What is a Fax Server?
A fax server (or faxserver) is a system installed in a local area network (LAN) server that allows computer users whose computers are attached to the LAN to send and receive fax messages.
It is also used to describe a computer based fax machine. Fax servers are "shared use" devices. Clients on the LAN can use the fax server from their PCs in much the same way they share a network-based (shared) printer. Faxes can be generated by users at their workstations and "printed" to the fax server for transmission.
Similarly, fax servers can route incoming faxes to printers, file server directories or to individual users. Fax servers save users from having to print documents, carry them to a fax machine and subsequently wait for them to be transmitted after creating a cover page.
The fax server may be a dedicated machine or implemented on a file server that is providing other services.