CXAccess User Guide

Part Number: 3008M300-003

Date: September 2006

PROPRIETARY NOTICE
This publication contains information proprietary and confidential to Memotec Inc. Any reproduction, disclosure
or unauthorized use of this publication is expressly prohibited except as Memotec Inc. may otherwise authorize
in writing.
Memotec Inc. reserves the right to make changes without notice in product or component design as warranted by
evolution in user needs or progress in engineering or manufacturing technology.
All brand names and product names used in this manual are trademarks, registered trademarks, or trade names of
their respective holders.
Copyright 2006 Memotec Inc.
Memotec is a subsidiary of Comtech EF Data.

Memotec Inc.
7755 Henri Bourassa Blvd. West
Montreal, Quebec
Canada H4S 1P7
Tel.: (514) 738-4781
FAX:(514) 738-4436
Web site: http://www.memotec.com/

Contents
Getting Started....................................................................................................................................................... 4
System Requirements ........................................................................................................................................... 4
Limitations ........................................................................................................................................................... 4
Installing CXAccess .............................................................................................................................................. 4
CXAccess Interface ............................................................................................................................................... 5
Main Menu........................................................................................................................................................... 6
File .................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Edit .................................................................................................................................................................. 7
View ................................................................................................................................................................ 9
Device ........................................................................................................................................................... 10
Transfer......................................................................................................................................................... 11
Help............................................................................................................................................................... 15
Connecting to a Memotec CX Device ................................................................................................................ 16
Connecting to the CX console port ................................................................................................................... 16
Connecting to the CX IP interface over an IP network...................................................................................... 16
Performing File Operations ................................................................................................................................ 17
Updating the Firmware ...................................................................................................................................... 17
Updating the Script............................................................................................................................................ 18
Troubleshooting .................................................................................................................................................. 20

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CXAccess User Guide

Getting Started
CXAccess is a windows-based terminal application with a command line interface used to access
Memotec CX devices. When connected, the user can modify the configuration, change the firmware or
gather statistics. Once installed, CXAccess is launched like a regular Windows application.

System Requirements
The following is required to install and run CXAccess:

Microsoft Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT (service pack 4 or above),

Windows 2000, Windows XP

IBM-compatible PC (Pentium 266 or higher)

A minimum 64 megabytes of RAM

A color monitor supporting 1024 x 768 pixel screen resolution is recommended

10 megabytes or more free disk space

A serial COM port, for connection to the console port of CX devices

An Ethernet interface for IP connection to CX devices

Note: Some computers, such as laptops, do not come equipped with serial COM ports. In this case a
USB to Serial DB-9 RS-232 adapter cable is required to connect to the console port of a CX device.
Limitations
There are a few limitations that should be noted:

Only one instance of CXAccess can run at a time

A maximum of 8 serial COM ports can be accessed by CXAccess. If more are installed
on your PC, CXAccess cannot connect those additional ports.

Installing CXAccess
1. Insert the Memotec CD and double-click on the setup.exe file in the CXAccess folder.
2. Follow the installation directions on the Set Up screens.
3. Restart the PC when prompted to complete the installation.
The CXAccess installation program will also perform the following modifications to the WhatsUp
Professional installation, if present:

Add support for the various members of the CX family (CX2000, CX960e, etc.)
Integrate CXAccess into the WhatsUp Professional user interface. This allows users to
start and connect to a CX device by right-clicking on a CX device icon in the WhatsUp
Professional map window.
For help on how to add the CX devices in your network to the WhatsUp Professional map window,
please consult the Discovering CX Devices section in the CXMon User Guide, located on the Memotec
CD.

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CXAccess Interface
When CXAccess is launched, the main window appears. This main window, shown below, is
comprised of the following sections: the Main Menu, the Toolbar, the Device Tree, the Terminal
Window and the Status Bar.
Main Menu

Device Tree

Toolbar

Terminal Window

Status Bar

The Terminal Window is main screen where the commands typed are shown. The Device Tree is
the section where the CX device being connected to is shown. The Status Bar displays important
information for the user. The Toolbar provides fast access to some of the most frequently used features
of CXAccess. Finally the Main Menu has all the commands needed to use CXAccess. The Main Menu
is described in detail in the following pages.

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Main Menu
The following items make up the Main Menu: File, Edit, View, Device, Transfer and Help. They are
described in detail below. The toolbar icon that corresponds to the Main Menu item is listed as well.
File
The File menu item contains commands pertaining to opening and saving configuration files:
Toolbar
Icon

Menu Item

Keyboard
Shortcut

New

CTRL+N

Creates a new blank configuration file. New files only contain COM ports,
and nothing else.

Open

CTRL+O

Opens an existing configuration file. Configuration files are usually located

in the same directory as the CXAccess application. These files are given
the default file extension .cfg. (Note: no default file extension was
provided prior to version 1.3. It may be that older configuration files were
named differently.)

Save

CTRL+S

Saves the configuration settings to the current file. If it is a new file, and
has not been previously saved, the SAVE AS dialog box will open. Note the
name of the current file appears at the top of the window.

Save As
Print
Terminal

-CTRL+P

Description

Saves the current configuration settings to a new configuration file. The

user will be prompted to enter a filename for the file.
Prints the content of the terminal window.

List of
recent files

--

Lists the most recently opened configuration files. Up to 4 file names are
retained for convenience.

Exit

--

Closes the CXAccess application. If changes have been made to the current
file, you will be prompted to save them before the application terminates.

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Edit
The Edit menu item contains commands pertaining to modifying configuration files:
Toolbar
Icon

Menu Item

Keyboard
Shortcut

Copy

CTRL+C

Copies the selected text in the terminal window and copies it to the
windows clipboard. The selected text can then be pasted into another
application.

Paste

CTRL+V

Pastes the text currently in windows clipboard to the terminal window or

to the opened dialog.

Description

Clear
Terminal

Clears all the data contained in the Terminal Window. Note: once the
information is cleared, there is no way to retrieve it (no undo) and unsaved
changes will be lost.

Settings

Accesses the setting dialog to customize CXAccess. See Settings Window

below.

Terminal
Content
Snapshot

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CTRL+R

Launches a text editor (like Notepad, or the one Windows has associated
with the .txt file extension) and displays the content of the Terminal
Window as a text file.

CXAccess User Guide

Settings Window
The Settings Window allows you to set your preferences for how CXAccess will look and operate.

Display/Columns:
This parameter sets the width of the terminal window. Text larger than the window size will wrap onto
the next line.
COM Port Reboot Speed:
The reboot speed is the speed that the console port will return to at the end of the Download First
Firmware operation.
IP Port/Timeout:
This is the amount of time, in milliseconds, that CXAccess will wait for an acknowledgment or prompt
from the CX device when connected using IP. After this time, the command is considered lost by
CXAccess, and the message RTTY timeout will be displayed. This may indicate that the CX device
did not understand or receive the last command entered, or that the last command did not return a
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response. For example, a CX reset (sysmgt restart=1) will not return a response. In this case receiving
a timeout message would be normal.
Shortcut Keys:
These user-defined shortcuts can be used to quickly access commands that are used most often (like
module and sysinfo) or to define commands that are difficult to type (for example: bopoprsap:210). As
shown in the image above, the shortcut keys range from F2 to F9. They can also be set to have a
second function, by holding down the ALT key first.
Note: Because shortcut keys are not saved in the configuration file, they are not cleared when a new
configuration file is created. To clear them, you need to open the Settings dialog and manually erase
them.
View
The View menu item contains commands pertaining to the appearance of CXAccess.
Toolbar
Icon

Menu Item

Keyboard
Shortcut

Description

Toolbar

--

Shows or hides the Toolbar buttons.

Status bar

--

Shows or hides the Status bar.

Time
stamp

--

When text is sent to a CX, the current PC date and time is added
immediately after the command entered. The timestamp is displayed before
the result received from the CX.

IP Address

--

When text is received from a CX device over an IP connection, the IP

address where the text is coming from is displayed. This is useful when
connecting to many CX devices over a short period of time. Since it takes a
few minutes with no commands entered by the user in the terminal window
for a CX device to consider an IP connection closed, some messages can be
sent to CXAccess during that time. Because these messages are not from
the device where the IP connection is currently active, this option will tell
the user from which device the text is coming.

Font

--

Sets the font type, size and style used in the Terminal window.

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Device
The Device menu item contains commands that add, remove or modify CX devices.
Toolbar
Icon

Menu Item

Keyboard
Shortcut

Description

Connect

--

Connects CX devices through the CXAccess interface.

Add

--

Adds segments or CX devices from the CXAccess interface. See

Add/Modify Network Segment and Add/Modify Device below.

Modify

--

Changes settings of CX devices.

Delete

--

Deletes CX devices from the CXAccess interface.

Add/Modify Network Segment

Network Segments provide a means to organize devices in the Navigation Tree and show dependency
from one CX to another. Network Segments are not required to connect to a CX.
The diagram (below, left) shows an example of adding a Network. You may add a description for your
own convenience, but it is not mandatory. If no description is entered, the network address will appear
in the device tree.
Add/Modify Device
Device Icons are used to define the IP address of the CX device you want to access. You may add a
description for your own convenience, but it is not mandatory (as shown in the diagram below, right).
If no description is entered, the device address will appear in the device tree. The default device
password is supervisor.

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CXAccess User Guide

Transfer
The Transfer menu item contains commands that can send scripts and firmware to the CX device. It
can also get (or fetch) scripts from the CX device.
Toolbar
Icon

Menu Item

Keyboard
Shortcut

Description

Send Script,
Run

F10

This button allows you to send a script or text file to the CX device. All
the commands from the script file are sent to the CX, one by one, until
the end of the file is reached.

Send Script,
Step

F11

This button allows you to send a script or text file to the CX device. Only
one command at a time is sent to the CX. The next command is sent
when this command is selected again.

Send Script,
Stop

F12

This button stops the process of sending a script (Run or Step) to the CX
device.

Capture text,
Start

--

Enables the capture file, and logs all the commands entered and the
results received from the CX. The capture file must have been already
selected earlier for this item to be accessible.

Capture text,
pause/resume

Pauses and resumes saving information sent and received to the capture
file. When paused, nothing sent or received is saved in the file. To start
saving again to the same file, select Resume.

Capture textStop

Stops saving to the capture file.

Capture textSelect File

Enables the capture file, and logs all the commands entered and the
results received from the CX (the Terminal window content). This is
useful when we want to take statistics.

Send File

CTRL+F

Sends a file to the CX device using TFTP or Y-Modem protocol,

depending on the connection type. The file can be a script to replace the
custom.txt or a new firmware application. See Send File below.

Fetch File

--

Retrieves files from the CX device using TFTP or Y-Modem protocol.

The file can be the custom script. This option is useful to make a backup
of the current configuration.

Download
First
Firmware

--

Sends the application firmware to a CX using the console port.

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CXAccess User Guide

Send Script
The Script Execution window manages the steps needed to run a previously saved script file. Select the
second radio button and either enter the script file name, or use the Browse button to find the specific
script file you want to send to the CX:

Using the Edit Script button launches your computers default text editor and allows you to make
changes to the script. A preview window on the right shows the script content.

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CXAccess User Guide

Send File

Local File Path/Name

This is the local file being sent to the CX. This file can be a script or a firmware application (.bin file).
You can type the file name (with the full path) in the edit box or use the browse button to select the file.
Remote File Path
Displays the remote name of the file being sent to the CX. When the file is a firmware application, the
remote name is usually the same as the local file. If the file is a script file then the remote name must be
custom.txt. You can type this name in the edit box or check the Custom Script box to automatically
force the remote name to this.
Timeout
This is the time after which a block is considered lost and needs to be retransmitted.
This timeout should be higher than the round trip delay between the PC and the CX where the transfer
will occur. The default value is usually enough.

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CXAccess User Guide

Blocksize
This is the size of each block sent to the CX. Blocksize values larger than 512 bytes are supported as of
firmware revision 5.0.0. If the blocksize value you select is not supported by the firmware, the default
of 512 bytes will be used for the transfer. Larger blocksize values significantly reduce the time to
transfer the file, especially on links with large round trip delays. The default value is 512 bytes, but you
can use larger values if the firmware revision used supports it. Note: for technical reasons, the
maximum blocksize supported on the CX2000 is 1024 bytes.
Retry
This is the number of times a block should be retransmitted when a block is lost. After this amount of
retries is reached for a block, the file transfer will be stopped. The default value is usually enough.

Fetch File

Local File Path/Name

This is the local file name of file received from the CX. This file can be a script (custom.txt). You can
type the file name (with the full path) in the edit box or use the browse button to select the file.

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Remote File Path

This is the remote name of the file to retrieve from the CX. You can type this name in the edit box or
check the Custom Script box to automatically force the remote name to this.
Timeout
This is the time after which a block is considered lost and needs to be retransmitted. This timeout
should be higher than the round trip delay between the PC and the CX where the transfer will occur.
The default value is usually enough.
Blocksize
This is the size of each block sent to the CX. Blocksize values larger than 512 bytes are supported as of
firmware revision 5.0.0. If the blocksize value you select is not supported by the firmware, the default
of 512 bytes will be used for the transfer. Larger blocksize values significantly reduce the time to
transfer the file, especially on links with large round trip delays. The default value is 512 bytes, but you
can use larger values if the firmware revision used supports it. Note: for technical reasons, the
maximum blocksize supported on the CX2000 is 1024 bytes.
Retry
This is the number of times a block should be retransmitted when a block is lost. After this amount of
retries is reached for a block, the file transfer will be stopped. The default value is usually enough.
Help
The Help menu item contains CXAccess version information.
Toolbar
Icon

Menu Item

About
CXAccess

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Keyboard
Shortcut

--

Description

Launches a small window that shows the CXAccess version number.

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CXAccess User Guide

Connecting to a Memotec CX Device

There are two methods of connecting your PC to the CX device: using a Serial connection to the CX
devices console port, or using Ethernet to connect over an IP network to the CX devices IP interface.
Both methods are described below:
Connecting to the CX console port
1. Connect the Serial COM port of the PC to the console port of the CX using the RJ-12-to-DB-9
cable.
2. Launch CXAccess. You can do so by double-clicking on the CXAccess icon on your desktop,
or by going to the Start Menu and selecting ProgramsMemotecCXAccess.
3. Expand My Computer on the left portion of the screen. This will show the COM ports.
4. Select the COM port that is connected to the Console port of the unit. Double-click the COM
Port icon to connect to it, or click on the

button.

5. The default settings for the CX console port are the same as the default settings in CXAccess:
Baud Rate: 9600, Date Bits: 8, Stop Bits: 1, Parity: None, and one stop bit.
6. You will be prompted for a password. Type supervisor then press <enter> (the password does
not appear on the screen as you type).
Connecting to the CX IP interface over an IP network
1. Configure the CX devices IP interface using Memotec CXTool.
2. Connect both the PC and the CX to the same IP network.
3. Launch CXAccess.
4. Select the device tree and click on the Device

button. The following screen will appear:

5. Enter the devices IP address in the first box. Then enter the name of the unit in the Description
box (optional). The default password (supervisor) will already be filled in. Click OK.
6. Click on the

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button or double click on the device icon to connect to the unit.

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CXAccess User Guide

Performing File Operations

Follow the procedures outlined below when performing file operations such as updating the firmware,
or updating script files.
Updating the Firmware
1. As a precaution, be prepared to go back to the original setup: have a copy of the current
installed software file (firmware application). The currently installed software version can be
displayed by entering:
module swrev

2. If available from the flash, the current script file can be copied from the CX using Fetch File
with Remote File Name = custom.txt
If CXTool was used to configure this CX, the configuration file should be present on the PC
used to generate the configuration.
3. Store the original configuration file in flash memory. To prevent loss of configuration during
the software upgrade, make sure that the system contains the script file in flash memory.
This file can be verified and or added using CXTool or by using the Fetch File and Send File
utilities in CXAccess.
The script file can also be viewed by entering the command:
sysmgt config = 5

4. Take these precautions for software upgrades over an IP connection:

A TFTP software download may fail if there is too much traffic currently handled by the CX. In
order to prevent this problem, wait for the traffic to be low before performing the software
download.
Another reason why a TFTP download could fail is that there may not be sufficient linear
(contiguous) memory for CX products with less than 32 MB of memory. That is, the memory
has become fragmented over time. In order to defragment the memory, perform a system restart
before proceeding with the software download by entering the following:
sysmgt restart = 3

5. Upgrade the Software. Begin by downloading the firmware. From CXAccess, connect to the
target CX using the console port or IP connection.
For console port connections:

First login to the console port. The default password is supervisor

If you are unable to login then power off the unit and continue with the steps below.

From the Main Menu select TransferDownload First Firmware

Select the Single Target option: Boot Code Version 2.9 and above for newer CX
products.

Select the Single Target option (or Other, for older CX products).

Select the .bin file to be transferred. Make sure to select the correct product file.

Select the Download Rate, 115200 provides the fastest transfer time. If this fails, repeat
using a lower rate.

If you were unable to login then power on the unit after selecting the Baud Rate.
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Once all selections have been made CXAccess will automatically complete the
download process.

The following message will appear if the incorrect product software has been installed.
If this happens, the software download process will need to be repeated using the correct
product software.
Copyright (c) 1999-2006 by Memotec Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This software is proprietary and confidential to Memotec.
Any reproduction, disclosure or unauthorized use of this
software is expressly prohibited, except as Memotec may
otherwise authorize in writing.
This software is not supported on this product.
Please contact your Memotec reseller.

For IP Connections:

For the CX2000 only the target CPU is selected using the following commands:
subslot=0
chassis fileslot=0

(a fileslot value equal to 0 will target all CPUs)

From the CXAccess Menu select Transfer Send File.

Browse for the application file with .bin extension to be downloaded.
Note: In order for the software download to be successful the software file selected
must match the target product.

Do not modify the Remote File Name.

Press the Send button.
At the end of the download, the remote connection will be lost for about 5 minutes
while the CX writes the new software to flash and restarts.
With the CX2000, the software will be distributed to all CPU slots at once
(fileslot=0). There is no need to perform individual downloads when downloading
using TFTP.
Use the Microsoft DOS ping command from the PC to monitor when the CX becomes
operational again.
Connect to the CX and verify the software version with the following command:
module swrev

6. Safe Update Approval:

Beginning with software 4.5.0 you must approve the configuration after performing a software
upgrade. If no script file is present then the Approval Process is not required. (See the command
line help for more information on Safe Update and the Approval Process.)
Updating the Script
The configuration script file (custom.txt) can be transferred to a CX as follows:
For both console port and IP connections:
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1. From CXAccess, connect to the target CX using the console port or IP connection.
For the CX2000 only the target CPU is selected using the following commands:
subslot=0
chassis fileslot=n

(n is the target CPU slot number for download)

From the CXAccess menu select Transfer Send File

Define the Local File Path/Name :this is the source file for the script.
Define the Remote File Path/Name as custom.txt (or check the Custom script button)
Select Send to transfer the file. If connecting from the console port, then Y-Modem transfer will
be used. If connecting with IP, then TFTP transfer will be used.
6. The console will display the following messages:
2.
3.
4.
5.

TFTP custom script download has started

Wait for confirmation...
Custom script update successful

With the CX2000, the second message will not be displayed when the chassis fileslot is not
equal to zero. The message will be Slot n No Error. The configuration download must be
repeated for each CX2000 CPU slot.
If a timeout message is displayed in the File Transfer Information field, then the timeout value
should be increased.
After the file transfer, the presence of the custom.txt file can be confirmed by displaying the
script with the command:
sysmgt config = 5

Erase the current binary configuration, so that a new one can be created from the new
custom.txt file, when a reset is performed. The current configuration remains the same until a
reset is performed. The command to enter is:
sysmgt config=3

Reset the CX so that the new configuration is applied. Note this step can be performed at a later
time, whenever it is convenient to reset the CX. This step can also be performed by powering
the CX off and on. The command to enter is:
sysmgt restart=3

7. Safe Update Approval:

Beginning with software 4.5.0 you must approve the configuration after either performing a
configuration change or downloading a new configuration file. (See the command line help for
more information on Safe Update and the Approval Process.)

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CXAccess User Guide

Troubleshooting
This section provides solutions to common problems encountered when using CXAccess. Click on a
topic below for more information:

Console port access problems

IP access problems

Different prompts for console port and IP

RTTY timeout

Console port access problems

Problem: No text is displayed when connecting to a CX or when the CX is manually restarted.
Solution: Make sure the console port speed configured is the same as the speed configured on the CX
(default is 9600).
Problem: Message Connecting to COM2 ... ... displayed but not the CX prompt
Solution: The COM port selected from the CXAccess user interface is not connected to a CX. Verify
the console port cable or select a different COM port to connect to the CX (usually, COM
port 1 or 2 are present).
Problem: Error message Invalid port Number displayed
Solution: The COM port selected in CXAccess user interface is not physically present (CXAccess
always display 8 COM ports). Select a different COM port to connect to the CX (usually,
COM port 1 or 2 are present).
IP access problems
Problem: Message Connecting to 172.18.50.02 ... ... followed by Remote TTY timeout ! displayed
but not the CX prompt.
Solution: The IP address configured in CXAccess user interface is not valid or IP routes are missing
between the CXAccess PC and the CX. Verify the IP connection using the PING.EXE utility
on your PC.
Problem: Unable to access the CX at the remote side of a link (but access is OK for CX on local side of
link).
Solution: Check the IP connection to the remote CX by using the ipping function from the CX on local
side of the link. If ipping is working fine, some IP routing is missing between the CXAccess
PC and the remote CX.

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Different prompts for console port and IP

Problem: The prompt displayed when accessing a CX through the console port is different than when
accessed through IP.
Solution: When connecting through the console port, the prompt shown in the one configured in the
CX. When IP access is used, the prompt shown is the one configured within CXAccess.
RTTY timeout
Problem: I get a RTTY Timeout error message.
Solution: This may be because there is a faulty connection. It is also normal to receive a RTTY
Timeout message after entering a CX reset (ex: sysmgt restart=1) command or any other
command that does not return a response.

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