Re: Simple Fax Solution for Small Office?
From: prg (rdgentry1_at_cablelynx.com)
Date: 03/23/05
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Date: 23 Mar 2005 09:23:11 -0800
Stephen Horrillo wrote:
> I'm not sure where to ask this so I hope I'm not OT.
>
> My friend has a title company with about 6 workstations. She was
using a fax
> server that depended on NT. The fax server's motherboard went bad so
now
> it's time to find another solution. She's looking for a very simple
network
> fax solution. She handles pdf files often and faxes out loan packages
of
> around 100 pages. She wants to get away from the NT server. I know
she uses
> Linux for her regular server. Any ideas for which software and
hardware (if
> necessary) to use? I'm know nothing about networking so I don't know
how to
> help her.
Faxing is, by its nature, not necessarily easy ;-)
Sounds like she needs reliable, rock solid performance more than
"software for idiots". You get what you work for ;)
That said, I _highly_ recommend HylaFAX running on Linux. You can DIY,
hire a local consultant to set it up and provide tech support, or
purchase commercial tech support. At the very least you can view the
documentation and try to set it up yourself, then decide if you need
outside help. Give yourself a week rather than trying to "make it
work" by setting it up on the weekend. Handles pdf/conversions pretty
well. Can be "integated" into a network running Samba for Windows
clients.
The primary things to look for:
-- fax/modem compatibility for Linux. Winmodems with software uart
emulation are very iffy. Good Linux support is improving, so you
should be able to find something to fit your needs (eg.,
multi-port/multi-line boards).
-- current fax clients and how they are used. Some are "speciality"
programs, some are print filters that allow other apps to "print a
fax", others are back-end conversion programs that are meant to be
"transparent" once set up. Is there (preferably) a way for current
usage to continue with HylaFAX or is there a close "replacement"?
-- decide if you want a dedicated fax server. It's much easier to use
an older dedicated machine than getting a spanking new, fully loaded,
does everything you ever imagined possible, box that provides every
imaginable network service. Combining fax and printing services would
be my personal limit. Neither should tax the capabilities of even 6-7
year old PCs.
-- familiarity and comfort with current Linux distro. Did it include
HylaFAX on install CD? Any quirks? Mandrake has a pretty long history
with HylaFAX. Not sure about Suse. I've installed/used it on Redhat
boxes (by hand).
Note that the options can be daunting if you're clueless about
networking and faxing. If you are a bit knowledgeable a "simple"
configuration is not really that difficult. Most set up problems are
likely to be hardware/driver related and unfamiliarity with diagnosing
"why doesn't it work" on your first attempt. Integrating network
printing may prove more of a challenge (or maybe not).
Look at these:
http://www.hylafax.org/ << primary site
http://www.hylafax.org/archive/2005-02/threads.html << mailing list
http://www.ifax.com/ << commercial tech support
http://www.real-time.com/linuxsolutions/faxserver.html
Use Google to get some other ideas/perspectives about using HylaFAX.
There are other Linux possibilities, but I've no real experience with
them in a fax server setup. Eg., mgetty+Sendfax:
http://www.webforum.de/mgetty-faq.html
hth,
prg
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