Getting Started with Borealis

Getting Started with Borealis

1.0 Introduction

This document guides you through getting started with Borealis and setting up your new system. It assumes that you have purchased a communication hub and controllers and this is the first time using Borealis.



Conversions From Doors.NET or Doors32

If you have a system that will be upgraded to Borealis from the older Doors.NET or Doors32 system then the steps are slightly different. Click here to view the steps for converting a system, an overview and further information about upgrading to Borealis.


2.0 Register a Borealis Operator Account



Before you can start using Borealis you will need to register your new Borealis operator account. Your registered email address and password will be used to log into the user interface. Note: Once you have registered your new account you will then need to verify the account. Click on the link in the email that you will receive.
  1. Open a web browser and visit: keri.aetheros.net
  2. The Borealis log in screen will appear.
  3. Beneath the log in fields click on the Sign Up button.



  4. The operator registration form will appear.
  5. Enter your information into the registration details fields.
  6. Confirm you have read the end user agreement and the master reseller agreement.
  7. Click the Register button and your new account will be created.
  8. Open the inbox of the registered email address.
  9. Open the email from Keri Systems and verify your account via the link in the email.



  10. Once verified, you will be able to log into Borealis.

3.0 Create an Organization

The next step, if this is your first Borealis system, is to create an Organization name. This will allow you (the installer/dealer/reseller) to create and manage multiple end user systems from a single log-in.

Creating an Organization will also allow you to submit your tax exempt status by allowing you to upload a document that confirms the tax exempt status.

Creating an Organization is very simple and straight-forward and only needs to be created once.

Important Notes:
  1. Once you have created your Organization you must wait for it to show as Approved. You should only create a new system once the Organization is approved. You should also add any additional Organization users (i.e engineers and sub-contractors) prior to creating the system. 
  2. After setting up an Organization, only the Organization Owner will be able to administer that Organization (add new users, etc), and an Organization can only have one Owner.
  3. When adding additional Organization users they will not automatically be added to every system that you create. The System Owner will have to add the operators to each system individually (as you may have additional users that you only want access to specific systems).
  4. The Organization Owner is separate from the System Owner. You will only have one Organization Owner but each system you add can have a different System Owner.
  1. From a web browser go to: keri.aetheros.net
  2. Log in with your registered email and password.
  3. The create new system screen will appear.
  4. From the menu on the left click on Organizations.



  5. Click the CREATE button located on the right side of the screen.
  6. Enter the Organization name.
  7. Enter a contact name for the Organization Owner (the person creating the Organization will automatically be the default Organization Owner).
  8. Enter a contact phone number for the Organization Owner.
  9. Check the box to confirm your organization is a dealer/reseller/installation company.
  10. Check the box to confirm if the Organization is tax exempt.
  11. Enter the unique tax ID for the Organization.
  12. Enter any additional notes for the Organization.
  13. Enter the Organization's address details.



  14. If the organization is tax exempt, scroll to the bottom of the window and click the CHOOSE FILE button. Then navigate to a select the document that proves your tax exempt status.



  15. Navigate to where the tax exempt document is saved on the PC.



  16. Click the SAVE button.
  17. Once the Organization is created you will see that the status is shows as Pending.



    NotesIMPORTANT ANT NOTE: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CREATE A SYSTEM UNTIL THE ORGANIZATION IS APPROVED!  FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN INCORRECT SUBSCRIPTION PRICING FOR 1 YEAR

  18. After the organization information has been submitted it will take up to 1 business day for the review process to be complete.
  19. Once the Organization has been approved, the Owner of the Organization will be able to add new users to the Organization or proceed with creating a new System.


4.0 Create a System

Now that the Organization is approved you can go ahead with creating your first system.

Notes:
  1. The person who creates the system will automatically become the System Owner. The System Owner is the only person who has full administrative rights - including the ability to make Borealis subscription payments, view payment and billing information and add additional system operators.
  2. A person can be an owner of multiple systems or each system can have its own, unique owner.
  3. If you setup multiple systems these can all be administered from the single operator account.
  4. Every Borealis installation requires a system - it is a container for all the required components of your access control system. Sites and hubs are added and then hardware is added to the hub and the hub's associated site. The system also contains readers, cardholders, credentials, access rights and everything else listed on the main menu.
  5. Each system will require at least one site and hub. However each system will support multiple additional hubs and sites... multiple sites are used when different hardware types are used or when exceeding 32 readers (which is the maximum reader count per hub).

  1. Go to keri.aetheros.net
  2. Log in with your registered operator email and password.
  3. The Create System screen will appear.



  4. Enter a name for your new system.
  5. Select an appropriate industry type for your business.
  6. Select your Organization (which should now be approved).
  7. Select the price list:

    Note: typically, the assigned price list will be the Dealer price list and will be automatically assigned to the Organization when it is approved.

  8. Click the submit button to create the new system.

    Note: When a new system has been created it will be in a setup period. Currently the setup period is for 30 days and during this time you will have full functionality. Once hardware has been added, the subscription must be paid for within the setup period, if not, after 30 days the system will become suspended.



    Once your system is created, you will see the home screen.

     





5.0 Create a New Site

The next step is to create a site that will determine the hardware configuration of the hub. Once the site has been created you will be able to claim the hub to it.
Notes:
  • The site defines the hardware type to be used.
  • Every System needs at least one site.
  • The hub is claimed and assigned to the site.
  • Multiple hubs can be assigned to the same site (if more than 32 doors are on the System), or if the controllers are in different physical locations or subnets.
  • If adding multiple hubs to the same site they must be of the same hardware type.
  • Multiple sites (and multiple hubs) must be used if controllers will be located in different geographical time zones.
  1. Log into the Borealis web portal at: keri.aetheros.net.
  2. On the left-side of the screen, click on Sites.
  3. The Sites screen will open.
  4. Click the CREATE button located on the right.

    Site Create Button
  5. A new Create Site form will appear.



  6. Enter a name for the new site.
  7. Enter a contact name for the site.
  8. Enter a contact phone number for the site.
  9. Select the hardware type that will be used.
  10. Select the country where the site is located.
  11. Select a state (where applicable).
  12. Select the world time zone to apply to the site.
  13. Select to enable keypads on the site (if the site uses readers that have keypads).



  14. Click the Submit button.
  15. At the top of the screen, you will see a message that the site has been successfully created.



6.0 Connect the Borealis Hub

A Borealis hub acts as the communication bridge between the access control
hardware and cloud servers.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

- The hub MUST be added to a DHCP-enabled network with an active internet connection. The Borealis hub requires a DHCP-assigned IP address for it to function properly.  Once connected, the hub can take up to 5 minutes to complete its initial update.

- The Hub doesn't accept any incoming connections.  Communications between the hub and the AWS servers are established over SSL (port 443) - via direct https request and SignalR.  Not accepting incoming connections and using SSL encryption are industry standard methods of ensuring security.

- The Borealis Hub comes pre-installed with Windows 10 IoT operating system which is a different operating system (and is on a different upgrade/support cycle) from standard Windows operating systems. Hubs will be updated to Windows 11 IoT when Windows 10 IoT becomes end-of-life and full update instructions will be provided. Upgrading the hub's operating system voids the hub's warranty and may cause the system to become unstable due to internal differences between standard Windows 10/11 and IoT Windows 10.

- To power-down the hub, a simple short press of the power button is all that is needed and to monitor the power LED on the hub.   When the LED turns off, the hub is shut down. A simple short press of the power button is also all that is required to turn the hub back on again.


The hub does not require any configuration – it is pre-configured to obtain a DHCP address from an internet-enabled network (the same network that the controllers will be connected to), via a hard-wired Ethernet connection.

  1. Power-up the hub.
  2. Use an Ethernet network cable to connect the hub to the internet router/hub.



  3. Wait a few minutes while the hub initializes and obtains a DHCP address from the router. The hub will then connect to the internet.
  4. The controllers will also connect to this same network that the hub is connected to.

    Note: The NXT-MSC controllers are also configured to obtain a DHCP address but the Standard NXT controllers are detecting using their MAC address.


  5. Once connected and online the hub will be ready to add to Borealis.


7.0 Claim a Borealis Hub

The following steps explain how to add a hub (it assumes you have previously added a site).
  1. From the Borealis Dashboard, click Hubs on the left.



  2. Click the CREATE button located on the right.
  3. The blank create hub form will appear.



  4. Enter a name for the new hub.
  5. Enter the hub GUID (this will be printed on the outside of the hub).
  6. Enter the hub PIN (this too will be printed on the outside of the hub).



  7. Select the site to assign to the hub.



  8. Click the SAVE button.
  9. At the top of the screen, you will see a message that the new hub is claimed.
  10. The hub will then appear in the list and initially it will appear as offline... after a few seconds, the status will be online.




8.0 Wait for the Hub to be Updated

Note: It is important to wait up to 5 minutes for the hub to perform its initial update. Failure to wait for the update to complete may result in problems adding new controllers to the system.

The hub will begin updating a few seconds after it comes online. While the hub is updating the status will display 'Update Started'.



The status will continue to display 'Update Started' for 3-5 minutes. Wait until the status displays 'Update Completed'.

Click on the name of the hub - this will display the hub information screen. Ensure there is information showing in the 'Updated On' section:

You are now ready to scan for controllers via the Hub screen.


9.0 Next Step - Hardware Setup

  1. Setup PXL Controllers via Scan
  2. Setup Entraguard Controllers
  3. Setup NXT Controllers
  4. Setup NXT-MSC Controllers
  5. Setup KB Controllers
  6. Setup Mercury Controllers (EP, LP and MP series)

10.0 Borealis Subscription Information

If you are the System Owner you will be able to view the billing and subscription information.
  1. From the main menu near the bottom of the list select Subscription.
  2. The System Subscription screen will appear. Here the System Owner can view various information about the System renewal, activated number of readers, the renewal date and the active status of the system. The Subscription details screen will also allow you to enable Advanced Permissions - to provide you with a more granular approach to assigning operator permissions. You can add storage blocks - which increases the number of system transaction/events that Borealis stores in the Cloud. You can edit the event storage model and select if you wish Borealis to store all of the system transactions or to purchase storage blocks (storage of 1 million events per storage block).

    You can also see subscription discount amounts - which are applied for longer subscription durations.
  3. Payment Cards - Click to view a very basic summary of saved credit cards.
  4. Billing History - from this screen the System Owner can download the billing history. Invoices are added to the billing history following a successful subscription payment transaction.
  5. Click on the Download button to export and download a copy of the invoice.
  6. Price List - the System Owner can view basic details about the assigned price list. The price list is assigned to the system when the system is created and it is also assigned to an Organization when the Organization is approved. 
  7. Credit Hub Slots - this is the total number of communication hubs that are enabled on the system. Each hub communicates with the controllers and each hub can support up to 32 doors (and 32 x Entry Readers - Exit readers do not count towards the maximum door capacity.
  8. Subscription Emails - Additional email recipients for payment and billing emails.


11.0 Subscription Payment via Credit Card

If there is no system credit or organization credit (or if there is not enough of either credit type) then you will be able to make a payment using a credit card. If there is only enough system or organization credit to partially cover the amount due then the remainder will be covered by the credit card payment.

Notes:
- The credit card must be registered to the same country that the Borealis account is registered to. For example; if the credit card is registered in the US the Borealis account must also be registered in the US. 
- The credit card payment option is only currently available to customers located in the United States and Canada.

  1. Click the shopping cart icon.



  2. The summary of the amount due will be displayed.
  3. Place a check mark to confirm you have read and agree to the reseller agreement.
  4. Click the APPLY CREDIT button on the right side of the screen.
  5. The credit card payment form will appear.
  6. Enter the full credit card number, the card expiry date and the security number on the back of the card (CVV).



  7. Enter the ZIP code - this must match the ZIP code that the credit card is registered to.
  8. Select if you wish to use this payment card for subscription renewal payments.
  9. Select if you wish to save the card to the user interface.
  10. Confirm that you are not a robot.
  11. Click the SUBMIT button.
  12. The card payment will be processed.
  13. Your hardware will now be fully enabled and the system status will be active.

    Any administrative changes made in the user interface will now be automatically synced to the access control hardware.


12.0 - Add a New System Operator

To add an additional operator they must first create a new operator account and then verify the new account.
  1. The additional operator should open a web browser and go to keri.aetheros.net
  2. Click the Sign Up link located beneath the log in fields.



  3. Enter the new operator's registration information.
  4. Submit the new operator information.
  5. The operator should then open the inbox of the registered email address.
  6. Click the link to verify the new operator account.
  7. The System Owner can then click on Operators from the menu on the left.



  8. Click the Add button on the right of the screen.
  9. Enter the new email address of the operator.
  10. Assign the new operator a role - a role determines what user interface permissions the operator will have. You can assign one of the default operator roles (except for the Owner role), or the System Owner can create a new operator role with its own selected permissions. The Super role, by default has the most system feature enabled other than the Owner role. You can also edit the permissions of the default operator roles.



  11. The new operator is now added and they will receive an email to confirm they have been added to the system.


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