>> Getting Started Guide

version 5.4

Copyright 2012 Mentum S.A. All rights reserved.

Notice

This document contains confidential and proprietary information of Mentum S.A. and may not be copied, transmitted, stored in a retrieval system, or reproduced in any format or media, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of Mentum S.A. Information contained in this document supersedes that found in any previous manuals, guides, specifications data sheets, or other information that may have been provided or made available to the user. This document is provided for informational purposes only, and Mentum S.A. does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, quality, validity, completeness or suitability for any purpose the information contained in this document. Mentum S.A. may update, improve, and enhance this document and the products to which it relates at any time without prior notice to the user. MENTUM S.A. MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THIS DOCUMENT OR THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN.

Trademark Acknowledgement

Mentum, Mentum Planet, Mentum Ellipse, Mentum CellPlanner, Mentum LinkPlanner, and Mentum Fusion are registered trademarks owned by Mentum S.A. MapInfo Professional is a registered trademark of PB MapInfo Corporation. RF-vu is a trademark owned by iBwave. This document may contain other trademarks, trade names, or service marks of other organizations, each of which is the property of its respective owner.

Last updated February 21, 2012

Contents
>> Getting Started Guide CHAPTER 1 Introduction Determining the best Mentum Planet edition to use Features of Mentum Planet Project Explorer Site Editor Traffic Map Generator Interference Matrix Generator Neighbor Plan Generator Network Data Import Wizard Survey Data tool Subscriber Settings Data Manager Automatic Cell Planning tool Microwave Links MapInfo Professional Using this documentation User documentation updates Online Help Documentation library Notational conventions Textual conventions Using this Guide Contacting Mentum Getting technical support Send us your comments CHAPTER 2 Installation 1 1 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 8 8 9 10 11 11 12 13

Chapter 3

System requirements System requirements for workstations System requirements for the License Manager Server System requirements for server configurations Installing Mentum Planet Before Installing Mentum Planet Workflow for installing Mentum Planet software Installing Mentum Planet To install Mentum Planet To install Mentum Planet on an application server Obtaining a license To obtain a license for Mentum Planet To view license information Using a commuter license To use a commuter license Updating user documentation To update Mentum Planet user documentation Migrating Mentum Planet Projects Migrating projects Batch migration of projects Improved data validation Upgrade paths Important considerations when migrating projects Antennas Link configurations Propagation models Migrating MentumCell Planner projects Important considerations when migrating Mentum Cell Planner projects

14 14 16 17 19 19 20 20 20 22 22 22 24 24 25 26 26 28 29 29 30 30 32 32 32 32 34 34

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Installing and managing the License Server Determining the best installation for your organization Understanding the License Server How the License Server issues licenses System requirements Workflow for installing the License Server and distributing licenses Toinstall the License Server Using the License Server Management tool To use the License Server Management tool Workflow for using the Remote Authorization tools To obtain the commuter locking code To check out a remote commuter license CHAPTER 3 Basic Usage Creating a project Defining your user preferences Placing sites Generating predictions Appendix A Troubleshooting Troubleshooting the License Server Ifthe License Server is not working If the license key does not work

35 35 36 36 37 37 38 39 39 40 40 41 43 44 48 50 51 53 54 54 55

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction
This Installation Guide is intended for Mentum Planet. This chapter outlines the core components that are installed with Mentum Planet and details how best to use the documentation. This chapter covers the following topics:

Determining the best Mentum Planet edition to use Features of Mentum Planet Using this documentation Using this Guide Contacting Mentum

2 3 6 10 11

Chapter 1

Determining the best Mentum Planet edition to use

In order to provide you with the best solution for your situation, Mentum Planet is available in various editions. Figure 1.1 provides a quick summary of the key features of each edition. All editions come with a comprehensive documentation set that includes an online Help system encompassing context-sensitive F1 help and user guides. The documentation set also includes print-ready searchable PDFs of the User Guides, Application Notes, and Technical Notes. From the Help menu in all editions, you can also access the Knowledge Base where you can find up-to-date solutions to common questions or problems. For additional information, see the Mentum website.

Figure 1.1: Mentum Planet editions.

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Features of Mentum Planet

Mentum Planet provides you with all the tools you need to accurately design, analyze, and optimize wireless networks. You can add extensions and enable additional technologies to support the planning functions that you require. Below is a list of some of the main features of Mentum Planet. This list is not comprehensive. For a detailed feature list, go to the Mentum web site at http://www.mentum.com.

Project Explorer
The Project Explorer organizes all components of a project into a hierarchical structure, enabling you to easily manage all project-related data including sites, project information, network analyses, network data, and surveys. You can sort components such as sites and antenna patterns by their characteristics and manage support documents such as census tract data, capacity planning information, or RF design review documents. Shortcut menus give you quick access to a wide variety of commands.

Site Editor
The Site Editor brings together all the parameters you need to specify when defining base station technologies, sites, and sectors. This includes the link configuration, the implementation settings as well as general site and sector settings.

Traffic Map Generator

Using the Traffic Map Generator, you can create traffic maps based on various sources of data, including market information, demographics, vehicular traffic, and switch statistics. You can combine this information with clutter information for your coverage area for an even more accurate assessment of traffic loading for your wireless network. You can also scale traffic maps to better meet your requirements.

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Interference Matrix Generator

The Interference Matrix Generator analyzes the potential for co-channel and adjacent-channel interference in your wireless network. If required, you can include traffic map information in the interference matrix calculations. Interference matrices are required input for the Neighbor List Generator and the Automatic Frequency Preamble and Perm Base Planning tool.

Neighbor Plan Generator

You can use the Neighbor Plan Generator to create, view, edit, and compare neighbor lists for single-technology networks and for multi-technology networks. Neighbor plans can be based on cell adjacency or interference. Multiple user-defined criteria determine neighbor selection. You can also import and export neighbor plans.

Network Data Import Wizard

You can import switch statistics for use in traffic maps, interference matrices, neighbor lists, and other Mentum Planet analysis tools. Performance-related data you can import includes dropped call rates, blocked call rates, and traffic levels. The Network Data tool can also produce a thematically mapped display of the imported data by sector.

Survey Data tool

Using the Survey Data node in the Project Explorer, you can import, manage, and visualize survey data.

Subscriber Settings
The Subscriber Settings dialog box contains all the parameters you need to define the characteristics of your network subscribers including the mobile equipment and services they use as well as the Quality of Service thresholds.

Data Manager
The Data Manager enables you to store data centrally and manage projects more efficiently, thus facilitating project collaboration and data sharing.

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Automatic Cell Planning tool

Using the Optimization features of Mentum Planet, you can extend coverage and increase capacity by fine tuning antenna parameters and by activating only those sites that best fit the network design and goals.

Microwave Links
You can visualize microwave transmission links within the context of your Mentum Planet projects and perform basic microwave planning tasks when designing your wireless network. Using the shortcut menus that are accessible within the Microwave category in the Project Explorer, you can create microwave links between sites by selecting the sites in the Project Explorer Sites category and using the shortcut commands and you can view links in the Map window.

MapInfo Professional
Mentum Planet includes a full version of MapInfo Professional, an industry standard mapping tool that gives you access to a full suite of raster and vector analysis tools, cartographic-quality tools, and advanced thematic mapping capabilities. For a list of new features in MapInfo 11, see the MapInfo Professional User Guide located in the mapinfo folder within the Mentum Planet installation folder.

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Using this documentation

Before using this documentation, you should be familiar with the Windows environment. It is assumed that you are using the standard Windows desktop, and that you know how to access ToolTips and shortcut menus, move and copy objects, select multiple objects using the Shift or Ctrl key, resize dialog boxes, expand and collapse folder trees. It is also assumed that you are familiar with the basic functions of MapInfo Professional . MapInfo Professional functions are not documented in this User Guide. For information about MapInfo Professional, see the MapInfo online Help and MapInfo Professional User Guide. You can access additional MapInfo user documentation from the Pitney Bowes Business Insight website at http://www.pbinsight.com/support/product-documentation. All product information is available through the online Help. You access online Help using the Help menu or context-sensitive Help from within a dialog box by pressing the F1 key. If you want to view the online Help for a specific panel or tab, click in a field or list box to activate the panel or tab before you press the F1 key. The following sections describe the structure of the online Help. TIP: Read the "Basic Usage" chapter of the Getting Started Guide to begin learning how to use Mentum Planet. It provides a quick start tutorial of common tasks.

User documentation updates

User documentation is continually evolving to address feedback or introduce improvements. You can download the latest user documentation from the Customer Care Product Downloads page where it is available as a separate download from the software.

Online Help
From the Help menu, you can access online Help for Mentum Planet software and for MapInfo Professional. This section describes the structure of the Mentum Planet online Help. The online Help provides extensive help on all aspects of software use. It provides

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help on all dialog boxes procedures for using the software

The following sections provide details about the resources available through the online Help.

Resource Roadmap
When you first use the online Help, start with the Resource Roadmap. It describes the types of resources available to help you use the software and explains how best to use them. It includes a step-by-step guide that walks you through the available resources.

Knowledge Base
You can access the Knowledge Base maintained by the Customer Care group by choosing the Knowledge Base command from the Help menu. The Knowledge Base contains current information on Mentum products such as How To procedures as well as solutions to issues.

Printing
You have two basic options for printing documents:
n

If you want a good quality print of a single procedure or section, you can print from the Help window. Click Print in the Help window. If you want a higher quality print of a complete User Guide, use Adobe Reader to print the supplied print-ready PDF file contained in the Mentum Planet documentation library. Open the PDF file and choose File Print.

Library Search
You can perform a full-text search on all PDF files contained in the Mentum Planet documentation library if you are using a version of Adobe Reader that supports fulltext searches. The PDF files are located in the Mentum\Planet\Help\User Guides folder.

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You can also perform a search on all online Help topics by clicking the Search tab in the Help window. Type a keyword, and click ListTopics to display all Help topics that contain the keyword. The online Help duplicates the information found in the User Guide PDF files in order to provide more complete results. It does not duplicate the information in the Release Notes, or Glossary. TIP: You can easily access the PDFlibrary from the Help menu by choosing Guides or Technical Notes.

Whats This? Help

Whats This? Help provides detailed explanations of all dialog box elements and is accessible by pressing F1 from any dialog box. NOTE: To browse the Help, right-click the topic page and choose Back or Forward. You can use the Search tab to perform a full-text search of the information contained in the Workflows, Whats This? Help, and User Guide online Help sections.

User Guides
User Guides are incorporated into the online Help.

Documentation library
Mentum Planet comes with an extensive library of User Guides and Technical Notes in PDF format. You can access PDF versions of the user guides by navigating to the Help folder within the Mentum Planet installation folder or by choosing the Guides or Technical Notes command from the Mentum Planet Help menu. Additional documents are available at http://www.mentum.com.

Notational conventions
This section describes the textual conventions and icons used throughout this documentation.

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Textual conventions
Special text formats are used to highlight different types of information. The following table describes the special text conventions used in this document. Bold text is used in procedure steps to identify a user interface element such as a dialog box, menu item, or button. bold text For example: In the Select Interpolation Method dialog box, choose the Inverse Distance Weighting option, and click Next. Courier text is used in procedures to identify text that a courier text user must type.For example: In the File Name box, type Elevation.grd. bright blue text Bright blue text is used to identify a link to another section of the document. Click the link to view the section. Menu arrows are used in procedures to identify a sequence of menu items that you must follow. For example, if a step reads Choose File would click File and then click Open. Open, you

<>

For example, if a menu item changes depending on the chosen unit of measurement, the menu structure would appear as Display <unit Of Measurement>.

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Using this Guide

The Mentum Planet software uses a License Server to distribute licenses. This Guide details how to install the Mentum Planet software and how to install and manage the License Server. NOTE: For information on how to install the Mentum Planet Data Manager Server, see the Data Manager Server Administrator Guide.

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Contacting Mentum
Mentum is committed to providing fast, responsive technical support. This section provides an extensive list of contacts to help you through any issues you may have. We also welcome any comments about our documentation. Customer feedback is an essential element of product development and supports our efforts to provide the best products, services, and support we can. See "Send us your comments" on next page.

Getting technical support

You can get technical support by phone or email, or by visiting the Self-Service Portal on the Mentum website at http://www.mentum.com/customer-care. When you call for technical support, ensure that you have your product ID number and know which version of the software you are running. You can obtain this information using the About command from the Help menu. When you request technical support outside of regular business hours, a Product Support Specialist will respond the next working day by telephone or email, depending upon the nature of the request. The technical support options available depend on the edition of the software you are using as shown in Figure 1.2. For more details about the levels of support, see the Mentum website.

Figure 1.2: Abbreviated list of support options

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North America
Phone: +1 866 921-9219 (toll free), +1 819 483-7094 Fax: +1 819 483-7050 Email: support.americas@mentum.com Hours: 9am 7pm EST/EDT (Monday-Friday, excluding local holidays)

Europe, Middle East, and Africa

Phone: +33 139 26 46 42 (Paris) Fax: +33 1 39264601 Email: support.emea@mentum.com Hours: 9am 6pm CET/CEST (Monday-Friday, excluding local holidays)

Asia Pacific (excluding Japan)

Phone: +852 2593 1287 Fax: +852 2593 1234 Email: support.apac@mentum.com Hours: 9am 6pm HKT (Monday-Friday, excluding local holidays)

Japan
Phone: +81 3 6861 7555 Fax: +81 3 5847 7901 Email: support.japan@mentum.com Hours: 9am 6pm JST (Monday-Friday, excluding local holidays)

Send us your comments

Feedback is important to us. Please take the time to send comments and suggestions on the product you received and on the user documentation shipped with it. Send your comments to: techpubs@mentum.com

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CHAPTER 2 Installation
This chapter covers system requirements for Mentum Planet along with the installation information for Mentum Planet and the License Manager Server. The system requirements outlined in this chapter are general recommendations only and are based on typical usage of Mentum Planet software. This chapter covers the following topics:

System requirements Installing Mentum Planet Migrating Mentum Planet Projects Migrating projects Important considerations when migrating projects Migrating MentumCell Planner projects Installing and managing the License Server

14 19 28 29 32 34 35

Chapter 2

System requirements
The system requirements outlined in this section are general recommendations only and are based on typical usage of Mentum Planet software. This section details the system requirements for:
n

workstations the License Manager Server

System requirements for workstations

The tables below detail the workstation configurations for Mentum Planet. NOTE: Mentum Planet runs on the Microsoft .NET framework (version 3.5). If you do not have this software installed on your computer, you will be prompted to connect to the Microsoft web site to download and install it. To do so requires an Internet connection.

CAUTION: Requirements vary depending on the layout of the network, the number of sites, and the work practices you adopt. Minimum configuration This configuration is suggested for networks up to 3000sectors. You can work with larger networks using this configuration but performance may be impacted. Workstation: Single Core Intel CPU (e.g., the Celeron 440, 2GHz clock) or equivalent

Processor

2 GB RAM At least 20 GB free space Hard disk SVGA (16-bit), 1280x1024

Display

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Minimum configuration

Windows XP 32-bit edition NOTE: It is recommended that you set the system locale to English (United States). Operating System Some Automatic Updates can cause your computer to reboot, which may interrupt operations in Mentum Planet. It is recommended that you modify the Automatic Updates settings so that they are not done automatically.

Required Software

In order to use the Mentum Planet Import/Export tool, you must have Microsoft Excel 2000 or greater installed. In addition, you must have Adobe Reader installed to view the Mentum Planet user documentation.

Recommended configuration This configuration is suggested for networks up to 15000sectors. You can work with larger networks using this configuration but performance may be impacted. Processor RAM Hard disk Display Workstation: Intel Core-2 Duo 2GHz or Dual-Core-2 Extreme or equivalent 2 GB A quick SATA model - 50 GB free space SVGA (16-bit), 1280x1024 Windows 7 64-bit edition Operating System NOTE: It is recommended that you set the system locale to English (United States).

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Recommended configuration Some Automatic Updates can cause your computer to reboot, which may interrupt operations in Mentum Planet. It is recommended that you modify the Automatic Updates settings so that they are not done automatically. In order to use the Mentum Planet Import/Export tool, you must have Microsoft Excel 2000 or greater installed. In addition, you must have Adobe Reader installed to view the Mentum Planet user documentation.

Required Software

NOTE: An Internet connection is required to validate licenses. If there is no Internet connection, you can complete the offline registration form and email it to Customer Care.

NOTE: To run Mentum Planet, you must be a member of the Power Users group at a minimum. Regular Users must be granted write access privileges to the <Mentum Planet installation> folder to run Mentum Planet.

NOTE: Windows XP 32-bits or 64-bits and Windows Vista 32-bits or 64-bits are supported.

NOTE: For information about system requirements for the Data Manager Server, see the Data Manager Server Administrator Guide

System requirements for the License Manager Server

The License Server is contacted each time a user starts an instance of Mentum Planet. It is also contacted periodically throughout the Mentum Planet session. As a result, it is important to choose a computer that is always available to serve the licenses. Ideally, the License Server should be installed on a file or DNS server because these computers are always online. Static, fixed IP addresses provide the best performance. However, you can install the License Server on any computer with Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, or Windows Vista because the resources required to serve the licenses are minimal (5 MB free disk space).

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The system requirements listed in the following tables are intended for deployment scenarios where Citrix or Windows Terminal Services are being used. CAUTION: Requirements vary depending on the layout of the network, the number of sites, and the work practices you adopt.

System requirements for server configurations

The tables below detail the configurations for Mentum Planet for server configurations. NOTE: Mentum Planet runs on the Microsoft .NET framework (version 3.5). If you do not have this software installed on your computer, you will be prompted to connect to the Microsoft web site to download and install it. To do so requires an Internet connection.

CAUTION: Requirements vary depending on the layout of the network, the number of sites, and the work practices you adopt. Recommended Configuration for a Small Deployment A small deployment is one in which up to 5 simultaneous users are accessing Mentum Planet installed on a single application server and using either Windows Terminal Services or Citrix for remote access from client.

Processor RAM Hard disk Display

Xeon-class or equivalent processor with at least 6 cores + hyper-threading 12 GB of RAM 1 TB of storage SVGA (16-bit), 1280x1024 Windows 2008 Server R1, 64-bit edition

Operating System

NOTE: It is recommended that you set the system locale to English (United States).

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Recommended Configuration for a Small Deployment Some Automatic Updates can cause your computer to reboot, which may interrupt operations in Mentum Planet. It is recommended that you modify the Automatic Updates settings so that they are not done automatically. Recommended Configuration for a Medium Deployment A medium deployment is one in which up to 10 simultaneous users are accessing Mentum Planet installed on a single application server and using either Windows Terminal Services or Citrix for remote access from client.

Processor RAM Hard disk Display

Dual Xeon-based processor with at least 4 cores per processor + hyper threading 24 GB 2 TB of storage SVGA (16-bit), 1280x1024 Windows 2008 Server R1, 64-bit edition NOTE: It is recommended that you set the system locale to English (United States).

Operating System Some Automatic Updates can cause your computer to reboot, which may interrupt operations in Mentum Planet. It is recommended that you modify the Automatic Updates settings so that they are not done automatically. Recommended Configuration for a Large Deployment A large deployment is one in which more than 10 simultaneous users are accessing Mentum Planet. Consult Mentum Customer Care.

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Installing Mentum Planet

After you have downloaded Mentum Planet from the Web, you simply follow the prompts to install the software. After you have installed the software, you must register the product to validate your license.

Before Installing Mentum Planet

Mentum Planet, a next-generation radio planning and optimization solution, is integrated with MapInfo Professional11, an industry-standard GIS mapping engine. Before you install or uninstall Mentum Planet, it is important to note that you can:
n

install stand-alone versions of MapInfo on the same workstation as Mentum Planet. If you do so, however, it is the last version of MapInfo installed that is the default application for .tab files. For example, if you install MapInfo9.5 and then install Mentum Planet 5.4, the default application is MapInfo11 (which is included with Mentum Planet). For information on how to change this, see Installing, Configuring, and Starting MapInfo Professional in the MapInfo Professional User Guide. install different versions of MapInfo on the same workstation as Mentum Planet. These installations are independent of Mentum Planet; however, when you uninstall Mentum Planet or MapInfo you must repair other versions of Mentum Planet or MapInfo installed on the workstation. install Mentum Planet 5.4 alongside Mentum Planet 4.x or 5.x on the same workstation.

If a version of MapInfo Professional11 is detected on your workstation during the installation process, MapInfo Professional is uninstalled and re-installed in the Mentum Planet folder as part of the installation process. The license key for MapInfo Professional is maintained and you can run MapInfo Professional as a stand-alone application. NOTE: Licensing is not supported through virtual private networks (VPN). It may work under certain configurations but it is not officially supported.

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Workflow for installing Mentum Planet software

Step 1 Contact Customer Care to obtain the password required to download the software. You also need a valid product identification number. Download the Mentum Planet software from the download Web page and install it. Obtain a license.

Step 2

Step 3

CAUTION: If you are installing Mentum Planet on an application server, follow the instructions in "To install Mentum Planet on an application server" on page 22

Installing Mentum Planet

There are two types of installations:
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standalonelocks the software to a particular computer floatingenables a number of users to share licenses held on a License Server

The type of installation and the software editions available are determined by the license key. NOTE: Standalone licenses are not supported in terminal server environments.

CAUTION: You must have Administrator privileges to install Mentum Planet.

To install Mentum Planet

1
Navigate to the Mentum Planet Product Downloads page at http://www.mentum.com/customercare/productDownloads.asp. On the Product Downloads page, enter the Product ID number indicated in the email or letter sent to you, and click Submit. Type the product

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password you received from your Customer Care Center in the box beside the version of Mentum Planet that you want to download and click Submit. Read the download instructions and, in the Mentum Planet Installation Files table, click the folder icon in the Single column, and download the program file to a temporary folder on your computer.

2 3 4 5 6 7

Double-click the setup.exe. On the Welcome page of the Installation Wizard, click Next. Read the license agreement. If you accept the terms of the agreement, click Yes. Click Next. On the Product ID page, type your name, your company name, and your product ID number, and click Next. You can find the product ID in the email or letter sent to you.

On the Choose Destination Location page, accept the default location, or click Browse and choose the folder in which you want to install the software, and then click OK.

9 Click Next.
There is a delay while the software installs.

10 If you want to view the Release Note, enable the Yes, I Want To View
The Release Note File check box.

11 Click Finish. 12 If prompted, choose the Yes, I Want To Restart My Computer Now
option and click OK. NOTE: If the Mentum Planet program files become corrupted, you can use the Repair option in the InstallShield Wizard to reinstall the program and overwrite the corrupted files. From the Start menu, choose All Programs Mentum Planet 5 Uninstall-Modify Uninstall-Modify Mentum Planet and choose the Repair option.

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TIP: To uninstall Mentum Planet, choose Start 5 Uninstall-Modify Mentum Planet.

All Programs

Mentum Planet

CAUTION: If you install Mentum Planet over a network and experience problems, copy the installation to a local computer and try the installation again.

To install Mentum Planet on an application server

CAUTION: To install Mentum Planet software on an application server, you must be logged on as an Admin user. NOTE: If you are installing Mentum Planet on a application server, you must run Mentum Planet once, immediately after the installation, in order to register the software and create user profiles.

1 2 3 4

Install the software. Start Mentum Planet. In the Product Registration And License Request dialog box, enter your contact information and click Submit. Close Mentum Planet.

Obtaining a license
Every time you start Mentum Planet or use a technology or tool that requires a license, the software verifies whether you have a valid license on your workstation. If a valid license is not found, you are prompted to enter your contact information or contact Mentum. For more information about Mentum Planet technologies and tools, see the Mentum web site at http://www.mentum.com.

To obtain a license for Mentum Planet

1
Start Mentum Planet.

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In the Product Registration And License Request dialog box, choose one of the following options:
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Mentum Planet Educationalsupports network modeling of single-technology networks as well as automatic site placement, automatic cell planning (for less than 100 sites), and single site optimization. Compatible with Mentum Ellipse. This edition supports networks no larger than 100 sites, 300 sectors, or 3000 antennas. Mentum Planet Basicsupports all the features of the Educational edition but also provides support for the Universal Model and Capesso. Mentum Planet Professionalsupports all the features of the Basic edition as well as automatic cell planning (for more than 100 sites). Mentum Planet Enterprisesupports all the features of the Professional edition as well as collaborative network planning using the Data Manager, support of Mentum Planet APIs, and is compatible with Mentum Fusion. Mentum Planet Ultimatesupports all the network features of the Enterprise edition. All optional modules are included.

See "Determining the best Mentum Planet edition to use" on page 2.

3 4

Click Next. Enter your contact information and click Submit. The software connects to the Mentum Planet server, validates your license request, and installs a license on your computer. If the software is unable to connect to the server, the Offline Registration dialog box opens.

If you are unable to connect to the Mentum Registration Service, choose one of the following options:.
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Offline Registrationdisplays a completed registration form that you must email to software-licenses@mentum.com in order to obtain a license string. Enter License Manuallydisplays the Manual License Entry dialog box. Enter the license string contained in the Offline Registration form emailed back to you and click Install.

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Retry Online Registrationattempts to reconnect to the Mentum Registration Service. Exit And Retry Laterexits the registration process.

If you are installing a stand-alone license, the license key (a file named lservrc) is installed in the MapInfo installation folder (i.e., in the same folder as the MapInfow.exe). If you are installing a floating license, a pointer file (i.e., lshost) is installed in the Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Planet folder. For Windows 7, the lshost file is located in the ProgramData\Mentum\Planet 5.4 folder. NOTE: The Offline Registration form file is MentumPlanet_OfflineRegistration.html and is located in the Mentum Planet program folder.

TIP: Details about the licenses in use can be viewed by opening the License Info window accessible using the Help About command. You can also request a license using the menu shortcut (i.e., Start All Programs Mentum 5.4 License Request).

CAUTION: To install the software on another computer, you must first uninstall the software using the Uninstaller, re-install the software on the new computer, and make a request for a new license. Each license is configured to work only on the computer from which the license was requested.

To view license information

1 2
Choose Help About Mentum Planet.

In the About dialog box, click the License tab.

Using a commuter license

Mentum Planet software installed with the floating license option can also be used with a commuter license. A commuter license allows you to check out a floating license (called a commuter license) onto a computer and then work disconnected from the network. You can check out a commuter license for a period of up to 30

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days. You must check the license back into the pool of available floating licenses in order to allow others to use this license. The commuter license is automatically returned to the pool of available licenses once the checkout period expires (1 to 30 days). You must have a License Server installed in order to check out a commuter license. If you are not connected to the License Server, you can obtain a commuter license for your remote workstation from the License Server Administrator or from anyone connected to the License Server.

To use a commuter license

1
Do one of the following:
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Start Mentum Planet and choose Help Choose Start All Programs

Commuter License. WCommute.

Mentum Planet 5

Click one of the following buttons:

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Search Subnetsearch all servers to which you can connect for available floating licenses. Single Serversearch a specific server for available floating licenses. You must use this option if you want to search across networks.

3 4 5

From the tree view in the Commuter Licensing dialog box, choose the license that you want to commute. In the Please Enter The Number Of Days Until The Authorization Expires box, type the number of days before the license expires. Do one of the following:
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Choose the license you want to check out from the list of available floating licenses and click Check Out. Choose the license you want to check in from the list of available floating licenses and click Check In. Exit.

In the Commuter Licensing dialog box, choose File

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NOTE: To work with commuter licenses when you are not running Mentum Planet, double-click on the WCommute.exe file located in the <Mentum Planet 5 installation folder>\lserver\Tool folder or choose the Program from the Start menu, then choose the WCommute command. If no Mentum Planet licenses appear in the Commuter Licensing dialog box, no licenses are available.

Updating user documentation

User documentation is continually evolving to address feedback or introduce improvements. You can download the latest user documentation from the Customer Care Product Downloads page where it is available as a separate download from the software. TIP: You can see which version of the user documentation you have installed by opening the User Documentation Version.txt file located in the <Mentum Planet 5 installation folder>\Help folder.

TIP: To ensure you have the most up-to-date user documentation, periodically check for updates on the Customer Care Product Downloads page.

CAUTION: When you install the user documentation update, the Help folder within the Mentum Planet installation folder is deleted and replaced with the latest Mentum Planet user documentation files.

To update Mentum Planet user documentation

1
Navigate to the Mentum Planet Product Downloads page at http://www.mentum.com/customercare/productDownloads.asp. On the Product Downloads page, enter the Product ID number indicated in the email or letter sent to you, and click Submit. Type the product password you received from your Customer Care Center in the box beside the version of Mentum Planet that you want to download and click Submit. Scroll to the User Documentation section and click the folder icon in the Single column to download the user guides and technical notes to a temporary folder on your computer.

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Double-click the setup.exe. The user guides, application notes, and technical notes are installed in the Help folder within the Mentum Planet installation folder.

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Migrating Mentum Planet Projects

You can use the Mentum Planet Migrator to migrate MentumPlanet projects created in previous versions of the software. NOTE: Migration from Mentum Planet 5.0 and Mentum Planet 5.1 is not supported. Contact Customer Care for more information.

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Migrating projects
Changes to the data storage and management architecture in Mentum Planet 5.4 require that projects created in previous versions of the software be migrated in order to make them consistent with the new data schema. Project Migration is an automated process achieved using the Mentum Planet Migrator utility. CAUTION: After a legacy project has been migrated to Mentum Planet 5.4, it can no longer be opened in previous versions of Mentum Planet . It is recommended that you create a complete project backup prior to opening your project in Mentum Planet 5.4.

Batch migration of projects

If order to facilitate migration of multiple Mentum Planet projects, the Mentum Planet Migrator includes a Batch Migration command. Batch migration supports the same upgrade paths as the Mentum Project Migrator. NOTE: To migrate project .dBp files, use the structure shown below replacing ".planet" with ".dBp". To use it, you must first create an .xml configuration file structured as follows: <?xml version="1.0"?> <batch_migration> <localsettings> <projectsFolder>C:\Projects\BatchMigration</projectsFolder> <project>C:\Projects\Jun10\Jun10.planet</project> <project>C:\Projects\SplitCT\SplitCT.planet</project> <project>C:\Projects\Subbands\Subbands.planet</project> <summary>C:\Projects\BatchMigrationSummary.xml</summary> </localsettings> </batch_migration>

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Chapter 2

Where: <projectsFolder> is the root folder that contains the Mentum Planet project folders to be migrated. You can migrate Mentum Planet 4.5 projects as well as 5.x projects. While this is an optional parameter, you must include either the project folder parameter or the project definition. <project> indicates a single project folder to be migrated. While this is an optional parameter, you must include either the project folder parameter or the project definition list. <summary> is the file where an overall summary of batch migration is recorded. This file is overwritten each time a batch migration is completed. A log file (ProjectMigration.log) is created in each project folder with detailed information about the migration. While the configuration file must conform to the stated structure, you can name the file as it best suits your needs. NOTE: If project migration fails for a particular project, the original project is kept, the log files are created and the batch migration continues. When a project migration is successful, the project is automatically saved.

Improved data validation

Mentum Planet includes stringent data validation controls aimed at preserving data integrity and reducing the chance of error or data corruption. As a consequence, project data must be free of inconsistencies to ensure successful migration to Mentum Planet 5.4.

Upgrade paths
The Mentum Planet Migrator supports the following upgrade paths:
n

4.5.x (all technologies) 5.2.x, 5.3.x (all technologies)

CAUTION: Migration from Mentum Planet 5.0 and 5.1 is not supported.

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NOTE: If you are using versions prior to Mentum Planet 4.5, or are using Mentum Planet 5.0 or 5.1, contact Customer Care for assistance with project migration. If you are using Data Manager and working in a multi-user environment, the software upgrade must be coordinated such that Mentum Planet and Data Manager Server are both the same version. In this deployment model, it is also critical to coordinate data migration from previous releases.

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Important considerations when migrating projects

Each new version of Mentum Planet brings improvements in all areas of the software. Key areas of change include (but are not limited to):
n

Antennas Link configurations Propagation models

Antennas
A new compressed antenna format (.pafx) was introduced that supports complex antenna configurations including multibeam antennas as well as multiple bands and e-tilt variations. Antenna (.paf) files created in Mentum Planet 5.3 are automatically migrated to the new format as are previous antenna file formats (i.e., the dpa file). To take advantage of the new antenna format, you can use a migrated antenna or you can contact the antenna supplier and obtain patterns in the Planet Antenna Format (i.e., .paf or .pafx). Download Antennas to obtain compressed TIP: In Mentum Planet, choose Data (.pafx) antenna files from the Mentum Antenna Server.

Link configurations
The concept of link configuration files was introduced in Mentum Planet 5. A link configuration contains the gains and losses that occur as a signal travels. You can assign the same link configuration to several sectors. If you are migrating a project created in a version of Mentum Planet prior to version 5.0, the migrated project may have a large number of link configurations because in previous versions of the software the link budget was created per sector.

Propagation models
Propagation models that are not supported in the current version of Mentum Planet (such as the Cost231 model or the Lee Model) are converted to the default_ PlanetGeneralModel. In addition, there are several versions of the Predict 4 propagation model available:

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Version 4.2 contains fixes related to predictions. Version 4.3 is based on version 4.2 and incorporates a fix related to clutter class order. Version 4.4 is based on version 4.3 and includes the ability to use Predict with very high clutter heights. Use this version only when modeling very high clutter. Version 4.5 is based on version 4.3 and fixes an issue related to predictions and changes to propagation distance. It also includes a fix related to the use of fraction of incident power scattered values.

You can change the version that is used in the Site Editor. Version 4.5 is the recommended Predict version.

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Chapter 2

Migrating MentumCell Planner projects

Using the Mentum Planet Migrator, you can migrate projects created in Mentum CellPlanner 10.0 or 10.1. NOTE: GSM, WCDMA, LTE FDD, LTE TDD technologies are supported. WiMAX is not supported in this release. In order to migrate a project, in Mentum CellPlanner, you must first export the project to XML. For more information, see the "Exporting Data" chapter in the Mentum CellPlanner Common Features User Guide. Once you have completed the export, you can:
n

migrate the project using the Mentum Planet Migrator, which can be found in the Mentum Planet installation folder, and then open the project in Mentum Planet 5.4. open Mentum Planet 5.4 and choose Data project. Import Cell Planner

Important considerations when migrating Mentum Cell Planner projects

n

The 9999 propagation model is the only propagation model supported. One technology band is created for each Mentum CellPlanner frequency band. One spectrum range is created for each Mentum CellPlanner frequency sub-band. With WCDMA or GSM projects, if the carrier bandwidth defined in the Mentum CellPlanner network settings do not match up with the fixed carrier bandwidth, the downlink frequency band's upper edge is adjusted to increase the bandwidth and keep the same number of carriers.

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Installing and managing the License Server

If you are installing Mentum Planet software for use in a multi-user environment, you need to install a License Server in order to distribute licenses to users.

Determining the best installation for your organization

Mentum Planet uses a software-based security system to prevent unauthorized use of the software. Two types of license are available:
n

A stand-alone license is used to lock the software to a particular computer. This is the type of installation to use if you plan to use the product on only one computer. No License Server is required for this type of installation. A floating license is used when there are a number of users who all need to use the software to share licenses. The License Server handles the task of distributing the licenses to the running instances of the software. You only need to install one License Server. Use of a network is required for this type of installation. The Mentum Planet license that you were given determines the type of installation you can do. Depending on the type of license you have, there are several deployment models from which you can choose including: You can choose to install a stand-alone license where a single user installs Mentum Planet on a workstation with no connection to a database or network. This model is best suited for independent projects where multi-user collaboration is not necessary. You can choose to install a floating license using the License Server where typically multiple installations of Mentum Planet are installed on individual workstations and users collaborate using the Data Manager. You can choose to install a floating license using the License Server where only one version of Mentum Planet is installed on an application server. In this case, users each run an instance of Mentum Planet on the application server. Local and remote users work with Mentum Planet from a workstation that is essentially a display terminal with a keyboard and mouse.

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These different Mentum Planet deployment methods can co-exist in a single implementation.

Understanding the License Server

The License Server is a software program that validates and distributes software licenses to users. Each time a user starts Mentum Planet, the License Server is contacted by the workstation and validates the software license. The License Server allows users to access a license from a pool of floating licenses located on the server. A floating license is ideal in a multi-user environment when there are several users working with Mentum Planet. While a floating license is in use, no other user can use it. When all floating licenses are in use, no other users can work with the software. The License Server also allows a user to check out a commuter license from a pool of floating licenses for use on a computer that is not connected to the network. The commuter license is not released back into the floating license pool until either the user checks it back in or the commuter license expires.

How the License Server issues licenses

After you install the License Server, you must register the software and validate the floating licenses that can be distributed. Once your licence request has been validated, the license key numbers are recorded in the license file (i.e., lservrc) that is installed in the \Mentum\License Manager Server\WinNT folder within the Program Files folder. For Windows 7, the lservrc file is located in the ProgramData\Mentum\Planet 5.4 folder. When a user starts Mentum Planet with a floating license, the software locates and identifies the License Server and issues a request for a license. When the License Server finds the appropriate license key, it sends back an authorization to the workstation, and the user can work with the software.

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System requirements
Not only is the License Server contacted each time a user starts an instance of Mentum Planet but it is also contacted periodically throughout the Mentum Planet session. As a result, it is important to choose a computer that is always available to serve the licenses. Ideally, the License Server should be installed on a file or DNS server because these computers are always online. Static, fixed IP addresses give the best performance. However, you can install the License Server on any computer with Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, WindowsXP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 installed, because the resources required to serve the licenses are minimal (20 MB free disk space). NOTE: An Internet connection is required to validate licenses. If there is no Internet connection, contact Customer Care.

Workflow for installing the License Server and distributing licenses

Step 1 Contact Customer Care to obtain the password required to download the software. You also need a valid product identification number. Download the software from the download Web page. Choose a computer to be the License Server. Verify that the server and workstations meet the system requirements. Ensure that the workstations have network access to the server where the License Server will be installed by verifying the network protocol. See Check the Network Protocol in the Sentinel LM System Administrator online Help (Sentinel.chm) available in the <Mentum Planet 5 installation folder>\Help folder. Install the License Server on the chosen computer. Obtain a valid license from the Registration Service. Restart the License Manager service by choosing Start ControlPanel Administrative Tools Services. Right-click Sentinel RMS License Manager and choose Restart.

Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5

Step 6 Step 7 Step 8

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Step 9

Run the License Server Management tool to verify that the License Server has been installed correctly.

Step 10 Install a floating license version of the Mentum Planet software on individual workstations or on an application server.

To install the License Server

It is recommended that you install the latest version of the License Server. You do not need to install Mentum Planet on the License Server in order for the License Server to validate and distribute licenses.

Navigate to the Mentum Planet Product Downloads page at http://www.mentum.com/customercare/productsDownloads.asp. On the Product Downloads page, enter the Product ID number indicated in the email or letter sent to you, and click Submit. Type the product password you received from your Customer Care Center in the box beside the version of Planet that you want to download and click Submit. Read the download instructions and save file or files to a temporary folder on your computer. Double-click the LMServer Setup.exe file and save the file to a temporary location. On the Welcome page, click Next. Read the license agreement. If you accept the terms of the agreement, click Yes. Accept the default folder as the folder where the License Server will be installed and click Next. There is a delay while the software installs.

2 3 4 5 6

In the Product ID Entry dialog box, type the product ID for each license you want to add to the License Server and click Add. Each product ID you add is listed in the Product ID Entry dialog box.

When you have finished adding the product IDs, click OK.

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In the Product Registration and License Request dialog box, enter your contact information and click Submit. Once the product IDs have been validated, the licenses will be installed on the server. If you are unable to connect to the Registration Service, you need to obtain a license from the Customer Care Center.

10 Choose Start
Services.

Control Panel

Administrative Tools

11 Right-click Sentinel RMS License Manager and choose Restart. 12 Run the License Server Management tool (WlmAdmin.exe) to verify that
the License Server is running and that the licenses have been correctly installed.

Using the License Server Management tool

The License Server Management tool (WlmAdmin.exe) enables you to verify the status of licenses and monitor license activity. Using this tool, you can obtain information on licenses such as the type of license, the feature and version of a license, and the license expiry date. You can also verify how many users are currently using a license and how many licenses are available. For more detailed information, see the Sentinel LM System Administrator online Help (Sentinel.chm) available in the <Mentum Planet 5 installation folder>\Help folder.

To use the License Server Management tool

1 2 3
Navigate to the Program Files\Mentum\License Manager Server\Tool folder. Double-click the WlmAdmin.exe file. In the WlmAdmin dialog box, do one of the following:
n

Expand the Subnet Servers node in the tree view to locate all License Servers available on the defined subnet. Choose Edit Defined Server List and in the Server box, type the name of computer where the License Server is found, click Add, then click OK.

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4 5 6 7

Expand the node next to a License Server to view the list of installed product licenses. Expand the node next to a product to see who is currently using a license. Choose a product or a user name to view statistics on the licenses in the right-hand pane. Choose File Exit to close the WlmAdmin dialog box.

Workflow for using the Remote Authorization tools

Remote Mentum Planet users can commute a license without being connected to the License Server by installing a commuter authorization code obtained from the License Server administrator or a Mentum Planet user connected to the License Server.

To obtain the commuter locking code

The remote Mentum Planet user must obtain a locking code and send it to the License Server Administrator or to a user connected to the License Server.

1 2

Navigate to the <Mentum Planet 5 installation folder>/lserver/Tool folder and double-click WRCommute.exe. Click the Get Locking Code tab. The commuter license code for the current computer is displayed in the Locking Code String for the Current Machine box.

Do one of the following:

n

In the Current Locking Code String section, click the Save Lock Code String To A File button to save the locking code to a file, and then send the file to the Mentum Planet user with access to the License Server. In the Send As E-Mail section, type the email address of a Mentum Planet user with access to the License Server and click Send.

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To check out a remote commuter license

CAUTION: Remote commuter licenses cannot be checked in and remain checked out until the end of the authorization period.

Do one of the following:

n

Start the Mentum Planet software and choose Help License. Choose Start WCommute. All Programs Mentum Planet 5

Commuter

Click one of the following buttons:

n

Search Subnetsearch all servers to which you can connect for available floating licenses. Single Serversearch a specific server for available floating licenses. You must use this option if you want to search across networks.

3 4 5

From the tree view in the Commuter Licensing dialog box, choose the license that you want to commute. Enable the Check Out Authorization For Remote Machine check box. In the Please Enter The Number Of Days Until The Authorization Expires box, type the number of days before the license expires. Remote commuter licenses cannot be checked in and remain checked out until the end of the authorization period.

6 7

Click Check Out. In the Locking Code For Remote Machine dialog box, choose one of the following options:
n

Enter The Locking Code String For Remote Machineto type the license string or paste it from the clipboard.

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Get Locking Code String For Remote Machine From Fileto specify a file containing the license string.

8 9

Click OK. In the Remote Commuter Licensing dialog box, click the Save button.

10 Type a name for the file in the File Name box and click Save. 11 In the Mail The Remote Commuter Authorization To Recipient In
Email section, type the email of the remote Mentum Planet user.

12 13

Click OK. In the Commuter Licensing dialog box, choose File Exit.

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CHAPTER 3 Basic Usage

In order to get up and running with Mentum Planet as soon as possible, this chapter covers some of the basic tasks for using Mentum Planet. For a more detailed look at the software, download the tutorial and the associated data set from the Customer Care section of the Mentum web site. This chapter covers the following topics:

Creating a project Defining your user preferences Placing sites Generating predictions

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Creating a project
Before you can begin working with Mentum Planet, you must create a project. A Mentum Planet project contains and organizes all of the information pertaining to a particular wireless network. Mentum Planet supports two types of grids: numeric and classified.
n

a numeric grid associates numeric data with the bins in the grid file a classified grid associates character data with the bins in the grid file

At a minimum, a project is created from a Heights file (i..e, a Digital Elevation Model file) although you can also include clutter information (i.e., land use) in a project. The geodata folder must contain a Heights folder and a Clutter folder (although the clutter folder can be empty). NOTE: To continue working through the Basic Usage section, you must have a valid Heights file that you can use to create the project. If you do not have one, you can download one of the tutorial data sets available from the Customer Care page of the Mentum web site and use the geodata contained therein.

1 2

Start Mentum Planet. On the Start Page, click New Project.

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The Start Page displays each time you open Mentum Planet or close a project.

3 4 5

In the Project Wizard, click Browse or type a path to the folder where you want to save the project and click Next. Supply a name for the project and click Next. On the Select Your Project Technologies page, in the Available list, choose the technology you are most interested in (for example, LTE) and click the left arrow.

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Click Next and follow the prompts to complete the project creation process. When prompted, choose the geodata folder where the project Heights file is saved.

On the last page of the Wizard, click Finish to create your project.

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The project opens in Mentum Planet with the Project Explorer docked to the left. If you don't see the Project Explorer, choose View Project Explorer. It is from the Project Explorer that you access the bulk of Mentum Planet commands by using the right-click shortcut menus.

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Defining your user preferences

You can define default parameters and actions that are retained across Mentum Planet sessions and upgrades. Preferences are grouped on the following panels:
n

GeneralMentum Planet startup actions and project data validation settings Unitsunits to be used across the project as well as the project coordinate system. Project Explorerperformance, site selection, and layer display settings Data Managerlogon settings and profile management Project Wizard Defaultsdefault folder settings and geodata settings Microwavedefault units for microwave calculations and location of geodata files Miscellaneousprediction cache, import/export, Monte Carlo simulation, and Automatic Cell Planning settings

To ensure that you produce accurate outputs, verify that the units selected are correct.

1 2 3

Choose Edit

Preferences.

On the General panel, you can specify how Mentum Planet appears when you first open it. In the tree view, choose Units and ensure the units are correct.

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Click OK.

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Placing sites
A site is a fixed geographical location. At the site, there are technology-specific base stations, each with associated sectors. All information about sites and sectors is contained in the Site Editor.

In the Project Explorer, from the Category list, choose Sites.

2 3 4

Right-click the Sites node and choose New Site. Click in the Map window three times to place three sites. In the Project Explorer, double-click Site_1. The Site Editor opens where you can add sectors and repeaters and define all relevant parameters.

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Generating predictions
Predictions use a propagation model, terrain and clutter information, and general sector settings including the power, antenna, and azimuth to predict the signal strength and path loss of a sector at any location where the signal exceeds the defined minimum level. Path loss and signal strength predictions are used in network analyses to determine coverage and other metrics.

In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the Sites node and choose Generate Predictions.

In the Sector Selection dialog box, accept the default (All Sectors) and click OK to generate predictions for all sectors.

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3 4 5 6

In the Prediction Generator, click Generate. When prediction generation is complete, click Close. To view the prediction, in the Project Explorer Sites category, expand the Sites node and the Site_1 node. Right-click sector 1, and choose View Sector Predictions Modeled Total. Use the Zoom In prediction. button on the Main toolbar to better examine the

Click the Grid Info button on the Grid Analysis button and then click in the Map window to display prediction values.

52 Getting Started Guide

Appendix A Troubleshooting
As with any software, issues may arise in the use of Mentum Planet and the License Manager Server. If the solution you require is not contained in this appendix, from the Help menu in Mentum Planet, choose Knowledge Base to view solutions created by the Customer Care team. This chapter covers the following topics:

Troubleshooting the License Server

54

Chapter A

Troubleshooting the License Server

You may receive the following error message when starting Mentum Planet:
No license available to run <program>.

If you receive this message, the cause is likely one of the items listed in "Troubleshooting the License Server" above. The items are listed in order of probability. Start with the first item, and work through the list until the problem is corrected. Table 1 License Server issues and resolutions Issue No licenses are available. Resolution Check whether licenses are available. See Using the License Server Management tool. See "Using the License Server Management tool" on page 39.

The License Server is not working and therefore not serving licenses.

There is a problem with the license key.

See "If the license key does not work" on the facing page.

If the License Server is not working

1 2
Verify that the License Server service is running using the Windows Services menu. Do one of the following:
n

If the License Server is running, you need to restart it. Stop the service and restart the server. If the License Server is not running, navigate to the ProgramFiles\Mentum\License Manager Server\WinNT folder and double-click the loadls.exe file. Verify that the service has been installed and then restart the server. See loadls - Install the License Server as an NT/2000 Service in the Sentinel LM System

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Administrator online Help (Sentinel.chm) available in the <Mentum Planet 5 installation folder>\Help folder.

If the license key does not work

1 2 3
Navigate to the Program Files\Mentum\License Manager Server folder and verify that the lservrc file has no extension. Start Notepad, open the lservrc file, verify the expiry date, and check that the software licenses are in the lservrc file. Navigate to the Program Files\Mentum\License Manager Server\Tool folder and double-click the WlmAdmin.exe file. Verify that the License Server is running and determine how many licenses there are on the server.

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