Other Network Functions

Other Network Functions

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There are several functions under Maintenance / Network Functions that can be used when diagnosing network problems or for maintenance. Most of these are only available for operators with Administrator access.

Network Setup... -- This opens the Network Setup Dialog for setting various network options.

Synchronize local options to all workstations -- This is used to copy this workstation's "local" settings to all other workstations. This will copy this workstation's settings to all other workstations' settings in the database, and of course send the changes to each workstation. It can be done on the master even if the other workstations aren't connected -- the changes will be synchronized just like other database changes when the workstation is reconnected. Use this with care if there is any reason that other workstations might require different settings. The local settings include: Printer Options, all tab view options (from their Option buttons), tab view default site filters, and default settings for Reports (meter lists, occupancy report, etc.).

View Network Diagnostics Window -- This will open either the Net Client or Net Server diagnostics window (depending on whether this is the master workstation or not). Unlike most other dialogs in Campground Master, this diagnostics window can be left open while you work. Actually, the window always exists and is functioning (recording messages), it's just hidden unless you view it.

Show IP address(es) for this workstation -- This is just a utility function for determining the IP address of the master workstation, and will show all known IP addresses for this computer. This may be a single address or multiple addresses, depending on your network setup (e.g. one address may be visible to the internet and another visible to the LAN).

Connect to Server -- For non-master workstations, this will initiate a connection if it's not already connected to the master. A Connecting Progress Dialog will be shown (if it's not disabled in Maintenance / Network Functions / Network Setup).

Disconnect from Server -- For non-master workstations, this will immediately disconnect from the master. If you have the auto-start option enabled, you will be given an option to disable this option so it will stay offline (until the next connection is made manually).

Work Offline -- If this is a non-master workstation, you must specifically select this function to enable offline changes. You must also first Disconnect from Server if not already disconnected. Once working offline, changes can be made at will. They will be logged, so that when you reconnect to the server, the changes will be transmitted to the server to synchronize the database.

However, working offline is not completely safe! Even though it will synchronize the changes, there are limits to what can be synchronized. For instance, since locks cannot be acquired for changes, it's possible that a change you make will conflict with a change made by another operator. The results of this are unpredictable -- either change may take precedence depending on internal circumstances, but usually the earlier change will be kept because by the time your change arrives, the value has been changed already. Previous values are compared as an integrity check, so if the value is different than your previous value, your change will be ignored. Obviously it's also possible that a record has already been deleted before your changes are received (though this is rare). In general, record additions are safe because each workstation uses unique record ID's, and changes to different customers or reservations will be safe. However, be sure to avoid making any changes (including adding transactions) to the same customer or reservation on different workstations.

Force view to rebuild/refresh -- If all goes well you should never need to use this function, since the views (Rack, Arrivals, etc) should update automatically whenever a change occurs on any workstation. However if a change doesn't seem to be showing up on the Rack or other tab view, try using this function. This will rebuild some internal indices and refresh the view to make sure that it shows all reservations properly. If it still doesn't seem to be correct, then you may need to request a total database refresh.

Request a total database refresh -- A non-master workstation can request that the entire database be refreshed. This might be needed if log files become corrupt preventing resynchronization, or if the workstation has been offline so long that logs no longer contain all of the changes needed. (Generally these are detected automatically and a full refresh will be done as needed -- however this function is provided just in case things don't seem to be synchronizing correctly.) Note that this can cause significant delays at the master as well as this workstation while the database is being transmitted, so use only when workstation activity is minimal.

Start Server (allow connections) -- if the server has not been started, use this function to start the server (master workstation only).

Stop Server (work offline) -- This function for master workstations is similar to the Work Offline function, but in this case it will stop the server completely so all workstations will be disconnected.

Clear all record locks -- This master workstation function will immediately clear all record locks for all workstations. This can be useful if a workstation becomes disconnected before releasing its locks (during editing), and a record it had locked needs to be edited by another workstation. However, you should make sure that all other workstations are in an idle state (no dialogs are open) when you do this, otherwise it could unlock records that really should still be locked. An alternative would be to stop the server before clearing locks. When you restart the server, all workstations will re-request locks for records currently being edited. Likewise, any time the software is closed, all locks are automatically removed.

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