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SBN Virtual Receiver simulates any alarm receiver against a Concentrator receiver line, so a line can be exercised end to end without the physical receiver in front of it. One installation covers every receiver in the catalog: pick one in the console and send its signals, on demand or as a sustained load.
What it does
- Dials a Concentrator TCP-server receiver line, or listens for a Concentrator TCP-client line to dial in.
- Sends each signal in the form a real receiver line expects, so it is a wire-level match for the receiver being simulated. Sending the bare catalog bytes instead is an opt-in.
- Opens a session for any of the 60 receiver types in the catalog, 1,263 signals in all.
- Runs two links at once, with split fan-out, promotion on a primary drop, and automatic redial.
- Keeps a line alive with an automatic heartbeat.
- Sustains load with a campaign — N signals per window, drawn at random from the selected signals.
What you get
- Service: "SBN Virtual Receiver (default)" — a Windows service, the systemd unit
sbn-virtual-receiver-default.serviceon Linux, or the launchd daemoncom.innovative.sbn-virtual-receiver-defaulton macOS - Instance dashboard at
https://127.0.0.1:7080, reachable from the machine it runs on: it lists every virtual receiver on the machine, starts and stops them, and opens each one's console — see Managing instances and Connections - Named instances: more than one virtual receiver can run on the same machine, each as its own service with its own configuration and data
- Preset configuration: every control change is saved, and a configured instance restarts into its own receiver, ready to send
Using it
- Getting started — installing, the service, signing in, configuration file and logs
- Managing instances — the instance dashboard: start, stop, add and remove receivers, users, API keys, audit
- Connections — one receiver, many Concentrator lines at once
- Signals and catalog — the receiver types, the signal list, wire form, Sim New Alarm, the command-line verbs
- Links and heartbeat — role, Link A and B, primacy, heartbeat, counters
- Campaigns — sustained load, saved and reused
Nothing else is required. SBN Virtual Receiver has no message broker and no database dependency, so it installs on a machine that carries neither.
The console is served on the local machine only, so the installer creates no firewall rule. If a receiver link is set to listen for the Concentrator to dial in, that port needs an inbound rule of its own — add it yourself.
Installing
Windows
Extract the package and run install.ps1 from an elevated PowerShell window (Run as Administrator). The run is interactive: the prompts are the review step. It registers the service, starts it, and verifies that the running service reports the package's version before reporting success.
Add -Unattended for a headless first installation, or -QuickInstall for a headless upgrade. install.ps1 -help lists every option and changes nothing.
Linux and macOS
Copy the package to the machine, extract it, and run the installer as root from the extracted folder:
Options a normal installation may need:
--instance <name>— install or upgrade a named instance. Leave it off for the default instance.--port <number>— console port on the local machine; 7080 by default--unattended— run with no prompts, including a first installation--quick-install— headless upgrade--dry-run— print everything a real run would do, and change nothing
Where things go:
| Windows | Linux | macOS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Program files | C:\Innovative\sbn-virtual-receiver | /opt/innovative/sbn-virtual-receiver | /Library/Innovative/sbn-virtual-receiver |
| Configuration and logs | <root>\data\<instance> | /var/lib/innovative/sbn-virtual-receiver/<instance> | /Library/Innovative/sbn-virtual-receiver/data/<instance> |
Every run writes its log beside the installer and prints the path.
Upgrading
Run the installer from the new package over the existing installation. It stops the service, replaces the binary, re-registers the service, and confirms the running version matches the package before reporting success. vr-config.json and the tool's logs are preserved.
Uninstalling
| Platform | Command |
|---|---|
| Windows | powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File uninstall.ps1 |
| Linux and macOS | sudo ./uninstall.sh |
Removal is software only: the service and the installed binary go, and vr-config.json and the tool's own logs stay. Add -RemoveConfig (Windows) or --remove-config (Linux and macOS) to delete those as well. The uninstaller lists everything it will remove and asks for the instance name to be typed back first; --all removes every instance on the machine, and --dry-run shows what would go without removing it.
Using it
- Getting started — the console, its options, and the command-line verbs
- Receivers and signals — the catalog, the signal table, the wire form signals go out in, and adding an alarm
- Links, split and heartbeat — roles, two links, promotion, redial
- Campaigns — sustained load and the summary line
- Configuration and logs — the saved settings and the log bounds
If something goes wrong
Every install and uninstall run writes a log and prints its path when it finishes, whether it succeeded or not. If a step fails, the installer says what failed, why, and what to do next before it stops. Quote that log when you contact support.