Electroline Control Unit IV - Redundancy Systems; Setting up the Control Units in a Redundancy System

Control Unit IV Reference Manual Setup
529-0004 Ver.3 3-21
3.7 Redundancy systems
A redundancy system consists of two identical Control Units that are connected to each other
and to the host computer. One unit is the master, and it is the unit that responds to commands
from the host computer. The other unit is the backup unit. It stores the same information as
the master unit, but does not transmit any information unless there is a problem with the
master unit. If the master unit is not functioning properly, the backup unit will take over. The
switch from the master unit to the backup unit is managed by the redundancy chipset that is
in each Control Unit.
The redundancy chipset monitors operations externally and responds to error conditions
automatically, according to the RF watchdog settings. The redundancy chipset processes
several types of errors in the same way, such as a reset if the master unit is operating alone,
or a switch to the backup unit. If the backup unit is defective, no switch occurs and the unit
resets itself instead.
3.7.1 Setting up the Control Units in a redundancy system
Important note for redundancy systems:
If you have connected two identical Control Units for system redundancy, both units must
have exactly the same setup, including the same firmware version.
1. Refer to section 3.6 and follow the setup procedure on both Control Units. During the
setup procedure, make sure that you enter the same settings on both Control Units in a
redundancy system.
2. Use the following checklist to make sure the units are in fact identical. Most of this
information can be viewed by typing the command
info
(see section 3.4) or at startup
when the Control Unit checks its systems.
Both units must have the same:
• firmware version (upgrade one of the units if necessary)
• frequency (contact Electroline if this setting is not the same on both units)
• carrier tag (see section 3.6.9 to set the tag)
• number of subscribers (contact Electroline if this setting is not the same on both units)
• tiering system type (contact Electroline if this setting is not the same on both units)
• amount of expansion RAM (if applicable)
• protocol and settings on the corresponding COM ports (see sections 3.2 and 3.6.6 for
details on protocols and port settings)
• internal date and time, ± 1 minute (see section 3.6.2 to change the settings)
• redundancy failure notification settings (see section 3.7.2 to change the settings)
• system password (see section 3.6.4 to change the password)
• same internal subscriber data