.\" Process this file with .\" groff -man -Tascii ans.8 .\" .TH ANS 8 "8 September 1997" "Ans Version 0.6" "User Manuals" .SH NAME ans \- answering machine for voice modem .SH SYNOPSIS \fBans\fR [ \fIplay\fR | \fIdelete\fR | \fInow\fR | \fIstop\fR | \fIstart\fR ] .SH DESCRIPTION Full-featured answering machine for voice modems. Automatic voice/data/fax discrimination. Run from the command line or from \fBinittab\fR(5). .SH OPTIONS Without option, \fIans\fR starts waiting for a call, displaying log messages to the standard output. \fIAns\fR can be run in the background with output redirected to a file. .IP \fBplay\fR Play received voice messages. .IP \fBdelete\fR Delete received messages upon confirmation. .IP \fBnow\fR The running \fIans\fR process is forced to answer a call immediately. No (more) rings are waited and the greeting message is not played: the process starts to record an incoming message. If a fax or a calling modem is detected, the process switches to the appropriate operation. .IP \fBstop\fR Create a stop file (see FILES section) and kill a \fBvmcp\fR(8) process which is waiting for the RINGs from the modem. This prevent a running \fIans\fR process from answering the phone. The running \fIans\fR process starts a loop and every 10 seconds checks if the stop file was removed. The modem device is so released for use by other processes. .IP \fBstart\fR The stop file is removed. A running \fIans\fR process can exit the loop and restart waiting RINGs from the modem. The modem device is locked and become unavailable to other processes. .SH OPERATION When properly installed and started, \fIans\fR sleeps untill it receives a call (really it starts a \fBvmcp\fR(8) process which waits for a RING). After WAITRINGS rings (default is 4) it answers the call playing the \fIgreeting.msg\fR message. After the beep the caller can leave a message (deafult max time is 120 s). .br If \fIans\fR detects a fax or a calling modem during greeting or during message recording, it switches to the appropriate operation. .br To enter \fIans\fR remote operation the caller must play a \fI#\fR DTMF tone when \fIans\fR is playing its greeting, then he/she must enter the password and terminate it with a \fI#\fR too. If all the messages listed in FILES section has been recorded, each remote operation is driven by an appropriate message. .SH RECEIVING DATA CALLS As stated before, \fIans\fR can discriminate voice, fax or data calls. Neverthless, while every fax machine or modem-fax emits a \fIfax call tone\fR when it is placing a fax call, not every modem can produce a \fIdata call tone\fR when it is placing a data call. So if the caller doesn't produce the tone, \fIans\fR is not able to acknowledge the data call and it responds as if it was voice. .br If the caller's modem allows the \fI^\fR dialling modifier, he/she should place the call with a command like: .sp \fBATDT^291568\fR .sp otherwise, he/she sould try a command like: .sp \fBATDT291568,,,,,,3\fR. .sp The number of commas must be adjusted until the DTMF tone \fI3\fR falls during the playing of the greeting message. If \fIans\fR detects a DTMF tone \fI3\fR during the greeting, it is forced to answer a data call. .SH FILES The \fIans\fR script relies on many binaries and support files. Except \fBefax\fR(1), \fBvmcp\fR(8) and maybe \fBagetty\fR(8), all the binaries should to be standard on every unix-like system. This is a complete list of files and directories needed: .in +0.5i .ti -0.5i \fB/bin/cat\fR .ti -0.5i \fB/bin/cp\fR .ti -0.5i \fB/bin/cut\fR .ti -0.5i \fB/bin/date\fR .ti -0.5i \fB/bin/echo\fR .ti -0.5i \fB/bin/kill\fR .ti -0.5i \fB/bin/ls\fR .ti -0.5i \fB/bin/mv\fR .ti -0.5i \fB/bin/rm\fR .ti -0.5i \fB/bin/touch\fR .ti -0.5i \fB/dev/null\fR .br Null file for fake input and output. .ti -0.5i \fB/dev/ttyS\fRn .br Device to which modem is connected. .ti -0.5i \fB/sbin/agetty\fR .br Program for incoming data calls handling. .ti -0.5i \fB/tmp/\fR .br Temporary directory. .ti -0.5i \fB/usr/bin/diff\fR .ti -0.5i \fB/usr/bin/efax\fR .br Program for incoming faxes handling. .ti -0.5i \fB/usr/bin/find\fR .ti -0.5i \fB/usr/bin/sed\fR .ti -0.5i \fB/usr/bin/sort\fR .ti -0.5i \fB/usr/bin/vmcp\fR .br Program to communicate with the modem. .ti -0.5i \fB/usr/bin/wc\fR .ti -0.5i \fB/usr/local/lib/ans/\fR .br This directory must contains the following files: \fBask_passwd.msg\fR .br voice message: "please enter your password and terminate it with #" .br \fBch_greeting.msg\fR .br voice message: "record the new greeting after the beep, press # to confirm, 9 to cancel" .br \fBget_msgs_mnu.msg\fR .br voice message: "press 4 to rewind, 6 to forward, 9 to delete message, # to stop" .br \fBgreeting.msg\fR .br voice message: "this is the (phone #), leave a message after the beep" .br \fBmsg_deleted.msg\fR .br voice message: "message deleted" .br \fBpasswd\fR .br text file containig the password for \fIans\fR remote access. The password is followed by a \fI#\fR and a new-line. .br \fBpasswd_ch.msg\fR .br voice message: "password changed successfully" .br \fBpasswd_not_ch.msg\fR .br voice message: "password not changed" .br \fBremote_menu.msg\fR .br voice message: "press 1 to listen the messages, 2 to listen the greeting, 3 to change it and 4 to change the password" .br \fBwrong_passwd.msg\fR .br voice message: "wrong password" .ti -0.5i \fB/var/lock/LCK..ttyS\fRn .br Lock file created to signal that modem device is in use. .ti -0.5i \fB/var/run/ans.ttyS\fRn\fB.stop\fR .br Stop file created when \fIans stop\fR is executed. .ti -0.5i \fB/var/spool/fax/\fR .br Directory for incoming faxes. .ti -0.5i \fB/var/spool/voice/\fR .br Directory for incoming voice messages. .SH "SEE ALSO" \fBagetty\fR(8), \fBefax\fR(1), \fBvmcp\fR(8) .SH AUTHOR Niccolo Rigacci