Author: paul.deluca

How do the Solar and Eterm clients communicate with the server?

The Eterm (TUI) client communicates with the UniVerse database server via the telnet protocol (TCP port 23). It uses a proprietary implementation of the ViewPoint terminal type to offer additional features in Eclipse (send/receive files, drag/drop, hyperlinks, etc.).

The Solar (GUI) client communicates with the JBoss application server via the HTTP and HTTPS protocols (default TCP ports 2080 and 2443). It is deployed using Java Web Start.

In both cases, the business logic is performed on the database and application servers, not in the client installed on each workstation.

Eclipse Network Utilization

We are often asked how much bandwidth is used by Eclipse for planning new deployments. Here are some guidelines for estimating the network utilization of Eclipse users based on real-world data we’ve gathered from existing Eclipse customers:

  • Solar customers: 3 KB/s (24 kbps) per user
  • Eterm customers: 1 KB/s (8 kbps) per user

As you can see, the bandwidth requirements for Eclipse are quite low, but it’s important to take into consideration that users’ Internet usage is not limited to Eclipse, and Eclipse performance will suffer if the software has to fight for bandwidth being used for other means (i.e. streaming video and audio, file sharing, etc.). As such, we recommend prioritizing the following protocols used by Eclipse through QoS whenever possible:

  • The Eterm client communicates using the telnet protocol (TCP port 23).
  • The Solar client communicates using a proprietary web service protocol (TCP ports 2080 and 2443).
  • The Eclipse signature capture and document imaging processes communicate over standard Microsoft file sharing protocols.
  • The Eclipse printing processes communicate over standard Windows and UNIX printer ports (i.e. socket, LPD, etc.).

During the initial Solar client installation and after each Eclipse “point” upgrade, the Solar client will perform a one-time download of approximately 20 MB of data. For branches with large numbers of users, this can cause a temporary spike in bandwidth consumption when a large number of users launch the new version of Solar for the first time.

For analyzing your users’ unique usage patterns, we recommend using your network hardware’s built-in tools bandwidth utilization monitoring, or by running Wireshark on a workstation.

How do I install or update the RealPort drivers for my Digi PortServer on Linux?

To use the Digi PortServer, you’ll need to install the appropriate RealPort drivers for your kernel.

Additionally, any time the kernel is upgraded, you’ll need to recompile and reinstall the drivers. As such, it is important to plan your kernel upgrades in advance and perform testing after the first boot using a new kernel.

Screencast

Installing or Upgrading the Digi RealPort Drivers

If the drivers are already installed, uninstall the existing drivers:

rpm -e dgrp

Download the latest drivers, for example:

mkdir -p /esupport/digi && cd /esupport/digi
wget -c http://ftp1.digi.com/support/driver/40002086_AA.src.rpm

Download and install the Red Hat kernel source:

yum -y install kernel-headers-`uname -r` kernel-devel-`uname -r` rpm-build gcc ncurses-devel

Compile the drivers:

rpmbuild --rebuild /esupport/digi/40002086_Z.src.rpm

Install the drivers:

rpm -Uvh /usr/src/redhat/RPMS/x86_64/dgrp-1.9-39.x86_64.rpm

OR

rpm -Uvh /root/rpmbuild/RPMS/x86_64/dgrp-1.9-39.x86_64.rpm

Edit udev to set permissions for tty devices:

vim /etc/udev/rules.d/10-dgrp.rules

Locate the “tty_dgrp” entry, and modify it as displayed below:

KERNEL=="tty_dgrp*", PROGRAM="/usr/bin/dgrp_udev %k", NAME="%c", GROUP="lp", MODE="0666", OPTIONS="last_rule"

Adding Digi Ports to Linux

If this is a new Digi, setup the ports in the following manner:

dgrp_cfg_node init (ttyid) (ip_address) (number_of_ports)

Example (change the IP address and number of ports to match your device):

dgrp_cfg_node init D 192.168.100.111 1

Starting the Digi Service

When the drivers have been installed, and the ports have been configured, start the Digi service to activate the serial ports:

service dgrp_daemon restart

Adding Digi Ports to VSI-FAX

If you are configuring VSI-FAX for the first time, or if you’re adding a new fax modem to your environment, you’ll need to make VSI-FAX aware of the new modem’s serial port location. For example, to create a new modem called modem1 at the serial port location /dev/ttyD00:

vfxadmin device -a -d -v /dev/ttyD00 modem1

After adding the modem to VSI-FAX, you will also need to add the modem to the default fax “pool” or class. To add the new modem1 to the default fax “pool” named fax1:

vfxadmin class -d -a modem1 fax1

How do I resolve common printer errors under AIX?

To check the status of an AIX print queue (for example, lp1):

lpstat -plp1

If the status is DOWN, try enabling the print queue:

enable lp1

If the status remains DOWN, try pinging the printer:

ping -c4 lp1

If there is no response to the pings, verify the printer’s network connection.

The best way to verify a printer is working outside of Eclipse is to test the printer with a standard Windows workstation. If you cannot print from Windows, there is a chance the printer is mis-configured. For your convenience, here are the numbers for a few common printer manufacturers:

  • HP: 800-474-6836
  • Okidata: 800-654-3282
  • Zebra: 847-913-2259

If the printer responds to pings, but immediately goes DOWN after attempting to enable the printer, try to cancel all jobs on the print queue:

cancel lp1

If the printer still goes DOWN, remove and recreate the AIX print queue:

  • How do I remove a printer under AIX?
  • How do I add a printer under AIX?