Image and Text Input Servers
The configuration parameters for Images and Text/Other Input Servers are nearly identical, so are covered together in this topic and known collectively as the File Input Servers.
The only difference between the Images and Text/Other Types is that the OCR Proc list and Refresh button are enabled and required for Images because all files received through this type of Input Server are OCRed.
The two sub types available for File Input Servers are File System and FTP Server:
· File System causes the Input Server to monitor directories on the FaxAction server or in other directories on the network. When this Sub Type is selected, the Log Comm? and Check Interval (secs) fields in the main Input Server form are disabled
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· FTP Server causes the Input Server to monitor directories on an FTP Server. When this Sub Type is selected, the Log Comm? and Check Interval (secs) fields in the main Input Server form are enabled
If Delete Source Data? is checked, the File Input Servers will record the names of files that have been successfully processed in the FaxAction database to ensure that the files are not handled multiple times.
Three major enhancements have been made to the File Input Servers in this release:
· Monitoring multiple directories or file extensions from a single Input Server
· Monitoring FTP servers for new files
· The option to route files to a specific user or group of users
The following image shows the Directory Monitoring frame that is displayed for File Input Servers:
Prior to this release, a separate File Input Server had to be created for each directory and file extension that was to be monitored. This was a very inefficient use of server resources and could be quite cumbersome for sites to configure. Now, a single File Input Server can monitor any number of related directories and extensions.
The directories and extensions that are to be monitored are displayed in the list that appears in the parameters frame above. At least one item must be entered in the list before the Input Server record can be filed.
Items in the list can be added, changed, or deleted by pressing the Manage button. When the button is pressed, the list of directories for the current Input Server is displayed in a new window and items in the list can be created, changed, and deleted using the standard list buttons described in the FaxAction Admin Manual.
The following form is displayed for when a record in the list of directories is opened:
The Directory field contains the fully qualified name of the directory that is to be monitored by the Input Server. The directory can be specified either in Universal Naming Convention (UNC) notation (i.e. \\FAXACT1\D\DataIn) or in local directory format (i.e. D:\DataIn). If the Directory is in local directory format, then it must be specified in terms of the FaxAction server, not the machine that Admin is running on. This field is required to contain data, but the path is not validated due to the fact that Admin could be running on a machine other than the FaxAction server.
When pressed, the Find button will display a standard Windows Find Directory Dialog to locate the Directory. This button should only be used when Admin is running on the server in order to ensure that the correct path is entered.
The Extension field specifies which file extension the Input Server is to watch for. The extension may not contain the extension separator ("."). To process all files in the directory, enter the wild card character (an asterisk – "*") in the field. The Extension field now allows twelve characters to be entered to accommodate unusual extensions. This is an increase from the three characters allowed in previous versions.
When the record is filed, the database verifies that the directory/extension combination is only monitored by one File Input Server. This includes the situation in which the wild card character is used to monitor all files in a directory. In addition, the database also verifies that the specified directory is not the OCR Processing directory specified in the General Info form.
In addition to monitoring file directories on the local network, FaxAction can now monitor directories on FTP servers as well.
If the FTP Server sub type is selected, the following FTP-specific fields in the Directory Monitoring frame are enabled:
· FTP Server specifies the DNS name or IP address of the FTP server that is to be monitored. Each Input Server is only allowed to monitor a single FTP Server. This field is required for FTP Servers.
· User contains the ID of the user that is allowed to log into the FTP server. This field is required.
· Pwd specifies the password that is used to log into the FTP server. This field is not required.
The directories and file extensions to monitor are configured identically to the File System directories with one exception: the Directory is relative to the User’s login directory on the FTP server. For example, if the user’s login directory is /FaxAction, but the Input Server is to monitor /FaxAction/DataIn, the Directory should be set to DataIn.
All files that were received through File Input Servers in previous versions were unassigned when placed in the FaxAction Pending list. This version adds support for directing the files received by a particular Input Server to a specific user or group of users.
Two new lists on the Input Server record support this functionality:
Assignee Type is used to choose which type of user the file is to be routed to. The options are:
· All - Don’t route the document to anyone in particular
· Group - Assign the document to a particular group
· User - Route the document to a specific user
An Assignee Type must be selected before the form can be filed.
The Assignee list is only displayed if Group or User is selected as the Assignee Type. It will contain the full list of users or groups as appropriate and an item must be selected if the list is displayed.