9.303 IDirect-5000

This page describes the device driver and the device window for the iDirect 5000 satellite modem / IP router. The driver controls the modem parameters of the device and monitors beside the receive quality information the IP routing table.

The driver uses a telnet / debugging console interface of the iDirect 5000 to monitor and control the device. This causes a number of limitations which are itemized at the bottom of this page.

The driver uses a protocol called IDirect-Telnet , which works similar to a serial, line oriented protocol running through a terminal server. Hence, the IP address used to control the modem must be set at the device setup dialog instead of a serial interface name.

Device window pages

The following table shows which device window pages are available with this individual device type. Tool-bar functions not mentioned here are described at the general description of device windows .

• --- General parameters
• --- Meter readings / statistics
• --- IP routing table
• --- The faults page.
• --- The device info page.
• --- The maintenance page.

Configuration parameters

At the maintenance page of the device window there are a couple of configuration parameters which must be set to make the software talk to the iDirect 5000:

Remarks

• A couple of parameters only can be commanded at the modem by modifying it's boot-up configuration file and then rebooting the modem. These parameters are:
  • tx.mod.type (BPSK, QPSK, 8PSK)
  • tx.mod.fec (0.431, 0.495, 0.533, 0.793, 0.879)
  • tx.mod.spectrum (NORM, INVERT)
  • rx.dem.type (BPSK, QPSK, 8PSK)
  • rx.dem.fec (0.431, 0.495, 0.533, 0.793, 0.879)
  • rx.dem.spectrum (NORM, INVERT) Changing one of these parameters means to reboot the modem which in fact interrupts the traffic (and the control communication) for about 30 seconds.
• The modem does not preserve 'tx.on' and 'rx.on' when switched off or rebooted. These parameters are stored at the VLC instead and set to the stored value as soon as the the communication to the modem gets established.In fact, the modem always will start transmitting for a short time when powered on until the VLC is capable to switch this off (if OFF is the stored setting). While during a reboot this will happen only for a couple of milliseconds, the modem may stay transmitting for several seconds if both, the modem and the VLC are powered on at the same time. The VLC will take a longer time to boot, the modem will already be transmitting when the VLC application starts.
• To see the rx/tx frequency values in terms of L-band frequency, enter 0.0 for all lnbLOFreq / bucLOFreq configuration settings.
• To configure the modem driver for a single band LNB, set both lnbLOFreq configuration parameters to the LNB's LO frequency, the lnbLOEdge parameter to zero.
• On power on, the driver always assumes that a frequency value in the low (e.g. 11GHz) band is set. Hence, if a receive frequency in the upper band was selected before the VLC was powered down, it will come up with a wrong receive frequency. This does not disturb the signal reception, the VLC simply applies the wrong LO frequency to display the value. Once a receive frequency has been commanded by the operator, the VLC remembers the correct frequency band until power down.

Variables defined by this device driver