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LAVA Ether Link Manager & Firewalls

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:09:36 +0000

Enabling Access to the LAVA Ether-Link Manager
======================================

If you are able to verify network connectivity to your Ether-Serial Link (either through being able to PING the device, or to open the device's interface in a web browser), but are unable to see the device in the LAVA Ether Link Manager application, you most likely are dealing with a firewall that is blocking access.

This difficulty results because the LAVA Ether Link Manager detects LAVA Ether Serial Links using the UDP protocol, not the TCP that is used with PING or a web browser.

To quickly verify that a firewall is indeed the blockage, temporarily turn off your firewall and attempt to connect using the LAVA Ether Link Manager. If you can, then re-enable your firewall and make a specific exception in the firewall permissions to allow the LAVA Ether Link Manager to talk to the LAVA Ether-Serial Link.

Note that a couple of complications can arise: first, some firewalls will repeatedly turn themselves on even when they have been turned off by a user. For this reason, as well as for general security, LAVA does not recommend turning off a firewall as a long-term solution to enabling LAVA Ether-Link Manager access to a LAVA Ether-Serial Link.

Second, it is sometimes the case that a system has dual firewalls active, as for example when a Windows firewall is active, and a second firewall has been put in place by an antivirus package. In cases of more than one firewall, blockages created by all firewalls will need to be cleared for access to occur.

When configuring firewalls, the following information may be useful:

The LAVA Ether-Serial Link driver uses the following ports:
4099 for UDP (during driver setup; this port is fixed)
4098 for COM port 1 (this is a configurable default)
4097 for COM port 2 (this is a configurable default)
4096 for COM port 3, etc., all configurable

The LAVA Ether Link Manager application uses the following:
port 4101 for UDP detection of LAVA Ether-Serial Links
broadcasts to a destination IP address (to the LAVA Ether-Serial Link)
use of directed MAC addresses (again, to the LAVA Ether-Serial Link)

Once connection is established using the LAVA Ether Link Manager, COM ports can be activated. Please note that the LAVA Ether Link Manager must be run with Windows "Administrator" permissions to activate ports, although they will be visible in the Manager with non-administrative permissions.

If for some reason configuring the firewall is not working to enable the LAVA Ether Link Manger to access an Ether-Serial Link and activate its ports, or if the firewall cannot be adjusted, ports can nonetheless be activated using the LAVA Ether-Link Manager's WAN Activation feature.

Unsigned Ether-Serial Link drivers & Windows Verifier in Win 2000 & XP

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:15:03 +0000

Ether-Serial Link Driver Mode interaction with Microsoft's "Verifier" in Windows 2000/XP

General: This note applies to Ether-Serial Link™ serial ports operating in DRIVER mode.

EVENT: Interaction between the Ether-Serial Link™ and Microsoft's driver verifier software may cause a blue screen system crash. This event will be encountered when accessing or sending data to a serial port enumerated under an Ether-Serial Link™.

COMMENTS: The Windows 2000/XP Verifier utility may have settings enabled to verify signed/unsigned drivers. The serial drivers used by the Ether-Serial Link™ are compatible with Windows 2000/XP, but are not “signed” by Microsoft. Therefore, to prevent system crashes, disable the Verifier settings, and re-boot the PC for the new settings take effect.

RECOMMENDED CORRECTIVE ACTION: Update your drivers to the newest set, which are signed by Microsoft.

CORRECTIVE ACTION FOR THOSE CONTINUING TO USE OLD DRIVERS: Disable the Verifier settings as follows:

1. Go to START. In the "Run..." dialog, enter “verifier” and select "OK". The Verifier application will appear with a selection of options.

2. Disable settings, and exit from the Verifier. You can confirm on-screen that the settings have been disabled. HOWEVER, you MUST reboot the PC for the new settings to take effect.

3. Reboot the system, then re-check that the Verifier settings have been disabled.

7-bit to 8-bit serial conversion (among others)

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:20:54 +0000

You can easily convert RS-232 from one port configuration to another using serial device servers (LAVA Ether-Serial Links).

Baud rate, parity, stop bits, etc are all easily translated.

http://lavalink.com/2011/12/using-the-et...converter/

Control your TV with RS-232

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:16:52 +0000

Hackers and hobbyists have been having fun controlling their TVs over the RS-232 serial interface found on a number of TVs.

http://lavalink.com/2011/12/rs-232-remot...levisions/

peek inside an LG TV and you might find Linux. Access commands and features not available in the stock consumer interface. And control your TV over your home network using a LAVA Ether-Serial Link.

Piping DOS over Ethernet

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:12:07 +0000

It's easy using the LAVA Ether-Serial Link [serial device server].

http://lavalink.com/2011/12/piping-dos-over-ethernet/

Inside the LAVA S3/4 ASIC: parallel internals

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:09:34 +0000

The LAVA S3/4 ASIC is the latest form of the bridging hardware found on many LAVA products, providing a bridge to RS-232 serial and IEEE 1284 parallel ports.

The schematic for the parallel port portion of this chip is here:

http://lavalink.com/2011/12/an-inside-lo...allel-pci/

Sometimes a parallel port is just the thing

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:05:12 +0000

This blog post covers some compelling reasons why the IEEE 1284 Parallel port is sometimes the perfect interface:

http://lavalink.com/2012/02/parallel-por...ma-cutter/

In a nutshell:

strong resistance to electrical noise
robust cabling
positive locking connectors
bi-directionality of the sort needed by servo motors

Installing Parallel-PCIe in CentOS 5.7

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:18:08 +0000

Installation of our Parallel PCIe and Parallel PCIe/LP cards does occur automatically in CentOS 5.7, so in order to install these PCIe cards you will need to issue several commands from the terminal.

However, before we issue those commands we will need to determine the IO Address and IRQ assigned to the PCIe card. This can be done by executing the lspci command.

Code:

lspci -vk

The lspci command probes the PCI and PCIe buses, displaying extensive information on all hardware detected. In our case we are looking for an entry similar to the following:

Code:

04:00.2 Parallel controller: NetMos Technology PCIe 9901 Multi-I/O Controller (prog-if 03 [IEEE1284])

    Subsystem: Lava Computer mfg Inc Device 8000

    Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, [u]IRQ 9[/u]

    [u]I/O ports at 1000 [size=8][/u]

    I/O ports at 1008 [size=4]

    Memory at 50001000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4K]

    Memory at 50000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4K]

    Capabilities: [80] Power Management version 3

    Capabilities: [88] MSI: Enable- Count=1/32 Maskable- 64bit+

    Capabilities: [c0] Express Legacy Endpoint, MSI 00

    Capabilities: [100] Power Budgeting 

    Capabilities: [200] Device Serial Number 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-00

From this entry we can easily see that our card is located at IO Address 0x1000 and IRQ 9.

With this information we can install our card using the following commands.

Code:

modprobe -r lp

modprobe -r parport_pc

modprobe parport_pc io=0x1000 irq=9

modprobe lp

Once all the commands have been executed an lp# entry should be created in the /dev/ folder.

For example:

Code:

ls /dev/lp*

will return:

Code:

/dev/lp0

Alternatively, to have the the port created at boot you could also modify the /etc/modprobe.conf file by adding the following line:

Code:

options parport_pc io=0x1000 irq=9

This will append the IO Address and IRQ of our PCIe everytime the parport_pc module is loaded, forcing the creation of a port associated with our Parallel PCIe card.

Removing Win XP Ether-Serial Link drivers mistakenly installed in Win7

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:44:06 +0000

Cleaning Windows 7 due to ESL XP driver Install:
------------------------------------------------

1. Open "Regedit" in Windows.

2. Expand to open to - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Enum/Root/

3. Under this you may see EBD1407. Delete that. You may need to change the permissions
to allow Full Control to Everyone.

4. Expand to open to - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Services/

5. Under this you may see LSerial. Delete that. You may need to change the permissions
to allow Full Control to Everyone.

6. Reboot 2-3 times (this is due to the keys not being updated right away in Windows 7.

7. You can now install and activate with the proper Windows 7 Manager/Driver.

Win7 uncertified drivers: LAVA USB-Serial Link

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:39:00 +0000

Placing Windows 7 into Test Mode and Cert'ing Driver
----------------------------------------------------

1. Go to: http://www.ngohq.com/home.php?page=dseo

2. In the middle section of the web page you will see
"Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider 1.3b". Scroll to the bottom
of that and click "Download". In the same basic spot on the next
screen, choose "Agree" to download the app.

3. Run the app and follow the "Next"s to the main screen with radio buttons.

4. Choose the "Enable Test Mode" and click "Next". It will mention to
reboot. Choose the "Exit" radio button and hit "Next".

5. Shut down the computer and attach the USB-Serial Link.

6. Boot back up the computer.

7. Install the device regularly. It will complain about the drivers not
being signed.

8. Re-run the Driver Signature application and choose "Sign a System File" and hit "Next".

9. In the box, type "c:\windows\system32\drivers\mos24ser_QUADPORT.sys". "Next" through,
and exit the application.

10. Reboot and when it comes back up, the ports should be installed and working.

Win7 uncertified drivers: LAVA PCIe serial cards

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:38:09 +0000

Placing Windows 7 into Test Mode and Cert'ing Driver
----------------------------------------------------

1. Go to: http://www.ngohq.com/home.php?page=dseo

2. In the middle section of the web page you will see
"Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider 1.3b". Scroll to the bottom
of that and click "Download". In the same basic spot on the next
screen, choose "Agree" to download the app.

3. Run the app and follow the "Next"s to the main screen with radio buttons.

4. Choose the "Enable Test Mode" and click "Next". It will mention to
reboot. Choose the "Exit" radio button and hit "Next".

5. Shut down the computer and put in the PCIe card.

6. Boot back up the computer.

7. Install the card regularly. It will complain about the drivers not
being signed.

8. Re-run the Driver Signature application and choose "Sign a System File" and hit "Next".

9. In the box, type "c:\windows\system32\drivers\sports.sys". "Next" through,
and exit the application.

10. Reboot and when it comes back up, the ports should be installed and working.

Win7 uncertified drivers: LAVA PCIe serial-parallel cards [combo cards]

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:37:08 +0000

Placing Windows 7 into Test Mode and Cert'ing Driver
----------------------------------------------------

1. Go to: http://www.ngohq.com/home.php?page=dseo

2. In the middle section of the web page you will see
"Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider 1.3b". Scroll to the bottom
of that and click "Download". In the same basic spot on the next
screen, choose "Agree" to download the app.

3. Run the app and follow the "Next"s to the main screen with radio buttons.

4. Choose the "Enable Test Mode" and click "Next". It will mention to
reboot. Choose the "Exi"t radio button and hit "Next".

5. Shut down the computer and put in the PCIe card.

6. Boot back up the computer.

7. Install the card regularly. It will complain about the drivers not
being signed.

8. Re-run the Driver Signature application and choose "Sign a System File" and hit "Next".

9. In the box, type "c:\windows\system32\drivers\sports.sys". "Next" through,
and exit the application.

10. Do the same as steps 8-9, except instead of sports.sys, put pports.sys

11. Reboot and when it comes back up, the ports should be installed and working.

Win7 uncertified drivers: LAVA PCIe parallel cards

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:36:01 +0000

Placing Windows 7 into Test Mode and Cert'ing Driver
----------------------------------------------------

1. Go to: http://www.ngohq.com/home.php?page=dseo

2. In the middle section of the web page you will see
"Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider 1.3b". Scroll to the bottom
of that and click "Download". In the same basic spot on the next
screen, choose "Agree" to download the app.

3. Run the app and follow the "Next"s to the main screen with radio buttons.

4. Choose the "Enable Test Mode" and click "Next". It will mention to
reboot. Choose the "Exit" radio button and hit "Next".

5. Shut down the computer and put in the PCIe card.

6. Boot back up the computer.

7. Install the card regularly. It will complain about the drivers not
being signed.

8. Re-run the Driver Signature application and choose "Sign a System File" and hit "Next".

9. In the box, type "c:\windows\system32\drivers\pports.sys". "Next" through,
and exit the application.

10. Reboot and when it comes back up, the ports should be installed and working.

Win7 uncertified drivers: LAVA Ether-Serial Link

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:34:45 +0000

Placing Windows 7 into Test Mode and Cert'ing Driver
----------------------------------------------------

1. Go to: http://www.ngohq.com/home.php?page=dseo

2. In the middle section of the web page you will see
"Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider 1.3b". Scroll to the bottom
of that and click "Download". In the same basic spot on the next
screen, choose "Agree" to download the app.

3. Run the app and follow the "Next"s to the main screen with radio buttons.

4. Choose the "Enable Test Mode" and click "Next". It will mention to
reboot. Choose the "Exit" radio button and hit "Next".

5. F8 boot the computer and choose "Disable driver signing enforcement"

6. Run Lava Manager as administrator.

7. Create any required COM ports.

8. Re-run the Driver Signature application and choose "Sign a System File" and hit "Next".

9. In the box, type "c:\windows\system32\drivers\LEBD1407ESLW764.sys". "Next" through,
and exit the application.

10. Reboot and when it comes back up, the ports should be installed and working.

Polling Cash Registers: HQ-ST Link & Quiznos

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:55:20 +0000

Quiznos polls all its stores from its corporate office in Denver, Colorado. NEC's RS-Connect software is used to poll Quiznos's Q-POS store devices, slightly modified NEC 4000 ECRs. While this provides essential centralized visibility, it also means a significant investment in polling infrastructure. By eliminating modems from their polling operation wherever Internet connectivity exists, Quiznos has reduced the need for a pool of modems at its corporate office.

Instead, their corporate office is now equipped with LAVA HQ Plus-126 devices, each monitoring up to 100 store locations, allowing room for expansion on each HQ Plus. Their HQ Plus devices are identified by geographical territory, because Quiznos polls at night when their stores are closed, in various time zones.

The full details are here:
http://www.lavalinknews.info/quiznos-inc...io-part-1/

Using ESL to capture SMDR from Ethernet Enabled PBX

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:53:18 +0000

I've got an ethernet based PBX sending SMDR (Station Message Detail Recording) data out onto our LAN. I need to be able to collect the data through a program that is monitoring the DB9 com port on my PC.

Is it possible to configure the ESL to accept a connection and convert raw data received from the PBX to serial on the DB9 side?

Writing to ESL COM Port from Command Line or Batch Files

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 21:56:13 +0000

I'm currently writing to a bank of TV Screens via an RS-232 connection and a simple batch script, that is executed from the command prompt in Windows XP.

I'm piping the data out of the Serial Port, located on the Motherboard, to the TVs by way of the following command:

type cmdlist.txt >> COM1

I was hoping to get past the distance limitations by connecting to the TVs via Ethernet.

Does anyone know if the ESL is capable to sending data to the Virtual COM ports though batch programming?

Power jumpers on the LAVA Ether-Serial Link RJ-45 serial port

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:49:36 +0000

Jumpering Pin #10 on the Ether-Serial Link RJ-45 serial port connector

General:

Ether-Serial Link devices have an RJ-45 10-pin connector with a jumper-selectable power input/output option at Pin #10. A jumper is located on the interface board (I/F board), to the right of the RJ-45 10-pin connector, to configure this pin.

Jumper pin connections (viewed looking onto the component side)

Pin #10 can be used to supply power to serial devices attached to the RJ-45 serial port, or to supply power to the Ether-Serial Link through the serial port.
Pin #10 is separately jumpered for each RJ-45 connector on the Ether-Serial Link. Consequently, each port can be configured independently of the others.

Jumper settings:

Four jumpering options are possible:

[ no jumper ]

This is the factory default jumper setting. When the connector is unjumpered, Pin #10 is unconnected.

[ DC ]

When the jumper is in this position, Pin #10 is connected to the power input pcb trace. Three scenarios for configuring Pin #10 for DC power exist:

1. Power can be supplied to the Ether-Serial Link via the DIN connector. In this case, the input voltage (after the diode) is present at Pin #10. Voltage can be drawn from Pin #10 to power some external equipment that is connected to the RJ-45 10-pin connector. When drawing power from a multi-port Ether-Serial Link, consider the total possible power draw of the external equipment being connected and powered.
Note: The DIN power input has a protective input diode connected in series with the center pin of its connector (as diagrammed above). The cathode of the diode is connected to the power input pcb trace.

2. Power can be supplied to the Ether-Serial Link via Pin #10 of the RJ-45 connector. If no voltage is supplied to the DIN connector, power can be supplied via Pin #10 to the ESL. Careful consideration must be given to the implications of supplying power to the system in this manner. Consult Lava Engineering before attempting this configuration.
Note: Pin #10 does not have a protective input diode connected to its connector.

3. Power can be supplied to the Ether-Serial Link via both Pin #10 of the RJ-45 connector and the DIN connector at the same time. If voltage is supplied both at the DIN connector and at Pin #10 (i.e.: battery back-up), current to power the Ether-Serial Link (150-200ma) will be drawn from the higher-voltage source. Careful consideration must be given to the implications of supplying power to the system in this manner. Consult Lava Engineering before attempting this configuration.
Note: Pin #10 does not have a protective input diode connected to its connector.

[ GND ]

When the jumper is in this position, Pin #10 is connected to the Ether-Serial Link common ground.

[ +5V ]

When the jumper is in this position, Pin #10 is connected to the output of the +5 volt internal power regulator circuit.
Voltage of +5 VDC can be accessed by an external device (current limited to 500 ma. max.)
If the internal power regulator circuit is not installed, then a +5 regulated voltage can be supplied to the Ether-Serial Link at Pin #10.

Resetting LAVA Ether-Serial Links to factory defaults

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:46:16 +0000

LAVA Ether-serial links can be easily reset to factory defaults using the following methods:

Software reset to factory defaults
----------------------------------
The LAVA Ether-Serial Link can be reset to factory defaults using the Ether-Link Manager application, provided the administrative password to the device is known. Resetting the device to factory defaults will remove all user-configured settings, including port and network settings, access restrictions, and passwords.

To reset the LAVA Ether-Serial Link using the Ether-Link Manager, right-click on the device icon in the "My Ether Link Network" side of the Manager, and from the pop-up menu that appears, choose "Reset device".

Hardware reset to factory defaults
----------------------------------
The hardware reset does the same thing as the software reset. It is useful when the password to the device is not known or the device is locked up and cannot be successfully restarted by cycling its power. As with the software method of factory reset, resetting the device to factory defaults using a hardware reset will remove all user-configured settings, including port and network settings, access restrictions, and passwords.

To reset the LAVA Ether-Serial Link using a hardware reset:

1) Disconnect power from the device.
2) Turn the device upside down and remove the four black screws that hold the enclosure shut.
3) Remove the lid of the enclosure.
4) On the main board of the device, locate the jumper marked "J15". Notes:
- 1) Do not use the jumper pair identified as "RST".
- 2) On the 1, 2, and 4 port LAVA Ether-Serial Links these jumper pairs are slightly separate and separately identified. On the 8 and 16 port LAVA Ether-Serial Links J15 and RST are located together but are separately identified.
5) Short the two pins of jumper pair J15 with either a jumper, a screwdriver, or other metallic conductor.
6) Leaving the pins shorted, power up the device. Allow 20 seconds for a full power-up cycle.
7) Disconnect power from the device.
8) Remove the jumper short.
9) Replace the enclosure lid and reinsert the four screws.
10) Power up the device. It will now be reset to factory defaults.

The LAVA card is half detected

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:43:36 +0000

This problem is particularly puzzling when it crops up. The LAVA card installs correctly (or appears to install correctly), and yet not all the ports operate. Typically people will then test their cables, look at their port settings, wonder whether the connector is broken, swap peripherals between the working and not working ports, and question their sanity. Rather than pulling out your hair, check with LAVA Technical Support. This might again be a hardware incompatibility between the motherboard and the add-in card. With information on the computer's BIOS, motherboard chipset, and LAVA card version, we can usually tackle this problem successfully.