This article describes how to setup Microsoft Exchange 2007/2010 server as a Unified Messaging Server and configure 3CX Phone System to use it for voice mail and auto attendants

This guide has been tested with the following components:Exchange 2007 SP1 RU8 and Exchange 2010 RTM
3CX Phone System version 8.0 and above
3CX Phone System must be installed on a separate machine.

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Step 1: Exchange configuration

Exchange integration is not available in the free version of 3CX Phone System.
Exchange Server 2007/2010 must be installed with “Unified Messaging Role” enabled.
For SBS 2008 you need premium user licenses to enable UM for the users.

Figure 1:Main exchange server setup=

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Figure 3: Adding Subscriber AccessAfter creating the Dial Plan open the “3CX Dial Plan” and go to “Subscriber Access” and add 999 (in a 3 Digits installation) to it.
This is only mandatory for Exchange 2010 but don’t harm on 2007 to make the access point clear.

Figure 4: Register the Dial Plan

Register the dial plan for Unified Messaging. Go to Microsoft Exchange / Server Configuration / Unified Messaging and click on “Select Server”.  Right click and select Properties / UM Settings.  Click “Add” and choose “3CX Dial Plan”

Step 2: Create Unified Messaging IP Gateway

Figure 5: New UM IP gateway

Go to Microsoft Exchange, Organization Configuration, Unified Messaging, UM IP Gateway.  Enter the IP address of the 3CX Phone System Server and select the dial plan you just created. Automatically the Exchange adds a “3CX Dial Plan Default Policy” which will be applied to the UM server.  These can be changed according to the company requirements.

Figure 6: Default policy properties

Figure 7:  Enable Unified Messaging on user’s Mail boxes

Enable unified messaging on the Exchange user’s mailboxes in order to receive voice mail.  Select the user’s mailbox, right-click and click on ‘Enable Unified Messaging’.
Choose the “3CX Dial Plan Default Policy” and enter a valid PIN that matches the Default policy requirements. (This PIN number is for exchange authentication and has no relation with the Voice Mail pin number set in 3CX Phone System.)

Enter the extension number for this user.  In this example the user “user No1” will have the extension number of 100.
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Step 3: Configuring 3CX Phone System

Go to the 3CX Management Console and click on the Settings node /  Advanced / and click on the “MS Exchange” tab.

Figure9: Exchange is enabled in 3CX and will send all traffic to exchange server.

Enable the feature, and enter the IP and port of the machine running the Exchange Server 2007/2010 Unified Messaging Role. After applying this configuration, all voicemail calls will be handled by exchange.  All Voicemail messages will be stored in Exchange.

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

Create a Digital Receptionist on 3CX Phone System and check the option “Redirect to MS exchange”.

After go to the Exchange server and create a UM Auto Attendant using Exchange Management Console (Microsoft Exchange/Organization Configuration/Unified Messaging/UM Auto Attendants).

Figure 11: New UM Auto Attendant

Select the dial plan you previously created for the voice mail integration.
Specify the extension number of the Digital receptionist pre-created in 3CX in the Extension numbers section and click on Add.
Select the checkbox “Create auto attendant as enabled” and click on New.  The Exchange Auto Attendant is configured.

Known exchange limitations:

1. Exchange 2007 UM does not support MWI (Message Waiting Indicator).
2. Exchange 2010 UM does support MWI (Message Waiting Indicator) must be set up accordingly in the handset.
3. Exchange will not play music on hold when it transfers a call from an auto-attendant to an extension.