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“What Asentria offered us was the ability to keep the infrastructure we already had in place for our customer. All we had to do was slot it in the right place and we were able to monitor the entire network within a matter of minutes.”
Martin Cooper, president of Transcom


Data-Link DL150 Pollable Remote Access Unit

 

 

NOTE: The DL150 product is available for purchase, but is not recommended for new projects. Instead, the new TeleBoss 850 model is the recommended as a migration path for new projects instead of the DL150. The DL150 does not have an end-of-life date at this time. Please see our End-of-Life Statement.



Feature Details

Data Collection Data Collection Features
  • Serial Data Collection -The DL150 has up to six serial ports which can be used for serial data collection from devices such as PBX CDR ports, alarm ports, ACD ports, etc.  All data is kept separate in individual files which can be polled separately.  Collected data is stored in non-volatile memory so that it is preserved if power is lost.

  • Internal Data Compression  - Using a compression algorithm optimized for PBX CDR records, the DL150 can compress internal data up to 3:1.  Thus a unit with 1mb of storage memory can store up to 3mb of actual call records.  

  • Collect SMDR over Ethernet - The DL150 can collect call records from TCP/IP-based devices which sent text messages, particularly popular PBXs including Nortel BCM, Avaya, Cisco CallManager, Mitel, Alcatel, Intecom and Siemens brands.  Each of these PBXs has a different protocol and setup requirements for data collection. The DL150 setup menus walk you through all the required steps to setup and collect records from these devices over TCP/IP.  The DL150 includes options to open a socket at an IP address to receive streaming data, or to listen on a port, and accept incoming connections pushing data to the DL150.  We welcome the opportunity to support new devices and we welcome the opportunity to talk with you regarding your requirements.

  • Receive Records via FTP Push - The DL150 can receive text data via FTP, and place it into one of its data FILES.  You can have one DL150 pushing data to another DL150, or in some other fashion use this feature to collect data into the DL150 file storage for later polling.

  • Poll using Xmodem/Zmodem/PollCatT Protocols - Once data has been collected, it can be polled using a number of popular protocols, including Xmodem, Zmodem, or using PollCat compatible commands. 

  • Poll Records via FTP Push/Pull - One of the easiest ways to collect data is to setup an automatic FTP push of data very 30 minutes or so.  The data is automatically pushed to your designated FTP server without requiring setting up any centralized polling system whatsoever.  If you already have a scheduled polling system setup, you can set it to FTP pull the data from the DL150.

  • Encrypted Data Transfers - You may want to encrypt your data before sending it over channels which are not completely secure.  The DL150 supports an encrypted FTP Push/Pull option which works the same as regular FTP data transfer except that the resulting file is named differently and the file data is encrypted.  We give you a program that can run on your computer which watches for the incoming file and then decrypts it automatically so that it looks like it was transferred via the regular FTP method.   Thus encrypted FTP can work seamlessly with software which has been setup to work with our regular FTP data transfer.

  • Push Data Across the Internet - The DL150 supports PPP dial-up which when combined with FTP push allows the DL150 to dial-up your local ISP and send data across the Internet to the FTP server of your choice.

  • Real-Time Data Transfers - In some cases your application might prefer a real-time flow of CDR data, such as with applications for serial alarm monitoring, or ACD statistics.  The DL150 supports 'real-time sockets', which provide a steady flow of data over the network as long as the network connection exists.  If for some reason the network goes down then the DL150 will buffer calls until the network is available again.
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Alarm Monitoring Alarm Monitoring Features
  • Percentage Full Alarms  -The DL150 can be set up to alarm if its internal storage memory exceeds 80% full.  Typically one of the alarm actions would initiate an FTP push of the data to a server and/or to send a notice to the polling computer so as to initiate a poll of the data.  You can also send a notice to a network management system or a technician.

  • 'No-Data' Alarms -You can set up a 'no-data' alarm for any one of the DL150 serial ports.  When the DL150 receives 'no data' for a specified amount of time it sends an alarm message to a network management system or a technician to alert them that something appears to be amiss.

  • Serial Alarm Monitoring -The DL150 bridges the gap between your network management system and legacy serial devices that lack a network interface. The DL150 interprets data alarms issued from RS-232 ports by using programmable serial “alarm formulas.” The formulas define serial alarm events and appropriate notification actions so you can react quickly to dangerous alarm conditions. The DL150 supports up to 100 serial alarm formulas. For a tour of how this feature works, see Using Serial Alarms
  • Toll-Fraud Detection - The DL150 can be set up to monitor serial messages from the PBX that indicates toll-fraud, such as calls to 976-GIRLS, or late night international long distance calls.

  • Multi-line Alarm Support - Some serial alarms consist of more complex, multiple text lines with fields on each line that need to be evaluated together, in order to determine the alarm status. The DL150 supports collection and evaluation of multi-line serial alarms. To learn more about this feature, see Multi Line Alarm Records.

  • Octel Voicemail Alarms - The DL150 supports interrogation of Octel Voicemail Systems (optional software feature) to extract alarms from the voicemail system and forward them to support personnel, or your network management system.

  • Custom Alarm Integration - You can easily customize the DL150 to support specialized protocols and scripts that allow alarm interrogation of just about any type of intelligent equipment utilizing serial or TCP/IP communication. To learn more about this feature, see Custom Alarm Integration.

  • Custom Scripting Support - The DL150 offers full featured scripting support in Q3 of 2005. Scripting allows you to customize the functionality of the DL150 to implement your own specialized device interrogation, special alarm evaluation and the proactive execution of fault management scripts. User programming will require an Asentria Scripting Development Kit (SDK).

  • SNMP Trap Capture - You can utilize the DL150 to accept SNMP Traps from other devices, then convert the alarms into a multi-line text alarm format that your network management system recognizes. You can manage alarm conditions of remote devices that support SNMP Trap alarms even if your network management system cannot understand the alarms. To learn more about this feature, see SNMP Trap Capture.

  • Serial Handshaking Alarms - The DL150 serial ports are configured as DTE. Any loss of CTS can be used to generate an alarm event. You can use this feature to indicate a lost connection of leased-line modems or other types of devices that indicate 'not-ready' status on one of their serial port pins. Or you can use this feature to notify you if a serial cable becomes disconnected.

  • E-mail Alarm Notification - The DL150 offers E-mail notification of alarm events so you can inform key personnel who may not have access to network management software or a pager.

  • On-board Sensor Inputs - The DL150 has an internal temperature sensor (optional) plus up to 16 on-board I/O channels (optional) which can be a combination of contact contact closure inputs, analog inputs, and/or relay outputs allowing you to directly monitor and control environmental and equipment alarms and conditions within your remote equipment room. The DL150 can detect discrete contact alarms from devices such as backup power systems, air conditioners, door sensors and status outputs from countless non-networked devices. Analog sensors can measure voltages and battery outputs, and relays can control small devices or indicate alarms to other management systems. Asentria also offers a line of mechanical sensor accessories including Temperature, Humidity, Water, Smoke Alarms, and Door Sensors.

  • External EventSensor Modules - The DL150 comes equipped with an EventSensor Port on its back panel that allows you to connect up to 16 external EventSensor Modules. The modules provide additional capabilities to sense temperature, humidity, contact closures and analog inputs, and also the ability to switch relay outputs. You connect EventSensors to the DL150 via standard CAT5 cable that may extend hundreds of feet away from the DL150 base unit. The DL150 powers the EventSensors over the same cable, but you may also choose to power the EventSensors individually.

  • Free Alarm Software - In addition to any other alarm notification methods you use, you can use our AlarmManager software to send SNMP traps directly to your desktop. AlarmManager is minimized to the Systray of your Windows screen and pops up when a new alarm arrives. The alarm messages are displayed along with their site names, and are logged under individual folders according to their Site Names.
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Remote Console Port Access Remote Access & Management Features
  • Remote Console Port Access - The DL150 provides transparent pass-through access to devices connected to its serial I/O ports. You can utilize this feature to manage remote devices such as PBXs, voicemail, routers, and other devices with RS-232 admin ports.

  • PPP Modem Support - The DL150 supports the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) over a modem. You can dial in to the DL150 via dialup networking and then use TCP/IP based protocols like FTP, SNMP, etc. You may also set up the DL150 to dial out to a local ISP in order to send an SNMP trap over the Internet via modem. This feature can be used if your remote site does not have WAN connectivity, or as an automatic backup method if the DL150 recognizes that your Ethernet connection is unavailable.

  • IP Routing - You can also use the PPP feature described above to access remote network devices. When properly set up, you can use dialup networking to connect to the DL150 over a modem and then use your browser or telnet client to access other devices on the same remote network as the DL150. This feature allows diagnostic access to the remote network if for some reason the primary WAN connection is not working. This feature requires both software setup and DIP switch enabling to maintain security features.
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Access Security Features Access Security Features
  • Configurable User Security Profiles - Robust and flexible security features are critical considerations, especially when your network equipment needs to be accessed by both employees and vendors. The DL150 offers 12 definable User Profiles that you can tailor individually. You can define specific access rights and restrictions for each user.

  • CHAP Authentication - For extra security you can use the challenge/response authentication feature of the DL150. When you attempt to log in to the DL150, you will be issued a challenge code that is generated based on an MD5 hash of a common secret contained in the DL150. You enter that code into a small Windows program which then generates the appropriate response code. The 'secret' never gets transmitted across the connection.

  • Caller ID Restrictions - For extra security in modem dial-up applications, the DL150 offers the ability to restrict incoming modem access to only specified  phone numbers.  If a given number is not on the list then the modem will not answer the phone.

  • Secure Modem Callbacks - For applications where Caller ID Restriction is not possible or desirable, a Secure Callback feature allows a user to log in to the DL150 and enter a digit which specifies a pre-programmed modem callback number to use. The DL150 then immediately hangs up and calls back the designated number associated with that user.

  • Audit Logging - The DL150 provides a configurable audit logging feature that can store user access, command and setup input, and alarm notification actions.
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Other Features Other Features
  • Relay Outputs - As mentioned briefly in "External EventSensor Modules" above, there is an EventSensor model that gives you the ability to control eight output ports. These ports can be mechanical relay closures, or open collector transistor outputs, depending on your needs.

  • No-Risk Customization - Do you have an application with some customized requirements? There may be a s cripting interface or other special capability that you do not see listed in the DL150 feature set? If so, call us to discuss your application. It is possible that we will do the customized work for you for no up-front charges, so you may test the product before you place an order.