20.7.1.2 Defining and Using Message Types

You define a message type by giving it a unique definition such as multipart/voice-message. By default, the message store reads the Content-Type header field to determine the message-type. If you prefer, you can configure a different header field to identify the message types.

The message store reads the Content-Type (or other specified) header field, ignoring case. That is, the message store accepts the header field as valid even if the header's combination of uppercase and lowercase letters differs from the expected combination.

The message store reads only the message-type name in the header field. It ignores additional arguments or parameters.

To define a message type, use the configutil utility to set values for the store.messagetype parameters. For instructions, see To Configure Message Types.

Configuring a message type allows the message store to identify and manipulate messages of the specified type. It is the first, essential step in administering message types in a unified messaging application.

To take full advantage of the message-type features provided by the message store, you also should perform some or all of the following tasks:

• Configure a JMQ notification plug-in and write Message Queue clients for retrieving notifications that track the status of the message types

• Configure quota roots that apply to each message type

• Write expire rules and set LDAP attribute values to expire and purge messages according to message type

These tasks are summarized in the following sections:

• 20.7.3 Sending Notification Messages for Message Types

• 20.7.4 Administering Quotas by Message Type

• 20.7.5 Expiring Messages by Message Type