Fax Agents

The Fax Agent in AlarmWorX Multimedia sends alarm notifications using a fax machine. The template determines the actual message that gets faxed to the number specified, and includes an optional cover page design that can be used for all faxed messages.

Note: Use of ICONICS' AlarmWorX Multimedia Fax Agent requires disabling the User Account Control in relevant Microsoft operating systems.

The Fax Agent uses the Microsoft Fax Console, which is configured via the Windows Control Panel. The Fax Console installation is an optional installation in Windows; if it is not installed, you can install it from the Windows CD. When setting up Fax Console, it is important to set the dialing rules correctly. To set the dialing rules, go to Control Panel > Phone and Modem Options.

The Fax Console includes diagnostic support, which is enabled through Control Panel > Printers and Faxes. Select Fax from the list of printers, and then right-click and select Properties. This opens the configuration dialogs for the fax printer. The Tracking tab contains settings that enable support for monitoring the progress of fax requests.

When testing the ICONICS Fax Agent, the first step is to send a sample fax using the Microsoft Fax Console. If this fax does not send, the Fax Console has not been initialized correctly.

The following configuration fields are available for the Fax Agent:

Media Item Name: Enter a name for the Fax Agent configuration.
Node: Enter the node name for the computer on which you wish to run the Fax Agent. If this field is left blank, the Fax Agent will be run on the computer that is running the Multimedia Server. Click the Browse button to search for a node.
Description: Allows you to add comments to the agent configuration.
Media Template: You must choose a template to be used with the agent. The template determines the actual message that gets sent to fax message recipients. The Configurator includes a template, called Default Fax, created for sending fax messages. For more information about templates, please see Media Templates.
TEST button: Sends a test fax based on the configuration settings.
Scheduling: If you are using scheduling, choose from the configured schedules on the drop-down list. See Schedules for more information.
Role: Select a role from the drop-down list. For information about roles, please see Working With Roles.
Enable Alarm Prioritization: When this check box is checked, the multimedia system processes alarms based on the severity level of the alarm. If the check box is not checked, alarms are processed only on a first-in-first-out basis.
Send To Fax Number: Enter the fax number here.
Retry: Specifies the number of attempts to send the fax.
Retry Delay: Specifies the number of seconds to wait between attempts to send the fax.
Additional Information: Allows you to add optional information for the recipient and sender of the fax.
Send Separate Cover Page: When this box is checked, the Fax Agent includes a cover page with the fax message. The fax template contains a Fax Cover Page field, which specifies a cover page design that will be used for all fax messages sent using the Fax Agent. The following fax file formats are supported: .pg, .cpe, and .fmf.

Note: The location of the Fax Cover Page field in the fax template does not matter because the cover page is, by default, the first item to be sent in a fax message. However, if several cover pages are selected for a single template, the Fax Agent will use only the first cover page listed.

Apply button: Saves all changes to the configuration database.
Reset button: Clears all recently added information.
Refresh button: Clears all recently added information.