Re: Terminal server for POS

Hi,

My solution is for programer, it's the way how you have to write program
that work under Terminal Server / Citrix. I takes many weeks to archive that
and not only a simple way to install some drivers. The good is it works for
any kind of OPOS devices, any maker like IBM, Epson ..etc.

Ussually POS programs use , for example, Epson PrinterOPOS.OCX to control
the printer, if you want your POS program works under Terminal Server you
have to :

1 - make a OCX similar (wrapper) the Epson Printer OCX, the POS program will
call this component instead of calling directly the Epson Printer OCX .
Inside your wrapper OCX, you have to detect if the program is running under
RDP/ICA session, you have to forward the call to the client side through a
virtual channel.

2 - on the client side, install Epson OPOS driver (OCX files and other
files, etc)

3 - make a virtual driver program on the client side, that receives all call
from the server and call the REAL Epson OCX functions (like PrintImediate,
PrintText, CutPaper...etc). Of course the printer is connected on the client
machine (POS).

If you are a good C++ developper, it's not so hard, just some weeks to learn
the SDK and develop the
components . There is a very good white paper on Citrix website, you can
read it here:
http://apps.citrix.com/cdn/bin/pdf/SDK/VCSDK_whitepaper_21299.pdf

I suggest you to download the Citrix Virtual Channel SDK and learn from the
document and examples in the SDK, it's a good start point . Once you
understand the working mechanism you can apply to Microsoft SDK to develop
for Terminal Server .

I have created a generic framework using virtual channel for this kind of
communication, you can take a look at:
http://wwwmqtechnologies.com/ . Read the page "How it works" to understand
architecture of the framework, it works exactly as specified in the Citrix
Whitepaper, but it's more flexible by providing in a higher abstract layer
the interaction with COM components . It take several weeks to do that .

Now if you use .NET, Microsoft has something .NET for POS that should work
but for Longhorn only, I think

Good luck

Thomas T.


"earthlink news" <nyc231@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:eo6JsYWbHHA.4808@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Can you elaborate on the wrapper you made for OPOS?
I've tried setting up the clients with Epson OPOS. I can get them to work
initially, but then they lock up. For example, Client #1 with Epson
printer will run it's RDC app (POS program), and the printer will
recognize and work. But then Client #2, which recognized it's printer on
program startup, will lockup when it tries to print if Client #1 already
printed. If I shutdown (reset) Client #2 and restart the app, Client #2
can print, but when it does, Client #1 lock's up.

What is the proper way to setup the OPOS devices in a terminal services
situation?
Should I be install the Epson OPOS setup on each client, instead of on the
server? If I do that, will the RDC app (POS program with OPOS OCX
components) recognize the OPOS devices? I don't think the OCX components
will recognize the OPOS devices unless they're install on the server, but
then I get the lockup issue I've described.
Please advise.
Thanks,
Al

"ThomasT." <ThomasT@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:OPn7PxLbHHA.3584@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
What I did is to do some wrapper OPOS components for all devices Ticket
Printer,
MSR, MICR, Line Display . Ussually these devices come as OCX components
in SDK, we use that to control all hardware devices in our POS program
through virtual channel .



"Peter W" <PeterW@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:OPjQERGbHHA.2448@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi

I'm in the planning stage for a client wishing to open a store in
another town.
This will require Point of Sale over terminal services. I have had no
experience of Point Of Sale over terminal services and I am wondering if
anyone can tell me what POS receipt printers will work over terminal
services.

Many thanks in advance

PeterW








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