Microsoft Fax Service Routing

  • Thread starter Thread starter Brian Fleming
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B

Brian Fleming

Hello,
The problem that I am having is with the Microsoft Fax Service in
windows 2003. I know this is a windows 2000 newsgroup, but Ill give
it a shot anyway seeing how there doesn't seem to be a 2003 newsgroup.
Any way, here is my basic config.

Windows 2003 server Standard edition
3 US robotics fax modems
Microsoft Fax service installed.
On a domain

My goal is the get a server configured that will have the following
features:

1. The server will have a shared printer (or printers) that is
actually the ms fax printer to allow network users to send print jobs
to the server, and the server will fax them.

2. The Phone system that our company uses requires users (or devices)
to dial 9 before making an outgoing phone call. The server must
automatically dial 9 without the knowledge of the user. (The user
doesn't need to enter 9 as a prefix of their destination fax number.

3. The Phone system that our company uses requires users to enter a 5
digit code after dialing a long distance phone number. The server
must automatically enter the 5 digit code after the long distance
phone number has been dialed, if in fact the call is long distance.
The server must be able to distinguish users with access to send long
distance faxes from users that cannot send long distance faxes.

What I have achieved so far.
Via registry settings on the server, I have devised a way to make a
specific modem tack on a prefix and/or a postfix to the number that is
to be dialed. Optionally, I could create a custom calling card
registry setting that would provide the "long distance code"
functionality, and would not take effect unless the call is going to
be long distance.

I have successfully set up the shared faxPrinter, and am able to fax
to local fax machines, from workstations.




My problem, is that we have one group of users that are authorized to
send long distance faxes, and another group of users that are not
allowed to. I Read in the help/online documentation that it is
possible to route outgoing faxes (via Microsoft Fax Service Manager)
to specific modems based on users or group. Or at least it suggests
it. Here is a quote from the help document provided with Microsoft
Fax Service Manager.

"Creating rules
You can create rules in accordance with any of the parameters
provided. Examples include:
By telephone code and number. For example, you can create a group
for local destinations and another for domestic long distance
destinations, or a group for a specific foreign destination.
By location. For example, you can create groups for a floor,
building, or site.
By departments. For example, you can provide the marketing
department with access to more or faster devices than the
administration department.
By line transfer speed. "

A possibility is that I could configure the routing rules so that
incoming faxes from the long distance group, get routed to one of the
3 modems that I have installed in the machine. The modem can be
tweaked to tack on a 9 before the destination number and a long
distance code on the end of the long distance number. For users that
do not have permission to send long distance faxes, their fax job
could be routed to a modem that simply tacks on a 9 (outside line),
and does not tack on a long distance code.

Well, I know that that is a handful, but any help would be greatly
appreciated.

Thanks In advance
-Brian
 
Brian:

I'm afraid I can't help you, but perhaps you can help me.

I have two Win2k Servers (#1 and #2) on my network. Server
#1 has a fax/modem in it, and I can successfully send
faxes from applications running on server #1 (and I can
successfully receive faxes as well). However, I can't
figure out how to make the fax printer on server #1
visible to server #2 so that I can send faxes from
applications running on server #2. Can you help?

In asking this question, I'm assuming that this is
technically possible, but I sure can figure out how to do
it.

Regards,

Ricky
 
(2) & (3) can be accomplished by setting up the dialing rules & calling
cards respectively, on each of the client boxes. This is in fact the
reccomended way to solve such automatic prefixing/suffixing numbers.

You scenario description is very clear. In the end your problem is not clear
to me. Can you please explain that in more detail?

If you want a way to restrict a group of users from being able to send faxes
to long-distance numbers, I think there is no way of achieving this.

This is what one of our internal tester had to say about this ...
Suppose you have 6 devices. You can create a group MarketingDeviceGroup with
4 devices and AdministrationDeviceGroup with say 2 devices.

You can create rules for some Country with some specific Area code to use
MarketingDeviceGroup and for some other area code to use
AdministrationDeviceGroup.



But all these rules are based on the Country and Area code ONLY.


I agree the documentation is kind of misleading. I'll work on getting that
fixed.

--
Raghavendra R
Microsoft Printing, Imaging and Fax Team
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
Please do not send email directly to this alias. This alias is for newsgroup
purposes only.
 
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