Setting up access for a third party service


1. Register for a dynamic external IP address
There are multiple services available to do this.  The two most common, are
- dynalias.com (https://www.oracle.com/ca-en/cloud/networking/dns/)
- no-ip.com (https://www.noip.com/)

No-ip.com has a free version.  It just comes with a monthly "nag",
requiring users to confirm their use of their service.

2. Configure router for port forwarding
Forward all messages coming in on port 9187 to go to the server.
Use the same port number for both external and internal values.

3. Turn on Web Server
Go to File->Server Configuration, in the Server program.
Check the box for Auto-start Web Server.

Go to App Config, and check the appropriate boxes for all
third party services to which the server should listen.

If the third party provides additional security information (ID/password,
API Key, etc), click the associated Configuration button,
and enter the provided information.


Testing/Debugging

There are 2 levels of testing that can establish that everything is working
(or not)...Internal, and External.

Testing uses a Ping routine.  
There are currently 3 interfaces that use the ODOfficePro Web Server.
Each responds to a Ping message, and each has it's own application name.
They are as follows:

demandHub
booking
eyeRecommend


1. For Internal testing, use any computer inside the office network.
- Open a browser (Firefox tends to work better, as Chrome sometimes gets 
   concerned by the lack of certificate).
- Enter https://192.168.X.X:9187/XXXXXXXX/Ping
   supplying the IP address of the server computer, and the application name
   that was enabled.

As an example:
   https://192.168.2.50:9187/DemandHub/Ping

This will verify whether or not the Web Server is active.
If it is not, please review step 3 above.
Also, got to Tools->Start Web Sever (if that option is greyed out, it means the
Web Server is already running).


2. For External testing, use a computer that is NOT on the office network.
- Open a browser (Firefox tends to work better, as Chrome sometimes gets 
   concerned by the lack of certificate).
- Enter https://yourAlias.dynalias.com:9187/XXXXXXXX/Ping 
   supplying the external alias, and the application name that was enabled.

As an example:
   https://spinnakerware.dynalias.com:9187/DemandHub/Ping

This will verify that the alias is working, and the port forwarding is correct
If it is not, please review steps 1 and 2 above.  Also, if Internal testing was not
yet verified, perform that step.

Often, issues at this level are related to the router configuration.

In each case, the response should look similar to one of the following:
<response>
  <header>
    <timestamp>2024-06-18-12.49.23.238000</timestamp>
    <success>true</success>
    <code>0</code>
    <message>OK</message>
  </header>
<payload> </payload>
</response>

OR

{
	"header": {
		"timestamp": "2024-09-12-10.55.45.210000",
            "success": true,
            "code": 0,
            "message": "OK"
	},
	"payload": {
	}
}