Tetra LabX Connector v1.x Release Notes

The following are release notes for the Tetra LabX Connector v1.x. The Tetra LabX Connector is a standalone, containerized application that communicates with the Mettler-Toledo LabX system integration service. It monitors the system for new tasks, transfers finished task results to the Tetra Data Platform (TDP), and provides the ability to create new tasks.

v1.0.0

Release date: 15 July 2025

What's New

TetraScience has released its first general availability (GA) version of the Tetra LabX Connector. The Connector is intended to replace the Tetra LabX Agent, for which no further development is planned. Like the Agent, the LabX Connector continually scans LabX for new tasks to upload, but offers more convenient deployment and several new features. Most significantly, unlike the Agent, a single Connector can monitor multiple LabX instances.

Here are the details for what's in Tetra LabX Connector v1.0.0.

Prerequisites

For a list of system and LabX server requirements, see the Prerequisites section in the Tetra LabX Connector documentation.

New Functionality

New Functionality includes features not previously available in the Tetra LabX Connector.

  • Multi-instance Support: The Connector can now poll multiple LabX instances simultaneously, each with independent configuration settings, such as time zone and authentication.
  • Destination ID Override: Each LabX instance can use a destination_id parameter that allows the Connector to write to file paths as if it were a different integration. This can be used to make the Connector's file paths agree with a previously installed Tetra LabX Agent.
  • Time zone specification: The LabX API assumes all elements of the system are within one time zone. The Connector allows specification of the LabX time zone either using Windows or Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) time zone names
  • Custom Commands: Three new custom commands are available through the TDP Command Service:
    • CreateTaskFromSamples.v1: creates tasks in LabX with specified samples and method parameters
    • ManualUpload.v1: adds previously uningested LabX tasks (from all configured instances) occurring within a specified time range
    • GetReleasedMethods.v1: retrieves released methods from LabX instances, optionally filtering the results using the comment field in the method

Enhancements

Enhancements are modifications to existing functionality that improve performance or usability, but don't alter the function or intended use of the system.

  • Configurable Timeouts: Adjustable timeout settings for LabX HTTP requests (1-120 seconds range)

Bug Fixes

The following bugs are now fixed from the earlier beta release version:

  • Connection Stability: Improved handling of network interruptions and LabX server unavailability

Limitations

The following are known limitations of the Tetra LabX Connector:

  • The LabX API does not provide a way to determine the time zone of the LabX instance. Because of this, customers must choose the time zone for each connected LabX instance when configuring the Connector on the TDP. If the time zone of the instance changes, there may be a mismatch between the Connector and the LabX instance, which can result in data affixed with incorrect time zones.

Deprecated Features

There are no new deprecated features in this release. For more information about TDP deprecations, see Tetra Product Deprecation Notices.

Known and Possible Issues

The following are known and possible issues for Tetra LabX Connector v1.0.0:

  • If the Connector is using destination_id the labels usually applied by the Connector will be absent. The label information is also stored in the trace section of the file.

Upgrade Considerations

When using the Connector to replace an existing Tetra LabX Agent, keep in mind the following:

  • It is not recommended to continue running the Agent after the Connector is configured.
  • To match the file paths associated with the Agent, the Connector should use the agent ID as destination_id when configuring the LabX instance, and descriptive_name should match the LabX Name box in the Agent.
  • Unlike the Tetra LabX Agent, the Connector does not ingest audit trail information from LabX. This will likely be included in a future release.

If you are upgrading from the beta version of the Connector, note that the Connector now internally stores the time for starting the next query as UTC, where previously it was stored in the LabX time zone. This can result in an issue where, after upgrade, for some time the Connector may report InternalServiceErrorFault: fromDate from LabX, because the start time for the scan is in the future relative to the LabX time zone. This issue resolves itself once the stored start time is no longer in the future.

Other Release Notes

To view other release notes for Tetra Connectors, see Tetra Connector Release Notes.