Manual failover from primary to secondary SMS Service provider

updated 28 February 2023

 

This documentation applies to version 1.7.33 of the platform known as msXsms.   Version 2.0 rebranded name BNS Enterprise SMS Server manual failover if applicable will be documented in 2023. 

 

msXsms automatically detects connection issues at the network level and will automatically failover to a configured secondary service provider. 

 

Sometimes a service provider may have other issues such as routing issues but still continue to accept messages submitted to them by customers.   

 

If your primary service provider continues to have these issues and cannot deliver messages submitted to them by msXsms you can perform a manual failover to your secondary service provider.

 

How to manually switch to a secondary service provider

  1. On each msXsms server open an elevated CMD prompt
  2. STOPSMS
  3. Locate the msXsmsboot.ini file in Program Files(X86)BNS GroupmsXsmsPrograms
  4. Edit msXsmsboot.ini 
  5. Locate the entry SMSC-Connector-SMPP-Production-str=ServiceProviderName1
  6. Underneath that entry is SMSC-Connector-SMPP-FailOver-str=ServiceProviderName2
  7. Note the name of the production Service provider
  8. Locate the IP address(es) string for that service provider eg: SMSC-Connector-ServiceProviderName1-SMSC-IP-str=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx;xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx;xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
  9. Open a new notepad file to save the current values for SMSC-Connector-ServiceProviderName1-SMSC-IP-str 
  10. Copy the existing value for SMSC-Connector-ServiceProviderName1-SMSC-IP-str into the new notepad file.
  11. Change the SMSC-Connector-ServiceProviderName1-SMSC-IP-str to an invalid IP address
  12. For example:  SMSC-Connector-ServiceProviderName1-SMSC-IP-str=192.168.168.168
  13. Save the msXsmsboot.ini file. 
  14. Close the msXsmsboot.ini file
  15. From the elevated CMD prompt STARTSMS
  16. Check the current day log in :Program Files (x86)BNS GroupmsXsmsProgramsLogsmsXsmsSmscTX 
  17. It should state it is connected and authenticated to the FailOver service provider IP address. 
  18. Advise the business that SMS messages are now being sent via a failover service provider.  
  19. When your primary service provider advises that services are operational you can:
    1. Issue STOPSMS from an elevated CMD prompt
    2. Edit the msXsmsboot.ini to restore the correct IP addresses for the primary service provider ie:
      SMSC-Connector-ServiceProviderName1-SMSC-IP-str=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx;xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx;xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
    3. Save msXsmsboot.ini 
    4. Issue a STARTSMS from an elevated CMD prompt. 
    5. Check the log in Program files(x86)BNS GroupmsXsmsProgramsLogsmsXsmscTX  for a connection. 
    6. Check the log in Program files(x86)BNS GroupmsXsmsProgramsLogsmsXsmscRX for a connection
    7. Advise the business that SMS messages are now being sent via the primary service provider. 
    8. Close msXsmsboot.ini

 

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