User Manual Netbiter Remote Access ® Doc: HMSI-27-240 Rev: 1.2 Connecting DevicesTM HALMSTAD • CHICAGO • KARLSRUHE • TOKYO • BEIJING • MILANO • MULHOUSE • COVENTRY • PUNE • COPENHAGEN HMS Industrial Networks Mailing address: Box 4126, 300 04 Halmstad, Sweden Visiting address: Stationsgatan 37, Halmstad, Sweden E-mail: info@hms-networks.com www.anybus.
Table of Contents Table of Contents Preface About This Document Related Documents.................................................................................................................................. 4 Document History ................................................................................................................................... 4 Conventions & Terminology ..................................................................................................................
1-3 Chapter 5 Configuring Remote Access in Netbiter Argos Remote Access........................................................................................................................................ 21 Serial Ports .................................................................................................................................... 21 TCP/UDP Port Forwarding ........................................................................................................ 22 Network Bridge ...
Preface P. About This Document This manual describes the installation and configuration of the Netbiter Remote Access service. For further information, documentation etc, please visit www.netbiter.com. P.1 Related Documents Document Netbiter Argos Administration Manual Netbiter EasyConnect User Manual Netbiter EasyConnect Installation Guide Author HMS HMS HMS P.2 Document History Revision List Revision 1.2 Date Nov 2014 Author(s) SDa 1.1 1.
Chapter 1 1. Overview Netbiter Remote Access provides a remote connection through Netbiter Argos to the serial and Ethernet ports on the Netbiter gateway. This makes it possible to use PC-based software applications to remotely interact with industrial devices - just as if they were connected locally to the PC. To establish the remote connection, the PC-based driver QuickConnect is installed and operated on the PC.
Overview 7 1.1.2. WAN Link to Serial The next example shows much the same setup as before, but uses a serial connection on the remote side instead. QuickConnect driver and device-specific software on PC (Proxy server) Internet Serial connection to devices Private network If the QuickConnect driver needs to pass a proxy server for access to the Internet, then the proxy server settings will automatically be retrieved from the PC on which QuickConnect is installed. 1.1.3.
Overview 8 1.2. Requirements Using the Remote Access functionality will require the following: • A Netbiter EasyConnect with remote access capability. • Knowledge of programming of PLC’s and other field devices. • Specific software to use with the device being accessed remotely. • General knowledge of TCP/IP networks. • Specific knowledge of the networks being accessed remotely. You may need to consult the network administrator for this information. 1.3.
Chapter 2 2. Installing Netbiter EasyConnect Before the Netbiter EasyConnect Gateway can be used for Remote Access, the unit must be registered and activated at Netbiter Argos. This can be done in one of two ways: • By using the Netbiter EasyConnect Gateway to create a completely new user account at Netbiter Argos. See Chapter 3. • By adding the Netbiter EasyConnect Gateway to an existing account at Netbiter Argos. See Chapter 4. 2.1. What is Netbiter Argos Netbiter Argos is a data center, i.e.
Chapter 3 3. Installation - New Netbiter Argos Account The following are required for installation and activation: • A Netbiter EasyConnect Gateway EC350 or EC310. • The printed document with the System ID and Activation Code supplied with the product. • For a wireless model - a Netbiter SIM card, or a SIM card from another operator. 3.1. Installation Procedure 1. Perform the physical installation of the Netbiter EasyConnect according to the documentation supplied with the product.
Installation - New Netbiter Argos Account 11 7. Open the e-mail and click on the activation link, after which it will be possible to log in to the account. 8. Click the Go to login button to return to the Netbiter Argos login page. 9. Sign in with the Username and password created previously. The next step is to activate the Netbiter EasyConnect Gateway, see section 3.2.
Installation - New Netbiter Argos Account 12 3.2. Activate the Field System A field system in Netbiter Argos is one Netbiter EasyConnect Gateway plus all of the devices connected to it. A field system may have multiple devices, but only a single Netbiter Gateway. If there are e.g. two connected Netbiter Gateways, then there are two field systems. The new field system created above must now be activated before it can be used.
Installation - New Netbiter Argos Account 13 3.3. Configure Network Connection 3.3.1. Online Indication at Netbiter Argos If the gateway is online and connected to Netbiter Argos, this will be indicated by a green star in the column for Online, as in the illustration below. Otherwise, this indicator will show red for Offline. 3.3.2. LED Indicators There are also several LED:s located on the Netbiter product casing.
Installation - New Netbiter Argos Account 14 3.3.4. 3G/GPRS connection (EC350 only) The 3G/GPRS connection is enabled by default, and all that remains for this connection is to enter the SIM card number and the mobile network settings. After clicking the Activate button in 3.2. above, proceed to the tab for the Mobile network, as shown below. Netbiter SIM Card 1. Select the option for I have a Netbiter SIM card. 2. Enter the phone number provided with the Netbiter SIM card. 3.
Chapter 4 4. Installation - Existing Netbiter Argos Account To add further Netbiter Gateways to an existing Netbiter Argos account, the account must be configured for the Netbiter service Manage & Analyze (M&A). It is not possible to add further gateways to the View and Control Netbiter service. If you need to upgrade your account at Netbiter Argos to M&A, please contact your sales contact to purchase a subscription key.
Installation - Existing Netbiter Argos Account 16 4.2. Activate the Netbiter EasyConnect The definition of a field system is one Netbiter Gateway plus all of the devices connected to it. A field system may have multiple devices, but only a single gateway. If an account has e.g. two connected Netbiter Gateways, then there are two field systems. In the setup procedure described above, a Netbiter Gateway was added to the user account and used to create a new field system.
Installation - Existing Netbiter Argos Account 17 The unit is moved to the selected project and the status page for the unit is displayed. Depending on the type of network connection, further configuration may be required. See section 4.3. For further information regarding the Remote Management features, see the Netbiter Argos Administration Manual. Netbiter Remote Access User Manual Doc: HMSI-27-240, Rev: 1.
Installation - Existing Netbiter Argos Account 18 4.3. Configure the Network Connection 4.3.1. Online Indication at Netbiter Argos If the gateway is online and connected to Netbiter Argos, this will be indicated by a green star in the column for Online, as in the illustration below. Otherwise, this indicator will show red for Offline. To see the status for a field system, click either: Presentation >> All Systems >> [System Name] - or Presentation >> [Project Name] >> [System Name] 4.3.2.
Installation - Existing Netbiter Argos Account 19 4.3.4. 3G/GPRS connection (EC350 only) The 3G/GPRS connection is enabled by default, and all that remains for this connection is to enter the SIM card number and the mobile network settings. After clicking the Activate button in 4.2. above, proceed to the tab for the mobile network settings, as shown below. Netbiter SIM Card 1. Select the option for I have a Netbiter SIM card. 2. Enter the phone number provided with the Netbiter SIM card. 3.
Installation - Existing Netbiter Argos Account 20 Indicating Signal Strength For an indication of the mobile network signal strength, press and release the Mode button on the top of the Netbiter EasyConnect EC350. The top 5 LEDs (i.e.
Chapter 5 5. Configuring Remote Access in Netbiter Argos Now that the Netbiter EasyConnect Gateway has been added to Netbiter Argos and activated, the next step is to configure the settings for remote access. Note that the configuration pages described here are taken from the View & Control service. When running in Manage & Analyze, these pages will appear slightly different. Open the system’s configuration page from Management >> Configuration.
Configuring Remote Access in Netbiter Argos 22 5.1.2. TCP/UDP Port Forwarding This group of settings allows detailed control over the IP addresses, ports and protocols to use for accessing remote devices. For each IP address or range of addresses to allow access to, select the allowed protocols and enter the allowed ports, as in the examples shown here. Any other IP address not listed here will be not be accessible on the remote network. Port forwarding is disabled by default.
Configuring Remote Access in Netbiter Argos 23 5.1.4. Onsite Indication & Key For greater physical security, these settings make it possible to locally enable/disable the remote access functionality directly from hardware, and to also get visual indication of whether or not there is an active connection. This allows e.g. an operator on site to temporarily enable the remote access connection to allow work to be performed on the device remotely, by e.g. a maintenance technician.
Configuring Remote Access in Netbiter Argos 24 5.2. LAN Configuration These settings affect the 2nd Ethernet port on the Netbiter EasyConnect Gateway, i.e. the LAN port. This port is the one used for all onward connections to the Ethernet network on the remote side of the tunnel connection. These settings will enable/disable the LAN port, with the following options: • Use configuration as set locally ... - The LAN port will use the configuration as set locally in the gateway.
Chapter 6 6. Install QuickConnect QuickConnect is the driver required on the PC to be used for remote access. The file can be downloaded from the presentation page for the Netbiter EasyConnect Gateway at Netbiter Argos, as in the illustration below. Save the file to the PC and run it to install the application. Follow the instructions as they appear on-screen.
Chapter 7 7. Configure Remote Access in QuickConnect Click the icon to start the program. This will open the login page, which is the same as for Netbiter Argos. Use the same credentials to log in as before. After logging in, the first page that appears will be the Systems Overview page. The first systems listed are those marked as Favorites. These will always be presented at the top of the list, before all others. Click the system’s own star to designate it as a favorite.
Configure Remote Access in QuickConnect 28 7.1. Configure a System for Remote Access 1. Click on a system name in the list to go that system’s configuration page, which when empty will look something like this: 2. Click + Add New Device to add a tunnel configuration for the device to be accessed remotely. This displays a list of available pre-configured devices. 3. Select a device from the list to configure the connection. 4.
Configure Remote Access in QuickConnect 29 7.1.1. Serial Channel Configuration To configure a virtual serial channel configuration you will need to know the virtual serial port on the PC and the physical serial port at the other end of the connection, i.e. the RS-232 or RS-485 port on the Netbiter EasyConnect. Check that the local serial port is not occupied. Click the Add device button to complete the configuration. An example of a completed serial configuration.
Configure Remote Access in QuickConnect 30 7.1.2. Network Bridge Configuration A network bridge connection is much like a traditional VPN connection, in which a virtual network adapter uses its own IP address on the remote network and has general access to that entire network. Note that you will need two IP addresses for use on the remote network; one for the virtual network adapter and one for the physical LAN port on the Netbiter EasyConnect. This may require contacting the network administrator.
Configure Remote Access in QuickConnect 31 7.1.3. General Network Bridge Configuration After adding a first network bridge connection, it will be necessary to define the IP address for the virtual network adapter. As only a single network adapter is allowed on the remote network, this must be configured for all network bridge connections - in the General Network Bridge Configuration. 1. Click the down arrow to enter the configuration. 2.
Configure Remote Access in QuickConnect 32 2. Configure the port-forwarding channel as shown below. Enter the port on the local PC. Enter the IP address for the remote device Enter the port on the remote device. 7.1.5. Custom Device Configuration If the device you wish to connect is not available in a ready-made configuration in the list, it is still possible to add the device, by configuring a Custom device. Follow the steps below. 1. Click the Custom button. 2.
Configure Remote Access in QuickConnect 33 7.1.6. Add a New Channel to a Tunnel Configuration Now that there is a main tunnel configured between the PC and the remote device/network, it is also possible to add further channels to the configuration. Simply click the + Add New Channel link to add. Note that there are no limitations on which channels (Network bridge, TCP/UDP or serial) can be added to the main tunnel configuration.
Configure Remote Access in QuickConnect 34 7.2. Connect to the Remote Device After the configuration is complete, click on the blue Connect button to open the tunnel connection to the remote device. When the connection is up and running the time elapsed and the amount of data traffic can be seen in the green bar at the top of the window. From this point on it will be possible to use device-specific software tools for programming, configuring, debugging and analyzing the remote device.
Appendix A A. Configure Users (Manage & Analyze only) A.1. Enabling Users for Remote Access Netbiter Argos employs a system of user rights to allow access to the various features and functions available. All users that will be working with the remote access function must be approved for this. Note that when a new account is first created (i.e. a View & Control account), the single user in that account is automatically granted user rights for remote access.
Appendix B B. Specifications B.1. Remote Access Specifications • A tunnel to an individual system (Netbiter EasyConnect) may have up to 50 configured channels, all of which may be open at the same time. • The channels in an individual tunnel may be distributed as required, to up to 50 devices. • The maximum duration of an individual tunnel is 8 hours. • Permanent connections, for example between a SCADA application and equipment in the field, are not supported.
