Metercat™ software

Installation manual

TM42-3050B
CONTENTS

1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1-1

About Metercat.......................................................................................................................... 1-1
System requirements ................................................................................................. 1-2
About AlphaPlus software ......................................................................................................... 1-3
System requirements ................................................................................................. 1-3
About Alpha Keys ...................................................................................................................... 1-4
System requirements ................................................................................................. 1-4
Additional disc contents ........................................................................................................... 1-4
2 Installation ................................................................................................................................. 2-1
Metercat .................................................................................................................................... 2-1
Preparing to install...................................................................................................... 2-1
Installing or upgrading Metercat................................................................................ 2-2
Notes about upgrading an existing version of Metercat .......................................... 2-4
About customized backgrounds ................................................................................ 2-4
AlphaPlus software ................................................................................................................... 2-5
Preparing to install...................................................................................................... 2-5
Installing AlphaPlus .................................................................................................... 2-5
AlphaKeys software .................................................................................................................. 2-6
Preparing to install...................................................................................................... 2-6
Installing Alpha Keys .................................................................................................. 2-6
Modifying or removing software components ......................................................................... 2-7
3 Starting Metercat for the first time .......................................................................................... 3-1
Contents ii
1 INTRODUCTION

About Metercat
Metercat is Elster’s meter configuration and analysis software package. It
is developed to read and program Elster’s A3 ALPHA® meter,
A1800 ALPHA meter, and IP AxisLink router. It also manages Elster’s REX®
meter and REX2® meter.
To communicate with Elster’s meters, an optical probe, such as Elster’s
UNICOM III probe, is required for local communications. Remote
communication requires a meter with remote communications capabilities.
Metercat features include the following:
• function-level security
• program development wizard
• component editor
• user management
• function management
• viewset management
• database synchronization
• ability to launch AlphaPlus software
Metercat users include the following:
• meter shop administrators and supervisors
• meter readers and programmers
• program developers
• remote communicators
An optical probe, such as Elster’s UNICOM III, is required for local
communication with the meter.
Introduction 1-2

System requirements
Table 1-1 Metercat system requirements

Operating system Windows 7 or Windows 10

Minimum CPU Intel Pentium/Celeron family or AMD
K6/Athlon/Duron family
Memory At least 32 MB (64 MB recommended)
Hard drive capacity At least 50 MB of free space available
Peripherals • CD drive or network access to the installation
disc
• SVGA monitor (800 × 600 pixels, font size =
small)
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or later
Introduction 1-3

About AlphaPlus software

AlphaPlus is a DOS-based software package that provides an interface for
configuring a wide range of meter functions. With AlphaPlus software, you
create meter programs that you download to meters. The software also
allows you to retrieve data from the meter on request.
AlphaPlus software was developed to support Elster’s original ALPHA
meter, the ALPHA Plus® meter, AIN ALPHA meter, and the EMF series of
meters.
To communicate with Elster’s meters, an optical probe, such as Elster’s
UNICOM III probe, is required for local communications. Remote
communication requires a meter with remote communications capabilities.

System requirements
Table 1-2 AlphaPlus software system requirements

Operating system • MS-DOS 3.0 or higher/DOS 3.3 or higher

• Windows 3.0 or later. AlphaPlus software will
run in standard or Real Mode. In 386
Enhanced Mode, it is necessary to run
AlphaPlus software in full screen mode.
• Windows 7 or later. AlphaPlus software will
run windowed or in full screen mode.
Depending on your system’s configuration, the
AlphaPlus System Menu may default to full
screen mode, but the program will switch back
to windowed mode once a selection has been
made.
Memory 430 KB
Hard drive capacity At least 4 MB of free space available
Peripherals CD drive or network access to the installation disc
Optional equipment • Printer for printing reports
• a null modem cable for direct PC-to-meter
communication
• a USB-to-serial adapter for using UNICOM III
probe
Introduction 1-4

About Alpha Keys

Alpha Keys is a combination of both hardware and software that can
perform meter type upgrades (for example, a demand-only meter being
upgraded to a reactive meter) or function upgrades (for example, adding
load profiling capability).
Alpha Keys has the following components:
• Alpha Keys software: a Windows-based software that performs the
meter upgrade
• Hard Key III: a physical device that attaches to any USB port on a
computer and acts as a storage container for the Soft Keys. The Hard
Key can be detached from one computer and moved to another as
long as the computer has both Metercat and Alpha Keys installed.
• Soft Keys: software counters stored in the Hard Key that allow specific
upgrades to occur. One Soft Key permits one upgrade of the meter; the
Soft Keys counters are decremented accordingly as the upgrades are
performed.

System requirements
To use Alpha Keys, you must have Metercat 1.7 or later installed on the
computer; you must also have a Hard Key with Soft Keys available.

Additional disc contents

The Metercat installation CD also contains the following items:
• the Metercat installation guide
• Metercat release notes
• Metercat user manual
• MetercatLite user manual
• MetercatLite release notes
• Adobe Acrobat Reader installation files
You can also download the current release of Adobe Reader free-of-
charge by visiting the Adobe web site at http://www.adobe.com
• customizable on-line help project files
2 INSTALLATION

Metercat
Preparing to install
To install and use Metercat:
• you must have access to the Metercat installation CD disc or to the
network server to which you have copied to the contents of the
Metercat installation disc
• you must run the file setup.exe from either the CD or the network
location. You cannot install Metercat by manually copying files from
one computer to another.
• you must have administrator privileges on your computer
• your monitor must be set to a resolution of at least 800 × 600 pixels
and the font size set to small fonts. Contact your network
administrator or the Windows help system if you need to check or
change the screen resolution.
Metercat stores data files (such as stored readings, reports, logs, and
databases) in the Microsoft-recommended location to avoid permission
issues for non-administrator users on the computer.
• Windows 7 and later
%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Elster\Metercat folder
If the Metercat user does not have administrator privileges on the
computer, you must make sure that the user has full access to
Metercat’s Config, Readings, and Reports folder and subfolders.
Installation 2-2

Installing or upgrading Metercat

The procedure for installing Metercat for the first time on a computer and
upgrading an existing version are very similar. A key distinction, however, is
how existing data is handled during an upgrade. See “Notes about
upgrading an existing version of Metercat” on page 2-4 for more
information.
Close all open programs before attempting to install Metercat.
• If you are installing Metercat from disc, insert the CD into the
computer’s drive.
− If AutoRun is enabled on your computer, the Welcome to Metercat
dialog box is displayed.
− If AutoRun is not enabled on your computer, navigate to the disc
drive using Windows Explorer and double-click on AutoRun.exe. The
Welcome to Metercat dialog box is displayed.
• If you are installing Metercat from a network location, navigate to the
location and double-click on AutoRun.exe. The Welcome to Metercat
dialog box is displayed.
Figure 2-1 Welcome to Metercat window

The Welcome to Metercat windows gives you several options:

Item Description
Metercat release notes Opens a PDF version of the Metercat
release notes
Metercat Getting Started Guide Opens a PDF version of the
installation instructions
Additional Documentation on the Displays a list of all the PDF
CD documents included on the Metercat
installation CD
Installation 2-3

Item Description
Install Adobe Reader Begins the installation of Adobe
Reader
You can also download the most
current version of Adobe Reader
from www.adobe.com
Install Metercat Begins the installation of Metercat
Install AlphaKeys Begins the installation of Alpha Keys
software (see “AlphaKeys software”
on page 2-6).
AlphaPlus Applications Begins the installation of AlphaPlus
software (see “AlphaPlus software”
on page 2-5).

To install or upgrade Metercat:

If you are upgrading, see “Notes about upgrading an existing version of
Metercat” on page 2-4 for more information.
1 From the Welcome to Metercat dialog box, click Install Metercat to
begin the installation of Metercat. The Metercat Setup dialog box is
displayed.
2 Click Next. The End-User License Agreement dialog box is displayed.
3 Read the software license agreement. If you agree to abide by the
terms, click I accept the terms in the license agreement and click Next.
4 Complete Customer Information dialog box and then click Next.
− Type your name in the User Name text box.
− Type your utility name or department in the Organization text box.
− Type the serial number from the back of the Metercat disc case in
the Serial Number text box.
5 From the Custom Setup dialog box, select the components you want to
install. Click Next to continue.
− If you do not install Metercat’s System Preferences component,
you will only be able to use the default system preference settings:
Preference Default value
Meters supported all installed meter types enabled
Site ID labels • #1 – Account
• #2 – Meter ID
Holidays no holidays will be generated
automatically in the Special Dates
components
Dates and Rates options • Only 4 seasons will be enabled
• Midnight switch times will be
automatically generated
Installation 2-4

Preference Default value

Programming options • meter clock source is set to line
frequency
• one cycle of the alternate display list
will be seen at power up
• KYZ value and adjusted Kh will be
disabled
Time difference option Metercat will not check for time errors
Stored readings account value will be used when
importing stored readings

− See “About customized backgrounds” on page 2-4 for more

information.
− If you install MetercatLite, you must also install A3 ALPHA meter
support. You may optionally choose to install A1800 ALPHA meter
or IP AxisLink support.
6 From the Data Files Folder dialog box, accept or change the path for
the storage of Metercat’s data files. Click Next to continue. The Ready
to Install dialog box is displayed.
Note: Elster Solutions recommends that you use the default option for
the location of the data files folder.
− If the Initial Database Selection dialog box is displayed, see “Notes
about upgrading an existing version of Metercat” on page 2-4.
7 When you are ready to start the installation, click Install. When the
installation is complete, you will see the Completing the Metercat Setup
Wizard dialog box.

8 Choose whether or not to launch Metercat and then click Finish to

complete the installation.

Notes about upgrading an existing version of Metercat

Only one version of Metercat can exist on a computer at a time. When
upgrading a computer’s version of Metercat, the existing version will be
replaced with the newer version. Program data, stored readings, and
reports will not be deleted, however.
When upgrading an existing version of Metercat on a computer, you will be
presented with an option to install new default settings or to use the
existing databases. Elster recommends that users accept the default
setting to preserve existing Metercat settings, preferences, and files. The
upgrade process will also automatically make a copy of the data should a
rollback be necessary.
When starting Metercat for the first time after an upgrade, Metercat may
inform you of changes made to the program, such as where files are
located or which functions were changed.

About customized backgrounds

Metercat supports a custom background within its application window. The
image must be either a Windows bitmap (.bmp) or JPEG image. The image
will be placed in the upper left corner of the application window.
Installation 2-5

AlphaPlus software
Preparing to install
You can perform an installation of AlphaPlus software using the Metercat
installation disc. If you choose to install AlphaPlus software from a network
location, the AlphaPlus software must be installed from a network location
that is mapped to a drive letter. AlphaPlus software cannot be installed by
referring to a networks UNC path.
Note: If you are installing AlphaPlus software on a computer running a
64-bit operating system, you must prepare the computer to support
DOS-based software. For more information, see PG42-1036.

Installing AlphaPlus
• If you are installing Metercat from disc, insert the CD into the
computer’s drive.
− If AutoRun is enabled on your computer, the Welcome to Metercat
dialog box is displayed.
− If AutoRun is not enabled on your computer, navigate to the disc
drive using Windows Explorer and double-click on AutoRun.exe. The
Welcome to Metercat dialog box is displayed.
• If you are installing Metercat from a network location, navigate to the
location and double-click on AutoRun.exe. The Welcome to Metercat
dialog box is displayed.

To install AlphaPlus software:

1 From the Welcome to Metercat dialog box, click AlphaPlus Applications.
The AlphaPlus Applications dialog box is displayed. You are presented
with the following options:
− install the ANSI standard meters (the original ALPHA meter and
the ALPHA Plus meter)
− install the ANSI and IEC standard meters (original ALPHA meter,
the ALPHA Plus meter, and the AIN ALPHA meter)
2 From the AlphaPlus Applications dialog box, click the install button for
the meters you want to support. Depending on which option you
selected, either the AlphaPlus for ANSI Standard Meters dialog box or
AlphaPlus for ANSI & IEC Standard Meters dialog box will display.
3 Click on Install AlphaPlus to begin the installation.

The Metercat installation disc contains the AlphaPlus software installation

guide (TM42-2200C). See the folder 100G030R03 or 100G032R03 for a
PDF version of TM42-2200C for information on completing the AlphaPlus
software installation.
Installation 2-6

AlphaKeys software
Preparing to install
You can perform an installation of Alpha Keys software using the Metercat
installation disc.
Note: To use Alpha Keys, you system must have Microsoft’s .NET
Framework installed. If you do not have it installed, the Alpha Keys
installer will begin with the .NET Framework. Follow the on-screen
instructions to complete the installation of .NET.

Installing Alpha Keys

• If you are installing Metercat from disc, insert the CD into the
computer’s drive.
− If AutoRun is enabled on your computer, the Welcome to Metercat
dialog box is displayed.
− If AutoRun is not enabled on your computer, navigate to the disc
drive using Windows Explorer and double-click on AutoRun.exe. The
Welcome to Metercat dialog box is displayed.
• If you are installing Metercat from a network location, navigate to the
location and double-click on AutoRun.exe. The Welcome to Metercat
dialog box is displayed.

To install Alpha Keys software:

1 From the Welcome to Metercat dialog box, click Install Alpha Keys. The
Welcome to the Alpha Keys Setup Wizard dialog box is displayed.
2 Click Next to view license agreement.
3 Click I Agree and then click Next. The Confirm Installation dialog box is
displayed.
4 Click Next to complete the installation, and then click Close to close the
dialog box.

For more information on Alpha Keys, see the Alpha Keys user guide, which
is located in the Alpha Keys folder of the Metercat installation disc.
Installation 2-7

Modifying or removing software components

If you already have Metercat installed, you can add or remove individual
software components or the entire software program. You can also modify
the software using the Microsoft Windows Program and Features or the
Metercat installation disc.
Note: For information on how to use the Windows Control Panel to
modify or remove software, see the Microsoft Online Help for
assistance.
To use the Metercat installation disc, insert the disc. When the Welcome to
Metercat dialog box is displayed, follow this procedure:
1 From the Welcome to Metercat dialog box, click the Install Metercat
button. The Welcome to the Metercat Setup Wizard dialog box is
displayed.
2 Click Next. The Modify, Repair or Remove Installation dialog box is
displayed.
3 Select the action you want to perform:
− Modify: allows you to change which software features are installed
on your computer.
− Repair: repairs the Metercat installation by replacing missing or
corrupt files, shortcuts, and Windows Registry entries.
− Remove: removes Metercat from your computer.
4 Click Next.
5 Follow the on-screen instructions for the action you have selected.
Installation 2-8
3 STARTING METERCAT
FOR THE FIRST TIME

Metercat uses an enhanced security for storage of user IDs, passwords,

and meter passwords. When you start Metercat for the first time after an
installation, a warning dialog box is displayed indicating that the Metercat
administrator must set up the security policy.
• If you are able to complete the security settings at this time, click OK
and continue with the procedure.
• If you are not able to complete the security settings at this time,
click Cancel. You will be presented with the warning dialog box each
time you start Metercat until you complete the security settings.
Note: Once the user environment and user password requirements
have been set, they cannot be changed in the existing version of
Metercat. To change the user environment or password requirements
after they have been set initially, you must uninstall and then reinstall
Metercat.
To set the security settings:
1 From the Welcome to Metercat dialog box, type the password for the
Administrator account. Metercat only allows for the administrator log in
for the first time.
The default password for the Administrator is case-sensitive, and the
password is Administrator.
2 From the System Configuration dialog box, configure the user
environment, user password requirements, and network settings as
appropriate for your installation.
Item Description
User Environment For information on single user or multiple user
configurations, see the Metercat user manual
or online help.
User Password You can specify a minimum password length
Requirements from 6 to 50 alphanumeric characters.
You can specify whether the password requires
at least one of the allowed special characters.
You can also specify how long passwords can
be used before they must be changed, from 0
to 365 days. If you set the time to 0 days, the
user will never have to change their
passwords.
You can change the time between password
changes later by selecting Tools > System
Configuration from the Metercat menu.
Starting Metercat for the first time 3-2

Item Description
Network storage You can specify a network location for the
location storage of Metercat files and whether or not
the meter programs update from the network
location when the user logs in.
The network storage location can be modified
later by selecting Tools > System Configuration
from the Metercat menu.

3 Click OK to complete the initial setup. The User Information dialog box
for the Metercat administrator will be displayed.
4 In the Log On Password text box, type a new password for the
Administrator account.
Note. Elster recommends that you change the administrator
password.
5 In the Confirm text box, retype the new password.
Note. The Metercat administrator password is not recoverable. If the
password is forgotten or lost, the administrator will be locked out. You
must uninstall and reinstall Metercat to reactive the administrator.
For more information on setting up users, passwords, and groups, see the
Metercat user manual or online help.
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