EtherGate

ION 7500 / ION 7600 User’s Guide

 

 

EtherGate

A gateway is a network point that acts as an entrance (or gate) to another network. Gateways enable communication between networks, for example Ethernet and RS-485. This technical note describes how to use your ION meter’s Ethernet connection as an EtherGate to transfer data between Ethernet and serial networks.

EtherGate is a powerful communications tool that lets you communicate to a meter and through a meter simultaneously. When a meter installed on the Ethernet network has EtherGate enabled, a master device (such as a workstation running ION Enterprise software) can communicate to the meter, and through the meter to a serial network of devices wired to the meter’s COM port.

Ethernet uses ‘virtual’ ports to create many-port capability for devices on the Ethernet network. Each virtual TCP/IP port specifies which COM port on the gateway meter data is sent, as illustrated below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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ETHG

COM1

COM2

 

Serial

Ethernet

Specifying the TCP/IP Port instructs the ION gateway meter to:

7801—talk through COM1 7802—talk through COM2 7803—talk through COM3 7800—talk through COM2 and COM3

To set up EtherGate, take the following steps:

1.Connect the gateway meter to the Ethernet, and wire the serial network of devices to the meter’s COM port. Perform basic setup on each meter.

Then, using ION Enterprise software:

2.Add an Ethernet device that defines the meter that you have installed on the Ethernet network.

3.Add an Ethernet gateway site to enable Ethergate on the Ethernet device you added in step 2.

4.Add each device on the serial loop to the Ethernet gateway site you added in step 3.

These steps are described in more detail below.

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The ION Meter as an Ethernet Gateway Technical Note

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Image 338
Multi-Tech Systems 7600, 7500 manual EtherGate, Serial Ethernet

7500, 7600 specifications

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