A device such as a radio, telephone or iDEN handset physically connected to the RIOS I/O chassis is represented as a Physical Connection Port within the top row of the RIOS Graphical User Interface. On the other hand, a device such as a computer, IP video feed or smartphone connected via an IP network, is represented as a Virtual Connection Port within the second row of the RIOS GUI. The graphic below displays a RIOS GUI with eight Physical Ports and thirteen Virtual Ports.
Physical Ports appear in the top row the RIOS Graphical User Interface and are usually in numbers of 6, 8 or 16 ports. Virtual Connection Ports appear in the second row of the RIOS GUI and act as available seats within the interface. Virtual Ports are referred as "virtual" as they are unlimited in number and are based on RIOS port licensing.
Physical Port Profiles
With RIOS, physical ports are interchangeable via software-defined port profiles. This means that a physical port can change from one type of port configuration to another. For example, a port configured as a Nextel iDEN handset can quickly be configured to operate as a Motorola XTL O5 mobile radio. The graphic below illustrates this example. In this case, port 16, currently configured as a Nextel handset, is being swapped for a radio chosen from with the RIOS CommDB Library.
Within RIOS, the CommDB Library stores the configurations for each device profile. For each device profile, SyTech radio engineers set the corresponding profile settings to match the default settings of the specific device. These settings can always be adjusted using the Configure Function and saved accordingly. For a list of device profiles within RIOS, click here (post required).
If your device does not appear in the CommDB listing, using the GenericRadio Profile will provide for standard receive and transmit capability.
For customers who purchased RIOS Remote Radio Control, loading the device profile and connecting the device with the corresponding RIOS RCU Cable, will allow the operator to control the radio on screen just as if you were standing in front of the radio. For more on RIOS RCU capabilities, click here.
Virtual Port Profiles
Virtual Port Profiles act as seats within the RIOS GUI. The number of Virtual Ports can vary based on system requirements. Base RIOS gateways ship with one Computer Port Profile. This connection port is often referred to as the server seat as it allows the operator to log into the RIOS GUI from the RIOS Server. RIOS allows for various types of Virtual Port Profiles ranging from computers, SIP phones, smartphones, IP video feeds and more. The following section outlines the available Virtual Port Profiles in more detail.
Types of Virtual Port Profiles
The graphic below illustrates the available Virtual Ports within the RIOS CommDC Library. In this graphic, the operator is changing port 14 from a Computer Port Profile to another type of Virtual Port Profile. For this graphic, the various types of device profiles are highlighted with a blue band; this particular configuration offers computer, camera and PDA devices.
Computer Profile: Allows additional computers operating the RIOS Client Application to log into the shared RIOS GUI. This arrangement is often referred to as RIOS Multi-User Access. Once logged in, users can see groups created within the shared workspace while maintaining their individual audio settings. In addition to radio communications, operators within a multi-user arrangement can intercom among the various computer connections.
RIOS Multi-User Access includes computers connected locally with LAN as well as RIOS Client Workstations connected remotely with a VPN connection. Additional Computer Connections can be purchased individually or as a site license based on anticipated usage. Computer Connections are included with RIOS Client Workstations.
PDA: Allows a smartphone operating RIOS LiTE to log into the system. For more on RIOS LiTE, click here.
Video: Allows an IP video feed to operate within the RIOS Interface. Video Virtual Profiles include PTZ controls for select IP models of Sony, Panasonic and Axis models of cameras. SyTech can incorporate a video encoder to operate with analog video feeds as well. Video Virtual Profiles require the RIOS Video Server Module. For more information regarding the RIOS Video Server Module, click here.
Bridging Systems: Allows SIP and analog input of outside sources. This profile grouping includes the BSI profile as documented by the Department of Homeland Security. SIP services may be required for some operations.
Virtual Port Licensing
All RIOS gateways ship with the available profiles; however, the system must be licensed to operate with that profile. At most, Virtual Port licensing is based on three criteria: the Device Profile, Number of Connection Ports, and the number of Instances. The following section outlines Virtual Port Licensing in more detail.
The Device Profile: The Device Profile refers to the type of device that can be loaded into the Virtual Port. In the graphic below, there are three (3) types of device profiles: Computer Profile, PDA Profile and Video Profile. All systems come with the Computer Profile loaded within the Device Library. Many systems will ship with all Virtual Profiles but require another component (RIOS Video Server, RIOS LiTE PDA Application, SIP server) for correct operation of the port. This allows for the system to be upgraded as budget and need permit.
The Number of Connection Ports: The Number of Connection Ports refers to the number of “seats” available for the designated profile. In the graphic above, the RIOS is configured for 13 virtual assets: six computer connections, five smartphone connections and two IP video connections. For this example, six concurrent computers are able to log in to the RIOS Interface. If the RIOS Server is licensed for UP TO SIX Computer Connections, any additional attempts to load another Computer Profile will result in an "Unlicensed" label across the corresponding virtual port.
The Number of Instances: The Number of Instances refers to the number of customer devices operating SyTech client software by the end-user device. This is used mostly for RIOS LiTE PDA applications and in some cases for customers with several computers with VPN access. In the example above, the number of PDA instances is at least five. However, there could be more instances of the RIOS LiTE loaded on phones that are currently not logged in to the RIOS Interface but could if a smartphone port was available. SyTech requires these types of designations as it is an indicator of the level of effort with regard to system support.
The RIOS Standard Build
Most RIOS Systems ship with only the server Connection Port which allows the RIOS Server to log in to the RIOS Interface. However, additional Virtual Ports can offer several added benefits. For additional answers to questions regarding RIOS Physical and Virtual Ports, contact RIOS Sales at 703-941-7887 or by clicking here.
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