How to set up web alerts with eSync

  • Updated

Read on to learn how to set up/troubleshoot web alerts with eSync.

This article assumes that web alerts have already been set up and working, and the end user is looking to set up web alerts to fire with eSync. If you have not set up web alerts, please follow this documentation. The following needs to be set up and confirmed prior to web alerts firing during a sync:

  • On the local server 
    <add key="ek_DisableWebAlerts" ..... /> should be set to true. On the remote server it should be false. 

  • In an eSync environment, you need to determine which servers send Web Alerts. For example, Web Alerts should probably not be generated when content is published on a staging server, but you would want them when content is published on a production server.

  • The server clock on the download side of the eSync relationship must be exactly the same time as or slightly ahead of the clock on the sending server.

  • "Enable Staging" check box in the CMS workarea > Settings > Setup needs to be checked on the local server and unchecked on the receiving server.

  • Message Queuing needs to be set up with the msmq_web folder to have Receive, Peek, Send/Delete message permissions for the local server's account (To add this: Right click on the msmq_web folder > Security tab > Add > Object Types > Check off Service Accounts and Computer > then add the local server account with the correct permissions.

  • Port 80 needs to be open between both the local and receiving servers of the sync. This is due to the web alert firing a service request from the local server to the receiving over port 80 and not 8732 (the EktronWindowService port).

  • This remote site's content.asmx file needs to be available on the local and remote servers. When browsing on the local server, please change the below "remoteWSPathHostname" to the hostname in the wspath(found in the web.config) of the site on the opposite server.

    http://remoteWSPathHostname/workarea/webservices/webserviceapi/content/content.asmx

    For example if the remote wspath is http://svmsynctestremote/Workarea/ServerControlWS.asmx 
    you would browse to http://svmsynctestremote/workarea/webservices/webserviceapi/content/content.asmx

    If denied, add the IP of the opposite server in the URL to the IIS IP Domain restrictions as an allowed IP for the site on the opposite server. This is because when the web service is called during the sync it will go the site in IIS to pull up the web service. For example, when browsing the URL on staging and the URL is accessing the production site's hostname, and a 403 is received, the IP restriction will need to be placed on the production server's CMS site in IIS.


  • Web Alerts need to be set up for the Folder and Content for the content you want the Web Alert to fire for. An example of this is below:WebAlertsetupNOTE: When performing a content sync, after the content sync is successful and a web alert is fired, another web alert will not fire for that content until after a full sync is run. This is because the full sync will clear the web alert cache for eSync.