Crestron Ethernet Control Modules are a group of Crestron devices that provide I/O ports (such as relay outputs and serial interfaces) via Ethernet connection to the processor. The most common devices are CEN-IO-COM-102 and CEN-IO-COM-202, which provide RS-232 and RS-485 serial ports for third-party integrations. All Ethernet Control Modules have models beginning with "CEN-IO", so that is how they will be collectively referred to throughout this article.
For SHOWRUNNER™ installations, the IP address of the CEN-IO does not matter as long as it is in the same range as the processor and does not conflict with any other devices on the network. Instead, CEN-IOs are identified to the processor via their IP-ID. Note that what cables are landed at which ports of the CEN-IO matters, and if connections are moved between ports or between modules then the configuration will need to be updated (see below). Chief Integrations typically provides an SRTakeoff.xlsx spreadsheet with an IP Table tab that lists all the CEN-IO IP-IDs in the program. If no takeoff is provided, then the processor's IP table can be checked by running the ipt -t command from the processor after the configuration is loaded.

IP Configuration

Typically, each CEN-IO will need to be initially configured via USB (microUSB) unless their MAC addresses are already known and the lighting network has a DHCP server. If the DHCP server on the network is temporary (e.g. DHCP server software running on your computer or a processor utilizing the ShowRunner™ DHCP Server), then static IP addresses must be configured. If the DHCP server is permanent (such as a CP4N or ZUM-HUB4 Control Subnet), then only the IP table needs to be configured for the devices.
When connecting to a CEN-IO for the first time, it may be necessary to manually change the connection type from "Auto" to "SSL/TLS". It is also necessary to manually edit the CEN-IO's address book entry so that the connection protocol is "SSL/TLS" when a CEN-IO is added to the address book using Device Discovery tool export. 

SSL Setup

Crestron devices that support SSL require the use of a secure connection between the processor and the device. In order to establish this secure connection, the processor must have authentication enabled and there must be a user on the processor with "Connects" group permissions. The device connecting to the processor must be configured to use these credentials before the processor is added to the IP table, otherwise the device's IP address will be blocked by the processor (see our FAQ on how to resolve this)
Configure the Connects user on the processor: 

• Ensure the processor has its IP configured and authentication enabled
  • Verify the processor has authentication enabled by running the command: auth without any parameters
• Create a user by running the following commands, replacing the "username" and "password" with your desired credentials
  • adduser -N:username -P:password
  • addusertogroup -N:username -G:Connects
• Verify that the user has been created by running the command: listusers
• This process only needs to be performed once per processor on the jobsite

Configure the CS authentication on the CEN-IO:

• Run the following command, replacing the "username" and "password" with the credentials of the Connects user from the previous step
  • setcsauth -N:username -P:password
• Repeat this process for every CEN-IO on the jobsite

DHCP Configuration

If the lighting network has a permanent DHCP server, then CEN-IOs only require their IP table to be configured, though it is good practice to also record or update their hostname. If the MAC addresses for the CEN-IOs are not known, then the best way to update their configuration is via USB (microUSB). If you are able to identify the CEN-IOs by MAC address, then it is possible to configure these settings via Ethernet using Text Console. Whether connected to the CEN-IO via USB or Ethernet, the process to configure the IP table and hostname is the same:

• Open Text Console in Toolbox and connect to the CEN-IO
  • Note that you may need to manually select "SSL" connection type, as "Auto" might not always redirect
• Run the following commands to configure the CEN-IO's IP table and hostname (example is for an IP-ID of 21, and a target processor IP address of 172.22.0.1, and a device hostname of IO-COM-L1)
  • Update IP table: addm 21 172.22.0.1
  • Set hostname: host IO-COM-L1
  • Reboot the CEN-IO: reboot
• At this point, it is a good idea to update the device firmware
• Repeat for all CEN-IOs on the job

If setup has been done correctly and the ShowRunnerCLC™ program and configuration have already been loaded to the processor, then you should see the CEN-IO's IP-ID reporting online when you run the ipt command on both the CEN-IO and the processor.

Static Configuration

If there is no permanent DHCP server on the lighting network, then CEN-IOs should be configured with static IP addresses via USB (micro USB). If a temporary DHCP server is connected to the lighting network and you are able to identify CEN-IOs by MAC address, then it is possible to configure these settings via Ethernet using Text Console. Whether connected via USB or Ethernet, the process to configure the static IP addresses is the same:

• Open Text Console in Toolbox and connect to the CEN-IO
  • Note that you may need to manually select "SSL" connection type, as "Auto" might not always redirect
• Run the following commands to configure the CEN-IO's static IP settings (example is for a 10.0.0.0/24 subnet, with a static IP address of 10.0.0.12, an IP-ID of 21, and a target processor IP address of 10.0.0.10, and a device hostname of COM-IO-L1)
  • Set IP address: ipa 0 10.0.0.12
  • Set IP subnet mask: ipm 0 255.255.255.0
  • Set default gateway: defr 0 10.0.0.1
  • Disable DHCP: dhcp off
  • Update IP table: addm 21 10.0.0.10
  • Set hostname: host COM-IO-L1
  • Reboot the CEN-IO: reboot
• At this point, it is a good idea to update the device firmware
• Repeat for all CEN-IOs on the job

If setup has been done correctly and the ShowRunnerCLC™ program and configuration have already been loaded to the processor, then you should see the CEN-IO's IP-ID reporting online when you run the ipt command on both the CEN-IO and the processor.