Tag Archives: PTV xTour

PTV xServer API version 1 – Technical Note

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We would like to inform you that a problem of the MS Windows Server operating system in interaction with PTV xServer API version 1 was discovered.

Your PTV xServer installation is affected by this problem if the following points apply to it:

  • PTV xServer API version 1
  • Operating system Windows Server 2016, or Windows Server 2019 with current security patch
  • PTV xTour or PTV xDima with calls that clear the distance matrix before or after usage
  • Storage of distance matrices in a SMB / CIFS directory

Within this group, installations using either local Windows versions (Windows Server 2019) or Azure Windows versions 5 (Windows Server 2016) and version 6 (Windows Server 2019) with current patch are affected.

The impact of this bug is seen in PTV xTour or PTV xDima Server calls that delete the distance matrix before or after usage. The deletion cannot be done in some cases, so the request fails.

Here is an overview of the tested OS versions, for the combinations marked in red the error occurs:

Options for action to avoid this error:

  • Do not update the operating system and remain on an unaffected Windows version.
  • Install PTV xServer 1.32 release as soon as it is available. Planned for early April 2021.

If you need assistance please contact our product support team via support.xServer <support.de@xserver.ptvgroup.com>.

PTV xServer API Version 1.30 is now available!

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Check out the highlights of the PTV xServer API Version 1.30.

General/All Services:

  • Improvement: By raising the internal size limit of high-performance routing networks it is possible to create them for all current maps (depending on your available memory). Please note that the binary format of the high-performance routing networks has changed and existing ones have to be recalculated.

PTV xTour Server:

  • Feature: Added support for additional restrictions in case of night tours.

See the 1.30 Release Notes for more details.

Download

The PTV xServer 1.30 can be downloaded from the customer area of the PTV Developer Zone. If you need further information or support please contact the Support Team.

EU Driver Regulations – Multi Manning

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PTV xTourServerIn this post we will explain you what is meant when we talk about the two-drivers-scenario, so called ‘multi-manning’, in the PTV xTour Server and what you have to do to use it.

  • What is multi-manning?

‘Multi-manning’ means that at least two drivers in the vehicle do the driving in each period of driving between any two consecutive daily rest periods, or between a daily rest period and a weekly rest period. For the first hour of multi-manning the presence of another driver or drivers is optional but for the remainder of the period it is compulsory.                                                                                                            Furthermore it is compulsory that within 30 Hours of the end of a Rest Period, a Daily Rest of at least 9 Hours must be taken. So in effect this rule means that two drivers in one vehicle can work up to 21 hours and then take a 9 hour Daily Rest.

  • For multi-manning you should:Lenk-und-Ruhezeiten
    • double the driving periods of the RegulationParameters as both drivers will take turns:
      breakRule_drivingPeriod, dailyRestRule_regularDrivingPeriod, dailyRestRule_extendedDrivingPeriod, weeklyRestRule_weeklyDrivingPeriod, weeklyRestRule_biWeeklyDrivingPeriod
    • change two more values of the RegulationParameters:
      dailyRestRule.regularRestPeriod = 32400 (9h) instead of 39600 (11h), dailyRestRule.maximumPeriodBetweenEndOfDailyRests = 108000 (30h) instead of 86400 (24h)
    • disable the break rule as the co-driver will take a break while the other is driving

Forum_80x80If you have any questions about multi manning or anything else according to the PTV xServer, I can recommend you our Forum where you can either find the answer or you can post your questions and we will try to answer them.

The symbiosis of PTV xTerritory and PTV xTour Server

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Assuming you have a compact trading area and you like to plan day trips for your vehicles you can benefit of the symbiosis of PTV xTerritory and PTV xTour Server. Use PTV xTerritory Server to plan territories based on customer addresses and optimize the trips with PTV xTour Server.

xTerritoryIn our sample there is one depot located in Karlsruhe and the orders located  in a compact trading area around. At the depot there are 5 vehicles available for one day.

First use PTV xTerritory Server to plan 5 territories, one territory for each vehicle. Input data is the amount of territories to plan and  the locations of all customers or orders for one day.

To keep the sample simple, all locations have an activity value of 1 and the position of the depot is not taken into account. PTV xTerritory Server plans contiguous territories which are balanced on the amount of locations and their activities.

id total activity relative activity number of locations
territory-0 16 88,90% 16
territory-1 18 100,00% 18
territory-2 20 111,10% 20
territory-3 16 88,90% 16
territory-4 20 111,10% 20

xTourSecond step is the trip planning to get a day trip for each of the 5 vehicles with PTV xTour Server.

We use PTV xTour Server to optimize the sequence of customer or order locations.  Input data is the vehicles and the customer or order locations assigned to the particular territory of the vehicle. As a result we get the optimized day trip and an impression of the tour duration for these trips.

To keep the sample simple the tours are planned as open trips without taking the depot into account. Optimization goal for trip planning is the optimal sequence.

id distance tour period max. period relation  (4 hours) transport point count
territory-0 89,64 km 02:03:36 51,50% 16
territory-1 137,26 km 03:02:43 76,13% 18
territory-2 141,03 km 03:09:11 78,83% 20
territory-3 120,05 km 02:40:03 66,69% 16
territory-4 104,78 km 02:25:43 60,72% 20

This simple use case shows how easily compact and perfectly sequenced day trips can be planned. If you need more information visit the use case section of PTV xTerritory or PTV xTour in the PTV xServer Manual.

If you like to have the xml-requests for this sample just comment on this post with your email address. We will sent you the requests as soon as possible.