Connection states and recovery

The Oda web interface keeps a live connection to the DataMind Oda that serves the page on this computer. This page explains what the connection's states mean, how Oda brings the connection back when it drops, and what happens to your work in the meantime. For opening and signing in, see The Oda web app; for starting the web interface, see Oda in the browser.

The three states

The connection is in one of three states:

• While connected, the page and the service are talking, and nothing is shown.
• Connecting means the link has dropped and Oda is trying to bring it back; the attempts continue on their own.
• Disconnected means attempts are waiting while your browser reports that the computer is offline; they resume when it is online again.

The state appears on the connection control beside Settings; Settings overview and Statuses and progress describe the control and the labels it can show.

How the connection comes back

• A drop starts the first attempt almost immediately. The waits then grow in steps: about half a second, then about 1, 2, 4 and 8 seconds, and 10 seconds from there on.
• Each wait lands somewhere between half of its step and the whole step, so it is not the same number every time.
• An attempt that is still getting ready after about 3 seconds counts as slow. An attempt that is not ready after about 15 seconds is cancelled, and the next attempt starts.
• Only one attempt or wait runs at a time. When a connection becomes ready, the sequence resets: after a later drop, the waits start again from the first step.
• Oda also checks the link as it works: a small pulse travels over the connection every two seconds, and a link that has not answered one when the next is due is dropped, so the waits start again from the first step.

Start a retry yourself

Choosing the retry action on the connection control does not wait for the current step: it interrupts the attempt or wait in progress and starts a fresh attempt straight away. You can choose it at any time while the connection is down.

While your browser is offline

• While the browser reports that the computer is offline, Oda does not run attempts. The connection rests in the disconnected state.
• When the browser is online again, attempts restart from the shortest wait. Nothing overlaps: a restart never runs alongside an attempt that is already going.

What a drop does to your work

• A drop never reloads or navigates the page. What you had open stays open.
• Anything you had typed but not sent stays in the message box.
• When the connection returns, the page is brought up to date on its own: the open chat re-syncs on the new connection.

If the connection does not come back

1. Choose the retry action on the connection control.
2. Check that the web interface is still running on this computer. If it was stopped, start it again and open the address it prints; The Oda web app covers the address and the sign-in.
3. If it still does not come back, see Troubleshooting.

Questions, answered

What happens when the connection drops?

The page moves to the connecting state and starts retrying straight away, beginning with the shortest wait. Oda needs nothing from you: the attempts continue on their own.

How long does Oda wait between retries?

The wait grows with each attempt: about half a second, then about 1, 2, 4 and 8 seconds, and 10 seconds from there on. Each wait lands somewhere between half of its step and the whole step.

Does Oda keep retrying until the connection comes back?

Yes. The attempts continue at the steady 10-second wait while the page stays open; there is no fixed number of attempts after which Oda gives up. The one pause is while the browser reports that the computer is offline.

What happens if my browser goes offline?

While the browser reports no network, Oda does not run attempts, and the connection rests in the disconnected state. When the browser is online again, attempts restart from the shortest wait.

What happens to the page when the connection drops?

Nothing is reloaded and nothing navigates away: the page stays as it is, and the open chat is brought up to date on its own when the connection returns.

What happens to a draft I had not sent?

It stays in the message box. A dropped connection does not clear or lose it; send it when the connection is back.

Can I start the retry sooner?

Yes. The retry action on the connection control interrupts the attempt or wait in progress and starts a fresh attempt immediately, instead of waiting for the next step in the sequence.

What happens if a connection attempt takes too long?

An attempt that is still getting ready after about 3 seconds counts as slow. If it is still not ready after about 15 seconds, Oda cancels it and starts the next attempt.

Can I change how quickly Oda retries?

The timings are set in Oda's connection settings on this computer, and a change takes effect after the page is reloaded. The values are checked when they load, and one that would switch recovery off entirely is refused.

What can I do if the connection does not come back?

Choose the retry action on the connection control first. Then check that the web interface is still running on this computer; if it was stopped, start it again and open the address it prints. If it still does not return, see Troubleshooting.