Microsoft Fax: The Issues

Before you install and configure Microsoft Fax on the network, you will need to decide the following:

• Which users need Microsoft Fax. For every user who needs Microsoft Fax, you must also install Microsoft Exchange. All faxes sent to that user are received in the Microsoft Exchange inbox.
• Whether to install fax modems on individual computers or to designate a computer running Windows 95 to host a Microsoft Fax network fax service for other members of a workgroup.
• Which computer within a workgroup will host the Microsoft Fax network fax service. If the computer will also be used as a workstation, then a 80486-based computer with at least 12 MB of RAM is recommended. If the computer will be a dedicated fax server, then at least 8 MB of RAM is recommended. A high-speed (14.4 kbps) fax modem is strongly recommended. Depending on fax volumes, a shared fax service with this configuration could support up to 25 network fax users.

  Note When the computer hosting the shared fax modem receives faxes, Microsoft Fax does not automatically route them to individual inboxes. The workgroup administrator must use Microsoft Exchange to send a received fax to the recipient's Microsoft Exchange inbox.

• Whether you want to control or restrict access to the shared fax service. You can control access by defining a shared fax password, as described in "Network Fax Service" later in this chapter.
• Whether your workgroup's fax needs might be better served by a LAN fax server or commercial fax service. This depends on whether your organization has high fax volumes and inbound routing requests and as a result needs more detailed cost tracking and management. Microsoft is working with vendors of high-performance fax server platforms to ensure that their products are well-integrated with Windows 95 and Microsoft Fax.
• Whether your fax modems and fax machines are compatible with Microsoft Fax. To ensure connections with the widest variety of fax applications, fax machines, and fax modems, Microsoft Fax supports the following international standards for fax communications:
  • ITU (International Telecommunications Union, formerly the CCITT) T.30 standard for Group 3 fax machines. Microsoft At Work capabilities such as BFT are implemented as T.30 NSF (nonstandard facilities), thereby maintaining compatibility with the installed base of Group 3 fax machines.
  • ITU V.17, V.29 and V.27 standards for high-speed fax communications (up to 14.4 kbps).
  • Class 1 and Class 2 fax modems. A Class 1 fax modem is required for Microsoft At Work BFT and security. Fax rendering to traditional Group 3 fax devices is available on both Class 1 and 2 modems. Microsoft is working directly with fax modem manufacturers to ensure excellent compatibility.
  • MH, MR, and MMR compression for Group 3 fax communications.
  • Microsoft At Work fax platforms.