[Gllug] Fax server software

[Mike Brodbelt]

On Wed, 2005-01-26 at 11:11 +0000, Alain Williams wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I spent a frustrating day trying to get a fax server working for a customer.
> Someone had selected GFI Faxmaker ( http://www.gfi.com/faxmaker/ ) on Win2K
> because it integrated nicely with MS Exchange. Many hours on the help desk
> (they really were helpful) and many BSODs and it still isn't working.
> 
> I have convinced them to look at the options again. There are Linux boxes
> that this could run on.
> 
> What would you suggest ? 

Hylafax.

> The requirements are:
> 
> * Users should send the fax by email, eg: 02012345678 at fax.machine, Exchange
>   can be set up to route such mail to the fax server.
> 
> * The mail will be sent as a fax, if there are attachments (.doc/.xls/.html/.pdf)
>   they will be rendered and sent as part of the fax.

Hylafax doesn't work best this way IMO - I've set it up with WHFC as the
front end on Windows. Faxes work like a printer - you print to a defined
"fax printer", and WHFC pops up a window asking for the destination fax
number. The integration is very nice - you can set priority, so mail
merges, work from ODBC data sources, and time your fax to go out at
midnight if you like. WHFC is at http://www.uli-eckhardt.de/whfc/.

> * Success/failure reports to be sent back to the fax sending user.

Does that

> * Incoming faxes delivered by email as an attached png/gif/pdf/.... Scanning (OCR)
>   of a fax to ascii/... would be a bonus.

Incoming faxes are delivered as TIF files, routing to the desktop is
possible, but needs CLI (i.e. each user needs a separate fax number).

> * POTS telephone lines, eventually: 2 incoming, 2 outgoing.

No problem.

> * Doesn't really matter if the fax server runs on Linux or Windows, although
>   I would, naturally, prefer Linux. It is not a problem if we need to pay for
>   the software.
> 
> Any goodies extra to the above would be great.
> 
> Recommendation on decent fax card/... to work with the fax s/ware as well please.
> 
> I would like recommendations from people who have actually done this in a medium sized
> organisation.

I've had it working pretty much flawlessly for years for about 50 users
- never had a problem with the software.

HTH,

Mike.

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