OnePacs Gateway Networking Concepts
Brief Overview
The OnePacs Gateway PC should be on a local area network, with a static (local private) IP address. The imaging modalities should be able to make a direct TCP/IP connection to the transmission PC on the local network. A public IP address, port forwarding, etc. is not necessary as the OnePacs Gateway only requires outbound connections. The PC will require internet access and will connect with the OnePacs central servers on port 443 in order to be able to transmit studies. See this diagram.
How do I connect my modality or PACS to the OnePacs Gateway?
You will need to configure your PACS or modality and add a send or push destination (a DICOM C-STORE). You may need to contact your modality/PACS vendor to configure this. The following information will be needed.
AE Title: GATEWAY
Port: 4104
IP address: The static local private IP address of the computer where the OnePacs Gateway software is installed. (See below for information on what static means and how to find the IP address)
Many modalities or PACS are able to verify a connection (DICOM C-ECHO) can be made from the configuration screen.
What is an IP address?
An IP address identifies a computer on a network. If you think of computers like telephones, an IP address is like the telephone number for a computer. Click here for more details.
How do I find my IP address?
Click here for instructions on how to find an IP address on a Windows computer.
What is a port?
A port is a number that identifies where communication for a specific application should be sent. If you think of computers like telephones, an IP address is like main office number (the computer) and phone number extension is like a computer port that connects to a person (the application). Click here for more details
What is an AE Title?
An AE Title (Application Entity) is a unique name given to DICOM equipment. Click here for more details.
Does the OnePacs Gateway need to be configured to listen to my specific modality or PACS?
No, the OnePacs Gateway accepts connections promiscuously (allows any calling AE title).
What is the difference between a local private IP address vs public IP address?
A private IP address is given to computers behind a router on a local area network. A public IP address refers to an IP address given by your ISP (Internet service provider). Click here for more details. Only a static private IP address is required. The OnePacs Gateway does NOT require a static public IP address from your ISP. Private IP addresses generally look like 10.X.X.X, 172.16.X.X, and 192.168.X.X where X represents digits.
What is the difference between a static vs dynamic IP address?
A static IP address does not change. A dynamic IP address may change. In general and by default, computers behind a router will often be assigned a dynamic IP address from the router. The router may assign a different IP address to the computer if, for example, the computer was restarted (an the IP lease had expired). Routers can be configured to always assign a static IP address to a particular computer or a computer can be configured to always use the same static IP address. The preferred way to setup a static IP address, is to configure a DHCP reservation in your router configuration. By using a DHCP reservation, your router will always assign a computer the same IP address. You could also assign the computer a static IP address that is outside of the space of your routers dynamic reservation space. See the manual for your router on how to setup a DHCP reservation. You may need to contact your networking administrator to setup your static local/private IP address.
Why is a static local/private IP address important for the OnePacs Gateway?
If the IP address of the computer where the OnePacs Gateway software changes then your modality will no longer be able to connect to send images. You would either need to assign the old IP address back to the OnePacs Gateway computer, or reconfigure your modality with the new IP address. If you think of the IP address as a phone number for the computer, then the phone number has changed and your modality will no longer be able to "call" the OnePacs Gateway as the number has changed.
What is a firewall?
A firewall can be configured to block network traffic. By default, the OnePacs Gateway adds an exception to the Windows firewall where it is installed to allow incoming connections on port 4104. If you have other firewalls on your network you may need to configure them to allow network traffic between the modality/PACS and the OnePacs Gateway computer.
What is a VPN and is it related to the OnePacs Gateway?
A VPN is a virtual private network. It encrypts network traffic over the public Internet between two private endpoints. A VPN is in no way related to the OnePacs Gateway and the OnePacs Gateway does not rely on a VPN. The OnePacs Gateway encrypts medical images (with TLS/AES) during an upload to the central servers so that a VPN is not necessary. This is a better solution as a VPN is extra unneeded configuration and a VPN failure cannot be a point of failure for the OnePacs Gateway.