Changes for page Toolbox Basics

Last modified by Alexander Mott on 2024/03/19 21:00
From version 29.1
edited by Alexander Mott
on 2023/02/08 22:10
Change comment: There is no comment for this version
To version 40.1
edited by Alexander Mott
on 2023/03/28 18:05
Change comment: There is no comment for this version

Summary

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120 120  1*. If the device has just recently powered up, it may take a few minutes to completely wake up before it can be connected to
121 121  1*. If you have issues connecting, see [[Troubleshooting a Failed Connection>>doc:SHOWRUNNER™ Setup Guide.SHOWRUNNER™ Installation Guide.Preparation.Toolbox Basics.WebHome||anchor="HTroubleshootingaFailedConnection"]] below
122 122  
123 -== Device Discovery Tool and Address Book ==
123 +== Device Discovery Tool ==
124 124  
125 +Crestron's Device Discovery Tool is used to "discover" any Crestron devices which are connected to your laptop. The most useful feature of the Device Discovery Tool is the ability to export all discovered devices to either a "Device Summary" text file or an Address Book. Discovered devices are listed in a scrollable list on the left side of the menu, and double clicking a discovered device will bring up additional configuration options on the right side. Below is an overview of the Device Discovery Tool UI:
126 +
127 +[[image:device discovery tool numbered.png]]
128 +
129 +1. Device Model - gives the specific model of the device type
130 +1. Device Type - gives an idea of what function the device serves ("Control System", "AV", "Lighting", etc.)
131 +1. Connection and Firmware Information
132 +1*. Ethernet connected devices give their hostname, IP address, and firmware version
133 +1*. USB connected devices give their hostname, serial number, and firmware version
134 +1. Discovery Summary - gives a summary of how long it took to discover devices and how many devices were discovered at each connection type
135 +1. Discover Devices button - press this to restart the discovery process
136 +1. Export... button - use this button to export discovered devices to either a Device Summary or Address Book (covered in more detail below)
137 +
138 +=== Export to Device Summary ===
139 +
140 +The Device Summary is an important documentation tool provided by Crestron. It is a .txt file containing a comma-separated-values of all networked devices, and is useful to capture which devices are online, what their current IP and hostname settings are, what version of firmware they are on, and their MAC address and serial number.
141 +
142 +To generate a Device Summary in Toolbox:
143 +
144 +1. Connect to the lighting network and open Device Discovery Tool in Toolbox
145 +1. The Device Discovery tool will automatically report how many Ethernet devices have been discovered
146 +1. Verify that the expected number of Ethernet devices have been discovered, including any TSWs, GLPACs, DIN-CENCN-2s, etc.
147 +1*. Note that only Crestron devices will appear in Device Discovery; non-Crestron devices (such as Pharos or Enttec DMX controllers) will not appear in Device Discovery Tool
148 +1*. If no devices are discovered, verify that your computer is connected to the network and your IP address is compatible with the network
149 +1*. If some devices are missing, there may be an issue with your DHCP server settings or the network wiring
150 +1. Click the "Export..." button below the list of discovered devices
151 +1*. If this button says "Address Book", then Toolbox needs to be updated
152 +1. Click the Write Device Summary button and save the Device Summary to your computer
153 +1*. Though saved as a text file, the Device Summary is actually a table of comma separated values
154 +1*. Renaming DeviceSummary.txt to DeviceSummary.csv will allow it to be opened and manipulated in common spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel or LibreOffice Calc
155 +
156 +Below is an example of a Device Summary for a fully-configured Zūm Wired job:
157 +
158 +* DeviceSummary.txt:
159 +[[image:https://wiki.chiefintegrations.com/download/SHOWRUNNER%E2%84%A2%20Setup%20Guide/SHOWRUNNER%E2%84%A2%20Installation%20Guide/SHOWRUNNER%E2%84%A2%20Installation%20and%20Network%20Setup/ZUMNET-JBOX%20Setup/WebHome/1655487020590-542.png?rev=1.1||alt="1655487020590-542.png"]]
160 +* DeviceSummary.csv:
161 +[[image:https://wiki.chiefintegrations.com/download/SHOWRUNNER%E2%84%A2%20Setup%20Guide/SHOWRUNNER%E2%84%A2%20Installation%20Guide/SHOWRUNNER%E2%84%A2%20Installation%20and%20Network%20Setup/ZUMNET-JBOX%20Setup/WebHome/1655487132138-904.png?rev=1.1||alt="1655487132138-904.png"]]
162 +
163 +=== Export to Address Book ===
164 +
165 +(% class="box warningmessage" %)
166 +(((
167 +This section is under construction: please check back at a later date for more information on using the Address Book
168 +)))
169 +
125 125  Address Books are useful ways of managing multiple jobs that each have many devices.
126 126  
172 +Note that when exporting devices to the Address Book, it is possible to add devices by either
173 +
127 127  == Troubleshooting a Failed Connection ==
128 128  
129 -"Device refused to identify" (also happens if too many login attempts are made with the wrong username/password)
176 +"Device refused to identify"
130 130  
178 +* This message typically means that the device is not online or could not be connected to
179 +* This message will also occur if too many login attempts are made with the incorrect username/password. When this happens, you either need to wait until your IP address is no longer blocked or change your IP address and attempt to login again.
180 +
131 131  "Device not found in database"
132 132  
183 +* This message typically means that the version of your device database is out of date and the device being connected to is not in it. Use Crestron's MasterInstaller tool to ensure all Crestron components are up-to-date
184 +
133 133  = Basic Tool Usage =
134 134  
187 +(% class="box warningmessage" %)
188 +(((
189 +This section is under construction: please check back at alater date for more information on using tools in Toolbox
190 +)))
191 +
135 135  == Text Console ==
136 136  
194 +== File Manager ==
195 +
137 137  == Network Device Tree View ==
138 138  
139 -= Toolbox Quirks =
198 += Miscellaneous =
140 140  
141 -Toolbox has some unique quirks that can sometimes cause issues.
142 -
143 143  == VPT COM Server ==
144 144  
145 145  Whenever Toolbox is open, Toolbox also starts a separate process called the Crestron Toolbox VPT COM server. This process appears in the system tray with the following icon when active: [[image:1663630447432-699.png]]
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154 154  1*. If the VptCOMServer process is still running after Toolbox has closed, select it in Task Manager and press End Process to stop it
155 155  1. Once VptCOMServer is stopped, open Toolbox and see if your issues have been resolved
156 156  
157 -== Text Console Alternatives ==
214 +== Alternatives to Specific Toolbox Tools ==
158 158  
159 -[[PuTTY>>https://www.putty.org/]] is a free and open-source Telnet and SSH client/terminal emulator which is capable of connecting to Crestron devices over TCP/IP.
216 +Sometimes it is necessary to connect to a Crestron device for troubleshooting using a computer that either does not or cannot have Toolbox installed on it. In these instances, third-party software can be used to replace some of the Tools in Toolbox in order to allow immediate troubleshooting of the lighting control system.
160 160  
161 -[[SecureCRT>>https://www.vandyke.com/products/securecrt/]] is a paid terminal emulator that is also a good alternative to Text Console.
218 +The Text Console tool can be substituted with [[PuTTY>>https://www.putty.org/]], a free and open-source Telnet and SSH client/terminal emulator. [[SecureCRT>>https://www.vandyke.com/products/securecrt/]] is another option with some more capability than PuTTY, but note that it is a paid software which requires a license to use. The File Management tool can be substituted with [[WinSCP>>https://winscp.net/eng/index.php]], [[FileZilla>>https://filezilla-project.org/]], or [[CyberDuck>>https://cyberduck.io/]]. These are all free FTP/SFTP clients that do not require any license to use.
162 162  
163 -Note that any Text Console alternatives are only suitable when connecting to Crestron devices over TCP/IP (Ethernet). Connecting to Crestron devices over USB is only possible using Toolbox because these devices do not use a standard communications protocol for USB communications.
164 -
165 -== File Management Alternatives ==
166 -
167 -[[WinSCP>>https://winscp.net/eng/index.php]], [[FileZilla>>https://filezilla-project.org/]], and [[CyberDuck>>https://cyberduck.io/]] are all free FTP/SFTP clients that can be used in place of Crestron's File Management tool. When using these programs to connect to a Crestron device for file transfer, connect to port 22.
168 -
169 -== Package Update Tool Alternatives ==
220 +Note that any Text Console or File Management alternatives are only suitable when connecting to Crestron devices over TCP/IP (Ethernet). When connecting to a Crestron device using these third-party programs, use port 22. Connecting to Crestron devices over USB is only possible using Toolbox because these devices do not use a standard communications protocol for USB communications.
device discovery tool numbered.png
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