LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: Andrew Speer <andrew.speer@isolutions.com.au>
  To  : LinuxSA <linuxsa@linuxsa.org.au>
  Date: Fri, 05 Nov 1999 12:21:43 +1030

Re: Network Faxing Software

----- Original Message -----
From: Andrew Whyte <andrew.whyte@netregistry.au.com>
To: Daryl Tester <dt@picknowl.com.au>
Cc: LinuxSA <linuxsa@linuxsa.org.au>
Sent: Friday, November 05, 1999 9:49 AM
Subject: Re: Network Faxing Software


> Daryl Tester wrote:
> >
> > Andrew Whyte wrote:
> >
> > > We've ditched the Hylafax Windows client, in favour of setting up a
> > > Samba print queue on the box, and by modifying the lpr command in
samba
> > > to a custom built script, we can automagically send faxes via HylaFax,
> >
> > Out of curiousity, how are you prompting the end user for the fax
number?
>

I have not used this program, and it was originally used for sendfax, but
people may be interested in:

http://www.boerde.de/~horstf/

A hybrid German/English site. It is a "respond" program that runs on a
user's PC. My understanding of it (could be wrong) is that:

1 .. When a print job is send to a samba queue, samba calls a custom
program/perl script on the server, rather than the 'lpr' program, supplying
the IP address of the PC that submitted the job.

2 .. The server then sets up a TCP session with the "respond" client on the
users PC, which pops up and asks the user for a destination phone number,
fine/standard etc.

3 .. The  client sends back the answers to the server, which then submits
the job to the Hylafax/sendfax process.

I have used the Win95/NT client for Hylafax, called HFAXc, and found it
somewhat unsatisfaxtory (sic !). It does work, but seems to be "clunky" and
poorly though out. It is not open source (Or was not last time I looked. I
am not a rabid open source fanatic, but it does at least let you have the
*chance* to make fixes/mods etc). Please feel free to correct me if you have
used it lately and found it to be super-slick and attractive, I would like
to know.

I like the "respond" type of idea, where the server sends back a query
saying "OK, I got the job, now what do I do with it" ? I used the same type
of idea with a SecureID server to protect applications that had no knowledge
of SecureID. The client would start the application, but to a predefined
port on a Sun box (rather than the "true" host). The Sun would would then
initiate a session back to the originating PC, get the SecureID info, and
let the session through if it was correct. Almost any software that used
long-held TCP sessions could be protected this way.

The protected software was running on hosts on a network that only the Sun
could see, so the only way to it was via this method (or hacking the Sun, or
hijacking the session. Hey ! I did not say it was perfect, but it least it
gave another layer of protection to those applications)

Anyway, after that unneccessary expose of one of my previous jobs - I was
basically saying that this sort of method seems a good way to allow Unix
programs, that otherwise know nothing about Win 95/NT PC's, to interact with
users and collect information (via a very lightweight client) and get on
with their job.

If anyone does seriously want to use HylaFAX in this way, and has problems
with the "respond" program, let me know and we may be able to work something
out. I think HylaFAX is too often overlooked as a fax/paging server, mainly
because it is perceived to be "hard" to setup, and has (admittedly) poor
Windows interaction. I have had several people (clients) using it in
production as a mail2fax and mail2paging gateways, and as a general Unix fax
server, with excellent results, but no-one really submitting many print-type
jobs from 95/NT machines. It would be nice to see someone using it with
Windows (or Mac) clients with good results also.

 Andrew Speer
andrew.speer@isolutions.com.au

-- 
Check out the LinuxSA web pages at http://www.linuxsa.org.au/
To unsubscribe from the LinuxSA list:
  mail linuxsa-request@linuxsa.org.au with "unsubscribe" as the subject