USB connection to SIAE MW Radio

Equipment

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Contents

1. Forewords............................................................................................................................................ 3

2. Tools needed ....................................................................................................................................... 3

3. Workaround to connect USB3.0 to USB 1.X devices.............................................................................. 4

4. Connect using LAN interface ................................................................................................................ 6

5. Connect using RS232 (serial) interface.................................................................................................. 9

6. Summary: Meeting ZTE – SIAE 23.09.2015 at SIAE GmbH in Düsseldorf ...............................................19

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 1. Forewords

As per USB 3.0 specifications, it is not required that the relevant interfaces are compatible with USB
interfaces following USB 1.0 and 1.1 specifications (“It should be noted that USB 3.0 devices are not
required to be backward compatible with USB 1.1 host ports although supporting full-speed and low-speed
modes are allowed”) whilst USB 2.0 native interfaces require backward compatibility to USB 1.x
specifications. Therefore it cannot be assured that every single USB interface is compatible with the USB1.1
standard.
For further references, please refer to the relevant section of usb.org website
(http://www.usb.org/developers/docs/)
SIAE MW ALS Family IDUs provide USB connectivity compliant to the USB 1.1 specifications.
Therefore, from the USB connectivity point of view, the connection with a device trough a USB2.0 native
port shall work.

2. Tools needed

Please note that any of the above mentioned procedures or workaround shall be applied only after the
correct installation of the proper software to connect to the Equipment (SCT – Subnetwork Craft Terminal),
which is distributed under license agreement from SIAE only.

FIRST INSTALLATION OF THE SCT/LMT PROGRAM

At the first installation of the program, the system executes the installation of the SCT or LMT main software module and of the LCT additional ones
relevant to the types of the requested equipment and, if it is requested, of the Alarm & Performance Monitoring program.
At the first installation of the program, execute the following procedure (with Windows Administrator privileges):
1. Startup MS Windows®.
2. Close all the application programs on progress as the ones open on the desktop as the iconised ones.
3. Insert the installation CD into the proper unit.
The installation procedure is automatically started-up (auto-run).
4. Execute the indications displayed on the video screen.
The parameters requested during the installation procedure and the operations necessary to set such parameters are the following ones:
a. Installation key (Validation window).
Type, into the proper spaces, the number pointed out into the License certification of the SCT/LMT product.
The code is composed by groups of letters/digits subdivided by a dash (-). Type a group into each space (text box) starting from
l.h. side towards r.h. side.
The available code defines the general software module type (SCT or LMT) and the additional LCT software modules that will
be available for the user at the end of the installation.
b. Program to be installed (Available Programs window): Subnetwork Craft Terminal, Alarm & Performance Monitoring.
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 Activate the box relevant to the desired program. It is possible to activate more boxes at the same time.
c. Language to be installed for the help online of the SCT/LMT program and of the LCT modules (Select Language window):
English, French, Italian, Spanish.
Select the desired option. It is possible to select one option only.
If a part of the help on-line is not available for the selected language, the installation program will install such a part of the
help on-line in English language.
d. The group name where it has to be inserted the starting up command of the program (Choose Destination Location window).
The installation program by default advises a pre-defined name that can be changed.
e. Physical connection type between the PC, on which it has been loaded the program, and the equipment (Connection Type
window). Select the following option:
- Connect using direct serial cable, if it is used a serial or USB connection.
- Connect using a modem, if it is used a modem connection.
- Connect using local area network, if it is used a connection realized by means of Ethernet network.
If the operator selects the Connect using direct serial cable option or the Connect using a modem ones, IMMEDIATELY AFTER
the program installation, EXECUTE the specific.
5. At the end of the procedure, the system displays a message concerning the result of the installation procedure.
If at the step 4.b the user has activated the box:
- Subnetwork Craft Terminal, on the desktop it will be displayed the Subnetwork Craft Terminal icon and, into the start-up
group, the command with the same name.
- Alarm & Performance Monitoring, on the desktop it will be displayed the Alarm & Performance Monitoring icon and the Alarm
& Performance Viewer icon and, into the start-up group, the commands with the same names.
The selection of the:
- First icon/command opens the Alarm & Performance Monitoring window.
- - Second icon/option opens the Alarm & Performance Monitoring Viewer window
After having executed the program installation, the option will be contained into the group set during the program installation procedure
(default group Start - Programs - Subnetwork Craft Terminal - …).
It is always possible to exit from the installation program.
If the operator commands the exit from the installation procedure before its end, the program will not be correctly installed. In such a case, before
running the program itself, it will be necessary to execute again the installation procedure.

For further reference please refer to the manuals provided together with the SCT SW.

3. Workaround to connect USB3.0 to USB 1.X devices

Provided that the IT evolution is quickly going towards USB3.0 compliant interfaces and, therefore, that all
the recent/new laptops are equipped with such type of interfaces, some workarounds can be found to try
to establish the, not granted, connection between a USB1.X compliant device and a USB3.0 compliant
device. Since the direct connection USB3.0-USB1.X is not foreseen by the USB standard, the below listed
workarounds cannot be guaranteed to work for 100% of the cases.

a) disabling USB 3.0 driver on Windows PC

Go to Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Programs and Features and uninstall the USB 3.0
extensible host controller driver (see picture below)

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In certain cases the incompatibility lies in the HW interface itself, therefore any operation done at
software/firmware level are worthless.

b) using an external USB 2.0 hub

Provided that i) the USB2.0 standard requires the backwards compatibility between interfaces following
USB1.X specifications and ii) the USB3.0 standard requires the backwards compatibility between interfaces
following USB2.0 specifications, the utilization of a hub with USB2.0 interfaces can be a further
workaround.
Please note that, being the type of integrated circuit used inside the hub itself (even within the same
Producer and with same part number) not under control of the final user, it can happen that same hub
types can have different results in terms of connection.

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 4. Connect using LAN interface

Using the LAN interface of the equipment is independent from backward compatibilities and offers the
highest bandwidth when high data volumes (e.g. SW upgrade) need to be downloaded. Therefore this
should be the method of choice to connect to the SIAE equipment.

Prerequisite: Knowledge of the IP address and Subnet Mask of the equipment LAN port. Installation of
SIAE SCT. For ALS IDUs, standard IP address when the controller is delivered straight from the factory is
1.0.0.1, Subnet Mask 255.0.0.0).

a) Ethernet Configuration

Push [Windows]-key + R -> NCPA.CPL [ENTER]

Right-click your Ethernet adapter and select Properties.

Double-click the TCP/IPv4 protocol.

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 Configure Your Ethernet adapter with a free IP address and the correct subnet mask so Your PC is
using the same network as the equipment interface.

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 b) SCT configuration

In the SCT go to Options and set the connection typ to Connect using local area network followed
by selecting Setting… and picking the previously configured IP address.

Connect to the equipment.

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 5. Connect using RS232 (serial) interface

Using the RS232 interface of the equipment is independent from backward compatibilities and no
special information from the controller unit (e.g. IP address) is needed. Related to the other options the
maximum data rate is pretty low therefore this connection should only be used for configuration or to
check the Ethernet configuration.

Prerequisite: PC with RS232 interface OR USB-to-serial converter. Installation of SIAE SCT.

a) Configuration RS232 cable

To connect to the serial RS232 interface a simple null modem cable without handshaking is needed. As
this cable configuration is hardly / not to buy on the market one has to build it by oneself.
Most of the null modem cables available on the market will have all nine pins connected. For the RS232
interface these cables will not work.
No other than pin 2, 3 and 5 must be connected!

Prerequisite: SubD 9 female connectors, three-wire-cable

Pin-Layout:

PC ALS IDU
Pin 2 Pin 3
Pin 3 Pin 2
Pin 5 Pin 5

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 b) Check HW installation.

Push [Windows]-key + R -> DEVMGMT.MSC [ENTER]

Check that the serial Interface / USB-to-serial converter is properly installed in the device manager.

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 c) Check HW installation.

Push [Windows]-key + R -> CONTROL [ENTER]

Open the Phone and Modem item.

Switch to the Modem tab and push Add to create a new modem.

Select No automatic detection and proceed.

Select Have disk…

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 …and set the path to the folder …/sct/DRV on Your computer.

Choose OK and Proceed in the next window.

Select the COM port of your serial interface OR Your plugged USB-to-serial converter. Proceed…

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 Now a new modem named PPP – Direct connection to equipment is available. Choose Properties.

If present choose Change Settings

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 In the Modem tab set the Maximum Port Speed to 38400.

In the Advanced tab choose Change Default Preferences.

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 Set Flow Control to None. Switch to the Advanced tab.

Configuration has to be:

Data Bits: 8
Parity: None
Stop Bits: 1

Confirm all windows until You are back at the Control Panel.

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 d) Configure the Remote Access Connection

Push [Windows]-key + R -> NCPA.CPL [ENTER]

Right-click LctDirectPPP and select “properties”

Check that the Connect using field is set to PPP-Direct connection to equipment.
Verify that three digits are set to the Phone Number. Otherwise type three digits as You like into
the field.
Choose Configure.

Set the Maximum Speed (bps) to 38400.

Deactivate Flow Control.
Choose OK.

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 Move to the Network tab and deactivate any items except Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
Select the TCP/IPv4 protocol and choose Properties.

Set both options, IP-Address and DNS-Server to Obtain automatically.

Choose Advanced.

Activate Use default gateway on remote network.

Deactivate Use IP header compression.

Confirm all windows and switch to the SCT.

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 In the SCT go to Options and set the connection typ to Connect using direct serial cable followed by
selecting Setting… and picking the previously configured Modem – PPP – Direct connection to
equipment.

Connect to the equipment.

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 6. Summary: Meeting ZTE – SIAE 23.09.2015 at SIAE GmbH in Düsseldorf

Participants:

Oswald Prögel (NFS)

Kay Röseler (ZTE)
Thomas Greif (ZTE)
Klaus Meger (SIAE)
Steffen Gottschalk (SIAE)
Thomas Fest (SIAE)
Jürgen Reinhard (SIAE)
Jörg Wammers (SIAE)

Target: SIAE to show a 100% solution to connect to the ALS IDU used in the TEF network
even when the USB interface is not usable for HW compatibility reasons (backward
compatibility of the USB controller inside the notebook) and the local IP of the
Ethernet interface is not known (e.g. after swap of the controller card).
Optional target: The solution to work also on the “Oracle Virtual Box” used at ZTE /
NFS.

Result: During the meeting the connection via the RS232 interface (as described in chapter
5) was successfully tested on all possible notebook types currently in use at ZTE and
NFS. Where available the fixed serial port of the pc was tested and also the
connection with different types of USB-to-serial converters. All variations on every
single machine could be established without any restriction.
There were no additional steps necessary to get the connection running inside the
“Oracle Virtual Box”.

Further Actions: SIAE: No further actions required by SIAE.

ZTE / NFS: Equip field service technicians with the RS232 cable and distribute the
above manual.

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