Required Level : Professional
Required Version : 3.07 or later
Clocks are usually attached to a computer via the Communications
port. (This port has many names including the Serial port, COM
port or RS232 Port.) But what happens if the clock cannot be directly
attached to the PC? Then you have to find another way to connect
the clock to the TNA 4 program.
This document discusses connecting it via a piece of software
called NetPort.
How
to check if TCP/IP is Installed on Your Computer
How to
Install TCP/IP on your computer
What is the IP number of your machine
NetPort Options Explained
NetPort allows one computer to use the Com port on another computer.
So long as the two computers are connected via a TCP/IP network,
then NetPort can make connecting in this way very easy.
As you can see in the above diagram, the Computer running TNA
4 connects to the computer running NetPort via the TCP/IP Network.
And the computer running NetPort connects to the clock(s) in
the normal way via the COM port.
There is no limit to the number of machines that can be running
NetPort, so you can connect to a number of different computers
using this technique.
You can attach up to 250 clocks and controllers to each COM port
in the usual way.
Tip : Before you begin moving
the clock to the remote computer, it is a good idea to first configure
it by attaching it directly to the TNA 4 computer. This will
save quite a bit of effort later on. To do this;
A) Make sure the Server module on the computer is running.
B) Open the Hardware module and select Devices
from the Setup menu.
C) Connect the clock to the computer's COM port using the cable
provided.
D) Wait until the computer detects and addresses the clock. The
clock display will change when this happens.
E) Once the Comms activity (as reported in the Configuration Module)
has returned to Polling then the clock can be unplugged
from the PC.
F) If you are connecting more than one clock then repeat steps
C through E until all the clocks have been addressed, and configured.
There are 2 parts to the configuration. Part 1 is installing
and configuring NetPort on the remote computer. Part 2 is configuring
the settings in the hardware module so that it can use that computer.
Note that you will need TNA 4 Professional Level to make use
of NetPort.
You will find the NetPort install on your TNA 4 CD. If you don't
have your CD handy then you can download NetPort from the Downloads
page.
The Install file is called NetPortSetup.Exe. Run this Exe on
the Remote computer to install NetPort.
After installing NetPort you can set it running by going to the
Start Menu, to Programs, CapeSoft, NetPort
and then choosing NetPort.
Tip : The install will have
added a NetPort shortcut to the Start-Menu. So another way to
start NetPort for the first time is simply to reboot the computer.
When NetPort is running on the computer then it appears as a
small icon in the system tray. For Example;
If you click on this Icon with your mouse then you'll see the
NetPort Options window.
All the options will be set to suitable defaults once NetPort
is installed. If you would like to learn more about the various
advanced features of NetPort then see the article NetPort
Options Explained
Advanced Tip to NetWork Manager
: If you are connecting to this computer via a FireWall then you
will need to open the FireWall for the Base Port. You will also
need to open an additional port of BasePort+1 for which is used
for the data.
You will need 4 pieces of information about this computer
so that you can correctly configure TNA 4.
1) The IP number of the Computer. If you're not sure how to get
the IP number of the computer then see the article
What is the
IP number of your machine
2) The Base Port number that NetPort is running on. (By default
this is port number 6385).
3) The COM port that the clocks are attached to.
4) The Device Number of the clock. The easiest way to know this
is simply to turn the power to the clock off and on again. On
start-up the clock displays as the Device number on the screen.
This will be a number from 1 to 255.
The second part of the process is configuring the TNA 4 program
to use this remote port. This is done in the Configuration module.
Select Clocks from the Setup / Clocks menu.
Now highlight the device with the same number as in (4) above
and click on the Change button. Select the Connection
settings option.
On this screen enter the items of information collected above.
-
The IP of Clock is the IP number of the remote computer
as noted in (1) above
-
The IP Port Number is the NetPort Base Port as noted
in (2) above.
-
And the Clock Port is the Com port that you noted in
(3) above.
-
Also since you're using NetPort tick on the option IP Connection
via NetPort.
Click on OK when you've finished entering the details
for the Clock.
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