Discovery 6: Troubleshoot Cisco Unity Connection

Introduction
Assume that Cisco Unity Connection has been installed and configured according to the proposed and approved
design; however, issues and problems can arise with even the best designed and planned implementations. Some
of these issues may be related to incorrect configurations, and some may be related to changes in the network.
Other issues may be related to changes in user needs and concerns that were discovered during the
implementation phase.

In this discovery, you will be introduced to the following typical issues of Cisco Unity Connection:
Phone system integration
Voice mailbox login
Call forward
Greetings
Voice messages
MWI

You will need to use various tools, such as administration GUIs to check configurations, or the Remote Port Status
Monitor and Cisco Unified RTMT tools for monitoring and tracing, to investigate and fix an issues.

The lab topology consists of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (HQ-UCM) integrated with Cisco Unity
Connection. WIN-SERVER01 acts as a DNS and LDAP server. PC-1 and PC-2 host Cisco IP Communicators that
will be registered with Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

This lab will take approximately 120 minutes to complete.

Job Aid
Device Information

Device Description IP Address Credentials

PC-1 Jump Host 1 10.1.5.200 Student, C0ll@B

PC-2 Jump Host 2 10.1.5.201 Student, C0ll@B

HQ-UCM Cisco Unified Communications Manager 10.1.5.5 Administrator, C0ll@B

UCX Cisco Unity Connection 10.1.5.8 Administrator, C0ll@B

Task 1: Register Endpoints
Activity
You will perform preparation steps for the discovery, such as registering Cisco IP Communicator on PC-1 with
Cisco Unified Communications Manager, configuring sound devices, and installing the Remote Port Status Monitor.

Step 1
Connect to PC-1, wait until you see the network connection notification (blue panel on right side) Click
No button to cancel network discovery. If you do not see the blue network notificaton wait for a while for
the lab automation system to finish configuring PC-1.

Step 2
On PC-1, open Google Chrome and navigate to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration
(https://10.1.5.5/ccmadmin). Log in using Administrator for the username and C0ll@B for the password.

Step 3
Select Device > Phone, click Find and observe if Cisco IP Communicator phones are displayed. If phones are
not displayed wait a while for the automation system to finish configuring Cisco Unified Communicacitons
Manager and then click Find again. Continue only when phones are displayed.
Step 4
Connect to PC-1 and register Cisco IP Communicator with Cisco Unified CM. PC-1 uses DN 11001 on its first
line. We will call this phone HQ Phone 1 throughout this discovery.

Device Name: HQ-CIPC-1

TFTP: 10.1.5.5

Step 5
Connect to PC-2 and register Cisco IP Communicator with Cisco Unified CM. PC-2 uses DN 11002 on its first
line. We will call this phone HQ Phone 2 throughout this discovery.

Device Name: HQ-CIPC-2

TFTP: 10.1.5.5

Step 6
On PC-1, browse to http://10.1.5.100. Download and install the Remote Port Status Monitor Setup.exe
application. After installation is complete, open the Remote Port Status Monitor application and connect to
10.1.5.8. You will use this application to assist your troubleshooting.

In real life, you would download this application from http://ciscounitytools.com. There is no Internet
connection available in this lab, so this application was uploaded to WIN-SERVER01 so that you can
download it from that location.

For your own convenience, Cisco Unity Connection server is already preconfigured to accept remote

connections from the Remote Port Status Monitor application using the source IP of 10.1.5.200 (PC-1).
You can always change these settings under System Settings > Advanced > Conversations.
Step 7
On PC-1, use Explorer to browse to Z:\ drive and start Cisco Unified RTMT installer by double click the
file CcmServRtmtPlugin.exe.

Step 8
Follow Cisco Unified RTMT installer instructions to complete the installation proccess.
Step 9
On PC-1, start Cisco Unified RTMT and connect to Cisco Unity Connection via the IP address of 10.1.5.8.
Accept any certification messages and login with the Cisco Unity Connection Application Administrator
credentials. When the tool is started, choose Default in the Configuration List and click OK. Choose Unity
Connection > Port Monitor, choose the node, set the polling rate to one second, and start the polling. After a
few seconds, you will see the eight ports (four SCCP ports and four SIP ports).

Step 10

On PC-1, using the Firefox browser, log in to Cisco Unity Connection Administration using the credentials from
the Job Aids. Choose Telephony Integrations > Port Group. Choose SCCP CUCM Integration-1 port group
name. Notice this port group has the Needs Reset option set to Yes.
Step 11
On port group SCCP CUCM Integration-1 click the Reset button.

Task 2: Troubleshoot the Integration Between Cisco Unity Connection and Cisco
Unified Communications Manager
John Doe and Jane White are complaining that they cannot reach voicemail by pressing the Messages button on
their IP phones. In troubleshooting this issue, you will assume that John Doe’s IP phone uses SCCP integration
between Cisco Unity Connection and Cisco Unified Communications Manager, and Jane White’s phone uses SIP
integration.

Activity
Step 1
On HQ Phone 1, press the Messages button. You will immediately hear a reorder tone.
Step 2
Using the available troubleshooting tools (GUI for configuration checks, the Remote Port Status Monitor, and the
port monitor in Cisco Unified RTMT), try to investigate and fix this issue.
While looking at the port monitor in Cisco Unified RTMT, you will see that SCCP ports show Registration
Rejected in the Application Status column.

The SCCP port status in Cisco Unified Communications Manager shows Unregistered.
While checking the Cisco Unity Connection configuration, you will notice that someone mistyped the device
name prefix, so the port names are incorrect. The device name prefix that is configured in Cisco Unity
Connection should be exactly the same as the prefix that is configured in Cisco Unified Communications
Manager.
Change the device name prefix to Cisco-VM-P1-VI, save your settings, and reset the port group. After a few
moments, SCCP ports will be registered. Press the Messages button on HQ Phone 1 again to test SCCP
integration. You will hear the message “Enter your PIN.” The SCCP integration issue is now fixed.

The port monitor in Cisco Unified RTMT will show port statuses as Idle.
The Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration GUI will show the port status as Registered with
CUCM-PUB.CLL-COLLAB.INTERNAL.
Troubleshoot SIP Integration

Step 3
On HQ Phone 2, press the Messages button. You will first hear a beep tone and then the reorder tone 10
seconds later.

Step 4
Using the available troubleshooting tools (GUI for configuration checks, the Remote Port Status Monitor, and the
port monitor in Cisco Unified RTMT), try to investigate and fix this issue.
When you hear the beep tone before you hear the reorder tone, you will notice the message “Enter Client Matter
Code” on the bottom of the IP phone screen.

This message means that CMC is enabled on the route pattern that the IP phone uses to reach voicemail when
you press the Messages button. Go to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration and check the
configuration of the 18200 route pattern. You will see that the Require Client Matter Code check box is checked.
Uncheck this check box, save the route pattern configuration, and make another test call to Cisco Unity
Connection from HQ Phone 2 by pressing the Messages button. You will immediately hear the reorder tone now.
This tone means that your integration issue is not yet fixed.

While checking the configuration of Cisco Unity Connection, you will find that SCCP ports are enabled for the
Answer Calls feature but SIP ports are not. There is no single SIP port that can answer incoming calls.
Correct this issue by checking the Answer Calls check box for each SIP port. Press the Messages button again
on HQ Phone 2 to confirm that Cisco Unity Connection answers the call and plays prompts. This SIP integration
issue is now fixed.
Task 3: Troubleshoot Login Issues
John Doe and Jane White are complaining about voice mailbox login issues. John Doe says that after he enters his
PIN code of 123789, Cisco Unity Connection plays the message “Your account is locked and cannot be opened”
and he cannot use voicemail services. Jane White says that when she presses the Messages button on her IP
phone, she is not asked to enter her PIN, and she has no idea how to enter her mailbox. You need to troubleshoot
both issues.

Activity
Troubleshoot the Login Issue of John Doe

Step 1
On HQ Phone 1, press the Messages button. You will be asked to enter a PIN. Enter 123789. You will first hear
the message “Your account is locked and cannot be opened. For help, contact your system administrator,” and
then you will hear the opening greeting.

Step 2
Using the available troubleshooting tools (GUI for configuration checks, the Remote Port Status Monitor, and the
port monitor in Cisco Unified RTMT), try to investigate and fix this issue.
When you make this call and check the Remote Port Status Monitor, you will see multiple indications that the
user account is locked, as shown in the following figure.
In Cisco Unity Connection, go to the voicemail Password Settings of John Doe. You will see that the check box
Locked by Administrator is checked.
 Uncheck the Locked by Administrator check box, save your configuration, and try to log into John Doe’s
mailbox again. You will be able to log in successfully. This login issue is now fixed.

After successful login, you will hear the message “Voice messages are temporarily unavailable.” Do not
troubleshoot this issue now because you will do it in another task later on.

Troubleshoot the Login Issue of Jane White

Step 3
On HQ Phone 2, press the Messages button. You will not be asked to enter a PIN and you will hear the opening
greeting instead.

Step 4
Using the available troubleshooting tools (GUI for configuration checks, the Remote Port Status Monitor, and the
port monitor in Cisco Unified RTMT), try to investigate and fix this issue.
When you press the Messages button on HQ Phone 2 and check the Remote Port Status Monitor, you will see
that Cisco Unity Connection skips the Sign-In and moves the call to the opening greeting call handler. It seems
like voicemail cannot recognize this user.

If you check the port monitor output in Cisco Unified RTMT, you will see that the calling number is 4085551002.
But when you check the user settings for Jane White in Cisco Unity Connection Administration, you will see that
the extension is set to 11002.
Because extension 11002 differs from the calling number 4085551002, Cisco Unity Connection cannot recognize
this user and does not ask the caller to enter a PIN.

To fix this issue, Cisco Unity Connection must recognize this user. An easy fix would be to add 4085551002 as
alternate extension for the Jane White, but you will not implement this solution. Instead, you will find out why the
calling number is presented in 10-digit format (4085551002) instead of being presented as an internal extension
(11002).

When you look at the HQ Phone 2 screen, you will see that 4085551002 appears at the top of the screen, which
means that line 1 of HQ Phone 2 is configured with an external phone number mask. This mask converts 11002
into 4085551002.

You can check the line 1 configuration of HQ Phone 2 in Cisco Unified Communications Manager and see that
the external phone number mask is configured.
But why do calls to Cisco Unity Connection apply this mask to a calling number? Because Jane White’s phone
uses SIP integration between Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Cisco Unity Connection, pressing the
Messages button causes Cisco Unified CM to find a route pattern that will route the call to voicemail. In Cisco
Unified Communications Manager Administration, check the configuration of route pattern 18200. In the Calling
Party Transformations section, you will see that the Use Calling Party’s External Phone Number Mask check box
is checked.
 Uncheck this check box and save your configuration. On HQ Phone 2, press the Messages button again. This
time you will hear the message “Enter your PIN.” Enter the PIN 123789. You can now successfully log in to Jane
White’s mailbox. Jane White’s login issue is now fixed.

After successful login, you will hear the message “Voice messages are temporarily unavailable.” Do not
troubleshoot this issue now because you will do it in another task later on.

Task 4: Troubleshoot Call Forward Issues

John Doe and Jane White are complaining about call forward to voicemail issues. Both users have their phones
configured for CFNA to voicemail.

When someone calls John Doe and he does not answer, the call is not forwarded to voicemail. The calling party
hears the message “Your call cannot be completed.”

When someone calls Jane White and she does not answer, the call is successfully forwarded to voicemail, but
Cisco Unity Connection does not offer the caller an opportunity to leave a message. Instead, external callers hear
the opening greeting and internal callers hear the message “Enter your PIN.”

Your task is to troubleshoot both issues so that calls can be successfully forwarded to voicemail.

Activity
Troubleshoot the Call Forward Issue of John Doe

Step 1
From HQ Phone 2, call 11001 and do not pick up. You will hear Cisco Unified Communications Manager play the
tone “Your call cannot be completed.” It seems like Cisco Unified Communications Manager cannot forward
 the call.

Step 2
Using the available troubleshooting tools (GUI for configuration checks, the Remote Port Status Monitor, and the
port monitor in Cisco Unified RTMT), try to investigate and fix this issue.
During your test call, you will see that there is no output in the Remote Port Status Monitor or in the port monitor
in Cisco Unified RTMT, and all ports remain idle. Your call cannot reach Cisco Unity Connection.

In Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, check the Call Forward settings for line 1 of HQ
Phone 1. Do you see anything unusual?

You will see that the Call Forward No Answer options are set to the destination 18100. This destination is correct
because it is the voicemail pilot that points to Cisco Unity Connection using SCCP integration. So why is the call
not forwarded? The answer is that the CSS for the Call Forward options is missing.

To fix this problem, you can set the CSS for Call Forward or you can check the Voice Mail check box. Checking
the Voice Mail check box is the preferred solution because no CSS is required to forward a call to voicemail.

Check the Voice Mail check box for both Forward No Answer options. Save and Apply the configuration. From
HQ Phone 2, call 11001 and do not answer. After 10 seconds, your call will be forwarded to voicemail and you
will hear John Doe’s greeting. Check the Remote Port Status Monitor output to ensure that you can now
successfully reach John Doe’s mailbox. This Call Forward problem is now fixed.
 You cannot currently leave a message because you have a problem with greetings. You will
troubleshoot this problem in a later task.

Troubleshoot The Call Forward Issue of Jane White

Step 3
From line 1 (11001) of HQ Phone 1, call 11002 and do not pick up. Your call will be forwarded to voicemail and
you will hear the message “Enter your PIN.” The Remote Port Status Monitor shows that Cisco Unity Connection
attempts to sign in.
Step 4
From line 2 (18070) of HQ Phone 1, call 11002 and do not pick up. Your call will be forwarded to voicemail and
you will hear the message “Hello, this is Cisco Unity Connection.” The Remote Port Status Monitor shows that
Cisco Unity Connection plays the greeting for the opening greeting call handler.
Step 5
Using the available troubleshooting tools (GUI for configuration checks, the Remote Port Status Monitor, and the
port monitor in Cisco Unified RTMT), try to investigate and fix this call forward issue. You must ensure that calls
originating from lines 1 and 2 of HQ Phone 1 that are forwarded to voicemail can reach Jane White’s mailbox.
Check the port monitor in Cisco Unified RTMT for calls that originated from 11001. You will see a direct call from
11001 to 18200 with the Display Status of Subscriber Sign-In. This call looks similar to a call made by pressing
the Messages button on HQ Phone 1.
Now check the port monitor in Cisco Unified RTMT for a call that originated from 18070. You will see a direct call
from 18070 to 18200 with the Display Status of Playing Greeting for Call Handler: Opening Greeting. This call
looks similar to a call made by activating line 2 and pressing the Messages button on HQ Phone 1.
So as you can see, the actual problem you are experiencing is that Cisco Unity Connection treats an incoming
call as a direct call instead of a forwarded call. Therefore, the wrong routing rules are being applied to your call
and you cannot reach Jane White’s mailbox greeting.

The reason for this problem is somewhere in the SIP integration between Cisco Unity Connection and Cisco
Unified Communications Manager.

When you look at the port monitor in Cisco Unified RTMT, you will see that the Redir column is empty.
Similarly, when you look at the Remote Port Status Monitor, you will see no RedirectingId present in any of the
calls.
For some reason, the forwarding number 11002 is not being delivered to Cisco Unity Connection, so it cannot
recognize this call as a forwarded call and handles it as a direct inbound call.

When you check the configuration of the SIP trunk to Cisco Unity Connection in Cisco Unified Communications
Manager Administration, you will see that the Redirecting Diversion Header Delivery – Outbound check box is
not checked.

Check this check box, save your configuration, and reset the SIP trunk. From HQ Phone 1, call 11002 and do not
answer. The call will be forwarded to voicemail and this time you will hear the greeting that Jane White’s mailbox
plays. This call forward problem is now fixed.
 You cannot currently leave a message because you have a problem with greetings. You will
troubleshoot this problem in later task.

Task 5: Troubleshoot Wrong Greeting Issues

Jane White is complaining that when her call is forwarded to John Doe’s voicemail, she does not hear any offer to
record a message. The call is immediately finished after the message “Sorry, John Doe is not available.”

John Doe is complaining that when his call is forwarded to Jane White’s voicemail, he does not hear any offer to
record a message, but he hears the message “Sorry, Jane White is not available,” which infinitely repeats.

You have to troubleshoot both issues and ensure that voicemail will ask callers to leave a message.

Activity
Troubleshoot the Greeting Issue of Jane White

Step 1
From HQ Phone 1, call 11002 and do not pick up. Your call will be forwarded to voicemail and you will hear the
repeated message “Sorry, Jane White is not available,” and you are not offered an opportunity to record your
message. Hang up.

Step 2
Using the available troubleshooting tools (GUI for configuration checks, the Remote Port Status Monitor, and the
port monitor in Cisco Unified RTMT), try to investigate and fix this issue.
Look at the Remote Port Status Monitor while your call is forwarded to voicemail and you hear the greeting. You
will see a loop of standard greetings for subscriber Jane White.
In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, go to the Standard Greeting settings for Jane White and look at the
After Greeting section. You will see that Call Action is set to Restart Greeting.
 Change Call Action to Take Message and save your configuration. From HQ Phone 1, call 11002 and do not
pick up. Your call will be forwarded to voicemail and this time you will be offered an opportunity to record a
message. You do not need to record any messages, so hang up. Jane White’s wrong greeting issue is now fixed.

Troubleshoot the Greeting Issue of John Doe

Step 3
From HQ Phone 2, call 11001 and do not pick up. Your call will be forwarded to voicemail and you will hear the
message “Sorry, John Doe is not available.” The call is finished immediately after this message and you do not
hear an offer to record your message.
Look at the Remote Port Status Monitor while your call is forwarded to voicemail and you hear the greeting.
Notice that Cisco Unity Connection plays the Alternate greeting for the subscriber John Doe and then finishes the
call.

In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, go to the Alternate Greeting settings for John Doe and look at the After
Greeting section. You will see that Call Action is set to Hang Up.
To fix the issue, you can set Call Action to Take Message or you can deactivate Alternate Greeting. In a real
network, you should consult with the end user before making changes. The end user has the option to enable an
alternate greeting and there may be a reason that the user chose this option.

Choose any option you prefer to fix this issue. From HQ Phone 2, call 11001 and do not pick up. Your call will be
forwarded to voicemail and this time you will be offered an opportunity to record a message. You do not need to
record any messages, so hang up. John Doe’s wrong greeting issue is now fixed.

Task 6: Troubleshoot MWI Issues

John Doe and Jane White are complaining that they do not see any indication on their phones about new voice
messages, but voice messages are successfully delivered and they can listen to those messages.

You need to troubleshoot and fix this MWI problem.

Activity
Step 1
From HQ Phone 1, call 11002 and do not pick up. Your call will be forwarded to voicemail and you will be offered
an opportunity to record a message. Play the http://10.1.5.100/Sample Voicemail.mp4 file to leave a message for
Jane White.

Step 2
On HQ Phone 2, you will not see a visual indication that there is new voice message. On HQ Phone 2, log into
Jane White’s mailbox and listen to the voice message you just left. You will hear that your message was actually
delivered. Press 3 to delete this message.

Trace an MWI Event

Step 3
In Cisco Unity Connection Serviceability, choose Trace > Macro Trace, and activate tracing for MWI problems
for both SIP and SCCP systems.
Reach the Serviceability menu from the top right of the screen called Navigation.

Step 4
Call from 11001 and leave a message for 11002. On PC-1, choose Trace & Log Central > Remote Browse to
view and analyze the trace files in Cisco Unified RTMT. Choose Trace Files and choose the Connection
Notifier service. Open the latest file using Cisco Generic Viewer.
Step 5
Check the trace file output for any error messages. Under which phone system integration is this issue
occurring?
You will see the message NOTIFYQ_ACTION_MWION_FAILURE, which indicates that there was a failure in
updating the MWI on Jane White’s IP phone. This issue is occurring in the SCCP CUCM Integration phone
system.
Troubleshoot an MWI Issue

Step 6
Look at the Remote Port Status Monitor output for any of the SCCP ports. You will see several attempts to set
the MWI on 11002.
Step 7
With the trace file and Remote Port Status Monitor outputs in mind, try to determine, and fix the cause of this
issue.
From the trace file output, you can see that Cisco Unity Connection actually tried to set MWI On for extension
11002 but was unsuccessful. Similarly, the Remote Port Status Monitor shows attempts to dial the MWI On
extension so that Cisco Unified Communications Manager would set MWI On for extension 11002. You can also
see that this issue is occurring in the SCCP integration between Cisco Unity Connection and Cisco Unified
Communications Manager.

While checking the configuration of both systems, you will see that MWI On and MWI Off extensions are
different. Someone mistyped them when configuring SCCP integration.

In Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, choose Advanced Features > Voice Mail >
Message Waiting and click Find. There are two extensions configured: 18198 for MWI On and 18199 for MWI
Off.
In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, choose Telephony Integrations > Port Group and choose the SCCP
CUCM Integration-1 group. There are two extensions configured: 18188 for MWI On and 18189 for MWI Off.
You can fix your MWI issue by updating the MWI On and Off extensions on either Cisco Unified Communications
Manager or Cisco Unity Connection. Assuming that the Cisco Unified Communications Manager configuration is
correct, update the MWI On and Off extensions on Cisco Unity Connection and save your configuration. The
MWI issue is now fixed.

You will see that the MWI on HQ Phone 2 will not turn on even after you correct the MWI On and Off extensions.
To test your configuration, you can leave a new message for Jane White, or you can choose Telephony
Integrations > Phone System, choose the SCCP CUCM Integration phone system, and click the Run button
next to Synchronize All MWIs on this Phone System.

If your test is successful, you will see an envelope icon next to line 1 on HQ Phone 2.