How to simulate a package corporation

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Hannover
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Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2008 12:10 pm

How to simulate a package corporation

Post by Hannover » Fri Nov 14, 2008 12:30 pm

Hi everybody, I'm implementing a project at the university that consist of a suite to manage a package corporation (like UPS) using rfid technology. To run and test my project i'm trying to use rifidi but i don´t know how to simulate a scenario where tags automatically switch from different antennas. In other words i'm trying to simulate boxes travelling from some cities to others, representing by tags and antennas.

kyle
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Name: Kyle
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Re: How to simulate a package corporation

Post by kyle » Mon Nov 17, 2008 1:16 pm

Hi Hannover. After our discussion on the IRC, I have looked into your problem a bit more, and am going to paraphrase your problem for the benefit of future users:

You are simulating a store for a package company such as UPS. For each store there is one reader that has two antennas. One of the antennas watches incoming packages, and one antenna watches outgoing packages. Depending on some business logic (that is, data that is associated with the tags in an external application), the boxes are sorted in the stores and go to one of several outgoing bins. Periodically, trucks come by and "pick up" the packages. Depending on which bins the packages are in, the trucks will take the boxes to the next store. So for example, all packages in bin 1 will be taken to store a, and all packages in bin 2 will be taken to store b. When the packages are loaded on to the truck, the second reader antenna reads the tags and communicates that to the business application.
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First of all, let me say that I think you have three approaches simulating this problem. The first is to use Designer. This problem fits the intention of designer closer than it does tag streamer. Designer is intended to allow users to build scenarios like this and run them in a visual manner. However, due to the fact that designer is under heavy development, it may be difficult to use in the short term. We are shooting to have a stable release by the end of the year.

The second approach is to use tag streamer. Tag Streamer was intended to be a less-visual load testing tool for edge servers. The idea behind it is to drive load (possibly many readers reading many tags per second) onto an edge server. Because of this, tag data and client tool interaction was less important than being able to define scripted flow paths. Tag Streamer is somewhat more stable than designer, because it is a technically simpler tool (no 3D engine, for example).

The third approach would be to build a custom solution that simulates item flows in a way that you want. This would probably involve writing much more code than in the other two approaches, but it is an option. Our virtual readers can be used programatically, so it would be possibly to simply create your own program to move tags between the readers. I would hope that we could figure out a way to use designer or tag streamer and make improvements to those if need be, but it is an option to do this, depending on what you need.

Your approach probably depends on your time frame. If you have alot of time, it may be better to go for designer because you would be able to have a 3D simulation of your scenario by the end. If you have some time, you could work with streamer because alot of the work is done and you will have a general platform to run the scenario on (you may be able to easily parameterize your scenario, such as adding tags and stores and things like that). If you have a short amount of time and just need to get something working by the end of the week, it may be easier to write a custom solution.

I hope this helps. I will be glad to help you look into more detail about how to use our APIs as you need it.

kyle
Posts: 220
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:12 pm
Name: Kyle
Organization: Pramari
Location: Hartford, CT
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Re: How to simulate a package corporation

Post by kyle » Wed Nov 19, 2008 2:06 pm

So I've thought about it a little more, and I'm not sure that streamer is the best choice for your simulation scenario. The problem is that Tag Streamer is a load testing tool, and as such it is concerned with driving load across readers, and even moving load from one reader to another, but the paths that tags take are predefined. So with Streamer I would set up a path like this:

reader1->reader2->reader3

Then I would define a set of tags to move across that path. The problem is that with Streamer, the paths that the tags move across are predefined and cannot switch from that path according to business logic. The best you could do is to define all possible paths and then have 'canned' tag movements.

So it might be better to write your own application that uses the Rifidi Engine programatically. Please see http://wiki.rifidi.org/index.php/Using_the_Engine_API for a tutorial

Hannover
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2008 12:10 pm

Re: How to simulate a package corporation

Post by Hannover » Sun Nov 30, 2008 12:43 pm

Hi, for updatting a little about my issue, i've decided to do my own application, using rifidi engine and following rifidi's related tutorials. This days i'm bussy reading tutorials, and working on the suit that manages the package company. When i begin with the rifidi's app i will post here things about it.

Hannover
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2008 12:10 pm

Re: How to simulate a package corporation

Post by Hannover » Thu Feb 19, 2009 12:03 pm

Hello everyone. I make this post to update news about my issue and let my experience help somebody in the future.

At my point now I am finishing my proyect (in Basic .net) wich is an application to manage a Package company. I have a Data Base made in SQL Server and the program wich is use to insert new clients and all this stuff.

There is one S.O. (if you want) code in C# that runs in a server and comunicates with each RFID Reader. My issue was that I had to simulate all this working fine and with rifidi it was impossible to simulate one system where the tags go from one reader to another automatically following some logica.

My solution to solve that question is use Rifidi emulator to prove that the SO is working fine comunicating with the alien reader, and maybe with some alien readers runing rifidi in several task with differents ports. Once the SO is proving to comunicate well with the Alien Reader, it means that in real life it will works, and the package software is completed.

The second part of the proyect that is a simple application to simulate the functionality of the corporation with different stores and packages going through, can be simulated using another software made by you. I coded in C# one application wich simulates a alien reader. Your program don't have to simulate the internal logica of the real alien reader, only receive strings with commands, and send replys with tags storing in a Data Base.

In last place I am coding an application wich implements the simulation working with the Data Base emulating the real life trucks that catch the packages from one store to other.

I would modify Emulator to make all that stuff but i'm going out of time and I think that this solution works fine for the purpose of my project. Anyways thanks to the staff of Rifidi for their patience Support and sorry for my English.

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