Pause a route, or stop a service in an emergency
Lesson 22 of 25 5 min read
The right way to pause one message type for one integration type, and the steps for stopping a whole service when something goes badly wrong.
There are two ways to stop work: a narrow pause on one integration type, and an emergency stop for a whole service. Choosing the right one limits the blast radius. This lesson gives you both procedures and a quick way to decide. Both apply to config-driven types too.
Which one?
Task 1: pause one message type for one integration type
- Open the integration type, then the Routing tab.
- Set Enabled to off on the row.
- The status changes to Off: the route is switched off.
The service stops getting these messages within about 10 seconds. To restart, set Enabled to on.
Watch out
Don't untick Supported and don't clear the service to pause a route. Clearing the service makes the row Not routed, and its messages are lost.
Task 2: stop a service in an emergency
- Open Administration → Routing → Routing Switches.
- In the Services table, set Enabled to off for the service.
- Read the dialog. Select Switch off.
- All Routing tabs that use the service now show Off: Name is disabled, for example Off: AS2 Service is disabled.
- When the problem is solved, set Enabled to on again.
Don't promise what happens to messages
It isn't yet known what happens to messages that arrive while a switch is off. Don't tell users their messages will be kept, or that they'll be lost.
Worked example
Two incidents, two responses
Monday. Northgate Logistics, Hilltop Coffee's config-driven 3PL, announces a two-hour API outage. Only Northgate's Send messages are affected. You open the Northgate Logistics type's Routing tab and set Enabled off on the Send row. It shows Off: the route is switched off. Two hours later you switch it back on. No other integration type noticed.
Thursday. A platform problem means the AS2 Service is sending damaged files to every AS2 partner. Pausing each AS2 partner type one by one would be slow and error-prone. You open Routing Switches, set Enabled off for AS2 Service, read the dialog and select Switch off. Every AS2 partner's Routing tab shows Off: AS2 Service is disabled. You tell the support team that AS2 work is paused, without promising anything about messages that arrive meanwhile. When the fix is released, you switch the service back on.
Leave a trail
Because these changes save immediately with no undo, and the screens don't update when someone else makes a change, tell the team when you pause or stop something, and when you restart it. Otherwise the next person to see Off may switch it back on at the wrong moment.
Recap
- To pause one message type for one type, set Enabled off on the Routing tab row.
- Never untick Supported or clear the service to pause.
- For a platform-wide problem on one service, switch the service off on Routing Switches.
- Affected rows show Off with the reason.
- Don't promise what happens to messages that arrive while switched off.
- Tell the team when you pause and when you restart.
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