If the file server computer is turned off, these are the steps to get it running again and start the VT program. The key VT programs are all service processes, which means they automatically start when you turn the server on.
Turn the server on and wait for it to come up and load. This might take several minutes to complete. It is not possible to describe the "look" of the front screen because changing Windows to your preferences may alter its appearance. We will assume you or someone at your station can identify the front screen. Usually it will consist of a group of icons you can click on to call up folders or program groups.
That is it. You can start the workstations and access VT now that the server processes are up and going. All VT services start automatically when you turn on or reboot the VT server.
If you have stopped all VT processes for maintenance, but haven’t turned off or rebooted the server, you can start all VT programs from the VT Service Manager. Start the processes in the following order:
We will presume that no programs other than VT are running. If they are, you should follow procedures to shut them down in an orderly manner before shutting down or stopping the server. All workstations accessing the server should be closed down before stopping the server.
On the server, close all VT related programs in the following order:
Use the VT Service Manager dialog to Start or Stop all of these services. You can reach this dialog on the server by Start/Programs/Wicks Broadcast Solutions/Visual Traffic/VT Service Manager. Select each service in the order listed above and Stop the service. You can Close the service manager dialog when you are through. You will later need to re-start all of these services in the reverse order to start VT. Visual Traffic will also begin running automatically if you should reboot the server.
On the desktop click Start and then Shut Down. If you want to turn the file server off, select Shut down the computer? then click Yes. The screen will tell you it is OK to turn off your computer in a few seconds.
Starting up VT on a workstation is easy. click the VT icon and wait a bit while VT gathers its’ resources. You can find Visual Traffic at Start/Programs/Wicks Broadcast Solutions/Visual Traffic/ Visual Traffic. The main VT menu screen will appear in a few seconds and you may then go to work. On slower computers VT will take longer to load.
Two icons will appear in your workstation System Tray after VT has loaded. These are informational icons and may not appear instantly. VT will take care of more important matters before these are displayed. One icon looks like a turquoise colored printer. Place your cursor on top of the icon and Do not move it for a few seconds. This will display the activity of the Print Queue. It may be empty or it can have print jobs waiting to be processed. This icon performs no other function except to show you the contents of the print queue.
The second icon shows you a yellow cartoon balloon with a large "A" inside. This icon displays the order approval queue status when you place the cursor on top of the balloon.
When you know you are going to be away from your workstation for awhile such as for lunch, we recommend you exit VT. If you really Do not want to exit, at least return to the front VT menu. The reason for this is to prevent your workstation from causing a problem for other users.
It is possible for you to tie up a resource and cause VT to tell other workstations something is "In Use" and not fully available for editing. Of course, if you are at lunch, it is not really in use, but VT is not smart enough to know that. Since you will not be a user for awhile, simply exit. It only takes a minute to enter the system when you return.
If you want to exit VT from a workstation, you must first return to the VT master menu. From there, click the X in the upper right to close. You can also use the Exit function from the Database Menu.
A prompt asks you to verify that you want to end your VT session. Just press ENTER to take the default Yes and VT will close. If you accidentally started to exit, Just click No to return to VT.
You should always exit VT in the manner described above. If you do not, it is possible that you may lose some of your information or a file becomes "In Use" and unavailable for others on the system. Always exit VT normally.
Of course, sometimes the power fails or an electrical cord is pulled from the wall. No one can help that. If that should that happen, it would be best to turn the power off, let the workstation sit for 15-20 seconds, and then turn the system back on (presuming power is stable). You may then enter VT and check the area you were using. If everything looks and works OK, then go on. If the data you were just entering didn’t get stored, simply re-enter it again.
When you exit VT, the database server will be automatically removed from the taskbar if you stop the Print Processor. The Print Processor will prompt you with, "Do You Wish To Stop All Background Print Processing Targeted To This Machine As Well?" You may answer Yes or No. You should say Yes if you are exiting VT and Do not expect any print processes to be sent to your printer until you return to VT.
VT takes care of background print processes automatically. You can monitor print activities from the Print Message Queue located under System Information on the System menu. You can also delete a specific print job, stop or start background printing, and delete completed messages.
If you have setup print processes to go to your printer, you may say No and leave the Print Processor running. This will also leave the database connection from your workstation to the server connected. As long as you leave your printer and workstation turned on as well as the VT server, jobs may be sent to your printer while you are not around.