Setup: Connection DTN Satellite

For the DTN Satellite feed, select 'Serial Port 1', 'Serial Port 2', 'Serial Port 3', or 'Serial Port 4' if collecting the data-feed from a serial port.   Select 'Ethernet' if collecting data-feed with an Ethernet connection.  The IQFeed and Interactive Brokers versions do not offer a connection selection.

Serial Port Connection
The 'Baud Rate' panel is used to set the baud rate of the serial port (if the origin of the data-feed is a serial port). Set the baud rate to '19200', '38400', '57600', or '115200'.  Two additional baud rates (230K and 460K) are available for DTN data-feed users.  These two higher baud rates can only be accessed with a high speed serial port (i.e. Turbo Express Port 920, with a 16750 chip).  The baud rate is the speed at which data is sent from the data-feed equipment to the computer.  Contact your data vendor for help verifying proper data reception and baud rate settings.  A serial cable is required for communications between the computer and the data-feed equipment.  The cable should be provided by the data vendor.

Date Feed
The 'Data Feed' panel will display in-coming data if the computer is properly connected to the data-feed source.  The panel displays the current status of the data connection, in-coming data, and the serial port buffer.  The connection status box will display one of the following prompts: Port Open, Port Unsupported, Port Closed, Port Unavailable, or Port Already Open.  The in-coming data box will show symbols as they are received.  Two indicator bars display the serial port buffer status.  The top bar indicates the maximum serial port buffer amount ever used.  The lower bar indicates the current amount of serial port buffer in use. A reset button (displaying a time) is also included in the 'Data Feed' panel.  The displayed time indicates the time of day that the last maximum buffer amount was reached.  This is a useful diagnostic tool if the software is having problems processing the data-feed.  Click the button to reset all the boxes in the 'Information' panel to zero values.

The 'Information' panel displays serial port statistics regarding the data-feed.  'Packets' displays the number of in-coming data packets on the data-feed.  The Show Log is an aid used by Ensign's staff to watch portions of the data feed when solving data-feed reception problems with a customer.

Ethernet Connection
Ensign Windows can connect to the DTN Satellite data-feed D8000 and D8080 Velocity receiver boxes using the Ethernet port.  Performance measurements we have made show the Ethernet connection handles 40 times more data than a 115K baud serial port.  The following instructions help in setting up a 10Base-T Ethernet port.  

Click the Start button, and select Settings | Control Panel as shown.  On the Control Panel double click the Network icon that is shown above and you arrive at the following form.

In the list of installed network components, select the TCP/IP component for your Ethernet device, and click the Properties button to display the following form.

Select the 'IP Address' tab.  Select the 'Specify an IP Address' bullet and enter the IP Address and Subnet Mask values as shown.   Click the OK buttons to close the forms.   Your system may inform you that the computer needs to reboot for the change to be effective.  Follow the prompts to reboot.  You may be asked to insert your Windows CD in the CD drive so that drivers can be loaded.

While you can connect through a hub, the preferred method is to connect the DTN receiver directly to the 10Base-T Ethernet port in your computer using a cable that has its incoming and outgoing data lines swapped (similar to a null modem serial cable).  I bought a 15 foot cable from a local computer store for under $10.

DTN strongly recommends a private network connection to prevent the increased message traffic from swamping an existing network.  Also, there may be a security breech in the retransmission of exchange data by sending it across an intranet.  For computers already on a network, a private network can be created by installing a second Ethernet port and connecting directly to the DTN receiver.

In Ensign Windows, click menu SetUp | Connection and select the Ethernet bullet as shown above.  If your installation, IP address, and cable are correct, you will see a flow of data start immediately.  

Note:  The DTN receiver must be Reset to be able to use its serial port after it has been used with the Ethernet port.

Trouble-Shooting the Ethernet Connection
If the Ethernet attempts to start the dial-up phone line for an Internet connection, then change the following Internet Explorer settings.  Select 'Internet Options' from the Windows Control Panel.  Select the 'Never dial a connection' bullet.  Click the 'LAN Settings' button and place a check mark in the 'Automatically detect settings' box.