How to Implement Gateway Service something similar to Oracle API gateway Using Java and Java based Open Source frameworks only?

Linux based fax inbound/outbound gateway with API

• Hello, We've desgined an office automation solution based on propriotery code on the Linux operating system. We got to the inbound and outbound fax traffic requirement and were a bit stuck. We don't have background in that area and as such would like recommendations to guide us. We would be, idealy, interested in being able to deal with the fax gateway via an API of some sorts to allow us to manage faxes better. For instance, we'de like the ability to map the Sender ID to a particular staff and auto route incoming faxes from a particular source to them or even group clients to that particular representatives and so on. Free, shareware or commercial would be fine. Should be good if it dealt with common and affordable faxing hardware. Status and error reporting are important where successful, failed and incomplete faxes are not ignored to allow for the problem to be corrected by the application or the individual who's responsible for delivery of the fax document. Any hints and comments would also be appreciated. /Lizardnation

• Answer:

  Hello Lizardnation, Thanks for an interesting question! Fax automation is becoming a popular way to link the analog phone system with the digital intranet systems so prevalent in today's businesses. Linux offers several possibilities that might suit your needs. You didn't specify what version of Linux you're using, nor what hardware it's running on, so I'm assuming you're planning on the more common targets (i.e. Intel-based systems, not Sparc/MIPS/or Macintosh PowerPC-based hardware). I’d recommend you look into the popular HylaFax product. ( http://www.hylafax.org ) Hylafax is free software, written by an engineer from Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI released the program, but does not support it). As open-source software, you have the option to modify it to fit your needs, and there’s already an active Bugzilla tracker for it and CVS access to the most recent builds. Versions of Hylafax actually ship with a number of popular Linux distributions, Hylafax is likely to fit with most (if not all) of your stated goals: “Incoming facsimile are stored in a receiving area as TIFF/F (read ``TIFF Class F'') files and may be automatically delivered by mail and/or printed. A fax server status program, faxstat, can be used to monitor the send and receive queues, as well as the state of facsimile servers.” (from http://www.hylafax.org/overview.html ) On a personal note, I have a friend who setup Hylafax for his company a few months ago and is extremely pleased with it. There are, of course, other possible Linux products out there. One commercial solution might be the offerings from Faximum. ( http://www.faximum.com/ ) Their products offer a variety of features that match what you’re describing, including API hooks. Their fax solution “provides integrated email/fax messaging that enables users to receive their faxes in the same inbox as their email and to send their faxes merely by addressing email to a fax number.” (from http://www.faximum.com/products/overview/ ) You might also wish to investigate Fax2send from Beacon Computer Services. ( http://www.fax2send.com/fax2send/page/home.html ) This is a commercial product, but includes a 30-day free trial. Fax2send includes client software for Microsoft Windows, and has an API which allows for sending faxes from applications, checking the fax queue, etc. (see http://www.fax2send.com/fax2send/page/shellapi_overview.html ) Finally, I’ll mention Efax, which is a free send/receive fax solution for Linux produced by Casas Communications Engineering. ( http://www.cce.com/efax/ ) While efax is billed as a single-user fax product, it could serve as part of a solution, dealing with the actual send & receive portion of the automation; other tools such as efax-gtk might provide the management features you describe, or you could work on building that portion yourself with your preferred tools. I hope this answers your question. If you have additional questions about any of the above, please don’t hesitate to post a request for clarification before rating, and I’ll be happy to go further. Regards, Duncan2-ga ADDITIONAL LINKS: You can find all of the above and many more mentioned in this list of Linux Fax software at LinuxLinks.com: http://www.linuxlinks.com/Software/Internet/Communications/Fax/ A similar list can be found at linuxsoftware.org: http://www.linuxsoftware.org/leaf.php3?catid=148 SEARCH STRATEGY I used Google to search for fax server software, using various combinations of the terms “linux send receive fax server”: ://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=linux+send+receive+fax+server&btnG=Google+Search I was already familiar with HylaFax; the others I investigated from the search results.