In order to communicate with Davicom units (other than by voice interface), DavLink needs to be installed on the computer you are using. Instead of DavLink, you can also use a Web Browser to connect in HTTPS mode. However, DavLink provides a friendlier graphical user interface, and also allows you to configure a site dial-directory. The dial directory, which is the equivalent of a phone book for the Davicom sites, is useful if you have several Davicom units in different locations. DavLink also allows one to design customized control and monitoring screens for each site. Supervisors can also configure several DavLink users if different persons work on the same computer (during work shifts for example). Each DavLink user can have their own access level, and can select their own screens for each site, in the language of their choice.

If you are using someone else’s computer which has the DavLink software installed, you will still be able to connect to Davicom units if you remember the site telephone number/IP address, as well as your Davicom unit username and password. You might have access to the site directory on that computer, if you have been issued a DavLink username and password for the computer, but that directory might differ from yours and might not include the sites you wish to connect to. Finally, you will not be able to display any of the customized view panels you might have created on your own computer since DavLink settings are independent from one computer to another.

Although some limitations apply, all newer versions of DavLink software are backwards compatible with older Davicom models and older Davicom firmware versions. You can therefore upgrade your DavLink software as new versions become available, and still be able to connect to all your legacy Davicom units. Please visit the Software & Firmware page regularly for the latest DavLink software downloads. Note that some features offered in newer DavLink versions will not be available when connecting to older Davicom units because of hardware and software limitations. Contact us for details.

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Using Site Management systems to help operate your remote sites can generate large amounts of alarm and status data. Having a network of sites further compounds the problem. 

The solution to this problem is to use a Network Operations Center (NOC) software with data-basing capabilities.

DavNet is our NOC & data storage software that allows you to keep track of events that occur on your Network of Davicom Cortex units. DavNet is installed on a central computer that runs 24/7 and must have visibility of the Davicom Cortex hardware via IP networking, dial-up telephone lines or even over low data-rate serial links (VHF point-to-point radios, for example). 

This article presents a summary of DavNet’s log-reception and databasing capabilities.

DavNet Data Collection types

DavNet can collect four types of data from your remote network of sites.

Spontaneous Events

These are spontaneous alarms (either minor or major) that can be sent to DavNet as soon as they happen. Every time you receive an alarm, DavNet will connect to the unit to take a system status of every active I/O in the unit (see more on the System Status in paragraph 2.2 below). This extra step may help you to quickly diagnose the cause of the alarm when you are notified. 

Site icons will appear as colored dots on the DavNet Map and also on the site alarm buffer shown in the 2 screenshots below.

• Major Alarms are RED
• Minor Alarms are YELLOW
• Normal is GREEN
• Regular Site Status information is indicated with a BLUE dot.

System Status

A system status report is a snapshot of all the readings in the unit at a specific moment in time. 

This log can be set in the Davicom Cortex to send periodically as a failsafe method or it can be requested by DavNet based on a scheduler that you can configure on the NOC end. 

History Log

This log, also called the System log, is a list of every event that has occurred in the Davicom Cortex unit during a specific period of time.

Since the Davicom Cortex has a circular buffer that can accept up to 1024 entries, you can configure the unit to send the history log to DavNet whenever the buffer reaches a specific percentage of maximal capacity. For example, if you set the Davicom Cortex to send the log every day at 8 AM and the buffer reaches 90% capacity by 11 PM the evening before, it will send the data that was logged between 8 AM and 11 PM to DavNet, at 11 PM. It will then send any extra data that was accumulated between 11 PM and 8 AM, at 8 AM the next morning. 

This type of log transfer is pre-configured in the Davicom Cortex unit. 

Custom Logs

The Custom log contains up to 32 user-selectable I/O points or Virtual channels and the logging can be configured for Events (alarms) only, or for periodic sampling. Just as in the history log, these samples are contained in a circular buffer with 1024 entries. 

The sampling can be performed on any physical or virtual I/O. including status, math functions, relays or even SNMP inputs.  

Log transfers work the same way as for the History Log. Transfers can be scheduled at the rate you want and they will be sent anyway if the buffer capacity reached a certain % of 1024. This type of log transfer can be configured in the Davicom Cortex unit. 

Fun Fact: The unit’s logs can also be saved to a local USB-memory stick connected to the back of the Davicom Cortex.

Exporting/Viewing:

All 4 of the types of data listed above are archived in a database managed by DavNet. You can either visualize or extract the logs using the built-in database viewer. Data can be sorted using multiple filters such as time, ID, Site name, etc. 

Every archived System or Custom log can be saved to your computer if you would like to further analyze the data using Excel or any other type of platform. 

Davicom Cortex Logs are also available for download formatted as HTML files. 

Fun Fact: MS Excel imports HTML files directly, with the added benefit of automatically formatting into an elegant display format.

Conclusion

This article presented DavNet’s log-storage and database query capabilities for the 4 types of Log data produced by Davicom Cortex units.

About Davicom

In the mid 1990’s, Davicom started producing and commercializing the first generation of its Remote Monitoring and Control Systems. From the very beginning, these unique systems were designed, developed and maintained with a single objective in mind: to provide the broadcast and telecommunications industries with an efficient, intelligent and trusted monitoring and control system for their remote transmission sites.

Over the years, new capabilities were added to maintain the product’s position as an industry innovator. From initial VT-100 terminal communications, through the addition of fax & voice capabilities, the units have evolved to the present secure-Internet version with SNMP V3 functionality, iOS/Android App support and smart-functions for reduced false alarm rates. 

Davicom systems are used worldwide by industry leaders in broadcast, public safety and land mobile radio to help maintain the integrity and operational efficiency of their networks.

The post DavNet Alarms and Logs from Your Network of Remote Sites appeared first on Davicom Exchange Support Portal (DEX).

It is important to understand what information is stored in a Davicom unit, versus that which is stored by DavLink in a computer. This way, when you communicate with a Davicom unit using a telephone, you will know what information the Davicom can provide by itself. Also, when you use DavLink on someone else’s computer, you will have access to all the information stored in the Davicom unit, but will be aware of what might not be available on that other computer.

Connect/Disconnect versus Logon/Logoff

IMPORTANT NOTE: For increased security, each Davicom unit and each installation of DavLink have their own distinct logons and information storage.

When you connect to a Davicom unit using a touch-tone telephone or the Connect icon (), you have to provide a valid Davicom username and password. The Davicom unit will compare the user data that is provided with authorized users that have been stored in its memory.

When you start the DavLink software, you have the option of logging-on to the program by clicking the Logon/Logoff icon (). This logon gives you access to the DavLink edit mode which allows you to create, edit and delete personalized monitoring and control screens called workspaces.

Logging-on to DavLink also gives you access to your site directory (). The directory is a quick and convenient way to connect to any of your Davicom units without having to remember phone numbers/addresses, usernames and passwords. Although logging on to the DavLink software allows you to connect to Davicom units via the directory, these two functions (Logon and Connect) are completely independent and each use different usernames, access levels and passwords. The database in DavLink contains both the usernames and passwords to logon to the DavLink directory, as well as the usernames and passwords to connect to each individual Davicom unit.

In order to avoid any security breach, you should disconnect from the Davicom unit once you are done by clicking the Disconnect icon (), or with the 99# touch-tone command. You should also logoff from DavLink (if applicable) using the Logon/Logoff icon ().

Information stored in the unit’s memory versus that in your computer

Davicom unit usernames and passwords, site identification, input/output configuration, automatic actions, alarm settings and calibration data are all stored in the memory of the remote site unit, and can be saved as a cfg file.

All Dial Directory and DavLink User Information, as well as Workspace (mcw) files are stored directly in your computer.

The post DV-200 unit versus DavLink Software appeared first on Davicom Exchange Support Portal (DEX).

2. Connect your Android device to your PC and allow access to your device data.  

3. On you PC, navigate to This PC > (Android Device) > Notifications and put your MP3 audio file here.  

4. Eject your Android device from your PC. 

On your Android* device, you can now chose your new custom alert sound with the procedure “How to Set a Custom Alert Sound in Settings”

How to Set a Custom Alert Sound in Settings*

You can change and set up custom notification sounds via the default phone settings. Here’s how to do this:  

1. On your device, navigate to Settings > Apps > Dav2You. The menu names may be slightly different on some devices—for this example, we’ll be using a Samsung device.  

2. On the app info page, tap Notifications and toggle on the slider button for Show notifications.  

3. You will be able to view a number of notification categories under the Other section. Tap dav2youchannel2.  

4. Select Alert

5. Scroll down to the Sound section. It shows the default tone enabled for the app. Tap Sound and select your desired notification tone from the list.  

How to activate the Notification reminders* 

1. On your device, navigate to Settings > Notifications > Advanced settings > Notification reminders.  

2. Set the Notification reminders to On. 

3. Tap Remind every to select the delay between each reminder. 

4. Tap Select apps to reminders for and turn on the Dav2You switch.

*Android 11

The post How to Add a Custom Alert Sound to Dav2You in Android devices* appeared first on Davicom Exchange Support Portal (DEX).

Before setting up a new Workspace in DavLink, make sure that the Workspace you want to set is available from the PC itself (on the local disk or from another storage location or storage device).

To change the default DavLink Workspace that loads-up when connecting to a Davicom Cortex , first connect to a unit, then from the DavLink top menu, go to File > Set Default Workspace.

A window opens, from which you can browse to the Workspace location by clicking on the small Folder icon. Once the desired Workspace is found and selected, click on OK. The newly loaded Workspace will automatically load at the next login.

It is possible to edit and create custom Davicom Cortex Workspaces using DavLink 6. The tutorials already covering this process using a web browser type of connection are quite similar and should allow you to create and edit workspaces easily. To learn more about this subject, see the Introduction to Workspace Edition, Creation and Saving articles.

The post How to change the DavLink 6 default Workspace appeared first on Davicom Exchange Support Portal (DEX).

1- Open the Dav2You App and click on the + in the upper right corner.

You should see this screen.

2- Enter the unit’s Username. For the purpose of this tutorial, we are using the default Supervisor level username and password.

3- Enter the unit’s Password.

4- Enter the unit’s IP Address.

Please ensure that Port 23 is open for TCP and UDP in your network or set it to another value determined by your network administrator.

5- Save your Site Parameters by clicking the Save button in the upper right corner.

The Site Parameters should update themselves automatically to show the unit’s Site Name, Site ID, Latitude and Longitude (as long as these have been pre-configured in the unit).

When you click the Close button in the upper left corner, you will be brought back to the main Sites screen and your unit should now be listed.

If you click the Map tab that is located at the bottom of your screen, you should also be able to view your site on the Map. If the site doesn’t appear here, the Latitude and Longitude have not been set in the unit.

If Site Registration fails, please use the Dav2You App debug check-list below.

1- Check if the Apple APNS Certificate in the Davicom unit is present and valid (IP connection required):

For Davicom Cortex Series units: 

a) Go to “SYSTEM”, then “APNS UPDATE”, then check the current certificate info.

b) If it is outdated or if none is listed, click on Check for an update. If the Update now button highlights (changes from pale to darker), it means that an update is available. Click on that button and the certificate will update, then click on Save.

For DV-200 Series units (except the Micro):

a)  Unit Configuration > APNS Update

b)  Click on the Check for an update button. If an update is available, click on Update now.

2- Make sure the unit is reachable by IP (DavLink or web browser)

3- Make sure the unit’s IP port matches the one set in the App

4- A DNS IP address is required in the Davicom unit

5- Make sure that the selected IP port is open in the network

6- Make sure you have properly entered the username and password (the same ones as in the Davicom unit you are trying to reach).

7- Make sure the Davicom unit IP address entered in the App is the same address as the Davicom unit you are trying to reach

8- Network must allow UDP communications as well asTCP

9- Sometimes, a reboot of the Davicom unit and/or the phone is required

10- Try both over Wi-Fi and 3G / LTE

11- Try to connect to one of our in-house demo units at:

• Demo #1 (DV-208) @ 69.70.130.227
• Demo #2 (DV-Mini) @ 69.70.130.228

12- If possible, install the Dav2You App on an another Apple or Android mobile device (one of yours or someone else’s).

Android

1- Open the Dav2You App and click on the + in the upper right corner.

You should see this screen.

2- Enter the unit’s Username. For the purpose of this tutorial, we are using the default Supervisor level username and password.

3- Enter the unit’s Password.

4- Enter the unit’s IP Address.

Please ensure that Port 23 is open for TCP and UDP in your network or set it to another value determined by your network administrator.

5- Save your Site Parameters by clicking the Save button.

You will be brought back to the main Sites screen and your unit should now be listed. The Site Parameters should update themselves automatically to show the unit’s Site Name, Site ID, Latitude and Longitude (as long as these have been pre-configured in the unit).

If you click the Map tab that is located at the bottom of your screen, you should also be able to view your site on the Map. If the site doesn’t appear here, the Latitude and Longitude have not been set in the unit.

If Site Registration fails, please use the Dav2You App debug check-list below.

1- Make sure the unit is reachable by IP (DavLink or web browser)

2- Make sure the unit’s IP port matches the one set in the App

3- A DNS IP address is required in the Davicom unit

4- Make sure that the selected IP port is open in the network

5- Make sure you have properly entered the username and password (the same ones as in the Davicom unit you are trying to reach).

6- Make sure the Davicom unit IP address entered in the App is the same address as the Davicom unit you are trying to reach

7- Network must allow UDP communications as well asTCP

8- Sometimes, a reboot of the Davicom unit and/or the phone is required

9- Try both over Wi-Fi and 3G / LTE

10- Try to connect to one of our in-house demo units at:

• Demo #1 (DV-208) @ 69.70.130.227
• Demo #2 (DV-Mini) @ 69.70.130.228

11- If possible, install the Dav2You App on an another Apple or Android mobile device (one of yours or someone else’s).

The post How to Connect Your Unit to the Dav2You App appeared first on Davicom Exchange Support Portal (DEX).

To do so, launch DavLink and click on the Key icon in its top menu (DavLink Logon/Logoff).

Then, at the logon screen, enter SUPER for username and SSSSSSSS for password. You will now be logged on.

Next, go in the top menu and click on Setup, then Options. You will see the following popup screen:

Now, select the first item in the property box and go click on the browse button at the bottom.

There are 3 relay control possibilities which are as follow: 0 is no mouse click control, 1 is one-click operation, and 2 is double-click operation.

Please note that activating relay mouse-click control may be somewhat dangerous since someone could accidentally turn on or off a relay, which could therefore cause important equipment shutdown or start-up. Double-click control is safer than Single-click control. If you select Single-click control, a warning sign will appear to remind you to be careful.

The post How to Control a Relay in DavLink Using a Mouse (DV-200) appeared first on Davicom Exchange Support Portal (DEX).

1. Go to openstreetmap.org.

2. Find the area of interest by moving and zooming-in/zooming-out.

3. Click Export in the top left corner.

4. Click the Share button in the right sidebar.

5. Make sure the map is positioned as desired and centered within the visible screen. Zoom in/zoom out or move the map as needed.

6. Take note of the four numbers representing the latitudes and longitudes of the edges of the map area that are shown in the Export sidebar. Note: make sure the Share tab on the right is open when you do this so that the data reflects the actual map that will be downloaded.

7. Download the image of the map in JPEG format from the Share sidebar.

8. Open the downloaded image on your computer, and using your default Photo app, Paint, or any photo viewing/editing app, save the image as a bitmap (.bmp).

9. Open DavNet and navigate to the Panel Properties.

10. Enter the Start X, End X, Start Y, End Y values based on what was obtained during step 6. Refer to the picture below to know how to correctly assign the data to its corresponding field.

11. Upload the .bmp image of the map in the field indicated below.

12. If the map does not fit the screen dimensions (too large or too high), you can resize it in Paint or any photo editing app to fit the screen better and then upload it again (without changing the coordinates). Note: do not crop the image, only resize it. The coordinates will not match anymore if you crop it.

13. Click Ok to exit.

Using Google Maps

1. Go to Google Maps

2. Find the area of interest by moving and zooming-in/zooming-out.

3. Set browser into “full-screen” mode.

4. If a status bar from the browser appears at the bottom of the screen, set the browser so the bar is hidden.

5. Center the desired map as much as possible.

6. On the current screen display, right-click with your mouse and select “Print”.

7. Adjust the map position by scrolling down to hide the top bar and to make the map full screen.

8. Take a screen shot using a snipping tool or the built-in screenshot/print screen button and save the image under Bitmap (.bmp) format. If you cannot directly save it as .bmp, open the photo on your computer and save it again as a .bmp through your default photo app, Paint, or another photo viewing/editing software.

9. Get out of the Print Mode by clicking on “Cancel” in the Google Maps top right corner.

10. Back in Google Maps, take note of the latitude and longitude coordinate values that match the 4 sides of the previously captured map. To do this, right click on the top, bottom, left side, and right side limits of the map area you previously captured to display the coordinates of that point. For the top and bottom limit coordinates, only note the latitude (the first number). For the left and right limit coordinates only note the longitude (the second number).

11. Open DavNet and navigate to the Panel Properties.

12. Enter the Start X, End X, Start Y, End Y values based on what was obtained during step 10. Refer to the picture below to know how to correctly assign the data to its corresponding field.

13. Upload the .bmp image of the map in the field indicated below.

14. If the map does not fit the screen dimensions (too large or too high), you can resize it in Paint or any photo editing app to fit the screen better and then upload it again (without changing the coordinates). Note: do not crop the image, only resize it. The coordinates will not match anymore if you crop it.

15. Click Ok to exit.

DavNet map making basics

NOTES

• DavNet requires map geographical coordinates to be in decimal degrees format (same as what Google Maps uses).
• When saving maps, use Bitmap format.
• You can use different map types or map styles in DavNet. Just make sure that every map has the same geographical coordinates. (For example, you could use topographic-view map, a road-view map, an aerial view map, or even a hand-drawn map).
• If needed, you can add any icon or FIXED (permanent) site icon(s) onto the Bitmap image before making a DavNet map out of it.
• Just like it is possible with Davlink, it is also possible in DavNet to have many window views (tabs), each being attached to a Region. Each tab can represent a different region, each having a different scale and different sites.

The post How to Create a Custom Map in DavNet appeared first on Davicom Exchange Support Portal (DEX).

Launch DavLink and click on the key icon.

In the logon screen, enter SUPER as Username and enter SSSSSSSS as Password. Click on OK.

Activate the Edit mode by clicking on the pen-like icon.

You can now resize the workspace using the slider button or by entering a value into the box. Once done, rename and save the workspace from the File menu, and log off.

Workspaces can be resized multiple times based on your needs.

The post How to Resize DavLink Workspaces (DV-200) appeared first on Davicom Exchange Support Portal (DEX).

In DavNet >Tools>Site setup (or simply click on the wrench and then to the site location on the map if you have one). Set up each site in both DavNets as normal, entering the site name, site ID, site IP address, username, password, etc. as shown in the example below. Make sure that all of the equipment is on the same network. 

More information on sending alarms is in the user manuals, but it may be necessary to forward port 23 at both ends, if routers are involved.

Then set up both DavNets in each Davicom at each site as follows (Unit>Unit Configuration>Alarm Call Lists.)

Test that alarms can be sent from each site to each DavNet by trying them individually. You can do this by temporarily disabling each DavNet in turn, creating an alarm and making sure it gets through to the DavNet. 

Once it is established that each Davicom can send alarms to both DavNets we need to disable the ASA (alarm-call sequence acknowledged) on the first DavNet.

When DavNet receives an alarm it normally acknowledges that alarm so that the Davicom stops sending any more alarms. The reason behind this is that the Davicom has delivered its alarm to the NOC (Network Operations Centre) and so has done its job.

However, when we have 2 NOCs the first NOC must not acknowledge the alarm so the Davicom goes on to send an alarm to the 2^nd NOC.

On the first DavNet go into Setup > ASA configuration and check each checkbox as follows.

This ensures that this DavNet never acknowledges a call. The second DavNet should have all of the checkbox unticked.

Now in each Davicom go into Unit>Unit Configuration>Alarm and Communication Parameters and set the following parameters.

This now means that once an alarm happens, the Davicom waits 10 seconds, sends an alarm to the first DavNet, doesn’t receive an ASA, so it sends the same alarm to the 2^nd DavNet 30 seconds later. If it fails to get through it will wait 1 minute and try again for a maximum of 5 times. This could mean that it sends the same alarm to the first DavNet more than once (if it fails to get through to the 2^nd DavNet) but this is better than not sending at all. The alarms will all have the same time stamp on them.

The “Transmit Alarm to DavNet Even if Previously Acknowledged” checkbox ensures that alarms are sent through to both DavNets even if acknowledged locally, thus ensuring that they both have a complete list of alarms.

Setting Up Test Alarm Buttons

It is always useful to put Major and Minor test alarm buttons in your Davicom so that alarms can easily be generated. To set up a Major Test button set up the following relay.

And the following VLG (virtual logic gate)

Do the same using for 1R02 and 1V02 but make it a Minor Alarm. If you are short of physical relays it is possible to substitute Virtual relays (1O01, etc.) for physical relays.

Now by forcing on or pulsing each relay an alarm will be generated and sent.

DavNet Icons

Since DavNet V5.56 the icons display the current status of each site, not the historical alarms. Icon colours are as follows:

The site is normal. This is the normal state and if a site looks like this it is OK. There are no active alarms.

The site has a minor alarm which is acknowledged within DavNet. Connect to the site to see active alarms.

The site has a major alarm which is acknowledged within DavNet. Connect to the site to see active alarms.

When DavNet starts it polls all sites. Black indicates that the site has not yet been polled.

The site is normal but there are unacknowledged alarms. Click on the site to see active alarms.

The site has a minor alarm which is unacknowledged. Click on the site to see active alarms.

The site has a major alarm which is unacknowledged. Click on the site to see active alarms.

The colours indicate the status of the site when last connected, not the most recent alarm.

System and Custom Logs

System and custom logs can only be downloaded to one of the DavNets. Decide which one and enter that IP address into the System or Custom log window (Unit>Unit configuration>Status and log transfers) as follows. 

More information on log transfer can be found in the Davicom manuals.

If transferring logs from more than one site, it is a good idea to stagger the times so they don’t all contact DavNet at the same time.

Task Scheduler Configuration

Each Davnet can contact each site on a regular basis to make sure that they are still on line and to check their status.

In DavNet>Setup>Task scheduler configuration set up each site as follows.

If the call succeeds an entry will be put in the log and a reading of every input and output taken. If the call fails 3 times a minor alarm will be raised.

If using IP we recommend calling once per hour. If an alarm happens in between the Davicom will contact DavNet to report it.

Licensing

Each instance of DavNet is licensed for a single computer and is priced for the number of sites it can communicate with.

If you wish to run 2 instances of DavNet you will have to buy 2 licences. For pricing options please contact your local representative.

The post How to Send Alarms to More Than One DavNet appeared first on Davicom Exchange Support Portal (DEX).