Ignited by Nexus

Almost 3 years ago I was working as a Management Analyst for the State and I was given the opportunity to attend the Nexus ’07 event in Bellevue. I was unsure what the event was all about and how it was going to be incorporated with my job. A group of us drove to the event and was intrigued with the research that I had done on the event and the number of products that they offered information on. When we arrived we attended the welcome presentation and speaker that introduced me to a new technology for me in document imaging. I knew that we had incorporated a small part of this into the agency I was working for but was unclear as to how it worked. We broke into our choice of four sessions. It was incredibly interesting and helpful. For the next 2 days I found that each breakout session was very informative and at that point I could definitely see how this technology was incredibly applicable to any business in some way. I made notes and gathers brochures and information on different products and ideas that could be applied to different areas of the agency.

Not only did I gather such great information on new products for the agency but I also was able to meet the vendors and product developers for the different solutions. There were opportunities during the mingle times and product demonstrations that I could approach a vendor or representative and share my ideas and they were so informative and provided even more ideas for me to apply.

By the end of the event I was ready to do it all over again and attend different breakout sessions to learn about more exciting products and apply to my ideas. During the drive home I found that I was not the only one that had this kind of experience. Everyone had ideas and solutions and products that we could apply to different areas of the agency to not only save time but money as well.

When I started working for ImageSource I had no idea that the event that I had attended three years ago was put on by … well…. Us. I am looking forward to this upcoming NEXUS ’10 event on November 4-5. Now I will be attending it from the other side as one of the vendors who will no doubt be in contact with someone that is attending like I had three years ago looking for inspiration. For all those readers out there, be sure to register early so you don’t miss out.

Jen Hilt
Support Engineer
ImageSource Inc

ILINX® Capture Administration

I had the opportunity this week to attend our new ILINX Capture Administration class which Ruth Sheehan is currently finalizing here at ImageSource. It was a great experience; Ruth’s teaching style is very interactive and she really engages with her audience. It is a testament to both Ruth and ILINX Capture that such an in-depth course is successfully completed over the span of a few days.

The course is roughly divided between lecture where core concepts are explained and labs where students have the opportunity to immediately get practical hands-on experience.  The course load is definitely tilted toward lab-work and covers a full spectrum of configuration and management topics.

We started with installation and configuration of ILINX Capture itself.  This phase covered everything from required system specifications for both the server and workstations to making sense of the myriad configuration options present in the system.   The admin utility provides an easy to use and intuitive way of accessing all of the serverside functionality.  One of the coolest things I learned of in this phase was the concept of a Server Group.  A server group is an abstraction that represents one or more actual ILINX Capture servers.  This allows us to set policy (ie, what batches should be processed by these servers, etc) on this abstracted group level and have the members of the group receive policy changes without further admin time needed.  These also make it extremely easy to scale up the system as resource needs increase since new servers can simply be added to the server group.

After ILINX Capture is up and running the course transitions to the core batch profile and document type functionality.  The pace of the material is slow enough to provide a strong foundation yet at the same time respects the student’s personal capabilities and does not try to repeatedly explain the same concepts.  I enjoyed how each new lab built upon and reinforced skills introduced in the previous lab.  Starting from what surely must be the ‘Hello, World’ of batch profiles the course presents increasingly complicated situations.  I particularly enjoyed the lab where I set up a batch profile and document type which automatically recognized and scanned barcodes from multi-page documents and then made decisions by querying values from a database using the barcode number as an index value.  More than any other lab this really showed me what a powerful tool ILINX Capture is in a production environment where volume is high.

Overall, I feel that the course provides the background needed to really jump into administrating ILINX Capture.  And what the course does not directly teach you it provides all the tools one needs in order to create their own solutions for their own environment.  I’ve asked Ruth if she could keep me up to date with the course as it evolves further and I’m really excited to see where it’s going to head.  It’s off to a fantastic start already.

Les Harris
Support Engineer
ImageSource Inc.

  

ILINX Capture: Scanning in a Production Environment

ILINX Capture utilizes a web based platform that combines functionality as well as ease of use while scanning in a production environment.  This platform allows production workers to remotely tap into the system to perform any task in the production workflow.  Capture makes use of many different image enhancement techniques.  In ILINX Capture’s production environment, batches move through the processes in an efficient and organized workflow. 

ILINX Capture’s web based platform makes it possible for a technician to scan and process batches from remote locations.  This feature allows technicians convenient access to the production environment while not at the same locations.  Each process in the workflow (ie Capture, Classify and Indexing) can be performed by an operator whether or not they are on site.  Knowledge workers can answer questions without having to look over the shoulder of the production worker. 

ILINX Capture has many functional image enhancement tools for scanning less than good quality paper.  Images can be replaced, inserted or appended at any stage in the workflow process.  Images can be copied into various places throughout the batch.  Images can also be printed at anytime during the workflow.  If images are scanned out of order and need to be corrected, with ILINX Capture you can move images around after they scanned into the system. 

The most important aspect of Production Scanning is efficient workflow.  ILINX Capture workflow allows batches to move seamlessly from one process to the next.  Batches can also be moved backwards in the workflow if they need to be reworked.  With ILINX Capture you can use any scanner as long as the PC you are using has the twain drivers installed on it.  In the user window, a batch can be easily found at any stage in the workflow without confusion or the necessity of using the Server Manager.

Jeff Martin                               Ali Adam

ImageSource, Inc.                ImageSource, Inc.

Things to Consider When Looking to Move to a Paperless Workplace

The rise of instant communication technologies that is made possible through use of the internet (email, texting, IM) and new media (YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter) have brought new ways of handling everyday operations in the world of business. With every new generation, there comes an increased aptitude for technology and evolving work approach using new inventive ways to use that technology. The Net Generation is the first group of “digital natives” that seem to be changing the office workplace like no other age bracket in the past.

It is a known fact that people of the “Net Generation” are more familiar with devices such as cell phones, laptops, and hand held gaming devices. People from this generation think that using paper in the work place is a thing of the past. Most of them usually get their messages through emails, IM’s, and/or Tweets, so it’s no wonder why this generation thinks paper as out dated and archaic.  Sending IM’s and emails are much faster, more convenient, and more eco-friendly than using the standard postal system.

Enterprise Content Management systems are getting more and more common in the workplace. Forms, letters, emails, notes, and paperwork need a place to live for quick and easy access. Companies are looking for ways to store their documents electronically rather than using a hard copy filing system in a file cabinet.  I can’t think of a better generation to embrace this technology than the Net Generation.

With all of this said, the Net Generation has an advantage over the rest of us because they entered this world with the digital age already in place and we should take advantage of that fact and allow these great minds to thrive and expand their knowledge in the workforce. They will be a great asset in the long run, and will be able to get the older generations up to speed with the new technology.

Here are some good ideas on how to get your company up to speed and maximize your company’s productivity.

1. Start moving away from paper based systems, and more towards email, digital forms, and electronic documents.
2. Build a good scanning system that can import your documents into a storage system such as a database.
3. When scanning the images find software that can do optical character recognition (OCR) to create easily searchable text.
4. Build a good storage system that has software that you can add annotations, signatures, highlights, blackouts and whiteouts to scanned documents.
5. Try to find software that allows you to build a workflow process of how you do work at your place of business.
6. And the most important, hire technology oriented people such as people from the Net Generation and let them be technology mentors in the workplace. This is a great opportunity where the students can become the teachers and  let them experiment in ways to drive paper out of the workflows of business – and lead and teach the rest of the organization.

John Hart

Listening to the Machine

I was chatting with Sophia Marchi, the director of sales for the Americas for BÖWE BELL + HOWELL Scanners at our recent Nexus event. She had just delivered a great break-out on scanner selection criteria and we started talking about how the users need to have input on scanner selection – they really know what they like and what works for them. Often, these aren’t the people consulted when purchase decisions are made, and it’s a shame. She related how at FedEx, there were 13 identical scanners deployed, and the staff had names them all – Annabelle, Karina, Chloe, Hannah, and so forth. Workers bonded with their machines, and would line up for their favorite – even to the point of coming in early to get their machine. Or switching to it the second in came available. Well what’s the attraction — they are all the same machines, right? Then I recalled my brother and I had the same Schwinn 2 speed bikes as kids, then in college we bought the exact same motorcycles (I stuck to silver, he to purple). 3K miles down the road, I’d borrow his bike. Felt a bit funny, compared to mine with the same mileage. Fast forward to when we had put over 45K miles – what a difference. Rider habits with braking, acceleration, maintenance, even storage – added up to make these bikes ride with distinct differences. I do remember mine being faster – I guess my throttle was used to more demands. It’s the same story with scanners. Properly maintained scanners – the ones that are doted on and listened to carefully – are bound to last longer with fewer unexpected breakdowns. Sophia learned from the users that with their favorite scanners, the operators can hear roller wear, hear double feeds, even hear the need for a cleaning. Scanning shops that listen to their operators, allowing them to use a particular machine when possible, and reward regular maintenance and cleaning will outperform shops that neglect these steps.

Peter Lang
ImageSource, Inc.

How To Perform Basic Web Troubleshooting for IPM Web

Web troubleshooting can be difficult and searching through Oracle Metalink to get information can be even worse.   I found this record in the Oracle Archives and thought it may help out other Acorde/Stellent/Oracle IPM/UCM users.  The following is a general guide for troubleshooting issues with the IPM Web service.  Hopefully reviewing the installation checklist and going through this troubleshooting guide will resolve most configuration issues with the web service.

Solution

Installation Phase

This phase encompasses all steps outlined in the install doc. If problems occur during or immediately following the installation, please review these steps:

1. How was the installation done?

At the console or through terminal services?

Terminal services has been known to cause serious issues in our installation of the web. It appears that when the install is done in this way, some files are not registered properly. Typically, you will see errors pointing to COM (login errors, plugin errors, etc.).

2. Were all the installation steps followed?

Check permissions, and verify that objects under the IBPMWeb and IBPMData folder all have the correct permissions. Reset all child objects under IBPMWeb and IBPMData. Make sure the correct web extensions are enabled.

3. Has the current problem been happening since the system was installed?

If yes, then you may need to review the install documentation.

4. Check the HKLM/Software/Optika/TRANSPORT/MANAGER_ADDRS

Make sure it points to the actual Request Broker machine (either the hostname or IP address). Also make sure the webserver can ping that address or hostname.

5. Is there a client or other services installed on the webserver?

If so, please understand that this is not a recommended configuration. In the event it is unavoidable, make sure that the services, (client and web) are all installed into the same location. For IPM web, the DLLs should be installed into C:\Program Files\Stellent\IBPM.

Startup Phase

This phase encompasses the process after installation or after an IISRESET.

1. Do the clients get the login screen?

If not, then we’re failing prior to getting all the ASP\DLLs loaded. Typically this points to either a permissions issue or a corruption in the IBPMWeb\OTInfrastructure\AcordeObjectHeaders folder. Delete all the files in that folder and do an IISRESET from a command prompt.

2. Can the user successfully login?

If not, this means that we are not getting a COM connection open to validate the user. Typically we will see a 29515 error appear stating we were not able to reach a service. In this case look at the permissions on the HKLM\Software\Optika registry key. Another item to look at is to make sure that if for some reason we have a client on the webserver that it is installed into the same folder as the IBPMWeb. Installing elsewhere will cause the web problems when it goes to register DLLs.

3. Is the error in the workcenter or elsewhere?

If after login we see an error on the workcenter, this points to an issue with the AcordeObjectHeaders folder. Rebuild that directory.

If the error happens in another window or frame then we’ll need to investigate those individually.

4. Is the client machine following a shortcut that points to a file below IBPMWeb?

In the past we have seen issues where a client will follow a shortcut that they created when at the login screen of the IPM Web. Doing so causes certain startup processes to be bypassed and can cause problems later because they may be using outdated connection information or other bad data that can cause varied problems.

Post Startup Phase

This phase encompasses any issues that occur after a successful installation and login. These errors typically come from problems with COM or from the connection to the backend servers. If these errors occur after an upgrade to the OS then check to make sure that any firewall or antivirus changes have been deactivated temporarily until we can determine if one of them is the cause.

Plug-in related Problems

For issues related to the plugin, look at the following:

1. Does the Messenger virtual directory contain an ISAPIMsgr.dll?

If not, then the Messenger virtual directory is pointed to the wrong location. Delete and re-create the Messenger virtual directory and point it at C:\Program Files\Stellent\IBPM

2. Does IUSR/IWAM have full control to the IBPMData folder?

If not, correct the security settings and then reset all child objects on that directory.

3. Are the users accessing the web with the hostname or IP address?

If they are using the hostname, you may want to adjust the Web Settings so that it uses hostname over IP (Login with a Web Administrator, click Administration -> Choose Web Settings -> Change the first section to use hostname and specify hostname.domain.com in the text box->Save the settings.)

4. Is there a proxy between the clients and the webserver?

If so, use the explanation for #3 and change the setting to hostname.

5. Are we seeing a *.opt file get created in the IBPMData\IBPMSessionData\<sessionid> folder?

If so, is the file larger than 4k? If so, open the file in a test editor and see what the message is. If it is larger than 4k we can assume that the images are getting to the webserver from export. This would indicate an issue with the plugin loading the image from IBPMData.

6. Check the IIS log and see if ISAPIMsgr.dll is listed as being accessed.

The log can be found at C:\Windows(orWINNT)\System32\LogFiles\W3SVC(number of website)\ and will be named after the date in which it was created. This file is helpful in troubleshooting different problems when you need to see if certain items are being requested from the web server.

How to do a complete uninstall of the IPM Web:

1. Use Add/Remove Programs to uninstall the web

2. Delete the Program Files\Stellent folder

3. Open Regedit and delete HKLM\Software\Optika and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Optika

4. Remove the entries in the IIS Administrator for IBPMWeb, IBPMData and Messenger virtual Directories.

When all else fails…

o When all else fails, get another machine and install the web on it temporarily. Does it exhibit the same issues?

o Was the web installed via Terminal Services? If so, re-install from the console.

o Was the IPMWeb uninstalled and re-installed, or just updated over the older version?

o Was the web installed over a network share? If so, try installing from the CDROM.

If you are still unable to resolve the issue, get the following information:

1. What OS version and service pack does the webserver have installed?

2. Does the webserver also have other applications installed (besides IBPMWeb) and are they running under the same website?

3. What version of IBPMWeb are they installing/using and does that version match the backend IPM servers?

4. Is the customer using custom web applications? Were these recently implemented or altered?

5. Does the customer have Antivirus scanning the IBPMWeb and IBPMData folders? If so, have them exclude these directories for the real time scan.

6. What version of IE is installed on the clients?

7. What version of the J2RE is installed on the clients?

8. How many users are accessing the IBPMWeb at any given time?

9. How much RAM is installed, and how fast are the CPUs along with how machine CPUs are present.

10. Enable IBPMWeb logging. Login into the web with a user which has been granted the Web Administrator Policy; Click Administration; Choose Web Defaults; Check m_AcordeWebLogging; Save, and do an IISRESET. A log will be produced at the root of C drive called AcordeWeb<date>.log. After the error is reproduced and a log is created, turn web logging back off because logging is not thread safe. Supply this log to ImageSource tech support and it will be analyzed for it any info it can provide.

Leigh Woody
Program Manager
ImageSource, Inc.

Tuning ECM Capture Systems – Is It Optional?

Recognizing forms and then performing successful OCR and ICR is a result of careful planning.   Then comes plenty of testing during development, exploiting every advantage you can discover.  Once rolling, are the results what you expect?  All of that testing should ensure the answer is YES.  But if they are falling short of expectation, it’s time to tune.  Are image enhancement/preprocessing settings set optimally (or are they in place at all?).  Are alphanumeric fields defined in such a way that the OCR engines aren’t trying to discern zeros from letter O’s?  For handwriting, do forms have text instructions coaching the users how to write ‘between the lines’?  Are you matching expected data with available dictionaries encompassing all possible entries?  These are just a few of the questions to ask while tuning a paper capture system.  At ImageSource, we’ll work to resolve recognition problems you are experiencing to maximize your ROI and data throughput.

Peter Lang
ImageSource

The Future of ECM Support and Web Based Distributed Capture

Now that there are scanning applications that live on the internet troubleshooting and client side desktop support just got a whole lot easier. No more patching individual workstations and mix matched versions on client desk tops. No more problems accessing and taking up disk space. No more OS compatibility issues. Web based applications is the future of ECM and those of us in Technical Support are embracing the expansion of web based scanning applications such as ILINX Capture and  Oracle Distributed Capture.

Sure, there are still browser issues and other problems that keep all of us techies really busy. Web based applications will not get rid of the need for technical support but it does reduce the amount of user contact and potential points of failure significantly. This is not new technology and thin client scanning has been evolving over the years and we are noticing a trend of renewed interest as companies are looking for ways to deploy software to larger communities and an increase in green initiatives to telecommute. I am looking forward to the next evolution of zero footprint web based distributed scanning and the ease of deployment and supportability.

Leigh Woody

Program Manager

ImageSource, Inc.

Kofax moves to a pay-per-incident (PPI) system. What are your options?

As of August 3, 2009, worldwide technical support via telephone for all versions of Kofax’s VRS has been convert to a pay-per-incident (PPI) system.  Fujitsu offers a toll-free technical assistance support line for all Fujitsu scanners and software during the warranty period.  The scanner warranty includes phone support for Kofax VRS products provided with the purchase of Fujitsu Scanners.  Contact ImageSource for Fujitsu Scanners with VRS and post sales support.

Leigh Woody

Program Manager

Monitoring Server Performance

Does your ECM server seem to have performance related issues?  Are requests to your ECM software taking longer than normal?  If so then you may have a few choices:

• You can always add some extra physical ram, this may help but may not get you to the root of the problem.
• You could maybe add a processor or two and hope for the best, or you can figure out why your ECM server is running so slowly. 

There are several different things that can cause ECM system performance degradation.  In this article we will explain how you can use Performance Monitor aka “PerfMon” a Microsoft Windows built in diagnostic tool to help determine the cause of your ECM server’s bottle neck.

As with any other diagnostic tool Performance Monitor is a running process and like any other process, Performance Monitor may consume things like CPU cycles, system memory, and potentially hard disk resources.  This will slightly lower the amount of available system resources reported by Performance Monitor then when performance monitor is not running.  Even with that Performance Monitor is still accurate enough that it can be used to help IT staff determine system bottle necks that are causing performance related issues.

When running Performance Monitor we recommend turning off all of the default counters.  This will allow you to add the counters and attributes that we are going to discuss below.

• % Processor Time
  • This counter will show you what percentage of the available CPU cycles that are being consumed by the system. For example if the % Processor Time counter reads 40, then the CPU is working at 40% capacity.  If your processor is exceeding 65% capacity then this will be a problem area.
• % Disk Time
  • This counter’s average value should be as low as possible. An average value of 70% or above indicates that the hard disk can’t keep up.  Adding more spindles or faster hard disks may be required.
• Current Disk Queue Length
  • This counter will show you how many I/O operations are waiting for the hard disk to become available.  Our recommendation is that the average disk queue length should be 4 or less.  Adding more spindles or faster hard disks may be required.
• Cache Bytes
  • This counter monitors the amount of memory being used for the file system cache.  Anything over 10 MB would be considered too much. If this is the case it is recommended that you add more physical memory.
• Pool Non-paged Bytes and Pool Non-paged Allocations
  • Another way to test for memory leaks is to monitor these two counters. The Pool Non-paged Bytes counter counts pages of memory that can’t be moved to virtual memory, these will stay in physical RAM.  Most likely, if this value is too high, you’ll have to add more physical memory to the system.  You can also watch the Pool Non-paged Allocations counter to see how many calls are being made to that portion of the memory. If the number of calls does not seem to correspond with the number of memory pages, you may likely have a memory leak rather than an insufficient amount of physical ram.
• PAGES/SEC
  • This value counts the number of times per second that the system is accessing virtual memory rather than physical memory. A value above 20 is considered to be high, and it may indicate a problem with the way your virtual memory is configured rather than a problem or shortage of physical memory.

We recommend monitoring these counters over a day or more to document and establish a baseline.

Co-Authered  by:
Jon Sutherland
Senior Systems Engineer
ImageSource, Inc.

Bryan Wilhelm
Senior Systems Engineer
ImageSource, Inc.