Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging and CS1000 5.5 (heads up)

[DaveTheRave]

Hi all,

If anyone here is planning to migrate to Exchange 2010 SP1, and use the Unified Messaging server role, beware.

We have been using an Exchange 2007 UM server, configured as a static SIP endpoint in our NRS for a few years and all was great.

We have just introduced a new 2010 environment (in coexistence mode) and a new 2010 UM server.

We have configured the new UM server as a separate static SIP endpoint and we have two painful issues. The first issue is that MS introduced a change to SIP in SP1 and the CS1000 does not support the SIP maddr parameter properly. The second and related issue is that the CS1000 should be configured to talk to Exchange on port 5060. MS will not support you unless this is the case. Because the CS1000 does not understand the maddr parameter, it is impossible to work on port 5060. You can get the CS1000 talking to Exchange on port 5065 but Exchange changes the port it talks on over time, leaving comms down. The only way to recover this is to restart the server.

Please check out the following links :-

http://blogs.technet.com/b/jigardani/archive/2011/02/03/exchange-2010-sp1-integration-with-nortel-cs1000.aspx

http://johanveldhuis.nl/?p=2085&lang=en

We have logged calls with MS and Avaya on this and neither side will support us, each blaming the other, and this has been going on for months. I am extremely disappointed in both companies and we are escalating our frustrations

Anyway, I just wanted to give everyone a heads up as to some of the issues you may face if you decide to deploy 2010.

[Michael McNamara]

The whole Microsoft and Nortel partnership completely really fell apart after the sale to Avaya. I heard that Microsoft essentially removed all the "extra code" they had gleaned from the Nortel partnership which is in turn creating headaches for you. There are so many different implementations of SIP out there today... Nortel, Avaya, Cisco, Microsoft, Siemens, etc. and they almost all don't interoperate.

You might be able to look at Avaya Aura Session Manager... I believe they might have an adaptation module that can interoperate with Microsoft.

Keep us informed.

Cheers!

[markr]

Just wanted to give a heads up that Avaya released a bulletin yesterday regarding release 7.5 and Exchange 2010
 
support.avaya.com/css/P8/documents/100155631
 

[DaveTheRave]

Thanks Mark. I will report back when we have digested this.

[markr]

I read through it last night and they have done a decent job,  It is set up as a direct connect and does not use NRS or Session Manager   here are the questions I asked to the team that wrote the book :


Question1:   In the configuration reference you do not state what version of software was tested nor what level is required (premium or enhanced)   I believe the main issue with this will be with MWI.

Question 2: in the same configuration you show a SIP line server, but I could not find any reference to it on the documentation so I am assuming it is not required ?

Question 3:  Page 14 editing RCAP   there does not appear to be a selection required for MWI?

Question 4:  NRS/Session manager integration?   In  past versions we could integrate with MS UM via NRS and not require a dedicated signaling server for the UM sip trunks,  is this direct connect the only supported version going forward?

Question 5:  TLS/ Secure Media.  Is the TLS /Secure media mandatory or optional?

Question 6:  IP Phone soft keys, in previous releases there was a patch that would change the mapping of the IP phone soft keys for exchange messaging , has that patch been up-issued for release 7.5?  Is it still needed?

[KT]

Does any one has good configuration of TLS on AudioCode Mediant 1000 interop with CS1K and UM (Exchange Server 2010)? The reason we used AudioCode b/c customer did not have SIP license in CS1K.

It worked for WMI with TCP/UDP but when we changed to TLS and the call was dead air. we falled back to TCP/UDP

cheers

[KT]

The other issue was the call transfer from UM back to GW with REFER message and GW initial FACILITY message to CSK1 and the phone get disconnected.

cheers..