Input Server Changes Overview
The input servers have been substantially enhanced in order to provide significant new capabilities, reduce the amount of system overhead required, and streamline functionality that was previously cumbersome.
These capabilities include the ability to monitor multiple email addresses or directories from a single input server, the ability to monitor FTP servers for new files, and the addition of new fax and email input server types.
In order to accommodate these changes, several new fields have been added to the common section of the Input Servers record:
Program should contain the fully qualified name of the FaxAction Input Server program file on the server. 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 File Dialog to locate the application file. It should only be used when Admin is running on the server in order to ensure that the correct path is entered.
If the Disabled field is checked, the process will not be started the next time that Sever Monitor is reconfigured. If the process is running when Server Monitor is reconfigured, it will automatically be stopped.
The Server field specifies which machine name the process is to run on. If nothing is entered in this field, the specified server process will be run on the same machine as the database. If clustering software is used, a specific machine name should not be entered unless the process is to run on a server that is not part of the database cluster. This requirement is due to the fact that the machine name the database runs on will likely change when a failover occurs. This field is not validated to ensure that the specified server exists. The machine name can either be entered in UNC notation (i.e. \\FAXACTION) or in "plain English" notation (i.e. FAXACTION).
When checked, Delete Source Data? instructs the Input Serer to delete the original data held by the data source after the data has been successfully stored in the FaxAction database. Because there is no easy method for ensuring that an email message is not processed more than once, this flag is disabled if the Mail Type is selected. The Delete Fax Files on Receipt? field on the General Info form in previous versions performed this functionality for Fax Input Servers.
The Type dropdown list is used to specify the general type of the data source that is to be monitored. Available Types in this release are:
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Type |
Description |
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Fax |
Monitors an external (usually third-party) fax program for new faxes. |
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Images |
Monitors a local or network directory or an FTP server for new files that need to be OCRed. |
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Text/Other |
Monitors a local or network directory or an FTP server for new files that do not need to be OCRed. |
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Monitors an Email system for new messages. |
The Notes type in previous versions has been replaced with the Notes Sub Type.
Sub Type, in conjunction with Type, specifies the exact source of data that the input server is to monitor. This list varies according to which Type is selected. An item in the list must be selected before the form can be filed. The available Sub Types in this release are:
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Type |
Sub Type |
Description |
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Fax |
FaxWorks |
Valid only for installations prior to 2000. |
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FaxPort |
Valid only for installations prior to 2001. |
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FaxMaker |
Used to monitor faxes received by FaxMaker, a product of GFI Software. |
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FaxAction |
Used to monitor faxes received by the FaxAction Fax Service This is a server-only fax process developed by CTI for customers installed in 2001 or later. Also known as BlackIce. |
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Images |
File System |
Used to watch for new files that need to be OCRed in a directory on the local machine or elsewhere on the network. |
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FTP Server |
Used to monitor directories on FTP servers for new files that need to be OCRed. |
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Images |
File System |
Used to watch for new files in a directory on the local machine or elsewhere on the network. |
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FTP Server |
Used to monitor directories on FTP servers for new files. |
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POP |
Post Office Protocol. Used to monitor internet Email. |
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MAPI |
Microsoft’s Mail API. Used primarily to monitor Microsoft Exchange data sources. |
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VIM |
Lotus’ Vendor Independent Messaging API. Used to monitor Lotus Notes. |
If Log Comm? is checked, communication by the Input Server with the data source it is monitoring will be logged to the log file directory configured in the General Info record. The file name will be COMM_<TYPE>_IN_1.LOG where type is replaced with the appropriate type for the data source and sub type and 1 is replaced with the appropriate Input Server process number. Note that the logging capability of individual data sources varies greatly and this control will be disabled if the selected data source does not support logging.
The OCR Proc dropdown list is used to select which of the OCR Processes the Input Server will use to OCR images. All OCR Processes, whether enabled or disabled, are displayed in this list. The list is only enabled for Fax and Image types and an item is required to be selected when the list is enabled.
If an OCR process is added or removed while the Input Server form is open, the Refresh button can be pressed to reload the OCR Proc list. This button is only enabled when the OCR Proc list is enabled.
Check Interval (secs) is used to specify the number of seconds to wait before checking the data source for new data. This field is useful in preventing Email and FTP servers from being overloaded by repeated requests from FaxAction processes. The field is required to contain a valid, positive number if it is enabled. If it is enabled and contains 0, the Input Server will use a default value as specified in the following list of data sources that the field applies to:
|
Type |
Sub Type |
Default |
|
Fax |
FaxPort |
15 |
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Images |
FTP |
60 |
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Text/Other |
FTP |
60 |
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All |
5 |