Onity Card Encoder Support

Environment

Student Life, Housing, Windows, Onity, Integra, MiWorkspace


Issue

How to set up and troubleshoot Student Life computers that are connected to Onity encoder hardware devices


Resolution

Context

Integra (by the company Onity) is a secondary access control solution used by Student Life. The Integra client is installed on all computers in the Integra ecosystem and is used by community center staff to issue cards and card replacements for residents. Each community center has a main workstation with the Integra client installed.

Similar to CS Access from Cbord, Integra is mainly for use in residence halls. However, these are separate solutions and, as a result, do not rely on each other. The difference in use-case is as follows:

  • CS Access (by Cbord) - Navigation in/around different sections of residence halls
  • Integra (by Onity) - Access for individual residence hall dorm rooms and shared bathrooms

SLTS (Infrastructure and Operations) only plays a partial role in supporting this service, and is solely responsible for the following workflows:

  • Troubleshooting Integra client issues
  • Troubleshooting Onity Integra kiosks
  • Onity kiosk hardware troubleshooting (excluding encoders)

Note: SLTS staff are not users of the Integra Client or kiosks, we just make sure they work.


Some important things to keep in mind before continuing:

  • Student Life Technology Solutions (SLTS) is responsible for troubleshooting the Integra software and the computer peripherals that allow Integra to communicate with the card encoders.

  • ITS MiWorkspace Neighborhood IT (NIT) is responsible for installing and configuring the Integra software, troubleshooting hardware issues with the dedicated computers connected to the card encoders, and performing reimaging services for the aforementioned computer.

  • Housing Security, a subsidiary of the Division of Public Safety and Security (DPSS), is responsible for troubleshooting and replacing all card encoders (white and black boxes) as well as any issues with the software-specific user accounts that Integra uses.

  • Community Center staff for each residence hall are responsible for issuing residential keycards.


Installation

Onity Integra is a packaged application available to anyone with a MiWorkspace computer running a Student Life build. It can be installed by individual customers or an IT representative for all accounts on a given computer (via M-1 login). In both cases, this is done through Software Center, which also manages any updates that Integra receives going forward.

  1.  To begin, log in to the desired computer and launch Software Center
     
  2.  Once Software Center has finished loading, search for “Onity” or “Integra”. Both should return the needed application
     
  3.  Click on the “Integra” application and choose “Install”, Software Center will handle the rest
     
  4.  Once Integra has finished installing, launch the application. You should get a splash screen that looks like this:


     
  5.  After loading, you should get prompted to log in. After doing so, you will see this error:



    This is expected behavior, so just close this notification.
     
  6.  The application will now need to be configured. To do so, click on File -> Local Configuration


     
  7.  Once in the Local Configuration menu, please set the values for their respective fields with the following information:

                Server name: hsg-prod-onity
                       Port: 9546
                       Language: US
                Encoder serial port:  
                       Drop-menu value:  COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, or COM5
                XPP or PP 30:
                       Drop-menu value:  COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, or COM5

    Note    :  make sure these match each other. The Encoder serial port must match that of the COM port in use by the KeySpan USB-to-Serial adapter (“XPP/PP 30” field).
     

  8.  Integra should now be ready to use


Troubleshooting

The Integra Client has multiple points of failure that can be easily triggered. For this reason, please consult the following checklist when troubleshooting reports of errors:

  • Does the computer have an active ethernet connection to the internet?
    • The computer needs an ethernet-based internet connection for the Integra client software to connect to the SLTS Onity server
    • Note:  WiFi connections will not work
       
  • Is the driver for the StarTech ICUSB232FTN USB-to-Serial adapter installed on the computer?
    • If not, you can get this from the manufacturer's website (here)
       
  • Is the Onity Integra client installed/configured?
    • If not, please see the “Installation” section above
       
  • Is the Onity encoder device correctly hooked up to the computer?
    • Front view of the black and white Onity encoder boxes.  Please note that the small black box on the top is the only device that connects to the computer via Serial to USB:

      Front side of Onity encoder devices
       
    • The backs of both boxes and the serial cable that plugs into the Keyspan USB-to-Serial adapter:


       
    • Verify the Serial cable is plugged into the “IN” (RS232) port on the back of the black box, and that the other end is connected to the KeySpan USB-to-Serial adapter, which connects to any USB port on the computer.
       
    • Verify that the RJ45-to-Serial cable is connected to the “OUT1” port on the black box, and then to the left serial connector on the back of the white box.
       
  • Is the card reader (white box) configured correctly?
     
    • Verify that there is only one serial cable plugged into the back of the white box.  The specific serial port doesn't matter as long as only one of the two is occupied.  If both ports are occupied, you will get an error regardless of whether or not everything else is configured correctly:


       
  • Is the card encoder box set to High magstripe density?
     
    • Verify that the silver toggle on the back of the card encoder box is set to the Up position.  If it isn't, correct it. 

      Uploaded Image (Thumbnail) 
    • If left in the Down position, you will receive the following error message:  "Warning! Possible illegal encoding of card."  This is because all Onity residence cards are high-density-type, which is incompatible with the low-density encoder setting.


Additional Information


The Integra client also runs on the Onity kiosks in kiosk mode. Please see the related KB for more info on Onity kiosk support.

Onity provides dorm key access for students, which can cause major issues if it malfunctions. When routing tickets to SLTS, the ticket’s Urgency and Priority fields should be set to “High”.

If the troubleshooting options listed above don’t fix the issue or aren’t relevant, the next step would be escalating to one of the following stakeholders for follow-up:

  • Community Center Staff (ResEd)
    • This includes Hall Directors, Community Center Managers, and Residential Advisors (RAs)
    • Issue out cards and replacements for residents
      • Note: These cards are specific to Onity Integra and are not MCards
         
  • DPSS Technology Services
    • Troubleshoot Integra-specific hardware. Specifically, encoders, both in the community centers and kiosks
      • They also maintain all backup encoders
         
  • Housing Maintenance Staff
    • Program/troubleshoot individual door locks for dorm rooms
       
  • ITS MiWorkspace Neighborhood IT (the exact neighborhood depends on the location, i.e. NIT Central 1, 2, etc.)
    • Image and install the Integra client on computers
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