The control file is a file that is updated in real time to assure the integrity of all files managed by the file server. The update of this file is not to be done lightly, as some sales information might be lost.
There are only two cases when you should need to perform a Control Update, after getting a Control File Error message such as the one above, and a red X over the server icon an the task bar:
If you restore data files from another system, the control file from
the source system will not be the same as the control file from the target
system. The Z number is the number of times that the End of Day procedure
was performed on the file server, and in such a case, will not match either.
You can perform a control update without any worries.
To do so, simply go to Server Control / Tools / Control Update. The server
icon, on the task bar, then will revert to its normal state, showing the
server application is running normally.
If for any reasons you experience problems with the file server (hard
disk failure, electricity,), you might need to run the manual Day Rebuild
program, or the system might perform an automatic Day Rebuild, to recreate
all transactions that were done for the current day. If the program failed
to recreate all transactions, the server application will not restart
and you will get a control file error.
A) If the CONTROL file for the Check Number is lower then the system's
ACTUAL last check number, as in the example above, you can perform a control
update without any worries either, as no printed check will be lost.
Here as well, simply go to Server Control / Tools / Control Update. The
server application icon on the task bar will then revert to its normal
state.
B) However, if as in the example below, the system shows you that the CONTROL file for the Check Number is at 101565 and the system's ACTUAL last Check Number is at 101524. If you were to perform a control update at that point, you would loose the last 41 checks that were printed. Before doing so, you should try to run the Day Rebuild option, using the second backup.
In such a case, you have to follow the following procedures:
1- In case something goes wrong with the Hard Disk Drive later, it is recommended to first safeguard the following files through Windows Explorer onto another media before carrying out the remaining procedures:
2a- In Server Control / Tools, select the Day Rebuild function:
The Day Rebuild function allows to automatically cancel and recreate every transaction performed during the entire current fiscal day.
Under the Day Rebuild, select First Backup option, and click OK.
The Back-Office keeps two copies of all the transactions in the files MEMOIRE.DAT.
The first copy (First Backup) is located in the repertory C:\Posera\MaitreD\Data\REBUILD.
The second copy (Second Backup) is located in the repertory C:\POSERA\MAITRED\BACKUP\DATA.
If the Day Rebuild succeeded, you will have the following screen and you will be able to start again the server.
2b- However, if the Day Rebuild failed, because the first copy of the memoire file is corrupted, you will get the Control File Error message once again. In such a case, start a day rebuild again by selecting the Second Backup option instead.
Take note of that position, needed to resolve the problems by using
the Cut Memory File function, as described in step 3. Do understand that
the portion of information that will get cut will be completely lost.
This function is used only when the back-office has problems while trying
to rebuild the day with both Backup files. If the back-office finds an
error in the MEMOIRE files that it can not resolve, this function cuts
the memoire file just prior to the error found. The Back-Office then allows
the day rebuild to proceed all the way to just before where the error
occurred.
If both memoire files are corrupted (disk write errors, etc...) and
that the Maitre'D software is not able to rebuild the day, there remains
a way to analyze the memoire file and to cut it right before this error.
-Go under Server Control / Tools / Memoire File Analysis
-Select Rebuild as the source directory for the Current day's memoire file, saved it to Disk:
- A file named Memoire.txt will be created under the following directory
\Posera\MaitreD\Data
The memoire file analysis will let you find the position of the previous
error using Windows Notepad. Simply search for the word "error".
In the following example at position 15392, a "read error" is shown.
Go under Server Control / Tools / Cut Memory File and enter the position
of the very last line prior to the error, in our example 15359, in order
to be able to rebuild the day while losing as little information as possible.
A Day Rebuild will occur and the Control file will be updated automatically.
In this example the system would rebuild the day up to 64% of the transactions.
The Day Rebuild will automatically start, and the Control File will be updated so that you do not have to perform a manual Control File Update.
