Network Fax Service

With Microsoft Fax, users in the same workgroup can share a fax modem installed on one of the computers in the workgroup. After the fax modem has been shared, all other users within the workgroup can send and receive faxes through it. The computer that contains the shared fax modem is called the fax server.

The Microsoft Exchange inbox of the fax server receives all of the faxes for the workgroup. The administrator for the server uses Microsoft Exchange to route the faxes to their intended recipients in the workgroup. Received faxes appear in the Microsoft Exchange inbox and each one is identified as a fax by a special icon. If the icon represents a rendered fax, double-clicking it runs the Microsoft Fax Viewer application. Otherwise, Microsoft Exchange opens the fax as if it were an electronic mail message. You can forward and reply to faxes in the same way you would a Microsoft Exchange mail message.

Before you configure a computer running Windows 95 as a fax server, make sure it has enough memory and that it has a compatible modem. For memory requirements, see "Microsoft Fax: The Issues" earlier in this chapter.

To configure a computer as a fax server in Microsoft Exchange

1. Click the Tools menu, click Microsoft Fax Tools, and then click Options.
2. In the Microsoft Fax Properties dialog box, click the Modem tab.

   

3. In Modem properties, make sure the option named Let Other People On The Network Use My Modem To Send Faxes is checked.

   In the Share Name field, Microsoft Fax displays the name of the default shared directory Network fax. Click the Properties button to change the name.

   In the shared directory's properties, change the name of the shared directory in the Share Name box.

   If you have user-level security enabled, define which users will have access to the network fax service, and define what their access rights are.

   If you have share-level security enabled, define whether a password is required to connect to the network fax service, and then dispense the password to users in the Windows 95 workgroup.

   For more information, see Chapter 14, "Security."

   

   If you choose Full access, all users within the Windows 95 workgroup can send faxes by using the shared fax service. By default, all users can send faxes.

4. Click OK to enable the Microsoft Fax shared fax server.

Note Other users in the Windows 95 workgroup must know the fax server's full network name to access it. The name is formed by joining the server's computer name (found in the Network option in Control Panel) with the shared directory name, for example, \\JOELLEN\NETFAX.

To configure a computer as a client to the fax server in Microsoft Exchange

1. Click the Tools menu, click Microsoft Fax Tool, and then click Options.
2. In the Microsoft Fax Properties dialog box, click the Modem tab.
3. In Modem properties, click Add.
4. In the Add a Fax Modem dialog box, click Network Fax Server, and then click OK.
5. In the Connect to Network Fax Server dialog box, type the network name of the fax server and then click OK.
6. In the Microsoft Fax Properties dialog box, click the server name, and then click the Set as Active Fax Device button.