Introduction
CopiaFacts offers an optional feature which allows the main COPIAFACTS server engine, and the FFEXTERN document converter, to be run as services. In addition the CopiaFacts SMTP Gateway and the CFHK house-keeping service have been run as services since earlier releases.
Operation as a service offers increased reliability when the applications are running in a data center because there is no console display which can be accidentally closed or disrupted when a system admin needs access to the console. It also allows the applications to be run in a server environment in which desktop applications are not permitted.
The CopiaFacts services feature also includes a CopiaFacts Control Panel (CFCP), which allows running applications to be monitored and controlled from another machine. Service operations are controlled using the CopiaFacts node name: CFCP can only control COPIAFACTS and FFEXTERN instances started with a fixed node name on the command line.
Use the links for CFCP, CFESERVICE, CFXSERVICE and CFMSG to find detailed documentation for these components.
Implementation
Even if you are an experienced CopiaFacts user, and especially if you are a new user, it is essential that you prepare for service operation by running the applications on the same machine in desktop mode, before you switch to service operation. It is impractical to bring up service operation before the applications are running smoothly in desktop mode.
 | New COPIAFACTS users should not run COPIAFACTS and FFEXTERN in service mode without first running as live, production desktop applications for at least two weeks to ensure familiarity with all aspects of non-service operations. The same applies to the introduction of any new features. In desktop mode, to prepare for services mode, you should run each application with its designated nodename on the command line. |
CopiaFacts engines and Document Converters to be run in service mode must be configured as follows:
•The application must be run with a specific CopiaFacts node name, on the application command line. This is because the node name is used to identify each instance from the control panel. Node names are to be defined in CFHWL, both for COPIAFACTS and for FFEXTERN.
•The application must be configured and run in a specific user login account, both as a desktop application and when run as a service, except when run on a single machine which is also the location of the CopiaFacts Application Data area, in which case it runs in the local system account.
To be run as a service, the normal CopiaFacts engine and Document Converter executable programs are spawned from a service process (CFESERVICE for COPIAFACTS and CFXSERVICE for FFEXTERN). When run as a service, the applications make the following changes:
•The display window is not visible.
•Pop-up dialogs and alerts are suppressed.
•The COPIAFACTS .TRx trace file is written normally, but the output normally sent to FFTRACE is written to a separate trace file.
•Unhandled exceptions are trapped and recorded in a log file.
A separate service application, CFMSG, handles messaging between the service process, the application it spawns, and the CFCP control panel application. Unless the COPIA share resides on a non-Windows file server, the CFMSG service should run on the same machine as the COPIA share.
Service Operation
The COPIAFACTS and FFEXTERN applications are designed to allow monitoring of their operation in a console window. When run as a service this is not possible, so CFCP provides monitoring and control functions for these applications. CFCP can be run from any machine on your network to monitor the COPIAFACTS and FFEXTERN instances running on network machines. It can also be run from outside your network, but this will normally require the $cfmsg configuration command to be used, and attention given to securing its use in this way by means of your firewall settings.
It is intended that the CFMSG, CFESERVICE and CFXSERVICE should run continuously, and should only be stopped when maintenance and updating is required. The COPIAFACTS and FFEXTERN applications run from these services in service mode may, however be paused, stopped and restarted using CFCP from any connected machine, provided that the services are still running. If any of the services is stopped, you will not currently be able to restart them other from, or using remote access to, the machine on which they should be running.
CFESERVICE and CFXSERVICE should be installed only from CFCP. This ensures that they are configured with the correct nodename and to run in the correct user account.
The run-time options, and trace and debug options, for COPIAFACTS and FFEXTERN, are held in the HKEY Local Machine (HKLM) registry for service mode and in the HKEY Current User (HKCU) when run on the desktop.
When either program is run for the first time in service mode, these settings for the node are copied from existing HKCU settings into HKLM. Thereafter the settings changes made when you use CFCP to run the application in management mode will be saved into both HKLM and HKCU, in case you later need to run the application for special purposes on the same machine. Settings made when subsequently running a desktop instance are not copied to HKLM, even if you run the application elevated.
When changing the settings either in management mode or in a desktop instance, most changes take effect straight away. Some changes affecting scheduling will not take effect until the next quarter-hour schedule change.
If you wish permanently to cease using COPIAFACTS and FFEXTERN in service mode, then the following steps are needed.
•Use the CFCP Actions menu to
•shutdown COPIAFACTS and FFEXTERN,
•shutdown CFESERVICE and CFXSERVICE
•uninstall CFESERVICE and CFXSERVICE
•then (by right-clicking Actions) shut down CFMSG.
•Uninstall CFMSG with CFMSG /uninstall in an elevated command session.
•Delete or comment-out $cfmsg from FAXFACTS.CFG
•Delete FAXFACTS\CFMSG.INI
•Configure STARTCOPIA to start the desktop applications automatically on boot-up.
•Reboot.
