Installing the RightFax MFP Module

Chapter 1

Overview of the RightFax MFP Module

The Sharp Extension for the RightFax MFP Module lets you link one or more of several supported Sharp Multi-Function Products (MFPs) via your network to the RightFax server. This lets users scan documents on the Sharp MFP and transmit them as fax or e-mail messages through the RightFax server. Scanned documents can be transmitted normally to fax and e-mail destinations, or sent via certified delivery or encrypted for security using the RightFax SecureDocs Module (described in the RightFax SecureDocs Module Guide.) For information on using the Sharp MFP to scan and transmit documents via the RightFax server, see Chapter 2, “Configuring the Repository Folder and RightFax Interface on the Sharp MFPs”.

The RightFax MFP Module Sharp Extension connects the RightFax server and Sharp MFPs using a software module called the External Document Connector (EDC). This module monitors folders on your network, called “repositories,” for Sharp documents to process and transmit. Sharp MFPs that you want to use to submit fax jobs to the RightFax server must all be configured to store scanned documents in the same network folder that you configure the EDC to monitor. Refer to your Sharp documentation for instructions on setting this folder location.

To create an interface for users on the Sharp device, you must create a Metadata dialog on the Sharp using the browser-based software installed on the Sharp device. This Metadata dialog

includes data entry fields such as destination fax number and user ID, and each of these fields is identified using specific key words that the RightFax server can process. When users enter transmission information in these fields, the data is packaged along with the scanned image in a way that the RightFax server can interpret and use. For information on creating a Workflow for use with RightFax, see Chapter 2, “Configuring the Repository Folder and RightFax Interface on the Sharp MFPs”.

Using each of these components, the Sharp extension of the RightFax MFP Module lets users scan and transmit faxes by following this sequence of events:

1.Using either the Sharp MFP fax functionality or one of the RightFax-specific templates, the user enters fax transmission information on the Sharp MFP and scans the document.

2.The Sharp MFP saves the document as an image file and then stores the file in the repository folder on the network.

3.The External Document Connector picks up the image file from the repository, converts it to a file format appropriate for use by the RightFax server, and then places it in the RightFax send queue for transmission.

4.The RightFax server transmits the file as a fax or e-mail message to the destination specified by the user on the Sharp MFP.