TECHNICAL BULLETIN #12 - Rev 1.00 (7/30/96)

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TITLE   : Auto Answer and Adaptive Answer
PRODUCT : PROCOMM PLUS for Windows 2.xx
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This document discusses PROCOMM PLUS for Windows' Auto Answer capabilities and
its related use of Adaptive Answer.

AUTO ANSWER
Auto Answer is the ability to automatically answer when a phone call
generates a ring.  Due to PROCOMM PLUS for Windows' integration of data and
fax, the process of answering a call in the correct mode (data or fax) is
inherently more complex than simply answering a data call like in previous
versions of PROCOMM PLUS for Windows. PROCOMM PLUS' Auto Answer settings can
be seen by selecting "Auto Answer" from the Setup menu. Auto Answer can be
set to "Off", "Data", "Fax", "Data and Fax", and "Distinctive Ring".

AUTO ANSWER: FAX OR DATA
When a modem receives an incoming call, it sends a ring message to the
computer.  When PROCOMM PLUS is set to Auto Answer "Data", it responds to
the ring message by allowing the data module to take the phone off hook and
begin the connection process. Likewise, when PROCOMM PLUS is set to Auto
Answer "Fax", the fax module answers the incoming call. During the
connection process, one of two things can happen: either the modem will fail
to connect and produce a non-connect message, or the modem will establish a
connection and produce a valid connect message.

ADAPTIVE ANSWER: AUTO ANSWER DATA AND FAX
Adaptive Answer is simply the modem's ability to distinguish a
data call from a fax call.  Although many older fax modems do not support
Adaptive Answer, most new fax modems include this feature. With this
functionality, the modem can discreetly `listen' to the incoming call,
determine if it is a fax or data call, and generate different messages for
data and fax. Software that supports Adaptive Answer, like PROCOMM PLUS, can
look at the message generated by the modem and take the appropriate action:
answer the call as a data call or answer the call as a fax call. When
PROCOMM PLUS is set to Auto Answer "Data and Fax", it uses the Adaptive
Answer process described above to distinguish a data call from a fax call.

COM PORT USE
Unlike many Windows fax programs, the fax module of PROCOMM PLUS for Windows
(FAXSTAT.EXE) is able to wait for incoming faxes on a specific COM port
without keeping other applications from using that port. If the data module
of PROCOMM PLUS is using the COM port and the Auto Answer option is set to
"Fax", PROCOMM PLUS will intelligently share the COM port with FAXSTAT.EXE
but it will not relinquish the port to any other applications. However, if
the data module of PROCOMM PLUS is closed or it is not using the same COM
port as the fax module of PROCOMM PLUS, FAXSTAT.EXE will release the port
and continue to monitor its use if another application attempts to open the
port.

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