not have been restarted to enable these values. On the subscriber Cisco Unified CM server, set the extensions for turning MWIs on and off, and restart the Cisco Unity server. For instructions on setting these extensions, see the applicable Cisco Unified Communications Manager integration guide.

•If Cisco Unity integrates with multiple Cisco Unified CM clusters, you need to dedicate at least one voice messaging port to set MWIs for each cluster. For example, in a two-cluster environment, there must be at least two ports dedicated to setting MWIs, one sending MWI requests for the first cluster and another sending MWI requests to the second cluster. Confirm that at least one voice messaging port is dedicated to each cluster and that the port is set to Dialout MWI. For instructions on configuring ports, see the applicable Cisco Unified Communications Manager integration guide.

The Cisco Unified Communications Manager integration guides are available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/products_installation_and_configuration_guides_list.html.

Subscriber Phone System Assignment Is Incorrect

If the subscriber is assigned to the wrong phone system, do the following procedure.

To Confirm the Subscriber Phone System Assignment (Dual Phone System or Former Dual Phone System Integration)

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Step 1 In the Cisco Unity Administrator, go to the Subscribers > Subscribers > Profile page.

Step 2 In the Subscriber Information section, confirm that the correct phone system has been selected for the subscriber. Correct if necessary.

Step 3 If you made a change, click Save, then shut down and restart Cisco Unity.

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Notifier and Notifier Queue Components

If the Miu component does not receive MWI requests, the problem lies earlier in the MWI process. This section describes troubleshooting the Notifier and Notifier queue components.

If MWI requests reach the Notifier queue and the Notifier components, the Domino Monitor component is probably processing MWIs correctly. Figure 8-3 shows the focus.

Figure 8-3 Notifier and Notifier Queue Components in the Troubleshooting Process

 

 

Do the following procedures in the order given.

To Confirm That the Notifier Makes MWI Requests

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Step 1 On the Cisco Unity Diagnostic Viewer screen, click the Disable All Traces icon.

Step 2 In the Disable All Traces wizard screen, check the Disable All Traces check box, and click Finish.

Step 3 On the Cisco Unity Diagnostic Viewer screen, click the Configure Micro Traces icon.

Step 4 Check the check boxes for Notifier—12 and 20.

Step 5 On the Cisco Unity Diagnostic Viewer screen, click Start New Log Files.

Step 6 Leave a message for a subscriber.

Step 7 To view the log files, click Processes > AvNotifierMgr, and then click the Current log file.

The selected log file is formatted and appears in the right pane.

Step 8 Check the log for the following:

•A Notifier—12 entry with the correct subscriber and extension listed to confirm that the MWI request is made with the correct information.

•The entry contains the text "Queued MWI task for mailuser."

Step 9 If the Notifier thinks the MWI is already activated, the Notifier does not make the MWI request. In the Cisco Unity Administrator, go to the Subscribers > Subscribers > Messages page for the subscriber. Then click Resynchronize MWIs.

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To Confirm That MWI Requests Are Successful

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Step 1 In the log from the preceding "To Confirm That the Notifier Makes MWI Requests" procedure, locate a Notifier—12 entry.

Step 2 If the entry has the text "Completed MWI task for mailuser," the MWI request was successful. If not, depending on the content of the entry, do one of the following:

•If the entry has the text "Received: Task" or "Continues Task," the MWI request was not successful. Check the diagnostic log for any problem with the voice messaging ports. See the "To Troubleshoot Port Problems" procedure.

•If the diagnostic log indicates that the MWI request was successful, but the MWI is not activated, set diagnostic traces for Notifier—12, MiuIntegration—12, and MiuMethods—20, 21, and review the logs.

Step 3 On the Cisco Unity Diagnostic Viewer screen, click the Disable All Traces icon.

Step 4 In the Disable All Traces wizard screen, check the Disable All Traces check box, and click Finish.

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Do the following procedure as needed.

To Troubleshoot Port Problems

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Step 1 In the Cisco Unity Administrator, go to the System >Ports page, and confirm that some ports are set to Dialout MWI.

For dual phone system integrations, make sure that each phone system has some of its ports set to Dialout MWI.

Step 2 On the Cisco Unity Diagnostic Viewer screen, click the Disable All Traces icon.

Step 3 In the Disable All Traces wizard screen, check the Disable All Traces check box, and click Finish.

Step 4 On the Cisco Unity Diagnostic Viewer screen, click the Configure Micro Traces icon.

Step 5 Set the following diagnostic traces:

•Notifier—20

•Arbiter—13

•ResourceManager—12

Step 6 On the Cisco Unity Diagnostic Viewer screen, click Start New Log Files.

Step 7 Leave a message for a subscriber.

Step 8 Review the diagnostic logs to determine the cause of the problems.

Step 9 On the Cisco Unity Diagnostic Viewer screen, click the Disable All Traces icon.

Step 10 In the Disable All Traces wizard screen, check the Disable All Traces check box, and click Finish.

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Troubleshooting MWIs When They Are Delayed Turning On and Off

There are several possible reasons that MWIs may be delayed turning on and off. These reasons include:

•Cisco Unity Domino Server Is Down or Is Disconnected

•Ports Are Too Busy to Turn MWIs On and Off Promptly

•Not Enough Ports Are Set for MWIs

•Calls Are Sent to Cisco Unity Ports That Set MWIs but Do Not Answer Calls

Cisco Unity Domino Server Is Down or Is Disconnected

Messages recorded while the Domino server (the message store) is down or disconnected are stored in the Unity Messaging Repository (UMR) until the server is brought back up. Because MWIs are not lit until a message is actually delivered to a subscriber, the delay experienced between the time a message is recorded and its delivery and the lighting of the MWI is entirely dependant on the length of time that the message store was