PMDF-FAX is an e-mail gateway which can be used to generate and automatically transmit and receive Group 3 facsimiles. PMDF-FAX's outbound channels provide a mechanism to convert electronic mail messages or PostScript files into Group 3 facsimile transmissions, commonly called FAXes. The inbound FAX channels allow received facsimiles to be sent as e-mail to a designated mailbox, spooled to a designated printer queue, or stored on disk in a file.

This chapter describes how to configure and use PMDF-FAX. However, before configuring PMDF-FAX, PMDF must first be installed and configured; the PMDF installation will also install PMDF-FAX. See the OpenVMS Edition of the PMDF Installation Guide for instructions on installing and configuring both PMDF and PMDF-FAX.

The PMDF DB utility includes a mode, fax-mode, which understands FAX addressing. Users may use this utility to manage a personal alias database (phone book) of FAX addresses. The DB utility is documented in the OpenVMS Edition of the PMDF User's Guide. PMDF-FAX also interoperates with PMDF-MR so as to allow users of ALL-IN-1, A1MAIL, and other Message Router agents to send FAXes. To address FAXes, standard VT-style terminal and DECwindows users may use a pop-up FAX addressing form from within PMDF MAIL, VMS MAIL, or DECwindows MAIL; see Section 21.2 for details.

The queue to e-mail symbiont may be configured such that PostScript files printed directly from word processing applications to printer queues on an OpenVMS system may be sent as FAXes. This print queue integration supports both local and remote printing and as such supports Pathworks, LPD, and other remote printing systems. For instance, with Pathworks, Macintosh and PC users may print FAXes directly from within word processing applications on their Mac or PC. See Chapter 28 for instructions on configuring the queue to e-mail symbiont.