Sierra Wireless IP Manager Configuration manual

2170042

Rev 1.0

IP Manager

Configuring Sierra Wireless AirLink

Modem

Rev A Dec.08 2

Configuring your Sierra Wireless

AirLink modem for IP Manager

and DNS

IfyouhaveafleetofSierraWirelessAirLinkmodemsoreven

ifyouonlyhaveone,itcanbedifficulttokeeptrackofthe

currentIPaddresses,especiallyiftheaddressesaren’tstatic

butchangeeverytimethemodemsconnecttoyourcellular

provider.Ifyouneedtoconnect

toamodem,orthedevice

behindit,itissomucheasierwhenyouhaveadomainname

(car54.mydomain.com,whereareyou?).

Reasons to contact the modem and/or the connected

device:

• Requestingalocationupdatefromadeliverytruck.

• Contactingasurveillancecameratodownloadlogsor

surveyaspecificarea.

• Anoilderekthatneedstobetriggeredtobeginpumping.

• Sendingtexttobedisplayedbyaroadsign.

• Updatingthesongstobeplayedonajukebox.

• Updatingadve rtisementstobedisplayedinacab.

• Remoteaccesstoacom puter,aPLC,anRTU,orother

system.

• Monitoringandtroubleshootingthestatusofthemodem

itselfwithoutneedingtobringitinorgoouttoit.

AdynamicIPaddressissuitablefor manyInternetactivities

suchaswebbrowsing,lookingupdataonanothercomputer

system,dataonlybeingsentout,ordataonlybeingreceived

afteraninitialrequest(alsocalledMobileOriginated).

However,ifyouneedtocontactyourmodemdirectly,adevice

connected

tothemodem,orahostsystemusingyourmodem

(alsocalledMobileTerminated),adynamicIPwon’tgiveyoua

reliableaddresstocontact(sinceitmayhavechangedsincethe

lasttimeitwasassigned).

DomainnamesareoftenonlyconnectedtostaticIPaddresses

becauseofthewaymostdomainname(DNS)serversareset‐

up.DynamicDNSserversrequirenotificationofIPAddress

changessotheycanupdatetheirDNSrecordsandlinka

dynamicIPaddresstothecorrectname.

• DynamicIPaddressesaregrantedonlywhenyourmodem

isconnectedandcanchangeeachtimethemodemrecon

‐

nectstothenetwork.

IP Manager

3 2170042

• StaticIPaddressesaregrantedthesameaddressevery

timeyourmodemisconnectedandarenotinusewhen

yourmodemisnotconnected.

Sincemanycellularproviders,likewire‐basedISPs,donot

offerstaticIPaddressesorstaticaddressaccountscosta

premiumvs.dynamicaccounts,AirLinkdevelopedIP

ManagertoworkwithaDynamicDNSservertoreceivenotifi

‐

cationfromSierraWirelessAirLinkmodemstotranslatethe

modem’sdynamicIPaddresstoafullyqualifieddomain

name.Thus,youcancontactyourALEOSpoweredAirLink

modemdirectlyfromtheInternetusingadomainname.

Fully Qualified Domain Name

AdomainnameisanameofaserverordeviceontheInternet

whichisassociatedwithanIPaddress.Similartohowthe

streetaddressofyourhouseisonewaytocontactyouand

yourphonenumberisanother,boththeIPaddressandthe

domainnamecan

beusedtocontactaserverordeviceonthe

Internet.Whilecontactingyouatyourhouseaddressorwith

yourphonenumberemploydifferentmethods,usinga

domainnameinsteadoftheIPaddressactuallyusesthesame

method,justawordbasednameiscommonlyeasierto

remember

formostpeoplethanastringofnumbers.

Understandingthepartsofadomainnamecanhelptounder‐

standhowIP Managerworksandwhatyouneedtobeableto

configurethemodem.Afullyqualifieddomainname(FQDN)

generallyhasseveralparts.

• TopLevelDomain(TLD):TheTLDistheendingsuffixfor

adomainname(.com,.net,.org,etc.)

• CountryCodeTopLevelDomain(ccTLD):Thissuffixis

oftenusedaftertheTLDformostcountriesexcepttheUS

(.ca,.uk,.au,etc.)

• Domainname:ThisisthenameregisteredwithICANN

(InternetCorporationforAssignedNamesandNumbers)

ortheregistryforathecountryoftheccTLD(i.e.ifa

domainispartofthe.caTLD,itwouldberegisteredwith

theCanadiandomainregistry).Itisnecessarytohave

a

nameregisteredbeforeitcanbeused.

• Sub‐domainorservername:Adomainnamecanhave

manysub‐domainorservernamesassociatedwithit.Sub‐

domainsneedtoberegisteredwiththedomain,butdonot

needtoberegisteredwithICANNoranyotherregistry.It

istheresponsibilityofadomaintokeep

trackofitsown

subs.

car54.mydomain.com

Rev A Dec.08 4

• .comistheTLD

• mydomainisthedomain(usuallynotedas

mydomain.comsincethedomainisspecifictotheTLD)

• car54isthesubdomainorservernameassociatedwiththe

device,computer,ormodemregisteredwith

mydomain.com

car54.mydomain.com.ca

Thiswouldbethesameasabove,butwiththeadditionofthe

countrycode.Inthisexample,thecountrycode(.ca)isfor

Canada.

AURL(UniversalResourceLocator)isdifferentfroma

domainnameinthatitalsoindicatesinformationontheproto

‐

colusedbyawebbrowsertocontactthataddress,suchas

http://www.sierrawireless.com.www.sierrawireless.comisa

fullyqualifieddomainname,butthehttp://,theprotocoliden

‐

tifier,iswhatmakesthewholethingaURL.

Dynamic Names

WhenanIPaddressisnotexpectedtochange,theDNSserver

canindicatetoallqueriesthattheaddresscanbecachedand

notlookedupforalongperiodoftime.DynamicDNS

servers,conversely,haveashortcachingperiodforthe

domaininformationtopreventotherInternetsites

orqueries

fromusingtheoldinformation.SincetheIPaddressofa

modemwithadynamicaccountcanchangefrequently,ifthe

oldinformationwasused(suchaswithaDNSserverwhich

indicatestheaddresscanbecachedforalongperiodoftime)

whentheIPaddress

changed,thedomainwouldnolonger

pointtothenewandcorrectIPaddressofthemodem.

IfyourmodemisconfiguredforDynamicIP,whenitfirst

connectstotheInternet,itsendsaIPchangenotificationtoIP

Manager.IPMangerwillacknowledgethechangeandupdate

theDynamicDNSserver.ThenewIPaddresswillthenbethe

addressforyourmodem’sconfiguredname.

Onceyourmodem’sIPaddresshasbeenupdatedinIP

Manager,itcanbecontactedvianame.IftheIPaddressis

needed,youcan usethedomainnametodeterminetheIP

address.

Note: The fully qualified domain name of your modem will be a

subdomain of the domain used by the IP Manager server.

IP Manager

5 2170042

Configuring Your Modem

Software Required

• AceManager‐GraphicalinterfaceforenteringmostAT

Commands.YoucandownloadAceManagerfromthe

SierraWirelessAirLinkSolutionswebsite:http://

www.sierrawireless.com.

Software Recommended(Optional)

• AceView‐Sta tusandconnectionmonitorforyour

modem.YoucandownloadAceViewfromthewebsite.

• AceNet‐Multiplemodemconfigurationandmonitoring

utilityforallAirLinkmodems.WithAceNet,youcansave

aworkingconfigurationinAceManagerandthenloadit

intoseveralmodemsconcurrentlysavingtimeand

ensuringallthemodemsareconfiguredthesame.AceNet

isavailableforseperatepurchasefromyourSierra

Wireless

representative.

Connecting to your modem with

AceManager

1. StartAceManager:Start > All Programs > AirLink Communica-

tions > AceManager

ClicktheConnectbutton.

• Serial:SelectPPP,COM1andenter12345forthe

passwordandthenclickOK.

• Ethernet:SelectTCP,entertheIPaddressofthemodem

(localdefaultIPaddressis192.168.13.31).

Figure 1: AceManager: Connect - Serial

Rev A Dec.08 6

Figure 2: AceManager: Connect - Ethernet

2. Entertheconfigurationoptions.

OntheleftsideofAceManageristheGroupsmenu.Selectthe

appropriategroupasdirectedbelow.Enteryourchangesin

theNewVa lu ecolumn.Typeinthedesiredchangeorusing

thedropdownmenus.Thecurrentconfigurationwillbe

shownintheVal uecolumn.

Figure 3: AceManager: Changing Configuration Options

3. Writethechangestothemodem.

ClicktheWritebuttononthetoolbarofAceManagerandwait

forthemessage“WriteSuccessful”toappearinthestatusbar.

Figure 4: AceManager : Write

IP Manager

7 2170042

Configuring Dynamic IP

Domain Name

ToconfigureyourAirLinkmodemtobeaddressedbyname,

themodemneedstohave4elementsconfigured.Youcan

configureaseconddynamicserverasabackup,secondary,or

alternateserver.InAceManager,selectDynamicIP.

Figure 5: AceManager : Dynamic IP (Adresse IP dynamique)

Note: eairlink.com server is still

available, but Sierra Wireless

recommends that customers use

edns2server.

*MODEMNAME:Thenameyouwantforthemodem.

*DOMAIN:Thedomainnametobeusedbythemodem.

*IPMANAGER1and*IPMANAGER2:TheIPaddressor

domainnameofthedynamicDNSserverwhichisrunningIP

Manager.

Note: To use the name here instead of the IP, you need to have DNS

set up in your modem (page 9).

*IPMGRUPDATE1and*IPMGRUPDATE2:Howoften,in

minutes,youwanttheaddresssenttoIPManager.Ifthisisset

tozero,themodemwillonlysendanupdateiftheIPaddress

changes(example,ifyourmodemisresetorisassigneda

differentIPaddress).

*IPMGRKEY1and*IPMGRKEY2:Userdefinedpasswordkey

whichisusedinsteadoftheSierraWirelesssecretkeywhen

usinganIPManagerserverotherthantheoneprovidedby

SierraWireless.

car54-2007

eairlink.com

edns2.eairlink.com

eairlink.com

Rev A Dec.08 8

Restrictions for Modem Name

FortheModemName,youshouldusesomethingwhichis

uniquebutalsoeasytoremember.Yourcompanynameorthe

intendedfunctionofthemodemarerecommended.Ifyou

havemorethanonemodemandwanttonamethemthesame,

youcanappendanumberforeach.Sinceit

isanInternet 

domainname,therearesomerestrictionsforthename.

• Mustbeginwithaletterornumber

• Canincludeahyphen(‐)

• Cannotcontainspaces

• Mustbenolongerthan20characterstotal

Data Usage for IP Manager Server

Updates

TheIPManagerupdateisasmallpacketsenttotheserver

witharesponsesentbacktothemodem.Ifyouhave

*IPMGRUPDATE1or*IPMGRUPDATE2settoanynumber

butzero,themodemwillsendtheupdatenotonlywhenit

receivesanewIPaddressbutatthetime

intervalaswell.The

datatrafficcouldbebilledbyyourcarrier.

Eachupdateisatotalof68bytesfromthemodemwitha50

bytetotalresponsefromtheserverforaroundtripupdateof

118bytes.

Eairlink.com

Asaservice,SierraWirelessAirLinkSolutionsmaintainsaIP

Managerserverswhichcanbeusedfor anyAirLinkmodem.

• *DOMAIN:eairlink.com

• *IPMANAGER1:edns2.eairlink.com

• *IPMANAGER2:eairlink.com

interval

(minutes)

total bytes

per day (24

hours)

interval

(minutes)

total bytes

per day (24

hours)

10 16992 bytes 60 2832 bytes

30 5664 bytes 500 339.84 bytes

IP Manager

9 2170042

Note: The IP Manager service from Sierra Wireless is currently not a

guaranteed service though every effort is made to keep it operational

24/7.

WhenusingtheIPManagerserversofSierraWireless,since

therearemanymodemsusingtheservice,itisevenmore

imperativetohaveauniquenameforyourmodem.

DNS: Using Names Instead of

IP addresses

ThemodemhastheabilitytoqueryDNSserversinorderto

translatedomainnamesintoIPaddresses.Thisallowsyouto

usedomainnamesinplaceofIPaddressesformostofthe

configurationoptionsrequiringIPaddresses.Thisis

importantifyourmodemwillneedtocontactanothermodem



orotherdevicethathasadomainnamebutanunknownor

dynamicIPaddress(suchasanotherremotemodemusingIP

Manager).

Configuring DNS

Generally,whenyourmodemreceivesitsIPaddressfrom

yourcellularprovider,aspartoftheconnectionprocess,itwill

alsoreceiveyourcellularprovider’sDNSserverstousefor

resolving(ortranslating)namestoIPaddresseswhichitwill

automaticallyconfigureinthemodemsettings.Unlessyour

modemwillbe

usedonanetworkwithothermodemsor

deviceswhichhavenamesinternaltothelocalnetworkor

frequentlychangingIPaddresses,theDNSserversprovided

byyourcellularprovidershouldbeallyouneed.

Ifthemodemwillbecommunicatingwithadevicethathasa

domainnamebutchangesitsIPaddressfrequently (suchas

anotherAirLinkmodemusingIPManager)orisonanetwork

wheredevicesareaccessedbynamesratherthanIPaddresses,

youwillwanttoputinanalternate

DNS(*DNSUSER)where

thatdomainisupdated,suchastheIPManagerserverthe

remotemodemisusingorthelistingofIPaddressestonames 

iskept.

Rev A Dec.08 10

Figure 6: AceManager: DNS

*DNS1and*DNS2‐TheprimaryandsecondaryDNSservers

setbyyourcellularproviderwhenyourmodemgetsitsIP

address.

*DNSUSER‐Setthis,ifdesired,toanadditionalDNSserver

toqueryfirstbeforetheprimaryorsecondary(justasahosts

fileisqueried firstonacomputer).If*DNSUSERissetto

0.0.0.0,itwillbeignored.

*DNSUPDATE‐ThiscommandsetshowoftenyouwantDNS

Updatestoberequested.Otherwisethe modemwillonlysend

updateswhenitisreset,poweredup,ortheIPaddressis

grantedbynetworkchanges.

Note: If you will be using your modem to communicate with another

AirLink modem and both are using IP Manager to translate dynamic

IP addresses to domain names, it is recommended that you set

*DNSUSER to the IP address for IP Manager. IP Manager’s updates

occur more frequently than your cellular provider’s DNS servers

decreasing the time between IP address change and address

resolution. Likewise, if your modem routinely needs to contact

another modem or device with a Dynamic DNS domain and that

modem or device frequently changes its IP address, you may need to

set *DNSUPDATE for frequent updates.

PPP-Peer

TheRavenandPinPointusetheunqualifieddomainnameof

“ppp‐peer”whenitisinPPPorSLIPaddressmodetoresolve

theaddressofthedeviceorcomputerconnectedviaPPPor

SLIPaddress.IfthemodemisnotinPPPorSLIPaddress

mode,“ppp‐peer”willresolve

to0.0.0.0.

IP Manager

11 2170042

Preface

Rev A Dec.08 1

Important Notice Duetothenatureofwirelesscommunications,transmission

andreceptionofdatacanneverbeguaranteed.Datamaybe

delayed,corrupted(i.e.,have errors)orbetotallylost.

Althoughsignificantdelaysorlossesofdataarerarewhen

wirelessdevicessuchastheSierraWirelessmodemareusedin

anormal

mannerwithawell‐constructednetwork,theSierra

Wirelessmodemshouldnotbeusedinsituationswhere

failuretotransmitorreceivedatacouldresultindamageof

anykindtotheuseroranyotherparty,includingbutnot

limitedtopersonal injury,death,orlossofproperty.Sierra

Wirelessacceptsnoresponsibilityfordamagesofanykind

resultingfromdelaysorerrorsindatatransmittedorreceived

usingtheSierraWirelessmodem,orforfailureoftheSierra

Wirelessmodemtotransmitorreceivesuchdata.

Safety and Hazards DonotoperatetheSierraWirelessmodeminareaswhere

blastingisinprogress,whereexplosiveatmospheresmaybe

present,nearmedicalequipment,nearlifesupportequipment,

oranyequipmentwhichmaybesusceptibletoanyformof

radiointerference.Insuchareas,theSierraWirelessmodem

MUSTBEPOWEREDOFF

.TheSierraWirelessmodemcan

transmitsignalsthatcouldinterferewiththisequipment.

DonotoperatetheSierraWirelessmodeminanyaircraft,

whethertheaircraftisonthegroundorinflight.Inaircraft,the

SierraWirelessmodemMUSTBEPOWEREDOFF.When

operating,theSierraWirelessmodemcantransmitsignalsthat

couldinterferewithvariousonboardsystems.

Note: Some airlines may permit the use of cellular phones while the

aircraft is on the ground and the door is open. Sierra Wireless

modems may be used at this time.

Thedriveroroperatorofanyvehicleshouldnotoperatethe

SierraWirelessmodemwhileincontrolofavehicle.Doingso

willdetractfromthedriveroroperatorʹscontrolandoperation

ofthatvehicle.Insomestatesandprovinces,operatingsuch 

communicationsdeviceswhileincontrolofavehicle

isan

offence.

Limitation of

Liability

Theinformationinthismanualissubjecttochangewithout

noticeanddoesnotrepresentacommitmentonthepartof

SierraWireless.SIERRAWIRELESSANDITSAFFILIATES

SPECIFICALLYDISCLAIMLIABILITYFORANYANDALL

DIRECT,INDIRECT,SPECIAL,GENERAL,INCIDENTAL,

CONSEQUENTIAL,PUNITIVEOREXEMPLARYDAMAGES

INCLUDING,BUTNOTLIMITEDTO,LOSS

OFPROFITSOR

IP Manager

2 2170042

REVENUEORANTICIPATEDPROFITSORREVENUE

ARISINGOUTOFTHEUSEORINABILITYTOUSEANY

SIERRAWIRELESSPRODUCT,EVENIFSIERRAWIRELESS

AND/ORITSAFFILIATESHASBEENADVISEDOFTHE

POSSIBILITYOFSUCHDAMAGESORTHEYARE

FORESEEABLEORFORCLAIMSBYANYTHIRDPARTY.

Notwithstandingtheforegoing,innoeventshallSierra

Wirelessand/oritsaffiliatesaggregateliabilityarisingunder

orinconnectionwiththeSierraWirelessproduct,regardlessof

thenumberofevents,occurrences,orclaimsgivingriseto

liability,beinexcessofthepricepaidbythepurchaserforthe

SierraWireless

product.

Patents Portionsofthisproductmaybe coveredbysomeorallofthe

followingUSpatents:

5,515,013 5,629,960 5,845,216 5,847,553 5,878,234

5,890,057 5,929,815 6,169,884 6,191,741 6,199,168

6,339,405 6,359,591 6,400,336 6,516,204 6,561,851

6,643,501 6,653,979 6,697,030 6,785,830 6,845,249

6,847,830 6,876,697 6,879,585 6,886,049 6,968,171

6,985,757 7,023,878 7,053,843 7,106,569 7,145,267

7,200,512 D442,170 D459,303

andotherpatentspending.

Thisproductincludes

technologylicensedfrom:

LicensedbyQUALCOMMIncorporatedunderoneormoreof

thefollowingUnitedStatespatentsand/ortheircounterparts

inothernations:

4,901,307 5,056,109 5,101,501 5,109,390 5,228,054

5,267,261 5,267,262 5,337,338 5,414,796 5,416,797

5,490,165 5,504,773 5,506,865 5,511,073 5,535,239

5,544,196 5,568,483 5,600,754 5,657,420 5,659,569

5,710,784 5,778,338

ManufacturedorsoldbySierraWirelessoritslicenseesunder

oneormorepatentslicensedfromInterDigitalGroup.

LicensedunderthefollowingNortelNetworksLimited

patents:

UnitedStatespatentnumbers: 5128925,5398247

Francepatentnumbers:2665993,2653959, 2659812,2745091

QUALCOMM

Preface

Rev A Dec.08 3

AirLink Solutions IfyouencounterproblemswithoperationofyourAirLink

wirelessgateway,SierraWirelessproduct,thesupportstaffof

SierraWirelessAirLinkSolutionscanhelp.

Caution: The configuration suggestions offered in this guide are not

supported nor is any equipment other than Sierra Wireless products.

Only the operation of the modem or software obtained directly from

Sierra Wireless is supported.

RefertotheUserGuideforyourmodemortheSierraWireless

AirLinkSolutionswebsiteforSierraWirelessproduct

warranties.

Trademarks AirCard

and“HeartoftheWirelessMachine

”areregistered

trademarksofSierraWireless.Watcher

isatrademarkof

SierraWireless,registeredintheEuropeanCommunity.

SierraWireless,theSierraWirelesslogo,theredwavedesign,

andthered‐tippedantennaaretrademarksofSierraWireless.

“A i r L i n k , ” “A L E O S , ” and“A c e Wa r e ” aretrademarksofSierra

Wireless.

Windows

isaregisteredtrademarkofMicrosoftCorporation.

QUALCOMM

isaregisteredtrademarkofQUALCOMM

Incorporated.Usedunderlicense.

Othertrademarksarethepropertyoftherespectiveowners.

Contact

Information

Support Desk: Phone: 1-877-231-1144

Hours: 5:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Time,

Monday to Friday, except US

Holidays

E-mail: [email protected]

Sales Desk: Phone: 1-510-624-4200

1-604-232-1488

Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Time

E-mail: MobileandM2Msales@sierrawir

eless.com

IP Manager

4 2170042

Consultourwebsiteforup‐to‐dateproductdescriptions,

documentation,applicationnotes,firmwareupgrades,trouble

‐

shootingtips,andpressreleases:

www.sierrawireless.com

Post: Sierra Wireless America

39677 Eureka Drive

Newark, CA

USA 94560

Sierra Wireless

13811 Wireless Way

Richmond, BC

Canada V6V 3A4

Fax: 1-510-624-4299

1-604-231-1109

Web: www.sierrawireless.com

Sierra Wireless IP Manager Configuration manual

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