Other Resources...............................
This article has been formatted for on-screen viewing. A printable, PDF version may be downloaded by clicking here.
General information about TBOS and definitions of its specialized terms can be found at TBOS Serial E-telemetry: An Overview.
A description of various TBOS tests (including problems and their symptoms) is contained in Performing tests on TBOS serial e-telemetry installations and systems.
Resources available for owners of TBOS Tester include a .CFG file library, User Manual updates, and application notes.
This document was last updated 11 December 1998.
Your questions, suggestionsand comments are welcome.
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TBOS Tester Overview.......................
TBOS Tester enables your IBM-PC® compatible or laptop computer to generate, monitor and analyze TBOS (serial E-telemetry) messages. By harnessing the inherent capabilities of a personal computer, TBOS Tester is more powerful and versatile than traditional, dedicated TBOS test equipment (as well as easier to transport and use) yet farless expensive. TBOS Tester is a complete package of software, hardware and cabling, available from Telephony Software Associates, Inc.
- Verify
newly installed monitored equipment TBOS functions without help from Central
personnel. TBOS Tester lets you make sure monitored equipment is outputting
serial alarms and is correctly addressed before you connect it to an alarm
remote.
- Troubleshoot serial alarm systems
locally,
without assistance from
the Central. Quickly diagnose and isolate configuration, wiring and timing
problems or equipment failures. TBOS Tester reveals in moments whether a
problem lies with the Remote or the monitored equipment.
- Test alarm remotes by generating simulated alarms for the Remote to scan. TBOS Tester lets you test all scan points without actually creating
alarms on live equipment.
- Gain local access to TBOS data conveyed to the Central. TBOS Tester reveals
on screen which alarms are active, compiles alarm histories during extended tests
and can provide remote notification via terminal or alphanumeric pager when
designated alarms occur, all without interrupting, relying on or waiting for central
monitoring systems.
- Inexpensively monitor and control small offices or networks using TBOS Tester,
or add serial alarm data to your existing network management system. Scan
for alarms and send maintenance commands to as many as eight network elements
at a time. Use a direct local link to monitored equipment, a dedicated circuit to
remote sites, the integrated autodialer or even a dial-in link. TBOS Tester's alarm
acknowledgment, history and remote notification features provide a surprisingly
powerful, low cost alternative to conventional alarm reporting systems.
- Test TBOS-compatible equipment during development, manufacture or QC.
TBOS Tester automatically generates test records, while precision timing controls let
you study system behavior at protocol limits.
- Enhance training on serial alarm systems with TBOS Tester's intuitive, quasi-graphical displays and in-depth documentation.
Since its introduction in 1987, TBOS Tester has found broad acceptance at RBOCs, independents, IXCs, cellular providers, CLECs, power utilities, equipment manufacturers and telecom training facilities throughout North America and beyond. TBOS Tester is fully compatible with applicable sections of AT&T PUBs 49001, 43804 and CB-149, and is certified Year-2000 compliant.
How TBOS Tester works.....................
TBOS Tester can be connected in three distinct physical configurations and operated in four different test modes to match your application.
Monitoring a TBOS Interconnect
Bridged to the serial data link between a Remote and one or more monitored equipment elements (Figure 1), TBOS Tester detects scan and command requests from the Remote and correlates them with monitored equipment responses. Monitor Mode is the perfect tool for serial alarm system troubleshooting, revealing at a glance which network elements are being scanned, whether they are responding and which alarms are active. It also provides local access to serial telemetry without disrupting information flow to the Central.
Scanning for alarms or send commands
More than a monitoring device, TBOS Tester can also emulate or even replace an alarm remote (Figure 2 ). In Display Mode TBOS Tester issues scan requests to as many as eight network elements, collecting and displaying their replies. When operating in Command Mode TBOS Tester lets you select and send momentary or latching relay commands to the monitored equipment and verify acknowledgments.
During installation and turn-up the display and command modes let you verify TBOS functions for monitored equipment before it is connected to an alarm system. When troubleshooting an existing alarm system TBOS Tester provides local control of alarm scanning and command generation with immediate performance feedback, and allows alarm system elements to be isolated for testing with minimal disruption to the rest of the alarm system.
TBOS Tester can verify alarm remote functions as well. Connected by itself or in parallel with monitored equipment (Figure 3) and operated in Respond Mode, TBOS Tester receives scan and command requests from the Remote and generates responses for as many as eight addresses. You can tailor scan replies to the Remote by selecting any number of individual alarm points to be reported active.
Respond Mode lets you verify that all alarms are being accurately conveyed to the Central and that command requests are being received and relayed to the monitored equipment, all without actually connecting the Remote to the network. This eliminates the need to generate test alarms by pulling modules, and the risk of connecting a partially tested Remote to the network.
TBOS Tester Information Display..........
Test data can be worthless unless presented in a format that allows the data to be quickly and accurately interpreted. TBOS Tester offers a variety of ways to view test results and network status. It is much easier to use than conventional protocol analyzers or other TBOS test equipment, yet powerful enough to be a stand-alone monitoring system for small networks.
- The 64 scan points that comprise each TBOS display and command address
are shown on screen as a grid reminiscent of a checkerboard (Figure 4). Active alarms appear in reverse video. Two types of
scan indicators reveal at a glance whether TBOS transactions are actively occurring. The display addresses scanned during
a test as well as the address currently being scanned are indicated at the bottom
of each screen. In addition, the point grids reflect which character (set of eight
points) is currently being scanned.
- Each grid box contains a description (up to 16 characters) of the
corresponding alarm or command, eliminating the need to consult equipment manuals during a
test in order to decipher TBOS telemetry. Switch the display between point
descriptions and point numbers with a single key (Figure 5).
- You can create custom screen displays for your specific equipment and test
sites with TBOS Tester's alarm and command point description file editor. Copy
and move individual pages of point descriptions within or between files to
minimize typing.
- A global view of alarm activity is provided in two ways. First, the number of
each address that contains active alarms appears at the top of each screen. These
indicators (as well as an optional audible alarm) provide notification as soon as an
alarm occurs, even if the alarm is on a display address not being viewed. In addition,
the master page display(Figure 6) shows individual alarms from all eight TBOS displays on
a single screen.
- In contrast to the alarm point grids (which indicate
current status) the TBOS Tester event
log captures and reports data over time. Each alarm point change,
command and protocol violation is time stamped and listed with the associated point number
or its meaning. Logs can be written to disk and viewed in their entirety after a test
as well as printed during or following a test. During a test the
log window(Figure 7
) lists the most recent events for any single display or for all displays. The event
log can also be used with the autodialer feature for remote alarm reporting to a
dial-up terminal.
- For detailed studies and troubleshooting, the datascope windowdisplays TBOS telemetry in hex format (Figure 8). You can view telemetry for one or all addresses, and freeze the datascope for study without interrupting alarm scans.
Special Features...............................
- For remote alarm reporting applications, TBOS Tester's
autodialer can call a remote terminal or an alphanumeric pager when TBOS alarms occur that fall within any
of eight user-specified ranges of scan points. You can define eight-deep ring down
lists should the primary terminal or pager fail to answer. The autodialer will send
the pager a predefined message of up to 44 characters describing the nature of
the alarm (e.g. which range is active) or download the event log to a remote
terminal, beginning with the event that triggered the call. The Autodialer can be
extremely useful when running overnight or extended tests, for remote testing or when
maintenance personnel must leave a site. For small network monitoring applications
the Autodialer provides immediate, 24 hour notification of alarms at unmanned locations.
- For hands-free testing of alarm remotes, the
auto-respond function activates and deactivates each scan point in succession while the event log creates a test
record for later examination. Global respond point
control allows all alarm points to be activated or deactivated with a single keystroke without interrupting a
Respond Mode test. Respond point files of active alarm points can be created and saved
for repetitive use.
- Error detectionand reporting for four types of serial telemetry errors is provided
on screen and in the event log (Figure 9). These include timeouts, polling mismatches,
framing and parity errors. Error counters can be reset from the keyboard without restarting
a test. Choose from three on-error behavior
options to best serve test or monitoring applications: when protocol violations occur scans can continue with the next
character, display address or scan cycle.
- To reveal timing problemsa one millisecond high resolution timer measures
the interval between each scan request and reply. The minimum, maximum and
current times are displayed on screen, and log entries include any measured
transaction times (Figure 10). Four timing options
let you control and optimize TBOS Tester in a
wide variety of situations. Two scan delay timers allow measured delay to be
added between polling cycles or between scan requests issued in Display Mode.
Scan replies issued in Respond Mode can be delayed by measured amounts, and
the timeout interval can be adjusted from the 200 millisecond TBOS standard.
- In Display Mode a single scan option halts alarm scanning after one
complete cycle, providing "snapshot" views of system conditions. The display and
command modes have self-test options that allow a loopback to be set from the
keyboard, providing a convenient means to verify software settings and host computer
operation.
- Adjustable settings for baud rate (up to 38.4 Kbps), parity and stop-bits are
provided for specialized applications. All of the software settings than comprise a
test profile are controlled from setup menus. Multiple
profiles can be defined, eliminating repetitive changes to test setups.
- Menu based on-line help lets you view on screen virtually any information you need to operate TBOS Tester and interpret test results. The 200 page User's Manual provides step-by-step instructions for those using TBOS Tester for the first time, and detailed information organized by subject for veteran users.
Hardware Accessories........................
TBOS Tester includes all the hardware and cabling needed to test most
TBOS-compatible serial alarm system elements. A special purpose RS-232 to RS-422/485
converter, a 25 pin gender changer, 9-to-25 pin adapter cable and a 4-lead wire-wrap
pin TBOS interface cable are provided. An optional cable set is available for
equipment utilizing a D-connector serial alarm interface. TBOS Tester runs on virtually any
IBM-PC® compatible with a serial port and DOS 3.2 or later, Windows
3.1® or Win95®.
Color, monochrome and LCD screens are supported.
How to Order..................................
The TBOS Tester version 4 package of software and hardware accessories is available from TSA for just $895. Unlimited, perpetual telephone support is provided at no charge; hardware accessories are guaranteed for one year. Registered owners of an earlier version TBOS Tester can upgrade their software or hardware at substantial savings.
To order, simply mail or fax your purchase order to your sales representative or to TSA (Common Language vendor code TYSW), or call us with your PO number, shipping and billing address. Most orders are shipped within 24 hours.
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4701 Willowtree Lane
Clayton, NC 27520
United States of America
(919) 553-TBOS [553-8267]
fax: (919) 553-9095
tsa@tbos.net
This page last updated 11 December 1998.