LON is supported for SmartServer Pi 4.3 and higher, with the exception of LON PL.

You can add a LON IP-852 router to the SmartServer.  You will typically use an IP-852 router if your installation has a LON IP-852 channel.  The LON IP-852 standard requires use of an IP-852 Configuration Server to monitor and configure the IP-852 routers and clients.

This section consists of the following:

LON IP-852 Router Implementation Overview

The SmartServer IP-852 Router can be used in the following two ways:

1. As a self-installed IP-852 router. This method allows you to create an IP-852 network with two or more SmartServer IoTs without using a network integration tool to add the SmartServers to the network (similar to the i.LON 600 "Self-install router as repeater" feature). This method is useful when a network integration tool does not know how to use routers. In this case, the IP-852 network is separate from the device network.
   
   This method can only be used if you are using the SmartServer IoT for IP-852 routing. That is, this method cannot be used if you want to use the SmartServer for monitoring, controlling, logging, alarming, or scheduling of the devices' datapoints.
   
   A self-installed IP-852 router is used as a repeater and all traffic on one LonWorks channel (e.g., TP/FT-10) is sent to all other channels. Since many LonWorks channels are half-duplex, you need to make sure that traffic on one channel does not drastically affect bandwidth on all channels.
   
   See the steps described in installation example 1 for more information about setting up self-installed IP-852 routers.
   
   

2. With a network integration tool (e.g., IzoT CT and IzoT Net Server). This method requires you to add the SmartServer IP-852 routers to an IzoT Net Server network using a network integration tool (e.g., IzoT CT).
   
   See the steps described in installation example 2 for more information about setting up IP-852 routers with a network integration tool.
   

The diagram below shows the SmartServer IoT IP-852 Router network architecture.

Configuring the IP-852 Feature

To use the IP-852 feature, you must:

• Enable the SmartServer IoT to support IP-852
• Define devices on the IP-852 channel using the IP-852 Configuration Server application
• Define a VNI interface in the LonWorks Interfaces (32-bit) control panel applet

The procedure that follows provides the necessary steps to enable and define IP-852 devices, beginning with the IzoT CT design and ending with commissioning devices.

Setting up IP-852 Routing in IzoT CT 

1. Begin with a new project in IzoT CT, working in engineering mode. For information about IzoT CT, see the IzoT CT and OpenLNS CT page.
   
   
2. Define the first channel to be an IP-852 backbone by name and defined characteristics.
   
   
   
   
3. Create additional elements in IzoT CT to complete the network design, such as:
   1. Add channels and a router per USB adapter that is connected to the SmartServer's four-port USB hub.
   2. Add a router between the IP-852 channel and the internal IP-70 channel.
   3. Add LON FT channels connected by a logical IP-852 channel over the local IPv4 infrastructure.
   4. Add a device on each FT segment as needed for routing over the IP-852 channel.

Continue setting up the IP-852 feature following the steps in the section below: Enabling IP-852 in the SmartServer IoT Configuration Pages. 

Enabling IP-852 in the SmartServer IoT Configuration Pages

1. Open the SmartServer Configuration page as described in Accessing the SmartServer IoT Configuration Page. The Network tab appears as the default SmartServer Configuration page. Once the network settings are configured for the SmartServer system, then the System tab will appear as the default.
   
   
   SmartServer IoT Network tab
   
   
   SmartServer IoT System tab
   
   
   For SmartServer Pi, open the SmartServer Configuration page as described in Accessing the SmartServer Pi Configuration Page. The Configuration page view that appears depends on your cache data. As needed, click the SmartServer IoT tab (left-side). The System tab (top) will appear as the default as shown below.
   
   
   SmartServer Pi System tab
   
   
2. Click the LON tab.
   
   SmartServer IoT and SmartServer Pi LON Configuration pages are shown below. The examples that follow are shown using SmartServer IoT.
   
   
   SmartServer IoT LON tab
   
   
   SmartServer Pi LON tab
   
   
3. Enable the IP-852 Router Configuration → eth0 option and click Update.
   
   
   SmartServer IoT LON tab
   
   
4. Enable the IP-852 feature as described above for each SmartServer in the system.

Continue setting up the IP-852 feature following the steps in the section below: Defining the IP-852 Channel Devices. 

Switching to LON Independent Management Mode (IMM)

LON Device Management Mode (DMM) is the default SmartServer IoT setting where the SmartServer managed the configuration of all the LON devices provisioned by the SmartServer.

Since IzoT CT is used as the network management tool to manage the network configuration of the LON devices, this setting must be changed to LON Independent Management Mode (IMM), where the SmartServer acts as an independent device in the LON network. The steps below describe how to change this setting from LON DMM to LON IMM using the SmartServer CMS. 

1. Log into the SmartServer CMS in one of the following ways:
   1. From the SmartServer Configuration UI: CMS tab.
      
      If you still have the LON Configuration page opened from the steps above, then click the CMS tab.
      
      
      SmartServer IoT LON tab
      
      
   2. From a web browser URL: Open the SmartServer IoT CMS.
      
      
2. Go to the SmartServer CMS Devices widget and select the Switch to LON Independent Management Mode action.
   
   See Switching LON Management Mode for more information. 

Continue setting up the IP-852 feature following the steps in the section below: Commissioning Devices using IzoT CT. 

Commissioning Devices using IzoT CT

1. In IzoT CT, select the Add-ins tab → LonWorks Network → Network Properties actions.
   
   
   
   
2. Connect to the interface that was defined as your VNI.
   
   
   
   Doing so changes the network interface to solid green.
   
   
   
   
3. Select the router devices, working outward, and then select the Commissioning → Commission actions.
   
   
   
   
4. Click Finish from the Router Application State window.
   
   
   
   
5. Use the IzoT CT right-click actions to initiate commissioning.
   
   
   
   
6. Return to the SmartServer IoT LON Configuration page.
   
   

7. Click the IP-852 Router Configuration → Service/Connect button to generate service connect messages for commissioning the router entities inside SmartServer while using IzoT CT.

   Commissioning an IP-852 router

   When commissioning an IP-852 router, you can either use the IP-852 Router Configuration → Service/Connect button on the LON Configuration page, or you can use IzoT CT to manually enter the IP-852 router's MAC ID that appears on the LON Configuration page.

   
   SmartServer IoT LON tab
   
   

8. Return to IzoT CT and repeat the steps above to commission the next routing layer.
   
   
9. Return to the SmartServer IoT LON Configuration page.
   
   
10. Click the LON Interfaces → Service/Connect button to generate service/connect messages to commission the next routing layer.
    
    
    SmartServer IoT LON tab
    
    
11. Return to IzoT CT.
    
    
12. Once the LON routing infrastructure is set up, the target devices that have peer-to-peer connections defined between the switch and lamp objects of the two devices can be commissioned.
    
    
    IzoT CT Device Installation
    
    
    IzoT CT Device Commission
    
    
13. Use LonScanner to monitor traffic between devices with a previously defined LonScanner RNI interface as shown in the example below.
    
     

IP-852 Router Installation Examples

Example 1 - Self-installed i.LON 600 IP-852 Router Replacement without a Network Integration Tool

You can use the SmartServer as a direct replacement of the the i.LON 600 without using a network integration tool to provision the SmartServer.

When you enable IP-852 support and attach a U60 network interface to the SmartServer, by default the SmartServer creates and provisions repeaters to connect the IP-852 channel on the LAN or WAN interface to the LON channel attached to the U60.  You can use these repeaters to tie two or more LON networks together without using a network integration tool to configure the SmartServers. For example, you can tie LON networks for two or more floors together, or two or more buildings together, an access the connected devices from head-end software. 

For direct replacement, follow these steps:

• Change the SmartServer IP address settings on the Network Configuration page (see Configure Your SmartServer) for the Ethernet LAN or WAN ports you are using to Static IP Address or DHCP.
  Do not leave the IP address interface set to Startup Mode - DHCP with rapid fallback to static.
  • For SmartServer releases prior to 2.7, clear the Startup Mode setting.
• Verify that the SmartServer is configured for Device Management Mode (DMM) the default (see the System Configuration Web page and confirm that "LON Network Management Mode" is set to "Device"). See Viewing System Information in the Configure Your SmartServer section to determine the LON Network Management Mode, and Switch off LON Management for more information about changing the LON Network Management Mode if needed.
• Verify that the IP-852 setting is enabled on the Adding a LON Interface page. For SmartServer releases prior to 2.7 Update 1, see Features Configuration.
• Reboot the SmartServer IoT or SmartServer Pi.
• Add the SmartServer to the IP-852 Config Server.  When all the devices are green, right-click the channel and click Update Channel.

Example 2 - i.LON 600 IP-852 Router Replacement with a Network Integration Tool

You can use the SmartServer as a direct replacement of the the i.LON 600 using a network integration tool such as IzoT CT to provision the SmartServer.  If you are using a single U60 LON interface, you can just commission the IP-852 router and skip commissioning the LON router created for the U60.

For direct replacement, perform the following steps:

• Change the SmartServer IP address settings on the Network Configuration page (see Configure Your SmartServer) for the Ethernet LAN or WAN ports you are using to Static IP Address or DHCP.
  Do not leave the IP address interface set to Startup Mode - DHCP with rapid fallback to static.
  • For SmartServer IoT release prior to 2.7, clear the Startup Mode setting.
• Verify that the LON/IP Class A Network Override Standard setting is not enabled on the LON Configuration page, as described in Adding a LON Interface.
• Reboot the SmartServer IoT or SmartServer Pi.

• Switch the SmartServer to LON Independent Management Mode (IMM) (see Switch off LON Management) using the CMS Devices widget.
  

  The installation will fail if you skip this step.

• Verify that the IP-852 setting is enabled on the Adding a LON Interface page. For SmartServer IoT release prior to 2.7 Update 1, see Features Configuration.
• Add the SmartServer to the IP-852 Config Server.  When all the devices are green, right-click the channel and click Update Channel.
• Replace the i.LON 600 with the SmartServer in the network integration tool.
• Press the IP-852 router service button on the Adding a LON Interface page. For SmartServer releases prior to 2.7 Update 1, see Features Configuration.

Example 3 - Multi-port IP-852 Routing

You can use the SmartServer as a multi-port router by plugging in multiple U60s and U70s. The SmartServer creates an FT to IP-70, TP-1250 to IP-70, or PL to IP-70 router for each U60 FT, U60 TP-1250, or U70 PL-20 you plug into it.  The SmartServer also creates an IP-852 to IP-70 router when you enable IP-852 routing on the SmartServer.  You must provision all the routers, including the IP-852 to IP-70 router to enable routing between all the channels.  To provision the routers in IzoT CT, create an IP-70 backbone channel in the IzoT CT drawing, and the routers, and then commission them. If you are using IzoT CT, switch the SmartServer to LON Independent Management Mode (IMM) (see Switching off LON Management) before provisioning the SmartServer IP-852 and U60 or U70 routers.  Following is an example IzoT CT drawing that includes a SmartServer with two U60 FTs, a second SmartServer with a single U60 FT, and two other IP-852 routers.

Example 4 - Using the SmartServer with Multiple U60s and Built-in SmartServer Monitor and Control Features (Data Logging, Alarms, Internal Devices, BACnet, Modbus)

You can use the SmartServer to monitor and control datapoints on field devices while also acting as an IP-852 router. To enable monitoring and control at the same time as IP-852 routing, add a SmartServer IoT device on the SmartServer IP-70 backbone channel. The SmartServer IoT devices are used by the SmartServer to read and write to external devices. It is important to switch the SmartServer to LON Independent Management Mode (IMM) (see Switching off LON Management) before provisioning the SmartServer IP-852 and U60 routers, and using most of the SmartServer built-in functions.

Configuring IP-852 CRC Support

The ability to enable or disable IP-852 CRC support is available with SmartServer 3.1 Update 3 and higher.

SmartServer releases prior to 3.1 Update 3 require IP-852 CRC support. SmartServer release 3.1 Update 3 and higher provides the Enforce CRC validation option to support edge servers that do not implement IP-852 cyclical redundancy checks (CRC). By default, the IP-852 CRC validation option is disabled.

Enable the Enforce CRC validation option and click Update for IP-852 CRC support.

 
SmartServer IoT LON tab