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Software version of the Communication processor
Software version of the Application processor
MAC address of the Sentry
IP Address of the sentry
Reference name for the sentry or press
SID of the sentry
SID of the connected ADM if present
Master ID field from the ADM
Master count from the ADM
Cycles lifetime Remaining of the ADM
SID of first identification tag if present
SID of second identification tag if present
Status of the connected ADM
Web Page
Each Sentry provides its own little web-
The web site’s index page displays the Sentry’s current status.
There is also a page which allows a few configuration variables
to be set-
To connect your web browser to a sentry’s web site refer to
the Sentry’s IP address into your browser’s address bar.
E.g. ‘http://10.0.0.50’
If you don’t already know the IP address of a Sentry you can
discover it by pressing it’s Ident button.
Pressing the Refresh button updates this page when required.
If an ADM is connected the ADM Components button is visible. You can press it to
display a detailed view of the life remaining for each component.
Pressing the Settings button loads the settings page:
On the settings page you can:
Give a meaningful name to the Sentry
specify how the Sentry obtains an IP address
Disable the press, it will be blocked even if the ADM is OK
Method of IP Address Assignment
All network communications is done by referring to each sentry’s IP address.
Each Sentry (and also all other network clients such as PCs, printers, routers,
switches etc) must all have their own unique IP address within the network to
avoid address conflicts.
There are two common strategies for ensuring unique IP addresses are assigned to
network clients, Static addressing and DHCP. The network administrator should be
able to decide which method is appropriate. Sentry supports both methods.
If static addressing is selected, the network administrator must decide the IP
address which should be typed into the address box on the setup page.
If DHCP is selected, the address box can be left untouched.
The sentry can also be assigned a more meaningful name in the Press Name box.
After changing any of the values on the Setup page the Sentry should be rebooted
by pressing the Save these settings and restart button.
IP Address assignment at Startup
When power is applied to a Sentry, it checks to see whether DHCP addressing is
selected
If DHCP addressing is selected:
The Sentry tries to obtain an IP address from a local network DHCP service.
If DHCP was successful, the Sentry uses the assigned IP address.
If not successful the Sentry uses the MRU (Most Recently Used) IP address.
Note: Successful DHCP assignments cause the MRU address to be updated
and saved for future use.
With DHCP assignment, it is important that the Sentry is connected to the network
and the DHCP server is active before powering up the sentry otherwise the attempt
to obtain a DHCP assignment is guaranteed to fail.
If static addressing is selected:
The Sentry uses the IP address entered on the Settings page of its web site.
Once an IP address has been established at startup (this can take a few seconds)
it is briefly displayed on the Sentry’s LCD along with the Press Name.
The method by which the IP address was established is also shown:
(DHCP) IP Address indicates a successful assignment by a DHCP server.
(MRU) IP Address indicates DHCP assignment was unsuccessful and the Sentry
reverted to its Most Recently Used IP address.
Fixed IP Address indicates fixed addressing is selected.
The IP Address/Press Name display can also be activated at any later time by
pressing the small button inside the Sentry. The button can be found behind
a small hole in the left-
the point of a pencil or a similar tool.
Installation tips
Many Sentry installations will be done into an existing Ethernet network which
will probably have been set up such that client devices are assigned IP addresses
in the RFC1597 private address ranges:
10.0.0.0 -
172.16.0.0 -
192.168.0.0 -
A brand new Sentry from the factory will usually be set to use DHCP;
its MRU address being somewhere in the range 10.0.0.0 -
If the Sentry cannot successfully communicate to your DHCP server because
your network is located in a different segment (i.e. a different range) the Sentry
will appear on your network using its MRU address. In this situation you may not easily
be able to connect your browser to the sentry’s web page in order to reconfigure it.
To connect to a Sentry in a different network segment you can temporarily
configure a PC with a network connection at a static address in the 10.0.0.x range.
This can be done under Windows XP Professional by:
Go to Start...Control Panel...Network Connections
Select a LAN connection and access its properties
In the General tab, select the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) item then press the
Properties button.
Select Use the following IP address and fill in the IP Address box with
e.g. 10.0.0.1 and the subnet mask with 255.0.0.0
Press OK and close the properties dialog.
The PC should now be able to connect to the Sentry’s web page in order to
reconfigure its assignment to suit your network.
It is possible that network routing hardware, hubs, switches etc, between your PC
and the Sentry could block communications so it may be necessary to bypass this
by making a direct wired connection from the PC to the Sentry.
Note Sentries do not automatically detect the network cable polarity like most hubs
Do when making a direct connection it is usually necessary to use a cross-
Ethernet cable.