Lab/Development Environments – RightFax Simulation & Testing

At our company we have a lab environment that we utilize to replicate a large number of our customer implementations.  This environment runs on Virtual Servers in order to keep the cost and maintenance down for our organization.  Here are a few of the many advantages for us to maintain this type of environment for our customers;

1. The ability to reproduce issues and in turn expedite resolution and impact to the customer
2. A proactive approach to determining the impact (positively or negatively) of new patches, builds, and versions of software
3. Through development procedures (testing, QA, QC) can take place without affecting customer environments
4. The ability to give our support technicians, engineers, and developers a thorough understanding of the solution implemented

One issue that does arise on occasion is the ability to reproduce an issue that is occurring in a customer environment where we don’t have the underlying hardware or software.  This can be due to a proprietary product the software is interfacing with or a solution that is not realistic for us to manage internally.  One such case is with OpenText RightFax (formerly Captaris RightFax).  We have customers with all types of configurations from analog and digital fax boards to fax over IP (FOIP), and it doesn’t make sense for us to maintain all types of solutions.

The good news is that RightFax provides an “out of the box” capability to setup a RightFax solution without requiring fax boards or phone lines.  The power of this functionality is that it allows you to send and receive faxes internally to your RightFax system in order to simulate the real world functionality of the software.  This capability is referred to as running RightFax in simulation mode.  The following information takes you through the steps to enable simulation mode on your RightFax v9.4 (older versions of the software also have simulation mode, but the configuration is slightly different) system:

1. Install RightFax and get it functional, with the exception of the Board Server
2. Launch the Enterprise Fax Manager (EFM)
3.  
4. Open the RightFax Server that you want to configure
5. Right click on the “RightFax DocTransport Module” and choose “Configure Service”
6. 
7. When the DocTransport Module opens, click the Add Transport add the bottom of the window  
8. In the Transport Select window, select Simulation Device and click the Select button
9.  
10. You will now notice that you have a Simulation entry in your DocTransport configuration
11. The Simulation entry can now be configured as if you are setting up a fax board (e.g. setup the Fax ID for routing)
12. Next, you will need to create a dialing rule.  In EFM right click “Dialing Rules” and choose “New” to bring up the Rule Edit configuration.
13. 
14. Simply accept the default pattern of “+” to apply the rule to all numbers.
15. Go to the Destination tab, choose “Receive into Fax Server”, and set the name to your RightFax Server.  Click OK to close the Rule Edit configuration screen.
16. Lastly, you need to save the dialing plan.  In EFM, click on the File Menu and choose “Save Dialing Plan”
17. You are now ready to send and receive faxes on your RightFax Server.  The faxes can be sent to any of your configured users utilizing their routing codes.

The ability to run RightFax in simulation mode is a great trick for setting up and testing a RightFax server in your development or lab environment.  If you have any questions on this functionality or other topics related to this post, please let me know.  Thank you.

Ryan Keller

ImageSource, Inc.

 

ILINX Capture Remote Management

In the years that we have been doing ILINX Capture implementations a common question usually comes up from the IT Administrators; “Do we have to log on to the server to access the administration and management features?”  The answer is: “No, the ILINX Capture Server Manager can be utilized by any remote computer with the proper access.”

The reason why this comes up is because there is a lot of functionality in the ILINX Capture Server Manager.  Not only from the technical administration perspective, but also from the business management side.  For example, you have the ability to monitor the system status, review audit logs, configure security, monitor batches/documents and queues, and much more.  All of this functionality can be individually enabled or disabled for specific users and groups depending on their needs.

The following steps show you how to install the Server Manager for remote access to the software’s administration features;

1.  Run the Software Install and choose “ILINX Server Manager” from the install package…

 

2.  Ensure that the workstation has port access to the ILINX Capture database open to Database.  For example, if you are using SQL Server for your database the default port is 1433.

3.  Provide the user/group with the proper administration access. 

a.  For a Line of Business Manager, it is common to just allow them access to monitor and manage the batches/documents in their queues

b.  For Tech Support, it is common to allow access to the Audit logs and System Monitoring features

This remote administration and management functionality has proven to be a valuable tool for this software over the years.  For more advanced remote admin/management tasks in ILINX Capture, feel free to leave a question in the comments and I will respond.  If enough similar questions are asked, I will drop another post on the more advanced tasks. 

Ryan Keller

ImageSource, Inc.

 

Considerations Often Overlooked When Implementing a Content Management or Document Management System

You’re thinking about implementing a Content Management and/or a Document Management system.  What should I consider before proceeding?

• You have lots of paper documents, micro fiche or other physical inventory that you want converted to electronic format.
• You want to “Go Green” starting today.  You need the means to scan physical documents as well as import documents that are already electronic format (PDF, Tiff, Word, Excel, etc.).
• You want to automate paper processes (Electronic Workflow) to eliminate the use of paper.
• You’ll need software and hardware.
• You’ll need some space in the server room.
• You’ll need a project manager.

Hah!! (Light Bulb turning on in your brain) I have answered the essential questions, let’s go research and find a system that suits our needs. Better yet, let’s hire a Content Management and/or a Document Management consultant to help us.

Obligatory Disclaimer: I would not blog on this subject if I hadn’t witnessed, time and time again, a new process or environment installed that was left for personnel to administer without training and without a test environment (sandbox if you will) to learn and grow with. 

DON’T overlook the added value of TRAINING and a Test Environment. They are essential pieces to consider when deploying any system.

Think about it for a moment- When you first learned to tie your shoes, someone showed you the method of tying an overhand knot and then tying two bunny ears together. TRAINING!!  Then you were shown a few more times. Secondary or follow-up training!  Finally, you were left alone with your shoes and strings (your test environment) until after about 200 attempts, SUCCESS!!  You became an expert in shoe tying, a major accomplishment that we have all achieved.

The same can be said for many other basic life skills, like riding a bike.  You started off with three wheels, a tricycle or a big wheel.  Then you got your first bike, TRAINING wheels included.  You rode all over town, to your hearts content.  Then the big day came when the TRAINING wheels came off.  Mom and Dad ran up and down the street, hunched over holding the back of your bike seat while you struggled to figure out how to balance on just two wheels.  Mom and Dad nursed their aching backs willingly because they knew that they were helping you learn a new skill.

Why do so many overlook the added value of providing these same indispensable tools, TRAINING and Test Environments, for a Content Management system or Document Management system (or any system for that matter) that is worth much more than an old pair of shoes or a kid’s bike?

I speak for System Engineers and Administrators all over this nation: Please provide the necessary tools to support the ones that support your systems, the company, the bottom line, the knowledgeable professionals working diligently in their offices and cubicles, etc.  Set them up for SUCCESS at the beginning and there will less likely be failure in the future.

Related blogs on Software Development Training:

http://softwaredevelopmentforecm.wordpress.com/2009/09/25/ecm-best-practices-training/ 

Robert Gartner
Sr. Systems Engineer
ImageSource, Inc.

  

Implementing Content Management Systems with Multiple Environments

A common recommendation we have when designing Enterprise Content Management systems is the use of multiple environments.  I am referring the use of Development, Test, and/or QA environments to complement a Production environment.  There are many advantages to deploying systems with multiple environments, and I would like to discuss the role of multiple environments and the advantages to implementing them for your ECM system.

Depending on the size and complexity of the solution different supporting environments are recommended.  For, example with a smaller departmental level solution with little or no custom development, it is common to only recommend one supporting environment used for development and testing.  Now let’s take another example where a customer has an enterprise level ECM system with custom development and a requirement for minimal system downtime.  The following is a common layout for this type of system:

• Development Environment – Used for custom development and preparation for testing changes to the ECM system.  This environment is usually much smaller than the Production Environment and is commonly running on virtual servers/machines.
• Test Environment – Used for end to end testing of changes to the system.  Changes are certified in this environment prior to moving to the QA or Production.  This environment is usually smaller than Production, but it is imperative that the functionality is consistent to ensure proper testing and certification of the changes.
• Quality Assurance Environment – This environment serves a couple of purposes and it closely mirrors the architecture of the Production Environment.  Performance load testing and client acceptance are performed in this environment.  In some instances, this environment can also serve as a disaster recovery environment in the event of a Production outage.
• Production Environment – Used for the ECM Production System.

This environment configuration is representative of a common layout for multiple environments, but depending on the organization and solution it can vary.  The ECM solution architects play a valuable role in recommending the optimal configuration.  At ImageSource, we have extensive knowledge and experience with ECM architecture and take a great deal of pride in designing the correct layout for the customer and the solution.

Now that we have discussed the role that different environments can play, I would like to touch on some key points to implementing multiple environments for your ECM System.  These points are based on my many years of experience implementing these types of solutions.

• It is imperative to put in place and enforce the procedures for implementing changes in these environments.  It is very common for us to find ECM solutions implemented with multiple environments, but all of the changes are being implemented directly into Production and the other environment(s) are out of date with Production. It takes additional time to follow the procedures and keep all environments in sync, but it is the key to mitigating the risk of Production issues, such as downtime.
• It is not a requirement to match the horsepower and server structure of your Production Environment with your Development and Test Environments.  There are scenarios where this makes sense, but for the most part a scaled down version is sufficient.
• The time and investment that it takes to implement and support multiple environments will pay for itself by mitigating risk and system downtime.  There are many items that can adversely affect a Production system, e.g. operating system patches, ECM software patches or upgrades, the addition of new functionality, the modification of existing functionality.  Being able to test and certify that the changes will not adversely affect the Production system prior to implementation can completely eliminate a company’s exposure to security or compliance issues, as well as, avoid the cost of having the Production system go down.
• The Development or Test level Environments can provide valuable training for your technical staff.  Having environments that will not affect the Production Environment give a company’s ECM technical workers the ability to hone their skills and make mistakes without the negative impact of bringing down the Production system.

In summary, I would highly recommend the use of multiple environments when implementing or supporting an Enterprise Content Management system.  It is an investment of time and money to implement and maintain multiple environments, but the payoff will quickly be realized through risk mitigation.  If you already have an ECM solution implemented without multiple environments, I would recommend evaluating the cost that Production issues cost your business and use that information to make the case for implementing an additional environment or environments.  If you have multiple environments but they are not synchronized with or being used to complement the Production Environment, now is the time to re-evaluate your procedures and leverage your company’s investment to support the health of the system.

 

Ryan S. Keller
Project Manager
ImageSource, Inc.