Networking

What is a network?

At a basic level, a network is two or more computers linked to share information and resources between each other. There are many ways to create a link between two computers or devices be it cables or radio waves.

For example, when you connect your phone to wifi, you are linking to a wifi network which allows your phone to receive and send information via radio waves. When you connect your home computer to your internet modem via an ethernet cable, you are enabling your computer to send and receive information through the ethernet line.

Your internet modem, phone, and home computer make up a Local Area Network (LAN), a small network network confined to a small geographic area.

Your internet modem however connects your LAN to a Wide Area Network (WAN) called the internet. WANs span large geographic areas like an entire state, province, country, or the world.

The HotSauce Network

The HotSauce network is all the devices that make up the HotSauce POS system and the connections that allow them to communicate with each other. At its core this include one or more POS terminals, printers, and chip readers.

The HotSauce network is a subnetwork of a business's LAN connected by a router. The router separates the devices on the HotSauce network from a business's LAN. This allows devices on the HotSauce network to communicate with each other without having to go through other devices outside the HotSauce network and prevents non-HotSauce devices from accessing HotSauce related devices.

Occasionally, the HotSauce network is extended by a switch. In the same way that a power strip turns one power outlet into many, a switch turns one ethernet connection into many. In the immortal words of Brian Menjivar, "A switch is a dumb router. A router is a smart switch."

Below is a sample network map of a business:

Network communication and Names

Most of the information needed to operate the HotSauce system is stored in a database on the the SERVER computer. In order for POS1 to place an order, much less open the FoH software at all, it must be able to communicate with the SERVER computer. Should a POS system become disconnected from the SERVER in some way, whether a cable has been unplugged, a firewall is blocking communication, or

In order for computers and devices on the HotSauce network to communicate with each other, they must know some identifying detail about the computer they are trying to communicate with. In the HotSauce network, each device is identified by name:

SERVER: The computer where the HotSauce database is located and where you can access Back Office.
POS1, POS2, POS3, etc.: Other computers, only has access to Front of House.
KITCHEN, BAR, EXPO, LOCAL, etc.: Printers, named or the type of ticket they are supposed to print. LOCAL is a USB printer connected to a POS terminal for printing receipts.
EMV1, EMV2, EMV3, etc.: Chip reader terminals. In our database they will have the EMV prefix but in the .ini file they will be identified by number solely.

Figuring out a network setup as a remote technician

When we troubleshoot a problem for merchants, such as hardware not working or connection issues, often one of the first things we try to figure out is how their network is set up. However, as remote technicians, it can be difficult for us to visualize a network when we're not actually on site.

If a business has gone completely offline, we must communicate with the merchant and ask the right questions to figure out networking.

If we have access to even one computer on the network, we are able to use a tool called the 'Advanced IP Scanner' to help us figure out what's on a business's HotSauce network.

By default it should be installed on every HotSauce computer and can be found either on the desktop or through the start menu. If it is not it is easily found and installed by Google.

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