Overview

This article describes best practices and troubleshooting options when setting up socket servers in Heartland Restaurant.

Types of Socket Servers

There are two types of socket servers within Heartland Restaurant: Socket Server Priority and Dedicated Socket Server. You can edit dedicated socket types in the Authorized Tablets screen. In the Admin Console’s Main Menu, click Location Setup, then click Authorized Tablets. The type of sockets that you choose to use for each location, Server Priority or Dedicated Socket Server, should be tailored to fit the size and volume of the merchant.

Socket Server Priority

Socket Server Priority is usually preferable for smaller installations and locations that have fewer iPads and printers. Socket Server Priority will dedicate the iPad with the highest number as the socket server. The numbers that are used are 0-9, with 9 being the highest. When an iPad is set to 0, the iPad will act as a client and will never be a socket server.

We recommend you set the tablet that will always be powered on with Heartland Restaurant open to be set with the highest priority of 9. You can have a backup set to 8, which will allow the tablet set to 9 to act as the Socket Server if the main tablet is offline.

If you have two tablets with the same socket priority, it will dedicate the tablet with the lowest IP address as the server. For example, you might set two tablets with a socket priority of 9. If one tablet is set to 192.168.1.101 and the other IP is set to 192.168.1.102, the tablet with the IP of 192.168.1.101 would be the server.

When using Socket Server Priorities, you will introduce the chance of duplication and overwriting of transactions if tablets go online and offline quickly. (Mobile Tablets)

Configuring Socket Server Priority

1. Log into the POS.
2. Tap the Settings button in the top right-hand corner, then tap Manager.
   
3. In the Manager Settings screen, tap General.
4. Tap Socket Server Priority, then select an appropriate number in the list.

Review a Tablet’s Socket Server Priority Setting

You can review a tablet’s priority level in the POS.

1. Log into the POS.
2. Tap the Settings button in the top right-hand corner, then tap Manager.
3. In the Manager Settings screen, tap Tablets.

The Tablets screen will feature a tile representing the tablet, with its socket priority setting displayed in the bottom right corner. 

You can review information on each tablet's priority by logging into the Admin Console and accessing the Authorized Tablets screen.

Dedicated Socket Server

Dedicated Socket Server is set on the Admin Portal under Authorized Tablets and will designate a tablet to be the assigned Socket Server. If the Dedicated Socket Server loses connection, does not have power, or the application is closed the following will not work:

• Printing
• All communication to the portal for all devices tickets to sync up to the cloud

If the Dedicated Socket Server goes down, you can change the Dedicated Socket Server on the Admin Portal.

When switching a Dedicated Socket Server or converting from Socket Server Priority, you will need to Publish after you have made the changes. After you have published, you will need to close Heartland Restaurant on all tablets. Once Heartland Restaurant is closed on all tablets you will need to restore Heartland Restaurant on the tablet that is the new Dedicated Socket Server. Lastly, you can launch Heartland Restaurant on the other tablets. This will update the other tablets to recognize the new Dedicated Socket Server.

Configuring a Dedicated Socket Server

1. Log into the Admin Console.
2. In the Main Menu, click Location Setup, then click Authorized Tablets.
3. In the Authorized Tablets screen, click Set Dedicated Socket Server.
   
4. In the Dedicated Socket Server IP Address panel, click the Dedicated Socket Server Tablet list and select the tablet that you want to set as the Dedicated Socket Server.
   The program will automatically insert the selected tablet’s IP address into the Dedicated Socket Server IP Address box.
   
5. Click Save.
   

The program will list the tablet in the Authorized Tablets screen, labeled as Dedicated Socket Server.

Removing a Dedicated Socket Server

1. In the Admin Console’s Main Menu, click Location Setup, then click Authorized Tablets.
2. In the Authorized Tablets screen, click Set Dedicated Socket Server.
3. In the Dedicated Socket Server IP Address panel, click Delete, then click Save.

Troubleshooting Socket Servers

Identifying the Socket Server

To check if a tablet is a socket server, log into the POS and tap the Computer icon in the top panel. The POS will display a panel describing the tablet’s socket status.

Tablet is the assigned Socket Server:

Tablet is connected to the assigned Socket Server:

Tablets Not on Sockets

When your tablets are not on sockets, you will see the same computer icon in the top panel, but it will display red.

When you select the icon, the POS will display more information about the tablet’s sockets. There are multiple reasons why the tablet may not be on sockets.

Enable Shared Printing Without Sockets

Single tablet environments will never be on sockets as it is the only tablet and therefore a socket in itself. To use socket priority to ensure printing functionality, you must configure the POS to allow shared printing without sockets.

1. In the Admin Console’s Main Menu, click Location Setup.
2. In the Location Settings screen, in the App Settings area, select the Allow Shared Printing Without Sockets check box.

We recommend you set the single tablet as a Dedicated Socket Server so that the Allow Shared Printing without Sockets feature is unnecessary, as it can cause print collisions.

You may also need to disable the Ignore Wifi Restrictions function in the iPad settings.

1. Access the iPad Settings
2. Tap Restaurant.
3. Disable Ignore Wifi Restrictions.

If the Dedicated Socket Server goes down, it may be from the tablet being offline or turned off, or Heartland Restaurant is not open.

• Ensure Heartland Restaurant is open on the Dedicated Socket Server.
• Ensure the Dedicated Socket Server and the other tablets are all connected to the same network.
• Ensure the correct Dedicated Socket Server is selected in the Admin Portal with the correct IP address.

To check the IP address on the tablet, follow these procedures.

1. Access the iPad Settings.
2. Tap Wi-Fi.
3. Find the network that the device is connect to, then tap the information icon (i) next to it.
4. Verify the IP address.