Lantronix Device Server MSS 485 User manual

MSS485 Installation Guide

For the Lantronix MSS485 Micro Serial Server

Contents

1 Introduction

1.1 RS-485 Networking Overview.................................1-2

1.1.1 RS-485 Protocols....................................1-2

1.1.2 Two-wire Mode.....................................1-2

1.1.3 Four-wire Mode....................................1-3

1.2 Terms...........................................................................1-4

1.3 Protocols......................................................................1-5

1.4 Software ......................................................................1-6

1.5 Configuration.............................................................1-6

2 Installation

2.1 MSS485 Components.................................................2-1

2.2 Installation ..................................................................2-3

2.2.1 Power-up Diagnostics..........................2-6

2.3 Is It Working?.............................................................2-7

3 Getting Started

3.1 IP Address Configuration.........................................3-2

3.1.1 Using a BOOTP or RARP Reply.........3-2

3.1.2 Using an ARP Entry and the Ping Command3-

3.1.3 Using the Serial Console......................3-3

3.2 Incoming Logins ........................................................3-4

3.2.1 Controlling Incoming Logins..............3-4

3.2.2 EZWebCon Login and Configuration3-4

3.2.3 Other Incoming TCP/IP Logins.........3-4

3.2.4 Incoming LAT Logins ..........................3-5

3.3 Serial Port Logins.......................................................3-5

3.4 Remote Console Logins ............................................3-5

3.5 Starting Outbound Connections..............................3-6

3.5.1 Telnet......................................................3-6

3.5.2 SPX..........................................................3-7

3.5.3 LAT .........................................................3-7

3.6 Logout..........................................................................3-7

4 Configuration

4.1 Command Set.............................................................4-1

4.2 System Passwords .....................................................4-1

4.2.1 Privileged Password.............................4-1

4.2.2 Login Password.....................................4-2

4.3 Protocol Configuration .............................................4-2

4.3.1 TCP/IP Parameters ..............................4-2

4.3.2 IPX/SPX Parameters ............................4-3

4.3.3 LAT Parameters ....................................4-4

4.4 Serial Port Configuration.........................................4-4

iii

5 Using the MSS

5.1 Host-Initiated Connections ......................................5-2

5.1.1 Socket Connections...............................5-2

5.1.2 LAT Connections..................................5-3

5.1.3 Host Applications.................................5-4

5.1.4 Code Examples......................................5-4

5.2 Interactive Connections ............................................5-5

5.2.1 Session Control......................................5-5

5.2.2 Outgoing Connections.........................5-7

5.2.3 Status Displays......................................5-9

5.3 Emulating a Direct Serial Connection.....................5-11

5.4 Multihost Mode..........................................................5-13

A Technical Support

B Troubleshooting

C Pinouts

D Specifications

Warranty Statement

Declaration of Conformity

Index

Introduction

1 - 1

1 - Introduction

The MSS485 is a multiprotocol serial server that provides Ethernet

connections for devices connected to an RS-485 network.

This manual explains how to install the MSS.

• The remainder of this chapter outlines MSS functionality.

• Chapter 2,

Installation

, explains how to install the MSS hardware

and boot the server.

• Chapter 3,

Getting Started

, details different ways to log into the MSS

and prepare the server for conﬁguration.

• Chapter 4,

Conﬁguration

, covers basic conﬁguration.

• Chapter 5,

Using the MSS

, provides an overview of how to use the

MSS interactively and with host applications.

• Appendices provide information on Technical Support,

Troubleshooting, Pinouts, and Speciﬁcations.

• The hypertext version of this manual, located on CD-ROM,

includes more speciﬁc information about conﬁguring and using the

MSS and reloading MSS software.

Be sure to read the section of the conﬁguration chapter that applies to the

protocol you are using (TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, or LAT).

For more detailed information on the MSS, including a complete

command reference, see the

MSS Reference Manual

located on the CD in

HTML, PDF, and PostScript formats.

To access the HTMLversion of the Reference Manual on the CD, use your

web browser’s

Open

Open File

command (usually in the

File

menu)

to open the ﬁle

index.htm

in the root directory of the CD. Then click on the

link to the

MSS Reference Manual

The PostScript and PDF versions of the MSS485 manuals are located in

the

manuals

directory of the CD. Use the Adobe Acrobat Reader (widely

available on the Internet at no charge) to read and print all or parts of the

manual from the ﬁle

mssref.pdf

RS-485 Networking Overview Introduction

1 - 2

1.1 RS-485 Networking Overview

The RS-485 standard allows a transmission line to be shared like a “party

line.” As many as 32 devices can share the multidrop network. Typically,

one device is the master and the other devices are slaves. There are a few

important things to note about RS-485 networking with the MSS.

• The MSS can be used in either two-wire or four-wire mode. Refer

to the following sections to determine which mode to use.

• The maximum RS-485 network cabling length (without repeaters)

is 4,000 feet. Lantronix recommends the use of shielded twisted-

pair cabling.

1.1.1 RS-485 Protocols

A large number and variety of protocols run over RS-485. However, the

MSS does not convert or interpret serial data. It only moves data between

serial and Ethernet. Any RS-485 protocol will have to be implemented by

host software.

1.1.2 Two-wire Mode

In two-wire mode, the MSS operates in half duplex: one pair of wires

shares transmit and receive signals, and an optional third wire can be

used for shield/ground. The main advantage of using two-wire mode is

reduced cabling costs.

Figure 1-1:

Example Two-wire Mode Network

•

TXA

TXB

Shield

Shield •

•

RX Sh

Sh •

•••

•

RX Sh

Sh •

•••

•

RX Sh

Sh •

•••

•

Shield

Slave Slave Slave

Slave

MSS

(Master)

Introduction RS-485NetworkingOverview

1 - 3

On a two-wire RS-485 network, the MSS must turn its transmitter on

when it is ready to send data and then off a certain period of time after

the data has been sent so that the line is available to receive again. At

most baud rate settings, the timing delay is typically one character length

with a maximum of 1.5 character lengths.

NOTE:

For 600 baud and 4800 baud operation, the timing delay is

doubled.

1.1.3 Four-wire Mode

In four-wire mode, the MSS operates in full duplex: one pair of wires

functions as the transmit pair, another pair of wires functions as the

receive pair, and there is a shield/ground wire for each pair. In a four-

wire RS-485 network, one device, such as the MSS, acts as master while

the other devices are slaves.

Figure 1-2:

Example Four-wire Mode Network

It is important to connect the transmitter of the master device to the wire

that is connected to the receive terminals on the slave devices, and

connect the receiver of the master device to the wire that is connected to

the transmit terminals on the slave devices. In essence, the master device

will be connected to the slave devices with a

swapped

cable.

The MSS transmitter is always driving and the receiver is always enabled,

so the MSS is able to send and receive data simultaneously. The

advantages of four-wire mode are double the throughput of two-wire

mode and a guaranteed open path to each slave device’s receiver.

TXA

TXB

RXB

RXA

Shield

TXA

TXB

RXB

RXA

Shield

ShA

RX Sh

•

ShA

RX Sh

•

ShA

RX Sh

•

MSS

Slave Slave Slave

Slave

(Master)

Terms Introduction

1 - 4

1.2 Terms

In this manual, the following terms are used to describe parts of a network.

Host

A computer attached to the network. The term

host is generally used to denote interactive

computers, or computers that people can log into.

Node

Any intelligent device directly connected to the

Ethernet network such as a host, a printer, or a

terminal server.All nodes have their own Ethernet

addresses. The MSS is a node. Devices connected

to the MSS are not nodes.

Master

The device that controlls all other devices on an

RS-485 network. An RS-485 network typically has

one master device.

Slave

Any device on the RS-485 network that is not the

master.An RS-485 network can have up to 31 slave

devices.

Session

A logical connection to a service. A typical session

is a terminal connected to a host through the

server.

Local mode

The MSS user interface. It is used to issue

conﬁguration and session management

commands and to establish connections. When in

Local mode, users will see a

Local>

prompt.

Introduction Protocols

1 - 5

1.3 Protocols

A network protocol is a method of communicating over the Ethernet.

Each protocol speciﬁes a certain arrangement of data in the Ethernet

packets, and provides different services for its users. The MSS supports

the following protocols:

• TCP/IP

Support includes Telnet, Rlogin, UDP, and DNS. The Telnet

terminal protocol, supported on most UNIX systems, is an easy-

to-use interface that creates terminal connections to any network

host supporting Telnet. Rlogin is a protocol that allows users to

initiate a TCP/IP login session. UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is

a connectionless protocol that results in smaller packet headers,

no session overhead, and the ability to send to multiple hosts.

The MSS also supports the use of Domain Name Servers (DNS),

allowing a network nameserver to translate text node names into

numeric IP addresses.

The MSS also implements basic Simple Network Management

Protocol (SNMP) functionality. SNMP commands enable users,

usually system administrators, to get information from and

control other nodes on a local area network (LAN), and respond

to queries from other network hosts. The MSS allows

conﬁguration of one community name with read/write access.

• IPX/ SPX (NetWare)

The MSS provides IPX/SPX access to the serial device from

NetWare and any other IPX/SPX nodes. It allows users to

download system ﬁles from NetWare hosts and log into the MSS

via NetWare for remote conﬁguration.

The MSS supports all four NetWare frame types: Ethernet v2,

Native mode, 802.2, and 802.2 SNAP.

• Local Area Transport (LAT)

LAT is a protocol developed by Digital Equipment Corporation

(DEC) for local network connections and is supported on most

DEC operating systems. The MSS provides logins to remote hosts

and host-initiated connections, as well as access to the MSS serial

port from LAT hosts.

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