Overview of Fax2Send Clients

Contents

Introduction

Cobalt Qube2

Cobalt Qube3

X-Windows Client

New V2.1.4 features

PC Clients

Email Client

Unix/Linux Client

Introduction

Fax2Send has four clients available all of which are free of charge. The X-Windows and email client software are included in the server download and optionally installed by the Fax2Send Server Installation Wizard. They can also be added after server installation. The PC and Linux/Unix clients are seperately downloadable. A Browser client which was available with V1.1 is being redeveloped and will be available again soon.

Most Linux distributions install the X-Windows and tcl packages as standard.so we recommend installing the X-Windows client even if you do not intend to use the server desktop normally. This is because the new config tool makes server configuration very straightforward and less prone to errors introduced by editing the files directly.

Cobalt Qube2

The Cobalt Qube2, which has a MIPS processor and thus needs a different download, does not have either the X-Windows or tcl packages installed as standard. This server is designed primarily to support clients and does not have a console port. The main drawback is that the Installation Wizard will only work from the command line and the server config tool is not available. Neither prevent the use of the Qube2 as a fax server. These tools were only introduced with this release anyway.

We do in fact ship the server for this platform with the X-Windows client, so if you want to install the missing packages seperately, you can then enjoy the full functionality of the product set.

Cobalt Qube2

X-Windows Client

The newest of the server components to be developed, the X-Windows Client, needs X-Windows and tcl to be installed before it can be used. Currently the X-Windows client can only be run on the Fax2Send server or a PC/Macintosh or other X-Windows equipped client and NOT on another Linux server.

V2.1.4 Updated X-Windows Client with additional features:

• Color launch box wih tool tips and animated status icon
• Auto refresh of all send and receive queue displays
• New Server configuration tool
• Animated icon can be drag 'n' dropped onto the KDE panel
• Better control of attachments
• Control of number of rings before answer feature added to configuration tool

TIP: If, when running the Fax2Send install, it runs from the command line and you think X-Windows is installed, check to see that your DISPLAY environment reflects this.

To open the X-Windows main dialog box the command xfax2send should be typed. Alternatively xfax2 will open the Fax2Send Compose Fax window:

XFax2Send Dialog Box Image

This xfax2send dialog box enables:

• The Status of the Fax2Send server to be seen
  • GREEN Light - Fax server ready
  • Flashing GREEN Light - Server active (Sending or receiving)
  • RED Light - Fax received
• The System Status Screen can be opened (Example below)
• The Compose Box Dialog Screen can be opened (Example below)
• The config tool dialog can be opened (Example below)
• The Help Files can be viewed using a browser such as Netscape Navigator
• The xfax2send application can be closed

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Fax2Send Status Screen

From the above Status screen the X-Windows Client user can:

• Compose a new fax
• See the status of the Current transmission queue for the user or all users
• Look at the Archive queue for the current user or all users
• Look at the Received queue and in-tray status
• Look at the status of the modem(s)

The owner of a fax can stop a current transmission, view it's image or print the fax. For transmitted faxes the owner can also see details of the fax status, retry the fax transmission or send the fax to another number. The Administrator can view all entries.

There are parameters which can be changed by the Administrator to:

• Specify the time a fax stays in the 'My Fax' queue before changing to the 'Archive' queue
• Specify the 'Stay time' to stay in the Received Queue

Please Note: You can't delete faxes in the queues seperately. They are removed from the queues according to the parameters above

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When composing or printing to fax from a server application the following dialog box is opened:

Compose Fax Dialog Box

From the above dialog box information such as the fax number, person to whom he fax is to be sent, company and subject information is entered. Alternatively the TO button opens the Address Book. An entry double clicked in the Address Book will automatically fill in the Name, Company and fax number information. The FROM Field defaults to the user name. All fields can be overtyped if desired.

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Address Book Dialog

As you can see each user can have their own address book as well as access to a company address book. This is a simple 'tab' delimited file. Personal entries can be added, edited or deleted. The Company Address Book can only be changed by the Administrator.

Double clicking on an entry causes that information to be put in the Compose Fax dialog.

A fax transmission can be queued to send at a specified time.

Attachments can be added to any fax transmission. These can be selected by 'browsing' , the path typed directly in or Standard server held attachments such as Price Lists added. In the latter case these can by PCL (standard printer) or Postscipt documents. This latter option needs the Ghostscript to be loaded.

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Config Tool Screen

The Config Tool enables the above server settings to be changed without editing the system files directly. The terms are self explanatory and selection of the item will show the current settings. Tool tips are also provided for the fields on each screen. Note that to change the page length either or both the PCL and Postscript emulation settings need changing. In this version no help files are directly available from the Config Tool although there is from in these help files. This will be added in the next release.

PC Client

A PC Client is available for Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME or a seperate client for Windows NT/2000. The functionality of both clients is identical. The PC client provides an 'explorer' style interface which will be familiar to all PC users who are immediately able to use it.

The PC Client:

• Enables print to fax from any Windows application
• Supports 'drag'n'drop' attachments of any Windows document
• Provides similar functionality to the X-Windows interface
• Additionally offers annotations to be made to any fax and any faxes to be onward routed by email
• Includes an OCX so that Fax2Send can be called from within a PC program

Cover sheets may be individual to the user (stored on the PC) or centrally held on the server. Locally held sheets are edited using Microsoft's rich edit tools in Wordpad.

The PC Client supports fax mailshots with links to an ODBC data source such as Microsoft Access. It can also link to an ODBC data sourced Address Book.

Main PC Client Window

Email Client

Fax2Send server now includes a delivery agent for Sendmail. Faxes may be sent from any email client on any networked machine providing the optional Fax2Send email gateway has been loaded. This is normally loaded by the Installation Wizard but can be loaded after the server has been installed. Faxes are sent by entering 'name@faxnumber.fax' into 'TO' field. The gateway only supports text faxes and at this time attachments are not supported. The Cover Sheet style can be edited and there is an option to omit the routing information from the transmission.

The Email Client:

• Supports the BCC and CC fields
• Reports by email on the progress of the fax transmission. The report can be either the final 'result' - whether the transmission was successful or not, or at each stage of the transmission.
• Integrates with the Address Book of the current email client

Unix/Linux Client

A seperately downloadable module to enable integration with server applications on other Linux or Unix servers on the network. All major Unix distributions are supported including AIX, HP/UX, SCO, Solaris, etc. The Unix client provides a full API (Application Program Interface) to allow full integration with server applications allowing Fax2Send to act as a fax gateway for all networked servers.