Getting Started with the Skylight module dock

The following instructions will help ensure safe and proper usage of the Skylight module dock when initially configuring it for any of the supported operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows
• Linux

Consult the Skylight module dock Hardware Installation Guide for additional operational considerations.

Connecting the Skylight module dock to the Host Computer

A Skylight module dock can be safely connected to a host computer concurrently with other USB devices; however, do not physically connect more than one Skylight module dock unit at a time to a host computer.

To ensure the Skylight module dock and connected devices are powered sufficiently, it is recommended to plug in the host computer as opposed to running off the host computer’s battery. Similarly, it is recommended to avoid configuring the host computer with an energysaving power management scheme.

Skylight sensor: compute devices are connected via the SFP port and Skylight sensor: module devices are connected via the RJ45 port. Devices can also be connected to the SFP port when using a direct SFP optical connection. No other equipment is supported by the Skylight module dock.

▶ To connect the Skylight module dock to the host computer

1. Connect the supplied USB 2.0 Y-cable from the Skylight module dock’s USB port to one of the following:

• One SuperSpeed USB 3.x port on the host computer, using the Power and Data end of the Y-cable. Leave the Power Only end of the Y-cable unplugged.
• Two High-Speed USB 2.0 ports on the host computer, using both the Power and Data and Power Only ends of the Y cable.

2. Do one of the following actions:

• Plug the SFP compute device, that is to be configured, into the Skylight module dock SFP port.
• Plug the module device, that is to be configured, into the Skylight module dock RJ45 port.
• Connect the Skylight sensor: module device to the Skylight module dock's SFP port using an SFP optical 1G connector.

The power LEDs on the Skylight module dock light up orange as the unit is booting. When the power LED is lit green, you are ready to configure the active connected device.

Initial Setup and Driver Installation

Follow the instructions for the operating system running on the host computer.

Microsoft Windows

▶ To install the Skylight module dock device driver for Microsoft Windows

The device drivers required to access the Skylight module dock from a host computer running Microsoft Windows are installed automatically by the operating system when you first connect the Skylight module dock to the host computer. No intervention on your part is required.

As the device drivers are being installed, you may see the following notifications displayed in the Windows task bar.

Depending on your system configuration, you may also see the following AutoPlay window:

Select Open folder to view files from the options presented.

See the section Accessing the Management Web Interface for instructions on how to open the Skylight module dock's Management Web Interface for the first time.

Linux

▶ To install the Skylight module dock device driver for Linux

No additional device drivers are required to access the Skylight module dock from a host computer running Linux.

See the section Accessing the Management Web Interface for instructions on how to open the Skylight module dock's Management Web Interface for the first time.

Special Note About Obtaining an IP Address for the Skylight module dock

The Skylight module dock requires an active Network Manager installed on the host computer running Linux in order to initialize the Ethernet port and configure it through DHCP.

If no Network Manager is installed, follow the steps below to obtain an IP address in order to access the Skylight module dock's Management Web Interface.

▶ To configure the Ethernet port via DHCP if no Network Manager is installed

1. From a terminal window, issue the dmesg command to retrieve the name of the host Ethernet adapter that is associated with the Skylight module dock.

Command output similar to the following should be displayed. In the example below, the adapter name is eth3:

[1472286.406831] rndis_host 2-1.8:1.2: eth3 : register ‘rndis_host’ at usb-0000:00:1d.0-1.8, RNDIS device, 00:15:ad:1d:71:f1

2. Issue the sudo ifconfig eth3 up command to enable the Skylight module dock's Ethernet adapter.

The system returns to the prompt; no error or output is displayed.

3. Issue the sudo dhclient eth3 command to make a DHCP client request to obtain an IP address for the Skylight module dock's Ethernet adapter.

The system returns to the prompt; no error or output is displayed.

To verify that the Ethernet interface has an IP address, issue the ifconfig command without any options. Command output similar to the following should be displayed. In the example below, the IP address assigned to the host's interface is 192.168.7.2 :

user_name@host_name:~$ ifconfig

eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 08:2e:5f:11:93:9a

inet adr:192.168.7.2 Bcast:192.168.107.255 Mask:255.255.255.0

adr inet6: fe80::a2e:5fff:fe11:939a/64 Scope:Link

UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1

Packets received:23944890 errors:0 :0 overruns:0 frame:0

TX packets:17219941 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0

collisions:0 lg file transmission:1000

Bytes received:23348719733 (23.3 GB) Bytes sent:5880070347

(5.8 GB) Interrupt:20 Memory:fe600000-fe620000

In this case, the IP address assigned to the Skylight module dock is 192.168.7.1, which is identical to the address of the host except for the final octet.

4. Use the IP address you obtained to gain access to the Management Web Interface.

Accessing the Management Web Interface

▶ To access the Management Web Interface for the first time

1. Power on the Skylight module dock by plugging in the USB cable, as described in the section Connecting the Skylight module dock to the Host Computer. A window showing the contents of the Skylight module dock's mass storage is displayed, including the README file and a link to the Skylight module dock main page. It is recommended to consult the README for additional details.
2. Do one of the following actions:

• Double-click the provided shortcut to the Skylight module dock's Management Web interface.
• Open a web browser and enter the IP address assigned to the Skylight module dock.

The main page of the Skylight module dock's Management Web Interface opens in the host computer's default Web browser. To learn more about the interface components, see the article About the Management Web Interface.

Unmounting the Skylight module dock

When you are finished working with the Skylight module dock, it is recommended to safely remove it from the host computer as you would any other USB storage device.

▶ To safely unmount the Skylight module dock after use

Follow the instructions for the operating system running on the host computer.

Microsoft Windows

Click the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the system tray, then choose to remove the Skylight module dock from the listed devices.

Windows will display a notification when it is safe to disconnect the Skylight module dock from the host computer.

Linux

Remove the Skylight module dock from the host computer as you would any other USB storage device. You can easily identify the Skylight module dock from the list of devices by its serial number.