Doors.NET - Quick Start Guide

Doors.NET - Quick Start Guide

1.0 Introduction

This document covers the basic installation and configuration of Doors.NET with Standard NXT, PXL or NXT Mercury-Powered controller types. It assumes that the computer being used for the Doors.NET installation has a connection to the Internet and Doors.NET has not yet been installed on the computer. This document also assumes that all software components are being installed on the same computer.


Following software installation, licensing and gateway setup, this guide will walk you through setting up and adding a new controller ready for use and further configuration.


It then explains some basic administrative features and functions; such as adding/enrolling new cards, setting up time schedules and access groups and backing up the database.

 


2.0 Definitions

  • Application Server – Main background server application for Doors.NET
  • Gateway – Doors.NET service that allows communication between the Application Server and controllers
  • NXT Proxy – Doors.NET communication service used for autoconfiguring standard NXT controllers.
  • NXT Controller – A 2-door or 4-door access control panel.
  • NXT-MSC Controller - A 2-door or 4-door access control panel that is embedded with 'Mercury' firmware.
  • PXL Controller - A 1 or 2-door access control panel.
  • LAN-520 Module - A plug-on Ethernet module that allows the PXL controller to be 'IP-addressable'.
  • IP Address – A numerical identification for an Ethernet enabled device usually represented in “dot” notation, i.e. 192.168.100.1.
  • MAC Address – A globally unique hardware number factory assigned to a networking device usually represented as 12 hexadecimal numbers grouped in pairs, i.e. 00-14-34-00-00-01.
  • Time Schedule – A combination of Time Intervals, Days of the Week and Holiday Lists.
  • Access Group – A combination of Time Schedules and Doors assigned to a cardholder to provide or access.

  • Cardholder – A collection of user information and one or more credentials.

 

3.0 Download the Doors.NET Software

Note: The following section requires you to register an account on the www.kerisys.com website and you therefore have a user name and password for logging in to the site.

  1. Visit the www.kerisys.com website.
  2. Click on 'Member Login'.
  3. Log in with your registered user name and password.
  4. Click on Software & Downloads.



  5. From the Download Area on the right of the screen you will see two options for the Doors.NET series 5 software.



  6. You can download the Installer Only or Full Installer - select the Full Installer if there is limited or slow internet access on the host PC, (or if you are unsure).
  7. Click the link and the file will download - (typically to the Downloads folder on the PC).

 

NOTE: Series 3 software can be downloaded from the software archives section (located on the previous page) if you are using Windows 7 or older supported operating systems.


4.0 Install the Doors.NET Software

  • Record the MAC address for all NXT and NXT-MSC controllers that will be installed.
    The MAC address is located on the white label in the lower-right corner of the controller.



  • Obtain an IP address for each NXT/NXT-MSC controller or LAN-520 module (for PXLs). Consult with an IT Professional to obtain the IP addresses if none are available.

  • Ensure the host PC has the minimum recommended requirements for running the Doors.NET software.

  • Note: For initial setup. The controller’s IP address(es) should be within the same subnet as the host PC.

  • Note: THE PC MUST BE UP-TO-DATE - Doors.NET utilizes the latest Microsoft .NET framework and service patches. Depending on the computer, Windows Update may need to be run multiple times before installing Doors.NET. The installer will install the required .NET patches if needed. Computers that are not up-to-date will require additional time for the install.

  • Note: During installation of the Doors.NET software, you should temporarily disable any anti-virus software. Once complete, you should then re-enable the anti-virus software and add Doors.NET software as an exception/allowed program.

  1. Go to the location on the PC where you have downloaded the Doors.NET installer.
  2. Double-click the DoorsNETInstaller executable file.

    Note: If you have downloaded the full installer, double-click the 7Zip executable file, then click the EXTRACT button to extract all the files (including the DoorsNETInstaller file).



  3. The Doors.NET installer will then initialize.



  4. For an existing installation, you will be prompted to stop the Doors.NET Windows Services (or you can continue with the installation, during which the services will be stopped automatically), but you will be required to reboot the PC following the installation.
  5. The Notifications screen will now appear. You will be prompted to temporarily disable any anti-virus software (if you are performing a new installation), or if you are using a low-spec PC that has a hard-disk drive (HDD) you will have the option of not installing the help file (which will reduce the installation time. Place a check-mark to confirm you have read the anti-virus instructions. As you can see in the following image, support for PXL and Entraguard controllers stops at Doors.NET v5.2.0.



  6. An existing system will now prompt you to uninstall the current version of Doors.NET >> Click START to uninstall Doors.NET.



  7. Once the current version has uninstalled, you will see the Welcome screen - and you will see the version to be installed >> Click NEXT.



  8. The License Agreement screen displays next. Read through the agreement and confirm that you accept the terms of the agreement >> Click NEXT.



  9. You will then see the product Release Notes for this version - this displays all software and supported hardware bug fixes, enhancements and descriptions of any new features >> Click NEXT.



  10. On the Customer Registration screen, enter a user name and the name of your organization. 

    Note: 
    This is not the user name that will be used to log into the software (it is just for registration purposes). >> Click NEXT.

  11. You will see the Type of Install screen - select Full Installation (or you can use the custom installation option to install advanced features) >> Click NEXT.



  12. Next to display is the Features Review screen. All features that WILL BE installed are highlighted in green. The features that WILL NOT BE installed are displayed in RED. Confirm that you have verified what will be installed >> Click NEXT.



  13. The Destination Folder screen appears next. Keri recommends using the default installation directory >> Click NEXT.
  14. The Shortcuts screen allows you to select to install a quick launch icon, a desktop shortcut or both. Make your selections and click NEXT.
  15. You will now see the Database Selection screen. If an SQL database version is detected as installed, then the version will be displayed - go with the default selection to install the Doors.NET database onto this host PC. Click NEXT again.
  16. Finally, you will see the Ready to Install screen, click INSTALL to begin installing the Doors.NET software.

    Note: If you are installing Doors.NET on a new PC that does not have SQL or SQL Studio Manager installed, place a checkmark in the option to Install SQL Management Tools.




5.0 Activate the Doors.NET License

This section assumes you have been given a new license key by Keri Systems inside sales - or you have created your own license key at license.kerisys.com  It also assumes you have an active, unrestricted Internet connection.

  1. Once Doors.NET software has been installed, you will be prompted to run the License Manager.
  2. The License Manager can also be opened by clicking Start >> All Programs >> Doors.NET >> License Manager.

  3. Or it can be run from the C:\Keri\DoorsNET directory.

  4. If it is the first time you have run License Manager you will see the welcome screen.
  5. The next screen is where you enter your license key.

  6. You can copy and paste the license key into the fields shown below. Put the cursor into the first text field, then paste.



  7. Next is the registration page. Enter information about the site and installer contact details.
  8. You will then see a summary page. Click next to complete the task.
  9. Within a few seconds you should see a registration successful notification. Click OK.
  10. The next notification is to restart/start the Application Server Windows Service. Click Yes.
  11. Once the Application Service service has restarted you will then be able to install the hardware communication gateway.

6.0 Setup the Communications Gateway

After the license has been activated, you will be prompted to install the hardware communications gateway. So click yes to install the gateway windows service: The gateway to be installed is determined by the hardware type(s) that are enabled on your license.

  1. When the gateway windows service has installed, the License Manager will open.
  2. The gateway will appear in the services list on the left but it will show 'Licensed - Needs Configuration.'



  3. Select the gateway listed on the left.
  4. Click the SETTINGS button.
  5. Enter a description for the new gateway then click OK.
  6. You will be prompted to start the service. Click YES.
  7. Moments later you will see confirmation that the gateway service has started.
  8. You can now close the License Manager window.

 

Note: If the systems uses multiple gateways of the same type, each gateway will need to reside on a separate PC. A single host PC can support multiple gateways but they must be gateways of a different type (such as Standard NXT and an NXT-MSC gateway).



7.0 Download and Install SQL Studio Manager

If you have recently installed on a brand-new host PC you can quite easily download and install Studio Manager via the License Manager. Studio Manager is an application that will allow to attach, detach, delete and administer an SQL database (such as the Doors.NET database.

  1. From Windows Start menu go to Doors.NET >> License Manager.
  2. On the right, you will see the 'Database' section - The red text above the Install SQL Studio button should state: 'Not Installed'.
  3. Click the Install SQL Studio Button.

    SQL Studio Not Installed

  4. First the installation files will be downloaded.
  5. Once downloaded, click the install SQL Studio button again to perform the installation.
  6. Installation of SQL Studio Manager should take just a few minutes.

  7. Once complete, close then re-open License Manager.
  8. Select Application Server again and SQL Studio should be indicated as installed.

    DB Now Installed
  9. You can now close the License Manager.

 

8.0 Setup the New Controller

8.1 Factory Reset the Controller

Before you add a new NXT, NXT-MSC or PXL controller (or a master PXL controller that was used on a Doors32 system), you should perform a factory reset. This procedure will restore the controller to its factory default and will eraze all programming, stored events and configuration: Refer to the individual controller setup guides for specific factory reset instructions:

 

8.2 Connect the Controller to the Local Area Network

For initial setup you should connect the controller to the same local area network as the host PC. Communications over different subnets is covered separately. Once connected, on a LAN-520 you should be seeing 1 x amber LED and 2 x green LEDs. On the Standard NXT and NXT-MSC Controllers you should be seeing a solid green 10/100 LED (D21) and a solid red LINK LED (D22).



LAN-520 Module Network Status LEDs


NXT and NXT-MSC Network Status LEDs



 

8.3 Auto-configure an NXT Controller and Assign IP Address
  1. Log into the Doors.NET software (the default user name and password are both admin).
  2. Go to Setup >> Hardware Setup >> All - this will display the hardware tree and the gateway will be displayed at the top.
  3. Highlight the NXT gateway - then click the Auto Config button. The NXT proxy service then searches for NXT controllers on the local area network.



  4. The Auto Config Results tab appears and all detected controllers are listed in the Available Controllers section.
  5. By default, all controllers are selected. An IP address must then be assigned to each controller.
  6. Enter an IP address for each controller either manually per controller, or if the IP address range is consecutive, by entering an IP address range in the Starting and Ending IP address fields at the top of the Auto-Configuration screen.
  7. Click Apply after entering and assigning the IP addresses. The controllers are assigned their IP addresses and are added to the NXT gateway.

  8. Wait for the Auto-Config Complete message, then close the Auto Config window.
  9. A controller firmware revision check is then performed.

  10. Perform a controller firmware upgrade, if required.

For further detailed setup instructions for this controller type, click here >> Basic Standard NXT Controller Setup

 

8.4 Manually Add a PXL Controller (LAN-520 Communications)

 
Note: This section assumes you have already setup the LAN-520 Ethernet plug-on module and have assigned the LAN-520 with an IP address.

  1. Ensure the controller is addressed as number 1.
  2. Verify that the JP6 and JP7 jumpers are both removed.
  3. Log into the Doors.NET software (the default user name and password are both admin).
  4. Go to Setup >> Hardware Setup >> All - this will display the hardware tree and the PXL gateway will appear at the top.
  5. Highlight the PXL gateway - then click Communication Channels.
  6. Click the Network icon in the ribbon bar.
  7. Select new channel, then enable the channel in the properties (on the right).
  8. Give the channel a new description and then save the new channel.
  9. Next, click the PXL gateway and then click the Add PXL icon in the ribbon bar.
  10. Enter a description for the new master PXL controller.
  11. Select the exact model of controller (if you know it). If not, the exact model will be detected when the controller comes online. Click ACCEPT button.
  12. The new PXL controller will be added to the hardware tree.
  13. Select the controller, then in the controller properties (on the right), select the new communication channel that you created.
  14. As you added a network channel you will now be able to enter the IP address of the LAN-520.
  15. Enter the IP address of the LAN-520 plugged-into the master PXL, then save the controller settings.
  16. Open up the live events grid and within a few seconds you will see events to indicate that the controller is online.

Note: To detect any PXL slave controllers, select the master controller on the hardware tree and click the Auto-Config icon.

 

For further detailed setup instructions for this controller type, click here >> Basic PXL-500 Controller Setup

 

9.0 Scan for an NXT Mercury-Powered Controller

Note: By default, the controller will look to be assigned a DHCP address. Or it will go to a static IP address of 169.254.x.x.

  1. Log into the Doors.NET software (the default user name and password are both admin).
  2. Go to Setup >> Hardware Setup >> All - this will display the hardware tree and the NXT-MSC gateway will appear at the top.
  3. Click the Scan Network Icon on the ribbon.
  4. The local area network will be scanned and any detected controllers will be listed (displayed will be the controller's assigned IP address and MAC address).

    Note: from the Scan screen you can log into the controller to modify any settings and change the controller's assigned IP address. For a new controller, you will have to press the white S1 button twice before you can log in - the default user name and password for the NXT-MSC controller is admin/password (all lower-case characters). For further detailed setup instructions for this controller type, click here >> Basic NXT Mercury-Powered Controller Setup

  5. Highlight the controller.
  6. Then click IMPORT.
  7. Once imported, the new controller will be online to the NXT-MSC gateway and will be added to the hardware tree.
  8. You should now right-click the controller and select Reset >> Memory - this will clear the panel's memory and will then send an update to the controller.
  9. If you open up the live events grid you will see various messages which are generated when the controller comes online.
  10. A firmware check is also done and if the firmware needs to be upgraded, you will be notified in the live events grid.
  11. Perform a controller firmware upgrade if required.

10.0 Enroll a New Cardholder and Credential

10.1 Manually Enroll a New Card or Fob

The manual card enrollment procedure requires you to have the card's imprint (the number printed on the card) - and also the programmed 'facility code' (when using Keri MS or 26-bit Wiegand cards). Keri NXT cards do NOT require a facility code. The facility code can typically be found clearly noted on the side of the box that the cards were supplied in.

  1. From within Doors.NET, go to Home >> Cardholders.
  2. Click the Add icon to add a new cardholder record.
  3. Enter a cardholder first name and last name.
  4. Click one of the small blue save icons (upper-left corner) to save the new record.
  5. Verify that 'Calculate Internal Number' is selected.
  6. Ensure the correct format is selected from the format drop-down list (Keri MS, Keri NXT or 26-bit Wiegand).
  7. Enter the Facility Code (not required for Keri NXT).
  8. Enter the Imprint number into the Imprint field.



  9. Set the status to Active.
  10. Click the ADD CARD button.
  11. The unique card number is then generated and will display in the white Credentials box - the credential is now assigned to the cardholder.

10.2 Assign an Access Group
  1. Click on the Access Rights tab (on the General screen of the cardholder record).
  2. Select an access group to assign to the cardholder. Total Access will give the cardholder access to all doors 24/7.



  3. Click the expander icon to the left of the group name to reveal a list of all doors which have been added to the group.
  4. Save  the record once you have selected an access group.

11.0  Setup and Edit Access Groups

Access Groups are a combination of readers and time schedules that determine who has access to which doors and at what times. By default, Doors.NET has a Total Access group which automatically contains all doors on the system with an associated 24/7 time schedule.

Notes:
- the doors for Standard NXT controllers are NOT automatically added to the total access group - they must be added manually.
- The PXL controllers only accept 1 access group per cardholder, except under the conditions defined in 'PXL Access Group Limitations'
- Standard NXT controllers support 8 access groups per cardholder.
- NXT-MSC controllers support 32 access groups per cardholder (the default is 8 but it can be configured to support 32)

  1. From within Doors.NET, go to Home >> Access Groups.
  2. Click the Add icon.
  3. Double-click New Group entry which appears at the bottom of the list of access groups.
  4. Give the new access group a new description >> then press <ENTER>.
  5. Ensure you have the new access group name highlighted.
  6. Select which readers to add to the group. Note: You can use the <CTRL> or <SHIFT> keys to select multiple readers.
  7. Then select the time schedule to assign to the readers. You can associate different time schedules within the access group but if doors will set to different time schedules, these doors will need to be added separately.
  8. When the door name, readers and a time schedule have been selected, click the ASSIGN button.
  9. The access group will be created and the readers will be displayed in a list beneath the access group name.
  10. The new access group will now be available to assign to cardholders.

 

12.0  Setup and Edit Time Schedules

Time Schedules are used in Doors.NET to define when cardholders can gain access at doors. They are also used as auto-unlock time schedules to determine when doors are automatically unlocked and re-locked. Any change to a time schedule immediately affects any cardholder, input, output or reader that is using that schedule. A time schedule consist of one or more intervals and the interval consist of a start time and an end time for any day of the week. For example; interval number 1 may be to automatically unlock certain doors between 7am and 11am.

 

The software supports 64 time schedules with 50 intervals for each NXT controller. Typically, different time schedules are defined for various groups of people such as employees, managers, janitorial staff, security, etc. These time schedules are then assigned to corresponding access groups.

 

Notifications:
- the Standard NXT controllers support 64 time schedules, 12 intervals per day and 50 intervals per week.
- the PXL controllers support 32 time schedules, 4 intervals per day and 28 intervals per week.
- The NXT-MSC controllers support 255 time schedules, 12 intervals per day and 84 intervals per week.

  1. From within Doors.NET, go to Home >> Time Schedules.
  2. Click the Add icon.
  3. Select the new schedule that appears in the schedule list.



  4. In the schedule properties (on the right), enter a new description, then save.
  5. Enter a Start Time and an End Time.
  6. Select the days of the week you wish the time schedule to be active on. Save again.



  7. The schedule is now setup a ready to use.


13.0  Assign an Auto-Unlock Time Schedule

Once a time schedule has been setup in Doors.NET it can be used not only to determine access for cardholders, but also to automatically unlock and then re-lock doors at specific times of the day. The interval Start Time determines when the doors will unlock and the End Time determines when the doors will re-lock:

  1. Within Doors.NET, go to Setup >> Hardware Setup >> All.
  2. On the hardware tree, double-click the controller which has the door that you wish to auto-unlock.
  3. Select the reader and the reader properties will display (on the right).
  4. In the reader properties, locate the Auto Unlock Schedule option.
  5. From the drop-down list, select a schedule to use to auto lock/unlock the door.



  6. Save the door settings and the controller will automatically be updated.


14.0  Backup the Database

Performing a full backup of the Doors.NET database can be done very quickly and easily by going to Tools >> Backup. You will see notification messages in live events when the database backup has completed. The full database backup file will then be available in the following location:

 

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQLxx.ECLIPSE\MSSQL\Backup - on a 32-bit operating system

 

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQLxx.ECLIPSE\MSSQL\Backup - on a 64-bit operating system

 

Note: When restoring a Doors.NET backup file you will need to restore it to the same version of SQL or a newer version. You CANNOT restore a database onto an older version of SQL (for example; an SQL 2012 database CANNOT be restore onto SQL 2008 but an SQL 2008 database CAN be restored onto SQL 2012) - Microsoft does not provide a downgrade path for SQL databases.



15.0 Further Information

15.1 Help File

 
Doors.NET has a comprehensive and informative help file built into it. It can be easily accessed by pressing the <F1> key. The help file will open up the section that corresponds to the screen you have open.

 

 

You can then access other topics by using the table of contents on the left, using the search facility or using the index. There is also a useful favorites feature which allows you to quickly and easily save your favorite topics.

 


15.2 Knowledge Base


Keri Systems also has an easy-to-use knowledge base that is packed full of information about all Keri products. On the site you will find technical documentation, setup, installation and user guides, application notes, wiring diagrams, product images, links to software downloads and links to other useful resources (such as training videos).




 



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