Raritan II User Manual

Contents

APPENDIX E: USING AUATC FOR RS-232 A CCESS 71Appendix E: Using AUATC for RS-232 AccessIntroduction to the AUATCTo use your Paragon II system to access a CPU or other device through an RS-232 port, attach one of ourRS-232 serial CIMs (product code AUATC) to the device’s serial port as described in the first section ofthis Appendix. The AUATC is designed to emulate an ASCII terminal, converting keyboard input to RS-232 data input and converting RS-232 data output for display on a VGA monitor. This conversion allowsany device that can be accessed by an ASCII terminal to be operated with a user station attached to yourParagon system, across an end-to-end distance of up to 1000 ft. (305 m) as opposed to the normal RS-232maximum of 50 ft. (15 m).Here are some of the AUATC’s useful features:• It maintains eight pages of data in a circular buffer.• In its Buffer Edit Mode, you can edit data, copy it, mark it, and/or resend it to the server or otherdevice.• In its On-Line Mode, you can operate the ASCII device as if it were attached to a text terminal.• It has twelve programmable keys for frequently performed character-string commands.• You can directly attach a local PS/2 or Sun user station (keyboard and monitor) if necessary.Installing the AUATCTake these steps to attach an AUATC to the serial port of a server CPU or other device and to your Paragonsystem:1. Run an appropriate cable from the AUATC’s DB25 female DTE connector to the device’s serial port.The type of cable will depend on what type of connector the port is and whether it’s pinned as DTE(for a data source/destination such as a CPU) or DCE (for a data-communicating device such as amodem). Here are the product codes of some cables we recommend if the port is:a. DB9 male DTE (most PCs, some routers, etc.)b. DB25 male DTE (some older PCs, routers, etc.)c. DB25 female DCE (many external modems, etc.)If the device has some other type of serial port, call Raritan Technical Support.2. If you need temporary “crash cart” access or permanent local control, you can attach a local userstation (consisting of a keyboard and VGA monitor only) to the AUATC. The user station’s keyboardcan be either be PS/2 or Sun type; a Sun keyboard will require a special setting in the Setup Screen.To install a local user station, plug a PS/2 keyboard into the AUATC’s 6-pin mini-DIN connector, or aSun keyboard into its 8-pin mini-DIN connector. Plug a VGA monitor into the AUATC’s HD15connector.Note: This local station will contend for keyboard control with the remote user stations attached toParagon User Stations based on a fixed one-second activity timeout. As soon as there has been nokeyboard activity from the local station for one second, a remote station can take keyboard control, andvice versa.3. Plug in and turn on the device. If possible, set it to communicate at 9600 bps, 8 data bits, no parity, and1 stop bit. (These don’t have to be the permanent serial settings, but the device must be set this way toestablish initial communication with the AUATC; later you can configure both the device and theAUATC to better settings. If the device can’t be configured for these settings, you’ll need totemporarily attach a CPU or other device that can be.)4. Plug the AUATC’s power supply into the AUATC and a working AC outlet. If the AUATC is installedand operating properly, the AUATC’s green LED will start blinking: once per second while the CIM isidle, more quickly while it’s passing data in either direction.5. Connect one end of a CAT5 UTP cable to the RJ-45 port on the AUATC. Connect the other end of thecable to RJ-45 channel port #1 on the back of one of your Paragon Base Units, or to the RJ-45 port onthe back of a User Station if you want Direct Mode access (see Appendix B: User Station DirectMode for additional information).If the CIM is installed properly and the attached device or port is configured correctly, you are ready tostart using the P2CIM-PS2 for your serial communication.