About the Format of Your Fax Numbers

Facsys supports canonical dialing. This means that Facsys looks at three separate components in the fax destination numbers entered: country code, city/area code, and local dial number.

The Facsys Administrator is responsible for defining the "local" dialing properties of the fax server. These local properties are used by the fax server when sending faxes. When a fax destination number is entered in canonical format, the fax server analyzes the components of the number against the fax server's local dialing properties. The fax server can then determine whether the destination is a local, long distance, or international call.

Canonical numbers must be defined in the following way:

• Α plus sign (+) must be added before the dial string.
  
  
• Immediately after the plus sign, the country code is entered, followed by exactly one space. If the area/city code is included, that must be followed by exactly one space.
  
  
• Parentheses and dashes are optional.
  
  NOTE: '1' is the country code for the United States and Canada.
  For example, a North American destination number in canonical format is interpreted below:
  
  +1 (732) 123-4567
  
  
  • +1 = country code/long distance access code
  • (732) = area code
  • 123-4567 = local number

One advantage of canonical formatting concerns shared phonebook data. If a shared phonebook contains all fax dial strings in canonical format, users do not have to modify fax numbers for their specific location even if they reside across various country codes or area codes. A user simply selects the fax destination from the phonebook and the fax server will determine whether the number should be dialed as local, long distance, or international.

Any "non-canonical" dial strings entered for a fax message will be translated literally by the Facsys fax server (ie. a user enters 123-4567 as the destination fax number. The fax server will dial only those digits without adding any country codes or long distance access codes, even if they are required).

NOTE: To accommodate changing area codes and phone number dialing requirements, the Facsys Administrator can also define "routing rules" for a fax server. These rules automate the process of dial number mapping and correcting destination fax numbers. Instructions for defining fax server routing rules are included in the Facsys Administrator manual.