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Administration

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Send your patrons email notifications

To send email reminders, such as the Overdue Items Notice, you will need to configure how Alexandria communicates with your library's email server. Alexandria's email system is designed to potentially cope with hundreds of emails being sent (or resent) over many machines at the same time. If a send fails, the next resend time is generated by adding a random value between 3 and 9 minutes, spreading out the resend times so all the undelivered email still in the “short range” period isn't sent at the same time. If a send hasn't succeeded by the end of the “short range” period, the program will generate new send times using random values between 60 and 90 minutes. If a send still hasn't succeeded after 100 hours the email is discarded and a “return-to-sender” email will be sent.

Email Settings 

The Server 1 and Server 2 sections are used for out-bound email. Server 1 is the primary server and Server 2 can function as a back up server should server 1 fail. You do not need to have two SMTP servers to use the email functionality; for networks with one SMTP server simply configure the setting in the Server 1 section. 

SMTP Server 1 and 2. This is the TCP/IP or DNS address of your library's mail server. Typically, this will be “ mail.” followed by your domain name. 

Port. Enter the port number that your email server uses.

Allow Non-Secure Connections. Alexandria uses Transport Layer Security (TLS) for secure web communications, when this setting is enabled checked the system will use non-TLS connections if it cannot make an TLS connection.

Log In. Enter the login for your email server. 

Password. Enter the password for your email server.

Test Server. Test the SMTP Server settings by sending a test email. This email is sent to the email address listed in the Sites module. 

Last Tested On. This field displays the last date/time that the server test was performed.

Last Test Results. This field displays whether the test was successful or not.

Setting Up Your SMTP Server 

Before setting up your SMTP server you will need to enter a valid email address in the Site management settings of Alexandria. 

  1. Click on Tools to the left of your Circulation window. 
  2. Click on Sites under the Management header. 
  3. Enter the name of your site contact (typically this will be the District or Library Administrator of Alexandria), their title, their email and their phone/fax numbers.
  4. Click Save in the upper right corner.

Once you have saved this information you are ready to set up the SMTP server.

  • Access Tools > Administration.
  • Click Email on the left.
  • Enter your SMTP server address and port in the available fields. 
  • Check the box if you want to allow non-secure connections. (optional)
  • Enter the login and password for your SMTP server. 
  • Click Save in the upper-right corner of the window.
    • Repeat steps 1-6 if you want to configure a back up server for Server 2.

    Using Gmail as your SMTP Server

    A Gmail account can be used as a portable SMTP server if your library's network does not already have one. Before you configure Alexandria to use Gmail, you will need to set your Gmail preferences to Allow Less Secure Apps. 

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    Note

    Admin is only used for controller hosting and can be accessed at /admin.



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    What does the status interface do?

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    Warning

    What are administration settings?

    If you are self-hosted, see Self Hosted for the information you need. 

    This page will NOT be migrated to the new Alexandria Support Center and will instead be archived. 

    Administration Settings

    Image Added /admin

    Administration settings are high-level preferences intended for network administrators or IT support departments when hosting an Alexandria Controller. 

    See Controller Administration. 





    Old Administration
    Expand

    The Administration settings

    The Administration settings

    are high-level preferences intended for network administrators, IT support departments, or operators with administrator-level permissions

    ; in

    . In other words, they're advanced settings used to configure your main Data Station once and then be forgotten.

    While every operator with the proper security permissions can access the Administration module, it contains settings that most operators won't be able to configure without help. An operator's access to these settings is governed by

    Alexandria's

    their security preferences. Your library's administrator can manage these settings in

    Tools >

    Preferences > Security.

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    Status

    Actions Menu
    These settings allow you to perform maintenance on your library catalog and update your Alexandria program.

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    Web

    		These settings allow Alexandria and Textbook Tracker to communicate online.

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    Database

    		These settings allow you to set up automatic archives and database maintenance.

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    Email

    		These settings allow you to designate an SMTP server to use for sending emails, such as Item Overdue Notices, to patrons and/or staff.
    Actions Menu 

    This menu appears on each interface of the administrative settings in the upper left corner. These options allow you to update to latest version, send your library data to COMPanion, log out of the program or quit the data station remotely. 

    Check for Updates

    . 

    If there are any updates available, it will be listed here. You simply click on the version number to initiate the upgrade

    . Additionally you may download the latest update by visiting our downloads page, and for larger organizations may use Alexandria's Version Limiting service; contact your sales representative for information and pricing

    .

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    Send Data to COMPanion

    . 

    If a Customer Support Representative needs your library data for troubleshooting you can easily send it to us by selecting this option and entering the Authorization Code you are provided.

    Log Out

    .

    This button will log you out of Alexandria, despite if you have multiple windows open.

     


    Quit Alexandria

    . 

    This option will stop the Data Station from running and log out any active operators.

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    Status

    These settings allow you to perform maintenance on your library catalog and update your Alexandria program.

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    Email
    		These settings allow you to designate an SMTP server to use for sending emails, such as Item Overdue Notices, to Patrons and/or Staff.

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    LDAP
    		These settings allow you to authenticate operator and patron program access.

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    Checkpoint

    If your library utilizes the Checkpoint ILS security system use these setting to enhance your SIP2 protocol. 

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    It's where an operator can easily access their Alexandria This is where you can access your registration information, perform database maintenance, run or restore from archives, and update to the latest version.  It's the default interface when accessing administration settings.

    Database Maintenance 

    You have the ability to preserve and maintain your library catalog data by utilizing the following options through the status interface.

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    Restore From Archive

    .

    Use this option to replace your current data folder with a previously created archive. This is useful if you need to undo a completed process such as imports or utilities.

     



    Expand
    titleSteps to restore from an archive.
    1. Click Restore From Archive, this will trigger a roll-down menu.

    2. From the list of Available Archives, select the archive date/time you would like to restore to; dates/times are listed as yyyy/mm/dd 24:00

    3. Click the Restore button to proceed. If you no longer want to restore simply click Cancel to abort the process. By clicking Restore your current data will be replaced by that contained in the selected archive folder. 
    4. Check the Delete the archived data after restoring box to remove the selected archive from
    your Archive Directory upon
    1. your archive directory upon successful restoration. (optional)
     

    Archive

    . Selecting

    Selecting this button performs an immediate, manual archive of your database.

    During an archive, all information in the Data Station's Data folder is copied into the Archive Directory you've configured. While the Archive

    An archive is a complete copy of your library data file. However, archives are not backups. The difference between a backup and an archive is that backups are made on removable media and physically stored offsite or in cloud-based storage. Archives are entirely useless in the event of a hard drive failure hence keeping an offsite or cloud backup is highly recommended. While the archive is running all services on the

    Data Station

    data station are temporarily disabled. We recommend running an archive before making any large-scale changes to your database, such as imports, updates, utilities, or machine upgrades.

    Restart

    . 

    Selecting this button will restart the Data Station remotely. During the restart duration, Alexandria services and modules will be unavailable to all operators.

    Database Maintenance

    . 

    Selecting this button will examine your database files and

    perform Patron, Item, and Circulation verification

    perform patron, item, and circulation verification routines. If database damage is detected, it's automatically fixed.

     While

     While maintenance is being performed the

    data station

    Data Station will be inaccessible

    . This process can also be scheduled to perform regularly. 
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    . We recommend performing this maintenance at least once a month to keep your data in good, working order.

    Database

    Scheduled Archives and Database Maintenance are allocated in Database settings. These settings allow you to specify if and when automatic archives and/or database maintenance is performed. You are also able to configure the location where local archives are stored. For a Centralized or Distributed catalog these settings will apply to all sites.Cloud-Hosted customers don't have the database settings in the administration module because their hosted subscription includes automatic nightly archives and regular database maintenance.

    Related Link: Archive Your Data

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    Tip

    We strongly advise you to review these settings regularly to ensure that your archive directory is up to date and the number of archives stored is properly configured based on your needs and available disk space.

    Web Settings

    Self-Hosted customers will need to configure these setting before using the web modules of the program. For a Centralized and Distributed catalogs, these settings apply to all sites. A Cloud-Hosted customer doesn't have the web settings interface in the administration module because their data is hosted on a designated COMPanion server.

    Alexandria uses Transport Layer Security (TLS) for secure web communications. These settings allow you to configure the certificates, ports, and server domain names that Alexandria uses to communicate with web browsers. When you save changes to this window, the Data Station will apply your new settings and restart web services.

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    Settings

    Alexandria uses Transport Layer Security (TLS) for secure web communications.

    Tip

    When it comes to TLS certificates, “file specifications” stand for the correct (and required) directory location, file name, and file extension (e.g. C:\Program Data\Alexandria Support\SSL\*.pem) of your keys/certificates on the Data Station. Accurate file specifications must be provided in order for the key/certificates to be accessed.

    Server Domain Name

    Enter the domain name or IP address that connects to your Data Station.

    Port ID

    Enter the port number that Alexandria uses to access the web service. This is typically port 80 or 8080.

    Allow Non-Secure Connections

    Uncheck this box if you want to maintain secure web communications. (optional)

    Secure Port ID

    Enter the port number used for the secure web interface. The default is 443.

    Private Key

    Enter the private key password, if required. (optional)

    Verify Private Key Password

    Enter the private password again to verify it. (optional)

    Path to Private Key

    Enter the file name and location of the Data Station’s private key.  (optional)

      • The file name and location may be entered or changed manually on a connected Web or Librarian Workstation, but it must follow the correct file specifications.

      • Only certificates in PEM format are recognized. (optional)

    Path to Certificate

    Enter the file name and location of the Data Station’s public certificate. 

      • The file name and location may be entered or changed manually on a connected Web or Librarian Workstation, but it must follow the correct file specifications.

      • Only certificates in PEM format are recognized. (optional)

    Path to Chain

    Enter the file name and location of the Data Station’s chain file.

      • The file name and location may be entered or changed manually on a connected Web or Librarian Workstation, but it must follow the correct file specifications.
      • Only certificates in PEM format are recognized. (optional)

    SIP2 Port ID

    Enter the port number used for the SIP2 communications. The default is 6001.

    Use Secure SIP2 Connection

    Enable this setting if you're using a Secure SIP2 Connection

    Info
    titlePEM Format

    The PEM format (Privacy Enhanced Mail), an early standard for securing electronic email; the PEM format is not widely adopted as an internet mail standard.

    Generate Certificates

    Create Temporary Certificate

    This creates a temporary private key and public certificate from Alexandria’s registration information then saved to to the SSL folder in the Alexandria Support folder, even if the Path to Certificate that you entered is different than the SSL folder. They expire 365 days after creation.

    Generate Certificate Signing Request

    This creates a request for a certificate. This request can be sent to a certificate authority.


    Warning
    titleImportant

    The Microsoft Certificate Server is not supported. You will need to use a code signing authority such as GoDaddy™, Comodo ©, or VeriSign™.


    see also Email Preferences

    Info
    Expand
    titleAllow Less Secure Apps

    In order for the program to make contact with your Google SMTP, it's necessary that Alexandria (the App) retrieves your sign in credentials from Google. As such you must set your Google Account settings for Access for Less Secure Apps from No to Yes. This can be done by going to Account Settings or by clicking here, then apps with account access (you may need to sign in to see these settings). 

    COMPanion Corp stores your credentials only for the purpose of utilizing Google's SMTP email service and it's stored using the most up-to-date security. It is not used by COMPanion for any other purpose. For more information about allowing less secure apps you may review Google's support page here.

    1. Access Tools > Administration.
    2. Click Email on the left.
    3. Enter smtp.gmail.com as the SMTP Server Address.
    4. Enter 587 as the port. 
    5. Check the box if you want to allow non-secure connections. (optional)
    6. Enter the login and password for your Gmail account. 
    7. Click Save in the upper-right corner of the window.
    8. Click Test Server to ensure the Gmail account is acting as a server. 
    9. Repeat steps 1-8 if you want to configure a back up server for Server 2. 
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