Below are the steps I used to get my BizTalk RFID up and running with respect to PhidgetRFID. You have to use 3.6.0.0 for BizTalk Server 2006 R2, and 3.7.0.0 for BizTalk Server 2009 Beta
Make sure the Microsoft BizTalk RFID Service is running!
Download Phidget software (http://www.phidgets.com/downloads.php?os_id=1)
Copy the Phidget21.NET.dll to the GAC
Start RFID-full.exe and check if your Reader is working. If not, make sure it is connected to your computer (or Virtual Machine). You don’t need to install this device. Windows will recognize it and installs it as a Human Interface Device.
Download “”BizTalk RFID Device Provider (DSPI) for Phidget Devices”. (this version works with the PhidgetRFID): http://blogs.msdn.com/irvingd/pages/biztalk-rfid-device-provider-dspi-for-phidget-devices.aspx
Build Phidget_BizTalkDSPI_src against the right BizTalk.RFID version (3.6.0.0 for BizTalk Server 2006 R2). The original Dll is build against BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Beta (3.0.0.0).
Copy the Dll’s Microsoft.PhidgetDevices.dll and Microsoft.PhidgetDevices.DSPI.dll to the GAC
Copy these Dll’s also to the folder: PhidgetPackage (where PhidgetProvider_Install.cmd resides)
Change the file PhidgetProvider_Install.cmd
Microsoft.PhidgetsDevices.DSPI must be Microsoft.PhidgetDevices.DSPI
Run PhidgetProvider_Install.cmd
Install DupElim (Duplicate Eliminator): http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=99664 (This sample eliminates duplicates from TagReadEvents and TagListEvents)
Change the file FilterProcess.xml. Change 3.0.0.0 to 3.6.0.0
Build: DuplicateTagIdsElimination.csproj (against the BizTalk.RFID assemblies 3.6.0.0)
Run EventHandlerSampleSetup.cmd
Open RFID Manager
The Device Providers must contain a Phidgets Provider
Add your reader to the Devices
Below Processes the DupElim creates a dummy process. Change this one, or Add a new one and use as component besides the SqlSink the DupElim component.
After starting all, your reader will receive events (tags) and put it in SQL Server in the TagsEvent table.
This works for me. If you have still some problems, then you can have a look at:
http://blogs.msdn.com/irvingd/pages/biztalk-rfid-device-provider-dspi-for-phidget-devices.aspx
http://blogs.objectsharp.com/cs/blogs/matt/archive/2007/06/09/biztalk-r2-rfid-and-working-with-a-real-reader-device-phidget.aspx
If you use custom accounts for the Service and the Worker Process, then make sure these accounts are added in SQL Server. The Service account must have access to the RFIDSTORE. The Worker Process must have access to the ‘rfidsink’ database.
As I blogged earlier I had problems with BizTalk RFID 2009 (Beta, 3.7.0.0). But after following the steps above I managed to get BizTalk RFID up and running (use .Net Framework 2.0). I had only 1 small problem 
my database ‘rfidsink’ was not created. This database is installed with BizTalk RFID, but something went wrong or it is really a beta product. Finally I took the rfidsink database from BizTalk Server 2006 R2. And as I can see now, it works all fine :’-) Now I can focus on the real process.
I you have any suggestions or questions let me know.
Vincent: thanks for your support
One Comment
Hi Gerben,
Thanks a lot for your great article. I followed all your points specified to configure the Phidget RFID Kit in BizTalk RFID 2009 Beta. The new compiled DSPI can be joined smoothly, but I was not able to discover Phidget RFID Devices nor adding the Phidget RFID Device manually.
I’m using BizTalk 2009 Beta in a vmware. The Phidget RFID Device is accessable via RFID-Full.exe. I opened the PhidgetDevices Src project in Visual Studio 2008, changed the following References (Microsoft.Rfid.Util 3.7.0.0, Microsoft.Rfid.SpiSdk 3.7.0.0, Microsoft.PhidgetDevices 0.9.0.0) and compiled the project (Target Framework .NET 2.0). After registering the output assemblies in the GAC, I added and started the device provider in the RFID Management Console. So far so good, the last step was adding a Device. Auto Discover did not recognize the connected device, so I’ve tried to add it manually. The following error message did occur: “Failed to open a connection to the Phidget RFID device with serial number []. The device requested is not attached to this computer.” So I tried to specify the serialnumber printed on the Phidget device. After that, the following error message came up: “The provider Phidget has either not been started or has encountered an error. Restart the provider in the service…”
Do you have an idea what went wrong?
Thanks a lot for your support!
Cheers, D.