Save Fax On Network, Need An Idea

[h90]

till now we had a brother multifunctional fax. copy machine, printer and fax.

We get tons of faxes every day.

After a fax was received one of the computer which was close to it, connected with the brother software and downloads the fax via usb. If the computer is turned off the fax saves the faxes and waits till the computer is on again. This computer is also the file server of the company.

So everyone can look at the old faxes. Simple and handy solution.

Now we had to move the fax.

I can't make a 20 meter long usb cable.

My computer is close to the fax. So theoretically my computer could do it. But it would only work when both computers are turned on.

Or is there a small program, that can check if there are files in a directory, if the target directory is available and move them?

Or any much smarter solution?

[joncl]

A simple solution might be to

1) install the brother CD/Apps on your PC

2) share the printer functions to the network like before from your computer

3) disable the original share on the original PC

Enjoy..

Edited February 12, 2013 by joncl

[h90]

A simple solution might be to

1) install the brother CD/Apps on your PC

2) share the printer functions to the network like before from your computer

3) disable the original share on the original PC

Enjoy..

I am not talking about sharing the printer function. The problem is downloading the faxes from it.

[Dork]

If the Brother software supports SMTP, you could have a copy of each fax delivered to the recipients mailboxes as the faxes are received.

[Dork]

Or else put an old 56k modem into the file server and run a fax server application which can then deliver the received faxes any way you like.

[h90]

If the Brother software supports SMTP, you could have a copy of each fax delivered to the recipients mailboxes as the faxes are received.

that is interesting, but at 50-100 faxes per day it will be Tsunami on emails, additional the Brother software isn't very stable and the internet connection is sometimes not working...so I worry that will create a lot other problems.

[h90]

Or else put an old 56k modem into the file server and run a fax server application which can then deliver the received faxes any way you like.

Yes we did that in the past....If no other solutions, I have to go back to that. But than I need to have the computer run all the night......Doable but not nice.

[h90]

I think only solution is buying one with network.....

[Dork]

Or else put an old 56k modem into the file server and run a fax server application which can then deliver the received faxes any way you like.

Yes we did that in the past....If no other solutions, I have to go back to that. But than I need to have the computer run all the night......Doable but not nice.

That's true but then the Brother doesn't need to run all night as I guess it must do now.

I noticed recently that most of those cheap multifunction's include network now (whereas that used to be more expensive) and many of them wifi also.

[h90]

Or else put an old 56k modem into the file server and run a fax server application which can then deliver the received faxes any way you like.

Yes we did that in the past....If no other solutions, I have to go back to that. But than I need to have the computer run all the night......Doable but not nice.

That's true but then the Brother doesn't need to run all night as I guess it must do now.

I noticed recently that most of those cheap multifunction's include network now (whereas that used to be more expensive) and many of them wifi also.

That Brother thing is sleeping when not used (at least the promotion is telling me that).

Yes....I think I'll connect my computer and handcopy the faxes for the next few month and than buy a new one when the drum is dead.

[RandomSand]

you could sync via a free dropbox account in the mean time. sync will be automatic if it's anything like google drive.

[joncl]

A simple solution might be to

1) install the brother CD/Apps on your PC

2) share the printer functions to the network like before from your computer

3) disable the original share on the original PC

Enjoy..

I am not talking about sharing the printer function. The problem is downloading the faxes from it.

Ok that is all I did with my old MFC-7340 from its' PC software and it works well

[h90]

A simple solution might be to

1) install the brother CD/Apps on your PC

2) share the printer functions to the network like before from your computer

3) disable the original share on the original PC

Enjoy..

I am not talking about sharing the printer function. The problem is downloading the faxes from it.

Ok that is all I did with my old MFC-7340 from its' PC software and it works well

this is also a MFC-7340, but from time to time the software on the PC crashes.....And it is our server, it is very well tested and no other software crashes......

But no problem it fetches the fax just after the next restart.

[h90]

you could sync via a free dropbox account in the mean time. sync will be automatic if it's anything like google drive.

Good idea...but I am not happy to let something over the internet......

[RandomSand]

I don;t know if it will work but If you right click in Windows Explorer there is an option for "New Briefcase" try that.

Windows 7 help says this about it:

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Sync using Briefcase

You can use Briefcase to keep files in sync between two different computers, even if the computers aren't on the same network.

If the computers aren't on the same network, you can copy files from one computer to another by using removable media, work on those files using the other computer, and then use Briefcase to sync the changes back to the original computer.

To prepare Briefcase to sync

Open the folder where you want to create a new Briefcase.

Right-click a blank area in the folder window, point to New, and then click Briefcase.

A new Briefcase appears. Type a name for the Briefcase, and then copy any files you want to sync into the Briefcase.

Note

You can also create a Briefcase on your desktop by right-clicking a blank area on the desktop, pointing to New, and then clicking Briefcase.

To sync using Briefcase over a network connection

Copy the Briefcase over the network to the second computer.

Make any changes you want to the files on either computer.

When you are ready to sync any changes you have made, right-click the Briefcase, and then click Update All.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Edit: I see some solution mentioned in this link: http://www.ghacks.net/2006/05/14/synchronize-your-computers-with-powerfolder/

Edited February 12, 2013 by RandomSand

[BlackPuddingBertha]

Why dont you:

Install the printer software on PC2. Connect the printer via USB in exactly the same way as you did with the first PC. Share it so that others can print etc.

Then share the fax folder on PC2 so anyone can see the faxes in it when that PC is on. This is the simplest procedure if you dont mind leaving PC2 on a lot.

Or as a more complex solution you could do the above (apart from the folder sharing) then write a bat file to move the contents of the fax directory on PC2 to the shared directory on PC1, and schedule the bat file to run every hour or whenever using Windows Task Scheduler on PC2. This has no obvious advantage over the first option, unless PC2 is often turned off.

Handy if it works: you could get a USB/network print server (these often come incorporated in a wifi access point or a router) though these dont always play nicely with multifunction devices.

What you really need to do is decide is how long/often you want PC2 to be left on. Based on that it will be easier to make sensible suggestions.