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toolbox/public/fax README
For generic issues, see the Frequently Asked Questions fax file
located at ~4Dgifts/toolbox/FAQs/netfaqs/fax-faq.
intro README to a fax-modem Software Package
FlexFAX, Version 2.2.2 for IRIX 5.2
(IRIX 4.0.5 images on sgi.com:~ftp/sgi/fax)
------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c) 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Sam Leffler
Copyright (c) 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Silicon Graphics, Inc.
Two versions of this package are included in the two subdirectories:
inst: Version 2.2.2 SGI "inst"-able images ready to go.
src: Version 2.2.2 full source code + documentation.
The remainder of this file is src/README in its entirety
$Header: /usr/people/sam/fax/RCS/README,v 1.91 1994/04/21 20:22:51 sam Rel $
FlexFAX, Release 2.2.2
----------------------
Copyright (c) 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Sam Leffler
Copyright (c) 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Silicon Graphics, Inc.
Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software and
its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided
that (i) the above copyright notices and this permission notice appear in
all copies of the software and related documentation, and (ii) the names of
Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics may not be used in any advertising or
publicity relating to the software without the specific, prior written
permission of Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS-IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY
WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
IN NO EVENT SHALL SAM LEFFLER OR SILICON GRAPHICS BE LIABLE FOR
ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND,
OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS,
WHETHER OR NOT ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGE, AND ON ANY THEORY OF
LIABILITY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE
OF THIS SOFTWARE.
This note has the following sections:
Overview
How to tell which version you have
Modems
Class 1 Modem Support (Caveat Emptor)
Class 2.0 Modem Support
About the Binary Distribution
About the Source Code
Before Building the System From Source Code
Building the System From Source Code
Building Ghostscript 2.6.x with the TIFF Driver
Installation (source distribution)
Installation (binary distribution)
Server Setup and Configuration
Server Operation
Adaptive-answering Strategies
Non-adaptive-answering Strategies
Troubleshooting
Mail to Fax Gateway
Client Setup and Operation
Contributed Software
Acknowledgements
FlexFAX Mailing List and Other Final Words (where to send bugs)
Use and Copyright
InterViews Information (from Mark Linton: linton@sgi.com)
TIFF Information (from Sam Leffler: sam@sgi.com)
TIFF Mailing List
Ghostscript Information
If this is your first encounter with this software you should
read this note from ``top to bottom'', taking particular care
to look at section titled "Before Building The System From
Source Code" (assuming that you are working with source code).
Overview
--------
FlexFAX is a facsimile system for UNIX systems. It supports:
o sending facsimile
o receiving facsimile
o polled retrieval of facsimile
o transparent shared data use of the modem
Facsimile can be any size (e.g. A4, B4), either 98 or 196 lpi, and
transmitted/received as either 1D-encoded or 2D-encoded facsimile data
(2D-encoded data is frequently more compact and hence takes a shorter
time to communicate).
Outgoing documents can be any format; the sendfax program uses a
rule-based definition file similar to the System V /etc/magic file
to deduce document types and to decide how to convert each document
to a form suitable for transmission (either PostScript or TIFF/F).
Automatic cover page generation is supported and users can easily
tailor cover pages to their environment. A simple text-based
phonebook database is supported by sendfax. Information is also
provided on how to trivially setup an email to fax gateway service.
Incoming facsimile are stored in a receiving area as TIFF/F (read
``TIFF Class F'') files and may be automatically delivered by mail
and/or printed. A fax server status program, faxstat, can be used to
monitor the send and receive queues, as well as the state of facsimile
servers.
Fax modems may be shared with outgoing data communication applications
that honor the "UUCP locking protocol". These applications typically
include: cu, tip, kermit, uucp, slip, and ppp. The system can also be
configured so that incoming data calls cause the system to invoke the
standard system getty program.
The software is structured around a client-server architecture. One
facsimile server process exists for each fax modem on a network.
Clients may send facsimile from any machine that can communicate with
the machine(s) on which the server(s) reside. Client software is
designed to be lightweight and easy to port; imaging can be offloaded
to the server or done on the client. (Imaging is, however, typically
done on the server because it simplifies administration.) Multiple
modems may be located on a single machine. An access control mechanism
is included to control which users on which machines may submit
documents for transmission.
The server requires a PostScript to facsimile imaging utility for
useful operation (otherwise, only pre-imaged facsimile may be
transmitted.) A Display PostScript-based imager is provided for IRIX
4.x- and 5.x-based systems. For other systems, a Ghostscript-based
version can be built from the GNU sources.
How to tell which version you have
----------------------------------
If you have source code, the precise version is given in the file named
VERSION that is located at the top of the source tree and the alpha
number is given in the file dist/flexfax.alpha. If you have a binary
installation for a Silicon Graphics machine, the version can be printed
out with the versions(1) command. If you have need to refer to this
specific software, you should identify it as:
FlexFAX v<version>beta<n>
where <version> is whatever you get from "cat VERSION" and <n> is
what you get from "cat dist/flexfax.alpha"; or, on an SGI machine,
<version> and <n> are displayed in "versions -n flexfax.sw"; for
example:
Name Version Description
I flexfax 732914093 FlexFAX Facsimile Software, Version 2.1.0
I flexfax.sw 100600074 FlexFAX Software
I flexfax.sw.client 100600074 FlexFAX Client Software
I flexfax.sw.server 100600074 FlexFAX Server Software
<version> = 2.1.0 and <n> = 074 (the right three digits in the Version
column), so this is FlexFAX v2.1.0beta074.
Modems
------
Note that you need a fax modem to use this software. Fax modems are
not the same as data modems though most contemporary fax modems also
support data communication. Numerous modems are known to work with
this software though some work better than others.
Manufacturer Model Notes Class Firmware Rev
------------ ----- ----- ----- ------------
Abaton InterFax 24/96 unavailable
AT&T Paradyne DataPort 14.4 + 1,2 >= C01.22.00
Boca Research M1440E 2 >= V1.270
Boca Research M1440E/RC32ACL @ 2 V1.000
CPI ViVa 14.4/FAX 2 V1.10 172-502402-013
Dallas Fax <something> 2 not recommended
Digicom Scout+ + 1 >= 2A19/2931
Dynalink (?) Dynalink 1414VE 2 CBS-03
Everex EverFax 24/96D 2 >= 901231
Hayes Optima 144 1 unknown
Hayes Optima 2400+Fax96 2 >= TR00-J260-001 XXX
Intel SatisFAXtion 400e 1 >= U20-28F001BX-5.00
Logicode Quicktel Xeba 14.4 2 V0.500 TR14-Jxxx-001
Multi-Tech MT1432BA, MT224BA *,+ 2 >= 0307 I
Multi-Tech MT1432BG 2 0109A
Nuvo Voyager 96424PFX 1 AF-C2500-E0
OLITEC FRANCE OLICOM POCHE FAX MODEM 2400 2 TR24-J???-001 007
PPI PM14400FXMT, PM14400FXSA 2 >= 2.17
Supra SupraFAX v.32bis 1,2 >= V1.200-C
Supra SupraFAX v.32bis/RC32ACL @ 2 >= V1.000
Telebit T3000, WorldBlazer, QBlazer 2 >= LA7.01
Twincom 144/DF 2 >= V1.200
USRobotics Courier 1,2.0 >=Sup4.1/DSP11
USRobotics Sportster 1 >=Sup4.1/DSP10
Zoom VFX 1,2 V2.00
Zero One Net. ZyXEL U1496E, U1496E+, U1496S 2 >= 5.01
Notes:
* There are apparently many variants of the MT1432BA, the following
models are known to work: MT1432BA, MT1432BA/A, MT1432MK, MT1432PCS.
@ /RC32ACL refers to second-generation products made with the Rockwell
RC32ACL part and different firmware.
+ Modem is recommended for use with this software.
Class 1 means the modem supports the TIA/EIA-578 "Class 1" specification.
Class 2 means the modem supports the TIA/EIA-592 draft SP-2388-A of
August 30, 1991.
Class 2.0 means the modem supports the TIA/EIA-592 "Class 2.0" specification.
The Abaton modem uses a proprietary interface that is
neither Class 1 or Class 2.
SEE THE SECTION "Class 1 Support" FOR IMPORTANT INFO ON CLASS 1 SUPPORT
The software has been tested with the modems and firmware that are
listed. You may find that other modems that claim to conform to the
Class 1, Class 2, and Class 2.0 specifications also work (but I make no
promises). Earlier revisions of firmware for the above modems may
work, but once again no promises. Consult the file MODEMS for known
bugs and gotchas in the above modems. Wherever possible the FlexFAX
software works around known modem problems or restricts modem usage in
order to provide a functioning system. Beware however that several
Class 2 modems do not correctly implement the +FDIS command as
specified in SP-2388-A. As a result they are not recommended for use
with this software because their firmware limitations make it possible
to send only low-resolution, 1D-encoded, facsimile data.
Firmware for ZyXEL modems can be retrieved by mail-server request (more
information can be found in the doc directory).
Class 1 Modem Support (Caveat Emptor)
-------------------------------------
The system includes a driver for modems that support the EIA-578 "Class
1" programming interface. These modems export a very low level interface
that requires that the CCITT Recommendation T.30 facsimile communication
protocol be implemented almost entirely in the host. Robust support for
this protocol places two requirements on the host system:
o low latency for serial line input
o near realtime response
In a UNIX environment both these requirements can be problematic. In
particular, many UNIX systems increase the latency for data received on
a serial port in order to reduce system overhead. That is, input data
are typically held in a low level device driver for some period of time
before they are passed to the user so that bursts of input data can be
delivered to the user together. This behaviour is known to occur under
the Silicon Graphics IRIX and SunOS 4.1.x operating systems; it may
also occur under other systems. It is important for the proper
operation of the Class 1 driver that input data be delivered to the
facsimile server as quickly as possible. This may require making a
non-standard call of some sort to the operating system. For SGI
systems this call is automatically done. For SunOS systems it appears
that the only way to minimize the input latency is to create a stream
i/o module that accesses an internal interface (see the comments in the
routine setInputBuffering in faxd/FaxServer.c++ and the directory
port/sun/zsundev that contains source for a kernel streams module).
The response time requirements are important for insuring that T.30
protocol messages are received in a timely fashion. On a loaded
system the protocol process may be preempted by other activities and
not be run fast enough to satisfy the protocol timing requirements.
This can usually be guarded against by assigning the facsimile process
a high scheduling priority. Unfortunately most UNIX systems do not
provide support for such facilities and so even if it is possible to
receive serial line input with the minimum of delay, protocol timing
requirements may not be met because of delays in scheduling the
execution of the fax server process. For this reason the facsimile
server process attempts to raise its scheduling priority while it is
actively sending or receiving facsimile. At other times, such as when
it is doing queue management operations, it runs at a normal priority.
On Silicon Graphics systems the ``high priority'' is a nondegrading
scheduling priority that is above the priorities of the normal system
processes. On other systems the server currently always runs at the
same (normal) scheduling priority. For more details consult the
setProcessPriority routine in faxd/FaxServer.c++.
In summary, if you want to use a Class 1 modem with this software and
your system does not provide support for low latency serial line input
you are likely to have troubles. If your system does not provide a
mechanism for raising process scheduling priority (note that this is
not the same as the UNIX ``nice'' parameter), then you may see problems
when the server is under load. Exactly how much load will cause trouble
is dependent on the system configuration and processing power.
Class 2.0 Modem Support
-----------------------
There is a driver for Class 2.0 modems that was developed using a USR
Courier modem. Since this standard is very young (the Courier is the
first modem to be available with Class 2.0 support) don't be surprised
if there are firmware problems and/or incompatibilities between the
driver and modems with Class 2.0 firmware.
About the Binary Distribution
-----------------------------
The executables in the binary version of this distribution are from a
Silicon Graphics IRIX 4.0.5H system (compiled with the 2.1 release of
the AT&T C++ compiler and Version 3.10 of the ANSI C compiler). These
binaries run on any SGI 4D processor running IRIX 4.0.x. These
binaries do not function properly on IRIX 5.x systems because of
workarounds for IRIX kernel bugs that are enabled only at compile
time. For IRIX 5.x systems you will need to obtain the source code and
build working binaries. Binary installable versions of this software
will be available for IRIX 5.2 in the near future (once the software is
more widely available to customers). The PostScript imaging engine
requires that you have the Display PostScript execution environment
(dps_eoe) installed on the machine where the fax server runs. Client
machines do not need dps_eoe as all PostScript imaging is done at the
server. It is also possible to setup the binary executables to use a
Ghostscript-based imager instead of the Display PostScript-based one,
but that requires the Ghostscript driver included only in the source
distribution.
About the Source Code
---------------------
All the source code in this system is provided except the small bit
of code used to build the Display PostScript-based imager (this code
is useless unless you have a developers agreement with Adobe for
Display PostScript).
The system is written almost entirely in C++. I use the AT&T 2.1 and
3.0 compilers, as supported by SGI. GNU gcc 2.4.5 and later have been
successfully used to build this software. gcc 2.5.8 and libg++ 2.5.3
are the current recommended versions of the GNU tools to use.
The system assumes a POSIX-style system interface and support for the
select system call. If your system does not support tcgetattr,
tcsetattr, etc., then you will need to write some emulation routines.
If your system does not support select, then you will have a lot of
work to do.
The Class 1 modem driver requires sub-second timer facilities and a
minimum latency interface to serial input. The server uses the
BSD-style setitimer calls for the timer support and system-specific
calls to enable low latency input from serial ports. If your system
does not support the BSD timer calls, then the server will fall back to
using the alarm system call that only has 1 second granularity (and the
driver is unlikely to work reliably). If your system buffers serial
input and does not provide a mechanism for defeating this, then the
Class 1 driver will likely not work well. See the section above for
more specifics about the Class 1 support.
There is getty-related support in the fax server process that must be
configured according to your platform. When the fax server accepts an
incoming data connection it configures the port and execs the system
getty program. There are two interfaces: System V-style and BSD-style.
Only one of the two classes may be included in the server; the one that
is appropriate to your system should be specified in the SYSGETTY
definition in the defs files. If your system is one of those supported
by the configure script, this is automatically done when the software
is configured for compilation.
The system depends on the InterViews software distribution and on the
public domain TIFF library that I also distribute separately. Only the
*parts* of each system that are used by the fax software are included
in this source code. Both distributions in their entirety are freely
available by public FTP on the Internet. Information on obtaining each
is included below.
Before Building the System From Source Code
-------------------------------------------
Before you build the software you *MAY* need to obtain certain other
software distributions. All the software packages described here
are available by public ftp from a variety of Internet hosts.
o gcc
You need a C++ compiler to build this system. gcc version 2.4.5 has
been successfully used to build this code on several systems. Earlier
versions of gcc may work, but I make no promises. Note that early
versions of gcc require that you have the bison parser generator
installed on your machine. If you do not have bison and you need gcc,
do not forget to retrieve both at the same time! When installing gcc
beware of the make install-fixincludes step. On some systems and/or
with some versions of gcc, this software may not compile properly if
the include files are wrong (function prototypes that would normally
cause casts to be done may be missing).
Finally, note port/generic/GCC-PATCH if you have an old version of
gcc. This patch reduces the memory used to compile the large state
tables that are part of the file libtiff/tif_fax3.c. Without this
patch you may not be able to compile tif_fax3.c on machines with
limited memory, or compiling the file may take a very long time (30
minutes or more).
o C++ runtime libraries
The AT&T compiler product includes everything that you need in the
libC.a runtime library. When using GNU gcc you will also need the
libg++ distribution. Testing was done with libg++2.3, but newer
versions also work (and are usually required with newer versions of
gcc).
o ghostscript
If you are not on an SGI machine, then you will need the Ghostscript
PostScript interpreter software to build a PostScript imaging engine
for use by the facsimile server. Version 2.6.1 is known work, though
you should be certain to apply patches 1-4. If you do not apply the
patches you will run into a bug in the clipping code that is tickled
by the faxcover program.
o gmake
The make files are extensive and work untouched with the system make
under IRIX and SunOS. If your make does not understand them, then you
should be able to use the GNU make (gmake) instead. If you decide to
use gmake, be sure to get version 3.63 or newer; otherwise you will
encounter many problems (especially with the incdepend target).
o gawk
Several of the shell scripts included in this software make use of
awk. These uses are reasonably simple, but may not work with older
versions of awk. If you encounter problems, in particular with the
notify or rts (Return To Sender) shell scripts, try the GNU awk.
o sed
Several of the shell scripts included in this software make use of
sed. Certain systems are known to have versions of sed that do not
handle the shell scripts (e.g. sed on BSDI 1.0 dumps core on
expressions in the configure shell script). If you encounter problems,
the latest GNU sed should be substituted.
o /bin/test
The software configuration shell script (configure) and the modem
configuration shell script (etc/faxaddmodem.sh) make heavy use of
the test program. On some systems the /bin/test program does not
support options such as -c (test if a file is a character special
device). Source for a contemporary, public domain, test program
is available by public ftp from ftp.uu.net.
o Adobe Font Metric (AFM) files
The textfmt and faxmail utilities use Adobe Font Metric files in doing
page layout. Ideally the font metrics should reflect the fonts that
are used to image the PostScript. However, if your PostScript
interpreter does not include font metric files you can retrieve a set
separately from this distribution: the archive afm.tar.Z on sgi.com (in
the same directory that this software is located) contains font metric
files for the most common fonts.
o ps2fax binary for IRIX systems
The Display PostScript-based imager for SGI systems is included in the
binary inst'able images provided on sgi.com. If you choose to work
from the source code on an SGI system you will want a copy of the ps2fax
program: it is available separately on sgi.com as the archive dps.tar.Z
in the same directory that this software is located. Note that this
is a binary executable for IRIX 4.0.X systems and requires that you
have the dps_eoe software package installed.
Building the System From Source Code
------------------------------------
To build the software you first need to run the configure shell script
in this directory. At present the following configurations are known:
aix32 AIX v3.2.3 extended-v3.2.5 on RISC System/6000
bsdi BSD/386 1.1 w/ its included GNU gcc 2.5.8
4.4bsd 4.4BSD w/ GNU gcc 2.4.5 (incomplete)
freebsd FreeBSD on an Intel 486 w/ GNU gcc
hpux HP-UX 9.x on an HP 9000/700 (incomplete)
isc ISC4.0 on a 386 with gcc 2.5.8
linux Linux 99p9 on an Intel 386 using gcc 2.4.5
sco SCO 3.2v4 (ODT 3) (incomplete)
sgi IRIX 4.x and 5.x systems w/ AT&T C++ compiler
solaris2 Solaris 2.x on a Sun4 with GNU gcc 2.5.8
sun Sun3/Sun4 w/ SunOS 4.1.X and GNU gcc 2.5.8
svr4 System V Release 4 on an Intel x86 w/ GNU gcc 2.5.8
386bsd 386bsd 0.1 on an Intel 486 w/ GNU gcc 2.4.5
ultrix Ultrix 4.2A w/ GNU gcc 2.5.8 (see port/ultrix/README)
Systems that are marked (incomplete) compile properly and can be used
to send and receive facsimile, but may have known problems or may be
lacking some utilities such as the faxaddmodem installation script.
Systems that are marked (not yet ready) are in preparation, but are not
yet polished for distribution--if you take the supplied and complete
the work, please send the appropriate patches back so that they can be
incorporated into future distributions.
It is also be possible to use the GNU tools on the SGI machine and
the AT&T compiler on the other systems. To configure and build the
software do:
% configure [target] # e.g. configure sgi
where target is one of the above system types and, optionally, a
compiler: sgi, sgi-gcc, sgi-cc. If no target is given, configure will
try to deduce your system using uname(1). The software is setup with
several important definitions that are tailored at configuration time
according to the host and local conventions. For example,
% configure
Gosh, aren't you lucky to have a IRIX system!
Setting up make-related files.
Updating configuration for "sgi" & "cc".
Installing port/sgi/Makefile.flexfax as Makefile.
Installing port/sgi/defs.cc as defs.
Installing libtiff/Makefile.sgi as libtiff/Makefile.
Creating port.h with necessary definitions.
... enable IRIX 5.x workarounds for FIFO and select bugs
... add function prototype for sigvec
... add function prototype for seteuid
... add function prototype for setegid
... configure use of fchown
... configure use of fchmod
FlexFAX configuration parameters are:
Directory for applications: /usr/local/bin
Directory for lib data files: /usr/local/lib/fax
Directory for lib executables: /usr/local/lib/fax
Directory for servers: /usr/etc
Directory for manual pages: /usr/catman/local
Directory for documentation: /usr/local/doc/flexfax
Directory for spooling: /usr/spool/fax
Type of uucp lock files: ascii
Directory for uucp lock files: /usr/spool/locks
Mode for uucp lock files: 0444
PostScript imager packaage: dps
PostScript imager program: /usr/local/bin/ps2fax
Default page size: North American Letter
Default vertical res (lpi): 98
Directory for font metrics: /usr/lib/DPS/AFM
Location of sendmail program: /usr/lib/sendmail
Are these ok [yes]?
Done.
If you want these to be other than the default settings, then you
should follow the prompts given by the configure script. Once things
are to your liking, do:
% make
On unsupported configurations, you will want to examine the files in
the directory port/<machine> (e.g. port/sun for a Sun) and also decide
on a scheme for doing the PostScript imaging. If no port/<machine>
directory is present for your machine, then the software has not been
ported to your platform and you will need to do some work.
In general, the software is designed such that the following should
be ``make-able'' in each directory:
make [all] build stuff
make depend build dependency information
make install build&install stuff
make clean remove .o files and cruft, but not executables
make clobber remove everything that can be recreated
Building Ghostscript 2.6.x with the TIFF Driver
-----------------------------------------------
If you are not using the DPS imager on an SGI machine, then you need to
build a version of Ghostscript that includes the tiffg3 driver provided
with Ghostscript. (Actually, you may find that gs/gdevtiff.c is a newer
version of this driver. If so, you should be able to just replace the
distributed gdevtiff.c with the newer one in the gs directory.)
To setup Ghostscript you need to create a Makefile (follow the
Ghostscript documentation), add "tiffg3.dev" to the list of configured
devices, and then build a new binary that includes the driver. Don't
forget to install Ghostscript and it's associated materials. Beware
that on machines with dynamic shared libraries (e.g. SunOS), if you
link ghostscript with the X11 device driver and use shared X11
libraries that are not in a standard location, then you may need to
augment the util/ps2fax.gs.sh script with something of the form:
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/R5/lib:/usr/openwin/lib
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH
Installation (source distribution)
----------------------------------
The source distribution comes in a compressed tar file. To extract the
software do something like:
% mkdir fax; cd fax
% zcat <somewhere>/v2.2.src.tar.Z | tar xf -
(uncompress and extract individual files in current directory). To
build and install executables from the sources look first for any file
port/<target>/README that has target-specific information (e.g.
port/sun/README has information about a patch to apply to GNU gcc).
Then, do the following:
% ./configure <target> # see above
% make
% su
# make install
(of course if your system is not directly supported, you will have more
work than this to do.)
Once you've installed the software, see the "Server Setup and
Configuration" section below.
Installation (binary distribution)
----------------------------------
The binary distribution comes as a tar file that contains images for
use with the standard Silicon Graphics installation program inst(1).
To unpack the inst images do something like:
% mkdir dist; cd dist
% tar xf <somewhere>/v2.2.inst.tar
Next, run inst to install the appropriate pieces that you want. The
key documentation from the source distribution is included in the
subsystem flexfax.man.readme. When this subsystem is installed the
README file and other useful pieces of information are placed in the
directory /usr/local/doc/flexfax. Otherwise the software is broken
into two areas: flexfax.client.* for software needed on client machines,
and flexfax.server.* for software needed on a machine where a fax
modem is located. To unpack and install the client portion:
% mkdir dist; cd dist
% tar xf ../v2.2.inst.tar
% cd ..; inst -f dist/flexfax
...
inst> go
(Note, the dist subdirectory is because some versions of inst fail if
the files are in the current directory.) Note that server binaries are
not installed by default, so to get them also you need to do:
% inst -f dist/flexfax
...
inst> install flexfax.*.server
inst> go
Remember that to install a server on a Silicon Graphics machine, you
need to have already installed the Display PostScript execution
environment product (dps_eoe). Otherwise, the fax server will not be
able to convert PostScript to facsimile for transmission.
Once you've installed the software, see the "Server Setup and
Configuration" section below.
Server Setup and Configuration
------------------------------
With the executables installed, prepare the software for use:
First. Make sure that your modem works. I can not say this enough.
If you can not use cu, tip, uucp, or whatever with your modem, do not
try to configure it for use with the facsimile software. This means in
particular that you should verify that you have a working cable between
your host and modem and that this cable is suitable for use. That is,
that the cable has the relevant signals for doing hardware flow control
if that is necessary and that it passes the DCD and DTR signals
appropriately. On SGI Indigo systems you CAN NOT USE A MACINTOSH CABLE
TO CONNECT YOUR MODEM. Once again, repeat after me, YOU CAN NOT USE A
MACINTOSH CABLE TO CONNECT YOUR MODEM TO AN SGI INDIGO. It may look
like it works, but the moment that you try to use hardware flow control
(i.e. RTS/CTS) the data will be garbled and you will encounter
problems. On an SGI system, consult the serial(7) manual page for an
explanation of how to wire up modem cables. Note also that for SGI
systems the tty port name selected for a modem must reflect whether
hardware or software (XON/XOFF) flow control is to be used--ttyf*
devices use RTS/CTS flow control and ttym* devices use XON/XOFF flow
control. The rules to use for selecting which flow control method
are:
o if you have a Class 1 modem, then you can use either hardware or
software flow control, but beware of using hardware flow control
as the Class 1 specification only requires vendors to support
software flow control (and most of the Class 1 modems tried so far
do not support hardware flow control)
o if you have a Class 2 modem, then you can use either hardware or
software flow control, but if you are going to communicate with the
modem faster than 9600 baud then you should probably use hardware
flow control
o if you have an Abaton 24/96 modem, then you must use software flow
control (the driver does not support hardware flow control)
On Suns do not use RTS/CTS flow control with the on-board serial ports
built around the Zilog ZS8530 chip unless you have applied patch
100513-04 to your system (see port/sun/README for more information).
Also beware of port locking mechanisms that use pairs of minor devices
to interlock access to the same tty port--there is no direct support in
the system for this because this scheme requires that a modem
auto-answer incoming calls (something that does not work well with many
fax modems)--most folks use /dev/cu* for communicating with modems
that are controlled in this manner.
There are gotchas that you can expect to run into on most any system
when trying to interface to the system's serial port handling. Consult
the MODEMS file, the manual pages and, where applicable, the README
files in the port/<machine> directory for your system.
With the executables installed and your modem happily connected to the
host with a proper cable, you can add modems with the faxaddmodem shell
script. This is an interactive script that walks you through the
configuration and installation of a new or existing modem. Note that
even if you have a previous version of this software installed you
should run the faxaddmodem script to update the configuration
information for your modems. Below is a sample session. Typed input
appears to the right of a "?" or "#" prompt; all other material is
printed by faxaddmodem. Note that if your modem is configured to
communicate to the host at fixed baud rate, then you should use the -s
option--consult the faxaddmodem manual page for details.
# faxaddmodem
Verifying your system is setup properly for fax service...
You do not appear to have a fax user in the password file.
The fax software needs this to work properly, add it [yes]?
Added user "fax" to /etc/passwd.
Adding fax user to "/etc/passwd.sgi".
There does not appear to be an entry for the fax service either in
the yellow pages database or in the /etc/services file;
should an entry be added to /etc/services [yes]?
There is no entry for the fax service in "/usr/etc/inetd.conf";
should one be added [yes]?
Poking inetd so that it re-reads the configuration file.
There does not appear to be an entry for the FaxMaster either in
the yellow pages database or in the /usr/lib/aliases file;
should an entry be added to /usr/lib/aliases [yes]?
Users to receive fax-related mail [sam]?
Rebuilding /usr/lib/aliases database.
31 aliases, longest 75 bytes, 701 bytes total
Done verifying system setup.
Serial port that modem is connected to []? ttyf2
Ok, time to setup a configuration file for the modem. The manual
page config(4F) may be useful during this process. Also be aware
that at any time you can safely interrupt this procedure.
No existing configuration, let's do this from scratch.
Phone number of fax modem []? +1.415.965.7824
Area code []? 415
Country code [1]?
Long distance dialing prefix [1]?
International dialing prefix [011]?
Tracing during normal server operation [1]?
Tracing during send and receive sessions [11]?
Protection mode for received facsimile [0600]?
Rings to wait before answering [1]?
Modem speaker volume [off]?
The server configuration parameters are:
FAXNumber: +1.415.965.7824
AreaCode 415
CountryCode 1
LongDistancePrefix: 1
InternationalPrefix: 011
ServerTracing: 1
SessionTracing: 11
RecvFileMode: 0600
RingsBeforeAnswer: 1
SpeakerVolume: off
Are these ok [yes]? n
Phone number of fax modem [+1.415.965.7824]?
Area code [415]?
Country code [1]?
Long distance dialing prefix [1]?
International dialing prefix [011]?
Tracing during normal server operation [1]?
Tracing during send and receive sessions [11]? 3
Protection mode for received facsimile [0600]?
Rings to wait before answering [1]?
Modem speaker volume [off]?
The server configuration parameters are:
FAXNumber: +1.415.965.7824
AreaCode 415
CountryCode 1
LongDistancePrefix: 1
InternationalPrefix: 011
ServerTracing: 1
SessionTracing: 3
RecvFileMode: 0600
RingsBeforeAnswer: 1
SpeakerVolume: off
Are these ok [yes]?
Now we are going to probe the tty port to figure out the type
of modem that is attached. This takes a few seconds, so be patient.
Note that if you do not have the modem cabled to the port, or the
modem is turned off, this may hang (just go and cable up the modem
or turn it on, or whatever).
Hmm, this looks like a Class 2 modem.
Modem manufacturer is "ZyXEL".
Modem model is "U1496E V 5.02 M".
Using prototype ZyXEL configuration file...
Creating new configuration file "/usr/spool/fax/etc/config.ttyf2".
Creating "/usr/spool/fax/FIFO.ttyf2" in the spooling directory.
Done setting up the modem configuration.
Startup a facsimile server for this modem [yes]
/usr/etc/faxd -m /dev/ttyf2&
#
That's all there is to it (or at least all there *should* be to it)!
You can also run faxaddmodem at a later time if you want to reconfigure
your modem.
Beware that when the fax server process runs it normally keeps the
modem in a state suitable for sending and receiving facsimile. This
may have implications for data communication programs such as tip, cu,
and uucp. For example, if a Class 2 modem is being used, it may be
necessary to force the modem into Class 0 (for data communication) when
placing a call--e.g AT+FCLASS=0DT<phone number>. Alternatively, you
can fiddle with the configuration parameters and keep the modem setup
for data use when the server is not actively using the modem.
Server Operation
----------------
In normal operation configured facsimile servers should be started when
the system is booted and stay around so long as the system is running.
On SGI systems the normal installation process sets up the appropriate
configuration information for servers to be started up by init. On
other systems you will need to arrange for this yourself (typically by
editing /etc/rc.local or similar). If you need to start a server by
hand, consult the faxd(1M) manual page and the shell script etc/faxd
that is used on SGI systems.
Incoming facsimile are placed in the recvq subdirectory of the spooling
area and probably will need to be cleaned up periodically. Likewise
there is logging information in the log subdirectory and accounting
information in the etc subdirectory of the spooling area that may need
some attention. The util/faxcron.sh script is designed to handle the
periodic maintenance of the spooling area. This script is designed to
be run from cron(1) every day; see faxcron(1M) for detailed information
on its operation. If you want to do accounting check out the shell
scripts util/xferstats.sh and util/recvstats.sh for a basic attack on
how to process the etc/xferlog accounting file maintained for facsimile
transmissions and receptions (manual pages are also provided).
Otherwise the only matter to be concerned with is the support for data
connections. If your modems are capable of differentiating data
connections from facsimile connections the fax server can invoke a
getty process and permit incoming data connections. Alternatively, if
your modem does not support an adaptive answer facility, but it is a
Class 1 modem, the server may be able to do adaptive answering in
software. In any event, beware that if you enable data connections you
should take the normal precautions you would take when there are dialup
ports on your machine. Specifically, make sure that you have
passwords, appropriate file protections, and proper configuration of
uucp or similar.
If you encounter problems with sending or receiving facsimile you can
enable copious tracing information by editing the configuration
file(s). Consult the section on Troubleshooting and the config(4F) and
log(4F) manual pages.
Adaptive-answering Strategies
-----------------------------
If your modem supports a good adaptive answering facility, then it
should be enabled with the ModemSetupAACmd and the server system will
automatically service fax or data calls as appropriate.
If your modem does not support adaptive-answering (i.e. distinguishing
data from fax), then you have several options. In all cases sending
facsimile is supported without problems. If you have a Class 1 modem,
then you can request that the server employ a simple adaptive answering
strategy whereby incoming calls are first answered as if they are for a
fax machine and, if that fails, then answered as if they are for a data
modem. This facility is enabled by specifying something like:
AdaptiveAnswer: yes # enable adaptive answer
ModemAnswerCmd: +FCLASS=1;A # default is to answer as fax
ModemAnswerDataCmd: H+FCLASS=0;A # hangup and answer as data
Class1RecvIdentTimer: 10000 # timeout fax answer in 10 secs
in the configuration file. The above lines cause the fax server to do
the following in response to an incoming phone call:
1. Issue "AT+FCLASS=1;A" to answer the phone call in Class 1;
i.e. as a fax machine (issuing CNG tones).
2. Send TSI and DIS frames as required by the fax protocol.
3. Wait for DCS from the caller (if it is a fax machine).
4. Timeout waiting for DCS in 10 seconds (or whatever is specified
for Class1RecvIdentTimer).
5. Issue "ATH+FCLASS=0;A" to hangup and then re-answer the phone
in Class 0; i.e. as a data modem.
This technique assumes many things about the capabilities of the modem
and the local telephony service and may not work for all Class 1 modems
or for all locales.
A second facility supported by the fax server in lieu of adaptive
answering is a ``rotary of answering techniques''. The general idea is
that a list of alternative ways to answer the phone is supplied and the
server will rotate through the list until it finds one that works. For
example, one might specify something like:
AnswerRotary: "fax data"
which would instruct the server to answer incoming calls as if they
were from a fax machine until a call was received from something other
than a fax machine, in which case it would then answer subsequent calls
as a data modem until a non-data call was received (in which case it
would go back to fax). The rotary list can have up to three items,
with items being selected from one of: fax, data, voice, and any
(answer a call of an unknown type). The voice answering request is
reserved for future development. Finally, in conjunction with the
rotary answer facility there is an AnswerBias parameter that can be
used to specify an index into the rotary list to use after
*successfull* calls. In the above example, this parameter can be used,
to force calls to always be answered first as data by specifying:
AnswerRotary: "fax data"
AnswerBias: 1
Non-adaptive-answering Strategies
---------------------------------
If you want to always process incoming calls as fax connections, then
you do not need to do anything; this is the normal setup. If you want
to always process incoming calls as data connections, then you should
setup your modem configuration so that the ModemAnswerCmd parameter in
the configuration file causes the phone to be answered strictly as a
data modem. For example, if you have a Class 1 or Class 2 modem, the
following should do this:
ModemAnswerCmd: +FCLASS=0;A
(this sets the modem into class 0 and then answers the phone). Another
possibility that you might opt for (especially if your modem is on a
phone line shared with a telephone) is to disable automatic answering
of the phone by setting the RingsBeforeAnswer parameter to zero:
RingsBeforeAnswer: 0
and then use the faxanswer program to explicitly request that the fax
server pick up the phone. Note that by using the -h option to faxanswer
you can control whether the fax server answers a phone call as fax,
or data (answering as voice is also supported for compatibility with
future work).
Troubleshooting
---------------
There are several components of this system: client applications
(sendfax, faxstat, faxrm, etc.), the job submission process
(faxd.recv), and the facsimile/modem server (faxd). If you have
trouble setting up this software, first check out the manual pages.
All client applications support a -v option to enable various levels of
debugging. It is possible with one or more -v options to trace the
protocol between the application and the faxd.recv process on the
server machine. faxd.recv has a -d option that enables tracing of the
protocol it receives and its general operation.
faxd has many tracing controls described in the config(4F) manual
page. faxd tracing information is controlled by two configuration
parameters: ServerTracing and SessionTracing. ServerTracing controls
tracing during the time the server is NOT engaged in conversation with
another fax machine. SessionTracing controls tracing during the time
the server is engaged in conversation with another fax machine. Server
tracing information is captured via syslog(3). This means that to
capture the tracing you must setup the appropriate configuration
information for the syslogd process. In particular, make sure that you
capture daemon.info, daemon.debug, and daemon.err (or substitute for
daemon to reflect local configuration). Session tracing is stored
in files in the log subdirectory in the spooling tree. Consult log(4F)
for more information. Normal installation of this software will enable
sufficient session tracing to debug communication problems. Unexpected
problems may require you to alter either or both of the ServerTracing
and SessionTracing parameters.
When tracking down a problem, be sure to work your way from the client
application through faxd.recv and into the faxd process. When
debugging modem-related problems, only enable the tracing that you
really need. Enabling all tracing can affect the operation of the
server by altering the timing of operations. The default configuration
files come with SessionTracing set to 11 which is a good setting for
Class 2 modems (i.e. a lot of information is provided, but the load on
the server should not keep it from operating properly). For Class 1
modems a setting of 0x4f will also cause HDLC frames to be collected.
Beware of tracing timer operations and modem i/o; these trace flags are
only useful if you are trying to debug a problem specifically related
to a timer not going off, or a problem where data appears to be
corrupted. Also, when capturing a trace for the purpose of submitting
a bug report, the less extraneous information that you include, the
easier it is for people to help understand the problem. A good way to
capture a transcript of a problem is to use the transcript shell script
in the bin directory of the spooling area. For example,
% cd /usr/spool/fax
% bin/transcript 2241 14159657824
where "2241" here is the process id of the faxd process and
"14159657824" is the canonical phone number associated with the problem
(i.e. the destination if an outgoing call or the local number if an
incoming call). Note that transcript will only present the trace
associated with the last session, so you need to run it immediately
after the problem occurs (or else extract the session by hand).
Mail to Fax Gateway
-------------------
It is easy to setup a mail to fax gateway facility with the tools
included in this distribution and some simple additions to your
sendmail configuration file (other mailers should hopefully a be
workable). Consult the file faxmail/README for directions on a scheme
that I've used successfully. Thanks to Eric Allman for the sendmail
configuration hack.
Client Setup and Operation
--------------------------
FlexFAX basic design is based on a client-server architecture. A
single fax server machine with one or more fax modems may service a
network of client machines that do not have fax modems. When the
software is installed from the binary distribution format client
machines can be setup simply by installing the flexfax.*.client
images:
% inst -f dist/flexfax
...
inst> install flexfax.*.client
inst> go
(actually, the default packages to install should be the ones needed to
setup a client machine).
When the software is installed from the source distribution format,
client machines can be setup by packaging the appropriate client pieces
together with something like tar and then ``dropping the bits'' onto
the client machine, or by mounting the BIN, LIBDATA, and LIBEXEC
directories from a system where the software has already been
installed. (BIN, LIBDATA, and LIBEXEC refer to locally configured
pathnames to the directories where binary applications, library data,
and library executable programs are placed, respectively). The exact
set of files provided for a FlexFAX client is specified in the
flexfax(1) manual page (see the FILES section).
With the applications and data files accessible on a client machine,
the only other step required for operation is to setup an entry in the
/etc/services file or equivalent YP/NIS database for the "fax" service.
This is automatically done on the server machine by the faxaddmodem
script using a line of the form:
fax 4557/tcp # FAX transmission service
Once a client machine is setup for use the server machine may need to
be configured to permit jobs to be submitted. Specifically, the file
etc/hosts in the spooling area on the server machine must be setup to
permit each client machine access. Consult the hosts(4F) manual page
for information on how this is done.
Contributed Software
--------------------
You should be able to find contributions from FlexFAX users in the
contrib subdirectory of the public ftp area where you found this
software (or look in sgi/fax/contrib on the host sgi.com). New
contributions are welcome, so long as their author's identity is
clearly marked (so that folks don't ask me questions about stuff
that I know nothing).
Acknowledgements
----------------
This software is more than 5 years old and is the product of many
folks' work. Robin Schaufler did the original scheme for delayed
submission and worked on the client-server protocol. More recently,
the following people have helped either by testing or by contributing
fixes and/or improvements:
Pete Bentley Marc Boucher Brent Chapman Tom Corson
Alan Crosswell Greg Ferguson Steve Fine Andrew Ford
Wolfgang Henke Bert Hooyman Dirk Husemann Brian Katzung
Masao Kitano Carsten Koch John T Kohl Rickard Linck
Rick Lyons Tom Lislegaard Rob MacKinnon Kevin McManamon
Les Mikesell Bill Morrow Chris Munonye Jonas Olsson
Dave Packer Damon Permezel David Pike Amir Plivatsky
Andy Rabagliati Eric Rescorla Marshall Rose Daniel Rosenblatt
Joel Rosi-Schwartz Tim Rylance Brent Townshend Peter White
David Vrona Paul Vixie
(and surely others). Also, a special thanks to Ed McCreight for
helping me understand the stuff "between the lines" that's necessary to
make a working Class 1 driver.
FlexFAX Mailing List and Other Final Words (where to send bugs)
---------------------------------------------------------------
There is documentation! There is GOBS of documentation. When in doubt
read the manual pages. There are manual pages for all the programs and
manual pages for all the files and directories that you may be curious
about. Of course there is also source code for everything, but this
should (hopefully) not be needed. A useful introduction to the client
applications is given in flexfax(1). If you want to learn how the
server and spooling system work, look first at intro(4F).
A mailing list for users of this software is located on sgi.com.
If you want to join this mailing list or have a list-related request
such as getting your name removed from it, send your request to
majordomo@whizzer.wpd.sgi.com
For example, to subscribe, send the line "subscribe flexfax" in
the body of your message. The line "help" will return a list of
the commands understood by the mailing list management software.
Submissions to the mailing list (including bug reports) should be
directed to:
flexfax@sgi.com
Note that the mailing list has many people on it. Please take this
into consideration when posting notes to it; i.e. avoid posting large
trace logs and the such. Also, when corresponding about this software
please always specify:
- what version you have (see "How to tell which version you have" above),
- what system you're running on, and,
- if the problem is modem-related, identify it and the firmware rev
For example: "FlexFAX v2.2.2alpha99 under Solaris 2.3 with gcc 2.5.7;
ZyXEL 1496E with 6.11a firmware."
If you find the flexfax mailing list to have too much traffic for you,
there is also an announcements-only mailing list called flexfax-announce.
This can be subscribed in the same way that you subscribe to the
flexfax mailing list: send "subscribe flexfax-announce" to the
Majordomo list handler on whizzer.wpd.sgi.com. Note that there is no
need to subscribe to both mailing lists; postings to the announcement
list are automatically fed to the normal flexfax list.
If you have not previously done so, please fill out the survey form in
the file SURVEY and post it to flexfax-survey@whizzer.wpd.sgi.com (the
form is setup as an MH form file to simplify this procedure).
Use and Copyright
-----------------
Silicon Graphics has seen fit to allow me to give this work away. It
is free. There is no support or guarantee of any sort as to its
operations, correctness, or whatever. If you do anything useful with
all or parts of it you need to honor the copyright notices. I would
also be interested in knowing about it and, hopefully, be acknowledged.
Sam Leffler (sam@sgi.com)
InterViews Information (from Mark Linton: linton@sgi.com)
---------------------------------------------------------
InterViews 3.1 is now available via anonymous ftp
from "interviews.stanford.edu" (IP address 36.22.0.175).
The distribution is in a compressed tar file named "pub/3.1.tar.Z"
(about 3.8Mb). The distribution is also ftp-able from sgi.com
in "graphics/interviews/3.1.tar.Z".
The README file in the top-level directory contains information
about how to build InterViews. The PostScript file iv/src/man/refman/cover.ps
contains general information about 3.1, including a brief
discussion of differences from 3.0.
Please send problems to interviews-bugs@interviews.stanford.edu.
Mark
TIFF Information (from Sam Leffler: sam@sgi.com)
------------------------------------------------
How To Obtain This Software (in case all you get is this file)
The software is available for public ftp on
sgi.com graphics/tiff/v3.2beta.tar.Z
(192.48.153.1)
For example,
ftp -n sgi.com
....
user anonymous
... <type in password>
cd graphics/tiff
binary
get v3.2beta.tar.Z
The software comes in a compressed tar file. To extract the
information:
zcat v3.2beta.tar.Z | tar xf -
(uncompress and extract individual files in current directory).
The file 3.2.patch in the above ftp directories is a shell
script that should be applied to the 3.2beta source code.
There is also a companion compressed tar file, v3.0pics.tar.Z
that has sample TIFF image files. These are mostly useful in
testing the software if/when you port it to an unsupported system.
TIFF Mailing List
-----------------
A mailing list for users of this software is located on sgi.com.
If you want to join this mailing list or have a list-related request
such as getting your name removed from it, send a request to
majordomo@whizzer.wpd.sgi.com
For example, to subscribe, send the line "subscribe tiff" in
the body of your message. The line "help" will return a list of
the commands understood by the mailing list management software.
Submissions (including bug reports) should be directed to:
tiff@sgi.com
When corresponding about this software please always specify what
version you have, what system you're running on.
Ghostscript Information
-----------------------
Ghostscript and its fonts can be found at many public ftp sites around
the Internet. One good location for obtaining the 2.6 version is
ftp.cs.wisc.edu:/pub/X/ghostscript*2.6*.