4.1System objects overview
What the Server tree in the Configurator contains, how the Enabled switch works and how its settings reach the gateway.
The Server tab of the Configurator lists everything that runs on the gateway itself: the gateway's own settings, its hardware interfaces, its engines and its background services. This section of the wiki has one page for each entry. The pages for objects you place on a dashboard are in UI Objects.
A system object is a value published by one of these components. Canvas objects can use it, for example a Modbus reading, a Zigbee temperature or the next prayer time. See Using system objects and reusable values.
#Where to find it
In the right-hand panel of the Configurator there are two tabs, Project and Server. Open Server. The tree starts with Gateway, followed by three groups:
- Interfaces: the physical and network connections the gateway talks through.
- Engines: KNX and the Solar Engine with its three event types.
- Internal services: the managers and gateways that run on the gateway.
In the tree, Internal services is shown inside Engines, and Solar Events, Muslim Prayer Times and Christian Events are shown inside Solar Engine. Click an entry to open its properties below the tree. When you click a field, a help box at the bottom of the panel describes it.
#The Enabled switch
Every component except Gateway starts with the status Disabled, shown in grey next to its name in the tree. Each component's properties begin with an Enabled switch (On or Off). A component that is Off keeps its settings but is not used by the gateway.
Two components depend on a parent. A time action under Solar Events, Muslim Prayer Times or Christian Events only runs when Solar Engine is also enabled.
#How settings reach the gateway
Nothing you change in the Server tab affects the gateway until you deploy. Deploy sends the whole project in one upload: pages, objects, users and all Server settings. See Deploying to a gateway for the steps and the error messages.
When the gateway accepts a project it saves it and re-applies the parts that depend on it:
- KNX and the camera media server are always re-checked and restarted only if their own configuration changed.
- SIP, the Modbus buses, the MQTT broker, the MQTT client and the Apple Home bridge are restarted only when their own settings, or their Enabled switch, changed since the last deploy.
- Zigbee is started or stopped according to its switch.
- Services that run on a timer, such as schedules, rules and automations, check their Enabled switch each time they run.
If the KNX or the SIP apply fails, the gateway puts the previous project back (when there is one) and the deploy reports Deploy failed and was rolled back, followed by the reason. A failure in another part, for example a serial port that cannot be opened, does not stop the deploy.
#Interfaces
| Component | What it does |
|---|---|
| RS232 interface | Serial port for Modbus RTU devices, /dev/ttyS3 by default. |
| RS485 interface | Serial bus for Modbus RTU devices, /dev/ttyS0 by default. |
| Modbus TCP | Modbus devices on the network, each with a host, port and unit id. |
| CAN | The gateway's CAN port: values read out of frames and frames sent on command. |
| MQTT Client | Connects the gateway to an MQTT broker and links topics to values. |
| MQTT Broker | Runs an MQTT broker on the gateway itself. |
| Zigbee | The Zigbee coordinator and the devices paired to it. |
#Engines
| Component | What it does |
|---|---|
| KNX | The gateway's connection to the KNX bus, ETS access and group addresses. See also KNX basics. |
| Solar Engine | Calculates dawn, sunrise, noon, sunset, dusk and the sun's position from the gateway location. |
| Solar Events | Runs actions at sun events, with an optional offset. |
| Muslim Prayer Times | Prayer times, the Hijri date and Islamic calendar events. |
| Christian Events | Dates of Christian calendar events such as Easter and Christmas. |
#Internal services
| Component | What it does |
|---|---|
| Switch Schedule Master | Runs the on/off timers set on Switch and Dimmer Light objects. |
| SIP Gateway | The intercom phone system: accounts, ring groups and door stations. See also Intercom. |
| Voice Gateway | Voice control through Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home and app voice. |
| Watering Manager | Garden watering zones and schedules. |
| AC Manager | Air-conditioning indoor units read and controlled over Modbus. |
| Genset Manager | Generator controller status and commands over Modbus. |
| UPS Manager | UPS status over Modbus. |
| Grid Meter | A KNX or Modbus electricity meter: voltage, current, power and energy. |
| Display Sensors | Temperature and humidity of a Veltnova wall display, written to KNX. |
| Solar Manager | Solar inverter status over Modbus. |
| Water Tank Pump Control | Tank level, volume and the refill pump. |
| Value Store | Keeps KNX values across restarts and republishes them. |
| History Recorder | Records values over time for Graph objects. |
| Logic Studio | Visual logic sheets built from blocks. |
| Formula Engine | Calculates values from expressions and sends results to KNX. |
| Rule Gateway | Conditions on KNX values that run actions. |
| Automation | Step sequences with pauses, started by a KNX trigger. |
| Network I/O Gateway | Virtual inputs and outputs over HTTP, TCP, UDP, SOAP and Wake-on-LAN. |
| Power Flow Manager | Grid, solar, battery and load monitoring with load priority control. |
#The gateway itself
Gateway holds the system name, location, network addresses, KNX address and cloud connection policy. It has no Enabled switch. It also holds the app users and the deploy token.
#Checking the result
After a deploy, Diagnostics shows whether the serial buses, the MQTT broker and client and the Zigbee coordinator are running. For gateway-side logs see Gateway console and logs.