FarmOnline Explorer
Technical Manual
610801 • 2023-02-23 Software version 5.5
FarmOnline Explorer
1 Preface ............................................................................................................................................................ 5
2 Product Description ....................................................................................................................................... 6
3 Installation Guide ........................................................................................................................................... 7
3.1 Preparation of network plan ..................................................................................................... 7
3.1.1 Network plan ................................................................................................................................ 9
3.1.1.1 Find information on the existing network ..................................................................................... 9
3.1.1.2 Give the PC a fixed IP address.................................................................................................. 10
3.1.1.3 Setting up static IP addresses on the network’s other devices.................................................. 11
3.1.1.4 Check that the Network Devices are connected ........................................................................ 12
3.2 Setup of Management Program.............................................................................................. 13
3.2.1 Setup of the Management Program on a pc .............................................................................. 13
3.2.2 Firewall Settings......................................................................................................................... 14
4 Configuration................................................................................................................................................ 15
4.1 Configuration of the management program.......................................................................... 15
4.1.1 Configuration setup.................................................................................................................... 16
4.1.1.1 Building up a farm structure ....................................................................................................... 17
4.1.1.2 Adding house controller and alarm unit to location .................................................................... 18
4.1.1.3 Loading Licenses ....................................................................................................................... 19
4.1.1.4 Visualization............................................................................................................................... 20
4.1.1.5 Configuration of alarm unit......................................................................................................... 21
4.1.1.6 Checking Configuration.............................................................................................................. 21
4.2 Alarm Notification .................................................................................................................... 22
4.2.1 Setup of GSM Modem ............................................................................................................... 22
4.2.1.1 SMS Messaging Setup .............................................................................................................. 23
4.2.1.2 Email configuration .................................................................................................................... 24
4.3 Camera setup ........................................................................................................................... 25
4.4 Web Access.............................................................................................................................. 26
4.4.1 Web Access Setup..................................................................................................................... 28
4.5 CWS configuration................................................................................................................... 33
4.6 Network Information ................................................................................................................ 36
4.6.1 Statistics..................................................................................................................................... 36
4.6.2 This system................................................................................................................................ 37
4.6.3 Foreign Systems ........................................................................................................................ 38
4.6.4 Setup.......................................................................................................................................... 39
4.6.5 Connections ............................................................................................................................... 40
4.7 System preferences................................................................................................................. 41
5 Update Instructions...................................................................................................................................... 43
5.1 Changing Configuration.......................................................................................................... 43
5.2 License extension.................................................................................................................... 43
5.3 Program update ....................................................................................................................... 43
5.4 Add more PCs to the system or change to a new PC .......................................................... 44
6 Troubleshooting guide ................................................................................................................................ 46
6.1 Upon Configuration ................................................................................................................. 46
6.1.1 USB stick with license key has been lost................................................................................... 46
6.1.2 House controllers are not visible in Configurator ....................................................................... 46
6.1.3 Manual Adjustment of Firewall Settings..................................................................................... 47
6.2 During Operation ..................................................................................................................... 48
6.2.1 The program has an empty or incorrect configuration ............................................................... 48
6.2.2 Network troubleshooting ............................................................................................................ 48
6.2.3 Incorrect display in browser ....................................................................................................... 48
6.2.4 The service is not running after a Windows update ................................................................... 48
6.2.5 Applications are missing ............................................................................................................ 50
Technical Manual
FarmOnline Explorer
Technical Manual
6.3 Error Messages ........................................................................................................................ 51
7 Technical Data .............................................................................................................................................. 53
8 Computers with two networks .................................................................................................................... 56
FarmOnline Explorer
Technical Manual 5
1 Preface
Product and Documentation Changes
SKOV A/S reserves the right to change this document and the product herein described without further notice.
In case of doubt, please contact SKOV A/S.
The date of change appears from the front and back pages.
Note
• All rights belong to SKOV A/S. No part of this manual may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without
the expressed written permission of SKOV A/S in each case.
• All reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this manual.
Should any mistakes or imprecise information occur in spite of this, SKOV A/S would appreciate being noti-
fied thereof.
• Irrespective of the above, SKOV A/S shall not accept any liability with regard to loss or damage caused or
alleged to be caused by reliance on any information contained herein.
• Copyright by SKOV A/S.
FarmOnline Explorer
6 Technical Manual
2 Product Description
This technical manual describes the installation of the FarmOnline Explorer, management program and is pri-
marily aimed at technicians who setup, configure and test the program.
FarmOnline Explorer is a Windows-based computer program enabling users to access SKOV house controllers
on a local network.
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Technical Manual 7
3 Installation Guide
The setup and starting up of FarmOnline Explorer includes the following sections:
1. Preparation of a network plan
2. Setting up a Network
3. Setup of program
4. Program configuration
5. Testing
3.1 Preparation of network plan
The following section describes the workflow of setting up networks based on Figure 1.
We recommend a setup where the computer has only one connection to the outside world (the internet
and controllers).
Figure1: Networks connected with LAN cables (Devices: router, computer and house controllers).
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8 Technical Manual
Figure2: Example of a network plan.
All devices in the network, i.e. the computer with FarmOnline Explorer and all house controllers, alarm
systems etc. must use static IP addresses. See the Setup [}39] (Setup) section about assigning static
IP addresses.
To avoid problems one should make sure of the following:
• Use the correct static IP addresses in relation to the router.
• Avoid assigning static IP addresses in the DHCP range.
The problem is as follows:
Devices that do not have a static IP address receive a dynamic IP address assigned by the router. The router’s
DHCP range determines which IP addresses are used for that.
If you accidentally get the static IP addresses placed within the DHCP range, there is a high risk of an IP ad-
dress conflict.
We therefore recommend that you make a network plan and make a note of it in the spreadsheet that can be
found under the Help menu.
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Technical Manual 9
3.1.1 Network plan
Figure3: Example of access to a local network
FarmOnline Explorer requires a connection to house controllers via the farm’s network. For the sake of an over-
view and maintenance of the network, its IP set-up should be described in a network plan. Here the names and
IP addresses of all the connected devices should be specified. It must be possible to distinguish the individual
devices from one another. All names should therefore be unique.
Use for example the network plan that can be found in
the menu Help to document the network configuration
(network plan.xlsx). This plan complies with our stan-
dard for assigning IP addresses.
The spreadsheet is designed to make it easier to make a network plan of all devices on the network, as well as
their IP addresses.
3.1.1.1 Find information on the existing network
The devices on the FarmOnline network must have IP addresses outside of an existing dynamic (DHCP) range.
Inspect what the existing network looks like:
• How is the computer connected to the router and FarmOnline controllers (network type)?
• Which IP addresses and DHCP range is used (PC, router)?
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10 Technical Manual
1. Open the computer’s Control Panel and select Net-
work and Sharing Center.
Here you can see the network devices and connec-
tions.
1. Click the connection that the FarmOnline network
uses.
2. Click Details
3. Make a note of the values of the following in the
yellow cells in the network plan:
Subnet Mask
Default gateway
DNS server
Note that all IP addresses change when you change
the default gateway.
1. Click Close.
3.1.1.2 Give the PC a fixed IP address
Now check your router’s DHCP range in order to avoid having the PC’s static
address within that range.
1. Enter the router’s IP address into an Internet browser (typically the same
as the gateway).
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Technical Manual 11
Router Setup
We recommend that the router’s DHCP range is adjusted to between
192.168.1.2 and 192.168.1.40.
If this is not possible, then the network plan should be adjusted.
The static range can thus be from 192.168.1.41 to 192.168.1.254.
1. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
2. Click on Properties.
A static IP address must now be assigned to the computer. Use the following
information from the network plan:
• IP address of the PC
• Subnet Mask
• Default gateway
• DNS server
Please note that if you have not provided the computer with a DNS server, you will no longer be con-
nected to the Internet. You must therefore always check that a computer still has access to the internet af-
ter a static IP address has been assigned.
3.1.1.3 Setting up static IP addresses on the network’s other devices
The spreadsheet has been designed as a standard template and contains the cells to be used for a small net-
work. If you do not have enough cells, you can extend the spreadsheet. The layout should make it very easy to
make a list of IP addresses and names of devices.
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12 Technical Manual
The example on the left illustrates how to use the spreadsheet:
1. Enter the name of the first house.
2. Correct the start IP address by typing in the last cell. Then select the
entire line.
3. Now run the mouse over the lower right corner so that the pointer ar-
row turns into a plus sign. Click the mouse and drag it downwards so
that the first line for the desired number of devices. Is copied down-
wards.
You should end up with a result similar to the one shown in the last illus-
tration if this is performed correctly.
Please note: The three first numbers in the IP address are controlled by
the field where you enter Default gateway.
See IP addresses in the network plan.
Enter the selected IP addresses of the house controllers and alarm units.
If necessary, see the technical manual for the product.
On newer versions of house controllers, the network setup can be changed via the Network information func-
tion under Tools once the house controllers have been brought into the system. See also the section about Net-
work Information [}36] (Network Information) and Manual adjustment of Firewall Settings [}47].
3.1.1.4 Check that the Network Devices are connected
1. Open a command prompt to test the connection to the de-
vices by pinging.
2. Enter: ping –n 60 –l 1500 <IP_Addr>
3.
Quality Response time Packet loss
Good network < 20 ms < 1%
Average network < 100 ms < 5%
Poor network > 100 ms > 5%
FarmOnline Explorer requires a good network in order to operate optimally. The quality of the network can be
monitored via the Network Information module.
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Technical Manual 13
Ping test accepted. Ping test not accepted.
Network problem - no ping
If FarmOnline shows no ping to a controller, try the following:
• Make sure your network equipment is switched on (router, switches, etc.).
• If wireless units are used, make sure that antenna and network devices are switched on.
• Look at the diodes next to the LAN cable on the back of the controller and check for activity.
• Verify the IP configuration of the controllers.
3.2 Setup of Management Program
The procedure for installing and setting up the program depends on the type of network.
• For LAN-based house controllers, the network should be configured as described in the section about Net-
works [}9].
• RS485-based house controllers must be connected via FarmOnline WebLink. See FarmOnline WebLink
technical manual.
The following house controllers can only be used on the network specified:
Network type Controller
LAN DOL 234F, DOL 534, DOL 535, DOL 539, DOL 634, DOL 635, DOL 639, DOL 2300, DOL
2400
RS485 DOL 34H, DOL 36, DOL 36CT, DOL 32T, DOL 234, DOL 339, DOL 95, DOL 96, DOL 356
3.2.1 Setup of the Management Program on a pc
Please note: If you need to reinstall FarmOnline Explorer please contact your distributor to get the latest ver-
sion - instead of installing an older version of the program.
1. Install the program on a pc by inserting the Far-
mOnline USB stick.
2. Open File Explorer and double-click the installation
program 'Setup’ to start the installation.
3. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
The installation will save a program shortcut on the
desktop of the computer.
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14 Technical Manual
3.2.2 Firewall Settings
The program requires access to communicate through the internal firewall of the network in order to make the
communication with the house controllers work. When the program is installed, the firewall is automatically con-
figured so that the program is able to communicate through it.
There may however be special cases where the network setup does not allow this. If this is the case, you must
configure firewall settings manually, see Manual Adjustment of Firewall Settings [}47]. (Manual adjustment of
Firewall Settings)
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Technical Manual 15
4 Configuration
4.1 Configuration of the management program
Once the program has been installed on the computer, it must be configured to match the farm precisely. This is
carried out by building up an overview of the buildings and sections on the farm, followed by attaching the house
controllers to this. The survey should precisely correspond to the actual installation of equipment in the network.
If you have a running FarmOnline Explorer system, you cannot perform a new configuration of the sys-
tem on another computer. Instead, read Add more computers to the system or change to a new com-
puter [}44] regarding how to add a new computer to an existing system.
1. Double-click on the shortcut icon on the desk-
top of the computer to open the program.
Only users with administrator rights have access to per-
form the program configuration.
2. Log in as administrator.
The program uses the following administrator by default:
User name: ‘admin’
The password field should be left empty when logging in
for the first time.
We recommend that passwords for both administrator and default users are created immediately af-
ter installation of the program, as the administrator login provides access to all house controllers in
the network.
See the FarmOnline Explorer user manual.
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16 Technical Manual
(A)
Example of configuration for a farm with several houses. The tree structure on the left (A) is the overview that
should be built using the Configurator function under Tools.
4.1.1 Configuration setup
The following is a more detailed description of the steps you must follow to setup FarmOnline Explorer:
1. Building up a farm structure.
2. Adding house controller to locations.
3. Loading license keys.
4. Adding visualization to locations.
5. Adding hotspots to visualizations of the locations.
The configuration is created under Tools – Configurator.
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Technical Manual 17
4.1.1.1 Building up a farm structure
1. Select the Farm structure tab (A).
(A)
(C)
(D) (B)
2. Name the farm in the upper field (B) so that it can be recognised again. The name of the farm is also used
as system name. See also During Operation [}48].
3. Click to add the desired location to the list on the left.
A new location is created after the last location at the same level (C):
Add house
Add section
Add pen (not used)
Delete house/section or pen
Houses and sections are automatically numbered in the order they were created.
The order of the structure can be changed using the (D) arrows and the names can be changed in the
upper field (B).
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18 Technical Manual
4.1.1.2 Adding house controller and alarm unit to location
1. Select the House Controller tab (A).
FarmOnline scans the network and displays the house controllers and alarm units found in the list.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D) (E)
(F)
(G)
Location specification is (B) updated when a location is added to the house controller. The location specification
is 1.H241 or 1.H1.241 if a house controller has not been updated previously. If this is not the case, you must
check that the house controller is not associated with another system. This is performed by noting the IP Ad-
dress of the house controller, see the section about Foreign Systems [}38], (External systems) and checking
that the device is not linked to another system.
Several house controllers with the same name, but of different types, may appear in the list.
Type (C) indicates the functionality of the house controller.
Please note that if one controller has both climate and production functionality, both must be added to the same
location.
Several house computers can be added to one location, e.g. a climate controller and a production con-
troller, but not several controllers of the same type.
This is due to the fact that the same type of data, e.g. inside temperature, must not be supplied by two
climate controllers from a single location.
If more house controllers of the same type are to be added to a location, they must be added to underlying sec-
tions (D).
The correct configuration is made by selecting a house controller in the overview and subsequently selecting the
location where it will be used.
Click on the arrow to the left (E) to add a house controller to a location.
Click on the arrow to the right (F) to remove a house controller from a location.
The check mark (G) indicates that a house controller has been added to a location.
Make sure that the controllers are added to the locations where they are actually located.
Click on a house controller in the farm structure to see which type it is. Click on a climate controller in the list to
see where it has been added.
If a configured climate or production controller or alarm unit is later moved from one location to another,
all FarmOnline must be deleted in the controller/alarm unit before it can be moved.
FarmOnline Explorer
Technical Manual 19
4.1.1.3 Loading Licenses
If no license is loaded when FarmOnline Explorer is configured, the program can only access the network and
house controllers for a trial period of 60 days. A license key must be loaded after the trial period in order to gain
access to the equipment connected.
When the farm structure has been established and house controllers have been added, a FarmOnline Explorer
license must be loaded. The license key must contain the number of licenses corresponding to the number of
house controllers.
The license key is supplied as a file. It is supplied with the FarmOnline Explorer program on a USB stick or sent
by email if a license code has been ordered.
A specific license is created for each network.
See also License extension [}43].
SKOV recommend that you ensure communication to the house controllers is functioning optimally be-
fore loading licenses. This is to your advantage, as a copy of the license is saved in the house con-
trollers when it is loaded.
1. Select the License tab (A).
(A)
(B)
(C)
You will receive a license file on a USB stick or by email. It is important that you follow the procedure below:
a. If you have received the license file (or license extension) on a USB stick, insert the USB stick into the com-
puter.
b. If you have received the license file by email, you must copy the license file to the desktop on the computer
and ensure that a USB stick is not connected to the computer.
1. Click Start Installation of license key (B) to open the license installation guide.
2. Save the license file (.lic) in order for it to be loaded in the program.
3. Open the location on where the license file was saved on the computer and select it.
4. Follow the guide to finish the loading of licenses.
5. Check that the license key has the required contents before loading it.
• Pay attention to the fact that the license key can only be installed once and only in one network.
• Once loading of license keys has been initiated, it cannot be interrupted or undone.
• The license keys are loaded in the network and cannot be removed again. The number of license
keys can however be extended. See License extension [}43].
1. Remove the USB stick from the USB port of the computer when installation is complete.
The license key on the USB stick has now been used and cannot be installed again. The USB stick can be used
for other purposes.
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20 Technical Manual
If new licenses are required, the license code (C) should be sent to Support or to your distributor, together with
a description of the types and number of licenses required.
If necessary, select the House Controllers tab, in order to see which type of house controller is installed.
4.1.1.4 Visualization
1. Select the Visualization tab (A)
(A)
(B)
(C) (D)
(E)
(G) (F)
(H)
When the structure is built up, an image can be added to each location - visualization. FarmOnline Explorer may
be used with the following image file formats: JPG, BMP and PNG.
At least one image should be added at farm level (B) if visualization is used.
1. Select a location in the overview and click on Select image (C).
2. Select the desired image.
Ensure that the correct location in the overview has been selected.
If a visualization has not been added to a location, the program displays the visualization of the overlying
location.
An image can be removed again by clicking Delete image (D).
Hotspots
Hotspots can be added to the visualization to display key values and alarms from the house.
• Select a location in the overview (E) and click on Edit hotspots (F).
• Select the location that you would like to use as a hotspot in the overview and use the mouse to drag it onto
the image.
• Positioning of hotspot text and points can be changed by clicking and dragging the mouse.
• The color of the hotspots can be customised to fit the visualization.
• Click on Edit hotspot (F) to adjust the various elements.
• Click on Delete hotspot to delete a selected hotspot.
• Click on Save hotspot (G) when the desired configuration of the entire visualization is complete.
• Click on (H) to make all hotspots larger or smaller.
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