Advanced Features of facsBridge T37FSP - Windows Desktop Fax Driver
Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 Specific Configuration
facsBridge T37FSP configuration for receiving faxes
facsBridge F2Erouter Configuration
facsBridge T37FSP extendibility and customization
Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 Specific Configuration
Each user should specify their own email address by navigating to Start - Programs - Accessories - Communication Tools - Fax - Fax Console - Tools - Sender Information. Otherwise, T37FSP will use Notify Me Email Address for delivery status notifications. Unless SMTP connection with anonymous authentication is configured in the T37FSP Control Panel applet, your T.37 gateway must be sensitive to the From field in the email header (derived from the Sender Information, as opposite to the Sender field derived from the SMTP Account Name and Password) to have notifications sent to a non-default email address.
There is a supplementary T37FSPSuppDetails service to facilitate T37FSP in Windows Server 2003/2008. Before version 2.1.7 some manual configuration is required for this service (as well as for T37FSPSuppEmail service if you are using Exchange with NTLM authentication). Navigate to Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Component Services - Computers - My Computer - DCOM Config - T37FSPSuppDetails - Properties, on the Security tab edit Launch Permissions and Access Permissions by adding the Network Service account. Repeat for T37FSPSuppEmail service.
In Windows Server 2008 some manual configuration is still required. Navigate to Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Services - T37FSPSuppDetails, in T37FSPSuppDetails properties select Log On tab and fill in "This account" as the Administrator's account. Please see troubleshooting Q11 for more specifics on 2008.
Make sure the Fax Printer is shared, otherwise domain users will not be able to print on the shared fax printer and use the Fax Service (and T37FSP) that runs on the server computer.
The system administrator must perform the whole T37FSP configuration only once, individual users should only configure email address using Fax Console.
To configure inbound faxes, proceed with T37FSP configuration for receiving faxes and F2Erouter Configuration below.
facsBridge T37FSP Configuration for Receiving Faxes
The support for inbound faxes is based on Microsoft SMTP Service. The service does not support the use of individual mailboxes; it places incoming messages addressed to the local domain (that means addressed to <name> or <name>@<local computer name> ) in a Drop folder. This feature allows Microsoft SMTP Service to be used as a fax-mail receiver for T37FSP.
The Microsoft SMTP Service is a part of Internet Information Services (IIS). As SMTP service is an optional component, make sure it is installed. Windows 2003/2008 includes a POP3 service, but this service is not compulsory for our purposes.
The figure on the left shows SMTP streams for a typical configuration of a corporate LAN with cisco router as inbound and outbound T.37 gateway.
If you are using a cisco router, and T37FSP is configured to utilise local SMTP service for inbound faxes, make sure the local SMTP service is capable to deliver Delivery Status Notifications (DSN), including Non-Delivery Report (NDR), as the router will be using the local SMTP server for both, inbound faxes delivery and outbound faxes DSN delivery. DSN messages must be relayed to the relevant SMTP server (possibly via a Smart Host). For evaluation, specify NotifyMeEmailAddress as a local email address <name>@<local computer name>,the DSN notifications will be sent by the router to your local SMTP service and left in the Drop folder.
If it is not practical to configure your inbound fax-mail delivery directly into the local SMTP server (e.g. you are using Internet Fax Service, and your local SMTP server is not visible on the Internet), consider trying one of the following,
- configure your corporate mail server (e.g. Exchange) to forward inbound fax-mail to your local SMTP service, or
- use Outlook macro to save inbound fax-mail as elm file in the Drop directory (Outlook XP and above), local SMTP service is not required in this case.
You might need to configure the following T37FSP parameters for inbound faxes,
- HKLM\SOFTWARE\Sandlerco\T37FSP\DropPath - SMTP Drop directory, default c:\Inetpub\mailroot\Drop.
- HKLM\SOFTWARE\Sandlerco\T37FSP\ReceiverEMailAddress - default T37FSP. This value is used by T37FSP in receive mode to discriminate messages in Drop directory. Any message with recepient address that starts from ReceiverEMailAddress is considered as an inbound fax-mail from the T.37 inbound gateway. Make sure your cisco router is configured to use the same address as you have specified in ReceiverEMailAddress, and make sure it is configured to interface your local SMTP service.
Make sure the Fax Service account (Network Service account in Windows 2003/2008 or System account in Windows XP) has full access to the DropPath directory, as processed fax-mail is deleted.
Restart Fax Service after you made changes to the T37FSP receive mode configuration.
Fax Console should display inbound faxes in the Inbox, please check Routing Information field. It will display called number, as specified in the subject field of the fax-mail in the format DNIS=#### (correctly configured cisco fax-enabled router sends inbound fax-mail with DNIS in the subject field).
In Windows XP, select Forward inbound faxes to NotifyMeEmailAddress check box to forward inbound fax-mail to the NotifyMeEmailAddress. In Windows Server 2003, proceed with F2Erouter Configuration below. This feature is not supported in Windows 2000. T37FSP must be activated in order to use this feature after the evaluation period expires.
facsBridge F2Erouter Configuration
The F2ERouter inbound routing extension is designed for Windows Server 2003/2008 and integrates with the Windows Fax Service. It forwards received faxes to an appropriate email address based on called fax number (available from Direct Inward Dialing DID or ISDN PRI). F2ERouter is a part of the facsBridge installation, but is not limited to route inbound faxes received by the T37FSP fax device. Any fax device that reports called number as Routing Information can take advantage of F2ERouter routing (e.g. Brooktrout Line). Use the Fax Service Administration application to configure associations between fax devices and the inbound routing extension.
After installing T37FSP, register F2Erouter by running
regsvr32 F2Erouter.dll
from the Windows System32 directory.
The f2eRouter.xml file must be located in Program Files/Sandler Consulting Pty Ltd/t37fsp directory. It contains the routing table for F2ERouter inbound routing extension. The xml file must be compliant with F2ERouter XML schema, F2ERouterschema.xsd. Each entry contains CalledID (called number) and email address to send email with attached TIFF file to.
If DefaultRouting in the f2eRouter.xml is set as on, all inbound faxes that are not associated with the CalledIDs specified in the table will be routed to the NotifyMeEmailAddress specified in the T37FSP Control Panel applet. Set DefaultRouting to off to disable default routing. SMTP settings must be configured in the T37FSP Control Panel applet and are the same as for submitting outbound faxes. F2ERouter sends emails with the received TIFF file attached having the NotifyMeEmailAddress as the sender address. Hence all the routed fax-mail delivery status notifications will be sent to the NotifyMeEmailAddress.
Make sure the Network Service account has read access to the Program Files/Sandler Consulting Pty Ltd/t37fsp directory to allow Fax Service routing extension access to the f2eRouter.xml file.
MSXML 4.0 Service Pack 2 (Microsoft XML Core Services) is required for the F2ERouter to parse the f2eRouter.xml file. You can download MSXML 4.0 from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=3144b72b-b4f2-46da-b4b6-c5d7485f2b42&DisplayLang=en
After installing T37FSP, rename the f2eRouterSample.xml installed in Program Files/Sandler Consulting Pty Ltd/t37fsp directory as f2eRouter.xml. The F2ERouter.xml button in the T37FSP Control Panel applet will open the f2eRouter.xml file. Modify it as appropriate. Run the script ValidateXML.js installed in Program Files/Sandler Consulting Pty Ltd/t37fsp directory to validate the f2eRouter.xml file after modifying it. If ValidateXML.js produces the error Automation Server can't create object, MSXML 4.0 is not installed on your computer.
Restart the Fax Service after modifying the f2eRouter.xml file.
If F2ERouter fails when sending an email, an error message will be added to the Applications Events Log and the fax job will be pending in the Incoming folder of the Fax Console (with the status routing). Check the Applications Events Log and the Incoming folder of the Fax Console periodically.
T37FSP must be activated in order to use F2ERouter after the evaluation period expires.
facsBridge T37FSP Extendibility and Customization
This part might be of interest of a Windows Fax Service Provider (FSP) developer working on Fax over IP (FoIP) protocols different to T.37 (i.e. web service), who would like to reuse T37FSP engine and concentrate on the FoIP protocol, not on the interface between FSP and Windows Fax Service (see challenges in FSP development).
It is possible to reuse the T37FSP in order to prototype a 3rd party FoIP FSP.
The key in reusing FSP engine from T37FSP is the T37FSPSuppEmail service. Configuring T37FSP to use T37FSPSuppEmail service and hooking the T37FSPSuppEmail service to replace it with your own will do the job.
The T37FSPSuppEmail replacement must implement the same COM interface ISuppEmail as the T37FSPSuppEmail itself. Open T37FSPSuppEmail.exe in the OLE/COM Object Viewer as a type library to browse the ISuppEmail interface. It has a single Submit() method, with parameters bstrTo designating destination fax address, and bstrAttach designating the TIFF file name.
In order to emulate the original implementation of the ISuppEmail installed with the T37FSP, call
CoTreatAsClass(CLSID_SuppEmail, <3rd party CLSID>);
to install a third party hook, and
CoTreatAsClass(CLSID_SuppEmail, CLSID_SuppEmail);
to uninstall a third party hook,
where uuid value of the CLSID_SuppEmail is specified in T37FSPSuppEmail type library (use C++ #import directive).
The third party implementation of the ISuppEmail must be out-of-process.
ISuppEmail interface helps to decouple the FSP engine and a third party FoIP implementation. When moving from prototype to production, only minor customisation will be required in the FSP engine, like replacing CLSID to eliminate hook, customising FSP name, lifting activation and single page limitation (even when activated, if 3rd party implementation of ISuppEmail is used, only a single page can be transmitted). Please contact us for quotation (royalty free).
In the future we might extend customisation capabilities by providing multiple virtual fax devices; extending ISuppEmail to support fax receive functionality and adding notification callbacks and abort request.