E-WMS

How to install and configure the ICL and E-WMS RF services

E-WMS

Introduction

This document describes the steps to install and configure the E-WMS and ICL 'RF' services.

Description

This document contains the following sections:

About the services
Installation preparation
Installation of the services
Configuration of the services
Check correct operation

About the services

Purpose
The E-WMS and ICL services perform tasks automatically which otherwise have to be performed manually in Control Centers. Usage of the services is not mandatory, but will enhance 'real time' stock transaction processing for E-WMS and order processing in ICL. Please read more about the services in document WMS and ICL Services: purpose, specifics and requirements.

Requirements
Please read the following documents for the system requirements:

When to install
The services need to be (re-)installed on every Exact Globe Next update - also when updating within the same release, because the E-WMS and ICL service components can be changed in that update.

Installation preparation

Uninstall and where to find installation files

If you need to uninstall previous version of the services (which is always necessary when you plan an Exact Globe Next update) please do this uninstall while the previous workstation installation is still present. Otherwise there might be an error message on uninstalling the wrong version. You can uninstall the services in the Windows 'Add/Remove programs' or 'Programs and Features' shortcut in Start, (Settings,) Control Panel. The services are listed as 'E-WMS*', 'E-Mobile*' and 'Intercompany *'.

The services are installed by starting MSI installation files. With the Exact Globe Next product download, the E-WMS and ICL files are also downloaded and after the workstation installation, the service installation files can be found in these default folders (on a x64 PC) :

WMS services: C:\Program Files (x86)\Exact software\INSTALL\E-WMS\SERVICES
ICL services: C:\Program Files (x86)\Exact software\INSTALL\ICL\SERVICES

What MSI files to install

You only have to install those services for the processes you are actually using in E-WMS, for ICL always install both services. Which services are intended for what process, can be found in document WMS and ICL Services: purpose, specifics and requirements.

Installation

Start the MSI files one by one, by double-clicking the MSI file. This sample shows the installation of the E-WMS Transfers service on a 64 bit Windows 7 PC.

Note: On a Windows server (Windows server 2012 for example) it may be necessary to install the services as an administrator. To do so, start the command prompt (cmd.exe) as an administrator, change to the services installation folder and start the msi from within the command prompt.

Press Next

Please accept the default folder C:\Program files (x86)\Exact software\WMS for the WMS services, or C:\Program files (x86)\Exact software\ICL for the ICL services.

Install the services for 'everyone'. Press Next.

Press Next.

After a few seconds, a window will appear in the left top of your screen, to configure the services logon account.
This window may be hidden behind other windows but has no separate task bar icon, you can solve that by minimizing all windows and than restoring any window again. This logon window should then also re-appear.

For account requirements, see document WMS and ICL Services: purpose, specifics and requirements.

If you are using a domain account, use syntax 'domain\username'.

If you are using a local account, use syntax '.\username'. For example:

Press OK.

The service is now installed.

Service configuration

After first installation, the service does not 'know' yet, what Exact Globe Next company to connect to. This server and database link have to be configured in .CONFIG files, which are located in the services installation folders.

Start Windows File Explorer and browse to the folder where the service was installed, for instance C:\Program Files (x86)\Exact software\WMS\E-WMS Transfers Service:

Note: If the Windows setting 'Hide extensions for known file types' is enabled, then the CONFIG file will just show as 'E-WMSTransfersRFService.exe' as well.
Right-click on the CONFIG file and choose 'Open' or 'Open with' and open the file with Notepad.
The indicated values for SQLServerName1 and Databasename1 have to be changed to the values for your own environment.
The SQL server name can be the server name or IP address of the SQL server. Do not forget to include an instance name, when an instance name is used.

Samples of using SQL server names:
"value="SQL01"
"value="SQL01\SQL2014"
"value="10.2.100.3\SQL2012"

For ICL, the server- and database name of the central company always has to be used in the configuration file of both ICL services.
The database properties of the sales companies are determined from the debtor data in the ICL central company.
If a database is both an ICL central and ICL sales (or ICL purchase) database, it has to be included only as central database in the CONFIG file, and you will need a second database entry for the second central database.
Multiple databases
From product update 405, it is possible to configure multiple databases for one service. For that purpose, you can change the CONFIG file as in following sample:

You can repeat the keys "SQLservernameX", "DatabaseNameX" and "ActiveTimeX", just change the 'X' to a unique sequence number per connection.

The SQL server and database have to be reachable by a stable LAN connection.

When using multiple databases, the databases will be handled by the service in sequence and not parallel. This means that the second and subsequent databases will only be handled after the previous database is done - this may cause some delay depending on the workload per database.

For any ICL sales- or purchase company found and processed by the service, ALL orders will be exported disregarding the target central database. For example: in Exact Globe Next, you are using central databases 001 and 004, and ICL sales database 002 which uses 001 and 004 as central warehouse. For the ICL services, only database 001 is configured. In this case, sales orders intended for 001 and 004 are exported by the service, but only changes and fulfillments for central database 001 are processed. So please configure in this case both ICL central database 001 and 004 for the two ICL services.
ActiveTime
This setting is available from product update 405 and allows you to schedule specific 'active' times for the service. During the non-active time period, the service will still have the status 'started' but will not try to connect to the databases. This way you can plan database maintenance jobs outside working hours, without error messages created by the services. The default active times are 06:00 until 20:00 (8 pm). Please enter this schedule only in a 24 hour format, in format "xxxx-xxxx". This scheduled time is compared to the system time of the services machine. You can enter a schedule within one working day (0600-2000) or a schedule overlapping 00:00 : for example '0600-0400' would start at 06:00 am and stop at 04:00 am the next day, which means the service is inactive between 04:00 and 06:00.

Besides 'ActiveTime', the Autoqueue service already had a schedule which can be maintained in Exact Globe Next, to plan when new orders should be send picking. The Autoqueue service will first apply the 'ActiveTime' from the CONFIG file, and only after that the schedule from 'service schedules'.
TimerInterval
This setting determines what interval is used to check for new transactions to handle. The default value is 10 seconds. When the service would be busy for longer than 10 seconds, it will start checking for transactions immediately again. When multiple databases are to be handled by the service, it may take longer than 10 seconds before a database is polled again for new transactions.
RestartServiceInterval
This setting determines what interval is used to automatically stop and start the service. This has been implemented in the past to free up memory, but memory management has been improved over time and restarting the service every 30 minutes is no longer required. From product update 405, the default value for this setting is 43200 (12 hours).
ExtensiveLogging
This setting may be enabled (set to "true") for support purposes. When creating the test file c:\exeashow.txt, a log file c:\logfile.log will be created with debug messages. When activating this setting, more information will be written to that log file.
DelayInSeconds (ICL only)
Determines the delay between the latest change in an order (orkrg.sysmodified and orsrg.sysmodified) and starting the ICL process for that order, to prevent locking problems.
RetryInMinutes
Starting from product update 405, this setting is also available for the WMS services. In earlier product versions, this setting was only available for the ICL services.

After a functional error occurred, the service should allow some time for the user to correct the problem, like closing an order after 'Data in use', creating a missing item code (ICL) or correcting a problem with an order status (WMS). If not for this setting, the service would retry the same problem order or scanner transaction every 10 seconds, and create an error record every 10 seconds. Now the problem transaction is only retried after 'RetryInMinutes' has passed. The default value for this setting is 60 (minutes). This means that 'problem' transactions are only retried once in an hour, and that only one error record per hour would be created in the WMS error log table.

This method applies the system time both from the services PC and from the SQL server, these need to use the same time zone.

Do not use a too short delay for this setting, that will result in heavy CPU usage and creating too many records in log table csPickitErrorReport when errors occur. It is always possible to handle problem transactions manually using the WMS or ICL control centers. The control centers do not apply this 'RetryInMinutes' method.

Checking correct operation

After installation, the services are set to 'manual' start. First open the company (or companies) in Exact Globe Next to perform any database updates which may be needed. After that, go to the services management screen (Start, Run, services.msc, Enter) and set the E-WMS or ICL services to start automatically, and start the service at the same time.

On tab Recovery you can configure whether the service should automatically restart in case of problems:

If there are any problems detected by the service, or if the service takes a very long time to start, there might be error messages logged in the Windows Application event log. This log viewer can be started by choosing Start, Run, typing eventvwr.msc, followed by Enter.

Choose: Windows Logs, Application:

For explanation of any error messages generated by the services, please search for the error key words in the E-WMS support documents.

When started successfully, please check this event log on regular basis for any warning messages.

The error messages placed by the services in the Windows event log are related to starting the service self, or to making a valid connection to the configured database.

Functional error messages related to processing of transactions by the services, are shown in Exact Globe Next, either in the 'RF monitor' (menu WMS, Reports, RF monitor) or in the ICL monitor screens in menu Order, To be processed, ICL Central admin, ICL monitor (central company) and in menu Order, To be processed, ICL Sales admin, ICL monitor (sales company).