About Related Programs and Services

Services are programs that run in the background and automatically perform tasks that often do not require any user interaction. With the exception of PlanetPress Workflow Configuration, all the programs used by PlanetPress Workflow are run as service applications. PlanetPress Workflow can thus use them as required without the need for any user interaction.

Although you can manually start and stop any service running on your computer, most of the basic services used by the system are started and stopped automatically. In the case of PlanetPress Workflow and their related services, you typically use a command included in your PlanetPress Workflow Configuration program to start and stop most services. Opening and closing your PlanetPress Workflow Configuration program has no effect on these services.

Available Input Services

Input services are used to pull in data files. The input services used by PlanetPress Workfloware:

• LPD (Line Printer Daemon) Input service: Inputs data sent from an LPR client. The LPD/LPR printing protocol is a common way to send print jobs that, in turn, use the TCP/IP protocol to communicate through the network.
• PrintShop Mail Web Capture service: Monitors print requests from a PrintShop Web server.
• Serial Input service: Monitors a single serial port for incoming data. Note that all Serial input tasks use the same serial port (set in the user options of the PlanetPress WorkflowConfiguration program).
• Telnet Input service: Monitors multiple telnet ports for incoming data. Note that each Telnet input task has its own telnet port number (set in each task).
• HTTP/SOAP Server service: Monitors web pages and web sites as well as SOAP servers.

Available Output Services

Output services are used to output jobs. The output services used by PlanetPress Workfloware:

• FTP Output service: Places output jobs on a server via the FTP protocol.
• LPR (Line Printer Requester) Output service: Sends jobs to an LPD server or LPD compatible printers. The LPD/LPR printing protocol is a common way to send print jobs that, in turn, use the TCP/IP protocol to communicate through the network.
• PlanetPress Image: Outputs jobs as PDF files or in a variety of image formats. You can also use PlanetPress Image to archive and/or email the files it creates. You can use PlanetPress Search to search the PDF files PlanetPress Image creates. You can install multiple instances of the PlanetPress Image service on your network, and have PlanetPress Workflowsend jobs to one or more of these instances. Each instance of PlanetPress Image can generate PDFs or images and dispatch them from the host on which it runs. See About PlanetPress Image.
• PlanetPress Fax: Outputs jobs as faxes. You use PlanetPress Fax as an interface to WinFax PRO or Windows Fax, to send faxes you create from documents. You can install multiple instances of the PlanetPress Fax service on your network, and have PlanetPress Workflowsend jobs to one or more of these instances. Each instance of PlanetPress Fax can generate faxes and dispatch them from the host on which it runs, using a local faxing program, such as WinFax PRO, Captaris RightFax or Windows Fax. See About PlanetPress Fax.
• PrintShop Mail: Used to generate documents using PrintShop Mail databases and documents. Communicate with it through the PrintShop Mail and PrintShop Mail 7 Connector Tasks. See PrintShop Mail.
• Laserfiche: Used as a repository for electronic documents. Communicate with it through the Laserfiche Repository Output Task. See Laserfiche Repository Output.
• PlanetPress Capture: Used to generate and process files using Anoto patterns. Communicate with it through the PlanetPress Capture tasks such as the Anoto Ink Processor and the Anoto Pattern plugins.

Services must use an account to be granted the permission to use the system’s resources and objects. This information is included in the service's configuration and most services use the Local System Account, which is granted access to all the system’s resources. All input and output services used by PlanetPress Workflowrun under the same account. For more information on services and system permissions, refer to Windows documentation. For more information on how to configure the account used by the services, see PlanetPress Workflow Service Logon.

The PlanetPress Suite Service Console, included in the PlanetPress Suite Workflow Tools Configuration program, can be used to monitor, start and stop PlanetPress Workflow services (see About Processes, Users and Configurations and "PlanetPress Suite Service Console" (page n)).