System Architecture Overview

System Architecture Overview

1.0 Introduction

The Doors.NET software is a Microsoft Windows.NET platform suite of services that allow you to configure, command and control PXL, standard NXT, NXT Mercury Powered, Neutron and Mercury Security (SCP) Series access control hardware.


The software can be logically broken down into 4 main components. These are the database engine, application server, gateway, and client.

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The Doors.NET front-end (the user interface) is a full featured security management solution. Integrated security features include; access control, video management, intrusion detection, alarm management, photo credentialing, biometrics, graphics mapping, data management and comprehensive reporting. The system is designed to support multi-user and multi-site applications with a high reader count and large credential population.

 

The graphical user interface (GUI) is designed to be intuitively obvious to the system operator. The operator can use the GUI out-of-the-box as shipped, or it can be configured to match all their preferences for daily use. The GUI supports multiple monitors. All GUI screens, such as transaction information, alarms, configuration data and reports, can be docked or placed where the operator prefers to see the information presented.

 

The Doors.NET system can support a single reader/door or thousands of readers per site and it is compatible with magnetic stripe and Wiegand output readers, such as; proximity, bar code, fingerprint, hand geometry and other various Wiegand devices. Keypads and integrated keypads are also supported.

 

Doors.NET provides unlimited credential enrollment at the host. The controllers also support thousands of users each. The enrollment database includes all pertinent access information and provides user defined fields for additional data. Photo ID is available as an integrated option.

 

Thousands of inputs and/or outputs can be configured and used per site. The inputs and output relays may be assigned to door related functions or for general purpose I/O. The inputs support normally open and normally closed and when using Mercury SCP hardware; supervised, non-supervised and End-Of-Line (EOL) resistance values. The relays can be configured for fail-safe or fail-secure operation. The user interface allows for direct control of the inputs and outputs, which allows the user to mask and unmask the inputs or activate and de-activate individual relays. Time Schedules can be associated with control of the system outputs.

 

The Intrusion Detection and Alarm Management section of the system allows you to monitor system alarms and troubles. When an alarm occurs, the user is prompted with a pop-up acknowledgment window that can be accompanied with specific alarm instructions, audio files or live video feed. Alarms can be configured to trigger outputs or execute user defined linkage macros on alarm, trouble and reset conditions (requires the Global or Local Linkage modules). These modules include intelligent linkage editors that allow you to create custom applications without the need for custom software. You can specify a set of actions that will occur when a specified condition, or set of conditions have been met. Examples range from activating multiple outputs, arming/disarming functions to man traps or other user imagined applications.


 

 

2.0 The Application Server

The Application Server is the heart of the Doors.NET system. It is the only component that communicates directly with the database engine. It is an asynchronous, TCP socket server that accepts connections from both the gateways and clients and provides a generic transport mechanism for any .NET class object, collection of those objects, or file. Both clients and gateways can be configured for DHCP as the Application Server tracks each incoming connection by its current IP Address. Since only .NET class objects are transported over the network socket connection, there is no need for any database knowledge at either the client or the gateway. 


3.0 The Hardware Gateway

The Gateway is the software service component that communicates with the field hardware and the Application Server. It receives .NET class objects for the hardware that it is responsible for servicing. All transactions generated by the hardware are formatted into a .NET class object for transport back to the Application Server. The service can reside on the same machine as the application server, another machine on the network, or across the Internet. The service supports static IP Addresses as well as the default of DHCP.

Currently, the Gateway supports many different types of hardware. These are from Keri Systems and Mercury Security Corporation. Although similar in features, each hardware type has a different number of inputs, outputs, and readers for each panel. The gateways handle the communication to the physical hardware.

Each hardware type has a slightly different version of the Gateway service.

Current gateway hardware types available:
  1. Keri NXT
  2. Keri PXL
  3. Keri NEUTRON
  4. Keri NXT (MSC firmware),
  5. MSC EP/LP.

4.0 The Client

The clients in the Doors.NET system are software applications or services that connect to the Application Server for the purpose of configuration and monitoring. The clients have no database knowledge or database drivers, communicate only with the Application Server, and perform all communications asynchronously. There are a number of different clients available:
  1. User Interface Client
  2. Report Client
  3. PhotoID Client
  4. Mapping Client (Telepathy)
  5. Roll Call Client. 
All clients perform the same initial steps of connecting to the Application Server and requesting certain objects. Each client provides a login/password for authentication and is then assigned a session identifier that is used for the length of the connection. The Application Server controls the information presented to each client through the login information. This includes the authorized hardware, routing of messages, and filtering of messages. 


5.0 The Database

The database engine for Doors.NET is Microsoft SQL Server 2000/2005/2008/2012/2014/2016/2019. The different versions of each release (MSDE/SQL Express) are also supported. The installation CD includes an option to install SQL Express 2005 along with management tools. Stored procedures are used extensively to move data into and out of the database.


Every table has at least 4 stored procedures the control the creation, retrieval, update and deletion of the tabular data. Access to the data is over TCP (default port of 1433), using SQL Authentication. Only the Application Server interacts with the database.


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