Paging

PET (TAP/iXO) Protocol (Optional Module)

PET Protocol, also known as TAP or iXO, allows messaging and paging over a telecommunications network e.g. Telecom, Telstra

PET protocol is widely used by message pagers and mobile phone service providers.

Mobile phones, which are transceivers, have an important advantage over pagers in that the service provider network gets confirmation from the mobile that the message has been received. This means that if the mobile phone is switched off or out of the service coverage area, the network will hold and attempt to resend the message, until the mobile is switched back on or returns to the service area.

A message pager on the other hand, is only a receiver so while the paging network provider may send a message they will not receive any confirmation of whether the message has been received by the pager. Effectively this means that if the message pager is switched off or out of the service area when the network transmits the message it will not be received.

The PET protocol is essentially the same to set-up as paging Pacnet discussed in the previous section.

To set up the Pet Protocol Task:

1. Enter a Description of the task.

2. Turn the Paging Switch on for this task. The Paging Switch must also be switched on in the Master Settings of the Task Manager.

   The paging switch enables individual tasks to be turned on or off. For example, if alarms are being monitored from the station, signals may not require to be messaged out. Therefore PET Protocol can be switched off. When the monitoring station becomes unmanned again the paging switch can be turned back on so signals will be messaged out.

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   The program must be restarted for changes to take effect. This includes any changes made to the Paging Switch in the task record. Conversely, the Paging Switch in the Task Manager Master Settings will automatically re-enable itself when Patriot 6 is restarted.

3. Select a unique Task No (the system will default to the next free task number).

4. Enter the name of the Computer that this task is to be run on. Use the folder button to automatically populate the field if the PET Protocol task is to be run on “this” computer.

5. Enter a System Account No. The system account number is used to log error and system generated signals against. The default system account is PETP-0001-01 (client PETP area 0001 Port ID 01). You will need to make sure the system account number exists in Browse Clients as a template and has the appropriate types assigned.

6. The Use radio buttons determine which field in a Users record to obtain the Pager No from. The system can obtain the pager number from the Phone No, Pager No, Mobile No, A/H Phone No, Email 1, or Email2 fields in a users or emergency Services record (e.g. patrols, technicians) that have been assigned the paging task.

7. Page Wait is the length of time the system waits, after it has completed the number of unsuccessful Page Attempts, before it tries again. E.g. after 5 attempts it waits 15 minutes before retrying.

8. Page Attempts determines the number of times the system will try to send the page if unsuccessful. If all attempts have failed, the system will wait the time specified in the Page Wait field before trying again.

9. Page Retries determines the number of retries the system should attempt before removing the message permanently from the messaging queue. For example, if Page Attempts are set to 5, Page Wait is set to 15 minutes, and Page Retries are set to 2, the system will attempt 5 times if the message fails to send, wait 15 minutes, attempt another 5 times and if still unsuccessful will then permanently remove the message from the messaging queue. By default this field is set to 0 allowing an unlimited number of retries.

10. Enter the Network No. This is the Telecom network phone number that the system has to dial e.g. 0264001283.

11. If required, enter a suitable Modem Initialize String. This string will differ widely depending on the make and model of the modem and will not normally be required if the modem has been correctly set up with the required parameters stored in EEPROM. If unsure, contact your hardware vendor or paging network service provider for assistance.

12. Enter the correct NUI (Network User Identification). This is the password required by the service provider network e.g. zmnote.

13. On the Comm tab select the appropriate communications parameters for Baud Rate, Parity, Data Bits, and Stop Bits. These parameters must match the settings on the paging network equipment that you are dialling in to, in order to establish communication. Your paging network service provider should provide the correct parameters to use for the network number you are dialling.

14. Port tells the system to use the fax modem on this comport for the paging task.

    note

    The fax modem selected for paging must not be used for any other applications or tasks, including Internet, while this task is running.

15. Log To Text File - This will enable raw data from the paging network and modem to be stored in the text log. Normally this should be left off as it will slow the system down fractionally, but it is useful for trouble shooting purposes. Only one task at a time should have the Log To Text File check box enabled. Otherwise the text log will become mixed, making it difficult to determine which text log entries came from which task.

16. Disable Hardware Flow Control - Allows RTS/CTS handshaking to be disabled, which may be required for some configurations.

17. On the Advanced tab, Make this a slave multi-hunt task will normally be left disabled. This allows two or more paging tasks to work concurrently in high volume situations. If you enable this check box the parent paging task will be requested as all slave multi-hunt tasks must work in conjunction with a parent paging task. Multi-hunt paging tasks cannot be assigned separately.

18. If Send Open/Closes with a recent alarm is enabled, then set or unset signals will be paged out only when there has been a recent alarm activation received within a short period of an alarm event. The time period can be set via the Within Time(Min) setting in Patriots System Wide Messaging Settings.

    info

    For this option to work you must enable the Send Open/Close With Recent Alarm setting in System Wide Data Service Settings and also enable this setting in messaging task settings.

19. If this task fails and another is available e.g. GSM messaging, it can be used in the event of a failure. Enter the task number of the alternate task in the Task To Follow on Failure box.

20. The Maximum Message Length determines the maximum number of characters, including spaces, the message can contain. This is useful where the service provider may specify a maximum message length.

21. Message Components specify the different fields within the client record to include in the pager message. To change the default settings, disable the Default Details check box then enable each field you wish to include in the message.

Prerequisites

To have paging signals sent to individual users or emergency services there are two prerequisites: -

1. The User or Emergency Service must either be assigned to the client or assigned globally on the Action Plan, and included in the response plan (that is assigned to the Action Plan that will initiate the paging message).

2. The User or Emergency service for which the paging message is destined must have the paging task assigned and a valid destination number entered in their user record (as specified by the Use field).

Modems

At present it is only possible to have one paging task per modem. However, several paging tasks can operate (if required) on different modem ports or different computers within the Patriot 5.2 network environment.

Recording to the Text File

To record raw data the Log To Text File check box must be enabled. This will cause raw text from the paging network and modem along with other trouble shooting information to be stored in the text log. Normally this option should be disabled as it will reduce system performance fractionally, but is a useful tool for troubleshooting purposes. Only one task at a time should have the Log To Text File box enabled, otherwise raw data from multiple tasks will become mixed.

Information for New Zealand Telecom Users

Paging

ACCESS TO THE PAGING TAP (PET, IXO) INTERFACE

Telecom Mobile Communications have a dialup interface for sending messages to alphanumeric pagers. This interface uses the American Standard protocol known as TAP, PET or IXO.

To access this interface you must have the following:

• Software suitable for sending TAP messages installed on a computer. (There are a large number of software packages available).

• A CCITT modem connected to the computer. (Our Network will accept calls from 300 to 28,800 b/s)

The TAP Software should be set as follows:

• 7 Data Bits

• Even Parity

• 1 Stop Bit

• Access number is 026 400 1283 (calls will be charged at 10 cents + GST per call)

• The pager number does NOT include the 026 prefix and must NOT be the Message Centre number. (For Alpha-Numeric pagers the correct number will be 7 digits long and start with a 2)

Services: Mobile Note Direct s Mobilenote direct allows customers to send messages from a PC directly to the screen of the Mobilenote telephone.

Below is a summary of the technical requirements to send messages via a dialup modem.

Customer Requirements

PC

This can be either a stand-alone PC, or connected to a LAN (Local Area Network). The PC will need to have enough memory capacity to load the appropriate software.

Modem

A modem is required that is

• Hayes Compatible

• Set up for 7 bit, even parity and 1 stop bit

Set-up Details

• The dial number for the modem pool is 026 199 999. There is a 10-cent charge each time this number is dialled. A maximum of 5 messages can be sent at any one dial-in session. The modem will disconnect after one minute for capacity reasons.

• A password is required to connect. The password is available from Telecom or your software vendor.

• Mobile phone numbers need a prefix to identify the phone that will receive the message. If the customer has a 6 digit number e.g. 456 789, the number including prefix is 5300 456 789. If the customer has a 7 digit number e.g.345 6789, the number including prefix will be 5301 456 789.

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The first number of the 7 figure phone number is deleted i.e. the 3 is deleted.

Mobile No.

Number required to send Message to the phone

6 figure number 025 456 789

5300 456 789

7 figure number 025 345 6789

5301 456 789