Fax Service and Fax Service Provider (FSP) Frequently Asked Questions
The Windows 2000 Fax Service, renamed to Windows XP Fax in Windows XP, introduces a standard interface to send faxes programmatically, and it facilitates the manual sending of any printable document as a fax (this can be done in a few key-strokes). Behind the scenes, the fax service renders the document to be sent into a TIFF file, and the rendering is done with high quality. The actual fax processing is implemented by a Fax Service Provider (FSP).
The Windows FAX Service comes with a FSP that works with any fax-capable modem.
The following links to the Microsoft web site contain details on faxing in Windows 2000 (article 227194) and Windows XP (article 306550)
Q1. How many fax devices are supported in Windows 2000, XP, 2003 and 2008 by the Windows Fax Service?
Q2. Are there off-the-shelf 3rd party solutions integrated with Windows Fax Service?
Q4. Is it possible to use Fax Service from Windows 95, 98, ME and NT client computers? Is there a remote Fax Printer available? How to connect to a remote Fax Service?
Q5. Is Outlook integrated with Fax Service and hence FSP?
Q6. Is Exchange 2000 or Exchange 2003 integrated with Fax Service and hence FSP?
Q7. How do you start Fax user interface applications in Windows XP and 2000?
Q8. How to install Fax Service?
Q9. What makes Windows Fax Service attractive to users and developers?
Q10. Who are the potential suppliers of the 3rd party FSP?
Q11. What are the challenges FSP developer faces?
Q12. Why a 3rd party Fax Routing Extension does not load in Windows XP?
Q13. Is there a Fax Service Provider for T.38 fax protocol, real-time fax over IP (FoIP)?
Q14. Is there a Fax Service Provider for T.37 fax protocol (store-and-forward facsimile)?
Q15. Is there a good book on fax internals? Are there web sites on the Fax Service and Fax Service Provider?
Q16. Why a user that is not a member of the Administrators group can't send faxes?
Q17. Why when a document is printed to the Fax Printer from Notepad or WordPad, only the first page is sent by the Fax Service, and this page is truncated?
Q18. How to use fax merge in MS Word with Windows Fax Service?
Q1. How many fax devices are supported in Windows 2000, XP, 2003 and 2008 by the Windows Fax Service?
A1. It is possible to register as many devices as you like, but only two devices can be configured to send and/or receive faxes simultaneously in Windows 2000, four in Windows 2000 SBS and only a single device in Windows XP. Windows 2003 and 2008 do not limit the number of fax devices that can be configured to send and/or receive faxes simultaneously. Read articles 260028 and 194343 on the Microsoft web site for details.
Q2. Are there off-the-shelf 3rd party solutions integrated with Windows Fax Service?
A2. Cisco fax-enabled router and T.37 compliant Internet Fax Service can be interfaced via T37FSP. Another option is HylaFAX that can be interfaced through the HylaFSP. For the high-capacity boards connected directly to a computer as a PCI card, the native Fax Service Provider (FSP) is available for Brooktrout boards. MFC line of products from Brother is integrated with the Fax Service. Another product integrated with the Fax Service is AVM ISDN Controllers (with CAPI 2.0-based fax service provider)
A3. A virtual FSP, opposite to ordinary FSP, is not integrated with Telephony Service Provider (TSP), that interfaces telephony hardware. Some FSPs do not correspond to any telephony hardware at all, for example FSP that facilitates a connection to the Internet Fax Service. The FSP and TSP integration allows software developers to program complex fax / voice call scenarios, where the media state of the same call changes between voice and fax (for example, fax on demand applications).
Q4. Is it possible to use Fax Service from Windows 95, 98, ME and NT client computers? Is there a remote Fax Printer available? How to connect to a remote Fax Service?
A4. To use a shared Fax Printer from Windows 98, ME and NT, Shared Fax Client is available. It requires Windows 2003 Server (it hosts the shared fax printer). There is also some support for remote Fax Printer in SBS Server (Small Business Server) 2000. Windows 2000 and above can connect to a remote Fax Printer (hosted by a Windows 2003 Server) using Remote Fax Printer Connection. Although not explicit in the Microsoft documentation, it looks like to use Fax Service remotely via a script similar to the sample 'VB Script', the same conditions must be met as for remote printing.
Q5. Is Outlook integrated with Fax Service and hence FSP?
A5. Outlook 2000 and up includes Fax Mail Transport that utilises a Fax Service Provider. This makes it possible to send faxes directly from Outlook. For details, read about "Faxing in Windows XP", on the Microsoft web site.
Q6. Is Exchange 2000 or Exchange 2003 integrated with Fax Service and hence FSP?
A6. Exchange 2000/2003/2007 is not integrated with the Fax Service, but there are third party products like "GFI FAXmaker for Exchange" that make this integration possible (they implement an Exchange Connector (gateway) that interfaces Fax Service).
For outbound faxes, lack of Exchange Fax Connector could be partially compensated by the Remote Fax Printer Connection. Exchange Fax Connector would make it possible to access Exchange via web interface to send faxes. It might be more cost effective to develop a simple ASP page that would interface with the Fax Service to fax a file that has been uploaded by the client. That ASP solution could even send e-mail notifications about the fax delivery status. See "MSDN article 303647" for details.
Apparently, the inbound faxes routing to an email recipient can be handled by the Fax Routing Extensions for the Fax Service.
Q7. How do you start Fax user interface applications in Windows XP and 2000?
A7. There is a single Fax Console application in Windows XP that provides all the user interface to view fax queues' status, start a fax job, change configuration etc. Navigate to Control Panel, Printers and Faxes, Fax or Programs, Accessories, Communications, Fax, Fax Console. In Windows 2000, navigation to Control Panel, Printers and Faxes, Fax brings an outgoing fax queue status monitor. All the other functionality is accessible through Programs, Accessories, Communications, Fax.
Q8. How to install Fax Service?
A8. Microsoft's article How to Enable and Configure the Fax Service in Windows XP describes how to install Fax Service. The Fax Service will be installed automatically if there is a fax capable modem on the system. The Microsoft-supplied FSP will be installed automatically with the Fax Service.
In Windows XP and 2003, if you have Fax Service installed, but there is no Fax Printer, add a modem (e.g. 56000 modem) using the Control Panel. There is no need to have a physical modem, select Don't detect my modem in the Add New Hardware Wizard. This will implicitly install the Fax Printer.
In Windows Server 2008, navigate to Initial Configuration Tasks, select Add Roles, and add the Fax Server Role, selecting Add related services. This will add Fax Service and Fax Printer.
To make Fax Service usable in Windows Vista or Windows 2008, start Windows Fax and Scan (which used to be called Fax Console in XP), navigate to Tools, and fill in Fax Accounts as appropriate.
Q9. What makes Windows Fax Service attractive to users and developers?
A9. The Windows Fax Service introduces a standard, that:
- allows independent development of fax client applications and Fax Service Providers (FSP),
- allows programmatic access to the Windows Fax Service (see sample 'VB Script' ),
- eliminates the need for 3rd party fax applications, and in particular, for 3rd party TIFF printers
Q10. Who are the potential suppliers of the 3rd party FSP?
A10. There are several areas the FSP could be beneficial,
- OEM fax board manufactures,
- Internet Fax Service providers,
- Proprietary Fax Engine manufactures.
All the suppliers benefit from the fact the Fax Service provides the Fax Printer and eliminates the need for the 3rd party printer driver that would do rendering into TIFF format. Currently, most of the Internet Fax Service Providers (eFax, Faxaway etc.) and Fax Engine Manufactures (BlackIce etc.) use proprietary mechanism for TIFF rendering. Some Internet Fax Service Providers do rendering on the client computer, and some at the server site. The Windows Fax Printer would make the rendering process more reliable and simpler.
Q11. What are the challenges FSP developer faces?
A11. The challenges include (but are not limited to)
- the memory allocation must follow certain restrictions, fax service provider must use a specific heap for all memory allocations. This is especially hard if using C++
- the FSP functions to send the fax and to report status are called by the fax service in asynchronous manner, so the developer must provide proper synchronization
- There is a sample FSP in the Windows SDK, but it hardly can be considered as a starting point for FSP development as the code is not structured very well. It is possible to reuse T37FSP engine for 3rd party virtual FSP.
Q12. Why a 3rd party Fax Routing Extension does not load in Windows XP?
A12. Windows XP does not support 3rd party Fax Service Routing Extensions. On attempt to register or load it, error code FAX_ERR_NOT_SUPPORTED_ON_THIS_SKU defined in winfax.h as 7011L is returned. They probably try to encourage to use Windows 2003 Server that supports 3rd party Routing Extensions.
In the scope of Windows XP, it's possible to write a Fax Service client application that would effectively play the Routing Extension role. This application would call FaxServer.ListenToServerEvents() to listen for IFaxServerNotify callbacks to manipulate incoming tiff files using construction like FaxServer.Folders.IncomingArchive.GetMessage().CopyTiff().
Q13. Is there a Fax Service Provider for T.38 fax protocol, real-time fax over IP (FoIP)?
A13. There is an open source
t38modem and
Virtual COM port.
This software can be used to integrate the Windows built-in FSP with the T.38 gateway.
Exchange Server 2007 supports T.38, but not through Windows Fax Service (Q6 above).
Q14. Is there a Fax Service Provider for T.37 fax protocol (store-and-forward facsimile)?
A14. There is an FSP that implements a client side (not a gateway) of the T.37 protocol.
Microsoft Office 2003/2007 implements TIFF printer (called MODI - Microsoft Office Document Imaging printer) and integrates with Internet Fax Providers (email-to-fax providers), but somehow it does not use Windows Fax Service and FSP architecture.
Use facsBridge for Office to integrate Office with your Internet Fax Provider.
Q15. Is there a good book on fax internals? Are there web sites on the Fax Service and Fax Service Provider?
A15. For a good book on fax internals, see 'The Fax Modem Sourcebook' by Andrew Margolis.
The primary source of information on Fax Service and Fax Service Provider is the Microsoft web site. We are not aware about any dedicated sites, but the following site is relevant,
www.slipstick.com/addins/services/winxpfax.htm - Slipstick Systems Outlook and Exchange Solutions Center - Windows XP Fax
Q16. Why a user that is not a member of the Administrators group can't send faxes?
A16. This is a bug in Windows 2000, see Microsoft article 248427 on how to solve this issue.
Q17. Why when a document is printed to the Fax Printer from Notepad or WordPad, only the first page is sent by the Fax Service, and this page is truncated?
A17. This observation suggests not to use primitive programs, that can't split a document into pages, with the Fax Printer.
Q18. How to use fax merge in MS Word with Windows Fax Service?
A18. It is common to use mail merge to automatically customize a single document for each email recipient, e.g. with individual greeting line.
The fax merge is not much different. Having Outlook and Windows Fax Service installed, the fax merge from Word works through mail merge, where the recipient address is specified in the format FAX:9999999.
See the section Faxing from Outlook on how to configure Outlook to interface Windows Fax Service and Q5 above; see Mail merge to the Windows Fax Service for the step by step description of the fax merge from Word process.