Network Mode

Network Database Registration

Network mode is a registration option that you can use to store players in a “network database” as you register them.

Turn on this option by checking the registration dialog’s Tools | Network mode menu.

It is a feature primarily designed to facilitate the registration of players for various sections on several computers at once, connected over a network.

You don’t have to have a network setup to use this feature, though.

It is also a convenient way of building a player database for your own customized needs.

Why Network Mode is Needed

First a word to explain the need for network mode: Because of the way SwissSys saves information on each section, you cannot generally use a network setup to register players directly to SwissSys section files.

You can only do that if each computer on the network is responsible for registering players for one section only. (Experience shows that this kind of division of labor is actually the best way to go in most cases, since usually it’s a good idea to have the chief TD of any section do the registering of players for that section.) But sometimes a more free-for-all approach to registration is better.

This is where network mode comes in.

As usual, the added power and flexibility it represents comes at the cost of a little more care in setting things up correctly before you dive into registration.

How Network Mode Works

Here’s the basic idea: When in network mode, all players that you register at the registration dialog will be automatically entered into a “network database”.

When the registration process is done, this database can then be imported back into SwissSys using the Database | Import database menu command. Unlike other databases supported by SwissSys, the network database cannot be customized, apart from setting its name and location.

All the information on the players registered is saved automatically, including the section the player registered for.

Before registration begins, give the network database a name from the Environment options dialog.

This file must be stored somewhere on the network where each computer involved in registration can have access to it. Click here for a step-by-step guide to registering players with the network database.