Changes for page Toolbox Basics

Last modified by Alexander Mott on 2024/03/19 21:00

From version 46.3
edited by Alexander Mott
on 2023/12/12 22:29
Change comment: There is no comment for this version
To version 52.27
edited by Alexander Mott
on 2023/12/14 00:07
Change comment: (Autosaved)

Summary

Details

Page properties
Content
... ... @@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
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
... ... @@ -149,10 +149,7 @@
149 149  
150 150  = Basic Tool Usage =
151 151  
152 -(% class="box warningmessage" %)
153 -(((
154 -This section is under construction: please check back at alater date for more information on using tools in Toolbox
155 -)))
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.
156 156  
157 157  == Device Discovery Tool ==
158 158  
... ... @@ -169,6 +169,46 @@
169 169  1. Discover Devices button - press this to restart the discovery process
170 170  1. Export... button - use this button to export discovered devices to either a Device Summary or Address Book (covered in more detail below)
171 171  
169 +=== Export to Address Book ===
170 +
171 +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.
172 +
173 +To create an Address Book in Toolbox:
174 +
175 +1. Connect to the lighting network and open Device Discovery Tool in Toolbox
176 +1. The Device Discovery tool will automatically report how many Ethernet devices have been discovered
177 +1. Verify that the expected number of Ethernet devices have been discovered, including any TSWs, GLPACs, DIN-CENCN-2s, etc.
178 +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
179 +1*. If no devices are discovered, verify that your computer is connected to the network and your IP address is compatible with the network
180 +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
181 +1. Click the "Export..." button below the list of discovered devices
182 +1*. If this button says "Address Book", then Toolbox needs to be updated
183 +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
184 +1. Select how you would like devices to be saved:
185 +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
186 +1*. IP Address - Recommended for jobs with static IP addresses only; entries are named the form "[hostname]_ip" by default
187 +[[image:export.png]]
188 +1. Click the "New Address Book" button to create a new Address Book with these device
189 +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)
190 +1*. Devices with the same name and connection method will be overwritten, while devices with new names will be added
191 +
192 +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
193 +
194 +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...
195 +[[image:addr.png||height="444" width="627"]]
196 +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
197 +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
198 +1*. By default, newly created Address Books are saved to your "Documents\Crestron\Toolbox\AddressBook\" folder
199 +1. Click the "Open" button to make the selected Address Book active
200 +1. If desired, the "Name" or "Address" column headers can be clicked to change the order devices are displayed in the dropdown menu
201 +1*. The up and down arrows at the bottom of the menu can be used to manually re-order devices
202 +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:
203 +1*. Connection type (TCP, USB, etc.) and method (SSH, SSL/TLS, etc.)
204 +1*. Connection port
205 +1*. Credentials
206 +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
207 +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
208 +
172 172  === Export to Device Summary ===
173 173  
174 174  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.
... ... @@ -180,13 +180,14 @@
180 180  1. Verify that the expected number of Ethernet devices have been discovered, including any TSWs, GLPACs, DIN-CENCN-2s, etc.
181 181  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
182 182  1*. If no devices are discovered, verify that your computer is connected to the network and your IP address is compatible with the network
183 -1*. If some devices are missing, there may be an issue with your DHCP server settings or the network wiring
220 +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
184 184  1. Click the "Export..." button below the list of discovered devices
185 185  1*. If this button says "Address Book", then Toolbox needs to be updated
223 +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
186 186  1. Click the Write Device Summary button and save the Device Summary to your computer
187 187  1*. Though saved as a text file, the Device Summary is actually a table of comma separated values
188 188  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
189 -1**. Note that this .csv will have whitespace, so it may be beneficial to "clean" it using Excel's "=TRIM()" function
227 +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
190 190  
191 191  Below is an example of a Device Summary for a fully-configured Zūm Wired job:
192 192  
... ... @@ -195,27 +195,29 @@
195 195  * DeviceSummary.csv:
196 196  [[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"]]
197 197  
198 -=== Export to Address Book ===
199 -
200 200  (% class="box warningmessage" %)
201 201  (((
202 -This section is under construction: please check back at a later date for more information on using the Address Book
238 +This section is under construction: please check back at a later date for more information
203 203  )))
204 204  
205 -Address Books are useful ways of managing multiple jobs that each have many devices.
206 -
207 -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.
208 -
209 209  == Text Console ==
210 210  
211 211  == File Manager ==
212 212  
245 +== Network Device Tree View ==
246 +
247 +See our [[device addressing>>doc:SHOWRUNNER™ Setup Guide.SHOWRUNNER™ Installation Guide.Device Addressing.Addressing Devices from Toolbox.WebHome||anchor="HNetworkDeviceTreeView"]] page for more specific information on how to use the Network Device Tree View for device addressing purposes.
248 +
213 213  == Script Manager ==
214 214  
215 -== Network Device Tree View ==
251 +== Package Update Tool ==
216 216  
217 -= Miscellaneous =
253 +The Package Update Tool can be used to load .puf files to devices, typically in order to [[update firmware>>doc:SHOWRUNNER™ Setup Guide.SHOWRUNNER™ Installation Guide.SHOWRUNNER™ Installation and Network Setup.Updating Firmware.WebHome]] or [[load the ShowRunnerCLC™ program>>doc:SHOWRUNNER™ Setup Guide.SHOWRUNNER™ Installation Guide.SHOWRUNNER™ Installation and Network Setup.Processor Setup.WebHome||anchor="HProgramLoad"]] to processors. While the Package Update Tool can be opened from within Toolbox, Chief Integrations does not recommend it as loading a .puf file this way 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. This allows you to open multiple instances of the Package Update Tool and load .puf files to multiple devices at once.
218 218  
255 +Please see our other pages on [[firmware updates>>doc:SHOWRUNNER™ Setup Guide.SHOWRUNNER™ Installation Guide.SHOWRUNNER™ Installation and Network Setup.Updating Firmware.WebHome]] and [[loading the ShowRunnerCLC™ program>>doc:SHOWRUNNER™ Setup Guide.SHOWRUNNER™ Installation Guide.SHOWRUNNER™ Installation and Network Setup.Processor Setup.WebHome||anchor="HProgramLoad"]] for more detailed information on how to use the Package Update Tool.
256 +
257 += Miscellaneous Tips =
258 +
219 219  == VPT COM Server ==
220 220  
221 221  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]]
addr.png
Author
... ... @@ -1,0 +1,1 @@
1 +XWiki.alexander\.mott@chiefintegrations\.com
Size
... ... @@ -1,0 +1,1 @@
1 +26.4 KB
Content
export.png
Author
... ... @@ -1,0 +1,1 @@
1 +XWiki.alexander\.mott@chiefintegrations\.com
Size
... ... @@ -1,0 +1,1 @@
1 +21.5 KB
Content