Entré Glossary
A glossary of terms used in Entré Access and Security Management.
A
Absolute Address
Address of the device in relation to the root of the device tree. Absolute addresses are generally, but not necessarily, unique.
Alarm
An event that has been configured to be displayed as an alarm to the operator. Alarms may be in different states indicated by color and/or blinking and may be acknowledged, cleared, and commented on by the operator. Priority associated with the alarm indicates its severity or importance.
Anti-Passback (APB)
Mode of operation that hinders a badge holder from entering an access point, then “passing back” their badge to be used by another person. The consequences of violating the anti-passback conditions vary depending on the mode of anti-passback the access point is configured for.
Audit Record
A type of event that records an operator's modification of an object in the system, as well as the date, time, and state of the object before and after the edit.
B
Biometric
Biometric verification identifies a person by evaluating distinguishing biological traits, such as fingerprints. A biometric in Entré Access and Security Management refers to a type of credential used for biometric verification.
C
Calendar
Defines a set of holidays which are used in conjunction to user code profiles in order to control access during holiday periods.
Card Format
Specific bit structure of a card. Card formats typically include: card number, facility code, and parity bits. Entré Access and Security Management supports Wiegand and magstripe card formats.
Card Number
Card number encoded within a badge.
Credential
A general category used to gain access to a physical or logical resource, such as a: login, badge, or biometric.
Credential Watch Levels module
Module that allows administrators to add and define credential watch levels. A credential watch level is a color presented when a credential is used in Entré. The color is displayed as a column in the following modules: Alarms, Events, and the Event Photos modules.
The Credential Watch Levels module is added to the Advanced menu by enabling the module on the System Configuration module. Select the Miscellaneous section and Enable Credential Watch Levels. The Credential Watch Levels module is opened by selecting it on the Advanced menu.
Credential Validity Types module
Module that allows administrators to add and define badge credentials. Navigate to Advanced > Credential Validity Types to open the module.
D
Default Gateway
In a network using subnets, the default gateway is the router that forwards traffic to a destination outside of the subnet of the transmitting device.
Disabled
A temporary, Entré-specific status for a panel, area, zone, or device where the programming for each remains in the software but no real-time events are displayed. Events will be received by Entré, but real-time status is not updated. A panel, area, zone, or device can be added back into the software without re-programming it. Only operators can disable a panel, area, zone, or device.
DMP Driver
Digital Monitoring Products (DMP) driver. A process on the host computer that manages the sending and receiving of data between the panels and host computer. It sends user code and area information to the controllers and receives transaction data back from the controllers. The parent device of a DMP driver is always the Driver Manager.
Download Configuration
Command initiates a download of everything.
Download Firmware
Command initiates a download of the most current firmware to a DC.
Driver
A host computer process used to communicate between the host computer and hardware devices. Different types of supported hardware generally have different drivers.
Driver Manager
A software device that manages all drivers in the system.
E
Encrypted Communication
Used to secure communication between the Entré Access and Security Management application server and the panel.
Event
A system activity which is recorded to the database and available for monitoring or reporting.
Events module
The Events module displays real-time events within the Access Control system. Navigate to Monitoring > Events to access the module.
Event Photos module
The Event Photos module displays real-time events along with personnel photos. The different events are configured in the Event Policy Manager module. Navigate to Monitoring > Event Photos to open the module.
F
Facility Code
A bit segment encoded on a card which represents a numerical identification of a facility. Generally, all cards issued for a single facility will have the same facility code.
Filter
Enables the operator to sort (filter) data via a defined set of criteria in order to locate specific instances.
FIN
Foreign Identification Number. Used as an alternative to Social Security Number (SSN).
G
Graphic Map Editor
Allows graphic maps to be imported and configured. A graphic map can have links to other maps and/or devices. The map links can be used to navigate between maps in the map viewer. The device links show real-time statuses of the device in the graphic maps viewer.
H
Hexadecimal
16-digit numbering system, where 0-9 represents zero through nine and A-F (a-f) represents ten through fifteen.
Historical Events Driver
The Historical Events Driver is a software device which stores historical copies of events in a separate database table. Along with copying events, the Historical Events Driver can purge the copied events from the Events table, resulting in better performance from the table. Since the purged events are copied to a different table, legacy activity can still be reported.
The parent device of a Historical Events Driver is always the Driver Manager. There are no device types that have a Historical Events Driver as the parent device.
L
LDAP
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. LDAP is a networking protocol for querying and modifying directory services running over TCP/IP.
Localhost
Default hostname describing the local computer address.
Locations module
Module that manages locations in Entré. Navigate to Advanced > Locations to open the module.
M
Magnetic Stripe
A strip of magnetic recording material on which data can be stored.
Maps module
The Maps module allows operators to view real-time event and alarm conditions overlaid on graphical maps of the facility. Open the Maps module by selecting it from the Start Page or from the Monitoring drop-down menu.
Map Viewer
Allows facility maps to be viewed along with the location and statuses of facility devices. Maps can also contain links used to navigate to other maps.
Masked
A hardware state for monitor points and access points where active conditions will be reported to the software as masked (i.e. hidden).
O
Organization
Affiliation with which a personnel record can be associated.
P
Partition
Partitions are a way of dividing the system into subsets. Many items may have an associated partition, including: devices, personnel records, credentials, privileges, reports, and badge designs. A profile may be optionally restricted to a single partition which then only allows access to items associated with that partition. To give a login access to multiple partitions, associate it with multiple profiles where each profile is restricted to a single partition.
Partitions Module
The Partitions module manages all partitions within Entré. Navigate to Advanced > Partitions to open.
PIN
Personal Identification Number. Badges have an associated PIN which, depending on the configuration of an access point, is entered into the access point reader keypad.
Ping Utility
Determines whether a specific IP address is accessible. It works by sending a packet to the specified address and waiting for a reply. To use the ping utility, open a command window, type ping followed by the IP address and press Enter on the keyboard.
Privilege
Privileges define what a credential may have access to. Examples of privileges include user code profiles.
Profile
Determines which Entré Access and Security Management modules an operator is permitted access to, as well as defining which commands the operator is allowed to issue.
Profile Templates Module
Define profile templates. A profile template defines common properties of a profile in Entré. The profile template drop-down will open anytime a profile is added in the system. Navigate to Advanced > Profile Templates to open the module.
Proximity
A technology that allows the presence of certain objects to be sensed by a device without having direct contact.
R
Reader
Device which receives a card number and/or PIN from a badge holder.
Relative Address
Address of a device relative to its parent device.
Relay
Device that responds to a small current or voltage change by activating switches or other devices in an electric circuit.
Reset
Clears the database on a DC.
REX
Request-to-Exit. A type of door hardware, typically a button, that allows people to exit through an access point without using a badge.
S
Schedule
A set of time intervals that can be applied to a DC to make Access Control, triggering, and other decisions.
Scroll Lock
Tool that allows the operator to stop the scrolling of items in the window. New items will continue to be added to the window, but the window will not automatically scroll to show the most recently added item. This tool is not available in all modules.
Site
A site is a single instance of the Entré Access and Security Management database. It generally corresponds to a single geographical location, such as: a building complex, building, or part of a building. Most installations of Entré Access and Security Management only have a single database and hence a single site. For larger configurations, multiple sites are used. For example: if a company has offices around the world, each office would have a separate Entré Access and Security Management database and thus a separate site.
SSN
Social Security Number. A nine-digit number issued to individuals by the U.S. government for tax and identification purposes.
Subnet
A portion of a network which shares a common network address with other portions of the network and is distinguished by a subnet number. On TCP/IP networks, subnets are defined as all devices whose IP addresses have the same prefix. For example: all devices with IP addresses that start with 100.100.100 would be part of the same subnet.
T
TCP/IP Communications
A protocol for communication between computers, used as a standard for transmitting data over networks and as the basis for standard Internet protocols.
Time Received
The time an event or alarm was actually received by the Access Control system and stored in the database. If the event was processed by an external device, such as a DC, this may differ from the occurrence time depending on delays and interruptions in communication between the host and the DC.
Top Alarm
Most important alarm in occurrence at a given device. Based on alarm state, time, and priority.
Top Alarm State
Status of the top alarm at a given device. Possible statuses are: active, acknowledged, and cleared. Each state has an associated color, possible blinking, and severity.
Not to be confused with device status, which is independent of operator actions in the application. For example: if a door is forced open and is then shut, the status will go from forced open to secure, but the top alarm state will reflect the forced open state until an operator clears it.
U
User Code Profile
Defines privilege of the badge holder. For example: a user code profile determines if a badge holder has permission to pass through an access area or if the badge holder can arm or disarm a panel.
Username
An identifiable sequence of characters used when logging into the application.
V
View Query
Filter tool that allows operators to view the actual filter definition as SQL.
W
Wiegand
Wiegand is a card format that stores card data using binary values. The information includes parity error detection, facility code, and the card ID. Each card has a particular format that must be configured in the Access Control panel in order to permit the panel to correctly interpret the card data. A very common Wiegand card format is a 26-bit format, with the first and last bit for parity, 8 bits for the facility code and 16 bits for the card number.