Elatec TCP3 3.0.3.1 Technical Manual
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Elatec TCP3 3.0.3.1 Technical Manual

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TCP3 3.0.3.1
Technical Manual
DocRev4, September 2, 2021
Elatec GmbH

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Summary of Contents for Elatec TCP3 3.0.3.1

  • Page 1 TCP3 3.0.3.1 Technical Manual DocRev4, September 2, 2021 Elatec GmbH...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Contents Contents Introduction ..........1.1.
  • Page 3 Contents 5.10. Read Configuration from a File ....... . 5.10.1. Reset to Factory Default ....... 5.11.
  • Page 4 Contents 10.1.2. Firmware STD3.0.1.0 ....... . . 10.1.3. Firmware STD3.0.2.0 ....... . . 10.1.4.

  • Page 5: Introduction

    1. Introduction 1. Introduction The Primary use of TCP3 Converter is to provide an on-ramp for USB data to reach a network Server which implements Authentication and optionally a Pull Printing feature. TCP3 can be configured as a 2 port network router which is designed to be connected between a network printer and a print server. TCP3 is equipped with two USB 3.0 ports.
  • Page 6 1. Introduction • Supports OAuth authentication in client mode • Supports sending data in client mode via SSL TLS1.2 or HTTPS using a self signed certificate or via customer certificate • Can be configured over the network via its web browser interface •...

  • Page 7: Network Addressing

    2. Network Addressing 2. Network Addressing 2.1. IP Addressing The TCP3 Converter has two network connections. The host connection can be configured to use either DHCP or Static IP addresses to the building’s network. The Printer connection is always configured for DHCP but users can configure the exact IP address provided so it can match a printer configured with a static IP address.
  • Page 8 2. Network Addressing Figure 2.2.: Network Settings for TCP3 and Printer. Note that TCP3 takes the IP address that the Printer had. When TCP3 is inserted between the printer and building router, the router’s DHCP reservation for the printer should be reassigned to the MAC address of TCP3. That host MAC address is printed on the back of the converter enclosure.

  • Page 9: Hardware Setup

    3. Hardware Setup 3. Hardware Setup Figure 3.1.: Connection Diagram 3.1. Hardware Mounting TCP3 is shipped with rubber mounting feet such that it can be positioned upon a horizontal surface. In most instances the preferred mounting will be to attach it vertically to the back of the printer using the Velcro tabs provided.

  • Page 10: Connect The Network Printer

    Note that only tested and approved USB devices will be allowed to operate on TCP3. This will enable Elatec to provide support for only those devices for which our support team has been trained. Following is the current list of tested and approved devices.

  • Page 11: External Input And Outputs

    System page as shown in Figure 6.9. In addition Foreign Device Interface stub cables are available for prototype purposes. The Elatec part number for the cable assembly is CAB-J7.

  • Page 12: Input Button

    3. Hardware Setup Figure 3.3.: Hardware Status 3.7. Input Button TCP3 is equipped with an input button which is located next to the USB ports. This button can be used to activate additional functions. When the input button is held, the Busy LED will blink at a rate of once per second.

  • Page 13: Discovering Tcp3 Devices On The Network

    4. Discovering TCP3 Devices on the network 4.1. Prerequirements 1. Download the TCP3 AdminPack from the Elatec website Download Center. The contents of the AdminPack are shown in Figure 4.1. It contains the TCP3 firmware, this Technical Manual, the installer for the TC3 Configuration application and several sample subnet search files.

  • Page 14: Cross Subnet Discovery

    4. Discovering TCP3 Devices on the network send that updated configuration back to the same converter to multiple converters. Double click on the TCP3 Config application which will then start and the window shown below will open. Figure 4.2.: TCP3 Config Home Screen and Button Functions Once the TCP3 Config tool is started, it will immediately begin to broadcast a discovery message to each specific IP address on the same subnet as the workstation on which TCP3 Config is running.
  • Page 15 4. Discovering TCP3 Devices on the network fic. As shown in Figure 4.4 which follows, in the upper left corner of the TCP3 Config display window, select “File” then “Load Network Search File”. This will enable the user to upload a file which describes the various subnets which are to be searched.
  • Page 16 4. Discovering TCP3 Devices on the network selecting “Start Discovery” a new search will begin as queries are sent to each IP address on the list. As the various converters respond, their information will populate the various TCP3 Config fields. This method is useful for checking the status of a known installed population of devices.

  • Page 17: Tcp3 Display List Sort

    4. Discovering TCP3 Devices on the network 4.4. TCP3 Display List Sort The contents of the display window can be sorted by each of the table headings. Selecting a column heading once will sort in ascending order. Selecting the heading a second time will reverse the sort order.

  • Page 18: Configuration Via Tcp3 Config

    5.2. Backwards Compatibility Elatec typically offers a new version of TCP3 firmware every 6-9 months. Each of these versions has new features which must also be incorporated into the TCP3 Config management tool. As a result it is difficult to support older versions of TCP3 with any given version of TCP3 Config.

  • Page 19: Network Configuration

    5. Configuration via TCP3 Config Figure 5.1.: TCP3 Config Home Screen and Button Functions Apply Button When Apply is selected TCP3 Config will send the configuration settings directly to the selected converter via the API. All configuration settings will be packaged into a file and sent regardless of whether any changes were made or not.
  • Page 20 5. Configuration via TCP3 Config Figure 5.2.: Network Configuration Screen in the event you wish to actually change the hostname. This requirement is in place for both the Apply button which would change the hostname immediately or to the Save button which would place the new hostname in the file which would be sent to other convert- ers.

  • Page 21: Ip Configuration

    5. Configuration via TCP3 Config TCP3 will not accept the change Workgroup If workgroup assignments are used in this environment, the workgroup associated with this device would be entered here. Printer IP Settings The default IP address which will be assigned to an attached printer is 192.168.50.100. If a different IP address is desired it can be entered here.

  • Page 22: Usb Configuration

    5. Configuration via TCP3 Config will reboot in an attempt to reconnect to the printer. Users can change the ping interval and number of retries as needed. The Host and Printer watchdogs can be enabled or disabled via the checkboxes below. Additionally the converter can be configured to continue pinging either interface without a reboot in the event of a network failure by setting the number of retries to -1.

  • Page 23: Web Service Configuration

    5. Configuration via TCP3 Config Figure 5.3.: USB Configuration Screen 5.4.3.1. Web Service Configuration If the remote Solution Server is configured for Web Services with no authentication, the Web Service Address will need to be configured and optionally a TCP Unique Device ID and TCP Device Auth Code. Page 23 of 61...

  • Page 24: Connect On Any Character

    IO outputs or to download and send a file to a connected printer. Contact Elatec for more information on these capabilities. The remaining parameters control the behavior of the port during data transfer.

  • Page 25: Connect On This Character

    5. Configuration via TCP3 Config 5.4.3.3. Connect on this character If the card reader is configured to always send a “Start” character, the converter can be configured to open the network connection when that particular character arrives. Via the check box, users can select to either send or discard that Start character.

  • Page 26: Send Events

    5. Configuration via TCP3 Config Figure 5.5.: System Configuration Screen 5.5.0.1. Send Events Power is applied will send events during the boot process after power has been applied. Send DHCP Event will notify the Syslog server that the converter received an address from DHCP. It will include the IP address received.

  • Page 27: Custom Password

    5. Configuration via TCP3 Config Figure 5.6.: Password Configuration Screen Once the password has been updated on the converters, TCP3 Config will no longer be able to communi- cate with them until the TCP3 Config password is updated to match the new password. 5.6.1.

  • Page 28: Status Window

    5. Configuration via TCP3 Config Figure 5.8.: Enter Custom Password Screen address to a number of converters could disrupt the network so these are locked out. Figure 5.9.: Select and Load Converter Screen 5.8. Status Window The TCP3 response to each of these commands will be presented in the Log window. This window can be cleared at any time by selecting the Clear button.

  • Page 29: Read Configuration From A File

    5. Configuration via TCP3 Config Figure 5.10.: Save Configuration to a File Once the configuration has been saved to the internal memory used by TCP3 Config, the option to “Save Configuration to a File” will no longer be greyed out and the configuration can be saved to a file on the computer.

  • Page 30: Reset To Factory Default

    The TC3 upgrade file is supplied in a zipped format which can be extracted from the TCP3 AdminPack available on Elatec.com. From the TCP3 Config main window, select all of the converters to have their firmware upgraded. Next select the “Firmware Upgrade” Button from the TCP3 Config tool bar then navi- gate to the zipped TCP3 firmware file.
  • Page 31 5. Configuration via TCP3 Config We recommend that each TCP3 device be first sampled to determine which model of TWN4 reader is attached to insure the proper configuration file is sent to each one. Once the correct .bix file is available, select all of the converters whose attached readers are to be upgraded.

  • Page 32: Configuration Via Web Page

    6. Configuration via Web Page 6. Configuration via Web Page 6.1. Open the Homepage of a selected TCP3 Returning to the TCP3 Config screen from section 3 we once again select “Open the Homepage of the selected TCP3”. This will take us to the home screen shown in figure 6.2. Figure 6.1.: Visit the homepage of the selected TCP3 Once a TCP3 has been selected from the list clicking on “Open the Homepage of the TCP3”...

  • Page 33: Network Configuration

    6. Configuration via Web Page Figure 6.2.: Homepage of a TCP3 Select Network to open the Network tab 6.2. Network Configuration 6.2.1. Name Resolution Name This is the name assigned to each individual TCP3 unit. Please follow the same naming rules as used in section 5.3.1.1 Workgroup If workgroup assignments are used in this environment, the Workgroup associated with this device would be entered here.
  • Page 34 6. Configuration via Web Page Figure 6.3.: Network Configuration of TCP3 Configure WINS Manually If this is selected, the user is responsible to manually enter the IP addresses for the primary and secondary WINS server. If DHCP is selected, this field will be greyed out and the converter will use the WINS information provided by the DHCP server.
  • Page 35 6. Configuration via Web Page If the Host or Printer fails to respond to a ping a sequential number of times as selected by the customer, the converter will reboot in an attempt to re-establish a connection. Ping Interval This sets the number of minutes between pings. It is configurable between 1 and 30 minutes with a factory default of 5 minutes.

  • Page 36: Security

    6. Configuration via Web Page 6.3. Security Figure 6.4.: Security Setup for TCP3 TCP3 supports encrypted communication for its own web pages as well as for USB in client mode. Encryp- tion is performed via the use of certificates which contain the appropriate encryption key. Before getting started with creation of any of the certificates on the security tab and especially the TCP3 server certifi- cates we recommend that network set-up be completed first along with a reboot.

  • Page 37: Client Certificate Management

    6. Configuration via Web Page Country codes can be looked up at a number of websites, for example: https://www.ssl.com/country- codes/ Enter the details on the CSR sheet then select Create. If the details are correct a “Processing” pop up will appear.

  • Page 38: Usb Configuration

    6. Configuration via Web Page 6.4. USB Configuration Figure 6.5.: USB Server Setup Screen 6.4.1. Representation of Keyboard Newline The user can choose which characters the converter will send to the server when it receives the terminating character from the card reader or keypad. In USB Keyboard mode, this terminating character is always a Carriage Return (CR) 13 in decimal and 0x0D in hexadecimal.

  • Page 39: Tcp Client Configuration

    6. Configuration via Web Page where the converter is configured to open a network connection, send card data to the server and to close the connection. Figure 6.6.: USB Client Setup Screen 6.4.2.2. TCP Client Configuration TCP Client Configuration When the converter is configured for Client mode, users have the option of sending data either as plain text or more securely via SSL where the data will be encrypted on the converter Page 39 of 61...

  • Page 40: Tcp Client Connection Features

    6. Configuration via Web Page and decrypted at the server. In Server mode the card reader data is always sent as plain text. When the converter is configured as a client, card reader data can be sent either using UDP or using web services.
  • Page 41 6. Configuration via Web Page Figure 6.7.: USB Client Setup Screen Disconnect timeout A Disconnect timeout is provided to service Card readers or Keypads with no pre- defined “End” character. In this case the converter will close the connection 10 seconds after a character is received.

  • Page 42: Change Password

    6. Configuration via Web Page The “Load Default Configuration” button will return all values on this page to factory default. These changes will not be retained unless the “Apply” button is subsequently selected. To make the changes take effect select “Reboot”. 6.5.
  • Page 43 6. Configuration via Web Page Figure 6.9.: System Setup for TCP3 Page 43 of 61...

  • Page 44: Setup

    6. Configuration via Web Page sent to the Syslog server. In this way only the items of interest will be monitored. Select the checkbox to display the optional items which can be monitored Each Syslog message will contain a network timestamp as well as the MAC address of the TCP3 unit so it can be traced back to its source.

  • Page 45: Upgrade Firmware

    firmware and installed application. Prior to the actual upgrade the user must have created a binary download configuration file using the AppBlaster tool. The output of this tool is a .bix file. Please contact Elatec support if help is needed to select or create an appropriate .bix file for this reader.

  • Page 46: Status

    6. Configuration via Web Page Figure 6.11.: Remote Firmware TWN4 Firmware Upgrade Drag and drop the .bix file into the “Select reader firmware” box or click in the box and then navigate to the location where the .bix file is stored then select the file. The act of dragging and dropping the file or selecting “Open”...
  • Page 47 6. Configuration via Web Page Figure 6.12.: Status for TCP3 Page 47 of 61...
  • Page 48 Status Log This will display the power on sequence as well as the status of the connections to the host, printer and USB. The log can easily be copied and sent to Elatec Support to aid in troubleshooting any issues encountered. The log displays the date and time of each event. It receives this time using the Network Time Protocol (NTP).

  • Page 49: Refresh The Firmware On Tcp3

    7. Refresh the Firmware on TCP3 7. Refresh the Firmware on TCP3 As a customer of Elatec, one can receive a link for the TCP3 AdminPack. The compressed AdminPack for TCP3 contains 1. Technical Manual 2. Zipped Firmware Image 3. TCP3 Config Tool 4.
  • Page 50 No damage will occur if the converter is left in this state for an extended amount of time. 11. Remove power from TCP3 12. Remove the USB flash drive, replace the Elatec card reader and reapply power to the TCP3. Page 50 of 61...

  • Page 51: Troubleshooting

    8. Troubleshooting 8. Troubleshooting 8.1. Basic Checks In normal operation only Power and Ready LEDs are on(both green). Otherwise please first make the following checks: 1. Does the TCP3 power up - Green Power LED on? 2. Are the network cables are correctly connected, “Printer” to Printer and “Host” to local network? 3.

  • Page 52: Can The Tcp3 Be Discovered By The Tcp3 Config Tool

    8. Troubleshooting 8.5. Can the TCP3 be discovered by the TCP3 Config Tool? 8.5.1. Different Subnet If the TCP3 Config tool is not able to discover the converter, the most likely scenario is that the discovery tool is running on a different subnet than the converter. If a printer is connected to TCP3 the quickest way to learn the TCP3 IP address is to print a configuration page as described in section: 3.7.

  • Page 53: Can You Open The Homepage Of The Connected Printer

    8. Troubleshooting • Navigate to the Network page and reset the Host address to DHCP and if required return the printer IP address to default • Follow the steps in chapter 6 to properly configure TCP3 • Disconnect PC from Printer port of TCP3 •...

  • Page 54: Dhcp Logging

    PC then configure TCP3 to send card data to that PC. If the data arrives properly it shows that TCP3 is working and that the next step is to debug configuration settings to the server. Contact Elatec support if more help is needed in splitting this problem in half. 8.7. DHCP Logging The TCP Converter has an additional diagnostic capability to help debug issues with DHCP.

  • Page 55: Security

    4 LEDs will turn on Green to indicate that the logging process is complete. At that time the USB drive can be removed and the files sent to Elatec support for analysis. (In a Beta release it also stores the status log to the drive.

  • Page 56: History Of Changes

    10. History of Changes 10. History of Changes 10.1. TCP3 Converter Firmware 10.1.1. Firmware STD3.0.0.0 • Initial release 10.1.2. Firmware STD3.0.1.0 • Factory default password changed from admin to last 8 digits of TCP3 Host MAC address • Network setup supports printers on static IP address •...

  • Page 57: Firmware Std3.0.3.0

    10. History of Changes 10.1.4. Firmware STD3.0.3.0 • All configuration settings and the status log are saved over firmware upgrade • WebUI password, CA certificates, internal certificates, private keys are saved over firmware upgrade • Status page now displays up time from last power on and total lifetime power on hours •...

  • Page 58: Tcp3 Config V3.1.0

    10. History of Changes 10.2.2. TCP3 Config V3.1.0 • Able to discover and communicate with converters using MAC address as their password • Able to update multiple devices from the default MAC address password to a password of their choice •...

  • Page 59: Fcc Notice

    A. FCC Notice A. FCC Notice NOTICE This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: 1. this device may not cause harmful interference, and 2. this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

  • Page 60: Ic Notice

    B. IC Notice B. IC Notice NOTICE This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry Canada. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: 1. this device may not cause harmful interference 2. this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation NOTE This Class A digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

  • Page 61: Disclaimer

    C. Disclaimer C. Disclaimer Elatec reserves the right to change any information or data in this document without prior notice. The distribution and the update of this document is not controlled. Elatec declines all responsibility for the use of product with any other specifications but the ones mentioned above. Any additional requirement for a specific custom application has to be validated by the customer himself at his own responsibility.

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