Within each Site there will be at least one gate which will either be controlled by an instance of the Ticketing system or a logical gate within the CS Service running on an application server. This gate could either be attended or unattended depending on the business requirements.

The Gate Zone is made up of a number of different hardware devices that can be controlled by Mandalay CS when managing a transaction.

A standard site zone can contain multiple gate zones that control entry and exit from the site. There may also be portable devices connected via WIFI to the local network allowing a an on site mobile solution for transaction capture. The site zone will then communicate to the Central Zone via a WAN connection or through the local network if the central zone if physically located on the site.

Each Gate Zone and portable device will be a database host and will subsequently be a subscriber to the replication of data.

It is possible to not need a Gate Zone on a site particularly if no on site hardware is necessary and basic transaction capture is required. In these cases only a mobile device with a 3G connection is necessary. The database on the mobile device will only replicate with the Central Zone when a 3G connection is established. This is useful in situations where phone reception is limited at the site but may be available at an operators home or in the central office.

It is possible for the mobile device to operate as multiple physical sites, and the operator chose when they start transaction capturing, which site they are operating at.

The Central Zone is made up of a number of different components:

• Application Server
• Central Database Server
• Web Service
• Terminal / Citrix Server

Each of these components could either reside on one physical server or be spread across multiple servers depending on the infrastructure available. For easier supportability it is recommended to have at least the Application, Web and Central Database located on the same server.

This diagram demonstrates the two standard replications strategies for the deployment of Mandalay CS.

Site Replication Scenario 1

The model has each computer that hosts the Mandalay Ticketing system replicating a local database to the central DB server. Because of the delay in replication both instances of the Ticketing application will only point to one database on the site. In this case Ticketing Host 1 is primary database and Host 2 is connected directly to it. The database on Host 2 is provided as a backup in case there is a failure on the primary database.

Site Replication Scenario 2

In this model the primary database is hosted on a dedicated database server with a backup database available on one of the Ticketing hosts. Any additional ticketing instances such as Kiosks and Driver Control Stations will then connect directly to the primary database on the sites local DB server.

The following operating environments will support replication of data as long as the conditions stated are met.

NOTE: If any of these conditions are not met then replication may not function correctly.

3G Connection direct to host computer

• 3G reception that provides at least 2 bars of service with your service provider. (This does not necessarily need to be at the site but can be anywhere the tablet may travel to while turned on)
• Software VPN connection is established to the corporate network on a regular basis or a telstra.corp APN is used. (We recommend that if a software VPN is used that it be established automatically when the user logs on to the device)
• The host device is always addressable by host name from the central SQL server whenever the VPN is established or in the case of the Telstra.corp APN, the device is turned on

ADSL or equivalent connection to internet from host computer

• Software VPN connection is established to the corporate network on a regular basis or hardware based permanent VPN installed on the site local network. (We recommend that if a software VPN is used that it be established automatically when the user is logs on to the device)
• The host device is always addressable by host name from the central SQL server whenever the software VPN is established or in the case of the permanent hardware VPN, the device is turned on.

It is recommended that Mandalay supplied ticketing kiosks are put on the client domain, as opposed to left as stand-alone machines on the network. This allows easier remote administration (eg, ability to remotely restart Mandalay or SQL services without requiring desktop access to the ticketing kiosk), remote log access, file transfer, and authentication (using common domain credentials).

A weigh bridge is made up of 2 components. There is the load cells found under the bridge which are then connected to the scale reader (see image). The scale reader will display the current weight and provide some other functions (see manufacture instructions). The scale readers must be certified by an authorised certifier on a regular basis to conform to government standards.

It is the scale reader that the Mandalay software will communicate with to get the current weigh bridge weight. The connection between the scale reader and the system can be made by 2 methods:

1. Direct serial connection to the host computer or a serial hub (see next step)
2. TCP connection through a ethernet port on the scale reader. (Not all scale readers can support this method)

The scale reader must provide a scale feed in the following format:

• Continuous stream.
• Rinstrim A Format (Other formats may be supported)
• RS232 for direct serial connections.
• If possible the scale should be reading in tonnes not kg

Most external devices that can be connected to the Mandalay system use a serial interface these can be connected directly to a serial port on a computer as long as there are sufficient ports or a serial hub can be used, similar to the one shown above. These devices allow multiple serial devices to be communicated with over a LAN using a TCP IP interface. The Mandalay hardware layer can communicate directly with these devices as if they were directly connected to the computer. In most cases these devices will have there own IP address, which will need to be made static, and connection to this IP with a web browser will display a configuration web pages that can make setting up the devices easier.

NOTE: Mandalay recommend the use of these devices at any site that requires serial communications as it will ensure fast business continuance if problems occur on the host computer.

Printers on site are used to create dockets that can be either delivery dockets or tax invoices depending on the payment method. They are also used to product small reports on the current state of the till. Most printer types are supported but Mandalay recommend the use of thermal docket printers as they do not require ink and only need the replacement of paper as required.

The standard docket templates supplied with Mandalay CS are designed for small thermal printers like the CUSTOM KUBE II printer. If there is a requirement to use a printer outside the standard thermal docket design then additional work will be required to establish a template for the other paper type.

Both serial and USB printers are supported. Bluetooth printers are not recommended as their connection can be unreliable.

Traffic lights are used to give a clear indication of the what drivers should currently do. Traffic lights protecting the entry to a weighbridge will be red when a vehicle is present on the bridge and green when the bridge is empty. Traffic lights protecting the exit from a bridge will only be green once a transaction has been completed, it will be red all other times.

The controlling of these lights is managed through a relay card. These cards are able to control devices such as traffic lights (and boom gates) by opening and closing a relay that directs a control signal to a light. This could either be telling the light to go green or go red depending on the how the manufacturer has setup the device.

Relay cards can either be connected directly to a computer via the serial port or to a serial hub device (see previous step). Some relay cards are able to be connected directly to a LAN via an ethernet port, which means a serial hub is not necessary and the device can be controlled from any computer that has a network connection.

NOTE: Mandalay recommends using the network enabled relay cards.

Boom gates provide a physical barrier preventing entry or exit from a weigh bridge. Boom gates are an optional alternative to traffic lights or as an extension to traffic light control. Each end of a weigh bridge will have one boom gate and will operate differently depending on the direction of travel through the bridge. If a weigh bridge is empty then the boom gates will all be up allowing entry to the bridge. Once a transaction is complete then the boom gate in front of the vehicle will rise and allow the vehicle to exit the bridge. Once the bridge is empty the other boom gate will then raise.

The controlling of these gates is managed through a relay card. These cards are able to control devices such as boom gates(and traffic lights) by opening and closing a relay that directs a control signal to the device. This will be to tell the boom gate to go open.

Relay cards can either be connected directly to a computer via the serial port or to a serial hub device (see previous step). Some relay cards are able to be connected directly to a LAN via an ethernet port, which means a serial hub is not necessary and the device can be controlled from any computer that has a network connection. Mandalay recommends using the network enabled relay cards.

NOTE: The Mandalay system does not tell a boom gate when to close it is only able to tell a gate to open. The gates are connected to a sensor such as a beam or ground loop and while these sensors indicate a vehicle present then the gate will not close until they are clear, the sensors do not open the gates. The Mandalay system can also be configured to periodically send out an open command to force the boom gate to stay open regardless of the sensor states, this is used when there is nothing on the bridge and entry can occur from any direction.

Cash drawers provide a secure method of storing cash during an operators shift. They are connected to a the local computer through a serial connection (only the DB9 interface will work through a serial hub) and are triggered by the Mandalay software to open either when a transaction is complete or when a till check is required.