Configure FAX server using Windows Server 2008 and Standard Fax Modem

In this article, I am going to deploy a test fax server using windows Server 2008 Fax Server Role, Standard Fax Modem (Motorola or US Robotics) and Exchange Server Email Distribution Group. A fax server is comprised of four different components: the Fax Server role, Fax service, Fax Service Manager, and Windows Fax and Scan.  The Fax Server server role can save the fax administrator a significant amount of time. Instead of installing fax machines on client computers and managing and monitoring fax machines, you can complete those tasks in 2 or 3 steps on multiple computers simultaneously and remotely. By using Fax Service Manager with user groups, you can automatically make fax connections available to users and computers in your organization.  Note that virtualizing fax server will not be feasible because of Fax modem’s direct com port connectivity requirement with Windows Server 2008. The following are the steps require to install and configure FAX server.

 

Step1: Create a Distribution Group in Exchange Server that will receive fax via email

 

 

 

Step2: Connect and Install FAX modem

Start Menu> Control Panel> double click on Phone and Modem Options, and then in the Location Information dialog, enter information for your country/region, area/city code, carrier code, information to dial an outside line, and whether you use tone or pulse dialing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step3: Install Fax Service Manager

Microsoft recommend that you install the Fax Server role locally and not by using a Remote Desktop connection. You can install the Fax Server role remotely, but you need to make sure that local resource sharing is turned off and type mstsc.exe /c from command prompt .

Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager.

In the left pane of Server Manager, click Roles, and then in the right pane, click Add Roles.

 

In the Add Roles Wizard, on the Select Server Roles page, select the Fax Server check box. When you do this, a message displays that the Print and Document Services server role also needs to be installed with the Fax Server server role.

Click Add Required Role Services, and then click Next.

On the Select Fax Users page, click Add, and then type the domain and user name for groups and users that you want to have access to the fax server. Click OK, and then click Next.

 

On the Specify Who Can Access the Fax Server Inbox page, do one of the following and then click Next, Click All users can access the fax server inbox to give all users with access to the fax server the ability to view all received faxes. This option provides less privacy because every fax user can access all received faxes, but also requires less management.

If you chose to limit access to the inbox to routing assistants, on the Select Routing Assistants page, click Add and then type the group name or domain and user name for groups and users who you want to be members of the Routing Assistants group. Click OK and then click Next.

Continue through the wizard until you reach the Confirm Installation Selections page, and then review the choices that you made. Click Install.

 

To share the Fax printer that has been created, click Start, and then click Control Panel. Under Hardware, click View devices and printers. In the list of printers, right-click Fax, click Printer properties, click the Sharing tab, select Share this printer, and then type a name for the printer that you want your network users to see.

 

Click on Apply and OK.

Step4: Configure Fax Server to use SMTP e-mail routing

Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Fax Service Manager.

In the left pane, right-click Fax, and then click Properties.

To enable incoming faxes to be routed to recipients by e-mail, click the Receipts tab

 

Also on the Receipts tab, click Authentication, and then, based on how your SMTP server is set up, Click Integrated Windows Authentication if NTLM authentication is needed to access the SMTP server, click Credentials, and then type a user name and password.

 

 

 

In the left pane, double-click Devices and Providers, double-click Devices, double-click the device you want to configure, and then click Incoming Methods.

 

configure the Route through e-mail method, click the E-mail tab, and then type the e-mail address to which you want incoming faxes to be delivered

After the incoming methods have been configured, in the details pane, right-click each method, and then click Enable to enable the method

In the left pane, double-click Devices and Providers, and then click Devices. In the right pane, right-click the device you want to configure, click Properties, and then click the General tab.Click Automatic Answer and click Send to enable the fax device to answer calls automatically

configure a CSID, in Called Subscriber ID (CSID), type a CSID string. This string is limited to 20 characters

 

In the left pane, double-click Fax, double-click Outgoing Routing, right-click Groups, point to New, and then click Group.

In the Add New Group dialog box, type a group name.  Click Yes to confirm.

In the left pane, double-click Fax, and then double-click Outgoing Routing.

Right-click Rules, point to New, and then click Rule.In Add New Rule, if you know the country/region code, type it in Country/region code. If you are not sure of the code, click Select. In the list, click a country/region, and then click OK. In Area code, select Specific to limit the rule within the selected country/region, and then type the area code, or select All areas to apply the rule to the entire country or region.

To add a new account, right-click Accounts, click New, and then click Account. In Create New Account, provide a user name and domain, and then click OK.

 

Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager. In the left pane, double-click Configuration, double-click Local Users and Groups, and then click Groups.

To enable users to send and receive faxes using the fax server, in the right pane, double-click Fax Users, click Add, and then provide user account information.

 

Step5: Check Fax

 

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