Notifications

A notification is the user-configured action (such as a page, e-mail, or Notification Type Process Control event) that Sterling Gentran:Server® initiates when a system component generates a specified audit message. Notifications can simply inform a user of an audit message generation, or they can take the form of a system response (Notification Type Process Control event) to the audit message.

The Notifications component allows you to:

  • Add notifications.
  • Modify existing notification properties.
  • View a list of all notifications defined in the system.
  • Delete notifications.
  • Refresh the list of notifications to view changes made by other users.

Notification actions

Table 1. Notification actions and descriptions
Notification Action Description
Notification Log alert messages A message box generated to inform operators while they are working in the system that a notification has been issued to them.

Operators must be logged on and have the Notification Log active to receive Notification Log alert messages.

Note: Alert messages are activated by default on the Audit Notifications Log Preferences menu, along with an audible signal. Operators can deselect these options.
page A notification delivered to a pager to inform an operator of a condition that may require attention.
e-mail An e-mail sent to inform an operator of a condition that may require attention.
Notification Type Process Control event An activity or series of activities previously configured to be initiated in response to the generation of a specified audit message. For example, based on an extended rule set up in the map to write a processing audit whenever an invoice for more than a specified dollar amount is received, a Notification Type Process Control event might be configured to initiate a user program to process the data.
Note: Notification Type Process Control event actions are not written to the Notification Log.

Flexible configuration options

The Notifications component allows you to set up a variety of notification configurations according to your requirements. However, you can only set up one notification for a specific audit message. If you try to set up additional notifications for the same message, the system displays an error message.

Using the Notifications component, you can:

  • Notify multiple operators. Multiple operators can be notified for in either of the following cases:
    • In response to the same audit message
    • Using multiple types of notifications (such as page, e-mail, Notification Log alert) in response to the same audit message
  • Set up notifications based on different audit message criteria. Notifications can be sent in response to any of the following:
    • A specific audit message
    • All audit messages of a designated level (such as warning messages)
    • All audit messages generated by a designated system component (such as the CONFIG program)
  • Set up different types of notifications. You can configure a notification in the form of a Notification Log alert, a page, an e-mail, or a Notification Type Process Control event.
Note: Even if an audit message is configured not to be written to the Audit Log, you can set up notification responses to be initiated when the system issues the message.

Configuration example

When you are setting up notifications, you can select either a specific audit message or a group of audit messages defined by any of the following:

  • Source
  • Component
  • Message ID
  • Severity level

For example: You can designate that a notification be sent for all messages with a source of Server, a component of Translator, <ALL> message IDs that apply, and a severity level of Error level audit. This generates a notification when the Translator generates any audit message indicating an Error level audit.

Notification processing order

The Audit Notification Server executes the actions for all notifications. For each notification, the actions are processed one action at a time. Thus, one notification requiring a page will not process until after the previous notification sending a page completes.

If a notification requires a page action and if another process (external to the Audit Notification System) is using the modem, the server waits 45 seconds and tries again. After three tries, if the modem is still busy, the Server writes an entry to the Windows Event Log and goes on to process the next notification on the queue.

Deleting notifications

You can delete a notification from the notifications list on the Sterling Gentran:Server Notify dialog box. To delete a notification, select the notification to delete, and press Delete.

Refresh function

The Notifications component allows you to refresh the Sterling Gentran:Server Notifications browser to view changes made by other users. You can select Refresh from the View menu or press F5.