All Ubuntu Solution
You need a "hylafax host":
It can be any PC running Ubuntu Desktop somewhere physically close to the fax line. You need to install hylafax (tested for the 10.04 LTS release). You also need AvantFax on the same machine which provides a 'web' (browser based) front end to hylafax from any workstation on the network.
To print from any workstation on the LAN:
Download YajHFC on the workstation. It is a java based client for hylafax ie. a program that runs on the workstation and can fax out via the hylafax host. This makes it possible to fax via the hylafax host and interact (indirectly) with AvantFax on that host.
The address book can live anywhere (just point YajHFC at where it is. It also has cover sheets.
The YajHFC website has instructions for installing a 'printer' (in CUPS) - so that an open document can be printed directly to that fax machine
without being saved as a pdf.
There are a couple of bogies in this whole process:
- Don't hit your thumb by changing the mysql root password when installing it as part of the AvantFax install (just say no when it makes you this unkind offer).
- There is an issue with the version of something called ghostscript that is packaged with Ubuntu 10.04 - which leads to faxes being blank.....it took me a while to track down that bug and a fix.
- AvantFax coversheets don't work and don't try to fix them. YajHFC does coversheets anyway.
