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PD 664 System configuration and requirements

 

SIM card requirements

  • It is essential that the SIM card which is to be inserted into a PD 664 GPRS interface, is capable of operating in a mobile telephone that supports GPRS communication. GPRS is a data packet service that your mobile phone network operator (e.g. TDC, Telmore, Sonfon, O2, Vodafone, Orange, etc) provides. Each operator needs to be aware that this particular SIM card (via unique serial number) is to be used in a GPRS type ‘phone supported by a specific provider. Such a facility needs to be enabled in the provider’s database before it can be used. In some cases, it could take up to 48 hours for the operator to enable this.
  • The SIM card contains non–volatile memory, allowing configuration parameters to be stored within this transportable medium. The PD 664 uses the memory area that is usually used for the phonebook.

 

The majority of service provider’s supports GPRS communication on “Contract” or “Pay as you go” (PAYG).but some service providers don’t support GPRS on a PAYG basis. If there is any doubt, contact should be made with the service provider of the SIM card.

 

If a Pin Code is associated with the SIM card it is essential to have this information available during the configuration of the PD 664 GPRS Interface.

 

 

Access Point Name Settings

In order to configure the PD 664 GPRS Interface, is it necessary to obtain information about the APN settings. This information is often available on the service provider’s homepage or can be obtained by contacting the service provider.

 

The settings to use vary according to which network is to be used, and can sometimes be different if it is a contract or PAYG account.

APN Settings

  • AccessPointName (APN Address)
  • Username
  • Password
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Connecting to the P-NET Gateway Service

If the PD 664 GPRS is not able to connect to the Gateway Service, the variable GPRS.LastError can be very useful, and consists of an ID number and a error text string. If the problem is related to the network or incorrect APN settings, the register shows ID number 616 – “Network is down”.  The Link LED in the PD 664 indicates whether the GPRS interface is connected or not. OFF indicates no GPRS connection.

 

 

Installation of the P-NET Gateway Service

 

The P-NET Gateway Service is included in the VIGO 5.8 The Fieldbus Management System suite, and can be installed on PCs running Windows XP Professional,  Windows Vista, Windows server 2003 or Windows server 2008. The P-NET Gateway Service is also available as a separate installation suite and it can run independently of VIGO.

 

The P-NET Gateway Service acts and is visually structured using modules having channels and ports, just like other P-NET devices. But unlike physical hardware modules, the Gateway Service is a group of Virtual Modules because it is actually just configurable software running on a PC. 

 

The PC used for the P-NET Gateway Service can , for example, be a standard PC, a laptop or a small low power DIN rail mounted industrial PC without locally connected monitor, keyboard etc.

 

 

Standard system installation

Server

PROCES-DATA recommends that the P-NET Gateway Service is installed and runs on a separate PC (server). The server can be physically located anywhere in the world, as long as it has an Internet connection. Any PC with VIGO installed and an Internet connection will be able to communicate with the P-NET Gateway Service, and all the mobile / remote stations that are connected to the Gateway Service.

 

The Server can either be connected directly to the Internet, having a public IP address related to the server, or it may be located behind a router where the router is configured to use port forwarding to forward communication received on port 34380 (default port), through to the server on a local sub-net. The public IP address is, in this instance, usually the IP address assigned to the router itself. Because the server may not be protected by a sufficiently secure firewall as standard, PROCES-DATA recommends that UDPSec or similar such security protection is used.

 

Clients

Whilst TCP packet data between the Gateway Service and a PD 664 GPRS module is already encrypted, P-NET UDP data between a monitoring PC and the Gateway Service is not in a standard (port 34380) configuration. This may not be particularly important if the monitoring PC is on the same local network as the Gateway PC or server and behind a firewall. However, to ensure that such data can be made secure for any client-server situation, two utility programs are available. These are the ‘Key Manager’ and the ‘Key Generator’ and are found in the ‘PROCES-DATA’ program folder, under ‘P-NET Gateway Service’. 

The method of encryption using the UDP communication through port 34381 is achieved by means of a generated ‘key’. The user of the client or monitoring PC will be informed as to what the global IP address of the Gateway service is, a user name and a password, all of which is, initially at least, declared using the Key Manager in the Gateway PC.

 

 

Simple system installation

Server

The PC (server) running the P-NET Gateway Service can be located behind a firewall/router as shown in the system examples. If a firewall is present, it will be required that default port 34380 is opened for TCP communication. A port forward rule needs to be enabled for this port in order to forward all communication for this port to the server. Configuration of port forwarding is usually detailed in the technical manual of the router hardware, and often available for download from the manufacturers web site.

 

Clients

A simple system installation will allow any PC connected to the same network to communicate with a Gateway Service and all mobile / remote stations connected to it.

It is therefore not advisable to allow PCs to connect to the Gateway Service though port 34380 (UDP) without any form of authentication, because of the possible security risk.

 

 

VIGO

In VIGO 5.8, a GPRS Workspace is provided together with a project called GPRS

This project can be used, amended or expanded to match a planned real project, or used as a example of what is required to expand a currently operational project. Link to Description of the provided workspace.

 

The IP address for the UDP port within the Gateway Service is set to 127.0.0.1:34380 as default (the standard internal address of the local machine or ‘host’).  It should be ensured that before use, the IP address for the UDP port within the P-NET Gatway(service) node, is changed if necessary to point to the actual IP address or URL that will directly or indirectly connect (through a router) to the PC acting as the server.

 

If the Gateway Service is running on the same PC as the one running VIGO and this is used for communication, the UDP port for the node P-NET Gateway(Service) can remain as 127.0.0.1:34380 (localhost). 127.0.0.1 is the standard IP address used for a loopback network connection. This means that if you try to connect to 127.0.0.1, you are immediately looped back to your own machine.

 

If the Gateway Service is running on another PC on the same network, the IP address for the UDP port must be set that PCs IP address.

 

 

Configuration of the P-NET Gateway Service

 

  • Configuration of the P-NET Gateway Service can be achieved locally on the server by the use of VIGO and the P-NET Gateway Service Editor – opened from within the Windows ‘All Programs’ menu under ‘PROCES-DATA’. It is required that a complete MIB is available and the GPRS project must be enabled in VIGO. The IP address for the UDP port within the P-NET Gatway(service) node must be set to 127.0.0.1:34380. Configuration is performed within the Gateway Service Editor Window by first selecting the service and then pressing the button “Configure the selected service”. The editor will indicate whether the configuration was successful or not.

 

  • The Gateway Service on the server can also be configured remotely by the use of a client running the P-NET Gateway Service Editor. The client must have the complete MIB available and enabled and the IP address for the UDP port within the node P-NET Gatway(service) must be set to the IP address that points directly or indirectly (through a router) to the server.

 

  • If VIGO is not installed on the server, the configuration can be generated on any PC with VIGO running, but it must have the complete MIB available. The configuration is made using the P-NET Gateway Service Editor and is saved in the file PNETGatewayService.stm. The location of the configuration file is ..\VIGO\P-NET Gateway Service. The service on the server should be stopped before the configuration is copied to the server. Starting the server will ensure that the P-NET Gateway Service is now ready for use.

 

 

Related topics

PD 664 Configuration (GPRS)

Configuring the PD 664 for sending and receiving SMS messages

LED indicators

P-NET Gateway Service

GPRS Project Tutorial