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Home > Software Installation > Software Installation - Client

Software Installation - Client


You must run Register Programs and Controls after installing a new client computer/server, software updates or making changes to the server's name or data location.


Client Installation 

 

Installing at the client is nothing more than creating a shortcut, (or in a remote desktop environment, configuring the connection.) 

There is no software to install. You are simply creating a shortcut. 

 

This is the basic layout of the typical client-server setup on a TCP/IP network:

 

Installation Options


When installing Execu/Suite on the client, you have two options:

 

1. Create a Shortcut - The first, and most common, is to create a shortcut on the client that runs the software from the server.

 

2. Remote Desktop / Terminal Services - The second is to use Microsoft Terminal Services and run the software via Remote Desktop. When using Remote Desktop, you have the option of using Microsoft's RemoteApp.

Each Windows user that needs access to the software should have a shortcut or Remote Desktop Connection. All users who run Execu/Suite will need to have full control of the Execu/Suite folder on the server. No other access to folders on the server is needed except in special, very rare circumstances. 


Before creating the shortcuts, there are two things you should know about:

Command Line Arguments and Terminal Numbers.

Command Line Arguments

 

Our software uses command line arguments to specify the menu structure and terminal number.

  • Your primary concern is the terminal number, explained below.
  • When creating a shortcut manually, you must enter both the "Target" and "Start in".
  • An example "Target" is: \\server\share\wrun32.exe -w -c wruncbl.fil START 01
  • An example "Start in" is: \\server\share\

Point Of Sale (POS) Special Command Line Argument


There is an additional command line argument that can be added to an Execu/Suite Point of Sale shortcut that will auto login directly to the keyboard screen.

  • This command line argument is menu.aut
  • It should be added after "start" and before the terminal number, like this:
    C:\EXECUTECH\HotelTest\wrun32.exe -w -c wruncbl.fil start menu.aut 01

   Terminal Numbers
  • The terminal number is a two-digit number from 01 to 96, placed at the end of the shortcut. Note: Terminal numbers 97, 98 and 99 are typically reserved for Execu/Tech support operations.
  • Each client must have a different terminal number specified in the shortcut
  • Execu/Tech does not maintain a list of each customer's terminal numbers. The customer should make a note of what terminals are used and where.

​​

Batch Terminal Numbers

 

If you are using General Ledger, Direct Bill (City Ledger), and Inventory Control, you need to be mindful of the Terminal numbers you assign when creating shortcuts. Sometimes, multiple terminals are used to process batches, and if two of them have the same Terminal ID Code, they will be working in the same batch and will overwrite each other's transactions. Therefore, any workstation with a "batch" should be assigned a unique one-digit Terminal ID Code.

 

To find your Terminal ID Code, use the table on the below.

Look at the lower left area of your Execu/Tech Screen and find your Terminal Number.

 

Locate your terminal number on the table and.follow that column to the bottom row.

 

The number at the bottom of the column where your terminal number is listed is your Terminal ID Code.

 

Using the table, you can see that the first batch (1) can be accessed by terminals 01, 09, 17, 25, etc. 

 

Important:

  • No two "batch" terminals should be assigned a Terminal ID from the same column.
  • For example, do not assign two G/L terminals numbers 09 and 17.


Execu/Tech Terminal Numbers:
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08
09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48
49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56
57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64
65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72
73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88
89 90 91 92 93 94 95 xx 
 2 3   4  7
Corresponding one-digit Terminal ID Codes: 

 



Option 1: Create a Shortcut on the Client

 

There are 2 ways to create a shortcut:

 

1. Manually create the shortcut. See Create Shortcut Manually.

 

2. Use ET Shortcut Wizard. This program will create a shortcut using a correct command line and will automatically register all ActiveX controls.

 

DO NOT USE A MAPPED DRIVE! Use the UNC!

Using ET Shortcut Wizard

Watch this video on using the wizard: ETShortcutWizard

1. From the client computer, browse to the server’s shared folder containing the Execu/Suite software.

 

2. Look for the program ETShortcutWizard.exe and run it.

 

3. To successfully run the Shortcut Wizard, you must right-click the application and choose Run as Administrator. If you do not have Windows administrator permissions, you will need to contact your IT.

 

Windows will ask "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?" Select Yes. This window will open:

This window will be unresponsive as long as the bottom status bar is blinking red and white with the message: “Loading user control data. This may take a couple minutes so be patient.” It’s compiling a list of all ActiveX controls and DLLs that need to be registered.

 

When it’s finished, you’ll see the status bar remain white with the message: “Control data loaded. Verify folder and terminal number and proceed."

At this point, you’ll also notice that the Create Shortcut button has appeared.


 

4. Select the shortcut options:

  • Since the program was run from the Execu/Suite folder, you will not need to "locate the folder..." This field will already show the correct folder.
  • Select your desired Terminal Number. (See Terminal Numbers above.) You won’t be notified if your selected terminal number is already in use, so be sure you’re selecting the correct terminal number to avoid any confusion or security warnings when running Execu/Suite.

5. Click Create Shortcut.

If the shortcut was created successfully, you will get a pop-up confirmation like the one below:

   

 

When finished, your shortcut properties will look similar to the one below. (Right-click on the shortcut and select "Properties".) THIS IS ONLY AN EXAMPLE! Your shortcut will differ based on options described above.

 


 

Run-time Error

  • If you get a run-time error, you either failed to "Run as Administrator" in step 3, or you do not have administrator permissions.
  • Follow step 3 again. If the issue persists, you will need to contact your IT to determine if you have administrator permissions.




Option 2: Terminal Services and Remote DesktopThis is the responsibility of your IT professional. 

 

Execu/Suite is best run using the Environment tab of the user in Active Directory Users and ComputersRather than placing the command line in "Target:" you’ll place it in "Program file name." 

 

If your server and Terminal Services server aren’t the same machine, be sure to use the UNC, just like in the first option. Otherwise, you should use the drive letter, just like in the example image. Using the UNC when the software is installed locally will cause severe performance issues.  

 

 


 

Sessions Setting

  • Failure to configure this setting can leave files locked that may prevent other users from running the software. They may experience errors caused by the locked files that can't be resolved until the disconnected sessions are ended.
  • Make sure that the disconnected session settings are set in accordance to the needs of the property. You may want to be able to reconnect to a session after a few minutes if you experience frequent disconnects. You also want to make sure that a disconnected session doesn’t remain in that state indefinitely, causing the number of available users to be reduced by one even though the session isn’t in use.  
  • Setting an appropriate duration to "End a disconnected session" can give the user time to reconnect, if needed, but allow the count of active users to be accurate if you’re unable to reconnect and close Execu/Suite properly. We find that 5 minutes is a good setting. This can be set at the server level or user level, whichever your IT prefers.

 



  Remote Desktop Printers

If you have a lot of terminals, it's important that the printers for each terminal are not published into the list of printers that all other terminals will see. This can create huge delays when the the software needs to display a printer dialog and can make printer selection confusing for the users.


 

These are common errors you'll get when you miss a step or type something wrong when making a shortcut:

Sometimes your computer will lose its connection to the server and you might see the errors found here:

If you assign a terminal number that's already in use, you will get this error:

Sometimes you'll select a terminal number that was previously used in another company. You might find that your ID and Password don't work. Try this:

 

You must run Register Programs and Controls after installing a new client computer/server, software updates or making changes to the server's name or data location.


Related Pages:

 

Register Programs and Controls

Software Installation - Server

Installation Checklists

Software Reinstall / Move

Create Shortcut Manually

 

You must run Register Programs and Controls after installing a new client computer/server, software updates or making changes to the server's name or data location.





Article ID
 software_installation___client
Views
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Last Modified
 6/20/2024 5:03 PM