Fax server Enroute

Fax server Enroute

With Enroute v. 2.2 , TGI provides the ultimate enterprise-wide fax management package for Sun and SPARC compatibles. Users on LANs and WANs can prioritize, schedule, send, receive, view, print and route fax documents directly from the desktop.

Client/Server System Architecture

The power of Enroute rests in its client/server architecture. This architecture allows Enroute's applications to be distributed over several host workstations on a Local or Wide Area Network (LAN/WAN). Enroute installations are fully scalable to suit the needs of any organization. Customers can start as small as a single user with one modem and scale up to hundreds of users communicating via groups of geographically distributed modems. In addition, Enroute can be configured to send faxes to the least cost fax trunk on a WAN. Enroute's Client and Server Subsystems are described below.

Client Subsystem

The key components which make up the Client Subsystem are:

• enxgui - the Enroute user interface (send faxes, etc.)
• enxuip - the Enroute administrative user interface (configure lines, etc.)
• enxview - the Enroute fax viewer interface (view faxes)
• enxroute - the Enroute administrative routing interface (route received faxes)
• API - the Enroute Application Program Interface - consists of development tools (e.g., C library of functions and command line interface) to allow Enroute functions to be easily integrated into other applications
• Eclipse - the Enroute Internet/Intranet Fax solution with Web Browser Access

Enxgui is Enroute's cross-platform graphical user interface and allows users to send, view and print faxes, query fax queues and logs, and maintain fax phone book mailing lists. Enxgui currently operates on Sun workstations that support Sun Solaris or Sun OS and on PCs that support MS Windows, Windows 95 or Windows NT. On PCs, there are separate versions of enxgui supporting either NFS or Windows Socket based communication with the Enroute Server operating on the Sun Workstation. A 32-bit version of enxgui is also offered, and will run on Windows 95 and Windows NT platforms only. Enroute provides password authentication and requires users to enter a password to access its user interface.

Enxuip is the Administrative User Interface and operates on Sun workstations that support Sun OS or Sun Solaris. Enxuip allows administrative users to configure Enroute for network use. Administrative users can configure and inspect fax trunks or fax trunk groups as well as query on the system fax queue and fax log using Enxuip.

Enxview provides the fax viewer interface to allow users to view fax files. The fax viewer allows users to adjust a fax file's image (e.g., scaling, rotating, and reversing fax images) in order to make it easier to view on screen.

Enxroute is the Administrative Routing Interface. It provides the fax administrator a user interface to manually view and route received faxes to recipient(s). Using Enxroute, the fax administrator can print received faxes, forward faxes to a new fax number, send faxes to a recipient as an email attachment, or copy faxes to a directory. Enroute provides Direct Inward Dialing (DID) routing to ensure that faxes are automatically routed directly to the correct recipients. In addition, faxes can be automatically printed at a network printer. Faxes can also be quickly routed to users and departments by customizing their destination to an email or central directory.

Fax services can be tightly integrated into existing applications by using Enroute's C language API, Command Grammar, and Print Wrappers. Any existing or new applications that can print can become fax empowered to increase a user's productivity. No longer does the user need to print, hand carry, and manually fax time critical documents.

UNIX users can use the Mailtool to send a fax from Enroute by sending Email to an email address used for fax. Enroute's fax services can thereby be accessed by users that do not run Enroute's user interface but have access to Email. Fax confirmations are also provided by Email. Failed fax documents can be returned to the user via Email for rescheduling.

The combined elements of the user interface - Enxgui, Enxuip, Enxview, and Enxroute - perform all document management locally (e.g., viewing, composing, printing documents, routing received faxes) without interacting with the Server. The Client user interface therefore minimizes the load placed on the Enroute Server and improves the Server's overall performance.

The user interface communicates with the Server via sockets using the TCP/IP protocol. When a user schedules a fax document, or queries the fax log or queue, Enxgui initiates an interaction with the Server to control the transmission or return of information. This allows for reliable, asynchronous operation between Client and Server.

Server Subsystem

The key components of the Server Subsystem are:

• Queue Manager Daemon
• System Log Daemon
• Device Manager Daemon
• Cover Page Daemon
• Routing Daemon (optional)
• Polling Daemon (optional)

Queue Manager Daemon (QMD) is required and is the central component of the Server Subsystem. It manages and records all fax activities on the Enroute Server. The QMD receives fax jobs submitted by Enroute Clients, queries fax job status, and displays fax transmission logs. Enroute provides high fault tolerance, as it can be configured to automatically back up fax jobs scheduled by the QMD.

System Log Daemon (SLD) is required and logs all major activities of the Server chronologically. Using the log's records, Enroute's account code capture assures valid chargeback information for billing applications.

Device Manager Daemon (DMD) is required and manages one or more fax trunks (eg. fax modems) to handle the operation of sending and receiving faxes. The basic server configuration consists of a QMD, SLD and DMD on a Sun Workstation with a Class 2.0 modem attached to the workstation's serial port. A group of modems can be added by connecting modems to a terminal server.

A more sophisticated server configuration involves distributing multiple DMDs, along with modems, to other workstations residing on a LAN or private WAN. Each DMD and modem or modem group can be centrally managed from one location.

By distributing the DMDs and adding modems, system administrators can increase overall throughput to meet high fax traffic demands. Reliability is increased since a fax can be automatically routed to the first available fax line when the specified fax line is busy or no longer in use. Groups of modems can also be arranged to handle incoming fax only, outgoing fax only or both incoming and outgoing fax messaging.

When DMDs are distributed on a geographically dispersed WAN, users can take advantage of Enroute's Smart Dialing capability and send faxes to the least cost fax trunk. Long Distance Fax charges can be significantly reduced since faxes can be passed over the network to remote fax trunks for local delivery.

Cover Page Daemon (CPD) handles the task of generating fax cover pages for outgoing fax jobs at fax send time. The CPD is required if fax cover pages are being used by Enroute. The CPD can be located on another Client workstation other than the QMD's host workstation to enhance efficiency. The Enroute Server's throughput is increased since its resources can be focused on the task of sending faxes. Enroute fax cover pages can be customized and designed to include destination specific information (e.g., recipient's name, company, etc.) on the cover page of each outgoing fax.

Routing Daemon (ROUTED) handles the task of generating fax cover pages for outgoing fax jobs at fax send time. The CPD is required if fax cover pages are being used by Enroute. The CPD can be located on another Client workstation other than the QMD's host workstation to enhance efficiency. The Enroute Server's throughput is increased since its resources can be focused on the task of sending faxes. Enroute fax cover pages can be customized and designed to include destination specific information (e.g., recipient's name, company, etc.) on the cover page of each outgoing fax.

Faxes can also be routed via Direct Inward Dialing (DID). To enable DID routing, TGI's Messenger communications server must be added to Enroute fax server software.

Polling Daemon (POLLD) is optional and must be used when The MS Windows NFS version of Enxgui is used or when faxes are submitted from Email. In either case, fax jobs are submitted into a polling directory, which can be placed on any Sun workstation on the network. The POLLD continuously scans the polling directory for fax jobs and submits any fax jobs residing in the polling directory to Enroute's Server for transmission.

A complete Server Subsystem includes a QMD, SLD, CPD, one or more DMDs, ROUTED (optional), POLLD (optional) working together as a single entity. Members of a Server Subsystem are identified by their service numbers and/or the IP address of their host workstation. The QMD identifies its corresponding SLD and CPD by the IP addresses of their host workstations. Each DMD identifies its corresponding QMD by the IP address of the QMD's host workstation. The IP addresses are kept in files (lock files) that can be accessed by the QMD, the CPD, and the DMD.

System Benefits

• Scalability

  Administrative users can start with one modem and quickly grow the system by adding DMDs and modems or Messengers as fax demands grow. This allows existing hardware to be better utilized and reduces the cost of installing several dedicated Servers.

• Reliability

  Enroute system reliability is enhanced by using AutoRestart and AutoRecovery features to provide high server availability and job integrity in the event of system failure. Intelligent self monitoring alerts Administrators to impending problems. Smart Retraining constantly adjusts transmission rates to match line conditions helping to assure delivery to even the worst international locations.

• Security

  Enroute security features inherent in the GUI assure confidentiality of all in-bound and out-bound faxes. Authenticated users may only manipulate, view, and gather information on faxes which they have submitted.

  Enroute uses UNIX security to authenticate users and determine user access level. System Administrators determine user privileges or user access levels. Three access levels have been defined in Enroute:

  • User - allows general access to all functions except those related to log management and system configuration. Each user has the right to access and view personal faxes and log records.
  • Accounting - allows general access and access to system log records but does not allow access to system configuration functions.
  • Administrator - allows access to all functions including system configuration functions.