Concentrator

Module:    Utilities

Overview

The SBN Concentrator is a 32bit Windows application that concentrates data signals from alarm receivers and forwards them to SBN Server host(s) via SBN Frontend application(s). The SBN Server host(s) interprets the data signals and, if required, presents the data signals to an alarm monitoring dispatch agent.

Concentrators are typically installed in pairs on separate computers where they are configured to provide fail-over redundancy for each other. Each Concentrator (pair) may support up to 128 alarm receivers. You may use unlimited sets of Concentrators with the SBN system; this enables Concentrator support for even the largest organizations.

Concentrators are typically located at the same location as receivers, which may be remote from the SBN server location. Concentrators have the ability to be daisy-chained, if required, to permit organizations with remote receiver sites to consolidate their signal data, providing cost effective data communications.

Concentrators support both serial data & TCP/IP connectivity. Any Windows-recognized �COM� port, including third party �multi-port� adapter cards, can support serial input. TCP signals may be received from any available TCP port.

The SBN Concentrator design is extremely versatile. It supports most known commercially-available alarm receivers and many proprietary receivers, including several bi-directional systems where appropriate data signals are transmitted back to the receiver. Support for additional receivers is usually accomplished easily with knowledge of the communications data protocol.

The following chart shows the Concentrator's role in the flow of alarm signals into SBN.

 

This document covers the following topics:

Requirements

Operational Overview

Installing Concentrator Software

File Descriptions - Concentrator

Concentrator Setup

Config.txt

Config2.txt

Erroribs.txt

Receivers

Messages.txt

Concport_x.txt

Communication Tests

Creating the Concport_xx.txt Files

Line Types

Polling

Configuring the Concentrator

Configuring the Concentrator Software

Entering Error Messages into Zone Types

Entering Receiver CIDs in Data Entry

The Concentrator Window

Getting Receiver Details

Getting Alarm Details

Troubleshooting

Requirements

The SBN Concentrator requires a 32-bit or 64-bit Intel-based MS Windows XP or higher operating system. IBS recommends that the system OS be as up to date as possible for security and OS patching purposes. The speed and memory required for the Concentrator are sufficient on any newer machine, as the application has small memory and processor footprints. While the Concentrator application and configuration files take less than 20MB of hard drive space, IBS recommends at least 5GB of space available for log files. If you need com port expansion, install and fully test any serial expansion cards and Windows drivers before installing the SBN Concentrator.

After you install and configure the Concentrator, it will operate without user interaction. If you are installing the Concentrator at a remote location, IBS advises you to provide network access to the PC using PC Anywhere, RAdmin, or similar commercially available products. This enables you to perform remote diagnostics, if necessary.

Note: If you enable the debug feature, the Concentrator logs all signals it receives as an output file. When the debug feature is on, you should check disk space daily on the Concentrator machine to keep it running smoothly.

Warning: Remote access accounts cannot ever be logged out. If the remote session is closed, the Concentrator and Frontend will shut down. Be aware of Windows timeout settings on sessions, so that if a user is not connected for a designated period of time, Windows automatically closes the session regardless of any running applications or activity.

Operational Overview

The Concentrator application contains several windows. During normal operations you can use these windows for informational and statistical purposes. In addition, the Concentrator application contains several utilities that you can use during initial setup and signal communication diagnostics.

There are two modes in which the Concentrator acknowledges signals from receivers. Define the mode you want to use in the ImmAckAlarm field of the Config2.txt file.

• Normal Mode: The Concentrator acknowledges each alarm only after the signal is inserted into the immediate queue. This mode is very safe but inefficient if you have many signals coming in.

• Acknowledge Immediately Mode: The Concentrator acknowledges each alarm immediately, not waiting for confirmation that the signal was successfully inserted into the immediate queue. This allows the receiver to send another signal. This is the most efficient mode to use if you have many signals coming in.

If a communication failure occurs between the Concentrator and the host (SBN server), you can manually acknowledge signals from the Concentrator. (See Getting Alarm Details.)

Installing Concentrator Software

Use the following steps to install the Concentrator:

   1.    Select setup.exe from the appropriate directory.

‰    The Install Shield will open.

   2.    Follow the directions in the Install Shield to install the Concentrator and create all necessary files.

l    config.txt file. For more information, see Config.txt.

l    config2.txt file. For more information, see Config2.txt.

l    errorribs.txt file. For more information, see Erroribs.txt.

l    messages.txt files. For more information, see Messages.txt.
Copy messages from the SBN.exe directory after you have logged in to your server. This will guarantee that all of your company-specific translations are visible.

l    GmtOffse.dat files. For more information, see GmtOffse.dat.
These files contain the daylight savings information from your server.

l    concport_xx.txt files. For more information, see Concport_x.txt.

Note: Put all the executable, configuration, and log files for one Concentrator in a separate directory from files for other Concentrators and programs.

Note: Do not set a Concentrator to start automatically when the computer starts unless you use Windows XP. If you do not use XP, setting the Concentrator to auto-start may cause two copies of the same Concentrator to run, generating error messages.

File Descriptions — Concentrator

The following table describes the files in the initial Concentrator window.

Concentrator Setup

Configure the Concentrator in two main sections to suit local requirements:

• Basic global options

Note: These are defined in the config2.txt file.

• The communication and functional definition for each device (receiver, etc.) connected to each Concentrator port

Note: These are defined in concport_x.txt files; one file for each connected device.

The following describes each Concentrator file and how you should configure it, if necessary.

Config.txt

Config.txt is a read-only file. It is not used directly by the Concentrator.

Config2.txt

Config2.txt is an editable file. You should edit this file before you run the Concentrator for the first time. Once you run the Concentrator, the file becomes read-only. If you need to make changes, you will need to restart the Concentrator before they take effect.

Field/Column Descriptions — config2.txt

The following table describes the fields present in the config2.txt file and displays example values to set in those fields.

Erroribs.txt

Erroribs.txt is an editable file. It contains one row for each supported (receiver) device and is only applicable if you connect a receiver that uses serial data.

Usually you will not need to edit this file. However, some receiver manufacturers allow you to change the receiver defaults to another value. If your company has used this feature and changed the receiver values from the default STX or ETX values, you must modify the values in this file. The receiver STX and ETX values must match erroribs.txt.

Any changes that you make to erroribs.txt become effective after restart.

Example of an erroribs.txt file

***** LINE TYPES *************TY*NO*STX*ETX*OK*Comment/Examples*************
ITI         IT 10 010 013 OK X '121Y1234Y011A'
FBI         FB 11 000 001 OK X '62 0355 1555 5555 1'
ADEMCO 685         AD 13 010 013 OK Combined Ademco
RADIONICS 6500/6000         RA 14 000 020 OK '1502 5900 A E'

Field/Column Descriptions — erroribs.txt

The following table describes the fields present in the erroribs.txt file and displays example values to set in those fields.

Hosts_cnts.txt

Status text file that indicates the number of signals queued in the concentrator. Line 1 contains the date / time. Lines 2, 3, and 4 contain the number corresponding to the display alarm screen.

Receivers

Currently, the Concentrator supports the following receivers/format types:

• ADEMCO (Ademco 685, Contact ID)

• ALARM FORCE

• ALARM NET

• ARITEC TAC-90 MODIF

• ATLAS

• AUDIOLITE

• BOSCH MODEM 4

• CARE NET

• CELLULARM

• COMPUTEC

• DCX

• DEBUGGER RX

• DERIVED CHANNEL 1

• DM8 DOMITECH

• DMP SCS-q

• DMP SCS-VR

• ELEKTROLUX ETM

• EMERSON

• FBI

• FRANKLIN

• HSL 1

• HSL PRN READER

• IBS GSM

• IEI E6800

• INFRANET

• ITI

• KELTRON

• MC II

• MORSE POLLING

• MULTICOM

• OSBORNE HOFFMAN

• OzVision

• POLLING MACHINE (Datavision)

• PRO-COM EXTENDED

• RADIONICS 6500/6000

• RC-4000

• RECEIVER TEST

• ROBOFON

• ROBOFON RBM-600

• SAFECOM

• SCANCOM

• SDN SMS

• SDS

• SEABOARD RF

• SECOM

Note: Signals with Event 28 and zone like HEARTBEAT will now be acknowledged and not sent to ALGEN.

• SECURITEL

• SESCOA 3000

• SIA

• SILENT KNIGHT 9000

• SMART PRINTER

• SPC-5000 MORSE POLLING

• SURGARD MLR 2000

• SURGARD SIA (Contact ID)

• TAR-200 AUDIOLITE

• TPS F1

• VERITECH V300

• VIGILANTE FIRE PANEL

• WESTEC

Note: In IP-based configuration, set up IP from the receivers to one Concentrator (primary or backup) and RS232 cables from the receivers to the other Concentrator, so that if one method fails to send a signal, the other sends it.

Alarm.log

Alarm.log is a read-only file. It is initially created by the Concentrator program on first startup to the size defined in config2.txt. It is a FIFO (first-in, first-out) data file of the last x signals processed. The Concentrator uses alarm.log to produce a �Log List� and produces statistical reporting in �Load Statistics�. If communication fails with the host server, alarm.log buffers signals.

When you choose the Log List button in the Concentrator window, you may right-click on the list of logged signals and choose Export. (This may be helpful when troubleshooting.)

Hqueue.dat

Hqueue.dat is a read-only file. It is used by the Concentrator to buffer signals currently processing and awaiting confirmation from the host that they were successfully received.

GmtOffse.dat

GmtOffse.dat is a one-time-only editable file. It is used by the Concentrator to determine time offset calculations between the local time and the host server base reference time.

Messages.txt

Messages.txt is a file provided by IBS. It contains words displayed in the Concentrator windows, providing custom and language translation capability. Copy messages.txt from the SBN.exe directory after setup.

The messages.txt file is found in the following locations:

• Windows XP

%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\IBS\<ProgramName>

C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\IBS\<ProgramName>

• Windows 7

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\IBS\<ProgramName>

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\IBS\<ProgramName>

These locations should always be writable but if not, the following rules explain what should happen.

After the user logs into SBN:

• If the messages.txt file does not exist, SBN creates it in the locations above.

• If SBN is unable to create the file in the above directories, then SBN reads messages from the database and stores them in memory after the user logs in.

Before the user logs into SBN:

• Messages may be read from the messages.txt file. However, if the file does not exist, then messages will be read from a string table resource in the SBN.exe. This will avoid the error 'messages.txt file not found' that prevents the user from logging in.

• If the user selects View > Options from the SBN Main Menu before logging in, a new language may be selected and messages will be read from the messages.txt file mentioned above. If the file doesn't exist, an error dialog appears indicating that the file was not found but this will not prevent the user from logging in. SBN reads messages from the string table resource as mentioned above.

Concport_x.txt

Concport_x.txt is an editable file. The concport_x.txt file provides the information required by the Concentrator to fully support the attached receiver device. Concport_x.txt files are also used to provide information on how the Concentrator should support other attached devices, such as other Concentrators, Frontends, and Back-up Hosts that are attached logically to a Concentrator port.

In a typical installation where a Concentrator pair is installed (the second Concentrator providing fail-over redundancy for the primary Concentrator) and where the installation has two hosts (a primary and a backup) the following arrangement would be suitable:

On Primary Concentrator

Concport_01.txt = definition for communications to Primary Frontend.
Concport_02.txt = definition for communications to Secondary Frontend.
Concport_03.txt = definition for communications to Secondary Concentrator.
Concport_04.txt,Concport_05.txt etc.= definition for communications to each installed receiver.

On Secondary Concentrator

Concport_01.txt = definition for communications to Primary Frontend.
Concport_02.txt = definition for communications to Secondary Frontend.
Concport_03.txt = definition for communications to Primary Concentrator.
Concport_04.txt,Concport_05.txt etc.= definition for communications to each installed receiver (identical to Primary Concentrator files).

When a Windows failover cluster fronts the Front Ends with one virtual IP, each host line carries that virtual IP alone (host,port); see SBN Services Cluster Connection Point.

To achieve full functionality, consider the following:

• In general, a receiver sends a signal when it has something to report.

• Some receivers send repeated (keep-alive or time) signals to the Concentrator.

• Some receivers need special initialization from the Concentrator when they start or restart, or when their connection fails then restarts, to recognize that the Concentrator and communication line are available.

Note: In order to initialize a receiver, the Concentrator reads the DSR line on the serial port, Pin 6 on a 9- or 25-pin standard RS232 cable. When this signal is active, the Concentrator assumes that the receiver is available and, depending on the type, is initialized.

• The Concentrator can monitor receivers that send time signals. The Concentrator can generate a timeout alarm if no signals from a receiver are received within a specified period.

• Protocols between the Concentrator and a Frontend, backup Concentrator, or remote Concentrator are almost the same because the same type of information is communicated between them.

• The Concentrator’s communication protocol has a periodic signal, with acknowledgment once every â€?Xâ€? seconds, as specified in the config2.txt file.

Note: This protocol creates two blocks, one with the signal, and one with the acknowledgment. Each signal sent from a Concentrator also creates two blocks, one with the alarm, and one with the acknowledgment. Consider these blocks when you design wide-area networks, especially switched circuits (MICOM, for example).

• Data that a host downloads to a receiver via a Concentrator also creates two blocks on each line.

• If your Frontend is on a stand-alone PC, the Frontend uses the SQL library to convert Concentrator messages to SQL requests.

Note: These messages are sent in the SQL internal format and may create more than two blocks for each alarm.

Communication Tests

SBN checks for communication in several ways between the Frontend, receiver, line card, and customer:

• Passive timer from Frontend to host.

Note: If host receives no signal, it generates a No Activity signal.

• Passive timer for each receiver.

Note: If no signal is received, generates a No Activity signal. If a receiver does not send signals, check the STX and ETX settings in the Erroribs.txt file.

• Passive timer for each line card. The timer varies by line card.

Note: If no signal is received, generates a No Activity signal.

• Passive timer from installation to host. Defined for each CID.

Note: If no signal is received, generates a Missing Test signal.

• Active timer from the Concentrator to the line card.

Note: When 75% of the specified time has elapsed, calls the number for the line card. Panel is Unknown and will generate a Bad Data signal and reset the timer. This feature requires an extra line and modem and may not be passable depending on the logical line setup.

Creating the Concport_xx.txt Files

Create one file for each port, where xx indicates the port number. Edit these files, using a standard plain text editor such as Windows Notepad, to make changes to the line setup and logical line definitions.

Warning: Stop the Concentrator before adding receivers or other attached devices. Never add devices to a running Concentrator.

The following graphic displays an example of a concport text file.

Field/Column Descriptions — concport_xx.txt

The following table describes the fields present in the concport_xx.txt file and displays example values to set in those fields.

Line Types

The following table displays predefined line types.

Polling

The Concentrator polls some receivers. For those receivers, use TOUT2 to define timeout errors. Enable active polling by setting the TOUT2 values above 20 seconds. The Concentrator polls at an interval of (TOUT2 value) minus 20 seconds. For example, if TOUT2=60, the Concentrator polls the receiver every 40 seconds. If the Concentrator does not receive a response within 60 seconds, the timeout is signaled as normal.

Polling Signals

The following table lists signals sent by specific receivers.

Configuring the Concentrator

Attach each receiver to the Concentrator with a NULL MODEM cable (usually DB25 male to female) to the serial connections on the Concentrator. Some receivers will require a normal cable.

Attach the Concentrator to other Concentrators with

• A NULL MODEM cable if your are using a serial connection (usually DB25 male to female)

Note: Configure the pin outs of the NULL MODEM cable according to the following chart:

• A standard network cable.

Attach the Frontend to the Concentrator with

• A NULL MODEM cable if you are using a serial connection with a 9-25 pin adapter.

Note: Configure the pin outs of the NULL MODEM cable according to the following chart:

• The Frontend uses standard serial ports (usually two 9-pin serial ports or one 9-pin port and one 25-pin port) instead of a Serial Interface Board.

• A standard network cable.

Attach printers to the Concentrator with

• A serial cable if you are connecting to serial cards.

• One of the printer ports on the Concentrator.

Configuring the Concentrator Software

Use the following steps to configure the Concentrator software:

   1.    Create the concport_xx files for all lines.

   2.    Set up the Line Definitions from the Main menu.

   3.    Assign the different lines to different pieces of equipment such as

l    Printer

l    Backup PC

l    Backup Host PC

l    Frontend

l    Various receivers

   4.    Assign different timeout values to the connections.

   5.    Set up the CID prefixes used when generating CIDs on the various line numbers on the connected pieces of equipment. Use the same numbering method as the one used on the Host computer to define the CID generation.

   6.    From the PC, start the Concentrator executable.

Use the following steps to set up the Receiver Error Accounts:

   1.    On the Host computer, in the CONFIG2.txt file, define the prefix for signals that come from a receiver (for example, ERRORACC=’RCVR’).

   2.    In Zone Types, program #1733, define possible receiver error messages as zone types. You may also use previously defined zone types for error messages.

   3.    Define the error messages as zones in your receiver error account.

Note: For more information, see Sample Error Messages.

   4.    In Data Entry, type the different receiver CID numbers and their respective zones.

Note: For more information, see Entering Receiver CIDs in Data Entry.

Entering Error Messages into Zone Types (#1733)

You can use the Zone Types (#1733) program to define specific zone types to tie to receiver error messages. For example, you may have a zone type TOU for Receiver Line Timeout. You would then tie this zone type to the specific zone in your receiver error account. Other error messages may only require an existing zone type, such as Trouble. Once you have tied the zone type to the zone in the receiver error account, you can then customize the priority and behavior of that particular zone.

Sample Error Messages

The following table presents generically defined error messages. The samples include most messages that receivers would send.

Note: Some receivers have other zones, like CFL for communication failure. See the appendix of each receiver for a list of their additional zones.

Entering Receiver CIDs in Data Entry

Receiver CIDs in Data Entry allow you to take full advantage of SBN functionality to monitor your receivers. Once you have entered the CID, you can specify zones for each error and specific action plans that can email, page, or fax relevant error information, just as SBN does for conventional alarms. You can also enter specific instructions to your operators for each error in the action plan tied to the zone for the error.

Use the following steps to create a Receiver CID in Data Entry (program #559):

   1.    In Service/Data Entry, choose New Record.

   2.    Type the Receiver CID manually, using the naming convention in the config2.txt file.

Note: For example, a CID for a receiver attached to Concentrator 01 and logical line 07 could be RCVR-0107.

Note: Define all remote receivers in the same manner.

   3.    Complete the required fields:

l    CID

l    Panel

l    Test Int

l    ID

l    Ins No

l    Dealer ID (No label)

l    Phone

l    Name (No label)

l    Time Zone

l    Mon Stat

l    Inst Date (No label)

Note: Your required fields may include additional fields that have been defined by your tool-tip color.

   4.    Choose Save Record.

The Concentrator Window

The following graphic shows the main window of the Concentrator program. The window displays a list of receivers.

Field/Column Descriptions

The following table describes the fields and columns used in the main window of the Concentrator program.

Getting Receiver Details

Use the following steps to view receiver details:

   1.    In the main window of the Concentrator program, highlight the receiver for which you want to view details.

   2.    Select Display Receiver.

‰    The receiver window opens, displaying details of the receiver you selected. The window displays each message the receiver has received or sent.

Note: The received messages appear in red text; the sent messages appear in green text. Information about the signals appears in blue text. Status messages appear in dark red text.

Examples of sent messages include 6 (signal acknowledged) and 21 (signal not acknowledged).

Troubleshooting Notes: An incorrect End of Transmission (EOT) character in a signal sent by a receiver may prevent the Concentrator from receiving the signal.

Use the Kill Socket button in this window to reset the connection between the selected receiver and the Concentrator.

Note: The threading model for the Concentrator has been changed, with a separate thread handling connections. This improves performance when the Concentrator attempts to reconnect to receivers.

Field/Column Descriptions

The following table describes the fields and columns used in the Receiver window.

Logical Lines

If you need to create an alarm ID longer than the four-digit receiver CID, you may do so using a line card mask by choosing the Logical Lines button in the Receiver Details window. SBN replaces the underscores in the mask with the four digits of the panel (chip) number.

The following graphic displays the Receiver Details window after you press the Logical Lines button. The window displays the mask for each line card defined in the concport_x.txt file.

Column Descriptions

The following table describes the columns used in the Logical Lines display of the Receiver window.

Getting Alarm Details

Use the following steps to view alarm details:

   1.    From the main window of the Concentrator program, highlight the receiver for which you want to view alarms.

   2.    Select Display Alarm.

‰    The Display Alarm window opens, showing signals currently processing.

The following graphic shows the Alarm Display window in Host mode.

In Manual mode, you can acknowledge each signal manually using the Acknowledge button. When you return to Host mode, you can choose to discard or send pending signals.

Note: All alarms appear in red, yellow, or green text. Alarms initially appear in red text and end in green text.
Red = Unacknowledged alarms
Yellow = Alarms that have been acknowledged in manual mode
Green = Alarms sent to the Host.

Note: Use the Skip button only when instructed by IBS to skip the first received signal in very rare instances.

The message "Connection refused" means the Frontend is down.

Field/Column Descriptions

The following table describes the fields and columns used in the Display Alarms window.

Alarm Types

The following table describes both normal and error alarm types that appear in the Display Alarm window.

Note: These alarm types also appear on the log printer.

Log List

Use the Log Listing functionality to view raw and prefixed signals during a determined time period.

The following graphic displays the Log List window after you press the Log List button with set parameters.. The window displays the raw and the prefixed signal for each Alarm ID..

Field/Column Descriptions

The following table describes the columns used in the Logical Lines display of the Receiver window.

Exporting/Printing a Log List

To Print or Export a Log List after your search is complete, right-click within the returned search criteria windows and select your appropriate option. Selecting Print will load your default printer window.

Selecting export will bring up the Export Settings window where users can select their appropriate settings.

Helpful Hint: Test Servers

It is often useful to configure a test server or two along with Concentrators and Frontends on one computer for testing purposes only. Use the testing environment to shut down various components and observe the changes in signal flow. This helps with troubleshooting should you experience problems with your actual monitoring components. Use the Simulate Alarm button only in the testing environment.

Troubleshooting

The following tips may be useful when troubleshooting communication problems with the Concentrator.

• When you choose the Log List button in the Concentrator window, you may search a period of Receiver Log history (on a particular port if you wish). You may right-click on the list of logged signals and choose Export. Then you can put the data into Delphi to aid in troubleshooting.

• If a receiver does not appear to communicate with the Concentrator, ping the receiver to verify communication between the two. Likewise, if two Concentrators do not appear to communicate with each other, ping to verify communication.

• Each receiver requires a unique IP socket number. If two receivers have the same socket number, they will not function properly.

• Concentrator baud rate must match the receiver baud rate.

• If a receiver does not send signals, check the STX and ETX settings in the Erroribs.txt file.

• An incorrect End of Transmission (EOT) character in a signal sent by a receiver may prevent the Concentrator from receiving the signal.

• For problems with a receiver, see the user manual from the receiver manufacturer.

• Ports that are displayed as Offline in the main Concentrator window have not been configured in the concport_xx.txt file.

• When diagnosing problems, it is sometimes helpful to view alarms on a specific receiver. In Manual mode of the Display Alarm window, you can acknowledge each signal manually. (See Getting Alarm Details.)

• In Display Alarm view, "connection refused" means the Frontend is down.

Warning: Remote access accounts cannot ever be logged out. If the remote session is closed, the Concentrator and Frontend will shut down. Be aware of Windows timeout settings on sessions, so that if a user is not connected for a designated period of time, Windows automatically closes the session regardless of any running applications or activity.

Button Functions

The following table displays the buttons, describes the shortcut keys, actions and functionality.

*There are no actions associated with the Concentrator.

Failover Client Connections

Failover client connections are supported via multiple connection endpoints, improving resilience.

Danish ANET Protocol

Danish ANET protocol support was added.

Line-Timeout Restore Handling

Line-timeout restore handling was added.

Modifications and Updates to Concentrator

The following table lists modifications and updates to the Concentrator document.