Setting Up the FaxPress Enterprise Server
About the FaxPress Enterprise Server Setup
Each section in this chapter provides important information regarding the FaxPress Enterprise setup.
Rack Mounting or Shelf Mounting
The FaxPress Enterprise fax servers can either be mounted on a rack or stationed on a shelf or desk top. FaxPress Enterprise products are rack-mountable by attaching the two provided mounting brackets. To mount a FaxPress Enterprise 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 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.
Setting up the FaxPress Enterprise will require:
| ■ | That you know your T1 line type and configuration parameters in case the FaxPress Enterprise’s default settings require modifying. |
| ■ | A CSU, CSU/DSU, or PBX (not required for the FaxPress Enterprise E1.) |
| ■ | DNIS string information passed by your digital line. |
| ■ | PBX programming, in some cases. |
| ■ | An eight-conductor RJ-45 data cable provided by your line carrier. |
| ■ | A trained PBX technician present, if the FaxPress Enterprise will be connected to a PBX. |
Setting up the FaxPress Enterprise fax servers for basic operation involve the following required steps:
| 1. | Connecting the FaxPress Enterprise to your network and phone system. (See Connecting the FaxPress Enterprise to the Network.) |
| 2. | Powering on the Enterprise. (See Powering on the FaxPress Enterprise.) |
| 3. | Configuring the FaxPress Enterprise’s Intel Dialogic fax board, depending on the signaling your digital service uses. (See FaxPress Enterprise and Enteprise Redundant T1 and T1 CAS and ISDN PRI,FaxPress Enterprise and Enterprise Redundant E1 and E1 ISDN PRI (Primary Rate Interface) or FaxPress Enterprise ISDN and ISDN BRI (Basic Rate Interface).) |
| 4. | Joining the fax server to the network domain. Joining the FaxPress Enterprise to the network domain is required to import users from Active Directory with the FaxPress Active Directory Synchronizer. (See Importing and Mapping Users .) This procedure applies only to Microsoft Windows networks. |
| 5. | Taking necessary antivirus and security measures. (See Network Security/Installing Antivirus Software .) |
| 6. | Installing the applications required for attachment conversion. To use the Email Gateways or to use the Drop Directory for production faxing, you’ll need to install any applications, such as the Microsoft Office suite, used frequently by your users. See Installing Applications for the File Conversion Service for details. |
| 7. | Installing the FaxPress Plus Client for Administrators on a network workstation. The Administrator Client provides FaxPress Plus, the Windows-based FaxPress Enterprise administration and fax transaction utility. (See Installing the FaxPress Plus Client.) You’ll use FaxPress Plus to configure the FaxPress Enterprise fax server, and to create and configure users. If you use the Web Interface to configure the fax server and users, installing the Administrator client is not immediately required. |
| 8. | Activating the FaxPress Plus software with the Software Activation Key. (See Activating the FaxPress Enterprise Software in this manual.) |
| 9. | Configuring the FaxPress Enterprise or FaxPress Enterprise server’s Line Settings, Dialing Properties, Email settings, and DNIS settings using FaxPress Plus. (See Configuring the FaxPress Enterprise in the Administrator Guide.) |
| 10. | Sending and receiving a test fax using one of the three generic, pre-created user accounts (Administrator, Guest and Unaddressed) to confirm the FaxPress Enterprise server is operational. (SeeSending a Test Fax.) |
| 11. | Installing the FaxPress Plus Client for Users on the user workstations. (See Installing the FaxPress Plus Client.) |
| 12. | Creating and configuring new users. (See Creating and Configuring User Accounts and Importing and Mapping Users .) |
| 13. | (Highly Recommended) Activating the Backup service guarantees user files and data are protected should any unexpected system damage or failure occur. (See theBackup and Restore for FaxPress Enterprise.) Castelle cannot take responsibility for any data lost should system problems occur. |
After the FaxPress Enterprise is up and running, you may decide to implement the following optional features:
| ■ | The FaxPress Enterprise Archive. (See the Archiving Faxes.) |
| ■ | The FaxPress Enterprise Email Gateway. (See theEmail Integration.) |
Important! The FaxPress Enterprise Local Administrator Account
The default user name for the FaxPress Enterprise’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 Conversion Service to match.
The Castelle FaxPress Enterprise Conversion Service uses the FaxPress Enterprise’s local Administrator account to convert files for fax transmission. Changing the default password for the FaxPress Enterprise’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:
| 1. | Open the Windows Services list. |
| 2. | Right-click on the Castelle FaxPress Enterprise Conversion Service and select Properties. (Start>Settings>Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Services) |
| 3. | With the Logon tab selected, enter the new password for the Conversion Service’s local Administrator account. This password must match the password assigned to the default Administrator user for the FaxPress Enterprise’s Windows operating system. |
| 4. | Save the settings and restart the Conversion Service. |
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 Conversion Service, see Installing Applications for the File Conversion Service.
PBX Integration, DNIS Information and Automatic Routing Requirements
When connecting the FaxPress Enterprise to a PBX, a trained PBX technician must be on site. Configuring the FaxPress Enterprise 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’s dtmf.log file diagnostic tool can also be used to determine the DNIS string information. The FaxPress Enterprise’s configurable digit filter (see below) provides advanced parsing capability that allows the FaxPress Enterprise to integrate with most PBX systems. See Automatic Routing: PBX Integration and Determining the Number of Mailbox ID Digits in the Administrator Guide for additional information on automatic routing and PBX integration.
About the FaxPress Enterprise Configurable Digit Filter
The FaxPress Enterprise configurable digit filter provides advanced digit string parsing capability that allows the FaxPress Enterprise 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 user mailbox IDs, but can also include non-essential or “garbage” information that must be discarded.
The FaxPress Enterprise’s digit filter can be configured to strip any non-essential information and retain the digit information required to identify the users’ FaxPress Enterprise mailbox IDs. The FaxPress Enterprise 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 mailbox ID, the FaxPress Enterprise will parse the unnecessary digits off the number, e.g., xxxxxx7081xx.
See Determining the Number of Mailbox ID Digits in the FaxPress Enterprise Administrator Guide for more information on FaxPress Enterprise mailbox IDs.
Network Security/Installing Antivirus Software
Running a version of Windows 2003 server called Windows SAK 3.0, the FaxPress Enterprise 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 for file conversion and fax transmission.
Manage the FaxPress Enterprise the same way you manage the other servers in your environment. The company policy for hot fixes should also apply to the FaxPress Enterprise. Be aware, however, that some hot fixes may be incompatible with FaxPress Enterprise on a case by case basis. Some security hot fixes may disable network ports needed by the Enterprise, or change the system Print spooler to a setting other than autostart. These are examples of security fixes incompatible with normal FaxPress Enterprise operation.
Antivirus Configuration Recommendations
Installing antivirus software on the FaxPress Enterprise server with full file scan enabled is not recommended. This will degrade fax server performance. When configuring antivirus software on the FaxPress Enterprise, be sure to exclude the following directories from On Access or Real Time scanning:
| ■ | Exclude the c:\Castelle directory (and sub-directories) on the FaxPress Enterprise from On Access or Real Time scanning. Schedule these directories for a Periodic scan to be run during off-peak hours. |
| ■ | Exclude the C:\pagefile.sys paging file from On Access or Real Time scanning. This files is typically a “hidden,” “protected operating system” file. |
| ■ | Exclude the c:\Fax, c:\Program Files\Dialogic and c:\windows\system32 directories on the FaxPress Premier from On Access or Real Time scanning. Schedule these directories for a Periodic scan to be run during off-peak hours. *Note: This exclusion is not required for the E1 and ISDN BRI units. |
Any antivirus software used should also be configured not to disable network ports. The FaxPress Enterprise uses DCOM, for example, in load balancing configurations. DCOM listens on dynamic ports. The FaxPress Enterprise listens on the following static ports, which should not be disabled:
| ■ | 0x1224 - CPI data |
| ■ | 0x0BB8 - CPI name discovery |
| ■ | 0x1122 - CPI configuration |
| ■ | 25 - SMTP (email gateway) |
| ■ | 139 - NetBIOS Session Service (Print Spooler, Drop directory) |
| ■ | 443 - HTTPS (Web Client, Web Services SDK) |
| ■ | 445 - SMB (Print spooler, Drop Directory) |
Although installing antivirus software is recommended, the FaxPress Enterprise should be closely monitored for changes in performance after adding the antivirus software. Changes in performance as the result of running antivirus software on the FaxPress Enterprise include the following:
| ■ | CPU Utilization jumps to 100% and stays there. In most cases, this can be resolved by excluding the c:\Castelle directory (and sub-directories) on the FaxPress Enterprise from On Access or Real Time scanning, as noted above. |
| ■ | The FaxPress Enterprise no longer appears in the FaxPress Accounts dialog box of the FaxPress Enterprise client FaxPress Plus. This is due to a blocked port on the FaxPress Enterprise. This can be resolved manually by adding the FaxPress Enterprise to the FaxPress Accounts using the TCP/IP Advanced option and specifying the Name/IP address of the FaxPress Enterprise server. (See Locating a Remote Enterprise Server in the Administrator Guide for more information.) |
With regard to Microsoft Service Pack updates, Castelle recommends applying the latest Service Packs to FaxPress Enterprise. Castelle applies the latest Service Pack to the FaxPress Enterprise at the time the HDD image is created. This means the FaxPress Enterprise 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 Backward Compatibility
With some restrictions, FaxPress Enterprise server software and the Enterprise client software, FaxPress Plus, are compatible with FaxPress server software and with FaxPressPremier server and client software.
Backward Compatibility with FaxPress Premier
FaxPress Enterprise and FaxPress Premier fax servers can work together on the same network, but there are some restrictions to keep in mind:
| ■ | The FaxPress Enterprise client software, FaxPress Plus, will only support FaxPress Premier servers running FaxPress Enterprise 4.x or above server software. The FaxPress Plus client will not support FaxPress Premier servers running 3.x server software. |
| ■ | Although the FaxPress Premier 3.x and 4.x clients can be used to access the FaxPress Enterprise server for basic functions, known bug fixes and new user interface features will not be available. FaxPress Plus, the FaxPress Enterprise client, is highly recommended for use with the FaxPress Enterprise. |
Backward Compatibility with FaxPress Servers
FaxPress Enterprise servers and FaxPress fax servers can work together on the same network, but there are some restrictions to keep in mind:
| ■ | FaxPress client software can only access FaxPress servers; it cannot be used to access the FaxPress Enterprise. Only the FaxPress Enterprise client, FaxPress Plus, can log into the FaxPress Enterprise. |
| ■ | Although the FaxPress Plus client can be used to access FaxPress servers, advanced FaxPress Plus client features designed specifically for use with the FaxPress Enterprise will automatically be disabled when the FaxPress Plus client is used with the FaxPress servers. |
| ■ | FaxPress servers running server software versions earlier than 6.x will need to upgrade to be compatible with the FaxPress Enterprise client software. |
| ■ | FaxPress Enterprise and FaxPress client software cannot be installed on the same client system. |
| ■ | Before installing a new version of either the FaxPress or FaxPress Enterprise client software, be sure to uninstall any existing version of the FaxPress or FaxPress Enterprise client software. |
See http://www.castelle.com/support for more specific information on using FaxPress Enterprise servers and FaxPress Premier servers together on the same network.
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FaxPress Enterprise & Enterprise Redundant WebHelp
Last Updated: 11/1/2007
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