asterisk users - Sep 2004 - Clarification - FAX on local network

Ok, ok, I know there has been plenty of discussion on asterisk and fax -
from this I understand:
 
1)    First and foremost, use g.711 ulaw
2)    Packet loss, etc...makes faxing over the internet unreliable
 
My need is for a fax to come in on a X100P and be forwarded to a fax
machine on the local lan.  I don't currently have any fxs as I'm using
all sip phones at this point.  I see the safe solution as buying a
TDM10B (or a TDM11B and ditching my X100P) to keep the fax extension TDM
(my problem with this is cost).  My next thought was a sipura or similar
sip ata, using ulaw.  From the comments on the unreliability of fax due
to packet loss, I need input on how successful this approach would be if
everything involved is on the local lan.  Lastly, is it possible to use
an IAXy?  I assume that if you're using ulaw and can minimize packet
loss that his could work but I haven't seen much (success or failure) on
the list from anyone attempting fax over IAX.
 
 
Thanks
 
Marty Mastera
M3 Resources
marty@m3resources.com
Phone: 303.680.1283 x200
FAX:    303.680.1283
IAXTel: 700.206.7507
FWD:   484162
 
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On 2004.09.14 11:10 Marty Mastera wrote:
> Ok, ok, I know there has been plenty of discussion on asterisk and fax
> -
> from this I understand:
> 
> 1)    First and foremost, use g.711 ulaw
Yes, the codec must be lossless.
> 2)    Packet loss, etc...makes faxing over the internet unreliable
I'm not sold on this theory yet.  I don't think that it's so much a 
matter of packet loss (this shouldn't occur regularly), but rather of 
latency.  Transmitting packets over a network, and in particular the 
internet, can result in latency delays that could, in theory, pose a 
problem for FoIP, but I've heard of so many people successfully doing 
FoIP with equipment other than Asterisk (i.e. using Cisco VoIP 
equipment), that I tend to believe that the reliability factor is more 
a consequence of SIP or the equipment used (Asterisk and, in my case, a 
Sipura SP-2000).

I have used a HylaFAX system connected to an SP-2000 for both sending 
and receiving faxes.  The fax call comes in to an FXO on the Asterisk 
server, which directs it over a small LAN to the Sipura.  This 
arrangement works tolerably well, but it's quite noticeably 
less-reliable than when the HylaFAX server is connected directly to the 
PSTN.  I don't know if the Sipura is to blame or if it's Asterisk, or 
if it's SIP design.  Although I've used a number of IAXys for voice, I 
haven't tried using one instead of the Sipura for fax.  (Testing that 
would be able to eliminate or isolate SIP+Sipura.)

Lee.