Getting the StayLinked components installed is the first step. Licensing and basic configuration steps are outlined in the Server Installation Guides and the Installation Checklist. Once installed, the essential configuration consists of the telnet host entry and installing keyboard maps for the Clients that will be connecting to this Server. Some of our most common questions to the support team come long after the initial installation when it comes time to add some new handhelds or move the StayLinked Server to another machine. For these instances, we have guides on keyboard maps and Server migration. These ‘Technical Reference’ articles are intended to answer specific questions, but they can also be helpful in understanding what components live where and how they might be managed.
Even after the initial configuration, the emulation settings in the telnet host group remain one of the most critical configuration sections. Some errors may reference issues with the StayLinked Server to connect to your telnet host. If the business adds or moves telnet hosts, these settings must be adjusted to match those changes.
Managing Licensing
Another critical item to review is licensing. StayLinked is licensed for concurrent connections to the Server. Purchasing 100 seats would allow for 100 interactive sessions, regardless of the source. This allows you to retire old devices and merge in new ones. The Administrator’s Connections List will display all connections (assuming you are not logging in with a user account that has connections filters). Using the last activity column, you can see how long since each session has checked in with the StayLinked Server. Sessions that have been inactive may then be cleaned up by right clicking and taking control or terminating the session. Regular restarts on the StayLinked Server process will clean up old sessions and allow for complete backup of the StayLinked database objects. Using settings like ‘autoconnect=always’ will result in constant connections between devices and the Server, typically requiring at least one session per device instead of licensing for a high-usage mark. All devices with a session will consume a license even if they have had the battery removed or sit on a host sign-on screen.
Input Adjustments
As new products come from new business partners, it’s not uncommon for new barcodes to find their way into your business. Making new barcode data fit into the fields that were previously designed can sometimes take adjustments. These barcode adjustments can be added to the StayLinked Server at the telnet host entry or in the device group. Any settings that can be configured in both locations will follow the rules in the device group and ignore the conflicting settings in the telnet host entry. This allows you to provide data manipulation to the users that need it. You can set global prefix and suffix values, but barcode manipulation is configured by specific barcode symbologies. The barcode management dialogues include a wide range of basic manipulation options, as well as the option for regular expressions. Regular expressions are widely used in the data collection industry and have a wealth of details available online.
Account Management
Managing the creation and authorities of Administrator user accounts will likely fall to the technology team. The only way to reset the Administrator’s master account is to place a file on the Server file system and bounce the Server process. This also means that the users would be interrupted, or the bounce would need to be scheduled after hours.
Instructional Video: Reset the Master Administrator Account
Server Tuning
During the initial installation, there are Java and operating system parameters that can affect StayLinked Server operation. It’s also important to review these values if seats are added or features enabled that require additional processing or system resources. Features like logging and usage tracking can quickly amount to significant storage and open files. More information is included in the Server Tuning Parameters Technical Reference. Reviewing the default Java memory allocations is typically recommended as customers near 100 concurrent users. Included in version 12.0 and newer is a Java Heap Monitor that graphs several pieces of information. This program is a separate program that can be run from the StayLinked Administrator directory.
Some of the key log files for reviewing StayLinked Server performance include:
StayLinked Manager – This log file shows several pieces of information including the JVM memory allocation, incoming connection requests, and a startup banner (displayed during each server process startup). Making sure the JVM heap is properly allocated requires review of typical usage that is specific to your environment.
StayLinked Stats – This file is not enabled by default but can show the size and quantity of transactions between the StayLinked Server and Clients as well as other informational statistics.
StdErr and StdOut – These files are typically noise generated by the telnet client and Java runtime. In some cases, these files can grow quickly when the hosted application performs non-standard transactions that are written to log. These files can be controlled by excluding certain entries or by setting them to disabled in the StayLinked Server settings.
More information on log file management is available in the Server Tuning Technical Reference.
Backup Files
Backups are thoroughly discussed in the High-Availability Guide. In most cases, the critical part of the backup will be the configuration files. That database is used to record Administrator User accounts and data recorded using the Usage Tracking features. The more critical these features are to your business then the more critical they become to have current backup data. The configuration files can be copied from one machine to another to replicate the Server configuration, even if these hosts are different platforms.
One important consideration when moving files is that they may contain static network addresses. The telnet host entries must be updated if address changes are made to the production telnet host.
High Availability and Support
Maintaining current support has many benefits. The key features include:
Access to our technical support team – Sometimes it’s best to ask the experts. Searching for an answer yourself may not be the best way to maximize the up-time for your users.
Access to current downloads and new releases – As the industry changes, new devices and server updates can sometimes require updates to supported programs. Without support, it’s not possible to get the latest software updates that work with these new devices.
High-Availability Licensing – StayLinked provides permanent licenses for seats that are purchased. Customers on current support are eligible to receive temporary licensing for their backup environments. Backup licensing expires with support contracts and is automatically renewed during the renewal process.
As a reliability product, it’s often important to our customers that user downtime is controlled and mitigated whenever possible. Typical StayLinked installations place the StayLinked Server directly on the telnet host. If the telnet host fails, the entire application and database may be inaccessible. Having a backup plan and replacement can help keep users working in the event of a server outage or hardware failure.
Additional benefits and options for support are available by contacting the sales team at StayLinked. Please visit our website for current contact information.
Additional Features
StayLinked offers a few features that can be critical tools to improve workflow and operations. These features come with documentation of their own, but are briefly summarized here:
Screen Recognition and Reformatting – These features can identify the contents of host screens and perform special functions based on the contents or user input. For applications that are not designed for current handheld options, these features can be used to substitute alternative screens to the devices. Eliminating extraneous text, simplifying content and automatically responding to events are just some examples of these features.
Usage Tracking – These features are designed to record events and keep track of various events that are important to your business. Most commonly used in conjunction with the Screen Recognition features, these tools can tell you who used a device last or how many orders they processed.
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