LonWorks Ethernet Adapter

Features

• Connect LonWorks networks to TCP/IP Ethernet networks for commercial, industrial, residential and utility applications

• LAN<=>LON 100% transparent data-flow transfer

• Ethernet:

  • 10MBaseT Ethernet interface

  • Static or acquired IP address

  • Capable of process at least 160 packets per seconds

• LonWorks

  • Twisted pair (TP/FT-10, TP/XF-1250 and TP/XF-78) LonWorks channel support

  • Virtual SLTA-10 or SLTA LonWorks network interface

  • LNS (NSI) or LonManager API (MIP) support

• Up to 255 adapters could be connect to one PC

• Network drivers for Windows and Linux available

• Local or remote configuration, monitor and control support

• Optional password protection

• DIN-rail mounting

Overview

ETHLON, LonWorks Ethernet Adapter, is a high-performance LonWorks interface for use with laptop, desktop or embedded computers equipped with a TCP/IP interface and a compatible operating system, relays the data between its Ethernet port and the LonWorks port, though TCP/IP and LonWorks work in a completely different ways. Designed for use in LonWorks control network that require local or remote host to monitor, manage, or diagnose the network, ETHLON is the ideal way to gain central remote access to several control systems while still using the same software your LonWorks system was designed for. By extending LonWorks access over Internet Protocol (IP), ETHLON acts as a directly replacement for a LonTalk Serial Adapter such as an SLTA-10 or SLTA, establishing remote access without any major software changes.

(a) Conventional Approach	(b) ETHLON Solution

ETHLON is a VSLA (Virtual Serial LonTalk Adapter) device, redirects Ethernet as a virtual serial port, and recognized as a Serial LonTalk Adapter by LonWorks system. VSLA device uses the VSDP (Virtual Serial Port Driver) to create a number of virtual serial ports on the PC - one per ETHLON you want to address. Each port works exactly like a normal hardware port but in reality reroutes the data via the TCP/IP network. With the VSDP installed you can continue to use your existing LonWorks applications as if one Echelon's SLTA-10 (or SLTA) was attached to your PC's serial port. So you could use standard drivers of SLTA or SLTA-10 and SLTALink from Echelon which are accepted by all LonWorks users with universal virtual serial port driver which are widely accepted by IT world, while all existing LonWorks software do not need any modify. Up to 255 devices could be connected to ONE PC running LNS/LonManager Server.

ETHLON utilizes a UDP/IP protocol for LAN communications. The UDP/IP is a simple protocol that is supported by any standard TCP/IP networking including the Internet. There are also several settings that can cause a UDP packet to be sent depending on the amount of data already found in the LonWorks buffer or the delay in the arrival of LonWorks data. Note: It is important to understand the difference between the data packet and UDP packet. The data packet is a logical chunk of data that makes sense to the LonWorks network. UDP packet is a block of data transferred using the UDP protocol. One data packet maybe transferred over the LAN in several UDP packets.

ETHLON separates LonWorks protocol processing between the host processor and this virtual serial adapter. The virtual serial adapter and NSI handle layers 1 through 5 of the LonTalk protocol. This significantly reduces overhead in the host processor since it does not have to deal with lower layer network services such as media access control, collision avoidance, acknowledgments, retries, duplicate message detection, message validation, authentication, and priority processing.

The host processor is left to run the application program and handle the layer 6 and 7 protocol services, i.e., network variable processing and explicit message processing. The host can easily send and receive network variable updates and explicit messages through these services.

Separating the upper two layers of the LonWorks protocol from the lower five layers has the added benefit of making ETHLON independent of its host application. The host application and its network variables can be changed at any time without modifying the adapter. This lowers development and maintenance costs since ETHLON does not have to be tailored to an application.

ETHLON can have to up to 4096 network variables, each potentially connecting to more than 32,000 network variables on other devices. This limit is higher than the Neuron Chip hosted node limit of 62 bound network variables because the host instead of the Neuron Chip inside the ETHLON manages the network variable configuration. The use of bound network variables reduces network loading and increases system capacity by allowing values to be updated over the network only when necessary without the need for constant polling.

The ETHLON Adapter could be a LNS Network Services Interface (NSI) or Microprocessor Interface Program (MIP) compatible network interface. This adapter is a device that enables any host processor with an Ethernet LAN interface to implement LNS or LonWorks applications and to communicate with other devices using the LonWorks protocol. A cuttable jumper selects between the NSI mode (default) and MIP modes of operation.

The LNS network operating system allows any number of installation, maintenance, monitoring, and control devices to exist in a system and to adapt to network configuration changes automatically. Users can reconfigure the system from any user interface device anywhere on the network and ensures that all monitoring and control stations are always up-to-date with respect to the system's configuration. When used with the appropriate software, the LNS Network Services Interface functionality of the ETHLON adapter allows the attached host to run LNS applications, such as the LonMaker Integration Tool, as well as other LNS tools.

In both NSI mode and MIP mode, a ETHLON adapter also allows any host to implement the upper layers of the LonWorks protocol, so applications on the host can send and receive network variable updates and explicit messages, as well as poll network variables. This capability extends the reach of LonWorks technology to a variety of hosts including desktop and embedded microprocessors.

Typical applications for ETHLON include monitoring and control devices based on computers running Windows or Linux. The module incorporates an LNS NSI that permits the module to be used as the network interface for LNS applications.

Network drivers are available for Windows and Linux. The simple driver is implemented on the host processor to manage the interface with the virtual serial adapter. This allows the same host application to be used with multiple network interfaces, up to 255 adapters could be connect to one PC, preserving any investment in host application development.

Status LEDs display current mode of operation and errors.

Specification

Configuration

• Operating Modes

  　

  Normal		Is entered after the power up. It is in the Normal mode that the ETHLON performs its LAN-LON routing function. The Normal mode is further divided into the Slave and Master routing mode. Values of all settings are checked when the Normal mode is entered. Should some Settings turn out to be invalid, ETHLON will seize operation and the Red Status LED will start blinking. The only solution in this situation is to enter the Programming mode and Initialize the Settings.
  	Slave	ETHLON never initiates any data transmission to the LAN, but only replies to the UDP packets received from the workstations. The ETHLON always replies to the last (most recent) sender. Here is what happens when remote station sends a UDP packet to ETHLON: - The ETHLON receives the packet and memorizes the IP-address of the Sender; - ETHLON then sends out the contents of the packet through its LonWorks port; - If reply Data packet is sent by the attached LonWorks Device, the ETHLON receives it, and sends the reply data back to the Sender. Very important: ETHLON will only accept one Data packet from the LonWorks device in response to each UDP packet received from remote Station. Because the ETHLON always replies to the last Sender in this mode, several different Stations on the TCP/IP network can address the same ETHLON (and the LonWorks Devices "behind" it). The Slave mode of operation is effectively a half-duplex mode. The Green Status LED is switched on in the Slave mode. The LED goes off momentarily every time some data is relayed in either direction (LAN -> LON or LON -> LAN).
  	Master	ETHLON receives and transmits the data in both directions (LAN->LON or LON->LAN) independently. The outbound UDP packets are sent to a Destination IP-address, not to the last Sender. This way ETHLON does not have to wait for a request from the Sender. ETHLON cannot send the data to several different Stations in this mode, but only to the preset Destination IP-address. The Master mode of operation is suitable for LonWorks nodes that send the data without waiting for the poll from the PC. UDP Packet Generation Settings still "work" on the incoming LonWorks data stream in this mode. In the Master mode, the Green Status LED indicates whether the destination station is available or not. The LED is blinking when the Station is not available. And the LED is constantly on (only goes off momentarily to indicate data transmission) when the station is available. ETHLON detects station availability by pinging it once in every 5 seconds.
  Programming		When internal ~Setup is low while the ETHLON is in the Normal mode. Manufacturer only uses this mode to set the ETHLON抯 functioning parameters (settings).
  Firmware Download		Is entered when ETHLON is powered up with either internal ~Setup low. Manufacturer only uses this mode to download new firmware file into ETHLON.

  　

• Routing Functions

  　

  LAN -> LON Routing

  It would not happen that the LAN buffer would be overload by sending more than 255 bytes of data, because that the LonWorks network driver would avoid this, while none of LonWorks messages are longer than 228 bytes according to EIA709.1. And individual UDP packets are sent to ETHLON could exceed 255 bytes, while total amount UDP data must not overload the LAN buffer. The LonWorks is slower than the Ethernet, so it may cause the overload theoretically. ETHLON has no way to notifying the sender of the overload, excessive messages are simply discarded.

  LON -> LAN Routing

  The LonWorks buffer is also 255 bytes long. However, it is hard to overload since the Ethernet LAN works much faster than the LonWorks, so the buffer is emptied out faster than it filled on all but very slow network. RED Status LED blinks momentarily every time the LAN or LON buffer overflows and some data are lost.

  　

• Configuration Parameters

   

  General	The most important settings that must be set for every ETHLON installed
  	Routing mode (RM)	Selects Master or Slave routing mode 0: Slave routing mode, 1- Master routing mode Default: 0 (Slave)
  	IP-address (IP)	Defines own IP-address of ETHLON Default: 127.0.0.1 Every ETHLON must be assigned a unique (network-wide) IP-address. If you are planning to address ETHLON remotely via the Internet, then a globally unique (Internet-wide) IP-address must be chosen.
  	Destination IP-address (DI)	Defines the destination IP-address in the Master routing mode of operation Default: 127.0.0.2 The Destination IP-address is only used when ETHLON is in the Master routing mode. This Setting defines the address to which ETHLON will send the UDP packets when relaying data in the LON -> LAN direction. The Setting is ignored in the Slave routing mode.
  	Port number	Defines own UDP port number for ETHLON Default: 1001 Defines the UDP port number to which all ETHLON bound data must be addressed. UDP packets sent to any port other than the one specified by this setting are discarded.
  	Destination Port number	Defines the destination UDP port in the Master routing mode of operation Default: 1001 This Setting is only used when ETHLON is in the Master routing mode. This Setting defines the UDP port to which ETHLON will send the UDP packets when relaying data in the LON -> LAN direction. The Setting is ignored in the Slave routing mode.
  Virtual Serial Port	Define the functioning parameters of ETHLON's virtual serial port and better be left unchanged
  	Baud rate (BR)	Sets the baudrate of ETHLON's virtual serial port 0-.1200bps, 1- 2400bps, 2- 4800bps, 3- 9600bps, 4-19220bps, 5- 38400bps, 6- 115200bps Default: 5 (38400bps)
  	Parity (PR)	Selects the parity mode of the virtual serial port 0-.Disabled, 1- Even, 2- Odd Default: 0 (Disabled)
  	Flow control (FC)	Enables/Disables RTS/CTS flow control of the virtual serial port 0-Disabled, 1- Enabled Default: 0 (Disabled) (Could not be changed) When disabled, ETHLON always allow the reception of LonWorks data.
  UDP Packet Generation	Define how the LonWorks data received via LonWorks port is processed and combined into the UDP packets to be sent (Note: This has nothing to do with the UDP packets received by ETHLON)
  	Maximum packet length (ML)	This Setting defines the maximum size of data in each UDP packet transmitted. The length of data in bytes: (1-255) Default: 255 Whenever the number of bytes awaiting transmission in the virtual serial buffer matches the value of this setting, the contents of the virtual serial buffer are sent out in a single UDP packet. The data packet remains "opened" after that. The setting cannot be disabled. If you want to reduce its influence to the minimum, keep it at the maximum possible value (255 bytes).
  	Maximum inter-character delay (MD)	Defines the maximum inter-character delay for serial characters. The maximum inter-character delay (0-255). Actual delay is calculated as X10ms Default: 1 (10 ms) When enabled (not 0), ETHLON forms a UDP packet and sends out the contents of the LON buffer in a single UDP packet every time the next character of the "opened" data packet fails to arrive into the LonWorks port within a period of time specified by this setting. The Data packet remains "opened" after that.
  	Start on any character (SA)	Defines if any virtual serial character can "open" the next Data packet 0- Disabled, 1- Enabled Default: 1 (Enabled) When enabled, ETHLON recognizes any first serial character received (after the end of the previous data packet) as the beginning of the new Data packet. Start character settings are ignored.
  	Start character, enable / disable (F1, F2, F3)	Three separate settings to enable/disable Start characters 1, 2, and 3 0- Disabled, 1- Enabled Default: 0 (Disabled) Together with the Start character code, these settings define which characters will be recognized by the ETHLON as the beginning of the new data packet. Up to three independent Start characters can be programmed. These settings have no effect when SA is enabled.
  	Start character, code (S1, S2, S3)	Three separate Settings to set the code of the Start characters an ASCII code of the character (0-255) Default: 0 Together with the Start character enable/disable, these settings define which characters will be recognized by ETHLON as the beginning of the new Data packet. Up to three independent Start characters can be programmed. These settings have no effect when SA is enabled.
  	Stop character, enable / disable (U1, U2, U3)	Three separate settings to enable/disable Stop characters 1, 2, and 3 0- Disabled, 1- Enabled Default: 0 (Disabled) Together with the Stop character code, these settings define which characters will be recognized by ETHLON as the end of the opened Data packet. Up to 3 independent Stop characters can be set.
  	Stop character, code (E1, E2, E3)	Three separate settings to set the code of the Stop characters An ASCII code of the character (0-255) Default: 0 Together with the Stop character, enable/disable these Settings define which characters will be recognized by ETHLON as the end of the currently opened data packet. Up to 3 independent Stop characters can be set.
  	Stop character, number of Post characters (E1, E2, E3)	Three separate settings to set the number of Post characters for each Stop characters Number of Post-characters (0-255) Default: 0 These settings define how many Post (trailing) characters will be received after a corresponding Stop character and counted as part of the current data packet.
  LonWorks	Defines how to configure the Echelon 65202 LTS-20 module and could not be changed
  	AUTOBAUD	Enables automatic baud rate detection. 0-Disabled, 1-Enabled Default: 1
  	BAUD[2..0]	Define the virtual EIA-232 serial bit rate. 001-14,400bps, 010-1200bps, 011-2400bps, 100-9600bps, 000-19200bps, 101-38400bps, 110-57600bps, 111-115,200bps Default: 101 The settings are not used when AUTOBAUD is enabled.
  	CFG (C0,C1,C2,C3)	C0 selects a full 8-wire interface or 3-wire interface. 0-3-wire, 1-8-wire C1 enables/disables network communications after reset. 0-disabled, 1-enabled C2 defines the mode of local or remote. 0-local, 1-remote C3 controls the network interface link protocol. 0- ALERT/ACK, 1-buffered Default: 0101
  System	Require no adjustment during "normal" ETHLON use and better be left unchanged
  	Ethernet address (EA)	Defines own physical (Ethernet) address Default: copied from the Factory Ethernet address Setting
  	Factory Ethernet address (FE)	Defines a "default" Ethernet address Default: unique number for each ETHLON produced. This Setting contains a default Ethernet address assigned to this ETHLON during production. Each ETHLON is initialized to different Ethernet address number. You are advised to never change it. During the Initialization, the value of this setting will be copied into the Ethernet address thus restoring default Ethernet address for actual use. If, for some reason, you need to change the Ethernet address of your ETHLON, then change it using the Ethernet address Setting, not this one.
  	Virtual Serial Interface (VSI)	Selects virtual RS232 or RS485 interface 0- RS232, 1- RS485, 2- Auto Default: 2 (Auto)

  　

• Hardware Configuration 

  NSI/MIP modes

  Determined by internal Echelon LTS-20 module. The NSI/MIP jumper R2 (a 2200 resistor in LTS-20) selects the start-up mode of ETHLON. ETHLON is shipped in the NSI mode, with the jumper intact. Cutting jumper R2 disables the NSI mode and enables the MIP mode. DO NOT cut the jumper while ETHLON is powered - only cut the jumper with ETHLON unpowered. Observe appropriate ESD protection suitable for CMOS devices when cutting jumper R2. To ensure reliable operation, R2 should be removed in its entirely and not simply cut at one end. Please refer Echelon LTS-20 user guide for further more information.

  　

• Software Configuration Download Setup Tool for ETHLON

DS Manager

　

　

DS Manager would scan the whole network using broadcast mode automatically after start up, and find all ETHLON modules in the LAN.

Generally ETHLON IP-address could be specified according with that of LAN using Change IP.    

                             

Using the WINIPCFG to find out your PC's IP address 　 1 Choose RUN from the Start menu of the windows, the RUN dialog will open      2 Type winipcfg into the OPEN textbox and press OK, the WINIPCFG dialog will open 3 Note the IP-address displayed and click OK, the dialog will close                  4 Choose an IP-address that is close to the set for your PC

Click DS Settings, then the ETHLON Device Server Manager configuration dialog will open:

　

        

　

Network properties: Slave mode is default routing mode. Device server IP and port are auto-configured. Please specify the port number larger than 1000. TCP or UDP network transport protocol could be specified. If Master mode is selected, please specify the Subnet Mask, Router IP-address (optional), Destination IP-address and its port number (This number should be the same as Device Server).

　

Outbound packets: The default configuration needs no modification.

　

Serial Properties: Serial interface - Auto, Baud rate - 38400bps, Parity - None, Flow control - None, Data bits - 8 bits. Important Note: "On-the-fly" and "Soft Entry" should not be enabled. These options are preserved for future uses.

　

Password: supply password protection avoiding modify configuration parameters wrong.

　

Initialize: recover configuration with factory settings

TIP: Please choose "SKIP" just ignore the warnings if poped up during configurations. It is caused by upgraded firmware version mismatches what was previously registered in DS Manager.

 

VSP Manager

　

　

Running VSP Manager opens Properties window. The window contains a list of existing VSPs. By default the list is empty. You can Add VSPs, Remove VSPs, and edit Properties of existing VSPs.

　

Adding new VSP

　

Click Add VSP button - New virtual serial port dialog will appear. Note: Depending on the windows version you are using and the speed of you PC this may take up to 20 seconds. "New Hardware Found" message may be displayed by windows system at this time. Please wait patiently for the dialog to open.

　

The dialog has the following controls:

　

Port setting: drop-down selects a number for a COM port being created. The drop-down only shows remaining available ports. Choose any port (i.e. COM10). Note: The actual serial ports (i.e. COM1) are also included, and a warning dialog would appear if they were selected. Please check the "Enable RX/TX data logging" if you want to monitor the data flow of this port, but "Send On-The-Fly serial setting changes to Device Server" should be Disabled.

　

IP setting: These options must be set.

　

Transport protocol: TCP (default).

　

Specific local port: No port number is specified in Slave mode. When ETHLON is in Master mode, a port number same as DS Manager specified should be used. If you have several ETHLONs attached to one PC using several VSP, you need specify a different local port number for each VSP.

　

Destination IP: Specify destination ETHLON IP address and port number. Click Destination DS... select destination ETHLON, program would automatically set corresponding IP address and port number.

VSP Outbound packets

　

　

The default settings need no modification ("Send data immediately" Enabled).

　

Editing and deleting existing VSP

　

To edit existing VSP select it in the list of available ports and press Properties button (or double-click on the desired port in the list). To delete VSP press Remove VSP button.

Port Monitor

　

Run Port Monitor, enable "Monitor RX&TX Data" and select the virtual port (ETHLON) you want to monitor. If there are data transferring, you would see HEX codes in the log window.

Note: If data flow could not be monitored, please check whether "RX/TX data logging" is enabled in VSP Manager.

 

SLTA driver

　

The driver is not shipped with ETHLON, the latest version could be obtained from the Echelon web site.

　

The SLTA network driver is installed by adding a DEVICE command to the DOS CONFIG.SYS file. Edit the CONFIG.SYS file to include the line:

　

DEVICE=C:\LONWORKS\BIN\LDVSLTA.SYS [options]

　

Substitute your drive and directory name if other than C:\LONWORKS\BIN. Reboot the PC after adding this line to load the driver. For example, the following command would be used with a ETHLON installed on VSP COM12 as device LON5:

　

DEVICE=C:\LONWORKS\BIN\LDVSLTA.SYS /P12 /D5 /B38400 /A

　

Note: 1. /Un option used to set interrupt request number should not be specified.

2. Up to 9 ETHLONs could be connected to ONE PC using MIP mode, as D1-D9.

3. Please refer Echelon LTS-20 User Guide for other more information on SLTA driver.

 

SLTA-10 driver & SLTALink Manager

　

The Windows95/98 or NT software is not shipped with ETHLON, available on the Echelon web site, LonWorks SLTA-10 Serial LonTalk Adapter Software for Windows 98/2000/XP, LTS-20 & SLTA-10 NSI Mode Software for Windows 95/98 and Windows NT/2000 Drivers.

Note: Please refer Echelon LTS-20 User Guide for more information on SLTA-10 driver.
 

Run SLTALink Manager, select [Link]->[New..], a dialog appear:

　

　

Define a new link name, i.e. NewLink1. Select Link type as "Local" Name ETHLON you want to link a Remote identifer, i.e. "FIRST_FLOOR" with "Update Identifier" enabled, then click "Next>" button.

　

Specify the Virtual Comm Port parameters as you used to do with SLTA-10 and SLTALink. Select the VSP as "Serial Port" and the speed same as you selected in VSP Manager (default is "38400". Click "Next>" button, then "Finish" with default options left.

Note: If the installed VSP has not appeared in Comm Port Dialog, please modify the registery using REGEDIT mannually: Add the name and key value (i.e. name: COM10, key value: COM10) in "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Hardware\DeviceMap\SerialComm"

　

          

　

Click [Link]->[Connect Now], ETHLON would be connected successfully with GREEN status LED on, you can use a virtual SLTA-10 now.

Note: Please refer Echelon LTS-20 User Guide for more information on SLTALink.

Connectors & Indicators

• Ethernet Cable Wiring (RJ45)

   

  ETHLON to Hub			ETHLON to HOST directly
  Side A	Side B		Side A	Side B
  #1 (*)	#1	(*) #1,#2 must share the same twisted pair;	#1 (*)	#3
  #2 (*)	#2		#2 (*)	#6
  #3 (**)	#3	(**) #3, #6 must share the same twisted pair.	#3 (**)	#1
  #4	#4		#4	#4
  #5	#5		#5	#5
  #6 (**)	#6		#6 (**)	#2
  #7	#7		#7	#7
  #8	#8		#8	#8

• STATUS LEDs (indicate ETHLON's operating mode)

  　

  Blink Red & Green LEDs * 3 times	Startup-entering the Normal mode
  Red led blinks constantly (1-sec. Period)	Normal mode/setting error
  Red led blinks momentarily	Normal mode/LAN or virtual Serial buffer overflow
  Green led is on, goes off momentarily when data is routed	Normal mode/slave routing mode
  Green led is blinking (1-sec.Period)	Normal mode/master routing mode/destination undetected
  Green led is on, goes off momentarily when data is routed	Normal mode/master routing mode/destination detected
  Green & red LEDs are blinking (Red-Green-Red-Green)	Programming mode

Summary of Status LED signals (Excludes LEDs) signaling in the Firmware Download mode)

• Ethernet LEDs

  　

  Green LED Blinks	IP packet is received
  Red LED is ON	LAN collision error

• LonWorks Communication LED

  ( Be asserted high when interface buffers are passed from the host to ETHLON )

  LED is ON	Writing to the memory mapped I/O at location 0xE7E0 write 0x01
  LED is OFF	Writing to the memory mapped I/O at location 0xE7E0 write 0x00

  　

• Service Switch & LED

Service Switch	Push-button, be used to broadcast the 48bit Neuron ID on the LonWorks network during installation
Service LED	Blinking	Unconfigured
	OFF	Configured
	ON Steadily	Applicationless, a critical error has been detected by the firmware

Network Driver

• Visual Serial Port Driver for Linux

  • vspd-1.37-linux.tar.gz

  • vspd-1.37-linux.i586.rpm

Order Information