Wow - has technology changed in the past few years!
With the release of v7.0, not only have we added some really cool buttons, we have also allowed them to be setup as 'scratch and sniff'. In the system settings area of v7.0, you can now assign different odors to your buttons as it relates to different objects.
For example, if a customer is a problem customer, you can assign a skunk odor to the customer module for those with lots of unpaid tickets. Orange vehicles can have an orange scent assigned, red vehicles can now smell like cherries.
All you have to have is v7.0 and a high resolution monitor. Rub a finger over the button on your screen, and the odor is released from the PC vents in the back of your computer...
Very cool! Upgrade to v7.0 and check it out!
Mark Freeman
T2 Support Services
Don't push my new v7.0 buttons... well, ok - you can...
Well, it is summer. And with it comes the fun of the kids being out of school... running around the house screaming they are bored, trying to find things for them to do... and pulling your hair out... while trying to remain flexible to the point where you don't snap...
I guess I should jump to the positive portion of my latest blog… :)
T2 Flex v7.0 is officially out the door! The rollout has gone really well, and it looks like it is going to be loved by all. The coolest item: new buttons. Well, I guess many will argue that this isn’t the coolest item, but to me – it is pretty cool. I love the new look, and this alone would cause me to upgrade.
Other cool stuff?
For those accepting credit cards online, PA-DSS validation is here and is part of the release.
Also, there is a new search filter that can be invoked after doing a search to better refine your search results.
And the Event Management/PermitNow modules have been enhanced and are much more flexible and easier to use.
There are lots of changes that you should read about online in our release notes that cover many other items, such as having the Amount Due on the vehicle record that displays the total citations due and other fees (like boot and tow) that’s owed on the vehicle. This is another one of my favorites.
If T2 Systems is hosting your Flex site, you will be notified soon on when you are scheduled to be upgraded. If you host your own data, then the installers and upgrade docs are online and are ready for download.
And if not for the cool features… do it for the buttons. They are soothing and will help to eliminate the stress from working in a parking office each day. :)
Have a nice summer!
Mark Freeman
T2 Support Services
Avoid an Oracle database crash: two leading causes of a crash...
The two leading causes of an Oracle database crash are:
1) Virus Detection Software - We see this one the most! When your virus detection is installed, its on-access scanner must exclude the Oracle live database files. If Oracle detects that there is a lock on one of its files while the virus detection software is scanning the file, the database will close to protect the integrity of the data. Each virus detection software package has a method to exclude certain directories. Just add your Oracle database directory to be excluded and you should be able to avoid this problem.
2) Backup software - We see this one often! A site might be using their backup software to do a file system backup of the open database files. When Oracle attempts to write to the file that is being backed up, Oracle detects a lock on the file and closes the database down to protect the integrity of the data. How to avoid this? Use backup scripts to backup the database while it is closed, and then have your backup software to backup the backup directory rather than the live database directory. That's the easiest way. If you want to use an Oracle agent with your backup software, then you can backup the live database while it is open, but the agent must be used.
We do have copies of backup scripts available for your server. Just contact us at 800-434-1501 or via email at support@t2systems.com
-Mark
Oracle database tablespaces - health check?
How often do you look at your Oracle database with Enterprise Manager? Have you recently? In the last week? month? year?
A few simple tips that can help you with some of your longer running tasks:
Check your tablespace free space for your USERS, TEMP, and UNDO tablespaces. Are they at 99%? If so, you could be seeing slow import times, update times, when adding records.
Deciding how much new free space to give your tablespace has a lot to do with how often it is growing and at what rate. As a rule of thumb, you can start with a few hundred megs of free space to start, and then watch how fast each is growing. If you have plenty of free disk space on your server's hard drive that stores your Oracle database, then you could consider giving the USERS tablespace an extra gig of space. You can click on the tablespaces tab in the Enterprise Manager to see the free space (a graph and percentage will be displayed) and this is where you can reset the size to a larger size. Click on the USERS tablespace, for example, and then change the size to a higher size (i.e., if your users tablespace is 2 GB - change the new size to 3 GB and then click 'apply' to increase the size.
How does this help you? When the tablespace is full, and it needs to grow on a large import, for example, Oracle has to pause to increase the size of the tablespace very often during the import. If you go ahead and increase it ahead of time, then there won't be a delay during the import process.
If you need help with this task- or any other T2 Systems related issues including handheld ticketwriters and T2 Flex - give us a call at 800-434-1501 or by email at support@t2systems.com.
-Mark
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