Becoming an RightFax Expert (part 2)

By Jalal Khan On September 13, 2008 · Filed Under RightFax

Components

Now that we have understood the need to an E-Faxing systems and a formal introduction to Captaris RightFax in the part 2 of this post we will understand the components of RightFax.

Server Software:

Server typically provides services to send and receiving faxes, maintaining database, user and configuration database, fax board, monitoring and alerting, dialling rules, gateway etc configuration.

This usually comes in 3 flavours, Enterprise suite, Enterprise & satellite.

The server receives the fax via its fax card, converts it to an image usually .tiff file, uses the entered routing code by sender and matches the routing code using the configured user routing configuration & routes the fax to the user.

Good news, you don’t need to create users manually if you have MS-Active directory in place with RightFax active directory synchronization feature you can simply replicate the user from the active directory and popular the RightFax user database. Database by default is the stored in propriety format else you can use MSDE or SQL server.

Using monitoring and alerting you can setup fax board, fax services and other monitoring with notification email direct to you inbox. it is very easy to configure and I will provide you the configuration snapshots in the coming posts.

Dialling Rules option is used to control how the fax call is dialled, respect the customized dialling ex. You may need to dial 9 or 0 for outside number, or directly or nation or international number. Also you can use the least-cost routing option to minimize the amount spent over national call when you have multiple RightFax server located in different province or region.

Gateway:

As the name conveys it is a gateway for sending fax outside the company from your mailing system

Administrative console:

Enterprise Fax Manger (EFM) is the administrative console wherein you manage the entire configuration and monitoring related tasks.

This is to be installed on the administrator’s workstation using the client software.

Client Software:

Client software contains the FaxUtil a fax mailbox util. to compose, send and receive faxes. Printer configuration for sending documents through the print command & authentication configuration if you are using the NT integrated or local users created in RightFax server.

Mail Connectors:

The connectors are used to enable communication between mail server & RightFax and to deliver fax in the mailbox. This piece of software is installed on the mail server and in-turn creates mailbox and connector for the communication with the RightFax server.

You can configure multiple costs if you have multiple gateways and centralized mailing system, this also provides you redundancy for fax routing in case one of the gateway is down it will use the cost and send the fax to the gateway with higher cost. Lowest cost is the preferred and highest and the least preferred.

PDF Module:

This module is required to enable RightFax send/receive faxes in PDF format.

Add-on-modules:

Additional functionality has add-on-module attached to it to avail the features available by RightFax and as per the requirement. You have the secure docs, APIs etc as additional components.

Fax cards:

Used to send and receive faxes where the fax lines are connected, in case of analog and E1 in case of digital lines.

RightFax uses Brooktrout fax card (also known as dialogic or Cantata fax cards). Brooktrout produces the card and provides it to companies with respective bounty attached. Basically, it comes in two categories, analog and digital cards. There are multiple models of the card available to fit your need and requirement. TR1034 is the current Brooktrout card being used for analog and digital fax communication in RightFax. Analog cards are simple to configure however a digital card is bit difficult comparatively. I will provide you a sample configuration of both the card in the coming posts.

Licensing:

Captaris RightFax is a fax channel based licensing. The total amount of faxes sent and received corresponds to the number of channels required. Server software license, connector license, PDF module license, add-on-modules & API licenses are other type of licenses required should the functionality required.

Always remember while quoting the customers or buying the software 1 fax channel license comes free with the enterprise suite and enterprise version of RightFax 9.0.

We will discuss the RightFax Server, client, connector, gateway, installation and configuration in the next section.

I will continue this post in parts, part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.