tiamo – Najczęściej zadawane pytania

In the past, there was a possibility to "package" the program 'BackupServer.exe' as service with Windows on-board resources: (Instsrv.exe and Srvany.exe). However, these tools are no longer provided by Microsoft since Windows 10 / Windows Server 2008.

It is possible to convert the application 'BackupServer.exe' as a service with specially designed commercial programs.  The program "FireDaemon Pro" was used successfully with several Metrohm customers, including in the pharmaceutical sector:

https://www.firedaemon.com/firedaemon-pro

There are several other commercial suppliers on the internet providing such solutions.

After successful conversion of the 'BackupServer.exe' as a service, please note:

• The requirements for the backup (access rights, sufficient memory space, firewall settings) must be met
• Start the service and manually create an initial backup
• With each repair of tiamo, please check afterwards if 'BackupSever as a service' is still working

In the event of problems, there is often a mismatch of the stipulated rights.

There are two kinds of databases: configuration databases (ConfigDB) and determination databases.

They can easily be copied (e.g., onto CD-ROM for backup purposes) and restored at the new location.

However, please note the following: If the databases are opened, they are blocked for processing (deleting, overwriting, copying, etc.). ConfigDB is always opened by the tiamo services (Metrohm tiamo Admin Server and Metrohm tiamo server) − the other databases are opened only if tiamo or a backup is running.

Therefore, tiamo must be closed, and the backup server and the tiamo services must be stopped before you carry out any file operations. Bear in mind that for normal users the paths made available by tiamo (backup and restore) should be used.

The error is occurring because effective copying is failing.

• In the determination directory, there is a file or a directory with the same name as the intended name for the restored database.
• A directory with the name of the restored database could not be set up. (The BackupServer is possibly not started as a result of insufficient rights of the user logged onto the server.)

This entry is not made until correct and complete backup has been executed.

The following prerequisites must be met for the backup function to work:

• BackupServer.exe must be running (check in Task Manager).
• On the server (tiamo multi license) or on the client (tiamo full or light license) a user with appropriate rights must be logged on and remain in Windows.
• This user plus the system user need at least Modify rights for the backup and database directories.
• In the backup directory there must be sufficient space free to create a new copy of the database. The old backup will not be deleted unless this copy has been created. tiamo will thus temporarily need more space.
• The firewall settings must be correct (see «General»).

No. In accordance with FDA requirements, this list always contains all currently registered clients.

During the installation of clients the network is checked for functionality. This includes testing of the backup server. However, the backup server only runs if you are logged onto the server in Windows. You thus have to be logged onto the server to facilitate testing of the backup servers.

Commands requiring Read or Write access to databases (both determination and configuration databases) are only executed if the database is accessible.
If the database (the server) is not available, e.g., if the line is overloaded, tiamo will wait until the connection is restored. Thus, no data will be lost.

In the event of network interruptions, client enquiries to the database (Determination Start, Report, Database, and Export commands) are held until the database is accessible again (without time limit). Device processes are not affected − they continue to run.

With local installations (light and full) such problems can occur if the processor load is constantly high (>80%). This situation, however, is unusual, and therefore the on-site administrator should check why the processor is so overloaded. Normally the processor workload is >10%, with load peaks in between.

With a multi system the reasons for this may vary: server load very high, the network is unstable, above all under load (low response times), the network connection has briefly been interrupted.

The client ID can be changed via Setup Routine and [Modify].

Global − the following data is global, i.e., visible in all clients: methods, determinations, export templates, report templates, audit trails, sample tables.

Client-specific − the following data is client-specific, i.e., only visible in the client in question: configurations, views, ID text templates, sample allocation tables.

NB: The data, including client-specific data, is always stored in the database on the server.

tiamo backs up all data in a database − there is no intermediate storage of files.

Files are only created by means of the commands EXPORT (mdet, xml, csv, slk) or REPORT (pdf). This data, however, is secondary data, i.e., copies of the original determination.

The data that ends up in the determination database never undergoes intermediate storage and is thus protected against changes.

The data is always (even with local installations, i.e., light or full) transmitted unencoded via a TCP/IP interface.

The database comprises a directory with subordinate files and subdirectories. The database directory name is used in tiamo as a database name.

This should not actually be the case, but if this situation does occur there are very differing reasons.

The tiamo database path should be defined as an exception in the virus scanner, so that this path is not scanned. Furthermore, no backups should be created when you want to use the system.

The more databases there are, the longer it will take to open the «Open database» dialog or the database manager. The reason is that all databases first have to be opened and all the information (e.g., size) has to be read out before everything is displayed.

Use of powerful hardware, e.g., a RAID-5 system, is always recommended.

When renaming a database, the path for the database is simply renamed, but if this database is in use (i.e., when a file is open in this path, e.g., during backup, when this database is opened in tiamo, or when Windows Explorer is opened in this path) renaming will fail.

The method and the export and report templates are stored in the determination in addition to the data.

The database remains the same size as before. The freed-up space is now occupied by new data records, so the size of the database does not increase until the freed-up space has been filled again.

This can happen if the two PCs do not have the same time zone and summer time / winter time settings. The precise global time is displayed. If it is 12 noon in Bern, then it is 6 a.m. in New York.

Only the visible databases are represented for selection in the window. As you can choose your own settings for the visibility of each database under the access rights for the databases, tiamo must first open all databases. With a lot of databases this takes longer, though the time is greatly dependent on server performance.

The view used when the database is opened is set as follows:

• If a default view has been set in the user administration for this user group (the group to which the logged-on user belongs) then it will be used.
• The view stored when tiamo was last closed will otherwise be used.

After recalculation the result disappears from the view. This is not a bug, but can occur if the database view has been filtered. After recalculation the view is updated, thus a result can «disappear». In this case, the filter must be reset or changed.

The problem can be rectified as follows: Go to the Windows system properties and select «System performance». Then select the «Expand» tab and click on [Settings]. The «Performance options» dialog will then be displayed. Select the «Visual effects» tab and deselect the «Show window content when dragging» checkbox.

With manual evaluation, the EP is set in the corresponding coordinates selected (in this example the y1 axis represents ERC and the x axis represents volume). In the graph view of the determination, this EP is only visible if ERC has been selected as the y1 axis and volume as the x axis. Because the reading is usually selected as the y1 axis, the manually set EP «disappears» (is not displayed).

It may help here to turn the hardware acceleration down a level (Display Property, [Expand], Trouble-shooting tab). This appears to be a Java effect. If you switch between full-screen view and window view the image will be correctly rendered again.

Any firewall can be used, but the ports for tiamo and the backup server must be defined permeably, i.e., as exceptions. The tool «checkport.exe» in the «bin» directory is useful here: for each port it must say «listening», otherwise tiamo or the backup server will not work properly. Note that the process «backup server.exe» must run, see «1. Backup is not working as required.» under «Backup» for more information.

Because with tiamo 2.X the USB driver versions 1.5 to 2.4 are reset, problems with the following software types may ensue (device recognition):

• PC Control 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 4.1 (5.0 not affected)
• Mix Control 1.0, 1.1 (1.2 not affected)
• tiamo 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.2.1 (1.3 not affected)
• MagIC Net 1.0 (1.1 not affected)
• FlashBurn up to 3.1 (3.2 not affected)
• iService 1.0 (1.1 not affected)
• VA 797 version 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 (1.3.1 not affected)

To make sure that these software types to continue to work correctly the user must be told to delete the file metr_770.dll in the directory %InstallationPath%\bin (of this affected software). If after installing tiamo 2.x you install one of the above softwares or repair an installation, you must subsequently again delete the file metr_770.dll in the directory %InstallationPath%\bin as above.

The best thing is to create a RAM-Init. on the KF Coulometer.
If this is not possible, then you should reset all process-related settings (under Config) to the default values (Autostart off, Silo off, Start Delay off, all Monitoring to off).

For the following devices (with mainboard series 16 to 21) updating of firmware using tiamo 2.x is not possible:

• 814 with firmware up to and including 5.814.0023
• 815 and 864 with firmware up to and including 5.815.0024
• 855 with firmware up to and including 5.855.0012

tiamo 1.x and FlashBurn (devices updated with FlashBurn) are not affected. The following firmware versions take the error into consideration, i.e., as from this version updating of firmware is again possible:

• 814 from version 5.814.0024
• 815 and 864 from version 5.815.0025
• 855 from version 5.855.0013

With tiamo 2.3, however, this problem has largely been rectified.

The following error message appears: «Printing error (017-117); an error has occurred during printing. Check the printer, the determination, or the report template». So far, this has always been because the paper tray in the printer was empty.

Specifications always apply incl. subfolder and only with NTFS as the file system.

• Modify right for SYSTEM users for the data and backup directory (it suffices for operation of the database, but backup can no longer be performed with it – for this you also need Write rights for the logged-on user {see further below}).

• Modify right for logged-on user for
   - %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Metrohm (2000, XP) and %PROGRAMDATA%\Metrohm (Vista, 7) (for the user groups Guests, Users, System, and Administrators this is taken care of during installation). With Vista / Windows 7 the path is C:\Users\All Users\Metrohm.
  - All directories used by tiamo (Data, Backup, Import, Export, PDF Reports, etc.)
  - Desktop

• Read & Execute right: logged-on users need these rights for the tiamo folder

• No special rights in the registry

NB: The SYSTEM user does not in every instance have the requisite rights on the network drive (e.g., with Novell networks). Backups in particular are often and preferably carried out on network drives! NB: Windows Explorer can be opened from tiamo (e.g., Audit Trail). This is important for customers who do not have access to Windows Explorer. The following chapters are also important in this context: “Which adaptations and changes does the tiamo installer carry out during installation?” and “After installation user rights were different, in that the user logged on during installation has full (or special) rights.” under Installation (see below).

If you want to change this you must do so in the device's Titrino configuration: [CONFIG]; Set >Prep. Dosing Elements; Dose.Drive to Dosino. With this device the serial number cannot be read out.

Find more information in our Software Center.

Yes.

This is to do with the inherited rights of Windows. Windows automatically puts into the %PROGRAMFILES% directory (e.g., C:\Programs) the group CREATOR-OWNER with the relevant rights. If a new subdirectory is now set up the logged on user will automatically be entered with the rights defined for the above-mentioned group. If you don’t like this, then remove the CREATOR OWNER group. In pre-existent directories the user logged on during the setup of the directory must also be removed.

Yes. tiamo runs in a protected Java environment. If possible, the requirements in the installation instructions should be met.

The tiamo installer carries out adaptations for the following directories:

• %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Metrohm (with Windows 2000 and XP this directory is typically to be found here: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Metrohm),
• %PROGRAMDATA%\Metrohm (Vista or higher: this directory is typically to be found here: C:\Program Data\Metrohm)

Namely as follows:

• The owner of the directory \Metrohm (and subordinate directories) is the administrator group.
• Full rights to the directory \Metrohm (and subordinate directories) for the following user groups: Administrators, SYSTEM, Power Users, Users, and Guests.

The aim of this adaptation is for a Metrohm directory to exist under the profile directories that all users can access. This is where the log files, temporary files, exported and archived audit trails, and, depending on settings, the actual databases and their backups are stored. This shows that tiamo can only work if each user can access this data.

tiamo is only installed in the program directory. The databases and backups are set up in the paths selected by the user during the installation procedure. Additional data (logs, etc.) is stored in the ProgramData directory (All Users\Metrohm).

Yes. See also «The more data there is, the slower tiamo becomes», under Databases in general.