Prerequisites
Hardware requirements
If any items you are supposed to receive are missing or damaged, contact Support.
You will receive a package from OPSWAT containing the following:
- Two 1U or Din Rail servers.
- Two power cables.
- Fiber Optic cable.
- Two security dongles.
In addition, you must have:
- Flathead screwdriver.
- Ethernet cables.
The installation location must provide:
- Access to the USB port on the MetaDefender Optical Diode BLUE node. Ports are available on the front and back of the node.
- 2 x 1U rack space.
- 250 Watts power in the rack where the nodes will be installed.
The included power cables are intended for exclusive use with the NetWall appliance
Installation procedure
Optical Diode installation includes the following steps:
- Install the servers in the rack.
- Connect the servers to your system.
- Connect the servers to each other.
- Power up each node.
Install servers in the rack
Install each server in the rack with the supplied mounting rails, following your local procedures.
The sides containing the USB ports should be toward the front of the rack. You will insert a dongle in the USB port of the Optical Diode BLUE node and the Windows Host computer.
Connect servers to you system
1U Servers for 100Mbps and 1Gbps solutions
The following graphic shows the rear view of the server.
Use the following table to connect both servers to your system. You will not need all of the connections for the Optical Diode installation.
| Port Number | Description | MetaDefender Optical Diode connection |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Power supply Unit | Connect Optical Diode BLUE and Optical Diode RED to their power supplies with the power cables. |
| 2 | Redundant Power Supply | Connect Optical Diode BLUE and Optical Diode RED to their power supplies with the power cables. |
| 3 | RJ45 LAN Port (LAN3) | N/A. |
| 4 | COM Port (COM1) | N/A. |
| 5 | COM Port (COM2) | N/A. |
| 6 | RJ45 LAN Port (LAN2) | N/A. |
| 7 | RJ45 LAN Port (LAN1) | Optical Diode BLUE: Connect to the trusted network with an Ethernet cable. Optical Diode RED: Connect to the untrusted network with an Ethernet cable. |
| 8 | Line In | N/A |
| 9 | SFP1 Slot | Optical Diode BLUE: Connect SFP TX here. Optical Diode RED: Connect SFP RX here. |
| 10 | SFP2 Slot | Optical Diode BLUE: Connect redundant SFP TX here. Optical Diode RED: Connect redundant SFP RX here. |
| 11 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 Ports | N/A. |
| 12 | HDMI Port (HDMI1) | Connect to a HDMI monitor to access the CLI. |
| 13 | DisplayPort (DP1) | N/A. |
| 14 | D-Sub Port (VGA1) | Connect to a VGA monitor to access the CLI. |
| 15 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 Port | N/A. |
| 16 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C Port | N/A. |
| 17 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 Ports | N/A. |
| 18 | Line Out | N/A. |
| 19 | Microphone | N/A. |
DIN Rail Servers for 10, 50 and 100Mbps Solutions
OPSWAT provides the MetaDefender Optical Diode in a Din Rail form factor for industrial environments as mentioned before. Din Rail models support a single optical fiber connection.
The following graphic shows the ports of the server.
Use the following table to connect both servers to your system.
| Port Number | Description | MetaDefender Optical Diode connection |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fiber port | Optical Diode Din Rail BLUE: Connect the provided fiber here. Optical Diode Din Rail RED: Connect the other end of the provided fiber here. |
| 2 | RJ45 LAN Port Bypass pair | Optical Diode Din Rail BLUE: Connect to the trusted network with an Ethernet cable. Optical Diode Din Rail RED: Connect to the untrusted network with an Ethernet cable. |
| 3 | RJ45 LAN Port Bypass pair | N/A. |
| 4 | RJ45 LAN Port MGMT | Connect to a laptop or desktop with an Ethernet cable for Optical Diode Din Rail management accessing the webUI. |
| 5 | USB 3.0 2 Ports | Connect the provided security dongle here for configuring Optical Diode. |
| 6 | LEDs | HDD Activity Status/ System Status/ System Power/ Redundant Power |
| 7 | Buttons | Reset Button and Power Button |
Dell Server Options for 1GBPS and 10Gbps Solutions
The following graphic shows the rear view of the server.
Use the following table to connect both servers to your system. You will not need all of the connections for the Optical Diode installation.
| Port Number | Description | MetaDefender Optical Diode connection |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Power supply Unit | Connect Optical Diode BLUE and RED to their power supplies with the power cables. |
| 2 | Redundant Power supply Unit. | Connect Optical Diode BLUE and RED to their power supplies with the power cables. |
| 3 | SFP1 | Connect the fiber cable in the available slot. Used for transferring data from BLUE to RED. |
| 4 | SFP2 | Connect the other fiber cable in the available slot. Used for transferring data from BLUE to RED. Redundant path |
| 5 | SFP3 | 10Gb Ethernet |
| 6 | SFP4 slot | 10Gb Ethernet |
| 7 | RJ45 LAN Port (LAN2) | N/A. 1Gb |
| 8 | RJ45 LAN Port (LAN1) | Optical Diode BLUE: Connect to the trusted network with an Ethernet cable. Optical Diode RED: Connect to the untrusted network with an Ethernet cable. 1Gb |
| 9 | COM Port (COM1) | N/A. |
| 10 | D-Sub Port (VGA1) | Connect to a VGA monitor to access the CLI. |
| 11 | iDRAC Port | N/A. |
| 12 | USB Port (USB1) | Plug in the security dongle in one of the USB ports to configure the appliance. |
| 13 | USB Port (USB2) | Plug in the security dongle in one of the USB ports to configure the appliance. |
Connect Servers
Use the fiber optic cable to connect the servers to each other. Install each end of the simplex fiber jumper into the connector indicated by Port Number 9 in the above table as appropriate based upon server color. If redundant fiber connections are being used, connect the second simplex fiber jumper likewise into the connector indicated by Port Number 10.
- Make sure both servers are powered off before connecting them.
- Computer cables should always use strain relief to protect the connected equipment from excessive force via the cable. This is especially important for cables between racks.
Power on Optical Diode Appliances
Press the power button on each MetaDefender Optical Diode appliance to power it up. Press each power button a second time to shut down that appliance. You also can reset the appliance pressing the other button placed next to the power button.
Basic Configuration via Configuration File
Config via Configuration File BLUE
This feature enables basic configuration parameters to be uploaded via a JSON Configuration File. It is useful in instances whereby a user is configuring a multiple Optical Diodes. The feature does not support configuring individual data connectors. Connectors must be configured manually.
This functionality only works for an initial setup when no Management IP/device has been previously configured.
- Log in and accept the EULA. You will see the following screen blow.
- Select the Config File button.
- After selecting the Config File button you will see the next screen.
- Choose the JSON file and select Upload to import the JSON Configuration File.
Press Submit and the device will reboot.
Config via Configuration File RED
- Repeat file upload process on Optical Diode RED.
- Proceed with configuring Connectors in the Configuration section.
JSON Configuration File Format
Basic Configuration
{
"version": 1,
"settings": {
"management_ip": "192.0.2.10",
"gateway": "192.0.2.1",
"net_mask": "255.255.255.0",
"hostname": "optical-diode-1",
"dns_server_1": "1.1.1.1",
"dns_server_2": "8.8.8.8",
"ntp_server_1": "time.google.com",
"ntp_server_2": "203.0.113.5",
"time": "2025-12-04 14:33:21",
"time_zone": "US/Eastern",
"dns_suffix_search": "example.com",
"ssh_enabled": true,
"forward_syslog_red": false
},
"streams": []
}
"streams": []
}
