Command and Option Reference

1. The Microvellum Server  interaction options .
   
2. The Microvellum Server  system tray icon  in the Windows Desktop Notifications area (a.k.a. System Tray).
   
3. The “MVSERVER”  desktop shortcut .
   
4. The Microvellum Server  interface header , including the current configuration and the all stop setting.
   
5. The Microvellum Server  interface Server Settings tab .
   
6. The Microvellum Server  interface Configuration Settings tab .
   
7. The Microvellum Server  interface History Log tab .
   

Interacting with Microvellum Server

This section presents an outline of several ways to use the Microvellum Server software. It does not present every possible combination of actions but is intended to be used in conjunction with the system flowchart found in the Help Center article  Microvellum Server (Overview)  or download from this article.   

There are several different ways you may interact with Microvellum Server. You can think of these usage paths as tracks or trails through the software. For more information, view or download the flowchart attached to this article. This flowchart is much like a map for a trail system as it illustrates the various connections between components and thus may reveal what possibilities are open to you when using Microvellum Server.  

1. Use a third-party application to produce XML files. These XML files are copied into the path specified in the Import Queue Path. The program checks that location several times a minute and pulls imports that XML code into the Server Core Program for processing and sends the data to the appropriate database. When finished with one, it checks for more files in the queue and if found pulls in the next and processes it. If none are found in the queue, the program goes into waiting mode until more files are found there.
   
2. Use Microvellum Toolbox or the Microvellum Production Module to create a project. Once the project is created, there are several options for how to create and process the work order.
   
1. Create Work Order - Standard method : Start a work order from the drawing or the product list and finish the creation process on your local computer. Make sure the box Create Work Order Remotely is  not  checked in the Work Order Creation screen. You may later process it remotely using Microvellum Server. This track should  not  add a file with the file extension .WOC in the Work Order Archive folder of the Server Data Path.
   
2. Create Work Order on Server : Start a work order from the drawing or the product list and finish the creation process remotely with Microvellum Server. Make sure the box Create Work Order Remotely  is  checked in the Work Order Creation screen. When finished, check the Work Order Archive folder located in the Server Data Path to confirm that a file with a .WOC extension has been added.
   
3. Process Work Order – Standard method : Open a work order in the Processing Center. Apply processing stations as necessary and click Process. This track should  not  add either a file with the file extension .WOC or .WOP in the Work Order Archive folder of the Server Data Path.
   
4. Process Work Order with Server : Open a work order in the Processing Center and check the box Process On Server. Apply processing stations as necessary and click Process. When finished, check the Work Order Archive folder located in the Server Data Path to confirm that a file with a .WOP extension has been added.
   
5. Using a Work Order Created on Server, Process with Standard method : Open a work order that was created on the Microvellum Server and make sure the box Process On Server is  not  checked in the Processing Center screen. Apply processing stations as necessary and click Process. This track should  not  add either a file with the file extension .WOC or .WOP in the Work Order Archive folder of the Server Data Path. 
   
6. Using a Work Order Created on Server, Process with Server : Open a work order that was created on the Microvellum Server and make sure the box Process On Server  is  checked in the Processing Center screen. Apply processing stations as necessary and click Process. When finished, check the Work Order Archive folder located in the Server Data Path to confirm that a file with a .WOP extension has been added.
   
7. Create Work Order on Server and Process Mapped Parts on Server : Start a work order from the drawing or the product list and finish the creation process remotely with Microvellum Server. Make sure the boxes Create Work Order Remotely, and Process Mapped Parts Remotely  are both  checked in the Work Order Creation screen and click Process. This track  should  add a file with the file extension .WOC and one with the extension .WOP in the Work Order Archive folder of the Server Data Path. It will process the parts according to the part mapping that has been established for each processing station.
   

System Tray Icon

See the Microvellum Help Center article  Microvellum Server (Tutorial-Installation)   for more information about stopping and starting the Microvellum Server Windows service.    

The icon for the user interface is located in the lower right corner of the Windows Desktop, in the Notifications area, or System Tray as it’s also known. To run Microvellum Server, double click this small Microvellum icon to launch or open the Microvellum Server properties interface and start the service named Microvellum Server. Accessing the Windows Services interface and starting that service is described elsewhere in the Microvellum Server Tutorials. 

Desktop Shortcut

Double click the desktop shortcut for MVSERVER to launch it if you have exited the Microvellum Server system tray application. This will be obvious when the small Microvellum icon does not appear in the System Tray. 

A typical path for the target file of the MVSERVER desktop shortcut is:

"C:\Program Files\Microvellum\Server\Microvellum Server.exe"/tray

After launching the Microvellum Server system tray application from the shortcut, open the System Tray and double click the small Microvellum icon, or right-click on the small tray icon and select Settings to open the properties interface. 

Interface Header

The header section of the Microvellum Server interface contains properties relating to the configuration and operation state of Microvellum Server. 

Current Configuration

Use this dropdown list to select the preferred Microvellum configuration that was imported from Toolbox or the Product Module. Microvellum Server is intended to run with data from Toolbox or the Production Module, so it is never installed with its own data.

Configuration Manager

Use this button with the three dots (ellipsis) on it to the right of the current configuration to manage your Microvellum Server configurations and preferences. This configuration manager is identical to that used in Toolbox, but in the context of Microvellum Server is used primarily to import an existing data configuration.

ALL STOP

Use this checkbox to stop all processing on the server. If there are multiple items in the queue, the software processes the current item until complete but does not proceed to the next item. As long as this box is checked, the server will remain paused. As soon as it is unchecked, the software proceeds to the next item in the queue, and then the next, until all items are complete.

Server Settings Tab

The properties and paths located on the Server Settings tab determine how the software operates and the options available as defined by these server-level options and properties. These properties are global, applying to all configurations. For example, you may have users at multiple physical locations using Microvellum Server, with each location using a different configuration. The options on this tab enable a server administrator to quickly change the properties for all locations and configurations without requiring that the options be individually adjusted in each configuration. 

Server Settings

The function of this property is not currently available but reserved for future development.

SQL Settings

The function of this property is not currently available but reserved for future development.

Stop Server

Use this button to stop all activity from Microvellum Server.

Restart Server

Use this button to stop Microvellumm Server if it is running, then restart it.

Apply Configuration

Use this button to set the selected configuration as the active configuration for Microvellum Server, then restart Microvellum Server.

Support Portal

Use this button to quickly access and send support requests to the support portal. A current software maintenance subscription is required. Enter your name, email, phone, subject, description, and attachments that would assist the support technicians in understanding your concern completely. An email will be sent to you and a support issue created within the Microvellum support site.

About

Use this button to display information about your Microvellum Server installation. For example, view your software build number, serial number, request code, software maintenance subscription expiration, and module status.

Allow Work Order Creation

Check this box if you intend to enable the creation of work order (.WOC) files remotely by Microvellum Server. Checking this box does not affect the visibility of the checkbox “Create Work Order Remotely” in the Microvellum Server section of the Toolbox work order creation screen. However, if the Microvellum Server property Allow Work Order Creation is not checked, you will see a message when processing ‘…server processing is not available at this time. Would you like to create it Local?'

Allow Work Order Processing

Check this box if you intend to enable the processing of work order (.WOP) files remotely by Microvellum Server. Checking this box does not affect the visibility of the checkbox “Process Mapped Parts Remotely” in the Microvellum Server section of the Toolbox work order creation screen. However, if the Microvellum Server property Allow Work Order Processing is not checked, you will see a message that says ‘…server processing is not available at this time. Would you like to create it Local?' To make sure the message is not displayed, be sure to check the Microvellum Server option for Allow Work Order Processing. If you check this box in the Server Settings tab, it will enable the box in the Configuration Settings tab.

Allow Automated Import

Check this box to activate the Microvellum Server software to check for third-party XML files and add those to the processing queue. If you check this box in the Server Settings tab, it will enable the box in the Configuration Settings tab.

Allow Custom Plugins

Check this box to allow general plugin operation. A general plugin is one that is not related to the data import from an XML file or some other format but adds general functionality to Microvellum Server. For example, you may want to add a tab to the Microvellum Server application interface that displays data that is outside the default Microvellum Server functionality. Or perhaps you want a plugin to run in the middle of the night to sync data between different sources. In both of these scenarios, our Microvellum custom services team creates a plugin for you to install. You would then check this box in Microvellum Server to allow that plugin, and it would execute, displaying something or performing its designated tasks. Since this work is done globally on the server, this option exists only on the Server Settings tab.

Allow Notifications

The function of this checkbox is not currently available but reserved for future development.

Use Global Plugin for Import

Check this box to set an import plugin for global operation. Global operation means that all configurations accessing a common Microvellum Server environment would run this import plugin. An import plugin is unlike a general plugin in that.

Plugin Name

This dropdown list becomes active when you check the box for Use Global Plugin for Import. Select the plugin from the list that you intend to use globally for all configurations. These plugin names will match the files existing in the plugin folder created during the plugin installation procedure.

Server Name

The function of this property is not currently available but reserved for future development.

Port

The function of this property is not currently available but reserved for future development.

User Principal Name (UPN)

The function of this property is not currently available but reserved for future development.

Server Data Path

Enter the path to the upper-level server folder containing the subfolders for the archive, error, and queue files. This must be a folder that has been shared as a network drive to which all computers (“Everyone”) accessing this server have read/write permissions. It cannot be merely a location on your C:\ drive since other computers typically won’t be able to write to that location as a server. Therefore, only “\\MVVSQL\MVServerDataFiles” or an equivalent shared network path would be acceptable for this path. This is because an external application such as Toolbox must be able to access the location specified by this path.

Click the Change link and then the Browse link to navigate to a new folder to reset the path. The subfolders and this shared path are set up in the Installation/Configuration procedure.

Server Name

The function of this property is not currently available but reserved for future development.

Data Catalog Name

The function of this property is not currently available but reserved for future development.

Windows Authentication

The function of this property is not currently available but reserved for future development.

SQL Server Authentication

The function of this property is not currently available but reserved for future development.

User Name

The function of this property is not currently available but reserved for future development.

Password

The function of this property is not currently available but reserved for future development.

Show Password

The function of this property is not currently available but reserved for future development.

Configuration Settings Tab

The properties and paths located on the Configuration Settings tab determine how the software operates and the options available as defined by these configuration-level options and properties. These properties relate to only the current configuration selected in the dropdown current configuration box at the top of the screen. The options on this tab allow for multiple configurations that support differing property/path combinations for various methods of working with Microvellum Server.

Options

Click this button to open the Microvellum options screen. This is the same options screen that is accessed from Toolbox.

Event Log

Click this button to display the event log containing various messages relating to software operation. This includes supporting information when applicable, such as user, source, description, message, and stack trace.

Unregister

Click this button to disconnect or unregister the current configuration from Microvellum Server. Unregistering a configuration may be necessary as a diagnostic procedure to determine if the configuration is causing a problem. If you unregister a configuration, reregister, and the issue still exists, you can rule out the configuration file. This unregistering operation takes place in an INI file, which is continually read by the Server program and any changes found as immediately picked up and implemented.

Microvellum Server does not retain the majority of its data in the Windows Registry. Instead, a folder/file structure is containing this data. Microvellum recommends that you DO NOT access or modify those files just as you would not modify the contents of your registry. The registry is not used because the majority of Microvellum Server operations take place when there are no users logged in. That means there is no existing registry data available. Instead, the files that replace the registry are located where Server always has access to them and thus supports the silent processing required by Server.

Import Queue Path

Enter the path to the Queue folder that will be used for XML import files. This may be a network drive or just a path to a non-network drive folder on the C:\ drive. This is possible as an external application such as Toolbox or the Production module does not need to access this location. Therefore this path does not need to point to a shared network drive as does the “Server Settings > Server Data Path.” Therefore, both “\\MVVSQL\MVServerDataFiles\Queue” and “C:\MVServerDataFiles\Queue” would be acceptable for this path.

Microvellum Server checks the Queue folder every 15 seconds for new files and, if found, begins processing them according to the instructions found in various properties. If nothing is found, it checks back again in 15 seconds. If it finds a file and processing is successful with no critical errors, the file is moved to the Archive folder. If the program encounters a critical error and cannot continue, the file is moved to the Error folder. You may thus view these folders to get a quick status report or processing.

Import Archive Path

Enter the path to the Archive folder that will contain the XML files that have been successfully processed by Server. (See the Note above for a short description of the process.)

Import Error Path

Enter the path to the Error folder that will contain the XML files that have failed to process by Server. (See the Note above for a short description of the process.)

Notification Password

The function of this property is not currently available but reserved for future development.

Allowed Intercommunication Configurations

The function of this property is not currently available but reserved for future development.

Configuration Settings: Allowed Features Sub Tab

Configuration ID

This box displays the identification number of the current configuration as found in the Configurations table of the SQL Server database.

Allow Work Order Creation

Check this box if you intend to enable the creation of work order (.WOC) files remotely by Microvellum Server on the configuration level. Checking this box does not affect the visibility of the checkbox "Create Work Order Remotely" in the Microvellum Server section of the Toolbox work order creation screen. However, if the Microvellum Server property Allow Work Order Creation is not checked, you will see a message when processing '...server processing is not available at this time. Would you like to create it Local?' To make sure the message is not displayed, be sure to check the Microvellum Server option for Allow Work Order Creation and verify the SQL Server configuration and permissions. If this box is not enabled in this tab (displays greyed out), you check the same box in the Server Settings tab, which sets it globally for all configurations. It will then be enabled and accessible here in the Configuration Settings tab.

Allow Work Order Processing

Check this box if you intend to enable the processing of work order (.WOP) files remotely by Microvellum Server on the configuration level. Checking this box does not affect the visibility of the checkbox “Process Mapped Parts Remotely” in the Microvellum Server section of the Toolbox work order creation screen. However, if the Microvellum Server property Allow Work Order Processing is not checked, you will see a message that says ‘…server processing is not available at this time. Would you like to create it Local?' To make sure the message is not displayed, be sure to check the Microvellum Server option for Allow Work Order Processing. If this box is not enabled in this tab (displays greyed out), you check the same box in the Server Settings tab, which sets it globally for all configurations. It will then be enabled and accessible here in the Configuration Settings tab.

Allow Automated Import

Check this box to activate the Microvellum Server software to check for third-party XML files and add those to the processing queue. If this box is not enabled in this tab (displays greyed out), you check the same box in the Server Settings tab, which sets it globally for all configurations. It will then be enabled and accessible here in the Configuration Settings tab.

Allow Notifications

The function of this checkbox is not currently available but reserved for future development.

Use Plugin for Import

Check this box to facilitate a single plugin for this specific configuration. Without this option checked, Microvellum Server does not import a plugin, whereas with this option checked, it will import the plugin. This box is not enabled if the option User Global Plugin for Import in the Server Settings tab is checked ON.

Plugin Name

Select the plugin from the list that you intend to use globally for this specific configuration. These plugin names will match the files existing in the plugin folder created during the plugin installation procedure. This dropdown list is enabled when you check the box for Use Plugin for Import.

Configuration Settings: Preferences Sub Tab

The options on the Preferences tab are necessary for Microvellum Server to know how to process certain parts as necessary. Toolbox displays various messages during the processing operation; however, it is not possible to display these messages during unattended processing that occurs with Server. Microvellum Server must run in the background, silently, with no pop-up messages. To supply Server with the information it needs to continue processing select the desired options on this tab.

Face Six Flip

Select one of the options from the dropdown list to notify Microvellum Server what to do when a processing operation encounters a part with machining on face 6, but none on face 5. The options are Always Flip, Never Flip, By Material.

Create Flatshot Product Images

Check this box to notify Microvellum Server that it should process the flatshot tokens to produce dynamic images. This may increase the processing time.

Create Part DXF Files

Check this box to notify Microvellum Server that it should create part DXF files. This may increase the processing time.

Create WMF Images for All Parts

Check this box to notify Microvellum Server that it should populate the WMF part images to the work order database. This may increase the processing time.

Suspend Scrap Auto-Consumption

Check this box to notify Microvellum Server that should it no longer auto-consume scrap. It modifies the normal Toolbox option Automatically Consume Scrap Inventory.

The Toolbox option Automatically Consume Scrap Inventory in found inside the processing station properties in the Scrap tab and eliminates the need to manually move scrap from the scrap created when processing a batch to the permanent scrap inventory. When the Toolbox option is checked ON the program commits or saves scrap automatically when the work order is processed without any further intervention.

Allow Work Order Report Groups

Check this box to notify Microvellum Server that it should populate the work order report group data to the configuration factory database.

Allow Batch Report Groups

Check this box to notify Microvellum Server that it should populate the optimized batch report group data to the configuration factory database.

History Log Tab

The information on this tab informs you of current Microvellum Server operations as well as past operations.

Auto-Scroll

Click this button to toggle the option always to show the most current entries first.

Clear Log

Click this button to delete all data rows from the active log you are viewing. Select the current log by using the Log Selection option below. If you are clearing the Configuration log, you must select the configuration to clear from the Current Configuration box at the top of the screen.

Log Selection

Drop the list down to select the type of log to view. The options are to view the Server log or the Configuration log.

See Microvellum Server (Tutorial-Installation)   in the Microvellum Help Center for a tutorial showing how to install and configure Microvellum Server.