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PC to Master via Ethernet
jason_the_adams
Posts: 108
in AMX Hardware
I'm currently working on a Vista system - which really isn't so bad once you strip it of most everything that makes it Vista (giving you, essentially, a prettier XP) - and I'm simply trying to connect to a NI-900 master so I can set up its IP settings. Problem is, this laptop doesn't have a serial port. So I ended up using a Keyspan USB-to-Serial adapter. This worked, sort of, but I got the impression something was fighting me within the OS, as I got what could only be described as a quasi-connection to the master - which consisted of two monologues between the two systems, but no real dialog. I'll try to explain this in case someone else has had this and found a workaround:
I'm able to see the master when I refresh the system. Then I'm able to connect for the sake of changing the IP, get the IP, change and set the IP and reboot. From here, it promptly decides it's had enough of my computer and tells me it from here-on-in will fail to connect. If I unplug and replug the USB device, then it starts working again as described before. However, when I check the IP, it says it never change from 192.168.1.1. Also, as a bonus, when I type in the terminal all it does it beep at me obnoxiously and not return an echo of any sort.
So, for the sake of a further question, I decided to see if I could just connect directly to the master via crossover Ethernet, since I now knew the IP of the processor. This have proved to be entirely unsuccessful as it simply doesn't see the master (and to clarify, I did change my range to match the master).
Any thoughts/help in the midst of this would be awesome. Thanks!
I'm able to see the master when I refresh the system. Then I'm able to connect for the sake of changing the IP, get the IP, change and set the IP and reboot. From here, it promptly decides it's had enough of my computer and tells me it from here-on-in will fail to connect. If I unplug and replug the USB device, then it starts working again as described before. However, when I check the IP, it says it never change from 192.168.1.1. Also, as a bonus, when I type in the terminal all it does it beep at me obnoxiously and not return an echo of any sort.
So, for the sake of a further question, I decided to see if I could just connect directly to the master via crossover Ethernet, since I now knew the IP of the processor. This have proved to be entirely unsuccessful as it simply doesn't see the master (and to clarify, I did change my range to match the master).
Any thoughts/help in the midst of this would be awesome. Thanks!
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With my Dell Inspiron 1720 running vista ultimate I have no issues using an Aten USB to serial adapter.
Secondly
Most times I have no worries connecting to AMX systems via TCP but when I do, I start with the basics.
Using command line tools:
Can you ping the device?
Can you telnet into the device?
If neither of those are working then check your computers IP settings and turn off Vista's firewall.
If they do work then in Studio turn off the "Auto Ping the Master controller"
Other things to check:
Can you connect using another pc running XP?
Does the web interface work?
Same question for connecting via Ethernet; crossover or straight?
I don't have any of the security settings running on this machine, so I'm sure that's not it. But you've connected straight to a master without first configuring it via serial, before? I am, in fact, correct in believing the default address to be 192.168.1.1, yes?
I've tried to ping it and the like, but I'm getting entirely no response.
The problem for me is that I'm decently familiar with networking, but not entirely familiar with how the processor works as far as this goes.
Appreciate your help.
If connecting via direct IP then depending on your laptop, most modern LAN ports will autodetect if a crossover is required, but a crossover is used between 2 devices without a switch or hub. This will not work if you've not assigned an IP Address.
The easiest solution for you is to connect with a DHCP router and then use the "listen for master" function in Master Communications.
In my experience, AMX masters come by default set up for DHCP and without an IP address assigned. Until you have successfully assigned an IP address and subnet mask, you will not be able to communicate with the master via ethernet, as far as I know. 192.168.1.1 is not, as far as I know, a default IP address for any AMX equipment.
If you set up your default AMX master so that it can find a DHCP server, it will set itself up with a DHCP assigned IP address and will also periodically transmit its presence. In Netlinx studio you can listen for this transmission and Identify the IP address that the master has and then connect to that via IP/TCP. The easiest way to do this is to leave your master setup default and use DHCP on your laptop. Connect both to a router with DHCP server, start up Netlinx studio on your PC, identify the master IP address and connect to it. Find the "listen" button in the IP address edit dialog of master communication settings and click it.
About the RS232 USB devices -- they are not all created equal and not all of them will properly communicate with some devices under all circumstances. I used one for a while and had periodic trouble with both AMX masters and Cr$$tron masters. I couldn't get it to work at all with IR capture devices. For several years I've been using a PCMCIA rs232 adapter which works with everything. I understand that new laptops may not have a PCMCIA port, but they have some other card slot for which an RS232 adapter is available and these are cheaper than the PCMCIA cards, as far as I know.
Finally, if you connect your PC directly to the master via ethernet, you will need a crossover ethernet cable. Connecting via RS232 requires a null (crossover) cable too. Most commercially available cables with two female ends are, in fact, null cables, but you need to verify this as some are not.
If you are on an isolated network where the hub/switch/router does not serve out DHCP addresses, you can run a DHCP server on your laptop. The laptop will then lease an IP address to the NetLinx in the range that you want it to be. I've recently been using TFTPD32 (http://tftpd32.jounin.net/) which is free and very simple to use. I was using it to configure different IP hardware, but the theory is still the same. It worked well for me on WinXP - I'm not sure if Vista would have any issues with it or not.
Roger McLean
Swinburne University
Cheers.