RFC 2542 (rfc2542) - Page 3 of 20

Terminology and Goals for Internet Fax

RFC 2542         Terminology and Goals for Internet Fax       March 1999


   In addition, the following terms are used:

   "service"      An operational service offered by a service provider.
   "application"  A use of systems to perform a particular function.
   "terminal"     The endpoint of a communication application.
   "goal"         An objective of the standarization process.

2. Definitions and Operation Modes

   This section defines some of the basic terms for Internet Fax.

2.1 User model of fax and basic operations

   The phrase "traditional facsimile" or "G3Fax" is used to denote
   implementations of [T.30]. Facsimile (fax) is a telephony application
   for sending a document from one terminal device to another.

   The telephone network is often referred to as the Public Switched
   Telephone Network (PSTN) or Global Switched Telephone Network (GSTN).

   Communication over the telephone network is accomplished using
   modems.  The transmission of data end-to-end is accompanied by
   negotiation (to ensure that the scanned data can be rendered at the
   recipient) and confirmation of delivery (to give the sender assurance
   that the final data has been received and processed.)  Over time,
   facsimile has been extended to allow for PCs using fax modems to send
   and receive fax, to send data other than scanned facsimile images. In
   addition, there have been many extensions to the basic image model,
   to allow for additional compression methods and for representation of
   images with grey-scale and color. Other delivery extensions have
   included sub-addressing (additional signals after the call is
   established to facilitate automated routing of faxes to desktops or
   mailboxes), and enhanced features such as fax-back and polling.

   Typically, the terminal device consists of a paper input device
   (scanner), a paper output device (printer), with (a limited amount
   of) processing power. Traditional facsimile has a simple user
   operational model; the user

      1) inserts paper into a device
      2) dials a number corresponding to the destination
      3) presses the 'start' button on the device
      4) the sending device connects to the receiving device using the
         telephone network
      5) the sending device scans the paper and transmits the image of
         the paper
      6) simultaneously, the remote device receives the transmission and
         prints the image on paper



Masinter                     Informational