Supported Connection Devices

The Operations Sentinel server can use any Windows supported serial port or expansion port. This includes the serial ports on the motherboard, serial expansion ports provided through the addition of an expansion board or serial ports provided through the USB interface.

Typically RS-232 serial cables are limited to a length of 50 feet, but some suppliers provide for longer lengths through the use of signal boosters and other devices.

The following Cisco communication servers connect standard RS-232 devices to a LAN and have been qualified with Operations Sentinel. These servers do not require any system software.

If you already have TCP/IP on your Ethernet or have installed IEEE 802.3 LANs, a terminal/communications server can provide a simple connection path to the Operations Sentinel server from your managed systems. You can use more than one terminal/communications server.

Operations Sentinel Interface Considerations

Operations Sentinel uses features of the terminal/communications server that may not be available with all servers. For managing a system, Operations Sentinel uses a TELNET interface from the Operations Sentinel server to the terminal/communications server. Data transfer from the terminal/communications server serial port to the managed system is ANSI X3.64 protocol over an RS-232 interface. However, that data must be encapsulated by the terminal/communications server within TELNET protocol to be communicated to the Operations Sentinel server. Many terminal/communications servers provide this type of communications connection interface.

On the Unisys ATS/NAS devices, Operations Sentinel makes this connection by offsetting the physical port number by 5000. On the Cisco 2500 Series Access Servers, the port number is offset by 2000. The details of this configuration are described in the following subsections.

If you are using a terminal/communications server other than an ATS, NAS, or Cisco 2500 Series Access Server, you must ensure that it provides a similar TELNET connection interface and configure it similarly to the method described for the Cisco server in the following subsections.

When sending alert actions through a terminal/communications server, Operations Sentinel uses a special raw type data interface from the Operations Sentinel server to the terminal/communications server. This interface behaves similarly to the managing interface, but does not utilize TELNET protocol. On an ATS or NAS, Operations Sentinel makes this connection by offsetting the physical port number by 7000. On the Cisco servers, the offset is 4000. If you are using a terminal/communications server other than an ATS, NAS, or Cisco 2500 Series Access Server for alert actions, you must ensure that it provides a similar connection interface and configure it similarly to the method described for the Cisco server in the following subsections.