[Proposal] Drop support for "Server Manager" tool.

[tonygermano]

This is a tool that I believe is primarily used by some Windows users, as it requires the server to be running on an OS with a graphical environment and runs in the system tray (for those operating systems which have a system tray.) This is what it looks like when running as part of Mirth Connect.

It provides some buttons for starting and stopping the server when it is running as a service, however, on Windows this provides no benefit over using the standard methods for managing Windows services (the Services mmc snap-in, the net start and net stop commands, the Start-Service and Stop-Service Powershell cmdlets, etc...)

It also provides some options for editing select properties, but I believe questions surrounding the limited number of properties available in the GUI would be better handled in a how-to/getting started guide that would apply to all users, whether running on a headless server or not.

If we drop support, this would be one less tool to maintain, and also one less thing to remove all of the branding from. At the very least, I think we should consider dropping it initially, and then bringing it back later if there is enough demand and justification for doing so.

I'm looking for any feedback, whether in support or opposition to removing this tool.

[jbeckers]

I could live without this. The only reason I've ever used it, is that it makes opening the log file very convenient (no looking up the right path).

[pacmano1]

I have mixed feelings about this. I never use it. But a new user likely finds this very handy. If there is documentation that explains how to now-manually go do the things this tool does (e.g. with screenshots, etc.) it would seem OK to remove.

[david-labs-ca]

Yeah removing that will make it difficult for new comers and people coming from NG world.

[jonbartels]

@tonygermano are you proposing dropping it in the upcoming first release or in a later release?

Are there technical barriers to compiling and running it?

[tonygermano]

@tonygermano are you proposing dropping it in the upcoming first release or in a later release?

Are there technical barriers to compiling and running it?

Dropping it in the upcoming release, because I never found much use for the tool, even when running on Windows. If I want to stop the service, I just run Services and stop the service there. If I want to adjust mirth properties, I edit mirth.properties. I recall it having a bug in the early 3.x versions that would corrupt mirth.properties, so I just stayed away from it.

It compiles and runs, but there will be additional effort required to remove all of the Mirth/Nextgen branding, which is why I suggested dropping it from the upcoming release even if we end up putting it back later.

[joshmc82]

I could personally do without it, but I feel like new users (or users migrating from NG) would probably prefer it. I find myself using it when supporting Windows customers though. Maybe just because it is there and I'm lazy and don't feel like navigating every Windows start menu to find services and I can't be bothered to find the command prompt and remember the command to launch the services app.

[tonygermano]

I could personally do without it, but I feel like new users (or users migrating from NG) would probably prefer it. I find myself using it when supporting Windows customers though. Maybe just because it is there and I'm lazy and don't feel like navigating every Windows start menu to find services and I can't be bothered to find the command prompt and remember the command to launch the services app.

Just activate the start menu and type "services." It will pop right up while you are typing on all currently supported Windows versions. I run all of my windows programs that way instead of clicking on icons now.

When I first installed mirth many years ago I used the tool because I thought it was the only way to do the things it did. Once I found out that was not the case, I rarely opened it.

[mhokanson]

Jumping on the "people getting started may miss it" train, when I was starting out I didn't trust myself to fiddle with config files, but felt perfectly comfortable using Server Manager to set the database connection for my Mirth instances.

If we want to make it easy for people to get off Derby installs I feel like there should be a GUI option for setting up those new database connections. Currently this is provided for in Server Manager.

[ronwilsonzen]

Ages ago when I was at a windows shop we used it all the time. It is inherent in a windows environment to use it, it is what windows users do. I think you may get some serious push back from the side of the world.

[NicoPiel]

Could do without. Any subproject that we can remove will ease the transition away from Ant.

[shanedewitt]

I find it useful. Switching the database back-end is straight forward. Also it makes it easy to change ports when the server is multi use and mirth will not start.

[tonygermano]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'm going to close this issue. It seems like there are enough people speaking in favor of it that we should keep it.