Connecting Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging and Asterisk open-source telephony

Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging is designed to integrate voice and fax functionality into Exchange Server mailboxes.

If your company is preparing for Exchange 2007 deployment and is already running Asterisk, an open-source IP PBX telephony system, there is a way to make the two systems coexist within the same organization.

On his blog, programmer Alan Dutton provides instructions on how to connect Asterisk to Microsoft Exchange 2007 for Unified Messaging, so they'll work side-by-side in the same phone system.

The example documented in the abovementioned article involves running Asterisk as a VMWare image of Trixbox (a Linux distribution with Asterisk pre-installed and pre-configured), and Exchange 2007 with Unified Messaging.

If someone dials in and connects to Asterisk, and then punches 666666, they'll be forwarded to the Exchange 2007 auto-attendant. If they dial 55, they'll be forwarded to the Exchange 2007 Subscription.

The exact number to dial for each is arbitrary, and I believe it can be changed as long as it doesn't conflict with other commands. (I suspect the author's choice of 666666 is a joke.)

According to Alan Dutton, a few things still don't work yet. For one, caller ID is not passed from SIPX to Exchange Server,

Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us

RELATED CONTENT Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Virtualizing Exchange Server 2007 -- Where it works Fixing DPM 2007 inconsistent replica errors in Exchange Server Using Mobile Device Manager 2008 server roles in Exchange 2007 Relocating Outlook email messages on a hosted Exchange 2007 server New high availability features in Exchange Server 2010 An introduction to the DSAccess service in Exchange Server 2007 Control Outlook 2007 in cached mode settings with group policies Exchange Performance Monitor tracks domain controller communication Meeting Workspaces in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Exchange Server 2007 SP2 reinstates built-in backup capabilities Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Research Exchange Server Administration Tips Fixing DPM 2007 inconsistent replica errors in Exchange Server Using Mobile Device Manager 2008 server roles in Exchange 2007 An introduction to the DSAccess service in Exchange Server 2007 Exchange Performance Monitor tracks domain controller communication Exchange Server 2007 SP2 reinstates built-in backup capabilities Three Performance Monitors counters to use in Exchange Server 2007 Scheduling multiple Performance Monitor alerts in Exchange Server 2007 Which ActiveSync authentication method is best for your mobile device? Configure Performance Monitor alerts for Exchange Server 2007 Disable ActiveSync in bulk with Exchange Management Shell commands Instant Messaging and Unified Messaging Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging for administrators An intro to voice systems for Exchange administrators Defining Exchange Unified Messaging architecture Unified Messaging features in Exchange Server 2007 Integrating Unified Messaging servers with a VoIP solution Configuring a Unified Messaging IP gateway Creating and assigning a Unified Messaging hunt group Assigning Unified Messaging dialing rules to a mailbox policy Enabling Unified Messaging mailboxes and users Executing Unified Messaging grammar generation Instant Messaging and Unified Messaging Research

RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary spim  (SearchExchange.com)

RELATED RESOURCES 2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary

so voice messages forwarded in this manner are tagged as "anonymous." Additionally, the instructions for dialing out from Exchange Server are included in the linked article, but have not been tested by the author yet.

About the author: Serdar Yegulalp is editor of Windows Insight, a newsletter devoted to hints, tips, tricks, news and goodies for all flavors of Windows users.

MEMBER FEEDBACK TO THIS EXCHANGE 2007 TIP

There is a much more detailed description of how to access Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging features using the open-source tools Asterisk, Trixbox and sipX.
—Mitja T.

******************************************

I read this article and thought you might be interested in the instructions I wrote about configuring Asterisk and sipX to work with Exchange Server. I built upon Alan's post, clarified a few things, and also fixed a few problems with his instructions.
—Ryan N.

Do you have comments on this tip? Let us know.

Please let others know how useful this tip was via the rating scale below. Do you have a useful Exchange Server or Microsoft Outlook tip, timesaver or workaround to share? Submit it to SearchExchange.com. If we publish it, we'll send you a thank-you gift only an IT geek could love.

Rate this Tip To rate tips, you must be a member of SearchExchange.com. Register now to start rating these tips. Log in if you are already a member. DISCLAIMER: Our Tips Exchange is a forum for you to share technical advice and expertise with your peers and to learn from other enterprise IT professionals. TechTarget provides the infrastructure to facilitate this sharing of information. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or validity of the material submitted. You agree that your use of the Ask The Expert services and your reliance on any questions, answers, information or other materials received through this Web site is at your own risk.