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For example, purchase Deluxe at $595 - add networking for just $100! Networking station licenses are only $100 each for the first 3 then $50 for each thereafter.


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Networking Windows for Pawn Shop Software

Networking connects POS (point of sale) computers (even in different stores) to a main computer with a central database. The back office can see what is happening on the sales floor in real time and the clerks have access to up to the minute inventory and account balances.

All stations use the same set of database files. The central database can be any of the Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software installations or it can be in a separate folder wherever desired. If the network administrator elects to use a client/server network configuration rather than peer to peer, the database will be by itself on the server and all network stations will connect to it there. The Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software installer contains a file named blank.zip. This is a blank set of database files provided for this use. An installer is not necessary for them. Just unzip the database files where they are needed.

Networking and Windows

In the past, Windows networks have been notoriously troublesome. Windows XP has resolved this to a great extent, providing a network setup utility (netsetup.exe included in the Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software installer) that can be used on earlier editions of Windows to resolve the old problems. Netsetup.exe is not used during Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software installation but can be accessed in the Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software folder.

Netsetup.exe is a networking wizard with a series of well-explained screens asking for a few options. All computers on the network must have the same work group. Otherwise you can accept the defaults.

Network Interface Cards (NICs)

First, make sure that all of the network computers have a network interface card (nic) installed and that they are working properly.

For 95/98/me go to control panel, system. Open the device manager. Open network adapters. Listed below network adapters should be the adapter for the nic. It should not have a question mark or a red x on it. Highlight the adapter and click on the properties button. At the bottom of the page that appears is a box labeled device status that must contain the words, "This device is working properly". If it says something else, the problem must be repaired.

For XP & 2000, go to the Network Connections part of the control panel. There will be an icon for the network card. Most likely it will be labeled Local Area Connection. Right click on it and choose properties. On the general tab of the window that opens will be the name of the network card in a box at the top. Below that is a button that says configure. Click on that. In the middle of the next window, on the general tab is a box labeled device status. At the top of this box, it must say "This device is working properly". There will be other information as well.

Please consult with your hardware technician to fix problems.

It is important that Windows thinks the device is working properly, but that does not necessarily mean that it is. Nic's will have one or two lights on them facing out on the back side of the computer. These lights must be on when the computer is turned on. If not, the nic is defective. The final test is to wire the computers together with category 5 (CAT 5) cable and turn them on. Before installing Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software, it is important to be able to access the network from each computer that will participate. The netsetup utility will activate one directory on each computer for network access. The directory name will be 'shareddocs'. You should be able to access these directories remotely and copy files from and write files to them. If everything is ok, install Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software.

Activating Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software Program Directories

To be networked, Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software program directories must be activated for network access. So the user would open "My Computer" and navigate to C:\Program Files\Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software and right click on that directory. Choose properties from the menu. There will be a sharing tab at the top of the properties window. Click on that. Put a check where it says "Share this folder on the network". Give the folder a name to use on the network. The name does not matter. Depending on the Windows edition, put check the box where it says, "full access or allow network users to change my files". This is necessary because Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software does change its database files in normal use.

Peer-to-Peer Networking

There are many ways to configure networks. You may use peer-to-peer as described below or consult with a technician (if necessary) to do a client/server setup. Peer-to-peer works well and is easy to setup. Peer-to-peer networks are suitable for networks that have a maximum of 8 computers (which is the limit of most routers). In any case, larger networks may need the more complex client/server setup and a technician to maintain it.

Computers connected to the Internet identify themselves by a number called an IP address. Computers connected to a local network do the same thing. If you connect a local network through a router, the router can be configured to assign IP addresses (through a protocol called DHCP). If done this way, much of the headache of getting networks to work right is automatically taken care. Typically users will be asked whether they want to enable DHCP when installing nic drivers. Answer "yes". If the choice is not offered there, DHCP can be enabled in the TCP/IP configuration in the network part of the control panel.

Routers

Note that a network switch is not the same as a router. A router is needed to facilitate networking. It keeps track of who is who on the network and sends traffic to the correct location.

Routers are often used to let multiple (up to 8) computers share one cable or DSL Internet connection. Routers can, at the same time, connect computers in a Local Area Network (LAN). Get the Internet connection going and shared by all computers, then do the Local Area Network.

Many new routers use a way of configuring them through the browser. The router will come with documentation explaining how. Cisco routers come with extensive documentation. Linksys is a better trouble-free brand. Linksys' setup through the browser is very comprehensible.

The Linksys setup will have DHCP in two places - one for the connection that it makes to the Internet and the other for connection to client computers on the local network. The latter needs to be enabled. In the Linksys configuration, it is only necessary to enable DHCP and specify a starting IP address. Other configuration items on the DHCP page can be left as they are.

Use category 5 (CAT-5) network cable to link the computers. One end of the cable plugs into the nic card in the back of the computer. The other end plugs into the back of the router. Plug the router into its own power source.

Network Setup Process:

Skip to #4 if a shared cable or DSL Internet connection is in place.

1) Install network cards in all computers and make sure Windows thinks they are working properly and the lights on the nic's facing out the back of the computers are on when the computers are turned on. Turn all computers off.

2) Connect all computers with network cable to the router.

3) Plug the router into its own power source.

2) Turn on all computers on the network.

3) Configure the router. Make sure DHCP is turned on.

4) Use netsetup to configure each computer for network access.

5) Test all network computers to make sure that they can access the other computers.

6) Install Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software.

7) Turn on network access to the installation directory. (In "My Computer" navigate to C:/Program Files/Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software. Right click on the folder. Choose properties from the menu at the bottom. Click on the sharing tab at the top of the properties window. Check 'Share this folder'. Put a name for the folder as it should appear on the network in the box. The name doesn't matter. Also check 'Allow network users to change my files'. or 'Full access'. This is necessary because Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software changes its files in the normal process of adding data to the database.)

Sales Locations

The Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software networking configuration provides access to the sales location manager and allows the user to specify at which sales location this computer is located.

The location manager is laid out in a table. There is room to specify the location name and address, etc. Each location can have a number of stations. Station 1 can be baby's clothes, station 2 can be hardware, etc within a location. Enter a sales location then list the stations under that. Enter the address only for the first line of the set. After the first sales location and stations, enter another sales location and the stations under that. But the order really does not matter as long as the location name and station are accurate.

The locations are numbered so a sales location and station would appear as main-1, or downtown-3, etc. in parts of the program where locations are displayed or chosen. The Inventory Work Area shows the location of an item on the general tab at the bottom of the screen. Batch and item inventory input and edits all allow specification of a sales location. These will default to the location specified in the program networking setup as the location of this computer. The inventory tab on the reports screen has a sales location filter for creating inventory reports for specific locations.

Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software configuration steps for networking in program setup:

1) Choose the location of the database.

2) Use the location manager to create the list of business locations and sales stations within location.

3) Choose the location that the current computer represents.

Networking Behavior

It is important to realize that if two clerks at two work stations batch edit the entire inventory making different changes, the database will use the last value it receives for each record. It has no way of knowing that a previous value was actually the one it should have kept if that were the case. So efficient use of Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software networking capability will require global updates be done on only one computer at a time. Clerks should wait until those changes are finished saving before beginning another batch edit all inventory session.

Actually, it would be good management practice if each clerk were given a set of data to work with and only access that data. This can be done in the case of inventory, by giving each clerk a certain number of consignors. In the consignor work area, it is possible to open a batch edit screen for inventory from only one consignor. Clerks working in this way accessing only data within their responsibility will not be in the situation of overwriting other's work.

When loading new screens and creating reports, it is important to remember that if clerks are in the process of entering new data, reports or screens will show only that data the clerk's computer has finished entering in the database. For instance, if a clerk had been batch editing all inventory and saved work, it might be some minutes before Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software on that computer has finished processing entries. A manager at another location requesting reports in the middle of that updating process will get only those entries processed so far by the clerk's computer.

However, these requests and updates can be made simultaneously without sharing violations from all the computers on the network.