Changes for page Toolbox Basics

Last modified by Alexander Mott on 2024/03/19 21:00
From version 45.3
edited by Alexander Mott
on 2023/12/12 22:26
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To version 63.2
edited by Alexander Mott
on 2023/12/14 21:26
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Summary

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37 37  These elements have various functions:
38 38  
39 39  1. Address Book Menu - Used to view and edit the current address book, or to change the active Address Book to a different Address Book
40 -1. Current Connected Device - If the currently connected device is in the Address Book, it's name in the Address Book will be displayed here. This drop down menu can also be used to connect to a different device within the current Address Book
40 +1. Known Device Dropdown - This drop down menu can also be used to connect to devices in the current Address Book. If the currently connected device is in the Address Book, it's name in the Address Book will be displayed here
41 41  1. Manual Connection Menu - This menu is used to manually connect to a device that is not in the current Address Book. It can be used regardless of the connection type or device being connected to:
42 42  1*. [[image:1663625644870-585.png]]
43 43  1. Quick Function Menu (keyboard shortcut: ALT+F) - menu containing a few useful functions
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121 121  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
122 122  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
123 123  
124 +== Troubleshooting a Failed Connection ==
125 +
126 +Sometimes, a connection attempt will fail and you will need to do some troubleshooting to figure out why exactly the connection could not be established. Toolbox will give different error messages, though sometimes it can be helpful to attempt to connect with another software such as PuTTY just in case the error message is more informative from the alternate software.
127 +
128 +"Device refused to identify"
129 +
130 +* This message typically means that the device is not online or could not be connected to
131 +* This message may also occur when a device has blocked your username or IP address due to making too many incorrect login attempts
132 +** IP addresses are blocked for 24 hours by default, but you can attempt to circumvent this block by changing your IP address and trying again
133 +** Users are blocked for 30 minutes by default, and it is only possible to circumvent this if another user has already been created, otherwise you must wait for the block to expire before connecting again
134 +** The below commands are useful if you are able to connect to the processor through some other means (specific commands may vary depending on the device):
135 +*** ##listblockedip## and ##remblockedip## commands can be used to view/unblock an IP address
136 +*** ##listlockeduser## and ##remlockeduser## commands can be used to view/unblock specific users
137 +*** ##setloginattempts## and ##setlockouttime## commands can be used to modify how many login attempts are allowed before blocking an IP address and how long an address will be blocked
138 +*** ##setuserloginattempts## and ##setuserlockouttime## commands are used to modify how many login attempts are allowed before blocking a user and how long that user will be blocked
139 +*** ##setlogoffidletime## command can be used to modify how long you can be inactive before the processor automatically logs you out
140 +
141 +"Device not found in database"
142 +
143 +* 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 that Toolbox and all installed Crestron components are up-to-date
144 +
145 +See our FAQ for additional tips:
146 +
147 +* [[I can't connect to my processor via Ethernet?>>https://wiki.chiefintegrations.com/FAQ/I%20can%27t%20connect%20to%20my%20processor%20via%20Ethernet]]
148 +* [[I can't connect to a 4-Series processor via USB?>>https://wiki.chiefintegrations.com/FAQ/I%20can%27t%20connect%20to%204-Series%20processor%20via%20USB]]
149 +
150 += Basic Tool Usage =
151 +
152 +Crestron Toolbox has many tools that are essential for starting up or troubleshooting any ShowRunnerCLC™ installation. The tools covered here are the most commonly used in commercial lighting contexts, but it should be noted that this list is by no means exhaustive. If you have many Tool windows open at once in Toolbox, or if you have only a few Tools open but the window is maximized, then the Window dropdown menu at the top of Toolbox will be useful for navigating the open tools. The Window dropdown has options for cascading/tiling all open tools, as well as a list of open windows to allow easily switching between them:
153 +[[image:window.png]]
154 +
124 124  == Device Discovery Tool ==
125 125  
126 -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:
157 +Crestron's Device Discovery Tool [[image:1663622362685-655.png]] 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:
127 127  
128 128  [[image:device discovery tool numbered.png]]
129 129  
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136 136  1. Discover Devices button - press this to restart the discovery process
137 137  1. Export... button - use this button to export discovered devices to either a Device Summary or Address Book (covered in more detail below)
138 138  
170 +=== Export to Address Book ===
171 +
172 +Address Books provide a convenient way to easily connect to different devices without memorizing all the different IP addresses and credentials for devices on your network. When an Address Book has been created for a job, you are able to connect to specific devices using the dropdown menu on the lower left of the tool instead of manually inputting the IP address or hostname using the Pencil menu. Note that when exporting devices to the Address Book, it is possible to add devices by either Hostname or by IP Address, and if the device settings are modified then it may be necessary to update your Address Book or create a new one.
173 +
174 +To create an Address Book in Toolbox:
175 +
176 +1. Connect to the lighting network and open Device Discovery Tool in Toolbox
177 +1. The Device Discovery tool will automatically report how many Ethernet devices have been discovered
178 +1. Verify that the expected number of Ethernet devices have been discovered, including any TSWs, GLPACs, DIN-CENCN-2s, etc.
179 +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
180 +1*. If no devices are discovered, verify that your computer is connected to the network and your IP address is compatible with the network
181 +1*. If some devices are missing and you are not filtering the results, then there may be an issue with your DHCP server settings or the network wiring
182 +1. Click the "Export..." button below the list of discovered devices
183 +1*. If this button says "Address Book", then Toolbox needs to be updated
184 +1*. Ensure that you are not filtering out any devices or that you have only filtered out the devices you want to be filtered out
185 +1. Select how you would like devices to be saved:
186 +1*. Hostname - Recommended for jobs with DHCP servers, though it should be noted that the Address Book must be updated if device hostnames are changed; entries are named with the device hostname by default
187 +1*. IP Address - Recommended for jobs with static IP addresses only; entries are named the form "[hostname]_ip" by default
188 +[[image:export.png]]
189 +1. Click the "New Address Book" button to create a new Address Book with these device
190 +1*. Click the "Current Address Book" button to add devices to the currently active Address Book; note that if an Address Book has just been created but not has not yet been made the active address book, then devices will not be added to that Address Book (more likely they will be added to the "Default" address book instead)
191 +1*. Devices with the same name and connection method will be overwritten, while devices with new names will be added
192 +
193 +Once a new Address Book has been created, it must be manually selected and made the current Address Book before the new devices will appear in the connection dropdown menu
194 +
195 +1. Open any tool and click the Address Book Menu button on the lower left, or open the Address Book dialog directly from the Tools > Manage Address Book...
196 +[[image:addr.png||height="444" width="627"]]
197 +1. The currently selected address book is displayed in the "Current Address Book" field, and recently opened Address Books are available in the dropdown menu
198 +1. To open an Address Book that has never been open or has not recently been opened, click "Open / New..." and locate the Address Book
199 +1*. By default, newly created Address Books are saved to your "Documents\Crestron\Toolbox\AddressBook\" folder
200 +1. Click the "Open" button to make the selected Address Book active
201 +1. If desired, the "Name" or "Address" column headers can be clicked to change the order devices are displayed in the dropdown menu
202 +1*. The up and down arrows at the bottom of the menu can be used to manually re-order devices
203 +1. Connection settings for individual entries in the Address Book can be modified by selecting them and then editing their attributes in the menu on the left, including:
204 +1*. Connection type (TCP, USB, etc.) and method (SSH, SSL/TLS, etc.)
205 +1*. Connection port
206 +1*. Credentials
207 +1. Right-click on an entry to rename or delete it, or select the entry and use the buttons at the bottom of the menu
208 +1. Click "OK" without selecting a device from the list to close the Address Book dialog without connecting to a device, or select a device from the list and click "OK" to connect immediately
209 +
139 139  === Export to Device Summary ===
140 140  
141 141  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.
... ... @@ -147,73 +147,64 @@
147 147  1. Verify that the expected number of Ethernet devices have been discovered, including any TSWs, GLPACs, DIN-CENCN-2s, etc.
148 148  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
149 149  1*. If no devices are discovered, verify that your computer is connected to the network and your IP address is compatible with the network
150 -1*. If some devices are missing, there may be an issue with your DHCP server settings or the network wiring
221 +1*. If some devices are missing and you are not filtering the results, then there may be an issue with your DHCP server settings or the network wiring
151 151  1. Click the "Export..." button below the list of discovered devices
152 152  1*. If this button says "Address Book", then Toolbox needs to be updated
224 +1*. Ensure that you are not filtering out any devices or that you have only filtered out the devices you want to be filtered out
153 153  1. Click the Write Device Summary button and save the Device Summary to your computer
154 154  1*. Though saved as a text file, the Device Summary is actually a table of comma separated values
155 155  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
156 -1**. Note that this .csv will have whitespace, so it may be beneficial to "clean" it using Excel's "=TRIM()" function
228 +1**. Note that this .csv will have whitespace, so you may want to "clean" it using Excel's "=TRIM()" function if you intend to copy/paste it into the takeoff
157 157  
158 158  Below is an example of a Device Summary for a fully-configured Zūm Wired job:
159 159  
160 160  * DeviceSummary.txt:
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/1655487020590-542.png?rev=1.1||alt="1655487020590-542.png"]]
233 +[[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" height="201" width="912"]]
162 162  * DeviceSummary.csv:
163 -[[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"]]
235 +[[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" height="289" width="752"]]
164 164  
165 -=== Export to Address Book ===
166 -
167 167  (% class="box warningmessage" %)
168 168  (((
169 -This section is under construction: please check back at a later date for more information on using the Address Book
239 +This section is under construction: please check back at a later date for more information
170 170  )))
171 171  
172 -Address Books are useful ways of managing multiple jobs that each have many devices.
242 +== Text Console ==
173 173  
174 -Note that when exporting devices to the Address Book, it is possible to add devices by either Hostname or by IP Address. On systems with a DHCP server, it is recommended to add devices by Hostname, but only after the final hostnames have been set for all devices.
244 +Text Console [[image:1663622220065-810.png]] is one of the most important tools in the Crestron Toolbox. Whenever the Chief Integrations' ShowRunnerCLC™ Startup Guide mentions "sending console commands," the Text Console is the tool that is required.
175 175  
176 -== Troubleshooting a Failed Connection ==
246 +== File Manager ==
177 177  
178 -"Device refused to identify"
248 +File Manager [[image:1663622340028-319.png]] is an essential tool for transferring files to and from the processor. While the ShowRunnerCLC™ license and configuration files can be loaded through the ShowRunnerHUB™ Web UI, it is still sometimes necessary to use the File Manager tool in certain circumstances (e.g., an Ethernet connection to the device cannot be established or for transferring files that aren't supported through the Web UI, such as custom ShowRunner™ extensions).
179 179  
180 -* This message typically means that the device is not online or could not be connected to
181 -* This message may also occur when a device has blocked your username or IP address due to making too many incorrect login attempts
182 -** IP addresses are blocked for 24 hours by default, but you can attempt to circumvent this block by changing your IP address and trying again
183 -** Users are blocked for 30 minutes by default, and it is only possible to circumvent this if another user has already been created, otherwise you must wait for the block to expire before connecting again
184 -** The below commands are useful if you are able to connect to the processor through some other means (specific commands may vary depending on the device):
185 -*** ##listblockedip## and ##remblockedip## commands can be used to view/unblock an IP address
186 -*** ##listlockeduser## and ##remlockeduser## commands can be used to view/unblock specific users
187 -*** ##setloginattempts## and ##setlockouttime## commands can be used to modify how many login attempts are allowed before blocking an IP address and how long an address will be blocked
188 -*** ##setuserloginattempts## and ##setuserlockouttime## commands are used to modify how many login attempts are allowed before blocking a user and how long that user will be blocked
189 -*** ##setlogoffidletime## command can be used to modify how long you can be inactive before the processor automatically logs you out
250 +== Network Device Tree View ==
190 190  
191 -"Device not found in database"
252 +Network Device Tree View [[image:1663622313939-259.png]] is a useful tool for [[device addressing>>doc:SHOWRUNNER™ Setup Guide.SHOWRUNNER™ Installation Guide.Device Addressing.Addressing Devices from Toolbox.WebHome||anchor="HNetworkDeviceTreeView"]].
192 192  
193 -* 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 that Toolbox and all installed Crestron components are up-to-date
254 +== Script Manager ==
194 194  
195 -See our FAQ for additional tips:
256 +Load Scripts are .txt files that allow you to automate certain tasks by connecting to a device and executing a predetermined sequence of commands, and the Script Manager tool [[image:1663622272369-417.png]] is where Load Scripts can be opened and executed.
196 196  
197 -* [[I can't connect to my processor via Ethernet?>>https://wiki.chiefintegrations.com/FAQ/I%20can%27t%20connect%20to%20my%20processor%20via%20Ethernet]]
198 -* [[I can't connect to a 4-Series processor via USB?>>https://wiki.chiefintegrations.com/FAQ/I%20can%27t%20connect%20to%204-Series%20processor%20via%20USB]]
258 +== Package Update Tool ==
199 199  
200 -= Basic Tool Usage =
260 +The Package Update Tool is a very convenient way of [[performing firmware updates>>doc:SHOWRUNNER™ Setup Guide.SHOWRUNNER™ Installation Guide.SHOWRUNNER™ Installation and Network Setup.Updating Firmware.WebHome||anchor="HPackageUpdateTool28.puf29"]] for networked devices and [[loading the ShowRunnerCLC™ program>>doc:SHOWRUNNER™ Setup Guide.SHOWRUNNER™ Installation Guide.SHOWRUNNER™ Installation and Network Setup.Processor Setup.WebHome||anchor="HProgramLoad"]] to processors.
201 201  
202 -(% class="box warningmessage" %)
203 -(((
204 -This section is under construction: please check back at alater date for more information on using tools in Toolbox
205 -)))
262 +While the Package Update Tool can be opened from within Toolbox, Chief Integrations does not recommend it as doing so will lock Toolbox until the .puf is finished loading to the device. Instead, we recommend to closing Toolbox (or at least closing any Toolbox connections to devices that you intend to update) and double-clicking the .puf file to open the Package Update Tool in a separate window. This allows you to open multiple instances of the Package Update Tool and load .puf files to multiple devices at once. **Exercise caution when updating firmware for multiple devices simultaneously,** as some devices will reboot as part of the update process which may disrupt connection to downstream devices.
206 206  
207 -== Text Console ==
264 +* Locate the firmware or ShowRunner™ .puf file in Windows Explorer
265 +* Double-click the .puf file to open the Package Update Tool
266 +[[image:put1.png||height="386" width="416"]]
267 +* Use the Address Book or the Pencil icon to connect to your processor and wait for it to connect
268 +* Verify that the correct .puf and target device are selected
269 +** Verify the information under "Package Info" matches what is expected for the desired firmware, and re-select the .puf using the "Select..." button if the information is incorrect
270 +** Verify that the information under "Target" matches the device to be updated, and re-select the device using the Address Book or Pencil icon if it is incorrect
271 +[[image:put2.png||height="365" width="393"]]
272 +* Once you have verified all the information is correct and the Package Update Tool has run its check to see that the firmware is compatible with the device, click the "Update" button to begin the update
273 +[[image:put3.png||height="340" width="366"]]
274 +* The Package Update Tool will notify you of when it is safe to close, but it is recommended to stay connected if possible in order to verify that the firmware update has been completed successfully
275 +[[image:put4.png||height="336" width="362"]]
208 208  
209 -== File Manager ==
277 += Miscellaneous Tips =
210 210  
211 -== Script Manager ==
212 -
213 -== Network Device Tree View ==
214 -
215 -= Miscellaneous =
216 -
217 217  == VPT COM Server ==
218 218  
219 219  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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