Specifications

X723-300151 1-5 Issue 2

1.2 3200 Facilities

1.2.1 Control of the 3200

The system controller supports an RS-232 port for connection to a

standard ASCII VT100 VDU. This is used for local control and

maintenance purposes. Password protection can be used with this port for

increased security.

Two or more multiplexers may be operated in Local/Remote mode where

control of all multiplexers may be carried out from a VDU connected to one

3200, this is termed the 'local unit'. Control of the 'remote unit' is usually

via spare bit capacity in TS0 or by V.28 connections and a suitable data

link between the two units.

The Network Control System (NCS) may be used to control up to 500

nodes in a network, and also provides node to node control and messaging

facilities.

The system control card supports non-volatile battery backed RAM and a

Real Time Clock, with a retention time of approximately 2 weeks for

storage of cross-connect mappings, fault logs etc. In addition an E

PROM

is used for long term storage of the multiplexer ‘Mode Instal’ setting. Note

that if the Firmware level is changed, the contents of the RAM may be

lost.

1.2.2 Control Terminal Operating Modes

The 3200 may be set to operate with a wide range of RS-232 terminals e.g.

Wyse 50 compatible VDUs, Teletypes, Personal Computers etc. A Brief

and Verbose operating mode is available.

A menu tree is used to control the set-up and configuration of the

equipment which is normally used in verbose mode displaying all text. In

brief mode, all menus operate normally except for the text output which is

restricted to prompts, and fault numbers during fault reporting. Brief

mode is provided for factory test purposes, or fast access by experienced

users using pre-prepared configuration scripts controlling a

communication package running on a Personal Computer for example.

An 'Install' set-up facility is provided to configure the equipment to suit

each installation. This contains items such as the 'power-on' default

settings, whether the NCS is to be used and other operational parameters.