Aloha Kitchen Troubleshooting

Document Index
Document Index............................................................................................................................... 1
Common Troubleshooting ............................................................................................................... 3
1. ‘NO BOH’ or ‘Master’ appears on video screen in top right-hand corner ........................... 3
2. ‘NO POS’ appears on video screen in top right-hand corner ............................................. 3
3. ‘Disconnected’ appears on video screen in top right-hand corner ..................................... 4
4. Kitchen terminals will not start up and constantly loop ....................................................... 4
5. Items are not being shown on the kitchen screen .............................................................. 5
6. AlohaKitchen.CFG is not being updated after a refresh or EOD ........................................ 5
7. Zero Data reporting ............................................................................................................ 6
8. Delayed items are not delaying .......................................................................................... 6
9. Aloha Kitchen log corruption after the whole system went down (POS, File Server and
Aloha Kitchen) .................................................................................................................... 7
10. The Order name or number on the AK terminal doesn’t match the order name in the POS
............................................................................................................................................ 7
11. No Display on monitor connected to KC3 device ............................................................... 7
12. No Power to the K1700 device ........................................................................................... 7
13. Items with the same cook times are not firing (activating) at the same time to video
screen ................................................................................................................................. 7
14. Nothing showing in the bins ................................................................................................ 7
15. Orders not appearing immediately on screen(s) when entered even though “Immediate”
is set for routing .................................................................................................................. 7
Application Setup ............................................................................................................................. 8
Network Requirements, Network ports used ................................................................................ 8
Issue: BOH instance is reading DOB but log file name is not updated and EOD is not
recognized .......................................................................................................................... 8
Issue: User starts up AlohaKitchen and immediately gets a socket exception ............................ 8
Issue: User starts up AlohaKitchen and orders don’t show from the POS .................................. 8
Issue: User starts Aloha Kitchen and immediately gets an error: “Got unhandled exception in
Main, exiting: Year, Month and Day parameters describe an un-representable DateTime.”
............................................................................................................................................ 9
Issue: Unable to read data from the transport connection ......................................................... 10
Issue: Gives the following error in device debouts and 9999 debout when trying to send some
orders to kitchen ............................................................................................................... 10
Issue: User starts up the Aloha Kitchen Controller and immediately gets an error “Got
unhandled exception in Main, exiting: The attempted operation is not supported for the
type of object referenced. Stack Trace: at System.Net.IPAddress.get_Address() …”... 11
Issue: Unable to start kitchen when using the AlohaKitchen.bin file but works with
AlohaKitchen.xml and it gives the following error in debout: ............................................ 11
Issue: Kitchen devices reboot every few hours and throws the following error in the debouts: 11
Configuration Files ......................................................................................................................... 13
Issue: A change made to AlohaKitchen.xml is not read after restarting the Aloha Kitchen
system .............................................................................................................................. 13
Refresh Functionality .................................................................................................................. 13
Export Process (general) ............................................................................................................ 13
Startup Options for AlohaKitchen.exe ........................................................................................... 15
CONTROLLER ........................................................................................................................... 15
DEBUGKITCHENCONFIG ......................................................................................................... 15
SHOWKITCHENENVIRONMENT .............................................................................................. 16
TOUCH ....................................................................................................................................... 17
 BOHSERVER ............................................................................................................................. 17
Database (configuration) ............................................................................................................... 18
User cannot Activate Delayed orders ......................................................................................... 18
Language button is being added to screen command buttons even though it is not defined .... 18
Order Mode Icons are defined but do not display ...................................................................... 18
Orders do not display after verifying all hardware and software setup ...................................... 18
Bumpbar is defined and recognized at startup but will not bump orders ................................... 18
Integration with Aloha Take Out .................................................................................................... 19
Issue: Orders display on Aloha Kitchen but do not update “cooking” status on Aloha To Go ... 19
Debout files .................................................................................................................................... 20
How the system determines the number of debout files kept on hand ...................................... 20
Printing ........................................................................................................................................... 21
Printing Concepts ....................................................................................................................... 21
Printer Assignments ................................................................................................................... 21
Printer Hardware Settings .......................................................................................................... 22
Issue: More than one copy of the same Auto Print chit is being generated ............................... 22
Bumpbars ...................................................................................................................................... 23
Displaying a Bumpbar Layout in a window ................................................................................ 23
Issue: On screen command bar does not display commands when Bumpbar is defined ......... 23
Aloha Kitchen Redundancy Support.............................................................................................. 24
POS Offline transactions: ........................................................................................................... 24

NOTE: to update the document index select the indexed entries, right click, select update field,
then update entire table.

Revised 7/2/2014 page 2 of 24

Common Troubleshooting
1. ‘NO BOH’ or ‘Master’ appears on video screen in top
right-hand corner
Problem: Screens have a ‘NO BOH’ indicator on the top right-hand corner of the video screen.
Solution 1: Restore connectivity to the fileserver. This ‘NO BOH’ indicates that the kitchen devices
have lost communication to the fileserver.
Solution 2: Ensure that TERMSTR environment variable is set correctly on the fileserver and in
Startak.bat on AK devices. Also ensure that there are no trailing spaces after the definition of the
variable.
Solution 3: Ensure that the Aloha Kitchen Service is running on the fileserver.
Solution 4: Check Debout.YYYYMMDD.AlohaKitchen.9999.txt located in bootdrv\alohakitchen\tmp
for any errors.
Solution 6: Check the Debout.YYYYMMDD.AlohaKitchen.9999.txt to ensure alohakitchen.exe
running on the file is binding to the correct network card. An entry showing the following will show
which network card is being used:

“This machine has 3 IP addresses, defaulting to 192.168.108.1. You can specify IPAddress in your
LocalSettings file."

To resolve this change the binding order so that the network card attached to the Aloha network is
at the top of the binding order.

To force binding to a different network card, open bootdrv\alohakitchen\data\

LocalSettings.9999.xml and edit the IP address field so that it shows as
“<IPAddress>10.0.1.200</IPAddress>”.

Solution 7: Check Debout.YYYYMMDD.AlohaKitchen.XX.txt located in bootdrv\alohakitchen\tmp

for any errors (please check both the terminal having the problem as well as the 9999 instance’s
log on the file server.

2. ‘NO POS’ appears on video screen in top right-hand

corner
Problem: Screens have a ‘NO POS’ indicator on the top right-hand corner of the video screen.
Solution 1: Restore connectivity to the POS terminals. This ‘NO POS’ indicates that the kitchen
devices have lost communication to the POS terminals.
Solution 2: Ensure that the TERMSTR environment variable is set correctly on the fileserver, POS
terminals and in Startak.bat on AK devices. Also ensure that there are no trailing spaces after the
definition of the variable.
Solution 3: Ensure that Iberadm.dll in the POS bin folder matches the currently installed POS
version.
Solution 4: Ensure CFC / Aloha manager has FOH COM enabled and
AlohaPOSKitchenInterface.AlohaPOSKitchenInterface is correctly entered an “External Integrated
Software Component” in POS’s Store Settings.
Solution 5: Ensure the correct version of AlohaKitchenPOSInterface.dll is in the POS bin folder
(Please check the file server and the POS terminals). If syncinclusionlist.cfg exists in the POS bin
folder on the fileserver it could be preventing the file from being copied into the POS bin folder on
the terminals, edit the file to include the following, or rename it if it is un-needed.

Revised 7/2/2014 page 3 of 24

 Aloha.Kitchen.DirectoryService.dll
Aloha.Kitchen.DirectoryService_nat.dll
Aloha.Kitchen.Interface.dll
Aloha.Kitchen.Interface_nat.dll
Aloha.Kitchen.QuoteTime.dll
Aloha.Kitchen.QuoteTime_nat.dll
Aloha.Kitchen.Transactions.dll
Aloha.Kitchen.Transactions_nat.dll
Aloha.Kitchen.VersionInfo.dll
Aloha.Kitchen.VersionInfo_nat.dll
Aloha.Platform.dll
Aloha.Platform_nat.dll
AlohaKPS.Interop.AlohaFOH.dll
AlohaKPS.Interop.AlohaFOH_nat.dll
AlohaKPS.Interop.InterceptActivity.dll
AlohaKPS.Interop.InterceptActivity_nat.dll
AlohaPOSKitchenInterface.dll
AlohaPOSKitchenInterface_nat.dll
ICSharpCode.SharpZipLib.dll
protobuf-net.dl
EnterQuoteTime.exe
EnterQuoteTime_nat.exe

Solution 6: Manually register AlohaPOSKitchenInterface.dll on all POS terminals and on the

fileserver if there is an instance of iber.exe / iberqs.exe running on it. The following command line
can be used for manual registration:
%WINDIR%\MICROSOFT.NET\FRAMEWORK\V2.0.50727\REGASM.EXE /VERBOSE
%LOCALDIR%\ALOHAPOSKITCHENINTERFACE.DLL /CODEBASE
Solution 7: Check Debout.YYYYMMDD.AlohaKitchen.XX.txt located in bootdrv\alohakitchen\tmp
for any errors (please check both the terminal having the problem as well as the 9999 instance’s
log on the file server.

3. ‘Disconnected’ appears on video screen in top right-hand

corner
Problem: Aloha kitchen has no connection to the file server or any POS terminal.
Solution 1: Step through all solution steps for “No POS” and “No BOH” messages.
Solution 2: Disable any software or hardware firewalls are disabled.
Solution 3: Verify Aloha Kitchen is installed on the fileserver, with full contents in the Data and Bin
folders.
Solution 4: Copy the entire AlohaKitchen folder from the file server to the kitchen terminal
Solution 5: Copy a StartAK.bat from a working terminal or site and change the required variables
inside it to match the configuration of this site.
Solution 6: Check Debout.YYYYMMDD.AlohaKitchen.XX.txt located in bootdrv\alohakitchen\tmp
for any errors (please check both the terminal having the problem as well as the 9999 instance’s
log on the file server.

4. Kitchen terminals will not start up and constantly loop

Problem: Alohakitchen.exe cannot fully start and is therefor looping.
Solution 1: Verify that a terminal is configured that matches the terminal number configured in
startak.bat.
Solution 2: Verify all AK terminals have a screen and station defined, also verify that all terminals
that are configured to have a split screen, have a screen and station defined for both sides of the
screen.

Revised 7/2/2014 page 4 of 24

 Solution 3: Verify that bootdrv\alohakitchen\newdata and data is being populated with a new
alohakitchen.cfg after refreshing CFC.
Solution 4: Copy the entire AlohaKitchen folder from the file server to the kitchen terminal.
Solution 5: Copy a StartAK.bat from a working terminal or site and change the required variables
inside it to match the configuration of this site.
Solution 6: Check Debout.YYYYMMDD.AlohaKitchen.XX.txt located in bootdrv\alohakitchen\tmp
for any errors (please check both the terminal having the problem as well as the 9999 instance’s
log on the file server.

5. Items are not being shown on the kitchen screen

Problem: Items are being added to the POS but are not showing in the kitchen.
Solution 1: Ensure AK devices do not show Disconnected, NO BOH, NO POS, or Master in the
top right hand corner.
Solution 2: Ensure AlohaKitchen.CFG in C:\Bootdrv\AlohaKitchen\Data on all AK terminals has a
time stamp that matches the last refresh or EOD.
Solution 3: Ensure the time zone on all AK devices matches the file server.
Solution 4: Ensure that the items meet a rule defined in the routing rule book (Please ensure this
for all routing rule books assigned to a staff level).
Solution 5: If Video Group routing is being used; ensure every video group is assigned to at least
one video queue.
Solution 6: If using a Cooking Only or Production Order view screen set the items to auto start in
Kitchen Station settings.
Solution 7: If using a Start Only screen, ensure the items are NOT set auto start in Kitchen Station
settings
Solution 9: Check the POS terminal debouts and see if there are any errors that indicate the cause
of the problem. In particular search through the log for the word Video. If a message is shown
stating that the Site is not licensed for Video MX, then that means the site is also not licensed for
Aloha Kitchen.
Solution 9: Check the POS TMP folder for debout.YYYYMMDD.AlohaPOSKitcheninterface.XX.txt
and see if there are any errors that indicate the cause of the problem.
Solution 10: Enable Debug FOHCOM and a custom debug event with the text of AlohaActivity,
then review the POS terminal logs see if there are any errors that indicate the cause of the
problem.
Solution 11: Set the following environment variable on all POS terminals and the file server then
reboot them FORCEORIGINALPOSCOMINTERFACE=TRUE. NOTE: This setting should not be
left enabled at a site if it does not resolve the issue. If it does resolve the issue then please create a
support case and attach the logs that were captured during “Solution 10”.

6. AlohaKitchen.CFG is not being updated after a refresh or

EOD
Problem: AlohaKitchen.CFG is not being updated after a CFC refresh.
Solution 1: Ensure that an “All Product refresh” is being performed.
Solution 2: If using Hosted CFC, ensure that the store is in the active stores list.
Solution 3: Ensure Kitchen settings are defined for the store.
Solution 4: Ensure the aloha kitchen service is running
Solution 5: Delete AlohaKitchenRefresh.cfg fr.om the POS data and new data folders.

Revised 7/2/2014 page 5 of 24

 7. Zero Data reporting
Problem: You have found that Aloha Reporting shows zero for dates where data exists.
Solution: A failure occurred in the communication thus data exporting was not completed properly.
You will need to manually perform an export for the missing dates.
Here are the steps to run export for a site for business date 20110906 (follow the same procedure for all
other dates):
A. Stop AlohaKitchenService
B. Perform the following steps if the zipped log AK.20110906.log.zip does not exist in the dated
sub on the BOH machine for the missing date. Otherwise skip to letter C.
i. Locate the AK.YYYYMMDD.22.merge_Error (eg: AK.20110906.22.merge_Error) files
in AlohaKitchen\Tmp folder on BOH machine
ii. Rename the file to Ak.20110906.log
iii. Zip it up as AK.20110906.log.zip
iv. Copy the zipped file to 20110906 dated sub
C. On BOH machine open command prompt, navigate to BOOTDRV\ALOHAKITCHEN\BIN
folder, and run the following command:
AlohaKitchen /iberdir c:\bootdrv\aloha /controller 9999 /export 20110906
D. Verify the debout (Debout.20110920.AlohaKitchenExport.9999.txt) in AlohaKitchen\Tmp folder
on BOH machine. It should say submitting records
Sep 20, 15:06:57, Exporting started for 20110906
Sep 20, 15:06:57, Using the AlohaReportingLocalDBSettings.xml file from
C:\Bootdrv\Aloha\CFC\Settings\AlohaReportingLocalDBSettings.xml
Sep 20, 15:06:58, Starting to ensure Kitchen Configuration Data in the AlohaReporting
DB is up to date
Sep 20, 15:06:58, About to send 3 Kitchen Configuration Data updates to the
AlohaReporting DB
Sep 20, 15:06:58, Finished ensuring Kitchen Configuration Data in the AlohaReporting
DB is up to date
Sep 20, 15:06:58, Connected to the Reporting Framework
Sep 20, 15:06:58, Starting to update the Kitchen entities in the AlohaReporting db
Sep 20, 15:06:58, About to submit 333 records to the Kitchen Entities in the
AlohaReporting db
Sep 20, 15:06:58, Succesfully updated the Kitchen entities in the AlohaReporting db
Sep 20, 15:06:58, Finished updating the Kitchen entities in the AlohaReporting db
Sep 20, 15:06:58, Exporting finished 20110906

E. Check the reporting database in SQL management studio

F. Repeat the above steps for all the missing dates

G. Restart AlohaKitchenService

8. Delayed items are not delaying

Problem: Items that are configured to be delayed are not delaying.
Solution: Ensure that the time zone and time on all POS terminals, Fileserver and AK Terminals
match.

Revised 7/2/2014 page 6 of 24

 9. Aloha Kitchen log corruption after the whole system went
down (POS, File Server and Aloha Kitchen)
Problem: After the whole system goes down (POS, BOH and AK), Aloha Kitchen doesn’t start
back up and is in a constant reloop or an error message is on the AK terminals
Solution: Rename the current AK transaction log (AK.YYYYMMDD.log in AlohaKitchen/Data on
the BOH machine) so that a new fresh log gets created and restart the Aloha Kitchen terminals.
NOTE: You will lose all existing orders on the AK screen, but you will be able to get to a move
forward state where new orders appear.

10. The Order name or number on the AK terminal

doesn’t match the order name in the POS
Problem: After ringing in an order, the name or number that shows in the header on the Aloha
Kitchen screen is different than what was rung in on the POS.
Solution: Someone deleted or renamed the POS trans.log, but did not also rename the AK
transaction log (AK.YYYYMMDD.log in AlohaKitchen/Data) so the Aloha Kitchen transaction log
isn’t in synch. The solution is to rename the Aloha Kitchen transaction log but only do this if the site
can lose all the current orders on the AK terminals. The better solution is to always rename the AK
transaction log if you are ever renaming or deleting the POS transaction log.

11. No Display on monitor connected to KC3 device

Problem: After connecting the video monitor to the KC3 device, the STATUS indicator remains
RED.
Solution: Check the back of the KC3 device for a DVI/VGA Switch. More than likely the switch is
set to the incorrect position based on the connection used to the monitor. Change the position of
the switch and reboot the KC3 device.

12. No Power to the K1700 device

Problem: The K1700 device has lost power. The power indicator light is not lit.
Solution 1: Check the DC Out cable and ensure that it is plugged in at both ends of the cable.
Solution 2: If Solution 1 fails, the power supply (or entire unit) may need to be replaced.

13. Items with the same cook times are not firing
(activating) at the same time to video screen
Problem: Two items are appearing on the kitchen screens at different times although they are
both configured with the same cook time.
Solution 1: Check to see if there is an assembly time configured for the items. The assembly time
is taken into consideration when calculating activation times.

14. Nothing showing in the bins

Problem: When ordering items that include production bin items, the bin items do not appear in the
bins.
Solution: Check that the “Maximum Start Quantity” option is set greater than zero (0).

15. Orders not appearing immediately on screen(s) when

entered even though “Immediate” is set for routing
Problem: Orders not appearing on screen immediately as expected.

Revised 7/2/2014 page 7 of 24

 Solution: Ensure that you are not intending to use the “Hide Unfinalized Orders” option as it will
affect whether or not the order will appear upon entry.

Application Setup

Network Requirements, Network ports used

*If you are using a firewall, open the following ports
Aloha Kitchen on BOH (service and BOH instance)
9088 TCP, this is the Aloha Kitchen interface port, value is not configurable
11011 UDP, this is the Broadcast manager, value is not configurable
13555 TCP, File sharing port, used for file sync, value is not configurable
9090 TCP, The port defined for the BOH instance (id=9999)
1221 UDP, Databus Discovery, value is not configurable
1222 TCP, Databus Communication, value is not configurable
1333 UDP, Databus Discovery with AGM, value is not configurable
Aloha Kitchen devices
9088 TCP, this is the Aloha Kitchen interface port, value is not configurable
11011 UDP, this is the Broadcast manager, value is not configurable
13555 TCP, File sharing port, used for file sync, value is not configurable
9090 TCP: The port defined for the BOH instance (id=9999)
Aloha POS terminal
9088 TCP, this is the Aloha Kitchen interface port, value is not configurable
11011 UDP, this is the Broadcast manager, value is not configurable

Issue: BOH instance is reading DOB but log file name is not
updated and EOD is not recognized
The BOH port number used is in conflict with some other process on the system. This will not
always log in the debout.

Other symptoms: The remote controllers we caching their local transaction at startup

Issue: User starts up AlohaKitchen and immediately gets a

socket exception
There is no IP assigned to device or the IP assigned is not routable (for example default ip
starting with “169” in XP when set to use DHCP and no DHCP server is available.
Other symptoms: Normally when device starts begins looking on network for the master
device

Issue: User starts up AlohaKitchen and orders don’t show from

the POS
There are a few reasons this can occur.

Revised 7/2/2014 page 8 of 24

 1. Check to make sure the AlohaPOSKitchenInterface.AlohaPOSKitchenInterface is in the
Aloha.ini (or in store settings in CFC), then check the POS terminal debout to make sure
that the interface is registering on startup.
2. If the interface is missing, add it and refresh
3. If the interface isn’t registering then run a batch file to manually register the file
4. The batch file should contain the following and also be run from command prompt ON
THE TERMINAL
REM
REM ---- Set environment ----
SET PARAM=%1%
IF NOT DEFINED PARAM SET PARAM=C:\ALOHA
IF NOT DEFINED LOCALDIR SET LOCALDIR=%PARAM%
REM
REM ---- Register FOH interface for Aloha Kitchen ----
%WINDIR%\MICROSOFT.NET\FRAMEWORK\V2.0.50727\REGASM.EXE /VERBOSE
%LOCALDIR%\ALOHAPOSKITCHENINTERFACE.DLL /CODEBASE
REM
REM ---- DONE! ----
ECHO "...FOH interface for Aloha Kitchen registered."
5. After trying the batch file, check to make sure there isn’t a POS Inclusion file which limits
the files that get sent to the FOH bin. Verify that the following files are included in the
POS inclusion file if it exists.

Aloha.Kitchen.DirectoryService.dll
Aloha.Kitchen.DirectoryService_nat.dll
Aloha.Kitchen.Interface.dll
Aloha.Kitchen.Interface_nat.dll
Aloha.Kitchen.QuoteTime.dll
Aloha.Kitchen.QuoteTime_nat.dll
Aloha.Kitchen.Transactions.dll
Aloha.Kitchen.Transactions_nat.dll
Aloha.Kitchen.VersionInfo.dll
Aloha.Kitchen.VersionInfo_nat.dll
Aloha.Platform.dll
Aloha.Platform_nat.dll
AlohaKPS.Interop.AlohaFOH.dll
AlohaKPS.Interop.AlohaFOH_nat.dll
AlohaKPS.Interop.InterceptActivity.dll
AlohaKPS.Interop.InterceptActivity_nat.dll
AlohaPOSKitchenInterface.dll
AlohaPOSKitchenInterface_nat.dll
ICSharpCode.SharpZipLib.dll
protobuf-net.dl
EnterQuoteTime.exe
EnterQuoteTime_nat.exe

6. If using windows Firewall make sure that the ports are open or just turn off the Firewall for
quick troubleshooting. Please refer to the Kitchen installation document to see the ports
being used by kitchen.

Issue: User starts Aloha Kitchen and immediately gets an

error: “Got unhandled exception in Main, exiting: Year, Month
and Day parameters describe an un-representable DateTime.”

Aloha Kitchen attempts to read the DOB from the ALOHA.INI file, if the DOB is not present or
the file cannot be found this error will occur.

1. The file is read from the POS BOH system, if IBERROOT is not “ALOHA” then
IBERROOT must also be defined on the Aloha Kitchen controller

Revised 7/2/2014 page 9 of 24

 2. Verify a LOCALDIR or IBERDIR that points to a location on the local Aloha Kitchen
Controller is NOT defined, if this is defined it will override the remote read of the
ALOHA.INI from BOH

Issue: Unable to read data from the transport connection

If you see the following in the Debout YYYYMMDD.AK9999 on the file server then there is a
.NET remoting error.

May 26, 8:41:05, RemoteFileServerConnection: 172.22.164.32:1487 disconnected: Unable

to read data from the transport connection: An existing connection was forcibly closed
by the remote host.
May 26, 8:41:07, RemoteFileServerConnection: Accepted incoming connection from
172.22.164.32:1491
May 26, 8:42:07, RemoteFileServerConnection: 172.22.164.32:1491 disconnected: Unable
to read data from the transport connection: An existing connection was forcibly closed
by the remote host.

To resolve the error, verify that .NET 2.0 is installed on the AK devices AND on all POS
terminals onsite.

Issue: Gives the following error in device debouts and 9999

debout when trying to send some orders to kitchen
Feb 17, 11:47:17, DirectoryService thread exception: (type is
ArgumentOutOfRangeException) Hour, Minute, and Second parameters describe an un-
representable DateTime.
Feb 17, 11:47:17, Stack Trace: at System.DateTime.TimeToTicks(Int32 hour, Int32
minute, Int32 second)
at UlRj74FFk3sHT5fBX5.20skOKV3MSuAWGnQTs..ctor(4hgOe5OKum1oifoNJE header, BinaryReader
reader)
at 1deeoWXGvexdrRmIUS.08DTyDsKTAYQEpLvbO.GaS2icRh7(4hgOe5OKum1oifoNJE , BinaryReader )
at Aloha.Kitchen.Directory.DirectoryService.P7sO8Vogw(Byte[] )
at Aloha.Kitchen.Directory.DirectoryService.PHyI8gefd()

Revised 7/2/2014 page 10 of 24

 1. Verify ALOHA.INI is present in the IBERDIR|DATA folder and the DOB is in the correct
format
2. IBERDIR is set where BOH instance is running.
3. Verify if all the dll’s have been copied properly to the respective folders.

Issue: User starts up the Aloha Kitchen Controller and

immediately gets an error “Got unhandled exception in Main,
exiting: The attempted operation is not supported for the type
of object referenced. Stack Trace: at
System.Net.IPAddress.get_Address() …”.
This can occur on Windows XP or later when IPv6 is installed and IPv4 is uninstalled.
Currently, Aloha Kitchen only supports IPv4 networking but has been certified to work
when both are installed. To resolve, install IPv4 networking.

Issue: Unable to start kitchen when using the AlohaKitchen.bin

file but works with AlohaKitchen.xml and it gives the following
error in debout:
May 10, 8:34:56, Attempting to slow read configuration file 'c:\alohakitchen\data\alohakitchen.bin'
May 10, 8:34:56, DataSet is empty for file c:\alohakitchen\data\alohakitchen.bin
May 10, 8:34:56, Exception: Invalid character in the given encoding. Line 1, position 1.
May 10, 8:34:56, Trace: at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.Throw(Exception e)
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.Throw(String res, String arg)
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.Throw(Int32 pos, String res)
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.InvalidCharRecovery(Int32& bytesCount, Int32&
charsCount)
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.GetChars(Int32 maxCharsCount)
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ReadData()
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.SwitchEncoding(Encoding newEncoding)
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ParseXmlDeclaration(Boolean isTextDecl)
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.Read()
at System.Xml.XmlLoader.Load(XmlDocument doc, XmlReader reader, Boolean
preserveWhitespace)
at System.Xml.XmlDocument.Load(XmlReader reader)
at Aloha.Kitchen.Data.KitchenDatabase.SmXjvI5vb(String )

To resolve this issue verify that debugkitchen=true is turned off and restart the devices using the
AlohaKitchen.bin

Issue: Kitchen devices reboot every few hours and throws the
following error in the debouts:
May 24, 19:17:49, [3904], [INFO],,"AKI: Discovered databus publisher AKControler1
192.168.0.110:1222 for AlohaKitchen"
May 24, 19:17:49, [3904], [INFO],,"AKI: Discovered databus publisher ALOHABOH
192.168.0.100:1222 for AlohaKitchen"
May 24, 19:21:34, [3904], [INFO],,"AKI: DatabusConnectionReceiver: 192.168.0.110:1222
disconnected: Unable to read data from the transport connection: A connection attempt failed
because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established
connection failed because connected host has failed to respond."

Revised 7/2/2014 page 11 of 24

May 24, 19:21:34, [3904], [INFO],,"AKI: DatabusConnectionSender: Closing connection to
192.168.0.110:1222"
May 24, 19:21:34, [2308],
[INFO],,"//====================================================="
May 24, 19:21:34, [2308], [INFO],,"Mini Dump: iglicd32-6.5.16.3064-20100424-192134.dmp"
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308],
[INFO],,"//====================================================="
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"Exception code: C0000005 ACCESS_VIOLATION"
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"Fault address: 18C84BFB 01:001B3BFB
C:\WINDOWS\system32\iglicd32.dll"
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"Registers:"
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"EAX:7FEDDF70 EBX:18AD0000 ECX:18CC5A90
EDX:18CC5A90 ESI:00000894 EDI:00000000"
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"CS:EIP:001B:18C84BFB"
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"SS:ESP:0023:11CCFEAC EBP:11CCFEB4"
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"DS:0023 ES:0023 FS:003B GS:0000"
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"Flags:00010202"
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"version 6.5.16.3064 "
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"Operating system is Windows XP (BuildNumber 2600,
Platform 2, Version 5.1, Service Pack 3)"
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"Call stack:"
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"Address Frame Logical addr Module"
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"18C84BFB 11CCFEB4 0001:001B3BFB
C:\WINDOWS\system32\iglicd32.dll"
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"18C85002 11CCFEE4 0001:001B4002
C:\WINDOWS\system32\iglicd32.dll"
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"7C90118A 11CCFF04 0001:0000018A
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ntdll.dll"
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"7C9359C3 11CCFF7C 0001:000349C3
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ntdll.dll"
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"7C80C136 11CCFFB4 0001:0000B136
C:\WINDOWS\system32\kernel32.dll"
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"7C80B72F 11CCFFEC 0001:0000A72F
C:\WINDOWS\system32\kernel32.dll"
May 24, 19:21:43, [2308], [INFO],,"Begin looping through registered threads..."

To resolve this issue make sure that enhanced graphics is turned OFF. Make sure Disable
enhanced graphics on POS and Disable Graphic Maintenance are TRUE in store settings -> User
Interface

Revised 7/2/2014 page 12 of 24

Configuration Files

Issue: A change made to AlohaKitchen.xml is not read after

restarting the Aloha Kitchen system
The configuration files are read in a specific order:
AlohaKitchen.cfg
AlohaKitchen.bin
AlohaKitchen.xml
AlohaKitchen.cfg.zip
AlohaKitchen.bin.zip
AlohaKitchen.xml.zip
AlohaKitchenOverlay.xml

The default file is AlohaKitchen.cfg, manual edits to the AlohaKitchen.xml or the additional of
an AlohaKitchenOverlay.xml file should not be done under normal circumstances.

Refresh Functionality
Version:
AK - 1.0.65 and higher
CFC – 2.11 and higher
Description:
When the Aloha Kitchen Service is active and the Aloha Kitchen BOHServer is running, the
system now supports automatic update of the configuration when a “Refresh All Products” is
done in CFC or new Aloha Manager. The system will detect changes to POS data that affects
Aloha Kitchen and AK data and automatically update the Aloha Kitchen configuration and
restart the Aloha Kitchen Controllers.
Changes:
The folder structure in KITCHENFOLDER is updated to include a NEWDATA folder, the
ConfigureAlohaKPS tool now reads from the NEWDATA location. The order files are read in
has not changed, the AlohaKitchen.BIN file is the primary configuration file. When the system
detects a change in the POS configuration that affects Aloha Kitchen it will:
1. Config Center will put a stop file in the POS\tmp folder.
2. Aloha Kitchen Service will stop the AK BOH server.
3. Config Center will copy the contents of POS\newdata folder to POS\data folder.
4. Config Center will remove the stop file.
5. Aloha Kitchen Service will restart AK BOH server.
6. At startup, AK BOH server will check the timestamp of
POS\data\AlohaKitchenRefresh.cfg and if it differs from the timestamp of
Kitchen\data\AlohaKitchen.cfg, then Kitchen\newdata\AlohaKitchen.cfg will be copied to
Kitchen\data\AlohaKitchen.cfg. Then AK BOH server will notify all of the other Kitchen
terminals to restart.

Export Process (general)

Export process is generally called at startup of AlohaKitchen and typically only performs a
function after EOD. See “Startup Options” for the manual export command. When
AlohaKitchen.exe is started a check is made for the following:

Revised 7/2/2014 page 13 of 24

 1. AlohaKitchen logs that are in the %KITCHENFOLDER%DATA folder that differ from
current DOB, if any are found they are moved to the POS dated sub along with the
current configuration file if a configuration is not found. If when attempting to move the log
a log is already present the log is still moved but named with a number appended (this
ensures the log does not remain in the kitchen DATA folder)
2. POS dated subs are checked for AlohaKitchen data that has not been exported
(indicated by the lack of a “AK_Export.Done” marker file). These are then processed in
the background.

When exporting the system reads the configuration from the location of the AlohaKitchen log
being exported (generally the POS dated sub). Like the configuration and refresh process
files are read in a specific order:
AlohaKitchen.cfg
AlohaKitchen.bin
AlohaKitchen.xml
AlohaKitchen.cfg.zip
AlohaKitchen.bin.zip
AlohaKitchen.xml.zip
The AlohaKitchen log can be one of two names and is read in this order:
AK.YYYYMMDD.log
AK.YYYYMMDD.log.zip

The Export process logs additional information in the debout file called
“Debout.YYYYMMDD.AKX####” where “####” is the controller id that the export ran under
and the date is the date the export ran. Generally at the BOH server instance runs the export
process.

The export process feeds data to the reporting framework if the reporting framework is
available.

Revised 7/2/2014 page 14 of 24

Startup Options for AlohaKitchen.exe

CONTROLLER
Version last checked:
0.8.0.x
Useage:
Startup argument: AlohaKitchen.exe /CONTROLLER # (where ‘#’ is a number from 1 to
9997)
Purpose:
This is a required value and denotes the Aloha Kitchen terminal ID as defined in the
configuration. If the supplied ID is not in the configuration the system will generate an error.

DEBUGKITCHENCONFIG
Version last checked:
0.7.1.16
Useage:
Environment variable: SET DEBUGKITCHENCONFIG=true
Startup argument: AlohaKitchen.exe /DEBUGKITCHENCONFIG
Purpose:
This is only used for troubleshooting and normally should not be used on a live setup.
This will detail the addition of each configuration entry as they are read in as well as any
overlay to the configuration.
Example output:
Jul 23, 8:30:01, Attempting to slow read configuration file
'c:\bootdrv\alohakitchen\data\alohakitchen.xml'
Jul 23, 8:30:01, Aloha Kitchen configuration does not contain Bin
Jul 23, 8:30:01, Load data for Bumpbar
Jul 23, 8:30:01, Attempting to create Bumpbar with primary key 1
Jul 23, 8:30:01, Attempting to create Bumpbar with primary key 2
Jul 23, 8:30:01, Load data for BumpbarLayout
Jul 23, 8:30:01, Attempting to create BumpbarLayout with primary key 1
Jul 23, 8:30:01, Load data for BumpbarLayoutKey
Jul 23, 8:30:01, Attempting to create BumpbarLayoutKey with primary key 1,0
…
Jul 23, 8:30:06, Attempting to overlay data for table BumpbarLayoutKey
Jul 23, 8:30:06, Updating record with PrimaryKey 1,0
Jul 23, 8:30:06, Not updating field BumpbarLayoutId.
Jul 23, 8:30:06, Not updating field KeyNumber.

Notes:
In this example the overlay is added and the BumpbarLayoutId and KeyNumber are not
updated by design (these are key fields to the layout). See additional documentation on the
AlohaKitchenOverlay.xml file.

Revised 7/2/2014 page 15 of 24

 SHOWKITCHENENVIRONMENT
Version last checked:
0.7.1.16
Useage:
Environment variable: SET SHOWKITCHENENVIRONMENT=true
Startup argument: AlohaKitchen.exe /SHOWKITCHENENVIRONMENT
Purpose:
This is only used for troubleshooting but adds very little overhead and a small amount of
additional data to the debout. This will show three pieces of information for AlohaKitchen:
1. The startup arguments used for AlohaKitchen
2. The system Environment Variables
3. The KitchenFolder values
Example output:
Aug 5, 7:54:19, ***** Aloha Kitchen Environment *****
Aug 5, 7:54:19,
Aug 5, 7:54:19, Command line arguments:
Aug 5, 7:54:19, alohakitchen
Aug 5, 7:54:19, /controller
Aug 5, 7:54:19, 1
Aug 5, 7:54:19, /touch
Aug 5, 7:54:19, /bohserver
Aug 5, 7:54:19, /SHOWKITCHENENVIRONMENT
…
Aug 5, 7:54:19, Environment Variables:
Aug 5, 7:54:19, AKENABLEDATAEXPORTER=TRUE
Aug 5, 7:54:19, ALLUSERSPROFILE=C:\Documents and Settings\All Users
Aug 5, 7:54:19, ALOHACHARACTERSET=0
Aug 5, 7:54:19, ALOHAKITCHENBASICQUOTE=TRUE
Aug 5, 7:54:19, ALOHAXRES=800
Aug 5, 7:54:19, ALOHAYRES=600
Aug 5, 7:54:19, APPDATA=C:\Documents and Settings\jreser\Application Data
Aug 5, 7:54:19, AUTOEXIT=FALSE
Aug 5, 7:54:19, CLIENTNAME=Console
…
Aug 5, 7:59:51, Kitchen Folders:
Aug 5, 7:59:51, Bootdrv=C:\BootDrv
Aug 5, 7:59:51, Iberdir=C:\BootDrv\Aloha
Aug 5, 7:59:51, KitchenFolder=C:\BOOTDRV\ALOHAKITCHEN
Aug 5, 7:59:51, POSDataFolder=C:\BootDrv\Aloha\Data
Aug 5, 7:59:51, KitchenDataFolder=C:\BOOTDRV\ALOHAKITCHEN\Data
Aug 5, 7:59:51, KitchenExportFolder=C:\BOOTDRV\ALOHAKITCHEN\Export
Aug 5, 7:59:51, ImageFolder=C:\BOOTDRV\ALOHAKITCHEN\Bmp
Aug 5, 7:59:51, TmpFolder=C:\BOOTDRV\ALOHAKITCHEN\Tmp
Aug 5, 7:59:51, ***** End Aloha Kitchen Environment *****

Notes:
IMPORTANT: The “KitchenFolders” values can be determined both at runtime by the
KITCHENFOLDER setting and/or by command line and environment settings. In the
example above, the “Kitchen Folders” “Iberdir” value is being determined at runtime by the
KITCHENFOLDER value. If POS IBERROOT is different than the default “ALOHA” adding a
environment variable of IBERROOT=ALOHAQS or a command line option will change the
derived value of “Iberdir” in the kitchen folder to “Iberdir=C:\BootDrv\ALOHAQS”.

Revised 7/2/2014 page 16 of 24

 TOUCH
Version last checked:
0.7.4.45
Useage:
Startup argument: AlohaKitchen.exe /TOUCH
Purpose:
This forces the application to start in Touchscreen mode even if Bumpbar(s) are assigned to
this Kitchen Controller. If Bumpbar(s) are assigned to the controller and this switch is not
used and CommandBar command buttons defined will not display.

BOHSERVER
Version last checked:
0.8.0.x
Usage:
Startup argument: AlohaKitchen.exe /BOHSERVER
Purpose:
This forces the local instance to run as the BOH server regardless of the controller ID. This is
only intended for troubleshooting or demo. If the Aloha Kitchen Service is also running on
same network running an instance with this setting will cause unpredictable issues.

Revised 7/2/2014 page 17 of 24

Database (configuration)

User cannot Activate Delayed orders

The Configuration Center setting, Kitchen Settings EnableActivateOrder and
EnableActivateItem affect the ability to start orders/courses and items early. On the Delayed
screen the user can only activate the order/cell/course early, not individual items (as of
v0.7.1.5).
The behavior of these combinations is:
EnableActivateOrder=true, EnableActivateItem=false
Allows user to activate order from delay but not activate items early
EnableActivateOrder=true, EnableActivateItem=true
Allows user to activate order from delay and actiavte delayed items on order display
EnableActivateOrder=false, EnableActivateItem=true
User cannot activate order from delayed but once course/order is activated user can activate
delayed items.

Language button is being added to screen command buttons

even though it is not defined
If more than one language is defined in the configuration a “Language” button will be added
to the command buttons even if one is not defined in the Kitchen Screen Command table.
The button, if automatically added, will be the last button on the command row.

Order Mode Icons are defined but do not display

When OrderMode icons are defined in the system they will only show if the KitchenScreen
setting “Show Disk” is true. This allows the setup to show the icons only on certain screens.

Orders do not display after verifying all hardware and software

setup
The configuration requires at least one course be defined, and that course should be set as
the default course. Defining a Course requires a category but if not using the course
scheduling feature the category can be simply an all items category. This will not affect the
routing rules category use so the course category should be defined as broadly as possible.

Bumpbar is defined and recognized at startup but will not

bump orders
Bumpbars are assigned to Kitchen Controllers at both the Terminal and Bumpbar levels.
Make sure that the Bumpbar is properly assigned at both locations.
The Bumpbar assignment on the Terminal defines which Bumpbar will affect the display. The
assignment at the Bumpbar level defines which Terminal the Bumpbar is physically attached
to.

Revised 7/2/2014 page 18 of 24

Integration with Aloha Take Out

Issue: Orders display on Aloha Kitchen but do not update

“cooking” status on Aloha To Go

Aloha Take Out can track the orders state in Aloha Kitchen to show when the order is being
prepared (it is “Activated” in Aloha Kitchen) and when it is ready (it is Served in Aloha
Kitchen). If this is not functioning check the following:

1. Aloha Take Out has enabled Aloha Kitchen integration (see ATO documents)
2. After enabling ATO/Kitchen Integration the ATO service and clients must be restarted
3. The DOB and system date are the same
4. Check the ATO logs on the ATO server to verify the messages for “activate” and “bump”
are being received.

Revised 7/2/2014 page 19 of 24

Debout files

How the system determines the number of debout files kept on

hand

The TMP folder in KitchenFolder holds the location of debout files. These are managed
based on a combination of user configurable and system rules.

Configurable rules and System rules:

1. KitchenSettings, MaxDeboutDays: This is the number of days kept by the system. Only
debouts for the controller id are removed by this rule (e.g. controller id-901 will only
remove debouts for id=901).
2. KitchenSettings, MaxDeboutSize: This is the maximum size in KB that the debouts can
total in size. If the size of all debouts are greater than this files are deleted from the oldest
first until the total size is less than this. Only debouts for the controller id are removed by
this rule.
3. Any file found in the TMP folder regardless of type or name and is greater than 14 days
old will be removed. This is determined by the files “Date Created” and Date Modified”
attributes.

Additional Rules applied:

If a debout is found by the controller where the file name is “Debout.” plus the controller id the
file will be deleted. This action will be recorded in the debout for the controller, for example:
Sep 10, 12:18:28, WARNING: Unexpected debout file name Debout.strangenamefile.AK901,
deleting...

The system will not delete a debout file for the current day or the previous day

Revised 7/2/2014 page 20 of 24

Printing

Printing Concepts
POS Chit Printing
Aloha Kitchen can print POS chits in addition to or instead of POS printing. This is
enabled with the “EnableKitchenChitPrinting” setting. Kitchen Chit printing uses the POS
printer routing.
On Demand Station Printing
While displayed an order can be printed on the displayed station and from the recall
screen. Printing on demand can be done through the Bumpbar or Touch Screen
commands. Output is sent to the Local Printer defined on the terminal that the print
command was given. On demand printing does not require “enable kitchen chit printing”
to be flagged.
Auto Printing
Printing that is triggered by a action (such as bumping a order) is printed automatically
based on the station setting. Output is sent to the Logical Printer for the terminal. Auto
printing does not require “enable kitchen chit printing” to be flagged.

Printer Assignments
LocalPrinter Assignment
All On Demand Station Printing is sent to the LocalPrinter assigned to the Terminal. The
LocalPrinter for the display is assigned in the Terminal setting. LocalPrinter is assigned with
these rules:
4. If the Terminal has a printer defined in the configuration then that printer is used
5. If a Terminal has no LocalPrinter defined in the configuration the system will assign it the
first Terminal with a printer defined.
6. If no Terminals have a printer defined in the configuration the first configured printer is
used (this could be a POS printer).
The LocalPrinter assignment is logged in the debout for the Terminal:
Sep 3, 12:04:00, LocalPinter for display Grill-1 (1) is 98

AutoPrinter Assignment
Auto Print output is generated by the KitchenStation and sent to the Stations assigned
AutoPrinter. When a Terminal is started each KitchenStation defined is a assigned a
AutoPrinter. AutoPrinter is assigned with these rules:
1. If the first Terminal defined for the station has a printer assigned in the configuration then
that printer is used
2. If not defined on the first Terminal defined for the station the printer for the first Terminal
configured with a printer is used
3. If no Terminals have a printer defined in the configuration the first configured printer is
used (this could be a POS printer).
The Auto Printer assignment is logged in the debout of each Terminal:
Sep 3, 12:03:54, AutoPrinter for Grill-1 (1) is 98
Sep 3, 12:03:54, AutoPrinter for Chicken-2 (2) is 99
Sep 3, 12:03:54, AutoPrinter for Special-3 (3) is 98
Sep 3, 12:03:54, AutoPrinter for Drinks-4 (4) is 98
Sep 3, 12:03:54, AutoPrinter for DT-Expo-5 (5) is 98
Sep 3, 12:03:54, AutoPrinter for Counter Expo-6 (6) is 98

Revised 7/2/2014 page 21 of 24

 Sep 3, 12:03:54, AutoPrinter for Production-7 (7) is 98

This ensures that any LocalPrinting is done at the Terminal’s LocalPrinter even if the user is
toggled to another KitchenScreen/KitchenStation. All AutoPrinting is done to the Auto printer
assigned so that it's physical output location remains consistent.

Printer Hardware Settings

When setting up printers us the same switch settings as used by Aloha POS. As of 0.7.4.x
the Aloha Kitchen product supports Epson serial and network printers.

Issue: More than one copy of the same Auto Print chit is being
generated
Auto Print chits are defined per station – meaning more than one station can print the
same chit
If a station has AutoPrintOnPrepared and AutoPrintOnFirstItemPrepared a chit will be
generated for both the item and the course being prepared. If the user is only bumping
courses or course has only one item the first item prepared and course prepared
conditions are satisfied at the same time.

Revised 7/2/2014 page 22 of 24

Bumpbars

Displaying a Bumpbar Layout in a window

For testing and troubleshooting only a Bumpbar layout can be displays on the Terminal by
pressing the “ALT” key and “K”. This will display a window with the button layout for each
Bumpbar assigned to the Kitchen Controller.

Issue: On screen command bar does not display commands

when Bumpbar is defined
When one or more Bumpbars are assigned to a Kitchen Controller Display Command Bar
buttons (touchscreen command buttons) will only display when the Aloha Kitchen application
is started with the ‘/TOUCH’ option. Otherwise the system will hide and on screen command
buttons defined in favor of the Bumpbar assignment.

Revised 7/2/2014 page 23 of 24

Aloha Kitchen Redundancy Support

POS Offline transactions:

When POS cannot connect to a Aloha Kitchen controller it will cache its transactions to a file
called “Cache.AlohaKitchen.log” in the POS term DATA folder. Once this file is created it will
be always be present but only contains data if there are offline transactions.

When POS detects a Aloha Kitchen system that declares it is master the POS terminal will
send its transactions to the Aloha Kitchen master, this can be confirmed in the POS debout
be checking for entries similar to:

Oct 08, 14:30:16, [13584], [INFO],,"Detected new master AlohaKitchen_9999..."

Oct 08, 14:30:16, [13584], [INFO],,"Master kitchen controller is now
AlohaKitchen_9999"
Oct 08, 14:30:17, [13584], [INFO],,"Sending cached transaction b3db39c1-06c0-4ee9-
b154-e030f42a20ca UpdateCheckTransaction to AlohaKitchen..."

Note that it is possible for a POS check to have transactions that affect Aloha Kitchen coming
from several terminals (GetCheck in POS is a good example). It is possible that these
transactions, if done offline from several terminals, can arrive out of sequence. The system
will not attempt to “assemble” these in the correct order. Instead the system will ignore
transactions that can not be applied based on the data it has (for example attempting to void
item that has not yet been added).

Revised 7/2/2014 page 24 of 24