You can use the SmartServer as a LON router to connect two or more LON channels together.  You can use the SmartServer as a LON router in new installations, and you can use the SmartServer to replace LPR and MPR routers in existing applications.  You can also use the SmartServer to replace other LON routers.  To use a SmartServer as a router, attach a U60 or U70 for each LON channel.  You can attach up to four U60 FT DIN interfaces for up to four FT channels, one U60 TP-1250 for a TP-1250 channel, and one U70 PL for a PL channel.  To attach more than four LON USB interfaces, add a powered USB hub.

This section consists of the following:

Architecture Overview

The figure below shows how a SmartServer can be used as a LON router replacement. The two routers (RTR-1 and RTR-2) represent the two LON routers that are connected to an internal IP-70 channel within the SmartServer (the internal channel represents the SmartServer IP-70 backbone channel).

Managing LON MAC IDs (Neuron IDs)

The U60 router LON MAC IDs (also referred to Neuron IDs) will change whenever you re-image the SmartServer, reset the database, or restore the SmartServer to factory settings. After any of these operations, commission the SmartServer LON interfaces using the Service/Connect button on the SmartServer LON Configuration page. Follow the steps below to open the SmartServer Configuration page.

1. Log into 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.
   
   
   Network tab
   
   
   System tab
   
   
2. Click the LON tab.
   
   

If you previously commissioned the SmartServer LON interfaces into a network, and subsequently re-image the SmartServer system, reset the database, or restore SmartServer settings to factory defaults, decommission the LON routers and commission them again using the Service/Connect button, which will send out the new LON MAC ID (Neuron ID).

Migrating from LPR or MPR Routers to the SmartServer

To migrate from an LPR or MPR router to the SmartServer, perform the following steps:

1. Open the SmartServer IoT CMS.
   
   

2. Change to Independent Management Mode (IMM) using the Devices widget.

   If you do not change to IMM, then the next time the SmartServer is rebooted or power-cycled, the SmartServer U60s will automatically be deprovisioned and data will not be passed between the two channels.

   
   
   

3. Attach the two to six LON USB interfaces to the SmartServer making a note of which LON interface is connected to which channel and writing down the LON interface install code. 
   
   The LON devices will appear on the SmartServer Configuration page → LON tab → LON Interfaces table as shown in the example figure below. The LON interface install code will match the Install ID that is displayed in this table. Typically, lon0 represents the first LON interface that was attached to the SmartServer and lon1 represents the second LON interface that was attached to the SmartServer.  The SmartServer will add a LON interface to the table for each LON interface you attach.
   
   
   
   
4. If you are not using a network tool based on LNS or IzoT Net Server, you can skip the remaining steps.  Add an IP-70 channel to the LNS database. If your LNS tool does not support IP-70 channels, then use IP-852 or TP/FT-10 for the channel type. This channel represents an internal channel within the SmartServer.
   
   
   
   
5. Add a router for each channel to the LNS database.  Attach one channel of each router to a common IP-70 channel.  For example, to create an FT to FT router, follow these steps:
   1. Connect one router (RTR-1) between FT Channel 1 and the IP-70 channel.
   2. Connect the other router (RTR-2) between FT Channel 2 and the IP-70 channel.
      
      
      
      

6. Commission the router that is closest to the network interface using the router service button. Use the SmartServer Configuration page → LON tab to find the LON interface and press its Service/Connect button.

   If the network interface is on FT Channel 1, then commission RTR-1 first; if the network interface is on FT Channel 2, then commission RTR-2 first.

7. Commission the next router using the router service button. Use the SmartServer Configuration page → LON tab to find the LON interface and press its Service/Connect button.
   
   
8. Repeat the previous step for each LON router in your SmartServer.