Domino Unified Communications allows you to access your messages from telephones, the Lotus Notes Client, pagers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDA's), cell phones, and browser-based email clients (Domino Web Access or iNotes). No longer do you have to dial into your voice mail to listen to voice messages or run to the fax machine to obtain important documents. Domino Unified Communications now allows you to access all these messages from one device and in multiple languages. You can use a phone to listen to voice messages as well as email messages or use a computer to read emails, faxes, and even play back voice messages. Not only will this save you time and frustration, but it will lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) because storing voice messages in Domino databases is typically less expensive than storing them in a proprietary voice mail system. Voice mail messages on average are less than 30 seconds long and each minute of voice data stored in Domino is approximately 1 MB in size. Storing multiple message types in one message store also reduces the process of backing up data to one process.
Domino Unified Communications can be deployed in small to medium businesses (SMB) or large corporate enterprises. According to the Cisco Systems Web site, it is projected that the market for unified messaging (UM) will reach $840 million by 2006 with over 24 million UM mail files. Businesses that have implemented unified messaging technology report desktop users spend 53 percent less time managing all their messages. Mobile Notes users report savings up to 70 percent less time when checking their messages using the Notes/Domino environment instead of using traditional means (email client, fax machine, and so on). Training time for new employees unfamiliar with the Notes environment is also reduced because the unified messaging client provides a single application for all email, fax, and voice mail messages, requiring familiarity with only one application interface, not three. Unified messaging represents the convergence of email, fax, and voice mail so that all messages are accessible from and controlled by a single application. Unified communications (UC) takes unified messaging a step further by extending message access to additional devices and technologies, such as mobile phones, pagers, PDAs, and browsers.
Domino Unified Communications can take full advantage of Domino features such as digital networking, automatic message replication, clustering, mail rules, system filters, and foldering. Lotus Domino can still utilize additional email clients that support Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME), Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3), and Internet Message Access Protocol 4 (IMAP4). However, some DUC functionality will not work if you access a DUC-enabled mail file, such as clearing any type of read or unread flag. Users can personalize their mail files which provide full menu options to guide users through them with faster system navigation.
This article introduces you to Domino Unified Communications, giving you an architectural overview of how it works and which vendors your can choose to work with. It is intended for experienced Domino system administrators.
Technology needed to run Domino Unified Communications
IBM has partnered with three voice messaging technology vendors to deliver this product. Domino Unified Communications can be installed in conjunction with Avaya, AVST, and Cisco. The DUC code for all three vendors is based on a common architecture. In order for DUC to support fax capabilities, a dedicated fax line connected to the fax port on the fax server must exist. You will need to contact the vender to get a list of officially supported fax servers that you can use.
The procedure for setting up Domino Unified Communications depends on which vender you choose to install with. In this article, we will be working with DUC 1.2.2 for Cisco. However, IBM does not recommend any one vendor over the other. For more information about the installation and the partners' voice messaging system for Cisco, Avaya, and AVST, please refer to their respective release notes.
Domino Unified Communications can be installed by a trained professional consultant from IBM Global Services (IGS), IBM Software Services for Lotus (ISSL), or any authorized integrators from the voice messaging vendor of your choice. IBM Business Partners or their authorized integrators are responsible for the sale and support of all vender components related to DUC. Domino Unified Communications software is available through the IBM Passport Advantage Web site.
Supported server system requirements
The server software necessary to install and run Domino Unified Communications is as follows:
- Microsoft Windows 2003
- Microsoft Windows 2000
- Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 4 (using the Intel Pentium processor)
- Lotus Domino 5.0.10 or higher
The following client software is required to run DUC:
- Windows XP
- Windows 2000
- Windows 9.x
- Windows NT 4.0
- Lotus Notes 5.0.10 or higher
- Lotus Domino Web Access (iNotes)
The installation of Domino Unified Communications 1.2.2 for Cisco requires three separate setups and installations. Domino Unified Communications runs on Lotus Notes and Domino 5.0.10 and higher, 6.0.x, and 6.5.x. The installation also requires Cisco Unity release 4.0(4) or higher on the voice mail server.
- Install DUC 1.2.2 for Cisco on any Domino servers that contain DUC-enabled mail files that you want to use unified communication and messaging. When you install the DUC server code, this will also UC-enable the default mail templates for Lotus Notes and Domino Web Access. During the installation, you can also select additional mail templates that you want to UC-enable. Note: If you are upgrading your DUC servers from Domino 5.0.x to Domino 6.x or 6.5.x, perform step 2. Then install Domino 6.0.x or Domino 6.5.x on the servers, and then reinstall DUC 1.2.2. Select both the mail50.ntf and mail6.ntf templates to DUC templates. This ensures that existing DUC Notes 5 users remain operational and that new DUC users (Notes 5.0.x, 6.0.x, and 6.5.x) can be created.
- Install the vender-specific Administration Client to enable/disable users for Domino Unified Communications.
- Install DUC 1.2.2 on Notes clients that you want to utilize unified communication and messaging. Installing DUC on the Notes client installs the Sipro Labs G.729a audio compression driver. When DUC is installed on the Notes client, the following extension manager add-in is added to the Notes.ini file: ExtMgr_Addins=ucclient.
Subscribing users to Domino Unified Communications
After you install the DUC software, enable the end users for DUC. Use the Cisco Administration Client to select the users that you want to subscribe to DUC. The voice mail server sends an AdminP request to Domino. The AdminP task passes a request to the UCAdminp task to subscribe a user to DUC. The UCAdminp task is responsible for changing the mail file ACL to give the voice server Manager access along with replacing the design of the database to a DUC-enabled template for Domino Web Access users (hidden views are added). You also use UCAdminp to create profile documents that are in the users' mail files to store information about users as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Cisco Unity Administrator
The Recorded voice control bar displayed during the subscriber registration allows you to make and play recordings with a phone or with your computer microphone and speakers. The Recorded voice control bar displayed in Figure 2 uses Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) and requires that your browser is able to download and run ActiveX controls. You also have the ability to record up to five different personal greetings for such occasions as being out of the office or away from your workstation.
Figure 2. Recorded voice control bar
The Cisco Unity server also modifies the subscriber's Person document. Thus, the voice mail server must have at least Editor access in the ACL of the Domino Directory with Delete documents and Create shared folders/views rights. Cisco Unity writes extensions into the Person document, but they are read-only. Figure 3 shows a DUC-enabled Person document.
Figure 3. Modified Person document with DUC enabled
Viewing and retrieving messages
With a Notes client, users can view messages in their Inboxes to determine if they are voice messages, fax messages, or email messages. The icons provide a visual description of each message type and because every message is delivered to one Inbox, you can see the number, type, and status of all your communications in one view. All messages appear in the Inbox (shown in Figure 4) and in addition, voice messages appear in a separate voice Inbox that displays the length and type of each message as shown in Figure 5. Voice messages can be played back on the user's machine using the integrated audio player/recorder. For messages to be played from Lotus Notes or Domino Web Access clients, the user must have either a machine with a capable sound card and speakers or a desktop phone. Voice messages are displayed with a custom form that gives them access to pause, stop, skip ahead, and skip back. All of these controls are available regardless if you playback the message through a computer or phone.
Figure 4. DUC-enabled mail file (Inbox view)
Figure 5. DUC-enabled mail file (Voice Inbox view)
The integrated audio player/recorder provides the user with the ability to create new voice messages with a microphone or telephone. Figure 6 shows the embedded media player in a voice message. The user can then save the message as a draft or send the message to one or more recipients. Sending a recorded voice message works just the same as sending a regular MIME message.
NOTE: Voice messages do not function properly with encrypted mail.
DUC-enabled users can specify a variety of notification methods and criteria depending on the chosen voice server partner. When listening to a voice mail message, the user can add private notes to the message. This allows the user to store additional important information (up to 15,000 characters) in the message. Private notes are never forwarded or included in a reply with history.
Figure 6. Embedded media player with Private Notes field
The embedded media player in voice messages give the user a VCR-like remote control. Users can play, pause, skip, stop, and record. They also have volume control, a status display, a phone number display, and progress bar. For additional information about the controls available, please refer to Figure 7.
Figure 7. Controls available with the embedded media player
Subscribers can still access voice mail by dialing into the voice server and providing their identification and PIN. After the subscriber is authenticated, the voice server accesses the mail file and presents a summary of the messages. The subscriber can then skip or play back any message using a touch-tone keypad. The voice server plays the voice messages exactly how it was received. The voice server can also play back email messages with the Text-To-Speech functionality. The subscriber can then reply or forward any existing messages from his Inbox or create a new message. All sent messages are stored in the Sent view of the mail file. Also depending on the capabilities of your fax server and the voice partner you have chosen, you may have the ability to print emails, attachments, and incoming faxes on a nearby fax machine with the touch of a phone.
Behind the scenes: How Domino Unified Communications works
If a call into a PBX or IP-phone system is unanswered, it passes that call to the voice server using the Call Answering (CA) function. The voice server determines the correct subscriber for the call and plays the subscriber's greeting. The voice server then records the voice message with any additional information, such as urgency or privacy. The voice server then prepares the recorded voice message and routes it to the correct recipient mail file. When the message is received by the recipient, the message is categorized and notification services are generated depending on the user's preferences. The end user can be notified via any appropriate Message Waiting Indicator (MWI) or new message alert. DUC supports the standard message waiting indicators provided by conventional voice servers as well as common alert mechanisms such as instant messaging, pagers, and short message service (SMS). Figure 8 shows how Domino Unified Communications works.
Figure 8. Flow chart of Domino Unified Communications
Below is an except from the Domino console that shows the process of events starting with the Unseen flag being cleared (which is triggered by the USER.ID that owns the mail file opening an Unseen message). The process ends with confirmation that the notification was passed onto the handler queue. Once the voice server has received this notification, it tells the underlying phone system to turn off the light.
mm/dd/yyyy 09:20:45 AM DUCS: [UCExtn(server)] Unseen flag cleared mm/dd/yyyy 09:20:45 AM DUCS: [UCExtn(server)] Posting MWI notification(s) mm/dd/yyyy 09:20:45 AM DUCS: [UCExtn(server)] Sent notification DB00075 from mail file mail\duc10.nsf mm/dd/yyyy 09:20:45 AM DUCS: [UCEvent] Notification received mm/dd/yyyy 09:20:45 AM DUCS: [UCExtn(server)] Notification posted for profile UCProfileCountChange: mm/dd/yyyy 09:20:45 AM DUCS: [UCExtn(server)] One notification posted mm/dd/yyyy 09:20:45 AM DUCS: [UCEvent] MWI notification DB00075 received for handler mm/dd/yyyy 09:20:45 AM DUCS: [UCEvent] Event DB00075 posted to handler queue UCHDLR93062880 |
When you replace the design of a database using a DUC template, only additional design elements are added. The DUC mail template does not alter or remove any of the default design elements. The following table displays the new design elements that are added to the template.
| Element | Name |
| Forms | UCDisplayInfo Voice Message (Display Received Voice Message) (UCMemo) |
| Views | Voice Inbox |
| Agents | (UC Enable) (UCPreferences) |
| Images | Phone.jpg act_EDIT.GIF act_Listen.GIF |
| Subforms | UCPlayer (DisplayFwrdContent) (UCItems) (UCVoiceNote) (VoiceDeliveryOptions) |
| Script libraries | Core UC Classes Core UC Strings Unified Communications |
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