GE MDS DS-MERCURY900 Mercury 900 Wireless Transceiver User Manual Book1

GE MDS LLC Mercury 900 Wireless Transceiver Book1

manual pt 2

MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 87Figure 3-44. RSSI by Zone MenuTIP: Under normal circumstances, the signal levels in each zone should be within a few decibels of each other. If you see one that is signif-icantly lower or higher, it may be a sign of radio frequency inter-ference from another signal source on the 900 MHz band. See “Network Performance Notes” on Page 96 for further infor-mation.Event Log MenuThe transceiver’s microprocessor monitors many operational parame-ters and logs them. Events are classified into four levels of importance, which are described in Table 3-5. 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 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 Table 3-5. Event ClassificationsLevel Description/ImpactInformational Normal operating activitiesMinor Does not affect unit operationMajor Degraded unit performance but still capable of operationCritical Prevents the unit from operating
88 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AAccess Point. (See “Device Information” on Page 42 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 January 1, 2002 but will not affect previously stored error events.Figure 3-45. Event Log Menu •Current Alarms (Telnet/Terminal only)—View list of root causes that have placed the Device Status in the alarmed state. (See “Alarm Conditions” on Page 128)•View Log—View a list of events stored in the current log. Some of these events are stored in volatile memory and will be erased with a loss of power. The events are numbered for easier iden-tification and navigation.•Clear Log—Purges the log of all eventsTIP: Save your Event Log before choosing to clear it in order to retain potentially valuable troubleshooting information. (See “Upgrading the Firmware” on Page 102 for an over-view on how to transfer files from the transceiver to a com-puter on the network using TFTP.)•Send Log (Telnet/Terminal only)—Initiate TFTP transfer of the unit’s event Event Log in a plain text (ASCII) file to a TFTP server at the remote location.•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]
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 89•Filename (Telnet/Terminal only)—Name to be given to the Event Log file sent to the TFTP server for archiving. [Any 40-char alphanumeric string; Blank]NOTE: You may want to change the filename to reflect the type of log you intend to archive and/or its date. •TFTP Time-out (Telnet/Terminal only)—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]•Syslog Server—IP address to which alarms are sent using the sys-log message format. [Any valid IP address; 0.0.0.0]View Current Alarms Most events, classified as “critical” will make the PWR LED blink, and will inhibit normal operation of the transceiver. The LED will remain blinking until the corrective action has been completed.An alarm condition is different from a log event in the sense that an alarm is persistent in nature. That is, an alarm condition remains as an alarm until it has been cleared by correcting the cause (see Table 4-6 on Page 130 for corrective action).Figure 3-46. Current Alarms Screen
90 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AView Event Log See Table 4-4 on Page 128 for event classifications.Figure 3-47. Sample Event Log ScreenPacket Statistics Menu Figure 3-48. Sample Packet Statistics MenuWireless Packet Statistics •Packets received—Over-the-air data packets received by this unit•Packets sent—Over-the-air data packets sent by this Remote.•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.
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 91•Retries—Number of requests to re-send a data packet before it is acknowledged. If the packet was not acknowledged, this counter is not incremented.•Retry errors—Packets discarded after exceeding seven retries over-the-air.•Clear Wireless stats—Resets the statistics counter.Ethernet Packet Statistics •Packets received—Packets received by the transceiver through the Ethernet port.•Packets sent—Packets transmitted by the transceiver through the Ethernet port.•Bytes received—Data bytes received by this Remote through its LAN port.•Bytes sent—Data bytes sent by this Remote.•Packets dropped—Received packets dropped as a result of a lack of buffers.•Receive errors—Packets that do not pass CRC. This may be due to collisions in the Ethernet LAN.•Lost carrier detected—A count of the number of packets that the unit attempted to send out the Ethernet port when the carrier sig-nal of the Ethernet was not present. (No carrier present could be due to a loose connection, bad or wrong cable, or equipment failure at the other end of the Ethernet cable.)•Clear Ethernet stats—Resets the statistics counter.Packets Received by Zone This screen, shown in Figure 3-49, presents a breakdown of wireless packet statistics by-zone. All zones should report similar numbers. If one or more zones report lower numbers than the others (2% reduction), the specific zone is probably experiencing interference. An improve-ment can be realized by blocking this zone (see Main Menu>>Radio Config-uration>>Skip Zone Option).Invisible place holderFigure 3-49. Packets Received By Zone Menu
92 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AWireless Network Status(Remotes Only)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 on the Figure 3-50. Wireless Network Status Screen" on page 92.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).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.The Wireless NetworkStatus Screen(Remote only)Figure 3-50. Wireless Network Status Screen•Connection Status—Current state of the wireless network com-munication. •Scanning—The unit is looking for an Access Point beacon signal.
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 93•Exp(ecting) Sync(hronization)—The unit has found a valid beacon signal for its network.•Hop Sync—The unit has changed its frequency hopping pat-tern to match that of the Access Point.•Connected —The unit has established a radio (RF) connec-tion with the Access Point, but has not obtained cyber-secu-rity clearance to pass data.•Associated —This unit has successfully synchronized and associated with an Access Point. This is the normal status.•Alarmed—The unit is has detected one or more alarms that have not been cleared.•Current AP Mac Address—Wireless address of Access Point with which the Remote is associated.•Current AP IP Address—IP address of Access Point with which the Remote is associated.•Association Date—Date of last successful association with an Access Point.•Association Time—Time of day association was established on the association date.•Latest AP Firmware Version—•AP Auto Upgrade—•AP Reboot when Upgraded—Remote Listing Menu (Access Points Only) Figure 3-51. Remote Listing Menu(List of transceivers associated with this AP)•MAC Address—Hardware address of the Remote transceiver.•IP Address—IP Address of the Remote transceiver.•State—Current association state of the Remote transceiver.•AgeTime—Time, in minutes, remaining before the device (address)
94 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. Awill be deleted from the table.Each transceiver maintains a table with the addresses of the devices it communicates with. The age-time countdown is restarted to 5 minutes every time a message to/from that device is detected. If no traffic is exchanged with that device, it then “ages out” of the table. When traffic is detected it is included again in the table. This opti-mizes memory space utilization.•DataRate—Supported data rate by this unit.Endpoint Listing Menu(Access Points Only)This list shows all of the non-Mercury 900 Ethernet devices that are known to the transceiver and is equivalent to the ARP table of IP devices. Figure 3-52. Endpoint Listing Menu(Lists all equipment attached to REMOTE transceivers in the network)•MAC Address—Hardware address of endpoint device.•IP Address—IP Address of endpoint device.•AgeTime—Time, in minutes, remaining before the device (address) will be deleted from the table. Each AP maintains a table with the addresses of the remote radios it communicates with. The age-time countdown is restarted to 5 min-utes every time a message to/from that remote is detected. If no traf-fic is exchanged with that remote, it then “ages out” of the table. When traffic is detected it is included again in the table. This opti-mizes memory space utilization.•via Remote—Hardware address of the radio connected to this device.•RxPkts—Over-the-air data packets received by the transceiver. and
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 95passed on to the endpoint device.•TxPkt—Number of packets received from the endpoint device and passed over-the-air.Remote Performance Listing Menu (Access Points Only) Figure 3-53. Remote Performance Listing Menu for APThis screen provides a unit-by-unit summary of all Remote units cur-rently associated with this Access Point. The parameters are displayed in a column format with each line corresponding to one Remote.•RxRate—Over-the-air data rate the radio is currently using. All transceivers do not need to use the same rate.•RxPkts—Over-the-air data packets received from this unit.•TxPkts—Over-the-air data packets sent to this unit.•RxBCMC—Total number of Broadcast and/or Multicast packets received over-the-air.•RxViaEP—Packets received by the transceiver through the Ether-net port.•TxViaEP—Packets sent by the transceiver through the Ethernet port.•RetryEr—Packets discarded after exceeding five retries over-the-air.
96 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. ASerial Data Statistics MenuThis screen provides a summary of port activity for both serial data ports. These values will be reset to zero after a reboot cycle. Figure 3-54. Serial Data Statistics Screen•Bytes in on port—Number of bytes received by the transceiver through the serial interface•Bytes out on port—Number of bytes transmitted by the trans-ceiver through the serial interface•Bytes in on socket—Number of bytes received by the trans-ceiver through the IP socket•Bytes out on socket—Number of bytes transmitted by the trans-ceiver through the IP socketIn general, the number of bytes Out on Socket should follow the number of bytes In On Port as all bytes received on the serial port should be transmitted out to the IP interface. The same should be true in the opposite direction, bytes Out On Port should follow bytes In On Socket.•Clear Com1 Statistics—Resets counter to zero.3.8.2 Network Performance NotesPrinciples of Network OperationThe following is a list of points that are useful for dealing with the net-working aspects of the transceiver.1. The transceiver acts as a bridge.
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 97•If any radio in your network is connected to a large LAN, such as may be found in a large office complex, there may be undes-ired multicast/broadcast traffic over the air. As a bridge, the radios transmit this type of frame.• The radio goes through a listening and learning period at start-up before it will send any packets over either of its ports. This is about 10 seconds after the CPU’s operating system has finished its boot cycle.•The bridge code in the transceiver operates and makes decisions about packet forwarding just like any other bridge. The bridge code builds a list of source MAC addresses that it has seen on each of its ports. There are a few general rules that are followed when a packet is received on any port:•If the destination address is a multicast or broadcast address, forward the packet to all remotes.•If the destination address is not known, forward the packet to all remotes. •If the destination address is known, forward the packet to the port that the destination is known to be on (usually the RF port).• The bridge code uses Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) to pre-vent loops from being created when connecting bridges in parallel. For example, connecting two remotes to the same wired LAN could create a loop if STP was not used. Every bridge running STP sends out Bridge Protocol Data Units (BPDUs) at regular intervals so that the spanning tree can be built and maintained. BPDUs are 60-byte multicast Ethernet frames.2. Distance affects throughput. Because of timers and other compo-nents of the protocol, there is a maximum distance limit of 40 miles for reliable operation. After this, although data still flows, the throughput will start to drop and latency will increase, due to addi-tional retries between the radios. Repeater stations may be used to extend this range.3. Throughput calculations must take into account all overhead.The following is an example of the overhead at each layer for a 100-bytes of data over UDP:• Data: 100 bytes• UDP header: 8 bytes• IP header: 20 bytes• Ethernet header: 14 bytes• 802.11 header 24 bytes • LLC and SNAP header: 8 bytes• MDS PHY header and FCS: 16 bytes
98 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. ATotal over-the-air frame size=190 bytesIf the frame is directed (for example: not multicast/broadcast), the 802.11 ACK frame must be accounted for:• 14 bytes—802.11 ACK• 30 bytes—Over-the-air ACK frame (including 16 MDS PHY bytes)If the 802.11 encapsulated Ethernet frame (NOT the UDP or Ethernet frame) exceeds the RTS threshold, then the overhead for RTS/CTS frames must also be accounted for.• 20 bytes—802.11 RTS.• 14 bytes—802.11 CTS.• 66 bytes—Total Over-the-air bytes for RTS/CTS with MDS PHY headers.If the frame is TCP, then there is a 32-byte TCP header instead of the 8-byte UDP header.•ARP requests, ARP replies and BPDU’s will affect throughput.• ARP requests are 60-byte Ethernet frames. 142 bytes over-the-air.• ARP replies are 60-byte Ethernet frames. 142 bytes over-the-air.• BPDUs are 60-byte Ethernet frames. 142 bytes over-the-air.Note that the overhead to put a single Ethernet frame over-the-air is 82 bytes. If RTS/CTS is invoked, it is 148 bytes. Therefore, the overhead for a minimal Ethernet frame (60 bytes) is 128% and, as such, gives the transceiver a poor small-packet performance.4. Station-to-Station traffic reduces throughput•When sending frames from an endpoint connected to one trans-ceiver to another endpoint with a different transceiver, the throughput will be halved at best. This is because all frames must go through the AP and thus are transmitted twice over the same radio system. Therefore, in the previous 100-byte UDP example, the number of over-the-air bytes will be 380 bytes (190 bytes x 2) if the frame has to go station-to-station.5. Interference has a direct correlation to throughput.• Interference could be caused by any unnecessary traffic on the network from unrelated activities, or Radio Frequency Interfer-ence in the wireless spectrum.
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 99Tips for Optimizing Network Performance Here are some suggestion on things to try that may maximize throughput:1. AP Only: Increment the Dwell Time to the maximum of 262.1 ms. This lowers the overhead since it will stay longer on a channel. The down side is that if a particular channel is interfered with it will take longer to hop to another channel.(Main Menu>>Radio Configuration>>Dwell Time)2. AP Only: Change the Beacon Period to Normal (508 ms). This will also reduce the overhead of beacons sent out. On the down side, association time may be a little longer.(Main Menu>>Radio Configuration>>Beacon Period)3. Change the Fragmentation Threshold to the maximum of 1600. Longer packets will be sent over the air reducing overhead. On the other hand, if a packet is corrupted it will take longer to be retransmitted.(Main Menu>>Radio Configuration>>Fragmentation Threshold)4. Increase the RTS Threshold to 1600. RTS mechanism is used to reserve a time slot if packets exceed this number. On the other hand, a hidden-node might interfere more often than if RTS was not used.(Main Menu>>Radio Configuration>>RTS Threshold)Decreasing the RTS Threshold, to the 100 to 200 range, may improve throughput on a busy network. It will add small packets, but reduce collisions (and resulting re-tries) of large packets.(Main Menu>>Radio Configuration>>RTS Threshold)5. Activate compression on the Radio Configuration Menu (Compres-sion enabled).6. Use the Performance Information Menu to check the packets received by zone. (Remotes Only: Main Menu>>Performance Information>>Packet Statistics>>Packets Received by Zone) Readings should be close in value. A significantly lower value (2% reduction) probably indicates interference. Performance can be improved by blocking the affected zones at the Access Point. (Main Menu>>Radio Configuration>>Skip Zone Option)7. Use the Performance Information Menu to check for errors, retries and dropped packets. Do the same with Ethernet traffic.With weak signals, interference, or hidden nodes, the optimal per-formance may be lower due to collisions and retries.
100 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AData Latency—TCP versus UDP ModeThe latency of data passing through a network will depend on user data message length, the overall level of traffic on the network, and the quality of the radio path.Under ideal conditions—low traffic and good RF signal path—the latency for units operating in the TCP mode, will typically be around 5 ms in each direction. However, when UDP multicast traffic is trans-ported, the outbound packet latency (from AP to remote) is dependent on the beacon period.UDP multicast packet latency can be minimized by setting the Beacon Period to Fast (52 ms). Changing beacon rate to Fast will result in an average latency of 31 ms, assuming outbound packets wait for a beacon transmission 50% of the time (26ms) plus the normal packet latency (5 ms).Data CompressionEnabling this option uses an LZO compression algorithm for over-the-air data. Varying levels of data reduction are achieved depending on the nature of the data. Text files are typically the most compressible, whereas binary files are the least compressible. On average, a 30% increase in throughput can be achieved with compres-sion enabled.Compression is used on data packets of 100 bytes or more, including Ethernet, IP, and TCP/UDP headers.Packets-per-Second (PPS)The radio has a limit of 70 PPS. Consider this restriction when planning your network, especially when smaller packets are expected to make up the majority of the traffic as is the case with VoIP (Voice over IP).3.9 MAINTENANCEIn the course of operating a wireless network, you will likely want to take advantage of product improvements, and to read and archive the configuration of your individual transceivers using the Maintenance Menu. This section provides detail information on how to take advan-tage of these services.The maintenance tasks for the transceiver are: •Reprogramming— Managing and selecting the unit’s operating system firmware resources. (See “Reprogramming Menu” on Page 101)
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 101•Configuration Scripts—Saving and importing data files contain-ing unit operating parameters/settings. (See “Configuration Scripts Menu” on Page 106)•Authorization Key—Alter the unit’s overall capabilities by enabling the built-in resources. (See “Authorization Keys Menu” on Page 114)•Auto-Upgrade/Remote-Reboot—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 firmware. (See “Auto-Upgrade/Remote-Reboot Menu” on Page 115)•Radio Test—A diagnostic tool for testing RF operation. (See “Radio Test Menu” on Page 116)•Ping Utility—Diagnostic tool to test network connectivity. (See “Ping Utility Menu” on Page 117)Figure 3-55. Maintenance Menu3.9.1 Reprogramming MenuThe 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. You can load new firm-ware into the inactive position and place it in service whenever you desire.
102 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AFigure 3-56. Reprogramming Menu(Shown with “Image Copy” Selected)•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.•Filename—Name of file to be received by the TFTP server.[Any 40-character alphanumeric string] Verify that this corresponds to the TFTP directory location. May require sub-directory, 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 suspending the file transfer. [2 to 60 seconds; 10]•Retrieve File—Initiate the file transfer from the file from TFTP server. Placed into inactive firmware position in the trans-ceiver’s non-volatile memory [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—Initiate rebooting the transceiver. This will interrupt data traffic through this unit, and the network if per-formed on an Access Point. Intended to be used to toggle between firmware images.NOTE: See “Upgrading the Firmware” on Page 102 for details on setting up the TFTP server.Upgrading the FirmwareFrom time-to-time MDS offers upgrades to the transceiver firmware. One version of the firmware provides core software resources for all
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 103transceiver models. Loading new firmware into the unit will not alter any privileges provided by Authorization Keys and does not require the transceiver be taken off-line until you want to operate the unit from the newly installed firmware image.You must use the embedded Management System for all firmware activ-ities, including uploading from a TFTP server.File transfers can be initiated through any of the three Management System gateways: •Terminal-Emulator—Use a terminal emulator program on your PC, such as HyperTerminal, connected directly to the trans-ceiver’s COM1 port via a serial cable.•Telnet—Text-based access to the Management System through a network connection.•Web Browser—Connect to the transceiver using a Web browser on a local PC connected directly to the radio’s LAN port or associated network.Firmware images are provided free-of-charge on the MDS Web site at: www.microwavedata.com/service/technical/supportInstalling New Firmware by TFTP 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.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. The IP address of the radio can be found under the Management Systems’ Configuration menu. (See “Network Configuration Menu” on Page 44.)A TFTP server is available on the MDS Web site at:www.microwavedata.com/service/technical/support/downloads.asp There are several alternatives to connecting the transceiver for firmware upgrade. Figure 3-57 and Figure 3-58 show two variations. It is essen-tial all of the equipment be on the same subnet.
104 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AInvisible place holderFigure 3-57. Firmware Upgrade Setup—Option 1(TFTP Server and Firmware File on Same CPU)Invisible place holderFigure 3-58. Firmware Upgrade Setup—Option 2(TFTP Server and Firmware File on Remote Server)NOTE: The LAN and COM1 ports share a common data channel whenloading firmware over-the-air. Transferring the radio firmwareimage file (≈ 3 Mb), may take several minutes depending ontraffic 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 muchslower 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:LANPORTLOCAL WINDOWS PCWITH CONFIG. FILESIP ADDRESS: 172.0.0.AIP ADDRESS: 172.0.0.BTFTPSERVER& TELNETTRANSCEIVERCROSS-OVERCABLEINITIATE UPLOADFROM HEREAP or REMOTEIP ADDRESS: 172.0.0.BTFTPSERVER ETHERNETPORTCOM1PORT(DCE)INITIATE UPLOADFROM HEREREMOTE PCW/FIRMWARE FILESHUB/LAN/WAN/MANTCP/IPLANPORTCOM1, 2, ETC.(DTE)IP ADDRESS: w.x.y.zLOCAL WINDOWS PCIP ADDRESS: 172.0.0.ATERMINALPROGRAM9-PINSERIALCABLE
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 1051. 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.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 DeviceNOTE: When upgrading to firmware 6.0.0 or later, the unit createsinternal files following the first reboot. This one-time processdelays the response of the HTTP interface for 5-10 minutes. IfDC power is cycled (turned off and back on) during thisprocess, the files will have to be created again. It is recom-mended that you wait until this 5-10 minute process iscomplete before verifying operation of HTTP, HTTPS, orSSH.7. Test the transceiver for normal operation.End of Procedure
106 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AError Messages During File TransfersIt is possible to encounter errors during a file transfer. In most cases errors can be quickly corrected by referring to Table 3-6.3.9.2 Configuration Scripts MenuFigure 3-59. Configuration Files Menu•TFTP Host Address—IP address of the computer on which the TFTP server resides. [Any valid IP address]Table 3-6. Common Errors During TFTP Transfer Error Message Likely Cause/Corrective ActionInvalid 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 serverInvalid file path Invalid or non-existent file path to TFTP serverTimeout 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.
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 107•Filename—Name of file containing this unit’s configuration pro-file that will be transferred to the TFTP server. The configura-tion information will be in a plain-text ASCII format.[Any 40-character alphanumeric string] May require sub-directory, for example: config\mercury-config.txt. (See “Using Configura-tion Scripts” on Page 107)NOTE: The filename field is used in identifying the desired incoming file and as the name of file being exported to the TFTP server. Before exporting the unit’s configuration, you may want to name it something that reflect the unit’s services or identifi-cation.•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 102 for details onsetting up the TFTP server.A Brief Description of Configuration FilesIf you plan to have more than a few radios in your network, use the con-figuration file feature to configure similar units from a common set of parameters. There are over 50 user-controllable settings that can be used to optimize the network and saved into a Configuration File. However, only four essential parameters need to be reviewed and altered to use the file with another transceiver. A Configuration File (data file) will make it easy to apply your unique settings to any radio(s) you wish. Configuration files will also provide you with a tool to restore parameters to a “known good” set, in the event that a parameter is improperly set and performance is affected. (See “Using Configuration Scripts” on Page 107 for detailed instruc-tions and a sample configuration file.)Using Configuration ScriptsConfiguration Scripts can be created and downloaded from the trans-ceiver that contain a wealth of information on the unit. This file can serve many purposes, not the least of which is to keep a permanent “snapshot” of the unit’s configuration at a point in time. These files can also be used to view the setup of a unit without needing to connect to it. Examining archival files can be a useful source of information during troubleshooting.In the next few sections you will learn about the contents of the file and, how to use it as a template for configuring multiple transceivers with the
108 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. Asame profile. Ultimately, standardized files can be uploaded into the transceiver to speed up the installation process.Configuration Files can also be uploaded into a transceiver to restore the settings of a unit using a previously-saved configuration of the unit. This is particularly convenient after finishing a test using some experimental settings.Sample of an Exported Configuration FileThe following is a sample of a typical configuration file as produced by a transceiver containing over 150 parameters; many of which are user editable. The presentation has been slightly altered to allow notes to appear below associated parameter lines. Some of the values used in the calibration of the unit’s built-in test equipment have been deleted to reduce space. This presentation is offered as a guide to the type of infor-mation contained in the file. See “Editing Configuration Files” on Page 113 for further information.NOTE: The parameter names and the data values from the ExportedConfiguration File are shown in bolded text. Any descriptionwill be found below in an indented paragraph. Descriptions forparameters that are functionally identical to both COM1 arenot repeated.Beginning of Configuration File; MDS mercury; Created 00-03-2002 6:59:41IP Address: 192.168.1.1The IPv4 address of this unit. This field is unnecessary if DHCP is enabled. NOTE: Changing the IP value via the network will cause a loss ofcommunication with other devices unaware of the newaddress.IP Netmask: 255.255.255.0The IPv4 local subnet mask. This field is unnecessary if DHCP is enabled.IP Gateway: 0.0.0.0The IPv4 address of the network gateway device, typically a router. This field is unnecessary if DHCP is enabled.Ethernet Address: 00:06:3D:00:00:5DThe physical Ethernet MAC (Media Access Controller) address of the device. This value is set by the factory and cannot be changed.Wireless Address: 00:06:3D:00:00:5CThe physical wireless MAC (Media Access Controller) address of
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 109the device. This value is set by the factory and cannot be changed.Model Number: 900The model number of this unit. This value is set by the factory and cannot be changed.Serial Number: 1026295The serial number of this unit. This value is set by the factory and cannot be changed.Unit Name: Library Admin OfficeA name for this unit. It appears at the top of every menu screen.Owner: Hilltop College ITThe name of the owner of this unit.Contact: IT Dept. X232The contact person regarding this unit.Description: Link to Campus ServerA brief general description of this unit.Location: Hollister Bldg. RM450The location of this unit.Com1 Port Config: 8N1Configuration of character size, type of parity, and number of stop bits to be used.Max Remotes Allowed: 50The maximum number of remotes allowed to connect to this Access Point.Device Mode: Access PointConfigures the unit to act as a Remote or an Access Point. The Access Point option is not allowed unless the unit is specifically ordered as such, or an Authorization Key has been purchased to allow it.Dwell Time: 32.8The amount of time the unit spends at any given frequency in its hopping pattern. This field is only changeable by an Access Point. Remotes read the Masters value upon association.Hop Pattern: 1RSSH Calibration: 235RSSL Calibration: 190Freq Calibration: 8402Network Name: West Campus NetThe name of the network this unit belongs to. The unit will only communicate with devices having identical Network Names.Date Format: Generic
110 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. ASpecifies the format of the date. • Generic = dd Mmm yyyy• European = dd-mm-yyyy• US = mm-dd-yyyyConsole Baud: 19200The baud rate of the serial menu console. Default value is 19200 bps.Company Name: MDSVersion Name: 06-1234567Product Name: mercuryBeacon Period: NormalThe amount of time in milliseconds between beacon transmissions by the AP.Data Rate: 512 kbpsThe selected over-the-air data rate. A lower data rate generally allows more distance between the unit and its Access Point.RF Output Power Setpoint: 30The desired amount of RF output power, measured in dBm.Power Cal Table DAC1: 9821 additional values follow; do not alterActive Boot Image: 0Tx Coefficient1: 031 additional values follow; do not alterRx Coefficient1: 014 additional values follow; do not alterSkipped Hop Zone1: ActiveSkipped Hop Zone2: SkipSkipped Hop Zone3: ActiveSkipped Hop Zone4: ActiveSkipped Hop Zone5: ActiveSkipped Hop Zone6: ActiveSkipped Hop Zone7: ActiveSkipped Hop Zone8: ActiveSkipped Hop Zone9: ActiveSkipped Hop Zone10: ActiveFirmware TFTP Host IP: 63.249.227.105Address of the TFTP Host from which firmware images are down-loadedFirmware TFTP Filename: mercury-4_4_0.ipkEventlog TFTP Host IP: 192.168.1.3
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 111Address of TFTP Host to which to send the event logEventlog TFTP Filename:Config Script TFTP Host IP: 192.168.1.33Address of TFTP Host to which to send the event logConfig Script TFTP Filename: mercury_config.txtFragmentation Threshold: 1600Maximum packet size allowed before fragmentation occursRTS Threshold: 500Number of bytes for the RTS/CTS handshake boundaryRSSI Threshold: 0RSSI value at that the connection is deemed “degraded”SNR Threshold: 0SNR value at that the connection is deemed “degraded”SNMP Read Community: publicCommunity string for read access using SNMPv1SNMP Write Community: privateCommunity string for write access using SNMPv1SNMP Trap Community: publicCommunity string sent with traps using SNMPv1SNMP Trap Manager #1: 0.0.0.0IP Address of a SNMP manager to which traps will be sentSNMP Trap Manager #2: 0.0.0.0SNMP Trap Manager #3: 0.0.0.0SNMP Trap Manager #4: 0.0.0.0SNMP Trap Manager #5: 0.0.0.0Auth trap enable: disabledSetting to enable SNMP authentication trapsTrap Version: v1 TrapsSelects which SNMP trap format Package 1 Version: 1.1.0Indicates the version of firmware in Image 1Package 2 Version: 1.1.0TFTP Timeout: 20Com1 Serial Data Enable: disabledSetting to enable COM1 data modeCom1 Serial Data Mode: UDPIP Protocol for COM1 data mode
112 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. ACom1 Serial Data Baud Rate: 9600Baud rate for COM1 data modeCom1 Serial Data Tx IP Address: 0.0.0.0COM1 data will be sent to this IP addressCom1 Serial Data Tx IP Port: 0COM1 data will be sent to this IP portCom1 Serial Data Rx IP Port: 0COM1 data will be received on this IP portCom1 Serial Data Rx IP Address: 0.0.0.0COM1 data will be received on this IP addressSNTP Server IP: 0.0.0.0The IPv4 address of NTP/SNTP Time ServerCom1 Serial Data Seamless Mode: enabledSetting to enable seamless mode for COM1 data modeCom1 Serial Data Delimiter Chars: 4Minimum number of characters which will be considered a gap in seamless mode for COM1Com1 Serial Data Buffer Size: 20Number of output characters which will be buffered in seamless mode for COM1RF Frequency Hopping Format: USA/CANADA(Read Only) The frequency-hopping rules the radio is configured to operate underSNMP Enable: disabledEnable/Disable SNMP AgentHop Protocol: 1Frequency hopping protocol versionDHCP Server Enable: disabledEnable/Disable DHCP Server DaemonDHCP Netmask: 255.255.255.0The IP Address to be used as the DHCP NetmaskDHCP Start Address: 192.168.0.11The IP Address to be used as the starting addressDHCP End Address: 192.168.0.22The IP Address to be used as the ending addressApproved Remotes List Enable: disabledSetting to enable the Approved Remotes List
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 113Encryption Enable: disabledSetting to enable over-the-air data encryptionHTTP Enable: enabledSetting to enable the HTTP interfaceTelnet Enable: enabledSetting to enable the Telnet interfaceHTTP MD5 Authentication: disabledSetting to enable MD5 Digest AuthenticationAutomatic Key Rotation: disabledSetting to enable Automatic Key RotationApproved APs List Enable: disabledSetting to enable the Approved Access Points ListWatch-Link-Status Flag @ AP: disabledA flag that controls whether the Remotes care about the AP's Ether-net Link StatusNetwork Name Hash Enable: disabledA flag that controls whether MD5 hashing is applied to the network nameEnd of Configuration FileEditing Configuration FilesOnce a Remote unit’s operation is fine-tuned, use the Configuration Scripts Menu on Page 106 to save a copy of the configuration in a PC. Once the file is saved in 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. (Not pro-vided by MDS).We recommend that you review and update the following parameters for each individual unit. Other parameters may also be changed.Table 3-7. Common User-Alterable Parameters Field Comment RangeIP Address Unique for each individual radio Any legal IP addressIP Gateway May change for different groups or locationsAny legal IP addressUnit Name Should reflect a specific device. This information will appear in Management System headings Any 20-character alphanumeric stringLocation Used only as reference for network administration Any 40-character alphanumeric string
114 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AEach resulting file should be saved with a different name. We recom-mend using directories and file names that reflect the location of the unit to facilitate its identification.Editing Rules • You may include only parameters you want to change.• Change only the parameter values.• Capitalization counts in some field parameters. (Example: System Mode)• Comment Fieldsa. 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.3.9.3 Authorization Keys MenuFigure 3-60. Authorization Key MenuSystem Mode The application of the parameter in this field is dependent on the authorized options stored in the unit’s permanent memory. The mode must be compatible with any previously installed Authorization Keys.“Access Point”“Dual Remote”“Serial Remote”“Ethernet Remote”NOTE: These are case-sensitive.Network Name Used to identify different groups or locationsAny 15-character alphanumeric stringTable 3-7. Common User-Alterable Parameters (Continued)Field Comment Range
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 115•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 [enabled, disabled]. Some models will show an additional selection called Encryption under Authorized Features.3.9.4 Auto-Upgrade/Remote-Reboot MenuNOTE: This menu is only available when MDS NETview MS key isenabled.Invisible place holderFigure 3-61. Auto-Upgrade / Remote Reboot Menu•Auto Upgrade—Causes all of the Remotes associated to this AP to read the AP’s newest firmware version (active or inactive) and upload it via TFTP to the inactive image, but only if it is newer than the Remote’s current firmware.•Reboot on Upgrade—Determines how a Remote will behave once it has uploaded new firmware from the AP as part of an auto-upgrade. When enabled, the Remote will reboot to the new firmware.•Force Reboot—Causes all of the Remotes associated to this AP to reboot immediately. They will reboot to their current active image—the same as if the power were re-cycled.
116 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. ANOTE: To use the Auto Upgrade/Reboot feature, both the AP andRemotes must already be running version 4.4.0 or newer firm-ware. Exception: If the AP has already been upgraded to version4.4.0 and the Remote is still at 3.5.0 or older, you can upgradethe Remote by using the AP as a file server. This methodallows for only one remote to be upgraded at a time. Instruc-tions for this method are given below.Firmware Upgrade (with AP Acting as a File Server)An AP running firmware version 4.4.0 (or newer) may be used as a file server to upgrade Remotes running older firmware (3.5.0 or earlier). Follow the steps below to perform the upgrade:1. At the Reprogramming Menu (Page 102), Enter the AP’s IP Address in the TFTP Server field.2. Enter upgrade_from_ap.ipk in the Filename field.NOTE: The filename is case sensitive.3. Perform the firmware download.3.9.5 Radio Test MenuThis area provides several useful tools for installers and maintainers. You can manually key the radio transmitter to make measurements of antenna performance. (See “Antenna Aiming” on Page 135 for details.)Figure 3-62. Radio Test MenuShown with Test Mode set to ON
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 117NOTE : Use of the Test Mode will disrupt traffic through the radio. Ifthe unit is an Access Point, it will disrupt traffic through theentire network.Test Mode function is automatically limited to 10 minutes andshould only be used for brief measurement of transmit power.It may also be manually reset to continue with the testing orturned off.•Test Mode—Controls access to the transceiver’s suite of tools. [ON, OFF; OFF]•Frequency—Set radio operating frequency during the testing period to a single frequency. [915.0000 MHz]•TX Output Power—Temporarily overrides the power level set-ting in the Radio Configuration Menu. [20]•TxKey—Manually key the radio transmitter for power mea-surements. [Enable, Disable; Disable]•RSSI—Incoming received signal strength on frequency entered in the frequency parameter on this screen (–dBm). This RSSI measurement is updated more frequently than the RSSI by Zone display of the Performance Information menu.3.9.6 Ping Utility MenuFigure 3-63. Ping Utility Menu•IP Addr—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).•Go—Send PING packets to address shown on screen.Screen will be replaced with detailed report of PING activity. Press any key after viewing the results to return to this menu.
118 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A3.9.7 Reset to Factory DefaultsTo reset all transceiver parameters back to the factory defaults, including the password, you must enter a special code (authorization key) provided by the factory in place of the user name at the time of login. This procedure is useful when several parameters have been modified, and there is no track of changes. It causes the transceiver to return to a known state.Password ResetAs part of the reset action the transceiver’s password is reverted to the default value of admin. As a security measure, this event causes all radio parameters to return to the factory default settings, including zone skip-ping (as applicable), baud rate settings, network name, security phrase, etc.
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MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 1214 TROUBLESHOOTING & RADIO MEASUREMENTS4 Chapter Counter Reset ParagraphContents4.1 TROUBLESHOOTING.............................................................1234.1.1 Interpreting the Front Panel LEDs ............................................1234.1.2 Troubleshooting Using the Embedded Management System ...1244.1.3 Using Logged Operation Events ...............................................1284.1.4 Alarm Conditions .......................................................................1284.1.5 Correcting Alarm Conditions .....................................................1304.1.6 Logged Events ..........................................................................1314.2 RADIO (RF) MEASUREMENTS............................................. 1334.2.1 Antenna System SWR and Transmitter Power Output .............1344.2.2 Antenna Aiming .........................................................................135
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MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 1234.1 TROUBLESHOOTINGSuccessful 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 LayersIt 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 over 50 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 “Using Configuration Scripts” on Page 107.Factory Assistance If problems cannot be resolved using the guidance provided here, review the 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 LEDsAn 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 27 describes the function of each status LED. Table 4-1 below provides suggestions for resolving
124 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. Acommon system difficulties using the LEDs, and Table 4-2 provides other simple techniques. 4.1.2 Troubleshooting Using the Embedded Management SystemIf you have reviewed and tried the things mentioned in Table 4-1 and still have not resolved the problem, there are some additional tools and techniques that can be used. The embedded Management System is a good source of information that may be used remotely to provide pre-liminary diagnostic information, or may even provide a path to cor-recting the problem.Table 4-1. Troubleshooting Using LEDs—Symptom-BasedSymptom Problem/Recommended System ChecksPWR LED does not turn ona. 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 ona. 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 blinkinga. 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 128)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 ona. 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 timeVerify 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.
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 125Table 4-2. Basic Troubleshooting Using the Management System Symptom Problem/Recommended System ChecksRemote does not associate; stays in HOPSYNCa. 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.Serial data is slow with UDP multicast trafficChange Beacon Period to FAST. (Radio Configuration Menu)Cannot access the MS through COM1a. Connect to unit via Telnet or Web browserb. 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 garbledVerify the terminal/terminal emulator or Telnet application is set to VT100Cannot 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.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.Packet Repeat Mode troubles (extra characters in data, data not delivered)Verify that all radios in the network have their Packet Redundancy Mode set to the same selection (Single Packet vs. Packet Repeat Mode).
126 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AThe following is a summary of how several screens in the Management System can be used as diagnostic tools. For information on how to con-nect to the Management System See “STEP 3—CONNECT PC TO THE TRANSCEIVER” on Page 22. Starting Information Screen(See Starting Information Screen on Page 40)The Management System’s “homepage” provides some valuable bits of data. One of the most important is the “Device Status” field. This item will tell 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, Hop Sync 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 Hop Sync 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 133 for infor-mation on antenna system checks.Table 4-3. Device Status1 1. Available in the Startup Information Screen or the Wireless Status Screen at the 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 PointHop Sync The unit has found a valid beacon signal for its network and has changed its frequency hopping pattern to match that of the AP.Connected The unit has established a radio (RF) connection with the Access Point, but has not obtained cyber-security clearance 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.
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 127Packet Statistics Menu (See Packet Statistics Menu on Page 90)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 86) 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 133 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.Serial Port Statistics Menu (See Serial Data Statistics Menu on Page 96)This screen provides top-level information on data exchanges between the unit’s serial ports and the network through the wireless and the Ethernet (data) layers. These include:Wireless Packet Statistics• Packets received • Packets dropped• Packets sent • Receive errors • Bytes received • Retries• Bytes sent • Retry errorsEthernet Packet Statistics• Packets received • Packets dropped• Packets sent • Receive errors• Bytes received • Retries• Bytes sent • Retry errors• Lost carrier detected• Bytes In On Port xxx • Bytes In On Socket xxx• Bytes Out On Port xxx • Bytes Out On Socket xxx
128 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AYou can use this screen as a indicator of port activity at the data and IP levels.Diagnostic Tools(See MAINTENANCE on Page 100)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.4.1.3 Using Logged Operation Events(See Event Log Menu on Page 87)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 3-5 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 View Current Alarms on Page 89)Most events, classified as “critical” will make the PWR LED blink, and will inhibit normal operation of the transceiver. The LED blinks until the corrective action is completed.Table 4-4. Event ClassificationsLevel Description/Impact StorageInformational Normal operating activities Flash MemoryMinor Does not affect unit operation RAMMajor Degraded unit performance but still capable of operationRAMCritical Prevents the unit from operating RAM
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 129Table 4-5. Alarm Conditions (Alphabetical Order) Alarm Condition Reported Event Log Entry SNMP TrapEVENT_50_LIMIT Crossed 50% of Eth Port Rate LimitrateLimit50(20)EVENT_75_LIMIT Crossed 75% of Eth Port Rate LimitrateLimit75(21)EVENT_100_LIMIT Crossed 100% of Eth Port Rate LimitrateLimit100(22)EVENT_ADC ADC output Railed adcInput(3)EVENT_AP_NN_CHANGED Network Name changed at the APapNetNameChanged(74)EVENT_BRIDGE Network Interface /Error networkInterface(17)EVENT_NO_CHAN_CNT Mismatch in Channel count at AP/REMChanCnt(71)EVENT_NO_CHAN Using Channel hopping but no channels selectedNoChan(23)EVENT_COMPRESS Compression setting changedcompressionChanged(76)EVENT_ENDPOINT Endpoint Added/Removed (AP only)eventEndpoint(67)EVENT_ETH_LINK_AP* AP Ethernet Link DisconnectedapEthLinkLost(19)EVENT_FLASH_TEST Flash Test Failed -EVENT_FPGA FPGA communication FailedfpgaCommunication(2)EVENT_FREQ_CAL Frequency Not CalibratedfrequencyCal(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 FailedmacCommunication(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 CalibratedpowerCal(8)EVENT_POWER_HIGH RF Power Control Saturated HighrfPowerHigh(13)EVENT_POWER_LOW RF Power Control Saturated LowrfPowerLow(14)
130 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A* Condition may be corrected by user and alarm cleared.4.1.5 Correcting Alarm Conditions(See View Event Log on Page 90)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_REMOTE Remote Added/ Removed (AP only)eventRemote(66)EVENT_REPETITIVE The previous event is occurring repetitivelyEVENT_ROUTE_ADD Manual entry added to Routing tablerouteAdded(68)EVENT_ROUTE_DEL Manual entry deleted from Routing tablerouteDeleted(69)EVENT_RSSI*RSSI Exceeds thresholdrssi(11)EVENT_RSSI_CAL RSSI Not Calibrated rssiCal(9)EVENT_SDB_ERR Internal Remote/Endpoint database error (AP only)sdbError(80)EVENT_SINREM_SWITCH Eth/Serial mode switch in a Single RemotesinRemSwitch(70)EVENT_SYSTEM_ERROR* System Error Cleared; Please RebootsystemError(16)EVENT_TFTP_CONN TFTP connectivity achievedtftpConnection(73)EVENT_TFTP_ERR Attempted TFTP connection failedtftpConnFailed(79)Table 4-5. Alarm Conditions (Alphabetical Order) (Continued)Alarm Condition Reported Event Log Entry SNMP TrapTable 4-6. Correcting Alarm Conditions—Alphabetical Order Event Log Entry Generating Condition Clearing Condition or ActionADC Failure The ADC always reads the same value (either high or low limit)Contact factory Technical Services for assistanceAP Ethernet Link Monitor will check state of Ethernet link and set alarm if it finds the link downEthernet link is re-establishedBridge Down When the Bridge fails to be initializedContact factory Technical Services for assistanceFlash Test Failed Internal check indicates corruption of Flash memoryContact factory Technical Services for assistanceFPGA Failure Communication lost to the FPGAContact factory Technical Services for assistance
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 1314.1.6 Logged Events(See View Event Log on Page 90)The following events allow the transceiver to continue operation and do not make the PWR LED blink. Each is reported through an SNMP trap. General System ErrorInternal checks suggest unit is not functioning properlyReboot the transceiverInitialization Error Unit fails to complete boot cycleContact factory Technical Services for assistanceInvalid IP Address The IP address is either 0.0.0.0 or 127.0.0.1Program IP address to something other than 0.0.0.0 or 127.0.0.1MAC 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 assistanceNetwork Interface ErrorUnit does not recognize the LAN interfaceContact factory Technical Services for assistanceNetwork Name Not ProgrammedNetwork 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 HighPower control can no longer compensate and reaches the high railContact factory Technical Services for assistancePower Control Railed LowPower control can no longer compensate and reaches the low railContact factory Technical Services for assistanceRSSI Exceeds ThresholdThe 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 4-6. Correcting Alarm Conditions—Alphabetical Order Event Log Entry Generating Condition Clearing Condition or Action
132 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AThe left hand column, “Event Log Entry” is what will be shown in the Event Log.Table 4-7. Non-Critical Events—Alphabetical Order Event Log Entry Severity DescriptionAssociation Attempt Success/FailedMAJOR Self explanatoryAssociation Lost - AP Hop Parameter ChangedMINOR Self explanatoryAssociation Lost - AP's Ethernet Link DownMAJOR Self explanatoryAssociation Lost - Local IP Address ChangedMAJOR Self explanatoryAssociation Lost - Local Network Name ChangedMAJOR Self explanatoryAssociation Lost/Established MAJOR Self explanatoryAuth Demo Mode Expired -- Rebooted Radio/EnabledMAJOR Self explanatoryAuth Key Entered - Key Valid/Key InvalidMAJOR Self explanatoryBit Error Rate Below threshold/Above thresholdINFORM Self explanatoryConsole Access Locked for 5 MinMAJOR Self explanatoryConsole User Logged Out/Logged InMAJOR Self explanatoryCountry/SkipZone Mismatch INFORM Self explanatoryCurrent AP No Longer ApprovedMAJOR 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 OKA 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 explanatoryETH 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/DisabledINFORM Self explanatoryExpected Sync Lost/EstablishedINFORM Self explanatoryHop Sync Lost/Established INFORM Self explanatory
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 1334.2 RADIO (RF) MEASUREMENTSThere 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 OptimizationHop Table Generated/Generation FailedINFORM Self explanatoryHTTP Access Locked for 5 Min MAJOR Self explanatoryHTTP User Logged Out/Logged InMAJOR httpLogin(49)Log Cleared INFORM Self explanatoryMAC 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 ExceededMAJOR Self explanatoryReceived Beacon - AP is BlacklistedINFORM Self explanatoryReceived Beacon - Netname Does Not MatchINFORM Self explanatoryReceived Beacon - Valid/ErroredINFORM Self explanatoryRem Ethernet Link Connected/DisconnectedMAJOR Self explanatoryReprogramming Complete INFORM Self explanatoryReprogramming Failed MAJOR Self explanatoryReprogramming Started INFORM Self explanatoryScanning Started INFORM Self explanatorySNR Within threshold/Below thresholdINFORM Self explanatorySystem Bootup (power on) INFORM Self explanatoryTelnet Access Locked for 5 MinMAJOR Self explanatoryTelnet User Logged Out/Logged InMAJOR Self explanatoryUser Selected Reboot MAJOR Self explanatoryTable 4-7. Non-Critical Events—Alphabetical Order (Continued)Event Log Entry Severity Description
134 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AThese 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 OutputIntroductionA 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 a pos-sible trouble with the antenna or the transmission line that will need to be corrected.The SWR of the antenna system should be checked before the radio is put into regular service. For accurate readings, a wattmeter suited to 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.Procedure1. Place a directional wattmeter between the ANTENNA connector and the antennas system.2. Place the transceiver into the Radio Test Mode using the menu sequence below:(Main Menu>>Maintenance Menu>>Radio Test>>Test Mode>>Y>>ON)NOTE: The Test Mode has a 10-minute timer, after which it will returnthe radio to normal operation. The Radio Test Mode can beterminated manually by selecting OFF on the menu or tempo-rarily disconnecting the radio’s DC power.
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 1353. Set the transmit power to 30 dBm. (This setting does not affect the output level during normal operation—only during Test Mode.)(Main Menu>>Maintenance Menu>>Radio Test>>Test Mode>>Tx Power Out-put)4. Key the transmitter.(Main Menu>>Maintenance Menu>>Radio Test>>Test Mode>>TxKey>> Enable)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.(Main Menu>>Radio Configuration>>RF Power Output)6. Turn off Radio Test Mode at the Access Point and Remote.(Main Menu>>Maintenance Menu>>Radio Test>>Test Mode>>Disable)End of procedure4.2.2 Antenna AimingIntroductionThe 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.
136 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AProcedure1. 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.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
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 1375PLANNING A RADIO NETWORK5 Chapter Counter Reset ParagraphContents5.1 INSTALLATION PLANNING ................................................... 1395.1.1 General Requirements ............................................................ 1395.1.2 Site Selection .......................................................................... 1415.1.3 Terrain and Signal Strength ..................................................... 1415.1.4 Antenna & Feedline Selection ................................................. 1425.1.5 How Much Output Power Can be Used? ................................ 1455.1.6 Conducting a Site Survey ....................................................... 1455.1.7 A Word About Radio Interference ............................................ 1465.2 dBm-WATTS-VOLTS CONVERSION CHART........................ 149
138 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 1395.1 INSTALLATION PLANNINGThis section provides tips for selecting an appropriate site, choosing an antenna system, and reducing the chance of harmful interference.5.1.1 General RequirementsThere 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 and100BaseT connections. Confirm that your hub/switch iscapable 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 holderFigure 5-1. Typical Installation with a Tower-Mounted Antenna(Connect user data equipment to any compatible LAN or COM Port)Unit DimensionsFigure 5-2 shows the dimensions of the transceiver case and its mounting holes, and Figure 5-3 on Page 140, the dimensions for mounting with factory-supplied brackets. If possible, choose a mounting location that provides easy access to the connectors on the end of the radio and an unobstructed view of the LED status indicators.POWER SUPPLY13.8 VDC @ 580 mA (Max.)(10.5–30 Vdc) Negative Ground OnlyCOMPUTER RUNNINGTERMINAL PROGRAMTRANSCEIVERLOW-LOSS FEEDLINEANTENNASYSTEMNetwork
140 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AFigure 5-2. Transceiver DimensionsInvisible place holderInvisible place holderFigure 5-3. Mounting Bracket Dimensions (center to center)5.1.2 Site SelectionSuitable 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• 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-1.4˝ 6.75˝ (17.15 cm)4.5˝ (11.43 cm)TOPFRONT (3.56 cm)VIEWVIEW6.75˝ (17.15 cm)1.4˝ (3.56 cm)
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 141formance. 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 StrengthWhile 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” on Page 135 for details.)5.1.4 Antenna & Feedline SelectionNOTE: The transceiver is a Professional Installation radio system andmust be installed by trained professional installers, or factorytrained technicians. This text that follows is designed to aid the professionalinstaller in the proper methods of maintaining compliance withFCC Part 15 limits and the +36 dBm or 4 watts peak E.I.R.Plimit.AntennasThe 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.In general, an omnidirectional antenna (Figure 5-4) is used at the Access Point station site. This provides equal coverage to all of the Remote Gateway sites.
142 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. ANOTE: Antenna polarization is important. If the wrong polarization isused, a signal reduction of 20 dB or more will result. Mostsystems using a gain-type omnidirectional antenna at theAccess Point station employ vertical polarization of the signal;therefore, the remote antenna(s) must also be vertically polar-ized (elements oriented perpendicular to the horizon).When required, horizontally polarized omnidirectionalantennas are also available. Contact your factory representa-tive for details.Invisible place holderFigure 5-4. Typical Omnidirectional AntennasAt Remote Gateway sites and units in point-to-point LANs, a directional Yagi (Figure 5-5) antenna is generally recommended to minimize inter-ference to and from other users. Antennas are available from a number of manufacturers.Invisible place holderFigure 5-5. Typical Yagi Antenna (mounted to mast)FeedlinesThe 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.High-gain TypeUnity-gain Type
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 143For 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 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.NOTE: The authority to operate the transceiver in the USA may bevoid if antennas other than those approved by the FCC areused. Contact your MDS representative for additional antennainformation.*Refer to Table 5-3 for allowable power settings of the transceiver for each antenna type.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 LossLMR-400 0.39 dB 1.95 dB 3.90 dB Unacceptable Loss1/2 inch HELIAX 0.23 dB 1.15 dB 2.29 dB 11.45 dB7/8 inch HELIAX 0.13 dB 0.64 dB 1.28 dB 6.40 dB1-1/4 inch HELIAX 0.10 dB 0.48 dB 0.95 dB 4.75 dB1-5/8 inch HELIAX 0.08 dB 0.40 dB 0.80 dB 4.00 dBTable 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 #MFB9003 dBd 5.15 dBi No minimum length +35.15 dBm Omni # MFB9005 dBd 7.15 dBi 3.1 meters (1.2 dB) +35.95 dBm Omni # MFB9006 dBd 8.15 dBi 9.1 meters (2.2 dB) +35.95 dBm Yagi # BMOY890310 dBd 12.15 dBi 24.7 meters (6.15 dB) +35.25 dBm Yagi # Z941
144 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. ANOTE: There is no minimum feedline length required when a 6 dBigain or less antenna is used, as the EIRP will never exceed 36dBm which is the maximum allowed, per FCC rules. Thetransceiver’s RF output power may only be adjusted by themanufacturer or its sub-contracted Professional Installer.The Transceiver’s power output is factory set to maintaincompliance with the FCC’s Digital Transmission System(DTS) Part 15 rules. These rules limit power to a maximum of8 dBm/3 kHz, thus the Transceiver is factory set to +30 dBm.When calculating maximum transceiver power output, use +30dBm if the antenna gain is 6 dBi or less (36 dBm ERP). SeeHow Much Output Power Can be Used? below for powercontrol 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.NOTE: In some countries, the maximum allowable RF output may belimited to less than the figures referenced here. Be sure tocheck for and comply with the requirements for your area.5.1.6 Conducting a Site SurveyIf 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
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 145reported RSSI value. (See “Antenna Aiming” on Page 135 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 dif-ferent site or consider installing a repeater station. To prepare the equip-ment 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- section Page 28.5.1.7 A Word About Radio InterferenceThe 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-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 12.) Additional isolation can be achieved by using separate directional antennas with as much vertical or horizon-tal separation as is practical. • If constant interference is present in a particular frequency zone (collection of 8 RF channels), it may be necessary to “skip” that zone from the radio’s hopping pattern. The radio includes built-in
146 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. Asoftware to help users identify and remove blocked frequency zones from its hopping pattern. See Page 58 for more information on Skip Zones. • If interference problems persist even after skipping some zones, try reducing the length of data streams. Groups of short data streams have a better chance of getting through in the presence of interfer-ence than do long streams.• 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 GainTo 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>>RF Output Power Setpoint)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 148.
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 147* Most antenna manufacturers rate antenna gain in dBd in their litera-ture. To convert to dBi, add 2.15 dB.† Feedline loss varies by cable type and length. To determine the loss for common lengths of feedline, see Ta b le 5-1 on Page 143.Table 5-3. Antenna System Gain vs. Power Output SettingAntenna System Gain(Antenna Gain in dBi*minus Feedline Loss in dB†)Maximum Power Setting (PWR command) EIRP(in dBm)Omni 6 (or less) 30 36Omni 9 27 36Yagi 12 24 36Yagi 14 22 36Yagi 16 20 36
148 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A5.2 dBm-WATTS-VOLTS CONVERSION CHARTTable 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 systemsdBm 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 1.25mWdBm V Po0 .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 .0355dBm 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 0.90dBm 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 0.141dBm µV Po-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 3.2dBm µV Po-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 1.18dBm 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
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MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 1516TECHNICAL REFERENCE6 Chapter Counter Reset ParagraphContents5.1 INSTALLATION PLANNING ...................................................1395.1.1 General Requirements ........................................................... 1395.1.2 Site Selection ......................................................................... 1415.1.3 Terrain and Signal Strength .................................................... 1415.1.4 Antenna & Feedline Selection ................................................ 1425.1.5 How Much Output Power Can be Used? ............................... 1455.1.6 Conducting a Site Survey ...................................................... 1455.1.7 A Word About Radio Interference ........................................... 1465.2 dBm-WATTS-VOLTS CONVERSION CHART........................149
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MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 1536.1 DATA INTERFACE CONNECTORSThree 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 PortThe 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) High2 Transmit Data (TX) Low3 Receive Data (RX) High4 Unused5 Unused6 Receive Data (RX) Low7 Unused8 UnusedCAUTIONRADIO FREQUENCYINTERFERENCE POTENTIAL1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
154 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A6.1.2 USB PortsThe transceiver contains two USB Type-A connectors (see Figure 6-2) and one USB Type-B connector (see Figure 6-3). These ports conforms to version 1.1 of the USB standard. The pin functions for this connector are provided in the table below.Figure 6-2. USB Type-A Connector(As viewed from the outside of the unit) Invisible place holderFigure 6-3. USB Type-B Connector6.1.3 COM1 PortTo 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 6-4 and Table 6-2.Figure 6-4. COM1 Port (DCE)(Viewed from the outside of the unit.) Pin Signal Name Description Std. Cable Color1 PC_USB_+5V +5 Vdc Red2 USBD– USB Data Minus White3 USBD+ USB Data Plus Green4 Ground Chassis Ground BlackTable 6-2. COM1 Port Pinout, DB-9F/RS-232 InterfacePin Functions DCE1 Unused2 Receive Data (RXD) <—[ Out1596
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 1556.2 FUSE REPLACEMENT PROCEDUREAn 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 6-5 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.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-BloMDS P/N: 29-1784A038. Install the covers and check the transceiver for proper operation.3 Transmit Data (TXD) —>[ In4 Unused5 Signal Ground (GND)6–9 Unused Figure 6-5. Internal Fuse and Holder AssemblyTable 6-2. COM1 Port Pinout, DB-9F/RS-232 InterfacePin Functions DCE
156 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AInvisible place holder6.3 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSGENERALTemperature Range: –40° C to +60° C (–40° F to 158° F)Humidity: 95% at +40° C (104° F); non-condensingPrimary Power: 10.5–30 Vdc (13.8 Vdc Nominal)External Power Supply Options: 110–120/210–220 VacSupply Current (TX): AP: 14.5 Watts @ 1 Watt RF OutputRemote: 3.2 watts @ 1 Watt RF OutputSupply Current (RX): AP: 4 WattsRemote: 3 wattsMTBF: 35 Years (Telcordia Method 1, Case 3)Size (Excluding mtg. hardware): 5.72 x 20 x 12.38 cm (H x W x D)(2.25" x 7.88" x 4.88" in)Mounting w/Optional Hardware: • DIN Rail• Flat surface mounting brackets• 19” rack tray (2U high)Weight: 0.91 kg / 2 lbCase: Die Cast AluminumBoot Time: ≈ 45 sec Time Required to Associatewith Access Point: ≈ 20 sec APPROVALS/HOMOLOGATION• FCC Part 15.247FCC identifier: E5MDS-Mercury 900• Industry Canada RSS-210Certification no.: 3738A-Mercury 900• CSA/US Class 1, Div. 2; Groups A, B, C and D hazardous locations• Contact factory for information on availability and governmental approvals in other countriesMANAGEMENT• HTTP (Embedded Web server)• Telnet, local console• SNMP v1/v2/v3• MIB II• Enterprise MIB• SYSLOG• MDS NETview MS compatibleDATA CHARACTERISTICSPORTS:
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 157Ethernet Interface: • 10/100BaseT, RJ-45 Standard• IEEE 802.3, Spanning Tree (Bridging), IGMP, IP (DHCP, ICMP, UDP, TCP, ARP)Raw Bit Rate (LAN port): 12.7 Mbps–64 QAM4.8 Mbps–16 QAM2.4 Mbps–QPSK.2 Mbps–BPSKSerial Interface (COM1):Signaling Standard: EIA-232/V.24Interface Connector: DB-9FInterface: • DCE• Encapsulation over IP (tunneling) for serial async multidrop protocolsData Rate: 1200–115,200 bpsasynchronousData Latency: < 10 ms typicalByte Formats: 7 or 8-bit; even, odd, or no-parity; 1 or 2 stop bitsOther Interfaces: Two CardBus SlotsUSB Device and host portsBuilt-in GPS (Optional)LEDs: PWR, COM1, LINK, USB, LANOPERATING MODES: Configurable as Access Point or Remote StationCONFIGURATIONS:: Serial and EthernetRemote Serial GatewaySerial onlyRemote Ethernet BridgeEthernet only (with multi-drop capability):PROTOCOLS: • Wireless: CSMA/CA (Collision Avoidance)• Ethernet: IEEE 802.3, Ethernet II, Spanning Tree (Bridging), 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• Special: Allen-Bradley EtherNet/IP* - Modbus/TCP (optional)CYBER SECURITY• MDS Cyber Security Suite, Level 1: • AES-128 encryption (optional)• MDS Cyber Security Suite, Level 2: • RC4-128 encryption•Automatic rotating key algorithm•Authentication: 802.1x, RADIUS, EAP/TLS, PKI, PAP, CHAP•Management: SSL, SSH, HTTPS•Approved AP/Remotes list (local authentication)•Failed login lockdown•900 MHz operation and proprietary data framingRADIO CHARACTERISTICSGENERAL:
158 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AFrequency Range: 902–928 MHz ISM BandFrequency Hopping Range: Five user-configurable 2.5 MHz-wide zones, each containing 5 frequenciesHop Patterns: 8192, based on network nameFrequency Stability: 20 ppmAntenna Connectors: TX/RX and RX (diversity)—TNCGPS—Female SMATRANSMITTER:Power Output(at antenna connector): 0.1 to 1.0 watt (+20 dBm to +30 dBm) ±1.0 dB, set by userDuty Cycle: ContinuousModulation Type: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (OFDM)Output Impedance: 50 OhmsSpurious: –67 dBcOccupied Bandwidth(data channels): +/- 3 MHz wide data channelsRECEIVER:Type: Double conversion superheterodyneSensitivity: –86 dBm through –101 dBm with 10-6 BERIntermodulation: 59 dB Minimum (EIA)Desensitization: 70 dBSpurious: 60 dBTRANSMIT/RECEIVE RANGE (Nominal)512 kbps Fixed Range (typical): 15 miles (24 km)Fixed Range (maximum): 60 miles (97 km)Mobile Range (parked): 5 miles (8 km)Mobile Range (moving): 3 miles (5 km)1.5 Mbps Fixed Range (typical): 8 miles (13 km)Fixed Range (maximum): 15 miles (24 km)Note: Specifications subject to change without notice or obligation.
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 159NOTE: Range calculations for fixed locations assume a 6 dBd gainOmnidirectional antenna on a 100 ft tower at the AP, a 10 dBdgain Yagi on a 25 ft mast at the remote with output powerdecreased to yield maximum allowable EIRP (36 dBm), a 10dB fade margin, and a mix of agricultural and commercialterrain with line of sight.Range calculations for mobile units assume a 6 dBd gain Omnion a 100 ft tower at the AP, a 5 dBd gain Omni with 1 wattoutput power at 6 ft height, a 10 dB fade margin, and 90%confidence with near line-of-sight in a mix of agricultural andcommercial terrain.Actual performance is dependent on many factors includingantenna height, blocked paths, and terrain.6.4 CHANNEL TABLEThe transceiver operates on x channels, numbered 0 to x as listed in Table 6-3. (Channel info to be supplied.)6.5 SNMP USAGE NOTES6.5.1 OverviewThe firmware release described in this manual contains major changes to the transceiver’s SNMP Agent, several new MIB variables, and new Table 6-3. Channel Table Zone Channel Frequency0 902.50001 902.81652 903.13303 903.44954 903.76605 904.08256 904.39907 904.71558 905.03209 905.348510 905.6650
160 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AAgent configuration options. This guide reviews the changes and shows how to properly configure the Agent to take advantage of these new fea-tures.SNMPv3 SupportThe 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 AccountsThe following default accounts are available for the SNMP Agent:enc_mdsadmin—Read/write account using Authentication and Encryp-tionauth_mdsadmin—Read/write account using Authenticationenc_mdsviewer—Read only account using Authentication and Encryp-tionauth_mdsviewer—Read only account using Authenticationdef_mdsviewer—Read only account with no Authentication or Encryp-tionContext NamesThe following Context Names are used (please refer to RFC2574 for full details):Admin accounts: context_a / Viewer accounts: context_vAll accounts share the same default passwords:
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 161Authentication default password: MDSAuthPwd / Privacy default pass-word: MDSPrivPwdPasswords 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 ChangesWhen 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.
162 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 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 6-4. SNMP Traps (Sorted by Code) SNMP Trap Severity DescriptionsystemBoot(32) INFORM SNR Within threshold/Below thresholdsystemReboot(33) MAJOR Telnet User Logged Out/Logged InstartScan(34) INFORM Reprogramming StartedrxBeaconErrored(35) INFORM Received Beacon - Netname Does Not MatchrxBeaconWrongNetworkName (36) INFORM Received Beacon - AP is BlacklistedrxBeaconFromBlacklistAP(37) MAJOR Max Beacon Wait Time ExceededexpectedSync(38) INFORM Expected Sync Lost/EstablishedhopSync(39) INFORM Hop Sync Lost/Establishedsnr(41) INFORM Scanning Startedber(42) INFORM Bit Error Rate Below threshold/Above thresholdassociated(43) MAJOR Association Lost/EstablishedapParmChange(44) MINOR Association Lost - AP Hop Parameter ChangedreprogStarted(45) MAJOR Reprogramming FailedreprogComplete(46) MAJOR Rem Ethernet Link Connected/DisconnectedreprogFailed(47) INFORM Reprogramming CompletetelnetLogin(48) MAJOR Telnet Access Locked for 5 MinhttpLogin(49) MAJOR HTTP User Logged Out/Logged IncountrySkipZoneMismatch(50) INFORM Country/SkipZone MismatchdesiredAPIPMismatch(51) INFORM Desired AP IP Addr MismatcheventLogCleared(52) INFORM Log Cleared
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 163authDemoMode(53) MAJOR Auth Demo Mode Expired -- Rebooted Radio/EnabledkeyEntered(54) MAJOR Auth Key Entered - Key Valid/Key InvalidapEthLinkDown(55) MAJOR Association Lost - AP's Ethernet Link DownnoBeacons(56) MAJOR MAC Param ChangedapNotApproved(57) MAJOR Current AP No Longer ApprovednetnameChanged(58) MAJOR Association Lost - Local Network Name ChangedipAddrChanged(59) MAJOR Association Lost - Local IP Address ChangedassocTryFail(60) MAJOR Association Attempt Success/FailedremEthLinkLost(61) INFORM Received Beacon - Valid/ErroredconsoleLogin(62) MAJOR Console User Logged Out/Logged InconsoleLockdown(63) MAJOR Console Access Locked for 5 MintelnetLockdown(64) INFORM System Bootup (power on)httpLockdown(65) MAJOR HTTP Access Locked for 5 MineventRemote(66) INFORM Remote added/removed from internal databaseeventEndpoint(67) INFORM Endpoint added/removed from internal databaserouteAdded(68) INFORM Radio attempted but failed to add a route to its internal routing tablerouteDeleted(69) INFORM Radio attempted but failed to delete a route from its internal routing tablesinRemSwitch(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 transferapNetNameChanged(74) MAJOR Remote lost association due to a change in the AP’s netnameipConnectivityOK(75) INFORM Radio is associated AND 1) has an IP address statically defined, OR 2) received an IP address via DHCPcompressionChanged(76) INFORM Compression state has changed (enabled, disabled)macDecryptError(77) INFORM MAC has received a packet that it could not decryptlanPortStatus(78) INFORM Ethernet port has changed (enabled, disabled)tftpConnFailed(79) INFORM TFTP server on AP failed to transfersdbError(80) INFORM AP encountered an internal database errorTable 6-4. SNMP Traps (Sorted by Code) (Continued)SNMP Trap Severity Description
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MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 1657GLOSSARY OF TERMSAND ABBREVIATIONS7 Chapter Counter Reset ParagraphIf you are new to wireless IP/Ethernet systems, some of the terms used in this guide may be unfamiliar. The following glossary explains many of these terms and will prove helpful in understanding the operation of your radio network.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 44.)Active Scanning—See Passive ScanningAntenna 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 PointAssociation—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 UnitsBPS—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 AvoidanceCSMA/CD—Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision DetectionCyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)—A technique used to verify data integrity. It is based on an algorithm which generates a value derived
166 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. Afrom 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 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.
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 167DSP—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 asModbus frame or any other polled asynchronous protocol frame, isplaced in the data portion of another protocol frame (in this case IP) tobe 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 thedata from the IP envelope, resulting in the original packet in the originalprotocol.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.Frequency Zone—The radio uses up to 80 discrete channels in the 902 to 928 MHz spectrum. A group of 8 channels is referred to as a zone; in total there are 10 zones.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.
168 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AHop 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 ProtocolIAPP (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 ProtocolIGMP (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 EngineersImage (File)—Data file that contains the operating system and other essential resources for the basic operation of the radio’s CPU. LAN—Local Area NetworkLatency—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 ControllerMD5—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.MIB—Management Information BaseMicrocontroller 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
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 169continue 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 FailuresMultiple Address System (MAS)—See Point-Multipoint System.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 MDS radios in a radio network.NTP—Network Time ProtocolPacket—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-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.
170 MDS Mercury User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. APortability—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 InterferenceRoaming—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. 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 IndicatorRTU—Remote Terminal Unit. A data collection device installed at a remote radio site.
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide 171SCADA—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 ProtocolSNR—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 ProtocolSSL—Secure Socket LayerSSH—Secure ShellSTP—Spanning Tree ProtocolStanding-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 ProtocolTFTP—Trivial File Transfer ProtocolTrap Manager—Software that collects SNMP traps for display or log-ging of events.UDP—User Datagram ProtocolUTP—Unshielded Twisted PairWINS—Windows Internet Naming Service. Part of Microsoft Win-dows NT and 2000 servers that manages the association of workstation names and locations with Internet Protocol addresses. It works without the user or an administrator having to be involved in each configuration change. Similar to DNS.Zone—See Frequency Zone.
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MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide iINDEXNumerics100BaseT 13910BaseT 139802.11b 8AAccess Point (AP), defined 167accessories 15Active Scanning, defined 167, 171Actual Data Rate 87Add Associated Remotes 83AgeTime 94, 95alarm conditions 128correcting 130Alarmed 126Antennaaiming 135directional 146Minimum Feedline Length versus Antenna Gain 144omnidirectional 143polarization 142selection 142SWR check 134system gain 167system gain vs. power output setting 148system gain, defined 167Yagi 143APAuto Upgrade 94Reboot when Upgraded 94applicationIP-to-Serial 73Mixed-Modes 78Point-to-Multipoint Serial-to-Serial 75Point-to-Point Serial-to-Serial 74Serial Port 78ApprovedAccess Points/Remotes List 81Remotes/Access Points List 82Associated 126AssociationDate 94defined 167Process 93Time 94attenuation 22Auth Traps Status 52Authorization Key 116, 119defined 167Authorized Features 116Auto Data Rate MenuRSSI Threshold/Delta 57SNR Threshold/Delta 57Auto Key Rotation 81Auto-Upgrade/Remote-Reboot 116BBackhaulfor Serial Radio Networks 7Network 7bandpass filter 146BeaconPeriod 54, 100, 101signal 93Begin Wizard 65Bit, defined 167Bits-per-second (bps), defined 167BPDU 98defined 167BPS, defined 167Bytesdefined 167in on port 97in on socket 97out on port 97out on socket 97received 91, 92sent 91, 92CcableEthernet crossover 23feedlines 143serial 23ClearCom# statistics 97Ethernet stats 92Log 89Wireless stats 92Collocating Multiple Radio Networks 13Commit Changes and Exit Wizard 67, 69, 70, 72, 73compression 53, 101Computerhost, defined 170configuration 23, 67, 68, 70, 71, 72basic device parameters 42defaults 23DHCP server 48editing files 114Ethernet Port 47file 108, 123IP address 46network 44PPP Mode 72radio parameters 52scripts 107, 108security 79serial interfaces 62SNMP Agent 50TCP Mode 69UDP mode 66Connection Status 93connectors 153Contact 43
ii iNET Series User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. Acost of deployment 8Count 119CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check), defined 167CSMACA, defined 167CD, defined 167CurrentAlarms 89AP IP Address 94AP Mac Address 94Custom Data Buffer Size 67, 69, 70, 72, 73Ddatabaud 72baud rate 67, 68, 70, 71buffering 64, 70compression 101rate 53DatabaseLogging 46Timeout 46Datagram, defined 168DataRate 95Date 43Format 43dB, defined 168dBi, defined 168dBmdefined 168watts-volts conversion 149DCE, defined 168default gateway 46defaultsreset to factory 119DeleteAll Remotes 83Remote 82Delimiter, defined 168deployment costs 8Description 43DeviceIP Address 72Mode 40, 44, 45Mode, defined 168Name 40, 43Status 40, 126DHCP 46, 47defined 168Netmask 49Server Configuration 45Diagnostic Tools 128dimensions 139DKEY command 134DNS Address 49DSP (Digital Signal Processing), defined 169DTE 9, 62defined 169Dwell Time 54, 100Dynamic Mode 47EEIA-232 9Embedded Management System 23Encapsulation, defined 169Encryption 81Phrase 82Ending Address 49Endpointdefined 169Listing 87Listing Menu 95Equalization, defined 169EthernetAddress 46Link (H/W) Watch 48Link Poll Address 48Packet Statistics 92port enabled/disabled 48Rate Limit 48Event Log 87, 88, 126, 128, 130, 131FFade Margin 169Feedlineselection 142, 143Filename 90, 103, 107firmwareinstalling 104upgrade 103, 117version 41, 43Flow Control 65, 67, 69, 70, 71, 72hardware, defined 169Force Key Rotation 82Force Reboot 117Fragmentationdefined 169Threshold 54, 100Frame, defined 169Frequency 118hopping, defined 169zone, defined 169fuse replacement 155Ggainantenna, defined 167system 147Glossary 167–173Go 119HHardwareflow control, defined 169Version 41, 43HopFormat 55pattern 146Pattern Seed 54Pattern Seed, defined 170Sync 126Hoppingchannels 159frequency, defined 169pattern seed, defined 170Host computer, defined 170HTTPdefined 170Security Mode 81
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide iiiIIANA 63IAPP, defined 170ICMP, defined 170IEEE, defined 170IETF standard RFC1213 50IGMP, defined 170ImageCopy 103file, defined 170Verify 103iNET II, differences of 53, 55, 57, 59, 135Installationantenna & feedline 142feedline selection 143general information 3planning 139requirements 139site selection 141site survey 145Interference 146InternetAssigned Numbers Authority 63Control Message Protocol, defined 170IP 48Addr 119Address 40, 44, 94, 95, 115address 47Address Configuration 45Address Mode 47Gateway 115Mobile, defined 170Protocol 66, 68, 69, 71, 72tunneling 63KKeytransmitter, for antenna SWR check 134KEY command 134LLAN 47defined 170Latency 101Latency, defined 170Latest AP Firmware Version 94LEDCOM1 27LAN 26, 124LINK 26, 27, 124, 136, 145PWR 26, 27, 88, 90, 124, 128, 131use during troubleshooting 123Link Established 73LocalArea Network, defined 170IP Port 66, 68Listening IP Port 71Location 43, 115Logged Events 131Lost Carrier Detected 92, 127MMAC Address 94, 95, 98Management System 23user interfaces 31Maximum Remotes 45MD5, defined 170MDS Security Suite 14measurementsradio 133Media Access Controller, defined 170MIBdefined 170files 50Mobile 59Mobile DataBeacon Period 61Compression 61configuration 59Dwell Time 61Fragmentation Threshold 61RTS Threshold 62Mobile IP, defined 170Mobilitydefined 171Mobility Capability 10MODBUS 70ModeDevice, defined 168mixed 77serial gateway interface 10TCP 10UDP 10Model Number 42MTBF, defined 171MulticastIP Address 66IP Port 66multipleprotocols 7services 7NNEMA 8net mask 46NetworkName 13, 21, 40, 44, 45, 115Name, defined 171Time Protocol (NTP), defined 171-wide diagnostics 171networkmaintenance 101operation principles 97performance optimization 100performance verification 86network design 10antennas 11collocating multiple radio networks 13network name 11repeaters 10using multiple Access Points 12Using the AP as a Store-and-Forward Packet Repeater 12using two transceivers to form a repeater station 10NTP (Network Time Protocol), defined 171OOutgoing Connection’s Inactivity Timeout 70Owner 43
iv iNET Series User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. APPacketdefined 171Redundancy Mode 67, 68Size 119Statistics 87, 91, 127PacketsDropped 91, 92, 127Received 91, 92Received by Zone 92Sent 91, 92Passive Scanning, defined 171Password Reset 119PCconnection to transceiver 23Performance Information Menu 100PING 21, 27, 145defined 171Ping Utility 119PLC 9defined 172Point-Multipoint System, defined 171Point-to-PointLAN Extension 6Link 7Poll, defined 171portantenna 134COM1 9, 23, 24, 62, 73, 142, 154COM2 9, 24, 62, 73Ethernet 21IP 73LAN 23, 24, 153not Enabled 73Portability, defined 172portsserial 7powerhow much can be used 145primary 22transmitter power output 134PPP 64Primary Host Address 69Primary IP Port 70Programmable Logic Controller 9protocolBPDU 98ICMP, defined 170IP 24, 48, 62MODBUS 70PPP 64SNMP 31, 50, 161defined 173SNTP 45, 173STP 98STP, defined 173TCP 62, 63, 69, 73, 77, 101defined 173TFTP 104defined 173UDP 62, 63, 73, 74, 77, 101defined 173PuTTY usage 35defined 172RRadioFrequency Interference 13, 146Remote, defined 172Test 117range, transmission 8Read Community String 51RebootDevice 103on Upgrade 117Receive errors 91, 92, 127Received Signal Strength Indicator 22, 141defined 172RedundancyUsing multiple Access Points 12RemoteIP Address 68IP Port 68Listing 87Listing Menu 94Performance Listing 87, 96radio, defined 172Terminal Unit 9Terminal Unit, defined 172Repeater 10antennas 11Network Name 11Using the AP as a Store-and-Forward Packet Repeater 12Using two transceivers to form a repeater station 10reprogramming 102Resetting the Password 119Restart DHCP Server 50Retries 92, 127Retrieve File 103, 108Retry errors 92, 127RetryEr 96RF Output Power 53, 86RFI 13defined 172Roaming, defined 172RSSI 22, 86, 118, 127, 135, 141by Zone 87defined 172Threshold 55RTS Threshold 54, 100RTS/CTS handshaking 67RTU 9, 62, 73, 78defined 172RxBCMC 96RxPkts 95, 96RxRate 96RxViaEP 96SSave Changes 83SCADA 7, 9, 64defined 173Scanning 126Active, defined 171Passive, defined 171Seamless Inter-Frame Delay 67, 69, 70, 72, 73SecondaryHost Address 70IP Port 70securityApproved Access Points/Remotes List 81
MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. A MDS Mercury User’s Guide vAuto Key Rotation 81encryption 81Encryption Phrase 82Force Key Rotation 82general information 3HTTP Security Mode 81risks 14suite 14Telnet Access 80Two-Way Authentication 80User Password 80SendFile 108Log 89Sending LCP Requests 73SerialConfiguration Wizard 64Data Statistics 97encapsulation 63Mode 67, 69, 70, 71, 72Number 41, 42Port Statistics 127radio networks, backhaul 7Server Status 49Signal strength 141Signal-to-Noise Ratio 86defined 173Simple NetworkManagement Protocol, defined 173Time Protocol, defined 173Site selection 141Skip Zone, defined 173SNMP 31Config Menu 45defined 173Mode 51, 80traps 164usage 161V3 Passwords 52SNR 55defined 173Threshold 55SNTP 45defined 173Spanning Tree Protocol 98Spanning Tree Protocol, defined 173Specifications 156–159SSH, defined 173SSL, defined 173Standing Wave Ratio 173StartingAddress 49Information Screen 42State 94Static IPAddress 47Gateway 47Netmask 47Status 40, 66, 68, 69, 71, 72STP, defined 173subnet 47SWR 134, 173defined 173performance optimization 134Syslog Server 90system gain, antenna 167system gain, antenna (defined) 167System Mode 115TTCP 10, 63, 77, 101Client 63defined 173Server 63Telnet 73Access 80Test Mode 118TFTPdefined 173Host Address 89, 103, 107Time-out 90Timeout 103, 108Time 43Time to Live (TTL) 66TransmissionControl Protocol, defined 173range 8transparent encapsulation 63TrapCommunity String 51Manager 52Manager, defined 173Version 52Troubleshooting 123–133Using the Embedded Management System 124Two-Way Authentication 80TX Output Power 118TxKey 118TxPkt 96TxPkts 96TxViaEP 96UUDP 10, 63, 74, 77, 101defined 173mode 66Unit Name 115Uptime 41, 43User Datagram Protocol, defined 173User Password 80Using multiple Access Points 12UTP, defined 173VV3Authentication Password 51Privacy Password 51via Remote 95ViewApproved Remotes 83Current Alarms 90Current Settings 65Event Log 91Log 89volts-dBm-watts conversion 149Wwatts-dBm-volts conversion 149WINSAddress 49defined 173
vi iNET Series User’s Guide MDS 05-4446A01, Rev. AWirelessAddress 46Network Status 87, 93Packet Statistics 91wizardserial configuration 64Write community String 51YYagi antenna 143ZZone, defined 173
IN CASE OF DIFFICULTY...MDS products are designed for long life and trouble-free operation. However, this equipment, as with all electronic equipment, may have an occasional component failure. The following informa-tion will assist you in the event that servicing becomes necessary.TECHNICAL ASSISTANCETechnical assistance for MDS products is available from our Technical Support Department during business hours (8:00 A.M.—5:30 P.M. Eastern Time). When calling, please give the complete model number of the radio, along with a description of the trouble/symptom(s) that you are expe-riencing. In many cases, problems can be resolved over the telephone, without the need for returning the unit to the factory. Please use one of the following means for product assistance:Phone: 585 241-5510 E-Mail: TechSupport@microwavedata.comFAX: 585 242-8369 Web: www.microwavedata.comFACTORY SERVICEComponent level repair of radio equipment is not recommended in the field. Many components are installed using surface mount technology, which requires specialized training and equipment for proper servicing. For this reason, the equipment should be returned to the factory for any PC board repairs. The factory is best equipped to diagnose, repair and align your radio to its proper operating specifications.If return of the equipment is necessary, you will be issued a Service Request Order (SRO) number. The SRO number will help expedite the repair so that the equipment can be repaired and returned to you as quickly as possible. Please be sure to include the SRO number on the outside of the ship-ping box, and on any correspondence relating to the repair. No equipment will be accepted for repair without an SRO number.A statement should accompany the radio describing, in detail, the trouble symptom(s), and a description of any associated equipment normally connected to the radio. It is also important to include the name and telephone number of a person in your organization who can be contacted if additional information is required.The radio must be properly packed for return to the factory. The original shipping container and packaging materials should be used whenever possible. All factory returns should be addressed to:Microwave Data SystemsProduct Services Department(SRO No. XXXX)175 Science ParkwayRochester, NY 14620 USAWhen repairs have been completed, the equipment will be returned to you by the same shipping method used to send it to the factory. Please specify if you wish to make different shipping arrange-ments. To inquire about an in-process repair, you may contact our Product Services Group at 585-241-5540 (FAX: 585-242-8400), or via e-mail at ProductServices@microwavedata.com.
Microwave Data Systems Inc.Rochester, NY 14620General Business: +1 585 242-9600FAX: +1 585 242-9620Web: www.microwavedata.com175 Science ParkwayA product of Microwave Data Systems Inc.

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