s can determine the most cost-effective way to deliver the fax. Web support is increasingly common and may include fax delivery, viewing, and submitting.
Especially at the enterprise level, most fax servers require a robust server OS such as Unix, Novell IntranetWare, or Windows NT Server. Most servers target just one or two platforms. These days, it's mainly Windows NT Server, while some also require Microsoft Exchange Server to be running.
Workgroup or Enterprise?
Workgroup fax servers typically support a single modem, while enterprise servers can handle up to 32. Enterprise servers often feature multiserver support, load leveling across servers, and IP faxing. These servers often provide fail-safe operation, sophisticated logging, billing support, event support, SNMP compatibility, and better control, often hooking into NT's user and security mechanisms.
Many enterprise fax servers provide more complex messaging functions and better integration with mail sy
stems, such as Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino. Most forward faxes and attachments in their original file formats instead of as Group 3 fax files, so users can transfer richly formatted, editable documents with the simplicity of faxing.
Many fax servers are wedded to specific e-mail servers, usually Microsoft Exchange, which might be a benefit or a disadvantage in any specific situation. Enterprise fax servers tend to be pricey for small workgroups, but they provide an excellent growth path. They are also less expensive when amortized across a large number of users.
Testing the Servers
BYTE
collected six
enterprise fax servers: Fenestrae's Faxination for Microsoft Exchange, GFI's FAXmaker, Computer Associates' FAXserve for Windows NT, Omtool's Fax Sr. 2.0, Optus Software's FACSys, and RightFax for Windows NT. We looked mainly at NT-based servers, although most also have versions for other platforms, such as Novell's IntranetWare and Unix. We also looked at workgr
oup servers: Alcom's LanFax NT 5.0, LanSource Technologies' FAXport, and Symantec's WinFax for Networks.
In our testing, we used a Brooktrout TR114, Dialogic GammaFax Cpi, and 3Com/U.S. Robotics Sportster, all internal ISA fax modem boards. The TR114 is a four-port fax board that's configured to support two voice lines and two direct inward dialing (DID) lines.
The GammaFax Cpi, a dedicated, single-line fax modem with on-board processing like the TR114, supports DTMF (Touch-Tone) signaling for incoming fax routing.
The Sportster is an inexpensive, standard data/fax modem; it's fine for a PC but usually only adequate for small fax servers. Each modem also supports Transmitting Subscriber Identification (TSID) and Calling Subscriber Identification (CSID), both of which are based on sending machine (not user) data and thus of limited use for routing.
Our primary test platform was a 166-MHz Pentium PC running NT Server 4.0. We used Windows 95 for Symantec's workgroup product, which doesn't
run under NT Server. We concentrated on administrative features and advanced client features, looking at Web-browser access, remote management, IP fax support, and load leveling.
FAXport
Besides faxes, this workgroup server can also coordinate shared modems (called WINPort) and, under NT, shared Remote Access Service (called RASport), letting a fax/data modem be used for standard communication or RAS use. Both require an active client, and all three servers can share a single modem.
You manage the security through the FAXport client independently of the OS. You can limit access to most server options such as job control, phone books, user profiles, and server setup.
FAXport provides cc:Mail, Microsoft Mail, and Exchange Server gateways. There's also an API for developers, including a number of sample Visual Basic programs. With the TR114, FAXport supports inbound routing via DID.
We found FAXport's management and monitoring tools quite limited. For example, the server-monitor
ing dialog box simply lists job totals. The log provides more detailed connection information, but even the billing support is limited. If all you need is to share fax modems, FAXport is a good choice. For more complex tracking or management, look elsewhere.
LanFax NT 5.0
This sophisticated workgroup fax server has a number of enterprise features. It integrates with Alcom's IntraFax, which lets a Web browser submit and view received faxes. Though it's most often used on an intranet, IntraFax (which is also the basis for Alcom's IP Fax Service) works equally well if a router connects the server to the Internet.
LanFax is an NT service for improved security and reliability. Multiserver user support is provided through NT domain support. LanFax provides MAPI mail client and Microsoft Exchange Server support, so Exchange and Outlook clients can access LanFax.
LanFax worked with all three of our fax boards, handling DID, DTMF, TSID/CSID, and channel routing. LanFax provides clients for W
indows 3.x, Windows 95, and Windows NT, and IntraFax provides Web-based access.
WinFax for Networks
Symantec's entry allows WinFax Pro users to share fax modems. Although comparable to FAXport in functionality and operation, supporting up to four modems, WinFax for Networks (WFN) runs only under DOS and Windows 3.x and 95, not on NT Workstation or Server. There's network support for IPX and NetBIOS, but unfortunately not for IP, which seems to be the de facto standard.
Because WFN takes such a low road, you can use it with even a 286 PC to handle multiple lines. As with FAXport/WINport, you can install WFN with Delrina CommServer 1.0 for coordinated modem sharing.
The client package is WinFax Pro 8.0 on Windows 3.x, 95, or NT -- and, actually, this is the best part of the system. WinFax Pro is a good fax program that you can also use in single-user mode. It includes TalkWorks (an answering machine/fax-on-demand system) and Xerox's Textbridge for OCR.
The client suppo
rts two modems, even through WFN, so you can send and receive at the same time. Outgoing faxes contend for the modem pool, so a fax may be delayed until a modem is free. Incoming faxes are directed to a designated "receptionist" PC.
If no designated PC is running WinFax Pro, however, the incoming fax call is rejected. Moreover, faxes that are received by a receptionist must be viewed and forwarded individually to the appropriate person. Obviously, this won't do for unattended operation or broadcast faxes.
The WFN server has limited
management
and monitoring; it's sufficient to determine what modems are active but doesn't compare to the other products. WFN will appeal to smaller organizations that already use WinFax Pro, and it can help them get some use out of an old 286, 386, or 486.
Faxination for Microsoft Exchange
Fenestrae has a line of Exchange Server faxing add-ons, including packages for SAP/R3, telex, and mobile/pager use. Faxination for Microsoft Exch
ange (FME) comes in two-line standard and 16-line corporate editions. Both provide the same functionality, and both require Microsoft Exchange to be running on the same server. FME integrates with Exchange Server clients, so that incoming fax messages can be put in the user's inbox and viewed from there.
FME supports inbound fax routing using DID, single-port and multiport analog fax modems, and T1, E1, and ISDN digital lines. Mail clients can send faxes with attachments (even ActiveX documents), and applications can create faxes using a special fax print driver. The server handles all format conversion, so we were able to send Exchange messages to both mail and fax recipients. Mail users get native files, while fax users receive graphically rendered documents.
FME does least-cost routing based on data set up by the network administrator. It provides billing and accounting reports based on programmable tariff tables. Customized cover sheets can use Exchange directory information as well as names
and phone numbers. FME's Remote Gateway Manager monitors fax queues and views log files in real time.
FME won't appeal to all organizations, but those using Microsoft Exchange Server will really like it.
FAXmaker
GFI has fax products for the various environments: FAXmaker for Exchange, for Intranet, and for Networks. All services work on NT and Windows 95 except FAXmaker for Exchange, which requires Windows NT Server and Microsoft Exchange Server. FAXmaker for Intranet supports POP3 mail clients, and it's also an SMTP gateway. FAXmaker for Networks comes with clients for Windows 3.x, 95, and NT. All three products are comparable in functionality, except for the degree of client integration, and they can be used on the same server.
Incoming fax routing includes DID, DTMF, and CSID. You can also use optional OCR routing with fax archiving for searching. Fax annotation is supported. FAXmaker's Internet routing uses e-mail, which means that FAXmaker servers don't have to connect direct
ly to one another.
FAXmaker supports four lines in its standard configuration, and this is expandable to 32 lines. Voice-mail and fax-on-demand options weren't in our test software, but they're available. We found FAXmaker to be easy to install, though its documentation was sparse. It has many enterprise features, but it lacks important services, such as load leveling.
FAXserve for Windows NT
FAXserve for Windows NT (FSNT) provides integration with Microsoft Exchange Server, complementing FAXserve for NetWare, which works with GroupWise. FSNT runs as an NT service and uses NT security, allowing single log-in access to fax services. With FSNT, you can even limit long-distance usage by user.
FSNT provides many enterprise features in the basic package, including multiple server support with load leveling. Optional least-cost routing can use the Internet or an intranet, and an SMTP gateway gives e-mail integration with GroupWise, Exchange Server, and Lotus Domino mail systems. FSNT clie
nts are MAPI-compliant.
FSNT also supports ISDN and T1 adapters in addition to analog fax modems. Its installation was simple, helped by automatic hardware detection.
Billing reports are available directly, with no need to export information. Remote management eases administration of large networks. FSNT uses an ODBC-compliant database, so you can exchange data with other applications.
FSNT forwards attachments to the destination server, where the appropriate application converts them. If the destination is a fax machine, rendering occurs just before the call is made.
Because its many options are separately priced, the basic cost of FSNT is reasonably low, making it applicable for both workgroup and enterprise solutions.
Fax Sr. 2.0
Omtool's Fax Sr., available in NT, VMS, and Unix versions, comes standard with a host of features, including least-cost routing, gateways for Microsoft Exchange and SAP/R3, and support for cc:Mail and Microsoft Mail.
This latest release
is intranet/Internet-savvy, starting with an SMTP gateway and Web-browser support. Fax Sr. also has a broad range of clients, including DOS; Windows 3.x, 95, and NT; Mac; and Motif.
Fax Sr. creates a lot of NT services and uses a fair share of virtual memory. It provides good control of fax servers, and we found its remote management capabilities especially handy in WANs using least-cost routing. The program has very good tracking and billing, plus a history-analysis program that makes finding peak-use times a snap.
FACSys 4.1
Optus Software's enterprise fax server doesn't do least-cost routing, but its Exchange Server option allows load sharing among servers. Its second version of Web Agent, a browser interface, extends the product's reach to non-Windows clients.
FACSys gateways support SAP/R3, SMTP/POP3, Microsoft Mail, and Lotus Notes/Domino and cc:Mail, plus Novell's GroupWise and MHS SMF 70/71. Third-party solutions provide fax-on-demand and OCR support.
FACSys renders a
ttachments when they're actually sent, but it's limited to specific file formats, such as Office 97 (including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), and graphics files (including PCX, TIFF, and BMP). There's support for fax printer drivers, Printer Control Language (PCL), PostScript Level II, and forms.
FACSys provides remote management and extensive housekeeping. We could set up alerts for a variety of conditions, including low disk space or channel error thresholds on a specified line. Accounting and billing are very good. FACSys uses its own security system, letting it work on multiple server platforms; the NT version also includes user synchronization with NT, Microsoft Mail, and Exchange Server. However, FACSys won't equal other enterprise fax servers until Optus moves some of the Exchange Server features into the main product and adds least-cost routing.
RightFax Enterprise
Overall, RightFax's server was the most impressive enterprise product we tested. It comes in two flavors: NT and Enter
prise. The latter handles more than a dozen fax channels, and it won't even work with low-end serial modems such as the Sportster, requiring instead the higher-end Brooktrout and Dialogic fax boards that would be more common on enterprise fax servers supporting dozens of fax lines.
RightFax Enterprise provides gateways for Microsoft Mail and Exchange, Novell GroupWise, and Lotus cc:Mail and Notes/Domino. An SMTP/POP3 gateway offers e-mail-to-fax with any POP3 mail program.
RightFax clients support Web browsers, plus Windows 3.x, 95, and NT clients. Least-cost routing works over the Internet or intranet and sports a variety of features, including encryption, cascading routers, load balancing, and advanced dialing plans. OCR helps route incoming faxes based on cover-page data and offers document conversion for clients. There's support for PostScript printers and for native document attachments, providing you install the appropriate application on the server.
Many features are optional, so Righ
tFax may prove less expensive than it first seems.
Product Information
FACSys....................................$ 995/server
..........................................$ 45/client
Optus Software, Inc.
Somerset, NJ
Phone: 732-271-9568
Fax: 732-271-9572
Internet: http://www.facsys.com
Nine Fax Programs to Serve the Internet
