GE MDS DS-MERCURY900 Mercury 900 Wireless Transceiver User Manual 4446A Mercury Body

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05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 1

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

AND APPLICATIONS

1 Chapter Counter Reset Paragraph

Contents

1.1 ABOUT THIS MANUAL ........................................................... 3

1.1.1 Start-Up Guide ......................................................................... 3

1.1.2 Online Access to Manuals ........................................................ 3

1.1.3 Conventions Used in This Manual ........................................... 3

1.2 PRODUCT DESCRIPTION ..................................................... 4

1.2.1 Model Offerings ........................................................................ 6

1.2.2 MDS P23 Protected Network (Redundant) Configuration ........ 7

1.3 APPLICATIONS ....................................................................... 7

1.3.1 Mobile/Fixed Data System ....................................................... 7

1.3.2 Wireless LAN ........................................................................... 8

1.3.3 Point-to-Point LAN Extension .................................................. 9

1.3.4 Serial Radio Network Connectivity

(Future Functionality) .......................................................................... 9

1.3.5 Multiple Protocols and/or Services

(Future Functionality) .......................................................................... 10

1.3.6 Wireless LAN with Mixed Services ........................................... 10

1.3.7 Upgrading Older Wireless Network with

Serial Interfaces (Future Functionality) ............................................... 11

1.4 NETWORK DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS .............................. 12

1.4.1 Extending Network Coverage with Repeaters ......................... 12

1.4.2 Protected Network Operation using Multiple Access Points .... 14

1.4.3 Collocating Multiple Radio Networks ....................................... 15

1.5 GE MDS CYBER SECURITY SUITE ...................................... 16

1.6 ACCESSORIES ....................................................................... 17

2 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 3

1.1 ABOUT THIS MANUAL

This

Reference Manual

is one of two publications provided for users of

the Mercury 900

transceiver system. It contains detailed product

information, an overview of common applications, a screen-by-screen

review of the menu system, technical specifications, suggested settings

for various scenarios, and detailed troubleshooting information. This

manual should be available to all personnel who are responsible for net-

work design, setup, commissioning and troubleshooting.

1.1.1 Start-Up Guide

The Mercury 900

Start-Up Guide

(Part No. 05-4558A01) is a com-

panion publication to the Reference Manual. It is a much smaller book,

with a specific purpose—to guide an Installer in the basic steps for get-

ting a transceiver on the air and communicating with other units in a net-

work. It eliminates non-essential information so that installers can focus

on the immediate goal of getting their equipment up and running in the

shortest time possible.

1.1.2 Online Access to Manuals

In addition to printed manuals, many users value the ability to access

documents electronically. This can be especially useful when you need

to access documentation while traveling, or want to share a document

with another user in the field. Electronic documents also make it easy to

search for a specific term or subject, especially in larger manuals.

User manuals for our equipment can be accessed anytime from our web-

site at

www.GEmds.com

. Simply click the

Downloads

tab at the top of

the home page and select

Product Manuals

from the drop-down list. A

search window then appears to help you locate the manual you need.

Online manuals are provided as PDF files in the Adobe

Acrobat

stan-

dard. A reader for PDF files may be downloaded free of charge from

www.adobe.com

1.1.3 Conventions Used in This Manual

On-Screen Menu Items

On-screen menu items or command entries are presented in a distinctive

typeface to set them apart from regular text (for example:

Network Name,

IP Address, Password

). This typeface will be found most often in Chapter

3, where the menu system is discussed in detail. When variable settings

or a range of options are available for a menu option, the items are pre-

sented inside brackets, with the default setting (if any) shown last, fol-

lowing a semicolon.

Here is an example: [

available settings or range;

default setting

]

4 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

Menu Strings

To help show the path to a menu selection, navigation strings are used

in several places in this manual. For example, suppose you wished to

view or set the Network Name assigned to your system. This item is

located in the Network Configuration Menu, so the navigation string in

the text would appear as follows:

Main Menu>>Network Configuration>>Network Name

By following this order of menus, you will be able to quickly reach the

desired menu.

1.2 PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The GE MDS Mercury 900

transceiver is an easy-to-install wireless

solution offering extended range, secure operation, and at multi-megabit

performance in a compact and rugged package. The transceiver is ide-

ally suited for demanding applications in fixed or mobile environments,

where reliability and range are paramount.

The transceivers are commonly used to convey text documents,

graphics, email, video, voice over IP (VoIP), and a variety of other

application data between mobile, fixed-point, and WAN/LAN-based

entities.

Based on multi-carrier Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

(OFDM), the transceiver features high speed/low latency, basic Quality

of Service (QoS) for prioritizing traffic, Ethernet and serial encapsula-

tion, and network roaming. It also provides enhanced security features

including AES encryption and RADIUS authentication, making the

Mercury system the best combination of security, range and speed of

any industrial wireless solution on the market today.

Invisible place holder

Figure 1-1. The GE MDS

Mercury 900

Transceiver

(Remote unit shown, AP is similar in appearance)

Rugged Packaging

The transceivers are housed in a compact and rugged die cast-aluminum

case that need only be protected from direct exposure to the weather.

This one enclosure contains all necessary components for radio opera-

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 5

tion and data communications. The only user-serviceable component

inside the case is a fuse for the DC power input line.

Simple Installation

Mercury Transceivers are designed for rapid and trouble-free installa-

tion. For basic services, you simply connect the antennas (900 MHz and

GPS, as required), connect your data equipment, apply primary power,

set a few operating parameters, and you are done. No license is required

for operation in the U.S.A., Canada, and many other countries. Check

requirements for your region before placing the equipment in service.

Most installations employ an omni-directional antenna at the Access

Point (AP) location and mobile stations. Fixed Remote stations often

employ a directional antenna aimed at the AP. Regardless of the type

used, antennas are a vital part of the system and must be chosen and

installed correctly. Refer to

INSTALLATION PLANNING

on Page 109

for guidance on choosing suitable antennas and installation sites.

Secure Operation

Data network security is a vital issue in today's wireless world. The

transceivers

provide multiple tools to help you build a network that min-

imizes the risk of eavesdropping and unauthorized access. Some are in-

herent in the radio's operation, such as the use of 900 MHz

spread-spectrum transmissions; others include data encryption, en-

abling/disabling remote access channels, and password protection.

Remember, security is not a one-step process that can simply be turned

on and forgotten. It must be practiced and enforced at multiple levels,

24 hours-a-day and 7 days-a-week. See

“GE MDS CYBER SECURITY

SUITE”

on Page 16 for more information about the transceiver’s secu-

rity tools.

Robust Radio

Operation

The transceivers are designed for operation in the license-free 900 MHz

Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. They can provide reli-

able communications over long distances, even in the presence of weak

signals or interference.

Mobile range depends on many factors, including terrain, building den-

sity, antenna gain, and speed of travel. The unit is designed for suc-

cessful application in a variety of mobile environments, and offers the

best combination of range, speed and robustness available in an indus-

trial wireless package today. By using multiple Access Points, a network

can be created that provides consistent, reliable coverage over a large

metropolitan area. See

“SPECIFICATIONS”

on Page 123 for more

information on transmission range.

Flexible Services

Users with a mix of equipment having Ethernet and serial data interfaces

can accommodate this equipment through the use of a Remote Dual

Gateway. This flexibility allows the transceiver to provide services in

data networks that are being migrated from legacy serial/EIA-232-based

hardware to the faster and more easily interfaced Ethernet world.

6 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

Flexible

Management

Configuration, commissioning, troubleshooting and other maintenance

activities can be done locally or remotely. Four different modes of

access are available: local RS-232 console terminal, local or remote IP

access (via Telnet or SSH), web browser (HTTP, HTTPS), and SNMP

(v1/v2/v3).

The text-based interfaces (RS-232 console, Telnet, and SSH) are imple-

mented in the form of easy-to-follow menus, and the terminal server

configuration includes a wizard to help you set up the units correctly.

Transceiver

Features

The transceiver’s design makes the installation and configuration easy,

while allowing for future changes.

• Industrial-Grade Product—Extended temperature range for

trouble-free operation in extreme environments

• Robust Radio Communications—Designed to operate over long

distances in dense, high-interference environments

• Robust Network Security—Prevents common attack schemes

and hardware from gaining access or control of network. Com-

mon attack events are logged and reported by alarms.

• High Speed—1.5 Mbps is over 100-times faster than 9.6 kbps

radios.

• Plug-and-Play Connectivity—AP or Remote configuration

requires minimal setup

• Built-in GPS Receiver—GPS technology is used for timing and

location data. The only external equipment needed for this func-

tionality is a GPS antenna (several types are available from GE

MDS).

1.2.1 Model Offerings

The transceiver comes in two primary models—Access Point and

Remote. Unique hardware is used for each of these models. Of the

Remote radios, there are two sub-types available—

Standard Remote

and

Max Remote

, both of which support Ethernet and serial services.

Table 1-1 summarizes the different interface abilities for each type of

radio.

Table 1-1. Transceiver Models and Data Interface Services

Model Sub-Type Ethernet/LAN

COM1

USB

Access Point N/A Yes Yes No

Remote Ethernet Bridge Yes Yes No

Max Remote Yes Yes Yes

NOTES

1. COM1 provides access to the embedded Management System

on all units.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 7

Access Point or Remote?—Quick ID Tip

The outward appearance of AP and Remote radios is nearly identical,

however, the hardware for each type is different and they are

not

inter-

cahngeable. An quick way to identify them is to look at the gasket seal

in the center of the radio case.

Remote units have yellow gaskets while

APs have a black gasket.

In addition, a label on the top each radio iden-

tifies it as an AP or Remote unit.

1.2.2 MDS P23 Protected Network (Redundant)

Configuration

For mission-critical applications, a Protected Network Station is also

offered. This unit incorporates two transceivers, two power supplies,

and a switchover logic board that automatically selects between Trans-

ceiver A and Transceiver B as the active radio. Figure 1-2 shows a view

of the protected chassis. For system-level information on this product,

see MDS publication 05-4161A01.

Invisible place holder

Figure 1-2. MDS P23 Protected Network Station

(incorporates two Transceivers, with Automatic Switchover)

1.3 APPLICATIONS

The following sections provide illustrations of typical transceiver instal-

lations. This is meant as an overview only. It is recommended that a net-

work manager be involved in all installation planning activities.

1.3.1 Mobile/Fixed Data System

Mercury transceivers support high-speed data communications in a

mobile environment. In this application, Remote radios “roam” between

different Access Points, providing seamless transitions and continuous

coverage throughout a municipal area. Figure 1-3 shows an example of

an integrated system employing both mobile and fixed Mercury trans-

ceivers.

8 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

Invisible place holder

Figure 1-3. Integrated Mobile/Fixed Application

1.3.2 Wireless LAN

The wireless LAN is a common application of the transceiver. It consists

of a central control station (Access Point) and one or more associated

Remote units, as shown in Figure 1-4 on Page 8. A LAN provides com-

munications between a central WAN/LAN and remote Ethernet seg-

ments. The operation of the radio system is transparent to the computer

equipment connected to the transceiver.

The Access Point is positioned at a location from which it can commu-

nicate with all of the Remote units in the system. Commonly, this is a

high location on top of a building or communications tower. Messages

are exchanged at the Ethernet level. This includes all types of IP traffic.

A Remote transceiver can only talk over-the-air to an Access Point unit

(AP). Peer-to-peer communications between Remotes can only take

place indirectly via the AP. In the same fashion, an AP can only talk

over-the-air to associated Remote units. Exception: Two APs can com-

municate with each other “off-the-air” through their Ethernet connectors

using a common LAN/WAN.

Invisible place holder

Figure 1-4. Typical Wireless LAN

emo

Remote

Access Point

Remote

LAN

WAN/LAN

LAN

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 9

1.3.3 Point-to-Point LAN Extension

A point-to-point configuration (Figure 1-5) is a simple arrangement

consisting of an Access Point and a Remote unit. This provides a com-

munications link for the transfer of data between two locations.

Invisible place holder

Figure 1-5. Typical Point-to-Point Link

1.3.4 Serial Radio Network Connectivity

(Future Functionality)

An important design feature of the transceiver is to provide a path for

serial devices to migrate to IP/Ethernet systems. Many radio networks

in operation today still rely on serial networks at data rates of 9600 bps

or less. These networks can use the transceiver as a means to continue

using the serial service, while allowing the infrastructure to migrate to

an IP format.

A Remote transceiver with its serial port connected to a GE MDS

serial-based radio, such as MDS x790/x710, MDS TransNET and

others, provides a path for bringing the data from the older radio into the

IP/Ethernet environment of a Mercury-based system.

Invisible place holder

Figure 1-6. Backhaul Network

LAN/WAN

Access Point Remote

LAN

MDS 4790

Master

MDS 9790

Master

MDS 9810

Master

Serial Conn.

MDS 4710 Remote

NMS Control

Point

SCADA Host

Modbus/IP

HUB Access Point

MDS 4710 Remote

MDS 9710 Remote

MDS 9810 Remote

Remote Serial

NETWORK

ROUTER

Serial

Device

Serial

Device

Serial

Device

Serial

Device

Serial

Device

Serial

Device

10 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

1.3.5 Multiple Protocols and/or Services

(Future Functionality)

Prior to the introduction of Ethernet/IP-based radios, two radios were

often used to service two different types of devices (typically connected

to different SCADA hosts). A Mercury radio provides this functionality

using a single remote unit. The unit’s serial port can be connected via IP

to different SCADA hosts, transporting different (or the same) proto-

cols. Both data streams are completely independent and the transceiver

provides seamless simultaneous operation as shown in Figure 1-7.

Invisible place holder

Figure 1-7. Multiple Protocol Network

By using a single radio, the cost of deployment is cut in half. Beyond

requiring only one radio instead of two, the biggest cost reduction comes

from using half of the required infrastructure at the remote site: one

antenna, one feedline, one lightning protector and ancillary hardware.

Other cost reductions come from the system as a whole, such as reduced

management requirements. And above all, the potential for future appli-

cations that run over Ethernet and IP, such as video for remote surveil-

lance.

1.3.6 Wireless LAN with Mixed Services

The transceiver is an excellent solution for a long-range industrial wire-

less LAN. It offers several advantages over commercial solutions—pri-

marily improved performance over extended distances. The rugged

construction of the radio and its extended temperature range make it an

ideal solution even in harsh locations. In extreme environments, a

simple NEMA enclosure is sufficient to house the unit.

NETview SCADA Host

Total Flow

Access Point

Remote Serial

SCADA Host

Modbus/IP

Remote Serial

Access Point

RTU

Flow Meter

EIA-232

ROUTER

HUB

Serial

Device

Serial

Device

Serial

Device

Serial

Device

HUB

WAN

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 11

The

transceiver trades higher speed for longer range. Commercial

802.11a/b/g solutions are designed to provide service to relatively small

areas such as offices, warehouses and homes. They provide high data

rates but have limited range. The Mercury transmits at a higher power

level, uses a different frequency band, has higher sensitivity, and a nar-

rower channel to concentrate the radio energy and reach farther dis-

tances. It is designed for industrial operation from the ground up.

IP-based devices that may be used with the transceiver include a new

breed of more powerful Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) and Program-

mable Logic Controllers (PLCs). These, as well as other devices, may

be used in applications ranging from SCADA/telemetry monitoring,

web-based video, security monitoring, and voice over IP. Figure 1-8

shows a typical wireless IP network.

Invisible place holder

Figure 1-8. Extended-Range LAN with Mixed Applications

1.3.7 Upgrading Older Wireless Network with

Serial Interfaces

(Future Functionality)

Millions of wireless data products have been installed in the last two

decades for licensed and license-free operation, many of them manufac-

tured by GE MDS. There are several ways that these systems can benefit

from incorporating Mercury

equipment. The chief advantages are inter-

face flexibility (serial and Ethernet in one unit), and higher data

throughput. By taking advantage of its built-in serial and Ethernet inter-

faces, the transceiver is well suited to replace leased lines, dial-up lines,

or existing 900 MHz “multiple address” data transceivers.

Replacing Legacy Wireless Products

In most cases, legacy radio transceivers supporting serial-interface

equipment can be replaced with Mercury transceivers. Legacy equip-

ment can be connected to the transceiver through the

COM1

port with a

DB-25 to DB-9 cable wired for EIA-232 signaling. The

COM1

port sup-

ports all standard EIA-232 signaling and acts as a data-terminal equip-

ment device (DTE).

NMS Control

Point

SCADA Host

Modbus/IP

Access Point

Remote Bridge

Printer

IP/Ethernet

Remote Bridge

IP/Ethernet

IP Camera

12 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

NOTE: Several previous GE MDS-brand products had non-standard

signal lines on their interface connectors (for example, to

control sleep functions and alarm lines). These special func-

tions are not provided nor supported by the transceiver.

Consult equipment manuals for complete pinout information.

1.4 NETWORK DESIGN

CONSIDERATIONS

1.4.1 Extending Network Coverage with Repeaters

What is a Repeater System?

A repeater works by re-transmitting data from outlying remote sites to

the Access Point and vice-versa. It introduces some additional

end-to-end transmission delay but provides longer-range connectivity.

In some geographical areas, obstacles can make communications diffi-

cult. These obstacles are commonly large buildings, hills, or dense

foliage. These obstacles can often be overcome with a repeater station.

Option 1—Using two transceivers to form a repeater station

(back-to-back repeater)

Although the range between fixed transceivers can be up to 40 km (25

miles) over favorable terrain, it is possible to extend the range consider-

ably by connecting two units together at one site in a “back-to-back”

fashion to form a repeater, as shown in Figure 1-9. This arrangement

should be used whenever the objective is to utilize the maximum range

between stations. In this case, using high-gain Yagi antennas at each

location will provide more reliable communications than their counter-

parts—omnidirectional antennas.

Invisible place holder

Figure 1-9. Typical LAN with a Repeater Link

Overview Two transceivers may be connected “back-to-back” through the LAN

Ports to form a repeater station. (The cable must be a “cross-over”

Ethernet cable for this to work). This configuration is sometimes

required in a network that includes a distant Remote that would other-

Access Point

Remote

Access

Point

LAN/WAN

REPEATER

Crossover Cable

LAN

Ethernet

POINT-TO-POINT LINK

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 13

wise be unable to communicate directly with the Access Point station

due to distance or terrain.

The geographic location of a repeater station is especially important. A

site must be chosen that allows good communication with both the

Access Point and the outlying Remote site. This is often on top of a hill,

building, or other elevated terrain from which both sites can be “seen”

by the repeater station antennas. A detailed discussion on the effects of

terrain is given in Section 5.1.2, Site Selection (beginning on Page 110).

The following paragraphs contain specific requirements for repeater

systems.

Antennas Two antennas are required at this type of repeater station—one for each

radio. Measures must be taken to minimize the chance of interference

between these antennas. One effective technique for limiting interfer-

ence is to employ vertical separation. In this arrangement, assuming

both are vertically polarized, one antenna is mounted directly over the

other, separated by at least 10 feet (3 Meters). This takes advantage of

the minimal radiation exhibited by most antennas directly above and

below their driven elements.

Another interference reduction technique is to cross-polarize the

repeater antennas. If one antenna is mounted for polarization in the ver-

tical plane, and the other in the horizontal plane, an additional 20 dB of

attenuation can be achieved. (Remember that the corresponding stations

should use the same antenna orientation when cross-polarization is

used.)

Network Name The two radios that are wired together at the repeater site must have dif-

ferent network names. To set or view the network names, see “STEP 3—

CONNECT PC TO THE TRANSCEIVER” on Page 23 for details.

Option 2—Using the AP as a Store-and-Forward Packet

Repeater

A wireless network can be extended through the use of an alternate

arrangement using the Access Point as a repeater to re-transmit the sig-

nals of all stations in the network. The repeater is a standard transceiver

configured as an Access Point, and operating in Store and Forward

mode. (See Figure 1-10.)

14 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

Invisible place holder

Figure 1-10. Typical Store-and-Forward Repeater Arrangement

As with the conventional repeater described in Option 1 above, the loca-

tion of a store and forward repeater is also important. A site must be

chosen that allows good communication with both the Access Point and

the outlying Remote site. This can be on the top of a hill, building, or

other elevated terrain from which all sites can be “seen” by the repeater

station antenna. A detailed discussion on the effects of terrain is given

in Section 5.1.2, Site Selection (beginning on Page 110)

1.4.2 Protected Network Operation using Multiple

Access Points

Although GE MDS transceivers have a very robust design and have

undergone intensive testing before being shipped, it is possible for iso-

lated failures to occur. In mission-critical applications, down time can

be virtually eliminated by using some, or all, of the following configu-

rations:

In a point-to-multipoint scenario, the Access Point services multiple

remotes. A problem in the Access Point will have an effect on all

remotes, since none will have access to the network. When operation of

the network does not tolerate any down time, it is possible to set up a

protected configuration for the Access Point to greatly reduce the possi-

bility of this occurrence.

Two or more Access Points can be configured with the same Network

Name and kept active simultaneously, each with its own independent

antenna. In this scenario, Remotes will associate with either one of the

available Access Points. In case of a failure of one of the AP’s the

Remotes will quickly associate with another of the remaining Access

Points re-establishing connectivity to the end devices.

The Access Points are unaware of the existence of the other AP’s.

Because the hopping algorithm uses both the Network Name and the

Wireless MAC address of the AP to generate the hopping pattern, mul-

tiple AP’s can coexist—even if they use the same network name. The

collocated AP’s will be using different hopping patterns and frequencies

the great majority of the time. Although some data collisions will occur,

the wireless-MAC is built to tolerate and recover from such occurrences

with minimal degradation.

Remote

Access Point

LAN/WAN

REPEATER

LAN

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 15

1.4.3 Collocating Multiple Radio Networks

Many networks can operate in relatively close physical proximity to one

another provided reasonable measures are taken to assure the radio

signal of one Access Point is not directed at the antenna of the second

Access Point.

The Network Name and the association process

The Network Name is the foundation for building individual radio net-

works. It is part of a beacon signal broadcast by the Access Point (AP)

to any Remote units with the same Network Name. Remotes that join the

network are referred to as being “associated” with the Access Point unit.

Multiple APs with the same Network Name should be used with care.

Using the same Network Name in multiple APs may result in Remotes

associating with undesired APs and preventing data exchange from

occurring as planned.

The use of a different Network Name does not guarantee an interfer-

ence-free system. It does however, assure that only data destined for a

unique network is passed through to that network.

Co-Location for

Multiple Networks It may be desirable to co-locate Access Points at one location to take

advantage of an excellent or premium location that can serve two inde-

pendent networks. Each network should have unique Network Name

and each AP unit’s antenna should be provided as much vertical separa-

tion as is practical to minimize RFI.

NOTE: All transceivers are shipped with the Network Name set to

“Not Programmed.” The Network Name must be programmed

in order to pass data and begin normal operations.

Can radio frequency interference (RFI) disrupt my wireless

network?

When multiple radio networks operate in close physical proximity to

other wireless networks, individual units may not operate reliably under

weak signal conditions and may be influenced by strong radio signals in

adjacent bands. This radio frequency interference cannot be predicted

with certainty, and can only be determined by experimentation. If you

need to co-locate two units, start by using the largest possible vertical

antenna separation between the two AP antennas on the same support

structure. If that does not work, consult with your factory representative

about other techniques for controlling radio frequency interference

between the radios. (See “A Word About Radio Interference” on

Page 115 for more details.)

16 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

1.5 GE MDS CYBER SECURITY SUITE

Today, the operation and management of an enterprise is becoming

increasing dependent on electronic information flow. An accompanying

concern becomes the cyber security of the communication infrastructure

and the security of the data itself.

The transceiver is capable of dealing with many common security

issues. Table 1-2 profiles security risks and how the transceiver pro-

vides a solution for minimizing vulnerability.

Table 1-2. Security Risk Management

Security Vulnerability GE MDS Cyber Security Solution

Unauthorized access to the backbone

network through a foreign remote radio • 802.1x RADIUS authentication

• Approved Remotes List (local)

Only those remotes included in the

AP list will associate

“Rogue” AP, where a foreign AP takes

control of some or all remote radios and

thus remote devices

• 802.1x RADIUS authentication

• Approved AP List

A remote will only associate to those

AP included in its local authorized

list of AP

Dictionary attacks, where a hacker runs a

program that sequentially tries to break a

password.

• Failed-login lockdown

After 3 tries, the transceiver ignores

event reports (traps) are generated

as well.

Denial of service, where Remote radios

could be reconfigured with bad

parameters bringing the network down.

•Remote login with SSH or HTTPS

•Local console login

•Disabled HTTP & Telnet to allow

only local management services

Airsnort and other war-driving hackers in

parking lots, etc. •900 MHz operation is not

interoperable with standard 802.11b

wireless cards

•The transceiver cannot be put in a

promiscuous mode

•Proprietary data framing

Eavesdropping, intercepting messages •AES-128 encryption

Key cracking software • Automatic Rotating Key algorithm

Replaying messages • Automatic Rotating Key algorithm

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 17

1.6 ACCESSORIES

The transceiver can be used with one or more of the accessories listed in

Table 1-3. Contact the factory for ordering details.

Unprotected access to configuration via

SNMPv1 •Implement SNMPv3 secure

operation

Intrusion detection •Provides early warning via SNMP

through critical event reports

(unauthorized, logging attempts,

etc.)

•Unauthorized AP MAC address

detected at Remote

•Unauthorized Remote MAC

address detected at AP

•Login attempt limit exceeded

(Accessed via: Telnet, HTTP, or

local)

•Successful login/logout

(Accessed via: Telnet, HTTP, or

local)

Table 1-2. Security Risk Management

Security Vulnerability GE MDS Cyber Security Solution

Table 1-3. Accessories

Accessory Description GE MDS

Part No.

AC Power

Adapter Kit

A small power supply module designed for

continuous service. UL approved. Input:

120/220; Output: 13.8 Vdc @ 2.5 A

01-3682A02

Omni-

Directional

Antennas

Rugged antennas well suited for use at Access

Point installations. Consult with your factory

Sales Representative for details

Yagi Antenna

(Directional)

Rugged antennas well suited for use at fixed

Remote sites. Consult with your factory Sales

Representative for details.

GPS Receiving

Antennas

A variety of fixed and mobile GPS antennas

(active and passive) are available. Consult with

your factory Sales Representative for details.

TNC Male-to-N

Female Adapter

One-piece RF adaptor plug. 97-1677A161

TNC Male-to-N

Female Adapter

Cable

Short length of coaxial cable used to connect

the radio’s TNC antenna connector to a Type N

commonly used on large diameter coaxial

cables.

97-1677A159

(3 ft./1m)

97-1677A160

(6 ft./1.8m)

Ethernet RJ-45

Crossover

Cable (CAT5)

Cable assembly used to cross-connect the

Ethernet ports of two transceivers used in a

repeater configuration.

(Cable length ≈ 3 ft./1M)

97-1870A21

18 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

2-Pin Power

Plug

Mates with power connector on transceiver.

Screw terminals provided for wires, threaded

locking screws to prevent accidental disconnect.

73-1194A39

Ethernet RJ-45

Straight-thru

Cable (CAT5)

Cable assembly used to connect an Ethernet

device to the transceiver. Both ends of the cable

are wired identically.

(Cable length ≈ 3 ft./1M)

97-1870A20

EIA-232

Shielded Data

Cable

Shielded cable terminated with a DB-25 male

connector on one end, and a DB-9 female on the

other end. Two lengths available (see part

numbers at right).

97-3035L06

(6 ft./1.8m)

97-3035L15

(15 ft./4.6m)

EIA-232

Shielded Data

Cable

Shielded cable terminated with a DB-9 male

connector on one end, and a DB-9 female on the

other end, 6 ft./1.8m long.

97-1971A03

Fuse Small, board-mounted fuse used to protect

against over-current conditions.

29-1784A03

Flat-Surface

Mounting

Brackets &

Screws

Brackets: 2˝ x 3˝ plates designed to be screwed

onto the bottom of the unit for surface-mounting

the radio.

82-1753-A01

Screws: 6-32/1/4˝ with locking adhesive.

(Industry Standard MS 51957-26)

70-2620-A01

DIN Rail

Mounting

Bracket

Bracket used to mount the transceiver to

standard 35 mm DIN rails commonly found in

equipment cabinets and panels.

03-4022A02

COM1 Interface

Adapter

DB-25(F) to DB-9(M) shielded cable assembly

(6 ft./1.8 m) for connection of equipment or other

EIA-232 serial devices previously connected to

“legacy” units. (Consult factory for other lengths

and variations.)

97-3035A06

Bandpass Filter Antenna system filter that helps eliminate

interference from nearby paging transmitters.

20-2822A02

Ethernet Surge

Suppressor

Surge suppressor for protection of Ethernet port

against lightning.

29-4018A01

Table 1-3. Accessories (Continued)

Accessory Description GE MDS

Part No.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 19

2 TABLETOP EVALUATION

AND TEST SETUP

2 Chapter Counter Reset Paragraph

Contents

2.1 OVERVIEW ............................................................................. 21

2.2 STEP 1CONNECT THE ANTENNA PORTS........................ 21

2.3 STEP 2MEASURE & CONNECT THE PRIMARY POWER. 22

2.4 STEP 3CONNECT PC TO THE TRANSCEIVER................. 23

2.5 STEP 4REVIEW TRANSCEIVER CONFIGURATION ......... 23

2.5.1 Getting Started ......................................................................... 23

2.5.2 Procedure ................................................................................. 23

2.5.3 Basic Configuration Defaults .................................................... 23

2.6 STEP 5CONNECT LAN AND/OR SERIAL EQUIPMENT .... 24

2.7 STEP 6CHECK FOR NORMAL OPERATION ..................... 25

20 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 21

2.1 OVERVIEW

It is recommended that a “tabletop network” be set up to verify the basic

operation of the transceivers. This allows experimenting with network

designs, configurations or network equipment in a convenient location.

This test can be performed with any number of radios.

When you are satisfied that the network is functioning properly in a

benchtop setting, field installation can be performed. Complete informa-

tion for field installation, including mounting dimensions and antenna

selection, is provided in INSTALLATION PLANNING on Page 109.

NOTE: It is important to use a “Network Name” that is different from

any currently in use in your area during the testing period.

To simulate data traffic over the radio network, connect a PC or LAN to

the Ethernet port of the Access Point and PING each transceiver several

times.

2.2 STEP 1—CONNECT THE ANTENNA

PORTS

Figure 2-1 is a drawing of the tabletop arrangement. Connect the

antenna ports of each transceiver as shown. This provides stable radio

communications between each unit and prevents interference to nearby

electronic equipment.

Invisible place holder

Figure 2-1. Typical setup for tabletop-testing of radios

POWER ATTENUATORS

• Fixed or adjustable

• 1W Minimum Rating

POWER DIVIDER

NON-RADIATING ATTENUATORS

• Install on unused divider ports (if any)

• 1W Minimum Rating

COMPUTER

Remote

Access Point

Remote

22 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

NOTE: It is important to use attenuation between all units in the test

setup. The amount of attenuation required will depend on the

number of units being tested and the desired signal strength

(RSSI) at each transceiver during the test. In no case should a

signal greater than –50 dBm be applied to any transceiver in

the test setup. An RF power output level of +20 dBm is recom-

mended from the AP. Remote power is not settable.

(See “Radio Conﬁguration Menu” on Page 52.)

2.3 STEP 2—MEASURE & CONNECT

THE PRIMARY POWER

The primary power at the transceiver’s power connector must be within

10.5–30 Vdc and be capable of continuously providing 30 Watts. Typ-

ical power consumption for 13.8 and 24 Vdc operation are listed in

SPECIFICATIONS on Page 123.

A Phoenix two-pole power connector with screw-terminals is provided

with each unit. Strip the wire leads to 6 mm (0.25"). Be sure to observe

proper polarity with the positive lead (+) on the left and negative (–) on

the right.

NOTE: It typically requires about 30 seconds for the transceiver to power

up, and may take several minutes to associate with another unit, if

GPS is required for time synchronization.

GPS is required for all configurations except when “Free Run”

single-channel (non-frequency hopping) operation is used, which

may be possible in some low-interference environments.

The transceiver must only be used with nega-

tive-ground power systems. Make sure the polarity of

the power source is correct.

Invisible place holder

Figure 2-2. Power Connector

(Polarity: Left +, Right –)

CAUTION

POSSIBLE

EQUIPMENT

DAMAGE

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 23

2.4 STEP 3—CONNECT PC TO THE

TRANSCEIVER

Connect a PC’s Ethernet port to the LAN port using an Ethernet cross-

over cable. The LAN LED should light. Alternatively, you can use a

serial cable to connect to the COM1 port. (Figure 2-3 on Page 24)

2.5 STEP 4—REVIEW TRANSCEIVER

CONFIGURATION

2.5.1 Getting Started

Start by logging into the Access Point radio. This is done first because

the Remotes are dependent on the AP’s beacon signal to achieve an

“associated” state.

Once the Access Point is up and running, move the computer connection

to each of the Remote units, log-in at each unit, review their configura-

tion, set their IP addresses and Network Name and wait for each to

achieve an associated state.

With all units associated, you will be ready to connect and test your data

services.

2.5.2 Procedure

The following is a summary of the configuration procedure that must be

done on each unit in the system. Key parameters are shown on the

Embedded Management System overview (Figure 3-1 on Page 29). A

lists of parameters can found in two tables—Table 4-5 on Page 98 and

Table 4-7 on Page 101. Detailed information on using the Management

System can be found in MS INTRODUCTION on Page 28.

NOTE: The Management System supports the use of “configuration

files” to aid in uniformly configuring multiple units. These are

explained in Conﬁguration Scripts Menu on Page 79.

2.5.3 Basic Configuration Defaults

Table 2-1 provides a selection of key operating parameters, their range,

and default values. All of these are accessible through a terminal emu-

lator connected to the COM1 serial port or through a Web browser con-

nected to the LAN Port. (See Figure 5-1 on Page 109 for hookup.)

NOTE: Access to the transceiver’s Management System and changes

to some parameters, require the entry of a password to main-

tain security.

24 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

A unique IP address and subnet are required to access the browser-based

Management System either through the LAN port, or remotely

over-the-air.

2.6 STEP 5—CONNECT LAN AND/OR

SERIAL EQUIPMENT

Connect a local area network to the LAN port or a serial device to the

COM1 (DCE) port. The LAN port will support any Ethernet-compatible

equipment. This includes devices that use Internet Protocol (IP).

Figure 2-3 shows the interface connectors on the front panel of the trans-

ceiver.

Invisible place holder

Figure 2-3. Transceiver Interface Connectors

Table 2-1. Basic Configuration Defaults

Item Menu Location Default Values/Range

Network Name Main Menu>>

Network Configuration>>

Network Name

“Not

Programmed”

• 1–15 alphanumeric

characters

• Case-sensitive;

can be mixed case

IP Address Main Menu>>

Network Configuration>>

IP Address

192.168.1.1 Contact your network

administrator

RF Output

Power

(adjustable only

at AP)

Main Menu>>

Radio Configuration>>

RF Output Power

30 dBm (1.0

Watt)

20–30 dBm @ 50Ω

(0.1–1.0 Watts)

Unit Password Main Menu>>

Device Information>>

User Password

admin

(lower case)

• 1–8 alphanumeric

characters

• Case-sensitive;

can be mixed case

COM1

SERIAL PORT

LAN PORT

GPS ANTENNA

CONNECTION

RX2 ANTENNA

PORT

TX/RX1

ANTENNA PORT

DC POWER INPUT

(10—30 VDC, 2.5A)

LED INDICATOR

PANEL

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 25

•LED INDICATOR PANEL—Displays the basic operating status of

the transceiver. Section 2.7 contains detailed information.

•COM1 SERIAL PORT— DB-9 connector used for management

of the transceiver via a connected PC. MS INTRODUCTION on

Page 28 provides complete connection details.

•LAN PORT—Connection point for Ethernet Local Area Net-

work. An integrated LED on this port glows yellow for 10

mbps, green for 100 mbps.

•PWR— DC power connection for the transceiver. Power source

must be 10–30 Vdc, negative ground, and capable of furnishing

at least 10 watts.

•GPS ANTENNA PORT— Coaxial connector (SMA-type) for

connection of a Global Positioning System receiving antenna.

Provides 3.5 Vdc output for compatibility with powered (active)

GPS antennas.

NOTE: GPS functionality is required on all Access Points and

Remotes except when “Free Run” single-channel (non-frequency

hopping) operation is used, which may be possible in some

low-interference environments.

•RX2 ANTENNA PORT— Coaxial connector (TNC-type) for

attachment of a second 900 MHz receiving antenna used in

space diversity arrangements.

•TX/RX1 ANTENNA PORT— Coaxial connector (TNC-type) for

attachment of the main station antenna (transmit and receive).

2.7 STEP 6—CHECK FOR NORMAL

OPERATION

Once the data equipment is connected, you are ready to check the trans-

ceiver for normal operation.

Observe the LEDs on the top cover for the proper indications. In a nor-

mally operating system, the following LED indications will be seen

within 45seconds of start-up:

•PWR—Lit continuously

•LINK—On, or blinking intermittently to indicate traffic flow

•LAN—On, or blinking intermittently to indicate traffic flow

Figure 2-4 shows a close-up view of the transceiver’s LED Indicator

panel. Table 2-2 provides details on each LED function.

26 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

Invisible place holder

Figure 2-4. LED Indicator Panel

If the radio network seems to be operating properly based on observa-

tion of the unit’s LEDs, you can use the PING command to verify the link

integrity with the Access Point. This command can also be used to point

your browser to another Remote unit’s IP address in the same network.

* The LAN connector itself has an integrated LED which glows yellow

for 10 mbps operation, and green for 100 mbps.

Table 2-2. Transceiver LED Functions

LED Label Activity Indication

PWR ON Primary power (DC) present

Blinking Unit in “Alarmed” state

OFF Primary power (DC) absent

LAN* ON LAN detected

Blinking Data TX/RX

OFF LAN not detected, or excessive

traffic present

COM1

(MGT System)

Blinking Data TX/RX

OFF No data activity

GPS ON Internal GPS receiver is

synchronized with the satellite

network.

OFF Internal GPS receiver is not

synchronized with the satellite

network.

LINK

(Access Point)

ON Default state

Blinking Data Tx/Rx

OFF Traffic exceeds the capacity of

the radio network

LINK

(Remote)

ON Associated to AP

Blinking Data Tx/Rx

OFF Not associated with AP

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 27

3EMBEDDED

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

3 Chapter Counter Reset Paragraph

Contents

3.1 MS INTRODUCTION............................................................... 28

3.1.1 Differences in the User Interfaces ............................................ 28

3.2 ACCESSING THE MENU SYSTEM ........................................ 30

3.2.1 Methods of Control ................................................................... 31

3.2.2 PC Connection & Log In Procedures ....................................... 31

3.2.3 Navigating the Menus .............................................................. 35

3.3 BASIC DEVICE INFORMATION.............................................. 36

3.3.1 Starting Information Screen ..................................................... 36

3.3.2 Main Menu ............................................................................... 38

3.3.3 Configuring Basic Device Parameters ..................................... 39

3.4 CONFIGURING NETWORK PARAMETERS .......................... 41

3.4.1 Network Configuration Menu ................................................... 41

3.4.2 IP Configuration Menu ............................................................. 42

3.4.3 Ethernet Port Configuration Menu ........................................... 43

3.4.4 Bridge Configuration ................................................................ 44

3.4.5 VLAN Configuration ................................................................. 45

3.4.6 SNMP Agent Configuration ...................................................... 46

3.4.7 Wireless Network Configuration (AP Only) ............................... 49

3.4.8 AP Location Info Config Menu (Remote Only) ......................... 49

3.4.9 DHCP Server Configuration (AP Only) .................................... 50

3.4.10 SNTP Server Configuration .................................................... 51

3.5 RADIO CONFIGURATION ...................................................... 51

3.5.1 Radio Configuration Menu ..................................................... 52

3.5.2 Frequency Control Menu ......................................................... 53

3.5.3 Advanced Configuration Menu ................................................. 54

3.5.4 Security Configuration .............................................................. 55

3.5.5 Redundancy Configuration (AP Only) ...................................... 61

3.5.6 GPS Configuration (Remote Only) ........................................... 66

3.5.7 Performance Information Menu ............................................... 66

3.5.8 Maintenance/Tools Menu ......................................................... 74

3.6 PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION .......................................... 85

3.6.1 Proper OperationWhat to Look For 88

28 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

3.1 MS INTRODUCTION

The transceiver’s embedded management system is accessible through

various data interfaces. These include the COM1 (serial) port, LAN

(Ethernet) port, and via SNMP. Essentially the same capabilities are

available through any of these paths.

For support of SNMP software, a set of MIB files is available for down-

load from the GE MDS Web site at www.GEmds.com. An overview of

SNMP commands can be found at SNMP Agent Conﬁguration section

on Page 46 of this manual.

The transceiver’s Management System and its functions are divided into

seven functional groups as listed below.

•Section 3.3, BASIC DEVICE INFORMATION (beginning on

Page 36)

•Section 3.4, CONFIGURING NETWORK PARAMETERS

(beginning on Page 41)

•Section 3.5, RADIO CONFIGURATION (beginning on Page

51)

•Section 3.5.4, Security Conﬁguration (beginning on Page 55)

•Section 3.6, PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION (beginning on

Page 85)

•Section 3.5.8, Maintenance/Tools Menu (beginning on Page 74)

Each of these sections has a focus that is reflected in its heading. The

section you are now reading provides information on connecting to the

Management System, how to navigate through it, how it is structured,

and how to perform top-level configuration tasks. Figure 3-1 on the fol-

lowing page shows a top-level view of the Management System (MS).

3.1.1 Differences in the User Interfaces

Although there are slight differences in navigation among the user inter-

faces, the content is very similar. You will notice a few differences in

capabilities as the communications tool is driven by limitations of the

access channel. Figure 3-2 and Figure 3-3 show examples of the

Starting Information Screen as seen through a console terminal and a

web-browser, respectively.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 29

• Spacebar is used to make some menu selections

• AP = Access Point Only

• RM = Remote Only

IP Configuration

Ethernet Port Config

Bridge Configuration

VLAN Configuration

SNMP Agent Config. (AP)

SMTP Agent Config. (RM)

Wireless Ntwk Config. (AP)

AP Location Info (RM)

DHCP Server Config.

SNTP Server Config.

Network

Configuration

Radio

Configuration

Device

Information Maintenance/Tools

Security

Configuration

Reprogramming

Config. Scripts

Ping Utility

Auth. Codes

Reset to Defaults

Radio Test

MAIN MENU

Network Name

Transmit Pwr (AP)

Freq. Control

Receive Pwr (AP)

Freq. Control

Adv. Config.

Performance

Information

NOTES

• Chart shows top-level view only. See Reference Manual for details.

• Not all menu items are-user configurable

Serial Number

Uptime

Date

Date Format

Time

Model

Device Names

Console Bd. Rt.

UTC Time Offset

Device Security

Wireless Security

Event Log

Packet Statistics

GPS Status

Wireless Ntwk Stat.

Intl. Radio Stat. (RM)

Manage Certif.

RADIUS

Configuration

Starting Information Screen

(Read-Only Status)

Redundancy

Configuration (AP)

Redundancy Config.

Ntwk Event Triggers

Radio Event Triggers

Hdwr Event Triggers

Red. Config. Options

Force Switchover

GPS

Configuration (RM)

Stream GPS

Send GPS via UDP

GPS IP Address

GPS Server Port

Figure 3-1. Embedded Management System—Top-Level Flowchart

30 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

Figure 3-2. View of MS with a text-based program—

(Console Terminal shown—Telnet has similar appearance)

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-3. View of the MS with a Browser

(Selections at left provide links to the various menus)

3.2 ACCESSING THE MENU SYSTEM

The radio has no external controls or adjustments. All configuration,

diagnostics and control is performed electronically using a connected

PC. This section explains how to connect a PC, log into the unit, and

gain access to the built-in menus.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 31

3.2.1 Methods of Control

The unit’s configuration menus may be accessed in one of several ways:

•Local Console—This is the primary method used for the exam-

ples in this manual. Connect a PC directly to the COM 1 port

using a serial communications cable and launch a terminal com-

munications program such as HyperTerminal (found on most

PCs by selecting Start>>Programs>>Accessories>>Communica-

tions>>HyperTerminal). This method provides text-based access to

the unit’s menu screens. Console control is a hardware-based

technique, and is intended for local use only (maximum recom-

mended cable length of 50 ft./15 m).

•Telnet or SSH*—Connect a PC to the unit’s LAN port, either

directly or via a network, and launch a Telnet session. This

method provides text-based access to the unit’s menu screens in

a manner similar to a Local Console session. Telnet sessions

may be run locally or remotely through an IP connection.

•Web Browser*—Connect a PC to the unit’s LAN port, either

directly or via a network, and launch a web browser session

(i.e., Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc.) This method provides a

graphical representation of each screen, just as you would see

when viewing an Internet website. The appearance of menu

screens differs slightly from other methods of control, but the

content and organization of screen items is similar. Web

browser sessions may be run locally or remotely via the Inter-

net.

* Telnet, SSH and Web Browser sessions require the use of a straight-through cable

to connect the radio with a PC.

3.2.2 PC Connection & Log In Procedures

The following steps describe how to access the radio’s menu system.

These steps require a PC to be connected to the unit’s COM 1 or LAN port

as shown in Figure 3-4.

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-4. PC Configuration Setup

PC Running Terminal Session

(19,2000 bps, 8N1)

To COM1 or LAN Port

(See Text)

32 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

Starting a Local

Console Session

(Recommended for

first-time log-in)

1. Connect a serial communications cable between the PC and the

unit’s COM 1 port. If necessary, a cable may be constructed for this

purpose as shown in Figure 3-5.

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-5. Serial Communications Cable (DB-9M to DB-9F)

(Maximum Recommended Cable Length 50 Feet/15 meters)

2. Launch a terminal emulation program such as HyperTerminal and

conﬁgure the program with the following settings:

• 115,200 bps data rate

• 8 data bits, no parity

• One stop bit, and no flow-control

• Use ANSI or VT100 emulation.

TIP: The HyperTerminal communications program can be accessed on

most PCs by selecting this menu sequence: Start>>Programs>>Accesso-

ries>>Communications>>HyperTerminal.

NOTE: Early versions of PuTTY may not operate when using SSH to

connect to the transceiver. The latest version (0.58 at the time

of publication) does work with the transceiver’s internal

server. Both the latest released and the latest development

snapshot can be downloaded from:

www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/.

NOTE: If the unit is powered-up or rebooted while connected to a

terminal, you will see a series of pages of text information

relating to the booting of the unit’s microcomputer. Wait for

the log-in screen before proceeding.

3. Press the key to receive the login: prompt.

4. Enter the username (default username is admin). Press .

5. Enter your password (default password is admin). (For security, your

password keystrokes do not appear on the screen.) Press .

NOTE: Passwords are case sensitive. Do not use punctuation mark

characters. You may use up to eight alpha-numeric characters.

TXD

GND

RXD

TXD

GND

RXD

DCE

DB-9 MALE

(TO MDS PRODUCT)

DTE

DB-9 FEMALE

(TO COMPUTER)

ENTER

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 33

The unit responds with the Starting Information Screen (Figure 3-6).

From here, you can review basic information about the unit or press G

to proceed to the Main Menu.

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-6. Starting Information Screen—Local Console Session

Starting a Telnet

Session NOTE: This method requires that you know the IP address of the unit

beforehand. If you do not know the address, use the Local

Console method (above) and access the Starting Information

Screen. The address is displayed on this screen.

1. Connect a PC to the unit’s LAN port, either directly or via a network

with a straight-through cable. The LAN LED lights to indicate an

active connection.

NOTE: When using Ethernet to access the unit, it may be necessary to

change your computer’s IP access to be compatible with the

radio IP address. You can identify or verify the unit’s IP

address by using a Local Console session to communicate with

the radio through its COM 1 Port and viewing the Starting

Information Screen.

2. Start the Telnet program on your computer targeting the IP address

of the unit to which you are connected. and press .

TIP: A Telnet session can be started on most PCs by selecting:

Start>>Programs>>Accessories>>Command Prompt. At the command

prompt window, type the word telnet, followed by the unit’s IP

address (e.g., telnet 10.1.1.168). Press to receive the Telnet

NOTE: Never connect multiple units to a network with the same IP

address. Address conflicts will result in improper operation.

ENTER

34 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

3. Enter your username (default username is admin). Press .

Next, the Password: prompt appears. Enter your password (default

password is admin). (For security, your password keystrokes will not

appear on the screen.) Press .

The unit responds with a Starting Information Screen (see

Figure 3-6). From here, you can review basic information about the

unit or press G to proceed to the Main Menu.

NOTE: Passwords are case sensitive. Do not use punctuation mark

characters. You may use up to eight alpha-numeric characters.

Starting a Web

Browser Session NOTE: Web access requires that you know the IP address of the unit

you are connecting to. If you do not know the address, start a

Local Console session (see Starting a Local Console Session

(Recommended for ﬁrst-time log-in) on Page 32) and access

the Starting Information Screen. The IP address is displayed

on this screen.

1. Connect a PC to the unit’s LAN port, either directly or via a network.

If connecting directly, use an Ethernet crossover cable; if

connecting via a network, use a straight-through cable. The LAN

LED lights to indicate an active connection.

2. Launch a Web-browser session on your computer (i.e., Internet

Explorer, Netscape Navigator, etc.).

3. Type in the unit’s IP address and press .

4. A log-in screen is displayed (Figure 3-7) where you enter a user

name and password to access the unit’s menu system. Note that the

default entries are made in lower case. (Default User Name: admin;

Default Password: admin)

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-7. Log-in Screen when using a Web Browser

ENTER

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 35

NOTE: Passwords are case sensitive. Do not use punctuation mark

characters. You may use up to eight alpha-numeric characters.

5. Click OK. The unit responds with a startup menu screen similar to

that shown in Figure 3-8. From here, you can review basic informa-

tion about the unit or click on one of the menu items at the left side

of the screen.

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-8. Starting Information Screen—Web Browser Example

3.2.3 Navigating the Menus

Via Terminal Telnet or SSH Sessions

Recommended for first-time log-in

Local Console, Telnet, and SSH sessions use multi-layered text menu

systems that are nearly identical. To move further down a menu tree,

you type the letter assigned to an item of interest. This takes you to an

associated screen where settings may be viewed, or changed. In most

cases, pressing the key moves the screen back one level in the

menu tree.

In general, the top portion of menu screens show read-only information

(with no user selection letter). The bottom portion of the screen contains

parameters that can be selected for further information, alteration of

values, or to navigate to other submenus.

When you arrive at a screen with user-controllable parameter fields, you

select the menu item by pressing an associated letter on the keyboard. If

there is a user definable value, the field will clear to the right of the menu

item and you can type in the value you wish to use. Follow this action

ESCAPE

36 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

by pressing the key to save the changes. If you make a mistake

or change your mind before pressing the key, simply press

to restore the previous value.

In some cases, when you type a letter to select a parameter, you will see

a prompt at the bottom of the screen that says Choose an Option. In these

screens, press the keyboard’s to step through the available

selections. When the desired option appears, press the key to

choose that selection. In some cases, several parameters may be changed

and then saved by a single keystroke. The key can be used to

cancel the action and restore the previous values.

Logging Out Via

Terminal Emulator

or Telnet

From the Main Menu screen, press Q to quit and terminate the session.

Navigating via Web Browser

Navigating with a Web browser is straightforward with a framed

“homepage.” The primary navigation menu is permanently located on

the left-hand side of this page. Simply click on a desired menu item to

bring it to the forefront.

NOTE: To maintain security, it is best to log-out of the menu system

entirely when you are done working with it. If you do not log

out, the session automatically ends after 10 minutes of inac-

tivity.

Logging Out Via

Web Browser Click on Logout in the left-hand frame of the browser window. The

right-hand frame will change to a logout page. Follow the remaining

instructions on this screen.

NOTE: In the menu descriptions that follow, parameter options/range,

and any default values are displayed at the end of the text

between square brackets. Note that the default setting is

always shown after a semicolon:

[available settings or range; default setting]

3.3 BASIC DEVICE INFORMATION

This section contains detailed menu screens and settings that you can

use to specify the behavior of the unit.

3.3.1 Starting Information Screen

Once you have logged into the Management System, the Starting Infor-

mation Screen (Figure 3-9) appears with an overview of the transceiver

and its current operating conditions.

ENTER

ESCAPE

SPACEBAR

ENTER

ESCAPE

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 37

Figure 3-9. Starting Information Screen

(AP screen shown; Remote similar, differences noted below)

•Device Mode—Current operating mode of the unit as it relates to

the radio network.

•Device Name—This is a user-defined parameter that appears in

the heading of all pages. (To change it, see Network Conﬁgura-

tion Menu on Page 41.)

•Current IP Address—Unit’s IP address [169.254.0.2]

•Device Status—Condition of the unit’s association with an

Access Point.

At the Access Point:

•Operational—Unit operating normally.

•Initializing—This is the first phase after boot-up.

•Alarmed—A alarm event has been logged and not cleared.

At a Remote:

•Scanning—The unit is looking for an Access Point beacon

signal.

•Connecting—The unit has found a valid beacon signal for its

network.

•Associated —This unit has successfully synchronized and

associated with an Access Point.

•Alarmed—The unit is has detected one or more alarms that

have not been cleared.

NOTE: If an alarm is present when this screen is displayed, an “A)”

appears to the left of the Device Status field. Pressing the “A”

key on your keyboard takes you directly to the “Current

Alarms” screen.

38 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

•Associated Remotes (AP Only)—Indicates the number of

Remotes that have achieved association with the AP.

•Connection Status (Remote Only)—Indicates whether the

Remote has an RF connection with an AP.

•Satellite Fix Status—Indicates how many satellites.have been

detected by the internal GPS receiver. A minimum of five satel-

lites are required to achieve Precise Positioning Service (PPS),

and four are needed to maintain service.

•Uptime—Elapsed time since the transceiver was powered-up.

•Firmware Version—Version of firmware that is currently active in

the unit.

•Hardware Version— Hardware version of the transceiver’s printed

circuit board.

•Serial Number—Make a record of this number. It must be pro-

vided to purchase Authorization Codes to upgrade unit capabil-

ities in the future. (See “Authorization Codes” on Page 83.)

3.3.2 Main Menu

The Main Menu is the entry point for all user-controllable features. The

transceiver’s Device Name appears at the top of this and all other screens

as a reminder of the unit that is currently being controlled.

Figure 3-10. Main Menu (AP)

(AP screen shown; Remote similar, differences noted below)

•Starting Information Screen—Select this item to return to the Start-

ing Information screen described above.

•Network Conﬁguration—Tools for configuring the data network

layer of the transceiver. (See “Network Conﬁguration Menu”

on Page 41)

•Radio Conﬁguration—Tools to configure the wireless (radio)

layer of the transceiver. (See “Radio Conﬁguration Menu” on

Page 52)

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 39

•Security Conﬁguration—Tools to configure the security services

available with the transceiver’s environment. (See “GE MDS

CYBER SECURITY SUITE” on Page 16)

•Redundancy Conﬁguration—(AP Only) Allows setting of the cri-

teria for switchover in the event of loss of associated Remotes

or excessive packet receive errors.

•GPS Conﬁguration—(Remote Only) View/set parameters related

to GPS timing signals. (See “GPS Conﬁguration (Remote

Only)” on Page 66)

•Device Information—Top level device fields such as model, serial

number, date/time, etc. (See “Device Information” on Page 39)

•Performance Information—Tools to measure the radio and data

layer’s performance of the radio network. (See “Performance

Information Menu” on Page 66)

•Maintenance/Tools—Tools for upgrading firmware code and test-

ing major unit capabilities. (See “Authorization Codes” on

Page 83)

3.3.3 Configuring Basic Device Parameters

Device Information

Figure 3-11 shows the menu that displays basic administrative data on

the unit to which you are connected. It also provides access to some

user- specific parameters such as date/time settings and device names.

Figure 3-11. Device Information Menu

•Model (Display only)

•Serial Number (Display only)

•Uptime (Display only)—Elapsed time since powering up.

•Date—Current date being used for the transceiver logs. User-set-

able. (Value lost with power failure if SNTP (Simple Network

Time Protocol) server not accessible.)

40 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

•Time—Current time of day. User-setable.

Setting: HH:MM:SS

(Value lost with power failure if SNTP server not accessible.)

•Date Format—Select presentation format:

• Generic = dd Mmm yyyy

• European = dd-mm-yyyy

• US = mm-dd-yyyy

•Console Baud Rate—Used to set/display data communications

rate (in bits-per-second) between a connected console terminal

and the radio. [115200]

•UTC Time Offset—Set/view the number of hours difference

between your local clock time and Coordinated Universal Time.

•Device Names—Fields used at user’s discretion for general

administrative purposes. The Device Name field is shown on all

menu screen headings. (See Figure 3-12 on Page 40)

NOTE: The transceivers do not save time and date information when

power is removed.

Device Names Menu

Figure 3-12. Device Names Menu

•Device Name—Device Name, used by the transceiver as the

“Realm” name for network login (web browser only) and

menu headings.

•Contact—User defined; appears on this screen only.

•Location—User defined; appears on this screen only.

•Description—User defined; appears on this screen only.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 41

3.4 CONFIGURING NETWORK

PARAMETERS

3.4.1 Network Configuration Menu

The Network Configuration Menu is the home of several parameters that

may need to be reviewed and set as necessary before placing a trans-

ceiver in service.

Figure 3-13. Network Configuration Menu

•IP ConﬁgurationThis selection presents a submenu for config-

uring the local static IP address of the transceiver. Detailed

explanations are provided in the section titled IP Conﬁguration

Menu on Page 42.

•Ethernet Port Conﬁguration—Presents a menu for defining the sta-

tus of the Ethernet port (enabled or disabled), the Ethernet rate

limit, link hardware watch (enabled/disabled), and the Ethernet

link poll address. Detailed explanations of this menu are con-

tained in Ethernet Port Conﬁguration Menu on Page 43

•Bridge Conﬁguration—View/set options for Ethernet Bridge oper-

ation.

•VLAN Conﬁguration—Presents a menu for configuring the Virtual

LAN (VLAN) and IP address of the transceiver. Detailed expla-

nations are provided in the section titled VLAN Conﬁguration

on Page 45.

•SNMP Agent Conﬁguration (AP Only)—View/set SNMP configu-

ration parameters. See “SNMP Agent Conﬁguration” on

Page 46 for more information.

•SNTP Agent Conﬁguration (Remote Only)—View/set SNTP

options. See “SNTP Server Conﬁguration” on Page 51 for

details.

42 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

•Wireless Network Conﬁguration (AP Only)—Presents a submenu

where the device mode may be viewed and the maximum num-

ber of Remotes can be set. See “Wireless Network Conﬁgura-

tion (AP Only) This menu only available on early ﬁrmware

versions” on Page 49 for details.

•AP Location Info (Remote Only)—Presents a submenu where

many parameters related to the Access Point location can be

viewed or set. See “AP Location Info Conﬁg Menu (Remote

Only)” on Page 49 for details.

•DHCP Server Conﬁguration—Menu for configuration of DHCP

services by the Access Point. DHCP provides “on-the-fly” IP

address assignments to other LAN devices, including MDS

Mercury 900 units. [Disabled]

•SNTP Server Conﬁguration—Address of SNTP server (RFC 2030)

from which the transceiver will automatically get the

time-of-day startup time. Without an SNTP server, the date and

time must be manually set. An AP will try to get the time and

date from the SNTP server only if an IP address is configured.

It will continue to retry every minute until it succeeds.

A remote will get the time and date from the SNTP server if an

IP address is configured. Otherwise, it gets it from the AP at

authentication time. The transceivers use UTC (Universal Time

Constant) with a configurable time offset. [0.0.0.0]

3.4.2 IP Configuration Menu

Figure 3-14. IP Configuration Menu

CAUTION: Changes to the following parameters while communi-

cating over the network (LAN or over-the-air) may cause a loss of

communication with the unit being configured. Communication

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 43

will need to be re-established using the new IP address.

•IP Address Mode—Defines the source of the IP address of this

device. [Static, Dynamic; Static]

•Static IP Address (User Review Recommended)—Essential for con-

nectivity to the transceiver’s MS via the LAN port and to send

Ethernet data over the network. Enter any valid IP address that

will be unique within the network. [192.168.1.1]

This ﬁeld is unnecessary if DHCP is enabled. [255.255.0.0]

•Static IP Netmask—The IPv4 local subnet mask. This ﬁeld is

unnecessary if DHCP is enabled. [255.255.0.0]

•Static IP Gateway—The IPv4 address of the network gateway

device, typically a router. This ﬁeld is unnecessary if DHCP is

enabled. [0.0.0.0]

The lower three items on the screen (Current IP Address, Net-

mask and Gateway) show the actual addressing at the trans-

ceiver whether it was obtained from static configuration or from

a DHCP server.

NOTE: Any change made to the above parameters results in the

Commit Changes option appearing on screen. This allows all IP

settings to be changed at the same time.

3.4.3 Ethernet Port Configuration Menu

The transceiver allows for special control of the Ethernet interface, to

allow traffic awareness and availability of the backhaul network for

redundancy purposes.

NOTE: The transceiver’s network port supports 10BaseT and

100BaseT connections. Confirm that your hub/switch is

capable of auto-switching data rates.

To prevent excessive Ethernet traffic from degrading perfor-

mance, place the transceiver in a segment, or behind routers.

44 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

Figure 3-15. Ethernet Port Configuration Menu

•Ethernet Port Enable—Allows enabling/disabling Ethernet traffic

for security purposes. Setting it to enabled enables the port if

there is a connection established with the AP, but disables it oth-

erwise. [AP: enabled, disabled; enabled]

[Remote: Always On, Follow Radio Link, Disabled; Always On]

3.4.4 Bridge Configuration Invisible place holder

Figure 3-16. Bridge Configuration Menu

•Bridge Priority—View/set the priority of the bridge in the span-

ning tree. [0-65535; 32769]

•Bridge Hello Time—View/set spanning tree hello time.

[1-10 seconds; 2 seconds]

•Bridge Forward Delay—View/set spanning tree forwarding delay.

Affects how long the bridge spends listening and learning after

initialization. [4-30 seconds; 5 seconds].

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 45

3.4.5 VLAN Configuration

CAUTION:The VLAN Status parameter must be consistent at both the

Access Point and Remote radios in order for data to flow

correctly. Failure to do so may result in data not being trans-

ported correctly even when the radios are in an associated state

and able to communicate over-the-air.

Virtual LAN in Mercury

A VLAN is essentially a limited broadcast domain, meaning that all

members of a VLAN receive broadcast frames sent by members of the

same VLAN but not frames sent by members of a different VLAN.

Additional details can be found in the IEEE 802.1Q standard.

The transceiver supports port-based VLAN at the Ethernet interface and

over the air, according to the IEEE 802.1Q standard. When VLAN

Status is enabled, the wireless port of both AP and remote radios act as

a trunk port.

The Ethernet port of an Access Point radio is normally configured as a

trunk port. This type of port expects incoming frames to have a VLAN ID

and sends outgoing frames with a VLAN structure as well.

The Ethernet port of a remote radio can be configured as an access port

or as a trunk port.

When the Ethernet port of a Remote radio is configured as VLAN

Access Port, the radio will tag incoming traffic with a VLAN ID, and

will strip the tag before sending out traffic. This VLAN is known as the

DATA VLAN. Additionally, a second VLAN is assigned for other

traffic that is terminated at the radio, such as SNMP, TFTP, ICMP,

Telnet, etc. This is known as the MANAGEMENT VLAN. Traffic

directed to the integrated terminal server that handles the serial ports is

assigned to the DATA VLAN.

When the Ethernet port of a remote radio is configured as a VLAN trunk

the radio expects all incoming Ethernet frames to be tagged, and passes

through all outgoing frames as received from the wireless link, with the

unchanged VLAN tag.

NOTE: The Ethernet port is 10BaseT. Some Ethernet switches allow a

VLAN trunk port only on a 100BaseT interface and may not

be able to communicate with the radio.

46 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

VLAN Configuration Menu

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-17. VLAN Configuration Menu

•VLAN Status—Defines whether the radio handles Ethernet

frames in “extended” 802.1Q mode or in “normal” mode in the

Ethernet port. Ethernet frames intended for the radio, but with a

VLAN ID not configured in the radio are discarded.

[enabled, disabled; disabled]

•Management VLAN ID—Defines the VLAN ID for traffic directed

to the radio itself, other than the terminal server process. This

VLAN ID is used for filtering and for tagging purposes.

[1-4094; 2]

•Data VLAN ID—Defines the VLAN ID assigned to traffic directed

to and from the Ethernet port and the terminal server process in

the radio. This VLAN ID is used for filtering and for tagging

purposes. [1-4094; 3]

3.4.6 SNMP Agent Configuration

The transceiver contains over 100 custom SNMP-manageable objects as

well as the IETF standard RFC1213 for protocol statistics, also known

as MIB II. Off-the-shelf SNMP managers such as Castle Rock Com-

puting SNMPc™ and Hewlett Packard HP OpenView™ may also be

used to access the transceiver’s SNMP Agent’s MIB. The transceiver’s

SNMP agent supports SNMPv3.

The objects are broken up into nine MIB files for use with your SNMP

manager. There are textual conventions, common files and specific files.

This allows the flexibility to change areas of the MIB and not affect

other existing installations or customers.

•msdreg.mib—MDS sub-tree registrations

•mds_comm.mib—MDS Common MIB definitions for objects

and events which are common to the entire product family

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 47

•mercury_reg.mib—MDS sub-tree registrations

•mercurytrv1.mib—SNMPv1 enterprise-specific traps

•mercurytrv2.mib—SNMPv2 enterprise-specific traps

•mercury_comm.mib— MIB definitions for objects and events

which are common to the entire Mercury Series

•mercury_ap.mib—MIB definitions for objects and events for an

Access Point transceiver

•mercury_sta.mib—Definitions for objects and events for a

Remote radio

•mercury_sec.mib—For security management of the radio system.

SNMPv3 allows read/write operation. SNMPv1/2 allows only

for read-only access.

NOTE: SNMP management requires that the proper IP address,

network and gateway addresses are configured in each trans-

ceiver of the associated network.

In addition, some management systems may require the MIB

files to be compiled in the order shown above.

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-18. SNMP Server Configuration Menu

This menu provides configuration and control of vital SNMP functions.

•Read Community String—SNMP community name with

SNMPv1/SNMPv2c read access. This string can be up to 30

alpha-numeric characters.

•Write Community String—SNMP community name with

SNMPv1/SNMPv2c write access. This string can be up to 30

alpha-numeric characters.

48 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

•Trap Community String—SNMP community name with

SNMPv1/SNMPv2c trap access. This string can be up to 30

alpha-numeric characters.

•V3 Authentication Password—Authentication password stored in

flash memory. This is used when the Agent is managing pass-

words locally (or initially for all cases on reboot). This is the

SNMPv3 password used for Authentication (currently, only

MD5 is supported). This string can be up to 30 alpha-numeric

characters.

¥V3 Privacy PasswordPrivacy password stored in flash memory.

Used when the SNMP Agent is managing passwords locally (or

initially for all cases on reboot). This is the SNMPv3 password

used for privacy (DES encryption). This string can be between

8 and 30 alpha-numeric characters.

•SNMP Mode—This specifies the mode of operation of the radio’s

SNMP Agent. The choices are: disabled, v1_only, v2_only,

v3_only. v1-v2, and v1-v2-v3. If the mode is disabled, the

Agent does not respond to any SNMP traffic. If the mode is

v1_only, v2_only, or v3_only, the Agent responds only to that

version of SNMP traffic. If the mode is v1-v2, or v1-v2-v3, the

Agent responds to the specified version of SNMP traffic.

[v1-v2-v3]

•Trap Version—This speciﬁes what version of SNMP will be used

to encode the outgoing traps. The choices are v1_traps,

v2_traps, and v3_traps. When v3_traps are selected, v2-style

traps are sent, but with a v3 header. [v1 Traps, v2 Traps, v3 Traps]

•Auth Traps Status—Indicates whether or not traps will be gener-

ated for login events to the transceiver. [Disabled/Enabled; Dis-

abled]

•SNMP V3 Passwords—Determines whether v3 passwords are

managed locally or via an SNMP Manager. The different behav-

iors of the Agent depending on the mode selected, are described

in SNMP Mode above.

•Trap Manager #1–#4— Table of up to 4 locations on the network

that traps are sent to. [Any standard IP address]

NOTE: The number in the upper right-hand corner of the screen is the

SNMP Agent’s SNMPv3 Engine ID. Some SNMP Managers

may need to know this ID in order interface with the trans-

ceiver’s SNMP Agent. The ID only appears on the screen

when SNMP Mode is either v1-v2-v3 or v3_only.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 49

3.4.7 Wireless Network Configuration (AP Only)

This menu only available on early firmware versions

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-19. Wireless Network Configuration Menu

•Device Mode (Read only)—Indicates the operating mode of the

radio— Access Point, Remote or Remote Repeater. Mercury

employs different hardware for each type of radio, and this

parameter may not be changed through software.

•Max Remotes (AP Only)—The maximum umber of Remotes that

may connect to this Access Point. [1-1000; 100]

3.4.8 AP Location Info Config Menu

(Remote Only)

This selection shows a menu where parameters related to Access Point

location may be viewed or set.

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-20. AP Location Info Menu

50 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

•AP Location Info (Remote Only)—Launches a submenu TFTP Host

Address—IP address of TFTP network server that holds the

firmware [any valid IP address; 0.0.0.0].

•TFTP Timeout—View/set timeout seconds for TFTP protocol

[10–60; 10]

•AP Locations Filename—View/set name of text file for AP Loca-

tions. [any valid ﬁlename string; ap_locations.txt]

•Retrieve Text File—Locate text file from stored location.

•Send Text File—Initiate the file transfer from the transceiver.

•View AP Location File—Allows on-screen review of text file.

3.4.9 DHCP Server Configuration (AP Only)

A transceiver can provide automatic IP address assignments to other IP

devices in the network by providing DHCP (Dynamic Host Configura-

tion Protocol) services. This service eliminates setting individual device

IP address on Remotes in the network, but it requires some planning of

the IP address range. One drawback to network-wide automatic IP

address assignments is that SNMP services may become inaccessible as

they are dependent on fixed IP addresses.

The network can be comprised of radios with the DHCP-provided IP

address enabled or with DHCP services disabled. In this way, you can

accommodate locations for which a fixed IP address if desired.

Figure 3-21. DHCP Server Configuration Menu

NOTE: There should be only one DHCP server active in a network. If

more than one DHCP server exists, network devices may

randomly get their IP address from different servers every time

they request one.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 51

NOTE: Combining DHCP and RADIUS device authentication may

result in a non-working radio module if the DHCP server is

located at a remote radio. The DHCP server should be placed

at the AP location, if possible.

•DHCP Server Enable—Enable/Disable responding to DHCP

requests to assign an IP address. [Disabled/Enabled; Disabled]

•DHCP Netmask—IP netmask to be assigned along with the IP

address in response to a DHCP request. [0.0.0.0]

•DHCP Starting Address—Lowest IP address of the range of

addresses to be provided by this device. [0.0.0.0]

•DHCP Ending Address—Highest IP address in the range of

addresses to be provided by this device. A maximum of 256

addresses is allowed in this range. [0.0.0.0]

•DHCP DNS Address—Domain Name Server address to be pro-

vided by this service.

•DHCP WINS Address—Windows Internet Naming Service server

address to be provided by this service.

3.4.10SNTP Server Configuration

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-22. SNTP Server Entry (on Network Configuration Menu)

When SNTP Server is selected (item H), the area to the right of the param-

eter becomes active, allowing you to enter a valid SNTP server address.

Press the Return key to make the address entry active.

3.5 RADIO CONFIGURATION

There are two primary data layers in the transceiver network—radio and

data. Since the data layer is dependent on the radio layer working prop-

erly, configuration of the radio items should be reviewed and set before

proceeding. This section explains the Radio Configuration Menu,

(Figure 3-23 for AP, Figure 3-24 for Remote).

52 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

3.5.1 Radio Configuration Menu

Figure 3-23. Radio Configuration Menu

(From Access Point)

Figure 3-24. Radio Configuration Menu

(From Remote Unit)

•Network Name—The user-defined name for the wireless network.

[Any 40 character string; mdsmercuryany]

•Transmit Power (AP Only)—Sets/displays RF power output level

in dBm. Setting should reflect local regulatory limitations and

losses in antenna transmission line. (See “How Much Output

Power Can be Used?” on Page 114 for information on how to

calculate this value.) [20–30; 30]

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 53

•Receive Power (AP Only)—View/set the receiver’s Automatic

Gain Control (AGC) setting for the expected strength of incom-

ing signals from Remotes. This setting indicates at what level

(in dBm) the AP wants to hear the Remote stations. A setting of

-70 would set the AP receiver’s gain to a relatively low level,

while a setting of -85 would be a comparatively high gain set-

ting. [-100 to -20; -75]

•Frequency Control—Brings up a submenu where frequency mode

bandwidth, channel and other parameters may be viewed or set

as described in Frequency Control Menu below.

•Advanced Conﬁguration—Brings up a submenu where modula-

tion, protection/hysteresis margins, data compression, ARQ set-

tings and other parameters may be viewed or set as described in

Advanced Conﬁguration Menu on Page 54.

3.5.2 Frequency Control Menu

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-25. Frequency Control Menu

•Frequency Mode—The unit can operate on one selected fre-

quency or frequency hop. Remotes have the option of using a

static hopping configuration or using the AP locations file to

select an AP and perform hand-offs.

[Static Hopping, Hopping with Hand-offs, Single Channel; Single

channel]

•RF Bandwidth—Selects the RF operating bandwidth of the radio.

The setting must match the hardware configuration of the unit,

which can be determined by viewing the “CONFIG” number on

the label at the bottom of the radio. 1.75 MHz units will have a

Configuration string starting with “HGA/R9N1”, and 3.5 MHz

units will have a string starting with “HGA/R9N3”

[1.75MHz, 3.5MHz]

•Single Frequency Channel—The RF frequency that the integrated

radio will operate on when in single frequency (non-hopping)

mode. [0 to 6 for 3.5-MHz, 0 to 13 for 1.75-MHz; 0].

54 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

•Frame Duration—Defines the over-the-air media access control

framing. [5, 8, 10, or 20 msec; 20 msec ]

•TDD Sync Mode—Indicates if the Access Point's transmissions

should be synchronized with the GPS timing.

[Free Run, GPS Required; Free Run]

3.5.3 Advanced Configuration Menu

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-26. Advanced Configuration Menu

•Adaptive Modulation—Enables automatic selection of modulation

and FEC rate based on SNR. [enabled, disabled; disabled]

•Protection Margin—A number of decibels of SNR added to the

minimum SNR required for a given modulation and FEC rate.

[0-50; 5]

•Hysteresis Margin—A number of decibels of SNR added to the

maximum SNR required before shifting to the next higher mod-

ulation and FEC rate. [0-50; 3]

•Data Compression—Enables payload compression.

[enable, disable; disabled]

•Downlink Percentage—The percentage of link time given to

downstream traffic [10-90%; 50%]

•Cyclic Preﬁx—Amount of additional information added to the

over-the-air packets to mitigate the effects of channel interfer-

ence. [1/4, 1/8, 1/16,1/32; 1/16]

•Receive AGC—Enables additional Automatic Gain Control

(AGC) hardware in the transceiver. [enable, disable; disabled]

•ARQ—Enables the Automatic Repeat Request function.

[enable, disable; enabled]

•ARQ Block Size—ARQ is applied to payload data in blocks of this

size. [4–2040; 256]

•ARQ Block Lifetime—ARQ blocks are valid for this length of

time. [0–655; 400]

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 55

•ARQ Transmitter Delay—The length of time the ARQ transmitter

waits before repeating an unacknowledged packet.

[1–655; 35]

•ARQ Receiver Delay—The length of time the ARQ receiver waits

before repeating an unacknowledged packet. [1–655; 35]

3.5.4 Security Configuration

The security features of the transceiver are grouped into four major cat-

egories and are accessible from the Security Configuration Menu (see

Figure 3-27). These categories are:

Device Security—Contains settings for controlling access to the radio

itself for configuration and management.

Wireless Security—Controls how and when radios communicate with

each other, as well as how data traffic is handled.

RADIUS Conﬁguration—This section deals with authentication and autho-

rization using a central server (RADIUS Configuration)

Manage Certiﬁcates—Allows setting of certificate types, download paths

and TFTP parameters.

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-27. Security Configuration Menu

Selecting any of the Security Configuration Menu items causes a sub-

menu to appear where settings may be viewed or changed. Examples of

these screens and more detailed descriptions of their contents are pro-

vided below.

56 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

Device Security Menu

The Device Security Menu (Figure 3-28) controls how the radios can be

accessed either locally or remotely for configuration and management.

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-28. Device Security Menu

•Telnet Access—Controls telnet access to the transceiver’ man-

agement system.

[enable, disable; disable]

•SSH Access—Controls access to the Secure Shell (SSH) server.

[enable, disable; disable]

•HTTP Access—Controls access to the transceiver’ management

system via the web server. [enable, disable; enable]

•HTTP Auth Mode—Selects the mode used for authenticating a web

user. [Basic Auth, MD5 Digest; Basic Auth]

•User Auth Method—View/set the method of authentication for

users. [Local, Radius; Local]

•User Auth Fallback—View/set method of authentication to use if

RADIUS is unavailable. [None, Local; None]

•User Passwords—Allows changing of Administrative and Guest

passwords. When selected, a new screen appears (Figure 3-29).

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 57

User Passwords Menu Invisible place holder

Figure 3-29. User Passwords Menu

To change the Administrator or Guest password, select the appropriate

menu item (A or B) and a flashing cursor appears to the right. From here,

you simply type the new password, which can be any alpha-numeric

string up to 8 characters long. The change is asserted when the Return

key is pressed.

•Change Admin Password—Allows a new password to be set

[any alpha-numeric string up to 8 characters; admin]

•Change Guest Password—Allows a new password to be set.

[any alpha-numeric string up to 8 characters; guest]

TIP: For enhanced security, consider using misspelled words, a combi-

nation of letters and numbers, and a combination of upper and

lower case letters. Also, the more characters used (up to eight), the

more secure the password will be. These strategies help protect

against sophisticated hackers who may use a database of common

words (for example, dictionary attacks) to determine a password.

Wireless Security Menu

The features in the Wireless Security menu (Figure 3-30) control the

communication of data across the wireless link. The radios can be

authenticated locally via a list of authorized radios, or remotely via a

centralized RADIUS server. RADIUS is a centralized authentication

mechanism based on standards.

58 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-30. Wireless Security Menu

•Device Auth Mode—View/set the method of authentication of the

device. [None, Local, IEEE 802.1X; None]

•Data Encryption—Controls AES-128 bit encryption of the

over-the-air payload data. [enable, disable; disabled]

•Encryption Phrase—View/set the phrase used to generate encryp-

tion keys. [any alpha-numeric string of 5 to 40 characters; <empty>]

•Approved Remotes—Launches a submenu where approved

Remotes may be viewed, added, or deleted.

Local Authentication—Approved Remotes/Access Points

List Submenu

Setting the Device Auth Mode to Local forces the transceiver to check the

Approved AP List before a radio link can be established. In the case of a

Remote, the AP must be in the Approved Access Points List before it

accepts the beacon as being valid. In the case of an AP, a Remote must

be in the Approved Remotes List to be granted authorization. Before

enabling this option, at least one entry must already exist in the

Approved AP/Remotes List.

This menu is the same for both Access Points and Remotes and the

names change to reflect their mode.

This section covers the authentication settings needed for the radios to

access the RADIUS server, which is used for Device Level Security and

for Wireless Access Security. MDS does not provide the RADIUS

server software.

Operation of Device Authentication

Device authentication forces the radio to authenticate before allowing

user traffic to traverse the wireless network. When Device Security is

configured to use RADIUS as the Authentication Method, Remote

radios need three types of certificates: public (client), private, and root

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 59

(Certificate Authority). These files are unique to each Remote radio and

need to first be created at the server and then installed into each unit via

TFTP. The certificate files must be in DER format.

Device authentication uses the serial number of each radio as the

Common Name (CN) in its certificate and in its RADIUS identity field.

Each Access Point and Remote radio must be identified/recognized by

the RADIUS Server through the Common Name (Serial number) and IP

address entries.

NOTE: Consult your RADIUS network administrator for assistance in

configuration, or for help with other issues that may arise.

To activate device authentication, select Device Auth Mode and set RADIUS

as the active mode. The behavior of this setting differs depending on

whether it is implemented on an Access Point or a Remote transceiver.

An explanation of these behaviors is given below:

Access Point: When Device Auth Mode is set to RADIUS, the AP disassoci-

ates all associated Remotes and waits for the RADIUS Server to

Authenticate the Remotes before allowing data to be passed from them.

When approval is received from the RADIUS Server, data from the

Remote is allowed to pass.

Remote: When Device Auth Mode is set to RADIUS, the Remote halts any

data it is passing, and requests Authentication from the RADIUS Server.

If accepted, data is allowed to be transmitted.

Operation of User Authentication

When user authentication is set to Local or RADIUS, you must enter a

valid user name and password before being allowed to manage the radio.

In RADIUS mode both of these fields may be up to 40 characters long. In

Local mode the user name is admin and the password may be up to 8 char-

acters long.

When set to RADIUS, all logins to the local configuration services are

required to be authenticated via the RADIUS Server, including telnet

and SSH (Secure Shell) sessions. Authentication must be accepted

before access to the radio menu is granted.

60 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

RADIUS Configuration Menu Invisible place holder

Figure 3-31. Radius Configuration Menu

•Auth Server Address—The IP address of the Authentication

(RADIUS) Server. [any valid IP address; 0.0.0].

•Auth Server Port—The UDP Port of the Authentication

(RADIUS) Server. [1812, 1645, 1812]

•Auth Server Shared Secret—User authentication and Device

authentication require a common shared secret to complete a

RADIUS transaction. This entry must match the string used to

configure the appropriate files on the RADIUS Server.

[<empty>; any alpha-numeric string up to 16 characters]

•User Auth Mode—Authentication algorithm for RADIUS.

[PAP, CHAP, EAP; PAP ]

NOTE: CHAP is more secure than PAP. PAP may display the login

password in log files at the RADIUS Server while CHAP will

encrypt the login password.

Manage Certificates

Use Certificate generation software to generate certificate files and then

install these files into each Remote unit via TFTP. This is done using the

Manage Certificates Menu (Figure 3-32).

The certificate files must be in DER format. The Common Name (CN)

field in the public certificate file must match the serial number of the

unit it will be installed in.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 61

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-32. Manage Certificates Menu

•TFTP Host Address—(Telnet/Terminal only)—IP address of the com-

puter on which the TFTP server resides. This same IP address is

used in other screens/functions (reprogramming, logging, etc.).

Changing it here also changes it for other screens/functions.

[Any valid IP address; 127.0.0.1].

•TFTP Timeout—should be set appropriately according to the lay-

out of the network.

Three certificate files (Root CA, Client, and Private Key) must be

present in each of the Remote radios. Use the commands described

below to install these files into each Remote radio:

•Certiﬁcate Type—Selects one the three certificate file types men-

tioned above. [Root CA, Client, Private Key; Root CA]

•Root CA Download Path—Specifies the software path for down-

loading certificates.

•Retrieve Certiﬁcate—Initiates the retrieval of the certificate file

from the storage location. A successful installation issues a Com-

plete status message.

NOTE: It is imperative that the three certificate files are installed

correctly into the Remote radio, in their respective file types.

If they are not, it will render the Remote un-authenticated for

data traffic. Consult your RADIUS network administrator if

issues arise.

3.5.5 Redundancy Configuration (AP Only)

For operation in protected (redundant) mode, an AP must be in a Pack-

aged P23 enclosure with a backup radio. See MDS publication

05-4161A01 for details. This manual is available under the Downloads

tab at www.GEmds.com.

62 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

The Redundancy Configuration Menu (Figure 3-33) is where you

enable/disable redundancy operation and define the triggers that will

cause a switchover.

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-33. Redundancy Configuration Menu (AP Only)

•Redundancy Conﬁguration—Enable/disable redundancy switcho-

ver for AP. [enabled, disabled; disabled]

•Network Event Triggers—This selection brings up a submenu

(Figure 3-34) where you can set/view the trigger status for Net-

work Events.

•Radio Event Triggers—This selection presents a submenu

(Figure 3-35) where you can set/view the trigger status for

Radio Events, such as a loss of associated Remotes or excessive

packet errors.

•Hardware Event Triggers—This selection brings up a submenu

(Figure 3-36) where you can set/view the trigger status for ini-

tialization/hardware errors.

•Redundancy Conﬁguration Options—Presents a submenu

(Figure 3-37) where you can set the threshold criteria for declar-

ing an error event.

•Force Switchover—Selecting this option forces a manual (user

initiated) switchover to the backup AP. The “challenge ques-

tion” Are you sure? (y/n) is presented to avoid an unintended

switchover. To invoke the change, press the letter y followed by

the Enter key.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 63

Network Events Triggers Menu Invisible place holder

Figure 3-34. Network Events Triggers Menu

•Network Interface Error—The setting of this menu item determines

whether or not a network interface error will cause redundancy

switchover. [enabled, disabled; disabled]

Radio Event Triggers Invisible place holder

Figure 3-35. Radio Event Triggers

•Lack of associated remotes exceeded threshold—This setting deter-

mines whether or not a switchover occurs when a lack of asso-

ciated Remote units exceeds the time period set in Figure 3-38

on Page 65. [enabled, disabled; disabled]

•Packet Receive Errors exceeded threshold—This setting determines

whether or not a switchover occurs when the number of Packet

Receive errors exceeds the number set in Figure 3-39 on

Page 65. [enabled, disabled; disabled]

64 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

Hardware Event Triggers Invisible place holder

Figure 3-36. Hardware Event Triggers

•Init/Hardware Error—This setting determines whether or not an

initialization or hardware error will result in a redundancy

switchover. [enabled, disabled; disabled].

Redundancy Configuration Options Menu

This menu (Figure 3-37) is a gateway for setting the thresholds for the

Lack of Associated Remotes and Packet Receive Errors. Selecting either

item presents a submenu where settings can be viewed or changed.

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-37. Redundancy Configuration Options Menu

•Lack of Associated Remotes Exceeded Threshold—This selection

presents a submenu (Figure 3-38) where you can view or

change the time period allowed for a lack of associated

Remotes.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 65

•Packet Receive Errors Exceeded Threshold—This selection presents

a submenu (Figure 3-39) where you can view or change the

maximum allowable number of receive errors.

Lack of Associated

Remotes Exceeded

Threshold Menu Invisible place holder

Figure 3-38. Lack of Associated Remotes

Exceeded Threshold Menu

•Lack of Remotes for—Select this item to change the time setting

(in seconds) for a lack of associated Remotes. When there are

no associated Remotes for a period exceeding this time, a redun-

dancy switchover occurs. [60-500; 500]

Packet Receive

Errors Exceeded

Threshold Menu Invisible place holder

Figure 3-39. Packet Receive Errors Exceeded Threshold Menu

66 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

•Maximum Receive Errors—Select this item to change the maxi-

mum allowable number of receive errors. When the number of

errors exceeds this number, a redundancy switchover occurs.

[0-1000; 500]

3.5.6 GPS Configuration (Remote Only)

This menu allows key settings of the built-in Global Positioning System

(GPS) receiver in the Mercury Remote to be viewed or set.

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-40. GPS Configuration Menu (Remote Only)

•Stream GPS to Console—Used to enable/disable streaming of

GPS NMEA data to the console port (COM1).

[enabled, disabled; disabled]

•Send GPS via UDP—Used to enable/disable sending GPS NMEA

data to a server via UDP. [enabled, disabled; disabled]

•GPS UDP Server IP Address—Here, the destination address for

GPS NMEA UDP packets is specified.

[any valid IP address; 0.0.0.0].

•GPS UDP Server UDP Port—Destination UDP port for GPS

NMEA UDP packets. [valid UDP port number; 0]

3.5.7 Performance Information Menu

The Performance Information Menu (Figure 3-41) is the entry point for

a series of submenus where transceiver operating status and network

performance can be evaluated. The menu can be used as an important

troubleshooting tool, or for evaluating changes made to the network

configuration or equipment.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 67

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-41. Performance Information Menu

•Event Log—Access the menu for managing the unit’s log of

operational activities. (See Figure 3-42 for details.)

•Packet Statistics—Multiple radio and network operating statis-

tics. (See Figure 3-44 for details.)

•GPS Status—Shows satellite fix status, number of satellites

being received, and unit location data. (See Figure 3-45 for

details.)

•Wireless Network Status—Current association state and MAC

address of the Access Point. (See Figure 3-47 for details.)

•Internal Radio Status (Remote Only)—Shows connection status,

RF parameters, and total FEC count for the unit. (See

Figure 3-49 for details.)

Event Log Menu Invisible place holder

Figure 3-42. Event Log Menu

68 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

•Current Alarms—Shows active alarms (if any) that are being

reported by the transceiver.

•View Event Log—Displays a log of radio events arranged by event

number, date, and time. (Screen example shown in

Figure 3-43).

•Clear Event Log—Erases all previously logged events.

•Send Event Log—Sends the event log to the server. The challenge

question Send File? y/n must first be answered before the request

proceeds.

•Event Log Host Address—Set/display the IP address of the TFTP

server. [any valid IP address; 0.0.0.0]

•Event Log Filename—Set/display the name of the event log file on

the TFTP server. [any valid ﬁlename; eventlog.txt]

•TFTP Timeout—Set/display the TFTP timeout setting (in sec-

onds). [10-120; 30]

•Syslog Server Address—The IP address of the Syslog server.

[any valid IP address; 0.0.0.0]

View Event Log

Menu Invisible place holder

Figure 3-43. View Event Log Menu

The transceiver’s microprocessor monitors many operational parame-

ters and logs them. Events are classified into four levels of importance,

which are described in Table 3-1. Some of these events will result from

a condition that prevents the normal of the unit—these are “critical”

events. These will cause the unit to enter an “alarmed” state and the PWR

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 69

LED to blink until the condition is corrected. All events are stored in the

Event Log that can hold up to 8,000 entries.

Time and Date The events stored in the Event Log are time-stamped using the time and

date of the locally connected device. Remote units obtain this informa-

tion from the Access Point when they associate with it. The Access Point

obtains the time and date from a Time Server. This server can generally

be provided by a standard Windows PC server SNTP application. In the

absence of the SNTP services, the user must manually enter it at the

Access Point. (See “Device Information” on Page 39 for SNTP server

identification.) The manually set time and date clock is dependent on the

unit’s primary power. A loss of power will reset the clock to 02 Jan 2005

but will not affect previously stored error events.

Packet Statistics Menu

The transceivers maintain running counters of different categories of

events in the Ethernet protocol. The Packet Statistics refer to each

Ethernet interface from the perspective of the radio.

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-44. Packet Statistics Menu

•Packets Received—Over-the-air data packets received by this

unit

•Packets Sent—Over-the-air data packets sent by this Remote.

Table 3-1. Event Classifications

Level Description/Impact

Informational Normal operating activities

Minor Does not affect unit operation

Major Degraded unit performance but

still capable of operation

Critical Prevents the unit from operating

70 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

•Bytes Received—Over-the-air data bytes received by this

Remote.

•Bytes Sent—Over-the-air data bytes sent by this Remote.

•Packets Dropped—To-be-transmitted packets dropped as a result

of a lack of buffers in the RF outbound queue.

•Receive Errors—Packets that do not pass CRC. This may be due

to transmissions corrupted by RF interference.

•Lost Carrier Detected—This parameter reports how many times

the transceiver has detected a loss of the received RF carrier.

•Clear Ethernet Statistics—Resets the statistics counter. The chal-

lenge question Send File? y/n must first be answered before the

request proceeds.

•Clear MDS Wireless Statistics—Resets the statistics counter. The

challenge question Send File? y/n must first be answered before

the request proceeds.

GPS Status Menu Invisible place holder

Figure 3-45. GPS Status Menu

•Satellite Fix Status—Indicates whether or not the unit has

achieved signal lock with the minimum required number of

GPS satellites. The transceiver requires a fix on five satellites to

achieve Precise Positioning Service (PPS) and four to maintain

PPS. [No Fix, Fix]

•Number of Satellites—Shows the number of GPS satellites being

received by the transceiver. Although there are typically 24

active GPS satellites orbiting the Earth twice a day, only a sub-

set of these will be “visible” to a receiver at a given location.

•Latitude—Shows the transceiver’s latitudinal location (in

degrees), based on GPS data received from the satellites.

•Longitude—Shows the transceiver’s longitudinal location (in

degrees), based on GPS data received from the satellites.

•Altitude—Shows the transceiver’s altitude above sea level (in

feet), based on GPS data received from the satellites.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 71

•GPS Information—Shows data about the individual satellites

being received, including the Pseudo-Random Noise (PRN)

code (a unique bit stream for each satellite), the satellite’s ele-

vation (in degrees), azimuth (in degrees), and the sig-

nal-to-noise ratio of the carrier signal (SNR). Figure 3-46 shows

a layout example for this screen.

GPS Information

Menu Invisible place holder

Figure 3-46. GPS Information Menu

Wireless Network Status Menu

The Wireless Network Status screen provides information on a key

operating process of the transceiver—the association of the Remote with

the Access Point. The following is a description of how this process

takes place and as monitored by the menu system.

The Transceiver’s

Association Process After the Remote is powered up and finishes its boot cycle, it begins

scanning the 900 MHz band for beacon signals being sent out from AP

units. If the Remote sees a beacon with a Network Name that is the same

as its own, the Remote will stop its scanning and temporarily synchro-

nize its frequency-hopping pattern to match the one encoded on the AP’s

beacon signal. The Remote waits for three identical beacon signals from

the AP and then it toggles into a fully synchronized “associated” state.

If the Remote does not receive three identical beacons from the Access

Point unit within a predetermined time period, it returns to a scanning

mode and continues to search for an AP with a matching network name

in its beacon.

Under normal circumstances, the association process should be com-

pleted within 20 seconds after boot-up. This time can vary depending on

the beacon period setting at the AP. See Beacon Period description in Sec-

tion 3.5.1, Radio Conﬁguration Menu (beginning on Page 52).

72 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

Remote units are always monitoring the beacon signal. If an associated

Remote loses the AP’s beacon for more than 20 seconds, the association

process starts again.

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-47. Wireless Network Status Menu (AP)

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-48. Wireless Network Status Menu (Remote)

•Device Status—Displays the overall operating condition of the

transceiver. [Operational, Alarmed]

•Associated Remotes (AP Only)—Shows the number of Remote

transceivers that have successfully associated with the AP.

•Remote Database (AP Only)—Displays a submenu where associ-

ated Remotes are listed in table form according to their number,

operational state, MAC address, IP address, and name (if

assigned).

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 73

•Remote Performance Database (AP Only)—Displays a submenu

where associated Remote performance data is listed in table

form. Remotes are presented according to their number, MAC

address, RSSI, SNR, downlink type, uplink type and FEC total.

•Connection Status (Remote Only)—Displays the current state of

the wireless network communication as follows: Scanning, Rang-

ing, Connecting, Authenticating, Associated, or Alarmed. A complete

explanation of these operating states is provided in Table 4-3 on

Page 96.

•Current AP Eth Address—Displays the Ethernet MAC address of

the current AP.

•Current AP IP Address—Shows the IP address of the current AP.

•Current AP Name—Displays the device name of the current AP.

•Connection Date—Shows the date at which the remote connected

to the AP. The Remote has been continually connected since

this date.

•Connection Time—Shows the time at which the remote connected

to the AP. The Remote has been continually connected since

this time.

Internal Radio Status Menu (Remote Only)

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-49. Internal Radio Status (Remote Only)

•Connection Status—Indicates whether or not the Remote station

has associated with an AP. [Associated, Scanning]

•Transmit Power—Shows the actual RF output (in dBm of the

Remote’s transmitter. [0-30 dBm]

•RSSI—Received Signal Strength Indication. This displays the

strength of the incoming signal from the AP station (in dBm).

The more negative this number, the weaker the signal.

74 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

•SNR—Signal-to-Noise-Ratio, displayed in dB. This is a mea-

surement of the quality of the incoming signal. It is possible for

an incoming signal to be strong, yet be affected by interference

or other noise, resulting in a low SNR. This parameter can be

used to help determine the actual quality of a signal.

•TX Frequency Offset—Shows the RF carrier shift of the Remote’s

transmitter, measured in Hertz (Hz). The transmitted frequency

is continually reviewed and adjusted to agree with what the AP

expects to see. This optimization results in more efficient oper-

ation, corrects for doppler shift, and results in higher throughput

between AP and Remote stations.

•RX Frequency Offset—This is a measurement of how far in fre-

quency the Remote’s receiver is shifting (in Hz) to accommo-

date the incoming signal from the AP. Operation

•Total FEC Count—This parameter shows the total number of For-

ward Error Correction (FEC) blocks handled by the radio.

•Corrected FEC Count—Displays the number of blocks corrected

with FEC by the radio.

•Uncorrected FEC Count—Shows the number of blocks uncor-

rected with FEC by the radio.

•Current AP Name—Shows the Device Name of the current AP.

3.5.8 Maintenance/Tools Menu

In the course of operating your network, you may wish to upgrade trans-

ceiver firmware to take advantage of product improvements, work with

configuration scripts, conduct “ping” tests of your system, or reset oper-

ating parameters to factory default settings. All of these tasks are per-

formed using the Maintenance/Tools Menu (Figure 3-50). This section

explains how to take advantage of these services.

The functions available from this menu are:

•Reprogramming— Managing and selecting the unit’s operating

system firmware resources. (See “Reprogramming Menu” on

Page 75)

•Conﬁguration Scripts—Saving and importing data files contain-

ing unit operating parameters/settings. (See “Conﬁguration

Scripts Menu” on Page 79)

•Ping Utility—Diagnostic tool to test network connectivity.

(See “Ping Utility Menu” on Page 82)

•Authorization Codes—Alter the unit’s overall capabilities by

enabling the built-in resources. (See “Authorization Codes” on

Page 83)

•Reset to Factory Defaults—Configure when remotes retrieve new

firmware versions from the associated AP, and whether or not

they reboot to the new firmware after receiving the new firm-

ware. (See “Reset to Factory Defaults” on Page 83)

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 75

•Radio Test—A diagnostic tool for testing RF operation.

(See “Radio Test Menu” on Page 84)

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-50. Maintenance/Tools Menu

Reprogramming Menu

The transceiver has two copies of the firmware (microprocessor code)

used for the operating system and applications. One copy is “active” and

the second one is standing by, ready to be used once activated. You can

load new firmware into the inactive position and place it in service

whenever you desire.

From time-to-time upgrades to the transceiver firmware are offered by

the factory. Loading new firmware into the unit will not alter any privi-

leges provided by Authorization Keys and does not require the trans-

ceiver be taken off-line until you want to operate the unit from the newly

installed firmware image.

Firmware images are available free-of-charge at:

www.GEmds.com/service/technical/support

NOTE: Firmware for AP radios is different than for Remotes, and may

not be interchanged.

NOTE: Always read the release notes for downloaded firmware. These

notes contain important information on compatibility and any

special steps needed for proper installation.

76 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-51. Reprogramming Menu

•TFTP Host Address—IP address of the host computer from which

to get the file. [Any valid IP address] This same IP address is used

in other screens/functions (reprogramming, logging, etc.).

Changing it here also changes it for other screens/functions.

•Firmware Filename—Name of file to be received by the TFTP

server. [Any 40-character alphanumeric string] Verify that this cor-

responds to the TFTP directory location. May require sub-direc-

tory, for example: \ﬁrmware\mercury\mercury-4_4_0.ipk.

•TFTP Timeout—Time in seconds the TFTP server will wait for a

packet ACK (acknowledgment) from the transceiver before

canceling the file transfer. [2 to 60 seconds; 10]

•Retrieve File—Initiates the file transfer from the TFTP server.

The new file is placed into inactive firmware image. [Y, N ]

•Image Verify—Initiate the verification of the integrity of firmware

file held in unit.

•Image Copy—Initiate the copying of the active firmware into the

inactive image.

•Reboot Device—Initiates rebooting of the transceiver. This will

interrupt data traffic through this unit, and the network if per-

formed on an Access Point. Intended to be used for switching

between firmware images 1 and 2.

•Current Firmware—Displays the versions of firmware images

installed in the transceiver and shows whether Image 1 or Image

2 is currently active.

NOTE: Upgrading the Firmware below for details on setting

up the TFTP server.

Upgrading the Firmware

Firmware images are available free-of-charge at:

www.microwavedata.com/service/technical/support

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 77

NOTE: AP firmware may not be installed in Remote radios, or

vice-versa.

To install firmware by TFTP, you will need:

• A PC with a TFTP server running.

• The IP address of the PC running the TFTP server.

• A valid firmware file

The IP address of the radio can be found under the Management Sys-

tems’ Starting Information Screen. (See “Starting Information Screen” on

Page 36.)

A TFTP server is available on the GE MDS Web site at:

www.GEmds.com/service/technical/support/downloads.asp

TIP: If you do not know your computer’s address on a Windows PC, you

can use the RUN function from the Start menu and enter winipcfg or

ipconﬁg to determine your local PC’s IP address.

There are several alternatives to connecting the transceiver for firmware

upgrade. Figure 3-52 and Figure 3-53 show two variations. It is essen-

tial that all of the equipment be on the same subnet.

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-52. Firmware Upgrade Setup—Option 1

(TFTP Server and Firmware File on Same CPU)

LAN

PORT

LOCAL WINDOWS PC

WITH CONFIG. FILES

IP ADDRESS: 172.0.0.A

IP ADDRESS: 172.0.0.B

TFTP

SERVER

& TELNET

TRANSCEIVER

INITIATE UPLOAD

FROM HERE

78 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-53. Firmware Upgrade Setup—Option 2

(TFTP Server and Firmware File on Remote Server)

NOTE: The LAN and COM1 ports share a common data channel when

loading firmware over-the-air. Transferring the radio firmware

image file (≈ 3 Mb), may take several minutes depending on

traffic between the TFTP server and the transceiver.

Regardless of your connection to the transceiver, loading firm-

ware/configuration files into the unit’s flash-RAM is much

slower than loading software onto a PC hard drive or RAM.

Upgrade Procedure To load a new firmware file (ﬁlename.ipk) into the transceiver, use the

following procedure:

1. Launch a TFTP server on a PC connected either directly or via a

LAN to the Ethernet port (LAN) of the radio. Point the server

towards the directory containing the ﬁrmware image ﬁle.

2. Connect to the Management System by whichever means is conve-

nient: Browser or Telnet via the LAN, or Terminal emulator via the

COM1 port.

3. Go to the MS Reprogramming Menu.

(Main Menu>>Maintenance Menu>>Reprogramming Menu)

4. Fill in the information for the:

•TFTP Host Address—IP Address of server (host computer) run-

ning TFTP server.

•Retrieve File—Name of file (ﬁlename.ipk) to be pulled from the

TFTP server holding the firmware file.

TRANSCEIVER

IP ADDRESS: 172.0.0.B

TFTP

SERVER ETHERNET

PORT

COM1

PORT

(DCE)

INITIATE UPLOAD

FROM HERE

REMOTE PC

W/FIRMWARE FILES

HUB/LAN/WAN/MAN

TCP/IP

LAN

PORT

COM1, 2, ETC.

(DTE)

IP ADDRESS: w.x.y.z

LOCAL WINDOWS PC

IP ADDRESS: 172.0.0.A

TERMINAL

PROGRAM

PINS

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 79

5. Pull the ﬁrmware ﬁle through the TFTP server into the transceiver.

(Main Menu>>Maintenance Menu>>Reprogramming Menu>>Retrieve File)

Status messages on the transfer are posted on the Management Sys-

tem screen.

NOTE: The new firmware image file that replaces the “Inactive

Image” file will be automatically verified.

6. Reboot the transceiver.

Main Menu>>Maintenance Menu>>Reprogramming Menu>>Reboot Device

7. Test the transceiver for normal operation.

End of Procedure

Error Messages During File Transfers

It is possible to encounter errors during a file transfer. In most cases

errors can be quickly corrected by referring to Table 3-2.

Configuration Scripts Menu

A configuration script file contains all of the settable parameters of a

radio that are accessible through the menu interface, with a few excep-

tions. A configuration script file is in plain text format and can be easily

edited in any text program.

Configuration scripts can be helpful in several ways. Three common

uses for them are:

Table 3-2. Common Errors During TFTP Transfer

Error Message Likely Cause/Corrective Action

Invalid File Type Indicates that the file is not a valid firmware

file. Locate proper file and re-load.

File not found Invalid or non-existent filename on TFTP

server

Invalid file path Invalid or non-existent file path to TFTP server

Timeout TFTP transfer time expired. Increase the

timeout value.

Flash Error Flash memory error. Contact factory for

assistance.

Bad CRC Cyclic Redundancy Check reporting a

corrupted file. Attempt to re-load, or use a

different file.

Version String Mismatch Invalid file detected. Attempt to re-load, or use

a different file.

Sending LCP Requests The PPP server is querying for any clients that

may need to connect.

Port not Enabled The serial port is disabled.

80 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

• To save “known-good” configuration files from your radios.

These can be used for later restoration if a configuration prob-

lem occurs, and it is unclear what parameter is causing the issue.

• To facilitate the rapid configuration of a large number of radios.

• To provide troubleshooting information when you contact the

factory for technical support. A technician can often spot poten-

tial problems by reviewing a configuration file.

How Configuration Files Work

When a configuration script file is downloaded to a radio (Retrieve File),

the radio executes the parameters as commands and takes the values

contained in it. When a configuration script file is uploaded from the

radio (Send) it contains the current values of the parameters that the

radio is configured with. Figure 3-54 below shows the Configuration

Scripts Menu.

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-54. Configuration Scripts Menu

•TFTP Host Address—IP address of the computer on which the

TFTP server resides. [Any valid IP address]

•Conﬁg Filename—Name of file containing this unit’s configura-

tion profile that will be transferred to the TFTP server. The con-

figuration information will be in a plain-text ASCII format.

[Any 40-character alphanumeric string] May require a sub-direc-

tory, for example: conﬁg\mercury-conﬁg.txt. (See “Conﬁguration

Scripts Menu” on Page 79 for more information.)

NOTE: The filename field is used to identify the desired incoming file

and as the name of the file being exported to the TFTP server.

Before exporting a unit’s configuration, you may want to name

it in a way that reflects the radio’s services or other identifica-

tion.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 81

•TFTP Timeout—Time in seconds the TFTP server will wait for a

packet ACK (acknowledgment) from the transceiver before

suspending the file transfer. [10 to 120 seconds; 10]

•Retrieve File—Initiate the file transfer of the configuration file

from TFTP server into the transceiver.

•Send File—Initiate the file transfer from the transceiver’s current

configuration file to TFTP server.

NOTE: See Upgrading the Firmware on Page 76 for details on

setting up the TFTP server.

Sample of Configuration Script FIle

A sample configuration script file is provided as part of every firmware

release. Firmware images and sample files are available free-of-charge

at: www.microwavedata.com/service/technical/support

The name of the specific file includes the firmware revision number,

represented by the “x” characters in the following example:

mercury-conﬁg-x_x_x.txt.

Editing Configuration Files

Once a Remote unit’s operation is fine-tuned, use the Conﬁguration

Scripts Menu on Page 79 to save a copy of the configuration on a PC.

Once the file is saved on the PC it can be used as a source to generate

modified copies adjusted to match other devices. The configuration files

can be modified using a text editor or an automated process. (These

applications are not provided by GE MDS).

We recommend that you review and update the following parameters for

each individual unit. Other parameters may also be changed as neces-

sary. Each resulting file should be saved with a different name. We rec-

ommend using directories and file names that reflect the location of the

unit to facilitate later identification.

Editing Rules • You may include only parameters you want to change from the

default value.

• Change only the parameter values.

Table 3-3. Common User-Alterable Parameters

Field Comment Range

IP Address Unique for each individual radio Any legal IP address

IP Gateway May change for different groups or

locations

Any legal IP address

Unit Name Should reflect a specific device.

This information will appear in

Management System headings

Any 20-character

alphanumeric string

Location Used only as reference for network

administration

Any 40-character

alphanumeric string

82 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

• Capitalization counts in some field parameters.

• Comment Fields

a. Edit, or delete anything on each line to the right of the

comment delineator, the semicolon (;).

b. Comments can be of any length, but must be on the same

line as the parameter, or on a new line that begins with a

semicolon character.

c. Comments after parameters in files exported from a trans-

ceiver do not need to be present in your customized files.

• Some fields are read-only. These are designated by “(RO)” in

the configuration sample file.

Ping Utility Menu Invisible place holder

Figure 3-55. Ping Utility Menu

•Address to Ping—Address to send a Ping. [Any valid IP address]

•Count—Number of Ping packets to be sent.

•Packet Size—Size of each Ping data packet (bytes).

•Ping—Send Ping packets to address shown on screen.

This screen is replaced with detailed report of Ping activity (see

example in Figure 3-56). Press any key after viewing the results

to return to this menu.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 83

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-56. Ping Results Screen

Authorization Codes Invisible place holder

Figure 3-57. Authorization Codes Menu

•Authorization Key—Initiate the entering of an Authorization Key

into the transceiver’s non-volatile memory.

•Authorized Features—List of authorized features available for use

with the transceiver. Each item will show enabled or disabled

according to the settings allowed by the Authorization Key that

was entered into the radio.

Reset to Factory Defaults

The Reset to Factory Defaults selection on the Maintenance/Tools Menu is

used to return all configurable settings to those set at the factory prior to

shipping. This selection should be used with caution, as any custom set-

tings you have established for your transceiver will be lost and need to

be re-entered using the menu system.

84 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

To prevent accidental use of the command, a “challenge” question is

presented at the bottom of the screen when this choice is selected (see

Figure 3-58). To proceed, enter y for yes or n for no, and then press

Enter. (You may also press the Escape key on your keyboard to exit this

command without any changes being made.)

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-58. Reset to Factory Defaults Action

(Note challenge question at bottom of screen)

Radio Test Menu

Using this menu, you can manually key the radio transmitter for perfor-

mance checks and set several parameters that will be used when the

Radio Mode is set to Test.

Invisible place holder

Figure 3-59. Radio Test Menu

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 85

NOTE :Use of the Test Mode disrupts traffic through the radio. If the

unit is an Access Point, it will disrupt traffic through the entire

network. The Test Mode function is automatically limited to

10 minutes and should only be used for brief measurements.

•Radio Mode—Sets/displays the radio’s operating mode. To

change the setting, press A on the PC’s keyboard and use the

Spacebar to toggle between the two settings. Press the Enter key

to select the desired state. [Normal, Test; Normal]

•Test Status—This read-only parameter shows the current state of

the radio.

[Radio is Operational, Reconﬁguring the Radio, Ready to KEY]

The following parameters are read-only unless A) Radio Mode is first

selected and set to Test. In Test Mode, these items become selectable and

their entries may be set using the Spacebar or with a numeric entry, fol-

lowed by an Enter keystroke.

•Test Key—Sets/displays keying status of the radio’s transmitter.

Use the Spacebar to view selections. [disabled, enabled; disabled]

•Test Transmit Power—Sets/displays the transmitter’s power set-

ting. A numerical entry may be made within the allowable

range. [0-30 dBm; 30 dBm]

•Test Channel—Sets/displays the radio’s test channel number. A

numerical entry may be made within the allowable range.

[0-13; 0]

•Test RF Bandwidth—Sets/displays the transmitter’s bandwidth for

testing. Use the Spacebar to view selections.

[1.75. 3.5 MHz; 1.75 MHz]

•Test Burst Percentage—Sets/displays the percentage of Burst size

to use for testing. A numerical entry may be made within the

allowable range.[0-100%; 100]

3.6 PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION

After the basic operation of the radio has been checked, you may wish

to optimize the network’s performance using some of the suggestions

given in this section. The effectiveness of these techniques will vary

with the design of your system and the format of the data being sent.

There are two major areas for possible improvement—the radio and the

data network. These sections provide a variety of items to check in both

categories, and in many cases, ways to correct or improve performance.

As with any wireless system, one of the most important things to check

is the antenna system. A properly installed antenna with an unob-

structed path to associated stations is highly desirable and should be

among the first items checked when searching for performance gains.

86 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

Stronger signals allow the use of wider bandwidths and higher data

speeds with fewer retries of data transmissions. Time spent optimizing

the antenna systems on both AP and Remote stations will often pay

huge dividends in system performance. Refer to INSTALLATION

PLANNING on Page 109 for additional recommendations on

antenna systems.

Table 3-4 provides some suggested settings for typical installation sce-

narios. These settings provide a “starting point” for configuration of AP

and Remote units and may require changes to achieve the desired results

in a particular situation.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 87

, .

Table 3-4. Standard Recommended Settings for Common Scenarios

For Fixed Locations, where best combination of range and throughput is desired.

AP Remote Units Notes

Radio Configuration

Network Name User

discretion

User

discretion

AP and Remote must match

Transmit Power 30 N/A dBm In most cases, power can be set to +30

dBm and left alone. Setting it lower

may help control cell overlap.

Receive Power -85 N/A dBm Sets AP receiver for high gain.

Frequency Control

Frequency

Mode

Static Hopping Static Hopping

Frame Duration 20 20 ms

Hop Pattern A, B, C, D A, B, C, D AP and RM must match

Hop Pattern

Offset

0-13 or 0-6 0-13 or 0-6 AP and RM must match

TDD Sync

Mode

GPS Required N/A GPS Antennas must be connected to

both AP and RM.

Advanced Configuration

Adaptive

Modulation

Enabled Enabled

Protection

Margin

33dB

Hysteresis

Margin

33dB

Data

Compression

Enabled Enabled Gives best throughput numbers, but

may hide true performance if only

tested with PING or Text File FTP.

Downlink% 50 N/A % Keep at 50%. Other selections are for

future releases.

Cyclic Prefix 1/16 N/A Best throughput setting

Receive AGC Keep disabled. Reserved for future

releases.

ARQ Disabled N/A

ARQ Block Size Enabled N/A bytes

ARQ Block

Lifetime

256 N/A ms

ARQ TX Delay 655 N/A ms

ARQ RX Delay 35 N/A ms

For optimum sensitivity (trades off throughput for best possible sensitivity).

AP Remote Units Notes

Radio

Configuration

Receive

Power

-80 N/A dBm Sets AP receiver for highest gain

88 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

3.6.1 Proper Operation—What to Look For

Table 3-5 and Table 3-6 show target performance values for AP and

Remote transceivers that are operating properly. These values may be

viewed using the built-in menu system by navigating the path shown

under each table title.

When heavy interference exists at AP (trades range for robustness in the face of interference).

AP Remote Units Notes

Radio

Configuration

Receive

Power

-60 N/A dBm Sets AP receiver for low gain and

forces Remote transmit power to

be high.

For a mobile system, where hand-offs between APs are required.

AP Remote Units Notes

Radio

Configuration

Frequency

Control

Frequency

Mode

Static

Hopping

w/Handoffs

Network

Configuration

AP Location

Info Config

Retrieve Text

File

N/A AP locations

file

AP and Remote must match

Table 3-5. Mercury Remote Transceiver

(Performance Information>>Internal Radio Status Menu)

Name Target Value Notes

Connection Status Associated Remote must be associated

for network operation.

Transmit Power Varies Adjusts automatically as

requested by AP.

RSSI

Received Signal

Strength Indication

Varies The less negative an RSSI

reading, the stronger the

signal (i.e., -75 dBm is

stronger than -85 dBm).

SNR

Signal-to-Noise Ratio

Strong signal (bench

setting): 25-28 dB

Operational: 3-30 dB

Typ. System: 10-20 dB

A low SNR may be caused by

noise or interfering signals.

TX Freq. Offset 200-10,000 Hz Adjusts to accommodate what

is expected by the AP.

RX Freq. Offset 200-10,000 Hz Adjusts to accommodate what

is expected by the AP.

Total FEC Count Varies

Corrected FEC Count Varies

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 89

Additional Considerations for Mobile Operation

The following key points should be considered for all mobile installa-

tions:

• Use middleware—The use of middleware in the mobile laptops is

highly recommended for better operation of a mobile data system.

GE MDS provides middleware from one of the vendors in this mar-

ket. Contact your factory representative for details.

• Plan your network coverage accordingly—Deploy Access Points so

that they provide overlapping coverage to each other. Access Points

must use the same network name to enable roaming service.

• Set the RSSI Threshold to -85 dBm—This level is typically used for

mobile systems with good performance. Make sure there is overlap-

ping coverage of more than one AP to provide a good user experi-

ence and continuous coverage.

Uncorrected FEC

Count

Varies

Current AP Name Set as desired Typically set to reflect the

application or system the radio

is used in.

Table 3-5. Mercury Remote (Continued) Transceiver

(Performance Information>>Internal Radio Status Menu)

Name Target Value Notes

Table 3-6. Mercury Access Point

(Performance Information>>Wireless Network Status>>

Remote Performance Database)

Name Target Value Notes

MAC ADDR MAC Address of

associated Remote

Must match Remote’s MAC

address exactly

RSSI

Received Signal

Strength Indication

Varies The less negative an RSSI

reading, the stronger the

signal (i.e., -75 dBm is

stronger than -85 dBm).

SNR

Signal-to-Noise Ratio

Strong signal (bench):

25-28 dB

Operational: 3-30 dB

Typ. System:10-20 dB

A low SNR may be caused by

noise or interfering signals.

Downlink Varies QPSK/FEC-3/4 Preferred

Uplink Varies QPSK/FEC-3/4 Preferred

FEC Total Varies

CoU Varies

90 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

• At Every AP Radio, the following settings should be reviewed when

providing service to mobile remotes:

•TDD Sync—Must be set to GPS Required.

•Pattern Offset—Each AP should be different. Cell planning is

required if there are overlaps.

•Hop Pattern—Setting should be the same on all APs.

•Compression [disabled]—Disable radio compression. Data com-

pression is best performed by the middleware running on the

mobile laptop PC. Gains in efficiency are made because middle-

ware compresses data at a higher stack level, and it aggregates

multiple data frames and streams into a single packet. Compres-

sion at the radio level, although highly efficient, works only at

the individual packet level.

• Use of space diversity antennas often improves signal reception in

mobile applications. See “Diversity Reception (RX2 Antenna Port)”

on Page 113 for more information.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 91

4 TROUBLESHOOTING &

RADIO MEASUREMENTS

4 Chapter Counter Reset Paragraph

Contents

4.1 TROUBLESHOOTING.......................................................... 93

4.1.1 Interpreting the Front Panel LEDs ........................................ 93

4.1.2 Troubleshooting Using the Embedded Management

System ............................................................................................. 94

4.1.3 Using Logged Operation Events ........................................... 98

4.1.4 Alarm Conditions ................................................................... 98

4.1.5 Correcting Alarm Conditions ................................................. 100

4.1.6 Logged Events ...................................................................... 101

4.2 RADIO (RF) MEASUREMENTS........................................... 103

4.2.1 Antenna System SWR and Transmitter Power Output ......... 103

4.2.2 Antenna AimingFor Directional Antennas .......................... 105

92 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 93

4.1 TROUBLESHOOTING

Successful troubleshooting of a wireless system is not difficult, but

requires a logical approach. It is best to begin troubleshooting at the

Access Point unit, as the rest of the system depends on the Access Point

for synchronization data. If the Access Point has problems, the operation

of the entire wireless network will be affected.

When communication problems are found, it is good practice to begin

by checking the simple things. Applying basic troubleshooting tech-

niques in a logical progression can identify many problems.

Multiple

Communication

Layers

It is important to remember the operation of the network is built upon a

radio communications link. On top of that are two data levels— wireless

MAC, and the data layer. It is essential that the wireless aspect of the

Access Point and the Remotes units to be associated are operating prop-

erly before data-layer traffic will function.

Unit Configuration There are numerous user-configurable parameters in the Management

System. Do not overlook the possibility that human error may be the

cause of the problem. With so many possible parameters to look at and

change, a parameter may be incorrectly set, and then what was changed

is forgotten.

To help avoid these problems, we recommend creating an archive of the

transceiver’s profile when your installation is complete in a Configura-

tion File. This file can be reloaded into the transceiver to restore the unit

to the factory defaults or your unique profile. For details on creating and

archiving Configuration Files, see “Conﬁguration Scripts Menu” on

Page 79.

Factory Assistance If problems cannot be resolved using the guidance provided here,

review the GE MDS web site’s technical support area for recent soft-

ware/firmware updates, general troubleshooting help, and service infor-

mation. Additional help is available through our Technical Support

Department. (See “TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE” on the inside of the

rear cover.)

4.1.1 Interpreting the Front Panel LEDs

An important set of troubleshooting tools are the LED status indicators

on the front panel of case. You should check them first whenever a

problem is suspected. Table 2-2 on Page 26 describes the function of

each status LED. Table 4-1 below provides suggestions for resolving

94 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

common system difficulties using the LEDs, and Table 4-2 provides

other simple techniques.

4.1.2 Troubleshooting Using the Embedded

Management System

If you have reviewed and tried the items mentioned in Table 4-1 and still

have not resolved the problem, there are some additional tools and tech-

niques that can be used. The embedded Management System is a good

source of information that may be used remotely to provide preliminary

diagnostic information, or may even provide a path to correcting the

problem.

Table 4-1. Troubleshooting Using LEDs—Symptom-Based

Symptom Problem/Recommended System Checks

PWR LED does not

turn on

a. Voltage too low—Check for the proper supply voltage at

the power connector. (10–30 Vdc)

b. Indefinite Problem—Cycle the power and wait

(≈ 30 seconds) for the unit to reboot. Then, recheck for

normal operation.

LINK LED does not

turn on

a. Network Name of Remote not identical to desired Access

Point—Verify that the system has a unique Network Name.

b. Not yet associated with an Access Point with the same

Network Name.

Check the “Status” of the unit’s process of associating with

the Access Point. Use the Management System.

c. Poor Antenna System—Check the antenna, feedline and

connectors. Reflected power should be less than 10% of

the forward power reading (SWR 2:1 or lower).

PWR LED is

blinking

a. Blinking indicates an alarm condition exists.

b. View Current Alarms and Event Log and correct the

problem if possible.

(See “Using Logged Operation Events” on Page 98)

c. Blinking will continue until the source of the alarm is

corrected, for example, a valid IP address is entered, etc.

LAN LED does not

turn on

a. Verify the Ethernet cable is connect at both ends.

b. Verify that the appropriate type of Ethernet cable is used:

straight-through, or crossover.

LAN LED lights, but

turns off after some

time

Verify traffic in LAN. Typically, the radio should not be placed

in high traffic enterprise LANs, as the it will not be able to pass

this level of traffic. If needed, use routers to filter traffic.

GPS LED not lit No satellite fix has been obtained. A fix is required for all

operation except for single-frequency channel (non-hopping)

configurations. The lack of a fix may be caused by an

obstructed “view” of the satellites or GPS antenna problem.

The GPS LED blinks slowly on the AP while it synchronizes its

internal clock to the GPS signal. When in this condition, the AP

does not transmit RF at all.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 95

The following is a summary of how several screens in the Management

System can be used as diagnostic tools. For information on how to con-

Table 4-2. Basic Troubleshooting Using the Management System

Symptom Problem/Recommended System Checks

Cannot access the

MS through COM1

a. Connect to unit via Telnet or Web browser

b. Disable the serial mode for COM1

(Serial Gateway Configuration>>Com1 Serial Data

Port>>Status>>Disabled)

or, if you know the unit’s data configuration:

a. Connect to COM 1 via a terminal set to VT100 and the

port’s data baud rate.

b. Type +++

c. Change the terminal’s baud rate to match the transceiver’s

Console Baud Rate.

d. Type +++

Display on

terminal/Telnet

screen garbled

Verify the terminal/terminal emulator or Telnet application is

set to VT100

Password

forgotten.

a. Connect to the transceiver using a terminal through the

COM1 Port.

b. Obtain a password-resetting Authorization Key from your

factory representative.

c. Enter the Authorization Key at the login prompt as a

password.

Remote does not

associate; stays in

HOPSYNC

a. Verify the AP has sufficiently large number in the “Max

Remotes” parameter of the Network Configuration Menu.

b. Verify the correct MAC address is listed in the “Approved

Remotes List” or “Approved Access Points List” of the

Security Configuration menu.

Remote only gets

to Connecting.

Check Network Name and encryption settings

Remote only gets

to Authenticating.

Check encryption settings and security mode settings.

Cannot pass IP

data to WAN.

a. Verify your IP settings.

b. Use the PING command to test communication with the

transceivers in the local radio system.

c. If successful with local PING, attempt to PING an IP unit

attached to a transceiver.

d. If successful with the LAN PINGs, try connecting to a

known unit in the WAN.

Wireless Retries

too high.

Possible Radio Frequency Interference—

a. If omnidirectional antennas are used, consider changing to

directional antennas. This will often limit interference to

and from other stations.

b. Try skipping some zones where persistent interference is

known or suspected.

c. The installation of a filter in the antenna feedline may be

necessary. Consult the factory for further assistance.

96 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

nect to the Management System See “STEP 3—CONNECT PC TO THE

TRANSCEIVER” on Page 23.

Starting Information Screen

(See Starting Information Screen on Page 36)

The Management System’s “homepage” provides some valuable bits of

data. One of the most important is the “Device Status” field. This item

tells you if the unit is showing signs of life.

If the Device Status field says “Associated,” then look in the network

areas beginning with network data statistics. If it displays some other

message, such as Scanning, Connecting or Alarmed, you will need to

determine why it is in this state.

The Scanning state indicates a Remote unit is looking for an Access

Point beacon signal to lock onto. It should move to the Connecting state

and finally to the Associated state within less than a minute. If this

Remote unit is not providing reliable service, look at the Event Logs for

signs of lost association with the Access Point or low signal alarms.

Table 4-3 provides a description of the Device Status messages.

If the Remote is in an “Alarmed” state, the unit may still be operational

and associated. Look for the association state in the Wireless Network

Status screen to determine if the unit is associated. If it is, then look at

the Error Log for possible clues.

If the unit is in an “Alarmed” state and not able to associate with an

Access Point unit, then there may be problem with the wireless network

layer. Call in a radio technician to deal with wireless issues. Refer the

technician to the RADIO (RF) MEASUREMENTS on Page 103 for infor-

mation on antenna system checks.

Table 4-3. Device Status1

1. Device Status is available in the Startup Information Screen or the Wireless Status

Screen at Remotes.

Scanning The unit is looking for an Access Point beacon signal. If

this is a Remote radio, Associated means that this unit is

associated with an Access Point

Ranging Remote has detected AP and is synchronizing to it.

Connecting The Remote has established a radio (RF) connection

with the Access Point and is negotiating the network

layer connectivity.

Authenticating2

2. If Device Authentication is enabled.

The Remote is authenticating itself to the network to

obtain cyber-security clearance in order to pass data.

Associated This unit has successfully synchronized and is

“associated” with an Access Point. This is the normal

operating state.

Alarmed The unit is has detected one or more alarms that have not

been cleared.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 97

Packet Statistics Menu

(See Packet Statistics Menu on Page 69)

This screen provides detailed information on data exchanges between

the unit being viewed and the network through the wireless and the

Ethernet (data) layers. These include:

The most significant fields are the Packets Dropped, Retries, Retry

Errors, Receive Errors and Lost Carrier Detected. If the data values are

more than 10% of their sent and received counterparts, or the Lost Car-

rier Detected value is greater than a few dozen, there may be trouble

with radio-frequency interference or a radio link of marginal strength.

Review the RSSI by Zone Screen’s values (Page 84) for zones that are

more than 2 dB (decibels) below the average level, and for signal level

values that are likely to provide marginal service. For example, an

average level is less than –85 dBm during normal conditions with a data

rate of 256 kbps.

If the RSSI levels in each zone are within a few dB of each other, but

less than –85 dBm, then a check should be made of the aiming of the

antenna system and for a satisfactory SWR. Refer to RADIO (RF) MEA-

SUREMENTS on Page 103 for information on antenna system checks.

NOTE: For a data rate of 1 Mbps the average signal level should be

–77 dBm or stronger with no interference.

Diagnostic Tools

(See Maintenance/Tools Menu on Page 74)

The radio’s Maintenance menu contains two tools that are especially

useful to network technicians—the Radio Test Menu and the Ping

Utility. The Radio Test selection allows for testing RF operation, while

the Ping Utility can be used to verify reachability to pieces of equipment

connected to the radio network. This includes transceivers and user-sup-

plied Ethernet devices.

Wireless Packet Statistics

• Packets received • Packets dropped

• Packets sent • Receive errors

• Bytes received • Retries

• Bytes sent • Retry errors

Ethernet Packet Statistics

• Packets received • Packets dropped

• Packets sent • Receive errors

• Bytes received • Retries

• Bytes sent • Retry errors

• Lost carrier detected

98 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

4.1.3 Using Logged Operation Events

(See Performance Information Menu on Page 66)

The transceiver’s microprocessor monitors many operational parame-

ters and logs them as various classes of “events”. If the event is one that

affects performance, it is an “alarmed”. There are also normal or routine

events such as those marking the rebooting of the system, implementa-

tion of parameter changes and external access to the Management

System. Informational events are stored in temporary (RAM) memory

that will be lost in the absence of primary power, and Alarms will be

stored in permanent memory (Flash memory) until cleared by user

request. Table 4-4 summarizes these classifications.

These various events are stored in the transceiver’s “Event Log” and can

be a valuable aid in troubleshooting unit problems or detecting attempts

at breaching network security.

4.1.4 Alarm Conditions

(See Event Log Menu on Page 67)

Most events, classified as “critical” will cause the PWR LED to blink,

and will inhibit normal operation of the transceiver. The LED blinks

until the corrective action is completed.

Table 4-4. Event Classifications

Level Description/Impact Storage

Informational Normal operating activities Flash

Memory

Minor Does not affect unit operation RAM

Major Degraded unit performance but

still capable of operation

RAM

Critical Prevents the unit from operating RAM

Table 4-5. Alarm Conditions (Alphabetical Order)

Alarm Condition Reported Event Log Entry SNMP Trap

EVENT_50_LIMIT Crossed 50% of Eth

Port Rate Limit

rateLimit50(20)

EVENT_75_LIMIT Crossed 75% of Eth

Port Rate Limit

rateLimit75(21)

EVENT_100_LIMIT Crossed 100% of Eth

Port Rate Limit

rateLimit100(22)

EVENT_ADC ADC output Railed adcInput(3)

EVENT_AP_NN_CHANGED Network Name changed

at the AP

apNetNameChanged(74)

EVENT_BRIDGE Network Interface /Error networkInterface(17)

EVENT_NO_CHAN_CNT Mismatch in Channel

count at AP/REM

ChanCnt(71)

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 99

EVENT_NO_CHAN Using Channel hopping

but no channels

selected

NoChan(23)

EVENT_COMPRESS Compression setting

changed

compressionChanged(76)

EVENT_ENDPOINT Endpoint

Added/Removed (AP

Only)

eventEndpoint(67)

EVENT_ETH_LINK_AP* AP Ethernet Link

Disconnected

apEthLinkLost(19)

EVENT_FLASH_TEST Flash Test Failed -

EVENT_FPGA FPGA communication

Failed

fpgaCommunication(2)

EVENT_FREQ_CAL Frequency Not

Calibrated

frequencyCal(7)

EVENT_INIT_ERR Initialization Error initializationError(18)

EVENT_IPADDR*IP Address Invalid ipAddressNotSet(4)

EVENT_IP_CONN(OK) ipConnectivityOK(75)

EVENT_IPMASK*IP Mask Invalid ipNetmaskNotSet(5)

EVENT_LAN_PORT lanPortStatus(78)

EVENT_MAC MAC communication

Failed

macCommunication(1)

EVENT_MACADDR MAC Address Invalid noMacAddress(6)

EVENT_NETNAME*Netname Invalid invalidNetname(12)

EVENT_PLL_LOCK PLL Not locked pllLock(10)

EVENT_POWER_CAL Power Calibrated/Not

Calibrated

powerCal(8)

EVENT_POWER_HIGH RF Power Control

Saturated High

rfPowerHigh(13)

EVENT_POWER_LOW RF Power Control

Saturated Low

rfPowerLow(14)

EVENT_REMOTE Remote Added/

Removed (AP Only)

eventRemote(66)

EVENT_REPETITIVE The previous event is

occurring repetitively

EVENT_ROUTE_ADD Manual entry added to

Routing table

routeAdded(68)

EVENT_ROUTE_DEL Manual entry deleted

from Routing table

routeDeleted(69)

EVENT_RSSI*RSSI Exceeds

threshold

rssi(11)

EVENT_RSSI_CAL RSSI Not Calibrated rssiCal(9)

EVENT_SDB_ERR Internal

Remote/Endpoint

database error (AP

Only)

sdbError(80)

Table 4-5. Alarm Conditions (Alphabetical Order) (Continued)

Alarm Condition Reported Event Log Entry SNMP Trap

100 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

* Condition may be corrected by user and alarm cleared.

4.1.5 Correcting Alarm Conditions

(See Event Log Menu on Page 67)

Table 4-6 provides insight on the causes of events that inhibit the unit

from operating, and possible corrective actions. The Event Description

column appears on the Event Log screen.

EVENT_SINREM_SWITCH Eth/Serial mode switch

in a Single Remote

sinRemSwitch(70)

EVENT_SYSTEM_ERROR* System Error Cleared;

Please Reboot

systemError(16)

EVENT_TFTP_CONN TFTP connectivity

achieved

tftpConnection(73)

EVENT_TFTP_ERR Attempted TFTP

connection failed

tftpConnFailed(79)

Table 4-5. Alarm Conditions (Alphabetical Order) (Continued)

Alarm Condition Reported Event Log Entry SNMP Trap

Table 4-6. Correcting Alarm Conditions—Alphabetical Order

Event Log Entry Generating Condition Clearing Condition

or Action

ADC Failure The ADC always reads the

same value (either high or

low limit)

Contact factory Technical

Services for assistance

AP Ethernet Link Monitor will check state of

Ethernet link and set alarm if

it finds the link down

Ethernet link is re-established

Bridge Down When the Bridge fails to be

initialized

Contact factory Technical

Services for assistance

Flash Test Failed Internal check indicates

corruption of Flash memory

Contact factory Technical

Services for assistance

FPGA Failure Communication lost to the

FPGA

Contact factory Technical

Services for assistance

General System

Error

Internal checks suggest unit

is not functioning properly

Reboot the transceiver

Initialization Error Unit fails to complete boot

cycle

Contact factory Technical

Services for assistance

Invalid IP Address The IP address is either

0.0.0.0 or 127.0.0.1

Program IP address to

something other than 0.0.0.0

or 127.0.0.1

MAC Failure The monitor task reads the

LinkStatus from the MAC

every second. If the MAC

does not reply 10

consecutive times

(regardless of what the result

is) the CPU assumes the

transceiver has lost

communication to the MAC.

Contact factory Technical

Services for assistance

Network Interface

Error

Unit does not recognize the

LAN interface

Contact factory Technical

Services for assistance

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 101

4.1.6 Logged Events

(See Event Log Menu on Page 67)

The following events allow the transceiver to continue operation and do

not make the PWR LED blink. Each is reported through an SNMP trap.

The left hand column, “Event Log Entry” is what will be shown in the

Event Log.

Network Name Not

Programmed

Network name is “Not

Programmed”

Change Network Name to

something other than “Not

Programmed”

PLL Out-of-Lock The FPGA reports a

synthesizer out-of-lock

condition when monitored by

the CPU.

Contact factory Technical

Services for assistance.

Power Control

Railed High

Power control can no longer

compensate and reaches the

high rail

Contact factory Technical

Services for assistance

Power Control

Railed Low

Power control can no longer

compensate and reaches the

low rail

Contact factory Technical

Services for assistance

RSSI Exceeds

Threshold

The running-average RSSI

level is weaker (more

negative) than the

user-defined value.

Check aiming of the

directional antenna used at

the Remote; or raise the

threshold level to a stronger

(less-negative) value.

Table 4-7. Non-Critical Events—Alphabetical Order

Event Log Entry Severity Description

Association Attempt

Success/Failed

MAJOR Self explanatory

Association Lost - AP Hop

Parameter Changed

MINOR Self explanatory

Association Lost - AP's

Ethernet Link Down

MAJOR Self explanatory

Association Lost - Local IP

Address Changed

MAJOR Self explanatory

Association Lost - Local

Network Name Changed

MAJOR Self explanatory

Association Lost/Established MAJOR Self explanatory

Auth Demo Mode Expired --

Rebooted Radio/Enabled

MAJOR Self explanatory

Auth Key Entered - Key

Valid/Key Invalid

MAJOR Self explanatory

Bit Error Rate Below

threshold/Above threshold

INFORM Self explanatory

Console Access Locked for

5 Min

MAJOR Self explanatory

Table 4-6. Correcting Alarm Conditions—Alphabetical Order

Event Log Entry Generating Condition Clearing Condition

or Action

102 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

Console User Logged

Out/Logged In

MAJOR Self explanatory

Country/SkipZone Mismatch INFORM Self explanatory

Current AP No Longer

Approved

MAJOR May occur during the Scanning

process at a remote. Indicates that

the received beacon came from an

AP which is not in the “Approved

AP” list. This may be caused by

some remotes hearing multiple

AP's. This event is expected

behavior.

Decryption Error/Decryption

A decryption error is logged when

an encryption phrase mismatch

has occurred. A mismatch is

declared after five consecutive

errors over a 40-second window.

When the error has cleared,

DECRYPT OK will appear.

Desired AP IP Addr Mismatch INFORM Self explanatory

ETH Rate Indicates heavy bursts of traffic on

the unit's Ethernet port (LAN). This

is expected behavior, resulting

from the network configuration.

Ethernet Port

Enabled/Disabled

INFORM Self explanatory

Ranging Lost/Established INFORM Self explanatory

Connecting Lost/Established INFORM Self explanatory

Hop Table

Generated/Generation Failed

INFORM Self explanatory

HTTP Access Locked for 5 Min MAJOR Self explanatory

HTTP User Logged

Out/Logged In

MAJOR httpLogin(49)

Log Cleared INFORM Self explanatory

MAC Param Changed Caused by remotes running in auto

data rate mode. Every time the link

conditions cause a data rate

change, the remote’s MAC

changes to the new rate and

forwards a signal to the AP. This

indicates link quality is changing

and causing the data rate to adjust

accordingly.

Max Beacon Wait Time

Exceeded

MAJOR Self explanatory

Received Beacon - AP is

Blacklisted

INFORM Self explanatory

Received Beacon - Netname

Does Not Match

INFORM Self explanatory

Received Beacon -

Valid/Errored

INFORM Self explanatory

Table 4-7. Non-Critical Events—Alphabetical Order (Continued)

Event Log Entry Severity Description

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 103

4.2 RADIO (RF) MEASUREMENTS

There are several measurements that are a good practice to perform

during the initial installation. The will confirm proper operation of the

unit and if they are recorded, serve as a benchmark in troubleshooting

should difficulties appear in the future. These measurements are:

• Transmitter Power Output

• Antenna System SWR (Standing-Wave Ratio)

• Antenna Direction Optimization

These procedures may interrupt traffic through an established network

and should only be performed by a skilled radio-technician in coopera-

tion with the network manager.

4.2.1 Antenna System SWR and Transmitter Power

Output

Introduction

A proper impedance match between the transceiver and the antenna

system is important. It ensures the maximum signal transfer between the

radio and antenna. The impedance match can be checked indirectly by

measuring the SWR (standing-wave ratio) of the antenna system. If the

results are normal, record them for comparison for use during future

routine preventative maintenance. Abnormal readings indicate possible

trouble with the antenna or the transmission line that will need to be cor-

rected.

The SWR of the antenna system should be checked before the radio is

put into regular service. For accurate readings, a wattmeter suited to

Rem Ethernet Link

Connected/Disconnected

MAJOR Self explanatory

Reprogramming Complete INFORM Self explanatory

Reprogramming Failed MAJOR Self explanatory

Reprogramming Started INFORM Self explanatory

Scanning Started INFORM Self explanatory

SNR Within threshold/Below

threshold

INFORM Self explanatory

System Bootup (power on) INFORM Self explanatory

Telnet Access Locked for

5 Min

MAJOR Self explanatory

Telnet User Logged

Out/Logged In

MAJOR Self explanatory

User Selected Reboot MAJOR Self explanatory

Table 4-7. Non-Critical Events—Alphabetical Order (Continued)

Event Log Entry Severity Description

104 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

1000 MHz measurements is required. One unit meeting this criteria is

the Bird Model 43™ directional wattmeter with a 5J element installed.

The reflected power should be less than 10% of the forward power

(≈2:1 SWR). Higher readings usually indicate problems with the

antenna, feedline or coaxial connectors.

If the reflected power is more than 10%, check the feedline, antenna and

its connectors for damage.

Record the current transmitter power output level, and then set it to

30 dBm for the duration of the test to provide an adequate signal level

for the directional wattmeter.

Procedure

1. Place a directional wattmeter between the TX antenna connector and

the antenna system.

2. Place the transceiver into the Radio Test Mode using the menu

sequence below:

(Maintenance/Tools Menu>>Radio Test>>Radio Mode>>Test)

NOTE: The Test Mode has a 10-minute timer, after which it will return

the radio to normal operation. The Radio Test Mode can be

terminated manually by selecting Test Key>>disabled on the

menu or temporarily disconnecting the radio’s DC power.

3. Set the transmit power to 30 dBm. (This setting does not affect the

output level during normal operation—only during Test Mode.)

(Maintenance/Tools Menu>>Radio Test >>Test Mode>>Test>>Test Transmit

Power)

4. Key the transmitter.

(Maintenance/Tools Menu>>Radio Test>>Test Mode>>Test>>Test Key>>

enabled)

Use the PC’s spacebar to key and unkey the transmitter ON and

OFF. (Enable/Disable)

5. Measure the forward and reﬂected power into the antenna system

and calculate the SWR and power output level. The output should

agree with the programmed value set in the Radio Conﬁguration

Menu. (Radio Configuration>>Transmit Power)

6. Turn off Radio Test Mode.

(Maintenance/Tools Menu>>Radio Test>>Test Key>>disabled)

End of procedure.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 105

4.2.2 Antenna Aiming—For Directional Antennas

Introduction

The radio network integrity depends, in a large part, on stable radio

signal levels being received at each end of a data link. In general, signal

levels stronger than –80 dBm provide the basis for reliable communica-

tion that includes a 15 dB fade margin. As the distance between the

Access Point and Remotes increases, the influence of terrain, foliage

and man-made obstructions become more influential and the use of

directional antennas at Remote locations becomes necessary. Direc-

tional antennas usually require some fine-tuning of their bearing to opti-

mize the received signal strength. The transceiver has a built-in received

signal strength indicator (RSSI) that can be used to tell you when the

antenna is in a position that provides the optimum received signal.

RSSI measurements and Wireless Packet Statistics are based on mul-

tiple samples over a period of several seconds. The average of these

measurements will be displayed by the Management System.

The measurement and antenna alignment process will usually take 10 or

more minutes at each radio unit.

The path to the Management System menu item is shown in bold text

below each step of the procedure.

Procedure

1. Verify the Remote transceiver is associated with an Access Point

unit by observing the condition of the LINK LED (LINK LED = On or

Blinking). This indicates that you have an adequate signal level for

the measurements and it is safe to proceed.

2. View and record the Wireless Packets Dropped and Received Error

rates.

(Main Menu>>Performance Information>>Packet Statistics>>Wireless Packet

Statistics)

This information will be used later.

3. Clear the Wireless Packets Statistics history.

(Main Menu>>Performance Information>>Packet Statistics>>Wireless Packet

Statistics>>Clear Wireless Stats)\

4. Read the RSSI level at the Remote.

(Main Menu>>Performance Information>>RSSI by Zone)

5. Optimize RSSI (less negative is better) by slowly adjusting the

direction of the antenna.

106 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

Watch the RSSI indication for several seconds after making each

adjustment so that the RSSI accurately reﬂects any change in the

link signal strength.

6. View the Wireless Packets Dropped and Received Error rates at the

point of maximum RSSI level. They should be the same or lower

than the previous reading.

(Main Menu>>Performance Information>>Packet Statistics>>Wireless Packet

Statistics)

If the RSSI peak results in an increase in the Wireless Packets

Dropped and Received Error, the antenna may be aimed at an undes-

ired signal source. Try a different antenna orientation.

End of procedure.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 107

5PLANNING A RADIO

NETWORK

5 Chapter Counter Reset Paragraph

Contents

5.1 INSTALLATION PLANNING ................................................. 109

5.1.1 General Requirements .......................................................... 109

5.1.2 Site Selection ........................................................................ 110

5.1.3 Terrain and Signal Strength ................................................... 111

5.1.4 Antenna & Feedline Selection ............................................... 111

5.1.5 How Much Output Power Can be Used? .............................. 114

5.1.6 Conducting a Site Survey ..................................................... 115

5.1.7 A Word About Radio Interference .......................................... 115

5.2 dBm-WATTS-VOLTS CONVERSION CHART...................... 118

108 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 109

5.1 INSTALLATION PLANNING

This section provides tips for selecting an appropriate site, choosing an

antenna system, and reducing the chance of harmful interference.

5.1.1 General Requirements

There are three main requirements for installing a transceiver—ade-

quate and stable primary power, a good antenna system, and the correct

interface between the transceiver and the data device. Figure 5-1 shows

a typical Remote Gateway installation.

NOTE: The transceiver’s network port supports 10BaseT and

100BaseT connections. Confirm that your hub/switch is

capable of auto-switching data rates.

To prevent excessive Ethernet traffic from degrading perfor-

mance, place the transceiver in a segment, or behind routers.

Invisible place holder

Figure 5-1. Typical Fixed Remote Installation

With a Directional Antenna

(Connect user data equipment to any compatible LAN Port)

Unit Dimensions

Figure 5-2 shows the dimensions of the transceiver case and its

mounting holes, and Figure 5-3 on Page 110, the dimensions for

mounting with factory-supplied brackets. If possible, choose a mounting

POWER SUPPLY

13.8 VDC @ 580 mA (Max.)

(10.5–30 Vdc)

Negative Ground Only

COMPUTER RUNNING

TERMINAL PROGRAM

TRANSCEIVER

LOW-LOSS FEEDLINE

ANTENNA

SYSTEM

Network

110 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

location that provides easy access to the connectors on the end of the

radio and an unobstructed view of the LED status indicators.

Figure 5-2. Transceiver Dimensions

Invisible place holder

Figure 5-3. Mounting Bracket Dimensions (center to center)

5.1.2 Site Selection

Suitable sites should provide:

• Protection from direct weather exposure

• A source of adequate and stable primary power

• Suitable entrances for antenna, interface or other required

cabling

1.4˝

6.75˝ (17.15 cm)

4.5˝ (11.43 cm)

TOP

FRONT (3.56 cm)

VIEW

2.75˝ (7 cm)

8 5/8˝ (21.8 cm)

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 111

• Antenna location that provides as unobstructed a transmission

path as possible in the direction of the associated station(s)

These requirements can be quickly determined in most cases. A possible

exception is the last item—verifying that an unobstructed transmission

path exists. Radio signals travel primarily by line-of-sight, and obstruc-

tions between the sending and receiving stations will affect system per-

formance. If you are not familiar with the effects of terrain and other

obstructions on radio transmission, the discussion below will provide

helpful background.

5.1.3 Terrain and Signal Strength

While the license-free 900 MHz band offers many advantages for data

transmission services, signal propagation is affected by attenuation from

obstructions such as terrain, foliage or buildings in the transmission

path.

A line-of-sight transmission path between the central transceiver and its

associated remote site(s) is highly desirable and provides the most reli-

able communications link.

Much depends on the minimum signal strength that can be tolerated in

a given system. Although the exact figure will differ from one system to

another, a Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) of –80 dBm for

or stronger will provide acceptable performance in many systems.

While the equipment will work at lower-strength signals, signals

stronger than – 77 dBm provide a “fade margin” of 15 dB to account for

variations in signal strength that may occur from time-to-time. RSSI can

be measured with a terminal connected to the COM1 Port or with a HTTP

browser to the LAN (Ethernet) connector. (See “Antenna Aiming—For

Directional Antennas” on Page 105 for details.)

5.1.4 Antenna & Feedline Selection

NOTE: The transceiver is a Professional Installation radio system and

must be installed by trained professional installers, or factory

trained technicians.

This text that follows is designed to aid the professional

installer in the proper methods of maintaining compliance with

FCC Part 15 limits and the +36 dBm or 4 watts peak E.I.R.P

limit.

Antennas

The equipment can be used with a number of antennas. The exact style

used depends on the physical size and layout of a system. Contact your

factory representative for specific recommendations on antenna types

and hardware sources.

112 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

In general, an omnidirectional antenna (Figure 5-4) is used at the Access

Points and mobile Remote stations. This provides equal signal coverage

in all directions.

NOTE: Antenna polarization is important. If the wrong polarization is

used, a signal reduction of 20 dB or more will result. Most

systems using a gain-type omnidirectional antenna at Access

Point stations employ vertical polarization of the signal; there-

fore, the Remote antenna(s) must also be vertically polarized

(elements oriented perpendicular to the horizon).

When required, horizontally polarized omnidirectional

antennas are also available. Contact your factory representa-

tive for details.

Invisible place holder

Figure 5-4. Typical Omnidirectional Antennas

At fixed Remote sites a directional Yagi (Figure 5-5) antenna is often

used to minimize interference to and from other users. Antennas are

available from a number of manufacturers.

Invisible place holder

Figure 5-5. Typical Yagi Antenna (mounted to mast)

High-gain Type

Unity-gain Type

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 113

Diversity Reception (RX2 Antenna Port)

A second 900 MHz antenna may optionally be attached to the trans-

ceiver for space diversity reception. Space diversity improves reception

of weak or fading signals, such as those that are encountered during

mobile operation. This second antenna is connected to the RX2 con-

nector on the radio’s front panel. It is for reception only and does not

affect the transmitting capabilities of the unit.

GPS Antennas

A number of GPS antennas (both active and passive) are available for

use with the transceivers. Consult your factory representative for more

information.

Feedlines

The choice of feedline used with the antenna should be carefully consid-

ered. Poor-quality coaxial cables should be avoided, as they will

degrade system performance for both transmission and reception. The

cable should be kept as short as possible to minimize signal loss.

For cable runs of less than 20 feet (6 meters), or for short range trans-

mission, an inexpensive type such as Type RG-8A/U may be acceptable.

Otherwise, we recommend using a low-loss cable type suited for

900 MHz, such as Heliax®.

Table 5-1 lists several types of popular feedlines and indicates the signal

losses (in dB) that result when using various lengths of cable at

900 MHz. The choice of cable will depend on the required length, cost

considerations, and the amount of signal loss that can be tolerated.

The tables below outline the minimum lengths of RG-214 coaxial cable

that must be used with common GE MDS omnidirectional antennas in

order to maintain compliance with FCC maximum limit of +36 dBi. If

other coaxial cable is used, the appropriate changes in loss figures must

be made.

Table 5-1. Length vs. Loss in Coaxial Cables at 900 MHz

Cable Type

10 Feet

(3.05 m)

50 Feet

(15.24 m)

100 Feet

(30.48 m)

500 Feet

(152.4 m)

RG-214 .76 dB 3.8 dB 7.6 dB Unacceptable

Loss

LMR-400 0.39 dB 1.95 dB 3.90 dB Unacceptable

Loss

1/2 inch HELIAX 0.23 dB 1.15 dB 2.29 dB 11.45 dB

7/8 inch HELIAX 0.13 dB 0.64 dB 1.28 dB 6.40 dB

1-1/4 inch HELIAX 0.10 dB 0.48 dB 0.95 dB 4.75 dB

1-5/8 inch HELIAX 0.08 dB 0.40 dB 0.80 dB 4.00 dB

114 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

NOTE: The authority to operate the transceiver in the USA may be

void if antennas other than those approved by the FCC are

used. Contact your factory representative for additional

antenna information.

*Refer to Table 5-3 for allowable power settings of the transceiver for

each antenna type.

NOTE: There is no minimum feedline length required when a 6 dBi

gain or less antenna is used, as the EIRP will never exceed 36

dBm which is the maximum allowed, per FCC rules. The

transceiver’s RF output power may only be adjusted by the

manufacturer or its sub-contracted Professional Installer.

The Transceiver’s power output is factory set to maintain

compliance with the FCC’s Digital Transmission System

(DTS) Part 15 rules. These rules limit power to a maximum of

8 dBm/3 kHz, thus the Transceiver is factory set to +30 dBm.

When calculating maximum transceiver power output, use +30

dBm if the antenna gain is 6 dBi or less (36 dBm ERP). See

How Much Output Power Can be Used? below for power

control of higher gain antennas.

5.1.5 How Much Output Power Can be Used?

The transceiver is normally supplied from the factory set for a nominal

+30 dBm RF power output setting; this is the maximum transmitter

output power allowed under FCC rules. The power must be decreased

from this level if the antenna system gain exceeds 6 dBi. The allowable

level is dependent on the antenna gain, feedline loss, and the transmitter

output power setting.

Table 5-2. Feedline Length vs. Antenna Gain*

(Required for Regulatory compliance)

Antenna

Gain (dBd)

Antenna

Gain (dBi)

Minimum Feedline

Length (Loss in dB)

EIRP Level @

Min. Length

Maxrad Antenna

Part No.

Unity (0 dB) 2.15 dBi No minimum length +32.15 dBm Omni #MFB900

3 dBd 5.15 dBi No minimum length +35.15 dBm Omni # MFB900

5 dBd 7.15 dBi 3.1 meters (1.2 dB) +35.95 dBm Omni # MFB900

6 dBd 8.15 dBi 9.1 meters (2.2 dB) +35.95 dBm Yagi # BMOY8903

10 dBd 12.15 dBi 24.7 meters (6.15 dB) +35.25 dBm Yagi # Z941

15.2 dBd 17.4 dBi 50 meters (12 dB) +35.4 dBm Andrew

DB878G90A-XY

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 115

NOTE: In some countries, the maximum allowable RF output may be

limited to less than the figures referenced here. Be sure to

check for and comply with the requirements for your area.

5.1.6 Conducting a Site Survey

If you are in doubt about the suitability of the radio sites in your system,

it is best to evaluate them before a permanent installation is underway.

This can be done with an on-the-air test (preferred method); or indi-

rectly, using path-study software.

An on-the-air test is preferred because it allows you to see firsthand the

factors involved at an installation site and to directly observe the quality

of system operation. Even if a computer path study was conducted ear-

lier, this test should be done to verify the predicted results.

The test can be performed by first installing a radio and antenna at the

proposed Access Point (AP) station site (one-per-system). Then visit the

Remote site(s) with another transceiver (programmed as a remote) and

a hand-held antenna. (A PC with a network adapter can be connected to

each radio in the network to simulate data during this test using the

PING command.)

With the hand-held antenna positioned near the proposed mounting

spot, a technician can check for synchronization with the Access Point

station (shown by a lit LINK LED on the front panel) and measure the

reported RSSI value. (See “Antenna Aiming—For Directional

Antennas” on Page 105 for details.) If adequate signal strength cannot

be obtained, it may be necessary to mount the station antennas higher,

use higher gain antennas, select a different site or consider installing a

repeater station. To prepare the equipment for an on-the-air test, follow

the general installation procedures given in this guide and become

familiar with the operating instructions found in the CHAPTER-2

TABLETOP EVALUATION AND TEST SETUP section Page 19.

5.1.7 A Word About Radio Interference

The transceiver shares the radio-frequency spectrum with other 900

MHz services and other Part 15 (unlicensed) devices in the USA. As

such, near 100% error-free communications may not be achieved in a

given location, and some level of interference should be expected. How-

ever, the radio’s flexible design and hopping techniques should allow

adequate performance as long as care is taken in choosing station loca-

tion, configuration of radio parameters and software/protocol tech-

niques.

In general, keep the following points in mind when setting up your com-

munications network.

• Systems installed in rural areas are least likely to encounter interfer-

116 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

ence; those in suburban and urban environments are more likely to

be affected by other devices operating in the license-free frequency

band and by adjacent licensed services.

• Use a directional antenna at remote sites whenever possible.

Although these antennas may be more costly than omnidirectional

types, they conﬁne the transmission and reception pattern to a com-

paratively narrow lobe, that minimizes interference to (and from)

stations located outside the pattern.

• If interference is suspected from a nearby licensed system (such as a

paging transmitter), it may be helpful to use horizontal polarization

of all antennas in the network. Because most other services use ver-

tical polarization in this band, an additional 20 dB of attenuation to

interference can be achieved by using horizontal polarization.

Another approach is to use a bandpass ﬁlter to attenuate all signals

outside the 900 MHz band.

• Multiple Access Point units can co-exist in proximity to each other

with only very minor interference. Each network name has a differ-

ent hop pattern. (See “Protected Network Operation using Multiple

Access Points” on Page 14.) Additional isolation can be achieved by

using separate directional antennas with as much vertical or horizon-

tal separation as is practical.

• The power output of all radios in a system should be set for the low-

est level necessary for reliable communications. This lessens the

chance of causing unnecessary interference to nearby systems.

If you are not familiar with these interference-control techniques, con-

tact your factory representative for more information.

Calculating System Gain

To determine the maximum allowable power setting of the radio, per-

form the following steps:

1. Determine the antenna system gain by subtracting the feedline loss

(in dB) from the antenna gain (in dBi). For example, if the antenna

gain is 9.5 dBi, and the feedline loss is 1.5 dB, the antenna system

gain would be 8 dB. (If the antenna system gain is 6 dB or less, no

power adjustment is required.)

2. Subtract the antenna system gain from 36 dBm (the maximum

allowable EIRP). The result indicates the maximum transmitter

power (in dBm) allowed under the rules. In the example above, this

is 28 dBm.

3. If the maximum transmitter power allowed is less than 30 dBm, set

the power to the desired level using the Management System.

(Main Menu>>Radio Configuration>>Transmit Power)

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 117

For convenience, Table 5-3 lists several antenna system gains and

shows the maximum allowable power setting of the radio. Note that a

gain of 6 dB or less entitles you to operate the radio at full power output

–30 dBm.

For assistance in the conversion of dBm to Watts, please see

dBm-WATTS-VOLTS CONVERSION CHART on Page 118.

* Most antenna manufacturers rate antenna gain in dBd in their litera-

ture. To convert to dBi, add 2.15 dB.

** Must compensate with the appropriate length of feedline cable to

reduce transmitter power by 2 dB.

† Feedline loss varies by cable type and length. To determine the loss

for common lengths of feedline, see Table 5-1 on Page 113.

Table 5-3. Examples of Antenna System Gain

vs. Power Output Setting

Antenna System Gain

(Antenna Gain in dBi*

minus Feedline Loss in dB†)

Maximum Power Setting

(PWR command)

EIRP

(in dBm)

Omni 6 (or less) 30 36

Omni 9 27 36

Yagi 12 24 36

Yagi 14 22 36

Yagi 16 20 36

Panel 17.4** 20 36

118 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

5.2 dBm-WATTS-VOLTS CONVERSION

CHART

Table 5-4 is provided as a convenience for determining the equivalent

voltage or wattage of an RF power expressed in dBm.

Table 5-4. dBm-Watts-Volts conversion—for 50 ohm systems

dBm V Po

+53 100.0 200W

+50 70.7 100W

+49 64.0 80W

+48 58.0 64W

+47 50.0 50W

+46 44.5 40W

+45 40.0 32W

+44 32.5 25W

+43 32.0 20W

+42 28.0 16W

+41 26.2 12.5W

+40 22.5 10W

+39 20.0 8W

+38 18.0 6.4W

+37 16.0 5W

+36 14.1 4W

+35 12.5 3.2W

+34 11.5 2.5W

+33 10.0 2W

+32 9.0 1.6W

+31 8.0 1.25W

+30 7.10 1.0W

+29 6.40 800mW

+28 5.80 640mW

+27 5.00 500mW

+26 4.45 400mW

+25 4.00 320mW

+24 3.55 250mW

+23 3.20 200mW

+22 2.80 160mW

+21 2.52 125mW

+20 2.25 100mW

+19 2.00 80mW

+18 1.80 64mW

+17 1.60 50mW

+16 1.41 40mW

+15 1.25 32mW

+14 1.15 25mW

+13 1.00 20mW

+12 .90 16mW

+11 .80 12.5mW

+10 .71 10mW

+9 .64 8mW

+8 .58 6.4mW

+7 .500 5mW

+6 .445 4mW

+5 .400 3.2mW

+4 .355 2.5mW

+3 .320 2.0mW

+2 .280 1.6mW

+1 .252 1.25mW

dBm V Po

0 .225 1.0mW

-1 .200 .80mW

-2 .180 .64mW

-3 .160 .50mW

-4 .141 .40mW

-5 .125 .32mW

-6 .115 .25mW

-7 .100 .20mW

-8 .090 .16mW

-9 .080 .125mW

-10 .071 .10mW

-11 .064

-12 .058

-13 .050

-14 .045

-15 .040

-16 .0355

dBm mV Po

-17 31.5

-18 28.5

-19 25.1

-20 22.5 .01mW

-21 20.0

-22 17.9

-23 15.9

-24 14.1

-25 12.8

-26 11.5

-27 10.0

-28 8.9

-29 8.0

-30 7.1 .001mW

-31 6.25

-32 5.8

-33 5.0

-34 4.5

-35 4.0

-36 3.5

-37 3.2

-38 2.85

-39 2.5

-40 2.25 .1μW

-41 2.0

-42 1.8

-43 1.6

-44 1.4

-45 1.25

-46 1.18

-47 1.00

-48 0.90

dBm mV Po

-49 0.80

-50 0.71 .01μW

-51 0.64

-52 0.57

-53 0.50

-54 0.45

-55 0.40

-56 0.351

-57 0.32

-58 0.286

-59 0.251

-60 0.225 .001μW

-61 0.200

-62 0.180

-63 0.160

-64 0.141

dBm μVPo

-65 128

-66 115

-67 100

-68 90

-69 80

-70 71 .1nW

-71 65

-72 58

-73 50

-74 45

-75 40

-76 35

-77 32

-78 29

-79 25

-80 22.5 .01nW

-81 20.0

-82 18.0

-83 16.0

-84 11.1

-85 12.9

-86 11.5

-87 10.0

-88 9.0

-89 8.0

-90 7.1 .001nW

-91 6.1

-92 5.75

-93 5.0

-94 4.5

-95 4.0

-96 3.51

-97 3.2

dBm μVPo

-98 2.9

-99 2.51

-100 2.25 .1pW

-101 2.0

-102 1.8

-103 1.6

-104 1.41

-105 1.27

-106 1.18

dBm nV Po

-107 1000

-108 900

-109 800

-110 710 .01pW

-111 640

-112 580

-113 500

-114 450

-115 400

-116 355

-117 325

-118 285

-119 251

-120 225 .001pW

-121 200

-122 180

-123 160

-124 141

-125 128

-126 117

-127 100

-128 90

-129 80 .1ƒW

-130 71

-131 61

-132 58

-133 50

-134 45

-135 40

-136 35

-137 33

-138 29

-139 25

-140 23 .01ƒW

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 119

6TECHNICAL REFERENCE

6 Chapter Counter Reset Paragraph

Contents

6.1 DATA INTERFACE CONNECTORS ..................................... 121

6.1.1 LAN Port ................................................................................ 121

6.1.2 COM1 Port ............................................................................ 122

6.2 FUSE REPLACEMENT PROCEDURE ................................ 122

6.3 SPECIFICATIONS ................................................................ 123

6.4 NOTES ON SNMP................................................................ 126

6.4.1 Overview ............................................................................... 126

120 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 121

6.1 DATA INTERFACE CONNECTORS

Three types of data interface connectors are provided on the face of the

transceiver. The first, the LAN Port, is an RJ-45 connector. The second

are USB connectors, of which there are two Type-A and one Type-B

provided. Finally, COM1 is a DB-9 female interface connector that uses

the RS-232 (EIA-232) signaling standard.

The transceiver meets U.S.A.’s FCC Part 15, Class A limits when used

with shielded data cables.

6.1.1 LAN Port

The transceiver’s LAN Port is used to connect the radio to an Ethernet

network. The transceiver provides a data link to an Internet Pro-

tocol-based (IP) network via the Access Point station. Each radio in the

network must have a unique IP address for the network to function prop-

erly.

• To connect a PC directly to the radio’s LAN port, an RJ-45 to

RJ-45 cross-over cable is required.

• To connect the radio to a Ethernet hub or bridge, use a

straight-through cable.

The connector uses the standard Ethernet RJ-45 cables and wiring. For

custom-made cables, use the pinout information below.

Figure 6-1. LAN Port (RJ-45) Pinout

(Viewed from the outside of the unit)

Table 6-1. LAN Port (IP/Ethernet)

Pin Functions Ref.

1 Transmit Data (TX) High

2 Transmit Data (TX) Low

3 Receive Data (RX) High

4 Unused

5 Unused

6 Receive Data (RX) Low

7 Unused

8 Unused

CAUTION

RADIO FREQUENCY

INTERFERENCE

POTENTIAL

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

122 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

6.1.2 COM1 Port

To connect a PC to the transceiver’s COM1 port use a DB-9M to DB-9F

“straight-through” cable. These cables are available commercially, or

may be constructed using the pinout information in Figure 6-2 and

Table 6-2.

Figure 6-2. COM1 Port (DCE)

(Viewed from the outside of the unit.)

6.2 FUSE REPLACEMENT

PROCEDURE

An internal fuse protects the transceiver from over-current conditions or

an internal component failure. It should not be replaced until you are

certain you are in a safe (non-flammable) environment.

1. Disconnect the primary power source and all other connections to

the unit.

2. Place the radio on its back and remove the four Phillips screws on

the bottom cover.

3. Carefully separate the top and bottom covers. There is a ﬂat ribbon

cable between the top cover’s LEDs and the unit motherboard. You

do not need to disconnect the ribbon cable.

4. Locate the fuse and fuse holder on the transceiver’s PC board. See

Figure 6-3 for details.

5. Loosen the fuse from the holder using a very small screwdriver. Use

a small pair of needle-nose pliers to pull the fuse straight up and

remove it.

Table 6-2. COM1 Port Pinout, DB-9F/RS-232 Interface

Pin Functions DCE

1 Unused

2 Receive Data (RXD) <—[Out

3 Transmit Data (TXD) —>[In

4 Unused

5 Signal Ground (GND)

6–9 Unused

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 123

6. Using an Ohmmeter, or other continuity tester, verify the fuse is

blown.

7. Install a new fuse by reversing the process.

Littelfuse P/N: 0454002; 452 Series, 2 Amp SMF Slo-Blo

GE MDS P/N: 29-1784A03

8. Install the covers and check the transceiver for proper operation.

Invisible place holder

6.3 SPECIFICATIONS

General

• Raw Bit Rate: from 600 kHz to 12.7 Mbps (see chart below)

• Frequency Band: 902-928 MHz ISM band

• Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)

• 200 Carriers per Channel

• Range (BPSK/1.75 MHz channel)1

• Typical Fixed Range: 12-15 miles

• Maximum Fixed Range: 25-30 miles

• Typical Mobile Range (parked): 3-5 miles, depending on ter-

rain

• Typical Mobile Range (moving): 2-4 miles, depending on

terrain

• Available Configurations:

• Access Point: Ethernet, Serial, GPS

• Remote: Ethernet, Serial, GPS

Radio

• System Gain: 140 dB for 1.75 MHz channel, 137 dB for 3.5

MHz channel

• Carrier Power: 0.1 to 1 watt

• RF Output Impedance: 50 Ohms

Figure 6-3.

Internal Fuse and Holder

Assembly

124 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

• Sensitivity and Data Rate (see chart below):2

* The transceiver is a half-duplex radio, so maximum user throughput is

based on a configured or dynamic duty cycle, which is typically 50/50

indicating that half of the maximum throughput would be available one

way.

Physical Interface

• Ethernet: 10/100BaseT, RJ-45

• Serial: 1,200 – 115,200 bps

• COM1: RS-232, DB-9F

• Antennas: TX/RX and RX (diversity mode)–TNC connectors,

GPS—SMA connector

• LED Indicators: PWR, COM1, LINK, LAN

Protocols

• Ethernet: IEEE 802.3, Spanning Tree (Bridging), VLAN, IGMP

• TCP/IP: DHCP, ICMP, UDP, TCP, ARP, Multicast, SNTP,

TFTP

• Serial: PPP, Encapsulation over IP (tunneling) for serial async

multidrop protocols including Modbus, DNP.3, DF1, BSAP

GE MDS Cyber Security Suite, Level 1

• Encryption: AES-128 with automatic key rotation.

• Authentication: 802.1x, RADIUS, EAP/TLS, PKI, PAP, CHAP

• Management: SSL, SSH, HTTPS

Management

• HTTP, HTTPS, TELNET, SSH, local console

• SNMPv1/v2/v3, MIB-II, Enterprise MIB

• SYSLOG

• MDS NETview MS™ compatible

Environmental

• Temperature: -40°C to +70°C (-40°F to +158°F)

• Humidity: 95% at 40°C (104°F) non-condensing

Modulation

(CP=1/16)

3.5 MHz Channel

Max. User Throughput

(Aggregate)*

1.75 MHz Channel

Max. User Throughput (Ag-

gregate)*

Sensitivity Signaling

Rate

Sensitivity Signaling

Rate

64 QAM -77 dBm 12.7 Mbps -80 dBm 6.35 Mbps

16 QAM -86 dBm 4.8 Mbps -89.5 dBm 2.4 Mbps

QPSK -92 dBm 2.4 Mbps -95 dBm 1.2 Mbps

BPSK -95 dBm 1.2 Mbps -98 dBm 600 Kbps

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 125

Electrical

• Input Power: 10.5-30 Vdc

• Current Consumption (nominal):

Mechanical

• Case: Die Cast Aluminum

• Dimensions: 5.715 H x 20 W x 12.382 D cm. (2.25 H x 7.875

W x 4.875 D in.)

• Weight: 1kg (2.2 lb.)

• Mounting options: Flat surface mount brackets, DIN rail, 19”

rack tray

Agency Approvals

• FCC Part 15.247 (DTS)

• CSA Class 1 Div. 2 Pending (UL 916, UL 1604, CSA

C22.2-213-M1987, CSA C22.2-142-M1987)

• IC RSS-210 “Issue 6” (Pending)

1. Typical ﬁxed range calculation assumes a 6 dBd gain Omni-directional antenna on

a 100 ft tower at the AP, a 10 dBd gain Yagi on a 25 ft mast at the remote with

output power decreased to yield maximum allowable EIRP (36 dBm), a 10 dB

fade margin, and a mix of agricultural and commercial terrain with line of sight.

Typical mobile range calculation assumes a 6 dBd gain Omni on a 100 ft tower at

the AP, a 5 dBd gain Omni with 1 watt output power at 6 ft height, a 10 dB fade

margin, and 90% reliability with near line-of-sight in a mix of agricultural and

commercial terrain. Maximum range achieved with a clear line-of-sight path, and

fresnel zone clearance. Actual performance is dependent on many factors

including antenna height, blocked paths and terrain.

2. Please note that for best range and performance, mobile data is limited to using a

1.75 MHz channel and BPSK and QPSK modulation schemes.

NOTE: GE MDS products are manufactured under a quality system

certified to ISO 9001. GE MDS reserves the right to make

changes to specifications of products described in this manual

at any time without notice and without obligation to notify any

person of such changes.

6.4 NOTES ON SNMP

6.4.1 Overview

The firmware release described in this manual contains major changes

to the transceiver’s SNMP Agent, several new MIB variables, and new

Agent configuration options. This guide reviews the changes and shows

Mode Power 13.8 Vdc 24 Vdc

Transmit 25 W 1.8 A 1.0 A

Receive 4 W 240 mA 170 mA

126 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

how to properly configure the Agent to take advantage of these new fea-

tures.

SNMPv3 Support

The updated SNMP Agent now supports SNMP version 3 (SNMPv3).

The SNMPv3 protocol introduces Authentication (MD5/SHA-1),

Encryption (DES), the USM User Table, and View-Based Access

(Refer to RFC2574 for full details). The SNMP Agent has limited

SNMPv3 support in the following areas:

• Only MD5 Authentication is supported (no SHA-1). SNMPv3

provides support for MD5 and SHA-1. Currently, only MD5

Authentication is supported in the SNMP Agent.

• Limited USM User Table Manipulation. The SNMP Agent

starts with 5 default accounts. New accounts can be added

(SNMPv3 adds new accounts by cloning existing ones), but

they will be volatile (will not survive a power-cycle).

New views cannot be configured on the SNMP Agent. Views

will be inherited for new accounts from the account that was

cloned.

The SNMP Agent uses one password pair (Authentication / Pri-

vacy) for all accounts. This means that when the passwords

change for one user, they change for all users.

SNMPv3 Accounts

The following default accounts are available for the SNMP Agent:

enc_mdsadmin—Read/write account using Authentication and Encryp-

tion

auth_mdsadmin—Read/write account using Authentication

enc_mdsviewer—Read only account using Authentication and Encryp-

tion

auth_mdsviewer—Read only account using Authentication

def_mdsviewer—Read only account with no Authentication or Encryp-

tion

Context Names

The following Context Names are used (please refer to RFC2574 for full

details):

Admin accounts: context_a / Viewer accounts: context_v

All accounts share the same default passwords:

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 127

Authentication default password: MDSAuthPwd / Privacy default pass-

word: MDSPrivPwd

Passwords can be changed either locally (via the console) or from an

SNMP Manager, depending on how the Agent is configured. If pass-

words are configured and managed locally, they are non-volatile and

will survive a power-cycle. If passwords are configured from an SNMP

manager, they will be reset to whatever has been stored for local man-

agement on power-cycle.

This behavior was chosen based on RFC specifications. The SNMP

Manager and Agent don’t exchange passwords, but actually exchange

keys based on passwords. If the Manager changes the Agent’s password

the Agent doesn’t know the new password; just the new key. In this case,

only the Manager knows the new password. This could cause problems

if the Manager loses the password. If that happens, the Agent becomes

unmanageable. Resetting the Agent’s passwords (and therefore keys) to

what is stored in flash memory upon power-cycle prevents the serious

problem of losing the Agent’s passwords.

If passwords are managed locally, they can be changed on the Agent (via

the console). Any attempts to change the passwords for the Agent via an

SNMP Manager will fail when the Agent is in this mode. Locally

defined passwords will survive a power-cycle.

In either case, the SNMP Manager needs to know the initial passwords

that are being used in order to talk to the Agent. If the Agent’s passwords

are configured via the Manager, then they can be changed from the Man-

ager. If the passwords are managed locally, then the Manager must be

re-configured with any password changes in order to continue to talk to

the Agent.

Password-Mode Management Changes

When the password management mode is changed, the active passwords

used by the Agent may also change. Some common scenarios are dis-

cussed below:

Common Scenarios • Passwords are currently being handled by the Manager. The

assigned passwords are Microwave (Auth), and Rochester (Priv).

Configuration is changed to manage the passwords locally. The

passwords stored on the radio were Fairport (Auth), and

Churchville (Priv) (If local passwords have never been used,

then MDSAuthPwd and MDSPrivPwd will be used). These

passwords will now be used by the Agent to re-generate keys.

The Manager will need to know these passwords in order to talk

to the Agent.

128 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

• Passwords are currently being managed locally. The local pass-

words are Fairport (Auth) and Churchville (Priv). Configuration is

changed to handle the passwords from the Manager. The same

passwords will continue to be used, but now the Manager can

change them.

• Passwords are currently being managed locally. The local pass-

words are Fairport (Auth) and Churchville (Priv). Passwords are

changed to Brighton (Auth) and Perinton (Priv). The Agent will

immediately generate new keys based on these passwords and

start using them. The Manager will have to be re-configured to

use these new passwords.

• Passwords are currently being managed locally. The local pass-

words are Fairport (Auth) and Churchville (Priv). Configuration is

changed to handle the passwords from the Manager. The Man-

ager changes the passwords to Brighton (Auth) and Perinton

(Priv). The radio is then rebooted. After a power-cycle, the radio

will use the passwords stored in flash, which are Fairport (Auth)

and Churchville (Priv). The Manager will have to be re-config-

ured to use these new passwords.

Table 6-3. SNMP Traps (Sorted by Code)

SNMP Trap Severity Description

systemBoot(32) INFORM SNR Within threshold/Below threshold

systemReboot(33) MAJOR Telnet User Logged Out/Logged In

startScan(34) INFORM Reprogramming Started

rxBeaconErrored(35) INFORM Received Beacon - Netname Does Not Match

rxBeaconWrongNetworkName (36) INFORM Received Beacon - AP is Blacklisted

rxBeaconFromBlacklistAP(37) MAJOR Max Beacon Wait Time Exceeded

expectedSync(38) INFORM Ranging Lost/Established

hopSync(39) INFORM Connecting Lost/Established

snr(41) INFORM Scanning Started

ber(42) INFORM Bit Error Rate Below threshold/Above threshold

associated(43) MAJOR Association Lost/Established

apParmChange(44) MINOR Association Lost - AP Hop Parameter Changed

reprogStarted(45) MAJOR Reprogramming Failed

reprogComplete(46) MAJOR Rem Ethernet Link Connected/Disconnected

reprogFailed(47) INFORM Reprogramming Complete

telnetLogin(48) MAJOR Telnet Access Locked for 5 Min

httpLogin(49) MAJOR HTTP User Logged Out/Logged In

countrySkipZoneMismatch(50) INFORM Country/SkipZone Mismatch

desiredAPIPMismatch(51) INFORM Desired AP IP Addr Mismatch

eventLogCleared(52) INFORM Log Cleared

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 129

authDemoMode(53) MAJOR Auth Demo Mode Expired -- Rebooted

Radio/Enabled

keyEntered(54) MAJOR Auth Key Entered - Key Valid/Key Invalid

apEthLinkDown(55) MAJOR Association Lost - AP's Ethernet Link Down

noBeacons(56) MAJOR MAC Param Changed

apNotApproved(57) MAJOR Current AP No Longer Approved

netnameChanged(58) MAJOR Association Lost - Local Network Name Changed

ipAddrChanged(59) MAJOR Association Lost - Local IP Address Changed

assocTryFail(60) MAJOR Association Attempt Success/Failed

remEthLinkLost(61) INFORM Received Beacon - Valid/Errored

consoleLogin(62) MAJOR Console User Logged Out/Logged In

consoleLockdown(63) MAJOR Console Access Locked for 5 Min

telnetLockdown(64) INFORM System Bootup (power on)

httpLockdown(65) MAJOR HTTP Access Locked for 5 Min

eventRemote(66) INFORM Remote added/removed from internal database

eventEndpoint(67) INFORM Endpoint added/removed from internal database

routeAdded(68) INFORM Radio attempted but failed to add a route to its

internal routing table

routeDeleted(69) INFORM Radio attempted but failed to delete a route from its

internal routing table

sinRemSwitch(70) INFORM Remote mode was switched (serial to ethernet,

ethernet to serial)

ChanCnt(71) INFORM Number of channels defined does not match

(Channel 130 only)

tftpConnection(73) INFORM TFTP Server on AP started or finished a transfer

apNetNameChanged(74) MAJOR Remote lost association due to a change in the

AP’s netname

ipConnectivityOK(75) INFORM Radio is associated AND 1) has an IP address

statically defined, OR 2) received an IP address via

DHCP

compressionChanged(76) INFORM Compression state has changed (enabled,

disabled)

macDecryptError(77) INFORM MAC has received a packet that it could not decrypt

lanPortStatus(78) INFORM Ethernet port has changed (enabled, disabled)

tftpConnFailed(79) INFORM TFTP server on AP failed to transfer

sdbError(80) INFORM AP encountered an internal database error

Table 6-3. SNMP Traps (Sorted by Code) (Continued)

SNMP Trap Severity Description

130 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 131

7GLOSSARY OF TERMS

AND ABBREVIATIONS

7 Chapter Counter Reset Paragraph

If you are new to wireless IP/Ethernet systems, some of the terms used

in this manual may be unfamiliar. The following glossary explains many

of these terms and will prove helpful in understanding the operation of

your radio network. Some of these terms do not appear in the manual,

but are often encountered in the wireless industry, and are therefore pro-

vided for completeness.

Access Point (AP)—The transceiver in the network that provides syn-

chronization information to one or more associated Remote units. AP

units may be configured for either the Access Point (master) or Remote

services. (See “Network Conﬁguration Menu” on Page 41.)

Active Scanning—See Passive Scanning

AGC—Automatic Gain Control

Antenna System Gain—A figure, normally expressed in dB, repre-

senting the power increase resulting from the use of a gain-type antenna.

System losses (from the feedline and coaxial connectors, for example)

are subtracted from this figure to calculate the total antenna system gain.

AP—See Access Point

Association—Condition in which the frequency hopping pattern of the

Remote is synchronized with the Access Point station and is ready to

pass traffic.

Authorization Key—Alphanumeric string (code) that is used to enable

additional capabilities in the transceiver.

Bit—The smallest unit of digital data, often represented by a one or a

zero. Eight bits (plus start, stop, and parity bits) usually comprise a byte.

Bits-per-second—See BPS.

BPDU—Bridge Protocol Data Units

BPS—Bits-per-second (bps). A measure of the information transfer rate

of digital data across a communication channel.

Byte—A string of digital data usually made up of eight data bits and

start, stop and parity bits.

CSMA/CA—Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance

132 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

CSMA/CD—Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection

Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)—A technique used to verify data

integrity. It is based on an algorithm which generates a value derived

from the number and order of bits in a data string. This value is com-

pared with a locally-generated value and a match indicates that the mes-

sage is unchanged, and therefore valid.

Data Circuit-terminating Equipment—See DCE.

Data Communications Equipment—See DCE.

Datagram—A data string consisting of an IP header and the IP message

within.

Data Terminal Equipment—See DTE.

dBi—Decibels referenced to an “ideal” isotropic radiator in free space.

Frequently used to express antenna gain.

dBm—Decibels referenced to one milliwatt. An absolute unit used to

measure signal power, as in transmitter power output, or received signal

strength.

DCE—Data Circuit-terminating Equipment (or Data Communications

Equipment). In data communications terminology, this is the “modem”

side of a computer-to-modem connection. COM1 Port of the transceiver

is set as DCE.

Decibel (dB)—A measure of the ratio between two signal levels. Fre-

quently used to express the gain (or loss) of a system.

Delimiter—A flag that marks the beginning and end of a data packet.

Device Mode—The operating mode/role of a transceiver (Access Point

or Remote) in a wireless network.

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)—An Internet stan-

dard that allows a client (i.e. any computer or network device) to obtain

an IP address from a server on the network. This allows network admin-

istrators to avoid the tedious process of manually configuring and man-

aging IP addresses for a large number of users and devices. When a

network device powers on, if it is configured to use DHCP, it will con-

tact a DHCP server on the network and request an IP address.

The DHCP server will provide an address from a pool of addresses allo-

cated by the network administrator. The network device may use this

address on a “time lease” basis or indefinitely depending on the policy

set by the network administrator. The DHCP server can restrict alloca-

tion of IP addresses based on security policies. An Access Point may be

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 133

configured by the system administrator to act as a DHCP server if one

is not available on the wired network.

Digital Signal Processing—See DSP.

DSP—Digital Signal Processing. DSP circuitry is responsible for the

most critical real-time tasks; primarily modulation, demodulation, and

servicing of the data port.

DTE—Data Terminal Equipment. A device that provides data in the

form of digital signals at its output. Connects to the DCE device.

Encapsulation—Process in by which, a complete data packet, such as

Modbus frame or any other polled asynchronous protocol frame, is

placed in the data portion of another protocol frame (in this case IP) to

be transported over a network. Typically this action is done at the receiv-

ing end, before being sent as an IP packet to a network. A similar re-

versed process is applied at the other end of the network extracting the

data from the IP envelope, resulting in the original packet in the original

protocol.

Endpoint—IP address of data equipment connected to the ports of the

radio.

Equalization—The process of reducing the effects of amplitude, fre-

quency or phase distortion with compensating networks.

Fade Margin—The greatest tolerable reduction in average received

signal strength that will be anticipated under most conditions. Provides

an allowance for reduced signal strength due to multipath, slight antenna

movement or changing atmospheric losses. A fade margin of 15 to 20

dB is usually sufficient in most systems.

Fragmentation—A technique used for breaking a large message down

into smaller parts so it can be accommodated by a less capable media.

Frame—A segment of data that adheres to a specific data protocol and

contains definite start and end points. It provides a method of synchro-

nizing transmissions.

Frequency Hopping—The spread spectrum technique used by the

transceiver, where two or more associated radios change their operating

frequencies several times per second using a set pattern. Since the pat-

tern appears to jump around, it is said to “hop” from one frequency to

another.

GPS—Global Positioning System. A constellation of orbiting satellites

used for navigation and timing data. Although 24 satellites are normally

active, a number of spares are also available in case of malfunction.

Originally designed for military applications by the U.S. Department of

134 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

Defense, GPS was released for civilian use in the 1980s. GPS satellites

operate in the vicinity of the “L” frequency band (1500 MHz).

Hardware Flow Control—A transceiver feature used to prevent data

buffer overruns when handling high-speed data from the connected data

communications device. When the buffer approaches overflow, the

radio drops the clear-to-send (CTS) line, that instructs the connected

device to delay further transmission until CTS again returns to the high

state.

Hop Pattern Seed—A user-selectable value to be added to the hop pat-

tern formula in an unlikely event of nearly identical hop patterns of two

collocated or nearby radio networks to eliminate adjacent-network inter-

ference.

Host Computer—The computer installed at the master station site, that

controls the collection of data from one or more remote sites.

HTTP—Hypertext Transfer Protocol

IAPP (inter-Access Point Protocol)—A protocol by which access

points share information about the stations that are connected to them.

When a station connects to an access point, the access point updates its

database. When a station leaves one access point and roams to another

access point, the new access point tells the old access point, using IAPP,

that the station has left and is now located on the new access point.

ICMP—Internet Control Message Protocol

IGMP (Internet Gateway Management Protocol)—Ethernet level

protocol used by routers and similar devices to manage the distribution

of multicast addresses in a network.

IEEE—Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers

Image (File)—Data file that contains the operating system and other

essential resources for the basic operation of the radio’s CPU.

LAN—Local Area Network

Latency—The delay (usually expressed in milliseconds) between when

data is applied at the transmit port at one radio, until it appears at the

receive port at the other radio.

MAC—Media Access Controller

MD5—A highly secure data encoding scheme. MD5 is a one-way hash

algorithm that takes any length of data and produces a 128 bit “finger-

print.” This fingerprint is “non-reversible,” it is computationally infea-

sible to determine the file based on the fingerprint. For more details

review “RFC 1321” available on the Internet.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 135

MIB—Management Information Base

Microcontroller Unit—See MCU.

Mobile IP—An emerging standard by which access points and stations

maintain network connectivity as the stations move between various IP

networks. Through the use of Mobile IP a station can move from its

home IP network to a foreign network while still sending and receiving

data using it's original IP address. Other hosts on the network will not

need to know that the station is no longer in its home network and can

continue to send data to the IP address that was assigned to the station.

Mobile IP also uses DHCP when the station moves into a foreign net-

work.

Mobility—Refers to a station that moves about while maintaining

active connections with the network. Mobility generally implies phys-

ical motion. The movement of the station is not limited to a specific net-

work and IP subnet. In order for a station to be mobile it must establish

and tear down connections with various access points as it moves

through the access points' territory. To do this, the station employs

roaming and Mobile IP.

Mode—See Device Mode.

MTBF—Mean-Time Between Failures

Multiple Address System (MAS)—See Point-Multipoint System.

NMEA—National Marine Electronics Association. National body that

established a protocol for interfacing GPS data between electronic

equipment.

Network Name—User-selectable alphanumeric string that is used to

identify a group of radio units that form a communications network. The

Access Point and all Remotes within a given system should have the

same network address.

Network-Wide Diagnostics—An advanced method of controlling and

interrogating GE MDS radios in a radio network.

NTP—Network Time Protocol

Packet—The basic unit of data carried on a link layer. On an IP net-

work, this refers to an entire IP datagram or a fragment thereof.

Passive Scanning—Scanning is a process used by stations to detect

other access points on network to which it may connect if it needs to

roam. Passive scanning is a slower process in which it listens for infor-

mation offered by the access points on a regular basis. Active scanning

is a faster process in which the station sends out probe message to which

the access points respond. Passive scanning can be done while main-

136 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

taining the current network connectivity. Active scanning affects the RF

configuration of the radio and therefore, at least temporarily, discon-

nects the station from the access point.

PING—Packet INternet Groper. Diagnostic message generally used to

test reachability of a network device, either over a wired or wireless net-

work.

Point-Multipoint System—A radio communications network or

system designed with a central control station that exchanges data with

a number of remote locations equipped with terminal equipment.

Poll—A request for data issued from the host computer (or master PLC)

to a remote radio.

Portability—A station is considered connected when it has successfully

authenticated and associated with an access point. A station is consid-

ered authenticated when it has agreed with the access point on the type

of encryption that will be used for data packets traveling between them.

The process of association causes a station to be bound to an access

point and allows it to receive and transmit packets to and from the access

point. In order for a station to be associated it must first authenticate

with the access point. The authentication and association processes

occur automatically without user intervention.

Portability refers to the ability of a station to connect to an access point

from multiple locations without the need to reconfigure the network set-

tings. For example, a remote transceiver that is connected to an access

point may be turned off, moved to new site, turned back on, and,

assuming the right information is entered, can immediately reconnect to

the access point without user intervention.

PLC—Programmable Logic Controller. A dedicated microprocessor

configured for a specific application with discrete inputs and outputs. It

can serve as a host or as an RTU.

PuTTY—A free implementation of Telnet and SSH for Win32 and

Unix platforms. It is written and maintained primarily by Simon Tatham

Refer to http://www.pobox.com/~anakin/ for more information.

Remote—A transceiver in a network that communicates with an asso-

ciated Access Point.

Remote Terminal Unit—See RTU.

RFI—Radio Frequency Interference

Roaming—A station's ability to automatically switch its wireless con-

nection between various access points (APs) as the need arises. A station

may roam from one AP to another because the signal strength or quality

of the current AP has degraded below what another AP can provide.

05-4446A01, Rev. A Mercury Reference Manual 137

When two access points are co-located for redundancy, roaming allows

the stations to switch between them to provide a robust network.

Roaming may also be employed in conjunction with Portability where

the station has been moved beyond the range of the original AP to which

it was connected. As the station comes in range of a new AP, it will

switch its connection to the stronger signal. Roaming refers to a station's

logical, not necessarily physical, move between access points within a

specific network and IP subnet.

RSSI—Received Signal Strength Indicator

RTU—Remote Terminal Unit. A data collection device installed at a

remote radio site.

SCADA—Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition. An overall term

for the functions commonly provided through an MAS radio system.

Skip Zone(s)—Groups of operating channels (frequencies) deleted

from the radio transmitter and receiver operating range.

SNMP—Simple Network Management Protocol

SNR—Signal-to-Noise Ratio. A measurement of the desired signal to

ambient noise levels.This measurement provides a relative indication of

signal quality. Because this is a relative number, higher signal-to-noise

ratios indicate improved performance.

SNTP—Simple Network Time Protocol

SSL—Secure Socket Layer

SSH—Secure Shell

STP—Spanning Tree Protocol

Standing-Wave Ratio—See SWR.

SWR—Standing-Wave Ratio. A parameter related to the ratio between

forward transmitter power and the reflected power from the antenna

system. As a general guideline, reflected power should not exceed 10%

of the forward power (≈ 2:1 SWR).

TCP—Transmission Control Protocol

TFTP—Trivial File Transfer Protocol

Trap Manager—Software that collects SNMP traps for display or log-

ging of events.

UDP—User Datagram Protocol

UTP—Unshielded Twisted Pair

138 Mercury Reference Manual 05-4446A01, Rev. A

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