Introduction to GMS

UserPreferences

GMS Services Introduction

1. GMS Services Introduction
1. Email
1. On Network accounts
2. Off Network accounts
3. Other features
2. Efax / Mfax
1. Efax features
2. Guest Submission
3. Software Defined Network

Email

AT&T Mail (one of the services Easylink now provides) is a versatile electronic messaging system that enables you to exchange and share information. With AT&T Mail you can send all types of electronic mail (e-mail) messages - text messages, text-to-fax messages, test-based forms, and binary files (spreadsheets and graphics). AT&T Mail is a fast and reliable method of worldwide communication to anyone, anywhere, anytime. The Dial up access number to the network is 1-800-624-5123 for low speed access, and 1-800-624-5016 for high speed access. Additionally, the AT&T Mail service provides gateways that allow dissimilar systems to exchange messages.

On Network accounts

On Network accounts will be either a basic (BAS) or enhanced (ENH) AT&T Mail account. Since AT&T Mail shares a common platform with the AT&T EDI, and the AT&T EFAX services, the customer can register for an account that includes all three. The cdflat or cdlogin commands will specify the account type.

• Basic account - With a basic account you can exchange (send and receive) messages with subscribers and nonsubscribers of AT&T Mail, as well as users on networks connected to AT&T Mail. You can answer forms and you can create and store both private and shared mailing lists. A basic subscriber can access a shared folder and can have read and write privileges to the folder if the owner of the folder permits it.
• Enhanced account - With an enhanced account you have the additional ability to create forms and folders for either temporary or permanent message storage on the network. The enhanced account also provides the Autoresponse extended answering service for automatic responses to AT&T Mail messages.
• Unified account - Account capabilities can be combined using either a basic or enhanced account. An AT&T Mail and EFAX account provides the Mail user with fax-to-fax transmission capabilities. Combining AT&T Mail and EDI provides e-mail and electronic data interchange capabilities. These account options can be determined by checking the CF Inhibit Flags on the cdlogin output. The Inhibit Flags indicate the service is NOT available to this customer.

Off Network accounts

• X.400 - An international standard that defines what an envelope, letter, or EDI document looks like. The objective is to allow disparate E-mail systems to communicate with each other. AT&T Mail400 Service is an interface with other systems that have implemented the CCITT standards. We currently support the 1984 and 1988 (aman) communications standards. This service is mainly used by large companies for transmission of messages destined for other domains. Messages can be sent to another Administration Management Domain (ADMD) or Private Management Domain (PRMD), or they can be translated from the X.409 format to the internal AT&T Mail MTA format for delivery to an On Network account or other type of gateway/domain. For a customer to connect to ATTMail, all they need is X.400 software and X.25 connectivity to Accunet Packet Service, or through another ADMD or packet service. See OPSDOC Vol. 5, Proc. A for more details.
• UNIX Gateways - AT&T Mail offers uucp (UNIX system to UNIX system copy) support to UNIX machines connected to the AT&T Mail Service. They are typically used in a LAN environment where the server is a UNIX based machine. These accounts are identified in the cd as a UNX account. Uucp connectivity is also available over TCP/IP.
• Sync Gateways - The AT&T Synchronous Gateway offers synchronous mainframe users the speed and convenience of direct host access to AT&T Mail. With the synchronous gateway, messages are exchanged between registered mainframes on the AT&T Mail Service. Synchronous communications are handled by sync feps (front end processors), which may be a 3B2 machine, 386 tower PC, 486 rack mount PC, or Sun Ultra Enterprise server. The 3B2s are used for the slower circuits of 9600 or below. The 386 and 486 machines are used on the faster circuits, including 56 Kbps. The Sun servers are used for TCP/IP access. We support both dialup and leased line connections. Supported protocols include SNA, 3770, 3780 Bisync, and LU6.2. See OPSDOC Vol. 5, Proc. E for more information.
• Internet Gateway - The Internet Gateway uses Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), which is the standard e-mail protocol for TCP/IP networks connecting to the Internet. The Internet Gateway provides Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME) support, and allows users to exchange MIME messages (text, text with attachments, binary, images, audio, video and multimedia messages) with the Internet and other SMTP customers. There is a charge associated with all messages received from the Internet. Domain names for Internet traffic are attmail.com and mail.att.net.
• ONU Accounts - Off Net User accounts have no file system assigned to them. They simply point to a user on another mail system that is connected to AT&T Mail. These accounts are used to direct mail only. There are no login capabilities.

Other features

• Shared Folders / Private Folders - In order to create/share folders for long-term message storage on the GMS network, the customer must be a Forms and Files (enhanced account) subscriber. Shared folders enable you to share your messages with other AT&T Mail subscribers. Basic accounts can read messages in shared folders, but are unable to create their own. Users also have the option of having subscriptions to shared folders autodelivered to their account. The GMS network uses shared data file systems that are linked via Portable Distributed UNIX (PDU) for access to shared folders and lists. Distribution and updates to these file systems are transferred via Message Transport (MT).
• Lists - A mailing list enables the user to send mail to a large group of people by entering only one list name. You can also create a shared list, which allows other subscribers to use the mailing list. Both basic and enhanced accounts can create and share mailing lists.
• Forms - A form is a message that contains blank fields to be completed by a recipient. After a form is created, it can be sent or stored in a folder to be saved for repeated use. Forms are typically stored in shared folders or broadcast to recipients. Recipients complete and return the form using the answer command or the create using form command. Again, the customer must be a Forms and Files (enhanced account) subscriber.
• Autoanswer / Autoresponse - Autoanswer lets you send an automatic reply to any AT&T Mail user who sends you a message. Autoresponse, available only to enhanced accounts, allows you to create a folder of messages that the AT&T Mail service matches to incoming request messages to respond in one of several ways to different requests. Both of these services are activated via the users profile.
• MailFAX/PRINT - MailFAX allows the ability to send e-mail messages from your PC or data terminal to a fax machine. MailPRINT allows you to create a message and send it to a printer (connected to a modem) located at a remote customer site anywhere in the U.S. Printers must be equipped with a modem and properly configured to receive messages from the AT&T Mail network.
• Telex - Allows you to correspond with any telex user in the world. In order to use this option, the customer must register a telex number to their account through the Customer Support Center.
• USMail / Overnight / Priority - Users can send paper mail to destinations in the U.S. and Canada and have it delivered by the U.S. Postal Service (/paper). Another option is overnight courier service on business days (/paper/priority). Typically used for nonsubscribers.
• Reports / Receipt / Delivery Notification - Customers have the option of receiving reports on the delivery status of each recipient in the message. Confirmation reports are only generated when specifically requested. If the mail is not delivered, a non-delivery report is automatically generated, regardless of whether the customer requested confirmation. Consolidated reports can be requested for messages with multiple recipients, to prevent the customer from receiving multiple reports. All reports are sent to the customer as an incoming e-mail message.
• Large File Support - The system default message size limit is 2 MB. The large file feature allows customers to send/receive messages up to 10 MB. Both the submitter and the recipient must register as a large file user. Large file support is not available for submission to a LAN, Telex, Shared Folder, Mail Print, Mail FAX, or Print Site. Maximum file size for EFAX is 3 MB.

Efax / Mfax

AT&T Enhanced Fax (Efax) is an enhanced network service that enables you to send and receive fax messages with greater ease, efficiency and versatility. Fax messages can be directly delivered to fax machines or to other AT&T Enhanced Fax subscribers. Messages are stored in your mailbox until you dial into the service and retrieve them. The network access number for Enhanced Fax is 1-800-232-9674. Basic fax accounts can send and receive Mail to Fax messages and Fax to Fax messages. An enhanced account has the same capabilities, plus the ability to store forms and files on the network. If the customer has set up fax capabilities for their account, there will be a fax number assigned in the fax_number: field of the cdlogin output. Enhanced Fax is the name of the service and does not indicate whether the account itself is basic or enhanced. This must be determined by the cdflat or cdlogin commands.

Efax messages can be sent by accessing your account via a fax machine and faxing the message (fax to fax) or using Mfax (mail to fax) by typing the message on a PC and sending to a fax machine. Some of the features of Enhanced Fax include the following:

Efax features

• Multiple Delivery of Faxes (Broadcast List) - The customer can create large lists of recipients, then broadcast fax messages to everyone on the list with a single fax message. These lists can be shared with other subscribers. The maximum recipient limit is 1500 total recipients.
• Reports - Efax has several reporting functions to report delivery status to the user. Besides the delivery and non-delivery notifications, the customer can request that all reports be consolidated. They can also request daily reports that will output a status of all messages sent for the day. Both of these options can be automatically applied to all messages via the customer's profile in their home directory.
• Latest Delivery Time - The network automatically retries numbers that are busy. However, the Latest Delivery Time allows customers to specify the latest delivery time of a message. This allows for extended delivery retry times for messages that are difficult to deliver. Valid entries range from 1 to 72 hours. The system default expire is 2 hours at this time. This can be found in the /mail/adm/conf/pr.conftab file.
• Multiple Language Support - There is a language selection command that can be used to change the Touch-Tone prompt language.
• Logos / Signatures / Coversheet - Efax allows you to customize cover sheet options for each message you send. Logos and signatures can be registered with the Customer Assistance Center for use on these cover sheets.

Guest Submission

• Fax Catalog - The actual GMS customer is referred to as an Information Provider (IP). The IP must have an Efax account with enhanced capabilities. They store messages in a document folder that can be requested by their customers for delivery to a fax machine. The IP's customer will call an 800 number unique to their application that is set up by an account rep through a Voice Service Provider (VSP). The current support VSPs are West Interactive, Infoworx, and Call Interactive. Once the account is set up, the TSC is responsible for creating the necessary directories. This procedure can be found in OPSDOC Vol. 6, Proc. K-41.
• Single Stage Dialing (SSD) - Also called Inbound Fax, provides an 800 number that can be given to people that the customer wishes to receive fax messages from. This is similar to the guest access feature that can be enabled from a customer profile, except that there are no voice prompts to deal with. The customer can provision their own 800 number, or an ELS owned number will be assigned by the network. The 800 numbers come in on a T1 that terminates at the SSD feps, which are rack mounted 486s with 24 channels per fep.

Software Defined Network