Multiple EDACS sites

[BJ_NORTON]

I know that there was a thread a while back about having unitrunker look to a single file when you are monitoring multiple EDACS sites from the same system, so you don't have to re-enter it all for each site. Can someone point me to that thread, or tell me how to do it? I did a search with EDACS multiple sites, but i didn't see anything useful come up.

Thanks!

 

[SCPD]

Look up the system delegate feature in the documentation.

 

[BJ_NORTON]

thanks! I had forgotten the name of the feature (delegate). It brings up another question now though.

Assigning a Delegate System

This can be accomplished in UniTrunker by picking one system to hold all talkgroup and user information. This will be referred to as the delegate system. When monitoring this system, program operation does not change. For all other systems that share this common information, you must edit each system by setting it's delegate field to the system id of the delegate system. Once you do this, the delegate system's talkgroups and users will appear as if belonging to the other systems. To undo this feature, set each system's delegate field to zero.

If I'm monitoring a site that is set to refer to a delegate system and a new Talkgroup, or RID, or something like that shows up, or I make a change to a talk group, does unitrunker write this into the delegated file?

 

[SCPD]

If I'm monitoring a site that is set to refer to a delegate system and a new Talkgroup, or RID, or something like that shows up, or I make a change to a talk group, does unitrunker write this into the delegated file?

Yes. Edits and updates to site or channel information are applied to the monitored system while edits and updates (like hit counts and first/last seen timestamps) to talkgroups and radio IDs are applied to the delegate system.

 

[BJ_NORTON]

cool, thanks for the great program and the expert advice!

 

[BJ_NORTON]

Well, I think i'm a starting to freak out a bit. I was trying to get 2 sites in a large EDACS networked system together by delegating system 5 to look at system 25 for all the data. Somewhere along the way I seem to have wiped out all the data in system 25. I had over 100 talkgroups, plus a ton of RID's. My first question is can I get any of this data back?

My second question is how do you set one system to delegate, and make the others look at it. In this case I had system 25 set to delegate 0. System 5 was set to delegate 25. I found this exchange http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61396that I had with Rick earlier in Febuary, and I tried to follow what he said there. Is this the correct steps I should have taken?

for system 25:
[F]ind->ystem->for some reason system Id 19 is always showing, but I delete it and replace with 25. Then [L]oad from disk.
From left to right, top to bottom:
Label NSRS Delegate 0
Type EDACS 96 Sysid 37 Listen No Lockout No Trunked No
then I hit save. I don't know where the sysid 37 comes from either, it just always seems to be there.

for system 5:
[F]ind->ystem-> I enter in 5. Then [L]oad from disk.
From left to right, top to bottom:
Label NSRS Sunrise Delegate 25
Type EDACS 96 Sysid 5 Listen No Lockout No Trunked No
then I hit save.

Since all my data has gone AWOL, I just went back to system 25 and changed a few TGs to light maroon, but when I monitor system 5 those TG's show up as green, like they haven't been told what color to be.

Can someone please help me? With my current setup I can reliably get 4 sites of this networked EDACS system at 100% It would be much easier to just enter in all this stuff once, and have it work for all 4 sites.

Thanks BJ

 

[SCPD]

Somewhere along the way I seem to have wiped out all the data in system 25. I had over 100 talkgroups, plus a ton of RID's. My first question is can I get any of this data back?

Don't know but here are some thoughts that may help ...

My second question is how do you set one system to delegate, and make the others look at it. In this case I had system 25 set to delegate 0. System 5 was set to delegate 25. I found this exchange http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61396that I had with Rick earlier in Febuary, and I tried to follow what he said there.

Yes. That is correct.

Is this the correct steps I should have taken?

Looking ...

for system 25:
[F]ind->ystem->for some reason system Id 19 is always showing, but I delete it and replace with 25.

Hmmm ... something's not right. 19 is hexadecimal for 25. Is your display mode set to Hex or Decimal?

Then [L]oad from disk.
From left to right, top to bottom:
Label NSRS Delegate 0
Type EDACS 96 Sysid 37 Listen No Lockout No Trunked No
then I hit save. I don't know where the sysid 37 comes from either, it just always seems to be there.

Argh. 25 hex is 37 in decimal. There's a hex to/from decimal conversion somewhere that is out of whack.

for system 5:
[F]ind->ystem-> I enter in 5. Then [L]oad from disk.
From left to right, top to bottom:
Label NSRS Sunrise Delegate 25
Type EDACS 96 Sysid 5 Listen No Lockout No Trunked No
then I hit save.

OK.

Since all my data has gone AWOL, I just went back to system 25 and changed a few TGs to light maroon, but when I monitor system 5 those TG's show up as green, like they haven't been told what color to be.

System 5 may be looking at a different system. Look for the following .SYS files on your computer.

EDACS905.SYS
EDACS919.SYS
EDACS925.SYS
EDACS937.SYS

Some of those files should be there. Some of them shouldn't - but were likely created due to the hex vs. decimal bug described above. Your "missing" data might be in one of those files. To be safe, make a copy before trying to fix the missing data problem.

For reference, your data files always include the system ID in hexadecimal. For EDACS , that's the last two digits. The digit "9" indicates 9600 baud vs. a "4" for 4800 baud. EDACS system 25 (in decimal display mode) would be found in the EDACS917.xxx set of files.

 

[BJ_NORTON]

I probably should have mentioned earlier that this was all done using the 13th beta. I am going to save my current info in a second file for back up, then migrate to 14. Then I'll see if I can replicate the same thing there. Also, I have .sys files EDACS905.SYS, EDACS919.SYS, EDACS925.SYS, but they are all >2kb and don't have anything useful in them. Good news is I have hard copy of all the TG information and my handwritten notes for the RIDs, so I should be able to recreate most of the lost data.

Thanks for the help, and the very in depth study you gave me [us] in the other thread. I love that kind of deep linear logic stuff. It reminds me of when we were learning BASIC programing in computer class in HS, 10 years ago. It was a lot of fun!

 

[SCPD]

Also, I have .sys files EDACS905.SYS, EDACS919.SYS, EDACS925.SYS, but they are all >2kb and don't have anything useful in them.

Look inside the EDACS9xx.GID files. Your missing group IDs might be there.

 

[BJ_NORTON]

Unfortunantly I think its all gone. After I started thinking about things a bit thats where I looked, but all the EDACS9XX.gid files are a limitied variation of this theme:

*Address, Listen, Lockout, Color, "Label", First, Last, Rank, Hits, "Notes"

Some of the files have a few lines of information under them, but I think that its just stuff that got logged after I installed 14 and checked to make sure it was working.

Oh well, next time I'll make sure I have a copy safe somewhere else before I try anything I'm not sure about. As I mentioned before, I have a very complete and accurate Talk Group list, but the .RID files will be missed.

I often watch TV while sitting next to the computer, and while whatever show I'm watching is on commercial break I try and match unit numbers with radios. On this particular system, the highway patrol is my favorite target, and all officers have assigned vehicles and radios that they take home everyday. Some of the other users don't have assigned equipment, but I like to at least try to narrow down the main job of the radio's user-its kind of fun to see where these people pop up on other TGs. All of this work on IDing radios is just a general distraction from the millions of commercials for erectile disfunction, feminine hygene products, and TD AmeriTrade commercials that make me want to poke out my eyes!:lol:

 

[BJ_NORTON]

Here's another intereting find on this same system. I turned things around in the previous problem, and made system 25 look to system 5. Now, i am trying to have system 10 look to system 5, but when I look up system 10, the load from disk in the system ID field it shows: A. isn't that hex for 10? I thought I'ld give you another little bug report, maybe it will help you with your HEX to DEC conversion conundrum.

When I loaded system A from file though, it was able to be delegated system 5.

 

[SCPD]

Now, i am trying to have system 10 look to system 5, but when I look up system 10, the load from disk in the system ID field it shows: A. isn't that hex for 10? I thought I'ld give you another little bug report, maybe it will help you with your HEX to DEC conversion conundrum.

Remind me ... is your display mode (under [O]ptions) set to Hex or decimal?

 

[BJ_NORTON]

decimal

 

[BJ_NORTON]

Also on this system 10 I cannot change the site name.under [F]ind->ste by site # 10 is [nothing matched] , and it won't allow me to type A in the site #

 

[SCPD]

Also on this system 10 I cannot change the site name.under [F]ind->ste by site # 10 is [nothing matched] , and it won't allow me to type A in the site #

As a work-around ... set the display mode to hexadecimal; make your changes (using hexadecimal numbers); save ... and set the display mode back to decimal.

 

[BJ_NORTON]

I can't seem to change any site name on any of these EDACS sites.

Am I doing this right?
[F]ind->ste->by site # A (in this case since I'm using HEX)
It comes up with nothing matched

 

[SCPD]

It comes up with nothing matched

*smack*

Sorry BJ. I forgot to explain ... the "EDACS hack".

EDACS does not have a system ID so each site is treated as a separate system. You use the delegate feature to decide which should be linked together (just as you've been doing).

EDACS Site 01 is displayed as EDACS System 01 Site 00.

To edit the site ... [F]ind -> Ste -> enter zero for the site #.

This "hack" prevents lumping two unrelated sites under the same system. It does not protect you from the hassle of having two EDACS systems in your area with the same site #. You'll have to use separate folders to deal with that.