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RouteMaster: Getting Started

To start using RouteMaster you need to do some basic configuration to connect it to your router system. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you begin.

Physically connect your router

Before RouteMaster can control your router there has to be a control connection between the PC running RouteMaster and the router system. Usually this will be a network connection. You’ll need to know the IP Address, protocol and TCP port number used by your router. Check that the IP Address can be pinged from a command prompt on the RouteMaster PC.

If you’re connecting to a legacy router using RS232 or RS422 , you’ll need to know the baud rate, parity, and stop bits.  RouteMaster will work with any external USB serial port devices – but make sure your serial cable is correctly wired.

Start RouteMaster

Now you have your router connected you can start configuring RouteMaster. When you start RouteMaster for the first time you will see a screen like this. Note that the RouteMaster server process is not running – RouteMaster’s internal server process must be stopped in order to configure your router.

Add a router

Use the Settings/Configure Routers... menu to open the Manage Routers dialog box. This dialog lets you add and remove routers, and set a wide range of parameters for them.

Right now the list of routers is empty showing that we have no physical routers configured on this system. So the first step is to add a router by clicking the Add Physical Router button.

Configure the router

Now you’ve added a router you need to set it up. First, set the size of the router and number of levels. You can also give a simple descriptive name for the router.

Then move to the Connection tab and set up the router control connection.

  1. Choose the appropriate protocol according to modle of router you’re controlling
  2. Enter the IP Address of the router.
  3. Enter the TCP port to use. For many protocols, the Default button will automatically select the standard port number.

Select the Master Router for your system

If you’ve added just a single router, it will automatically be chosen as the Master Router. This is the router which is controlled by all clients connecting to RouteMaster. If you’ve got multiple routers configured, you can choose the Master by selecting it from the list and pressing Set As Master.

Finally, click OK to save the settings!

Start the RouteMaster server

Click the Run button to start the RouteMaster server. You’ll see that the screen change to this.

Let’s go though the information shown here.

  1. The STOP button is now enabled, while RUN is disabled. This shows the server process is running.
  2. The main table shows the current source on each level, for each router output.
  3. The scroll bar on right allows us to view additional outputs.
  4. The protect “key” is just a reminder of the colour coding used for ouput protect states.
  5. The status bar shows the Master router status, and information on the number of clients connected to RouteMaster.

Ready to go

Now you have a basic configuration that will let you connect to RouteMaster with various control clients and switch crosspoints on your router.

User Guide