Adding the nControl node

1. In the device tree, expand the Hardware folder.
2. Drag the nControl object over to the design page.

   The nControl Properties dialog box is displayed.

   

3. If you want to change the role name from the default, type a new name in the Role name box.

   Note: You must specify a unique role name in the Role name box. If you do not do this, an error will be displayed when you deploy the project.

   Devices in your design are allocated to roles (either manually, or automatically by NWare). Roles are then assigned to MediaMatrix hardware devices for processing during deployment.

4. In the Expansion Slot boxes, click the names of the cards installed in the nControl unit.

   8 ch relay/digital in: PCI-1761	Eight channel digital input/output card. For more information, see advantech.com.
   CobraNet: AudioScience-5416	CobraNet sound card. For information on For more information, see audioscience.com.

5. If you want to use the nControl unit as a CobraNet BOOTP server, providing IP addresses to other devices automatically, select the CobraNet BOOTP check box.

   Notes:

   • The BOOTP server is recommended for use with CobraNet devices only.
   • It is unlikely that any device will consistently receive the same address after the nControl is rebooted.
   • The BOOTP server is designed to support CobraNet devices and uses the more recent BOOTP extensions detailed in RFC 1497. The server is not guaranteed to be backwardly compatible with all BOOTP clients.
   • It is possible, although unlikely, that the BOOTP server will allocate IP addresses to non-CobraNet devices on the network that are configured to use DHCP. If this problem occurs, we recommend that you switch off the BOOTP server on the nControl unit and use an alternative server.

6. If you want the nControl unit to be able to discover other SNMP devices on the network, select the SNMP Discovery check box.

   Notes:

   • This feature can generate a large amount of network traffic.
   • This feature must be enabled in order to use the SNMP Agent Discovery device in your design.

7. If you intend to control the nControl unit using RATC over the IP network:
   1. Click the RATC version in the Network Control Protocol list.
   2. If you want the RATC server on the nControl unit to listen on a different port to the default, type the new port number in the Network Control Port box.

      The default is 1632. The valid range is 1-32767.

      Note: If you change the port number, you will have to reconfigure the clients to connect using the new port.

8. If you want to use the RATC or PASHA protocol to control the nControl via its serial ports, click the protocol name in the RS-232 Protocol list(s) for the ports you intend to use.

   None/Comms processor	Used when the project contains a Comms Processor device, or when you do not want to use the serial port. Note: If you select one of the other options – RATC2, for example, then try to use the Comms Processor device, it will not respond as quickly.
   RATC2	RATC2 is the improved version of RATC that was introduced with the NION platform, but is also supported by nControl and nTouch 180. Very similar to RATC1, RATC2 introduces shortened commands, and several extra functions.
   RATC1	RATC1 is the first generation protocol that was used in Classic frame-based MediaMatrix systems. RATC1 for NioNodes, nTouch 180 nodes and nControl nodes is equivalent to what was called RATC in Classic MediaMatrix.
   PASHA/PageMatrix	Protocol used with the PageMatrix Command Center. It supports a four character control ID sent with the (T) trigger command.
   PASHA/XControl	Provides basic S (Set) PASHA functionality with X‑Net2‑style trigger commands.
   PASHA/Legacy	Designed for projects that contain legacy MediaMatrix nodes that are controlled by external programs using the classic PASHA protocol, as implemented on MainFrames and MiniFrames. When you want to replace the legacy nodes with NioNodes, select the PASHA/Legacy option and you will not need to update your external program code. This option ensures all hex values are returned from nodes in lower case instead of upper case to match the original MediaMatrix PASHA protocol.

9. Click OK.
10. If you selected the CobraNet BOOTP option:

    The Configure BootP Server dialog box is displayed.

    

    1. In the IP address start box, type the start IP address for the range that can be allocated to clients requesting IP addresses.
    2. In the IP address end box, type the end IP address for the range that can be allocated to clients requesting IP addresses.
    3. In the Subnet Mask box, type the subnet mask for the IP address range.
    4. If you want to change the maximum number of IP address requests the BOOTP server can process simultaneously, click Advanced, type a new number in the Threads box, and then click OK.

       Tip: We recommend that you leave the thread count setting set to 2.

    5. Click OK.
11. If you selected the SNMP Discovery option:

    The Configure Discovery Server dialog box is displayed.

    

    1. In the IP address start box, type the start IP address for the range that will be scanned during the discovery process.

       If you want to use a broadcast address, which will provide better performance when scanning a large range of addresses, type the broadcast address.

       When a large number of devices are discovered, using a broadcast address will greatly reduce the impact on the network. The format of a broadcast address is x.x.x.255. This will broadcast to the entire /24 subnet. You can also use x.x.255.255 to broadcast to a /16 subnet, but the impact of addressing such a large number of devices must be considered carefully.

       Note: Not all SNMP devices will respond to a broadcast addresses. Check that the devices you are using are compatible.

    2. In the IP address end box, type the end IP address for the range that will be scanned during the discovery process.

       If you are using a broadcast address, leave this box blank.

    3. In the Read community box, type the read community string (password) for accessing devices on the network during the discovery process.
    4. In the Update period (mins) box, type the interval to use between scans for devices on the network.
    5. If you want to enable switch port discovery, select the Switch port support check box.

       This feature allows devices to be detected via the switch port to which they are connected. Both the switch and the device must support SNMP. Furthermore, the device must respond to the SNMP discovery process.

    6. Click OK.