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Barracuda Phone System

Wait for Faxes

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The Barracuda Phone System is capable of reliable fax receipt and delivery. It is very important to remember, however, that the ability to send and receive fax messages using the Barracuda Phone System is also determined by network quality and provider support. Local and Public Network problems such as dropped packets, latency, and jitter will significantly affect the ability to properly handle facsimile messages. Telephone Service Provider support is also critical to reliable fax message handling, and one of the most important steps in setting up fax handling is ensuring that the provider fully supports fax messaging.

Use only one fax detection method at any given time in a call flow. Using multiple methods will result in unexpected behavior.

This method delivers all inbound calls for a specified number to a fax handling engine on the Barracuda Phone System. It then processes the fax and delivers it via PDF to a specified email address. This method requires a dedicated fax number, delivers all faxes to a statically defined email address, and utilizes advanced call routers.

Wait for Fax Scenario

This setup is typically used for inbound fax delivery to a distribution list for groups of users or specific people.

Requirements

This method requires a dedicated external Direct Inward Dialing (DID) extension from your telephone provider. Ensure that you add the DID as an external number on that provider's gateway configuration page. For more information, see Understanding Extension Blocks. Additionally, verify that your mail settings are properly defined. See Mail Server Configuration for information on mail server setup options. If you send faxes to a distribution list/group email address, verify your collaboration software/mail server (i.e., Microsoft Exchange, Novell GroupWise, or similar) is properly configured to accept and send emails to groups of people.

Sample Call Flow Utilizing Wait for Faxes

This section describes an example call flow that utilizes wait for faxes.

Step 1. Create a New Advanced Call Router
  1. Navigate to the EXTENSIONS >Advanced Call Routers page.
  2. Click Create New Advanced Call Router in the upper right.
  3. Type a name in the Router Name field (i.e., Inbound Sales Faxes)
  4. In the Extension Type drop-down menu, select Next Free Extension or Single Extension.
  5. In the Default Action drop-down menu, (New Action Set) is already selected.
  6. Type a name for the new action set (i.e., Inbound Sales Faxes Callflow).
  7. Click Create.
Step 2. Assign a Public Secondary Extension to the Call Router
  1. In the Secondary Extension section towards the bottom of the page, click Add Secondary Extension.
  2. From the Extension Type drop-down menu, select External Number.
  3. From the External Extension drop-down menu that displays below this field, select the external number that you want to use.
Step 3. Edit the Advanced Call Router
  1. Click Edit next to the newly created action set in the Default Action section from Step 2. Assign a Public Secondary Extension to the Call Router above.
  2. In the Final Action section, from the If the call is not answered drop-down menu, select Wait For Fax, Then Email.
  3. Type a single address, or enter a comma-separated list of email addresses, in the Send to Email Address field.
  4. If the providers supports T.38 Fax Relay, select Use T.38 Reinvite for Fax.

Frequently Asked Questions about faxes received by a Wait For Fax or Detect Fax action

  1. How long does the Barracuda Phone System retain fax messages when the fax is successfully received but not queued for delivery to the mail server?
    • The Barracuda Phone System retains faxes for seven days if the message is not queued by the message transport agent (MTA) on the Barracuda Phone System.
  2. How can I view the faxes if the mail server is misconfigured?
    • You can view the non-delivered faxes in the Call Detail Records page. For each successfully received fax, there is a PDF download link in the Recorded File/Fax column on the far right of the web interface.
  3. Once the inbound fax is delivered to the mail server via Wait for Fax or via Detect Fax, what happens to the fax on the Barracuda Phone System?
    • The fax is deleted from the Barracuda Phone System.