26. User guide feedback......................................................................................69
3
USER GUIDE
Welcome
Thank you for buying the DX system. This system is produced by Minicom
Advanced Systems Limited.
This document provides installation and operation instructions for Minicom’s DX
system. It is intended for system administrators and network managers, and
assumes that readers have a general understanding of networks, hardware and
software.
Technical precautions
This equipment generates radio frequency energy and if not installed in accordance
with the manufacturer’s instructions, may cause radio frequency interference.
This equipment complies with Part 15, Subpart J of the FCC rules for a Class A
computing device. This equipment also complies with the Class A limits for radio
noise emission from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulation
of the Canadian Department of Communications. These above rules are designed to
provide reasonable protection against such interference when operating the
equipment in a commercial environment. If operation of this equipment in a
residential area causes radio frequency interference, the user, and not Minicom
Advanced Systems Limited, will be responsible.
Changes or modifications made to this equipment not expressly approved by
Minicom Advanced Systems Limited could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
Minicom Advanced Systems Limited assumes no responsibility for any errors that
appear in this document. Information in this document is subject to change without
notice.
No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written
permission of Minicom Advanced Systems Limited.
Trademarks
All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective
owners.
The DX system from Minicom is a superior solution for centralized KVM & Serial
management.
The DX system combines the following four major functions:
· KVM switching and control
· Serial control
· Power management
· User management
The DX unifies the above functions using AIM (Advanced Integrated
Management). AIM is an innovative embedded Graphical User Interface (GUI) that
supplies advanced management functionality in a hardware-only based solution.
AIM combines the management of all the above four functions within a single
intuitive interface, for truly unified administration of your server environment.
The DX comes in 2 models for 4 or 8 users. Users can access and control multiple
multi-platform computers from Keyboard Video Mouse (KVM) consoles. You can
connect up to 32 devices - computers, Serial devices, KVM switches or more DX
boxes (for cascading) - to either model.
1.1 Features
· Non-blocking user control of 4/8 users, for hundreds of servers
· Mixed multi-platform support: PS/2, SUN, USB and RS232
· Flexible remote IP access: Fit the IP mix to your needs and add IP users as
your business grows.
· Built-in local computer access at every user station.
· CAT5/6/7 all-the-way technology, from server to user.
· Cables - 3 in 1 CPU cable, RS232 Serial cable, Ethernet Crossover cable
· Rack mounts for the DX units and the XRICCs
· Minicom Flash USB key – containing Installation and Operating guides
and Central unit firmware Update program
1.3 Compatibility
The DX is compatible with:
· PS/2, SUN and USB computers/servers
· VGA, SVGA, or XGA monitors
· Novell, LINUX, Windows, UNIX and other major operating systems
2. Pre-installation guidelines
· Switch off all computers/servers
· Place cables away from fluorescent lights, air conditioners, and machines that
are likely to generate electrical noise
·The maximum distance between each device (computer, KVM switches or
second level DX Central) and the DX Central is 100m/330ft. The maximum
distance between the DX Central and the DX User is also 100m/330ft.
2.1 Avoiding general rack mounting problems
Elevated operating ambient temperature
The operating ambient temperature of the rack environment may be greater than the
room ambient when installing into a closed or multi-unit rack assembly. So install
the equipment in an environment compatible with the maximum rated ambient
temperature.
6
DX SY
STEM
Reduced airflow
Install the equipment in a rack in such a way that the amount of airflow required for
safe operation is not compromised. Leave a gap of at least 5cm/2” each side of the
DX Central unit.
Mechanical loading
Mount the equipment in the rack in such a way that a hazardous condition is not
achieved due to uneven mechanical loading.
Circuit overloading
When connecting the equipment to the supply circuit, consider the effect that
overloading of circuits might have on over-current protection and supply wiring.
Reliable earthing of rack-mounted equipment should be maintained. Give attention
to supply connections other than direct connections to the branch circuit (e.g. use of
power strips).
7
USER GUIDE
3. DX system outline
Figure 1 illustrates the basic outline of the DX system. The figure shows DX Users
and devices connected to a DX Central unit.
User 1
MINICOM
User 4
DX
Power
User
MINICOM
DX
Power
User
User 8
MINICOM
DX
Power
User
DX UserDX UserDX User
DX 832 Central
132
MINICOM
PowerLink
To computers
X-RICC
Computer
DX432
Central
X-RICCX-RICC
Computer
Computer
Figure 1 DX system outline
3.1 The DX Central
Figure 2 illustrates the front panel of the DX 832 Central unit. The DX 432 Central
model has the same front panel.
MINICOM
PowerLink
Figure 2 DX 832 Central front panel
3.1.1 DX Central LEDs
The LEDs on the front of the DX Central units are as follows:
LED Function
Power Power indicator
Link Blinks when there’s Ethernet activity
8
DX 832
Central
DX SY
STEM
The figure below illustrates the rear panel of the DX 832 Central unit. The DX 432
Central model is the same but with only 4 User ports.
RS232 Service
port
www.minicom.com
POWER
100-250 VAC 50/60 Hz
Power
connector
6785
Reset
button
SERVICEI
SERIAL
RS232 Serial
port
1234
USER
User ports
0
18192017
1234
22232421
5678
SERVER
Server ports
26272825
9101112
Figure 3 DX 832 Central unit rear panel
3.2 DX User units
Figure 4 illustrates the front panel of the DX User unit.
MINICOM
Power
Figure 4 DX User front panel
DX
User
The figure below illustrates the rear panel of the DX User unit.
www.minic om.com
POWER
100-250 VAC 50/60 Hz
Monitor
I
0
CONSOLECOMPUTER
SYSTEM
Computer
Video card
USB
ports
USB
RS232
Terminal port
TERMINAL
LOCAL COMPUTER
30313229
13141516
ETHERNET
Ethernet
Power
connector
Mouse
Keyboard
Computer
Mouse port
Computer
Keyboard port
RS232 port to
Local computer
Figure 5 DX User rear panel ports
9
USER GUIDE
3.3 Rack mounting the DX central and User units
Use the L-shaped brackets and screws provided to mount the DX units on a server
rack as illustrated below.
www.minicom. com
POWER
100-250 VAC 50/60 Hz
SERVICEI
0
SERIAL
6785
1234
USER
18192017
1234
22232421
5678
9101112
SERVER
26272825
30313229
13141516
ETHERNET
Insert screws to connect
to DX Central side panel
Insert
screws to
connect to
rack
Figure 6 Connecting the L-shaped bracket
3.4 Rack mounting the XRICCs
You can attach the XRICCs to a server rack or computer using the Velcro strips
provided. Or connect it using the bracket provided.
The figure below illustrates the bracket. Use the screws that came with rack to
connect the bracket to the rack. Once secured, clip the XRICC into the bracket.
Insert screws through
2 of the 3 holes in the
bracket and connect
to a rack
Figure 7 Rack mounting the XRICC
10
DX SY
STEM
3.5 Rack mounting the RICCs
You can attach the RICCs to a server rack or computer using the Velcro strips
provided. Or connect it using the bracket provided.
The figure below illustrates the bracket.
Insert screws through
bracket and into the
rack
Insert screw through
bracket and into the
back of a computer
Insert screws through
bracket and into the
back of the RICC
Figure 8 Rack mounting the RICC
Insert screws through
bracket and into the
back of the RICC
4. Connecting the DX system
Connect the DX Users to the DX Central as illustrated in Figure 9 below.
To connect the units:
1. Connect a KVM console to the DX User’s Console keyboard monitor and
mouse ports.
2. Connect a CAT5 cable to the DX User’s System port and to one of the DX
Central’s User ports.
11
USER GUIDE
SD
P110
Optional local
computer
DX User
www.minicom.com
POWER
100-250 VAC 50/60 Hz
I
0
SYSTEM
CONSOLECOMPUTER
USB
TERMINAL
LOCAL COMPUTER
KB Mouse
100T
Paralle l
Vide oSeria l A
Seri a l B
CAT5 cable
Up to 100M / 330ft
3 in 1 CPU cable
DX Central
www.minicom.com
POWER
100-250 VAC 50/60 Hz
SERVICEI
0
SERIAL
6785
1234
USER
18192017
1234
22232421
5678
9101112
SERVER
26272825
30313229
13141516
ETHERNET
Figure 9 Connecting a DX User to the DX Central
4.1 Connecting an optional local computer to a DX User
A user can work on the DX system just with a KVM console. There is the option to
connect a computer to the DX User unit. A user can then work locally on this
computer.
To connect a local computer:
Connect a computer to the DX User using the 3 in 1 CPU cable, see Figure 9.
1. Connect the connectors of one end of the 3 in 1 CPU cable to the KVM
Computer ports of the DX User.
2. Connect the connectors of other end of the 3 in 1 CPU cable to the KVM ports
of the computer.
4.2 Connecting servers to the DX Central
You use RICCs PS/2 or XRICCs and CAT5 cables to connect servers/devices to the
DX Central. There are 4 types of XRICC:
PS/2, USB, SUN and RS232.
4.3 XRICC power supply
The XRICCs PS/2 and SUN draw their power from the computer’s keyboard port.
The XRICC USB draws its power from the USB port. The XRICC RS232 gets its
power either from a Power adapter or the USB port.
12
DX SY
STEM
Figure 10 illustrates the different types of XRICCs connected to the DX Central.
How to connect the different XRICCs follows in detail below.
DX Central
www.minicom.com
POWER
100-250 VAC 50/60 Hz
I
SERVICE
0
SERIAL
6785
1234
USER
18192017
1234
5678
CAT5 cables
Up to 100M / 330ft
X-RICC SUN
X-RICC USB
Figure 10 DX system connections
4.4 Connecting a RICC or XRICC PS/2
Figure 11 illustrates the connections.
22232421
To Server
ports
26272825
9101112
SERVER
X-RICC RS232
30313229
13141516
X-RICC PS/2
ETHERNET
Keybd
VideoSerial A
Serial B
NetServer tc2100
Mouse
100T
Parallel
PCI 33Mx32b
PCI 33Mx32b
PCI 33Mx32b
PCI 33Mx32b
SCSI
To connect the RICC or XRICC PS/2:
1. Connect the Screen connector to the computer’s Video card.
2. Connect the Keyboard connector to the computer’s Keyboard port.
3. Connect the Mouse connector to the computer’s Mouse port.
13
USER GUIDE
To Keyboard port
To Mouse port
Mouse
Keybd
100T
RICC / XRICC
PS/2
CAT5 cable to DX Central
Server port
To Video card
Parallel
VideoSerial A
Serial B
Figure 11 RICC / XRICC PS/2
4.5 Connecting an XRICC SUN
Figure 12 illustrates the connections.
To connect the XRICC SUN:
1. Connect the Screen connector to the server’s Video card.
2. Connect the Keyboard connector to the server’s Keyboard port.
To Keyboard PortTo Video Card
CAT5 cable to DX Central
Server port
Figure 12 XRICC SUN
X-RICC SUN
14
DX SY
STEM
4.6 Connecting an XRICC USB
The XRICC USB supports Windows 98 SE and later, MAC, SUN and SGI. Figure
13 illustrates the connections.
To connect the XRICC USB:
1. Connect the Screen connector to the server’s Video card.
2. Connect the USB connector to the server’s USB port.
To Video Card
CAT5 cable to DX Central
Server port
Figure 13 XRICC USB
X-RICC USB
4.7 Connecting an XRICC RS232
Figure 14 illustrates the connections.
To connect the XRICC RS232:
1. Connect the RS232 connector to the server’s RS232 port.
2. For power connect either:
A USB cable to the XRICC and the server’s USB port.
Or
A Power adapter to the XRICC.
To USB Port
15
USER GUIDE
Connect USB cable for
power or connect Power
adapter
CAT5 cable to DX Central Server port
USB cable
Figure 14 XRICC RS232
To USB Port
(for power only)
X-RICC RS232
To RS232 Port
4.8 Connecting the CAT5 cables
1. Connect one connector to the XRICCs RJ45 port – see Figure 10.
2. Connect the other connector to one of the DX Central’s Server ports.
3. Follow the above 2 steps for each server/device.
Note: You can turn on the devices after connecting the XRICCs to them and before
connecting to the DX Central. The XRICC performs KB/M emulation the moment
it connects to the device and the power is turned on.
4.9 Connecting the DX User to an RS232 Terminal
When there are XRICC RS232s in the DX system, you can control the RS232
devices through an RS232 terminal connected to the DX User units.
When a computer is connected to the DX User, you can control the RS232 servers
via the DX’s Terminal software OR optional RS232 terminal.
16
DX SY
STEM
4.9.1 Connecting the RS232 terminal
Connect the RS232 terminal to the DX User as illustrated in the figures below.
Terminal
Login: admin
Password_|
digital
VT420
ContrastBright
To
Terminal
port
www .mi ni com .co m
I
0
POWER
100-250 VAC 50/60 Hz
Figure 15 Connecting the RS232 terminal
TO CENTRAL
CONSOLECOMPUTER
USB
TERMINAL
LOCAL COMPUTER
The table below shows the RS232 Serial cable 9 PIN D-SUB Male pin-out.
Pin Signal Description Pin Signal Description
1
CD
Carrier Detect 6 DSR Data Set Ready
2 RxD Receive Data 7 RTS Request to Send
3 TxD Transmit Data 8 CTS Clear to Send
4 DTR Data Terminal Ready 9 RI Ring Indicator
5 GND System Ground
5. Power management
You can connect a Power management device to the DX Central; the DX Users can
then power devices on and off.
Connect the Power management device to the Serial port of the DX Central using
the Serial cable provided with the Power management device.
Connect the Power management device to each device by following the instructions
in the Power management device User Guide.
17
USER GUIDE
6. Connecting Legacy KVM switches
You can cascade Legacy KVM switches by connecting an XRICC PS/2 or RICC
PS/2 to the switch.
To cascade a non-DX KVM switch:
1. Connect an XRICC PS/2 or RICC PS/2 to the User ports of the KVM switch.
2. Connect a CAT5 cable to the Server port of the DX Central.
3. Connect the other end of the CAT5 cable to the XRICC PS/2. The configuration
process is explained at the beginning of the DX System Operating Guide.
To connect devices to the KVM switch, follow the connection instructions in the
User Guide of the KVM switch.
7. Cascading DX Central units
When you need to connect more than 32 severs/devices you can cascade the DX
system by adding more DX Centrals.
For DX systems with only 1 DX Central, skip to section 8 on page 23.
In a cascaded scenario, the DX Centrals communicate via Ethernet using TCP/IP
signals. For this you must assign IP addresses to each DX Central and provide
TCP/IP connectivity between them. Cascaded DX Centrals must be on the same
subnet to communicate with each other.
For up to 56 severs/devices you can connect 2 DX Centrals (8 Users model) with
the supplied Ethernet Crossover cable. To cascade more than 2 DX Centrals, the
DX Centrals must be connected to a network hub/ Ethernet switch. Ethernet
connectivity is essential for the proper operation of the system and is in addition to
the dedicated CAT5 cables for KVM signals. Sections 7.1 and 7.2 illustrate these
connections.
You must also connect one CAT5 cable per DX User to a User port of a secondary
level DX Central and a Server port of the primary DX Central - see Figure 16 and
Figure 17 and section 7.5 on page 22. These cables are used to carry the keyboard,
mouse and video signals from a server to the user station.
When a user clicks on the icon of a server, the primary DX Central sends a
command to the secondary DX Central via the Ethernet port to route the KVM
signals to one of the available User ports.
18
DX SY
STEM
7.1 Connecting with an Ethernet Crossover cable
To connect a secondary level DX Central with an Ethernet Crossover cable:
Connect the Ethernet Crossover cable connectors to the Ethernet ports of the 2 DX
Centrals units, as illustrated in Figure 16.
DX Central
- 1st level
www.minicom.com
POWER
SERVICEI
0
SERIAL
6785
1234
USER
18192017
1234
22232421
5678
9101112
SERVER
To Server
ports
Cascade
CAT5 cables
1 for each DX User in
the system
Up to 8 for 8 x 32
Up to 4 for 4 x 32
To User
ports
DX Central
- Secondary level
www.minicom.com
I
SERVICE
0
POWER
SERIAL
6785
1234
USER
18192017
1234
22232421
5678
9101112
SERVER
Figure 16 Cascaded DX Central units connected with a Crossover cable
The table below shows the Ethernet RJ 45 Connector pin-out.
8
1
Pin Assignment Pin Assignment
1 TX + 5 Not connected
2 TX - 6 RX -
3 RX + 7 Not connected
4 Not connected 8 Not connected
26272825
26272825
30313229
13141516
Ethernet
Crossover
cable
30313229
13141516
ETHERNET
ETHERNET
To
Ethernet
ports
7.2 Connecting to a network hub/switch
To connect to a network hub/switch:
Connect Ethernet Straight cables to the Ethernet ports of the DX Centrals units, as
illustrated in Figure 17.
19
USER GUIDE
www.minicom.com
SERVICEI
18192017
1234
0
POWER
5678
SERIAL
22232421
26272825
9101112
SERVER
DX Central
1st level
To User
ports
www.minicom.com
I
0
POWER
6785
SERVICE
1234
USER
SERIAL
6785
1234
USER
13141516
1234
30313229
18192017
5678
To Server
ports
CAT5 cables
1 for each DX User
in the system
Up to 8 for 8 x 32
Up to 4 for 4 x 32
ETHERNET
DX Central units
Secondary level
22232421
26272825
9101112
SERVER
30313229
13141516
ETHERNET
Ethernet
Straight cable
To User
ports
www.minicom.com
I
0
POWER
SERVICE
SERIAL
6785
1234
USER
Ethernet
Straight cable
1234
18192017
Network Hub / Switch
22232421
5678
9101112
SERVER
Ethernet
Straight
cable
26272825
30313229
13141516
ETHERNET
Figure 17 Cascaded DX Central units connected to a hub/switch
7.3 Configuring the primary and slave units
After connecting the cascaded DX Centrals you must configure them to be primary
or slave (secondary level) units.
To do so, connect a DX User to the each DX Central – primary and slave, as
explained above in section 4 on page 11. (Where you don’t have enough DX Users
for all the slaves, after configuring one slave connect the DX User to the next
slave.)
Power on the DX units in the following order:
1. Primary DX Central.
2. Slave/s DX Central(s).
3. The DX User connected to the primary DX Central.
The Configuration wizard appears on the DX User’s monitor, see Figure 18.
Figure 18 Configuration Wizard
1. Check Cascaded DX configuration.
2. Click . The DX Network Configuration box appears. See Figure 19.
20
DX SY
STEM
Figure 19 DX Network Configuration
Here you configure the DX Central’s network settings.
All DX Centrals come with the following predefined settings:
· IP Address: 192.168.0.245
· Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
3. If the above predefined settings are not suitable for your network, type suitable
parameters into the DX Network Configuration box.
4. Click . The Define DX status box appears. See Figure 20.
Figure 20 Define DX status box
5. Select Primary unit and click .
6. Click . The Login screen appears.
Before logging in you must configure the slaves.
7. Power on the DX User connected to a slave DX Central. The Configuration
wizard appears as set out above.
8. Check Cascaded DX configuration and click . The DX Network
Configuration box appears. See Figure 19.
21
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