HOWTO: Configure the Zetafax Email Gateway for SMTP

ZTN1418

ID: ZTN1418

This Zetafax technical note applies to:

• Zetafax 8 and later

Summary

This section describes the process of installing and configuring the Zetafax SMTP gateway, and configuring the existing SMTP email server to operate with it.

Introduction

There are three major components of a setup of the Zetafax SMTP gateway:

• The existing SMTP email server
• The Zetafax SMTP server
• The Zetafax email submitter

These are described in the following sections:

Existing SMTP Email Server

This is the server program at the heart of your existing SMTP email system. When a user sends an email message using a standard email client program, this SMTP email server receives the message and dispatches it to the destination. Once the SMTP email server has been configured for use with the Zetafax SMTP server, it detects any messages addressed to the domain fax (for example to 1770-123-4567@fax) and passes them instead to the Zetafax SMTP server for sending as fax messages.

There are many SMTP email server and client programs available. Because SMTP is an Internet standard, the single version of the Zetafax SMTP Email Gateway is designed to work with all SMTP email programs. The Zetafax SMTP Email Gateway has been verified with the following SMTP email server programs:

• MS Exchange 2000/2003
• MS Exchange 5.5
• Software.Com Post.Office 3.5
• Qualcomm Eudora WorldMail Server 2.0
• Sendmail for UNIX 8.9

It has also been verified with the following client programs:

• MS Outlook 2003
• MS Outlook 2002
• MS Outlook 2000
• MS Outlook Express 4 & 5
• Qualcomm Eudora 4.3
• Qualcomm Eudora Light 3.0

For an up-to-date list, see the Equisys web site: http://www.equisys.com/

The SMTP server may be running on a Windows 2003, Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000, Windows NT 4, or Windows 95/98 computer, or on a UNIX computer.

Zetafax SMTP server

The Zetafax SMTP server program (ZFSMTPGW.EXE) is the Zetafax program that receives messages from the SMTP email server, converts them into fax messages, and sends them to the Zetafax server for transmission as fax messages.

Zetafax email submitter

The email submitter program (STM32.EXE) is a component of the Zetafax email gateway that runs as an additional Zetafax server module on the Zetafax server computer alongside the other Zetafax server modules such as the Queue Manager (QM.EXE), and the Address Book Manager (ADB.EXE).

Its function is to monitor both outgoing messages from the Zetafax SMTP server, which it submits to the Zetafax server, and incoming fax messages, which it passes to the Zetafax SMTP server and then to the user via the SMTP email server.

The email submitter is installed as part of the Zetafax Email Gateway, as described in detail below.

Overview

To set up a system using the Zetafax SMTP server, you need to follow these steps:

• Ensure that an SMTP email server and the Zetafax server are already installed on your network
• Install the Zetafax SMTP server on your network. This will usually be on the same computer as the Zetafax server, and must not be on the same computer as the STMP email server.
• Configure the SMTP email system to direct messages addressed to the domain 'FAX' to the Zetafax SMTP server.
• Configure the Zetafax Email Gateway using the Zetafax Configuration program, enable the email system, and test the connection to the SMTP email server.
• Configure the Zetafax Email Gateway rendering options.
• Configure Zetafax users to use the Email Gateway.
• Send a test message via the Zetafax SMTP server.

These steps are described in greater detail in the following sections.

Since this requires configuration of both the Zetafax server using the Zetafax Configuration program and of the SMTP email server, it is recommended that the installation is carried out by someone who is familiar with both programs.

More information

1. Install the Zetafax SMTP server

• Insert the Zetafax CD into the CD drive.

The CD will automatically run the Welcome program, which will direct you to the installation files. If it does not run the program automatically:

• Click the Start button, and then click Run.
• Enter D:\RUNME, where D is the letter of your CD drive.
• Click the OK button.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to start the Zetafax SMTP server installation program.
• In the Choose destination location and Choose data location dialogs, click the Next button to use the recommended location, or click the Browse… button to specify an alternative location.
• Continue to follow the on-screen instructions.
• In the Setup Complete dialog, do not uncheck Launch the Zetafax SMTP Control Panel applet.
• Click the Finish button.

The Zetafax SMTP Server Configuration dialog is displayed:

• In the Domain name field enter the domain name of the SMTP email server; for example smtp.smithandsons.com
• In the DNS server field enter the IP address of the DNS server; for example 192.63.124.1
• Click the OK button.
• Continue to follow the on-screen instructions.

You will be prompted to restart the server.

• Click the Yes button.

This completes the installation of the Zetafax SMTP server. You can alter the configuration of the Zetafax SMTP server at a later time from the Zetafax SMTP Server Configuration control panel.

2. Configuring the SMTP email system

• Configure your SMTP email system to direct messages addressed to the domain fax to the Zetafax SMTP server.

Since each SMTP email system has its own configuration procedure, if you need instructions on doing this please consult the SMTP email server's own documentation.

3. Configuring the Zetafax email gateway for SMTP

The Zetafax email gateway is configured using the Email gateway configuration dialog, opened automatically at the end of the install sequence. If you subsequently need to change the configuration, you can open this dialog from the Zetafax Configuration program (Server Settings dialog).

• In the Email gateway configuration dialog, click the Add Mail… button.
• In the Email Gateway Services Configuration dialog, select SMTP Mail in the Available Drivers list, and click the Add›› button.
• Click the OK button to close the dialog.

• In the Email gateway configuration dialog, click the Configure... button.
• In the Email Gateway Properties dialog, select SMTP Mail, and then click the Setup button.
• In the SMTP Mail Setup Service dialog, enter the data location in the SMTP Mail Path field; for example:

C:\Program Files\Zetafax SMTP Server\Data

If during the installation of the Zetafax SMTP server you specified a different location in the Choose data location dialog, instead enter the destination folder that you specified at that time.

• In the SMTP domain name field, enter the domain name of the SMTP email system; for example smtp.smithandsons.com
• Click the Test connection button.

If the test fails, check that:

• The Zetafax SMTP server has been installed.
• The SMTP Mail path entered above is correct.
• The Zetafax SMTP server service has been started - if necessary restart the operating system.  

• Click the OK button.

The Email gateway configuration dialog reappears.

4. Configure the rendering options for the email gateway

In the Email gateway configuration dialog, click the Rendering button.

The Email Gateway Properties dialog provides two panels of settings: Applications and Rendering.

Applications tab

The options on this tab allow you to register the applications you have installed on the Zetafax server PC with the gateway. Typically, these are the most common applications used by your network users to send faxes:

If a network user attempts to send an email message with an attachment created by an application which has not been registered or installed on the Zetafax server PC, the email gateway will be unable to process the message. You will not be allowed to register an application from this dialog unless it has already been installed on the Zetafax Server PC. You should check that any rendering application you configure can be run without any dialogs being invoked or errors displayed on start up or shut down.

Note: Within this dialog, numerous versions of the same program are listed. It is important that the version of each application you specify exactly matches the version you are using on the Zetafax server PC.

If users on your network are using multiple versions of the same applications, such as Office 97, or Office 2000, you should install the latest version of the software on the Zetafax server PC to generally ensure backwards compatibility.

You must install the ASCII driver as an absolute minimum. This is the driver which converts the text of the email message itself.

Rendering tab

This allows you to select the quality of rendering you require.

You must click on this tab the first time to install the gateway's rendering printer driver. The email rendering subsystem printer driver will then become visible the next time you start the Print Manager.

The printer driver will not be installed successfully under Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000, or Windows NT 4 unless the user account which you are currently using has administrator privileges.

When you have configured the Applications and Rendering settings:

• Click the OK button.

The Email gateway configuration dialog reappears.

5. Configuring Zetafax users to use the email gateway for SMTP

Zetafax supports a range of SMTP servers; unfortunately there is no common way to automatically import lists of email users from these email servers. To enable these users, follow the instructions below:

• Export the list of email addresses from the SMTP server.

Consult your email server documentation for information on how to obtain this list.

• Using Notepad or another suitable text editor, format each entry as follows:

First name,Last name,email address

For example:

• Save the file as IMPORT.TXT.
• Launch the Zetafax Configuration program and navigate to Users and user groups.
• Select Email gateway users and click the Refresh button.
• Click the Browse… button and select the file IMPORT.TXT saved earlier.
• In the Import Domain Name field, enter the email domain for your SMTP server services, e.g. domain.com and click the OK button.

The imported users will now appear in the right pane of the Email gateway users list with an SMTP prefix.

You now need to configure users that may use the email gateway. Each SMTP user can either use their own individual Zetafax account or they can share an account called a 'mail user profile' account.

Private accounts

• Select one or more imported users in the right pane.
• Click with the right mouse button and choose Enable from the pop-up menu.
• In the Enable Email Users dialog, select Private accounts and click the OK button.
• In the Email Account Name Generation dialog, select the preferred Alias name generation option and click the OK button.

If you selected several users, they will now be enabled. If you selected a single user, the Zetafax user details dialog shows additional options for the user.

• Click the OK button to confirm the details.

The enabled users will now appear in the right pane of the Email gateway users list with their private account as the Zetafax user name.

Email profile accounts – SMTP

Email profile accounts allow a number of SMTP users to share a Zetafax account. As a result, fax reporting will identify all faxes sent by SMTP users as from this profile, rather than from individual users.

To configure this option:

• Select one or more imported users in the right pane.
• Click with the right mouse button and choose Enable from the pop-up menu.
• In the Enable Email Users dialog, select Single shared account and click the OK button.
• In the Choose email user profile account to use dialog, leave (new) selected and click OK.
• In the Add new Zetafax email user profile dialog, enter SMTP and click OK.
• In the Zetafax user details dialog, click OK.

The enabled users will now appear in the right pane of the Email gateway userslist with the email user profile account as their Zetafax name.

You can use email user profiles to group users into manageable units with identical user defaults.

6. Sending a fax message

Sending a fax message is simply a matter of sending the message by e-mail to an e-mail address consisting of the fax number, followed by @fax:

• Launch your e-mail client program.
• Create a new message.
• In the To: field, enter a fax number followed by @fax, for example 01234-865213-@fax.
• Complete the Subject and body fields of the message.
• Send the message.

The message is then sent via the SMTP gateway to the server for transmission. When the fax has been transmitted, the SMTP gateway sends you an acknowledgement.

The characters allowed in the fax number are:

– the digits 0-9 for example 17701234567@fax

– the international dialling character ‘+’, for example +1770.123.5678@fax Zetafax automatically replaces this by the configured international dialling prefix upon dialling.

– Zetafax ignores period ‘.’ and minus ‘-’.

Specifying the name

When you address a fax using just the fax number as described above, the Name field on the coversheet or letterhead will be blank. If you want to specify the text for the Name field, you use the following form of address:

Name< faxnumber@fax> for example: Sam Smith< 123456789@fax>

In the Name position, the /, \, [, ], (, ) and ~ characters have special meaning, so you are unable to use them directly in a name. To include any one of these characters in the name you must precede it by a \ character. For example, to set the name to: Sam Smith/Sally Smythe you use for example:

Sam Smith\ /Sally Smythe< 123456789@fax>

Like addresses of all forms, this may be stored in your e-mail client program’s address book.

Specifying the organization

Similarly unless you specify the Organization text, it will be blank on the coversheet or letterhead. If you want to specify the Organization text for the Name field, you use the following form of address:

Name/organization< faxnumber@faxdomain>

For example:

Sam Smith Smith and Sons< 123456789@fax>

Specifying the coversheet or letterhead

Normally when you send a message, Zetafax will use the default configured coversheet. If instead you meant to specify the coversheet to be used for the message, you add a special option to the end of the message’s Subject: text, such that the subject is of the form:

Subject line text /cov=coversheet_name

For example:

Project Outline /cov=formal

This will cause the message to use the coversheet named ‘formal’.

Where Zetafax is configured to use a coversheet by default for each message it sends but you wish to send a message without a coversheet, you use the same option but omit the coversheet name, for example:

Project Outline /cov=

You may specify a letterhead in a similar way:

Subject line text /let=letterhead_name

For example:

Our meeting /let=corporate

This will use the letterhead named corporate, whilst

Our meeting /let=

will use no letterhead instead of the default letterhead.

Specifying send time and date

Normally your message is sent at a time that is configured for you or your user group - usually as soon as higher priority messages have been sent. You may delay the sending by specifying a send time option on the end of the Subject:

Subject line text /[option=value]

The available options are:

Option Description

/after=yy-mm-dd Send after the specified date.

/after=hh:mm[:ss] Send after the specified time.

/offpeak Send in the off-peak period.

For example:

Our meeting /letter=corporate /offpeak

This causes the message to be sent in the off-peak period.

Previewing

You may specify that the message be sent as a preview to you rather than to the recipient, allowing you to check it before resending it as normal.  You specify a preview using an option on the end of the Subject:

Subject line text /preview

For example:

Our meeting /letter=corporate/preview

After viewing the preview, to send the message to the recipient, remove the /preview option and re-send it.

References

ZTN1238-HOWTO Install the email gateway for Exchange 5.5 and Exchange 2000

ZTN1318-HOWTO Uninstall the email gateway

ZTN1294-PRB Email gateway troubleshooting for Zetafax

Last updated: 15^th May 2008 (NM/PS)

Keywords: SMTP Email Gateway