Silex Technology TROY500 Users Manual

Serial Server

Ethernet and Wireless Serial Servers

Product Photo

Installation and User’s Guide

Part Number 40179-120

Revision X5

Notice

TROY GROUP, INC. SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND
FITNESS OF THIS PRODUCT FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. TROY shall not be liable for any errors contained in this
manual or for any damages resulting from loss of use, data, profits, or any incidental or consequential damages arising from the
use of TROY products or services. The information contained in this documentation is subject to change without notice.

Trademarks

HP, HP/UX, LaserJet, DesignJet, DeskJet, PaintJet, JetDirect, and JetAdmin are trademarks of Hewlett-Packard Company. DEC,
DECserver, VMS, LAT, and ULTRIX are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation. UNIX is a trademark of UNIX Systems
Laboratories. Ethernet is a trademark of Xerox Corporation. PostScript is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
NetWare is a trademark of Novell, Inc. Apple, Macintosh, LaserWriter, and AppleTalk are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
IBM, LAN Server, and AIX are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. LAN Manager, Windows, and MS­DOS are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. VINES is a trademark of Banyan Systems Inc. PrintKit is a trademark of
Northlake Software. QADD is a trademark of Network Compatibility Group. LAN Attached and UNIX Printing for VINES is a
trademark of Incognito Software Inc. ExtendView, Xadmin 32, and WebXAdmin are trademarks of TROY Group, Inc. TROY
is a registered trademark of TROY Group, Inc.

Information and descriptions contained herein are the property of TROY Group, Inc. Such information and descriptions may not
be copied, disseminated, or distributed without the express written consent of TROY Group, Inc. This publication is subject to
change without notice.

TROY Group, Inc.
2331 S. Pullman Street
Santa Ana, CA 92705
TEL: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
http://www.troygroup.com
[e-mail]

© Copyright 2004 TROY Group, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
July 1, 2004

Serial Server User’s Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1 – Product Overview

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

Package Contents................................................................................................................... 1-1

About this User’s Guide.........................................................................................................1-1

Windows System Requirements............................................................................................1-2

Wireless Serial Server Requirements..................................................................................... 1-2

Component Descriptions........................................................................................................ 1-3

LED Indicators................................................................................................................ 1-4

Pushbutton Functions...................................................................................................... 1-4

Factory Default Settings ........................................................................................................1-5

Configuration Notes........................................................................................................ 1-5

Section 2 – Hardware Installation

Install the TROY Serial Server (for wired and wireless models) .......................................... 2-1

Section 3 – Configuration and Management

Configuration Options ...........................................................................................................3-1

ExtendView Utility......................................................................................................... 3-1

Installing the ExtendView Utility

Web Browser Interface...................................................................................................3-1

HP Web JetAdmin Utility...............................................................................................3-1

Command Console..........................................................................................................3-2

Configuring the Serial Server via an Ethernet Connection....................................................3-2

Configuring the Serial Server via a Serial Connection.......................................................... 3-4

First-Time Configuration of the Wireless Serial Server Uisng 802.11b................................ 3-5

Verifying the Serial Server’s Connection to a Serial Device................................................. 3-6

Changing the Serial Settings..................................................................................................3-7

Changing the Baud Rate .................................................................................................3-7

Changing the Serial Port Protocol................................................................................... 3-7

Using the Modbus Protocol ................................................................................................... 3-8

Serial Transmission Modes............................................................................................. 3-8

Typical Modbus Applications.........................................................................................3-8

Changing the Modbus Settings....................................................................................... 3-8

(Windows Operating Systems).......................................... 3-1

Section 4 - Troubleshooting

Introduction............................................................................................................................ 4-1

Troubleshooting Installation Problems.................................................................................. 4-1

Troubleshooting Network Configuration Problems............................................................... 4-1

Troubleshooting Windows Problems..................................................................................... 4-2

Troubleshooting Wireless Configuration Problems............................................................... 4-2

Section 5 – Where to Get Help

Obtaining Technical Assistance............................................................................................. 5-1

Worldwide Web Support ................................................................................................5-1

Technical Support........................................................................................................... 5-1

Returning Products ................................................................................................................ 5-2

Contacts ................................................................................................................................. 5-2

Technical Support........................................................................................................... 5-2

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Serial Server User’s Guide

Appendix A – Safety and Regulatory Notices

Information for United States Users..................................................................................... A-1

Declaration of Conformity (FCC)......................................................................................... A-2

Information for Canadian Users (IC notice)......................................................................... A-2

Information for European Users ........................................................................................... A-3

Declaration of Conformity (CE)........................................................................................... A-3

Appendix B – Product Specifications
Appendix C – Serial Port Pinouts

Serial Port Pinouts .................................................................................................................C-1

TCP Port Connections............................................................................................................C-1

Appendix D – Alternate Power Source Configuration

RS-232 Port........................................................................................................................... D-1

RS-422 / 485 Full Duplex Port ............................................................................................. D-1

RS-485 Half-Duplex Port ..................................................................................................... D-2

Appendix E – Loading New Firmware

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Serial Server User’s Guide

Section 1: Product Overview

Introduction

The TROY Serial Server is a high-performance, standalone
device designed to connect a wide range of serial devices (i.e.,
security devices, telecommunications equipment, modems,
data display devices, industrial instrumentation, etc.) to an
Ethernet network. The TROY Serial Server supports RS232,
RS422, or RS485 serial interfaces at a variety of baud rates
(data transmission speeds), automatically senses both
100baseTX Fast Ethernet and 10baseT Ethernet network
connections, and the wireless version allows connections to

802.11b wireless networks as well. The TROY Serial Server
also supports the ModBus protocol (a popular industrial device
communications protocol), which is used to communicate with
many types of industrial devices (e.g., instruments, meters,
controllers, switches, etc.) over a serial-to-Ethernet connection.

The installation can be performed by the least-experienced users, while providing networking
professionals with advanced features for configuration. TROY is confident that you will enjoy the many
features of the Serial Server. For more information on this product or for downloading firmware upgrades,
visit the TROY web site at

http://www.troygroup.com/.

Product Photo

Package Contents

 TROY Serial Server
 Power supply adapter
 TROY Serial Server Installation CD
 Hardware Installation Guide

"Use Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher to view or print the PDF files contained on the CD.

IMPORTANT

"Print out, fill in, and mail back the warranty registration card provided on the TROY Serial Server

Installation CD, or register online at http://www.troygroup.com

.

About This User’s Guide

This User’s Guide contains information on system requirements, basic troubleshooting, and instructions
on the following:

 Installing the Serial Server hardware
 Configuring the Serial Server for use with a serial device
 Configuring the Serial Server for use on your network
 Configuring the Serial Server using the TROY ExtendView Utility

NOTE: The TROY Serial Server can be used with a variety of network operating systems and protocols. Refer to
Section 3: Management Methods for detailed information.

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Serial Server User’s Guide

Windows™ System Requirements

To configure the settings of the TROY Serial Server (wired and wireless versions) using the provided
ExtendView Utility in Windows, your Windows-based system should include the following components:

 A PC with a 133 MHz or higher processor
 Microsoft Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP, or 2003 server operating system
 At least 64 MB of RAM (memory)
 At least 10 MB of free hard disk space (to install the software)
 A CD-ROM drive (to load the software)
 An Internet connection through a cable or DSL modem, or an external dial-up or ISDN modem

(for online product registration)

Wireless Serial Server Requirements (for wireless models only)

To use the wireless TROY Serial Server, you need an 802.11b wireless network consisting of either of the
following:

 An 802.11b wireless-enabled PC connected directly to the serial server (Ad-Hoc or Peer-to-Peer

Mode).

 An 802.11b wireless access point that allows wireless and wired Ethernet-enabled computers to

To configure the wireless TROY Serial Server, you will need the following information from your wireless
network administrator:

connect to the serial sever.

 Wireless Mode used (Infrastructure or Ad-Hoc)
 The SSID (service set identifier) for your wireless network.
 The Radio Frequency Channel of the wireless network.
 If you are using TCP/IP (recommended for Windows Networks) and are not connected to a DHCP

server (for obtaining an IP Address automatically), you will need a unique IP Address for the
wireless Serial Server (for example: 192.168.1.14). If the Serial Server is not on the same IP
subnet as the computers you are printing from, you will also need a subnet mask and a router
(default gateway) address.

 Wireless Security Settings (WEP keys, 802.1x settings, etc.)

NOTE: If you require assistance for installing or configuring your serial server, ask your system administrator for
assistance, or contact TROY Technical Support at [phone], between 8 AM and 8 PM, Monday through Friday,
Eastern Standard Time. Customers located outside the United States, call [phone]. European customers,
please call [phone].

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Serial Server User’s Guide

Component Descriptions

The Serial Server includes the following components as described below:

 Power connector – The power supply cable plugs into this connector.
 Test button – Pressing this button for less than five seconds will print a test page (if the device is

connected to a serial printer). Pressing and holding this button for more than five seconds will
reset the serial server to factory default settings.

 LED status indicators – used to indicate the operational states of the Serial Server. Refer to the

next page for detailed LED status light descriptions.

 Ethernet port – This port (8-pin RJ45 jack) is used for connecting the Serial Server to an

Ethernet card, hub, router, or other wired access point for network access.

Photo of device

 Serial port – This port (PC-compatible 9-pin male DB-9 connector) can be configured to connect

the Serial Server to a serial device that uses the RS232, RS422, or RS485 serial interface.

Photo of device

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Serial Server User’s Guide

LED Indicators

The TROY Serial Server provides three multifunction LED (Light Emitting Diode) indicators (yellow, green,
and orange) for easy monitoring. The following table defines the function of each LED.

FUNCTION STATE STATUS

POWER

(O

RANGE)

NETWORK

STATUS

(Y

ELLOW /

GREEN)

ON

OFF

Blinking

Yellow OFF

Green OFF

Yellow ON

Green OFF

Yellow Blinking

Green OFF

Yellow OFF

Green ON

Yellow OFF

Green Blinking

Yellow ON

Green ON

Yellow Blinking

Green Blinking

The device is receiving power
The device is not receiving power
The device’s power supply is malfunctioning

No network activity

10baseT network active

10baseT network data received

100baseTX network active

100baseTX network data received

Wireless network active (wireless models only)

Wireless network data received (wireless models only)

Pushbutton Functions

Action Result

Depress for less than 5 seconds Generates configuration data that can be viewed using a

terminal emulator (e.g., Windows Hyper Terminal) or
other serial device that can display ASCII characters, or it
will initiate a test page if the serial server is connected to
a serial printer.

Depress for more than 5 seconds Resets the serial server’s configuration to factory defaults

(cold reset). The unit will automatically re-initialize after
updating the configuration memory.

Depress for 3 seconds during power up Places the device into console configuration mode, which

can be used to configure the device via the Serial
Server’s serial port.

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Serial Server User’s Guide

Factory Default Settings

The TROY Serial Server is shipped with a default configuration that will work with the most common
serial-to-Ethernet and wireless connections. The default settings can be changed to suit specific
installation requirements via the ExtendView Utility, the embedded Web server, or via a Telnet connection
to the serial server’s internal console. The factory default settings can be easily restored at any time by
performing a cold reset (press and hold the pushbutton on the device for more than five seconds).

Port Parameters and Modbus Settings

Parameter Description Settings

CHARACTER bits per character 7, 8 (default)
FLOW flow control NO (default), XO, CT
PARITY parity NONE (default), EVEN, ODD, MARK, or SPACE
SPEED baud rate (bits per second) 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 3600, 4800, 7200, 9600

(default), 14400, 19200, 38400, 57600, 76800,

115200 (console port default), 230400, 460800
STOP stop bits per character 1 (default), 2
MODE line mode (serial port protocol) 232 (default), 422, 485, 485HD, Disabled
ECABLE E-Cable mode (for TCP connections) Enable, Disable (default)
ECADDR E-Cable destination IP address (set by user)
ECONN E-Cable connection attempt time 20 seconds
ECPORT E-Cable destination IP port number 9100 (default), or set by user
MULTI multidrop protocol Host (default), Modbus
MBTYPE Modbus attached device type RTU slave (default)2, ASCII slave
MBINIT Modbus initialization delay interval 100 – 3276 ms (default = 100 ms)
MBAUTOID Modbus auto slave ID Enable (default)1, Disable
MBCHARTMO Modbus character timeout interval 10 – 3000 ms (default = 100 ms)
MBMSGTMO Modbus message timeout interval 10 – 3000 ms (default = 1000 ms)
(N/A) Modbus/TCP Exception handling Enable, Disable (default)

Configuration Notes

1. The Modbus/TCP protocol contains a “Unit ID” field to identify multiple Modbus slave dev ices that are accessible at a single IP addres s.
When the Modbus/TCP command contains a Unit ID, the Modbus Gateway can pass the Unit ID to Modbus serial devices, which allows
multiple serial devices to be linked with a Modbus Gateway. When Auto Slave ID is enabled, a unit ID will be assigned automatically. If
the Auto Slave ID is disabled, a unit ID (any number between 1 and 247) must be manually assigned in the Slave ID field.

2. When the Modbus serial protocol is set to Modbus/RTU, the Serial Server is ready to receive connection requests from Modbus/TCP
master devices. Each message packet is determined by a character timeout. An incorrect character timeout may cause a CRC (Cyclic
Redundancy Check) checksum error. Modbus ASCII slave mode functions the same as Modbus/RTU slave mode, except that the data
format is Modbus/ASCII.

3. The Modbus/TCP Exception is in effect when the Modbus Gateway connects a Modbus/TCP Master with Modbus serial slave dev ices.
When the Modbus Gateway cannot get a response from Modbus serial devices, the Modbus serial protocol will not respond to the master
device. However, the TCP protocol has a longer waiting time, which could cause a network traffic problem for Modbus/TCP. For this
reason, the Modbus Gateway can automatically send a Modbus exception code 16 to the Modbus /TCP master device when there is not
response from the Modbus serial slave devices, thereby making overall network communication much more efficient.

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Serial Server User’s Guide

Section 2: Hardware Installation

Install the TROY Serial Server (for wired and wireless models)

Follow the steps below to install the TROY Serial Sever. In most cases, the Serial Server’s factory default
settings should be sufficient for most serial connections; however, some of the configuration settings may
have to be changed for your particular installation. The TROY Serial Server can be wall mounted, set on
the desktop, or mounted using the optional DIN rail kit (available from TROY).

1. Before attempting to install the TROY Serial Server, make sure you have installed and set up your
serial device as described in the documentation that came with the device.

2. Write down the 12-digit MAC (Media Access Code) address printed on the label located on the
bottom of the Serial Server (for example: 004017023F96). You may need this number in order to
configure the Serial Server.

3. Connect the Serial Server to your serial device using a standard PC-compatible 9-pin (DB-9) serial
cable for RS-232 type devices (refer to Appendix A for pinout descriptions). A custom cable may be
required for RS-422 and RS-485-type serial devices. For RS-422/RS-485-type devices, a 120-ohm
terminating resistor may be required at the receiving end of a differential pair if the device is at the
end of the cable (refer to Appendix C for detailed information).

4. Plug the Serial Server power supply adapter into a suitable AC receptacle, and then plug the power
supply cable into the Serial Server. The Serial Server will run through a sequence of power-up
diagnostics for a few seconds.

 If the Serial Server is operating properly, the LEDs will blink momentarily and then go out, the

yellow and green LEDs will illuminate if the wireless network is active, and the orange LED
will illuminate, indicating the device is receiving power (refer to page 1-4 for detailed LED
status descriptions).

 The unit powers up in the Normal mode, which provides for connection from the network to

device(s) connected to the serial port of the Serial Server.

 If the orange LED blinks continuously in a regular pattern, a problem exists. If this is the

case, try powering the unit OFF and then ON again. If the problem persists, refer to the
Troubleshooting section in this User’s Guide.

5. Connect the Serial Server to your network through a switch or hub using a category 5 (CAT5)
Ethernet cable. The Serial Server’s IP address must be configured before a network connection is
available. If your network offers DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), the Serial Server will
automatically search for a DCHP server upon power up and obtain an IP address. If your network
does not offer DHCP, a static (fixed) IP address must be assigned (see your system administrator for
assistance). In most cases, a fixed IP address is preferred because a DHCP server may not always
assign the same IP address to the Serial Server when the Serial Server is powered ON.

The Serial Server also supports the following protocols. See your system administrator for help.

 arp
 rarp
 BootP

NOTE: The IP address must be within a valid range, unique to your network, and in the same subnet as your PC
(refer to page A-1 for a list of TCP port connections).

NOTE: For wireless Serial Servers, if a wired connection is established to the unit, the wireless link will be disabled.

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