Amanda Work Group Work Place Instructions Manual

							Chapter 6: Notifying Users63
Calling Home
The following example shows the Method field with the tokens that call a user at home to 
indicate the total number of messages and the number of new messages. You may need 
more pauses, longer pauses, or a longer wait for a voice response.
Type: NORMAL
Method: 9,%V,W(9,V)-P(U)P(M)
 
To allow for an answering machine’s recording and a beep, you might consider one of the 
next two examples:
Type: NORMAL
Method: 9,%V,W(100)P(U)P(M) 
Type: NORMAL
Method: 9,%V,W(9,V)-P(U)P3(M)
 
To k e nDescription
9Number to be dialed for an outside line.
,A two-second pause.
%VThe contents of the Variable field in the notification record. In this case, 
the Variable field contains the user’s home telephone number.
W(9,V)A nine-ring wait for a voice response. 
-A half-second pause.
P(U)Amanda plays the mailbox’s Name/Extension recording.
P(M)Amanda says the total number of messages and the number of new mes-
sages.
-Another half-second pause.
TokenDescription
9,%V,The same as in the previous example.
W(100)A ten-second wait. (100 x 1/10 sec.)
P(U)P(M)Amanda plays the mailbox’s Name/Extension recording followed by the 
total number of messages and the number of new messages.
TokenDescription
9,%V,The same as in the previous example.
W(9,V)A nine-ring wait for a voice response.
P(U)Amanda plays the mailbox’s Name/Extension recording.
P3(M)Amanda plays the total number of messages and the number of new mes-
sages three times. 
						

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To log the person who answers the telephone on to the mailbox:
Type: NORMAL
Method: 9,%V,W(9,V)P(U)P(M)%X210,*%U#
You could add the security code, and so forth, but that would allow any person who 
answered the telephone to listen to the messages. That would be a security risk.
N
OTE: To log on the user as in this example, one voice mail port must call an-
other. The telephone switching system may require special programming 
to support this.
Emergency Lists
Amanda uses an emergency list to notify a group of people about a new message. Amanda 
notifies the first person of the new message first, then after a time, notifies the second, and 
so forth until someone listens to the message. You define the initial time to wait before 
starting the notification, and the time interval between notifications. 
In the following example, you create three notification records for one mailbox. Each 
record contains a different telephone number to call (one for each of the three people who 
are to be notified.) The records are configured in this way: 
This configuration causes Amanda to execute record 1 immediately and at five-minute 
intervals. After 15 minutes, if the message is not picked up, she starts using record 2 every 
five minutes (in conjunction with record 1). After 30 minutes, Amanda executes record 3. 
All three records continue every 5 minutes until the message is picked up.
For Max Times, this example uses 0 so that notification only stops when someone receives 
the message. Under normal circumstances, The Amanda Company does not recommend 
using 0.
TokenDescription
9,%V, 
W(9,V) 
P(U) P(M)The same as in a previous example.
%XSystem variable that contains the codes needed to get the transfer dial tone 
on the current port. Each port has its own %X. This is the setting of the 
dl_dtwait configuration option (usually F-).
210The number to be dialed as Amanda’s extension. The 210 is just an exam-
ple. 
*An asterisk to indicate that a user is logging on.
%U#The current mailbox followed by the # expected by Amanda.
Notify AfterContinue EveryMax Times
Record 1050
Record 21550
Record 33050 
						

							Chapter 7:
Automatic Scheduling
Overview
Scheduling records automatically change how Amanda processes calls. You can change:
 The contents of the mailbox’s Extension field (the programmable field that spec-
ifies what extension to dial and so forth)
 The number of rings before a call is considered unanswered
 The greeting the caller hears when the call is not answered
 The Do Not Disturb option
 The Call Screening option
You can schedule the changes to take place only once or at regular intervals after a 
specified starting date and time. You also select the days of the week on which Amanda 
can or cannot execute the records. 
For example, you can define a scheduling record for the Company Greeting mailbox (990) 
that tells Amanda to start playing your company’s daytime greeting in the morning on 
weekdays and another that tells Amanda to start playing your after-hours greeting in the 
evening on weekdays.
Amanda allows you to create up to ten scheduling records for each mailbox. 
There are no templates for scheduling records. However, you can add the records used by 
most or all users to the mailbox template (by default, mailbox 997). For example, if most 
employees work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., you can create a scheduling record that turns Do 
Not Disturb on in the evening. Then after-hours callers do not have to wait while the 
telephone rings the maximum number of times. They hear the user’s RNA (Ring No 
Answer) greeting immediately. A second scheduling record must turn Do Not Disturb off 
in the morning. If all employees use Greeting 1 as a work hours greeting and Greeting 2 as 
an after-hours greeting, these same two records can also change the RNA greeting from 1 
to 2 and back again.
If you add these records to the mailbox template, every mailbox created from the template 
afterwards will have these scheduling records.
Amanda executes scheduling records exactly as instructed—whether or not the change 
makes any sense. However, if the date to repeat a record falls on an invalid day, Amanda 
waits for a valid day before executing the record. (She does this by adding one day to the 
execution date until the date finally falls on a valid day.) For example, suppose you 
schedule a change to occur every 48 hours, but not on weekends. If a 48-hour period ends 
on a Saturday, Amanda waits a day and tries to execute the record again on Sunday. 
Because Sunday is also an invalid day, Amanda waits another day and executes the record 
on Monday. From the execution time on Monday, Amanda starts the next 48-hour period. 
						

							66 Administering [email protected]
Some of the options that a scheduling record controls can be changed by users from their 
telephones. The user can change his greeting, Call Screening, and Do Not Disturb options 
(unless you have them locked). Users cannot control the number of rings at their 
extensions nor the contents of their Extension fields.
For example, users can change their greetings and set their Do Not Disturb options every 
night as they go home and every morning as they return. However, if they keep regular 
hours, having scheduling records is much more convenient. 
Managing Automatic Call-processing Changes
Scheduling records schedule one or more call-processing changes for a user. Records are 
created:
 When the mailbox is created (by copying the notification records that already exist 
in the mailbox on which the new mailbox is based)
 By you, one-by-one, as needed
Managing scheduling records includes:
 Creating and modifying records using the Auto screen
The next few sections cover the creation, modification, and disabling of scheduling 
records.
 Making the scheduling records needed by most or all users part of the mailbox 
template (by default mailbox 997).
 Testing scheduling records by enabling them and verifying that the expected call-
processing changes do take place.
When testing a scheduling record, check whether Amanda makes the correct changes 
by changing the record’s effective date and time. Do not adjust the Date/Time option 
from the Main screen. For example, you can put the record into effect five minutes 
from now rather than tomorrow morning, then call the user to see if his greeting (or 
whatever) has changed.
C
AUTION:Amanda ignores locks as she applies scheduling records to mailboxes. 
The locks block changes made by users via the telephone. 
						

							Chapter 7: Automatic Scheduling 67
The Auto Screen
Save Esc/EXIT  PgDn/NEXT  PgUp/PREVAuto
Mailbox: Comment: Security Code:
Extension:
Directory Name 1: Directory Name 2:










Enabled Change On:04/10/1996  At 07:19Restrict To: MTWTFS S
NOAnd Every:0 month(s)0 day(s)YYYYYYY
0 hour(s)0 minute(s) Next Change: NEVER
Extension: 132H
Rings:0Do Not DisturbOFFCall Screening:OFFGreeting #:0
menu barThe rectangle at the top of the screen. The left side displays menu 
commands that you can access by pressing Alt plus the first letter of 
the selection. For example, pressing Alt+S saves a new or modified 
scheduling record. The right side lists keys on the keyboard and the ac-
tions they perform. For example, pressing Esc allows you to exit the 
Auto screen and return to the Users screen.
User InformationJust below the menu bar. The fields are a copy of the user information 
from the Users screen. They identify the mailbox.
Auto-scheduling 
Records ListIn the middle of the screen. It displays a one-line description of each 
enabled automatic scheduling record. The description contains the 
names of the Mailbox fields to be changed and scheduling informa-
tion. There are ten records available for each mailbox. To select a 
record from the list, press Page Up and Page Down. 
Selected Record’s 
Fields At the bottom of the screen. It displays the fields for the scheduling 
record selected from the 
Scheduling Records List. Use this area to change scheduling records. 
To move from field to field, press Enter, Tab and Shift+Tab, or Up Ar-
row and Down Arrow. 
						

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Creating Scheduling Records
When you create a scheduling record, you specify both what the record does and under 
what conditions it can be executed. 
To create a scheduling record:
1. From the Users screen, type the number for the mailbox in the Mailbox field, then 
press Enter.
2. Press Alt+A.
The Auto screen appears. The word Auto is in the upper right corner of the screen. 
3. Press Page Up and Page Down to select an available  record. 
The Enabled field at the bottom of the screen is automatically selected so you can 
begin defining the record.
4. Use the spacebar to toggle the Enabled field to YES.
5. Fill in the month, day, and year on which the automatic schedule should first take 
place.
(Use all four digits of the year—1996 not just 96.)
6. Fill in the time of day (using the 24-hour format) at which the scheduled change 
should occur. By default the current date and time are in these fields.
7. Define how often Amanda should perform the changes indicated by this record by 
typing a number of months, days, hours, and/or minutes in the And Every fields.
Typically, Amanda performs scheduling records on a daily basis at a specific time 
(which means the And Every fields specify 0 months, 1 day, 0 hours, and 0 minutes). 
For holidays that occur once each year on specific dates (such as Christmas and New 
Year’s Day), use 12 months, 0 days, 0 hours, and 0 minutes. For holidays that occur 
once each year on specific days of the week (such as the US Thanksgiving which 
occurs on the last Thursday of November), use 11 months, 29 days, 0 hours, and 0 
minutes to compensate for leap years, etc. However, for a holiday like Easter, the 
scheduling record might need to change each year.
8. If Amanda should perform the changes only certain days of the week, restrict the 
scheduling record to specific days. 
MTWTFSS stands for the days of the week from Monday to Sunday. The Y for Yes 
underneath each day of the week toggles to N for No when you press the spacebar.
For example, if a particular change should occur only on weekdays (Monday through 
Friday), set the Restrict To field to the following:
MTWTFSS
YYYYYNN 
						

							Chapter 7: Automatic Scheduling 69
9. Define the changes you want to take place by filling in the Extension, Rings, Do Not 
Disturb, Call Screening, and/or Greeting # fields.
If you leave the Extension, Rings, or Greeting # field blank, Amanda leaves that field 
unchanged in the mailbox. Do Not Disturb and Call Screening cannot be left blank. 
Press the spacebar to toggle between ON and OFF. Type in the other fields.
10. To save the scheduling record, press Alt+S, then Y. 
The record appears in the Scheduled Records list box for this mailbox. Amanda con-
tinually sorts the records in the most imminent order. For example, the record to be 
performed next is first; the record whose next execution date is the farthest into the 
future is last.
C
AUTION:Amanda’s automatic scheduling takes place even if the fields are 
locked. (Locks affect changes made via the telephone only.)
If you use an invalid greeting number, such as 9, the Current Greet-
ing is changed to 1 instead.
T
IP:Any time you return to the Enabled field, the entire screen is refreshed as 
you make your next move. Use this to start over after a mistake. Oth-
erwise, make sure you save your changes (using Alt+S) before re-
turning to the Enabled field.
Modifying Scheduling Records
When you modify a scheduling record, you can change one or more of the following:
 The starting date
 The interval between executions and the days on which execution is allowed
 What the record does. You can change:
- The mailbox’s Call Screening option
- Its Do Not Disturb option
- The contents of its Extension field
- The greeting used when there is no answer
- The number of rings that occur before Amanda decides no one will answer
To modify a scheduling record:
1. From the Users screen, type the number for the mailbox in the Mailbox field, then 
press Enter.
2. Press Alt+A.
The Auto screen appears. The word Auto is in the upper right corner of the screen. 
3. Press Page Up and Page Down to select the record to be modified, then press Enter.
4. Change any of the fields described in the table named Scheduling Record Fields on 
page 70.
5. To save the scheduling record, press Alt+S.
6. When prompted to overwrite the current record, press Y.  
						

							70 Administering [email protected]
Testing a Scheduling Record
When testing a scheduling record, do not adjust the Date/Time option available from the 
Main screen. For example, you can put the record into effect five minutes from now rather 
than tomorrow morning, then call the user to see if his greeting and so forth has changed.
Disabling a Scheduling Record
You can disable a scheduling record temporarily or permanently. For example, if a user 
takes a leave of absence or a vacation, you can disable all his scheduling records. Amanda 
keeps the original information so you can reactivate the record later.
 Scheduling Record Fields
FieldDescription
EnabledDetermines whether a specific scheduling record is active. To toggle between YES and 
NO, press the spacebar.
Change OnDefines the starting date for the scheduling record using the MM/DD/YYYY format. 
Type your changes.
AtDefines the starting time for scheduling record using a 24-hour format (00:00 to 23:59). 
For example, 5:30 p.m. is 17:30. Type your changes.
A n d  E v e r y                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Defines the number of months, days, hours, and/or minutes Amanda waits before repeat-
ing this scheduling record. Type your changes, pressing Tab to move from field to field.
Restrict To: 
MTWTFSSDefines what days of the week Amanda performs the scheduled changes. MTWTFSS 
stands for Monday through Sunday. To toggle between Y (for Yes) and N (for No), press 
the spacebar.
Next ChangeSpecifies the date and time that Amanda next performs the scheduled changes. This field 
is automatically updated by Amanda and is display-only.
ExtensionSpecifies the new contents for the mailbox’s Extension field. Edit this field using Right 
Arrow and Left Arrow to move the cursor. Type in any changes.
Rings  Defines the number of rings Amanda listens to before determining that the call is unan-
swered. 
Do Not Disturb  Specifies whether Do Not Disturb should be on or off. Press the spacebar to toggle be-
tween ON and OFF.
Call Screening  Specifies whether Screen Calls? should be on or off. Press the spacebar to toggle be-
tween ON and OFF.
Greeting Specifies the number of the greeting to be played when the call is unanswered. 0 stands 
for the system greeting. 
						

							Chapter 7: Automatic Scheduling 71
To disable a scheduling record:
1. From the Users screen, type the number for the mailbox in the Mailbox field, then 
press Enter.
2. Press Alt+A.
The Auto screen appears. The first record in the Scheduling Records List is selected. 
3. Press Page Down until the record to be disabled is selected.
4. The cursor is positioned at the Enabled field at the bottom of the screen.
5. Press spacebar to change the Enabled field from YES to NO.
6. To save your change, press Alt+S. 
You are prompted:
OVERWRITE Auto Record? [NY]
Press Y to change the current scheduling record or press N to cancel.
Example:  Changing User’s Greetings
This example assumes the following:
 You are changing a user’s greeting after hours. In this case, the business-hours 
greeting recorded by the user is greeting 1 and the after-hours greeting is greeting 
2. 
 The after-hours callers should go directly to the greeting without having to listen 
to the telephone ring. (That means that Do Not Disturb is ON.)
For more examples, see “Sample Scheduling Records for Mailbox 990” on page 23 and 
“Sample Instructions for Mailbox 991” on page 28.
Record
Auto Screen 
Field
Auto Screen Setting
1Enabled:YES
Change On:08/22/95  At:   08:00
And Every:0 month(s)  1 day(s)
0 hour(s)  0 minute(s)
Restrict To:M T W T F S S
Y Y Y Y Y N N
Extension:(blank)
Rings:0
Do Not Disturb:OFF
Call Screening:ON or OFF (depending 
on the user’s needs)
Greeting #:1 
						

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Record
Auto Screen 
Field
Auto Screen Setting
2EnabledYES
Change On:08/22/95  At:  18:00
And Every:0 month(s)  1 day(s)
0 hour(s)  0 minute(s)
Restrict To:M T W T F S S
Y Y Y Y Y N N
Extension:(blank)
Rings:0
Do Not Disturb:ON
Call Screening:OFF
Greeting #:2