Tibbo Ethernet-to-Serial Devices:

Hardware, Firmware, PC software

Copyright Tibbo Technology 2000-2005

Tibbo Document System

Table of Contents
Introduction

Hardware Manuals

Ethernet-to-Serial Modules
................................................................................................................................... 1
Comparison Chart for Ethernet-to-Serial
...............................................................................................................................................................
Modules
EM100 Ethernet-to-Serial Module
...............................................................................................................................................................
I/O Pin Assignment and Pin Functions
............................................................................................................................................................
Ethernet Port Lines
..........................................................................................................................................................
Serial Port and General-Purpose
..........................................................................................................................................................
I/O Lines
LED Lines
..........................................................................................................................................................
Power, Reset, and Mode Selection
..........................................................................................................................................................
Lines
Mechanical Dimensions
............................................................................................................................................................
Specifications and EM100 Modifications
............................................................................................................................................................
EM120 Ethernet-to-Serial Module
...............................................................................................................................................................
I/O Pin Assignment and Pin............................................................................................................................................................
Functions
Ethernet Port Lines
..........................................................................................................................................................
Serial Port and General-Purpose
..........................................................................................................................................................
I/O Lines
LED Lines
..........................................................................................................................................................
Power, Reset, and Mode Selection
..........................................................................................................................................................
Lines
Mechanical Dimensions
............................................................................................................................................................
Specifications and EM120 Modifications
............................................................................................................................................................
EM200 Ethernet Module ...............................................................................................................................................................
I/O Pin Assignment and Pin............................................................................................................................................................
Functions
Ethernet Port Lines
..........................................................................................................................................................
Serial Port and General-Purpose
..........................................................................................................................................................
I/O Lines
LED Lines
..........................................................................................................................................................
Power, Reset, and Mode Selection
..........................................................................................................................................................
Lines
Mechanical Dimensions
............................................................................................................................................................
Specifications and EM200 Modifications
............................................................................................................................................................
EM202 Ethernet-to-Serial Module
...............................................................................................................................................................
I/O Pin Assignment and Pin............................................................................................................................................................
Functions
Serial Port and General-Purpose
..........................................................................................................................................................
I/O Lines
LED Lines
..........................................................................................................................................................
Power, Reset, and Mode Selection
..........................................................................................................................................................
Lines
Built-in LEDs
............................................................................................................................................................
Built-in RJ45 Ethernet Connector
............................................................................................................................................................
Mechanical Dimensions
............................................................................................................................................................
Specifications and EM202 Modifications
............................................................................................................................................................
EM1000 BASIC-programmable
...............................................................................................................................................................
Ethernet Module
EM1000-00 and -01
............................................................................................................................................................
I/O Pin Assignment and Pin............................................................................................................................................................
Functions
General-purpose I/O Lines ..........................................................................................................................................................
Ethernet Port Lines
..........................................................................................................................................................
Serial Ports
..........................................................................................................................................................
Square Wave Generator ..........................................................................................................................................................
FLASH and EEPROM Memory
..........................................................................................................................................................
Real-time Counter
..........................................................................................................................................................
LED Lines
..........................................................................................................................................................
Power, Reset, PLL Control,..........................................................................................................................................................
and Mode Selection Lines
Mechanical Dimensions
............................................................................................................................................................
Specifications and EM1000 ............................................................................................................................................................
Modifications

2
4
5
5
6
7
8
9
9
10
11
11
12
13
14
15
15
16
17
17
19
20
21
22
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
28
29
30
30
32
33
37
37
40
40
40
40
41
42
43
44

Ethernet-to-Serial Boards
................................................................................................................................... 45
EM100-EV Evaluation Board
...............................................................................................................................................................

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

46

Contents

II

Power Jack
............................................................................................................................................................
Ethernet Port Pin Assignment
............................................................................................................................................................
RS232 Port Pin Assignment............................................................................................................................................................
EM120/EM200-EV Evaluation
...............................................................................................................................................................
Board
Power Jack
............................................................................................................................................................
Ethernet Port Pin Assignment
............................................................................................................................................................
RS232 Port Pin Assignment............................................................................................................................................................
Expansion Connector Pin Assignment
............................................................................................................................................................
EM202-EV Ethernet-to-Serial
...............................................................................................................................................................
Board
Power Jack
............................................................................................................................................................
Ethernet Port Pin Assignment
............................................................................................................................................................
RS232 Port Pin Assignment............................................................................................................................................................
TTL Interface Connector Pin
............................................................................................................................................................
Assignment
Mechanical Dimensions
............................................................................................................................................................
EM1000-EV Evaluation Board
...............................................................................................................................................................
EM1000-EV-00 and -01
............................................................................................................................................................
Converting EM1000-EV-00 ..........................................................................................................................................................
into -01
Power Jack and Power Terminals
............................................................................................................................................................
Ethernet Port (RJ45) Pin Assignment
............................................................................................................................................................
RS232 Port (DB8M) and 2x5............................................................................................................................................................
Header Pin Assignment
LEDs
............................................................................................................................................................
Jumpers and Buttons
............................................................................................................................................................

47
47
47
48
48
49
49
50
51
52
52
52
53
54
55
56
56
59
60
60
61
62

Ethernet-to-Serial Servers
................................................................................................................................... 63
Comparison Chart for Ethernet-to-Serial
...............................................................................................................................................................
Servers
DS100 Serial Device Server
...............................................................................................................................................................
DS100 Connectors and Controls
............................................................................................................................................................
Power Jack
..........................................................................................................................................................
Ethernet Port Pin Assignment
..........................................................................................................................................................
Serial Port Pin Assignment..........................................................................................................................................................
and i/f Selection
Status LEDs
..........................................................................................................................................................
Setup Button
..........................................................................................................................................................
Specifications and DS100 modifications
............................................................................................................................................................
DS202 Serial Device Server
...............................................................................................................................................................
DS202 Connectors and Controls
............................................................................................................................................................
Power Jack
..........................................................................................................................................................
Ethernet Port Pin Assignment
..........................................................................................................................................................
RS232 Port Pin Assignment..........................................................................................................................................................
Status LEDs
..........................................................................................................................................................
Setup Button
..........................................................................................................................................................
Specifications and DS202 Modifications
............................................................................................................................................................

63
64
65
65
65
66
67
67
68
69
70
70
71
71
72
72
72

Kits and Accessories ................................................................................................................................... 73

WAS-P0004(B) DS-to-Device
...............................................................................................................................................................
Serial Cable
WAS-1404 DS-to-Device Serial
...............................................................................................................................................................
Cable
WAS-P0005(B) DS-to-PC Serial
...............................................................................................................................................................
Cable
WAS-1455 DS-to-PC Serial...............................................................................................................................................................
Cable
WAS-1499 'Straight' Ethernet
...............................................................................................................................................................
Cable
WAS-1498 'Crossover' Ethernet
...............................................................................................................................................................
Cable
TB100 Terminal Block Adaptor
...............................................................................................................................................................
12VDC/500mA Power Adaptor
...............................................................................................................................................................
DMK100 DIN Rail/ Wall Mounting
...............................................................................................................................................................
Kit

Firmware Manuals

75
75
75
76
76
76
77
78
78

81

Monitor (for Serial Firmware

...................................................................................................................................
Upgrades)
81
Status LED Signals
DS Startup Procedure
Serial Upgrade Mode

...............................................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................................

82
83
83

Device Server Application

...................................................................................................................................
Firmware (V3.32/V3.63)
84
2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

III

Tibbo Document System

Status LED Signals

...............................................................................................................................................................
Operation
...............................................................................................................................................................
Ethernet Port and Network ............................................................................................................................................................
Communications
UDP Data 'Connections' ..........................................................................................................................................................
Broadcast UDP Communications
..........................................................................................................................................................
TCP Data Connections
..........................................................................................................................................................
DHCP
..........................................................................................................................................................
PPPoE [V3.54+]
..........................................................................................................................................................
Link Server Support
..........................................................................................................................................................
DS Powerup Procedure ..........................................................................................................................................................
Data Connection Establishment
..........................................................................................................................................................
Procedure
Serial Port and Serial Communications
............................................................................................................................................................
Opened and Closed States..........................................................................................................................................................
of the Serial Port
Data Routing
............................................................................................................................................................
Serial-to-Ethernet Data Routing
..........................................................................................................................................................
Programming
...............................................................................................................................................................
Serial Programming
............................................................................................................................................................
Network Programming
............................................................................................................................................................
Out-of-Band (UDP) Programming
..........................................................................................................................................................
Broadcast Out-of-Band (UDP)
..........................................................................................................................................................
Programming
Inband (TCP) Programming
..........................................................................................................................................................
Command-Phase (TCP) Programming
..........................................................................................................................................................
Telnet TCP Programming ..........................................................................................................................................................
[V3.50 and Above]
Authentication
..........................................................................................................................................................
Programming Priorities ............................................................................................................................................................
Error Mode
............................................................................................................................................................
Quick Initialization
............................................................................................................................................................
Custom Profiles
............................................................................................................................................................
Reference
...............................................................................................................................................................
Commands, messages, and
............................................................................................................................................................
replies
Command & message description
..........................................................................................................................................................
format
Login (L) command
..........................................................................................................................................................
Logout (O) command
..........................................................................................................................................................
Reboot (E) command
..........................................................................................................................................................
Initialize (I) command
..........................................................................................................................................................
Set Setting (S) command ..........................................................................................................................................................
Get Setting (G) command..........................................................................................................................................................
Parameter (P) command ..........................................................................................................................................................
Echo (X) command
..........................................................................................................................................................
Status (U) command
..........................................................................................................................................................
Buzz (B) command
..........................................................................................................................................................
Reset Overflow Flags (R) ..........................................................................................................................................................
command
Assign IP-address (A) command
..........................................................................................................................................................
Select In Broadcast Mode ..........................................................................................................................................................
(W) command
Get Firmware Version (V) ..........................................................................................................................................................
command
Jump To Netloader (N) command
..........................................................................................................................................................
[Release3.0]
Set Programming Request..........................................................................................................................................................
Flag (N) command [Release 3.5]
Reset Upload Process (Q)..........................................................................................................................................................
command [Release 3.5]
Upload Data Block (D) command
..........................................................................................................................................................
[Release 3.5]
Cable Status (C) command
..........................................................................................................................................................
Get My IP (T) command ..........................................................................................................................................................
Notification (J) message ..........................................................................................................................................................
Settings
............................................................................................................................................................
Setting description format..........................................................................................................................................................
Network Settings
..........................................................................................................................................................
Owner Name (ON) setting.......................................................................................................................................................
Device Name (DN) setting.......................................................................................................................................................
MAC-address (FE) setting.......................................................................................................................................................
DHCP (DH) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

85
87
88
89
90
91
91
92
93
93
95
97
98
99
99
101
101
102
103
104
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
110
110
111
112
112
113
114
115
116
116
117
118
121
123
124
124
125
126
126
127
128
129
130
130
130
132
132
133
134
134
135
136

Contents

IV

IP-address (IP) setting

.......................................................................................................................................................
Port Number (PN) setting .......................................................................................................................................................
dDNS Service Registration.......................................................................................................................................................
(DD) setting
dDNS Service IP-address .......................................................................................................................................................
(LI) setting
dDNS Service Port (LP) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
LS Auto-registration (AR) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
PPPoE Mode (PP) setting .......................................................................................................................................................
[V3.54+]
PPPoE Login Name (PL) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
[V3.54+]
PPPoE Login Password (PD)
.......................................................................................................................................................
setting [V3.54+]
Gateway IP-address (GI) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
Netmask (NM) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
Password (PW) setting .......................................................................................................................................................
Connection Settings
..........................................................................................................................................................
Connection Timeout (CT) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
Transport Protocol (TP) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
Broadcast UDP (BU) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
Link Service Login (TL) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
Inband Commands (IB) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
Data Login (DL) setting .......................................................................................................................................................
Routing Mode (RM) setting.......................................................................................................................................................
Source IP Filtering (SF) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
Connection Mode (CM) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
Destination IP-address (DI).......................................................................................................................................................
setting
Destination Port Number (DP)
.......................................................................................................................................................
setting
Notification Destination (ND)
.......................................................................................................................................................
setting
Serial Settings
..........................................................................................................................................................
Serial Interface (SI) setting.......................................................................................................................................................
Flow Control (FC) setting .......................................................................................................................................................
DTR Mode (DT) setting .......................................................................................................................................................
DTR Startup Mode (DS) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
Baudrate (BR) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
Parity (PR) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
Bits Per Byte (BB) setting .......................................................................................................................................................
Soft Entry (SE) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
Escape Character (EC) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
On-the-fly Commands (RC)
.......................................................................................................................................................
setting
On-the-fly Password (OP) .......................................................................................................................................................
setting
Notification Bitmask (NB) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
Encapsulation Settings ..........................................................................................................................................................
Maximum Packet Length (ML)
.......................................................................................................................................................
setting
Maximum Intercharacter Delay
.......................................................................................................................................................
(MD) setting
Start On Any Character (SA)
.......................................................................................................................................................
setting
Use Start Character (F1) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
Start Character Code (S1) .......................................................................................................................................................
setting
Use Stop Character (U1) setting
.......................................................................................................................................................
Stop Character Code (E1) .......................................................................................................................................................
setting
Number Of Post Characters
.......................................................................................................................................................
(P1) setting
Parameters and Instructions
............................................................................................................................................................
Parameter & Instruction Description
..........................................................................................................................................................
Format
On-the-fly (Network-Side) ..........................................................................................................................................................
Parameters & Instructions
Flow Control (FC) parameter
.......................................................................................................................................................
Baudrate (BR) parameter .......................................................................................................................................................
Parity (PR) parameter
.......................................................................................................................................................
Bits Per Byte (BB) parameter
.......................................................................................................................................................
Notification Bitmask (NB) parameter
.......................................................................................................................................................
Get I/O Pin Status (Gx) instruction
.......................................................................................................................................................
Set I/O Pin Status (Sx) instruction
.......................................................................................................................................................
Modem (Serial-Side) Parameters
..........................................................................................................................................................
& Instructions
Transport Protocol (TP) parameter
.......................................................................................................................................................
2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

136
137
138
139
139
140
141
142
142
143
144
145
145
146
147
148
148
149
150
150
151
152
153
155
155
156
157
159
160
161
161
162
163
163
165
166
166
167
168
169
170
171
171
172
173
173
174
174
175
175
176
176
177
177
178
178
180
181
182

Tibbo Document System

Link Server Login (TL) parameter

.......................................................................................................................................................
Routing Mode (RM) parameter
.......................................................................................................................................................
Source IP Filtering (SF) parameter
.......................................................................................................................................................
Destination IP-address (DI).......................................................................................................................................................
parameter
Destination Port Number (DP)
.......................................................................................................................................................
parameter
Establish Connection (CE).......................................................................................................................................................
instruction
Close Connection (CC) instruction
.......................................................................................................................................................
Abort Connection (CA) instruction
.......................................................................................................................................................
Firmware Revision History
...............................................................................................................................................................

183
183
183
184
184
185
186
187
188

NetLoader (For Network

...................................................................................................................................
Firmware Upgrades, V1.10)
194
Status LED Signals
...............................................................................................................................................................
MAC- and IP-address Under
...............................................................................................................................................................
the NetLoader
NetLoader Communications
...............................................................................................................................................................
How the NetLoader is Started
...............................................................................................................................................................
Firmware Upload Procedure
...............................................................................................................................................................
Available Commands
...............................................................................................................................................................
Command Description Format
............................................................................................................................................................
Echo (X) command
............................................................................................................................................................
Select In Broadcast Mode ............................................................................................................................................................
(W) command
Start Over (Q) command ............................................................................................................................................................
Data Block (D) command ............................................................................................................................................................
Verify And Start Firmware ............................................................................................................................................................
(E) command
Get Firmware Version (V) ............................................................................................................................................................
command

194
194
195
196
196
197
197
198
198
199
200
201
202

202

Software Manuals

Device Server Toolkit...................................................................................................................................

(DST) Software for Windows (Release 3.9.82)
202
DS Manager
...............................................................................................................................................................
DS Status Icons
............................................................................................................................................................
Access Modes
............................................................................................................................................................
Auto-Discovery Access Mode
..........................................................................................................................................................
Broadcast Access
.......................................................................................................................................................
Troubleshooting (Auto-Discovery
.......................................................................................................................................................
Mode)
Address Book Access Mode
..........................................................................................................................................................
Access Parameters for the.......................................................................................................................................................
Address Book Mode
Preparing the DS for Inband
.......................................................................................................................................................
Access
Troubleshooting (Address .......................................................................................................................................................
Book Mode)
Serial Access Mode
..........................................................................................................................................................
Troubleshooting (Serial Access
.......................................................................................................................................................
Mode)
Functions
............................................................................................................................................................
Editing DS Settings (Settings
..........................................................................................................................................................
Button)
Upgrading DS Firmware (Upgrade
..........................................................................................................................................................
Button)
Initializing the DS (Initialize
..........................................................................................................................................................
Button)
Monitoring DS Status (Routing
..........................................................................................................................................................
Status Button)
"Buzzing" the DS (Buzz Button)
..........................................................................................................................................................
Changing IP-address (Change
..........................................................................................................................................................
IP Button)
Finding a DS on the list (Find
..........................................................................................................................................................
Button)
Editing the Address Book ..........................................................................................................................................................
(Add, Remove, Edit Buttons)
Managing Address Book Groups
..........................................................................................................................................................
(Groups button)
Warnings And Messages ..........................................................................................................................................................
DS Status Messages
.......................................................................................................................................................
Error Mode
.......................................................................................................................................................
Firmware Upgrade Mode .......................................................................................................................................................
IP-address Not Obtained .......................................................................................................................................................
No Response
.......................................................................................................................................................
No Status Info Available .......................................................................................................................................................
Programming in Progress .......................................................................................................................................................
Routing Buffer Overflow .......................................................................................................................................................

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

204
205
207
208
209
210
212
214
215
216
218
219
220
220
222
223
223
225
225
226
226
227
228
228
228
229
229
230
230
230
231

Contents

VI

Unknown Device
.......................................................................................................................................................
Unreachable IP-address .......................................................................................................................................................
Warning and Error Messages
.......................................................................................................................................................
Broadcast Access Not Supported
.......................................................................................................................................................
Could Not Connect to the DS
.......................................................................................................................................................
(Inband Access)
Data Link In Progress
.......................................................................................................................................................
DS Lost (After Changing IP)
.......................................................................................................................................................
DS Lost (After Entering NetLoader)
.......................................................................................................................................................
DS Lost (After Exiting NetLoader)
.......................................................................................................................................................
DS Lost (After Initialization)
.......................................................................................................................................................
Duplicate Address Book Entry
.......................................................................................................................................................
Error Mode (Initialization Required)
.......................................................................................................................................................
Failed to Start the NetLoader
.......................................................................................................................................................
Function Not Available (Upgrade
.......................................................................................................................................................
Mode)
Function Not Supported .......................................................................................................................................................
Incorrect Password
.......................................................................................................................................................
Initialization Failed
.......................................................................................................................................................
Initialization Not Allowed .......................................................................................................................................................
Initialization Required
.......................................................................................................................................................
Input Login Password
.......................................................................................................................................................
Invalid Firmware File (or Comm
.......................................................................................................................................................
Error)
Invalid Firmware Uploaded.......................................................................................................................................................
Invalid IP-address
.......................................................................................................................................................
Network Firmware Upload.......................................................................................................................................................
Aborted
New Password Not Accepted
.......................................................................................................................................................
No Response From the DS.......................................................................................................................................................
(Network)
No Response From the DS.......................................................................................................................................................
(Serial)
Operation Cannot Be Executed
.......................................................................................................................................................
Out-of-Band (UDP) Access.......................................................................................................................................................
Required
Password Will Be Disabled.......................................................................................................................................................
Potential DHCP Conflict .......................................................................................................................................................
Power Up With Setup Button
.......................................................................................................................................................
Pressed
Press Setup Button
.......................................................................................................................................................
Serial Firmware Upload Failed
.......................................................................................................................................................
Serial Upgrade Completed.......................................................................................................................................................
Setting Description File Error
.......................................................................................................................................................
Unable to Find Setting Description
.......................................................................................................................................................
Files
Unexpected NetLoader Error
.......................................................................................................................................................
Unreachable IP-address .......................................................................................................................................................
Unable to Send a Broadcast
.......................................................................................................................................................
VSPD and VSP Manager ...............................................................................................................................................................
How VSP Works
............................................................................................................................................................
VSP Manager
............................................................................................................................................................
VSP Properties
..........................................................................................................................................................
VSP Name Selection
..........................................................................................................................................................
Transport Protocol
..........................................................................................................................................................
Additional Info on UDP and
.......................................................................................................................................................
TCP Connections
On-the-fly Commands
..........................................................................................................................................................
When the VSP Sends On-the-fly
.......................................................................................................................................................
Commands
Handling of RTS, CTS, DTR,
.......................................................................................................................................................
and DSR Signals
Synchronization Issues for.......................................................................................................................................................
On-the-fly Commands
Disabled (With FF Escape).......................................................................................................................................................
Mode of the VSP
Connection Timeout
..........................................................................................................................................................
Routing Mode
..........................................................................................................................................................
Connection Mode
..........................................................................................................................................................
Listening Port
..........................................................................................................................................................
Destination Modes
..........................................................................................................................................................
Single-destination Mode .......................................................................................................................................................
Multi-destination Mode .......................................................................................................................................................
2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

232
232
232
232
233
233
234
234
235
235
236
236
236
237
237
238
238
239
239
240
240
240
241
241
242
242
243
243
243
244
244
245
245
245
246
246
246
247
247
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
258
260
262
263
263
263
264
264
265
266

VII

Tibbo Document System

Specify Destination By ..........................................................................................................................................................

Control lines Tab
..........................................................................................................................................................
Default serial settings Tab..........................................................................................................................................................
Use WinSock for transport............................................................................................................................................................
Unsupported Features and............................................................................................................................................................
Limitations
Warnings and Messages ............................................................................................................................................................
Listening Port is In Use ..........................................................................................................................................................
No Start Characters defined
..........................................................................................................................................................
Port Substitution Required..........................................................................................................................................................
VSP Is in Use
..........................................................................................................................................................
Port Monitor
...............................................................................................................................................................
Preferences Dialog (General
............................................................................................................................................................
Tab)
Preferences Dialog (Event............................................................................................................................................................
Tab)
Data Dump Feature
............................................................................................................................................................
Connection Wizard
...............................................................................................................................................................
Choosing the Wizard Job ............................................................................................................................................................
VSP-to-DS Link
............................................................................................................................................................
VSP Name Selection
..........................................................................................................................................................
Choosing the VSP Name .......................................................................................................................................................
Target DS
..........................................................................................................................................................
Additional Info on Accessing
.......................................................................................................................................................
the DS
Initiator of the Data Exchange
..........................................................................................................................................................
Netmask & Gateway for the
..........................................................................................................................................................
DS
How the Wizard Decides Who
.......................................................................................................................................................
Opens Connections
Transport Protocol & Listening
..........................................................................................................................................................
Ports
On-the-fly Commands
..........................................................................................................................................................
Parameters for the Serial ..........................................................................................................................................................
Port of the DS
Programming Inaccessible..........................................................................................................................................................
DS
Application-to-DS Link
............................................................................................................................................................
Target DS
..........................................................................................................................................................
Additional Info on Accessing
.......................................................................................................................................................
the DS
Initiator of The Data Exchange
..........................................................................................................................................................
Netmask & Gateway for the
..........................................................................................................................................................
DS
How the Wizard Decides Who
.......................................................................................................................................................
Opens Connections
Transport Protocol & Listening
..........................................................................................................................................................
Ports
Parameters for the Serial ..........................................................................................................................................................
port of the DS
Programming an Inaccessible
..........................................................................................................................................................
DS
DS-to-DS Link
............................................................................................................................................................
DS #1 (Must be Local) ..........................................................................................................................................................
DS #2 (Can be Local or Remote)
..........................................................................................................................................................
Additional Info on Accessing
.......................................................................................................................................................
the DS
Initiator of the Data Exchange
..........................................................................................................................................................
Netmask & Gateway for the
..........................................................................................................................................................
DS #1
Netmask & Gateway for the
..........................................................................................................................................................
DS #2
How the Wizard Decides Who
.......................................................................................................................................................
Opens the Connection
Transport Protocol & Listening
..........................................................................................................................................................
Ports
Remote Exchange for RTS,
..........................................................................................................................................................
CTS, DTR, DSR
Parameters for the Serial Port
..........................................................................................................................................................
of the DS #1
Parameters for the Serial Port
..........................................................................................................................................................
of the DS #2
Programming an Inaccessible
..........................................................................................................................................................
DS
Finishing a Remote Job ............................................................................................................................................................
Programming Method for the
..........................................................................................................................................................
DS
Configuration Script File ..........................................................................................................................................................
Reviewing Setup Details ............................................................................................................................................................
Final Screen
............................................................................................................................................................
Warnings and Messages ............................................................................................................................................................
Inband Access for Local DS
..........................................................................................................................................................
MAC-->IP Mapping Advised
..........................................................................................................................................................
DS #1 Must be Local
..........................................................................................................................................................
2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

270
270
271
272
272
273
273
273
273
274
274
275
276
277
278
278
279
279
280
281
282
284
285
286
288
290
291
293
294
294
295
296
297
298
300
303
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
313
315
316
317
317
318
319
320
321
321
322
322
323
323

Contents

VIII

Non-zero Port Number Required

..........................................................................................................................................................
Port is in Use
..........................................................................................................................................................
VSP is Opened by Another
..........................................................................................................................................................
Application
Different IP-address Required
..........................................................................................................................................................
Unable to Find Setting Description
..........................................................................................................................................................
File
Invalid IP-address
..........................................................................................................................................................
The DS is Not Local
..........................................................................................................................................................
Avoid Data Characters with
..........................................................................................................................................................
ASCII code FF
Unable to Send a Broadcast
..........................................................................................................................................................
DST Revision History
...............................................................................................................................................................

323
323
324
324
324
324
325
325
326
326

Virtual Serial Port Driver

...................................................................................................................................
for Linux (VSPDL)
327
How VSP Works
...............................................................................................................................................................
VSPDL Device Files
...............................................................................................................................................................
Installation
...............................................................................................................................................................
Controlling VSPDL Operation
...............................................................................................................................................................
VSPDL Configuration File...............................................................................................................................................................
(vspd.conf)
Sample Configuration File............................................................................................................................................................
General VSPDL Configuration
............................................................................................................................................................
Root Directory for the Daemon
..........................................................................................................................................................
(<root> Section)
Path and Prefix for Device..........................................................................................................................................................
Files (<devprefix> Section)
Host to Bind By Default (<bind>
..........................................................................................................................................................
Section)
Timeout for Basic I/O Operations
..........................................................................................................................................................
(<timeout> Section)
VSPdaemon Event Logging
..........................................................................................................................................................
Configuration (<log> Section)
VSP Configuration (<vsp> ............................................................................................................................................................
Section)
VSP Number (<vsp> Section)
..........................................................................................................................................................
Host and Port to Bind for the
..........................................................................................................................................................
VSP (<bind> Section)
Bind Host (<host> Parameter)
.......................................................................................................................................................
Bind Port (<port> Parameter)
.......................................................................................................................................................
Connection Parameters (<connection>
..........................................................................................................................................................
Section)
Routing Mode (<connection
.......................................................................................................................................................
rmode>)
Transport Protocol (<connection
.......................................................................................................................................................
proto>)
Additional Info on UDP and
.......................................................................................................................................................
TCP Connections
Connection Mode (<connection
.......................................................................................................................................................
conmode>)
Connection Timeout (<connection
.......................................................................................................................................................
timeout>)
On-the-fly Commands (<connection
.......................................................................................................................................................
onthefly>)
Password for On-the-fly Commands
.......................................................................................................................................................
(<connection clogin>)
Data Login (<connection dlogin>)
.......................................................................................................................................................
Destination Device Parameters
..........................................................................................................................................................
(<destination> section)
Destination IP-address (<ip>
.......................................................................................................................................................
parameter)
Destination MAC-address .......................................................................................................................................................
(<mac> parameter)
Destination Data Port (<port>
.......................................................................................................................................................
parameter)
Destination Command Port.......................................................................................................................................................
(<cport> parameter)
Outbound Packet Generation
..........................................................................................................................................................
Options (<packets> section)
Maximum Packet Length (<maxlen>
.......................................................................................................................................................
parameter)
Maximum Intercharacter Delay
.......................................................................................................................................................
(<maxdelay> parameter)
Start on Any Character (<starton>
.......................................................................................................................................................
parameter)
Start Character (<startchar>
.......................................................................................................................................................
parameter)
Stop Character (<stopchar>
.......................................................................................................................................................
parameter)
Event Logging Configuration
..........................................................................................................................................................
for the VSP (<log> section)
Data Dump (<dump> section)
..........................................................................................................................................................

328
329
329
331
331
332
333
334
334
334
334
335
335
336
336
336
337
337
338
338
339
340
341
341
343
343
343
344
344
345
345
345
346
347
347
347
348
348
349

LinkServer Software ................................................................................................................................... 349

Quick Start Guide
...............................................................................................................................................................
Introduction
...............................................................................................................................................................
The Problem
............................................................................................................................................................
Solution 1: Link Service ............................................................................................................................................................
Link Service: Further Details
..........................................................................................................................................................
Solution 2: Dynamic DNS ............................................................................................................................................................
(dDNS) Service
dDNS Service: Further Details
..........................................................................................................................................................
2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

350
350
351
352
352
353
354

IX

Tibbo Document System

Deployment and Administration

...............................................................................................................................................................
LinkServer Installation
............................................................................................................................................................
Requirements
..........................................................................................................................................................
Installation
..........................................................................................................................................................
Startup and Shutdown
..........................................................................................................................................................
Launcher Command Line .......................................................................................................................................................
Parameters
LinkServer Command Line.......................................................................................................................................................
Parameters
Shutting Down the Server .......................................................................................................................................................
Net Admin
.......................................................................................................................................................
System Tray Icon
.......................................................................................................................................................
Account Types
..........................................................................................................................................................
Accessing Administrator Account
..........................................................................................................................................................
AuthKey
..........................................................................................................................................................
Obtaining the AuthKey
.......................................................................................................................................................
Licensing Details
.......................................................................................................................................................
Setting up AuthKey Using .......................................................................................................................................................
DS Manager
Upgrading Your License .......................................................................................................................................................
Configuring LinkServer to .......................................................................................................................................................
Work with AuthKey
LinkServer Configuration ............................................................................................................................................................
Web-based Configuration ..........................................................................................................................................................
File-based Configuration ..........................................................................................................................................................
Configuring Logging
..........................................................................................................................................................
Logging Configuration File.......................................................................................................................................................
Logging Levels
.......................................................................................................................................................
Logging Framework Documentation
.......................................................................................................................................................
Sources
Operation Using Web Admin
...............................................................................................................................................................
Navigating the Web Admin............................................................................................................................................................
Interface
Web Admin Page Reference
............................................................................................................................................................
Home
..........................................................................................................................................................
Registration
..........................................................................................................................................................
Login
..........................................................................................................................................................
Device Servers
..........................................................................................................................................................
View Device Server
.......................................................................................................................................................
Add/edit Device Server .......................................................................................................................................................
Device Server Auto-registration
.......................................................................................................................................................
Events
..........................................................................................................................................................
Settings
..........................................................................................................................................................
User profile
.......................................................................................................................................................
General Information
.......................................................................................................................................................
Contact Information
.......................................................................................................................................................
Change Password
.......................................................................................................................................................
General Settings
.......................................................................................................................................................
Administration
..........................................................................................................................................................
Global Configuration
.......................................................................................................................................................
General Settings
.......................................................................................................................................................
Database Settings
.......................................................................................................................................................
Web Admin Settings
.......................................................................................................................................................
Dynamic DNS Settings .......................................................................................................................................................
Authentication Key Settings
.......................................................................................................................................................
User Management
.......................................................................................................................................................
Create New User Account.......................................................................................................................................................
View User Information
.......................................................................................................................................................
Change User Settings
.......................................................................................................................................................
Restart Server
.......................................................................................................................................................
Stop Server
.......................................................................................................................................................
Logout
..........................................................................................................................................................
Troubleshooting LinkServer
...............................................................................................................................................................
Errors in Accessing AuthKey
............................................................................................................................................................
DS Has Trouble Connecting
............................................................................................................................................................
to Server
2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

355
355
356
356
357
357
358
358
358
359
359
360
360
361
362
362
364
365
365
365
366
367
368
368
369
369
370
370
371
372
372
373
373
374
375
376
376
377
378
378
379
379
379
380
380
382
384
385
388
389
389
389
390
391
391
392
392
392
393

Contents

User Forgot His Password............................................................................................................................................................

Server not Responding ............................................................................................................................................................
Only 5 Devices Can Connect
............................................................................................................................................................

Application Notes

393
394
394

394

AN001. Customization
...................................................................................................................................
Options in Our Products
395
AN002. Practical Advice
...................................................................................................................................
on Integrating EM Module into Your Device
400
Example: PIC with EM202...............................................................................................................................................................

406

AN003. Time Delays ...................................................................................................................................

When the DS is Opening TCP Connection to the PC
406
AN004. How to Send...................................................................................................................................
the Same Data to Several DS
409
AN005. Remotely Controlling
...................................................................................................................................
I/O Lines on the DS
410
AN006. Using Device...................................................................................................................................
Server Toolkit with Windows Firewall (XP/SP2)
413
AN007. Installing and
...................................................................................................................................
Configuring LinkServer
418
Preparing your Network ...............................................................................................................................................................
(Router Configuration)
Downloading and Installing
...............................................................................................................................................................
Software and Firmware
Creating Trial AuthKey ...............................................................................................................................................................
Initial LinkServer Configuration
...............................................................................................................................................................
Creating a User Account ...............................................................................................................................................................
Adding a DS as User
...............................................................................................................................................................
Configuring a Device Server
...............................................................................................................................................................
Configuring a Virtual Serial
...............................................................................................................................................................
Port
Testing with HyperTerminal
...............................................................................................................................................................

419
420
420
423
424
424
425
427
428

AN008. Using HyperTerminal

................................................................................................................................... 430
What is it Good For?
...............................................................................................................................................................
Running HyperTerminal ...............................................................................................................................................................
Setting Correct Parameters
............................................................................................................................................................
on Startup
Establishing a Serial Connection
............................................................................................................................................................
with a Device Server
Establishing a Connection............................................................................................................................................................
Through a Virtual Serial Port
Establishing a TCP/IP Connection
............................................................................................................................................................
with a Device Server
Setting Optional Parameters
............................................................................................................................................................
Using HyperTerminal to Test
...............................................................................................................................................................
a Connection
Two HyperTerminal Windows,
............................................................................................................................................................
one DS
Creating a Loopback for Testing
............................................................................................................................................................
Sending Commands Using
...............................................................................................................................................................
HyperTerminal or Telnet
Sending a Command (Command
............................................................................................................................................................
Format)
Serial Programming
............................................................................................................................................................
Serial Parameters (Modem............................................................................................................................................................
Commands)
Telnet Programming
............................................................................................................................................................
Command-Phase TCP ............................................................................................................................................................
Programming Exercise ............................................................................................................................................................

431
432
432
434
435
441
447
448
449
449
450
450
451
451
454
455
456

AN009. WAN Basics ................................................................................................................................... 457

What Is a WAN
...............................................................................................................................................................
What Is a LAN
...............................................................................................................................................................
Subnets
...............................................................................................................................................................
Internal and External Addresses
...............................................................................................................................................................
Dynamic and Static Addresses
...............................................................................................................................................................
What Is a Gateway
...............................................................................................................................................................
Network Address Translation
...............................................................................................................................................................
How NAT Applies To Device
............................................................................................................................................................
Servers
Port Forwarding
...............................................................................................................................................................

458
459
460
461
462
463
464
467
469

AN010. Controlling the

...................................................................................................................................
DS from the Serial Side
470
Benefits of Modem Commands
...............................................................................................................................................................
Issuing Commands
...............................................................................................................................................................
Establishing a Connection............................................................................................................................................................

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

471
472
473

XI

Tibbo Document System

Terminating a Connection ............................................................................................................................................................

Finding Out Connection Status
...............................................................................................................................................................
(X)
Finding Out Connection ...............................................................................................................................................................
Details (U)
Exiting Serial Programming
...............................................................................................................................................................
Mode
DSR/DTR
...............................................................................................................................................................
Real-World Example
...............................................................................................................................................................

474
474
476
477
477
478

AN011, Reading the ...................................................................................................................................

Production Label
479
AN012, Creating an Integrated
...................................................................................................................................
Power Supply
479

Update history

480

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Introduction

Introduction
This Document System was last updated on 02 MARCH 2007
Update history can be found here
WELCOME to Tibbo Document System!
This Document System consists of four parts:
Hardware Manuals describe the hardware of Tibbo Device Servers
Firmware Manuals describe internal software (called "firmware") of Tibbo
Device Servers
Software Manuals describe available PC software
Application Notes part is a collection of articles on practical use of Tibbo Device
Servers

Hardware Manuals
This part of documentation describes all hardware supplied by Tibbo.
All hardware manufactured by Tibbo is divided into three categories:
Ethernet-to-serial Modules for onboard installation
Ethernet-to-serial Boards
Ethernet-to-serial Servers for external use
Additionally, Tibbo supplies a number of Accessories and Kits.

Ethernet-to-Serial Modules
This part of documentation describes Ethernet-to-serial Modules for onboard
installation supplied by Tibbo.
The following Modules are currently manufactured:
EM100 Ethernet-to-serial Module
EM120 Ethernet-to-serial Module
EM200 Ethernet-to-serial Module
EM202 Ethernet-to-serial Module
EM1000 BASIC-programmable Ethernet Module
To simplify choosing between Ethernet-to-serial Modules we provide the following
comparison chart.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Tibbo Document System

Comparison Chart for Ethernet-to-Serial Modules

The following table compares main characteristics of Tibbo Ethernet Modules.
Item
Fixed "device server"
firmware available?(1)
Programmable in Tibbo
BASIC?(2)
Ethernet port type
Ethernet magnetics
RJ45 connector
Supported network
protocols

EM10
0

EM12
0

EM200

EM202

YES

NO

NO
10Bas
eT
Built-i
n
TCP,
UDP,
ICMP
(ping),
DHCP

YES
100BaseT
External

Built-in

External

External
Built-in
TCP, UDP, ICMP (ping),
DHCP(3)
TCP, UDP, ICMP (ping),
DHCP, HTTP(4)

External
TCP,
UDP,
ICMP
(ping),
DHCP,
HTTP(4)
16(4)

(3)

Number of simultaneous
TCP or UDP connections
Number of serial ports
Available serial port
modes
Available UART
baudrates, bps
Serial port lines

Other UART capabilities

Number of
general-purpose I/O lines
Additional hardware

EM1000

1(3)

1(3)
16(4)
1

4
UART(3)
(3)
UART, Wiegand, clock/data(4)(5)
150-115200
85-13824
00
TX, RX, RTS, CTS, DTR, DSR(6)
TX, RX,
RTS,
CTS,
DTR,
DSR,
DCD(6)
none/even/odd/mark/space parity, 7/8
bits/character,
full-duplex operation with optional RTS/CTS flow
control,
half-duplex operation with automatic direction
control(7)
(8)
(8)
6
9
9(8)
4(8)
49(9)

UART

---

2KByte EEPROM

Square
wave
generator
,
x8
interrupt
lines,
512KB
FLASH(10),
2KB
EEPROM,
RTC(11),
PLL(12)

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals
Routing buffer size,
KBytes
Power supply voltage
Average current
consumption, mA
Mechanical dimensions,
mm(15)

0.5*2
(3)

40
46.2x2
8x13

8*2(3)
up to 20 (total)(4)
--5V
50
220
230
35x27
.5x9.1

32.1x1
8.5x7.3

32.5x1
9x15.5

up to 20
(total)(4)
3.3V(13)
300(14)
38.4x28.
4x7

Notes:
1. Fixed device server firmware offers ready-to-use serial-over-Ethernet
functionality. This firmware is covered in Device Server Application Firmware
section of this Manual. Related PC software is covered in Software Manuals.
2. Tibbo BASIC, related firmware and development tools are covered in a separate
manual ("TAIKO Manual").
3. Feature of "device server" firmware.
4. Feature available for BASIC applications.
5. Wiegand and clock/data interfaces are actually implemented in firmware, so
these are not features of the hardware.
6. All lines except TX and RX in the UART mode are actually under firmware control.
In the Wiegand and clock/data modes ALL these lines are under firmware
control.
7. Full-duplex and half-duplex operation, flow control, and direction control are
features of the firmware.
8. This count does not include TX and TX lines of the serial port but does include
RTS, CTS, DTR, and DSR lines. These four lines can be viewed as
general-purpose I/O pins or dedicated pins of the serial port depending on the
application.
9. This count includes all lines, including TX, RX, RTS, CTS, DTR, DSR, and DCD
lines of all serial ports.
10. 64KByte of the FLASH memory are used to store firmware, the rest is used to
store BASIC application and data.
11.RTC= Real-Time Counter. Has its own backup power input.
12. PLL= Phase-Locked Loop. Used to control the clock frequency of the device.
When PLL is off, the clock frequency is 11.0592MHz. When PLL is on, the clock
frequency is 88.4736MHz.
13. All I/O pins of this device are 5V-tolerant.
14. Maximum power consumption (PLL on, 100BaseT mode).
15. Dimensions do not include leads (pins).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Tibbo Document System

EM100 Ethernet-to-Serial Module

The EM100 is an Ethernet Module for onboard installation. Module hardware

includes one 10BaseT Ethernet port (standard Ethernet magnetics are integrated
into the Module), one serial port (CMOS-level) with a number of additional
general-purpose I/O lines, and an internal processor, whose firmware acts as a
bridge between the Ethernet and serial ports. Ethernet "side" of the Module
connects directly to a standard RJ45 connector. Serial "side" interfaces directly to
the serial port pins of most microcontrollers, microprocessors, UARTs, etc.
From the hardware standpoint, the EM100 can be viewed as a universal platform
suitable for running a variety of network and serial communications-related
applications. It is the application firmware, not hardware that gives the EM100
most of its functionality.
The Application firmware EM100 is supplied with, currently in its 3rd generation
("Release3"), turns the EM100 into a Serial Device Server used to connect serial
devices to the Ethernet (TCP/IP) networks.
The application firmware of the EM100 can be upgraded through the module's
serial port or Ethernet port*. Serial upgrades are facilitated by a so-called Monitora fixed "service" firmware inside the EM100. The Monitor itself cannot be upgraded.
Network upgrades rely on the NetLoader firmware component that, like the
application firmware itself, can be upgraded through the serial port of the EM100
(using the Monitor). The EM100 is supplied with the application firmware and the
NetLoader already pre-loaded into the module.
Since most of the EM100's operation is defined by its firmware the major part of
the EM100's functional description can be found in the Device Server Application
Firmware Manual. This EM100 Ethernet Module Manual focuses on the hardware
portion of the EM100.
* Network upgrades are only possible on the latest EM100-03 modification of the
device (see specifications and EM100 modifications for details)

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

I/O Pin 2.1.2.1

Assignment and Pin Functions
EM100 pin assignment is shown below.

Click on the pin in the diagram above or one of the links provided below to learn
more about EM100's I/O pins:
Ethernet port lines
Serial port and general-purpose I/O lines
LED lines
Power, reset, and mode selection lines

Ethernet Port Lines

#10
#9
#2
#1

TX+
TXRX+
RX-

Output
Output
Input
Input

Positive line of the differential output signal pair

Negative line of the differential output signal pair
Positive line of the differential input signal pair
Negative line of the differential input signal pair

Ethernet port of the EM100 is of 10BaseT type. The EM100 is compatible with all
10BaseT Ethernet hubs and also 99% of 100BaseT hubs. This is because most
100BaseT hubs are actually 100/10 machines that auto-detect the type of device
connected to each port.
The EM100 is designed to attach directly to the RJ45 Ethernet connector. Standard
magnetics circuitry (YCL part 20F001N) has been included onboard to provide a
"glueless" interface to the Ethernet network.
It is important to make the PCB wire connections between the Ethernet port pins
and the RJ45 as short as possible. Making the wires too long may cause the noise

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Tibbo Document System

level generated by your PCB surpass the maximum radiated emission limits
stipulated by FCC and CE regulations. Additionally, longer Ethernet lines on the
PCB will make your board more susceptible to the damage from the ESD
(electrostatic discharge).

Serial Port and General-Purpose I/O Lines

#16
#15
#18

TX
RX
P5
(RTS/DIR)

Output
Input
Input/output
(output)

Serial transmit line

Serial receive line
General-purpose input/output line
Request to send output (full-duplex mode)
Data direction control output (half-duplex
mode)
#17 P4
Input/output
General-purpose input/output line
(CTS/SEL) (input)
Clear to send input
Full-/half-duplex selection input
#20 P3
Input/output
General-purpose input/output line
(DTR)
(output)
Data terminal ready output
#19 P2
Input
General-purpose input line
(DSR)
(input)
Data set ready input
#13 P1
Input/output
General-purpose I/O line
#12 P0
Input/output
General-purpose I/O line
Line functions defined by the application firmware are shown in blue
The EM100 features a serial port (RX, TX lines) and several general-purpose I/O
lines (P0-P5). All of the above lines are of CMOS type. From the hardware point of
view, all general-purpose I/O lines except P2 can serve as inputs or outputs. Line
P2 can only work as an input. Maximum load current for each I/O line is 10mA.
Simplified structure of EM100's I/O lines is shown on the circuit diagram below. All
lines are "quasi-bidirectional" and can be viewed as open collector outputs with
weak pull-up resistor. There is no explicit direction control. To "measure" an
external signal applied to a pin the OUT line must first be set to HIGH. It is OK to
drive the pin LOW externally when the pin outputs HIGH internally.

The application firmware of the EM100 maps certain serial port functions onto the
general-purpose I/O pins- these functions are shown in blue in the table at the top
of this topic. For example, P5 is a universal input/output but the application
firmware can be set to turn this line into the RTS output of the serial port.
Therefore, depending on your application you can view P5 as a general-purpose
I/O line or specific control line of the serial port (RTS).
Being of CMOS type, the serial port and I/O lines of the EM100 can be connected
directly to the serial port pins and I/O lines of most microcontrollers,

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

microprocessors, etc. An interface IC* must be added to the EM100 externally if

you want to connect the module to a "true" serial port (for example, COM port of
the PC).
Logical signals on the serial port lines of the EM100 are active LOW. TX and RX
lines are high when idle, start bit is LOW, stop bit is HIGH; LOW on CTS and RTS
lines means "transmission allowed" and HIGH means "transmission not allowed".
This is standard for CMOS-level serial ports and is exactly opposite to the signalling
on the RS232 cables. Logical signals on the EM100 are inverted because standard
interface ICs* invert the signals internally too.
As explained earlier, actual functionality of the I/O lines is firmware-dependent.
See serial port and serial communications for details.
* Such as MAX232 for RS232, MAX485 for RS485, etc.

LED Lines
#4
L1 (ER) Output
LED output 1, Red Ethernet status LED
#5
L2 (EG) Output
LED output 2, Green Ethernet status LED
#6
L3 (SG) Output
LED output 3, Green status LED
#7
L4 (SR) Output
LED output 4, Red status LED, Watchdog reset line
Line functions defined by the application firmware are shown in blue
The EM100 has four LED control lines. All lines have the same internal structure
and the LEDs should be connected to these lines as shown on the schematic
diagram below. Maximum load for each line is 10mA.

The firmware of the EM100 assigns specific functions to these LED control linesthese functions are shown in blue in the table at the top of this topic.
ER and EG lines reflect the status of the Ethernet port. The EG LED is normally ON,
and is temporarily turned off whenever the EM100 receives a network packet. The
EG is normally OFF, and is temporarily turned on whenever a data collision is
detected on the Ethernet*.
Additionally, ER line serves as a watchdog reset line. A very short (<10us) pulses
are generated on this line at a rate of about 100Hz. When connected to the
watchdog reset pin of external reset/watchdog IC, ER line keeps the watchdog "in
check" preventing it from resetting the EM100. Watchdog reset pulses do not
interfere with the main function of the line (that is, to indicate the status of
Ethernet port). This is because the pulses are so short that they are not visible on
the LED connected to the ER line.
The SR and SG LEDs display various status information depending on what

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Tibbo Document System

firmware is running at the moment. Follow the links below to learn more about the
behaviour of these LEDs under different conditions:
SR/SG behavior in the monitor firmware.
SR/SG behavior in the NetLoader.
SR/SG behavior in the application firmware.
* Strictly speaking, the ER and EG lines are under firmware control. Their behavior
is described here because they are always made to work as standard Ethernet
status LEDs (like the ones found next to the RJ45 connector on the PC network
cards).

Power, Reset, and Mode Selection Lines

#3

VCC

Input

Positive power input, 5V nominal, +/- 5%, app.

40mA
#8
GND
Ground
#11 RST
Input
Reset, active high
#14 MD (MD) Input
Mode selection pin
Line functions defined by the application firmware are shown in blue
The EM100 should be powered from a stabilized DS power supply with output
nominal voltage of 5V (+/- 5% tolerance). Current consumption of the EM100 is
approximately 40mA.
Proper external reset is a must! Reset pulse should be an active HIGH. We strongly
advise against using low-cost RC-networks and other unreliable methods of
generating reset pulse. Reset should be applied for as long as the power supply
voltage is below 4.6V. We recommend using a dedicated reset IC with brownout
detection, such as MAX810. Reset pulse length should be no less than 50ms,
counting from the moment the power supply voltage exceeds 4.6V.
For added reliability, external reset IC with watchdog function may be selected.
Watchdog reset pulses are provided on the ER line of the EM100.
If the EM100 is used to serve as a communications co-processor in a larger system
that has its own CPU it is also OK to control the RST line of the EM100 through a
general-purpose I/O pin of the "host" microcontroller. I/O pins of many
microcontrollers default to HIGH after the powerup and this means that the reset
will be applied to the EM100 at the same time when the host microcontroller is
reset. All the host microcontroller has to do is release the EM100 from reset at an
appropriate time by switching the state of the I/O line to LOW.
The MD line of the EM100 is used to select the operating mode of the EM100
and/or its application firmware. The reason why the pin name is shown as MD(MD)
is because the functionality of this pin is in part hardwired and in part depends on
the application firmware:
Hardwired functionality. When the EM100 powers up it verifies the state of the
MD input. If the MD input is at HIGH the EM100 proceeds to verifying and
running the application firmware loaded into its internal FLASH memory. If the
MD input is at LOW the EM100 enters the serial upgrade mode. For more
information see Monitor.
Application firmware-dependent functionality. When the application
firmware is already running the MD line is typically used to make the EM100
enter the serial programming mode. For more information see serial
programming.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

When the EM100 is used as a co-processor in a host system the MD line can be
also controlled by the host microcontroller. Ability to control both the RST and DS
lines allows the host microcontroller to switch between the operating modes of the
EM100.

Mechanical
Dimensions
2.1.2.2

L
W
H
I
m
d
p

Max.
Max.
Max.
Min.
Max.
Aver.
Aver.

46.2
28.0
13.0
4.5
1.0
40.6
2.0

Module length
Module width
Module height
Lead length
Lead "flash"
Distance between lead rows
Pin pitch

All dimensions are in millimeters

Specifications
2.1.2.3 and EM100 Modifications
There are five different EM100 sub-models in circulation: EM100-00, EM100-01,
EM100-02, EM100-03, and EM100-04. Currently, only the EM100-04 is being
manufactured so the information on EM100-00...EM100-03 is provided for your
reference only.
The EM100-00, EM100-01, and EM100-02 devices were basically the same, with
only minor changes made to the internal hardware (such as bypass capacitors on
the internal PCB, etc.). We will refer to all three modifications as the EM100-02.
The EM100-03 has extended functionality compared to the EM100-02. There are
two notable differences:
Memory size inside the device has been increased so the routing buffers of the
EM100-03 are double the size of the buffers inside the EM100-02 (510 bytes in
each direction vs. 255 bytes in each direction).
Ability to upgrade the application firmware through the network was added (this

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

10

Tibbo Document System

is facilitated by the NetLoader firmware) to the EM100-03. The EM100-02 cannot
run the NetLoader and cannot be upgraded through the network.
The EM100-04 is a RoHS-compliant version of the EM100-03. The EM100-04 and
EM100-03 are identical in every other way.
Device specifications are presented in the table below.
Parameter
Ethernet interface

EM100-04
10BaseT Ethernet, standard magnetics
built-in
Serial interface and I/O lines
CMOS-level; TX, RX, and 6 additional I/O
lines with RTS, CTS, DTR, DSR implemented
in application firmware
Routing buffers size
510 bytes x 2 (255 bytes x 2)
Maximum load current of I/O lines
10mA
Power requirements
DC 5V, +/- 5%, app. 40 mA
Operating temperature
-10 to +70 degrees C
Operating relative humidity
10-90%
Mechanical dimensions (excl. leads) 46.2x28x13mm
Packing
Plastic tray, 30 modules/tray

EM120 Ethernet-to-Serial Module

The EM120 is an Ethernet Module for onboard installation. Module hardware

includes one 10BaseT Ethernet port (standard Ethernet magnetics are NOT
integrated into the Module), one serial port (CMOS-level) with a number of
additional general-purpose I/O lines, and an internal processor, whose firmware
acts as a bridge between the Ethernet and serial ports. Ethernet "side" of the
Module connects directly to a standard Ethernet magnetics circuit (such as
YCL-20F001N) or RJ45 connector with integrated magnetics. Serial "side"
interfaces directly to the serial port pins of most microcontrollers, microprocessors,
UARTs, etc.
From the hardware standpoint, the EM120 can be viewed as a universal platform
suitable for running a variety of network and serial communications-related
applications. It is the application firmware, not hardware that gives the EM120
most of its functionality.
The EM120 can run two distinctively different kinds of application firmware:
The "serial device server" firmware, currently in its 3rd generation ("Release3"),
turns the EM120 into a ready-to-work Serial Device Server that can connect
almost any kind of serial device to the Ethernet (TCP/IP) network. This firmware
has fixed functionality; you adjust the way the EM120 behaves by specifying the
values of programmable parameters (settings) defined in this firmware.
Functional description of the EM120 under the "serial device server" firmware can
be found in the Device Server Application Firmware Manual. Also see Software

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

11

Manuals for the information on PC software that works with devices running
serial device server firmware.
TiOS (Tibbo Operating System) firmware turns the EM120 into a
BASIC-programmable controller. This controller can be used to created any kind
of network and/or serial port-related control application. When running TiOS, the
EM120 has no pre-defined functionality -- it simply executes your BASIC
application. TiOS and BASIC programming are covered in a separate Manual
("TAIKO Manual").
The application firmware of the EM120 can be upgraded through the module's
serial port or Ethernet port. Serial upgrades are facilitated by a so-called Monitor- a
fixed "service" firmware inside the EM120. The Monitor cannot be upgraded.
Network upgrades rely on the application firmware itself- there is a self upgrade
algorithm that will be detailed later.
By default, the EM120 is supplied with "serial device server" firmware pre-loaded.
If you wish to make the module run your BASIC application you need to upload
TiOS firmware onto the Module. Visit Tibbo website to get the latest TiOS firmware.

I/O Pin 2.1.3.1

Assignment and Pin Functions

Click on the pin in the diagram above or one of the links provided below to learn
more about EM120's I/O pins:
Ethernet port lines
Serial port and general-purpose I/O lines
LED lines
Power, reset, and mode selection lines

Ethernet Port Lines

#6
#7
#3
#4

TX+
TXRX+
RX-

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Output
Output
Input
Input

Positive line of the differential output signal pair

Negative line of the differential output signal pair
Positive line of the differential input signal pair
Negative line of the differential input signal pair

12

Tibbo Document System

Ethernet port of the EM120 is of 10BaseT type. Onboard electronics of the EM120
do not include Ethernet magnetics, so magnetic circuitry must be connected
externally. You can use either a standalone magnetics part (such as YCL-20F001N,
schematic diagram shown below) or RJ45 connector with integrated magnetics.

It is important to make the PCB wire connections between the Ethernet port pins of
the EM120 and external magnetics circuitry as short as possible. Making the wires
too long may cause the noise level generated by your PCB surpass the maximum
radiated emission limits stipulated by FCC and CE regulations. Additionally, longer
Ethernet lines on the PCB will make your board more susceptible to the damage
from the ESD (electrostatic discharge).

Serial Port and General-Purpose I/O Lines

#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#15

P8
P7
P6
P1
P0
P3
(DTR)
P2
(DSR)
TX
RX
P4
(CTS/SEL)

Input/output
Input/output
Input/output
Input/output
Input/output
Input/output
(output)
Input/output
(input)

General-purpose input/output line

General-purpose input/output line
General-purpose input/output line
General-purpose input/output line
General-purpose input/output line
General-purpose input/output line
Data terminal ready output
#16
General-purpose input/output line
Data set ready input
#17
Serial transmit line
#18
Serial receive line
#19
Input/output General-purpose input/output line
(input)
Clear to send input
Full-/half-duplex selection input
#20 P5
Input/output General-purpose input/output line
(RTS/DIR) (output)
Request to send output (full-duplex mode)
Data direction control output (half-duplex
mode)
Line functions defined by the application firmware are shown in blue
The EM120 features a serial port (RX, TX lines) and several general-purpose I/O
lines (P0-P8). All of the above lines are of CMOS type. From the hardware point of
view, all general-purpose I/O lines can serve as inputs or outputs. Maximum load
current for each I/O line is 10mA.
Simplified structure of EM120's I/O lines is shown on the circuit diagram below. All
lines are "quasi-bidirectional" and can be viewed as open collector outputs with

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

13

weak pull-up resistor. There is no explicit direction control. To "measure" an

external signal applied to a pin the OUT line must first be set to HIGH. It is OK to
drive the pin LOW externally when the pin outputs HIGH internally.

The application firmware of the EM120 maps certain serial port functions onto the
general-purpose I/O pins- these functions are shown in blue in the table at the top
of this topic. For example, P5 is a universal input/output but the application
firmware can be set to turn this line into the RTS output of the serial port.
Therefore, depending on your application you can view P5 as a general-purpose
I/O line or specific control line of the serial port (RTS).
Being of CMOS type, the serial port and I/O lines of the EM120 can be connected
directly to the serial port pins and I/O lines of most microcontrollers,
microprocessors, etc. An interface IC* must be added to the EM120 externally if
you want to connect the module to a "true" serial port (for example, COM port of
the PC).
Logical signals on the serial port lines of the EM120 are active LOW. TX and RX
lines are high when idle, start bit is LOW, stop bit is HIGH; LOW on CTS and RTS
lines means "transmission allowed" and HIGH means "transmission not allowed".
This is standard for CMOS-level serial ports and is exactly opposite to the signalling
on the RS232 cables. Logical signals on the EM120 are inverted because standard
interface ICs* invert the signals internally too.
As explained earlier, actual functionality of the I/O lines is firmware-dependent.
See serial port and serial communications for details.
* Such as MAX232 for RS232, MAX485 for RS485, etc.

LED Lines
#1
EG
Output
Green Ethernet status LED
#2
EY
Output
Yellow Ethernet status LED
#21 L3 (SG) Output
LED output 3, Green status LED
#22 L4 (SR) Output
LED output 4, Red status LED
Line functions defined by the application firmware are shown in blue
The EM120 has four LED control lines. All lines have the same internal structure
and the LEDs should be connected to these lines as shown on the schematic
diagram below. Maximum load for each line is 10mA.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

14

Tibbo Document System

EG and EY lines reflect the status of the Ethernet port. The EG LED is normally ON,
and is temporarily turned off whenever the EM120 receives a network packet. The
EY is normally OFF, and is temporarily turned on whenever a data collision is
detected on the Ethernet.
SG and SR lines are under firmware control and display various status information
depending on what firmware is running at the moment. Follow the links below to
learn more about the behaviour of these LEDs under different conditions:
SR/SG behavior in the monitor firmware.
SR/SG behavior in the application firmware.

Power, Reset, and Mode Selection Lines

#13

VCC

Input

Positive power input, 5V nominal, +/- 5%, app.

50mA
#5
GND
Ground
#14 GND
Ground
#23 RST
Input
Reset, active high
#24 MD (MD) Input
Mode selection pin
Line functions defined by the application firmware are shown in blue
The EM120 should be powered from a stabilized DS power supply with output
nominal voltage of 5V (+/- 5% tolerance). Current consumption of the EM120 is
approximately 50mA.
Proper external reset is a must! Reset pulse should be an active HIGH. We strongly
advise against using low-cost RC-networks and other unreliable methods of
generating reset pulse. Reset should be applied for as long as the power supply
voltage is below 4.6V. We recommend using a dedicated reset IC with brownout
detection, such as MAX810. Reset pulse length should be no less than 50ms,
counting from the moment the power supply voltage exceeds 4.6V.
If the EM120 is used to serve as a communications co-processor in a larger system
that has its own CPU it is also OK to control the RST line of the EM120 through a
general-purpose I/O pin of the "host" microcontroller. I/O pins of many
microcontrollers default to HIGH after the powerup and this means that the reset
will be applied to the EM120 at the same time when the host microcontroller is
reset. All the host microcontroller has to do is release the EM120 from reset at an
appropriate time by switching the state of the I/O line to LOW.
The MD line of the EM120 is used to select the operating mode of the EM120
and/or its application firmware. The reason why the pin name is shown as MD(MD)
is because the functionality of this pin is in part hardwired and in part depends on

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

15

the application firmware:

Hardwired functionality. When the EM120 powers up it verifies the state of the
MD input. If the MD input is at HIGH the EM120 proceeds to verifying and
running the application firmware loaded into its internal FLASH memory. If the
MD input is at LOW the EM120 enters the serial upgrade mode. For more
information see Monitor.
Application firmware-dependent functionality. When the application
firmware is already running the MD line is typically used to make the EM120
enter the serial programming mode. For more information see serial
programming.
When the EM120 is used as a co-processor in a host system the MD line can be
also controlled by the host microcontroller. Ability to control both the RST and DS
lines allows the host microcontroller to switch between the operating modes of the
EM120.

Mechanical
Dimensions
2.1.3.2

L
W
H
I
m
d
p

Max.
Max.
Max.
Min.
Max.
Aver.
Aver.

35.0
27.5
9.1
5.0
0.5
30.0
2.0

Module length
Module width
Module height
Lead length
Lead "flash"
Distance between lead rows
Pin pitch

All dimensions are in millimeters

Specifications
2.1.3.3 and EM120 Modifications
The EM120 has two sub-models in circulation- the EM120-00 and EM120-01. The
EM120-01 is a RoHS-compliant version of the EM120-00. There are no other
differences between these two versions. Currently, only the EM120-01 is being

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

16

Tibbo Document System

manufactured.
Device specifications are presented in the table below.
Parameter
Ethernet interface
Serial interface and I/O lines

EM120-01
10BaseT Ethernet, magnetics not built-in
CMOS-level; TX, RX, and 9 additional I/O
lines with RTS, CTS, DTR, DSR implemented
in application firmware
Routing buffers size
12Kbytes x 2*
Maximum load current of I/O lines
10mA
Power requirements
DC 5V, +/- 5%, app. 50mA
Operating temperature
-10 to +70 degrees C
Operating relative humidity
10-90%
Mechanical dimensions (excl. leads) App. 35x27.5x9.1mm
Packing
Plastic tray, 50 modules/tray
* Maximum possible buffer size. Actual size may be smaller depending on how
much RAM is "consumed" by the firmware

EM200 Ethernet Module

The EM200 is an Ethernet Module for onboard installation. Module hardware

includes one 100BaseT Ethernet port (standard Ethernet magnetics are NOT
integrated into the Module), one serial port (CMOS-level) with a number of
additional general-purpose I/O lines, and an internal processor, whose firmware
acts as a bridge between the Ethernet and serial ports. Ethernet "side" of the
Module connects directly to a standard Ethernet magnetics circuit (such as
YCL-PH163112) or RJ45 connector with integrated magnetics. Serial "side"
interfaces directly to the serial port pins of most microcontrollers, microprocessors,
UARTs, etc.
From the hardware standpoint, the EM200 can be viewed as a universal platform
suitable for running a variety of network and serial communications-related
applications. It is the application firmware, not hardware that gives the EM200
most of its functionality.
The EM200 can run two distinctively different kinds of application firmware:
The "serial device server" firmware, currently in its 3rd generation ("Release3"),
turns the EM200 into a ready-to-work Serial Device Server that can connect
almost any kind of serial device to the Ethernet (TCP/IP) network. This firmware
has fixed functionality; you adjust the way the EM200 behaves by specifying the
values of programmable parameters (settings) defined in this firmware.
Functional description of the EM200 under the "serial device server" firmware can
be found in the Device Server Application Firmware Manual. Also see Software
Manuals for the information on PC software that works with devices running
serial device server firmware.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

17

TiOS (Tibbo Operating System) firmware turns the EM200 into a

BASIC-programmable controller. This controller can be used to created any kind
of network and/or serial port-related application. When running TiOS, the EM200
has no pre-defined functionality -- it simply executes your BASIC application.
TiOS and BASIC programming are covered in a separate Manual ("TAIKO
Manual").
The application firmware of the EM200 can be upgraded through the module's
serial port or Ethernet port. Serial upgrades are facilitated by a so-called Monitor- a
fixed "service" firmware inside the EM200. The Monitor cannot be upgraded.
Network upgrades rely on the application firmware itself- there is a self upgrade
algorithm that will be detailed later.
By default, the EM200 is supplied with "serial device server" firmware pre-loaded.
If you wish to make the module run your BASIC application you need to upload
TiOS firmware onto the Module. Visit Tibbo website to get the latest TiOS firmware.

I/O Pin 2.1.4.1

Assignment and Pin Functions

Click on the pin in the diagram above or one of the links provided below to learn
more about EM200's I/O pins:
Ethernet port lines
Serial port and general-purpose I/O lines
LED lines
Power, reset, and mode selection lines

Ethernet Port Lines

#
6
#
7
#
3

TX+

Outp Positive line of the differential output signal pair

ut
TX- Outp Negative line of the differential output signal pair
ut
RX+ Inpu Positive line of the differential input signal pair
t

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

18

Tibbo Document System

#
4
#
5

RX-

Inpu Negative line of the differential input signal pair

t
3.3V Outp "Clean" 3.3V power for magnetics circuitry
out
ut

Ethernet port of the EM200 is of 100BaseT type. Onboard electronics of the EM200
do not include Ethernet magnetics, so magnetic circuitry must be connected
externally. You can use either a standalone magnetics part (such as
YCL-PH163112) or RJ45 connector with integrated magnetics (for example,
YCL-PTC1111-01G). Diagrams below show circuit diagrams for both parts.
Please, note the following:
The 3.3Vout is an output that provides clean power for the magnetics circuitry,
which is very sensitive to noise.
Do not combine 3.3Vout with the VCC (main power) pin. This is
counter-productive and will cause FCC/CE certification issues.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

19

It is important to make the PCB wire connections between the Ethernet port pins of
the EM200 and external magnetics circuitry as short as possible. Making the wires
too long may cause the noise level generated by your PCB surpass the maximum
radiated emission limits stipulated by FCC and CE regulations. Additionally, longer
Ethernet lines on the PCB will make your board more susceptible to the damage
from the ESD (electrostatic discharge).

Serial Port and General-Purpose I/O Lines

#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#15

P8
P7
P6
P1
P0
P3
(DTR)
P2
(DSR)
TX
RX
P4
(CTS/SEL)

Input/output
Input/output
Input/output
Input/output
Input/output
Input/output
(output)
Input/output
(input)

General-purpose input/output line

General-purpose input/output line
General-purpose input/output line
General-purpose input/output line
General-purpose input/output line
General-purpose input/output line
Data terminal ready output
#16
General-purpose input/output line
Data set ready input
#17
Serial transmit line
#18
Serial receive line
#19
Input/output General-purpose input/output line
(input)
Clear to send input
Full-/half-duplex selection input
#20 P5
Input/output General-purpose input/output line
(RTS/DIR) (output)
Request to send output (full-duplex mode)
Data direction control output (half-duplex
mode)
Line functions defined by the application firmware are shown in blue
The EM200 features a serial port (RX, TX lines) and several general-purpose I/O
lines (P0-P8). All of the above lines are of CMOS type. From the hardware point of
view, all general-purpose I/O lines can serve as inputs or outputs. Maximum load
current for each I/O line is 10mA.
Simplified structure of EM200's I/O lines is shown on the circuit diagram below. All

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

20

Tibbo Document System

lines are "quasi-bidirectional" and can be viewed as open collector outputs with
weak pull-up resistor. There is no explicit direction control. To "measure" an
external signal applied to a pin the OUT line must first be set to HIGH. It is OK to
drive the pin LOW externally when the pin outputs HIGH internally.

Device server application firmware of the EM1000 maps certain serial port
functions onto the general-purpose I/O pins- these functions are shown in blue in
the table at the top of this topic. For example, P5 is a universal input/output but
the application firmware can be set to turn this line into the RTS output of the
serial port. Therefore, depending on your application you can view P5 as a
general-purpose I/O line or specific control line of the serial port (RTS).
Being of CMOS type, the serial port and I/O lines of the EM200 can be connected
directly to the serial port pins and I/O lines of most microcontrollers,
microprocessors, etc. An interface IC* must be added to the EM200 externally if
you want to connect the module to a "true" serial port (for example, COM port of
the PC).
Logical signals on the serial port lines of the EM200 are active LOW. TX and RX
lines are high when idle, start bit is LOW, stop bit is HIGH; LOW on CTS and RTS
lines means "transmission allowed" and HIGH means "transmission not allowed".
This is standard for CMOS-level serial ports and is exactly opposite to the signalling
on the RS232 cables. Logical signals on the EM200 are inverted because standard
interface ICs* invert the signals internally too.
As explained earlier, actual functionality of the I/O lines is firmware-dependent.
See serial port and serial communications for details.
* Such as MAX232 for RS232, MAX485 for RS485, etc.

LED Lines
#1
EG
Output
Green Ethernet status LED
#2
EY
Output
Yellow Ethernet status LED
#21 L3 (SG) Output
LED output 3, Green status LED
#22 L4 (SR) Output
LED output 4, Red status LED
Line functions defined by the application firmware are shown in blue
The EM200 has four LED control lines. All lines have the same internal structure
and the LEDs should be connected to these lines as shown on the schematic
diagram below. Maximum load for each line is 10mA.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

21

EG and EY lines reflect the status of the Ethernet port. The EG LED is switched on
whenever a live Ethernet connection is detected by the EM200's Ethernet port. The
EG LED is momentarily switched off whenever the EM200 receives a network
packet. The EY shows whether current Ethernet link is of 10BaseT type (EY off) or
100BaseT (EY on).
SG and SR lines are under firmware control and display various status information
depending on what firmware is running at the moment. Follow the links below to
learn more about the behaviour of these LEDs under different conditions:
SR/SG behavior in the monitor firmware.
SR/SG behavior in the application firmware.

Power, Reset, and Mode Selection Lines

#13

VCC

Input

Positive power input, 5V nominal, +/- 5%, app.

220mA
#14 GND
Ground
#23 RST
Input
Reset, active high
#24 MD (MD) Input
Mode selection pin
Line functions defined by the application firmware are shown in blue
The EM200 should be powered from a stabilized DS power supply with output
nominal voltage of 5V (+/- 5% tolerance). Current consumption of the EM200 is
approximately 220mA (in 100BaseT mode).
Proper external reset is a must! Reset pulse should be an active HIGH. We strongly
advise against using low-cost RC-networks and other unreliable methods of
generating reset pulse. Reset should be applied for as long as the power supply
voltage is below 4.6V. We recommend using a dedicated reset IC with brownout
detection, such as MAX810. Reset pulse length should be no less than 50ms,
counting from the moment the power supply voltage exceeds 4.6V.
If the EM200 is used to serve as a communications co-processor in a larger system
that has its own CPU it is also OK to control the RST line of the EM200 through a
general-purpose I/O pin of the "host" microcontroller. I/O pins of many
microcontrollers default to HIGH after the powerup and this means that the reset
will be applied to the EM200 at the same time when the host microcontroller is
reset. All the host microcontroller has to do is release the EM200 from reset at an
appropriate time by switching the state of the I/O line to LOW.
The MD line of the EM200 is used to select the operating mode of the EM200
and/or its application firmware. The reason why the pin name is shown as MD(MD)
is because the functionality of this pin is in part hardwired and in part depends on

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

22

Tibbo Document System

the application firmware:
Hardwired functionality. When the EM200 powers up it verifies the state of the
MD input. If the MD input is at HIGH the EM200 proceeds to verifying and
running the application firmware loaded into its internal FLASH memory. If the
MD input is at LOW the EM200 enters the serial upgrade mode. For more
information see Monitor.
Application firmware-dependent functionality. When the application
firmware is already running the MD line is typically used to make the EM200
enter the serial programming mode. For more information see serial
programming.
When the EM200 is used as a co-processor in a host system the MD line can be
also controlled by the host microcontroller. Ability to control both the RST and DS
lines allows the host microcontroller to switch between the operating modes of the
EM200.

Mechanical
Dimensions
2.1.4.2

L
W
H
I
m
d
p

Max.
Max.
Max.
Min.
Max.
Aver.
Aver.

32.1
18.5
7.3
2.2
0.5
28.0
1.27

Module length
Module width
Module height
Lead length
Lead "flash"
Distance between lead rows
Pin pitch

All dimensions are in millimeters

Specifications
2.1.4.3 and EM200 Modifications
The EM200 has two sub-models in circulation- the EM200-00 and EM200-01. The
EM200-01 is a RoHS-compliant version of the EM200-00. There are no other
differences between these two versions. Currently, only the EM200-01 is being
manufactured.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

23

Device specifications are presented in the table below.

Parameter
Ethernet interface
Serial interface and I/O lines

Routing buffers size

Maximum load current of I/O lines
Power requirements
Device temperature during
operation
Operating temperature
Operating relative humidity
Mechanical dimensions (excl. leads)
Packing

EM200-01
10/100BaseT Ethernet, magnetics not
built-in
CMOS-level; TX, RX, and 9 additional I/O
lines with RTS, CTS, DTR, DSR implemented
in application firmware
12Kbytes x 2*
10mA
DC 5V, +/- 5%, app. 220mA
+55 degrees C** (in 100BaseT mode)
-10 to +70 degrees C
10-90%
App. 32.1x18.5x7.3mm
Plastic tray, 50 modules/tray

* Maximum possible buffer size. Actual size may be smaller depending on how
much RAM is "consumed" by the firmware
** As measured on top of the device

EM202 Ethernet-to-Serial Module

The EM202 is a "RJ45 form factor" Ethernet Module for onboard installation. Module
hardware includes one 100BaseT Ethernet port (standard Ethernet magnetics and
RJ45 connector are integrated in the EM202*), one serial port (CMOS-level), and
an internal processor, whose firmware acts as a bridge between the Ethernet and
serial ports. Standard Ethernet cable plugs directly into the RJ45 connector on the
network "side" of the Module. Serial "side" interfaces directly to the serial port pins
of most microcontrollers, microprocessors, UARTs, etc.
From the hardware standpoint, the EM202 can be viewed as a universal platform
suitable for running a variety of network and serial communications-related
applications. It is the application firmware, not the hardware that gives the EM202
most of its functionality.
The EM202 can run two distinctively different kinds of application firmware:
The "serial device server" firmware, currently in its 3rd generation ("Release3"),
turns the EM202 into a ready-to-work Serial Device Server that can connect
almost any kind of serial device to the Ethernet (TCP/IP) network. This firmware
has fixed functionality; you adjust the way the EM202 behaves by specifying the
values of programmable parameters (settings) defined in this firmware.
Functional description of the EM202 under the "serial device server" firmware can
be found in the Device Server Application Firmware Manual. Also see Software
Manuals for the information on PC software that works with devices running
serial device server firmware.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

24

Tibbo Document System

TiOS (Tibbo Operating System) firmware turns the EM202 into a
BASIC-programmable controller. This controller can be used to created any kind
of network and/or serial port-related application. When running TiOS, the EM202
has no pre-defined functionality -- it simply executes your BASIC application.
TiOS and BASIC programming are covered in a separate Manual ("TAIKO
Manual").
The application firmware of the EM202 can be upgraded through the module's
serial port or Ethernet port. Serial upgrades are facilitated by a so-called Monitor- a
fixed "service" firmware inside the EM202. The Monitor cannot be upgraded.
Network upgrades rely on the application firmware itself- there is a self upgrade
algorithm that will be detailed later.
By default, the EM202 is supplied with "serial device server" firmware pre-loaded.
If you wish to make the module run your BASIC application you need to upload
TiOS firmware onto the Module. Visit Tibbo website to get the latest TiOS firmware.
*Or, to put it another way, the electronics of the EM202 are built into RJ45
connector.

I/O Pin 2.1.5.1

Assignment and Pin Functions
EM202 pin assignment is shown below.

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11

MD (MD)
RST
P3
(DTR)
P2
(DSR)
L3
(SG)
L4
(SR)
VCC
GND
RX
TX
P4
(CTS/SEL)

Input
Input
Input/output
(output)
Input/output
(input)
Output
(output)
Output
(output)

Input
Output
Input/output
(input)

Mode selection pin

Reset, active high
General-purpose input/output line
Data terminal ready output
General-purpose input/output line
Data set ready input
LED output 3
(Green status LED)
LED output 4
(Red status LED)
Positive power input, 5V nominal, +/- 5%,
app. 220mA
Ground
Serial receive line
Serial transmit line
General-purpose input/output line
Clear to send input
Full-/half-duplex selection input

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals
#12

25

P5
Input/output
(RTS/DIR) (output)

General-purpose input/output line

Request to send output (full-duplex mode)
Data direction control output (half-duplex
mode)
Line functions defined by the application firmware are shown in blue
Click on one of the links provided below to learn more about EM202's I/O pins:
Serial port lines
LED lines
Power, reset, and mode selection lines

Serial Port and General-Purpose I/O Lines

#3

P3
(DTR)
P2
(DSR)
RX
TX
P4
(CTS/SEL)

Input/output
(output)
Input/output
(input)

General-purpose input/output line

Data terminal ready output
#4
General-purpose input/output line
Data set ready input
#9
Serial receive line
#10
Serial transmit line
#11
Input/output General-purpose input/output line
(input)
Clear to send input
Full-/half-duplex selection input
#12 P5
Input/output General-purpose input/output line
(RTS/DIR) (output)
Request to send output (full-duplex mode)
Data direction control output (half-duplex
mode)
Line functions defined by the application firmware are shown in blue
The EM202 features a serial port (RX, TX lines) and several general-purpose I/O
lines (P2*-P5). All of the above lines are of CMOS type. From the hardware point of
view, all general-purpose I/O lines can serve as inputs or outputs. Maximum load
current for each I/O line is 10mA.
Simplified structure of EM202's I/O lines is shown on the circuit diagram below. All
lines are "quasi-bidirectional" and can be viewed as open collector outputs with
weak pull-up resistor. There is no explicit direction control. To "measure" an
external signal applied to a pin the OUT line must first be set to HIGH. It is OK to
drive the pin LOW externally when the pin outputs HIGH internally.

The application firmware of the EM202 maps certain serial port functions onto the
general-purpose I/O pins- these functions are shown in blue in the table at the top
of this topic. For example, P5 is a universal input/output but the application

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

26

Tibbo Document System

firmware can be set to turn this line into the RTS output of the serial port.
Therefore, depending on your application you can view P5 as a general-purpose
I/O line or specific control line of the serial port (RTS).
Being of CMOS type, the serial port and I/O lines of the EM202 can be connected
directly to the serial port pins and I/O lines of most microcontrollers,
microprocessors, etc. An interface IC** must be added to the EM202 externally if
you want to connect the module to a "true" serial port (for example, COM port of
the PC).
Logical signals on the serial port lines of the EM202 are active LOW. TX and RX
lines are high when idle, start bit is LOW, stop bit is HIGH; LOW on CTS and RTS
lines means "transmission allowed" and HIGH means "transmission not allowed".
This is standard for CMOS-level serial ports and is exactly opposite to the signalling
on the RS232 cables. Logical signals on the EM202 are inverted because standard
interface ICs** invert the signals internally too.
As explained earlier, actual functionality of the I/O lines is firmware-dependent.
See serial port and serial communications for details.
* There are no lines P0 and P1. Line names were selected for naming compatibility
with the EM100
** Such as MAX232 for RS232, MAX485 for RS485, etc.

LED Lines
#5
L3* (SG) Output
LED output 3, Green status LED
#6
L4* (SR) Output
LED output 4, Red status LED
Line functions defined by the application firmware are shown in blue
The EM202 has two LED control lines. Both lines have the same internal structure.
Each line drives one internal LED (see figure below). If you want to connect an
external LEDs as well you may do so but we recommend using a TTL buffer
element to reduce the load on the I/O line of the EM202's internal microcontroller.
Maximum load for each line without the buffer is 2mA.

The firmware of the EM202 uses L3 and L4 as "status LEDs" which display various
status information depending on what firmware is running at the moment. Follow
the links below to learn more about the behaviour of these LEDs under different
conditions:
SR/SG behavior in the monitor firmware.
SR/SG behavior in the application firmware.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

27

* There are no lines L1 and L2. Line names were selected for naming compatibility
with the EM100

Power, Reset, and Mode Selection Lines

#7

VCC

Input

Positive power input, 5V nominal, +/- 5%, app.

230mA
#8
GND
Ground
#2
RST
Input
Reset, active high
#1
MD (MD) Input
Mode selection pin
Line functions defined by the application firmware are shown in blue
The EM202 should be powered from a stabilized DS power supply with output
nominal voltage of 5V (+/- 5% tolerance). Current consumption of the EM202 is
approximately 230mA (in 100BaseT mode).
Proper external reset is a must! Reset pulse should be an active HIGH. We strongly
advise against using low-cost RC-networks and other unreliable methods of
generating reset pulse. Reset should be applied for as long as the power supply
voltage is below 4.6V. We recommend using a dedicated reset IC with brownout
detection, such as MAX810. Reset pulse length should be no less than 50ms,
counting from the moment the power supply voltage exceeds 4.6V.
If the EM202 is used to serve as a communications co-processor in a larger system
that has its own CPU it is also OK to control the RST line of the EM202 through a
general-purpose I/O pin of the "host" microcontroller. I/O pins of many
microcontrollers default to HIGH after the powerup and this means that the reset
will be applied to the EM202 at the same time when the host microcontroller is
reset. All the host microcontroller has to do is release the EM202 from reset at an
appropriate time by switching the state of the I/O line to LOW.
The MD line of the EM202 is used to select the operating mode of the EM202
and/or its application firmware. The reason why the pin name is shown as MD(MD)
is because the functionality of this pin is in part hardwired and in part depends on
the application firmware:
Hardwired functionality. When the EM202 powers up it verifies the state of the
MD input. If the MD input is at HIGH the EM202 proceeds to verifying and
running the application firmware loaded into its internal FLASH memory. If the
MD input is at LOW the EM202 enters the serial upgrade mode. For more
information see Monitor.
Application firmware-dependent functionality. When the application
firmware is already running the MD line is typically used to make the EM202
enter the serial programming mode. For more information see serial
programming.
When the EM202 is used as a co-processor in a host system the MD line can be
also controlled by the host microcontroller. Ability to control both the RST and DS
lines allows the host microcontroller to switch between the operating modes of the
EM202.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

28

Tibbo Document System

Built-in2.1.5.2
LEDs
The EM202 features four built-in LEDs (shown on figure below) that are placed on
the front of the device, next to the RJ45 connector.

LEDs have the following function:

Status LED (red) is internally connected to the L4(SR) LED control line.
Status LED (green) is internally connected to the L3(SG) LED control line.
100BaseT LED (yellow) is turned on when the EM202 links with the hub at
100Mb. The LED is off when the link is established at 10Mb
Link/Data LED (green) is turned on when "live" Ethernet cable is plugged into
the Module. The LED is temporarily switched off whenever an Ethernet packet is
received.

Built-in2.1.5.3
RJ45 Ethernet Connector

Ethernet port of the EM202 is of 10/100BaseT type (auto-switching).

Connector is of RJ45 type, pin assignment is as follows:
#1
#2
#3
#4

TX+
TXRX+
<No connection>

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals
#5
#6
#7
#8

<No connection>
RX<No connection>
<No connection>

Mechanical
Dimensions
2.1.5.4

L
W
w
H
I
M
t1
t2
t3
p
s1
s2
s3
s4
s5
h1
h2

Max.
Max.
Max.
Max.
Min.
Min.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Max.
Aver.
Aver.

32.3
20.0
19.0
16.0
4.5
1.9
2.45
1.5
0.25
1.27
29.7
6.3
19.0
23.0
5.0
17.5
18.5

Module length
Module width including mounting holders
Module width excluding mounting holders
Module height
Lead length
Height of mounting holders and solder pins
Mounting holder diameter
Solder pin width
Solder pin thickness
Pin pitch
Distance from device "face" to the leads
Distance from leads to the center of "pockets"
Distance from leads to the mounting solder pins
Distance from leads to the mounting holders
"Pocket" length
Distance between center lines of mounting holders
Distance between center lines of mounting solder pins

All dimensions are in millimeters

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

29

30

Tibbo Document System

Specifications
2.1.5.5 and EM202 Modifications
The EM202 has two sub-models in circulation- the EM202-00 and EM202-01. The
EM202-01 is a RoHS-compliant version of the EM202-00. There are no other
differences between these two versions. Currently, only the EM202-01 is being
manufactured.
Device specifications are presented in the table below.
Parameter
Ethernet interface
Serial interface and I/O lines

Routing buffers size

Maximum load current of I/O lines
Power requirements

EM202-01
10/100BaseT Ethernet, standard magnetics
and RJ45 connector built-in
CMOS-level; TX, RX, and 4 additional I/O
lines with RTS, CTS, DTR, DSR implemented
in application firmware
12Kbytes x 2*
10mA
DC 5V, +/- 5%, app. 230 mA (in 100BaseT
mode)
+40 degrees C** (in 100BaseT mode)

Device temperature during

operation
Operating temperature
-10 to +70 degrees C
Operating relative humidity
10-90%
Mechanical dimensions (excl. leads) App. 32.5x19x15.5mm
Packing
Plastic tray, 30 modules/tray

* Maximum possible buffer size. Actual size may be smaller depending on how
much RAM is "consumed" by the firmware
** As measured on top of the device

EM1000 BASIC-programmable Ethernet Module

Please, make sure that you read the following topic: EM1000-00 and -01.
The EM1000 is a BASIC-programmable Ethernet Module for onboard installation.
Module hardware includes:
High-performance (88MIPS) RISC processor.
One 100BaseT Ethernet port with Auto-MDIX (automatic detection of "straight"
and "cross" cables). Standard Ethernet magnetics are NOT integrated into the
Module.
Support for UDP(1), TCP(1), ICMP (ping)(1), DHCP(1), and HTTP(1) protocols; up to 16

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

31

simultaneous UDP or TCP(HTTP) connections(1). Additional protocols, such as

SMTP, can be implemented in your BASIC application.
Four high-speed serial ports (CMOS-level) that can work in UART, Wiegand(1),
and clock/data(1) modes.
UART baudrates can be up to 1'382'400bps; none/even/odd/mark/space parity
and 7/8 bits/character UART modes available; full-duplex UART mode with
optional flow control(1) and half-duplex UART mode with automatic direction
control(1) supported. TX(2), RX(2), RTS(1), CTS(1), DTR(1), DSR(1) and DCD(1) lines
provided.
49 general-purpose I/O lines (this count includes lines of all four serial ports).
Eight interrupt lines which can be triggered on positive or negative transition on
the line.
Programmable square wave generator (6Hz - 22'1184MHz) that can be used to
control buzzer.
512KBytes of FLASH memory. 64KB are used to store device firmware (TiOS).
The rest is available to store BASIC application and data.
2KBytes of EEPROM memory.
Real-time-counter (RTC) with its own backup power input.
Optional backup supercapacitor onboard (option "-S" only).
Onboard PLL (Phase-Locked loop) to control the clock frequency of the device:
11.0592MHz with PLL off, 88.4736MHz with PLL on.
Reliable power-on/brown-out reset circuit, no additional external reset circuitry
required.
The EM1000 is a universal module that can serve as a central building block of
control equipment, data terminals, safety and security systems, etc. Its firmware,
called TiOS (Tibbo Operating System), features a BASIC virtual machine that
executes your application written in Tibbo BASIC.
The EM1000 has no pre-defined functionality whatsoever -- programmability in
Tibbo BASIC means that you can create your own unique EM1000 application! The
Module is powerful enough to be the "heart" of your system, not just a networking
peripheral.
Module's firmware (TiOS), as well as BASIC programming are covered in a separate
Manual ("TAIKO Manual").
In 2006Q4 Tibbo is planning to introduce a BASIC application that will turn EM1000
into a 4-port serial device server. As such, the EM1000 will be fully compatible with
"fixed-firmware" device servers manufactured by Tibbo (such as the EM100). All
information provided in the Device Server Application Firmware manual will apply
equally to the EM1000 running this "device server" BASIC application. Naturally,
this application will be compatible with the Device Server Toolkit (DST), Virtual
Serial Port Driver for Linux (VSPDL), and the LinkServer.
The TiOS firmware of the EM1000 can be upgraded through the module's serial
port or Ethernet port. Serial upgrades are facilitated by a so-called Monitor- a fixed
"service" firmware inside the EM1000. The Monitor cannot be upgraded. Network
upgrades rely on the application firmware itself- there is a self upgrade algorithm
that will be detailed later.
1. This feature is actually implemented in firmware.
2. In the UART mode TX and RX lines are controlled by dedicated UART hardware,
in the Wiegand and clock/data mode these pins are under the control of TiOS
firmware.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

32

Tibbo Document System

EM1000-00
and -01
2.1.6.1
Small hardware changes were made to the EM1000 since its first release.
Currently Tibbo supplies version "-01" of the module. The first version ever
supplied was "-00". The main difference is in the Ethernet IC: the EM1000-...-00
used Davicom's DM9000 while the EM1000-...- 01 features newer DM9000A. This
change reduced module's current consumption and operating temperature.
Unfortunately, this transition requires certain changes to how Ethernet magnetics
and RJ45 are wired to the module. Tibbo apologizes for any inconvenience caused!
Throughout this document, differences between hardware versions of the module
are highlighted in pink. Please, note that from the programming standpoint there
are no functional differences between the EM1000-...- 00 and EM1000-...- 00.
Pictures below show the original EM1000-...- 00 and the EM1000-...- 01.
This is how the original EM1000-...- 00 looks like:

And this is how the EM1000-...- 01 looks like:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

33

I/O Pin 2.1.6.2

Assignment and Pin Functions

I/O pin assignment for the EM1000 Module is provided in the table below.
Additional information on various hardware modules of the EM1000 can be found in
the following topics:
General-purpose I/O Lines
Ethernet Port Lines
Serial Ports
Square Wave Generator
FLASH and EEPROM Memory
Real-time Counter
LED Lines
Power, Reset, PLL Control, and Mode Selection Lines
I/O pin assignment for the EM1000 Module
Pin
#
1
(1)

Function

Description

GPIO0/RTS0/W0out0/
cout0 (2)

General-purpose I/O line 0; by default

also RTS, W0, and cout output of the
serial port 0.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

34

Tibbo Document System

2
(1)

3
(1)

4
(1)

GPIO1/RTS1/W0out1/
cout1 (2)
GPIO2/RTS2/W0out2/
cout2 (2)
GPIO3/RTS3/W0out3/
cout3 (2)
GPIO4/DTR0 (3)

(1)

GPIO5/DTR1 (3)

(1)

GPIO6/DTR2 (3)

(1)

GPIO7/DTR3 (3)

(1)

GPIO8/RX0/W1in0/din0 (4)

(1)

10

GPIO9/TX0/W1out0/dout0

(1)

(4)

11

GPIO10/RX1/W1in1/din1 (4)

(1)

12
(1)

13

GPIO11/TX1/W1out1/
dout1 (4)
GPIO12/RX2/W1in2/din2 (4)

(1)

14
(1)

15

GPIO13/TX2/W1out2/
dout2 (4)
GPIO14/RX3/W1in3/din3 (4)

(1)

16
(1)

17
(1)

18
(1)

19
(1)

20
(1)

21
(1)

GPIO15/TX3/W1out3/
dout3 (4)
GPIO16/INT0/CTS0/
W0&1in0/cin0 (5)
GPIO17/INT1/CTS1/
W0&1in1/cin1 (5)
GPIO18/INT2/CTS2/
W0&1in2/cin2 (5)
GPIO19/INT3/CTS3/
W0&1in3/cin3 (5)
GPIO20/INT4/DSR0 (6)

General-purpose I/O line 1; by default

also RTS, W0, and cout output of the
serial port 1.
General-purpose I/O line 2; by default
also RTS, W0, and cout output of the
serial port 2.
General-purpose I/O line 3; by default
also RTS, W0, and cout output of the
serial port 3.
General-purpose I/O line 4;
conventionally also DTR output line of
the serial port 0.
General-purpose I/O line 5;
conventionally also DTR output line of
the serial port 1.
General-purpose I/O line 6;
conventionally also DTR output line of
the serial port 2.
General-purpose I/O line 7;
conventionally also DTR output line of
the serial port 3.
General-purpose I/O line 8; also RX,
W1, and din input of the serial port 0.
General-purpose I/O line 9; also TX,
W1, and dout output of the serial port
0.
General-purpose I/O line 10; also RX,
W1, and din input of the serial port 1.
General-purpose I/O line 11; also TX,
W1, and dout output of the serial port
1.
General-purpose I/O line 12; also RX,
W1, and din input of the serial port 2.
General-purpose I/O line 13; also TX,
W1, and dout output of the serial port
2.
General-purpose I/O line 14; also RX,
W1, and din input of the serial port 3.
General-purpose I/O line 15; also TX,
W1, and dout output of the serial port
3.
General-purpose I/O line 16; interrupt
line 0; by default also CTS, W0&1, and
cin input of the serial port 0.
General-purpose I/O line 17; interrupt
line 1; by default also CTS, W0&1, and
cin input of the serial port 1.
General-purpose I/O line 18; interrupt
line 2; by default also CTS, W0&1, and
cin input of the serial port 2.
General-purpose I/O line 19; interrupt
line 3; by default also CTS, W0&1, and
cin input of the serial port 3.
General-purpose I/O line 20; interrupt
line 4; conventionally also DSR input
line of the serial port 0.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals
22

GPIO21/INT5/DSR1 (6)

35

GND
GPIO44

General-purpose I/O line 21; interrupt

line 5; conventionally also DSR input
line of the serial port 1.
General-purpose I/O line 22; interrupt
line 6; conventionally also DSR input
line of the serial port 2.
General-purpose I/O line 23; interrupt
line 7; conventionally also DSR input
line of the serial port 3.
General-purpose I/O line 40;
conventionally also DCD line of the
serial port 0.
General-purpose I/O line 41;
conventionally also DCD line of the
serial port 1.
General-purpose I/O line 42;
conventionally also DCD line of the
serial port 1.
General-purpose I/O line 43;
conventionally also DCD line of the
serial port 1.
System ground.
General-purpose I/O line 44.

GPIO25

General-purpose I/O line 25.

GPIO24

General-purpose I/O line 24.

GPIO27

General-purpose I/O line 27.

GPIO26

General-purpose I/O line 26.

GPIO29

General-purpose I/O line 29.

GPIO28

General-purpose I/O line 28.

GPIO31

General-purpose I/O line 31.

GPIO30

General-purpose I/O line 30.

GPIO33

General-purpose I/O line 33.

GPIO32

General-purpose I/O line 32.

GPIO35

General-purpose I/O line 35.

GPIO34

General-purpose I/O line 34.

GPIO37

General-purpose I/O line 37.

GPIO36

General-purpose I/O line 36.

GPIO39

General-purpose I/O line 39.

GPIO38

General-purpose I/O line 38.

47
48
49
50

MD
<TEST PIN>
RST
PM

51

SR

Mode selection pin.

Leave this pin unconnected.
Reset line, active high.
PLL control line (HIGH- PLL ON, LOWPLL OFF).
Red status LED control line

(1)

23

GPIO22/INT6/DSR2 (6)

(1)

24

GPIO23/INT7/DSR3 (6)

(1)

25

GPIO40/DCD0 (7)

(1)

26

GPIO41/DCD1 (7)

(1)

27

GPIO42/DCD2 (7)

(1)

28

GPIO43/DCD3 (7)

(1)

29
30
(1)

31
(1)

32
(1)

33
(1)

34
(1)

35
(1)

36
(1)

37
(1)

38
(1)

39
(1)

40
(1)

41
(1)

42
(1)

43
(1)

44
(1)

45
(1)

46
(1)

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

36

Tibbo Document System

52
53

SG
GPIO46

Green status LED control line

General-purpose I/O line 46.

GPIO45/CO
GPIO48

General-purpose I/O line 45; square

wave output line.
General-purpose I/O line 48.

GPIO47

General-purpose I/O line 47.

57

DBGRX

58

VCCB

59

DBGTX

60

VCC

61

TX-

62

AVCC

63

TX+

64
65

EY
EM1000-...- 00: --EM1000-...- 01: SCAP

66
67

EG
RX-

68

EM1000-...- 00: --EM1000-...- 01: AGND

RX+

RX line of debug serial port (details to

be published).
Backup power for the real-time
counter; connect to 3.3V through 50
Ohm resistor.
TX line of debug serial port (details to
be published).
Positive power input, 3.3V nominal, +/5%, max. current consumption 300mA
(100BaseT, PLL on).
Ethernet port, negative line of the
differential output signal pair
"Clean" power output for magnetics
circuitry:
EM1000-...- 00: 3.3V (not in
production)
EM1000-...- 01: 2.5V (currently in
production)
Ethernet port, positive line of the
differential output signal pair
Yellow Ethernet status LED control line
EM1000-...- 00: --EM1000-...- 01: external
supercapacitor input
Yellow Ethernet status LED control line
Ethernet port, negative line of the
differential input signal pair
EM1000-...- 00: --EM1000-...- 01: analog ground
Ethernet port, positive line of the
differential input signal pair
EM1000-...- 00: --EM1000-...- 01: analog ground

(1)

54
(1)

55
(1)

56
(1)

69
70

EM1000-...- 00: --EM1000-...- 01: AGND

Notes:
1. This line is 5V-tolerant and can be interfaced to 5V CMOS devices directly.
2. Pin function shown in blue is implemented in firmware and can be remapped
(reassigned) to any other I/O pin (provided that this pin is not occupied by some
other function).
3. DTR is not a special pin of the serial port, it is just an I/O pin that can be
controlled by BASIC application. The word "conventionally" refers to the fact
that Tibbo will typically use this pin to serve as a DTR line. This does matter for
board level and external devices.
4. Pin function shown in blue is implemented in firmware.
5. Pin function shown in blue is implemented in firmware and can be remapped

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

37

(reassigned) to any other interrupt I/O pin INT0-INT7 (provided that this pin is
not occupied by some other function).
6. DSR is not a special pin of the serial port, it is just an I/O pin that can be
controlled by BASIC application. The word "conventionally" refers to the fact
that Tibbo will typically use this pin to serve as a DSR line. This does matter for
board level and external devices.
7. DCD is not a special pin of the serial port, it is just an I/O pin that can be
controlled by BASIC application. The word "conventionally" refers to the fact
that Tibbo will typically use this pin to serve as a DCD line. This does matter for
board level and external devices.

General-purpose I/O Lines

The EM1000 has 49 general-purpose I/O lines (GPIO0 - GPIO48). These are 3.3V,
CMOS, 5V-tolerant lines. Maximum load current for each I/O line is 10mA.
Simplified structure of one I/O line of the EM1000 is shown on the circuit diagram
below. Each line has an independent output buffer control. When the EM1000
powers up all I/O lines have their output buffers tri-stated (in other words, all I/O
lines are configured as inputs). You need to explicitly enable the output buffer of a
certain I/O line if you want this line to become an input.
Many I/O lines of the EM1000 also serve as inputs or outputs of special function
modules, such as serial ports. Majority of those lines need to be correctly
configured as inputs or outputs -- this won't happen automatically. Several lines -such as TX and RX lines of the serial port when in the UART mode -- are configured
as outputs and inputs automatically when the serial port (or some other hardware
block) is enabled. For details see "Platform-dependent programming information"
inside the "EM1000 platform" documentation ("TAIKO Manual").
Each I/O line has a weak pull-up resistor that prevents the line from floating when
the output buffer is tri-stated.

I/O pin control is described in details in the documentation for the "IO object"
found inside the "TAIKO Manual".

Ethernet Port Lines

ATTENTION! There are two different Ethernet magnetics arrangements: one for
original EM1000-...- 00, another one -- for the EM1000-...- 01.
Ethernet port of the EM1000 is of 100BaseT type. Onboard electronics of the
EM1000 do not include Ethernet magnetics, so magnetic circuitry must be
connected externally to pins TX+, TX-, RX+, RX-, and AVCC. The AVCC pin

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

38

Tibbo Document System

outputs clean power for the magnetics circuitry, which is very sensitive to noise.
The voltage on the AVCC depends on the EM1000 version: 3.3V for EM1000-...00, 2.5V for the EM1000-...- 01. Separate AGND analog ground pins have been
added on the EM1000-...- 01. For the EM1000-...- 00 there is no separate
analog ground. Please, note the following:
The AVCC is an output!
Do not combine AVCC with the VCC (main power) pin. On the EM1000-...- 00
this is counter-productive, and on the EM1000-...- 01 this will apply wrong
voltage to the AVCC pin. Doing so appears to be causing no immediate
permanent damage to the EM1000-...- 01, but the circuit will not work and the
effects of prolonged over-voltage on the AVCC line are not known.
You can use either a standalone magnetics part (such as YCL-PH163112) or RJ45
connector with integrated magnetics (i.e. YCL-PTC1111-01G). Here are two
connection diagrams based on the YCL-PTC1111-01G -- one for the EM1000-...00, another one - for the EM1000-...- 01.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

39

Once again, the EM1000-...- 00 is a legacy part that has been replaced with the
EM1000-...- 01. In case you have already made the PCB based on the
EM1000-...- 00 specifications and are not willing to change it, you can easily
modify it to accommodate the EM1000-...- 01 (see diagram below):
Do not install four 50 Ohm resistors (they are crossed out on the diagram).
Connect a wire between pins 4 and 7 of the RJ45 connector (pin numbers are for
YCL-PTC1111-01G).
If possible, find a way to install a 220uF capacitor. The circuit will still work even
if you don't have this capacitor but you may have FCC/CE certification issues.
Notice that one of the 0.1 capacitors becomes redundant but that's OK.
All of the above is based on the assumption that your host PCB was designed
correctly and the AVCC output of the EM1000 is not joined together with the
main VCC line. If you erroneously had AVCC and VCC combined together then
you will need to separate them as well: pin AVCC outputs 2.5V on the
EM1000-...- 01 and this is different from the main power on the VCC pin, which
is 3.3V. Applying 3.3V to pin AVCC of the EM1000-...- 01 appears to be causing
no immediate permanent damage to the device, but the circuit will not work and
the effects of prolonged over-voltage on the AVCC line are not known.

It is important to make the PCB wire connections between the Ethernet port pins of
the EM1000 and external magnetics circuitry as short as possible. Making the wires
too long may cause the noise level generated by your PCB surpass the maximum
radiated emission limits stipulated by FCC/CE regulations. Additionally, longer
Ethernet lines on the PCB will make your board more susceptible to the damage
from the ESD (electrostatic discharge).
The EM1000 also has two Ethernet status LED control lines- see here for details.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

40

Tibbo Document System

Serial Ports
The EM1000 has four serial ports that can work in one of the three modes: UART,
Wiegand, or clock/data. All three modes are described in details in the
documentation for the "serial object" found inside the "TAIKO Manual".
Additionally, see the "Platform-dependent programming information" section inside
the "EM1000" platform documentation (same manual).
Notice that some serial port functionality is hardwired and some is implemented in
firmware.

Square Wave Generator

The square wave generator can produce a square wave output on pin GPIO45/CO
of the EM1000. The generator is primarily intended for producing audio signals using
buzzer and is covered in the "beep object" found inside the "TAIKO Manual".

FLASH and EEPROM Memory

The EM1000 has 512KBytes of FLASH memory and 2KBytes of EEPROM memory.
First 64KBytes of FLASH memory are used to store the TiOS firmware. When you
are performing a firmware upgrade (for example, through the serial port) it is this
memory you are saving the file to.
The rest of this FLASH memory is available to your BASIC application and its data.
Whatever memory space is left after the compiled BASIC application is loaded is
available as a FLASH disk (see the "fdisk object" documentation inside the "TAIKO
Manual").
The EEPROM is almost fully available to your BASIC application, save for a small 8byte area called "special configuration area". The EEPROM is accessed through the
"stor object" (see TAIKO Manual). Details on special configuration area are
provided in the "Platform-dependent programming information" section inside the
"EM1000" platform documentation (same manual).

Real-time Counter
The real-time counter (RTC) of the EM1000 is a free-running 40-bit register that
increments at a rate of 128Hz.
As a source of backup power, the EM1000 can rely on a supercapacitor. Option "-S"
of the device (see Specifications and EM1000 Modifications) has an onboard
supercapacitor. To enable charging, connect 3.3V power to the VCCB pin of the
EM1000, preferably through a current-limiting resistor (50 Ohm is a good value). A
fully discharged supercapacitor creates a nearly short-current inrush when it starts
charging and this can damage the power supply on the host board.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

41

The EM1000-...-S carries the supercapacitor on the bottom side of its PCB (see
Mechanical Dimensions). With this supercapacitor present, it is impossible to solder
the module into the host PCB directly and the module can only be installed on the
socket. If this is not acceptable you can use a "plain" EM1000 (not "-S") and
connect an external supercapacitor to the SCAP pin of the EM1000. This option is
only available in the EM1000-...- 01 device (EM1000-...- 00 does not have the
SCAP pin).
The supercapacitor has many advantages- it charges almost immediately and has
virtually unlimited life. The disadvantage is that the supercapacitor is only able to
sustain the RTC of the EM1000 for several days at most (about 6 days for the 5F
supercapacitor of the EM1000-...-S), which may appear to be insufficient.
Remember, however, that the EM1000 is a "connected" device. As such, it can
always synchronize its clock with the Internet time or the master clock on some
server in your system. Therefore, the role of the supercapacitor is to provide
backup power during relatively short periods of power absence, for example when
the device is unplugged and being moved to another location, or when the device
is powered off over the weekend.
It is also possible to use a lithium 3V battery to power the RTC (in this case, do not
use the EM1000 with "-S"). Connect the battery to the VCCB pin through a small
SMT Shotty diode. This diode is necessary to slightly reduce the voltage on the
VCCB pin. You can calculate the time the battery will be able to sustain the
EM1000 from the average backup current -- this current is ~13uA.
Your BASIC application can access the RTC through the "rtc object", which is
documented in the "TAIKO Manual".

LED Lines
This topic covers the following pins of the EM1000: EG, EY, SG, and SR.
The EM1000 has four LED control lines. All lines have the same internal structure
and the LEDs should be connected to these lines as shown on the schematic
diagram below. Maximum load for each line is 10mA.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

42

Tibbo Document System

EG and EY lines reflect the status of the Ethernet port. The EG LED is switched on
whenever a live Ethernet connection is detected by the EM1000's Ethernet port.
The EG LED is momentarily switched off whenever the EM1000 receives a network
packet. The EY shows whether current Ethernet link is of 10BaseT type (EY off) or
100BaseT (EY on).
SG and SR lines are under firmware control and display various status information.
The Monitor uses these LEDs to display various status information during the
firmware upgrade through the serial port. When the EM1000 is running TiOS
firmware and your BASIC application is not running, these LEDs are used to display
the status of loaded project. When your BASIC program is executing, the SG and
SR LEDs can be controlled by your application through the "pat object" (see
"TAIKO Manual").

Power, Reset, PLL Control, and Mode Selection Lines

This topic covers the following pins of the EM1000: VCC, GND, VCCB, PM, and MD
.
The EM1000 should be powered from a stabilized DS power supply with output
nominal voltage of 3.3V (+/- 5% tolerance). Current consumption of the EM1000 is
approximately 300mA (PLL on, 100BaseT mode).
Please, do not forget that the VCCB pin should not be left unconnected (see
Real-time Counter).
Proper external reset is not required. The EM1000 has a reliable power-on reset
circuit with brown-out detection. Optionally, you can connect a reset button or
some other reset-generating circuit to the RST pin of the EM1000. This will allow
you to generate "external" resets. The RTS line has active HIGH polarity. If you are
not using the RST pin you can leave it unconnected.
The main clock frequency of the EM1000 is generated by 11.0592MHz crystal
connected to the onboard PLL circuit. When the PLL is off, the EM1000 is clocked at
11.0592MHz. When the PLL is on, the main clock is eight times higher88.4736MHz. Naturally, with PLL on the EM1000 works 8 times faster and
consumers more current (300mA with PLL on against 240mA with PLL off*). Main
clock frequency also affects the baudrates of serial ports when in the UART mode,
as well as the frequency produced by the square wave generator.
The PLL cannot be switched off and on while the EM1000 is running. This is
because when PLL mode changes its output needs some time to stabilize. For this
reason, the PLL mode of the EM1000 can only be changed on reset. A special
internal delay circuit will hold the EM1000 in reset while PLL frequency stabilizes.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

43

The state of the PM pin at power-on or external reset (i.e. reset pulse on the RST
line) defines whether the EM1000 will run with PLL on or off. To have the PLL on,
leave the PM pin unconnected. To disable PLL and run at lower clock frequency,
ground the PM pin.
Your BASIC application can also change the PLL mode programmatically. The
application can check the current PLL mode through the "sys object" (see "TAIKO
Manual"). If the PLL mode needs to be changed, the application can set new mode
and then perform an internal reset (again, through the "sys object"). The internal
reset is identical to the power-on or external reset with one difference: the PLL
mode is set basing not on the PM pin but on the PLL mode requested by the
application prior to the reset.
The MD line of the EM1000 is used to select the operating mode of the EM1000.
When the EM1000 powers up it verifies the state of the MD input. If the MD input is
at HIGH the EM1000 proceeds to verifying and running the application firmware
(TiOS) loaded into its internal FLASH memory. If the MD input is at LOW the
EM1000 enters the serial upgrade mode.
Typically, a button is connected to the MD line. Your application can also work with
this button through the "button object" (see "TAIKO Manual").

*Current consumption figures for the 100BaseT mode of the Ethernet controller.

Mechanical
Dimensions
2.1.6.3

L
W
H
H'

Max.
Max.
Max.
Max.

38.4
28.4
5.5
9.5

Min.

6.0

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Module length
Module width
Module height (option without supercapacitor)
Module height ("-S" option -- with supercapacitor installed).
In this case the EM1000 is meant to be mounted on a
socket.
Lead length

44

Tibbo Document System

p

Aver.

2.54

Pin pitch

All dimensions are in millimeters

Specifications
2.1.6.4 and EM1000 Modifications
The EM1000 currently has two sub-models available:
Model number
EM1000-512K-01
EM1000-512K-S-01

Description
EM1000 Module with 512KBytes of FLASH
memory
EM1000 Module with 512KBytes of FLASH
memory and supercapacitor (backup power
source for the RTC)

Earlier devices: EM1000-512K-00 and EM1000-512K-S-00 are not longer in

production and have been superseded by newer "-01" devices.
Device specifications are presented in the table below.
Parameter
Performance
Ethernet interface
Serial ports
UART capabilities

Number of I/O lines

Number of interrupt lines
Max. load current for each
I/O line
Square wave generator

EM1000-512K- 01 and EM1000-512K-S-01

88MIPS with PLL on
11MIPS with PLL off
10/100BaseT Ethernet, Auto-MDIX(1), magnetics not
built-in
4 ports, CMOS-level; UART, Wiegand(1), and
clock/data(1) modes
Baudrates up to 1'382'400bps;
none/even/odd/mark/space parity and 7/8 bits/char.;
full-duplex UART mode with optional flow control(2)
and half-duplex UART mode with automatic direction
control(2); RX(3), TX(3), RTS(2), CTS(2), DTR(2), DSR(2),
and DCD(2) lines on each UART.
49, all lines are 5V-tolerant
8, individually programmable for negative- or
positive-edge detection
10mA

6Hz - 22'1184MHz, can be used for buzzer control,

etc.
Real-time counter (RTC)
40 bit, increments at 128Hz, has its own backup
power input
RTC backup power source Supercapacitor, supports RTC for app. 6 days ("-S"
version only)
Clock frequency and source 11.0592MHz with PLL off
88.4736MHz with PLL on
FLASH memory
512KBytes, 448KBytes available to store BASIC
application and its data
EEPROM memory
2048 bytes, 2040 bytes available to store application
data
Routing buffers
up to 20KBytes in total
Supported network
UDP(2), TCP(2), ICMP (ping)(2), DHCP(2), and HTTP(2)
(1)
protocols
Number of simultaneous
16(2)
UDP or TCP (HTTP)
connections(1)

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals
Nominal power supply
voltage (VCC pin)
Reset circuit trip voltage
(VCC pin)

Operating current (VCC

pin)

45

DC 3.3V, +/- 5%
3.0V on power-up (i.e. when the voltage on VCC is
rising)
2.9V on brown-out (i.e. when the voltage on VCC is
dropping)
40mA with PLL off, Ethernet cable unplugged
50mA with PLL off, 10BaseT mode
110mA with PLL off, 100BaseT mode
160mA with PLL on, Ethernet cable unplugged
170mA with PLL on, 10BaseT mode
230mA with PLL on, 100BaseT mode
2.2V - 3.3V (option without "-S" only)

Backup power voltage

range (VCCB pin)(4)
Backup current (VCCB pin) 1mA when the EM1000 is running (3.3V on VCC)
13uA when the EM1000 is not powered (0V on VCC)
Device temperature during 43C with PLL on, 100BaseT mode
operation(5)
Operating temperature
-20 to +70 degrees C
Operating relative humidity 10-90%
Mechanical dimensions
38.4x28.4x5.5mm (without backup supercapacitor)
(excl. leads)
38.4x28.4x9.5mm ("-S" option -- with
supercapacitor)(6)
Packing
<To be defined>
Notes:
1. Automatic detection of "straight" and "cross" cable.
2. Actually a feature of TiOS firmware.
3. In the UART mode TX and RX lines are controlled by dedicated UART hardware,
in the Wiegand and clock/data mode these pins are under the control of TiOS
firmware.
4. The RTC will not lose its data and will keep running as long as the backup
voltage stays within this range.
5. As measured at room temperature, when the EM1000 is placed into a sealed
contained without air convection. Temperature refers to the air temperature
inside the container, not the surface temperature of any particular component of
the EM1000.
6. The EM1000-512K-S device cannot be installed on the PCB directly. This is
because it has a supercapacitor battery mounted on the bottom side of the
Module. This device is meant to be mounted on a socket.

Ethernet-to-Serial Boards
This part of documentation describes Ethernet-to-serial Boards supplied by Tibbo.
These boards can be used for convenient evaluation and testing of Tibbo
Ethernet-to-serial Modules. At the same time, some boards are also suitable for

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

46

Tibbo Document System

use in production devices as "faster implementation" alternatives to Modules.
The following Boards are currently manufactured:
EM100-EV Evaluation Board
EM120/EM200-EV Evaluation Board
EM202-EV Ethernet-to-serial Board
EM1000-EV Evaluation Board

EM100-EV Evaluation Board

The EM100-EV Evaluation Board offers a convenient way of testing EM100 Ethernet
Module. The board features the following components:
A socket for EM100 Module installation
Power jack and a linear voltage regulator circuitry (12VDC-->5VDC, adaptor
current rating must be no less than 500mA)
RJ45 connector
DB9M RS232 connector and RS232 transceiver (supported signals are RX, TX,
RTS, CTS)
Setup button (connected to the MD line of the EM100)
Ethernet LEDs and Status LEDs (connected to LED lines of the EM100)

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

47

Power 2.2.1.1
Jack
Power Jack of the EM100-EV accepts "large" power connectors with 5.5mm
diameter. Use ARP-1014, ARP-1015A, or ARP-1018Apower adaptor supplied by
Tibbo or similar adaptor. Nominal voltage is 12VDC and adaptor current rating
should be at least 500mA. On the power jack, the ground is "on the outside", as
shown on the figure below.

Ethernet
Port Pin Assignment
2.2.1.2
RJ45 Ethernet connector has the following pin assignment:

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8

TX+
TXRX+
<No connection>
<No connection>
RX<No connection>
<No connection>

RS232 2.2.1.3
Port Pin Assignment
DB9M RS232 connector has the following pin assignment:

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

<No connection>
RX (input)
TX (output)
<No connection>
Ground
<No connection>
RTS (output)
CTS (input)
<No connection>

48

Tibbo Document System

EM120/EM200-EV Evaluation Board

The EM120/200-EV Evaluation Board offers a convenient way of testing EM120

and EM200 Ethernet Modules. The board features the following components:
A socket for EM120 or EM200 installation
Power jack and a switching power regulator (12VDC-->5VDC, adaptor current
rating must be no less than 500mA)
RJ45 connector and 10/100BaseT Ethernet Magnetics (EM120 and EM200 do not
have built-in magnetics)
DB9M RS232 connector and RS232 transceiver (supported signals are RX, TX,
RTS, CTS, DTR, DSR)
Setup button (connected to the MD line of EM120/EM200)
Two Ethernet LEDs and two status LEDs (connected to LED lines of EM120/200)
Five additional LEDs connected to lines

P0, P1, P6-8of the EM120/EM200

15-pin expansion connector provides access to EM120/EM200's serial and

general-purpose I/O pins (therefore, all I/O lines on this connector are of TTL
type)

Power 2.2.2.1
Jack
Power Jack of the EM120/EM200-EV accepts "large" power connectors with 5.5mm
diameter. Use ARP-1014, ARP-1015A, or ARP-1018A power adaptor supplied by
Tibbo or similar adaptor. Nominal voltage is 12VDC and adaptor current rating
should be at least 500mA. On the power jack, the ground is "on the outside", as
shown on the figure below.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

Ethernet
Port Pin Assignment
2.2.2.2
RJ45 Ethernet connector has the following pin assignment:

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8

TX+
TXRX+
<No connection>
<No connection>
RX<No connection>
<No connection>

RS232 2.2.2.3
Port Pin Assignment
DB9M RS232 connector has the following pin assignment:

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

<No connection>
RX (input)
TX (output)
DTR (output)
Ground
DSR (input)
RTS (output)
CTS (input)
<No connection>

49

50

Tibbo Document System

Expansion
Connector Pin Assignment
2.2.2.4
15-pin expansion connector has the following pin assignment:
P0
P1
P6
P7
P8
GND
VCC
RST

MD
DTR
RTS
TX
RX
CTS
DSR

Connected to pin P0 of EM120/EM200

Connected to pin P1 of EM120/EM200
Connected to pin P6 of EM120/EM200
Connected to pin P7 of EM120/EM200
Connected to pin P8 of EM120/EM200
Ground
+5V from the EM120/EM200-EV board. Available "spare" current about
50mA
Reset (active high) from the EM120/EM200-EV board. The signal is
generated by an onboard reset IC. The same signal is applied to pin RST
of EM120/EM200
Connected to the download/setup button on the EM120/EM200-EV board.
The signal is connected to pin MD of EM120/EM200
Connected to pin P3(DTR) of EM120/EM200
Connected to pin P5(RTS) of EM120/EM200
Connected to pin TX of EM120/EM200
Connected to pin RX of EM120/EM200
Connected to pin P4(CTS) of EM120/EM200
Connected to pin P2(DSR) of EM120/EM200

Output signals that are present both on the DB9M and expansion connectors (DTR,
RTS, TX) need not be switched. So, for example, the TX (output) line from the
EM120/EM200 is connected to the RS232 transceiver IC and to the expansion
connector. For input signals (RX, CTS, DSR) there must be a way to disconnect the
RS232 transceiver IC from the EM120/EM200. Three jumpers (combined with pins
RX, CTS, DSR of the expansion connector) serve this purpose.
For example, when the RX jumper is closed the RX pin of the EM120/EM200
receives a signal from the RS232 transceiver. When the jumper is opened you can
use the RX pin on the expansion connector to supply a TTL RX signal from your
own external board. Figure below illustrates this.

Maximum load for all CMOS-type lines (P0, P1, ... RX, TX...) is 10mA.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

51

EM202-EV Ethernet-to-Serial Board

EM202-EV Evaluation Boards offer a convenient way of testing EM202 Ethernet

Module. The boards are small enough to also be used in production devicesinstead of making your own PCB to accommodate the EM202 you can piggyback
the whole EM202-EV board onto your device's main PCB. Power Jack, RJ45 "face"
of the EM202 (also featuring four status LEDs), and the download/setup button are
conveniently placed on the same side of the EM202-EV and aligned- this way you
can, for example, make necessary opening on the back cover of your Product and
mount the EM202-EV behind this cover. Two sets of mounting holes with smaller
and larger diameters are provided for board mounting.
The EM202-EV is supplied in three modifications:

EM202 Module with

RJ45
Download/setup button
RS232 transceiver
DB9M connector
Status LEDs on top
TTL interface connector

EM202-EV-RS EM202-EV-TM
(RS232)
(TTL master)
YES

EM202-EV-TS
(TTL slave)

YES
YES
YES
YES
NO

Power Jack
Switching power supply
Reset IC

NO
NO
NO
YES*
YES
YES
YES

NO
NO
NO

* Meaning that this connector can be used

The EM202-EV-RS is the most "complete" of three boards as it contains all
necessary parts for standalone operation. This board can be used to build an
external Serial Device Server similar in function to the DS100.
The EM202-EV-TM and EM202-EV-TS do not have RS232 transceiver and DB9M
connector. Instead, you have access to an 8-pin TTL interface connector (only
through-hole pads on the PCB are provided). This TTL interface is convenient when
you want to interface the board to some other IC (microcontroller, UART, etc.).
The difference between the EM202-EV-TM and EM202-EV-TS is that -TM
modification (stands for "TTL master") has reset IC, switching power supply, and
power jack onboard, while -TS requires your board to supply regulated 5VDC

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

52

Tibbo Document System

power and reset signal.
Onboard power supply of the EM202-EV-TM has a "spare" power capacity of about
100mA, which can probably used to power your device's main board as well.

Power 2.2.3.1
Jack
Power Jack of the EM202-EV accepts "small" power connectors with 3.5mm
diameter. Use ARP-P0005, ARP-P0006, or ARP-P0007 power adaptor supplied by
Tibbo or similar adaptor. Acceptable supply power range is 10-25VDC. Adaptor
current rating should be at least 500mA. On the power jack, the ground is "on the
outside", as shown on the figure below.

Ethernet
Port Pin Assignment
2.2.3.2
RJ45 Ethernet connector has the following pin assignment:

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8

TX+
TXRX+
<No connection>
<No connection>
RX<No connection>
<No connection>

RS232 2.2.3.3
Port Pin Assignment
DB9M RS232 connector (only available on EM202-EV-RS) has the following pin
assignment:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9

53

<No connection>
RX (input)
TX (output)
DTR (output)
Ground
DSR (input)
RTS (output)
CTS (input)
<No connection>

TTL Interface
2.2.3.4Connector Pin Assignment
10-pin TTL interface connector (available on EM202-EV-TM and EM202-EV-TS) has
the following pin assignment:
EM202-EV-TM
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10

RST (output)
+5V VCC (output)

EM202-EV-TS
P5(RTS/DIR) of EM202
P4(CTS/DIR) of EM202
TX of EM202
RX of EM202
P2(DSR) of EM202
P3(DTR) of EM202
MD (wire AND)
RST (input)
Ground
+5V VCC (input)

Notice, that MD is a "wire AND" line and is pulled low internally when the
download/setup button is pressed on the board. Therefore, if your circuit needs to
control this line it needs to do so through an open collector output.
Another point where care should be exercised is related to RST and VCC pins. On
the EM202-EV-TM these are outputs, while on the EM202-EV-TS these pins are
inputs.
Maximum load for all CMOS-type lines (TX, RX, P2,...) is 10mA.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

54

Tibbo Document System

Mechanical
Dimensions
2.2.3.5

L
l

Aver.
Aver.

52.6
2.7

W
H

Aver.
Max.

38.0
17.5

t
m1
m2
m3
m4
m5
m6
d1
d2
d3
d4
n1
n2
n3
n4
n5
n6
n7
n8
n9
n10
h1
h2

Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.
Aver.

1.6
26.0
14.0
19.0
45.0
31.0
21.0
4.2
2.3
5.0
3.3
11.0
XXX
40.5
46.9
50.1
33.0
6.0
15.0
5.1
14.5
7.5
5.9

Board length
Distance from the PCB edge to the front face of EM202,
power jack, and setup button
Board width
Board height excluding the heing of the tallest component
on the bottom side of the PCB
PCB thickness
Distance between mounting holes
Distance to the mounting holes
Distance to the mounting holes
Distance to the mounting holes
Distance between mounting holes
Distance between mounting holes
Mounting hole diameter
Mounting hole diameter
LED diameter
Setup button diameter
PCB outline dimension
PCB outline dimension
Distance to the LEDs
Distance to the TTL interface connector
PCB outline dimension
PCB outline dimension
Distance between LEDs
Distance to the power jack
Power jack width
Distance to the setup button
Power jack height
Distance to the center of setup button

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals
h3

Max.

2.5

h4
h5
p

Aver.
Max.
Aver.

6.2
9.0
2.0

55

Height of the tallest component on the bottom side of the

PCB
Distance to the RS232 (DB9) connector
LED height
TTL interface connector pitch

All dimensions are in millimiters

EM1000-EV Evaluation Board

Please, make sure that you read the following topic: EM1000-EV-00 and -01.

The EM1000-EV Evaluation Set offers a convenient way of testing EM1000 Ethernet
Modules. The board features the following components:
Metal base.
Network PCB with EM1000 Ethernet Module installed on a socket, Ethernet port
(RJ45) connector, Ethernet Status LEDs, Mode and Resetbuttons, power jack
and power terminals, power supply circuit, buzzer, and three jumpers.
Interface PCB with four RS232 transceivers, two DB9M connectors for serial ports
1 and 2, two 2x5 headers for attaching two more external DB9M connectors for
serial ports 3 and 4, and three jumpers.
Network-side LEDs installed on a separate PCB. These LEDs include: System
Status LEDs (green and red), Ethernet Status LEDs (green and yellow), and an

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

56

Tibbo Document System

LED "bar" consisting of five yellow LEDs. The bar is intended for signal strength
indication -- the EM1000 will be supplied with an optional wireless interface in
the future.
Interface-side LEDs installed on a separate PCB. There are four LED pairs; each
pair consists of a red and green LED. Number of LED pairs matches the number
of serial ports on the interface PCB. Each pair is meant to serve as an indicator of
the corresponding serial port status.

EM1000-EV-00
2.2.4.1 and -01
Small hardware changes were made to the EM1000 since its first release.
Currently Tibbo supplies version "-01" of the module. The first version ever
supplied was "-00". The main difference is in the Ethernet IC: the EM1000-...-00
used Davicom's DM9000 while the EM1000-...- 01 features newer DM9000A. This
change reduced module's current consumption and operating temperature.
Unfortunately, this transition requires certain changes to how Ethernet magnetics
and RJ45 are wired to the module.
Because of the above difference, the EM1000-EV boards also exist in two versions:
the EM1000-EV-00 for the EM1000-00 and EM1000-EV-01 -- for the EM1000-01.
Throughout this document, differences between hardware versions of the EM1000EV are highlighted in pink.
Notice, that the EM1000-...- 00 module will only work properly with the
EM1000-EV-00. If you plug it into the EM1000-EV-01 you won't be able to
communicate with the module through the Ethernet. Likewise, the EM1000-...- 01
can only work with the EM1000-EV-01 board. Moreover, running the EM1000-...01 on the EM1000-EV-00 board for prolonged period of time may theoretically
lead to a permanent damage to the EM1000-...- 01 device.
The skilled and adventurous can easily convert the EM1000-EV-00 board into the
EM1000-EV-01.

Converting EM1000-EV-00 into -01

This topic explains how to alter the EM1000-EV-00 in order for it to work with the
EM1000-...- 01 modules. The EM1000-...- 00 and EM1000-...- 01 differ in how
they have to be connected to the Ethernet magnetics and RJ45 connector.
Please, note that after you modify the EM1000-EV-00 it will no longer work with
the EM1000-...- 00 and will only work with the EM1000-...- 01 modules.
Here are your steps:
(1) Remove four resistors: R14, R15, R16, and R17:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

57

(2) Cut the 3.3V wire trace in two places (do not cut any other wire by mistake -the 3.3V trace is thicker):

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

58

Tibbo Document System

(3) Install two wires on the bottom side of the PCB as shown below:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

59

That is it! Your work is done. And if the board doesn't work after that you can send it
to us for repair :-)

Power 2.2.4.2
Jack and Power Terminals
Power Jack of the EM202-EV accepts "small" power connectors with 3.5mm
diameter. Use ARP-P0005, ARP-P0006, or ARP-P0007 power adaptor supplied by
Tibbo or similar adaptor. Acceptable supply power range is 10-25VDC. Adaptor
current rating should be at least 500mA. On the power jack, the ground is "on the
outside", as shown on the figure below.

Another way to connect power is through the power terminals located next to the
power jack. Ground and "+" terminal positions are shown on the main diagram.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

60

Tibbo Document System

Ethernet
Port (RJ45) Pin Assignment
2.2.4.3
RJ45 Ethernet connector has the following pin assignment:

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8

TX+
TXRX+
<No connection>
<No connection>
RX<No connection>
<No connection>

RS232 2.2.4.4
Port (DB8M) and 2x5 Header Pin Assignment
The EM1000-EV has four serial ports marked 1-4 on the main diagram. Note that
the EM1000 "counts" its serial ports from 0. . Therefore, ports 1-4 on the
EM1000-EV correspond to ports 0-3 on the EM1000.
DB9M connectors has the following pin assignment:

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9

<No connection>
RX (input)
TX (output)
DTR (output)
Ground
DSR (input)
RTS (output)
CTS (input)
<No connection>

2x5 headers have the following pin assignment:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10

61

<No connection>
RX (input)
TX (output)
DTR (output)
Ground
DSR (input)
RTS (output)
CTS (input)
<No connection>
<No connection>

LEDs 2.2.4.5
This section covers all LEDs of the EM1000-EV Evaluation Board.
System Status LEDs
This is a pair of green and red LEDs connected to the SG and SR pins of the
EM1000. Status LEDs are used to display various status information -- see here for
details.
Ethernet Status LEDs
Two identical pairs of these LEDs are present on the EM1000-EV board: one pair is
located on the network board, another one- on the network LED board. Each pair
consists of a yellow and green LED connected to the EY and EG pins of the
EM1000. These LEDs display current Ethernet link state -- see here for details.
LED "bar"
Five yellow LEDs of the LED bar can display the strength of the wireless signal
(when the EM1000 has an optional wireless board installed). These LEDs are
controlled through three GPIO lines of the EM1000- GPIO46, GPIO47, and
GPIO48.
GPIO46 is a reset line of the LED bar. Setting this line to low sets all five outputs to
LOW and this turns all LEDs ON. GPIO47 is a clock line- a negative transition on
this line "shifts in" the data on the GPIO48, which is the data line. The circuit that
controls LEDs looks like this:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

62

Tibbo Document System

Notice, that the data on the data line will be inverted. Therefore, if you want to
switch the LEDs ON set the data line HIGH. This will produce LOW on the outputs,
and this will turn an LED on.
As an example, let's say that you need to have LED1, LED2, and LED3 off, while
LED4 and LED5 are on. To achieve this:
Generate a negative pulse on the reset line- this will turn all five LEDs on.
Set the data line to LOW.
Generate three negative pulses on the CLOCK line.
LED pairs on the network LED PCB
There are four pairs, each consisting of a red and green LED. These LEDs are
connected to GPIO24 thru GPIO31 of the EM1000 (see main diagram). The LED is
on when corresponding GPIO line is at logical LOW. Four LED pairs are intended for
displaying the state of four serial ports of the interface board.

Jumpers
and Buttons
2.2.4.6
This section covers all jumpers of the EM1000-EV Evaluation Board.
PLL jumper
Leave this jumper open if you want the EM1000 to run at 88.4736MHz. Close the
jumper if you want the EM1000 to run at 11.0592MHz. Notice, that the jumper
state is only recognized after the power-up or external reset (caused by pressing
the RST button). For more information on PLL check Power, Reset, PLL Control, and
Mode Selection Lines.
US jumper
This jumper is reserved for factory testing. Leave it opened.
MD jumper and Mode button
Powering up or the EM1000 (or pressing Reset button) while pressing the Mode
button or keeping the MD jumper closed causes the EM1000 to enter the serial
upgrade mode. The jumper and the button are connected to the MD pin of the
EM1000. Firmware upgrades through the serial port always use the serial port 1.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

63

For more information see Power, Reset, PLL Control, and Mode Selection Lines.
Reset button
This button is connected to the RST pin of the EM1000. Pressing this button causes
"external" reset. For more information see Power, Reset, PLL Control, and Mode
Selection Lines.
Three jumpers on the interface board
Keep all three jumpers in the 1-2 position. Position 2-3 disconnects the serial port
3 of the EM1000 from the DB9 connector #4 (ports 0-3 of the EM1000 correspond
to ports 1-4 on the EM1000-EV) and instead connects the port to the GPRS modem
that can be optionally installed on the interface PCB.

Ethernet-to-Serial Servers
This part of documentation describes Ethernet-to-serial Servers (for external use)
supplied by Tibbo.
The following devices are currently manufactured:
DS100 Serial Device Server
DS202 Serial Device Server
To simplify choosing between Ethernet-to-serial Devices we provide the following
comparison chart.

Comparison Chart for Ethernet-to-Serial Servers

The following table compares main characteristics of Tibbo Ethernet-to-serial
Devices.
Item
Ethernet port type
Serial interface
Serial port capabilities
Serial port lines

DS100R
DS100B
DS202R
10BaseT
100/10BaseT
RS232
RS232/422/485 RS232
Baudrates: 150-115200bps; parity: none, even, odd,
mark, space; 7 or 8 bits/byte
RX, TX, RTS, RX, TX, RTS, CTS, DTR, DSR*
CTS
510bytes*2
12KB*2

Routing buffer size

(bytes)
Power supply voltage
12VDC
Mechanical dimensions 95x57x30mm
Firmware**
Below V3.5x

10~25VDC
60x47x30mm
V3.5x or above

* For DS100B this refers to the RS232 mode of the serial port.
** V3.5 has introduced new features that are not supported by earlier firmware
released.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

64

Tibbo Document System

DS100 Serial Device Server

The DS100 is a Serial Device Server for external use. Device hardware includes one
10BaseT Ethernet port, one serial port and an internal processor that "glues"
network and serial sides together. Internally, the DS100 is based on the EM100
Ethernet Module.
The DS100 is supplied in two modifications:
DS100R with RS232 serial port.
DS100B with universal RS232/422/485 serial port.
From the hardware standpoint, the DS100 can be viewed as a universal platform
suitable for running a variety of network and serial communications-related
applications. It is the application firmware, not the hardware that gives the DS100
most of its functionality. The firmware is currently in its 3rd generation
("Release3").
The application firmware of the DS100 can be upgraded through the device's serial
port or Ethernet port. Serial upgrades are facilitated by a so-called Monitor- a fixed
"service" firmware inside the DS100. The Monitor itself cannot be upgraded.
Network upgrades rely on the NetLoader firmware component that, like the
application firmware itself, can be upgraded through the serial port of the DS100
(using the Monitor). The DS100 is supplied with the application firmware and the
NetLoader already pre-loaded.
Since most of the DS100's operation is defined by its firmware the major part of
the functional description can be found in the Device Server Application Firmware
Manual. This DS100 Serial Device Server Manual focuses on the hardware portion
of the DS100.
* Network upgrades are only possible on the latest DS100-03 modification of the
device (see specifications and EM100 modifications for details)

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

65

DS100 2.3.2.1
Connectors and Controls

Click on the area on the picture above or one of the links provided below to learn
more about the DS100:
Power Jack (input power is 12VDC, adaptor current rating must be no less than
500mA)
Ethernet port pin assignment.
Serial port pin assignment and interface selection.
Status LEDs.
Setup button.

Power Jack
Power Jack of the DS100 accepts "large" power connectors with 5.5mm diameter.
Use ARP-1014, ARP-1015A, or ARP-1018A power adaptor supplied by Tibbo or
similar adaptor. Nominal voltage is 12VDC and adaptor current rating should be at
least 500mA. On the power jack, the ground is "on the outside", as shown on the
figure below.

Ethernet Port Pin Assignment

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

66

Tibbo Document System

Ethernet port of the DS100 is of 10BaseT type. The DS100 is compatible with all
10BaseT Ethernet hubs and also 99% of 100BaseT hubs. This is because most
100BaseT hubs are actually 100/10 devices that auto-detect the type of device
connected to each port.
Connector is of RJ45 type, pin assignment is as follows:
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8

TX+
TXRX+
<No connection>
<No connection>
RX<No connection>
<No connection>

Serial Port Pin Assignment and i/f Selection

The serial port connector of the DS100 is of DB9M type. The DS100 is supplied in
two models: the DS100R with RS232 port and DS100B with universal
RS232/RS422/RS485 serial port. Notice, that there are no terminators (usually
required at the ends of RS422 and RS485 buses) inside the DS100B. Termination
circuits are present on the TB100 Terminal Block Adaptor that can be optionally
supplied with the DS100B.

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9

DS100R
DS100B
RS232
RS232
RS422
(full-duplex op.) (full-duplex op.) (full-duplex op.)
<No connection> <No connection>
RTS- (output)
RX (input)
RX (input)
RX- (input)
TX (output)
TX (output)
TX+ (output)
<No connection>
DTR (output)
TX- (output)
Ground
Ground
Ground
<No connection>
DSR (input)
RX+ (input)
RTS (output)
RTS (output)
RTS+ (output)
CTS (input)
CTS (input)
CTS+ (input)
<No connection> <No connection>
CTS- (input)

RS485
(half-duplex op.)
<No connection>
RX- (input)
TX+ (output)
TX- (output)
Ground
RX+ (input)
<No connection>
<No connection>
<No connection>

The difference between the RS422 and RS485 modes of the DS100B is not just in
that there are no RTS+ and RTS- signals in the RS485 mode. Notice that the table
above also details whether the serial port is running in the full-duplex or
half-duplex mode when a particular interface is selected. When RS422 is selected
the serial port is in the full-duplex mode and the TX+/TX- and RTS+/RTS- signal
pairs are active at all times (i.e. output the data). When RS485 is selected the
TX+/RX+ signal pair outputs the data only when the DS100 needs to send the data
out through the serial port. The incoming data is ignored at this time. When the
DS100 is not outputting the data the TX+/TX- signal pair is tri-stated and the
DS100 is "listening" to the incoming data on the RX+/RX- signal pair. This allows
you to arrange a 2-wire RS485 bus by externally connecting TX+ to the RX+ and

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

67

TX- to the RX- (this can be conveniently done by using TB100 Terminal Block
Adaptor).
Interface selection for the DS100B is done through the DIP switches located on the
bottom of the device, next to the setup button (DS100B only). Only switches 1 and
2 are used at the moment, switch 3 is reserved.

Interface
RS232
RS422
RS485

Switch 1
OFF
OFF
ON

Switch 2
OFF
ON
ON

If you change interface selection you need to power the DS100B off and back on
again for the new selection to be recognized by the device. Also, for the interface
selection to work you need to make sure that the Serial Interface (SI) setting of
the application firmware is programmed to 2 (auto).

Status LEDs
The Green and Red status LEDs are located on the top of the DS100. The LEDs
display various status information depending on what firmware is running at the
moment. Follow the links below to learn more about the behaviour of these LEDs
under different conditions:
Status LED behavior in the monitor firmware
Status LED behavior in the NetLoader
Status LED behavior in the application firmware
There are also two Ethernet Status LEDs- Green and Red- located next to the RJ45
Ethernet connector. The Green LED is normally ON, and is temporarily turned off
whenever the EM100 receives a network packet. The Red LED is normally OFF, and
is turned on momentarily whenever a data collision is detected on the Ethernet.

Setup Button
The setup button is located on the bottom side of the DS100. The button can be
pushed by a sharp tip of a pencil, pen, etc.
The Button is used to select an operating mode of the DS100:
When the DS100 is powered up with the button pressed it enters a serial
upgrade mode in which new application firmware file can be uploaded into the
DS100 through its serial port. If the DS100 is powered up with the setup button
not pressed the Device proceeds to running its current application firmware. This
functionality is delivered by the Monitor firmware component of the DS100.
When the application firmware is already running the setup button is used to
make the DS100 enter the serial programming mode (hence, the name of a

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

68

Tibbo Document System

button)*.
* Strictly speaking, this is a functionality that is defined by the application
firmware, not the DS100 hardware.

Specifications
2.3.2.2 and DS100 modifications
There are two models of the DS100: the DS100R with RS232 serial interface and
the DS100B with RS232/RS422/RS485 serial interface.
There are five different DS100R sub-models in circulation: DS100R-00,
DS100R-01, DS100R-02, DS100R-03, and DS100R-04. Currently, only the
DS100R-04 is being manufactured so the information on DS100R-00...DS100R-03
is provided for your reference only.
The DS100R-00, DS100R-01, and DS100R-02 devices were basically the same,
with only minor changes made to the internal hardware (such as bypass capacitors
on the internal PCB, etc.). We will refer to all three modifications as DS100R-02.
The DS100R-03 had extended functionality compared to the DS100R-02. There are
two notable differences:
Memory size inside the device has been increased so the routing buffers of the
DS100R-03 are double the size of the buffers inside the DS100R-02 (510 bytes
in each direction vs. 255 bytes in each direction).
Ability to upgrade the application firmware through the network was added (this
is facilitated by the NetLoader firmware) to the DS100R-03. The DS100R-02
cannot run the NetLoader and cannot be upgraded through the network.
The DS100R-04 is a RoHS-compliant version of the DS100R-03. The DS100R-04
and DS100R-03 are identical in every other way.
There are two DS100B sub-models in circulation: the DS100B-00 and the
DS100B-01. The DS100B-01 is a RoHS-compliant version of the DS100B-00. The
DS100B-01 and DS100B-00 are identical in every other way. On the functional
side, both the DS100B-00 and the DS100B-01 had larger memory buffers and the
possibility of firmware upgrades over the network from the very beginning of their
production.
Device specifications are presented in the table below.
Parameter
Ethernet interface
Serial interface and I/O lines

Routing buffers size

Power requirements
Operating temperature
Operating relative humidity
Mechanical dimensions
Carton dimensions ("bare" DS100)

DS100R-04
DS100B-01
10BaseT Ethernet
RS232 (TX,RX,RTS,CTS) RS232
(TX,RX,RTS,CTS,D
TR,DSR)
RS422
(TX+/-,RX+/-,RTS
+/-,CTS+/-)
RS485
(half-duplex,
TX+/-,RX+/-)
510 bytes x 2 (255 bytes x 2)
DC 12V, app. 100mA
-5 to +70 degrees C
10-90%
95x57x30mm
130x100x65mm

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals
Gross weight ("bare" DS100)
Carton dimensions (DS100-KIT)
Gross weight (DS100-KIT)

69

170g.
325x45x90mm
950g.

DS202 Serial Device Server

The DS202 is a Serial Device Server for external use. Device hardware includes one
10/100BaseT Ethernet port, one RS232 serial port and an internal processor that
"glues" network and serial sides together. Internally, the DS202 is based on the
EM202 Ethernet Module.
From the hardware standpoint, the DS202 can be viewed as a universal platform
suitable for running a variety of network and serial communications-related
applications. It is the application firmware, not hardware that gives the DS202
most of its functionality.
The DS202 can run two distinctively different kinds of application firmware:
The "serial device server" firmware, currently in its 3rd generation ("Release3"),
turns the DS202 into a ready-to-work Serial Device Server that can connect
almost any kind of serial device to the Ethernet (TCP/IP) network. This firmware
has fixed functionality; you adjust the way the DS202 behaves by specifying the
values of programmable parameters (settings) defined in this firmware.
Functional description of the DS202 under the "serial device server" firmware can
be found in the Device Server Application Firmware Manual. Also see Software
Manuals for the information on PC software that works with devices running
serial device server firmware.
TiOS (Tibbo Operating System) firmware turns the DS202 into a
BASIC-programmable controller. This controller can be used to created any kind
of network and/or serial port-related application. When running TiOS, the DS202
has no pre-defined functionality -- it simply executes your BASIC application.
TiOS and BASIC programming are covered in a separate Manual ("TAIKO
Manual").
The application firmware of the DS202 can be upgraded through the device's serial
port or Ethernet port. Serial upgrades are facilitated by a so-called Monitor- a fixed
"service" firmware inside the DS202. Network upgrades rely on the application
firmware itself- there is a self upgrade algorithm that will be detailed later.
By default, the DS202 is supplied with "serial device server" firmware pre-loaded.
If you wish to make the module run your BASIC application you need to upload
TiOS firmware onto the Module. Visit Tibbo website to get the latest TiOS firmware.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

70

Tibbo Document System

DS202 2.3.3.1
Connectors and Controls

Click on one of the links provided below to learn more about the DS202:
Power Jack (input power is 10-25VDC, adaptor current rating must be no less
than 500mA)
Ethernet port pin assignment
RS232 port pin assignment
Status LEDs
Setup button

Power Jack
Power Jack of the DS202 accepts "small" power connectors with 3.5mm diameter.
Use ARP-P0005, ARP-P0006, or ARP-P0007 power adaptor supplied by Tibbo or
similar adaptor. Acceptable power supply voltage range is 10-25VDC. Adaptor
current rating should be at least 500mA. On the power jack, the ground is "on the
outside", as shown on the figure below.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

Ethernet Port Pin Assignment

Ethernet port of the DS202 is of 10/100BaseT type.

Connector is of RJ45 type, pin assignment is as follows:
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8

TX+
TXRX+
<No connection>
<No connection>
RX<No connection>
<No connection>

RS232 Port Pin Assignment

DB9M RS232 connector has the following pin assignment:

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

<No connection>
RX (input)
TX (output)
DTR (output)
Ground
DSR (input)
RTS (output)
CTS (input)
<No connection>

71

72

Tibbo Document System

Status LEDs
The DS202 has two pairs of status LEDs: one on the Ethernet connector itself (left
side), and one on top of the Device. Both pairs are controlled by the same internal
circuitry and exhibit exactly the same behavior.
Status LEDs display various status information depending on what firmware is
running at the moment. Follow the links below to learn more about the behaviour
of these LEDs under different conditions:
Status LED behavior in the monitor firmware
Status LED behavior in the application firmware
There are also two Ethernet Status LEDs- Green and Yellow- located on the
Ethernet connector (right side):
Link/Data LED (green) is turned on when "live" Ethernet cable is plugged into
the Module. The LED is temporarily switched off whenever an Ethernet packet is
received.
100BaseT LED (yellow) is turned on when the EM202 links with the hub at
100Mb. The LED is off when the link is established at 10Mb.

Setup Button
The setup button is located next to the Ethernet port of the DS202.
The Button is used to select an operating mode of the DS202:
When the DS202 is powered up with the button pressed it enters a serial
upgrade mode in which new application firmware file can be uploaded into the
DS202 through its serial port. If the DS202 is powered up with the setup button
not pressed the Device proceeds to running its current application firmware. This
functionality is delivered by the Monitor firmware component of the DS202.
When the application firmware is already running the setup button is used to
make the DS202 enter the serial programming mode (hence, the name of a
button)*.
* Strictly speaking, this is a functionality that is defined by the application
firmware, not the DS202 hardware.

Specifications
2.3.3.2 and DS202 Modifications
The DS202 has two sub-models in circulation- the DS202-00 and DS202-01. The
DS202-01 is a RoHS-compliant version of the DS202-00. There are no other
differences between these two versions. Currently, only the DS202-01 is being
manufactured.
Device specifications are presented in the table below.
Parameter
Ethernet interface
Serial interface and I/O lines
Routing buffers size
Power requirements

DS202-00
10/100BaseT Ethernet
RS232 (TX,RX,RTS,CTS,DTR,DSR)
12Kbytes x 2*
DC 10-25V, use adaptor with current rating
of at least 500mA

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals
Operating temperature
Operating relative humidity
Mechanical dimensions
Carton dimensions ("bare" DS202)
Gross weight ("bare" DS202)
Carton dimensions (DS202-KIT)
Gross weight (DS202-KIT)

73

-5 to +70 degrees C
10-90%
60x47x30mm
125x95x52mm
110g.
325x45x90mm
950g.

* Maximum possible buffer size. Actual size may be smaller depending on how
much RAM is "consumed" by the firmware

Kits and Accessories

Tibbo supplies the following Accessories:
WAS-P0004(B) DS-to-device serial cable (replaces now obsolete WAS-1404)
WAS-P0005(B) DS-to-PC serial cable (replaces now obsolete WAS-1455)
WAS-1499 "straight" Ethernet cable (DS-to-hub cable)
WAS-1498 "crossover" Ethernet cable (DS-to-device cable)
TB100 Terminal Block Adaptor
12VDC/500mA Power Adaptors
DMK100 DIN Rail/Wall Mounting Kit
Glossary definition: WAS stands for Wire Assembly. It is the prefix
used for all Tibbo cables.
The following Starter Kits are available:
DS100R-SK Starter Kit. The Kit includes all necessary parts for evaluation of
the DS100R Serial Device Server:
DS100R Serial Device Server;
WAS-P0004(B) DS-to-device serial cable;
WAS-P0005(B) DS-to-PC serial cable;
WAS-1499 "straight" Ethernet cable;
WAS-1498 "crossover" Ethernet cable;
12VDC/500mA Power Adaptor.
DS202R-SK Starter Kit. The Kit includes all necessary parts for evaluation of
the DS202R Serial Device Server:
DS202R Serial Device Server;
WAS-P0004(B) DS-to-device serial cable;
WAS-P0005(B) DS-to-PC serial cable;
WAS-1499 "straight" Ethernet cable;
WAS-1498 "crossover" Ethernet cable;
12VDC/500mA Power Adaptor.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

74

Tibbo Document System

DS100B-SK Starter Kit. The Kit includes all necessary parts for evaluation of
the DS100B Serial Device Server:
DS100B Serial Device Server;
WAS-P0004(B) DS-to-device serial cable;
WAS-P0005(B) DS-to-PC serial cable;
WAS-1499 "straight" Ethernet cable;
WAS-1498 "crossover" Ethernet cable;
12VDC/500mA Power Adaptor;
TB100 Terminal Block Adaptor.
EM202-SK Starter Kit. The Kit includes all necessary parts for evaluation of
the EM202 Ethernet-to-serial Module:
EM202-EV-RS Evaluation Board with one EM202 Module (soldered in);
WAS-P0004(B) DS-to-device serial cable;
WAS-P0005(B) DS-to-PC serial cable;
WAS-1499 "straight" Ethernet cable;
WAS-1498 "crossover" Ethernet cable;
12VDC/500mA Power Adaptor.
EM200-SK Starter Kit. The Kit includes all necessary parts for evaluation of
the EM200 Ethernet-to-serial Module:
EM120/EM200-EV Evaluation Board with one EM200 Module (installed on a
socket);
WAS-P0004(B) DS-to-device serial cable;
WAS-P0005(B) DS-to-PC serial cable;
WAS-1499 "straight" Ethernet cable;
WAS-1498 "crossover" Ethernet cable;
12VDC/500mA Power Adaptor.
EM120-SK Starter Kit. The Kit includes all necessary parts for evaluation of
the EM120 Ethernet-to-serial Module:
EM120/EM200-EV Evaluation Board with one EM120 Module (installed on a
socket);
WAS-P0004(B) DS-to-device serial cable;
WAS-P0005(B) DS-to-PC serial cable;
WAS-1499 "straight" Ethernet cable;
WAS-1498 "crossover" Ethernet cable;
12VDC/500mA Power Adaptor.
EM100-SK Starter Kit. The Kit includes all necessary parts for evaluation of
the EM100 Ethernet-to-serial Module:
EM100-EV Evaluation Board with one

EM100 Module(installed on a socket);

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

75

WAS-P0004(B) DS-to-device serial cable;

WAS-P0005(B) DS-to-PC serial cable;
WAS-1499 "straight" Ethernet cable;
WAS-1498 "crossover" Ethernet cable;
12VDC/500mA Power Adaptor.

WAS-P0004(B) DS-to-Device Serial Cable

WAS-P0004(B) is a female-male serial cable that can be used to connect Tibbo
Device Server or Board to the serial port of your device.
DB9M (Male)
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8

DB9F (Female)
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8

The cable is of blue color, approximately 1.5m long.

WAS-1404 DS-to-Device Serial Cable

This cable is now obsolete and superseded by WAS-P004(B).
WAS-1404 is a female-male serial cable that can be used to connect Tibbo Device
Server or Evaluation Board to the serial port of your device.
DB9M (Male)
#2
#3
#5
#7
#8

DB9F (Female)
#2
#3
#5
#7
#8

The cable is of black color, approximately 1.5m long. Notice, that the cable doesn't
have DTR/DSR lines!

WAS-P0005(B) DS-to-PC Serial Cable

WAS-P0005(B) is a female-female serial cable that can be used to connect Tibbo
Device Server or Evaluation Board to the COM port of your PC.
DB9F (Female)
#2
#3
#4

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

DB9F (Female)
#3
#2
#6

76

Tibbo Document System

#5
#6
#7
#8

#5
#4
#8
#7

The cable is of green color, approximately 1.5m long.

WAS-1455 DS-to-PC Serial Cable

This cable is now obsolete and superseded by WAS-P005(B).
WAS-1455 is a female-female cable that can be used to connect Tibbo Device
Server or Evaluation Board to the COM port of your PC.
DB9F (Female)
#2
#3
#5
#7
#8

DB9F (Female)
#3
#2
#5
#8
#7

The cable is of white color, approximately 1.5m long. Notice, that the cable doesn't
have DTR/DSR lines!

WAS-1499 'Straight' Ethernet Cable

WAS-1499 can be used to connect Tibbo Device Server or Evaluation Board to an
Ethernet hub.
Side A
#1 (pair
#2 (pair
#3 (pair
#6 (pair

1)
1)
2)
2)

Side B
#1
#2
#3
#6

The cable is of blue color, approximately 1.5m long.

WAS-1498 'Crossover' Ethernet Cable

WAS-1498 can be used to connect Tibbo Device Server or Evaluation Board directly
to some other Ethernet device (i.e. Ethernet port of the PC). This is a so called
"crossover" cable that can interconnect two Ethernet devices without a hub.
Side A
#1 (pair
#2 (pair
#3 (pair
#6 (pair

1)
1)
2)
2)

Side B
#3
#6
#1
#2

The cable is of green color, approximately 1.5m long.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

77

TB100 Terminal Block Adaptor

The TB100 Terminal Block Adaptor attaches to the DB9M serial port connector. The
TB100 provides a convenient way of attaching wires in RS422 and RS485 systems.
The wires are inserted into the terminal contacts and the terminals are then
tightened using a screwdriver.

The following table details terminal block contact functions in case the terminal
block is connected to the DS100:
DS100R
RS232
(full-duplex op.)

RS232
(full-duplex op.)

DS100B
RS422
(full-duplex op.)

#2

<No connection>

<No connection>

RTS- (output)

#7
#8
#9
#10
#6
#1

RX (input)
TX (output)
<No connection>
Ground
<No connection>
RTS (output)

RX (input)
TX (output)
DTR (output)
Ground
DSR (input)
RTS (output)

RX- (input)
TX+ (output)
TX- (output)
Ground
RX+ (input)
RTS+ (output)

#3

CTS (input)

CTS (input)

CTS+ (input)

#4

<No connection>

<No connection>

CTS- (input)

RS485
(half-duplex
op.)
<No
connection>
RX- (input)
TX+ (output)
TX- (output)
Ground
RX+ (input)
<No
connection>
<No
connection>
<No
connection>

As explained in serial port pin assignment the DS100B supports half-duplex RS485
communications, but the RX and TX line pairs on the DB9M connector of the
DS100B are separated. In order to arrange a half-duplex two-wire RS485 bus you
need to externally connect RX+ to TX+ and RX- to TX-. On the TB100 this is
conveniently done by closing (putting to ON position) two switches- SW1 and SW2located on the back of the TB100.
Additionally, the TB100 provides termination circuits typically needed at the end of
the RS422 or RS485 bus. There are four identical terminators that can be switched
on individually using switches located on the back of the TB100. The following
table details which line pairs the terminators can be connected to:
SW3
SW4
SW5
SW6

CTS+/CTSRTS+/RTSRX+/RXTX+/TX-

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

78

Tibbo Document System

Schematic diagram for one of the terminators is shown on figure below.

Notice, that if you are using RS485 half-duplex mode (SW1 and SW2 are closed)
and you want to terminate the RS485 bus, then you only need to close either SW5
or SW6. Having both switches closed will effectively add two termination circuits to
the bus!

12VDC/500mA Power Adaptor

Six different Adaptor models are supplied:

U.S. style
ARP-1014

U.S. style
ARP-P0005

DS100R/B, EM120/EM200-EV, EM100-EV

("large" connector, 5.5mm in diameter)
European style
U.K. style
ARP-1015A
ARP-1018A
DS202R, EM202-EV-RS, EM202-EV-TM
("small" connector, 3.5mm in diameter)
European style
U.K. style
ARP-P0006
ARP-P0007

DMK100 DIN Rail/ Wall Mounting Kit

DMK100 DIN Rail/Wall Mounting Kit is used for wall or DIN-rail mounting of DS100
and DS202 Serial Device Servers. The kit includes:
Metal Plate x1
DIN Rail Mounting Bracket x2
Screw x6
Wall installation of the DS100/DS202
The Metal Plate has two pairs of mounting holes- one for "permanent" installation
and another one for "easy removal".

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

Attach the Metal plate to the DS100/DS202 as shown below.

DIN Rail installation of the DS100/DS202

First, assemble the parts as shown on Figure below.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

79

80

Tibbo Document System

Next, attach the Metal Plate to the DS100/DS202:

Latch the DS100/DS202 onto the DIN Rail as shown below. IMPORTANT! Be
careful when removing the DS100/DS202 from the DIN rail. Applying too much
force may damage the Mounting Brackets or render them too loose.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Hardware Manuals

81

Firmware Manuals
This part of the documentation describes all firmware components related to Tibbo
Device Servers.
Three firmware components are currently available:
Monitor is a "fixed" firmware that is responsible for starting the application
firmware and firmware upgrades through the serial port of the Device Server.
Device Server Application Firmware (currently in its V3.0x/3.5x) is what
gives Tibbo Device Servers their functionality. The firmware can be uploaded into
the Device Server through its serial port or through the network. Firmware
release history can be found here.
NetLoader is a firmware component that facilitates application firmware
upgrades through the network in the following devices: EM100-03, DS100R-03,
DS100B-00. Like the application firmware itself, the NetLoader can be uploaded
into the Device Server through the serial port (but not through the network- the
NetLoader cannot network-upgrade itself!).
All EM100-03, DS100R-03, DS100B-00 devices come from the factory with the
NetLoader already installed. Certain earlier devices- EM100-00/ -01/ -02,
DS100-00/ -01/ -02- cannot be upgraded through the network at all. All other
devices have "self-upgrading" firmware that doesn't require the NetLoader.

Monitor (for Serial Firmware Upgrades)

The Monitor is a fixed firmware component inside Tibbo Device Server (DS) that is
responsible for booting up the DS, verifying and starting application firmware, and
also performing application firmware upgrades via the serial port of the DS.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

82

Tibbo Document System

Status LED Signals

Tibbo Device Servers ("DS") feature two status LEDs*- Status Red (SR) and Status
Green (SG)- that display various states of device operation. DS states are indicated
by way of playing "LED patterns". Patterns in this topic are represented graphically
in the following manner:

The pattern above means that both green and red status LEDs blink together three
times. The following pattern means that red LED makes one long blink followed by
two short ones:

When the Monitor is running status LEDs display a number of conditions:

...

Fast-blinking pattern means that neither

application firmware, nor the NetLoader can be
found in the FLASH memory of the DS. The way out
of this situation is to upload application firmware
and the NetLoader into the device via its serial port
(see serial upgrade mode, also upgrading DS
firmware).
Slow-blinking Green Status LED means that the
serial upgrade was completed successfully.
Slow-blinking Red Status LED means that there
was a timeout while waiting for the XMODEM data.
If this happens right in the beginning of the serial
upgrade then most probably this is caused by
incorrect serial settings on the PC side, incorrect
serial cable wiring, or incorrect XMODEM start
procedure- XMODEM must be started on the PC
first, and only then the DS is switched on (with he
Setup button pressed).
Communications error. This pattern means that
an error was detected on the protocol level in
XMODEM communications. Most often this means
that incorrect communications parameters are set
on the PC side.
Firmware file is too big. This pattern means that
the file you are trying to upload into the DS is too
big. Check if you have selected a correct file.
FLASH failure. This pattern means that internal
FLASH memory of the DS is malfunctioning.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

83

DS Startup Procedure
The following describes what happens when the Device Server is powered
up:
After the powerup the Monitor starts running.
First, the Monitor verifies whether the Setup button is pressed (on EM100,
EM120, EM200, EM202, EM1000- whether the MD line is low). If yes then the
Monitor goes into the firmware upgrade mode and is ready to receive new
application firmware file through the serial port of the DS (see serial upgrade
mode). If the DS has several serial ports, then the serial port #0 is always
selected for firmware upgrade.
If the Setup button is not pressed the Monitor verifies the presence and validity
of the application firmware. If the firmware checks OK the control is passed to it
and the DS starts running its application.
If the application firmware is not present the following happens depending on the
DS model:
For EM100-03, DS100R-03, DS100B-00
devices:

For all other devices:

the Monitor verifies the presence and

validity of the NetLoader. If the
NetLoader checks out OK the control
is passed to it and the DS starts
waiting for the application firmware
upload over the network.

The Monitor displays the "no

firmware loaded" pattern (shown
below) and halts.

If the NetLoader is not present or

invalid the Monitor displays the "no
firmware loaded" pattern (shown
below) and halts.

This is a "fast-blinking" pattern that means that the DS doesn't have

any firmware to run. Click here to see all available patterns.

Serial Upgrade Mode

In the serial upgrade mode the application firmware file can be uploaded into the
Device Server through the serial port. The upload mechanism uses a simple and
popular XMODEM protocol. Communications parameters are 38400-8-N-1.
The XMODEM upload is initiated by the Device Server side. When the DS boots up
with the Setup button pressed (on EM100, EM120, EM200, EM202, EM1000- with
the MD line pulled low) the Monitor enters the serial upgrade mode and sends the
first character in the XMODEM exchange (SOH character, ASCII code 01). When
the "sending side" receives this character it starts uploading the file into the DS.
Serial firmware upgrades can be performed from any communications software
that supports XMODEM protocol, such as a HyperTerminal (supplied with Windows
OS). Tibbo's own DS Manager (part of the Device Server Toolkit) also supports
serial upgrades- see upgrading DS firmware.
A number of errors can be displayed by the Monitor while in the serial upgrade
mode. These errors are displayed in the form of "patterns" that are "played" on the
Red and Green Status LEDs of the DS. See status LED signals for details.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

84

Tibbo Document System

Device Server Application Firmware (V3.32/V3.63)

Looking for firmware revision history? Click here
Application firmware is what turns Tibbo hardware into a fully-functional Device
Server (DS). Tibbo Device Servers usually ship from the factory with the latest
officially released application firmware pre-installed (unless an alternative version is
requested by the Customer).
This Manual describes application firmware V3.32/3.63. These two firmware
versions are an upgrade to the previously available firmware V3.14/3.51, which is
used as a "baseline" firmware for this Documentation. All changes that were made
after V3.14/3.51 are clearly marked throughout this Documentation (like this:
[V3.24/3.54]) Firmware revision history can be found here.
V3.31 is a part of Release3 branch of application firmware. This firmware runs on
first-generation Tibbo Device Servers. 3.1x is currently reaching its maturity so
you won't see a lot of new features released within 3.1x branch in the future.
V3.1x is available in "w", "s", and "sn" builds. Table below details which build
should be used for which model of Tibbo Device Servers.
V3.62 is a part of Release3.5 branch of application firmware. This firmware runs
on second-generation Tibbo Device Servers. V3.5x is available in "r" and "d"
builds. Table below details which build should be used for which models of Tibbo
Device Servers.
As active firmware development continues, Release3.5 is gradually gaining
numerous and powerful advantages over Release3. New features of Release3.5 that
are not supported by earlier firmware versions are clearly marked throughout this
Documentation (like this: [V3.54]).
Table below details firmware version/build compatibility:
First-generation devices (work with firmware V3.2x firmware)
EM100-00, -01, -02; DS100R-00, -01, -02 EM3.28W (serial upgrades only).
Tibbo no longer supports this
hardware and V3.28 is the last
version that will ever be available for
these devices.
EM100-03; DS100R-03; DS100B-00*
EM3.31S (serial/network upgrades)
EM3.31SN (serial upgrades)
Second-generation devices (work with firmware V3.5x firmware)
EM120-00
EM3.62R (serial/network upgrades)
EM200-00; EM202-00; EM202-EV-xx-00;
EM3.62D (serial/network upgrades)
DS202R-00
* These devices support network upgrades through a separate firmware component
called NetLoader. This component can only be uploaded into the DS through the
serial port. "SN" build for serial upgrades contains application firmware and the
NetLoader. "N" build for network upgrades only contains application firmware ("SN"
build cannot be used for network upgrades because the NetLoader cannot upgrade
itself).
Notice that certain Boards- EM100-EV and EM120/EM200-EV- are not included in the
table above. This is because these Boards have sockets for Module installation.
Therefore, the type of file you should use depends on a currently installed Module,

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

85

not the Board itself.

Status LED Signals

Tibbo Device Servers ("DS") feature two status LEDs*- Status Red (SR) and Status
Green (SG)- that display various states of device operation. DS states are indicated
by way of playing "LED patterns". Patterns in this topic are represented graphically
in the following manner:

The pattern above means that both green and red status LEDs blink together three
times. The following pattern means that red LED makes one long blink followed by
two short ones:

Status LEDs of the DS display a number of conditions, some of which can exist at
the same time. Because status LEDs can reflect only one condition at any given time
there is a certain hierarchy that defines which conditions are more important and
displayed in favor of other conditions.
Listed below are all patterns generated by this firmware**. Patterns are arranged in
order of decreasing priority. For example, serial programming mode pattern is listed
above the error mode pattern which means that if the DS is running in the serial
programming mode and error mode at the same time it is the serial programming
mode pattern that will be played by the status LEDs.
Most LED patterns correspond to states of various flags contained in response to the
Echo (X) command. Where this is true a short note was added to reflect this fact
(like this: s flag='S').
Patterns that are played once in response to a
certain event:
Powerup pattern. This pattern is played once
when the DS is switched on.
Buzz pattern. Both LEDs blink fast- this pattern is
played when the DS receives the Buzz (B)
command. This is used to identify a particular DS.
Patterns that are played repeatedly until
replaced by another pattern:
Serial programming mode (s flag= 'S').
Error mode (e flag= 'E').
Ethernet port failure (e flag= 'N'). Indicates that
the Ethernet port hardware is malfunctioning and
network communications with the DS is not
possible.
IP-address not obtained (i flag= '*'). Occurs at
startup when DHCP (DH) setting is 1 (enabled)
and the DS has not yet obtained its IP-address from
the DHCP server.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

86

Tibbo Document System

[V3.54+]: PPPoE link is being established
(details- p flag). Occurs at startup when PPPoE
Mode (PP) setting is 2 (on powerup).
[V3.54+]: PPPoE login failed (p flag= 'D').
Occurs at startup and means that either PPPoE login
name and password (defined by PPPoE Login
Name (PL) and PPPoE Login Password (PD)
settings) are incorrect or PAP authentication
protocol used by the DS is not supported by Access
Concentrator.
Data connection is closed (c flag= '*'). This
pattern means that no data connection (TCP or
UDP) with any network host is currently established
so the DS is idle.
Sending ARP (c flag= 'A'). Displayed when the DS
is sending ARP requests to find out MAC-address of
the destination network host with which the DS is
about to establish a connection.
[V3.54+]: PPPoE link is being established (p
flag= 'B'). This happens when PPPoE Mode (PP)
setting is 1 (on connection) and the DS needs to
create a PPPoE link in order to connect to remote
network host.
TCP connection is being opened (c flag= 'O').
Indicates that TCP connection (either incoming or
outgoing) is being established (i.e. SYN-SYN-ACK
exchange is in progress).
TCP connection reset (rejected) by the
network host (c flag= 'R'). Means that the TCP
connection has been reset (using RST packet) by
the network host to which the DS has tried to
connect.
Link Server login in progress (c flag= 'L'). Means
that the DS has already established TCP connection
to the Link Server and is now attempting to login.
Link Server login failed (c flag= 'F'). Means that
data connection to the Link Server could be
established but the server has rejected this DS
(because the data in the Owner Name (ON),
Device Name (DN), or Password (PW)setting is
incorrect or for some other reason).
Data connection is established or being closed
(c flag= 'U' or 'C'). Means that data UDP
"connection"or TCP connection is currently
established or that TCP connection is being closed
(i.e. FIN-ACK-FIN-ACK exchange is in progress).
When the data connection is established the

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

87

following patterns are additionally displayed:

Data is being routed, no overruns detected (E
flag= '*' and S flag= '*'). This pattern is played
when the data connection is established and the
data is being routed through the DS;
Buffer overrun, no data routing (E flag= 'E' or S
flag= 'S'). This pattern is displayed when the data
connection is established and the routing buffer
overrun has been detected (within the present data
connection);
Buffer overrun + data routing. Data routing and
overrun can be displayed at the same time.
* For modules such as EM100, EM120, EM200, EM202, EM1000 there are two control
lines to connect external status LEDs.
** Patterns related to the NetLoader and the Monitor are not shown here!

Operation
The DS has two ports- Ethernet port and serial port. Typically, the serial port of the
DS is connected to a certain serial device ("attached serial device"). Ethernet port
links the DS to the Ethernet (TCP/IP) network (see figure below). Potentially, any
network host (including another DS) on the network can communicate with the DS
and the serial device "behind" it.
The job of the DS (i.e. the firmware described in this Manual) is to ensure
transparent communications between the network host and the attached serial
device by routing the data between the Ethernet and serial ports of the DS. Routing
means that the data received into the Ethernet port is sent out via the serial port
and vice versa. Routing is effected through two routing buffers- one for each routing
direction*. In addition to routing the serial data itself, the DS allows the network
host and the attached serial device to exchange the state of RTS, CTS, DTR, and
DSR lines.
DS operation is governed by settings, parameters, and instructions:
Settings are permanent functioning parameters that are stored in the non-volatile
memory (EEPROM) of the DS. Once programmed, they remain intact even when the
DS is powered off. Many (but not all) settings require the DS to be rebooted for the
new setting value to take effect. For example, the Baudrate (BR) setting defines
the baudrate of the serial port. When the DS boots up it sets the baudrate of its
serial port according to the value of this setting.
Parameters are temporary overrides for settings. Parameters are not saved into the
EEPROM and have immediate effect (no rebooting required). For example, there is a
Baudrate (BR) parameter that can be used to immediately change
communications speed of the serial port (and override the permanent value defined
by the Baudrate (BR) setting).
Instructions are used to make the DS perform a certain action. For example,
Establish Connection (CE) instruction makes the DS establish a data connection
with a specified network host.
Because parameters can override settings this Manual will sometimes make
references to current values. For example, current Baudrate (BR) will mean, quite
literally, the baudrate at the moment, regardless of what caused it to be such- a
permanent value obtained from the setting or a temporary overriding parameter

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

88

Tibbo Document System

value.
Settings and parameters are manipulated and instructions are issued by sending
commands to (and getting replies from) the Ethernet or serial port of the DS- the
process that will be referred to as programming.
* The size of routing buffers is hardware-dependent and is different for different
models and modifications of Tibbo Device Servers. Routing buffer size can be verified
using the Status (U) command.

Ethernet
Port and Network Communications
3.2.2.1
Just like any other Ethernet device, the DS has a unique MAC-address (defined by
the MAC-address (FE) setting) and must be assigned a valid IP-address (defined
by the IP-address (IP) setting) to function properly on the network. Unique
MAC-address is preset during the production. Assigning a valid IP-address is the
responsibility of the user. IP-address can be assigned manually or automatically,
through DHCP (must be enabled through the DHCP (DH) setting).
To route the data between attached serial device and the network host the DS
needs to establish and maintain a data connection. Depending on current
Transport Protocol [setting/ parameter] the data connections can use TCP/IP
or UDP/IP.
The DS only allows for a single data connection. This is because the serial port
is not a shared media and cannot be controlled by more than a single network
source at any given time. This is analogous to the COM port of the PC, which can
only be opened by one program at a time.
The DS is capable of both accepting incoming connections (passive opens) and
establishing outgoing connections of its own (active opens). Whether passive
and/or active opens are allowed is defined by the current Routing Mode (RM) [
setting/ parameter].
Passive opens, when allowed, are accepted from any network host as long as
correct transport protocol is used (must match current Transport Protocol [
setting/ parameter]) and connection is made to a correct data port (defined by
the Data Port (DP) setting). [V3.24/3.54+]: Current Source IP Filtering [
setting/parameter] defines whether an incoming connection will be accepted
from any network host or only the host whose IP-address matches the one
specified by current Destination IP-address (DI) [setting/parameter/
instruction].
When performing an active open the DS attempts to connect to the current
Destination IP-address (DI) [setting/parameter/instruction] and current
Destination Data Port (DP) [setting/parameter/instruction]. When the
destination is located on a different subnet, which is derived from comparing the
destination IP-address, IP-address of the DS itself, and the netmask (defined by
the Netmask (NM) setting), the DS connects through default gateway or
[V3.54+] PPPoE Access Concentrator:
When PPPoE is not used connection is made through default gateway defined by
the Gateway IP-address (GI) setting
[V3.54+]: When PPPoE is enabled (through PPPoE Mode (PP) setting)
connection is made through PPPoE Access Concentrator. For more information
see PPPoE.
Exactly when the DS attempts to establish an outgoing connection (when such
connections are allowed) depends on the selected connection mode (see
Connection Mode (CM) setting). Attached serial device can optionally control

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

89

and monitor connection establishment and termination through a dedicated set of

instructions known as modem commands (serial-side parameters and instructions),
or through the DSR line manipulation (when enabled through the Connection
Mode (CM) setting) and DTR line monitoring (see DTR mode (DT) setting).
Data connections can also be closed automatically, on timeout (see Connection
Timeout (CT) setting).
In addition to "normal" data connections the DS supports data connections through
the Link Server.
Besides the user-definable data port there are also two identical UDP command
ports with numbers 65535 (FFFF Hex) and 32767 (8FFF Hex). Network
programming of the DS is effected by sending programming commands (as UDP
datagrams) to either port. Additionally, programming commands can be sent
(under certain conditions) right within the data connection itself- see inband (TCP)
commands and command-phase (TCP) commands.
Programming of the DS and data routing can be performed concurrently, these
processes are completely independent from each other.
The DS also supports ARP and ICMP protocols- it can be PINGed just like any other
network device.

UDP Data 'Connections'

This topic details UDP data connections (current Transport Protocol (TP) [
setting/ parameter]= 0).
The notion of data connection is native to TCP/IP since this is a connection-based
protocol. UDP/IP, however, is a connection-less protocol in which all packets (UDP
datagrams) are independent from each other. How, then, the term "DS data
connection" applies to the UDP transport protocol?
With UDP transport protocol true data connections (in the "TCP sense" of this term)
are not possible (hence, quote marks around the word "connection"). The DS,
however, attempts to mimic the behavior of TCP data connection whenever
possible. Follows is the detailed description of UDP "connections" and their
similarities and differences from TCP connections.
Incoming "connections"*. There is no connection establishment phase in UDP
so an incoming UDP "connection" is considered to be "established" when the first
UDP packet is received by the DS from the network host (on the port defined by
the Data Port Number (PN) setting). Similarity with TCP is in that after having
received the packet from the network host the DS knows who to send its own UDP
packets to. [V3.24/3.54]: When Current Source IP Filtering [setting/
parameter] is 1 (enabled) the DS ignores UDP datagrams that arrive from any
IP-address other than the one matching current Destination IP-address (DI) [
setting/parameter/instruction] (unless Destination IP-address is set to
255.255.255.255- see broadcast UDP communications).
Outgoing "connections"**. The DS establishes outgoing UDP connection by
sending a UDP datagram to the targeted destination (defined by the current
Destination IP-address (DI) [setting/parameter/instruction] and current
Destination Data Port (DP) [setting/parameter/instruction]). If there is a
data that the DS needs to send to the network host then the DS sends the first
UDP datagram with (part of) this data. If there is no immediate data that needs to
be sent to the network host then the DS sends the first UDP datagram of zero
length. This happens when the Connection Mode (CM) setting is 0 (connect
immediately). The purpose of this is to let the other side know the MAC-address,

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

90

Tibbo Document System

IP-address, and the data port of the DS.
Data transmission and destination switchover. Once the "connection" is
established the DS and the network host can exchange the data. The difference
with TCP is that if another network host sends a datagram to the DS then the DS
will interpret this as a new incoming "connection"*, forget about the IP-address of
the first network host and start sending its own UDP datagrams to the IP-address
of the second network host. In other words, the DS will always send its own UDP
datagrams to the IP-address of the "most recent sender". The only exception is the
case when the current Destination IP-address is 255.255.255.255- see
broadcast UPD communications.
The situation with the port to which the DS will address its UDP datagrams is a
little bit more complex and depends on the current Routing Mode (RM) [setting
/ parameter]:
When the current Routing Mode is 0 (server) the DS sends its own UPD
datagrams to the port number from which the most recent incoming data UDP
packet was received. In other words, the DS always switches over not only to the
IP-address of the most recent sender, but also to the port number from which
the most recent UDP datagram was received.
When the current Routing Mode is 1 (server/client) or 2 (client) the DS always
sends its UDP datagrams to the port number specified by the current
Destination Data Port (DP) [setting/parameter/instruction]. This means
that even if the DS switches over to the IP-address of the most recent sender it
will still address its own UDP datagrams to the data port specified by current
Destination Data Port.
"Connection" termination. There is no connection termination phase in UDP so
DS "terminates" its UDP connections by simply "forgetting" about them and the
only event that can trigger UDP "connection" termination is connection timeout
(defined by the Connection Timeout (CT) setting).
* Assuming that incoming connections are allowed (i.e. current Routing Mode [
setting/parameter] is either "server", or "server/client") AND [V3.24/3.54]:
Current Source IP Filtering [setting/parameter] is 0 (disabled)
** Assuming that outgoing connections are allowed (i.e. current Routing Mode [
setting/parameter] is either "client", or "server/client").

Broadcast UDP Communications

With UDP transport protocol (current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting/
parameter]= 0) it is possible to send and receive broadcast UDP datagrams.
Sending broadcast UDP datagrams. When current Destination IP-address
(DI) [setting/parameter] is 255.255.255.255 the DS sends out its own UDP
datagrams as link-level broadcasts i.e. with destination MAC-address of UDP
datagrams set to 255.255.255.255.255.255. The DS continues to broadcast its
data even if it receives an incoming UDP datagram. In other words, the DS doesn't
switch over to the most recent sender as described in UDP data "connections".
Receiving broadcast UDP datagrams. Whether or not the DS will accept data
UDP datagrams sent in the broadcast mode is defined by the Broadcast UDP
(BU) setting.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

91

TCP Data Connections

This Section details TCP data connections (current Transport Protocol (TP) [
setting/ parameter]= 1).
TCP protocol implementation in the DS has the following differences from
the standard:
TCP reconnects. When the data TCP connection between the DS and the network
host is already established and another network host (with a different IP-address)
attempts to connect to the data port of the DS this connection attempt is rejected
(because the DS only allows for a single data connection at a time). However, if
the second connection is attempted from the same IP-address (as the IP-address
with which existing TCP connection is established) then the DS will "switchover" to
this new connection. This means that the DS will forget the first connection and
accept the second one. Such behavior is implemented to avoid DS stalling by
hanged connection. Consider this scenario: the application on the network host has
a TCP connection to the DS in progress. Suddenly, the application crashesconnection is left hanging because it wasn't properly terminated. When the
application is relaunched it attempts to establish a TCP connection with the DS
again. If the reconnect feature wasn't implemented the DS would have considered
this to be an attempt to establish a second concurrent data connection and would
have rejected it. Owing to reconnect feature the DS will recognise that this new
connection attempt has originated from the same IP-address and switch over to
this new connection. The downside of this arrangement is that two (or more)
applications communicating with the DS from the same host can interfere with
each other's connections- each new connection attempt will take over the existing
one.
TCP retransmissions. Standard protocol implementation defines "exponential
backoff" retransmit times whereas each subsequent retransmissions is attempted
after a longer and longer periods of time. Such behaviour is not very suitable for
real-time systems. For any situation that requires a TCP packet to be retransmitted
the DS will perform five retransmission attempts at even, 2.5 second, intervals.

DHCP
The DS supports Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). DHCP is used to
automatically configure the following settings: IP-address (IP), Gateway
IP-address (GI), and Netmask (NM). For the DHCP to work there must be a
DHCP server on the network where the DS is installed.
The DHCP is enabled and disabled through the DHCP (DH) setting. When DHCP
(DH) settingis at 1 (enabled) the DS uses DHCP protocol to obtain its IP-address
immediately upon startup. The DS does not start its normal operation until it
receives an IP-address from the DHCP server. Gateway IP-address and
netmask configuration is optional so the DS does not require these two parameters
to be received from the DHCP server.
"IP-address not obtained" pattern is displayed by
the status LED's of the DS while the IP-address is
being configured through DHCP. This condition
corresponds to the value '*' of the i flag returned by
the Echo (X) command.
When requesting an IP-address for itself, the DS asks for a maximum possible
lease time (this is the period of time during which the DS will be allowed to use the
IP-address). The DS memorizes the lease time actually offered by the DHCP server
and applies for a lease extension well before the lease expires. If the lease is

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

92

Tibbo Document System

extended the DS continues normal operation. If the lease is not extended the DS
reboots.
While communicating with the DHCP server, the DS supplies its name. The name
consists of the values of Owner Name (ON) and Device Name (DN) settings
joined by hyphen. For example, the name might look like this:
abccorp-dev1
Names supplied by DHCP clients are usually supplied (by the DHCP server) to a
local DNS server (DNS and DHCP servers often work together on the same physical
server PC). This typically allows you to "see" your DS as a member of your local
workgroup, for example:
abccorp-dev1.workgroup1.mainserver
When using DHCP the DS detects Ethernet cable disconnects and re-requests its
IP-address from the DHCP server once the cable is plugged back in. The following
outcomes are possible:
If the DHCP server confirms that the IP-address that was leased to this DS can
still be used the DS continues uninterrupted operation
If the DHCP server informs the DS that the IP-address that was leased to this DS
can no longer be used the DS reboots (naturally, this aborts any data
communications in progress). During the boot process the DS will attempt to
interact with the DHCP server repeatedly until the IP-address of the DS is
properly configured
If there is no reply from the DHCP server the DS repeats its request. If there is
still no reply the DS reboots. During the boot process the DS will attempt to
interact with the DHCP server repeatedly until the IP-address of the DS is
properly configured.

PPPoE [V3.54+]
ATTENTION! This topic covers firmware functionality that is only supported in
firmware V3.54+ and, hence, only available on second-generation Devices (
EM120-00, EM200-00, EM202-00, DS202-00).
PPPoE family of protocols is mostly used by ADSL modems. Some ADSl links
(modems) are of "always on" type and do not require any link establishment. Other
ADSL links require link establishment procedure based on PPPoE protocol that is
very similar to that of old-style POTS dial-up modems. In fact, PPPoE means "PPP
over Ethernet"- it is an Ethernet adaptation of an old PPP (point-to-point protocol)
used with dial-up modems. If the DS is directly connected to such an ADSL modem
it will need to establish a PPPoE link in order to connect to any remote network
host (i.e. network host residing on a different network segment)*.
PPPoE only affect communications with remote network hosts, i.e. hosts that reside
on a different network segment (local segment boundaries are defined by the
Netmask (NM) setting). With PPPoE enabled, all communications with remote
hosts are effected through PPPoE link and not default gateway (therefore,
Gateway IP-address (GI) setting is irrelevant in this case).
PPPoE is enabled through PPPoE Mode (PP) setting. PPPoE protocol includes
authentication phase (login). PPPoE login name and password are defined by
PPPoE Login Name (PL) and PPPoE Login Password (PD) settings. Several

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

93

authentication protocols are defined for PPPoE. Currently, the DS only supports
authentication through a protocol called PAP.
The PPPoE Mode (PP) setting offers two options that define when PPPoE link is
established. When this setting is at 1 (on connection) the link is established when
the DS needs to open a data connection to a remote host. The link is terminated 30
seconds after the data connection is closed. When this setting is at 2 (on powerup)
the PPPoE link is established during powerup procedure. The DS then attempts to
maintain this link at all times and re-establishes the link if it is broken.
With any PPPoE link both sides have to agree on the IP-addresses that will be used
on each side of the link. IP-address on the DS side is requested from and supplied
by the Access Concentrator. This IP-address has nothing to do with the "main"
IP-address of the DS which is defined by IP-address (IP) setting or supplied by
DHCP server when DHCP (DH) setting= 1 (enabled). Just like on PC, a PPPoE link
becomes a "virtual" network card (interface) of the DS. As such, it has its own
IP-address. This does not affect operation of the DS in any way since it is, actually,
not important which IP-address is used for PPPoE link- as long as the Access
Concentrator is "satisfied" with this address.
The status of PPPoE link can be obtained via Echo (X) and Status (U) commands.
Status LEDs of the DS also display PPPoE-related patterns.
* PPPoE is not required if the DS is connected to the ADSL modem through a router
that supports PPPoE. In this case it is the job of this router to take care of PPPoE
link management.

Link Server Support

Link Server is a separate software package that makes working with remote Device
Servers more convenient. With Link Server large distributed systems consisting of
multiples Device Servers can easily be built. This section does not cover Link
Server operation in details. For more information see dedicated Link Server
documentation.
From the Device Server's point of view the Link server offers two distinct services
and there are several settings and parameters that are related to these services:
Link Service:
Link Service (TL) setting and parameter
LS Auto-registration (AR) setting
Owner Name (ON) setting
Device Name (DN) setting
Password (PW) setting
Dynamic DNS (dDNS) Service:
dDNS Service Registration (DD) setting
dDNS Service IP-address (LI) setting
dDNS Service Port (LP) setting

DS Powerup Procedure
This topic details steps that the DS takes after the powerup. Shown on the left are
status LED patterns that are displayed during each step of powerup procedure.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

94

Tibbo Document System

Step 1: powerup and initialization. The DS boots
up and prepares for operation. At this time all
internal settings of the DS are verified and the
hardware is checked.
If at least one of the settings is found to be invalid
the DS enters the error mode. In this mode the DS
is still accessible through the network but its
functionality is limited.
Ethernet port malfunctions are also detected at this
stage.
Step 2: IP-address configuration. When the
DHCP (DH) settingis at 0 (disabled) the DS simply
uses IP-address that is set in the IP-address (IP)
setting, in which case IP-address configuration is
instantaneous. When DHCP setting is at 1
(enabled) the DS attempts to obtain its IP-address
using DHCP protocol. The DS stays on this step of
powerup procedure until the IP-address is properly
configured.
[V3.54+]: Step 3 (optional): PPPoE link
establishment. If PPPoE Mode (PP) settingis at
2 (on powerup) the DS attempts to establish a
PPPoE link. The DS will stay on this step of powerup
procedure until the PPPoE link is successfully
established.
PPPoE login failure. If PPPoE authentication fails
(because the data in the PPPoE Login Name (PL)
or PPPoE Login Password (PD)settings is
incorrect or because Access Concentrator doesn't
support PAP authentication protocol) the DS
indefinitely continues attempts to establish the link.
<Several different patterns>

Step 4 (optional): registration at dDNS. If

dDNS Service Registration (DD) settingis at 1
(enabled) the DS attempts to connect to the dDNS
Service of the Link Server. Destination IP-address
and port are specified by the dDNS Service
IP-address (LI) and dDNS Service Port (LP)
settings. At this point the DS goes through several
different steps- just like for a normal outgoing TCP
data connection.
dDNS login failure. dDNS login may fail (because
the data in the Owner Name (ON), Device Name
(DN), or Password (PW)settings is incorrect or
for some other reason). When LS
Auto-registration (AR) setting is at 1 (enabled)
and the DS is informed that it is not currently
registered on this Link Server it will attempt to
register.
Procedure completed: idle state. At this point
the DS is fully configured and operational. If

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

95

Routing Mode (RM) setting is 1 (server/client) or

2 (client only) AND Connection Mode (CM)
setting is 0 (immediately) the DS proceeds straight
to attempting to establish an outgoing data
connection.

Data Connection Establishment Procedure

This topic details steps that the DS takes when it needs to establish an outgoing
data connection (this is also known as "performing an active open") or after it
accepts an incoming connection ("passive open").
Procedure for active opens. Exactly what triggers outgoing connection
establishment is defined by the Connection Mode (CM) setting. Outgoing
connections are not allowed when current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/
parameter] is 0 (server).
Procedure for passive opens. This procedure starts by another network host.
Incoming connections are not allowed when current Routing Mode (RM) [
setting/parameter] is 2 (client). Source IP Filtering (SF) settingdefines who
can connect to the DS. Incoming connection must match current Transport
Protocol (TP) [setting/parameter] and Port Number (PN).
Entire data connection establishment procedure is presented below. Shown on the
left are status LED patterns that are displayed during each step of this procedure.
Active opens start here
Step 1: determining location of destination
host. The DS first compares its own IP-address
(IP) with current Destination IP-address (DI) [
setting/parameter] and Netmask (NM)to
determine whether the destination host is located
on the same or different network segment.
Depending on the outcome of this comparison and
the data in [V3.54+] PPPoE Mode (PP) setting
the DS may choose step 2a, 2b, 2c, or 2d.
Step 2a: destination IP is on the same network
segment. The DS sends ARP request to this
IP-address in order to "resolve" it into the
MAC-address. This is done each time connection
needs to be opened- the DS does not maintain "ARP
cache".
Step 2b: destination is "remote", [V3.54+]
PPPoE Mode= 0 (disabled). The DS sends ARP
request to the default gateway specified by the
Gateway IP-address (GI) setting. This is done
each time connection needs to be opened- the DS
does not maintain "ARP cache".
[V3.54+] Step 2c: destination is "remote",
PPPoE Mode= 1 (on connection). The DS
attempts to establish a PPPoE link.
---

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

[V3.54+] Step 2d: destination is "remote",

PPPoE Mode= 2 (on powerup). The DS doesn't
have to do anything on this step because PPPoE link

96

Tibbo Document System

has already been established during powerup
procedure.
PPPoE link failure. PPPoE link establishment can
fail (because the data in the PPPoE Login Name
(PL) or PPPoE Login Password (PD)setting is
incorrect or because Access Concentrator doesn't
support PAP authentication protocol).
Step 3: establishing data connection. The DS
opens a TCP connection or UDP "connection" to the
remote host as defined by current Transport
Protocol (TP) [setting/parameter] and
Destination Port (DP) setting. This done,
procedure continues- see common portion of
connection establishment.
Connection rejection. In case of TCP transport
protocol connection can be rejected by the
destination network host which will be reflected by
a corresponding LED pattern.
Passive opens start here
Step 1: accepting data connection. The DS
accepts the data connection (provided that this
connection can be accepted).
Common portion of connection establishment
Step 1 (optional): performing Link Server
login. If current Transport Protocol (TP) [
setting/parameter] is at 1 (TCP) AND Link
Server Login (TL) setting is at 1 (enabled) the
DS assumes that the destination host with which
connection has just been established is a Link
Server. The DS then initiates Link Service login
sequence.
Link Server login failure. Link Server login may
fail (because the data in the Owner Name (ON),
Device Name (DN), or Password (PW)setting is
incorrect or for some other reason). This will be
reflected by a corresponding LED pattern. When LS
Auto-registration (AR) setting is at 1 (enabled)
and the DS is informed that it is not currently
registered on this Link Server it will attempt to
register.
Step 2 (optional): command portion of TCP
connection. If current Transport Protocol (TP)
[setting/parameter] is at 1 (TCP) AND Data
Login (DL) setting is at 1 (enabled) the DS
enters command-phase programming mode.
Network host doesn't have access to the serial port
of the DS yet but it can already send network
commands to the DS. This step ends with network
host using Logout (O) command.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

97

Connection established. Network host has access

to the serial port of the DS.

Serial Port
and Serial Communications
3.2.2.2
Serial port of the DS has two modes of operation:
Data routing mode. Incoming serial data is routed to the Ethernet port and
Ethernet data is routed to the serial port. It is in this mode that the DS performs its
routing function. After the powerup the DS is running in the data routing mode.
Serial programming mode. In this mode the serial port is used for serial
programming and all data received into the serial port is interpreted as
programming commands.
Data connection with the network host can still be established and maintained
while in the serial programming mode but the data received from the network host
will be discarded and the data received into the serial port will be interpreted as
commands. Therefore, data exchange with the network host and serial
programming cannot be concurrent. DS can only perform one of the two at any
given time. This is different from the network programming that can be performed
concurrently with the data routing.
Operation of the serial port in the data routing mode is governed by several
settings (see below), some of which (baudrate, parity, etc.) have corresponding
parameters. These parameters are delivered to the DS via the network Parameter
(P) command and are commonly known as on-the-fly commands (or, more
officially, network-side parameters). On-the-fly commands provide a way for the
network host to immediately change communications mode of the serial port
without rebooting the DS. There are also network-side instructions (Set I/O Pin
Status (Sx) and Get I/O Pin Status (Gx)) that are used to set and sense the
state of RTS, CTS, DTR, DSR, and also additional P0 and P1 lines* of the DS.
Serial port of the DS has the following capabilities:
Half-duplex or full-duplex operation as defined by the Serial Interface (SI)
setting;
Baudrates of up to 115200 bps as defined by the current Baudrate (BR) [
setting/ parameter];
7 or 8 bits/byte as defined by the current Bits Per Byte (BB) [setting/
parameter];
Several parity options as defined by the current Parity (PR) [setting/
parameter]**;
There are also several options related to the RTS, CTS, DTR, and DSR lines:
In full-duplex communications the RTS and CTS lines can be programmed to
serve as flow control lines between the DS and attached serial device- this is
defined by the current Flow Control (FC) [setting/ parameter];
In half-duplex serial communications the RTS line serves as a direction control
line (see Serial Interface (SI) setting for details). This is why this line is
called "RTS/DIR";
The CTS line optionally serves as an additional function of selecting between
full- and half-duplex communications (see "auto" selection of the Serial
Interface (SI) setting).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

98

Tibbo Document System

DTR line can be programmed to reflect current data connection status- see the
DTR Mode (DT) setting;
DSR line can be programmed to control data connection establishment and
termination- see the Connection Mode (CM) setting;
Once again, the status of RTS and DTR lines can be controlled (set) by another
network host using the Set I/O Pin Status (Sx) instruction, while the status
of CTS and DSR lines can be monitored (polled) using Get I/O Pin Status
(Gx) instruction;
Additionally, the DS can be programmed to notify another network host of the
state changes of its RTS, CTS, DTR, DSR, P0, and P1 lines*. Which lines are
monitored for changes is defined by the current Notification Bitmask (NB) [
setting/parameter]. Notifications are delivered in the form of Notification
(J) messages to the port defined by the Notification Destination (ND)
setting.
* Whether or not these lines are physically implemented depends on the DS model.
** There is not way to set the number of stop bits directly but the second stop-bit
can be emulated by setting current Parity (PR) to 3 (mark).
*** HI and LOW states are described with respect to the serial ports of DS100R,
DS100B, DS202R, EM100-EV, EM120/EM200-EV, EM202-EV. For EM100, EM120,
EM200, EM202, EM1000 the signaling is exactly opposite.

Opened and Closed States of the Serial Port

Depending on the current setup and data connection state the serial port of the DS
may be opened or closed. When the serial port is opened it is ready to record
incoming data into the serial-to-Ethernet buffer* when in the data routing mode or
accept a serial command when in the serial programming mode. When the serial
port is closed it ignores all incoming serial data except the escape sequences
(when enabled through the Soft Entry (SE) setting).
The following details when the serial port is closed or opened:
When the serial port is in the serial programming mode it is always opened (i.e.
ready to accept programming commands);
When the serial port is in the data routing mode:
While the IP-address is being obtained from the DHCP server** the port is
closed;
After the IP-address has been obtained successfully:
If the current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/ parameter] is 0 (server):
If the data connection is not established the port is closed;
If data connection is established the port is opened;
If the current Routing Mode (RM) is 1 (server/client) or 2 (client):
If the Connection Mode (CM) setting is 0 (immediately) or 1 (on data or
command) the port is opened;
If the Connection Mode (CM) setting is 2 (on command) or 3 (on
command or DSR=HIGH):
If the data connection is not established the port is closed;
If the data connection is established the port is opened.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

99

* Not all incoming data will necessarily be recorded into the buffer- see
serial-to-Ethernet data routing
** Happens at startup when the DHCP (DH) setting is 1 (enabled)

Data Routing
3.2.2.3
Data routing between the Ethernet and serial ports of the DS is effected through
two routing buffers*, one for each routing direction. Buffers are necessary because
Ethernet and serial ports operate in fundamentally different ways and at different
speeds. Ethernet port receives and sends the data in packets (groups) while the
serial port sends and receives serial data stream where each data byte is
independent. Here is how the DS transforms Ethernet packets into the serial
stream and back:
Ethernet-to-serial data routing. The DS outputs the contents of arriving
Ethernet data packets byte by byte via the serial port. The DS does not check or
filter the contents of the data arriving from the network host.
Serial-to-Ethernet data routing. This requires grouping arriving serial data into
Ethernet packets of suitable size. Several settings define what data is accepted into
the buffer and when and how this data is combined into the Ethernet packets and
sent out- see serial-to-Ethernet data routing for details.
Routing buffers are initialized (their data discarded) each time the data connection
is closed.
* The size of routing buffers is hardware-dependent and is different for different
models and modifications of Tibbo Device Servers. Routing buffer size can be
verified using the Status (U) command.

Serial-to-Ethernet Data Routing

The challenge of serial-to-Ethernet data routing is to choose how to group the
serial data into the Ethernet packets of reasonable size. Carrying too little data in
each packet increases network load while sending packets with too much data
slows down the delivery of this data to the network host (because all this data
needs to be accumulated in the buffer first). A dedicated group of packet
encapsulation settings controls how and when the serial data is turned into the
Ethernet packets and sent out to the network host.
When in the data routing mode the serial port of the DS treats all incoming serial
data as a sequence of serial data blocks*. In many cases serial traffic to and from
the attached serial device is structured in some way (i.e. using some sort of data
packets). Since it is only logical to apply the same division to the outbound
network packets the DS can be programmed to recognize the beginning and the
end of serial data blocks. This does not mean that the DS can only work with
structured serial data- absolutely random data stream can simply be thought of as
one continuous serial data block.
Serial data blocks begin when the start condition is detected and end when the
stop condition is detected. After the start condition is detected the DS begins

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

100

Tibbo Document System

recording all incoming serial data into the serial-to-Ethernet routing buffer**.
Thus, the start condition is said to open a data block. When the stop condition is
detected the DS stops recording incoming serial data into the buffer (closes the
serial data block) and commits all the data in the serial-to-Ethernet routing buffer.
Committed data is the data that the DS will attempt to route to the network host at
the earliest possible opportunity. Before the data is committed the DS does not
attempt to route it. Therefore, the number of committed bytes in the
serial-to-Ethernet buffer may be smaller than the total number of bytes.
The DS ignores all data between the serial data blocks.
Besides the start and stop conditions there is also a break condition. When the
break condition is detected the DS commits the data in the buffer but does not
close the serial data block. Break conditions provide a way to subdivide large serial
data blocks.
Follows is the description of available start, stop, and break conditions:
Start conditions. It is possible to make the DS either open a new serial data block
after it receives any character (past the end of the previous data block) or a
specific preset character- this is defined by the Start On Any Character (SA)
setting. When this setting is 0 (disabled) then two other settings- Use Start
Character (F1) and Start Character Code (S1) are used to enable and select
specific start character. New serial data block is opened only if this start character
is received. All characters between the end of the previous serial data block and
the start character are ignored. Start characters received after the serial data block
has been opened are treated as normal data characters and do not "reopen" the
serial data block.
Stop condition is defined by the stop character which is enabled and selected via
two separate settings- Use Stop Character (U1) and Stop Character Code (E1)
. When the stop character is disabled no stop conditions are generated at all i.e.
once opened, the serial data block never ends. Additionally, the Number Of Post
Characters (P1) setting defines the number of characters past the stop character
that will be counted as belonging to the same data block.
Break conditions are generated depending on two settings: Maximum
Intercharacter Delay (MD) and Maximum Data Length (ML). The first one
defines the maximum time, in milliseconds, the DS will wait for the arrival of the
next serial character. If this time is exceeded the break condition is generated. The
second setting defines the number of bytes in the serial-to-Ethernet buffer, which,
when exceeded, will generate a break condition.
Note, that all settings described above do not directly define the length of
individual Ethernet packets generated by the DS, but only define when the data in
the serial-to-Ethernet buffer is committed. Once the data is committed the DS will
attempt to deliver this data to the network host as soon as possible but not
necessarily in one "chunk".
Factory defaults for the packet generation settings provide a simple and usually
acceptable schema: start on any character is enabled, stop-character is disabled,
maximum intercharacter delay is set to 1 (10ms), and maximum data length is
255 bytes for UDP transport protocol and 127 bytes for TCP (see Maximum Data
Length (ML) setting for explanation). This setup is universal and can handle
random data of any size. All data is recorded into the serial-to-Ethernet buffer and
committed either when the maximum size is reached or when there is a gap in the
serial data arrival.
* The term "serial data blocks" was coined to avoid using the word "packets" that
might cause a confusion with the network packets.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

101

** The serial port must be opened for this to happen.

Programming
The DS is programmed using programming commands that can be sent through the
serial port of the DS or via the network. For each command the DS issues a reply.
All DS commands have the following format:
C.C.

Optional parameter(s)

C.C. is the command code. Command code always consists of a single ASCII
character. All available commands and their codes are listed in the command table
at commands, messages, and replies.
Optional parameter(s) field contains necessary data if required by the
command.
All DS replies have the following format:
R.C.

Optional data

R.C. is the reply code. Reply codes inform the sender of the command about the
result of command execution. All available reply codes are listed in the reply code
table at commands, messages, and replies.
Optional Data field contains necessary data if requested by the command.
Example: here is a sample exchange between a certain device (performing the
programming) and the DS. This device can be a network host (programming
through the network) or attached serial device (programming through the serial
port):
-->DS:
DS-->:

GIP
A192.168.100.90

In the above example programming device requests the IP-address of the DS. This
is done by issuing the Get Setting (G) command with parameter "IP" (for
IP-address (IP) setting). The DS replies with the OK (A) reply code indicating
that command was processed successfully, followed by the current value of the
IP-address (IP) setting, which is 192.168.100.90.
All commands and replies sent to the DS always have the same format, regardless
of which interface is used. What is interface-dependent is the encapsulation that is
used to mark the beginning and the end of commands (replies) and how these
commands and replies are sent. For more information see serial programming and
network programming.

Serial Programming
3.2.3.1
When the DS is powered up its serial port is running in the data routing mode (see
serial port and serial communications). To enable DS programming via the serial
port the latter must be switched into the serial programming mode.
Status LEDs of the DS are playing a serial
programming mode pattern when the serial port of the
DS is in the serial programming mode (click here to
see all available patterns).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

102

Tibbo Document System

There are two methods of putting the serial port of the DS into the serial
programming mode:
By pressing setup button (for DS100R, DS100B, DS202R, EM100-EV,
EM120/EM200-EV, EM202-EV; for EM100, EM120, EM200, EM202, EM1000- by
pulling MD line low for at least 100 ms). This forces the DS to enter the serial
programming mode with default communication parameters of 38400-8-N-1,
half-duplex mode (regardless of the value of corresponding settings). This method
always works and cannot be disabled.
By sending an escape sequence to the serial port (at a current baudrate). Once
the escape sequence is recognized the DS will enter the serial programming mode at
a current baudrate. Other communications parameters will still default to 8-N-1,
half-duplex mode. For the escape sequence to work it must be previously enabled
through the Soft Entry (SE) setting. Additionally, this setting provides two
different escape sequences to choose from.
Notice, that while in the serial programming mode the serial port of the DS uses
half-duplex mode of operation (suitable for RS485 communications). In this mode
the RTS line provides direction control and the CTS line is unused. When the DS is
waiting for the serial command to arrive the RTS line is HI*. When the DS outputs
its reply to the serial command the RTS line is LOW* for as long as it takes to output
this reply. Such behavior is intended to allow the RTS line to control the direction
pin of RS485 interface ICs and RS232-to-RS485 converters.
Just because the DS is using the half-duplex operation in the serial programming
mode doesn't mean that programming through RS232 or RS422 is not supported. If
the actual hardware port on the DS is RS232 (RS422) then TX and RX lines should
be used to send commands and receive replies while the RTS line should simply be
ignored (i.e. RTS/CTS flow control must be disabled on the serial device connected
to the DS). This was the rationale for choosing the half-duplex mode: it does not
interfere with programming through RS232 or RS422 while making the DS also
ready for programming via RS485.
All serial commands and replies use the following format:
STX

Command/reply

CR

STX (ASCII code 2) and CR (ASCII code 13) characters provide necessary
encapsulation. All data before the STX and after the CR is ignored.
Command/reply field contents has been explained in programming.
Example: here is a sample exchange between a serial device and the DS. Special
characters are represented as follows: STX- J, CR- .
Serial device-->DS:
DS-->Serial device:

JGIP
JA192.168.100.40

* HI and LOW states are described with respect to the serial ports of DS100R,
DS100B, DS202R, EM100-EV, EM120/EM200-EV, EM202-EV. For EM100, EM120,
EM200, EM202, EM1000 the signaling is exactly opposite.

Network
Programming
3.2.3.2
Unlike serial programming that requires the serial port of the DS to be in the serial
programming mode, in which the serial port cannot exchange data with the network
host, network programming can continue concurrently with the data routing
between the network host and attached serial device. Therefore, network
programming is not a "mode" of the Ethernet port.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

103

There are three methods of network programming:

Out-of-band UDP programming is effected by sending programming commands
as UDP datagrams to one of the two UDP command ports- either 65535 or 32767*.
This programming method is called out-of-band programming since commands are
sent outside of (separately from) the data connection. Programming through UDP
command ports does not depend on any prior setup, always available and cannot be
disabled.
Inband TCP programming is effected by sending programming commands within
the TCP data connection itself, commands and replies are mixed right into the
routing data stream (hence, the term "inband"). Inband programming is only
possible when the current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting/parameter] is 1
(TCP) and Inband (IB) setting is 1 (enabled). Therefore, certain prior setup is
needed for this programming method to work.
Command-phase TCP programming is also effected by sending programming
commands within the data TCP connection. The difference with the inband
programming is that the routing data and commands are not intermixed. Instead,
the TCP connection itself is divided into two phases: command-phase in which
programming can be performed (hence, the name of this programming method) and
the data phase in which the data is routed. Command-phase TCP programming is
only possible when the current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting/parameter] is
1 (TCP) and the Data Login (DL) settingis 1 (enabled). Therefore, certain prior
setup is needed for this programming method to work.
"Telnet" TCP programming (supported by firmware V3.50 and above) is
effected by establishing a TCP connection to the "telnet" port (port 23) of the DS.
Such connection can be established regardless of whether current Transport
Protocol (TP) [setting/parameter] is 0(UDP) or 1(TCP). Several TCP connections
to port 23 can be established at the same time but only one of them will be at
"logged in" state at any given time. With this new functionality, port 23 cannot be
used as the data port of the DS.
* Existence of two identical command ports is historical. Originally, only one UDP
port 65535 was allocated for programming. Later it was discovered that some
routers can only forward traffic to port numbers 0-32767. Consequently, another
command port at 32767 was introduced.

Out-of-Band (UDP) Programming

With out-of-band UDP programming commands and replies are sent as UDP
datagrams, one command or reply per datagram. As explained in network
programming the DS accepts commands on two UDP ports- 65535 and 32767.
Reply to a particular command is always sent to the IP-address and the port
number from which this command was received.
Because each command and reply is sent in a separate UDP datagram no
additional encapsulation (i.e. using STX and CR characters as in serial
command/replies) is necessary.
Example: here is a sample exchange between the network host and the DS. Each
line represents the data in a separate UDP datagram.
Host-->DS: SBR4
DS-->Host: A
One additional feature supported by the DS is the ability to receive and process
multiple out-of-band commands. The network host can send up to eight such
commands and the DS will receive and process them all one-by-one. This

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

104

Tibbo Document System

dramatically increases the speed with which the DS programming can be
performed over the network.
Since delivery of UDP packets is not guaranteed and packets can also arrive
out-of-order the DS supports an optional command ID field. This field can be up to
four ASCII characters long and contain any characters in the 0-9 and A-z range. ID
field is added in the end of the command itself, '|' character (ASCII code 166) is
used as a separator. When the DS receives a command that contains the ID field it
issues the reply with the same ID field at the end. By sending commands with
changing command ID the network host can match commands and replies.
Example: here is a sample exchange of two commands and replies between the
network host and the DS. Each line represents the data in a separate UDP
datagram. Replies arrive out of order but owing to the ID field the network host
can still match each reply to its respective command.
Host-->DS: SBR4|1923
Host-->DS: SPR0|1924
DS-->Host: A|1924
DS-->Host: A|1923
Once again, the ID field is added at the end of all command data, which includes
all command fields (mandatory or optional) described for individual commands. For
example, Parameter (P) command can have an optional password field so
command ID is added past this field (when it is present):
Host-->DS: PBR4/123pwd|1925
In the above example the password is "123pwd".

Broadcast Out-of-Band (UDP) Programming

Several DS commands are intended to be sent as broadcast UDP datagrams
(column 'B' in the command table at commands, messages, and replies details
which commands are accepted in broadcast packets). For example, the Echo (X)
command, when sent as UDP broadcast, makes all locally attached DS send back
a reply. This way it is possible to "auto-discover" all Device Servers on the local
network segment and also receive their current status.
All other commands, not marked with a '+' in the 'B' column are supposed to
address specific DS. When sent in the broadcast mode they are ignored by all
Device Servers except the one that has been pre-selected using the Select In
Broadcast Mode (W) command. This method provides a way to program the DS
with invalid IP-address (address, that is incompatible with the network) when it is
not possible to communicate with this DS in a "normal" way (i.e. by sending UDP
datagrams to its IP-address). Once a certain DS has been pre-selected commands
such as Set Setting (S) sent in the broadcast mode are accepted and processed
by this DS as if they were regular non-broadcast datagrams.

Inband (TCP) Programming

Inband commands and replies are sent within the TCP data connection itself and
can be mixed with the data being routed between the network host and attached
serial device. As explained in network programming this method only works when
the current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting/parameter] is 1 (TCP) and the
Inband (IB) setting is 1 (enabled).
Since inband commands and replies are intermixed with the data a special escape
character called Inband Escape Character (IEC) is needed to mark the beginning of

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

105

the command (reply) in the data stream. IEC code is 255. When the Inband (IB)
setting is 1 (enabled) and the DS receives a character with code 255 followed by
any character other than 255, the DS considers this to be a beginning of the
inband command. If the network host wants to send a data character with code
255 it needs to send two consecutive characters with code 255. This will be
interpreted by the DS as a single data character with code 255. Therefore, it is the
responsibility of the network host to parse through the data it is sending to the DS
and "double" all data characters with code 255.
When sending a reply back to the network host, the DS will also prefix this reply
with the IEC. When sending a data byte with code 255 the DS will automatically
double this character. It is the responsibility of the network host to parse through
the data it receives from the DS and replace all double characters with code 255
with a single one.
All inband commands and replies use the following format:
IEC

STX

Command/reply

CR

IEC character followed by STX (ASCII code 2) mark the beginning of command
(reply). CR (ASCII code 13) marks the end of command (reply). All characters
before the IEC/STX and after the CR are considered to be a "regular" routing data.
Command/reply field contents has been explained in programming.
Example: here is a sample exchange between the network host and the DS.
Shown below is the data passed within a data TCP connection. Special characters
are represented as follows: IEC- u, STX- J, CR- .
Host-->DS: ABCuuDEFuJGIPGHIK
DS-->Host: LMNuJA192.168.100.40XYZ
In the above exchange the network host is sending the following data string: "ABC
uDEFGHIK". There is a single character with code 255 (u) but the DS has to
double this character. Command inserted into this data stream is "GIP" (Get
Setting (G) command, setting to be read is IP-address (IP)). Command is
preceded with IEC (u)followed by STX (J) and ended by CR ().
The DS sends the following data string to the network host: "LMNXYZ". At some
point, when the reply to the command is ready, the DS inserts this reply into the
data stream. Reply contains current IP-address of the DS.
Unlike out-of-band UDP programming, inband programming does not support
multiple commands. It is not possible to send several commands and receive
several replies back. The network host should only send the next command after
having received a reply to the previous command.
Very important! Since inband commands are transmitted together with data
execution of such commands by the DS can be delayed indefinitely if the data
cannot be transmitted by (sent out of) the serial port of the DS. This will happen if
current Flow Control (FC) [setting/parameter] is at 1 (enabled) and the CTS
input of the DS is held in the "do not transmit" state. In this case the DS will not
be sending out data and the inband command "embedded" within this data stream
won't be processed (until all data before this command is finally transmitted).

Command-Phase (TCP) Programming

Another method of programming is called command-phase programming. As
explained in network programming it only works when the current Transport
Protocol (TP) [setting/parameter] is 1 (TCP) and the Data Login (DL)
setting is 1 (enabled). In this mode, the TCP data connection between the

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

106

Tibbo Document System

network host and the DS is split into two phases: command phase and data phase.
When the Data Login (DL) setting is 1 (enabled) and the data TCP connection is
established the DS enters the command phase. In this phase the DS interprets all
data sent by the network host as programming commands. Because no routing
data can be transmitted in this phase an escape character (like the one used in
the inband programming) is not needed.
All command-phase commands and replies use the following format:
STX

Command/reply

CR

Thus, command-phase commands and replies have the same format as those used
in serial programming. STX (ASCII code 2) and CR (ASCII code 13) characters
provide necessary encapsulation. All data before the STX and after the CR is
ignored. Command/reply field contents has been explained in programming.
To switch the data connection from the command phase into the data phase the
network host has to issue the Logout (O) command. After this command is sent*
and accepted the DS switches into the data phase. From this moment on and until
the TCP connection is terminated the network host can exchange the data with the
attached serial device in the normal way.
Logout (O) command is only accepted after the network host logs in using Login
(L) command, and this requires a valid password (if set in the Password (PW)
setting). Therefore, setting Data Login (DL) to 1 (enabled) also enables network
host authentication for data exchange with the attached serial device(hence, the
name of this setting).
Example: here is a sample exchange that switches the DS into the data phase.
Shown below is the data passed within a data TCP connection. Special characters
are represented as follows: STX- J, CR- . Login password is "123pwd"
---TCP connection established, command phase--Host-->DS: JL123pwd
'network host logs in
DS-->Host: JA
'OK
Host-->DS: JO
'exit into the data phase (no reply)
---data phase from this point and until the TCP connection is closed--Command-phase programming should not be confused with inband programming.
The first one is enabled by the Data Login (DL) setting, the second one- by the
Inband (IB) setting. Both can be enabled at the same time! After the DS exits into
the data phase inband commands can still be sent (this time, with proper escape
character), provided that inband programming is enabled.
Command-phase programming is disabled automatically when current Link
Service Login (TL) [setting/parameter] is 0 (disabled).
*Command-phase inband programming is the only programming method in which
no reply is returned upon successful completion of the Logout (O) command. The DS
simply switches into the data phase.

Telnet TCP Programming [V3.50 and Above]

"Telnet" TCP programming is the new programming method that is supported by
firmware V3.50 or higher. Telnet programming is called so because it is effected
through a TCP connection to port 23 of the DS (This is a standard telnet port).
Such connection can be established regardless of whether current Transport
Protocol (TP) [setting/parameter] is 0(UDP) or 1(TCP).
Several TCP connections to port 23 can be established at the same time but only

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

107

one of them will be at "logged in" state at any given time i.e. have a programming
session in progress (see authentication and programming priorities).
Note, that port 23 cannot be used for programming if this port is assigned to be
the data port (i.e Port Number (PN)= 23). In this case all TCP connections to
port 23 will be interpreted as data connections, thus rendering "telnet"
programming impossible. If the Port Number is set to any port other than 23, a
TCP connection to port 23 will be interpreted as a programming connection.
All telnet commands and replies use the following format:
STX

Command/reply

CR

Thus, telnet commands and replies have the same format as those used in serial
programming. STX (ASCII code 2) and CR (ASCII code 13) characters provide
necessary encapsulation. All data before the STX and after the CR is ignored.
Command/reply field contents has been explained in programming.
The replies from the DS will include an additional LF character trailing
the CR at the end of the reply, just to improve readability on most
terminal software. You don't have to send an LF when you send
commands to the DS.

Authentication
Certain commands, when sent through the network, require authentication. To
authenticate itself the network host must provide a password, that matches the
one defined by the Password (PW) setting.
From the authentication standpoint, all commands can be divided into
three groups:
Commands that do not require authentication. These commands can be sent
at any time and by any network host.
Commands with immediate authentication. In these commands the password
is supplied in the command body itself and authenticates this particular command.
For some of these commands authentication is optional.
Commands that require prior login. These commands are only accepted after
the network host has logged in using the Login (L) command. Login is performed
once and is said to open a programming session.
The DS memorizes the source IP-address from which the Login (L) command is
sent as well as the mode in which it is sent: out-of-band, inband, etc.
Programming session must continue from the same IP-address and using the same
way of command delivery. So, if the session was opened using out-of-band Login
(L) command and the network host sends inband Set Setting (S) command
(this command requires prior login) then this command is not considered to be a
part of the opened programming session and is rejected.
Programming sessions are ended either by switching the DS off or using Logout
(O) or Reboot (E) commands. There is also a two-minute programming session
timeout: if no command (that requires prior login) is issued for two minutes the
session is ended automatically. Inband, command-phase, and telnet-mode
programming sessions are also closed when their TCP connection is closed.
The DS makes sure that only one programming session is opened at any given
time- see programming priorities for details.
Command table at commands, messages, and replies details which commands

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

108

Tibbo Document System

require authentication (see 'L' and 'I' columns).
Sending Login (L) command to open a programming session is required even
when the DS is running in the error mode but sending login password in this case
is not necessary.

Programming
3.2.3.3 Priorities
The DS has five programming methods: serial, out-of-band UDP, inband TCP,
command-phase TCP, and telnet programming. For the subject discussed below
inband and command-phase programming are the same since they both take place
within a data TCP connection. Therefore, four programming methods will be
discussed: serial, out-of-band, inband/command-phase, and telnet.
Since all four programming methods can be used at the same time the DS
maintains priority mechanism to avoid conflicts that might arise if attached serial
device and the network host(s) attempted to program the DS at the same time.
Serial programming has the highest priority of all- any command sent to the DS
via the serial interface (in the serial programming mode) is always accepted and
processed*, regardless of whether any form of network programming is (has been)
taking place at the time.
As explained in authentication, all network commands can be divided into those
that do not require any authentication, commands that require immediate
authentication, and commands that require prior login using Login (L) command
(commands that need a programming session to be opened).
Network commands that do not require authentication can be sent at any time,
using any method. For example, network Echo (X) command will be accepted
and processed even when the DS is in the serial programming mode.
Network Commands that require immediate authentication can be sent at any time
and using any method, as long as the DS is not in the serial programming mode.
When the DS is in the serial programming mode these commands are rejected (R
reply code).
For network commands that require prior login the following hierarchy of
priorities is applied:
Serial programming (highest priority)
Out-of-band programming session
Telnet programming session
Inband or command-phase programming session (lowest priority)
The above should be understood as follows:
Programming session using lower-priority programming method cannot start
while higher-priority programming session is in progress. For example,
programming session using out-of-band commands cannot start while the DS is
in the serial programming mode. Programming session using TCP connection to
telnet port cannot start while out-of-band session is in progress.
Higher-priority programming can start at any time, even when lower-priority
programming session was already in progress. In this case lower-priority
programming session is aborted immediately. Thus, if out-of-band programming
session was already opened and the DS enters a serial programming mode then
out-of-band programming session is aborted.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

109

Programming session that is already opened cannot be interrupted by the same

priority level programming session. The DS allows several simultaneous TCP
connections to telnet port 23. Only one of these connections, however, can carry
a programming session at any given time. Attempt to login through another TCP
connection to port 23 will be rejected for as long as the earlier session remains
opened.
* As long as this command is allowed to be sent through the serial port at all.
Command table at commands, messages, and replies details which commands can
be issued through the serial port (see 'S' column).

Error Mode
3.2.3.4
The value of each DS setting (stored in the EEPROM) is protected by its own
checksum. Every time the DS stores new setting value into the EEPROM it
recalculates the checksum and saves it into the EEPROM along with the new setting
data. Every time the DS reads out the value of a certain setting it verifies this
setting's checksum. If the checksum error is detected (for any setting) the DS
enters an error mode.
Status LEDs of the DS are playing an error mode
pattern when the DS is in the error mode (unless the
serial port of the DS is in the serial programming
mode. Click here to see all available patterns).
Once entered, the error mode cannot be exited other then by rebooting the DSeither by power-cycling it or executing the Reboot (E) command.
DS operation in the error mode is characterized by the following:
Status LEDs of the DS are displaying an error mode pattern (unless the DS is in
the serial programming mode);
Error status (e flag) returned by the Echo (X) command is set to 'E';
For every invalid setting the DS takes the default value* of this setting (which is
fixed and does not depend on the EEPROM data) and assumes this default value
as a run-time parameter. For example, if the DHCP (DH) setting is found to be
invalid the DS will boot up with DHCP off because the default value of the DHCP
(DH) setting is 0 (disabled);
For two setting- Routing Mode (RM) setting and Password (PW) settingthe DS uses their default values in any case, even if these settings are valid. This
means that:
The DS will be in the slave routing mode (default value of the Routing Mode
(RM) setting);
Password authentication will be disabled (default value of the Password (PW)
setting is <NULL>). Consequently:
No password is to be supplied in the Login (L) command, although this
command itself must still be executed before sending commands that require
prior authentication (such as the Initialize (I) command);
Login password doesn't need to be supplied in commands that require
immediate authentication, such as on-the-fly (network side) Parameter (P)
command, even if the On-the-fly Password (OP) setting is 1 (enabled).
The above also applies to two most important settings that define DS visibility on

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

110

Tibbo Document System

the network- the MAC-address (FE) setting and the IP-address (IP) setting.
When invalid, actual values of these settings are substituted with default ones,
which are 0.1.2.3.4.5 and 192.168.100.40 respectively. This means that the DS
will still be accessible through the network, but at default MAC and IP.
It is best to reinitialize the DS as soon as it is found to be in the error mode. This
can be done through the Initialize (I) command or by using quick initialization.
* Default values can be changed through custom profile

Quick Initialization
3.2.3.5
Quick initialization is a way to completely reinitialize the DS without using any
commands. This feature is handy when the DS is running in the error mode and
needs to be repaired.
Quick initialization provides the same result as the serial Initialize (I) command.
See individual setting description for the information on how each settings will
behave during the initialization (some settings will be initialized unconditionally
and some- only when found to be invalid).
To quick-initialize the DS:
Make sure the DS is powered;
Press and release the Setup button* to enter the serial programming mode.
Status LEDs will play the serial programming mode pattern;
Wait for at least three seconds;
Press and hold the Setup button for at least three seconds- both status LEDs will
be switched off and this will indicate that the initialization has been started;
Initialization takes about one second to complete. Initialization result will be
shown by the status LEDs- green LED will be switched on for about 2 seconds
indicating successful initialization. (If the red LED is switched on this means that
the DS is malfunctioning).
Switch the DS off and back on again to exit the error mode if necessary.
* For EM100, EM120, EM200, EM202, EM1000 pull the MD line low

Custom3.2.3.6
Profiles
Default setting values (i.e. values that settings assume after they are initialized
through the Initialize (I) command or by using quick initialization) can be
changed by adding a custom profile to the firmware file loaded into the DS.
Request more information on the subject via email.

Reference
Reference contains all necessary information on:
DS commands, messages and replies. Commands are used to control the DS
and can be issued through the network or through the serial port. The DS replies
to the commands- reply codes indicate the result of command execution.
Messages are different in that they are not replied to. For more information see
programming.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

111

DS settings. Settings are permanent functioning parameters that are stored in

the non-volatile memory (EEPROM) of the DS. Once programmed, they remain
intact even when the DS is powered off. Many (but not all) settings require the
DS to be rebooted for the new setting value to take effect.
DS parameters and instructions. Parameters are temporary overrides for
settings. Parameters are not saved into the EEPROM and take immediate effect
(no rebooting required). Instructions are used to make the DS perform a
certain action.

Commands,
messages, and replies
3.2.4.1
This section contains a reference for all DS commands and messages.
Commands are used to control the DS and can be issued through the network or
through the serial port. The DS replies to the commands- reply codes indicate the
result of command execution. Messages are different in that they are not replied to.
For more information see programming.
Command and message description format can be found here.
Table below lists all available commands and messages:
C.C.
L
O
E
I
S
G
P
X
U
B
R
A
W
V
N
N
Q
D
C
T
J

N
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+

L
+
+
+
+
+

+
+

+
+
+

+
+
+
+
+
(+) +
+
+

+
+
+
+
+
+
+

+
+

Description
Login command
Logout command
Reboot command
Initialize command
Set Setting command
Get Setting command
Parameter command
Echo command
Status command
Buzz command
Reset Overflow Flags command
Assign IP-address command
Select In Broadcast Mode command
Get Firmware Version command
Jump To NetLoader command
Set Programming Request Flag
Reset Upload Process
Upload Data Block
Cable Status
Get My IP
Notification message

Notes:
C.C.- command codes;
N- '+' in this column indicates that command can be issued through the network;
B- '+' in this column indicates that command can be issued in the broadcast mode
(when sent through the network) without the need to pre-select a particular DS
using Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command first;
L- '+' in this column indicates that command, when issued through the network,

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

112

Tibbo Document System

requires prior login using the Login (L) command;
I- '+' in this column indicates that command, when issued through the network,
requires immediate authentication. '(+)' indicates that immediate authentication is
optional;
S- '+' in this column indicates that command can be issued through the serial
port.
Listed below are all available reply codes:
R.C.
A
C
R
D
F
S
O

Description
OK (command completed successfully)
Error (incorrect command was issued)
Rejected (command was rejected by the DS)
Denied (access was denied by the DS)
Failed (command execution failed)
Bad Sequence (D command only)
Out-of-range (D command only)

Notes:
R.C.- reply code.

Command & message description format

All commands in this section are described using the following format:
Function:

Command function in brief

Can be issued through:

Describes whether command can be issued

through the network and/or serial port, or both;
also lists additional conditions- whether or not
prior login is required for network command, etc.

Command format:

Shows command syntax

Possible replies:

Lists all possible reply status codes that can be

returned in response to this command

First introduced:

Describes whether this command has been

available right from the "baseline" firmware
version of 3.14/3.51 or was introduced in a later
firmware release

See also:

Additional relevant links

Details
Additional information about the command.

Login (L) command

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Authenticates the network host and opens the

network programming session

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts ignored*)

Command format:

Lpp...p, where pp...p is the login password, 0-8

characters long

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals
Possible replies:

A, R, D

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Authentication, Programming priorities, Error

mode

113

Details
Login command is used to authenticate the network host, which is a necessary
step to perform before attempting to execute certain commands over the network
(such as Set Setting (S). Check the "L" column of the command table at
commands, messages, and replies to find out which commands require prior
authentication.
Login password to supply in the Login command body is defined by the
Password (PW) setting. Note, that to execute commands that require prior login
you need to use the Login command even when the password is not set (i.e. it is
<NULL>).
OK (A) reply code is returned if login is accepted by the DS. Rejected (R) reply
code is returned if the DS is in the serial programming mode or a higher-priority
programming session is already in progress (see programming priorities for
details). Denied (D) reply code is returned if incorrect password is supplied.
Login command is said to open a programming session. For more information on
programming sessions see authentication.
The DS memorizes the IP-address of the network host from which the Login
command is sent. If subsequent commands (that require login) are sent from a
different IP-address then these commands are replied to with the Denied (D)
reply code.
Login password is not verified when the DS is running in the error mode. Login
command should still be used as usual but it is not necessary to supply any
password, leaving the pp...p field blank in this situation is OK.
* Without prior selection using Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command.

Logout (O) command

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Network command: logs out the network host

(ends the programming session); serial command:
ends the serial programming mode

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts ignored*, login required);

serial port

Command format:

Possible replies:

A, D

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Authentication, Out-of-band (UDP) commands,

Inband (TCP) commands, Command-phase (TCP)
commands, Serial programming

Details
Logout command performs a different action depending on whether it was issued

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

114

Tibbo Document System

through the network or through the serial port.
When the Logout command is issued through the network it closes the
programming session that was opened using the Login (L) command. Denied
(D) reply code is returned if the programming session is not in progress or if it
doesn't belong to the sender of the Logout command- the DS remembers the
IP-address of the network host that opens the programming session and requires
that all subsequent commands (that require prior login) are sent from the same IP.
OK (A) status code is returned if command is accepted, but only if this command
was sent as an out-of-band (UDP) or inband (TCP) command. No reply is sent in
case of command-phase (TCP) command, the DS simply switches into the data
phase (Denied (D) reply code is still returned).
When the Logout command is issued through the serial port it makes the DS exit
the serial programming mode (and into the data routing mode). Since no
authentication is required for DS programming through the serial port the only
possible reply code in this case is OK (A).
Executing Logout command does not make the DS reboot. If it is necessary to
reboot the DS (i.e. to make it reread updated setting values) the Reboot (E)
command should be used instead.
* Without prior selection using Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command.

Reboot (E) command

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Causes the DS to reboot

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts ignored*, login required);

serial port

Command format:

Possible replies:

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Authentication

Details
Reboot command causes the DS to reset (restart).
When issued through the network, this command requires prior login using the
Login (L) command (programming session must be opened). Denied (D) reply
code is returned if the programming session is not in progress or if it doesn't
belong to the sender of the Reboot command- the DS remembers the IP-address
of the network host that opens the programming session and requires that all
subsequent commands (that require prior login) are sent from the same IP.
No reply code is returned if command is accepted- the DS simply reboots. This
makes the DS "lose" any data connection that might be in progress so the network
host must discard such a connection if it was established before.
Reboot command can be used to exit the serial programming mode or end the
network programming session. This may be necessary, for instance, to make the
DS reread new setting values that were programmed prior to the reboot. If it is
necessary to end the programming without rebooting the DS the Logout (O)
command should be used instead.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

115

* Without prior selection using Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command.

Initialize (I) command

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Initializes the settings of the DS

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts ignored*, login required);

serial port

Command format:

Possible replies:

A, D, F

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Authentication

Details
Initialize command restores the settings of the DS to their default factory
values**. Some settings are initialized each time this command is executed. Other
settings are initialized or left intact depending on the interface (network or serial)
through which the Initialize command was issued and also on whether or not a
particular setting contained a valid or invalid value.
All settings can be divided into three groups:
Settings that are initialized unconditionally, no matter whether the Initialize
command is issued through the network or through the serial port. For
example, the Routing Mode (RM) setting is always reset to 0 (server) after
the initialization.
Settings that are initialized unconditionally for the serial Initialize command,
but are only initialized in case they contained an invalid value (or found to be
corrupted)*** for the network Initialize command. One of such settings is the
IP-address (IP). Since resetting the IP-address might possibly make the DS
inaccessible through the network the risk is minimized by leaving the setting
intact unless it is "bad".
Settings that are only initialized when they contained an invalid value, no matter
whether command was issued through the network or through the serial port.
For example, the MAC-address (FE) setting is never altered unless found to be
invalid. This is because the MAC-address is preset during the production and
should not be altered unless absolutely necessary.
When issued through the network, the Initialize command requires prior login
using the Login (L) command (programming session must be opened). Denied
(D) reply code is returned if the programming session is not in progress or if it
doesn't belong to the sender of the Initialize command- the DS remembers the
IP-address of the network host that opens the programming session and requires
that all subsequent commands (that require prior login) are sent from the same IP.
Failed (F) reply code is returned if the DS fails to reset one or more settings.
This usually indicates a hardware malfunction (EEPROM failure).
* Without prior selection using Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command.
** Or the values defined by the Custom profile created by the User.
***

Each setting's data is protected by an individual checksum.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

116

Tibbo Document System

Set Setting (S) command

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Sets (writes) new setting value

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts ignored*, login required);

serial port

Command format:

Sssvv...v, where ss: setting mnemonic, vv...v:

new setting value

Possible replies:

A, D, C, F

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Get Setting (G) command

Details
Set Setting command assigns new values to the selected setting. ss is the
setting mnemonic, i.e. "IP" for the IP-address (IP) setting.
Example: to set IP-address to 192.168.100.40 issue the following command**:
-->DS:
DS-->:

SIP192.168.100.40
A

When issued through the network, this command requires prior login using the
Login (L) command (programming session must be opened). Denied (D) reply
code is returned if the programming session is not in progress or if it doesn't
belong to the sender of the Set Setting command- the DS remembers the
IP-address of the network host that opens the programming session and requires
that all subsequent commands (that require prior login) are sent from the same IP.
Error (C) reply code is returned if the setting mnemonic and/or supplied setting
value is/are invalid. Failed (F) reply code is returned if the DS fails to write new
setting value. This usually indicates a hardware malfunction (EEPROM failure).
* Without prior selection using Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command.
** Encapsulation characters such as IEC, STX, CR are not shown.

Get Setting (G) command

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Gets (reads) new setting value

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts ignored*, login required);

serial port

Command format:

Sss, where ss is the setting name

Possible replies:

Avv...v, D, C, F, where vv...v is current setting

value

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

---

Details
Get Setting command reads out current value of the selected setting. ss is the
setting mnemonic, i.e. "IP" for the IP-address (IP) setting.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

117

Example: to read current IP-address issue the following command**:

-->DS:
DS-->:

GIP
A192.168.100.40

When issued through the network, this command requires prior login using the
Login (L) command (programming session must be opened). Denied (D) reply
code is returned if the programming session is not in progress or if it doesn't
belong to the sender of the Get Setting command- the DS remembers the
IP-address of the network host that opens the programming session and requires
that all subsequent commands (that require prior login) are sent from the same IP.
Error (C) reply code is returned if the setting mnemonic is invalid. Failed (F)
reply code is returned if the DS fails to read out the setting value, setting value is
not valid, or if the data is found to be corrupted***. This may indicate a hardware
malfunction (EEPROM failure).
Invalid setting can be repaired using the Set Setting (S) command or
(recommended) using the Initialize (I) command or quick initialization (this will
initialize all other invalid settings).
* Without prior selection using Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command.
** Encapsulation characters such as IEC, STX, CR are not shown.
*** Each setting's data is protected by an individual checksum.

Parameter (P) command

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Sends parameter or instruction to the DS

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts ignored*, login not required,

immediate authentication for this command can be
enabled); serial port

Command format:

P<relevant data> (see description of individual

parameters and instructions for details)

Possible replies:

A, C, D, R

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Parameters and instructions, Authentication

Details
Command code 'P' (Parameter) serves as a "common entry point" for sending a
variety of parameters and instructions.
Network Parameter command can be made to require immediate authentication.
To enable this feature:
On-the-Fly Password (OP) setting must be programmed to 1 (enabled);
Password (PW) setting must contain a password (i.e. a string of non-zero
length).
When two above conditions are met each network Parameter command sent to
the DS must contain a password, which is to be added at the end of the command
after a slash character.
Example: below is the parameter command that changes the baudrate. The
password is "123pwd"**:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

118

Tibbo Document System

-->DS:
DS-->:

PBR4/123pwd
A

If no password or incorrect password is supplied when the password is expected

the Denied (D) reply code is returned.
* Without prior selection using Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command.
** Encapsulation characters such as IEC, STX, CR, and the command ID field are
not shown.

Echo (X) command

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Returns DS status information

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts OK, login not required);

serial port

Command format:

X[v], where v is an optional "command version"

parameter (decimal number up to 255, when
omitted defaults to 1). Command version is
only recognized in firmware V3.54+

Possible replies (network):

Annn.nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn/ppppp/mseic[p]/
ES/oo...o/dd...d, where
nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn- MAC-address of the
DS;
ppppp- data port numberof the DS;
m- fixed to 'N' (means that the application
firmware, not the NetLoaderis running);
s- programming mode: '*' (none), 'S' (serial), 'U' (
out-of-band UDP), 'T' (inband TCP or
command-phase TCP);
e- error status: '*' (no errors detected), 'E'
(running in the error mode); 'N' (Ethernet port
failure)
i- IP-address status: '*' (not obtained yet), 'I'
(obtained via DHCP), 'M' (fixed, set manually);
c- data connection status: '*' (closed), 'A' (sending
ARP OR [V3.54+] establishing PPP link), 'O'
(being established), 'C' (TCP connection
established or being closed), 'U' (UDP connection
established), 'R' (reset by remote host), 'F' (Link
Server login failed), 'L' (Link Server login in
progress);
[V3.54+] p- only returned when command
version parameter of >1 is supplied: '*' (PPPoE
disabled), 'D' (PPPoE login denied), 'N' (PPPoE link
not opened), 'B' (PPPoE link is being established),
'P' (PPPoE link established);
E- Ethernet-to-serial bufferoverflow: '*' (no
overflow), 'E' (overflow detected);
S- serial-to-Ethernet bufferoverflow: '*' (no
overflow), 'S' (overflow detected);
oo...o- owner name;
dd...d- device name.

Possible replies (serial):

Amseic[p]/ES (see field description above)

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

119

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51, functionality

extended in V3.54

See also:

Network programming, Serial programming, PPPoE

Details
The primary use of the network Echo command is to auto-discover Device
Servers on the network: when the network host sends this command in the
broadcast mode, it collects the replies from all locally attached Device Servers
(hence, the name of the command). Reply from each DS contains all necessary
information (MAC-address, etc.) that is needed to continue communicating with
each specific DS in a non-broadcast mode.
Information returned by the Echo command contains the following data:
MAC-address is the most important field that can be used to uniquely identify
each DS*! Besides, the MAC-address is used (and, therefore, must be known in
advance) as a reference to the particular DS in such commands as Assign
IP-address (A) and Select in Broadcast Mode (W).
Data port number field is read directly from the Port Number (PN) setting of
the DS.
Follow are several one-character flag fields that tell the network host about the
present status of the DS:
m flag always returns 'N'. This is meant to indicate that the DS is running
(this) application firmware. In contrast, when the NetLoader is running this
flag shows 'L' (NetLoader also supports Echo command);
s flag shows whether or not any form of programming is in progress. 'S' is
returned when the serial port of the DS is in the serial programming mode. If
the network programming session is in progress the 'U' is returned for
out-of-band (UDP) programming session and 'T' is returned for inband (TCP) or
command-phase (TCP)programming sessions;
e flag indicates whether or not the DS is running in the error mode.
Additionally, for serial Echo command this flag can be set to 'N' indicating
hardware failure of the Ethernet port;
i flag reflects current IP-address status. It is useful when the DHCP is enabled
(see the DHCP (DH) setting). The flag is set to '*' while the DS is trying to
obtain the IP-address from the DHCP server. When this is done the flag is set
to 'I'. When the DHCP is off this flag returns 'M' (for "manual");
c flag reflects the connection state;
[V3.54+] p flag reflects PPPoE link state. This flag is only returned when
optional command version parameter is supplied and is >1;
E and S flags display routing buffer overflows. Both flags are reset
automatically when the data connection is closed or aborted. The flags can also
be reset manually through the Reset Overflow Flags (R) command.
oo...o and dd...d fields return the data from the Owner Name (ON) and
Device Name (DN)settings. Using meaningful names simplifies identification of
a particular DS.
Optional command version parameter has been introduced in firmware V3.54.
Command version is a decimal number (up to 255). When command version is
omitted it is assumed to be 1. Earlier firmware releases do not support this
parameter and will simply ignore it (result will be the same as having command

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

120

Tibbo Document System

version set to 1). When command version of 2 or higher is supplied Echo
command returns an additional p flag in the reply. This flag reflects the state of
PPPoE link.
Example #1: supposing X command returns the following reply**:
-->DS:
DS-->:

X
A0.150.30.213.55.74/1001/NS*IC/*S/BigCorp/Device1

This means that the MAC-address of this DS is 0.150.30.213.55.74, data

connections are accepted on port 1001, the DS is operating normally, has serial
programming in progress. The IP-address of this DS was successfully obtained via
the DHCP, TCP connection is currently established, serial-to-Ethernet buffer
overrun has been detected (within current data connection). The owner name and
device name of this DS is "BigCorp" and "Device1" respectively.
Example #2: here is a command with version parameter**:
-->DS:
DS-->:

X2
A0.150.30.213.55.74/1001/N**MUP/**/BigCorp/Device1

In this example the DS is operating normally, is not being programmed, has a

fixes IP-address (DHCP is off), has UDP "connection" in progress and PPPoE link
established.
It is noteworthy that reply to Echo command should not be parsed basing on the
optional command version parameter. Remember that older firmware ignores this
parameter so there is no guarantee that extended information (p flag) will be
returned by the DS. Of course, it is always possible to process the reply basing on
the firmware version of the DS but recommended solution is to simply check the
presence of additional ASCII character before the forward slash that separates
flags mseic[p] from flags E and S.
Some comment should also be made about flag c. Status 'A' of this flag now
means that either ARP packets are being sent in order to discover the destination
network host OR PPPoE link establishment is currently in progress. The usage of a
single status to designate these two different processes is possible because they
are never needed at the same time. When PPPoE is enabled (PPPoE Mode (PP)
setting is either 1 or 2) and the destination host is on a different network segment
the DS doesn't need an ARP but needs to establish a PPPoE link (for more
information see PPPoE). In all other cases the DS doesn't need PPPoE but has to
send ARP.
When issued through the serial port, the Echo command returns the same
information minus the MAC-address, data port number, owner name, and device
name fields. This is because these fields are only needed to discover and identify
the DS on the network and are not required on the serial side. The primary
application of the serial Echo command is for the attached serial device to inquire
current data connection and routing status of the DS. This may be used by the
serial device, in conjunction with the modem commands (serial-side parameters
and instructions) to control and monitor data connection establishment and
termination by the DS.
There is also a Status (U) command that returns additional information about
the status of the DS.
* This is because each DS, like any other Ethernet device, has a unique
MAC-address preset during the production.
** Encapsulation characters such as IEC, STX, CR, and the command ID field are
not shown

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

121

Status (U) command

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Returns additional DS status information

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts OK, login not required);

serial port

Command format:

U[v], where v is an optional "command version"

parameter (decimal number up to 255, when
omitted defaults to 1). Command version is only
recognized in firmware V3.54+

Possible replies (network):

Addd.ddd.ddd.ddd/ppppp/eee
/ttt/ccc/sss/fff/r/sdfpb/RCTS[/iii.iii.iii.iii],
where
ddd.ddd.ddd.ddd- IP-address of the network host
with which the data connection is (was/ to be)
established;
ppppp- data port number on the network host
with which the data connection is (was/ to be)
established;
eee- total number of characters in the
Ethernet-to-serial buffer;
ttt- capacity of the Ethernet-to-serial buffer;
ccc- number of committed characters in the
serial-to-Ethernet buffer;
sss- total number of characters in the
serial-to-Ethernet buffer;
fff- capacity of the serial-to-Ethernet buffer;
r- current baudrate (same numbering is used as in
the Baudrate (BR) setting);
s- serial port state: '*' (closed), 'O' (opened);
d- serial port mode: 'F' (full-duplex), 'H'
(half-duplex);
f- flow control: '*' (disabled), 'R' (RTS/CTS flow
control);
p- parity: '*' (none), 'E' (even), 'O' (odd), 'M'
(mark), 'S' (space);
b- bits per byte: '7' (7 bits), '8' (8 bits);
R- current state of the RTS (output) line: '*'
(LOW*), 'R' (HIGH*);
C- current state of the CTS (input) line: '*'
(LOW*), 'C' (HIGH*);
T- current state of the DTR (output) line: '*'
(LOW*), 'T' (HIGH*);
S- current state of the DSR (input) line: '*'
(LOW*), 'S' (HIGH*);
[V3.54+] iii.iii.iii.iii- only returned when
command version parameter of >1 is supplied
- IP-address of the DS on the PPPoE link.

Possible replies (serial):

Addd.ddd.ddd.ddd/ppppp[/iii.iii.iii.iii] (see

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

122

Tibbo Document System

field description above)
First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51, functionality

extended in V3.54

See also:

Network programming, Serial programming, Data

routing, Serial-to-Ethernet data routing, PPPoE

Details
Status command returns additional information about the status of the DS. In
conjunction with the Echo (X) command it can be used to obtain extensive
information about the state of the DS.
The following data is returned:
ddd.ddd.ddd.ddd and ppppp fields. IP-address and port number of the
network host with which the data connection is (was/ to be) established.
IP-address in this field shows the following:
After the power-up the fields returns the IP-address and port defined by the
Destination IP-address (DI) setting and Destination Port Number (DP)
setting;
If these default values are overridden by the Destination IP-address (DI)
parameter, Destination Port Number (DP) parameter, or Establish
Connection (CE) instruction, then the fields show new overriding values;
While the data connection is established and after it is closed (aborted) the
fields show the IP-address and port of the network host with which this
connection is (was) established. Notice that this may be different from the
above- if the DS has accepted an incoming connection.
eee and ttt fields show the total number of data bytes in the Ethernet-to-serial
buffer and the capacity of this buffer. Capacity information is included because
the buffer size is different for different models of the DS.
ccc, sss, and fff fields show the number of committed bytes in the
serial-to-Ethernet buffer, total number of bytes in this buffer, and the buffer
capacity. Again, buffer capacity is included because it differs depending on the
DS model.
r, d, f, p, and b flags show current serial port setup. This information is useful
because on-the-fly commands (network-side parameters and instructions) can
change serial port communications parameters at any time.
d flag reflects whether the serial port is in the half-duplex or full-duplex mode.
This data may be of interest when the Serial Interface (SI) setting is 2 (auto)
and you need to verify what mode the DS has assumed at startup.
R, C, T, and S flags reflect current status of the RTS, CTS, DTR, and DSR lines
of the serial port. This information may be useful in debugging communications
problems between the DS and the attached serial device.
[V3.54+] iii.iii.iii.iii field- only returned when command version
parameter of >1 is supplied- IP-address of the DS on the PPPoE link. As
explained in PPPoE the DS negotiates a separate and different IP-address for
PPPoE communications.
Optional command version parameter has been introduced in firmware V3.54.
Command version is a decimal number (up to 255). When command version is
omitted it is assumed to be 1. Earlier firmware releases do not support this
parameter and will simply ignore it (result will be the same as having command

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

123

version set to 1). When command version of 2 or higher is supplied Status

command returns an additional iii.iii.iii.iii field.
Example #1: supposing U command returns the following reply**:
-->DS:
DS-->:

U
A192.168.100.90/37150/0/8192/0/3/8192/5/OFR*8/R*TS

This means that the data connection is (was/ to be) established with the network
host at 192.168.100.90, port number 37150. No data is currently in the
Ethernet-to-serial buffer, buffer capacity is 8192 bytes. No committed data is in
the serial-to-Ethernet buffer, there are 3 bytes of (uncommitted) data there, and
the total capacity is 8192 bytes. The baudrate is 38400, serial port is opened, uses
full-duplex mode. RTS/CTS flow control is enabled, parity is set to none, data is 8
bits/byte. RTS, DTR, and DSR lines are in the HIGH* state, CTS line is LOW*.
Example #2: here is a command with version parameter**:
-->DS:
U2
DS-->:
A192.168.100.90/37150/0/8192/0/3/8192/5/OFR*8/R*TS
/161.1.1.110
In this reply an additional field is present. This field shows that current IP-address
on the PPPoE link is 161.1.1.110
When issued through the serial port, the Status command returns less data. The
primary use of the serial Status command is to let the attached serial device
inquire the IP-address and port number of the network host with which the
connection is (was/ to be) established (as well as current "PPPoE" IP-address). This
may be used by the serial device, in conjunction with the modem commands
(serial-side parameters and instructions) to control and monitor data connection
establishment and termination by the DS.
* HI and LOW states are described with respect to the serial ports of DS100R,
DS100B, DS202R, EM100-EV, EM120/EM200-EV, EM202-EV. For EM100, EM120,
EM200, EM202, EM1000 the signaling is exactly opposite.
** Encapsulation characters such as IEC, STX, CR, and the command ID field are
not shown.

Buzz (B) command

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Makes the status LEDs of the DS play a

recognizable pattern

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts ignored*, login not required)

Command format:

Possible replies:

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Status LED signals

Details
Buzz command, when received by the DS, makes the device "play" a
recognizable fast-blinking pattern on its status LEDs. This can be used to match an
IP-address to a physical DS.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

124

Tibbo Document System

* Without prior selection using Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command.

Reset Overflow Flags (R) command

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Resets routing buffer overflow flags

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts ignored*, login not required)

Command format:

Possible replies:

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Status LED signals, Routing buffers

Details
Reset Overflow Flags command clears routing buffer overflow flags. Buffer
overflow condition is returned by the Echo (X) command (flags E and S) and also
displayed by the status LEDs of the DS. Overflow flags are cleared automatically
when the data connection to the network host is closed or aborted or can also be
reset manually using the Reset Overflow Flags command.
* Without prior selection using Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command.

Assign IP-address (A) command

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Assigns new IP-address to the DS which is

referenced by its MAC-address

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts OK, login not required)

Command format:

Ammm.mmm.mmm.mmm.mmm.mmm/pp...p
/iii.iii.iii.iii, where
mmm.mmm.mmm.mmm.mmm.mmmMAC-address of the target DS;
pp...p- password (defined by the Password (PW)
setting);
iii.iii.iii.iii- new IP-address to be assigned to the
DS

Possible replies:

A, D, C, F

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Authentication, Broadcast out-of-band commands

Details
Assign IP-address command is used to set the new IP-address of a certain DS
over the network. Command should be sent in the broadcast mode, the target DS
is referenced by its MAC-address (supplied in the command body). All locally
attached devices receive the broadcast but only the DS with matching
MAC-address reacts to it.
Assign IP-address is a command of immediate authentication typewhich means
that the password (defined by the Password (PW) setting) is supplied in the

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

125

command body itself.

Example: if the MAC-address of the target DS is 0.150.30.213.55.74, the password
is "pass1" and the new IP-address is to be 192.168.100.41 then the following
command should be sent:
-->DS:
DS-->:

A0.150.30.213.55.74/pass1/192.168.100.41
A

Note: password field in this command should be present even if the Password
(PW) setting is empty (<NULL>):
-->DS:

A0.150.30.213.55.74//192.168.100.41

New IP-address is saved into the IP-address (IP) setting, just as if the Set
Setting (S) command(i.e. "SIPiii.iii.iii.iii") was executed. Differences with the
Set Setting (S) command are in that the DS starts using the new IP-address
immediately (no rebooting required) and that the target DS is referenced by its
MAC-address.
Rejected (R) reply code is returned if the serial programming mode is in
progress. Denied (D) reply code is returned if the password is incorrect. Error
(C) reply code is returned if command structure is incorrect (a field or field
separator is missing) or if the field data is wrong. Failed (F) reply code is
returned when the DS failed to write new IP-address into the EEPROM. This usually
indicates a hardware malfunction (EEPROM failure). Since this is a broadcast
command no reply is returned if no DS on the network has the MAC-address
specified in the command.
When the Assign IP-address command is issued while the DS has a data
connection in progress this data connection is aborted. No packet (even RST in
case of TCP data connection) is sent to the network host that was communicating
with the DS.

Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Selects the DS as the target in broadcast

out-of-band UDP programming

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts OK, login not required)

Command format:

Wmmm.mmm.mmm.mmm.mmm.mmm,
where mmm.mmm.mmm.mmm.mmm.mmmMAC-address of the target DS

Possible replies:

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Broadcast out-of-band commands

Details
Select In Broadcast Mode command is used to pre-select a certain DS for
subsequent programming via broadcast out-of-band (UDP) commands. Only a
small portion of DS commands (such as Echo (X)) are accepted when sent in
broadcast UDP datagrams. All other commands are only accepted if they address a
specific DS. Such specific addressing normally involves sending UDP datagrams
with the IP-address of the targeted DS as the destination (i.e. non-broadcast
datagrams). This requires the IP-address of the DS to be configured reachable
which is not always possible or convenient.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

126

Tibbo Document System

Select In Broadcast Mode command provides a way around this. Target DS,
referenced by its MAC-address, is first pre-selected using this command. After
that, all broadcast commands that are normally ignored when sent as broadcasts,
are not ignored and processed by this pre-selected DS.
When Select In Broadcast Mode command is issued all devices whose
MAC-addresses do not match the target MAC-address supplied in the command
body de-select themselves. This means that to switch onto programming of
another DS in the broadcast mode, you need to send the new Select In
Broadcast Mode command with the new target MAC-address. This will pre-select
a different DS while at the same time de-selecting the DS that was selected
before. To de-select all DS on the network send Select In Broadcast Mode
command with no MAC-address field.
This command only influences which DS responds when it is addressed using
broadcast UDP commands. Command has no influence over any other form of
programming that involves addressing the DS by its IP-address.
The only possible reply to this command is OK (A). It is issued by the DS that has
recognised its MAC-address in the command body. If no DS on the local network
recognizes its MAC then there will be no reply received to this command.

Get Firmware Version (V) command

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Returns firmware version of this firmware

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts OK, login not required);

serial port

Command format:

Possible replies:

Avv...v, where vv...v is the version string

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

---

Details
Get Firmware Version command returns current firmware version string.
The version string is always encapsulated in '<' and '>', begins with the version
number in Vx.xx format, and possibly contains a small comment after a space.
Example:
-->DS:
DS-->:

V
A<V3.20 R3 final>

Jump To Netloader (N) command [Release3.0]

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Jumps to (launches) the NetLoader

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts ignored*, login required).

UDP only, TCP/Telnet not supported.

Command format:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

127

Possible replies:

A, D, F

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14, not supported by

Release3.5 firmware branch

See also:

NetLoader

Details
This command is only used on first-generation Devices (i.e. it is
implemented on Release3 firmware only).
Jump To NetLoader command verifies NetLoaderpresence and integrity, then
launches it. NetLoader integrity is verified by calculating the checksum on its code
and comparing this checksum with the stored one. The NetLoader is not launched
if the checksum is found to be invalid.
This command requires prior login using the Login (L) command (programming
session must be opened). Denied (D) reply code is returned if the programming
session is not in progress or if it doesn't belong to the sender of the Jump To
NetLoader command- the DS remembers the IP-address of the network host that
opens the programming session and requires that all subsequent commands (that
require prior login) are sent from the same IP.
Failed (F) reply code is returned if the NetLoader is found to be corrupted.
* Without prior selection using Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command.

Set Programming Request Flag (N) command [Release 3.5]

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Sets a flag that will make the DS upgrade its

firmware after the reboot

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts ignored*, login required).

UDP only, TCP/Telnet not supported.

Command format:

Possible replies:

A, D, F

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.51, not supported by

Release3 firmware branch

See also:

NetLoader

Details
This command is only used on second-generation Devices (i.e. it is
implemented on Release3.5 firmware only).
Set Programming Request Flag command programs a special word of data into
the FLASH memory of the DS. When the DS reboots and the Monitor gains control
it verifies the state of the flag. If the flag is set the Monitor copies new firmware
file from the data FLASH memory of the DS into the program FLASH memory of the
DS. After the programming is finished the Monitor resets the flag automatically.
Before attempting to write into the program FLASH memory the Monitor verifies
integrity of the data in the data FLASH. If the data is found to be corrupted the
Monitor aborts the programming.
Set Programming Request Flag command is supposed to be used after the new
application firmware file is uploaded into the data FLASH memory of the DS using

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

128

Tibbo Document System

Reset Upload Process (Q) and Upload Data Block (D) commands. Once the
flag is set the DS should be rebooted with Reboot (E) command (to start FLASH
copying process).
This command requires prior login using the Login (L) command (programming
session must be opened). Denied (D) reply code is returned if the programming
session is not in progress or if it doesn't belong to the sender of the command- the
DS remembers the IP-address of the network host that opens the programming
session and requires that all subsequent commands (that require prior login) are
sent from the same IP.
Failed (F) reply code is returned if the flag could not be set (written into the
FLASH memory).
* Without prior selection using Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command.

Reset Upload Process (Q) command [Release 3.5]

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Reset application firmware upload into the data

FLASH memory of the DS

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts ignored*, login required).

UDP only, TCP/Telnet not supported.

Command format:

Possible replies:

A, D

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.51, not supported by

Release3 firmware branch

See also:

NetLoader

Details
This command is only used on second-generation Devices (i.e. it is
implemented on Release3.5 firmware only).
Reset Upload Process command initializes application firmware file upload into
the data FLASH memory of the DS. This command should always be used before
upload itself, which is performed with Upload Data Block (D) command. To
make the DS upgrade the contents of its program FLASH (i.e. copy the application
from the data FLASH into the program FLASH) two other commands should be
used: Set Programming Request Flag (N), followed by Reboot (E).
This command requires prior login using the Login (L) command (programming
session must be opened). Denied (D) reply code is returned if the programming
session is not in progress or if it doesn't belong to the sender of the command- the
DS remembers the IP-address of the network host that opens the programming
session and requires that all subsequent commands (that require prior login) are
sent from the same IP.
* Without prior selection using Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

129

Upload Data Block (D) command [Release 3.5]

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Uploads a 128-byte data block into the data FLASH

memory of the DS

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts ignored*, login required).

UDP only, TCP/Telnet not supported.

Command format:

Dnnddd..dd, where nn: data block number in

binary format (exactly 2 bytes), ddd..dd- 128
bytes of data in binary format

Possible replies:

A, D, C, S, 0, F

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.51, not supported by

Release3 firmware branch

See also:

NetLoader

Details
This command is only used on second-generation Devices (i.e. it is
implemented on Release3.5 firmware only).
Upload Data Block command sends a 128-byte block of data to the data FLASH
memory of the DS. This command is used for application firmware upgrades
through the network.
Upgrade starts with Reset Upload Process (Q) command. After that, Upload
Data Block is used necessary number of times until entire application firmware
file is uploaded block by block. The first command sent should have its nn field set
to 0x00 0x00, next- 0x00 0x01, etc. Each command should supply exactly 128
bytes of data. If the file cannot be split into N full 128-byte blocks the last block
should be padded with any data. Once entire file has been uploaded two additional
commands should be used: Set Programming Request Flag (N), followed by
Reboot (E). After the DS emerges from reset the Monitor will copy new firmware
file from the data FLASH into the program FLASH.
This command requires prior login using the Login (L) command (programming
session must be opened). Denied (D) reply code is returned if the programming
session is not in progress or if it doesn't belong to the sender of the command- the
DS remembers the IP-address of the network host that opens the programming
session and requires that all subsequent commands (that require prior login) are
sent from the same IP.
Error (C) reply code is returned if command length wasn't exactly 131 byte in
length (command code + 2-byte block number + 128 bytes of data). Bad
Sequence (S) reply code is issued if data blocks were not consecutive (for
example, after block 3 came block 5). The DS replies with Out-of-range (O)
reply code if file size has exceeded data FLASH capacity. Failed (F) reply code
is returned if there was an error writing into the data FLASH. OK (A) reply code
is returned when the block is received properly and all is right. This code is always
followed by next block number -- 2 bytes in network byte order (High endian
format).
Upload Data Block command is different from all other commands in that its
fields are of binary type (all other commands are ASCII strings).
* Without prior selection using Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

130

Tibbo Document System

Cable Status (C) command

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Returns network cable status

Can be issued through:

Serial port

Command format:

Possible replies:

AC, AD

First introduced:

3.26, not supported by 3.5 branch

See also:

Status (U) command, Serial Programming

Details
Get Cable Status command returns current status of the network cable.
The return value AC means that the network cable is currently plugged in. The
value AD means that the network cable is disconnected. Note that this does not
indicate actual network connection status (see Status (U) command).

Get My IP (T) command

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Returns the IP address of the sender of this

command

Can be issued through:

Network (broadcasts OK, login not required)

Command format:

Possible replies:

Addd.ddd.ddd.ddd, where ddd.ddd.ddd.ddd is

the IP address of the sender of this command

First introduced:

V3.32/3.63

See also:

---

Details
Get My IP command is used to determine under which IP address the DS sees the
sender of the command. This is not necessarily the same as the actual IP address
of the sender (for example, there might be a router between the DS and the PC).
The IP address returned by the command can then be used, for instance, to set
the Destination IP address (DI) of the DS.
Note that the fact that the PC (or another command sender) can "reach" the DS
does not automatically mean that the DS can "reach" (connect to) the PC. Network
setups are not always symmetrical!
You can remember this command's mnemonic as the first character of "Tell me
who I am".

Notification (J) message

Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Reports I/O pin status change

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

131

Send through:

Network

Format:

Jsss, where sss is the byte value in the 0-255

range containing the status of all I/O lines of the
DS

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial port and serial communications

Details
Notification message in not a command, it is a message that the DS sends to
the network host when one of the monitored I/O lines of the DS changes its state
(for longer than 20milliseconds). The status of all lines is rolled into a single byte
of data and sent out even when a single I/O line changes its state.
Which I/O lines are being monitored is defined by the current Notification
Bitmask (NB) [setting/ parameter].
Notification messages are only generated when the data connection is in
progress and are sent to the network host with which this data connection is
established. Notification Destination (ND) setting defines which port on this
network host notifications are sent to.
How notifications are sent (out-of-band, inband, etc.) is defined by several factors:
If the Data Login (DL) setting is 1 (enabled), current Transport Protocol
(TP) [setting/ parameter] is 1 (TCP), and the data TCP connection is in the
command phase then notifications are sent via this TCP connection (IEC
character is not used). Otherwise...
If the Inband (IB) setting is 1 (enabled), and the current Transport
Protocol (TP) is 1 (TCP) then notifications are sent inside this TCP connection
as inband messages (IEC character is used). Otherwise...
Notifications are sent as out-of-band UDP datagrams.
The value in each Notification message should be interpreted as a collection of
binary bits, with each position corresponding to a certain I/O line of the DS. Bit
positions are exactly the same as those of the Notification Bitmask (NB)
Setting. Bit values correspond to the states of the I/O lines of Modules. Line states
on the RS232 connectors of Serial Device Servers and Boards that incorporate
RS232 transceivers are inverted relative to the states reported in the notification
message.
Example: supposing, the following Notification message is sent*:
J027
Decimal 27 converts to binary 00011011. This means that:
For devices such as EM100: P2/DSR and P5/RTS lines are LOW; P0, P1, P2/DSR,
and P4/CTS lines are HIGH;
For devices such as DS100: DSR and RTS lines are HIGH; DTR and CTS lines are
LOW.
Notification messages are not commands so they do not require any reply from
the receiving end.
If it is the DS that receives a Notification message from another DS, then the
following happens:
If current Flow Control (FC) [setting/ parameter] on the receiving DS is 0
(disabled) and current Serial Interface is full-duplex then this DS will set its

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

132

Tibbo Document System

RTS line according to the value of CTS bit (bit 4) supplied by the Notification
message; otherwise the status of the RTS line will not be changed.
If the DTR Mode (DT) setting on the receiving DS is 0 (idle) then this DS will
set its DTR line according to the value of DSR bit (bit 2) supplied by the
Notification message; otherwise the status of the DTR line will not be
changed.
The above means that the Notification message links RTS-CTS and DTR-DSR
signals on two communicating DS: when the CTS input on one end changes its
status the RTS output on the other end changes its status accordingly (same with
the DTR-DSR pair).
* Encapsulation characters such as IEC, STX, CR are not shown.

Settings
3.2.4.2
This section contains a reference for all DS settings.
Settings are permanent functioning parameters that are stored in the non-volatile
memory (EEPROM) of the DS. Once programmed, they remain intact even when the
DS is powered off.
Setting description format can be found here.
All settings are divided into four groups:
Network settings include basic set of parameters that define "networking
environment" of the DS. For more information see Ethernet port and network
communications.
Connection Settings define how and in which fashion the DS establishes
connections to and accepts connections from other hosts. For more information
see Ethernet port and network communications
Serial settings define the operation of the DS serial port. For more information
see serial port and serial communications.
Encapsulation settings define what incoming serial data is recorded into the
serial-to-Ethernet routing buffer and when and how this data is combined into the
network packets and sent to the network host. For more information see
serial-to-Ethernet data routing.

Setting description format

All settings in this section are described using the following format:
Function:

Setting function in brief

Set (S) command format:

Syntax of the corresponding Set (S) command

that is used to set new setting value

Get (G) command format:

Syntax of the corresponding Get (S) command

that is used to read out current value of the
setting

Init (I) command effect:

Explains under what additional conditions the

setting is initialized when the Initialize (I)
command is issued or quick initialization is
launched. Some settings are always initialized,
some are initialized only when invalid, etc.

Post-initialization value:

Shows factory initialization value that will be

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

133

assigned to the setting after the initialization

(factory initialization values may be overridden by
the custom profile)
Change takes effect:

Explains when the new setting value takes effect.

Changes to some settings have immediate effect,
for some settings rebooting is required, etc.

Overriding parameter:

Certain settings have corresponding overriding

parameters that can be supplied through the
Parameter (P) command

Relevance conditions:

Some settings are relevant to the operation of the

DS only when other settings have certain values

First introduced:

Describes whether this setting has been available

right from the "baseline" firmware version of
3.14/3.51 or was introduced in a later firmware
release

See also:

Additional relevant links

Details
Additional information about the setting.

Network Settings
Network settings include basic set of parameters that define "networking
environment" of the DS. For more information see Ethernet port and network
communications.
The following settings belong to this group:
Setting
Owner Name (ON) setting

Description
Defines the owner name identificator
for the DS
Device Name (DN) setting
Defines the device name identificator
for the DS
MAC-address (FE) setting
Defines MAC-address of the DS
DHCP (DH) setting
Enables/disables DHCP for the DS
IP-address (IP) setting
Defines the IP-address of the DS
Port Number (PN) setting
Defines the data port number of the
DS
dDNS Service Registration (DD)
Defines whether the DS will register its
setting
IP-address with dDNS Service of Link
[V3.24/3.54+]
Server at startup
dDNS Service IP-address (LI) setting IP-address for dDNS registration
[V3.24/3.54+]
Port number for dDNS registration
dDNS Service Port (LP) setting
[V3.24/3.54+]
Defines whether and when the DS will
PPPoE Mode (PP) setting
use PPPoE
[V3.54+]
LS Auto-registration (AR) setting
Defines whether, if rejected by the Link
[V3.24/3.54+]
Server, the DS will try to auto-register
Defines login name for PPPoE Access
PPPoE Login Name (PL) setting
Concentrator
[V3.54+]

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

134

Tibbo Document System

PPPoE Login Password (PD) setting
[V3.54+]

Defines login password for PPPoE

Access Concentrator

Gateway IP-address (GI) setting

Defines the IP-address of the default

gateway
Defines the IP-address range for the
local subnet
Defines login password network
programming

Netmask (NM) setting

Password (PW) setting

Owner Name (ON) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines the owner name identificator for the DS

Set (S) command format:

SONoo...o, where oo...o is the name string, 0-8

characters long

Get (G) command format:

GON

Init (I) command effect:

Only initialized if invalid, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

<NULL>

Change takes effect:

Immediately

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

---

Details
This setting, together with the Device Name (DN) setting forms a name
identificator for the DS. Owner name and device name are returned by the Echo
(X) command.
Owner Name also serves two other purposes:
It is used to form device name supplied to the DHCP server
It is also used for logins onto the Link Server

Device Name (DN) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines the device name identificator for the DS

Set (S) command format:

SDNdd...d, where dd...d is the name string, 0-8

characters long

Get (G) command format:

GDN

Init (I) command effect:

Only initialized if invalid, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

<NULL>

Change takes effect:

Immediately

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals
Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

---

135

Details
This setting, together with Owner Name (ON) setting forms a string identificator
for the DS. Owner name and Device name are returned by the Echo (X)
command.
Device Name also serves two other purposes:
It is used to form device name supplied to the DHCP server
It is also used for logins onto the Link Server

MAC-address (FE) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines MAC-address of the DS

Set (S) command format:

SFExxx.xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx, where
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the MAC-address in
the dot-decimal notation (i.e. 0.2.3.4.120.240)

Get (G) command format:

GFE

Init (I) command effect:

Only initialized if invalid, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0.1.2.3.4.5

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications

Details
Each DS is shipped from the factory with unique MAC-address already assigned to
it. DO NOT change this address unless you have a good reason to do so. If you do
change the address remember that the first digit of the address must be even!
Since the MAC-address of each DS is unique it may be used for device
identification. It is returned by the Echo (X) command and also used to address
a particular DS in the Assign IP-address (A) command and Select in
Broadcast Mode (W) command.
This setting's mnemonic- "FE"- has to do with the previous name of the setting"Factory Ethernet Address". Mnemonic was preserved to ensure compatibility with
previous firmware versions.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

136

Tibbo Document System

DHCP (DH) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Enables/disables DHCP for the DS

Set (S) command format:

SDHx, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (enabled)

Get (G) command format:

GDH

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (disabled)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

DHCP

Details
This setting defines whether the DS will use a fixed IP-address, defined by the
IP-address (IP) setting or will obtain its IP-address from the DHCP server at
powerup. DHCP server must be present on the network for this to work. The DS
will not start normal operation until it receives the IP-address.
IP-address obtained from the DHCP server is saved into the IP-address (IP)
setting thus overwriting the previous setting value that might have been set
manually.
IP-address status (obtained/ not obtained) of the DS is returned by the Echo (X)
command and also displayed by status LEDs of the DS.
In addition to the IP-address configuration, the DHCP server is usually configured
to provide default Gateway IP-address and netmask. If this is the case, then
Gateway IP-address (GI) and Netmask (NM) settings will also be overwritten
by the data from the DHCP server.

IP-address (IP) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines the IP-address of the DS

Set (S) command format:

SIPxxx.xxx.xxx.xxx, where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is

the IP-address in dot-decimal notation (i.e.
192.168.100.40)

Get (G) command format:

GIP

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally through serial command

or quick initialization, initialized only if invalid
through network command

Post-initialization value:

0.0.0.1 (changed from 127.0.0.1 in V3.30/3.62)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding condition:

---

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals
Relevance conditions:

DHCP (DH) setting=0 (disabled)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications

137

Details
IP-address must be compatible with the network on which the DS is installed.
Many networks have DHCP server, in this case it is better to make the DS obtain
the IP-address automatically on startup (this is enabled by programming the
DHCP (DH) setting to 1 (enabled)).
When DHCP is activated the IP-address obtained from the DHCP server is saved
into the IP-address setting thus overwriting older value that might have been set
before.
Some IP-addresses are not valid in principle. Many devices and operating systems
(including Windows) automatically discard network packets that refer to such
incorrect IPs. The DS will allow such an IP-address to be saved into the EEPROM
but will assume a modified address on startup:
Invalid IP-address
actually use

IP-address that the DS will

x.x.x.0

x.x.x.1

x.x.x.255

x.x.x.1

>223.x.x.x

223.x.x.x

Example: if the IP-address is 224.168.100.255 then the DS will actually use

223.168.100.1. The EEPROM data will not be modified and GIP command will still
return original data (224.168.100.255) but the actual IP-address used by the DS
will be corrected according to the above rules.

Port Number (PN) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines the data port number of the DS

Set (S) command format:

SPNppppp, where ppppp is the port number in

the 0-65534 range. Also, port 32767 cannot be
used when current Transport Protocol (TP)[
setting/parameter] is 0(UDP). Additionally, for
firmware 3.5x and above, port 23 cannot be
used when current Transport Protocol is 1(TCP)

Get (G) command format:

GPN

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

1001

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

138

Tibbo Document System

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications,

Network programming

Details
This setting defines the Data Port on which the DS is accepting incoming data
connections.
For UDP communications, outgoing UDP datagrams are also sent from this port. For
TCP communications the DS accepts incoming data connections on the data port but
establishes outgoing connections from a pool of ephemeral ports in the
10000-10255 range (port number is incremented with each new connection).
Port 65535 is excluded from the allowable range because port 65535 is a
programming port of the DS- command UDP datagrams are sent to this port.
Technically, this only affects UDP communications, TCP connections should still be
able to use this port but the port 65535 was not allowed to be selected as the data
port from the early versions of DS firmware so this restriction is now preserved for
"historical" reasons.
Since programming UDP datagrams can now also be sent to port 32767, this port
cannot be used for UDP data communications when current Transport Protocol
(TP)[setting/parameter] is 0 (UDP). The DS will allow the Port Number to be
programmed to 32767 but all data sent to this port in the UDP mode will be
interpreted as programming commands. Using port 32767 for TCP communications
won't cause any problems.
New telnet programming method introduced in firmware V3.5x uses telnet port 23
for DS programming as well. Any connection established to port 23 of the DS is
interpreted by the DS as a programming connection. Therefore, this port cannot be
used for data connections when the current Transport Protocol (TP) is 1(TCP).
Older firmware does not use port 23 for programming so this restriction does not
apply.

dDNS Service Registration (DD) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines whether the DS will register its IP-address

with dDNS Service of the Link Server at powerup

Set (S) command format:

SDDx, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (enabled)

Get (G) command format:

GDD

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (disabled)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

V3.24/3.54

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications

Details
This setting defines whether the DS will register its IP-address with dDNS Service

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

139

of the Link Server at powerup. For more information on dDNS see Link Server
Documentation.
dDNS Service registration involves login onto the Link Server and uses the data
from the following settings of the DS: Owner Name (ON), Device Name (DN),
and Password (PW) setting). The password is supplied in the encrypted form so
the registration process is secure.

dDNS Service IP-address (LI) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

IP-address for dDNS registration

Set (S) command format:

SLIxxx.xxx.xxx.xxx, where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is

the IP-address in dot-decimal notation (i.e.
192.168.100.40)

Get (G) command format:

GLI

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

127.0.0.1

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding condition:

---

Relevance conditions:

dDNS Service Registration (DD) setting= 1

(enabled)

First introduced:

V3.24/3.54

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications

Details
This setting defines the IP-address to which the DS will try to connect in order to
register its IP-address with dDNS Service. For more information on dDNS see Link
Server Documentation.
dDNS Service IP-address is irrelevant when dDNS Service Registration (DD)
setting= 0 (disabled).

dDNS Service Port (LP) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Port number for dDNS registration

Set (S) command format:

SLPppppp, where ppppp is the port number in

the 0-65535 range

Get (G) command format:

GLP

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

6450

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

dDNS Service Registration (DD) setting= 1

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

140

Tibbo Document System

(enabled)
First introduced:

V3.24/3.54

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications

Details
This setting defines the port number to which the DS will try to connect in order to
register its IP-address with dDNS Service. For more information on dDNS see Link
Server Documentation.
dDNS Service Port is irrelevant when dDNS Service Registration (DD) setting=
0 (disabled).

LS Auto-registration (AR) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines whether, if rejected by the Link Server the

DS will attempt to auto-register

Set (S) command format:

SARx, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (enabled)

Get (G) command format:

GAR

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (disabled)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

dDNS Service Registration (DD) setting= 1

(enabled) OR
Current Link Service Login (TL) [setting/
parameter]= 1 (enabled)

First introduced:

V3.24/3.54

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications

Details
The DS logs onto the Link Server in two cases: when it needs to register its
IP-address with the dDNS Service (dDNS Service Registration (DD) setting= 1
(enabled)), or when the DS needs to communicate through the Link Service (
current Link Service Login (TL) [setting/parameter]= 1 (enabled)).
When LS Auto-registration is set to 1 (enabled) the DS will attempt to register
on the Link Server if, during login process, the DS is rejected and the reason for
this rejection is that this DS is not yet registered (i.e. Link Server does not
recognize Owner Name (ON) and Device Name (DN)of this DS).
Auto-registration is convenient because it allows the user to avoid manual editing
of the list of client Device Servers on the Link Server.
WARNING! Auto-registration process involves sending DS password
(defined by the Password (PW) setting) to the Link Server. In this
particular case the password is sent "unprotected" (as is) which
constitutes a potential security vulnerability.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

141

PPPoE Mode (PP) setting [V3.54+]

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines whether and when the DS will use PPPoE

Set (S) command format:

SPPx, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (on connection), 2

(on powerup)

Get (G) command format:

GPP

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (disabled)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

V3.54

See also:

PPPoE

Details
This setting enables/disables PPPoE and also defines when, if at all, PPPoE login
will be performed. PPPoE Mode only affects communications with network hosts
located on remote network segments (local segment boundaries are defined by
the Netmask (NM) setting). When PPPoE is used all communications with remote
network hosts are effected through PPPoE "channel".
The setting offers three options:
0 (disabled)

PPPoE is not used. When the DS needs to establish an outgoing

connection to remote network host it sends the data to a
default gateway as defined by the Gateway IP-address (GI)
setting.

1 (on connection) PPPoE is enabled. PPPoE login is performed when the DS needs
to establish a data connection to the remote network host. All
communications with remote hosts are effected through PPPoE
link (Access Concentrator), so default gateway is not used in
any way. PPPoE link is terminated app. 30 seconds after the
data connection is closed.
2 (on powerup)

PPPoE is enabled. PPPoE login is performed at startup, after

IP-address configuration is completed in case DHCP (DH)
setting is 1 (enabled). The DS attempts to maintain PPPoE
link at all times. If the DS detects that the PPPoE link is
broken it reestablishes this link. All communications with
remote hosts are effected through this PPPoE link (Access
Concentrator), so default gateway is not used in any way.

PPPoE authentication uses PAP protocol (this is the only authentication protocol
currently supported). Login name and password for PPPoE Access Concentrator are
defined by PPPoE Login Name (PL) and PPPoE Login Password (PD) settings.
Notice that PPPoE is only available in firmware V3.54+. This means that
first-generation Devices (EM100-00/ -01/ -02, DS100-00/ -01/ -02) do not support
PPPoE.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

142

Tibbo Document System

PPPoE Login Name (PL) setting [V3.54+]

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines login name for PPPoE Access Concentrator

Set (S) command format:

SPLnn...n, where nn...n is login name (0-20

characters long)

Get (G) command format:

GPL

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

<NULL>

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

PPPoE Mode (PP) setting= 1 (on connection) or

2 (on powerup)

First introduced:

V3.54

See also:

PPPoE

Details
This setting defines login name for PPPoE Access Concentrator. Login name can be
up to 20 characters long.
This setting is irrelevant when PPPoE Mode (PP) setting is 0 (disabled).
Notice that PPPoE is only available in firmware V3.54+. This means that
first-generation Devices (EM100-00/ -01/ -02, DS100-00/ -01/ -02) do not support
PPPoE.

PPPoE Login Password (PD) setting [V3.54+]

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines login password for PPPoE Access

Concentrator

Set (S) command format:

SPDpp...p, where pp...p is login password (0-20

characters long)

Get (G) command format:

GPD

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

<NULL>

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

PPPoE Mode (PP) setting= 1 (on connection) or

2 (on powerup)

First introduced:

V3.54

See also:

PPPoE

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

143

Details
This setting defines login password for PPPoE Access Concentrator. Login name can
be up to 20 characters long.
This setting is irrelevant when PPPoE Mode (PP) setting is 0 (disabled).
Notice that PPPoE is only available in firmware V3.54+. This means that
first-generation Devices (EM100-00/ -01/ -02, DS100-00/ -01/ -02) do not support
PPPoE.

Gateway IP-address (GI) setting

Description (see Setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines the IP-address of the default gateway

Set (S) command format:

SGIxxx.xxx.xxx.xxx, where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is

the IP-address of the default gateway in
dot-decimal notation (i.e. 192.168.100.1)

Get (G) command format:

GGI

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0.0.0.1 (changed from 127.0.0.1 in V3.30/3.62)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding condition:

May be automatically updated by the gateway

IP-address provided by the DHCP server (in case
DHCP (DH) setting is 1 (enabled))

Relevance conditions:

Current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/

parameter]= 1 (server/client) or 2 (client)
AND [V3.54+] PPPoE Mode (PP) setting= 0
(disabled)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications

Details
Gateway IP-address defines the IP-address of default gateway through which the
DS will (attempt to) establish a connection to the destination network host at
current Destination IP-address (DI) [setting/ parameter/ instruction] in
case this host is not on the same subnet with the DS.
Whether or not the destination network host is on the local subnet is determined by
comparing the IP-address (IP) setting, current Destination IP-address (DI),
and the Netmask (NM) setting (see this setting's description for details).
Gateway IP-address is irrelevant when the current Routing Mode (RM) [
setting/ parameter] is 0 (server) since in this mode outgoing connections are not
allowed. [V3.54+] This setting is also irrelevant when PPPoE is used i.e. PPPoE
Mode (PP) setting is 1 (on connection) or 2 (on powerup). This is because with
PPPoE all communications with remote hosts go through PPPoE link (Access
Concentrator), not default gateway.
When DHCP is activated (DHCP (DH) setting is 1(enabled)) the Gateway
IP-address obtained from the DHCP server is saved into this setting thus overwriting
older value that might have been set before. This only happens when the DHCP
server is configured to provide gateway IP-address data.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

144

Tibbo Document System

Netmask (NM) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines the IP-address range for the local subnet

Set (S) command format:

SGInn...n, where nn...n is the netmask for the

local subnet in dot-decimal notation (i.e.
255.255.255.0)

Get (G) command format:

GNM

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0.0.0.0

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding condition:

May be automatically updated by the netmask

provided by the DHCP server (in case DHCP (DH)
setting is 1 (enabled))

Relevance conditions:

Current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/

parameter]= 1 (server/client) or 2 (client)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications

Details
Netmask defines the boundaries of a local subnet. When establishing an outgoing
connection to the destination network host at current Destination IP-address
(DI) [setting/ parameter/ instruction] the DS compares this address with the
Netmask and its own IP-address (IP) to determine if the destination is on the
local or foreign subnet. The DS will (attempt to) connect directly to the current
Destination IP-address (DI) if the destination host is found to reside on the local
subnet or to the Gateway IP-address (GI) if the destination is found to reside on
a foreign subnet.
Comparison is done as follows:
All four bytes of the IP-address (IP) are ANDed with four bytes of the Netmask.
All four bytes of the current Destination IP-address (DI) are ANDed with four
bytes of the Netmask.
Results of previous two steps are compared: if they are equal then the destination
is on the same subnet with the DS, if different- the destination is on the foreign
subnet and the DS will be connecting through the gateway.
Example: supposing, the IP-address (IP) of the DS is 192.168.100.40
(C0.A8.64.28 in HEX representation), current Destination IP-address (DI) is
192.168.100.90 (C0.A8.64.5A in HEX) and the Netmask is 255.255.255.0
(FF.FF.FF.00 in HEX). Then:
C0.A8.64.28 AND FF.FF.FF.00 will result in C0.A8.64.00
C0.A8.64.5A AND FF.FF.FF.00 will result in C0.A8.64.00
Resulting numbers are the same so the destination is on the same subnet
Here is another way of explaining how the Netmask works. When printed in binary
representation, the Netmask always consists of a number of 1s on the left and the
number of 0s on the right (for the example above the Netmask value is 1111111.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

145

11111111. 11111111. 00000000). Positions with 1s (left side) represent the part in
which the current Destination IP-address (DI) must match the IP-address (IP)
of the DS to be considered local. Positions with 0s (right side) represent the range of
IP-addresses belonging to the same subnet. If the Netmask is 255.255.255.0 then
any IP-address that starts with 255.255.255 will be on the same subnet.
Netmask is irrelevant when the Current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/
parameter] is 0 (server) since in this mode outgoing connections are not allowed.
When DHCP is activated (DHCP (DH) setting is 1(enabled)) the Gateway
IP-address obtained from the DHCP server is saved into this setting thus overwriting
older value that might have been set before. This only happens when the DHCP
server is configured to provide netmask data.

Password (PW) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines login password for network programming

Set (S) command format:

SPWpp...p, where pp...p: is the password string,

0-6 characters long

Get (G) command format:

GPW

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

<NULL>

Change takes effect:

Immediately

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Authentication

Details
Certain network commands require authentication. To authenticate itself the
network host must provide a password that matches the one defined by the
Password setting.
Password setting also serves one other purpose- it is used for logins onto the Link
Server.

Connection Settings
Connection settings define how and in which fashion the DS establishes
connections to and accepts connections from other hosts. For more information
see Ethernet port and network communications.
The following settings belong to this group:
Setting
Connection Timeout (CT) setting
Transport Protocol (TP) setting

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Description
Defines connection timeout (in
minutes)
Defines whether UDP or TCP protocol
will be used for data connections

146

Tibbo Document System

Broadcast UDP (BU) setting
Link Service Login (TL) setting
[V3.24/3.54+]
Inband Commands (IB) setting
Data Login (DL) setting
Routing Mode (RM) setting

Source IP Filtering (SF) setting

[V3.24/3.54+]
Connection Mode (CM) setting

Destination IP-address (DI) setting

Destination Port Number (DP) setting

Notification Destination (ND) setting

Defines whether DS will accept or

reject broadcast UDP datagrams
Enables/disables Link Service login
procedure after a TCP data
connection is established
Defines whether inband command
passing is enabled or disabled
Enables or disables command-phase
TCP programming
Defines whether incoming and/or
outgoing data connections are
allowed
Defines whether the DS will accept
incoming data connections from any
network host or specific host only
Defines conditions under which the
DS will attempt to establish an
outgoing connection to the remote
host
Defines the IP-address of the
destination network host to which
the DS will attempt to connect to (by
default)
Defines the port on the destination
network host to which the DS will
attempt to connect to (by default)
Defines which UDP port the DS will
send I/O line status change
notifications to

Connection Timeout (CT) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines data connection timeout

Set (S) command format:

SCTttt, where ttt is connection timeout, 0-99

minutes; 0 means connection never times out

Get (G) command format:

GCT

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

5 (5 minutes)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications

Details
Connection Timeout defines after how many minutes an idle connection is

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

147

terminated. Setting Connection Timeout to 0 disables automatic timeouts. Setting

Connection Timeout to any value in the 1-99 range enables automatic timeouts:
when no packets are transferred across a connection in either direction for a
corresponding number of minutes the connection is terminated. The DS terminates
TCP connections by sending an RST packet, while UDP "connections" are simply
discarded (the other party is not informed in any way).
Connection Timeout prevents an idle ("hanged") connection from occupying the
DS indefinitely thus keeping other network hosts from communicating with the DS.
Note, that idle connection is defined as the one across which no packets are
transferred for a period of time (not the one across which no data is transferred for a
period of time). This provides a way of maintaining the connection even in the
absence of data (this is known as "keepalive"). For TCP connections remote host can
send empty ACK packets, for UDP "connection" remote host can send UDP
datagrams of zero length.
Connection Timeout is relevant even when the Connection Mode (CM) setting
is 0 (immediately). In this case, when timeout comes the DS terminates an existing
connection to the network host and immediately opens a new one. This can be used
to "auto-repair" hanged connections in systems where permanent connection to the
network host must be maintained indefinitely.

Transport Protocol (TP) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines whether UDP or TCP protocol is used for

data connections

Set (S) command format:

STPx, where x: 0 (UDP), 1 (TCP)

Get (G) command format:

GTP

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (UDP)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

Transport Protocol (TP) Parameter

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications

Details
Transport Protocol defines which communications protocol- TCP/IP or UDP/IP will
be used by the DS for exchanging data with the network host.
Some aspects of UDP and TCP implementation in the DS are different from standard
or commonly used implementation. See UDP data "connections" and TCP data
connections for more info on the subject.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

148

Tibbo Document System

Broadcast UDP (BU) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines whether DS will accept or reject broadcast

UDP datagrams

Set (S) command format:

SBUx, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (enabled)

Get (G) command format:

GBU

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (disabled)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

Current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting/

parameter]= 0 (UDP)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Broadcast UDP communications

Details
When Broadcast UDP is 1 (enabled), the DS will accept and route the data
received in broadcast UDP datagrams, as if these packets were addressed directly to
this DS. Broadcast packets must still be addressed to the correct Port Number
(PN). DS will ignore broadcast UDP packets when Broadcast UDP is 0 (disabled).
This setting only allows/disallows the reception of broadcast UDP packets and has no
influence over whether the DS can send out its own broadcast UDP datagrams or
not. The DS can be made to send the broadcast packets by setting current
Destination IP-address (IP) [setting/ parameter/ instruction] to
255.255.255.255.
This Setting is irrelevant when current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting/
parameter] is 1 (TCP) because TCP protocol cannot use broadcast packets to carry
data.

Link Service Login (TL) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Enables/disables Link Service login procedure after

a TCP data connection is established

Set (S) command format:

STLx, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (enabled)

Get (G) command format:

GTL

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (disabled)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

Current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting/

parameter]= 1 (TCP)

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

149

First introduced:

V3.24/3.54

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications, Link

Service

Details
This setting defines whether the DS will perform Link Service login procedure after
a TCP data connection with another network host is established. For more
information on Link Service see Link Server Documentation.
Link Service logins use the data from the following settings of the DS: Owner
Name (ON), Device Name (DN), and Password (PW) setting). The password
is supplied in the encrypted form so Link Service logins are secure.
Link Server Login is irrelevant when Current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting
/parameter]= 0 (UDP) because UDP/IP cannot be used for communications with
the Link Server.

Inband Commands (IB) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Enables or disables inband (TCP) programming

Set (S) command format:

SIBx, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (enabled)

Get (G) command format:

GIB

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (disabled)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

Current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting/

parameter]= 1 (TCP) AND
current Link Service Login (TL) [setting/
parameter]= 0 (disabled)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Inband (TCP) commands

Details
Inband Commands setting defines whether inband (TCP) programming is enabled
or disabled.
This Setting is irrelevant when the current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting/
parameter] is 0 (UDP) because inband command passing is only possible when
TCP/IP is used for data connections between the network host and the DS.
Inband Commands setting is also irrelevant when current Link Service Login
(TL) [setting/parameter]= 1 (enabled) because inband commands are always
enabled when Link Service is used.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

150

Tibbo Document System

Data Login (DL) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Enables or disables command-phase (TCP)

programming

Set (S) command format:

SDLx, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (enabled)

Get (G) command format:

GDL

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (disabled)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

Current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting/

parameter]= 1 (TCP) AND
current Link Service Login (TL) [setting/
parameter]= 0 (disabled)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Command-phase (TCP) commands, Inband (TCP)

commands

Details
Data Login defines whether command-phase TCP programming is enabled or
disabled.
This setting is irrelevant when the current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting/
parameter] is 0 (UDP) because command-phase programming is only possible
when TCP/IP is used for data connections between the network host and the DS.
Command-phase programming is disabled automatically when current Link
Service Login (TL) [setting/parameter] is 0 (disabled).

Routing Mode (RM) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines whether incoming and/or outgoing data

connections are allowed

Set (S) command format:

SRMx, where x: 0 (server), 1 (server/client), 2

(client)

Get (G) command format:

GRM

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (server)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

Routing Mode (RM) parameter

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals
See also:

151

Ethernet port and network communications, Error

mode

Details
Routing Mode defines whether the DS will accept incoming connections (passive
opens) and/or establish outgoing connections (perform active opens):
0 (server)

Only incoming connections are accepted, the DS never

attempts to establish an outgoing connection to the network
host. There is no restriction on which network host can connect
to the DS- connection from any IP-address will be accepted as
long as the remote host is connecting to the correct Port
Number (PN) using current Transport Protocol (TP) [
setting/ parameter].

1 (server/client)

Both incoming and outgoing connections are allowed*.

Outgoing connections are established with current
Destination IP-address (DI) [setting/ parameter/
instruction] and current Destination Port (DP) [setting/
parameter/ instruction]. Exactly when the DS attempts to
establish an outgoing connection is defined by the Connection
Mode (CM) setting.

2 (client)

Only outgoing connections are allowed, the DS rejects all

incoming connections. This is a newly implemented routing
mode.

Current Routing Mode of the DS is changed to 0 (server) if the DS enters the

error mode(the value of the Routing Mode setting itself remains intact).
* Since the DS only allows for a single data connection at any given time this should
be understood as "whichever comes first".

Source IP Filtering (SF) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines whether the DS will accept incoming data

connections from any network host (filtering
disabled) or specific host only (filtering enabled)

Set (S) command format:

SSFx, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (enabled)

Get (G) command format:

GSF

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (disabled)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding param/instr:

Source IP Filtering (SF) parameter

Relevance conditions:

Current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/

parameter]= 0 (server) or 1 (server/client)

First introduced:

V3.24/3.54

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

152

Tibbo Document System

Details
When Source IP Filtering is 0 (disabled) the DS will accept an incoming data
connection from any network host.
When Source IP Filtering is 1 (enabled) the DS will accept an incoming data
connection only from host whose IP-address matches the one specified by current
Destination IP-address [setting/parameter].
Since out-of-band on-the-fly commands (network-side parameters issued using
Parameter (P) command) can also be considered a part of a data connection the
DS will reject any such command that comes from a "wrong" IP-address while
source IP-address filtering is enabled.
This setting is irrelevant when current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/parameter
] is 2 (client) because in this mode the DS won't accept incoming connections at
all.

Connection Mode (CM) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines conditions under which the DS will attempt

to establish an outgoing connection to the remote
host

Set (S) command format:

SCMx, where x: 0 (immediately), 1 (on data or

command), 2 (on command), 3 (on command or
DSR=HI*)

Get (G) command format:

GCM

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

1 (on data or command)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

Current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/

parameter]= 1 (server/client) OR 2 (client)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications,

Serial-to-Ethernet data routing, UDP data
"connections"

Details
Connection Mode defines under which condition the DS attempts to establish an
outgoing connection** to current Destination IP-address (DI) [setting/
parameter/ instruction] and current Destination Port Number (DP) [setting/
parameter/ instruction]:
0 (immediately)

The DS attempts to establish an outgoing

connection right after the powerup***. The DS will
also make this connection "persistent". If the
connection is closed (aborted) by the network host
the DS will (attempt to) establish it again.
Connection timeout (defined by the Connection
Timeout (CT) setting) still works in this mode:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

153

when the current connection times out the DS

aborts it and immediately establishes a new
connection. Such behavior "auto-repairs" hanged
connections.
1 (on data or command)

The DS attempts to establish an outgoing

connection when the first serial data is received
into the serial port and committedOR when
Establish Connection (CE) instruction is
issued.

2 (on command)

The DS attempts to establish an outgoing

connection only when Establish Connection (CE)
instruction is issued.

3 (on command or DSR=HI)

The DS attempts to establish an outgoing

connection only when Establish Connection (CE)
instruction is issued OR when the DSR line of the
serial port is brought HI* (for at least 20ms).

Existing connection can always be terminated by using the Close Connection

(CC) instruction or Abort Connection (CA) instruction. With Connection
Mode 3 (on command or DSR=HI*) it is also possible to close the connection by
bringing the DSR line LOW*.
Connection Mode is irrelevant when the current Routing Mode (RM) is 0
(server) since in this mode outgoing connections are not allowed at all.
* HI and LOW states are described with respect to the serial ports of DS100R,
DS100B, DS202R, EM100-EV, EM120/EM200-EV, EM202-EV. For EM100, EM120,
EM200, EM202, EM1000 the signaling is exactly opposite.
** Since the DS only allows for a single data connection at a time all conditions
described here only apply to a situation when no data connection is established
yet.
*** After the IP-address is obtained from the DHCP server if the DHCP (DH)
setting is 1 (enabled).

Destination IP-address (DI) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines the IP-address of the destination network

host to which the DS will attempt to connect to (by
default)

Set (S) command format:

SDIxxx.xxx.xxx.xxx, where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is

the IP-address of the destination in dot-decimal
notation (i.e. 192.168.100.41)

Get (G) command format:

GDI

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0.0.0.1 (changed from 127.0.0.1 in V3.30/3.62)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding param/instr:

Destination IP-address (DI) parameter,

Establish Connection (CE) instruction

Relevance conditions:

For outgoing connections:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

154

Tibbo Document System

Current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/
parameter]= 1 (server/client) or 2 (client)
[V3.24/3.54+] For incoming connections:
Current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/
parameter]= 0 (server) or 1 (server/client)
AND current Source IP Filtering (SF) [setting
/parameter]= 1 (enabled)
First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51, functionality

extended in V3.24/3.54

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications

Details
Destination IP-address serves two purposes:
It defines the IP-address of the network host to which the DS will attempt to
establish an outgoing data connection. Exactly when the DS will attempt to
establish such a connection is specified by the Connection Mode (CM) setting.
Destination port the DS will attempt to connect to is specified by the current
Destination Port Number (DP) [setting/ parameter/ instruction].
[V3.24/3.54+] This address also specifies the only network host from which an
incoming data connection will be accepted when current Source IP Filtering
(SF) [setting/parameter] is 1 (enabled).
Destination IP-address of 255.255.255.255 means "link-level broadcasts". This
is a special case so the following considerations should be taken into account:
For outgoing connections:
When current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting/parameter] is 0 (UDP)
the DS will be sending out its own UDP datagrams as link-level broadcasts i.e.
with destination MAC-address set to 255.255.255.255.255.255. Furthermore,
there will be no destination switchover that happens when UDP datagram is
received from a network host (therefore, the DS will keep sending its
datagrams as broadcasts). For more information see UDP data "connections"
and broadcast UDP communications.
When current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting/parameter] is 1 (TCP) the
DS will not attempt to establish an outgoing connection at all. This is because
TCP is strictly a point-to-point protocol and does not support broadcasting.
[V3.24/3.54+] For incoming connections:
With Destination IP-address set to 255.255.255.255 the DS will accept
incoming connections from any network host even if current Source IP
Filtering (SF) [setting/parameter] is 1 (enabled).
Destination IP-address is irrelevant in the following cases:
For outgoing connections:
When current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/parameter] is 0 (server)
because the DS does not establish outgoing connections in this mode at all
[V3.24/3.54+] For incoming connections:
When current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/parameter] is 2 (client)
because the DS does not accept any incoming connections in this mode at all
When current Source IP Filtering (SF) [setting/parameter] is 0

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

155

(disabled).

Destination Port Number (DP) setting

Description (see Setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines the port on the destination network host to

which the DS will attempt to connect to

Set (S) command format:

SDPppppp, where ppppp is the port number of

the destination in the 0-65535 range

Get (G) command format:

GDP

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

1001

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding param/instr:

Destination Port Number (DP) Parameter,

Establish Connection (CE) instruction

Relevance conditions:

Current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/

parameter]= 1 (server/client) or 2 (client)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications

Details
Destination Port Number defines the port of the network host to which the DS
will attempt to establish an outgoing connection. When the DS will attempt to
establish a connection to the destination host is defined by the Connection Mode
(CM) setting. Destination IP-address the DS will attempt to connect to is defined
by the current Destination IP-address (DI) [setting/ parameter/
instruction].
Destination Port Number is irrelevant when the current Routing Mode (RM) [
setting/parameter] is 0 (server) since in this mode outgoing connections are not
allowed.

Notification Destination (ND) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines which UDP port the DS will send I/O line

status change notifications to

Set (S) command format:

SNDx, where x: 0 (last known port), 1 (port

65535)

Get (G) command format:

GND

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (last known port)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

Notification Bitmask (NB) setting<>0 AND

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

156

Tibbo Document System

notifications are sent as out-of-band UDP
datagrams (see Notification Bitmask (NB)
settingfor details)
First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications, Serial

port and serial communications

Details
Notification (J) messages are generated when one of the monitored I/O lines of
the DS changes its state. Which I/O lines are monitored for changes is defined by
the Notification Bitmask (NB) setting. Notifications are only sent when the data
connection is established and are sent to the network host with which this
connection is established. Notification Destination defines which UDP port on the
destination host notifications are sent to when notifications are being sent as UDP
datagrams (out-of-band):
0 (last known port)

Notifications are sent to the UDP port from which the most
recent programming UDP datagram was received. Therefore,
notifications are sent after at least one such datagram is
received (since the data connection is established). This
option is useful when the DS has to send notifications to the
PC. Port number from which PC applications are sending
their programming UDP datagrams are usually ephemeral
which means that they are always changing. Therefore, the
DS will wait for the first programming UDP datagram to
arrive.

1 (port 65535)

Notifications are always sent to the UDP port 65535. This

option is useful when the DS is communicating with another
DS. In this case the port to send notifications to is fixed and
known so there is no need to wait for the programming UDP
datagram to arrive.

Notification Destination is irrelevant when the Notification Bitmask (NB) is set

to is 0 because this means that no I/O lines of the DS are monitored for changes (so
there will be no notifications to generate). Notification Destination is also
irrelevant when notifications are being sent inside the data TCP connection itself
(see Notification (J) message for more information on when this happens).

Serial Settings
Serial settings define operation of the serial port of the DS. For more information
see serial port and serial communications.
The following settings belong to this group:
Setting
Serial Interface (SI)
setting
Flow Control (FC)
setting
DTR Mode (DT) setting

Description
Selects full-duplex or half-duplex mode for the serial
port of the DS
Enables or disables hardware (RTS/CTS) flow control
for the serial port of the DS
Defines the function of the DTR line of the serial port
of the DS
DTR Startup Mode (DS) Defines the startup mode of the DTR line (High or Low)
setting
[V3.27/V3.57+]

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals
Baudrate (BR) setting
Parity (PR) setting
Bits Per Byte (BB)
setting
Soft Entry (SE) setting

157

Defines the baudrate of the serial port of the DS

Defines the parity mode of the serial port of the DS
Defines the bits/byte mode of the serial port of the DS
Disables or enabled serial programming mode entry
through escape sequence and selects escape sequence
type
Defines ASCII code of character used in escape
sequence

Escape Character (EC)

setting
[V3.24/3.54+]
On-the-fly Commands
(RC) setting
On-the-fly Password
(OP) setting
Notification Bitmask
(NB) setting

Enables or disables on-the-fly command processing by

the DS
Enables or disables password protection for on-the-fly
commands
Defines which I/O lines of the DS are monitored for
changes

Serial Interface (SI) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Selects full-duplex or half-duplex mode for the

serial port of the DS (when in the data routing
mode)

Set (S) command format:

SSIx, where x: 0 (full-duplex), 1 (half-duplex), 2

(auto)

Get (G) command format:

GSI

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

2 (auto)

Change takes effect:

After reboot or exiting the serial programming

mode

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial port and serial communications

Details
Serial port of the DS can operate in full-duplex or half-duplex mode. "Full-duplex"
and "half-duplex" here refers exclusively to the logical operation of the DS, not to
the hardware implementation of the serial port, which depends on the DS model.
The setting only influences the operation of the serial port in the data routing mode.
When the serial port is in the serial programming mode it is always using the
half-duplex interface- see serial programming for details.
0 (full-duplex)

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Suitable for RS232 and RS422 communications. RTS

(output) and CTS (input) lines are used in a "normal" way
i.e. for flow control between the DS and attached serial
device (when current Flow Control (FC) [setting/
parameter]= 1 (enabled)), or signaling between the

158

Tibbo Document System

network host and attached serial device (through Set I/O
Pin Status (Sx) instructions, Get I/O Pin Status
(Gx) instructions, and Notification (J) messages).
1 (half-duplex)

Suitable for RS485 communications. In this mode the RTS

line provides direction control and the CTS line is unused.
When the Ethernet-to-serial buffer of the DS is empty
(nothing to send out through the serial port) the RTS line
is HI*. When there is some data to send out the RTS line
is LOW* for as long as the data is being output. Such
behavior is intended to allow the RTS line to control the
direction pin of the RS485 interface ICs and
RS232-to-RS485 converters.

2 (auto)

In this mode the DS selects full-duplex or half-duplex

mode automatically, depending on the hardware. For
Ethernet Modules selection is done by interconnecting or
not interconnecting a pair of I/O pins. External Device
Servers carry necessary selection circuit internally. Table
below details interface selection through "hardware".

Hardware selection of full-duplex/half-duplex mode on Tibbo Device Servers

When Serial Interface is at 2 (auto) the DS selects full-duplex or half-duplex mode
for its serial port basing on "hardware". Table below details hardware-based mode
selection.
DS Model
EM100
EM120
EM200
EM202
DS100
EM100-EV

DS100B

For full-duplex mode For half-duplex mode

Leave CTS/SEL and
Connect CTS/SEL to
ER/WS unconnected
ER/WS**
Leave CTS/SEL and SR
Connect CTS/SEL to
unconnected
SR**
Always selected

Depends on jumpers

---

Comments

These products
are based on the
EM100; they
only support
RS232 i/f so
CTS/SEL and
ER/WS are left
unconnected
internally
This product is
based on the
EM100; jumpers
"decide"
whether
CTS/SEL and
ER/WS are
interconnected

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals
DS202
EM202-EV
EM120/EM200-EV

Always selected

---

159

These products
are based on the
EM120 or
EM200; they
only support
RS232 i/f so
CTS/SEL and SR
are left
unconnected
internally

* HI and LOW states are described with respect to the serial ports of DS100R,
DS100B, DS202R, EM100-EV, EM120/EM200-EV, EM202-EV. For EM100, EM120,
EM200, EM202, EM1000 the signaling is exactly opposite.
** Whether or not these two lines are interconnected is tested once at powerup.
Connecting or separating these line during device operation will not cause immediate
change of selected interface mode.

Flow Control (FC) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Enables or disables hardware (RTS/CTS) flow

control for the serial port of the DS (when in the
data routing mode)

Set (S) command format:

SFCx, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (enabled)

Get (G) command format:

GFC

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

1 (enabled)

Change takes effect:

After reboot or exiting the serial programming

mode

Overriding parameter:

Flow Control (FC) parameter

Relevance conditions:

current Serial Interface (SI)= 0 (full duplex)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial port and serial communications, Data

routing

Details
Flow Control setting defines the behavior of the RTS and CTS lines of the DS,
unless overridden by the Flow Control (FC) parameter.
When the Flow Control is 0 (disabled) the status of the CTS input is ignored and
the RTS line is at HIGH* unless changed by the remote host. Remote host can
control the RTS line through Set I/O Pin Status (Sx) instructions or Notification
(J) messages.
When the Flow Control is 1 (enabled) the RTS (output) and CTS (input) lines are
used to regulate the flow of data across the serial cable connecting the DS to the
attached serial device.
RTS is used to regulate the flow of data from the attached serial device to the DS.
When the serial-to-Ethernet buffer of the DS has free space the RTS is HIGH* and

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

160

Tibbo Document System

the serial device is free to send the data. When the buffer becomes (almost) full the
DS sets the RTS line to LOW* thus telling the serial device to stop sending the data.
The RTS is set to LOW* when there are less than 20 free bytes left in the
serial-to-Ethernet buffer. Additionally, the RTS line is set to LOW* in all cases when
the serial port is closed.
CTS is used to regulate the flow of data from the DS to the attached serial device.
As long as the DS detects HIGH* on its CTS input it is free to send out the data to
the attached serial device. To stop the DS from sending out the data, the serial
device must set the CTS line to LOW*. The DS won't send out the data for as long as
it detects LOW* on its CTS input.
When the Flow Control is 1 (enabled) remote host cannot remotely control the
status of the RTS line. Set I/O Pin Status instructions addressing the RTS pin are
ignored by the DS (although the OK (A) status code is still returned) and incoming
Notification (J) messagesalso have no effect on the state of the RTS line.
Remote host can get current status of RTS and CTS lines at any time using the Get
I/O Pin Status (Gx) instruction, regardless of whether the Flow Control is 0
(disabled) or 1 (enabled). Status change monitoring for RTS and CTS lines can also
be enabled and Notification (J) messages generated regardless of the value of
the Flow Control setting.
Flow Control is irrelevant when the current serial interface is half-duplex.
* HIGH and LOW states are described with respect to the serial ports of DS100R,
DS100B, DS202R, EM100-EV, EM120/EM200-EV, EM202-EV. For EM100, EM120,
EM200, EM202, EM1000 the signaling is exactly opposite.

DTR Mode (DT) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines the function of the DTR line of the serial

port of the DS

Set (S) command format:

SDTx, where x: 0 (idle), 1 (connection status)

Get (G) command format:

GDT

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (idle)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications, Serial

port and serial communications

Details
When the DTR Mode is 0 (idle) the DTR line is at HIGH* unless changed by the
remote host. Remote host can control the DTR line through Set I/O Pin Status
(Sx) instructions or Notification (J) messages.
When the DTR Mode is 1 (connection status) the DTR (output) line of the DS
reflects current connection status: the DTR line is LOW* when no data connection is

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

161

established at the moment and HIGH* when there is a data connection in progress.
Remote host can get current status of the DTR line at any time using the Get I/O
Pin Status (Gx) instruction, regardless of whether the DTR Mode is 0 (idle) or 1
(connection status). Status change monitoring for the DTR line can also be enabled
and Notification (J) messages generated regardless of the value of the DTR
Mode setting.
* HIGH and LOW states are described with respect to the serial ports of DS100R,
DS100B, DS202R, EM100-EV, EM120/EM200-EV, EM202-EV. For EM100, EM120,
EM200, EM202, EM1000 the signaling is exactly opposite.

DTR Startup Mode (DS) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines High or Low state of DTR pin on Startup

Set (S) command format:

SDSx, where x: 0 (LOW* on startup), 1 (HIGH*

on startup)

Get (G) command format:

GDS

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

Change takes effect:

After reboot or exiting the serial programming

mode

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

DTR Mode (DT) setting = 0 (idle)

First introduced:

V3.27/V3.57

See also:

Serial programming

Details
This setting defines the startup voltage of the DTR pin. By default, DTR is LOW* on
startup. By changing this setting, you can have DTR set to HIGH* on startup.
DTR Startup Mode is irrelevant when the DTR Mode (DT) setting is 1
(connection status).
* HIGH and LOW states are described with respect to the serial ports of DS100R,
DS100B, DS202R, EM100-EV, EM120/EM200-EV, EM202-EV. For EM100, EM120,
EM200, EM202, EM1000 the signaling is exactly opposite.

Baudrate (BR) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines the baudrate of the serial port of the DS

Set (S) command format:

SBRx, where x: 0 (1200bps), 1 (2400bps), 2

(4800bps), 3 (9600bps), 4 (19200bps), 5
(38400bps), 6 (57600bps), 7 (115200bps), 8
(150bps), 9 (300bps), 10 (600bps), 11
(28800bps)

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

162

Tibbo Document System

Get (G) command format:

GBR

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

5 (38400bps)

Change takes effect:

After reboot or exiting the serial programming

mode

Overriding parameter:

Baudrate (BR) parameter

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial port and serial communications

Details
Baudrate setting defines the baudrate of the serial port of the DS.
This baudrate is used by the serial port in the data routing mode (unless overridden
by the Baudrate (BR) parameter) and also in the serial programming mode, but
only if the serial programming mode was entered through the escape sequence. If
the serial programming mode is entered by pressing the setup button the baudrate
becomes 38400bps regardless of the value of the Baudrate setting.

Parity (PR) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines the parity mode of the serial port of the

DS (when in the data routing mode)

Set (S) command format:

SPRx, where x: 0 (off), 1 (even), 2 (odd), 3

(mark), 4 (space)

Get (G) command format:

GPR

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (off)

Change takes effect:

After reboot or exiting the serial programming

mode

Overriding parameter:

Parity (PR) parameter

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial port and serial communications

Details
Parity setting defines the parity mode of the serial port of the DS, unless
overridden by the Parity (PR) parameter.
DS hardware does not have an option of two stop bits. The way around this is to set
the Parity to 3 (mark). Since this means that the parity bit will always be set to 1
and since the parity bit is always transmitted in front of the stop bit, this will have
the same result as having two stop bits.
The DS transmits the serial data with the parity bit correctly set but does not verify

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

163

correctness of parity bits in the received data.

Parity is always off when the serial port is in the serial programming mode.

Bits Per Byte (BB) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines the bits/byte mode of the serial port of the

DS (when in the data routing mode)

Set (S) command format:

SBBx, where x: 0 (7 bits), 1 (8 bits)

Get (G) command format:

GBB

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

1 (8 bits)

Change takes effect:

After reboot or exiting the serial programming

mode

Overriding parameter:

Bits per byte (PR) parameter

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial port and serial communications

Details
Bits per byte setting defines the bits/byte mode of the serial port of the DS,
unless overridden by the Bits per byte (BB) parameter.
8 bits/byte are always used when the DS is in the serial programming mode.

Soft Entry (SE) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Disables or enabled serial programming mode

entry through escape sequence and selects escape
sequence type

Set (S) command format:

SSEx, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (type 1), 2 (type

2)

Get (G) command format:

GSE

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (disabled)

Change takes effect:

After reboot or exiting the serial programming

mode

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial programming, Data routing

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

164

Tibbo Document System

Details
Soft Entry controls serial programming mode entry through escape sequence:
0 (disabled)

Serial programming mode entry through escape sequence is

disabled.

1 (type 1)

Type 1 escape sequence consists of three consecutive escape

characters (ASCII code of escape character is defined by the Escape
Character (EC) setting). For the escape sequence to be recognized
each of the escape characters must be preceded by a time gap of at
least 100ms:
...previous data <--100ms-- E.C. <--100ms-- E.C. <--100ms-- E.
>
>
>
C.
If the time gap before a certain escape character exceeds 100ms
then this character is considered to be a part of the escape sequence
and is not recorded into the serial-to-Ethernet buffer. If the time gap
before a certain escape character is less than 100ms than this
character is considered to be a normal data character and is saved
into the serial-to-Ethernet buffer. Additionally, escape character
counter is reset and the escape sequence must be started again. The
following example illustrates one important point (escape characters
are shown as <). Supposing, attached serial device sends the
following string:
ABC<--100ms--><<--100ms--><<DE
First two escape characters is this example had correct time gap
before them, so they were counted as a part of the escape sequence
and not saved into the buffer. The third escape character did not
have a correct time gap so it was interpreted as a data character and
saved into the buffer. The following was routed to the network host:
ABC<DE
The side effect and the point this example illustrates is that first two
escape characters were lost- they neither became a part of a
successful escape sequence (because this sequence wasn't
completed), nor were saved into the buffer.

2 (type 2)

Type 2 escape sequence is not based on any timing. Escape

sequence consists of escape character (defined by the Escape
Character (EC) setting) followed by any character other than
escape character. To send a data character whose ASCII code
matches that of escape character the serial device needs to send this
character twice. This will result in a single character being saved into
the serial-to-Ethernet routing buffer. It is the responsibility of the
serial device to parse through the data it sends to the DS and
"double" all characters whose code matches that of escape character.
Example: the following sequence will make the DS enter the serial
programming mode (that is, if current escape character is not 'D'):
ABC<D
In the sequence below two consequtive escape characters will be
interpreted as data (data routed to the network host will contain only
one such character- the DS will automatically eliminate the second
one):
ABC<<

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

165

It should be noted that attached serial device should parse the data
and double certain characters only for the data it sends to the DS.
Reverse operation is not needed for the data being received by
the serial device from the DS. Characters with ASCII code matching
that of escape character arrive from the DS in a normal way- i.e.
they are not "doubled".
Considerations Regarding RTS Line Status
Notice, that serial escape sequence works even when the serial port of the DS is
closed (i.e. when the Current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/ parameter] is 0
(Slave) and the data connection is not established). "Closed" merely means that
the serial port is not accepting any data into its serial-to-network buffer. The serial
port is still listening for escape sequences even at this time.
When the DS is running with the Flow Control (FC) setting set to 1 (Local) and its
serial port is "closed", the RTS line of the DS will be in the disabled state (thus
indicating to attached serial device that transmission is not allowed). Therefore, if
the serial device needs to transmit an escape sequence it must ignore the state of
RTS signal at that time.
Further behaviour of the RTS line while in serial programming mode is documented
under Serial Programming.

Escape Character (EC) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines ASCII code of character used in escape

sequence

Set (S) command format:

SECccc, where ccc is the ASCII code of escape

character

Get (G) command format:

GEC

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

Change takes effect:

After reboot or exiting the serial programming

mode

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

Soft Entry (SE) setting= 1 (type 1) or 2 (type

2)

First introduced:

V3.24/3.54

See also:

Serial programming

Details
This setting defines the ASCII code of character used in escape sequence. Which
escape sequence, if any, is used is defined by the Soft Entry (SE) setting.
Escape Character is irrelevant when the

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Soft Entry (SE) setting is 0 (disabled).

166

Tibbo Document System

On-the-fly Commands (RC) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Enables or disables on-the-fly command

processing by the DS

Set (S) command format:

SRCx, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (enabled)

Get (G) command format:

GRC

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (disabled)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial port and serial communications,

Authentication, On-the-fly (network-side)
Parameters and instructions

Details
When On-the-fly Commands setting is 1 (enabled) the DS will accept on-the-fly
commands (network-side parameters and instructions) from the network host.
When On-the-fly Commands setting is 0 (disabled) the DS will reject on-the-fly
commands from the host (Denied (D) reply code will be returned).
On-the-fly commands do not require prior authentication through Login (L)
command. Password protection specifically for on-the-fly commands can be
enabled through the On-the-fly Password (OP) setting.
On-the-fly commands provide a way of remotely controlling the serial port of the
DS, hence, the name of this setting- "Remote Control".

On-the-fly Password (OP) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Enables or disables password protection for

on-the-fly commands

Set (S) command format:

SOPx, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (enabled)

Get (G) command format:

GOP

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (disabled)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

On-the-fly Commands (RC) setting= 1

(enabled)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial port and serial communications,

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

167

Authentication
Details
On-the-fly commands (network-side parameters and instructions) do not require
prior authentication through Login (L) command. On-the-fly Password enables
password authentication specifically for on-the-fly commands, i.e. for the
Parameter (P) command that carries them.
When On-the-fly Password is 1 (enabled) and the Password (PW) setting is set
(not <NULL>) the network host must supply a valid password with every
Parameter (P) command it sends (see this command's description for more
information on how to do this).
On-the-fly Password is irrelevant when the On-the-fly Commands (RC) setting
is 0 (disabled) because in this case the DS doesn't accept on-the-fly commands at
all.

Notification Bitmask (NB) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines which I/O lines of the DS are monitored

for changes

Set (S) command format:

SNBbbb, where bbb is a "collection" of bit flags

each of which disables (when 0) or enables (when
1) status change monitoring for a specific I/O line
of the DS. Allowable value range is 0-255.

Get (G) command format:

GNB

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (status change monitoring is disabled for all I/O

lines)

Change takes effect:

After reboot

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial port and serial communications, Notification

Destination (ND) setting

Details
Notification Bitmask defines which I/O lines are monitored for changes. When the
line being monitored changes its state a Notification (J) message is generated
and sent to the network host with which the DS has an established data connection.
Notification Bitmask is a byte value each bit of which disables (when 0) or enables
(when 1) status change monitoring for a specific I/O line. Bit assignment is as
follows:
Bit position
0 (LSB)
1

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

DS100R, EM100-EV DS100B, DS202R, EM120/EM200-EV*,

EM202-EV-RS
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>

168

Tibbo Document System

2
3
4
5
6
7 (MSB)

<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
CTS (input)
RTS (output)**
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>

Bit position

EM100

DSR (input)
DTR (output)**
CTS (input)
RTS (output)**
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
EM120, EM200

0 (LSB)

P0

<Not implemented>

P1

<Not implemented>

P2/DSR(input)***

P2/DSR(input)***

P3/DTR(output)***

P3/DTR(output)***

P4/CTS(input)***

P4/CTS(input)***

P5/RTS(output)***

P5/RTS(output)***

<Not implemented>

P6

7 (MSB)

<Not implemented>

P7

EM202,
EM202-EV-TM,
EM202-EV-TS
<Not
implemented>
<Not
implemented>
P2/DSR(input)
***
P3/DTR(output)
***
P4/CTS(input)
***
P5/RTS(output)
***
<Not
implemented>
<Not
implemented>

* This data is for the case when you are using RS232 FB9M connector of the
EM120/EM200-EV. If you are using expansion connector (three jumpers removed)
then use I/O data for the EM120 and EM200 Modules
** From firmware standpoint, these are general-purpose I/O lines. These I/O lines,
however, are connected to the CMOS inputs of RS232 (RS422, RS485) transceivers
and that dictates that the lines can only be used as outputs. Therefore, it is
meaningless to enable notifications for such lines
*** These are general-purpose input/output pins. Application firmware uses these
pins to implement specific serial port functionality (shown in blue) and this defines
"logical" direction of the pins
Example: if Notification Bitmask is set to 20 then status change monitoring is
enabled for lines DSR and CTS (binary representation of this value is 00010100, bits
2 and 4 are set, corresponding I/O lines are DSR and CTS).
Be sure to keep the mask bit for unimplemented and reserved lines at 0.
For the line status change to be detected, the new status must be preserved for at
least 20 ms (milliseconds). Shorter "pulses" are ignored.
Note, that there is no bit for line P8 found on EM120 and EM200 Modules.

Encapsulation Settings
Encapsulation settings define what incoming serial data is recorded into the
serial-to-Ethernet routing buffer and when and how this data is combined into the
network packets and sent to the network host. For more information see
serial-to-Ethernet data routing.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

169

The following settings belong to this group:

Setting
Maximum Packet Length (ML) setting

Maximum Intercharacter Delay (MD)

setting

Start On Any Character (SA) setting

Use Start Character (F1) setting

Start Character Code (S1) setting
Use Stop Character (U1) setting
Stop Character Code (E1) setting
Number of Post Characters (P1) setting

Description
Defines after how many new
bytes recorded into the
serial-to-Ethernet buffer a
break condition will be
generated
Defines the maximum time gap
between two consecutive
characters recorded into the
serial-to-Ethernet buffer,
exceeding which will trigger a
break condition
Defines whether the (next) data
block can be opened by a
specific character or any
character
Enables or disables the use of
the start character
Defines ASCII code of the start
character
Enables or disables the use of
the stop character
Defines ASCII code of the stop
character
Defines the number of post
characters for the stop
character

Maximum Packet Length (ML) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines after how many new bytes recorded into

the serial-to-Ethernet buffer a break condition will
be generated

Set (S) command format:

SMLlll, where lll is the number of new bytes in the

1-255 range

Get (G) command format:

GML

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

255 (bytes)

Change takes effect:

After reboot or exiting the serial programming

mode

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

Current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting/

parameter]= 0 (UDP)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial-to-Ethernet data routing

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

170

Tibbo Document System

Details
Maximum Packet Length defines after how many new bytes recorded into the
serial-to-Ethernet buffer a break condition will be generated. Break conditions are
related to routing the data in the serial-to-Ethernet direction. See serial-to-Ethernet
data routing for more information.
Maximum Packet Length is irrelevant when current Transport Protocol (TP) [
setting/ parameter] is 1 (TCP) because in this mode the DS ignores the value of
the Maximum Packet Length setting and uses the run-time parameter of 127
bytes.

Maximum Intercharacter Delay (MD) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines the maximum time gap between two

consecutive characters recorded into the
serial-to-Ethernet buffer, exceeding which will
trigger a break condition

Set (S) command format:

SMDddd, where ddd is the time gap in the 0-255

range (0-2550 ms), value of 0 deactivates break
condition generation on time gaps

Get (G) command format:

GMD

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

1 (10 ms)

Change takes effect:

After reboot or exiting the serial programming

mode

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial-to-Ethernet data routing

Details
Maximum Intercharacter Delay defines the maximum time gap between two
consecutive characters recorded into the serial-to-Ethernet buffer, exceeding which
will trigger a break condition. Break conditions are related to routing the data in the
serial-to-Ethernet direction. See serial-to-Ethernet data routing for more
information.
Intercharacter delay can be set in 10 ms increments. Delay tracking is disabled
when Maximum Intercharacter Delay is set to 0.
Intercharacter delay is not counted when the Flow Control (FC) setting is 1
(enabled) and the DS is holding the RTS line in the LOW* state thus indicating to
the attached serial device that the DS is not ready to receive the data. This is done
to prevent the DS from generating the break conditions on time gaps caused by the
DS itself.
* HIGH and LOW states are described with respect to the serial ports of DS100R,
DS100B, DS202R, EM100-EV, EM120/EM200-EV, EM202-EV. For EM100, EM120,
EM200, EM202, EM1000 the signaling is exactly opposite.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

171

Start On Any Character (SA) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines whether the (next) serial data block can

be opened by a specific character or any character

Set (S) command format:

SSAx, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (enabled)

Get (G) command format:

GSA

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

1 (enabled)

Change takes effect:

After reboot or exiting the serial programming

mode

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial-to-Ethernet data routing

Details
When Start On Any Character is 1 (enabled) then any character received into the
serial port past the end of the previous serial data block will open a new serial data
block. When the Start On Any Character is 0 (disabled) then only a selected
specific character defined by the Start Character Code (S1) setting (must be
enabled through the Use Start Character (F1) setting) will be able to open the
new serial data block. All data between the end of the previous serial data block and
this start character will be ignored.
Serial data blocks are related to routing the data in the serial-to-Ethernet direction.
For more information see serial-to-Ethernet data routing.

Use Start Character (F1) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Enables or disables the use of the start character

Set (S) command format:

SF1x, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (enabled)

Get (G) command format:

GF1

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (disabled)

Change takes effect:

After reboot or exiting the serial programming

mode

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

Start On Any Character (SA) setting= 0

(disabled)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

172

Tibbo Document System

See also:

Serial-to-Ethernet data routing

Details
This setting enables the use of specific character code as the start character that can
open the serial data block. Start character code itself is defined by the Start
Character Code (S1) setting. Serial data blocks are related to routing the data in
the serial-to-Ethernet direction. See serial-to-Ethernet data routing for more
information.
Use Start Character is irrelevant when the Start on Any Character (SA) setting
is 1 (enabled) because in this case the new serial data block is opened by any
character and there is no need to set a specific start character.
Care should be taken not to disable Use Start Character and Start on Any
Character (SA) setting at the same time. No data will ever be accepted into the
serial port of the DS in this case!

Start Character Code (S1) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines ASCII code of the start character

Set (S) command format:

SS1ccc, where ccc is the ASCII code of the start

character in the 0-255 range

Get (G) command format:

GS1

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

Change takes effect:

After reboot or exiting the serial programming

mode

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

Start On Any Character (SA) setting= 0

(disabled) AND Use Start Character (F1)
setting= 1 (enabled)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial-to-Ethernet data routing

Details
This setting defines the ASCII code of the start character that can open the serial
data block. Start character must be enabled separately through the Use Start
Character (F1) setting. Serial data blocks are related to routing the data in the
serial-to-Ethernet direction. See serial-to-Ethernet data routing for more
information.
Start Character Code is irrelevant when the Start on Any Character (SA)
setting is 1 (enabled) because in this case the new serial data block is opened by
any character and there is no need to set a specific start character.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

173

Use Stop Character (U1) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Enables or disables the use of the stop character

Set (S) command format:

SU1x, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (enabled)

Get (G) command format:

GU1

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

0 (disabled)

Change takes effect:

After reboot or exiting the serial programming

mode

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial-to-Ethernet data routing

Details
This setting enables the use of specific character code as the stop character that can
close the serial data block. Stop character code itself is defined by the Stop
Character Code (S1) setting. It is also possible to have the serial data block
closed not on the stop character itself but after a predefined number of characters
after the stop character. This is done through the Number Of Post Characters
(P1) setting.
Serial data blocks are related to routing the data in the serial-to-Ethernet direction.
See serial-to-Ethernet data routing for more information.
If Use Stop Character is 0 (disabled) the serial data block, once opened, never
closes.

Stop Character Code (E1) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines ASCII code of the stop character

Set (S) command format:

SE1ccc, where ccc is the ASCII code of the stop

character in the 0-255 range

Get (G) command format:

GE1

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

Change takes effect:

After reboot or exiting the serial programming

mode

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

Use Stop Character (U1) setting= 1 (enabled)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial-to-Ethernet data routing

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

174

Tibbo Document System

Details
This setting defines the ASCII code of the stop character that can close the serial
data block. The usage of the stop character must be enabled separately through the
Use Stop Character (U1) setting. It is also possible to have the serial data block
closed not on the stop character itself but after a predefined number of characters
after the stop character. This is done through the Number Of Post Characters
(P1) setting.
Serial data blocks are related to routing the data in the serial-to-Ethernet direction.
See serial-to-Ethernet data routing for more information.

Number Of Post Characters (P1) setting

Description (see setting description format info here)
Function:

Defines the number of post characters for the stop

character

Set (S) command format:

SP1x, where x: is the number of post characters

in the 0-15 range

Get (G) command format:

GP1

Init (I) command effect:

Initialized unconditionally, through network

command, serial command, or quick initialization

Post-initialization value:

Change takes effect:

After reboot or exiting the serial programming

mode

Overriding parameter:

---

Relevance conditions:

Use Stop Character (U1) setting= 1 (enabled)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial-to-Ethernet data routing, Stop Character

Code (E1) setting

Details
Number Of Post Characters defines the number of characters received past the
stop character that will still be counted as belonging to the same serial data block.
Serial data blocks are related to routing the data in the serial-to-Ethernet direction.
See serial-to-Ethernet data routing for more information.
Number of Post Characters is irrelevant when the Use Stop Character (U1)
setting is 0 (disabled) because in this case the stop character is disabled.

Parameters
and Instructions
3.2.4.3
This section contains a reference for all DS parameters and instructions.
Parameters are temporary overrides for settings. Parameters are not saved into the
EEPROM and take immediate effect (no rebooting required). Instructions are used
to make the DS perform a certain action.
Parameter and instruction description format can be found here.
All parameters and instructions can be divided into two groups:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

175

On-the-fly (network-side) parameters and instructions are delivered to the

DS via the network Parameter (P) command and are used to change
communications mode of the serial port of the DS without rebooting (i.e.
"on-the-fly") and also set and sense the state of the I/O lines of the DS. For more
information see serial port and serial communications;
Modem (serial-side) parameters and instructions are delivered to the DS via
the serial Parameter (P) command and are used to control data connection
establishment and termination by the DS. For more information see Ethernet port
and network communications.

Parameter & Instruction Description Format

All parameters and instructions in this section are described using the
following format:
Function:

Parameter (instruction) function in brief

Parameter (P) cmd format:

Syntax of the Parameter (P) command that is

used to send this parameter (instruction)

Possible replies:

Lists all possible reply status codes that can be

returned in response to the Parameter (P)
command carrying this parameter (instruction)

Relevance conditions:

Some parameters (instructions) are relevant to the

operation of the DS only when other settings (or
their overriding parameters) have certain values

First introduced:

Describes whether this parameter (instruction) has

been available right from the "baseline" firmware
version of 3.14/3.51 or was introduced in a later
firmware release

See also:

Additional relevant links

Details
Additional information about the parameter (instruction).

On-the-fly (Network-Side) Parameters & Instructions

On-the-fly (network-side) parameters and instructions are delivered to the DS
via the network Parameter (P) command and are used to change communications
mode of the serial port of the DS without rebooting (i.e. "on-the-fly") and also set
and sense the state of the I/O lines of the DS. For more information see serial port
and serial communications.
The following parameters and instructions belong to this group:
Parameter/ instruction
Flow Control (FC) parameter
Baudrate (BR) parameter
Parity (PR) parameter
Bits Per Byte (BB) parameter
Notification Bitmask (NB) parameter
Get I/O Pin Status (Gx) instruction

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Description
Overrides Flow Control (FC) setting
Overrides Baudrate (BR) setting
Overrides Parity (PR) setting
Overrides Bits Per Byte (BB) setting
Overrides Notification Bitmask (NB)
setting
Reads the status of a certain I/O line of
the DS

176

Tibbo Document System

Set I/O Pin Status (Sx) instruction

Sets the status of a certain I/O line of

the DS

Flow Control (FC) parameter

Description (see parameter description format info here)
Function:

Overrides Flow Control (FC) setting

Parameter (P) cmd format:

PFCx, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (enabled)

Possible replies:

A, C, D, R

Relevance conditions:

current Serial Interface (SI)= 0 (full duplex)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial port and serial communications

Details
Flow Control parameter overrides the Flow Control (FC) setting.
Error (C) reply code is returned if the data supplied in the command is invalid.
Denied (D) reply code is returned if:
On-the-fly Commands (RC) setting is 0 (disabled).
If no password or incorrect password is supplied while the On-the-fly Password
(OP) setting is 1 (enabled) and the password is set (value of the Password
(PW) setting is not <NULL>).
Rejected (R) reply code is returned if this command is sent while the DS is in the
serial programming mode.

Baudrate (BR) parameter

Description (see parameter description format info here)
Function:

Overrides Baudrate (BR) setting

Parameter (P) cmd format:

PBRx, where x: 0 (1200bps), 1 (2400bps), 2

(4800bps), 3 (9600bps), 4 (19200bps), 5
(38400bps), 6 (57600bps), 7 (115200bps), 8
(150bps), 9 (300bps), 10 (600bps), 11
(28800bps)

Possible replies:

A, C, D, R

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial port and serial communications

Details
Baudrate parameter overrides the Baudrate (BR) setting.
Error (C) reply code is returned if the data supplied in the command is invalid.
Denied (D) reply code is returned if:
On-the-fly Commands (RC) setting is 0 (disabled).
If no password or incorrect password is supplied while the On-the-fly Password
(OP) setting is 1 (enabled) and the password is set (value of the Password

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

177

(PW) setting is not <NULL>).

Rejected (R) reply code is returned if this command is sent while the DS is in the
serial programming mode.

Parity (PR) parameter

Description (see parameter description format info here)
Function:

Overrides Parity (PR) setting

Parameter (P) cmd format:

PPRx, where x: 0 (off), 1 (even), 2 (odd), 3

(mark), 4 (space)

Possible replies:

A, C, D, R

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial port and serial communications

Details
Parity parameter overrides the Parity (PR) setting.
Error (C) reply code is returned if the data supplied in the command is invalid.
Denied (D) reply code is returned if:
On-the-fly Commands (RC) setting is 0 (disabled).
If no password or incorrect password is supplied while the On-the-fly Password
(OP) setting is 1 (enabled) and the password is set (value of the Password
(PW) setting is not <NULL>).
Rejected (R) reply code is returned if this command is sent while the DS is in the
serial programming mode.

Bits Per Byte (BB) parameter

Description (see parameter description format info here)
Function:

Overrides Bits Per Byte (BB) setting

Parameter (P) cmd format:

PBBx, where x: 0 (7 bits), 1 (8 bits)

Possible replies:

A, C, D, R

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial port and serial communications

Details
Bits Per Byte parameter overrides the Bits Per Byte (BB) setting.
Error (C) reply code is returned if the data supplied in the command is invalid.
Denied (D) reply code is returned if:
On-the-fly Commands (RC) setting is 0 (disabled).
If no password or incorrect password is supplied while the On-the-fly Password
(OP) setting is 1 (enabled) and the password is set (value of the Password
(PW) setting is not <NULL>).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

178

Tibbo Document System

Rejected (R) reply code is returned if this command is sent while the DS is in the
serial programming mode.

Notification Bitmask (NB) parameter

Description (see parameter description format info here)
Function:

Overrides Notification Bitmask (NB) setting

Parameter (P) cmd format:

PNBbbb, where bbb is a "collection" of bit flags

each of which disables (when 0) or enables (when
1) status change monitoring for a specific I/O line
of the DS. Allowable value range is 0-255

Possible replies:

A, C, D, R

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial port and serial communications

Details
Notification Bitmask parameter overrides the Notification Bitmask (NB)
setting. See Notification Bitmask (NB) setting for the bit position assignment
within the bbb value.
Error (C) reply code is returned if the data supplied in the command is invalid.
Denied (D) reply code is returned if:
On-the-fly Commands (RC) setting is 0 (disabled).
If no password or incorrect password is supplied while the On-the-fly Password
(OP) setting is 1 (enabled) and the password is set (value of the Password
(PW) setting is not <NULL>).
Rejected (R) reply code is returned if this command is sent while the DS is in the
serial programming mode.

Get I/O Pin Status (Gx) instruction

Description (see instruction description format info here)
Function:

Reads the status of a certain I/O line of the DS

Parameter (P) cmd format:

PGx, where x is the I/O line number

Possible replies:

As, C, D, R, where s is the state of I/O line (0 or

1)

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial port and serial communications

Details
Get I/O Pin Status instruction returns the status of the DS I/O line specified by
the x parameter:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals
Value of x
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Value of x

DS100R, EM100-EV
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
CTS (input)
RTS (output)**
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
EM100

179

DS100B, DS202R, EM120/EM200-EV*,

EM202-EV-RS
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
DSR (input)**
DTR (output)**
CTS (input)**
RTS (output)**
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
EM120, EM200

P0

<Not implemented>

P1

<Not implemented>

P2/DSR(input)***

P2/DSR(input)***

P3/DTR(output)***

P3/DTR(output)***

P4/CTS(input)***

P4/CTS(input)***

P5/RTS(output)***

P5/RTS(output)***

<Not implemented>

P6

<Not implemented>

P7

<Not implemented>

P8

EM202,
EM202-EV-TM,
EM202-EV-TS
<Not
implemented>
<Not
implemented>
P2/DSR(input)
***
P3/DTR(output)
***
P4/CTS(input)
***
P5/RTS(output)
***
<Not
implemented>
<Not
implemented>
<Not
implemented>

* This data is for the case when you are using RS232 FB9M connector of the
EM120/EM200-EV. If you are using expansion connector (three jumpers removed)
then use I/O data for the EM120 and EM200 Modules
** From firmware standpoint, these are general-purpose lines of the Ethernet
Modules that can be used as inputs. These I/O lines, however, are connected to the
CMOS inputs of RS232 (RS422, RS485) transceivers and that dictates that the lines
can only be used as outputs.
*** These are general-purpose input/output pins. Application firmware uses these
pins to implement specific serial port functionality (shown in blue) and this defines
"logical" direction of the pins
I/O line status (s) returned by the Get I/O Pin Status instruction indicates
current status of the I/O lines of Modules. For Serial Device Servers and Boards that
incorporate RS232 transceivers actual line status on the RS232 connector actual line
status is exactly opposite to the value of s: if s=0 then the line is at HIGH, if s=1the line is at LOW. Notice, that not only inputs, but also outputs can be monitored
using this command.
Error (C) reply code is returned if the data supplied in the command is invalid.
Denied (D) reply code is returned if:
On-the-fly Commands (RC) setting is 0 (disabled).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

180

Tibbo Document System

If no password or incorrect password is supplied while the On-the-fly Password
(OP) setting is 1 (enabled) and the password is set (value of the Password
(PW) setting is not <NULL>).
Rejected (R) reply code is returned if this command is sent while the DS is in the
serial programming mode.
I/O line status can be set using Set I/O Pin Status (Sx) instruction.

Set I/O Pin Status (Sx) instruction

Description (see instruction description format info here)
Function:

Sets the status of a certain I/O line of the DS

Parameter (P) cmd format:

PSxs, where x is the I/O line number and s is the

desired status of the I/O line (0 or 1)

Possible replies:

A, C, D, R

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Serial port and serial communications

Details
Sets I/O Pin Status instruction allows the network host to remotely set the
status of the DS I/O line. Parameter x specifies the I/O line:
Value of x
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Value of x

DS100R, EM100-EV
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
CTS (input)**
RTS (output)
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
EM100

DS100B, DS202R, EM120/EM200-EV*,

EM202-EV-RS
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
DSR (input)**
DTR (output)
CTS (input)**
RTS (output)
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
<Not implemented>
EM120, EM200

P0

<Not implemented>

P1

<Not implemented>

<Cannot be set>***

P2/DSR(input)****

P3/DTR(output)****

P3/DTR(output)****

P4/CTS(input)****

P4/CTS(input)****

P5/RTS(output)****

P5/RTS(output)****

EM202,
EM202-EV-TM,
EM202-EV-TS
<Not
implemented>
<Not
implemented>
P2/DSR(input)
****
P3/DTR(output)
****
P4/CTS(input)
****
P5/RTS(output)
****

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals
6

<Not implemented>

P6

<Not implemented>

P7

<Not implemented>

P8

181

<Not
implemented>
<Not
implemented>
<Not
implemented>

* This data is for the case when you are using RS232 FB9M connector of the
EM120/EM200-EV. If you are using expansion connector (three jumpers removed)
then use I/O data for the EM120 and EM200 Modules
** From firmware standpoint, these are general-purpose lines of the Ethernet
Modules that can be used as outputs. These I/O lines, however, are connected to the
CMOS outputs of RS232 (RS422, RS485) transceivers and that dictates that the
lines must only be used as inputs.
*** Hardware limitation
**** These are general-purpose input/output pins. Application firmware uses these
pins to implement specific serial port functionality (shown in blue) and this defines
"logical" direction of the pins
Desired I/O line state (s) corresponds to the status of I/O lines of Modules. For
Serial Device Servers and Boards that incorporate RS232 transceivers actual line
status on the RS232 connector is exactly opposite to the value of s: if s=0 then the
line will be set to HIGH, if s=1- the line will be set to LOW.
Error (C) reply code is returned if the data supplied in the command is invalid.
Denied (D) reply code is returned if:
On-the-fly Commands (RC) setting is 0 (disabled).
If no password or incorrect password is supplied while the On-the-fly Password
(OP) setting is 1 (enabled) and the password is set (value of the Password
(PW) setting is not <NULL>).
Rejected (R) reply code is returned if this command is sent while the DS is in the
serial programming mode.
There are several cases when the Set I/O Pin Status (Sx) instruction is ignored
by the DS:
When the current Flow Control (FC) [setting/ parameter] is 1 (enabled) or
current Serial Interface (SI) is 1 (half-duplex) the DS ignores SP5s commands
(i.e. commands that attempt to set the status of the RTS line). This is because in
this case the RTS line is under the internal control of the DS.
When the DTR Mode (DT) setting is 1 (connection status) the DS ignores SP3s
commands (i.e. commands that attempt to set the status of the DTR line). This is
because in this case the DTR line is under the internal control of the DS.
Note, that in all above cases the DS still returns OK (A) reply code but the
commands are discarded internally.

Modem (Serial-Side) Parameters & Instructions

Modem (serial-side) parameters and instructions are delivered to the DS via
the serial Parameter (P) command and are used to control data connection
establishment and termination by the DS. For more information see Ethernet port
and network communications.
The following parameters and instructions belong to this group:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

182

Tibbo Document System

Parameter/ instruction
Transport Protocol (TP) parameter
Link Server Login (TL) parameter
[V3.24/3.54+]
Routing Mode (RM) parameter
Source IP Filtering (SF) parameter
Destination IP-address (DI) parameter
Destination Port Number (DP)
parameter
Establish Connection (CE) instruction
Close Connection (CC) instruction

Abort Connection (CA) instruction

Description
Overrides Transport Protocol (TP)
setting
Overrides LS Login (TL) setting
Overrides Routing Mode (RM)
setting
Overrides Source IP Filtering (SF)
setting
Overrides Destination IP-address
(DI) setting
Overrides Destination Port
Number (PN) setting
Makes the DS establish data
connection with the network host
Makes the DS close data connection
with the network host, reset buffer
overflow flags
Makes the DS abort data connection
with the network host, reset buffer
overflow flags

Transport Protocol (TP) parameter

Description (see parameter description format info here)
Function:

Overrides Transport Protocol (TP) setting

Parameter (P) cmd format:

PTPx, where x: 0 (UDP), 1 (TCP)

Possible replies:

A, C, R

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications

Details
Transport Protocol parameter overrides the Transport Protocol (TP) setting.
Error (C) reply code is returned if the data supplied in the command is invalid.
Rejected (R) reply code is returned if:
Command is issued while the IP-address of the DS is not properly configured (
DHCP (DH) setting is 1 (enabled) and the DS hasn't yet obtained the IP-address
from the DHCP server).
Current data connection state is not "closed". Transport protocol cannot be
changed while the connection is in progress. Close (or shut) the connection using
the Close Connection (CC) instruction or Abort Connection (CA) instruction
first. Current connection status can be verified using Echo (X) command (c flag).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

183

Link Server Login (TL) parameter

Description (see parameter description format info here)
Function:

Overrides Link Server Login (TL) setting

Parameter (P) cmd format:

PTLx, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (enabled)

Possible replies:

A, C

Relevance conditions:

Current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting/

parameter]= 1 (TCP)

First introduced:

V3.24/3.54

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications

Details
Link Server Login parameter overrides the Link Server Login (TL) setting.
Error (C) reply code is returned if the data supplied in the command is invalid.

Routing Mode (RM) parameter

Description (see parameter description format info here)
Function:

Overrides Routing Mode (RM) setting

Parameter (P) cmd format:

PRMx, where x: 0 (server), 1 (server/client), 2

(client)

Possible replies:

A, C, R

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications

Details
Routing Mode parameter overrides the Routing Mode (RM) setting.
Error (C) reply code is returned if the data supplied in the command is invalid.
Rejected (R) reply code is returned if this command is issued while the IP-address
of the DS is not properly configured (DHCP (DH) setting is 1 (enabled) and the DS
hasn't yet obtained the IP-address from the DHCP server).

Source IP Filtering (SF) parameter

Description (see parameter description format info here)
Function:

Overrides Source IP Filtering (SF) setting

Parameter (P) cmd format:

PSFx, where x: 0 (disabled), 1 (enabled)

Possible replies:

A, C

Relevance conditions:

Current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/

parameter]= 0 (server) or 1 (server/client)

First introduced:

V3.24/3.54

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

184

Tibbo Document System

Details
Source IP Filtering parameter overrides the Source IP Filtering (SF) setting.
Error (C) reply code is returned if the data supplied in the command is invalid.

Destination IP-address (DI) parameter

Description (see parameter description format info here)
Function:

Overrides Destination IP-address (DI) setting

Parameter (P) cmd format:

PDIxxx.xxx.xxx.xxx, where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is

the IP-address of the destination in dot-decimal
notation (i.e. 192.168.100.41)

Possible replies:

A, C, R

Relevance conditions:

For outgoing connections:

Current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/
parameter]= 1 (server/client) or 2 (client)
[V3.24/3.54] For incoming connections:
Current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/
parameter]= 0 (server) or 1 (server/client)
AND current Source IP Filtering (SF) [setting
/parameter]= 1 (enabled)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51, functionality

extended in V3.24/3.54

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications,

Establish Connection (CE) instruction

Details
Destination IP-address parameter overrides the Destination IP-address (DI)
setting. Notice that this setting's functionality has been extended in V3.24/3.54.
Error (C) reply code is returned if the data supplied in the command is invalid.
Rejected (R) reply code is returned if:
Command is issued while the IP-address of the DS is not properly configured (
DHCP (DH) setting is 1 (enabled) and the DS hasn't yet obtained the IP-address
from the DHCP server).
Current data connection state is not "closed". Destination IP-address cannot be
changed while the data connection is in progress. Close (or shut) the connection
using the Close Connection (CC) instruction or Abort Connection (CA)
instruction first. Current connection status can be verified through Echo (X)
command (c flag).

Destination Port Number (DP) parameter

Description (see parameter description format info here)
Function:

Overrides Destination Port Number (PN)

setting

Parameter (P) cmd format:

PDPppppp, where ppppp is the port number of

the destination in the 0-65535 range

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals
Possible replies:

A, C, R

Relevance conditions:

Current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/

parameter]= 1 (server/client) or 2 (client)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications,

Establish Connection (CE) instruction

185

Details
Destination Port Number parameter overrides the Destination Port Number
(DI) setting.
Error (C) reply code is returned if the data supplied in the command is invalid.
Rejected (R) reply code is returned if:
Command is issued while the IP-address of the DS is not properly configured (
DHCP (DH) settingis 1 (enabled) and the DS hasn't yet obtained the IP-address
from the DHCP server).
Current data connection state is not "closed". Destination port number cannot be
changed while the data connection is in progress. Close (or shut) the connection
using the Close Connection (CC) instruction or Abort Connection (CA)
instruction first. Current connection status can be verified through Echo (X)
command (c flag).

Establish Connection (CE) instruction

Description (see instruction description format info here)
Function:

Makes the DS establish the data connection with

the network host

Parameter (P) cmd format:

PCE or PCExxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/ppppp, where

xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP-address of the
destination host;
ppppp is the port number on the destination in
the 0-65535 range

Possible replies:

A, C, R

Relevance conditions:

Current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/

parameter]= 1 (server/client) or 2 (client)

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications

Details
Establish Connection instruction makes the DS establish an outgoing connection
with the network host. Which transport protocol is used (UDP or TCP) is defined by
the current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting/ parameter].
This command has two syntax options: with and without destination IP-address and
destination port number fields. Both fields must be either supplied or not supplied, it
is not possible to have only one of the fields in the command body.
When destination IP-address and destination port number fields are supplied they
are interpreted exactly as data fields in Destination IP-address (DI) parameter

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

186

Tibbo Document System

and Destination Port Number (DP) parameter i.e. override the Destination
IP-address (DI) settingand Destination Port Number (DP) setting. This
means that sending PCExxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/ppppp command is equivalent to
sending PDIxxx.xxx.xxx.xxx, then PDPppppp, followed by the PCE command.
When destination fields are not provided the DS will use the following destination
IP-address and port number to connect to:
If, since the last time the PDI (Destination IP-address (DI) parameter) and
PDP (Destination Port Number (DP) parameter) commands were issued the
DS hasn't received any incoming connections from other network hosts then the
DS will attempt to connect to the destination IP-address and port number defined
by these recent PDI and PDP commands;
If (since the most recent PDI and PDP commands) the DS has accepted an
incoming data connection then the DS will reread the values of Destination
IP-address (DI) setting and Destination Port Number (DP) setting and
attempt to connect to the destination host defined by these settings.
TCP data connections are established in a normal way by initiating the
SYN-SYN-ACK exchange with the network host. UDP data "connections" are
established by sending a UDP datagram of zero length.
OK (A) reply code is returned if command is accepted. This does not mean that
the data connection has been established already, only that the DS has accepted the
command. Actual connection status can be verified at any time using the Echo (X)
command (see c flag). Actual IP-address and port number of the destination host
with which the DS has a data connection can be verified using the Status (U)
command.
Error (C) reply code is returned if the data supplied in the command is invalid (or
only one of the data fields is present). Rejected (R) reply code is returned if:
Command is issued while the IP-address of the DS is not properly configured (
DHCP (DH) setting is 1 (enabled) and the DS hasn't yet obtained the IP-address
from the DHCP server);
Current data connection state is not "closed". Close (or shut) the connection first
using the Close Connection (CC) instruction or Abort Connection (CA)
instruction;
Current Routing Mode (RM) [setting/ parameter] is 0 (server), because in
this state the DS is not allowed to establish outgoing connections.

Close Connection (CC) instruction

Description (see instruction description format info here)
Function:

Makes the DS close the data connection with the

network host, reset buffer overflow flags

Parameter (P) cmd format:

PCC

Possible replies:

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications,

Establish Connection (CE) instruction.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

187

Details
Close Connection instruction makes the DS close current data connection (if
existed) and also reset routing buffers overflow flags (overflows are displayed by
the status LEDs, overflow status is also returned by the Echo (X) command- see S
and E flags).
As a result of Close Connection instruction execution UDP data "connections" are
simply discarded. TCP data connections are properly shut down (using
FIN-ACK-FIN-ACK sequence).
Close Connection instruction can be used at any time, even if the data
connection is already closed and if the data connection was not established by the
DS itself (i.e. it was a passive open).
OK (A) reply code is returned if command is accepted. This does not mean that
the connection has been shut down already, only that the DS has accepted the
command. Actual connection status can be verified at any time using the Echo (X)
command (see c flag).
Another instruction- Abort Connection (CA)- can be used to abort the TCP
connection (using the RST packet). For UDP data "connections" there is no
difference between the Close Connection instruction and the Abort Connection
(CA) instruction.

Abort Connection (CA) instruction

Description (see instruction description format info here)
Function:

Makes the DS abort the data connection with the

network host, reset buffer overflow flags

Parameter (P) cmd format:

PCA

Possible replies:

Relevance conditions:

---

First introduced:

Earlier than "baseline" V3.14/V3.51

See also:

Ethernet port and network communications,

Establish Connection (CE) instruction.

Details
Abort Connection instruction makes the DS end current data connection (if
existed) and also resets routing buffers overflow flags (overflows are displayed by
the status LEDs, overflow status also returned by the Echo (X) command- see S
and E flags).
As a result of Abort Connection instruction execution UDP data "connections" are
simply discarded. TCP data connections are reset (using RST packet).
Abort Connection instruction can be used at any time, even if the data
connection is already closed and if the data connection was not established by the
DS itself (i.e. it was a passive open).
OK (A) reply code is returned if command is accepted. This does not mean that
the connection has been reset already, only that the DS has accepted the command.
Actual connection status can be verified at any time using the Echo (X) command
(see c flag).
Another instruction- Close Connection (CC)- can be used to properly shut down

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

188

Tibbo Document System

the TCP connection (using the FIN-ACK-FIN-ACK sequence). For UDP data
"connections" there is no difference between the Abort Connection instruction
and the Close Connection (CC) instruction.

Firmware Revision History

This topic briefly describes application firmware genesis from V2.21 (considered to
be the first "really useful" firmware version) and up until current official version.
This information is provided for your reference only; Tibbo is not obliged to
elaborate on or explain detailed meaning of any item listed below.
---------Release V3.32 [the latest published and documented version for the R3
branch]
Release V3.63 [the latest published and documented version for the R3
branch]
Added new Get My IP (T) command.
Corrected a bug in the DHCP implementation. Under certain conditions, when the
TCP connection or UDP "connection" is established, and additional DHCP
exchange takes place (for example, to reconfirm the IP-address, etc.) this could
inadvertently terminate the connection.
Fixed another minor problem. With TCP, outgoing TCP connections are
established from different ports. When TCP-capable device boots up, the first
port number that will be used for establishing an outgoing connection is selected
randomly, from the pool of available ports. This number is then incremented for
each new outgoing connection. We have found out that random port number
selection on the DS was insufficiently random. That is, the first port selected
after each power-up was almost always the same. This has been fixed and the
first port number for outgoing connection is now truly random. Number
randomization is quite important for connection reestablishment from the DS to
another device in case the DS suddenly reboots. If the same first port number is
selected the receiving end of the connection might not accept it.
Corrected RTS line behavior -- by popular request. Before, even when current
Flow Control (FC) [setting/parameter] was at 0 (disabled), the DS still
switched the RTS line to LOW (HIGH for external devices) when the serial port
was opened and HIGH when the serial port was closed. Many of our Customers
suggested that with the flow control disabled, the DS should not touch the RTS
line at all. Done!
We have found out that (apparently) some networking equipment ignores MSS
option! MSS (Maximum Segment Size) defines how much data can be sent in a
single TCP packet. The DS specifies correct MSS to its "peer" but, obviously,
sometimes this gets ignored. We have extended the MSS of the DS so that this
(actually wrong) behavior of other devices won't affect TCP communications with
the DS. Note that MSS problem is extremely rare -- we were able to witness it
only once.
---------Release V3.31
Corrected a bug that was preventing first-generation devices from operating
properly in the serial programming mode. The bug was introduced in V3.30. Our
apologies!
---------Release V3.30

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

189

Release V3.62
Corrected a bug that was causing the DS to lose (miss) data at 115200bps even
when the RTS/CTS flow control was enabled. Now the DS can sustain full-duplex
data transmission at 115200bps (RTS/CTS still required).
Default IP address of the DS has been changed to 0.0.0.1. Previous default
address of 127.0.0.1 was not a good choice- this IP is standard "loopback" IP of
many operating systems. Our users reported that Linux systems, in particular,
normally discard packets received from the device with IP address of 127.0.0.1.
Default Gateway IP and Destination IP have also be corrected in the similar
matter.
---------Release V3.61
Corrected a bug that sometimes made the last byte of the serial-->Ethernet
transmission get stuck in the serial-->Ethernet buffer.
Added DTR Startup Mode (DS) setting.
Increased the speed of line status change recognition.
---------Release V3.28
Corrected certain aspects of handling broadcast UDP packets. Users of DS
Manager sometimes encountered this situation: you click SETTINGS, the dialog
with progress bar appears, things go normally, and suddenly the progress bar
gets stuck right near the end. This has now been corrected.
Added DTR Startup Mode (DS) setting.
---------Release V3.56
Minor correction related to serial port behaviour at 300bps.
---------Release V3.26
New Cable Status (C) command
---------Release V3.25/3.55
The difference from V3.24/3.54 is in minor corrections in the behavior of the RTS
line.
---------Release V3.24/3.54
Two firmware versions has been released simultaneously: V3.24 for
first-generation devices (EM100-00/ -01/ -02, DS100-00/ -01/ -02) and V3.54 for
second-generation devices (EM120-00, EM200-00, EM202-00, DS202-00). Majority
of all changes was implemented in parallel in both firmware releases. In several
selected cases changes were made to only one of the versions- such changes are
marked with the version label like this one: [V3.24 only].
New: several major new features and corresponding settings/parameters have
been added:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

190

Tibbo Document System

Support for Link Server (new Link Server- some trial version of Link Server
existed before):
New Link Server Login (TL) setting and parameter
New LS Auto-Registration (AR) setting
New dDNS Service Registration (DD) setting
New dDNS Service IP-address (LI) setting
New dDNS Service Port (LP) setting
[V3.54 only] PPPoE support has been added to second-generation devices
(first-generation devices do not have sufficient "spare" resources for PPPoE to
"fit in"):
New PPPoE Mode (PP) setting
New PPPoE Login Name (PL) setting
New PPPoE Login Password (PD) setting
Extended Echo (X) command
Extended Status (U) command
Extended Status LED patterns
New option to accept incoming connections from any remote host or only
remote host whose IP matches the one set in current Destination
IP-address (DI) [setting/parameter]:
Source IP Filtering (SF) setting and parameter
Option to choose which ASCII character will serve as escape character:
Escape Character (EC) setting
New: custom profiles now work with firmware for second-generation Devices (
V3.54). Unfortunately, there remains a limitation on firmware V3.54. In order
for the custom profile to work correctly the upgrade process (that will load
firmware file with custom profile attached) has to be performed through the
network. Upgrading through the serial port will (unfortunately!) delete custom
profile data from internal FLASH of the DS. This limitation does not apply to
Release3 branch of application firmware (i.e. firmware that runs on
first-generation Device Servers).
Improvement: when DHCP (DH) setting is 1 (enabled) the DS now detects
Ethernet cable disconnects and re-requests its IP-address once the cable is
plugged back in (see ).
Bug fix: serial port was not getting opened (i.e. did not accept any data from
attached serial device) when current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting/
parameter] was 0 (UDP) and Connection Mode (CM) settingwas 0
(immediately).
Bug fix: when current Transport Protocol (TP) [setting/parameter] was 0
(UDP) and DS was establishing a UDP "connection" to another network host the
first UDP datagram sent by the DS always had zero length (contained no data)
even if there was some data to send. This has now been corrected.
Bug fix: DHCP client of the DS had a slight problem. As a last step of IP-address
configuration the DS sends out an ARP request with IP-address that was offered
by the DHCP server. This is a way recommended by RFC to make sure that no
other station on the network is using this IP. With some switching Ethernet hubs
this request could actually go back to the DS itself. The DS would then reply to
itself (again, through the hub), receive this reply and decide that somebody else
was, indeed, using this IP-address. This resulted in endless rejection of whatever
IP was offered by the DHCP server. The problem has been corrected: the DS now
checks the sender of ARP reply and ignores the reply if the sender was the DS
itself.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

191

Bug fix: when the DS received an on-the-fly command (network-side parameter)

that disabled RTS/CTS flow control (i.e. PFC0) this did not make any actual
changes and the DS continued to work with RTS/CTS enabled (although Status
(U) command reply indicated that flow control has been turned off). This has
now been corrected.
[V3.54 only] Bug fix: second-generation devices did not boot up when Ethernet
cable was unplugged in case DHCP (DH) setting was at 1 (enabled). The after
the cable was plugged in that the DS started to operate normally. This has now
been corrected.
Bug fix: Ethernet-to-serial buffer was erroneously set to 1024 bytes. This has
now been corrected and both routing buffers have equal capacity of 8192 bytes.
Bug fix: "type 1" escape sequence (see Soft Entry (SE) setting) for entering
the serial programming mode had a slight problem: time gap before the first
escape character was never counted. As a result, even when the time gap
between a data character with ASCII code matching that of escape character and
preceding data character was <100ms this was erroneously counted as the
beginning of escape sequence. For example, supposing that the following string
was sent into the serial port without any gaps: "ABC<<ABC" (< depicts escape
character). In this case the data routed to the network host would be "ABC<
DEF". In other words, one character would be lost! This has now been corrected.
Several minor fixes and adjustments were made to improve reliability of DS
operationg and (especially) network communications.
---------Release V3.16/3.51
Bug fix: serial port did not work properly with baudrate of 300bps
---------Release V3.15/3.51
Bug fix: several small issues related to Link Server communications
New: added support for dDNS (not thoroughly documented yet)
Adjustment: now Ethernet-to-serial buffer is not cleared when data connection is
closed
Adjustment: in DHCP now process "name field" so the DS also supplies its name
to the DHCP server
---------Release V3.14/3.51
Bug fix: several small fixes in TCP/IP protocol stack, related to UDP
communications
Bug fix: related to remote control of RTS/CTS lines
---------Release V3.13-BETA
Bug fix: several small fixes related to inband command processing
Bug fix: several small fixes in DHCP implementation
Improvement: adjusted TCP/IP protocol stack (several small issues)

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

192

Tibbo Document System

---------Release V3.12-BETA
Bug fixes: several minor adjustments in

DHCPimplementation

New: additional escape sequence, extended Soft Entry (SE) setting

New: accept out-of-band UDP commands on port 32767 also
New: extented Connection Mode (CM) setting- added options 2 (on
command) and 3 (on command or DSR=HIGH)
Adjustment: many small fixes and improvements in the TCP/IP protocol stack
New: processing of profiles (see "define your own default setting values")
New: add ability to send data UDP packets as broadcasts (when Destination
IP-address (DI) setting is 255.255.255.255)
New: optional password protection for on-the-fly commands (On-the-fly
Password (OP) setting)
---------Release V3.00-BETA
New: Connection Mode (CM) setting has been added (only with options 0 and
1)
Adjustment: multiple small improvements in TCP/IP stack, data routing
New: inband command processing
New: error mode added- now it is possible to setup the DS through the network
even when one or several settings are invalid
New: Echo (X) command extented to return status info
New: Logout (O) command to exit programming mode without rebooting
New: network programming source tracking. For example, in out-of-band UDP
programming make sure that all subsequent commands after login come from
the same IP
New: serial-side parameters and instructions (modem commands)
New: automatic login timeout for network programming
New: Buzz (B) command
New: Status (U) command
New: routing buffer overrun tracking, special pattern that reflects overruns
New: sequence numbers in out-of-band UDP commands (for "gang" command
execution)
New: serial-side parameters and instructions (modem commands)
New: escape sequence change: "silence gap" is now required before each escape
character
Bug fixes: several small issues related to serial commands
New: selection of particular device in the broadcast out-of-band mode using
Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command
New: DHCP support
New: quick initialization

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

193

Adjustment: Echo (X) command reply changed and extended

New: Data Login (DL) setting and command-phase programming
New: processing of broadcast UDP data packets and Broadcast UDP (BU)
setting
Adjustment: decrease total number of start and stop characters- now can only
have one of each
Adjustment: Status (U) command reply changed and extented
New: Add Link Server support
New: Notification (J) messages, Notification Destination (ND) setting,
Notification Bitmask (NB) setting
New: DTR Mode (DT) setting
---------Release V2.53
Serious bug fix: found that initialization routine for the network controller inside
the DS was wrong. This caused the network interface of the DS to not be
properly initialized. In practice, this looked like sporadic "disappearance" of the
DS from the network
---------Release V2.52
Adjustment: on startup verify and correct IP-address (IP) and MAC-address
(FE) if they are invalid. This makes sure that the DS will always be visible at
least on a local network segment
New: make Version (V) Command return "+N" if the NetLoader is present
---------Release V2.50
New: UDP broadcast storm protection. Now, under heavy load conditions the DS
selectively ignores broadcast messages thus making room for processing "useful"
UDP packets
New: Parity (PR) Setting gets 3 (Mark) and 4 (Space) parity options
Adjustment: TCP packet retransmission algorithm has been improved
Bug fix: several small things related to the data transmission with UDP/IP
---------Release V2.22 has been released
New: accept TCP "reconnects" from same IP but different port. Now, when TCP
connection is already established and new connection attempt is made from the
same IP the old connection will be "forgotten" and the new one will be accepted.
More on this here.
Adjustment: now firmware recognizes that when UDP packet arrives with its
checksum field set to zero this means that checksum is not set. Before such
packet would have been rejected and now it will be accepted
Bug fix: related to the TCP connection termination procedure

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

194

Tibbo Document System

---------Version 2.21 (original "base" version)

NetLoader (For Network Firmware Upgrades, V1.10)

The NetLoader is a separate firmware component that facilitated application
firmware upgrades over the network in the following devices: EM100-03,
DS100R-03, DS100B-00. Without the NetLoader the only way to upgrade the
application firmware of these devices would be through the serial port. Serial
upgrades are made possible by the Monitor, which is a "fixed" component that is
always present.
The NetLoader is not used in newer EM120-00, EM200-00, EM202-00, DS202-00
device(s). The firmware of these devices has the ability to self-upgrade itself, so
NetLoader is not required.
From the Monitor's point of view the NetLoader is just another application
firmware. Therefore, the NetLoader can be loaded into the DS through the serial
port of the DS. The NetLoader is written in such a way that it can coexist with an
actual application firmware so both can be present in the FLASH memory of the DS
at the same time.
To facilitate smooth interaction between the application firmware and the
NetLoader the following provisions are made:
The application firmware can verify the presence of the NetLoader and "jump"
(pass control) to the NetLoader when needed. This way the application firmware
can start its "self-upgrade".
The NetLoader can receive new firmware file from the network host over the
network, save this file into the FLASH memory of the DS, verify the presence of
and a validity of the application firmware and "jump" (pass control) to this
firmware.
To the User the above looks like a fully automatic self-upgrade of the application
firmware.

Status LED Signals

Status LED signaling of the NetLoader is very simple. When the NetLoader is
entered the Green Status LED is switched on. The LED remains on at all times
except when the data block is being programmed into the FLASH memory. The
Green Status LED is off for the duration of the data block programming. Visually
this makes the Green Status LED blink during the firmware file upload into the DS.

MAC- and IP-address Under the NetLoader

When the NetLoader is started it attempts to read out the values of the
IP-address (IP) setting and MAC-address (FE) setting used by the application
firmware. If the readout is successful the NetLoader uses current values of these
settings and this means that the DS continues running under the same IP and MAC
that was just used by the application firmware.
Although all efforts have been taken to make sure that the DS continues running
under the NetLoader using the same IP- and MAC-address there are few cases
when the NetLoader may not be able to read out one or both of the above settings
successfully (for example, when the data in the EEPROM memory that keeps
setting values was corrupted).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

195

The following happens in this situation:

When the NetLoader is unable to read out the IP-address (IP) setting it
assumes a default IP-address of 127.0.0.1.
When the NetLoader is unable to read out the MAC-address (FE) setting it
assumes a default MAC-address of 0.1.2.3.4.5.

NetLoader Communications
Communications with the NetLoader is effected by sending programming
commands as UDP datagrams to port 65535 of the DS. For each command the
NetLoader sends a reply, also in the form of a UDP datagram. Reply to a particular
command is always sent to the IP-address and the port number from which this
command was received.
Because each command and reply is sent in its own UDP datagram no additional
encapsulation is necessary.
All NetLoader commands have the following format:
C.C.

Optional parameter(s)

C.C. is the command code. Command code always consists of a single ASCII
character. All available commands and their codes are listed in the command table
at available commands.
Optional parameter(s) field contains necessary data if required by the
command.
All NetLoader replies have the following format:
R.C.

Optional data

R.C. is the reply code. Reply codes always consist of a single ASCII character and
inform the sender of the command about the result of command execution.
Optional Data field contains necessary data (if any).
Example: here is a sample exchange between the network host and the DS
running NetLoader. Each line represents the data in a separate UDP datagram.
Host-->DS(NetLoader): V
DS(NetLoader)-->Host: A<NV1.10 Netloader>
This method of exchanging commands and replies is exactly the same as the one
used by the application firmware of the DS where it is called out-of-band (UDP)
programming. UDP communications with the application firmware and the
NetLoader are the same except for the following small differences:
Latest versions of the application firmware accept UDP commands on two ports65535 and 32767. The NetLoader can only accept UDP commands on port
32767.
To speed up command execution the application firmware accepts multiple UDP
commands (this is based on using additional command ID field). The NetLoader
doesn't supports this feature and all commands should be sent strictly
one-by-one i.e. the network host should not intentionally send the next
command without first receiving (waiting for) a reply to the previous command.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

196

Tibbo Document System

Except for the above two differences UDP communications with the NetLoader is
the same as UDP communications with the application firmware. Just like the
application firmware, the NetLoader supports broadcadt UDP programming, which
is initiated by the Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command. There are other
commands that have similar or identical "parallel" commands in the application
firmware- Echo (X) command, Verify and Start Firmware (E) command, Get
Firmware Version (V) command.
UDP programming is called (in the Application Firmware Manual) out-of-band
(UDP) programming because there is also inband (TCP) programming that relies on
TCP communications with the DS. Because of size constraints the NetLoader
doesn't support TCP communications and the only available method of exchanging
commands and replies is the one based on UDP commands.

How the NetLoader is Started

The NetLoader is started in one of the two ways:
If the application firmware is not loaded or corrupted the Monitor starts the
NetLoader automatically when the DS is powered up (see DS startup procedure).
When the application firmware is running remote host can make the application
firmware jump (pass control) to the NetLoader by sending a Jump To
Netloader (N) command.
In both cases the presence and validity of the NetLoader is verified before the
control is passed to it.
The network host can verify whether the application firmware or the NetLoader is
running by sending the Echo (X) command [application firmware/ NetLoader
]. This command is supported by both firmware components but returns different
replies. Specifically, there is an m (mode) flag that is set to 'N' by the application
firmware but to 'L' by the NetLoader.

Firmware Upload Procedure

The network host should use the following procedure in order to upload
an application firmware file into the DS:
First, it is necessary to verify if the NetLoader is already running. This is done by
sending the Echo (X) command [application firmware/ NetLoader] and
checking the m flag in the reply data (see how the NetLoader is started). If the
NetLoader is not started yet then the following steps should be taken:
The network host should login (if not logged in yet) using the Login (L)
command;
Next, the network host should send Jump To Netloader (N) command. This
will start the NetLoader
It is better to verify that the NetLoader is, indeed, running, by sending
another Echo (X) command and checking the status of the m flag.
Once the NetLoader is started the network host should send Start Over (Q)
command to reset the data upload process.
Then, the network host should issue as many Data Block (D) commands as
necessary to upload the entire firmware file.
When the upload is completed the host should send the Verify and Start

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

197

Firmware (E) command to start the newly loaded firmware. The host should
wait about 2 seconds (to allow the firmware to start) before proceeding to the
next step.
As the last step of the procedure it is better to issue the Echo (X) command
again to verify that the new firmware is, indeed, running.
The above procedure is, of course, simplified, as it does not take into account all
kind of possible errors that can potentially arise practically on every step of the
firmware upload. The "entity" performing the upgrade should carefully analyse the
result of every step in the above procedure and correctly react to different error
codes returned by the DS.
Also, the procedure above doesn't show the use of the Select In Broadcast Mode
(W) command that provides a way to program the DS whose IP-address is
unreachable (see broadcadt UDP programming for explanation). The NetLoader
also support a similar command (see Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command
). Important point to realize is that since the NetLoader is a separate firmware
component the Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command should be used twice:
The W command should be used to first time before sending the Login (L)
command and Jump To Netloader (N) command. This will pre-select the DS
for broadcast access while still in the application firmware.*
The W command should be used the second time when the NetLoader starts,
before starting the file upload (Start Over (Q) command, Data Block (D)
commands, and Verify and Start Firmware (E) command)*.
* These commands should, of course, be sent as UDP broadcasts in this case.

Available Commands
Table below lists all available NetLoader commands:
C.C.
X
W
S
D
E
V

B
+
+

Description
Echo command
Select In Broadcast Mode command
Start Over command
Data Block command
Verify And Start Firmware command
Get Firmware Version command

Notes:
C.C.- command codes.
B- '+' in this column indicates that command can be issued in the broadcast mode
(when sent through the network) without the need to pre-select a particular DS
using Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command first.

Command
Description Format
3.3.6.1
All commands in this section are described using the following format:
Function:

Command function in brief

Command format:

Shows command syntax

Possible replies:

Lists all possible reply status codes that can be

returned in response to this command

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

198

Tibbo Document System

See also:

Additional relevant links

Details
Additional information about the command.

Echo (X)
command
3.3.6.2
Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Returns NetLoader status

Command format:

Possible replies:

Annn.nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn/ppppp/m, where
nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn- MAC-address of the
DS;
ppppp- fixed at "65535";
m- fixed to 'L' (means that the NetLoader, not the
application firmware is running).

See also:

How the NetLoader is started, Echo (X)

commandin the application firmware

Details
The primary use of the Echo command is to auto-discover Device Servers on the
network and to verify that the NetLoader is running. When the network host sends
this command in the broadcast mode, it collects the replies from all locally
attached Device Servers (hence, the name of the command). Reply from each DS
contains all necessary information (MAC-address, etc.) that is needed to continue
communicating with each specific DS in a non-broadcast mode. This command has
its counterpart in the application firmware (see Echo (X) command).
Information returned by the Echo command contains the following data:
MAC-address is the most important field that can be used to uniquely identify
each DS! Besides, the MAC-address is used (and, therefore, must be known in
advance) as a reference to the particular DS in the Select In Broadcast Mode
(W) command.
Data port number field is fixed at 65535. The NetLoader doesn't use any data
ports so this field is provided for format compatibility with the Echo (X)
command in the application firmware.
m flag always returns 'L'. This is meant to indicate that the NetLoader is
running. In contrast, when the application firmware is running this flag shows
'N'.
* This is because each DS, like any other Ethernet device, has a unique
MAC-address preset during the production.

Select In
Broadcast Mode (W) command
3.3.6.3
Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Selects the DS as the target in

communications

broadcast

Command format:

Ammm.mmm.mmm.mmm.mmm.mmm, where

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

199

mmm.mmm.mmm.mmm.mmm.mmmMAC-address of the target DS

Possible replies:

Avv...v, where vv...v is the version string

See also:

Firmware upload procedure, Broadcast out-of-band

(UDP) programming, Select In Broadcast Mode
(W) command of the application firmware

Details
Select In Broadcast Mode command has exactly the same function as the
Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command of the application firmware.
This command is used to pre-select a certain DS for subsequent firmware upload.
Only few NetLoader commands (such as Echo (X)) are accepted when sent in
broadcast UDP datagrams. All other commands are only accepted if they address a
specific DS. Such specific addressing normally involves sending UDP datagrams
with the IP-address of the targeted DS as the destination (i.e. non-broadcast
datagrams). This requires the IP-address of the DS to be reachable.
Select In Broadcast Mode command provides a way around this. Target DS,
referenced by its MAC-address, is first pre-selected using this command. After
that, all broadcast commands that are normally ignored when sent as broadcasts,
are not ignored and processed by this pre-selected DS.
When Select In Broadcast Mode command is issued all devices whose
MAC-addresses do not match the target MAC-address supplied in the command
body de-select themselves. This means that to switch onto working with another
DS in the broadcast mode you need to send the new Select In Broadcast Mode
command with the new target MAC-address. This will pre-select a different DS
while at the same time de-selecting the DS that was selected before. To de-select
all DS on the network send Select In Broadcast Mode command with no
MAC-address field.
This command only influences which DS responds when it is addressed using
broadcast UDP commands. Command has no influence over commands sent using
normal IP addressing.
The only possible reply to this command is OK (A). It is issued by the DS that has
recognised its MAC-address in the command body. If no DS on the local network
recognizes its MAC then there will be no reply received to this command.
Select In Broadcast Mode command should be issued (when necessary) right
after the NetLoader is started as all subsequent commands, such as Start Over
(Q), Data Block (D), and Verify And Start Firmware (E) won't work when send
as broadcasts without prior pre-selection.
It is important to understand that W command should be used within the
NetLoader even if it has already been used in the application firmware before the
NetLoader was started. This is because the application firmware and the NetLoader
are separate firmware components and the pre-selection made in the application
firmware will not be "passed" to the NetLoader.

Start Over
(Q) command
3.3.6.4
Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Initializes (reset) firmware file upload

Command format:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

200

Tibbo Document System

Possible replies:

See also:

Firmware upload procedure

Details
Start Over command is used to reset the firmware upload. This resents internal
data block counter of the NetLoader and the first Data Block (D) command will
be expected to carry data block 0.
This command is recommended to be used after the NetLoader is started to make
sure that the upload process is properly initialized.

Data Block
(D) command
3.3.6.5
Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Supplies one 128-byte block of firmware file to the

NetLoader

Command format:

Dnndd...d, where
nn- block number (binary format, two bytes, high
byte first);
dd...d- 128 bytes of file data.

Possible replies:

Ann, Cnn, Snn, Onn, Inn, Fnn, where nn is the

number of the next expected data block (binary
format, two bytes, high byte first)

See also:

Firmware upload procedure

Details
Data Block command carries a 128-byte block of application firmware file. Entire
application firmware file is to be uploaded using multiple Data Block commands
and the NetLoader expects that the firmware file size will consist of an integer
number of 128-byte blocks.
The data blocks must be sent in consecutive order i.e. the first block (block 0)
must carry first 128 bytes of the firmware file, block 1 should supply next 128
bytes, etc. Because NetLoader communications is based on UDP commands and
UDP packets can get lost each data block is sent with its own block number. This
way the NetLoader can make sure that all data blocks received are in sequence.
The nn field in the command body carries the block number. The block number is
supplied in a binary form. Since block numbers can exceed 255 two bytes are
needed for the block number. High byte goes first so, for example, to denote block
#300 the first two bytes should be 01H 2CH. Block numbers start from 0.
Following two block number bytes are 128 bytes of firmware file data. Again, the
data is supplied in a binary form, that is, a part of the firmware file is "cut out" and
attached to the command.
Like all other commands, the Data Block command returns an appropriate reply
status code. The difference is that all reply status codes are followed by the
number of the next expected data block. Next data block is present even in replies
indicating that the command was not processed successfully. In this case the next
expected data block simply remains the same (is not incremented). If the
command was completed successfully the nn field in the reply will "point at" the
next data block to be sent. For example, if the nn field in the command was 300
(01H 2CH) and the command was completed successfully the reply will have the

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware Manuals

201

nn field of 301 (01H 2DH). If command failed the nn field in the reply will still be
at 300 (01H 2DH).
OK (A) reply status code is returned if the data block was programmed
successfully or if the Data Block command has carried a data block that has
already been programmed. That is, if the NetLoader expects the block number to
be 10 and the network host supplies block 5 the NetLoader will reply with A code
and discard this data block.
Error (C) reply status code is returned if the total length of nn and dd...d fields
in the command is not 130 bytes.
Sequence Error (S) reply code is returned if the NetLoader receives the data
block with nn field greater than the one expected (for example, block 7 when block
6 was expected).
Out-of-range (O) reply code is returned if the total size of the firmware file
received by the NetLoader exceeds the size detected in the beginning of the file
upload. Total file size information is contained in the firmware file itself (in block
1). For example, if the file size was expected to be 40064 bytes then the total
number of data blocks had to be 40064/128=313. Therefore, the range of
expected data block numbers is 0...312. The NetLoader will return the O code if
any data block with the number greater than 312 is received.
Invalid Data (I) reply code is retuned if the NetLoader detects that the file data
sent by the network host is invalid. This can only be generated for data blocks 0
and 1. These blocks contain certain "service" information (such as the total file
size- see above) that the NetLoader checks to make sure that the firmware file
being uploaded is acceptable.
Failed (F) reply code is returned if the NetLoader fails to program the data block
into the FLASH memory of the DS.
We recommend that the network host sends the Start Over (Q) command before
beginning file upload with the Data Block commands.

Verify And
Start Firmware (E) command
3.3.6.6
Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Verifies and starts the application firmware

Command format:

Possible replies:

See also:

Firmware upload procedure, Reboot (E)

command of the application firmware

Details
Verify And Start Firmware command instructs the NetLoader to verify the
checksum of the application firmware and, if OK, to start application firmware
execution. This command is similar to the Reboot (E) commandof the
application firmware in that it ends the execution of the current firmware
(NetLoader).
Invalid (I) reply code is returned if the checksum is wrong and the NetLoader
continues running. No reply is returned if the checksup is OK, the NetLoader simply
passes control to the application firmware.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

202

Tibbo Document System

This command should be used as the last step of the firmware upload through the
network.

Get Firmware
3.3.6.7Version (V) command
Description (see command description format info here)
Function:

Returns the version of this NetLoader

Command format:

Possible replies:

Avv...v, where vv...v is the version string

See also:

Get Firmware Version (V) command in the

application firmware

Details
Get Firmware Version command returns the version of this NetLoader. This
command is similar to the Get Firmware Version (V) command of the
application firmware.
The version string is always encapsulated in '<' and '>', begins with the version
number in NVx.xx format, and possibly contains a small comment after a space.
"N" in front stands for "NetLoader".
Example:
-->DS:
DS-->:

V
A<NV1.10 Netloader>

Software Manuals
This part of the documentation describes all PC software supplied by Tibbo.
At the moment, two software packages are available:
Device Server Toolkit (DST) software for Windows, currently in its V3.6.6 (
revision history).
Virtual Serial Port Driver for LINUX (VSPDL), current version is 1.0.
LinkServer software, current version is 2.0.

Device Server Toolkit (DST) Software for Windows

(Release 3.9.82)
Looking for Device Server Toolkit (DST) revision history? Click here
Tibbo Device Server Toolkit (DST) for Windows is supplied free of charge with all
Device Servers manufactured by Tibbo. The DST runs under all versions of
Windows* starting from Windows 98. At the time of writing this includes Windows
98, Me, NT(SP4), 2000, XP, 2003 (server).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

203

The Device Server Toolkit includes five components:

Device Server Manager (DS Manager) is used to locate, setup, manage,
monitor, and upgrade Tibbo Device Servers. The DS Manager works with all Tibbo
Device Servers, regardless of their model number and internal firmware version.
Virtual Serial Port Driver* (VSPD) powers Virtual Serial Ports (VSPs) that are
used to network-enable legacy serial systems. To any Windows application the
VSP "looks and feels" just like any standard COM port, while in reality the VSP is
transparently routing the data between the application and the serial port of the
Device Server.
Virtual Serial Port Manager (VSP Manager) is used to add, delete, and setup
VSPs. The VSPD and the VSP Manager are different entities (one is a driver,
another one- a setup utility). This Manual offers combined description of the two
and all VSPD features are explained "through" the VSP Manager and its dialogs.
Port Monitor is a supplementary program that logs the activity of VSPs on your
system. Every action of the VSP (port opening, port closing, establishing
connection with a particular Device Server, etc.) is recorded by the Port Monitor.
This makes the Monitor an indispensable debugging tool that can be used to
pinpoint VSP-related problems.
Connection Wizard assists you in setting up typical data links involving Tibbo
Device Servers and Virtual Serial Ports. Although the description of the Connection
Wizard comes last in this Manual this is the program you should probably try out
first. Chances are, this will be the only program of the DST you'll ever use!
* Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
* Also known as "COM redirector".

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

204

Tibbo Document System

DS Manager
Device Server Manager (DS Manager) is a part of the Device Server
Toolkit.
The DS Manager is used to locate, setup, manage, monitor, and
upgrade Tibbo Device Servers ("DS").
Shown below is the screenshot of the DS Manager's main window. Click on the
picture area to jump to the related topic or select the topic from the list under the
screenshot.

The main window has the following areas and controls:

Access mode tabs provide a selection of three different access modes (
auto-discovery, address book, and serial). Access modes define how the DS
Manager locates and accesses the Device Servers.
Device list. The data shown in the device list depends on the selected access
mode. The status icons displayed in the auto-discovery and address book access
modes reflect the current state of each DS in the list.
Status area. When you select a different access mode this area displays a brief
mode introduction. Single-clicking on a particular DS in the device list displays
extended information about the current status of this DS (auto-discovery and
address book access modes only).
Refresh button is used to refresh the device list (auto-discovery and address
book access modes only)
Actions of the following function buttons apply to a single DS (or COM port to
which this DS is connected) selected in the device list:
Settings button opens the settings dialog that allows you to view and edit the
settings of a particular DS;
Upgrade button launches the upgrade of the internal DS firmware;

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

205

Initialize button is used to initialize the settings of the DS to their default

values;
Routing Status button (auto-discovery and address book access modes only)
opens the routing status dialog that displays additional information on the
current DS state (data connection state, amount of data in the routing buffers,
serial port setup, etc.);
Buzz button (auto-discovery and address book access modes only) causes the
status LEDs of the DS to "play" a fast-blinking pattern. This can be used to
match a particular entry in the device list to an actual physical device;
Change IP button (auto-discovery mode only) is used to assign new
IP-address to the DS over the network (using MAC-address of the DS as a
reference).
Add, Remove, Edit and Groups buttons are used to edit the address book
(address book is a manually created list of Device Servers in the address book
access mode) and to manage device groups. Add button is visible both in the
auto-discovery and address book access modes, while Remove, Edit and Groups
buttons are only visible in the address book access mode.
Find button is used to find a DS on the list, and is visible both in the
auto-discovery and address book access modes.

DS Status
Icons
4.1.1.1
Status field of the device list (available in the auto-discovery and address book
access modes) displays a status icon for each DS. The status icon reflects current
DS state and is updated each time the Refresh button is pressed. Listed below are
all DS states that may be reflected in the device list.
The following two states can only be displayed in the address book mode:
---

When no icon is displayed for an address book entry then this means that
there was no response to the PING sent by the DS Manager. This indicates
that there is no device whatsoever at the IP-address specified by the address
book entry. For more information see troubleshooting (address book mode).
Unknown device. This icon means that there was a response to the PING
sent by the DS Manager (which proves that there is at least some device at
the specified IP-address) but that the DS Manager cannot make sure that this
is really a Tibbo Device Server. For more information see troubleshooting
(address book mode).

Note. The reason why the above two states can only be encountered in the
address book access mode is because in the auto-discovery mode the device list
only displays Tibbo Device Servers that have actually responded to the refresh.
All remaining icons may be displayed both in the auto-discovery and address book
access modes.
The status icon consists of three parts:
The central part depicts the DS and reflects its general status and well-being:
No status info available. The DS is running old firmware (2.xx or older)
and the status information cannot be obtained remotely.
Normal state. The DS is online and appears to function properly.
Error mode. The DS is running in the error mode and requires initialization;

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

206

Tibbo Document System

IP-address not obtained. The DS is online but hasn't yet obtained its
IP-address from the DHCP server (when the DHCP (DH) setting is 1
(enabled)). In this state the DS is not performing its data routing function. If
the DS is also in the error mode (see above) at the same time then it is the
error mode status that will be shown by the icon;
Firmware upload mode. The DS is in the firmware upload mode and is
ready to accept new firmware file. If the DS enters this mode right after the
powerup then this means that no firmware is loaded or that the firmware is
corrupted.
Left part of the icon shows current data connection status:
---

Idle. No data connection is established, the DS is idle (so no icon is

displayed);
ARP. The DS is sending ARP requests in order to find the MAC-address of the
destination network host (or gateway) before attempting to establish a data
connection;
Opening. TCP data connection is being established. This icon cannot be
displayed for the UDP transport protocol since there is no connection
establishment phase for UDP data "connections";
Established (or being closed), no overrun. TCP data connection or UDP
UDP data "connection" is established or TCP connection is being closed (there
is not connection closing phase for UDP). Routing buffer overflow is not
detected (within current data connection).
Established (or being closed), overrun detected. Same as the above
but routing buffer (Ethernet-to-serial and/or serial-to-Ethernet) overflow has
been detected.
Reset. TCP data connection has been reset by the network host (not the DS
itself). This icon cannot be displayed for UDP data "connections".

Right part of the icon displays current programming status:

---

No programming. The serial port of the DS is not in the serial programming

mode and no network programming session* is opened;
Programming in progress. Either the serial port of the DS is in the serial
programming mode or network programming session* has been opened.

Central, left, and right icon parts described above are combined into a single status
icon.
Example: the following "combination" icon means that the DS is running in the
error mode, data connection is currently established (but no overrun has been
detected), and some form of programming (either serial or network) is in progress:

In addition to different states described above the whole status icon can be
displayed in full color or grayed (see sample icons below). This only applies to local
Device Servers and the auto-discovery mode).
Full color. This means that the DS Manager can communicate with the
DS using "normal" IP addressing.
Grayed**. When the status icon is grayed then this means that the DS
Manager can see the DS but cannot communicate with the DS using
normal IP-addressing. Full details on what this means are provided in the
following topics: broadcast access, troubleshooting (auto-discovery

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

207

mode).
Additional (and more full) status information for the selected DS (i.e. the DS whose
line is highlighted in the device list) is displayed in the status area below the device
list. For example, while the status icon may show that some sort of programming is
in progress the status area message will detail that the "UDP network programming
session is in progress". Each status message has a clickable link that opens a
corresponding help topic (all such topics can be found at DS status messages).
Programmer's info:
The DS Manager collects DS status information (and detects DS presence) using
the Echo (X) command.
* More info on network programming sessions can be found in the following topics:
authentication, programming priorities.
** Actually, "watered down" as colors can still be distinguished.

Access4.1.1.2
Modes
The DS Manager has three fundamental modes of operation, called access modes,
that define how it finds, connects to and works with Device Servers. Desired access
mode is selected from the access mode drop-down box, located at the top of the
main window of the DS Manager (see figure below):

Available access modes are:

Auto-Discovery In this mode the DS Manager automatically finds all local
Device Servers* and displays them in the device list (remote Device Servers
located behind one or several routers cannot be auto-discovered). Device list is
updated each time Refresh button is pressed, only devices that have actually
responded to the refresh appear in the list.
Address Book In this mode the list of available Device Servers- called "the
address book"- is created manually by the User and the DS Manager does not
attempt to locate Device Servers automatically. Device list displays all entries
from the address book at all times, even if corresponding Device Servers are not
online. Actual availability of each Device Server is reflected in the status icon for
this DS. In this mode the DS Manager can communicate both with local and

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

208

Tibbo Document System

remote Device Servers (i.e. located behind the routers on different network
segments)**. Since local Device Servers can easily be accessed using the
auto-discovery mode the primary use of the address book mode is to access
remote Device Servers.
Serial Access In this mode the DS Manager communicates with the DS
connected (by its serial port) to the COM port of the PC. Device list displays all
available physical COM ports of the PC and the refresh button is hidden. Since
the DS is accessed through its serial port it must be in the serial programming
mode for this access method to work. Therefore, the User must press the setup
button*** to make the DS enter the serial programming mode before the DS
Manager will be able to access the DS.
Note:
Status LEDs of the DS are playing a serial
programming mode pattern (shown on the left) when
the serial port of the DS is in the serial programming
mode (click here to see all available patterns).
* I.e. the Device Servers located on the same network segment. The definition of
the network segment implies that there are only network hubs (and no routers,
bridges, firewalls, etc.) between the PC and all other devices on the segment.
** Ability to access remote Device Servers also depends on the configuration of the
network, routers, and Device Servers.
*** On EM100, EM120, EM200, EM202, EM1000- pull the MD line LOW for at least
100ms.

Auto-Discovery Access Mode

Can't find your Device Server in the device list of the auto-discovery
mode?
The status icon is grayed indicating that the IP-address of this DS is
"unreachable"?
See troubleshooting!
Auto-discovery access mode is selected by choosing "Local Device Servers
(Auto-discovery by broadcast)" from the access mode drop-down box, located at
the top of the DS Manager's main window.
In this mode the DS Manager finds all local Device Servers* automatically. Device
Servers located behind the routers (remote Device Servers) cannot be
auto-discovered by the DS Manager because broadcast UDP datagrams used to find
the Device Servers on the network cannot pass through routers. Address book
access mode should be used to work with remote Device Servers.
All discovered Device Servers are displayed in the device list. Each DS is uniquely
identified by its MAC-address which is different for every DS manufactured. The
device list will correctly display all local Device Servers even if some of them have
the same IP-address, as well as devices whose IP-address is unreachable. Correctly
configured IP-address is not required for the DS Manager to be able to access local
Device Servers in the auto-discovery mode (see broadcast access for more
information).
Device list is updated each time Refresh button is pressed. Only Device Servers
that have replied to the DS Manager's request appear in the list, the DS Manager
does not "remember" previous refresh results. Status area under the device list

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

209

displays extended status information for the DS selected in the list.

In the auto-discovery mode the device list has the following fields:
DS status icon. See DS status icons for more information.
MAC-address of the DS. It is the MAC, not the IP-address, that uniquely
identifies each DS in the list.
IP-address of the DS. Comment next to the IP-address shows that this device is
local (same for all devices in the list since auto-discovery mode only shows local
Device Servers). If the DS is running with DHCP enabled the note "DHCP" is also
displayed next to the IP-address (as in line 2 of the screenshot above). As you
can see from the screenshot, correct IP-address is not required for the DS to be
discovered. IP-address in line 4 is invalid yet the DS Manager can "see" this DS
as well.
Owner name and device name fields displays the data from the Owner Name
(ON) and Device Name (DN) settings of the DS. The purpose of these settings
is to simplify distinguishing between the Device Servers in the device list.
Device list of the auto-discovery mode is sorted by MAC-address, then by
IP-address. You can change the sorting order by clicking on any of the headers.
Programmer's info:
When the Refresh button is pressed the DS Manager sends out a broadcast Echo
(X) command. This command reaches all local Device Servers, even the ones with
unreachable IP-address. Devices shown in the device list are those that have
replied to the broadcast
* I.e. the Device Servers located on the same network segment. The definition of
the network segment implies that there are only network hubs (and no routers,
bridges, firewalls, etc.) between the PC and all other devices on the segment.

Broadcast Access
In the auto-discovery access mode the DS Manager can detect and access all local
Device Servers, even those whose IP-address is "unreachable" (incompatible with
the network settings of the PC, conflicts with the same IP-address set on another
Ethernet device, etc.).
Device Servers with unreachable IP-address are accessed using broadcast

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

210

Tibbo Document System

communications (broadcasts do not depend on the IP-address of the device in any
way)*. The downside of this method is that broadcasts cannot pass through the
routers so only local Device Servers can be accessed this way (hence, the method
is only used in the auto-discovery mode).
Devices with unreachable IP-address are displayed in the device list
with their status icon "grayed" (see sample icon on the left). For
complete list of all icons please turn to DS status icons.
Note, that conditions that cause the IP-address of the DS to appear to be
unreachable may be temporary. See troubleshooting (auto-discovery mode) for
details.
Programmer's info:
The DS Manager determines which Device Servers can be accessed using "normal"
IP-addressing (and which- cannot) by performing the following procedure:
When the Refresh button is pressed (in the auto-discovery mode) the DS
Manager sends out a broadcast Echo (X) command. This command reaches all
local Device Servers, even the ones with unreachable IP-address. Devices shown
in the device list are those that have replied to the broadcast.
Next, the DS Manager sends out non-broadcast Echo (X) commands directly
addressing each DS in the device list (so as many commands are sent as there
are devices detected in the previous step). If there is a reply to a command
addressing a particular DS then the DS Manager considers the IP-address of this
device to be reachable. Otherwise, the DS Manager marks this DS as having an
unreachable IP-address and accesses it using broadcasts.
The ability to access and program Device Servers using broadcast communications
is delivered through the use of the Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command.
You can also read about how this works in the following topic: Broadcast
out-of-band commands.
* Broadcast programming is not supported by Device Servers with the older
firmware (earlier than V3.xx). Such Devices must be assigned a reachable
IP-address before they can be accessed by the DS Manager.

Troubleshooting (Auto-Discovery Mode)

This topic provides a list of hints that can help you figure out why you cannot "find"
your Device Server in the device list of the DS Manager or why the DS is shown as
having an unreachable IP-address (status icon is "grayed"). The topic only covers
the auto-discovery access mode. See troubleshooting (address book mode) and
troubleshooting (COM mode) for hints on other two access modes.
Here is why you may not be able to see the DS in the device list:
The DS may be switched off or not connected to the network*.
The DS may not be on the local network segment. In the auto-discovery access

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

211

mode the DS Manager can only "see" Device Servers on the same network
segment as your PC (local Device Servers). Remote Device Servers located
behind routers (firewalls, etc.) cannot be accessed. Use address book access
mode to work with remote Device Servers.
Firewall software on your PC may be preventing communications between the DS
Manager and Device Servers. This communications relies on UDP traffic between
port 65534 of the PC and port 65535 of the Device Servers. Make sure that your
firewall software does not ban this traffic! Our experience shows that many Users
are not aware of the firewall software installed on their own PCs! Some firewalls
come as part of larger "protection" suites (anti-virus, anti-intrusion, etc.
programs). Some operating systems, such as Windows XP, include the firewall
software too!
If your DS is running an older firmware (V2.xx) then it will not be accessible
through the network and visible to the DS Manager in the following cases:
When the DS is in the serial programming mode
(status LEDs of the DS "play" the pattern as shown on
the left)**;
When the DS is in the error mode (status LEDs of the
DS "play" the pattern as shown on the left)**.
This does not apply to the Device Servers running DS firmware V3.xx or higher.
In this firware the DS is visible on the network at all times.
If there are many devices shown in the device list the DS you are looking for
may actually be in the list! A very useful buzz feature allows you to match device
list entries to their actual physical Device Servers. Use this function and you will
probably "find" your DS (buzz feature is only supported by DS firmware V3.xx or
higher).
Here is why the DS may be shown in the device list as having an
unreachable IP-address:
Because the IP-address of the DS is really unreachable. This means that it is
outside of the IP-address range defined for the subnet to which your PC is
connected. For example, if the IP-address of your PC is 192.168.100.30 and the
netmask is 255.255.255.0 then your local subnet has the IP-address range from
192.168.100.1 to 192.168.100.254***. So, if you connect the DS to the local
network segment and set its IP-address to 192.168.100.40 then the DS Manager
will be able to access this DS. If you set the IP-address to 192.168.10.40 then
your PC will decide that this IP-address is on some other subnet and will relate
all communications (related to this IP) to the "default gateway". This means that
network packets addressing this DS won't even be released into the network to
which the DS is physically connected.
Because the DS Manager has cached a different MAC-address for the IP-address
currently assigned to the DS in question. This can happen if you connect
different Device Servers one by one to the same network segment and then
assign the same IP-address to each Device Server. This is often reported by our
Users that want to pre-program or test several Device Servers. What happens
here is that after the first DS is detected/accessed by the DS Manager the PC
finds out the MAC-address that corresponds to the IP-address of the DS****. If
you quickly connect another DS in place of the first one and assign the same
IP-address to it the PC won't bother to "resolve" the IP-address again and will
attempt to communicate with the "cached" MAC-address instead. Since MACs are
unique for each DS the DS Manager won't be able to communicate with the new

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

212

Tibbo Document System

DS using "normal" IP-addressing. This problem will be resolved automatically
after IP-MAC mapping data kept by the PC expires (about 20 minutes later). If
your task is to pre-program/test several Device Servers then you don't have to
wait until this happens- the DS Manager automatically chooses broadcast access
for Device Servers that (temporarily) cannot be addressed using their
IP-address.
Because the IP-address of the DS is the same as the IP-address of some other
device on the network segment. The best way to find out if this is so is to switch
the DS off and try to PING the IP-address in question. If you still get PING replies
then this means there is some other network device that is using this IP!
Because of the firewall software installed on your PC. We have seen cases when
the DS Manager could discover the Device Servers (broadcast UDP
communications to port 65535 were allowed) but could not address these
devices using normal IP addressing (non-broadcast UDP communications to port
65535 were blocked). When this is the cause of the problem all of your devices
will be seen in the DS Manager with grayed icons.
* Really sorry for this "hint"... it's just that this is the root cause of many problems!
** See status LED signals for the full list of all available patterns.
*** .0 and .255 are not allowed in principle.
**** MAC-address is an actual physical network address used by all Ethernet
devices. When connecting to the target device with a specified IP-address the
"connectee" first finds out what MAC-address corresponds to the targeted
IP-address. This way IP-addresses are mapped onto the MAC-addresses. This
process is called "address resolution" and is performed using a special Address
Resolution Protocol (ARP). Mapping information is memorized ("cached") by the PC
and is remembered for about 20 minutes. The information is reused until it expires.
This means that instead of using the ARP again the PC simply uses cached data
instead.

Address Book Access Mode

Can't access your Device Server in the address book mode?
The device list shows "no response" or "unknown device" status?
See troubleshooting!

Address book access mode is selected by choosing the "Address Book" tab in DS
Manager's main window.
In this mode the DS Manager displays a manually created list ("the address book")
of Device Servers. Each entry in the list specifies the IP-address (and port number)
at which the DS is (supposed to be) located or through which the DS can be
accessed. The address book is edited using three buttons - Add, Remove, and Edit.
You can also divide the book into Device Groups, which can be managed via the
Groups button.
Address book mode allows the DS Manager to communicate both with local and
remote Device Servers (i.e. located behind the routers)*. Since local Device
Servers can easily be accessed using the auto-discovery access modethe primary
use of the address book mode is to access remote Device Servers.
Modern routers offer a bewildering array of routing arrangements and security
(firewall) options. To adjust for all this complexity the address book mode provides
a flexibility of defining access parameters separately for each entry in the list. This

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

213

includes, apart from the IP-address, the access method and the access port
number.
In the address book mode the device list always displays all entries from the
currently active group in the address book (this is different from the auto-discovery
mode which only shows online devices). Each time Refresh button is pressed the
DS Manager verifies which Device Servers are online and reflects this by displaying
an appropriate icon for each entry in the list. Status area under the device list
displays extended status information for the DS selected in the list.

In the address book mode the device list has the following fields:
Group listbox allows you to select and manage Address Book device groups.
See Managing Address Book Groups (Groups button).
DS status icon. See DS status icons for more information. Since the address
book consists of addresses, not actual devices, there is no guarantee that there
is definitely a functioning DS at each specified location. On the sample
screenshot above no device is found at location specified by line 3 (no status icon
displayed) and unknown device (not a Tibbo Device Server) is found at location
specified by line 4 ( is displayed).
IP-address of the DS itself or the forwarding IP-address on the router through
which this DS can be accessed (this depends on the router setup**). Comment
next to the IP-address shows whether the DS is local (otherwise it is remote). If
the DS is running with DHCP enabled the note "DHCP" is also displayed next to
the IP-address.
Access method and programming port number of the DS itself or the
forwarding port on the router through which this DS can be accessed (this
depends on the router setup**). Access parameters for the address book mode
topic provides detailed info on the subject.
Owner name and device name fields displays the data from the Owner Name
(ON) and Device Name (DN) settings of the DS. The purpose of these settings
is to simplify distinguishing between the Device Servers in the device list.
Comment field (unlike owner name and device name) is associated with the
address book entry and is stored on the PC.
Device list of the address book mode is not sorted and is kept in the original order
of entry. You can sort the list by clicking on the field headers (Status, IP, Access,

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

214

Tibbo Document System

etc).
Programmer's info:
In the address book access mode broadcast commands are not used. Clicking
Refresh button makes the DS "poll" each address book entry individually. Polling
consists of sending a PING and (if there is a reply to the PING) an Echo (X)
command. If there is no reply to the PING no response status is displayed for this
DS. If there is a reply to the PING but no reply to the Echo (X) command then
the DS Manager assumes that this is an unknown device.
Notice that address book entries with inband access method are not polled at all
when you click Refresh (see access parameters for the address book mode).
* Ability to access remote Device Servers also depends on the configuration of the
network, routers, and Device Servers.
** Here we touch on a very complicated subject. Modern routers offer a
bewildering array of setup options. See AN009. WAN Basics for further details.

Access Parameters for the Address Book Mode

Modern routers offer a bewildering array of routing arrangements and security
(firewall) options*. To adjust for all this complexity the address book mode
provides a flexibility of defining access parameters separately for each entry in the
list. This includes, apart from the IP-address, an access method and an access
(command) port number.
Both parameters are set in the address book entry dialog (see editing the address
book).
The access method defines how the DS Manager communicates with the
DS:
When out-of-band UDP access method is selected the DS Manager
communicates with the DS using command UDP datagrams sent to command
port 65535 (or 32767) of the DS. Out-of-band UDP commands is a primary way
of network programming that requires no preliminary setup on the DS side. In
other words, it always works as long as the routers and firewall do not ban UDP
traffic to port 65535 (32767). Therefore, we suggest you to always use this
access method whenever possible. The DS Manager allows you to input any port
number but actually only two UDP command ports are provided on the DS65535 and 32767 (either one can be used).
When inband TCP access method is selected the DS Manager communicates
with the DS by sending commands through the TCP connection established to
the data port of the DS (this is the port number defined by the Data Port
Number (PN) setting). Inband TCP commandsprovide a secondary method of
network programming that can be used in situations when out-of-band UDP
access is impossible. You can use any access port number- this is an additional
flexibility- just make sure that you program the same port number on the DS
and in the address book entry. There are several limitations associated with
inband access:
For "inband" address book entries the DS Manager does not automatically
verify DS presence when the Refresh button is pressed. Therefore, after the
Refresh button is clicked all Device Servers for which the inband access is
defined initially appear in the list with the
icon. If you want to check if such
a DS is accessible then attempt to execute the desired action: press Settings
button or Buzz button and see the result (Upgrade, Initialize, and Routing
Statusfunctions are not available for "inband" address book entries). At this

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

215

point the DS Manager will attempt to establish a TCP connection to the DS and
find out if the DS is accessible. This will be reflected in the device list.
For the inband access to work the DS must be preset in a certain way firstread preparing the DS for inband access for step-by-step instructions.
It is not possible to access the DS using inband access method when the DS is
already engaged in a data TCP connection with another application and/or
network host. Since inband commands are, by definition, the commands that
are passed within the data connection itself the DS Manager actually
establishes a data TCP connection with the DS in order to program it (this is
why this connection is made to the data port of the DS, not the command
port). The DS only allows for a single data connection at a time, so if it is
already engaged in a data connection with another application and/or network
host the DS Manager will be rejected.
When telnet TCP access method is selected the DS Manager performs
programming through a TCP connection established to port 23 of the DS (see
telnet TCP programming). Unlike inband access method, this does not require
any prior setup of the DS side but will only work with newer Device Servers
that run on firmware V3.50 or higher.
* Here we touch on a very complicated subject. Modern routers offer a bewildering
array of setup options. We will attempt to cover this in details in our upcoming
white papers.

Preparing the DS for Inband Access

As explained in access parameters for the address book mode a certain
pre-programming must be made on the DS side before this DS can be accessed
using inband access method. Inband access method is usually used for remote
Device Servers at locations with which out-of-band communications are not
possible. Therefore, it may be not possible to pre-program the DS for inband
access when it is already installed in its intended remote location!
There are two ways in which the pre-programming can be done:
Use the auto-discovery access mode to pre-program the DS from a PC that is
located on the same network segment as this DS. Alternatively, you can
temporarily connect the DS to a local network segment, pre-program it, then
return it to its intended remote location.
Use the COM access mode. Connect the serial port of the DS to the COM port of
the PC and make the pre-programming through the serial port.
Here is what you need to do:
Select the DS:
If the pre-programming is to be done through the network select the
auto-discovery access mode and double-click on the DS in the device list- this
will open the settings dialog. You don't have to change the IP-address of the
DS- in this mode the DS Manager will be able to access even Device Servers
with unreachable IP-address;
If the pre-programming is to be done through the serial port select the COM
access mode and double-click on the COM port (to which the DS is connected)
in the device list. You will be asked to press the setup button* and then the
settings dialog will be opened.
In the settings dialog make the following choices:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

216

Tibbo Document System

Set desired IP-address for this DS (IP-address (IP) setting). Once the DS is
installed in its intended remote location you won't be able to access it unless it
already has a suitable and known IP-address;
Set desired data port number (Port Number (PN) setting). Once the DS is
installed in its intended remote location you won't be able to access it unless it
already has a suitable and known port number;
Select 1 (TCP) for the Transport Protocol (TP) setting. Inband access is
only possible when the TCP transport protocol is selected.
Select 0 (server) or 1 (server/client) for the Routing Mode (RM) setting. The
DS won't accept data connections when the Routing Mode is 2 (client) and
the inband programming is performed through the data connection.
Select 1 (enabled) for the Inband Commands (IB) setting.
Press OK to close the settings dialog and reboot the DS.
Note on DHCP servers
Procedure above includes the setup of the IP-address. This should only be done if
the remote network segment doesn't have DHCP service. If there is a DHCP
service then it is better to run with the DHCP (DH) setting at 1 (enabled) and let
the DHCP server handle the IP-address of the DS automatically.
The problem here is that the DHCP server may change the IP-address of the DS in
the future and you will not know about this! If you want to prevent this from
happening then set the IP-address of the DS manually and configure this
IP-address as manually managed on the DHCP server's side (most DHCP servers
provide an option to exclude certain IPs from automatic management).
* On EM100, EM120, EM200, EM202, EM1000- pull the MD line LOW for at least
100ms.

Troubleshooting (Address Book Mode)

This topic provides a list of hints that can help you figure out why the device list of
the address book mode shows a particular DS (address book entry) with "no
response" or "unknown device" status. See troubleshooting (auto-discovery mode)
and troubleshooting (COM mode) for hints on other two access modes.
In the address book access mode you do not encounter a situation when you
cannot "see" some entries in the device list. This is because this list is created
manually by you and all address book entries are displayed at all times, even when
corresponding Device Servers cannot be reached. Instead, you often have to solve
the problem of why the DS Manager cannot contact the DS specified in the
particular address book entry.
The problem can manifest itself in two different ways:
---

The DS Manager indicates that there is no response from the IP-address

specified in the address book entry (no status icon is displayed at all).
The DS Manager indicates that there is some kind of device at the
specified IP-address but it doesn't seem to be a Tibbo Device Server (the
question mark is displayed).

"No response" status is displayed when the DS Manager cannot PING the
IP-address specified in the address book entry.
Here is why you may get "no response" status:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

217

The DS may be switched off or not connected to the network*.

Incorrect IP-address may be specified for this address book entry. Think carefully
what IP-address you input. Depending on the router setup you may need to
input the IP-address of the DS itself or the access (forwarding) IP-address on the
router**.
Firewall software on your PC or on the router may be set to disallow PINGs (a
very common situation on many networks). For the DS Manager to work you
must have PING (ICMP) traffic enabled. Attention here! Our experience shows
that many Users are not aware of the firewall software installed on their own
PCs! Some firewalls come as part of larger "protection" suites (anti-virus,
anti-intrusion, etc. programs). Some operating systems, such as Windows XP,
include the firewall software too.
If your DS is running an older firmware (V2.xx) then it will not be accessible
through the network and won't respond to PINGs in the following cases:
When the DS is in the serial programming mode
(status LEDs of the DS "play" the pattern as shown on
the left)**;
When the DS is in the error mode (status LEDs of the
DS "play" the pattern as shown on the left)**.
This does not apply to the Device Servers running DS firmware V3.xx or higher.
In this firware the DS is visible on the network at all times.
"Unknown device" status is displayed when there is no reply to the echo command
sent by the DS Manager. This command is unique to Tibbo Device Servers and is
used to identify them on the network (and also collect status information).
Depending on the access method specified for this address book entry the echo
command may be sent as out-of-band UDP commandor inband TCP command.
Here is why you may get "unknown device" status:
If out-of-band (UDP) access method is selected for this address book entry:
In certain cases this may be because the DS is switched off or not connected to
the network. It is true that if the DS Manager displays the
icon this means
that it has already got the reply to the PING request but in some router modes
the PING reply actually comes from the router, not the DS itself**. Therefore,
do make sure that the DS is online;
Incorrect programming port number may be specified for this address book
entry. Think carefully what port number you input. Depending on the router
setup you may need to input the command port number on the DS itself (i.e.
65535 or 32767, you can use either one) or the access (forwarding) port on
the router**;
Firewall software on your PC or on the router may be set to disallow UDP traffic
(a very common situation on many networks). For the DS Manager to work you
must enable UDP traffic to the command port specified in this address book
entry. In some router setups** UDP traffic through the router is very unreliable
or completely impossible. In this case you may need to use inband access
method which relies on TCP protocol.
If inband TCP access method is selected for this address book entry:
First of all remember, that for "inband" address book entries the DS Manager
does not automatically verify DS presence when the Refresh button is pressed.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

218

Tibbo Document System

Therefore, after the Refresh button is clicked all Device Servers for which the
inband access is defined initially appear in the list with the
icon. If you want
to check if such a DS is accessible then attempt to execute the desired action:
press Settings button or Buzz button and see the result (upgrade, initialize,
and routing status functions are not available for "inband" address book
entries). At this point the DS Manager will attempt to establish a TCP
connection to the DS and find out if the DS is accessible. This will be reflected
in the device list.
Incorrect programming port number may be specified for this address book
entry. Think carefully what port number you input. Depending on the router
setup you may need to input the data port number on the DS itself (this is the
port number specified by the Data Port Number (PN) setting of the DS) or
the access (forwarding) port on the router**;
The DS may not be configured for inband programming- read preparing the DS
for inband access for step-by-step instructions.
The DS may be already engaged in a data TCP connection with another
application and/or network host. Since inband commands are, by definition,
the commands that are passed within the data connection itself the DS
Manager actually establishes a data TCP connection with the DS in order to
program it (this is why this connection is made to the data port of the DS, not
the command port). The DS only allows for a single data connection at a time,
so if it is already engaged in a data connection with another application and/or
network host the DS Manager will be rejected***.
If telnet TCP access method is selected for this address book entry:
Telnet TCP access method is only supported by newer Device Servers running
firmware V3.50 or higher. Make sure you are not attempting to use this access
method for the Device Server that doesn't support it;
Incorrect programming port number may be specified for this address book
entry. Think carefully what port number you input. Depending on the router
setup you may need a standard telnet port of 23 or some other access
(forwarding) port on the router**.
* Really sorry for this "hint"... it's just that this is the root cause of the problem in
many cases!
** Here we touch on a very complicated subject. Modern routers offer a
bewildering array of setup options. We will attempt to cover this in details in our
upcoming white papers.
*** We understand that this is a limitation and are working to remove it.

Serial Access Mode

Can't access your Device Server through the serial port?
See troubleshooting!
COM mode is selected by choosing "Device Servers attached to the COM ports"
from the access mode drop-down box, located at the top of the DS Manager's main
window. In the COM access mode the DS is accessed through its serial port.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

219

Therefore, you must connect the serial port of the DS to the unused COM of your
PC using a DS-to-PC cable (like WAS-1455 supplied by Tibbo).
In the COM access mode the device list displays all physical COM ports of your PC.
The DS Manager is not able to determine which COM the DS is connected to so you
have to make a correct selection by yourself.
For the DS Manager to access the DS the latter must be in the serial programming
mode. To put the DS into this mode press the setup button*.
Note:
Status LEDs of the DS are playing a serial programming
mode pattern (shown on the left) when the serial port
of the DS is in the serial programming mode (click here
to see all available patterns).

* On EM100, EM120, EM200, EM202, EM1000- pull the MD line LOW for at least
100ms.

Troubleshooting (Serial Access Mode)

This topic provides a list of hints that can help you figure out why you cannot
access the DS through the serial port. See troubleshooting (auto-discovery mode)
and troubleshooting (address book mode) for hints on other two access modes.
Here are the reasons why the DS Manager may not able to access the DS in
the COM access mode:
The DS may be switched off*.
Incorrect cable is used to connect the serial port of the DS to the COM port of the
PC. Use WAS-1455 supplied by Tibbo!
Wrong COM port is selected in the device list.
The serial port of the DS is not in the serial programming mode. To put the DS
into this mode press the setup button**.
Note:
Status LEDs of the DS are playing a serial programming

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

220

Tibbo Document System

mode pattern (shown on the left) when the serial port
of the DS is in the serial programming mode (click here
to see all available patterns).
* Really sorry for this "hint"... it's just that this is the root cause of the problem in
many cases!
** On EM100, EM120, EM200, EM202, EM1000- pull the MD line low for at least
100ms.

Functions
4.1.1.3
This section lists all "functions" (features) of the DS Manager. These functions are
associated with the function buttons located in the DS Manager's main window.

Editing DS Settings (Settings Button)

Internal settings of DS are viewed and edited in the settings dialog. This function is
available in all access modes.
To open the settings dialog either double-click on the DS in the device list (COM
port to which the DS is connected if you are in the COM access mode).
Alternatively, you can single-click on the DS (COM port) in the device list and then
press the Settings button.

When the settings dialog is opened it reads out current values of all settings
available on the DS and displays them in a setting table. All settings are divided
into groups and each group is placed on its own group tab. Dialog caption displays
the version of firmware running on this DS. If "+N" is displayed next to the version
number then this means that the NetLoader is present and the firmware of this DS

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

221

can be upgraded through the network.

Settings dialog can correctly display the settings for Device Servers with different
application firmware versions- correct setting table will be displayed for each
supported firmware version. The list of settings available in different firmware
versions comes from the *.sdf files ("setting definition files") located in the /sdf
subfolder of the DST's program folder.
The only setting that is not shown in the table is the Password (PW) setting.
This setting defines the login password that will have to be entered when you want
to access the DS through the network (i.e. open the settings dialog, upgradeor
initialize the DS, or change the IP-address). Click Password button to set the
password (edit the Password (PW) setting).
Relevance (or irrelevance) of certain settings depends on the current values of
other settings. Setting reference section describes which settings "depend" on
which other settings. Additionally, some settings can be relevant but their value
can be modified automatically by the DS.
The settings displayed in the table may be in one of the following three
states:
Relevant- setting name and its value appear in solid black. This means that the
setting can be edited.
Irrelevant- setting name is grayed and the line "[irrelevant]" is displayed
instead of the setting value. This means that the setting is currently irrelevant
and cannot be edited. To edit such a setting make it relevant first by adjusting
the values of other settings. For example, the Gateway IP-address (GI)
setting is shown as irrelevant on the screenshot above because the Routing
Mode (RM) setting is 0 (server). Select the Routing Mode of 1 (server/client)
or 2 (client) and the Gateway IP-address will become relevant.
Modifiable- setting name is shown in solid black and the setting value is shown
in dark red. This means that the setting can be edited but the new value can be
automatically overwritten by the DS. For example, the IP-address (IP) setting
is relevant at all times but when the DHCP (DH) setting is 1 (enabled) the DS
will overwrite original IP-address with the (new) address supplied by the DHCP
server.
The settings dialog also lets you save current values of DS settings into a file (click
Save button) and load setting values from file (click Load button). Configuration
files have the .ds extension.
Programmer's info:
The DS Manager reads and writes the values of settings using the Get Setting (G)
and Set Setting (S) commands.
In case of network access (auto-discovery and address book modes) the DS
Manager has to login first (open the network programming session) and this is
done using the Login (L) command. Serial programming (COM access mode)
doesn't require this step.
Network programming sessions and serial programming are ended either with
Reboot (E) command (this makes the DS "recognize" new setting values) or
with Logout (O) command (no reboot).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

222

Tibbo Document System

Upgrading DS Firmware (Upgrade Button)

Internal firmware of the DS can be upgraded in the field. This function is available
in all access modes with the following limitations:
Some earlier Tibbo devices (EM100-00/ -01/ -02, DS100-00/ -01/ -02) did not
support network upgrades so their firmware can only be upgraded through the
serial port (COM access mode).
All other devices do support network upgrades but such an upgrade is only
possible if a functioning (albeit older) firmware file is already found on the
device. This implies that loading a wrong file into the device renders all future
network upgrades impossible until a correct upgrade is performed through the
serial port.
Additionally, for the network upgrade to work the DS Manager must be able to
access the DS using an out-of-band UDP access method. Therefore, Device
Servers defined by the "inband" address book entries (in the address book mode)
cannot be upgraded through the network (access methods are described in
access parameters for the address book mode).

To upgrade the DS firmware:

Select (single-click) the DS you want to upgrade in the device list (or COM port
to which the DS is connected in the COM access mode) and click Upgrade
button. Upgrading the Device Server dialog will appear.
Browse to a file you want to upload into the DS and click OK. Be sure to select
correct firmware file- this depends on the DS model and also the way upgrade
is done (through the network or through the serial port).
What happens next depends on the access mode:
For network upgrades (auto-discovery and address book modes) the upgrade
will start automatically. After the upgrade is finished the DS Manager will
reboot the DS. The DS Manager will also make sure that the DS starts
running with the newly loaded firmware and let you know if the DS enters
the error mode, which means that its settings must be initialized;
For serial upgrades (COM access mode) the procedure is more "manual". You
will be asked to switch the DS off, press the setup button*, and switch it
back on while keeping the button pressed. Upgrade will start after that. At
the end of the upgrade you will be asked to reboot the DS manually (switch
it off and on). You will have to also manually check if the DS requires
initialization.
Programmer's info:
The DS Manager verifies the NetLoader presence and passes control to it using the
Jump To Netloader (N) command.
* On EM100, EM120, EM200, EM202, EM1000- pull the MD line LOW for at least

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

223

100ms.

Initializing the DS (Initialize Button)

Internal settings of the DS can be initialized. Initialization restores all settings to
their default values*. This function can be used to return the DS to the "known
setup" and/or "repair" the DS when one or more settings are found to be invalid
(i.e. the DS is in the error mode). This function is available in all access modes
with the following limitation:
When you are working in the address book mode the DS Manager won't let you
initialize the DS for which inband access method is set. This is because
initialization would have disabled inband access** and this would have made
further interactions with this DS impossible. If you need to initialize such a DS
then connect it temporarily to the same network segment as your PC (and use
auto-discovery mode) or to the COM port of your PC (and use COM access mode
), and then perform initialization.
To initialize the settings of the DS select (single-click) the DS you want to upgrade
in the device list (or COM port to which the DS is connected in the COM access
mode) and click Initialize button.
Initialization results differ depending on the access mode. Some settings are
always initialized when the initialization command is issued through the serial port
(COM access mode) but are only initialized if were invalid when the initialization
command is issued through the network (auto-discovery and address book access
modes). Some settings are never initialized (no matter what the access mode is)
unless found to be invalid.
Example: the IP-address (IP) setting is only affected by the initialization if the
DS is accessed through the serial port. When you initialize the DS through the
network this setting won't be initialized unless it was invalid. This is done to make
sure that the DS can still be accessed through the network after the initialization.
Setting reference provides complete information on each setting of the DS
including default factory values and conditions under which a particular setting will
be initialized.
Programmer's info:
This function relies on the Initialize (I) command.
* These are either default factory values or default values defined by the user (if
custom profile is added to the firmware).
** Default factory value for the Inband (IB) setting is 0 (disabled) and
Transport Protocol (TP) setting is 0 (UDP). Inband access must be enabled and
the transport protocol must be TCP for the inband access to work.

Monitoring DS Status (Routing Status Button)

DS operation can be monitored remotely, using a routing status dialog. To open
the dialog click the Routing status button. This feature is a very useful debugging
tool that lets you determine the DS state at any moment. The information in the
dialog is updated each time Refresh button is pressed (this is the button in the
dialog, not in the main window).
This function is available in the auto-discovery and address book modes with the
following limitations:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

224

Tibbo Document System

When you are working in the address book mode you won't be able to use this
feature on Device Servers for which inband access method is set. Routing status
feature requires out-of-band access! This is because inband access implies
sending commands through the TCP data connection and the DS only allows for a
single data connection at a time. Since the feature is created mainly to monitor
the DS while it is routing the data (i.e. has a data connection with some other
network host/application), the only available data connection should not be
occupied by the DS Manager.
Routing status feature is not supported by the Device Servers running older
firmware (earlier than V3.xx).

Routing status dialog displays the following information:

Current state of routing buffers. Routing buffers are used as a temporary
storage for the data being routed between the Ethernet and serial ports of the
DS. The routing status dialog reports the number of committed bytes (for
serial-->Ethernet buffer), total number of bytes in each buffer ("data"), and the
capacity of the buffers. Read serial-to-Ethernet data routing topic to learn what
"committed" means. Capacity information is provided because different DS
models have buffers of different size.
Information on current data connection. This partially doubles the data
reflected by the status icons (displayed in the device list) and the status areaof
the main window. Additional information provided by the routing mode dialog
includes the IP-address and the port number of the network host with which the
DS has been/is/will be in a data connection. Here is what these two fields show:
After power-up the fields show the IP-address and port defined by the
Destination IP-address (DI) setting and Destination Port Number (DP)
setting;
If these default values are overridden by serial-side parameters and
instructions (a.k.a. "modem commands") then the fields show new overriding
values;
While the data connection is established and after it is closed (aborted) the
fields show the IP-address and port of the network host with which this
connection is (was) established. Notice that this may be different from the

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

225

above- if the DS has accepted an incoming connection!

Current serial port setup. This data may be of interest because it will not
necessarily match the serial port setup defined by the serial port-related DS
settings. The values of settings can be overridden by the network-side
parameters (a.k.a. "on-the-fly commands")*. Therefore, the routing status dialog
can be used to verify actual current serial port setup.
Current state of RS232 control lines. The state of control lines is displayed in
the correct polarity for DS100R, DS100B, DS202R, EM100-EV, EM120/EM200-EV,
EM202-EV. For EM100, EM120, EM200, EM202, EM1000 the state is exactly
opposite. So, if the state of RTS line (output) is shown as HIGH then this means
that the DS is ready to receive the data from attached serial device.
Programmer's info:
The DS Manager uses two commandscurrent status of the DS.

Echo (X)and Status (U)- to read out the

* On-the-fly commands are used, for instance, by Virtual Serial Ports (VSPs) to
change serial port configuration of the DS. This way PC application that has opened
the VSP can change the setup of the DS serial port as needed.

"Buzzing" the DS (Buzz Button)

The buzz feature allows you to match an entry in the device list to an actual
physical DS. The feature is available in the auto-discovery and address book modes
with the following limitation:
The buzz feature is not supported by the Device Servers running older firmware
(earlier than V3.xx).
Clicking on the Buzz button causes the DS (selected in the device list)
to play a fast-blinking pattern on its status LEDs (shown at the left).
This way you can easily identify which device a particular device list
entry corresponds to.
Programmer's info:
This function relies on the Buzz (B) command.

Changing IP-address (Change IP Button)

The DS Manager provides a way to assign a new IP-address to the DS over the
network. This is done by sending a broadcast command that refers to the target DS
by its MAC-address*. All Device Servers on a local network segment will receive
the broadcast but only the one whose MAC-address matches the one specified in
the broadcast will react.
The feature will work even if the DS had an unreachable or invalid IP-address. The
disadvantage is that, since the broadcasts cannot pass through the routers, the

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

226

Tibbo Document System

feature can only be used with local Device Servers and, therefore, is limited to the
auto-discovery access mode.
To assign a new IP-address to the DS click the Change IP button, input the new
IP-address and click OK.
Programmer's info:
This function relies on the Assign IP-address (A) command.
*MAC-addresses are unique for all Device Servers (and, in fact, all Ethernet
devices).

Finding a DS on the list (Find Button)

The Find button is used to locate a specific Device Server in a long list. Clicking it
pops up the Find Device Server dialog:

The dialog has the following fields:

Find by: Allows you to select by which field to search. In auto-discovery mode,
you can search by IP, MAC, Owner Name or Device Name. In address book mode,
you can search by IP, Owner Name, Device Name or Comment.
Find what: Once you select the field by which you wish to search, start typing
your search string in the Find what textbox. Searching is 'live' - the first record
matching your criteria is immediately highlighted. If you wish to see the next
record matching your criteria, press ENTER or Find next.

Editing the Address Book (Add, Remove, Edit Buttons)

Add, Remove, and Edit buttons are used to edit the address book. Address book is
a fixed list of Device Servers displayed in the address book access mode. Remove
and Edit buttons are only visible in the address book access mode, while the Add
button is also available in the auto-discovery mode. This allows you to add the DS
"found" in the auto-discovery mode to a permanent list in the address book mode.
Clicking the Add, Edit or Remove buttons brings up the Address Book Entry dialog.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

227

The dialog has the following fields:

IP-address. This is the IP-address of the DS itself or the forwarding IP-address
on the router through which this DS can be accessed (this depends on the router
setup*).
Comment. This comment is stored on the PC (not in the DS) and can contain
any useful information (i.e. "Remote device #1").
Group. This listbox allows you to select a group for this DS. Dividing devices into
groups can make life easier when managing an Address Book with hundreds of
devices. For more information, see Managing Address Book Groups (Groups
button).
Access method. The DS Manager can access a particular DS using out-of-band
(UDP), inband (TCP), or telnet (TCP)access method. See access parameters for
the address book mode topic for more information.
Access port. This is the access port on the DS to which the DS Manager will
send programming commands. Depending on the router setup this may be a port
on the DS itself or the forwarding port on the router*. The port number on the
DS is different depending on the selected access method. See access parameters
for the address book mode topic for more information.
* Here we touch on a very complicated subject. Modern routers offer a bewildering
array of setup options. For further details, see AN009. WAN Basics.

Managing Address Book Groups (Groups button)

The Address Book can be subdivided into arbitrary device groups. Such subdivision
can ease administration when working with hundreds or thousands of Device
Servers in a WAN scenario. You can create a scope of just 10 or 15 devices, instead
of endlessly scrolling through a huge list to find the DS you need.
This is the Manage Address Book Groups Dialog:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

228

Tibbo Document System

It allows you to create, edit and delete groups (the buttons are self-explanatory). A
group has just one attribute -- a name.
Once you create a group, you can assign Device Servers to it using the Address
Book Entry dialog. You can rename a group after you have filled it with devices. The
devices will still be mapped to that group.

Warnings And Messages

This reference section contains the following information:
Additional information on the status messages displayed in the status area
of the DS Manager's main window.
Additional information on the warning and error messages displayed by
the DS Manager.

DS Status Messages
This section provides additional information on the status messages displayed in
the status area of the DS Manager's main window.
The list of messages is arranged in the alphabetical order.
Description
Message text:

Device Server is running in the error mode and

must be reinitialized

Corresponding status icon:

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address book access modes

Details
This status means that some settings on this DS are invalid and require
initialization. The DS should not be allowed to operate in this condition and must
be reinitialized as soon as possible.
Programmer's info:
The DS Manager collects DS status information (and detects DS presence) using

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

229

the Echo (X) command. Whether or not the DS is in the error mode is determined
from the state of the e flag in the command response.
Description
Message text:

Device Server is running in the firmware

upgrade mode and is ready to accept new
firmware file

Corresponding status icon:

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address book access modes

Details
This status means that the DS is running the NetLoader. NetLoader is a separate
firmware component that facilitates application firmware upgrades over the
network. Normally, this icon is displayed during the network firmware upgrade.
After the network upgrade is finished the DS Manager reboots the DS and after that
the DS is supposed to start running the newly loaded firmware.
If the DS enters the firmware upgrade mode unexpectedly and if this mode
"persists" then this means that DS firmware is corrupted, or that incorrect firmware
file was uploaded, or that the upload was incomplete.
Programmer's info:
The DS Manager collects DS status information (and detects DS presence) using
the Echo (X) command. This command is supported both by the application
firmware and by the NetLoader. Whether the DS is running its application firmware
or is in the firmware upgrade mode is determined from the m flag in the command
response (it is 'N' for the application firmware and 'L' for the NetLoader).
Description
Message text:

Device Server has not yet obtained its

IP-address from the DHCP server

Corresponding status icon:

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address book access modes

Details
This status means that the DS is running with DHCP enabled (DHCP (DH) setting
is 1 (enabled)) and the DS hasn't yet received its IP-address from the DHCP server.
The DS attempts to configure its IP-address after the powerup and won't perform
its routing function until IP configuration is completed. Typically, IP configuration
takes only 1-2 seconds to complete. If the DS is "stuck" in this state for much
longer then this means that DHCP service may not be available on your network.
Programmer's info:
The DS Manager collects DS status information (and detects DS presence) using
the Echo (X) command. IP configuration status is determined from the state of
the i flag in the command response.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

230

Tibbo Document System

Description
Message text:

No response received from this IP-address (and

port)

Corresponding status icon:

--- (no icon is displayed for this status)

May appear in:

Address book access mode

Details
See troubleshooting (address book mode) for a list of hints on why you might be
getting no reply for this address book entry.
Programmer's info:
---

Description
Message text:

Device Server did not return the status

information. This means that this DS is running
an older firmware version

Corresponding status icon:

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address book access modes

Details
In the V3.xx firmware the DS returns its status information along with the response
to the echo request, sent by the DS Manager during the refresh. In older firmware
versions (V2.xx) the response from the DS does not contain any status information.
You are recommended to upgrade your firmware to the latest version.
Programmer's info:
The DS Manager collects status information (and detects DS presence) using the
Echo (X) command. In the old firmware versions this command only returned the
first two fields (nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn and ppppp).
Description
Message text:

Out-of-band (UDP) network programming

session is in progress;
Inband (TCP) network programming session is in
progress;
The DS is in the serial programming mode

Corresponding status icon:

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address book access modes

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

231

Details
Three separate status messages are displayed for three possible forms of DS
programming: serial, out-of-band (UDP), and inband (TCP). Serial programming is
considered to be in progress whenever the serial port of the DS is in the serial
programming mode. Out-of-band (UDP) or inband (TCP)programming session is
considered to be in progress after the network host has logged in using a
corresponding access method (out-of-band or inband)- see authentication*. Inband
(TCP) access method is only used in the address book mode (see access
parameters for the address book mode).
All three forms of programming are mutually exclusive- see programming priorities.

Programmer's info:
The DS Manager collects DS status information (and detects DS presence) using
the Echo (X) command. Whether or not any form of programming is in progress
is determined from the state of the s flag in the command response. Network logins
are performed using the Login (L) command.
* Just sending commands that do not require prior login does not constitute a
programming session.
Description
Message text:

Ethernet-to-serial buffer overflow;

Serial-to-Ethernet buffer overflow;
Serial-to-Ethernet and Ethernet-to-serial buffer
overflow

Corresponding status icon:

(overflow condition is displayed only in

conjunction with "connection established" icon)

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address book access modes

Details
These messages are displayed when one or both routing buffer overflow is
detected. Routing buffers are used for temporary data storage when routing data
between the Ethernet and serial ports of the DS.
In general, do the following to avoid overflows:
For Ethernet-to-serial buffer: using TCP/IP transport protocol (see Transport
Protocol (TP) setting) guarantees that this buffer never overflows.
For serial-to-Ethernet buffer: using RTS/CTS flow control (see Flow Control
(FC) setting) guarantees that this buffer never overflows*.
Programmer's info:
The DS Manager collects DS status information (and detects DS presence) using
the Echo (X) command. Buffer condition is determined from the state of the E
and S flags in the command response.
* Naturally, attached serial device must also support RTS/CTS flow control for this
to work.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

232

Tibbo Document System

Description
Message text:

Although there is SOME device at this IP-address

it appears that this is not a Device Server

Corresponding status icon:

May appear in:

Address book access mode

Details
See troubleshooting (address book mode) for a list of hints on why you might be
getting this status for an address book entry.
Programmer's info:
---

Description
Message text:
Corresponding status icon:
May appear in:

Current IP-address is unreachable with your

network
(The whole icon is grayed)
Auto-discovery access mode

Details
This status means that the DS Manager has detected the DS on the local network
segment but is unable to communicate with this DS by using a "normal" IP
addressing. See troubleshooting (auto-discovery mode) for a list of hints on why
this could happen.
Programmer's info:
---

Warning and Error Messages

This section provides additional information on the warning and error messages
displayed by the DS Manager.
The list of messages is arranged in the alphabetical order.
Description
Message text:

The IP-address of this DS is unreachable and the

DS can only be accessed in the broadcast mode.
The firmware on this Device Server is outdated
and does not support broadcast access. Assign a
compatible IP-address or upgradeto firmware
V3.xx or higher (recommended)

May appear in:

Auto-discovery access mode; Settings, Initialize,

Buzzfunctions

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

233

Details
This message means that the DS Manager cannot communicate with the DS using
a normal IP-addressing. Possible reasons for why this could happen are outlined in
troubleshooting (auto-discovery mode).
The DS Manager can access local Device Servers even when normal IP
communications is impossible. This is done through a so called broadcast access.
This functionality, however, is only supported by DS firmware V3.xx or higher.
The way out of this situation is to make normal IP communications possible or/and
to upgrade the DS firmware to V3.xx or higher. Depending on how old the DS
firmware is you may not be able to upgrade the firmware over the network and will
need to do this through the serial port of the DS (in the COM access mode).
Programmer's info:
Broadcast access is based on the Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command that
was only introduced in firmware V3.xx.
Description
Message text:

Inband (TCP) access method is defined for this

Device Server and the DS Manager was unable
to establish a TCP connection to the DS

May appear in:

Address book access mode; Settings, Initialize,

Buzzfunctions

Details
When inband (TCP) access method is specified for a particular address book entry
and the DS Manager needs to access the DS it must establish a TCP connection to
this DS first. This message indicates that TCP connection could not be established.
Read troubleshooting (address book mode) for hints on what might be causing the
problem.
Programmer's info:
---

Description
Message text:

This Device Server has a data connection in

progress. Performing requested operation will
abort this connection. Continue still?

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address bookaccess modes;

Settings, Upgrade, Initializefunctions

Details
--Programmer's info:
The DS Manager verifies whether the DS is engaged in a data connection by

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

234

Tibbo Document System

sending the Echo (X) command and analysing the status of the c flag in the
reply. If this flag is not '*' then this means that the data connection is not closed (is
in progress).

Description
Message text:

IP-address was changed successfully but the DS

Manager cannot locate this Device Server on the
network

May appear in:

Auto-discovery access mode; Change IP function

Details
After having changed the IP-address the DS Manager makes sure that the DS is
online and using the IP-address that was just assigned. This message appears when
the DS has confirmed that command was accepted but later could not be found
among local Device Servers. This situation is not normal and may indicate that the
new IP-address is (for some reason) blocked by your PC or network equipment.
Note, that this is more serious than the case when the IP-address turns out to be
unreachable (this situation is reported by the unreachable IP-address status
message). If this was the case the DS Manager would still be able to detect the DS
on the network. Watch out for some special firewall settings of your PC or similar
reasons why communications with a certain IP-address might be blocked (also see
troubleshooting (auto-discovery mode)).
Programmer's info:
IP-address is changed using Assign IP-address (A) command. This message
means that OK (A) status code was actually received for this command but the
DS could not be found during subsequent refresh operation.
Description
Message text:

DS Manager cannot locate the Device Server

after making it enter the firmware upgrade
mode. This may be because the IP-address (or
MAC-address) of this Device Server has changed

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address bookaccess modes;

Upgrade function

Details
Firmware upgrades over the network are facilitated by a separate firmware
component called the NetLoader. To upgrade the application firmware over the
network the DS Manager makes the DS switch to the NetLoader first.
When control is passed to the NetLoader, it attempts to read the values of
IP-address (IP) and MAC-address (FE) settings and use these values. This way
the switchover to the NetLoader is "seamless" and the DS is still accessible at the
same IP and MAC as when it was running the application firmware.
In selected cases, the readout of those two settings can fail (for instance, when
one or both of these settings is/are invalid). In this case the DS will replace the
invalid value(s) with a default one: 127.0.0.1 for the IP-address, 0.1.2.3.4.5 for
the MAC-address.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

235

If you are accessing the DS using the address book mode and the DS assumes
these default values you may not be able to access it (at least temporarily). We
recommend you to connect the DS to the same network segment with your PC and
use the auto-discovery access mode.
Programmer's info:
---

Description
Message text:

Upgrade completed successfully but the DS

Manager was unable to locate this Device Server
on the network after rebooting it

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address bookaccess modes;

Upgrade function

Details
The cause of this message is similar to that of the DS lost (after entering
NetLoader) message (but "in reverse"). After the NetLoader has finished working
and the DS was rebooted its IP-address and/or MAC-address have probably
changed. To the DS Manager this will look like "disappearance" of the DS from the
network.
To "find" the DS connect it to the same network segment as the PC and run the DS
Manager in the auto-discovery access mode. To find out which device in the list is
the one you are looking for either disconnect all other Device Servers from the
network (this will leave only one DS in the list) or use the Buzz function to locate
the DS.
Programmer's info:
--Description
Message text:

Initialization was completed successfully but the

DS Manager cannot locate this Device Server on
the network

May appear in:

Auto-discovery access mode; Initialize function

Details
After having performed the initialization the DS Manager makes sure that the DS is
online. Network initialization does not change the IP-address unless the IP-address
(IP) setting were found to be invalid. The default factory value for this setting is
127.0.0.1*, so see if there is a DS now that has this IP-address. If so then this may
be your "lost" Device Server!
Programmer's info:
--* Unless another default value has been defined through a custom profile.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

236

Tibbo Document System

Description
Message text:

Such address book entry already exists

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address bookaccess modes;

Add or Edit function

Details
Each DS in the address book is identified by the combination of the IP-address,
access port number, and the access method (see access parameters for the address
book mode). This message means that your input matches another address book
entry that already exists.
Programmer's info:
--Description
Message text:

Device Server is currently running in the error

mode, which means that some of its settings are
invalid. You are recommended to initialize the
Device Server first. Continue still?

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address bookaccess modes;

Settings function

Details
This message appears when you attempt to open the settings dialog while the DS
is in the error mode. Because some settings are invalid the DS Manager is unable
to read out their values and display them in the settings dialog.
Once the error mode is detected it is better to initialize the DS as soon as possible.
Continuing DS operation is this state may lead to incorrect (unexpected) DS
behavior and also exposes the DS to unauthorized access- password protection is
disabled when the DS is in the error mode!
Programmer's info:
The DS Manager verifies whether the DS is running in the error mode by sending
the Echo (X) command and analysing the status of the e flag in the reply.
Description
Message text:

Failed to put the Device Server into the firmware

upgrade mode. NetLoader may not be installed

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address bookaccess modes;

Upgrade function

Details
Firmware upgrades through the network are facilitated by a separate firmware
component called the NetLoader. When you click Upgrade button the DS Manager
instructs the application firmware of the DS to pass the control to the NetLoader.
Before doing this application firmware checks if the NetLoader is actually loaded.
This message is displayed when the NetLoader appears to be absent.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

237

Here is why the NetLoader may be missing:

If your DS model is EM100-00/ -01/ -02, DS100-00/ -01/ -02 then this DS
cannot be upgraded through the network in principle. The only way to upgrade
such a DS is through the serial port (in the COM access mode).
For EM100-03, DS100R-03, DS100B-00 network upgrades are possible, but only
if the NetLoader is installed. When the NetLoader is not present the only way to
upgrade the DS is through the serial port (in the COM access mode). If you
choose the upgrade file that has "SN" in its name then you will be able to
upgrade the firmware and install the NetLoader at the same time! From this
moment on you will be able to perform network upgrades as well. Firmware
download page at <%WEB%> provides complete info on what file to choose.
Programmer's info:
The DS Manager instructs the application firmware of the DS to switch to the
NetLoader by sending Jump To NetLoader (N) command. This message is
displayed when Failed (F) reply code is returned.
Description
Message text:

This Device Server is currently running in the

firmware upgrade mode. Requested function is
not available at this time

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address bookaccess modes;

Settings, Initialize, Routing Status, Buzz,
Change IPfunctions

Details
Network upgrade mode is a separate mode of operation facilitated by an
independent firmware component called the NetLoader. The NetLoader allows you
to upgrade the main application firmware of the DS over the network. Naturally,
when the NetLoader is running the DS is not executing the application firmware
and all functions related to the "normal" operation of the DS are not available. The
only available function in this mode is Upgrade.
Programmer's info:
--Description
Message text:

The firmware on this Device Server is outdated

and does not support this function. You are
recommended to upgrade to firmware V3.xx or
higher

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address bookaccess modes;

Upgrade, Routing Status, Buzz functions

Details
This message means that the firmware on a particular DS you are accessing is
outdated (earlier than V3.xx). The function you have requested requires firmware
V3.xx or higher.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

238

Tibbo Document System

We recommend you to upgrade to V3.xx (or higher) firmware. This will allow you to
fully use all the features of the DS Manager. Depending on how old the firmware is
you may not even be able to upgrade the firmware over the network (and this is
one of the reasons why you may be reading this message). In this case upgrade
the DS firmware via the serial port (in the COM access mode).
Programmer's info:
--Description
Message text:

You have entered an incorrect login password.

Please, try again

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address bookaccess modes;

Settings, Upgrade, Initialize, Change IPfunctions

Details
Login password is the one you have set by clicking on the Password button in the
settings dialog. You cannot access the DS through the network without this
password.
If you have forgotten the password then you can either:
Access the DS in the COM access mode (this does not require password), or...
Quick-initialize the DS- this will erase the password (only supported by firmware
V3.xx or higher).
Programmer's info:
Login password is the one defined by the Password (PW) setting of the DS. Also
see authentication topic.
Description
Message text:

This Device Server is (still) running in the error

mode. Press Retry to repeat the initialization. If
the problem persists the Device Server may be
malfunctioning

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address bookaccess modes;

Initialize function

Details
This message appears when the DS initialization fails. Initialization restores all DS
settings to their default values and, therefore, "repairs" invalid settings that caused
the DS to enter the error mode. It is not normal that the DS is still in the error
mode after the initialization and may indicate DS hardware failure.
Programmer's info:
The DS Manager verifies whether the DS is running in the error mode by sending
the Echo (X) command and analysing the status of the e flag in the reply.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

239

Description
Message text:

Inband (TCP) access method is selected for this

Device Server. Initialization is not allowed since
this would disable inband access and subsequent
communications with the DS Manager

May appear in:

Address book access mode; Initializefunction

Details
This message is only shown when inband (TCP) access method is selected for a
particular address book entry. Inband TCP access to the DS is only possible when
the Inband (IB) setting is 1 (enabled) and the Transport Protocol (TP)
setting is 1 (TCP). Default value of these settings is 0*. Therefore, initialization
would result in the inability to access this DS using inband communications!
To initialize this DS find some other way to communicate with it:
Temporarily connect the DS to the same network segment with your PC and
initialize the DS in the auto-discovery access mode (this mode always uses
out-of-band (UDP) access method).
Temporarily connect the serial port of the DS to the COM port of your PC and
initialize it in the COM access mode.
Programmer's info:
--* Unless another default value has been defined through a custom profile (the DS
Manager won't detect this and will still disallow the device to be initialized while
accessing using inband commands).
Description
Message text:

This Device Server is running in the error mode.

This means that newly loaded firmware has
some new (different) settings that need to be
initialized. Do you want to do this right now?

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address bookaccess modes;

Upgrade function

Details
Newly loaded firmware may have new or different settings that have never been
initialized on this particular device. After the DS has started running the newly
loaded application firmware it has detected that these settings contain invalid
values and entered the error mode. You are recommended to initialize the DS as
soon as possible.
Programmer's info:
The DS Manager verifies whether the DS is in the error mode by sending the Echo
(X) command and analysing the status of the e flag in the reply.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

240

Tibbo Document System

Description
Message text:

Input login password for this Device Server

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address bookaccess modes;

Settings, Upgrade, Initialize, Change IPfunctions

Details
Login password is the one you have set by clicking on the Password button in the
settings dialog. You cannot access the DS through the network without this
password.
If you have forgotten the password then you can either:
Access the DS in the COM access mode (this does not require password), or...
Quick-initialize the DS- this will erase the password (only supported by firmware
V3.xx or higher).
Programmer's info:
Login password is the one defined by the Password (PW) setting of the DS. Also
see authentication topic.
Description
Message text:

Firmware upgrade has failed. This may be

because you are trying to upload an invalid file
or because of communications error

May appear in:

COM access mode; Upgradefunction

Details
This message means that either you tried to upload an invalid file or that there was
a communications error. Check the file you are trying to upload, your serial
connection (cable, baudrate, etc.) and try again.
The firmware file you are supposed to upload into the DS depends on the DS model
number and also on the way you are performing the upgrade- through the network
(auto-discovery and address book modes) or through the serial port (COM access
mode). Firmware download page at <%WEB%> provides complete info on what file
to choose. Be sure you understand this information and select a correct firmware
file.
Programmer's info:
--Description
Message text:

After firmware upload and reboot the Device

Server has still entered the firmware upgrade
mode. This means that you have downloaded an
invalid file or that the upload was incomplete

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address bookaccess modes;

Upgrade function

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

241

Details
When the DS powers up its internal "operating system" verifies if the application
firmware is loaded and correct (this is done by verifying the checksum). If the
firmware is found to be corrupted the operating system checks if the NetLoader is
present. When this is so, control is passed to the NetLoader so you have a chance
to upload correct application firmware.
When this message is displayed this means that the firmware upload process has
completed successfully and the DS was rebooted with the intention to launch the
newly loaded application firmware but has emerged from reboot in the firmware
upgrade mode again.
If you are sure that the firmware upgrade has completed successfully then you
must have uploaded a wrong file. Firmware download page at <%WEB%> provides
complete info on what file to choose.
Programmer's info:
--Description
Message text:

This IP-address is invalid. Setting it will result in

the inability to access the Device Server through
the network

May appear in:

Auto-discovery access mode; Change IP function

Details
Certain IP-addresses are invalid in principle and should never be used. Many devices
and operating systems (including Windows) automatically discard network packets
that refer to such invalid IPs. Assigning an invalid IP to the DS can make it
inaccessible over the network.
Here is the list of IP-addresses that should not be used:
x.x.x.0 (i.e. 0 in the last number, as in 192.168.100.0).
x.x.x.255 (i.e. 255 in the last number, as in 192.168.100.255).
>223.x.x.x (i.e. a number that is more than 223 in the first number, as in
224.168.100.40).
Latest firmware versions of the DS prevent such invalid IPs from being used- the DS
will automatically assume a modified and correct IP-address if invalid one is set
(see IP-address (IP) setting for more information). Older firmware versions did
not have this protection so the DS Manager itself also prevents invalid IP-addresses
from being set.
Programmer's info:
IP-address is changed using the Assign IP-address (A) command.
Description
Message text:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Firmware upgrade was aborted by the Device

Server. This may be because of communications
error or because you are trying to upload a
wrong file

242

Tibbo Document System

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address bookaccess modes;

Upgrade function

Details
This message indicates that the DS manager has aborted the upload of a firmware
file. Typically, this happens when the DS has detected an error in the data being
uploaded. This means that you are trying to upload an incorrect firmware file.
The firmware file you are supposed to upload into the DS depends on the DS model
number and also on the way you are performing the upgrade- through the network
(auto-discovery and address book modes) or through the serial port (COM access
mode). Firmware download page at <%WEB%> provides complete info on what file
to choose. Be sure you understand this information and select a correct firmware
file.
Programmer's info:
--Description
Message text:

Password and re-typed password do not match

May appear in:

All access modes, Settings function

Details
When you attempt to set new login password the DS Manager asks you to input the
same password twice. This is to make sure that you know what password you have
entered. This message appears when the password you have entered the first time
does not match the password you have entered the second time.
Programmer's info:
Login password is the one defined by the Password (PW) setting of the DS. Also
see authentication topic.
Description
Message text:

There was no response from this Device Server.

Make sure it is online, connected to the network,
and (for address book access mode) is being
accessed correctly

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address bookaccess modes;

Settings, Upgrade, Initialize, Routing Status,
Buzz, Change IPfunctions

Details
This message indicates that the DS Manager has attempted to access the DS
(using out-of-band (UDP) programming commands) but did not get any reply. The
reasons for this depend on the selected access mode: see troubleshooting
(auto-discovery mode) and troubleshooting (address book mode).
Programmer's info:
---

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

243

Description
Message text:

There was no response from the Device Server.

Make sure it is powered, its serial port is
connected to the COM port of this PC, and the
Device Server is in the serial programming mode

May appear in:

COM access mode; Settings, Initializefunctions

Details
This message indicates that the DS Manager has attempted to access the DS
through the serial connection (serial port of the DS to the COM port of the PC) but
did not get any reply back. See troubleshooting (COM access mode) for the list of
hints on why this might happen.
Programmer's info:
---

Description
Message text:

Requested operation cannot be completed

because the Device Server is in the serial
programming mode or the network programming
session is in progress

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address bookaccess modes;

Settings, Upgrade, Initialize, Change IPfunctions

Details
When you click Settings, Upgrade, Initialize, or Change IP button the DS Manager
needs to login before it can execute requested operation (see authentication).
Login is required even if the login password is not set and is only accepted if no
programming with the same priority level is already in progress.
Programmer's info:
Before executing any of the operations listed above the DS Manager attempts to
login using the Login (L) command. This message is displayed when the response
to this command is Rejected (R).
Description
Message text:

This function requires out-of-band (UDP) access

to the Device Server. Inband (TCP) access is
currently selected for this Device Server so the
function cannot be used

May appear in:

Address book access mode; Upgrade, Routing

Statusfunctions

Details
This message means that the inband (TCP) access method is selected for this

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

244

Tibbo Document System

particular address book entry. It is not possible to use the Upgrade and Routing
status functions with "inband" address book entries (see function topics for an
explanation).
Programmer's info:
--Description
Message text:

Password for this Device Server will be disabled

May appear in:

All access modes, Settings function

Details
You have pressed OK without entering any password string. This means that no
password will be set and the password protection for this DS will be disabled.
Programmer's info:
Login password is the one defined by the Password (PW) setting of the DS. Also
see authentication topic.
Description
Message text:

This Device Server has DHCP enabled. New

IP-address may work but the use of this new IP
will neither be authorized, nor noted by the
DHCP server. Do you still want to continue?

May appear in:

Auto-discovery access mode; Change IP function

Details
This message is shown when the Change IP function is used while the IP-address of
the DS appears to be configured through the DHCP (which means that DHCP (DH)
setting is 1 (enabled) and IP-address appears to have been successfully received
from the DHCP server i.e. the DS is not in the IP-address not obtained state)*.
Technically, the DS will work fine when you assign an IP-address manually (while
the network has the DHCP service) as long as you find an unused IP-address**.
The problem is that the DHCP server will not know that you have occupied this IP
and may assign it to some other device in the future***.
Finally, keep in mind that the IP-address you set manually may be changed next
time the DS reboots. This is because, when the DHCP (DH) setting is 1 (enabled),
the DS negotiates its IP-address with the DHCP server each time it powers up or
reboots and the DHCP server may assign a different IP-address at this time. This
new IP will be saved into the IP-address (IP) setting thus overwriting the value
you may have set.
Programmer's info:
The DS Manager verifies whether the IP-address of the DS is configured through
the DHCP by sending the Echo (X) command and analysing the status of the i
flag in the reply. If the flag is set to 'I' then this means that the DHCP is enabled
and the DHCP server is actually present on the network.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

245

* In other words, the DS Manager does not detect the presence of DHCP server
directly but instead relies on the "indirect evidence" from the DS. Unfortunately,
this means that the DS Manager won't be able to alert you when the DHCP server is
actually present but DHCP (DH) setting is 0 (disabled) on the DS.
** This can always be done by PINGing different IPs on the local subnet. No reply
means that the IP is probably unused.
*** Unless you have specifically banned the DHCP server from using this
IP-address (this can usually be done).
Description
Message text:

Power the Device Server off, press and hold the

setup button*, and power the Device Server
back on while keeping the button pressed. The
upgrade process will start after that

May appear in:

COM access mode; Upgradefunction

Details
Powering the DS up while keeping the setup button pressed puts the DS into the
serial upgrade mode.
Programmer's info:
--* On EM100, EM120, EM200, EM202, EM1000- pull the MD line LOW and power up
while holding this line LOW.
Description
Message text:

Press the setup button* on the Device Server

May appear in:

COM access mode; Settings, Initializefunction

Details
The DS can be programmed through the serial port only when the latter is in the
serial programming mode. To switch the serial port into the serial programming
mode press the setup button*.
Programmer's info:
--* On EM100, EM120, EM200, EM202, EM1000- pull the MD line LOW for at least
100ms.
Description
Message text:

Communications error was detected during the

serial firmware upload. Firmware upgrade has
failed

May appear in:

COM access mode; Upgradefunction

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

246

Tibbo Document System

Details
This message means that there was some communications error while transferring
the firmware file from the PC to the DS. The message does not mean that the file
itself was found to be invalid. Check your serial connection (cable, baudrate, etc.)
and try again.
Programmer's info:
--Description
Message text:

Serial upgrade completed successfully. Switch

the Device Server off and back on to start
normal operation. DS initializationmay be
required after the upgrade

May appear in:

COM access mode; Upgradefunction

Details
After the serial upgrade the DS is not able to reboot by itself. You need to power it
off and back on again to test the newly uploaded firmware. Since the new firmware
can have new or different settings that were not present on a previous one the DS
may require initialization (watch out for the error mode after the DS reboots).
Programmer's info:
--Description
Message text:

Setting description file contains error(s)

May appear in:

All access modes, Settings function

Details
Setting description files (SDFs) contain the list of all settings found on a specific
firmware version of the DS. During the installation SDFs are copied into the /SDF
subfolder inside the target installation folder of the Device Server Toolkit (DST).
This message indicates that the SDF file required to correctly display the settings
dialog for a particular DS firmware appears to contain invalid information. This
problem can be corrected by reinstalling the software.
Programmer's info:
--Description
Message text:

Corrupted installation: unable to find SDF files

May appear in:

All access modes, Settings function

Details
Setting description files (SDFs) contain the list of all settings found on a specific

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

247

firmware version of the DS. During the installation SDFs are copied into the /SDF
folder inside the target installation folder of the Device Server Toolkit (DST). This
message indicates that the /SDF folder is empty. This problem can be corrected by
reinstalling the software.
Programmer's info:
--Description
Message text:

Unexpected NetLoader error. Firmware upgrade

has failed

May appear in:

Auto-discovery and address bookaccess modes;

Upgrade function

Details
The NetLoader is a separate firmware component that facilitates application
firmware upgrades through the network. This message indicates that the NetLoader
was entered but firmware upload could not be started because of an unexpected
reply from the DS.
This message should not appear under normal circumstances. Please, contact us if
the problem persists!
Programmer's info:
--Description
Message text:

New IP-address is unreachable

May appear in:

Auto-discovery access mode; Initialize function

Details
After assigning new IP-address the DS Manager performs an automatic refresh and
verifies that the DS is still online. This message appears when the DS is detected to
be online but the DS Manager is unable to communicate with this DS using a
"normal" IP addressing (see broadcast access for details).There are actually several
reasons why this may be so- see troubleshooting (auto-discovery mode).
Programmer's info:
--Description
Message text:

Unable to send an auto-discovery broadcast

because a local port from which this broadcast
packet is supposed to be sent is currently in use
by another program

May appear in:

Auto-discovery access mode

Details

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

248

Tibbo Document System

In the auto-discovery access mode the DS Manager is finding all locally connected
Device Servers by sending an Echo (X) command as UDP broadcast. All Devices
that receive this broadcast reply to it and the DS Manager is building a list of
available Devices basing on received replies.
This message means that the DS Manager is unable to send the broadcast because
local port from which the broadcast is supposed to be sent is currently opened by
some other program.
This situation is extremely rare. If you encounter it please contact Tibbo for
instructions on how to change the port from which the DS Manager is sending the
broadcasts! By default, the port number used for the purpose is 65534.
Programmer's info:
---

VSPD and VSP Manager

Virtual Serial Port Driver (VSPD) and Virtual Serial Port Manager
(VSP Manager) are parts of the Device Server Toolkit (DST).
The VSPD powers Virtual Serial Ports (VSPs) that emulate "real"
COM ports under Windows OS. The VSP Manager is used to add,
delete, and setup VSPs.
The VSPD is an "engine" that powers Virtual Serial Ports (VSPs). To any Windows
application the VSP "looks and feels" just like a "normal" COM port. In reality, the
VSP transparently reroutes all data sent by the application to the Tibbo Device
Server ("DS") and the serial device behind it ("attached serial device"). Likewise,
all the data sent by the serial device is received by the DS and routed to the VSP,
which, in turn, passes this data to the application. Both the software application on
the PC and the serial device communicate with each other just as if they were
interconnected by a "normal" serial cable, without knowing that there is a network
in between. This allows you to network-enable your existing serial system without
changing the serial device itself or its PC software.

The VSPD is a driver and is running in the very "guts" of the Windows OS. Its
presence is only manifested by the VSPs available to Windows applications.
The VSP Manager is an application that allows you to add, remove, and setup VSPs
. The VSPD and the VSP Manager are different entities (one is a driver, another
one- a setup utility). This Manual offers combined description of the two and all
VSPD features are explained "through" the VSP Manager.
Closely related to the work of the VSPD is the Port Monitor, another member of
the DST, that is used to log the activity of the VSPs.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

249

How VSP
Works
4.1.2.1
When designing the VSPD we have attempted to emulate the work of a standard
serial port driver as closely as possible. All system calls supported by the COM
driver were carefully ported into the VSPD and the behavior of the VSPs closely
mimics that of COMs.

Shown above is a VSP block diagram:

COM interface presents an application interface, compatible with the standard
COM port driver. Windows applications are not able to tell the difference between
a VSP and a regular COM port.
TX and RX buffers (8KBytes each) are used to pass the data between the
application and the DS. It is noteworthy that VSP operation is fully
asynchronous, and this is different from the operation of a standard COM. When
the application "writes" the data into the VSP the data is stored into the TX
buffer and the control is returned to the application immediately, not when this
data is actually sent out (as is the case with COM ports).
Network interface communicates (through the TCP/IP network) with the target
DS. The VSP transparently establishes and accepts data connections with/from
the DS as needed.
On-the-fly logic (when enabled) is responsible for adjusting communications
parameters of the serial port on the DS to the requirements of the application.
For example, if the application wants the serial port to run at 19200 bps a
special on-the-fly command will be sent to the DS telling it to change the serial
port baudrate to 19200. Thus, the DS serial port functions just like the COM and
the PC!
VSP properties define different aspects of VSP operation. The properties are
stored in the system registry and edited using the VSP Manager.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

250

Tibbo Document System

VSP Manager
4.1.2.2
VSP Manager is used to add, remove, and setup VSPs. It looks like this:

The main window has the following areas and controls:

VSP list shows all VSPs currently found on your PC.
Add, Remove, and Edit buttons are used to add VSPs, delete VSPs, and edit
VSP properties. Clicking Add or Edit brings up the VSP properties dialog shown on
the screenshot above. You can also open the dialog by double-clicking on the
VSP in the VSP list.
File menu contains Import and Export commands which allow you to load or
save a list of VSPs and their configurations using external plain-text files. This is
useful for migrating VSP configurations between computers, or for
troubleshooting (sending a configuration to a support engineer so he could
recreate it).
Port menu contains Add, Remove and Edit commands (see above).
Help menu allows you to access the document you are now reading (the online
help) or the About box for Tibbo Device Server Toolkit.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

251

VSP Properties
The VSP Properties window contains the following tabs:

General properties tab (shown on the screenshot) provides a set of "main"

controls that guide VSP operation. For more information select the topic from the
list belowJA.
Control lines tab offers additional options for control line inputs CTS, DSR, and
DCD. You can choose to receive input line status updates from the DS, "fix" these
inputs at high or low, or "connect" CTS to RTS and DSR to DTR.
Default serial settings tab exists purely for compatibility with regular COM
ports. Under Windows, each COM port has a set of default parameters associated
with it, and so does VSP. These parameters do not affect operation of the VSP in
any way.
The General Properties tab (shown above) has the following areas and
controls:
Use WinSock for transport checkbox sets whether TDI (Transport Device
Interface, the default interface) is used for transport, or WinSock.
VSP name drop-down box selects the port name that will be associated with
this VSP (i.e. "COM3", etc.).
Transport protocol drop-down box defines which transport protocol- TCP/IP
or UDP/IP will be used for data communications with the DS.
On-the-fly commands drop-down box disables or enables the generation of
on-the-fly commands, used to adjust the serial port parameters on the DS as
needed by the application software (that uses the VSP). There is also a choice of
how the on-the-fly commands will be sent when enabled (as out-of-band or
inband commands).
Connection timeout parameter defines after how many minutes of inactivity
(no data transmitted across the data connection between the VSP and the DS)
the current data connection will be aborted.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

252

Tibbo Document System

Routing mode drop-down box defines whether the VSP will accept incoming
connections (passive opens) and/or establish outgoing connections (perform
active opens).
Connection mode drop-down box defines when the VSP will attempt to
establish an outgoing connection to the destination: right after the VSP is opened
by the application or when the application sends the first data.
Listening port parameter defines the listening port that will be associated with
this VSP. The VSP will be accepting incoming connections (passive opens) on this
port (when allowed by the routing mode).
Destination mode drop-down box offers two destination modes that define
how the VSP will choose its destination DS: a simple single destination mode that
targets one DS and a more complex multi-destination mode that makes the VSP
switch between several Device Servers basing on the outgoing data sent by the
application.
Specify by drop-down box defines how the address of the destination is to be
specified - by IP address, by MAC address or by DNS hostname.

VSP Name Selection

VSP name drop-down box selects the port name that will be associated with
this VSP.
The number of ports you can have under Windows is virtually unlimited. The VSP
Manager lets you create any port in the range between COM1 and COM255*.
There are no rules on what name to choose, just make sure that you pick the name
that can be selected in the application software you plan to use this VSP with. Most
programs provide a limited selection of ports (typically, up to COM2 or COM4).
Therefore, choosing "COM100" wouldn't be suitable as you will not be able to select
this VSP in such software.

The VSP name drop-down box shows the list of available port names. On the
screenshot above COM3 is not listed- this happens when the VSP with this name
already exists. Notice, however, that ports COM1 and COM2 are not excluded from
the list and are marked with icons identifying them as "real" COMs**. Even though
these port names are "occupied" the VSP Manager can still "grab" them. For
example, if you select COM1 the VSP Manager will automatically substitute a
standard COM port driver with the VSPD and assign the name "COM1" to this VSP.
From this moment on the COM1 will cease working as a regular COM and will start
working as a VSP. Substitution may be necessary when you are dealing with an old
application software that only provides a choice of COM1 and COM2 which are
usually occupied by real COMs.
When you delete the VSP that substituted a standard COM port the VSP Manager

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

253

will attempt to restore the original driver. This mostly works but on some systems
you may encounter problems (especially under Windows ME). We have conducted
an extensive "research" into the port substitution, only to conclude that it just
doesn't work reliably on all systems!
We recommend that you do not use port substitution unless absolutely
necessary!
All VSPs appear under the Ports section of the device manager's device list (Control
Panel--> System Properties--> Device Manager)***:

* We could extend the number even further but feel that the current range is
sufficient for all practical purposes.
** This is system-dependent. Some modern PCs don't have any real COMs.
*** VSP properties cannot be edited from within the device manager

Transport Protocol
Transport protocol drop-down box selects which communications protocolTCP/IP or UDP/IP will be used by the VSP for data communications with the DS.
For the data connection with the DS to work the same transport protocol must be
selected on the DS side- see the Transport Protocol (TP) setting.
Unless you have a specific reason why the UDP should be used (very rare!) we
recommend you to stick to the TCP/IP. The TCP/IP is a "reliable delivery" protocol
that makes sure that no data is lost "in transit" between the VSP and the DS. The
UDP, on the contrary, does not guarantee data delivery.
Some considerations and additional info on the TCP and UDP implementation in
the VSP can be found in the next topic.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

254

Tibbo Document System

Additional Info on UDP and TCP Connections

UDP data connections
The notion of data connection is native to TCP/IP since this is a connection-based
protocol. UDP/IP, however, is a connection-less protocol in which all packets (UDP
datagrams) are independent from each other. How, then, the term "data
connection" applies to the UDP transport protocol?
With UDP transport protocol true data connections (in the "TCP sense" of this term)
are not possible (hence, parenthesis around the word "connection"). The VSP,
however, attempts to mimic the behavior of TCP data connection whenever
possible. Follows is the detailed description of UDP "connections" and their
similarities and differences with TCP connections.
Incoming "connections"*. There is no connection establishment phase in UDP
so an incoming UDP "connection" is considered to be "established" when the first
UDP packet is received by the VSP (on the listening port). Similarity with TCP is in
that after having received the packet from the DS the VSP knows who to send its
own UDP packets to.
Outgoing "connections"**. The VSP establishes outgoing UDP connection by
sending a UDP datagram to the targeted destination. If there is a data that needs
to be transmitted the VSP sends the first UDP datagram with (a part of) this data.
If there is no immediate data that needs to be transmitted to the DS the VSP sends
the first UDP datagram of zero length (this happens when the connection mode is
set to "connect immediately"). The purpose of this is to let the other side know the
IP-address of the VSP (PC it is running on), as well as the data port currently used
by the VSP.
Data transmission and destination switchover. Once the "connection" is
established the VSP and the DS exchange the data using UDP datagrams. The
difference with TCP is that if another DS sends a datagram to the VSP, then the
VSP will interpret this as a new incoming connection*, forget about the first DS
and start sending its own UDP datagrams to the second one. In other words, the
VSP will always communicate with the "most recent sender". Such behavior is not
possible in TCP, in which a third party cannot interfere with an existing connection.
"Connection" termination. There is no connection termination phase in UDP so
VSP "terminates" its UDP connections by forgetting about them and the only event
that can trigger UDP "connection" termination (except for the closing of the VSP)
is connection timeout.
Local port used by the VSP depends on the selected routing mode:
In the server routing mode the VSP sends the UDP datagrams from an
"automatic" port selected by the OS;
In the server/client and client routing modes the VSP sends and receives
UDP datagrams through the port, defined by the listening port parameter.
TCP data connections
Only one connection at a time. TCP protocol stack on the PC is capable of
supporting thousands of concurrent TCP connections but the VSPD strictly enforces
that only a single TCP connection exists for each VSP at any time. This is because
the serial port is not a shared media and allowing, say, two Device Servers to
connect to the same VSP would have created a data chaos***. Allowing only a
single connection at a time follows a "serial port culture" of "one serial port- one
application"! If the VSP is already engaged in a data connection with the DS and

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

255

another DS attempts to establish a connection to this VSP then this DS will be

rejected.
Separate ports for outgoing and incoming connections. The VSP establishes
its outgoing connections** from an "automatic" port selected by the OS. Each time
such outgoing connection is established the source port number on the VSP side
will be different. The VSP accepts incoming connections* on a fixed listening port,
whose number is defined by the listening port parameter. When the incoming
connections are not allowed the listening port is closed.
* Assuming that incoming connections are allowed (i.e. the routing mode is either
"server", or "server/client").
** Assuming that outgoing connections are allowed (i.e. the routing mode is either
"client", or "server/client").
*** What if both Device Servers started sending the data to the VSP at the same
time? Then the PC application using the VSP would have received a mix of data
consisting of an input from both Device Servers! And if two Device Servers were
connected to the same VSP and the PC application needed to send out the data
then which DS of the two the VSP would have to send this data to?

On-the-fly Commands
On-the-fly commands are used to change the serial port configuration of the DS as
needed (i.e. "on the fly"). Serial port configuration made through the on-the-fly
commands overrides the permanent one, defined by the serial port settings of the
DS. The difference between the changes made using on-the-fly commands and
changes made through altering DS settings is that, unlike serial settings, on-the-fly
commands have immediate effect and do not require the DS to be rebooted in
order for the new values to be recognized.
With on-the-fly commands enabled, the serial port of the DS is always setup as
required by the PC application that communicates with this DS through the VSP.
When the PC application opens the VSP (or some communications parameters are
changed) the application informs the VSP about required changes* and the VSP
relates this information to the DS by sending on-the-fly commands.
Additionally, on-the-fly commands are used by the VSP to control the RTS and DTR
outputs of the DS serial port. The status of the CTS and DSR input of the DS serial
port can be passed to the VSP too- this is done using so-called "notification
messages". For more information see handling of RTS, CTS, DTR, and DSR signals.
On-the-fly commands drop-down box provides four choices:
Disabled

On-the-fly commands are not sent at all, so the serial

port of the DS will use "permanent" serial port
configuration defined by the serial port settings. In this
mode it doesn't matter what serial port parameters are
set in the PC software application- the DS will not be
aware of them!

Out-of-band

On-the-fly commands are enabled and sent in the form

of out-of-band (UDP) commands. On-the-fly commands
(RC) setting of the DS must be programmed to 1
(enabled) for the out-of-band on-the-fly commands to be
accepted.

Inband

On-the-fly commands are enabled and sent in the form

of inband (TCP) commands. On-the-fly commands
(RC) setting of the DS must be programmed to 1

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

256

Tibbo Document System

(enabled) for the on-the-fly commands to be accepted.
Additionally, there are some other programming steps
that must be performed before the DS will recognize
inband commands- see preparing the DS for inband
access.
Disabled (w FF esc.)

On-the-fly commands are not sent, but the VSP treats all
incoming and outgoing data as if inband mode was used
(i.e. it doubles all "escape" characters (ASCII code 255)
in the data sent by the application and expects all escape
characters to be doubled in the data stream sent by the
DS). See disabled (with FF escape) mode of the VSP for
details.

In general, we recommend you to keep on-the-fly commands enabled (unless there

are some special reasons preventing you from doing so). Enabling on-the-fly
commands keeps the serial port setup of the DS "in sync" with the requirements of
the software application using the VSP.
As for choosing between out-of-band and inband modes, follow these
recommendations:
Out-of-band commands work most of the time, especially when the PC (running
VSP) and the DS are located on the same network segment**. Out-of-band
commands may not work very well or not work at all for the remote Device Servers
located behind the routers, firewalls, etc***. This is because:
Routers are known to "drop" UDP datagrams (on which out-of-band on-the-fly
commands are based) under heavy network traffic.
UDP traffic is banned by the firewalls of many networks (hence, out-of-band
on-the-fly commands cannot be used at all). If you want out-of-band on-the-fly
commands to work then your network must allow UDP traffic to port 65535!
If you encounter one of the above situations then you should use inband on-the-fly
commands or not use on-the-fly commands at all!
There is one other reason why out-of-band commands may not be suitable- this is
when on-the-fly commands must be synchronized with the data sent by the VSP.
For more information see synchronization issues.
On-the-fly command-related activity of the VSP is best observed using the Port
Monitor, as all on-the-fly commands as well as the result of their execution are
logged- see next section for details.
* This is standard for Windows COM ports.
** The definition of the network segment implies that there are only network hubs
(and no routers, bridges, firewalls, etc.) between the PC and all other devices on
the segment.
*** Here we touch on a very complicated subject. Modern routers offer a
bewildering array of setup options. We will attempt to cover this in details in our
upcoming white papers.

When the VSP Sends On-the-fly Commands

This topic details when and what on-the-fly commands the VSP sends to the DS.
At certain times the VSP sends an entire "parameter block" of required
communications parameters to the DS:
Parameter block is sent when the VSP is just opened, except when the routing

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

257

mode is "server".
Additionally, parameter block is sent each time the data connection is
established (no matter whether this was an incoming or outgoing connection).
Parameter block includes all communications parameters needed by the serial port,
such as the baudrate, parity, etc.
In addition to sending parameter blocks the VSP also sends individual commands
whenever some parameter is changed within the application. For example, if the
User chooses a different baudrate (while the application is already running and the
VSP is opened) the VSP won't send out entire parameter block again but will
instead send just the on-the-fly command to change the baudrate of the DS.
Such individual on-the-fly commands are sent immediately after the serial
communications parameters are changed in the software application, except for the
case when the routing mode is "server" and no data connection is established at
the moment. In this case the VSP will have to wait until it receives an incoming
connection, and this will trigger an entire parameter block to be sent, as described
above.
Here is an example log from the Port Monitor detailing one "cycle" of the VSP
operation (out-of-band on-the-fly commands are enabled, routing mode is not
"server"):
--- application is started --12/15/03 14:22:47 - COM3 (INFO): Port opened
--- beginning of parameter block (this block is sent because the VSP has been opened) --12/15/03 14:22:47 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: get DSR pin status...success
12/15/03 14:22:47 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: get CTS pin status...success
12/15/03 14:22:47 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set DTR to high...success
12/15/03 14:22:47 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set RTS to high...success
12/15/03 14:22:47 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set baud rate to 38400 bps...success
12/15/03 14:22:47 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set parity to none...success
12/15/03 14:22:47 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set data bits to 8 bits...success
12/15/03 14:22:47 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set flowcontrol to RTS/CTS...success
12/15/03 14:22:47 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: enabling line change notification for
DSR...success
--- end of parameter block ------- connection is established (i.e. because the application sends data) --12/15/03 14:22:54 - COM3 (INFO): Established TCP connection with node 192.168.100.92:1001
--- beginning of parameter block (this block is sent because the connection has been established) --12/15/03 14:22:54 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: get DSR pin status...success
12/15/03 14:22:54 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: get CTS pin status...success
12/15/03 14:22:54 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set DTR to high...success
12/15/03 14:22:54 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set RTS to high...success
12/15/03 14:22:54 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set baud rate to 38400 bps...success
12/15/03 14:22:54 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set parity to none...success
12/15/03 14:22:54 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set data bits to 8 bits...success
12/15/03 14:22:54 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set flow control to
RTS/CTS...success
12/15/03 14:22:54 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: enabling line change notification for
DSR...success
--- end of parameter block ------- the following commands are sent in response to the User changing the baudrate within the application --12/15/03 14:22:56 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set baud rate to 19200 bps...success
12/15/03 14:22:58 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set baud rate to 9600 bps...success
12/15/03 14:22:59 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set baud rate to 19200 bps...success
12/15/03 14:23:00 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set baud rate to 9600 bps...success
--- application is closed --12/15/03 14:23:02 - COM3 (INFO): TCP connection closed
12/15/03 14:23:02 - COM3 (INFO): Port closed

A slightly different behavior is observed when the inband mode is selected for
on-the-fly commands. Since inband commands are passed within the TCP data
connection, the VSP establishes such a connection in case it needs to send
on-the-fly command(s) and no connection is established at the moment. Again,

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

258

Tibbo Document System

this is only done when the routing mode is not "server".
Here is another output, this time for inband on-the-fly commands (routing mode is
not "server"):
--- application is opened --12/17/03 09:30:13 - COM3 (INFO): Port opened
--- TCP connection is established because the VSP needs to send a parameter block --12/17/03 09:30:13 - COM3 (INFO): Established TCP connection with node 192.168.100.92:1001
--- beginning of parameter block --12/17/03 09:30:13 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: get DSR pin status...success
12/17/03 09:30:13 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: get CTS pin status...success
12/17/03 09:30:13 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set DTR to high...success
12/17/03 09:30:13 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set RTS to high...success
12/17/03 09:30:13 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set baud rate to 38400 bps...success
12/17/03 09:30:13 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set parity to none...success
12/17/03 09:30:13 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set data bits to 8 bits...success
12/17/03 09:30:13 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set flowcontrol to none...success
12/17/03 09:30:14 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: (unknown)...success
12/17/03 09:30:14 - COM3 (INFO): Line status change notification: DSR:low CTS:low
--- end of parameter block ------- connection is aborted because no data is being transmitted across this connection
12/17/03 09:31:14 - COM3 (INFO): TCP connection aborted by remote node
----- flow control mode must be changed, and the VSP establishes the TCP connection again
12/17/03 09:34:00 - COM3 (INFO): Established TCP connection with node 192.168.100.92:1001
12/17/03 09:34:00 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set flowcontrol to
RTS/CTS...success

The VSP employs a retry mechanisms that makes up to 3 additional attempts in

case no reply is received from the DS. If, after 4 attempts there is still no reply
the VSP disables on-the-fly command generation:
12/16/03 10:55:58 - COM3 (WARNING): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set baud rate to 9600
bps...timed out, still trying...
12/16/03 10:56:01 - COM3 (WARNING): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set baud rate to 9600
bps...timed out, still trying...
12/16/03 10:56:04 - COM3 (WARNING): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set baud rate to 9600
bps...timed out, still trying...
12/16/03 10:56:04 - COM3 (ERROR): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set baud rate to 9600
bps...timed out
12/16/03 10:56:05 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" commands disabled (until port opened next time)

No additional attempts are made if the DS denies or rejects any on-the-fly

command:
12/16/03 11:03:33 - COM3 (ERROR): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: get DSR pin status...access
denied
12/16/03 11:03:34 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" commands disabled (until port opened next time)

Handling of RTS, CTS, DTR, and DSR Signals

The status of RTS, CTS, DTR, and DSR lines can be exchanged between the VSP
and the DS. This means that the VSP can remotely control the state of RTS and
DTR outputs of the serial port on the DS while the DS can notify the VSP of the
state changes on the CTS and DSR inputs of its serial port. This topic provides
detailed information on the subject.
RTS and DTR outputs of the DS serial port
Whenever the application requires the state of the RTS or DTR line to be changed
the VSP sends an appropriate on-the-fly command to the DS. Here is how this is
reflected in the Port Monitor:
12/16/03 09:46:24 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set RTS to low...success
12/16/03 09:46:27 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set RTS to high...success

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

259

12/16/03 10:05:06 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set DTR to low...success
12/16/03 10:05:06 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set DTR to high...success

The DS always replies to each such command with the A (OK) status code*.
Whether or not the DS actually processes the command depends on the current DS
setup:
If the application is running with RTS/CTS flow control disabled (which means the
VSP has sent a Flow Control (FC) parameter of 0) the DS does process all
RTS-related on-the-fly commands. If the application is running with RTS/CTS flow
control enabled (the VSP has sent a Flow Control (FC) parameter of 1) the DS
ignores all RTS-related on-the-fly commands (but still replies with A). This is
because in this mode the DS controls the RTS line on its own and the function of
the RTS line is to regulate the flow of data from the attached serial device into the
serial port of the DS (also see Flow Control (FC) setting).
As for the DTR line, whether or not the DS actually processes DTR-related
on-the-fly commands depends on the DTR Mode (DT) setting. If this setting is 0
(idle) the DS does process all DTR-related on-the-fly commands. If this setting is 1
(connection mode) the DS ignores all such commands. This is because in this mode
the DS controls the DTR line on its own and the function of the DTR line is to
reflect current status of the data connection.
CTS and DSR inputs of the DS serial port
Changes in the states of CTS and DTR inputs of the DS serial port are delivered to
the VSP through Notification (J) messages. For the notifications to work the DS
must first be informed the status change of which lines should be reported to the
VSP. This is done through the Notification Bitmask (NB) parameter. Depending
on the flow control mode selected by the application the VSP sets the bitmask in
one of the two ways:
If the application is running with RTS/CTS flow control disabled, the VSP
programs the DS to react to the changes of both the CTS and DSR lines.
If the application is running with RTS/CTS flow control enabled, the VSP
programs the DS to react to the changes of the DSR line only. This is because
when the flow control is enabled the CTS line is handled on the DS "level"- it is
used to regulate the flow of serial data from the DS into the serial device.
Since the bitmask depends on the selected flow control it is re-programmed each
time the application changes the flow control mode:
--- application disables RTS/CTS flow control so the bitmask is set to include the CTS line --12/16/03 10:10:18 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set flowcontrol to none...success
12/16/03 10:10:18 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: enabling line change notification for
DSR, CTS...success
----- application enables RTS/CTS flow control so the bitmask is set to exclude the CTS line --12/16/03 10:10:20 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: set flowcontrol to RTS/CTS...success
12/16/03 10:10:20 - COM3 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.92: enabling line change notification for
DSR...success

Additional considerations concerning notification messages

Just as on-the-fly commands can be sent using out-of-band or inband access
method, notification messages can also be sent out-of-band or inband. When the
Inband (IB) settingof the DS is programmed to 1 (enabled) the DS sends inband
notifications (otherwise, the DS sends out-of-band notifications).
For the inband notifications to work no additional DS setup is required (past the
pre-programming needed to make the DS accept inband commands in principlesee preparing the DS for inband access).
For the out-of-band notifications to work properly the Notification Destination

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

260

Tibbo Document System

(ND) setting of the DS must be programmed to 0 (last known port). In this case
the DS will send its notifications to the port from which it last received an
on-the-fly command. Because the VSP sends on-the-fly commands from an
"automatic" port the DS has no way of knowing beforehand what this port number
will be. Therefore, the DS won't send notifications unless it receives at least one
on-the-fly command from the VSP. This is not a limitation since on-the-fly
commands are generated by the VSP as soon as it is opened and/or connection is
established (see when the VSP sends on-the-fly commands).
There are certain limitations associated with notification messages:
Notifications are only generated when the data connection is established
between the VSP and the DS. This is different from on-the-fly commands which
can be sent by the VSP at any time, even when the data connection is not
established yet.
The change in the state of the CTS or DSR input of the DS serial port is
recognized with a 20 millisecond delay. That is, the line must change the state
and remain in this new state for at least 20 milliseconds for this change to be
detected and notification to be sent to the VSP.
* That is, if on-the-fly commands are enabled in principle.

Synchronization Issues for On-the-fly Commands

This topic details a subtle difference between the timing of out-of-band and inband
on-the-fly commands (relative to the data being sent by the VSP).
In certain serial systems transmission of data by the PC is synchronized with
toggling of RTS or DTR outputs (or with changing of the serial port setup).
Consider the following two examples:
Example 1: The RTS line is used to mark the beginning and the end of the data
transmission by the PC.
The diagram of such data transmission is shown below. When the PC wants to send
out the data it does the following:
Sets the RTS line to HIGH.
Transmits the data.
Sets the RTS line to LOW.
The positive pulse on the RTS line is said to envelope or encapsulate the data.

Example 2: mark and space parity bits are used by the serial device to distinguish
between the address and data bytes transmitted by the PC.
In most RS485 systems (where there are multiple serial devices attached to the
serial bus) the PC needs to select a particular "node" it wants to communicate with
by transmitting the address of this node. Such systems often use the parity bit to

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

261

distinguish between the node address and the actual data, i.e. (parity= mark
means an address byte, parity= space means a is data byte, or vise versa).
Since a standard COM driver does not allow the application software to control the
parity bit directly, such software uses the following algorithm to transmit the node
address followed by the data:
Change the parity to mark.
Send the node address.
Change the parity to space.
Send the data for this node.
The point here is that changes in the parity mode must be synchronized with the
data being sent out.
How the use of VSP affects synchronization
The operation of the VSP is more asynchronous than that of a standard serial port.
When the application sends out the data the VSP just puts this data into the Tx
buffer and returns control back to the application. To the application this means
that the data has been sent out. Obviously, this is not so and there will be a
certain delay before this serial data actually comes out of the serial port on the DS
side.
Out-of-band commands (such as the command that tells the DS to change the
state of the RTS line) are sent separately from the data. For example, when the
application tells the VSP to change the state of the RTS line the VSP sends a
required out-of-band command immediately.
For the example 1 the above means that the pulse on the RTS line will be
completely out of sync with the serial data itself (the diagram below illustrates
this). For the example 2 this means that the switching of the parity mode will occur
at wrong (and unpredictable) times and, therefore, there is no guarantee that the
address byte will be output with mark parity bit and the data byte will be output
with space parity bit!

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

262

Tibbo Document System

The solution
Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem- use inband mode when trying to
achieve full synchronization between the Tx data and on-the-fly commands!
Because inband on-the-fly commands are mixed into the data stream itself there is
no chance that these commands will somehow "pass over" the data. The DS will
receive the data and corresponding on-the-fly commands in exactly the same order
as generated by the application.

Disabled (With FF Escape) Mode of the VSP

Some comments should be made on this mode of the VSP. The mode exists so that
you could prevent the VSP from sending on-the-fly commands to the DS while at
the same be able to program the DS from the DS Manager using inband access
method.
Inband programming is usually used when out-of-bandaccess is not possible. For
the inband programming to work the DS must be configured for inband access. In
this case the DS treats all data characters with ASCII code 255 (FF Hex) in a
special way: all ASCII code 255 characters sent from the VSP to the DS must be
doubled, or the DS will mistake these data characters for a beginning of inband
commands (see inband commands for details). In the inband on-the-fly mode the
VSP does this "doubling" but it also sends on-the-fly commands. If you don't want
the on-the-fly commands to be sent then use the disabled (with FF escape)
on-the-fly mode- the VSP will refrain from sending any on-the-fly commands but
will still "double" all outgoing FF characters. Likewise, the VSP will correctly handle
all "double" FF characters sent by the DS.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

263

Connection Timeout
Connection timeout parameter sets the timeout (in minutes) for the data
connections between the VSP and the DS. If no data is transmitted across the data
connection (TCP or UDP) for a specified number of minutes the VSP aborts the
connection.
Setting connection timeout parameter to 0 disables the feature and the connection
is never closed on timeout.
Notice, that this feature will work even when the connection mode is set to
"immediately". When the timeout comes the VSP closes the connection first and
immediately reopens it (timeout counter is reloaded). This provides additional
reliability since hanged connections are automatically "repaired".
Connection timeout parameter works like the Connection Timeout (CT) setting
of the DS.

Routing Mode
Routing mode defines whether the VSP will accept incoming connections (passive
opens) and/or establish outgoing connections (perform active opens).
Routing Mode drop-down box provides three choices:
Server

Only incoming connections are accepted, the VSP never

attempts to establish an outgoing connection to the DS. There
is no restriction on which DS can connect to the VSPconnection from any IP-address will be accepted as long as the
DS is connecting to the correct listening port using correct
transport protocol.

Server/client

Both incoming and outgoing connections are allowed. Outgoing

connections are established with the destination, specified in
the destination section of the dialog. Exactly when the VSP
attempts to establish an outgoing connection is defined by the
selected connection mode. Incoming connections are accepted
from any IP-address, just like with the server routing mode.

Client

Only outgoing connections are allowed, the VSP rejects all

incoming connections.

Routing mode option works like the Routing Mode (RM) setting on the DS.

Connection Mode
Connection mode defines when the VSP attempts to establish an outgoing
connection to the destination, specified in the destination section of the dialog.
Connection mode drop-down box provides two choices:
Immediately

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

The VSP attempts to establish an outgoing

connection right after it is opened by the
application. The VSP also tries to make this
connection "persistent". If the connection is
aborted by the DS, the VSP will (attempt to)
re-establish it immediately. Connection timeout
(defined by the connection timeout parameter) still
works in this mode: when the current connection
times out the VSP aborts it and immediately
establishes a new connection. Such behavior

264

Tibbo Document System

"auto-repairs" hanged connections.
On data

The VSP attempts to establish an outgoing

connection when the first "serial" data (since the
VSP was opened or previous connection was
closed/aborted) is sent by the PC application into
the VSP.

Connection mode option is irrelevant when the routing mode is "server", since in
this mode outgoing connections are not allowed in principle.
Connection mode option works like the Connection Mode (CM) setting of the DS
(modes 0 and 1 only).

Listening Port
Listening port parameter defines the listening port number that will be associated
with this VSP.
Listening port usage is slightly different for TCP/IP and UDP/IP transport protocols:
For TCP/IP transport protocol this parameter defines a listening port on
which incoming connections are to be accepted. Listening port is closed and
irrelevant when the routing mode is "client", since in this mode incoming
connections are not allowed in principle. Outgoing connections, when allowed
(i.e. in the "client" and "server/client" routing modes), are established from an
"automatic" port, so the listening port number has nothing to do with this.
For UDP/IP transport protocol the situation is as follows:
When the routing mode is "client" (incoming "connections" are not allowed) the
listening port parameter is irrelevant and the VSP sends it own UDP datagrams
from an "automatic" port.
When the routing mode is "server" or "client/server" the listening port
parameter defines the listening port on which incoming UDP datagrams are
accepted and is also used as the port from which outgoing UDP datagrams are
sent.
Listening port parameter is similar to the Port Number (PN) setting of the DS.

Destination Modes
The VSP has two "destination" modes that define which destination the VSP will
attempt to connect to*:
In the single-destination mode there is only one destination specified either
by its IP-address or MAC-address.
In the multi-destination mode the VSP maintains a table of destinations. The
VSP switches between these destinations basing on the data sent by the
application. Multi-destination mode is a "logical" equivalent of a "multi-node"
RS485 network.
* When outgoing connections are allowed in principle, i.e. in the client or
client/server routing mode.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

265

Single-destination Mode
Single-destination mode is selected by choosing "single destination" from the
destination mode drop-down box (see the screenshot below). Single destination
mode allows you to specify one particular DS to which the VSP will be establishing
its outgoing connections (when allowed by the routing mode and according to the
connection mode option).

The destination DS can be specified either by its IP-address, or its

MAC-address:
When Enable MAC-->IP mapping optionbox is not checked the DS is specified by
its IP-address.
When Enable MAC-->IP mapping optionbox is checked the DS is specified by its
MAC-address. This option exists to make the VSP-to-DS communications
independent of the IP-address of the DS. If the DS is running with DHCP enabled
(DHCP (DH) setting is 1 (enabled)) the IP-address may eventually change but
the MAC-address will remain the same.
With mapping enabled, the VSP "discovers" current IP-address of the DS each time
it needs to communicate with this DS. The process is illustrated by the following
log in the Port Monitor:
12/17/03 17:11:00 - COM3 (INFO): Port opened
12/17/03 17:11:06 - COM3 (INFO): MAC --> IP mapping for MAC 0.2.3.4.61.189...ok, mapped to 192.168.100.92
12/17/03 17:11:06 - COM3 (INFO): Established TCP connection with node 192.168.100.92:1001
12/17/03 17:11:29 - COM3 (INFO): TCP connection closed
12/17/03 17:11:29 - COM3 (INFO): Port closed
--- IP-address of the DS has changed --12/17/03 17:17:03 - COM3 (INFO): Port opened
12/17/03 17:17:05 - COM3 (INFO): MAC --> IP mapping for MAC 0.2.3.4.61.189...ok, mapped to 192.168.100.91
12/17/03 17:17:05 - COM3 (INFO): Established TCP connection with node 192.168.100.91:1001

In the above example the IP-address of the DS has changed between the
"communications sessions" but the VSP was able to connect to the same DS by
using the MAC-->IP mapping.
Because the VSP is using broadcast UDP communications to "find" the DS with
matching MAC-address, the MAC-->IP mapping feature only works for local Device
Servers, i.e. devices located on the same network segment* with the PC (running
VSP).
Also specified in the destination section of the VSP properties dialog is the port
number on the DS. This must be the same number as the one specified in the Port
Number (DP) setting of the destination DS.
Instead of entering the destination data manually, you can press the Select Device
Server from the list... button and choose the DS from the list. The button brings up
the dialog, similar to the main window of the DS Manager. In fact, it is the DS
Manager, with the following two differences:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

266

Tibbo Document System

There is an additional Select button. To select a particular DS as a destination for
the VSP single-click on the DS in the device list and press Select. Alternatively,
you can double-click on the DS in the device list.
There is no COM access mode available in the access mode drop-down box. This
is because you are choosing a network destination for the VSP so the target DS
has to be selected from the list of devices accessible through the network!
When you select the DS from the list the VSP Manager selects or deselects the
MAC-->IP mapping automatically:
Mapping is deselected if the DS is not local (no matter the DS is running with
DHCP enabled or disabled).
Mapping is deselected if the DS is local but is running with DHCP disabled.
Mapping is selected if the DS is local and is running with DHCP enabled.
Additionally, when you select the DS from the list the destination port is set
automatically to the one, defined by the Port Number (DP) setting of the
selected DS.
* The definition of the network segment implies that there are only network hubs
(and no routers, bridges, firewalls, etc.) between the PC and all other devices on
the segment. Broadcast messages cannot pass through the routers and cannot
reach the Device Servers located behind those routers.

Multi-destination Mode
Multi-destination mode allows you to communicate with several Device Servers
(and the serial devices behind them) through a single VSP. To understand the
usefulness of this feature consider the following example:
Example
Let's assume there is a multi-drop (RS485) network with several serial data
terminals connected to it (see diagram below). The RS485 "bus" is attached to the
PC's COM port via a 485-to-232 converter. An application software on the PC
(App.) can address each terminal individually by sending a formatted command
that contains a "node address" of the terminal. All terminals on the RS485 bus
receive the command but only the one with a matching node address will respond
to the command. This is a very common way of multi-drop communications. The
PC acts as a "master" and the terminals act as "slaves".

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

267

The formatted command typically has a start character (STX, ASCII code 2 in this
example), followed by the node address (transmitted, for example, as two ASCII
characters representing the number, i.e. "01", "02", etc.). The address characters
are followed by the command contents and some sort of end character (for
example, CR, ASCII code 13):
STX

Addr1 Addr2

Command contents

CR

Now let's suppose that you need to network-enable this system. The simplest way
to do so would be to connect the RS485 bus to the DS, create a VSP on the PC and
let the application software access the terminals through the VSP and the DS.

This will work, but only if the distance between the terminals is small. If the
terminals are to be located far away from each other the RS485 network
connecting them would have become very long thus defying the purpose of
network-enabling this system! Much better solution would be to connect each
terminal individually to its own DS (see figure below). This way there would be no
RS485 network whatsoever.

The problem here is that each DS (and hence, each terminal) will now have its own
IP-address and this means that a single VSP will have to switch between these IPs
as needed (remember that on the original RS485 system the application software
communicated with all terminals on the RS485 bus through a single COM port!).
The solution
The multi-destination mode of the VSP allows you to define several destination
Device Servers and switch between these destinations basing on the outgoing data
stream sent by the PC application. As explained above, the multi-drop RS485
system (almost) always has some form of node addressing and the VSP can be
programmed to filter out this addressing information and automatically switch
between the destinations.
The data in the outgoing data stream the VSP reacts to is divided into two
portions:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

268

Tibbo Document System

Prefix string- this is a fixed string that signals to the VSP that the actual node
address will follow. Prefix can be any string of (almost) any length but it cannot
be NULL (empty). Only one prefix string can be defined for each VSP.
Switch string- this is the data that immediately follows the prefix. The switch
string is different for each destination listed in the destination table. Switch
strings can also be of (almost) any length but cannot be NULL (empty).
For the example used in this topic the prefix string is a single character with ASCII
code 2 (STX) and the destination table looks like this:
Switch string
"01"
"02"
"03"

Destination IP-address
192.168.100.40
192.168.100.41
192.190.0.15

Once the VSP detects the prefix string in the data stream sent by the application
software it starts checking if the subsequent data will match one of the defined
switch strings. When the match is detected the VSP closes current data connection
(if any) and switches to the new destination, corresponding to the detected switch
string.
Here is how this is reflected in the log of the Port Monitor:
12/18/03 10:39:49 - COM3 (INFO): Port opened
12/18/03 10:40:04 - COM3 (INFO): Switching to 192.168.100.40:1001 ("01")...
12/18/03 10:40:04 - COM3 (INFO): Established TCP connection with node 192.168.100.40:1001
12/18/03 10:40:15 - COM3 (INFO): TCP connection closed
12/18/03 10:40:15 - COM3 (INFO): Switching to 192.168.100.41:1001 ("02")...
12/18/03 10:40:15 - COM3 (INFO): Established TCP connection with node 192.168.100.41:1001

Setting up the multi-destination VSP

To switch into the multi-destination mode and create the list of destinations select
"multi-destination" from the destination mode drop-down box and click Edit
destination table... button- Edit destination table dialog will open (shown on the
screenshot below). The multi-destination mode is only available when the routing
mode is "client" and when the connection mode is "on data". "Server/client"
routing mode is not allowed because the VSP is supposed to act as a master and
establish all connections by itself. "Connect immediately" mode is not allowed
because the VSP needs to receive a switch string from the application in order to
know which destination to connect to.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

269

The prefix string is entered into the Prefix (ASCII) or Prefix (Hex) textboxes. These
textboxes are synchronized with each other. Prefix (ASCII) texbox records the
characters as you type them. For example, if you press <A> key this will be
interpreted as ASCII character 'A'. The Prefix (Hex) texbox will reflect the ASCII
HEX code of this character- 41. Typing "02" (ASCII code of the STX character) into
the Prefix (Hex) textbox will cause the image of this character (smiley face) to
appear in the Prefix (ASCII) textbox. Special characters, such as STX, can also be
entered in the Prefix (ASCII) textbox using the <CTRL> key (<CTRL>+<B> for
STX).
Available destinations are entered into the destination table- there are Add, Edit,
and Delete buttons. Pressing Add or Edit button opens the Edit destination entry
dialog (see the screenshot below).

Switch (ASCII) and Switch (Hex) textboxes are used to enter the switch string for a
particular destination.
Substs (ASCII) and Subst (Hex) textboxes provide additional functionality that
haven't been mentioned yet. If the data is entered into those fields then the VSP

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

270

Tibbo Document System

will automatically substitute the switch string encountered in the data stream sent
by the application with this substitution string.
For example, if the switch string is "01" and the substitution string is "00" then the
following will happen (STX character is represented as J):
Application-->VSP:
VSP-->DS:

J01ABC
J00ABC

The destination portion of the Edit destination entry dialog is similar to that
displayed in the VSP properties dialog in the single-destination mode. The
destination DS can be defined by its IP-address or by its MAC-address, depending
on whether the MAC-->IP mapping option is enabled or not. Destination port must
match the one specified by the Port Number (DP) setting of the destination DS.
Instead of typing in the data manually, you can press the Select Device Server
from the list... button and choose the DS from the list.
How multi-destination errors are handled
If, after the VSP is opened, the application starts sending "random" data without
sending a prefix and a switch string first, or if the data after the prefix does not
match any switch string, the VSP will be discarding this data until a valid prefix
and switch are detected.
If, after a valid prefix and switch have already been detected and the VSP has
established a connection with a certain destination DS, the VSP receives the
prefix string that is not followed by any valid switch string, then the VSP will
keep sending the data across the existing data connection.

Specify Destination By
The Specify by drop-dox box allows you to select one of three methods to specify
the VSP's destination:
IP-address: Select the destination of the VSP by specifying its IP address. When
using this option, the IP address should be static and not be dynamically
assigned by DHCP.
Host name: Specify the destination by DNS host name. The destination should
be registered in DNS for this to work. Registration in DNS can be performed
manually (using your DNS server administration interface) or using an interface
between DHCP and DNS.
MAC-address: Select the destination by specifying its MAC address. This is
useful for destinations which are located in the current (local) network segment,
whose IP address may change (i.e, when the IP address is dynamically assigned
by DHCP).

Control lines Tab

Control lines tab allows you to define the "operating mode" for CTS, DSR, and DCD
"inputs" of the VSP. CTS, DSR, and DCD are actually real physical input lines found
on serial ports/cables (they exist alongside RTS and DTR outputs). It is a standard
COM port functionality to be able to report the status of CTS, DSR, and DCD inputs
to the application software that is working with this COM port.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

271

The following options are available for each input line:

Normal (reported by Device Server). In this mode the application software
working with the VSP is updated (or queries) the status of actual physical lines
on the serial port of the DS*.
Fixed at HIGH. When this option is selected for a particular line this line
appears to always be at HIGH ("enabled"), no matter what actual state of the
corresponding physical line on the Device Server's serial port is.
Fixed at LOW. When this option is selected for a particular line this line appears
to always be at LOW ("disabled"), no matter what actual state of the
corresponding physical line on the Device Server's serial port is.
Connected to RTS (DTR). When this option is selected for CTS input it appears
to be connected to the RTS output. When this option is selected for DSR input it
appears to be connected to the DTR output. To the application software, this
really looks like there is a wire interconnecting CTS and RTS (or DTR and DSR)
lines. DCD line doesn't have a "pair" so this option is not available for DCD.
Fixed at HIGH, fixed at LOW, and connected to RTS (DTR) options are handy when
certain serial control input lines are not physically implemented but the application
software requires these lines to be in a specific state. For example, DTR and DSR
lines are not implemented on the DS100R Device Server, yet some application
software might wait for the DSR input to become HIGH as an indication that the
serial device is ready to accept the data. To make sure that the software receives
the state it is looking for the DSR line can be set to fixed at HIGH.
* This functionality depends on so-called notifications that are automatically
generated by the DS and sent to the VSP and also on-the-fly commands
(network-side parameters) generated by the VSP.

Default serial settings Tab

Default serial settings tab allows you to define a set of communications parameters
associated with this VSP. This tab exists purely for compatibility with regular COM
ports. Under Windows, each COM port has a set of default parameters associated

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

272

Tibbo Document System

with it, and so does VSP. These parameters do not affect operation of the VSP in
any way.

Use WinSock
4.1.2.3for transport
Use WinSock for transport checkbox enables or disables working via WinSock.
On some PCs, a program called WinSock Proxy (WSP) Client is installed. This client
modifies the way Windows handles IP routing.
When working with such a PC with the VSP in default mode (with the Use
WinSock for transport checkbox unchecked), the VSPD will not be able to
connect to remote IP addresses (addresses beyond the scope of the current
subnet), but will be able to connect to local addresses.
When something like this happens, you should mark this checkbox and thus
instruct the VSPD to use WinSock for transport, rather than the default mechanism
(called TDI, Transport Device Interface).

Unsupported
4.1.2.4Features and Limitations
This topic describes existing limitations of the VSP.
Password protection for on-the-fly commands. On the DS side this feature
is enabled through the On-the-fly Password (OP) setting. The VSP does not
support this yet so the password protection for on-the-fly commands must be
disabled on the DS.
Password protection for data connections. On the DS side this feature is
enabled through the Data Login (DL) setting. The VSP doesn't support data
logins yet and so the password protection for data connections must be disabled
on the DS.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

273

Warnings
and Messages
4.1.2.5
This reference section contains additional information on the warning and error
messages displayed by the VSP Manager.

Listening Port is In Use

Description
Message text:

Listening port associated with this VSP is already in use,

possibly by another VSP. Set another listening port number
and try again

Details
Listening port is the port number the VSP is accepting incoming connections on*.
This message appears when the VSP attempts to open this port (which usually
happens when the VSP is opened) and the port is already in use by another
application (possibly, another VSP).
To solve this problem select another number for the listening port and try again.
* When incoming connections are allowed by the routing mode.

No Start Characters defined

Description
Message text:

You haven't defined any start-characters. Close still?

Details
This message appears when you are closing the start/stop characters dialog and
you haven't defined any start characters while the start on any character option is
disabled. This means that there are no conditions whatsoever that will open the
data block and no data will ever be accepted from the application.

Port Substitution Required

Description
Message text:

You have chosen the name that is currently assigned to a

standard COM port. The COM driver for this port will be
substituted with the VSPD. Are you sure you want to
continue?

Details
This message appears when you select the port name for the VSP that is currently
in use by the real COM port. Typically, these are "COM1" and "COM2" port names.
For more information on the subject see VSP name selection.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

274

Tibbo Document System

VSP Is in Use
Description
Message text:

This VSP is currently opened by another application. Port

properties cannot be altered at this time
This VSP is currently opened by another application and
cannot be deleted

Details
You can only edit VSP properties or delete a VSP when it is not currently opened
(i.e. not in use by another application).

Port Monitor
Port Monitor is a parts of the Device Server Toolkit.
The Port Monitor is used to log the activity of Virtual Serial Ports
(VSPs) installed on your Windows system.
When the Port Monitor is running its icon appears in the system tray, as shown on
the screenshot below.

Double-clicking on the Port Monitor's icon in the system tray brings up the main
window:

The main window displays the log of registered events. The simplest way to
observe the work of the Port Monitor is to open the VSP from some application
program and check what kind of data appears in the Monitor (sample output is
shown on the screenshot above).
You can erase all data in the Port Monitor's window by choosing File--> Clear log
from the main menu or clicking clear monitor log button (shown below).

You can also copy the log data into the clipboard by first selecting the desired part
of the data in the Port Monitor's window and then choosing File--> Copy from the
main menu or clicking copy button (shown below).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

275

All events logged by the Monitor can be divided into informational, warning, and
error events. Preferences dialog (general and event tabs) defines which events are
logged, what format is used to displays those events, and what action the Monitor
will take when an error event is encountered.
The Monitor also features a dump function which can be used to track the data
passing through a particular VSP.

Preferences
Dialog (General Tab)
4.1.3.1
General tab of the preferences dialog (shown on the screenshot below) offers a
number of options that define how the Port Monitor logs events. To display the tab
choose File-->Preferences from the main menu of the Port Monitor or click
Preferences button (shown below).
Preferences button

Event prefix format defines how each event in the log will look like. There are
three fields that can be added to each event line:
Port name placeholder (%p). Adding %p to the format string will make
the Monitor print the VSP name (i.e. "COM3", "COM4") for which the event was
generated.
Timestamp placeholder (%t). Adding %t to the format string will make the
Monitor print current date and time stamp for each event line (i.e. "12/30/03
14:57:13").
Message type placeholder (%m). Adding %m to the format string will
make the Monitor print the type of event (i.e. "INFO", "WARNING", "ERROR")
for each event line.
You can combine the placeholders, for example: "%t- %p (%m):". This will
make the Wizard print all events like this:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

276

Tibbo Document System

12/30/03 15:06:51 - COM4 (INFO): Port opened
12/30/03 15:06:52 - COM3 (INFO): Port closed

Start automatically on Windows logon option, which is enabled by default,

starts the monitor application when Windows boots.
Write events to file option, when enabled, allows you to choose a file to which
the Monitor will save all logged events. The Monitor will create a plain text file
that can be viewed using any text editor.
Notify on error option, when enabled, allows you to choose what the Monitor
should do if any error events are logged. You have two choices:
Popup main window. The main window of the Port Monitor will be displayed
automatically whenever an error event is registered.
Blink system tray icon. The main window will not be opened but the
Monitor's icon in the system tray will have a blinking exclamation point.
Additionally, you can enable play sound file option and choice the sound that
will be generated each time an error event is logged.

Preferences
Dialog (Event Tab)
4.1.3.2
Events tab of the preferences dialog (shown on the screenshot below) allows you to
enable/disable logging of and set the font for individual events and event groups.
To display the tab choose File-->Preferences from the main menu of the Port
Monitor (or click Preferences button), then click events tab.
Preferences button

When the Monitor is installed all events are enabled and three different font types
are selected for the informational, warning, and error events:
12/30/03 15:44:45 - COM3 (INFO): Port opened <---- info event
12/30/03 15:44:48 - COM3 (WARNING): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.95: get DSR pin status...timed out,
still trying... <---- warning event

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

277

12/30/03 15:44:54 - COM3 (ERROR): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.95: get DSR pin status...timed out
<---- error event

To enable/disable entire event group click on the option box next to the group
name. To change the font for the entire group select the group name in the list and
press Change font button.
To enable/disable individual event "expand" the event group (by clicking on the
"+" sign or double-clicking on the group name), then click on the option box next
to the event name. To change the font for an individual event select this event in
the list, deselect the inherit font option, then press Change font button.

Data Dump
Feature
4.1.3.3
The Port Monitor can be used to capture the "serial data" passing through the VSP.
The data is displayed in the Hex dump window, both in the HEX and ASCII format,
as shown on the screenshot below:

To see the hex dump, click View--> RX/TX Data from the main menu of the Port
Monitor- the choose VSP to monitor dialog will open. Select desired VSP and click
OK.

The only two functions available in the Hex dump window are save (to save all
captured data into a data file) and clear (to erase all data).

The Data Dump feature works using the Tibbo Service, which is an
auxiliary service providing several functions for the VSP and VSP
Monitor. If this service isn't running, the Data Dump feature will not
work.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

278

Tibbo Document System

Connection Wizard
Connection Wizard is a part of the Device Server Toolkit.
Connection Wizard assists you in setting up typical data links
involving Tibbo Device Servers and Virtual Serial Ports (VSPs).
Shown below is the welcome screen of the Connection Wizard.

Connection Wizard offers a selection of jobs that help you setup several kinds of
typical data links involving Tibbo Device Servers and Virtual Serial Ports (VSPs).
For example, a VSP-to-DS job helps you create a VSP on the PC, and then
configure this VSP and the Device Server (DS) of your choice to work with each
other.
Creating a VSP-to-DS link through the Wizard produces the same effect as when
you manually set up the VSP using the VSP Manager and then configure the DS
with the DS Manager. The difference is that after you have answered several
simple questions the Wizard does all necessary adjustments automatically. As a
result you save tremendously in terms of time and debugging effort spent on
setting up this data link. After you have familiarized yourself with the Wizard you
can expect to complete typical data links in under 1 minute! Even when the link
you need to create is not exactly the one this Wizard can help you with, you still
can run the closest Wizard job, then make remaining setup changes manually.
This Manual follows the actual "flow" of Wizard steps. Pressing Next in the welcome
screen of the Wizard moves you to the next step, on which you choose the kind of
data link you want to create. Likewise, the next topic of this Manual (choosing the
Wizard job) details this next step.

Choosing
the Wizard Job
4.1.4.1
On this step you choose the kind of job you want the Connection Wizard to
perform.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

279

Four choices are currently available:

Create a link between a Virtual Serial Port and a Device Server
Configure a Device Server for direct communications with an application
on this PC
Create a link between two Device Servers
Finish remote job

VSP-to-DS
Link
4.1.4.2
This job is selected by choosing create a link between a Virtual Serial Port and a
Device Server from the list of available jobs.
When performing this job the Connection Wizard creates a VSP (on the PC the
Wizard is running on) and then configures this VSP and the DS of your choice to
work with each other. Use this job if you want to make your "serial" PC software*
communicate with the serial device through the VSP and the DS. This way your PC
software and the serial device can communicate with each other as if they were
still interconnected by a normal serial cable. This is a fast and economical way of
network-enabling a legacy serial system that you are unwilling or not able to
modify- both the PC software and the serial device will require no modification
whatsoever to work through the network.
* I.e. the software that can only communicate through COM ports. If your software
supports communications through TCP/IP networks use direct-to-DS connection.

VSP Name Selection

On this step you select the name of the VSP that will be configured on the PC side
of the VSP-to-DS connection. VSP names look like the numbers of regular COMs,
i.e. COM1, COM2, COM3.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

280

Tibbo Document System

Choosing select existing VSP option displays the list of VSPs that are already
found on your system (i.e. the ones that have been created before).
Choosing create new VSP option displays the list of unused VSP names (shown
above). The number of ports you can have in Windows is virtually unlimited- the
Connection Wizard lets you create any port in the range between COM1 and
COM255*.
There are no rules on what VSP name to choose but some considerations are
provided here.
* We could extend the number even further but feel that the current range is
sufficient for all practical purposes.

Choosing the VSP Name

This topic provides additional information on choosing a proper VSP name.
There are no rules on what VSP name to choose, just make sure that you pick the
name that can be selected in the application software you plan to use with this VSP
. Most programs provide a limited selection of ports (typically, up to COM2 or
COM4). Therefore, choosing "COM100" won't be suitable as you will not be able to
select this VSP in such a program.

On the screenshot above COM3 is not listed- this is because the VSP with this

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

281

name already exists. Notice, however, that ports COM1 and COM2 are not excluded
from the list and are marked with icons identifying them as "real" COMs*. This is
because even though these port numbers are "occupied" the Connection Wizard
can still "grab" them. For example, if you select COM1 the Wizard will
automatically reassign COM1 to be a VSP (from this moment on COM1 will seize
working as a normal COM port and will start working as a VSP). Substitution may
be necessary when you are dealing with an old application software that only
provides a choice of COM1 and COM2 which are usually occupied by real COMs.
When you delete the VSP (this can be done through the VSP Manager) that
substituted a standard COM port the VSP Manager will attempt to restore the
original driver (make this port become a normal COM again). This mostly works
but on some systems you may encounter problems (especially under Windows ME).
We have conducted an extensive "research" into the port substitution, only to
conclude that it just won't work reliably on all systems!
We recommend that you do not use port substitution unless absolutely
necessary!
* This is system-dependent. Some modern PCs don't have any real COMs.

Target DS
On this step you select the DS that the VSP (selected on the previous step) will be
communicating with.

In most cases you complete this step as follows:

Select Device Server is accessible from this PC.
Click Select DS button and choose the DS from the list. The button brings up the
dialog, similar to the main window of the DS Manager. In fact, it is the DS
Manager, with the following two differences:
There is an additional Select button. To select a particular DS single-click on

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

282

Tibbo Document System

the DS in the device list (in the auto-discoveryor address book access mode)
and press Select. Alternatively, you can double-click on the DS in the device
list.
The COM access mode is not available when the DS Manager is called from
within Wizard. This is because you are choosing a network destination for the
VSP so the DS has to be selected from the list of devices, accessible through
the network!
Click Next.
This step provides a choice of several access options for the target DS- read
additional info on accessing the DS for more information.
When you click Next the Wizard attempts to contact the target DS and verifies if
this DS is local or remote. The DS of your choice must be available on the network,
or the Wizard won't allow you to continue. Moreover, the IP-address of this DS
must be reachable*. If everything is OK the Wizard reads out all current setting
values of this DS.
What if the DS is not visible from the PC
If the PC and the DS are located on different network segments it may well be that
the DS is not "visible" from this PC but the PC is visible from the DS. This is normal
as many networks are not symmetrical. For example, if the PC has a public (real)
IP-address and the DS is located on a firewalled network segment then the DS can
connect to the PC (VSP), but the PC (VSP) cannot connect to the DS.
To specify that the DS is not visible from this PC select the Device Server is not
accessible from this PC option and click Next.
There are two implications of this choice:
In this VSP-to-DS connection it is the DS that will always be connecting to the
VSP, since VSP cannot connect to the DS.
The Wizard won't be able to setup the DS through the network (this is because it
cannot "see" the DS). You will have a chance to setup this inaccessible DS
through its serial port or through a temporary network connection. You will be
given a choice to do this within current Wizard job or generate a configuration
script and finish the setup later, using the finish remote job feature of the
Connection Wizard.
* The DS Manager and the Connection Wizard have the ability to "see" local Device
Servers even if the IP-address of these devices is unreachable (this is done by
using broadcast communications- read about this here). The reason why the
Wizard demands that the Device Server has a proper IP-address is because the
VSP will have to establish a real data connection with this DS and that requires a
reachable IP-address.

Additional Info on Accessing the DS

This topic provides additional information on the access options available for the
target DS.
The target DS can be selected from the list (using Select DS button) or its address
and access parameters can be input manually. The first option is usually more
convenient and requires less manual input and decisions on your behalf.
Specifying the target address

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

283

The target DS can be specified either by its IP-address or MAC-address:

When Enable MAC-->IP mapping option is not checked the DS is specified by its
IP-address.
When Enable MAC-->IP mapping option is checked the DS is specified by its
MAC-address. If the DS is running with DHCP enabled its IP-address may
eventually change but the MAC-address will remain the same. This option exists
to make the communications with this DS "IP-address independent": each time
the VSP needs to connect to the DS it will find out the current IP-address of the
DS with the target MAC-address, and only then access this IP-address. The
MAC-->IP mapping feature only works for local Device Servers. If the target DS
is remote it can only be specified by its IP-address.
When you choose the DS from the list (through the Select DS button) the Wizard
selects or deselects the mapping option automatically:
Mapping is deselected if the DS is not local (no matter the DS is running with
DHCP enabled or disabled).
Mapping is deselected if the DS is local but is running with DHCP disabled (DHCP
(DH) setting is 0).
Mapping is selected if the DS is local and is running with DHCP enabled (DHCP
(DH) setting is 1).
Specifying the access method and port
Besides the IP (or MAC) you need to specify the access method and access port for
this DS. Access method is the way the Wizard will access the DS in order to
program it. Access port is the port to which the Wizard will send its programming
commands. These options are not directly related to how the VSP will be accessing
the DS, they just specify how the Wizard is going to access the DS.
There are two access methods:
When out-of-band (UDP) access method is selected the Wizard
communicates with the DS using command UDP datagrams sent to the command
port 65535 of the DS. Out-of-band commands offer a primary way of network
programming that requires no preliminary setup on the DS side. This access
method is suitable for all local Device Servers. It will also work with remote
Device Servers unless the UDP traffic is banned by the network routers (firewalls,
etc).
When inband (TCP) access method is selected the Wizard communicates with
the DS by sending commands through the TCP connection established to the
data port of the DS (this is the number defined by the Port Number (PN)
setting of the DS). Inband (TCP) commands provide a secondary method of
network programming that can be used in situations when out-of-band UDP
access is impossible (for remote Device Servers). The downside is that a certain
pre-programming must be done on the DS before it can be accessed using
inband access method- read preparing the DS for inband access for step-by-step
instructions.
When you select the DS from the address book (through the Select DS button) the
Wizard copies the access method and access port from the address book entry.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

284

Tibbo Document System

Initiator of the Data Exchange

On this step you select which side of the VSP-to-DS connection will be the first to
send the data.

Notice, that asking "who will be the first to send the data?" is not the same as
asking "which side will be establishing the data connection to the other side?"*
When making your choice imagine that there is no network at all and the serial
device is attached to the COM port of the PC directly. Now, which side sends the
data first?
There are three choices:
Virtual Serial Port. Select this option if it is the application software that will be
sending the first data. This is typical for the kind of serial devices that we, at
Tibbo, came to call "slave terminals". Such terminals communicate with the PC
software using some sort of command-reply communication protocol and it is the
PC software that usually plays the role of a "master": the terminal won't send
any data unless the PC sends a command first (and this is the "first data"!).
Device Server. Select this option if it is the serial device that will be sending the
first data. This is typical for the kind of serial devices that we call "scanners"
(readers)**. This class of serial devices differs from "slave terminals" in that
they send out the data spontaneously, without any prior prompt from the PC
software.
Any side. In some systems the data may first come from any side. For example,
there are some "active terminals" out there that can send out the data
spontaneously and at the same time respond to the commands from PC. Also
choose this option if you are not sure which side of your system sends the data
first.
* Although these two questions are connected- see how the Wizard decides which
side open the connection.
** Meaning barcode scanners or magnetic card readers.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

285

Netmask & Gateway for the DS

This step comes in two options: you are either requested to input the gateway and
netmask information that the DS needs to connect to this PC (left screenshot) or
you are shown a screen informing you that the entry of this data is not necessary
(right screenshot).

The gateway and netmask need only be set when two conditions are
observed:
The DS may need to (or must) establish data connections to the PC (this is
determined by the Wizard).
The DS and the PC are located on different network segments (there is at least
one router between the PC and the DS).
Setting gateway and netmask information for the DS that only accepts incoming
connections is not necessary*. If the DS is local there are no routers between this
DS and the PC, so the gateway and netmask are not necessary even if the DS has
to connect to the PC.
How to set the gateway and netmask
There is no straight way of finding out what data to enter. You need to obtain this
information from somebody with a knowledge of your network's topology. Here is
one hint, though.
If the IP-address of the target DS is configured through DHCP (DHCP (DH)
setting is 1 (enabled)), then the DHCP server might have configured this Device
Server's gateway and netmask as well. When you reach this step of the Wizard the
Gateway IP-address and the Netmask fields are filled with the data from the
Gateway IP-address (GI) and Netmask (NM)settings of the target DS**. This
data may already be correct!
What if the PC is not visible from the DS
When the PC and the DS are located on different network segments it may well be
that the PC is not "visible" from this DS. This is normal as many networks are not
symmetrical. For example, if the DS has a public (real) IP-address and the PC is

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

286

Tibbo Document System

located on a firewalled network segment then the PC (VSP) can connect to the DS,
but the DS cannot connect to the PC (VSP).
To provide for this situation the option box at the top of this step's screen allows
you to specify that this PC is not accessible from the Device Server. Choose the
option if this is so and if the option is available.
The option to specify that the PC is not accessible from the DS is disabled (not
allowed to be chosen) when you have previously specified (at the target DS step)
that the DS is not accessible from the PC. The reason is obvious: at least one side
of the connection must be able to "see" the other side!
After you have completed this step the Wizard has enough information to decide
which side of the VSP-to-DS link will be responsible for establishing the data
connections.
* We found that some people hold a passionate belief that these parameters are
necessary in any case. This is not true! If your network device doesn't have to
establish outgoing connections you never have to bother about the gateway and
netmask!
** Unless you have specified that "the DS is inaccessible from this PC" at the
target DS step of the Wizard, in which case the Wizard cannot obtain this
information.

How the Wizard Decides Who Opens Connections

When you click Next on the netmask and gateway step the Wizard has enough
information to decide which side of the VSP-to-DS connection will be responsible
for establishing data connections with the other side.
In doing this, the Wizard decides on the future values of the Routing Mode (RM)
and Connection Mode (CM) settings of the DS, as well as the Routing Mode and
Connection Modeproperties of the VSP.
In general, the Wizard tries to follow the natural flow of data between the
application and the serial device. In the initiator of the data exchange step you
have already specified which side sends the data first, so the Wizard will have this
side open a data connection to the other side as soon as the first data needs to be
sent from this side of the connection.
For example, if you are dealing with the "slave terminal" type of serial device, then
the first data is always sent by the application (and the VSP). Therefore, the
Wizard will set the Routing Mode property of the VSP to "client" and the Routing
Mode (RM) settingof the DS to "slave".
Lines 1-3 of the following table illustrate what's just been said. Notice that the
Connection Mode (CM) setting is always set to "on data". As the first data is
received (by one side of the link) it triggers an attempt to open a data connection
with the other side of the link:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

287

Which side can "see"

the other side of the
connection

Which
side
sends the
first data

Routing
Mode on
the VSP

Connect
ion
Mode on
the VSP

Routing
Mode on
the DS

Both sides can see each

other
Both sides can see each
other

Application

Client

On data

Server

Serial
device

Server

---

Both sides can see each

other

Any side

Server/clie
nt

Only PC can see the DS

Application

Client

On data

Server

On
dat
a
On
dat
a
---

Only PC can see the DS

Serial
device

Client

Immediate
ly

Server

---

Only PC can see the DS

Any side

Client

Server

---

Only DS can see the PC

Application

Server

Immediate
ly
---

Client

Only DS can see the PC

Serial
device

Server

---

Client

Only DS can see the PC

Any side

Server

---

Client

Im
me
diat
ely
On
dat
a
Im
me
diat
ely

1
2

Client
(server/clien
t)
On data Server/clien
t

Co
nn
ec
tio
n
M
od
e
on
th
e
D
S
---

The situation becomes more complicated when only one side of the connection can
"see" the other side. Consider the case in line 5 of the table. The serial device has
to send the data first, but it cannot "see" the VSP. Therefore, even when the DS
receives the first data into its serial port it will be unable to establish a connection
to the VSP and send this data!
The way out is to have the VSP connect to the DS as soon as the VSP is opened
(so, connection mode for the VSP is set to "immediately"). This way, by the time
the DS needs to send the first data to the VSP the connection is already
established. This kind of connections are called "reverse".
A special comment should be made on line 2 of the table, where the Routing Mode
on the DS is designated to be either "client" or "server/client". The Wizard chooses
"client" if DS programming is effected using out-of-band access method (you have
selected this on the target DS step of the Wizard). If inband access method was
selected the Wizard will set the mode to "server/client". This is because choosing

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

288

Tibbo Document System

"client" would cause it DS to reject all incoming connections in the future and this
means that you wouldn't be able to program the DS using inband access in the
future!
* This is the case when you have specified that "the Device Server is not accessible
from this PC" on the target DS step, or that "the PC is not accessible from this
Device Server" on the netmask and gateway for the DS step of the Wizard.

Transport Protocol & Listening Ports

On this step you select the protocol that will be used for exchanging the data
between the VSP and the DS. You also choose the listening port number on the
side(s) of the link that will be receiving incoming connections from the other side.

In general, we recommend you to stick to the TCP/IP, unless you have a good
reason (which is very rare!) to use UDP/IP protocol.
There is one case when the UDP/IP selection is not available and the TCP protocol
is pre-selected for you- this is when you have specified an inband access method
on the target DS step of the Wizard. Since inband access requires a TCP/IP data
connection with the DS you must use TCP/IP transport protocol!
Under What Circumstances Transport Protocol & Port Selection Is Disabled
As noted above, when you use Inband access mode for the wizard, you must use
TCP/IP as the transport protocol. Also, port selection will be disabled in this case.
At this stage of the Connection Wizard you are already in communication with a
DS. The communication is done via the data transport channel of the DS (as
opposed to a separate command channel, like in Telnet or out-of-band mode).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

289

The DS is usually far away (somewhere on a WAN), otherwise you would not use
inband access to reach it. Thus, there are all sorts of firewalls and gateways
between yourself and the DS. Firewalls only allow traffic on certain ports to go
through, and UDP packets are often dropped on WANs.
If you change the protocol to UDP now, or change the listening port on the DS, you
may render it completely inaccessible. The change will occur, because the Wizard is
in communication with the DS (on the proper port which you configured in the
beginning). But at the end of the Wizard run, you'll have an unpleasant surprise the DS may suddenly disappear.
Thus, when selecting Inband Access mode in the beginning of the Wizard, you
cannot later change the Transport Protocol or Listening Port.
Listening ports
This screen also provides an option of entering the port number on the listening
side(s) of the VSP-to-DS link. By now the Wizard has already decided which side
opens the connections. Connecting side needs to know the number of the listening
port on the other side. For example, if it is the VSP that will always be connecting
to the DS, then you only have to specify the listening port on the DS side.
Consequently, the listening port on the DS textbox will be enabled, and the
listening port on the PC textbox will be disabled. If both sides will need to establish
the connection, then you have to specify the listening ports on both sides too, and
both textboxes will be active.
There is one case when the listening port on the DS side is fixed and pre-selected
for you- this is when you have specified an inband access method for this DS. In
this case you have already specified the listening port (as the access port) on the
target DS stepof the Wizard (listening port and the access port are the same for
inband mode).
Once the listening port on one side is known, the Wizard sets the destination port
on the other side accordingly. If the VSP will need to connect to the DS the
destination port on the VSP will be the same, as the value of the Port Number
(PN) setting on the DS side. Likewise, if the DS will have to connect to the VSP
the Destination Port (DP) setting on the DS will be the same as the local port
number on the VSP.
How the listening port numbers are chosen
In most cases the choice of listening ports is automatic so when you get to this
step suggested port numbers are already entered by the Wizard.
On the VSP side the number is calculated as 998+ the number of COM. For
example, if you are dealing with COM3 then the Wizard will suggest the number of
998+3=1001*. Tying the listening port number to the VSP name provides a simple
and effective way of making sure that all VSPs on your system use a different
listening port (listening port cannot be shared between the VSPs).
On the DS side you can choose any port of your liking, except the 65535 (65535 is
a special command port). What the Wizard is showing you by default is the default
value of the Port Number (PN) setting of the DS (1001).
The only reason to change suggested port numbers is if your network's firewall
bans most of the traffic so only specific ports are opened for communications. In
this case you may need to adjust the port numbers to the requirements of your
network.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

290

Tibbo Document System

* There is no any special reason for this, we cannot even remember why we start
from 998.

On-the-fly Commands
On this step you decide whether the PC application will be controlling the setup of
the serial port of the DS.

The VSP-to-DS connection can be arranged in such a way that the serial port of the
DS is always setup as required by the "serial" application. For example, if the
application that opens the VSP selects the baudrate of 9600 bps, then the baudrate
of the DS serial port is immediately set to this baudrate as well.
This functionality is delivered through the so-called on-the-fly commands (or, more
officially, network-side parameters). Just like programming commands, on-the-fly
commands can be sent using out-of-band or inband access method, so you have a
total of three choices:
No, disable on-the-fly commands. On-the-fly commands are not sent at all,
the DS is not aware of the serial port settings required by the application and is
running with "permanent" serial parameters defined through the serial settings.
For example, even if the application requires 9600 bps, but the Baudrate (BR)
setting of the DS is programmed to 5 (38400 bps), the serial port of the DS will
be running at 38400.
Yes, enable on-the-fly commands, use out-of-band access method.
On-the-fly commands will be sent as UDP datagrams to the command port
65535 of the DS. This access method is suitable for all local Device Servers. It
will also work with remote Device Servers unless the UDP traffic is banned by the
network routers (firewalls, etc). We suggest that you select this option whenever
possible.
Yes, enable inband on-the-fly commands, use inband access method.
On-the-fly commands will be sent through the TCP connection established to the
data port of the DS (this is the port number defined by the Data Port Number
(PN) setting). This method can be used in situations when out-of-band
on-the-fly commands cannot get through.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

291

In certain cases the Wizard will automatically disallow the out-of-band

option:
If you have specified inband access on the target DS step of the Wizard then the
Wizard will assume that this is because out-of-band access is impossible. Since
the VSP will be running on the same PC as this Wizard, the same constraints
(probably) apply to the VSP as well, so Wizard disallows out-of-band access.
If the Wizard has decided that the VSP is to run in the server routing mode then
the VSP cannot sent out-of-band commands too. This is because sending
out-of-band commands would be like establishing outgoing UDP "connections" to
the DS, and selected routing mode doesn't allow this. On the contrary, inband
on-the-fly commands are OK- after the DS connects to the VSP the latter can
send these commands across this existing data connection.
If you choose to disable on-the-fly commands the Wizard will select either
"disabled" or "disabled (with FF escape)" on-the-fly mode on the VSP side
depending on how the DS is being accessed for programming (you have selected
this on the target DS step of the Wizard). See disabled (with FF escape) mode for
details.
Enabling on-the-fly commands also has another effect: it allows the status of RTS,
CTS, DTR, and DSR lines to be transmitted between the VSP and the DS.
More information regarding on-the-fly commands
Serial port and serial communications (Firmware Manual)
On-the-fly (network-side) parameters and instructions (Firmware Manual)
On-the-fly commands (VSPD and VSP Manager Manual)

Parameters for the Serial Port of the DS

This step comes in two options: you are either requested to input communication
parameters for the serial port of the DS (right screenshot) or you are shown a
screen informing you that this information is not required (left screenshot).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

292

Tibbo Document System

Values entered on this screen are saved into the serial settings of the DS. Once
set, they remain unchanged even after the DS is switched off. The serial port of the
DS will always use these values unless temporary overriding parameters are
received from the VSP (in the form of the on-the-fly commands- if you have
enabled them on the previous step).
The screen with permanent serial port values is shown in two cases:
You have disabled on-the-fly commands on the previous step of the Wizard. This
means that the DS won't be aware of the serial parameters required by the
application and will use the permanent values you are to set now.
You have enabled on-the-fly commands, but the Wizard has decided earlier that
the Routing Mode (RM) setting of the DS is to be either 2 (client) or 1
(server/client). This deserves an explanation- see below for details.
The empty screen is shown when on-the-fly commands are enabled and the
Routing Mode (RM) setting of the DS is to be 0 (server). Follows is the
explanation on why this is so.
When the "permanent" serial port parameters are relevant or irrelevant
When the DS is in the server Routing Mode its serial port is not opened until an
incoming data connection is received from the network host (VSP in our case)*.
When on-the-fly commands are enabled the VSP sends on-the-fly commands to
the DS as soon as the VSP is opened**. Therefore, the serial port of the DS is
configured with on-the-fly commands right when it is opened. This means, that the
"permanent" values defined by the serial settings are never actually used.
It's a different story when the Routing Mode of the DS is server/client or client. In
this case the serial port of the DS is opened right from the moment the DS is
powered up*. This means, that the serial port is opened before the VSP is opened
and the on-the-fly commands are sent to the DS. Therefore, there is a chance that
the DS will receive some serial data before the serial port is configured by the VSP.
This is why the parameters defined by the serial settings are not irrelevant***!
* This is described in the opened and closed states of the serial port topic.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

293

** Unless the VSP is in the server routing mode but this cannot be so for the case
in question: if the DS is in the server routing mode then the VSP has to be in the
client or client/server mode!
*** Of course, when the VSP is opened it will still send the on-the-fly commands
and the data received before that can simply be ignored by the application. In this
case you can still say that it doesn't matter what the permanent settings of the
serial port are.

Programming Inaccessible DS
If this screen is shown then you have specified on the target DS step step that the
Device Server is not accessible from this PC. Now you have to decide how you will
setup this DS.

There are two choices:

Generate configuration script file and configure the Device Server later.
The script file can later be fed into the Connection Wizard, possibly running on a
different PC (see finishing remote job). Choose this option if you cannot
physically bring the DS to this PC for programming. Input the path and filename
for the script file and press Next.
Configure the Device Server now via the serial port. Choose this option if
you can temporary bring the DS to this PC for programming. Connect the serial
port of the DS to the unused COM port of your PC (using WAS-1455 or similar
cable), make sure the DS is powered up and press the setup button* (this will
put the DS into the serial programming mode). Click Next to continue (the
Wizard will read out current setting values of the DS).
Note:
Status LEDs of the DS are playing a serial programming
mode pattern (shown on the left) when the serial port of the DS is in the serial
programming mode (click here to see all available patterns).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

294

Tibbo Document System

* On EM100, EM120, EM200, EM202, EM1000- pull the MD line low for at least
100ms.

Application-to-DS
Link
4.1.4.3
This job is selected by choosing configure a Device Server for direct
communications with an application on this PC from the list of available jobs.
When performing this job the Connection Wizard configures the DS of your choice
to work with the "network" software application* on this PC. Use this job if you
want to make your PC application communicate directly with the DS and the serial
device behind it.
When working on this job the Wizard can only setup the DS side of the link. It is
your responsibility to setup the software as needed (expected by the Wizard).
* I.e. an application that is capable of communications through the TCP/IP
networks. If your application can only communicate through COM ports use the
VSP-to-DS connection instead.

Target DS
On this step you select the DS that the application on this PC will be
communicating with. Notice, that the Wizard can only setup the DS side of the link.
It is your responsibility to correctly setup the PC application!

In most cases you complete this step as follows:

Select Device Server is accessible from this PC.
Click Select DS button and choose the DS from the list. The button brings up the
dialog, similar to the main window of the DS Manager. In fact, it is the DS
Manager, with the following two differences:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

295

There is an additional Select button. To select a particular DS single-click on

the DS in the device list (in the auto-discoveryor address book access mode)
and press Select. Alternatively, you can double-click on the DS in the device
list.
The COM access mode is not available when the DS Manager is called from
within Wizard. This is because you are choosing a network destination so the
DS has to be selected from the list of devices, accessible through the network!
Click Next.
This step provides a choice of several access options for the target DS- read
additional info on accessing the DS for more information.
When you click Next the Wizard attempts to contact the target DS and verifies if
this DS is local or remote. The DS of your choice must be available on the network,
or the Wizard won't allow you to continue. Moreover, the IP-address of this DS
must be reachable*. If everything is OK the Wizard reads out all current setting
values of this DS.
What if the DS is not visible from the PC
If the PC and the DS are located on different network segments it may well be that
the DS is not "visible" from this PC but the PC is visible from the DS. This is normal
as many networks are not symmetrical. For example, if the PC has a public (real)
IP-address and the DS is located on a firewalled network segment then the DS can
connect to the PC (application) , but the PC (application) cannot connect to the DS.
To specify that the DS is not visible from this PC select the Device Server is not
accessible from this PC option and click Next.
There are two implications of this choice:
In this application-to-DS connection it is the DS that will always be connecting to
the application, since the application cannot connect to the DS.
The Wizard won't be able to setup the DS through the network (this is because it
cannot "see" the DS). You will have a chance to setup this inaccessible DS
through its serial port or through a temporary network connection. You will be
given a choice to do this within current Wizard job or generate a configuration
script and finish the setup later, using the finish remote job feature of the
Connection Wizard.
* The DS Manager and the Connection Wizard have the ability to "see" local Device
Servers even if the IP-address of these devices is unreachable (this is done by
using broadcast communications- read about this here). The reason why the
Wizard demands that the Device Server has a proper IP-address is because the PC
application will have to establish a real data connection with this DS and that
requires a reachable IP-address.

Additional Info on Accessing the DS

This topic provides additional information on the access options for the target DS.
The target DS can be selected from the list (using Select DS button) or its
IP-address and access parameters can be input manually. The first option is
usually more convenient and requires less manual input and decisions on your
behalf.
Besides the IP (or MAC) you need to specify the access method and access port for
this DS. Access method is the way the Wizard will access the DS in order to

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

296

Tibbo Document System

program it. Access port is the port to which the Wizard will send its programming
commands. These options are not directly related to how the application will be
accessing the DS, they just specify how the Wizard is going to access the DS.
There are two access methods:
When out-of-band (UDP) access method is selected the Wizard
communicates with the DS using command UDP datagrams sent to the command
port 65535 of the DS. Out-of-band commands offer a primary way of network
programming that requires no preliminary setup on the DS side. This access
method is suitable for all local Device Servers. It will also work with remote
Device Servers unless the UDP traffic is banned by the network routers (firewalls,
etc).
When inband (TCP) access method is selected the Wizard communicates with
the DS by sending commands through the TCP connection established to the
data port of the DS (this is the number defined by the Port Number (PN)
setting of the DS). Inband (TCP) commands provide a secondary method of
network programming that can be used in situations when out-of-band UDP
access is impossible (for remote Device Servers). The downside is that a certain
pre-programming must be done on the DS before it can be accessed using
inband access method- read preparing the DS for inband access for step-by-step
instructions.
When you select the DS from the address book (through the Select DS button) the
Wizard copies the access method and access port from the address book entry.

Initiator of The Data Exchange

On this step you select which side of the application-to-DS connection will be the
first to send the data.

Notice, that asking "who will be the first to send the data?" is not the same as
asking "which side will be establishing the data connection to the other side?"*.
There are three choices:
Your application. Select this option if it is the application software that will be

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

297

sending the first data. This is typical for the kind of serial devices that we, as
Tibbo, came to call "slave terminals". Such terminals communicate with the PC
software using some sort of command-reply communication protocol and it is the
PC that usually plays the role of a "master": the terminal won't send any data
unless the PC sends a command first (and this is the "first data"!).
Device Server. Select this option if it is the serial device that will be sending the
first data. This is typical for the kind of serial devices that we call "scanners"
(readers)**. This class of serial devices differs from "slave terminals" in that
they send out the data spontaneously, without any prior prompt from the PC
software.
Any side. In some systems the data may first come from any side. For example,
there are some "active terminals" out there that can send out the data
spontaneously and at the same time respond to the commands from PC. Also
choose this option if you are not sure which side of your system sends the data
first.
* Although these two questions are connected- see how the Wizard decides which
side open the connection.
** Meaning barcode scanners or magnetic card readers.

Netmask & Gateway for the DS

This step comes in two options: you are either requested to input the gateway and
netmask information that the DS needs to connect to this PC (right screenshot) or
you are shown a screen informing you that the entry of this data is not necessary
(left screenshot).

The gateway and netmask need only be set when two conditions are
observed:
The DS may need to (or must) establish data connections to the PC (this is
determined by the Wizard).
The DS and the PC are located on different network segments (there is at least

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

298

Tibbo Document System

one router between the PC and the DS).
Setting gateway and netmask information for the DS that only accepts incoming
connections is not necessary*. If the DS is local there are no routers between this
DS and the PC, so the gateway and netmask are not necessary even if the DS has
to connect to the PC.
How to set the gateway and netmask
There is no straight way of finding out what data to enter. You need to obtain this
information from somebody with a knowledge of your network's topology. Here is
one hint, though.
If the IP-address of the target DS is configured through DHCP (DHCP (DH)
setting is 1 (enabled)), then the DHCP server might have configured this Device
Server's gateway and netmask as well. When you reach this step of the Connection
Wizard the Gateway IP-address and the Netmask fields are filled with the data from
the Gateway IP-address (GI) and Netmask (NM) settings of the target DS**.
This data may already be correct!
What if the PC is not visible from the DS
When the PC and the DS are located on different network segments it may well be
that the PC is not "visible" from this DS. This is normal as many networks are not
symmetrical. For example, if the DS has a public (real) IP-address and the PC is
located on a firewalled network segment then the PC (application) can connect to
the DS, but the DS cannot connect to the PC (application).
To provide for this situation the option box at the top of this step's screen allows
you to specify that this PC is not accessible from the DS. Choose the option if this
is so and if the option is available.
The option to specify that the PC is not accessible from the DS is disabled (not
allowed to be chosen) when you have previously specified (at the target DS step)
that the DS is not accessible from the PC. The reason is obvious: at least one side
of the connection must be able to "see" the other side!
After you have completed this step the Wizard has enough information to decide
which side of the application-to-DS link will be responsible for establishing the data
connections.
* We found that some people hold a passionate belief that these parameters are
necessary in any case. This is not true! If your network device doesn't have to
establish outgoing connections you never have to bother about the gateway and
netmask!
** Unless you have specified that "the DS is inaccessible through the network" at
the target DS step of the Wizard, in which case the Wizard cannot obtain this
information.

How the Wizard Decides Who Opens Connections

When you click Next on the netmask and gateway step the Wizard has enough
information to decide which side of the application-to-DS connection will be
responsible for establishing data connections with the other side.
In doing this, the Wizard decides on the future values of the Routing Mode (RM)
and Connection Mode (CM) settings of the DS. With VSP-to-DS connections, the
Wizard would also be able to set the routingand connection modes on the VSP
side. For the application-to-DS connection, the Wizard can only setup the DS side.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

299

It is your responsibility to set the application side as expected by the Wizard. For
the discussion below we will assume that the application also has "imaginary"
routing and connection options, similar in function to the ones found in VSP. Here
is what this means:
VSP properties
Server routing mode

Corresponding expected application behavior

Once the application is opened it is ready to accept
incoming connections. The application never
establishes outgoing connections.
Server/client routing mode
Once the application is opened it is ready to accept
incoming connections and establish outgoing
connections to the specified IP-address and port
number (whichever happens first)
Client routing mode
The application only establishes outgoing
connections to the specified IP-address and port
number. Incoming connections are not accepted
On data connection mode
The application establishes an outgoing connection
when it has the data to send (that is, if outgoing
connections are allowed)
Immediate connection mode The application establishes an outgoing connection
as soon as it is started, even if there is no data to
transmit (that is, if outgoing connections are
allowed)
In general, the Wizard tries to follow the natural flow of data between the
application and the serial device. In the initiator of the data exchange step you
have already specified which side sends the data first, so the Wizard will have this
side open a data connection to the other side as soon as the first data needs to be
sent from this side of the connection.
For example, if you are dealing with the "scanner" type of serial device, then the
first data is always sent by the serial device. Therefore, the Wizard will program
the Routing Mode (RM) setting of the DS to "client". Consequently, the DS will
be opening the data connections to the PC application so the application needs to
be ready to accept those connections (in VSP terms this is the server routing
mode).
Lines 1-3 of the following table illustrate what's just been said. Notice that the
Connection Mode (CM) setting is always set to "on data". As the first data is
received (by one side of the link) it triggers an attempt to open a data connection
with the other side of the link:

Which side can "see"

the other side of the
connection

Which
side
sends the
first data

Routing
Mode on
the
appl**.

Connecti
on Mode
on the
appl**.

Routing
Mode on
the DS

Both sides can see each

other

Application

Client

On data

Server

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Co
nn
ec
tio
n
M
od
e
on
th
e
D
S
---

300

Tibbo Document System

2

Both sides can see each

other

Serial
device

Server

---

Client
(server/clie
nt)
Server/clie
nt

Both sides can see each

other

Any side

Server/clie
nt

On data

Only PC can see the DS

Application

Client

On data

Server

On
dat
a
On
dat
a
---

Only PC can see the DS

Serial
device

Client

Immediatel
y

Server

---

Only PC can see the DS

Any side

Client

Server

---

Only DS can see the PC

Application

Server

Immediatel
y
---

Client

Only DS can see the PC

Serial
device

Server

---

Client

Only DS can see the PC

Any side

Server

---

Client

Im
me
diat
ely
On
dat
a
Im
me
diat
ely

The situation becomes more complicated when only one side of the connection can
"see" the other side. Consider the case in line 7 of the table. The application has to
send the data first, but it cannot "see" the DS. Therefore, even when the
application needs to transmit the data it will be unable to establish a connection to
the DS!
The way out is to have the DS connect to the PC (application) as soon as the DS is
powered (so, the Connection Mode (CM) setting is 0 (immediately)). This way,
by the time the application needs to send the first data to the DS the connection is
already established. This kind of connections are called "reverse".
A special comment should be made on line 2 of the table, where the Routing Mode
on the DS is designated to be either "client" or "server/client". The Wizard chooses
"client" if DS programming is effected using out-of-band access method (you have
selected this on the target DS step of the Wizard). If inband access method was
selected the Wizard will set the mode to "server/client". This is because choosing
"client" would cause it DS to reject all incoming connections in the future and this
means that you wouldn't be able to program the DS using inband access in the
future!
* This is the case when you have specified that "the Device Server is not accessible
from this PC" on the target DS step, or that "the PC is not accessible from this
Device Server" on the netmask and gateway for the DS step of the Wizard.
** "Imaginary" options of the PC application.

Transport Protocol & Listening Ports

On this step you select the protocol that will be used for exchanging the data
between the application and the DS. You also choose the listening port number on
the side(s) of the link that will be receiving incoming connections from the other
side.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

301

In general, we recommend you to stick to the TCP/IP, unless the application

requires that the UDP/IP protocol is used. Since the Wizard can only setup the
transport protocol on the DS side of this connection, it is your responsibility to
setup the application side accordingly.
There is one case when the UDP/IP selection is not available and the TCP protocol
is pre-selected for you- this is when you have specified an inband access method
on the target DS step of the Wizard. Since inband access requires a TCP/IP data
connection with the DS you must use TCP/IP transport protocol!
Under What Circumstances Transport Protocol & Port Selection Is Disabled
As noted above, when you use Inband access mode for the wizard, you must use
TCP/IP as the transport protocol. Also, port selection will be disabled in this case.
At this stage of the Connection Wizard you are already in communication with a
DS. The communication is done via the data transport channel of the DS (as
opposed to a separate command channel, like in Telnet or out-of-band mode).
The DS is usually far away (somewhere on a WAN), otherwise you would not use
inband access to reach it. Thus, there are all sorts of firewalls and gateways
between yourself and the DS. Firewalls only allow traffic on certain ports to go
through, and UDP packets are often dropped on WANs.
If you change the protocol to UDP now, or change the listening port on the DS, you
may render it completely inaccessible. The change will occur, because the Wizard is
in communication with the DS (on the proper port which you configured in the
beginning). But at the end of the Wizard run, you'll have an unpleasant surprise the DS may suddenly disappear.
Thus, when selecting Inband Access mode in the beginning of the Wizard, you
cannot later change the Transport Protocol or Listening Port.
Listening ports
This screen also provides an option of entering the port number on the listening

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

302

Tibbo Document System

side(s) of application-to-DS link. By now the Wizard has already decided which side
opens the connections. Connecting side needs to know the number of the listening
port on the other side. For example, if it is the PC application that will always be
connecting to the DS, then you only have to specify the listening port on the DS
side. Consequently, the listening port on the DS textbox will be enabled, and the
listening port on the PC textbox will be disabled. If both sides will need to establish
the connection, then you have to specify the listening ports on both sides too, and
both textboxes will be active.
There is one case when the listening port on the DS side is fixed and pre-selected
for you- this is when you have specified an inband access method for this DS. In
this case you have already specified the listening port (as the access port) on the
target DS stepof the Wizard (listening port and the access port are the same for
inband mode).
Once again, proper setup of the application side is your responsibility. For example,
if you choose the listening port on the DS to be 1001 the Wizard will program this
number into the Port Number (PN) setting on the DS automatically, and your
job will be to set the destination port number on the application side to 1001.
Likewise, if you choose the listening port on the application side to be 3500, then
the Wizard will automatically set the Destination Port (DP) setting of the DS to
3500, but you need to make sure that the same listening number is actually
selected in the application.
How the listening port numbers are chosen
You can choose any port numbers of your liking. The only limitations are:
PC applications often have fixed destination and/or listening ports so the DS
settings may need to be adjusted to suit the requirements of your application.
Certain firewall or router setup may require you to use specific port numbers for
communications between the application and the DS.
The DS can be adjusted to use any destination and local port numbers. The only
limitation is that the Port Number (PN) setting cannot be programmed to 65535
(this is a special command port number).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

303

Parameters for the Serial port of the DS

On this step you select communication parameters for the serial port of the DS.

Unlike with the VSP-to-DS link, the serial port parameters of the DS, involved in
the application-to-DS link, cannot be adjusted via on-the-fly commands. You have
to define fixed parameters that will be used by the DS at all times.

Programming an Inaccessible DS
If this screen is shown then you have specified on the target DS step step that the
Device Server is not accessible from this PC. Now you have to decide how you will
setup this DS.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

304

Tibbo Document System

There are two choices:
Generate configuration script (left screenshot). The script file can later be fed
into the Connection Wizard, possibly running on a different PC (see finishing
remote job). Choose this option if you cannot physically bring the DS to this PC
for programming. Input the path and filename for the script file (left screenshot)
and press Next.
Configure the DS through the serial port (right screenshot). Choose this
option if you can temporary bring the DS to this PC for programming. Connect
the serial port of the DS to the unused COM port of your PC (using WAS-1455or
similar cable), make sure the DS is powered up and press the setup button* (this
will put the DS into the serial programming mode). Click Next to continue (the
Wizard will read out current setting values of the DS).
Note:
Status LEDs of the DS are playing a serial programming
mode pattern (shown on the left) when the serial port of the DS is in the serial
programming mode (click here to see all available patterns).
* On EM100, EM120, EM200, EM202, EM1000- pull the MD line low for at least
100ms.

DS-to-DS
Link
4.1.4.4
This job is selected by choosing create a link between two Device Servers from the
list of available jobs.
When performing this job the Connection Wizard configures two Device Servers of
your choice to communicate with each other. This effectively creates a "virtual
serial cable" that interconnects the serial ports of these two Device Servers. Not
only the serial data, but also the state of the RTS, CTS, DTR, and DSR signals can
be seamlessly transmitted across this virtual cable!
There are two possible applications for the DS-to-DS link:
To interconnect two non-PC devices (shown on the diagram above).
To interconnect a serial device with a non-Windows PC software. Tibbo Virtual
Serial Portscan only work under Windows so if you have a case where you need
to network-enable a system involving a non-Windows software (i.e. DOS, etc.)
you can do this by using a second DS located on the PC side.
In this case the software still communicates through a real COM port, but the DS
on the PC side connects this COM to the network. This is effectively the same kind
of "virtual serial cable" connection. Device Servers do not know (nor care) what
kind of serial devices are communicating through them.
To setup the DS-to-DS link through the Wizard you need to use a Windows PC the
Wizard will run on (shown on both diagrams as "configuration" PC). Once the link
is created this PC is no longer needed as it is not directly participating in the data
link.
One limitation that the Wizard applies to the DS-to-DS link is that at least one of
the Device Servers in the link must reside on the same network segment* as the
configuration PC. The other DS may be located anywhere (be local or remote).
* I.e. there must be no routers (firewalls, etc.) between the configuration PC and

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

305

the DS.

DS #1 (Must be Local)
On this step you select the first DS in the DS-to-DS link (it is called the "DS #1").

As explained earlier, the DS #1 must be local, i.e. it must be located on the same
network segment as the PC on which this Wizard is running (DS #2 can be local or
remote). Because of that, the accessibility option is fixed at Device Server is
assessable from this network segment (if the DS is local it is definitely must be
accessible).
Several access options that exist for the DS are also disabled because they are only
necessary when you are dealing with the remote DS and the DS #1 cannot be
remote.
The only editable option is the IP-address of the DS. You can input this IP-address
manually or select the DS from the list:
Click Select DS button and choose the DS from the list. The button brings up the
dialog, similar to the main window of the DS Manager. In fact, it is the DS
Manager, with the following two differences:
There is an additional Select button. To select a particular DS single-click on
the DS in the device list (in the auto-discoveryaccess mode) and press Select.
Alternatively, you can double-click on the DS in the device list.
The address book and COM access mode are not available. The DS #1 must be
local and so you must be able to find it in the auto-discovery mode.
Click Next.
When you click Next the Wizard attempts to contact the target DS and makes sure
that the DS is local and reachable*. If everything is OK the Wizard reads out all
current setting values of this DS.
* The DS Manager and the Connection Wizard have the ability to "see" local Device
Servers even if the IP-address of these devices is unreachable (this is done by
using broadcast communications- read about this here). The reason why the

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

306

Tibbo Document System

Wizard demands that the DS #1 has a proper IP-address is because the DS #2 will
have to establish a real data connection to this DS and that requires a reachable
IP-address.

DS #2 (Can be Local or Remote)

On this step you select the second DS in the DS-to-DS link (it is called the "DS
#2").

The DS #2 can be located anywhere, i.e. be local or remote.

In most cases you complete this step as follows:
Select Device Server is accessible from this network segment.
Click Select DS button and choose the DS from the list. The button brings up the
dialog, similar to the main window of the DS Manager. In fact, it is the DS
Manager, with the following two differences:
There is an additional Select button. To select a particular DS single-click on
the DS in the device list (in the auto-discoveryor address book access mode)
and press Select. Alternatively, you can double-click on the DS in the device
list.
The COM access mode is not available when the DS Manager is called from
within Wizard. This is because you are choosing a network destination for the
VSP so the DS has to be selected from the list of devices, accessible through
the network!
Click Next.
This step provides a choice of several access options for the DS #2- read additional
info on accessing the DS for more information.
When you click Next the Wizard attempts to contact the target DS and verifies if
this DS is local or remote. The DS of your choice must be available on the network,
or the Wizard won't allow you to continue. Moreover, the IP-address of this DS
must be reachable*. If everything is OK the Wizard reads out all current setting
values of this DS.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

307

What if the DS #2 is not visible from the PC

If the PC and the DS #2 are located on different network segments it may well be
that the DS #2 is not "visible" from this network segment (and hence, from the DS
#1) but the DS#1 is visible from the DS #2. This is normal as many networks are
not symmetrical. For example, if the DS #1 has a public (real) IP-address and the
DS #2 is located on a firewalled network segment then the DS #2 can connect to
the DS #1, but the DS#1 (and this PC) cannot connect to the DS #2.
To specify that the DS is not visible from this PC select the Device Server is not
accessible from this network segment option and click Next.
There are two implications of this choice:
In this DS-to-DS connection it is the DS #2 that will always be connecting to the
DS #1, since DS #1 cannot connect to the DS #2.
The Wizard won't be able to setup the DS through the network (this is because it
cannot "see" the DS). You will have a chance to setup this inaccessible DS
through its serial port or through a temporary network connection. You will be
given a choice to do this within current Wizard job or generate a configuration
script and finish the setup later, using the finish remote job feature of the
Connection Wizard.
* The DS Manager and the Connection Wizard have the ability to "see" local Device
Servers even if the IP-address of these devices is unreachable (this is done by
using broadcast communications- read about this here). The reason why the
Wizard demands that the DS #2 has a proper IP-address is because the DS #1 will
probably have to establish a real data connection with this DS and that requires a
reachable IP-address.

Additional Info on Accessing the DS

This topic provides additional information on the access options for the DS #2.
The DS #2 can be selected from the list (using Select DS button) or its IP-address
and access parameters can be input manually. The first option is usually more
convenient and requires less manual input and decisions on your behalf.
Besides the IP (or MAC) you need to specify the access method and access port for
this DS. Access method is the way the Wizard will access the DS #2 in order to
program it. Access port is the port to which the Wizard will send its programming
commands. These options are not directly related to how the application will be
accessing the DS, they just specify how the Wizard is going to access the DS.
There are two access methods:
When out-of-band (UDP) access method is selected the Wizard
communicates with the DS using command UDP datagrams sent to the command
port 65535 of the DS. Out-of-band commands offer a primary way of network
programming that requires no preliminary setup on the DS side. This access
method is suitable for all local Device Servers. It will also work with remote
Device Servers unless the UDP traffic is banned by the network routers (firewalls,
etc).
When inband (TCP) access method is selected the Wizard communicates with
the DS by sending commands through the TCP connection established to the
data port of the DS (this is the number defined by the Port Number (PN)
setting of the DS). Inband (TCP) commands provide a secondary method of

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

308

Tibbo Document System

network programming that can be used in situations when out-of-band UDP
access is impossible (for remote Device Servers). The downside is that a certain
pre-programming must be done on the DS before it can be accessed using
inband access method- read preparing the DS for inband access for step-by-step
instructions.
Inband access method is usually utilized when out-of-band access is not possible
(i.e. because of restrictions on the network). To allow future programming of the
DS #2 the Wizard will preserve inband access in the DS #2 and this means that
the Inband (IB) setting of the DS will be kept at 1 (enabled). Because in this
mode ASCII characters with code 255 (FF) are handled in a special way the
Inband (IB) setting of the DS #1 will also be set to 1 (enabled). This will ensure
correct transmission of FF characters between the Device Servers.
When you select the DS #2 from the address book (through the Select DS button)
the Wizard copies the access method and access port from the address book entry.

Initiator of the Data Exchange

On this step you select which side of the DS-to-DS connection will be the first to
send the data.

Notice, that asking "who will be the first to send the data?" is not the same as
asking "which side will be establishing the data connection to the other side?"*
When making your choice imagine that there is no network at all and that two
serial devices are interconnected via the serial cable. Now, which side sends the
data first?
There are three choices:
Device Server #1. Select this option if the first data will be sent by the serial
device connected to the DS #1.
Device Server #2. Select this option if the first data will be sent by the serial
device connected to the DS #2.
Any side. In some systems the first data may come from any side. Also choose

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

309

this option if you are not sure which side of your system sends the data first.
* Although these two questions are connected- see how the Wizard decides which
side open the connection.

Netmask & Gateway for the DS #1

This step comes in two options: you are either requested to input the gateway and
netmask information that the DS #1 needs to connect to the DS #2 (right
screenshot) or you are shown a screen informing you that the entry of this data is
not necessary (left screenshot).

The gateway and netmask need only be set when two conditions are
observed:
The DS #1 may need to (or must) establish data connections to the DS #2.
The DS #1 and the DS #2 are located on different network segments (there is at
least one router between them).
Setting gateway and netmask information for the DS that only accepts incoming
connections is not necessary*. If both Device Servers are located on the same
network segment, the gateway and netmask are not necessary even if the DS #1
has to connect to the DS #2.
How to set the gateway and netmask
Since the DS #1 is located on the same network segment with this PC the gateway
and netmask values that need to be set for this DS are probably the same as the
ones set for the PC. Clicking Set as on the PC button copies the gateway and
netmask information from the PC.
If the IP-address of the DS #1 is configured through DHCP (DHCP (DH) setting is
1 (enabled)), then the DHCP server might have configured this Device Server's
gateway and netmask as well. When you reach this step of the Connection Wizard
the Gateway IP-address and the Netmask fields are filled with the data from the
Gateway IP-address (GI) and Netmask (NM) settings of the target DS. This

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

310

Tibbo Document System

data may already be correct!
What if the DS #2 is not visible from the DS #1
When the DS #1 and the DS #2 are located on different network segments it may
well be that the DS #2 is not "visible" from the DS #1. This is normal as many
networks are not symmetrical. Since the DS #1 and this PC are located on the
same network segment the visibility of the DS #2 is the same for the PC and the
DS #1. This is why the options at the top of the screen are disabled and cannot be
changed:
The DS #2 is accessible from the DS #1 is selected if you have specified that
the Device Server #2 is accessible from this network segment on the DS #2 step
of the Wizard.
The DS #1 is not accessible from the DS #1 is selected if you have specified that
the Device Server is not accessible from this network segment on the DS #2 step
of the Wizard.
* We found that some people hold a passionate belief that these parameters are
necessary in any case. This is not true! If your network device doesn't have to
establish outgoing connections you never have to bother about the gateway and
netmask!

Netmask & Gateway for the DS #2

This step comes in two options: you are either requested to input the gateway and
netmask information that the DS #2 needs to connect to the DS #1 (right
screenshot) or you are shown a screen informing you that the entry of this data is
not necessary (left screenshot).

The gateway and netmask need only be set when two conditions are
observed:
The DS #2 may need to (or must) establish data connections to the DS #1.
The DS #2 and the DS #1 are located on different network segments (there is at
least one router between them).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

311

Setting gateway and netmask information for the DS that only accepts incoming
connections is not necessary*. If both Device Servers are on the same network
segment, the gateway and netmask are not necessary even if the DS #2 has to
connect to the DS #1.
How to set the gateway and netmask
There is no straight way of finding out what data to enter. You need to obtain this
information from somebody with a knowledge of your network's topology. Here is
one hint, though.
If the IP-address of the DS #2 is configured through DHCP (DHCP (DH) setting is
1 (enabled)), then the DHCP server might have configured this Device Server's
gateway and netmask as well. When you reach this step of the Connection Wizard
the Gateway IP-address and the Netmask fields are filled with the data from the
Gateway IP-address (GI) and Netmask (NM) settings of the DS #2**. This
data may already be correct!
What if the DS #1 is not visible from the DS #2
When two Device Servers are located on different network segments it may well be
that the DS #1 is not "visible" from the DS #2. This is normal as many networks
are not symmetrical. For example, if the DS #2 has a public (real) IP-address and
the DS #1 is located on a firewalled network segment then the DS #1 can connect
to the DS #2, but the DS #2 cannot connect to the DS #1.
To provide for this situation the option box at the top of this step's screen allows
you to specify that the DS #1 is not accessible from the DS #2. Choose the option
if this is so and if the option is available.
The option to specify that the DS #1 is not accessible from the DS #2 is disabled
(not allowed to be chosen) when you have previously specified (at the DS #2 step)
that the DS #2 is not accessible from the DS #1. The reason is obvious: at least
one side of the connection must be able to "see" the other side!
After you have completed this step the Wizard has enough information to decide
which side of the DS-to-DS link will be responsible for establishing the data
connections.
* We found that some people hold a passionate belief that these parameters are
necessary in any case. This is not true! If your network device doesn't have to
establish outgoing connections you never have to bother about the gateway and
netmask!
** Unless you have specified that "the Device Server is not accessible from this
network segment" at the DS #2 step of the Wizard, in which case the Wizard
cannot obtain this information.

How the Wizard Decides Who Opens the Connection

When you click Next on the netmask and gateway for the DS #2 step the Wizard
has enough information to decide which side of the DS-to-DS connection will be
responsible for establishing data connections with the other side.
In doing this, the Wizard decides on the future values of the Routing Mode (RM)
and Connection Mode (CM) settings of both Device Servers.
In general, the Wizard tries to follow the natural flow of data between the Device
Servers. In the initiator of the data exchange step you have already specified
which side sends the data first, so the Wizard will have this side open a data
connection to the other side as soon as the first data needs to be sent.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

312

Tibbo Document System

For example, if the first data is supposed to come from the DS #1 side the Wizard
will program the Routing Mode of the DS #1 to 2 (client) and the Routing Mode
of the DS #2 to 0 (server).
Lines 1-3 of the following table illustrate what's just been said. Notice that the
Connection Mode (CM) setting is always set to "on data". As the first data is
received (by one side of the link) it triggers an attempt to open a data connection
with the other side of the link:
Which side can "see"
the other side of the
connection

Which
side
sends the
first data

Routing
Mode on
the DS
#1

Connecti
on Mode
on the
DS #1

Routing
Mode on
the DS
#2

Both sides can see each

other
Both sides can see each
other

DS #1

Client

On data

Server

DS #2

Server

---

Both sides can see each

other

Any side

Server/clie
nt

On data

Client
(server/clie
nt)
Server/clie
nt

see the DS

DS #1

Client

On data

Server

On
dat
a
On
dat
a
---

see the DS

DS #2

Client

Server

---

see the DS

Any side

Client

Server

---

see the DS

DS #1

Server

Immediate
ly
Immediate
ly
---

Client

8 Only DS #2 can see the DS

#1

DS #2

Server

---

Client

9 Only DS #2 can see the DS

#1

Any side

Server

---

Client

Im
me
diat
ely
On
dat
a
Im
me
diat
ely

1
2

4 Only DS #1 can
#2
5 Only DS #1 can
#2
6 Only DS #1 can
#2
7 Only DS #2 can
#1

Co
nn
ec
tio
n
M
od
e
on
th
e
D
S
#
2
---

The situation becomes more complicated when only one side of the connection can
"see" the other side*. Consider the case in line 5 of the table. The DS #2 has to
send the data first, but it cannot "see" the DS #1. Therefore, even when the DS #2
receives the first data into its serial port it will be unable to establish a connection
to the DS #1 and send this data!

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

313

The way out is to have the DS #1 connect to the DS #2 as soon as the DS #1 is

powered up (so, the Connection Mode (CM) setting of this DS is to be 0
(immediately)). This way, by the time the DS #2 needs to send the first data to
the DS #1 the connection is already established. This kind of connections are
called "reverse".
A special comment should be made on line 2 of the table, where the Routing Mode
on the DS #2 is designated to be either "client" or "server/client". The Wizard
chooses "client" if DS #2 programming is effected using out-of-band access
method (you have selected this on the DS #2 step of the Wizard). If inband access
method was selected the Wizard will set the mode to "server/client". This is
because choosing "client" would cause it DS to reject all incoming connections in
the future and this means that you wouldn't be able to program the DS using
inband access in the future!
* This is the case when you have specified that the "Device Server is not accessible
from this network segment" on the DS #2 step, or that the "DS #1 is not
accessible from DS #2" on the netmask and gateway for the DS #2 step of the
Wizard.

Transport Protocol & Listening Ports

On this step you select the protocol that will be used for exchanging the data
between the Device Servers. You also choose the listening port number of the
side(s) of the link that will be receiving incoming connections.

In general, we recommend you to stick to the TCP/IP, unless you have a good
reason (which is very rare!) why you have to use UDP/IP protocol.
There is one case when the UDP/IP selection is not available and the TCP protocol
is pre-selected for you- this is when you have specified an inband access method
on the DS #2 step of the Wizard. Since inband access requires a TCP/IP data
connection with the DS you must use TCP/IP transport protocol, or the
configuration PC won't be able to access the DS #2 in the future.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

314

Tibbo Document System

Under What Circumstances Transport Protocol & Port Selection Is Disabled

As noted above, when you use Inband access mode for the wizard, you must use
TCP/IP as the transport protocol. Also, port selection will be disabled in this case.
At this stage of the Connection Wizard you are already in communication with a
DS. The communication is done via the data transport channel of the DS (as
opposed to a separate command channel, like in Telnet or out-of-band mode).
The DS is usually far away (somewhere on a WAN), otherwise you would not use
inband access to reach it. Thus, there are all sorts of firewalls and gateways
between yourself and the DS. Firewalls only allow traffic on certain ports to go
through, and UDP packets are often dropped on WANs.
If you change the protocol to UDP now, or change the listening port on the DS, you
may render it completely inaccessible. The change will occur, because the Wizard is
in communication with the DS (on the proper port which you configured in the
beginning). But at the end of the Wizard run, you'll have an unpleasant surprise the DS may suddenly disappear.
Thus, when selecting Inband Access mode in the beginning of the Wizard, you
cannot later change the Transport Protocol or Listening Port.
Listening ports
This screen also provides an option of entering the port number on the listening
side(s) of the DS-to-DS link. By now the Wizard has already decided which side
opens the connections. Connecting side needs to know the number of the listening
port on the other side. For example, if it is the DS #1 that will always be
connecting to the DS #2, then you only have to specify the listening port on the
DS #1 side. Consequently, the listening port on the DS #2 textbox will be enabled,
and the listening port on the DS #1 textbox will be disabled. If both sides will need
to establish the connection, then you have to specify the listening ports on both
sides too, and both textboxes will be active.
There is one case when the listening port on the DS #2 side is fixed and
pre-selected for you- this is when you have specified an inband access method for
this DS. In this case you have already specified the listening port (as the access
port) on the DS #2 step of the Wizard (listening port and the access port are the
same for inband mode).
Once the listening port on one side is known, the Wizard sets the destination port
on the other side accordingly. If the DS #1 will need to connect to the DS #2 the
Destination Port (DP) setting on the DS #1 will be the same, as the value of
the Port Number (PN) setting on the DS #2 side. Likewise, if the DS #2 will
have to connect to the DS #1 the Destination Port (DP) setting on the DS #2
will be the same as the Port Number (PN) setting on the DS #1.
ration for both connection directions, so the Destination Port on one side will
point at the Porn Number on the other side.
How the listening port numbers are chosen
You can choose any port numbers of your liking, except the 65535. This is because
65535 is a special command port. What the Wizard is showing you by default is the
default value of the Port Number (PN) setting of the DS on the receiving end of
the connection (1001).
The only reason to change suggested port numbers is if your network's firewall
bans most of the traffic so only specific ports are opened for communications. In
this case you may need to adjust the port numbers to the requirements of your

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

315

network.

Remote Exchange for RTS, CTS, DTR, DSR

On this step you select whether the status of RTS, CTS, DTR, and DSR lines will be
exchanged between the Device Servers.

When this feature is enabled, a change in the state of the CTS (DSR) input on one
DS causes a corresponding change on the RTS (DTR) output of the other DS. In
effect, this achieves compete emulation of the serial cable over the network: not
only the serial data is seamlessly transmitted between the serial ports of two
Device Servers, but also the control lines appear to be interconnected.
Exchange of signal states is enabled separately for the RTS/CTS and DTR/DSR
signal pairs (there are two checkboxes- exchange the state of RTS and CTS lines
and exchange the state of DTR and DSR lines).
If you enable the status exchange for the RTS and CTS lines you won't be able to
enable RTS/CTS flow control for the serial ports of the DS (on parameters for the
serial port of the DS #1 and parameters for the serial port of the DS #2 Wizard
steps.
Control line status exchange and the connection mode of the DS
Exchange of the control line states is done through Notification (J) Messages
sent between the Device Servers. Notification messages are sent only when the
data connection is already established. This means that if there is no data
connection between the Device Servers remote exchange of control line states
doesn't work too. This may be a problem on some serial system that may need to
exchange the state of control lines even before any data is sent.
To avoid this problem the Wizard will program the Connection Mode (CM)
setting of one of the Device Servers to 0 (connect immediately) whenever control
line status exchange is enabled for at least one of the signal pairs (RTS/CTS or
DTR/DSR). "Connect immediately" option makes the DS establish a data
connection with its destination as soon as this DS is switched on. Connection is
then maintained at all times and control line status exchange will also work at all

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

316

Tibbo Document System

times, even when no data is transmitted across the serial connection.
Notice, that the decision on the Connection Mode of both Device Servers has
already been taken before and the Wizard might have already decided that
"connect immediately" option must be enabled on one of the Device Servers (this
is needed for "reverse" connections). If this is so then the "connect immediately"
option will stay, no matter whether the control line status exchange is enabled on
this step or not.
If the Wizard haven't previously decided that the "connect immediately" option is
necessary for one of the Device Servers and you have opted to enable control line
status exchange for at least one signal pair (RTS/CTS or DTR/DSR) then the
Wizard will decide that the Connection Mode (CM) setting of the DS #1 is to be
0 (connect immediately).

Parameters for the Serial Port of the DS #1

On this step you select communication parameters for the serial port of the DS #1.

Unlike with the VSP-to-DS link, the serial port parameters of the DS, involved in
the DS-to-DS link, cannot be adjusted via on-the-fly commands. You have to
define fixed parameters that will be used by this DS at all times.
If you have previously enabled status exchange for the RTS/CTS signal pair then
the RTS/CTS flow control option will be pre-set and fixed at disabled or remote.
This is because the remote exchange and "local" flow control are mutually
exclusive options.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

317

Parameters for the Serial Port of the DS #2

On this step you select communication parameters for the serial port of the DS #2.

Unlike with the VSP-to-DS link, the serial port parameters of the DS, involved in
the DS-to-DS link, cannot be adjusted via on-the-fly commands. You have to
define fixed parameters that will be used by this DS at all times.
If you have previously enabled status exchange for the RTS/CTS signal pair then
the RTS/CTS flow control option will be pre-set and fixed at disabled or remote.
This is because the remote exchange and "local" flow control are mutually
exclusive options.

Programming an Inaccessible DS
If this screen is shown then you have specified on the DS #2 step that the Device
Server is not accessible from this network segment. Now you have to decide how
you will setup this DS.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

318

Tibbo Document System

There are two choices:

Generate configuration script (left screenshot). The script file can later be fed
into the Connection Wizard, possibly running on a different PC (see finishing
remote job). Choose this option if you cannot physically bring the DS to this PC
for programming. Input the path and filename for the script file (left screenshot)
and press Next.
Configure the DS through the serial port (right screenshot). Choose this
option if you can temporary bring the DS to this PC for programming. Connect
the serial port of the DS to the unused COM port of your PC (with the WAS-1455
or similar cable), make sure the DS is powered up and press the setup button*
(this will put the DS into the serial programming mode). Click Next to continue
(the Wizard will read out current setting values of the DS and proceed to the
next step).
Note:
Status LEDs of the DS are playing a serial programming
mode pattern (shown on the left) when the serial port
of the DS is in the serial programming mode (click here
to see all available patterns).
* On EM100, EM120, EM200, EM202, EM1000- pull the MD line low for at least
100ms.

Finishing
a Remote Job
4.1.4.5
This job is selected by choosing "Finish remote job" from the list of available jobs.
This feature allows you to finish the programming of the DS that was marked as
inaccessible from the "programming" PC when running one of the three connection
jobs.
Inaccessibility of the DS from the "programming" PC is not an uncommon situation
in wide-area networks (WANs). Such WANs are often not symmetrical i.e. only one

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

319

side of the data link can "see" the other side. For example, in the VSP-to-DS link
the DS may be able to "see" (and connect to) the PC (VSP) but the PC (VSP) won't
be able to "see" the DS. The Wizard easily deals with this kind of networks by
correctly identifying which side of the link will be responsible for establishing data
connections with the other side.
The problem, however, is that if the DS is not visible from the PC, then the Wizard
cannot configure it through the network as well! The way out is either to program
the DS via its serial port immediately or generate configuration script file that can
be used later (you have been offered this choice on the programming inaccessible
DS step* of the Wizard). "Later" programming of the DS is done by choosing Finish
remote job on the Wizard job step of the Wizard.

Programming Method for the DS

On this screen you select how the Wizard will program the DS.

There are two options to choose from:

Through the serial port (right screenshot). Choose this option if you can
temporary bring the DS to this PC for programming. Connect the serial port of
the DS to the unused COM port of your PC (with the WAS-1455 or similar cable),
make sure the DS is powered up and press the setup button* (this will put the
DS into the serial programming mode). Click Next to continue (the Wizard will
read out current setting values of the DS and proceed to the next step).
Status LEDs of the DS are playing a serial
programming mode pattern (shown on the left)
when the serial port of the DS is in the serial
programming mode (click here to see all available
patterns).
Through a temporary network connection (left screenshot). Choose this
option if this PC resides on the same network segment with the DS or if you can
temporarily connect the DS to the same network segment with this PC. In any

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

320

Tibbo Document System

case the DS and the PC must be on the same network segment.
Programming the DS through a temporary network connection
Since the DS has to be local the access options are disabled because they are only
necessary when you are dealing with the remote DS.
The only editable option is the IP-address of the DS. You can input this IP-address
manually or select the DS from the list:
Click Select DS button and choose the DS from the list. The button brings up the
dialog, similar to the main window of the DS Manager. In fact, it is the DS
Manager, with the following two differences:
There is an additional Select button. To select a particular DS single-click on
the DS in the device list (in the auto-discoveryaccess mode) and press Select.
Alternatively, you can double-click on the DS in the device list.
The address book and COM access mode are not available. The DS #1 must be
local and so you must be able to find it in the auto-discovery mode.
Click Next.
When you click Next the Wizard attempts to contact the target DS. If everything is
OK the Wizard reads out all current setting values of this DS.
* On EM100, EM120, EM200, EM202, EM1000- pull the MD line low for at least
100ms.

Configuration Script File

On this screen you choose the configuration script file that will be used to setup the
DS.

Browse to a file of your choice and click Next.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

321

Reviewing
Setup Details
4.1.4.6
On this step you can review the setup this Wizard is about to apply to both sides of
the connection. There is nothing to select or decide on here- the step is provided
for your information only. Screenshot below shows the configuration of the VSP
and the target DS for the VSP-to-DS link.

Once you click Next the Wizard starts configuring the link.

Final Screen
4.1.4.7
If you got to this screen then this means that the Wizard has successfully
configured your connection. Clicking on the internet-style links in the middle of the
screen opens configuration dialogs for the "participants" of this connection.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

322

Tibbo Document System

For example, if you've just finished the VSP-to-DS job then you will see two links
as shown on the screenshot above. The first one opens the VSP properties dialog,
the second one- DS settings dialog. This provides a comfortable way of reviewing
the setup and making changes (if necessary) right from inside the Wizard.
Click Finish if you want to close the Wizard. Click Restart to run another Wizard
job.

Warnings
and Messages
4.1.4.8
This reference section contains additional information on the warning and error
messages displayed by the Connection Wizard.

Inband Access for Local DS

Description
Message text:

It makes no sense to use inband (TCP) access method for

local Device Servers. Do you still wish the Connection Wizard
to use it?

Details
This message was displayed because the Connection Wizard has determined that
the DS you've specified is local (i.e. located on the same network segment as this
PC) yet you have opted to program this DS using inband (TCP) access method.
The primary method of programming Device Servers is by using out-of-band (UDP)
access method. This method always works and should be used for all local Device
Servers. Inband programming is meant as an alternative method for remote Device
Servers that cannot be accessed using out-of-band method.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

323

MAC-->IP Mapping Advised

Description
Message text:

It is recommended to use the MAC --> IP mapping option

because this Device Server is running with DHCP enabled and
its IP-address can change in the future. Do you still wish to
reference this DS by its IP-address?

Details
MAC-->IP mapping option was created as a means to avoid communication
problems with Device Servers that run with DHCP (DH) setting programmed to 1
(enabled). The IP-address of such Device Servers is configured by the DHCP server
and there is no guarantee that this IP-address won't change in the future. When
this happens the VSP won't be able to communicate with the DS since the target
IP-address specified for this VSP will no longer belong to this DS.
The solution is to reference the DS by its MAC-address, which is done by enabling
the MAC-->IP mapping option. More on the subject can be found here: additional
info on accessing the DS.
If you choose to not enable the mapping the data connection will work, but only
until the DHCP server assigns a different IP-address to the DS.

DS #1 Must be Local
Description
Message text:

Device Server #1 must be local (located on the same network

segment with this PC)

Details
This is a limitation imposed by the Connection Wizard. When you are creating a link
between two Device Servers the Wizard requires that at least one of the Servers is
located on the same network segment as the PC on which the Wizard is running.
Another DS may be local or remote.

Non-zero Port Number Required

Description
Message text:

Listening port number cannot be zero

Details
When you choose a port number for the listening port on the VSP side you can
input any number in the 1-65535 range. Port 0 is a special number that instructs
the PC to choose an actual port automatically. Since the port number of the
listening port must be fixed and known you are not allowed to input "0".

Port is in Use
Description
Message text:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

This port is in use. Choose another port number

324

Tibbo Document System

Details
A port cannot be used by several applications simultaneously. This message means
that the port is already opened by another application (possibly, another VSP!).
Select a different port number and try again.

VSP is Opened by Another Application

Description
Message text:

This VSP is currently opened by another application. Close

this application first to allow the Wizard to change VSP
properties

Details
When the VSP is opened by another application its properties are locked and cannot
be changed.

Different IP-address Required

Description
Message text:

You cannot select the same Device Server twice

Details
This message is displayed in the cause of the DS-to-DS connection job when you
select the same DS on both DS #1 and DS #2steps of the Wizard.

Unable to Find Setting Description File

Description
Message text:

Unable to find serial settings definition file (wizserial.sdf)

Details
Wizserial.sdf contains the list of settings related to the serial port of the DS. During
the installation this file is copied into the /SDF folder inside the target installation
folder of the Device Server Toolkit (DST). This message indicates that there is no
such file in the /SDF folder. This problem can be corrected by reinstalling the
software.

Invalid IP-address
Description
Message text:

You cannot select this Device Server because its IP-address is

unreachable

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

325

Details
This message is displayed when the Connection Wizard has determined that local
DS of your choice cannot be communicated with using normal IP-addressing.
As explained in broadcast access, a local Device Server can be accessed for
programming even if its IP-address is not configured properly. Therefore, the
Connection Wizard itself would be able to access and program any local Device
Server, even if the IP-address of this DS is unreachable. Data communications with
the DS, however, require the IP-address to be reachable. For example, the VSP
won't be able to connect to the DS with a "wrong" IP-address. This is why the
Wizard demands that you assign a proper IP-address to the DS before continuing
with the connection job.
There are several reasons why the IP-address of the Device Server may (appear to)
be unreachable. See troubleshooting (auto-discovery mode) for more information.

The DS is Not Local

Description
Message text:

This Device Server is not local. Is this correct?

Details
This message means that the Wizard has verified if the target Device Server is
located on the same network segment with this PC and has determined that the DS
is not local, i.e. located on some other network segment and there is at least one
router (firewall, bridge, etc.) between this PC and the DS.
Understanding whether the target DS is local or remote is important for several
Wizard steps that will follow.
If you believe that the DS is actually local press Retry to make the Wizard re-check
the location of the DS.

Avoid Data Characters with ASCII code FF

Description
Message text:

You must make sure that your application won't send any
characters with ASCII code 255 (FF).

Details
This message is displayed when you have specified inband access method for the
target DS. Inband access method is usually utilized when out-of-band access is not
possible (i.e. because of restrictions on the network). To allow future programming
of the target DS the Wizard will preserve inband access in the DS and this means
that the Inband (IB) setting of the DS will be kept at 1 (enabled).
When the Inband (IB) setting of the DS is at 1 (enabled) the DS can accept
commands sent by the remote host across the data connection and ASCII character
with code 255 (FF Hex) is used as an "escape" character that signifies the
beginning of a command and two FF characters need to be sent to transmit one
data FF character (see inband programming for details).
If your application sends any FF characters the DS will interpret this as a beginning
of an inband command, which is obviously a problem as all subsequent data will

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

326

Tibbo Document System

not be routed to the serial port of the DS. There are three solutions to this
problem:
Find a way to program the DS using out-of-band access method. In this case the
Wizard will disable inband commands on the DS side and all FF characters will be
interpreted by the DS in a "normal" way.
Find a way to avoid sending ASCII characters with code FF between your
application and the DS (your serial device).
Alter how your application handles all FF characters in a way compatible with the
inband mode. This means that:
Whenever your application needs to send ASCII character FF it actually sends
two consecutive FF characters;
Whenever your application receives two FF characters it interprets this as a
single data character with code FF.

Unable to Send a Broadcast

Description
Message text:

Unable to send an auto-discovery broadcast because a local

port from which this broadcast packet is supposed to be sent
is currently in use by another program

Details
After you have selected a particular DS in the Connection Wizard the latter attempts
to detect whether this DS is local or remote. This is done by sending an Echo (X)
command as UDP broadcast. Only locally attached Device Servers will receive the
broadcast, as broadcast packets cannot pass through the routers. Therefore, if the
DS you have selected replies to the broadcast then this DS is local, otherwise it is
remote.
This message means that the Wizard is unable to send the broadcast because local
port from which the broadcast is supposed to be sent is currently opened by some
other program.
This situation is extremely rare. If you encounter it please contact Tibbo for
instructions on how to change the port from which the Wizard is sending the
broadcasts! By default, the port number used for the purpose is 65534.

DST Revision History

This topic briefly describes DST software genesis from V3.56 (considered to be the
"baseline" version for this revision history). This log is provided for your reference
only; Tibbo is not obliged to elaborate on or explain detailed meaning of any item
listed below.
Release V3.9.82 [the latest published and documented version]
New design for DS Manager (tabs)
VSPD architecture significantly changed for better emulation
Added support for working with Winsock Proxy server
Optimizations in flow of Connection Wizard.
VSPD now registers with the serial PNP device enumerator of Windows. Now
serial PNP devices connected to the DS are recognized correctly.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

327

It was possible to run the DS Manager, VSP Manager, and/or Connection Wizard
at the same time (wrong!) on slower PCs. Now corrected. Only one of those
components can run at any given time.
In the Connection Wizard, it was possible to create several identical VSPs by
rapidly clicking on FINISH button.
DS firmware upgrade from the DS Manager could crash when performed in the
background.
---------Release V3.6.6
New feature in VSP Manager. The Manager is now based on a COM object. You
can interact with this object from within your application software. This provides
a way for a full control programmatic control over creation, setup, and deletion
of Virtual Serial Ports.
New feature: additional options for serial (port control) lines CTS, DSR, and DCD
(see serial lines tab).
New feature: default serial property page (see default serial settings tab).
Bug correction in VSPD. In previous VSPD versions some special characters (such
as XOFF, ESC) when sent by a DOS-based program (running under Windows
NT/2000/XP) were incorrectly handled by the VSP. The problem has now been
corrected.
Bug correction: VSP properties could not be opened from within Windows Device
Manager. This problem has now been corrected. Under Windows98 you will see
default serial property page only. Under Windows NT/2000/XP you will see all
VSP properties- just like with VSP Manager.
Several other minor bugs and problems have been corrected.
---------Release V3.56 [baseline for this revision history]

Virtual Serial Port Driver for Linux (VSPDL)

Virtual Serial Port Driver for LINUX (VSPDL) powers Virtual Serial
Ports (VSPs) that emulate "real" serial ports under LINUX OS.
The VSPDL is an "engine" that powers Virtual Serial Ports (VSPs). To any LINUX
application the VSP "looks and feels" just like a "normal" serial port. In reality, the
VSP transparently reroutes all data sent by the application to the Tibbo Device
Server ("DS") and the serial device behind it ("attached serial device"). Likewise,
all the data sent by the serial device is received by the DS and routed to the VSP,
which, in turn, passes this data to the application. Both the software application on
the PC and the serial device communicate with each other just as if they were
interconnected by a "normal" serial cable, without knowing that there is a network
in between. This allows you to network-enable your existing serial system without
changing the serial device itself or its PC software.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

328

Tibbo Document System

VSPDL operation is defined by configuration file named vspd.conf. This manual

explains the features of the VSPDL through the structure and parameters of the
vspd.conf.

How VSP Works

When designing the VSPDL we have attempted to emulate the work of a standard
serial port as closely as possible. All system calls supported by the serial port
driver were carefully ported into the VSPDL and the behavior of the VSPs closely
mimics that of "real" serial ports.

Shown above is a VSP block diagram:

Serial interface presents an application interface, compatible with the standard
serial port driver. LINUX applications are not able to tell the difference between
a VSP and a "real" COM port.
TX and RX buffers are used to pass the data between the application and the
DS.
Network interface communicates (through the TCP/IP network) with the target
DS. The VSP transparently establishes and accepts data connections with/from
the DS as needed.
On-the-fly logic (when enabled) is responsible for adjusting communications
parameters of the serial port on the DS to the requirements of the application.
For example, if the application wants the serial port to run at 19200 bps a
special on-the-fly command will be sent to the DS telling it to change the serial
port baudrate to 19200. Thus, the DS serial port functions just like the serial port
and the PC!
Configuration file (vspd.conf) define different aspects of VSPDL operation.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

329

VSPDL Device Files

Two types of device files are created by the VSPDL:
/dev/vspsn are virtual serial port device files (n is the port number, so actual
names look like this: /vsps0, /vsps1, etc.). These are the files that your "serial"
application should open for input/output
/dev/vspdn or /dev/vsp/vspdn (depending on your LINUX kernel version)
are system files created by the VSPDL for its internal needs (n is the port
number, so actual names look like this: /vsps0, /vsps1, etc.). Do not attempt to
access these files.

Installation
The VSPDL is supplied in two different versions:
TAR archive.
RPM package.
To install VSPDL you will need the following:
LINUX system (kernel 2.2.x-2.6.x).
GNU C compiler.
Linux kernel headers/sources of the Linux kernel you are running now.
make-3.74 or above.
binutils-2.7.0 or above.
bash
libc.so.6
libexpat.so.0
libgcc_s.so.1
libm.so.6
libstdc++.so.5
Further, you will need either
gunzip-1.2.4 or above to process TAR archive, or
RPM tool of your choice to process RPM package.

The Virtual Serial Port Driver for LINUX (VSPDL) distribution includes the
following:
VSPModule - Linux kernel module that creates Virtual Serial Ports (VSPs) on
your system (in lib/* of your distribution).
VSPDaemon - interacts with the VSPModule, facilitates data transfers between
the VSPs and the network (in sbin/* of your distribution).
Documentation - current documentation set in HTML format (in man/* of your
distribution).
Sample configuration files (in etc/* of your distribution).
VSPModule/VSPDaemon startup scripts ( in bin/vspm, bin/vspd of your

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

330

Tibbo Document System

distribution).

To install from TAR archive:

Login from console as a superuser (root).
Copy the TAR archive into a temporary directory (i.e. /root/vsptmp):
#mkdir /root/vsptmp
#cp ./vspd-1.00.tar.gz /root/vsptmp
#cd /root/vsptmp
Unpack the TAR archive and go to the destination directory:
#tar xvf ./vspd-1.00.tar.gz -z
#cd ./vspd-1.00-dist
Install the VSPDL into /usr/local/vspd : #./install.sh /usr/local/vspd (the
shell script will install all files automatically):
The script will check system dependencies for VSPModule compilation;
The script will then compile the VSPModule;
Finally, the script will install all files into their target location (/usr/local/vspd)
and necessary startup shell scripts (vspd and vspm)- into /etc/rc.d/init.d/.
To install from RPM archive:
Login from console as a superuser (root).
Go to the directory containing RPM archive and execute the following command:
#rpm --install ./vspd-X.YY-linux.i586.rpm (you can also use any other
tool of your choice to install RMP).
RPM subsystem will check package dependencies and let you know if
something is missing;
If all dependencies check out successfully an installation directory will be
created (normally, /usr/local/vspd-X.YY-dist);
Next, the VSPModule will be compiled and installed into the package
installation directory (normally, to /usr/local/vspd);
Finally, the RPM subsystem will check the distribution installation directory and
package installation directory to see if both were successfully created.

If the VSPDL installs successfully, you will have the following:

In /etc/rc.d/init.d/vspd and /etc/rc.d/init.d/vspm - standard UNIX startup scripts
for VSPDaemon and VSPModule.
In /usr/local/vspd/bin/* - VSPDL services (startup and VSPTty).
In /usr/local/vspd/etc/* - VSPDL configuration files.
In /usr/local/vspd/lib/vspm.ko - VSPModule.
In /usr/local/vspd/sbin/vspd - VSPDaemon.
In /usr/local/vspd/man/* - VSPD documentation.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

331

Warning regarding LATEST Linux KERNELS (2.6.x, x>= 13): If your

system can't load VSPModule and shows a "module not found" error
after VSPDL installation, you have to add a string into
/lib/modules/<kernel-name>/modules.dep:
/usr/local/vspd/lib/vspm.ko
and loader will have possibility to load VSPDModule.

Controlling VSPDL Operation

Use the following commands to start the VSPDL:
#/etc/rc.d/init.d/vspm start (must report [OK] if started successfully).
#/etc/rc.d/init.d/vspd start.
As explained in how VSP works, the VSPLD configuration is stored in the
configuration file vspd.conf. After the file is edited and changes saved you must
"update" driver configuration by using the following command:
/etc/rc.d/init.d/vspd reloadconf
This will make the VSPDL re-read the file and start using new configuration.
Configuration can be updated even when the VSPDL is working i.e. some VSPs are
opened and in use.

VSPDL Configuration File (vspd.conf)

Functioning parameters of the VSPDL, and also configurations of individual VSPs
are all defined by a single configuration file vspd.conf. The file usually resides at
/usr/local/vsp/etc/. You must be logged in as a superuser to be able to edit this
file. Editing can be done with any text editor of your choice.
After the file is edited and changes saved you must "update" driver configuration
by using the following command:
/etc/rc.d/init.d/vspd reloadconf
This will make the VSPDL re-read the file and start using new configuration.
Configuration can be updated even when the VSPDL is working i.e. some VSPs are
opened and in use.
Vspd.conf has the following structure* (see a sample file in the next topic for
actual configuration example):
<!-- **** VIRTUAL SERIAL PORT DRIVER FOR LINUX (VSPDL) CONFIGURATION FILE **** -->
<vspdconfig>
<!-- ==================== GENERAL CONFIGURATION ==================== -->
<!-- Root directory for the daemon -->
<root dir="directory"/>
<!-- Path and prefix for device files -->
<devprefix value="value"/>
<!-- Host to bind by default -->
<bind host="IP_address"/>
<!-- Timeout for basic I/O operations -->
<timeout [exec="exec(100)"] [priority="priority(10)"]/>
<!-- VSPdaemon event logging configuration -->
[<log type="syslog|pipe|file" level="EMR|ALR|CRT|ERR|WRN|NTC|INF|DBG" path="path

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

332

Tibbo Document System

"/>]
...
...
[<log type="syslog|pipe|file" level="EMR|ALR|CRT|ERR|WRN|NTC|INF|DBG" path="path
"/>]
<!-- ======= CONFIGURATION OF INDIVIDUAL VIRTUAL SERIAL PORTS (VSPs) ======= -->
<!-- -------------------- VSP0 CONFIGURATION -------------------- -->
<!-- VSP number -->
<vsp num="0">
<!-- HOST AND PORT TO BIND -->
<bind host="[IP_address]" port="port"/>
<!-- Connection parameters -->
<connection [rmode="client|server|server/client"] [proto="udp|tcp"] [conmode="
ondata|immediately"]
[timeout="timeout(5)"] [onthefly="outofband|inband|disabled"] [clogin="pwd"] [
dlogin="pwd"] />
<!-- Destination device parameters -->
<destination ip="IP_address"|mac="MAC_address" [port="port(1001)"] [cport="c
port(65535)"] />
<!-- Outbound packet generation options -->
<packets [maxlen="len(255)"] [maxdelay="delay(0)"] [starton="any|char"] [
startchar="hex"] [stopchar="hex"] />
<!-- Event logging configuration for this VSP -->
[<log type="syslog|pipe|file" level="EMR|ALR|CRT|ERR|WRN|NTC|INF|DBG" path="
path"/>]
...
...
[<log type="syslog|pipe|file" level="EMR|ALR|CRT|ERR|WRN|NTC|INF|DBG" path="
path"/>]
<!-- Data dump section -->
[<dump port="no|yes" path="path"/>]
</vsp>
<!-- -------------------- END OF VSP0 CONFIGURATION -------------------- -->
<!-- -------------------- VSP1 CONFIGURATION -------------------- -->
<vsp num="1">
...
...
</vsp>
<!-- -------------------- END OF VSP1 CONFIGURATION -------------------- -->
</vspdconfig>
<!-- **** END OF VIRTUAL SERIAL PORT DRIVER FOR LINUX (VSPDL) CONFIGURATION FILE ****
-->

* Some comments found in the actual vspd.conf that comes with the driver were
omitted. Default values for optional parameters are shown in purple

Sample4.2.5.1
Configuration File
Here is a sample configuration file (some optional parameters are at default values
and were included for clarity):
<!-- **** VIRTUAL SERIAL PORT DRIVER FOR LINUX (VSPDL) CONFIGURATION FILE **** -->
<vspdconfig>
<!-- ==================== GENERAL CONFIGURATION ==================== -->
<!-- Root directory for the daemon -->
<root dir="/usr/local/vsp"/>

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

333

<!-- Path and prefix for device files -->

<devprefix value="/dev/vsp/vspd"/>
<!-- Host to bind by default -->
<bind host="192.168.100.40"/>
<!-- Timeout for basic I/O operations -->
<timeout exec="100" priority="10"/>
<!-<log
<log
<log
<log
<log
<log
<log

VSPdaemon event logging

type="file" level="EMR"
type="file" level="ALR"
type="file" level="CRT"
type="file" level="ERR"
type="file" level="WRN"
type="file" level="NTC"
type="file" level="INF"

configuration -->
path="var/vspd.log"/>
path="var/vspd.log"/>
path="var/vspd.log"/>
path="var/vspd.log"/>
path="var/vspd.log"/>
path="var/vspd.log"/>
path="var/vspd.log"/>

<!-- ======= CONFIGURATION OF INDIVIDUAL VIRTUAL SERIAL PORTS (VSPs) ======= -->
<!-- ==================== VSP0 CONFIGURATION ==================== -->
<!-- VSP number -->
<vsp num="0">
<!-- HOST AND PORT TO BIND -->
<bind host="192.168.100.40" port="3500"/>
<!-- Connection parameters -->
<connection rmode="server/client" proto="tcp" conmode="ondata" timeout="2"
onthefly="outofband" clogin="pwd" dlogin="pwd"/>
<!-- Destination device parameters -->
<destination ip="192.168.100.90" port="1001" cport="32767"/>
<!-- Outbound packet generation options -->
<packets maxlen="255" maxdelay="0" starton="any"/>
<!-- Event logging configuration for this VSP -->
<log type="file" level="EMR" path="var/vspd.log"/>
<log type="file" level="ALR" path="var/vspd.log"/>
<log type="file" level="CRT" path="var/vspd.log"/>
<log type="file" level="ERR" path="var/vspd.log"/>
<log type="file" level="WRN" path="var/vspd.log"/>
<log type="file" level="NTC" path="var/vspd.log"/>
<log type="file" level="INF" path="var/vspd.log"/>
</vsp>
<!-- ===================== END OF VSP0 CONFIGURATION ==================== -->
</vspdconfig>
<!-- **** END OF VIRTUAL SERIAL PORT DRIVER FOR LINUX (VSPDL) CONFIGURATION FILE ****
-->

General4.2.5.2
VSPDL Configuration
General configuration options define the configuration of the VSPDL as a whole.
The format for the VSPDL configuration header is as follows (purple marks default
values that will be used if corresponding parameter is omitted):
<!-- **** VIRTUAL SERIAL PORT DRIVER FOR LINUX (VSPDL) CONFIGURATION FILE **** -->
<vspdconfig>
<!-- ==================== GENERAL CONFIGURATION ==================== -->
<!-- Root directory for the daemon -->
<root dir="directory"/>
<!-- Path and prefix for device files -->
<devprefix value="value"/>

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

334

Tibbo Document System

<!-- Host to bind by default -->
<bind host="IP_address"/>
<!-- Timeout for basic I/O operations -->
<timeout [exec="exec(100)"] [priority="priority(10)"]/>
<!-- VSPdaemon event logging configuration -->
[<log type="syslog|pipe|file" level="EMR|ALR|CRT|ERR|WRN|NTC|INF|DBG" path="path
"/>]
...
...
[<log type="syslog|pipe|file" level="EMR|ALR|CRT|ERR|WRN|NTC|INF|DBG" path="path
"/>]
<!-- ======= CONFIGURATION OF INDIVIDUAL VIRTUAL SERIAL PORTS (VSPs) ======= -->

</vspdconfig>
<!-- **** END OF VIRTUAL SERIAL PORT DRIVER FOR LINUX (VSPDL) CONFIGURATION FILE ****
-->

Root Directory for the Daemon (<root> Section)

<Root> section defines root directory for the VSPdaemon. We do not recommend
you changing the default value of dir parameter unless necessary (and you know
what you are doing). The section has the following syntax:
<root dir="/usr/local/vsp/"/>

Path and Prefix for Device Files (<devprefix> Section)

<Devprefix> section defines the prefix for the device name used by the daemon.
For example, if prefix is "/dev/vsp/vspd" then the daemon will access device 0 as
/dev/vsp/vspF0. We do not recommend you changing the value parameter unless
necessary (and you know what you are doing). The section has the following
syntax:
<devprefix value="/dev/vsp/vspd"/>

Host to Bind By Default (<bind> Section)

<Bind> section selects the IP-address to which the VSPDL will "bind". LINUX
servers often have several network interfaces (with each interface having its own
IP-address) and it is necessary to specify which interface the VSPs will work on. All
VSPs will bind to the same IP-address, except for those whose configuration
specifies a different bind host.
The section has the following syntax:
<bind host="IP_address"/>

Timeout for Basic I/O Operations (<timeout> Section)

We do not recommend you changing this section unless absolutely necessary (and
you know what you are doing). The section has the following syntax (purple marks
default values that will be used if corresponding parameter is omitted):

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

335

<timeout exec="exec(100)" priority="priority(10)"/>

Exec parameter specifies a sleep timeout in milliseconds, which is performed after
all VSPs has been polled. This value can be decreased if you have many VSPs and
experience problems with VSPDL performance. Setting exec to 0 causes your PC to
poll the ports at maximum possible speed. This leads to high CPU utilization by the
VSPLD but may be necessary if you want to achive best possible performance in a
system with a large number of virtual ports.
Priority parameter specifies priority level for the VSPdaemon process.

VSPdaemon Event Logging Configuration (<log> Section)

<Log> section describes the logging options for events generated by the
VSPdaemon. Notice, that <log> section can be included into the VSP configuration
itself (i.e. inside <VSP> .... </VSP>) thus defining individual logging options for
this particular VSP.
The section has the following syntax:
[<log [type="syslog|pipe|file"]
path="path"]/>]

level="EMR|ALR|ERR|WRN|NTC|INF|DBG" [

Type parameter defines the output destination for the event. If type is set to
"syslog", all events are logged to a syslog facility "USER". If omitted, this
parameter defaults to "syslog".
Level parameter defines the type of event for which this entry is created. Standard
level names are used.
Path parameter is only needed when type="pipe" or "file" and defines the file to
which events will be saved or a program that will accept events into its STDIN.
Because each entry in the format shown above specifies logging only for one type
of events (level) the configuration file can have several entries, for example:
<log
<log
<log
<log
<log
<log
<log

type="file"
type="file"
type="file"
type="file"
type="file"
type="file"
type="file"

level="EMR"
level="ALR"
level="CRT"
level="ERR"
level="WRN"
level="NTC"
level="INF"

path="var/dev.0.log"/>
path="var/dev.0.log"/>
path="var/dev.0.log"/>
path="var/dev.0.log"/>
path="var/dev.0.log"/>
path="var/dev.0.log"/>
path="var/dev.0.log"/>

In general, we recommend you to keep the list of logged events like the one shown
above. Logging "DBG" events is not necessary.

VSP Configuration
(<vsp> Section)
4.2.5.3
VSP configuration options define individual functioning parameters for each VSP.
Each VSP has to be described in the following format (purple marks default values
that will be used if corresponding parameter is omitted):
<!-- -------------------- VSP0 CONFIGURATION -------------------- -->
<!-- VSP number -->
<vsp num="0">
<!-- HOST AND PORT TO BIND -->
<bind host="ip_address" port="port"/>
<!-- Connection parameters -->
<connection [rmode="client|server|server/client"] [proto="udp|tcp"] [conmode="

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

336

Tibbo Document System

ondata|immediately"]
[timeout="timeout(5)"] [onthefly="outofband|inband|disabled"] [clogin="pwd"] [
dlogin="pwd"] />
<!-- Destination device parameters -->
<destination ip="IP_address"|mac="MAC_address" [port="port(1001)"] [cport="c
port(65535)"] />
<!-- Outbound packet generation options -->
<packets [maxlen="len(255)"] [maxdelay="delay(0)"] [starton="any|char"] [
startchar="hex"] [stopchar="hex"] />
<!-- Event logging configuration for this VSP -->
[<log type="syslog|pipe|file" level="EMR|ALR|CRT|ERR|WRN|NTC|INF|DBG" path="
path"/>]
...
...
[<log type="syslog|pipe|file" level="EMR|ALR|CRT|ERR|WRN|NTC|INF|DBG" path="
path"/>]
<!-- Data dump section -->
[<dump port="no|yes" path="path"/>]
</vsp>
<!-- -------------------- END OF VSP0 CONFIGURATION -------------------- -->

Click on the links above to jump to parameter group and individual parameter
description topics.

VSP Number (<vsp> Section)

Syntax:

<vsp num="num"]/>, where num is the port

number in the 0-127 range

Default value (if omitted):

this parameter is mandatory and must be present

Relevance conditions:

---

See also:

VSP name selection

Num (VSP number) parameter defines the number for the VSP. The number can be
in the 0-127 range.
This parameter is similar to the port name of the VSP for Windows.

Host and Port to Bind for the VSP (<bind> Section)

<Bind> section defines the IP-address and the port number of the VSP on its side.
The section has the following syntax (purple marks default values that will be
used if corresponding parameter is omitted):
<bind host="[IP_address]" port="port"/>
Click on the links above to jump to individual parameter description topics.

Bind Host (<host> Parameter)

Syntax:

<bind ...

Default value (if omitted):

Parameter is mandatory; if the value is NULL (i.e.

host="") then the value of "general" bind

host="[IP_address]"/>

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

337

parameter will be used

Relevance conditions:

---

See also:
Host parameter selects the IP-address to which this VSP will "bind". LINUX servers
often have several network interfaces (with each interface having its own
IP-address) and it may be necessary to specify which interface this particular VSP
will work on.
This parameter must not be omitted. Defining Host="" makes the VSP bind to the
"general" bind IP-address.

Bind Port (<port> Parameter)

Syntax:

<bind ...

Default value (if omitted):

Parameter is mandatory

Relevance conditions:

rmode="server" or "server/client"

See also:

Port Number (PN) setting (DS), listening port (

VSP for Windows)

port="[port]"/>

Port parameter specifies the port number on the PC that will be associated with
this VSP. This port serves as a "listening port" for incoming data connections, when
such connections are allowed by the routing mode of the VSP. Additionally, in case
of UDP transport protocol and server/client routing mode, the port is also used to
send outgoing UDP datagrams. For more details see additional info on UDP and
TCP connections.
This parameter must be specified and cannot be omitted.
Port parameter works like the Port Number (PN) setting of the DS and
portoption of the VSP for Windows.

listening

Connection Parameters (<connection> Section)

<Connection> section specifies several different parameters that define how VSP
will communicate and interact with the DS. The section has the following syntax (
purple marks default values that will be used if corresponding parameter is
omitted):
<connection [rmode="client|server|server/client"] [proto="udp|tcp"] [
conmode="ondata|immediately"] [timeout="tout(5)"] [onthefly="outofband
|inband|disabled"] [clogin="pwd"] [dlogin="pwd"]/>
Click on the links above to jump to individual parameter description topics.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

338

Tibbo Document System

Routing Mode (<connection rmode>)

Syntax:

<connection ... [rmode="server|client|

server/client"]/>

Default value (if omitted):

"server"

Relevance conditions:

---

See also:

Routing Mode (RM) setting (DS), Routing Mode

option (VSP for Windows)

Rmode (routing mode) parameter defines whether the VSP will accept incoming
connections (passive opens) and/or establish outgoing connections (perform active
opens).
The following choices are available:
"server" (default) Only incoming connections are accepted, the VSP never
attempts to establish an outgoing connection to the DS. There
is no restriction on which DS can connect to the VSPconnection from any IP-address will be accepted as long as the
DS is connecting to the correct bind port using correct
transport protocol.
"client"

Only outgoing connections are allowed, the VSP rejects all

incoming connections.

"server/client"

Both incoming and outgoing connections are allowed. Outgoing

connections are established with the destination, specified in
the destination section of the configuration file. Exactly when
the VSP attempts to establish an outgoing connection is
defined by the selected connection mode. Incoming
connections are accepted from any IP-address, just like with
the server routing mode.

Rmode parameter works like the Routing Mode (RM) setting on the DS and the
Routing Mode option of the VSP for Windows.

Transport Protocol (<connection proto>)

Syntax:

<connection ... [proto="udp|tcp"]/>

Default value (if omitted):

"udp"

Relevance conditions:

---

See also:

Transport Protocol (TP) setting (DS), transport

protocol (VSP for Windows)

Proto (transport protocol) selects which communications protocol- TCP/IP or

UDP/IP will be used by the VSP for data communications with the DS. Omitting the
parameter selects the UDP/IP protocol.
For the data connection with the DS to work the same transport protocol must be
selected on the DS side- see the Transport Protocol (TP) setting. This
parameter has the same function as the transport protocol option of the VSP for
Windows.
Unless you have a specific reason why the UDP should be used (very rare!) we
recommend you to stick to the TCP/IP. The TCP/IP is a "reliable delivery" protocol
that makes sure that no data is lost "in transit" between the VSP and the DS. The

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

339

UDP, on the contrary, does not guarantee data delivery.

Some considerations and additional info on the TCP and UDP implementation in
the VSP can be found in the next topic.

UDP data connections

The notion of data connection is native to TCP/IP since this is a connection-based
protocol. UDP/IP, however, is a connection-less protocol in which all packets (UDP
datagrams) are independent from each other. How, then, the term "data
connection" applies to the UDP transport protocol?
With UDP transport protocol true data connections (in the "TCP sense" of this term)
are not possible (hence, parenthesis around the word "connection"). The VSP,
however, attempts to mimic the behavior of TCP data connection whenever
possible. Follows is the detailed description of UDP "connections" and their
similarities and differences with TCP connections.
Incoming "connections"*. There is no connection establishment phase in UDP
so an incoming UDP "connection" is considered to be "established" when the first
UDP packet is received by the VSP (on the bind port). Similarity with TCP is in that
after having received the packet from the DS the VSP knows who to send its own
UDP packets to.
Outgoing "connections"**. The VSP establishes outgoing UDP connection by
sending a UDP datagram to the targeted destination. If there is a data that needs
to be transmitted the VSP sends the first UDP datagram with (a part of) this data.
If there is no immediate data that needs to be transmitted to the DS the VSP sends
the first UDP datagram of zero length (this happens when the connection mode is
set to "immediately"). The purpose of this is to let the other side know the
IP-address of the VSP (PC it is running on), as well as the data port currently used
by the VSP.
Data transmission and destination switchover. Once the "connection" is
established the VSP and the DS exchange the data using UDP datagrams. The
difference with TCP is that if another DS sends a datagram to the VSP, then the
VSP will interpret this as a new incoming connection*, forget about the first DS
and start sending its own UDP datagrams to the second one. In other words, the
VSP will always communicate with the "most recent sender". Such behavior is not
possible in TCP, in which a third party cannot interfere with an existing connection.
"Connection" termination. There is no connection termination phase in UDP so
VSP "terminates" its UDP connections by forgetting about them and the only event
that can trigger UDP "connection" termination (except for the closing of the VSP)
is connection timeout.
Local port used by the VSP depends on the selected routing mode:
In the server routing mode the VSP sends the UDP datagrams from an
"automatic" port selected by the OS;
In the server/client and client routing modes the VSP sends and receives
UDP datagrams through the port, defined by the bind port parameter.
TCP data connections
Only one connection at a time. TCP protocol stack on the PC is capable of
supporting thousands of concurrent TCP connections but the VSPDL strictly
enforces that only a single TCP connection exists for each VSP at any time. This is
because the serial port is not a shared media and allowing, say, two Device
Servers to connect to the same VSP would have created a data chaos***. Allowing

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

340

Tibbo Document System

only a single connection at a time follows a "serial port culture" of "one serial portone application"! If the VSP is already engaged in a data connection with the DS
and another DS attempts to establish a connection to this VSP then this DS will be
rejected.
Separate ports for outgoing and incoming connections. The VSP establishes
its outgoing connections** from an "automatic" port selected by the OS. Each time
such outgoing connection is established the source port number on the VSP side
will be different. The VSP accepts incoming connections* on a fixed listening port,
whose number is defined by the bind port parameter. When the incoming
connections are not allowed the bind port is closed.
* Assuming that incoming connections are allowed (i.e. the routing mode is either
"server", or "server/client").
** Assuming that outgoing connections are allowed (i.e. the routing mode is either
"client", or "server/client").
*** What if both Device Servers started sending the data to the VSP at the same
time? Then the PC application using the VSP would have received a mix of data
consisting of an input from both Device Servers! And if two Device Servers were
connected to the same VSP and the PC application needed to send out the data
then which DS of the two the VSP would have to send this data to?

Connection Mode (<connection conmode>)

Syntax:

<connection ... [conmode="ondata|

immediately"]/>

Default value (if omitted):

"ondata"

Relevance conditions:

rmode= "client" or "server/client"

See also:

Connection Mode (CM) setting (DS), connection

mode (VSP for Windows)

Conmode (connection mode) parameter defines when the VSP attempts to establish
an outgoing connection to the destination, specified in the destination section of the
configuration file.
Connection mode drop-down box provides two choices:
"ondata" (default)

The VSP attempts to establish an outgoing

connection when the first "serial" data (since the
VSP was opened or previous connection was
closed/aborted) is sent by the PC application into
the VSP.

"immediately"

The VSP attempts to establish an outgoing

connection right after it is opened by the
application. The VSP also tries to make this
connection "persistent". If the connection is
aborted by the DS, the VSP will (attempt to)
re-establish it immediately. Connection timeout
still works in this mode: when the current
connection times out the VSP aborts it and
immediately establishes a new connection. Such
behavior "auto-repairs" hanged connections.

Connection mode option is irrelevant when the routing mode is "server", since in

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

341

this mode outgoing connections are not allowed in principle.

Connection mode option works like the Connection Mode (CM) setting of the DS
(modes 0 and 1 only) and connection mode option of the VSP for Windows.

Connection Timeout (<connection timeout>)

Syntax:

<connection ... [timeout="tout"]/>, where

tout- connection timeout in minutes ("0" means
"never timeout"); maximum value is 65535

Default value (if omitted):

5 minutes

Relevance conditions:

---

See also:

Connection Timeout (CT) setting (DS),

connection timeout (VSP for Windows)

Timeout (connection timeout) parameter sets the timeout (in minutes) for the
data connections between the VSP and the DS. If no data is transmitted across the
data connection (TCP or UDP) for a specified number of minutes the VSP aborts the
connection.
Setting connection timeout parameter to 0 disables the feature and connection
never times out. If omitted, this parameter defaults to 5 minutes.
Notice, that this feature will work even when the connection mode is set to
"immediately". When the timeout comes the VSP closes the connection first and
immediately reopens it (timeout counter is reloaded). This provides additional
reliability since hanged connections are automatically "repaired".
Connection timeout parameter works like the Connection Timeout (CT) setting
of the DS and the connection timeout option of the VSP for Windows.

On-the-fly Commands (<connection onthefly>)

Syntax:

<connection ... [onthefly="outofband|

inband|disabled"]/>

Default value (if omitted):

"outofband"

Relevance conditions:

---

See also:

Connection Timeout (CT) setting (DS),

connection timeout (VSP for Windows)

On-the-fly commands are used to change the serial port configuration of the DS as
needed (i.e. "on the fly"). Serial port configuration made through the on-the-fly
commands overrides the permanent one, defined by the serial port settings of the
DS. The difference between the changes made using on-the-fly commands and
changes made through altering DS settings is that, unlike serial settings, on-the-fly
commands have immediate effect and do not require the DS to be rebooted in
order for the new values to be recognized.
With on-the-fly commands enabled, the serial port of the DS is always setup as
required by the PC application that communicates with this DS through the VSP.
When the PC application opens the VSP (or some communications parameters are
changed) the application informs the VSP about required changes and the VSP
relates this information to the DS by sending on-the-fly commands.
Additionally, on-the-fly commands are used by the VSP to control the RTS and DTR

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

342

Tibbo Document System

outputs of the DS serial port. The status of the CTS and DSR input of the DS serial
port can be passed to the VSP too- this is done using so-called "notification
messages".
On-the-fly commands drop-down box provides three choices:
"outofband"

On-the-fly commands are enabled and sent in the form

of out-of-band (UDP) commands. On-the-fly commands
(RC) setting of the DS must be programmed to 1
(enabled) for the out-of-band on-the-fly commands to be
accepted.

"inband"

On-the-fly commands are enabled and sent in the form

of inband (TCP) commands. On-the-fly commands
(RC) setting of the DS must be programmed to 1
(enabled) for the on-the-fly commands to be accepted.
Additionally, there are some other programming steps
that must be performed before the DS will recognize
inband commands- see preparing the DS for inband
access.

"disabled"

On-the-fly commands are not sent at all, so the serial

port of the DS will use "permanent" serial port
configuration defined by the serial port settings. In this
mode it doesn't matter what serial port parameters are
set in the PC software application- the DS will not be
aware of them!

In general, we recommend you to keep on-the-fly commands enabled (unless there

are some special reasons preventing you from doing so). Enabling on-the-fly
commands keeps the serial port setup of the DS "in sync" with the requirements of
the software application using the VSP.
As for choosing between out-of-band and inband modes, follow these
recommendations:
Out-of-band commands work most of the time, especially when the PC (running
VSP) and the DS are located on the same network segment*. Out-of-band
commands may not work very well or not work at all for the remote Device Servers
located behind the routers, firewalls, etc**. This is because:
The routers are known to "drop" UDP datagrams (on which out-of-band
on-the-fly commands are based) under heavy network traffic.
UDP traffic is banned by the firewalls of many networks (hence, out-of-band
on-the-fly commands cannot be used at all). If you want out-of-band on-the-fly
commands to work then your network must allow UDP traffic to port 65535 or
32767!
If you encounter one of the above situations then you should use inband on-the-fly
commands or not use on-the-fly commands at all!
* The definition of the network segment implies that there are only network hubs
(and no routers, bridges, firewalls, etc.) between the PC and all other devices on
the segment.
** Here we touch on a very complicated subject. Modern routers offer a
bewildering array of setup options. We will attempt to cover this in details in our
upcoming white papers.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

343

Password for On-the-fly Commands (<connection clogin>)

Syntax:

<connection ... [clogin="pwd"]/>

If omitted:

Password will not be added to on-the-fly

commands

Relevance conditions:

onthefly= "outofband" or "inband"

See also:

Out-of-band (UDP) programming, Login (L)

command, On-the-fly Password (OP) setting,
Password (PW) setting

Clogin (command login) parameter specifies the password that should be added to
the on-the-fly commands. On-the-fly commands can be sent without prior login
using Login (L) command. Instead, the password can be added to each
command individually (see out-of-band (UDP) programming). On-the-fly
Password (OP) settingon the DS must be programmed to 1 (enabled) to make
the DS check the password. Password specified by the clogin parameter must
match the one defined through the Password (PW) setting of the DS.
When clogin parameter is omitted all on-the-fly commands are sent without
password. This parameter is only relevant when on-the-fly commands are not
disabled.

Data Login (<connection dlogin>)

Syntax:

<connection ... [dlogin="pwd"]/>

If omitted:

Data login procedure will not be performed

Relevance conditions:

proto= "tcp"

See also:

Command-phase (TCP) programming, Data Login

(DL) setting, Password (PW) setting

Dlogin (data login) parameter specifies whether a "data login" procedure will be
performed when a TCP connection is established between the VSP and the DS.
When the data login is required the VSP cannot start exchanging the data with the
DS immediately, but needs to login with a valid password first. This provides a
password protection for the data connection with the DS. on the DS side, data
logins are enabled through the Data Login (DL) setting(additional info on data
logins can be found in command-phase (TCP) programming).
Password specified by the clogin parameter must match the one defined through
the Password (PW) setting of the DS.
Note, that omitting dlogin parameter is not the same as and specifying dlogin=""!
In the first case the VSP will expect to be able to start the data exchange with the
DS as soon as the connection is established. In the second case the VSP will still
perform a data login procedure with NULL password.
Dlogin parameter is irrelevant when the transport protocol is "udp" because data
logins are only supported for TCP connections.

Destination Device Parameters (<destination> section)

<Destination> section contains parameters that define the target DS to which the
VSP will be establishing connections and also port numbers on the destination DS.
The section has the following syntax (purple marks default values that will be
used if corresponding parameter is omitted):

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

344

Tibbo Document System

<connection ip="IP_address"|mac="MAC_address" [port="port(1001)"] [

cport="cport(65535)"]/>
Click on the links above to jump to individual parameter description topics.

Destination IP-address (<ip> parameter)

Syntax:

<destination ...

If omitted:

mac parameter will be used (at least one- ip or

mac must be specified)

Relevance conditions:

rmode= "client" or "server/client"

See also:

---

ip="IP-address"/>

Ip (IP-address) parameter specifies the IP-address of the target DS to which the

VSP will be establishing outgoing connections.
This parameter is irrelevant when the routing mode is "server" because in this
mode the VSP never establishes outgoing connections.
If both the ip and mac parameter are specified the ip parameter takes precedence
and mac parameter is ignored. At least one of the two parameters has to be
specified to define the target DS.

Destination MAC-address (<mac> parameter)

Syntax:

<destination ...

If omitted:

ip parameter will be used (at least one- ip or mac

must be specified)

Relevance conditions:

rmode= "client" or "server/client"

See also:

DHCP (DH) setting (DS), single-destination

mode (VSP for Windows)

mac="MAC-address"/>

Mac (MAC-address) parameter specifies the MAC-address of the target DS to which

the VSP will be establishing outgoing connections. Before establishing a connection
the VSP will perform a so-called "MAC->IP mapping" to find out which IP-address
currently corresponds to a specified MAC-address. When the IP-address is
"resolved" the VSP will proceed in a normal way i.e. attempt to establish a data
connection with the DS at this IP-address.
Specifying MAC-address instead of the IP-address is useful in cases when the DS is
running with DHCP enabled (see DHCP (DH) setting) and its IP-address can
potentially change over time. If the target DS is specified by its MAC the VSP will
still be able to find it. Note, that MAC->IP mapping only works for local* Device
Servers, remote Device Servers have to be referenced by their IP-address.
If both the ip and mac parameter are specified the ip parameter takes precedence
and mac parameter is ignored. At least one of the two parameters has to be
specified to define the target DS.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

345

This parameter is irrelevant when the routing mode is "server" because in this
mode the VSP never establishes outgoing connections.
MAC->IP mapping works just like the one on the VSP for Windows (see
single-destination mode).
* I.e. Device Servers located on the same network segment with the PC. The
definition of the network segment implies that there are only network hubs (and no
routers, bridges, firewalls, etc.) between the PC and all other devices on the
segment.

Destination Data Port (<port> parameter)

Syntax:

<destination ...

Default value (if omitted):

"1001"

Relevance conditions:

rmode= "client" or "server/client"

See also:

Port Number (PN) setting (DS),

single-destination mode (VSP for Windows)

port="port"/>

Port (Destination data port) parameter specifies the port number on the DS to
which the VSP will try to connect when establishing outgoing connections. If
omitted, this parameter defaults to port 1001.
For the connection to work, the port number specified by this parameter must
match the one defined by the Port Number (PN) setting of the DS.
This parameter is irrelevant when the routing mode is "server" because in this
mode the VSP never establishes outgoing connections.
Port option works like the port parameter of the VSP for Windows (see
single-destination mode).

Destination Command Port (<cport> parameter)

Syntax:

<destination ...

Default value (if omitted):

"65535"

Relevance conditions:

onthefly= "outofband"

See also:

Out-of-band (UDP) programming

cport="cport"/>

Cport (command port) parameter specifies the port number on the DS to which
the VSP will send its on-the-fly commands (when commands are sent in the
out-of-band mode). If omitted, this parameter defaults to port 65535.
Cport parameter allows you to set any command port number but the DS itself
actually accepts out-of-band UDP commands on two fixed ports: 65535 and 32767
(either port can be used). For more information see out-of-band (UDP)
programming.

Outbound Packet Generation Options (<packets> section)

The challenge of sending the data from the application to the DS is in deciding how
to group this data into the network packets of reasonable size. Carrying too little
data in each packet increases network load while sending packets with too much
data slows down the delivery of this data to the DS. <Packets> section contains

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

346

Tibbo Document System

parameters that define how the VSP will divide the "serial" data sent by the
application into network packets.
To give you a better understanding of the options available in this section we will
use the concept of data blocks. Many serial systems use some sort of
communication packets (we will call them data blocks to avoid possible confusion
with network packets). Since the data block is a basic unit of data transmission in
such systems it is only logical to divide the data sent by the VSP into network
packets basing on these data blocks.
Parameters in the <packets> section allow you to define conditions that "open" the
data blocks (see starton and startchar), "close" the data block (stopchar), and
"break" the data block into smaller chunks of data without closing the block (
maxlen, maxdelay). The VSP ignores all the data received from the application past
the end of the previous data block and before the beginning of the next data block
(this means, the data is not even recorded into the TX buffer). The VSP sends out
the data in the TX buffer as soon as the break or close condition is encountered.
Of course, not all systems rely on formatted data blocks, many just send
unformatted "random" data. This data can be viewed as one endless data block
that starts on the first character received from the application.
The section has the following syntax (purple marks default values that will be
used if corresponding parameter is omitted):
<packets [maxlen="len(1024)"] [maxdelay="delay(0)"] [starton="any|char
"] [startchar="hex"] [stopchar="hex"]/>
Click on the links above to jump to individual parameter description topics.
Note, that default values of this section's parameters will work fine for most
applications. Therefore, simply defining this section as <packets/> will (most
probably) be OK.

Maximum Packet Length (<maxlen> parameter)

Syntax:

<packets ... maxlen="len"/>, where len has

the range of 32...255 bytes

Default value (if omitted):

255 bytes

Relevance conditions:

---

See also:

Maximum Packet Length (ML) setting

Maxlen (maximum packet length) parameter breaks the large chunks of data sent
by the application into smaller portions. Once the number of bytes in the TX buffer
reaches the limit defined by the maxlen parameter the VSP sends all the data in
the buffer to the DS. This does not close the data block and all subsequently
received data is still considered to be a part of the same data block. If omitted this
parameter defaults to 255 bytes.
For the UDP transport protocol this parameter directly defines the (maximum)
packet size of each UDP packet sent by the VSP. In TCP there is no guarantee that
individual packets won't occasionally carry larger chunks of data.
Maxlen option works like the Maximum Packet Length (ML) setting of the DS.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

347

Maximum Intercharacter Delay (<maxdelay> parameter)

Syntax:

<packets ... maxdelay="delay"/>, where delay

is in milliseconds

Default value (if omitted):

0 milliseconds (i.e. "immediately")

Relevance conditions:

---

See also:

Maximum Intercharacter Delay (MD) setting

When the data block is already opened the VSP sends out all the data in its TX
bufferwhen no new data is received from the application for a period of time
defined by the maxdelay parameter (in milliseconds). This does not close the data
block and all subsequently received data is still considered to be a part of the same
data block. If omitted, this parameter defaults to 0 milliseconds, which means that
the data is sent out as soon as it is received from the application.
By using this option you can combine the data that is sent by the application in
"rapid succession" into a larger packets (but still not exceeding the maximum
packet length).
Maxdelay option works like the Maximum Intercharacter Delay (MD) setting of
the DS.

Start on Any Character (<starton> parameter)

Syntax:

<packets ... [starton="any|char"]/>

Default value (if omitted):

"any"

Relevance conditions:

---

See also:

Start On Any Character (SA) setting

Starton (start on character) parameter defines what will constitute the beginning of
the data block:
"any" (default)

First character received from the application past

the end of the previous data block will open a new
data block. This option is very suitable both for
unformatted and formatted data.

"char"

Only a specific character (defined by the start

character parameter will open a new data block).
All characters received from the application
between the end of the previous data block and
the start character will be ignored and not
recorded into the VSP's TX buffer. This option is
suitable for formatted data only.

This option works like the Start On Any Character (SA) setting of the DS.

Start Character (<startchar> parameter)

Syntax:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

<packets ... startchar="hex"/>, where hex is

the ASCII code of the start character in the HEX
form (i.e. "0D" for <CR>)

348

Tibbo Document System

If omitted:

start character is not defined

Relevance conditions:

starton= "any"

See also:

Start Character Code (S1) setting

Startchar (start character code) parameter defines the ASCII code of the
character that will open the data block in case the starton parameter is "char".
Parameter is irrelevant if starton= "any".
This option works like the Start Character Code (S1) setting.

Stop Character (<stopchar> parameter)

Syntax:

<packets ... stopchar="hex"/>, where hex is

the ASCII code of the stop character in the HEX
form (i.e. "0D" for <CR>)

If omitted:

stop character is not defined

Relevance conditions:

---

See also:

Stop Character Code (E1) setting

Stopchar (stop character code) parameter defines the ASCII code of the character
that will close the data block. If the stop character is not defined the data block is
never closed (although it is still subdivided using "breaking" parameters maxlen
and maxdelay).
This option works like the Stop Character Code (E1) setting.

Event Logging Configuration for the VSP (<log> section)

<Log> section describes the logging options for events generated by the VSP.
Notice, that the <log> section within the VSP section itself (i.e. inside <VSP> ....
</VSP>) defines logging options for this particular VSP only. Logging options can
also be defined for the VSPdaemon itself.
The section has the following syntax:
<log [type="syslog|pipe|file"]
path="path"]/>

level="EMR|ALR|ERR|WRN|NTC|INF|DBG" [

Type parameter defines the output destination for the event. If type is set to
"syslog", all events are logged to a syslog facility "USER". If omitted, this
parameter defaults to "syslog".
Level parameter defines the type of event for which this entry is created. Standard
level names are used.
Path parameter is only needed when type="pipe" or "file" and defines the file to
which events will be saved or a program that will accept events into its STDIN.
Because each entry in the format shown above specifies logging only for one type
of events (level) the configuration file can have several entries, for example:
<log
<log
<log
<log

type="file"
type="file"
type="file"
type="file"

level="EMR"
level="ALR"
level="CRT"
level="ERR"

path="var/dev.0.log"/>
path="var/dev.0.log"/>
path="var/dev.0.log"/>
path="var/dev.0.log"/>

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

349

<log type="file" level="WRN" path="var/dev.0.log"/>

<log type="file" level="NTC" path="var/dev.0.log"/>
<log type="file" level="INF" path="var/dev.0.log"/>

In general, we recommend you to keep the list of logged events like the one shown
above. Logging "DBG" events is not necessary.

Data Dump (<dump> section)

<Dump> section offers an option of capturing the data that flows between the
VSP and the DS. The section has the following syntax:
[<dump port="no|yes" path="path"/>]
Port parameter defines whether the data sent between the VSP and the DS will be
logged.
Path parameter defines the file to which the data will be "dumped".
Dump section can be omitted completely. If it is present then both parameters
must be present.

LinkServer Software

Tibbo LinkServer is an integration software that helps you connect to your remote
Device Servers. The LinkServer saves costs and simplifies setup when trying to
create a network of Device Servers and computers (hosts) which are spread over a
wide-area network (WAN) or the Internet (which is just a large WAN).
In a WAN environment your Device Servers may be distributed over multiple
network segments, located behind firewalls, routers, bridges, etc. To connect to
such Device Servers you will usually need to obtain and assign real and static
IP-addresses -- and these are quite expensive and difficult to manage. Often, you
will also have to perform special configuration changes on your firewalls and
gateways to allow incoming connections, etc.
Tibbo LinkServer solves this problem by acting as a middle-man. Instead of
communicating with your remote Device Servers directly, you do so through the
LinkServer. As will be explained in the introduction this eliminates the need to

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

350

Tibbo Document System

obtain multiple real static IP-addresses and dramatically simplifies the setup of
your system.
LinkServer is a JAVA-based product that runs on Windows 9x, 2000, XP and 2003,
as well as many flavors of Linux.

Quick Start Guide

Here is the list of steps you need to take in order to deploy and test out the
LinkServer software:
Make sure your PC can run the LinkServer.
Download, Install LinkServer, and run the LinkServer software (the software is
posted on Tibbo website).
Obtain an AuthKey (click here if you don't know what an AuthKey is).
Configure the AuthKey using the DS Manager (part of Device Server Toolkit
software).
Access LinkServer Web Admin interface.
Login onto administrator account, default login name is admin
, default password
is admin(change default login and password as soon as possible).
Configure the LinkServer to use your AuthKey.
Register a "test" Device Server (DS) on the LinkServer.
Configure your DS using the DS Manager (Further instructions appear under
AN007. Installing and Configuring LinkServer).
Make sure your DS connects to the LinkServer.
Access your DS through the LinkServer from a client. For example, use
HyperTerminal and the Virtual Serial Port for testing.
If this procedure did not work as planned for some reason, please read the
rest of the manual before contacting Support. This is a complex product
and might have a learning curve.

Introduction
What is Tibbo LinkServer?
This section explains an overall purpose of the LinkServer software. To better
understand the need the system serves, let us review the existing scene.
The basic assumption of the LinkServer system is that you have a WAN which
contains many Device Servers. Naturally, to use these Device Servers, you would
have to communicate with them. The LinkServer allows you to do so, in a simple
and flexible way.
Next topic- The Problem- explains why it is often difficult to connect to your Device
Servers distributed across a WAN. Subsequent topics- Solution 1: Link Service and
Solution 2: Dynamic DNS (dDNS) Service- explain how the LinkServer helps you
overcome the difficulties.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

351

The Problem
4.3.2.1

Under normal circumstances, on a WAN, communicating with another node (host)

on the network can be difficult due to the following factors:
Scarcity of Static IP Addresses
IP addresses on many networks (especially, the Internet) are now in short supply.
This gave rise to several technologies that allow you to use available IP addresses
more economically. Some examples of these technologies include:
Dynamic IP addresses, whereby IP addresses of the hosts change from time to
time,
NAT (Network Address Translation) whereby several hosts communicate with the
outside world through a single "external" IP address on a gateway.
These technologies allow for each host to make outgoing connections (for example,
to visit a website). However, it may be difficult (or actually impossible) to establish
an incoming connection to such a host -- you either don't know its current address
(because it's dynamic), or it doesn't even have an external address of its own.
The only standard solution to this problem is to assign a static IP address to each
host you need to connect to. These static IP addresses have to be obtained first.
For example, you might need to lease them from your ISP. A single IP-address
wouldn't cost much but when a given system is to have many nodes you end up
spending considerable amounts of money. Even when the WAN is private and IP
addresses are free, there are administration costs related to allocation of static IP
addresses.
Firewalls blocking inbound traffic
Even assuming one has obtained necessary number of static IP addresses, there is
still one more challenge: you have to actually connect to the Device Server. This
may mean passing through firewalls. Firewalls usually restrict inbound traffic, so
you will need to arrange opening ports, etc. This requires more work and increases
the chances for possible security breaches (the more internal IP addresses or ports
accessible from the outside, the greater the risk).
One possible solution to this is to configure all of the Device Servers for outbound
connections, and have them connect to one specific network host. This could save
leasing multiple IP addresses, so you would just need a single IP address for this
host. Unfortunately, this also means that just this single host would be able to
communicate with your Device Servers, as it would be configured as their
destination. As you can see, this solution, too, is not an ideal one.
So, what is the best way to interconnect Device Servers and their "client" hosts,
when they are on different network segments, located behind firewalls, and have

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

352

Tibbo Document System

no static IP addresses? Enters the Link Service.

Solution4.3.2.2
1: Link Service
As explained in The Problem, it is usually much easier for a network host to
connect out than to accept an incoming connection. Unfortunately, with a normal
link, at least one side must accept an incoming connection.
Tibbo LinkServer provides a workaround for this problem by letting both sides of
the link to communicate through a "middle-man" (Link Service), to which they both
can establish outbound connections.
When you and your friend use ICQ or MSN, you both connect to a central server.
Neither of you typically has a static IP address, but the server has a static IP -- and
this is what lets the "magic" happen. Both parties make outbound connections, so
no firewalls have to be configured and neither side needs a static IP.

The Link Service is a very similar solution, only it is tailor-made for Tibbo Device
Servers! Your Device Servers in the field connect to the Link Service (make
outbound connections). Hosts that wish to communicate with Device Servers also
connect to the LinkServer using outbound connections. Both sides meet 'at' the
LinkServer and can thereby communicate through it. For more information on the
Link Service click here.

Link Service: Further Details

Each Device Server that needs to use the Link Service has to be registered on the
LinkServer first. The LinkServer recognizes Device Servers through a combination
of data in the following settings: Device Name (DN), Owner Name (ON) and
Password (PW). Each registered DS is assigned a unique port number during the
registration. This is a port on the LinkServer to which any client wishing to
communicate with this particular Device Server should connect.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

353

The Device Server logs on to the LinkServer using its device name, owner name
and password. Typically, the DS is preset to do so immediately when it boots
(starts up). The LinkServer has a single port for Device Server logons -- 6450 by
default. Because Device Servers are uniquely identified by their device name,
owner name and password, a single login port for all Device Servers is sufficient.
A "client" host who wishes to communicate with a particular Device Server
establishes a connection to the LinkServer, to the specific port that was assigned to
this Device Server during registration. The link is thus created and both sides may
exchange data.
A client host does not need any special login procedure to create this connection to
the Device Server via the LinkServer. Instead of connecting to the IP address and
port of the DS directly, it connects to the IP address of the LinkServer and to the
port associated with a particular DS-- the difference is in parameter values only.
Unique "client-side" ports assigned to Device Servers are selected from a range of
available ports as defined by three dedicated LinkServer configuration options
(lowest number of port assigned to Device Servers, highest number of port
assigned to Device Servers, list of ports never assigned to Device Servers).

Solution4.3.2.3
2: Dynamic DNS (dDNS) Service
The Link Service is the most universal and easiest way to connect. The downside is
that it is slower than direct connection, because all the data must go through the
LinkServer.
This isn't critical for systems that do not produce a lot of traffic per each node.
Still, there are times where you might want to create a direct connection to a
device (for the sake of speed), but the IP address of this device changes from time
to time (this is the case with most ADSL connections).
You need a way to track the device down -- a way to overcome this and connect to
one 'stable' address. You need to know that this address belongs to the Device
Server you want, and be able to rely on it.
This is where the LinkServer dDNS Service comes in. With dDNS Service each of

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

354

Tibbo Document System

your Device Servers gets a "host name", which looks something like
dev1.abccorp.dev.srv1.com(in this example the domain name of your server is srv1.com
).
You can always connect to your device using this hostname. This URL stays the
same even when the IP address of the Device Server changes. Further info on
dDNS Service can be found here.

Since actual connection is established directly to the Device Server you would have
to be able to reach it -- i.e, if it has a firewall protecting it, you must configure the
firewall appropriately. Configuration would be more complex than with the Link
Service, but you would gain an increase in communications speed.

dDNS Service: Further Details

On the Device Server side dDNS is enabled through dDNS registration (DD)
setting. When this setting is at 1 (enabled) the DS registers on the dDNS Service
as soon as it is powered up. During registration, the LinkServer creates two DNS
entries: one for the external IP-address of the DS, and another one for its "internal"
IP address.
Example of two DNS entries for the same Device Server:
For external IP address: dev1.abccorp.dev.srv1.com
For internal IP address: dev1.abccorp.int.srv1.com
Dev1is the device name, it comes from the Device Name (DN) setting of the DS.
Abccorp is the owner name, it comes from the Owner Name (ON) setting of the

DS.
Resulting host names are no different from any other host name (or URL) that you
have ever used. Input such a name as a destination in any software that can
connect to your Device Server and this name will be automatically resolved into
current IP-address of this Device Server! This functionality is based on an
industry-standard DNS protocol, so special drivers or software are required for this
to work.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

355

Only those Device Servers that are registered at the LinkServer can connect to
the dDNS Service. Each DS is identified by the LinkServer through a combination
of data in its Device Name (DN), Owner Name (ON), and Password (PW)
settings.
Difference between Internal and External Addresses
The difference between the two types of addresses is rather simple. Usually the DS
connects to a WAN through a router (firewall) which, in effect, "masks" the IP of the
DS. So the DS can be, for instance, at 192.168.2.100 within its network segment
(this is its "internal" IP), but the outside world sees it under a different IP address.
This is the "external" IP of the DS. So, to recap:
The "internal" IP is the actual IP address of the DS itself, such as 192.168.1.40.
It is used within that specific network segment.
The "external" IP is the IP of the router which is set to forward the data to the DS
on the inside.
To reach a DS from outside of its network segment you would need to use the
external IP address. However, if you connecting from the same network segment
you will need to know the device's "internal" IP address. This is why the LinkServer
employs two types of dDNS records.

Deployment and Administration

This chapter describes the deployment and administration of the LinkServer. The
LinkServer is a JAVA-based product that can run on multiple platforms and is
optimized for easy and fast installation.
For further information, see LinkServer installation and LinkServer configuration.

LinkServer
Installation
4.3.3.1
This chapter describes installation of the LinkServer software. Before installing the
software be sure to check installation requirements and procedure.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

356

Tibbo Document System

Requirements
The LinkServer can potentially run under virtually any flavor of Windows, Linux,
FreeBSD, etc. At the time of writing, the LinkServer has been tested and verified to
correctly run under the following OS versions:
Windows 2000/XP "line"
Linux (V2.4 kernel)
FreeBSD
The LinkServer needs the following software for proper functioning:
Java Virtual Machine (JVM)
JVM is the only absolute requirement to run the LinkServer. The JVM can be
pre-installed on the target system or bundled with the installer itself (see
installation). Minimal version of JVM required to run the LinkServer is 1.4 (J2RE
1.4).
Relational Database Management System (RDBMS)
The LinkServer requires an RDBMS to operate. Distribution packages supplied by
Tibbo include a simple database engine that is used by default. For large-scale
systems we recommend using "industrial-grade" stand-alone RDBMS. The
LinkServer is compatible with a wide range of such third-party database servers:

Oracle
Microsoft SQL Server
Sybase
DB2
MySQL
Informix
PostgreSQL
and many others..

The LinkServer and the RDBMS don't have to be installed on the same server. Is is
also possible to configure the LinkServer to work with remote database, but in this
case its performance will depend on the network conditions.
Domain Name System (DNS) Server
To use the Dynamic DNS Service you need an RFC-2136 compliant DNS Server.
This can be local or remote server. RFC-2136 (Request For Comments)
specification is called "Dynamic Updates in the Domain Name System". Dynamic
updates are supported by most present-day DNS Servers, including an
industry-standard BIND and Windows 2000/2003 DNS service.

Installation
Tibbo supplies pre-packaged installation files for the following operating systems:
Windows 98, NT, 2000, XP, and 2003 Server
Different versions of Linux
Generic UNIX package (for FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD and other Unices)
To install the product, just run the installer executable file and follow the
instructions. On some systems, you need to make the installation package
'executable' before running it.
Installation can run in GUI or console mode. GUI mode is selected by default, to
switch to console mode installer should be launched with '-console' parameter.
Console mode is suitable for installation on systems that have no graphical user
interface (this is the case with most UNIX servers).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

357

There are two flavors of LinkServer distribution for each operating system:
Package with bundled Java Virtual Machine (JVM)
Package without JVM
The first flavor installs JVM during the setup process. This JVM is used to run the
LinkServer. In this case, the JVM is also removed when the LinkServer is
uninstalled. Second version requires JVM to be pre-installed on the target system.
Normally, JVM is detected and automatically used by the installer, but you can also
specify the JVM path explicitly. This is done by adding -is: javahome <path_to_JVM>
command line switch.
Additional installer options:
-is:tempdir <dir>
-is:log <file>
-is:extract
-is:nospacecheck

Temporary directory to be used by the Launcher.

Log debug messages to <file> .
Extract the contents of the archive.
Turn off disk space checking by the Launcher.

Startup and Shutdown

The LinkServer is started by a special Launcher created during the installation
process. Launcher type depends on the operating system: Under Unix, it's the
LinkServer.sh shell script, etc.
Under Windows, it is a small exe file accessible through the Start menu (Start >
Programs > Tibbo > LinkServer) or as a desktop shortcut (shown below).

The Launcher can be added to the auto-start sequence of the OS. This is also an
OS-dependent operation. For example, under Windows you put a shortcut to the
LinkServer Launcher in the Startup folder. Under FreeBSD, you create a simple
shell script executing LinkServer.sh in background and put it to /usr/local/etc/rc.d/
directory. For further details, please see your operating system documentation.
The LinkServer Launcher accepts a number of command line parameters. These
parameters are divided into two groups: The first group is interpreted by the
launcher itself and the second is passed directly to the LinkServer application. For
more info, please see Launcher command line parameters and LinkServer
command line parameters.

Launcher Command Line Parameters

The following command line options are accepted by LinkServer Launcher:
-is:javahome <dir>
bin/java .
-is:tempdir <dir>
-cp:a <classpath>
-cp:p <classpath>
-is:log <file>

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

JRE home which points to the directory containing

Temporary directory to be used by the Launcher.
Append <classpath>to the Launcher's class path.
Prepend <classpath>to the Launcher's class path.
Log debug messages to <file> .

358

Tibbo Document System

NEW TERM: A class path is the directory path specifying where
compiled Java files are located on the local system.

LinkServer Command Line Parameters

The following command line options are accepted by LinkServer:
-c
-d<directory >
-h
-l< filename>
-s<filename>
-u
-p<user>/<pass>

Create database structure.

Set home directory to <directory >.
Print list of command line options and exit.
Load configuration from file <file > and store it internally.
Save configuration to file <file > and exit.
Update database structure.
Set new password <pass> for account <user>.

Please note that there is no space before the argument for each switch.
i.e, the correct form would be -pjohndoe/123and not -p johndoe/123. This is
different from Launcher command line parameters.

Shutting Down the Server

Only an administrator can remotely shut down the LinkServer. This is done from
within the Web Admin interface, and is described in Stop Server. The server can
also be shut down using the System Tray Icon menu or using the Net Admin
interface.
When shutting down the machine the LinkServer is running on, the LinkServer
shutdown sequence is automatically executed as well.

Net Admin
Net Admin is a feature used to shut down or restart the server when the Web
Admin interface becomes unavailable for some reason, and the System Tray icon is
also unavailable (i.e. on a system without graphical user interface).
Net Admin is accessed using Telnet or any other Telnet-like software. You have to
telnet from the PC on which the LinkServer is running. You cannot access the
Net Admin from any other host.
To access the Net Admin:
Make sure you are working on the server actually running LinkServer.
Telnet to 127.0.0.1 (localhost ), port 6440
. You should get a connection, and no
prompt.
To shut the server down: Type S and hit Enter.
To restart the server: Type Rand hit Enter.
If the command was successful, you will get an A(Ack).
If the command failed, you will get an E(Error).
The Net Admin interface is enabled by default. It is used during
automatic upgrade or uninstallation of the LinkServer. If untrusted
users have local access (by Unix shell or physical access) to the
host running LinkServer, this feature should be disabled for
security reasons. It can be disabled using the Web Admin interface.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

359

System Tray Icon

After the LinkServer starts under Windows, a new icon appears in the System Tray,
near the clock. It looks like this:

Clicking this icon will bring up the following menu:

The options in the menu are self-explanatory. They allow the you to easily open
the Web Admin interface, restartthe server or stop it.

Account Types
The LinkServer is built as a multi-user server. This means that usually one person
installs and manages the LinkServer, and numerous other persons use the Product
to access their Device Servers. These users can all belong to the same company, or
they can be paying customers who purchase LinkServer access from a vendor who
installed LinkServer on his own servers.
The person in control of the system is called Administrator. This person has full
control over every aspect of the system. There can be several administrators for
each LinkServer installation, though this is not recommended.
Regular users access the server through their user accounts. The users can see
their own settings, register Device Servers they wish to communicate with, etc.
They cannot change settings for other users or perform any administration
operation which will affect the whole system (such as shutting the server down or
restarting it). User accounts are completely independent. Device Servers registered
to one account are not visible from other accounts.
Summary of Permission Levels
All users of the LinkServer Web Admin are granted certain access permissions:
None. No permissions assigned for this user. It is a special permission level that
is assigned for any user who is browsing the Web Admin pages but isn't logged
in. This permission level allows browsing only the home, login, and registration
pages.
User. This is the default permission level for all registered users. Any Web
Admin client must log in to gain user permissions. This permission level allows
all "normal" activities like registering Device Servers, changing account info, etc.
Admin. This permission level allows the execution of any administrative actions:
make changes to LinkServer global configuration, create/edit/remove user
accounts etc. Immediately following LinkServer installation, the default
administrator account login and password are:
Login: admin
Password: admin

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

360

Tibbo Document System

You are advised to change default administrator login name and
password as soon as possible.

Accessing Administrator Account

Having correctly installed the LinkServer, you will probably want to access the Web
Admin interface next, as admin(the default administrative user). This would let you
configure the system for correct operation, set up user accounts, add other
administrators, etc.
To access the LinkServer Web Admin interface as the default administrator,
perform the following steps:

Start the server, as described under Startup and Shutdown.

Open a web browser, such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.

In the address bar, type https:// xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:8443, where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP

address of the server (if you're actually working locally on the server, this
would be 127.0.0.1). This step is further described under Accessing the Web
Admin Interface.

In the login dialog that will appear, enter the following default username and
password for administrator account:

Login: admin

Password: admin
For security reasons, it is highly recommended to change the password
for this account as soon as possible following installation.

AuthKey
One of the challenges in setting up a communications channel over a WAN is
authenticating the other side. Legacy interfaces, such as RS232, rarely made any
provisions for authentication.
In a WAN scenario, the authentication factor gains importance. What if someone
'hijacked' the connection to your devices, so that your serial data went to a 'fake'
server?
Similarly, it is necessary for the LinkServer to know that the Device Servers it is
communicating with are "genuine" -- meaning, they're the actual devices from
which data is expected. If there is no way to know this for sure, it might be
possible for a third party to 'inject' false data into your system.
Such security breaches may have serious consequences in a production
environment. This is why Tibbo LinkServer system incorporates a powerful
authentication mechanism, implemented in hardware -- The AuthKey. The
authentication itself is done by the "black box"-- the AuthKey -- which makes it
impossible to spoof or reverse-engineer the authentication process by analysing
LinkServer operation or its source code.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

361

The AuthKey is similar in appearance to the DS202 Device Server, but its housing is
red (magenta, actually). In terms of hardware, it is the DS202 with certain
enhancements. The AuthKey is used to run a totally different firmware, which
handles the authentication procedure. Regular "stock" DS202 can be converted into
a "trial" AuthKey.
The authentication procedure is performed every time a Device Server logs onto the
LinkServer to start communicating. At this point the DS sends certain identification
parameters to the LinkServer. Instead of verifying these parameters directly, the
LinkServer passes the data on to the AuthKey. The AuthKey then verifies this
information, and answers back to the LinkServer if it's OK to establish a connection
or not.
The DS also verifies authenticity of the LinkServer and AuthKey. This two-way
authentication mechanism makes sure that both the Device Server and the
LinkServer/AuthKey are "genuine".
The AuthKey also plays a role of a licensing keythat enforces the maximum number
of Device Servers connected to your LinkServer (The price for the LinkServer
depends on the number of Device Servers that can be used with it).

Obtaining the AuthKey

You can create a trial AuthKey by yourself, purchase a "real" AuthKey, or use an
AuthKey offered by Tibbo on the Internet.
Convert a normal DS202 to create a trial AuthKey
This method can be used for testing the LinkServer software. To get a trial AuthKey
, simply download the appropriate AuthKey firmware file from Tibbo website and
upgrade your DS202with it. It will then allow you to use the LinkServer with up to
5 "simultaneously" connected Device Servers.
Notice that this upgrade cannot be performed through the network, in this specific
case you have to upgrade the DS202 through its serial port (using COM access
mode).
Obtain a dedicated AuthKey by purchasing a LinkServer license
This is done by contacting the Tibbo Sales Team and purchasing a LinkServer
license for a specific amount of "simultaneously" connected Device Servers. You
would then receive a dedicated AuthKey device (which looks like the DS202 in a
magenta housing).
Use a trial AuthKey offered by Tibbo on the Internet
For a limited time, Tibbo may offer to use its own AuthKey connected to a real

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

362

Tibbo Document System

static IP-address on the Internet. The LinkServer can be setup to connect to this
trial AuthKey. Check with Tibbo for details and availability of AuthKey on the
Internet.
Note that both the AuthKey and the LinkServer must be properly setup to
be able to work with each other. For more information see the following
topics:
Setting up AuthKey using DS Manager.
Configuring LinkServer to work with AuthKey.

Licensing Details
LinkServer license cost varies according to the maximum number of "simultaneous"
Device Server connections allowed. No more than a certain number of Device
Servers can be connected to your LinkServer at any given moment. This limit is
enforced by the AuthKey.
The AuthKey does not actually track connection itself -- it does not constantly
check to see if a certain Device Server is still connected to the server. The AuthKey
only takes note of Device Servers when they are logging in. Connection is
considered to last from the moment the DS logs in and for the next 24
hours after that.
This means that when the Device Server logs in to the LinkServer, the AuthKey
takes note of this and starts a 24-hour timer for this specific Device Server. If this
Device Server disconnects and reconnects within the next 24 hours since previous
login the timer is restarted. If this Device Server disconnects and does not
re-connect for 24 hours or more, then this Device Server is no longer considered to
be connected and another Device Server can "take its place".
Example:
Supposing, you have a license for 5 connections.
A Device Server called "DS1" connects. Now you have 4 connections available.
After two hours, "DS1" disconnects. You still only have 4 connections available.
22 more hours pass, and "DS1" does not try to connect again. Now you have 5
connections available.
Device Server called "DS2" connects. You have 4 available connections left.
"DS1" connects again. You have 3 connections left.
"DS2" disconnects. You still have 3 connections left.
It is noteworthy that one AuthKey can serve several servers running LinkServer
software. This is possible, legal, and does not change the total number of Device
Servers that can be simultaneously connected to all servers that rely on this single
AuthKey.

Setting up AuthKey Using DS Manager

The AuthKey can be setup using the DS Manager (part of Device Server Toolkit
(DST) software). Just like "normal" Device Servers, the AuthKey can be accessed in
Auto-discovery or Address Book access modes. COM access mode is not supported
by the AuthKey.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

363

The list of settings available on the AuthKey is very different from that of a regular
Device Servers. To view AuthKey settings correctly your DST installation should
include a special file called v10-00.sdf (sdf files are configuration templates, you can
read about them here). DST installation files include v10-00.sdf starting from DST
version 3.6.5.

The highlighted portion of the window caption in the above screenshot

contains the Serial Number (in this case, 12345678) required for licenses
upgrades, and the current license limit (in this case, 2000 simultaneously
connected Device Servers- see Licensing Details for more information).
Follows is a brief description of each setting:
Owner name

This setting is the Owner Name (ON) Setting

also found on all Device Servers. On the AuthKey
it exists purely for easy identification in the DS
Manager, so an entry such as "Auth" (like in the
screenshot) can be quite appropriate.

Device name

This setting is the Device Name (DN) Setting

also found on all Device Servers.

MAC-address

This is the MAC address (FE) setting also

found on all Device Servers. Each AuthKey
comes with unique MAC address preset at the
factory. Do not modify this MAC address unless
you have to.

IP-address

This is the IP address (IP) setting also found

on all Device Servers. You have to select an
IP-address that is compatible with the network
segment to which the AuthKey is connected. IP
address of the AuthKey must also be set in the
LinkServer (click here for more info).

Port

This is the IP address (IP) setting also found

on all Device Servers. This is a port to which the
LinkServer will have to send its authentication
requests. The port must also be programmed on
the LinkServer side (click here for more info).

Desired license limit

This setting is unique to the AuthKey. It defines

the number of "simultaneous" Device Server
connections that you wish the LinkServer to

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

364

Tibbo Document System

accept (see upgrading your license). This
number must match the data in the License
verification string setting (described below).
License verification string

This setting is unique to the AuthKey. It contains

a special code that verifies desired license limit
(see above).This code will be provided by Tibbo
once you purchase a LinkServer license for a
specific number of simultaneously connected
Device Servers (see upgrading your license).

Licence verification string should be entered without any modifications.

It works in tandem with the Desired license limit setting, the two must
match for the desired number to be accepted. Whenever there is a
mismatch between these two settings the AuthKey defaults to 5
"simultaneously" connected Device Servers. This is also the case for trial
AuthKey made by "converting" the DS202- the limit in this case is always
5 Device Server.

Upgrading Your License

The LinkServer can be used free for up to 5 "simultaneous" connections. If you
need to connect more than 5 Device Servers you will have to obtain an actual
AuthKeydevice and/or purchase (upgrade) a license for the LinkServer software.
LinkServer license cost varies according to the maximum number of "simultaneous"
connections allowed.
After purchasing a license for a certain number of simultaneous connections you
will have to upgrade the licensing information in the AuthKey.
This is what you need to do (note that this will only work for actual AuthKey and
won't work for "converted" DS202)
Using DS Manager (part of Device Server Toolkit (DST) software), open the
Settings dialog for the AuthKey.

In the caption of the Settings dialog you will see a Serial Number of your
AuthKey. Send this number to Tibbo.
You will receive an email in reply, which will confirm the number of simultaneous
connections for which you have purchased the license. You will also receive a
License Verification String.
Enter the number of units for which you have obtained the license in the Desired

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

365

license limit line in the Settings dialog.

Enter the License Verification String received from Tibbo into the corresponding
line in the Settings dialog.
Click OK- this will save new setting values and also make the AuthKey reboot.
Open the Settings dialog again- you should see new number of simultaneously
accepted connections (i.e. L=2000 if you have purchased the license for 2000
connections).
If desired license limit and verification string do not match the
AuthKey will revert to the trial limit of 5 simultaneous
connections.

Configuring LinkServer to Work with AuthKey

The LinkServer Web Admin interface allows you to specify the IP-address and port
of the AuthKey. These parameters can be found in the AuthKey settings portion of
the General Configuration page.

LinkServer
Configuration
4.3.3.2
This section is a LinkServer configuration guide. There are two ways to configure
the LinkServer:
Through the web-interface using standard browser like Internet Explorer or
Mozilla Firefox.
Using an XML file.
Normally, the first method should be used. File-based configuration helps to
correct one or two settings when LinkServer can't start and web-interface is not
available.
For details about both configuration methods, see:
Web-based configuration
File-based configuration

Web-based Configuration
LinkServer Web Admin is available immediately after startup. Its default URL is
https:// xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:8443, where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address of any network
interface of the server. Note, that the protocol used is HTTPS, not HTTP, because
LinkServer accepts only secure connections. Default port number is set to 8443
because the default HTTPS port (443) is often occupied by another web server. You
can always change port number back to 443 if this port is not busy- then you don't
have to explicitly specify the port when accessing the LinkServer: https://
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx.
If it is not convenient to access LinkServer Web Admin by the IP address of its
host, you can define one or more host names for it. You may add a DNS record
defining a host name that points to the IP address of the server running the
LinkServer software. After that, you can access Web Admin using a URL such as
https://linkserver.serv1.com . For more info, see Web Admin settings.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

366

Tibbo Document System

Only an administrator can configure the LinkServer so you will have to login to an
administrator account. Default login name and password are:
Login: admin
.
Password: admin
.
Once you have logged in, select Administration > Global configuration.
Configuration options are divided into several groups, as described in following
sub-topics.
When finished editing configuration, click on Save configuration and restart server
button.
Restart process may take several minutes on slow servers. Web-interface
is not available during restart, please wait some time before continuing
to use it. You will also have to re-login.

File-based Configuration
File-based configuration should be used if LinkServerfails to start and its
web-interface is not available. LinkServer accepts two command line options
responsible for reading and writing configuration files:
-s[ filename]

This option will force the server to save its internal

configuration to file filename. If filename is not specified,
configuration will be written to file named linkserver.xml in
LinkServer working directory. LinkServer is terminated
immediately after configuration is saved.

-l[FILENAME]

When this option is specified LinkServer tries to load

configuration from file filename. If filename is not specified it looks
for a file named linkserver.xml in the working directory.
Configuration loaded from file only updates LinkServer internal
settings, so all options omitted in configuration file stay
unchanged in LinkServer's internal preferences.

LinkServer stores its configuration data internally. This is a persistent storage, so

all settings remain unchanged if server is stopped and started up again. You need
to specify the -l option to load configuration file only once, loaded settings will be
stored internally and used in subsequent launches. For example, if the LinkServer
was started with -l option and than your server was rebooted after a power loss,
the LinkServer uses all settings loaded previously from file. You do not need to
specify -l option again.
Configuration file is in XML (eXtensible Markup Language) format. Here is an
excerpt from it:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE preferences SYSTEM 'http://java.sun.com/dtd/preferences.dtd'>
<preferences EXTERNAL_XML_VERSION="1.0">
<root type="system">
<map />
<node name="com">
<map />
<node name="linkserver">
<map>
<entry key="DeviceServerPort" value="6450" />
...
</map>
<node name="Database">
<map>

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

367

<entry key="DatabaseDriver" value="org.hsqldb.jdbcDriver" />

...
</map>
</node>
...
...
</node>
</node>
</root>
</preferences>

Usually you do not need to add options to this file manually. File structure is
generated automatically by the LinkServer. The only thing you need to do is to
change value field in the correct <entry> nodes (as indicated by their names, which
are contained in the key fields).
Configuration options are divided hierarchically into several groups. The root group
("node", in XML terms) is called linkserver and highlighted in italics in the listing
above. Its options are contained in another node- <map>and represented by the
<entry> elements. Each <entry> element includes a "key" field which contains the
name of the option, and a "value" field which contains a value for this option. The
root node contains sub-nodes, which are also encapsulated by <node>
elements.
The structure of each sub-node reproduces the structure of the root node. For
example, the option group called "Database" is contained in an element marked as
<node name="Database">
(marked in italics on listing).
You can find detailed description of options and option groups under Global
configuration.

Configuring Logging
As with most server software, the primary method to report all events and
activities of the LinkServer is logging. The LinkServer has an advanced logging
facility which is easily configurable through an ordinary text file. One of the key
advantages is that logging configuration can be changed at runtime without
restarting the LinkServer.
LinkServer uses Apache Log4J logging library for log output. It is highly
customizable and allows multiple levels and sources of logging information along
with numerous log destinations. Logging output can be redirected to:

Console
Text files
XML files
Windows event logs
UNIX syslog
Database
Remote network server
E-mail messages
Java Message Service (JMS)
And many other destinations..

LinkServer logging configuration file is located in the installation directory and is

called logging.xml. The structure of this file is briefly described in logging
configuration file section.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

368

Tibbo Document System

Logging Configuration File

This section describes default logging configuration file along with some details
common to LinkServer logging configuration.
Here is a listing of default config:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<!DOCTYPE log4j:configuration SYSTEM "log4j.dtd">
<log4j:configuration debug="false" xmlns:log4j="http://jakarta.apache.org/log4j/">
<appender name="CONSOLE" class="org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender">
<layout class="org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout">
<param name="ConversionPattern" value="%d %-5p [%t] %C.%M (%F:%L) - %m%n"/>
</layout>
</appender>
<appender name="FILE" class="org.apache.log4j.DailyRollingFileAppender">
<param name="file" value="linkserver.log"/>
<param name="append" value="true"/>
<param name="DatePattern" value=".yyyy-MM-dd"/>
<layout class="org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout">
<param name="ConversionPattern" value="%d %-5p [%t] %C.%M (%F:%L) - %m%n"/>
</layout>
</appender>
<category name="com.linkserver">
<priority value="info"/>
</category>
<root>
<priority value="info"/>
<appender-ref ref="CONSOLE"/>
<appender-ref ref="FILE"/>
</root>
</log4j:configuration>

Default logging configuration is represented by a root configuration element, two

appenders and one logging category. Root element (<root>) defines that global
logging level is set to info: <priority value="info"/> (see logging levels topic for more
info). It also defines a list of two appenders named CONSOLE
and FILE. Appender
is a destination for logging output. It can correspond to a text file, e-mail message
etc.
Each appender is configured by its own <appender>
element. This element must also
specify a name of Java class responsible for this appender (consult manuals or
books mentioned in logging framework documentation sources chapter for more
information). In the listing above both appenders include elements named <layout>
that defines the presentation of logged info. "FILE" appender also includes several
<param>
elements containing some additional options.
The <category>element defines which level is used for logging from each subsystem
of LinkServer. Normally, users should not deal with <category>elements.

Logging Levels
LinkServer uses five predefined logging levels:
Fatal

logging level is used to report only the most severe messages. The
LinkServer usually stops if a fatal error is detected and reported.

Error

messages do not cause LinkServer to stop immediately when they are

reported, but they indicate that there are serious problems with the
server operation and that action is needed to prevent server failure.

Warning

messages show that something has gone wrong, but usually

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

369

LinkServer can recover from such issues automatically and no

immediate action is required.
Info

messages reflect normal LinkServeractivities. These messages should

be used for monitoring by a system administrator.

Debug

messages are used to solve problems if LinkServer does not behave as

expected. Debug output is disabled by default. Enabling debug-level
logging for all categories can lead to extremely high volume of logged
messages and seriously affect LinkServer performance. Enable debug
output temporarily only if you are absolutely sure that you need this.
This level of logging is usually only enabled if advised by Tibbo support
team.

To modify the logging level, perform the following steps:

Edit logging.xml.
Find the section that says:
<category name="com.linkserver">
<priority value="info"/>
</category>

Change the priority value entry (info above) to the logging level you want to specify.
Restart the LinkServer (this step is recommended but not mandatory).
The string priority value= appears in other sections of the file. Most
importantly, it appears under the section </root>. Modifying this value
under the section root (especially to higher logging levels, such as debug
)
may affect performance considerably, and even cause the LinkServer to
halt or freeze.

Logging Framework Documentation Sources

LinkServer uses the Log4j library for logging output. This is a highly scalable,
robust, and versatile logging framework. A full description of its features goes
beyond the extent of this manual. You can find additional information about Log4j
in the following books and web resources:
Log4j official site
The Complete Log4j Manual
Logging in Java with the JDK 1.4 Logging API and Apache log4j

Operation Using Web Admin

This chapter outlines usage of LinkServer Services in operational conditions.
It includes a description of all of the features in the Web Admin interface, from
adding and viewing new Device Servers through managing your user profile and up
to administration of the server (for administrators).
LinkServer Web Admin is a web-interface that gives remote control capabilities
to LinkServer. Since Web Admin is a web application (an application that can be
accessed using a standard web browser) it needs a web server to run. This web
server is built into the LinkServer and tightly integrated with its functions. It starts
automatically each time the LinkServer is launched and shuts down when the
LinkServer is stopped.
The Web Admin reference section contains further information about the purpose of

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

370

Tibbo Document System

each page available in Web Admin application.

Navigating
the Web Admin Interface
4.3.4.1
The following screenshot shows the Web Admin interface as it appears after an
administrator has logged on:

Click on the links below to jump to a detailed description of a specific menu item:
Device Servers- this item displays a list of all Device Servers currently
registered to this account.
Events- displays event log.
Settings- contains configuration options, personal profile info (such as contact
details), etc.
Administration- contains global configuration options for the LinkServer. This
section of the interface is visible only to administrators.
The LinkServer dynamically generates each webpage when this page is
accessed for the first time after the LinkServer was installed. This causes a
slight delay when any page is first opened. This only happens once for each
page after LinkServer installation.

Web Admin
Page Reference
4.3.4.2
This section provides a description for each menu item (and page) of the
LinkServer Web Admin interface.
The topics are laid out according to the hierarchy in the Web Admin main menu.
Please note that not all pages are visible at all times. Certain pages maybe not
available because of your current login status, permissions, or LinkServer
configuration settings.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

371

To get around the Web Admin interface, use the Navigation Bar at the top of the
window:

The following menu items are available:

Home
Registration
Login
Device Servers
Events
Settings
Logout

Home
Full page path:

Home

Permission level:

none

This page is the starting point for LinkServer Web Admin. It contains a Welcome
frame with the LinkServer logo, version number, and operating system details.
This is what you see when you first log in.
Notes:
When LinkServer is restarted using Web Admin, the current user is redirected to
the Home page. Login and session information is discarded so all users need to
login again. Server startup may take considerable time and the Web Admin
application will stay unavailable for this period.
The user is also redirected to the home page in case of successful login.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

372

Tibbo Document System

Registration
Full page path:

Registration

Permission level:

none

This page contains new user registration form. It is available for anybody who is
browsing Web Admin pages, as long as users self registrationoption is enabled.
To register a new user account, perform the following steps:
Enter new account name into the Username field.
Enter the password for this account into the Password field.
Reenter the password into the Repeat password field.
Click Save
If registrations is successful you will be redirected to the login page. Enter the
username and password specified during registration to log into this new
LinkServer account.
Notes:
Username (also referred to as login) must contain between 4 and 32 characters
and include only letters, numbers and underscore ("_") sign. It must also be
unique within this LinkServer installation. All Device Servers that will be registered
to this account must have their Owner Name (ON) setting programmed with the
same name.
Password must contain between 4 and 32 characters as well.

Login
Full page path:

Log in

Permission level:

none

This page allows you to log onto your account. Enter your account name (a.k.a.
login name and user name) and password in the Authorization frame and click
Log in".

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

373

If the LinkServer has just been installed and no accounts have been registered yet
there is only one default account available: this is the administrator account. You
can login to it using the following name and password:
Login: admin
.
Password: admin
.
For security reasons, it is higly recommended to change the password
for this account as soon as possible following installation.

Device Servers
Full page path:

Device Servers

Permission level:

user

This page shows a list of Device Servers registered to this account. The following
info is shown for each Device Server:
Current status (offline, online, etc.).
Device Server name (from the Device Name (DN) setting).
Port number associated with this Device Server (see Link Service: further details
).
Date and time of the most recent login by the Device Server.
IP address and port number from which this Device Server has establish the
most recent connection (logged in).
Click on the column header to sort the list by this column. Click on the same
header once again to reverse sort order (ascending vs. descending).
Click on Device Server's name to view detailed information for this Device Server.

View Device Server

Full page path:

Device servers

Permission level:

user

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

374

Tibbo Document System

This page shows detailed information for the selected Device Server.
There are two command links at the top of the page:
Edit Device Server
Remove Device Server
Click on the Remove link to remove this Device Server from current account. Once
you do this the Device Server will be disconnected immediately (if it was connected
to the LinkServer at that time).

Add/edit Device Server

Full page path:

Device Servers > Add Device Server

Permission level:

user

To add (register) new Device Server, go to Device Servers > Add Device Server
.
To edit an existing Device Server click on the name of a device on the Device
Servers page, then click edit on the view Device Serverpage.
The following fields are available:
Device server name

Must contain from 2 to 8 alphanumeric

characters. It must be unique within
current account. Same name must be
programmed into the Device Name
(SN) settingof the corresponding Device

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

375

Server.
Device server password

Must be from 4 to 8 characters long.

Same password must be programmed
into the Password (PW) settingof the
corresponding Device Server.

Blocked

When the Device Server is blocked it

won't be able to login to the LinkServer.
This option is useful when you need to
temporary prevent Device Server from
connecting without actually deleting its
record from the LinkServer.

Inband commands allowed for client Inband commands are used for Device
Server setup. This option needs to be
enabled if the "client" will need to send
inband commands to the Device Server.
Data buffering enabled

The LinkServercan optionally buffer the

data it will send to the client when client
connects. Depending on your application
you may choose to discard the data that
is send by the Device Server when client
is not connected or buffer the data. The
LinkServercan buffer up to 100KB of data
per each Device Server.

Register Device Server in DNS

Enables the Dynamic DNS (dDNS)

Servicefor this Device Server which
means that whenever this Device Server
logs in the DSN record will be updated.

Device Server Auto-registration

This feature allows Device Servers which are unknown to the LinkServer ("new"
Device Servers, from the LinkServer's viewpoint), to register themselves
automatically with the server.
For this to work, LS Auto-registration (AR) setting has to be enabled on the
Device Server that is supposed to auto-register itself.
Once this setting is enabled, and the Device Server tries to connect to the
LinkServer when it is not yet registered, the following sequence occurs:
The Device Server tries to log on.
If the Owner Name (ON) setting of this Device Server already exists on the
server (as a registered account), yet the Device Name (DN) setting of this DS
does not correspond to any registered DS for this account, the server responds
with a special error code.
In response, the DS sends additional registration data.
The LinkServer registers the DS with default settings.
The DS now logs on normally. From this point on it is also visible in the Device
Servers list.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

376

Tibbo Document System

For this to work, an administrator must enable auto-registration for the
whole account first, using Change User Settings screen.

Events
Full page path:

Events

Permission level:

user

This page displays even log for current account.

The buttons labeled First, Previous, Next and Last are used to navigate the log.
The Rows/page textbox controls how many rows (lines) appear in each page of the
log -- this might affect the loading time required for the page.
Time

Time column notes the most recent date/time when certain event
has happened. The time is formatted according to the current
user's date/time configuration (Regional Settings under Windows,
for instance).
Date/time listed are adjusted for the current accounts timezone. For
example, the server is located in London (GMT+0) and the user is located
in Denver (so his account specifies GMT-7). An event occurs at 17:30
(U.K. time). Local time for the user in Denver is 10:30. When the user in
Denver opens the log, that event will be shown as having occurred at
10:30.

Device Server

Device Server column designates what is the Device Server

associated with this event. This is the same name as the one
programmed into the Device Name (DN) setting of the Device
Server.

Event

Event column provides event description and also how many

times in a row this event has occurred.

Settings
Full page path:

Settings

Permission level:

user

This page contains a "General Account Info" frame. The fields are self-explanatory.
Two sub-menu items available on this page are:
User profile

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals
General settings

User profile
Full page path:

Settings > User Profile

Permission level:

user

Three sub-menu links available on this page are:

General information
Contact information
Change password
There are two tables on this page containing information concerning the user
account:
General Info:

The first table includes the following data about the account:

Username
First name
Last name
E-mail
Company
Department
Comments
Time zone

Contact Info:

The second table, Contact Info, contains the following details:

Phone no.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

377

378

Tibbo Document System

Fax no.
Address 1
Address2
City
Region / State / Province / Area
ZIP / Postal code
Country

None of these fields are mandatory.

Full page path:

Settings > User Profile > General Information

Permission level:

user

This page contains a form allowing the user to change the following fields:

First name
Last name
E-mail
Company
Department
Comments
Local Time Zone

Full page path:

Settings > User Profile > Contact Information

Permission level:

user

This page contains a form allowing the user to change the following fields:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

379

Phone no.
Fax no.
Address 1
Address 2
City
Region / State / Province / Area
ZIP / Postal code
Country

Full page path:

Settings > User Profile > Change Password

Permission level:

user

This page contains a form used to change the current user's password. Enter
password and password confirmation in the form and click Change password.
There's no need to re-login after changing password.

General Settings
Full page path:

Settings > General Settings

Permission level:

user

Local Time Zone

This setting affects date/time displayed in the

event log (see this topic for explanation).

Date/time format

Allows you to select date/time display format.

Administration
Full page path:

Administration

Permission level:

admin

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

380

Tibbo Document System

This portion of the Web Admin interface is visible to administrators only, and
allows them to perform various management tasks with the LinkServer.
It contains a list of available areas:
User management
Global configuration
Restart server
Stop server

Global Configuration
Full page path:

Administration > Global configuration

Permission level:

admin

This page contains a list of LinkServer configuration options. Edit one or more
options and click on the Save configuration and restart server button. LinkServer
will be rebooted and all changes will take effect.
The following setting groups are available:
General settings
Database settings
Web Admin settings
Dynamic DNS settings
AuthKey settings

Description:

This group defines LinkServer

global parameters that do not
belong to any subcategory.

Group name in Web Admin:

General settings

Group name in configuration file:

linkserver

Port number to listen for Device Servers

Key name in the configuration file: DeviceServerPort
Value type: Integer
Possible values: 1-65535
Default value: 6450

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

381

This option defines login port number for Device Servers, i.e. port to which
Device Servers should establish connections (login). All Device Servers login to
the same port, as described here.
Lowest number of port assigned to Device Servers
Key name in the configuration file: DeviceServerPortRangeMin
Value type: Integer
Possible values: 1-65535
Default value: 50000
This option defines the lowest port number that can be assigning to Device
Servers being registered on the LinkServer. As explained in Link Service: further
details each Device Server is assigned (upon registration) a port on the
LinkServer to which clients that wish to communicate with this Device Server
should connect.
Highest number of port assigned to Device Servers
Key name in the configuration file: DeviceServerPortRangeMax
Value type: Integer
Possible values: 1-65535
Default value: 60000
This option defines the highest port number that can be assigning to Device
Servers being registered on the LinkServer. As explained in Link Service: further
details each Device Server is assigned (upon registration) a port on the LinkServer
to which clients that wish to communicate with this Device Server should connect.
Comma-separated list of ports never assigned to Device Servers
Key name in the configuration file: DeviceServerPortRangeExceptions
Value type: String
Possible values: 1-65535
Default value: "" (empty)
This option defines the list of ports that may not be assigned to Device Servers
being registered on the LinkServer. This option allows you to exclude certain ports
(that are used by other software on your server) from being occupied by the
LinkServer. As explained in Link Service: further details each Device Server is
assigned (upon registration) a port on the LinkServer to which clients that wish to
communicate with this Device Server should connect.
Enable users self-registration
Key name in the configuration file: UsersSelfRegistration
Value type: Boolean
Possible values: true or false
Default value: true
If this option is enabled, anybody who has access to Web Admin can register a
user account, log in and use LinkServer Services. When this option is disabled
only an administrator can add new user accounts.
Enable gui mode (yes, no, or auto)

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

382

Tibbo Document System

Key name in the configuration file: GuiMode
Value type: String
Possible values: yes, no, auto
Default value: auto
This option defines whether the LinkServer will make any output to the GUI
(Graphical User Interface) of the server. Instances where GUI output is currently
used include: Splash Screen at startup, icon in the System Tray, and error
message boxes. When this option is disabled no output to GUI will be made.
Enable Net Admin feature
Key name in the configuration file: NetAdminEnabled
Value type: Boolean
Possible values: true or false
Default value: true
This option enables or disables local Telnet access to the Net Admin interface. It
is recommended to turn this option off if untrusted users have local (physical or
shell) access to the host running the LinkServer.
Set Net Admin Port
Key name in the configuration file: NetAdminPort
Value type: Integer
Possible values: 1-65535
Default value: 6440
This is an advanced option which is not accessible via the Web Admin interface.
This option defines the port on which local Net Admin connections will be accepted.
If this option is changed automatic uninstallation on upgrade of the LinkServer will
fail.

Description:

Options in this group control how

LinkServer stores its data in the
database.

Group name in Web Admin:

Database settings

Group name in configuration file:

linkserver/Database

Database driver
Key name in the configuration file: DatabaseDriver
Value type: String
Possible values: Any Java class name corresponding to a JDBC driver

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

383

Default value: org.hsqldb.jdbcDriver

This option defines which JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) database driver will
be used. For example, to use MySQL database for data storage set this option to
"com.mysql.jdbc.Driver". Consult JDBC driver documentation to find out the
proper value.
Note: To allow LinkServer load any third-party JDBC database driver, a JAR (
Java Archive) file containing this driver must be added to the path of the
LinkServer Launcher. This is done by adding the following command line option
to the Launcher:
-cp:a </path/to/driver/DriverName.jar >

Database URL
Key name in the configuration file: DatabaseUrl
Value type: String
Possible values: Database-dependent path string
Default value: jdbc:hsqldb:file:db/linkserver
Database URL is a database-specific string that defines database type, network
or local filesystem path to a database containing LinkServer data tables, and any
additional options. Consult JDBC driver documentation to find out the proper
value. Default value for this option means that embedded HSQL database is used
to store data using ordinary text files placed in db/ subdirectory of LinkServer
installation.
Database username
Key name in the configuration file: DatabaseUsername
Value type: String
Possible values: Any username suitable for the database server
Default value: sa
This option defines which username is used to log on to the database server. The
default value allows to connect to the database server embedded into the
LinkServer.
Database password
Key name in the configuration file: DatabasePassword
Value type: String
Possible values: Any password suitable for the database server
Default value: "" (empty)
This option defines which password is used to log on to the database server.
Default value allows to connect to the database server embedded into the
LinkServer.
Database SQL dialect
Key name in the configuration file: DatabaseSqlDialect
Value type: String
Possible values:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

384

Tibbo Document System

Value
org.hibernate.dialect.DB2Dialect
org.hibernate.dialect.DB2400Dialect
org.hibernate.dialect.DB2390Dialect
org.hibernate.dialect.PostgreSQLDialect
org.hibernate.dialect.MySQLDialect
org.hibernate.dialect.OracleDialect
org.hibernate.dialect.Oracle9Dialect
org.hibernate.dialect.SybaseDialect
org.hibernate.dialect.SybaseAnywhereDialect
org.hibernate.dialect.SQLServerDialect
org.hibernate.dialect.SAPDBDialect
org.hibernate.dialect.InformixDialect
org.hibernate.dialect.HSQLDialect
org.hibernate.dialect.IngresDialect
org.hibernate.dialect.ProgressDialect
org.hibernate.dialect.MckoiDialect
org.hibernate.dialect.InterbaseDialect
org.hibernate.dialect.PointbaseDialect
org.hibernate.dialect.FrontbaseDialect
org.hibernate.dialect.FirebirdDialect

Database
server
DB2
DB2 AS/400
DB2 OS390
PostgreSQL
MySQL
Oracle (any
version)
Oracle 9/10g
Sybase
Sybase
Anywhere
Microsoft SQL
Server
SAP DB
Informix
HypersonicSQL
Ingres
Progress
Mckoi SQL
Interbase
Pointbase
FrontBase
Firebird

Default value: org.hibernate.dialect.HSQLDialect

This option defines Java class name for the database SQL dialect. For example,
use com.hibernate.dialect.MySQLDialect if you use MySQL database to store
data. If your database server is not listed in the table above, please contact the
technical support team.
Disable connection pooling
Key name in the configuration file: DisableConnectionPooling
Value type: Boolean
Possible values: true or false
Default value: false
Connection pooling should be switched off in case of problems with the database.
This can resolve some issues or, at the very minimum, lead to more
understandable logging output.

Description:

Options in this group control the

behaviour of theLinkServer Web
Admin.

Group name in Web Admin:

Web admin settings

Group name in configuration file:

linkserver/WebAdmin

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

385

Comma-separated list of aliases

Key name in the configuration file: Aliases
Value type: String
Possible values: One or more network host names separates by commas
Default value: "" (empty)
This option defines host name(s) by which LinkServer Web Admin can be
accessed. This option will work if specified host names are correctly setup in the
DNS. This option should be set in addition to configuring your DNS server.
Port number to listen for HTTPS connections
Key name in the configuration file: SslPort
Value type: Integer
Possible values: 1-65535
Default value: 8443
Defines port number on which Web Admin application will be available. You can
change this option's value to 443if there are no other web servers listening on
this port. 443 is the default HTTPS port number. It is not recommended to use
80 as the value of this option, because 80 is default port number for non-secure
HTTP protocol.
Description:

Options in this group are

responsible for the Dynamic DNS
service.

Group name in Web Admin:

Dynamic DNS settings

Group name in configuration file:

linkserver/DynamicDNS

Enable dynamic DNS updates

Key name in the configuration file: Enabled
Value type: Boolean
Possible values: true or false
Default value: false

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

386

Tibbo Document System

This option enables registration of all connecting Device Servers in the DNS.
Zone name
Key name in the configuration file: Zone
Value type: String
Possible values: Any valid DNS domain name
Default value: "" (empty)
This option defines DNS zone (domain) name to which LinkServer will add hosts
corresponding to Device Servers. Zone name can be domain name in your
company's local DNS or global domain name like "serv1.com".
Host pattern for registering external IPs
Key name in the configuration file: HostPatternForExternalIPs
Value type: String
Possible values: String containing special tokens
Default value: %n.%o.ext
Defines host name pattern to use for registering external IP addresses of Device
Servers. Value of this option is parsed and the following substitutions are made:
%n
is changed to the device name of a particular Device Server
%o
is changed to the owner name of a particular Device Server

The result is prepended to the zone name to form a fully qualified domain name.
Host pattern for registering internal IPs
Key name in the configuration file: HostPatternForInternalIPs
Value type: String
Possible values: String containing special tokens
Default value: %n.%o.int
Defines host name pattern to use for registering internal IP addresses of Device
Servers. Value of this option is parsed and the following substitutions are made:
%n
is changed to the device name of a particular Device Server
%o
is changed to the owner name of a particular Device Server

The result is prepended to the zone name to form a fully qualified domain name.
IP address of DNS server
Key name in the configuration file: ServerIP
Value type: String
Possible values: Any IP address
Default value: "" (empty)
Defines IP address of the DNS server used for Dynamic DNS updates.
Port number on DNS server to communicate with
Key name in the configuration file: ServerPort
Value type: Integer
Possible values: 1-65535

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

387

Default value: 53
Defines destination port number on DNS server used for Dynamic DNS updates.
Enable Transaction Signature (TSIG) keys
Key name in the configuration file: UseTSIGKeys
Value type: Boolean
Possible values: true or false
Default value: false
This option enables using Transaction Signature (TSIG) keys destined for making
communication with DNS server secure.
TSIG key name
Key name in the configuration file: TSIGKeyName
Value type: String
Possible values: Any string value conforming to the Dynamic DNS specification
Default value: "" (empty)
Defines name of key to be used for Transaction Signatures.
TSIG key value
Key name in the configuration file: TSIGKeyValue
Value type: String
Possible values: Any string value conforming to the Dynamic DNS specification
Default value: "" (empty)
Defines value of key to be used in Transaction Signatures.
Enable TCP mode
Key name in the configuration file: TCPMode
Value type: Boolean
Possible values: true or false
Default value: true
If this option is set to true, TCP protocol is used for DNS updates, otherwise all
transactions are performed using UDP.
Timeout for DNS operations, seconds
Key name in the configuration file: Timeout
Value type: Integer
Possible values: Any integer number
Default value: 10
Defines timeout for DNS update operations. If no answer is received from the
DNS server within this time, DNS update operation is considered unsuccessful.
TTL for new DNS records, seconds
Key name in the configuration file: TTL
Value type: Integer
Possible values: Any integer number

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

388

Tibbo Document System

Default value: 600
Defines Time To Live (TTL) interval that is set for all newly created DNS records.
Low value of this setting leads to high number of requests to the DNS server.
High value results in slower update of information. This value is counted in
seconds (600 equals 10 minutes).
Description:

Options in this group are used to

select the IP-address and the port
number of the AuthKey.

Group name in Web Admin:

AuthKey settings

Group name in configuration file:

AuthKey

IP address (broadcast addresses allowed)

Key name in the configuration file: IP
Value type: String
Possible values: Any valid IP address
Default value: 255.255.255.255
This option specifies the IP address of the AuthKey. This AuthKey must be
reachable from the LinkServer. The AuthKey can be located on the same or
different subnet. IP-address specified here must match the IP address setting of
the AuthKey (unless a broadcast address is specified- see below).
Notice that AuthKey itself may need to be properly set up as well.
Broadcast addresses are allowed. Communications between the
LinkServer and the AuthKey are based on the UDP protocol so default
"broadcast" (255.255.255.255) value for this setting can also be
used. In this case all requests to the AuthKey will be made as
link-level broadcasts so any local AuthKey will reply. This allows you
to start using your AuthKey without any configuration- just connect it
to the same network segment with the LinkServer.
Port number
Key name in the configuration file: Port
Value type: Integer
Possible values: 1-65535
Default value: 65535
This option specifies the UDP port on the AuthKey to which the LinkServer will be
sending its authentication requests. It must be identical to the port setting of the
AuthKeyitself.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

389

User Management
Full page path:

Administration > User management

Permission level:

admin

This page shows a list of all user accounts. Each account entry includes the
following details:
Username for this account
First and Last name of the account owner
E-mail address
Click on any column header to sort the list by this column. Click on the same
header once again to reverse sort order.
Click on a username to view user information.

Full page path:

account

Administration > User management > Create new user

Permission level:

admin

This option allows an administrator to create user accounts. You can only create
account itself but not set any of the profile details (such as name, address, etc).
Only this account's owner can set those details.

Full page path:

Administration > User management

Permission level:

admin

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

390

Tibbo Document System

This page shows a table with all the details about selected user account. This table
is divided into three parts, and each part has an Edit link which leads to a
corresponding edit info page.
The last part of the table, Settings, allows you to also change user permissions and
allow him to automatically register Device Servers.
The top of the table also contains a remove user link. Clicking this link causes the
selected account to be removed and all of its Device Servers to be disconnected
immediately.
Full page path:
General Settings > Edit

Administration > User management > Specific user >

Permission level:

admin

Permissions
Value type: String
Possible values: none, user, adm in
Default value: user

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

391

This allows you to make the user into an administrator, thus giving him full
control over the server, or to disable his account (similar to deleting the
account), by setting permissions level to none
.
Local Time Zone
This allows you to configure the timezone for this account. This influences time
displayed in logs within the Web Admin interface.
Date/time format
This allows you to configure the user's current locale, used for correctly
formatting the date and time when displaying logs.
Enable automatic registration of Device Servers
This lets the user's Device Servers automatically register with the LinkServer as
soon as they try to log on. It is described in further details under Device server
auto-registration.

Restart Server
Full page path:

Administration > Restart Server

Permission level:

admin

Selecting this menu item causes the server to be restarted. After you select this
link the LinkServer displays the message "Server is being restarted." All current
communications sessions are dropped and all logged users are disconnected.
Connections may resume once the server has restarted.
The server can also be restarted using the System Tray Icon menu.

Stop Server
Full page path:

Administration > Stop Server

Permission level:

admin

Selecting this menu item causes the server to be stopped. After you select this link
the LinkServer displays the message "Server is being stopped". All current
communications sessions are dropped and all logged users are disconnected.
Exercise caution when stopping the server remotely- the Web Admin
interface won't be available after that so you won't have an easy way to
start the LinkServer again.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

392

Tibbo Document System

The server can also be stopped using the System Tray Icon.

Logout
Full page path:

Log out

Permission level:

user

Select logout to log off your account. You will be automatically redirected to the
login page.

Troubleshooting LinkServer
Something went wrong? Please read below. Also, check our Knowledge Base to see
if your issue appears there.
And if all else fails, you can always ask for Technical Support.

Errors in
Accessing AuthKey
4.3.5.1
When trying to load the AuthKey's settings the "normal" way (using the DS Manager
), you may get an error looking like this:

And when clicking the link here, you will get a dialog similar to this:

This means that you're missing a file, called v10-00.sdf. This file should be located in
the sdf subfolder of the Device Server Toolkit folder. If you are indeed missing this
file, please download the most recent version of the Device Server Toolkit from the
Tibbo website. If for some reason this fails, request the sdf from the technical support
team.
Once this file is properly located, you will no longer get an error, and will instead get
the normal settings for the AuthKey, which look like this:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Software Manuals

393

These settings are more fully described under Setting up AuthKey using DS Manager.

DS Has4.3.5.2
Trouble Connecting to Server
Here is a list of error patterns that you might encounter if there is a problem with
your setup:
IP address not obtained. This has nothing to do with
Dynamic DNS itself. It just means that your Device
Server is configured to obtain its IP from the DHCP
server and for some reason this is not working
properly. The Device Server will only attempt to
register at tibbo.net after it has successfully
configured of its own IP.
Sending ARP. You have specified an incorrect
Gateway IP-address/ NetMask or your network router
is not setup correctly.
TCP connection is being opened. You have entered
incorrect dDNS Server IP-address or your network
router is not setup correctly.
TCP connection reset by the network host. You have
specified incorrect dDNS Server Port/ dDNS Server
IP-address.
Login failed. LinkServer has rejected login from your
Device Server. Make sure that Owner Name= Unique
User ID, Device Name= Device Name, and Login
Password= Login Password.

User Forgot
His Password
4.3.5.3
It sometimes happens that a user, or even the administrator of the system, forgets
his password. In such a case, the user must alert the system administrator, who
will re-set his password.
Resetting the password is done using the -p command line option. The syntax for
/ <password>
this option is -p<username>
.
So, assuming the user johndoe forgets his password and alerts the administrator,
here's what the administrator would do to reset johndoe's password to foobar:
Shut down LinkServer (see Stop Server).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

394

Tibbo Document System

Run LinkServer once more, with the command line argument -pjohndoe/foobar.
Notice there is no space between the argument and its parameters.
johndoe's password would now be foobar and he would be able to login.

Server 4.3.5.4
not Responding
Sometimes, there may be situations where the server cannot be accessed, but is
still running. You can see that the process is running, but when trying to access
the Web Admin interface, the request times out.
This means that the LinkServer is running, but with errors. You have two options to
resolve this:
Using Net Admin
This is the recommended option. Access the Net Admin interface via telnet to port
6440
, and use it to shut the server down (S command) or restart it (Rcommand).
Manually kill the processes
This option is not recommended, as it might kill other Java processes running on
the host. To use it, you must kill the server and the JVM (Java Virtual Machine)
processes manually, and then start the server again.
Under Windows, the processes to kill are Linkserver.exe, and java.exe. Kill all
instances of these processes using the Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc under Windows
2000/XP).
Under Unix, the processes to kill are linkserver.sh and java. There are many Java
processes active at any one time. Kill the process with the lowest PID (Process
ID). This is important. Killing another process will not resolve the problem.
There are specific instances where one should kill another process than the one
with the lowest PID, but these are special cases, which depend on specific server
configurations. Killing the process with the lowest PID will most likely resolve this
situation.

Only 5 4.3.5.5
Devices Can Connect
If you bought over 5 licenses but only 5 devices can connect to the LinkServer,
there is probably a mismatch between the license verification string setting and
the desired license limit setting in the AuthKey.
To resolve this, please browse to Setting up AuthKey using DS Manager.

Application Notes
This part contains all our Application Notes in chronological order:
AN001. Customization options in our Products
AN002. Practical advice on integrating EM Module into your device
AN003. Time delays when the DS is opening TCP connection to the PC
AN004. How to send the same data to several DS
AN005. Remotely controlling I/O lines on the DS

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

395

AN006. Using Device Server Toolkit with Windows Firewall (XP/SP2)

AN007. Installing and Configuring LinkServer
AN008. Using HyperTerminal
AN009. WAN Basics
AN010. Controlling the DS from the Serial Side
AN011, Reading the Production Label

AN001. Customization Options in Our Products

What's in this Application Note
Our Customers that supply Tibbo Device Servers with their own equipment
(systems) often wonder if it is possible to alter default setting values of the DS,
hide certain settings so they could not be seen and edited in the DS Manager, hide
some installation components (for example, VSP Manager), display their Company
name instead of Tibbo, etc. This article describes an array of customization options
that are available.
Contents:
- Define your own default (post-initialization) setting values
- Hide settings so they cannot be viewed (edited) through the DS Manager
- Select which DST components should be installed on your User's PC
- Replace default name and logo (bitmap) with your own name and logo in the
installation program
- Prepare your own installation file (distribution CD)
Define your own default (post-initialization) setting values

Important note: Release3.5 branch of application firmware (i.e. firmware for

second-generation devices) only supports custom profiles starting from V3.54.
Unfortunately, there remains a limitation regarding how the firmware file with
custom profile attached can be loaded into the DS. Custom profile will only work if
upgrade was performed through the network. If firmware file (with custom profile
attached) was loaded through the serial port then custom profile will not work
correctly. We apologize for inconvenience but nothing can be done to remove this
limitation. Release3.0 branch of application firmware does not have this limitation.
It is now possible to define your own, different, post-initialization setting values.
Why would you want this? Well, if you supply a system in which the DS is always
used in TCP/IP mode, then you might want to make the Transport Protocol (TP)
setting default to 1(TCP) instead of 0(UDP), as it is "by default". And if you know
that your serial device works at 19200bps, then wouldn't it be good to set this
baudrate as a default value for the Baudrate (BR) setting (instead of the "factory

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

396

Tibbo Document System

default" of 38400bps).
The process of defining your own post-initialization defaults starts with creating a
profile file. This file should have a .txt extension. You can use a Notepad or any
other simple text editor to create this file. In our example we will create a profile
for a Company named "XYZCORP". We will create a custom profile that will make
the following changes to the original post-initialization values of the DS:
-Transport Protocol (TP) setting= 1(TCP)
-Routing Mode (RM) setting= 2(client)
-Baudrate (BR) setting= 4(19200bps)
-Parity (PR) setting= 2(odd)
Open the notepad and create the file named profile.txt that contains the following
data:
_XYZCORP
TP1
RM2
BR4
PR2
Note: put <CR> even on the last line so this line is complete.
Each line of this file except the first one corresponds to a particular setting. Setting
mnemonics and desired values are exactly the same as the ones used for DS
programming via the serial port or network- you can find this data here.
The first line of this file is reserved for the profile name. This name is displayed by
the DS Manager in the caption of the settings dialog. This feature is provided so
that it was possible to tell whether the DS is running a "profile-modified" firmware
or default firmware. The profile name must start with the underscore sign ("_") or
it will not be recognized.
Now that your profile is created you need to merge it with the DS firmware file. To
do this, you need to use a small DOS program called add_prof.exe. The program
can be emailed to you on request.
Put all three files (firmware file, profile file, and add_prof.exe) into the same
directory. The firmware file should be of "W" or "S" type (i.e. em_314w.bin or
em_314s.bin). As explained above, this means that only "older" devices (
EM100-00/ -01/ -02, DS100-00/ -01/ -02) can use profile files at the moment.
The executable is a DOS program, so open a DOS session and run the program like
this:
add_prof input_firmware_file profile_file output_binary_file
Note: you don't need to specify file extensions, the program will assume that
input_firmware_file and output_binary_file have .bin extension, and the profile_file
has the .txt extension. So, in our example you should type:
add_prof em_312s.bin profile em_xyz
The output file, em_xyz.bin will contain exactly the same firmware code plus the
profile data you have defined. Now upgrade your DS using this new file.
After the upgrade launch the DS Manager and open the settings dialog of the DS
that you've just upgraded. Notice that dialog caption now displays the name of
your profile.
Now close the dialog and initialize the DS. After the initialization is finished open
the settings dialog again and observe new default setting values that have been
set.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

397

Hide settings so they cannot be viewed (edited) through the DS Manager

Custom initialization profiles allow you to alter the initial post-initialization values
of settings but they do not protect those settings from being edited by the User.
Sometimes it makes a good sense to hide certain settings. For example, if you
know that in your system the DS is always used in TCP/IP mode then it may be a
good idea to hide the Transport Protocol (TP) setting so it is not displayed by
the DS Manager at all. The principle here is: "less choices offered- less questions
asked".
In our DST software the list of settings displayed for the DS by the DS Manager is
defined by the .sdf files (SDF= Setting Definition File). During installation those
files are copied into the .../Program files/Tibbo/Device Server Toolkit/sdf folder.
Filenames correspond to the firmware versions of DS (except for the file
wizserial.sdf- this one is used by the Connection Wizard and must be always kept
as is). For example, your /sdf folder can contain the files V2-21.sdf and V3-00.sdf.
These files correspond to firmware V2.21 or higher and V3.00 or higher. That is,
when the DS Manager encounters the DS with firmware V2.53 it will use the file
V2-21.sdf because 2.53 is later that 2.21 but earlier than 3.00.
The data structure inside the .sdf file is very straightforward: each line represents
one Setting or Setting group. Here is one (abstracted) example of such a file:
I=$NET;D=Network Settings;T=GROUP
I=ON;D=Owner name;T=STRING;C=EDIT;MAXLEN=8;F=R
I=DN;D=Device name;T=STRING;C=EDIT;MAXLEN=8;F=R
...
...
I=E1;D=Stop-character (ASCII
code);T=INT;C=STATIC;M=CHARDLG;V=E1>255? "ASCII code cannot
exceed 255":""
I=P1;D=Number of
post-characters;T=INT;C=EDIT/SPIN/0/1/1/1;V=P1>15? "Maximum
number of post-characters is 15":""
The first line in the above example creates a setting group "Network Settings".
Each group gets its own tab in the settings dialog of the DS Manager. All other
lines in the above example represent individual settings. You can change the way
the DS Manager displays the settings by rearranging and/or editing the data in the
.sdf file. For example, supposing you want to create another group of settings
called "Advanced" and put two settings there: Owner Name (ON), and Device
Name (DN). All you have to do is add three lines to the end of the .sdf file:
...
...
I=$ADVANCED;D=Advanced;T=GROUP
I=ON;D=Owner name;T=STRING;C=EDIT;MAXLEN=8;F=R
I=DN;D=Device name;T=STRING;C=EDIT;MAXLEN=8;F=R
Save the file and reopen the settings dialog: you will see the new tab:

To hide settings simply remove corresponding lines from the .sdf file.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

398

Tibbo Document System

All .sdf files are supplied to the User as a part of the Device Server Toolkit
installation. To see those files download the .zip archive of our distribution to your
PC and unzip this archive into a separate folder. You can change the .sdf files and
then prepare your own installation that you will distribute with your system (see
below for details).
Some settings in the file refer to other settings. For example, "PPPoE
login name" may depend on the "PPPoE Mode" setting. So when
removing "PPPoE Mode" you must also remove "PPPoE login name", or
else you would get an error when loading the SDF file.
You can see this according to the "S=" or "V=" fields for each setting. If
these refer to another setting, you cannot remove that "other" setting
without changing or removing the current one. For example:
I=PP;D=PPPoE mode;T=INT;C=STATIC;O=0- Disabled/0/1- Enabled (on
connection)/1/2- Enabled (on powerup)/2
I=PL;E=1;D=PPPoE login
name;T=STRING;C=EDIT;MAXLEN=20;F=R*;S=PP!=0?"e":"i"
Note the "S=PP!=0" in the second line -- the S= parameter refers to the
PP setting. So you cannot remove the PP setting as long as the PL setting
refers to it. You would have to remove both, or at least remove the "PP"
reference from the "PL" line (but this might cause functional issues -these settings are linked for a reason).

Select which DST components should be installed on your User's PC

You can hide certain DST components from being installed on your User's PC. This
may come handy sometimes. For example, if you distribute the DS in a system
that does not utilize the VSPD then why install the VSP Manager? This will only
create confusion and extra questions!
Components that can be selected/deselected are listed in the tdst.ini file found
inside the DST distribution. To see the tdst.ini file download the .zip archive of our
distribution to your PC and unzip this archive into a separate folder. Open the file
using any simple text editor (i.e. Notepad). You will see that the file contains the
following data:
...
showdlg = 1
conwizard = 1
vsp = 1
The first line specifies whether the User will be presented with the screen asking
him to choose which components to install. When showdlg = 1 the screen will be
shown during the installation. When showdlg = 0 the screen will not be shown. The
second line defines the default choice for the Connection Wizard: 1- "install", 0"do not install". When showdlg = 1 the User will still have a chance to reverse this
default selection, but when the showdlg = 0 the User won't be able to choose and
the Connection Wizard will be installed or not installed according to the value of
conwizard entry in tdst.ini. This means that if you set showdlg = 0 and conwizard
= 0 then the Wizard will never be installed (and the User won't even know that
there is such an option).
The third line (vsp=x) defines whether the VSP Manager and the Port Monitor will
be installed (Port Monitor is always installed together with the VSP Manager).
Currently, there is no any way to disable the DS Manager so this component is

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

399

always present.
It is not enough to just change the file tdst.ini. You need to "sign it up" in order for
the installation program to recognize this changed file. See below for more
information.
Replace default name and logo (bitmap) with your own name and logo in
the installation program
When you distribute the DST as part of your own system you may wish to display
your own Company name and logo in the installation screens.
You can achieve this by editing the data in the tdst.ini file. To see the tdst.ini file
download the .zip archive of our distribution to your PC and unzip this archive into
a separate folder. Open the file using any simple text editor (i.e. Notepad). You will
see that the file contains the following data:
companyname = Tibbo Inc.
companyshortname = Tibbo
productname = Device Server Toolkit
setupimage = Tibbo.bmp
setupimageparams = 1;;;255,0,255
...
Companyshortname and productname define the default installation directory of
the software. Directory is:
.../Program Files/companyshortname/productname
So, if your Company name is "XYZCorp" and you wish the software to be called
"DST" then input the following data:
companyshortname = XYZCorp
productname = DST
In this case the default installation directory for the software will be:
.../Program Files/XYZCorp/DST
Productname is also shown during the software installation. You can define your
own setupimage as well. This is a bitmap that is displayed in the installation
screens. Unfortunately, there is no way to define the position of this bitmap in the
window- InstallShield software used to generate installation files doesn't provide
this flexibility. So, the bitmap position is fixed. The only thing you can do is define
if this bitmap will contain a transparent color.
Setupimageparams line has several parameters. The first one specifies if there is a
transparent color (1 for "yes" and 0 for "no"). Last three numbers specify which
color is to be transparent. For example, if you don't want any transparency then
set setupimageparams=0;;;0,0,0. And if you want the white color to be considered
transparent then set setupimageparams=1;;;255,255,255.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

400

Tibbo Document System

One remaining parameter that we haven't mentioned yet is companyname. It is

not displayed anywhere in the software itself but it is saved into the Windows
registry upon installation.
Prepare your own installation file (distribution CD)
If you have made changes to the file tdst.ini or have modified the bitmap specified
by the setupimage line then you need to signup your changes first. Signup process
calculates the hash on the file contents and saves this hash in the signature= line
of the tdst.ini. When the signature and the contents of the files do not match the
changes you have made are ignored. You need to perform the signup process after
you have made all the changes. Signup does not include the .sdf files so if you just
changed these files you don't need to do it.
Here is what you need to do to signup your changes. First, request (from us) an
archive called signup.zip. After you receive the file unzip it into the same directory
where you unzipped all the installation files for the DST. Signup.exe is a DOS
program and you run it like this:
signup tdst.ini
If everything is OK the program will generate the following output:
tdst.ini has been successfully signed up
You can distribute the modified version of the DST as a set of files or you can
create a self-extracting ZIP archive (recommended). Signup.exe and tdstsign.dll
files should not be included with your distribution. Please, make sure these files
don't get included by mistake!

AN002. Practical Advice on Integrating EM Module into

Your Device
What's in this Application Note
Over the cause of the past several years we have been in constant contact with
Companies that are using our Ethernet-to-serial Modules (such as EM100) to

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

401

network-enable their products. Invaluable experience and feedback that we have

received in the process has helped us realize that some practical aspects of the
Module integration are not always understood early enough in the product design
cycle. As a result some devices that utilize our Modules were designed without
proper consideration for the practical issues that may arise during the
manufacturing or operation of the Device. This Application Note summarizes our
experience. Follow the suggestions below and you may well save yourself a lot of
headache in the future.
This application note does not only apply to EM100! EM100 is used as an
example device, but the advice below also applies to EM202, EM200, and
other Tibbo embedded products.
Contents:
-

Position the Module as close as possible to the RJ45 connector, do proper layout
Make sure you supply good power at required current
Proper reset is a must!
Provide status LEDs, prog/init button, and serial access connector
Let your main CPU control the Module...
...Or let the EM Module control your main CPU

Position the Module as close as possible to the RJ45 connector, do proper

layout
Note: this part applies to all Tibbo Modules except EM202 which has a built-in RJ45
connector and Ethernet magnetics.
Improperly positioned EM Module will generate a lot of noise (EMI or
Electro-Magnetic Emission). Put the EM, its Ethernet magnetics (if not built into the
Module), and RJ45 connector as close as possible to each other. Failing to do so
will make passing CE (FCC) EMI test very difficult! Additional problems may include
communications problems and susceptibility to electrostatic discharge (ESD)
damage.
There is a common misunderstanding regarding the CE/FCC EMI certification of our
Modules. Being Modules, they are not certified "as is" but are tested on a particular
PCB, usually our Evaluation Board. These boards have proper PCB layout and a
conclusion is drawn that if the EM Module can pass the test on such a board then it
can pass a test on another board with a proper layout. So, even though the EM
Module itself is pre-tested your whole device may require CE/FCC certification.
Shown below is a proper layout for the EM100 Ethernet Module. This Module has
Ethernet magnetics built-in, so only RJ45 connector must be added externally. The
main point here is the length of wires that link the pins of the RJ45 connector to
the RX-, RX+, TX-, TX+ pins of the EM100. The shorter the length, the lower the
noise.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

402

Tibbo Document System

Another important point. Do not create a ground plane in the vicinity of the RJ45
connector and RX-, RX+, TX-, and TX+ lines. The ground plane should "wrap
around" the RJ45 area, but not cross any of the 4 interface wires. This is very
important! Providing a ground plane beneath the connector area will make your
device very susceptible to the ESD.
Make sure you supply good power at required current
Tibbo EM Modules are just like IC chips- they require a regulated DC power source,
5V nominal, +/- 5% deviation. Some Modules (such as EM202) consume relatively
high current (~230mA)! We provide this data in our Documentation and yet we
still have cases where our Customers use "bad" power supplies. So, this advise is
simple: make sure you supply regulated 5V DC and that your power supply can
offer necessary current.
Proper reset is a must!
Tibbo EM Modules do not have internal reset circuits so you must provide an
external power-on reset. It is not enough to just tie the RST pin to VCC, this won't
work! We also do not recommend using a simple RC-circuit. Such circuits are not
reliable because they do not monitor the supply voltage and won't work properly
under many circumstances.
For example, if you have a power supply that "starts slowly" (i.e. its voltage rises
slowly after the powerup) then the reset pulse generated by the RC circuit may end
before the VCC comes to within 5V-5%. Another problem condition is a "brownout"
(this is when the VCC momentarily goes below 5V-5%). Brownouts can cause the
EM Module to hang up. Use a proper reset IC instead- this will give you a very
reliable reset both on startup and in case of a brownout. Some reset ICs (for
example MAX810 from MAXIM) have a very attractive price now (about USD0.5).
Reset IC you use must have the following spec: (1) active high reset, (2) reset
pulse of at least 100ms, (3) reset threshold of around 4.7V. If your device already
has a matching reset IC then you can use its output for the EM Module as well.
Another possible reset arrangement is to use a free I/O pin of your device's main
CPU. I/O pins of most CPUs default to HIGH state upon hardware reset. For
example, supposing that your device is based on the x51 microcontroller. You
already have a reset circuit for this microcontroller so why would you add yet
another one to reset the EM Module? You can connect an unused I/O pin of the x51
to the RST pin of the EM. On startup the x51 will receive a proper reset from the
reset circuit and its I/O pins will be in the HIGH state. This will provide a reliable
reset to the EM. You can modify the code of your main microcontroller to switch the
"reset" I/O pin to LOW after a delay of, say, 100ms.
We recommend you to use this "CPU-controlled reset" approach whenever possible.
Not only it lowers your cost (no need for an extra reset IC) but also gives your

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

403

main CPU the ability to reset the EM Module at any time. This, as we will show
later, can come very handy if you want to enable your CPU to program the settings
of the EM and/or upgrade its internal firmware. Of course, it is not always possible
to control the reset from the main CPU (no spare I/O lines may be available, it may
be impossible to modify the firmware of the main CPU, etc.). In this case just go
with a proper reset IC.
Provide status LEDs, prog/init button, and serial access connector
Note: part about LEDs applies to all Modules except EM202 which has all status
LEDs built-in.
Tibbo EM Modules have four LEDs control lines (ER, EG, SR, SG). We strongly
recommend you to provide these LEDs on your board. Not having them leaves you
"blind". Supposing, the EM in your device is not working as expected. If you have
those LEDs then you can solve the problem much easier. SR and SG LEDs display
many different signal patterns so one glance at them can tell you a lot about the
current EM status. ER and EG LEDs tell you about the Ethernet connection, which is
also important.
Ideally, you should make those LEDs visible from the outside (left figure). This way
your Users can also see them. If this is impossible then at least provide these LEDs
on your board so they can be observed when your device's cover is removed (right
figure).

Besides LEDs, we strongly recommend you to provide a setup button that is

connected to the MD pin of the EM. Again, it is best to make this button "pushable"
from the outside (left figure above). If this is impossible you can provide an
internal button or a simple jumper on your board (right figure above). Why you
need this? Because in the life of your device you (or your Users) can encounter a
situation when they need to do one of the following: (1) initialize the EM, (2)
program the EM through the serial port, or (3) upgrade internal firmware of the
EM.
Initialization may be required because the EM has somehow lost its settings (due
to powerful ESD or for some other reason) or was incorrectly setup. To initialize the
EM using the setup button you use the quick init procedure.
Programming through the serial port may be required if the EM Module cannot be
programmed through the network for some reason. In this case you just press the
setup button to put the EM into the serial programming mode and do all the
programming through the serial port. Of course, you need to have an access to the
EM's serial port for this. Read on, we will come to that.
Finally, the firmware upgrade through the serial port cannot be ruled out. Of
course, you can mostly use network upgrades, but don't count on this. Upgrade

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

404

Tibbo Document System

through the serial port is the most reliable way that will always work. To do the
serial upgrade, you need to have a button. You also need to have access to the
EM's serial port, so we will now discuss the subject.
Our last suggestion is that you provide a simple way to break the serial connection
between the EM and your main CPU. You can pass the TX and RX lines of the EM
through two jumpers. These jumpers are to be closed during the normal operation
so the EM is connected to your CPU (see figure below). When you need to access
the serial port of the EM directly you remove the jumpers and plug in a simple
serial cable. It only needs to have three lines: TX, RX, and Ground. Because the EM
has a TTL serial port you cannot connect this cable to the COM port of your PC
directly. Use a simple board with RS232 IC installed on it to provide
TTL<-->RS232 signal translation.

By providing the jumpers you are leaving a back-door access to the EM AND to the
serial port of your main CPU. This may prove very useful during repairs, field
service, etc. One final note: if you thing that jumpers are too unreliable or you
simply don't have enough space for them on the board then you can use solder
jumpers instead.
Let your main CPU control the Module...
One other important suggestion: let your main CPU control the EM Module. Under
"control" we understand the following: (1) ability to reset (restart) the EM at any
time, (2) ability to program the EM, (3) ability to upgrade internal firmware of the
EM. Implementing this is optional but so easy to do that there is no real reason
why you shouldn't (if you can). True, the EM doesn't have to be programmed
through the serial port, you can do all the programming through the network using
the DS Manager. But this is not always consistent with the rest of your device's
features.
Here is an example: your device has an LCD screen and a keypad and there is a
setup mode that allows you to set all the functioning parameters (time, date, etc.).
To be consistent, you should include EM-related settings into this onscreen setup
as well (for example, IP-address of the device). For this, you must provide a way
for your main CPU to put the EM into a serial programming mode.
Another possibility is to have the main CPU upgrade the firmware of the EM. Again,
EM Module can be upgraded through the network using the DS Manager, and in
those few cases when the network upgrade is not possible you can just use the
"plug-in cable" method described in the previous section. Still, it is much more
"neat" if the firmware can be upgraded by your main CPU itself. We have had a
case in which the EM was used in a terminal device that also was
field-upgradeable. Our Customer has implemented a system, under which the
upgrade file for the main CPU contained the firmware of the EM as well (EM
firmware file was merged into the firmware file of this "host" device). After the
terminal was loaded with the new firmware it automatically initialized itself and
also downloaded the new firmware into the EM! This gave the Users an overall
feeling of "one-ness" of the device they use.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

405

To achieve all this flexibility you only need to have your main CPU control two
extra lines: RST and MD (because TX and RX lines are already there, right?). We
have already discussed how to connect the RST line. MD line is connected in this
same fashion. So, you only need two extra CPU I/O lines.
Note, that we still recommend you to provide all the bits and pieces that we have
suggested in the previous section. This means that we suggest you to have the MD
line of the EM connected to your main CPU and the setup button at the same time.
Many CPUs and microcontrollers have the I/O pins that allow them to be driven low
externally and high internally at the same time (for example, the x51
microcontroller is like that). In this case you can simply parallel the CPU output
and the setup button (Fig. 4a). If this is not permissible you can use two (Shottky)
diodes to separate the I/O pin from the button (Fig. 4b).

In some cases it is not possible, of course, to have the main CPU control the RST
and MD lines. You may have no spare I/O pins or interconnection between PCBs in
your device may have no spare wires to carry RST and MD signals. In this case you
won't be able to put the EM into the firmware upgrade mode but you can still have
your main CPU program the EM's settings whenever necessary. There is an
alternative method (two methods, actually) of putting the EM into the serial
programming mode- by sending a so-called escape sequence.
The only complication is that appropriate escape sequence must be enabled for this
to work. This is defined by the Soft Entry (SE) setting, which defaults to the
post-initialization value of 0 (escape sequence disabled). Yes, you can manually
enable this by using the DS Manager but if the EM gets initialized the escape
sequence will stop working and you will have to manually edit the SE setting
again!
To avoid this situation you can define your own post-initialization setting values.
Instead of going with the factory default of 0(disabled), you can choose to have the
EM default to 1 or 2 (escape sequence type1 or type2). Our Application Note 1
("Customization options in our Products") explains how to do this.
...Or let the EM Module control your main CPU
And here is a complete reversal of the idea: sometimes it may be better to have
the EM Module control the main CPU in your device. We have had a case in which
an EM100 was used in a very simple serial machine. This machine also had a
firmware upgrade feature. The User had to press a special button, then power the
device up and upload the firmware through the serial port. After we have added
the EM100 the serial port of the device was connected to the serial port of the
EM100. Of course, new firmware could be loaded into the device through the
EM100 (hence, through the network) as well. This could have allowed for the
remote firmware upgrades if it wouldn't have been for a small problem- the
"upgrade" button still had to be pressed on the machine itself- and this killed the
whole "remote upgradeability" idea.
To solve this we have connected the download line of the device's main CPU to a
general-purpose I/O pin of the EM100. By remotely controlling the state if this I/O

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

406

Tibbo Document System

line we can now put the main CPU into the firmware upgrade mode! Now the
upgrades are truly remote.

Example: PIC with EM202

Below is an annotated schematic, showing how one would go about connecting an
EM202 device to a PIC (Programmable Interrupt Controller -- a type of common
controller chip). The PIC is used merely as an example -- the information below
applies to any similar connection.
Note that the pins shown below are not all of the pins an EM202 has. There
are other pins, which are not used in this example. For a complete pinout,
see I/O Pin Assignment and Pin Functions under EM202 Ethernet-to-Serial
Module.
Schematic Diagram:

AN003. Time Delays When the DS is Opening TCP

Connection to the PC
What's in this Application Note
Some of our Customers have noticed that sometimes, when the DS is trying to
establish a TCP connection to the PC, it takes pretty long time to connect. It looks
as if PC is ignoring a connection request. This problem is often encountered when

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

407

the DS is trying to "re-connect" after an abrupt reboot (i.e. due to power loss). This
Application Note explains why this happens and what can be done to counter the
problem.
Contents:
- How connection delay happens
- Using "connect immediately" mode to let the DS handle reconnects
- Using modem commands and DTR line to monitor connection status and repair
connections
How connection delay happens
Connection delay problem is related to how "TCP stack" on the PC handles existing
TCP connections. We will explain this on the example of one frequent
communications scenario:
The DS establishes a TCP connection to the PC (for example, because it has
some serial data to send). Connection is accepted immediately. PC identifies this
connection by a combination of three parameters: remote host's IP (i.e.
IP-address of the DS), remote host's port (i.e. port number on the DS from which
this connection was established- 10001 by default), and local port on the PC to
which this connection was established (i.e. "listening" port of your application or
VSP).
The DS suddenly reboots, for instance due to power loss. Your PC doesn't know
about this so it thinks that this TCP connection is still alive.
The DS is powered on again and makes an attempt to connect to the PC. Once
again, it tries to open a connection from port 10001. PC responds with "ACK", as
if this was a regular data packet. Basically, PC just ignores this connection
attempt. Long time needs to pass before PC realizes that this connection is dead
already.
The DS notices that the PC did not respond to the connection request and sends
"RST" packet to reset the connection. At the same time, the DS discards the data
it was going to send to the PC and goes to "IDLE" state.
When new serial data is received by the DS the latter makes another attempt to
make a connection. This time the source port on the DS is 10002, not 10001.
This is because source port from which the DS is establishing its TCP connection
is incrementing with each connection attempt (this is normal, PC does this too).
PC gets this new connection attempt and treats it as a completely new
connection. This is because in the unique combination of source IP + source port
+ destination port something is now different: the source port number has
changed. Because of this, PC accepts this new connection immediately.
The following network log made by WinDUMP sniffer software illustrates the above
scenario. The DS is at 192.168.100.97 and the PC is at 192.168.100.90.
==========
*** DS makes an attempt to connect to the PC ***
192.168.100.97.10001 > 192.168.100.90.1002: S 640000:640000(0) win 1024
<mss 255> (DF)
192.168.100.90.1002 > 192.168.100.97.10001: S 10461646:10461646(0) ack
640001 win 8415 <mss 1460> (DF)
192.168.100.97.10001 > 192.168.100.90.1002: . ack 1 win 1024 (DF)

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

408

Tibbo Document System

*** Connection is now established ***
*** DS reboots abruptly ***
*** DS makes an attempt to establish connection again ***
192.168.100.97.10001 > 192.168.100.90.1002: S 256000:256000(0) win 1024
<mss 255> (DF)
*** PC replies with ACK which is not correct, so DS resets this connection attempt,
discards data ***
192.168.100.90.1002 > 192.168.100.97.10001: . ack 1 win 8415 (DF)
192.168.100.97.10001 > 192.168.100.90.1002: R 640001:640001(0) win 8415
(DF)
*** DS tried to connect again, this time from a different port, this time connection
is accepted ***
192.168.100.97.10002 > 192.168.100.90.1002: S 640000:640000(0) win 1024
<mss 255> (DF)
192.168.100.90.1002 > 192.168.100.97.10002: S 10470652:10470652(0) ack
640001 win 8415 <mss 1460> (DF)
192.168.100.97.10002 > 192.168.100.90.1002: . ack 1 win 1024 (DF)
==========
Bottom line: the first connection attempt by the DS after an abrupt reboot can fail.
If your serial device just sends several bytes of data and waits for TCP connection
to be established then this may never happen. You serial device needs to resend
the same data second time after a delay- only then TCP connection may be finally
accepted by the PC.
There are two ways of speeding thins up and prevent the PC from delaying the
connection.
Using "connect immediately" mode to let the DS handle reconnects
Program Connection Mode (CM) setting to 0 (connect immediately)- this way
the DS will make infinite attempts to connect unstill succeeded. This way your
serial device doesn't need to send data repeatedly to have connection established.
Most of the time connection will be ready.
Using modem commands and DTR line to monitor connection status and
"repair" connections
Modem commands (officially called serial-side parameters and instructions) give
your serial device a way to monitor connection status and control connection
establishment/termination. Instead of sending serial data and hoping it will pass
through your serial device you can first make sure that connection is, indeed,
established.
Here is a brief description of how this might work:
Your serial device first makes the DS enter the serial programming mode.
Your serial device then uses Establish Connection (CE) instruction to make
the DS start connection establishment procedure.
After this, your serial devices uses Echo (X) command to check the result (c
flag in the reply). If connection is not found to be established rather quickly and

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

409

c flag is unexpectedly returns to "*" then your serial device can conclude that the
DS has returned to idle mode because the PC did not respond to the connection
establishment request.
Then, the serial device can quickly issue another Establish Connection (CE)
instruction and, again, monitor connection status via Echo (X) command.
After the Echo command shows that connection is established (c flag="C") the
serial device uses Logout (O) command to make the DS exit the serial
programming mode. Data exchange can start after that.
The above procedure, although seemingly lengthy, takes only a fraction of a
second to complete.
One remaining question is: how to detect that connection has been broken while
being in the "normal mode". Indeed, when the DS in the serial programming mode
connection status can be verified at any time through an Echo command. But
how to do this when the DS is in the data mode and Echo command cannot be
issued?
This is done by programming the DTR Mode (DM) setting to 1 (connection
status). In this case the DTR line of the DS shows whether network connection is
established or not. Once the line is "dropped" the serial device will know that
something has happened to the connection. At this time the serial device should
force the DS into the serial programming mode and use modem commands to
"repair" the connection.

AN004. How to Send the Same Data to Several DS

What's in this Application Note
We are often asked if it is possible to send the same data to several DS at the
same time. We understand why such need may arise. For example, in RS485
systems there is often a master "node" that sends commands to several slaves.
Every slave receives the command but only a particular one will reply back. This is
because the frame (packet) sent by the master contains an address of the slave
being addressed.
Network-enabling such system requires that this "send to all" communications
method is somehow adopted to network communications. This Application Note
explains how this can be done.
Contents:
- Using UDP broadcasts to emulate multi-drop communications
- Limitations
Using UDP broadcasts to emulate multi-drop communications
The only way to arrange multi-drop communications system on the TCP/IP network
is by using UDP/IP protocol and sending data as UDP broadcasts. TCP protocol is,
by definition, a point-to-point protocol and cannot be used for data delivery to
several nodes simultaneously. UDP, on the contrary, can and is often used to send
the data to several nodes on the network.
To make one DS (we will call it "master") send data to several other DS ("slaves")
through the network perform the following setup (only "important" setup changes
are shown):
On the master DS side make the following setup changes:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

410

Tibbo Document System

Routing Mode (RM) setting: 1 (server/client) or 2 (client);
Transport Protocol (TP) setting: 0 (UDP);
Destination IP-address (DI) setting: 255.255.255.255- this will make the
master DS send data as link-level UDP broadcasts.
On each slave DS make the following setup changes:
Routing Mode (RM) setting: 0 (server);
Transport Protocol (TP) setting: 0 (UDP);
Broadcast UDP (BU) setting: 1 (enabled)- this will make slave Device
Servers accept the data sent in broadcast packets.
Same can be applied to using Virtual Serial Port as a "master". Use VSP Manager
and set the properties of the VSP in a way similar to the setup of the master DS.
Limitations
It is important to understand the limitations of such a system:
Unreliable data transmission. UDP, as opposed to TCP, does not guarantee
data delivery. If any UDP packet is lost the UDP protocol itself won't be able to
detect this. UDP packets are considered to be "less important" (compared to TCP
traffic) so many routers drop such packets first when becoming overloaded. The
bottom line is that you should not base your system on the assumption that all
UDP packets will always be received by all slaves. This is usually not a problem
since most multi-drop systems include some sort of retry algorithm.
The system is limited to local network segments only. This second
limitiation is more serious. Broadcast UDP packets are not routed by network
equipment such as routers, bridges, etc. This means that UDP broadcasting is
only possible within a single network segment. Do not expect to be able to make
such a system work throught the Internet, for instance.

AN005. Remotely Controlling I/O Lines on the DS

What's in this Application Note
Many of our Customers have asked us if it possible to make our Modules (such as
EM100) or "finished" devices (DS100) work as a sort of remote I/O i.e. use the DS
to control "loads" (switch something on/off) and monitor "sensors" (detect if the
switch is closed or opened). The answer is "YES" and this Application Note
examines how this can be done.
Contents:
-

General-purpose I/O lines of Tibbo Device Servers

Controlling I/O lines through a Virtual Serial Port
Setting and sensing the status of I/O lines using on-the-fly commands
Using notifications to get the status of I/O lines

General-purpose I/O lines of Tibbo Device Servers

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

411

You probably know that every DS model we manufacture contains some number of
lines that can be used as remote I/O. For example, the serial port of our DS100R
Serial Device Server contains RTS (output) and CTS (input) serial lines. From the
serial port's standpoint, RTS and CTS have a specific serial port-related function
but at the same time they can be used as generic output and input!
Other "external" Serial Device Servers, such as DS100B and DS202 also have DTR
(output) and DSR (input) lines. Together with RTS/CTS, this brings the total
number of available lines to two outputs and two inputs.
Most embedded Modules such as EM100 and EM200 have even larger number of
I/O lines, some of which are not related to the standard serial port control lines in
any way. For example, in addition to RTS, CTS, DTR, and DSR the EM200 has five
additional I/O lines- P0, P1, P6, P7, P8. All 9 lines can be used as universal
inputs/outputs- on the Module level there are no dedicated "input only" or "output
only" pins*.
Controlling I/O lines through a Virtual Serial Port
The simplest way to control I/O lines of the DS is through a Virtual Serial Port.
Naturally, this will be limited to setting the status of RTS and DTR lines and
sensing the status of CTS and DSR lines. Extra lines such as P0, P1, etc. cannot be
controlled this way. Additionally, RTS/DTR will only work as outputs and CTS/DSRas inputs, even on embedded Modules whose I/O pins are bi-directional (see
above). The advantage of using VSP is in simplicity- you don't need to write a lot of
additional code.
To test how VSP works with I/O lines of the DS you can create a simple application
in Visual Basic. Use MSComm ActiveX control to work with the VSP. Remember,
that same rules that apply to a regular COM port of the PC also apply to the remote
control of the serial port on the DS:
If you want to set RTS and sense CTS you need to set
MSComm.Handshaking="None". If you set handshaking to "ComRTS" your
VB program won't be able to work with RTS/CTS directly.
After you set MSComm.Handshaking="None" you can control RTS through
MSComm.RTSEnable and sense CTS state through MSComm.CTSHolding.
Likewise, DTR state can be controlled through MSComm.DTREnable while DSR
state can be sensed through MSComm.DSRHolding.
To be able to control DTR remotely, you need to program the DTR Mode (DT)
setting of the DS to 0 (idle). Also, to have the DSR work as a pure input line
program do not set Connection Mode (CM) to 3 (on command or DSR=HI).
These two settings will be taken care of automatically by the Connection Wizard
when you use it as described below.
Before you can make this test you need to have a proper setup for the VSP and DS.
Run Connection Wizard and make the following choices. Important points:
Job: choose to create a link between the Virtual Serial Port and the Device
Server.
Initiator of data exchange: Virtual Serial Port.
On-the-fly commands: yes, enable on-the-fly commands, use out-of-band access
method.
(all remaining choices are obvious or irrelevant).
After the Wizard has done its job and is at the last screen you need to do the

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

412

Tibbo Document System

following:
Click "open COM settings"- the properties of the VSP will be opened (you can
reach the same screen from the VSP Manager).
Change Connection Mode of the VSP to "immediately".
Click OK to close the dialog.
Here are some comments on the setup that we've just described. On-the-fly
commands are enabled because control of the state of I/O lines is effected through
these on-the-fly commands. Connection mode of the VSP was set to "immediately"
to enable so called status change notifications to be sent from the DS to the VSP
(PC) right from the moment the VSP is opened. More on this can be found in one of
the sections below (see "using notifications to get the status of I/O lines").
After the setup is finished you can use your VB program to work with RTS, CTS,
DTR, and DSR lines. While you are playing with the system take a look at what is
recorded by the Port Monitor. Here is a sample output:
...
COM4 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.97: enabling line change notification for DSR, CTS...success
<--- notifications setup
...
...
COM4 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.97: set DTR to low...success <--- command from VSP to DS
COM4 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.97: set DTR to high...success <--- command from VSP to
DS
COM4 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.97: set RTS to low...success <--- command from VSP to DS
COM4 (INFO): "On-the-Fly" command for 192.168.100.97: set RTS to high...success <--- command from VSP to
DS
COM4 (INFO): Line status change notification: DSR:low CTS:high <--- notification from DS to VSP
COM4 (INFO): Line status change notification: DSR:low CTS:low <--- notification from DS to VSP

As you can see from this log, an individual command is sent from the VSP to the
DS when it is necessary to change the state of a particular output. A notification
containing the status of both inputs are sent from the DS to the VSP when at least
one of the inputs (DSR or DTR) is found to have changed the state. Notifications
are explained below (see "using notifications to get the status of I/O lines").
Setting and sensing the status of I/O lines using on-the-fly commands
Virtual Serial Port works with RTS, CTS, DTR, and DSR lines using so-called
on-the-fly commands. On-the-fly commands are officially known as "network-side
parameters and instructions". As the name implies, these commands are sent
through the network. The word "on-the-fly" refers to the fact the sending any
command causes an immediate corresponding change in the serial port or I/O pin
of the DS.
Related to the discussion of controlling I/O lines are two instructions:
Set I/O Pin Status (Sx) instruction
Get I/O Pin Status (Gx) instriction
For these instructions to work, the DS must be preset to accept them. This is done
by setting On-the-fly Commands (RC) setting to 1 (enabled).
On-the-fly commands are send just like all other network programming commands
which means that delivery method can be out-of-band, inband, etc. Out-of-band
on-the-fly commands can be optionally password-protected by programming
On-the-fly Commands (RC) setting to 1 (enabled) and defining a password in
the Password (PW) setting.
If you are planning to work with P2(DSR), P3(DTR), P4(CTS), or P5(RTS) lines you
need to disable their "special" functions to turn them into "pure" I/O lines. When

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

413

you control those lines:

Disable RTS/CTS flow control by programming Flow Control (FC) setting to 0
(idle or remote).
Program DTR Mode (DT) setting of the DS to 0 (idle).
Also, to have the DSR work as a pure input line program do not set Connection
Mode (CM) to 3 (on command or DSR=HI).
Note: when you are using the VSP you don't need to make these changes by
yourself. Running Connection Wizard as described above will take care of
everything.
We are not going into "much" details regarding the use of Set I/O Pin Status
and Get I/O Pin Status instructions here as this would be a repetition of
information already found in the topics highlighted above.
Using notifications to get the status of I/O lines
Get I/O Pin Status (Gx) instriction mentioned above offers a way to get the
state of any I/O pin of the DS but in a "polled" way. If you want to monitor the
status of a particular pin you need to send this command repeatedly (i.e. "poll" this
pin).
Another, more convenient, possibility is make use of Notification (J) message.
With proper preset, you can make the DS send a special message to the PC
whenever one of "monitored" pins of the DS changes its state. Read Notification
(J) message topic and you will get complete picture on how this works.
One important point that needs to be understood: notification messages are only
sent when there is a data connection between the network host (that is supposed
to get notifications) and the DS. This is why we have asked you to change the
Connection Mode of the VSP to "connect immediately". If you didn't do this you
would have to have the data connection established first (i.e. send some data).
Only after that the DS would start sending notifications.
* The only exception is pin P2 of EM100 which can only work as an input.

AN006. Using Device Server Toolkit with Windows Firewall

(XP/SP2)
What's in this Application Note
This Application Note explains how to use TibboDevice Server Toolkit (DST) on PCs
running Windows XP with Service Pack2 (XP/SP2). One of the new components
included in the SP2 is a Windows Firewall. Unless setup correctly, the Firewall will
prevent certain features of DST software from operating properly.
This Application Note assumes that you are running DST version 3.56 (or later
one). This version had certain adjustments made to enable DST use under
Windows Firewall.
Contents:
- Using auto-discovery access mode of DS Manager with Windows Firewall
- Manual way of making the auto-discovery mode work
- Why Windows Firewall needs configuration for auto-discovery to work
- Opening the Firewall for DS data connections

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

414

Tibbo Document System

Using auto-discovery access mode of DS Manager with Windows Firewall

One difference you will immediately notice after XP2 is installed and the Firewall is
enabled is that the DS Manager can no longer find local Device Servers in the
auto-discovery access mode (address book mode continues to operate properly).
You can find an explanation on why this is happening later in this Note.
Once you run the DS Manager (or click Refresh in the auto-discovery mode), and
provided that your Firewall is using default configuration, you will get this warning
message:

This message means that Windows Firewall has detected certain network activity
that is currently not allowed. Application name is "Run DLL as an App" and, believe
it or not, this is how Windows sees the DS Manager (yes, DS Manager is a "DLL"
but Windows should be smart enough to understand its "real name".... alas, it isn't
that smart). Click Unblock and the DS Manager will be able to auto-discover local
Device Servers again.
If, when you run the DS Manager (click Refresh), the warning is not displayed (and
the DS Manager is still unable to find Device Servers) then this may be because
the Firewall is not allowing "exceptions" and/or firewall notifications are not
enabled.
Run the Firewall (Start--> Control Panel--> Windows Firewall) and make sure that
Don't allow exceptions checkbox is unchecked (clear):

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

415

Next, click on the Exceptions tab and make sure that Display a notification when
Windows Firewall blocks a program checkbox is checked:

After you "unblock" the DS Manager the Firewall puts it into the list of "exceptions"
i.e. programs whose traffic is allowed to pass through the Firewall:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

416

Tibbo Document System

Manual way of making the auto-discovery mode work

Same result can be achieved by telling the Firewall which port on the PC should be
opened. To do this click on the Exceptions tab of the Windows Firewall dialog, then
press Add Port... button- Edit a port dialog will open:

Input any meaningful name into the Name textbox (i.e. "DSMan bcast"- this is
because what we are opening here is a port for DS Manager's auto-discovery
broadcasts to work). In the Port number textbox input 65534- this is the port
number that must be opened on your PC. Finally, select UDP- this is a protocol the
DS Manager is using to find Device Servers on the network. Click OK when
finished.
New entry will appear in the list of exceptions and the DS Manager will start
working properly:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

417

Why Windows Firewall needs configuration for auto-discovery to work

This section explains why auto-discovery access mode will work only after you
configure the Windows Firewall properly while address book access mode will
require no adjustment to the Firewall setup. You can happily skip this section if you
are not that interested to know.
In the auto-discovery access mode the DS Manager finds Device Servers on the
network by sending Echo (X) command as UDP broadcast. Every Tibbo Device
that receives this broadcast will respond to it and the DS Manager will build a list
of available Device Servers basing on received responses.
Trouble with Windows Firewall arises because the Firewall cannot link received
responses to the broadcast sent from the PC. So, from the Firewall's point of view
these responses are individual incoming UDP "connections" and by defaults the
firewall blocks any incoming connection unless it is explicitly allowed. By
unblocking "Run DLL as an App" or manually opening UDP port 65534 you let the
responses from Device Servers to pass through. Port 65534 is the port from which
the DS Manager is sending its broadcasts and to which all local Device Servers
send their replies.
Contrary to what you'd probably expected, Windows Firewall does not interfere
with DS Manager's operation in the address book access mode. This is because in
this mode the DS Manager sends Echo (X) command individually to each DS in
the device list (no broadcasts are used at all). When replies are received from
Device Servers the Firewall is able to link those replies to the requests that were
sent by the DS Manager earlier. The Firewall then assumes that these were
outgoing connections initiated by a program on the PC and doesn't block incoming
replies.
Opening the Firewall for DS data connections
Windows Firewall monitors all incoming connections and that means that if your DS
is supposed to connect to the VSP on the PC (or directly to your application) then a

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

418

Tibbo Document System

specific port (to which the DS will be connecting) must be opened on the Firewall.
For example, if you know that the DS will be opening a TCP connection to the VSP
"COM3" with listening port number 1001 then you need to "open" this port in the
Firewall. Use Add port... feature to do this:

Notice, that you only need to open ports if your DS is going to connect to your PC.
If it is the VSP (or application) on your PC that is going to connect to the DS then
you don't need to setup the Firewall. This is because the Firewall doesn't block any
connections that originate from within the PC.

AN007. Installing and Configuring LinkServer

This application note discusses the actual processes involved in installing and
using LinkServer. If you work along with it, it will walk you through, step by step,
in doing the following procedures:
Preparing your Network (Router Configuration)
Downloading and Installing Software and Firmware
Creating Trial AuthKey
Initial LinkServer Configuration
Creating a User Account
Adding DS as User
Configuring Device Server
Configuring Virtual Serial Port
Testing with HyperTerminal
Each of these sub-topics can also stand on its own -- you can click on a sub-topic
to see the step-by-step explanation on how perform that specific procedure.
The application note does not replace the LinkServer Software manual, but adds to
it, and discusses the practical aspects of deploying LinkServer.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

419

Preparing your Network (Router Configuration)

Quite possibly, you are going to use Tibbo LinkServer to communicate with Device
Servers which are outside the subnet in which the server (host) running
LinkServerresides. For instance, you might have an office LAN in which you're
going to install LinkServer. However, you have dozens of Device Servers in the
field you'd like to communicate with.
Your office LAN is connected to the outside world through a router. Only this router
has a real IP address -- the rest of the LAN has internal, non-routable, IP
addresses (such as the familiar 192.168.1.x). So, to get to the LinkServer which is
inside your LAN, the Device Servers in the field would have to go through the
router leading to (and from) your LAN. For this, you would need to use port
forwarding on the router.
Port forwarding is a mechanism by which a router receives packets on a certain
port, and forwards (passes) them to a specific IP address and port within its local
network. For instance, a router can be configured that whenever it gets a packet to
TCP port 585 (for instance), it should forward this packet to 192.168.1.100, to
port 6500. Port forwarding can also apply to whole ranges of ports -- you can have
your router forward everything that comes to ports 50000-60000 to ports
50000-60000 of a specific host within your network.
Of course, the packets do not merely arrive at the destination host within your
network -- this host can also reply, and the router takes care of sending the reply
back to the originating network host (or DS, in our case).
Exactly how to configure your router for port forwarding is something specific to
the router -- you would have to consult the user's manual for your router. But the
diagram below shows an example for such a configuration scenario. Here, we have
DS202 devices spread throughout the Internet. We also have a remote host
somewhere on the Internet. They all connect to the router's external IP, which is
real (in this case, 212.68.157.129), and the router handles things from there on.

The Device Servers connect to port 6450, which is the default LinkServer login port
for Device Servers. The remote host connects to port 50002, which is one of the
ports assigned to Device Servers within the LinkServer, so it actually reaches a
Device Server through this connection (via the LinkServer).
Notice that no port forwarding has to be set up for the AuthKey --the AuthKey
communicates directly with the host running the LinkServer, and does not need
direct communication with the outside world.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

420

Tibbo Document System

Downloading and Installing Software and Firmware

Naturally, before you can start working with the system, you need to obtain it and
install its components:
Downloading the Needed Software and Firmware
Go to http://www.tibbo.com/betazone.php.
Navigate to the heading Download LinkServer software
You will see two versions for your platform (Linux or Windows): One with
"bundled JVM" and one without. JVM stands for Java Virtual Machine. If you're
not sure whether you have JVM installed already, download the "bundled JVM"
version.
Next, you have to download the new firmware for all of your Device Servers. It is
listed lower down the page. Make sure you download the appropriate firmware
for your Device Server, according to the description.
Now download the firmware for the AuthKey. It comes as an EXE file, titled
something like AK_xxxD.exe (where xxx is the current version).
Now download the latest Device Server Toolkit. You must use this version to test
the LinkServer.
Installing the Software and Firmware
Install the most recent Device Server Toolkit by clicking on the file you've
downloaded and working through the wizard.
Install the LinkServer in the same way (by clicking on the file and working
through the wizard).
Configure any firewalls you may have so they would allow access to TCP port
6450 and to TCP ports 50000 to 60000 (access should be allowed from the
subnet in which the Device Servers are connected, and from the subnet in which
the client hosts are connected).
Note down the IP address of the server, and keep it from changing (buy a "real"
static IP for the server, if needed). You will use this information for Configuring a
Device Server.
Next, upgrade the Device Servers you would like to work with using the firmware
you've downloaded, according to these instructions.
That's it! Now proceed to the next step (Creating Trial AuthKey).

Creating Trial AuthKey

To start using the LinkServer, you first need to create a trial AuthKey. This is done
using a DS202.
After upgrading, don't forget to perform Quick Initialization -press the setup button, release it, and then press it again for 4
seconds.
Perform the following:
Connect the DS202 you want to convert to a Trial AuthKey to the computer,
using a cross serial cable. Don't connect the power cable yet.
Double-click the EXE file containing the

AuthKeyfirmware -- you should have

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

421

downloaded this, as described under Downloading and Installing Software and

Firmware.

Extract the file -- it contains a BIN file (firmware) and a README. Note the
location of the BIN file.
Run DS Manager.
Under Access Mode, select Device Servers attached to the COM port.

Click Upgrade.
Select the BIN file.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

422

Tibbo Document System

Now press the SETUP button on the DS202. After pressing the button, connect
the power cable.
The firmware will start transferring over to the DS202, and you will see a
progress bar.

Once you get a message that the process is done, disconnect the DS202 from
the power.
Power the DS202 again. Wait for a few seconds. Now you have to initialize it by

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

423

Quick Initialization -- press the setup button, release it, and then press it again
for 4 seconds.
That's it! Don't forget to set an IP address for the AuthKey, and you're ready to
move on.

Initial LinkServer Configuration

To begin configuring LinkServer, you must run it first. This is described under
Startup and Shutdown in the LinkServer manual.
Once LinkServer is running, you should see the System Tray Icon.
Now, open the Web Admin interface as the default administrator, as described
under Accessing Administrator Account. After logging in, you should see the
following screen:

The first thing you should do is configure the AuthKey. Without a properly
configured AuthKey, your Device Servers will not be able to connect to the server.
Perform the following:
In the top bar, click Administration.
Under Administration, click Global configuration.
Go to the bottom of the screen, and find the section titled AuthKey settings:

Under IP address enter the address you've assigned to the AuthKey in th

previous step (Creating Trial AuthKey).
Under Port number enter the port which is listening on the AuthKey. The default

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

424

Tibbo Document System

value is 65535 -- make sure it corresponds with the port number in the AuthKey
settings.
Click Save configuration and restart server. After restarting, your server could
connect to the AuthKey and use it to authenticate incoming connections. Further
details can be found under AuthKey, in the LinkServer manual.

Creating a User Account

The next step is creating a user account (which is not an administrator account).
You can read more about Account Types in the LinkServer manual. Perform the
following, while logged on as administrator:
Go to Administration > User management.
At the bottom line of the top bar, click Create new user account.
Enter a username and a password (repeat the password for verification). Click
Save.
Now log off the administrator account, and log on as the user you've just
created. Do so by clicking Logout on the top bar.

Adding a DS as User
Before a Device Server can communicate with the LinkServer, it must be registered
with the LinkServer. There are two ways to register a DS: Automatically and
manually. For our purposes, we will use the manual method:
Before you begin, make sure you're logged on as the user you've created in the
previous step. In our examples, this user will be called johndoe.
Once logged on as johndoe, click Device Servers in the top bar.
Next, click "Add Device Server" (Also on the top bar, one line below the main
commands).
The Device Server Info screen will appear:

Select a name for the Device Server which you will be able to easily recognize in
the list. Note down this name for later.
Select a password you will remember (for our example, this is Vlf6Lr!). It has to
be at least 4 characters long. Remember this password, as you will need it in the
next step (Configuring a Device Server).
Leave the other entries at their default values.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

425

Click Save.
You will now find yourself back at the Device Servers page, and your device will
show up on the list. Note down the number under the port column. You will
need it for later (for Configuring a Virtual Serial Port).

Configuring a Device Server

In this step you will configure a Device Server to connect to the LinkServer.
Perform the following:
Connect a Device Server to the network and power it.
Run DS Manager (Start > Programs > Tibbo > DS Manager).
You should see the Device Server in the list. If you can't see it, use the Address
Book Access Mode.
Select the Device Server and click Settings. This is the first tab you will see:

Set Owner name to the same name as your account in the previous step (Adding
a DS as User). In our example, this is johndoe.
Set Device name to the same name as your Device Server in the previous step.
In our example, this is dev1.
Don't forget to make sure your Device Server has a valid IP -- by enabling DHCP,
or setting a valid IP address manually.
Set Gateway IP-address to the correct gateway for your subnet, so the Device
Server could get reach the LinkServer (assuming the LinkServer is not on the
local subnet).
Click the Password button and set a password for the DS. This has to be the
same password you configured for it in the previous step. In our example, this is
Vlf6Lr!.
Now, click the Connection tab:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

426

Tibbo Document System

Set Transport Protocol to TCP.

Set Link Service login to Enabled.
Set Routing Mode to Client only.
Set Connection mode to Immediately (on powerup).
Set Destination IP-address to the IP address of the server (which you've noted
down in step 1, Downloading and Installing Software and Firmware).
Set Destination Port to 6450.
Now, click the Serial Port tab:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

427

Set the serial settings according to your device (RTS/CTS flow control, DTR
mode, Baud rate, Parity, Data bits)
Set On-the-Fly commands to Disabled.
Click OK to apply the settings and close the dialog.
DS Manager will reset the Device Server.
Assuming you did everything correctly up to here (including all previous steps),
the DS should now blink the green LED a few times and then light it steadily.
This means that a connection has been established. If you get another LED
pattern, find out what it is under Status LED Signals and try to troubleshoot it
from there.
If you now log-on to your account in the LinkServer, you will see the Device
Server as Online under Device Servers.

Configuring a Virtual Serial Port

The next step, which is actually the very last configuration step, is configuring the
Virtual Serial Port. This is done as follows:
Run VSP Manager (Start > Programs > Tibbo > VSP Manager).
Click Add.
If you get a Windows XP warning messagebox, click Continue Anyway.
Set Transport protocol to TCP.
Set On-the-fly commands to Disabled.
Set Routing mode to Client.
Set Port to the port which was assigned to your Device Server in the LinkServer.
If you're not sure what this is, check it under the Device Servers page. This must
be correct for the process to work.
Set IP-address to the address of the host running LinkServer. Make sure the
computer running the Virtual Serial Port can reach this host.
The screenshot below shows the correct settings:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

428

Tibbo Document System

Testing with HyperTerminal

You will now test the connection you've created, using HyperTerminal. Perform the
following steps:
Connect the DS you have configured previously (under Configuring a Device
Server) to the network and power. Make sure the green LED lights steady -- to
show you have a connection.
Take this DS, and create a connection between serial pin #2 and serial pin #3 on
its connector. This is just a temporary connection. Pin #3 is the output pin and
pin #2 is the input pin -- so whatever gets out, immediately goes back in again.
This is called a loopback and we will use it for the test. After the test the
connection won't be necessary anymore, so don't solder the connector itself or
anything of the sort. The connection should be like this:

On the PC where you have configured the Virtual Serial Port, run HyperTerminal.
Do this by clicking Start > Programs > Accessories > Communication >
HyperTerminal.
Choose a name for the connection.
in the next screen, under "connect using", select the Virtual Serial Port you have
created (such as COM6).
On the next screen select any serial settings you would like, but make sure Flow
Control is set to None.
Click OK. You should now get a white screen where you can type:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

429

Type any text on the keyboard. You should see it on-screen now. If you see what
you type, it means that the following sequence happens:
The HyperTerminal session sends the data to the Virtual Serial Port.
The Virtual Serial Port sends the data to the LinkServer.
The LinkServer sends the data to the Device Server.
The DS gets the data and immediately sends it back (using the loopback
we created in the beginning of this step).
The LinkServer gets the data from the DS and sends it back to the host
running HyperTerminal.
The Virtual Serial Port gets the data back, and passes it to HyperTerminal.
You see the data you type on-screen.

The simplest way to make sure that this is really what happens, is to remove the
loopback from the DS. You will continue sending data but you will not get anything
back -- this means it worked!

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

430

Tibbo Document System

AN008. Using HyperTerminal

HyperTerminal is a communications program, which comes installed by default on
almost every type of Windows Operating System, from Windows 95 and up to
Windows 2003 Server (and probably for future version as well). The main screen
for the program looks like this:

Basically, HyperTerminal lets you type characters (or send files in specific
protocols) from your computer, which is acting as a TERMINAL (computer
originating or receiving communications), to another computer or device (such as a
DS100) which is connected to it.
Communication Methods
The 'classic' use of a terminal program is for serial communications. And indeed,
the 'natural' use of HyperTerminal is for serial communications, and it is best
suited for this purpose. However, with time, HyperTerminal was greatly extended,
and today allows also for TCP/IP communication (telnet) in addition to serial and
modem communication.
Think of the TCP/IP mode as 'extended functionality'. Any instructions in this
Application Note which relate to this mode of communication, can also be
performed using any regular telnet program. They do not utilize any 'special'
capabilities of HyperTerminal -- it just serves as a generic telnet program.
The following diagram illustrates the typical two uses of HyperTerminal in relation
to Device Servers. We have a workstation, running HyperTerminal. HyperTerminal
is used to communicate with a nearby DS202 over a serial cable, and it can also be
used to communicate, through a firewall, with a remote DS100 which is connected
to the Internet and has a serial Barcode reader attached to it (the user can even
access the output of the Barcode reader using HyperTerminal with this
configuration).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

431

One very important thing to note about HyperTerminal is that you do not
see what you type on the screen. What you type is sent to the other end
of the line, and the screen is used to show incoming data from the other
end of the line -- i.e, you only see the replies you get (if you're getting
any replies).
However, this default behaviour can be changed. The procedure for
changing it is described under Setting Optional Parameters.

What is it Good For?

As you probably already know, almost every serial device comes with its own
proprietary communication software, optimized to its needs. The same is true also
for the Device Server -- it comes with the Device Server Toolkit, ordinarily used to
communicate with it. This, then, begs the question: What do we need
HyperTerminal for?
Well, the answer is quite simple: Testing. HyperTerminal's strength lies in its
simple interface. You just type your commands in, and watch the raw output on
the screen. There aren't any buttons to click, or actions which are done without the
user knowing it. This is very close to 'raw' communication -- just your input and
the device's output, with no software to interpret it in the middle.
This lets you answer very quickly questions such as "what happens when I send..."
-- and this, in turn, helps in the development of applications which will
communicate with the Device Server directly. Before writing a whole routine in
Visual Basic or another language just to send a specific command to the device,
you can first send the command yourself, manually, and see what happens in
real-time. Then you'll be able to write your code in full confidence that you're doing
the correct thing.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

432

Tibbo Document System

Another common use for HyperTerminal is troubleshooting. HyperTerminal
accesses the serial port in a very standard way. This means that it can be used
when the proprietary application software for the serial device cannot open the
Virtual Serial Port, or when communication fails in some other way. You can just
run HyperTerminal and play with it, to see if the COM port is indeed opened, if
communication reaches the other side of the line, if you get a reply, etc.
Such testing would help you decide if the problems you're having are related to
software, hardware, network connectivity, etc.

Running HyperTerminal
There are two common ways to launch HyperTerminal:
Using the Run Dialog:
Click Start.
Select Run.
Type Hypertrm.exe
Press Enter.
Using the Start Menu:
Click Start.
Go to Programs > Accessories > Communications > HyperTerminal
In Windows 2000/XP: HyperTerminal would run.
In Windows 9x (95, 98, etc): A program group called HyperTerminal would open.
Click HyperTrm to run HyperTerminal.

Setting5.8.2.1
Correct Parameters on Startup
If this is the first time you're running HyperTerminal, Windows will ask several
questions regarding your location. Your answers are later used for modem
connections -- these settings aren't necessary for direct serial or TCP/IP
communication (the types of communication used for the Device Server).
After answering the questions regarding location (or if the location is already
configured), you might get the following dialog:

As covered above, HyperTerminal can be used for telnet communications, and can
also be the system default for telnet communication (i.e, the program which the
system runs by default whenever telnet is needed). This setting, too, isn't vital to
our purposes. Select whichever setting seems appropriate to you.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

433

The next dialog is often the first dialog, in systems which are already configured. It
is titled Connection Description, and looks like this:

Here you can select a descriptive name for your connection (such as "To DS100"),
and also an icon for the connection. Select these settings and click OK.
The next dialog, Connect To, is used to configure the communication method and
destination for this connection:

By default, HyperTerminal tries to configure a connection using a modem (if one is

installed). However, we don't need a modem for our configuration. As covered
above, we usually need one of two connection types: TCP/IP connection, or a direct
serial connection.
Naturally, you would need a device server for this, and you have to
connect it to a power source (Power supply) which is appropriate for it.
You may skip to the section dealing with the connection type you'd like to
establish:
Establishing a TCP/IP Connection with a Device Server
Establishing a Serial Connection with a Device Server

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

434

Tibbo Document System

Establishing
5.8.2.2a Serial Connection with a Device Server
This section covers connecting the Device Server serially to the computer, using a
cable, and configuring HyperTerminal to connect to it.
Selecting The Correct Cable
The cable used for direct serial communication with the Device Server should be a
cross cable. This means pin #2 goes to pin #3 on the other end. And #3 goes to
#2, and #7 goes to #8, and #8 goes to #7:

Like so. Both of the connectors for this cable should be "female". Tibbo makes
exactly such a cable, called WAS-P0005(B) DS-to-PC Serial Cable.
Configuring HyperTerminal
After connecting the proper cable to the Device Server and to your computer, it's
time to continue configuring HyperTerminal. We continue from where we left off
on Setting Correct Parameters on Startup. In the next window, open the Connect
using drop-down, and select COM1 (assuming you connected the DS to COM1):

The next screen deals with serial settings. Here you have to select the correct
serial parameters.
What are the correct serial parameters?
When talking about correct serial parameters, it is important to understand two
things:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

435

1) If you would like to program the DS serially, the correct settings are 38400,
8, N, 1 (like in the screenshot below). These are the correct settings for the Serial
Programming method.

2) If you would like to simply communicate using the DS, the correct settings
are those which were configured using the DS Manager or Connection Wizard for
this DS. They can be 38400, 8, N, 1 but they can also be different.
After setting the correct parameters, click OK. That's it! You've now established a
serial connection with the DS100. Continue on to Sending Commands To the
Device Server or Using HyperTerminal to Test a Connection.

Establishing
5.8.2.3a Connection Through a Virtual Serial Port
In this section, you will see how to create a Virtual Serial Port using the Connection
Wizard, associate it with a DS, and then connect to it using HyperTerminal.
Click Start > Programs > Tibbo > Connection Wizard:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

436

Tibbo Document System

Click Next.

Select Create a link between a Virtual Serial Port and a Device Server. Click Next.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

Select Create new VSP and select the Port name. Remember what port you
created, you will need it for later. Click next.

Click Select from the list.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

437

438

Tibbo Document System

Select the DS you would like to work with. If its IP address is invalid (it says so
on the status bar), click Change IP.

Having made sure the IP of the device is correct, select the DS in the list, click
Select to go back to the Wizard, and click Next.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

439

Select Virtual Serial Port. Click Next.

Select TCP/IP transport protocol. Don't change the port, but remember it's 1001.
You'll need this for later.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

440

Tibbo Document System

Select Yes, enable on-the-fly commands, use out-of-band access method.

This is just a summary screen. Click Finish.

Configuring HyperTerminal
Now that you have a Virtual Serial Port, it's time to continue configuring
HyperTerminal. We continue from where we left off on Setting Correct Parameters
on Startup. In the next window, open the Connect using drop-down, and select
COM5 (assuming created a VSP under COM5):

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

441

The next screen deals with serial settings. Here you have to select the correct
serial parameters. In this case it's not so important what you choose, but keep in
mind the following:
If you're going to connect a serial device for testing with HyperTerminal, of
course the settings you choose here much be compatible with this device.
If you are going to perform a loopback test, set Flow control to None:

After setting the desired parameters, click OK. That's it! You've now established a
connection with the DS100 via the Virtual Serial Port. Continue on to Using
HyperTerminal to Test a Connection.

Establishing
5.8.2.4a TCP/IP Connection with a Device Server
Setting up the Device Server for TCP/IP Communication
The simplest and most reliable way to set the DS up for TCP/IP communication is
using the Connection Wizard.
Click Start > Programs > Tibbo > Connection Wizard:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

442

Tibbo Document System

Click Next.

Select Configure a Device Server for direct communications with an application

on this PC. Click Next.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

443

Click Select from the list.

Select the DS you would like to work with. If its IP address is invalid (it says so
on the status bar), click Change IP.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

444

Tibbo Document System

Having made sure the IP of the device is correct, select the DS in the list, click
Select to go back to the Wizard, and click Next.

Select Your application. Click Next.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

445

Select TCP/IP transport protocol. Don't change the port, but remember it's 1001.
You'll need this for later.

Set whatever serial parameters you need. Just remember what you set here, as
you might need it for later (or for Establishing a Serial Connection with a Device
Server). If you are going to perform a loopback test, set RTS/CTS flow control to
Disabled or remote.

This is just a summary screen. Click Finish.

Now we know the IP address and port for this device server, and have set it so it
would listen for incoming TCP connections. On to the next phase:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

446

Tibbo Document System

Setting up HyperTerminal for TCP/IP Communications
We resume from where we left off on Setting Correct Parameters on Startup. To
establish a TCP/IP connection with the Device Server, open the drop-down titled
Connect using, and select TCP/IP (Winsock):

Next, enter the IP address and the port number we got earlier from the DS
Manager:

Now click OK.

The following screen should appear:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

447

Congratulations! You're connected. Continue to Sending Commands To the Device

Server or Using HyperTerminal to Test a Connection.

Setting5.8.2.5
Optional Parameters
Having established the connection, you may now configure HyperTerminal so that
it would display the characters you are typing, and also add automatic line feed
characters (i.e, move one line down) whenever necessary, to make the
communication easier to read.
This is also useful for making sure you're sending the correct commands.
Otherwise, when the DS returns an error code, you may be left wondering what
went wrong. Enabling a local echo of sent commands will show you exactly what
the DS received just before it returned an error code.
To enable local echo, perform the following steps:
After establishing a connection (as described in the previous sections), go to File
> Properties:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

448

Tibbo Document System

Switch to the Settings tab, and press the ASCII Setup button:

In the ASCII Setup dialog, mark the options Send line ends with line feeds, Echo
typed characters locally and Append line feeds to incoming line ends:

Press OK to confirm all of the different dialogs, until you reach the main screen
again.
You can also save your current configuration, so that next time you wouldn't
have to set it up again. Do this by clicking File > Save. Next time, run
HyperTerminal using the file created by the saving process (it is named after
your current session name -- TestConnection in our example).

Using HyperTerminal to Test a Connection

One of the common uses for HyperTerminal is just to see if a connection is alive.
To test your equipment, or to test specific settings. Following are two procedures:
Using HyperTerminal with Two HyperTerminal Windows, one DS (connecting both

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

449

the serial cable and the network cable to the computer).

Using HyperTerminal with a loopback connection, as described under Creating a
Loopback for Testing.

Two HyperTerminal
Windows, one DS
5.8.3.1
Here, we will connect one DS to a computer, using two separate cables; Thus, both
ports of the DS (LAN and serial) will be connected to their respective ports on the
computer. Follow these steps:
Take a Device Server. If it's a model capable of several serial protocols (such as
the DS100-B, who is also RS422/RS485 capable), make sure it's set to RS232.
Power it on.
Take a serial cable and follow the steps described in Establishing a Serial
Connection with a Device Server. Return to this section once done.
Now, connect the same Device Server to the same computer using a cross LAN
cable, or to the network segment the computer currently belongs to (using a
straight cable to a hub, etc).
Follow the steps described in Establishing a TCP/IP Connection with a Device
Server or in Establishing a Connection Through a Virtual Serial Port. Return to
this section once done.
That's it! Now, whatever you type in the window connected to the serial end, will
show up in the window connected to the network end. And vice versa. If you can
see this, you've performed all of the above correctly!

Creating
a Loopback for Testing
5.8.3.2
A loopback connection is one where the signal being sent also comes back to the
sender -- similar to an echo. This allows you to test a line (including the devices on
it) to verify its correct operation.
Creating a loopback with a Device Server is rather simple. You just have to make
sure you're working on RS232 (if your Device Server is also capable of other serial
protocols) and connect serial pin #3 (TX, output) to serial pin #2 (RX, input), like
so:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

450

Tibbo Document System

For this setup to work:
Connect the DS to the network, and using DS Manager, set RTS/CTS Flow
Control to Disabled or remote.
Follow the steps laid out on Establishing a TCP/IP Connection with a Device
Server and create a connection with your DS from HyperTerminal.
Now, anything you will send will get back to you. Just type, and see what you type
on the screen. To confirm that this is indeed a loopback, just disconnect pin #2
from pin #3 on the DS, and you'll no longer see what you type.

Sending Commands Using HyperTerminal or Telnet

There are many methods of sending commands and getting information from the
Device Server. In the following sections we will try those which can be performed
with HyperTerminal (i.e, all except for UDP programming and in-band TCP
programming). They are all documented here. The following text simply shows you
how to really use them in a testing environment using HyperTerminal, so you could
play around with them.
We assume that by now, you've established a network or serial connection with
your Device Server using HyperTerminal. This is our starting point for each of the
examples.
Each of the following sections discusses entering programming mode in a different
manner. At the end of each section, once you've put the DS in programming mode,
you will be directed to the programming exercise itself.
In the exercise, you will login, find out the IP of the Device Server, change its flow
control mode, and log out. The purpose of this Application Note is just to show how
to send the commands -- once you understand this, you could send any of the
available commands which are all documented here.
Using telnet: For the Telnet Programming and Command-Phase TCP
methods, any telnet client can be used. This does not necessarily have to
be HyperTerminal.

Sending
a Command (Command Format)
5.8.4.1
Now is the time to really get down to business. How do you actually send a
command? Well, there are two major things you have to know:
Basic Command Format
The basic format for a command is:
STX

Command/reply

CR

<STX> means "Start of Text". This character sometimes looks like a small
smiley. To create it, press CTRL+B
on your keyboard.
<CR> means "Carriage Return" -- or, simply put, this is what the Enter key on
your keyboard usually does. The create it, just hit Enter after typing the
command.
Logging In
Sometimes you have to be logged in to the Device Server in order to send the

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

451

command. This is done by first making sure the Device Server is listening (i.e, is in
a programming mode, like the ones described below) and then sending the Login
(L) command command as the first one.
To know when exactly you have to be logged on (for what commands), see the L
column of this table.
Logging Out
Programming methods which require you to log in will also require you to log out.
This is done using the Logout (O) command as the last command in your
programming session.

Serial Programming
5.8.4.2
There are two major method to get to serial programming mode. The main
difference is that in one of them you need to press the RESET button (that's the
whole method, basically) and in the other one, you need to send a string of
characters.
The first method is used for troubleshooting and testing (similar to what we are
doing here), and the second method is used by 'smart' RS232 devices, to control
the Device Server. Both methods are documented in detail here.
This is the procedure for using the "regular" method of pressing the button:
Perform the instructions under Establishing a Serial Connection with a Device
Server. Select 38400, 8 bit, no parity.
Press the SETUP button.
The LEDs should start alternately blinking (green and red).
Go to the Programming Exercise and start programming the device.
To know all there is to know about serial programming, please read Serial
Programming in the full manual.

Serial Parameters
(Modem Commands)
5.8.4.3
Modem commands are used to control the DS from the serial side. If your serial
device is 'smart', it could change the destination address or port, or establish a
connection, etc, from the serial side.
To Test Modem Commands Using HyperTerminal
Run DS Manager and open the settings dialog for the DS to which you wish to
connect, and switch to the 'Serial Port' tab:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

452

Tibbo Document System

Take note of the following settings:

RTS/CTS flow control: Set it to Disabled or Remote. (A complete explanation
can be found here.)
Baud rate, Parity, Data bits: Can be anything, but note down what they are.
Soft entry into Serial programming: That's the whole point of this section.
Should not be 0 (Disabled). Can be set to Option 1 or Option 2 -- we later have
a seperate step for each of these options.
Escape character (ASCII code): Should be set to '1'.
Click OK to close the DS settings dialog.
Perform the instructions under Establishing a Serial Connection with a Device
Server. Select the serial settings you've previously set for the DS.
Perform the instructions under Setting Optional Parameters so you could see
what you type (important in this case).
If you selected Option 1 for Soft entry into serial programming: Hit Ctrl-A 3
times in a row, with spaces larger than 100ms (i.e, not very very fast).
If you selected Option 2 for Soft entry into serial programming: Hit Ctrl-A just
once and then type a random character (e.g, hit the r key).
The LEDs should start alternately blinking (green and red). The DS is now in
programming mode!
You can now do one of two things:
Program the DS Using Regular Commands
For this, switch to the Programming Exercise and perform the steps described.
Here is the complete programming session of the exercise, performed using Soft
Entry mode 2:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

453

Program the DS Using Modem Commands

Modem commands are different than the commands in the example session in
several respects:
They override the default values for the settings.
They can be sent only from the serial side.
They allow you to perform important changes without rebooting the device -thus, they are fast.
They are temporary. On the next reboot, the previous settings are restored.
Read more about Modem Commands under Serial Programming and Modem
(Serial-Side) Parameters & Instructions.
Below is a complete programming session using modem commands, performed
using Soft Entry mode 1:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

454

Tibbo Document System

In short, what this session does:

Changes the Routing Mode (RM) parameter to 2 (Client).
Changes the Destination IP-address (DI) parameter to 192.168.2.109
Changes the Destination Port Number (DP) parameter to 1001.
Establishes a connection using the Establish Connection (CE) instruction.
Logs out of the session (not rebooting the DS) using the Logout (O) command.
To try the programming session yourself, remember that the white smileys
represent ASCII 001 chars and are produced using Ctrl+A, and the black smileys
represent ASCII 002 (STX) chars and are produced using Ctrl+B.

Telnet Programming
5.8.4.4
This method of programming is enabled only for firmware version 3.51 and up,
which runs on Tibbo second-generation devices, such as EM120, EM200, EM202,
and DS202.
To enter telnet programming, establish a connection using HyperTerminal to the IP
address of the device, but to port 23. Once the connection is established, you are
in Telnet Programming mode. Perform the following steps:
Send the first command, to login. As with all commands, you will not see what
you send, but only what you receive:
Hit Ctrl+B.
Type L (capital L -- type l while pressing SHIFT
)
Hit Enter.
You should get an STX (Smiley) and A. This means you are now logged on. It

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes
looks like this:

455

Go to the Programming Exercise and start programming the device.

To know all there is to know about Telnet programming, please read Telnet
TCP Programming [V3.50 and Above] in the full manual.

Command-Phase
5.8.4.5 TCP
This is considered to be an advanced method, and is slightly more complex
than the others. Usually there is no need for command-phase TCP
programming. This example merely illustrates the capabilities of this mode
-- do not feel compelled to try it, if you have no use for this feature in your
actual environment.
In command-phase programming, every network communication session starts
with a programming session. So, to actually get to your device and start
communicating with it, you would have to send the Logout (O) command first.
And to be able to send this command (and log out), you would first have to be
logged in. This is accomplished using the Login (L) command.
Now, to actually test this method of programming, do the following:
Run DS Manager.
Open the settings for the DS you want to configure.
Make sure its IP address is valid for your network, and note it down for later.
Switch to the Connection tab.
Make sure Transport protocol is TCP and that Routing Mode is Server (Slave).
Set Data login to Enabled. Both of these settings can be seen below:

Now, follow the instructions under Establishing a TCP/IP Connection with a

Device Server and return here once you're done.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

456

Tibbo Document System

Send the first command, to login. As with all commands, you will not see what
you send, but only what you receive:
Hit Ctrl+B.
Type L (capital L -- type l while pressing SHIFT
)
Hit Enter.
You should get an STX (Smiley) and A. This means you are now logged on. It
looks like this:

Go to the Programming Exercise and start programming the device.

To know all there is to know about Command-Phase programming, please
read Command-Phase (TCP) Programming in the full manual.

Programming
5.8.4.6 Exercise
If at any time during this procedure you get a D reply (looks like
need to login again. Just send the Login (L) command again, as
described here.

) you

We are assuming you are already connected to the device server (and also logged
on, if your connection method requires logging on). If this isn't so, please read the
previous sections and create a working connection first.
Getting the IP Address
Send the second command, to get the current IP address of the Device Server:
Hit Ctrl+B.
Type GIP(In caps. This is the Get (G) command with the IP-address (IP)
setting as an argument).
Hit Enter.
You should get an STX character, A, and the current IP address, like this:

Getting the Current Flow Control Status

Now we will get the flow control status of the Device Server.
Hit Ctrl+B.
Type GFC
(Get (G) command with the Flow Control (FC) setting as an
argument).
Hit Enter.
You should get an STX char, an A(ack) and 1 (i.e, flow control is Enabled) or 0
(flow control is Disabled). Looks like this:
In this case, this means flow control is Enabled.
Changing the Flow Control Status
Now we will change it to disable flow control.
Hit Ctrl+B.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

457

Type SFC0
(Set (S) command with the Flow Control (FC) setting as an
argument, 0 = disabled).
Hit Enter.
You should get an STX character and A.
Now let's check again the Flow Control (FC) setting to see if it is indeed
disabled:
Hit Ctrl+B.
Type GFC
.
Hit Enter.
You should get an STX char, an A(ack) and 0 (i.e, flow control is disabled).
Logging Out
The last thing we will do is log out of the programming session:
Hit Ctrl+B.
Type O(Logout (O) command).
Hit Enter.
You will not see anything sent back to you, because the session has just
ended.
That's it. You've now successfully performed a demo programming session. Well
done!

AN009. WAN Basics

This is a general overview of basic concepts in Wide Area Networks and Local Area
Networks. If things like subnets, gateways and IP addresses confuse you -- you
certainly should be reading this.
What Is This Good For?
Basically, if you want to reach your DS across the Internet and you're not so sure
how this should be done, this application note should answer your questions.
Amongst the subject we'll take up:
What Is a WAN.
What Is a LAN.
What are Subnets, and how many hosts can one subnet contain.
Internal and External Addresses.
Dynamic and Static Addresses.
What Is a Gateway.
Network Address Translation.
How NAT Applies To Device Servers.
Port Forwarding and how to connect to a DS which is inside of a LAN, from the
outside.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

458

Tibbo Document System

What Is a WAN
A WAN is, quite simply, a network which covers a large geographical area. It
connects several physically remote locations one to the other.
The simplest way to think of a WAN is by thinking of a wide area network we
already know: The public telephone system. When you think about it, the
telephone system we all know and use in our day-to-day life is simply one huge
network, connecting remote geographical locations. I.e, it is a Wide Area Network!
Since this analogy is so simple yet relatively accurate, we will use the phone
system as an analogy throughout this text. Let us first begin with two diagrams,
showing the telephone network next to a computer WAN (notice the similarities).
The Phone System:

The term PBX stands for Private Branch eXchange. It is the internal phone
system of a business. In our diagrams, we refer to the "brain" of the system
(the main box from which all lines come out) as the PBX, but in fact, the
whole system (including the extensions) can also be called a PBX.
A Wide Area Network:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

459

There is actually another common type of WAN that we all know to some
degree -- the Internet. However, the inner workings of the Internet may be
unfamiliar to readers who are not already proficient in networking, and so,
we will not use the Internet to explain WAN concepts here.
However, rest assured that once you are done reading this text, you will
have a much better grasp of the inner workings of the Internet, as well.

What Is a LAN
A LAN is a Local Area Network. This is a network which exists in one specific
location, and is relatively small. You can think of a LAN like you think of the
internal phone system of an office. Every employee has an extension, but it is only
an internal extension -- it is not a "real" phone line which is connected only to his
own phone. To call from one extension within the office to another extension, you
only have to dial two or three digits -- it is an "internal" call. It does not go
through the public telephone system, and it will actually work even if the office
has no external phone lines at all.
This is exactly the same also for a LAN. To get from one computer on a LAN to
another computer on the same LAN, you do not have to go through any other
network. It is a private network.
Below, you can see what is a LAN, in relation to a WAN (as previously explained):

There are certain types of communication which are unique to a LAN. One such
type is called 'broadcast' communication. This is where one node (station, host,
computer) on the LAN 'shouts out' so that all other nodes hear the message. This is
similar to pressing the 'announcement' button on an office telephone, and using all
the phones connected to the system to broadcast a message to all employees
(through the speaker of the phone).
Naturally, such a feature would not be practical with the national telephone
system. The system would simply collapse. The same is true for broadcast requests
in a computer network -- they work only on a LAN, and will not go out to the whole
WAN.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

460

Tibbo Document System

Subnets
In the phone system, we have one large network, spanning a whole country. We
could also say that this network is subdivided into smaller, sub-networks -- one for
each city, approximately.
So, when we have several phone numbers, how can we tell if they are from the
same geographical area, or sub-network? We get this information from the area
code. When we have two numbers, such as (323) 337-5578 and (323) 823-8461,
we can immediately tell they're both from the same town, or from the same part of
the country.
The same goes for IP addresses, but with a slight twist.
Every IP address is composed of two parts -- The network identifier and the host
identifier. The network identifier is the left side of the address. For instance, in the
address 192.168.0.1, the first three octets (parts) are the network identifier. So,
the addresses for all hosts (computers) on the same network will start with
192.168.0.x.
This can be referred to as a subnet. A subnet is a portion of a network which
shares a common network identifier. So, all computers which are (A) on the same
network (physically interconnected) and (B) whose addresses start with the same
host identifier, belong to the same subnet. Just like (323) 337-5578 and (323)
823-8461 belong to the same area code, so do 192.168.0.1 and 192.168.0.72
belong to the same subnet.
How Many Hosts Can a Subnet Contain?
With a local telephone number, we can quite easily tell the theoretical limit. If we
have 7 unique digits per phone number (excluding the area code, which is shared
by all numbers), we can theoretically have up to 9,999,999 phone numbers in the
same area code.
Of course this isn't accurate -- if we have emergency numbers such as
911, we lose significant portions of this range. You cannot have any
number which starts with the digits 911 -- so you lose 9,999 potential
numbers, which now cannot be assigned.
With IP addresses, the limitation is slightly different. Each octet in an IP address
can range from 0 to 255. This is because an octet is composed of 8 bits. In binary
notation, 8 bits can be any combination between 00000000 and 11111111. When
you convert these values to decimal notation, 00000000 remains 0 (naturally), and
11111111 equals 255. Hence, our range -- 0 to 255 per octet.
So, if we selected a network identifier composed of 3 octets -- such as 192.168.0.x
-- we have just one octet left for the host identifier. The host identifier must be
unique for each host on the network. This means we can have up to 256 hosts per
each such subnet.
What if we want to have more than 256 hosts in our subnet? In this case, we must
use a network identifier which is composed of less octets. If we use only the first
two octets as the network identifier, and use the last two octets as the host
identifier, we can have up to 65,536 hosts on the same subnet.
Subnet Masks

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

461

Subnet masks are used to denote which part of the IP address is designated as the
network identifier and which part is designated as the host identifier.
A typical subnet mask is 255.255.255.0. This means the first three octets contain
the network identifier and the last octet contains the host identifier.
For the purposes of this application note, what you need to know is that in a
subnet mask, when an octet contains the number 255, that octet is supposed to
contain a portion of the network identifier. When an octet contains a 0 in a subnet
mask, then that octet is supposed to contain a portion of the host identifier.
It may happen that an octet in a subnet mask will contain a number
which is somewhere between 0 and 255 (such as 224). This is relatively
rare, and further limits the number of available addresses in the subnet.
However, this is beyond the scope of this application note.
The following table lists the most common subnet masks, along with their names
and number of hosts available for each subnet mask.
Subnet Mask
255.0.0.0
255.255.0.0
255.255.255.0

Number of Hosts
16,777,216
65,536
256

Network Designation
Class A Network
Class B Network
Class C Network

Internal and External Addresses

So, we have internal networks (LAN) and a large "external" network which
combines them together (the WAN). And like in the phone system, every node
(host) on the network has a "number", or an address.
However, as covered here, we do not have an infinity of numbers (addresses) to
give out. Each subnet has a finite size.
If we have an office with 150 phone extensions, do we also need to lease 150
phone lines so that each extension would have a number? Of course not -- the
extensions get internal numbers, from the internal phone system. We can have
just 10 "real" phone lines for this office, and all of the internal phones would use
them. You would just hit "9" on a phone and get an outside line.
This also means that the internal extension numbers are under local control (the
local administrator assigns them), and they don't cost anything. This is because
they can be repeated over and over in different offices -- every office can have an
internal extension numbered "101". But only one office can have a "real" phone
number like (343) 553-7592.
This is exactly the same for a LAN. Inside a LAN subnet, the computers use
"internal" IP addresses. These are specific address ranges which can repeat over
and over across many different networks. For instance, all addresses which begin
with 192.168.x.x are internal addresses -- they are reserved for use inside of LANs.
If you search all across the Internet (the huge WAN we all share) for such an
address (like, a website running on 192.168.0.100), you will never find it, as this
address is not allowed for "public" use.
Reserved Address Ranges
The following table shows the address ranges specifically reserved for use on a
LAN. These are also sometimes called 'non-routable addresses', as they cannot be
used to reach other computers in other subnets (i.e, they cannot get across a
router, which is a device for connecting two subnets).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

462

Tibbo Document System

Start Address

End Address

192.168.0.0
172.166.0.0
10.0.0.0

192.168.255.255
172.31.255.255
10.255.255.255

Number of Individual
IP Addresses
65,536
1,048,576
16,777,216

External Addresses
The term external address refers to an IP address which is not restricted to the
local LAN. This is an address which can be reached from all parts of the WAN. It is
sometimes also called a "real" IP address -- as it is not an internal address, but is
leased and officially assigned to one specific host on the WAN (this assignment
may not be permanent, but more on that in the next section).
You can think of the external address like an actual phone number -- this is an
address which is used to identify a specific host in the context of the whole WAN,
and not just internally in a LAN. Just like phone numbers, these addresses are
managed and assigned by licensed companies -- you don't just "take" whichever
address you want. They are guaranteed to be unique for every host on the whole
network -- no two hosts will have the same "real" IP address at the same time,
across the whole width and breadth of the Internet (or any other WAN for that
matter).

Dynamic and Static Addresses

As noted above, there is only a finite number of available IP addresses, even on
the largest of WANs, the Internet. Simply put, there aren't enough addresses for
everyone.
Dynamic Addresses on The Internet
Let's say an Internet Service Provider has 100,000 users subscribed. Does that
mean the ISP must also lease 100,000 "real" IP addresses -- one per user
account?
Luckily, no. When you think about it -- it's highly unlikely that all 100,000 users
will be connected at any given moment. Most likely, only a certain percentage of
the users will be concurrently connected -- perhaps only 40% of all users
registered with this ISP. So, this ISP theoretically only needs 40,000 "real" IP
addresses to satisfy all the needs of its clients at any given moment -- which is
60,000 less IP addresses to lease.
So, the obvious solution for this ISP is to lease 40,000 "real" IP addresses, and to
dynamically assign those IP addresses to the hosts who wish to connect. A host
logs on, authenticates with the ISP (provides username and password), and is then
assigned an IP address for use while online.
When that host closes the connection, the address is 'reserved' for him for a certain
amount of time -- so if he re-connects within 5 minutes it is likely that he will get
the same address. However, once that set amount of time elapses, the IP address
is no longer reserved, and returns to the address pool. Some time later, a different
host connects and gets that same address.
That is how dynamic addresses are usually used in the context of the internet.
Dynamic Addresses on A LAN

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

463

The internet isn't the only place where dynamic IP addresses can be of use. Some
corporations run very large internal networks (whether LANs, in one large
installation, or WANs, connecting several remote places). When you have
thousands of hosts connected to the same network, manually assigning an IP
address for each and every one of them can be quite a hassle. It is also error prone
-- what if you happen to assign the same IP address to two hosts? Or what if you
made a typo?
Thus, dynamic IP addresses are often used also for LANs. Once you perform the
initial setup, the system 'runs itself', and every host gets a correct address
automatically.
The protocol by which a host asks to be assigned an IP address, and gets
that dynamic IP address, is called DHCP, which stands for Dynamic Host C
onfiguration Protocol.
Disadvantages of Dynamic Addresses
So far we've come to see that dynamic IP addresses seem to save quite a lot of
money and manual labor. So -- what could possibly wrong with them?
Let's say you wish to talk to a friend. You both know each other's number, so you
call each other. One day, you get a new mobile phone, and your old number is no
longer valid. Until you let your friend know your new number -- only you can call
him. He won't be able to call you, as he doesn't have your number.
Now, what happens if before you've had a chance to call your friend and let him
know you have a new number, he got a new number as well? Now, neither one of
you can call the other!
That is the main drawback of using dynamic addresses. If the computer you're
trying to reach has an IP address which sometimes changes, you can never be sure
it will be there next time you'll want to access it.
For reliable communication, each connection must have at least one end which is
fixed. The dynamic end of the connection will be able to reach the fixed end. If
both ends are fixed, they will of course be able to freely originate communications
to each other (just like when calling your friend from above).
Static Addresses
As covered above, static addresses are mostly needed for internet servers. When
you need to be able to reach a certain host on the network, that host needs a static
IP address! You need to know where it is, to reach it. Static IP addresses can be
leased from any ISP.

What Is a Gateway
What a Gateway Is and What It Does
"Internal" IP addresses in a LAN are exactly like internal phone extensions in an
office phone system. You can use them to call out, but nobody can reach you
directly from the outside. If someone calls the office and wants to talk to you, one
of two things may happen: (1) the receptionist manually transfers the call to your
extension, or (2) you have a special outside number which is mapped to your
internal extension, so whoever dials the external number is automatically
forwarded to your extension.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

464

Tibbo Document System

In a LAN, when you want to "call out" (communicate from your computer to an
external computer, like an Internet host running a website) you go through a
gateway. A gateway is a unique device on the network, because it is connected to
two networks at the same time: Both internally, to your LAN, and externally, to the
WAN. Just like the office phone system (the PBX itself) is connected both to the
internal extensions in the office, and to the "real" outside phone lines of the office.

So, as can be seen above, a gateway has two addresses -- one on each network.
And it can be very easily used for making an outbound connection. But -- what
happens when you want to make an inbound connection?

Network Address Translation

As covered above, a gateway is a device with two addresses -- one on each
network it's connected to.
So, you have just one address coming out of your LAN into the WAN. What
happens if you have 5, 10 or even 100 computer on your LAN, all trying to use the
gateway at the same time for connecting to the internet?
This is where Network Address Translation (NAT) comes into play. With NAT, all
computers in the LAN "hide" behind the gateway:
A host on the LAN makes an outbound connection to somewhere on the WAN.
The packets first arrive at the gateway (on their way out).

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

465

The gateway then modifies the packets, so as to make them appear as if:
It (the gateway) has originated them itself.
The packets come from one specific port in the gateway (and not necessarily
the port from which they originally came). This port is actually mapped to the
LAN host which originally sent the packet. The gateway now knows that
packets arriving to port 30189 (for example) should be forwarded internally to
host 192.168.0.17 and to port 80 (for example).
The gateway sends the packets on their way.
The packets arrive at their remote destination host.
The remote host replies, and directs the reply to the IP address and port of the
router which previously sent the packets.
The router gets the reply (to port 30189 in our example), modifies the packet
and forwards it internally to the host which originally made the outbound
c/connection.

A colon (:) mark at the end of an IP address refers to the port for that
address. So, the designation 64.233.187.107:80 refers to port 80 of the IP
address 64.233.187.107.
Many Hosts Can Originate Outbound Connections
The biggest advantage of using NAT is in limiting the amount of "real" IP addresses
you need. You can have hundreds of computers communicate with various hosts on
the internet, using just one "real" IP address. This translates into significant

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

466

Tibbo Document System

savings in cost.
Below you can see four different workstations on the same LAN communicating at
the same time with three different web servers on the WAN through just one "real"
IP address (that of the router):

No Host Can Receive an Inbound Connection

The biggest disadvantage of using NAT is that it's impossible to originate inbound
connections. Supposing you have a host internally, within the network, and you
wish to originate a connection to this host from outside (from some host on the
WAN); The router will not know where to direct the incoming connection. No
internal host tried to originate an outbound connection to this remote host, and so
no internal host is currently mapped to that port on the router and expects a
connection from that external host. So, when the packet comes to the router, it
goes nowhere (is 'dropped'):

For more information regarding NAT, including other implementations of

NAT, please see the Wikipedia article titled "Network address translation".

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

467

How NAT
Applies To Device Servers
5.9.7.1
This topic adds no new information; It merely provides an explicit demonstration of
what happens when you put a Device Server inside of a LAN, behind a NAT
gateway.
IMPORTANT NOTE: establishing the connection isn't the same as using
the connection!
When one side establishes the connection, both sides can then use it. It
does not mean that only the side who established the connection can now
talk, and that the other side must listen.
Think of it like a phone call -- when you call your friend, both of you can
talk, even though it's you who made the call. This is important.
Establishing an Inbound Connection
An image is worth a thousand words:

As can be seen above, when you have a DS in a LAN, behind a NAT router, you
cannot simply establish a connection from outside. The port isn't mapped
anywhere, so the router drops the packet.
There are three solutions for establishing a connection with a DS which is behind a
NAT router:
Solution 1: The DS Establishes The Connection
Here, the DS initiates the connection. As covered above, there's no problem in
setting up an outbound connection from behind a NAT router. In effect, it looks like
this:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

468

Tibbo Document System

Points of attention:
The routing mode for the DS, as configured in Routing Mode (RM) setting,
must be Client Only or Client Or Server.
The destination of the DS, as configured in Destination IP-address (DI)
setting, must be actually reachable from within the NAT. Meaning, it cannot be
behind another NAT router. You need to be able to ping it. See the diagram
above -- the Remote Host can be reached directly and has a "real" IP address.
It is advisable to set the Connection Mode (CM) setting as Immediate (on
Power-up), so that the DS would establish the outgoing connection immediately
when it's turned on.
Solution 2: Use Tibbo LinkServer
The Tibbo LinkServer is a product developed to answer this exact need. What if
both the remote host and the DS (or multiple Device Servers) are behind a NAT
router, and you cannot allow inbound access for either one of them?
In this case, you use a middle man. You need a server in the middle, to which both
the remote host and the DS could reach, and 'meet' there. Such a scenario would
look like this:

This solution is discussed in detail in the LinkServer user manual, under Solution 1:
Link Service. It does require one static IP address, and the purchasing and
configuration of a separate product (The LinkServer).
Solution 3: Configure The Router for Inbound Access
It is possible to configure a NAT router so it would allow certain inbound traffic,

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

469

and would correctly route it to a host within its LAN. This is done using Port
Forwarding.

Port Forwarding
Port Forwarding is a feature present on many modern routers. In essence, it allows
you to map a certain outside port of the router to a specific address and port in the
LAN.
This means, for example, that every packet sent to port 9732 on the router from
the WAN side is forwarded by the router to 192.168.0.44:1001 on the network:

As you can see, this is a static configuration. This is configured on the router
itself -- it is not related to any Tibbo equipment. The diagram above shows
the setup itself -- no connection is in progress, but the router knows what to do
when it gets data to port 9732.
After properly configuring port forwarding on the router, every time a connection is
established to a specific port on the "real" IP address of the router, the data is
forwarded to a specific host and port on the LAN. Hence:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

470

Tibbo Document System

This shows the same set-up as above, but with a connection in progress. As you
can see, the remote host can actually initiate a connection to the Device Server
inside the network, because the router knows what to do with the data. Contrast
the above diagram with the diagram on How NAT Applies To Device Servers.
Notes on Setting Up Port Forwarding
In order for port forwarding to work, several conditions must be true:
Internally, in the LAN, the DS must use a static IP address. The router knows it
should forward the packets to 192.168.0.44 -- so if the DS suddenly becomes
192.168.0.53, it doesn't get the packets. So its address must be static.
The external ("real") IP address of the router must also be static. Otherwise, the
Remote Host (212.68.157.9 in the diagram above) will not know where to
connect.
The router must be properly configured for port forwarding, using its internal
configuration interface. The way to do this varies from router to router, and is
documented in the manual for your specific router.
The internal port and the external port aren't necessarily the same -- just
because you set the router to forward incoming connections from port 1001,
doesn't mean it would forward them inside the network to port 1001. You have
to set this correctly.
Remember -- establishing the connection isn't the same as using the connection.
This is covered in detail under Important Note above.
The DS must accept incoming connections. That means the Routing Mode (RM)
setting must be set to "Server" or "Server/Client".
In some cases (depending on the application), it may be possible to obviate
the requirement for a static IP on the external side of the router by using
Dynamic DNS. This, however, is beyond the scope of this application note.
To learn more, read the Wikipedia article titled Dynamic DNS.

AN010. Controlling the DS from the Serial Side

This Application Note is mainly aimed at manufacturers incorporating Tibbo
modules into their products. It can also be used by anyone who can modify the
behaviour of his serial device, and wishes to integrate it more tightly with a Device
Server.
Device Servers can be made to act as 'modems'; Connections can be established
and closed at will, by the serial device. You can also select the destination for the
connection, and set other relevant parameters -- all from the serial side, and
without writing to the EEPROM of the device.
This application note assumes prior knowledge in HyperTerminal. If you're
not sure what HyperTerminal is, or how to use it to access a Device Server,
please read AN008. Using HyperTerminal first and perform the exercises
described in it, before moving on to study this present AN.
What You Need for Modem Commands to Work
To use modem commands, you need a serial device which can send them to the
DS. This sounds elementary, but it is actually the first thing you should note. In

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

471

effect, this means that your serial device would have to be 'tailored' for working
with the DS. It would have to speak in a language the DS understands -- i.e, send
the serial commands the DS could understand.
Since these commands are used specifically to communicate with Device Servers
from Tibbo, standard serial devices don't come with the option to send them
already built in. So, you have to be able to modify the firmware for your serial
device to have it send these commands. Usually manufacturers can do this, but
some serial devices are very flexible, and allow even an end user to perform such
modifications (especially Linux-based devices, etc).
Topics In This Application Note
Specifically, we will take up the following topics:
Benefits of Modem Commands
Issuing Commands
Establishing a Connection
Terminating a Connection
Finding Out Connection Status (X)
Finding Out Connection Details (U)
Exiting Serial Programming Mode
DSR/DTR
Real-World Example

Benefits of Modem Commands

There are several good reasons for using modem commands, if you can do so:
Establishing a Connection
Using modem commands, you could allow the user to initiate a connection directly
from the device, at his will. You could also dynamically change the IP address to
which the connection is established. This is good when working with a primary and
secondary server (if the primary server does not reply, you fall back to the
secondary server). It's also good for WAN scenarios -- the serial device 'dials in'
and doesn't have to be connected at all times.
Terminating a Connection
Modem commands can also be used to terminate the data connection from the
serial side. This can lead to all sorts of interesting options: For instance, a serial
device can send data to five (or more) different destinations, in rotation, again and
again. It will establish the connection (using the Establish Connection (CE)
instruction), send the data, disconnect (using the Close Connection (CC)
instruction), and will establish a new connection with a new host, again.
Not Writing to EEPROM
The EEPROM memory the DS uses to store settings has a finite (although large)
number of write cycles. Thus, every time you write the EEPROM, you somewhat
shorten the operational life of the DS. While this is not felt under normal use (like

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

472

Tibbo Document System

writing to the EEPROM once or twice per day), if you perform several EEPROM write
actions every hour, this may shorten the lifespan of the DS more noticeably.
When you issue a modem command, it is not written to the EEPROM of the DS. It
takes effect immediately after the programming session, and stays in effect until
the DS is turned off, or until it receives another command contradicting the first
one. Thus, using modem commands translates into a longer lifespan for the DS.
Also, since modem commands take effect after a programming session without the
DS needing to be reset (powered off and back on), this means they can be applied
very quickly. For instance, it takes less than 2 seconds to enter a programming
session, change the routing mode of the DS, give it a new destination address and
port, order it to connect, and end the programming session. Fast.
In Summary
Modem commands allow for much tighter integration of the serial device with the
DS. Above are just several examples. The rest of the text contains technical details
-- once you read them, you might come up with several ideas of your own.

Issuing Commands
Entering the Serial Programming Mode
Before issuing commands, the DS must listen (i.e, be in programming mode).
There are two ways to enter Serial Programming mode, and they are both
described under Serial Parameters (Modem Commands) in AN008. Using
HyperTerminal.
Once you enter Serial Programming mode, you can start issuing commands. Basic
command format is described under Sending a Command (Command Format).
Commands are Asynchronous
One of the most important things to remember about commands is that they are
asynchronous. In simple terms, this means that when you issue a command and
get back an A (Ack) response, the command has not necessarily been executed.
The A means that the DS has received your command and has started executing it.
This is most prominent when issuing instructions to establish or close connections.
When sending such instructions, the A reply comes immediately -- the DS takes
very little time to receive and 'understand' the instruction. But having understood
it, it now has to execute it -- and that sometimes takes time.
The time it takes to establish a TCP connection varies according to the topology of
the network the DS is in. Thus, after issuing an instruction such as the Establish
Connection (CE) instruction, you must check the DS status to see when the
connection has actually been established. For this, use the Echo (X) command.
This is described in detail under Finding Out Connection Status (X).
A complete listing of modem commands which can be issued appears under
Modem (Serial-Side) Parameters & Instructions. The text below only
highlights several commands with specific implementation details.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

473

Establishing
a Connection
5.10.2.1
A connection is established using the Establish Connection (CE) instruction.
This instructions can be sent with no parameters, or with parameters specifying the
destination IP and port.
Option One: With Parameters
With parameters, a CE instructions looks like this:
<STX>PCE192.168.0.5/1001<CR>

The parameters are the IP address and the port to which the DS has to connect.
Option Two: With No Parameters
The CE instruction can be issued simply as <STX>PCE<CR>
. In this case, the DS
infers the parameters according to the most recent Destination IP-address (DI)
parameter and Destination Port Number (DP) parameter it has received.
However, if since the last PDI/PDP instructions, another network host has opened
a connection to the DS, the DS then uses the Destination IP-address (DI)
setting and Destination Port Number (DP) setting and attempts to connect to
the destination host defined by these settings.
How to Prevent Another Host From Opening a Connection to The DS
To prevent another host from connection to the DS while you are sending it
parameters and instructions to configure an outbound connection, use the Routing
Mode (RM) parameter to set it to 2 (Client Only). Thus, a typical connection
establishment sequence could go like this (bold lines are commands sent to DS).
Set the DS to work as Client Only, thus denying incoming connections:
<STX>PRM2<CR>

DS acknowledges command:
<STX>A<CR>

Set Destination IP address:

<STX>PDI192.168.0.120<CR>

DS acknowledges command:
<STX>A<CR>

Set Destination Port:

<STX>PDP1001<CR>

DS acknowledges command:
<STX>A<CR>

Establish the connection:

<STX>PCE<CR>

DS acknowledges command:
<STX>A<CR>

Log out of Serial Programming Mode:

<STX>O<CR>

DS acknowledges command:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

474

Tibbo Document System

<STX>A<CR>

You are now supposedly connected to 192.168.0.120:1001. To verify this, see

Finding Out Connection Status (X).

Terminating
a Connection
5.10.2.2
There are two ways to terminate a connection using modem commands: You can
close the connection, or abort it. The two are not the same, when it comes to TCP
connections.
Closing a Connection
The Close Connection (CC) instruction uses the proper termination sequence for
TCP connections (FIN-ACK-FIN-ACK), and thus closes the connection in an orderly
fashion. It is recommended to use this instruction.
Aborting a Connection
The Abort Connection (CA) instruction uses an RST packet to terminate a TCP
connection. This is one-sided termination, and is usually less recommended.
Terminating UDP "Connections"
UDP is a connectionless protocol. The data "connection" the DS uses is merely a
stream of packets, as described under UDP Data "Connections". Thus, you can
either abort or close such a "connection" -- the action performed is identical in both
cases.
Remember! Commands are asynchronous -- just because you told the
DS to terminate the connection, and it answered back "A" doesn't mean
the connection has actually been terminated. See Finding Out Connection
Status (X).

Finding Out Connection Status (X)

The Echo (X) command causes the DS to return a string full of status
information. The contents of this string is fully documented in the manual page for
the command, so we will only take up the part which is pertinent to this AN: Data
Connection Status.
Following is a quote from the manual page for the command, restructured for the
purposes of this AN.
When issued using the serial programming mode, the reply for this command looks
like this:
Amseic[p]/ES

For now, we only care about the bold c which appears near the middle of the
command (it is the 6th character). You can read about the meaning of the other
letters in the command manual page. The c stands for "data connection status".
This is just a position in the reply string of this command -- it does not actually
say c in the command (otherwise, how could it be used to detect a status?
Naturally, it must change.) Thus, this position in the reply string for the command
can contain one of the following characters:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

475

Data connection is currently closed.

Sending ARP, or (V3.54+) establishing PPP link (using PPPoE).

A data connection is being established

A TCP connection is currently established, or is being closed (but not

yet closed).
U

A UDP connection is currently established.

The connection was reset by the remote host -- no connection at the

moment.
F

LinkServer login failed.

LinkServer login is currently in progress.

A Practical Example
Let's say you have a serial device and wish to make an outbound connection to a
server. To do so, you need to first check if it is safe to try and connection (i.e, that
there isn't an active data connection at the moment). Then, you have to issue the
connection command. Then, you have to check that the connection has indeed
been established, and continue checking periodically until the connection is
established.
Such a programming session could look like this (bold lines are commands sent to
DS):
Checking -- is there an established data connection?
<STX>X<CR>

The 6th char (c) is an asterisk - Data connection currently closed. Proceeding:
<STX>ANS*I**/**<CR>

Establish a connection with 192.168.0.20:1001:

<STX>PCE192.168.0.5/1001<CR>

DS acknowledges command:
<STX>A<CR>

Checking -- is there an established data connection?

<STX>X<CR>

The 6th char (c) is O- Data connection being established. We are still not
connected:
<STX>ANS*IO*/**<CR>

(After waiting for some time):

Checking -- is there an established data connection?
<STX>X<CR>

The 6th char (c) is C- We have a TCP connection, verified:

<STX>ANS*IC*/**<CR>

Logging out of programming mode to start communicating:

<STX>O<CR>

DS acknowledges command:
<STX>A<CR>

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

476

Tibbo Document System

The Example, Illustrated:

Finding Out Connection Details (U)

The Status (U) command provides further information with regards to the DS.
Specifically, when issued through the serial port, it returns two (or, optionally,
three) parameters:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

477

Addd.ddd.ddd.ddd/ppppp[/iii.iii.iii.iii]
ddd.ddd.ddd.dddStands for the IP address the DS is currently communicating with (or

has last communicated with, or will next communicate with)

ppppp Stands for the with which the DS is (has, will) communicating with.

If Uis sent with the optional parameter 1 (U1

), then the reply includes this
argument, which stands for the IP address of the DS in the PPPoE link (if such a
link is active).
[/iii.iii.iii.iii]

In essence, this command allows you to see who the DS is communicating with,
once you have used the Echo (X) command and have found out that a connection
is established.

Exiting Serial Programming Mode

To exit the serial programming mode, you should send the Logout (O) command
. It is important to send this command, and not the Reboot (E) command. When
rebooting the device, all current parameters (modem commands) are lost. Thus,
the parameters you've entered in the programming session just ended will be lost
and will have no effect on the DS.
This is why it's important to remember -- To exit Serial Programming Mode,
use the Logout (O) command.

DSR/DTR
Until now, we have touched topics which involve sending and receiving ASCII data
to and from the device. However, sometimes a simpler method is needed. This is
true especially in the case of establishing and dropping connections, which is one
of the simplest functions of any communication device, and is often used.
Thus, the advanced usage options for the DSR and DTR lines. Correct use of these
lines will allow your serial device to find out the current connection status, and
control it, without even entering programming mode or sending a single command.
See below:
DTR - Detecting Data Connection Status
The DTR Mode (DT) setting controls the behaviour of the DTR line.
Assuming this setting is set to 1 (connection status), the DTR line will be LOW
when no data connection is established, and HIGH when a data connection is
established. Thus, you can have your serial device directly sense the status of the
data connection, without using the Echo (X) command.
DSR - Controlling Data Connection Status
If the Connection Mode (CM) setting is set to 3 (on command or DSR=HI), the
DS will establish an outbound data connection whenever the serial device sets the
DSR line to HIGH for at least 20ms. This is, of course, only relevant if the Routing
Mode [setting/parameter] is not 0 (when it is 0, the DS will not make an

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

478

Tibbo Document System

outbound connection).

Real-World Example
Fallback to a Secondary Server
Let us say we have a fire detection system in a large building. This system is
connected to a remote server (say, at a security company) via a DS. It sends out a
heart-beat signal every minute, to report its status.
If the remote server at the security company fails, communication with the fire
detection system will be lost, and the security company will not know what's going
on in the building (and probably, in many other buildings). This cannot happen.
Thus, modem commands can be used to detect that there is no connection to the
remote server, and change the destination address of the DS to a secondary
server. Thus, if the primary server fails, the DS falls back to a secondary server,
and all works well. Such a communication session will go like this:
Checking -- is there an established data connection?
<STX>X<CR>

The 6th char (c) is an asterisk - Data connection currently closed. Proceeding:
<STX>ANS*I**/**<CR>

Establish a connection with the primary server:

<STX>PCE212.68.157.35/1001<CR>

DS acknowledges command:
<STX>A<CR>

Checking -- is there an established data connection?

<STX>X<CR>

The 6th char (c) is O- Data connection being established. We are still not
connected:
<STX>ANS*IO*/**<CR>

(After waiting for some time):

Checking -- is there an established data connection?
<STX>X<CR>

The 6th char (c) is an asterisk - Data connection is closed. Could not get to server:
<STX>ANS*I**/**<CR>

Falling back to the secondary server -- establish connection with .37:

<STX>PCE212.68.157.37/1001<CR>

DS acknowledges command:
<STX>A<CR>

Checking -- is there an established data connection?

<STX>X<CR>

The 6th char (c) is O- Data connection being established. We are still not
connected:
<STX>ANS*IO*/**<CR>

(After waiting for some time):

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Application Notes

479

Checking -- is there an established data connection?

<STX>X<CR>

The 6th char (c) is C- Successfully connected to secondary server:

<STX>ANS*IC*/**<CR>

Logging out of programming mode to start communicating:

<STX>O<CR>

DS acknowledges command:
<STX>A<CR>

AN011, Reading the Production Label

Every Tibbo product comes with a barcode production label. You can use this label
to see if your product is still under warranty:

AN012, Creating an Integrated Power Supply

This AN is aimed at OEMs and customers integrating Tibbo modules within their
existing products. It covers how to create a reliable power supply which can stably
power an EM202 module (for example) with input voltage as low as 9V or as high as
35V.
Following is the schematic:

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

480

Tibbo Document System

Notes:
U1 (MC35063) is a very popular power IC manufactured by ON Semiconductor.
R1 is very important. It is just 1 (one!) Ohm, but we really do not recommend the
user to omit it.
R2 and R3 are "1% tolerance" (high-precision) because they define the output
voltage of the power supply.
C1 and C3 capacitors: Do not use SMD capacitors -- use regular through-hole
aluminum capacitors. This really helps reduce noise produced by the power
supply.
This is an analog circuit, so layout matters. Apply reasonable "good layout" effort.
Note that it is not necessary to try and obtain the exact capacitors, diodes, etc that
Tibbo currently employs. The part numbers are for reference only.
Ideally, one should use an oscilloscope to see what sort of "square wave"
the PSU generates, both at low and high input voltages. R1 can be adjusted
to achieve a better (cleaner) square wave signal on a particular PCB layout.
There are no recipes here -- just try and see what works for your circuit.

Update history
This topic details update history for this document system.
---------02MAR2007 release
Updated EM1000 picture in the EM1000 BASIC-programmable Ethernet Module
topic.
New EM1000-00 and -01 topic explains the difference between these two
EM1000 versions.
Updated EM1000 diagram in the I/O Pin Assignment and Pin Functions topic.
Updated Ethernet Port Lines (of the EM1000) topic: the information on how to
change the host PCB to accommodate new EM1000-...-01 parts was corrected.
Updated EM1000-EV Evaluation Board topic.
New EM1000-EV-00 and -01, Converting EM1000-EV-00 into -01 topics.
---------15FEB2007 release
Updated "Specifications" topic for the following devices: EM100, EM120, EM200,
EM202, DS100, and DS202.

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Update history

481

Updated "Ethernet port lines" topic (add schematic diagrams for connecting
magnetics and RJ45 socket) for the following devices: EM120, EM200.
Corrected an error on the diagram for the Ethernet port of the EM202 -- Built in
RJ45 Ethernet Connector topic.
Updated the following topics related to the EM1000 module: EM1000
BASIC-programmable Ethernet Module, I/O Pin Assignment and Pin Functions,
Ethernet Port Lines, Real-time Counter, Mechanical Dimensions, Specifications
and EM1000 Modifications.
---------07NOV2006 release
Documented new Cable Status (C) command.
Documented new Get My IP (T) command.
Updated Firmware Revision History.
---------08AUG2006 release
Small changes corrections related to the release of new 3.31 firmware.
---------07AUG2006 release
Small corrections related to the release of new 3.30 and 3.62 firmware.
---------24JULY2006 release
Corrected buffer size for non-programmable ("device server") firmware of
EM120/EM200/EM202 modules (Comparison Chart for Ethernet-to-Serial Modules
). Correct buffer size is 8KBytes in each direction.
Setting up AuthKey Using DS Manager -- corrected a small typo.
---------06JULY2006 release
A whole new section has been added- EM1000 BASIC-programmable Ethernet
Module.
These topics have been updated to reflect the fact that the product can work with
"device server: firmware OR TiOS firmware (that executes BASIC application):
EM120 Ethernet-to-Serial Module, EM200 Ethernet-to-Serial Module, EM202
Ethernet-to-Serial Module.
Corrected DTR Startup Mode (DS) setting description. It erroneously stated that
this setting was not available on V3.5x branch of firmware, which is not true.
In the new firmware, line status changes are recognized much faster- it only
takes 20ms instead of 0.5s. The following topics have been updated to reflect
this change: Notification Bitmask (NB) setting, Notification (J) message,
Handling of RTS, CTS, DTR, and DSR Signals.
---------26JUNE2006 release
Corrected documentation error in Telnet TCP Programming topic. When Transport
Protocol is TCP and Port Number is 23 telnet programming is impossible, as any
TCP connection to port 23 will be interpreted as data connection. Previously, we
have erroneously stated that in this case all connections to port 23 will be
interpreted as programming, not data connections.
20June2006 release
Updated Installation procedure for VSPDL
----------

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

482

Tibbo Document System

15JUNE2006 release
Added Use WinSock for transport
Added Managing Address Book Groups (Groups button)
Added Specify Destination By
Updated Unsupported Features and Limitations to remove note about not
working through proxies
Updated Access Modes to show new design (tabs instead of listbox)
Updated DS Manager with new screenshot
Updated Preferences Dialog (General Tab)
Updated Transport Protocol & Listening Ports, Transport Protocol & Listening
Ports, Transport Protocol & Listening Ports on all 3 Connection Wizard scenarios
Updated DST Revision History
---------18MAY2006 release
Added DTR Startup Mode (DS) setting
Updated Serial Settings with DTR Startup Mode (DS) setting
---------16MAY2006 release
Updated Jump To Netloader (N) command [Release3.0], Set Programming
Request Flag (N) command [Release 3.5], Reset Upload Process (Q) command
[Release 3.5], Upload Data Block (D) command [Release 3.5] to clarify that
Telnet and TCP are not supported.
Updated Telnet TCP Programming [V3.50 and Above] to reflect LF received from
DS in reply.
---------24MAR2006 release
Added AN012, Creating an Integrated Power Supply
---------16MAR2006 release
Minor corrections
Added warning note to AN001. Customization Options in Our Products
---------19FEB2006 release
Updated Firmware Revision History and Device Server Application Firmware
topics with the most recent firmware version number (V3.28/V3.56).
---------14FEB2006 release
Corrected command format for Select In Broadcast Mode (W) command.
---------22DEC2005 release
Updated Firmware Revision History and Device Server Application Firmware
topics with the most recent firmware version number (V3.26/V3.56).
---------05DEC2005 release

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Update history

483

Added Cable Status (C) command

---------27SEP2005 release
Added AN011, Reading the Production Label.
---------12SEP2005 release
Added a new section to AN002. Practical Advice on Integrating EM Module into
Your Device, Example: PIC with EM202
---------09AUG2005 release
Added AN010. Controlling the DS from the Serial Side.
---------02AUG2005 release
Added new section to AN008. Using HyperTerminal, Serial Parameters (Modem
Commands).
---------01AUG2005 release
Added information regarding RTS behaviour to Soft Entry (SE) setting.
---------29JUL2005 release
Added AN009. WAN Basics.
---------21JUL2005 release
Updated Firmware Revision History and Device Server Application Firmware
topics with the most recent firmware version number (V3.25/V3.55).
---------19JUN2005 release
Added AN008. Using HyperTerminal.
---------10JUN2005 release
Added section to AN007, Preparing your Network (Router Configuration).
---------31MAY2005 release
Added AN007. Installing and Configuring LinkServer.
----------

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

484

Tibbo Document System

15MAY2005 release
Firmware release V3.14/3.51 is now used as a "baseline" release and any feature
or change that was made in a later firmware version is marked with the sign that
looks like this: [V3.24/3.54+] (this one means: this feature is available in
firmware release V3.24/3.54 or higher). This brings to an end tracking of
changes from much older firmware V2.5x which was done previously. All
references to V2.5x has been removed.
In connection with the above individual command, setting, and parameter
(instruction) description topics (under reference section) now state clearly if a
particular setting has existed in a baseline V3.14/3.51 or was added later
Updated topics (this excludes some minor corrections):

Status LED signals

Ethernet port and network communications
UDP data connections
DHCP
Inband (TCP) programming
Commands, messages and replies
Echo (X) command
Status (U) command
Jump to Netloader (N) command [Release 3.0]
Settings
Network settings
Owner Name (ON) setting
Device Name (DN) setting
Gateway IP-address (GI) setting
Password (PW) setting
Inband Commands (IB) setting
Destination IP-address (DI) setting
Serial settings
Soft Entry (SE) setting
Serial Interface (SI) setting
Modem (serial-side) parameters and instructions
Destination IP-address (DI) parameter
Firmware revision history
VSP Manager
AN001. Customization options in our Products

New topics:

PPPoE [V3.54+]
Link Server support
DS powerup procedure
Data connection establishment procedure
Set Programming Request Flag (N) command [Release 3.5]
Reset Upload Process (Q) command [Release 3.5]
Upload Data Block (D) command [Release 3.5]
dDNS Service Registration (DD) setting
dDNS Service IP-address (LI) setting
dDNS Service Port (LP) setting
LS Auto-registration (AR) setting
PPPoE Mode (PP) setting [V3.54+]
PPPoE Login Name (PL) setting [V3.54+]
PPPoE Login Password (PD) setting [V3.54+]
Connection settings
Link Server Login (TL) setting

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Update history

485

Source IP Filtering (SF) setting

Escape Character (EC) setting
Link Server Login (TL) parameter
Source IP Filtering (SF) parameter
Control lines tab
Default serial settings tab
DST revision history
Entire LinkServer branch has been added.
---------21JAN2005 release
Updated topics:
Corrected EM200 pin assignment drawing. Pin assignment itself was correct
but the Module on the drawing was erroneously marked as "EM120"
EM202-EV->Power Jack and DS202->Power Jack topics referred to incorrect
power adaptor numbers. We have corrected this
Updated Firmware Revision History
---------03JAN2005 release
Updated topics:
Corrected mistake for Power Adaptor models. Power adaptors with "small"
connector are: ARP-P0005 ("US"), ARP-P0006 ("Europe"), and ARP-P0007
("OK")
Corrected mistake in Password (PW) setting description: maximum
password length is 6, not 8 characters
Corrected the diagram depicting the layout of LEDs on the front of EM202
Installation document for VSPDL incorrectly stated that kernels up to 2.5 were
supported. Actually, we also support kernel 2.6.x
---------14DEC2004 release
New topics:
Added AN006
Added Unable to send a broadcast error message description for DS Manager
Added Unable to send a broadcast error message description for Connection
Wizard
Updated topics:
DTR and DSR lines were erroneously not shown here: RS232 port pin
assignment
By mistake, watchdog reset function of the ER line of EM100 was not
described
---------30OCT2004 release
New topics:
Created new part- Application Notes and added AN001, AN002, AN003,

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

486

Tibbo Document System

AN004, and AN005
Updated topics:
Corrected pin number errors in the following topics: LED lines (of EM120),
LED lines (of EM200)
---------21SEP2004 release
Minor error corrections
---------20SEP2004 release
New topics:
DK100 DIN Rail/Wall Mounting Kit
Comparison chart for Ethernet-to-serial Servers
DS202 Serial Device Server (and all child topics)
Additional features in firmware V3.5x (later deleted)
Telnet programming
Updated topics (this excludes some minor corrections):
Device Server Application Firmware (V3.14/V3.51)
Network programming
Authentication
Programming priorities
Port Number (PN) setting
Access parameters for the address book mode
Troubleshooting (address book mode)
Editing the address book (Add, Remove, Edit buttons)
---------28JUL2004 release
Power Jack (in EM100-EV Evaluation Board)
Power Jack (in EM200-EV Evaluation Board)
Power Jack (in EM202-EV Evaluation Board)
Power Jack (in DS100 Serial Device Server)
DHCP
Firmware version history
Updated topics (this excludes some minor corrections):
Owner Name (ON) setting
Device Name (DN) setting
Destination IP-address (DI) setting
Gateway IP-address (GI) setting

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Update history
Netmask (NM) setting
Update history (this very topic)
---------01JUL2004 ("base") release
Updates are tracked from this point

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

487

488

Tibbo Document System

DS202R 63
DST
202
DS-to-DS Link
304
Dynamic Addresses
462

Index
- A -

- E -

access modes
207
Address Book
212
Auto-Discovery
208
COM port
218
Address Book
212
Application firmware
84
Application-to-DS Link
294
AuthKey
360
Auto-Discovery Access Mode

- B barcode
479
Broadcast Access Mode
buzz
225

168

- F 208

firmware
upgrading

194

firmware components
81
Application firmware
84
Monitor
81
NetLoader
194

- C cable
crossover Ethernet
76
serial
75
straight Ethernet
76
Change IP
225
COM Access Mode
218
commands
111
connection delay
406
connection settings
145
Connection Wizard
278
control loads
410
crossover Ethernet cable
76
customization options
395

- D Device Server Toolkit

DIN Rail
78
DS Manager
204
DS100 64
DS100B 63, 66
DS100B-00 68
DS100R 63, 66
DS100R-03 68
DS202 69, 72

208

EM100 2, 4
EM100-EV
46
EM120 2, 10
EM120/200-EV
48
EM200 2, 16
EM202 2, 23
EM202-EV
51
encapsulation settings
error messages
232

Firmware Revision History

188

- G gateway

457, 463

- H HyperTerminal

430

- I initialize
110, 223
integration
400

- L 202
label
479
LinkServer
349
installing and configuring

355

Linux
327
loads
control
410

2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

Index
Settings Button
220
SP2 413
SP-to-DS Link
279
status icon
205
Status Messages
228
subnet
457
explained
460

- M messages
111
modem commands
example
478

181, 471

Module integration
400
Monitor
81, 274
monitor sensors
410
mount
DIN Rail
78
wall
78

- T Terminal Block Adaptor

77
test a connection
448
time to connect
406
Toolkit
202
troubleshooting
210, 216, 219, 392

- N NAT
464
NetLoader
194
Network Address Translation
Network settings
133

- V 464
Virtual Serial Port
248
VSP Manager
248, 250
VSPD
248
VSPDL
327

- O On-the-fly

175

- W -

- P PIC
406
Port Forwarding
469
Port Monitor
274
power adaptor
78
Programmable Interrupt Controller
programming
101
example
456

- R rail mounting kit

78
remote I/O 410
replies
111
Routing Status Button
RS422 77
RS485 77

223

- S same data to several DS

sensors
monitor
410
serial cable
75
Serial settings
156
2000-2006 Tibbo Technology Inc.

409

406

wall mounting kit

78
warning messages
232
Web Admin
369
wide area network
457
Windows Firewall
413
Windows XP
413

489