Setting Up the FaxPress Premier Server

FaxPress Premier WebHelp: Admin Guide > Setting Up the FaxPress Premier Server

Required Setup Procedures

Setting up the FaxPress Premier server for basic operation involves the following required steps:

Connecting the FaxPress Premier to your network and phone system. (See Connecting the FaxPress Premier to the Network.)

When connecting the FaxPress Premier to a PBX, a trained PBX technician should be on site.

Powering on the FaxPress Premier. (See Powering on the FaxPress Premier Server.)

Joining the FaxPress Premier to the network domain. Joining the FaxPress Premier to the network domain is required for users to be imported from Active Directory using the Premier’s Active Directory Synchronizer service. (See Using the Active Directory Synchronizer.) This procedure applies only to Microsoft Windows networks.

Taking necessary antivirus and security measures. (See Network Security/Installing Antivirus Software .)

Installing any applications the FaxPress Premier will require. If you plan to activate one of the FaxPress Premier’s Email Gateways, use the FaxPress Premier’s Drop Directory for production faxing, or use the Web Client, any applications used frequently by your users, such as the Microsoft Office suite, will need to be installed. (See Installing Applications for the File Conversion Service for details.)

Installing the FaxPress Plus Client for Administrators on a network workstation. The Administrator Client provides FaxPress Plus, the Windows-based Premier administration and fax transaction utility. (See Installing the FaxPress Plus Administrator Client.) You’ll use FaxPress Plus to configure the Premier server, and to create and configure users. If you use the Premier Web Interface to configure the Premier server and users, installing the Administrator client is not immediately required.

Activating the FaxPress Plus software with the Software Activation Key. (See Starting FaxPress Plus and Logging In to the FaxPress Plus Client or Activating the FaxPress Premier Software.)

Configuring the FaxPress Premier server’s Line Settings, Dialing Properties, Email settings, and PBX/DID settings using FaxPress Plus. (See Configuring the FaxPress Premier .)

Sending and receiving a test fax using one of the three generic, pre-created FaxPress Premier accounts (Administrator, Guest and Unaddressed) to confirm the FaxPress Premier is operational. (See Sending a Test Fax.)

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Installing the FaxPress Plus client for Users on the user workstations. (See Installing the FaxPress Plus User Client.)

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Creating and configuring new FaxPress Premier users. (See Creating and Configuring FaxPress Premier Groups and Importing and Mapping Users .)

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(Highly Recommended) Activating the FaxPress Premier Backup service guarantees user files and data are protected should any unexpected system damage or failure occur. (See Enabling the FaxPress server’s Backup service during the server setup process allows you to make sure user files and data are protected, and can be easily restored using the Premier’s Restore utility in case any unexpected system damage or failure should occur. .) Castelle cannot take responsibility for any data lost should unexpected system problems occur.

Optional Setup Procedures

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

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The FaxPress Premier Archive. (See Activating the Premier Archive Service.)

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The FaxPress Premier Email Gateway. (See Email Integration.)

Package Contents

Make sure your FaxPress Premier server shipment contains:

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A FaxPress Premier network fax server.

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A Castelle FaxPress Plus CD-ROM.

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A power cable.

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RJ10-to-RJ11 adapters are required for FaxPress Premier units that use the Dialogic Diva V-Analog-8P boards to connect to analog phone lines. The number of adapters will depend on the number of lines of the unit. Four adapters are included for the 8-line unit and eight are included for the 16-line unit."

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The printed FaxPress Premier Getting Started Guide.

Rack Mounting or Shelf Mounting

The FaxPress Premier can either be mounted on a rack or stationed on a shelf or desktop.

FaxPress Premier products are rack-mountable by attaching the two provided mounting brackets. To mount a FaxPress Premier unit on a 19” rack, the user needs to 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 Premier unit can be stationed on a desk or shelf. For a FaxPress Premier unit stationed on a desk top, the two rack mounting brackets on both sides of the chassis may be removed.

Important! The FaxPress Premier’s Local Administrator Account

The default user name for the FaxPress Premier’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 Premier Conversion Service to match.

The Castelle FaxPress Premier Conversion Service uses the FaxPress Premier’s local Administrator account to convert files for fax transmission. Changing the default password for the FaxPress Premier’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:

Open the Windows Services list.

Right-click on the Castelle FaxPress Premier Conversion Service and select Properties. (Start>Settings>Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Services)

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 Premier’s Windows operating system.

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 Premier Conversion Service, see File Conversion Service.

Network Security/Installing Antivirus Software

Running Windows server 2003 SAK 3.0, the FaxPress Premier 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 Premier for file conversion and fax transmission.

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

Configuration Recommendations

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

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Exclude the c:\Castelle directory (and sub-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.

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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.,

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Exclude the C:\pagefile.sys paging file from On Access or Real Time scanning. This files is typically a “hidden,” “protected operating system” file.

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

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0x1224 - cpi data

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0x0BB8 - cpi name discovery

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0x1122 - cpi configuration

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25 - smtp (email gateway)

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139 - NetBIOS Session Service (Print Spooler, Drop directory)

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443 - https (Web Client, Web Services SDK)

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445 - SMB (Print spooler, Drop Directory)

Although installing antivirus software is recommended, the FaxPress Premier 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 Premier include the following:

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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 Premier from On Access or Real Time scanning, as noted above.

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The FaxPress Premier no longer appears in the FaxPress Accounts dialog box of the FaxPress Plus client FaxPress Plus. This is due to a blocked port on the FaxPress Premier. This can be resolved manually by adding the FaxPress Premier to the FaxPress Accounts using the TCP/IP Advanced option and specifying the Name/IP address of the FaxPress Premier server. (See Locating a Remote Premier Server for more information.)

With regard to Microsoft Service Pack updates, Castelle recommends applying the latest Service Packs to FaxPress Premier. Castelle applies the latest Service Pack to the FaxPress Premier at the time the HDD image is created. This means the FaxPress Premier 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.

Backward Compatibility

With some restrictions, the FaxPress Premier’s server and client software, FaxPress Plus, is compatible with FaxPress server software and with earlier versions of the FaxPress Premier client software.

Backward Compatibility with FaxPress Servers

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

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FaxPress client software can only be used to access FaxPress servers; it cannot be used to access the FaxPress Premier. Only FaxPress Premier clients can log into the FaxPress Premier.

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Advanced client features designed specifically for the FaxPress Premier platform are automatically enabled for use with the FaxPress Premier and automatically disabled for the FaxPress server line.

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FaxPress servers running server software versions earlier than 6.x will need to upgrade to be compatible with the FaxPress Plus, the FaxPress Premier client software.

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FaxPress Premier and FaxPress client software cannot operate on the same client system.

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Before installing a new version of either the FaxPress or FaxPress Premier client software, be sure to uninstall any existing version of the FaxPress or FaxPress Premier client software.

Backward Compatibility with Earlier Versions of FaxPress Premier

There are some restrictions to keep in mind when using the newest version of the FaxPress Premier client software, FaxPress Plus, with older versions of FaxPress Premier client software and server software:

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The FaxPress Premier client software, FaxPress Plus, will only support FaxPress Premier servers running FaxPress Premier 4.x or above server software. The FaxPress Plus client will not support FaxPress Premier servers running 3.x server software.

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Although the FaxPress Premier 3.x and 4.x clients can be used to access the new FaxPress Premier server for basic functions, known bug fixes and new user interface features will not be available. FaxPress Plus, the newest version of the FaxPress Premier client, is recommended for use with the new FaxPress Premier.

See http://www.castelle.com/support for additional information on backward compatibility.

FaxPress Premier WebHelp

Last Updated: 11/1/2007

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