ScriptThe usual problem with many branches
With classic desktop attendance software, each branch has its own PC that downloads punches from its own machine. At the end of the month someone collects files from every site, joins them in a spreadsheet and hopes nothing is missing. If a machine stops working, nobody notices until payroll day.
The simple fix: every machine calls the same server
Modern ZKTeco and eSSL machines can push punches to a server on the internet (the ADMS / push mode). Give every machine in every branch the same server address, and all punches land in one database:
- No fixed IP or port forwarding at any branch — each machine uses the branch's normal internet.
- No PC to keep running at the branches.
- A new branch is just one more machine with the same five settings.
- If a branch loses internet, its machine keeps the punches and sends them later.
Set it up in four steps
- Host one attendance server on ordinary web hosting with your own domain.
- Point each machine at it — the same five settings on every machine (step-by-step guide).
- Approve each machine and give it a name such as "Main shop" or "Warehouse", so you always know where a punch came from.
- Group people by branch — use departments for branches, so you can filter the daily view and reports by site.
Keep PINs unique across branches
A machine knows a person only by a PIN (the user number). On one server, the same PIN must mean the same person everywhere. Give each person one PIN and use it on every machine they punch at — then someone who works in two branches simply shows up as one employee with punches from both.
Watch every machine, every day
The biggest win of one server is noticing problems early. A good attendance server shows when each machine last called in — online, quiet for a few hours, or offline. A silent branch at 10 a.m. is a problem you fix the same morning, not at the end of the month.
Check the clocks
Each machine stamps punches with its own clock. Set the date and time on every machine (Menu → System → Date/Time) to the company's local time, or the late and overtime numbers will be wrong for that branch.