Grass Valley UniConfi NVISION Series v.1.3 - Manual (Page 51)

UniConfig Configuration Application • User’s Guide 39
7. Managing Control Cards on a Network
Although a serial connection can be used to communicate between the router and the router control
system, it is strongly recommended that an Ethernet connection be implemented. An Ethernet con-
nection enables UniConfig, the router control cards, and the router control system to communicate
through a network. This means that UniConfig can communicate with any router through any work
station on the network. Additionally, commands or data are transmitted and processed through
Ethernet connections at a much higher speed than serial connections. This is especially important
when upgrading firmware or updating protocols. The files required to do this can be quite large and
may take a long time to load using a serial connection to the router; the Ethernet interface signifi-
cantly reduces the time needed.
This section discusses how to add, update, and remove control cards from a network and UniConfig
control.
Using Ethernet or Serial Connection
For routers to communicate with UniConfig through a network, each control card on the router is
assigned an IP address and subnet mask. In general, it is assumed that if a control card is added to a
network that communication between the control card and UniConfig is through Ethernet ports.
However, it is possible to add and update control cards using a serial connection. For example, if
you want to change the IP address for a control card, you can connect to that control using a tempo-
rary serial port connection and update control card Ethernet settings. (See
Control Card Serial Port
(Temporary Connection) on page 23.)
Control cards that reside on a network are listed in the ‘Control Cards’ pane. Using this pane you
can see all control cards currently on the network. (See
Control Cards Pane on page 7.)
Network Basics
For devices to communicate on a network, all devices must reside on the same subnet. The subnet
is determined by the first three octets in the IP address. These are analogous to Country, City, and
Street. The fourth octet, analogous to the street address, is unique for every device on the subnet.
Each control card, including any secondary, redundant control cards, must have a unique IP address
to function correctly. The IP address must be valid for the connection between the host PC running
UniConfig and the communications between the routers and the router control system.
IP Addresses
An IP address is comprised of four octets each with a possible value of 0 to 255. Zero (0) and 255
are reserved for specific uses and must not be used in any part of an IP address, leaving a range of 1
through 254.