Cisco Unity Fundamentals

Understanding VPIM Networking 287

Internet subscribers have certain limitations in terms of using Cisco Unity. They cannot log on

to Cisco Unity either over the phone or using Cisco Unity Assistant. As a result, they cannot

adjust personal settings identified earlier in Figure 10-20. In addition they cannot use VMO or

Cisco Unity Inbox. The underlying reason for these limitations is that Internet subscribers do

not have a local mailbox in Exchange.

Understanding VPIM Networking

VPIM is a standard used by different messaging systems to exchange voice, fax, and text

messages among different systems over the Internet or a TCP/IP network. VPIM networking

enables Cisco Unity to exchange this type of information with other systems that are also using

VPIM. This section presents the basic concepts and procedures involved with VPIM

networking and Cisco Unity.

If your organization needs to exchange messages between Cisco Unity and a VPIM-compliant

messaging server, then you need to understand how VPIM works and the procedures for setting

it up in Cisco Unity. Once it is set up, callers will have a transparent experience when messaging

across the systems.

To benefit fully from this section, it is recommended that you have these prerequisite skills and

knowledge:

• Knowledge of the standard and optional Cisco Unity features (see Chapter 1)

• Knowledge of how Cisco Unity messaging handles calls (see Chapter 2, “Using Your

Cisco Unified Communications System”)

• Understanding of the concepts presented in the “Cisco Unity Networking Fundamentals”

section of this chapter

VPIM Networking and VPIM Messages

VPIM is a standard that was introduced in the industry for the intended purpose of having a

common format for exchanging different types of messages digitally among messaging

systems. It is based on the SMTP and MIME protocols. Voice, fax, and text can be exchanged

over the Internet or on a TCP/IP network. As a result, organizations can potentially save on

long-distance toll charges for messages sent among messaging systems.

VPIM defines the format of the messages, the protocols used, and the message addresses

exchanged between two VPIM-compliant messaging systems. It is up to the messaging servers

to specify how these messages are handled and presented to the end users. The type of client

application used is an example of an item that varies depending on the actual messaging system

used. Some servers may provide access to these messages through a telephone, an e-mail client

application, or both. More information about the VPIM standard is available at http://

www.ema.org/vpim.

288 Chapter 10: Unified Communications Networking

VPIM networking is a licensed feature in Cisco Unity and is used with Microsoft Exchange 5.5/

2000 integrations. If multiple Cisco Unity servers are networked together, then only one Cisco

Unity server requires the VPIM license and configuration for VPIM networking. Licensing

information can be viewed by using the Cisco Unity License Manager.

Figure 10-21 shows where you can check whether you are licensed for VPIM.

Figure 10-21 VPIM Licensing

VPIM messages can contain several different types of MIME-encoded pieces, such as a voice

message, a fax message, a text message, the sender’s spoken name, or even a vCard, which is

an electronic business card.

TIP Cisco Unity can be configured to include the spoken name and vCard for outgoing messages.

This is set using the Cisco Unity Administrator tool on the VPIM Delivery Location page.

For incoming messages, Cisco Unity allows the spoken name to be included in the message if

it is attached as a WAV file. This means, for example, that when a subscriber receives a voice

message, the subscriber can hear the spoken name of the sender first, then the actual voice

message. In addition, a vCard sent to Cisco Unity can be viewed from a subscriber’s Outlook

client using VMO. Voice messages that are sent across VPIM are encoded using the

International Telecommunication Union (ITU) G.726 Adaptive Differential Pulse Code

The VPIM License is

Shown on the License

Manager. It is either

Licensed or Turned Off.