Writing Sample
by Galen Bullard, B.Sc.
Context and audience:
When a large organic grocery store needed a new point-of-sale computer
system, I managed the project and wrote this manual.
The store has no in-house computer expert, therefore, I designed the manual to
allow the managers and staff to run the system entirely on their own. The text is
meticulously comprehensive, covering every possible situation of normal
operation and system trouble. It provides clear, precise steps using plain English
and a conversational tone.
Kootenay Co-op
Computer Manual
by Galen Bullard
this document lives in the Samco folder on the Windows PC
(at c:\samco\CompManual.doc)
Kootenay Co-op Computer Manual
Table of Contents
End Of Day Procedure ................................................................................................................................. 3
Morning Procedure....................................................................................................................................... 5
Month End Procedure .................................................................................................................................. 6
Swap Off-Site Backup Tape........................................................................................................................ 6
Clean Tape Drive ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Purge Files .................................................................................................................................................. 6
Year End Procedure ..................................................................................................................................... 9
Save Audit Files .......................................................................................................................................... 9
Clean Up Reports........................................................................................................................................ 9
Physical Count............................................................................................................................................. 10
Receiving...................................................................................................................................................... 12
Shelf Tag Price Verification....................................................................................................................... 14
Adding New Staff Members ....................................................................................................................... 15
Deleting Old Staff Members....................................................................................................................... 17
If Someone Forgets Their Password.......................................................................................................... 18
Till Keyboard Programming...................................................................................................................... 19
Moving Files To The Windows PC............................................................................................................ 21
Microsoft Word For Unix Files ................................................................................................................ 21
Member List Files ..................................................................................................................................... 21
Trouble-Shooting ........................................................................................................................................ 23
Logging In As Root................................................................................................................................... 23
Office Terminal Locked-up....................................................................................................................... 23
Till Locked-up .......................................................................................................................................... 24
Till Printer Problems................................................................................................................................. 27
End-of-Day Problems................................................................................................................................ 28
Power Failures .......................................................................................................................................... 28
System Shutdown...................................................................................................................................... 29
System Reboot .......................................................................................................................................... 29
System Backup.......................................................................................................................................... 30
System Restore.......................................................................................................................................... 30
Technical Support ..................................................................................................................................... 31
Appendix A - Printer Setup....................................................................................................................... 32
Appendix B - Port Table ........................................................................................................................... 33
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Kootenay Co-op Computer Manual
End Of Day Procedure
Summary
1. Log Out All Tills And Terminals
2. Samco Data Backup
3. Posting
4. Check Results Of Posting
5. Nightly Backup
1. Log Out All Tills And Terminals
Walk around the store and log out all the screens at each terminal and at the cash tills. Use the Tab and Esc
keys to exit back to the Samco Main Menu. Press Alt + F1 (on the new terminals) or Shift + F1 (on the old
terminals) to check all the screens at each terminal.
Cash18
Cash19
Cash20
Customer Service
Personal Care
Warehouse
Manager (Deirdrie)
Accounting (Carmen)
Inventory (Carolyn)
new, 2 screens
new, 2 screens
new, 2 screens
new, 3 screens
old, 3 screens
old, 3 screens
old, 3 screens
new, 3 screens
new, 3 screens
2. Data Backup
Before doing the End-of-Day process you must backup the data files.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
Open the door on the main computer. Press the eject button on the lowest drive unit and put the tape
away in its case. Put in the tape marked "Samco Data".
Go to any terminal and login.
From the main menu select "Accounting Data Backup".
At the prompt enter 3 for Tape.
For company number enter "KC" (in uppercase).
Press Enter again.
At the prompt press Enter again and a few seconds later the screen will list the files being backed up.
When the backup completes successfully it will go back to the main menu. If a problem occurs with
the backup then DON'T do the "End-of-Day Process", and write down any information from the screen
and leave a note in a prominent location for the staff opening the store the next day.
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3. Posting
This process will post the day's sales.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
From the main menu select "Samco Software".
At the "Company ID" prompt, enter "KC".
From the Samco main menu select "Point of Sale".
From the next menu select "End of Day".
From the next menu select "Post".
On the posting screen for "Register number" press F1 for "All".
For "Store number" enter 1.
If the terminal freezes and won't let you proceed then check that all terminals have been logged out,
especially the cash tills.
i. If you see a message saying that drawers are still open then press F2 to close all drawers.
j. For "Posting date" enter today's date in the format mmddyy (e.g. 010296 for Jan. 2/96).
k. For "Cut-off date" press Enter for "None".
l. At the prompt "Field number to change" if all entries are OK then just hit Enter.
m. In the printer selection box enter D for disk.
n. At the "Any changes?" prompt, if "Disk" is the high-lighted selection then enter N for no. The posting
will start.
DO OTHER CLOSING PROCEDURES
4. Check Results Of Posting
Come back and check the result of the posting process. If a problem occurred with the posting then write
down any information from the screen and leave a note in a prominent location for the staff opening the
store the next day to let them know about the problem.
5. Nightly Backup
Each night we must backup all files.
Open the door on the main computer. Press the eject button on the lowest drive unit and put the tape away
in its case. Put in the tape marked for today and close the computer door. The nightly backup will run
automatically at 11 p.m.
GO HOME :-)
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Morning Procedure
1. End-of-Day Failure
If there is a note from the person who closed on the previous day indicating that problems occurred during
the End-of-Day posting, then see the section on "Trouble-Shooting".
2. Check the Nightly Backup
a.
b.
c.
d.
Exit from the Samco system out to the Main Menu.
From the Main Menu select "View Nightly Backup Log".
If a check-sum error is displayed don't worry about it. If any other errors are displayed then report the
problem to customer support at Samco (see the section on "Trouble-Shooting").
Press Enter to exit.
3. Print And Delete Daily Reports
a.
b.
c.
d.
Print whatever reports are required from the previous day’s posting.
After they have printed successfully, delete all the reports from the previous day’s posting. If you have
not printed all pages of all the reports, then you may need to print them to the dummy printer (this
choice is made when you get to the printer selection box) before the system will let you delete them.
Never print or delete the "Daily Register Audit Journal".
Give the reports to the person doing the daily deposit.
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Kootenay Co-op Computer Manual
Month End Procedure
These procedures must be done at the end of every month.
Swap Off-Site Backup Tape
At the end of each month one of the nightly backup tapes should be taken home by the Manager (or another
designated person) and put in a safe place, and the tape which was at home from last month should be
brought back to the Co-op to be re-used. This ensures we always have a fairly recent copy of our computer
system in case of fire or theft at the Co-op.
Clean Tape Drive
Put the head cleaning tape in the Samco computer's tape drive (it will run automatically).
Purge Files
Some of the data files are huge and need to be purged of old data every month.
WARNING:
Purging files can cause big problems if it is not done right. Follow all of these directions carefully.
• Some files get so big that purging them can take a long time (hours, or even a day), so it is critical that
you purge files every month to keep them from getting so big. You may have to purge different files
on different nights. Do the Purge Preparation (below) each night before you purge.
• Purging files can cause big problems if it is not done right. Therefore, you must make a backup tape
before purging.
• Purging must be run at night, right after the store closes so that it has time to complete before the
store must be opened the next morning. After the purge you must also rebuild the data file before
opening the store - this can be done in the morning.
• If the purge has not completed by morning, then in order to open the store on time you will have to
kill the terminal on which the purge is running (see “Office Terminal Locked Up” in the
“Troubleshooting” section of this manual). Then you will have to restore the system from the backup
tape (see “System Restore” in the “Troubleshooting” section of this manual).
1. Purge Preparation
a. Make a backup tape (see “System Backup” in the “Troubleshooting” section of this manual).
b. Login as root and do not run the root menu.
c. To stop automatic nightly backups, at the # prompt enter
crontab backupno
d. Log out.
e. Login as yourself (only some of the office staff have access to the purge option on the Point Of Sale
menu). Do not purge while logged in as root because you may have to kill this terminal (did you make
a backup?).
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2. Purge Point Of Sale
a. Read the Warning above.
b. From the Samco main menu select "Point of Sale".
c. Press F2 for more menu options.
d. From the menu select "Purge Management History”.
e. On the purging screen, for "Store number” enter 1.
f. Enter dates to purge all but the most recent month.
g. Enter P to purge each type of data.
h. Exit back to the Point Of Sale menu.
i. From the menu select " File Utilities”.
j. From the next menu select "Rebuild A File”.
k. Select the files INVHISKC and PSHISFKC for rebuilding.
l. If you are not purging any more files right now then login as root again. Do not run the root menu. To
resume automatic nightly backups, at the # prompt enter
crontab backupyes
3. Purge Accounts Receivable
a. Read the Warning above.
b. From the Samco main menu select "Accounts Receivable".
c. From the menu select "Reports”.
d. From the menu select "Tax Collected”.
e. On the report screen, for "Store number” enter 1.
f. Enter dates to purge all but the most recent three months.
g. For “Which Date” enter D for document.
h. For “Purge File” enter Y.
i. For “Print Invoice Detail” enter N.
j. For “Tax Type” and “Tax Group” press F1 for All.
k. When prompted, select the Dummy printer.
l. Exit back to the Accounts Receivable menu.
m. Press F2 for more menu options.
n. From the menu select "File Utilities”.
o. From the next menu select "Rebuild A File”.
p. Select the file TAXFILKC for rebuilding.
q. If you are not purging any more files right now then login as root again. Do not run the root menu. To
resume automatic nightly backups, at the # prompt enter
crontab backupyes
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Kootenay Co-op Computer Manual
4. Purge Accounts Payable
a. Read the Warning above.
b. From the Samco main menu select "Accounts Payable".
c. From the menu select "Reports”.
d. From the menu select "Print GST Paid Report”.
e. For “Cutoff Date” enter a date to purge all but the most recent three months.
f. For “Purge File” enter Y.
g. For “Print Invoice Detail” enter N.
h. When prompted, select the Dummy printer.
i. Exit back to the Accounts Payable menu.
j. Press F2 for more menu options.
k. From the menu select "File Utilities”.
l. From the next menu select "Rebuild A File”.
m. Select the file TAXFILKC for rebuilding.
n. If you are not purging any more files right now then login as root again. Do not run the root menu. To
resume automatic nightly backups, at the # prompt enter
crontab backupyes
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Kootenay Co-op Computer Manual
Year End Procedure
These procedures must be done at the end of every fiscal year. They can also be done at the end of every
quarter if you want to clean the accumulation of old reports off the system.
Save Audit Files
It is critical to make an annual tape backup of the Daily Register Audit reports. These reports are our
electronic till tapes (instead of the old paper till tapes) which we must save for seven years in case we are
audited by the government.
a. Put a new tape in the tape drive.
b. Login as root.
c. Go to the reports directory by entering
cd /usr/ssi/rwprt
d. Verify that you are in the right directory by entering
pwd
e. Backup the reports by entering (note that the last character of “rct0” is a zero)
tar cvf /dev/rct0 KCPS*.PRT
f. When the backup is done eject the tape.
g. Mark the tape clearly as our Electronic Journal Audit Files for year xxxx.
h. Flip the write-protection tab on the tape (so the hole is open) and store it in a safe place. This
tape must be kept and not used again for seven years.
Clean Up Reports
If the “Save Audit Files” backup completed without problems then you can delete all the reports stored on
the hard disk. First be sure no one needs any of these reports, especially the bookkeeper, and the person
who does the daily deposit.
a. Go to the reports directory by entering
cd /usr/ssi/rwprt
b. Verify that you are in the right directory by entering
pwd
c. Delete the files by entering
rm *.PRT
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Physical Count
A Physical Count can be done for the entire store or for just one department or for one aisle or for a few
items, whatever you require.
The steps in this summary should make it fairly easy to jump right in and count stock. The chapter
"Expanded Physical Count" in the Samco Inventory Plus manual describes the nitty gritty details of the
computer process.
1. Backup Data
If you are doing a physical count on the whole store then there are some things you should do first:
a. Make sure there are no transactions on hold at the tills. If there are any they should be either finalized
or deleted.
b. Backup the Samco data onto tape. This is just like the backup that is done before each night's posting
(see the section "End of Day" in this manual). Do not use the same tape as you use for regular backups.
Use a tape labeled "before physical count". When finished, eject the tape and keep it in case there are
problems during the count.
2. Create Computer Records
Create physical count transaction records in the computer (see p. 28.3 in the Samco manual). This is like a
blank work sheet in the computer for entering counts. If the computer says it found duplicate records it
means that someone created physical count transaction records previously but did not post them. You can
choose to:
• Skip duplicates (counts in the old records will be retained)
• Replace duplicates (counts in the old records will be deleted)
• Abort
No-one should leave counts unposted so generally it would be best to choose Replace.
3. Count The Items
Counting the items can be done in one or any combination of the following ways:
1. for items without barcodes: record the item number, description and quantity on paper
2. for items with barcodes: write the quantity on a sticky note, attach it to one of the items, put the item in
a basket
3. for any item: use the portable data collector to scan the item's barcode or type in its item number, then
enter the quantity (for how to set up and use the collector see the section "Receiving" in this manual counting is done the same way as receiving)
4. Inventory Service: they will enter data onto portable data collectors and then provide us with a floppy
disk of their final count data.
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Kootenay Co-op Computer Manual
4. Enter The Counts
Enter the counts into the computer in the way which corresponds to the counting method used.
1. for items on the paper count sheets: manually enter the counts at a terminal (see p. 28.7 in the Samco
manual)
2. for items in baskets with sticky notes: scan the items at a till. This is done the same way as section a.
above except the item numbers are scanned instead of typed for speed and accuracy.
3. for items in the portable collector you must get the data from the collector into the computer:
a. Connect the portable data collector to the terminal in the warehouse and turn it on.
b. Log in to the computer and from the Main Menu select "Collector (Receivings, Counts)".
c. From this menu select "Get Count/Receivings" and a message will tell you if the data transfer
was successful.
d. Import the data into inventory (see p. 28.11 in the Samco manual). The import format
information is already correctly set up so you can just hit enter to pass this screen.
4. Inventory Service: Samco has provided a special program with instructions on how to import a disk file
from an inventory service.
5. Backup Data
Backup the Samco data onto tape again. This is just like the backup that was done in Step 1. Do not use
the same tape as you used in Step 1. Use a tape marked "before create adjustments". When finished, eject
the tape and keep it in case there are problems during the posting.
6. Create Adjustments
Create the adjustments which will reset inventory to match the quantities counted (see p. 28.24 in the Samco
manual).
7. Post The Adjustments
The adjustments must now be posted so that the quantity-on-hand for each item matches the counts (see p.
22.51 in the Samco manual).
8. Valuation Report
From the Samco menu select the menu options Inventory > Reports > Valuation Report. This report is
hundreds of pages long so be sure to print it to the disk. Print the last page of the report in order to see the
value of current inventory.
9. Year-End
If this is a year-end physical count then you should now do the procedures in the section “Period End
Procedures” in this manual.
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Receiving
Summary
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Purge old data in the portable data collector.
Enter new receivings data into the collector.
Get the data from the collector into a temporary file in the computer.
Import the data into the Samco software from the temporary file.
Post the data into Inventory.
1. Purge Old Data
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Turn on the portable data collector.
Press the MENU button. Press 6 for Purge.
At the prompt ROP (Y/N) press the NO button (at the bottom left).
At the prompt PN_QTY (Y/N) press the YES button. If this prompt instead appears ITMPRICE (Y/N)
then you will need to send the counting program from the computer to the collector.
To send the counting program from the computer to the collector, connect the portable data collector to
the terminal in the warehouse. Turn it off and on to reset it, but do not press any other buttons yet. Log
in to the computer and from the Main Menu select "Collector (Receivings, Counts)”. Select “Send
Count/Receivings Program to Collector”. A message will tell you if the program was sent successfully.
2. Enter New Data
a.
b.
c.
d.
Turn on the portable data collector.
Press the MENU button. Press 1 for Input. Press 2 for PN_QTY.
Type in a product’s item number and press Enter, or just scan the item’s barcode. Then enter the
quantity received. If a case of twelve was received then enter 12.
Repeat for each item.
3. Get Collector Data Into Temporary File
a.
b.
c.
Connect the portable data collector to the terminal in the warehouse and turn it on.
Log in to the computer and from the Main Menu select "Collector (Receivings, Counts)".
From this menu select "Get Count/Receivings" and a message will tell you if the data transfer was
successful.
4. Import Temporary File Into Samco
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
From the Samco menu select these menu options: Inventory Plus > Inventory > Import
Enter today's date, an optional invoice number, and an optional comment.
On the import file format screen just press Enter.
If the message "Inventory transactions are on file" appears, then enter 'Y' to proceed.
At the prompt "OK to import inventory transactions" enter 'Y'.
A message will tell you if some records from the data collector could not be read into Inventory. When
this happens you will have to use the Word word processor to look at the file
/usr/ssi/IMPORTKC.LOG. At the bottom of this file you will find info on which records had problems.
You can also look at the temporary file to see these incorrect entries. These entries can then be entered
manually following the menu options Inventory Plus > Inventory > Enter
To see a report of what was successfully imported select the menu options Inventory Plus > Inventory >
Edit List.
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5. Post the Receivings
a.
b.
c.
From the Samco menu select these menu options: Inventory Plus > Inventory > Post
Select the printer for the posting report - "Print to disk" is usually best.
Your data are now safely entered into the inventory system.
Consequences:
If you do not follow the steps above here is what will happen:
1. If you do not purge the old data then it will be sent to the computer again and be added to the inventory
quantities again and inventory totals will be over.
3. If you do not Get the data into the computer's temporary file from the collector then someone will come
later and purge the data in the collector and all your work will be lost. If the stock has already gone out on
the sales floor then it will be impossible to recount it and inventory totals will be short.
4. If you do not import the data file into the Samco software then someone will come later and send other
data from the collector into the computer's temporary file and all your work will be lost. If the stock has
already gone out on the sales floor then it will be impossible to recount it and inventory totals will be short.
5. If you do not post the receivings then inventory totals will not be updated. Your inventory transactions
will still be in the Samco system waiting to be posted, but someone could delete them if you haven’t posted
them.
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Kootenay Co-op Computer Manual
Shelf Tag Price Verification
Summary
1.
2.
3.
Purge old data in the portable data collector.
Enter new pricing data into the collector.
Get the data from the collector and print a report of any price mismatches.
1. Purge Old Data
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Turn on the portable data collector.
Press the MENU button. Press 6 for Purge.
At the prompt ROP (Y/N) press the NO button (at the bottom left).
At the prompt ITMPRICE (Y/N) press the YES button. If this prompt instead appears PN_QTY (Y/N)
then you will need to send the pricing program from the computer to the collector.
To send the pricing program from the computer to the collector, connect the portable data collector to
the terminal in the warehouse. Turn it off and on to reset it, but do not press any other buttons yet. Log
in to the computer and from the Samco menu follow the selections Inventory Plus > Reports > Item
Price Comparison. Press F2 to send the program to the collector. A message will tell you if the
program was sent successfully.
2. Enter New Data
a.
b.
c.
d.
Turn on the portable data collector.
Press the MENU button. Press 1 for Input. Press 2 for ITMPRICE.
Type in a product’s item number and press Enter, or just scan the item’s barcode. Then enter the price
marked on the shelf tag - do not enter the decimal point.
Repeat for each item.
3. Get Collector Data And Print Report
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Connect the portable data collector to the terminal in the warehouse and turn it on.
From the computer’s Samco menu follow the selections Inventory Plus > Reports > Item Price
Comparison.
Press F1 to get prices from the collector into the temporary file.
Press enter to accept the temporary file name PRICE.TXT.
Press enter to accept No for “Update prices”. Never select Yes for this or the prices in our inventory
will be replaced by the prices in the data collector!
For the printer selection it is usually best to print to disk. This report will contain any items for which
the price in our inventory and the price in the collector did not agree. New shelf tags should be made
for these items.
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Adding New Staff Members
1. Add Staff To The Computer System
This will set up the new staff member to login to the computer.
a. login as username root
b. Enter Y to "Run Root Menu".
c. Select "SCO Unix System Administration".
d. Press Enter to select "Account Manager".
e. Press U to pop up the "Users" menu.
f. Press N to select "Add New User".
g. For "Login" enter the person's first name (in lower case, maximum eight characters).
h. For "User ID" press Enter to accept the number assigned by the system.
i. For "Comment" enter their first and last names (in regular mixed case).
j. Press Enter several times until the highlight is on the "OK" button at the bottom left.
k. Press Enter to "Enter A New Password".
l. You are now at the "Enter Password" prompt. Type in the person's first name (in lower case) and press
Enter. The name will not appear on the screen.
m. You are now at the "Confirm Password" prompt. Type in the person's first name again (in lower case)
and press Enter. The name will not appear on the screen.
n. At the "Force Password Change" box press Enter.
o. At the "OK" button press Enter.
p. Press T to pop up the "Host" menu.
q. Press X to exit to the "SCOadmin".
r. Press Tab to move to the menu bar at the top of the "SCOadmin" screen.
s. Press F to pop up the "File" menu.
t. Press X to exit.
u. Enter Q to log out.
The first time this person logs in they will be asked to change their password. They must enter a new
password which contains at least two letters and at least one digit (in lower case). They should pick a
password which will be easy to remember like the name of their cat with a digit appended to it (e.g. fluffy1).
2. Add Staff To The Samco System
This will set the new staff member’s "user privileges" (i.e. which parts of the Samco system they can
access).
a. login using your own user name (only some office staff will have user privileges to do this)
b. from the Samco main menu select the options System Functions > Passwords > Maintain Package
Passwords
c. for "Password" enter the person's first name - it must match the "Login" name entered in "Add Them
To The Computer System" above
d. for "User ID" enter their initials (in upper case)
e. on the "Menu: Main Menu" screen press F3 to copy
f. for "Company" enter "KC"
g. for password enter the first name of the person you want to copy privileges from - this should be
someone with the same type of job as the new person
h. press Tab twice to exit
i. select "Maintain Extended Passwords"
j. follow the same steps used for "Maintain Package Passwords"
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Kootenay Co-op Computer Manual
3. Add Staff To The Point Of Sale Module
If the new staff member is a cashier they must be added to the "Point of Sale" module.
a. from the Samco main menu select "Point of Sale"
b. press F2 for more menu options
c. select menu options Setup > Users > Enter
d. for "User ID" enter the person's initials (in upper case)
e. for "Password" enter a four digit cashier password
f. hit Enter several times to skip past the personal information section
g. set the "authorizations" to match the settings for any other cashier
h. for "Valid Drawers" press F1 for "All"
i. press Enter several times to skip past "Sales" and "Costs"
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Deleting Old Staff Members
In the same sections of the computer where you add new staff members you will find options to delete staff
who have left the co-op.
1. Delete Staff From The Computer System
This will delete an old staff member’s login name and password.
a. login as username root
b. Enter Y to "Run Root Menu".
c. Select "SCO Unix System Administration".
d. Press Enter to select "Account Manager".
e. Press Tab to move into the list of users.
f. Use the arrow keys to find and highlight the person to delete.
g. Press Tab to return to the menu bar at the top of the screen.
h. Press U to pop up the "Users" menu.
i. Press D to select "Delete".
j. At the warning box press Enter for “OK”.
k. Press T to pop up the "Host" menu.
l. Press X to exit to the "SCOadmin".
m. Press Tab to move to the menu bar at the top of the "SCOadmin" screen.
n. Press F to pop up the "File" menu.
o. Press X to exit.
p. Enter Q to log out.
2. Delete Staff From The Samco System
This will delete the old staff member’s "user privileges".
a. login using your own user name (only some office staff will have user privileges to do this)
b. from the Samco main menu select the options System Functions > Passwords > Maintain Package
Passwords
c. for "Password" enter the person's first name - it must match the "Login" name entered in "Add Them
To The Computer System" above
d. on the "Menu: Main Menu" screen press F4 to delete
e. you do not need to delete them from "Maintain Extended Passwords"
3. Delete Staff From The Point Of Sale Module
If the new staff member is a cashier they must be added them to the "Point of Sale" module.
a. from the Samco main menu select "Point of Sale"
b. press F2 for more menu options
c. select menu options Setup > Users > Enter
d. for "User ID" enter the person's initials (in upper case)
e. press F3 to delete
f. enter Y to confirm you want to delete this person
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If Someone Forgets Their Password
Assign A New Password
If someone forgets their password all you can do is give them a new password.
a. login as username root
b. Enter Y to "Run Root Menu".
c. Select "SCO Unix System Administration".
d. Press Enter to select "Account Manager".
e. Press Tab to move into the list of users.
f. Use the arrow keys to find and highlight the person who forgot their password.
g. Press Tab to return to the menu bar at the top of the screen.
h. Press U to pop up the "Users" menu.
i. Press C to select "Change Password".
j. Press Enter to "Enter A New Password".
k. You are now at the "Enter Password" prompt. Type in the person's first name (in lower case) and press
Enter. The name will not appear on the screen.
l. You are now at the "Confirm Password" prompt. Type in the person's first name again (in lower case)
and press Enter. The name will not appear on the screen.
m. At the "Force Password Change" box press the space bar to turn on this option then press Enter.
n. At the "OK" button press Enter or use the arrow keys to select "Cancel".
o. Press T to pop up the "Host" menu.
p. Press X to exit to the "SCOadmin" screen.
q. Press Tab to move to the menu bar at the top of the "SCOadmin" screen.
r. Press F to pop up the "File" menu.
s. Press X to exit.
t. Enter Q to log out.
If you turned on the "Force Password Change" option (press the Space bar to toggle this option off and on),
then the first time this person logs in they will be asked to change their password. They must enter a new
password which contains at least two letters and at least one digit (in lower case). They should pick a
password which will be easy to remember like the name of their cat with a digit appended to it, e.g. fluffy1
(as in "Oh great fluffy one!").
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Till Keyboard Programming
Overview
The keys on the till keyboards can be programmed for special "hot key" functions, e.g. the share purchase
key. A hot key is a single key which contains a sequence of key strokes which would be tedious for the
cashier to enter. Programming them all into one key makes cashiers happier.
For example, the share purchase hot key contains the key strokes
*SHARE{Enter}{Enter}{Enter}
This is the sequence of keys a cashier would have to type to sell a share if there was no hot key: the item
number is *SHARE then the Enter key would have to be hit three times.
Changing A Hot Key - Summary
To add, change or delete a hot key you:
1. figure out the correct sequence of keystrokes to perform the function
2. change the hot key programming (which is saved in the Windows PC)
3. connect the till keyboard to the Windows PC and send the new programming into the till keyboard
4. change the labels on the hot keys if necessary (in a box marked Computer Spare Parts there are key
caps for labeling the hot keys)
Keystroke Sequence
To add or change a hot key function you will first have to know the correct sequence of keystrokes required
at the till to perform that function. Try out the sequence of keystrokes at the till. Consult the Samco
manuals, or call Samco for help with this if necessary.
Programming Hot Keys
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Go to the Windows PC
Shutdown the PC. When you shut it down select to restart in MS-DOS mode.
At the C:> prompt enter CD \PREH
To start the program enter PREH-MWX
Press Alt + F for the File menu, press O to open a keyboard file
Press Tab to move into the list of files, use the arrow keys to select the most recent keyboard file, e.g.
KOOT6.MWX, then press Enter. If your list of files seems to disappear just exit from the program and
restart it.
7. Press Alt + E for the Edit menu, then press K to edit keys. A map of our till keyboard will be
displayed.
8. Use the arrow keys to move the highlight on the map to the key you want to select, then press Enter.
9. The Assignment field shows you any keystrokes which are currently programmed onto that key. You
can change delete these keystrokes as needed. When you are done with this hot key press Esc.
10. Try selecting different hot keys to see examples of what is in the assignment field.
Send to the Till Keyboard
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
When you have made all your changes return to the keyboard map then press Esc to exit
Press Alt + F for the file menu
Unplug the PC's keyboard and plug in the till keyboard (see Connecting the Till Keyboard, below)
Press W on the till keyboard to write the programming into the till keyboard
Now take the keyboard back to the till and try out your changes
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Connecting the Till Keyboard
The regular keyboard (PC KB) on the Windows PC is usually connected via an extension cable as shown in
Figure 1. To connect the till keyboard to the PC use the spare till keyboard cable as shown in Figure 2.
This keyboard cable is kept in a box marked Computer Spare Parts. Attached to it is an adapter so that it
can connect to the PC's extension cable.
Resetting the Till Keyboard
If the till keyboard gets seriously screwed up somehow while using it at the till or sending programming to
it, then you will need to reset it using the automated programs on the floppy disk marked "Resetting A
Locked-up Till Keyboard". This disk is also kept in the box marked Computer Spare Parts.
1. Shutdown the PC and turn it off.
2. Connect the till keyboard (as shown in Figure 2). While you plug in the till keyboard to the PC, hold
down the Ctrl key and the Shift key on the left side of the till keyboard until it beeps two times. This
resets it.
3. Insert the floppy disk in the disk drive of the PC.
4. Turn on the PC.
5. When the PC is done writing the programming to the till keyboard then remove the floppy disk and
press the reset button on the front of the PC to start it in Windows again.
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Moving Files To The Windows PC
Microsoft Word For Unix Files
If you create a document using Microsoft Word For Unix on the Samco system, you can move it to the
Windows PC and use Word For Windows to format the document and print it on a bubble jet or laser
printer.
a. In Microsoft Word For Unix save your document file as a text-only file.
b. You must go to the directory where your Unix Word file lives. If your user name (the name you use to
login) was carolyn then at the Unix system’s $ prompt you would enter:
cd /usr/acct/carolyn
c. To see a list of your Unix Word files enter:
l *.dcx
(the first character above is a lower-case L)
d. If your file is not there, go to the directory /usr/ssi and list the dcx files to see if it is there.
e. Put a floppy disk in the drive (the disk must be formatted for Windows or DOS - this is the usual
format disks are sold in).
f. To copy your file to the floppy disk, if your file was called MyFile.dcx then you would enter:
doscp MyFile.dcx /dev/fd0
(the last character above is a zero)
g. The file on this floppy can now be opened in Word on the Windows PC (remember to select “Files of
type: All Files” when on the File Open screen in Windows).
Member List Files
Logging in with username root gives you access to everything on the system. Follow the directions in this
manual very carefully when you are logged in as root, otherwise you could damage the system.
a. From the Samco main menu select "Accounts Receivable".
b. From the menu select "Customers”.
c. From the menu select "Print By Customer Number”.
d. On the this screen select the range of customers you want.
e. For “Inactive Customers Only” enter B.
f. For “Customer Type” press F1 for All.
g. For “Report Format” enter B.
h. For “Print Sales Figures” enter N.
i. For “Print Notes” enter N.
j. For “Customer Type” press F1 for All.
k. For “Which A/R Account” press F1 for All.
l. For “Print User Defined Fields” enter Y.
m. For “Which Condition” enter A.
n. On the next screen for each item select First, Last, and No except for “Share Value” which should be
set to First, Last, and Yes.
o. When prompted for a printer, select “Print To Disk”.
p. Exit back to the Samco main menu and select "System Functions".
q. From the menu select "Reports From Disk”.
r. From the menu select "Select Report To Print”.
s. Search through the list of reports until you find your report. Note its report number.
t. If the report number was 7499 then the name of your report file would be
KCAR7499.PRT
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To find this file, at the Unix system’s $ prompt enter:
cd /usr/ssi/rwprt
then enter:
l KCAR*.PRT
(the first character above is a lower-case L)
v. To copy this file to a floppy disk follow steps e, f, g in the “Microsoft Word For Unix Files” section
(above).
w. Take the floppy disk to the Windows PC and open the file in Word For Windows. You will see that
each customer has a two-line entry in this file. Remove every line in the file which is not one of these
two-line customer entries.
x. Then position the cursor on the first line of the customer entries.
y. Click on the green “sad face” button on the tool bar to turn the first two-line customer entry into a oneline entry. Click on this button repeatedly until every customer in the file has become a one-line entry.
z. Save the file and exit Word.
aa. Open the file in Excel and convert it into a spreadsheet containing only the fields:
member number, name, share value.
This file can be printed as your customer list.
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Trouble-Shooting
Logging In As Root
Logging in with username root gives you access to everything on the system. Follow the directions in this
manual very carefully when you are logged in as root, otherwise you could damage the system.
a.
b.
c.
Go to any terminal and login with user name "root".
At the Password prompt enter _________.
If the system asks you to change the password make sure you write down the new password and leave
copies of it for the manager and office staff. This is very important - without this password we will
have to re-install the whole system!
Office Terminal Locked-up
If an office terminal is locked-up (i.e. you get no response of any kind) then the most convenient thing to do
is to kill it. Gather all your vegetarian strength, take a deep breath, and don't worry - it won't feel a thing!
a.
b.
c.
d.
If you know the user name of the person who is logged in at the locked-up terminal (e.g. "deirdrie" or
"carolyn") then skip to step b. Otherwise, try guessing at who is logged in:
1. Go to another terminal and login as root (see the section “Logging In As Root”).
2. At the $ prompt type the command:
who
and press enter. The terminal will display a list of users who are currently logged. From this you
should be able to ask these people and figure out which one of them was logged in at the locked-up
terminal.
At the other terminal follow the kill procedure (see the section "Kill The Till"). In the "ps -u"
command, in place of "cash18" type the user name of the person who was logged in at the locked-up
terminal. You do not need to reprogram the register and drawer.
If the terminal is still locked up you can now try turning the power off and on. On the old Wyse
terminals the power switch is on the right side of the monitor. On the new terminals there is an orange
switch on the square, flat terminal box. The terminal on the accounting desk (Carmen) cannot be
turned off and on.
If the terminal is still locked-up or behaving oddly then you will have to do a system shutdown (see the
section "System Shutdown").
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Till Locked-up
If a cash till locks up or behaves oddly then check each of the following (in order) until the till is working
again.
1. Navigating The Ticket Entry Screen
a. Be sure the NumLock is on.
b. A till can get into an unusual mode or function which the cashier does not know how to get out of.
There are several keys which can be used to try to get out of an unwanted function. As you try these
keys watch the screen carefully to see where you end up and to see any prompts. Try these keys:
• Tab
• Esc
• Up arrow
• Down arrow
• Enter
c. If you are still stuck in the unwanted function then you could proceed through the function to the end
and then void the whole ticket.
2. Check The Keyboard
Occasionally the keyboard locks up. To reset it just unplug the cable at the back of the keyboard and plug it
in again.
3. Check The Printer
If a till actually locks up in the middle of a transaction it is likely due to a printer problem. Check the
following:
• the printer has power
• the printer is online
• the printer has paper
• the paper is not jammed (try pressing the form feed button)
• the computer cable is securely plugged into the back of the printer
• If the printer and till are still locked up then try connecting a printer from another till which you know
to be working. If this till now works then its original printer is broken.
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4. Till Printer Failure
If the printer dies and must be repaired or replaced then you can get the till running again by temporarily
reprogramming the register to disable the printer and the drawer.
Disable the printer:
a. Go to any office terminal and login.
b. From the Samco main menu select "Point of Sale" in (only some office staff will access to
these menu options).
c. Press F2 for more selections.
d. Follow the menu selections Setup > Registers > Enter
e. On the entry screen press F1 until you find the correct register.
f. Press PageDown.
g. Select the field "Device ID" by entering its field number. Write down the contents of this
field so you can come back and re-enter it once the printer is repaired.
h. Change this field to
/usr/ssi/receipt.tmp
and press Enter.
i. Press Enter several times until you come back to the entry screen.
j. Press Tab twice to get back to the "Setup" menu.
Disable each cash drawer for this till (e.g. on till 18 disable drawers 118, 218, 318... ):
a. From the "Setup" menu select Drawers > Enter.
b. Press F1 until you find the first drawer for this till (e.g. 118).
c. Select the field "Drawer device ID". Write down the contents of this field so you can come
back and re-enter it once the printer is repaired.
d. Use the space bar to blank-out this field and press Enter.
e. Press Enter to get back to the entry screen.
f. Press F1 to find the next drawer for this till (e.g. 218) and repeat the above steps for all
drawers for this till.
Restart the Till:
Now you can restart the till just as you do each morning (see the cashiers' manual). It will not print
receipts or pop open the cash drawer (use a key for this), but otherwise it will function normally.
When the printer is repaired you will have to re-enter the data you deleted as part of this workaround.
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5. Terminal Parameters Screen
If the till is displaying the terminal parameters screen you can exit back to the normal screen by pressing
Pause. At the prompt "Save all?" press 'N'.
If the till won’t allow you to login and displays a musical note after the login prompt then do this:
a. Press Ctrl + ScrollLock to go into the parameters screen.
b. Change “Emulation=SCO Console” to “Emulation=Wyse-60” by pressing the space bar
c. Press Pause to exit and press 'Y' at the "Save all?" prompt.
d. Go into the parameters screen again and set it back to “Emulation=SCO Console”.
e. Press Pause to exit and press 'Y' at the "Save all?" prompt. The terminal should now work.
If the till behaves oddly after this then probably some of the terminal parameters have been accidentally
changed. To restore normal operation:
a. go to a till that is working normally
b. press Ctrl + ScrollLock to go to the parameters screen
c. press F1 and write down all the settings
d. press Tab to move through all the screens and write down all the settings
e. press Pause to exit and press 'N' at the "Save all?" prompt.
f. go to the screwed up till and press Ctrl + ScrollLock to go to the parameters screen
g. press F1 and check that all the settings match those of the working till
h. press Tab to move through all the screens and check the settings
i. press Pause to exit and press 'Y' at the "Save all?" prompt.
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6. Kill The Till
If the till is still locked up then you will have to kill it.
Warning: Never use the kill command to kill a terminal that is logged in as user name "root"!
If a terminal locks up when it is logged in as root then go to another terminal, log in as root and do
a system shutdown (see the section "System Shutdown").
To kill a till:
a. Go to any terminal and login with user name "root" (see the section “Logging In As Root”).
b. At the "Run root menu" prompt enter ‘N’ for no.
c. At the # prompt type the command (in lower case):
ps -u cash18
and press Enter (for till 19 or 20 type cash19 or cash20). A list of the processes (i.e. programs) running
at that till will be displayed (there probably will be five or ten of them). Each of these processes must
be killed.
d. Use the process id (PID) from the left column of the list (e.g. process id 1234) and type the command
(in lower case):
kill -9 1234
and press Enter. Be very careful to type the correct process id, otherwise you could bring down a till
that is working. Do this command for each process on the list.
e. When you have killed them all enter the command:
ps -u cash18
again to be sure you got them all.
f. Enter the command:
exit
to log out. This is very important - never operate a terminal as the "root" user except when it is
absolutely necessary, like for running this kill process!
g. Restart the till as you would when opening the store. If the till immediately locks up again then kill it
again and try doing the steps in the section “Printer Failure” above restarting the till.
h. If the till will not restart then do a system shutdown (see the section "System Shutdown").
Till Printer Problems
If the printer starts spewing massive amounts of paper or printing hieroglyphics then turn off its power
switch. Hold down the "Online" button while you turn on the power switch - this should reset the printer
and it will resume normal operation.
Also see the sections "Till Locked-up - Check The Printer" and "Till Locked-up - Printer Failure".
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End-of-Day Problems
Backup of Samco Data
If the backup of Samco data had problems then call customer support at Samco (see the section “Technical
Support”) and ask them to fix the problem.
Because the backup failed, the person closing the store did not run the end-of-day process. Once the
problem is fixed and the Samco data are backed up you can then run the end-of-day process for the date of
the failure.
Posting
If the Posting process had problems then call Samco (see the section "Technical Support").
Once the problem is fixed you will have to restore the Samco data which were saved in the data backup and
run the posting again:
a. Open the door on the main computer. Press the eject button on the lowest drive unit and put the tape
away in its case. Put in the tape marked "Samco Data".
b. Go to any terminal and login an root (see the section “Logging In As Root”)
c. At the "Run root menu" prompt enter ‘Y’ for yes.
d. From the root menu select "Restore Samco Data Only".
e. Follow the instructions on the terminal screen.
f. When the restore is done it will go back to the root menu. Select ‘Q’ to log out. This is very important
- never operate a terminal as the "root" user except when it is absolutely necessary, like for running this
restore!
g. Run the posting process again for the date of the failure.
Power Failures
When the power goes out some parts of the computer system will remain running for about five minutes:
• the server (i.e. main computer)
• the terminal on the Accounting (Carmen's) desk
• the cash tills
The server will start sending messages that it is about to shut down. This will give the cashiers just enough
time to finish up the current transaction and then shut down their tills in the usual way (see the cashiers'
manual).
After a few minutes the system will shut itself down without human assistance.
When the power comes back on you can reboot the server (see the section "System Reboot").
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System Shutdown
The SCO Unix system we are running almost never needs to be shut down. But some rare problems may
only be fixed by shutting down the whole system. Examples:
• a terminal is locked up and needs to be killed but it is logged in as user name "root" (never use the kill
command to kill a terminal logged in as "root")
• bizarre behavior that you couldn't fix in another way
• some problem diagnosed by Samco
A system shutdown and reboot takes about five minutes. Every till and terminal must be logged out
before doing a shutdown, so this is best done when the store is not open.
To shutdown the computer system follow these steps:
a. Verify that all terminals and tills are logged out.
b. Go to the terminal on the accounting desk (Carmen's) unless it is locked-up. Login as root (see the
section “Logging In As Root”).
c. At the "Run root menu" prompt enter ‘Y’ for yes.
d. From the root menu select "Shut down the system". Just ignore the prompt "Please logoff now".
e. Wait about a minute. At the "Continue? y or n" prompt enter ‘Y’ for yes. The system will shut itself
down in a few minutes.
f. When shutdown is complete it will display the prompt "Power Off or Press Any Key To Reboot". It is
now safe to turn off the computer's power switch. If you are just trying to reboot the computer then
proceed to the section "System Reboot".
System Reboot
To reboot the computer system follow these steps:
a. If you just did a shutdown then press any key to reboot. If the computer was off or there was a power
failure then check that the UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) is turned on (there should never be a
reason to turn it off). Turn on the power switch on the server (main computer).
b. Within a few seconds the terminal on the accounting desk (Carmen) should display a color American
Megatrends screen. If it does not then turn off the server's power switch, wait ten seconds, then turn it
on again. If there is still no response then try this again.
c. If you get a message about a keyboard error, try unplugging the printer cables from the back of the
Samco computer case. Plug them back in after the reboot is complete.
d. The computer will display the prompt
Boot
:
and you can just press Enter.
e. At the prompt "Type CONTROL-d to proceed" hold the Ctrl key and press the ‘D’ key.
f. At the "system time" prompt if the date or time is wrong then enter the correct date and time, otherwise
just press Enter.
g. The system is now up and running. All terminals should now display the login prompt.
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System Backup
Backing up the Samco system to tape should take ten to fifteen minutes. If takes much longer than this you
should probably purge some data files (see the section “Month End Procedures”). Use this form of backup
when purging or upgrading or doing other system maintenance.
a.
b.
c.
Login as root. Do not run the root menu.
Insert a backup tape in the drive.
At the # prompt enter
tar -cv8 /usr/ssi
System Restore
Restoring the Samco system from tape will erase the entire Samco system and set it back to the way
the system was at the time the backup tape was made.
To restore from a backup of the Samco data made during the “End Of Day Procedure”, login as root, run
the root menu, select “Restore Samco data only”. The Samco data tape must be in the drive.
To restore from a nightly backup tape or from a tape made with above “System Backup” procedure:
a. Login as root. Do not run the root menu.
b. Insert the backup tape in the drive.
c. At the # prompt enter
tar -xv8 /usr/ssi
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Technical Support
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
First look in the appropriate manual:
• this Kootenay Co-op computer manual
• the Samco point of sale system manuals
• the computer's Unix operating system manuals
• the MS Word For Unix word processor manual
The indexes in these manuals are pretty good. If you can't find answers in the manuals then ask other
staff who may be able to help.
All of the following support services cost money, a lot of money.
For questions, problems, or training call customer support at Samco at 1-800-663-2080.
For emergency support outside regular office hours call Samco at 1-604-597-1599, extension 364.
If you cannot reach Samco then call ICS Support in Washington at 1-206-820-6120, press 9 for
emergency support.
For hardware problems call Tony at TLC Technologies at 354-1970.
Galen can be reached via e-mail at
[email protected]
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Appendix A - Printer Setup
Unix Printer Setup
a. Login as root.
b. From the root menu select “SCO Unix System Administration”.
c. From this menu select “Printers”.
d. From this menu select “Printer Manager”.
e. Select the “Settings” menu, then select the “Model” menu.
f. Both laser printers and dot matrix printers should be set to “Model: Standard”.
Samco Printer Setup
a. Login as yourself (only some office staff have access to these menu options).
b. From the Samco menu select “System Functions”.
c. From this menu select “Printers”.
d. From this menu select “System Printers”.
e. From this menu select “Change/Inquire System Printer”.
f. Laser printers should be set to “Printer type: Laserjet-Portrait” and dot matrix printers should be set to
“Printer type: Epson”.
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Appendix B - Port Table
Port
tty1a1
tty1a2
tty1a3
tty1a4
tty1a5
tty1a6
tty1a7
tty1a8
tty1a16
tty1b1
tty1b2
tty1b3
tty1b4
tty1b5
tty1b6
tty1b9
tty1b10
tty1b11
lp0
lp1
-
Type
Console
ADDS 4000
ADDS 4000
Wyse 60
Wyse 60
Wyse 60
PC-WAND
Comtex PC
Modem
Till 18
Scale 18
Display Pole 18
Till 19
Scale 19
Display Pole 19
Till 20
Scale 20
Display Pole 20
Report Printer
Label Printer
Barcode Printer
Description
First Office, Left (Accounts: Carmen)
Customer Service Desk
First Office, Right (Data Entry: Carolyn)
Mid Office, Left (Personal Care) (no terminal)
Personal Care Department
Warehouse
Far Office (Manager: Deirdrie)
Portable Data Collector (Warehouse)
Mid Office, Right (Purchasing) (Windows PC, no longer connected)
Multitech 28.8
ADDS 4000
Magellan
DSP 800
ADDS 4000
Magellan
DSP 800
ADDS 4000
Magellan
DSP 800
Fujitsu DL3400 (First Office)
Panasonic KX-P1180 (Mid Office)
Barcode Blaster (Data Entry: Carolyn)
33
.