******************************************** Tester for Windows 3.50 (c) Simulation Systems Ltd. 2009 ******************************************** This README file contains the latest information about Tester for Windows 3.50. For complete usage instructions please refer to the online help. TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------- - Important Notices - Changes since version 3.41 - Installation - Minimum Requirements & Configuration - Future Developments - Known Issues - Support & Feedback ------------------- IMPORTANT NOTICES ------------------- * IMPORTANT: Tester cannot operate accurately if the serial FIFO buffers are enabled. This can cause misleading results and error events. It is important that FIFO buffers are disabled after installing Tester. This can be done by the Tool|FIFO Control menu option. Please refer to user menu for more information. * IMPORTANT: When running Tester it is recommended to close all other programs and it may be necessary disable any memory resident applications such as anti-virus software. * IMPORTANT: Please do not remove any of the Tester files from their installed location as the software will not function correctly and any future upgrades may experience problems installing. * IMPORTANT: Using the SSL NMCS2 RS232/485 converter (Stores Code: 99-9340-06) may cause Tester to detect a single short packet on mode entry or driver re-configuration. This is a converter fault and should only occur on driver re-configuration (serial port initialisation) and not effect any Tester operations. * The installer will automatically upgrade any existing version. However it is recommended that any previous installation be removed manually before continuing. This can be done by selecting "Add/Remove Programs" in windows control panel and clicking on the "Remove" button next to the current Tester installation. * Please regularly check the Tester web site (http://www.simulation-systems.co.uk/wintester) for software updates and additional downloadable content. Upgrades may include - Acceptance Test Updates - Diagnostic Files - Manuals & FAQ Files - Script Files - HOWTO Files * Distribution of the software is not restricted and both the file and CD versions are free to distribute. ---------------------------- CHANGES SINCE VERSION 3.41 ---------------------------- * Configuration changes: - Obsolete aspects have been removed from aspect definitions for the following signal types: - 421: {Q} - 427,429: {80,Q} - 450,450H,451,452: {70,70R} - 94xx: {80,100,120,TWAY,1(L),1(R),Q,20R,30R,40R,50R,60R,70R,80R,100R,120R,TST1,TST2,TST3,TST4,MOFF,tDL,BLNK,OFF} - Legal aspect & lantern combinations updated to comply with MCH1689H (amber lanterns removed from advisory speed limits for 450, 450H and 455) - EMI94xx does NOT support lane number any more. All Intelligent Indicators are EMI94xx. - EMI94xx does NOT have an HDS parameter any more. - MS4 has an extra parameter to determine the blank message CRC. - New [Timing] parameters for IP mode: IPRetries, IPReplyTimeout & KeepAliveTimeout - The original timing parameters are renamed to SerialRetries & SerialReplyTimeout and apply only to serial mode. * Intelligent Indicator changes: - The TEST sequence is changed back to TEST - ACKNOWLEDGEMENT - REQUEST TEST RESULT - TEST RESULT. - The TEST message now contains the Standard Aspect Code (SAC) of the aspect under test. - An extra SAC is added (SAC = 0) to test heater and both sets of lanterns. - In TEST RESULT: DB1 is tested SAC. DB2 is the test result - 0x00 for PASS and 0xFF for FAIL. - An extra message REQUEST TEST RESULT (ALL) is added. The reply is an extended TEST RESULT message, which includes all supported aspects. - A test aspect selection form is created to allow the selection of the test aspect. - The SET message no longer supports the HDS flag bit. - In STATUS REPLY: decoding has changed in compliance with the latest specification. - Logging decoding, Status form and Statistics windows are modified to reflect those changes. * Other Intelligent Indicator changes: - HDS is no longer supported. - Adaption is no longer supported. - When Aspect RE is set, it will be displayed for 180 seconds, then Aspect OFF will be displayed automatically. - Countdown delay is not applicable if the current display is the STOP aspect. - STATUS REPLY always reports the currently displayed aspect, even during a countdown. * MMC & MMI MCE1126 IP message: - MMI is no longer allowed in IP mode. - MMC is now the combined message of the sequence of MMIs and MMC with lantern settings and message CRC. - The reply is an ACKNOWLEDGEMENT message with the same number of bytes as the MMC. - The IP Status window is modified to allow the display of all the bytes of the extended messages. - The Statistics window is modified so that MMI is shown as "N/A" in IP mode. * MS4 extra functionalities - Added pictogram text strings. - Pictograms may be set via their hexadecimal symbol code. - Test bitmaps may be set via their hexadecimal 'character' code. * New sign type: - MS3/MS4 Intelligent Support, including support for countdowns. - GUI update to allow the configuration of those sign types. - Statistics & Status windows are updated to reflect those changes. * KeepAlive: - Tester automatically sends out a STATUS REQUEST message according to the configured time interval. - The time interval is between 1-5 minutes and can be set to 0 to disable this feature. KeepAlive is disabled by default. - The time interval can be configured via "wintester.ini" or the Timing Configuration window. - Status and Statistics windows are updated to reflect the STATUS REPLY received. * Logging: - IP Packet logging now includes the IP address and port on which the messages are sent or received. * Broadcast Message: - In IP mode, broadcast messages can also be transmitted over the connected TCP streams. - When the auto broadcast is on and set to TCP, the broadcast message will be sent to all the configured devices. * Script: - Able to send a sequence of data bytes in IP script mode via UDP/TCP using "BYTESEQUENCE" command "BYTESEQ" "," [ "," ] x n [ "," "UDP" | "TCP" ] [ "," "MDFIVE" ] [ "?" ] - Able to send a 3 bytes message in IP script mode via UDP/TCP using "PACKET" command "PACKET" "," "," "," [ "," "UDP" | "TCP" ] [ "," "MDFIVE" ] [ "?" ] - Able to send (Multi-Message Complete) "MMC", (Acknowledgement) "ACK" and (Test Result) "TESTRES" with length of more than 3 bytes in IP script mode. - Keyword "MMI" is no longer allowed in IP script mode - The syntax for "FLASHERBROADCAST" and "LUMINANCEBROADCAST" has been changed so that auto broadcast message can also be sent via TCP. * Bug Fix: - The MS4 mimic now uses approved MS4 bitmaps (see "MS4Font.ini"). - The MS4 mimic now uses correct spacing parameters (see "MS4Font.ini"). - Improved positioning of lanterns when aspects and pictograms are displayed. - All pictogram displays are small as default. - The MS4 previously incorrectly supported pre-defined messages. This functionality has been disabled. - Attempting to set an invalid pictogram will not cause Tester to crash. -------------- INSTALLATION -------------- Tester will automatically install from the HA Maintenance Tools CD. To install Tester insert the HA Maintenance Tools CD into the drive and the setup program should launch automatically. If Auto-Run has been disabled, run the setup.EXE from your CD-ROM drive (D:\Setup.EXE). Adobe Acrobat Reader also needs to be installed to use Tester on-line help. This product is also available on the HA Maintenance Tools CD. To install Tester from a file downloaded from the Internet, run the self-extracting executable file and follow the on-screen instructions. NOTE: Tester does not require a CD-KEY but will require activation. ------------------------------------- MINIMUM REQUIRMENTS & CONFIGURATION ------------------------------------- * Minimum Specification: - IBM Compatible PC. - Pentium 1GHz or equivalent - 128 MB RAM - MS Windows 2000, or later versions of Windows (XP recommended). - 50MB free disk space. - CD-ROM drive - At least 1 standard RS232 COM port - 1024x768 resolution * Recommended Specification: - Pentium 1.5Ghz or equivalent - 256 MB RAM - Windows XP - 1280x1024 resolution * Please note that it is recommended that Tester be run on no less then a 800Mhz PC. Lower specification PC's may experience performance related issues. * 10MB of hard disk space is required for product installation, additional hard disk capacity may be required for logs and downloadable content. * At least one standard RS232 COM port is required. Tester also supports USB/PCMCIA serial port adapters. --------------------- FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS --------------------- * Logger fault highlighting * Group Commissioning Mode * Auto Configuration (Device address and type) * Knowledge-Base diagnoses * Event Viewer enhancements Currently the event viewer is not used in Basic Control mode, LCC mode or IP mode. * Burn-In test mode * IP Monitor Mode * Ability to replay HDLC frames and IP packets * VMS/MS3/MS4/EMI94xx script support * KeepAlive support in IP script only * Header E and VMS Support for COBS data used in LCC mode -------------- KNOWN ISSUES -------------- * v.26 link may still experience occasional parity problems during heavy communication loads. * Low specification PC's may experience difficulty during monitor mode under heavy communication loads. If you experience performance related issues try the following solutions: - Upgrade to Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista - Reduce the communication load (if it does not invalidate the operation) - Do not display the Status Viewer - Reduce the number of displayed logs through log filtering * When Stop Bit doesn't match between PCs, no Framing Errors are shown * Invalid entries in the csv file will cause the following error message to be displayed: - "Tester CSV file not found or failed to load" - No specific error will be defined * Tester cannot be activated without an admin login account * When upgrading to Windows Vista from a computer that has Tester for Windows already installed, beware the following might be required: - Re-activation of Tester for Windows - If a SeaMac Device is used (e.g. SeaLevel 8103 card), a driver update is required: Go to Device Manager | SeaMACDevice, select the device by double-clicking on it. In the new window, click update driver. - Make sure the main folder of WinTester and its subfolders (e.g. "C:\Program Files\Simulation Systems Ltd\WinTester") are allowed to be modified. Otherwise, all modification to configuration files will not be saved when WinTester is closed. * When using IP script mode, - Make sure all the devices are configured in the script using SETDEVICE. Do NOT configure the devices by loading an IP configuration file because they can not be detected in IP script mode. - Note that as the number of TCP/IP connections increases, it takes longer to connect and communication may slow down. * It has been observed that logging of incoming messages is sometimes delayed considerably in IP script mode. If this problem occurs, please use the following workaround: (1) Insert "WAITMILLI 100" after any SETDEVICE commands in the script (2) Change the Script Procesor Thread Priority to NORMAL (via F12 | Performance Configuration) -------------------- SUPPORT & FEEDBACK -------------------- Tester includes a comprehensive user manual which should answer most questions. However if you experience any problems, usability issues or have any comments for future developments please let us know by contacting us: Simulation Systems Ltd Unit 12, Market Industrial Estate Yatton, Bristol, BS49 4RF Tel: (01934) 838803 Fax: (01934) 876202 Web: http://www.simulation-systems.co.uk/wintester E-mail: wintester.support@simulation-systems.co.uk