[cisco-voip] Unity 7x UM to VM downgrade

[Pat Hayes]

If you need to stick with Unity, you should make sure that you are
licensed for this. The VM user licenses include a limited use Exchange
CAL, the UM user license does not entitle you to this (as it is
assumed you already have CALs for your users in a UM environment), so
you might want to check with your account team. Also ensure that the
current server will support the same number of users with an on box
exchange server. If the server was originally spec'd for UM, you
probably have the one with fewer hard drives than the one intended for
on-box. You may need to purchase a few more drives or consider using a
separate server for Exchange.

As for the actual mechanics, you are correct, it basically is a
rebuild (no way to change the domain of a Unity server without
rebuilding). Both DiRT and COBRAS backups have the option of backing
up and restoring messages.

With all of that said, as has been pointed out elsewhere in the
thread, you should really be looking at Unity Connection. Even without
UCSS there are some migration options available, talk to your account
team. It is really the direction that people are being pushed these
days, especially for voicemail only installs. There are a bunch of
features and reasons that might sweeten the deal, but when it comes
down to it, I see it as why would I want to sign up for supporting a
whole separate Exchange and AD environment when I don't have to? You
are rebuilding anyways, and that same COBRAS backup you take on Unity
can be restored directly on to a Connection server. Also, if your
customer changes their mind down the road and wants UM back, that
feature will be available in 8.5 which is due out soon.

On Mon, Nov 1, 2010 at 6:11 PM, rab boon <ciscovoipuser at gmail.com> wrote:
> I have a customer that needs to decommission their Exchange environment. The
> impact of this is that I need to disconnect their integration with Unity 7x
> for UM and move Exchange on-box in a VM only configuration.
>
> Has anyone had any experience of this type of downgrade and have an idea of
> what would be the process and pitfalls? I expect it requires a backup and
> rebuild with Exchange on box?
>
> Any help would be really appreciated.
>
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