Note: The External Stack Controller, versions 2.4.03 and lower, are not compatible with status updates being sent to Channel Advisor or Volusion shopping carts. Also, the External Stack does not work with Network Solutions carts for any purpose, inventory updates or status updates. Use the Shared Stack Controller instead.
The External Stack Controller is a standalone application that facilitates the sending of order status updates and email from the Order Manager to their destinations (shopping carts, SETI Order Status System, email ISP's). It resides on a single host workstation or server and receives all "posts" that are sent from each copy of the Order Manager that is running on the local area network. It runs in the background and interacts with the Order Manager only when it receives order status updates or emails. The key benefit of using the External Stack Controller is that it shifts the workload of sending order status updates and emails from each instance of the Order Manager on the LAN to this external application, thereby providing an improvement in performance for local workstations.
Notes:
The External Stack Controller requires that the Microsoft .NET 2.0 Framework be installed on the computer that hosts it.
It is not necessary to have Order Manager installed on the PC/Server that will host the External Stack Controller program.
It is imperative to make sure that this application is always started after the machine that it resides on is re-booted.
From the machine that will host the External Stack Controller, follow these directions:
Create a folder in the C:\Program Files directory called StackController.
Share the folder so that other users on the local area network can access this folder.
The following examples depict the process of sharing the folder using the Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional operating systems. If you are running a different operating system, the screens may vary, but the same concepts should be applied.
Windows XP Home Edition (Simple File Sharing)
In Windows Explorer, right-click on the StackController folder and select the Sharing and Security.
Click on the Sharing tab. Click the check-boxes labeled Share this folder on the network and Allow network users to change my files. Click Apply and OK buttons to save the changes.
In Windows Explorer, right-click on the StackController folder and select the Sharing and Security option.
On the Sharing tab, click the radio button labeled "Share this folder" so that the other workstations on the LAN can access it.
Click on the button labeled Permissions. Select the appropriate user names or groups and then select the Allow checkbox next to Full Control. Click the Apply button and then click OK to close the dialog.
Open a browser window and go to http://www.stoneedge.net/dlgateway/index.asp. Log in using your Stone Edge user name and password (that can be found in the order confirmation email that was sent when the Order Manager was originally purchased).
Click the Download button for the External Stack Controller program.
Save the StackInstaller.exe file in the StackController directory you created in Step 1 (C:\Program Files\StackController).
Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the downloaded executable file from the previous step. Double-click on it to start the Installation Wizard.
If you are prompted to install Microsoft .NET 2.0 Framework, click Yes. Follow the prompts to install it.
Click Next to continue the installation of the External Stack Controller.
Read the End-User License Agreement and if you accept the terms, click the I accept the terms in the license agreement radio button, and then click Next.
Click Next to install the External Stack Controller in the default directory (C:\Program Files\StackController).
Click Next to use the Typical install mode.
Click Install.
Select the option to launch the application after the installation is complete.
Click Finish. The installer creates a desktop shortcut to start the External Stack Controller application.
When the External Stack Controller is launched for the first time, the SETIWebStack.mdb database is created in the default installation directory (C:\Program Files\StackController\SETIWebStack.mdb). This is the database that stores the posts until they are sent.
Continue with the instructions in the next section, Configure the Order Manager.
Open the Order Manager on one workstation and follow the steps below to set the global system parameters related to the External Stack Controller. These parameters are system-wide system parameters, not workstation-specific, so it is only necessary to set them from one of the computers in your configuration.
Note: Prior to setting the system parameters and attempting to connect to the External Stack for the first time, the user needs to make sure that each instance of Order Manager is connecting to the shared data file (Order manager store file) using the UNC path (e.g. \\myserver\stoneedge data\mydatafile.mdb) or there will be connection problems with the External Stack application (see the figure below).
To remedy this problem, go to Main Menu>Switch Stores, click the Browse button and navigate to the location of the data file via My Network Places, and the UNC path to the data file will be set correctly in Order Manager. Do this on all machines that are running the Order Manager.
Go to Main Menu>Maintenance Menu>Maintenance Tab>Set System Parameters.
In the box labeled Parameter Group, select the Program group.
In the box labeled Parameters for Selected Group, click on the parameter WebStackExternalDatabase.
In the Parameter Text box, enter the location of the Stack Controller database in the form: \\myservername\StackController; where "myservername" is the name of the computer where the external stack database resides and "StackController" is the share name of the folder where the program was installed (Step 1 in previous section).
Hint: It is not necessary to include the database name (SETIWebStack.mdb).
Click the Save button.
Return to the box labeled Parameters for Selected Group and Select WebStackLocation.
Choose External from the list below the Parameter Details box. Click the Save button.
Note: Setting the System Parameters for the External Stack Controller, as described above, is the equivalent of selecting the Web Stack Location and configuring the Web Stack Data Location on The Stack Controller page of the Setup Wizard.
Optional: If you would like to send Order Manager emails via the External Stack Controller, do the following:
Go to the Email group and set EmailSendMethod to Stack Controller.
Click the Save button.
Go to the Setup Wizard>Email tab and verify that Order Manager is configured to use an SMTP email server rather than Microsoft Outlook. See the article entitled Sending Email with the Order Manager for more information.
Note: If using the External Stack to send email, it will not add a note to the order indicating that an email was sent.
Continue with the instructions in the next section, Configure the External Stack Controller.
Open
the application by double-clicking on the desktop shortcut. 
The Stack Controller dialog box opens:
Hint: In the future, when the application has already been installed and is active, you can open the Stack Controller dialog box by double-clicking on the icon in your system tray (to the left of the time in the lower right hand corner). This is where it goes when you minimize the window.
Click on the Settings button on the Stack Controller dialog box. Click in the check-boxes next to the options that will be used and adjust the values in the related fields, if necessary. Stone Edge Technologies, Inc. recommends that the user accept the default settings.
Website Updates
Interval (in minutes) between stack runs - The number of minutes the stack controller waits before sending the next group of posts (i.e., order status updates).
Retries before error is logged - The number of attempts at sending the posts that the stack controller makes before it logs an error and stops trying to send them.
E-Mail Queue
E-Mails to send per stack run - The number of email messages the stack controller sends per attempt.
Interval (in minutes) between e-mail batches - The number of minutes the stack controller waits before sending the next group of email messages.
Interval (in seconds) to wait between message sends - The number of seconds between when each email message in a batch is sent.
Retries before e-mails must be reviewed - The number of attempts at sending the email messages that the stack controller makes before it stops trying altogether and forces the user to troubleshoot the emails (i.e., check for bad addresses, etc).
Error Reporting
Fill in the appropriate information about your SMTP server ( Outgoing (SMTP Server), Server Port, etc.) if you have checked the box Send E-Mail When Errors Occur.
Maintenance
Time of Day - Select the time that you want to have the Stack Controller database automatically compacted. Compacting the stack database is a regular maintenance function that prevents it from growing too large and becoming corrupt, potentially causing data errors. (The size of the database does not shrink after posts are deleted.)
Compact Any Order Manager Data Files (Standard Edition only) - Check this box to have the Order Manager data file(s) compacted. Compacting an Access database is a regular maintenance function that prevents it from growing too large and becoming corrupt. Corrupt databases can cause data errors. It is recommended that you compact an Access data file at least once a week, or for highly active sites, more often.
Compact Now button - Causes the SETIWebStack.mdb and associated Order Manager Access data files to be compacted immediately. Everyone must be out of all instances of the Order Manager and all shipping software before clicking this button.
Miscellaneous
Log the following events:
Errors - To log errors only (recommended).
Successful Transmissions - To log all events, including successful transmissions and errors.
Debug Messages - Do not use this setting unless instructed to do so by Stone Edge Technologies Technical Support for diagnostic purposes.
Click on the tab labeled Order Manager Data Files to view the list of data files from which the External Stack is currently configured to receive posts.
Click on the Save button to save any changes or click on the Close button to return to the Stack Controller dialog box without saving any changes.
Click on the View
Stack button to view current activity. The Stack
Viewer dialog box contains three tabs: Website
Updates, Email Queue
and the Stack Log. To close
the Stack Viewer from any
of these tabs, click on the 
to return
to the main Stack Controller
dialog box.
Website Updates - shows the information contained in the status update records that are on the stack currently.
Unlike
the Stack Viewer dialog box
in the previous step, clicking the Exit
button or the red 
in the
upper right hand corner of the Stack
Controller dialog box will cause the entire Stack Controller
application to shutdown and no status updates or emails will be sent
until the program is restarted. A backlog of records from the Order
Manager will build up in the SETIWebStack database until the program
is restarted and it again starts to send the records on the stack.
The entire application should only be shutdown when the machine is
going to be re-booted or other maintenance reasons. If you truly want
to shutdown the program, click the OK
button when prompted. Otherwise, just click the Minimize
button to hide the Stack Controller
dialog box. The dialog box can be re-opened by double-clicking the
External Stack Controller icon in the system tray.
Once the External Stack and Order Manager have been configured, generate a status update or email from one PC and check the stack (open the Stack Viewer) to see the record. You can click the Send Now button on the Stack Viewer form to have the record sent immediately, rather than waiting for the pre-determined send interval. Repeat this step for every other PC in your configuration that runs Order Manager to ensure that they all have connectivity to the External Stack.
Tip: To view records that are on the external stack from machines that do not host the External Stack Controller application, press CTRL+Shift+S at the main menu of Order Manager and click the OK and the Yes buttons on the two subsequent dialog boxes to open the Stack Viewer.
Best Practice: Check the Error Log tab daily to be aware of any problems that might arise.
See Also:
Updated 6/18/09
Modified 2/18/11