The modified Lon network communicates over an IP Lonworks channel as defined by the CEA-852 tunneling standard. In this document, this CEA-852 channel is referred to as the LonIp channel. When using the LonIp driver, the station presents itself as an IP channel mode member (as opposed to a Lon/IP router member).
A host must be properly licensed for LonIp, including separate feature entries for both lonworks and lonIp in its license. Device limits or proxy point limits for either feature may exist in your license.
If the host is not licensed with the lonIp feature, a LonIpNetwork may remain in a fault condition.
CEA-852 specifies a configuration server (Config Server) that handles the distribution of routing information to all members of a LonIp channel. You can configure the host station to operate as a Config Server on the network of configured CEA-852 routers (Lon Ip channel), or you can use a pre-configured, third-party Config Server.
In either case, the LonIp channel must be properly configured, that is, the Config Server must recognize all channel members, and have up-to-date routing tables. Each channel member must be assigned a unique subnet/node address while using the same channel ID.
Channel setup is outside the scope of normal Lonworks station configuration, with the sole exception of the subnet/node address assigned to the station for use as an IP channel node. To set up Lon/IP router members in a proprietary, vendor-specific configuration, refer to each device’s documentation, which provides details on how to set up its Lonworks subnet/node address, etc.
Once the IP channel is properly configured, and the station has been added as an IP channel node, all other Lonworks functions behave the same as if the host was connected directly to a Lon trunk.
If the host is behind a NAT (Network Address Translation) router, configure the router to forward any port used by the station, and any other LonIp channel members, as LonIp channel nodes. If the station is the Config Server, the Config Server port must also be forwarded. Refer to manufacturer instructions for setting up port forwarding.
The configuration of LonIp routers for use behind a NAT router requires setting the NAT router address, and possibly other configuration information that is not defined in CEA-852. Refer to each device manufacturer’s instructions for such configuration.