Configuration Manual
For UniChem SOC Client
Document Version:
Status:
Date:
Authors:
5.0
Issued
16/05/2007
Peter Hall / Chris Simpson
Contents
SOC Client – What does it do.
3
SOC Client Setup
4
Change Log
8
v 0.9
8
v 0.9.4
9
v 0.9.5
9
v 0.9.6
9
SOC Client – What does it do.
The SOC Client is used to transmit files over a secure socket connection. It will monitor a
known ‘Outgoing’ directory scanning for files to send at specified intervals. When a file
is found the SOC client will connect to a remote server, send the file and wait for a
response from the server. The response file is stored in another ‘Incoming’ directory.
If the file is unable to be transmitted, then it is simply left in the Outgoing directory, and
transmission will be re-attempted at the next scan.
If the file is transmitted, but gets no response within a specified timeout, it is assumed
that the message has caused a fault in the server, and the message is moved to the
‘Undeliverable’ directory. UniChem should be consulted before attempting to re-send
these messages, as they may be causing problems with the server.
SOC Client Setup
By default, the SOC client runs invisibly, so as not to allow the user the ability to change
the configuration. To enable the user interface, run the client using the command-line
parameter ‘-support’. This can be done in two ways; first, with the command window:
1. Click on Start=>Run, then type cmd and click OK.
2. Use the cd command to change to the soc client directory. (eg cd Program Files,
then cd SocClient)
3. Type socclient –support to run the program with the interface showing.
Alternatively, a windows shortcut can be created:
1. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the soc client directory
2. Right-Click on socclient.exe and select Create Shortcut.
3. A new file (called Shortcut to socclient.exe) will be created. Right-Click on this,
and select Properties.
4.
The SOC client needs to know only a few pieces of information these are:
1. Networking data
2. Where to read and store data
3. What to do when the application starts
4. How to handle the secure connections
5. Logging information
The network tab is used to configure the remote connection information
You first add a host using the + button in the circled area #1, after you have added you
Host address ( can be a name or ip number) click on the host in the list. Now you need to
supply the port numbers that are available for that host. You can add multple ports (
remove multiple ports also works the same way) or single ports using the circled area #2.
In the space provide you can specify a single port number or a range of port like this
Single port 10000
Multiple ports 10000-10002
Or you can have a list or ports like this
List of ports 10000,10001,10002
And of cause you can do complicated ranges like this
10000-10002,20002-20000,1055
which would build a list of ports 1055,10000,10001,10002,20000,20001,20002
Compression is enabled using the tick box next to the enable compression text
you can randomize the port numbers using the shuffle port selection – the shuffle ports
does not shuffle them until the application to attempting to connect with a system.
Use the timeout scroll box if you find that a response coming back from the server is
slow. The higher the number the longer it will wait for a response.
Here I’ve set my data directories. The incoming directory is where the results from
sending the documents in the outgoing directory are stored. Note that there is no
terminating slash on the directories.
If this box is ticked then the application will scan the directories immediately that
application loads.
the security tab allows you specify how it should validate the remote computer.
Low – it does not validate the server
Medium – allows you to enter the x509 cn (common name) which must then match the
remote certificate’s common name
Hight – the remote certificate common name must match the server address
enable the logger to help you identifer problems with the connection. When enabled you
must supply a filename to store the log information
When you have finished the setup the application shows that main application window.
To run the scan you click on the Start button. When the application is running the same
button will say stop.
The left column displays the files that need to be sent. The right column displays the files
returned from the remote server.
During a file transfer you will see a green or red indicator. When it’s green then the
filetransfer is going to the remote computer. If it’s red then it is receiving a file from the
remote computer.
There is also a % indicator, which shows you how much of the transfer has completed.
When it reaches the top it will have completed 100% of the transfer.
If you press the stop button during a transfer , the transfer will complete before stopping.
Change Log
v 0.9
The following features have been added to the client in versions 0.9 and above:
Interface – The main interface of the Client is now hidden by default. To enable the
interface, run the client with the command line parameter –support
Alive Indicator – The client now indicates it is still running by updating a file, specified
on the Log tab of the settings screen (this feature can also be disabled from this tab).
Supplier systems can check the modification date and time of this file, and if it has not
been modified within the last 30 seconds, that indicates that the client is not running.
Error LogFile – Errors that previously caused pop-up messages can now be set to be
written to a text file instead (or in addition to the messages). The text file can be set in the
Log tab of the settings screen. Also available on this screen is the facility to turn both
Error Messages and Error Logging on or off.
Received Filenames – Received files now have the current date and time appended onto
the name of the outgoing file, in the following format:
<original_Filename>_yyyymmddHhNnSs, where:
yyyy – 4-digit year
mm – 2-digit month
dd – 2-digit day
Hh – 2-digit hour
Nn – 2 digit Minute
Ss – 2 digit Second
Please note that it is possible for two files to have the same timestamp – thus it is
necessary that the original filenames be unique.
File Transmission Order – Files in the ‘Out’ folder are transmitted in alphabetical order
(by filename), which is not necessarily the order they are placed into the folder. If the
client is unable to connect to the server, it will continue trying to transmit the first
message until it either succeeds or the program terminates (generating an error message
and/or log file entry each time). If the client is able to connect, but unable to transmit a
message, then the message will be moved to the ‘Bad Message’ folder, and the client will
attempt to transmit the next file in the ‘out’ folder.
v 0.9.4
Last Working IP – The application will now attempt to use the last successful Host/Port
combination rather than take a random one from the list. This will speed up initial
connection times.
v 0.9.5
Last Working IP – If the Last Working IP is no longer in the list of IPs to use, a new one
will be selected randomly.
v 0.9.6
Settings File – The soc_client.ini file is now located in the application folder rather than
the Windows folder. As well as making it easier to locate the file, this makes it possible
to run more than one copy of the application, each using different hosts/folders/etc.