ALERT

This document describes the compatibility of Alert with the various Mediators and Supervisors.

Information :

The Alert software requires the Windows 32 or 64 bits environment (Window 2000, XP, Vista, 7). The required hardware configuration is the one recommended for the used environment.
If this software is running with other applications and uses a lot of multimedia functionalities, it is worth to provide a well-dimensioned hardware configuration:

• - Screen and Super VGA board (800x600), higher resolution advisable (1024x768 or more),
• - 64 MB of memory available for Alert, or more according to the application configuration (number of defined tags…).
• - Hard disk with 500 MB minimum (storage of audio files, boards...), 2 GB with Text To Speech
• - A sound card with loudspeaker and microphone (not necessary but recommended).

To call operators, it is necessary to add the appropriate hardware according to the media used:

• - For the call directed to a local in site paging system, a simple serial link is sufficient,
• - For the call directed to paging servers, Hayes modems mode are needed,
• - For the vocal communications, it is necessary to use vocal modems.

The Alert software can also work on a network and communicate with applications located on other stations. In this case a network card has to be plugged in.

Information:

In normal operation, there is no need to have a user logged on the software. To configure the software or perform actions on it (Acknowledgement, masking of alarms, etc. ...) you must login with your ID. The user "Alert" exists by default in the software and allows you to log on and configure the software.

Warning: To secure the access to Alert, remember to protect the default LOGIN with an access code.

Information:

As a precaution:

• - Save the ALERT software directory (default C:\MMI\Alert).
• - Save the file called Alrapi32.dll located either in the folder C:\ WINNT\System32 or C:\Windows\System32 depending on your operating system.
• - Install the new Alert version over the old one.

Previous configuration and alarms should be found.

In case of problems:
For the drivers: check if any .ini files are missing in C:\MMI\Alert compared to the saved version.
You can always revert to a previsous version, overwriting the new one with all the precautions required and be sure not to forget to copy Alrapi32.dll of the previous version under C:\WINNT\System32 or C:\Windows\System32 depending on your operating system.

Precoedure:

Case 1 : Alert version < 3.5 on the old machine

On the machine where Alert is installed, save on a storage equipment (USB key, external disk) the Alert installation directory (C:\MMI\Alert) by default

Case 2 : Alert version >= 3.5 on the old machine

On the machine with Alert is installed, save your Alert configuration (in Alert, menu File ->Save as…).

We also recommend to :

• - Save the default Micromedia International software directory (by default C:\MMI).
• - Save the Alrapi32.dll file which is in C:\WINNT\System32 or C:\Windows\System32 depending on your Windows OS.

Warning: In all installation cases, make sure you install Alert and the security dongle drivers BEFORE connecting the security dongle on the new machine.

Case 1:

On the new machine

• - Install Alert on the new machine using the same CD you used to install it on the old machine. If you don’t have this CD anymore go to the next step after creating the Alert installation directory.
• - Optionally copy the saved Micromedia International software directory on the new machine (C:\MMI by default) in the Alert installation directory
• - Copy and replace the content of the Alert directory with the backup saved earlier on your storage equipment (USB key, external disk).
• - Install the new Alert version (if it is an update) or the same Alert version (if it is a PC migration only) choosing the Alert installation directory.

Case 2:

On the new machine:

• - Optionally copy the save Micromedia International software directory on the new machine (C:\MMI by default) in the Alert installation directory
• - Install the new Alert version (if it is an update) or the same Alert version (if it is a PC migration only) choosing the Alert installation directory.
• - Copy the old machine’s configuration file in the Alert installation directory on the new machine.
• - In Alert, select in the menu File -> Open… and select the configuration file

You should get your previous Alert configuration on the new machine.

Communication drivers (GSM and Port COM) may have to be redefined as the physical hardware and communication ports may have changed.

Information:

To enable communication ports logs in Alert proceed as follows:

• - Display the "Communication" window (Configuration -> Communication ...)
• - Check the option "communications log"
• - Log files are created in the directory C:\ MMI\Alert\ComLog as PORTx.LOG, x designating the port concerned.

For these log files to be saved with your configuration during a backup, proceed as follows:

• - Check the option "External files"
• - Click on the button "..." to the right of "external files"
• - Press the button "Add files..." and select the directory "Comlog".

Information:

If you have a dongle, just remove it, or

• - Close the ALERT software.
• - Delete (or rename) the lic file in the c:\mmi\alert directory.
• - Open the registry (regedit)
• - Search the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Micromedia-Int\Alert3.6rev1\License
• - Rename the key that corresponds to your serial number by putting a "_ " before it.
• - Restart the ALERT software.

To return to your licensed version, simply delete the "_".

This document explains how redundancy works in ALERT

Failover redundancy

This document describes how to set up a redundancy between 2 ALERT software.

Information:

Several solutions are possible:

• - You can create an alarm on the variable DDE ALERT|Alarm !DDEFail. The value is on 0 when all supervision links are OK and 1 when there is a defect.
• - You can also monitor each server data independently. To do this we must create an alarm for each data server by connecting to the variable DDE ALERT|DataServer!<data server name>.Status. This variable has the value 4 when there is a problem with the connection to the server data.

For more information, we recommend to check the help on the DDE server of Alert.

Symptom:

Impossibility to listen to an alarm message locally.

Cause:

No sound card installed on machine.

Solution:

Alert doesn't need a sound card to work properly. Having one will allow you to listen to your alarm messages locally to verify them.

To record voice messages, you have two options:
-> With a microphone
Click on a variable and display its properties. Proceed with the recording by clicking on "Save" and speak into the microphone. You can then listen to it, start again, etc...
-> By phone
To do this, you must have enabled the option "Record messages by telephone" (Configuration > Record messages by telephone). Then Call Alert (or have it call you) then after you have logged in, hit "1" on the telephone keypad. Speak after the first beep. After a few seconds of silence you hear a second beep: Your message is temporarily saved. By hitting "2" on your phone, you can replay your message. Be careful, your message will be permanently recorded in Alert after hitting "3" on the phone. You will then have to assign this message to your alarm by displaying its properties and selecting the sound file with the "Browse" button in the "Vocal Message" filed.

In theory there is no maximum duration for a voice message associated with an alarm. But several options can have an affect on the length of the message. In vocal server options, the option "Maximum communication time (without action)", defines the maximum duration of a communication if no keystroke is detected.
In the COM ports properties, the option "max communication time", disconnects the modem automatically. There is also the option "maximum recording time (by phone)", which limits a recording made by telephone in the options of the voice server.

Please check with competent people that you do not have a bridge in the PBX that could intercept the calls.

After acknowledging a call, Alert waits for an action from the operator. This action corresponds to the acknowledgment of the alarm. Without this acknowledgment, Alert will remind the operator every two hours (by default).
The duration (in minutes) is configurable in "Configuration" > "Options", select the "Alarm" tab and set the desired value in the option "Timeout before restarting the call cycle when an alarm is not acknowledged.

Hit on the telephone keypad:

Key "7" to listen to the alarms one by one

Key "8" to acknowledge the alarm you have just listened to by hitting "7". A second hit on "8" will acknowledge all the alarms of the same functional group.

If you have a GSM modem, it is possible to acknowledge an alarm upon receipt of an SMS in Alert. For that you must use the script AckAlarmSMS. This script installs itself automatically when installing the latest versions of Alert (version 3.6 or later Rev1). If you have an older version contact us to get the script.
To implement this script read the instructions in the file "readme.txt AckAlarmSMS" (under the installation directory of Alert (C:\MMI\Alert by default).

Alert was developed to secure your plants a maximum. This is why when the alarm is sent in writing on a mobile phone or a pager, Alert needs to be sure that the message has been received by the operator on call. It is therefore necessary to call back Alert to "acknowledge the call". Until this call is acknowledged, Alert continues to send a message. The delay (5 minutes by default) can be configured in Configuration >Options, select the "Calls" tab and set the desired value in the "Timeout for call acknowledgement" option.

It is sometimes necessary to force the telephone operator in the GSM modem, because the latter, after reset, connects to the wrong telephone operator. The error "CMS ERROR 512" is displayed when sending a message.
The option "Forced Operator" in the GSM modem configuration can be grayed out. This is because your file GSM.INI is outdated and does not contain the code of the telephone network that matches the one on the SIM card.

To correct this, we must add the code from your network operator by editing GSM.INI located under C:\MMI\Alert.

• -> CLOSE ALERT software.
• -> Open the file GSM.INI for editing
• -> Find the section that corresponds to the telephone operator of your SIM card
• -> Search the GSM network code corresponding to your operator
• -> Add in the section of your operator code=xxxx
• -> Save the file GSM.INI
• -> Restart the ALERT software.

You can now check the option "Forced Operator" in the GSM modem settings.

When a red cross is displayed on an on-call group , it means this on-call group is not reachable at the moment. This may be because:
-> No team is scheduled for this group
-> This group has been put in derogation or calls have been blocked for this group.

It may be that the operators in question are still in the GROUP but not the TEAM. To see all the operators in a GROUP, make sure the option "Users" is selected in the upper right corner in the display when clicking on a group.

Under Configuration >User profile, the option "Access to all groups" allows, when selected, access to all voice alarm of all groups. If this option is not selected, the operator has only access to the alarms of the group(s) he belongs to.

By default, Alert inhibits calls when no teams are active, but calls when the team becomes active again. In this case, Alert did not call when the on-call team became active again because the option "Discard if no team to call when alarm is activated" was checked.

At group level (configuration >Options, Calls tab) put "0" in the "Timeout before restarting a new cycle after fail (minutes)" option.
Or at the operator level in the options of the call number, put "1" in the "Attempt number if call fails" (attempt) option.

This is the normal working of the software. Indeed, calls for events are regarded as service announcements and in this case Alert only calls active operators in the team and does not switch to relief operators.

This is a known bug in ALERT Version 3.6 to ALERT Version 3.6 Revision 1 Build 6.
This bug has been fixed in ALERT Version 3.6 Revision 1 Build 7.
To correct the problem, close ALERT, edit Alert.ini (C:\MMI\Alert), and put "0" in the value SessionTimeOut = 0 (is equal to zero) or update ALERT to the more recent version.

This error occurs when the port 2495 is already in use by another application, with high probability that it is Alert.
Check in the taskbar manager if another Alert is running.

This message appears because you have installed the Voip driver but do not have a license for it. Either way this message is not critical and just a bit annoying.
To disable this message, you can:

• - Close the Alert software
• - Open the file alert.ini (directory c:\mmi\alert) and find the line VoIP=53, VoIP.DLL, 2, 3 and delete the line
• - Save and close the alert.ini file
• - Start Alert software.

A number is "black listed" where an operator has been called several times on the same number unsuccessfully (if the number is busy or if nobody picked up). That way, when a number is not available, Alert takes it in consideration and either calls another number of the same operator or calls a relief operator (depending on your setup). To remove a number from the blacklist, you need to reset the modem(s). If this approach is ineffective, please contact us.

There are two possibilities:

• -> In "Configuration", ""On-call management, "Users" select the user in question and then click on "edit". Then check if the box "Off duty" is not checked.
• -> In the same windows, check in front of the number of the operator, if the "Active" or "Relief user" is checked.
• -> Since version 3.6 rev 1, you can set a user off-duty in the schedule. Verify that there is no schedule for this user.

Unchecking this option means you are not required to enter your identification code before hearing the messages.
To consider the operator as "ADVISED", you must always acknowledge the call after hearing the message. If you do not want to identify yourself, you must set the "waited length for identifier" to "0" in the vocal server options. Note however that this is not recommended for vocal use.

As long as your supervisor has an OPC or DDE server, Alert will function.
However knowing that there is no mediator designed specifically for your supervisor, all alarms / messages must be created manually in Alert.

It is possible to connect remotely to Alert with pcAnywhere.

Note that Alert is validated up to version 11.0 of pcAnywhere.