Exchange 2010 - Voicemail enabling a shared mailbox

If you create a shared mailbox using PowerShell in Exchange 2010 like thus:
New-Mailbox -Name:'SharedVoicemail' -OrganizationalUnit:'fch.local/Shared Mailbox Accounts' -Database:'Shared Mailboxes' -UserPrincipalName:'SharedVoicemail@Domain.local' -Shared
The mailbox is created with a disabled user account and all is merry with the end users are dipping into their newly created mailbox.



You implement Lync and decide that one team is going to have a shared voicemail instead of having personal voicemail and that as they all use the aforementioned shared mailbox that you might as well just Enterprise Voice enable the Shared Mailbox in Lync and then enable it for Unified Messaging.

You do so and ring the number that you have given to it for its voicemail and all seems fine, messages are left and the users witch access to the account are dipping in and listening to the voicemails along with the emails they used to do...... The only issue is that Exchange has used its text to speech engine to give the mailbox a robotic sounding name. You think, no problem, I'll use the Outlook Voice Access number to dial in and setup the mailbox.

You dial the number, input your extension number assigned to the Shared Mailbox and get the lovely:
"XXXX isn't the correct extensions number for the mailbox"
huhhh?

It is. Look, it's there in Exchange and Lync. Why can't I get into it?

Well -  Shared Mailboxes are created with disabled user accounts. Honest, have a look at the documentation - I've got time.

As such the user of the Shared Mailbox is not allowed to login, so, simply enable the account in AD (setting a password as required by your domain policy), make the changes you need and re-disable the account.

Case closed.

2 comments:

  1. it's not working on my side when trying to use a fixed phone. only leaving the shared mailbox as an enabled account will resolve it. have you done anything special with the account?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Anonymous,

    You are quite correct. I've amended the post.

    Thanks
    Tobie

    ReplyDelete