WinSen Sentinel Interface - Fitch Security Integration
Contents
1. D Delete a unit and Q Query a unit This field is required An error message should be generated if an add request is received for a unit that already exists or if a delete request is received for a unit that does not exist A unit to be added may be rented in which case all relevant information should be supplied or it may be vacant followed by an edit operation to rent the unit if necessary In other words an add operation can be combined with an edit operation by setting the Unit Status field to R as an alternative to doing the two separately Multiple changes may exist in one record when the Edit option is used The update program should process all changes The Query option allows the management software to query the status of a unit All information about the unit would be returned in the result txt file Fields that are not supported by the access control alarm software would be left blank Unit Number This is a right justified alphanumeric field containing the unit designation A unit number can not be changed using the Edit operation code To change a unit number use the Delete operation code to delete the old unit then use the Add operation code to add the new unit Leading zeros are not significant and should be removed from the unit number if they exist Unit status There are four options for this field Vacant will vacate the unit and set all of the fields to their default values The rest of the fields may be left blank If th2. time zones are associated with a number The management software may set either this field or the Start time field but not both If this field is blank on a new move in then the update program should assign the default time zone if necessary Keypad access level This field will contain a two digit number from 0 to 99 or will be blank Again many access control alarm software packages allow the user to limit access to specific keypads These time zones are associated with a number If this field is blank on a new move in then the update program should assign the default access level if necessary Start time This field will contain a 4 digit time or will be blank Some systems require a unique time period to be associated with each access code The management software may set either this field or the time zone field but not both If this field is blank on a new move in then the update program should assign the default start time if necessary End time This field will contain a 4 digit time or will be blank Some systems require a unique time period to be associated with each access code The management software may set either this field or the time zone field but not both If this field is blank on a new move in then the update program should assign the default end time if necessary The time includes hours and minutes in a 24 hour format For example 7 00 AM would 0700 and 8 30 PM would be 2030 Alert code This field will contain either a
3. Read the gate siz file to determine the amount of memory needed by the program Provide an error message ifthat amount of memory is not available Provide a mechanism for transferring the entire management software database to the access control alarm software 10 e Management Software Requirements The Universal Interface Specification 6 Provide documentation that shows which fields are written to in the update txt file and any other requirements for running the management software in different environments DOS Windows 3 x Windows 95 etc This documentation should be available to other vendors Note the files referred to above should be placed in the Gate folder Normally this folder will be located on drive C However if the management software were installed on a different drive then the Gate folder would be located on that drive To prevent file name conflicts vendors are encouraged not to put any other files in the Gate folder Only seven required files update txt result txt errors txt update bat update siz gate bat and gate siz and two optional files errors log and update exe should be placed in the Gate folder Management Software Options There are two optional components on the management side network configurations and multiple site configurations The operating procedure will change slightly ifthe management software package supports either ofthese options Normally the management software will only be able t
4. This allows the calling program to continue when processing in a batch mode The update program does not need to save or restore any text or graphics screen used by the management software The access control alarm software should be able to handle any number of records in the update txt file It is recommended that the program read one line at a time rather than read the whole file at once This lowers the memory requirements For troubleshooting purposes it is recommended that update txt be renamed update old after the update process is finished 4 Provide a gate bat batch file that will be used to invoke the main access control alarm program 5 Create or provide a gate siz file that contains information about how much memory is required by the main program 6 Provide some way to configure the defaults that are used by the update program when no information is passed in a particular field For example ifthe management software does not have access levels the update program would need to assign a default access level at the time of move in The user should have some control over the defaults that are used 7 Provide documentation that shows which fields are processed in the update txt file and any other requirements for running the access control alarm software in different environments DOS Windows 3 x Windows 95 etc This documentation should be available to other vendors Note the files referred to above should be placed in the
5. each unit This option tells the interface program how to assign the interface number to a unit when it is added via the interface If the unit number does not contain alpha numerics the interface number will be exactly the same as the unit number Ifthe unit number does contain alpha numerics there are two options for assigning the interface number 1 The alpha character can be substituted with its numeric position in the alphabet Thus unit A01 would have an interface number of 101 B01 would be 201 D99 would be 499 and so on This is the default selection 2 It can be only the numeric portion of the unit number For example unit A01 has an interface number of 1 However if you also have a unit BO1 this scheme will not work because the interface number for that unit would also be 1 and the interface numbers must be unique After you have made your choices click Close to save your changes The changes will be effective with the next transaction You can also click Cancel if you decide not to save your changes or Help to access the on line help file Getting Started Configuration e 5 Operations Interfacing With WinSen Sentinel No user intervention is required to interface with WinSen Sentinel The interface program is called by the management software each time an interface is desired Then the interface program reads the update txt file in the designated directory and transmits the desired changes to WinSen Sentinel After eac
6. the Menus Following is the organization of the menus and a brief explanation of each menu selection The various options will be explained in detail later on in this manual File The file menu contains two choices Interface Now causes the program to perform the interface to WinSen Sentinel Normally it is unnecessary to use this option because the program does the interface automatically when invoked by the management software Exit closes the interface program Edit The edit menu contains one choice Setups This option allows you to define defaults for the interface program You setup the default interface directory time zone and access level in this option The default time zone and access level information is used if the management software does not support these fields Help This menu allows you to obtain on line help You can also press F1 at any time for context sensitive help Configuration There is a minimal level of configuration required for the interface program In most cases no configuration at all is required and the program will use default values You can configure the interface directory the default time zone and the default access level The interface number option is also configurable as explained below Setups Select Setups from the Edit menu to display the following form 4 e Organization of the Menus Getting Started Interface Configuration E Cancel p Help Default Ya
7. txt error log gt errorl log update siz gt updatel siz gate bat gt gatel bat and gate siz gt gatel siz It is fairly natural for the network configuration to be combined with the multiple site configuration In this case all of the requirements would need to be met Access Control Alarm Software Requirements This specification divides the items for the access control alarm software into two areas requirements and options It is recognized that not all packages have the same capabilities but a minimum standard must be met by all packages for the end user to gain a benefit from this specification The Universal Interface Specification Management Software Options e 11 Standard configuration The standard configuration is the minimum level for access control alarm software It includes the following requirements 1 Provide an update bat batch file that will be used to invoke the update program A Windows based update exe program may also be provided 2 Create or provide an update siz file that contains information about how much memory is required by the update program 3 Provide an update program to process the update text file according to the rules in the Contents section on page During the processing the update program will create a results txt file and an errors txt file The program may also create an errors log file The update program should always return control to the calling program even if an error is encountered
8. with a dialog box asking for the Command Line Type A SETUP then press lt Enter gt or click on OK Type B SETUP instead if you are installing from your B drive The installation program display an introductory message When you are ready choose Next The setup program will display a dialog box asking for the installation directory By default this will be C WinSen If you need to change this you can do so by clicking the Browse button Then click Next The setup program will now ask for the name of the Start Menu folder to add the Universal Interface program icon to The default choice is WinSen you can change it if necessary by clicking the desired folder in the list Then click Next Click Next again The program files will be copied to your hard disk A final dialog will be displayed indicating the successful installation Click OK This completes the installation Running the Program To start the program point to the Start button then WinSen then the WinSen Universal Interface icon The main program window will be displayed Getting Started Installation e 3 ry WinSen Sentinel Interface lolx Eile Edit Help Transaction History Date Time Operation Result Unit Interface Customer Name The main window of the interface program contains File Edit and Help menus and a grid which will display the results of each transaction as it occurs Organization of
9. 1 Help Unit Number 7 gt Bo o s g Fo N Passcode Computer Name Card Number 1234 DDELinkField Customer Name Home Phone Address Work Phone City Policy Number State Zip Lease Number CO 238837 CL Size Code Rate 189 00 License H Action From the drop down list select the interface action to be performed The choices are e Assign Tenant performs a move in transaction e Moveout Tenant performs a move out transaction e Change Passcode performs a change passcode transaction e Lockout Tenant performs a lockout transaction e Re admit Tenant performs a re admit transaction e Test Function tests the interface This function is not supported by all gate systems Gate Interface Select the WinSen Sentinel gate interface from the drop down list Parameters This field is unused for testing LAN functionality Unit Number Passcode amp Card Number Enter the unit number passcode and card number to be transmitted to the access control system Note that this information defaults to the values shown in the example but you can change it if desired Time Zone amp Access Level Enter the time zone and access level to be transmitted to the access control system The program defaults to 0 for both but you can change these if desired 22 e The Gatetest Program Interfacing Over a Network Computer Name DDE Link Field These fields are displayed only if you have the
10. Gate folder Normally this folder will be located on drive C However the update program should also function if the folder is located on some other drive Because the access control alarm software may not be located on the same drive the update program may need a command line parameter for the location of the update txt file To prevent file name conflicts vendors are encouraged not to put any other files in the Gate folder Only seven required files update txt result txt errors txt update bat update siz gate bat and gate siz and two optional files errors log and update exe should be placed in the Gate folder Access Control Alarm Software Options There are two optional components on the access control alarm side network configurations and multiple site configurations Many management software packages have a network option that allows multiple users to process transactions at larger facilities In fact with the advent of Windows peer to peer networks are quite common in larger facilities In addition some management software packages have the ability to track multiple facilities either multiple physical facilities or different 12 e Access Control Alarm Software Options The Universal Interface Specification phases of one physical facility and some vendors have remote versions of their access control alarm software A protocol for these enhanced packages is necessary to support seamless integration Network configuration The
11. Installation and Operations Manual WinSen Sentinel Interface Program Sentinel Systems Corporation Copyright 1999 2000 Sentinel Systems Corporation All Rights Reserved Sentinel Systems Corporation 1620 Kipling Street Lakewood CO 80215 800 456 9955 http www SentinelSystems com The WinSen Sentinel Interface Installation amp Operations Manual is copyrighted and all rights are reserved No part ofthis manual may be copied photocopied reproduced translated or reduced to any electronic medium or machine readable form without the prior written consent of Sentinel Systems Corporation The names of persons and entities referenced in this manual are for illustrative purposes only Similarity to any person or entity is unintended and purely coincidental Version 1 0 Revised 1 24 2000 Contents Standard configuration Access Control Alarm Software Introduction What it Does The WinSen Sentinel Interface program provides an interface between property management programs and the Sentinel Systems Corporation WinSen Sentinel Access Control Alarm software The program conforms to the Universal Interface Specification Any property management software that conforms to the Universal Interface Specification can interface with WinSen Sentinel provided that you have purchased that option from Sentinel Systems For the complete text ofthe Universal Interface specification see The Universal Interface Bpecification ecifi
12. The text file may contain one line e g a move in change or it may contain multiple lines e g a dump of all units The management software should have the ability to send all information in its database in order to initialize a new or replaced gate system The Universal Interface Specification 9 Invoke an update program The management software will execute an update program update bat or update exe supplied with the access control alarm system To allow Windows based management software to communicate with Windows based access control alarm software without reverting to DOS batch files the management software may execute update exe instead of update bat Process the text file The update program will process each line of the update text file update txt and update its internal database and or send these updates to the hardware controller During the update process the program will generate a result text file result txt that reports the status of each change that was requested If any warnings errors are encountered the program will generate an error text file errors txt which provides a summary of the messages The program may also generate an error log file errors log which contains more details about the errors that were encountered Report results The management software will provide a means of reporting any errors that were encountered by the update program so that the end user can correct any discrepancies The file na
13. ation of the unit to link with This returns the gate system link number for that unit The subsequent edit or add operation then uses that link number To break a unit from a link vacate the unit then reassign it with the link number set to 0 Result Value This field is initially left blank After the update program processes the record an entry will be made in this field when it is written to the result txt file See Result Values on page for more information Reserved The rest of the line is reserved for future changes The record length is not fixed the end of the line will be marked by a carriage return linefeed The carriage return linefeed may follow the result value field The maximum length of a record is 255 characters Result txt This file contains the results of the update process and is located in the Gate folder It is formatted exactly the same as the update txt file Normally all information is transferred from the record in update txt and the only field that the access control alarm software fills in is the result value However 1f the management software has issued a query for a unit s status then the other fields should be filled in with the information from the access control alarm database Errors txt This file will contain one line with three numbers separated by commas and ending with a carriage return linefeed It is located in the Gate folder The file should be generated at the end of each update pr
14. cation on page System Requirements The WinSen Sentinel Interface program runs under Windows 95 98 or Windows NT We recommend a Pentium processor with a minimum of 32 MB of RAM Overview of the Interface Procedure To begin the management software creates a text file normally c gate update txt containing the desired changes The file must be formatted in accordance with the Universal Interface Specification The management software then invokes update exe or update bat if a DOS program from the same directory where the update txt file was created The WinSen Sentinel Interface program then reads the text file and transmits the changes to WinSen Sentinel The result of each transmission is displayed on the screen as well as logged to a text file named result txt this filename may vary for a multi site facility The text file log allows the management software to determine if the transmission was successful or not and take action accordingly If the transmission was not successful error codes are provided both on the screen and in the result file For a list of error codes see Result Values on page The Interface program stays open after the transmission process is complete allowing the operator to determine if there were any problems If desired the program can be minimized and will continue to operate in the background Normally the Interface program expects the update txt file to be located in th
15. e gate directory on the hard drive from which it is run in accordance with the Universal Interface specification If for some reason another directory is used this can be changed in the setups form under the Edit menu WinSen Sentinel Interface Introduction e 1 WinSen Sentinel supports time zones to designate the gate hours for your tenants and access levels to designate which keypads your tenants are allowed to use Since not all management software supports both options the interface program allows you to designate default values for these two fields When a movein is performed and the management software does not supply values for one or both fields the interface program will assign the default values The default for both values is 0 but can be changed in the setups form under the Edit menu 2 e Introduction WinSen Sentinel Interface Getting Started Installation 1 10 11 Before installing the Universal Interface program we highly recommend that you close all open applications If you have not yet installed WinSen Sentinel install it first Installation instructions for WinSen Sentinel are found in the WinSen Sentinel Operations Manual Insert the 1 distribution disk into the source floppy drive this will typically be your A drive Point to the Start button to display the Start Menu You can also bring up the Start Menu by pressing lt Ctrl Esc gt From the Start Menu choose Run You will be presented
16. e WinSen Sentinel is running The name cannot have embedded spaces 5 Try a test transmission to verify that the interface works Note the Microsoft Hearts game uses a similar NetDDE connection if you can get MS Hearts to work the network interface to WinSen Sentinel should also function correctly Customer Information Fields These fields contain information relating to the sample customer for testing purposes The information is used only with certain systems If desired you can edit the information if you select an access control system from the Gate Interface field that uses it Transmit Button Click the transmit button to test the interface The program will attempt to interface to the currently selected gate system with the options you have chosen If an error is encountered it will display an error message as appropriate Close Button After successfully configuring your gate interface press the Close button to save your changes and exit from the Gatetest program Interfacing Over a Network The Gatetest Program e 23 Glossary of Terms Access Levels Access levels are used in WinSen Sentinel to restrict tenant s access to certain parts of your storage facility For example you can designate that the RV storage area is accessible only to certain tenants Access to the area must be controlled by a keypad or cardreader Interface Number The unit number used by WinSen Sentinel for keypad entry and for alarm system
17. e unit status is changing from 14 e File Contents The Universal Interface Specification Vacant to Rented all fields in the line will be used Ifa field is blank the update program will set that field to the default value Delinquent will lock out the customer and blank means that this field is not supported no change would be made to the status in this case Password This field should contain the unit s access code password or will be blank Ifthe field is blank then the management software does not support a password Duplicate passwords may or may not be allowed depending on the access control alarm software Card Number This field should contain the unit s card number or will be blank Some access systems have keypads and or cardreaders this field allows a separate card number to be entered If the field is blank then the management software does not support a card number and the access system may have to use the password field for the card number depending on the facility s configuration Note Some systems allow a customer who rents more than one unit to use one access code to enter the facility and open any of their units To link units in the gate system via the interface the management software should use the link number as explained below Time zone period code This field will contain a two digit number from 0 to 99 or will be blank Many access control alarm software packages allow the user to define specific time zones These
18. evel Set to the user defined Unchanged default value Start Time Ignored Ignored End Time Ignored Ignored Alert Code Ignored Ignored On Site Status Unchanged Unchanged Alarm Status Unchanged Unchanged Link Number Unchanged Unchanged Tenant Name Set to blank Set to blank Unsupported Fields There are three fields defined in the universal interface that are not used by WinSen Sentinel the Start Time the End Time and the Alert Code WinSen Sentinel will ignore these fields in all cases 20 e Unsupported Fields Special Considerations Interfacing Over a Network Overview This chapter details how to setup the WinSen Sentinel interface to function over aLAN Local Area Network The interface will function over a server based LAN such as Novell Netware or over a peer to peer LAN such as a Windows 95 98 network Note you must have the network version of WinSen Sentinel to enable network functionality Call Sentinel Systems for more information The Gatetest Program The Gatetest program is used to configure and test the interface over a LAN To run the Gatetest program 1 Select the Windows run option 2 You will be asked for the Command line Type in c WinSen gatetest then click OK The following dialog box will be displayed Interfacing Over a Network Overview e 21 Gate Interface Test Program Action Assign Tenant Le Gate Interface WinSen Sentinel Close Parameters COM2 9600 N 8
19. h transmission the interface program will display the date amp time of the transaction the requested operation the result and the data read from the update txt file i WinSen Sentinel Interface lolx Eile Edit Help Transaction History Date Time Operation Result Interface Customer Name 13105 Harvell Dorothy 105 Harvell Dorothy 103 Harvell Dorothy Delete 105 Query 105 Add 105 Add 104 Edit 103 Harvell Dorothy Query 103 Last result interface successful Not all data is displayed at once You can use the horizontal scroll bar at the bottom of the data grid to scroll the rest of the columns into view If any field is blank 1t indicates that no data was supplied by the management software The data displayed is The status line at the bottom of the form will show the result of the last transmission if any Date Time the date and time of the interface transaction Operation the operation that was requested This will normally be either add edit query or delete Result shows the result of the transmission If the transmission was good OK will be shown otherwise an error will be given For a list of error codes see Result Values on page A description of the error will also be shown on the status line at the bottom of the window Operations Interfacing With WinSen Sentinel e 7 Unit the unit number Interface the interface number t
20. hat was assigned by the interface program based on the interface number option in Edit Setups Customer Name the customer name Link the linking number supplied via the interface This corresponds to the Customer ID number in WinSen Sentinel and can be used to link two or more units together via the interface by the management software See Update txt on page 13 for more information Status the status ofthe unit This will normally be rented delinquent or vacant Passcode the passcode Card the card number This would be used if you have a cardreader system TZ and ACL the time zone and access level On Site the on site status for the unit This can be set via the interface ifthe management software supports it ALM Stat this field only applies if you have an alarm system The alarm on the unit can be enabled or disabled via the interface if the management software supports it E means enabled T means a time disabled alarm P means a permanently disabled alarm and B means both time and permanently disabled alarms See the WinSen Sentinel manual for more information 8 e Interfacing With WinSen Sentinel Operations The Universal Interface Specification Introduction Since the 1980 s various property management packages and security packages for the self storage industry have offered the ability to interface with one another With more vendors in the marketplace the number of interface protocols is grow
21. ing rapidly and generating problems for the end user Sentinel Systems has much experience with interface protocols on both the property management side and on the security side We applaud the efforts of others to develop a universal interface but believe that there are a number of issues that have not been resolved We have applied our knowledge of current interface protocols and written this document to address those issues The intent of the Universal Interface is to allow both DOS and Windows based property management and access alarm software packages to communicate with each other in a platform independent way We will use the following terminology in our discussion e Management software This is the property management software that maintains information about tenants including tenant name amp address balance due etc e Access control alarm software this is the software and or hardware that controls access to the facility and may also monitor individual door alarms If enough vendors agree to implement a universal interface specification then a certification process would be put in place so that the end user can be assured that the products will work together Please review the general procedure and requirements that follow General Procedure 1 Create a text file The management software will create an update text file update txt containing one line for each change that should be made by the access control alarm software
22. lues Interface File Path C GATE Browse Default Time Zone o Default ACL 0 When an alpha numeric unit is added assign the interface number by Substituting the position of the alphabet Using only the numeric portion of the unit number Enter the path for the interface files Interface File Path enter the path where the interface files are located In accordance with the universal interface specification the default path is C GATE You can click the browse button to select the directory or you can type it in directly Default Time Zone enter the time zone to use when a movein is done via the interface and no time zone information is supplied by the management software The default choice is 0 Default Access Level enter the access level to use when a movein is done via the interface and no access level information is supplied by the management software The default choice is 0 Interface number the interface number also called the A I access interface number is the unit number used by WinSen Sentinel for keypad entry and for alarm system purposes WinSen Sentinel supports alpha numeric unit numbers for example A01 but since the tenant normally keys in their unit number and passcode at the keypad only a numeric unit number can be used for that purpose Also only numeric numbers are supported for alarm system purposes Thus WinSen Sentinel maintains a unit number and an interface number for
23. mes selected above are meant to be informative as well as adhere to the common extensions that are used by DOS and Windows based programs Management Software Requirements This document divides the items for the management software into two areas requirements and options It is recognized that not all packages have the same capabilities but a minimum standard must be met by all packages for the end user to gain a benefit from this specification Standard configuration The standard configuration is the minimum level for management software It includes the following requirements 1 Create a text file update txt which will contain the information needed to update the access control alarm software Please see Update txt on page 1 3 for more information on the format of this file Read the update siz file to determine the amount of memory needed by the program Provide an error message ifthat amount of memory is not available Delete the error file errors txt so that the existence of this file may be used as an indicator that the update program executed Invoke the update program via the update bat batch file or update exe After the update program is executed read the error file errors txt and determine the status ofthe update requests If errors occurred then process the results file result txt and display a summary of the errors Provide a means for calling the main access control alarm program via the gate bat batch file
24. n A N or will be blank representing Alert Not on Alert and not supported Tenant name This is a left justified alphanumeric field containing the renter s name This field must contain printable characters only On site status This field will contain either an O N or will be blank Some access control alarm packages track whether a tenant is currently on site This option allows the management software to change this indicator without forcing the user to start the access control alarm software If the field is blank the on site status should not be changed Alarm Status This field will contain a P T B E or will be blank Some access control alarm packages track whether the alarm for a unit has been disabled because of problems or because no alarms should be registered during certain hours This option allows the management software to The Universal Interface Specification File Contents e 15 change this indicator without forcing the user to start the access control alarm software If the field is blank the alarm status should not be changed Link Number If there is a number in this field the gate system will link this unit with all other units with the same link number The link number used by the gate system does not necessarily have any correspondence to any similar number in the management software nor does it need to The recommended way to link two units via the interface is for the management software to perform a query oper
25. n Code String Add Edit Delete or Query Unit Number String Right Justified Unit Status String Rented Delinquent Vacant or blank Password Numeric Right Justified or blank Card Number Numeric Right Justified or blank Time Zone Period Code Numeric Right Justified or blank Keypad Access Level Numeric Right Justified or blank Start Time Numeric 24 hour format or blank End Time Numeric 24 hour format or blank Alert Code String Alert Not on Alert or blank On site Status String On site Not on site or blank Alarm Status String Permanently disabled Time disabled Both disabled Enabled or blank Link Number Numeric Right Justified or blank Tenant Name String Left Justified or blank Result Value Numeric From 0 99 see Reserved String Reserved for later enhancements CR LF String Carriage return linefeed Fields left blank indicate that either no change is desired or the field is not supported The update program will need to determine whether to set default values for blank fields Normally this would only be necessary when the status of a unit changes from vacant to rented Version This field contains the version number of the interface that is supported by the management software Inclusion of this field allows the interface protocol to be updated while maintaining backward compatibility The initial version is 1 00 Operation Code There are four options for this field A Add a unit E Edit a unit s information
26. nel is used by the tenant to key into the facility unless you have the passcode only keypads When a unit is added the interface program will assign an interface number according to the interface number option selected in Edit Setups It does not check if the interface number created is duplicated in the database or if it is greater than the keypad can handle 65535 Note that the passcode only keypad does not have this limitation because the unit number is not entered into this keypad model Defaults When a Field Contains No Data The Universal Interface specification calls for only three required fields the version the operation code and the unit number This section explains if and how a given field will be assigned by the WinSen Sentinel interface when no data is supplied by the management software during a transaction If the transaction is a moveout all other fields are ignored and the passcode and card number are set to zero If the transaction is a deletion the unit is deleted even if it is occupied Special Considerations Overview e 19 If the transaction is a movein or an edit operation default values are assigned according to the following table Note a movein is assumed if WinSen Sentinel shows the unit as currently vacant and the Unit Status field in update txt is either blank R or D Defaults When a Field Contains No Data U Time Zone Set to the user defined nchanged default value Access L
27. network configuration includes the following requirements 1 Meet all of the requirements of the standard configuration 2 Provide an update program that can communicate status changes to the main access control alarm software which may reside on another computer This communication can take any form For example a network database could be updated or the program could use NETBIOS to communicate directly with the main program running on another computer Additional result values are defined for the network configuration 3 Be able to handle update requests from multiple workstations It is certainly possible for two move ins to be processed at the same time in a network configuration The access control alarm software should have a way to handle this scenario Multiple site configuration The multiple site configuration includes the following requirements 1 Meet all of the requirements of the standard configuration with some file name changes All of the file names would have a site suffix appended to them For example the management software would invoke updatel bat for site 1 and update2 bat for site 2 In the same manner the other file names would also change update txt gt update txt result txt gt resultl txt error txt gt error txt error log gt errorl log update siz gt updatel siz gate bat gt gatel bat and gate siz gt gatel siz 2 Provide a mechanism for processing updates from multiple facilities on the same com
28. network version of WinSen Sentinel These two fields are used when interfacing to WinSen Sentinel over a LAN Local Area Network To successfully link from one workstation to WinSen Sentinel on another you must enter the Computer Name where WinSen Sentinel is running The Computer name is found in the Windows Control Panel Network dialog In addition a program called NETDDE which is supplied with Windows for Workgroups or Windows 95 98 must be running on both computers It is recommended that you place a shortcut to NETDDE EXE in your Startup folder The DDE Link Field does not need to be filled in When you transmit a test transaction to WinSen Sentinel as explained in the next section this field will show the data sent to then returned by the program Network Setup Procedure 1 Make sure that NetBIOS is enabled on all workstations and that they are all running NETDDE as described above 2 Install the WinSen Sentinel interface on all applicable workstations When installing on a workstation make sure it is installed to the network drive On the file server for a peer to peer network it is installed to the local hard drive 3 Run WinSen Sentinel on the target workstation This will be the workstation which is connected to the access control alarm system 4 On the source workstation s run the gatetest program Set the interface to WinSen Sentinel In the Computer Name field enter the name of the workstation wher
29. o correctly transfer information to access control alarm software that also supports the corresponding option although some degraded mode of operation may be possible if this is not the case Network configuration The network configuration includes the following requirements 1 Meet all of the requirements of the standard configuration 2 Be able to handle update requests from multiple workstations It is certainly possible for two move ins to be processed at the same time in a network configuration The management software should be able to transfer information to the access control alarm software in this scenario Normally the management software would write information to the Gate folder on the same drive where the management software is installed But ifthe two workstations were writing to this folder at the same time some information might be lost The management software may need a configurable destination folder on a workstation by workstation basis Multiple site configuration The multiple site configuration includes the following requirements 1 Meet all of the requirements of the standard configuration with some file name changes All of the file names would have a site suffix appended to them For example the management software would invoke updatel bat for site 1 and update2 bat for site 2 In the same manner the other file names would also change update txt gt updatel txt result txt gt result txt error txt gt error
30. ocess The management software should read this file to determine whether the results txt file should be processed If no errors are reported then no message needs to be displayed for the user However the management software could display a summary of the updates If errors are reported then the user should be given notification of these errors by the management software The result txt file will need to be processed by the management software to determine the specific errors The format of the notification message is left to the management software vendor Table 2 Errors txt Field Name Field Type Description Successes Numeric Number of successful updates Warnings Numeric Number of updates with warnings Errors Numeric Number of updates with errors CR LF 2 characters Carriage return linefeed Errors log This optional file will contain additional error or troubleshooting information It is located in the Gate folder This file should be a text file but no particular format is specified Update bat Update exe This batch file and or executable program should be included with the access control alarm software It should have the necessary commands to invoke the update program and be located in the Gate 16 e File Contents The Universal Interface Specification folder Although drive related specifications are discouraged it may be necessary for the user to modify any drive related specifications in the file For example ifthe acces
31. play an error message and not invoke the update bat file Table 3 Update siz Field Name Field Type Description Numeric Kilobytes of memory required by update program 2 characters Carriage return linefeed Gate siz This file should contain one line with one number indicating the amount of memory required to load the main access control alarm program It is located in the Gate folder The access control alarm software should create this file The management software should make sure that there is enough free memory before invoking the gate bat file If enough memory is not available then the management software should display an error message and not invoke the gate bat file Table 4 Gate Siz Field Name Field Type Description Numeric Kilobytes of memory required by main program 2 characters Carriage return linefeed Result Values There are three types of result values defined by this specification success warnings and errors A success indicates that the update request was processed with no problems Warnings are considered non critical and indicate that the update request was processed However information may have been missing from the record or the access control alarm software may have detected some other minor The Universal Interface Specification Result Values e 17 discrepancy Errors are considered serious and indicate that the update request could not be processed A result value of 0 indicates success Res
32. purposes Time Zones Time zones are used in WinSen Sentinel to define your tenants gate hours The hours for a time zone are specified in the Time Zones option in the WinSen Sentinel Maintenance menu Each tenant is assigned a time zone for example Time Zone 0 That tenant can then access the facility only during the hours specified for time zone 0 Glossary of Terms The Gatetest Program e 25 Index A A I number 5 Cc Configuration 4 Installation 3 Interface number 5 Interfacing 7 Menus Organization of 4 R Running the Program 3 WinSen Sentinel Interface Index e 27
33. puter For example there may need to be a configuration option in the access control alarm software to distinguish between updates at the local facility and updates at the remote facility The update program would also have to write information to the correct file names as listed above It is fairly natural for the network configuration to be combined with the multiple site configuration In that case all of the requirements would need to be met File Contents Update txt This file contains the update records and is located in the Gate folder The file has a number of required fields and a number of optional fields Provisions should be included in the update program to use defaults for certain items if those items are not specified For example some access control alarm systems can limit tenants to particular keypads However management software programs may not have a field where the access limit can be set and would leave the field blank in update txt Therefore the update program should recognize that no information is being provided and set the default when a move in is processed The table below provides a field name a field type and a brief description for the field More details for each field are provided below The Universal Interface Specification File Contents e 13 Table 1 Update txt File Format Required Field Field Name Field Type Field Size Description Version Numeric Version of the Interface e g 1 00 Operatio
34. s control alarm software is normally installed on drive C the batch file may contain references to drive C However ifthe user chooses to install the software to drive D the drive references would need to be changed to D Ifthe access control alarm software is Windows based an update exe program may also be installed in the Gate folder This allows Windows based management software to invoke the update program without reverting to DOS batch files Gate bat This batch file should be included with the access control alarm software It should have the necessary commands to invoke the main access control alarm program and be located in the Gate folder Although drive related specifications are discouraged it may be necessary for the user to modify any drive related specifications in the file For example if the access control alarm software is normally installed on drive C the batch file may contain references to drive C However ifthe user chooses to install the software to drive D the drive references would need to be changed to D Update siz This file should contain one line with one number indicating the amount of memory required to load the update program It is located in the Gate folder The access control alarm software should create this file The management software should make sure that there is enough free memory before invoking the update bat file If enough memory is not available then the management software should dis
35. ult values from 1 to 49 indicate warnings Result values from 50 to 99 indicate errors The following table details the currently defined result values Table 5 Result Values 1 Record processed default values were used for blank fields 51 Insufficient memory 18 e Result Values The Universal Interface Specification Special Considerations Overview In writing the universal interface much effort has been put into making it as generic as possible allowing all vendors who conform to the specification to communicate However there are inevitably going to be certain features or fields that are not supported by all vendors This chapter details special considerations in using the Universal Interface to interface with WinSen Sentinel Adding Units via the Interface The Universal Interface specification allows the management software to add a unit to WinSen Sentinel by calling for an add operation WinSen Sentinel fully supports adding units this way but there are some points to keep in mind 1 When a unit is added via the interface to a WinSen Sentinel alarm system it does not add the unit to the door table In this case a tenant can gain entry via the keypad or cardreader if the unit is rented but the alarm will be non functional until the unit is added to the door table manually The interface number is not part ofthe universal specification only the unit number Recall that the interface number in WinSen Senti
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