[TriLUG] Faxing solution, outbound particularly, inbound maybe

[Joseph Tate]

Turnpike Man wrote:
> Running on a W2k Server based network, Exchange Server 2000, Outlook XP
> clients...
> 
> I'm looking for a solution, either open source (linux preferred) or windows
> based, for setting up centralized faxing.  Currently folks have to open a
> document, print it, go to the fax machine, send the fax.  I'm looking for
> something where users can easily open a document and submit a fax
> electronically.  The fax server software would handle queues.  If possible,
> integration with Outlook for client side would be great, to be able to make use
> of the "Fax" field in an Outlook Contact.  Fax server would also need to have
> decent logs, which could be queried easily if necessary, possibly even web
> front end managed.
> 
> It would seem to me that submitting to a "network printer" which acted as a fax
> queue on the server makes the most sense.  Although this doesn't necessarily
> integrate with the Outlook Contact info, it is certainly more universal than
> client software and Outlook plugins.  Hylafax is the first recommendation I
> have received (www.hylafax.org), but I am certainly open to other options. 
> Consideration for incoming faxes and how to route those, possibly to people's
> Inbox on Exchange would be great.
> 
> thanks,
> David

I read a review of Outlook 2003 which integrates seamlessly with Venali 
Fax over IP technology.  You might want to check that out.  Otherwise, 
check out venali.com for what they might offer.  Bottom line according 
to Oliver Rist 
(http://www.infoworld.com/article/03/10/17/41enterwin_1.html) is that 
you won't get better than 81% uptime for a fax server, so you may as 
well outsource it.

For a small shop, sharing your "fax" printer from a single W2k or XP 
desktop setup with a fax/modem, and setting it up as a remote printer on 
all the other machines *might* work, though I've never tried it.

Joseph