INST & TECH MANUAL

Tron 40VDR FF Capsule

www.jotron.com

Table of contents
INSTALLATION2
Wiring diagram.............................................................................................................................................. 4
External power .............................................................................................................................................. 5
PoE (Power over Ethernet)........................................................................................................................... 6
Software configurasjon and maintains ......................................................................................................... 7
Changes since last issue .............................................................................................................................. 7
Abbreviations and definitions........................................................................................................................ 7
References ................................................................................................................................................... 7
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 8
About Webmin .......................................................................................................................................... 8
Initial IP address and Hostname .............................................................................................................. 8
Startup time .............................................................................................................................................. 9
SSD .............................................................................................................................................................. 9
Smart status ............................................................................................................................................. 9
Services ........................................................................................................................................................ 9
SMB .......................................................................................................................................................... 9
NFS .......................................................................................................................................................... 9
FTP ......................................................................................................................................................... 10
Webmin .................................................................................................................................................. 10
SSH ........................................................................................................................................................ 10
System time - NTP ................................................................................................................................. 11
Providing time using an NTP server .................................................................................................. 11
Providing time manually ..................................................................................................................... 11
ZEROCONF ........................................................................................................................................... 11
Installing and updating software............................................................................................................. 11
Backup and restore of configuration ...................................................................................................... 12
Performance issues .................................................................................................................................... 12
The cost of creating, renaming and deleting files .................................................................................. 12
Retriving of data using the USB interface .................................................................................................. 13
Connecting to the board. ........................................................................................................................ 13
Appendix ..................................................................................................................................................... 14
Backup control file example ................................................................................................................... 14

Page 1

Installation of Tron 40VDR Float Free Capsule

Mounting location
The Tron 40 VDR Float Free Capsule should be installed in a location guided by COMSAR.Circ 32 (Chap
4.10)
http://www.imo.org/blast/blastDataHelper.asp?data_id=10750&filename=32.pdf

FB-40 Bracket installation & mounting.

Picture 1.

Installation of the FB-40 VDR bracket can be made direct on the ship-wall, as long as the contact of the
surface is plane and the areas is bigger than the actual bracket.

How to fit Tron 40VDR Capsule in the FB40 bracket

Picture 3

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Make sure the FB-40 bracket is mounted correct on the rail and/or the ship-wall.
Take the Tron 40 VDR Float-Free Capsule and match the lower part correct on the dock-module and
easy press/lay the unit safely in the stability-bracket. Mount the top-cover correct by fitting the lower-end
first and then make sure the HRU (Hydro Static Release)-bolt is secured by the spacer and splint-pin.

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Wiring diagram
The cable has flying leads. A metal box which is conductive inside must be used. This box must also be
connected to chassis (ships ground). The cable screen shall be connected to the box.
There are two options for supplying power to Tron 40VDR. The two options are external power or Power
over Ethernet (PoE). Only one of them must be wired.
DC+ and DC- are according to PoE IEEE 802.3af-2003 mode B and are delivered by the network switch if
it supports PoE.
24VDC are used with external power.
External power has priority over PoE if both are connected.

1 : Rx+ / DC+
2 : Rx- / DC+
3 : Tx+ / DC4 : DC+
5 : DC+
6 : Tx7 : DC8 : DC-

1 : 24 Vdc+
2 : 24Vdc-

Cable connection
Jotron Cable
Voyage Connection
White/orange
Orange
White/green
Blue
Green
White/brown
White/blue
Brown
Shield

Rx +
Rx Tx +
DC +
Tx DC 24Vdc +
24Vdc GND

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External power
Connection to use when using external DC power to Tron 40VDR
Unused cables must be unconnected.
Cable shield must be connected to chassis in the connection box.
DC input rage: Minimum 21 VDC (2410%)
Maximum 57 VDC (48+20%)
Ethernet signal are connected to Orange+Orange/White and Green+Green/White wire

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PoE (Power over Ethernet)

Tron 40VDR supports IEEE 802.3af-2003. Both mode A and mode B can be used. We has used two of
the wites for external power, so Mode B is not wired exactly as the standard says.
Unused cables must be unconnected.
Cable shield must be connected to chassis in the connection box.
Ethernet signal are connected to Orange+Orange/White and Green+Green/White wire.
PoE (DC+ and DC-, IEEE 802.3af-2003 mode B) are connected to Blue+Brown/white wire.

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Software configuration and maintenance

Changes since last issue

This is the first issue.

Abbreviations and definitions

Smb
nfs
ntp
ftp
ssh
SSD
Vdr

Server message block

Network file system
Network time protocol
File transfere protocol
secure shell
Solid state disk
Vessel data recorder

References

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Introduction
The vdr capsule processing unit is based on an ARM processor running embedded linux. Key features
are:
300-450 mHz arm core (TI am1808) with 128 mbyte DDR.
SATA2 interfaced SSD disk
100mb network interface
Supports smb,nfs,ftp,ntp,zeroconf,ssh protocols
Webmin configuration suite for extending services.
Both kernel and root file system are booted from on-board flash.
All the services are based on open source software, and further documentation may be obtained from the
project community pages found on the internet.
In this preliminary release the above mentioned services/protocols are setup in a simple and generic way,
enabling direct access to the storage media with no security options enabled. If required, the
configuration may be changed online using the Webmin interface. Be aware that changes in configuration
will affect the root file system as a permanent action. It is reasonable to take a configuration backup
before the file system is modified (see chapter 6 for details.) Please forward any considerations /
requirements to Jotron to have it incorporated in the stock file system /kernel if possible.

About Webmin
Webmin is a general purpose configuration system. Although some steps have been taken to adapt
Webmin to an embedded platform, there are many options in Webmin that are not applicable to an
embedded platform.
Webmin is very configurable and there is international language support built in if required. Accessible
modules may also be configured for each user.

Initial IP address and Hostname

Hostname is initially set to vdr. This name can be used to access the unit over the network.
By default the vdr will use the fixed IP address 192.168.2.1. In order to change this address do as follows:
Attach a computer with a network interface using the 192.168.2.x network.
Log in using an internet browser with the address: vdr:10000 or vdr.local:10000 with User: admin
password: password
Select the Networking/Network Configuration module.
Select Network Interfaces - check that the Activated at boot tab is selected.
Click on eth0 and configure the network as required, both static IP and dhcp is supported.
Do not reconfigure the usb0 interface.
To change the hostname, select the Hostname and DNS client in the Network configuration setup and
change the hostname. The hostname is distributed on the network for clients to access. In some linux
environments hostname.local must be used.
If required, default gateway and dns server can be set using routing and gateways and Hostname and
DNS Client settings respectively.

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After modifying IP and hostname, a reboot of the vdr unit may be required. In the System/Bootup and
Shutdown module a reboot can be issued from webmin.

Startup time
The vdr will boot up in about 45 seconds.

SSD
The SSD disk is using linux ext4 file system . The drive contains one partition covering the whole storage
media. Disk space info is available in the webmin System information module.

Smart status
Smart status may be obtained in the Hardware/Smart drive status module of webmin. Some standard
parameters can be viewed custom parameters may be available depending on the implementation of
the disk software. These parameters are listed as unknown.

Services
The vdr provides several services that can be used.

SMB
The vdr capsule is running version 3.5.6 of the samba server exporting the SSD as a shared device.
From windows (XP) do as follows:
Activate windows explorer (My documents My computer)
In the address field write as follows: \\vdr
The VDR shared folder should appear.
Click to open or right click to map a drive letter to the share.
Alternatively use the network browser .
The SSD drive is now available in read/write modus. The Lost+found catalog is part of the ext4 file
system and cannot be removed. The samba server may be configured by use of webmin, and the
configuration may be backed up.

NFS
The vdr capsule is supporting NFS version 3. To mount the SSD drives on a linux machine, use the
following mount command as root:

mount t nfs vdr.local:/media/sda1 <mount catalog>

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The SSD should now be accessable from your local catalog. The NFS server may be further configured
and adapted using webmin.

FTP
The FTP server may be used as a read/write service for logging of data, but does also support a read
only service available for read-out of data.
Note that when setting user password in webmin there are some restrictions that may be confusing and
that will not produce any error messages. Please construct your password to be between 5 and 8
characters including both letters and numbers.
Using FTP as a service for read/write logging:

A specific user should be created with password (use webmin). The user home catalogue should
be /media/sda1 to access the partition used for logging.

Using FTP for readout only:

Modify the guest user account to use of a valid password.

Make sure that the guest user account is enabled.
Login using either the guest account or as anonymous both requires the guest password.

By using a ftp client, login using the following command line:

ftp vdr (linux: vdr.local)

username anonymous, guest or specific user
A valid password

Use of a more advanced FTP client such as filezilla is recommended.

Webmin
The webmin configuration suite is a web based tool for setting up, configuring and monitoring the VDR
unit. Webmin may be accessed by the following URL in a web browser having access to the network:

URL: Vdr:10000
Username: admin
Password: password

The default password for the admin user should be changed to avoid potential unauthorized login. It is
possible to add additional users and tailor the modules of webmin for each user, thus restricting access.

For further info and documentation of webmin see www.webmin.com.

SSH
It is possible to log in on to the vdr system using SSH. Users and passwords must be set up before login
is possible.

Page 10

System time - NTP

In order to have correct timestamps when creating files, the real time clock in the operating should be set.
NB! There is no battery backed-up hardware clock in the vdr unit, so an external time reference
must be provided!

Providing time using an NTP server

If possible provide a NTP server available for the vdr unit somewhere in the system. The vdr buoy will
then be able to maintain time automatically and run with UTC time.
For some reason, the System time setup of Time server sync does not set up its synchronization
schedule correctly, so a dedicated Cron job must be created.
In Webmin System/Scheduled Cron Jobs Add a new job as follows:

In Execute cron job as select root.

Set active to yes
Set command: /usr/bin/ntpdate x.y.z.v >/dev/null 2>&1 where x.y.z.v is the IP address or
name of a network time server.
Examine the log in /var/log/messages to verify the execution if required. Removing >/dev/null 2>1
gives more information, but will try to activate send-mail for an e-mail report.

Providing time manually

Time can be updated by use of a SSH connection using the unix date command for both reading and
writing time/date. The date command is a busybox application with somewhat redused capabilities.
Setting the date can be done with the following format:

date 010113542013 (date-month-time-year 01 jan 13:54 2013)

ZEROCONF
The vdr makes use of the Avahi server to implement zeroconf. At the moment the hostname (vdr) is
exported and can be used to access the unit. More services can be added but this is not implemented in
webmin.

Installing and updating software

Webmin contains a module for installing software packages. This may be used in the future to install
updates or even add optional software. A software package requires special construction and will be
created and distributed by Jotron when required.
To update/install a package:
In Webmin activate the Software Packages module located in the System section. If this is the
first time it is activated an error message will be displayed.
o In this case activate Module Config in the upper left corner of the Software Packages.
o Select RPM as Package management system.
o Select None for Package update system.

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o Press save to return to the parent form which now should be displayed correctly.
The easiest way to install a package is to select From uploaded file and browse for the required
rpm file.
Press the Install button the rpm file to be installed is downloaded and the install package form is
displayed. Here several options can be set. Instructions about these settings will be given when a
package is released.
Press install to install the package.

Backup and restore of configuration

Webmin contains a backup/restore module which in several cases makes an incomplete backup, (Samba
and proftpd backup are among these cases. It is therefore recommended to use the alternative backup
method described here.
When a vdr unit is configured as required, a backup of the different services may be done. The backup
file can be applied on new units with factory defaults, in order to clone the configuration.
When the vdr is configured accordingly, and is working as expected after a re-boot, the following process
can be followed to create a backup file:

Obtain the backup list file from Jotron or create one (see appendix). This file simply contains a list
of the files to be copied to the backup. This file will not work if it is created with an editor that
places a <cr> character before the <lf> terminator. Most windows editors do this.
Copy the file to the SSD disk by use of ftp/samba.
Log in with SSH as root and move to the root catalog (cd /)
Execute tar cvf media/sda1/backupfile.tar T media/sda1/backuplist
The required files are now copied to the backup.tar file and can be transferred to a host computer
using one of the file transfere services available.

To restore a configuration:
Copy the backup.tar config file to /media/sda1 by use of one of the file transfere services
available. The backup list file is not required during the restore process.
Log in with SSH as root and move to the root catalog (cd /)
Execute tar xvf media/sda1/backupfile.tar
After a reboot the new configuration should be applied for all configured services.

Performance issues
In order to tune performance, there are some issues that should be noted. The following issues are
probably not related to the protocol used for access, but the SMB protocol (samba) has been used for test
purposes.

The cost of creating, renaming and deleting files

File operations such as open/close/rename usually takes quite long time compared with actually reading
and writing data, and the time will increase with the number of files present in the catalog written to. As an
example, a complete write/rename/readback of a 500kb file may take approx 450 ms when the catalog
written to contains no files, while with 10000 files present it will take 1200 ms. The actual transfere of the
contents only takes a small amount of this time. A good balance between number of files in a catalog and
the length of each file will increase performance.

Page 12

Retrieving of data using the USB interface

Accessing the USB interface of the capsule, requires it to be dismantled.

Connecting to the board.

In order to attach to the capsule processor board a USB cable with a Micro-B connector is required.
With this cable connect the processor board to a PC running a version of the windows operating systems.
(Windows XP and newer.) The board will get power from the USB cable, and within a minute the windows
computer will mount the capsule processor as a network interface.
From now, all the network services will be available from the windows computer. By logging on with
correct username and password, the SSD disk will be browsable and dedicated files or cataloges can be
copied to the computer. Typically the user will have read only access.
It is also possible to mount the SSD disk as a drive on the computer.
The most efficient way to download a large amount of files is by use of ftp protocol. By logging in as guest
or anonymous with the guest password, read only access to the SSD disk is obtained. By using a graphic
frontend like the ftp client filezilla, a very efficient download mechanism can be obtained.

Page 13

Appendix
Backup control file example
This list of files can be used to take a backup of a configured system:
etc/webmin/miniserv.users
etc/webmin/miniserv.conf
etc/hostname
etc/hosts
etc/network/interfaces
etc/nsswitch.conf
etc/sysctl.conf
etc/group
etc/gshadow
etc/passwd
etc/shadow
etc/webmin/time/config
etc/crontab
etc/cron.deny
var/spool/cron/root
etc/samba/smb.conf
var/lib/samba/passdb.tdb
etc/proftpd.conf
media/sda1/.ftpaccess
This list of files will backup the following settings and services:

Webmin users and main settings

Network and routing for static IP
Users and groups with password
NTP setup
Cron jobs for user root (required to make NTP work)
Samba filesharing with user setup
FTP service

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