Lantronix MSS1-T User manual

Serial Server Installation Guide
For Lantronix MSS1-T and MSS1-T2 Micro Serial Servers
and MSS100 Fast Ethernet Micro Serial Servers

The information in this guide may change without notice. The manufacturer
assumes no responsibility for any errors which may appear in this guide.
DEC, thickwire, thinwire, and VMS are trademarks of Digital Equipment
Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T. Ethernet is a trademark of
XEROX Corporation. HP-UX is a trademark of Hewlett-Packard Corporation.
SunOS and Solaris are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. NetWare is a
trademark of Novell Corp. Windows NT and Windows 95 are trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation.
Copyright 1998, Lantronix. All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this book
may be transmitted or reproduced in any form or by any means without the
written permission of Lantronix. Printed in the United States of America.
The revision date for this manual is October 7, 1998 .
Part Number: 900-148
Rev. A
WARNING
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A
digital device pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against such interference when operating in a
commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio
frequency energy, and if not installed and used in accordance with this guide, may
cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause interference in
which case the user, at his or her own expense, will be required to take whatever
measures may be required to correct the interference.
Warning: Changes or modiÞcations to this device not explicitly approved by
Lantronix will void the user's authority to operate this device.
Cet appareil doit se soumettre avec la section 15 des statuts et r•glements de FCC.
Le fonctionnement est subjectŽ aux conditions suivantes:
(1) Cet appareil ne doit pas causer une interfŽrence malfaisante.
(2) Cet appareil do”t accepter n'importŽ quelle interfŽrence re“ue qui peut causer
une opŽration indŽsirable.

i
Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Terms ......................................................................................... 1-2
1.2 Protocols.................................................................................... 1-2
1.3 Software..................................................................................... 1-3
1.4 Configuration ........................................................................... 1-3
2 Installation
2.1 MSS Components..................................................................... 2-1
2.2 Installation ................................................................................ 2-2
2.2.1 Power-up Diagnostics................................................... 2-4
2.3 Is It Working? ........................................................................... 2-5
3 Getting Started
3.1 IP Address Configuration....................................................... 3-2
3.1.1 Using a DHCP, BOOTP, or RARP Reply ................... 3-2
3.1.2 Using an ARP Entry and the Ping Command........... 3-2
3.1.3 Using the Serial Console............................................... 3-4
3.2 Incoming Logins....................................................................... 3-4
3.2.1 Controlling Incoming Logins....................................... 3-4
3.2.2 EZWebCon Login and Configuration ........................ 3-5
3.2.3 Other Incoming TCP/IP Logins .................................. 3-5
3.2.4 Incoming LAT Logins ................................................... 3-5
3.3 Serial Port Logins..................................................................... 3-6
3.4 Remote Console Logins........................................................... 3-6
3.5 Starting Outbound Connections............................................ 3-7
3.5.1 Telnet ............................................................................... 3-7
3.5.2 SPX................................................................................... 3-7
3.5.3 LAT .................................................................................. 3-7
3.6 Logout........................................................................................ 3-8

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4 Basic Configuration
4.1 Command Set ........................................................................... 4-1
4.2 System Passwords.................................................................... 4-1
4.2.1 Privileged Password...................................................... 4-1
4.2.2 Login Password.............................................................. 4-2
4.3 Protocol Configuration............................................................ 4-2
4.3.1 TCP/IP Parameters ....................................................... 4-2
4.3.2 IPX/SPX Parameters ..................................................... 4-3
4.3.3 LAT Parameters ............................................................. 4-4
4.4 Serial Port Configuration........................................................ 4-4
5 Using the MSS
5.1 Incoming Connections............................................................. 5-1
5.1.1 Socket Connections........................................................ 5-1
5.1.2 LAT Connections ........................................................... 5-2
5.1.3 Host Applications.......................................................... 5-3
5.1.4 Code Examples............................................................... 5-4
5.2 Interactive Connections........................................................... 5-4
5.2.1 Session Control............................................................... 5-4
5.2.2 Outgoing Connections .................................................. 5-6
5.2.3 Status Displays............................................................... 5-9
5.3 Emulating a Direct Serial Connection................................... 5-11
5.4 Multihost Mode........................................................................ 5-12
5.4.1 Configuring Multihost Mode....................................... 5-13
A Contact Information
B Troubleshooting
C Pinouts

iii
D Updating Software
E Specifications
Warranty Statement
Declaration of Conformity
Index

Introduction
1 - 1
1 - Introduction
The MSS1-T and MSS1-T2 are multiprotocol micro serial servers that provide
Ethernet connections for personal computers, terminals, modems, and
devices that would not otherwise be connected to a network. The MSS100
additionally provides Fast Ethernet support.
NOTE: In this manual, all MSS models will be referred to as Òthe MSSÓ
or Òthe ServerÓ unless a distinction needs to be made between the
models.
The MSS can be used to start outbound Ethernet connections to hosts on
TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, and LAT networks. It can also provide interactive access to
a device connected to its serial port. However, unlike traditional print servers,
the MSS does not support printing protocols such as LPR, RTEL, and
PCONSOLE, or queueing.
This manual explains how to install the MSS products.
¥ The remainder of this chapter outlines MSS functionality.
¥ Chapter 2, Installation , explains how to install the MSS hardware
and boot the server.
¥ Chapter 3, Getting Started , details different ways to log into the
MSS and prepare the server for configuration.
¥ Chapter 4, Basic ConÞguration , covers basic conÞguration.
¥ Chapter 5, Using the MSS , provides an overview of how to use the
MSS interactively and with host applications.
¥ Appendices provide information on Contact Information,
Troubleshooting, Pinouts, Updating Software, and SpeciÞcations.
¥ The hypertext version of this manual, located on CD-ROM,
includes more speciÞc information about conÞguring and using
the MSS and reloading MSS software.
Be sure to read the section of the conÞguration chapter that applies to the
protocol you are using (TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, or LAT).
For more detailed information on the MSS, including a complete command
reference, see the MSS Reference Manual located on the CD in HTML and PDF
formats.

Terms Introduction
1 - 2
The PDF versions of the MSS manuals are located in the manuals directory of
the CD. Use the Adobe Acrobat Reader (widely available on the Internet at no
charge) to read and print all or parts of the manual from the PDF Þle.
1.1 Terms
In this manual, the following terms are used to describe parts of a network.
Host A computer attached to the network. The term host is
generally used to denote interactive computers, or
computers that people can log into.
Node Any intelligent device directly connected to the Ethernet
network such as a host, a printer, or a terminal server. All
nodes have their own Ethernet addresses. The MSS is a
node. Devices connected to the MSS are not nodes.
Session A logical connection to a service. A typical session is a
terminal connected to a host through the server.
Local mode The MSS user interface. It is used to issue conÞguration
and session management commands and to establish
connections. When in Local mode, users will see a Local>
prompt.
1.2 Protocols
A network protocol is a method of communicating over the Ethernet. Each
protocol speciÞes a certain arrangement of data in the Ethernet packets, and
provides different services for its users. The MSS supports the following
protocols:
¥ TCP/IP
Support includes Telnet, Rlogin, UDP, and DNS. The Telnet
terminal protocol, supported on most UNIX systems, is an easy-to-
use interface that creates terminal connections to any network host
supporting Telnet. Rlogin is a protocol that allows users to initiate a
TCP/IP login session. UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is a
connectionless protocol that results in smaller packet headers, no
session overhead, and the ability to send to multiple hosts. The
MSS also supports the use of Domain Name Servers (DNS),
allowing a network nameserver to translate text node names into
numeric IP addresses.

Introduction Software
1 - 3
The MSS also implements basic Simple Network Management
Protocol (SNMP) functionality. SNMP commands enable users,
usually system administrators, to get information from and control
other nodes on a local area network (LAN), and respond to queries
from other network hosts. The MSS allows conÞguration of one
community name with read/write access.
¥ IPX/ SPX (NetWare)
The MSS provides IPX/SPX access to the serial device from
NetWare and any other IPX/SPX nodes. It allows users to
download system Þles from NetWare hosts and log into the MSS
via NetWare for remote conÞguration.
The MSS supports all four NetWare frame types: Ethernet v2,
Native mode, 802.2, and 802.2 SNAP.
¥ Local Area Transport (LAT)
LAT is a protocol developed by Digital Equipment Corporation
(DEC) for local network connections and is supported on most
DEC operating systems. The MSS provides logins to remote hosts
and host-initiated connections, as well as access to the MSS serial
port from LAT hosts.
1.3 Software
The CD-ROM shipped with the MSS contains operational software. It also
contains EZWebCon software which can be used to conÞgure the unit.
The MSS is equipped with Flash ROM, so it is not necessary to download
software each time the unit boots. Software must only be reloaded if there is a
problem with the Flash ROM, or if a new software version is released.
1.4 Configuration
Each MSS has a unique name and network address printed on its underside.
The name is based on the MSS Ethernet address and is referred to in the
manual as MSS_xxxxxx . The xxxxxx string represents the last six digits of the
MSS Ethernet address. Be sure to note the Ethernet address before
conÞguring the unit.

Configuration Introduction
1 - 4
When using IPX or LAT, it is possible to power up the MSS and have it work
properly with no additional conÞguration required. TCP/IP users must give
the unit an IP address.
NOTE: For more information about methods used to configure an IP
address, see IP Address Configuration in.
Lantronix has provided EZWebCon software to help users install and
conÞgure the MSS. It is also possible to conÞgure the MSS settings by logging
into it over a network via Telnet or Rlogin. See the Getting Started chapter for
more information.
Additionally, the MSS can be conÞgured to download a conÞguration Þle
containing boot commands from a NetWare or TCP/IP host at boot time. See
the Change Startup command in the MSS Reference Manual on the CD-ROM
for more information.