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Pre-Install Check List:
- This page will certainly grow and become
more complete as we encounter the
hundreds of possible options that exist
in field Network Management Software
installations. You might check back from
time to time.
1.
RF-modem / RIMII- Make sure that the RF-modem
is capable of being flashed with the new
Rebanding firmware from Motorola. This will
need to be done before connecting the new
GenWatch3 Commander. Make sure that the
customer has a RIMII and not a RIMI. A new
RF-modem/RIMII may need to be purchased before connecting
GW3. The customer will need TWO RF-modem/RIMII sets
for the Commander Host (replaces SIMSII
server) and ONE RF-modem/RIMII
set (at least for the Commander LE
(replaces SIP). The Client
machines have NO RF-modem/RIMII needs.
Remember that the BEST operation of any
SIMSII, SIP, Site Lens or GenWatch3
Commander that listens and transmits (sends
RCM commands) is with TWO sets of RF-modem/RIMII.
One is always receiving while the other
occasionally transmits. GW3 Commander has
the ability to 'fall back' and operate on
one set, if the second set fails.
2.
LAN- GW3 Commander Host & Client use a standard
Ethernet LAN. There is a very high
probability that the Motorola customer
already has an existing LAN for their office
operations, and that will work just fine for
GW3 Commander. IF their existing SIMSII is a
'stand alone' with only one locally
connected terminal, you will only need to
replace it with a single GW3 Commander Host
and not worry about connection to their LAN
(operations can be done right from the mouse
and keyboard on the Host if desired). If the
existing SIMSII had more than the local
terminal connected, you will need to connect
the GW3 Commander Client machines to the
Host via the customer's LAN. GW3 does not
need anything unique or special configured.
If the Client machine is located on the
customer's WAN, it just needs to be able to
'see' the Commander Host machine. Before the
installation, you should make the customer
aware that they will be switching from
'dumb' terminals and RS-232 communications
to PC Client machines communications via
Ethernet to the Host.
3.
Location of the Hardware: All machines
(CPUs) in the GW3 Commander Series are
exactly the same. What makes the bundles
different (for the most part) is what
software is licensed to operate on them. You might like to click here to see
configuration examples showing the hardware. That means that the main tower (CPU) will be
identical for the Host, Client and LE
bundles. You will need to make sure there is
shelf space, desk space, or something else
to allow the transition from the SIMSII to
the GW3 machines. If you have a space
luxury, and happen to have extra RF-modems &
RIMIIs, we highly suggest doing a soft swap
over where they are both running, side by
side, and you simply stop using the SIMSII
and begin using the GW3. This will also be
good for training the user. If there will be
remote terminals, make sure that there is
nearby access to the customer's LAN.
4.
UPS- We are not shipping
(Uninterruptible Power Supplies) UPS units
with the bundles. Make sure that there is
adequate UPS coverage for the GW3 Commander
units that you are installing. Use good
engineering judgment. The larger the
capacity, the longer it will operate without
AC power. It is also good engineering to
make sure that the UPS has good AC filtering
capabilities. Likely you are aware that
sizing UPS units is all about getting the
largest that you can afford for the
situation to give you the longest possible
run time. Our suggestion is to use an APC 750
or better. Good engineering practice also
suggests that phone lines and Ethernet lines
should also be protected from surges before
they reach any PC machine.
5.
Security- You will want to visit with
the customer about users that should have
access to the GW3 Commander. Likely it will
be the same as the SIMSII or SIP, but the
discussion needs to be done. GW3 security
has 'roles' and 'privileges' that are inside
the roles that you create. A role is a
group, or set of privileges. Your GenWatch3
Commander will come with a few roles and
privileges set up. Those are identified in
your GW3 manuals. We are also going to give
you a template page to help in
pre-identifying what needs to be configured
at install time. The items you will need to
identify are: Users, User Passwords, Roles,
and Privileges. You might like to look over
the CORE Software Book, page 35 in advance
for much more detail.
6.
CAD Systems- If the Motorola customer
has CAD systems currently connected to their
SIMSII, this is for you! We have done our
very best to make sure that our CADI port is
exactly to the CADI spec that has been
available to CAD vendors since 1996. We plan
on it being 100% plug-and-play. Our
communications protocol will remain RS-232.
We are also fully aware that with hundreds
of installations in existence, there MAY be
some things that we have never seen. We can
assure you that it will be our job with
highest priority to make the GW3 Commander
Host CADI port work with the customer's
existing CAD system- WITHIN REASON! There
MAY be issues that are out of our control
such as ones that may be related to the CAD
system or the RS-232 connectivity. Please be
aware that there is a major difference in
CAD connectivity for SIMSII installations
and Site Lens installations. The CADI
communications protocol difference between
SIMSII and Site Lens is day and night. We
have stayed with the SIMSII protocol for
several reasons, but mostly due to its
simplicity and ease of use. We will be
shipping the Motorola CADI specification
document on the GW3 commander CD. With
this, the CAD vendor can look at that
specification and make sure their
connectivity truly matches that document. It
is not a bad idea as part of the Rebanding
work to have a contact with the customer's
CAD vendor that understands their
connectivity to the SIMSII, standing by in
case there are any issues. To help with this
process, we do have diagnostic software
tools that can be emailed to a site to help
determine what the problem is as rapidly as
possible.
7.
SMT Access on the Central Controller- There should not need to be any change for
this if your existing connection to the
Central Controller(s) is via modem or direct
RS-232. For the GW3 Commander Host bundle,
we are supplying our EzSaveWin which is the
Windows version of our EzSaveII that has
been used by trunking owners since 1993. You can find our more by clicking on this
line. We do support
Main and Backup Central Controllers. Our
difference is that we do not do simultaneous
communication to both at once. We do support
'synchronizing' between the two controllers
at this release. In future EzSaveWin
releases, this will become more elegant.
8.
Using Customer's existing PC's for GW3
Commander Client- Technically, it is
possible. BUT... we are making our
certifications based on specific hardware
configurations. If you have worked around
PCs for any period of time you likely feel
that there are variances that you can make
and things will still work. That is true,
but again, we are certifying on this exact
hardware. Of particular importance is the
graphics card and drivers. In some of our
testing, we tried a less expensive video
card. With the Windows supplied drivers for
that card, everything was OK. When we went
to the drivers supplied by the card's
manufacturer, we began to get errors under
some conditions. Those errors LOOKED like it
was GW3 Commander's fault, but in fact it
was faulty drivers from the manufacturer.
The bottom line is that for a customer to
receive warranty support from Genesis, they
must use the hardware that we supply. IF
there is any variance from this, you will
need to contact Genesis.
9.
Mounting the RocketPort and the External
Alarm box- Each GW3 Commander Host
machine comes with the elements that you can see in this picture. Both the RocketPort
and the EA Relay box can be mounted behind
the scenes (as opposed to the way we show it
on the desk top which was only done for the
photo). The RocketPort (from Comtrol Corportation) comes
with a three foot (3') cable that goes from
the CPU to the breakout brick (a 10' extension is
available or you can purchase any shielded,
high quality 10' DB25 to DB25 extension to
give a maximum tested length ob 15'). The
brick is supplied with 4 right angle
mounting ears to allow easy and secure
mounting. It is also supplied with 4 small
robber mounting feet if the type mounting is
easier. The RocketPort brick is 8"x5.5"x.6"
and weighs 1lb 11oz. All ports are RS-232
DB25 Female. The External alarm Relay
Box (EA box for short) is made by OnTrak Control Systems. We are shipping
the model ADU208. It is 5.1" x 2.8" x 1.0" and
weighs 7oz. The cable from the CPU to the
device is 10' long and is very flexible. The
EA box does not come with any mounting
hardware, but it does have a flat surface on
the bottom of the device where it can easily
be mounted with double sided tape or Velcro
strips. You can easily see from the ADU208
link above that the connection to the
devices that you want to drive (like sirens,
lights garage doors, etc.) are via screw
terminals on a contiguous barrier strip.
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Software Licensing:
- You are likely familiar with the
SentinalPro hardware key approach to
licensing the existing Motorola Network
Management software. We have taken a
different approach that we feel has
great value. First, your GW3 Commander
will come to the field fully installed
on the appropriate hardware, configured
with as much information as we can
gather before shipping, and the proper
software license will be active. We use
a highly encrypted file as the licensing
method. You should not need to worry
about the licensing. IF for some reason,
a field install needs to be done in
another machine, you will need to follow
the Genesis licensing procedure or your
GenWatch3 Commander will not work. It is
a two step process that is explained in
detail in our manuals. In summary, it
starts with you giving us a rather long
code number that GW3 presents to you on
it's first startup after installation
(do not close the window that gives you
this number, because a different number
will be given to you the next time and
licensing will not work).
We prefer to get that number from you
via email so there is a record of the
number and so it can automatically enter
our records keeping system. We then look
at what the customer is licensed for and
along with that number, we create the
license key file. It is a rather small
but highly encrypted file that we email
back to you. We fully realize that the
GW3 Commander machine may not be on your
network and may not be exposed on a
normal basis to the outside world
(although with proper IT precautions,
you can do this). The license file needs
to be copied to the GW3 Commander
machine in question. You can certainly
use a memory stick, a CD, or other means
to get the file from the email machine
to the GW3 Commander machine. Prompts on
your screen will help you through this
process.
Your
GW3 commander license file is 'locked' to
several things. Some that you should be
aware of are: System ID(s), PC ESN, features
purchased, and more. From this, you can see
that if you want additional features, it is
a rather simple thing for us to even
activate those additional features for a
demo period of 30 days to help you decide
before you purchase. All we do is supply you
with a new license file.
SUMMARY KEY POINTS:
- GW3 Commander Bundle shipments purchased
through Motorola will come to you fully
licensed and ready for your final setup.
- If you need to reload from the CD on to
another machine, or if you purchase it
in a non-standard way, you will go
through a two step licensing procedure.
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