Troubleshooting Fax

Troubleshooting Fax

Problems with Fax Delivery to Users

When faxes are not delivered to users, use the following task list to determine the cause and to resolve the problem. Do the tasks in the order presented until the problem is resolved.

Following are the tasks to troubleshoot fax delivery to users:

  1. Determine whether the fax is being sent by enabling the MTA micro trace (all levels). For detailed instructions on enabling the micro trace and viewing the trace logs, see the Using Diagnostic Traces for Troubleshooting section.

  2. If the trace logs show that the fax was sent, investigate how the SMTP server handles faxes by enabling the SMTP micro trace (all levels). For detailed instructions on enabling the micro trace and viewing the trace logs, see the Using Diagnostic Traces for Troubleshooting section.

  3. Confirm that the SMTP server configuration lists the IP address of the Cisco Fax Server and allows a Unity Connection. See the “Confirm that SMTP Server Configuration is Correct” section on page 24-1.

  4. Check for the fax in the POP3 mailbox by connecting an email client to the POP3 mailbox.


    Note

    The email client must be configured to leave messages in the POP3 mailbox.

  5. In the RightFax Email Gateway, confirm that the POP3 mailbox name and password are correct. See the “Confirming that POP3 Mailbox Name and Password are Correct” section on page 24-2.

  6. On the network, confirm that the account for the POP3 mailbox is set to never expire the password. An expired password prevents faxes from being routed.

  7. Confirm that faxes are delivered to Unity Connection. See the “Confirming Fax is Delivered to Unity Connection” section on page 24-2.

Confirming that SMTP Server Configuration is Correct

Procedure

Step 1

In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand System Settings > and select SMTP Configuration  > Server.

Step 2

On the SMTP Server Configuration page, on the Edit menu, select Search IP Address Access List.

Step 3

On the Search IP Address Access List page, confirm that the IP address of the Cisco Fax Server appears in the list. If not, select Add New to add the IP address.

Step 4

Check the Allow Connections check box for the IP address of the Cisco Fax Server, if it is not already checked and select Save.

Confirming that POP3 Mailbox Name and Password are Correct

Procedure

Step 1

On the Windows Start menu, select Control Panel  > RightFax Email Gateway.

Step 2

In the Email Configuration window, select the General tab.

Step 3

In the POP3 Mailbox Name field, confirm that the entry matches the SMTP address for the Cisco Fax Server on the System Settings > Fax Server > Edit Fax Server Configuration page in Cisco Unity Connection Administration.

Step 4

In the Mailbox Password field, confirm that the password is correct.

Step 5

In the Email Deliver Direction field, confirm that Both is selected and select OK.

Confirming Fax is Delivered to Unity Connection

Procedure

Step 1

On the Windows Start menu, select All Programs  > RightFax FaxUtil.

Step 2

In the RightFax FaxUtil window, in the left pane, select the user who sends the test fax.

Step 3

On the Fax menu, select New.

Step 4

In the Fax Information dialog box, select the Main tab.

Step 5

Under the Name field, select the drop-down arrow and select Email Address.

Step 6

In the Email Address field, enter the email address of the user who has the fax delivery problem.

Step 7

Select Save.

Step 8

In the right pane, note the status of the test fax as it is being sent.

Note 

To refresh the status display of the fax progress, press F5.

Problems with Fax Delivery to a Fax Machine

When faxes are not delivered to a fax machine, use the following task list to determine the cause and to resolve the problem. Do the tasks in the order presented until the problem is resolved.

Following are the tasks to troubleshoot fax delivery issues in a fax machine:

  1. Determine the status of the fax that was sent to a fax machine. See the “Determine the Status of a Fax Delivered to a Fax Machine” section on page 24-3.

  2. Confirm that the fax is in the POP3 mailbox by connecting an email client to the POP3 mailbox.

    Note that the email client must be configured to leave messages in the POP3 mailbox.

  3. In the RightFax Email Gateway, confirm that the POP3 mailbox name and password are correct. See the “Confirm that POP3 Mailbox Name and Password are Correct” section on page 24-3.

  4. On the network, confirm that the account for the POP3 mailbox is set to never expire the password. An expired password prevents faxes from being routed.

  5. Confirm that the SMTP server configuration lists the IP address of the Cisco Fax Server and allows a Unity Connection. See the “Confirming that SMTP Server Configuration is Correct” section on page 24-4.

  6. Troubleshoot how the SMTP server handles faxes by enabling the SMTP micro trace (all levels). For detailed instructions on enabling the micro trace and viewing the trace logs, see the Using Diagnostic Traces for Troubleshooting section.

  7. If the trace logs show that the SMTP message was not sent, investigate how the fax is sent by enabling the MTA micro trace (all levels). For detailed instructions on enabling the micro trace and viewing the trace logs, see the Using Diagnostic Traces for Troubleshooting section.

  8. Confirm that the file extension of the file that the user attempted to fax is included in the list of faxable file types. See the “Confirming that Faxable File Types List is Correct” section on page 24-4.

Determining the Status of a Fax Delivered to a Fax Machine

Procedure

Step 1

On the Windows Start menu, select All Programs  > RightFax FaxUtil.

Step 2

In the RightFax FaxUtil window, in the left pane, select the user who sent the fax to the fax machine, then select All.

Step 3

In the right pane, note the status of the fax and any problems that are reported.

Confirming that POP3 Mailbox Name and Password are Correct

Procedure

Step 1

On the Windows Start menu, select Control Panel  > RightFax Email Gateway.

Step 2

In the Email Configuration window, select the General tab.

Step 3

In the POP3 Mailbox Name field, confirm that the entry matches the SMTP address for the Cisco Fax Server on the System Settings > Fax Server > Edit Fax Server Configuration page in Cisco Unity Connection Administration.

Step 4

In the Mailbox Password field, confirm that the password is correct.

Step 5

In the Email Deliver Direction field, confirm that Both is selected and select OK.

Confirming that SMTP Server Configuration is Correct

Procedure

Step 1

In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand System Settings and select SMTP Configuration  > Server.

Step 2

On the SMTP Server Configuration page, on the Edit menu, select Search IP Address Access List.

Step 3

On the Search IP Address Access List page, confirm that the IP address of the Cisco Fax Server appears in the list. If not, select Add New to add the IP address.

Step 4

Check the Allow Unity Connection check box for the IP address of the Cisco Fax Server, if it is not already checked and select Save.

Confirming that Faxable File Types List is Correct

Procedure

Step 1

In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand System Settings, then select Advanced  > Fax.

Step 2

On the Fax Configuration page, in the Faxable File Types field, note the file extensions that are listed.

Step 3

If the file extension of the file that the user attempted to fax is not in the list, enter a comma followed by the file extension and select Save.

Problems with Fax Notifications

Confirm that fax notification from Unity Connection is enabled for the user.

Confirming that Fax Notification is Enabled for the User

Procedure

Step 1

In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand Users, then select Users. On the Search Users page, select the alias of the user.

Step 2

On the Edit menu, select Notification Devices.

Step 3

On the Notification Devices page, select the name of the applicable notification device.

Step 4

On the Edit Notification Device page, under Notification Rule Events, check the Fax Messages check box and select Save.

Problems with Fax Receipts

This section covers the troubleshooting steps of some fax receipt related problems.

Fax Receipts Not Delivered

Verifying Prefixes for Delivery Receipts and Nondelivery Receipts on the Cisco Fax Server

Procedure

Step 1

On the Windows Start menu, select Control Panel  > RightFax Enterprise Fax Manager.

Step 2

In the Email Configuration window, select the General tab.

Step 3

In the left pane of the RightFax Enterprise Fax Manager window, select the name of the Cisco Fax Server.

Step 4

In the right pane, under Service Name, scroll down to RightFax eTransport Module.

Step 5

Right-click RightFax eTransport Module and select Configure Services.

Step 6

Select the Custom Messages tab.

Step 7

In the applicable fields, verify the fax failure prefix at the beginning of the text (the default fax failure prefix is [Fax Failure]). We recommend that the fax failure prefix appear at the beginning of the following fields:

  • Imaging Error

  • Bad Form Type

  • Bad Fax Phone Number

  • Too Many Retries

  • Sending Error

  • Incomplete Fax

  • Invalid Billing Code

  • Fax Needs Approval

  • Fax Number Blocked

  • Human Answered Fax

  • Fax Block by Do Not Dial

When the text at the beginning of the field matches the value for the Subject Prefix for Notification of a Failed Fax field on the System Settings > Advanced > Fax page of Cisco Unity Connection Administration, Unity Connection notifies the user of the failed fax.

Step 8

In the Successful Send field, verify the fax success prefix at the beginning of the text (the default fax success prefix is [Fax Success]).

When the text at the beginning of the field matches the value for the Subject Prefix for Notification of a Successful Fax field on the System Settings > Advanced > Fax page of Connection Administration, Unity Connection notifies the user of the successful fax.

Step 9

Select OK.

Verifying Prefixes for Delivery Receipts and Nondelivery Receipts on Cisco Unity Connection

Procedure

Step 1

In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand System Settings, then select Advanced  > Fax.

Step 2

On the Fax Configuration page, in the Subject Prefix for Notification of a Successful Fax field, confirm that the setting matches the prefix for the Successful Send field that is described in Step 8 of the “To Verify Prefixes for Delivery Receipts and Nondelivery Receipts on the Cisco Fax Server” procedure on page 24-5.

Step 3

In the Subject Prefix for Notification of a Failed Fax field, confirm that the setting matches the prefix for the fields that are described in Step 7 of the “To Verify Prefixes for Delivery Receipts and Nondelivery Receipts on the Cisco Fax Server” procedure on page 24-5.

Step 4

Select Save.

User Mailbox is Filled with Fax Notifications

Disabling Fax Notifications

Procedure

Step 1

In the RightFax Enterprise Fax Manager window, in the right pane, expand Users, right-click the user for whom you want to disable fax notifications, and select Edit.

Step 2

In the User Edit dialog box, select the Notifications tab.

Step 3

Under Notification About Received Faxes, uncheck the When Initially Received check box.

Step 4

Select OK.

Step 5

Repeat Step 1 through Step 4 for all remaining users for whom you want to disable fax notifications.

Step 6

Close the RightFax Enterprise Fax Manager window.

Problems with Printing Faxes

When you send a fax to a fax machine for printing but portions of the document are not printed, do the following:

Confirming that Faxable File Types List is Correct

Procedure

Step 1

In Cisco Unity Connection Administration, expand System Settings, then select Advanced  > Fax.

Step 2

On the Fax Configuration page, in the Faxable File Types field, note the file extensions that are listed.

Step 3

If the file extension of the file that the user attempted to fax is not in the list, enter a comma followed by the file extension and select Save.