VBrick EtherneTV Portal Server EtherneTV v4.2.
Copyright © 2008 VBrick Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. 12 Beaumont Road Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, USA www.VBrick.com This publication contains confidential, proprietary, and trade secret information. No part of this document may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any machine-readable or electronic format without prior written permission from VBrick.
Contents Portal Server v4.2.1 Admin Guide Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x Font Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi Related Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Control Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Adding Control Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Adding User-Defined VBIRs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Connecting Control Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4. Users and User Groups Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Configuring Users and User Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 1. Setup and Configure ETV Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4. Configure ETV Resources for SSL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 6. Network Video Recording NVR Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 NVR Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 NVR Performance Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Software Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 10. Amino Set Top Box Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Connecting the Amino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Configuring the Amino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Backing Up the Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 15. Manual System Backup System Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 System Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Portal Server v4.2.1 Admin Guide This Portal Server Admin Guide is written for anyone who will be using or evaluating the VBrick EtherneTV Portal Server. This includes system administrators, software developers, network technicians, and others. The ETV Portal Server is a web-based portal for accessing and managing video assets including both live or stored audio and video files. The ETV Portal Server is a key component in VBrick's EtherneTV Media Distribution System.
VBPresenter explains how to configure and launch rich media presentation from the Portal Server including those created with VBPresenter. Auto Content Ingestion explains auto content ingestion. This is the process whereby video content is automatically populated on the portal server. EtherneTV Backup explains how to automatically backup the MySQL database and other key directories if you purchased EtherneTV Backup.
Font Conventions Arial bold is used to Programs > VBrick describe dialog boxes and menu choices, for example: Start > All Courier fixed-width font is used for code elements (C++, HTML) as well as filenames, directories, etc. Black Courier fixed-width font is used to indicate user input in keyboard commands, scripts, etc. Folder names and user examples are displayed in this sans serif font. Folder names and user input are displayed in this bold sans serif font.
xii Preface
Chapter 1F Introduction Topics in this chapter Portal Server Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Portal Server Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Portal Server Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Portal Server Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
available media assets on your network. Upon accessing the main portal page, users can navigate or search for specific videos, select the video, and immediately begin viewing DVD quality video. For on-demand videos, users can Fast Forward/Rewind and Seek to specific points in the video. Standard access control functionality provides restriction of certain content to particular users, user groups, or set top boxes.
Introduction PC Type Requirements Macintosh PCs • • • • • Linux PCs • Red Hat Fedora Core 3. • FireFox 2.0. • 512 MB RAM. Mac OS 10.3 or higher for PowerPC. Mac OC 10.4 or higher for Intel-based PC. Firefox for Macintosh 2.0 or higher. QuickTime Player 6.0 or higher. Internet Explorer on a Macintosh is not supported.
MySQL EtherneTV Portal Server is shipped with MySQL as the database. The MySQL database is installed as part of the Portal Server installation package. If the hardware/software combination was purchased from VBrick, MySQL will already be installed on your machine; the default user name is root. To protect the integrity of the database, you should change the default password (vbrick_18) after initial installation and periodically thereafter as explained below.
Introduction • • • • • • • Set Top Box users can use familiar Channel Up/Down keys and other hot keys on the IR remote control to navigate through video listings. Users can search through the list of Live or On-Demand videos by Title, Keyword , Description , or other custom fields defined by an ETV Portal Server administrator. Users can record and store videos on the EtherneTV-VOD Video-on-Demand server via ETV Portal Server.
• • • • • • • • • Autoingestion to the EtherneTV-VOD server – content placed in autoingestion folders on the ETV Portal Server will be automatically transferred and ingested into the EtherneTV-VOD server. Customized global messages can display on the ETV Portal Server interface. Channel numbers can be assigned to live streams. Define a startup channel for STBs – the STB will automatically tune into this channel when users select the Live TV option.
Introduction servers assessable to LAN users only (within a secured corporate network and behind a firewall) are called LAN-zone servers. Content added by users in the LAN zone will be ingested to all VOD servers for which they have permissions using the Add Video page. Users in the Internet zone have the Add Video page available only if they have permissions for at least one VOD server that is also in the Internet zone.
• • • Internet ETV users can add video only to VOD servers in the Internet zone. Internet users can only see MPEG-4 and Windows Media content stored on Internetbased servers. Internet servers do not support ETV scheduling features. ETV Set Top Box EtherneTV-STBs access the ETV Portal Server through a web browser within the Set Top Box.
Introduction Figure 3. Live Portal Server User Interface VB-PC Remote Controller The VB-PC Remote is a handheld infrared device you can use to control (stop/start/pause, etc.) any stream running on the Portal Server. The VB-PC Remote is compatible with Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher; it is not compatible with Firefox. The VB-PC Remote can be used for all Portal Server streams (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and WM) and has a line-of-sight range of approximately 40 feet.
WM IP Receiver VBrick's WM IP Receiver is similar to a conventional set top box but is significantly more stable, rugged, and reliable. It is designed for 24x7 operation, and built for enterprise networks that require a high degree of stability, security, and scalability. The WM IP Receiver is a robust, state-of-art device that meets the demanding requirements of VBrick's EtherneTV Media Distribution System. The WM IPR plays Windows Media streams from VBrick WM appliances and Windows Media servers.
Introduction users will also be required to install an additional plugin when they use Add Video for the first time (again, if they are configured with this privilege). Table 3. Supported Operating Systems and Browsers – Windows Operating System Browser Windows 2000 Internet Explorer 6.0 †, Firefox 2.0 † Windows XP Internet Explorer 6.0 †, Firefox 2.0 † Windows Vista Internet Explorer 6.0 †, Firefox 2.
Configuring a Macintosh for Tunneled Streams You may need to perform certain configuration steps on a Macintosh before you can use QuickTime to view streams tunneled over HTTP from a VOD-W server. T To configure QuickTime for tunneled streams: 1. Launch QuickTime on a Macintosh and click on the Apple QuickTime player to set focus on the task bar at the top of the screen. Click QuickTime Player in the task bar and go to QuickTime Preferences. On the Advanced tab, click on Transport Setup and then Custom .
Introduction Operating System Browser † Linux Fedora Core 4 Firefox 2.0 † Use version shown or higher. Port Requirements The drawing below, and the table that follows, show the required port configuration for various Portal Server devices. All ports in the drawing are TCP except as noted. Table 6. Port Requirements† Zone Port(s) Protocol Description Internet > DMZ 80 TCP Web request from client to MCS. Internet > DMZ 9876/9878 UDP Management/RTSP SAP announce from VBrick to MCS.
Zone Port(s) Protocol Description DMZ > LAN 80 TCP Management command from MCS to VBrick/STB. DMZ > LAN 80/8080 TCP Web service request from MCS to VOD Server (VOD-W/ NXG). DMZ > LAN 21 TCP FTP from MCS to VOD Server (Darwin/Windows Media/ FTP). LAN > DMZ 21 TCP FTP from VOD Server (NXG/VOD-W) to MCS. DMZ > LAN 135 TCP Management command from MCS to Windows Media (DCOM). DMZ > LAN 80 TCP Web service request from MCS to Network Video Recorder.
Introduction Table 7. Portal Server License Files License File Description License Errors Warm Backup Server If you purchased ETV Backup, two Portal Servers Not applicable. will be present—one of which must be configured as a warm backup. Use this option (and the popup shown below) to enable or disable the backup server. If you enable one server, you must disable the other. Default = Disable. Portal Server Use this option, as directed, to install a Portal Server license file.
License File Description Modify Host Name or IP Address Lets you auto-detect or manually change the Not applicable. Portal Server Host Name. This name must match the machine name on which ETV Portal Server is installed. If you change the host machine name, use this option to change the Portal Server Host Name. Uninstall Media Remove all ETV Portal Server components. You Control Server Suite are prompted to save the database as desired. License Errors Not applicable.
Introduction Admin Console Options Login to the ETV Portal Server Admin pages with a valid user name and password to display the following window. This window provides access to all admin configuration options. Table 8. Admin Options Option Description Getting Started The ETV Portal Server splash page shown above. Global Settings Provides system-wide configuration parameters to connect to VBrick encoders and VOD servers as well as to customize the look of the ETV Portal Server pages.
Option Description Status Shows the status of events in progress including recordings, Add Video commands, ingestion to the VOD server, and FTP downloads. Expired Content Log Shows all expired content still present on the Portal Server. Use Purge All to delete unwanted content. Access Control Provides the ability to limit access to the ETV Portal Server system to different users or groups of users.
Chapter 2 Global Settings Global Settings include configuration settings and parameters that apply to the entire system. Global Settings include all of the following. Topics in this chapter Global Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Custom Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Stream Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table 9. Global Assignments Item Description Assign a Global Message The global message will be displayed in the message area of the Portal Server user interface when there is no program information available. Enter the message text and click Submit. Example: There will be an all hands meeting today at 4:00 PM in the boardroom. Note that if you are running the Portal Server on a Set Top Box, the message area will not display more than 4 lines of text.
Global Settings Item Description Change Admin Password Change the default admin password of admin. Use any combination of alphanumeric and special characters except slashes, quotes, or commas. Define FTP User Name ETV Portal Server is defaulted for "anonymous" FTP access which is configured in Windows IIS Default FTP Site. If a more secure FTP access is desired, the User Name can be changed in IIS (see the Windows Server documentation for details). The same User Name should be entered here.
Item Description Assign LAN/Internet Address Range(s) Define the range(s) of IP addresses that define the LAN or the Internet domain. Any IP addresses outside the range are assumed to be from the domain you did not select. Check one option and, if necessary, use the text box to enter the range(s) separated by a comma, a semicolon, or a new line. For details, see ETV Internet-Based Servers on page 7. • All Users, Servers, and VBricks are in the LAN Domain (default).
Global Settings Item Description Set Expired VOD Content Treatment Specifies whether expired content will be kept or automatically deleted at the expiration date. Assign Content Expiration Warning Recipient Enter one e-mail address for the person who is responsible for renewing copyrighted or otherwise protected content. When you configure or change either the recipient or the mail server, the Portal Server will attempt to send a test message. Check that this message is successfully delivered.
Item Description Assign AutoIngest The current autoingest via XML user name that has access and publishing rights to a VOD server. See AutoIngest Content via XML on page 123 for more information. Delete Recorded Files After Used with scheduled recording and push button recording. Ingestion Specifies whether or not to delete the recorded file from the NVR after ingestion. Enabled by default.
Global Settings Item Description External Player Mode Windows only. Determines whether or not multiple streams can be displayed by launching external player windows. Default = Single. You can launch multiple windows but you can only record one stream at a time. Client Multiple Monitor Setup The Portal Server supports dual client monitors. However, if you experience problems when using a second monitor, disable the DirectX component VMR9.
2. 3. Enter a Field Name and a Field Type. If you select Dropdown , you can add items one at a time followed by Add Item . These items will populate a dropdown list box on the Customize Streams page. When done, click Add Custom Field . The field will be added to the panel at the top of the window; it will also be available as an option when you are customizing a stream. Add/Modify Custom Field This panel shows the existing custom fields that have previously been defined.
Global Settings Live Stream Click on any live stream shown in the list to populate this field. Max. Concurrent Viewers Set the maximum number of concurrent viewers for this stream to unlimited or any number greater than zero. Viewing Period of Stream Recordings Set the length of the viewing period for a file recorded with this stream in hours, days, weeks, months, or years.
need to support FTPS for a secure connection to exist. If a secure connection cannot be established, the client will revert to the standard FTP protocol. The FTP server on Windows platforms (IIS) does not currently support FTPS. Therefore, to have secure connections, you must install a third-party add-in on all Windows VOD servers. Of the various solutions available, VBrick recommends FTP Guardian. FTP Guardian is a wrapper for IIS that serves as a proxy between a secure client and an unsecured IIS.
Global Settings IP or Domain This is the primary IP address or Host Name of the VOD server for LAN users (see also Secondary Server Address below). The Server Name or IP address entered into the ETV Portal Server must be accessible by the ETV Portal Server. (If the network supports Windows 98 users, you must use the IP address.) Server Description This allows the administrator to define a descriptor such as location.
HTTP Tunneling Port VOD-W, VOD-WM and VOD-D servers can stream to clients via the HTTP protocol. By default this uses port 80. If another process on the server (for example a web server) is also using the HTTP protocol, there will be a conflict on this port. This setting lets you select a different port (1–65535 with limitations) to be used when streaming via HTTP. This setting must correspond with the port setting on the server.
Global Settings Figure 5. Add VOD-WM Server Domain or When the ETV Portal Server and the VOD-WM server reside in the same Machine Name domain, this is the name of that domain. When workgroups are being used, this is the machine name of the VOD-WM server. Note: the machine name is not the IP address of the server. User Name The name of a valid user that has administration privileges on the VOD-WM server or the network domain.
WM Publishing Name Points The publishing point on the VOD-WM (default = VBP) server where content will be accessed and managed by the ETV Portal Server. Note: this setting must correspond to an existing , valid publishing point on the server. Source Local path to the publishing point. Default = d:/wmpub/ WMRoot . Do not change for first publishing point. FTP Directory Path to user-created FTP directory. See Creating a VOD-WM FTP Server. Low Space Default = 20 MB.
Global Settings Note • The publishing point name within a server must be unique. You cannot add a publishing point that already exists in MCS database. • The publishing point FTP directory within a server must be unique. • If free space information is available at the time a publishing point is added, it must be greater than the entered Low Space Threshold. • Publishing points located within another publishing point are not supported although publishing points on the same drive are supported.
4. Verify that the directory specified in Step 2 above is set to allow the FTP user account full permissions. On the Portal Server : 5. When the Microsoft Windows Media Server is created or modified, specify the user name and password created in Step 3 above in the FTP User Name and FTP Password fields on the Add/Modify VOD/FTP Servers page Creating a VOD-D FTP Server If you are using a VOD-D (Darwin) server, you must install and configure a standard FTP server on the VOD-D server as explained below.
Global Settings This function is useful for VBrick VBStar appliances to easily transfer content from their hard drives to the VOD server. (It can also be helpful for users who acquire content outside of the ETV Portal Server, for example from StreamPlayer Plus.) When a folder is created, you must check a box in Add/Modify Folders on Selected Servers to associate the folder with a server for autoingestion. ETV Portal Server checks these folders every 5 minutes and ingests new content if present.
2. Type the new subfolder name in the text field, preceded by a forward slash, for example and click Submit when done. /Bill/temp, VBricks All VBricks must be configured in ETV Portal Server before they can be managed and used for scheduled events. (VBrick configuration is only required if you are using the Scheduling feature. Once configured, all VBricks in the system are shown on the following window.
Global Settings 3. 4. 5. In Select VBrick , select one or more existing VBricks for which a SAP has been received. If you select one VBrick, this populates the VBrick Configuration panel. (If you select multiple VBricks, it does not populate the panel; if you need to configure the VBricks, you must add them one at a time.) Complete or modify the fields in VBrick Configuration as necessary. Note that you must enter a User Name and Password and confirm that Password or the configuration will fail.
VBrick Model Select from dropdown. Advanced settings are enabled if you select an encoder or a VBStar. Advanced Settings Advanced settings are enabled if you select a VBrick encoder or a VBStar. Note that the Portal Server will attempt to retrieve and autofill the Multicast IP addresses and Port numbers. You can modify these fields as necessary. Note The following values are stored in the Portal Server database only.
Global Settings Note In some cases you may be able to control a source device using the front panel or the handheld remote that came with the unit, but this is not always possible. For example, if the remote gets lost or the source DVD and/or VCRs are rack-mounted in an inaccessible metal enclosure, you must use the Portal Server interface or a VBIR. Figure 7.
encoder. If the device is used as a source encoder for a scheduled broadcast, however, only the user who actually created the schedule will have access during the scheduled period. This prevents other users from potentially interrupting the broadcast. If the Portal Server does not have a Scheduling license, all control devices are available at any time to any user with VBrick access and other permissions.
Global Settings Name Enter a unique, descriptive name that will be displayed on the virtual remote. For example in Figure 7, "Sony DVD" is the configured name shown on the controller. No embedded spaces or special characters are allowed. Device Select a device from the dropdown list. The list shows serial port direct-connect devices and VBIR (SpitFire) commanded devices that are tested and supported by VBrick. It also shows any custom VBIR devices you have added.
Adding User-Defined VBIRs The VBrick VBIR is an external hardware device that uses the passthough port on a VBrick to send control commands via an infrared link to third-party devices like VCRs, DVDs, etc. (see Figure 9 for a visual schematic). You must use a VBIR if the target third-party device does not have a serial port that can directly connect to a VBrick encoder. The VBIR can be programmed with codes representing IR command sets that are compatible with devices from many manufacturers.
Global Settings the online help for the encoder. You can also control devices using VBrick's VBIR remote controller. To use the VBIR remote controller, you connect the VBIR SpitFire device to COM1 or COM2 on the VBrick encoder. The VBIR subsequently communicates with the DVD or VCR via infrared commands (see Figure 9) at the configured baud rate.
Control Device VBIRs EtherneTV Portal Server Control Devices use SpitFIRE model VBIRs to manipulate DVDs, VCRs or other devices controlled by IR commands. The VBIR contains an internal library of several hundred IR command sets stored in flash memory. The internal library is accessed by a three digit code. The VBIR internal library supports a wide range of devices from many, but not all, device manufacturers.
Global Settings T To add an STB configuration: 1. Go to Global Settings > Set Top Boxes. 2. Select Add STBs and click Submit .
3. 4. In Select STB, select one or more existing STB for which a SAP has been received. This populates the STB Configuration panel. (If you select multiple STBs, it does not populate the panel; if you need to configure the STBs, you must add them one at a time.) Complete or modify the fields in STB Configuration as necessary and click Submit . This adds the new configuration to the list of configured STBs shown on the previous page.
Global Settings 2. Select Add Recorders and click Submit . 3. Complete the fields in Recorder Configuration window and click Submit . This adds the newly configured recorder to the previous window. If necessary see Synchronizing the Portal Server and the NVR below. Recorder Server ETV Portal Server Admin Guide IP address or host name of recorder server. Defaults to localhost if recorder server is on the same machine as ETV Portal Server.
Record Path Path and folder where all recording are stored. By default, recordings are stored on the D: drive. If you install ETV Portal Server on a system without a D: drive, you must change the path. Also, in order to record multiple streams, the Record Path must be under FTP root. For example, if root is C:\Inetpub\ftproot the Record Path must be C:\Inetpub\ftproot\ Max. Recording The default number of concurrent recording sessions allowed is 2.
Global Settings T To add a Script Device configuration: 1. Go to Global Settings > Script Devices. 2. Select Add Script Devices and click Submit . 3. In Script Device Configuration , complete the following fields and click Submit . This adds the newly configured script device to the list of devices shown in the previous window. To modify a Script Device, first delete the device and then repeat these steps. Device Name Any user-defined name. Address Hard-coded device IP address.
Port TCP/IP port number range = 1040 –65534 . If using serial port passthrough, use the VBrick's passthrough port number: 4439 for COM1, 4414 for COM2 Scripts Scripts work with previously defined script devices such as VBricks, STBs, or other devices attached to a VBrick. Scripts can be used to control any type of VBrick or to control other devices like cameras and VCRs that are attached to a VBrick.
Global Settings 2. Select Add Scripts and click Submit . 3. In Script Configuration , enter a Script Name and select a Device Type (MPEG1, MPEG2/ MPEG4/WM, or Other) from the dropdown list—and wait a few seconds for ETV Portal Server to populate the panel with a list of devices. In Select Device, highlight one or more devices and use the arrow buttons to populate the right panel. Create the Script Content . a.
b. order in which the commands will be executed at runtime. (See Finding VBrick Parameters and Values for more information. For non-VBrick (Other ) devices, write the script in a native language compatible with the device (or copy and paste binary input) and click Submit when done. To run a previously created script, login to ETV Portal Server and click Scheduled Programs. Then create a schedule by selecting a date, time, and (optionally) a recurrence pattern.
Global Settings T To locate a parameter name by viewing the source code: 1. 2. Find the Parameter Name in the Integrated Web Server (IWS) page. Then locate the parameter name by viewing the source code of the page. T To find the parameter value: 1. 2. Locate the parameter name as described above. Find the Parameter Value by examining the MIB file with either a standard MIB browser or a text editor.
URL Enter a valid URL or IP address. See examples above. Type Choose MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WM or Other. Select Other for most non-MPEG streams; select WM for .swf Flash streams. Title Title is what will display to clients in the ETV Portal Server viewing pages. Valid URL Examples The following examples show valid URL syntax for live video streams. All URLs are case sensitive and the syntax must be accurate because there is no internal validation of user input.
Global Settings Stream Type URL Syntax WM http://172.22.2.147/vbs1http.asx http://172.22.2.147/vbrickvideo1 Where 172.22.2.147 is the source IP address and vbrickvideo1 is the program name. Note that the WM IPR does not support RTSP streams. Other ASX Files http://172.1.1.1/file.asx http://myHost/file.asx http://www.myCompany.com/files/file.asx MP3 and WMA Files http://172.1.1.1/file.mp3 http://myHost/file.mp3 http://172.1.1.1/file.wma http://myHost/file.wma WMV Files http://www.myCompany.
URL Enter a valid URL or IP address. For example: rtsp://ipaddress/programname mms://ipaddress/videoname.wmv Type Choose MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MPEG-4 NXG, Document, WM, or Other. If you are creating a URL for stored video that points to www.yahoo.com , for example, select Document in this field—not Other. Select WM for .swf Flash streams.
Global Settings The URL must point to a web server or a local drive. The Portal Server server can act as the web server for this content, if the content is placed in the c:\program files\vbrick\mcs directory on the ETV Portal Server (or in any subdirectory you create, e.g. ... mcs\test_files\test.doc). A local path or network shared path also can be entered.
2. Select Add Template and click Submit to display the following window. 3. Enter a Template Name, select a Schedule Type, and click Next . (Duplicate template names are allowed but not recommended.
Global Settings Note Advanced Settings are available to configure VBricks and STBs with exceptional configuration parameters. It is unlikely you will ever need to change these settings. In all cases you can safely ignore the Advanced Settings and use the defaults provided by ETV Portal Server. Template name Alphanumeric characters or spaces. No special characters. Schedule Type Live Broadcast • VBrick – Select a live stream by VBrick Name. Then select the destination VBricks or STBs.
Schedule Start Options Enter values that describe the device state at schedule start. • Program Name – Program name selected above. • Template – MPEG only. Screen varies for MPEG-1, 2, or 4. • Destination – Destination 1, Destination 2, RTSP Server. • Destination Address – Enter value. • Video Port – Enter value. • Audio Port – Enter value. • Closed Captioning Port – Enter value. • Video – Enabled, Disabled, As Configured. • Audio – Enabled, Disabled, As Configured.
Global Settings Alert Templates available to ETV Portal Server users from the Portal Server application. See the ETV Portal Server User Guide for more information. Program Names Program Names are used with live presentations. A Program Name is the title that will be displayed on the Live Broadcasts page during a live, rich media presentation—if users have Live Channel privileges.
Manage Playlists Use this window to change playlist attributes including Folder, Title, and Owner. If Access Control is not enabled, the owner for all playlists defaults to MCSClient . Note that if Access Control is subsequently enabled, any previously created playlists will not be available unless they are re-assigned from MCSClient to other valid users. 62 © 2008 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Global Settings Folders Select a folder location for the playlist. The default folder is the private MyMedia folder of the playlist owner. Title Use any alphanumeric characters except ' ^ : * ? | [ ] ( ) < > % # Owner The owner is the logged-in user who created the playlist. Access Logging Access logging tracks Portal Server usage. It creates logs that let you review who has watched what content, when, and for how long.
Enable Access Logging Sets access logging on or off. Default = off. The log files are saved in Program Files\VBrick\MCS\Logs. Log Cycle Time New log files can be created daily, weekly, or when the file reaches a certain size. Old files are never deleted or written over. Log File Directory Specifies where the log files are saved. This can be on the same machine as the Portal Server or on a different machine in the same network.
Global Settings Using EthernetTV Reporter If you purchased a separate license, you can use VBrick's powerful "EtherneTV Reporter" log analysis tool to examine the access logs. EtherneTV Reporter is a dedicated log file analysis tool. It reads individual log files generated by the Portal Server and generates a graphical statistical report based on the contents of the log data.
5. 6. Once the window is populated with log data (Figure 11) you can view or sort any of the columns as necessary. Click Pivot Table Wizard and follow the prompts to build a Pivot Table. Figure 11. Imported Access Log 66 © 2008 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Chapter 3 Server Administration Topics in this chapter Channels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Modify VOD Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Channel Guide Server Location The location of the VBrick Channel Guide Server. To enter a different location, uncheck the Default box and enter a valid URL in the following format: http://www. . Channel Guide Server Security By default, password security is enabled. Uncheck to disable, and then enter and confirm a different password. Channel Guide Update Select the time and day when the Portal Server will connect to the Time and Day specified Channel Guide Server for program updates.
Server Administration provided by a Channel Guide Server. Note that the Add TV Stations option is not shown unless you have a Channel Guide Server license installed on the Portal Server (see Installing Portal Server License Files on page 14 for more information). All currently defined stations are shown in the Stations List . The Portal Server discovers all available live streams on the network.
3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 70 Select an existing icon or Browse to a file and select Import to make additional icons available. Change the station Name (optional) and enter a Channel number (required). Add a Description of the channel and Keywords. These are displayed on the Info page shown when you mouseover the station icon. They are associated with the stream and make it easier to search for specific content. When done click Add Custom Station .
Server Administration Name Required. Name assigned to the station that will display on the popup when you mouseover the icon on the Live Broadcasts page. Channel Required. Unique number that will display on the popup when you mouseover the icon on the Live Broadcasts page Description Optional. Description that will display on the View Info page. Keywords Optional. Enter searchable keyword(s) separated by commas or spaces that will display on the View Info page.
Add New Links This feature lets you add a hyperlink to the page you get by clicking the View Info link that is associated with each live stream. T To add a new link: 1. 2. Click Add New Link and enter a Link Title and Link Type. Enter a Web Page URL or navigate to an upload file (an image, a Microsoft Word document, etc.). Click Add Link when done and repeat as many times as necessary. 3. Link Title 72 The title actually displayed on the View Info page, for example "Additional Information.
Server Administration Link Type • Web page URL – Enter a valid URL or copy and paste one from your web browser. • Uploaded File – Browse to select an upload file. This can be a PowerPoint, an image, or any file you want to make available to end users. The file is automatically uploaded to the Portal Server and the Portal Server creates a URL for end users to access it. Custom Programs This page is used to add programming information to an existing station.
Custom Station From the dropdown list, select a defined Custom Station for which you want to define a program. Delete Programs This Station Delete all programming data for the selected station. Delete Programs For All Stations Delete all programing data for all stations. Add New Custom Program Add a new line at the bottom of the "Current Programming" list for a new custom programming item. ID Program ID. Read only. Station Name Station Name. Read only.
Server Administration Note The message "Program Unavailable" in the Channel Guide means there is no programming data associated with the stream. It does not mean the stream itself is unavailable. You can still click on the stream to launch it in the preview window. Edit Custom Programs T To edit a Custom Program: 1. 2. Navigate to the program you want to change and click Edit . Manually edit any of the fields as necessary and click Update when done. Modify VOD Content Video on Demand Servers only.
76 Search box (All) Search for specific assets by selecting All, Keyword, Title, or Expiration Date. Then click Refresh. Filter Pattern Search for specific assets using a filter pattern. Type any text string and click Refresh. For example, type mp4 to search for assets with mp4 in the title. The filter does not recognize "wildcards" and is not case-sensitive. Name Video content name. Click on Refresh to re-paint the screen or Purge button to remove the artifacts of failed Delete operations.
Server Administration Valid Licenses This dropdown displays a list of all currently valid licenses for content purchased from VBrick. Select the license you wish to update. Update all content expiration for the selected license Use this field to update the expiration dates of purchased content. First install the license you receive from VBrick (see Installing Portal Server License Files on page 14). Then check this box and click Submit to update the content expiration data for the select license.
Expired Content Log This window shows all expired content in chronological order with the oldest expiration date first. Click Purge All to delete all records in the log. See Modify VOD Content on page 75 and Stream Restrictions on page 26 for more information. Access Control Under the Access Control section, administrators have the ability to enable Authentication and Authorization which requires users to login and be authenticated.
Server Administration and Resource Groups are shown on the navigation bar. Access control determines what functionality is available to each user. For example some users may have unlimited access, while others can only view certain live channels and may not have permission to record live channels or add videos to the VOD server. Users and User Groups on page 89 explains in detail how configure users and groups.
authenticating against Microsoft's Active Directory, check the LDAP Server is Microsoft check box and enter the path to the LDAP server in the LDAP Path box. If authenticating against a directory other than Microsoft Active Directory, do not check LDAP Server is Microsoft Active Directory. LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is a standardized method to access directories from multiple vendors. A complete discussion of LDAP is beyond the scope of this document.
Server Administration Attribute for Usernames† Required by ETV Portal Server. Attribute to identify a user. The following sample username attributes are widely used but refer to a specific LDAP schema: • Microsoft Active Directory: sAMAccountName • Novell eDirectory: uid Attribute for Groups† Required by ETV Portal Server. Attribute to identify the group to which a user belongs.
• • • • • Integrated Windows Authentication is only valid when using LDAP Authentication with Microsoft Active Directory. You must perform an additional configuration step in IIS as explained below in Configuring IIS for Single Sign-On. Integrated Windows Authentication only works seamlessly with Microsoft Internet Explorer browsers (Windows and Macintosh). When accessing ETV Portal Server, you will get a popup login window only if you have not previously logged in to the network.
Server Administration Using Single Sign-On T To use single-sign-on (and avoid username/password prompts), you must do one of the following: • • Access the Portal Server by the alphabetical name (for example http://yourserver). Access the Portal Server by the IP address in which case you must also add the Portal Server to the Local Intranet Zone (Internet Options > Security > Sites ). This setting can be pushed company-wide by an administrator using security policies.
84 6. 7. Choose the General tab. and click Install Certificate. Click Next . 8. 9. Click Place all certificates in the following store. Click Browse. 10. 11. 12. 13. Check Show physical stores check box. Click the plus sign (+) next to Trusted Root Certificate Authorities. Select Local Computer and click OK . Click Next and Finish when done. © 2008 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Server Administration Resolving Other Security Alerts If you are receiving any other Security Alerts you will need to identify the problem as either "out of date" or The name on the security certificate is invalid. If the certificate has an invalid name, follow the steps below to determine the valid name. If the certificate has an "out of date" error, a new certificate must be created. T To determine the valid certificate name: 1. 2. Click View Certificate.
Users See Configuring Users on page 93. User Groups See Configuring User Groups on page 99. Resource Groups See Resource Groups on page 101. Help This command launches the ETV Portal Server online help system in a new window. This online help system provide fast full-text search and makes it easy to find the information you need. To navigate in the help window, use the tree controls on the left to expand a topic and the navigation buttons at the top to move to a different page.
Server Administration Logout This command logs you out of the application and lets you log back in as a different user. This may be necessary to gain access to certain functionality. For example, some users may not be allowed to create thumbnails and you may want to login as a user who has the permissions to do this.
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Chapter 4 Users and User Groups Topics in this chapter Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Configuring Users and User Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Configuring Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Configuring User Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Authentication Authentication is the process of identifying an individual, usually based on a username and password. In security systems, authentication is distinct from authorization (see below), which is the process of providing individuals access to resources based on their identity. Authentication merely ensures that the individual is who he or she claims to be, but says nothing about the access rights of the individual.
Users and User Groups Configuring Users and User Groups 1. Setup and Configure ETV Components The following products need to be setup and properly configured prior to configuring Access Control. 1. ETV Portal Server – The ETV Portal Server needs to be properly setup and configured on the network. The following items should be configured in the Portal Server interface: a.
LDAP Database Enables the ETV Portal Server to authenticate against, and retrieve user and group data from, an existing LDAP server. Both methods can be used simultaneously. If LDAP authentication is enabled, the ETV Portal Server will attempt to authenticate against the LDAP server first, and if this is unsuccessful, will attempt to authenticate against the local ETV Portal Server User Database. VBrick Database If authentication is enabled, you must select a database (either VBrick or LDAP).
Users and User Groups 4. Create Resource Groups on the Portal Server In the Portal Server software, providing a user with Resources refers to providing them access to a particular functionality of the EtherneTV system. These include the ability to: • • • • • View Live Channels. View VOD content. Publish content to the VOD. Record content or schedule a recording. Launch a priority alert. A unique feature of the Portal Server software is the ability to group Resources into Resource Groups.
permissions. For ease of implementation, VBrick recommends configuring User Groups and Resource Groups (see these sections below), prior to configuring users. However, if further individual permissions need to be assigned, administrators can add them as a user. Under the users section, administrators have the ability to add, modify and delete users. Submit may be pressed at anytime during the process or can be done when everything has been added/modified.
Users and User Groups Once all selections have been made, you can press Submit in the bottom right hand corner of the screen (or any of the other buttons shown above) to submit the information to the database. User privileges include the following options: Add/Modify User Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Add/Modify User's Group Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
STB Pin Optional. A PIN number can be assigned to a user that allows them to access their content from any STB, regardless of the STB's privilege level. This works well when an STB is going to be a shared resource. Note: STB PIN access is dependent on VBrick Database being enabled. First Name Optional. User first name. Last Name Optional. User last name. E-mail address Optional. User e-mail address. Location Optional. User location.
Users and User Groups Note The live streams shown in the Portal Server may also be restricted by a bit mask on a VBrick encoder. The Portal Server will parse the bitmask and send the live stream only to ETV clients with a IP address that matches the masked IP of the source VBrick. You can use this feature in addition to the Portal Server authorization features. See the Announce(SAP) parameter in the MPEG-2, MPEG-4, or WM Appliance Admin Guide for more information.
Do Not Allow RTSP viewing This will limit users from viewing RTSP Unicast Streams from MPEG-4 Encoders and from accessing RTSP unicast streams from a Video-on-Demand server (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, or MPEG-4). This works well to maintain bandwidth utilization over a particular LAN or WAN port. Restrict RSTP viewing to Kbps This will limit users to only viewing RTSP streams that are a certain size or smaller. This works well to maintain bandwidth utilization over a particular LAN or WAN port.
Users and User Groups STB Access Administrators can allow a user the ability to access all STBs or only specific STBs when scheduling events. When scheduling an event, users will see only those STBs for which they have been granted access. Schedule Privileges Users may have full, partial, or no permission to schedule VBrick event. Users with full privileges can modify all configuration parameters in a schedule. Users with partial privileges cannot modify Advanced Settings.
Add/Modify Group Information If LDAP is being used for authentication, then the group name has to exactly match the group name in the LDAP directory. If LDAP is not being used, Group Names can be entered directly into the ETV Portal Server database. If Microsoft's Active Directory is used, to find the available list of active groups in Windows XP, browse to My Network Places and click on the left-hand menu Search Active Directory. A new window will open. Click Find now to see all available groups.
Users and User Groups Note The remaining options for User Groups (beginning with Add/Modify Live Channel Privileges ) are the same as those described earlier for individual Configuring Users on page 93. The only difference is that the descriptions will apply to groups of users rather than to individual users. Resource Groups In the ETV Portal Server software, providing a user with Resources refers to providing them access to a particular functionality of the EtherneTV system.
Add/Modify User 's Resource Assignments Users can be assigned to specific Resource Groups, and they will inherit the privileges of that Resource Group. If no Users appear, then none have been defined. Click on the Users section to add Users. Add/Modify Group 's Resource Assignments User Groups can be assigned to Resource Groups, and the User Group will inherit the privileges of that Resource Group. If no User Groups appear, then none have been defined.
Users and User Groups 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. It determines if there is Authentication/Authorization information associated with the Host Name of the STB. If so, based on the STB Host Name, the ETV Portal Server will present the STB with the information appropriate to its privileges. Note that the ETV Portal Server uses the least restrictive settings when providing access to the system.
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Chapter 5 Configuring for SSL Overview Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) provides endpoint authentication and communications privacy over the Internet using cryptography. Whenever there is a concern regarding confidentially and integrity of management data being sent between ETV Portal Server and external clients, the ETV Portal Server user login page and all admin pages should be configured with a digital X.509 certificate to enable SSL encryption.
5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Select the Server Certificate button within Secure communications to launch the Web Server Certificate Wizard. Select Next on the Welcome dialog box. Select Create a New Certificate and then select Next . (If Create a New Certificate is unavailable, the certificate has probably been installed already. If that is the case, skip the rest of the steps, and go to Step 4. Configure ETV Resources for SSL.
Configuring for SSL 5. 6. 7. 8. Select Server Certificate to launch the Web Server Certificate Wizard Select Process the pending request and install the certificate and then click Next . Enter the path and file name of the file that contains the response from the CA, and then click Next . Examine the certificate overview, click Next , and then click Finish . A certificate is now installed on the ETV Portal Server. 4.
Securing the Portal Server Admin Pages T To configure the ETV Portal Server Admin pages for SSL access: 1. Go the Admin Console location, typically C:\Program Files\VBrick\MCS\Common\MCS and open web.config in a text editor. Uncomment the sections labeled Web Page Security 1 and Web Page Security 2 by deleting only the characters shown below in red. Admin Console 2.
Chapter 6 Network Video Recording Topics in this chapter NVR Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 NVR Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 NVR Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 NVR Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
performance. The Portal Server and/or the NVRs are delivered with all software installed or as a software-only option. The NVR comes in standard and standalone versions as explained below. The only difference is in functionality. Both record either 10 or 40 concurrent streams depending on the license you purchase. Both versions can be expanded to include multiple, additional NVRs so that your recording capacity is virtually unlimited. Figure 13.
Network Video Recording NVR Performance Considerations The NVR 40 lets you record any combination of up to 40 MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and WM streams at a time. There are however performance considerations when recording multiple, simultaneous, high-rate MPEG-2 or WM streams. At MPEG-2 rates up to 5.5Mbps or WM rates up to 1.2Mbps 40 simultaneous recordings are supported. At higher rates however the full licensing capacity cannot be used. For example, when using the Best Quality WM template at 4.
• has an API interface that lets you write custom applications to control the NVR. Note When purchasing additional NVRs, VBrick provides a single combined license that includes recording capacity for all NVRs onsite (Standard and/or Standalone). NVR Installation See the NVR Release Notes for complete installation instructions. Synchronizing the Portal Server and the NVR The internal clocks on the Portal Server and the NVR must be synchronized for recording functionality to work properly.
Network Video Recording e. f. Allow Content Recording Schedule Privileges Configuring a Standalone NVR T To configure a standard NVR in a Standalone NVR Installation: 1. Login to the Standalone NVR Admin Console using the host name or IP address of the Standalone NVR machine. For example: http://myserveraddress/admin Define a Record server. a. Set record Path if necessary. Set to local hard drive on NVR or to a network drive. b. Set Max. Recording. 2. 3.
shown below in Figure 14. For a complete description of the Scheduler, see "Using the Scheduler" in the Portal Server User Guide. Note To use a standard NVR, the Portal Server and the NVR must be installed and running. To use a standalone NVR, only the NVR application must be running. Figure 14. Portal Server "Schedule Record" Page 114 © 2008 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Chapter 7 VBPresenter Note VBPresenter v2.x works with VBrick's WM or MPEG-4 appliances and uses the Windows Media Player interface. VBPresenter v3.x supports VBrick WM video only. It delivers an advanced interactive viewer interface using Microsoft's Silverlight technology. VBPresenter v3.x requires VBDNA v4.2 or above for direct streaming from a WM appliance to viewers. Earlier versions of firmware are acceptable when streaming via a service or from a Windows Media Server.
Figure 15. VBPresenter v2.x Rich Media Presentation Working with Presentations If you will be working with VBPresenter presentations, be aware that they have the following unique characteristics and limitations. • • • • They launch in a new browser window in their native user interface—not in the Portal Server. They can only be uploaded from VBPresenter—they cannot be added directly or autoingested to the Portal Server.
VBPresenter this combination of FTP user name and password must place the user into the FTP root directory of the Portal Server. (This is not the same as the Presentations directory. The Presentations directory is a virtual directory in IIS. This directory is the root folder for live presentations only.) There is an MCS directory at the FTP root directory. Note that the entries made in the Admin console are stored in the Portal Server and do not actually configure IIS.
Launching a Live Presentation The web server in VBPresenter can be configured with either a domain name or an IP address. If configured with an IP address, you must launch the MCS client using the IP address in order to view presentations successfully; if configured with a domain name, you must launch the MCS client using the domain name. You cannot mix-and-match domain names and IP addresses or Session Expired and Maximum Viewers Exceeded errors may be displayed by the Portal Server.
VBPresenter Launching a Stored Presentation T To launch a stored presentation: 1. 2. Open the Portal Server user interface. On the Video Library page, navigate to the video name published from VBPresenter and click once to launch it in a browser. Mouse over the presentation name to display the Info button to the right. Use this popup window to enter Keyword and Description "metadata" that will make the presentation easy to find in a search. 3.
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Chapter 8 Auto Content Ingestion Topics in this chapter AutoIngest Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 AutoIngest Content via XML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Removing MPEG-4 Closed Captions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Note The default FTP path may be on a different drive, refer to the IIS default FTP configuration to confirm. Content that is placed under the autoingest root folder on the ETV Portal Server will be ingested into the root video folder on the VOD server provided that it is configured using the ETV Portal Server Administrator interface.
Auto Content Ingestion AutoIngest Content via XML This feature lets you autoingest video files by placing an .xml file in the AutoIngestXML folder on the Portal Server. It also lets you associate metadata with the video such as maximum number of viewers for copyright protection, keywords for searching, etc. As explained below there are three ways (see Table 14) to use this feature depending on where the source files are located. The Portal Server monitors this folder for .
4. Then go to Global Settings > Global Assignments > Assign AutoIngest and set the user you just defined as the Current AutoIngest User. AutoIngestXML Modes There are three modes of operation as shown in Table 14. The mode you use depends on where the source files are located. Table 14. AutoIngest Modes Mode Description Direct The target source video file is FTPed to the AutoIngestXML folder. The video file and the .xml file must both be FTPed to this folder.
Auto Content Ingestion Table 15. AutoIngestXML Tags Tag Description Command Required. Must be set to ingest . MCSTitle Required. Cannot be blank. Must begin with "/" and contains fully qualified path to destination VOD folder/title on the Portal Server. The autoingest user name must have publishing rights for VOD target folder. Keywords Optional. Keywords associated with this video. Used for search. Description Optional. Description of the video. Used for search.
Removing MPEG-4 Closed Captions MPEG-4 files with closed captions cannot be added to NXG servers until the closed caption track is removed. The ETV Portal Server will display an error message if you try to add such files. VBrick provides a utility to remove the closed captions track from an MPEG-4 file if necessary. It is installed with ETV Portal Server in c:\program files\vbrick\utils T To remove the closed captions track from MPEG-4 files: 1. 2.
Chapter 9 EtherneTV Backup This chapter explains how to use ETV Backup to create a warm back Portal Server. If you did not purchase ETV Backup, you can backup key Portal Servers files and directories manually. See Manual System Backup on page 163 for details. Topics in this chapter Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Configuring ETV Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Note ETV Backup is tightly integrated with the Portal Server and backs up key directories and files. VBrick does not support any user customization of this product or any non-ETV Portal Server uses of the software. ETV Backup Profiles The folders shown below are automatically backed up from the live server to the warm server. As shown in the window, each key Portal Server directory is preconfigured with a corresponding "profile.
EtherneTV Backup Configuring ETV Backup To configure EtherneTV Backup, you must perform all of the following steps in the exact sequence shown. 1. Enable the Warm Backup Server If you purchased ETV Backup, two Portal Servers will be present at your site—one of which must be configured as a warm backup. By default, the warm backup option is disabled on both servers. T To enable a warm backup server: 1.
2. Enter License Key The first time you launch ETV Backup, you will be prompted for a license key. This key is attached to the "Software Activation Keys" card shipped with the EtherneTV server. The application will launch as soon as you enter the license key. 3. Set Profile IP Addresses ETV Backup is shipped with a preconfigured profile "group" called MCS Warm Backup This group has individual profiles corresponding to all of the key Portal Server directories that need to be backed up.
EtherneTV Backup 3. Be sure a user with administrative privileges on the server machine is shown in the Run box. Press Set Password and enter the password associated with that user. as 4. Press OK and OK and minimize the application—do not exit. 5. Reset Database Backup Versioning This step is important. Do not omit this step. T To reset database backup versioning: 1. 2. Right-click on MCS Database Backup and select Modify.
3. Click OK and minimize the application—do not exit. 6. Test the Configuration When you are finished configuring the IP addresses, click the Run icon in the navigation footer. The backup should run without errors and a window similar to the one shown below will report a successful backup. However if problems occur, for example if you entered an invalid IP address, the window will report on any errors. Correct the problems using the information provided in the window and try again.
EtherneTV Backup Turning a Warm Backup Server into a Live Server A Portal Server can experience a hardware failure for a variety of reasons. If the hardware fails, you will be unable to communicate with the server via a web browser, the Remote Desktop utility, or any other means. Since there will be no web access, end users may get a "404 page not found", server timeout, or similar message. If this happens, remove the server from service and turn the warm backup into the live server as explained here.
Bandwidth Throttling If necessary, each profile can be bandwidth-throttled to limit the bandwidth used for file transfers. Under normal conditions, you will never need to change these settings. However, the value (in KBps) can be set to lessen the impact of backups in bandwidthchallenged environments. A setting of 0 (the default) will not limit the bandwidth used for the file transfers. T To throttle the bandwidth used for file transfers: 1.
Chapter 10 Amino Set Top Box Topics in this chapter Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Connecting the Amino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Configuring the Amino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Configuring the Remote Control for a TV . . . . . . . . . .
a. b. 4. Connect one end of the Amino A/V lead to the composite connector on the Amino. Connect the other end to either the S-Video connector on the TV or to the red, white, and yellow audio and video connectors. Connect the power supply and install three AAA batteries in the remote control. Configuring the Amino The Amino STB is shipped with a handheld IR remote control and an optional wireless keyboard. You must use the Amino wireless keyboard to configure the set top box.
Amino Set Top Box Figure 16. Amino MCS Home Page 11. Click on Watch live broadcasts, for example, to display the Live Broadcasts page (Figure 17). You can use this page to select any available MPEG-2 stream. Figure 17. Live Broadcasts Page Changing the IP Address Once the Amino is initially configured as explained above, you can change the IP address as necessary using the wireless keyboard. T To change the IP address: 1. 2. 3. Go to the Amino MCS home page (Figure 16) and press Ctrl on the keyboard.
Configuring the Remote Control for a TV The Amino handheld IR remote control is designed to work with the Amino set top box. During normal operation, the STB/TV button (see the Portal Server User Guide) should be set for STB. It can, however, be configured to work with a standard TV. In order for the remote to transmit the correct signals to control the TV, it must be programmed with a 3-digit code that matches the TV. See the Amino Remote Controls User Guide for more information.
Amino Set Top Box Table 18. Video Output with a Widescreen (16:9) TV: TV Display Format Video Output Widescreen TV 16:9 video plays normally and 4:3 video has black bars left and right (pillar box). This relies on the TV responding to aspect ratio switching signals on VBI line 23 (PAL only). On TVs that don't respond to this signal, you must set the TV aspect ratio manually to avoid a stretched or squashed picture.
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Chapter 11 ACNS Configuration Topics in this chapter Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 ACNS Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Verify Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Windows Media and Darwin servers require no additional configuration.) Use the following steps to configure a VOD-W server to work with ACNS. T To configure a VOD-W server to work with ACNS: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Login the VOD-W server. Go to Start > Windows Explorer. Expand the tree in the left pane under the drive labeled (C:) . Expand Program Files under C: and then expand InfoValue under that. Click on QuickVideo OnDemand Server. Double-click on the file QvcsConfig.ini .
ACNS Configuration 3. 4. 5. Check Enable manifest generation , select the files (MPEG-4 and/or WM) to include, and specify an interval (default = 10 minutes) that defines how often the file will be regenerated. Click Submit when done. Click Generate Now to create an "on demand" manifest file. The Portal Server will create (and periodically overwrite) a manifest file called ACNSManifest.xml in the Program Files\VBrick\MCS\Cisco folder. The Cisco subdirectory is automatically created.
Verify Installation T Use the following steps to verify the MCS/ACNS integration is successful: 1. 2. Be sure that the MCS Portal Server and ACNS are configured as explained above. Go into the ACNS management system and verify that the video content added via the ETV Portal Server has been pushed to the ACNS remote content engine's disk storage. Open a browser and launch a Portal Server client. Launch a stored MPEG-4 or WM video from the Portal Server user interface.
Chapter 12 Rebranding the User Interface Topics in this document Customizing the Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Rebranding the Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Rebranding Other ETV Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table 19. EtherneTV Replaceable Images Interface Image Portal Server Header image: C:\Program Files\VBrick\MCS\Images\ topBanner-1003x50_PS.jpg VBrick STB Header image for MCS Portal Server: C:\sfwapp\Components\WebApp\MCS\images\STB\ EtherneTV-Top-STB_PS.jpg Header image for MCS Live Portal Server: C:\sfwapp\Components\WebApp\MCS\images\STB\ EtherneTV-Top-STB_LPS.jpg Amino STB Header image: C:\sfwapp\Components\WebApp\MCS\MCS_Amino\images\ EtherneTV_logo_STB_20.
Rebranding the User Interface Modify #header tag – add: background-image: url(yourLogo.jpg); .headerLogo – change to: display:none; Header Client Branding (Left hand text in header) Files to Change css/MCSv4.css Classes .header_ClientBranding Modify Any attributes for font and color. Page Margins and Borders Files to Change css/PC_HighRes.css, css/PC_LowRes.css Classes #workspace Modify Any attributes for margins, positioning, borders and master workspace background color/image.
Player’s Title Text Files to Change css/MCSv4.css Classes .player_titlebar_text Modify Font, color, etc. Channel Guide Search TextBox Files to Change css/ChanGuide_styles.css Classes .CHGuideSearchTextBox Modify Font, color, etc. Channel Guide Background Search Area Files to Change css/ChanGuide_styles.css Classes .timeHeadertableSearch Modify Background-color Channel Guide Time Navigation Files to Change css/ChanGuide_styles.css Classes .timeHeadertable, .timeHeaderCells, .
Rebranding the User Interface Channel Guide Station Menu Files to Change css/ChanGuide_styles.css Classes .ChGuideStationMenuPosition, .ChGuideStationMenuTable, .ChGuideStationMenuChannel, .ChGuideStationMenuTitle Modify Background-color, background-Image, fonts, color, dimensions, etc. Channel Guide Content List Files to Change css/ChanGuide_styles.css Classes .ChguideTable, .ChGuideStationCells, .ChguideCells, .
Rebranding Other ETV Components VBrick Set Top Box STB List and Related HTML Files to Change css/MCS_Styles_stb.css, layers/mainElement-background-stb.inc Classes all Modify Font size, color, background, padding, etc. HTML Any files in: layer/ directory ending with "–stb.inc" Amino Set Top Box STB List and Related HTML Files to Change MCS_Amino/css/A_classes.css, A_layout.css, MCSControls.css Classes All Modify Font size, color, background-color, dimensions, padding, etc.
Chapter 13 NXG-to-VOD-W Content Migration Topics in this document Creating an Asset List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Using the Migration Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Verifying the Migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
will be created in the current directory. The script should not generate any output. If it does, note the output for analysis by VBrick Support Services. Copy nxg_asset_list to the Portal Server machine or use an FTP URL in the Assets field of the Migration Tool. For example: nxg_asset_list 6. ftp://vbrickuser:vbrickuser@/nxg_asset_list Sample Asset List This snippet shows sample assets included in the file nxg_asset_list . Each asset is described by name and location.
NXG-to-VOD-W Content Migration Increasing the Ingestion Rate You can make the migration process substantially faster by increasing the rate at which files are ingested on the VOD-W server. T 1. To increase the ingestion rate: On the VOD-W server, go to Start > Control Panel > InfoValue QuickVideo > QVCS > Advanced . 2. 3. Set the Transfer Rate to 1000000 and click OK . Click OK again to exit. When the content migration is complete, reset the Transfer Rate to the default (10000 ).
MCS Address IP address of VBrick Portal Server. User Name User name for Portal Server. User Password User password for Portal Server. Source VoD Server Address IP address of source NXG server. Ftp User Name FTP user name of NXG server. Default = vbrickuser Ftp User Password FTP password of NXG server.
NXG-to-VOD-W Content Migration Assets Filter Optional. Enter an alphabetic substring to search for matching files and click Apply. File Names Select the video files to be migrated from the complete list of files in the asset list. Use Check All , Uncheck All , or Delete Selected as appropriate. Note that Delete Selected works with selected (i.e. highlighted) files and not checked files. Schedule Start On Start date. Default = unchecked.
156 © 2008 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Chapter 14 Purchased Content Ingestion Topics in this document Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Configuring IIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Ingesting Purchased Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 Backing Up the Database. . . . . . . . . . .
2. Open IIS Manager. a. Expand the Local server and then the FTP server. 158 b. Add an FTP site called MassIngest . c. Map the FTP site to the directory on the LaCie USB drive that has the video to be ingested. © 2008 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Purchased Content Ingestion d. Set permissions to allow for anonymous FTP and close IIS. 3. Copy the Excel spreadsheet from the flash drive to your C:\ drive. 4. Install the license file (for example content_34294950443.lic) using the Windows Add or Remove Programs utility. a. Go to Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs > VBrick Media Control Server Suite. b. Click Change/Remove and select Install/Replace the EtherneTV Content license file. c. Click Next , then browse to the file and click Open .
3. Click on the Advanced button. 4. 5. Change Transfer Rate from 10,000 to 1,000,000, click OK and OK again. Reboot the VOD-W Server for the changes to take effect. Ingesting Purchased Content 160 T To ingest purchased content to your VOD servers: 1. 2. 3. Run the C:\Program Files\VBrick\MCS\bin\MassIngestionUtils.exe program. When the window opens, go to Options > Initiate Mass Ingestion . When the Mass Ingestion utility starts: a. Set Local Video Content Path to the actual path. b.
Purchased Content Ingestion 4. After mass ingestion is complete, review the total results displayed on the Mass Ingestion utility. (The total results cannot be saved.) On the Portal Server, open Microsoft Office Excel Viewer 2003, view the Excel spreadsheet from the MCS C:\ drive and check for failures on columns A, C and E. The columns should be populated with True and if False is shown, a failure has occurred. This means that the video file with the False failed to ingest.
a. b. Right-click on MySQL in the right pane and select Stop. There will be a list of other services that will stop. Take note of these other services and select Yes. The Service Control window will show the progress of the Services being stopped. After the services have stopped minimize the Services window. 3 Open My Computer and save copies of the following directories (and the Metadata file) in C:\VBrick Backup. C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server x.
Chapter 15 Manual System Backup This chapter explains how to manually backup key system files and directories on the Portal Server. If you purchased EtherneTV Backup, this process is automatic. See EtherneTV Backup on page 127 for details. The EtherneTV Portal Server uses MySQL to manage the database of users and groups, and also the video information related to content on the VOD Servers. Note that this procedure backs up information in the MySQL database and key directories only.
C:\Program Files\VBrick\MCS\sdp C:\Program Files\VBrick\MCS\StationIcons C:\Program Files\VBrick\MCS\Images\Thumbnails 6. 7. To restart the Services, maximize the Services window. Right-click on the VBrick Object Starter and select Start . This will start the MySQL services. If the EtherneTV Scheduler Module or other services were stopped in Step 3 above they will need to be started as well.
Index Numerics 1. Generate a Certificate Request 105 1. Setup and Configure the EtherneTV System 91 2. Choose an Authentication Method 91 2. Submit a Certificate Request 106 3. Install the Certificate 106 4. Configure ETV Resources for SSL 107 4. Create Resource Groups on the Portal Server 93 5.
O Overview 1, 89 P Port Requirements 13 Portal Server Components 6 Portal Server Installation 10 Program Names 61 R Recorders 46 Removing a Live Presentation 118 Resolving Other Security Alerts 85 Resource Groups 86 Resources and Resource Groups 90 S Schedule Privileges 99 Script Devices 48 Scripts 50 Securing the Portal Server User Pages 107 Server Requirements 2 Servers 27 Set Top Boxes 44 Status 77 STB Access 99 STB Authentication 102 Stream Restrictions 26 Synchronizing the Portal Server and the NVR
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