SAP Note 17194 - Telefax in various SAP Releases

Symptom:

How can faxes be sent from and received in SAP systems?
Which SAP components are required, and what are the hardware and software requirements?
What documentation is available about installation, configuration and administration?

Other terms

SAPcomm, ComServer, SAPLPD, SAPFAX.DLL, WinFax PRO, SAPconnect

Reason and Prerequisites

There is an information deficit.

Solution

Currently, you can connect a fax to an SAP system in the following ways:

1. SAPconnect

As of SAP release 3.1, the new module "SAPconnect" is available. For the telecommunication services Telefax, Paging/SMS, Internet Mail and X.400, it offers a standardized interface to communication systems on the basis of RFC (SAP Remote Function Call), and for Internet Mail (as of release 6.1) and for Telefax and Paging/SMS (as of release 6.20) it offers an interface on the basis of SMTP. External fax providers can also be used via the SMTP interface. The RFC interface is only supported until the end of release 6.x.

Unlike SAPcomm, SAPconnect is not implemented as a standalone component outside of the SAP System but as an internal part of the SAP System. This means that this solution is available on all SAP platforms but cannot be used for SAP systems prior to release 3.1 or for R/2 systems.

For more information on faxing via SMTP, refer to Note 455140.
You can find further information about installing and configuring SAPconnect in the SAP Online Help under:
SAP library
--> BC - Basis (up to 4.6), or
Basis -> SAP Web Application Server (6.10 - 6.20), or
SAP Netweaver -> Application Platform (from 6.40)
--> Basis Services (up to 6.20), or
Connectivity (from 6.40)
--> Communication Interface
--> SAPconnect (BC-SRV-COM)

Mail and communication systems of other manufacturers that support SAPconnect can be certified by SAP. The RFC interface is part of the mySAP Software Partner Program under the name BC-CON. Certified products and manufacturer addresses are available under:
http://www.sap.com/partners/directories/
--> Press the "Search" button
--> Choose the "Search for Solutions" tab
--> Select the "BC-CON 3.1 ..." entry in the
"SAP Defined Integration Scenarios" field and
press "Search".

SAP offers an adapter between the SAPconnect RFC interface and the Microsoft Exchange Server (the "SAP Exchange Connector"). It can be used to send and receive messages from SAP Systems via other Microsoft Exchange Connectors (for example, via fax connectors of other manufacturers). However, depending on the product used, the functions may be limited.

2. SAPcomm

Note: SAPcomm is no longer supported as of SAP technology release 5.0a.
Mailing of fax solutions based on SAPcomm are
no longer executable as of release 5.0a. See Note 306509.


SAPcomm is a standalone communications server, not an internal part of the SAP system. Using CPIC links, it simultaneously serves several SAP R/2 and/or R/3 systems and mySAP.com systems. Messages can be sent and received using various services (fax, Telex, X.400, ...). Status information can also be returned to the SAP system.
You can find information about installing and configuring SAPcomm in the SAP Online Help under:
SAP library
--> Basis
--> Basis Services/Communication Interfaces
--> Communication Interface
--> BC - SAP Communication Server

The actual telecommunication is carried out by non-SAP systems, which can connect to SAPcomm using two possible interfaces (the C function interface "SAPcomm-API" or the file interface "APPLI/COM"). These interfaces are free to use, both for SAP customers and communication system manufacturers. The documentation about the interfaces is also available in the SAP Online Help, and any files that may be required are delivered with SAPcomm.

The SAPcomm interfaces are not certified by SAP. SAPcomm supports several systems for the fax service. For more information about this, contact the manufacturers of the fax systems you use.

SAPcomm can run under UNIX (only the versions supported for SAP application servers), OS/2 and OS/400 operating systems. There is no plan to port SAPcomm to Windows NT. Therefore, when you use SAP on Windows NT, SAPcomm must be installed on a different system (UNIX, OS/2, AS400) and connected to an SAP system via a LAN connection.

The product "ComServer (Windows NT)" from SAP SI (previously SRS) in Dresden offers a function that can be compared with SAPcomm. It supports the file interface "APPLI/COM" in the same way as SAPcomm, so that the non-SAP systems that use this interface for the SAPcomm connection can also be used by ComServer under Windows NT.
As well as the SAPcomm functions, ComServer also supports the SAPconnect interface (see below).

3. SAPLPD + SAPFAX

Note: SAPcomm is no longer supported as of SAP technology release 5.0a.
Fax solution based on SAPfax (Winfax, for example) are
no longer executable as of release 5.0a. See Note 306509.


As an addition to the SAP print program SAPLPD, there is a dynamic library (SAPFAX.DLL) available for Windows which can be used to send messages to the Windows fax product WinFax PRO (Versions 3.0, 4.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, 10.0) from Symantec.
Refer to Note 9119 for information about installing and configuring SAPLPD and SAPFAX.

Compared to the server solutions with SAPcomm or SAPconnect, the following restrictions apply:

• Lower throughput

• Status tracking only possible locally on the PC, no confirmation in the SAP system

• Faxes are not received

Instead of WinFax, you can also use fax systems created by other manufacturers if these meet one of the following requirements:

• They are WinFax DDE compatible

• The manufacturer offers a seperate SAPFAX.DLL

• The fax number can be transferred in the message text
  Note 44062 describes exactly how to proceed in such cases.
  

The SAPcomm and SAPLPD+SAPFAX solutions are still supported in SAP releases 3.1 and 4.0/4.5/4.6. For each of the communication services fax, X.400 and RML (SAP-to-SAP mail), you can use either SAPconnect or SAPcomm (or for fax, ComServer and SAPLPD+SAPFAX).