We last reviewed Zetafax in the April 1998 issue of CTI�.
Back then, we looked at the 5.5 version. The software was decent, but it lacked the
scalability and features that it needed to become the enterprise-scale solution that was
advertised to us. Now, the 6.0 release is available with several improvements. The
highlights include least-cost routing, an improved cover sheet editor, a new end-user
client that is similar to Microsoft Outlook, an e-mail gateway, and a laptop server option
that works with Class 1 modems. There’s also tighter Windows NT integration, Year
2000 compliance, and support for alternative fax viewers and Microsoft’s Small
Business Server.
INSTALLATION
To prepare for the Zetafax installation, we configured a Pentium II with 64 MB
RAM, running at 400 MHz. We installed Windows NT 4.0 Server as the primary domain
controller. Then, we installed Exchange 5.5 and NT Service Pack 4. Finally, we installed a
Brooktrout TR-114 two-port fax board. For a client PC, we used an off-the-shelf Windows 98
system, and we attached both systems to a 10BaseT network.
Inserting the Zetafax CD-ROM causes an outrun, which brings up the installation
programs and a complete copy of the Zetafax Web site. Typical installations (non-notebook,
non-custom) are easy to complete. After clicking through the license codes and product
registration screens, administrators can configure boards and modems.
The next step is to configure the e-mail gateway, which integrates with Microsoft
Exchange, Microsoft Mail, Lotus Notes, cc:Mail, and Novell GroupWise. Users install a
Zetafax connector service. Then, using Zetafax’s configuration menu, users configure
imported user data, mail and rendering subsystem settings, permissions, coversheets,
notifications, etc. After the user reboots, the fax board services start and stop
automatically as the server needs them. Normally, however, services like bfax and faxinit
appear only under NT’s “Devices” tab, not under “Services.”Final
installation steps are mostly configuration-oriented. Choose your server settings at the
main configuration screen. You are then presented with 15 sub-menus which include mail,
archiving, print/sent, print/received, print/general, general options, number types,
off-peak times, text file handling, queuing, auto-submit, HP scanner, LCR, dialing, and
routing.
DOCUMENTATION
Once a server is running and successfully implemented in your organization, most
of the administrator’s work is done. The bulk of the work is configuring the 15 menus
just mentioned. These menus are intuitive, and each has its own context-sensitive help.
Each option within the menus is explained in the manual, which is well organized into
installation, client, and server sections, with a fourth section devoted to Exchange
integration. A “What’s New” section, concept explanations, and plenty of
screen shots are included, along with enhanced commentary on choosing and installing fax
boards, which was inadequate in the version 5.5 documentation. There are also Readme files
that include the latest updates and patches. The only thing missing is a smaller client
guide for end-users, which every network CTI product should include.
FEATURES
A New Look
The Outlook-like client software interface is the best new feature that is
apparent to end-users. The left panel is simple; icons represent an inbox, outbox, and
filed box. The middle panel shows a folder list, which provides instant access to the
user’s entire system, network, and Windows briefcase, plus access to coversheets,
letterheads, and public or private attachments. It’s like having your own personal
fax library. The right panel is divided horizontally into thirds, the bottom of which
shows all files in the current directory.
Along the top button bar are the fax equivalents of desktop call control, with icons
representing send, forward, rush (force send), release, view, print, acquire from
scanner/OCR, document information, save, delete, and fax status. There’s also a
“tidy-up” button — a valuable feature that lets you mass-delete messages
received, sent, or failed. It also lets you abort all previews and held messages, or
messages that are older than three days.
You will find even more useful features behind this powerful GUI. Click on the File
menu to see a send mail option, which allows you to open a “New Message” window
in your e-mail client, with the current fax already enclosed as an attachment. The file
menu also provides a “Save As System File” option, which allows you to save
generic files in Zetafax’s own coversheet, letterhead, or attachment formats. Other
features here include:
- User groups (Addresses menu).
- Logging, server reconnections (Status menu).
- Messages, alerts, external fax viewers, external OCR/GUI customization (Options menu).
- Coversheet editor (Tools menu).
Least-Cost Routing
Zetafax’s least-cost routing (LCR) module is best explained by an example
from their own documentation: Company X has locations in London and New York. Sending a
fax from London to Chicago would be expensive, but sending a fax from New York to Chicago
isn’t so expensive. With LCR technology, the software searches for other Zetafax
servers that are part of a more local calling area to your fax’s destination, and the
fax is routed through that server instead of taking the more direct path.
Features within the LCR module include advanced calling rules (set by destinations,
priorities, users, time, size, and servers), e-mail links and WAN links, password
security, customizable mail-checking intervals, and message prioritization. There’s
also a “watchdog” feature that sends regularly scheduled test messages between
the remote servers, sort of an automated way of automated network testing.
Inward Routing
Automatic inward routing (AIR) is another new feature. Essentially, AIR controls
the various methods of having the Zetafax server automatically deliver faxes to the
appropriate user’s inbox. The options include sub-address routing, sender ID routing,
and automatic forwarding. Sub-address methods include DID, DTMF, station ID suffixes, and
T.130 routing. Call Sender ID routing (CSID) also involves calling line identification
(CLI) to route messages based on sender data. Automatic forwarding will forward messages
to another system user while you’re away, and includes the option of leaving a copy
of the original message in your inbox.
Other Features
Other administration tools include the billing log conversion utility, which
converts Zetafax’s proprietary logging files into common file formats, and the fax
server console (Figure 17). The server console starts when the server PC starts. It
initializes the fax boards, updates status and port messages, and shuts down the server
software when the PC is shut down or stopped.
Alternately, you can run Zetafax as an NT service. Doing so causes any shutdown of the
server monitor to stop only the monitor, not the actual server. Zetafax also provides 16
different possible messages for Windows NT’s Event Viewer, plus hooks into
Performance Monitor.
Zetafax can also be set as the default fax device within Microsoft’s Small
Business Server (designed for organizations with 25 or fewer PCs), which makes it less
painful for organizations to upgrade to a larger-scale implementation of BackOffice.
Zetafax ships with a Windows printer driver, and with a limited version of the optional
API package, which can be used to submit files, for embedded addressing, to control DDE
commands, or as a C language API. There is a good description of the API option and
command within the Zetafax documentation, and more information is available at the Zetafax
Web site.
OPERATIONAL TESTING
As soon as we started using Zetafax, we noticed the GUI, the swift fax delivery,
the end-user customization options, and the under-appreciated administration tools.
Learning to use Zetafax is easy for both end-users and administrators. Demands for
MIS/VAR support should be minimal because the client so closely resembles Outlook 98, and
because standard Windows 9x conventions are used throughout every menu. However, this does
not excuse the lack of a user’s guide, as we mentioned earlier.
From the end-user’s perspective, learning how to use the e-mail gateway is simple.
For example, when using a typical Windows Inbox send interface, the user types a command
like “Bill@4085551000@FAX.” Initially, such addresses may seem cryptic, but they
soon become familiar. It’s actually a simpler addressing scheme than the ones used by
some of Zetafax’s competitors. The coversheet/letterhead editors are equally easy to
use, invoking conventional desktop publishing tools and a user interface that looks like
Microsoft Paint.
Administrators will like the logging and reporting functions. Logs can be processed by
messages sent, received, and scanned; by devices, programs, and specific usernames; by the
current day; or by everything. Configuring user groups and fax merges are also simple
tasks, with fax merge support even for Windows 3.x. Other administration options include
customizable MAPI address books, ODBC compliance, and .CSV lists.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
There are some areas in which Zetafax 6.0 could really improve. One such area is
remote access, which Zetafax addresses by running a version of the full server on a laptop
PC. According to Zetafax engineers, they designed this feature because Internet access
needed for a remote client is not always reliable, but you can count on the minimal
telephone line needed to use a Class 1 modem. An obvious concern is system resources, but
today’s laptops can easily be as powerful as desktop computers in terms of RAM and
hard disk space. Still, we’d like to see a remote client option, in addition to the
laptop server option. We’d also like to see a fax-on-demand module.
Also, logging should be available for specific dates and timeframes, so that an
administrator could find out what went wrong with certain user’s faxes last Tuesday
at 11:00 a.m. in the San Jose office.
Finally, while access to most configuration options is simple, we’d like to see
some consolidation in the product’s menu structures. For example, accessing server
options involves starting a program, choosing a radio button, and then clicking the
“okay” button. Then, it is necessary to pick from 15 icons to find the right
sub-option.
CONCLUSION
Version 6.0 is a distinct improvement from version 5.5. The new version has
better documentation, it’s easier to install, it’s easier to use, and it’s
reasonably priced. We still prefer a solution like Omtool or RightFax for the largest
organizations, but Zetafax has built a niche as mid-size tool, with a nice compromise
between advanced functionality and realistic usability. We’re equally impressed with
the optional API package, and we recommend this package as a mainstream solution for
organizations with a few hundred users and a handful of locations. Zetafax is definitely
worthy of serious consideration — note that our review of version 5.5 received a
final grade of B+, and this version received an A-. We hope to see this improvement
continue with future versions, due later this year or early next year. |
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