APM Sync Services Tasks

APM Sync Services Overview

APM Sync Services is a solution provided for GE Digital APM handheld applications (e.g., Operator Rounds) that is built upon the Microsoft Sync Framework. The APM Mobile Sync Server provides a connection between handheld devices and the GE Digital APM Application Server so that data can be synchronized between the windows mobile devices and the GE Digital APM database.

Install APM Sync Services

Before You Begin

  • You must be logged in as the administrator for the system.
  • IIS must be reset before installation.
  • Install Microsoft Sync Framework.

Procedure

  1. On the APM Sync Server machine, access the GE Digital APM distribution package, and then navigate to the Meridium APM Server and Add-ons folder.
  2. Open the file Setup.exe.
    The Meridium APM Server and Add-ons installer screen appears.
  3. Select Next.
    The License Agreement screen appears.
  4. Read the License Agreement and, if you agree, select the I accept the terms of the license agreement option. Then, select Next.
    The Select Installation Location screen appears.
  5. Select Next to accept the default location.
    The Select the features you want to install screen appears.
    Note: The Select the features you want to install screen lets you select which features and languages you want to install on the APM Sync Server machine.
  6. Select the Meridium APM Application Server and Meridium Sync Services with Operator Rounds check boxes. All the subnodes that appear below these nodes become selected automatically.
    Note: The Default Language (English) check box cannot be cleared. English is the default language for GE Digital APM and will always be installed.
  7. Select Next.
    The Websites screen appears.
  8. Select the website where you want to create a virtual directory for APM Sync Services.
    Note: You can accept the default selection.
  9. Select Next.
    The Complete the Installation screen appears.
  10. Select Install.
    The Setup Status screen appears, displaying a bar that shows the progress of the installation. After the progress bar reaches the end, the Installation is Complete screen appears.
  11. Select Finish.
    The Meridium APM Server and Add-ons installer closes.
    Note: If the Launch APM System Administration now check box was selected, the APM System Administration window appears.

Verify Installation of APM Sync Services

Procedure

  1. On the APM Sync Server machine, open Internet Explorer.
  2. Navigate to the URL http://<Sync_Server_Name>.meridium.com/MeridiumSyncService/MeridiumSyncService.svc, where <Sync_Server_Name> is the name or IP address of the server, on which APM Sync Services is installed.
    The SyncService Service page appears, indicating that the APM Sync Service is successfully installed.

Modify the Web.config for an Oracle Sync Services Database Connection

About This Task

These instructions assume that:

  • The Oracle database that will contain the database tables for the APM Sync Services already exists.
  • You have accessed the APM System Administration tool on the APM Sync Server machine.
Note: If you are changing the Sync Services database, we recommend that you first create a back-up of the original database.

Procedure

  1. Access the GE Digital APM System Administration Tool.
  2. In the Configuration section, select Sync Services Database link.
    The content of the web.config file appears in the Meridium APM Sync Services Database provider section. These settings specify connection information to the database that contains the database tables that are used by the APM Sync Services.
  3. In the Select Database section, accept the default selection, Oracle.
  4. In the Alias box, enter the database alias.
    Note: This value is case-sensitive.
  5. In the User Name box, enter the user name that you want to use to connect to the database.
  6. In the Password box, enter the password associated with the user name you entered.
    Note: This value is case-sensitive.
  7. At the bottom of the APM System Administration window, select Save.
    Your changes are saved to the web.config file.

Modify the Web.config for a SQL Sync Services Database Connection

About This Task

These instructions assume that:

  • The SQL database that will contain the database tables for the APM Sync Services already exists.
  • You have accessed the APM System Administration tool on the APM Sync Server machine.
Note: If you are changing the Sync Services database, we recommend that you first create a back-up of the original database.

Procedure

  1. Access the GE Digital APM System Administration Tool.
  2. In the Configuration section, select Sync Services Database link.
    The content of the web.config file appears in the Meridium APM Sync Services Database provider section. These settings specify connection information to the database that contains the database tables that are used by the APM Sync Services.
  3. In the Select Database section, select SQL.
    The SQL settings appear, replacing the Oracle settings.
  4. In the DB Server box, enter the name of the Database Server that contains the database.
  5. In the DB Name box, enter the database name.
  6. In the User Name box, enter the user name that you want to use to connect to the database.
  7. In the Password box, enter the password associated with the user name you entered.
    Note: This value is case-sensitive.
  8. At the bottom of the APM System Administration window, select Save.
    Your changes are saved to the web.config file.

Modify APM Sync Config

When you perform a sync operation in the APM Mobile Framework, the device connects to the APM Sync Server, which in turn connects to the specified GE Digital APM Application Server and logs in to the data source defined in the file MeridiumSync.config. Security User credentials are required for logging in to the data source.

About This Task

Before you can perform a sync operation, you will need to define the following settings on the APM Sync Server:

  • The GE Digital APM Server
  • The GE Digital APM data source
  • The APM Sync Services Security User credentials that will be used to connect the APM Sync Server to the GE Digital APM database

    The user you specify must have the family-level privileges required to access all data that needs to be downloaded to the Windows Mobile Device for a given application. The MI Operator Rounds Administrator and MI Operator Rounds Mobile User Security Groups, which are provided with the baseline Operator Rounds product, have these privileges. Therefore, you can create your own Security User and assign it to either one of these Security Groups for this purpose.

To specify these settings, you will need to modify the MeridiumSync.Config file via the APM System Administration tool on the APM Sync Server machine.

The following instructions provide details on defining the GE Digital APM server, data source, and Sync Services Security User credentials in the MeridiumSync.config file. These instructions assume that you have:

  • Created the Security User whose credentials you will enter in the configuration file and granted them the appropriate permissions to Operator Rounds families.
  • Accessed the APM System Administration tool on the APM Sync Services server machine.

Procedure

  1. Access the GE Digital APM System Administration Tool.
  2. In the Configuration section, select Meridium Sync Config link. By default, the Server box contains the name of the machine on which you are currently working.
    The contents of the MeridiumSync.Config file appear in the Meridium Sync Config Changes section.
  3. In the Server box, enter the name of the APM Server machine that you want to use with Sync Services.
  4. In the Data Source box, enter the name of the GE Digital APM data source to which you want to log in. This data source must be configured on the Application Server machine defined in the Server box.
    Note: This value is case-sensitive. You must define the data source name using the same case that is used in Data Source Manager.
  5. In the User Name box, enter the User ID of the GE Digital APM Security User that you want to use for logging in to the data source identified in the Data Source box.
  6. In the Password box, enter the password associated with the GE Digital APM Security User identified in the User Name box. This password will be encrypted in the file.
  7. At the bottom of the APM System Administration window, select Save.
    Your changes are saved to the MeridiumSync.config file.

Configure Security for APM Sync Service

When you install APM Sync Services, the service MeridiumSyncService is created under the Default Web Site in IIS on the APM Sync Server machine. The Windows user account that is configured at the Default Web Site level to be used for anonymous access is granted permission to the following folder: <root>\MeridiumSyncService. Where <root> is the drive and root folder where the APM Sync Services was installed (e.g., C:\Program Files\Meridium).

If you configure a different Windows user account to be used for anonymous access at the MeridiumSyncService level, you must grant that user the following permissions to the folder <root>\MeridiumSyncService:

  • Modify
  • Read & Execute
  • List Folder Contents
  • Read
  • Write

If these permissions are not granted, when any user attempts to perform a sync operation in the APM Mobile Framework, an error message will be displayed, and synchronization will fail. For details on granting these permissions, see the Microsoft documentation.