MST Impact NS5004 User manual

NS50 Wireless Network Switch
User Guide
Revision C
NS50_UG_EN_C

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...............................................................................................................................16
1.3.1 Composite Fibre Ports................................................................................................17
1.3.2 Ethernet Ports.............................................................................................................18
1.3.3 Wireless Access..........................................................................................................18
Chapter 2: Network System Design.........................................................19
2.1 Installation Types and Coverage................................................................................................20
2.2 Power Requirements..................................................................................................................20
2.3 Choosing Antennas....................................................................................................................20
2.4 Placement of NS50 Units..........................................................................................................21
2.5 Placement of Antennas..............................................................................................................21
2.6 Determining Distances between Wireless Network Switches...................................................23
Chapter 3: Installation..............................................................................25
3.1 NS50 Mounting Options............................................................................................................26
3.2 Antenna Mounting Options.......................................................................................................26
3.3 Installation Schemes..................................................................................................................27
3.3.1 Installation in a Straight Drive....................................................................................27
3.3.2 Installation in a Curved Decline / Incline...................................................................28
3.3.3 Installation in a Stope.................................................................................................29
3.3.4 Installation at an Intersection......................................................................................30
3.4 Connecting power to the NS50..................................................................................................31
3.5 Handling Composite Cable During Installation........................................................................32
3.6 Connecting Composite Cable to the NS50................................................................................32
3.7 Standard Composite and Fibre Cable Lengths..........................................................................34
3.8 Connecting Ethernet Cable to the NS50....................................................................................35
3.9 Connecting F-LINK Terminated Composite Cable to the NS50...............................................36
3.10 Connecting Antennas to the NS50...........................................................................................38
3.11 Manual Reset and Reboot........................................................................................................40
Chapter 4: Understanding VLANs .........................................................43
4.1 Understanding Trunk and Access Ports.....................................................................................44
NS50 User Guide3Revision C

4.1.1 Trunk Ports.................................................................................................................44
4.1.2 Access Ports................................................................................................................44
4.1.3 Port Allocation............................................................................................................45
4.2 VLANs and Wireless Networks................................................................................................46
4.3 Native VLAN ...........................................................................................................................46
Chapter 5: Conguration Using the Web Interface ..............................49
5.1 Logging onto the Web Browser Interface..................................................................................50
5.2 Conguration screen..................................................................................................................50
5.3 Status Tab...................................................................................................................................51
5.3.1 Obtaining Device Information....................................................................................51
5.3.2 Wireless Client Information........................................................................................52
5.3.3 Viewing System Logs.................................................................................................53
5.3.4 Viewing Network Trafc Statistics............................................................................54
5.3.5 Viewing Ethernet Switch Information........................................................................56
5.3.6 Viewing Switch Trafc...............................................................................................56
5.3.7 Viewing Tracking Information...................................................................................57
5.3.8 Viewing Recent Tag Reports......................................................................................58
5.4 Tools Tab...................................................................................................................................59
5.4.1 Conguring Administrator and User Settings............................................................59
5.4.2 Setting the Time..........................................................................................................61
5.4.3 Rebooting or Restoring the Network Device..............................................................63
5.4.4 Upgrading Firmware...................................................................................................63
5.5 Settings Tab...............................................................................................................................66
5.5.1 Managing Automatic TFTP Conguration................................................................66
5.5.2 Conguring SNMP Settings.......................................................................................66
5.5.3 Setting Up the LAN....................................................................................................67
5.5.4 Conguring Wireless Radio.......................................................................................68
5.5.5 Conguring Wireless Networks.................................................................................71
5.5.6 Conguring EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol)............................................74
5.5.7 WDS (Wireless Distribution System) settings............................................................76
5.5.8 Conguring Asset Tracking and Location Based Services........................................76
5.5.9 Conguring Ethernet Switch Ports.............................................................................78
5.5.10 Enabling the MAC Address Filter............................................................................80
5.5.11 Dening VLANs......................................................................................................81
5.5.12 Conguring the VLAN Port Map.............................................................................82
Chapter 6: Centralised Conguration Management ............................85
6.1 Device Management Overview.................................................................................................86
6.1.1 Site Conguration.......................................................................................................86
6.1.2 AP Cong Templates..................................................................................................86
6.1.3 Access Point...............................................................................................................88
6.2 TFTP Server Overview..............................................................................................................90
6.3 TFTP Parameters.......................................................................................................................91
Revision C4NS50 User Guide

Appendix A: Troubleshooting Guide.......................................................93
Appendix B: Composite Cable Testing....................................................95
B.1 Visual Inspection of the Fibre Optic Cable...............................................................................95
B.2 Measuring and Testing for Power Loss.....................................................................................95
Appendix C: Ethernet Cable Specications...........................................97
Appendix D: Device Discovery.................................................................99
Appendix E: Time Zone Indices and Offsets .......................................101
Appendix F: Connecting a PC to an ImPact Network Device............105
Appendix G: Maintenance Check-list...................................................109
Appendix H: Acronyms..........................................................................111
Appendix I: ImPact NS50 Specications..............................................113
Appendix J: Hardware Warranty.........................................................117
NS50 User Guide5Revision C

Revision C6NS50 User Guide

Revision History
DateChangeRevision
February 2012User Manual for NS50 hardware and rmware 2.22.16A
September 2012Updated for rmware 2.24.2B
December 2012Updated Centralised Conguration ManagementC
Copyright ©2012 Mine Site Technologies Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. Mine Site Technologies Pty Ltd
reserves the right to make changes to specications 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 Guide7Revision C

Contact Information
AUSTRALIA - Sydney
113 Wicks Road
North Ryde NSW 2113 AUSTRALIA
Tel: [phone]
CANADA - Sudbury
1085 Kelly Lake Road
Sudbury Ontario P3E 5P5 CANADA
Tel: [phone]
CHINA - Hangzhou
4F, Building 1
1413 Moganshan Road
Hangzhou CHINA 310011
Tel: [phone]x206
UNITED STATES - Denver
13301 W 43rd Drive
Golden Colorado 80403 USA
Tel: [phone]
GERMANY - Berlin
Mine Site Technologies (GmbH)
Uhlandstr. 20-25
10623 Berlin
GERMANY
Tel: [phone]
NS50 User Guide9Revision C

About this Manual
This manual describes features and functions of the NS50 Wireless Network Switch. It provides information
about hardware, installation, conguration and how to troubleshoot any issues. You will nd 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 specic 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 http://www.minesite.com.au.
Note: The information provided in this document ("Information") is presented in good faith and
believed to be correct as at the date of this document. MST makes no representations as to the
accuracy or completeness of the Information. The Information is supplied on the condition that the
recipient will make their own determination as to the suitability of the Information for their purposes
prior to use. Under no circumstances will MST be responsible for any damages whatsoever resulting
from the use of, or reliance upon, the Information.
NS50 User Guide11Revision C

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 bre
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 bre 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, sealed to comply with an
Ingress Protection standard rating of IP65
• AeroScout tag reading capability, allowing real time tracking of
assets and personnel
• Composite cabling system incorporating bre 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 wireless VLAN trunking
with other ImPact network devices.
For detailed specications on the NS50, see ImPact NS50
Specications on page 113.
NS50 User Guide13Revision C

1.1 Hardware Overview
The features and functions of the NS50 are illustrated below.
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.
FunctionDescriptionKey
Connector for data transmission and / or DC power
distribution.
Composite bre / power cable
port
1
Labelling of the bre optic ports.Composite bre port number2
Revision C14NS50 User Guide
Understanding the NS50 Wireless Network Switch

FunctionDescriptionKey
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 93).
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) ashes 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) ashes 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) ashes when data is transmitted or
received and is solid when a link is established.
• The lower LED (orange) ashes 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 conguration.
Reset button16
Button to reset Radio 1's conguration back to factory
defaults. Refer to Manual Reset and Reboot on page 40 for
details.
Default button for CPU 117
NS50 User Guide15Revision C
Understanding the NS50 Wireless Network Switch

FunctionDescriptionKey
Button to reset Radio 2's conguration back to factory
defaults. Refer to Manual Reset and Reboot on page 40 for
details.
Default button for CPU 218
Holes for mounting the NS50.Mounting holes19
Protective arm to lock bre port covers and cable
connectors.
Composite bre port retention
arm
20
Thumbscrew for locking the bre port retention arm.Thumbscrew21
A protective cover for the composite bre port when it is
not in use.
Composite bre 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.
The rst 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 31).
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.
1.3 Connectivity
The NS50 has three types of network connections:
• Composite Fibre Ports
• Ethernet Ports
Revision C16NS50 User Guide
Understanding the NS50 Wireless Network Switch

• Wireless
1.3.1 Composite Fibre Ports
Each side of an NS50 unit has two composite bre port connectors with a crush protection cover. Each
connector consists of two electrical contacts and a duplex LC single mode optic bre (SMOF) receptacle.
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.
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 bre optic cable terminated to the bre contacts of the NS50 composite
connector.
Fibre only connection
A composite cable providing bre optic connectivity and power to the
NS50.
Fibre and DC power
connection
Fibre optic cabling provides numerous benets 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 congured 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 bre that is used for transmitting
data and the bre used for receiving data.
NS50 User Guide17Revision C
Understanding the NS50 Wireless Network Switch

Due to the difference in the bre orientation, MST composite cable and bre 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.
Important: If an SFP is changed, the device must be rebooted or reset to detect the change.
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 congured by the web browser interface, or by centralised conguration management. For more
information on conguring Ethernet ports, see Conguring the VLAN Port Map on page 82.
1.3.3 Wireless 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 rst 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
tted to each unit. The WAC operational parameters can be congured through the web browser interface
or by centralised conguration management. For more information, see Conguring Wireless Radio on
page 68.
Revision C18NS50 User Guide
Understanding the NS50 Wireless Network Switch

Chapter
2
Network System Design
This chapter describes network system design for underground mines.
Topics:
An MST System Engineer will usually design and precongure a
network based on the requirements and layout of each mine site. This
•Installation Types and Coverage
•Power Requirements
will involve a visual inspection of the mine site to identify user areas,
•Choosing Antennas and determine access point locations. An RF (Radio Frequency) site
•Placement of NS50 Units survey is also conducted to understand the behaviour of radio waves
in the mine. The following factors help determine network design:
•Placement of Antennas
•Determining Distances between
Wireless Network Switches • Wireless coverage requirements of the mine
• Quantity and type of wireless client devices connected to the
network
• Wired client devices connected to the network and their location
• Interconnection to the mine's existing corporate network
• Policies for network protocol between networks
• Cabling requirements
• Antenna types to use with each unit and mounting method for each
antenna
•Mounting location and installation method for each network device.
NS50 User Guide19Revision C

2.1 Installation Types and Coverage
Wireless network coverage can be described as:
•Wi-Fi hotspot — Network coverage is provided in key areas, such as crib areas and refuge bays.
•Full coverage — Seamless wireless coverage by strategically placing NS50 units so their radio elds
overlap.
A NS50 can communicate at wireless distances of 150-300 metres, depending on the geometry and geology
of the mine.
2.2 Power Requirements
The power requirements for a network are unique to each site installation. Determining power requirements
can be complex and is dependent on various factors such as the number of NS50 units, PoE devices,
branches in the network and composite cable lengths.
Note: A site inspection conducted by a MST System Engineer will help determine the power
requirements for your network.
The NS50 is designed to operate at a wide voltage range, from a minimum of 8VDC up to 54VDC. Each
NS50 in a network can internally step up the incoming voltage to 48VDC in order to supply power to its
connected PoE devices. The NS50 needs to receive a minimum input of 15VDC to power PoE devices.
48VDC power supplies are used for large networks to maximise the distance between power supplies.
For smaller networks of 1-2 nodes, it is recommended that a lower voltage 24VDC power supply is used.
2.3 Choosing Antennas
Antennas are connected to each NS50 to provide wireless network coverage. The type of wireless coverage,
surrounding geology, tunnel topology and stratum type are factors that will determine the choice of
antenna. A minimum of one antenna is required per WAC in a NS50.
Antennas consist of two directional patterns:
•Omnidirectional antennas — radiate equally in all directions for a short range, providing immediate
coverage in an open area.
•Directional antennas — radiate in a specic direction over a longer range. A higher gain antenna
will have a longer range and is more directional. It is important that directional antennas are aligned
properly between NS50 units to ensure continuous coverage between units.
The antenna radiation pattern and polarisation need to be considered to provide suitable wireless coverage
in an area.
Antennas commonly used with the NS50 are shown below.
Revision C20NS50 User Guide
Network System Design