113 - BreakPoint Network and File Sharing Facilities
BreakPoint provides the following network features:
File Sharing of the PLU File - This feature permits multiple workstations to share the PLU file for floating on hand inventory inquiry. When PLU File Sharing has been implemented, cashiers can display on hand inventory levels at any time which are being updated instantly from all cashier workstations. This feature is documented below.
File Sharing of the CUSTOMER File - This feature permits multiple workstations to share the Customer file for floating account balance inquiry. When Customer File Sharing has been implemented, cashiers can display customer account balances at any time which are being updated instantly from all cashier workstations. This feature is documented below.
Individual and Broadcast Clerk Messaging - This feature permits the operator to message any cashier or all cashiers from a backroom workstation. Please refer to BreakPoint Technical Newsletter entitled “Clerk Messaging” for more information.
PLU Information Importing - This feature permits PLU Importing to be performed across a network using a special utility called PSPLUIE (for Point of Sale PLU Import / Export Utility). PSPLUIE can perform PLU Importing on cashier workstations that are actively transacting without any notification or intervention required. Please refer to BreakPoint Technical Newsletter entitled “PSPLUIE - The PLU Import / Export Utility” for more information.
Customer Information Importing - This feature permits Customer Information Importing to be performed across a network using a special utility called PSCUSTIE (for Point of Sale Customer Import / Export Utility). PSPLUIE can perform Customer Importing on cashier workstations that are actively transacting without any notification or intervention required. Please refer to BreakPoint Technical Newsletter entitled “PSCUSTIE - The Customer Import / Export Utility” for more information.
Cashier Report Operations - This feature permits report operations of any type to be performed on any BreakPoint terminal from a backroom workstation using a special utility called CASHOUT. The CASHOUT utility can perform report operations on cashier workstations that are actively transacting without any notification or intervention required. Please refer to BreakPoint Technical Newsletter entitled “CASHOUT - The Remote Report Utility” for more information.
BreakPoint Programming - This feature permits programming operations of any type to be performed on any BreakPoint terminal from a backroom workstation using a special utility called BPCONFIG. The BPCONFIG utility can perform programming on cashier workstations that are actively transacting without any notification or intervention required. Please refer to BreakPoint Technical Newsletter entitled “BPCONFIG - The Remote Programming Utility” for more information.
Network Failure Recovery - BreakPoint provides complete network failure recovery. This facility has been specially designed for ease of implementation and for compatibility with all standard local area networks. This feature is documented below.
File Sharing
BreakPoint supports file sharing of the PLU File and the Customer File.
File sharing of the PLU File permits on hand inventory quantity to be updated simultaneously from any number of BreakPoint workstations. This is useful in multi-lane operations where operators wish to perform real-time (up-to-the-second) on hand inventory inquiries from any workstation. The moment any item is sold at any BreakPoint workstation, the updated on hand inventory quantity becomes immediately available at any other BreakPoint workstation.
The Customer File may be shared to permit account balances to be updated simultaneously from any number of BreakPoint workstations. This is useful in multi-lane operations where operators wish to perform real-time (up-to-the-second) account balance inquiries from any workstation. The moment any account balance is updated at any BreakPoint workstation, the updated account balance becomes immediately available at any other BreakPoint workstation.
The PLU File and Customer File are shared by setting the Shared Path field within the Hardware Setup option of the ALT System Menu. To set up file sharing, this field must be set to the same drive and directory setting at all BreakPoint workstations, so that each workstation is directed to the same PLU and Customer files for updating. Once this field has been set correctly, all terminals will update and display from the same set of files.
For the sake of standardization, it is recommended that the Shared File path directory designation be set up as the \BPSHARE directory. For the following examples, we will use X:\BPSHARE as the Shared File drive and directory designation for our Shared File setups.
WARNING!
Once you have established the File Sharing option, each of your BreakPoint workstations becomes network dependent. This means that if the computer workstation which holds the shared PLU and Customer Files should become hung up or should suspend its operations in any way, the BreakPoint cashier workstations may produce a network failure error message and suspend their operations at the exact same moment.
Network dependency and network failure are not problems for BreakPoint if you have established the appropriate network failure recovery procedure and have trained cashiers in the recovery procedure as described below.
Network Failure Recovery Facilities
Just as BreakPoint provides complete network support facilities, it also provides its own Network Failure Recovery facilities.
Network Failure Recovery is essential to any system that is using multiple cashier workstations with shared files. Since any computer is capable of hardware failure at any time, often without warning, cashiers must be trained on correct recovery procedures so that they can keep their workstation operating even in the event of complete network failure.
To set up the BreakPoint Network Failure Recovery facility, you must perform the following steps:
1. Initially set up BreakPoint for NO File Sharing. In other words, set up BreakPoint so that the Shared File field of the Hardware Setup fo the ALT Systems Menu is set to CURRENT DIRECTORY. This can be done by removing any setting in the Shared File field.
2. Exit to DOS, locate to the local BreakPoint directory, and copy the BreakPoint Path File to a special backup file by entering the command:
COPY PSPATHS.CFG PSPATHS.LOC
3. Now set up BreakPoint for File Sharing within BreakPoint exactly as described in the previous section.
4. Exit to DOS, locate to the local BreakPoint directory, and copy the BreakPoint Path File to a special backup file by entering the command:
COPY PSPATHS.CFG PSPATHS.NET
Now we have two separate path files within our local BreakPoint directory. If we were to copy the first file PSPATHS.LOC to our live path file PSPATHS.CFG, BreakPoint would look to the local drive and directory for the PLU and Customer Files. If we were to copy the second file PSPATHS.NET to our live path file PSPATHS.CFG, BreakPoint would look to the Shared File drive and directory for the PLU and Customer Files.
We can finish setting up our BreakPoint Network Failure Recovery facility with the following steps:
5. Make a backup copy of the Shared PLU and Customer Files on the local BreakPoint drive. This can be performed with a simple DOS batch file set up in your local BreakPoint directory with the following commands:
COPY X:\BPSHARE\PLUFILE.DATWhenever these files are updated, whether through some daily or overnight update process, be sure that this batch file is executed. This will ensure that your Local PLU and Customer File copies will be reasonably up-to-date with the Shared PLU and Customer File copies.
COPY X:\BPSHARE\PLUFILE.IDX
COPY X:\BPSHARE\PSCUSTFL.DAT
COPY X:\BPSHARE\PSCUSTFL.IDX
Keeping your local PLU and Customer File copies current with your Shared PLU and Customer File copies can also be effected by performing any information imports to both copies of the files. If you are using the PSPLUIE or PSCUSTIE utilities to update the PLU or Customer Files, be sure that you perform that update process on both the Local and the Shared Files. This will also help to ensure that your Local PLU and Customer File copies will be reasonably up-to-date with the Shared PLU and Customer File copies.
6. The next step in setting up the BreakPoint Network Failure Recovery facility requires that you enter the following commands in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file of the BreakPoint workstation:
IF EXIST X:\BPSHARE\PLUFILE.DAT COPY C:\BP101\PSPATHS.NET PSPATHS.CFG
IF NOT EXIST X:\BPSHARE\PLUFILE.DAT COPY C:\BP101\PSPATHS.LOC PSPATHS.CFG
These two commands will force the AUTOEXEC.BAT process to check to see if the network files are available each time the cashier reboots the BreakPoint workstation. When the BreakPoint workstation is booted up, it will look to see if the X:\BPSHARE\PLUFILE.DAT is visible. If so, it will initialize BreakPoint to operate using the Shared File drive and directory paths. If the AUTOEXEC cannot find the Shared File drive and directory, it will initialize BreakPoint to operate using the Local File drive and directory paths.
7. The final step in setting up the BreakPoint Network Failure Recovery facility is cashier training. Cashiers must be trained to simply reboot the BreakPoint workstation in the event of a network failure. Once a network error message is received at the BreakPoint workstation, the cashier can simply reboot the workstation so that it may reinitialize to the Local or Shared File Paths, whichever is available at that time.
Once a network failure has been resolved, such that the network is once again available, the BreakPoint cashier must only reboot the BreakPoint workstation once more to reinitialize the system back onto the Shared File Path.
Using the BreakPoint Network Failure Recovery facility as described above, the resolution of a network failure can be effected with only a simple reboot procedure. The entire duration of this recovery procedure should require no more than 30 seconds to recover. Likewise, once the network is back up and running, reverting back to Shared File mode requires only a simple reboot of the BreakPoint workstation which should also take no more than 30 seconds to effect.