Agvance Mobile Energy is an automated system that allows drivers to access all customers, tanks, contracts, and prices in the Agvance database via a Wi-Fi connection through a web service provided by SSI. Deliveries made by drivers are available to be synced to the home office data and imported into Invoices. The sync process establishes a connection between the data server and the truck device through a web server. This two-way process sends updated customer information from the data server to the truck device, as well as sends the driver transactions from the truck device made after the last sync back to the data server. These transactions remain on the data server until they are imported into Invoices and Payments in the live data.
The device in the truck syncs to the database based on the Agvance Company ID. This Company ID is placed into the login area on the mobile device. The sync is allowed to take place with the back office server based on the IP address, Port Number, and SQL Instance name in the AME setup area in the Energy module on the server.
Truck Equipment
AME is currently compatible with LCR 600, LCR II, LCR IQ and Mid:Com registers, the Epson slip printer type TM-U295, and the Cognitive Advantage LX Blaster printer.
AME Devices
Hardware requirements for devices running AME would be similar to a stand-alone machine running Agvance in the back office. The device must have a Windows OS and SQL installed. Minimum screen resolution is 800 x 600. If a laptop is the selected device, SSI recommends a ruggedized version that is mounted securely to the truck. Click here for the current Agvance Hardware Recommendations.
How AME Connects to the Home Office Agvance Data
AME uses an SSI web service to connect to the home office Agvance data. To enable this:
- The home office must have a public static IP address.
- The SQL server must be configured with a static (non-changing) IP address and port.
- A firewall rule must be configured to forward connections from the SSI web service to the SQL server.
Note: The SQL server and firewall configuration require the assistance of the IT provider.
Setting up SQL Server to Use a Static IP Address Port:
Run the SQL Server Configuration Manager on the data server. On the left, expand SQL Server Network Configuration, and select the instance of SQL. Right-click on TCP/IP in the right-hand pane, and navigate to the Properties / IP Addresses tab. In the IP All section, remove any existing port number from the TCP Dynamic Ports field, and place a static port number in the TCP Port field. Removing the existing port number from the TCP Dynamic Ports field tells SQL server to use a static instead of dynamic port number. It does not matter which port number is selected, as long as it does not conflict with any other ports in use on the machine. If unsure of which static port number to use, contact the network administrator.
Next, change the network adapter on the machine to use a static IP address. For more information about how to do this or what static IP address to use, contact the network administrator.
After making the change above, stop and restart SQL. In SQL Server Configuration Manager, select SQL Server Services on the left, right-click on the name of the SQL instance on the right, and then select Restart.
After setting up SQL server with a static IP address, use SQL Server Management Studio or Telnet to confirm SQL is running on the appropriate port.
To use Management Studio, in the Server name field, enter the IP address of the SQL server, a comma, and then the port number. (Replace ‘10.100.100.109’ with the correct static IP number and ‘55555’ with the port number.)
To use Telnet, enter the following command in a command prompt, ‘Telnet 10.100.100.109 555555.’ (Replace ‘10.100.100.109’ with the correct static IP number and ‘55555’ with the port number.)
If a ‘Could not open connection’ message displays, then SQL is not listening on that IP and port. If the screen turns black, the connection was made.
Firewall Setup
After confirming the SQL server is running on the desired IP address and port, setup the firewall to allow the SSI server to connect to a public IP address and port available on the firewall's external interface. The firewall must then use NAT (Network Address Translation) to forward the connection from the SSI server to the SQL server's IP address inside the network. Be sure to set the firewall rule with a filter, which only allows connections from the SSI servers using the public IP address 52.86.148.72.
Note: If these steps are not clear, contact the network administrator, a third party hardware service provider, or the technical support team for the firewall manufacturer.
