Remote Server

Over the Hills and Far Away

Table of Contents
Contents
1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................4 1.1 1.2 2 W HATS NEEDED .......................................................................................................................4 DONT FORGET ..........................................................................................................................4

SERVER..........................................................................................................................................5 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.3.1 2.3.2 2.3.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.7.1 2.7.2 2.8 2.8.1 2.8.2 2.9 STARTING ..................................................................................................................................5 USER ACCOUNTS .......................................................................................................................5 OPTIONS ...................................................................................................................................6 Connection ........................................................................................................................................ 7 Performance ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Various .............................................................................................................................................. 8 RADIOS AND SOUNDCARDS ........................................................................................................8 FIREWALL ..................................................................................................................................9 RECORDINGS ...........................................................................................................................10 ON-AIR STATUS .......................................................................................................................10 Required Fields ............................................................................................................................... 11 Other Fields .................................................................................................................................... 12 VELLEMAN VM110 BOARD .......................................................................................................13 Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 13 Testing ............................................................................................................................................. 14 LOGFILE ..................................................................................................................................14

3 4

CONNECTING ..............................................................................................................................15 NETWORK CONFIGURATION.....................................................................................................17 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 PUBLIC IP ADDRESS ................................................................................................................17 FIREWALL CONFIGURATION ......................................................................................................17 ANITI-VIRUS ............................................................................................................................17 PORT FORWARDING .................................................................................................................18

FIREWALLS ..................................................................................................................................19 5.1 TCP/IP RULES ........................................................................................................................19

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Remote Server

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PORT FORWARDING .................................................................................................................19 W INDOWS FIREWALL ................................................................................................................21

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1 Introduction

The SDR-RADIO.com console supports connections with SDR radios via the internet. To use this feature you install the software on a remote computer and start the Remote Server program.

1.1 Whats Needed

The server does not require much CPU power an Intel Atom @ 1.6GHz commonly found in small netbooks is than adequate; an i3 (or higher) will ensure support for advanced server features to be added in 2012 and 2013.

The typical bandwidth requirement is less than 30 kilobytes / second; a standard ADSL connection should be sufficient. A public IP address is also needed you do not need to know what the address is (this can be determined automatically). If your IP address is not static then you can use a free solution such as no-ip.com:

No-IP Free is our entry level service. Use yourname.no-ip.com instead of a hard to remember IP address or URL. Additionally use our dynamic update client to keep track of your dynamic IP address. You will always be able to get to your computer even if your IP address is dynamically assigned.

1.2 Dont Forget

Remember you are accepting incoming TCP/IP connections so you must configure your firewall, either one running on your Windows system or an external hardware firewall.

See the Network Configuration and Firewall sections in this guide.

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2 Server

2.1 Starting
To start the server press the Windows Start button, open the SDR-RADIO.com folder and select Remote Server.

You must now check the user accounts, configure server options and select radios before starting the server.

2.2 User Accounts

The server comes with pre-configured accounts; select the User Accounts pane to display the accounts.

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Use the options in the User Account window to manage the accounts. Connection Reminders If checked the connection reminders are displayed in the console see Connection Timer in the Options pane. Auto-Disconnect If checked the user is disconnected after the selected time period. Use this option to let others access your server.

Inactivity Disconnect If checked, the user is disconnected after being inactive for the selected time period. Inactivity is defined as no keyboard or mouse movement. Recordings (IQ Data Files) Whether the user can create and playback data file recordings on your server.

2.3 Options
Here you configure the options which are common to all users of your server.
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Changes are saved immediately!

2.3.1 Connection
TCP/IP The port number used for the incoming connection, the default is 7900. Restart this program after changing the port number. If you are running more than one instance of the server then each instance must have a unique port number.

Listener Address If your computer has more than one network address you can optionally restrict this program to listen on just one address. For example, you may have wired Ethernet and Wi-Fi but only want to receive connections via the wired Ethernet. For normal operation just select 'Any'.

Logon Text Optional - this text is displayed when the successfully user connects to the server. Be Polite!

Radio Selection After connecting to the server the user must select and start a radio. If a radio is not started within this time interval then he will be automatically disconnected.

Reminders Optional - periodically remind the user how long he (or she) has been connected to the server.

Sound Effects The optional wave files played when a user either establishes a connection or closes an existing connection.

Notifications System tray notifications - display tooltip popups when a connection is opened and closed. Display time - the tooltip display period.

2.3.2 Performance
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There are options for external users (WAN) and local users (LAN). The local (LAN) settings are used if the IP address of the console has the same class C address as the computer where this program is running. You normally allow higher bandwidth settings for local connections.

Audio To reduce the network bandwidth an advanced codec is used for audio compression. Typical bandwidth savings are in the region of 75%, even when the Best audio quality is selected.

The Audio options are used when the user connects to the server; any changes made thereafter do not take effect until the user reconnects. Waterfall Select these options to reduce the bandwidth used for the transfer of the FFT (spectrum scope) data between the server and the console. The more lines per second and the larger the FFT Size the more bandwidth is required. The bandwidth is shown in the status bar.

Note: When you connect via your local network (the console has the same class C address as the server) there is no bandwidth restriction.

2.3.3 Various
Animate Icon Display a heartbeat icon in the system tray while a connection is in progress.

Hide When Minimized The taskbar button is hidden when the program is minimised; only the system tray icon is shown (similar to the Windows Task Manager).

2.4 Radios and Soundcards

Select the RFspace Radios and Soundcards made available to the remote user.

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SDR-IQ (USB-based) radios are detected automatically. The NetSDR and SDR-IP radios use Ethernet and cannot be detected automatically, so use the Search for RFspace radios option.

The radios and soundcards which are enabled are shown at the top of the display.

2.5 Firewall
Use the servers own firewall to block incoming connections by IP address. Every time a connection is requested a check is made with your Firewall rules; the connection will be accepted as long there are no rules which block the incoming IP address.

There are three types of rule: 1. Single IP address, 2. Range of IP addresses, 3. IP Subnet.

As well as using the options in this window you can add rules by double-clicking on entries in the list shown in the Connection window.
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Firewall definitions are shared between instances of this program; when you make changes on one instance all other instances of this program are automatically updated.

2.6 Recordings
The data read from the SDR radios and soundcards (known as IQ data) can be saved in data files in the same way you make a recording using the SDR-RADIO.com console.

To enable this option on the server: Enable recording (above) and select the folder where the recordings will be saved. In the User Accounts window enable the Recordings options for each account as desired.

The recordings are played back using the console via a connection to this server.

2.7 On-Air Status

On-Air updates are optional; only use this feature if you are enabling public access via the internet. When enabled the status of your server is shown on http://sdrspace.com/.

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2.7.1 Required Fields

On-Air Website The address used for uploading your On-Air status, press Default Website to load the default address.

Callsign or Name The Callsign (or name) you used when registering on the SDR-RADIO.com website for uploading data. This not your Forums registration; the On-Air status uses a different registration. Visit http://www.sdr-radio.com/ then select Create Account on the On-Air Servers page.

Upload Code When you register (above) you receive an upload code by e-mail - enter this code here.

Owner Name Your name - Simon, Terry, ...

Co-ordinates Either either:

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A. Latitude and Logitude, or B. A Maidenhead locator.

Locator Your six-character Maidenhead locator; for more information see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maidenhead_Locator_System .

Latitude & Longitude Values are in decimal degrees http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal_degrees where North and East are +ve, South and West are -ve.

2.7.2 Other Fields

These fields are optional.

Internet IP Address The address used to reach your server from the internet, this can be in dotted format or a URL, for example 74.229.79.143 (dotted) or n4ip.dyndns.org (URL). If this field is empty then your IP address is determined automatically by the On-Air server.

User Account The username and password the Console uses to connect with this program (select from the User Accounts pane). This is NOT your account on SDR-RADIO.com!

Radio and Antenna Let people know what's connected!

Location Just exactly where you are located, hopefully far away from the rain and snow.

Homepage Your homepage URL (if you have one).

Comment Shown in the On-Air servers list.

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2.8 Velleman VM110 Board

The VM110 interface board has 5 digital input channels and 8 digital output channels. In addition, there are two analog inputs and two analog outputs with 8 bit resolution. The number of inputs/outputs can be further expanded by connecting more (up to a maximum of four) cards to the PC's USB connectors. (Text and picture copyright Velleman.)

Note: only the 5 digital input channels and 8 digital output channels are used by the server.

2.8.1 Introduction
This window is used to configuration the optional Velleman VM110 which can be used for a variety of purposes, normally for switching antennas.

VM110 Enable Select if you have a VM110 board which is to be made available to the console users.

User Advice Enter optional text in the edit window above this help text, anything you type here is displayed in the console. Explain your antenna options - why, where and when etc.

Input The VM110 supports five digital inputs - you can only read these inputs. For each input which is visible to the console user: Output The VM110 supports five digital outputs - you can only write to these outputs. For each output which is visible to the console user: Check Enable to enable the output, Enter an optional title. Check Enable to enable the input, Enter an optional title.

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You typically use these outputs to enable switching relays.

2.8.2 Testing
This window also supports testing the VM110 board.

Console Press to connect to the board or, if already connected, to disconnect.

Input The state of the five inputs is show here, if an input is selected a tick is shown. Output Click here to select / deselect each of the eight outputs.

2.9 Logfile
Supported for diagnosing any problems with the server.

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3 Connecting

To connect to the server: Make sure the server is started and is listening. Start the console and display the Input Source tab in the main ribbon bar. In the Connect To area select Remote (Via Network); the Remote Connection options are displayed.

Click Browse Web to select a server from the list which is downloaded from the SDR-RADIO central web server. Just double-click to select a server from this Window. Address

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The address of the computer where the server is running, either in dotted format or a URL. Add the port number to the address.

Username and Password Must be a valid combination configured on the server.

Press Connect. If the connection is successful you can select the radio to be started. While connected to a remote server the throughput rate is shown in the status bar at the bottom of the console.

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4 Network Configuration

4.1 Public IP Address

To make your SDR-RADIO.com server visible to the outside world you must have a public IP address, this is an address that is reachable on the global Internet. For more information refer to Wikipedia.

Some ISP's assign public addresses which may change from time-to-time, this is known as a dynamic address. You can assign a URL to your IP address by using a site such as no-ip.com select the No-IP Free option and read the instructions.

4.2 Firewall Configuration

You must allow incoming TCP/IP connections on the port number selected in the server's Options page, by default this port number is 7900. The protocol only uses TCP/IP; UDP (which by definition is unreliable) is not used.

You may have more than one firewall activated: Your router, Windows Firewall.

Check that: You do not have stateful inspection enabled. For more information refer to Wikipedia. You do not have excessive bandwidth control enabled. You do not have flood control enabled.

4.3 Aniti-Virus
Make sure you do not have anti-virus software inspecting and/or blocking TCP/IP traffic on the server port.
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4.4 Port Forwarding

As well as allowing incoming TCP/IP connections on port 7900 you must route connections on this port to the computer where the server is running, this is known as Port Forwarding.

In your router configuration software this may be referred to as: Port Forwarding, Forwarding - Virtual Servers, SUA/NAT (a trade name owned by ZyXEL).

For more information please visit http://portforward.com/ .

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5 Firewalls

Make sure that your firewall is correctly configured to: Allow incoming TCP/IP connections to the port selected in the Options window (the default is 7900), and Forward these connections to the computer where the server is installed. And dont forget the Windows firewall this should usually be configured for you by Windows. You must have a public IP address to allow incoming connections!

5.1 TCP/IP Rules

The screenshot below from a ZyXEL Prestige Router shows the WAN to LAN rules allowing connections to port 7900 (rule 2). (You only need to allow incoming TCP/IP connections; the example below also allows UDP.)

5.2 Port Forwarding

You will usually forward incoming connections on port 7900 to the computer where the server is running. Two examples are shown below. LevelOne Router This screenshot is from a LevelOne router.
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In this example incoming TCP connections on port 7900 are enabled and forwarded to the computer with local network address 192.168.3.153 (rule 4). ZyXEL Prestige Router

In this example incoming connections on port 7900 are forwarded to the computer with local network address 201.42.12.4 (rule 5).

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5.3 Windows Firewall

If the Windows firewall is enabled then when you start the server for the first time you will see a popup window as below:

Click Allow Access to allow the server to accept incoming connections. You can review the Windows firewall settings by selecting the Advanced Settings from the Windows Firewall control panel applet:

An example of the Advanced settings is shown below.

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