Avid MediaCentral | UX Administration Guide Version 2.
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ChromaWheel, Cineractive Engine, Cineractive Player, Cineractive Viewer, Color Conductor, Command|24, Command|8, Control|24, Cosmonaut Voice, CountDown, d2, d3, DAE, D-Command, D-Control, Deko, DekoCast, D-Fi, D-fx, Digi 002, Digi 003, DigiBase, Digidesign, Digidesign Audio Engine, Digidesign Development Partners, Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction, Digidesign TDM Bus, DigiLink, DigiMeter, DigiPanner, DigiProNet, DigiRack, DigiSerial, DigiSnake, DigiSystem, Digital Choreography, Digital Nonlinear Accele
Contents Using This Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 If You Need Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Avid Training Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 2 User Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Opening the Users Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 The Users Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Understanding Users and Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix A User Management Utility Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 MediaCentral Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using This Guide This guide is intended for all Avid MediaCentral | UX administrators who are responsible for configuring and maintaining a MediaCentral UX system (formerly Interplay Central). This guide describes product features and administrative procedures, such as MediaCentral UX system settings and user management. For initial installation and configuration, see the Avid MediaCentral Platform Services Installation and Configuration Guide.
If You Need Help Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action Italic font Italic font is used to emphasize certain words and to indicate variables. Courier Bold font Courier Bold font identifies text that you type. Ctrl+key or mouse action Press and hold the first key while you press the last key or perform the mouse action. For example, Command+Option+C or Ctrl+drag. | (pipe character) The pipe character is used in some Avid product names, such as Interplay | Production.
1 Administration and System Settings The following topics provide information about configuration of MediaCentral UX components: • The Administrator Account • Signing In to MediaCentral | UX • Configuring System Settings • MediaCentral System Settings • Configuring Image Quality • Configuring File-Based Playback • Configuring a Session Timeout • Configuring Interplay | Production for Sharing Messages • Configuring Message Archiving • Configuring E-Mail Forwarding • Configuring for Send
Signing In to MediaCentral | UX Additional Administrator Accounts An administrator can add other users to the Administrators group. All members of the Administrators group have the same administrator privileges. For more information, see “Creating a New Group or Editing Group Details” on page 82. Layouts Available Only to an Administrator Administrator tasks are performed in MediaCentral UX layouts.
Configuring System Settings To sign in to MediaCentral UX: 1. Open a supported browser and type the URL of your MediaCentral Services server. The URL is the computer name of the server. 2. At the sign-in screen, type your user name and password. 3. Click Sign In, or press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh). After a few moments, the MediaCentral UX application opens and displays the last layout that you used.
MediaCentral System Settings 3. In the Settings pane select a settings group, for example, General. The Details pane displays the settings in that group. 4. In the Details pane, specify one or more settings, as described in the table at the end of this procedure. 5. Click Apply to save your new settings or click Revert to replace changed information with the previously saved settings. MediaCentral System Settings This topic describes settings in the System Settings layout.
MediaCentral System Settings Setting Description Variable Speed Playback Control the speed of the L key (forward) and J key (backward) for variable speed playback (J-K-L). The default settings are: • Press 2 times: 2x normal speed • Press 3 times: 3x normal speed • Press 4 times: 4x normal speed To change a value, type a number directly in a field. You can also use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys on the keyboard, or the up and down arrows next to the field, to increase or decrease the value by .
MediaCentral System Settings Setting Description Time Zone The default time zone for users signed in to this MediaCentral UX server. This setting is used by the indexed search in MediaCentral UX to display dates and other formatted data correctly for users, depending on their time zone. Users can override this setting in the General User Settings. Click the down arrow for a list of time zones and select the most appropriate one.
MediaCentral System Settings Interplay MAM Setting Description Interplay | MAM System The name of the Interplay MAM system shown in MediaCentral UX and the version stack of the Interplay MAM system enabled in MediaCentral UX. For more information about this and other settings, see “Configuring Interplay | MAM in the System Settings Pane” on page 55.
MediaCentral System Settings Interplay Production Setting Description Interplay Production Server: Hostname The computer name or the IP address of the server that hosts the Interplay Production database. MediaCentral Distribution Service: Service URL A secure URL for the server that hosts the MediaCentral Distribution Service (MCDS), which is used for send-to-playback operations. Provide the URL in the following format, including the port number: https://hostname:port.
Configuring Image Quality Modules Modules used in MediaCentral UX showing name, version, location, state, fragment. For reference only. Send to Playback See “Creating or Editing a Send-to-Playback Profile” on page 35. Zones An administrator uses these settings to configure two or more single-zone systems into a multi-zone environment. For more information, see “Working with MediaCentral Zones” on page 67 and the Avid MediaCentral Platform Services Installation and Configuration Guide.
Configuring Image Quality You set these options for a user group that is defined in the Users layout. Note the following: c n • If a user is a member of more than one group, and different pixel sizes are associated with the groups, the user is assigned the largest pixel size. • This setting does not apply to remote assets. If workstations in a facility will regularly use enlarged images for proxy video or high-resolution video, Avid recommends changes to the MediaCentral infrastructure.
Configuring File-Based Playback 4. In the Image Quality Settings section of the Details pane, do one of the following: t To add a new group, click the plus button, then select the user group from the User Group menu. t To edit settings for an existing group, click the user group name. 5. To set the image size, select the width in pixels from the Maximum Size menu. 6. To enable a button for viewing high-resolution video, select MultiRez.
Configuring File-Based Playback A MediaCentral administrator has the option of configuring the bit rate for file-based playback. There are two profiles available: • Low-bandwidth: The default setting for file-based playback. This option is available for file-based playback of both Interplay Production and Interplay MAM assets. The default settings are 512 Kb/sec for video and 96 Kb/sec for audio. • High-bandwidth: This setting applies to the MultiRez option for playback of high-quality media.
Configuring a Session Timeout Use the following table to estimate the amount of media that can be transferred at different bit rates. This information was based on media transferred with the following specifications: DNxHD 36 HD_1920x1080@25p@16:9, transferred with a maximum width of 960 pixels. Video Bit Rate/ Audio Bit Rate Approximate Media Transfer Per Minute 256 Kb/128 Kb 2.72 MB 512 Kb/128 Kb 5.6 MB 1 Mb/128 Kb 8.8 MB 3 Mb/128 Kb 22.8 MB 5 Mb/128 Kb 32 MB 10 Mb/128 Kb 32.
Configuring Interplay | Production for Sharing Messages Configuring Interplay | Production for Sharing Messages Before you can send messages from MediaCentral UX to Media Composer or NewsCutter, you need to configure your Interplay Production database so it uses the correct MediaCentral UX server for the messaging service. To configure Interplay Production for sharing messages with Avid editing applications: 1.
Configuring Message Archiving You can also use the Messenger Archive tool to export the archive to a comma-separated values (CSV) file, with the options of compressing the file and of deleting the exported message archive from your server. The Messenger Archive tool is located in the following folder: /opt/avid/bin. You must run the archive utility program as root from a command line. You can run the tool on any of the Linux nodes in your cluster setup. To configure message archiving: 1.
Configuring Message Archiving To use the Message Archive tool: 1. On one of the nodes in your cluster setup, use the standard Linux command to navigate to the directory containing the Messenger Archive tool: cd opt/avid/bin 2. Type acs-messenger-archive-tool to run the utility, selecting the appropriate options from the following table: Option Description -c Adds a command.
Configuring E-Mail Forwarding Configuring E-Mail Forwarding You can configure MediaCentral UX to forward messages to e-mail accounts so users can receive messages when they are not logged on to MediaCentral UX. You can also specify the protocols used to encrypt e-mails, using a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and by using or ignoring a Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol. E-mail forwarding requires a MediaCentral UX administrator to enable e-mail forwarding and to assign a valid SMTP server.
Configuring for Send to Playback 6. (Option) If you want to use Secure Sockets Layer protocol, select Use SSL, and then type a user name and password for your administrator e-mail account. 7. (Option) If you do not want to use Transport Layer Security, select Ignore TLS. 8. In the Recipient’s e-mail field, type a a valid e-mail address to send a test -email message. 9. Select Validate to ensure that your SMTP configuration is correct. A test e-mail is sent to the address specified in the settings.
Configuring for Send to Playback Understanding the Send-to-Playback Components and Process A MediaCentral UX system and an Interplay Production system are required for the send-to-playback process. Required Components Make sure the following components are correctly installed and configured: • n MediaCentral - MediaCentral Middleware Service - MediaCentral Common Playback Service - MediaCentral Distribution Service.
Configuring for Send to Playback • - Avid System Framework (ASF). This component is used for various Interplay Production interactions. For send-to-playback, it identifies the high-availability group (HAG) that includes the Media Indexer used for relinking. - Interplay | Transfer Engine. This component sends the sequence to the playout device.
Configuring for Send to Playback Send-To-Playback Workflow: I-Frame Sequences The following illustration shows a typical send-to-playback workflow for I-frame (non-Long GOP) sequences. MediaCentral Client (Browser) q MediaCentral Middleware Service w ISIS Shared Storage e MediaCentral Distribution Service r w t Production Services Engine y Interplay Transcode u Interplay Transfer Media Indexer i Playback Server 1. The user starts an STP process in MediaCentral UX. 2.
Configuring for Send to Playback Send-To-Playback Workflow: Long GOP Sequences The following illustration shows a typical send-to-playback workflow for a Long GOP sequence. MediaCentral Client (Browser) q MediaCentral Middleware Service w ISIS Shared Storage e MediaCentral Distribution Service t u Production Services Engine r w y i Interplay Transcode STP Encode o Interplay Transfer Media Indexer 1) Playback Server 1. The user starts an STP process in MediaCentral UX. 2.
Configuring for Send to Playback 8. STP Encode creates Long GOP OP1a media, stores it on the ISIS system, and initiates a transfer to the playout server, through Interplay | Transfer. 9. Interplay | Transfer transfers the sequence to the playback server. Sending a Mixed-Resolution Long GOP Sequence to a Playback Device In most cases, all media used in the sequence must be available in the target resolution to start an STP operation.
Configuring for Send to Playback Example The following example shows servers MCDS Server A, MCDS Server B, and MCDS Server C configured for MCDS high availability. 1. Server A is listed first, so it is initially the active server. q 2. Server A stops responding, so all new jobs go to Server B. w q 3. Server A comes back up, but jobs continue to go to Server B. 4. Server B stops responding, so all new jobs go to Server C. 5. Server C stops responding, so all new jobs go to Server A. 6.
Configuring for Send to Playback Example 2: 1. Servers A, B and C were initially configured for MCDS high availability. 2. Server B is the currently the active MCDS. 3. You reconfigure the settings list to use servers D, E, and F. a. Server B will no longer be active because it is not on the list. b. The sequence for testing on failover is now D> E > F.
Configuring for Send to Playback 3. In the Settings tab, select Send to Playback. The top part of the Details pane lists the send-to-playback profiles, and the bottom part lists the profile details. c If the menus do not display any values, the connection to Interplay Production might not be working. Try signing out and signing back in, or check the configuration between MediaCentral UX and Interplay Production. For more information, see the MediaCentral Services Installation and Configuration Guide. 4.
Configuring for Send to Playback 5. In the Details tab, specify the required settings, as described in the table at the end of this procedure. 6. Click Apply to save the profile. If you are editing a file, click Revert to return to the original settings. The following table describes the settings in each group. Send to Playback Setting Description Name A name for the profile. Choose a meaningful, descriptive name because this name is displayed to users.
Configuring for Send to Playback Send to Playback Setting Description Video Options Long GOP: Select Long GOP if this profile will be used to transfer Long GOP media (for example, XDCAM HD). Long GOP media is transferred through the STP Encode service. AirSpeed: Select AirSpeed if this profile will be used to transfer to an Avid AirSpeed or AirSpeed Multi Stream server. Accelerated STP: If you select both Long GOP and AirSpeed, the Accelerated STP option is activated.
Configuring for Send to Playback Send to Playback Setting Description Audio Target Mixdown Mode Select Stereo or Direct Out. The maximum number of audio tracks supported for send to playback is 16. Interplay ISIS Workspace • Stereo: Maps to a left/right alternating pan (odd tracks on one channel, even tracks on the other channel), creates a stereo mixdown of all audio tracks, and outputs the resulting two tracks to two channels when sent to playback. This results in two channels of audio.
Configuring for Send to Playback Send-to-Playback Profile Examples The following examples of send-to-playback profiles show settings for different resolutions and different playback servers. Selecting a Transfer Server When you select a server in an STP profile, the Servers list includes all Interplay | Transfer Engines, AirSpeed Transfer Engines, and AirSpeed Multi Stream Transfer Engines that are specified in the Interplay Production workgroup.
Configuring for Send to Playback Selecting a Playback Device When you select a playback device in an STP profile, the Playback Device list includes the playback devices that are associated with the Interplay | Transfer server you selected. • For AirSpeed servers, there is only one selection that matches the server name. • For AirSpeed Multi Stream servers, there might be two types of selections: • - One selection that matches the server name.
Configuring for Send to Playback XDCAM-HD on AirSpeed Multi Stream This profile, named AMS1-XDCAM1080i60_50mb, specifies settings for an AirSpeed Multi Stream server that supports XDCAM-HD media. Note the following: • Servers: Airspeed Multi Stream includes a Transfer Engine, so A51-WG1-AMS1 is the computer name for the AMS server. • Playback Device: Because this profile supports XDCAM-HD Long GOP media, the playback device name includes the -HD suffix.
Configuring for Send to Playback • Long GOP and AirSpeed must be selected for this profile. With these options selected Accelerated STP (Send to Playback) becomes available, and can be used in this case because the AirSpeed MultiStream server is version 1.7 or later. • The remaining media options specifically describe the target video and audio resolutions. The Mixdown Mode is set for Stereo, and the specified ISIS workspace will hold the mixed-down media.
Configuring for Send to Playback Note the following: • Studio: The Studio option is selected and the Servers list is replaced by the Studio list. A51-WG1-AMS[3] is the computer name for the AirSpeed Multi Stream Studio group. • Playback Device: Because this profile supports XDCAM-HD Long GOP media, the playback device name includes the -HD suffix. • Long GOP and AirSpeed must be selected for this profile.
Configuring for Send to Playback SD on AirSpeed Multi Stream The following profile, named AMS2, specifies settings for an AirSpeed Multi Stream server that supports DV 25 SD media. Note the following: • Servers: A51-WG1-AMS2 is the computer name for this AirSpeed Multi Stream server. • Playback Device: Because this profile supports SD media, the playback device name matches the server name and does not include the -HD suffix. • AirSpeed must be selected for this profile.
Configuring for Send to Playback Generic FTP Profile The following profile, named Omneon, specifies settings for a third-party server configured for Generic FTP settings through a Transfer Engine server. Note the following: • Servers: A51-WG1-TM2 is the computer name for the Transfer Engine server. • Playback Device: a51-wg1-tm2:6534/OMN_SD is the third-party server configured through the Transfer Engine. • The remaining media options specifically describe the target video and audio resolutions.
Configuring for Send to Playback Detecting Black Gaps in Video Sent to Playback A user might unintentionally include gaps in the video track that result in black gaps in the video output. This could cause a problem when the sequence is sent to playback. MediaCentral UX v2.1.2 and later includes an option to check a sequence for black gaps in the video.
Configuring Settings in the Interplay | Production Administrator 5. If you are configuring a cluster, securely copy the Application Properties file from the master to the slave node using the Linux scp command: scp root@:/opt/avid/etc/avid/avid-interplay-central/ config/application.properties ./ 6.
Configuring Settings in the Interplay | Production Administrator Settings that apply to MediaCentral UX are in the following views: n • Application Database Settings: audio settings and others • Instinct/Assist User Options: markers (locators) and restrictions settings In Media Composer v6.0, Avid Symphony v6.0, and NewsCutter v10.0, the term “locators” was changed to “markers” in both the user interface and the documentation. MediaCentral UX uses the term “markers.
Configuring Settings in the Interplay | Production Administrator Section Audio - Source audio patching Audio - Storyline audio patching Audio - General settings Dynamic Relink Setting Description Sound on Tape label This setting determines the wording or character(s) used as a label for the sound on tape track control in the Audio pane as well as the header for the sound on tape column in the Script Editor’s Sequence Timeline. By default, SOT is used.
Configuring Settings in the Interplay | Production Administrator Section Setting Description Audio Effects Dissolve Duration Brief dissolves between audio tracks are used to make audio edits [frames] sound smooth. Set this to the number of frames you want dissolves between audio edits to last. Center-Panned Sound on Tape and Voice Over If enabled, maps the VO track as center-panned (played on both channels). This setting applies to both Mono and Stereo Mixdown modes.
Configuring Settings in the Interplay | Production Administrator Section Setting Description Permission Settings Can create locators If yes, allows the selected user or group to create markers. If no, a user of an Avid editing application can still create markers for an asset, but can check in only the asset, not the marker metadata (an error message is displayed). In most cases, if you want a user to create markers, select “yes” for both “Can create locators” and “Can modify locators.
Configuring Interplay | MAM Configuring Interplay | MAM To use MediaCentral UX with Interplay MAM, an administrator has to check and adapt some configuration settings in Interplay MAM and MediaCentral configuration applications. Prerequisites: Before configuring and using Interplay MAM in MediaCentral, the following must be performed: • Install the MAM.Core.MediaCentralConnection package in the MAM system.
Configuring Interplay | MAM To create the MediaCentral system user: 1. Sign in to Interplay MAM Control Center as an administrator. 2. Start Interplay MAM Administrator from within MAM Control Center. 3. Open the User Manager from within Interplay MAM Administrator. 4. Open the Users view. 5. Click the Add New User button in the Users pane. The Add User dialog box opens. 6. Provide data for the mandatory fields: a. Id: ID of the user account. The ID must be unique and cannot be changed.
Configuring Interplay | MAM Configuring Interplay | MAM in the System Settings Pane The MediaCentral administrator must specify Interplay MAM configuration information before you can use MediaCentral UX with Interplay MAM. Note that you can configure more than one MAM system in a MediaCentral server if those MAM systems are connected to the bus of this MediaCentral instance. Also note that for each MAM system, a unique Default Realm must be configured in Interplay MAM System Administrator.
Configuring Interplay | MAM 5. Configure the Interplay MAM System settings: a. Change the name of the system in the System Name field. b. Click Version Stack and select the version number of the MAM system to be connected. c. Select Enabled to make the MAM system available in MediaCentral UX. Deselect Enabled to make the MAM system temporarily unavailable for user access. 6. Configure the Registry Server settings: a.
Configuring Interplay | MAM 7. Configure the credentials that are required to connect MediaCentral UX automatically to the Interplay MAM server: n User name and password must match the credentials of the MediaCentral system user that is created in Interplay MAM User Manager. For more information, see “Configuring Settings in Interplay | MAM User Manager” on page 53. a. Type the user name (default: Service-Ics). b. Type a password (default: Avid123). 8.
Configuring Interplay | MAM Configuring Central Index for Interplay | MAM To use Central Index for Interplay MAM in MediaCentral UX, check and adapt the following settings. Note that these settings have been configured during the installation of the MAM.Core.MediaCentralConnection package and should already show correct values. To configure Central Index for Interplay MAM: 1. Check that Media | Index services are installed and configured properly in MediaCentral and that the system data index is created.
Configuring Interplay | MAM Creating Interplay | MAM Users in MediaCentral To work with MediaCentral UX, all Interplay MAM users must also be available in MediaCentral. To avoid entering every user twice in MediaCentral and Interplay MAM, connect the User Managements of both systems to the same Active Directory. This allows importing the Interplay MAM users to MediaCentral. Note that there is no runtime authentication against the Active Directory on MediaCentral side.
2 User Management The following topics provide information about managing MediaCentral UX users and groups: • Opening the Users Layout • The Users Layout • Understanding Users and Groups • Available Layouts: Administrators and Users • Working with MediaCentral Zones • Managing Users and Groups • Creating, Deleting, and Assigning Roles • Displaying Information in the Details Pane • Viewing and Ending Active Sessions Opening the Users Layout The Users layout is a layout that a MediaCentral U
The Users Layout The Users Layout The Users layout consists of seven panes: Active Sessions, Details, Help, Layouts, MediaCentral Zones, Roles, and User Tree. The following illustration shows the default layout with several panes displayed. In this illustration, the group Journalists is selected and the Details pane shows information about the group. q r w t e Display or Control Description 1 Menu bar Includes the same items as the Menu bar in other MediaCentral UX layouts.
The Users Layout Display or Control Description Layouts pane Lists the default layouts and lets you assign access to users or groups. For more information, see “Creating and Deleting Roles” on page 93. 4 Layout selector Includes the same options as other MediaCentral UX layouts, but only administrators have access to the Systems Settings and Users layouts. For more information, see “Available Layouts: Administrators and Users” on page 66.
The Users Layout Display or Control Description 1 User Tree toolbar Includes the following buttons: Refresh, Expand All, Collapse All, Add User, Add Group, Delete. The same commands are included in the Pane Menu. 2 Filter field Lets you enter text to filter the list of users and groups. The list filters as you type. This field is available in several panes in addition to the user tree: Roles, Layouts, and Active Sessions. Press Ctrl-F to activate the field for typing.
Understanding Users and Groups Understanding Users and Groups Users and groups are the basic entities that you manage in MediaCentral UX.
Understanding Users and Groups The following illustration shows the relationships that are allowed. B A w C q X 1 User X is a member of Groups A and B. 2 Group C is a member of Groups A and B. A user or a group can be a member of more than one group in a single subtree. In the following illustration, user X can be a member of both group B and group C. B A C q X 1 User X can be a member of both Group C and Group B.
Available Layouts: Administrators and Users Relationships are hierarchical. Cyclical relationships, as in the following illustration, are not permitted. w A B e q C 1 Group C is a member of Group A. 2 Group A is a member of Group B. 3 Group B cannot be a member of Group C. • If a user or a group is removed from all parent groups, the user or group is moved to the Unassigned group. For more information, see “Understanding the Unassigned Group” on page 87. • Users and groups have properties.
Working with MediaCentral Zones Layout Available To... Media | Distribute (if installed) All users based on configuration System Settings Administrators only Users Administrators only An administrator assigns layouts and license types to a role. For more information, see “Creating, Deleting, and Assigning Roles” on page 89.
Working with MediaCentral Zones Starting with MediaCentral v2.0, administrators can configure two or more MediaCentral zones to work together in the following workflows: • Multi-zone user management • Multi-zone central index search • Multi-zone media asset delivery Multiple zones are connected (or federated) through the MediaCentral Platform bus. For information about configuring multiple zones, see the Avid Media | Index Configuration Guide.
Working with MediaCentral Zones Multi-Zone Media Asset Delivery Multi-zone media asset delivery lets you trigger the transfer of a remote media asset to a local zone. You can search Interplay Production databases across all zones, view remote assets, and deliver them to your local Interplay Production workgroup. Multi-zone media asset delivery makes all media assets on the network no more than one step away from being assets that can be used in local projects.
Managing Users and Groups The following fields are displayed in the Details tab: • ID: The UUID of the selected zone, which is assigned when the zone is created on the MediaCentral server. This field is not editable. This ID can be useful for troubleshooting, for example, to understood data in logs. • Name: The name of the zone as it was configured in the Zones settings in the System Settings layout. This name is stored in the UMS and is an easy way to identify the zone.
Managing Users and Groups • “Deleting Users and Groups” on page 87 • “Changing Passwords” on page 88 Importing Users If you enable Windows Domain authentication, you can import groups and individual users from a Windows domain. This authentication uses the LDAP protocol. Users imported from a Windows domain can use their Windows domain user names and passwords to sign in to MediaCentral UX. After initially importing users, additional users can be automatically imported.
Managing Users and Groups To supply information about an authentication provider: 1. Sign in to MediaCentral UX as an administrator and select Users from the Layout selector. 2. In the user tree, double-click the top-level group Users. 3. In the Authentication Providers section of the Details pane, select the option Windows Domain Authentication.
Managing Users and Groups n The option “Allow Weak Passwords” does not apply to users imported from Active Directory. MediaCentral UX imports and uses the same sign-in credentials that are used in Active Directory. 4. In the Server section, supply the following information: - (Optional) If the Active Directory uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology, select Use SSL Connection. - Type the hostname of the Windows domain server on which the user database is stored.
Managing Users and Groups 6. (Optional) If your facility uses SAM Account Names instead of the newer Active Directory Principal Names, select “Import users by SAM Account Name instead of Principal Name.” This configuration is specifically for those users who are used to logging into Interplay Production with the older Windows Domain style login. If you later decide to change to Principal Name, you need to reimport users and the current settings will be lost. 7.
Managing Users and Groups If you did not specify an authentication provider, the following message appears: “You have no authentication providers configured.” Click the Go to Authentication Providers button to display the Details pane and then complete the previous procedure. 2. Select whether you want to overwrite existing users that have the same user names. In most cases, especially when reimporting, select “Do not overwrite existing users that have the same names.
Managing Users and Groups 4. If necessary, click the triangle to expand a group and display subgroups. You can also use the maximize icon to expand the pane. Select the groups that you want to import, and click Import. A message box displays the progress of the import. If the import process fails for any reason, such as a failure to connect to the Active Directory server, a message box describes the problem and gives you an option to retry.
Managing Users and Groups There are four tabs: - All: Lists all users and groups and their status - Failed: Lists the users and groups that could not be imported and their status - Skipped: If you selected “Do not overwrite existing users that have the same names,” lists the users and groups that were not imported because they already exist in the user database. - Successful: Lists the users and groups that were successfully imported.
Managing Users and Groups 5. Click OK. The selected group is imported in the user tree, in the folder named Users/Import/Microsoft/full_qualified_name. You can then assign imported users to other groups. Importing an Individual User After an administrator successfully imports a group of users through Windows domain authentication, an additional user can be automatically imported through the MediaCentral UX sign-in screen without the need to import the entire group again.
Managing Users and Groups 3. Click the Import and Sign-In button. A message is displayed, the user is imported to the “Auto-Import users” folder, and the user is signed in with the role inherited from the “Auto-Import users” folder. If the user name exists in Windows domain, but the user provides the wrong Windows password, the user is imported but the sign-in fails. The user can sign in again with the correct password.
Managing Users and Groups t Click the Create User button. t Click the Pane Menu button and select Create User. 3. In the Details pane, type the properties for the new user. User Name, Password, and Confirm Password are required fields and are marked by small white stars. Other fields and settings are optional.
Managing Users and Groups - Passwords must contain characters from three of the following four categories: - English uppercase characters (A through Z) - English lowercase characters (a through z) - Base 10 digits (0 through 9) - Nonalphanumeric characters (e.g., !, $, #, %) 4. Select the options you want, such as “User must change password at next sign-in.” 5. (Optional) Add the new user to a group.
Managing Users and Groups Turning Off Secure Password Requirements Starting with MediaCentral UX v2.2, an administrator has the option of turning off the password complexity requirement in UMS. This is primarily for facilities that use Interplay Production, iNEWS, or Interplay MAM for user authentication, and users have passwords that do not conform to the MediaCentral UX v2.1 password strength requirement. This is a site setting that affects all users except those authenticated through Active Directory.
Managing Users and Groups 4. Add members to the new group by dragging users from the user tree to the Members section. Use Ctrl+click (Windows) or Command+click (Macintosh) to select multiple users, or Shift+click to select contiguous users. To remove a user from the group, do one of the following: n - Click the x next to the user’s name - Select one or more users, right-click, and select Remove from Group. - Select one or more users, right-click, and press the Backspace key or the Delete key.
Managing Users and Groups By default, members of the group inherit the roles assigned to the group. If you are working in a multi-zone environment, assign the appropriate role for each zone. For more information, see “Creating, Deleting, and Assigning Roles” on page 89. 6. (Optional) If you want to make the group a member of another group, drag the new parent group from the user tree to the Groups section. To remove the parent group, click the x next to the group’s name. 7.
Managing Users and Groups To remove a user from a group by using a menu command: 1. In the user tree, click the turn-down arrow to open the group from which you want to remove the user. 2. Select the user you want to remove. Use Ctrl+click (Windows) or Command+click (Macintosh) to select multiple users, or Shift+click to select contiguous users. 3. Do one of the following: t Right-click and select Remove from Group. t Click the Pane Menu button and select Remove from Group.
Managing Users and Groups Removing Groups from Groups If you remove a group from a group, and the group is not a member of any other groups, the group is moved to the Unassigned group. You can reassign a group from the Unassigned group to another group or to the top-level group (Users). For more information, see “Understanding the Unassigned Group” on page 87. n Removing a group through these actions does not delete the group from the database.
Managing Users and Groups t Right-click and select Remove from Group. t Press the Backspace key or the Delete key. 4. Click Apply or press Ctrl+S. Understanding the Unassigned Group A group labeled Unassigned is included by default as a member of the top-level group (Users). The Unassigned group holds users and groups that have been removed from all other groups. The Unassigned group is a system group and thus you cannot rename it, move it, delete it, or make it a member of another group.
Managing Users and Groups 2. Do one of the following: n t Click the Delete button. t Right-click and select Delete. t Click the Pane Menu button and select Delete. t Press Ctrl+Delete. If one user is selected in the user tree, and a different user is displayed in the Details pane, the user selected in the user tree is deleted. To delete a group: 1. In the user tree, select a group. You can use the filter field (Ctrl-F) to locate the group.
Creating, Deleting, and Assigning Roles 3. In the Change Password dialog box, type the new password, and then type it again in the Confirm Password text box. Note the following restrictions: - Minimum length of user names: 1 character - Minimum length of passwords: 6 characters - Maximum length of user names and passwords: 255 characters - Passwords are case-sensitive. - Passwords cannot contain all or part of the user’s account name. - Passwords cannot consist of spaces only.
Creating, Deleting, and Assigning Roles Default Roles MediaCentral UX includes the following default roles. Role Default Layouts Administrator Cut, Media | Distribute (if installed), Log, Research, Rundown, Story, System Settings, Users Journalist Research, Rundown, Story Media Logger Log The Media | Distribute installation and configuration process creates additional roles. For more information, see the Media | Distribute Installation and Configuration Guide.
Creating, Deleting, and Assigning Roles n To run applications concurrently with a single license, the client workstation must be connected to the same LAN as the MediaCentral server. The client workstation must have a correct DNS entry and the MediaCentral server must be configured to resolve the client workstation’s host name. Installation Licenses are installed on an iNEWS server or an Interplay Production server, or both. No licenses are installed on the MediaCentral Services server.
Creating, Deleting, and Assigning Roles The following illustration shows an example of a multiple-role assignment. By default, the Journalist role is associated with an Advance license, and the Media Logger role is associated with a Base license. An administrator can assign both Journalist and Media Logger roles to a user, as shown in the following illustration. Which license the user consumes is determined by the role the user selects after signing in.
Creating, Deleting, and Assigning Roles You can open only those panes that are available through the license you are currently using. If a pane that is not available is open, such as through the Reset Layout command, a message is displayed in the center of the pane that reads “The pane_name is not available for your license type.” An administrator can assign the same layout to roles that use different licenses. Changing from one license type to another can also cause some panes to be unavailable.
Creating, Deleting, and Assigning Roles 6. Select one of the following license types for the role: - Advance - Base For more information on license types, see “MediaCentral | UX Client Licensing” on page 90. 7. Click the Layouts pane, select the layout or layouts you want to assign to the role, and drag them to the Layouts section. The layout is added to the Layouts list. 8. Click Save or press Ctrl+S. The role is added to the list in the Roles pane. To delete a role: 1.
Creating, Deleting, and Assigning Roles To assign a role in the Role Details pane: 1. Select Users from the Layout selector. 2. In the Roles pane, do one of the following: t Double-click the role that you want to assign to a user or group. t Use the arrow keys to select the role, then press Enter. Information about the role is displayed in the Details pane. 3. Click the User Tree pane. 4.
Creating, Deleting, and Assigning Roles The following illustration shows the Journalists group assigned the role Journalist in two zones: news-ipc1 and news-ipc4. 5. Click Apply or press Ctrl+S to save your changes, or click Revert to cancel your changes. To assign a role in the User or Group Details pane: 1. Select Users from the Layout selector. 2. In the user tree, double-click a user or select the user and press Enter. You can use the filter field (Ctrl-F) to locate the user.
Creating, Deleting, and Assigning Roles The following illustration shows the Journalists group assigned the role Journalist in both zones of a multi-zone configuration. 5. Click Apply or press Ctrl+S to save your changes or click Revert to cancel your changes. The From Group column shows if the role is assigned directly (“Assigned to group directly”) or inherited from a parent group. If a role is inherited, the parent group is listed in the From Group column.
Displaying Information in the Details Pane Displaying Information in the Details Pane You can double-click users, groups, or roles in the Details pane to select the item in the User Tree pane, and display information about the item in the Details pane. For example, in the following illustration, if you double-click Journalist 2, information about the user Journalist 2 is displayed in the Details pane.
Viewing and Ending Active Sessions Viewing and Ending Active Sessions A MediaCentral UX administrator can view a list of users who are currently signed in to the MediaCentral UX Web application, along with information such as their IP address, when they logged in, and when they were last active. If a user has more than one session open in a browser, all sessions are shown. The following illustration shows an example, sorted by user name in the Session ID column.
Viewing and Ending Active Sessions To end one or more sessions: 1. Select one or more sessions. Click the user name to select all sessions. Use Ctrl+click (Windows) or Command+click (Macintosh) to select multiple sessions, or Shift+click to select contiguous sessions. 2. Do one of the following: t Click the End Session(s) button. t Right-click and select End Session(s). t Click the Pane Menu button and select End Session(s). t Press Ctrl+Delete. A confirmation box is displayed. 3.
3 Monitoring and Troubleshooting The following topics include information that you can use for monitoring and troubleshooting: • Log Files • Troubleshooting Send to Playback Problems • Troubleshooting Mixdown Problems Log Files The following sections list some useful log files. Not all log files are listed. For information about log files related to a server cluster, see the Avid MediaCentral Server Clustering Guide.
Log Files Log File Description client/client-yyyy_mm_dd.n.log Contains log messages pertaining to the client application. The folder contains a maximum of ten files, numbered from 0 (most recent) to 10. Prior to Interplay Central v1.5, this information was in the interplay_central_n.log file If necessary, you can disable client logging by adding a property to the application.properties file: /opt/avid/etc/avid/avid-interplay-central/co nfig/application.properties Add the following line: system.
Log Files MediaCentral Distribution Service Log files for the MediaCentral Distribution Service are located in the following folder on the server where you installed the MediaCentral Distribution Service: C:\ProgramData\Avid\Interplay Central Distribution Service These logs are described in the following table: Log File Description STPService_nn.log Contains log messages from the MediaCentral Distribution Service STPTimerTask_nn.
Log Files MediaCentral Common Services Log files for common services used in MediaCentral (messaging and e-mail forwarding) are located in the following folder on the MediaCentral Services server: /var/log/avid/acs These logs are described in the following table: Log File Description avid.acs-messenger.log Contains log messages from the MediaCentral messaging service. avid.acs-mail.log Contains log messages from the e-mail forwarding service.
Troubleshooting Send to Playback Problems If the log file is more than 15 MB, you cannot send it directly. Use the iTunes File Sharing feature: 1. Connect your device to a Macintosh computer. 2. Open iTunes and navigate to Device > Apps. 3. In the Avid Central Documents list, select the Logs folder. 4. Click “Save to” or drag the folder to a location on your computer. 5. Zip the folder and send it to Avid as an e-mail attachment.
Troubleshooting Send to Playback Problems Problem or Error Message Probable Cause Solution Message: Remote STP process failed: Exception:ameBaseStream::GettotalKno wnMediaDurationForEWC() - unable to get EWC known media duration value. (in “wait render” phase) Send to playback failed because the Wait until the capture is complete. clip is in the process of being captured (EWC=edit while capture).
Troubleshooting Send to Playback Problems Problem or Error Message Probable Cause Message: Remote STP process failed: null. (in "wait transfer" phase). The send-to-playback operation to Update to Interplay Central v1.3 or AirSpeed Classic is using Interplay later with ICDS v2.7 or later. Central Distribution Service (ICDS) earlier than v2.7. Message: Remote STP process failed: SessionRefused (in "wait long GOP export" phase).
Troubleshooting Send to Playback Problems Problem or Error Message Probable Cause Solution Message: Remote STP process failed: There must be an even number of audio channels for export, except for a one audio track export. (in "wait long GOP export" phase). The sequence has an odd number of Use a sequence with an even number audio tracks. of audio tracks or set the audio mixdown option in the STP profile to Stereo.
Troubleshooting Send to Playback Problems MediaCentral Send to Playback Configuration Check List Task Section Reference Make sure the MediaCentral Distribution Service is installed and running. Make sure the following Interplay Production Avid Interplay Installation and components are installed, configured, and running Configuration Guide and other Interplay correctly: Production documentation.
Troubleshooting Send to Playback Problems Collect Tool: Run the Collect tool (one of the Avid System Diagnostic Tools): 1. On the MediaCentral Platform server, register the Collect tool by typing one of the following commands: - service csd restart - /etc/init.d/csd restart 2. Restart the MediaCentral Distribution Service in the Windows Service Manager. This will start a new log file STPService_00.log. 3. Note your system time. 4. Reproduce the problem. 5. Run the Collect tool by typing cs 6.
Troubleshooting Mixdown Problems Troubleshooting Mixdown Problems Use the following table to help you solve MediaCentral |UX sequence mixdown problems. Problem or Error Message Probable Cause Solution Message: “Not all source media found or needed transcoding.” The Interplay Transcode profile specifies a Transcode mode other than Mixdown Use a profile that specifies Mixdown mode.
A User Management Utility Tools The MediaCentral User Management Utility tools are programs that an administrator runs as root from a command line on the Linux server that is running the User Management service, avid-ums. Special Characters Be careful when using special characters in path names and when resetting the administrator password using this command line utility. Some characters will not be processed correctly.
Commands Utility Tool Command Options Description avid-ums-reset-admin-password NEW_PASSWORD Resets the password for the default MediaCentral administrator account. Returns MediaCentral User Management Service statistics. avid-ums-statistics avid-ums-create-role ROLE_NAME ROLE_DESCRIPTION LICENSE Creates a role and assigns licenses and layouts to the role. Specifying one or more layouts is optional. [LAYOUT1][LAYOUT2]...
MediaCentral Glossary A Administrators group A default group used for MediaCentral UX user management that contains users with administrative privileges. active angle In a group clip, the camera angle selected for single-angle view and the angle displayed when you add the clip to a sequence. advanced sequence A sequence you create in MediaCentral UX that includes a timeline with one video track and user-specified audio tracks.
Assets pane A pane in the client application that displays assets. These assets can result from a search or from browsing. Assets are displayed in a folder hierarchy, if applicable to the assets displayed. audio follows video An audio setting that allows the audio mapping for a track in a group clip to automatically “follow” any active angle change and use the audio from the new active angle.
drop zone The part of an area into which you can move a pane. Each area has five drop zones: center, top, bottom, left, and right. E Edit Decision List (EDL) Basic sequence created in Interplay MAM Desktop. See basic sequence. edit while capture (EWC) See Frame Chase editing. F facet A subtopic of an iNEWS project that provides additional granularity. Any stories associated to a facet are automatically associated to that facet’s parent project. See also project.
G group clip A master clip created in Media Composer or another Avid editing application by syncing a group of clips based on common source timecode, auxiliary timecode, or marks placed in the footage. I indexed search A search that queries a central index synced with multiple databases and finds anything stored in the index. It does not directly search Interplay Production databases.
locator See marker. Log layout A layout that a media logger or journalist uses to view and create markers. logging 1. Interplay Production: Adding information to clips, subclips, and sequences. This information includes markers, restrictions, and text, which can be used for reference during story creation and media editing. 2. Interplay MAM: Segmenting strata and adding information to them. This information includes text and other properties.
MediaCentral Platform The software infrastructure that supports MediaCentral products and services MediaCentral User Management Service (UMS) One of the MediaCentral Platform services. It provides the ability to create and manage users and groups and authenticate users across multiple systems.
Media Timeline In the Media pane, a graphical representation of the length and time spans of an asset or sequence. Media zoom bar In the Media pane, a control located below the Media Timeline that lets you enlarge a section of the Media Timeline so you can work more easily with long clips. See also Sequence zoom bar. Message bar A section of the client application in which you can send and receive messages. The Message bar consists of the To field, the Message field, and the Send button.
N NAT (natural sound) Audio recorded at the same time as the video, often by a microphone built in to a camera. Compare with the definition of SOT (sound on tape). O Output mode If you click the Output button in the Media pane, you can view media for the currently loaded sequence and use controls that apply specifically to sequences, such as voice-over controls. Compare with the definition of Asset mode.
position indicator A vertical bar in the Media Timeline that indicates the location of the frame displayed in the Media viewer. The Sequence Timeline also includes a position indicator, which can be vertical or horizontal, depending on the orientation of the Sequence pane. You can drag the position indicator to scrub through a clip or sequence.
queue A subfolder in an iNEWS database that contains stories. R read-only sequence 1. A sequence that you open from an Interplay Production folder but cannot edit or save because you do not have a read/write role for the folder. 2. A sequence that you open from an Interplay MAM database for which you do not have write permission or that represents an external sequence. You can play the sequence but you cannot edit or save it. See also uneditable sequence.
Script Editor A section of the Queue/Story pane in which a journalist creates and organizes the elements of a story. There are four sub-sections of the Script Editor: Story Form, Cue List, Story, and Sequence Timeline. script sequence A series of video, audio, and images that you compose in the Sequence pane and play in the Media pane. Script sequences are saved in the Interplay Production database and can be sent to a playback device.
Sequence pane A pane in which you can work with video and audio clips to create or edit a sequence. You can associate the sequence with a new story as a script sequence or store it as an independent asset in an Interplay Production database. Sequence Timeline The area of the Sequence pane that hold the video and audio clips. The Sequence Timeline includes a video track, one or three audio tracks, and a timing track.
source clip A video clip or audio clip that is used as part of a sequence. story A compilation of elements that includes the script that is sent to the teleprompter and read on air, any video and audio that is broadcast with the script, as well as production cues and machine control instructions associated with the queue. A story can also be created as a feature that uses the script to organize the feature.
Tasks pane A pane in which a user can view and edit user tasks of Interplay MAM processes created by him or user tasks that have been assigned to him by other users. Thumbnails pane A pane that displays small images of an asset that is loaded in the Asset mode of the Media pane. Images are displayed by timecode, marker, or both. Timecode displays In the Media pane, displays that provide timecode information for the loaded asset or sequence.
user task A task that requires a user action and is completed by a user action. See task. User Tree pane A pane in the Users layout that displays groups and users in a hierarchical layout. Users layout A layout for MediaCentral UX user management that a MediaCentral UX administrator uses to import, create, and manage users and group. V Voice-over controls Controls that let you record a voice-over and adjust its volume.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Index A Active sessions ending 99 viewing 99 Administrator available layouts 11 default account 11 AirSpeed Multi Stream sending to 29 Authentication provider specifying 71 Avid online support 10 training services 10 B Black gaps detecting before STP 47 D Details pane displaying information in 98 F File-based playback configuring 21 G General settings 14 Groups creating 82 deleting 87 described 64 editing details 82 managing 70 removing from a group 86 I ICS Zones describe
Index ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Licenses assigned to roles 90 assigning to roles 93 layouts available 90 types of 90 Load Balancer settings 14 Log files 101 M Maximum size of proxy video 19 Media Index settings 14 MediaCentral Distribution Service described 29 MediaCentral User Management service described 64 MediaCentral Zones configuring 69 managing 67 working with 67 Messages configuring e-mail forwarding 27 configuring message archiving 24 Messages & Sharing settings 14 Modules 14 Multiple resolutio
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Index U Unassigned group 87 User Management service described 64 User Management Utilities Tool options 112 User Tree pane described 61 Users adding to a group 84 changing password 88 creating 79 deleting 87 described 64 editing details 79 importing 71 managing 70 removing from a group 84 Users layout described 61 opening 60 V Video black detecting before STP.
Index 132 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
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