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FAQ (Frequently asked questions) THIS PAGE IS PRELIMINARY AND NOT CONTRACTUAL General FAQ FAQ on upgrading from SAMM or WinSAMM Activation FAQ Operational FAQ Support options FAQ Support knowledge base Network version FAQ WAM web access module preliminary FAQ GENERAL FAQ What is SECURITHOR? SECURITHOR is a software application designed to operate a Central Monitoring Station (aka Control Room). It processes and decodes signals from Alarm receivers (also see MCDI receivers and FAQ) Can I download a demo version of SECURITHOR and try it? Yes, a complete distribution of SECURITHOR is available if you register online. Link to download SECURITHOR will be sent by email. This trial is unlocked for 30 days once installed. Purchasing a non refundable license will be needed after this 30 days period in order to continue SECURITHOR operation and/or data retrieval from SECURITHOR. I run a Monitoring station with only 50 accounts. Will SECURITHOR work for me? YES. In fact a large part of MCDI SP customer base is industrial monitoring in factories, hospital wards, Guarded neighbourhood who traditionally have less accounts to supervise. SECURITHOR is made to be intuitive and easy to use for smaller Centrals or start-up as well as bigger Control rooms. Using SECURITHOR is mostly a question of scaling it to the number of operators you require. I have a 10,000 accounts Central Station. Will SECURITHOR work for me? With an operation like this, You can probably take advantage of SECURITHOR Network version features. You will be interested to know that SECURITHOR requires low operator training time and can maximize your profit with features such as Web Access Module. Is SECURITHOR running under Windows? SECURITHOR was made for Windows XP sp2 and VISTA. it requires Microsoft .net framework. Can I get web training on SECURITHOR? Yes, web training is available using Adobe Breeze service. This service is charge per hour and number of connected computers. It requires a high speed internet connection such as dial-up or cable. Training can be held in English, French or Spanish. Can I get SECURITHOR tutorials on CD or DVD. Yes, tutorials are also available on CD. Some are included in the physical distribution of SECURITHOR. You can also request a CD with tutorials. The CD itself is free but shipping charges apply. Is SECURITHOR shipped or downloaded? SECURITHOR is available to download when you register on MCDI's SECURITHOR.COM web site. A physical copy can be shipped. Shipping charges apply and local custom duties can apply. What are the minimum requirements to operate SECURITHOR? Minimum requirements are stated in our description page. They are listed for Windows XP SP2 and VISTA. Requirements differ due to the difference between XP and VISTA noticeably for memory and video cards. Can I upgrade to the network version of SECURITHOR? THE NETWORK VERSION OF SECURITHOR should be released 4-5 months after the release of the Single station version. Using the network version requires the purchase of a license and installation of a dedicated server. Workstations are then added to this server. The server runs under the MCDI distribution of Linux and workstations run under Windows XP or VISTA. The functioning of the network version workstation is 99% similar to the single station version. top How can I get training on alarm supervision .Several schools or college give security related training. .Verify with your local government. Some have have edicted regulations...which can be a source of knowledge. .The SIA Security Industry association offers certifications process and documents online. .Consult MCDI's FAQ section .Contact or visit MCDI staff (by appointment) in Montreal +514-481-1067 securithor@mcdi.com in Buenos Aires +514-487-0441 ventas@mcdi.com in Caxias/Sao Paolo Brasil +55(54) 3221-1727 brasil@mcdi.com.br .Consult your local MCDI dealer. Most offer a variety of security equipment from alarm panels and sensors, CCTV or MCDI receivers and software and can help you starting up. .Answer job postings in alarm centrals. Most will offer at least minimal training to process alarms and interface with customers. In which languages can I set SECURITHOR? SECURITHOR is currently available in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian. German, French and Greek translations are scheduled for version 1.2. Other languages can be added when translation is supplied. If you would like to get SECURITHOR in your own language, contact MCDI staff +514-481-1067 to arrange translation and recompile of SECURITHOR. Some OEM or language specific versions have language restrictions. Can I import files from another software. Currently most alarm software have closed database and data cannot be exported. MCDI development staff can make an analysis of your database in order to see if some or all data can be migrated to SECURITHOR. What is the SQL engine in SECURITHOR  MCDI uses PostgreSQL. This SQL engine has been around for 15 years and it is supported by a large community of developers. But the best is that it is free to use so you do not have to add a pricey Microsoft SQL of MySQL license to the cost of your Monitoring software.What is the coding language of SECURITHOR Coding of the SECURITHOR core application is accomplished with Visual Studio from Microsoft using the C sharp (C#) language. We used these tools to insure the best compatibility possible with Microsoft operating systems and to have a highly sophisticated graphic user interface. C# and Visual Studio also give us the possibility to add more tools and extend options of SECURITHOR in the future Support options FAQ Can I get support for my receivers Of course MCDI will support both its receivers and SECURITHOR. MCDI can help you into configuration of a third part receiver in SECURITHOR but can't help you with the settings of your receiver. You should contact your receiver manufacturer for this. If a communication problem exists between the receiver and SECURITHOR, MCDI engineers will try to contact the receiver to find a common solution. Can I get support for my SECURITHOR after the initial one year period? Yes. Support plans are available from one month to yearly increments. Some support operations such as data conversion or major upgrades are only available under 6 months or yearly plans. Support plans are available to cover MCDI business hours or 24 hours. top What are the support hours MCDI Security Products Inc. business hours are from Monday to Friday 7 to19H (EST/EDT GMT -5H/-4H). MCDI staff takes your calls in English and French. Some technical questions may be referred to a product specialist and may not be answered directly. Typically, a delay of 3 hours maximum is needed for referral to a specialist. Level 3 questions are referred to the Product development Lead within 3 hours but may require time for analysis. This time varies along with the solution MCDI Sud America offers Level 1 support in Spanish and English from 8 to 18H (EST/EDT GMT -5H/-4H). Level 2 and Level 3 support are forwarded to development team from MCDI security Products Inc. MCDI Sud America will translate issues and follow up for you. Outside MCDI's business hours, technical support is offered only to holders of a yearly 24 hours support contract who receive a complete list of direct phones and emergency cell phones. If you wish to contract a one year 24 Hours contract, contact MCDI Staff at +514-481-1067. Level 1 support is offered during night, weekends and holidays. Level 2 and 3 issues are referred in priority to development staff upon arrival next business day. 24 hours support is only offered for a one year period with 2 modulations: if your product is already covered by warranty or not. Some technical operations such as major upgrades are only accomplished when you are covered by a 6 months or 1 year support period. What are the best ways to contact MCDI support staff The best way to initiate contact with MCDI support staff is by Phone or email. Support contract holders also get MSN Messenger contacts. 24 hours support contract holders get specific phone numbers and emergency numbers. What are the means of payment for a support contract To start a contract immediately, the best way is to use VISA. Cheque and money transfer are also accepted but require a processing delay. You can also take arrangements directly with your local dealer. SUPPORT KNOWLEDGE BASE The knowledge base will be updated on a dedicated page after release. UPGRADES FROM SAMM/WinSAMM What is the relation between SECURITHOR, SAMM and WinSAMM? Although they are 3 different software applications, some of the people who worked on SAMM and WinSAMM made SECURITHOR thus insuring a high level of expertise and compatibility. All 3 applications share the same goal although each does it it's own way. What is the difference between SECURITHOR, SAMM AND WINSAMM? SAMM is discontinued and WinSAMM will be after the release of SECURITHOR Network. SAMM and WinSAMM share a similar closed proprietary database. SECURITHOR uses a PostgreSQL database and contains many new features and more refined user interface. SECURITHOR was developed to be used with Windows XP and Windows VISTA as opposed to SAMM (a DOS application) and WinSAMM who was developed along Windows ME, 2000 and XP. Some features from SAMM and WinSAMM are not carried in SECURITHOR. SECURITHOR also contains features that are not present in SAMM and WinSAMM. SECURITHOR programming technology is 10 years younger than SAMM's and 5 years more advanced than WinSAMM. top Can I upgrade my SAMM to WinSAMM instead of SECURITHOR. Yes, upgrades from SAMM to WinSAMM are available if you purchase a WinSAMM license. After SECURITHOR release, support will be limited to operation and installation. We strongly suggest you upgrade to SECURITHOR who will benefit from all our development efforts. Can I upgrade my SAMM to SECURITHOR? Yes, SAMM 8.1 can be upgrade to SECURITHOR. This upgrade is accomplished by first converting your data to WinSAMM 1.2.18 database structure and then to SECURITHOR. Both tools are supplied with your purchase of a SECURITHOR license (WS to ST conversion tools only available 8 weeks after SECURITHOR release. Contact MCDI sales +514-481-1067 to inquire about discounts for SAMM license holders. Can I upgrade my WinSAMM to SECURITHOR? Yes, all WinSAMM installations can be converted to SECURITHOR. Some of WinSAMM data can be migrated to SECURITHOR using the supplied tools. See our application note on data migration before starting this process. You can received a free upgrade to SECURITHOR if you meet certain conditions. Contact MCDI sales +514-481-1067 to inquire about free upgrades and special discounts for SAMM and WinSAMM license holders. I am entitled to a free upgrade. Can I get support? You can get free support for your initial installation and troubleshooting if your WinSAMM (single station version) is still under warranty or if you have a current yearly support plan. If not, you can purchase support plans (upgrades covered only by 6 months and yearly plans). Data migration is specifically excluded from support plans. See our application note on Ws to ST data migration (coming soon). Can I manage my SECURITHOR SQL database myself. It is not possible to access the SECURITHOR PostgreSQL database using another SQL management tool. This would disrupt SECURITHOR functioning. Some help is available to developers who want to add functionality to SECURITHOR when they present their project to MCDI. Can I migrate my SAMM database to SECURITHOR YES. Most of your SAMM database can be converted to SECURITHOR. Some records are handled differently and will required re-entering such as split names and family names in two fields in SECURITHOR. Schedules and alarm codes range should be verified once converted to SECURITHOR as they are handled differently. You have one month of free SECURITHOR use to verify data. MCDI does not offer support for the database conversion but does log support issues (See upcoming application note on database migration to SECURITHOR). In practice, upgrade from SAMM 10 to ST is made by first converting to the latest WinSAMM. WinSAMM export version will convert the database for use in SECURITHOR. If you have SAMM 8, you should contact MCDI SP support team before trying to upgrade. Can I migrate my WinSAMM database to SECURITHOR YES. Most of your WinSAMM database can be converted to SECURITHOR. Some records are handled differently and will required re-entering such as split names and family names in two fields in SECURITHOR. Schedule and alarm codes range should be verified once converted in SECURITHOR as they are handled differently. You have on month of free SECURITHOR use to verify data. Migration requires updating WinSAMM to the latest WinSAMM export version (1.2.18) to export database in a format compatible with SECURITHOR. This version 1.2.18 is solely made for export to SECURITHOR and can't process alarm signals. Last operational version is 1.2.17a. Conversion of the database is not supported other than the use of conversions tools and results are on not guaranteed and on a best effort basis. No technical support for conversions is made out of dedicated migration support contract top Will I loose my SAMM or my WinSAMM if I upgrade to SECURITHOR? If you select to purchase a complete SECURITHOR license, you will not loose your SAMM or WinSAMM license. If you select to purchase an upgrade license, you will loose your SAMM/WinSAMM licenses over time. We give a discount for fidelity and replacing software. Practically, you will not be asked to remove your SAMM/WinSAMM software but no new unlock or support will be given for this SAMM/WinSAMM license who will drop by itself over time. Please note that there is no backward compatibility between SECURITHOR and SAMM or WinSAMM. When will you release the WinSAMM export version? This version is expected 6-8 weeks after SECURITHOR initial release. With over 14 years of SAMM/WinSAMM releases, a delay is necessary to insure the utmost compatibility with most versions. What if I have a support issue in WinSAMM? All support issues logged before January 15th 2008 have been taken into account. Customers will receive a free upgrade to SECURITHOR to fix those issues if they have a valid warranty or yearly support contract on January 30th 2008. What if I have a support issue in SAMM? SAMM is not supported nor sold since 2004. To resolve SAMM support issues, we suggest to upgrade to WinSAMM or SECURITHOR. Support issues not resolved by SECURITHOR will be fixed in SECURITHOR Single Station if you have a valid warranty or a yearly support contract. Customer who do not wish to upgrade to SECURITHOR should use SAMM in a strictly DOS environment where it's proven to be quite stable. FAQ on SECURITHOR activation I am using the trial version of SECURITHOR. Will it lock? Will I keep my data? Yes. SECURITHOR will lock down 30 days after installation. A count of remaining days is displayed each time your start SECURITHOR. It is also displayed permanently in the top bar of SECURITHOR. Purchasing a license and activating it will unlock your SECURITHOR permanently. All data entered prior to the unlock is retained and will be available. It is important to note the activation should be made on the PC where SECURITHOR will be used. I want to move SECURITHOR to another PC. Is it possible? Yes. You should backup your data, reinstall SECURITHOR on a new PC and restore the data. A deactivation on the old PC and a reactivation on the new one will be needed. When and how is an activation made? MCDI makes activation of SECURITHOR during MCDI Security Products business hours 7 to 19H EST/DST GMT -5H/-4H. Holders of 24 hours support contract can receive activation codes 24 hours. If SECURITHOR locks down for any reasons, the alarm processing menus are still available and are never locked. Will I be able to use my SAMM or WinSAMM once I installed SECURITHOR? Yes, you will be able to use your SAMM or WinSAMM during 3 months to complete the migration to SECURITHOR. Once you installed unlock SECURITHOR, we will maintain unlock status for your old SAMM or WinSAMM during 3 months. Unlocks will not be provided on the older software after this period unless you bought a full version of SECURITHOR. Will you still provide unlocks for SAMM and WinSAMM with the release of SECURITHOR? Yes, customers with existing SAMM or WinSAMM will be provided unlocks for as long as needed unless they migrate to SECURITHOR on a upgrade discount in which case they will get a 3 months period to complete the migration. top Can I activate SECURITHOR over internet? Yes, it's the best way. Fill out the form at mcdi.com/unlock with your complete identification, serial number and the hardware ID generated by SECURITHOR. MCDI will return an activation code by email. Due to the long chains of digits if the hardware ID and and the activation codes, it's preferable to use cut and paste and internet. Phone activation are less reliable. Can I use my SECURITHOR on another computer? SECURITHOR license are sold for installation in only one computer at a time. If you wish to install SECURITHOR to use it in another computer at the same time, you must purchase a second SECURITHOR license. If you want to move SECURITHOR to another computer while ceasing to use it in the original one, you must contact MCDI support to arrange deactivation and re-unlock in a new computer. OPERATIONS FAQ What are the minimum requirements for SECURITHOR? Please check our description page under requirements Can I connect several receivers to SECURITHOR workstations? Yes. You can connect up to 8 receivers per SECURITHOR workstation if you have sufficient serial, USB or IP capability to accommodate the receivers. Can I connect a Rightkey GPRS SECURITHOR workstations? Yes. You can receive up to 100 signals per minutes using the GPRS receiver software packaged with SECURITHOR. The Rigthkey GPRS software manages 'keep alive' signals and reports failures or alarm event signals to SECURITHOR. Do you plan to add more languages to SECURITHOR? YES. Several languages are already planned in next releases. Check the upcoming release schedule in the Do you plan to add features to SECURITHOR? YES. Several new features are already planned for SECURITHOR. Some will be part of the general release and others will be options. For example, the Web access module is already scheduled for release in 2008. With this module installers/dealers or subscribers will be able to see some of the data of SECURITHOR database. What type of SQL are you using in SECURITHOR? SECURITHOR is using PostgreSQL. How can I find more information on PostgreSQL? You can visit PostgreSQL web site or check it out on Wikipedia. How is SECURITHOR programmed? SECURITHOR is made in the C sharp (C#) language using Visual Studio Can I used my own SQL server? SECURITHOR is programmed only for PostgreSQL. Using other SQL distribution than the one supplied by MCDI SP would mean several months of testing. Can I administrate PostgreSQL myself? Although it is a theoretical possibility, we advise against it and will not support a database that was tampered with. How do I set-up the receivers? Run application STreceiver (in MCDI folder). Use pre-set or configure to your needs. top What is the default password and operator number in the trial version? user: 1 password: securithor Can I run SECURITHOR without operators, completely unattended? In some cases YES. Most signals can be defined for auto log and auto save without operator processing. Automatic SMS and email sending can be defined in SECURITHOR for each incoming alarm codes and accounts. Some type of signals such as fire, medical assistance and burglary are by nature processed by operators. A heartbeat reporting feature is planned in release 2.0. it will sent regular reports of activity to key Central staff over email or SMS. Can I try out SECURITHOR before I buy it? YES. You can download a trial version of SECURITHOR after registering. Once registered, a greeting email will be sent to your email address with SECURITHOR download link. This trial version is the core version of SECURITHOR and comes complete with a one month unlock period. After one month you must purchase a SECURITHOR license to continue using SECURITHOR. No need to reinstall as the trial version is the complete SECURITHOR. How do you unlock SECURITHOR? See our activation FAQ. Can somebody install SECURITHOR for me? YES. Several MCDI SP dealers offer this service. MCDI SP offers this service if you have PC anywhere or VNC. In any case, SECURITHOR is distributed with an easy to use installer. Are all languages available in SECURITHOR The general distribution contains all languages. Portuguese is only available from MCDI Do Brasil. Some OEM version have language restrictions. I do not see my language in SECURITHOR. Can it be added? YES. You must provide free translation and agree to let MCDI SP use this translation in its general release free of royalty. MCDI SP will not charge for recompiling SECURITHOR with a new language. MCDI SP supports only one translation per language. If you wish to change some of the translation to fit your operational reality, it will be discussed with main translator or it should be part of a paid OEM version. All our translators have alarm industry experience and are in most cases long time MCDI SP software users. Contact MCDI support to arrange translation. Do you have help integrated in SECURITHOR YES. SECURITHOR offers a training mode which is activated by default when you install SECURITHOR. if you wish to bring it back go to SETTINGS>WORKSPACE SETTINGS and enable the novice mode or revert to advanced mode to disable the feature. Contextual help menus will pop-up when you roll-over a feature, icon or menu. and. Also check our training page for tutorials, tool tips and newsletter registration or making a web training appointment. A user guide is also being worked on for publishing in Q3 2008. Are alarm codes predefined in SECURITHOR? YES and NO. SECURITHOR comes with templates of alarm codes in SIA, Contact ID and Pulse. We use codes widely recognized in the Alarm Industry although there is no definitive standard. Those templates are located in Account 0 and can be copied to any account. You can also define your own templates and copy them completely or partially to other accounts. This is especially useful if you have several installers or several panel brands. SECURITHOR allows for complete customization of each account. top Are schedule predefined in SECURITHOR? No. You can define your own opening and closing schedules and copy them in each account. It can be customized for each account afterward. What is difference between operators and workstations? You can have as many operators as you wish but only one can be logged at the time on a specific SECURITHOR workstation. In order to have several operators simultaneously processing alarms or accessing SECURITHOR database, you should look into a Network version of SECURITHOR. How many alarm events can I process in SECURITHOR? This depends on the type of monitoring you do. If most of your traffic is opening and closing signals that are auto-logging, this number can be high, in excess of 10,000 signals per hour for a well configured SECURITHOR single workstation. But if your operators handle time consuming events such as medical and panic alarms the number of processed signals will much lower and will depend on the speed of operators. Can SECURITHOR process incoming alarms even if my operator is busy handling an alarm event? YES. SECURITHOR can continue to process some alarms that are configured for automatic process such as authorized open and close signals or auto tests. Other events that required operator intervention will be classified in the priority order you pre-defined. For example, if correctly defined a fire signal will be presented to the operator before a low battery signal even if it came after. Can I apply schedule changes for groups???? Can I suspend schedule for whole groups during national holidays?????? Is the time stamp in SECURITHOR from the receiver or the time events are entered in STreceiver? How do I close STreceiver. There is no quit option? STreceiver is a key component that should always be running in a Monitoring Station operation. To close if you must End task. How many levels of priority can I define For each account, you can assign a priority level from 1 to 10 to each Alarm code Can an operator override the priority levels and select to process a specific alarm event? YES if the operator has been granted this privilege in operation permissions Can SECURITHOR send emails to subscribers when alarm signals are received? YES. For each account, You can choose which alarm codes triggers this function. An email message is sent with or without header and footer and the predefined alarm description is sent as well. This option requires you connect your SECURITHOR to the internet. Can SECURITHOR send SMS to subscribers? YES. Currently the only way to do this in SECURITHOR is to use an email to SMS gateway. Check with your Mobile phone provider if this options is offered. SMS message length limitations are 150 characters for roman alphabets and 77 for double byte alphabets MCDI SP will work on adapting WinSAMM SMS module (to use Sony Ericson SMS modems) if we receive enough interest from customers. top Can I make reports in SECURITHOR YES. Several reports are available in SECURITHOR. They can be printed, saved to file or emailed FAQ ON SECURITHOR Network Version Do you have a network version of SECURITHOR? One is being planned for release 6 months after the initial SECURITHOR Single Station release. Although both versions are quite similar and share the same graphic user interface, we need more time to finish testing the network version due to the constraints of handling an higher traffic level. Will the network version require a server? YES. The architecture of STnet is based around a central server. This server can range from a typical PC to a high availability server depending on the traffic and uptime you require. MCDI SP supplies the operating system (Linux) and server tools for this version. Connected workstation will be Windows XP and VISTA. What are the minimum requirements of the server? Operating System: Linux supplied by MCDI SP Memory: 1GB and up Processor: P4 generation 1.5GHZ and up. Most 64 bit and Intel Dual core supported. Archival device: removable media for back-up Disk space: Minimum 2GB for initial installation. Subsequent space according to experienced traffic. Serial port for communication with Alarm Receivers. Raid disk (mirroring) recommended. Ethernet: 100MB Switch or Hub for communicating with Workstations. Video card: 32MB and up. Display for initial installation 800x600 Can I run SECURITHOR user interface on the server? No. The server strictly runs the database, SQL and SECURITHOR engine. The processing, admin and operators windows are in the workstations running under Windows XP or VISTA. Can I use the Network version even if I have only one workstation? YES. Although more expensive than the single station version, it is more stable and paves the way for the Central who want to extend operation later on. What is the maximum number of stations connected to the server. There is no limit although speed and efficiency dictate to keep the number of workstations under 12 or to review server specifications in accordance with needs. Using a WAM web access module will also affect the load to the server and should be part of the review process. Do you have a Network version with servers working in cluster? Not at the moment. This possibility is discussed for the multi-site version coming in 2009 Can I use my own Linux version on the server? It is not recommended nor supported. WAM Web Access Module FAQ *****Please note all data and information on WAM is preliminary and not contractual as WAM development is not completed. top What is WAM? WAM stands for Web Access Module. It enables viewing of SECURITHOR data over the internet through the use of standard browsers such as Explorer or Firefox How does it work? Your SECURITHOR will connect to a WAM server, either at your Central or at MCDI SP hosting facilities. Your users, installers or subscribers make queries from their web browsers. This query is parsed by WAM and sent to SECURITHOR database. Data is returned to the WAM web server who serves web pages with the correct data to your subscribers and installers/dealers Does WAM requires a web server? YES. This web server can be ran by MCDI (WAM service) or by you (WAM server). Is access to SECURITHOR data unlimited? NO. Subscribers can only access data you choose to let them see. The same goes for dealers/installers and they will only access their own accounts. Who gets access to my SECURITHOR through WAM? Your subscribers, your dealers/installers and your key Central stations staff all have their respective permission access. Can I set access permission to WAM? Absolutely. You decide what every user can see or change from the available parameters Can WAM slow down my SECURITHOR? By adding more request to the database, WAM can slow down your SECURITHOR. However, there is a built-in mechanism to insure local operators always have priority over requests coming in from the web. A safeguard mechanism against flood attacks is also built-in between WAM and SECURITHOR. As a safeguard, access over the web is not direct to SECURITHOR. Do I need a network version to use WAM? No. SECURITHOR single station can work with WAM service and WAM server. STSS will require an update to be compatible with WAM. Does this mean I do not have to answer phone calls about armed and disarmed status anymore? Yes. Your dealers/installers and subscribers can verify their armed/disarmed status at anytime from anywhere with their web browsers. top - home - español - description - contacts - faq - download SECURITHOR |