NetGator Quick Start Guide NetGator is a compact sized standalone system integrating all the real time MPEG and JPEG compression engine, as well as a number of network protocols, including IP multicasting. It delivers real-time video, audio, and still images to a potentially unlimited number of PCs using Darim s new MxTV player and is controlled using the standard web browser. NetGator has a built-in Ethernet network card and web server module that supports TCP, UDP, HTTP and other protocols. Following is the simple start-up steps to use NetGator together with your PC and other PCs connected with network. Connecting your NetGator The following figure shows the backside of the NetGator unit, where you actually make the wiring connections to video camera/camcorder, VCR, or other video sources. Connect video using either Composite or S-Video cable. Audio will be connected using Line input on the right, unless you are using conference Microphone, which should be connected to the Mic input. Then connect TP Ethernet network cable to the LAN socket and the provided serial communication (null-modem) cable to the COM1 port. Finally, insert the power cord into the corresponding socket. Figure 1. Backside of the NetGator Figure 2. Front side of the NetGator As a result, the Power LED (yellow) and the Test LED (Red) should both lit up to indicate that the NetGator is powered up and performing the self-test. After about 30 sec., the Test LED should go off and the Active LED (green) should start blinking. Also, the smaller network activity LED on the back should blink indicating that network cable is connected properly. Configuring your PC First of all, you need to check whether the HyperTerminal program is available in your Windows. Here is the simple steps how you can check and install it in case if it is not there: To check HyperTerminal program availability launch access Programs -> Accessories -> Communications group and see whether the HyperTerminal icon exists.
To install, launch Windows Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs icon and select the Windows Setup -> Communication group. Then, check the checkbox corresponding to the HyperTerminal component and click OK. You may be prompted to provide original Windows installation CD in order to install the HyperTerminal application successfully. To check availability of a COM Port launch Windows Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager tab and see whether the COM1 or COM2 icons exist in the Ports (COM & LPT) group. If you do not see any COM ports available, restart your system and go to the Integrated Peripherals or similar menu in the CMOS Settings program. Then enable either the On Board Serial (COM) Port1 or Port2 device. Consult with your computer documentation or dealer if you need help. Caution: Some of the COM ports that appear in Windows may actually be occupied by serial mouse or modem. These ports cannot be used to configure NetGator. The following will explain how to establish the initial communication between NetGator and your PC. From the Windows menu go to the Program -> Accessories -> Communications group and double-click on HyperTerminal icon. 1. You should specify the parameters of the HyperTeminal program beforehand by filling the corresponding fields: country (region), area (city) code, number for accessing an outside line, and dialing type as shown in Figure 3. Note: This operation is performed only during the first program start, and it is not required when you start it next time. If the HyperTerminal program has been already specified, you may just skip the 1 st and 2 nd steps. Figure 3. Location parameters 2. If you have no modem, just refuse to set it during this step, and press the No button as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4. Modem installation 3. When prompted for the connection description, type NetGator, select any icon and click the OK button as shown in Figure 5. Figure 5. Connection description dialog 4. The following dialog will be shown. Assuming that your PC is connected to NetGator unit via COM1 port, select the Direct to Com1 in the Connect using box and click the OK button as shown in Figure 6. Figure 6. Selecting COM port for communication
Note: If you are connecting NetGator via COM2 port on the PC side, the Direct to Com2 line should be selected. In the COM1 Properties dialog, select 38400 for the Bits per second line and Xon/Xoff for the Flow control. You do not need to change any other parameters. See Figure 7. Figure 7. COM1 Properties dialog 6. After performing the previously described steps, power on NetGator. The Power LED (yellow) and the Test LED (Red) should both lit up on the front side. After about 30 sec., the Test LED should go off upon completion of the self-test procedure. The auxiliary information will be displayed in the HyperTerminal window during the loading and self-test process. As a result the following window will appear. The displayed information in your window will depend on the NetGator s settings.
If you do not see the -> cursor right away, press ENTER several times. The corresponding window is shown in Figure 8. Figure 8. NetGator window in HyperTerminal
7. Now you have to specify the IP address, Subnet mask, and Gateway parameters for your NetGator unit. To do that, you must use next three command: 1. hostname to set host name of NetGator. 2. ifconfig to set base parameters of network interface. 3. defgate to set default gateway IP address. The brief description of these commands is provided below: 1. The hostname command shows/changes internet host name of NetGator. The maximum length of this name is 31 characters. If NetGator IP address is known to local DNS server, this name should be identical to NetGator host name listed in DNS base. Example: ->hostname ngator, where «ngator» is the selected name that you have chosen. Write new configuration to EEPROM? (y/n) You should give an affirmative answer by pressing the y and Enter buttons to record a new value into the volatile memory (the recording process may take some time). 2. The ifconfig command shows/changes various parameters of network interface. Only one interface is available in this version Ethernet, its number 1. ->ifconfig Shows parameters of interface and host name, ->ifconfig 1 <IP address> [ netmask <netmask> ] Sets IP address and netmask for specified interface, Some examples of ifconfig command: ->ifconfig Host name: "netgator2" 1 <ARP BROADCAST MULTICAST Up> 10.0.0.2 netmask 255.255.255.0 MTU 1500 ->ifconfig 1 10.0.0.3 netmask 255.255.255.0 Write new configuration to EEPROM? (y/n) You should give an affirmative answer by pressing the y and Enter buttons to record a new value into the volatile memory (the recording process may take some time). 3. The defgate command shows/sets IP address of default gateway. NetGator must be rebooted to use new default gateway. ->defgate - shows current gateway IP Default gateway 10.0.0.1 ->defgate 10.0.0.255 - sets new gateway IP to 10.0.0.255 New default gateway address will be set after next system restart, if you save the configuration Write new configuration to EEPROM? (y/n) You should give an affirmative answer by pressing the y and Enter buttons to record a new value into the volatile memory (the recording process may take some time). Contact your network administrator if you need help in setting up these parameters. Note: Every NetGator unit in the network must have a unique IP address, and Gateway and Subnet mask parameters consistent with your TCP/IP network configuration. Please refer to NetGator software technical reference for the detailed information about NetGator s commands. Finally, save the desired configuration into the NetGator memory and power-cycle the unit (disconnect the power cord and connect again after a few seconds). After the standard boot
up procedure (about 30 sec.) the NetGator will be ready to be used as a multimedia streaming machine. In order to prepare your PC (as well as other PCs in your network) to enjoy live video and audio transmissions from NetGator, special client software from Darim needs to be installed. This could be done simply by inserting NetGator software CD in the drive and following the onscreen instructions. Alternatively, (if the CD auto-play feature is disabled in your system) you can do that by locating and running the MXCLIENT.EXE file on the provided disc. Note that the same installation procedure has to be done on every participating PC. As soon all the preparations are complete, the green Active LED on the NetGator unit will start blinking rapidly and the tiny satellite dish icon in the bottom right hand corner of the screen will also turn green. This indicates that the live video and audio multicast transmission is under way and the client software on all participating PCs is successfully receiving it. The playback window will optionally pop-up on the screen to let you watch the program effortlessly. Controlling your NetGator using Internet Explorer Your NetGator unit is designed to be utilized and controlled conveniently using the Internet Explorer or similar web browser. Type in the IP address of your NetGator unit in the Address field and press ENTER to bring up the NetGator welcome web page similar as shown in Figure 9. Figure 9. NetGator web-based control page See the NetGator User s Guide for more information on how to use the web browser to configure various parameters of NetGator and use it in some other applications.
Important: The NetGator unit cannot be used in any other fashion if the multicast transmission is active (the green LED is blinking fast).