Getting Started Guide for AXIS Developer Boards/Device Servers

Description

This guide concerns the latest release of the developer board/device server (the unit) software development kit (SDK).

Serial Number/Ethernet Address

The ethernet address of the unit is the same as its serial number. The serial number is found on the label on the back of the board (on bottom of the casing for units with casing) marked as S/N.

IP Addresses

The developer boards/device servers are shipped with ip address 192.168.0.90 assigned to the ethernet interface 0 (eth0) and 192.168.1.90 assigned to ethernet interface 1 (eth1) for thoose products which have a second ethernet interface.

Discovering the unit

DHCP is enabled by default (Note that this has not always been the case, older version was shipped with DHCP disabled by default) so the unit will dynamically be assigned an IP address if there is a DHCP server located on the same local network segment. Use network monitoring or serial debug (described below) to locate the unit when connecting it to a network.

Setting the IP Address Temporarily

If a static IP address is needed, e.g. locating the unit or assigning it a temporary address later on intended to be made permanent, it can then be configured by using a combination of ARP and ping command. This is handled by an application called ipsetd that runs as a daemon making it possible during a certain period of time after power up to set the ip address. Note, to do so requires an unique IP address (contact the local network administrator). Once a IP temporary address has been configured the script exits and thus needs to be restarted if the address is to be reconfigured. If the SDK is rebuilt and loaded into the unit, one must make sure that the ipsetd application is included. Otherwise it will not be possible to perform the ARP/ping sequence to temporarily set the ip address as follows:

ARP and ping from Windows or MS-DOS:

  1. Start a DOS prompt window

  2. Type the following:
     arp -s <IP address> <Ethernet address>
    ping -l <length> <IP address>

         Example:
     arp -s 123.45.67.89 00-40-8c-12-34-56
    ping -l 408*) 123.45.67.89

ARP and ping from UNIX or GNU/Linux:

  1. Start a shell

  2. Type the following as superuser (root):
     arp -s <IP address> <Ethernet address>
    ping -s <length> <IP address>

     Example:
     arp -s 123.45.67.89 00:40:8c:12:34:56
    ping -s 408*) 123.45.67.89

*) The length choosen in the examples above is the number used at the time of writing this document. This might change without notice.

The unit responds to the ping in the examples above if the new address was configured. Note, this method(ARP/ping mehtod above) only sets the IP address temporarily (while the unit is powered). To make the change permanent the ip paramters (IP address, subnet mask and gateway address) must be set in a file on the unit, otherwise the default network settings will be restored again when the board is rebooted and you will have to start all over again.

Note: if you do not succeed in setting the IP address temporarily you can still set it permanently using a serial port (see below).

Saving the IP Address Permanently

Once the unit is configured with a temporary IP address (statically or dynamically) it can made permanent by using the one of the following methods (Note, this depends on the SDK configuration) HTTP, telnet, ssh or FTP. If you have not succeded in setting the IP address temporarily you can still login to the board and make a permanent change using a serial connection. The descriptions below concern the ethernet interface 0 (eth0) but the steps are imperative for other network interfaces.

HTTP

  1. Start your web browser of choice.
  2. Open the units' URL http://<IP address>/ Example: http://123.45.67.89/
  3. Choose Edit network settings for eth0 and edit the variables according to the configuration of the local network. Then click on the Save file button.

Telnet/ssh

  1. Telnet/ssh to the IP address of the unit. Example: Start a command tool (MS-DOS prompt, UNIX shell etc) and type telnet/ssh <IP address> Example: telnet 123.45.67.89.
  2. Login as user root with password pass:
    AxisProduct login: root
Password: pass
  3. Edit the file /etc/conf.d/net-eth0 by e.g. using the editor /bin/easyedit.
    Example:     easyedit /etc/conf.d/    net-eth0
  4. Change the network settings.
  5. Save the file and exit easyedit by pressing <ESC> a a
  6. Close the connection by typing exit

FTP

  1. Start a FTP client of choice.
  2. Open a connection to the IP address of the developer board.
  3. Log in as user root with password pass.
  4. Download the file /etc/conf.d/net-eth0
  5. Change the network settings in the file.
  6. Upload the file to the developer board.
  7. Close the connection to the unit.

Make sure all settings match the settings of the local network. The NETWORK entry will be used as a route to the local network in the routing table of the kernel. If this does not match the actual address of the local network it will be impossible to reach the unit over the network after reboot. In that case one must login from the serial port, correct the settings and reboot the board (see below).

Login from serial port

Another option instead of configuring the IP address by using network access is to connect directly to the unit by a serial cable from a local PC.

  1. Connect to the serial port e.g. COM1/ser0 on the unit to a serial port on the computer using an ordinary null modem cable with RX/TX and RTS/CTS. Note: The debug port is configurable and may differ between units and especially the ones with more than one serial port. To determine which serial port that is used for debugging refer to kernel config in the SDK (os/linux/.config).
  2. Make a serial connection to the board using a terminal program (e.g. cu in linux or Hyper Terminal in Windows) set to 115200 baud, no parity, eight databits and one stopbit.
  3. Then follow steps 2 and forward in the telnet-section above.

Testing the configuration

Test your configuration by rebooting the developer board and pinging it.
Example: Press and release the reset button on the developer board, wait for approximately 20 seconds (until the unit is up and running) and type ping <IP Address> (e.g. ping 123.45.67.89).

Development Environment

The file How to Install the Developer Board Software contains installation instructions for the development environment. Source code is available at http://developer.axis.com/download.

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See http://developer.axis.com/ for more information.