Web Host

Collect!'s Web Host is an alternate interface to your normal Collect! program. It allows the data to be accessed via a Web Server and provides realtime remote access for Clients and employees who work off-site, via their Internet Browser. The Web Host interface monitors all Internet activity that takes place as Collect! receives requests and posts information to the user's browser.

The following screenshot is the Web Host "Server" screen which is required to remain running (like the RDS for CV11 users) when you wish to allow access to your system for Web Host users.

Collect! Web Host

It displays status information and transmission statistics. The HTTP Request Log subform is a log of the last 20 requests received. (This is empty when you first log on.) The example above shows that one client user (CL1) is logged on and is requesting information from the Web Host. The log shows the details of the information that the user requested and records the results returned by the Web Host.

For Network users, this server screen is left up and running on your main Server PC. It can be scheduled to be shutdown and restarted in the same way as the RDS Server to allow backups and routine reboots. For Hosted clients, the Web Host Server is running on the Server/Admin login which our office maintains for you.

When using Web Host, you are accessing your normal working database in realtime. You can browse debtors, clients, operators and you will see that they are all the same. The only aspect of Collect! that is different in Web Host mode is the list of reports/letters and import routines that may be generated while in this login mode. Web Host uses its own reports to display information to users' browsers, and its own import routines to import data that you submit from the Web.

The User Interface is also different from standard Collect! screens and quite user friendly for client logins.

The Access Rights that would apply in your premise locale are equally in force and effect in Web Host. Clients will only be able to access their own accounts. Collectors who are not permitted to access accounts other than their own will be likewise restricted in Web Host, etc.

The Web Host screen is only displayed when there is a Collect! session up that is operating as a Web Server, as in the screenshot previously. Start Collect! with the command line arguments /S80 /W1ss /y443 to activate the Web Host mode using Collect!'s internal SSL handling. Then sign into a database and this will start the Collect! Web Host. Please refer to Web Host Introduction for more information and links to setup and Internet security topics.

Received

This section shows details of the data received by the Web Host.

Rx Packets

This is the number of data packets received by the Collect! Web Host. You cannot edit this list.

Rx Bytes

This is the number of bytes received by the Collect! Web Host. You cannot edit this list.

Transmitted

This section shows details of the data sent by the Web Host.

Tx Packets

This is the number of data packets transmitted by the Collect! Web Host. You cannot edit this list.

Tx Bytes

This is the number of bytes transmitted by the Collect! Web Host. You cannot edit this list.

Authorization

This section displays User details, such as number of users signed on to Web Host and maximum number allowed.

Authorized Users

This field shows the number of authorized users signed on to the Web Host. An authorized user is a user who has signed on and has been successfully recognized by the Collect! Web Host. You cannot edit this list.

Active Users

This field shows the number of active users using the Web Host. If a user has placed a request in the past half hour, they are included in this tally. You cannot edit this list.

Maximum Users

Enter the maximum users authenticated to use Web Host. The default startup value is taken from the License Information screen, or the Database Preferences, but can be modified here.

You must put a number in this field. If it is blank, no one will be able to sign into Web Host.

Security

This read-only field displays the encryption method Web Host is using. Several options are available. By default, Web Host uses SSL 2.3 with 256 bit encryption.

It is recommended that your internet browser encryption method setting matches the encryption level you are using for Web Host.

If no encryption method is used, this field will display the word "none."

Please refer to Help topic, Web Host Setup and Testing for details.

Pause Server

When this switch is ON, the server stops responding to any incoming packets. The incoming packets are simply ignored.

Enable Reverse Lookup

Switch this ON to obtain the Host Name from each user's computer. Normally, the IP address of each user's computer is displayed in the HTTP Request Log's 'Host' field and in the Server Status log (in Collect! Web Host online -- on the Internet). But, when you switch ON 'Enable reverse lookup', the actual name of the user's machine is displayed. This is useful when using Web Host in an 'intranet' environment. It enables managers to see who is actually signed on. The reverse lookup is only done once for each user, when the user first signs on.

Reverse lookup may be slow depending on your Domain Name Service. For best performance, leave this switched OFF.

Dynamic Report Generation

Switch this ON to use Web Host dynamic reports. Previously, Collect! created an HTML file for each report returned to the Web Host user. With this switch ON, the report is created in memory and returned directly to the user. No files are created in the user folders when this switch is ON.

Shutdown

Select this button to terminate the Server process. This will close the Collect! program and return you to your computer's Desktop.

Log

The HTTP Request Log is a list of the last 20 requests processed by the Web Host. Click into this section to turn the title bar blue and then press F1 for information about the details you see in this log.

Status Bar

The Collect! Status Bar displays informative messages that may help in troubleshooting Web Host performance issues. When performing procedures that require Collect! to scan for records, the message will say "Scanning for matching { record type}." The record type being scanned will be displayed in the message, for example, "Scanning for matching de_ transactions". This will assist in troubleshooting areas where the system is slowing down.

See Also

- HTTP Request Log
- Web Host Introduction
- Web Host Topics