Quick Start Hardware Installation Guide for
Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500
Revised: December 14, 2011, 78-19964-03
The Cisco Media Experience Engine (MXE) 3500 is an appliance that runs Cisco MXE 3500 Release
3.3 software.
This document provides an overview of the Cisco MXE 3500 hardware and instructions on how to enter
the initial software configuration. After completing the initial configuration, use the web user interface
(UI) to further configure the device.
For additional installation and configuration information, see the Cisco MXE 3500 documentation on
Cisco.com. For system requirements, important notes, limitations, open and resolved bugs, and
last-minute documentation updates, see the release notes, also on Cisco.com.
• Shipping Carton Contents, page 1
• Installation Overview, page 2
• Powering and Configuring the Cisco MXE 3500, page 4
• Next Steps, page 5
• Related Documentation, page 5
Shipping Carton Contents
Verify the contents of the shipping carton to ensure that you have all items necessary to install the
Cisco MXE 3500. Save the packing material in case you need to repack the unit. If any item is missing
or damaged, contact your Cisco representative or reseller for instructions.
The shipping carton includes these items:
• 4-post rail kit
• Cisco MXE 3500
• Keyboard, video, mouse (KVM) cable
• RJ-45 straight-through Ethernet cable
• RJ-45-to-DB-9 serial cable
Americas Headquarters:
Cisco Systems, Inc., 170 West Tasman Drive, San Jose, CA 95134-1706 USA
Installation Overview
EU Authorized Representative:
Edgard Vangeel
Cisco Systems Belgium
De Kleetlaan 6A
B 1831 Diegem
Belgium
330258
• Power cord
• Printed documentation
• Software License Claim Certificate
• Cisco MXE 3500 Installation DVD
• (Standalone and Resource Manager appliances only) Cisco Resource Manager DVD 1-2 and DVD
2-2
• (Resource Node appliances only) Cisco Resource Node DVD 1-2 and DVD 2-2
Installation Overview
Before installing the Cisco MXE 3500, read the Regulatory Compliance and Safety Information for
Cisco MXE 3500 on Cisco.com.
See the Hardware Installation Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 on Cisco.com for the
following:
• Select and prepare an installation site that meet requirements.
• Rack mounting instructions. The Cisco MXE 3500 occupies one rack unit. A 4-post rail kit is
included in the shipment.
CautionWe recommend that you use the supplied attachment hardware to rack-mount the system. Failure to use
the correct hardware or to follow the correct procedures could result in damage to the system.
Use the following information when connecting peripheral cables and power cords to the rear panel of
the Cisco MXE 3500.
Warning
To reduce the risk of electric shock, fire, or damage to the equipment, do not plug telephone or
telecommunications connectors into RJ-45 connectors.
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Installation Overview
Figure 1 shows the Cisco MXE 3500 front panel components. Figure 2 shows the rear panel
components.
Figure 1Cisco MXE 3500 Front Panel
4
2
1
3
Console
1DVD-RW drive—do not remove the DVD-RW7CPU fault LED
2Hard drive (four)—do not remove the hard drives 8Network activity LED
3Console connector9System fault LED
4Reset button
10 Locator button and LED
6
5
Reset
7
MEM
PSU
CPU
9
8
Media Experience Engine
10 11
Cisco MXE 3500
246918
CautionPressing the Reset button will reboot
the Cisco MXE 3500 application. Any
changes stored in memory will be lost.
5Power supply fault LED11 Power button and power status LED
6Memory fault LED— —
Figure 2Cisco MXE 3500 Rear Panel
3
1
1Power supply (two—the second power supply
2
46
M
57
1/M
8
2
5Video connector (DB15 VGA)
2
1/M
is optional)
210/100 Ethernet management port (RJ-45)6Low-profile PCIe card slot
3USB 2.0 connectors (two)710/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet port 1—use
Quick Start Hardware Installation Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500
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Powering and Configuring the Cisco MXE 3500
Powering and Configuring the Cisco MXE 3500
Perform the initial configuration described in this section to enter the IP address for the appliance and
set the password for the administrator account. The initial configuration enables the Cisco MXE 3500 to
connect to the LAN. You can then access the Cisco MXE 3500 Web UI and Windows desktop at the
Cisco MXE 3500 IP address for additional configuration.
The following equipment is required to perform the initial configuration:
• Keyboard with USB connector
• Monitor
Follow these steps for initial configuration:
Step 1Connect the keyboard and monitor to the Cisco MXE 3500 rear panel. Connect your network cable to
the 10/100/1000 Ethernet port 1 (see Figure 2).
Step 2Press the power on/off/LED button on the Cisco MXE 3500 front panel.
Step 3Press Alt+F1 and then press Enter.
NoteWait a few minutes while the system boots. You will get a login prompt when the system is ready.
Step 4Log in with the following default credentials:
• User Name: admin
• Password: change_it
The configuration wizard launches, and Configure Network Settings screen displays.
Step 5Enter these required network settings: IP Address, Network Mask, and Default Gateway, then click
Next to continue. The Please Wait screen displays.
Warning
Step 6Click OK. The Success screen displays.
Step 7Click OK. The Configure Hostname and Domain Name screen displays.
Step 8(Optional) Enter a hostname and domain name and click Next. The Configure DNS Server screen
The address range of 192.168.1.0/29 is reserved for use by the Cisco MXE 3500 appliance. Do not
configure the IP address in this range.
displays.
Step 9(Optional) Enter a DNS server and click Next. The Configure NTP Server screen displays.
Step 10(Optional) Enter an NTP server and click Next. The Modify and Synchronize Admin Password screen
displays.
Step 11Enter and re-enter a new password for the admin user account and click Next. The Please Wait screen
displays.
NoteThis updates and synchronizes the administrator account password for the Linux OS, Windows
OS, ESXi, and Cisco MXE 3500 web UI.
Step 12Click OK. The Password Changed screen displays.
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Step 13Click OK. The Enable/Disable Shared Folder Password screen displays.
Step 14(Optional) Press the spacebar to require a password for shared folders and click Next. The Configuration
Step 15Click OK. You have completed initial configuration.
Next Steps
Next Steps
Complete screen displays.
NoteIf you enable shared folder password, you must configure the password after you complete initial
setup.
You can now access the Cisco MXE 3500 web UI at this URL: http://mxe_IP_address/mxeui/. The user
name is admin, and enter the password created in Step 11.
After initial configuration is completed, perform the following tasks:
• Install QuickTime—QuickTime is installed separately because of Apple licensing requirements. It
is required for transcoding to and from specific formats. You can obtain the supported QuickTime
version 7.7 at http://support.apple.com/kb/DL837.
• Install Licenses—Obtain and install the full Cisco MXE 3500 Release 3.3 license with the base PID
and any optional feature PIDs. The Software License Claim Certificate that ships with your
Cisco MXE 3500 appliance contains instructions on how to obtain licenses.
• Configure the Cisco MXE 3500—Your Cisco MXE 3500 appliance comes configured with some
system and user settings. After installing the Cisco MXE 3500 Release 3.3 license, access the
Cisco MXE 3500 web UI to perform the required configuration tasks.
The above tasks are described in the “Configuration and Administration Tasks” section of the
Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500.
Related Documentation
The Cisco MXE 3500 documentation set is located on Cisco.com at
Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request
For information on obtaining documentation, submitting a service request, and gathering additional
information, see the monthly What’s New in Cisco Product Documentation, which also lists all new and
revised Cisco technical documentation, at:
Quick Start Hardware Installation Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500
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Related Documentation
Subscribe to the What’s New in Cisco Product Documentation as a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed
and set content to be delivered directly to your desktop using a reader application. The RSS feeds are a free
service. Cisco currently supports RSS Version 2.0.
This document is to be used in conjunction with the documents listed in the “Related Documentation” section.
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