Current Issues and
Technical Tips

Table of Contents

Reuters: Missing Currency Codes
Reuters: Server and Serial Port Use
Reuters: Serial Cable Spec
EBS: Incorrect Settlement Pending Flag (700=M)
EBS: Lower Ticket Range Stuck
EBS: Cable Diagram Error
EBS: Serial Port Failure and Cable Spec
EBS: Intra-floor Dealing (IFD)
TOF/ASI Protocol Conversion Issues
Year-2000 Compliance
EMU Compliance
Firewalls

Current Issues and
Technical Tips

Reuters: Missing Currency Codes


Each Reuters dealing server contains its own SWIFT Currency Codes table. Whenever a new currency is introduced, each Bank must update this table manually for each of its servers (each server has a different 4-character TCID). If you don't trade the new currency you won't see a problem but, in the event that such a trade takes place you will see a single space in place of the new SWIFT code in field 517 or field 518. You will also see a single space in the corresponding deal volume field (field 519 or 545). This may be confirmed by examining the current Softek Deal File with a normal text editor and examining the field values that were downloaded via the TOF from the deal server.

According to a very helpful Reuters contact (thanks Dave). The Reuters D21 currency file needs to be updated using the "setup", "currencies" path. There is some confusion about whether this update needs to be performed on just the Reuters server or an all connected trader workstations that are enabled for the currency in question.

Reuters: Server and Serial Port Use

Under normal conditions, the Softek interface (r2k) should be left running throughout the trading day. If, for some reason, the interface is turned off for a significant portion of the trading week, a situation may arise where the Reuters server, trying to preserve deals that have not been uploaded, takes away working memory from the trading system and causes trading slowdowns. This is a problem with the way Reuters store their deals in their Server machine. To ensure that the use of the Ticket Output Feed (TOF) does not impact trading. Please make sure that the Reuters server TOF function is disabled if the Softek interface is not to be invoked during a trading day (type alt F8<Space> on the corresponding Reuters server keyboard to toggle the TOF state). The Reuters server deal-storecard has enough memory for a little over 400 new deals before trading speed is compromised. So trading speed should not be immediately affected. The EBS server does not suffer from this problem.

Reuters: Serial Cable Spec

Please note, if you don't need the therapy, feel challenged by soldering irons, or want a simpler solution to the cabling problem, Radio Shack's part number 26-1496B or 26-1496C implement the DB-25 to DB-25 connection specified below. Radio Shack's part number 26-269 is one of their DB-9F to DB-25M solutions.

Here's the recommended Reuters Cable Spec. Reuters use COM1: (a DB-9) out of their server and usually wire this to a DB-25 attached to a patch panel on their cabinet. Reuters have not been very consistent about how they wire up this DB-25 so Softek recommend wiring directly to the DB-9 on the back of the Reuters server PC as follows:

DB-9 Reuters to DB-25 Softek

DB-9 Reuters to DB-9 Softek
Local and Through Connects

Local and Through Connects
3(TX) <-> 3(RX)
2(RX) <-> 2(TX)
5(GRD) <-> 7(GRD)
1(DCD) & 6(DSR) <-> 20(DTR)
4(DTR) <-> 6(DSR) & 8(DCD)
7(RTS) <-> 5(CTS)
8(CTS) <-> 4(RTS)

3(TX) <-> 2(RX)
2(RX) <-> 3(TX)
5(GRD) <-> 5(GRD)
1(DCD) & 6(DSR) <-> 4(DTR)
4(DTR) <-> 6(DSR) & 1(DCD)
7(RTS) <-> 8(CTS)
8(CTS) <-> 7(RTS)

For us visually oriented people, here's a diagram that should match the above spec.

EBS: Incorrect Settlement Pending Flag (700=M)

It has been observed that certain deals have been transmitted from the ASI with field 700 having the value "M" instead of the usual value "S" (Settled). The "M" value is an artifact of an older EBS banking system and should never be transmitted through the ASI. EBS have no fix for this at present and suggest that this field-value be treated as if it were an "S". Currently only our CityNetwork's BART feed is affected by this condition.

***Update 6/98. We have confirmation that this condition is now fixed. Contact EBS to upgrade to ASI v5b if necessary.

EBS: Lower Ticket Range Stuck

The Softek Interface detects this condition and issues Critical Message #125. Please see this message for an explanation of the condition.

EBS: Serial Port Failure and Cable Spec

Earlier releases of the ASI handled the setting of flow-control parameters for the ASI's serial port internally. More recent releases have left it up to the operating system defaults to set these characteristics. Towards the end of 1997 EBS remotely "upgraded" a number of sites with an ASI release that does not assure VAX hardware flow control signal availablility. Some of the updated sites' VMS systems were not configured to support these signals by default and those sites that followed the documented cabling suddenly found that their ASI stopped communicating. Affected Softek customers were treated to an emergency recabling visit. The spec. for the new cable, a NULL modem configuration, which defeats the loss of hardware flow-control signals, is as follows:

DB-25 VAX to DB-25 Softek

DB-25 VAX to DB-9 Softek
Connect through to the other side

Connect through to the other side
2(TD) <-> 3(RD)
3(RD) <-> 2(TD)
7(GRD) <-> 7(GRD)

2(TD) <-> 2(RD)
3(RD) <-> 3(TD)
7(GND) <-> 5(GND)
Locally jumper

Locally jumper
DB-25 VAX
DB-25 Softek

DB-25 VAX
DB-9 Softek
4(RTS) & 5(CTS)
4(RTS) & 5(CTS)

4(RTS) & 5(CTS)
7(RTS) & 8(CTS)
6(DSR) & 8(CD) & 20(DTR)
6(DSR) & 8(CD) & 20(DTR)

6(DSR) & 8(CD) & 20(DTR)
6(DSR) & 1(CD) & 4(DTR)

Please note that the diagram below shows a 9-Pin 'D' to 9-Pin 'D' connection (for consistency with the Reuters diagram above). You will need to use the 25-Pin connection equivalents (shown) for, at least, the VAX end of the cable.

EBS: Cable Diagram Error

The ASI Specification document (Revision 12, June 1996) contains an error on Page 67 (APPENDIX VIII-CABLE CONFIGURATIONS). The diagram labeled "DB-25 to DB-9 Connector" should show pin 2 DB-25 (TD) connecting to pin 2 DB-9 (RD) and pin 3 DB-25 (RD) connecting to pin 3 DB-9 (TD). The diagram actually shows TD<->TD and RD<->RD.

Revision 13 of this document (March 1997) corrects this error but beware of another Serial Port issue that using the "correct" cabling may uncover.

EBS: Intra-floor Dealing (IFD)

EBS have issued a notice to customers that a new facility "Intra-floor Dealing" is available. Enabling this facility has no consequences on Softek's interfaces. Customers should note, however, that upgrades to the ASI have, in the past, caused serial port failures that were due to using incorrectly recommended serial port wiring specifications. To avoid this possibility, please ensure that you are using the serial port specifications given here. The customer must also make sure that its downstream systems can handle deals whose counterparty field contains its own TCID.

Providing Genesis FX is left running, it will reconnect automatically when the ASI becomes available after an upgrade.

TOF/ASI Protocol Conversion Issues

Several conversion issues have been resolved since Softek started performing ASI/TOF protocol conversion. Please contact Softek for details. Among the more important protocol conversion topics are:

Year-2000 Compliance

Since we do not originate date information, just pass it through, and we do not remove century information, all our applications are Year-2000 Compliant. EBS, however, currently use 2-digit year designations in their date fields. Softek can transform these dates to 4-digit, assuming all dates less than or equal to "90" are in the next century. Please contact us if you'd like this facility enabled. Softek can also provide complete "testbed" facilities to confirm Year-2000 compliance in our products and customer's FX processing systems.

EMU Compliance

Since we do not originate deal information, just pass it through, the introduction of new currency codes (e.g. EMU) does not affect our products. Customers should ensure that their Front-Office and Back-Office systems can cope with new currency codes. Softek can also provide complete "testbed" facilities to confirm EMU compliance in our products and customer's FX processing systems.

Firewalls

Firewalls are TCP-IP packet filters that may be configured to prevent the transfer of certain communication packet types from one system to another. They are typically used to prevent interactive packets (telnet) or file transfer packets (ftp) from traversing a machine-to-machine connection. None of Softek's interface products use or transfer these packet types.

Consider the following diagram (which is a typical FOS and BOS installation):


Here, the only access to third party systems into and out of Softek's server processes is via serial lines. Furthermore, the communications protocols running on those serial lines do not respond to interactive users. Only requested deal data is processed on those lines. For further information about the serial line communication protocols present on these lines please see:

Reuters Dealing 2000 Datafeed User guide (v3.3) and
EBS ASI Specification (Revision 13 or higher)

Once a deal packet has been identified and parsed (including its checksum), the data is reformatted and written to the bank's FOS using (e.g for Sybase) a Sybase dblib sqlexec(nsert) call. BOS feeds are accomplished simultaneously using, for example, a Genesis Mimic process, which implements the same TOF and ASI serial line protocols as the original Reuters and EBS servers.


Page Last updated 6/2/2000

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