Installation, System requirements, Front

Hardware Platform 10 Installation Guide

Installation

This chapter explains the installation in detail and along the way it introduces you to some of the concepts important to understand the operation of your controller unit.

System requirements

In order to connect to the controller, you need a valid TCP/IP network connection and a browser. To be complete, it requires:

•10Mbit (10base-T) or 100Mbit (100base-T) network connection with RJ-45 socket

•operating system with TCP/IP protocol stack

•Internet browser

CER International releases firmware updates regularly with enhancements, changes and fixes. Updates may feature new functionality, so it is a good idea to occasionally check the website at http://www.cer.com for new firmware releases.

Getting familiar

In this chapter we describe the connectors of your controller. Depending on the product model all controls are located on the front of the unit, or controls are on both sides:

Front

Ethernet Power

RS232

Serial port

The 9-pin port is used to connect your controller to your serial equipment. The chapter called "Serial Interface" uncovers the details of serial communication and pin-out of the connector.

Ethernet connector

The CER controller is equipped with an Ethernet LAN controller that is fully compliant with IEEE 802.3 10/100Base-T CSMA/CD standards. The Ethernet port provides a standard RJ-45 jack on board. After completion of the startup process, two LED indicators provide information about the status of the network connection. The Green LED (right) indicates that there is a physical connection (link) to the network. The Green LED (left) indicates network activity. It flashes when there is any data on the line; it's not necessarily addressed to the controller.

This connector implements a passive power over Ethernet scheme, using the two unused pairs. More about this can be found in the section ‘Power over Ethernet’ in the next chapter.