Avocent ESP Serial Hub, ESP-2 MI, ESP-4 MI, ESP-8 MI, ESP-16 MI Installer/user Manual

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Installer/User Guide

ESP Serial Hub

Installer/User Guide

Avocent, the Avocent logo and The Power of Being There are registered trademarks of Avocent Corporation. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

USA Notification

WARNING: Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in the residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

Canadian Notification

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.

Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites applicables aux appareils numériques de la classe A prescrites dans le Règlement sur le brouillage radioélectrique édicté par le Ministère des Communications du Canada.

European Union

WARNING: This is a Class A product. In domestic environment, this product may cause radio interference in which case the user may be required to take adequate measures.

iii

Table of Contents

List of Tables..................................................................................................................vii

Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................... 1

Features .............................................................................................................................................1

Serial port access........................................................................................................................1

Management tools.......................................................................................................................2

Version........................................................................................................................................3

Chapter 2: Hardware Installation and Network Configuration..................................... 5

ESP Serial Hub Kit Contents........... ................................................... ...............................................5

LEDs and Buttons..............................................................................................................................5

Physical Interfaces..................................................................................................... ........................6

Termination ................................................................................................................................7

RS-485 transmitter and receiver transfer modes........................................................................7

Serial port pin assignments ........................................................................................................7

Network Interface ..............................................................................................................................9

Electrical..........................................................................................................................................10

Installing the Hub ............................................................................................................................10

Startup ......................................................................................................................................11

Configuring network information.............................................................................................11

After startup and address configuration...................................................................................12

When Changes Take Effect ..............................................................................................................12

Reinitializing and Resetting the Hub...............................................................................................13

Reinitializing.............................................................................................................................13

Resetting ...................................................................................................................................13

Chapter 3: Connection Methods, Attributes and Configurable Features................. 15

Serial Port Connection Methods........................................... ................................................... ........15

Serial port redirection ........................................................................................ ......................16

Telnet server .............................................................................................................................16

Raw TCP server........................................................................................................................17

Raw TCP client.........................................................................................................................19

Modem emulation .....................................................................................................................21

TABLE OF CONTENTS

iv ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

Configuration utility .................................................................................................................28

Serial Port Attributes.......................................................................................................................28

Configurable Features.....................................................................................................................29

Chapter 4: Web Interface............................................................................................... 31

Accessing the Web Interface............................................................................................................31

Passwords........................................................................................................................................31

Displaying or Changing Network Configuration Values ................................................................32

Displaying or Changing Serial Port Attributes...............................................................................33

Displaying or Changing Port Connection Methods ........................................................................33

Displaying or Changing the Serial Port Physical Interface............................................................34

Sending a Break to a Port................................................................................................................36

Displaying Hardware Information ..................................................................................................36

Displaying or Updating Flash Memory...........................................................................................36

Displaying or Changing Configurable Features.............................................................................37

Downloading a Configuration File....................................................................................... ...........37

Launching the ESP-View Diagnostic Utility ...................................................................................38

Displaying General Statistics ..........................................................................................................38

Displaying Port Statistics ................................................................................................................39

Displaying Connection Status..........................................................................................................39

Rebooting the Hub ...........................................................................................................................41

Reinitializing the Hub......................................................................... .............................................41

Chapter 5: Configuration Utility.................................................................................... 43

Accessing the Configuration Utility.................................................................................................43

Accessing with Telnet ...............................................................................................................43

Accessing a hub with no configured IP address.......................................................................43

Accessing on a port using the configuration utility connection method...................................44

About the Configuration Utility Interface ................................................................................44

Passwords........................................................................................................................................45

Displaying or Changing Network Configuration Values ................................................................45

Displaying or Changing Serial Port Attributes...............................................................................46

Displaying or Changing Connection Methods ................................................................................46

Displaying or Changing the Serial Port Physical Interface............................................................48

Sending a Break to a Port................................................................................................................49

Table of Contents v

Displaying Hardware Information ..................................................................................................49

Displaying or Updating Flash Memory...........................................................................................49

Displaying or Changing Configurable Features.............................................................................50

Downloading a Configuration File....................................................................................... ...........50

Rebooting the Hub ...........................................................................................................................51

Reinitializing the Hub......................................................................... .............................................51

Displaying General Statistics ..........................................................................................................51

Displaying Port Statistics ................................................................................................................52

Displaying Connection Status..........................................................................................................52

Displaying and Using Debug Features ...........................................................................................52

Chapter 6: Configuration Files...................................................................................... 55

Sample Configuration File...............................................................................................................55

File Format and Command Syntax..................................................................................................56

Port Interface Command .................................................................................................................57

Port Connection Method Commands...............................................................................................57

Port Redirection command.......................................................................................................57

Port Telnet Server command....................................................................................................57

Port TCP Server command.......................................................................................................57

Port TCP Client command .......................................................................................................58

Port Modem Emulation command............................................................................................58

Dialout Translation command..................................................................................................58

Port Configuration Utility command........................................................................................58

Port Attributes Command................................................................................................................58

Network Command ..........................................................................................................................59

Configurable Features Commands..................................................................................................59

Initiating a Configuration File Download.......................................................................................59

Completion Status............................................................................................................................60

Chapter 7: ESP-Install Program.................................................................................... 61

Running the ESP-Install Program...................................................................................................61

Creating Installation/Update Command Blocks..............................................................................62

Updating ESP Hub Configurations .................................................................................................63

Removing ESP Hubs........................................................................................................................63

Commands .......................................................................................................................................64

Sample Script File............................................................................................................................65

vi ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

Chapter 8: ESP-View Diagnostic Utility ....................................................................... 67

Accessing and Exiting the ESP-View Utility....................................................................................67

Datascope ........................................................................................................................................67

Loopback..........................................................................................................................................70

Status................................................................................................................................................71

Appendices..................................................................................................................... 73

Appendix A: Technical Specifications .............................................................................................73

Appendix B: Changing the Serial Port Interface on

ESP-2 MI Hubs................................................................................................................................75

Appendix C: Adaptors......................................................................................................................77

Appendix D: Technical Support.......................................................................................................80

Index................................................................................................................................ 81

vii

List of Tables

Table 2.1: LEDs and Buttons............................ ................................................... ..............................5

Table 2.2: Physical Interface and Connector Summary....................................................................6

Table 2.3: RS-232 Serial Port Pin Assignments................................................................................7

Table 2.4: RS-422 and RS-485 Serial Port Pin Assignments ............................................................8

Table 2.5: Ethernet Connector Pin Assignments...............................................................................9

Table 2.6: ESP Serial Hub Electrical Connectors ..........................................................................10

Table 2.7: When Changes Take Effect..................................... ................................................... .....12

Table 3.1: Serial Port Redirection Configurable Items...................................................................16

Table 3.2: Telnet Server Connection Method Configurable Items..................................................17

Table 3.3: Raw TCP Server Connection Method Configurable Items ........................... .................18

Table 3.4: Raw TCP Client Connection Method Configurable Items.............................................19

Table 3.5: Modem Emulation Connection Method Configurable Items .........................................21

Table 3.6: Modem Commands............ .............................................................................................24

Table 3.7: Modem Command Response Codes ...............................................................................26

Table 3.8: Dialout Translation Set ..................................................................................................27

Table 3.9: Configuration Utility Connection Method Configurable Items .....................................28

Table 3.10: Serial Port Valid and Default Values ..........................................................................29

Table 3.11: Configurable Features .................................................................................................29

Table 4.1: Reference to Connection Method Rules and Values ......................................................34

Table 4.2: General Statistics Display..............................................................................................38

Table 4.3: Port Statistics Display....................................................................................................39

Table 4.4: Serial Port Active Connection Status Display................................................................39

Table 4.5: Serial Port Redirection Connections Status Display .....................................................40

Table 5.1: Reference to Connection Method Rules and Values ......................................................47

Table 6.1: Configurable Features Commands ................................................................................59

Table 7.1: ESP-Install Program Commands...................................................................................64

LIST OF TABLES

viii ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

Table 8.1: ESP-View Utility Datascope Window Buttons ...............................................................68

Table 8.2: ESP-View Utility Status Display ....................................................................................71

Table A.1: ESP Serial Hub Technical Specifications......................................................................73

Table C.1: RS-422 CAT 5 Adaptor Pin Assignments.......................................................................77

Table C.2: RS-485 CAT 5 Adaptor Pin Assignments.......................................................................77

Table C.3: Adaptors for Use with CAT 5 and CAT 6 Cable............................................................78

Table C.4: Reversing Adaptors and Cables ....................................................................................78

CHAPTER

Introduction

Features

ESP Ethernet serial hubs contain an autosensing 10/100 Ethernet port and multi-interface (MI) serial ports. MI ports may be configured to use the RS-232, RS-422 or RS-485 physical interface.

• The ESP-2 MI hub contains two MI serial ports.

• The ESP-4 MI hub contains four MI serial ports.

• The ESP-8 MI hub contains eight MI serial ports.

• The ESP-16 MI hub contains eight MI serial ports and eight dedicated RS-232 ports. Modular adaptors are available to facilitate the connection between the ESP serial hub ports and

target devices.

Serial port access

All ESP hubs support several ways to access the serial ports. Each of these connection methods is described in Chapter 3, beginning on page 15.

• Serial port redirection

• Telnet server

• Raw TCP server

• Raw TCP client

• Modem emulation

• Configuration utility Serial port redirection uses drivers installed on a host computer. The ESP serial hub drivers are

supported on the following operating systems:

Windows

2000 Windows XP

Windows NT

4.0 Windows Server 2003

OpenServer™ 5.0.5a or higher UnixWare

7.0.1a or higher

Linux

AIX

4.3 and 5.1/5.2

Sun

Solaris™ for X86 or SPARC 8 or higher

2 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

For serial port redirection, the ESP hub is configured using the appropriate drivers running on any Microsoft Windows host, or espdiag and espcfg for OpenServer, UnixWare, Linux, Sun or AIX systems. Certain configuration values are set during driver installation.

The file-driven ESP-Install prog ram may be used to install, modify and remove Wind ows dri vers for ESP serial hubs without the need for on-site technical personnel. See ESP-Install Program on page 61.

All other connection methods do not require the use of drivers.

Management tools

You may configure and manage an ESP serial hub using the following tools:

• Web interface - see Chapter 4, beginning on page 31

• Configuration utility - see Chapter 5, beginning on page 43

• Configuration files - see Chapter 6, beginning on page 55

• Unix system utilities espcfg and espdiag (Unix systems) - these utilities have lim ited support

for connection methods other than port redirection

• Socket Application Program Interface (API) The web interface and the configuration utility offer the most comp rehen sive sets of available

operations, including:

• Displaying and changing network configuration values

• Displaying and changing a port’s physical interface (ESP-4 MI, ESP-8 MI and ESP-16

MI hubs)

• Displaying and changing a port’s attributes

• Displaying, enabling/disabling and configuring connection methods for each port

• Sending a line break to a port

• Displaying hardware information

• Displaying or updating Flash memory

• Displaying or enabling/disabling configurable features

• Downloading a configuration file

• Rebooting or reinitializing the hub

• Displaying general and port statistics

• Displaying connection status

• Diagnostics

• Using the web interface, you may launch the ESP-View diagnostic utility that provides datascope, loopback and status functions; see Chapter 8, beginning on page 67

• The configuration utility also supports diagnostic features; see Displaying and Using Debug Features on page 52

Chapter 1: Introduction 3

The ESP hubs support attended and unattended configuration. With attended configuration, you set values and request actions directly through the web interface or the configuration utility. Unattended configuration uses a flat text file containing configuration command s. The commands are processed as if they were requested using the web interface or the configuration utility. The command file may be read by BootP/DHCP during initial ESP hub configuration. Downloadin g a command file may also be initiated using the web interface and configuration utility. See Chapter 6, beginning on page 55.

The ESP serial hub also provides a socket API for on-the-fly serial port operations. This API is an extension of the raw TCP interface, which allows data to be read from or written to an ESP hub serial port. Using socket calls, an application is able to alter port settings (such as baud rate) or read current serial control signals (such as DTR). For details on the API specification, contact Avocent Technical Support.

Version

This document covers features available with the ESP hub application version 3.05 or later. ESP-2 MI serial hubs and Avocent ESP MI serial hubs will accept the new firmware; check the CD

that ships with the hub (and the www.avocent.com web site) to verify the current boot and application versions.

Older hubs are not compatible with the new firmware. For information about older hubs, you can reference the manual that shipped with the hub, download the original manual from the web site or contact Technical Support.

4 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

CHAPTER

Hardware Installation and Network Configuration

ESP Serial Hub Kit Contents

• ESP serial hub.

• SuperSerial CD-ROM.

• For ESP-2 MI and ESP-4 MI hubs: External power supply (PS) with attached PS-to-unit barrel connector. The line cord for the power supply is appropriate to the intended country of operation.

• For ESP-8 MI and ESP-16 MI hubs: AC power cord.

Modular adaptors are available from Avocent; see Adaptors on page 77.

LEDs and Buttons

All LEDs and buttons are on the front of the ESP serial hub.

Table 2.1: LEDs and Buttons

Item Models Description

POWER All The POWER LED is lit when the hub is connected to a power source.

ONLINE All

The ONLINE LED is lit (not blinking) when the hub’s self-test and initialization procedures have completed successfully.

On ESP-4 MI hubs at power up, the LED will blink rapidly until the hub is initialized, then it will be lit (not blinking). If a problem occurs, the LED will turn off.

ESP-2 MI and ESP-4 MI

The 10 LED is lit when the hub is connected to a 10 Mbps LAN, and the 100 LED blinks when traffic is present on the 10 Mbps LAN.

100 All

The 100 LED is lit when the hub is connected to a 100 Mbps LAN. On ESP-2 MI and ESP-4 MI hubs, the 10 LED blinks when traffic is present on

the 100 Mbps LAN.

LINK

ESP-8 MI and ESP-16 MI

The LINK LED is lit when the hub establishes a connection to the network.

6 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

Physical Interfaces

Table 2.2 summarizes the ESP serial hub physical interfaces and connector information. Details follow the table.

All of the serial ports on the ESP-2 MI, ESP-4 MI and ESP-8 MI hubs may be configured to support the following physical interfaces:

• RS-232 DTE signaling

• RS-422 signaling (default)

• RS-485 2-wire half duplex (HD) signaling

On ESP-16 MI hubs, the first eight serial ports (ports 1-8) may be configured to support any of the physical interfaces noted above. The remaining eight ports (ports 9-16) are dedicated RS-232 ports.

By default, RS-232 is enabled on all serial ports. For ESP-2 MI hubs, internal jumper settings select the physical interface for each port. See

Changing the Serial Port Interface on ESP-2 MI Hubs on page 75.

TRAFFIC

ESP-8 MI and ESP-16 MI

The TRAFFIC LED blinks when there is traffic on the LAN.

RESET All

Pushing (and holding for ESP-8 MI and ESP-16 MI hubs) the RESET button reboots the hub; see Resetting on page 13.

INIT All

Pushing and holding the INIT button restores the hub to factory defaults; see Reinitializing on page 13.

Table 2.1: LEDs and Buttons (Continued)

Item Models Description

Table 2.2: Physical Interface and Connector Summary

Model

Connector type and location

Physical interfaces can be configured on Where physical

interface is configured

RS-232 RS-422 RS-485

ESP-2 MI

DB-9 Front of hub

all ports (1-2) all ports (1-2) all ports (1-2) hardware

ESP-4 MI

DB-9 Front of hub

all ports (1-4) all ports (1-4) all ports (1-4) software

ESP-8 MI

RJ-45 Back of hub

all ports (1-8) all ports (1-8) all ports (1-8) software

ESP-16 MI

RJ-45 Back of hub

all ports (1-16) only ports 1-8 only ports 1-8 software

Chapter 2: Hardware Installation and Network Configuration 7

For ESP-4 MI, ESP-8 MI and ESP-16 MI hubs, the physical interface can be changed in software, using any of the available tools.

• Web interface - see Displaying or Changing the Serial Port Physical Interface on page 34.

• Configuration utility - see Displaying or Changing the Serial Port Physica l In terface on page 48.

• Configuration file - see Port Interface Command on page 57.

Termination

When the RS-422 or RS-485 interface is enabled for a serial port, you may also enable/disable 100 ohm termination of the differential receive signal pair on that port. This termination is typically used in RS-485 environments when the device is the first or last on a multi-drop line for a 2-wire configuration. This termination should always be set when the hub is configured for RS-422, as this is a point-to-point configuration.

If your configuration includes supplying your own external termination, the termination on the hub should not be used.

On ESP-2 MI hubs, termination is enabled or disabled in hardware; see Changing the Serial Port Interface on ESP-2 MI Hubs on page 75. On ESP-4 MI, ESP-8 MI and ESP-16 MI hubs, termination is enabled or disabled using any of the available tools.

RS-485 transmitter and receiver transfer modes

On ESP-4 MI, ESP-8 MI and ESP-16 MI hubs, the RS-485 physical interface always uses the ADDC (Automatic Data Detection Control) transfer mode. The transmitter is enabled and the receiver is disabled when a space (zero) bit is sent. The transmitter is disabled and the receiver is enabled when a mark (one) is sent. This allows rapid turnaround and release of the data pair.

On ESP-2 MI hubs, the RS-485 physical interface can use the ADDC or RTS (Request to Send) transfer mode. In RTS mode, the transmitter is enabled and the receiver is disabled when RTS is true. The transmitter is disabled and the receiver is enabled when RTS is false. The RS-485 transfer mode on ESP-2 MI hubs may be specified using any of the available tools.

Serial port pin assignments

Serial port pin assignments are provided on a label on the bottom of the hub. Table 2.3 lists the pin assignments for the RS-232 interface.

Table 2.3: RS-232 Serial Port Pin Assignments

Pin Number RS-232 Description Direction

1 DCD Data Carrier Detect Input 2 RxD Receive Data Input 3 TxD Transmit Data Output

8 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

Table 2.4 lists the pin assignments for the RS-422 and RS-485 interfaces.

4 DTR Data Terminal Ready Output 5 GND Ground N/A 6 DSR Data Set Ready Input 7 RTS Request to Send Output 8 CTS Clear to Send Input 9 N/C N/C N/A Not supported: RI, RS-422 RTS and CTS differential control signals.

Unused pins (labeled N/C) should not have wires att ached to t hem. Floating wi res could cau se unba la nced noise, shorten overall distances and deg radeperformance.

Table 2.4: RS-422 and RS-485 Serial Port Pin Assignments

Pin Number RS-422/485 * Description Direction

1 RxD (+) Receive Data (pos) Input 2 RxD (-) Receive Data (neg) Input 3 TxD (+) Transmit Data (pos) Output 4 TxD (-) Transmit Data (neg) Output 5 GND Ground N/A 6 DSR (RS-232) Data Set Ready (remains RS-232) Input 7 RTS * (RS-232) Request to Send (remains RS-232) * Output 8 CTS * (RS-232) Clear to Send (remains RS-232) * Input 9 N/C N/A N/A * The RS-485 interface is implemented by using special cables that connect RxD(+) to TxD(+) and RxD(-) to

TxD(-), thus providing the 2-wire bidirectional interface. In addition, pins 7 and 8 should be jumpered together to signal that the port is configured for RS-485. Pins 7 and 8 should be left open for an RS-422 configuration.

Table 2.3: RS-232 Serial Port Pin Assignments (Continued)

Pin Number RS-232 Description Direction

Chapter 2: Hardware Installation and Network Configuration 9

Network Interface

The Ethernet port supports 10/100 auto detect (speed and duplex) connections. The LAN connector accepts 10BaseT or 100BaseT LAN interface cable. On an ESP-2 MI or ESP-4 MI hub, the LAN connector is on the front of the hub. On an ESP-8 MI or ESP-16 MI hub, the LAN connector is on the back of the hub. A CAT 5 cable is required for 100BaseT operation.

Table 2.5 lists the pin assignments for the RJ-45 shielded Ethernet connector.

The network interface speed may be configured with the following values.

Auto-negotiate 10 Mb/second half or full duplex 100 Mb/second half or full duplex 10 Mb/second half duplex 100 Mb/second half duplex 10 Mb/second full duplex 100 Mb/second full duplex

By default, auto-negotiate and all settings are enabled. The setting that will be used is determined by which settings are available and also by priority. For a standard CAT 5 twisted pair cable, the priority is (from highest to lowest):

100 Mb/second, full duplex 100 Mb/second, half duplex 10 Mb/second, full duplex 10 Mb/second, half duplex

The network interface speed may be specified using any of the available tools.

• Web interface - see Displaying or Changing Network Configurati on Values on page 32.

• Configuration utility - see Displaying or Changing Network Configurati on Values on page 45.

• Configuration file - see Network Command on page 59.

Table 2.5: Ethernet Connector Pin Assignments

Pin Signal

1 Transmit Data + 2 Transmit Data 3Receive Data + 4* 5* 6Receive Data 7* 8* * These pins are usually connected in a standard Ethernet CAT 5 cable. Special termination for these signals

is in the interface to eliminate any problems if they are connected.

10 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

Electrical

Table 2.6 describes the electrical connector information for the ESP serial hubs. For electrical specifications, see Technical Specifications on page 73.

Installing the Hub

All ESP hubs ship ready to use in a tabletop environment. ESP-2 MI hubs may be installed on a DIN rail. Contact your Avocent representative for

information about an Industrial Mounting Kit. ESP-8 MI and ESP-16 MI hubs may be rack mounted. You may replace an existing ESP hub with a similarly configured hub without affecting the server

or having to reconfigure the ports.

NOTE: The power outlet should be near the equipment and be easily accessible.

NOTE: ESP-8 MI and ESP-16 MI hubs are not user serviceable. To avoid electric shock, do not attempt to open

the unit or operate with the cover off. Do not attempt to make any repairs. See Technical Support on page 80 for information.

Table 2.6: ESP Serial Hub Electrical Connectors

Model Electrical Connector

ESP-2 MI

Two electrical power connectors are located on the front of the hub under the label POWER 9-30 VDC 4W. You may use either one of the connectors, but not both.

The hub ships with an external power adaptor. This adaptor includes a barrel plug that is inserted into the left power connector.

The hub also contains a 3-pin screw terminal block connector which provides connection for a 9-30 VDC power source. The locations of the positive, ground and negative pins are printed next to the connector.

Surge protection is provided for each serial port up to 15,000 volts electrostatic discharge (ESD).

ESP-4 MI

The power connector is located on the front of the hub. An external universal 5 VDC power supply, which must be provided by Avocent, has a standard IEC AC input connector that accepts power cords with country-dependent plugs.

Surge protection is provided for every signal on each serial port and meets or exceeds the applicable European CE Immunity Standards.

ESP-8 MI and ESP-16 MI

An AC line cord connector is located on the back of the hub. The hub ships with an 18 AWG three-wire cable, with a three-lead IEC-320 receptacle on the power supply end and a country dependent plug on the power resource end.

Chapter 2: Hardware Installation and Network Configuration 11

Startup

To initiate the startup sequence:

1. The MAC address is printed on a label on the hub. This address is used as a Unit ID to distinguish different ESP hubs on the network. Record the MAC address.

00 - ____ - ____ - ____ - ____ - ____

2. Attach a 10BaseT or 100BaseT LAN interface cable to the LAN connector on the hub. A CA T 5 cable is required for 100BaseT operation. Then, attach the other end of the LAN interface cable to the Ethernet hub or switch.

3. Connect devices to the serial ports on the hub, using appropriate cables (and adaptors, if needed).

4. Attach the electrical power connector to the hub, and then to an appropriate power source.

Configuring network information

Configuring network information includes setting the IP address, subnet mask and gateway. You may also change the network interface setting (see Network Interface on page 9 for more information).

To configure network information:

• Using the web interface - Y ou may initially access the hub using the predefined IP address (see

Accessing the Web Interface on page 31), then configure the network information (see Displaying or Changing Network Configuration Values on page 32).

• Using the configuration utility - The configuration utility is automatically enabled on port 1. Using a terminal emulation program of your choice (with a serial connection at 19200 baud, 8 bits, no parity and one stop bit), you may access the configuration utility on this port (see

Accessing the Configuration Utility on page 43). Then, configure the network information (see Displaying or Changing Network Configuration Values on page 45).

• Using the serial port redirection connection method - Install the ESP drivers included on the SuperSerial CD (be sure to check the Avocent web site, www.avocent.com, for the latest version).

You may also use the ESP-Install program with a script file to automate the installation ; see ESP-Install Program on page 61.

• Using a configuration file - If you are using a configuration file with a BootP or DHCP server, consult your operating system documentation to determine how to configure the BootP or DHCP server.

• After the ESP hub acquires an IP address (by any method), it will no longer use BootP or

DHCP. Therefore, you cannot change the network values using this method.

• The ESP hub requires a permanent IP allocation. If you are using DHCP, it must have an

infinite lease on the assigned IP address; an IP address with a finite lease will not be accepted.

12 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

The BootP or DHCP server may also specify a configuration file using the “bootfile” parameter. See Chapter 6, beginning on page 55, for more information.

After startup and address configuration

After the ESP serial hub’s network information has been configured, you may configure each of the ports. Most port operations may be initiated for one port or all ports.

To configure ports:

• Using the web interface - see Displaying or Changing Serial Port Attributes on page 33, Displaying or Changing Port Connection Methods on page 33 and Displaying or Changing the Serial Port Physical Interface on page 34.

• Using the configuration utility - see Displaying or Changing Serial Port Attributes on page 46, Displaying or Changing Connection Methods on page 46 and Displaying or Changing the Serial Port Physical Interface on page 48.

• Using a configuration file - see Port Interface Command on page 57, Port Connection Method Commands on page 57 and Port Attributes Command on page 58.

When Changes Take Effect

When you change values, the ESP serial hub’s memory is updated immediately. Some changes take effect immediately; others take effect when the next connection is established with a port or after the hub is rebooted.

Table 2.7 indicates when each type of change takes effect.

Changing a web interface/configuration utility password takes effect the next time the web interface or the configuration utility is accessed.

Table 2.7: When Changes Take Effect

Action Immediately

On next connection

After reboot

Network address changes (IP, gateway, subnet) X Network interface speed X Enabling/disabling the hub’s configurable features X Changing a port’s physical interface X Enabling/disabling a port’s connection methods X Changing a port’s attributes X Updating a Flash image X Downloading a configuration file X

Chapter 2: Hardware Installation and Network Configuration 13

Reinitializing and Resetting the Hub

The information in this section is not a standard part of the startup sequence; however, it is provided for reference if the ESP serial hub must be reinitialized or reset.

Reinitializing

The INIT button on the front of the hub may be used to remove configured information from an ESP hub. The hub stores nonvolatile data such as the SNMP community name, admin password, system contact and IP address in memory. This information is erased by pressing and holding the INIT button until reinitialization occurs.

When the INIT button is first pressed, the ONLINE LED will begin to blink to confirm that you have pressed the INIT button. As the INIT button remains pressed, the ONLINE LED will blink at a faster rate. After approximately 12 seconds, the ONLINE LED will turn off. At this point, all nonvolatile information will be reset to the factory defaults and the hub will immediatel y reboot.

You may also reinitialize the hub using the web interface (see Reinitializing the Hub on page 41) or the configuration utility (see Reinitializing the Hub on page 51).

Resetting

The RESET button on the front of the hub may be used to reset the serial hub.

• On ESP-2 MI and ESP-4 MI hubs, pressing this button will cause an immediate reboot.

• On ESP-8 MI and ESP-16 MI hubs, pressing and holding this button for approximately one second will cause an immediate reboot if the master application is running. If the master application is not able to run (that is, only the bootloader is operational), pressing the RESET button will have no effect. However, if this condition persists for more than 15 seconds, the watchdog timer will cause the hub to reset.

You may also reset (reboot) the hub using the web interface (see Rebooting the Hub on page 41) or the configuration utility (see Rebooting the Hub on page 51).

14 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

CHAPTER

Connection Methods, Attributes and Configurable Features

This chapter describes:

• Connection methods, which are configured for each serial port

• Attributes, which are configured for each serial port

• Configurable features, which are enabled/disabled for the entire hub

Serial Port Connection Methods

There are several methods to access a serial port on an ESP hub.

• Serial port redirection - see page 16

• Telnet server - see page 16

• Raw TCP server - see page 17

• Raw TCP client - see page 19

• Modem emulation - see page 21

• Configuration utility - see page 28

You may configure port connection methods using any of the available tools.

• Web interface - see Displaying or Changing Port Connection Methods on page 33

• Configuration utility - see Displaying or Changing Connection Methods on page 46

• Configuration file - see Port Connection Method Commands on page 57

Exclusivity and restrictions

Each connection method may be enabled or disabled for each ESP port. A port may have multiple connection methods enabled, with the following exceptions.

• The raw TCP client connection method is exclusive; when it is enabled on a port, no other connection methods can be enabled for that port. (Conversely, if other connection methods are enabled for a port, you cannot enable the raw TCP client connection method on that port until you disable the other methods.)

• If you enable the raw TCP server connection method and enable the idle TCP buffering option on a port, then the TCP server connection method becomes exclusive; no other connection methods can be enabled for that port.

16 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

• The modem emulation connection method is valid only on an RS-232 port. This method is exclusive; when it is enabled on a port, no other connection methods can be enabled for that port.

In any case, a port may be actively open and used by only one method at a time.

Serial port redirection

The serial port redirection connection method uses an ESP serial redirection driver on a host computer to communicate with the hub. The driver creates a virtual COMM or TTY port interface within the host’s operating system.

Table 3.1 describes this method’s configurable items for each serial port.

To use the serial port redirection connection method, you must install drivers on the host computer. See the SuperSerial CD for information. You may also use the ESP-Install program; see ESP- Install Program on page 61.

Telnet server

The Telnet server connection method allows a user to make a Telnet connection to a serial port on the ESP hub and then transmit/receive data using the standard Telnet protocol. This method is also known as reverse Telnet.

When this method is enabled, the Telnet server within the hub will accept a connection from any valid remote IP address. There is no filtering of remote addresses. The connection will be accepted only if the port is not already open and in use by any connection method, including an existing Telnet session on that port. If the port is currently in use, the connection request will be rejected.

The Telnet session will remain established until the remote client ends the session, the Telnet TCP socket is broken or the inactivity time-out (if enabled) occurs.

Table 3.1: Serial Port Redirection Configurable Items

Item Description

Enable/ disable

Enables or disables the serial port redirection connection method on the serial port. (See Exclusivity and restrictions on page 15.)

The default value is enabled.

Serial buffering

Specifies the length of time accumulated serial data should be buffered before being sent to the remote server. Valid values are 0-65535 hundredths of a second. A 0 value indicates that data will be sent as soon as it is available.

For example, a value of 100 indicates that once serial data is received, it will remain buffered up to 1 second (100 hundredths of a second), at which time all data will be sent.

If the buffer becomes half full, the time is ignored and the data is sent. The default value is 0 (send immediately).

Chapter 3: Connection Methods, Attributes and Configurable Features 17

Table 3.2 describes this method’s configurable items for each serial port.

Raw TCP server

The raw TCP server connection method allows a remote client to make a TCP socket connection to a serial port on the ESP hub and then transmit/receive data using standard TCP. The remote client initiates the TCP session, using a predefined IP port number.

When this method is enabled, the TCP server will accept a connection from any valid remote IP address. There is no filtering of remote addresses. When a remote raw TCP client attempts to establish a connection, the raw TCP server will accept the connection only if the port is not already

Table 3.2: Telnet Server Connection Method Configurable Items

Item Description

Enable/disable

Enables or disables the Telnet server connection method on the port. (See Exclusivity and restrictions on page 15.)

The default value is disabled.

Local IP port number [base]

Specifies the IP port number on which the Telnet server will listen. If the all ports option is being used for configuration, this value specifies the local IP port

base. Each port’s actual local IP port number will be the base plus the port number. For example, if 6000 is specified as the base, the local IP port number for port 1 will be 6001, port 2 will be 6002 and so on.

This value (or its result when using the all ports option) must meet the following criteria:

• It cannot conflict with the port numbers specified for other enabled connection methods on any port.

• Valid values are 1024-65535, except 4000 and 4100, which are reserved.

• When using the all ports option, 4000 or 4100 may be used as the base. However, you cannot specify a base that, when added to a port number, will equal 4000 or 4100.

When using the all ports option, all ports must be valid or the entire selection will not be accepted.

The default value is 3001 for port 1, 3002 for port 2 and so on.

Inactivity timeout

Specifies the length of time before the Telnet session is disconnected if there is no activity. Valid values are 0-65535 seconds. A 0 value disables the inactivity time-out.

For example, a value of 60 indicates the Telnet session will be disconnected if there is no activity for a period of 60 seconds.

The default value is 0 (disabled).

Serial buffering

Specifies the length of time accumulated serial data should be buffered before being sent across the network to the Telnet client. Valid values are 0-65535 hundredths of a second. A 0 value indicates that data will be sent as soon as it is available.

For example, a value of 100 indicates that once serial data is received, it will remain buffered up to 1 second (100 hundredths of a second), at which time all data will be sent.

If the buffer becomes half full, the time is ignored and the data is sent. The default value is 0 (send immediately).

18 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

open and in use by any connection method, including an existing raw TCP server connection on that port. If the port is currently in use, the connection request will be rejected.

The TCP session will remain active until the remote client closes the TCP socket, the TCP connection is broken or the inactivity time-out (if enabled) occurs.

Table 3.3 describes this method’s configurable items for each serial port.

Table 3.3: Raw TCP Server Connection Method Configurable Items

Item Description

Enable/disable

Enables or disables the raw TCP server connection method on the port. (See Exclusivity and restrictions on page 15.)

The default value is disabled.

Local IP port number [base]

Specifies the IP port number on which the TCP server will listen. If the all ports option is being used for configuration, this value specifies the local IP port

This value (or its result when using the all ports option) must meet the following criteria:

• It cannot conflict with the port numbers specified for other enabled connection methods on any port.

• Valid values are 1024-65535, except 4000 and 4100, which are reserved.

• When using the all ports option, 4000 or 4100 may be used as the base. However, you cannot specify a base that, when added to a port number, will equal 4000 or 4100.

When using the all ports option, all ports must be valid or the entire selection will not be accepted.

The default value is 4001 for port 1, 4002 for port 2 and so on.

Inactivity timeout

Specifies the length of time before the TCP session is disconnected if there is no activity. Valid values are 0-65535 seconds. A 0 value disables the inactivity time-out.

For example, a value of 60 indicates the TCP session will be disconnected if there is no activity for a period of 60 seconds.

The default value is 0 (disabled).

Monitor DCD

(Valid only on RS-232 ports.) Enables or disables monitoring of the DCD signal, which is an indication that a serial device is attached and powered on. When enabled, the TCP server will refuse the TCP connection if the inbound DCD signal is logically low at the time the connection is initiated. If the inbound DCD signal changes from logically high to low while a TCP session is active, the TCP connection will be closed.

The default value is disabled.

Chapter 3: Connection Methods, Attributes and Configurable Features 19

Raw TCP client

The raw TCP client connection method allows the ESP hub to make a TCP-based connection to a remote server and then transmit/receive data using standard TCP. The client hub initiates the TCP session.

When this method is enabled, the raw TCP client will attempt to establish a connection with the configured server when the connection mode requirement has been satisfied. The TCP session will remain active until the client closes the TCP socket, the TCP connection is broken, the inactivity time-out (if enabled) occurs or if the connection mode is Connect on DCD and the DCD signal is lowered.

Table 3.4 describes this method’s configurable items for each serial port.

Serial buffering

For example, a value of 100 indicates that once serial data is received, it will remain buffered up to 1 second (100 hundredths of a second), at which time all data will be sent.

If the buffer becomes half full, the time is ignored and the data is sent. The default value is 0 (send immediately).

Idle TCP buffering

Enables or disables buffering of received serial data while waiting for a TCP connection to be established. When enabled, the most recent 20K bytes of data are held in an internal buffer. After the connection is established, the buf fered serial data is sent to the TCP client. When this option and this connection method are enabled, you may not enable any other connection method for the port.

The default value is disabled.

Table 3.3: Raw TCP Server Connection Method Configurable Items (Continued)

Item Description

Table 3.4: Raw TCP Client Connection Meth od Configurable Items

Item Description

Enable/disable

Enables or disables the raw TCP client connection method on the port. (See Exclusivity and restrictions on page 15.)

The default value is disabled.

Destination IP address

Specifies the IP address of the raw TCP server. This is a required item; there is no default value. Only one destination address can be configured for each serial port. The address cannot be 0.0.x.x, 127.x.x.x, 192.1.1.1, 248-255.x.x.x or the IP address of the ESP hub.

20 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

Destination IP port number [base]

Specifies the IP port number on which the remote server is listening. Valid values are 0-65535. (If the destination IP port is on an ESP hub, 4000 and 4100 should not be used.)

If the all ports option is being used for configuration, this value specifies the destination IP port base. Each port’s actual destination IP port number will be the base plus the port number. For example, if 6000 is specified as the destination IP port base, the destination IP port number for port 1 will be 6001, port 2 will be 6002 and so on.

The default value is 4001 for port 1, 4002 for port 2 and so on.

Local IP port number [base]

Specifies the IP port number for the embedded TCP client. If the all ports option is being used for configuration, this value specifies the local IP port base.

Each port’s actual local IP port number will be the base plus the port number. For example, if 6000 is specified as the base, the local IP port number for port 1 will be 6001, port 2 will be 6002 and so on.

This value (or its result when using the all ports option) must meet the following criteria:

• It cannot conflict with the port numbers specified for other enabled connection methods on any port.

• Valid values are 1024-65535, except 4000 and 4100, which are reserved.

• When using the all ports option, 4000 or 4100 may be used as the base. However, you cannot specify a base that, when added to a port number, will equal 4000 or 4100.

When using the all ports option, all ports must be valid or the entire selection will not be accepted.

The default value is 4001 for port 1, 4002 for port 2 and so on.

Inactivity timeout

Specifies the length of time before the TCP session is disconnected if there is no activity. Valid values are 0-65535 seconds. A 0 value disables the inactivity time-out.

For example, a value of 60 indicates the TCP session will be disconnected if there is no activity for a period of 60 seconds.

The default value is 0 (disabled).

Connection mode

Specifies the criteria for establishing the TCP connection. Valid values are: Always Connect Always attempt to establish the TCP connection. Connect on Data The TCP connection will be established upon receiving the first data

character from the serial port.

Connect on DCD (Valid only on RS-232 ports.) The TCP connection will be established

when the DCD signal is logically high.

The default value is Always Connect

Serial buffering

For example, a value of 100 indicates that once serial data is received, it will remain buffered up to 1 second (100 hundredths of a second), at which time all data will be sent.

If the buffer becomes half full, the time is ignored and the data is sent. The default value is 0 (send immediately).

Table 3.4: Raw TCP Client Connection Method Configurable Items (Continued)

Item Description

Chapter 3: Connection Methods, Attributes and Configurable Features 21

Modem emulation

ESP serial hubs may be used to replace costly POTS-line calls with cost-effective raw TCP sessions. To accomplish this, the ESP hub provides a connection method called modem emulation. Two ESP hubs work in conjunction to emulate the connection. One ESP hub will establish the connection in response to AT commands. The other ESP hub will emulate a modem that has received an incoming call.

The modem emulation connection method enables an ESP hub serial port to emulate modem dial and answer functionality. The hub presents a Hayes-compatible modem interface to the attached serial device by accepting AT modem commands and performing the required functions.

This connection method is valid only on RS-232 ports. For information about available adaptors that can be used with modem emulation, see Adaptors on page 77.

Table 3.5 describes this method’s configurable items for each serial port.

Idle TCP buffering

Enables or disables buffering of received serial data while waiting for a TCP connection to be established. When enabled, the most recent 20K bytes of data are held in an internal buffer. Once the connection is established, the buffered serial data is sent to the remote endpoint of the TCP connection.

The default value is disabled.

Table 3.4: Raw TCP Client Connection Method Configurable Items (Continued)

Item Description

Table 3.5: Modem Em ulation Connection Method Configurable Items

Item Description

Enable/ Disable

Enables or disables the modem emulation connection method on the port. (See Exclusivity and restrictions on page 15.)

The default value is disabled.

Allow Incoming Calls

Enables or disables incoming calls (that is, raw TCP sessions originating remotely). When enabled, the ESP hub will listen for inbound raw TCP connection requests. See Incoming calls on page 28 for more information.

The default value is enabled.

Auto Answer

(Used only when Allow Incoming Calls is enabled.) Enables or disables auto answer. When enabled, a connection will be accepted without interaction with the serial port. When disabled, the ESP hub will send the appropriate string (RING or 2, depending on the ATV command or configured Verbose Response value). Upon receipt of an ATA modem command, the call will be accepted.

The default value is enabled.

22 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

Local IP Port [base]

(Used only when Allow Incoming Calls is enabled.) Specifies the port where the ESP hub will listen for incoming connection requests.

If the all ports option is being used for configuration, this value specifies the local IP port base. Each port’s actual local IP port number will be the base plus the port number. For example, if 6000 is specified as the base, the local IP port number for port 1 will be 6001, port 2 will be 6002 and so on.

This value (or its result when using the all ports option) must meet the following criteria:

• It cannot conflict with the port numbers specified for other enabled connection methods on any port.

• Valid values are 1024-65535, except 4000 and 4100, which are reserved.

• When using the all ports option, 4000 or 4100 may be used as the base. However, you cannot specify a base that, when added to a port number, will equal 4000 or 4100.

When using the all ports option, all ports must be valid or the entire selection will not be accepted.

The default value is 5001 for port 1, 5002 for port 2 and so on.

Allow Outgoing Calls

Enables or disables outgoing calls (that is, establishing a raw TCP connection in response to AT commands received on the serial port). When this option is enabled, you may also set the Default IP Address and Default IP Port options, which will be used if an ATDT modem command is issued without parameters. When this option is disabled, valid ATDT strings will be ignored. See Outgoing calls on page 26 for more information.

The default value is enabled.

Destination IP Address

(Used only when Allow Outgoing Calls is enabled.) Specifies the IP address to be used when an ATDT modem command is entered without an IP address. The address cannot be 0.0.x.x,

127.x.x.x, 248-255.x.x.x or the IP address of the ESP hub.

Destination IP Port [base]

(Used only when Allow Outgoing Calls is enabled.) Specifies the IP port number to be used when an ATDT modem command is entered without an IP port. Valid values are 0-65535. (If the destination IP port is on an ESP MI hub, 4000 and 4100 should not be used.)

The default value is 5001 for port 1, 5002 for port 2 and so on.

Echo

Enables or disables echo mode. When enabled, modem commands are echoed to the attached serial device. When disabled, modem commands are not echoed. (This option affects only modem commands, not session data.)

The default value is enabled. This option is equivalent to an ATE modem command. If an ATE command is issued with a

different value, the new value will be used during that connection but it will not replace this configured value. The configured Echo value will be used for subsequent connections.

Table 3.5: Modem Emulation Connection Method Configurable Items (Continued)

Item Description

Chapter 3: Connection Methods, Attributes and Configurable Features 23

Verbose Response

Specifies whether text or numeric codes will be sent to the serial device in response to modem AT commands and how unknown commands will be handled. Valid values are:

ATV0 - text codes will be used; unknown commands will cause an error ATV1 - numeric codes will be used; unknown commands will cause an error ATV2 - numeric codes will be used; unknown commands will be discarded ATV3 - text codes will be used; unknown commands will be discarded The default value is ATV0. Table 3.7 on page 26 lists the numeric and text codes. This option is equivalent to issuing an ATV modem command. If an ATV command is issued

with a different value, the new value will will be used during that connection but it will not replace this configured value. The configured Verbose Response value will be used for subsequent connections.

Response Codes

Specifies whether response codes will be displayed on the serial device. Valid values are: ATQ0 - response codes will be displayed (enabled) ATQ1 - response codes will not be displayed (disabled) The default value is ATQ0 (enabled). This option is equivalent to issuing an ATQ modem command. If an ATQ command is issued

with a different value, the new value will be used during that connection but it will not replace this configured value. The configured Response Codes value will be used for subsequent connections.

Monitor DCD

Enables or disables monitoring of the DCD signal. When enabled, if the inbound DCD signal is logically low, the ESP hub will not allow the TCP session to be created. If the inbound DCD signal changes from logically high to low while a session is active, the connection will be closed.

The default value is disabled.

Serial buffering

For example, a value of 100 indicates that once serial data is received, it will remain buffered up to 1 second (100 hundredths of a second), at which time all data will be sent.

If the buffer becomes half full, the time is ignored and the data is sent. The default value is 0 (send immediately).

Inactivity timeout

Specifies the length of time before the TCP session is disconnected if there is no activity. Valid values are 0-65535 seconds. A 0 value disables the inactivity time-out.

For example, a value of 60 indicates the session will be disconnected if there is no activity for a period of 60 seconds.

The default value is 0 (disabled).

Table 3.5: Modem Emulation Connection Method Configurable Items (Continued)

Item Description

24 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

Modem commands

Table 3.6 lists the supported AT modem commands. All other AT commands will be ignored or cause an error, depending on the configured response code and verbose response settings. With the exception of the ? and ATDT commands, multiple commands may be entered on the same line, separated by a space. (If a question mark is entered on a line with other commands, it is interpreted as AT?. If an ATDT command is followed by other commands on the same line, ATDT will be recognized, but the remaining commands on the line will be ignored.)

Information about command mode follows the table.

Table 3.6: Modem Commands

Command Description

? Help. Displays a list of valid AT commands. AT? Returns the value of register S0. ATA Instructs the ESP hub to answer an incoming call.

ATDT<ip>[,|:] <socket>

Initiates a TCP connection to the specified host. A comma, period or nothing may be used to separate IP address octets. TCP ports may be delimited by a comma or colon.

For example, the following commands are all valid: ATDT 10,100,128,129:3001

ATDT 10.100.128.129,3001 ATDT 010100128129:3001

The IP address and socket number are required unless they were configured when the modem emulation connection method was enabled; see Modem Emulation Connection Method Configurable Items on page 21.

The dialout translation feature may be enabled to translate from an input string (usually a telephone number) to an IP address/IP port; see Dialout translation on page 27.

ATE

Enables (ATE0) or disables (ATE1) echo mode. The default value is ATE1. This command is equivalent to the Echo option that is specified when configuring the modem

emulation connection method. If you issue this command with a value that differs from the configured option value, the new value will override the configured value only for this connection. Subsequent connections will use the configured Echo option value.

ATH

Disconnects the network session. The ESP hub will close the active TCP session and return the appropriate code (No Carrier or 3), depending on the ATV value.

ATO

Returns the ESP hub to data mode. When the hub returns to data mode, it once again listens for incoming data from the ESP hub at the other end of the connection. The remote hub will then send any data it may have stored.

ATQ

Enables (ATQ0) or disables (ATQ1) response codes. The default value is ATQ0. This command is equivalent to the Response Codes option that is specified when configuring

the modem emulation connection method. If you issue this command with a value that differs from the configured option value, the new value will override the configured value only for this connection. Subsequent connections will use the configured Response Codes option value.

Chapter 3: Connection Methods, Attributes and Configurable Features 25

If the Verbal Response/ATV value is set to 0 or 1, any AT command other than those listed in Table 3.6 will cause an ERROR or 4 response string to be sent to the attached serial device. Any commands parsed up to the point of the unknown command will be processed. Commands on th e same line after the unknown command will not be processed.

For example, in the following command, V1 will be accepted, &W1 will cause an error and E0 will not be processed.

AT V1 &W1 E0

However, if the Verbal Response/ATV value is set to 2 or 3, unknown commands will be ignored/ discarded. Commands on the same line after the unknown command, if valid, will be processed. In the previous example, V1 and E0 will be accepted; &W1 will be discarded.

Command mode

When an ESP hub serial port is configured for the modem emulation connection method but no TCP connection is established, the port is in command mode. When an ATDT command is received and a session is established, the port is in data mode. Data from the network endpoint will be forwarded to the serial port and data from the serial port will be forwarded to the network endpoint.

The data being received from the serial port is scanned for the string that activates command mode (+++). When this string is detected, the hub will reply OK to the device and will enter command mode.

ATS0=n

Sets the value in register S0, which specifies the number of rings before auto answer. The default value is 1.

ATV

Specifies whether text or numeric codes will be returned in response to modem AT commands and how unknown commands will be handled. Valid values are:

ATV0 = text codes will be used, unknown commands cause an error ATV1 = numeric codes will be used, unknown commands cause an error ATV2 = numeric codes will be used, unknown commands discarded ATV3 = text codes will be used, unknown commands discarded The default value is ATV0. Table 3.7 on page 26 lists the numeric and text codes. This command is equivalent to the Verbose Response option that is specified when

configuring the modem emulation connection method. If you issue this command with a value that differs from the configured option value, the new value will override the configured value only for this connection. Subsequent connections will use the configured Verbose Response option value.

+++

Activates command mode when entered from the serial port during a remote host connection. See Command mode on page 25 for more information.

Table 3.6: Modem Commands (Continued)

Command Description

26 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

The following rules must be followed to enter command mode.

• There must be a one-second guard time (no data traffic) before sending the +++.

• There must not be a delay longer than one second between each +.

• There must be another one-second guard time after the last +. When a port enters command mode, the remote ESP hub will not be aware of this state change. The

remote hub will obviously not be receiving any data from the TCP connection, but if it receives serial data from its attached device, it will attempt to send it to the ESP hub that is not listening because it is in command mode. In this case, the data will be buffered until the port on the intended recipient ESP hub returns to data mode.

Response codes

The ESP hub will respond to an AT command from the serial device with OK or ERROR plus the status of the TCP connection to the remote endpoint.

Table 3.7 lists the possible response values; that is, when response codes are enabled and the applicable format (numeric or text) is enabled.

Outgoing calls

When the Allow Outgoing Calls option is enabled and the ESP hub is idle, input will be parsed for valid ATDT strings and a TCP connection will be attempted to the remote end. If another call is active, any connection request will be ignored, even if the Escape to Command Mode string (+++) is detected.

If the Monitor DCD option is enabled, the connection will be rejected if the control signal is logically low. The connection will be closed if the inbound control signal transitions from logically high to low during the call.

In all cases, when a TCP connection is active, the ESP hub will raise the outbound DTR signal to indicate that the connection is valid (which should be seen as inbound DCD by the serial device,

Table 3.7: Modem Command Response Codes

Numeric Codes (ATV1 or ATV2) Text Code (ATV0 or ATV3)

0OK 2Ring 3 No Carrier 4Error 5 Connect 6 No Dialtone 7Busy 8 No Answer

Chapter 3: Connection Methods, Attributes and Configurable Features 27

which is usually a PC when modem emulation is used). If the TCP connection drops, DTR will be lowered to indicate a Carrier Drop to the attached serial device.

Dialout translation

When the Allow Outgoing Calls option is enabled, the attached serial device usually specifies the IP address and IP port number of the remote application with the ATDT command. However, some devices that attach to modems may be unable to specify the IP address. In these cases, the ESP hub modem emulation provides an optional phone number translation mechanism for dialout applications.

A dialout translation set consists of a translate string (usually containing all or part of a telephone number), an IP address and an IP port. You may configure up to eight translation sets for each ESP hub serial port.

When an ATDT command is received, the modem emulation code first checks each of the eight dialout translation sets. If the translate string is non-null , it is compared against the ASCII data received after the ATDT command (that is, the target string). If it matches, an outgoing connection is made to the specified IP address and IP port, instead of the target string. Dialout is only done on the first translation set that matches the target string.

Table 3.8 lists the valid values for a translation set’s parts.

The translation sets are configured when the modem emulation connection method and outgoing calls are enabled.

Table 3.8: Dialout Translation Set

Translation Set Part Description

Translate_string

A string of from 1-16 printable ASCII characters. The string may contain the following wildcard characters:

? - to match any single ASCII character * - to match multiple ASCII characters, including null characters Examples of translate strings are: 1800-5551234 180055512?? 1800*4 A null string creates a disabled translation set, and no other information

(IP address/port) is required. The default is a null string.

IP address

IP address of the remote application, in standard dot notation. The address cannot be 0.0.x.x, 127.x.x.x, 248-255.x.x.x or the IP address of the ESP hub.

The default is 0.0.0.0.

IP port

IP port number in the range 0-65535. If the destination IP port is on an ESP MI hub, 4000 and 4100 should not be used.

The default is 0.

28 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

Incoming calls

When the Allow Incoming Calls option is enabled, the ESP hub will listen on the specified TCP port for connection requests from the network. If another call is active, an incoming connection request will be rejected.

If the Monitor DCD option is enabled, the connection will be rejected if the control signal is logically low. The connection will be closed if the inbound control signal changes from logically high to low.

When a TCP connection is active, the ESP hub will raise the outbound DTR signal to indicate that the connection is valid (which should be seen as inbound DCD by the serial device). If the remote end breaks the TCP connection, DTR will be lowered to indicate a Carrier Drop to the attached serial device.

Configuration utility

The configuration utility connection method may be used on any of the ESP serial ports. Using the internal configuration utility, you may specify attributes of the ESP hub and its serial ports. This includes enabling serial port connection methods and specifying their configurable items, plus configuring serial port attributes. The menu-based interface also allows you to configure network parameters, download and install Flash images, reboot, reinitialize and monitor ESP hub status. For more information, see Chapter 5, beginning on page 43.

Table 3.9 describes this method’s configurable items for each serial port.

Serial Port Attributes

Each serial port has a set of attributes. You may change the attribute values using any of the available tools.

• Web interface - see Displaying or Changing Serial Port Attributes on page 33

• Configuration utility - see Displaying or Changing Serial Port Attributes on page 46

• Configuration file - see Port Attributes Command on page 58

Table 3.9: Configuration Utility Connection Method Configurable Items

Item Description

Enable/disable

Enables or disables the configuration utility connection method on the port. (See Exclusivity and restrictions on page 15.)

The default value is enabled for port 1 and disabled for other ports.

Inactivity time-out

Specifies the length of time before the configuration utility is disconnected if there is no activity. Valid values are 0-65535 seconds. A 0 value disables the inactivity time-out.

For example, a value of 60 indicates the configuration utility will be disconnected if there is no activity for a period of 60 seconds.

The default value is 0 (disabled).

Chapter 3: Connection Methods, Attributes and Configurable Features 29

NOTE: When a port is configured for the serial port redirection connection method, the attributes are specified

within the protocol. Therefore, although you may change the attributes, any changes you specify will not take effect.

Table 3.10 lists the serial port attributes with their valid and default values.

Configurable Features

The Configurable Features display includes the current settings of the features described in Table 3.11.

You may enable/disable these features using any of the available tools.

• Web interface - see Displaying or Changing Configurable Featu res on page 37

• Configuration utility - see Displaying or Changing Configurable Features on page 50

• Configuration file - see Configurable Features Commands on page 59 When the ESP serial hub is reinitialized, all configurable features are restored to their default

setting (enabled).

Table 3.10: Serial Port Valid and Default Values

Attribute Valid and Default Values

Baud rate

Valid values: 50, 75, 110, 134, 150, 200, 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600, 76800, 115200 and 230400 *

Default value: 19200 * The 230400 baud rate is not supported on ESP-8 MI or ESP-16 MI hubs. On ESP-2 MI

hubs, the aggregate rate of both ports cannot exceed 230400.

Bits per character (size)

Valid values: 5, 6, 7 and 8 Default value: 8

Parity

Valid values: None, Even, Odd, Mark and Space Default value: None

Stop bits

Valid values: 1 and 2 Default value: 1

Flow control

Valid values: None, XON/XOFF and RTS/CTS Flow control settings are full duplex. RTS/CTS flow control is valid only on RS-232 ports. Default value: None

Table 3.11: Configurable Features

Feature Description

Acquire IP address via DHCP

When enabled, the IP address may be set using DHCP/BootP. When disabled, the IP address must be set using the web interface, the configuration utility or the UDP protocol (espcfg or NT driver coinstaller). The default value is enabled.

30 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

Allow administrative functions via SNMP

When enabled, the SNMP interface is used for monitoring and limited configuration of the ESP hub. When disabled, tools such as espdiag will not work. The default value is enabled.

Allow web based interface

When enabled, the web interface may be used. When disabled, that interface is not available. The default value is enabled.

Allow Telnet to configuration utility

When enabled, the configuration utility may be accessed with Telnet. When disabled, the configuration utility is not accessible with Telnet. The default value is enabled.

Allow sockets based network administration

When enabled, the sockets-based interface for administrative functions such as the ESP-View diagnostic utility may be used. When disabled, those administrative functions cannot be used. The default value is enabled.

Table 3.11: Configurable Features (Continued)

Feature Description

CHAPTER

Web Interface

You may use a standard web browser to access the ESP hub embedded web server. Any browser that supports frames may be used, and the web interface is accessible from any system, regardless of operating system type.

For information about when changes take effect, see When Changes Take Effect on page 12.

Accessing the Web Interface

The web interface may be accessed using any standard web browser with the IP address of the hub as the URL. For example, if an ESP serial hub has an IP address of 192.168.0.5, entering the URL

http://192.168.0.5 will connect to the web interface.

The ESP-8 MI and ESP-16 MI serial hubs also support secure connections to the web interface. For example, with an ESP-16 MI hub with an IP address of 192.168.0.5, entering

https://192.168.0.5

will initiate a secure connection. The browser will display the security certificate (self-signed) from the ESP hub. Once the certificate is accepted, the web interface will open.

If the hub still has a default IP address (because it has not yet been configured or the hub has been reinitialized), you may enter the URL

http://192.1.1.1 to access the hub (or https://192.1.1.1 for a

secure connection to an ESP-8 MI or ESP-16 MI hub).

NOTE: The predefined IP address (192.1.1.1) is fixed, and unexpected errors may occur if another device has the same IP address or if there is more than one uninitialized ESP hub on the network. After the hub’s web interface is accessed, you must configure an IP address before the hub becomes operational. After the IP address is configured, the hub will no longer be accessible with the predefined IP address.

The ability to access the web interface is a configurable feature which is enabled by default; see Configurable Features on page 29.

If you click the Documentation link in the Main Menu, you may then choose to download a copy of this document (Installer/User Guide) or a sample configuration file.

Passwords

The web interface requires an administration password for access. When the ESP serial hub ships (and after it is reinitialized), there is no configured password. When you access the hub, you are prompted for a username and password. The username field is ignored. If a password has not yet

32 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

been set, any alphanumeric password will be accepted. Once you enter the web interface, you will be required to configure a password before requesting any other operations.

Some browsers have a feature to remember the password. If this is enabled, you will not need to enter the password at the username/password prompt in future sessions.

The administration password is common between the web interface and the configuration utility. When using the web interface, the password is encrypted by the browser when it is sent to the interface (regardless of whether the web interface connection is secure).

If you reinitialize the serial hub, the password is lost. You will be required to create a password the next time you access the web interface or the configuration utility.

To set or change the password:

1. From the Main Menu, select Change Password.

2. Enter the new 5-32 character password in the New Password field. Passwords are case sensitive and may contain any alphanumeric characters.

3. Repeat the new password in the New Password (re-enter) field.

4. Click Apply.

Once the password is validated, the configuration will be updated. A reboot is not required. The new password will be required the next time the web interface or the configuration utility is accessed.

Displaying or Changing Network Configuration Values

The Network Configuration displa y in cludes the ESP serial hub IP address, subnet mask, gat eway address and network interface settings. You must configure a nondefault IP address for the hub to become operational.

To display or change network configuration values:

1. From the Main Menu, select Network Configuration.

2. To change an entry, enter a valid value in the IP Address, Subnet Mask, Gateway Address and/ or Interface Mode fields.

Addresses must be entered in standard IP dot notation. The gateway address must be in the same subnet as the IP address. You cannot set the IP address to: a Class A address of 0.0.x.x, a loopback address of 127.x.x.x, the default value of 192.1.1.1 or an address at or above

248.x.x.x. The subnet mask cannot be 0.0.0.0. The default interface setting value is auto-negotiate. To change it, select another value from the

listbox. See Network Interface on page 9 for more information.

3. If you changed any values, click Apply. If you changed the address information, it will not take effect until the next reboot of the ESP hub. To reboot, click Reboot. If the IP address had not been previously set or the hub has been reinitialized, the hub reboots automatically.

Chapter 4: Web Interface 33

Displaying or Changing Serial Port Attributes

You may display or change the attributes of one or all ESP hub serial ports. See Serial Port Attributes on page 28 for more information.

To display or change serial port attributes:

1. From the Main Menu, select Port Attributes. The Serial Port Selection window will open.

2. Select a port number or all ports, then click Apply. The Serial Attributes window will open.

• If a single port was selected, the display contains the current values of the port’s attributes.

•If all ports was selected, the display contains the default values for the port attributes,

which may differ from the current values for any port.

3. To change any of the attributes, select a value from the appropriate listbox. See Table 3.10 on page 29 for valid and default values.

4. If you changed any values, click Apply. The change will take effect during the next connection to that port.

Warnings and errors

A warning will be displayed (but the change will be allowed) if hardware fl ow cont rol is specified for a port that is not configured with the RS-232 interface. If the change was applied to all ports, the warning will indicate the affected ports.

Displaying or Changing Port Connection Methods

You may display or change the port connection methods for one or all ESP hub serial ports. See Serial Port Connection Methods on page 15 for more information.

To display or change port connection methods:

1. From the Main Menu, select Port Connections. The Serial Port Selection window will open.

2. Select a port number of all ports, then click Apply. The Connection Methods window will open. Radio buttons indicate if a connection method is enabled or disabled. Text boxes contain values for applicable features.

• If a single port was selected, the display contains the current values of the port’s

connection methods.

•If all ports was selected, the display contains the default values for the connection method

parameters, which may differ from the current values for any port.

3. To change a field, click the appropriate radio button, enter a valid value or choose from a listbox. Table 4.1 indicates where to find more information.

34 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

4. If you enable the modem emulation connection method and enable outgoing cal ls, you may also configure dialout translation by clicking the Configure Dialout Translati on link.

The dialout translation table for that port will be displayed. You may configure up to eight sets for each port. For each set, enter a translate string, an IP address and a port number. A null string disables that translation set. If you changed any values, click Apply.

See Dialout translation on page 27 for more information.

5. If you changed any values, click Apply. You will be prompted to confirm. When confirmed, the configuration is updated immediately. The change will take effect during the next connection to that port.

Warnings and errors

A warning will be displayed (and the change will not be allowed) if:

• The TCP client or modem emulation connection method is enabled and any other connection method is also enabled.

• The TCP server connection method is enabled, the idle buffering feature is enabled and any other connection method is also enabled.

• There is a conflict on the local IP ports between two or more enabled connection methods.

A warning will be displayed (but the change will be allowed) if:

• The TCP server or TCP client connection method is enabled and monitor DCD is enabled, but the port interface is not RS-232.

• The modem emulation connection method is enabled but the port interface is not RS-232.

If changes were applied to all ports, the warning will indicate the affected ports.

Displaying or Changing the Serial Port Physical Interface

You may change the physical interface for one or all serial ports on an ESP-4 MI or ESP-8 MI hub. On an ESP-16 MI hub, you may change the physical interface for one port or the first eight serial ports. See Physical Interfaces on page 6 for more information.

Table 4.1: Reference to Connection Method Rules and Values

For this method See this table for descriptions, rules and values

Serial port redirection Table 3.1 on page 16 Telnet server Table 3.2 on page 17 Raw TCP server Table 3.3 on page 18 Raw TCP client Table 3.4 on page 19 Modem emulation Table 3.5 on page 21 Configuration utility Table 3.9 on page 28

Chapter 4: Web Interface 35

NOTE: On ESP-2 MI hubs, the physical interface and termination are changed in hardware. See Changing the

Serial Port Interface on ESP-2 MI Hubs on page 75 for more information.

To display or change the port interface:

1. From the Main Menu, select Port Interface. The Serial Port Selection window will open.

2. Select a port number or all ports, then click Apply.

• On ESP-2 MI hubs, you may display interface information for port 1 or port 2 (the all

ports option is not available). If the RS-485 interface was configured in hardware, you may change the transfer mode.

• On ESP-16 MI hubs, ports 1-8 support multi-interface (ports 9-16 are dedicated RS-232),

so only 1-8 will be displayed. If all ports is selected, only ports 1-8 will be affected.

The Serial Attributes window will open.

• If a single port was selected, the display contains the current port interface value.

•If all ports was selected, the display contains the default port interface mode (RS-232),

which may differ from the current values for any port.

3. To change the interface, select a value from the Port Interface listbox.

4. If you select RS-422 or RS-485, you may also set a radio button in the RS422/RS485 Termination field to enable or disable 100 ohm term inat ion. See Termination on page 7 for more information.

5. For ESP-2 MI hubs configured for RS-485 in hardware, the Transfer Mode (RS485) field indicates the current transfer mode. (If the port is hardware-configured for another interface type, this field indicates Not Applicable.) To change the transfer mode, select RTS or ADDC from the listbox. See RS-485 transmitter and receiver transfer modes on page 7 for more information.

6. If you changed the interface, click Apply. The change will take effect immediately.

Warnings and errors

A warning will be displayed (but the change will be allowed) if the RS-422 or RS-485 interface is enabled and:

• Hardware flow control is enabled in the port attributes.

• Monitor DCD is enabled for the TCP server or TCP client connection methods, and those methods are enabled.

• Modem emulation is enabled.

If these changes were applied to all ports, the warning will indicate the affected ports.

36 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

Sending a Break to a Port

The Send Break feature sends a line break to an attached device on one or all ports.

To send a break to one or all ports:

1. From the Main Menu, select Port Break. The Serial Port Selection window will open.

2. Select a port number or all ports, then click Apply.

A break will be sent to the specified port(s).

Displaying Hardware Information

The Hardware Information display includes the following items.

• Model number

• Hardware revision number

• Number of serial ports

• EEPROM revision number

• Amount of SDRAM in megabytes

• Amount of Flash memory in megabytes

• Amount of EEPROM configuration memory in kilobytes (ESP-2 MI and ESP-4 MI hubs only)

• Hub MAC address

• Hub serial number

• Hub part number

This information cannot be modified.

To display hardware information:

Select Hardware Infor mation from the Main Menu.

Displaying or Updating Flash Memory

The Flash Update display includes information about the current images loaded in Flash memory. You may update the embedded application image or bootstrap image in Flash memory. Before updating a Flash image, you must configure a TFTP server on the target server system and install the new Flash image in the appropriate location, which is usually relative to the TFTP root directory.

To display Flash image information or update an image:

1. From the Main Menu, select Flash. The Application Image section includes the version number, size and internal slot number for

the Primary embedded application image. The previously installed image is maintained as a backup; the Backup field contains its values.

Chapter 4: Web Interface 37

The Bootstrap Image section indicates the version number, size and internal slot number for the embedded kernel image. The previously installed image is maintained as a backup. The Bootloader field indicates the version number and size of the bootloader image. The FPGA field indicates the version number and size of the F PGA.

2. To update the application image: a. Click Update Application. The Application Image Update window appears. b. Enter the IP address of the TFTP server and the application image filename. c. Click Ap ply. The update process may take up to 30 seconds to complete. After the update

completes, status will be displayed.

3. To update the bootstrap image: a. Click U pdate Bootstrap. The Bootstrap Image Update window appears. b. Enter the IP address of the TFTP server and the bootstrap image filename. c. By default, the bootloader will only be updated if the version number of the new image is

greater than the version number currently installed. If you wish to downrev the bootloader (that is, use a previous/earlier version), enable the

Update Bootloader Regardless of Version checkbox. It is generally recommended that this checkbox be disabled.

d. Click Apply. The update process may take up to 30 seconds to complete. After the update

completes, status will be displayed.

The new Flash image will be used after the ESP serial hub reboots.

Displaying or Changing Configurable Features

The Configurable Features display includes the current settings of the features described in Table 3.11 on page 29.

To view or change configurable features:

1. From the Main Menu, select Configurable Features.

2. Click the Enabled or Disabled radio butto n next to the feature to be changed.

3. If you changed any setting, click Apply. The change will not take effect until the next reboot. To reboot, click the Reboot button.

When the ESP serial hub is reinitialized, all configurable features are restored to their default settings.

Downloading a Configuration File

To ease the task of configuration, the ESP hub supports file-based configuration. The Configuration Download operation initiates the loading of a configuration file from a TFTP server. The commands in the file are processed and the configuration is then updated. See Chapter 6, beginning on page 55, for more information.

38 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

To download and process a configuration file:

1. From the Main Menu, select Configuration File.

2. Enter the TFTP server IP address and the pathname of the configuration file.

The outcome of the configuration update will be displayed. If an error occurred with the TFTP address or file pathname, the message will indicate a time-out condition. If an error was encountered in the configuration file, the display includes the command line number and the erroneous entry.

The Status from last operation field indicates the result of the previous unattended configuration operation. If that operation was successful, this field will be empty; if an error occurred, a message will be displayed.

The configuration is updated immediately, but som e changes may not take effect until the next reboot. You are notified if this applies. To reboot immediately, click the Reboot button.

Launching the ESP-View Diagnostic Utility

The ESP-View diagnostic utility may be used for datascope, loopback and status functions. See ESP-View Diagnostic Utility on page 67 for more information.

To launch the ESP-View utility:

From the Main Menu, select Diagnostic Utility.

Displaying General Statistics

The General Statistics display includes the items described in Table 4.2. All values are cumulative since the ESP serial hub was last reset.

Table 4.2: General Statistics Display

Item Description

Uptime Number of days, hours, minutes and seconds since the hub was last rebooted.

Idle Time

Number of days, hours, minutes and seconds of idle time. Idle time occurs when the hub is not performing any active operations such as processing serial or network data.

Network Interface Counts

Number of bytes transmitted and received plus the number of transmit and receive errors that have occurred.

UDP

Number of UDP datagrams transmitted and received plus the number of UDP receive errors.

TCP

Number of TCP packets transmitted and received plus the number of TCP receive errors.

Chapter 4: Web Interface 39

To display general statistics:

Select General Statistics from the Main Menu.

Displaying Port Statistics

The Port Statistics display includes the information described in Table 4.3 for one or all ports. All values are cumulative since the ESP hub was last reset. This display refreshes every five seconds.

To display port statistics:

1. Select Port Statistics from the Main Menu. The Serial Port Selection window will open.

2. Select a port number or all ports, then click Apply.

Displaying Connection Status

The Connection Status display has two sections: Serial Port Active Connection Status and Port Redirection Connections. This display refreshes every five seconds.

The Serial Port Active Connection Status section includes the information des c ri bed in Table 4.4 for one or all serial ports.

Table 4.3: Port Statistics Display

Item Description

Status Port status flags. Destination IP Address IP address of the server that has the port open. Receive Bytes Number of bytes r eceived. Transfer Bytes Number of bytes transmitted.

Signals

Current value of the RS-232 signals: RTS, CTS, DTR, DSR and CD. A signal is listed in the display only if it is asserted (high).

Baudrate/Sz/Par/Stp

Baud rate, data size (5-8 bits), parity (N=none, O=odd, E=even, M=mark or S=space) and number of stop bits (1 or 2).

Frame/Parity/Overrun Number of framing errors, parity errors and overruns.

Table 4.4: Serial Port Active Connection Status Display

Item Description

Serial Connection Method

Connection method: serial port redirection, Telnet server, TCP server , TCP client, modem emulation, configuration utility or idle. If a port is idle, no other values will be displayed.

Destination IP Address IP address of the remote server.

40 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

The Port Redirection Connections section includes the information described in Table 4.5 about the servers that are connected to one or all of the ESP serial ports. This display is meaningful only when a serial port is being accessed using the serial redirection connection method.

To display connection status information for one or all ports:

1. Select Connection Status from the Main Menu. The Serial Port Selection window will open.

2. Select a port number or all ports, then click Apply.

Bytes Received

Number of bytes received from the serial port since the current connection session was established.

Bytes Transmitted

Number of bytes transmitted on the serial port since the current connection session was established.

Connect Time

Number of days, hours, minutes and seconds that the current connection has been established.

Inactivity Timeout

Number of minutes and seconds in the configured inactivity time-out value for this session. If no time-out was configured, this field indicates disabled.

Time Remaining

Number of minutes and seconds remaining until the inactivity time-out occurs. If no time-out was configured, this field indicates not applicable.

Table 4.5: Serial Port Redirection Connections Status Display

Item Description

Destination IP Address Server’s IP address.

UDP State

Current UDP connection state. Initiating Server is establishing a connection. Active Server and hub are connected. Timeout Connection is being dropped due to lost communication with

the server.

Terminated Connection has been dropped.

TCP State

Current TCP connection state. Initiating Server is establishing a connection. Connected Server and hub are connected. Terminated Connection has been dropped.

Connect Time Number of days, hours, minutes and seconds the server has been connected.

Timeout Period

UDP time-out value; that is, the amount of time before a connection is dropped if no heartbeat messages are received.

Table 4.4: Serial Port Active Connection Status Display (Continued)

Item Description

Chapter 4: Web Interface 41

Rebooting the Hub

The Reboot operation reboots the ESP serial hub. A reboot is usually required for the following operations to take effect.

• Changing network address values

• Changing any configurable features

• Updating Flash

• Downloading a configuration file

To reboot:

1. From the Main Menu, select Reboot.

2. Click Reboot.

After the reboot completes, the browser will try to reconnect to the hub. If this fails, or if the web interface does not return within 30 seconds, direct your browser to the ESP serial hub IP address.

You may also reboot the hub using the configuration utility (see Rebooting the Hub on page 51) or the RESET button on the front panel (see Resetting on page 13).

Reinitializing the Hub

The Initialize operation resets all configurable values to their factory defaults, including the IP address and password.

To reinitialize:

1. Click Re-initialize from the Main Menu.

2. Click Reinitialize.

After the reinitialization completes, the browser will try to reconnect to the hub, using the predefined IP address (192.1.1.1). If this fails, or if the web interface does not return within 30 seconds, direct your browser to the predefined IP address.

You may also reinitialize the serial hub using the configuration utility (see Reinitializing the Hub on page 51) or the INIT button on the front panel (see Reinitializing on page 13).

42 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

CHAPTER

Configuration Utility

The ESP serial hub has a built-in configuration utility that you may use to manage ESP hubs. For information about when changes take effect, see When Changes Take Effect on page 12.

Accessing the Configuration Utility

The configuration utility may be accessed three ways: with Telnet, by serial connection to port 1 when the ESP serial hub has no configured IP address or by serial connection to the port(s) that have the configuration utility connection method enabled.

Accessing with Telnet

You may initiate a Telnet session to the IP address of the ESP serial hub and the standard Telnet port 23. For example, if a hub has an IP address of 192.168.0.5, entering

telnet 192.168.0.5 23 will

connect to the configuration utility. If the hub still has a default IP address (because it has not yet been configured or the hub has been

reinitialized), you may use the predefined IP address of 192.1.1.1 to access the hub.

NOTE: The predefined IP address (192.1.1.1) is fixed, and unexpected errors may occur if another device has the same IP address or if there is more than one uninitialized ESP serial hub on the network. After the configuration utility is accessed, you must configure an IP address before the hub becomes operational. After the IP address is configured, the hub will no longer be accessible with the predefined IP address.

The ability to access the configuration utility with Teln et is a configurab le option. By default, this option is enabled.

Accessing a hub with no configured IP address

The configuration utility is automatically enabled on port 1 after delaying several seco nds to allow an IP address to be configured using DHCP/BootP. The port will be configured at 19,200 baud, 8 bits per character, no parity, 1 stop bit and no fl ow control. If the ESP serial hub already has an IP address or if the address is acquired through DHCP/BootP, this access method will not be active.

44 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

Accessing on a port using the configuration utility connection method

After the ESP serial hub has a configured IP address, the administrator may enable the serial configuration utility on any serial port. When this connection method is enabled, the configuration utility will become active if the port is not in use and the

Enter key is pressed three times in a row.

This access method is enabled on port 1 and disabled on other ports by default. You may enable/ disable the configuration utility access method on each port using the configuration utility (see

Displaying or Changing the Serial Port Physical Interface on page 48), the web interface (see Displaying or Changing the Serial Port Physical Interface on page 34) or a configuration file (see Port Configuration Utility command on page 58).

About the Configuration Utility Interface

The configuration utility has a menu-based text interface. Each menu contains a numbered list of operations. When you enter the number associated with an operation and then press

Enter, you are

either presented with another menu containing a numbered list of operations or the selected command is initiated.

For example, the following is the Top Menu, which is displayed when you access the utility.

0 -> Server Configuration 1 -> Serial Port Attributes 2 -> Serial port connection methods 3 -> Port interface 4 -> Send break 5 -> Status 6 -> Debug 7 -> Change password 99 -> Exit enter command :

If you enter 0 and then press Enter, the Server Configuration Menu appears. The following is an excerpt from the Server Configuration Menu:

0 -> Return to Top Menu 1 -> Network configuration 2 -> Flash status and update 3 -> Configurable features 4 -> Configuration File Download 5 -> Hardware information 6 -> Reboot 7 -> Re-Initialize (factory defaults) 99 -> Exit enter command:

From the Server Configuration Menu, you may enter selection numbers for a desired operation, return to the Top Menu or exit the configuration utility.

Chapter 5: Configuration Utility 45

The configuration utility will remain active until you enter the command to exit the utility (usually

99). If the serial configuration utility connection method is used to access the utility and an

inactivity time-out is enabled, a session will end if the inactivity period is reached.

Passwords

The configuration utility requires an administration password for access. When the hub ships (or after it is reinitialized), there is no configured password. After you create a password, you will be prompted for it each time you access the configuration utility.

The administration password is common between the configuration utility and the web interface. No encryption is used when entering the password with the configuration utility.

If you reinitialize the ESP serial hub, the password is lost; you will be required to create a password the next time you access the configuration utility or the web interface.

To set or change the password:

1. From the Top Menu, enter

7 to select Change password.

2. You are prompted for the new password. Enter a 5-32 character password. Passwords are case sensitive and may contain any alphanumeric characters.

3. You are prompted to re-enter the new password. Retype the new password. A confirmation message will appear.

Displaying or Changing Network Configuration Values

To display or change network configuration values:

1. From the Top Menu, enter

0 to select Server Configuration. The Server Configuration Menu

will be displayed.

2. Enter

1 to select Network configuration. The display shows the IP address, subnet mask, gate-

way address and interface setting.

3. You are prompted to modify any values. Enter

y for yes or n for no.

To change an entry, enter a valid value when prompted. Addresses must be entered in standard IP dot notation. The gateway address must be in the same subnet as the IP address. You cannot set the IP address to: a Class A address of 0.0.x.x, a loopback address of 127.x.x.x, the default value of 192.1.1.1 or an address at or above 248.x.x.x. The subnet mask cannot be 0.0.0.0.

The default network interface setting is auto-negotiate. To change it, select another value from the listbox. See Network Interface on page 9 for more information.

4. If you changed any values, the new values are displayed and you are prompted to confirm the changes. Confirm or cancel the changes.

46 ESP Serial Hub Installer/User Guide

If you changed the address information, it will not take effect until the ESP hub is rebooted (see Rebooting the Hub on page 51). If the IP address had not been previously set or the hub has been reinitialized, the hub reboots automatically.

Displaying or Changing Serial Port Attributes

You may display or change the attributes for one or all ESP hub serial ports. See Serial Port Attributes on page 28 for more information.

To display or change serial port attributes for one or all ports:

1. From the Top Menu, enter

1 to select Serial port attributes. The Port Selection Menu will

be displayed.

2. Enter the number corresponding to a port or

0 to select all ports.

• If a single port was selected, the display contains the current values of the port’s attributes.

•If all ports was selected, the display contains the default values for the port attributes,

which may differ from the current values for any port.

3. You are prompted to modify each attribute. Enter

y for yes or n for no.

If you choose to modify an attribute, a menu will be displayed (Table 3.10 on page 29 lists all valid and default values). Each attribute menu will contain a numbered list of valid values. Either enter the number corresponding to the desired value, or press

Enter to leave the

value unchanged.

4. When the port attribute menus are completed, you are prompted to confirm the changes. Confirm or cancel the changes.

Warnings and errors

Displaying or Changing Connection Methods

You may display or change the connection methods for one or all ESP hub serial ports. See Serial Port Connection Methods on page 15 for more information.

To display or change the connection methods for one or all ports:

1. From the T op Menu, enter

2 to select Serial port connection methods. The Port Selection Menu

will be displayed.

2. Enter the number corresponding to a port or

0 to select all ports.

• If a single port was selected, the display contains the current values of the port’s connec-

tion method parameters.

•If all ports was selected, the display contains the default values for the connection method

parameters, which may differ from the current values for any port.

Chapter 5: Configuration Utility 47

If a connection method is enabled, its configurable options are also displayed. If a method is disabled, no configurable options are displayed.

3. You are prompted to modify each connection method. Enter

y for yes or n for no.

If you choose to modify the connection values, the utility will prompt for all connection parameters. The utility will prompt to enable each connection method, regardless of whether the method is currently enabled. Enter

y for yes or n for no. If you reply no, nothing more is

displayed for that connection method. If you reply yes (that is, you want to enable that method), the configurable parameters are displayed and you are prompted for values.

Table 5.1 indicates where to find more information.

4. If you enable the modem emulation connection method and enable outgoing calls, you will be prompted for values for each of eight dialout translation sets. If you specify a null translate string for a set, that set will be disabled. See Dialout translation on page 27 for more information.

5. When the port connection method menus are completed, you are prompted to confirm any changes. Confirm or cancel the changes.