Re: [hylafax-users] Modems Getting "lost"

["Chris Weiss" <cweiss@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, Mar 24, 2008 at 9:06 PM, Nigel Allen <dna@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>  Michael Hallager wrote:
>  On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:31:45 Lee Howard wrote:
>
>
>  Nigel Allen wrote:
>
>
>  We've recently moved a customer off a PC based HylaFAX server to a
> rack mounted one, only to find that much to our (and their)
> "amusement" there were no serial ports available.
>
> Luckily we discovered that we could use a USB to serial converter and
> the modems appeared to work perfectly.
>
> Only snag is that after a day or two (sometimes longer), they just
> stop answering.
>
> Restarting HylaFAX makes no difference. Only after we physically
> switch them off and on again to we get them to answer.
>
> Any ideas where to start please?
>
>  A multiport internal modem, maybe?
>
> You're not the first user to have trouble with USB-to-serial converters
> like this. I'm going to guess that the problem (and potential solution)
> is going to be dependent upon the hardware in question and quite likely
> the Linux kernel revision. (In other words, it will be a rather
> difficult thing to troubleshoot.)
>
>  I just want to 2nd what Lee is saying here. Though Lee is far more
> knowledgebale then myself on fax and USB issues, I am only buying
> traditional
> serial port modems for my setup... and a serial controller for when I retire
> the current fax server in a couple of weeks for one that has no onboard COM.
>
>
>  Hi Guys
>
>  Thanks muchly for the advice - it confirmed (unfortunately) what I already
> suspected.
>
>  What about using USB modems instead (as they will be cheaper than the a
> multiport internal). Any comments?
>

usb modems are either softmodems or use a usb to serial adapter internally.

when it comes to hardware, cheap and reliable aren't something you
often find, especially in niche sectors like server based faxing.
however, if you keep your eyes open you can find multitech's pretty
cheap on ebay, i recently won an 8 port UPCI for $50 shipped, though I
have to suffer with a 2.4 kernel to use their portreset utility, which
is essential for the reliable side.


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