Customization and Integration
- Custom Development Expectations
- Supported Browsers, Handhelds and Printers
- Integrating with OPS-COM
- Integrating with OPS-COM
- MacKay Meters - Permit Push/Export Integration
- Parking Logix - Parking Sensor Integration
- Mistall - Setup & Functionality
- Hotspot - Permits Integration
- ParkMobile - Permits API Integration
- Security Whitepaper
- Temporary Documentation for the Mistall Pilot
- Setup Checklist
- Using Your Own Domain - Vanity URL
- Sending Email with OPS-COM
- Preview Spaces
- Managed User Import (SFTP)
- Server IP Addresses
- Preparing to Import Your User Data
Custom Development Expectations
Planning & Scope
For clients wishing to pay for custom development, it is critical that a well thought out scope is developed with your Account Executive (AE). If you are designing the scope with the AE we consider you the project lead for your organization. It is important to provide us with workflow documentation, explanations of the problem you are trying to solve with your custom development and your ideal end result. There are 2 areas you need to consider:
- Goals
- Requirements
Goals - What are You trying to do?
What is the end goal or specific outcome you want. For example, you may wish to simplify the user experience or issue violations more efficiently. Provide us with as much detail as possible.
Requirements
Clearly, define all the processes you want in a step by step description. The following is a brief example:
- Adding a user’s middle initial to their profile
- Is this a mandatory field in the profile?
- Will all Users be prompted to update their profiles? Will it be on next login?
- What if they don’t have a middle initial?
- Once instituted will the initial be required on reports? If so which ones?
- Will it be required to be populated on violations?
- Consider all aspects that the change will affect and address them.
Our development team needs to understand the objectives to design you the best solution. It is not necessary to dictate the solution just to define the end result. Try to assume that you are explaining this to a person that doesn't understand any of the processes and are reading about this for the first time. Your scope documents will be supplied to Development through the Project Manager. You may get questions back that need to be answered before we can proceed. You may also get redirection in the plan so that the solution flows better than originally scoped.
Shared Development
If the custom development requested is deemed to be of enough benefit to other clients, the OPS-COM team may propose a reduced development rate or a shared development plan. In some cases, your account executive will be aware of other clients that may be interested in crowd-sourcing this development.
Testing
Your completed project will be deployed to your preview (testing) environment after internal testing is complete. We expect you to review the project to ensure you are happy with the way it is functioning and give us the OK to deploy it to Production. We expect that you will do the testing within 2 weeks of the deployment to Preview. If your testing takes longer than that, additional charges can be incurred and you may lose your spot in the schedule.
Out of Scope Items
Despite best efforts, sometimes something gets overlooked when scoping the project. These items will be considered Out of Scope and may cost additional time and money. Your Account Executive will work with you to develop new scope around these items and a new quote will be issued for the additional work.
Supported Browsers, Handhelds and Printers
Supported Browsers
OperationsCommander recognizes that our users may use various Internet Browsers when working with our system. We aim for all visitors to have the best possible experience while using OPS-COM, however, we do recognize that it is impossible to develop applications that work identically, efficiently and effectively on all web browsers. We make best efforts to support support the latest versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome and Safari browsers.
Mobile Devices and Tablets
This site supports browsing from most Mobile or Tablet devices. Content is sized and displayed based on the screen resolution and other display attributes of your device.
OPS-COM for Android
The ViolationAdmin component provides in-field remote data access from mobile devices and smartphones. Using an Android handheld and a Bluetooth printer creating tickets for parking infractions is quick and easy. Site patrols sync enforcement and parking data to the system through cellular or Wi-Fi networks. With this remote technology, the system can apply validation rules moments after a user makes a permit purchase on the cloud-based user portal or connected remote devices.
Minimum Handheld Requirements
Not all Tablets or Mobile devices are supported for use with OPS-COM for Android as processing power and camera functions may vary. They must have at least the requirements listed below. Before committing to a device for use with OPS-COM for Android you are encouraged to perform your own testing to ensure you are happy with the perform on your preferred device.
OPS-COM no longer supports versions of the Android operating system lower than 7. Clients with devices that do not support at least version 7 will continue to function, however, you will not be able to download this or future versions of OPS-COM for Android. This means you cannot take advantage of new functionality in future releases.
- OS Version - Minimum Android, Version 11.0 (Red Velvet; 2020)
- Minimum Processing Power - Quadcore: 4X 1.2 GHz
- Rear Camera: 8 MP Camera
- Autofocus - Yes
- LTE/3G and/or Wifi Connectivity
LTE/3G only required if connecting with cellular providers and WIFI is not available (required for data sync)
Recommended Tablet Specifications
- Samsung Galaxy Tab Active Pro 10” Tablet with LTE & data plan
- Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 3 8" Tablet with LTE
- Samsung Active 2 8” Tablet with LTE & data
- Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8 or 10” Tablet with LTE & data plan
- Panasonic Android Touchpad 7” FZ-B2 & data plan
Recommended Cellphones
- Samsung Cellphones, S10, S20, A53, A73
- Samsung XCover 4 & data plan
Supported Bluetooth Printers
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Integrating with OPS-COM
Integrating with OPS-COM
Considerations for Scoping an Integration
Regardless of the integration we are scoping we need the following questions answered.
- What are the endpoints; where will we connect and send data?
- What system or URL are we querying?
- Test system logins and a test endpoint address to which we can send queries to.
- we will need the same for production systems
- Are there additional (special) API endpoints and/or API tokens to access the system?
- What API/SDK is recommended?
- at the core the OPS-COM platform is built on PHP; we also work with Java and many other languages
- Supporting documentation for the API/SDKs that we are integrating with
- technical contact(s); either on location and/or for the vendor.
- How will the data (or user) flow through the system? ie. business logic/flow
For Network Administrators
Our development servers are behind:
- 208.124.170.242
- 178.128.233.75
Our production servers are behind:
- 209.217.117.82
- 159.203.14.67
Information Flow through OPS-COM
This example shows the flow of information through the integrated system of record and OPS-COM.
Sample: SSO Integration
This example shows the flow of a user through the system, and at what points the client wanted us to apply business logic.
Notice that in their implementation they also described the flag that would be used to designate special users in the system.
Sample: LDAP/Active Directory Integration
This represents a standard flow of information to support LDAP/AD user validation.
Current APIs Available
OperationsCommander (OPS-COM) has made APIs (Application Programming Interface) available that allow for third-parties with proper authentication to interact and manipulate data in OPS-COM as needed to accomplish specific functions, for example adding valid permits from pay and display machines.
Other Integrations Available
OPS-COM has integrations with third-parties. Your Sales Rep can discuss how you can make use of these integrations.
- T2 Luke II Meters
- CALE Meters
- MacKay Meters
- Tattile Cameras
- Vaxtor Cameras
- gTechna Cameras
- HotSpot Temporary Permits
MacKay Meters - Permit Push/Export Integration
OPS-COM supports exporting temp, standard, and validation permits purchased in OPS-COM to MacKay Meters.
There are a few system and lot configurations to setup before this works with you Mackay Meters system. The article assumes you already have a MacKay Meters environment and logins details (username & password), if you don't please contact your MacKay Meters representative to obtain them and let us (OPS-COM) know if you have any questions or concerns about this integration.
Tools → View System Task Logs:
You may not see this system task and currently only OPS-COM staff can enable it. Please contact us if you require this setup. This system task is used to check OPS-COM permits for any that need to be pushed/exported to MacKay Meters.
System Configuration/Settings:
System Configuration → System Settings → Third Party:
As mentioned above you should have some sort of MacKay meters login details. This is where you set them:
*Note: There are test and none-test (production/live) fields. Depending on the domain you're using to run your tests OPS-COM will either use the username and password fields for production, and test username and test password for preview/testing.
Preview/test domains look like this:
something.preview.ops-com.com
something-test.preview.ops-com.com
Production domains look like this:
something.ops-com.com
System Configuration → Parking → Mange Lot Zones:
Zone names needs to be exactly what is set in MacKay Meters, if you don't know what the zone name should be please ask MacKay Meters or OPS-COM.
Parking Management → Lot Administration → Pricing & Lot Admin:
Click into the lot you wish to add to the MacKay Meters zone (s), which in this example is "MacKay-Meters" in this example, then go under the "Zone & Location" tab and set the zone:
Parking Logix - Parking Sensor Integration
Enable Parking Logix Integration
Before you can use the Parking Logix integration on your system you will need to navigate to your Third Party settings under System Settings.
From there you should see the option to enable Parking Logix Integration.
Adding the Lot Group
Next, add a new lot group to your system making sure you include the API code. It is possible but unlikely that there will be multiple API keys if lot access is split over several keys.
Create a specific group for each lot you will be collecting data from.
It's important to note that you will also need to enter the Parking Logix specific name for the lot and it must match exactly.
For example, in the image below, the Parking Logix name is Mountaineer Garage.
Once the Lot Group has been configured you would need to assign it to the lot on the LPR Settings Tab of the Lot Administration tool.
Enable the System Task
A system task must be enabled for the Parking Logix sensors to communicate with our system.
This must be enabled by OPS-COM integration staff and you can contact us through support to set this up. Please email support@ops-com.com for assistance.
Once the system task has been run you should see updated on the lot counts under Manage Parking Lot Groups
Displaying the Map on the User Side
Finally, enter the short code on the user side to any of your pages using System Messaging.
For more information on how system messaging works please see: https://wiki.ops-com.com/x/M4QCAw followed by Editing Pages.
The short code is [parking_logix] and you can pass addition parameters such as: only, show, filter, or name. This will restrict the list to show only specific lots.
By design, it will only show lots that have a group assigned to it that have an API key stored in it.
Mistall - Setup & Functionality
Overview
Mistall is a service that is used to count cars in a physical lot, using cameras to track vehicles as they enter and exit the lot.
Within the OPS-COM system, each Mistall lot is associated to a Lot Group.
Mistall Credentials
Mistall credentials need to be entered in system settings under third-party settings to be able to use the API.
Credentials are provided to the the client by Mistall itself.
Lot Groups
The Lot Groups page was updated to accommodate the use of Mistall.
In addition, Lot Groups have replaced the use of Lots on the Real-Time map on both the admin and user sides.
To have data populate the Mistall Lot ID dropdown, the Update Mistall System Job Task must be run at least once to import the data into the system.
Columns have been added for setup with the Real-Time Map and Mistall data.
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Map color - map icon color
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Latitude and longitude - location on the map, selected by putting a point on the map
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Show on map - if the group will appear on the real-time map
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Mistall Lot ID - which Mistall lot the Lot Group correlates to
Lot Edit
On the lot edit page, the selection to set the lot group of the lot has been moved from the LPR section to the general section.
This is to allow clients who are not using the LPR system to still use the real-time map features.
Dashboard Widget
The imported Mistall data can be displayed on the dashboard in a widget.
The widget is named mistall-lot-stats.
If the system setting for Enable Mistall Usage is not enabled, this widget will not appear in the edit dashboard page.
The widget shows the raw Mistall data. The names of the lot groups associated to the data will be shown beside the bar chart.
If the Mistall data is not yet associated to a lot group, it will show the Mistall lot name instead. This is the name given to the lot by Mistall.
Real-Time Maps
The admin and user-side real-time maps have been updated to use lot groups in additional to the individual lots as pins on the map.
The functionality of the maps is not dependant on the use of Mistall in a system.
If your system doesn’t have the Mistall integration enabled, the lot groups will use the data of the associated lots in place of Mistall data for the real-time maps.
Admin-Side Map
The admin map has been updated to use lot groups.
When a lot group is clicked on, it will show the new popup.
If the lot group has no Mistall data associated to it, it will use the collated counts of the lot info below instead.
If Mistall data is being used for the lot, it is likely it will not match the counts shown in the lot info window below. It is intentional that the information will not match.
The intention is that the client will be able to see the difference between what is physically present in the physical lot (lot group Mistall stats) and what the permits purchased within the system look like in comparison.
For example, if the lot is physically empty but is maxed out on purchased permits, the number of available permits can be increased for that lot.
User-Side Map
The user-side map has also been updated to use lot groups.
As before, the user map is made to appear by placing the shortcode on a client-created page.
The shortcode for the map is: [real-time-map]
The user-side map will now appear like this:
The donut at the top shows the Mistall data if it is present. If the lot group does not have an associated Mistall lot, it will show the collated counts of the lot info below.
The lot info shown below the donut graph is from the permit counts in the system.
Unlike the admin-side map, the information here is presented as a percentage instead of the actual numbers. This is to allow for some leeway for any inaccuracy.
The icons to the right display if the lot allows standard or temporary permits.
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Green is standard.
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Yellow is temp.
The map should be accessible for users who are not logged in. If the user is logged in, they will be able to see standard permits and temp permits, but if they are not logged in, they will only be able to see temp permits.
The book permit button now takes the user to a new page used for selecting a permit from within the selected lot group.
User-Side Lot Group Page
The lot group page shows much the same data as the regular permit page, just with the data specific to the selected lot group.
At the top of the page, the same donut menu from the pop-up window on the map is shown, displaying a percentage of availability. It is calculated from the Mistall data or the lots below if there is no Mistall data for the lot group.
The lots are shown below. If the user is a guest (not logged in), they will only be able to see temporary permits on the page.
The standard permit booking button will take the user to the regular standard permit booking page, but the temporary permit booking button will take the user to the quick checkout.
This is the checkout used for QR codes and the old version of the map. It allows the user to purchase the permit and checkout immediately without adding it to their cart.
Hotspot - Permits Integration
To configure a lot to work with the HotSpot app, you must configure a zone for any lot where you want this service to be available. Once a zone is associated with a lot or multiple lots, any user purchasing a permit through HotSpot would be valid in all lots associated with the that zone which is configured in Lot Administration. This article will illustrate how to create the zone and apply it to a lot.
Setting up a HotSpot zone
To begin you must set up the zone under Admin Options. Hover over the Parking menu item and select Lot Zones from the drop down list.
In the Manage Lot Zones screen click on Add to access the add zone form
Enter the name of the lot zone you wish to add. In our example the lot zone is 1001
Once you have the zone name entered, click on Add Zone to save your selection. It will now show up in the drop down list of zones.
Applying a Zone to a Lot
To apply this zone to a lot, you first need to go into Lot Administration to add the zone to your selected lots.
To access the lots, go to the Parking Management menu and hover over Lot Administration. Select Pricing and Admin from the resulting drop down menu.
In our example we will add this zone to the lot called Green Staff Lot East. Click on the lot name to access the configuration tool.
Once in Lot Administration for the specific lot, click on the Zones & Location tab to access the zone configuration section.
In the Zones & Location tab click on Add Zone by Days to select the 1001 zone we created.
Select 1001 from the resulting drop down list.
For our example we can leave the defaults as is which includes:
The day range - leave it with all days of the week selected. (Highlighted in green)
The Start and End Time. (00:00 to 23:59 - in other words all day)
To save your settings click on the floppy disk (save) icon.
Click on Update this Lot to save your changes.
ParkMobile - Permits API Integration
Introduction
ParkMobile is a service that offers on-demand parking payments, similar to HotSpot.
A system task is run at regular intervals to retrieve permits from the ParkMobile API, which are then stored in the local site as temporary permits.
Authorization Credentials
ParkMobile has a set of credentials that must be entered before data can be retrieved from their API.
These can be entered on the system settings page, which can be found under the menu tree:
-
System Configuration → System Setting
ParkMobile System Settings
Before the system task can be run and allowed access to the ParkMobile API, the proper API credentials must be entered in the relevant system settings, found under third-party settings.
Required Credentials
There are three values that must be provided for the system to be allowed access to the ParkMobile endpoint.
These values should be provided to the client by ParkMobile itself.
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API Username
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API Password
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X-API-Key
Lot Zone Setup
Permits will only be imported into the OPS-COM system if the ParkMobile lot zone has a corresponding lot zone with the same name in the OPS-COM system.
If the local lot zone does not already exist for the ParkMobile lot zone, one will need to be created.
The lot zone management page can be found under the menu tree:
-
System Configuration → Parking → Manage Lot Zones
Lot Zone Management
To create a new lot zone, click on the Add Lot Zone button to open the add new modal.
This will open the modal used to add new lot zones.
Add the ParkMobile lot zone name as the Name of the lot zone, and then click save changes.
This will add the new lot zone to the system, which can now be used to match to ParkMobile permits coming into the system.
System Task
The ParkMobile system task is used to fetch permits from the ParkMobile endpoint and add them to the OPS-COM system as temporary permits.
System tasks can be be found under the menu tree:
-
Tools → View System Task Logs
System Tasks Page
The system task is named Fetch ParkMobile Stats.
The task must be enabled before it will run.
By default, it is set to run every 3 minutes.
The task can also be run manually by pressing the RUN button next to the task name.
Imported Permits
ParkMobile permits are imported as paystation (Cale) records, and will appear anywhere these records are used.
They can be viewed using the Pay Station Status page, which can be found under the menu tree:
-
Parking Management → Temporary Permits → Pay Station Status
Pay Station Status
Security Whitepaper
As do many, we take security very seriously! We understand that the data we have been entrusted with is data which our clients have also been entrusted with. We always ensure that we go well above and beyond the requirements and standards for safe secure storage and handling of all data. This white paper outlines in details some of the lengths which we go to ensure business continuity and respect for entrusted data.
Executive Summary
OperationsCommander (OPS-COM) is a cloud-based parking and security management platform. This platform has been developed in-house for over 15 years.
Tomahawk Technologies Inc. is committed to maintaining a high level of information security, and its key priority is protecting customer information, and carefully maintaining the information security of OPS-COM. This Security Whitepaper gives an overview of the OPS-COM security features.
OPS-COM is PCI SAQ D-SP 3.2.1 certified and is audited quarterly by a third-party to maintain this certification. We are also TX-RAMP Level 2 certified
by the Texas Risk and Authorization Management Program (certificate ID TX1332619). The Texas Risk and Authorization Management Program provides a standardized approach for security assessment, certification, and continuous monitoring of cloud computing services that process the data of Texas state agencies. Risk analysis forms the foundation of our security program.
Risk assessments are periodically performed and security is regularly discussed in weekly team meetings. Our security processes, roles, and responsibilities are clear and well defined. Everyone is aware of our responsibilities and obligations when protecting our clients data.
We review our policies annually and ensure that all employees sign-off on them. OPS-COM is developed and maintained by inspired, skilled personnel who are committed to maintaining a high level of online security. OPS-COM has been designed to meet customers' strict security requirements and industry best practices.
OPS-COM has a solid and secure foundation that is based on widely used security methods and protocols. It has been designed to protect data both in transit and at rest to ensure its confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Strict access control allows only authorized users to access the data.
Operation and maintenance of OPS-COM follows documented processes. Continuous monitoring of information security and system performance ensures that all deviations and incidents can be responded to in a timely manner by trained and competent personnel in accordance with the incident response process.
This document is designed to answer all your questions regarding the security and design of both OPS-COM and our supporting systems.
This information is now available by request from your Sales representative or from
Temporary Documentation for the Mistall Pilot
Overview
Mistall is a service that is used to count cars in a physical lot, using cameras to track vehicles as they enter and exit the lot. Within the OPS-COM system, each Mistall lot is associated to a Lot Group.
Mistall Credentials
See Support/Development for credentials.
Mistall System Job Task
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Mistall data is fetched and stored in the system using a system job task.
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The data is fetched from Mistall’s API service using the associated credentials entered in the system settings.
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By default, it is set to run every 10 minutes.
Lot Groups
The Lot Groups page was updated to accommodate the use of Mistall.
In addition, Lot Groups have replaced the use of Lots on the Real-Time map on both the admin and user sides.
To have data populate the Mistall Lot ID dropdown, the Update Mistall System Job Task must be run at least once to import the data into the system.
Columns have been added for setup with the Real-Time Map and Mistall data.
-
Map color - map icon color
-
Latitude and longitude - location on the map, selected by putting a point on the map
-
Show on map - if the group will appear on the real-time map
-
Mistall Lot ID - which Mistall lot the Lot Group correlates to

Lot Edit
On the lot edit page, the selection to set the lot group of the lot has been moved from the LPR section to the general section.
This is to allow clients who are not using the LPR system to still use the real-time map features.
Lot edit page.
Dashboard Widget
The imported Mistall data can be displayed on the dashboard in a widget.
The widget is named mistall-lot-stats.
If the system setting for Enable Mistall Usage is not enabled, this widget will not appear in the edit dashboard page.
The widget shows the raw Mistall data. The names of the lot groups associated to the data will be shown beside the bar chart.
If the Mistall data is not yet associated to a lot group, it will show the Mistall lot name instead. This is the name given to the lot by Mistall.
Mistall dashboard widget.
Real-Time Maps
The admin and user-side real-time maps have been updated to use lot groups instead of individual lots as pins on the map.
The functionality of the maps is not dependant on the use of Mistall in a system.
If the client does not have Mistall integrated with their site, the lot groups will use the data of the associated lots in place of Mistall data for the real-time maps.
Admin-Side Map
The admin map has been updated to use lot groups.
When a lot group is clicked on, it will show the new popup.
If the lot group has no Mistall data associated to it, it will use the collated counts of the lot info below instead.
If Mistall data is being used for the lot, it is likely it will not match the counts shown in the lot info window below. It is intentional that the information will not match.
The intention is that the client will be able to see the difference between what is physically present in the physical lot (lot group Mistall stats) and what the permits purchased within the system look like in comparison.
For example, if the lot is physically empty but is maxed out on purchased permits, the number of available permits can be increased for that lot.
Admin-Side map.
User-Side Map
The user-side map has also been updated to use lot groups.
As before, the user map is made to appear by placing the shortcode on a client-created page.
The shortcode for the map is: [real-time-map]
The user-side map will now appear like this:
User-side real time map.
The donut at the top shows the Mistall data if it is present. If the lot group does not have an associated Mistall lot, it will show the collated counts of the lot info below.
The lot info shown below the donut graph is from the permit counts in the system.
Unlike the admin-side map, the information here is presented as a percentage instead of the actual numbers. This is to allow for some leeway for any inaccuracy.
The icons to the right display if the lot allows standard or temporary permits.
-
Green is standard.
-
Yellow is temp.
The map should be accessible for users who are not logged in. If the user is logged in, they will be able to see standard permits and temp permits, but if they are not logged in, they will only be able to see temp permits.
The book permit button now takes the user to a new page used for selecting a permit from within the selected lot group.
User-Side Lot Group Page
The lot group page shows much the same data as the regular permit page, just with the data specific to the selected lot group.
Lot group page.
At the top of the page, the same donut menu from the pop-up window on the map is shown, displaying a percentage of availability. It is calculated from the Mistall data or the lots below if there is no Mistall data for the lot group.
The lots are shown below. If the user is a guest (not logged in), they will only be able to see temporary permits on the page.
The standard permit booking button will take the user to the regular standard permit booking page, but the temporary permit booking button will take the user to the quick checkout.
This is the checkout used for QR codes and the old version of the map. It allows the user to purchase the permit and checkout immediately without adding it to their cart.
Setup Checklist
New to OPS-COM and you need a little guidance as to what messaging needs your attention? This article explains the items to look at in order of importance.
The Setup Checklist
The setup checklist guides new users through the important process of setting up a new site. It breaks down the items that need attention in three categories (Important, Moderate and Minor) The checklist can be expanded to list all configuration and page updates that a new user should consider.
The Edit Button
Click on the Each Section to Expand the List. Clicking on the edit button...
...will bring the admin directly to the item that needs attention.
The same principal exists for system messaging. The edit button will take the admin to the page that needs updating.
Using Your Own Domain - Vanity URL
OPS-COM supports the use of vanity URLs to keep your branding consistent for all your clients. This is a simple process. Not all service levels include this option and there could be fees associated with the setup.
Please contact your Sales Representative for more information at sales@ops-com.com.
Purchase Your Domain
We can work with any legal and registered domain that you own or have control over. Most clients will already have a domain they wish to use. Setup is quite simple and involves pointing a subdomain at our server. The resulting subdomain URL will be the final URL you will give to your clients.
Domains and subdomains cannot have spaces, are limited in size and are case-insensitive.
Example of a registered domain: yourdomain.com
Example of an OPS-COM service subdomain: parking.yourdomain.com
* subdomain can be any combination of A-Z, 0-9, and hyphen , * domains and subdomains are not case-sensitive
Sample DNS Setup
Option | Format | DNS Entry | Notes |
1 | yourdomain.com | @ CNAME <client>.ops-com.com. | point entire domain to client OPS-COM installation |
2 | parking.yourdomain.com | parking CNAME <client>.ops-com.com. | point subdomain to OPS-COM installation |
Resulting URLs
Option #1 - Domain
-point entire domain to OPS-COM
It would look like this for the user portal - https://yourdomain.com
And the admin portal would be - https://yourdomain.com/admin
Option #2 - Subdomain
- point subdomain to OPS-COM
It would look like this for the user portal - https://subdomain.yourdomain.com
And the admin portal would be - https://subdomain.yourdomain.com/admin
How Does it Work
We supply details to you so that you can add a CNAME record to your DNS.
Once DNS is updated and a secure certificate is installed the domain will be active on our servers.
Certificate Registration
We use Let's Encrypt for SSL communication.
Once your subdomain is pointed at our servers, the certificate can be requested.
Contact Support
Email support@ops-com.com to let us know what you would like to use as your registered subdomain.
Sending Email with OPS-COM
Sending email from OPS-COM is a key element of communicating with your clients. This article offers information related to the setup of a mail sending domain on our preferred mail partner Mailgun
Simple SPF Security
Add the following to your SPF record (in DNS) to allow OPS-COM servers to send email on your domains behalf.
ip4:
209.217
.
117.82
/
32
include:_spf.mailgun.org
Please note that this is only first line generalized security. More details here https://www.dmarcanalyzer.com/spf/
Communicating with Clients
One of the key features of your OperationsCommander installation is the ease of communicating with your clients. This communication may be outgoing messages related to purchases, notifications and even as part of the appeals process.
Why Mailgun
We selected Mailgun as our preferred email partner due to the ease of use of their APIs and their long standing success in the email space. That together with their tools to track and report on sent emails made them an ideal candidate for email management.
What to Expect Without Mailgun
Within the OPS-COM system configuration, reply-to email addresses can be recorded. One such email might be parking@yourdomain.com such that any email receipts sent will appear to come from this email address.
Due to the email being sent from a non-yourdomain.com system, the email may be marked as spam or carry a "on behalf of" header to let the client know that the email was not sent from a yourdomain.com system.
With a few simple DNS updates, it is possible to recognize the Mailgun server as a valid email sender for yourdomain.com
Using your own API offers an even better level of service so that you can inspect emails sent by OPS-COM, and this is the recommended configuration
Why Do I See On Behalf Of in My Email
Visit https://help.mailgun.com/hc/en-us/articles/360012491394-Why-Do-I-See-On-Behalf-Of-in-My-Email- for more information
Subdomain on the OPS-COM account
This is the preferred method. We will supply the DNS update details. Your system admin will just need to add the details to DNS.
OPS-COM staff can create a subdomain on our configuration to to allow clients to send email with proper DKIM signatures.
We will create the subdomain and pass the DNS details to the appropriate system administrator.
Your Own Mailgun Account
This method allows clients to manage their own Mailgun account.
You may create a new or use an existing Mailgun account. Please send the associated API key to support@ops-com.com
API keys can be created and found in the Mailgun site under: Domain settings → Sending API Keys
* To aid in technical support related to email please invite OPS-COM support (support@ops-com.com) as a Developer level user.
Integrating Mailgun to Your Installation
Within the OPS-COM administrative interface, select System Configuration → Third Party
*In the case of OPS-COM creating a subdomain, OPS-COM support will update these details.
Using the General OPS-COM Mailgun Account
This setup will enable OperationsCommander to send email on behalf of your domain. It will remove the "on behalf of" notation that may be seen in emails that are not setup properly.
Required DNS Records
- Please send a copy of your domain DKIM to OPS-COM support. please also include your domain
- Add the following DNS records to your DNS server.
Type |
Hostname |
Value |
Notes |
TXT | mg.<your domain> | v=spf1 include:mailgun.org ~all | This adds an SPF record for Mailgun |
TXT | smtp._domainkey.<your domain> | your DKIM key | The DKIM key used with your domain |
SPF = Sender Policy Framework
DKIM = Domain Key Identified Mail
Optional DNS Records
Mailgun recommends adding these values even if only sending emails.
In our experience they are not needed as they are related to tracking and receiving emails.
At this time, we do not require the optional DNS records in our setup.
Preview Spaces
Create a Preview Space
Normally preview spaces are created on demand by clients or OPS-COM support staff when required.
To do this, login to your production/live OPS-COM system, then go to Tools → Reset Database:
Next select the date of the backup you wish to restore the preview database to and click the "Refresh Preview Database" button:
Please note it may take a few minutes to refresh the database. Generally a database is refreshed in 1 - 2 minutes, but can take up to 15 minutes depending on the size of your database. A message will be displayed along the top notifying you when the database is done refreshing.
Once the preview database has been refreshed your preview system will automatically be created. You can access the preview system by adding ".preview" before ops-com.com. Example: https://tomahawku.preview.ops-com.com
Refresh Preview Database
To refresh the preview database with more up to date data (a more recent backup), login to your preview system and select Tools → Reset Database:
Next select the date of the backup you wish to restore the preview database to and click the "Refresh Preview Database" button:
Please note it may take a few minutes to refresh the database. Generally a database is refreshed in 1 - 2 minutes, but can take up to 15 minutes depending on the size of your database. A message will be displayed along the top notifying you when the database is done refreshing.
Lock and Unlock Database Reset Option
You can now lock and unlock preview and development OPS-COM databases from being reset/refreshed.
To do this, go to the Reset Database page and lock/unlock the database as needed. A reason will be given for locking and unlocking databases and a history of the previous 10 locks/unlocks will be shown below for reference.
This feature allows you to ensure that if you're working on a preview/development system and do NOT wish for your changes to be reset/lost, you can place a lock notifying others who try and refresh the database that you do not want this done. Until we each have our own OPS-COM accounts, please include your name in the lock/unlock reason so that others know who to go to when unlocking the database.
Please see the following image for further reference on the Lock and Unlock Reset Database functionality.
Preview spaces exist to allow clients to test or stage changes to their system. The preview spaces are secured in the same manner as our production/live systems though they exist in a testing environment.
Preview sites are automatically deleted after 7 days of no login activity. Please contact OPS-COM support staff if you require a preview site for an extended period of time, an expiry date can be set.
Production/live data is backed up daily at 2 AM EST and available to push to the testing environment at any time. In other words a capture of the database is made 2 AM EST daily so if you were to do a refresh of the preview site the following day it would pull data captured the night before. This operation is outside of normal backup procedures and exists only for the purpose of having relevant data available for testing and preview during training or similar efforts.
As a client of OPS-COM you can access your preview space by simply adding the ".preview." suffix to your subdomain name. So as an example, TomahawkU's production space is found at the web address https://tomahawku.ops-com.com and the preview space is found at https://tomahawku.preview.ops-com.com
Preview Space Banner
Preview Spaces are denoted with an orange warning banner as seen below in the screenshot.
Considerations for Testing
he Preview spaces are very useful for testing and training. They allow you work with a copy of the live database so that you will have real data to work with without affecting your production system. The database can be manually reset at any time by following the instructions below for "Reset the Database". This will allow you to "erase" your training data and start testing again.
Emails are not Sent on Preview/Testing
All email that would be sent from the server is captured before it goes into the "wild". Therefore, any preview/testing email notifications will not reach clients.
Managed User Import (SFTP)
For clients that cannot take advantage of our User Import APIs, our SFTP Managed User Import allows you to import users into our system through an encrypted SFTP client. Any users that have failed to be imported will be put into a .csv file and sent to you by email. This file will include important user information as well as the reason for failure.
Required System Settings
Before you can use the Managed User Import you will need to have it set up on your system.
OPS-COM requires settings for the Import to work properly.
The first setting that is required is found under System Config -> Classic System Settings
From this window make sure that you have supplied a Reply-to Admin Email Address.
This is the system default email address that appears as the sender of system-level and task-automation email messages.
The second setting is found under System Config -> System Settings followed by Third Party.
From there you want to make sure that you have supplied a Failed Import Email under the CSV User Import options.
This is the email that will be receive the failed to import message.
The error message file will include information about the user as well as why the user failed to be imported.
This will allow you to correct any failures and attempt the import again.
Importing Users
OPS-COM will supply you with credentials. These credentials will connect your SFTP client to the folder where the import file will be stored on the server.
If you connect with a standard client, you will see an empty directory where you can drag and drop your import files.
SFTP Manual Process
A system task is set to run at 5 minute intervals. There may be a pause of up to 5 minutes for the import process to complete.
Once completed the file will be automatically moved to the bak folder. This folder is created as part of the import process if the folder does not exist.
To begin drop a comma separated (CSV) file from your computer to the server.
Please note that the your CSV file must follow the required format to be processed correctly.
Once the import has completed the file will be moved to the bak folder.
An email will be generated containing users that failed the import, and it will be sent to the email in System Settings.
The email will describe the reasons that users failed the import.
Field | Note |
unique_id | Required. Defines each unique user. |
login_source | Required. Used in conjunction with Login Sources (SSO) for Single Sign On. See Login Sources for more info |
first_name | |
last_name | |
user_name | |
street | |
city | |
province | |
postal_code | |
street2 | |
city2 | |
state2 | |
zip2 | |
phone_cell | |
user_type_id | |
employ_no | |
employee_phone | |
student_no | |
student_phone | |
drivers_license_num | |
drivers_license_prov | |
data_of_birth | |
active |
Optional. Possible values "0" (inactive) and "1" (active). This field can be used in conjunction with a new system setting: When the above system setting is enabled and when a user is imported with an active column value of "0" the system will automatically archive said user and release any active permits said user may have. If a user is imported with an active value of 1 the user will remain active in the system and no permits they may have will be affected. Example:Before: After: Permit: Payment: If a user not already existing in the system is imported with an active value of 0 the user will not be imported and an error report email (subject line "CSV Import Failed Records") will be sent to the administrator email address specified under System Settings → Third Party → CSV User Import. Said email will contain an attached CSV file that lists the users who weren't imported and the reason: |
Server IP Addresses
Depending on various client project requirements you or your I.T. department may require server IP addresses.
For example, there may be IP restrictions or traffic routing requirements where an IP address is required.
The IPs listed here are egress traffic.
Development, Testing and Preview
For development and preview sites, traffic will originate from one of these IP addresses.
208.124.170.242
178.128.233.75
134.122.33.16
137.184.172.18
137.184.172.19
Production, Staging and Beta
For production and staging sites, traffic will originate from one of these IP addresses.
209.217.117.82
209.217.117.84
209.217.117.88
159.203.14.67
167.99.176.52
167.99.176.218
SPF Records for Email
Tomahawk mail servers and Mailgun mail service are used for email delivery.
Tomahawk mail services are being phased out and replaced with Mailgun services
The following is a sample TXT record from DNS.
"v=spf1 include:spf.tomahawk.ca include:mailgun.org ~all"
Preparing to Import Your User Data
Many customers wish to port over existing data when they purchase the OperationsCommander system. Data imports can be complicated but they start with a clear understanding of what is needed and clean data. A Data Import may have been included with your system purchase or it may incur additional costs. Contact your Account Executive or email support@ops-com.com to find out.
Preparing your User Data
Your OPS-COM system must be setup and some configuration done before we will import your data. This means the lots and user types in particular must be there. We have attached a sample file that will walk you through what data needs to be provided for a minimal import. If you do not have the information to fill out all columns certain assumptions can be made to enable us to create the profiles.
File
OPSCOM Data Import Template