Freedom Smart Bridge has 2 operating modes
Bridge Mode - Smart Bridge works as a Freedom Bridge and is able to work with two Freedom Servers - a primary and a secondary. This is the default mode that the Edge is running on. This is also the only mode available when there is no SQLite database present in the CM4 OS.
Controller Mode - When both Primary and Secondary Freedom Servers are not present, Smart Bridge will revert to Controller Mode. The onboard SQLite database will provide Access Control information. The onboard database is a mirror image of the database on the Freedom Server. In addition, this database will only mirror one site’s worth of Access Control data (e.g. Devices, Schedules, Controlled Areas, Groups).
Operating Mode Details:
Bridge Mode
Freedom Smart Bridge supports 2 Wiegand readers, 3 relays, up to 9 (DTLM) supervised inputs, and 3 tamper sensors. Access Control decisions (e.g. card swipes), DHO/DFO, Port Triggers, Multi-Swipe, and First-Person-In functions are all handled by Freedom Server(s).
Event Logs are sent to Freedom via MQTT connection in real-time. In case of a Freedom server outage, Smart Bridge will buffer logs internally until Freedom Server returns to service.
Smart Bridge has the option to connect to Freedom Server via TLS link. The default TLS port address is 46678.
Freedom Server can use either UDP or MQTT to scan and configure Edge Device’s primary/secondary IP/DNS addresses and a number of other parameters.
The existing Win32 App “BridgeUtil” can scan Smart Bridge Devices on the network and configure their primary and secondary server IP addresses (IP only, no DNS names). This is useful when Freedom Server is not on the same network as the Smart Bridge Devices (e.g. Freedom Server running on AWS).
Controller Mode
Freedom Server needs to propagate an SQLite database to Smart Bridge Devices in order for Controller Mode to be functional. This SQLite database is a mirror copy of Freedom Servers database but is restricted to contain Access Control Data for one “Site”.
This SQLite database can hold up to 500K credentials.
It supports the same readers and IO points as when it is running in Bridge Mode, the only difference is that Access Decisions are made locally based on its SQLite database.
Event Logs are buffered internally in the SQLite database and will be uploaded to Freedom Server when it is back online. The maximum capacity of the buffer is 50,000 events.
Event Logs are uploaded to Freedom Server via MQTT.
SQLite Database Synchronization
Freedom server can synchronize SB devices’ database periodically as frequently as once an hour. By default, the server always sends database updates to all SB devices at midnight.
Freedom configuration such as users, card numbers, and user group assignments are pushed to SB devices in real-time. This will enhance the readiness of the onboard database.
Smart Bridge Software Upgrades
End users can download TRN files to upgrade Smart Bridge OS or Application.
Application TRN also contains firmware for Smart Bridge’s device module board.
Multi-Color LED Status Indicator
Smart Bridge has a Multi-Color LED indicator that reflects the device’s current operation status.
Common LED patterns are:
Startup - green, fast blinking
Waiting for connection - green, blinks twice, pause for a second, then repeat
Connected to Server - cyan, fade in and out every 2 seconds
Identity/Ping - alternating red, green and blue lights for 30 seconds
NTP Clock Sync
Smart Bridge has an NTP client that can reach out to NTP servers on the internet.
Regardless of NTP client being enabled or not, the Freedom server will always send time updates to Smart Bridge Devices.
In case public NTP servers are not available, Smart Bridge will synchronize with the Freedom Server clock instead.
If the NTP client is not enabled, Smart Bridge will synchronize with the Freedom server clock when:
A new connection is made to the server
At midnight.
NTP corrections are done gradually.
Limitations
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Multi-factor support for Exit readers.
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Buzzer line not implemented yet.
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Freedom server does not sync first-man-in status with SB. So when the server is down, users may experience inconsistency with unlock schedules.
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Not all DB records are synchronized with SB in real-time. Only users, card data, and user access group assignments are getting live updates.
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PRIMIS EG-2 Release – Version Beta 1.2 RELEASE NOTES
June 2023 |
PRIMIS EG-2 Release Notes – June 2023
o PRIMIS server will now support Timezone for US (Hawaii, Alaska, Pacific, Mountain, Central and Eastern), Australia (Western, Central Western, Central and Eastern) and India.
o Card read performance improved. Bridge mode takes 240 msec while controller mode takes just 220 msec.
o Reset switch action: 2 seconds - STM reset, 5 seconds – EG-2 Reboot and 20+ seconds - Factory reset. Tolerance of 7 seconds for EG-2 reboot.
o Fixed PTA not triggering relay action when it is not in principal/replica configuration.
o EG-2 will now send events for door module and reader module reboot, device module reboot, user STM reset, and tamper secure events.
o 32-bit IR clicker card format support added.
o Port lookup issue during enclosure tamper event.
o Fixed database sync crash issue when exporting badge templates to EG-2.
o API “DeviceModuleGetSpiData” will now return 0 when there is no data to fetch.
Feature List
Freedom Lite BETA
o Use mDNS to help with device discovery over UDP.
o Suspend port triggering on SB when in controller mode.
o FMI (first-main-in) requires the User Access Group to proceed.
o Network speed LED.
o Offload SerialIO direction bit control to OS.
o FB3 support.
o Read the DHCP address after the LAN cable is plugged in.
o Delete freedom.db and gz files during factory reset.
o Sync controlled area status with Freedom server after re-connection.
o Tamper detection.
o In controller mode, send/backlog tamper, linerror, and inputevent messages to Freedom after re-connection.
o Input Sensor LED.
o Live DB Update on Special Days (Holidays).
o Live DB update on Devices table.
o Live DB update on Controlled Areas.
o Live DB update on Schedules and Zone(controlled area) Schedules.
o Factory Reset of SB sets the HOSTNAME field in network.conf to a unique convention.
o Global IO Implementation.
o OSDP in Bridge Mode - card swipe events are forwarded to Freedom server for access processing.
o Speed up OSDP poll interval.
o STM reset via reset button.
o Fix OSDP Reader set left justification Wiegand issue.
o Analog values (e.g. voltage, temperature) are reported to Freedom server.
o Use OSDP built-in LED blink feature to handle multi-factor prompts.
o Increase event backlog size to 100K.
o Current Live DB update will be pushed to SB when SB re-connects to freedom server.
o Missing interrupt problem was resolved.
o Buffer overflow issue was resolved.
o EnforceExitAccessRight is being transferred to SB properly.
o Fix issue with PTA is not able to cross activate relay over the Global IO network.
o Fix PTA schedule handling in controller mode.
o Capture and report STM communication error statistics (e.g. CRC, Timeout) to Freedom every 24 hours.
Freedom Core 1.4.1.1-100
o SB is able to report Controlled Area status back to Freedom after re-connection.
o EXIT reader port usage cache is updated immediately after configuration.
o CSV reports for Wifi Controlled Areas.
o Ensure proper chronological order in logs.
o Live DB update on controlled area schedules.
o Live DB update on schedules.
o Live DB update on controlled areas.
o Live DB update on user access groups.
o Live DB update on special days.
o Live DB update on devices.
o Live DB updates for Card and PIN.
o Use mDNS protocol to discover device names and IPs, then use direct UDP/IP to connect to SB's.
o "Sanitize" download file names by replacing special characters to "_"
o Implement two additional reader tampered input ports.
o Report RS485 Address Conflicts in Freedom GUI.
o In controller mode, send/backlog tamper, linerror, and inputevent messages to Freedom after re-connection.
o Fix "Bridge OffLine" error icon when OSDP readers are offline.
o Optimize the database export on a larger number of users.
o OSDP bridge mode card tag implementation.
o OSDP bridge mode keypad entry implementation.
o Auto DB update when the device is replaced.
o Report Unlock schedule events as door/schedule events.
o Add "Device Offline" to ActivityEvent message field when the bridge device is not connected.
o Report battery status (voltage, charging, etc) available to the Freedom Server.
o When executing the bridge mode Multi-factor prompt, let SB handles it using on/off timered LED command.
o Update the database schema to accommodate hashed card data and PIN data.
o Disallow EXIT when Zone is in LOCKDOWN.
o Synchronize Unlock schedules and controlled area status when SB re-connects to freedom server.
o Freedom GUI - Controlled Area should be flagged (e.g. alert icons) when devices involved are off-line.
o Purge old DB backup files.
o Access request performance optimization.
Limitations and Known Issues
o OSDP readers do not work when Smart Bridge has no DB downloaded.
o Smart Bridge shows huge “Up Time” during boot up and when MQTT connection is not ready.