Setting Up the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant Server

Other Related Topics...

Each section in this chapter provides important FaxPress Enterprise Redundant setup information.

Package Contents

Keep the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant’s box and shipping material. Specifically designed to protect the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant server during transport, the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant’s packaging should be kept for future shipping purposes.

Make sure the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant server shipment contains:

The FaxPress Enterprise Redundant also requires an RJ-45 cable which should be provided by your digital line carrier.

Rack Mounting or Shelf Mounting

The FaxPress Enterprise Redundant fax servers can either be mounted on a rack or stationed on a shelf or desk top. FaxPress Enterprise Redundant products are rack-mountable by attaching the two provided mounting brackets. To mount a FaxPress Enterprise Redundant unit on a 19” rack, use four specific screws provided by the rack vendor. These special screws are not provided by Castelle.

By attaching the four provided rubber feet to the bottom of the chassis, the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant unit can be stationed on a desk or shelf. For units stationed on a desk top, the two rack mounting brackets on both sides of the chassis may be removed.

Setup Requirements

Setting up the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant will require:

Required Setup Procedures

Setting up the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant server for basic operation involves these required steps:

Castelle is not responsible for any data loss should system problems occur.

Optional Setup Procedures

After the Enterprise is up and running, you may decide to implement the following optional features:

Important! The FaxPress Enterprise Redundant Local Administrator Account

The default user name for the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant’s Windows operating system is Administrator. The default password is castelle, all lower case. If you change this default password, you MUST also change the password of the local Administrator account used by the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant Conversion Service to match.

The Castelle FaxPress Enterprise Redundant Conversion Service uses the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant’s local Administrator account to convert files for fax transmission. Changing the default password for the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant’s Windows user account automatically stops the Conversion Service. Stopping the Conversion Service also stops all outgoing fax transmissions, whether or not the transmissions contain attached files.

To change the password of the Conversion Service’s local Administrator account, follow these steps:

This same procedure should be used to restore service if fax transmission has been interrupted due to this Administrator account password issue.

For more information on the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant Conversion Service, see About the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant File Conversion Service.

Viewing Event Logs

The FaxPress Enterprise Redundant’s event logs can be viewed using systems management solutions like Microsoft Systems Management Server, HP OpenView and IBM Tivoli. You can also use the Windows Event Viewer to view the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant’s event logs.

Receiving Failure Notifications

The FaxPress Enterprise can, with the Email Gateway properly configured, send notifications to the Administrator in the event of network connection or hard disk failure. For information on configuring the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant to send failure notifications to the Administrator, please see Configuring the Email Gateway to Send Failure Notifications.

PBX Integration, DNIS Information and Automatic Routing Requirements

Configuring the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant for automatic inbound routing and PBX integration will require you to know the DNIS string information coming from the digital line. This information includes number of DNIS digits, total length of the string including ANI digits (if any), and other characters. Contact your line carrier for DNIS string information. The FaxPress Enterprise Redundant’s dtmf.log file diagnostic tool can also be used to determine the DNIS string information. The FaxPress Enterprise Redundant’s configurable digit filter (see below) provides advanced parsing capability that allows the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant to integrate with most PBX systems.

See Automatic Routing and PBX System Integration and Determining DNIS Digit String/Mailbox ID Information in the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant Administrator Guide for additional, detailed information on automatic routing and PBX integration. Also, when connecting the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant to a PBX, a trained PBX technician must be on site.

About the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant Configurable Digit Filter

The FaxPress Enterprise Redundant configurable digit filter provides advanced digit string parsing capability that allows the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant to integrate easily with most PBX systems. Digit strings are a combination of numeric and alphanumeric digits generated either by the line carrier or by the PBX system. Digit strings include the extension-identifying information required for the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant user mailbox IDs, but can also include non-essential or “garbage” information that must be discarded.

The FaxPress Enterprise Redundant’s digit filter can be configured to strip any non-essential information and retain the digit information required to identify the users’ FaxPress Enterprise Redundant mailbox IDs. The FaxPress Enterprise Redundant supports up to 7 digits for the mailbox ID, although mailbox IDs are more commonly 3 or 4 digits.

If, as an example, the dialed number is 408-852-7081, the call may be sent as 1188 408 852708199 while routing through the central office or PBX system. If four digits are required for the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant mailbox ID, the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant will parse the unnecessary digits off the number, e.g., xxxxxx7081xx.

See Determining the Number of Mailbox ID Digits in the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant Administrator Guide for more information on FaxPress Enterprise Redundant mailbox IDs.

Network Security/Installing Antivirus Software

Running a version of Windows 2003 server called Windows SAK 3.0, the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant server requires the same kind of standard antivirus protection and security measures used with the other servers on your network. Castelle strongly recommends that all data files be scanned for possible viruses before being sent to FaxPress Enterprise Redundant for file conversion and fax transmission.

Manage the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant the same way you manage the other servers in your environment. The company policy for hot fixes should also apply to the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant. Be aware, however, that some hot fixes may be incompatible with FaxPress Enterprise Redundant on a case by case basis. Some security hot fixes may disable network ports needed by the Enterprise Redundant, or change the system Print spooler to a setting other than autostart. These are examples of security fixes incompatible with normal FaxPress Enterprise Redundant operation.

Antivirus Configuration Recommendations

Installing antivirus software on the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant server with full file scan enabled is not recommended. This will degrade fax server performance. When configuring antivirus software on the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant, be sure to exclude the following directories from On Access or Real Time scanning:

Any antivirus software used should also be configured not to disable network ports. The FaxPress Enterprise Redundant uses DCOM, for example, in load balancing configurations. DCOM listens on dynamic ports. The FaxPress Enterprise Redundant listens on the following static ports, which should not be disabled:

Although installing antivirus software is recommended, the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant should be closely monitored for changes in performance after adding the antivirus software. Changes in performance as the result of running anti-virus software on the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant include the following:

With regard to Microsoft Service Pack updates, Castelle recommends applying the latest Service Packs to FaxPress Enterprise Redundant. Castelle applies the latest Service Pack to the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant at the time the HDD image is created. This means the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant server ships with a relatively new Service Pack, but the Service Pack it ships with may still be behind the most current Microsoft Service Pack release.

FaxPress Enterprise Redundant Backward Compatibility

With some restrictions, the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant server and client software, FaxPress Plus, are compatible with FaxPress and FaxPress Premier server and client software.

Backward Compatibility with FaxPress Premier

FaxPress Enterprise Redundant and FaxPress Premier fax servers can work together on the same network, but there are some restrictions to keep in mind:

Backward Compatibility with FaxPress Servers

FaxPress Enterprise Redundant servers and FaxPress fax servers can work together on the same network, but there are some restrictions to keep in mind:

See http://www.castelle.com/support for more specific information on using FaxPress Enterprise Redundant servers and FaxPress Premier servers together on the same network.

Provisioning Redundant Digital Circuits for Automatic Failover

With proper line provisioning at the Telco central office, the FaxPress Enterprise Redundant units with more than one fax board (i.e., dual fractional boards or 2-3 full fax boards) will support failover from one circuit to another, automatically switching from one digital circuit (i.e., T1, E1, ISDN) to another in the event of high fax traffic volume or failure. No additional fax server configuration is required.

For automatic failover from one digital circuit to another, the central office will need to provision the two circuits as one hunt group, in either a linear trunk group or round robin trunk group hunting arrangement.

In a linear trunk group hunting arrangement, two digital (i.e., T1, E1, ISDN) circuits are included in one hunt group. The first circuit carries channels 1 through 24; the second carries channels 25 through 48. The first circuit would have to have 24 calls connect before the second sees any incoming traffic.

In a round robin trunk group hunting format the calls cycle through each channel, 1 through 48, then start over at 1 again.

For full redundancy, and disaster recovery scenarios, two separate FaxPress Enterprise Redundant units and two digital circuits should be physically located at geographically separated sites, and hosted from two separate Telco central offices.

You Should Also Read...