Mine Site Technologies NS50 User manual

NS50Wireless Network Switch
User Manual

Contents
Revision History............................................................................................................................................7
Contact Information.......................................................................................................................................9
About this Manual.......................................................................................................................................11
Chapter 1: Understanding the NS50 Wireless Network Switch...........13
1.1 Hardware Overview...................................................................................................................14
1.2 System Layout...........................................................................................................................16
1.3 Connectivity...............................................................................................................................17
1.3.1 Composite Fibre Ports................................................................................................17
1.3.2 Ethernet Ports.............................................................................................................18
1.3.3 Wireless Access..........................................................................................................19
Chapter 2: Network System Design.........................................................21
2.1 Installation Types and Coverage................................................................................................22
2.2 Power Requirements..................................................................................................................22
2.3 Choosing Antennas....................................................................................................................22
2.4 Placement of NS50 Units..........................................................................................................23
2.5 Placement of Antennas..............................................................................................................23
2.6 Determining Distances between Wireless Network Switches...................................................25
Chapter 3: Installation..............................................................................27
3.1 NS50 Mounting Options............................................................................................................28
3.2 Antenna Mounting Options.......................................................................................................28
3.3 Installation Schemes..................................................................................................................29
3.3.1 Installation in a Straight Drive....................................................................................29
3.3.2 Installation in a Curved Decline / Incline...................................................................30
3.3.3 Installation in a Stope.................................................................................................31
3.3.4 Installation at an Intersection......................................................................................32
3.4 Connecting power to the NS50..................................................................................................34
3.5 Handling Composite Cable During Installation........................................................................35
3.6 Connecting Composite Cable to the NS50................................................................................35
3.7 Standard Composite and Fibre Cable Lengths..........................................................................37
3.8 Connecting Ethernet Cable to the NS50....................................................................................38
3.9 Connecting F-LINK Terminated Composite Cable to the NS50...............................................39
3.10 Connecting Antennas to the NS50...........................................................................................41
3.11 Manual Reset and Reboot........................................................................................................43
Chapter 4: Understanding VLANs .........................................................45
4.1 Understanding Trunk and Access Ports.....................................................................................46
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4.1.1 Trunk Ports.................................................................................................................46
4.1.2 Access Ports................................................................................................................46
4.1.3 Port Allocation............................................................................................................47
4.2 VLANs and Wireless Networks.................................................................................................48
4.3 Native VLAN ............................................................................................................................48
Chapter 5: Configuration Using the Web Interface ..............................51
5.1 Logging onto the Web Browser Interface..................................................................................52
5.2 Configuration screen..................................................................................................................52
5.3 Basic Tab....................................................................................................................................53
5.3.1 Setting Up the LAN....................................................................................................53
5.3.2 Configuring Wireless Radio.......................................................................................54
5.3.3 Configuring Wireless Networks.................................................................................56
5.3.4 Configuring Wireless Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP)..............................58
5.3.5 Configuring Asset Tracking and Location Based Services........................................59
5.3.6 Configuring Ethernet Switch Ports.............................................................................61
5.4 Advanced Tab............................................................................................................................62
5.4.1 Enabling the MAC Address Filter..............................................................................62
5.4.2 Fine Tuning Wireless Performance.............................................................................64
5.4.3 Defining VLANs.........................................................................................................65
5.4.4 Configuring the VLAN Port Map...............................................................................67
5.4.5 Wireless Distribution System (WDS) settings............................................................69
5.5 Tools Tab....................................................................................................................................70
5.5.1 Configuring Administrator and User Settings............................................................71
5.5.2 Saving and Restoring Configuration Settings.............................................................72
5.5.3 Activation Screen........................................................................................................73
5.5.4 Setting the Time..........................................................................................................74
5.5.5 Rebooting or Restoring the Network Device..............................................................76
5.5.6 Upgrading Firmware...................................................................................................77
5.6 Status Tab...................................................................................................................................79
5.6.1 Obtaining Device Information....................................................................................79
5.6.2 Wireless Client Information........................................................................................80
5.6.3 Viewing System Logs.................................................................................................81
5.6.4 Viewing Network Traffic Statistics.............................................................................83
5.6.5 Viewing Ethernet Switch Information........................................................................84
5.6.6 Viewing Tracking Information....................................................................................85
5.6.7 Viewing Recent Tag Reports.......................................................................................85
Chapter 6: Centralised Configuration Management ............................87
6.1 Overview....................................................................................................................................88
6.2 Site Configuration files..............................................................................................................88
6.3 Editing Site Configuration Files................................................................................................89
6.3.1 Network......................................................................................................................89
6.3.2 System .......................................................................................................................90
6.3.3 Setting the Time .........................................................................................................90
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6.3.4 Power Over Ethernet Configuration...........................................................................91
6.3.5 Setting up Asset Tracking and Location Servers........................................................91
6.3.6 Switch Configuration .................................................................................................92
6.3.7 VLAN Configuration..................................................................................................93
6.3.8 Wireless EAP Configuration.......................................................................................94
6.3.9 Wireless Network Configuration................................................................................95
6.4 Device Configuration Files........................................................................................................97
6.5 Editing Device Configuration Files...........................................................................................97
6.6 Applying Configuration Files ...................................................................................................98
Appendix A: Troubleshooting Guide.....................................................103
Appendix B: Composite Cable Testing..................................................105
B.1 Visual Inspection of the Fibre Optic Cable.............................................................................105
B.2 Measuring and Testing for Power Loss...................................................................................105
Appendix C: Ethernet Cable Specifications.........................................107
Appendix D: Discovering Devices on the Network...............................109
Appendix E: Time Zone Indices and Offsets .......................................111
Appendix F: Connecting a PC to an ImPact Network Device............115
Appendix G: Maintenance Check-list...................................................117
Appendix H: Acronyms..........................................................................119
Appendix I: ImPact NS50 Specifications..............................................121
Appendix J: Hardware Warranty..........................................................125
NS50 User Manual5Revision A

Revision A6NS50 User Manual

Revision History
DateChangeRevision
February 2012User Manual for NS50 hardware and firmware
2.22.16
A
Copyright ©2012 Mine Site Technologies Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. Mine Site Technologies Pty Ltd
reserves the right to make changes to specifications and information in this manual without prior notice.
Mine Site Technologies Pty Ltd accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions contained in this
manual.
NS50 User Manual7Revision A

Contact Information
AUSTRALIA
Sydney
25-27 Whiting Street
Artarmon NSW 2064 AUSTRALIA
Tel: [phone]
CANADA
Sudbury
1085 Kelly Lake Road
Sudbury Ontario P3E 5P5 CANADA
Tel: [phone]
CHINA
Hangzhou
4th Floor, Building 1
No. 5 Xianghong Road
Hangzhou CHINA 310011
Tel: [phone]x206
UNITED STATES
Denver
13301 W 43rd Drive
Golden Colorado 80403 USA
Tel: [phone]
NS50 User Manual9Revision A

About this Manual
This manual describes features and functions of the NS50Wireless Network Switch. It provides information
about hardware, installation, configuration and how to troubleshoot any issues.You will find it easier to
use the manual if you are familiar with networking systems and have an understanding of electronics in
a network environment.
Conventions used in the manual
This publication uses the following conventions to highlight and convey information:
• Text that requires input from an operator is boldfaced.
• Operator interface screen control names are boldfaced.
• Keyboard input keys are CAPITALISED.
Icons
Icons are used in the manual to highlight specific information as shown the table below.
DescriptionIcon
The Note icon indicates important information or references to the
user.
Note:
The Important icon contains information to prevent damage to the
product and injury to the user.
Important:
The Caution icon indicates to stop and pay attention or an action not
to be performed.
Caution:
Related Publications
ImPact Wireless Network Switch User Manual
Additional Support
For additional support please visit our website www.minesite.com.au.
NS50 User Manual11Revision A

Chapter
1
Understanding the NS50 Wireless Network Switch
This chapter presents the features and functions of the ImPact NS50
Wireless Network Switch and shows how it is integrated within a
network.
Topics:
•Hardware Overview
•System Layout Mine Site Technologies' ImPact NS50 consists of a managed fibre
optic Ethernet switch and two 802.11b/g wireless access points. It
•Connectivity
provides wired and wireless network access for mining environments
that do not require Intrinsically Safe equipment. The NS50 forms a
network infrastructure where voice, tracking, video and process control
applications can be used to enhance mining safety and communications.
The NS50 has the following features:
• Up to four fibre optic Gigabit Ethernet ports
•Four 10/100 Ethernet ports with Power over Ethernet (PoE) supply
capability
• Up to two 802.11b/g wireless access points
•Powder-coated stainless steel enclosure meeting Ingress Protection
IP65 standards
• AeroScout®tag reading capability, allowing real time tracking of
assets and personnel
• Composite cabling system incorporating fibre optic data and DC
power
• Low power design, with a wide input voltage from 10-50VDC
•Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) support for remote
monitoring
•Wireless Distribution System (WDS) for wirelessVLAN trunking
with other ImPact network devices.
For detailed specifications on the NS50, see ImPact NS50
Specifications on page 121.
NS50 User Manual13Revision A

1.1 Hardware Overview
The features and functions of the NS50 are illustrated in Figure 1: NS50 layout and the accompanying
table.
Note: The NS50 has four slightly different models:
•NS5001 - 1 Radio port, 2 Fibre ports
•NS5002 - 2 Radio ports, 2 Fibre ports
•NS5003 - 1 Radio port, 4 Fibre ports
•NS5004 - 2 Radio ports, 4 Fibre ports
This manual is written for the NS5004. If you have one of the other models, there may be slight
differences. Please note that these models have different internal hardware, and it is not possible
to upgrade one model into another.
Figure 1: NS50 layout
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Understanding the NS50 Wireless Network Switch

FunctionDescriptionKey
Connector for data transmission and / or DC power
distribution.
Composite fibre / power cable
port
1
Labelling of the fibre optic ports.Composite fibre port number2
Power indicator LED3 •Green: when power is applied to the NS50.
•Red: when the power drops below 12V.
Status indicator LED4 •Flashing Red: startup in progress.
•Flashing Green: normal operation.
•Solid Red: indicates an error.
•Off: indicates a problem (Refer to the Troubleshooting
Guide on page 103).
RP-TNC jack for connecting an antenna to Radio 2.MAIN antenna port for Radio 25
RP-TNC jack for connecting an antenna to Radio 2.AUX antenna port for Radio 26
Fibre port Link / Activity status
LEDs
7• The top LED (green) flashes when data is transmitted
or received, and is solid when a link is established.
• The lower LED (orange) is active when the link is
running at 1Gbps.
Labelling of the Ethernet ports.External Ethernet port number8
External Ethernet with IEEE 802.3af PoE supply capability
for powering WAPs and other network devices.
External Ethernet ports9
External Ethernet port (9) Link /
Activity status LEDs
10 • The top LED (green) flashes when data is transmitted
or received and is solid when a link is established.
• The lower LED (orange) indicates that PoE power is
being supplied.
RP-TNC jack for connecting an antenna to Radio 1.MAIN antenna port for Radio 111
RP-TNC jack for connecting an antenna to Radio 1.AUX antenna port for Radio 112
A protective cover for the Ethernet port when it is not in
use.
Ethernet port protective cover13
Radio Link / Activity status LED14 • The top LED (green) flashes when data is transmitted
or received and is solid when a link is established.
• The lower LED (orange) flashes when a Wi-Fi tag is
detected by the radio card.
A protective cover for the antenna port when it is not in use.RP-TNC antenna jack protective
cover
15
Reset button for the unit. It will cause power to cycle
without losing the device configuration.
Reset button16
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Understanding the NS50 Wireless Network Switch

FunctionDescriptionKey
Button to reset Radio 1's configuration back to factory
defaults. Refer to Manual Reset and Reboot on page 43 for
details.
Default button for CPU 117
Button to reset Radio 2's configuration back to factory
defaults. Refer to Manual Reset and Reboot on page 43 for
details.
Default button for CPU 218
Holes for mounting the NS50.Mounting holes19
Protective arm to lock fibre port covers and cable
connectors.
Composite fibre port retention
arm
20
Thumbscrew for locking the fibre port retention arm.Thumbscrew21
A protective cover for the composite fibre port when it is
not in use.
Composite fibre port cover22
1.2 System Layout
NS50 units are installed in a mine to form a wired and wireless network. This section describes a simple
NS50 system layout in a mine as shown in Figure 2: NS50 system layout.
The first NS50 in a network is connected to an Ethernet switch and power supply via a JB11 junction
box. (See Connecting power to the NS50 on page 34).
Units are typically connected in series down the mine tunnel by composite cable. When the mine tunnel
splits into different sections, an additional NS50 is branched from the network. NS50 or Wireless Access
Point (WAP) devices can also be positioned in Wi-Fi ‘hot spots’ such as crib areas and refuge bays.
A PC or mobile device can connect to the network when in proximity of an NS50 or WAP.
Figure 2: NS50 system layout
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Understanding the NS50 Wireless Network Switch

1.3 Connectivity
The NS50 has three types of network connections:
• Composite Fibre Ports
• Ethernet Ports
• Wireless
1.3.1 Composite Fibre Ports
Each side of an NS50 unit has two composite fibre port connectors with a crush protection cover. Each
connector consists of two electrical contacts and a duplex LC single mode optic fibre (SMOF) receptacle
as shown in Figure 3: Composite fibre ports.
Note: A protective cover or a mating cable connector must be attached to unused ports to maintain
the IP65 (Ingress Protection) rating of the unit.
Figure 3: Composite fibre ports
Each port can be connected in one of the following ways:
DescriptionPort connection
A DC power cable to connect the PSU to the electrical contacts on an
NS50. By convention, this cable is connected to port 4.
DC power only connection
A fibre optic cable terminated to the fibre contacts of the NS50 composite
connector.
Fibre only connection
A composite cable providing fibre optic connectivity and power to the
NS50.
Fibre and DC power
connection
Fibre optic cabling provides numerous benefits over Ethernet cabling, with superior signal integrity and
no signal interference from high powered electronics. It also enables units to be spaced over longer
distances without the distance limitation of Ethernet cabling.
By default, port 1 is configured as the upstream port and ports 2, 3 and 4 as the downstream ports. The
difference between upstream and downstream ports is the orientation of the fibre that is used for transmitting
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Understanding the NS50 Wireless Network Switch

data and the fibre used for receiving data. This is illustrated in Figure 4: Fibre orientation of Upstream
and Downstream ports.
Figure 4: Fibre orientation of Upstream and Downstream ports
Due to the difference in the fibre orientation, MST composite cable and fibre optic cable can only be
connected between ports on NS50 devices marked with a tick in the matrix below.
Port 4Port 3Port 2Port 1
Port 1
Port 2
Port 3
Port 4
Single- and Multi-Mode Cables
The NS50 is supplied from the factory with 1000BASE-LX single-mode SFP modules. Customers wishing
to interface to other cable standards, e.g. 100BASE-FX single or multi-mode, should contact MST to
arrange replacement of the appropriate SFP modules.
DescriptionSFP Part Number (MST Order Number)
Single-mode 100BASE-FX SFP moduleW-SFP-LS38-A3S
Multi-mode 100BASE-FX SFP moduleW-SFP-LM38-A3S
Note:
• If replacing the single-mode SFP modules with multi-mode modules, the single-mode patch
lead between the SFP module and the MST Composite Cable connector on the inside of the
housing needs to be replaced with a multi-mode patch lead.
•JB11 junction boxes can be connected inline between any two units in the chain to supply power.
There is no need to isolate NS50 units to a single power source.
1.3.2 Ethernet Ports
The NS50 has four external Ethernet ports, that enable connection to other networking devices.
The four Ethernet ports also provide IEEE 802.3af PoE (Power over Ethernet) injector functionality,
allowing a single cable to be used for data and power to network devices. Each Ethernet port's functionality
can be configured by the web browser interface, or by centralised configuration management. For more
information on configuring Ethernet ports, see Configuring the VLAN Port Map on page 67.
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Understanding the NS50 Wireless Network Switch

1.3.3Wireless Access
Wireless connectivity in each NS50 is implemented using a WAC (Wireless Access Card), consisting of
a wireless network processor and an integrated mini PCI 802.11b/g adapter.
A NS50 can contain up to two WACs. The WAC contained in the first radio card slot (on the left side)
also acts as the management CPU for the switch processor. As such, it is mandatory that this WAC is
fitted to each unit. TheWAC operational parameters can be configured through the web browser interface
or by centralised configuration management. For more information, see Configuring Wireless Radio on
page 54 and Editing Site Configuration Files on page 89.
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Understanding the NS50 Wireless Network Switch