Network FAX solution?

[Brian K. White]

Harwyn Berens wrote:
> We have a network of 7 machines running Windows 98, Windows 2000 and
> Windows XP on  LAN network with a DSL internet connection.  We don't
> use UNIX.  We're looking to join the modern world and add a fax
> server.  To date we've walked over to our hardwired fax machine,
> dialed the number, stuck the paper in and hit "SEND".
> We have a filePro application and we're looking to integrate some
> e-mailing and automated faxing from the filePro application if and
> where possible.  We have some extra PCs that are currently not being
> used.  Would it be possible or wise to consider using one of these
> PCs for a fax server.  What does the fP list recommend for a fax
> solution??
>
> Harwyn Berens,
> Holland, Michigan

We do that with vsi-fax.
There are several different ways to get the job submitted to the fax server
and it's impossible for me to say which is best for you.

We do it most often by using the autosend directory feature that vsifax has.

install vsifax for windows
share it's autosend directory
then in filepro create fax job files and drop them in \\server\vsifax

the "create fax job files" step could be done a few different ways too.
you could take an existing form output to a file and then prepend some vfx
tags to it, or write the form to a file and create a seperate tag file that
refers to the form output file

Doing it that way avoids the need to get a vsifax license for every
workstation and requires little in the way of special set-up on the PC. As
long as the fax server is up and reachable via the network via basic
built-in windows file sharing, then the fax option in your filepro app will
work. No special drivers or clients need be installed on the PC's.

You could install the fax client printer driver on every pc but then you
need to purchace licences for every pc after the 5 that comes with the basic
package. Sometimes the users want this for interactive use completely aside
from the filepro app. You might still be able to avoid PC set-up by using
the built-in web server in vsifax and showing the user how to log in to the
web based fax viewr/sender client. It may or may not be good enough. That
interface is slow once the log files of past incoming and outgoing faxes get
large.

vsifax supports so many different ways of doing the same thing, and every
one of them is so highly customizeable, that it's almost impossible to say
"here's what you do", hence the loose description of just one of the
arrangements I'm using at a couple places. But so far, since I always print
in epson or hplaser,  I've always managed to work it so that I can prepend
cover sheet info (and cover sheets) to existing forms and don't have to add
redundant "fax" versions of output formats & maintain seperate sets of
output formats or even switch to a different print code table to fax.

Brian K. White  --  brian at aljex.com  --  http://www.aljex.com/bkw/
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