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NAME

       HylaFAX - introduction to HylaFAX server operation and file formats

DESCRIPTION

       HylaFAX  is  a system for sending and receiving facsimile.  It supports
       queued transmission and asynchronous reception of facsimile.  Ancillary
       programs are invoked by the system for flexibility and configurability.
       HylaFAX  includes  client  and  server  programs  to   support   remote
       submission of jobs for transmission, remote removal of queued jobs, and
       to remotely query the status of jobs  queued  for  transmission.   This
       document  describes the organization of the filesystem spooling area in
       which  HylaFAX  server  and  server-related  processes   operate,   and
       introduces the various files that reside in the spooling area.

OVERVIEW

       The   spooling   area   is   typically   located  under  the  directory
       /var/spool/hylafax.  Ancillary  command  scripts  used  by  the  server
       programs  faxq(8), faxsend(8), pagesend(8), and faxgetty(8) are located
       in the bin subdirectory.  Configuration, access control, and accounting
       information  are  maintained  in  the  etc  and  config subdirectories.
       Outgoing jobs are described by files in the sendq  subdirectory,  while
       received  facsimile  are deposited in the recvq subdirectory.  The docq
       and temp subdirectories are also used in the  preparation  of  outbound
       jobs; the latter holds files that may be freely purged while the former
       holds client files that may reside on  the  server  independent  of  an
       associated  job.  The doneq subdirectory holds jobs that have completed
       but have not yet been purged or archived.  On systems with job archival
       support,  completed  jobs  that  have  been  archived are placed in the
       archive subdirectory.  The pollq subdirectory holds documents that  are
       available  for polled retrieval from the server.  The info subdirectory
       contains files that describe the  capabilities  of  facsimile  machines
       that HylaFAX has called-this information is used in preparing documents
       for transmission.  The status subdirectory contains files  that  server
       processes write their current status to.  The log subdirectory contains
       logging information  about  send  and  receive  sessions.   The  client
       subdirectory  contains  FIFO  special files used for communication with
       faxq.

       HylaFAX supports multiple modems on a host.  A single process  acts  as
       central  queueing  agent  for  all outbound jobs.  Typically each modem
       also has a server process that monitors the modem  status  and  handles
       inbound  phone  calls.  Per-modem server processes communicate with the
       central queueing agent  using  FIFO  special  files;  see  mknod(2)  or
       mkfifo(2).   Any other synchronization between server processes is done
       using file-level  locking.   The  faxq  process  listens  for  commands
       written to the file named FIFO, while each faxgetty process listens for
       commands written to a per-device file named FIFO.devid (where devid  is
       an identifier derived from the name of the device special file to which
       the modem  is  connected;  e.g.   ttym2  for  /dev/ttym2,  term_10  for
       /dev/term/10.)   To send a command to the queueing agent, one writes to
       FIFO.   This  is  useful,  for  example,  for  submitting  a  job   for
       transmission.   To  send  a command to a specific faxgetty process, the
       FIFO.devid file is used.

       Client applications interact with a  HylaFAX  server  machine  using  a
       communications protocol implemented by the hfaxd(8) program.  The hfaxd
       program is typically started at system startup; it listens  for  client
       requests  for  service  and  creates  a process for each client.  hfaxd
       supports the submission of outbound jobs, querying the  status  of  the
       send   and  receive  queues,  and  altering  parameters  of  previously
       submitted jobs.  The hfaxd processes communicate with the faxq  process
       through FIFO special files.  Commands sent to faxq are sent to FIFO and
       responses are received on FIFO files that each  hfaxd  creates  in  the
       client subdirectory.

SETUP

       Each  HylaFAX  server machine must run the faxsetup(8) command prior to
       starting up HylaFAX  server  processes.   faxsetup  verifies  that  the
       HylaFAX  software  has been installed correctly and that any parameters
       that were specified at the time the software was built are  appropriate
       for the system.

SENDING

       Each  outgoing facsimile job has a job description file that is located
       in the sendq subdirectory.  This  file  contains  all  the  information
       necessary  to  manage  the  transmission;  c.f.   sendq(5).  The actual
       documents that  are  to  be  sent  are  usually  located  in  the  docq
       subdirectory  (though  it  is also possible to reference documents from
       the recvq directory).  HylaFAX accepts POSTSCRIPT, PDF, PCL,  and  TIFF
       documents  for  transmission  (support  for  PCL  documents requires an
       external application).  Documents are automatically converted to TIFF/F
       documents  prior  to  transmission according to the capabilities of the
       remote facsimile machine: maximum page width  and  length,  ability  to
       handle  2D-encoded  data,  and  ability  to  handle  high resolution (7
       line/mm) data.  This remote machine capability information is stored in
       files  in  the  info  subdirectory.   If  a machine has not been called
       before,  HylaFAX  assumes  the  remote  machine   has   the   requested
       capabilities.   If  a capabilities mismatch is detected while sending a
       facsimile  HylaFAX  will  disconnect  and  re-convert   the   submitted
       documents  according  to  the newly discovered capabilities.  Users may
       also restrict the session parameters used to format documents on a per-
       job basis.

       The  actual  transmission  is  handled  by a faxsend(8) process that is
       initiated by the scheduler.  This program may  be  substituted  for  by
       specifying   the   FaxSendCmd   configuration  parameter  in  the  faxq
       configuration file.

       While a job is being processed by a server process, its job description
       file  is  locked for exclusive use with flock(2).  The hfaxd(8) program
       uses this information to tell if a job is actively being processed.

       If the SessionTracing parameter in a  server's  configuration  file  is
       non-zero,  then  tracing information for an outgoing job will be logged
       in a file in the log subdirectory.   Each  destination  machine  has  a
       separate log file named by its canonical phone number.

       The  remote  job  submission  facility  includes  host  and user access
       control.  The file etc/hosts.hfaxd must be present and list those hosts
       and users that are permitted to queue jobs for transmission or do other
       operations that alter the status of a job.  Note that it  is  necessary
       to  include  the ``local host'' definition (usually 127.0.0.1) if local
       submission  is  to  be  permitted.   For   more   information   consult
       hosts.hfaxd(5).

       If  an  error  is  encountered  during  transmission  and  a subsequent
       retransmission would not include the original cover page, then  HylaFAX
       can  be  configured  to  generate  a  continuation  cover  page that is
       prepended to the retransmitted pages.  Such  cover  pages  are  usually
       generated  by  the bin/mkcover command; though the exact command to use
       can be specified in the configuration file read by faxq.

       HylaFAX can be configured to generate  a  line  of  status  information
       across   the   top  of  each  page  of  an  outbound  facsimile.   This
       information, termed a  ``tagline'',  typically  includes  the  sender's
       identity  (i.e.  phone  number), the time and date of the transmission,
       and the page number.  The exact format of the tagline  is  configurable
       and applications can override the default configuration parameters on a
       per-job basis.  Note that in the United States the law requires that  a
       tagline  that  identifies the sender's phone number must appear on each
       transmitted page of facsimile.

       Facsimile transmitted to receivers that  accept  variable-length  pages
       may have short pages ``chopped''.  That is, if a page has a significant
       amount of trailing whitespace and the receiver accepts  variable-length
       pages then only the top part of the page will be transmitted.  faxq can
       be  configured  so  that  only  the  last  page  of  each  document  is
       potentially  chopped, all pages are potentially chopped, or chopping is
       disabled.  The  minimum  whitespace  threshold  is  also  configurable.
       Applications  can  override  the  default configuration parameters on a
       per-job basis.

RECEIVING

       faxgetty server processes can be configured to  answer  incoming  phone
       calls  and  automatically  receive  facsimile.   Received documents are
       placed in the recvq subdirectory as TIFF Class F files.   The  faxgetty
       processes can be configured to make these files publicly accessible, or
       they can be made private in which case  an  administrator  must  manage
       their  delivery and/or the assignment of ownership to particular users.
       When a facsimile is received, the faxgetty process usually invokes  the
       bin/faxrcvd  command;  though  the  exact  command  to  invoke  can  be
       specified in the per-modem  configuration  file.   The  default  notify
       command  is  a  shell  script that sends a mail message to a well known
       user, the FaxMaster, but one might  also,  for  example,  automatically
       spool the document for printing.

       HylaFAX  supports  a  simple  form  of  access  control  for  receiving
       facsimile.  Each faxgetty  process  may  be  configured  to  check  the
       Transmission  Subscriber  Identifiers  (TSI)  of the remote fax machine
       against an access control list, typically etc/tsi.  Only if the TSI  is
       matched  by  a  regular  expression  pattern in the file, is the remote
       machine permitted to transmit a document.  This mechanism can be  used,
       for example, to guard against junk fax.

       HylaFAX  can  be  configured  to  do  copy quality checking on received
       facsimile data.  When this feature  is  enabled  faxgetty  decodes  and
       analyzes  the  received  facsimile  data as it is received.  If data is
       received with  too  many  errors,  according  to  the  setting  of  the
       MaxConsecutiveBadLines  and  PercentGoodLines configuration parameters,
       then the sender will be told to retransmit the page.  When copy quality
       checking  is  enabled  it  is also possible to force received facsimile
       data to be saved with a different compression scheme than was used  for
       transmission.    This   function   is  known  as  transcoding  and  can
       significantly reduce the space needed to store received facsimile.

POLLING

       HylaFAX  supports  the  polled  retrieval   of   facsimile   documents.
       Documents that are received because of a poll request are stored in the
       recvq subdirectory and also delivered directly to the  requester  using
       the  bin/pollrcvd  command;  though  the exact command to invoke can be
       specified with the PollRcvdCmd configuration parameter.   The  pollrcvd
       script  typically  encodes  the binary facsimile data and returns it to
       the user via electronic mail.

INBOUND CALL HANDLING

       In environments where Caller-ID information is available, HylaFAX  also
       supports  a  call  screening facility similar to the TSI access control
       facility.  faxgetty can be configured to check the phone number of each
       caller  against an access control list, typically etc/cid.  Only if the
       number is matched by a regular expression pattern in the  file  is  the
       call  answered.   All  Caller ID information is logged, irregardless of
       whether or not it is used to screen incoming calls.

       faxgetty is also capable  of  using  distinctive  ring  information  to
       identify  whether  an inbound call is voice, data, or fax.  Consult the
       RingData, RingFax, and RingVoice parameters in hylafax-config(5) for  a
       description of this facility.

DATA CALLS

       Most fax modems also support non-facsimile communication.  HylaFAX uses
       the locking  mechanism  employed  by  uucp(1C),  cu(1C),  slip(8),  and
       ppp(8).   Any  faxgetty  processes  will transparently ``get out of the
       way'' when an application wants to use a modem for  an  outgoing  call.
       In  addition,  HylaFAX  can be configured to deduce whether an incoming
       call is for facsimile or data use.  If a call  from  a  data  modem  is
       recognized   and   the   GettyArgs   parameter   is  specified  in  the
       configuration file, faxgetty will invoke the getty(8) program  so  that
       caller  may  login  to  the  system.   Similar  functionality  is  also
       available for invoking a ``voice getty'' process, though auto-detection
       of inbound voice calls is less extensive.

STATUS

       HylaFAX  maintains status information in several forms.  General status
       information for  each  server  process  is  maintained  in  the  status
       subdirectory  and  returned  to  users  by the faxstat(1) program.  The
       syslog(3) facility is used by all server processed for  logging  status
       and  error diagnostics.  The server processes may also be configured to
       log various kinds of  debugging  and  tracing  information;  c.f.   the
       ServerTracing parameter description in hylafax-config(5).

       Any problems encountered when transmitting a facsimile are described in
       messages returned to the user by electronic  mail.   A  user  may  also
       request  notification  by  mail  when  a  job is requeued; for example,
       because a call failed.  Notification by electronic mail is  implemented
       by  the bin/notify command script; though the name of the script may be
       overridden with the NotifyCmd configuration parameter.

       The faxstat  utility  provides  (remote)  status  of  jobs  queued  for
       transmission,   jobs   received,  and  the  general  status  of  server
       processes.

       The file etc/xferfaxlog contains status information about all facsimile
       sent  and received on a machine.  This file is in a simple ASCII format
       that is easy to manipulate with programs such as  awk(1),  to  generate
       accounting  information.   See  xferfaxlog(5) for information about the
       format.  See xferfaxstats(8) and recvstats(8) for example scripts  that
       print summarized accounting information.

       Finally,  the  hfaxd  process supports a event monitoring facility that
       can be access via  the  faxwatch(8)  program.   This  facility  permits
       clients  to  register interest in various events and receive ``realtime
       notification'' when such  events  occur  on  the  server.   Using  this
       facility  it  is/should-be  simple  to  construct  applications that do
       things like monitor modem status and use.

MODEM STATE CHANGES

       In normal operation each modem is managed by a HylaFAX  server  process
       such  as  faxgetty.   These  processes  communicate  with  the  central
       scheduler process to notify it when a modem is ready for use, busy  for
       outbound use, or possibly in an unusable state (either purposely marked
       unavailable or potentially found to be wedged).   Modem  usage  can  be
       explicitly  controlled  with the faxstate(8) program.  The faxconfig(8)
       program can also be used to dynamically make changes  to  configuration
       parameters  that  may  cause  a  modem  to be treated differently (e.g.
       setting RingsBeforeAnswer to zero will cause  faxgetty  to  not  answer
       incoming calls).

       When HylaFAX is used in a send-only configuration there are no faxgetty
       processes and  communication  must  be  done  directly  with  the  faxq
       process.   The  faxstate  program can still be used to manipulate modem
       use for outbound jobs but  the  faxconfig  program  is  not  frequently
       needed.

JOB SCHEDULING

       Outbound  jobs  are  scheduled  by  a  single  process.   Jobs  have  a
       ``scheduling priority'' that  is  assigned  at  the  time  the  job  is
       submitted.   This  priority  can  be changed at any time the job is not
       actively being  processed  using  the  faxalter(8)  program.   A  job's
       scheduling  priority may also be altered by faxq in response to certain
       scheduling events (e.g. after a failed attempt to send).

       Modems are assigned to outbound jobs if they are deemed ready for  use.
       Modem  readiness  is usually communicated to faxq by per-modem faxgetty
       processes.  In a send-only environment however this  is  not  possible;
       instead  modems  configured for use with faxmodem are considered always
       ready for use unless they are presently assigned to an outbound job  or
       their  state  is  explicitly  changed  through  the faxstate(8) program
       (faxstate can also be used in a send-recv environment).

       Each modem has a ``modem priority'' in the range [0..255].  Modems with
       a  lower  priority  number  are assigned to outbound jobs first.  Modem
       priority is statically  configured  through  configuration  files,  the
       faxmodem  program, and the faxconfig program.  If multiple modems share
       the same priority value, then faxq(8) will allocate jobs to them  in  a
       round-robin fashion.

JOB MANAGEMENT

       Outbound  jobs  are  considered  to  be  in  one of several states that
       reflect their treatment by the central scheduling  process.   Jobs  are
       initially  created  in  a  suspended state, and may be returned to this
       state at any time that they are not actively being  processed  (e.g.  a
       faxsend  program  is  running  to  process  the  job).   Jobs  that are
       suspended are not processed by the scheduler; and their internal  state
       may  be  safely  altered  by  the  owner  or  a  system  administrator.
       Suspending and then releasing a job has the effect  of  requeueing  the
       job,  meaning that it will end up at the bottom of queue for that job's
       priority.  Jobs that are ready for  processing  by  the  scheduler  are
       ``submitted''  and their state is changed to be either pending (delayed
       waiting for a future time to send), sleeping  (delayed  waiting  for  a
       scheduled timeout), blocked (delayed by concurrent activity to the same
       destination), or  ready  (ready  for  transmission,  waiting  only  for
       available  resources).  When a job is actively processed by the faxsend
       program its state is marked active.  Jobs that have  completed,  either
       successfully or unsuccessfully are placed in a done state and their job
       description files are moved to the  doneq  subdirectory.   Clients  may
       still  access  the  state  of  jobs  that  are  done; until a ``cleaner
       process'' either purges them from the system or archives  their  state.
       This  delayed  removal  of  a  completed job's state permits clients to
       resubmit failed jobs using previously transmitted documents  and  other
       job  state  information.  The exact mechanics of how and when done jobs
       are processed is system-dependent; for example, how long a job is  left
       in the done queue before being purged, and whether job archival support
       is present.

CONFIGURATION

       HylaFAX  server  programs  read  configuration   information   from   a
       configuration  file.  Multiple files are used, one for the faxq program
       and one for each modem.  Long-running server programs all automatically
       re-read their configuration file if it is modified.  Typically this re-
       reading is done frequently enough that administrators do not need to be
       aware  of  exactly when it takes place.  However in some esoteric cases
       the file may not be read when expected (the one important case is  that
       the faxgetty process reads its configuration file only when answering a
       call or when resetting a modem; this means that it will  not  recognize
       changes when the modem is idle).

       In  addition to the static configuration files, HylaFAX server programs
       accept commands on their FIFO  special  files  to  alter  configuration
       parameters  in  the running executable (the faxconfig(8) program can be
       used to dynamically change configuration parameters).   Values  set  in
       this   way   however  are  lost  when  the  process  exits  or  if  the
       configuration file is re-read.

NOTES

       Automatic routing of incoming facsimile is desirable.

FILES

       FIFO                  fifo for job submission
       FIFO.<devid>          fifo for communicating with a faxgetty process
       /usr/sbin/faxinfo     command that prints information about received facsimile
       /usr/sbin/faxquit     command to force server to quit
       bin/faxrcvd           faxd command for handling newly received facsimile
       bin/mkcover           faxd command for generating continuation cover pages
       bin/notify            faxd command for doing user notification
       bin/pollrcvd          faxd command for delivering facsimile received by poll
       bin/ps2fax            faxd command for converting POSTSCRIPT to TIFF
       docq/doc*             documents available for transmission
       etc/setup.cache       server setup file created by faxsetup
       etc/cid               caller id access control list
       etc/config.<devid>    configuration data for <devid>
       etc/hosts.hfaxd       hosts that may submit jobs for transmission
       etc/tsi               fax machine receive access control list
       etc/xferfaxlog        log of facsimile sent and received
       info/*                data base of remote fax machine capabilities
       client/*              FIFO special files created by client processes
       config/*              prototype configuration files used by faxaddmodem
       log/*                 session logging records
       recvq/fax*            received facsimile
       sendq/q*              descriptions of jobs queued for transmission
       doneq/q*              descriptions of jobs that are done
       status/*              server status information
       tmp/*                 temporary files created when submitting a job
       archive/*             database of archived jobs

SEE ALSO

       faxsetup(8), faxq(8), faxgetty(8),  hfaxd(8),  faxsend(8),  faxrcvd(8),
       faxconfig(8),   faxmodem(8),   faxstate(8),   notify(8),   pollrcvd(8),
       recvstats(8),    xferfaxstats(8),    archive(5),     hylafax-config(5),
       dialrules(5),   doneq(5),   hosts.hfaxd(5),  hylafax-info(5),  hylafax-
       log(5), tsi(5), recvq(5), sendq(5), status(5), xferfaxlog(5),

       Extensive    documentation    is     available     in     online     at
       http://www.hylafax.org/.   Many of these materials are also included in
       the software distribution.

                               January 18, 1996