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Common Questions

Below you will find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding CAFAS® software installation and set-up.

I have the CAFAS Installation Disk but I don't know what do the three programs on the CAFAS CD install represent?

CAFAS Install disk labelled “ new Install CAFAS® 5.x Time-Limited Multiple Log-On comes with three executable files labelled as follows:
    CafasSmallGroup.EXE
    CafasClient.EXE
    CafasService.EXE

Choose 1. CafasSmallGroup.EXE if you install CAFAS on a stand-alone computer or a computer that will become CAFAS Server
Choose 2. CafasClient.EXE if you will install CAFAS for a user that is part of the network but who doesn’t have access to the computer where CAFAS Server program is installed (unless you prefer to create a link to the main program on the CAFAS Server).
Choose 3. CafasService.EXE usually when CAFAS server program is installed on a stand-alone web server computer or in any situation when you want CAFAS server to start and run automatically as part of the operating system (see next question)

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  With the Service Component, the CAFAS program runs as a Windows Service, rather than as a normal Windows executable. The advantages include: 

With the service version, client computers can access the CAFAS program even without the agency/corporate server computer (i.e., server computer hosting the CAFAS program) having to be "logged in".  Typically, corporate server computers are in a separate room, are "always on," but are not "logged in" for security reasons. Without the service version, the corporate server computer will have to be "logged in," which is a potential security issue and could lessen performance (e.g., speed).

With the service version, the CAFAS will automatically be restarted if there is a power outage. Without the service version, a person would normally need to go to the corporate server computer and "log in" to restart the CAFAS program.  

With the service version, automated backup/restore programs are normally capable of stopping and restarting Windows Services (necessary to keep them from accessing databases while they are being backed up). Without the service version, a person may need to manually shut CAFAS down for the backup, and restart it after it is complete.

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Our organization has more that one site, but they are not connected by a network. How do we go about installing the computer program?

If your sites are not networked you can now install version 5.4 at multiple sites (or on multiple, stand-alone PC's) as many times as required. Each time you install the software you will be required to obtain a time-limited license key via the FAS web-site , which requires that you have access to an email account.

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 Does the computer running the CAFAS server have to be dedicated to only CAFAS?

No.  In fact, the CAFAS server application program uses little CPU time so it can be run on a standard desktop machine.  Just make sure the machine is powered up and the CAFAS server application program is running when other users wish to connect via the network.

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The installation instructions refer to web-server architecture. What does this mean and how do I know if our system supports this?

The software uses web-server architecture in the design of the program, which means simply that it uses web-based design to collect information from different computers. Other types of commonly used network servers include Windows NT, and Novell. You do not require an existing web-server in order to successfully install the program, but you will require a web-browser such as Internet Explorer (which comes pre-installed with all recent versions of Windows®) or Netscape Communicator.

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How do we install the software on a Novell server?

Please note that CAFAS® must be installed from a computer running Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT or XP. It must have a mapped drive to your Novell server (i.e. F: going to the Sys: vol) and you must have read, write and file scan or admin rights on the server.

Run the CafasSmallGroup.EXE Click Next at the "Welcome" screen. On the "Choose Destination Location" screen click Browse. Browse to one of your mapped drives that map to your Novell Server. Click OK to close the Browse window, then click Next. On the "Select Components" screen click Next.

On the "Start Install" screen click Next , and the program will begin installing to the Novell server. when the TCP/IP Address window comes up, please write down the IP address (i.e. 192.168.0.5) then click OK. On the "Install Complete" screen click Finish.

Even though the files and the database are now on the Novell server, this computer must stay running with the pink and yellow CAFAS® Server icon in the systray at all times in order for the other workstations on the network to access the CAFAS® program.

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The program is taking a long time to "load", will not open, or an error message is received notifying you that your computer can not connect to the network or Internet.

If you also access the Internet on your PC or network, you may receive some sort of message that you are "offline" and need to connect to the network. However, YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET in order to access CAFAS®. At no point in using the program are you connected to the Internet, and none of the information you input will be accessible "outside" of your computer or local area network (LAN). This problem is usually caused by what are known as dynamic IP assignments. If you are running CAFAS on a network, the computer that is running the CAFAS software server is probably set up to receive a new IP address each time it reboots. Your system administrator must change this to be static IP address. The administrator can either edit the shortcuts to use the new address or simply re-install the clients. Note that client computers do NOT have to have static IP addresses, and can continue to use dynamic IPs.

If you are running CAFAS on a standalone computer and cannot (or do not know how to) change to a static IP address, follow these steps:

Right-click on the CAFAS shortcut (on your desktop and/or in the c:\program files\cafas directory) and select "properties" from the pop-up menu.
Edit the URL to read http://127.1.1.1/Cafas/CafasCGI.exe and press OK.
Go to the Start menu and select "run"
In the pop-up dialog, type "regedit" to run the registry editor
Navigate the tree to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Cafas
Find and double-click the entry for the Server IP address and change it to 127.0.0.1 as well
Close regedit
Restart the computer.

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