Aladdin SDS
AladdinSDS is the service installed on each POS (point of sale) system that enables communication between the IoT Edge Gateway and the Datalogic scanners connected to that POS. It runs as a Windows or Linux service, discovers the fixed retail scanners and handheld scanners plugged into the USB and serial ports of the POS, and connects to the gateway of the store as an MQTT client: it reports the scanners, receives the commands that operators issue from Datalogic Connect and moves firmware and configuration files between the gateway and the scanners.
Toward the POS, AladdinSDS exposes a local HTTP API and a WebSocket event feed on port 9000, so that the applications running there can list the scanners, execute the same commands the cloud can send and receive every barcode read and status change without polling.
Scope
AladdinSDS does the following:
- Discovers Datalogic scanners when the service starts and while it runs, over their host interface (USB-COM or USB-OEM) or their service port, and identifies each one by its serial number. A handheld scanner docked on a fixed retail scanner is reported as a child of that scanner.
- Reports connection, diagnostic and scan data to the gateway without being asked, and answers the commands the gateway delivers: short commands such as Beep, Reset or Get Logs, and long-running ones such as a firmware update or a Change configuration with an SDS package.
- Downloads firmware images, configuration files and SDS packages from the gateway, and uploads the files produced on the POS, such as the logs collected by Get Logs.
- Keeps working when the gateway cannot be reached: scanners are discovered, the local HTTP API and WebSocket feed answer, and the service keeps trying to connect until the gateway is back.
AladdinSDS does not do the following:
- Approve devices. A scanner the organization has never seen appears in the Datalogic Connect web application as To be approved; until an operator approves it, the gateway does not forward its reports.
- Download files from the Internet. Every file comes from the gateway, which fetches it from the cloud services once and serves later requests from its own copy.
- Manage mobile computers, which connect to the gateway directly over the local network.
- Replace the POS application. Barcodes keep reaching the host application over the host interface; AladdinSDS uses the service port for configuration and firmware without disturbing it.
Core concepts
- Scanner discovery and reports: how AladdinSDS finds the scanners, connects to the gateway and what it sends. See How AladdinSDS Works.
- Commands and file transfer: how a command issued in the web application reaches the scanner, and how files move between the gateway and the POS. See Commands and File Transfer.
- SDS package: a ZIP file created in the Aladdin application for one scanner model, containing a firmware image, a configuration file, or both. See SDS Packages.
- Configuration: the
config.tomlfile that holds the address of the gateway, the broker port, the HTTP API address and the other settings of the service. See Configuration reference.
Documentation overview
This documentation is intended for the administrators who install AladdinSDS on the POS systems of a store and for the developers of the applications running on them.
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| How AladdinSDS Works | Scanner discovery, the connection to the gateway, reports, commands, file transfer, SDS packages, offline behavior, updates and the local interfaces. |
| Configuration reference | Every section and option of the config.toml file of the service. |
| Windows reference | Platform-specific configuration: file location, download folder, Updater binary, service restart and logs on Windows. |
| Linux reference | Platform-specific configuration: file location, download folder, Updater binary, service restart and logs on Linux. |
| Windows | Install AladdinSDS as a Windows service from the .msi installer and enable the communication with the IoT Edge Gateway. |
| Linux | Install AladdinSDS as a Linux service from the .deb installer and edit its configuration file. |
| SDS Package Generation | Create the configuration file and the SDS package for a scanner model in the Aladdin application. |
| Scanner Events | Subscribe to the WebSocket endpoints that push barcode and device status events. |
| Aladdin SDS API reference | The local HTTP API: list the attached scanners and execute commands on them. |
| Aladdin SDS (Scanner Events) | The messages of the WebSocket event feed. |
Get started
-
Install AladdinSDS on the POS. Depending on the operating system of the POS, follow the corresponding installation instructions:
After installation, the only setting to enter is the address of the gateway, see Edge Gateway Connection.
-
To update the firmware or the configuration of a scanner model, generate an SDS package in the Aladdin application, see SDS Package Generation. The package can then be sent from the Configurations Page of the web application or through the local HTTP API.
-
Connect the scanners to the POS and enroll them in Datalogic Connect: each new scanner appears as To be approved and starts sending data once an operator approves it. Follow Enroll FRS/HHS device on Datalogic Connect.