Azure Hybrid & Cloud Migration Blog

RightFax and Exchange 2010 Server Integration | Allowing RightFax client to send faxes from Outlook | Outlook cannot send faxes for RightFax Server

Author: Zahir Hussain Shah

Integrating RightFax Server with Exchange Server 2010 for Relaying Emails for DOMAIN.FAX (RightFax Domain) SMTP Namespace

Takeaways: 

This article will discuss the various components for allowing your OpenText RightFax Server to integrate with your Microsoft Exchange Server Messaging Organization, and mainly it will discuss the configuration, which Exchange Administrator has to do on the Exchange Hub Transport Servers for allowing the RightFax Server and Outlook Clients, so when they send faxes from their Outlook to RightFax Server with a newly created SMTP Address Sapce (DOMAIN.FAX), so Exchange Server understands this and forward it to RightFax Server for Fax transmission.

An overview:

Scenario:
Lets assume that there is a company DOMAIN SOLUTIONS, which has their external domain Zahir, and recently they deployed RightFax Server in their environment, now the company wants to allow their end-users to send faxes from their Outlook, and for this the RightFax Administrator created an additional SMTP Address-space as DOMAIN.FAX, so when users will send a fax with the desried fax number in the email format, e.g. 4552392, so the RightFax Server will understand it and then forward it to the destination.

What is the problem?
By default when your Exchange users send faxes with the above explained format as 4552392, your Exchange Server Rejects the message, and cannot forward it to RightFax Server for the fax delivery.

Cause:
Since because Exchange Server by default doesnt that it should consider it as External Relay Domain, so it keeps try to deliver it, but when it finds nothing, then it generates NDR and through it to user.

Solution:

Frist of all, let me break this solution, into two pieces as follows:

1) Creating required send connector in Exchange Server (HUB) to forward the email messages for DOMAIN.FAX SMTP Namespace to RightFax Server

2) Add DOMAIN.FAX as an External Relay Domain in the Accepted Domain List in Exchange Hub Transport Server

Creating required send connector in Exchange Server (HUB) to forward the email messages for DOMAIN.FAX SMTP Namespace to RightFax Server:

 

 

 

 

Add: all the Exchange Hub Transport Servers for this connector:

 


As a second part of this configuration, now we have to add DOMAIN.FAX as a External Relay Domain in the Accepted Domain tab on Exchange Hub Transport Server:

1) Open Exchange Management Console

2) Go to Exchange Organization Configuration

3) Click on Accepted Domains Tab

4) Create a new Accepted Domain Entry, and create the entry as follows:

 

Note: You can have your own created External Relay Domain, like Contoso.Fax or whatever, you just need to add that entry in the Accepted Domain filed, and choose it as External Relay Domain. E-mail is relayed to an e-mail server outside this Exchange Organization.

 

I hope this article will help you to fix your RightFax and Exchange Server integration issues, and will help you to finish your deployment.

Cheers!

Zahir Hussain Shah
Infrastructure Practice Consultant – Unified Communications
MCSE, MCTS, MCTIP Enterprise Administrator, CCNA, ITIL
Blog: http://zahirshahblog.com | LinkedIn | Twitter

Azure Hybrid Blog

8 responses to “RightFax and Exchange 2010 Server Integration | Allowing RightFax client to send faxes from Outlook | Outlook cannot send faxes for RightFax Server”

  1. Mark Kelly

    Finally fixed my RF Server deployment big issue, was searching alot about this imperative piece of the deployment, but didnt find it in the RF documentation, thanks for the help. :)

  2. Aadhil

    Hi Zahir,

    In this solution what would be the format of the fax number types in the to: field.?

    Is it 4552392@domain.fax

  3. Zahir Hussain Shah

    Yes, it is correct, like the one I’m using for my environment is 6983446@fax.domain.

  4. Aadhil

    Thanx…

  5. Aadhil

    Hi Zahir,

    We have a rightfax implementation and it is using the rightfax connector installed in the exchange hub transport server and we use the format [fax:@] to send faxes. Would you know how it is that the exchange identifies a fax from an email? is it a feature of exchange or a feature of the connector?

    Also in your solution I want to know how the rightfax server identifies the fax number since the to field @fax.domain is not mentioned in any rightfax documentation. But we prefer to implement this method because it is easy for the user.

    Thanx

  6. Saju

    Just a question .. can you please explain how your rightfax server accepting the incoming SMTP mail. Is it possible all smtp mail from outlook with format “xxx@fax.domain ” can be send to pop3 mail box.

  7. Zahir Hussain Shah

    Hi Aadhil,

    Please accept my appologies for delay in reply, I was bit away due to vacations.

    Your Questions:
    how it is that the exchange identifies a fax from an email?

    Let’s say when I will send an email from my Microsoft Outlook for 4552392@fax.contoso, where fax.contoso, I used as my external relay domain on Exchange it to forward to RightFax server, and also configured on RightFax server to accept emails for fax.contoso, so when I send email as 4552392@fax.contoso, Exchange Server has the instruction that send it to RightFax server, because Exchange always reads at the SMTP-Namespace for deciding where to send the email or process it.

    The second thing that this number@fax.contoso, is not something very hi-tech configuration, I believe it is a default setting that it accept message in this way or a simple changes.

    As long as I’m not a RightFax expert, so I’m sorry that I can not provide you indepth details or reference, but I will see if I can gather this information for you.

    Zahir

  8. Sandheep

    Dear Zahir,

    Do you know how to configure exchange to receive the FAX?
    I know it is possible if we install the RightFax Connector for Exchange, Im looking for an option with out that connector.

    @Aadhil,

    Here is what i understands about the connector, Im also new to this FAX … Please get it confirmed from good source.
    Once you install the connector on exchange HUB server, once the mail comes in with address [FAX:33335455@da], it identify as FAX, (this identification is happening because of the connector) and then, RoghtFax connector comes in action and pick that mail and put it on the Gateway Shared folder “OUT”, from there RightFax server pulls the mail and convert it to FAX and put back in to “IN” Folder as e-mail. (for internal, for external it use its on routing) and again RightFax connector for exchange pick that and put in to mail Q, and it deliver as e-mail

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