Resilience

Place shared services on highly available devices. The POS client functionality and performance decrease when a shared service is under performing or cannot be accessed. Simphony enables the ability to balance fault tolerance and cost management requirements.

While modern wireless network infrastructure is more stable than in the past, wireless devices lose network connectivity more frequently than wired devices. If possible, use wired network connections for devices that host shared services.

Use the Backup CAPS (BUCAPS) and Backup KDS Controller services only when necessary. BUCAPS is only useful for scenarios in which CAPS and a POS or Transaction Services client share the same hardware. If CAPS runs on a machine without a POS or Transaction Services client, there is no need for BUCAPS.

Backup services increase both network traffic and workstation hardware requirements. The same hardware requirements apply for both the primary and backup devices. For example, if a site requires a Workstation 620 for CAPS, a Workstation 620 (or greater) must also be used for BUCAPS.

Spreading the services around multiple workstations accomplishes the following:

• Place shared services on highly available devices. Placing shared services on devices that lose network connectivity frequently will negatively affect the POS client operations on other devices.

• In a workstation-only environment, spread the services around as much as possible to mitigate the risk of a single workstation issue taking out large amounts of functionality.

• For larger properties, run shared services on appropriately powered, dedicated hardware that the staff interacts with infrequently, such as a virtual machine or dedicated back office PC.