TCP/IP configuration

You may wish to skip this step if the SoftJACE PC is already pre-configured with its intended TCP/IP settings, or if you wish to use its local Windows Control Panel to make these type of changes. Be aware that a SoftJACE PC reboot occurs if you make any changes in this step, at the conclusion of the wizard.

Figure 17. Example TCP/IP configuration step for SoftJACE

If the SoftJACE PC has another NIC, an “Interface 2” control with separate settings will also be available. Intended usage in Niagara is for isolating a “driver’s” Ethernet traffic from the primary interface. DHCP is typically supported in the TCP/IP configuration of both ports, and standard gateway functions are possible using the Windows operating system. However, it is recommended that you check with Systems Engineering before engineering a SoftJACE solution dependent on multiple Ethernet interfaces. As shown above, IPv6 settings are available too (however, most are read-only for any Windows-based host). For more complete details on TCP/IP configuration from a Niagara platform connection, refer to the Platform Guide section on TCP/IP Configuration, including the section “TCP/IP changes in AX-3.6”.

To configure TCP/IP settings

At the TCP/IP Configuration step (Figure 17) in the Commissioning Wizard, do the following:

Review the “Interface 1” IPv4 Settings, which reflect the address you used to make the connection.
If needed, assign the SoftJACE another unique IPv4 address for the network. No other device on the network should use the same IP address. Include the appropriate IPv4 subnet mask used by the LAN.

Alternatively, if the network supports DHCP, you can enable it (click DHCP Enabled). In this case, the IP Address and Subnet Mask fields become read only.
In general, for stability, static IP addressing is recommended over DHCP. If using DHCP, an address reservation (for the SoftJACE host in the DHCP server) is recommended. Do not enable DHCP unless you are certain that the network has DHCP servers! Otherwise, the SoftJACE may become unreachable over the network.
Review, and if needed adjust other TCP/IP settings, which (in usual order of importance) include:
- IPv4 Gateway — The IP address for the device that forwards packets to other networks or subnets.
- DNS Domain — Type name of network domain, or if not applicable, leave blank.
- Hostname — The current host name, or the name you want to use for this host.
- Hosts File — Click control to expand edit field. Format is a standard TCP/IP hosts file, where each line associates a particular IP address with a known host name. Each entry should be on an individual line. The IP address should be placed in the first column, followed by the corresponding host name. The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one space.
  1. To add a line, click at the end of the last line and press Enter.
  2. Type in the required data on the new line.
    
    To return to see all TCP/IP settings, click the control to contract the edit field when done.
The Undo Changes button resets all settings (all Interfaces) back to the original pre-step values.
Click the Next button to go to the next step, which may be Platform daemon authentication.