Installation guide

Programming Crestron Controllers for a Kaleidescape System
Page 28
All of the methods in Table 3 can be used in the same installation depending on
factors such as the cable run length to players, the Crestron processor, and the
number of players in the installation.
Command routing
Command routing allows control of multiple Kaleidescape players with only one
connection to the controller. This can be either a TCP/IP or an RS-232 connection to
almost any player or server in the system. While command routing can be the best
solution for some installations, there are also inherent limitations and should be
used only if required by the installation.
 If the Crestron controller has a dedicated RS-232 port for each Kaleidescape
player or if direct TCP/IP communication can be established with each
player, command routing is not required.
 If several players must be controlled through a single RS-232 port, or a
single IP address must be used for Crestron communications with the
Kaleidescape System, command routing is required.
Command routing via TCP/IP
In some installations, it is impossible to make a TCP/IP connection to each player.
For example, the network administrator may have isolated the Kaleidescape
System on a separate network behind a NAT router and only a single IP connection
is available. Or, maybe the network administrator has only provided for a single
static IP address, and all other components are using dynamically assigned IP
addresses (addresses potentially changing with each power cycle or power
outage).
For these types of installations, it is possible to route all communications through a
single TCP/IP client. This forces the Crestron processor to work harder than
necessary and can slow down the system — especially if the program uses multiple
SATP modules. Using a single IP address and command routing introduces a single
point of failure. If the Kaleidescape component with connection to the controller
loses power or if replaced by a new component with the wrong IP address, control
of the entire Kaleidescape System is lost. These network topologies are not
recommended for Kaleidescape Systems and should be avoided if possible.
If a single IP address must be used, change the TX$ of every module to use the
same signal name (jamming them together). Do the same for the RX$ and
Connection-F signals of every module. Then configure one TCP/IP client to use the
same TX$, RX$, and Connection-F signals. This change routes all the TX$ and RX$
signals through that one TCP/IP client.
Although the TCP/IP client can connect to any Kaleidescape player to control any or
all zones in the system, control of those zones is lost if that player is turned off. To
avoid this potential problem, connect directly to a server when using command
routing because the server generally stays powered on all the time. If there are