flexfax: Paging Software Purchasing Questionnaire (was: [ no useful subject ] )

[David Woolley <david@djwhome.demon.co.uk>]

There is no "you" for hylafax, and no sales team to respond to questions
like this.  You would be better off referring to the documentation and
web sites, or just trying it, but....

> 	1. Does the product support paging the below?
> 	    a. numeric only pagers

If the paging bureaux supports IXO/TAP.  I.e. this is a system question
not a software question, as posed.

> 	    b. alpha pagers

If the paging bureaux supports IXO/TAP.  

> 	    c. PCS phones (I don't need this right now)

If the paging bureaux supports IXO/TAP.  

> 	    d. Fax (I don't need this right now)

Yes.

> 
> 	2. What are the means to set up the pager database?

Text editor.

> 
> 	3. How are configuration data stored? (flat file, database,
> etc.) What options
> 	    are there if any?

flat file.  See the man page.

> 
> 	4. Does the product do both touch-tone dialling and TAP
> protocol.
> 	    Touch tone would apply to numeric-only pagers.

TAP only.

> 
> 	5. Do you ship source code? executables?

Neither.  You must download.

> 
> 	6. Is the product interface API driven? Are there different APIs
> per pager type??
> 	    Is the configuration data part of the API interface?

Command line, with source available for customised versions.

> 
> 	7. Can configuration params be changed on the fly? 

??? but see documentation.

> 
> 	8. What configuration params are needed to set up the paging
> product?

Too many to list here, see the documentation.

> 	9. Do you support the following:
> 
> 	    a. Scheduled paging (time of day, day of week)

I think so, see documentation.

> 	    b. Number of pagers in directory

????

> 	    c. inhibit paging, globally

???? You can restart the daemon with the paging port disabled, or set the
configuration file so that there are no valid numbers.

> 	    d. set up a delay between consecutive pages to a single
> paging number

No.

> 	    e. how much data per page (for alpha only)

See the manual.  A two year old beta doesn't allow the full SMS limit.

> 	     f. checking that page is successfully sent

No.  Not part of IXO/TAP.  In any case most paging systems (except SMS) are
simplex and the transmitter has no way of knowing whether the transmission
was received.  Hylafax emails on acceptance by the paging bureaux.

> 	    g. retrying paging if unsuccessful

Function of paging bureaux.  Transmission to paging bureaux is retried if
the error looks like it might be recoverable.

> 
> 	10. What is the user interface to the set up of the paging
> product? Is it
> 	      script driven with flat file backend, Graphical GUI, or
> some other means? Elaborate

Script.  Read the documentation.