4.4. The Cascade Connect runtime window

When Cascade Connect is started in Windows the normal mode of operation is to remain minimized. When you select Debug Mode in the Setup window or restore the Cascade Connect window you will see the following window:

The window will not be updated unless the Debug Information box is checked. The information displayed in this window is described below.

• Communication Statistics displays:

  • Mess. to Server shows a count of the number of messages sent by Cascade Connect to the Connect Server.

  • Mess. from Server shows a count of the number of messages received by Cascade Connect from the Connect Server.

  • Poke to App. shows a count of the number of DDE POKE messages sent to the Windows client application from Cascade Connect. This number may not be the same as the Mess. from Server field, as the Cascade DataHub will normally send many point changes in a single message. DDE POKE messages are sent only to the primary Windows client program (the client named in the configuration file).

  • Advise to App. shows a count of the number of DDE ADVISE messages sent to the Windows client program from Cascade Connect. DDE ADVISE messages are broadcast to all Windows applications requesting information from Cascade Connect. This means that you can have several Windows clients receiving data from Cascade Connect if they each set up a DDE ADVISE loop with Cascade Connect.

  • Poke from App. shows a count of the number of DDE POKE messages sent to Cascade Connect from the Windows client program. This number represents the amount of data transmitted back to the data server from Windows.

  • Advise from App. shows a count of the number of DDE ADVISE messages sent to Cascade Connect from the Windows client program. This number should always be zero, as Cascade Connect never acts as a DDE ADVISE client.

  • Not Processed shows a count of the number of points that Cascade Connect has attempted to send to the Windows client program using DDE POKE but which the client has rejected. It is normal for a client to reject messages pertaining to points for which it is not configured. Cascade Connect uses this error to perform automatic bandwidth reduction with the Cascade DataHub, if so configured. See also Automatic reduction of network traffic.

  • Timeout shows a count of the number of DDE timeouts that Cascade Connect has encountered while sending data to the Windows client. This normally indicates that the client has hung and can no longer respond. Timeout errors include DMLERR_ADVACKTIMEOUT, DMLERR_DATAACKTIMEOUT, DMLERR_EXECACKTIMEOUT, DMLERR_POKEACKTIMEOUT, and DMLERR_UNADVACKTIMEOUT.

  • Memory Error shows a count of the number of DDE memory errors Cascade Connect has encountered. Memory errors include DMLERR_LOW_MEMORY, and DMLERR_MEMORY_ERROR.

  • System Errors shows a count of the number of DDE system errors Cascade Connect has encountered. System errors include DMLERR_DLL_NOT_INITIALIZED, DMLERR_DLL_USAGE, DMLERR_POSTMSG_FAILED, DMLERR_REENTRANCY, DMLERR_SYS_ERROR.

  • Error shows the number of general DDE errors encountered. This category includes all DDE errors, specifically including DMLERR_SERVER_DIED, and DMLERR_INVALIDPARAMETER.

  • Busy shows the number of times a DDE POKE failed because of a busy client.

• Last Incoming Message shows the last message which was received from the data server or from the Windows client.

• Last Outgoing Message displays the last message transmitted from Cascade Connect, to either the Windows client or to the data server.

• Last Status Message shows the last general status message generated by Cascade Connect. Status messages generally contain information pertaining to connection attempts and errors.

• Connection Status displays the current status of the TCP/IP link between Cascade Connect and the Connect Server.