Client browsers are not auto-updating

The customer  wait and in-service lists are not updating when a customer has checked-in, or is taken by a user.

Cause

LobbyCentral uses a message service to send notifications to the end-user's browser when a specific event has taken place, called push messaging.

When the user logs into LobbyCentral, the client browser connects to the push notification service and creates a subscription.   With this subscription, the browser will receive notifications and update the screen when a check-in/check-out event is received.

If the browser is unable to connect to, or loses connectivity to the push notification service, the browser will no longer receive events and will not update itself.

Resolution

The user should refresh the page by pressing F5 and observe the  Subscribing to /channelX where X is a unique location ID.   If the user does not see this message, it means that the browser is unable to connect to the service.   

If after verifying that there are no network issues, check each resolution step below.

#1 - Verify JavaScript is Enabled

The connection to the push notification service is handled by JavaScript.   Verify that JavaScript is enabled and not being blocked by anti-spam software.   The LobbyCentral server should be added to whitelists and/or marked as safe on the PC.

#2 - Verify Notification Method is set to "Push"

Users can set their notification method to push or pull.  This should only be used in circumstances where the browser is unable to make a connection to the push notification server. 

Have the user log into LobbyCentral and in the menu, click Tools, User Preferences.   In the second section verify that Notification Method is set to Push (recommended).  If you choose to use the Pull method, set the polling interval to the desired value.   The recommended value is 15 seconds.

#3 - Verify if Push Notification URL has been Overridden

Log into LobbyCentral with a administrator account (super administrator if using version 7.3 or higher).

Go to Tools, Administration and click System Options.

If the Notification Push URL field is set, verify that the service is running by opening a browser and entering the value of the field along with /Client.ashx.    Example:  http://thepushserver/Client.ashx

It should return with the message OK.  If the any other value is returned or the server does not respond, check that IIS is properly configured, and the web service is running.

#4 - Restart the Application

Only recommended if resolutions 1 through 3 do not resolve the issue.

Restart the LobbyCentral  application pool on the web server.  Do not restart the LobbyCentral website.