Feature bowl PTV xServer – Part 1

New framework

A new request scheduler is updated with several benefits:

1. The CPU is fully in operation during heavy request throughput
2. Modules can be restarted on the fly without dropping requests (add new profiles, change properties in the xServer profiles, etc.). There is no server restart obligatory anymore (only for global modifications).

The next figure illustrates the status monitor of the PTV xServer bundle. The xMap module is selected. During rendering of map tiles the PTV xMap Server was restarted. All four modules have been restarded step by step. Therefore, no request was rejected. The number of restarts is also plotted.

Redesigned code sample browser

Please notice the new outfit of PTV’s Code Sample Browser. Several new functionalities were added:

1. Button is added: “Order free test version”
2. Undock: Switch to the presentation mode. A new window will be displayed with an enhanced  image size for visualization purposes.
3. Change global settings: You can configure your own running PTV xServer. Disable the unused PTV xServer. The sample list will be automatically adapted, only the features with the enabled PTV xServer will be addressed.
4. Search function: Enter a key word and a limited set of code samples will be listed.
5. Sort the list by title, level (basic or advanced) or group (dima, geocoding, etc.).
6. Create your own code sample. Start with an existing sample and modify according to your own needs. Set a title, a level, a group and select a corresponding template. Your sample will be locally added to the official list (use of the local browser storage).

Unique Profile Mechanism

A new and technically updated profile mechanism has recently been implemented into the PTV xServer. We started with the PTV xRoute Server to add the XMLprofiles for various vehicle types. The previous property-based profiles have been replaced by the XML profiles which are located in a new PTV xRoute directory (root-directory/conf/profiles). Following benefits are now usable:

• Configure everything by request using the XML snippets. The XML snippets override the values of a specific server configuration.
• Simple management by using the parent mechanism: Snippets or profiles contain differences to referred server profiles (inheritance of profiles).
• One uniform format described via XSD.
• A “profile converter” tool is also provided by PTV in order to convert existing customer profiles.

Have you already started the PTV xServer bundle (otherwise, please download the bundle at PTV Customer Area – but login is required)? More detailed information are linked to the xRoute use cases.

[Edit 19.09.2013: Go to part 2 of blog article]