Avocent ESP Multi-Interface Serial Hub SuperSerial User manual

SuperSerial™
ESP Multi-Interface Serial Hub
Product Installation Guide
PN 590-290-001A
August 2002

2 Equinox ESP Multi-Interface Serial Hub Product Installation Guide
Section 1 - Hardware
The Equinox SuperSerial Technology (ST) Ethernet Serial Provider 8-port
Multi-Interface (ESP-8 MI) Serial Hub can be installed in a local or remote
LAN to provide access for widely distributed RS-232, RS-422 or RS-485
serial devices. The ESP-8 MI is supported under Windows 2000, Windows
NT 4.0, Windows NT 3.51, OpenServer 5.0.5a or higher, UnixWare 7.0.1a
or higher, Linux and AIX 4.3 and 5.1.
The ESP can be managed using EquiView Plus, the Equinox premier serial
port management software, running on any Microsoft Windows host, or
espdiag and espcfg for OpenServer, UnixWare, Linux or AIX.
The ESP-8 MI kit contains the items listed in Table 1.
Part No. Description
990407 8-port ESP-8 MI Unit
590 Installation Guide (this document)
750131 RS-422 Loopback Connector
750130 RS-232 Loopback Connector
650185 Equinox SuperSerial Software CD
770379 Two Wall-mount Brackets
Table 1. ESP-8 MI Kit Contents
Special-order accessories for the ESP-8 MI are available, as listed in Table 2.
Part No. Description
Modular Adaptors
210097 RJ-45 to DB-25 RS-232 DTE Male Adaptor
210098 RJ-45 to DB-25 RS-232 DTE Female Adaptor
210099 RJ-45 to DB-25 RS-232 DCE Male Adaptor
210100 RJ-45 to DB-25 RS-232 DCE Female Adaptor
210101 RJ-45 to DB-9 RS-232 Male Adaptor
210102 RJ-45 to DB-9 RS-232 Female Adaptor
210103 RJ-45 to DB-25 RS-530 DTE Male Adaptor
Modular Cables
690252 10-foot 10-wire Reversing Modular Cable
690253 25-foot 10-wire Reversing Modular Cable
690254 75-foot 10-wire Reversing Modular Cable
Rack Mount Shelf
790180 Rack Mount Shelf
Wiring Starter Kit
750133 Wiring Starter Kit includes seven adaptors (210097, 210098,
210099, 210100, 210101, 210102 and 210103) and a 10-foot
10-wire modular cable (690252)
Table 2. Special-Order Accessories

3 Equinox ESP Multi-Interface Serial Hub Product Installation Guide
Figure 1 shows the front of the ESP-8 MI. Table 3 describes the LEDs and buttons.
Figure 1. ESP Front View
Item Description
POWER The POWER LED is lit when the ESP is connected to a
power source
ONLINE The ONLINE LED is lit (not blinking) when the ESP self-test
and initialization procedures have completed successfully
LINK The LINK LED is lit when the ESP recognizes that is has a
connection to the network
TRAFFIC The TRAFFIC LED blinks when there is network trafc
100MBps The 100MBps LED is lit when the ESP is connected to a
100 Mbps LAN
RESET Pushing the RESET button reboots the ESP; for more
information, see Section 1.4
INIT Pushing the INIT button restores the ESP to factory defaults;
for more information, see Section 1.4
Table 3. ESP LEDs and Buttons
Figure 2 shows the back of the ESP-8 MI and the port pin assignments.
Figure 2. ESP Back View and Port Pin Assignments
NOTE: It is important that unused pins (labeled N/C) should not have wires
attached to them. Floating wires could cause unbalanced noise, shorten overall
distances and degrade performance.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
0.5A
100-250 VAC, 50/60 Hz
Address
Serial #
LAN
10/100 BaseT
Ethernet Connector
MAC Address
and
Serial Number
Warning - The power outlet should be installed
near the equipment and should be
easily accessible.
Pin # RS-232 RS-422 RS-485
1 RTS N/C N/C
2 DTR Tx- N/C
3 N/C Tx+ N/C
4 DCD N/C N/C
5 Rx N/C N/C
6 Tx N/C N/C
7 GND GND GND
8 N/C Rx+ Rx/Tx+
9 N/C Rx- Rx/Tx-
10 CTS N/C N/C

4 Equinox ESP Multi-Interface Serial Hub Product Installation Guide
1.1 Hardware Installation
1. The MAC address is printed on a label afxed to the back of the unit
above the LAN connector socket (see Figure 2). This address will be
used as a Unit ID to distinguish different ESP units on the network.
Record the MAC address.
00 - 80 - 7D - _____ - _____ - _____
2. Attach a 10BaseT or 100BaseT LAN interface cable to the LAN
connector on the back of the ESP. A CAT 5 cable is required for
100BaseT operation.
3. Power on the ESP by connecting the power cable to a power source.
WARNING: The power outlet should be installed near the equipment and
should be easily accessible.
4. Install the ESP driver using the instructions in Section 2 for your
target operating system.
5. Install or upgrade to EquiView Plus version 5.1 or higher from the
Equinox SuperSerial Software CD. EquiView Plus will help manage
ESP units on various networks.
If the ESP fails to boot ...
The ESP is very robust and there are few errors that can prevent the unit
from correctly initializing and going online. However, if an error does
occur, the ONLINE LED will blink a repeating pattern with discernible
pauses. Count the number of blinks between pauses and make a note of
this value. When you contact Technical Support, this information will help
determine the cause of the initialization failure.

5 Equinox ESP Multi-Interface Serial Hub Product Installation Guide
1.2 RS-232 Device Cabling
Figures 3 through 5 show the pin assignments required for an RS-232 cable
connection between the ESP RJ-45 ports and your devices.
Figure 3. Cable Pin Assignments for ESP RJ-45 to Terminal/Printer
Figure 4. Cable Pin Assignments for ESP RJ-45 to PC DB-9
Figure 5. Cable Pin Assignments for ESP RJ-45 to Modem DB-25
9
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
N/C
Signal Ground
Transmit Data
Receive Data
Data Carrier Detect
N/C
DataTerminal Ready
Request to Send
4Request to Send
6Data Set Ready
7Signal Ground
3Receive Data
2Transmit Data
20 Data Terminal Ready
8Data Carrier Detect
5Clear to Send
Pin #
To ESP RJ-45 Port Pin # To Terminal / Printer
.
DB-25 (FEMALE)
1
..... .
..... .. ....
o
o o o o o o o
Cable End View
DB-25 (MALE)
1
. .....
...... .....
.......
.
1
Cable End View
RJ-45 (Plug)
..........
10
8
Clear to Send
N/C
9
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
7
6
5
2
3
4
1
8
N/C
Signal Ground
Transmit Data
Receive Data
Data Carrier Detect
N/C
Data Terminal Ready
Request to Send
Request to Send
Data Set Ready
Signal Ground
Receive Data
Transmit Data
Data Terminal Ready
Data Carrier Detect
Clear to Send
Pin # Pin #
To ESP RJ-45 Port To PC (DB-9)
.
1
Cable End View
RJ-45 (Plug)
..........
Cable End View
DB-9 (FEMALE)
1
o o o o o
o o o o
10
88
Clear to Send
N/C
9
7
6
5
4
3
2
14
N/C
Signal Ground
Transmit Data
Receive Data
Data Carrier Detect
N/C
Data Terminal Ready
Request to Send
5Clear to Send
20 Data Terminal Ready
7Signal Ground
2Transmit Data
3Receive Data
8Data Carrier Detect
Request to Send
Pin # Pin #
To ESP RJ-45 Port To Modem
1
Cable End View
RJ-45 (Plug)
..........
Cable End View
DB-25 (MALE)
1
. .....
...... .....
.......
. .
10
8
Clear To Send
N/C

6 Equinox ESP Multi-Interface Serial Hub Product Installation Guide
1.3 RS-232 Modular Adaptors and Cables
RS-232 modular adaptors are available from Equinox to convert RJ-45
modular jacks to DB-25 or DB-9 connectors. These modular adaptors,
used with the 10-wire reversing modular cables, perform the same
functions as shown in Figures 3 through 5. Figure 6 shows the RS-232
modular adaptors available from Equinox.
Figure 6. RS-232 Modular Adaptors
Table 4 lists the modular cables that are available from Equinox to use
with the modular adaptors shown in Figure 6.
Part No. Description
690252 10-foot 10-Wire Reversing Modular Cable
690253 25-foot 10-Wire Reversing Modular Cable
690254 75-foot 10-Wire Reversing Modular Cable
Table 4. Available Reversing Modular Cables
The adaptors and cables listed above may be used to attach devices to the
ESP RJ-45 ports.
If a customer-supplied modular cable is used, make sure the cable is
reversing. See Figure 7.
Connect to
Modems & Multiplexers:
210097 [DB-25 DTE Male]
210098 [DB-25 DTE Female]
DB-25 RS-232
RJ-45 10-PIN
4
20
8
3
2
7
5
RTS
DTR
DCD
RD
TD
GND
CTS
RTS
DTR
DCD
RD
TD
GND
CTS
1
10
10
9
7
6
5
4
1
Connect to
Modems & Multiplexers:
210101 [DB-9 Male]
DB-25 RS-232
RJ-45 10-PIN
7
4
1
2
3
5
8
RTS
DTR
DCD
RD
TD
GND
CTS
RTS
DTR
DCD
RD
TD
GND
CTS
1
10
10
9
7
6
5
4
1
Connect to
Terminals & Printers:
210099 [DB-25 DCE Male]
210100 [DB-25 DCE Female]
DB-25 RS-232
RJ-45 10-PIN
5
8
20
2
3
7
4
6
RTS
DTR
DCD
RD
TD
GND
CTS
CTS
DCD
DTR
TD
RD
GND
RTS
DSR
1
10
10
9
7
6
5
4
1
Connect to
Personal Computers:
210102 [DB-9 Female]
DB-25 RS-232
RJ-45 10-PIN
RTS
DTR
DCD
RD
TD
GND
CTS
CTS
DCD
DTR
TD
RD
GND
RTS
DSR
1
10
10
9
7
6
5
4
1
8
1
4
3
2
5
7
6

7 Equinox ESP Multi-Interface Serial Hub Product Installation Guide
Figure 7. 10-Wire RJ-45 Reversing Cable
1.4 RS-530 Modular Adaptors
An RS-530 modular adaptor is available from Equinox to convert an RJ-45
modualr jack to a male DB-25 connector. The RS-530 adaptor is designed
to be used with standard CAT 5 cable.
Each port that uses the RS-530 adaptor should be configured as RS-422.
Figure 8 shows the RS-530 modular adaptor available from Equinox.
Figure 8. RS-530 Modular Adaptor
E S P P o r t M o d u l a r A d a p t e r
1 0 - W I R E
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
RTS
DTR
DCD
RD
TD
GND
CTS
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
RTS
DTR
DCD
RD
TD
GND
CTS
Connect to
RS-530 Devices:
210103 [DB-25 Male]
DB-25 RS-530
RJ-45 10-PIN
14
2
7
3
16
Tx -
Tx +
GND
Rx +
Rx -
TD - (B)
TD + (A)
GND
RD + (A)
RD - (B)
1
10
2
3
7
8
9

8 Equinox ESP Multi-Interface Serial Hub Product Installation Guide
1.4 INIT and RESET Buttons
The INIT button can be used to remove configured information from an
ESP unit. The ESP stores nonvolatile data such as SNMP community
name, system contact and IP address in FLASH. This information can be
erased by pressing the INIT button.
NOTE: Pressing the INIT button will interrupt ESP operation and cause
reinitialization to occur.
The FLASH erase is performed in two phases. The first phase erases the
configuration database, which contains all nonvolatile data except the IP
address. The second phase erases the IP address and effectively restores
the ESP to factory default. This feature can be used to erase the FLASH
when the ESP is being reinstalled elsewhere on your network.
When the INIT button is first pressed, the ONLINE LED will begin to
blink to confirm that you have pressed the INIT button. Pressing and
holding the button for five seconds erases the configuration database in
the ESP FLASH. When the database has been erased, the ONLINE LED
begins to flash rapidly. If you release the INIT button before the five
second mark, no action is taken, and the ESP does not reinitialize.
If the button is pressed and held for an additional five seconds, the IP
address is also erased.
If any portion of the FLASH is erased, the ESP will reboot itself when
the INIT button is released.
The RESET button can be used to reset the ESP. Pushing this button will
cause an immediate reboot.

9 Equinox ESP Multi-Interface Serial Hub Product Installation Guide
Section 2 - Driver Installation
This section contains instructions for installing the ESP driver from the
Equinox SuperSerial CD-ROM. The ESP is supported under Windows
2000, Windows NT 4.0, Windows NT 3.51, OpenServer 5.0.5a or higher,
UnixWare 7.0.1a or higher, Linux and AIX 4.3 and 5.1.
2.1 Windows 2000
To install the Windows 2000 ESP driver, you must first run SETUP.EXE
from the Windows 2000 ESP driver diskette that is made using the
Equinox SuperSerial CD-ROM. SETUP.EXE will install the necessary
Device Manager files for the ESP. Insert the diskette into your A: drive, set
your default drive to A: and run SETUP.
The Windows 2000 ESP driver is installed when you install the first ESP.
1. Navigate to Settings - Control Panel - Add/Remove New Hardware.
2. From the Add/Remove Hardware Wizard, select Add/troubleshoot a
device.
3. Windows 2000 will search for new Plug and Play hardware on your
computer. ESP devices are network-attached and are not located by the
Add New Hardware Wizard. A list of devices that can be installed will
be displayed. Select Add a new device.
4. From the Find New Hardware page, select No, I want to select the
hardware from a list.
5. A list of hardware types will be displayed. Select Multi-port serial
adapters.
6. Windows 2000 will ask you to select a device driver. Highlight
Equinox Systems Inc., select Equinox Ethernet Serial Provider / Have
Disk and point the Wizard to your A: drive.
7. From the Select a Device Driver page, again select Equinox Ethernet
Serial Provider.
8. The Wizard will locate an ESP on your server’s local subnet and
display information about that ESP. If your ESP does not yet have an
IP address, you must enter the IP address, then click Next.
9. The Wizard will display the ESP conguration for nal verication. If
the IP address you assigned is correct, click Next.
10. The Wizard will now copy les from the Windows 2000 ESP driver
diskette. During this process, the Equinox ESP driver le is examined
for a Microsoft digital signature. If the ESP driver is not signed, a
warning message is displayed. To continue the installation, read the
warning and then click Yes.
If you click No, the installation will terminate and the ESP will not be
installed on your server.

10 Equinox ESP Multi-Interface Serial Hub Product Installation Guide
11. Once all les are copied, click Finish.
Your ESP is now installed. Windows 2000 will now install the ESP serial
ports.
2.2 Windows NT 4.0
1. Navigate to Settings - Control Panel - Network to display the
Network Control Panel. Select the Services tab. Click Add to install
the ESP driver for Windows NT 4.0.
2. The Control Panel will generate a list of standard Network Services.
The Equinox ESP Service is a new network service. Click the Have
Disk button.
3. The Control panel will ask you to enter the pathname for the disk that
contains the ESP Service installation les.
a) If you are installing from diskette, enter the drive letter of the
diskette drive.
b) If you are installing from the Equinox SuperSerial CD, enter
the pathname D:\DRIVERS\ESP\NT, where D: is your CD-ROM
drive letter.
c) If you have stored the driver on the NT system or on a network
drive, enter the full pathname for the location of the Equinox
ESP Service.
4. The Control Panel will copy les from the specied path to the
required NT system directories. Once the copy is complete and the
driver is installed, the Control Panel will automatically start the
Equinox ESP Service. It will also start the ESP Installation Wizard
and attempt to locate ESP units on all local subnets.
Using the Installation Wizard, you can:
• Discover and install ESP units on local or remote subnets
• Congure ESP units and assign COM port numbers
• Replace an ESP unit on a local or remote subnet
See the online help in the ESP Installation Wizard for more information
about ESP Discovery and Installation.
2.3 Windows NT 3.51
1. From the Main Program Group, double-click Control Panel -
Network.
2. A list of currently installed services is displayed. At the end of the list
is an entry named <Other>. Select this entry and click Continue.
3. Follow Steps 3 and 4 from Section 2.2.