Amanda Work Group Administrations 7 Xx Instructions Manual

							Chapter 5: Setting Up Mailboxes 101
To create a personal mailbox:
1. From the Users screen, type the new number for the mailbox in the 
Mailbox field, then press Enter. 
Amanda copies the information for the new mailbox from the mailbox 
template. See “Using a Template” on page 68 for details.
2. Do one of the following:
 If your Amanda system uses Brooktrout voice boards, type a com-
ment 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.
 If your Amanda system is connected to a Norstar KSU, the Com-
ment field is replaced with the Set Name field. You can type the set 
name (up to 7 characters) or use Autocreate to fill all the Set Name 
field automatically. See “Creating Personal Mailboxes Automati-
cally” on page 103.
3. Type a security code or bypass this field by pressing Enter only.
4. Type a value into the Extension field, then press Enter.
The Extension field is perhaps the most important field on the screen. It 
is programmable and determines what extension she 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] 
for more details about .PBX files.
5. Type the user’s first name in the Dir Name 1 field, then press Enter. 
Amanda automatically adds the contents of two fields (Dir Name 1 and 
Dir 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.  
						

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6. Type the user’s last name in the Dir Name 2 field, then press Enter. 
7. Set the other fields as appropriate. Press F1 for help or use “Asking the 
User for Preferences” on page 69.
8. When you are done, press Alt+S to save the mailbox.
The Created field (in the Statistics area) changes from NEVER to the 
current date and time.
T
IPS:If you set the Lock field to ON, the user cannot change the 
value of the associated field from a telephone. In fact, by 
locking an option, the user does not even hear the menu op-
tion that accesses that feature.
To prevent the recording of a personal greeting, set the Cur-
rent Greeting’s Max field to 0 seconds. To prevent the re-
cording of a personal busy message, set the Busy 
Message’s Max field to 0.
To prevent Amanda from taking a message, set Store Mes-
sages to NO and select None for the Copy Messages To 
box. Otherwise, she records a message and stores it for the 
current mailbox and/or the mailbox specified by Copy Mes-
sages To.
To keep a mailbox out of the employee directory, leave Dir 
Name 1 and Dir Name 2 blank. 
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 se-
lection from the menu. For details, see “Menus” on 
page 114.
Creating a 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. 
						

							Chapter 5: Setting Up Mailboxes 103
Creating Personal Mailboxes Automatically
If Amanda is connected to a Norstar KSU and you have requested the 
Autocreate feature (by setting the configuration option tmo_names to a 
number greater than 0), Amanda can:
 Automatically create a mailbox based on the mailbox template (usu-
ally mailbox 997) for each Norstar KSU telephone extension
 Place the unique name associated with that extension in the 
Set Name text box for the newly created mailbox
Amanda does not overwrite any existing mailboxes during this process. 
Therefore, Autocreate can use the Norstar KSU’s telephone extensions for 
either of the following:
 To create mailboxes for the initial users of the system
 To add mailboxes for new extensions—without affecting those cre-
ated previously
 To update the name in the Set Name text box
Autocreate does not delete mailboxes under any circumstances. This is for 
your protection, but it means that you, as the system administrator, should 
delete mailboxes that are no longer in use and change the name (and perhaps 
other settings) associated with a mailbox when the corresponding extension 
gets a new owner.
To create mailboxes for extensions automatically:
1. From the Main screen, press Alt+A to run Autocreate.
A message informs you, “Updating Set Names. Press Enter to continue 
or Esc to terminate.”
2. Press Enter.
The Enter Directory Numbers dialog box appears.
3. Amanda will create mailboxes for each Directory Number in the range 
you provide. Type the first number in the range of DNs in the Lowest 
Directory Number text box. Then press Enter. 
						

							104 Administering [email protected]/DOS
4. Type the last number in the range of DNs in the Highest Directory Num-
ber text box. Then press Enter.
A messages informs you, “Dialing Sets. Screen will blank for xxx sec. 
Press Enter to continue.”
5. Press Enter.
A message informs you, “Updated Set Names. Press Enter to continue.”
N
OTE:The Autocreate request can take a while because only 
one port (which might not be available immediately) 
can perform the request. Amanda logs information 
about the new mailboxes in the trace file. 
If you see the message, “Failed to update Set Names. 
Press Enter to continue,” Amanda was unsuccessful. 
Refer to trace.out for further information.
If you see the message, “One or more Set Names could 
not be updated. Press Enter to continue,” Amanda was 
partially successful. Some of the extensions dialed 
were identified successfully; others failed. Refer to 
trace.out for further information.
If you delete a mailbox and then run the Autocreate 
Process, the mailbox is re-created by the Autocreate 
Process if it corresponds to an existing extension.
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.
The proper settings for the standalone system are:
Extension:blank
Dir Name 1:blank
Dir Name 2:blank
Do Not Disturb:ON 
						

							Chapter 5: Setting Up Mailboxes 105
The other Basic Options fields are not evaluated, so their values do not 
matter for an information mailbox. 
T
IPS:You can lock the Current Greeting setting after recording 
your information (by changing the Max field to 0), so that 
it cannot be changed accidentally.
In the Comment field, you might refer to the menu or data 
the mailbox provides.
If the informational mailbox provides information to the 
user after which only a hangup is appropriate, the Exten-
sion field might contain something like the following:
@P(G1)G(999)
Amanda plays Greeting 1 for mailbox 122 and goes to 
mailbox 999’s Extension field for an immediate hangup.
This last example uses the Token Programming Language. 
For more details, see Installing [email protected]/
DOS.
Creating a Range of Mailboxes from an Existing Mail-
box
Occasionally, you might want to create a range of mailboxes. For example, 
you might create the mailboxes for all the extension numbers at your site at 
one time. The mailbox to be copied can be the mailbox template (usually 
997) or any other mailbox. 
1Creates a 3 to 6 second pause allowing the caller to decide 
what option to select from the menu. If there is no menu, the 
Delay should remain 0, the default.
Lock:ON
Store Messages?NO
Copy Messages To:blank
Delay:30-601 (when the Menu fields are used) 
						

							106 Administering [email protected]/DOS
In general, you want to select the mailbox most similar to the mailboxes you 
create so you make the fewest changes to each new mailbox. Sometimes you 
use this procedure to create only one mailbox. For example, you might create 
a mailbox that requires only a name change.
To create a range of mailboxes based on another mailbox:
1. From the Users screen, type the mailbox to be copied in the Mailbox 
field, then press Enter. 
2. Press Alt+C.
The Range To Copy To dialog box appears.
3. Type the number for the first mailbox in the range, then press Enter.
4. Type the number for the last mailbox in the range, then press Enter.
Amanda creates the specified mailboxes by copying the fields from the 
current mailbox. See “Using a Template” on page 68 for a list of the 
fields that are copied.
T
IP:You can copy just one mailbox by using the same mail-
box as the first and last mailbox in the range.
Modifying an Existing Mailbox
As users’ needs and corporate policies change, you can modify how calls are 
processed by modifying mailboxes.
To modify a mailbox:
1. From the Users screen, type the mailbox in the Mailbox field, then press 
Enter.
Amanda automatically loads that mailbox if it exists. (Otherwise, she 
assumes you are creating a new mailbox.)
2. Change the desired fields.
3. Press Alt+S to save your changes. 
						

							Chapter 5: Setting Up Mailboxes 107
4. Press Y when asked if you want to overwrite this mailbox.
5. Press Esc to return to the Main screen.
T
IP:You can tell whether a particular mailbox has already been 
created by looking at the Created field in the Statistics area 
at the bottom of the screen. Existing mailboxes have a date 
in this field. New mailboxes have the word NEVER.
Moving from One Mailbox to Another
You can always move from one mailbox to the next in numeric order. You 
press Page Up to go to the previous mailbox and Page Down to go to the 
next. If you don’t know a mailbox number, but can figure it out from the Dir 
Name fields, use the following procedure to identify it.
To identify a mailbox and go to it:
1. On the Users screen, press Alt+T.
The Table screen displays all the currently defined mailboxes in numer-
ical order, along with the contents of the Comment/Set Name, Exten-
sion, Dir 1 Name, and Dir 2 Name fields. For each mailbox, the table 
also displays the total number of messages (and their total length in sec-
onds).
2. Select a mailbox from the table using Page Down, Page Up, and the 
arrow keys. Then press Enter.
Amanda displays the selected mailbox. 
						

							108 Administering [email protected]/DOS
Deleting an Existing Mailbox
You can delete any existing mailbox from the Users screen or the table of 
mailboxes.
To delete a mailbox:
1. Type the mailbox in the Mailbox field, then press Enter.
2. Press Alt+D and confirm the deletion by pressing Y.
Amanda automatically removes all messages and recordings related to 
the mailbox.
To delete mailboxes from the Mailbox Table:
1. From the Users screen, select Alt+T.
Amanda displays a table of currently defined mailboxes.
2. Use the arrow keys to select the mailbox to be deleted.
3. Press Delete.
4. Amanda asks for verification. Press Y, D, or N:
 Y means YES, you are sure.
 D means don’t ask anymore. Once D is selected, Amanda does not 
ask for verification again until you exit the table. This is helpful 
when you have many mailboxes to delete.
 N means don’t delete this mailbox after all.
This deletion process can be performed while Amanda is answering 
calls.
C
AUTION:The deletion of a mailbox is irreversible. Please be 
very careful when selecting “D” (Don’t Ask Any-
more). 
						

							Chapter 5: Setting Up Mailboxes 109
Mailbox Field Reference
The following table defines the User fields in the order in which they appear 
on the screen. 
   
 
Mailbox Fields
FieldDescription
MailboxRepresents the number that Amanda uses to access the mailbox. It 
ranges from 0 to 99,999,999 and must be unique.
CommentIf you are using a Brooktrout voice board, this field is provided for 
you as a notation field. Its maximum length is 17 characters.
Set NameIf you are connected to a Norstar KSU using the Amanda Company 
voice board, you see Set Name instead of Comment in the Users 
screen. The Set Name field can be automatically filled using the Au-
tocreate command. Autocreate unconditionally resets this field with 
the name supplied by the telephone switching system for all Directo-
ry Numbers (DNs) included in the Autocreate extension range. DN is 
a Nortel acronym for Directory Number. The Norstar Set Name can 
also be entered manually into the Set Name field. For more informa-
tion about Autocreate, see “Creating Mailboxes Automatically” on 
page 81.
If you enter a Set Name, use upper case because Set Names, by con-
vention, are upper case.
Security CodeThe up-to-eight digit security code that permits access to this mail-
box (0 to 99999999). For added security, the security code does not 
remain on the screen after you save the mailbox. The system admin-
istrator can change a security code but cannot see the current one—
unless the configuration option sec_code_display has been set to 
true. (It’s default is false.) 
						

							110 Administering [email protected]/DOS
ExtensionContains the programmed dial actions Amanda should perform when 
she transfers a call that has accessed the mailbox and Do Not Disturb 
is OFF. Typically this field contains the extension that Amanda 
should ring. Amanda also allows you to program other call actions by 
using her Token Programming Language. Other call actions include: 
system paging for an urgent call, transferring to a remote number, 
and modifying Amanda’s standard call processing. Use a maximum 
of 65 characters.
Dir Name 1Amanda uses this information to automatically build her 411 direc-
tory. Normally you put the user’s first name in this field. Leave this 
field blank for mailboxes which are not to appear in the employee di-
rectory. If you leave this blank, you may want to use the Comment 
field to identify the user who has this mailbox. Its maximum length 
is 16 characters.
Dir Name 2 Same as Dir Name 1. Amanda provides this second directory field to 
allow for second names, such as last names or nicknames. Its maxi-
mum length is 16 characters.
Read-OnlyIndicates whether or not this mailbox can be only viewed or viewed 
and modified. You must enter a special password as you access the 
User screen or you cannot access the read-only field.
Maximum RingsThe number of rings Amanda allows when transferring a call to the 
extension before determining that there was a Ring No Answer. If it 
is 0, Amanda uses the system default (which is 4). This parameter 
only works when Amanda performs a supervised transfer.
Do Not Disturb
LockWhen cleared or OFF, Amanda evaluates the Extension field. If this 
is selected or ON, Amanda plays the current greeting for the mailbox. 
When the Lock field is selected or ON, Amanda does not permit the 
user to change this setting from a telephone. In fact, Amanda does not 
play the menu option about changing the setting for the user.  
Mailbox Fields (Continued)
FieldDescription