Data Director replicates data in the form of packages and the system maintains the complete track of packages in the Log database as explained in Package Flow. The source Data Director Service keeps track of packages being forwarded in its Log database. In the same way, the receiver Data Director Service keeps track of packages being received in its own log database. In production environment, it is very difficult to track packages in different databases at remote locations. For example - If there are more than 100 stores, then it is almost impossible to track packages in so many remote databases (100 stores and head office).
LS Retail provides a tool to track the package flow which is called Remote Administration Tool. This is an interface to view the status of packages on source location as well as the status of packages at remote locations. For example – If data is replicated from head office to stores or from stores to head office then the Remote Administration Tool will provide the status of packages at head office and the status of packages at stores in the head office database (or scheduler database if used). The DD Service at head office maintains the status of packages in IncomingMessages and OutgoingMessages Table of the Log database and, in same way, DD services at stores will also maintain the status of packages in the same way.
The Remote administration tool uses two more tables, Remote Inc. Msg. and Remote Outg. Msg. for storing the package status of remote packages. Data from the IncomingMessages and OutgoingMessages tables of the log database for remote locations will be replicated to the Remote Inc.
Msg. and Remote Outg. Msg. tables. Using this tool, the status of current location packages and remote packages are available in one database because of which administration becomes very easy.
Remote Administration Tool
FIGURE 6.2 -1: REMOTE ADMINISTRATION TOOL
To use the Remote Administration tool, distribution locations need to be defined for which the packages need to administered in LS Retail – Scheduler, DD Administration, DD Administration Setup.
FIGURE 6.2 -1: DD ADMINISTRATION SETUP
Once the setup is done for all the distribution locations then, by using DD Administration Card, the packages at different locations can be tracked. A codeunit, Update Remote Statuses, can be run in the Scheduler (DD Administration Card – Checks-Check All Locations) to read information from the Incoming/Outgoing Messages tables from any Data Director within the whole system.
Incoming Outgoing
Incoming Outgoing Rem. Incoming
Rem. Outgoing
Head Office Store
Read manually or via the Scheduler
Feed the remote
administration Module
FIGURE 6.2 -2: DD ADMINISTRATION CARD
Every time it runs, it goes through all enabled lines in this table, connects to the relevant Data Director and requests it to report the latest changes in the Incoming/Outgoing Messages tables. The latest changes are identified from the Counter field in each table, and Last Inc. Counter and Last Outg. Counter store the latest counters received.
Once the remote messages are in the head office database, the user can:
View the status of messages
Change the status of messages
Send status updates to the remote database such as resetting the Trycount
Reprocess messages that contain configuration errors
Remote Inc. Msg. and Remote Outg. Msg. can also be updated and the Update Remote Statuses codeunit then updates the relevant Incoming/Outgoing Messages line next time it runs. Note that the tool will not get rid of configuration errors, only help to deal with them.
To update package status for remote locations using the Remote Administration tool, the setup needs to be done in the Administration Setup. For the distribution locations for which the status or value in the trycount field needs to be updated, the Update Location field should be check marked. This feature is used when Remote Incoming/Outgoing messages from stores have been read. By placing a check mark in this field, all changes/corrections made locally will be sent out to the remote location. By default, this field is hidden in the DD Administration Setup so you need to make it visible through the show column list.
This could for example be a cancellation of a package or resetting of the Trycount field. The status can be updated by drilling down the incoming and outgoing messages in the remote administration tool and will be updated (replicated) to the location at the same time that the following process is started:
DD Admin, Checks, Check All Locations
Once a data package is cancelled and needs to resend the same package, this can be done from the scheduler log. The Scheduler log is kept in the system by Data Director with respect to every scheduler job. In the Scheduler Log form of a Scheduler Job, the log can be viewed for every replication with package no. and using the option Process Again or Process Again for location in Functions button.
6.2 Troubleshooting
Error Codes
Following is a list of error codes, the probable cause of the error and how to resolve it. In some cases a brief description of the scenario is included.
Error 0 (0x0) - Error on sending request Probable Cause
The Distribution Server for the location in the scheduler has not been specified.
Resolution
Open the Distribution Location card for the location in the scheduler and specify the DD the location should use.
Error 4096 (0x1000) - Error inserting in system tables Probable Cause
Cannot write into Incoming Message nor Outgoing Message tables because they are either missing or the correct permissions have not been set for the DD user. The fields in the tables could also be wrong or missing.
Resolution
To make sure the correct version for DD is installed, import the NFMsgTables.fob from the patches directory where DD is installed.
Check that the NAV license the DD uses includes write permission for Incoming Message and Outgoing Message tables.
Check that the user the DD uses to log on to the log database has read and write permission on the Message tables.
It is also possible to renumber the Incoming/Outgoing Messages tables to a new ID. This is possible since the DD uses the names specified in the Data Director Settings Tool to locate the correct tables.
Error 4097 (0x1001) - Remote connection dropped Probable Cause
The TCP/IP connection was terminated while the DD was forwarding a package or the receiving DD Service was shut down during transfer.
Resolution
Re-establish the network connection. If the network connection is slow or heavily loaded you might consider increasing the TCP/IP timeout for the sender and receiver.
Error 4098 (0x1002) - Cancelled because of send and receive size Probable Cause
The registered size of the packet does not match the actual size of the packet. This is most likely caused by a transmission failure.
Resolution
Resend the packet.
Error 4099 (0x1003) - Cannot find new packet number Probable Cause
The DD could not assign a new packet number to an incoming packet. This is usually caused by an incorrect System Connection string in the Data Director Settings Tool for the receiving DD. The connection string has probably specified an incorrect or invalid company name. This causes the DD to be able to log on to the database but not to select a company. Since it cannot select a company it cannot find the latest entries in the Incoming Messages table and therefore cannot assign a new packet number to an incoming packet.
Resolution
Correct the connection string for the receiving DD.
Error 4100 (0x1004) - Cannot instance a socket Probable Cause
The operating system could not create a Windows TCP/IP socket. This could happen if TCP/IP is not installed on the computer.
Resolution
Make sure that TCP/IP protocol is installed on the computer.
Error 4101 (0x1005) - Timeout expired in transaction server Probable Cause
The transaction server is kept busy by other sessions. The session in which the error occurred has been waiting its turn but the waiting time exceeds the timeout configured in the Data Director Settings Tool (see the Data Director and Transaction Server Properties page).
An already connected client is hanging and holding up the session. If a transaction server client is connected to the client not in transaction server mode, it is likely that the DD is working on large packages that can take a long time to process. If a test connection is run through a busy DD, this can happen.
Resolution
Restarting the service always clears client sessions and removes any hanging connections. If the DD is busy, the same can be tried later.
In the case of a hanging session, locate the client (often a POS terminal) that causes the problem and fix it there.
Error 4102 (0x1006) - HopCount has exceeded its maximum value
Only applies to the transfer of packages. Attached to each package is a Hop Counter which is incremented every time the package is forwarded. If the counter exceeds the maximum value set in the Data Director Settings Tool, this error will occur and its purpose is to prevent a package from going in an infinite loop.
Probable Cause
A service name was incorrectly assigned to an IP address.
Inconsistency between the DD name used in a Distribution Location card and the one actually assigned to the DD using the Data Director Settings Tool. They must always match for the package to be picked up. Otherwise it will always be forwarded.
Resolution
Check the DNS registration of the name or the entry in the hosts files (on all computers involved). Make sure the name in the Distribution Location matches the one in the Data Director Settings Tool.
Error 4103 (0x1004) - Receiver has rejected the package, probably wrong password used A connection was established but failed during transfer.
Probable Cause
Network failure or package rejected by receiver because of a wrong password.
Resolution
Check if the password is correct or wait for the next retry. (Network may be unstable).
Error 8192 (0x2000) - Error in processing request Probable Cause
An unhandled exception has occurred while reading or writing to a database. The connection to the database is usually in order when this error occurs. Possible causes can be invalid or incorrect field transfer setup in a subjob.
Resolution
Check the Event Log for more information. Since this error happened on the database level, it‟s likely that the database has reported what caused the error in the Event Log.
Error 8193 (0x2001) - Cancelled because of previous error Probable Cause
The DD has reported an error that has not been handled by the calling application. This can happen when 3rd party applications are using the DD and fail to handle errors that occur.
Resolution
There is no simple resolution for this since the error is usually caused by incorrect use of the DD API.
Error 12288 (0x3000) - Error Connecting to DD Probable Cause
The DD Client cannot connect to the DD. Possible causes are:
1. The DD service is not running.
2. The DD Client is trying to connect to a service that does not exist or does not have a correct IP address associated with it.
3. The DD Client is trying to connect to the DD on a TCP/IP port that is invalid.
Resolution
Start the DD service and make sure it is running.
Make sure that the DD service name has an IP address associated to it. This can be checked by pinging the service name (Example: ping dd-ho). If the service name does not respond to a ping command, DNS server or hosts files need to be reconfigured so that the service name points to the correct IP address.
The DD Client is trying to connect to the DD on a port that is not in use. If the DD is using a port other than the default listen port (16750), one thing need to make sure that the port is specified in the Services file on computer and associated with the DD service name. However, if the default port is used, then there is no need to specify anything in the Services file.
Error 12289 (0x3001) - Error the connection string was empty Probable Cause
The connection string sent to a client control was empty.
Resolution
Please specify a correct connection string for the Distribution Location.
Error 12290 (0x3002) - Could not log in Probable Cause
The DD does not have the necessary permissions to log on to the specified company.
Resolution
Correct the access permission for the user-id used by the DD.
Error 12291 (0x3003) - Connection temporarily unavailable Probable Cause
All sessions that the DD is allowed to use are unavailable.
Resolution
Wait until the DD has released one of the sessions it is using or assign more sessions to the DD using the Data Director Settings Tool.
Error 12292 (0x3004) - Cannot find Plugin ID in registry Probable Cause
The DD is trying to use a Plugin that is not installed. This can also be caused by an incorrect plugin id (a typo) in the connection string.
Resolution
Install the correct plugin or modify the connection string so that it uses the correct Plugin ID.
Error 12293 (0x3005) - Cannot load plugin dll Probable Cause
The plugin has been registered and the connection string is probably correct. The path to the Plugin .dll file is probably invalid or the .dll file is missing.
Resolution
Uninstall and reinstall the Plugin to correct the registry setting. Try to remove and then add the DD server again.
Error 12294 (0x3006) - Plugin version not supported
Error 12295 (0x3007) - Waiting for a previous package Probable Cause
A previous package belonging to the same JobID has not been processed successfully. It can still be in status Waiting or Error.
Resolution
Take the appropriate action so that first packet which has not processed is processed successfully or cancelled.
Error 12296 (0x3008) - Error connecting to a database Probable Cause
The DD cannot connect to the database.
Resolution
There are two solutions to this:
If the error occurs when the DD is trying to generate a packet, the connection string for the source database is probably incorrect. This can be fixed by specifying the correct connection string. An easy way to check if the connection string is correct is by running the “Test Connection With DD” function from the Location receiving the error. The Test Connection should be run on the same computer that is running the DD to make sure that all hosts and services configurations are correct on that computer.
If this happens at the receiving DD the cause is probably that the connection string specified in the packet is not recognized by the receiving DD. The most common cause for this is that the server name in the incoming package is not valid on the receiving end.
Example:
a. The sender wants the packet to be read into database A running on server Store1.
b. Server name Store1 is not recognized at the receiving end.
This can be resolved by correcting the DNS and services entries for the computer running the receiving DD.
Error 12297 (0x3009) - The Data Director license file does not include this plugin ID Probable Cause
The plugin ID in the connection string may be incorrect.
Plugin may not be included in the license being used.
Resolution
Check the Plugin IDs in the DD license (Use the Show Current button on the first page of the Data Director Settings Tool).
Obtain a DD license that includes the plugin.
Error 12304 (0x3010) - Maximum number of subnets allowed exceeded This can happen when a DD is forwarding a package to another DD.
Probable Cause
The number of subnets allowed according to the DD license file has been exceeded.
Resolution
Obtain a DD license with a higher number of subnets allowed.
Error 12305 (0x3011) - Error while sending package information Probable Cause
Connection failure or unstable network.
Resolution
Wait for a retry. Check connections.
Error 12306 (0x3012) - Error while transferring package Probable Cause
Connection failure or unstable Network.
Resolution
Wait for a retry. Check connections.
Error 16384 (0x4000) - Error writing file Probable Cause
Cannot write to disk.
This can be caused by:
1. The disk being full.
2. The DD not having permissions to write to the work directory.
3. The path to the work directory specified in the Data Director Settings Tool being incorrect.
Resolution
Free some space on the disk, make sure that the process has the necessary permissions to write to the disk and make sure that the path to the work directory is correct.
Error 16385 (0x4001) - Error creating file Probable Cause
See Error 16384 Resolution See Error 16384
Error 16386 (0x4002) - Error reading file Probable Cause
The DD was trying to read a file that does not exist.
Resolution
If the file is missing then the file need to be recreated by running the job again.
Summary
This section explains Data Director Administration. Following are the topics included in this section:
Data Director Monitor
Data Director Administration – Administration Setup and Administration Card
Troubleshooting