The installation and configuration of the Fax Server is done by a comfortable Setup program and can therefore also be performed by "Non-Professionals". The integrated Uninstallation Program can be used to remove the software completely from the computer if it is no longer in use. Additional information can also be found in the Online Help and in the User's Manual of ActiveFax, which is available through the Download Area. Unnecessary to say, that you can also contact us directly by Email or phone if you have any problems with the installation.

How can I ...

• install the fax server?
• send a fax message from Windows?
• send a fax message from UNIX?
• send an Email?
• automatically specify the recipient from within my application?
• use the fax service networkwide with the fax client?

How can I install the fax server?

The installation of the Fax Server has to be done on one of the operating systems Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000 or Windows NT (Server & Workstation). Even if you plan to send fax messages from an UNIX system, you have to install the Fax Server on a Windows computer and not on the UNIX server. To start the installation procedure, you just have to execute the Setup program. With the CD-Version, the Setup program will be executed automatically as soon as you insert the CD. To start the Setup program from the Download-Version, you just need to execute the corresponding download file (e.g. af320en.exe). If you want to install a test license of ActiveFax, it is possible to use the license key 00000-00000. The test version does not have any limitations, except a watermark which will be displayed on the single fax pages. The Setup program automatically detects and configures all available modem devices. Therefore the Fax Server is ready for action right after the installation completes. An explanation on how to send fax messages and EMails can be found in the next chapters.

How can I send a fax message from Windows?

The creation of fax messages and Emails from a Windows application is as simple as printing. During the Setup of ActiveFax, a printer named ActiveFax has been created. To send a document by fax, you just need to print the document on the printer ActiveFax. At print time, a dialog box where you can enter the recipient, pops up. You just have to specify one or more recipients by hand or from the integrated phone book. The document will then be transferred to the Fax Server. Depending on the priority and the desired transmission time it will be automatically delivered by the Fax Server. More information about sending fax messages from Windows applications can be found in the Online Help of the Fax Server or in the User's Manual, which is available through the Download Area.

How can I send a fax message from UNIX?

To use the fax service from UNIX, it is required that the Fax Server is installed on a Windows computer which is accessible through the TCP/IP network. On the UNIX system, the Fax Server will be treated just like a common network printer with LPD. To install the network printer on your UNIX system, follow these instructions:

IBM RS/6000 (AIX)
• Login as user "root".
• Start the system administrator program "smit".
• Choose the menu options Devices, Printer/Plotter, Manage Remote Printer, Client Services, Remote Printer Queues and Add a Remote Queue.
• Fill in the dialog box. In the field Destination Host you should enter the host name of the computer where ActiveFax has been installed. The field Queue Name can be filled with any queue name (e.g. "fax").

HP-9000 (HP/UX)
• Login as user "root".
• Start the system administrator program "sam".
• Choose the menu options Printers and Plotters, Actions and Add Remote Printer.
• Fill in the dialog box. In the field Remote Printer Name you should enter the host name of the computer where ActiveFax has been installed. The field Queue Name can be filled with any queue name (e.g. "fax"). Additionally you should also enable the option Remote Printer is on a BSD System.

Other UNIX Derivatives (SCO)
• To configure a LPD printer for other UNIX derivatives, you should have a look at your system documentation. Usually a LPD/LPR printer is created with an entry in the file "/etc/printcap". Printer entries in the file /etc/printcap are created according to the following scheme:

printerrname:\-------------------- fax:\
---:rm=hostname:\------------------ :rm=89.1.0.1:\
---:rp=queuename:----------------- :rp=fax:

At some UNIX derivatives (e.g. SCO UNIX) it can also be required to activate the LPD/LPR protocol. In the case of SCO UNIX this can be done with the command "mkdev rlp". After the network printer has been created on the UNIX system, you can use the "lp" command to send print jobs to ActiveFax. To create a new print job with "lp", use one of the following commands:

---lp -dprintername filename
---cat filename | lp -dprintername

Using the command "lpstat -t" respective "lpstat -oprintername" the current status of the printer can be retrieved. ActiveFax automatically interprets the printer sequences of HP-LaserJet, Epson-LQ and optionally Postscript. That way it is guaranteed, that the fax message as exactly of the same appearance than the corresponding printout. More information on how to specify the recipient of a fax message, can be found in one of the following chapters, in the Online Help of ActiveFax and in the User's Manual which is available through the Download Area.

How can I sent an Email?

There is no difference between the creation of an EMail and the creation of a fax message, except that you have to fill in the field EMail address instead of the field fax number. On the Server it is just required to enter the address of the Mail Server (SMTP Server). Depending on the type of Internet connection, it can also be necessary to enable the automatic dialup feature with RAS.

How can I automatically specify the recipient from within my application?

With the use of so called data fields, you have the possibility to specify the fax parameters (e.g. recipient, subject, priority) already from within your application. That way it is possible to realize fully automated fax transmissions very easy. On Windows systems, the single data fields are just appended to the document name when printing. On UNIX systems, the data fields can be written directly into the document (just like printer sequences). The knowledge of complicated programming techniques, like DDE or OLE, is not required. For example, to specify the fax number of the recipient, the data field number 211 can be used. For the subject, the field number is 307. If you want to specify those two fields in a Windows application, it is just required that you append the string "@F211 +1 789 1234567@ @F307 Order Number 4711@" to the document name. On a UNIX system you would write the same string anywhere in the printer output. Detailed information about data fields, as well as a complete list of all available data fields, can be found in the Online Help and in the User's Manual of ActiveFax, which is available through the Download Area.

How can I use the fax service networkwide with the Fax Client?

To use the fax service networkwide, you just need to install the Fax Client of ActiveFax. The installation is done with the same Setup program as the installation of the Fax Server, except that you just choose the Client software to be installed. After installation, a printer named ActiveFax and the Client program itself are available for use. When you start the Fax Client the first time, the network will be automatically scanned for all available Fax Servers. Choose the desired Fax Server from the list. Usually there is only a single Fax Server per network at all.