What can I do with Ethernet today? What is coming?

[RegGuheert]

I have not done anything with the Ethernet port so far since I did not have the cabling done and there was no internet access at the site.  I now have the Ethernet wiring done and tomorrow I will be receiving a wireless bridge which will allow me to have full internet access at the site when I am there with my cell phone.  So I am wondering what types of things I can do with through the Ethernet port when I hook this up:

1)  Can I ping it?  I'm assuming I can!
2)  Can I configure it?  Is there a web server running on the unit that I can access to configure the device and view telemetry?  If so, how do I log in?
3)  Can I set it up to transfer its telemetry data to a server somewhere on the web?  If so, how do I go about it?
4)  Can I update the firmware directly from the internet using the front panel of the unit?
5)  Is there a Windows-based program that I can use to grab stored or streaming telemetry data from the unit?
6)  Anything else?

Can you please let me know which of these things are available today and, if they are not, when and if they are planned for the future?

TIA!

Reg

[RegGuheert]

I got the wireless bridge yesterday and gave it a try.

So here is my answer to my own questions about what it can do today over Ethernet:
The Classic 200 can configure itself with a DHCP server and it can return pings.  Period.

No telnet, http or https, at least not at the standard port numbers.  I can enable or disable "Web Access", but since the http://www.mymidnite.com site mentioned in the Owner's Manual simply redirects to the main Midnite Solar website, it doesn't make sense to do this.

Anyone at Midnite care to share your plans for the Ethernet port, if any?

TIA,

Reg

[boB]

I got the wireless bridge yesterday and gave it a try.

So here is my answer to my own questions about what it can do today over Ethernet:
The Classic 200 can configure itself with a DHCP server and it can return pings.  Period.

No telnet, http or https, at least not at the standard port numbers.  I can enable or disable "Web Access", but since the http://www.mymidnite.com site mentioned in the Owner's Manual simply redirects to the main Midnite Solar website, it doesn't make sense to do this.

Anyone at Midnite care to share your plans for the Ethernet port, if any?

TIA,

Reg

Reg, web access from our server coming oh so soon.  Sorry, not today.  Next week ??   Maybe ??   Either way, I believe that part will be well worth
waiting for.

Having said that, if you had a modbus client program, such as "modscan" or something, you could connect to the Classic and get information from it.
In fact, you could do that remotely if you opened up the ports on your router for it...   It was port 3900 for a long time but now I believe it is
the normal modbus ovrer IP port  502.

Also, there IS an application we have that updates the firmware in the Classic over IP but unfortunately does not update the
firmware in the MNGP remote.... Yet.

So that's where we are right now.   The main engineer really is working feverishly to get the web app running and from what
I have seen, it will be very very soon now.

Sorry, there isn't a web server actually programmed into the Classic itself.  We have found that is not really the best way to
do something like this.  It can be a real pain for the customers to set up their routers, in general.

Then, there will be other MidNite as well as third party application software that will get information from and send commands to
the Classic.

boB

[RegGuheert]

Hi boB,

Thanks for providing details on what is coming for Ethernet and when!

I will give these things a try as they become available.

Modbus over TCP/IP sounds like something that could be very useful for the industry!  I'm wondering, will it be possible to control anything connected to the Modbus this way, or just the Classic that includes the Ethernet port?

Thanks again!

Reg

[boB]

Hi boB,
I'm wondering, will it be possible to control anything connected to the Modbus this way, or just the Classic that includes the Ethernet port?

I ~think~ that you can connect to other modbus ports over that, but I'm not exactly sure.  I will find out.
I know that some things are stripped off of modbus over TCP/IP such as the end CRC bytes though.
Hopefully the beginning modbus address is not stipped off.   But even if it is, we should
be able to create a work around.  For instance, you will want to connect with the MNGP remote as
well and grab (or put) information from (or to ) it...  Or, change what menu is displayed, or
say something out of its little speaker to whever is in the room, or any number of crazy things.
Mainly, you might want to talk with another RS-232 modbus unit on the network that doesn't have
an ethernet port or just isn't connected to your router.

boB

[RegGuheert]

Sorry, there isn't a web server actually programmed into the Classic itself.  We have found that is not really the best way to do something like this.  It can be a real pain for the customers to set up their routers, in general.

Hi boB,

I would like to log a customer vote for a built-in web server.  While you say that it can be a real pain, I will say that it is MUCH less pain and expense for your customers to access the device in this manner than through any of the other methods we have discussed.  Seriously, practically everyone has web servers and it would be nice to be able to pull up a web page on any computer, phone or iPad on the network and have a quick look at what is going on.

Just my US$0.02,

Reg

[boB]

Sorry, there isn't a web server actually programmed into the Classic itself.  We have found that is not really the best way to do something like this.  It can be a real pain for the customers to set up their routers, in general.

Hi boB,

I would like to log a customer vote for a built-in web server.  While you say that it can be a real pain, I will say that it is MUCH less pain and expense for your customers to access the device in this manner than through any of the other methods we have discussed.  Seriously, practically everyone has web servers and it would be nice to be able to pull up a web page on any computer, phone or iPad on the network and have a quick look at what is going on.

Just my US$0.02,

Reg

Hi Reg.

I should hook you up with  some of the customers that have had trouble setting up their web server controllers.

We could eventually put a web server in there if there's enough code space left and time to do it.

boB

[tallgirl]

I'd like to log my vote for Modbus/TCP to be finished and the register maps to be published.  I have a partner with sales hanging on this.  This works well with Morningstar.  Modbus ain't that hard to do ...

[boB]

I'd like to log my vote for Modbus/TCP to be finished and the register maps to be published.  I have a partner with sales hanging on this.  This works well with Morningstar.  Modbus ain't that hard to do ...

Yes, I was working with our network guy on that map to better document those registers and had to divert my attention.

I was making good progress, too.  I will see if I can finish that up this weekend so you can get that list.

Thanks,
boB

[tallgirl]

boB,

Thanks.

How is Modbus over RS-485?  I have a system in Alaska I'm supposed to talk dirty to, now that my other work (wrapping up the "Spring Release") is just about done.  I'd assumed it was cooked, but Jason mentioned there were some loose threads.  How is that for mixing metaphores?