AutoPoll - Sutron Corporation
Contents
1. The Event Log is a file where information about task execution is stored Events such as task starts and stops error messages and other task info is stored each with a date time stamp to make it easy to tell when something occurred Use the Tools menu to enable and disable event logging and to view the current event log if one has been defined Note that the event log 1s simply a text file and can be viewed using any text editor or viewer Here s an example of the kind of information that can be captured in an event log 6719 2008 5401733 PM 6 19 2008 5701738 PM 6 19 2008 5 01 38 PM LOO LOL a2 7 7 Oa 500 6 19 2008 5 01 47 PM 6719 2008 5 02 35 PM 67 19 2008 5202253 PM Sole 2d 294 9901 6 19 2008 5202255 PM None 671972003 5412305 PM 24 Started event logging SDRTask executing SerialPortIP Socket connected to Ending successful download attempt SDRTask executing SerialPortIP Socket connected to Ending FAILED download attempt Status Stopping event logging BEST PRACTICES Here are some guidelines to keep in mind when setting up your system Schedule downloads to start when the system is idle well in between measurements The since last algorithm relies on the last value stored which means if the log contains data after the last value retrieved but with the same time stamp it will be missed The fastest download times are achieved typically when using either SCP or Command Line prot2. AutoPoll connects to data loggers through serial and ethernet connections and supports multiple protocols including MODBUS SCP Satlink Command Protocol and Command Line AutoPoll s features are Remote data collection from Sutron data loggers Downloaded data stored in CSV files Scheduled tasks for unattended operation Run now feature for on demand operation Download logs synchronize time to PC get and send setups Direct serial phone modem IP modem and telnet connections MODBUS SCP and Command Line protocols See the section titled Communications Support at the end of the manual for a table illustrating what connection methods and protocols are supported on which target devices INSTALLATION AND STARTUP This chapter provides information on installing and starting AutoPoll system Requirements The minimum requirements to install AutoPoll are e PC with Microsoft Windows 7 Windows XP or Windows Vista operating system e Microsoft NET Framework 3 5 e Typically 10MB free hard disk space for application files and as much additional hard disk space as is required for storing downloaded CSV files The AutoPoll installation package may be downloaded from http www sutron com downloads software htm Beta versions of AutoPoll those versions that are under test and therefore not yet released may be downloaded from http www sutron com beta AutoPoll AutoPoll htm Installing AutoPoll To install
3. ISO 9001 2000 AutoPoll User Manual Part No 8800 1177 Version 2 1 March 2 2015 Sutron Corporation 22400 Davis Dr Sterling Virginia 20164 TEL 703 406 2800 FAX 703 406 2801 WEB http www sutron com Table of Contents Mtro epe n ML In l Installation and StartUp esente a 2 System ROU ie Mme TMS ia 2 HSE S Uto oa E E E ete ia tata Uren 2 Howto startitis PEOPTEOER AAA a O A mee Tee em Rn 2 Resist rino the SOL Wate eeni aea al 2 Uninstaline the SOLOW Ane ioi oer rA NAE ESN 3 Usmeo AttoRo eaaa a A N 4 Man W ANG OW arnasean tut ii 4 Pie Me etree a T 5 TEON a LM MEM M ELM M MEM MM 5 Tons NIE be Mere rear a stel died ooo eee 6 A T RIEN 8 Toolbar BUOM ep m 9 Creatins Edito a Task sti 9 A M PEE 10 COMPU 11 PAC LOM MEM e o A 16 Device PECHO ASKS as 2A SDRE tidad 2 Momtor F a dada 27 E 23 SDE AA 24 Eyent Partir mt T RR 24 Best PLACE COS ut Pod et Ere bos so tortue dedu ap Exe bestie 25 Comisuration Example 26 Monitor va MODBUS Over Cell Mode Mii 26 Cometas Amo Pol Oca a Eo soda 26 Contistano The Monto rain 28 Coniieurme the Node siciliana 28 COMMUNICAONS SUPPO ecap ici 29 OSS du TI EET 30 Proure E Tocense Reais ca Om on see tetievise te aei dire tesa A 2 U2 NEN O aa S E sedate os 4 Risto 5 Ds eS DIO nn eu eee tee cu eerste 6 Peoc 4 Options DIMOS ai in 7 Proure O License Re oIS trato aa rociado 9 FIGUTS 0 7 Select Device IP iene ieee ieee icm 9 Figure
4. To change settings used to connect to the local modem press the Port Settings button to display the following dialog serial Port Properties Com port Baud rate 11520 Data bits 8 Parity Mone Stop bits Flow control Hane ok Cancel Figure 10 Modem Port Settings The Port Settings dialog is used to specify on which com port to connect to the local modem as well as the baud rate and other communication settings to use 12 TCPIP Connection Type The TCPIP connection type is used to connect to a target device over a TCPIP network The Xpert2 and 9210B loggers support TCPIP connections directly whereas other Sutron loggers can be connected to ethernet to serial converters to enable network access The following dialog is used to configure the TCPIP connection type Enter IP Address and IP Port in the fields provided Note that Timeout specifies the number of seconds to wait for the target device to respond to a command TCPIP Properties IP address 192 168 1 1 IF por 3001 Timeout e 15 Cancel Figure 11 TCPIP Properties Dialog Redirector Connection Type The Redirector connection type is used when your station has a cell modem with a private IP address some cell modem IP addresses are public but others are not those that aren t require a service to redirect the communications through a trusted intermediary like Sutron The following dialog 1s used to configure the Redire
5. MODBUS RTU with Even parity require Modbus Master Properties The dialog below shows how we want to configure the MODBUS properties in AutoPoll Modbus Master Properties JE meza Device lD 1 Protocal RTU Slave timeout ms 5000 SS Ga The Device ID field is set the same Device ID value set in the Monitor The Protocol field is set to RTU The RTU protocol is the most efficient of the two available the other is ASCII RTU requires the communications line to be almost as efficient as a direct serial link Since MODBUS packets are typically fairly small it s not usually a problem to use RTU with modems as in our case 27 In this example we set the Slave timeout field to 5 seconds This means AutoPoll expects to receive a response from Monitor within 5 seconds If no response is seen AutoPoll will retry as many times as have been defined in the Retries field in the Schedule group on the Monitor Task Properties dialog Configuring the Monitor Configure the Monitor using its front panel interface as follows Access the MODBUS setup menu under Station Setup Modbus Settings Set Modbus Enable to Enabled Set Modbus Device ID to 1 Set Modbus Protocol to RTU Set Modbus Parity to None Set Delay Before Tx to 10ms Set Delay After Tx to 10ms Set Modbus BaudRate to 9600 Configuring the Modem The Multitech modem in this example must be configured so that it communicates properly with the Monitor To
6. Recorder A Sutron logger intended for measuring and recording stage using a shaft encoder or analog input Setup File The file used to store an AutoPoll configuration Each setup file contains a definition of a task set Task The fundamental object created and managed by AutoPoll that determines what action to perform and how and when to perform it Each row in the AutoPoll main window represents a task Task Set A set of tasks stored in a configuration or setup file X Link A Sutron logger family consisting of GPRSLink CDMALink and IridiumLink Xpert A Sutron logger family consisting of Xpert Xpert2 9210 and 9210B These loggers support a variety of input types analog digital SDI etc very large logs expanded communications modem radio satellite etc and lots of processing power The Xpert and Xpert2 loggers provide a quarter panel LCD graphical display for configuration and data display 30
7. be set to either Group or Flat where the Group format puts all data having the same timestamp on the same line and the Flat format puts data on separate lines The Download format property is enabled only when the current Protocol is SCP since AutoPoll performs the formatting in this case When Protocol is MODBUS Flat formatting is performed by the device The Right Digits property specifies the number of right digits to use for the Stage or Water Level value in the formatted output This property 1s enabled only when the current Protocol is SCP When Protocol is MODBUS the right digits in the formatted output follows the settings in the device setup The SDR family logs event data Events in addition to measured data Data Events can be things like Reset Setup Change Log Download etc The Content property determines whether to download Data Events or Both Events are separated by pipe characters in the final field when Group format is selected The Dual sensor property is only available when the device type is either SDR or DitchMaster since WaterMonitor does not support dual sensors Set this according to the setup in the device 1 e check the box if dual sensors 1s enabled in the device Get and Send Setup When the current action is either Get Setup or Send Setup the Remote file property is disabled This is because there is one and only one setup in SDR devices and the name is pre determined Monitor Family The Monito
8. d Task PROperes nidos itai ee iud eaten sadi eq dated ico 10 Fie re 5 Serial Port Properties DIalog siria oasis 11 Fioure 9 Modem Properties MOS anses 12 Figure 10 Figure 11 Figure 12 Figure 13 Figure 14 Figure 15 Figure 16 Figure 17 Figure 18 Figure 19 Figure 20 Figure 21 Figure 22 Figure 23 Figure 24 Modem Port Se Min Oia 12 TEPIP Properties Dial sorsun a a ip aba easiest usoag abte idu 2o quoi 13 Redirector Properties Did dida 14 MODBUS Over Direct Modem Properties cccccccccooncncncnnnnnonononocnnnnnnnnnonnnnnononoss 15 MODBUS Over TCPIP Properties usina 15 Common Send Setup Properties ada 16 Common Download Los Properties usais bid 17 Common ync Lime Properties aa dia 17 Common Get Setup Properties aia dis 18 Common Send Setup Properties sra as 18 Capture COIN sea cb cdta ed 20 Send Commands Dialog ua a AA AAA Zi SDR Family Download Log Properties oooooncccnnncccnononocnnnnnnnnnnnnnanononcnnnnnnnononos 22 Monitor Download Los PrODeEles uu n S et D Pai Carb id 22 X pert Download bos Pro Perea dd idee aed E 23 INTRODUCTION AutoPoll is a program for the PC used to perform scheduled remote data collection from Sutron data loggers and sensor loggers Several are supported 7310 8310 X Link Xpert 9210 Satlink Monitor Constant Flow Bubbler Radar SDR Ground Water Monitor and DitchMaster In addition to downloading data AutoPoll can transfer setup files and synchronize time
9. tasks you have created to perform specific actions on a schedule One task appears on each row Each task represents an action to perform according to a defined schedule E AutaPall DASDF AutoPoll Scratch lt Link pol File Task Tools Help 05d J Task Name Activity Enabled Last Time Next Time Syne T ime 230 2012 12 00 00 PM Capture Hunning Waiting for connection Opened D AsDFS amp utaPall Sscratchsx Link pal 1 30 2012 8 50 29 4M Figure 2 Main Window The Station Name field displays the name you give to the task which is typically the name of the target station but can be anything you deem appropriate The Activity field displays the name of the activity the task performs This can be one of the following Download Log Sync Time Get Setup or Send Setup The Enabled field indicates whether the task has been enabled to operate according to it s defined schedule A task 1s typically left not enabled only when you wish to run the task on command only and not automatically according to a schedule When tasks are paused by selecting Tools Pause All this field displays Paused The Last Time field displays the last date and time the task ran whether that run occurred according to schedule or was started manually Similarly the Next Time field displays the date and time the task will next run The current time is shown in the lower right of the window in the status bar making it easy to determine how long unti
10. AutoPoll download the latest installation package from www sutron com if you have not already done so extract the files to a temporary directory and run the file setup exe This program will verify the correct version of Microsoft NET Framework is installed If it is not you will be prompted to download and install the correct version How to Start the Program To start AutoPoll go to Start All Programs Sutron AutoPoll and click AutoPoll Registering the Software AutoPoll will run for 30 days without being registered License keys can be purchased from Sutron sales To enter your license key select the Help License menu item The following dialog will appear License Registration ae ba Enter license information below exactly as it appears in the email or document provided by Sutran sales Figure 1 License Registration When entering your license information enter Name and Key exactly as they appear in the email or document provided by Sutron Uninstalling the Software The software can be uninstalled from the Windows Control Panel applet Add Remove Programs USING AUTOPOLL This chapter provides information on how to use AutoPoll addressing such issues as how to create configure and delete tasks and how to save and load different configurations or task sets Issues specific to a variety of Sutron loggers are also discussed Main Window AutoPoll s main window displays the list of
11. captures 19 ad Capture Settings a Capture Files cd timedt D Link bd Alamtxs D X LinkAMarms txt Forced tes DX X LinkForced tx Commands responses DXX LinkCommands txt Server password Commands to send on every connection a Commands to send only on next connection Figure 20 Capture Settings Self timed txs Alarm txs and Forced txs settings specify where to store self timed alarm and forced transmissions received from the logger respectively Commands responses specifies where to store commands and command responses Both Autopoll and the logger have a Server password setting Enter the same text here that you enter into the logger This is used to validate the Autopoll logger connection After the logger transmits its report it waits for commands to be processed If you have commands to process on every connection they can be entered into Commands to send on every connection If you have commands to process only on the next connection enter them into Commands to send only on next connection See the next section to determine how to process commands in real time Send Command Dialog You can send commands to the logger after it has connected using Send Commands dialog This dialog is available only when a Session Type O capture session is active You access this dialog by right clicking the capture task in the main window and selecting Send Command from the corresponding pop up task m
12. configure the modem connect the modem to a com port on your PC and start a Hyperterm session on the same com port When starting the Hyperterm session use com port settings of 9600 baud 8 data bits no parity and 1 stop bit To determine if the settings are sufficient type at amp v The modem should respond with something that looks like the following Que qwe SS SUA S204 Ss SUS 54010 3950089 PURO FCRC TO SCMERSU SC BSTS0 05 tOPEARER SO FECHO 071 SCl amp SD 2 90 0 Pres SOOO uwlIOBSS IJI If you don t see anything then the Hyperterm settings are not correct Experiment with other values including 115200 baud Once you have established communication enter the following commands at ifc 0 0 Disable flow control ats0 1 Answer on 1 ring acg Turn off result codes attipr 9600 9600 baud attftrcf 23 4 8N1 at amp w Save configuration to memory The modem is now configured for use with the Monitor and AutoPoll using MODBUS over the Multitech GPRS cell modem 28 COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT The following table illustrates what connection methods and protocols are supported on which target devices oe SN We m o 0x 0 Ox Tom mwen WA o A x me Hen ren m m wwo pea 0 X 0 0X 0 0 em a X TCPIP IP Modem IP Modem pm NEN i OX 0 0X 0 nor mwen WA RA A ston Wem x X wem X X qmm Tm p re 29 GLOSSARY CSV File A CSV Comma Separated Values file i
13. ctor connection type Enter the Redirector login User name and password provided by Sutron Customer Service Once your user name and password are entered press the Retrieve Station List button to retrieve the list of stations associated with your user name Select the name of the station you want to access in the Station List on the left The Timeout property specifies the number of seconds to wait for the target device to respond to a command 13 Redirector Properties Redirector login Username Password Show password Retrieve Station List Station name Timeout s Figure 12 Redirector Properties Dialog Command Line Protocol Several Sutron loggers offer a command line protocol that supports log downloads setup transfers and time synchronization These protocols typically do not require configuration Command Line Protocol is usually the better choice over using MODBUS SCP Protocol SCP Satlink Communications Protocol is a protocol originally developed to communicate with Sutron Satlink but has also been adapted for use with the SDR family of Sutron sensor loggers SCP can be used over Direct Modem and TCPIP virtual com port connection types The SCP protocol has no configurable properties MODBUS Protocol The MODBUS protocol is a simple and for the most part standard serial protocol for reading and writing registers in a target device See www MODBUS org for more details of the specif
14. director sutran com IP port 80 TCP IP Broadcasts Enable broadcasts IP pot 3270 e Figure 4 Options Dialog Event Log Select Auto load last setup on app start to cause AutoPoll to load the last setup loaded when the application starts Select Enable event log on startup to cause AutoPoll to enable event logging whenever the application starts Redirector The options in this section control how Autopoll connects to the Sutron Redirector service which is the service that allows you to connect to cell modems on private networks e g GPRSLink CDMALink and Xpert or 8310 stations using the Sutron GPRS modem etc When Custom address and port is checked the IP address and IP port specified will be used The default values of redirector sutron com and port 80 usually work fine But if Autopoll is running on a network that disallows connections to port 80 you may want to configure your network to forward different values to the service TCP IP Broadcasts The options in this section control whether and how AutoPoll sends out data broadcasts of the data 1t downloads whether log data the setup file etc When broadcasts are enabled 1 e Enable broadcasts is checked AutoPoll will broadcast the data it downloads to any client that has connected using the IP port defined in the dialog Normally a binary header is prepended to the data to describe the contents the task name the de
15. e extra time when operating over communication links with high timeouts like Modem and TCP IP When using Modem or TCPIP ASCII is usually a faster choice but requires almost twice the data to represent the same information MODBUS RTU protocol requires the serial port modem be configured for 8 data bits and 1 stop bit MODBUS ASCII protocol requires the serial port modem be configured for 7 data bits and 2 stop bits 1 stop bit when parity is Even or Odd The recommended parity setting is None though Even or Odd may be used as long the setting is the same in both the target device and AutoPoll and as long as the modems have been configured accordingly if modems are used The Slave Timeout property specifies the number of milliseconds to wait for the slave to respond once the request has been sent When using a Direct connection this value can often be as low as 1000 or 2000 1 or 2 seconds When using a Modem connection another second or two is usually required and when using a TCPIP connection several seconds may be required depending on the network However the latency in the logger can require this setting be set much higher For example when downloading event data over a period of 15 several hours the device may take considerable time to find and load the data for transfer requiring an even longer slave timeout setting In each MODBUS transaction over Direct and Modem connections RTS is raised just before tran
16. e following dialog shows the properties common to all device Get Setup actions Remote file 8310 ett Local file 8310 et um Figure 19 Common Send Setup Properties The Remote file property is used to indicate the name of the setup as it will be on the target device after sending Note for many devices this property 1s disabled since the device has one and only one setup The Local file property is used to indicate the name and location of the local setup file to send Pressing the button labeled brings up a dialog you can use to browse for the file Capture The Capture action is used to capture all incoming data in either a TCP IP or serial connection The serial connection can be either Direct or Modem For X Link 7310 and 8310 loggers the Capture action also offers an opportunity to perform command processing after the logger transfers its data The Capture action runs continuously 1 e it starts as soon as it is created and enabled and runs for as long as AutoPoll is running though the task may be paused by selecting Pause All from the Tools menu When capturing over a TCP IP connection AutoPoll waits for a connection request from the IP address and IP port you specify in the TCP IP Connection setup Once the connection 18 request is received all data received thereafter is saved to the file you specify Note only connections from the specified IP are accepted Howev
17. e type SDR ica Cancel Figure 6 Select Device Type From this dialog you can specify SDR Xpert 8310 X Link or one of many more device types After selecting the type of device to target the Task Properties Dialog is displayed which is used to define the task s Schedule Connection and Action properties m SDR Task Properties Schedule Action Enable task Name SDR Time Local file Download type Download span Action to perform Local time offset min Remote file DownloadLog r setup bd setup txt F ums 01 00 00 V Separate date time Output file d SDR csv One file per download Delimiter Right digits 2 Content Data Dual sensor Figure 7 Task Properties Schedule The Schedule group is used to control when and how often a task is executed automatically Note that you can run a task at anytime manually by selecting Tools Run with the task highlighted in the main window The Enable schedule checkbox is used to enable and disable the task When this box is checked the task is automatically executed according to the schedule defined by Time and Interval The task may still be run manually at any time by highlighting the task in the task list and selecting Tools Run When the Enable schedule checkbox is not checked the task may only be run manually it will not execute according to schedule Time and Interval are used to specify when and how often the task sh
18. enu 20 a Commands to X Link File View TIO AREIS DISCONNECTED Session history DISCONNECTED Figure 21 Send Commands Dialog When the logger is connected DISCONNECTED changes to CONNECTED xx where xx 1s replaced by the number of seconds left before the connection ends While connected you can enter one or more commands to process and press the Send button The commands and responses are shown in the Session history text box and are also stored in the commands responses text file specified in the Capture Settings dialog Press Disconnect to manually disconnect from the logger available only when connected Menu items under View allow you to open the various transmission files self timed alarm forced commands responses Device Specific Tasks This section discusses properties that are unique among target devices as well as any other device specific issues SDR Family The SDR family of devices includes SDR WaterMonitor and DitchMaster devices The SDR family of devices support SCP and MODBUS protocols 21 Download Log The following shows the custom log download properties that apply to the SDR family Download format Group Right digits 2 Content Data Dual sensor Separate date time Figure 22 SDR Family Download Log Properties The Download format property determines the format of the downloaded data in the CSV file The property can
19. er if you enter 0 0 0 0 as the IP address all connections are accepted When capturing over a Direct serial connection all data received on the serial line 1s saved to file When capturing over a Modem serial connection capturing begins after the modem makes a connection to the phone number you provide in the modem setup Session Type 0 Captures When capturing from an Xpert X Link 7310 or 8310 if Raw is selected all data is simply captured to Output File Note that Raw is always checked for Direct captures but may be unchecked for captures over TCP IP If Raw is not checked then the Capture is a Session Type 0 capture which simply means the logger and Autopoll follow a set of rules to define what kind of data is reported how it 1s reported and what command processing opportunities are available following each data report To perform Session Type 0 captures Autopoll must be running on a computer with an IP address and port visible to the X Link 7310 or 8310 logger The logger must be configured to report periodically to this address and port Configure Autopoll s TCP IP connection settings with the IP address of the logger or use 0 0 0 0 if the logger s address is not known and the visible IP port Make sure the Requires Login User and Password settings are configured properly if the logger requires login The Capture Settings dialog is used to specify data storage and command processing options for Session Type 0
20. get device 1s connected directly to a PC com port The following dialog is used to configure Direct connections serial Port Properties Lom port Baud rate 111500 Data bite 8 Parity Stop bits 7 Flow control Mane Cancel Figure 8 Serial Port Properties Dialog The Com port property is used to specify the port on which to connect and displays only the ports installed on the computer at the time the dialog is opened Note however you can type in the name of any port you d like The remaining settings are used to configure the com port Some properties may be disabled A property is disabled when it does not apply due to protocol and or device constraints 11 Modem Connection Type The Modem connection type is used whenever AutoPoll must dial a modem in order to establish a serial connection The following dialog is used to configure Modem connections Moder Properties Connect To Phone number Connect timeout sec 60 Configuration Use init string Init string ATAF Port Settings Cancel Figure 9 Modem Properties Dialog Enter the phone number to dial into the Phone number property Include any country and area code prefixes required Specify the time to wait in seconds for the modem to connect to the target modem in the Connect timeout property In order to initialize the modem before the call check the Use init string checkbox and choose or enter an Init string
21. ication AutoPoll supports MODBUS over Direct Modem and TCPIP virtual com port connection types Sutron has developed a simple protocol based on the MODBUS protocol that can be used to download logs sync time and transfer setup files to from Sutron loggers Since the download protocol makes many requests for small amounts of data where the logger must search for the start of each request the download protocol can result in significantly longer download times than experienced with other protocols e g SCP and Command Line Command Line or SCP protocols should be used if possible before considering MODBUS When using MODBUS over Direct or Modem the following dialog is used to configure MODBUS properties Modbus Master Properties Lo JO aa Device ID ATS pre t delay ms Protocol ATU ATS poste delay ms 0 Timeout me 5000 Wait for OSA Wait for CTS Cancel Figure 13 MODBUS Over Direct Modem Properties When using MODBUS over a TCPIP connection the following dialog 1s used to configure MODBUS properties Modbus Master Properties l e E Device ID Protocol RTL Slave timeout ms 5000 Carcel Figure 14 MODBUS Over TCPIP Properties The Device ID property identifies the address of the target device It can be a number ranging from 1 to 255 and should match the device ID assigned to the target device The Protocol property can be either RTU or ASCII RTU passes the least data but can tak
22. igure the modem We ll configure the modem manually up front ourselves and write that configuration to the modem s memory so that it is restored automatically anytime the modem reboots Serial Port Properties The dialog below shows how we want to configure the serial port properties in AutoPoll These properties define the data stream we provide to the modem attached to the PC or the modem inside the PC as the case may be Our goal is to define the settings the way the Monitor expects 26 serial Port Properties Lom port Baud rate Data bits Parity Stop bits Flow control Cancel The Com port field should be set to the com port that 1s attached to the PC modem Even internal modems are assigned a com port number This number can usually be determined by looking at the properties of the modem in the Windows Control Panel The ideal baud rate is the one that is as close as possible to the modem s actual throughput Generally speaking 9600 is a good choice Since the MODBUS RTU protocol requires strict timing it is best to err on the low side as 9600 baud does the actual throughput is likely higher In this example we use a Parity setting of None This is the recommended setting whenever MODBUS is used Since MODBUS transactions are always validated using a CRC check parity offers no help in error detection In addition many modems do not appear to support the not often used SEI data format characteristics that
23. l tasks will run The Status field displays the result of the task s last execution By default this field displays OK meaning either the last execution ended without error or the task has not yet run When a task execution results in an error the status field displays a description of the error and the task entry is highlighted with red text and a yellow background The status bar at the bottom of the window displays a description of the last application level operation performed 1 e the name of the last setup file saved etc on the left hand side and displays the current date time on the right hand side File Menu The File menu is used to create save and open setup files as well as to exit the application Help Select File New to create a default setup containing no tasks The current setup file if any 1s loaded 1s closed first The application prompts to save if the current setup has been changed since it was last saved File Open prompts you to select a setup file to open The X Link pol application prompts to save the current setup if it has been X LinkSetup pol changed since it was last saved E Monitor pol File Save saves the current setup file If the current setup file XLink pol has not yet been given a name the application prompts for one File Save As prompts for a file name and location to which to Exit save the current setup file Recently used setup files up to 4 are available selectio
24. n from the File menu When one of these files 1s selected it is opened The application prompts to save the current setup if it has been changed since it was last saved Select File Exit to exit the program If the current setup is not saved the application prompts to save before exit Task Menu The Task menu is used to create delete and manipulate task entries Note that the Task menu can be accessed not only from Edit the program menu bar but also as a pop up menu when right No i l Delet clicking a task in the main window bi To edit a task in the list highlight the task and select Task Edit the option is available only when a task is selected Any Run Now changes you make to a task take affect only after pressing the edit dialog s Ok button and only after the task is stopped if it was executing Copy Status Clear Error Statistics To delete a task in the list highlight the task and select Task Delete the option is available only when a task 1s selected If the task 1s running it is stopped first which may take a while depending on what type of operation it is currently performing To create a new task select Task New You are first prompted for the kind of device you will target SDR Monitor Xpert etc and then you are provided a dialog used to configure the task See the section on creating tasks later in this document To execute a task manually highlight the task at must not be cu
25. ocols Downloads using MODBUS are typically the slowest since each request must be treated as a new search for data If MODBUS must be used it s usually best to use RTU over direct serial links and ASCII over Modem and TCP IP Add AutoPoll to the Startup Group of the PC on which it runs and check the Auto load last setup on app start option under Tools Options Doing these two steps will ensure AutoPoll automatically starts and runs your tasks if the PC reboots 25 CONFIGURATION EXAMPLES This section describes how to configure the communications equipment in several AutoPoll deployment scenarios Monitor via MODBUS Over Cell Modem In this example MODBUS is used to retrieve log data from a Radar connected to a Multitech GPRS cellular modem Configuring AutoPoll This section explains how to configure communication settings in AutoPoll to support the example scenario Modem Properties The dialog below shows how we want to configure modem properties in AutoPoll Modem Properties Connect Ta Phone number 703 555 1332 Connect timeout sec 60 Configuration Use init string Init string ATAF Port Settings a When defining modem properties enter the phone number to call in the Phone number field Also enter a timeout the default of 60 seconds should be enough enter more 1f the modem takes a long time to answer Uncheck the Use init string checkbox This tells AutoPoll not to conf
26. ould execute Time specifies an offset into the interval The following shows examples of when a task would execute based on given Time and Interval values Execution Pattern 00 00 00 01 00 00 02 00 00 03 00 00 04 00 00 05 00 00 Time Interval 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 15 00 01 00 00 00 15 00 01 15 00 02 15 00 03 15 00 04 15 00 05 15 00 01 00 00 04 00 00 01 00 00 05 00 00 09 00 00 13 00 00 17 00 00 21 00 00 When the Daily property is checked Autopoll will execute the schedule daily at the given Time into the day For example if Time is 08 00 00 and Daily is checked Autopoll will execute the schedule every day at SAM The Retries property specifies the number of times to try when the task execution results in an error This can be useful to help ensure the task succeeds despite connection or other problems The Delay property tells Autopoll how many seconds to wait after a failed attempt before retrying Connection The Connection group is used to specify how the task connects and communicates to the device in order to perform the assigned action The connection Type property offers a list of connection types supported by the current device typically Direct Modem and TCPIP The connection Protocol property offers a list of protocols supported by the current device and connection type e g MODBUS and SCP Direct Connection Type The Direct connection type is used whenever the tar
27. r family of devices includes Monitor Constant Flow Bubbler Radar and X Link devices The Monitor device family supports Command Line and MODBUS protocols Download Log The following shows the custom log download properties that apply to the Monitor Content Data Include header in download Figure 23 Monitor Download Log Properties 22 Monitor logs event data Events in addition to measured data Data Events can be things like Reset Setup Change Log Download etc The Content property determines whether to download Data Events or Both note when Protocol is Command Line Events and Both result in the same content which includes all data and events You may also select individual measurements for download e g M1 M2 etc When Include header in download is checked Autopoll asks the logger to provide a header for the exported data stored at the beginning of the received file X Link Group Format X Link offers a Group Format property When checked the downloaded data will be grouped according to date time meaning all data with the same date time appears on the same line in comma delimited format Group Format requires Autopoll download the station setup at least once in order to know how to order the data in the output file Autopoll will download the setup following every setup load or change Xpert Family The Xpert family of devices includes Xpert Xpert2 9210 and 9210B The Xpert family suppor
28. rrently running and select Task Run The task will execute updating Status and Last Time in the same fashion as a task that has run according to schedule To stop a task currently executing highlight the task that is currently running and select Task Stop The task will be signaled to stop which may take a while depending on what type of operation it is currently performing If the task fails to stop within several seconds a dialog pops up to inform you the task may need to be deleted to stop fully This message assumes the task has got stuck trying to stop and will likely never fully stop on it s own To copy the contents of the Status field to the Windows clipboard highlight the task and select Task Copy Status Or with the task highlighted simply press the Ctrl C key combination i e press the Ctrl key and the C key together The text in the Status field of the highlighted task s 1s then available for pasting into other documents This can be very helpful when trying to view the entire contents of a long error message When a task has experienced an error e g a failure to connect to a remote station the task status will highlight in yellow and report an error message You can clear this error condition by selecting Clear Error from the Task menu Note that clearing an error isn t required it Just gives you a way to return the display to normal for the highlighted task Select Task Statistics to view a dialog
29. s an ASCII text file containing downloaded data formatted such that each field within a row is separated by a comma The arrangement of fields within each row 1s typically determined by the logger Some formatting within each field right digits etc can be controlled by task settings Event Log A text file containing time stamped AutoPoll event information 1 e indications of tasks starts task stops error conditions etc Flat Format An output format for downloaded log data where each line of the output contains a single time stamped data or event item Group Format An output format for downloaded log data where each line of the output contains all data having the same time stamp to the second MODBUS A standard communications protocol supported by several Sutron loggers See www MODBUS org for more information Command Line A general reference to any communication protocol where the user types commands and receives ASCII text responses from the logger Monitor A Sutron logger intended for low cost applications PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network Redirector A TCP IP based service hosted by Sutron that enables Autopoll to connect over the Internet to stations on private cell networks Satlink A Sutron satellite transmitter and low cost logger combined SCP Satlink Command Protocol A communications protocol supported by the Sutron satlink and SDR logger families SDR Stage Discharge
30. s in the Local time offset property 1 e the difference in minutes between the PC and target device time zones Local time offset 1s the only property that applies to the Sync Time action Local time offset min 0 Figure 17 Common Sync Time Properties 17 Get Setup The Get Setup action is used to retrieve a setup from the target device and store it in a local file on the PC This type of action is not typically one that is scheduled but is instead created disabled and run manually any time the need to get the setup arises The following dialog shows the properties common to all device Get Setup actions Remote file 310 ett Local file 8310 ett Figure 18 Common Get Setup Properties The Remote file property is used to indicate the name of the setup to retrieve Note for many devices this property is disabled since the device has one and only one setup The Local file property is used to indicate the name and location of the local file in which to store the setup Pressing the button labeled brings up a dialog you can use to browse for a file location and name Note that any file you specify will be overwritten with the new setup Send Setup The Send Setup action is used to send a setup from the PC to the target device As in the Get Setup action this type of action is not typically one that is scheduled but is instead created disabled and run manually any time the need to send a new setup arises Th
31. s it Here is the structure of the binary header specified in the c language typedef struct char name 79 task name char type 79 device type SDR Xpert etc char action 79 action DownloadLog GetSetup etc char error 19 1f any describes error during action int dataLength length in bytes of data following header TBroadcastHeader Help Menu To view general information about AutoPoll including a link to the Sutron website select Help A bout AutoPoll License To enter or view AutoPoll license information select Help License The following dialog will appear About AutoP all co License Registration m Enter license information below exactly as it appears in the email or document provided by Sutron sales Mame Kep NETA Figure 5 License Registration When entering your license information enter Name and Key exactly as they appear in the email or document provided by Sutron Toolbar Buttons Each of the toolbar buttons does the same thing as a menu selection The following shows which menu function is performed for each button Lh File New ZU Task Edit ux File Open x Task Delete id File Save xl Task New a RO Task Run Cancel Now Creating Editing a Task When creating a new task entry you are prompted first to specify the type of device to target using the following dialog co select Device Type lo mm Devic
32. showing connection and data transfer statistics for the highlighted task statistics e feel T ask performance statistics Total attempts 1 Total successful 1 1005 Total failed O 0 Total retried 0 0 Butes transferred 38501 cancel Figure 3 Statistics Dialog Tools Menu The Tools menu provides options to configure certain Help aspects of the application s a Select Tools Pause All to pause all tasks Any task currently running will continue its run normally but will be inhibited from running at its next scheduled time until all tasks are ee unpaused Pausing tasks is most useful when you are Options performing system maintenance say replacing a modem or other communications device and you d like to ensure tasks do not attempt to run when failure would certainly result To un pause tasks select Tools Unpause All available only when tasks are paused Disable Event Logging To start event logging select Tools Enable Event Logging To open the current event log if one exists select Tools View Event Log To disable event logging select Tools Disable Event Log See the section on Event Logging for more information of the purpose and use of these menu items Tools Options Menu Selecting Tools Options opens the following dialog n Options Event Log V Auto load last setup on app start Enable event log on startup Redirector Custom address and port IP address re
33. smitting and lowered just after transmitting RTS pre tx delay specifies the time in milliseconds to wait after raising RTS before transmitting RTS post tx delay specifies the time in milliseconds to wait before lowering RTS after transmitting These settings are most useful when working with a direct connection to a radio where RTS 1s used to key the radio and delays are needed to ensure the radio is in the proper state before changing the state of RTS Monitor and SDR device families typically need the pre and post RTS TX delays to be 10ms or greater When Wait for DSR is checked AutoPoll will not transmit a MODBUS packet until it detects DSR Data Set Ready which is an indication from the device connected to the com port that it is indeed connected When Wait for CTS is checked AutoPoll will not transmit a MODBUS packet until it detects CTS Clear To Send which is an indication from the device connected to the com port that it 1s ready to receive data Requires Login User Password Some loggers require a login in order to download the log synchronize time etc If the logger requires a login check the Requires login box and enter in the appropriate values for User and Password note some devices require only a Password in which case only the Password field will be enabled Action Each AutoPoll task can be assigned one of the following actions Download Log Sync Time Get Setup and Send Setup The configuration of
34. the time zones 1s important to a log download because the download request uses absolute date times to specify the range of data to retrieve The Download type property determines the span of data to retrieve When set to Since Last all the data since the last download 1s retrieved AutoPoll examines the CSV file directly to determine the last data downloaded If the CSV file doesn t yet exist or 1s empty then AutoPoll requests the entire log unless the Limit checkbox is checked in which case the value of Download span determines the span of data to request When download type is Recent Span then Download span determines the span of data to download When download type is Whole Log the entire log is downloaded The Output file property specifies the location and name of the CSV file in which to store the downloaded data If One file per download is selected each download or capture file is stored in its own file whose name is based on the base component of Output file plus Delimiter and the date time of download for example Xpert 20100409 101604 csv which reflects a download at 10 16 04 on 04 09 2010 Check the Separate date time property to separate date and time into two distinct fields separated by comma as opposed to a single field having a space between date and time Sync Time The Sync Time action causes AutoPoll to set the time in the target device to the same time as the local PC offset by the number of minute
35. these tasks are the same for the most part across all devices However some devices offer unique properties for each action The following sections show how to configure common action properties See the section The following dialog shows the properties common to all device Get Setup actions Remote file 310 ett Local file 8310 ett Figure 15 Common Send Setup Properties The Remote file property is used to indicate the name of the setup as it will be on the target device after sending Note for many devices this property 1s disabled since the device has one and only one setup The Local file property is used to indicate the name and location of the local setup file to send Pressing the button labeled brings up a dialog you can use to browse for the file Device Specific Task for how to configure device specific properties Download Log The following dialog shows the properties common to all device log downloads Local time offset min 0 Remote file setup txt Local file setup txt Download type Sncelat Limit Download span 01 00 00 7 Separate date time Output file d SDR csv e One file per download Delimiter Figure 16 Common Download Log Properties The Local time offset property specifies the difference in time in minutes between the local PC and the target device The times typically differ when the PC and target device are in difference time zones Knowing the difference between
36. ts both Command Line and MODBUS protocols Download Log The Xpert family supports the following custom properties for log downloads Logfile ssp log Request size bytes 2048 Figure 24 Xpert Download Log Properties The Xpert family supports storing multiple log files on the device each having a unique name The Log file property is used to specify from which log to download The Request size property specifies the number of data bytes to request be returned in each packet when using the MODBUS protocol The nominal MODBUS packet size 1s 256 bytes However the Xpert supports larger packets for faster transfers of large data sets When using very large packets be sure to increase the Slave timeout setting in the MODBUS configuration since it takes longer for the Xpert to process large packets Get and Send Setup Since the Xpert family supports multiple setup files on the device at any one time the Remote file property is enabled for the Get and Send Setup actions As mentioned for Download Log above when using the MODBUS protocol you can set the Request size property to determine how many data bytes to request from the Xpert Larger packet sizes must be balanced with additional slave timeout The most efficient values for Request size and Slave timeout should be determined empirically 23 Satlink2 AutoPoll supports SCP protocol connections to Satlink2 There are no custom properties to set with Satlink2 Event Logging
37. vice type the action etc Receiving programs can use this header to make decisions about what it does with the broadcasted data If the Suppress header in broadcasts option 1s checked the header is not included in the broadcast If Use text header 1s checked the header is text based 1 e something humans can read when printed on a screen One way to use this feature is to use a telnet client program like Hyperterminal comes with Windows XP and earlier versions of Microsoft Windows to listen in on the data downloaded by AutoPoll To set this up you would do the following 1 Enable broadcasting in AutoPoll and check the Use text header option It should be sufficient to leave the port number to the default of 3270 2 Open Hyperterminal and create a new connection of type TCP IP Winsock specifying the IP address or network name of the PC running AutoPoll in the Host address field and the port number from AutoPoll typically 3270 in the Port number field 3 Once creating the Hyperterminal session 1s complete Hyperterminal attempts to connect to AutoPoll From this point on any data downloaded by AutoPoll will also be seen on the Hyperterminal screen For those interested in writing their own programs to receive these data broadcasts simply open a socket to the PC running AutoPoll on the specified port and perform a blocked read of the binary header and then read and process the data that follow
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search