MCLNet User Guide - MCL
Contents
1. E This is the subnet creation wizard icon The subnet creation wizard will give the following screen Generate New Subnet E x Subnet Details Base Subnet Director C subnets al Subnet Humber Base UDP Port On this screen simply enter the directory where you want to create the subnet the subnet number and base port For our example the only field we change is the subnet number and in here we put 1 and press ok 2 and press ok 3 and press ok This will create three subnets in the following directories C subnets subnet1 C subnets subnet2 Page 9 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies C subnets subnet3 This will create the directories ini files and shortcuts that you need for each instance of MCL Net When you then double click on the shortcuts MCL Net will be opened using the relevant ini file for that particular instance of MCL Net Page 10 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 2 4 Installing MCL Net as a Windows NT Windows 2000 Service MCL Net can be installed as a Windows NT service For this instance of the program check that you are happy with the settings defined in the MCL Net Setup drop down menu Then There are then 2 methods to install as a Service 1 The user can edit the MCLNet ini file for that subnet and create a Service TRUE setting in the Global section Then save the file and start the MCL Net program using the shortcut in the subnet directory This will install the service if it d2. If it set to no the application program that requires the use of the specified data must create this queue To add or edit an entry in the dispatcher section double click on the corresponding entry Page 17 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 3 4 Bridges Set up The Bridges tab lists the applications that will be run by MCL Net on startup In its default mode MCL Net will run two copies of the MCLNetDB program See ODBC section for details To successfully launch an application the application name the parameters the Launch count and Enabled must be set The Launch count specifies how many instances of the application you wish to run Enabled must be set to yes if not it will be ignored MICL Net Setup Server localhost 5001 E amp ld Global Dispatcher Bridges Logging Application Launch Count Enabled MCLNetDB zubnetstestsubnetl AMELN et ini min stop es To enter the above fields double click on the grid 3 4 1 ODBC Setup To access an SQL database through ODBC the MCL Client sends a specific request In fact a DR data packet that contains a filename the SQL query number and the data to MCL Net In other words the MCL Client does not send a full SQL statement instead it sends information to MCL Net telling it where to look for the predefined SQL statement that the MCL Client wishes to execute All the SQL statements for the MCL application are stored ina single file known as the MQD file t
3. A second instance This is perfectly possible In fact a single computer can run up to 250 instances of MCL Net Since each instance of MCL Net can handle 250 MCL Clients this allows a single computer to theoretically handle 62 500 MCL Clients For each Instance on MCL Net a new Subnet must be created Since most installations require less than 250 MCL Clients then only a single subnet will be used If you are installing MCL Net at the most basic level and want to adopt the most straightforward installation see chapter 10 of this document entitled A Quickstart installation of MCL Net 2 1 Installing MCL Net Once the setup exe program for MCL Net V3 has been extracted from the installation media simply start this program During the installation process the operator is asked to select the target directory on the Machine for the MCL Net Files A short time later the user is presented with the following screen MCL Net 3 Setup 7 Enter Text Please enter Information in the held below met Feet Default path for Subnets directory Installshield Back Cancel This information is required for the installation process to create the first Subnet for the machine If you have less than 250 MCL devices then you will only need the one subnet Default Path for Subnets Directory this is the location where the Subnets directories will be created The first directory is subnet1 However if the user changes the
4. MCL Net The MCL Net core Server is the same in each instance What is different is the existence or lack of a user interface window The Window also displays different information depending how the MCL Net is running When MCL Net is first installed it may be run in demonstration mode for one hour after which it will automatically shuts down If running in demonstration mode the Title Bar displays MCL Net Demonstration Mode The following is the MCL Net window that is displayed when a user starts MCL Net subnet 25 from a typical shortcut when it is not installed as a service MCL Net eS joj x File MCL Net Help 1 Receive 1 Receive 1 Receive 1 Receive 1 Receive i Receive 1 Receive 1 Receive 1 Receive 1 Receive 1 Receive 1 Receive 4 ID 093 System SERVER 192 168 168 44 Subnet 001 03 17 The Status Bar at the bottom is split into 3 sections 09 16 57 02 09 16 57 02 03 16 57 02 03 16 57 02 09 16 57 04 03 16 57 04 03 76 57 04 09 16 57 04 09 16 57 04 03 16 57 04 03 16 57 04 03 16 57 04 03 16 57 04 The Subnet Number The System Information The Host ID number Dispatcher Entry for D2 to File DE 13 Disabled Dispatcher Entry for Da to File Da is Disabled Dispatcher Entry for D4 to File D4 is Disabled Dispatcher Entry for 05 to File DS is Disabled Dispatcher Entry for DE to File DE is Disabled Dispatcher Entry for D7 to File D7 is Disabled Dispatche
5. MCL Net MCL Technologies 3 MCL Net Setup Introduction During the installation we encountered the FILE drop down menu which included in its list the MCL Net Setup option Selecting this option actually runs a program called MCLNetSetup File MCL Net Help MCL Nek Setup Device Setup E Dispatcher Entry for D2 to File DE ts Disabled EE Dispatcher Entry for D3 to File D3 is Disabled 46 Dispatcher Entry for D4 to File D4 is Disabled 1 HRecewe 11 26 21 46 Dispatcher Entry for D5 to File DS is Disabled 1 Recewe 11 26 21 46 Dispatcher Entry for DE to File DE is Disabled 1 Receiwe 11 26 21 46 Dispatcher Entry for D7 to File D7 is Disabled i Receive 11 2521 49 Dispatcher Entry for DS to File DS 13 Disabled 1 Receive 11 26 21 49 Dispatcher Entry for DS to File D9 is Disabled 1 Receve 11 28 21 485 Adding Dispatcher Entry for DA to Queue DA 1 HRecewe 11 26 21 46 Adding Dispatcher Entry for AR to Queue AR 1 Recewe 117 26 21 46 Adding Dispatcher Entry for A to Queue sA 1 Recewe 11 28 21 468 Starting Bridge MCLNetDB i c subnetsssubnet AMELN et 1 i Receive 11 26 21 49 Starting Bridge MCLNetDB i c subnetsssubnet MELNeL z 4 ID 099 DES Encrypted System SERYERT 192 168 1768 44 Subnet 001 less Exit The main functionality of the MCLNetSetup program is to connect to an instance of MCL Net and change it s configuration 3 1 Starting MCLNetSetup There are a number of methods that can be used to start
6. MCLNetSetup One is from the menu of each MCL Net application However it can also be started from the Tree View in the MCL Net Manager Or it can be run in stand alone mode from within the C MCLNET directory Default Path Depending on which MCL Net Instance it connects to MCLNetSetup will display one or more of the following tabs in a tabbed dialog window Global Dispatcher Bridges Logging MCLNetSetup when started as a stand alone application will search the current directory for the MCLNet ini file If it exists it will use the connection parameters from the file to attempt to connect to MCL Net If the connection fails or there s no INI file the program prompts the user to enter the connection parameters for the particular instance of MCL Net that you wish to reconfigure Page 13 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies Open File Connection MEL Het Server Host Name Port Number 5001 The user can also force the MCLNetSetup program to use a specific MCLNet ini by creating a short cut to the exe In the properties of the shortcut specify the INI file as part of the target line MCLMetSetup exe Properties General Shortcut O MCLMNetSetup exe Ed ee Target type Application Target location MICLNET Target up exe i critest subnetsisubnet1 MC_Net ini M Run in separate memory space Runas different user Start in CAMCLNET Shortcut key None Run Normal window Comment fF Find Targ
7. Messenger Sends and Started Automatic LocalSystern Ala Met Logon Supports pf Started Automatic LocalSystern Bs Plug and Play Manages d Started Automatic LocalSystern 89 Print Spooler Loads files Started Automatic LocalSystem Bs Protected Storage Provides pr Started Automatic LocalSystem Bs Remote Procedure Provides th Started Automatic LocalSystem Es Remote Registry Se Allows rem Started Automatic LacalSystem Es Removable Storage Manages Started Automatic LocalSystern Es Runas Service Enables st Started Automatic LocalSysterm SBa Security Accounts Stores sec Started Automatic LocalSystermn y Server Provides A Started Automatic Localsystem Page 11 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies The user can modify the startup mode of the service manual or automatic start and stop the service or use the Windows NT standard command net start MCL Net 3 Which will start the MCL Net 3 service Because the MCLNet Setup is a remote client application it can connect to a MCL Net Service and administer it This allows the settings of an instance of MCL Net running as a Service to be administered and then bounced to allow the changes to take affect You can also run the MCL Net Viewer against a running Service by using the command MCLNet I c subnets subnet1 MCLNet ini OR simply double clicking the shortcut already created by the install process in the appropriate subnet Page 12 of 49
8. and from the Server will be shown If this is switched on only the first and last file messages of the transfer will be shown This applies to the Viewer window only The log files will always contain all the file messages regardless of whether the Long File Transfers is on or off The File Counts section This allows the setting of how many log files are generated and how large they are The log files have a limited size once that size is reached it is copied to a backup file and a new log file is started Once the maximum number of log files is reached the oldest log file is overwritten This means that you can easily limit the amount of disk space that is used by the log files Page 20 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies The Lost Files hold packets that are lost in the system whether due to not receiving an acknowledgement or other similar situations and these also overwrite themselves in due course as per the logging files Page 21 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 4 Revision Administration Introduction The main functionality of the Revision Administration program is to allow the centralized and automatic deployment of MCL Client applications Projects It also allows you to maintain MCL Client specific information this ensures the relevant Project is loaded with a minimum amount effort The Revision Administration program is used to connect to an instance of MCL Net and change the Terminals ini file The Terminals ini file store
9. are other general messages used in MCL Net these messages do not show network traffic but inform the user what is happening in the MCL Net Viewer window These messages include Warning messages Information messages and Error message Page 45 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 10 A Quick Start Installation of MCL Net Owing to the scalable nature and complexities of MCL Net it is easy to get confused by such a manual This section has been created to accommodate in a couple of pages the set up of MCL Net in its simplest form 10 1 Starting MCL Net This section is dependant on you accepting the default values presented during the installation of MCL Net After installation the following items will exist on the computer 1 An MCLNET directory containing all binaries DLLs and Clean INI files required by MCL Net 2 A subnets directory will exist with 2 sub directories a Subnet1 that contains the files and directories required by a single subnet and a shortcut to start MCL Net b Agent which contains the files and directories required by the MCL Net Agent Service 3 A shortcut on the desktop to start the MCL Net subnet1 A MCL Net Menu item on the Program Menu that contains the MCL Net Manager and MCL Net subnet1 5 The MCL Agent will be installed as a service and will have been automatically started To start the first MCL Net simply double click on the MCL Net1 icon defined by 3 above If MCL Net is not licensed on
10. ee 31 5 1 NIC BEP Oz ae ee 35 B NELWOLK Keys ren ar A a ee a ola ad 36 PIGS A OS sre sce east ea 37 7 1 To Load and Rum MELSamplesse taa a e Gane a a Lares Si 37 7 2 Starting MCLSamples for windows cccseccccceeceeceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseeeeeeseeeeseaeeesaeeeeesaaeeessaeeeesanes 37 7 3 A O A aed eaaessacsdatadsdouteatees 38 7 4 Gheck seele 39 7 5 A o ee Os or ee ee ee eee en ee 39 7 6 o en a ee ee 40 1 1 CS Che MEL Oled tecate 40 7 8 A A 40 7 9 REDOO ee eisen keller he 41 7 10 REMENG IF 2 ed cet saa ciao het A 41 7 11 ISCH See ae ee A ee eee eee eee 41 7 12 A ee een a me Rees eee ee ee ee ee eee 42 7 13 INGE FIIE TO ADD ee 42 7 14 Wait MEE CINE care a es a it 42 q eae mere ree eae eae een eee re 43 9 Message Flow and Internal Architecture Of MCL Net ooocccocccccccccncccoconcconcnnononnnnnnnnononnncnnonnncnnnnaninnnnos 44 10 A Quick Start Installation of MGL Net 000000 2 46 10 1 Starting MEN et in da 46 10 2 First Terminal COMMUNICA MON etc EEE pias 46 10 3 Testing if MCL Net is Reachable MCL NetDiagnostic cccooccccccoccnncnoccncnoncnnononcnnnnarononnnons 47 11 Slossary or Untamullar Terns seen 49 Page 2 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 1 Introduction MCL Net is part of the MCL Collection of software It is a software product that should be installed on a Server somewhere on your Network It is described as a Communications Server lts basic function is to support communications between MCL Client d
11. it exists it will use the connection parameters from the file to attempt to connect to MCL Net If the connection fails or there s no INI file the program prompts the user to enter the connection parameters for that instance of MCL Net Page 24 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 4 2 MCL Devices Tab The MCL Devices tab accesses information about each individual MCL Client MCL Net Revision Administration Server localhost 5001 seh Devices Device Types Serials Projects Groups Device ID Enabled Type Serial IP Address Groups Logging 001 Enabled 3896hht 80021663901 61 H 132 168 163 41 5001 Sales4 Marketing Ort 001 Enabled S63BAhht 500166 390151 H 192 168 168 424 5001 Sales4 Marketing 001 Enabled 800216G30161 H 132 168 168 43 5001 Sales Marketing EB This window lists the address information of all the MCL Client Devices defined for MCL Net This list allows MCL Net to make the correspondence between the MCL Client ID and the IP address of each device The MCL Client ID must be unique in the system and in the range from 001 to 255 with one or more ID s used for the host The IP Address should also be unique and the range depends on your Network Class Note The ID and IP address values also must be defined on the MCL Client itself Double Clicking on a MCL Client line calls the MCL Client entry screen This screen allows you to define the MCL Client ID the IP address the MCL Client type the de
12. messages and Bridge Specific messages are handled internally DO D9 messages are specified in MCL Designer using the Host Communication Send a Packet processing Most messages require a response in some form so MCL Net stores the Senders IP Address and sends its response to that address What happens to messages that are not handled internally by MCL Net is configured using the Dispatcher Tab of the set up program Page 4 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies A network diagram below clarifies how MCL Net might be used in practice A PC on a network hosts MCL Net Wireless devices access this network via Wireless Access Points Radio Transceiver MAC layer bridges Packets from the wireless devices are directed at the PC running MCL Net There might well be a backup PC running MCL Net on the network as well The MCL Net PC forwards those packets to a database somewhere on the Network perhaps in a another country over a Wide Area connection Information from the Database would then return back to the wireless device from the database via the MCL Net PC Possible MCL Net Architecture REMOTE DATABASE MCL NET MCL WIRELESS BACKUP CLIENT HOT STANDBY Page 5 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 2 Installing MCL Net on Windows Typically MCL Net is installed on one PC on the company network In larger systems with in excess of 250 MCL Clients then it may be necessary to invoke a second copy of MCL Net on the same machine
13. of Unfamiliar Terms MCL Net This is the central communication Server Terminals send messages to this Server and the Server may in turn respond to the messages Terminals typically communicate with the Server to perform database queries upload or download files or perform other host type operations MCL Net can run as a normal Windows program with a foreground window or as a service Multiple instances of MCL Net can run simultaneously on the same host computer Each instance is known as a Subnet MCL Net Agent The agent is a program that can runs as a service on the host computer where one or more instances of MCL Net Subnets are running Both local and remote MCL Net Manager programs use it to administer all MCL Net Subnets on the local computer MCL Net Manager The manager program presents a Tree View of all computers that may have MCL Net Subnets running and the Current Status of those Subnets It also presents a view of all devices on each subnet and can query the status of each device It is also possible to change the configuration of a MCL Net Subnet using the Setup programs available in the MCL Net Manager Subnet Typically MCL Net is installed on one PC on the company network In larger systems with in excess of 250 MCL Clients then it may be necessary to invoke a second copy of MCL Net on the same machine A second instance also known as a subnet You may have up to 250 MCL subnets running on a single computer
14. subnets can also only be accessed by up to 5 units even though you will have purchased an additional 250 user license Note 2 below Therefore to take full advantage of purchasing the 250 additional users licenses then your first subnet should also be fully licensed for up to 250 users Note 1 When activating the product you make a choice to dedicate the license to that particular PC or to use the license in conjunction with an optional Hardware Key which gives PC independence mobility to your license For specific information on use of the Hardware Key see your license certificate Note 2 When you purchase an add on 250 user licenses you are effectively purchasing another subnet with up to 250 users but see paragraph above for important restriction Page 8 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 2 3 Starting Several MCL Nets on one machine Only applicable for those installing systems with more than 250 MCL Clients If you need to start several MCL Nets on one machine and your license allows multiple subnets then a separate subnet directory needs to be set up for each instance each containing it s own ini file In the following example we re going to have three subnets on the machine 1 2 and 3 The recommended directory structure would look something like this A a siii di E subnets Ad subnet The way to create the three MCL Nets is to use the subnet creation wizard on the MCL Net setup menu
15. the DEFPATH on the host machine with a list of files which exist in a specified directory The created file name is shown in the samples window and has an extension of lis The list of files will also specify the file size and the date and time created If no directory path is given the created file will show the files in the DEFPATH directory If the directory does not exist a file is created with no entry Enter 1 Parameter 3 E x Optional Directory Name cancel Page 41 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 7 12 App File to Net App File To Net is used to transfer a file on the local machine to the connected host machine If no directory path is given for the local file DEFPATH defined in MCLApp ini is the default If no file can be found for the given file name a file of size O will try to be created on the host machine in its DEFPATH If no host file is specified the file cannot be created on the host machine IF you want to put the file in another directory besides DEFPATH you need to specify the full correct path and file name in the To Host File field Enter 2 Parameters 9 xl Local File To Host File Cancel 7 13 Net File to App Net File To App works the same as App File to Net but in the opposite direction Enter 2 Parameters E xi Host File To Local File Cancel 7 14 Wait MCL Client Wait MCL Client sends a wait MCL Client message to MCL Net until a MCL Client responds or the
16. the MCL Net Host IP Address Subnet Information and ID string is displayed MCL Net 192 168 168 44 Subnet 25 ID 99 NaCl Page 32 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies This Icon also contains the Menu Items from the MCL Net Main Window Right Click MECLMNet Setup Terminal Setup Help Contents About H je 4 Restore Close Im Cancel Inthe MCL Net window the screen is divided into seven categories Source Time ID may be shown at TID depending on version of MCL Net Msg Seq Size Data The Source tells the user what MCL Net thread is handling the message and in what direction it is going File MCL Net Soues time 1D Mia Sea Size Data mb Receive 11 43 05 54 002 12 M6 0102FR011 4 04 T B 08 7 de Receive 11 43 05 56 UL N 0 O10201 6346011 de Send002 11 4305 57 O02 TF 509 010201637F011 HFIM1734lb dat42426 119894 01 D1 gt m SendO02 11 43 05 60 002 AK 1 016301024 011 de Send002 11 4305 71 O02 TF 14 010201637F411 I LI1734b dat m SendO002 11 43 05 76 O02 AK 1 0163010246411 HE EQ O O 4 ID 099 System SERWERI 192 168 168 44 Subnet 001 11 43 For line one of our example window above there is a FR File Request message from MCL Client ID 33 coming into the receive thread while line two has an AK message leaving the receive thread in acknowledgement of the FR The Time section displays when the message is handled The ID shows the MCL Client ID that
17. MCL Net Version 3 User Documentation MCL Net Version 3 07 May 2003 ZUR TECHNOLOGIES Copyright c 2003 MCL Technologies MCL Net MCL Technologies Table of Contents O eee eC OO re ee ee eee 3 1 1 OV GIMIOW less ar eee ee ee Aa a ae eine as et as eas Se Nee oes aes 4 2 nstalling MGE Net on VVING OWS naeh eu ne 6 2 1 Installlng MCE NeER ee seen ee ee 6 2 2 Licensing of MCL Net M3y2003 22 22 3222221222 ana EA En 8 2 3 Starting Several MCL Nets on one machine u0 2240002200nennnnnn nennen nennen nennen nnnnn nennen 9 2 4 Installing MCL Net as a Windows NT Windows 2000 Service ccccooccccccccccccocccnononcncnnncononnnons 11 3 MCL Net Setup Introduccion css ii 13 3 1 starting MC LNCS GUO ass een ae 13 3 2 Global Serp naana wea hte Malen lieh al naeh 15 3 2 1 E A a eie eS eel 15 322 o o a On thee ele een ne een aed ene Geer Ae ae 15 3 2 3 BOLO A MEN ath eee ade Rate 16 A A ee en Rees 16 3 3 Dispatcher SE ED ae 17 3 4 Bridges SELF Ups ne ee in ein Ballen 18 3 4 1 a O ee 18 3 5 HS A mre eee et 20 4 Revision Administration Introduction ccccccccccccseccceeeeeeeeeeeeceeeeeeeeseeeseeeeseeeseeeseeeeseeesaeeseeeeseeessaeeeaes 22 4 1 Starting Revision Administration eiii ai a a 23 4 2 oro AAA E en ee er ee 25 4 3 The Devices TV OCS Tanatorio eels 27 4 4 Sl AD as ee a ee ee 28 4 5 PIO EOS oben ee ee En 29 4 6 OUI e iE o ARER ee ee ee en ee ee 30 DS MCLENGE VIC WOR ee a ee ee ee isn een
18. TMDL and TSN must exist in Terminals ini Also in the Global section there is a UseMCL ClientlP which can be TRUE or FALSE if this is true when the MCL Client connects for the first time its IP is inserted into the ini file else the IP is set to 0 0 0 0 Entries in the Global section are not edited through the Revision Administration section as they rarely change Page 22 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 4 1 Starting Revision Administration Revision Administration is a stand alone application although it can be launched by selecting Device setup from the dropdown menus from within a running instance of MCL Net MCL Net BR Ol x File MCL Net Help MCL Nek Setup Device Setup Dispatcher Entry for D2 to File DE 13 Disabled a Dispatcher Entry for D3 to File D3 is Disabled 46 Dispatcher Entry for D4 to File D4 is Disabled 1 Recewe 11 28 21 46 Dispatcher Entry for D5 to File DS is Disabled 1 HRecewe 11 26 21 46 Dispatcher Entry for DE to File DG is Disabled 1 Recewe 11 26 21 46 Dispatcher Entry for D7 to File D7 is Disabled i Recewe 11 2521 49 Dispatcher Entry for DS to File DS is Disabled 1 HRecewe 11 26 21 49 Dispatcher Entry for DS to File D9 13 Disabled 1 Receve 11 28 21 458 Adding Dispatcher Entry for DA to Queue DA 1 Recewe 11 28 41 48 Adding Dispatcher Entry for AR to Queue AR 1 Recewe 11 28 21 468 Adding Dispatcher Entry for A to Queue sA 1 HRecewe 11 28 21 468 Starting Bridge MCLNetDB i c subnetsssu
19. amp ld x w fT x Global Dispatcher Bridges Logging Show Messages File Log Level Information Display Log Level Information Show Messages File Counts Application Messages Log Files 7 Terminal Messages Log size Internal Messages Lost Files Lost Size Long File Transfers A different level may be set for the messages that go to the Viewer window Display Log Level and to the logging files themselves There are three levels for each of these options being Error Warning and Information Error will only show Error messages Warning will show both Error and Warning messages and Information will show all three There are also three groups of messages that may be switched on and off being Application Messages TCP MCL Client Messages UDP and Internal Messages Queue messages UDP messages are messages that flow between MCL Net and the MCL Clients TCP messages are all other network messages and Queue messages are messages that flow internally on MCL Net between its various modules For example if you are only interested in seeing messages between your 3 party application and MCL Net then enable TCP messages and disable UDP and Queue messages To show the full path of messages as they pass around the system enable all three One other option in the show messages section is Long File Transfers If this is switched off all messages for file transfers to
20. ange these Select Group a x Ok Cancel Page 26 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 4 3 The Devices Types Tab The Devices Types tab allows the user to define the various MCL Client types that can communicate with MCL Net For each MCL Client type a MCL Client range can be specified These ranges cannot overlap If a MCL Client ID of a certain type connects with MCL Net the terminals ini file can be checked for the associated group If a MCL Client ID is not in a specified range and a default for the MCL Client type is specified the group associated with the default is then associated with this MCL Client ID For each range a group has to be specified if no group is specified the MCL Client type and range will not be saved to the Terminals ini file MCL Net Revision Administration Server localhost 5001 E amp ll Devices Device Types Serials Projects Groups Devices Add Delete Device Ranges From Device To Device Mi 030 Marketing Double clicking on the MCL Client Device Ranges grid brings up the select groups screen as defined above Page 27 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 4 4 Serials Tab The Serials tab is simply used to maintain a cross reference of the physical Serial Number against an MCL Client ID MCL Net Revision Administration Server localhost 5001 seh Devices Device Types Serials Projects Groups lee TBI 5 S00216G90161 D 8002190161 F T
21. ation list and this trace data can be viewed on a MCL Net DLL screen or written to a file for review Interfacing to programs is possible through Files executable programs or DLLs MCL Net Agent The main functionality of the MCL Net Server is to 1 receive and save data coming from devices manage all file server functionality 2 3 transfer files and MCL Code programs to devices 4 manage auxiliary functions like reset date and time setting of devices Page 43 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 9 Message Flow and Internal Architecture of MCL Net Architecture DLL MCL ODBC ODBC huso B3 nn Bridge MCL NET Manager Other Subnets andor Servers Ethernet In an MCL world transactions are typically driven by the MCL Client Messages originating from the Client are passed over the Ethernet network destined for a particular instance of MCL Net They are received at the Receiver and forwarded to the appropriate queue Messages that MCL Net can immediately deal with without any further interfacing are sent to the Command Queue and responded to immediately back to the MCL Client via the Router Module Other messages are queued for the Command Server which decides what to do with each message based on its packet type and then forwards the message to the appropriate MCL bridge component or application Statistical data and message logging is also collected by the Command Server Information resulting back fr
22. bnet MELNeL 1 Recewe 11 26 21 49 Starting Bridge MCLMNetDB i c subnetsssubnet MEL et 1 4 ID 099 DES Encrypted System SERYERT 192 166 1768 44 Subnet 001 NE When launched as a stand alone application you are asked to enter the host and port you want to connect to Once entered the application will attempt to connect to the machine running MCL Net when connected the relevant information will be displayed from the Terminals ini file Exit Open File Connection MCL Net Server Host Name Port Humber 5001 Revision Administration will display the following tabs in a tabbed dialog window Devices Device Types Serials Projects Groups Page 23 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies MCL Net Revision Administration Server localhost 5001 gt E Devices Device Types Serials Projects Groups Device ID Enabled F Address iE O01 Enabled SPT1740 800216690161 H 192 168 168 41 5001 Sales4 Marketing Ort If you want to connect to another host click on the open folder icon in the toolbar this will allow you to edit another Terminals ini file for another running instance of MCL Net At any time if you want to save to the Terminals ini file click on the disk icon in the toolbar or quit and you will be prompted to save your changes before continuing Revision Administration when started as a stand alone application will search the current directory for the MCLNet ini file If
23. button MCLNet Test Application MCL Net Server Host Name fi 2 165 123 121 Fort Number 5001 Check Connection On Success the following is displayed Page 47 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies MCLNet Test Application i i gy MCL Net Server Host Name fi 932 168 123 121 Fort Number 5001 Time Request TR was Sent Successfully Acknowledge AR Recemed for Time Request Transaction Time TT Recemed Successtully for Time Request TR Acknowledge AK to Transaction Time TT was Sent Successfully UF Errors in communication can be the result of a number of issues There may be a firewall between the 2 PCs MCL Net may not be listening or not started MCL Net may be responding to a different MCL Client at a different IP Address The Checks a user should perform are detailed in a pop up message box and these checks differ depending on where the error occurred x No Response from socket Timeout 1 second Check the Following Check MCLNet is running Check the subnet For MCLMet is 1 Check the HostIO For MCLNet is 99 Check that Host 192 168 123 122 is reachable on the Network Check that the TR was received on the destination MCLNet viewer iF TR received and AK logged check the destination of the AK iF no TR on viewer check that firewall is configured correctly For this machine to communicate with destination server Page 48 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 11 Glossary
24. cts in Group Frisales l Fri arketing Pryoalesb 1 To add a Project highlight an available Project highlight a version of this Project and use the directional arrow to add These Projects are added to the TGroup section of Terminals ini on saving or when exiting the application Each group name must be unique and be associated with at least one Project If a group is removed it is no longer available to MCL Client Type ranges if a mistake is made exit the application without saving Page 30 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 5 MCL Net Viewer The MCL Net Viewer window appears when MCL Net is launched on a Windows platform The window displays MCL Net traffic in a user friendly environment with directional icons to show the flow of messages through the Server The types of messages displayed are Application Messages TCP MCL Client Messages UDP and Internal Messages Queue messages UDP messages are messages that flow between MCL Net and the MCL Clients the messages with blue directional arrows TCP messages flow between Host applications and MCL Net and Queue messages are messages that flow internally within MCL Net between its various modules MCL Net can run in a number of different modes 1 As anormal Windows process with an interface window 2 AsaWindows Service with no interface window 3 As a process started by a different Service the MCL Agent which again has no window 4 Asa Window on a process service or remote
25. each with it s own independent ini files and directory structure Page 49 of 49
26. ection of the MCLNet ini for the MCL Net which you are communicating with For the given example DataDOQ could correspond to the following entry Dispatcher Dispatch_001 D0 Queue DataD0Q 000 No The Response Queue is the Queue which the Echo program will send its response to Synchronous Response responds in Synchronous mode ensuring the MCL Client received the packet No Echo does not send an echo response to MCL Net Once start Echo is initiated it attempts to connect to the running MCL Net if it is successful it will wait on the specified queue for incoming messages until the Stop echo option is chosen If Start Echo cannot connect to MCL Net it logs a message and stops 7 4 Check If you want to check the status of the MCL Net you are trying to connect to use the check option If MCL Net is running The Command Completed OK will be returned else a message like MCL Net not started will be displayed 7 5 Check and Start Check and Start is similar to Check but if MCL Net is not running this option will try to start the Server On the local machine the BINPATH in MCLApp ini needs to specify the path to where the MCL Net executables resides The path for the MCLNet ini file for MCL Net you wish to start also needs to be entered on the following screen Enter 1 Parameter E x Enter full Path for MCLNet ini o MPAGQ MCLN et ir cancel Page 39 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 7 6 Remove Files Remove Files de
27. es fi E caca mo To change Network Key type in the path of the ini file or locate it using the magnifying key once located the Network Key for this file will appear To change type in new key and ok save and exit this will exit the application To change a number of keys in different ini files locate the file change the key and hit apply save once finished exit the application Page 36 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 7 MCLSamples The MCLSamples application is provided for both Windows and Unix platforms to give users sample applications and code which provide examples of how to interface with MCL Net at packet level The function calls and parameters are defined in the MCL Net Technical documentation Here we will outline the MCLSample application itself 7 1 To Load and Run MCLSamples As part of the standard installation process the code for MCLSamples is also installed If you have Visual Studio or Microsoft Visual C installed on your PC you can load the MCLSamples Project workspace by clicking on MCLSamples dsw Once loaded in the workspace the following appear Source Files Header files and resource files as part of the MCLSamples file By right clicking on the MCLSamples file and choosing option settings you bring up the Project settings of MCLSamples Under the general tab in the output files field you specify where you are creating your executable MCLSamples application Under Debug in the program argumen
28. et Change Icon caca u Page 14 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 3 2 Global Set up The Global tab accesses information about Communication Current Host Protocol and the File Paths MCL Net Setup Server localhost 5001 on x Ss x Global Dispatcher Bridges Logging Local Hast SERVER 192 168 1668 44 Protocol Retry Timeout mSec 2000 Retry Court 3 Idle Timeout moec i 0000 Communications Hast ID Base Fort Subnet Listening Fort Paths Path for Data Files c subnets subnetl files al Path for MCL Projects c subnets projects ql 3 2 1 Local Host The current host that you are connected to 3 2 2 Communication Host ID 1 254 The Host ID of MCL Net Server Base Port default 5000 The base port number of MCL Net The actual port that MCL Net listens on is the Base Port added to the Subnet number Subnet 1 255 The Subnet of MCL Net There may be several instances of MCL Net on one machine each having a unique Subnet number The actual port that MCL Net listens on is the Base Port added to the Subnet number Port display only The listening port number of MCL Net Page 15 of 49 MCL Net 3 2 3 Protocol Retry Interval Retry Timeout Retry Count Idle Timeout 3 2 4 Paths MCL Technologies After MCL Net has failed to post a message to a Queue if Retries gt 0 it will wait this amount of Milliseconds bef
29. evices and host systems databases It is designed to work with MCL Clients running applications created using MCL Designer It can support up to 250 MCL Client Devices per copy of MCL Net however this also depending on one having a Suitable licence to support this MCL Net controls a variety of vital activities for the MCL Clients across a network It provides a flexible communications environment to interface with transaction driven data collection applications Using MCL Net the MCL Client Devices can upload or download data packets files or programs anywhere as long as they can connect to the Server through a wireless 802 11 or Ethernet 802 3 network Users can append copy rename or delete files on the Server from a remote location MCL Net provides time and date synchronization of MCL Client Devices as well as a variety of interfaces to host applications through a Dynamic Link Library DLL on Windows or a shared library MCLNetV3 on UNIX MCL Net also includes an ODBC SQL engine that runs on Windows platforms that allows the user to access and perform SQL requests on ODBC compliant databases MCL Net traces network activity checks MCL Client status on the Ethernet 802 11 wireless networks and manages both data paths and network devices MCL Layered Architecture L D e S 1 g n e Y Operational data may be easily saved on networked systems or drives by making declarations in MCL Net to set up the paths and destina
30. ey can connect to the server through a wireless or Ethernet network Users can append copy rename or delete T E MCL Net ODBC Setup files on the server from a remote location MCL Net provides time and date synchronization of terminal devices as 5 9 MCL Net INI Files well as a variety of interfaces to host applications through a Dynamic Link Library DLL on Windows or a shared NB setting up a Terminal on MCL Net library MCLNet 3 on UNIX MCL Net also includes an ODBC SQL engine that runs on Windows platforms that 18 Setting Up Terminal Entries o allows to the user to access and perform SQL request on ODBC compliant databases MCL Net traces network a E Encrypted or Un Encrypted activity checks terminal status on the Ethernet and Radio networks and manages both data paths and network B Serial Numbers devices base B Connected or Un Connected B Connected Mode Operational data may be easily saved on networked systems or drives by making declarations in MCL Net to set y 3 Un Connected Mode up the paths and destinations of data records and files MCL Net constructs a Terminal ID configuration list that E Why Use Connected Mode includes Hosts and wireless devices Using the master list of all devices connected to the MCL Net MCL Net Behind a Firewall communications server enabling or disabling any device on the network becomes quick and easy Network activity MCL Net Messages may be traced for devices identified in the Terminal ID configur
31. hat is created by the MCL Designer MCL Net transfers this request to the MCL Net OBDC SQL engine that extracts the correct SQL query from the MOD file The MOD file is stored in the specified Project directory This directory is defined in the global setup When the MCL Net ODBC engine finds or cannot find the corresponding data in the database it sends return codes and data to the MCL Client back through MCL Net The return code indicates the number of records that has found in the database The MCL Net OBDC SQL engine is an executable file named MCLNetDB EXE and is located in the working directory of MCL Net lts syntax is shown below Page 18 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies MCLNetdb queuename argument Where queuename The name of the pipe that can be open automatically Auto Open set to Yes by MCL Net dispatcher or by the user application The Default queuename is DR and the default packet type is DR argument none MCLNetDB starts with normal window min MCLNetDB starts minimized max MCLNetDB starts maximized You can launch MCLNetDB from the bridges tab as shown in the screen shot above two copies of this are launched by default Two for added throughput capabilities Page 19 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 3 9 Logging Set up The Logging Setup allows you to define the level of detail recorded in the transaction logging files of MCL Net MCL Net Setup Server localhost 5001 Ne x ca
32. is sending or requesting data the Msg is the type of message that is being handled and the Seq shows the message sequence number Page 33 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies The Size shows the size of the Data in the message not including any header information Finally the Data section shows the entire Packet including the message type the sequence number the message length and the message packet The on screen display length of the messages can be modified by changing the LogMessageSize value in the Logging section of the MCLNet ini file On the File menu there are three options e MCL Net Setup calls the MCL Net Setup application and allows the user to change the configuration of MCL Net e MCL Client Setup calls the Revision Administration application which allows users to administer MCL Clients e Exit stops MCL Net and closes the application On the MCL Net menu there are four options Clear clears the current messages from the MCL Net window Check MCL Clients Starts the MCLPing application Install Product see help on MCLKey Install Add On see help on MCLKey To check the version of MCL Net that is running click on help then about Page 34 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 5 1 MCL Ping MCL Ping is an application that can be started from the MCL Net Viewer window using MCL Net gt Check Devices On starting the application the following screen is displayed Periodically the application sends a me
33. letes a file on the machine on which MCL Net is running If no path is specified the file is expected to reside in the DEFPATH of the connected MCL Net machine Enter 1 Parameter a E x File to Remove 061 22 lis cancel 7 7 Check MCL Client When a MCL Client connects to MCL Net it connects with a TC command When Check MCL Client is ran the user enters the MCL Client number it wants to check if this MCL Client has connected the message the Command Completed OK is displayed else The command returned with a not found error Enter 1 Parameter E ix Terminal to Check cancel 7 8 Shutdown The Shutdown command stops the MCL Net instance with which you are connected according to the MCLApp ini file Enter 1 Parameter E xl Seconds before Shutdown cancel Page 40 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 7 9 Reboot Reboot sends a reboot command to MCL Net Once the reboot is done the samples window displays the Command Completely successfully Enter 1 Parameter 4 x Seconds before Reboot cancel 7 10 Retrieve IP Retrieves the IP and port number of the MCL Client entered in the pop up window If The MCL Client IP returns as 000 000 000 000 5001 which is the default for an undefined MCL Client then the MCL Client has never communicated with MCL Net since the last Reboot start Enter 1 Parameter eS x Terminal No cancel 7 11 List Files Creates a file in
34. o edit the Serial or TID double click on the grid Page 28 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 4 5 Projects Tab The Project tab is used to define the Projects Each Project name must be unique For each defined Project there can be a number of different versions these versions are displayed in a grid which can be added to and deleted as the Project is modified Once a Project is added to the Project list it is accessible to the groups alternatively if a Project is deleted it is removed from the group If a group is associated with no Projects it will be removed So removal of Projects should be done carefully MCL Net Revision Administration Server localhost 5001 gt El Devices Device Types Serials Projecte Groups Project Defaults Description Second marketing project Release Version v_21 0 Test Version v_21 D New Project Friblarketing Description Add version 3 werslon 2 Edit Delete To edit a Project version either double click on the grid or highlight a row in the group and click the edit button Page 29 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 4 6 Groups Tab The Groups tab is used to maintain the group entries in the Terminals ini file Projects are associated with groups on the screen to edit a group double click on the group entry or highlight the group and click the edit button This calls the select Project screen Projects for sales xl Available Projecte Proje
35. oesn t exist and start the service 2 The user can start the MCL Net program in a MS DOS window with the arguments install i lt inifile gt to add the MCL Net to the services list MCLNet install i c subnets subnet1l1 MCLNet ini The Subnet entry in the ini file is used to give each Service instance of MCL Net it s own unique name The name given to the Service entry will be MCL Net followed by the Subnet number for example MCL Net 3 Each Service entry may use the same MCL Net executable but must be installed with different ini files each having a different Subnet number The MCL Net Service appears in the list of Services available on system Control Panel Services for NT or Control Panel Administrative Tools Services for Windows 2000 El s m Services Action View r AAA Services Local Sy AvSync Manager McAfee 4 Started Automatic LocalSystem Bs Computer Browser Maintains a Started Automatic LocalSystern Ba DHCP Client Manages m Started Automatic LacalSystem Ss Distributed Link Tra Sends notif Started Automatic LocalSystem iy DNS Client Resolves a Started Automatic LocalSysterm ity Event Log Logs event Started Automatic LocalSysterm iy IPSEC Policy Agent Manages I Started Automatic LocalSystem h Logical Disk Manager Logical Disk Started Automatic LocalSystem WMCL Met 1 0000 Started Automatic LocalSystem Sym Met Agent 5000 Automatic LocalSystern
36. om the various MCL Bridge products and Applications is accepted back by the Command Server and forwarded to the Router for onward transmission to the MCL Client Also included within MCL Net is the Net Agent that allows the MCL Net Manager software module to administer and view MCL Net and MCL Client activity MCL Net Manager This is a stand alone management program that presents a Tree View of all computers on the network that have MCL Net installed on them and reports the current status of those Subnets It also presents a view of all devices on each subnet and can query the status of each device It can change the configuration of each MCL Net Subnet The Net Agent represented in pink in the diagram above is a program that runs as a Service on the host computer where one or more instances of MCL Net Subnets are running Both local and remote MCL Net Manager programs use it to administer all MCL Net Subnets instances on the local computer Page 44 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies For more details on the MCL Net Manager see separate manual or onscreen help files UDP Messages UDP messages are messages that flow between the MCL Net and the MCL D Clients These messages have blue directional arrows in the MCL Net Viewer Window TCP Messages TCP messages flow between Host applications and MCL Net Queue Messages Queue messages are messages that flow internally on MCL Net between its various modules Other Messages There
37. ore the retry After MCL Net has sent a message to a MCL Client It will wait this amount of Milliseconds for a response before checking if a retry is required The number of times MCL Net will retry posting a message This is the amount of time in Milliseconds a Send Thread must be idle before it will terminate and free any resources its using The default Path for Project files defines the path of the directory where Project files are stored This path is necessary to find the correct SQL script file PROJECT MQD related to a Project The default Path for Data Files is the path of the directory where data files are stored Page 16 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 3 3 Dispatcher Set up The Dispatcher tab sets up the data packet dispatcher to route the incoming packets to the corresponding application or file The user can decide to dispatch selected incoming data following packet type and MCL Client ID to a file or to a queue that is attached to an application The data dispatcher is a module that is used to define what happens when MCL Net receives specific user definable messages The dispatcher enables incoming data packets to be routed to the right host application or file depending on MCL Client ID sender and Packet Type For instance all type DO packets from MCL Client number 001 and 002 can be routed to an inventory program via a queue while all type D1 packets from all MCL Clients are routed to the
38. r Entry for DS to File DS is Disabled Dispatcher Entry for DS to File D9 13 Disabled Adding Dispatcher Entry for DA to Queue DA Adding Dispatcher Entry for AR to Queue AR Adding Dispatcher Entry for A to Queue A Starting Bridge MCLNetDB i c est subnetssubnet SMICLI Starting Bridge MCLNetDB i cest subnetssubnetl SMCL q The main window area displays Error Warning and Information messages as well as MCL Client Traffic between MCL Net and MCL Clients Page 31 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies The data on the Title bar will change depending on how MCL Net is started The above window is a normal foreground Windows process If the user starts the same MCL Net a second time the second instance will only create a viewer window on the first MCL Net The title bar changes as shown below MCL Net Viewer is follows MCL Net Viewer File MCLNet Source Time TID MsglSeqf Size Data If this viewer is a viewer on a service rather than a viewer on a foreground MCL Net then the title bar changes as follow MCL Net Service Viewer File MICLNet The Status Bar also changes It will display the Encryption Level if MCL Net is running in Encrypted Mode Receve 09 15 50 07 Starting Bridge MELNetDE i cHhtest subnetssubnet WM i 4 fib 099 3 DES Encrypted System SERVERI 192 166 7628 44 Subnet 001 14 19 When MCL Net starts it also creates a tray icon W 10 52 On hovering over the Icon
39. receiving goods program via another queue MICL Net Setup Server localhost 5001 ens STK Global Dispatcher Bridges Logging Packet Output To Name Devices 4utoO pi Enablec Comment D Duele D 001 002 ez Yes To Inventory Program DY Llueue D1 000 res Yes To Recerving Program D1 Llueue o 00O ez ez To Receiving Program The Data Dispatcher allows you to perform a Load Balance by giving the possibility to start multiple applications for the same queue for the same criteria MCL Client ID and Packet Type This parallel implementation gives better response when several MCL Clients perform the same transaction at the same time The Data Dispatcher will then route each incoming packet to the relevant queue Any number of applications can be watching the same queue up to operating system limitations The Data Dispatcher allows you to route incoming packets to text type data files Each incoming packet will then be appended into the corresponding file the host application can then at any time read the content of this file or rename the file for further operation without file sharing problems The Dispatcher will create the file if it doesn t exist This technique is usually applied when the MCL Clients are only sending data to the host without any information coming back The AutoStart function When this is set to YES this indicates that MCL Net will automatically create the specified queue or file at startup
40. responding correctly If it is then the problem lies with the device set up If it is not the MCL NetDiagnostic application will present probably causes for the failure Each should be checked individually 10 3 Testing if MCL Net is Reachable MCL NetDiagnostic Please note that in earlier versions MCLNetdiagnostic was known as MCLNetTest Checking if MCL Net will respond correctly to a MCL Client can sometimes be quite difficult especially it the user is unfamiliar with that particular MCL Client the MCL Client is on a different area of the network or there s a firewall between the MCL Client and MCL Net A simple application has been provided called MCLNetDiagnostic exe which runs on a Windows type PC This application should be taken to the area of the network where the MCL Client will be connected and installed launched The MCLNetDiagnostic program then attempts to send data packets to the MCL Net If packets are missed or not returned to the MCL Net Test program it offers hints and checks that the user should make to identify the cause of the communication failure How to run the Tests The MCL Net Diagnostic program should not be started on the same computer as MCL Net as both products will attempt to use the same Network Port Instead copy the MCLNetDiagnostic exe program and the SX32W DLL to a folder on the remote PC Enter the Host Name or IP Address and the Port on which MCL Net is listening and click the Check Connection
41. s information about MCL Clients served by that instance of MCL Net and should be located in the same directory as MCLNet ini When initially powering up a MCL Client the usual set up is required such as IP settings etc such that it can communicate with MCL Net Once the Terminals ini file is set up within MCL Net and MCL Client that connects to MCL Net can auto load its default Project In the Global section of the Terminals ini file a TIDControl entry is set which should have one of the following options VeryLow Low Medium High VeryHigh Very Low is the default and doesn t strictly need an entry in the Terminals ini file Low allows the MCL Client to be loaded with a minimum of setup but also has a corresponding minimal level of control The MCL Client ID TID MCL Client model TMDL and MCL Client serial number TSN are not set on the Server and the TID is not set on the MCL Client The Server allocates a free TID adds an entry in Terminals ini and sends a list of groups to the MCL Client for that MCL Client type The user can then select the group and from the selected group can select a Project Medium the MCL Client must exist in Terminals ini the group if defined is returned If the group is not defined groups set up for that MCL Client type are returned High the TMDL and TSN must exist in Terminals ini If these exist a spare TID is allocated if not it is rejected Very High gives the tightest control and the TID
42. ssage to MCL Net that causes MCL Net to ping the MCL Client in question The result of the ping is displayed on screen Other useful information is also displayed including the INI settings for the device as well as the MCL Net settings for a device In the following example the fourth device does not actually have an INI entry yet the device at some stage successfully communicated with MCL Net m H MCL Net Check Devices localhost 5001 za E fox File Device INI Status INI Addr MCL St MCLAdd ID LastComm ct Ping Resul oP SPT1740 Enabled 192 168 168 4 Enabled 192168168041 O01 No Comms Mo Reachable BP SPT1740 Enabled 192 169 169 42 Enabled 192168168042 O02 No Comme Mo Not Reachable BP SPT1740 Enabled 192 169 169 43 Enabled 192 168 168 043 O03 No Comme Ho Reachable BP UNKNOWN none 0 0 0 0 Enabled 192 168 168 107 033 2003 03 03 12 00 No Reachable Page 35 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 6 Network Key This is a stand alone application that is used to edit the Network Key used for encryption on the local machine In MCLNet ini the Network Key is encrypted to give a further level of security For a user to edit the Network key this application should be used and the Key can be viewed and changed if necessary A MCL Met Encryption Setup e o x INI File c subnets subnetl SMICLN et ini an Encryption Enabled TRUE Network Key 2345678 Encryption Algorithm DES Session Lifetime Minut
43. subnet number a different directory will be created Page 6 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies Next the following screen is displayed MILL Net 3 Setup Enter Text Please enter information in the held below Please enter the Subnet Number InstallShield Back Cancel Subnet Number This number affects the name of the subnet directory created and the UDP port that MCL Net will use This number when added to 5000 gives the actual port that MCL Net uses 5000 is the default base port and should only be changed when the user has no other choice Changing the base port is done after installation and must be done on both MCL Net and all MCL Client Devices connecting to MCL Net Additional subnets can be created after installation using the subnet creation wizard Page 7 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 2 2 Licensing of MCL Net may 2003 Having installed MCL Net you will be asked to run the product in Demo mode Runs for 1 hour before automatically shutting down or to enter license details Activation see note 1 below When purchasing your license you need to decide how many simultaneously connected MCL Clients you expect to use Licenses are available for the following quantities of simultaneous users 5 25 50 100 250 In addition you can buy add on licenses such that you may increase the number of MCL Clients by 5 25 or 250 MCL Devices at a time NB The denominations for add on licenses may vary If yo
44. the computer the activation process will automatically start If MCL Net is not to be activated immediately the user can start in Demonstration mode Note that MCL Net will automatically terminate after one hours operation in Demonstration mode 10 2 First Terminal Communication MCL Net should by now be started on the computer In order to check that a terminal can communicate with MCL Net take the following steps 1 On Installation the new subnet is configured with a default Device 001 Using the File gt Device Set up menu change the IP Address to the actual address of the device or 0 0 0 0 if the device is using DHCP If you do not need the sample entry you can delete the entry completely 2 On the device from the System Menu a Define it as ID 001 on Subnet 001 using Set up TID b Selecting Host Set up i Ensure HostlD is 99 li Define the IP Address of the Host c If possible check that the Base Port is set at 5000 3 Again using the System Menu a Choose the Tests Item b From the lists of tests choose the Host Connection Page 46 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies At this point the terminal will attempts to communicate with MCL Net If successful the device will respond with a success message and traffic messages will appear on the MCL Net Viewer window If for some reason the Host Connection test fails the user should use the MCL NetDiagnostic application to determine if MCL Net is
45. timeout expires The timeout is in milliseconds Page 42 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies Enter Parameters Terminal to wait for Timeout Cancel 8 Help Files MCL Net includes a comprehensive help file which encompasses everything in this manual and much more It can be accessed by selecting the drop down menu entitled Help from the top right hand corner of the MCL Net Viewer window amp MCL Net ES File Edit Bookmark Options Help HelpTopics Back Bin UI Contents amp Index dh Search Introduction J MCL Net EA Introduction E Introduction MCL Net is part of the MCL Collection of software It can be installed separately or as part of the whole MCL E Overview Collection series MCL Net is a communications server designed to work with Devices running applications created Operation using MCL Designer lt can support up to 250 terminal devices per MCL Net server depending on the licence for the Installing MCL Net installed system i Running MCL Net MCL Net controls a variety of vital activities for the devices across a network lt provides a flexible communications Qg Checking MCL Net environment to interface with transaction driven data collection applications E Testing if MCL Net is Reachab AQ MCL Net Setu l i MCL Net bas Using MCL Net the terminal devices can upload or download data packets files or programs anywhere as long as Gy MCL Net DB th
46. tions of data records and files MCL Net constructs a MCL Client ID configuration list that includes Hosts and MCL Client Devices Using the master list of all devices connected to the MCL Net communications Server enabling or disabling any device on the network becomes quick and easy Network activity may be traced for devices identified in the MCL Client ID configuration list and this trace data can be viewed on a screen or written to a file for review The main functionality of MCL Net is to 1 Receive and save data coming from MCL Clients 2 Manage all file Server functionality 3 Transfer files and MCL Code programs to MCL Clients 4 Manage auxiliary functions like reset date and time setting of MCL Clients Page 3 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies 1 1 Overview MCL Net can be seen as a Server handling messages from client applications written in MCL and running on remote computing devices It handles basic file operations and will forward specific messages to user applications and Bridge applications using a library of functions Host Computer User or Bridge Application Network Network RE Bass Terminal Station rn Operations are typically initiated at the MCL Client it sends a message to MCL Net via a base station and or a TCP IP Network On receiving the message MCL Net may handle the message internally or forward the message to a User Application or Bridge Application In fact all messages except the DO D9 User
47. ts field you can specify the ini file to use for example if it is in the current directory i MCLApp ini A preferable way to specify this is to leave this field blank and create a short cut to the executable and in its properties target specify the ini path after the executable programs path This method is more robust and easier to change Under the C C tab and category pre processor the path for the mcl h file needs to be specified if it is in the current directory where the MCLSamples dsw resides this field can be blank You also need to link to the NetS24V3 lib this should be specified under the Link tab in the Object Modules library field NetS24V3 dll also need to be in the path or reside it the directory where you are running the Samples application 7 2 Starting MCLSamples for windows MCLSamples is a stand alone application which connects to MCL Net using parameters from an ini file called MCLApp ini In MCLApp ini you will need to specify the host name and port where the MCL Net is running which you want to connect to Once this is done the application can be started and the following window should appear Page 37 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies F MCLSamples E J Il x Fie Options Time Data E MCL S ample 1241 44 21 MCL Sample App started This is the main MCLSamples window There are two menu options File and Options From the File menu you can clear the screen and exit the application From the options yo
48. u can choose one of the following Echo used to read from a specified Queue running in MCL Net Check Check the status of the MCL Net you are trying to connect to Check and Start Check the status if MCL Net is not running try to start the Server Remove Files deletes a file on the machine the Server is running Check MCL Client checks if aMCL Client is connected Shutdown stops MCL Net you are connecting to Reboot sends a reboot command to MCL Net Retrieve IP retrieves the IP and port number of aMCL Client List Files creates a file in the DEFPATH on the host machine with a list of files which exist in a specified directory App File to Net app File To Net is used to transfer a file on the local machine to the connected host machine Net File to App net File To App works the same as App File to Net but in the opposite direction Wait MCL Client wait for a MCL Client to connect to MCL Net 7 3 Echo The Echo sample is used to read from a specified Queue running in MCL Net Once a message is read it is displayed and can be echoed back to MCL Net To start the echo click on options echo start echo this will display the following screen Page 38 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies Listen Queue Response Queue Synchronious Response NoEcho The listen Queue is the queue on which you want to listen for a particular message The queue should correspond to a Queue defined in the dispatcher s
49. u intend to use more than 250 devices then you need to configure MCL Net to run multiple instances of itself Subnets You may have up to 250 subnets per PC A single PC can therefore handle thousands of MCL Clients In most systems Typical systems less than 100 MCL Clients then there is very little to be gained by using multiple subnets on the same PC multiple instances of MCL Net Itis sometimes suggested that doing this will increase throughput because MCL Net might be the bottleneck in the system Owing to the multithreaded nature of MCL Net this is very unlikely to be the case However if you believe this might be true in your particular system please contact MCL International Support to obtain specific advice Even under these circumstances it may be more prudent to run MCL Net on a second PC for resilience purposes and divide your MCL Clients accordingly IMPORTANT NOTE FOR LARGER SYSTEMS WITH MULTIPLE SUBNETS Your original MCL Net license determines the number of MCL Clients that can be simultaneous attached to the first subnet plus any additional user quantities that you have installed up to 250 Devices For the second and further subnets on this same PC you should purchase 250 additional users licenses However you are not allowed to exceed the number of licensed users on your first subnet on any additional subsequent subnets In other words if your first subnet is licensed for 5 users then the second and subsequent
50. vice status enable or disable and the serial number of the MCL Client logging on or off and the default group assigned to the MCL Client optional parameter Each field is enterable except for groups only groups defined in the groups tab can be selected Clicking the edit button does this When a MCL Client is added if its IP is not unique a warning message will appear The MCL Client ID should also be unique but if the MCL Client ID is not unique only the last entry for that MCL Client ID will be saved to the Terminals ini file To call a blank MCL Client Setup screen highlight the last line the blank row in the grid and click the first icon in the icon menu On the MCL Client Setup screen the only mandatory field is the MCL Client ID field The entry defaults to being enabled if the enabled field in left blank Page 25 of 49 MCL Net MCL Technologies Once a MCL Client Device ID is defined it can be associated with a MCL Client type range This range in turn can hold one or more groups up to a maximum of 20 Each group can be associated with up to 10 Projects ST 2x Y 7 x Device ID 001 Enabled E nabled Serial 80021 66301 61 H IP Address 19216816843 Port Number 5000 Groups Sales Marketing Edit Logging Por On the MCL Client Device entry screen the edit button lists the available groups and the groups assigned to this MCL Client ID highlighting the entry and clicking on the directional buttons can ch
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