[David Coffey]

INHS is an all windows shop, we patch monthly.  It is a completely hands off process.  We have site created scripting that manages the shutdown and restart of the engine.

[David Coffey]

Micheal,

In the past we have stored in our recovery db close to 75,000 messages.  At the time we were VERY concerned about issues resulting from database corruption and the like.

As to the use of SMAT files.  Our production system is 5.8.5 on Windows.  We have our system configured to create daily smat files so each individual tout file  for an outbound interface is never that large in either physical size or count of messages.  I have never seen issues with using large SMAT files to re-transmit data.

I dont think my shop does anything special or out of the ordinary as to recovery steps or Raima db maintenance.

David Coffey

[David Coffey]

Only under extreme circumstances do we allow large numbers of messages to accumulate in the recovery database.  These circumstances are most often when an endpoint is down for a LONG period of time.  As a 3rd party solutions provider we most often do not have control over the system at the far end of the connection and have no control over how quickly the customer responds with a fix to restore the failed application.  We are tasked with holding their messages until they figure out a fix and bring the application back up.  

We do have an exercise when we are concerned about the volume which is to set the outbound thread to file protocol with the destination being nul:   Once this is done the recovery DB is cleared.  We are then required to manage the replay exercise using the messages contained in the various SMAT files.  

The best maintenance for the recovery DB is to ensure that it is not holding tens of thousands of messages by ensuring they get delivered.

[David Coffey]

Using SQLite for the Error and Recovery databases.   I think it is safe to say this cannot be done.

You state you have 50K messages in your databases. Which one?  Recovery or Error?  It seems your shop needs to adopt some policies regarding the maintenance of these databases.   This would prevent corruption.

I had read in the documentation for 6.x and up you can use SQLite for SMAT but I know nothing as we are not using it for that purpose….yet.

[David Coffey]

Using a database such as SQLite allows for dynamic 2 column tables etc as opposed to the Cloverleaf tables which are static.  

We have many interfaces built to reference labs that require us to save the MRN using the order number as the key.  This is used when the result is received and allows us to ensure the MRN is correct before passing the result to the EMR.  This is one simple example of what we have done using SQLite.

[David Coffey]

Multiple HL7 messages from one input message?   For each newly “created” message one would have to create a message handle and do a msgset for each manufactured HL7 message.

This is simple in TCL, I have no idea how to do this in an XLate.

[David Coffey]

I’m sorry I should have posted that I am running 5.8.5 on Windows.  I am aware of the linux utility but I am on the wrong OS.

[David Coffey]

The line “fd < 1024" catches my eye.  Is this a new install?  Are there other sites running w/o issue?  What is the limit for open file descriptors?  Also what are the permissions for the directory for the smat files?  Maybe the process cannot write to the directory?  

Just some random thoughts.

[David Coffey]

One question: why?

[David Coffey]

Go here for a quick explanation on how to go back and forth between ASCII and EBCDIC  http://wiki.tcl.tk/6205

[David Coffey]

We run TCL jobs against all the SMAT files extracting certain data elements from the MSH and dump them into an SQLite database.  From there we can report on run rates, throughput, utilization.

[David Coffey]

Server 2012 has “enhanced” security.  Turning off UAC will not completed deactivate all the requirements for running jobs etc as admin.  

See this article: https://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/13953.windows-server-2012-deactivating-uac.aspx  for additional steps to completely deactivate UAC. Which should also remove the requirement of running the command window as admin.

[David Coffey]

I prefer to develop on Unix/Linux myself but had no input into the OS for Cloverleaf.  Long ago, far, far away in another galaxy I worked at a shop that ran CAI TDM (later know as Sybase e_biz) on AIX and we went 500+ days w/o a reboot or restart on the product.

As to the thread count?  45.   I have not looked this up recently but I do not think I am pushing the maximum recommended count for a process.  Does anyone know different?  

This process handles primarily ADT with a few threads that merge up outbound results and/or orders to some clinics.  I do not know the answer to your question about message volumes or message size.  Worth looking into.  

David

[David Coffey]

I would find another vehicle to send this large quantity of messages.  What if there is a need to restart, how will this be managed?

[David Coffey]

Putting a sleep or a wait in a thread (sorry we do our interface work in TCL, so I do not know the equivalent function in the GUI) will cause the entire process to sleep.  This is probably not an acceptable side affect.

You could drop the message in a database and use the MSH time value as the key.  Any messages where the delta between the key and the current time is greater than 30 seconds and these are forwarded to the end point.   Be sure to delete anything sent onward.

[Author]

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