Document Outline

• RocketPort™ Serial Hub Si 4 and 8-Port Hardware Documentation
  • Product Overview
  • What This Document Contains
  • Installing the Mounting Brackets
    • 1. On the bottom panel, remove two of the four screws that hold the box together.
    • 2. Center the bracket over the holes and reinstall the screws.
    • 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the other bracket.
  • Connecting to the Network
    • 1. Record the media access control (MAC) address, model number, and serial number of the RocketPo...
    • 2. Connect the cable from the Ethernet connection (10Base-T) on the RocketPort Serial Hub Si to y...
    • 3. Connect the power adapter cable to the RocketPort Serial Hub Si port labeled POWER. Connect th...
    • 4. Go to the Running the Power On Diagnostics discussion.
  • Running the Power On Diagnostics
    • 1. Turn the power switch to the ON position.
    • 2. Verify that the LEDs for Ports 1 through 4 or 8 (depending on the model) flash briefly after a...
    • 3. Verify that the lower green Ethernet LED remains on to determine that the 10Base-T connection ...
    • 4. Verify that the Port 1 LED is blinking. This indicates that the RocketPort Serial Hub Si is wa...
    • 5. If the port LEDs do not display an error condition and you are planning on configuring the dri...
    • 6. If you have a DHCP environment, you are ready to install and configure the driver. You can fin...
    • 7. After you install and configure the driver, you can connect your serial devices to the RocketP...
  • Adding a Unit to an Existing Installation
    • 1. Install the RocketPort Serial Hub Si to an Ethernet hub or NIC card using the Connecting to th...
    • 2. Power-up the new RocketPort Serial Hub Si and verify that it passes the power-on diagnostics.
    • 3. Configure the driver to support the new RocketPort Serial Hub Si, using the Software Installat...
    • 4. Configure the serial ports to support the serial devices.
    • 5. Connect the serial devices.
    • 6. Shut down and restart the server.
  • “Hot-Swapping” Hardware
    • 1. Power-down the RocketPort Serial Hub Si to be removed from service.
    • 2. Install a new or spare RocketPort Serial Hub Si.
    • 3. Connect the new RocketPort Serial Hub Si to the Ethernet hub or server NIC card.
    • 4. Power-up the new RocketPort Serial Hub Si and verify that it passes the power-on self-test.
    • 5. Change the driver to reflect the MAC or IP address of the new RocketPort Serial Hub Si.
    • 6. Configure any RS-422 or RS-485 ports to match the previous unit.
    • 7. Transfer all cabling from the old RocketPort Serial Hub Si to the new RocketPort Serial Hub Si.
    • 8. Do not shut down and restart the server.
  • Troubleshooting
    • 1. Verify that you are using the correct device driver. Device drivers for the RocketPort Serial ...
    • 2. Verify that the unit is powered on and that the Power LED is lit.
    • 3. Turn the unit’s power switch off and on, while watching the LED diagnostics. For LED informati...
    • 4. Verify that the port polarity is correct. See the Connecting to the Network discussion.
    • 5. Verify that you are using the correct types of cables in the correct places and that all cable...
    • 6. Verify that the Ethernet hub and any other network devices between the server and RocketPort S...
    • 7. To diagnose port failures, use the diagnostic discussed in the Using the Diagnostics discussion.
    • 8. To isolate the unit from the network, use a “crossover” Ethernet cable to connect the unit dir...
    • 9. Verify that the MAC address in the driver matches the address on the RocketPort Serial Hub Si.
    • 10. If using an IP address, verify that the IP address in the driver matches the unique reserved ...
    • 11. Verify that the server can ping the RocketPort Serial Hub Si. If the ping fails, there is an ...
    • 12. See the Software Installation documentation for information on operating system specific trou...
    • 13. If you have a spare RocketPort Serial Hub Si, try “hot-swapping” RocketPort Serial Hub Si uni...
    • 14. Reboot the server.
    • 15. Remove and reinstall the driver.
    • 16. If you are unable to resolve the problem, contact Technical Support.
  • Using the Diagnostics
    • 1. Turn the Power switch to the OFF position.
    • 2. Disconnect the Ethernet cable from the RocketPort Serial Hub Si.
    • 3. If necessary, extract the diagnostic if you downloaded it from the ftp/web or if you are using...
    • 4. Execute the sidiag.exe program in a native MS- DOS® environment.
    • 5. At the first screen, press the B key to start the diagnostic.
    • 6. Connect a null-modem cable from a COM port on a PC (COM1 or COM2) to Port 1 on the RocketPort ...
    • 7. Press the 1 or 2 and Enter keys to represent which COM port on the PC to which you are connected.
    • 8. Press the 4 or 8 and Enter keys to represent the number of ports that the RocketPort Serial Hu...
    • 9. Optionally, test the ports that use RS-422 or RS- 485 mode.
      • a. Select a port number (2 through 4 or 8) that you want to test for RS-422 or RS-485 and press t...
      • b. Select the appropriate mode (it is not necessary to press the Enter key).
    • 10. Press the A and Enter keys after selecting the appropriate mode for each port or to test all ...
    • 11. Plug the loopback plug (RS-232 or RS-422) or the loopback cable (RS-485) into Port 2.
    • 12. Turn the RocketPort Serial Hub Si Power switch to the ON position and wait for the Port 1 LED...
    • 13. Press any key after the Port 1 LED starts to blink.
    • 14. Follow the directions on the screen when the diagnostic directs you to move the loopback plug...
  • Using the IP Configurator Utility
    • 1. Turn the Power switch to the OFF position.
    • 2. Disconnect the Ethernet cable from the RocketPort Serial Hub Si.
    • 3. If necessary, extract the diagnostic if you downloaded it from the ftp/web or if you are using...
    • 4. Execute the sidiag.exe program in a native MS- DOS® environment.
    • 5. At the first screen, press the A key and Enter to start the IP Configurator utility.
    • 6. Connect a null-modem cable from a COM port on a PC (COM1 or COM2) to Port 1 on the RocketPort ...
    • 7. Press the 1 or 2 and Enter keys to represent which COM port on the PC to which you are connected.
    • 8. Turn the RocketPort Serial Hub Si Power switch to the ON position and wait for the Port 1 LED ...
    • 9. Press any key after the Port 1 LED starts to blink.
    • 10. Press the 1 key, enter the unique reserved IP number, and press the Enter key.
    • 11. Press the 2 key, enter the IP mask number, and press the Enter key.
    • 12. Press the 3 key, enter the IP gateway number, and press the Enter key.
    • 13. Optionally, configure the SNMP entries.
    • 14. After configuring all required fields, press the s key to save and exit or the x key to exit ...
    • 15. If you saved the configuration, verify that the IP Configurator utility responds with an OK f...
    • 16. Use the Software Installation documentation or the device driver readme file to install and c...
    • 17. After you install and configure the driver, you can connect your serial devices to the Rocket...
  • Diagnostic and IP Configurator Error Messages
    • 1. The COM port selected in the utility did not match the physical COM port on the PC.
    • 2. The cable between Port 1 on the RocketPort Serial Hub Si and the PC COM port is incorrect.
    • 3. The cable is not plugged into Port 1.
    • 4. The RocketPort Serial Hub Si power was not turned off and then on before running the utility.
    • 5. Port 1 is failing and the utility can not communicate. The Port 1 LED is also lit to indicate ...
    • 1. The loopback cable between the two ports is incorrect.
    • 2. The cable was not connected to the correct ports.
    • 3. Hardware in one of the ports is failing.
  • Connecting Devices
    • 1. Connect your devices to Ports 1 through 4 or 8 (depending on the model), for each RocketPort S...
    • 2. Install or reconfigure the driver using the Software Installation documentation or the driver ...
  • Building an Ethernet Crossover Cable
  • DB9 Connector Pinouts
  • Building Null-Modem Cables
  • Building Straight-Through Cables
  • Building Additional Loopback Plugs
  • Hardware Specifications
  • Notices
    • Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) (FCC 15.105)
    • Labeling Requirements (FCC 15.19)
    • Modifications (FCC 15.21)
    • Serial Cables (FCC 15.27)
    • Underwriters Laboratory
    • Important Safety Information
  • Technical Support
    • Trademark Notices