symmedia Hub Service Desk
Welcome to the symmedia Hub Knowledge Base.
Here you will find the symmedia Hub platform user documentation as well as common support fixes and FAQs.
User Documentation
symmedia Hub Release Notes
- Platform Documentation
- Using symmedia Hub Documentation and getting Help
- Service Provider
- Operator
- Administration
- Edge Devices
- Secure Service Connect Tunnel
- symmedia Edge Device
- Workflows
- Secure Service Hub Public API
- Countries excluded from operating symmedia Hub
- Data Protection Resources
- Using symmedia Hub and getting Help
- FAQs
Release date:
- Changes, Improvements, and Fixes
- Notifications in the Portal
- Whiteboard: Locked-State
- Additional Configurations on Company Settings Page
- Option to make own Company not browsable for Others
- New User-Role for API Users - “Data Analyst - Controller”
- Enhance Navigation in Asset Creation / editing Drawers
- Service Case: show External IDs
- Machine Asset Components in the Service Provider Billing View
Changes, Improvements, and Fixes
Notifications in the Portal
OPERATORSERVICE PROVIDER
We reworked the notifications menu and added a button to mark all notifications as read at once.
Whiteboard: Locked-State
OPERATORSERVICE PROVIDER
Whiteboards in a Service Case chat are locked, i.e. cannot be modified, when the Service Case is closed. This is now properly reflected in the frontend.
Additional Configurations on Company Settings Page
OPERATORSERVICE PROVIDER
On the company settings page, further information of the own company can now be added. The information will be used in the future to present the own company to other companies on the platform. The additional information includes a company logo and a marketing picture as well as a marketing slogan and a company short description.
Option to make own Company not browsable for Others
OPERATORSERVICE PROVIDER
Even so the symmedia Hub is a multi-tenancy platform that focusses on helping companies to get in touch with each other, there are reasons that some companies don’t want to be found through the tenant search. An example would be if the company is just testing the platform or currently in the onboarding phase. Therefore, a possibility to opt-out has been added to the company settings page to hide the own company in search results and proposals.
New User-Role for API Users - “Data Analyst - Controller”
OPERATORSERVICE PROVIDER
A new user role has been added, focussing on API users. This role has only limited functionality in the symmedia Hub frontend, but is able to read all information of the own tenant on API level but has no create, manage or delete permissions.
This includes Service Cases, Licensing information, Users, Customers, Customer Machines, Service Organisations, Assets, Facilities, and related features.
Enhance Navigation in Asset Creation / editing Drawers
OPERATOR
The navigation in the Asset creation and editing drawers has been improved. It is now easier to skip steps and possible to jump from on step to another by clicking on the headline of the step.
Service Case: show External IDs
SERVICE PROVIDER
External IDs for Service Cases are now displayed on the Service Case details page for Service Providers if an External ID as been set. Furthermore, the External ID can now also be added to the Service Case overview table to ease finding a Service Case by its External ID (inactive by default).
Machine Asset Components in the Service Provider Billing View
SERVICE PROVIDER
Users with the tenant admin permission do have access to the Service Provider Billing View, which displays all billing relevant information for active machine assets per customer and month. The license subscription overview is now extended by the number of machine asset components to be billed (connected) as counted from the machines connection configuration.
Release date:
New Features
Operator Billing View
OPERATOR
For Operator Tenants, a new license and billing related view is provided.
Users with the Tenant Admin permission have access to the Operator Billing View, which displays all relevant billing information for each active machine asset per month:
The type of subscription (unconnected / connected)
For connected machine assets, the number of machine asset components to be billed as counted from the machines connection configuration.
Changes, Improvements, and Fixes
Improved File Upload
OPERATORSERVICE PROVIDER
File upload for both Chat attachments and Documents & Media associated to an Asset or Machine Model have been improved in terms of reliability, performance, and security. The file size limit for uploads was raised to 200 MB. Upload progress is now displayed for files larger than 5 MB.
Configuration page for Asset Tags
OPERATOR
After introducing Asset Tags in the previous release, we now add a new page to manage these tags for the own tenant. The Facilities page has been included into the Asset Tags Configuration page.
Country as additional Asset Tag
OPERATOR
In the Asset creation and editing workflows, the country where the Asset is located can be added as an additional tag. The Asset overview can now be filtered and sorted by the country of the Asset.
Service Provider & “Licensed by” are displayed on Asset Detail Page
OPERATOR
Two additional fields have been added to the Asset detail page. The Service Provider shows who is providing Service for the Asset and will receive Service Cases. The new “Licensed by” filed shows which tenant licensed the Machine/Asset and has to pay the subscription.
“Licensed by” as new Field on Customer Machine Detail Page and Overview
SERVICE PROVIDER
The information who licensed the Machine is also available for Service Providers on the Customer Machine detail page and the Customer Machine overview as an optional column.
Remote Access
When a Service Case is closed or the Remote Access for the Service Case is disabled, existing Remote Access sessions are stopped. The user is warned about active sessions when closing a Service Case or disabling Remote Access to prevent him from stopping them accidentally.
Release date:
New Features
Enhanced Search, Filtering & Saving in Asset Overview
OPERATOR
The Asset Overview page has been enhanced with new features. The search field now allows a fuzzy search by various keys. The default stays to fuzzy search through all keys. Furthermore, the entered search is added as a filter which allows to add multiple filters. According to the behavior in all tables in the symmedia Hub, the filters and sorting of the Asset Overview are now saved in the users context, allowing to get the same view returning to the Asset Overview at a later point in time. This works independently from the used device or browser.
Additional Tags for Assets
OPERATOR
The tags “Region”, “Building” and “Line” have been added to the asset object. These tags can be created and assigned within the workflows “Create Asset”, “Edit Asset” and “Accept Asset Proposal”. It is possible to filter and sort by these tags in the Asset Overview page.
Changes, Improvements, and Fixes
Improved User Feedback in Service Case Creation Dialogues
OPERATORSERVICE PROVIDER
The navigation and user feedback in several situations, in which the user is not able to create a specific type of Service Case due to missing permissions or other conditions (shared/internal), was improved.
Release date:
Table of Contents
New Features
Asset Creation for Operators
OPERATOR
Workshop Managers are now able to create assets for all their machines on the shop floor even if the Service Provider is not (yet) on the platform. The assets can be used for internal Service Case Management and it is possible to uploads documents and media.
Furthermore, it is now possible to to purchase and pair Edge Devices with these created assets. With paired Edge Devices, Connected Services like Remote Access, SSC Data Link Tunnel or File Transfer can be used in the context of an internal Service Case.
Created assets are licensed according to the signed SaaS agreement that can be reviewed by Tenant Admins in the “Settings” → “Company” Tab.
Assets can only be actively used on the platform if billing information is shared with the platform operator and stored.
Check out the documentation at https://symmedia.atlassian.net/wiki/x/sgC9BgQ or get in touch with us at https://symmedia.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/1/group/1/create/15 .
Enable Creation of shared Service Cases by Service Providers
SERVICE PROVIDEROPERATOR
Service Providers - namely users bearing the 1st Level Support and Service Technician are now able to create shared Service Cases for their already onboarded Customers. This is especially helpful if the Operator is temporarily unable to create the Service Case himself but needs assistance anyways.
Both the “Customers” (Operators) and the relevant users on the Service Provider side receive notifications upon Service Case creation.
Moreover, Operators have the possibility to disable the functionality for their tenant so that no Service Provider is able to create shared Service Cases for their Assets.
Applications can now be marked as “public”
APPLICATION PROVIDEROPERATOR
It is now possible for Application Providers to mark applications as public. Public applications can be installed by all Operators who have not received their Edge Device from their Service Provider. Service Providers providing Edge Devices to their customers are still able to manage application availability by marking them as compatible.
Changes, Improvements, and Fixes
Introducing symmedia Hub
With this release the platform is rebranded to symmedia Hub. In the first step the notification Emails are rebranded as well as the default appearance and the default Logos. For more information see:
https://youtu.be/ZNuMwHBWrX0?feature=shared
Improved User Interfaces and Workflows for accepting Asset Proposals and editing Assets
OPERATOR
According to the above mentioned “Create Asset” workflow, the workflows for accepting asset proposals and editing asset have been adopted.
The user interfaces are now more intuitive and easier to use and additional values such as model, brand and technology of the asset can be entered and edited.
Moreover, it is now possible to upload the asset image via drag & drop.
Facility is now an optional Field for Assets
Assets can now be created and edited without assigning a facility. This also applies if assets are created based on an asset proposal. Also, facilities can be created directly out of the create&edit workflows by just entering the name of the facility that should be created.
Improved Performance of Notifications in the Portal
OPERATORSERVICE PROVIDER
The performance of the notification backend has been improved for all users. Furthermore, the mechanism for marking notifications as read has been improved in the frontend.
Extended Functionality for WebVNC View
OPERATORSERVICE PROVIDER
New features are available for our WebVNC Tunnel function, designed to enhance your remote connection experience with improved control and flexibility.
Key Features:
Extended Graphical Options:
Quality Settings: Customize the graphical quality to suit your network conditions and performance needs.
Compression Level: Adjust the compression level for optimal performance and image quality.
Scaling Mode: Choose from various scaling modes to fit your screen size and resolution preferences.
View-Only Mode: Introduce a new view-only mode, allowing you to monitor remote systems without the risk of accidentally making changes.
Enhanced Keyboard Functionality:
Special Keys Transmission: Send special keys (e.g., Ctrl, Alt, Windows) to the target system, giving you greater control and the ability to perform complex operations remotely.
These new features are designed to provide you with a more versatile and efficient remote service experience, making WebVNC an even more powerful tool.
Release date:
Table of Contents
New Features
Production Data Queries
OPERATOR
The public API has been enhanced with queries to obtain the production data collected via OPC-UA and stored in the time series data base of the Secure Service Hub. Two different queries are offered that are dependent on the configuration of the specific data point.
The dataPoints query can be used to gather the collected raw data. This data is neither processed nor aggregated and just bypassed by the platform.
All data points that are configured as numeric values in the data source configuration can also be requested as pre-aggregated data with the timeSeries query. The minimum time window supported is 5 minutes. Querying for larger windows is supported as well, as long as they are divisible by 5 minutes. Supported aggregations are Minimum (MIN), Maximum (MAX), Average (AVG) and Delta (DELTA).
Changes, Improvements, and Fixes
Improved Transparency for File Uploads
OPERATORSERVICE PROVIDER
The user interface was optimized regarding user feedback and clarity in the context of file uploads. This applies for both chat attachments, and Documents & Media. Users now receive specific feedback when trying to upload unsupported file types or files exceeding the file size limit of 60 MB.
Release date:
Table of Contents
New Features
SSC Data Link Tunnel
SERVICE PROVIDER OPERATOR
We are thrilled to announce the SSC Data Link Tunnel, an upgrade to our existing tunnel connections, bringing you enhanced capabilities and fewer limitations. With this new feature, you can now remotely connect for example to TIA Portal controllers seamlessly and efficiently.
Key Benefits:
Expanded Possibilities: Establish secure tunnels to TIA Portal controllers and more, broadening your control and connectivity options.
Reduced Limitations: Experience fewer constraints, providing you with a more flexible and powerful tool for your operations.
To leverage this new feature, please ensure the following conditions are met:
Latest Edge Device Version: Your edge device must be updated to the latest version ( >= 24.05.0 ).
Associated Application Installation: The SSC Data Link Tunnel Extension application must be installed on your edge device.
Client with Extension: Installing the client with the Data Link extension is necessary to use the SSC Data Link Tunnel.
We believe this upgrade will significantly enhance your operational efficiency and connectivity.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss how to best utilize this powerful feature, please do not hesitate to contact our team at symmedia.
We are here to help you maximize the potential of your systems.
Internal Chat Rooms for shared Service Cases
OPERATOR SERVICE PROVIDER
It is now possible to create Internal chat rooms - both in the Service Provider and Operator tenants - for Service Cases that are shared between different tenants. The Internal chat rooms come with all the features that are available for shared chat rooms, like video conferencing and whiteboard, enabling Internal conversations for all Service Cases. Of course, all information in Internal chat rooms stays within the respective tenant. Users can easily switch between the shared and Internal chat rooms of a Service Case.
Virtual Edge Devices
OPERATOR SERVICE PROVIDER
We are excited to introduce our new Virtual Edge Devices, designed to offer you a cost-effective solution for using connected features without the need for hardware investment.
Key Features:
Cost-Effective Testing: Test connected features without purchasing physical hardware, saving on initial setup costs.
Versatile Compatibility: Our Virtual Edge Devices are compatible with the most common virtualization solutions, including VirtualBox, VMware, and Proxmox, ensuring seamless integration into your existing IT infrastructure.
Why Choose Virtual Edge Devices?
Flexibility: Easily configure and test various scenarios and features.
Scalability: Quickly scale up your environment fitting to your shopfloor without the constraints of physical hardware.
Convenience: Set up and manage your environment within your preferred virtualization solution.
We believe that Virtual Edge Devices will provide you with the flexibility and efficiency needed to innovate and improve your connected features.
To learn more about Virtual Edge Devices and how to set them up, please contact our consultants at symmedia. We are eager to assist you in harnessing the full potential of this innovative solution.
Changes, Improvements, and Fixes
Improvements to Internal Service Cases
OPERATOR
The user interface was optimized regarding user feedback and clarity, especially concerning Remote Access. Moreover, it is now possible for users with the roles Machine Operator or Workshop Manager to use Remote Access on internal Service Cases. A bug concerning Service Case creation under specific circumstances was fixed.
Update to Service Provider User Roles
SERVICE PROVIDER
Remove Permissions of “Service Manager” User Role
The Service Manager user role was deprecated in June of 2023, now all permissions have been removed from this role. You can still see the role assignment and respective scope but no permissions are granted for it anymore. Please refer to https://symmedia.atlassian.net/wiki/x/BIBLBAQ for the available user roles and migrate your users to them if you’ve used the Service Manager user role until now.
Enable “Master Data Manager” to see and manage Documents for Machine Models
Users with the Master Data Manager role are now able to access the Documents menu and have the permission to manage documents for Machine Models.
Export Feature for “Customer Overview” and “Edge Device Overview”
SERVICE PROVIDER
According to the feature on other tables like Customer Machines, it is now possible to export the data in the Customer Overview and Edge Device Overview into a CSV file. The columns to be exported can be selected and it is possible to filter the result before exporting the data.
New OS Version for Edge Devices (24.05.0)
OPERATOR SERVICE PROVIDER
We are pleased to announce the release of a new operating system version for our edge devices. This update includes essential security fixes, performance improvements, and enhanced features to ensure optimal operation.
Key Enhancements:
Security Fixes: This version addresses known CVEs, ensuring your edge devices are protected against the latest threats.
Improved Processes: Enhanced processing for factory resets and certificate handling for more reliable and efficient operations.
Mandatory Packages: Includes all necessary packages to support our new SSC Data Link Tunnel, enabling advanced connectivity options.
Introducing a New Versioning System: With this release, we are also implementing a future-proof and easy-to-understand versioning system. From now on, each version will be named after the year and month of its release, followed by a patch number. Our newest version is therefore 24.05.0, since it was released end of May 2024 without any patches.
Due to unforeseeable circumstances, we regret to inform you that we have to postpone the release of this feature to the . Please excuse any inconvenience this delay may cause you.
Release date:
Table of Contents
New Features
Internal Service Cases for Operator Tenants (Internal Maintenance)
OPERATOR (available on request)
It is now possible to create Internal Service Cases in Operator tenants. This feature is available on request and adds two new user roles to the tenant which have the permission to create internal Service Cases: Operator - Internal Service Cases and Maintenance Engineer. All information attached to an internal Service Case stays within the tenant, i.e. no information is shared with the Service Provider of the machine. Every internal Service Case comes together with an internal chat room for communication, video conferencing etc., as well as the possibility for Maintenance Engineers to use Remote Access.
Internal Service Cases are displayed in the same views as Shared Service Cases, the user interface has been designed to clearly distinguish between both types for clarity. A pair of filter buttons allows focusing on the most relevant content at any time.
Internal Service Cases can be assigned to users holding the new Maintenance Engineer role. For a clear focus, Maintenance Engineers are provided with a new table showing all internal Service Cases they are responsible for.
Revoke Asset Proposals
SERVICE PROVIDER
Asset proposals that have not been accepted by the customer (Customer Machine State = PROPOSED) can now be revoked from the customer machines overview. The proposal is deleted and the Customer Machine State will be set back to NEW.
New Asset Proposal Look&Feel including “Decline Proposal” Feature
OPERATOR
The look and feel of the Asset Proposals has been changed with a better visibility of proposals on the Asset Overview. In addition, it is now possible to decline asset proposals if no collaboration with the Service Provider is wanted. It is mandatory to enter a declining reason.
Improvements and Fixes
New Service Case Detail Page for Operators
OPERATOR
The new design makes better use of the available screen space and has been improved for better overview and usability. The visibility of the closing report for closed Service Cases has been improved. Additionally, a direct link to the related asset detail page has been added to the user interface to improve navigation.
“Edit tunnel configuration” and “Delete tunnel configuration” are now available for Service Technicians
SERVICE PROVIDER
Service Technicians are supposed to be able to create, edit and delete tunnel configurations for an edge device/customer machine. The permissions for editing and deleting were missing and have been added.
Release date:
Table of Contents
New Features
Internal Service Cases for Service Providers
SERVICE PROVIDER
It is now possible to create Internal Service Cases in Service Provider tenants. This type of Service Case is created by users with the roles 1st Level Support or Service Technician and all information attached to an internal Service Case stays within the tenant, i.e. no information is shared with the Customer operating the machine. Every internal Service Case comes together with an internal chat room for communication, video conferencing etc.
Thereby, the creation of internal Service Cases is enabled for all Customer Machines, irrespective of the onboarding status of the customer.
Internal Service Cases are displayed in the same views as Shared Service Cases, the user interface has been designed to clearly distinguish between both types. A pair of new filter buttons was introduced to allow focusing on the most relevant content at any time.
As the Operator tenant is no part of the Internal Service Case workflow, remote access cannot be activated and is not available for Internal Service Cases.
Prepare Edge Devices and move them to the final Customer Machine
SERVICE PROVIDER
Depending on the internal workflows it might be beneficial for Service Providers to prepare Edge Devices before shipping them to the customer site (e.g. install and configure Applications on the Edge Device).
The new “Move Edge Device-Workflow” allows to prepare Edge Devices while paired to an internal Customer Machine and move the device to the final Customer Machine as soon as the final customer has accepted the asset proposal without resetting installed applications and configurations.
Please contact symmedia Support to configure this feature for your tenant.
Improvements and Fixes
New Service Case Detail Page for Service Providers
SERVICE PROVIDER
The new design makes better use of the available screen real estate and has been improved for better overview and usability. The visibility of the closing report has been improved for closed Service Cases. Additional links to related pages, e.g. Machine, Machine Model, Customer, have been added to the user interface to improve navigation.
Furthermore, it is now possible to use the human-readable ID (e.g.: ABCD-1234) to open a Service Case, e.g.:
https://portal.secure-service-hub.com/ticketing/service-provider/detail/ABCD-1234
Improved User Interface for Chats
SERVICE PROVIDER OPERATOR
We have optimized the user interface for chat rooms. In particular, the contrast between the text and different background colors has been enhanced. The buttons to open a video conference, create a new whiteboard, and to attach a file have been rearranged for improved usability.
Chat rooms in internal Service Cases are displayed using a specific styling for internal chat rooms to raise awareness for the fact that the customer is not able to read the messages in this chat room.
Horizontal scrolling for Tables
SERVICE PROVIDER OPERATOR
It is now possible to scroll horizontally if not all the selected columns of a table fit into the available screen real estate. This is especially helpful on devices with a low display resolution.
Display Service Case Receiver in Dialog Summary
OPERATOR
In the dialog summary for Service Case creation by an Operator, the Service Provider of the respective asset - and thus the receiver of the Service Case - is now displayed.
New Icons for Service Cases Menu Entries
SERVICE PROVIDER OPERATOR
New icons are being used for the Service Cases menu entries for more clarity. If a user has different roles that enable him to see multiple Service Case lists, these are not displayed as tabs anymore, but provided as multiple menu entries with clearly distinguishable icons and names.
Deletion of Customer Machines
SERVICE PROVIDER
The workflows for deleting Customer Machines have been improved to avoid inconsistencies and problems after deletion.
Customer Machines with assigned Service Contracts can no longer be deleted. The Service Contract assignment has to be removed before deleting the Customer Machine.
Customer Machine with paired Edge Devices can no longer be deleted. The Edge Device has to be unpaired or the Customer Machine has to be downgraded first.
In the past, we had orphaned Assets with no use in the platform when the Service Providers deleted the linked Customer Machine. Now, the linked Asset of the Operator tenant will be automatically deactivated (
it will NOT be deleted). Operators are able to re-activate the Asset to use it with limited features internally. This service is NOT free of charge and will be licensed to the Operator tenant.
Deactivation of Assets
OPERATOR
Required User role is Workshop Manager. The action buttons and deactivated Assets are invisible for other user roles like Machine Operators.
Assets without linked Customer Machine can now be deactivated. It is not possible to install Apps nor create or reopen Service Cases for deactivated Assets. Furthermore they are invisible on the Asset overview by default. Users with the user role Workshop Manager can display deactivated Assets and re-activate them.
It needs to be considered before reactivating an Assets that active Assets are NOT free of charge (please check SaaS agreement for details).
Release date:
New Features
Title | Description |
|---|---|
New Service Cases table on the Customer Machine detail page | A new table showing all the Service Cases for a specific Customer Machine is now available in the Customer Machine Detail view in Service Provider tenants. |
New Service Contracts table | A table showing all configured Service Contracts and their properties is now a available to Customer Data Managers in Service Provider tenants for improved clarity. |
Fixes and Improvements
Title | Description |
|---|---|
Improve performance of Service Case assignment | The performance for assigning a Service Case to a User has been improved. |
Make own user selectable when assigning a Service Case | You can now assign a Service Case to yourself by either choosing the topmost entry in the dropdown menu, or by selecting the appropriate entry in the alphabetically ordered list. |
Show Banner before and whilst updating the platform | We are now showing an info banner 2 days in advance to a platform update and as well whilst updating the platform. Even so the planned downtimes are usually shorter than five minutes, this might be from interest, e.g. for remote sessions. |
Consolidation of create buttons | The buttons to create new objects such as Service Cases, Documents, Customer Machines etc. are now placed in a more consistent manner. |