Lightware MMX2-4x3-H20 User Manual page 22

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4. Device Concept
4.6. Lightware Advanced Room Automation (LARA)
Lightware Advanced Room Automation (LARA) is a future-proof room
automation platform that enables controlling both Lightware and 3rd-party
devices in a meeting room area and also accessing remote services over the
network. LARA has an easy-to-use graphical interface that allows the integrators to set up and deploy their
system and also helps the technicians and IT personnel to check the system status and diagnose possible
errors. LARA comes with built-in touchscreen control support, where a fully customizable graphical interface
can be provided to literally any modern touchscreen device.
LARA eliminates the need for an external controller unit or PC, as it is embedded into the MMX2 series family.
Because of the modular design, the integrators can build their system based on existing modules (drivers,
touch screens, services and more) or create their own. Thanks to the approach of open source modules, the
integrators can easily modify or extend the existing modules, or use them as a base for their new solutions.
With LARA, integrators can set up the behavior of the meeting room by creating rules and setting various
parameters, there is an option to write codes. JavaScript is the most widespread language today, which has
a steep learning curve and huge online community. By using the popular NodeJS engine, the integrators can
rely on the public NPM repository (http://www.npmjs.org) and use the free packages available there.
We are working hard to release new functionalities regularly and make LARA more and more user-friendly.

LARA is available in MMX2 devices from firmware version v1.5.0b5.
DIFFERENCE:
4.6.1. Opening the LARA interface

When connecting to a device, you will need the 443 port for HTTPS connection, and optionally
ATTENTION!
the 6107 port for raw TCP connection and the 80 port for HTTP connection.
Step 1. Enable LARA in your device. Navigate to the Settings/Network tab. First set a password for the
'admin' user, then enable LARA via the checkbox.

As LARA is capable of running NodeJS scripts accessing your network, it is imperative to prevent
INFO:
open access that could be used by a malicious attacker.
Step 2. Open LARA in either of the following ways:
- Via the Open LARA button under the System tab in the LDC, or
- By typing https://<ip_address>/lara into the address field of your browser. Even though any modern
browser should work, we recommend using the latest Chrome or Safari versions. If you don't know
the IP address of your device, please use Lightware Device Controller to discover it on your local
network.
LARA does not run by default, however, once it starts, it will remain running even after resetting the device or
closing the browser, until it is stopped by the user. It can be disabled in the LDC software. Please be aware
that calling factory reset will erase LARA configurations.
While a graphical interface is available for most of the general functions, LARA offers the option to use it
with JavaScript codes for every step and modification for both basic and more advanced task creation.
Wizard and JavaScript code usage can easily be combined for maximum efficiency.
Help
LARA offers a built-in help interface, which is available by clicking on the Help button near the top right
corner. You can find the descriptions, definitions, steps and examples that aid in understanding LARA and
learning how to use it.
MMX2 series – User's Manual
4.6.2. Running LARA
LARA uses modules and their instances as basic building blocks of a configuration.
Modules
Modules are software pieces that give a base to the processes in the LARA interface. There are five module
categories available as follows:
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LARA modules have access to the devices' every port, connection interface and the entire parameter library
of the LW3 tree.
There are several pre-made modules that can be found in LARA for quick and easy system setup. These
modules can be found in the Browse Modules menu by clicking on the Create New button and choosing one of
the options from the Base modules drop-down list.
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Instances
Modules can be run as instances. Different parameters may be added to different instances for the same
module to include every possible process in the desired system.
Instances can communicate with each other using Events and Methods.


ATTENTION!
Events
Every instance can emit Events when something happens. An event is always momentary, it will be emitted
immediately when something triggers it. An event can be used by other logic or user panel instances, or even
by the same instance itself.
Applied firmware package: v2.9.0b6 | LDC software: v2.7.6b4
Driver: a module connected to a certain device in the network
Logic: a module for organizing the other modules into a system
Userpanel: provides a user interface for the end user (e.g. tabletop control)
Service: a module connected to a certain service in the network (e.g. calendar services)
Script: any custom module for a specific purpose
Taurus/MMX2 driver module - for controlling the device
Taurus/MMX2 CEC driver module - for sending CEC messages via the HDMI ports
Generic LW3 driver module - for controlling another Lightware device that supports LW3 protocol
Generic TCP/IP driver module - for controlling any device that is available via TCP/IP connection
Cisco Webex script module - integration with Cisco Webex supporting BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
functions
OCS sensor serial message script module - for sending a serial message to a device (e.g. Display) if the
Occupancy Sensor detects a signal
Generic REST Client driver module: universal module for controlling third-party devices over HTTP(S)
REST API (PUT, POST, GET, DELETE)
Signal present serial message script module - for sending a serial message to a device (e.g. Display) if a
video signal is detected on a port
It is currently only possible to run all instances together, or run none of them.
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