Cobalt Digital COMPASS 9284 User Manual

9284

3G/HD/SD-SDI 8x4

Video Routing Switch

Product Manual

Cobalt Digital Inc.

2406 E. University Ave.
Urbana, IL 61802
Voice 217.344.1243 • Fax [phone]
www.cobaltdigital.com

9284-OM (V1.3)

Copyright

©Copyright 2014, Cobalt Digital Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Duplication or distribution of this manual and any information contained within is strictly prohibited without the express written
permission of Coba lt Digital Inc. This manual and a ny information contained within, may not be re produced, distribute d, or
transmitted in any form, or by any means, for any purpose, without the express written permission of Cobalt Digital Inc.
Reproduction or reverse engineering of software used in this device is prohibited.

Disclaimer

The information in this document has been carefully examined and is believed to be entirely reliable. However, no responsibility
is assumed for inaccuracies. Furthermore, C obalt Digit al Inc. res erves the right to ma ke changes to any pro ducts herein to improve
readability, function, or design. Cobalt Digital Inc. does not assume any liability arising out of the application or use of any
product or circuit described herein.

Trademark Information

Cobalt® is a registered trademark of Cobalt Digital Inc.
COMPASS
openGear

®

and FUSION3G® are registered trademarks of Cobalt Digital Inc.

®

is a registered trademark of Ross Video Limited. DashBoard™ is a trademark of Ross Video Limited.

Congratulations on choosing the Cobalt
of modular processing and conversion gear for broadcast TV environments. The Cobalt Digital Inc. line
includes video decoders and encoders, audio embedders and de-embedders, distribution amplifiers, format
converters, remote contro l system s and much more. Shou ld you have qu estions pe rtainin g to the instal lation or
operation of your card, please contact us at the contact information on the front cover.

®

3G/HD/SD-SDI Video Routing Sw itch. The 9284 is part of a full line

Manual No.: 9284-OM
Document Version: V1.3
Release Date: February 10, 2014
Description of

product/manual
changes:

- Update manual to include serial connector and
Command String Protocol user information.

- Update manual to remove discontinued 9282 (8x2)
version.

9284-OM (V1.3)

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Overview ................................................................................................................ 1-1

9284 Card Software Versions and this Manual...................................................... 1-2

Cobalt Reference Guides........................................................................................ 1-2

Manual Conventions............................................................................................... 1-3

Warnings, Cautions, and Notes .................................................................. 1-3

Labeling Symbol Definitions...................................................................... 1-4

Safety Summary ..................................................................................................... 1-4

Warnings..................................................................................................... 1-4

Cautions...................................................................................................... 1-4

9284 Functional Description .................................................................................. 1-5

DashBoard™ User Control Interface ......................................................... 1-7

Serial Control Interface .............................................................................. 1-8

9284 Rear I/O Modules ............................................................................ 1-22

Video Formats Supported by the 9284..................................................... 1-22

Technical Specifications....................................................................................... 1-22

Warranty and Service Information ....................................................................... 1-25

Cobalt Digital Inc. Limited Warranty....................................................... 1-25

Contact Cobalt Digital Inc.................................................................................... 1-26

Chapter 2 Installation and Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

Overview ................................................................................................................ 2-1

Installing the 9284 Into a Frame Slot ..................................................................... 2-1

Installing a Rear I/O Module.................................................................................. 2-3

Setting Up 9284 Network Remote Control ............................................................ 2-4

9284-OM (V1.3) 9284 PRODUCT MANUAL i

Chapter 3 Operating Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Overview................................................................................................................. 3-1

Control and Display Descriptions........................................................................... 3-1

Function Submenu/Parameter Submenu Overview .................................... 3-2

9284 Card Edge Indicators.......................................................................... 3-3

DashBoard™ User Interface ....................................................................... 3-3

Accessing the 9284 Card via DashBoard™............................................................ 3-5

Checking 9284 Card Information............................................................................ 3-7

Operating Controls Overview ................................................................................. 3-8

9284 Function Submenu List and Descriptions...................................................... 3-9

Module Settings ....................................................................................... 3-10

I/O Settings ............................................................................................... 3-12

I/O Settings ............................................................................................... 3-13

Salvos ....................................................................................................... 3-14

Control ...................................................................................................... 3-15

Troubleshooting .................................................................................................... 3-17

Error and Failure Indicator Overview....................................................... 3-17

Basic Troubleshooting Checks.................................................................. 3-19

9284 Processing Error Troubleshooting.................................................... 3-19

Troubleshooting Network/Remote Control Errors.................................... 3-21

In Case of Problems .................................................................................. 3-21

ii 9284 PRODUCT MANUAL 9284-OM (V1.3)

Overview

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Introduction

This manual provides installati on and o per at ing instr uct ions for the
9284 3G/HD/SD-SDI 8x4 Video Routing Switch card (also referred to herein
as the 9284).

This manual consists of the following chapters:

• Chapter 1, “Introduction” – Provid es informa tion about this manual

and what is covered. Als o pr ovi des general information re gar di ng the

9284.

• Chapter 2, “Installation and Setup” – Provides instructions for

installing the 9284 i n a fr ame, and option ally i nsta lling 9284 Rear I/O
Modules.

• Chapter 3, “Operating Instructions” – Provides overviews of

operating controls and instructions for using the 9284.

This chapter contains the following information:

• 9284 Card Software Versions and this Manual (p. 1-2)

• Cobalt Reference Guides (p. 1-2)

• Manual Conventions (p. 1-3)

• Safety Summary (p. 1-4)

• 9284 Functional Description (p. 1-5)

• Technical Spe cification s (p. 1-22)

• Warranty and Service Information (p. 1-25)

• Contact Cobalt Digital Inc. ( p. 1-26)

9284-OM (V1.3) 9284 PRODUCT MANUAL 1-1

1 9284 Card Software Versions and this Manual

9284 Card Software Versions and this Manual

When applicable, Cobalt Digital Inc. provides for continual product
enhancements through software updates. As such, functions described in this
manual may pertain specifically to cards loaded with a particular software
build.

The Software Version of your card can be checked by viewing the Ca r d I n fo
menu in DashBoard™. See Checking 9284 Card Information (p. 3-7) in
Chapter 3, “Operating Instructio ns” for more infor mation. You can then check
our website for the lates t software version currently released for the card as
described below.

Check our website and proceed as follows if your card’s software does not
match the latest versi on:

Card Software earlier than
latest version

Card Software newer than
version in manual

Card is not loaded with the latest software. Not all
functions and/or specified performance described in
this manual may be available.

You can update your card with new Update
software by going to the Support>Firmware
Downloads link at www.cobaltdigital.com.
Download “Firmware Update Guide”, which
provides simple instructions for downloading the
latest firmware for your card onto your computer,
and then uploading it to your card through
DashBoard™.

Software updates are field-installed without any
need to remove the card from its frame.

A new manual is expediently released whenever a
card’s software is updated and specifications
and/or functionality have changed as compared
to an earlier version (a new manual is not
necessarily released if specifications and/or
functionality have not changed). A manual earlier
than a card’s software version may not completely
or accurately describe all functions available for
your card.

If your card shows features not described in this
manual, you can check for the latest manual (if
applicable) and download it by going to the

Support>Documents>Product Information and
Manuals link at www.cobaltdigital.com.

Cobalt Reference Guides

From the Cobalt® web home page, go to Support>Referen ce Docum ents for
easy to use guides covering network remote control, card firmware updates,
example card processing UI setups and other topics.

1-2 9284 PRODUCT MANUAL 9284-OM (V1.3)

Introduction Manual Conventions

Manual Conventions

In this manual, display messages and connectors are shown using the exact
name shown on the 9284 itself. Examples are provided below.

• Connector and control names are shown like this: IN 1

In this manual, the terms below are applicable as follows:

• 9284 refers to the 3G/HD/SD-SDI 8x4 Video Routing Switch card.

®

Warnings, Cautions, and Notes

• Frame refers to the 20-slot frame that houses the Cobalt

COMPASS

• Device and/or Card refers to a COMPASS

• System and/or Video System refers to the mix of interconnected

®

cards.

®

card.

production and terminal equipment in which the 9284 and other
COMPASS

®

cards operate.

Certain items in this manual are highlighted by special messages. The
definitions are provided bel ow.

Warnings

Warning messages indicate a possible hazard which, if not avoided, could
result in pe rsonal injury or death.

Cautions

Caution messages indicate a problem or incorrect practice which, if not
avoided, could result in improper operation or damage to the product.

Notes

Notes provide supplemental information to the accompanying text. Notes
typically precede the text to which they apply.

9284-OM (V1.3) 9284 PRODUCT MANUAL 1-3

1 Safety Summary

Labeling Symbol Definitions

Attention, consult accompanying documents.

Electronic device or assembly is susceptible to damage from an ESD
event. Han dle only using appropriate ESD prevention practices.

If ESD wrist strap is not available, handle card only by edges and avoid
contact with any connectors or components.

Symbol (WEEE 2002/96/EC)
For product disposal, ensure the following:

• Do not dispose of this product as unsorted municipal waste.

• Collect this product separately.

• Use collection and return systems available to you.

Safety Summary

Warnings

! WARNING !

Cautions

CAUTION

CAUTION

CAUTION

CAUTION

T o redu ce risk of electr ic shock do not remove line voltage service barrier cover on frame
equipment containing an AC power supply. NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.

This device is intended for environmentally controlled use only in appropriate video
terminal equipment operating environments.

This product is intended to be a component product of an openGear® frame. Refer to the
openGear frame Owner's Manual for impor tant safety instructions regarding the proper
installation and safe operation of the frame as well as its component products.

If required, make certain Rear I/O Module(s) is installed before installing the 9284 into the
frame slot. Damage to card and/or Rear I/O Module can occur if module installation is
attempted with card already installed in slot.

If card resists fully engaging in r ear I/O module mating connector, check for alignment and
proper insertion in slot tracks. Damage to card and/or rear I/O module may occur if
improper card insertion is attempted.

1-4 9284 PRODUCT MANUAL 9284-OM (V1.3)

Introduction 9284 Functional Description

9284 Functional Description

Figure 1-1 shows a functi onal block diagram of the 9284. The 9284 video
routing switch accepts up to eight SDI inputs and routes these inputs to up to
four SDI outputs using DashBoard™ network remote control. All inputs are
equipped with cable equal izer s (which can be ena bled or disabl ed as de sired ).
All outputs are equipped with reclocking, which can independently be set for
auto reclock, format-specific reclock, or reclock turned off.
Source-to-destination routing is non-inverting, thereby allowing the card to
pass DVB-ASI signals.

The card switches on the corr ect line in the ve rtical blank ing interv al if a color
black reference is pres ent at one of the two reference i nput s on the rear of the
frame. (The reference and video formats mus t have the same frame rate or
have frame rates between the reference and video that have a ratio of either
1:2 or 2:1, i.e. 29. 97 Hz fr ame rate r efer ence with a vide o frame of 59.9 4 Hz.)
The switch point defaults to the mid line (50%) point and can be adjusted for
±2 lines or 1%-99% of the line.

Setup of routing and invoke of switching can be performed using
DashBoard™ remote control or via RS-232 commands from an external
router via Command String Protocol (see Serial Control Interface (p. 1-8) for
more information and command string definitions).

The 9284 provides the following inputs and outputs:

• Inputs:

• IN 1 thru IN 8 – eight 3G/HD/SD-SDI BNC router source inputs

• Outputs:

• (9284 only) OUT 1 thru OUT 4 – four 3G/HD/SD-SDI BNC router

destination outputs

A reference control interface allows selection of one of two external reference
signals

EXT REF 1, 2 from the frame-distributed reference bus. This interface

additionally allows s elect io n of the frame r ate and vi de o format t o ensur e that
switching occurs during the proper po int during the verti cal blanki ng interva l.
The VBI line at which switching occurs is user selectable.

Note: The reference is used by the 9284 to indicate the VBI point at which to per-

form switching (VBI portion as indicated by the reference signal). As such, the
SDI program material inputs are expected to be frame synchronized with the
reference.

9284-OM (V1.3) 9284 PRODUCT MANUAL 1-5

1 9284 Functional Description

To/From

LAN

3G/HD/
SD-SDI
Source

Inputs

EXT REF

IN (1,2)

Src 1

Src 2

Src 3

Src 4

Src 5

Src 6

Src 7

Src 8

Reference

DashBoard™

Remote Control

Interface

EQ

EQ

EQ

EQ

EQ

EQ

EQ

EQ

Control

8x4

Video

Routing

Crosspoint

Reclock

Reclock

Reclock

Reclock

Dest 1

Dest 2

Dest 3

Dest 4

3G/HD/
SD-SDI
Destination
Outputs

To/From

RS-232

External Router

Serial Interface

9284_8x4BD2_V1.1

Figure 1-1 9284 Functional Block Diagram

1-6 9284 PRODUCT MANUAL 9284-OM (V1.3)

Introduction 9284 Functional Description

DashBoard™ User Control Interface

Figure 1-2 shows the DashBoard™ user control interface for the 9284.

LAN

20-Slot Frame with Network Controller Card

DashBoard™ Remote Control

Using a computer with
DashBoard™ installed, 9284

Computer
with NIC

Note: • To communicate with DashBoard™, the frame must have the Network Controller Card installed.

• DashBoard™ provides network control of the 9284 as shown. The value displayed at any time on
DashBoard™ is the actual value as set on the card, with the current value displayed being the
actual value as effected by the card.

card can be remotely controlled
over a LAN

Figure 1-2 9284 User Control Interface

In conjunction with a frame equipped
with a Network Controller Card, 9284
card can be remotely controlled over
a LAN

Using DashBoard™, the 9284 and other cards installed in openGear®1
compatible frames such as the Cobalt

®

HPF-9000 or 8321 frame can be

controlled from a computer and monitor.
DashBoard™ allows users to view all frames on a network with control and

monitoring for all popul ated slots insid e a frame. This simplif ies the setup and
use of numerous modules in a large installation and offers the ability to
centralize monitoring. Cards define their controllable parameters to
DashBoard™, so the control interface is always up t o date.

1. openGear® is a registered trademark of Ross Video Limited. DashBoard™ is a trademark of Ross
Video Limit e d .

9284-OM (V1.3) 9284 PRODUCT MANUAL 1-7

1 9284 Functional Description

The DashBoard™ software can be downloaded from the Cobalt Digital Inc.
website: www.cobaltdigital.com
The DashBoard™ user interface is described in Chapter 3,“Operating
Instructions”.

(enter “DashBoard” in the search window).

Serial Control Interface

Note: If network remote control is to be used for the frame and the frame has not yet

been set up for remote control, Cobalt
User Guide (PN 9000RCS-RM) provides thorough information and
step-by-step instructions for setting up network remote control of COMPASS
cards using DashBoard™.

Download a copy of this guide by clicking on the Support>Reference Docu-

ments link at www.cobaltdigital.com and then select DashBoard Remote
Control Setup Guide as a download, or contact Cobalt
Cobalt Digital Inc. (p. 1-26).

®

reference guide Remote Control

®

as listed in Contact

The 9284 rear module is equipped with an RS-232 serial control connector
which provides a generic Command String Protocol interface between this
card and external control systems. The RS-232 serial control port supports
baud rates of 9600, 38400, and 115200.

RS-232 pinout is as follows:

• Pin 2……….TX

• Pin 3……….RX

• Pin 5……….GND

®

Generic Protocol

Commands are sent to a r out ing switcher in a group called a command stri ng.
A command string can contain zero or more commands, limited only by the
size of the receive buffer of the router, whose size depends on the particular
router model. A command string consists of a leader string of asterisk
characters, zero or more command s, and a tr ailer s tring of exclamation mar ks.
Larger Routing Switchers require two leader (
while small Routing S witchers req uire o nly one, in order to make the pr otocol
compact for those Routing Switchers. The remainder of this document gives
examples using doubled characters. Note that two leader/trailer characters
may be sent to small Rout ing Switchers even when only one is required, and
they will still work fine.

If a leader character (

**) is encountered within a command string being

processed by a router, the string up to that point is discarded and a new
command string is expected. This ensures that a router will always act on a
complete command st ring sent to it, even if the previous one was never
completely received.

**) and trailer (!!) characters,

1-8 9284 PRODUCT MANUAL 9284-OM (V1.3)

Introduction 9284 Functional Description

When a command string is received, i t is not ac ted upon ( but rat her, is merely
buffered up) until the final trailer character (
string is received. At that time, the routing switcher begins to execute the
commands within the string.

The protocol uses only 7-bit ASCII characters. The 8th bit of received
characters is treated as if it is 0. Within the command string, certain ASCII
characters may be present and are ignored: any ASCII character whose code
is less than the SPACE character (includes all control characters and the
SPACE charact er) and the DEL (ASCII 7F) character. Alphabetic characters
within the command string may be in either upper-case or lower-case letters.
The router always sends upper case characters, except for character strings
such as input, output, and level names, whic h may ha ve lower cas e c haracter s
in them.

When sending commands to the router, SPACE characters are optional, but if
used may only appear before and after each individual command and not
embedded within an indivi dual comman d. Within command strings sent from
the router, a single SPACE character appears before and after each indiv idu al
command. SPACES may also appear in character strings.

!) character of the comma nd

After the command string has been executed, the routing swit cher returns the
string “

OK “ (with a single space character before and after the word “OK”),

followed by a string of trailer characters (exclamation marks) and a CR
(carriage return, ASCII 0D) character, to the host. This indicates that the
command has executed successfully. If an error occurs within any command
of a command string, the remai nde r of th e command string is ignor ed a nd t he
router returns the stri ng “

ERROR “, followed by an optional descripti ve string

followed by a string of trailer characters and a CR characte r, to the host. An
error can be caused by an unknown command name or bad arguments to a
command.

The simplest possible command string would be:

**!!

which consists of the leader and trailer characters but no commands between
them. This command string would generate the response:

** OK !!<CR>

This can be useful f or ver ifyi ng that the se rial link t o the r outer is ope rati onal.
In Routing Switchers requiring only one leader/trailer character, the simplest
command string would be:

*!

which would generate the response:

* OK !<CR>

9284-OM (V1.3) 9284 PRODUCT MANUAL 1-9

1 9284 Functional Description

(To determine whether a particular router uses one or two leader/trailer
characters, send it “
responses it is. It won't hurt to always use two even if only one is required.)
The simplest error response is one with no optional descriptive string. For
example, this command string:

** XXX !!

might generate this res ponse from th e router:

** ERROR !!

Beginning with version 5.01 of the Tahoe/Sierra/Yosemite router software, a
descriptive text string was added following the word “ERROR”, to help with
diagnosing the error. For example, the above command string might generate
this response from a router running this newer software:

** ERROR Syntax:No Number:XX !!

The descriptive string always ends with a colon and up to three characters
from the command string that caused the error. Generally, the error can be
assumed to have occurred just before these characters.

!!**” and check t he res ponse t o see whi ch of the ab ove two

The following commands are supported:

Syntax Example Response

Command

I **I!! I Command capabilities
Q **Q!! Q Model name and version
L **L!! L Matrix size and level names
S **S!! V, Y, or X

commands

O out **O3 V, Y, or X

commands

N in **N2!! V, Y, or X

commands

CLEAR **CLEAR!! V, Y, or X

commands

V out, in,in... **V3,1,2,2!! V, Y, or X

commands

X out,in,lvl **X12,9,2!! V, Y, or X

commands

Matrix status

Output status

Input status

Set all outputs to input 1

Connect specified inp uts on each
level

Connect specified input to output on
level

Function

Y out,in **Y1,7!! V, Y, or X

commands

T reg **TB!! V, Y, or X

commands

Connect specified input to output on
all levels

Trigger a salvo connect sequence

1-10 9284 PRODUCT MANUAL 9284-OM (V1.3)

Introduction 9284 Functional Description

“I”: Capabilities Inquiry

From Syntax Description

Host I Ask router to send a li st of

Router ![B][C][D][F][G][H][K][L][M][N][O][P][Q][R][S][T][U][V][W][X][W][Z]– Available commands (contents in

commands that are available

brackets is option al dep ending on
router)

The command “I” requests that command ca pability information be returned
to the host. The inform ation is sent as a string of character s. The first
characters are a space followed by “

I”, the next character s are the letter s of the

commands that are implemented and available in this router, and the last
character i s “

~” (tilde). Do not count on the characters being in any specific

order. Search all characters for a particular one.
All routing switchers implement the

I, L, S, Q, and X commands.

For example, the command:

**I!!

might return the follow ing string:

** ILSX~ OK !!<CR>

indicating that the router supports the I, L, S, and X commands from the host.

“Q”: Model Name and Software Version Inquiry

From Syntax Description

Host Q Ask router to send the model name

Router Qmodel~version~ Router Model name string and

The command “Q” requests that the router model name and software version
number string be returned to the host. The information is sent as a string of
characters. The first characters are a space followed by “
characters are the router model name, terminated by a “

Following this are the characters of the software version number string, again
terminated by a “

~” (tilde).

For example, the command:

**Q!!

string and software version number
string.

software version number string.

Q”, the next

~” (tilde).

9284-OM (V1.3) 9284 PRODUCT MANUAL 1-11

1 9284 Functional Description

might retur n the following string:

** QSmall~V2.1~ OK !!<CR>

indicating that the router model name is “Small” and the software version
number is “V2.1”.

“L”: Matrix Size and Level Names Inquiry

From Syntax Description

Host L Ask router to send router matrix size,

Router L[O[(#,#...)]][S[(#,#...)]][P[(#[=#][M][L],...)]]Nout,Nlvl,Nin,lvl1~lvl2~...

lvlN~~

level names, and level information.
Matrix size, level names, and level

information.

The command “L” requests that matrix size (Nout, Nlvl, Nin) and level name
information (lvl1 , lvl2, e tc.) be ret urned to t he host . The informat ion is sen t as
a string of characters. The first characters are a space followed by “

L”, some

optional values described below, then the number of outputs (Nout), a
comma, the number of levels (Nlvl), a comma, the number of inputs (Nin), a
comma, and then the level names, each terminated by a “

~” (tilde), and the

last followed by two tildes.
Routers can provide names for inputs, outputs, and levels. The number of

characters in a name can vary depending on the router model. The “

L”

command provides access only to level names, and furthermore, it truncates
any level name that is l onger than 6 chara cters to onl y 6 charact ers, in or der to
retain compatibility with older routers and controlling devices that limited
level names OG-RTR 15 to 6 characters. Refer to the “

G” command fo r

accessing input and output names and full-length untruncated level names.
The number of level names in the “

L” command will be the same as the

number of levels that was given in the response (Nlvl). Valid characters for
level names are any printable (i.e. non-control) ASCII character (including
SPACE) except “
number of characters report ed by the “
more than 6 (longer names are truncated when re porting them with “

*” (asterisk), “~” (tilde), and “!” (exclamation mark). The

L” command in level names may be no

L”). In

systems that do not support naming of levels, the level names will be fixed
number strings, e.g. “1”, “2”, etc.

For example, the command:

**L!!

might retur n the following string:

** L64,3,32,VIDEO~AudioL~AudioR~~ OK !!<CR>

indicating that t he route r has 64 outputs, 3 levels , and 32 inputs, a nd the l evels
are named “VIDEO”, “AudioL”, and “AudioR”.

1-12 9284 PRODUCT MANUAL 9284-OM (V1.3)

Introduction 9284 Functional Description

Some routers can have different sized matri ces on each level. However, the
“L” command always reports what is referred to as the “basic router size”.
This is the size of the lar gest le vels in the rout er. For example, a 2-level router
with level 1 being 16x32 and level 2 being 32x16 would report a basic router
size of 32x32 in the “L” command. In these kinds of routers, it is not
considered an error to send a crosspoint command that specifies an all-levels
take using an input or output number that is beyond the range of some of the
levels, as long those numbers l ie within the basic rout er siz e. Levels which a re
smaller than the specified numbers will not be affected by such a take
command. On the other hand, it is an err or to se nd a cros spoint command tha t
specifies a take on a specific level with an input or output number that is
beyond the range of that level. To find out the actual physical size of each
level, use the “G LEVEL_INFO” command.

Routers that do not support the “

G” command or “G LEVEL_INFO”

subcommand always have the same-size crosspoint matrix on each level.
Some routers support virtual-to-physical mapping. These virtual-mapped
routers use the same vi rtual matrix size for each level, and it will be that size
that is reported in the “
crosspoint matrices can still be different sizes, and the “

L” command for Nout and Nin. The physical

G LEVEL_INFO”

command can be used to find out what these sizes are, but they are of less
importance in a virtual-mapped router, because take commands are specified
using virtual source and destination numbers rather than physical input and
output numbers.

“S”: Status Inquiry

From Syntax Description

Host S Ask router to send source status of

Router Y out,in or V out,in,in... or X out,in,lvl Status of all outputs connected on

The command “S” requests that matrix status information be returned to the
host. The status information is sent as a sequence of “Y” and/or “V” and/or
“X” commands. The order of the commands is not significant, and different
models of routers may send the status of their outputs 16 in different orders.
Each command string contains the output number and either a level number
or data for all levels, so the order in which the status data is sent is not really
important.

all router outputs.

one or more levels to the specified
input.

For example, the SVS Tahoe Series routers first send one or more commands
that give the status for all levels of output 1, then send commands giving
status for all levels of output 2, etc. Other routers may send commands in a
different order: first for all outputs of level 1, then for all outputs of level 2,
etc.

9284-OM (V1.3) 9284 PRODUCT MANUAL 1-13

1 9284 Functional Description

The “Y”, “V”, and “X” commands are formatted exactly as with the “O”
command.

Refer to th e “O” command description for informat io n abo ut whet her the
router sends status using only “X” commands, or “Y”, “V”, and “X”
commands.

A 2-level 16-output router could generate as many as 2 x 16 = 32 “X”
commands of status output. For example, the command:

**S!!

might have the following four “X” commands at the beginning of its
Response:

** X1,23,1 X1,3,2 X2,-,1 X2,0,2

This indicates that output 1 is connected to input 23 on level 1, output 1 is
connected to input 3 on level 2, output 2 is unconnected on level 1 (as
indicated by the dash fo r the in put number ), and outp ut 2 eit her d oes not ex ist
or is not availa ble on level 2 or its c onne ction is un known (as indi cated by the
zero input number). Or, the router might instead use the V command. For
example:

** V1,23,3 V2,-,0

Indicating the same as the previous example.
If the router has only one level, or if all levels are connected the same, it

might instead use the Y command. For example:

** Y1,23 Y2,-

This indicates that output 1 is connected to input 23 and output 2 is
unconnected.

Routers that are unmapped port units will produce symmetrical status output,
(i.e. if there is a Y01,23 command, there will also be a Y23,01 command).

“O”: Output Status Inquiry

From Syntax Description

Host O Out Ask router to send source status for

Router Y out,in or V out,in,in... or X out,in,lvl Source status of the specified output.

all levels of specified output.

The command “O” requests that m atrix status informatio n for a single o utput
be returned to the host. The status information is sent as a “Y” command or a
“V” command or as a sequence of L “X” commands, where L=number of
levels. Whether a “Y”, “V”, or “X” command is sent depends on several
factors:

1-14 9284 PRODUCT MANUAL 9284-OM (V1.3)