[plug] Fax & Voicemail Random Thought...

[Bret Busby]

On Thu, 25 Jul 2002, Trevor Phillips wrote:

> 
> Is it possible to configure a Modem on a Linux Boxen to auto-answer a phone 
> after a predetermined number of rings, and act as either a Voicemail or Fax 
> receiver as required? That is, play a pre-recorded message, record voice back 
> & store on the server, or save a FAX if a FAX is sent.
> 
> Can normal Modems do this sort of thing, or would it need specialised 
> hardware? I'd be interested to hear if anyone's looked at this sort of thing.
> 
> *notices the mgetty-voice Deb package and starts researching*
> 
> 

I had a similar thing running on Win95 a few years ago, before I was using
Linux, using Cheyenne Bitware and a fax modem.

Perhaps, if you can't find anythng that runs directly on Linux, something
like Cheyenne Bitware may run on WINE on Linux...

My concern would be what would happen to the computer when a power failure
occurs. A UPS becomes a necessity, if a computer is left on unattended
(and, a necessity, regardless of whether a computer is unattended, in this
area, where the electricity supply is unstable), and is best used with a
recent model computer, that allows the computer to be turned off by
shutting down, without needing to physically press the power switch.

Also, whilst a UPS can shutdown a computer (especially a recent model,
where shutting down also turns off the computer, to prevent problems when
the electricity supply is restored), a faxtam tends to use less
electricity than a computer, and therefore, a faxtam can operate for a
longer period of time, when the electricity supply fails, and, is less
susceptible to damage from electricity instability.

So, what I suggest that you need to consider, is the reason for what you
want to do. If you just want to do it, for the fun of experimenting with
Linux and its applications, then, what you want to do (provided you use a
UPS with sufficient power reserve, to allow safe shutdown, and, if you
have a computer that can be switched off by the UPS software as part of
the shutdown process), is fine, but, you would have to accept that you
lose the functionality whenever you have electricity failures. However, if
you want to obtain the functionality of a faxtam (fax/telephone/answering
machine), then I suggest that you obtain a physical faxtam, as (from
memory), for example, our faxtam operates for about an hour to an hour and
a half after the electricity supply fails, due to the reserve in the UPS,
off which it runs.

Of course, if you live in one of the suburbs in which the higher state 
MP's live, such as Nedlands, which has underground (and, probably, 
otherwise guaranteed stable) power, you might not need to worry about such
considerations...
:)

-- 
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............

"So once you do know what the question actually is, 
 you'll know what the answer means."
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   Chapter 28 of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
 - Douglas Adams, 1988
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