Toshiba Electric Keyboard - Manual (Page 10)

Symphony Pro User Manual 2.0.2.15 8
© 2005 TOSHIBA TEC AMERICA AMERICA RETAIL SYSTEMS, INC. R1.0a
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2.3 Understanding Communications
Polling Process
"Polling" is the act of collecting information from Symphony POS stations and/or TEC ECRs. In most
cases, one back end station collects the sales and other information from the front end stations, storing
the information in the database. In a cash register systems, polling takes place once at the end of each
sales period (often day end). In these types of systems, there is normally a "request" from the back
end, forcing the TEC ECRs to communicate the sales information.
How Polling Works
The Symphony Pro and Symphony POS machines are in constant communication, so the polling
process is constantly running. The Symphony Pro machine that has been designated to retrieve sales
information is constantly checking each Symphony POS station's "outbox" at a set interval, collecting
any information that the Symphony POS stations are producing. The front end stations produce sales
information files (e.g. EJ) after every transaction. After "finalizing" a sale, the information is immediately
placed in a file in the Symphony POS's "outbox". The Symphony POS station then sends a message to
the Symphony Pro station telling it that there is mail to come and get. Even if the back end does not
receive messages from a Symphony POS station, it checks that stations "outbox" for information
regardless.
Secure Information
This method of collecting sales information adds to the system's data integrity. If the back end
Symphony Pro station "crashes", (or the network communication is halted at any time), individual
Symphony POS stations can continue to finalize sales. The sales information collects in each station's
outbox, so when normal network communication resumes, the back end Symphony Pro station collects
the information as usual, "catching up". If a front end Symphony POS terminal goes down, information
continues to be deployed to its "inbox" on the back end, so when the terminal re-starts, all new
information is absorbed.
During a communication failure, each Symphony POS relies on its own database for item prices and
other item information so the store can continue normal sales operations. Several factors are involved
if the front end uses "floating cashiers" or customer accounts.