NetCrossing Gateway Software Release Notes
(go to the latest version)
Software version 2.XX runs only in the NX-2048.
Software version 3.0X through 3.3X runs only in the NX-2E1/T1
model.
Software version 3.50 and above runs in all models and allows
linking a NX-2E1/T1 to a NX-2048.
Version: 2.08
Date: July 13, 2004
Problems Fixed
When more than two gateways were visible across the WAN port,
the >show gateways command was not displaying them all
consistently. This has been fixed.
Version: 2.09
Date: August 5, 2004
New Features
Added a Bit Error Rate Test feature. Invoke with the
command:
>bert
The NetCrossing Gateway will replace the input bit stream on the
serial port with a 511 length pseudo random code. This bitsteam is
then packetized and sent over the WAN port. While running the test
the gateway also checks the bit stream arriving through the WAN
port and compares it against the same 511 length code. The gateway
reports the SYNC errors, SYNC status, number of blocks sent, bit
errors and average Bit Error Rate.
Problems Fixed
Under certain link error conditions it was possible for a
gateway to lose track of the WAN packet sequence numbers and be
stuck making underrun errors. The gateways now detect that
condition, abd then break and reestablish the connection to its
peer.
Version: 2.10
Date: February 16,
2005
New Features
The WAN Ethernet port now supports speeds up to 100 MHz full
duplex. The auto-negotiate algorithm was also improved.
Version: 2.11
Date: May 12, 2005
Problems Fixed
The SNMP status reported for the ethernet ports was
incorrect.
Version: 2.13
Date: May 26, 2005
Problems Fixed
Corrected a problem in WAN port ethernet mode autonegotiation,
which showed up when WAN port was manually set top 10FDX.
The LAN port erroneously reported collisions when set to 10 Mbps
full-duplex mode.
WAN capacity not calculated correctly when operating in UDP
encapsulation mode.
Version: 2.20
Date: December 9, 2005
New Features
When a connection is not established, the ">show" command now
describes the reasons for the lack of the connection.
You can now set a target for the packet rate generated over the
WAN from 10 to 400 packets per second (use ">serial
packet-rate=XX" command). The gateway may adjust this number as a
function of the serial speed. The actual packet rate is displayed
in the ">show" report
When jitter buffer is set to numbers from 1 to 9 ms, the
training period has been shortened to less than the default 8
seconds. Actual training period depends on packet rate (for 400 pps
it is less than one second)
Added a link break message between gateways to speed up the
break and reconnect time when one gateway changes connections
between remote gateways
Problems Fixed
Switching between "bridge" and "route" modes can now be
performed by issuing the various commands in any order
Added a debug mode to allow setting up a link with incompatible
clocks for troubleshooting clock jitter problems
Compatibility Issues
Protocol version number was raised from 4 to 5 due to different
serial packet overhead. This version will not establish a serial
link with previous version.
Version: 2.21
Date: January 23, 2006
New Features
Added a parameter to the WAN command:
"promiscous=[yes|no]"
By default the WAN port is in promiscuous mode and the software
looks at every packet received to determine if it needs to be
bridged to the LAN port. In environments with heavy traffic in the
WAN (and running at 100MHz) this could overload the gateway
software. In such cases you can now set the "WAN promiscuous=no" in
which case the gateway address matching is done in hardware. In
this mode the bridging between WAN and LAN becomes disabled.
(This new parameter is not visible in the help menu)
Problems Fixed
The value set by "serial packets-per-second=xxx" is now displayed
by "display-configuration".
Version: 2.24
Date: April 20, 2006
Problems Fixed
Increased the timeout for the first packet to arrive after a
link is established. This allows for very long delays on the WAN
(needed for links across geosynchronous satellites)
Improvements in the SNMP support
Software version 3.0X through 3.3X runs only in the NX-2E1/T1
model
Software version 3.50 and above runs in all models and allows
linking a NX-2E1/T1 to a NX-2048
Version: 3.07
Date: October 19,
2004
New Features
Added T1 unframed operating mode.
Compatibility Issues
Protocol version number was raised from 3 to 4 to provide
checking of packet size as part of connection handshake. Where a
link was already installed, both ends of the link must be updated
together in order for the link to establish a connection.
Version: 3.08
Date: December 23,
2004
Problems Fixed
When configured for T1 unframed, with line coding set to AMI,
the line coding might erroneously be set to B8ZS instead.
Version: 3.09
Date: January 4, 2005
Problems Fixed
Telnet sessions could hangup under certain heavy load
conditions.
When establishing a serial connection where one end had the
clock set to external, the connection setup could go into an
unstable mode where it would keep "training" the link.
Deleted unnecessary recording of events that were filling up the
event log.
Version: 3.22
Date: January 13,
2005
New Features
The Gateway/Link LED now reports the status of all links as
follows:
OFF if all links are disabled.
RED if any of the enabled links is not connected.
AMBER if not RED and any of the links has had an
error.
GREEN if all enabled links are connected and have had
no errors.
The errors can be examined with the ">show" command. Use the
">show clear=1" command to clear the errors and return the LED
to "green".
When a gateway has a peer defined but the link is not connected
the ">show" command now displays the reason why the link fails
to get established.
Reduced the size of the serial packets overhead. This causes the
new version to be incompatible with previous releases.
Problems Fixed
Improved the resolution of the jitter buffer management.
Additionally the jitter buffer error on both ends is now kept
balanced.
The link is now immediately disconnected when you change
configuration parameters that affect the link. The seial link is
then reestablished cleanly.
Reduced the rate of sending "connect requests" from every 0.25
seconds to every 2 seconds. This allows establishing satelite links
with very long delays.
Clock recovery of TDM line B was being affected by the clock on
line A. The two are now independent.
Fixed problems with "load" command which under certain
conditions was not reestablishing the serial link.
Under some heavy load conditions issuing the "show" command
could cause an error in the link.
Compatibility Issues
Protocol version number was raised from 4 to 5 due to different
serial packet overhead. This version will not establish a serial
link with previous version.
Version: 3.30
Date: April 6, 2005
New Features
Added new clock configuration where both gateways in a link may
have the clock source set to "remote". At one end, the user
equipment must supply the clock, while at the opposite end the user
equipment must loopback the clock.
When a connection is not established, the ">show" command now
describes the reasons for the lack of the connection.
Added detection and generation of Red, Blue and Yellow alarms at
both ends of the link.
The WAN Ethernet port can now operate at 100 MHz full duplex.
Also improved the auto negotation algorithm.
Problems Fixed
Corrected problems with operation in T1 mode with superframe
(D4) and AMI coding.
If the TDM line input drops, the link to the opposite gateway is
now dropped.
The loopback output mode now works consistently.
Corrected multiframe alignment issues that was causing problems
with transferring signaling information.
Compatibility Issues
The protocol version number was raised due to different packet
multiframe alignment. This version will not establish a serial link
with previous versions.
Version: 3.32
Date: May 10, 2005
New Features
Added E1 framing of "cas_MF". In this mode Time Slot 16 is
turned on automatically and the unit inserts the MutliFrame align
pattern (0000) in the upper four bits of TS16 of frame 0. This
keeps the user equipment frame synchronized even in the presence of
packet losses.
Problems Fixed
Reduced the frequency adjustment steps of the clock recovery
mechanism.
Switching between "bridge" and "route" modes can now be
performed by issuing the various commands in any order
Fixed problems with SNMP support
Corrected problems that required a reboot after modifying some
configuration parameters
Version: 3.35
Date: July 25, 2005
New Features
Added a parameter to the WAN command:
"promiscous=[yes|no]"
By default the WAN port is in promiscuous mode and the software
looks at every packet received to determine if it needs to be
bridged to the LAN port. In environments with heavy traffic in the
WAN (and running at 100MHz) this could overload the gateway
software. In such cases you can now set the "WAN promiscuous=no" in
which case the gateway address matching is done in hardware. In
this mode the bridging between WAN and LAN becomes disabled.
(This new parameter is not visible in the help menu)
Problems Fixed
Fixed IP addressing problem that was preventing a connection
between two gateways if one of them was behind a router performing
Network Address Translation (NAT)
Version: 3.37
Date: Nov 8, 2005
Problems Fixed
Corrected loopback input test mode of the TDM signal. This was
not working properly when framing was set to anything other than
"unframed"
Corrected problem in E1 unframed mode which could cause a break
in the link when passing E1 CAS stream
In E1 framing modes the gateways now regenerate the E bits in
the E1 CRC4 multiframe
Added a debug mode to allow setting up a link with incompatible
clocks for troubleshooting clock jitter problems
Under some conditions the serial link could get stuck
underrunning due to receiving "late packets" without recovering.
This condition is now detected and the link is reinitialized
Version: 3.38
Date: Jan 26, 2006
New Features
Added support of AMI coding in E1 mode
Added a link break message between gateways to speed up the
break and reconnect time when one gateway changes connections
between remote gateways
Added display of the TDM receive line levels and transmit line
status (open circuit or current limit) to the output of the
commands t1a, t1b, e1a and e1b
Software Version 3.50+ runs in both gateway platforms
Version: 3.50
Date: Apr 24, 2006
New Features
Merged the two software trees such that the same build can run
on any of the NetCrossing Gateways
The two gateway models – NX-2E1/T1 and NX-2048 – can now
establish a link (using port A of the NX-2E1/T1). With the NX-2048
clock source set to remote, it automatically adjusts its clock
speed to match the number of slots selected for port A of the peer
NX-2E1/T1. The NX-2048 also automatically adjusts its packet rate
to match the T1 or E1 packet rate.
The serial speed of the NX-2048 can now be set down to 2800
bps
Added displaying of the "promiscuous" WAN setting in the display
configuration
Improved the "show" command report indicating the reasons for
the lack of connection between two units
Problems Fixed
Increased the timeout for the first packet to arrive after a
link is established. This allows for very long delays on the WAN
(needed for links across geosynchronous satellites)
Fixed some problems in the implementation of SNMP.
- sysDescr was too long for some managers and has been
shortened.
- ifOutQLen was changed from Integer to Gauge
- ColdStart trap was modified to include a varBind item (at least
one manager did not like empty varBindList)
Compatibility Issues
In the NX-2048 version 3.50 is incompatible with version
2.XX.
In the NX-2E1/T1 version 3.50 stayed compatible with versions
3.3X.
Version: 3.52
Date: May 24, 2006
Problems Fixed
Stability problems in telnet, especially during downloads over
links with congestion or packet loss.
NX-2048 only: when configured for external clock the unit might
set up a connection even when the clock was not present; and once
the clock started, the connection would have problems.
NX-2048 only: the target packet rate at a unit with the clock
set to remote might endup configured to a non-standard value
With promiscuous mode turned off the event log could fill up
with a superfluous event which is now turned off
Version: 3.53
Date: June 2, 2006
New Features
SNMP has been enhanced to allow monitoring of NetCrossing links.
For each link, packets, bytes and errors are counted, and traps are
available for link down and link up events.
For NX-2048 the serial links can be monitored with
ifIndex=4.
For NX-2E1/T1 link A is ifIndex=4 and link B is ifIndex=5.
Version: 3.54
Date: Sep 3, 2006
Problems Fixed
Process unsolicited ARPs in order to assist with link failover
in underlying network.
Version: 4.00
Date: September 15,
2006
New Features
Improved the negotiation to select the units that drive the
synchronization of co-located radios attached to the gateway.
The Radio Link LED is now only green once the atached radio has
a working link. All other states are reported with a binking red
LED.
Improved the adjustment of a remote gateway clock
Compatibility Issues
The protocol for synchronizing co-located AR24027 radios has
been changed. When co-locating radios that are paired with the
gateways make sure you run version 4.XX in both the radios and
gateways.
Version: 4.02
Date: November 11,
2006
Problems Fixed
Correct problem occurring when default route is changed.
Version: 4.03
Date: December 15,
2006
New Features
NX-2048: increased the maximum serial port speed to 3.072 Mbps
or 8.192 Mbps with units modified to run the internal VCO at a
higher frequency.
NX-2048: When the clock source is remote or external, while the
link is not established, the gateways now drive the Tx and Rx
clocks at the configured internal serial port speed . Once the link
is established the serial speed changes to match the speed of the
source. The configured internal clock speed is not longer modified
to match the value used in the link.
The gateways can now receive WAN packets out of order and
resinsert them in the proper place as long as they had not been
needed by the serial port. Previously, if the network reordered
packets, the packets received out of order were discarded.
Version: 4.52
Date: March 29, 2007
New Features
New option: bridge stp-forward=no
New options: serial-port cts=link-state
cd=link-state
New option: debug enable=no-telnet
Problems Fixed
State of CTS, CD, DSR not properly initialized on power-up
Correct problem in manufacturing test-wan and
test-board commands
Corrected warnings about non-optimal ethernet port settings
Avoid reboot when receiving packets from some incompatible
firmware versions
Improved recognition of the new NX-8192 boards (which support
fast serial speeds)
Compatibility Issues
For correct interoperation of TDD synchronization between radios
and gateways, use NXG 04.52 with PMP 04.50 and later. TDD
"heartbeat" packet formats have changed from earlier builds.
Version: 4.54
Date: May 17, 2007
Problems Fixed
T1 operation had problems synchronizing on the latest production
units of the NXG-2E1T1. This version fixes the timing problems and
works correctly on all units.
Compatibility Issues
All NXG-2E1/T1 hardware units shipped from factory after April 20,
2007 must be running this release.
Version: 4.57
Date: Aug 28, 2007
New FeaturesIn the NX-2048 we increased the maximum
configurable value for the jitter buffer from 200 to 500 ms. But you
may need to decrease the packet rate (with the "serial" command) to
attain the larger jitter buffer values. The gateway checks this
relationship and may decrease the jitter buffer value to stay within
attainable values.
Introduced a debug "tight-clock" option to keep the remote clock adjustments to within a smaller tolerance.
Version: 4.58
Date: Sep 18, 2007
Problems FixedIn the NX-2048 the tolerance allowed for the
external clock was too tight. If the external clock had slight changes
the gateway would disconnect the link to remeasure the exteranl clock
frequency. We now allow the external clock to change by as much as 0.2%
before breaking the link.
Version: 4.59
Date: Oct 31, 2007
Problems FixedIn the NX-2048 the serial handshake output
signals (CTS, DSR, DCD), when configured to follow the state of the peer
input signals (RTS, DTR), were changing too early because they were
not subject to the jitter buffer delay. Now those signals go through a
delay that is always slightly longer than the data signals.
Version: 4.62
Date: Sep 11, 2008
New FeaturesIn the NX-2048 you can now define the link between
two gateways using two character logical identifiers instead of the unit
serial numbers. This allows replacing a gateway in a link without
having to change the configuration of the opposite device.
Problems FixedIf one or more packets are lost in a link at the
time when the internal sequence numbers rollover, it could cause the
link to disconnect.
Connecting two gateways (NX-2048) in series with a remote clock
connected to the external clock of the next gateway, at speeds below
128k the 2nd gateway (with the external clock) might on occasion
disconnect its link due to the variations of the clock frequency. In
this version we increased the error tolerance at low frequencies to
avoid this problem.
Version: 4.63
Date: Sep 25, 2008
Problems FixedMinimum clock speed was increased to 3.5 kbps. Lower values were not working properly.
With clock configured to external, if the internal clock was set to a
very low value and the external started at very high value, it could
cause a reboot of the unit.
Maximum clock speed for the NX-2048 is now 2.2 Mbps.
Version: 4.64
Date: Oct 20, 2008
Problems FixedIn the NX-2048 when peer-id was changed to "not defined" current link continued working, now it disconnects
Improved the power up test that determines the internal VCO frequency.
We now favor the most recent frequency for the VCO. Also improved the
test-pll used in factory test.
Maximum clock speed for the NX-2048 is now 2.2 Mbps.
Version: 4.65
Date: Mar 9, 2009
Problems FixedDisabling the promiscuous mode did not take effect until unit was rebooted. Now it takes effect immediately.
Known issues:
In NX-2E1/T1: When running 2 T1 channels simultaneously, either the
link must be in bridged mode, or at least one channel must be set to
unframed (or else the unit will reboot often).
Version: 4.67
Date: Nov 18, 2009
Problems FixedWhen running two T1 (or E1) channels, one of the
links would tend to suffer frequent frame loss errors. (The remote clock
adjustment for the two links got entangled.)
Automatic jitter buffer setting to measured values was too agressive and
ofen set jitter buffers too small. It now selects more conservative
values.
Known issues:
In NX-2E1/T1: When running 2 T1 channels simultaneously, either the link
must be in bridged mode, or at least one channel must be set to
unframed (or else the unit will reboot often).
Version: 4.68
Date: Apr 5, 2011
Problems FixedIn the NX-8192, the route mode maximum speed was restricted to 5000 kbps. Now it can run at the maximum speed of 8192 kbps.
Speeded up the code downloads when using ECON.
Known issues:
This build does not work on NX-2E1/T1.
Version: 4.69
Date: Apr 18, 2011
Problems Fixed
Now works on all models of the gateway again.
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