Amanda Work Group Administration Guide

							Chapter 5:
Setting Up Mailboxes
Overview
The design of [email protected]/Windows depends upon the mailboxes that you 
have defined. What a caller hears and can do is controlled by the mailbox that the caller is 
accessing at the moment and how that mailbox is configured. When you configure a 
particular user’s mailbox, you control what that user can do with Amanda and what he can 
change about his mailbox.
You can create mailboxes based on a template or as a copy of any existing mailbox. Using 
a template allows you to make sure all users have the same basic call-processing features. 
You can change individual mailboxes as necessary.
You use Amanda Administrator to set up mailboxes, including their notification records 
and scheduling records, and to create reports.
To start Amanda Administrator:
1. Select Amanda Administrator from the Start menu. 
The Administrator Logon dialog box appears.
2. Click Network Settings…. 
The Network Settings dialog box appears. 
The default server name is AMANDASERVER.
Make sure that the server name matches the name of your Amanda server. See your 
network administrator to be sure. You can also use an IP address.
3. Click OK.
The Administrator Logon dialog box reappears.
4. Type the security code for the system administrator mailbox (mailbox 999) in the 
Password text box.
The default security code is 999, but you should change that.
5. Click OK. 
						

							34 Administering [email protected]/Windows
The Mailbox List dialog box lists all the mailboxes currently in the database. (It also 
allows you to create, copy, or delete mailboxes.)
6. Do one of the following:
 In the Mailbox text box, type the first few characters that appear in the list for 
that mailbox. Then click OK.
 From the list, double-click the mailbox. 
 To create a mailbox based on the mailbox template, click New…, type a number 
for the mailbox, then click OK.
 To create a mailbox or a range of mailboxes based on an existing mailbox, click 
Copy…, type the number for the mailbox, type the number for the first and last 
mailbox in the range (these two numbers can be the same to create only one mail-
box), click OK, then select one of the newly created mailboxes. 
						

							Chapter 5: Setting Up Mailboxes 35
The Mailbox window displays information about the selected (or newly created) 
mailbox. 
						

							36 Administering [email protected]/Windows
Using the Menus
MenuCommandDescription
MailboxNew…Creates a new mailbox using the mailbox template (normally 
mailbox 997).
Save…Saves the changes made to the current mailbox.
Delete…Deletes the current mailbox.
MailboxDisplays the Mailbox window.
Auto 
SchedulerDisplays the Auto Scheduler window.
NotifyDisplays the Notify window.
ReportDisplays the most recently created report—if there is one.
Display…Allows you to display mailboxes with or without a name. (The 
name is a combination of the settings for Directory Name 1 and 
Directory Name 2.)
Log OnAllows you to log back on to Amanda if you have been discon-
nected.
MonitorAllows you to start Amanda Monitor from Amanda Administra-
tor.
ExitEnds this session of Amanda Administrator.
EditPreviousDisplays the previous mailbox in the current Mailbox List.
NextDisplays the next mailbox in the current Mailbox List.
Copy…Copies the current mailbox to one or a range of mailboxes.
Find…Allows you to search for all mailboxes which match certain crite-
ria. Specify the settings to be matched in the Mailbox window. 
(Please note that the search is case sensitive.) 
Start Search…Starts a search based on your criteria. Amanda Administrator cre-
ates a Mailbox List from the mailboxes that match your criteria or 
notifies you that no mailbox matches your criteria.
N
OTE:The next and previous buttons and other commands ap-
ply to this mailbox List until you select End Search.
You can create a report on the mailboxes returned during 
a search.
End SearchEnds the search and returns to the complete list of mailboxes.
StatusClicking Status (or pressing Alt+S) displays the statistics for the 
current mailbox. To exit, select OK.
ReportDesign 
Report…Allows you to design a new report or load and modify a previous-
ly designed report. Select the items you want to appear on the re-
port. The order in which they are listed will be the order used for 
reporting.
Save As…This saves your report as a file (ASCII text). 
						

							Chapter 5: Setting Up Mailboxes 37
Using the Toolbar
The toolbar offers buttons as timesaving alternatives to commands on the menu bar:
Creates a new mailbox from the mailbox template (usually mailbox 997).
Saves the current mailbox. 
Deletes the current mailbox.
Copies the current mailbox to a range of mailboxes.
Go to the previous mailbox.
Go to the next mailbox.
Search for mailbox’s with specific settings.
Displays the Mailbox window.
Displays the Auto Scheduler window.
Displays the Notify window.
Displays the Report window.
Logging Back On
If you lose connection to Amanda while you are using Amanda Administrator, you can log 
back on without exiting Amanda Administrator.
To log back on to Amanda:
 On the Mailbox menu, click Log On.
A message indicates that you are logged on or that the server is unavailable.
Print…This prints your report.
Print PreviewThis allows you to view your report’s layout (including page 
numbers) before printing.
Print Setup…This allows you to define your printer options.
HelpContentsDisplays the Contents for Amanda Administrator Help.
Using HelpExplains how to use online help.
About Admin-
istratorDisplays information, such as the copyright date and version 
number, about Amanda Administrator.
MenuCommandDescription 
						

							38 Administering [email protected]/Windows
Using a Template
Setting up the mailbox template effectively at the beginning can save you the most 
administration time down-the-road. Always create a new mailbox from the existing 
mailbox that matches the new mailbox most closely, even if that is not the mailbox 
template. Asking users about their personal preferences can be very effective. A sample 
questionnaire is included in this section for that purpose.
You can create a mailbox as a copy of the mailbox template (by default mailbox 997) or a 
copy of another existing mailbox. 
Amanda copies:
 The fields in the existing mailbox’s Basic Options, Chains, Menus, and Groups 
sections.
 The contents of the Extension field if it begins with ‘@’.
 All notification and scheduling records.
The security code is a special case. Even when you copy a mailbox from a mailbox other 
than the mailbox template, the security code for the new mailbox is dependent upon the 
template’s security code:
 If the template’s security code is blank, the new mailbox has its own mailbox 
number as a security code. 
The Security Code field can appear to be blank—even when it contains a value. If the 
configuration option sec_code_display is false (which it is by default), the security 
code is never displayed. To be sure it is blank, fill the field with spaces.
 If the template’s security code is not blank, the new mailbox has the same security 
code as the template. By default, the security code for mailbox 997 is 997. 
Be sure that the template covers as many circumstances as possible before you create 
mailboxes from it. For example, if most extensions have message lights, the commands 
for turning message lights on and off should be among the template’s notification records. 
If all user’s will have Do Not Disturb turned on after hours, make sure the template has the 
scheduling records that turn Do Not Disturb on at 5 
P.M. and turn it off at 8 A.M. This saves 
you from re-entering this information for one mailbox after another.
Also make sure that the template specifies group 1, the default group number for the 
Company Greeting mailbox (usually mailbox 990). Otherwise the new mailboxes cannot 
be reached from that mailbox, and outside callers can never reach the users with those 
mailboxes. 
						

							Chapter 5: Setting Up Mailboxes 39
Asking the User for Preferences
Use the following User Questionnaire to determine what settings to give a new user. Based 
on the company decisions about calls, you can delete some questions from the 
questionnaire. See the company questionnaire in Installing [email protected]/
Windows. The “you” mentioned in the questionnaire is the user.
User Questionnaire
Question 
Circle 
ResponseAdministrative Action to 
Mailbox Fields
1)  How many times should the tele-
phone ring before Amanda takes a mes-
sage?1     2     3
4     5     6
7     8     9Set Adjust Maximum Rings to the circled number.
2)  Should Do Not Disturb (DND) be 
permanently ON, permanently OFF, or 
under your control?
(When ON, your telephone never rings, 
but callers can leave messages. When 
OFF, the telephone always rings. When 
you control DND, you call Amanda to 
turn it ON and OFF.)ONTurn Do Not Disturb on.
Turn Do Not Disturb’s Lock on.
OFFTurn Do Not Disturb off.
Turn Do Not Disturb’s Lock on.
under my 
controlTurn Do Not Disturb off.
Turn Do Not Disturb’s Lock off.
3)  When Amanda screens calls, the 
system tells you who is calling and lets 
you decide to accept or reject each call.
Do you want call screening to be per-
manently ON, permanently OFF, or 
under your control?
1
ONTurn Call Screening on.
Turn the Lock on.
OFFTurn Call Screening off.
Turn the Lock on.
under my 
controlTurn Call Screening off.
Turn the Lock off.
4a)  Do you want Amanda to let you 
know who the call is for?
(This is primarily for people who an-
swer calls for more than one person.)YESTurn Identify Called Party on.
NOTurn Identify Called Party off.
4b)  If YES to 4a, do you want Amanda 
to let you accept or reject the call based 
on who it is for?
(This is primarily for people who share 
telephones.)YESTurn on both Call Screening and Identify Called 
Party. 
Amanda can tell the user either of the following:
 Both who is calling and who the call is for.
 Only who the call is for.
This depends on the value of the 
modified_call_screening configuration option. You 
set this option using the Setup utility.
NOUse the settings already specified for call screening 
and identifying the caller in questions 3 and 4a. 
						

							40 Administering [email protected]/Windows
Personal Mailboxes
A user usually has only one extension and, therefore, only one mailbox. That mailbox is a 
personal mailbox.
A personal mailbox stores:
 Messages that are left by callers or other users—until the user deletes those mes-
sages or until you, as the system administrator, delete the mailbox.
 The greetings that are played when the user does not answer his telephone.
 Scheduling information for greetings—if the user decides to schedule them.
 Notification records for the user—if the user requests to be called at his extension, 
an outside number, or a pager when he has messages.
 The current status of user options. For example, the mailbox remembers whether 
Do Not Disturb is on or off.
When creating personal mailboxes, it is best to give the mailbox the same number as the 
user’s extension. For example, if the user’s extension is 147, then that user’s mailbox must 
also be 147. 
When a caller requests extension 147, Amanda accesses mailbox 147 and processes it. It 
rings extension 147 if directed to do so. If the user does not answer the call or if Do Not 
Disturb is on, Amanda plays the scheduled greeting. After mailbox 147 has been 
processed, Amanda returns to mailbox 991, the Caller Instructions mailbox, and plays its 
current greeting (by default, Greeting 1).
When the owner of a mailbox calls Amanda and asks for extension 147, Amanda asks for 
a security code. After accepting the security code, Amanda allows the user to listen to 
messages, change greetings, turn Do Not Disturb on and off, and so forth.
1Use Call Screening only with supervised transfers. If Call Screening is on and the call is not super-
vised, the caller is screened but that recording is not played to the user. (An unsupervised transfer 
has an H token in the mailboxs Extension field. For example, if mailbox 127 has 127H in the 
Extension field, Amanda transfers all calls to mailbox 127 to extension 127 and immediately ends 
her participation in the call.)
5)  Do you want Amanda to tell you the 
date and time a message was recorded 
before playing the message?
N
OTE:Regardless of this setting, the 
user can always get a mes-
sage’s date/time by pressing 
74 during the message.
YESTurn Play Date & Time on.
NOTurn Play Date & Time off.
User Questionnaire (Continued)
Question 
Circle 
ResponseAdministrative Action to 
Mailbox Fields 
						

							Chapter 5: Setting Up Mailboxes 41
Creating a Personal Mailbox
You must create a mailbox for each user who will receive messages via Amanda. That user 
does not have to have an onsite telephone.
To create a personal mailbox for a user:
1. On the Mailbox menu, click New…. 
The Create Mailbox dialog box appears.
2. Enter the new mailbox then click OK.
Amanda copies the information for the new mailbox from the mailbox template. See 
“Using a Template” on page 38 for details.
3. Do one of the following:
 Type a comment in the Comment text box. (Use up to 17 characters.)
For example, for an information mailbox, you might refer to the menu or data the 
mailbox provides.
4. (Optional) To change the security code from the default, click Security Code….
The Change Security Code dialog box appears. Type in and then verify the new secu-
rity code. Click OK.
N
OTE:If the configuration option sec_code_display is set to true, the 
Change Security Code dialog box displays the current security code. 
Otherwise, the current security code is not displayed.
5. Type values in the Extension text box.
The Extension field is perhaps the most important field on the screen. It is program-
mable and determines what extension Amanda dials and so forth. For example, for 
mailbox 122, if you use:
122H
Amanda dials extension 122 and hangs up. This is a blind transfer. 
122 is usually a supervised transfer (depending on the value of the dl_suffix option in 
the .PBX file). See Installing [email protected]/Windows for more details about 
.PBX files.
6. Type the user’s first name in the Directory Name 1 text box. 
Amanda automatically adds the contents of two fields (Directory Name 1 and Direc-
tory Name 2) to the employee directory. When callers enter 411 (or whatever mailbox 
has been configured as the employee directory), they are normally instructed to enter 
the first few letters of the first or last name of the person they wish to reach. 
7. Type the user’s last name in the Directory Name 2 text box. 
8. Set the other fields as appropriate. Press F1 for help or use the user questionnaire later 
in this chapter.
For example if the user has no onsite telephone, set and lock Do Not Disturb.
9. When you are done, on the Mailbox menu, click Save… to save this mailbox.
The Save Change dialog box appears. 
						

							42 Administering [email protected]/Windows
10. Click Yes.
T
IPS:If you set a lock, the user cannot change the value of the associated field 
from a telephone or Amanda Messenger. From the telephone, the user 
does not even hear the menu option that accesses that feature.
To prevent Amanda from taking a message, in the Messages group box, 
clear the Store check box and select None for the Copy Messages To box. 
Otherwise, the system records a message and stores it for the current 
mailbox and/or the mailbox specified by Copy Messages To.
To keep a mailbox out of the employee directory, leave the Directory 
Name 1 and Directory Name 2 text boxes blank. In this case, you might 
want to put the user’s name in the Comment field.
Remember that a user can go by a nickname. The Directory Name 1 field 
might contain the nickname. For example, for someone named Thomas, 
are people going to enter T-o-m for Tom or T-h-o for Thomas?
To add a menu, create a greeting that explains the menu, and direct the 
user to different mailboxes based on the selection from the menu. For de-
tails, see “Menus” on page 51.
Creating a Personal Mailbox for Someone Without a 
Telephone
A user who is offsite or, for some other reason, has no onsite telephone can still have a 
mailbox. Create a personal mailbox for that user. Then log on to the mailbox to turn on Do 
Not Disturb.
Informational Mailboxes
Informational mailboxes provide information via their greetings. For example, the 
company greeting is a greeting from mailbox 990. Informational mailboxes can:
 Provide information for callers such as your business hours or directions to your 
office. 
 Direct the caller to one or more other mailboxes for further processing. 
For example, the greeting may list other informational mailboxes: “For directions, 
press 22; ...”
The greeting may suggest users’ mailboxes: “For more information, dial Mary at 
extension 147 or Tom at extension 150.”
The greeting may offer a single-digit menu, “Press 1 for ...; press 2 for ...; etc.”
If no selection is made from an informational mailbox, Amanda plays the greeting for the 
Caller Instructions mailbox (991). This is so the caller does not get lost in the system.
Creating an Informational Mailbox
Some mailboxes give out information to callers or instruct callers about their options. 
Creating a mailbox to perform such a task is a matter of creating a mailbox with the right 
values in the right fields.