Configure the LON Remote Network Interface (RNI)

Owned by Sacha Parisot (Unlicensed)
10-Jun-2022
3 min read

The i.LON 700 may be used as a remote network interface (RNI) for an LNS application or tool using an IzoT Net Server, OpenLNS Server, or LNS Server. Using the i.LON 700 as an RNI, you can run your LNS application or tool on a remote computer connected to the i.LON 700 and its attached LON networks via a LAN connection. You can also use the i.LON 700 as an RNI for the Echelon LonScanner Protocol Analyzer to monitor all LON network traffic on one of the i.LON 700 channels.

  1. To enable the RNI, open the i.LON 700 home page and then click Features at the top of the web page. A page similar to the following appears:



  2. To create an RNI for an LNS application, select the check box for a Layer 5 interface to the channel to be connected to the IzoT, OpenLNS, or LNS Server. 

    Note: The highest performance interface will typically be the IP-70 channel since it is the common backbone used for all the routers in the i.LON 700.
  3. To create an RNI for an Echelon LonScanner Protocol Analyzer, select the check box for a Layer 2 interface to the channel to be monitored with LonScanner. (Any of the available channels can be selected.)

  4. As needed, you may change the port number of an RNI. Each RNI created on an i.LON 700 must use a different port number. By default, a Layer 5 RNI uses port 1628 and a Layer 2 RNI uses port 1629. If only one Layer 5 and one Layer 2 RNI is being enabled, and the LNS server only uses one RNI, the default port numbers may be used. If you plan on enabling more than one Layer 5 RNI or more than one Layer 2 RNI on an i.LON 700, or if your LNS server uses multiple RNIs, then you must change the port numbers so they are all unique. Any port number for each RNI that is not already in use by the i.LON 700 may be used. For example, you can use sequential port numbers after 1629. To change the port number for an RNI, enter the new port number for the RNI in the Port field.

  5. The i.LON 700 may be used with a single LON interface, or with up to eight LON interfaces. If multiple LON interfaces are being used, each interface that you plug in is assigned a new LON interface number, starting with lon0, lon1, lon2, etc. The interface name is associated with the unique ID of the interface so that if you power cycle the i.LON 700, the interface numbers stay the same. To use multiple LON interfaces, clear the Single LON Interface checkbox.

    If a single LON interface is being used, select the Single LON Interface checkbox. When this option is enabled, any LON interface that you plug in will be assigned to lon0. This option makes it easier to replace a failed LON interface with a new one, without change to the interface name.

  6. After the RNIs are selected and the port numbers are entered, click Update to update the settings on the i.LON 700.

  7. To authenticate communication between your host application and i.LON 700 RNI, open the i.LON 700 home page and then click LonTalk Authentication at the top of the web page. A page similar to the following appears:



  8. Enter a 16-byte authentication key in RNI Raw MD5 Authentication Key or a text secret phrase in RNI Text Secret Phrase, and then click Save Configuration. 


  9. When the RNI authentication key is changed, the RNI must be restarted. To restart the RNI, click Features at the top of the web page, and then click Update on the Features page.