Serial-to-Ethernet Q&A
Contents
1. e Connect a remote host or server in a dynamic IP environment ams Ethernet Remote Host Server Remote Host Server Serial NPort actively initiates NPort actively initiates the connection the connection IP address changed frequently Private IP Serial Devices Serial Devices Situation 1 Private IP address application Situation 2 Dynamic IP address application Data Pre Treatment Q How do I ensure the host receives complete serial data from the field serial devices A Advanced Data Packing ensures proper framing of messages eliminating incomplete messages Background When a packet or datagram containing partial serial data arrives at the application charged with processing the data the application could very well fail In order to prevent the host from receiving a packet or datagram containing partial serial data the stream of serial data is packed into a buffer located inside the device server s memory so that data belonging to one serial transmission is sent together as one packet or datagram However serial device servers have a limited data buffer storage capacity that may not be large enough for some more advanced applications Consequently if a serial data stream exceeds the FIFO size the host may still end up receiving an incomplete data packet Problems e Limited FIFO size on the device servers UART may still prevent oversized data streams from being transmitted e Some serial data streams may2. After setting up your topology simply open NPort Administrator Suite and click the search button to locate all the NPort serial device servers on the network Then double click on a device server icon to update its serial and Ethernet parameters or select COM mapping to update the COM port settings Benefits e Graphical user interface that simplifies the installation process and keeps existing host IP settings e A single utility to deploy up to 1 024 devices at a same time and map virtual serial ports Q Smart Tip NPort Administrator Suite lets you install configure and maintain your serial device servers and networked devices all in one user friendly software platform A2 When using a Linux or another non Windows OS a 3 step configuration wizard is available for the NPort serial device servers Although most the common OS platform running on host computers for serial to Ethernet networks is Windows Linux and other non Windows operating systems are not unusual in the communications industry and automation networks Thankfully an easy to use wizard is also available to guide users through 3 simple configuration steps that are necessary to activate the serial to Ethernet application With this soeedy configuration tool a user only needs to spend an average of 30 seconds to complete the NPort settings and enable the application saving a great amount of time and effort KM OX JN Total Solution for Industrial Device Networking
3. devices running on different serial communication protocols with a remote host for centralized management and control e Preserve serial Communication settings commands to be modified for the new fab Moxa Solution To avoid disrupting existing fab production processes during system migration and having to rewrite existing commands and programs Moxa s serial device servers with Real COM mode support the latest operating system drivers and enable interoperability between old and new systems on the production line In order to support various fab machines that perform different processes and run on different protocols NPort device servers also provide a rapid response time of under 0 5 seconds Furthermore Moxa provides technical modifications with the system firmware to helo the semiconductor company design customized quality contro tests e g stress tests Finally Moxa device servers also provide comprehensive log records for administrators to identify problems and troubleshoot more quickly Product Showcase NiZleamee Ore cies Download Serial to Ethernet Guidebook Download Success Story Guidebook Part 4 Device Server Product Selection Guide Switch I Serial Wireless Serial Device Servers Industrial Device Servers Terminal Servers Device Device Servers Servers NPort 5100 NPort 5200 NPort NPort NPort 6150 NPort 5400 NPort 5100A IA5150A 5150AI M12 NPort 6250 NPort Model Nam NPort 5600 NPort P5150A N
4. e Network settings are revised A2 Each NPort device server contains a Syslog System Log that can be accessed remotely as well as at the field site Engineers can access a serial device server s event logs to find system network configuration and operation mode information via the device server itself or a server Auqenoy wasAs 104 BuyooyseqnolL 7 Ensuring Stability and Reliability Troubleshooting for System Reliability For Field Engineers What tools are available to help onsite field engineers accelerate troubleshooting Engineers dispatched to a field site need to diagnose and troubleshoot network issues in the most efficient manner possible to minimize system downtime AT Relay outputs support onsite alarms To ensure reliable system operation the serial device servers are connected with alarm devices through relay outputs and can use sounds or flashing lights to promptly inform onsite engineers that troubleshooting is required A2 LED indicators LCD displays aid initial troubleshooting LED indicators on the serial device servers allow engineers to immediately clarify the following issues e Are serial device servers functioning normally e s the Ethernet connected or not els power being supplied els the serial port transmitting or receiving data In addition engineers have another option not only to configure some settings but also monitor the operation status of serial device servers th
5. have an unknown packet length Smart Solution A good data packing function will allow the user to set both a time limit and size of data limit so that data acquisition is made to match whichever application is being used to process the serial data Use the NPort s Data Packing function to customize the packet size of your serial data for transmission by packing the data according to the packet length or according to a special character or delimiter in the packet s header or trailer If the packet length is unknown or you still want to send incomplete data packets the Force Transmit function allows you to preset a maximum time interval to wait for a complete serial data stream baal Demme prerana Da tanong F Proca cot hen pecting engin a WO C285 amii l ls Q Smart Tip Data Packing also lets you receive just the user data payload without any control information uoI ejje suj POOURADY zZ Installation and Configuration Future Proof for Network Expansion Q Given the limited number of public IP addresses available is there any way to ensure that won t run out of IP addresses for my serial to Ethernet network in the future A Use solutions that bear the official IPv6 Ready Logo such as the NPort 6000 series terminal servers Background The IPv6 communications protocol was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force IETF in anticipation of the IPv4 address exhaustion prob
6. prominent in the Industrial marketolace due to their ability to provide fast secure and flexible networks With this shift to Ethernet a requirement for protocol conversion between serial and Ethernet TCP IP emerged and serial to Ethernet device servers appeared to bridge this gap Serial device servers allowed users to retain all of their legacy serial equipment and interface directly with a future proofed Ethernet network As your trusted serial partner we understand your demands and strive to provide advanced solutions to painlessly connect serial devices to Ethernet networks and integrate enterprise data for automation That is why we wrote this Q amp A to help Network Engineers and Administrators charged with deploying a serial to Ethernet network save valuable time More specifically the purpose of this Q amp A is to provide a Supplement to The Serial to Ethernet Guidebook that has for over 10 years provided Product Managers and Sales Personnel working in the communications industry with a general introduction to the terminology and methodology of the serial to Ethernet field By answering some of the most frequently asked questions that are likely to arise we hope to spare you the trouble of having to reinvent the wheel so you can start enjoying the benefits of network enabled serial devices even sooner Serial to Ethernet Q amp A Part 1 Installation and Configuration 1 1 Basic Installa
7. to a remote serial device located behind a firewall or router A Reverse Real COM mode on the NPort 6000 series Background All of the serial to Ethernet networks we have discussed so far have been on private IP networks with fixed addresses where Real COM mode is used to establish a transparent connection between a host and a serial device by mapping the serial port on the NPort device server to a local COM TTY port on the host computer Real COM mode supports up to 8 simultaneous connections that enable multiole hosts to simultaneously collect data from the same serial device However Real COM mode will not work when using a private IP address or in a dynamic IP address environment Problems e Remote host server cannot connect to the NPort when the NPort is on a private network or behind a firewall e Remote host server cannot obtain the NPort s IP address in a dynamic IP address environment e g DHCP Smart Solution Reverse Real COM mode is an innovative operation mode that allows NPort device servers to achieve the same effect as Real COM mode even if the NPort device server is using a private IP address or is being used in a dynamic IP address environment In Reverse Real COM mode the NPort device server will actively initiate a connection to the remote host server that is listed in the destination IP field after it boots up Benefits e Connect a private serial to Ethernet network to a remote host on a public IP network
8. want to use Ethernet to extend If you want to use TCP IP socket to adapter card with an NPort serial device your RS 232 transmission distance communicate with serial devices use server use Real COM Reverse use Pair Connection mode to keep TCP Server TCP Client or UDP Real COM Redundant COM or sending DIR RTS and DCD hardware mode to quickly deploy an Ethernet RFC2217 mode to preserve COM TTY signals topology and assign the role you want port communications and settings to the NPort device server Situation 4 Situation 5 Situation 6 If you want to connect a serial printer If you want to replace a serial modem If you want to add a backup modem over Ethernet use Printer mode to with an NPort device server use use PPP or SLIP mode to provide keep existing RAW LPD settings and Ethernet Modem moce to allow the network redundancy to the modem preserve original typesetting NPort device server to act like a serial modem and follow AT commands Situation 7 Situation 8 Situation 9 If you want to access data on Telnet If you want to provide remote access If you want to meet Open SSL and devices from a remote host use Telnet to serial devices use Reverse Telnet RADIUS TACACS specifications for or SSH modes to turn your NPort and Reverse SSH modes high encryption standards use Secure device server into a Telnet or SSH Real COM Secure TCP Server or client Secure TCP Client modes For detailed operation mo
9. 6778 usa moxa com Moxa Design and Engineering Headquarters FI 4 No 135 Lane 235 Baogiao Rd Xindian Dist New Taipei City Taiwan R O C Tel 886 2 8919 1230 Fax 886 2 8919 1231 info moxa com 2014 Moxa Inc All rights reserved The Americas Moxa Americas Toll Free 1 888 MOXA USA Tel 1 714 528 6777 Fax 1 714 528 6778 usa moxa com Moxa Brazil Tel 55 11 2495 3555 Fax 55 11 2495 6555 brazil moxa com Europe Moxa Germany Tel 49 89 3700 399 0 Fax 49 89 3700 399 99 europe moxa com Moxa France Tel 33 1 30 85 41 80 Fax 33 1 30 47 35 91 france moxa com Moxa UK Tel 44 1844 355 601 Fax 44 1844 353 553 uk moxa com Asia Pacific Moxa Taiwan Tel 886 2 8919 1230 Fax 886 2 8919 1231 asia moxa com Moxa India Tel 91 80 41 72 9088 Fax 91 80 4132 1045 india moxa com Moxa Russia Tel 7 495 287 09 29 Fax 7 495 269 09 29 russia moxa com The MOXA logo is a registered trademark of Moxa Inc All other logos appearing in this document are the intellectual property of the respective company product or organization associated with the logo China Moxa Shanghai Tel 86 21 5258 9955 Fax 86 21 5258 5505 china moxa com Moxa Beijing Tel 86 10 6872 3959 61 Fax 86 10 6872 3958 china moxa com Moxa Shenzhen Tel 86 755 8368 4084 94 Fax 86 755 8368 4148 china moxa com
10. Port 1A5150 NPort NPort NPort 6450 CN2610 NPort 88455 W2150A gaei same NPort port eogga NPON A5250 IA5250A S250AI M12 4 2 CN2650 NPort S8458 NPort 5600 8 DT NPort NPort NPort 6650 W2250A NPort IA5450A 5450AI M12 5600 8 DTL Basic Installation NPort administrator suite A 3 step configuration wizard Advanced Installation Windows driver supports up to 1 024 ports 10 Vi Melceole eyare Reverse Real COM Serial data packing J J J J J IPv6 Host Reliability Maximum connection e e Command by Command A Mode Network Reliability Turbo Ring Redundant COM e Device Reliability On chip software flow control Off line port buffering SNMP SMTP e e e e e r e Syslog System Log Relay ED LCD For 4 ports or For 4 ports or more more Site survey tool Part 5 Serial Expansion Roadmap Several asynchronous serial interfaces including RS 232 RS 422 RS 485 CANbus and PROFIBUS are currently in use to connect various types of devices such as sensors card readers meters and PLCs However the limitations of serial communications such as distance accessibility the amount of data transferred at any one time and speed have led to a demand for solutions that provide a more ilexible means of communicating Although this book concentrates on products and applicat
11. Serial to Ethernet Q amp A When serial devices meet Ethernet technologies Serial to Ethernet Solutions Serial Device Servers Industrial Serial Device Servers MOXA Reliable Networks Sincere Service _ Terminal Servers www moxa com When Serial Devices Meet Ethernet Technologies In today s Increasingly competitive global environment leveraging the right technologies and optimizing existing assets is more important than ever for businesses to stay ahead of the competition In particular the ability to bring data from all corners of your enterprise onto a common platform for performance measurement analytics and even strategic management has helped companies around the world Improve productivity and gain an edge g over their competitors For 20 years Moxa has led the world in providing serial device servers to connect legacy serial field devices to an Ethernet LAN WAN Serial communications based on the RS 232 RS 422 and RS 485 standards have traditionally been used in industrial automation to connect and issue commands to a wide range of serial interface devices from simple barcode readers to sophisticated Computer Numerical Control CNC machines However the limitations on transmission distance accessibility the amount of data transferred at a time and transmission speed have led to a demand for greater flexibility Since the early 90 s Ethernet networks have become more
12. can automatically synchronize and take control of my serial to Ethernet network Use the Maximum Connection function on supported Moxa device servers to automatically send serial data to up to 8 host computers Background Most serial to Ethernet architectures use a single host computer for remote control leaving the network vulnerable to system wide disconnections or crashes if that one host computer is not working properly As a result a redundant host computer Host B is often used to provide host reliability by backing up the data for the primary host computer Host A But since this traditional approach to host redundancy requires Host A to manually synchronize with Host B Host B can only provide limited data redundancy In addition Host B can neither read the data on Host A nor take control of the network in place of Host A leaving the network architecture vulnerable to system wide crashes Problems e Administrators must manually back up and synchronize host computers e Backup hosts cannot perform the same tasks as the primary host e g take control of the network Smart Solution The Maximum Connection function on Moxa s NPort serial device servers allows you to designate a primary host to automatically send serial data or commands to up to 8 backup host computers at the same time Although the primary host can only send the same data or commands to each backup host each backup host can promptly take over network contro
13. de descriptions please download any NPort users manual from Moxa s website Future Installation and System Upgrades Q What if need to reinstall my device servers If upgrade my host computer to the latest hardware and operating system will the new host be compatible with my serial devices A NPort device servers provide continuous support for new and legacy operating systems even if the operating system is no longer supported by its vendor Background Although computers generally need to be replaced once every three years replacing an existing serial to Ethernet network s ailing uoi ejje suj DISeg LL host computer with brand new hardware running the latest operating system may not always be the best idea Since new drivers on the market usually trail at least one generation behind the latest operating systems available interoperability issues often arise between the legacy device drivers and the newly upgraded operating system If there is no driver upgrade available for your new OS you may have no choice but to downgrade your OS to a previous version with a supported driver Smart Solution Moxa is committed to continuous driver OS availability by providing comprehensive driver and software support for new and existing operating systems available in the industry to ensure seamless interoperability and flexibility of your industrial system platforms In addition to having a dedicated team committed to developing t
14. e or to adjacent COM port numbers within a specified range Problems e Host computers can only send commands to 1 COM port at a time When a new field device is added to an existing serial to Ethernet network it can only connect a COM port number that is an adjacent COM port and requires the use of a digital form to manage existing and new serial field devices Smart Solution The COM Grouping function is designed to simulate the multi drop behavior of serial communication over an Ethernet network COM Grouping allows you to create a COM Group and redirect data from it to several physical COM ports on NPort device servers With COM Grouping you will be able to control up to 32 physical serial ports simultaneously by operating only one COM port Benefits ees Fthernet e Easily group serial field devices by virtual COM Serial rt b Traditional Approach Smarter Solution A Group 1 COM1 LED1 Group 1 COM1 LED1 e Each COM Group can connect up to 32 serial COM2 LED2 P ki LED2 devices Group 2 COM3 LED 3 ee LED 200 e Each COM port can read and write different COM4 LED 4 Group 2 COM2 LED 3 settings Group 1 COM 200 LED 200 LED4 UOI E E SU POOURADY Z Installation and Configuration Public Networks and Dynamic IP Addresses aT How do connect serial field devices and device servers in a private LAN to a remote host computer that has a public IP address Q2 How can connect
15. esting and updating drivers for Windows and Linux platforms Moxa even began supporting new WH QL certified drivers within 3 months of the release dates of Windows 8 1 and Windows 2012 R2 See the latest supported operating systems for all NPort series Serial Partner Guaranteed Var Long term Availability Cy device servers and CN2600 terminal servers Installation and Configuration COM Port Expansion Q Can monitor and control more than 256 serial devices at the same time A NPort Windows driver supports up to 1 024 COM ports at once Background Most Windows drivers only allow each computer to support up to 256 COM ports Although each COM port needs to be configured one by one they can all be managed at the same time As a result a common way to expand the number of COM ports and increase the number of serial field devices Supported is to use two or more host computers However although using multiple host computers allows you to support and manage more than 256 devices at a time you will not be able to manage all the COM ports at the same time Problems e Cannot monitor and manage field devices from different hosts at the same time e Each additional host computer can only Support an additional 256 COM ports that need to be configured one by one Smart Solution Moxa s NPort Windows driver manager can support up to 1 024 COM ports so you only need one host computer to monitor and control all your field de
16. evice Serial Device Serial Device Traditional Approach Maximum Connection Command by Command Ensuring Stability and Reliability Network Redundancy Using One LAN How do ensure non stop network connectivity A Turbo Ring Smarter Solution In the previously discussed network topology you can also take advantage of Moxa s redundant ring technology Turbo Ring to prevent network disruptions and guarantee reliable data transmissions to the proper devices Generally speaking one segment of the ring topology will be purposely disconnected in order to prevent switching loops and broadcast storms However when an abnormality is detected along the original communication route of the ring topology the initially disconnected segment will reconnect the device servers through an alternate route Although network recovery for standard ring topologies can take up to 2 seconds for RSTP or even 30 to 50 seconds when using STP Moxa s Turbo Ring can recover your network in less than 100 ms ems Ethernet Serial Serial Device Network Redundancy Using Two LANs How do ensure network redundancy over two different IP networks A Redundant COM Background Another way to provide redundancy for your serial to Ethernet network is to set up dual LANs Network A and Network B each with its own IP address from a different Internet Service Provider ISP between the host computer and the serial devices Howeve
17. he device layer backup serial devices also need to be deployed However for these newly added devices engineers need to modify the settings of existing software to transmit data simultaneously to both the primary serial devices and the redundant devices Problems e Need to rewrite reset existing serial Communication settings e Slow deployment for larger networks with many different serial devices Smart Solution The COM Grouping function allows you to skip the develooment time generally required to revise device settings and deploy new backup devices In other words you can keep existing settings and flexibly add backup devices to an existing network For network devices that already have 2 built in serial ports e g intelligent electronic devices COM Grouping allows you to create a COM Group for these 2 ports and redirect data from the COM Group to physical COM ports on the NPort device Server ems Ethernet erja Group 1 COM1 Port1 Group 2 COM2 Port 2 Backup Port 1 Port 2 Serial Device COM Grouping Avoiding Data Overflow When the data buffer on the device side is not large enough how do we avoid data overflow On chip software flow control Background When the data buffer on the serial devices receiving the data is smaller than the data packet being transmitted the traditional approach has been to use software flow control to manage the size of the data packets being transmitted t
18. ice server can store an average of 50 minutes at a 9600 baud rate ems Ethernet Serial Data Buffer aaa Data ij When the network connection fom is restored the serial device server will resend the data Buffer When the Ethernet fails the serial device server will queue the data in its buffer Serial Device Serial Device Step 1 Ethernet Fails Step 2 Ethernet Ready Troubleshooting for System Reliability The following questions and answers seek to helo remote administrators and field engineers maintain and troubleshoot a serial to Ethernet network more efficiently by matching particular device server features to specific troubleshooting objectives For Remote Administrators Q How do monitor real time and historical data for a serial to Ethernet network In addition to real time status reports network administrators often require data about network conditions preceding an event to Improve operational efficiency and perform root cause analysis or other business intelligence applications Simple Network Management Protocol SNMP provides real time status reports to remote administrators IT administrator converge system information to the existing SNMP management system for real time network monitoring In addition when the following situations occur IT administrators can receive automatic real time warnings through SNMP trap and e mail e System restart e Unauthorized user log in
19. ions that require access to RS 232 RS 422 and RS 485 interface devices via an Ethernet connection we hope the following serial expansion roadmap will help you select the most appropriate solution s for expanding the capabilities of your legacy serial devices Serial Communication Serial Port Expansion Media Conversion Local Area Network Ethernet Wireless Serial Port Expansion If you need to expand the number of serial port connections i e COM ports for your host computer the solutions available will depend on whether you are using a desktop computer or a notebook computer MSB If you re using a desktop computer as your host then you can choose either a multiport serial board or USB hub USB If you re using a notebook computer then you will need to use a USB hub to expand the number of COM port connections for serial feld devices Local Area Network If your objective is to remotely control multiple serial field devices then you ll need to choose an appropriate LAN architecture for connecting your field devices Ethernet If you have an existing Ethernet backbone or want to deploy a new Ethernet LAN then you will need to use a serial device server or an embedded serial device server to network enable your legacy serial field devices for the TCP IP platform Wireless lf you cannot use a wired network to remotely control your serial field devices then you can use a wireless de
20. l when the primary host is not operating properly Benefits e Can designate which computer is the primary host e Each host receives the same data at the same time i e automatic back up Adding Multiple Backup Hosts Q But what if need multiple host computers to control my serial devices A Use the Command by Command mode on supported serial device servers Smart Solution If you have two or more host computers that need to send data to the serial devices on your network a Moxa serial device Ayqey ISOH FZ server can be used as an intermediary to simultaneously receive two sets of data and then forward each set of data to the serial devices in two complete sequences For example Host A may need to send abcde to the serial devices at the same that Host B needs to send 123456 to the same serial devices If both sets of data are sent simultaneously then the data may be received in a jumbled form such as 1abc23def456 However Moxa s Command by Command mode allows the device server to ensure that each set of data is completely sent to the serial devices without interference from another simultaneous cata transmission Benefits e No need to synchronize all the host computers together e Supports multiple primary hosts in the same network ams Ethernet Serial Backup Check Check host A Backup host A data an i Fo n current situation Host A Backup Host B Host A Backup Host B Serial D
21. lem IPv6 has become popular for network infrastructure development because it is not only compatible with IPv4 specifications but also solves the issue of address exhaustion In some cases IPv6 is even required for use in government contracts Problems e There may not be enough IPv4 addresses available in the future if you need to expand your network e Not all products on the market that claim to be IPv6 compatible comply with all the latest specifications Smart Solution Fortunately the IPv6 Ready Logo Program has taken the initiative to verify protocol implementation and validate interoperability of IPv6 products by providing IPv6 Ready Logo testing laboratories across the globe As a result all products that bear the official IPv6 Ready Logo have been tested and verified to conform to the latest IPv6 specifications To meet the growing demand for IPv6 NPort serial to Ethemet device servers were designed with the latest IPv6 specifications in mind and have been certified by the IPv6 Ready Logo Program Benefits e Full compliance with IPv6 specifications is ensured Enough IP addresses for future network expansion Part 2 Ensuring Stability and Reliability Now that you ve successfully installed and configured your serial field devices and device servers over an Ethernet LAN you ll want to make sure your network continues to provide stable and reliable data communications between each network node Given the missio
22. n critical nature of industrial networks even a minor error in data transmission can cost managers time and money As a result you ll also need to Know how to troubleshoot potential communication issues to maintain high network availability In this chapter we will present some common scenarios that may affect system stability and assist network administrators in finding the most appropriate solution More concretely stable connections in serial to Ethernet network architectures are built on the three pillars of host reliability network reliability and device reliability With this framework in mind the following sections will offer some Smart Solutions to helo administrators optimize availability in serial to Ethernet networks In addition we will illustrate how user friendly device server design can helo network administrators troubleshoot more efficiently while keeping the network online and available 2 1 Host Reliability e Adding an Automatic Backup Host e Adding Multiple Backup Hosts 2 2 Network Reliability e Network Redundancy Using One LAN e Network Redundancy Using Two LANs 2 3 Device Reliability e Adding Backup Field Devices e Avoiding Data Overflow Off Line Data Backup 2 4 Troubleshooting for System Reliability e For Remote Administrators e For Field Engineers Ensuring Stability and Reliability Adding an Automatic Backup Host Q How do I add a backup host that
23. o the device side However by separating the data packet into smaller packets traditional software flow control runs the risk of losing data if transmission is interrupted before all the data reaches the serial devices Problems e Slow data buffering e Cannot ensure that 100 of data is received Smart Solution By enabling the NPort device server s UART to handle flow control directly on chip flow control can overcome the limitations of traditional software flow control More specifically on chip flow control can delineate where a data packet begins and ends to allow sufficient yet efficient lag time for the receiving field devices to process the data Serial Ea Process 1 The serial device buffer fills up 2 The serial device sends an Xoff command to the device server 3 The device server promptly stops transmitting Ayqey SdIAeq Z Ensuring Stability and Reliability Off Line Data Backup How can temporarily store data when the network is disconnected A Off line port buffering In wired or wireless environments unexpected factors might cause unstable connections or even disconnections Therefore sometimes you need a way to store data that is being sent or received on a network When a network is facing trouble the device servers have enough buffers to temporarily store data and then resend the data when the network connection is restored For example Moxa s serial to wireless dev
24. r in normal operation firmware is required to not only detect network abnormalities but alSo inform the host computer to switch to the redundant LAN Problems e Relying on firmware to detect network status lengthens the response time e Connecting two LANs requires additional programming time and effort Smart Solution Redundant COM operation mode can be used to set up a redundant LAN between the serial devices connected to the CN2600 s serial ports and the host computer The redundant structure involves using the CN2600 s two LAN ports to set up two independent LANs that connect the CN2600 to the host computer If either of the two LANs fails the other LAN will continue transmitting packets between the serial devices and the host with the packets passing through the CN2600 In fact one of the biggest advantages of the CN2600 s Redundant COM mode is that the switching time is zero So besides eliminating programming time and effort Redundant COM also eliminates response times when switching between LANs ams Ethernet Serial Backup Network A F Network B r Serial Devices Serial Devices Traditional Approach Redundant COM AYIQeIOY YAOMION 7 72 Ensuring Stability and Reliability Adding Backup Field Devices Q How can instantly deploy backup serial devices on an existing serial to Ethernet network COM Grouping Background Sometimes in order to ensure stable operation of t
25. rough the LCD Liquid Crystal Display Use WiFi Site Survey Tool to Detect Suitable Access Points In the past engineers used computers to detect a suitable AP for serial device servers but sometimes the detected AP was not reliable Moxa s NPort W2150A wireless device server Supports a site Survey tool that bases WiFi AP detection on the serial device server Engineers can take advantage of the site survey tool to check if there are any WiFi APs on the same channel that can influence connectivity of the serial devices Supported Products NPort W2150A W2250A series Part 3 Case Study Factory Automation Semiconductor manufacturing is highly precise and incredibly time intensive generally requiring many sequences of photolithographic and chemical processing over the course of 6 to 8 weeks Since even a small mistake due to human error for just one batch of 25 wafers can end up costing millions of dollars automated fab machines are used to gradually create electronic circuits on the wafers One of the world s largest semiconductor manufacturers wanted to build a new fab fabrication plant to produce integrated circuits IC chips on 8 inch wafers Although the company was already a global leader in producing 6 inch IC chips the high stakes nature of semiconductor manufacturing required a completely new fabrication plant to be built to accommodate the new larger wafer size System Requirements e Integrate fab machines and
26. s an easy to use software utility to configure IP addresses and COM port numbers on serial device servers Background Since each serial device server comes with a default private IP address that is different from the host computer s IP address you will need to configure the IP addresses for each host computer and serial device server as well as the relevant COM port numbers on each device server to have the same network identifier prefix Traditionally network engineers would use a web browser to change the host computer s IP address A to the device server s default private IP address B and then assign the device server an IP address with the same network identifier as the host computer s original IP address C After that you ll need to change the host computer s IP address back the original IP address A and consult relevant users manuals for how to set up virtual serial COM ports and how to update serial and Ethernet parameters For example you may need to install a virtual serial port driver to configure the COM port numbers on each serial device server Problems e P addresses and COM port numbers need to be configured manually e Need to install drivers and keep them up to date Smart Solution Although you can still use the traditional configuration approach when installing NPort serial device servers Moxa s NPort Administrator Suite provides an easy to use software utility that eliminates the hassles of manual configuration
27. tion 1 2 Advanced Installation Part 2 Ensuring Stability and Reliability 2 1 Host Reliability 2 2 Network Reliability 2 3 Device Reliability 2 4 Troubleshooting for System Reliability Part 3 Case Study Factory Automation Part 4 Device Server Product Selection Guide Part 5 Serial Expansion Roadmap Part 1 Installation and Configuration Getting your serial to Ethernet network up and running requires more than physically connecting your serial devices host computer and serial device servers in a desired topology This chapter is divided into two sections First we will answer questions related to installing and configuring serial to Ethernet device servers more quickly Then based on specific system requirements we offer advanced solutions for how to set up your serial to Etnernet network 1 1 Basic Installation e Initial Installation and Configuration e Saving Serial Settings e Future Installations and System Upgrades 1 2 Advanced Installation e ONP EPIO e COM Port Grouping Multi drop for Ethernet e Public Networks and Dynamic IP Addresses e Data Pre reatment e Future Proof for Network Expansion Serial Installation and Configuration Initial Installation and Configuration What s the easiest way to install a serial to Ethernet device server and configure COM ports for the first time When using a Windows based host NPort Administrator Suite provide
28. vice server or an embedded serial device server to enable IEEE 802 11a b g wireless Communications for your serial field devices Media Conversion If you want to extend the data transmission distance or transmit data between two different communication standards or protocols then you will need to use a media converter Fiber If you only want to extend your serial communication distance then you will need to use a serial to fiber media converter Compared to traditional copper wires used in legacy serial data transmissions fiber cables support a much greater transmission distance Serial If you want to convert between different serial communication standards such as from RS 282 to RS 485 then you will need to use a serial to serial media converter MOXA Reliable Networks Sincere Service Your Trusted Partner in Automation Moxa is a leading manufacturer of industrial networking computing and automation solutions With over 25 years of industry experience Moxa has connected more than 30 million devices worldwide and has a distribution and service network that reaches customers in more than 70 countries Moxa delivers lasting business value by empowering industry with reliable networks and sincere service for automation systems Moxa Sales and Marketing Headquarters Moxa Corporate Plaza 601 Valencia Ave Suite 200 Brea CA 92823 U S A Toll Free 1 888 669 2872 Tel 1 714 528 6777 Fax 1 714 528
29. vices at the same time ams Ethernet Serial COM1 CNC1 COM2 CNC2 COM3 CNC3 COM1024 CNC1024 CNC1 CNC2 CNC3 CNC1024 COM Port Grouping Multi drop for Ethernet Q How can emulate the multi drop behavior of serial communication and simultaneously issue the same command to all or a group of serial field devices over an Ethernet LAN A COM Grouping allows you to emulate the multi drop behavior of legacy serial communication over Ethernet TCP IP Background Commands on a traditional RS 485 serial network are addressed by an ID that is typically one byte long Although all nodes on the serial network will receive the command from the network host only the field devices with matching IDs will actually process the commana all other field devices will ignore the command This convenient way of grouping serial field devices within a larger network is especially useful in applications where multiple serial field devices need to perform the same action at once e g all the LED signs on the same railway platform need to display the same arrival information for an oncoming train But since each physical serial port in a serial to Ethernet network is mapped to a virtual COM port number on a device server each local COM port on the network s host computer usually corresponds to just one virtual COM port number i e serial connection As a result the host can only issue commands to just one COM port number at a tim
30. www moxa com uoi ejje suj oiseg LL Model Wrort 51504 4 192 168 127 254 MAC Address Name NPS1 508 71 ry Firmware Ove nig Quick Setup l 3 sein a kaii go Exportimpor n steps making your NPort Basic Settings Quick Setup ready to work Network Settings Serial Settings L 5 tas Saija Operating Settings f C i perform configuration backup or recovery Accessible IP Settings Export Import Auto Warning Settings parade Firnware Monitor change Password Load Factory Default Save Restart aie wr hd _j 5 UY A er Kia u e 1 cae a Fe z e E I Zio e a m nna Ba WVatch the demo video to learn more about the acces NPort 3 step configuration wizard Installation and Configuration Choosing the Right Operation Mode Q Will migrating to Ethernet require me to reconfigure all my original serial device settings All NPort series device servers and CN2600 series terminal servers come with multiple serial to Ethernet operation modes that preserve the original serial communication settings for a wide array of applications One of the biggest concerns network engineers have when migrating an existing serial network to Ethernet is having to reconfigure hundreds of serial communication settings and parameters Using the correct operation mode makes this step easy Situation 1 Situation 2 Situation 3 If you want to replace an existing serial If you
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search