 PToN
join:2001-10-04
Houston, TX | Fax server, not sure how/what? Hello,
At the moment we have 10 fax machines around the building. I would like to centralize all this into 1 server. I would like the users to be able to send/receive their faxes via email (which i think it's how most of them work).
The way i think it works it is to have a modem/card that connects all the phone lines, then the server just uses whatever phone line to send/receive. Correct?
Now, one thing is that we are fully virtualized. So having a server with an attached modem is not going to work.
So i am looking for a device that can be rack-mountable that we can connect all analog lines and then this device can be used by Windows/Linux fax server software to send/receive faxes.
I think that with something like this we can bring down the analog lines...
Thanks for the help. |
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aguenPremium
join:2003-07-16
Grants Pass, OR Reviews:
 ·Callcentric
 ·Verizon FiOS
| This one possible method that might meet your requirements:
»www.multitech.com/en_US/PRODUCTS···/ff.aspx
There are also some "cloud" options available as well but I didn't include any here. |
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 slashmanDon't do it . ..Premium
join:2003-10-01
Batavia, IL | reply to PToN
The multitech faxfinder series might fit your needs. We have a four port model that works with our PBX and DID lines. This gives everyone their own "private" fax line. The faxfinder then routes incoming faxes to each users email. Outbound can be sent via email or via a piece of client software.
Your issue might be that the largest faxfinder is eight ports. This would require you to get 2 units. |
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| reply to PToN
It's not exactly what you're looking for, anyway, but don't pursue GFI Faxmaker. It's incredibly frustrating and about as stable as a drunk on a pogo stick. |
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slashmanDon't do it . ..Premium
join:2003-10-01
Batavia, IL |  I think that is true of most fax servers. Our first faxfinder (model 430) would be crash every 6 weeks. I had a reboot schedule in calendar just for that device. |
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 DarkLogixTexan and ProudPremium
join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX
kudos:3 | reply to slashman
said by slashman:The multitech faxfinder series might fit your needs. We have a four port model that works with our PBX and DID lines. This gives everyone their own "private" fax line. The faxfinder then routes incoming faxes to each users email. Outbound can be sent via email or via a piece of client software.
Your issue might be that the largest faxfinder is eight ports. This would require you to get 2 units.
You don't need a port per line
We have a 4port faxfinder with the ports connected to our avaya phone system, I'm not a phone guy so the details of how it works I won't try to go into but we have well over 20 fax lines (I think we just have to hope that there's only 4 concurrent faxes in progress)
it involves hunt groups of that I know, and it works, and every user has their own fax number.
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»www.change.org/petitions/create-···imcity-4 |
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slashmanDon't do it . ..Premium
join:2003-10-01
Batavia, IL | You are correct. We have 50 lines going into an avaya system and a four port fax server.
I was commenting to the original poster who has in place 10 analog fax numbers that have probably been given to customers, vendors, etc.
Not sure if those numbers can be ported to DIDs or not. His phone system would also have to support the DIDs as well as having the ports to connect to the fax finder. |
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PToN
join:2001-10-04
Houston, TX | reply to PToN
Cool. Yeah it's mostly what i need and something we can for sure use.
The new phone system we looking at it is an Mitel Mt5000. It is a hybrid system that allow us to still use the current phones and keep the analog lines without having to do FoIP or VoIP right at this moment. The system does support DID. Maybe you can elaborate a bit on how your setup works...? i am very interested.
Thanks. |
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 dennismurphyPut me on hold? I'll put YOU on holdPremium
join:2002-11-19
Parsippany, NJ
·Verizon FiOS
 ·Optimum Online
| reply to Oedipus
said by Oedipus:It's not exactly what you're looking for, anyway, but don't pursue GFI Faxmaker. It's incredibly frustrating and about as stable as a drunk on a pogo stick.
Nice to see they haven't changed any.
Last time I maintained a fax server, it was a gateway for BeyondMail on Banyan VINES.... And was about as stable as said Faxmaker 
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| reply to PToN
for those that have incoming fax to email, how/what do you use to send a fax? |
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snowsam
join:2001-04-11
Signal Mountain, TN | reply to PToN
Our choice in a fax server was dictated by our business software: it only integrates with one fax server option (Esker's VSI-FAX).
VSI seems to be mostly written in TCL (remember when it was hot?) and the only updates seem to be to make it compatible with new versions of windows, but it works solidly.
Again, I never got a chance to go looking at the wide world since my choice was already made if I wanted to take advantage of the built-in faxing from the software.
Good luck! |
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H_T_R_NPremium
join:2011-12-06
Valencia, PA
kudos:1 | reply to PToN
Something often overlooked when doing this is the ability to send hard copy. (not saying you did) You need to figure in to the mix how users send a piece of paper they have sitting in a folder and not on a hard drive somewhere via fax. |
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| exactly why i asked my question, above. |
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PToN
join:2001-10-04
Houston, TX | reply to H_T_R_N
If they have a hard copy, they just go to the machine and send it; however, we have a few heavy duty multi-function machines that are often used to scan documents and send them to email. |
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DarkLogixTexan and ProudPremium
join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX
kudos:3 | reply to H_T_R_N
said by H_T_R_N:Something often overlooked when doing this is the ability to send hard copy. (not saying you did) You need to figure in to the mix how users send a piece of paper they have sitting in a folder and not on a hard drive somewhere via fax.
Just go to a network scanner, scan to pdf then use the software to fax the pdf
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»www.change.org/petitions/create-···imcity-4 |
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slashmanDon't do it . ..Premium
join:2003-10-01
Batavia, IL | reply to PToN
We have an avaya phone system so I can describe how our system is setup - may be similar on the Mitel.
All of our DID fax lines come into the avaya via a PRI circuit. The avaya then routes any of these incoming calls to a hunt group consisting of four analog ports in our avaya system. Those four ports are connected to the four ports on the faxfinder. From there the faxfinder reads the last 3 digits of the incoming number and routes the fax to the appropriate email address as a pdf attachment. |
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 SteveI know your IP addressConsultant
join:2001-03-10
Yorba Linda, CA
kudos:5 | reply to snowsam
said by snowsam: VSI seems to be mostly written in TCL (remember when it was hot?) and the only updates seem to be to make it compatible with new versions of windows, but it works solidly. That's just the user scripting part; the server itself is solidly C/C++.
Steve — author of VSI*FAX a long time ago, with no current connection |
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| reply to DarkLogix
said by DarkLogix:said by H_T_R_N:Something often overlooked when doing this is the ability to send hard copy. (not saying you did) You need to figure in to the mix how users send a piece of paper they have sitting in a folder and not on a hard drive somewhere via fax.
Just go to a network scanner, scan to pdf then use the software to fax the pdf that introduces some extra steps.
the end result is better, but most of the time users dont see/notice that, they focus too much on the extra steps. |
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snowsam
join:2001-04-11
Signal Mountain, TN | reply to Steve
Steve -- They need to bring you back for adding some new features!
Seriously, I am thankful that it is a good solid program, since it is my only option. |
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H_T_R_NPremium
join:2011-12-06
Valencia, PA
kudos:1 Reviews:
·voip.ms
·Armstrong Zoom ..
| reply to tomdlgns
said by tomdlgns:said by DarkLogix:said by H_T_R_N:Something often overlooked when doing this is the ability to send hard copy. (not saying you did) You need to figure in to the mix how users send a piece of paper they have sitting in a folder and not on a hard drive somewhere via fax.
Just go to a network scanner, scan to pdf then use the software to fax the pdf that introduces some extra steps. the end result is better, but most of the time users don't see/notice that, they focus too much on the extra steps. That is why when I do these I leave the fax machines in place set as send only, so that the sending of hard copy is just as it was before. Over time as all hard copy is move to digital the devices can be removed. Makes the change easier. |
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