Printing to Shared Fax only sends part of the fax

Sounds like a communication problem between that machine and the server.  How is it connected?  Can you please post a COMPLETE ipconfig /all from that machine as well as one from the server?

Also, are there other printers installed on this particular workstation that aren't installed on others?

Jeff
TechSoEasy

It is connected via Ethernet. It can open file shares on the server without any problem and I have double checked the permissions.

The IP Configuration from the server is:
DHCP Enabled: No
IP Address: 10.0.0.2
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 10.0.0.1
DNS Servers: 10.0.0.2
68.94.156.1

The IP Configuration from the client is:
DHCP Enabled: Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled: Yes
IP Address: 10.0.0.127
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 10.0.0.1
DHCP Server: 10.0.0.1
DNS Servers: 10.0.0.2
68.94.156.1

There are quite a few printers installed. The only ones that this computer has that the others do not are the HP 2400 directly attached to it, the "Intuit Internal Printer" and the "Quickbooks PDF Converter".

I don't know what more you need from ipconfig. The only thing missing is the MAC Address which is irrelevant. Also having a second DNS server won't hurt anything especially in this case as the forwarders and the second DNS server IP are the same. The secondary would only be used if the first was non-responsive.

DHCP cannot be moved. It is on the border router that also provides VPN services.

Really non of this should have any affect on the fax issue as it is isolated to one machine and several other machines on the network are working correctly. Let's consider the networking issues corrected as I have made the necessary tweaks and I am more than capable of handling that portion myself. The fax software however is beyond my expertise.

Actually there is more in the IPCONFIG... specifically the DNS Suffix Names as well as whether WINS routing is enabled.

"Also having a second DNS server won't hurt anything especially in this case as the forwarders and the second DNS server IP are the same"

Where do you get your information from?  Because it absolutely is incorrect to have anything other than your internal DNS Server IP configured on the Server's NIC.  Documenation is here:  http://sbsurl.com/msicw

I do realize that this is only happening on a single machine, which is why I also asked about other printers installed.  However, it is also possible that this machine has some legacy networking or DNS settings that are causing the problem as well.  I've worked with hundreds of SBS networks, and I've seen fax failure issues before, and every time, its been networking problems.  It could even be a bad MTU setting on the machine.

But if you don't have an ideal network configuration to begin with overall, then its really hard to pinpoint what might be causing the problem.  That's why I suggest that you fix your base configuration first.

Jeff
TechSoEasy

I went ahead and made the changes anyway. I disagree on the DNS issue as a matter of theory but it was changed never the less.

As far as the ipconfig info goes - I misunderstood. I provided all of the info on the client configuration not the server configuration. I would be happy to pass that along as well.

Perhaps you might want to review this article on DNS Conditional Forwarding which will help you out on the theoretical end:  http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/DNS_Conditional_Forwarding_in_Windows_Server_2003.html

Plus there is an overview of how important proper DNS and networking settings are to various Windows Services (including the Fax Service) here:  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/832017

All that aside... let me ask you a different question... Can this user successfully send a fax using Outlook?  Is the Fax Mail Transport account configured in his Outlook list of accounts?

As for you not having expertise in this area... there's not a whole lot to learn and most of it is detailed in this document:  http://sbsurl.com/fax

Jeff
TechSoEasy

Thanks for the links. I read through them and nothing there disproves my theory but that is a topic for another day. Back to the core issue..

I have not tested using Fax through Outlook. The user in this case is very rudimentary and telling her to simply select the fax as her printer is the easiest solution. I will give Outlook a shot though.

Thanks for the documentation on the fax services. I simply have not taken the time to learn it as this is the only client I have who requires it.

I wasn't suggesting that you have her send through Outlook, but rather that you just troubleshoot the issue by trying that route.  That would help to know whether or not the Fax Client was properly installed on the workstation.

Jeff
TechSoEasy

I tested faxing through Outlook without any success only the first third or so of the cover page was actually sent.

Okay... then now you're going to have to delve into the fax sending logs and see what's up.  If you need help on what to look for there, I'd suggest you consult the Cantata Support site:  http://cantata.dialogic.com/support/shared_fax/index.cfm

Jeff
TechSoEasy