The first real IP Door Controller

A PowerNet Door-Controller offers several I/O options for triggering to/from 3rd party devices or systems;

Using the TTL output pins

The TTL1 and TTL2 pins are logical output pins. In their “normal” state, there is a 5V potential on the pins. When the pins “activate”, this voltage potential is removed.

These pins are typically used to connect to an alarm system. Certain abnormal conditions of the reader-controller can be configured to activate these pins.

An example would be having TTL2 activate when the door is held open too long.

See the Crystal Access Software manual for more information on the usage of these pins.

Using a PowerNet's RS-232 Input

The RS-232 signal leads can be connected to an external device that will pass a credential ID to the PowerNet.

The most common usage is:

• To pass in a 2 to 9 character long ASCII data string.
• Only Numeric ASCII values are allowed in the string (“0” to “9”).
• Delimiter characters are typically used at the beginning and/or end of the message.

The serial connection’s default configuration is:

• 9600 Baud (Adjustable w/ PlugNPlay [9600, 19200, 38400,57600])
• 8 Data Bits
• N Parity (Adjustable w/ PlugNPlay [N, E, O]
• 1 Stop Bit
• N Hardware flow control

NetNodes KnowledgeBase Library: KB1020

ISONAS Crystal software communicates to the Reader-controller units over the organization’s data network.

There are many Ethernet network topology permutations, too many topologies to cover in this article. Here are two common Ethernet configurations used by ISONAS customers:

Direct Server-to-Readers

This is the simplest type of network connection. ISONAS Crystal software runs on a server/workstation that is connected to an Ethernet network.

All of the Reader-controllers are also directly connected to this network.

Addressing: Each reader’s assigned IP address is reachable from the

server/workstation. For example, assume that you are installing three Reader-controllers. Two are located in your own Austin Texas office, and one is located in the company’s Singapore office. Your networking staff gives you three IP addresses to use; 205.155.45.130 and 205.155.45.131 for the Readers that are located in your office; 205.172.37.130 for the reader located in the Singapore office.

As long as the network is configured so your workstation can reach all three reader-controllers, there is no difference in configuring or using the three readers.

Here are a couple guidelines to follow to assure that your network’s configuration will support the ISONAS access system.

1. The ISONAS reader-controller is a standard “network device”. Standard TCP/IP rules apply.
2. For many installations, each reader-controller is assigned a static IP address. Typically, the network administrator will define which IP address to use.
3. The reader-controller’s IP Address should be a valid IP address for the network-subnet that the reader-controller is physically connected to.
4. If the reader-controller’s IP Address must be changed, then the ISONAS tool “Plug and Play” can be used to reset the IP Address. See the Crystal Matrix Software Users Guide for more details on using this tool. Note: Plug and Play requires that the workstation running the Plug and Play application and the reader-controller be physically connected to the same network subnet.
5. The host’s IP Address should be a valid IP address for the network-subnet that the host is physically connected to.
6. If the host and reader-controller are on different subnets, then a network router must be in place to enable TCP/IP communications between the two subnets.
7. One definition of a “Network subnet” is: The set of network connections that can communicate with each other without having to go through a network router.

Using Port Forwarding to reach the Readers

This is common on networks where the available number of IP addresses is limited. It can also be used when the ISONAS software must communicate with Reader-controllers on another site that is behind a network firewall.

As in the first topology, ISONAS Crystal software runs on a server/workstation that is connected to a Ethernet network. The readers are connected to a network, but because of the design of the network, the readers can not be directly reached from the workstation/server. A router is between the server/workstation and the readers. The router is configured to implement Port Forwarding. The router will intercept and redirect the IP communications to enable the server/workstation to communicate with the Readers. This configuration allows you to connect many Readers without consuming the primary network’s IP address allotment.

Addressing: Each reader-controller unit is assigned an IP address compatible with its local network (not the server/workstation network). For example, assume the reader’s local network uses IP addresses in the range of 192.168.10.2 – 192.168.10.254. In this example, assume that the Server/workstation has an IP address of 84.117.31.158.

Port Addressing: Port forwarding is a function of Routers, when using this configuration the ISONAS software does not need the IP address of each reader-controller, it just needs the Port number associated with each reader; however, the software does need the IP address of the Router.

Configuring the ISONAS software is easy, you simply define an ‘IP address’ with the address of the Router (in this example it is 84.117.31.16), then each reader is given a unique Port number assignment under that server.

Here is an example of the ISONAS Network screen for the above configuration:

Port Forwarding requires steps outside of the ISONAS software; you must configure your Router to “forward” each port number to exactly one reader. This configuration is specific to the Router that you purchase and will be defined in the vendor’s documentation. Typically the configuration is labeled “port forwarding”; however it is sometimes referred to as “gaming options.”

When using Port Addressing, it will also be necessary to configure each of the Reader-controllers to have the proper IP address and to use the correct Port number. Changing the IP addresses and port number for the reader- controller is easily accomplished using the ISONAS Plug and Play application