atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Avaya - Lucent Telephones & Systems Using Merlin Magix for Voice Mail with Cisco

So, I'd like to use our existing Avaya Magix system for voicemail with a shiny new Cisco CallManager system. We'll connect the systems with a P2P T1 and forward to the Avaya.

Am I crazy thinking that this can be done? It seems plausible, but I'm not an Avaya guy so I don't really know.

I don't really care whether or not we get MWI, so long as I can get calls routed to the right VM box.

More info needed.

If the P2P T1 is set up as straight tie lines, then yeah. All you gotta do is (effectively) go offhook and send the Magix the station's digits. If programmed, the Merlin Messaging will pick up.

For extensions on the CallManager side, you'd have to build an equivalent "phantom", adjunct, DGC or whatever--something that the Merlin can route to for call coverage.

The question is, can you set up CallManager to do that? So let's say there's an x200 and x201 on the Cisco side. What happens when 200 calls 201 and 201 doesn't answer? Do you have a way to tell CallManager to seize a tie line trunk and effectively transfer the live call from x200 across it and preface the transfer with the digits "201"? If so, then you've got it made. But it sounds like a pretty tall order to me.

I've got another idea cooking, but I'd like to hear more about how you intend for this thing to work. For example, will there be people on both the Magix side as well as the Cisco side--the idea being that everyone will ultimately migrate to Cisco? If so, whadda ya plan to do for voicemail once everyone is on Cisco? Or is the idea that everyone loves Merlin Messaging and you're hoping that you can just keep that part?

I'm curious too as to why MWI aren't important.

Well, I'll start with your last question and work my way back to the start. The reason I said MWI wasn't important was that this is a temporary thing. Hopefully, a month or less. We'll ultimately get Cisco Unity for VM and decommission the Magix altogether. I just have to go back to the well and get more money. That's not to say I wouldn't implement MWI if it's possible to do so.

I knew I should have included the back story for this one. We ordered CUCI-MOC with CallManager because we were told that we would be doing unified messaging and using Exchange for voice mail. Well when the new Cisco kit showed up along with a Cisco engineer we called our Exchange administrator to get the info that we'd need to connect to Exchange. The answer was essentially "we don't have the infrastructure for that and there aren't any plans for UM." Mind, this is the same guy who told us to plan for Exchange integration when we spec'd the system. D'oh. So now, we need a voice mail solution. Everyone will be migrated to Cisco and the Magix will basically just be a processor, messaging, and T1 card.

I'm pretty sure I can configure Call Manager to send whatever I it needs to once I figure out what that should be. I assume I leave all of my extensions defined in the Magix with immediate VM coverage so that any inbound calls go straight to mail?