Ripex

DEMO handbook
RipEX – Radio modem & Router

.
version 1.0
5/6/2013
fw 1.2.x.x
RACOM s.r.o. • Mirova 1283 • 592 31 Nove Mesto na Morave • Czech Republic
www.racom.eu
Tel.: +420 565 659 511 • Fax: +420 565 659 512 • E-mail: [email protected]
Table of Contents
1. RipEX – Live Demo ......................................................................................................................... 5
1.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 5
1.2. General Overview ................................................................................................................. 5
1.3. Wizard Configuration ............................................................................................................ 6
1.4. Practical Tests ...................................................................................................................... 6
1.5. Diagnostic ............................................................................................................................. 8
1.6. Summary ............................................................................................................................ 12
2. ZABBIX – Live DEMO ................................................................................................................... 13
2.1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 13
2.2. Zabbix Overview ................................................................................................................. 13
2.3. Zabbix Live Demo .............................................................................................................. 14
2.4. Summary ............................................................................................................................ 21
3. Demo Case – RipEX & M!DGE ..................................................................................................... 23
3.1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 23
3.2. Demo Case ........................................................................................................................ 24
3.3. Programming RipEX via Computer .................................................................................... 24
3.4. RipEX General Overview ................................................................................................... 28
3.5. RipEX Wizard Configuration ............................................................................................... 28
3.6. RipEX Practical Tests ......................................................................................................... 30
3.7. RipEX Diagnostic ............................................................................................................... 38
3.8. RipEX Advanced Tests ....................................................................................................... 42
3.9. M!DGE General Overview .................................................................................................. 43
3.10. Accessing M!DGE ............................................................................................................ 43
3.11. Basic M!DGE Configuration .............................................................................................. 45
3.12. Practical Tests .................................................................................................................. 49
3.13. M!DGE Advanced Tests ................................................................................................... 55
3.14. Summary .......................................................................................................................... 56
© RACOM s.r.o. – RipEX – Radio modem & Router 3

4
RipEX – Live Demo
1. RipEX – Live Demo
1.1. Introduction
RipEX Live demo should answer most of your questions regarding the RipEX product and give you a
quick and easy summary about the product itself.
There are two RipEX units connected to each other via a radio channel available 24/7 for testing. The
units are set to factory settings every day at 02:00 GMT. Each access password is valid for one week
and is changed every Monday at 02:00 GMT. The login name remains the same.
You may access RipEX live demo units on the following IP addresses:
• RipEX-A: https://89.190.53.163:8001
• RipEX-B: https://89.190.53.163:9001
If you do not have the login credentials yet, feel free to contact us using the following link:
http://www.racom.eu/eng/products/remote-access.html#load%28product=ripex%29
RipEX Live demo settings have the following minor changes compared to RipEX factory settings:
• Unit names – RipEX-A and RipEX-B

• Ethernet IP addresses – 192.168.169.169 and 192.168.169.170
• Modulation rate – 20.83 Kbps (4CPFSK)
• RX/TX frequency – 448.250 MHz
1.2. General Overview

RipEX Live demo gives you the most straightforward way to discover and understand all RipEX features
and functionalities. Pay attention to the Settings tab, where one can set most configuration parameters.
A few clicks will give you an easy summary about the product faster than reading many pages of text.

RipEX – Live Demo
For detailed parameter descriptions, click on the Help button. Kindly note, balloon tips are also available
for some parameters.
Keep in mind that accessibility of some parameters depends on the settings of other parameters. For
example serial SCADA protocols on COM ports can only be set when Operating mode is set to the
Router mode.
Fig. 1.1: Help question marks and balloon tips
1.3. Wizard Configuration

The easiest procedure to configure the units in real usage is to use our Wizard feature. Click on the
Wizard tab to be guided through all necessary settings. The Wizard will provide you with helpful notes
for respective parameters.
1.4. Practical Tests

Since the best way to understand the product is through practice, we have described a few practical
tests you may wish to conduct.
1.4.1. Ping
Ping is the basic tool for checking connectivity between two hosts with IP addresses. Because RipEX
is a native IP device, ping can also be used for radio link testing.
6 RipEX – Radio modem & Router – © RACOM s.r.o.

RipEX – Live Demo
Go to the Ping tab in the Diagnostic menu. You can either set the Ping Type to „ICMP“ (common ping)
or to „RSS“. The RSS type is a RipEX proprietary ping with extended reports.
The destination is the remote RipEX's IP address. For example when you are locally connected to
RipEX-A (192.168.169.169), fill in 192.168.169.170 and vice versa.
When Ping is started, you will see the following on-line report on your screen.
Fig. 1.2: Ping on-line report
When the specified count of ping packets is transmitted, following detailed summary is displayed. It
consists of: throughput usage, PER/BER, RSS, Data Quality (DQ) and Round Trip Time (RTT) histogram.
It can be very useful during RipEX unit installation and coverage optimisation.
Please read the detailed Ping report description by clicking on the Help question mark.

RipEX – Live Demo
Fig. 1.3: Detailed Ping report
Feel free to change the packet length (Ping option) or the Modulation rate (Settings tab) in order to see
the impact on the measured RTT. Do not forget to set the same Modulation rate in both units.
1.5. Diagnostic
RipEX web interface is equipped with comprehensive and detailed statistics and graphs. One could
say, there is an embedded NMS (Network Management System) within RipEX.
Every RipEX can broadcast its Watched values to other reachable RipEX units within the network.
Among these Watched values are: current supply voltage, internal temperature, RF output power,
Voltage Standing Wave Ratio on the antenna feed line, packet counters on separate interfaces and
other values.
1.5.1. Neighbours
These Watched values are displayed in the Diagnostic → Neighbours menu. See the following example
with one neighbouring unit.

RipEX – Live Demo
Fig. 1.4: Neighbours menu
1.5.2. Statistic
The Diagnostic → Statistic menu provides you with information about data volume on all interfaces:
Radio, Ethernet, COM1 and COM2. The menu displays the number of received and transmitted packets,
their sizes and current throughput. Moreover, a detailed division into user and service packets is
available for the radio channel.
The quick value descriptions are displayed in the balloon tips (place the cursor on any column header).
The detailed description can be read in the respective Help.

RipEX – Live Demo
Fig. 1.5: Statistic menu
1.5.3. Graphs
Neighbours and Statistic values can also be displayed as graphs in the Diagnostic → Graphs menu.
Each graph is available in a summary or detailed version and can display two different elements at
once. The detailed graphs can be created continuously or can be triggered whenever monitored values
are out of their threshold ranges. Each graph can be created based on the values of the unit itself or
any other neighbouring unit.
The detailed Graphs description can be read in the respective Help.

RipEX – Live Demo
Fig. 1.6: Graph menu
1.5.4. Monitoring
Monitoring is an advanced on-line diagnostic tool, which enables detailed communication analysis over
any RipEX interface. In addition to all physical interfaces (Radio, Ethernet, COM1 and COM2), several
internal interfaces between software modules can be monitored.
Go to the Diagnostic → Monitoring menu and just click on the Start button. In the default settings, it
will display packet timing and payload on the Radio channel.
For example, you can test Monitoring while performing the Ping test .
Note: In order to see both on-line reports (Ping as well as Monitoring), start Ping in a new independent
window or panel in your browser.

RipEX – Live Demo
Fig. 1.7: Monitoring the ping packets in two separate windows
1.6. Summary
We have described just a few examples of Live demo usage. Feel free to download the RipEX User
manual from http://www.racom.eu/download/hw/ripex/free/eng/ripex-m-en.pdf or the Application notes
from http://www.racom.eu/download/hw/ripex/free/eng/ripex-app-en.pdf to conduct further tests.
Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions:
RACOM technical support team

E-mail: <[email protected]>
Tel.: +420 565 659 511

ZABBIX – Live DEMO
2. ZABBIX – Live DEMO
2.1. Introduction
RACOM has many years of experience with Network Management System (NMS) – 15 years ago
we started to build our own proprietary NMS called RANEC. RANEC is built upon similar principles like
today's NMS. It was optimized to be used within narrow bandwidth radio networks so the customers
could get all the valuable information about the network.
The NMS development and customer requirements to integrate our proprietary solution into their NMS
have led us to implement Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) support for all the new
generation RACOM products.
Many RACOM customers use their own NMS, in which they need to manage our products. We can
offer them this opportunity with general SNMP implementation. The following text is intended for all
customers who are searching for the network management system applied to the RACOM products.
The text will demonstrate the possibilities of a standardised NMS.
Almost any NMS can be used for accessing SNMP values. The Zabbix open source monitoring system
was chosen as a demonstration of basic functionalities. We have prepared a Zabbix Live demo so
you can browse the Zabbix web interface and see most of the important features.
Tip
Contact our Sales department for the Zabbix Live demo credentials.
Please find more details in the following chapters.
2.2. Zabbix Overview

Zabbix authors provide the following description:
Zabbix is the ultimate open source availability and performance monitoring solution. Zabbix offers ad-
vanced monitoring, alerting, and visualization features today which are missing in other monitoring
systems, even some of the best commercial ones. Below is a short list of features available in Zabbix:

• auto-discovery of servers and network devices

• low-level discovery
• distributed monitoring with centralized web administration
• support for both polling and trapping mechanisms
• server software for Linux, Solaris, HP-UX, AIX, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, OS X
• native high performance agents (client software for Linux, Solaris, HP-UX, AIX, FreeBSD, OpenBSD,
OS X, Tru64/OSF1, Windows NT4.0, Windows 2000, Windows 2003, Windows XP, Windows Vista
• agent-less monitoring
• secure user authentication
• flexible user permissions
• web-based interface
• flexible e-mail notification of predefined events
• high-level (business) view of monitored resources
• audit log
For detailed information, see the Zabbix documentation:
• http://www.zabbix.com/documentation.php
You can also read RipEX Application note, Chapter 2: RipEX SNMP Configuration Guide
• http://www.racom.eu/eng/products/m/ripex/app/snmp.html
2.3. Zabbix Live Demo

We believe the Zabbix Live demo will answer most of your questions regarding Zabbix and the SNMP
functionality by giving you a quick and easy summary about all our products themselves rather than
reading many pages of text
This chapter will guide you through essential features which Zabbix offers you with the RACOM
equipment.
2.3.1. Login screen
The Zabbix front-end is available for your testing 24/7. Each access password is valid for one week
and is changed every Monday at 02:00 GMT. The login name remains the same.
You may access Zabbix live demo here: http://89.190.53.163:9005
Login credentials are as follows:
User name: customer
Password: Contact your respective sales manager or our Sales department (<[email protected]>)
Feel free to go through all the menus. The user access is read-only. You cannot change any configur-
ation parameters.

Fig. 2.1: Zabbix login screen
2.3.2. Dashboard
Personal Dashboard is displayed after you login. With full-access you would be able to change the
layout as you wish.
On the following picture, you can see that NMS monitors two RAy units, two RipEX units and two GPRS
units (M!DGE and MG102). Zabbix is monitoring itself too.
Several triggers were defined to display the warning if any unit is in the undesired state (e.g. modem
temperature is too high, RSS level is out of the threshold range, etc.). In our example, there are two
events with RAy10-H (RSS and SNR values) and one event with MG102 (VPN deactivation).
On the left side Zabbix menu, you can add favourite graphs, screens and maps. We provide several
examples which are described in the following sections.
The main Zabbix navigation bar is at the top of the screen.

Fig. 2.2: Dashboard
2.3.3. Latest Data
You can see all monitored values of all monitored units in this menu. On the following example, Zabbix
displays M!DGE WWAN statistics (e.g. current signal strength, Local Area Identification – LAI, …).
We provide many values which can be obtained from our products. Just go through all of them to see
the details.
For every value, Zabbix provides its history. If the value is numerical, there is also a graph. The history
values are stored in MySQL database for a defined time period.
Note
You can use a different database engine in your Zabbix installation.

Fig. 2.3: Latest data
2.3.4. Graphs
Each numerical monitored value can be displayed as a graph and in every graph, there can be more
values displayed.
You can define various colours, types of lines, legends and other parameters. You can also change
the time period of the displayed graph.

Fig. 2.4: Graphs
2.3.5. Screens
You can define comprehensive screens with many graphs displayed on a single page.
In the example below, we have RAy10-H graphs. We can easily display the same graphs for the second
RAy unit. You can also display graphs for both units within a single screen.

Fig. 2.5: Screens
2.3.6. Maps
Zabbix offers the possibility to display user-defined maps. You can upload any background image and
insert any unit on this map. For each unit, you can display various statistics and you can see each
unit's status.
In our example, there are two linked RipEX units with temperature, RSS and DQ values. The background
image is the raster map of Nové Město na Moravě.
Note
Any user-defined icon can be imported into the Zabbix, which can be coloured according
to unit status.

Fig. 2.6: Maps
2.3.7. Overview
The overview menu gives you a quick summary of the states of all or selected units.
In this example, you can see the same issues as on the dashboard screen – MG102 VPN deactivation
and RAy RSS/SNR values. All other monitored values are OK (e.g. values are within the defined
threshold ranges) and are displayed with a green colour.
You can also display the values as in the Latest data menu.

Fig. 2.7: Overview
2.3.8. Inaccessible Features
The customer account is limited and you cannot create or edit hosts, templates, maps and others. You
cannot, for example, see the Administration menu with User accounts or Theme selection. Several
menus are accessible, but the information is not displayed.
If you need the Zabbix with full-access enabled, please install it on your machine or see the Zabbix
manual for more detailed documentation.
2.4. Summary
We have described just a few of the Zabbix features.
Feel free to download the RipEX Application note with SNMP Configuration Guide from http://www.ra-
com.eu/download/hw/ripex/free/eng/ripex-app-en.pdf and go through the Zabbix documentation: ht-
tp://www.zabbix.com/documentation.php.

Tel.: +420 565 659 511
RACOM sales department

Contact your respective sales manager or our Sales department (<[email protected]>)

Demo Case – RipEX & M!DGE
3. Demo Case – RipEX & M!DGE
3.1. Introduction
RipEX Demo case should answer most of your questions regarding the RipEX product and give you
a quick and easy summary about the product itself.
There are three RipEX units and one M!dge unit in the case. All units are in the default state.
See the following chapters for a detailed description.

3.2. Demo Case
Fig. 3.1: Demo case contents
3.2.1. Case contents
• 3× RipEX units (RipEX A, B and C)

• 1× M!DGE unit
1
• 1× Power supply Mean Well AD-155A (100–240 VAC 50–60 Hz/13.8 VDC)
2
• 1× Backup battery (12 V/5 Ah, FASTON. 250), e.g. Fiamm 12FGH23
• 1× Power cable (European Schuko CEE 7/7 to IEC 320 C13)
• 1× Ethernet patch cable (3 m, UTP CAT 5E, 2× RJ-45)
• 1× Quick Start Guide
RipEX accessories
• 3× Dummy load antennas

• 1× L-bracket, 1× Flat-bracket samples
• 1× Fan kit
• 1× X5 – ETH/USB adapter
M!DGE accessories
• 1× Whip antenna (900–2100 MHz, 2.2dBi, vertical)
3.3. Programming RipEX via Computer

To configure a RipEX you can connect it to your PC in two ways:
1
http://www.racom.eu/download/hw/ripex/free/eng/7_supplies/MW_AD-155-spec.pdf
2
http://www.racom.eu/download/hw/ripex/free/eng/7_supplies/12FGH23.pdf

1. Using the "X5" - external ETH/USB adapter
2. Directly over the ethernet interface
https://10.9.8.7 https://192.168.169.169
PC DHCP PC 192.168.169.250
Fig. 3.2: Connecting to a PC over ETH and over ETH/USB adapter
1. PC connected via ETH/USB adapter
We recommend using the "X5" - external ETH/USB adapter (an optional accessory of the RipEX).
The ETH/USB contains a built-in DHCP server, so if you have a DHCP client in your PC as most
users, you don’t need to set anything up. The RipEX’s IP address for access over the ETH/USB
adapter is fixed: 10.9.8.7.
Go to 3. Login to RipEX
2. PC connected directly to ETH port
Set a static IP address in PC, example for Windows XP:
Start > Settings > Network Connections > Local Area Connections
Right Click > Properties > General
select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) > Properties > General
IP address 192.168.169.250 - for RipEX in the default state
Subnet mask 255.255.255.0
Default gateway leave empty
OK (Internet Protocol Properties window)
OK (Local Area Properties window)
Some Operating systems may require you to reboot your PC.

Fig. 3.3: PC address setting
Note: When you change the RipEX ETH address from the default value later on and the new IP
network does not include the default one, you will have to change your PC's static IP again to be
able to continue configuring the RipEX.
3. Login to RipEX
Start a web browser (Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer – JavaScript enabled) on your PC and type
the RipEX’s default IP in the address line field:
• 10.9.8.7 – when connected via "X5" – an external ETH/USB adapter. IP address 10.9.8.7 is
fixed and cannot be changed; it is independent of the IP address of the RipEX’s Ethernet inter-
face.)
• 192.168.169.169 – when connected directly to ETH
Note
https - For security reasons the communication between the PC and RipEX is conducted
using the protocol https with ssl encryption. The https protocol requires a security cer-
tificate. You must install this certificate into your web browser (Mozilla Firefox, Internet
Explorer). The first time you connect to the RipEX, your computer will ask you for au-
thorisation to import the certificate into your computer. The certificate is signed by the
certification authority Racom s.r.o. It meets all security regulations and you need not
be concerned about importing it into your computer. Confirm the import with all warnings
and exceptions that your browser may display during installation.
The login screen appears:

Fig. 3.4: Authentication
The default entries for a new RipEX are:
User name: admin

Password: admin
Click OK.
Initial screen should appear then:
Fig. 3.5: Status Menu
Warning: Before you start any configuration, make sure only one unit is powered ON. Otherwise,
a different radio modem could reply to your requests! (All units share the same IP address and
are in Bridge mode when in factory settings.)
4. IP address unknown
If you don’t have the adapter or you have forgotten the password, you can reset the access para-
3
meters to defaults, see chapter Reset button in RipEX manual.
3
http://www.racom.eu/eng/products/m/ripex/product.html#reset

3.4. RipEX General Overview

RipEX Demo case gives you the most straightforward way to discover and understand all RipEX features
and functionalities. Pay attention to the Settings tab, where one can set most configuration parameters.
A few clicks will give you an easy summary about the product faster than reading many pages of text.
For detailed parameter descriptions, click on the Help button. Kindly note, balloon tips are also
available for some parameters.
Keep in mind that accessibility of some parameters depends on the settings of other parameters. For
example serial SCADA protocols on COM ports can only be set when Operating mode is set to the
Router mode.
Fig. 3.6: Help question marks and balloon tips
3.5. RipEX Wizard Configuration

The easiest procedure to configure the units in real usage is to use our Wizard feature. Click on the
Wizard tab to be guided through all necessary settings. The Wizard will provide you with helpful notes
for respective parameters.
In this application note, we will use the following basic scenario:
• RipEX A: 192.168.1.101/24
• RipEX B: 192.168.1.102/24
• RipEX C: 192.168.1.103/24

After successful connection to the RipEX unit, go to the Wizards menu.
Fig. 3.7: Wizard menu
Leave everything in the default state except IP address and unit name. See the example for RipEX A.
Fig. 3.8: Wizard menu – IP address
Fig. 3.9: Wizard menu – Unit name
After the Wizard is completed, click on the "OK" button. You will be forwarded into the Settings menu.
Click on the "Apply" button and accept the changes.

Fig. 3.10: Wizard menu – Applying the changes
Repeat the procedure for other RipEX units. Do not forget to use the appropriate IP addresses and
Unit names.
3.6. RipEX Practical Tests

3.6.1. RipEX-to-RipEX Ping
Ping is the basic tool for checking connectivity between two hosts with IP addresses. Because RipEX
is a native IP device, ping can also be used for radio link testing.
Go to the Ping tab in the Diagnostic menu. You can either set the Ping Type to „ICMP“ (common ping)
or to „RSS“. The RSS type is a RipEX proprietary ping with extended reports.
The destination is the remote RipEX's IP address. For example when you are locally connected to
RipEX A (192.168.1.101), fill in 192.168.1.102.
When Ping is started, you will see the following on-line report on your screen.

Fig. 3.11: Ping on-line report
When the specified count of ping packets is transmitted, following detailed summary is displayed. It
consists of: throughput usage, PER/BER, RSS, Data Quality (DQ) and Round Trip Time (RTT) histogram.
It can be very useful during RipEX unit installation and coverage optimisation.
Please read the detailed Ping report description by clicking on the Help question mark.

Feel free to change the packet length (Ping option) or the Modulation rate (Settings tab) in order to see
the impact on the measured RTT. Do not forget to set the same Modulation rate in both units.
End-to-End Connectivity
You can also check the end-to-end connectivity by connecting two PCs to RipEX units (see the following
diagram).
Fig. 3.13: End-to-End Connectivity test
RipEX units are already configured in the Bridge mode. We need to configure PCs with unique IP ad-
dresses within the network subnet (192.168.1.0/24). For example 192.168.1.10 for PC 1 and
192.168.1.254 for PC 2. A description of how to set a static IP address in your Windows PC can be
found in Section 3.3, “Programming RipEX via Computer”.
Check the connectivity by executing a ping command.
To run this command in Windows, you need to execute Windows Command Processor (cmd). Click
on the Start button and then type Command Prompt or cmd in the Start Search field. Select the
Command Prompt icon.

Fig. 3.14: Command Prompt
After the Command Prompt window appears, type "ping 192.168.1.254" if you are executing the
ping from the PC with IP 192.168.1.10 and check the results. You can also try the other direction,
just switch IP addresses. See the following example:
3.6.2. Fast Remote Access
Fast Remote Access is a unique RipEX feature used to minimize the data amount transferred when
accessing the Remote station over the radio channel. The trick is that we do not transfer static data
(e.g. web page graphical objects). All static data are downloaded from the local RipEX and only inform-
ation specific to the remote RipEX is transferred over the radio channel.

To test this feature, just click on the Fast remote access button at the top of the screen, fill in the remote
RipEX IP Ethernet address and click on the Connect button.
In the following example, we are locally (Ethernet) connected to RipEX A and we want to connect re-
motely to RipEX B.
Fig. 3.16: Connection via Fast Remote Access
Now you are accessing the remote unit over the radio link. The latency is dependent on the radio link
Modulation rate. Feel free to change the Modulation rate (Settings tab) in order to see the impact on
the remote access response time. Do not forget to set the same Modulation rate in all units you want
to access.
Click on the Disconnect button to logout from the remote unit.

Fig. 3.17: Disconnection from the remote RipEX
Access Time Comparison
You can also try to access the remote RipEX unit without using Fast Remote Access feature. When
locally connected to RipEX A, just type RipEX B's IP address (192.168.1.102) into the browser and
wait for the page to load.
You will see a huge impact on the access time. Again, feel free to change the Modulation rate (Settings
tab) or changing the default Bridge mode to the Router mode.
Note
You need to configure routing accordingly if the Router mode is active.
3.6.3. Alarm Management – Fan Kit
The Demo case also contains Fan kit connected to the RipEX A using HW alarm output, see Fig. 3.18,
“Fan kit using Alarm Output”. Generally you can define when RipEX is in the alarm state. E.g. When
the temperature is out of set interval, HW alarm output will be "on" (so the Fan kit can start to operate).

Fan Kit
red black
SI AI - + A0 + -
10–30VDC
Pin No.: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Fig. 3.18: Fan kit using Alarm Output
In the following example, we can see that the current temperature is 25.5 °C. Go to the Status menu
to display RipEX temperature.
Fig. 3.19: RipEX current temperature
We can now define that we want the Fan kit to turn on whenever the temperature drops under 25 °C
or raises over 26 °C.
Go to the Settings menu and click on the Alarm management button.

Fig. 3.20: Alarm management location
RipEX in the default state does not control the Fan kit. We need to set the following parameters:
• Threshold to "Manual"
• HW Alarm Output to "N.O. (Normally opened)"
• Temperature threshold from 25 to 26 °C
• HW Alarm Output checked
We could also enable Detail Graphs start option for logging the alarm temperature in a shorter interval.

Fig. 3.21: Alarm management settings
Now we can go to the Status menu again and see the current temperature. Whenever the temperature
is out of the threshold range, the Fan kit is turned on until the temperature falls back into the interval
again.
Fig. 3.22: RipEX temperature out of its threshold range

4
The Fan kit can be turned on permanently. See the RipEX manual for more details, Chapter Fan kit .
3.7. RipEX Diagnostic

RipEX web interface is equipped with comprehensive and detailed statistics and graphs. One could
say, there is an embedded NMS (Network Management System) within RipEX.
Every RipEX can broadcast its Watched values to other reachable RipEX units within the network.
Among these Watched values are: current supply voltage, internal temperature, RF output power,
4
http://www.racom.eu/eng/products/m/ripex/instal.html

Voltage Standing Wave Ratio on the antenna feed line, packet counters on separate interfaces and
other values.
3.7.1. Neighbours
These Watched values are displayed in the Diagnostic → Neighbours menu. See the following example
with two neighbouring units.
Fig. 3.23: Neighbours menu
3.7.2. Statistic
The Diagnostic → Statistic menu provides you with information about data volume on all interfaces:
Radio, Ethernet, COM1 and COM2. The menu displays the number of received and transmitted packets,
their sizes and current throughput. Moreover, a detailed division into user and service packets is
available for the radio channel.
The quick value descriptions are displayed in the balloon tips (place the cursor on any column header).
The detailed description can be read in the respective Help.

Fig. 3.24: Statistic menu
3.7.3. Graphs
Neighbours and Statistic values can also be displayed as graphs in the Diagnostic → Graphs menu.
Each graph is available in a summary or detailed version and can display two different elements at
once. Detailed graphs can be created continuously or can be triggered whenever monitored values
are out of their threshold ranges. Each graph can be created based on the values of the unit itself or
any other neighbouring unit.
The detailed graphs description can be read in the respective Help.
You can see the detailed temperature values before and after the alarm occurs as explained in the Fan
kit test (Chapter Section 3.6.3, “Alarm Management – Fan Kit”).
When detail graph start has been activated for Fan kit test, you can see the details before and after
alarm occurs.

Fig. 3.25: Graph menu
3.7.4. Monitoring
Monitoring is an advanced on-line diagnostic tool, which enables detailed communication analysis over
any RipEX interface. In addition to all physical interfaces (Radio, Ethernet, COM1 and COM2), several
internal interfaces between software modules can be monitored.
Go to the Diagnostic → Monitoring menu and just click on the Start button. In the default settings, it
will display packet timing and payload on the Radio channel. For example, you can test Monitoring
while performing the Ping test (Chapter Section 3.6.1, “RipEX-to-RipEX Ping”).
Note
In order to see both on-line reports (Ping as well as Monitoring), start Ping in a new inde-
pendent window or tab in your browser.

Fig. 3.26: Monitoring the ping packets in two separate windows
3.8. RipEX Advanced Tests

The Demo case is an ideal tool for conducting laboratory tests and benchmarks, which shows you how
the particular application will behave with cooperation with RipEX radio modems.
1. Connecting RTUs and central SW
Fig. 3.27: Bench Test

• Bridge mode
○ Configure the RipEX units in the Wizard menu.
• Bridge mode with a repeater
○ Configure the RipEX units in the Wizard menu. Set the RipEX B as a repeater. You can
check the features described in the RipEX manual, Chapter Bridge Mode: http://www.ra-
com.eu/eng/products/m/ripex/ripex-detail.html#bridge_mode
○ For example, you can check that although the packet is received twice (directly and over
the repeater), it is transmitted only once to the RTU.
• Router mode (with repeater)
○ This mode is suitable for more complex networks and "Report by exception" applications.
Its configuration is not straighforward and the Wizard is currently disabled.
○ Please refer to the manual for configuration examples, Chapter Router mode: http://www.ra-
com.eu/eng/products/m/ripex/ripex-detail.html#router_mode
○ We support drivers for various SCADA protocols in the Router mode: Async Link, C24,
Cactus, Comli, DF1, DNP3, IEC101, ITT Flygt, Modbus, Profibus, RP570 or UNI.
2. Alarm Management, SNMP
• You can test RipEX SNMP (reading various values like Temperature, RSS, Serial number with
snmpget or snmpwalk commands).
• You can also test how your Network Management System cooperates with RipEX units.
• For more details, see the Application Note, Chapter 2, RipEX SNMP Configuration Guide: ht-
tp://www.racom.eu/eng/products/m/ripex/app/snmp.html.
3. Troubleshooting
• RipEX has sophisticated monitoring features (see Chapter Section 3.7, “RipEX Diagnostic”)
which make troubleshooting straightforward.
• You can save the monitored traffic into the pcap format and examine it in the Wireshark or
tcpdump program.
• We have described several troubleshooting issues in the manual, Chapter Troubleshooting:
http://www.racom.eu/eng/products/m/ripex/trouble.html.
• And many others...
3.9. M!DGE General Overview

Within the RipEX Demo case, there is also one M!DGE 3G SCADA router so you can understand all
M!DGE features and functionalities too. A few clicks will give you an easy summary about the product
faster than reading many pages of text. Before any configuration changes, we recommend inserting a
SIM card and connecting to the mobile network.
3.10. Accessing M!DGE

Before starting work with the HW please be sure that you have a SIM card enabled for data and you
have all the necessary information from the mobile operator (PIN, APN, login, password).
3.10.1. Connecting the Hardware
Insert a SIM card into the SIM socket. Make sure the SIM is suitable for data transmission.

There are two reasons for installing the SIM card as the first task:
• The SIM card may be damaged if inserted into a powered-up unit.

• SIM card information is read only after power-up.
Connect one M!DGE Ethernet port to your computer using an ETH cat.5 cable.
3.10.2. Programming M!DGE via Computer
If not yet enabled, please enable the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) so that your computer
can lease an IP address from M!DGE. Wait a moment until your PC has received the parameters (IP
address, subnet mask, default gateway, DNS server). E.g. using Windows XP:
Start > Connect To > Show all connections > Local Area Connection > Right Click > Properties > Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP) > Properties > Obtain an IP address automatically.
Alternative: Instead of using the DHCP, configure a static IP address on your PC (e.g. 192.168.1.10,
mask 255.255.255.0) so that it is operating in the same subnet as the M!DGE.
The PC settings are very similar to the description in Chapter Section 3.3, “Programming RipEX via
Computer”.
The factory defaults (with DHCP enabled):
• IP address – 192.168.1.1 (ETH1), 192.168.2.1 (ETH2)

• Subnet mask – 255.255.255.0
Start a Web Browser on your PC. Type the IP address into the address line: http://192.168.1.1.
Please set a password for the admin user account. Choose something that is both easy to remember
and a strong password (such as one that contains numbers, letters and punctuation). The password
must have a minimum length of 6 characters. It must contain a minimum of 2 numbers and 2 letters.

Fig. 3.28: M!DGE Login screen
The Web Manager can always be reached via the Ethernet interface. After the successful setup, Web
Manager can also be accessed via the mobile interface.
3.11. Basic M!DGE Configuration

Before you begin any operation in the mobile network, at least the following steps have to be performed:
• Defining the admin password (already done in Chapter Section 3.10.2, “Programming M!DGE via
Computer”).
• Entering the PIN code for the SIM card if required.
• Configuring the Access Point Name (APN).
• Starting the mobile connection.
Please see the M!DGE manual for configuration details: http://www.racom.eu/eng/products/m/midge1/in-

dex.html
3.11.1. First Mobile Connection
If you have a SIM card inserted and you are logged into the M!DGE unit, we can proceed with a basic
Mobile configuration steps.
SIM Configuration
Go to the INTERFACES → Mobile → SIMs menu and click on the Edit button.

Fig. 3.29: Edit the SIM configuration
In the following screen, fill in the correct PIN code, other parameters can be left at their defaults. After
applying the changes, you should see a similar screen with SIM state set to ready.
Fig. 3.30: SIM state ready
The next step is to click on the Network submenu to check whether we are successfully registered into
the mobile network.

Fig. 3.31: SIM card registered in the network
Mobile Interface Configuration
Now go to the Interfaces menu in the left section (Mobile menu) and click on the Add button.
Fig. 3.32: Add the Mobile interface
Fill in all appropriate values. You should get these values from your mobile operator.

Fig. 3.33: Specify the APN and access credentials
Check the Connection Status
The router should be connecting to the network now. Check whether the mobile connection is enabled
in the INTERFACES → WAN → Link Management menu. You should have a WWAN1 interface se-
lected as permanently connected.
Fig. 3.34: WWAN1 Establishment Mode

In the HOME menu, you should now see that the Operational Status is up and so the router is connected
to the Mobile network. Click on the WWAN1 submenu to see the details like IP address, Signal strength,
Service type and other parameters.
Fig. 3.35: WWAN1 Summary
3.12. Practical Tests
3.12.1. Ping
Internet IP address
If you are connected to the APN which can reach Internet IP addresses, you can check the connectivity
by sending ping packets to any desired IP address.
Note
If you cannot access Internet IP addresses, you should be able to access other IP addresses.
It depends on the SIM and APN settings.
Go to the SYSTEM → Troubleshooting → Network Debugging menu. Fill in the Host IP address
and other parameters and click on the Start button.

Fig. 3.36: Ping the public IP address
If the IP address is accessible, you should see an output like:
Fig. 3.37: Ping results
Note
Once you can access public Internet IP addresses, you can also run your Web browser and
5
fill in e.g. www.racom.eu to see our website.
5
http://www.racom.eu

M!DGE – RipEX – RipEX
In this test, we will demonstrate the interconnectivity of M!DGE and RipEX units. You need to have at
least two RipEX units (e.g. RipEX A, B) configured as described in Chapter Section 3.5, “RipEX Wizard
Configuration”.
You can have M!DGE in the default state (just after successful login procedure). Connect your PC to
the M!DGE ETH2 interface and set the PC to obtain the IP address by DHCP.
The M!DGE unit should provide the PC with an IP address from the 192.168.2.0/24 range, e.g.
192.168.2.108.
Note
See Chapter Section 3.6, “RipEX Practical Tests” to know how to configure your PC and
execute a ping command.
Fig. 3.38: M!DGE – RipEX – RipEX connectivity
Open your web browser and type in the M!DGE IP address (http://192.168.2.1). After successful login,
go to the SYSTEM → Troubleshooting → Network Debugging menu.
Fill in the RipEX B IP address (192.168.1.102) and click on the Start button. You should see successful
ping attempts between the M!DGE unit and the remote RipEX unit. The ping packets are transmitted
over the Ethernet cable to the local RipEX and via the radio link to the remote RipEX and back again.

Fig. 3.39: Ping results
3.12.2. Troubleshooting
M!DGE offers you several ways to debug and troubleshoot configuration issues.
Network Debugging
The Network Debugging menu consists of well known tools: ping, traceroute and tcpdump. We have
already described ping. Traceroute can provide you with a packet route to the destination and with
tcpdump you can capture the incoming and outgoing traffic on any interface. When the capturing is
done, you can open the saved PCAP file in Wireshark or a similar program.

Fig. 3.40: M!DGE tcpdump feature
Another tool is darkstat, which creates graphs based on the traffic volume on any interface.
To run the darkstat tool, just click on the darkstat submenu, choose the interface and click on the Start
button.
Fig. 3.41: M!DGE darkstat tool
We can see for how long the tool is running, how many packets/bytes have been stored and four graphs
with different intervals. See the following example.

Fig. 3.42: M!DGE darkstat tool
System Debugging and Tech Support
The log files can be viewed, downloaded and reset in this menu. Please study them carefully in case
of any issues.
In the Tech Support menu, you can generate and download a tech support file, which you should send
to our support team to speed up resolving the issue.

Fig. 3.43: M!DGE Log Viewer
3.13. M!DGE Advanced Tests

The Demo case is an ideal tool for conducting laboratory tests and benchmarks, which shows you how
the particular application will behave in cooperation with M!DGE 3G SCADA router.
• VPN Tunnels
○ M!DGE provides three types of tunneling – OpenVPN, IPsec and PPTP. Each of them is config-
urable via the web interface.
○ With VPN tunnels, you can access M!DGE or connect various networks in a secure way.
○ For more details, see the M!DGE manual:
http://www.racom.eu/eng/products/m/midge1/web_conf.html#VPN
• Connection Supervision
○ Connection Supervision is used for switching between several connections if available. In addition
it is possible to set an emergency action in case that no connection is available for a specified
length of time.

http://www.racom.eu/eng/products/m/midge1/web_conf.html#interfaces
• SNMP
○ M!DGE is equipped with an SNMP daemon, supporting basic MIB tables (such as ifTable), plus
additional enterprise MIBs to manage multiple systems.
○ You can also test how your Network Management System cooperates with M!DGE units.
http://www.racom.eu/eng/products/m/midge1/web_conf.html#services
• Software Development Kit (SDK)
○ RACOM 3G routers ship with a Software Development Kit (SDK) which offers a simple and fast
way to implement customer-specific functions and applications.
○ For example, you can control your M!DGE router with SMS messages – rebooting, reading
connection status or digital outputs, ...
http://www.racom.eu/eng/products/m/midge1/web_conf.html#services
• SCADA application and M!DGE
○ M!DGE is ready for SCADA applications even with serial SCADA protocols on the RS232 inter-
face.
○ For more details, see the Application note:
http://www.racom.eu/eng/products/m/midge/app/index.html
○ The Application notes consist of various examples of static/dynamic addressing, various network
centre designs, Hybrid 3G/Radio networks etc.
• And many others...
3.14. Summary
We have described just a few examples of Demo case usage. Feel free to download the RipEX User
manual from http://www.racom.eu/download/hw/ripex/free/eng/ripex-m-en.pdf or the Application notes
from http://www.racom.eu/download/hw/ripex/free/eng/ripex-app-en.pdf to conduct further tests.
With your M!DGE 3G router, you can easily extend the RipEX UHF/VHF network. Download the M!DGE
manual from http://www.racom.eu/download/hw/midge/free/eng/midge-m-en.pdf or the Application
notes from http://www.racom.eu/download/hw/midge/free/eng/midge-app-en.pdf for more details.

Tel.: +420 565 659 511

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DEMO handbook

RipEX – Radio modem & Router

© RACOM s.r.o. – RipEX – Radio modem & Router 3

1. RipEX – Live Demo

• Unit names – RipEX-A and RipEX-B

1.2. General Overview

© RACOM s.r.o. – RipEX – Radio modem & Router 5

Fig. 1.1: Help question marks and balloon tips

1.3. Wizard Configuration

1.4. Practical Tests

6 RipEX – Radio modem & Router – © RACOM s.r.o.

Fig. 1.2: Ping on-line report

© RACOM s.r.o. – RipEX – Radio modem & Router 7

Fig. 1.3: Detailed Ping report

8 RipEX – Radio modem & Router – © RACOM s.r.o.

Fig. 1.4: Neighbours menu

© RACOM s.r.o. – RipEX – Radio modem & Router 9

Fig. 1.5: Statistic menu

The detailed Graphs description can be read in the respective Help.

10 RipEX – Radio modem & Router – © RACOM s.r.o.

Fig. 1.6: Graph menu

© RACOM s.r.o. – RipEX – Radio modem & Router 11

Fig. 1.7: Monitoring the ping packets in two separate windows

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions:

RACOM technical support team

12 RipEX – Radio modem & Router – © RACOM s.r.o.

2. ZABBIX – Live DEMO

Please find more details in the following chapters.

2.2. Zabbix Overview

© RACOM s.r.o. – RipEX – Radio modem & Router 13

• auto-discovery of servers and network devices

For detailed information, see the Zabbix documentation:

2.3. Zabbix Live Demo

2.3.1. Login screen

You may access Zabbix live demo here: http://89.190.53.163:9005

Login credentials are as follows:

User name: customer

14 RipEX – Radio modem & Router – © RACOM s.r.o.

Fig. 2.1: Zabbix login screen

The main Zabbix navigation bar is at the top of the screen.

© RACOM s.r.o. – RipEX – Radio modem & Router 15

Fig. 2.2: Dashboard

2.3.3. Latest Data

You can use a different database engine in your Zabbix installation.

16 RipEX – Radio modem & Router – © RACOM s.r.o.

Fig. 2.3: Latest data

© RACOM s.r.o. – RipEX – Radio modem & Router 17

Fig. 2.4: Graphs

18 RipEX – Radio modem & Router – © RACOM s.r.o.

Fig. 2.5: Screens

© RACOM s.r.o. – RipEX – Radio modem & Router 19

Fig. 2.6: Maps

20 RipEX – Radio modem & Router – © RACOM s.r.o.

Fig. 2.7: Overview

2.3.8. Inaccessible Features

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions:

RACOM technical support team

© RACOM s.r.o. – RipEX – Radio modem & Router 21

RACOM sales department