Fax Advisor for Exchange 2010

Applies to: Exchange Server 2010 SP3, Exchange Server 2010 SP2

Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Unified Messaging (UM) relies on certified fax partner solutions for enhanced fax functionality such as outbound fax or fax routing. By default, when you install the Unified Messaging server role, the server isn't configured to allow incoming fax messages to be delivered to a UM-enabled user. Instead, the UM server redirects incoming fax calls to a certified fax partner solution. The fax partner's server receives the fax data and then sends it to the recipient’s mailbox in an e-mail message with the fax included as a .tif attachment. For details, see Understanding Faxing in Unified Messaging.

The Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging server ensures that the final message delivered to the user is identical to the fax messages generated by Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging. However, the fax partner solution must meet a set of requirements to interoperate with Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging.

Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging Fax Partner Program

In order to become a fax partner certified for interoperability with Exchange 2010 UM, the partner must implement the requirements contained in the Fax Partner Interoperability Specification and the fax solution must be certified by an independent certification vendor.

Fax Partner Solutions Certified As Interoperable with Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging

If you've already deployed Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging, and you’re looking for a fax partner solution to set up incoming fax processing for your organization, see Microsoft PinPoint for available partners. These fax solution partners have been certified as interoperable with Exchange 2010. Among other services, they provide certified software solutions for Unified Messaging.

IP or Media Gateways and IP PBX Support

Correctly configuring IP gateways for your organization is a difficult deployment task that must be completed to successfully deploy Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging with incoming faxing. To help answer questions and give you the most up-to-date IP gateway configuration information, see Telephony Advisor for Exchange 2010. That topic provides IP gateway configuration notes and files that you must have to correctly configure your organization's IP gateways to work with Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging.

Interoperability testing of Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging with IP gateways is now integrated with the Microsoft Unified Communications Open Interoperability Program. For more information, see Microsoft Unified Communications Open Interoperability Program.

The Microsoft Unified Communications Open Interoperability Program qualification program for IP gateways and IP PBXs ensures that customers have a seamless setup and support experience when they're using qualified telephony gateways and IP-PBXs with Microsoft Unified Communications software.

Deploying and Configuring Faxing

Exchange 2010 UM forwards incoming fax calls to a dedicated fax partner solution, which then establishes the fax call with the fax sender and receives the fax on behalf of the UM-enabled user. However, to allow UM-enabled users to receive fax messages in their mailbox, you must first run Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging setup and configure the Fax Partner server, and then configure the UM dial plans, UM mailbox policies, and enable UM-enabled users to receive faxes. For details, see Deploy and Configure Incoming Faxing.

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