ftp.pasteur.org/FAQ//ftp-pasteur-org-FAQ.zip/FAQ/fax-faq/Object-Fax

Text File | 1995-10-10 | 24KB | 520 lines

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From: [e-mail] (Lennart Regebro)
Newsgroups: alt.fax,comp.dcom.fax,alt.answers,comp.answers,news.answers
Subject: Object-Fax LAN Fax System, Frequently Asked Questions
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Date: 9 Oct 1995 16:02:33 GMT
Organization: Traffic Software, T÷lvusamskpiti hf., Reykjavik.
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Sender: [e-mail] (Lennart Regebro)
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Archive-name: fax-faq/Object-Fax
Posting-Frequency: Bi-monthly
Last-modified: 1995-09-25
Version: 3.1.1






       Object-Fax Frequently Asked Questions v3.1.1, 25 Sep 1995.

       This is a list over common problems and questions about Traffic
       Software's Object-Fax. It is based on my experiences with technical
       support on Object-Fax and information from others, support engineers
       as well as customers. I will not be held responsible for any errors
       in or misuse of the information contained in this document, nor will
       any one else. I also have an GammaLink FAQ that can be of interest
       to GammaLink fax board users. Please note that this document is not
       an official Traffic Software document. Views and opinions are my
       views and opinions, not Traffic Software's.

       Copyright 1993-1995, Lennart Regebro. You may copy this document for
       personal use. If you want to redistribute this FAQ, please contact
       me first. This is so make sure that everyone that wants to
       redistribute this document always has access to the latest version.
       Keepers of Usenet FAQ archives do NOT need to ask me for permission.
       I do not view that as redistribution, as it is a part of the Usenet
       distribution apparatus.

       If you want the latest version, you can get it with World Wide Web
       in http://www.traffic.is/faqs/offaq.htm or with FTP from
       ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/Object-Fax. If you do not
       have direct access by FTP or WWW, the rtfm.mit.edu site supports FTP
       by mail; send a message to [e-mail] with the
       following lines:

       send usenet/news.answers/fax-faq/Object-Fax
       quit

       If you don't have Internet access I can add you to a list of people
       that get this FAQ mailed or faxed directly to them whenever I update
       it.

       I can be contacted at [e-mail],
       http://www.traffic.is/~lennart/

       Information

       For more information about Traffic Software products and a pointer
       to your nearest distributor contact Traffic Software. There is also
       a list of distributors available on out WWW-site.

       Traffic Software Ltd.
       PO Box 12445, IS-132 Reykjavik, Iceland
       Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]

       Office hours are 09.00 to 17.00 GMT.

       World Wide Web: http://www.traffic.is/
       Anonymous FTP: ftp.traffic.is




       Technical Support

       First you should call your dealer. Your dealer knows more about your
       network than we do, and he speaks your language and is awake when
       you are. If he can't help you, you will probably be best off to call
       the distributor in your country. He also speaks your language, and
       he is also awake when you are. The Icelandic office will  answer
       technical support if you can't get help by your distributor, but can
       usually not accept technical support calls over the phone. You can
       send a fax, marked with `Technical Support', or you can send e-mail
       to [e-mail].





       Contents

       Part 1. General information ......................................4
       1.1     What is Object-Fax? ......................................4
       1.2     What is the use of LAN-faxing?  ..........................4
       1.3     What Object-Fax products are there?  .....................4
       1.4     What do I need to use Object-Fax?  .......................4
       1.5     What's the latest version of Object-Fax?  ................5

       Part 2. Object-Fax installation ..................................5
       2.1     Object-Fax can't copy some files at install or Adduser  ..5
       2.2     Do I really need a search path?  .........................5
       2.3     What rights are needed?  .................................5
       2.4     What is the WP-CAS driver? [LITE / Single-User]  .........5
       2.5     Do I need to load SHARE?  ................................5
       2.6     How much memory is needed in Windows?  ...................6
       2.7     Object-Fax and NFS  ......................................6
       2.8     Object-Fax and Banyan Vines  .............................6

       Part 3. Object-Fax server:  ......................................6
       3.1     Why doesn't the server send anything?  ...................6
       3.2     Not accepted by CAS error.  ..............................7
       3.3     Why do I get a `FindKey 16Status' error? [Advanced]  .....7
       3.4     Why doesn't my national characters fax correctly?  .......7
       3.5     What should I think of when using GammaLink boards?  .....7
       3.6     I have problems printing to an IBM Proprinter ............7
       3.7     What modems work with Object-Fax Lite/Single-user ........8
       3.8     Tips for Multitech modems ................................8
       3.9     My incoming faxes are all black. .........................8
       3.10    Problems with error correction COPYTIFF (0). [Advanced] ..9

       Part 4. Object-Fax Windows interface .............................9
       4.1     The send box doesn't appear when I print.  ...............9
       4.2     The Cover Page Editor generates a GPF in USER.EXE.  ......9
       4.3     The The Cover Page doesn't work.  ........................9
       4.4     Word 2.0 crashes when I send faxes.  .....................9
       4.5     My `Send' dialog box is empty. There's no text!  .........10
       4.6     Object-Fax reports ``Requested file type not supported.'' 10

       Part 5. Object-Fax DOS interface:  ...............................10
       5.1     Faxes sent from DOS will be rejected.  ...................10
       5.2     Nothing happens when I send faxes from TSRDOS.  ..........10





       Part 1. General information

       1.1  What is Object-Fax?

       Object-Fax is LAN-fax system. What that means is that it is an
       application with which users on a LAN can send faxes with a
       centrally placed fax-server. Please note the difference between LAN-
       fax and ordinary computerised faxing, in which every user who faxes
       has its own fax modem and telephone line.

       Object-Fax is a system originally built for networking, and not a
       standalone fax system with network support as an add-on. Object-Fax
       can handle large amounts of faxing since it supports up to four fax-
       servers on one network. Each fax server can have several lines of
       simultaneous faxing, the maximum number of lines depending on which
       fax board you have. A SatisFAXion board has a maximum of eight, and
       the GammaFax board has a maximum of 30 lines per server. I can
       recommend the GammaFax boards with all of my heart. They are very
       good boards. If you have one you might like to check out my FAQ on
       that subject too. They don't work for the Single-User or Lite
       versions of Object-Fax so with them you would probably be best off
       with a PureData SatisFAXion board.

       1.2  What is the use of LAN-faxing?

       With LAN-fax you get a faster and easier way to send faxes for
       everybody on a network. A good LAN-fax system will pay for itself
       simply with all the time you will save not having to send faxes
       manually. Printing out and sending a document by fax will generally
       take ten minutes (according to the International Computer Facsimile
       Association). With Object-Fax it takes less than one minute.

       1.3  What Object-Fax products are there?

       There are three versions of Object-Fax. Object-Fax Advanced, Object-
       Fax Lite and Object-Fax Single User. Object-Fax Advanced is the
       `big' product with all the nice features. It needs a dedicated fax
       server running DOS and an intelligent fax board. Object-Fax Lite is
       a version for small networks (2-15 people). Object-Fax Lite doesn't
       have support for DOS, API, PostScript or PCL. It only has support
       for one server with one line. However, it can use Class 1/Class 2
       modems. It can also use CAS-compatible modems, like PureData or
       Intel SatisFAXion. The server is a Windows application, so it can be
       non-dedicated. Object Fax Single-User is almost the same as Object-
       Fax Lite, but with only one user licence instead of five.

       1.4  What do I need to use Object-Fax?

       You need one Object-Fax server licence and as many user licenses you
       want. The server licence includes five users. You will also need a
       network with Windows installed, unless you are running the Single-
       User version. For the Advanced version you will also need a PC to
       use as a dedicated fax-server. I recommend a 386 with 2MB of memory
       as a fax server.

       For Object-Fax Lite you need a fax modem or a fax board that is
       Class 1, Class 2 or CAS compatible. For the Advanced version you
       need a GammaFax board, a PureData Faxination board, a PureData/Intel
       SatisFAXtion or another CAS compatible board.




       1.5  What's the latest version of Object-Fax?

       It's Version 3.50, APR 21 1995. If you have any problems not in this
       file, you should upgrade. There is also version 3.02, which is a
       free upgrade from 3.0 or 3.01. It has all of the bug fixes, but none
       of the new features of 3.50.

       Part 2. Object-Fax installation

       2.1  Object-Fax can't copy some files at install or Adduser.

       This happens when you don't have enough rights in the Windows system
       directory. Often on networks this directory is a common read-only
       directory to which only administrators have access. You should
       install Object-Fax once, including running ADDUSER.EXE, as an
       administrator to copy the files properly. If you know that the files
       are there already you can ignore the error, otherwise it should be
       enough to copy them manually afterwards. The files actually copied
       are in the DIST directory under Object-Fax.

       2.2  Do I really need a search path?

       Object-Fax 3.x ADDUSER.EXE want's to add the Object-Fax directory to
       my search path. If you are running out of search paths, you can get
       by without a path to Object-Fax. Some of the files in the Object-Fax
       directory has to be in the search path, so you can get around this
       by copying these files to another directory that is in the search
       path. Those files are TMFAX.DRV, IMGX.DLL, IM10XTIF.DEL,
       IM10XDCX.DEL, CPFIELD.EXE, CPTEXT.EXE and CPEDIT.EXE. Just remember
       that you copied them to another directory. If you upgrade Object-Fax
       later you need to copy these files again, since they might have
       changed. Please note that this not the same files as for 3.0 and
       3.01.

       2.3  What rights are needed?

       Both the Object-Fax server and the users need to create, delete and
       modify files. On a NetWare network this means [RWCEMF] rights.

       2.4  What is the WP-CAS driver? [LITE / Single-User]

       The WP-CAS driver is a driver for Class 1 and Class 2 modems. You
       need it if you have one of those.

       2.5  Do I need to load SHARE?

       Yes. Object-Fax 3.x is an OLE 2.0 application. To run OLE 2.0 you
       need to load share. You can load share from DOS with `SHARE.EXE
       /L:500 /F:5100'. You can also load the Windows only version of share
       shipped with Windows for WorkGroups, VSHARE.386, by adding it to
       SYSTEM.INI under the [386Enh] section with DEVICE=VSHARE.386. This
       is done by default in Windows 3.11 and higher.

       The Object-Fax DOS gateway does NOT need share.




       2.6  How much memory is needed in Windows?

       Object-Fax needs to create the fax in memory when printing. This
       means that while printing you will need quite a lot of memory. Make
       sure you have at least 4 MB free. You can do this by increasing the
       swap file size. If you want to use the OCR feature, you need at lest
       8 MB memory and an 8 MB swap file, usually more.

       2.7  Object-Fax and NFS

       NFS does not support file sharing and record locking. Therefore
       different NFS implementations do this differently. If your file
       sharing and record locking hasn't been set-up properly Object-Fax
       may crash with Btrieve error messages like B-ERROR 5 (Duplicate Key)
       and other weird Btrieve errors. If you have NFS you should talk to
       your NFS vendors to receive information on how to set up your NFS
       software so it works with Btrieve and other shared file databases.

       2.8  Object-Fax and Banyan Vines

       There is a problem with GammaFax and Banyan Vines. This is not an
       Object-Fax problem per se, but it makes the Object-Fax gateway to
       crash with an error message. Users of GammaFax should read my
       GammaFax FAQ.

       Part 3. Object-Fax server

       3.1  Why doesn't the server send anything?

       First, check if you have any faxes in the outgoing queue. If not,
       you haven't actually sent a fax. Otherwise check the following
       things:

       3.1.1     Does the Object-Fax server find the fax?

       If the first fax in the queue has status `Sending' the Object-Fax
       server has found the fax and sent it to the fax board software. If
       the fax fails or the fax just stays as `sending' forever the problem
       usually isn't Object-Fax's, but lies with the configuration of the
       fax board software.

       3.1.2     Check the time and date of the fax server.

       It should be the same as the sending clients. Otherwise the fax will
       not be sent until the fax server's time reaches that of the Windows
       clients. If you have the Advanced version, look at the server
       screen. If the time and date on the server screen aren't changing
       the server has crashed.

       3.1.3     The queue file may be corrupted.

       Delete OBJFAX\INI\EVENT.DAT.

       3.1.4     Wrong line specified.

       In TM2.INI you can specify `LINE' and `SERVER'. If you specify
       SERVER=2 and LINE=5 then it will only use the fifth line of the
       second server. If the second server doesn't have line 5 set to
       outgoing, the fax will never leave the queue.




       3.2  Not accepted by CAS error.

       The `Not accepted by CAS' means that Object-Fax was unable to submit
       the fax to the fax boards. Check that the Fax card path is set
       correct. It is stored in the CAS environment variable. The CAS
       queues may also bee damaged.

       3.3  Why do I get a `FindKey 16Status' error? [Advanced]

       Check the length of your USERID environment variable. It is probably
       longer than the maximum of eight characters.

       3.4  Why doesn't my national characters fax correctly?

       This could have a couple of reasons. First, you should set up your
       fax modem to use national characters. The way to do that differs
       between different fax modems, so you have to consult you
       documentation. This should give you national characters on CAS cover
       pages and text files sent from DOS.

       If you are using the PostScript or the PCL converter problems with
       national characters are probably due to the font you are using. Not
       all fonts support all national characters. In such a case, changing
       font is the only solution.

       3.5  What should I think of when using GammaLink boards?

       Two things. First, be sure that you have version 5.1 if you are
       using GammaFax XP boards. Earlier versions are not supported with
       Object-Fax and GammaFax XP boards. GammaFax version 5.0 and 5.2 are
       buggy. Avoid them. 4.5.1 works pretty good, but is old. Version 5.3
       is new, but we haven't found any problems yet. Secondly, be sure to
       add the line GFXFORM x 3 for every board you use into the GFAX.$DC
       (x means board number). If you get black faxes, and use GFXFORM try
       to look at the faxes with the GammaFax viewer, FAXD to see if the
       problem is corrupt files or the fax viewer. Black faxes should not
       occur with version 3.02 or 3.50, unless there have been transmission
       errors.

       3.6  I have problems printing to an IBM Proprinter

       Try changing to Epson FX-80.




       3.7  What modems work with Object-Fax Lite/Single-user

       In theory all CAS and Class 1/2 modems should work. But life's not
       perfect, so I include a list of tested modems. The ones listed under
       `Doesn't Work' might very well work if you set them up correctly.
       They don't work out of the box though. If you get one of these
       modems to work, please drop me a note, and I will include it in the
       FAQ. Newer USR modems have Class 2 or Class 2.0 support. These might
       work. My recommendation for the Lite/Single-User version is to use
       the PureData or Intel SatisFAXion boards.

       WORKS:

       Modems:                      Producer:                 Driver
       AST Exec NoteBook            AST                       Class 1
       Fax/Datamodem 14400          Dynalink                  Class 1/2
       Fax modem                    CVC                       Class 2
       FerFax                       Ferrary                   CAS
       Ibislink Internal 9624VQH    Simpson Computer Inc.     Class 1
       Multimodem II MT932          Multitech                 Class 2
       Prodem 2496M (External)      PRODEM Technology Inc.    Class 1/2
       Prodem 2496CM (Internal)     PRODEM Technology Inc.    Class 1/2
       SatisFAXion 100,400          Intel                     CAS
       UFOMate P9624MX              E-tech                    Class 1

       DOESN'T WORK (with Object-Fax):

       Modems:                      Producer:                 Driver
       Courier HST DUAL Standard    USR/Miracom               Class 1
       Fax modem Discovery 1414CX   Datatronics               Class 2
       Fax modem GVC28800           GVC                       Class 1/2
       Hidem 14400/FAX              Hidem                     Class 2
       Hidem 14400P/FAX             Hidem                     Class 1
       Lasat PCMCIA                 LASAT                     Class 1
       LightSpeed                   LightSpeed Technology     Class 2
       Medas                        Micro Data Systems        Class 2
       UFOMate P192MX               E-Tech
       UFOMate P1496MX              E-Tech

       3.8  Tips for Multitech modems

       Try changing the `Wait for carrier field' to 40sec instead of the
       60sec default. This will prevent the fax driver to stop answering
       after receiving a normal phone call.

       3.9  My incoming faxes are all black.

       Black faxes should not occur with version 3.02 or 3.50, unless there
       have been transmission errors, so make sure you have that version.
       Since this is a GammaFax problem, see 3.5, and the GammaFax FAQ.




       3.10 Problems with error correction COPYTIFF (0). [Advanced]

       By default the 3.5 installation program installs itself with the
       /SWAP parameter to be able to run in less memory. On some computers
       this does not work. Try to remove the /SWAP parameter (it's in
       OBJFAX.BAT). You may then get memory problems so you must free up as
       much memory as possible. If you can't free up enough memory  there
       is an unsupported version of the gateway available from Traffic
       Software that only supports GammaFax boards and doesn't support the
       PCL or PostScript converters. It uses less memory.

       Part 4. Object-Fax Windows interface:

       4.1  The send box doesn't appear when I print.

       This problem can appear if you have little or no space left on your
       local hard drive(s). It can also appear if Windows is low on memory
       or resources. If it never has worked, the Object-Fax driver is
       probably not installed correctly. Check that you have a file called
       TM2.INI in you Windows directory, and check that you have access to
       the Object-Fax printer drivers OBJFAX.DRV & TMFAX.DRV. The drivers
       should be in the OBJFAX directory or in the search path. Also, the
       UNIDRV.DLL should be in your path. Use the version in OBJFAX\DIST\
       if you have problems.

       4.2  The Cover Page Editor generates a GPF in USER.EXE.

       The most common reason for this is not loading share. See question
       2.5.

       4.3  The Cover Page doesn't work.

       If you get errors like `Can't launch server application' or  you
       can't add fields or text to my cover then the Cover Page fields,
       then the Cover Page text might not be registered correctly in the
       OLE 2.0 object database. To fix that run the Object-Fax programs
       CPEDIT, CPFIELD.EXE and CPTEXT.EXE. They will then update the OLE
       database.

       There is also a bug in some of the Windows drivers for S3 graphics
       boards that causes the fields to be blank. In that case, complain to
       your vendor over their buggy drivers, and use another driver
       meanwhile. You can get an early version of the S3 drivers from our
       FTP site as S3_12.ZIP. Try that one.

       4.4  Word crashes when I send faxes.

       This bug is fixed in a newer TMFAX.DRV driver available via your
       distributor. The file size is 22064 bytes. If you run Object-Fax
       version 3.01 or earlier and Word 2.0 crashes when you exit, that's a
       bug in Word 2.0 that we hope we have managed to work around in 3.02.
       Please upgrade either Object-Fax or Word.




       4.5  My `Send' dialog box is empty. There's no text!

       This is because you have an old version of the language file. The
       language files are DLL's with the translated text used in Object-
       Fax. The are named after the country in question. The send dialog
       box is completely re-done in version 3.0, so if you use a v2.12
       language file you will get this error. Call you dealer to get the
       new language file or delete it to run an English version of Object-
       Fax.

       4.6  Object-Fax reports ``Requested file type not supported''

       Check that there are no files in the Windows system directory called
       IMG*.*, TMFAX.DRV or OBJFAX.DRV. These files should not be there. If
       they are, delete them, unless you put them there to save a search
       path (see 2.2).

       Part 5. Object-Fax DOS interface:

       5.1  Faxes sent from DOS will be rejected.

       The gateway says that my user ID is unknown.

       This means that your user ID is unregistered. You need to register
       the user ID both from Windows. This message can also appear if your
       user ID is longer than eight characters.

       5.2  Nothing happens when I send faxes from TSRDOS.

       I get the send box, but the fax doesn't appear in the queue.

       Check that you have started the file-API. Edit OBJFAX.BAT so that
       OBJFAXG is started with the parameter /API. Note that you have to
       use capital letters.