Terminal Relay Schedule Feature

A terminal relay schedule is used to schedule one or more terminals to activate a relay signal which can perform an action such as sounding an alarm or opening a door.

A relay schedule can be defined for a particular day of the week and time of day. For example, a terminal may be configured to ring a bell for 10 seconds during the start of a shift (9:00 a.m.) and the end of a shift (5:00 p.m.) every week day (Monday – Friday).

Terminals will activate their relay schedules in both online and offline modes.

This feature is supported on B-Net 9540, B-Net 9520, and B-Web 9300/9500 terminals. You will need to know how many relays are on the terminal you are using and which relays are already in use. Consult your terminal’s operation manual for information.

If you modify a terminal relay schedule, you can send the updated schedule to the terminals using the TRIGGER_OFFLINE_VALIDATION_DOC_TRANSFER service or the Document Transfer button on the Terminal Monitor form.

Terminal Relay Schedule and Event Relay

A terminal relay schedule is different from an event relay, which causes the terminal to activate a relay when a particular event is posted. The terminal relay schedule activates the terminal’s relay according to a schedule, not according to any event postings or actions by a user.

The event relay and relay schedule should use different Relay Numbers on the terminal. When a relay is being activated by a terminal relay schedule, the relay will not be interrupted by an event relay.

Configure a Terminal Relay Schedule

Use the Terminal Relay Sched form to create your terminal relay schedule.

Click Main Menu > Configuration > Terminal > Terminal Relay Sched.
Click the quick link next to the Schedule Name field at the top of the form and select Add from the menu.
Enter the Schedule Name and Description.
Click Save to save your terminal relay schedule and return to the main form.

You can now add days and times to your terminal relay schedule.
Select the terminal relay schedule and click Add.
Select the Schedule Type, Schedule Day/Date, and Schedule Time when the relay will be activated.
Select which Relay Number on the terminal will be activated (1 or 2).

If you are using the event relay feature, select a different Relay Number for your terminal relay schedule. The event relay and relay schedule should use different Relay Numbers on the terminal.
Enter the number of seconds that the relay will activate in the Duration (sec) field.
Check the Enabled box to activate this relay schedule.
To add more than one relay schedule detail record, click Save and Add to save your settings and keep the Add Relay Sched. Dtl. pop-up form open. Or click Save to save your relay schedule detail record and return to the main form.

Assign a Relay Schedule to a Terminal/Terminal Profile

To assign a relay schedule to a terminal or terminal profile, use the RELAY_SCHEDULE setting. This setting can be assigned to a terminal profile via the Terminal Profile Setting tab. It can be assigned to an individual terminal via the Terminal Setting tab. A Terminal Setting overrides a Terminal Profile setting.

Update the Relay Schedules on the Terminals

Normally, a terminal receives the latest relay schedule at startup time. When the terminal starts up, it communicates with the server to find out whether or not it needs a relay schedule. If the server detects that a relay schedule is defined for the terminal, it sends the terminal the name of the relay schedule document. The terminal then requests this document, and the server generates and sends the relay schedule to the terminal.

If the terminal relay schedule changes, you can send the updated schedule to the terminals using the TRIGGER_OFFLINE_VALIDATION_DOC_TRANSFER service or the Document Transfer button on the Terminal Monitor form. These methods are explained below.

TRIGGER_OFFLINE_VALIDATION_DOC_TRANSFER Service

You can use the TRIGGER_OFFLINE_VALIDATION_DOC_TRANSFER service to update one or more terminal profiles with the latest relay schedule. The TRIGGER_OFFLINE_VALIDATION_DOC_TRANSFER service triggers a request for the server to send terminal relay schedules to configured terminals.

Note: You can also use this service to update terminal profiles with charge element and person records for offline validation.

To configure the TRIGGER_OFFLINE_VALIDATION_DOC_TRANSFER service, use the Service Instance form (Main Menu > Configuration > Services > Service Instance). On the Service Parameters tab, make sure the RELAY_SCHEDULE option is Selected for the CATEGORY parameter. Use the TERMINAL_PROFILE parameter to select which terminal profiles will use the relay schedule.

If you are using this service, you must also enable the RELAY_SCHEDULE Terminal Profile Setting. This setting can be enabled for a group of terminals on the Terminal Profile Setting form, or for an individual terminal on the Terminal Setting form. The Terminal Setting will override the Terminal Profile Setting.

You can run the TRIGGER_OFFLINE_VALIDATION_DOC_TRANSFER service via a schedule or run it immediately using the Service Monitor form (Main Menu > Administration > Services > Service Monitor).

When the service finishes running, there will be a pending request from the terminal for the latest relay schedule. When the terminal requests the relay schedule, the server will generate the schedule and send it to the terminal. You can view the schedule that will be sent by going to the Terminal Documents tab (see below).

Document Transfer Button in Terminal Monitor

You can use the Document Transfer button on the Terminal Monitor form to trigger the transfer of the latest relay schedule to individual terminals.

You can also use this button to trigger the transfer of the latest person and charge element data for offline validation.

Note: To use Document Transfer for terminal relay schedules, the selected terminal must have the RELAY_SCHEDULE setting enabled via the Terminal Profile Setting or Terminal Setting form.

Click Main Menu > Administration > Terminal > Terminal Monitor.
Select the terminals you want to update. Press the CTRL key and click to select multiple terminals.
Click the Document Transfer button.
In the Document Data section, move the Relay Schedule option from the Available column to the Selected column.
Click OK.

There is now a pending request from the terminal.

When the terminal requests the relay schedule, the server will generate the schedule and send it to the terminal.

You can view the schedule that will be sent by going to the Terminal Documents tab (see below).

View the Relay Schedule Sent to the Terminal

The Terminal Documents tab on the Terminal Monitor form allows you to view the relay schedule that will be sent to a selected terminal. The relay schedule is generated when you click Document Transfer on the Terminal Monitor form (see above).

Click Main Menu > Administration > Terminal > Terminal Monitor.
Select the terminal for which you want to view documents.
On the Terminal Documents tab, click Find. You can also select a specific type of document to view using the Document Type filter field.

The applicable documents will appear in the middle of the form.

A Status of Not Applicable indicates the terminal does not require the document (the RELAY_SCHEDULE setting is not enabled for the Terminal Profile or the Terminal).

A Status of Pending indicates the terminal does require the document and the server is waiting for the terminal to request it. When the terminal sends a status check request to the server, the server looks at this pending request for a relay schedule. The server then sends the terminal the name of the relay schedule.

A Status of Complete indicates the document has already been sent to the terminal. When the terminal requests the relay schedule, the server generates an XML file with the relay schedule and sends it to the terminal.
Select the document and click View Document to display it in a pop-up window.

See Terminal Documents for more information.