ixiFAX by serVonic is a software product that allows users to fax directly from a
workstation PC using Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft Post Office, or Lotus
Notes/Domino. It provides users with a high-quality alternative to manual faxing. ixiFAX
is part of ixiFAMILY, a suite of unified messaging services that includes fax, voice, and
short messages (SMS) functions. ixiFAMILY can be used as a whole or as individual
components, meeting the needs of the user. serVonic is keeping its product current by
developing new modules for its product, which include ixiFAX File API Connector for
Postscript files, due in late 1999.
INSTALLATION
Installing the ixiFAX server software requires a Microsoft NT Server 4.0. We were
also required to install the workstation module on the PCs running Outlook. For the server
(which doubled as the Exchange Server), we used a 266MHz NT box with a 128MB of RAM. The
workstations on which we tested ixiFAX were 366 MHz desktop PCs with 64MB of RAM. Both
these configurations proved adequate when working with ixiFAX.
We inserted the installer CD, which brought up a window with two buttons: a German
version (the default) and the English version. Upon choosing English, an option window let
us choose which components to install. We chose the base server and the connectors for
Exchange. A wizard guided us through the installation, and we stayed within the default
settings during the install.
Unfortunately, we had the most problems when configuring the program properties. Unlike
similar programs we’ve worked with, setting up all the preferences in both the ixiFAX
Administration window and the Outlook preferences was difficult. For example, in
Exchange’s connections settings, we had to manually enter the path to the
“in” and “out” directories. There was no browse button to simplify the
task, and when we tried a tech trick (opening NT Explorer and dragging the “In”
sub-directory into the run window, then copying and pasting the path into the ixiFAX
connector window), it put quotation marks around the path. This prevented the services for
ixiFAX from starting until we removed the quotation marks. We also spent a lot of time in
the Exchange Administrator window, configuring the connection with our server. These
problems, and a few other small annoyances, kept the configuration from being easy for
even an experienced technical administrator.
Installing the software on the client workstation was easy. It was basically the same
installation process as the server, but with different options. This was the least
difficult part of the entire process, but the ixiFAX Base Server software is the default
for install from the CD, so the administrator must be sure to change the defaults upon
installing the client software on each machine.
DOCUMENTATION
The only documentation available for ixiFAX is a file on the CD-ROM. It is in Web
format, but it isn’t designed particularly well. The text borders on the edge of the
page, leaving us with the uneasy feeling that we aren’t seeing the entire page.
The manual is not at the top level of the CD-ROM; it is buried several directories
deep. Attempting to access the CD-ROM (through My Computer) by double clicking launched
only the ixiFAX Setup window. We had to use Windows Explorer to find the index file, which
launched the manual. The manual was not particularly clear, however, and the subject list
did not appear to be complete.
To further complicate matters, the pages themselves are poorly designed. There are no
anchors to return to the top of the page and no links to previous pages or the beginning
of the manual. What’s more, we randomly opened the ixiFAX LN Connector for Lotus
Notes/Domino Server, which gave us the message “The documentation for the ixiFAX
Connector for Lotus Notes/Domino is not available in English at the moment. Please take
note of the German documentation.”
Because we didn’t have the ability to easily access other pages, we had to
continue with our blind search. When we did come across pages that appeared to be useful,
they were not as helpful as most other documentation we’ve encountered. Without clear
explanations under each topic, relying on the files from the CD will no doubt result in a
frustrating experience for anyone trying to install, configure, and use ixiFAX.
FEATURES
As a software product, ixiFAX comes with everything needed to fax from Outlook
except the board and modem. The server software runs on Windows NT Server or Workstation
version 4.0 or higher. The 3Com U.S. Robotics 56K Voice Faxmodem we tested it on worked
well and was one of numerous modems listed as working with ixiFAX. The software also works
with a number of popular boards, including Brooktrout and Dialogic, both of which are
industry- standard high-end fax boards.
ixiFAX base server lets users send and receive faxes from their workstations using
several popular packages, such as Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes. We tested ixiFAX on
our Exchange Server and the package was able to enhance our abilities within Outlook. The
package allows the user to manipulate faxes in several ways, including adding headers,
billing codes, and fax forwarding. The administrator can set several permissions,
including fax sending control, international number blocking, and fax scheduling to take
advantage of lower night-time phone rates.
OPERATIONAL TESTING
After we solved the installation and configuration problems that we encountered,
we moved on to the operational testing phase. We installed the software on our Exchange
Server, along with a 3Com U.S. Robotics 56K Voice Faxmodem. The ixiFAX software had no
problems recognizing the modem and configuring its proper settings. We set up a user, Brad
Stone, as the administrator of both Exchange and ixiFAX. We edited the e-mail addresses in
his Exchange properties, putting in the fax number as the incoming fax recipient, as is
the norm when configuring this type of program.
Despite all the difficulties we encountered with the installation and configuration,
ixiFAX worked very well. The faxes we received appeared in our Outlook Inbox, and printed
with excellent quality. We were disturbed, however, when we noticed that the ixiFAX
Connector (one of the two required services) taxed the processor on the server PC,
sometimes hitting 100 percent utilization, and chewed up memory as well.
Sending a fax from a workstation was our next test. This function was the easiest to
configure and test, as usual with this type of program. The most important part was to get
the addressing correct. When sending a single fax, the addressing has to be in a specific
format. For frequently used fax numbers, ixiFAX is able to fax directly from the Contacts
list. However, the Outlook Contacts window, rather than the Inbox window, has to be open.
The Contacts window doesn’t allow CTRL-N to create a new message. A document can be
faxed by enclosing it Outlook, using the “attach document” command.
On the administration end, the Job List on the server was very good and easy to work
with, as was the administration window. Both incoming and outgoing faxes were queued in a
logical order, and enough information is provided for the administrator to determine
necessary information, including sender, recipient, any charge code, priority, number of
pages, and date. The widths of the columns are adjustable to maximize the size of the
window. This is important because it makes it easy for the administrator to delete junk
faxes, duplicates, and undeliverable faxes.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
By this point, you’ve probably read all the “room for improvement”
areas of ixiFAX. The product works well after it’s properly configured, but a lot of
effort and troubleshooting is required to get it working properly. Two main areas need to
be addressed: documentation and configuration.
A hard copy manual, or, at the very least, a version in Acrobat that can easily be
printed is important. Trying to configure a complicated program while an Explorer window
is open is difficult for most users. The concept of the “paperless office” is a
good one, but in this case it doesn’t work.
Unfortunately, the Explorer version of the manual isn’t well designed or easy to
navigate. The content is fair, but the design is below average. With the help of a graphic
designer working with the technical writer, an outstanding manual is a possibility.
Also, ixiFAX Base Server proved to be a processor hog on the Exchange server. We could
hear the hard drive grinding, and upon opening the Performance tab in the Task Manager, it
showed that the CPU usage was wildly fluctuating between 50 and 100 percent. Stopping the
ixiFAX EX Connector service confirmed that the software was causing the extremely high
usage. Strangely enough, this problem was intermittent, and did not occur every time we
ran the software.
One additional flaw was that the installer did not automatically close the install
window during or after installation. When we were finished installing the software on both
the server and the workstation, we were left with the install choices and the same window
we encountered when we first launched the software. We had to “cancel” the
install and use the close box to close the underlying window in order to get back to the
desktop. This is a minor annoyance, especially when compared to some of the other problems
configuring the software, but one that the software engineers should easily be able to
rectify.
CONCLUSION
A good attempt at a fax solution (in this case, part of a larger unified
messaging product) falls short on two important fronts. Poor documentation, both in design
and content, paired with difficult configuration sinks an otherwise solid package. Once
these problems are overcome, the product works as well as most similar products and has
very high quality. The tasks that ixiFAX performs have been done by other products, with a
less complicated installation and equal results. Unless its shortcomings are addressed,
ixiFAX won’t have an opportunity to gain more than a small percentage of the growing
market for integrated fax software |
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