Configuring Exchange Server 2007 Unified messaging with 3CX Phone System

This article describes how to setup Microsoft Exchange 2007 server as a Unified Messaging Server and configure 3CX Phone System to use it for voice mail and auto attendants.

Step 1: Checking System requirements

First of all, check whether your setup meets the system requirements:

1. You must be a licensed user of 3CX Phone System.
2. 3CX Phone System is best installed on a separate machine. If installed on the same machine as Exchange Server, you have to change the SIP port of Exchange Server 2007 to another port, since its not possible for both applications to make use of port 5060.
3. You must have Exchange Server 2007 installed with “Unified Messaging Role” enabled.

Unified Messaging Role enabled in Exchange 2007

Step 2: Configuring Microsoft Exchange Server 2007

In this step you create a dial plan and unified messaging gateway. To do this:

Creating a new dial plan

1. Start up the Exchange Management Console, go to ‘Microsoft Exchange/Organization Configuration/Unified Messaging/UM Dial Plans” and create a new Dial Plan.
2. Enter a name for the dial plan and select the same number of digits for extension numbers as you have configured in 3CX Phone System.

   
   Registering the dial plan

3. Now register the dial plan for unified messaging. Go to Microsoft Exchange/Server Configuration/Unified Messaging/UM Settings and click ‘Add’

   
   Creating a UM IP Gateway

4. Next you need to create a unified messaging IP Gateway. Go to “Microsoft Exchange/ Organization Configuration /Unified Messaging/UM IP Gateways”. Enter the IP address of the 3CX Phone System and select the dial plan you just created.

Step 3: Enable Unified messaging on the Exchange mailboxes

Next you need to enable unified messaging on the Exchange mailboxes in order to receive voice mail. To do this:

1. Select the users mailbox, right-click and select ‘Enable Unified Messaging’.

   
   Entering the corresponding extension number

2. In the ‘Enable Unified Messaging’ dialog select ‘Manually entered mailbox extension’ and enter the extension number for the user on 3CX Phone System. You must also define a PIN-number for accessing the mailbox from voice menus.

Step 4: Configuring 3CX Phone System

After you have configured Exchange Server 2007 and the mailboxes, you have to enable the MS Exchange 2007 integration from the 3CX Management Console:

1. Ensure you have an Enterprise Edition of 3CX Phone System and that you have activated the license.

   
   Exchange Server 2007 integration

2. Go to General settings > Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 integration. Enable the feature, and enter the IP of the machine running the Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging Role. If you have configured Exchange Server 2007 to run on a different port, specify the port you used. Click OK

From now onwards, the Retrieve voice mail extension, 999, will be redirected to the Exchange server Menu. All Voice mail messages will be stored in Exchange.

Integration with MS Exchange Auto Attendants

If you prefer to use Exchange auto attendants rather then 3CX auto attendants, you can do this as follows:

Auto Attendant Creation

1. Create a UM Auto Attendant using Exchange Management Console (Microsoft Exchange/Organization Configuration/Unified Messaging/UM Auto Attendants).
2. Select the dial plan you created for the voice mail integration
3. Specify the extension number for the UM Auto attendant. This has to be the same as the ‘Virtual extension’ number in 3CX Phone System. These numbers will be used by 3CX Phone System for calling Auto Attendant.

Digital Receptionist for Auto Attendant Accessing

To access the Exchange Auto Attendant you must create a Digital Receptionist on 3CX Phone System which has a virtual extension number which is the same as the Exchange Auto attendant. Also, you must check the ‘Redirect to MS Exchange’ parameter.