Using Notification Services › Paging Capabilities

Paging Capabilities

CA Automation Point can issue page requests to any paging service that supports any of the following communication protocols:

• Telocator Alphanumeric Protocol (TAP)
• Simple Network Paging Protocol (SNPP)
• Wireless Communication Transfer Protocol (WCTP)

The TAP protocol (currently the most widely used protocol used by alphanumeric paging services in the United States) uses a modem to establish a direct connection to the paging service. This TAP connection, by nature of the protocol, can only be used to submit page requests. (Replies from two-way paging devices cannot be queried through this interface.) In contrast, the SNPP and WCTP protocols both use the Internet to connect to the paging service and provide mechanisms to receive solicited responses from two-way paging devices.

CA Automation Point provides several methods for initiating page requests to individuals. These methods include:

• Issuing a page request through the VOX environment—With the VOX PAGE command processor, you can issue a page request to any paging service supporting TAP protocol. With the VOX PAGE2WAY command processor, you can issue a page request and receive a reply to this request from any paging service supporting either the SNPP protocol or the WCTP protocol.
• Issuing a page request with the TAPPAGE command—CA Automation Point provides a REXX program, Tappage.rex, for issuing page requests directly through REXX without the use of use the VOX environment. It conducts its own I/O directly with the modem that is dialing to the paging service. See Tappage.txt for details about using this program.

  The advantages of issuing page requests directly through REXX include:

  It does not require the notification server, which operates as a Windows service, to be active when voice or email services are not being used.

  Although the TAPPAGE command supports the TAP protocol, the REXX program itself can be customized to support protocols other than TAP. Paging services in many countries outside the United States use other protocols.

• Issuing a page request with the MAILPAGE command —CA Automation Point provides a sample REXX program, Mailpage.rex, for issuing page requests by sending emails directly to the paging service. The MAILPAGE command issues the email messages through the VOX environment with the VOX SENDMAIL command processor. See Mailpage.txt for details about using this program, and for information about formatting email messages for the example paging services.

  The advantages of issuing page requests through email messages include the following:

  • A modem connection is not required.
  • Call costs can be significantly reduced.