Miranda Xmedia Server Configuration Manual

Xmedia Server

Digital Asset Management System

Configuration Guide

M841-9900-480

25 March 2013

www.miranda.com

Copyright Notice

© 2013 Miranda Technologies Partnership. All rights reserved.

Third Party Trademarks

All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

Usage Agreement

Please read the following terms and conditions carefully. By using the Xmedia Server
Configuration Guide, you agree to the following terms and conditions:

Miranda Technologies Partnership hereby grants permission and license to owners of
Xmedia Server and Vertigo Suite to use their product manuals for their own internal
business use. Manuals for Miranda Technologies Partnership products may not be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying and recording, for any purpose unless specifically authorized in writing by
Miranda Technologies Partnership.

Miranda Technologies Partnership makes no warranty, either expressed or implied,
including but not limit ed to an y implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a
particular purpose, regarding these materials and makes such materials available solely on
an “As-Is” basis.

In no event shall Miranda Technologies Partnership be liable to anyone for special,
collateral, incidental, or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of
purchase or use of these materials. The sole and exclusive liability to Miranda T echnologies
Partnership, regardless of the form of action, shall not exceed the purchase price of the
materials described herein.

Miranda Technologies Partnership reserves the right to revise and improve its products at
any time and without notice. This publication describes the state of this product at the time
of its publication, and may not reflect the product at all times in the future. Thus, different
versions of a manual may exist for any given product. Care should be taken to ensure that
one obtains the proper manual version for a specific product serial number.

Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a
commitment on the part of Miranda Technologies Partnership.

Government Use
The Software {and Documentation} is provided with RESTRICTED RIGHTS. Use,

duplication or disclosure by the United States Government or any agency, department or
instrumentality thereof is subject to the restrictions set forth in the Commercial Computer
Software -- Restricted Rights clause at FAR 52.227-19 or the Commercial Computer
Software -- Licensing clause at NASA FAR Supplement 1852.227-86.

Document Identification

• Title: Xmedia Server Configuration Guide

• Part number: M841-9900-480

• Software version: Vertigo Suite v.4.8

• Last revised: March 25, 2013

Document Revision History

After the original release date, this user manual may be updated with edits and then re­released. The following table tracks the versions of this document.

Publication date Description

November 23, 2012 Original release of this user manual for Vertigo Suite v.4.8
March 25, 2013 • Added the description of the roItemStatus setting that is

associated with the MOS configuration settings (page 7-3

).

• Fixed the screen capture on page 5-4

.

• Corrected the XMS port numbers settings from 14060 to
14050 on page 3-7

.

• Removed the “Synchronizing the server databases” section
from the Server Replication chapter (page 6-6

).

Safety Compliance

Electromagnetic Compatibility

This equipment complies with the requirements of the following standards for
Safety of Information Technology Equipment:

• CSA C22.2 no. 60950-1-07 (2nd Edition)

• UL 60950-1 (2

nd

Edition)

• IEC/EN 60950-1 (2

nd

Edition)

Warning: An appropriately listed/certified main supply power cord must be used for the

connection of the equipment to the main voltage at either 120V~ or 240V

~

CAUTION: These servicing instructions are for use by qualified service personnel only.

To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not perform any servicing than that
contained in the operating instructions unless you are qualified to do so. Refer all
servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing should be done in a static-free
environment.

This equipment has been tested for verification of compliance with FCC Part 15,

Subpart B requirements for Class A digital devices.

NOTE

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class
A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed
to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the
equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment
generates, uses and radiates radio frequency energy, and, if not installed and
used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful
interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference
at his own expense.

This equipment has been tested and complies with the requirements of the
directive 2004/108/CE :

• EN 55022 Class A Radiated emissions 

• EN 55022 Class A Conducted emissions 

• EN 61000 -3-2 Harmonic current emission limits 

• EN 61000 -3-3 Volatge fluctation and flicker limitations 

• EN 61000 -4-2 Electrostatic discharge immunity 

• EN 61000 -4-3 Radiated EMF immunity-RF 

• EN 61000 -4-4 Electrical fast transient immunity 

• EN 61000 -4-5 Surge immunity 

• EN 61000 -4-8 Power frequency magnetic field 

• EN 61000 -4-11 Vol tage dips, short interruption and voltage variation immunity

WARNING

Xmedia Server devices contain Class 1 lasers, which are deemed safe under normal
operating conditions.

Standalone Equipment - Laser source(s) employed:
CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT
APPAREIL A LASER DE CLASSE 1

WARNING

Xmedia Server devices contain a Lithium battery in the service access area, which
should be replaced by the same type of battery.

XMS Configuration Guide TOC-1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 1-1

About the Xmedia Server .................................................................................................................. 1-2

Xmedia Server’s standard and option features............................ ... .................................. .. ... ... ......... 1-3

Work Order Management Option.................................................................................................. 1-3

Xplorer - Media Asset Management application ........................................................................... 1-4

XMS Hardware Overview..................................................................................................... 2-1

Front panel components, LEDs and buttons..................................................................................... 2-2

Back panel components and connectors................................................ ... ... .................................. .. .2-4

Mounting the Xmedia Server chassis in a rack.................................................................................. 2-5

XMS Network Integration and Service Applications......................................................... 3-1

Xmedia Server virus protection guidelines ........................................................................................ 3-2

Network Setup and Configuration.................................................................................................3-2

Standard Anti-Virus Protection .......................................... .. .................................. ....................... 3-3

Institution of Policies..................................................................................................................... 3-3

Xmedia Server network ports............................................................................................................ 3-4

VertigoXmedia Data Server service................................................................................................... 3-5

Setting the Data Server’s connection parameters ........................................................................ 3-7

Logging Data Server events......................................................................................................... 3-9

Controlling the Data Server service ............................................................................................ 3-11

File Ingest Server and Transcode Server........................................................................................ 3-13

Xmedia Server Control Panel - XmediaServer Properties Window................................................. 3-14

Xmedia Server Control Panel’s settings pages........................................................................... 3-16

The XMS’s General Configuration Settings....................................................................... 4-1

Viewing the Xmedia Server’s product information............................................................................. 4-2

Configuring the XMS’s network connection and directories .............................................................. 4-3

Configuring the Authorization Manager............................................................................................. 4-4

Verifying the XMS’s Dat abase Settings.............................................................................. 5-1

Verifying the SQL Server database settings......................................................................................5-2

Making a backup of the SQL Server database.................................................................................. 5-4

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database........................................................................ 6-1

Conditions that trigger a failover........................................................................................................ 6-2

MOS Enabled Replication ................................................................................................................. 6-3

Replication settings on the Xmedia Server Control Panel................................................................. 6-4

Setting up and enabling Xmedia Server replication........................................................................... 6-6

Server replication requirements.................................................................................................... 6-7

Specifying the Replication settings on the primary server.......................................................... 6-13

Specifying the Replication settings on the secondary server.................................... ... ............... 6-19

Make a backup of the primary server’s database....................................................................... 6-20

Setting the Control Data Server option....................................................................................... 6-20

Specifying the server settings on client applications................................................................... 6-21

Verifying proper functioning of the servers and replication......................................................... 6-23

TOC-2 XMS Configuration Guide

Table of Contents

MOS Server Configuration and Monitoring....................................................................... 7-1

Configuring the Xmedia Server’s MOS settings .................................................................................7-2

Instructions for configuring the Xmedia Server as a MOS server..................................................7-3

Editing the Newsroom Control System’s properties ......................................................................7-6

Deleting the Newsroom Control System........................................................................................7-7

Logging MOS Server activities...........................................................................................................7-8

Specifying MOS logging options....................................................................................................7-8

Viewing the MOS log file................................................................................................................7-9

Monitoring inbound/outbound MOS messages ................................................................................7-10

Mapping MOS channels ...................................................................................................................7-11

Adding a MOS Channel Association............................................................................................7-12

Editing a MOS Channel Association............................................................................................7-14

Deleting a MOS Channel Association..........................................................................................7-15

License Management .......................................................................................................... 8-1

An overview of Vertigo Suite licenses ................................................................................................8-2

Vertigo Suite application and device licenses ................................................................................8-3

Types of Vertigo Suite licenses .....................................................................................................8-4

The vxls.bin license file..................................................................................................................8-5

Xmedia Server Control Panel Licensing page versus License Manager.......................................8-6

Licensing in a server replicati o n en vi ro nment................................................................................8-7

Orientation to Xmedia Server Control Panel’s Licensing page...........................................................8-8

Licences view - License Summary tab ..........................................................................................8-9

Licenses view - License Detail tab...............................................................................................8-10

Soft Keys view.............................................................................................................................8-12

Viewing the existing device and application licenses .......................................................................8-14

Viewing the details of a particular license.........................................................................................8-15

Resolving license errors and adding licenses to the Xmedia Server................................................8-16

Verifying the application’s or device’s server settings .................................................................8-17

Verifying the License Summary and License Details ...................................................................8-20

Acquiring and adding licenses to the Xmedia Server ..................................................................8-21

Deallocating a fixed license..............................................................................................................8-22

Logging Xmedia Server Events.......................................................................................... 9-1

Work Order Workflow Configuration ............................................................................... 10-1

Xmedia Server Control Panel’s Workflow options ............................................................................10-2

Workflow models.............. ... .............................................................. .. .............................................10-3

Workflow option: States................................... .................................................................................10-5

Adding a new state to the workflow.............................................................................................10-6

Editing a state’s properties .............................................................................. ............................10-7

Removing a state from the workflow............................................................................................10-8

Workflow option: Permissions ................................. ... ... ...................................................................10-9

Adding a new permission to the workflow..................................................................................10-10

Editing a permission’s properties...............................................................................................10-11

Removing a permission from the workflow................................................................................10-12

Workflow option: Transitions ................................... .................................. .....................................10-13

XMS Configuration Guide TOC-3

Table of Contents

Transition properties and permissions...................................................................................... 10-14

Adding a new transition to the workflow.................................................................................... 10-18

Editing a transition’s properties and permissions...................................................................... 10-20

Deleting a transition from the workflow..................................................................................... 10-21

Workflow option: Priorities............................................................................................................. 10-22

Adding a new priority to the workflow....................................................................................... 10-23

Deleting an existing priority from the workflow.......................................................................... 10-24

Workflow option: Roles.......................................... ... ..................................................................... 10-25

Adding a new role to the workflow............................................................................................ 10-26

Editing an existing role’s properties and permissions............................................................... 10-28

Deleting a role from the workflow.............................................................................................. 10-29

Workflow option: Users............................................... ................................................................... 10-30

Add a new user to the workflow................................................................................................ 10-31

Edit a user’s workflow properties and/or roles.......................................................................... 10-33

Deleting a user from the workflow............................................................................................. 10-34

Setting up E-Notifications .............................................................................................................. 10-35

Creating the email template files for E-Notifications................................................................. 10-36

Setting the Notification Parameters.......................................................................................... 10-37

Creating an E-List for each state change notification ............................................................... 10-38

Editing a state change notification’s E-List ............................................................................... 10-40

Setting the XMS System Parameters................................................................................11-1

Setting the Ingest Parameters......................................................................................................... 11-2

Setting the Expiration Parameters................................................................................................... 11-3

Setting the System field rate............................................................................................................ 11-4

OxSox Connection Settings.............................................................................................. 12-1

The XMS Automation Parameters for Scheduled-based Publishing ............................ 13-1

XFTP Settings..................................................................................................................... 14-1

Controlling the XMS Service............................................................................................. 15-1

Verifying the XMS service’s status .................................................................................................. 15-2

Stopping and starting the XMS Service...........................................................................................15-3

Manually starting and stopping the XMS Service ....................................................................... 15-3

Automatically starting the XMS Service...................................................................................... 15-4

Controlling the DataServer................... ... ... ..................................................................................... 15-5

Launching the Services Management Console ............................................................................... 15-6

Displaying XMS Runtime Statistics.................................................................................. 16-1

Propagating Assets to Other Xmedia Servers................................................................ 17-1

Configuring Xmedia Servers for asset propagation......................................................................... 17-4

Using automatic propagation........................................................................................................... 17-6

Setting up propagable categories and recipient associations..................................................... 17-7

Using manual propagation............................................................................................................... 17-9

Resolving Propagation Exceptions................................................................................................ 17-10

Information Propagation Exceptions......................................................................................... 17-11

TOC-4 XMS Configuration Guide

Table of Contents

Category Propagation Exceptions .............................................................................................17-11

Categorisation Propagation Exceptions.....................................................................................17-12

Removing propagated assets from a recipient server....................................................................17-13

Propagation and distributed work orders........................................................................................17-14

Distributed work order concepts and behaviors.........................................................................17-15

Setting up a hub and spoke server for distributed work orders .................................................17-16

Using distributed work orders....................................................................................................17-20

Setting and Monitoring the XMS Publishing Activities.................................................. 18-1

Setting the Central XMS IP Override................................................................................................18-2

The Insta-publish device setting on the Xmedia Server Control Panel ............................................18-3

Insta-publishing from the EXMS to a Localhost devi ce ...............................................................18-4

Monitoring and managing publish requests in the queue.................................................................18-5

User Rights Management.................................................................................................. 19-1

Target audience and prerequisites for setting up URM....................................................................19-2

Overview of the Authorization Manager ...........................................................................................19-3

Vertigo Suite Operations..............................................................................................................19-6

Configuring the Policy Store in Active Directory...............................................................................19-8

Open the Authorization Manager...............................................................................................19-10

Creating a new organizational unit and assigning a Policy Store..............................................19-11

Granting the domain user administrative rights to the Organizational Unit................................19-13

Stopping the XMS Service.........................................................................................................19-14

Adding the domain user to the Xmedia Server’s security credentials........................................19-15

Granting the domain user administrative rights to the Policy Store...........................................19-18

Setting the Authorization Manager Configuration settings.........................................................19-20

Starting the XMS Service to populate the VertigoXmedia appl ication .......................................19-20

Configuring the Policy Store in an XML file ....................................................................................19-22

Opening the Authorization Manager..........................................................................................19-24

Configuring the Authorization Manager to use an XML file stored on a network share.............19-25

Creating the VertigoXmedia Policy Store in the Authorization Manager ...................................19-26

Obtaining a Windows user with full control of the shared directory...........................................19-28

Stopping the XMS Service.........................................................................................................19-29

Adding the new user to the Xmedia Server’s security credentials.............................................19-30

Changing the security credentials of the Policy Store ...............................................................19-31

Setting the Authorization Manager Configuration settings.........................................................19-33

Starting the XMS Service to populate the VertigoXmedia appl ication .......................................19-34

Setting up your user rights management system ...........................................................................19-35

Establish your user rights management security criteria...........................................................19-36

Creating a new task definition....................................................................................................19-37

Creating and populating a new role definition............................................................................19-38

Creating a new role assignment................................................................................................19-40

Associating Windows users and groups with a role assignment ...............................................19-41

Maintaining the Authorization Manager’s elements........................................................................19-43

Editing role definitions............................................ ... .................................. ...............................19-43

Editing task definitions...................................... ................................. ........................................19-45

XMS Configuration Guide TOC-5

Table of Contents

Adding and removing users from a role assignment................................................................. 19-47

Restricting access to asset categories.......................................................................................... 19-49

Setting access permissions for an asset category.................................................................... 19-50

Granting additional users access to a restricted category........................................................ 19-53

Removing users from a category’s security.............................................................................. 19-53

Removing all access restrictions from a category..................................................................... 19-54

Ingesting media files using the File Ingest Server ......................................................... 20-1

Installing the File Ingest Server and creating an ingest watch folder............................................... 20-3

Running the File Ingest Server and Transcode Server.................................................................... 20-4

Configuring an ingest server instance ............................................................................................. 20-5

Ingester Settings properties........................................................................................................ 20-7

Editing an instance’s properties................................................................................................ 20-13

Deleting an instance................................................................................................................. 20-13

Reloading the instances in the File Ingest Server Control Panel.............................................. 20-13

Ingesting files and monitoring the ingest’s progress...................................................................... 20-14

File Ingest Server’s logging ..................................................................................... ...................... 20-17

XMS Configuration Guide 1-1

1 INTRODUCTION

The Xmedia Server (XMS) is the central graphical asset management server for Miranda’s
Vertigo Suite channel branding and playout system. The Xmedia Server allows all branding
assets to be ingested once, centrally archived, and automatically moved to the desired
graphics device using rule-based publishing.

Figure 1-1. Xmedia Server - a central graphical asset management server

The main purpose of this configuration guide is to provide practical reference and
procedural information on how to use the Xmedia Server Control Panel application to
configure the Xmedia Server.

The following sections of this chapter provide general information about the Xmedia Server
and its optional features:

• “About the Xmedia Server” on page 1-2

• “Xmedia Server’s standard and option features” on page 1-3
The next couple of chapters provide specific information about the Xmedia Server’s

hardware, software, and network integration. Further chapters provide instructions for how
to configure the Xmedia Server using the Xmedia Server Control Panel.

1-2 XMS Configuration Guide

Introduction

About the Xmedia Server

The Xmedia Server (XMS) is the central graphical asset management server for Miranda’s
Vertigo Suite channel branding and playout system. Assets only need to be ingested once
for them to be centrally archived on the Xmedia Server. These assets are then made
available to all of the Vertigo Suite applications on the network, which allow you to create a
wide range of graphics, including advanced, data-driven broadcast applications that link on­air graphics elements to live data feeds. The resulting graphic pages and their assets can
then be automatically published to a range of graphics playout devices, including Miranda’s
Imagestore, Intuition XG , and Vertigo XG devices.

The Xmedia Server offers benefits to larger broadcast systems that have multiple channels
by sharing assets between channels without having to duplicate the assets. It also allows
for a more dynamic handling of content and a more natural workflow because media
creation, asset management, and asset distribution are conveniently linked by a common
environment.

Besides its main use as a central asset repository and asset management/distribution
system, the Xmedia Server integrates and supports the Vertigo Suite applications and other
playout devices. The following list identifies other ways in which the Xmedia Server is used
to support graphics creation and playout activities:

• Asset propagation: The Xmedia Server can be used in a hub and spoke distribution
model in which assets can be created and propagated from a central hub to various
spoke servers.

• Server replication: Two Xmedia Servers can be configured to offer full redundancy for
near instant failover with no interruption in services, including on-air playout.

• Newsroom integration: The Xmedia Server can provide graphics assets to newsroom
environments using the MOS protocol to integrate with the newsroom control system.

• User rights management: Using the Xmedia Server’s user rights management
system, system administrators and workflow managers can restrict access to some of
the system’s functionality and/or asset categories on a per-user basis.

• License management: The Xmedia Server stores and manages the software licenses
that are required to operate each of the Vertigo Suite applications.

• Work Order Workflow: The Xmedia Server provides an optional work order workflow
module that fully integrates into the Vertigo Suite. The work order workflow is used for
requesting, completing, tracking and approving graphics work orders.

XMS Configuration Guide 1-3

Introduction

Xmedia Server’s standard and option features

The Xmedia Server is a 2RU rackmount server with 2TB of RAID-1 storage and is factory
configured to run Windows Server 2003 as its operating system. Additional software
applications and services that are factory installed include:

• M

ICROSOFT SQL SERVER 2008: The Xmedia Server uses a Microsoft SQL Server

database to store asset details, categories, work order processing data, publish

processing data, and other relational information and data. See page 5-1

for more

information.

• X

MEDIA SERVER CONTROL PANEL: The Xmedia Server Control Panel is the user interface

for configuring and controlling the Xmedia Server. See page 3-14

for more information.

• V

ERTIGOXMEDIA DATA SERVER: The Data Server is a service application that manages

data coming from various feeds, provides live updates of data values when requested and
distributes the data out to the appropriate recipients. See page 3-5 for more information.

• File Ingest Server: The File Ingest Server is a service responsible for automatically
ingesting media into the Xmedia Server from a user-created ingest folder. The File Ingest
Server is also responsible for issuing media conversion requests to the Transcode
Server, which is the service responsible for transcoding media from one format to another.
See page 3-13

for more information.

In addition to the Xmedia Server unit, Miranda Technologies also offers the following
options to enhance the capabilities of the Xmedia Server:

• “Work Order Management Option” on page 1-3

• “Xplorer - Media Asset Management application” on page 1-4

Work Order Management Option

The Xmedia Server provides an optional work order workflow module (VX-WOM) that fully
integrates into the Vertigo Suit e. The work order workflow is used for requesting,
completing, tracking and approving graphics work orders. See “Work Order Workflow

Configuration” on page 10-1 for more information on how to use the Xmedia Server Control

Panel to create and configure the work order workflow module.

Figure 1-2. An integrated system for creating, completing, and tracking graphics work orders

1-4 XMS Configuration Guide

Introduction

Xplorer - Media Asset Management application

The Vertigo Suite features the XPLORER application (VX-Xplorer), which is a graphical
content management system for viewing and managing the asset and file contents of the
Xmedia Server and the devices to which the XMS has published assets. See the X

PLORER

USER MANUAL for more information.

Figure 1-3. Xplorer - View and manage the media contents of the Xmedia Server

XMS Configuration Guide 2-1

2 XMS HARDWARE OVERVIEW

Physically , the Xmedia Server is a 2RU rackmount server that incorporates redundant fans,
power, and ethernet ports , with 2 TB of RAID-1 storage. The Xmedia Server features easy
frontal access to the storage drives, and a control panel featuring LEDs and buttons for
system monitoring and operation. The rear panel also provides convenient access to two
power supply modules, seven PCI expansion slots (video, audio, and graphics cards), and
various I/O ports (USB, COM1, VGA, Ethernet...etc).

The following sections provide additional details regarding the Xmedia Server’s hardware:

• “Front panel components, LEDs and buttons” on page 2-2

• “Back panel components and connectors” on page 2-4

• “Mounting the Xmedia Server chassis in a rack” on page 2-5

CAUTION

Xmedia Server devices should only be installed by trained personnel in a restricted access
locations only. All health and safety regulations and precautions must be observed.

WARNING

To reduce the risk of electric shock, disconnect all power sources be fore servicing
Xmedia Server devices.

Chassis F

ORM: 2U rackmount chassis

H

EIGHT: 3.5” (89mm)

W

IDTH: 17.2” (437mm)

D

EPTH: 25.5” (648mm)

Power consumption 700W (1 + 1) Redundant AC-DC power supply.

Maximum draw is a total of 700W.
Note that the device’s electrical ratings are located on the
plug-in power supply modules.

Temperature Ambient temperature: 35 C

Note: This shall be the maximum internal temperature within
the rack in which the Xmedia Server unit is installed.



2-2 XMS Configuration Guide

XMS Hardware Overview

Front panel components, LEDs and buttons

Figure 2-1 demonstrates that the Xmedia Server’s front panel provides easy access to the
SA T A drives, a floppy drive, DVD-ROM, a front port panel (USB & serial) and a control panel
featuring LEDs and buttons for system monitoring and operation.

Figure 2-1. The Xmedia Server’s front panel components

Figure 2-2

demonstrates that the control panel located on the front of the Xmedia Server
chassis has six LEDs and two buttons. The table on page 2-3 describes the function of each
LED and button, as well any corrective action you may need to take.

Figure 2-2. Xmedia Server chassis control panel LEDs and buttons

Floppy drive DVD-ROMFront Port Panel Control Panel

(LEDs & buttons)

RAID
Drives

XMS Configuration Guide 2-3

XMS Hardware Overview

POWER FAIL Indicates a power supply module has failed. This should be accompanied

by an audible alarm. A backup power supply module will take the load and
keep the system running, but the failed module will need to be replaced.
This LED should be off when the system is operating normally.

O

VERHEAT / FAN FAIL When this flashes, it indicates a fan failure. When it is constantly

illuminated (solid on), it indicates an overheat condition, which may be
caused by cables obstructing the airflow in the system or the ambient room
temperature being too warm. Check the routing of cables and make sure
that all fans are present and operating normally. You should also check to
make sure that the chassis covers are installed properly. Finally , verify that
the heatsinks are installed properly . This LED will remain flashing or on as
long as the above mentioned conditions exist.

NIC2 A flashing NIC2 LED indicates network activity on LAN2.

NIC1 A flashing NIC1 LED indicates network activity on LAN2.

HDD Indicates IDE channel activity.

P

OWER (LED) Indicates that power is being supplied to the system’s power supply units.

This LED should normally be illuminated when the system is in operation.

R

ESET (BUTTON) The Reset button reboots the system.

P

OWER (BUTTON) This is the main power button, which is used to apply or turn off the main

system power. T urning of f this button removes the main power, but keeps
standby power supplied to the system.

2-4 XMS Configuration Guide

XMS Hardware Overview

Back panel components and connectors

Figure 2-3 demonstrates that the rear panel of the Xmedia Server provides convenient
access to two power supply modules, seven PCI expansion slots (video, audio, and
graphics cards), and various I/O port connectors (USB, COM1, VGA, Ethernet...etc). When
using the Xmedia Server in a replication setup, you will insert the license dongle in one of
the USB ports (see page 6-8

).

Figure 2-3. The Xmedia Server’s rear panel components and connectors

NOTE

The device’s electrical ratings are located on the plug-in power supply modules.

Power Supplies PCI Expansion Slots (not used)

I/O Ports

EthernetUSB

Mouse
connector

Keyboard
connector

Parallel port
(not used)

VGARS-232 Serial Port

(not used)

XMS Configuration Guide 2-5

XMS Hardware Overview

Mounting the Xmedia Server chassis in a rack

Included in the shipping package is a rack mounting kit, which contains the rails, screws and
washers required to mount the Xmedia Server chassis into an equipment rack.

Note that the rails are designed to fit in racks with a depth of 26” to 33.5”. Due to the heavy
weigh of the unit, the rack in which the Xmedia Server unit will be installed should be
anchored to the building’s structure.

CAUTION

Xmedia Server devices are intended to be installed in a restricted access location by
qualified personnel. All health and safety regulations and precautions must be observed.

Included in the shipping package are a pair of rail assemblies. Each rail assembly consists
of two sections: an inner fixed chassis rail that secures directly to the server chassis and an
outer fixed rack rail that secures directly to the rack itself.

Figure 2-4

demonstrates that the inner rail assemblies are composed of two sections: inner
rails and inner rail extensions. The inner rails are pre-attached to the chassis, while the
inner rail extensions must be installed manually to the chassis.

Figure 2-4. The Enterprise Server’s inner rail assemblies

Once the inner rails are attached to the chassis, you must assemble and install the outer
rails to the rack. Once both the inner and outer rail assemblies are properly installed, you
can mount the Enterprise Server’s chassis into the rack by sliding the inner rails into the
outer rails.

Both chassis rails have a locking tab, which serves to lock the server in place when installed
and pushed fully in the rack, as well as preventing the server from coming completely out
when it is fully extended from the rack.

Inner Rail Extensions

Inner Rails

2-6 XMS Configuration Guide

XMS Hardware Overview

To install chassis rails and mount the Xmedia Server’s chassis into an equipment rack:

1. Remove the Xmedia Server’s faceplate by pulling the faceplate’s handles away from
the chassis.

2. Install the inner rail extensions to the server’s chassis.
a. Place the inner rail extensions on the side of the chassis aligning the hooks of the

chassis with the rail extension holes. Be sure that the extension faces “outward”

just like the pre-attached inner rail.
b. Slide the extension toward the front of the chassis.
c. Secure the chassis with two screws as shown in figure 2-5

.

d. Repeat steps 2A - 2C for the other inner rail extension.

Figure 2-5. Installing the inner rail extensions

3. Install the outer rails to the rack (figure 2-6

).

a. Attach the shorter outer bracket to the outside of the longer rail. Y ou must align the

pins with the slides. Both bracket ends must face the same direction.
b. Adjust the short and long brackets to the proper distance so that the rail fits snugly

with the rack.
c. Secure the longer bracket to the front of the outer rail with two screws.
d. Secure the shorter outer bracket to the rear side of the outer rail with three screws.
e. Repeat steps 3A - 3D for the remaining outer rail.

Figure 2-6. Installing the outer chassis rails to the equipment rack

A

B

XMS Configuration Guide 2-7

XMS Hardware Overview

4. Mount the Xmedia Server chassis into the rack (figure 2-7).
a. Align the inner rails on the chassis with the front of the outer rails on the rack.
b. Slide the inner rails into the outer rails, keeping the pressure even on both sides

(it may be necessary to depress the locking tabs when inserting). When the server
has been pushed completely into the rack, you should hear the locking tabs click
into the locked position.

The chassis may not slide into the rack smoothly or easily when installed for the
first time. Adjustments to the slide assemblies might be necessary to achieve a
smooth insertion.

c. (Optional) Insert and tighten the thumbscrews that hold the front of the chassis to

the rack.

CAUTION

Due to the heavy weight of the Xmedia Server, ensure that the rack is securely anchored onto
a unmovable surface or structure before installing the chassis into the rack.

Figure 2-7. Mounting the Enterprise Server’s chassis into a rack

CAUTION

Slide/rail mounted equipment is not to be used as a shelf or a workspace.

NOTE

To completely remove the chassis from the ra ck, you must release the locking tabs on both
sides of the chassis.

5. Re-attach the faceplate by aligning and pushing the faceplate towards the Xmedia
Server’s chassis.

XMS Configuration Guide 3-1

3 XMS NETWORK INTEGRATION AND SERVICE

A

PPLICATIONS

It is recommended that the Xmedia Server be installed on a dedicated LAN, using the
existing security infrastructure. A qualified system administrator should verify that the setup
follows the organization’s security standards. Specific recommendations regarding proper
virus strategies, that won’t compromise performance are provided in this chapter.

As the centralized server for the Vertigo Suite of products, you can connect to the Xmedia
Server from any client PC on the network. All of connections used by the Vertigo Suite
applications are over TCP and UDP.

The following sections provide guidelines for integrating the Xmedia Server into your
network and an overview of the Data Server service, File Ingest Server and the Xmedia
Server Control Panel interface:

• “Xmedia Server virus protection guidelines” on page 3-2

• “Xmedia Server network ports” on page 3-4

• “VertigoXmedia Data Server service” on page 3-5

• “File Ingest Server and Transcode Server” on page 3-13

• “Xmedia Server Control Panel - XmediaServer Properties Window” on page 3-14

3-2 XMS Configuration Guide

XMS Network Integration and Service Applications

Xmedia Server virus protection guidelines

Proper network setup and anti-virus software are key components of any virus protection
strategy. As such, we highly recommend that you adhere to specific rules outlined in this
section to avoid adversely affecting your production equipment’s on-air performance. Our
virus protection strategy, therefore relies on anti-virus software protection combined with
the following:

• Network Setup and Configuration

– A best case scenario for configuring your network

for maximum protection against infection.

• Standard Anti-Virus Protection

– Standard anti-virus practices for machines and

applications not directly used for putting material on-air.

• Institution of Policies

– Policies that all users must follow in order to avoid introducing

infected files into the system.

Network Setup and Configuration

Ideally, the Xmedia Server and other non-critical components should be running anti- vi ru s
software, while the Vertigo XGs reside on a separate network. In such a case, the
Vertigo XGs would not be running anti-virus software, leaving them potentially vulnerable.
Therefore, provide proper protection and minimizing potential performance issues, it is
recommended that restricted access be available by means of switch (see figure 3-1

). It is
also recommended that all other Xmedia equipment would be kept on a separate network
isolated from other machines in the facility.

Figure 3-1. Recommended network configuration to provide virus protection

Switch

Internet

Network

Restricted

XStudio

XMS Configuration Guide 3-3

XMS Network Integration and Service Applications

Standard Anti-Virus Protection

While critical for the on-air production process, many of Miranda’s Vertigo Suite product s do
not put material directly on air. We therefore recommend that these products be configured
with the same high level of anti-virus protection used for other machines on the
broadcaster’s network.

The following Vertigo Suite products should be configured with the highest level of anti-virus
protection:

• Xmedia Server

• Data Server

•Xstudio

• Xbuilder

Institution of Policies

While the guidelines outlined in the previous sections are critical to your broadcast
network’s protection from infection, end users must accept some responsibility. We
therefore recommend that your IT department enforce the following policies:

• Any machine that will be attached to the same network as the Xmedia Server must
undergo a complete system scan.

• Any floppy, zip or other external media to be copied to or run on the Xmedia Server
must undergo a complete scan.

• Material to be used in 24/7 operation should not be copied to the Xmedia Server.
Instead, it should be transferred only during maintenance periods.

• Do not download Internet files directly onto the Xmedia Server.

3-4 XMS Configuration Guide

XMS Network Integration and Service Applications

Xmedia Server network ports

Users can connect to the Xmedia Server from any client PC on their network. All of
connections used by the Vertigo Suite applications are over TCP and UDP, using the
configurable range of ports listed below:

Description Port # Protocol

Client application connection (Primary connection) 14050 TCP
Client application connection (Back channel) 14051 TCP
Publish connection (Back channel) 14052 TCP
DataServer primary connection 10460 TCP
XPublish Agent publishing port 15000 TCP
MOS low port 10540 TCP
MOS high port 10541 TCP
Discovery port 15098 UDP
Discovery port 15099 UDP
Device connections (client apps to device) 4000 TCP

XMS Configuration Guide 3-5

XMS Network Integration and Service Applications

VertigoXmedia Data Server service

The Data Server is a service that runs in the background on the Xmedia Server and is
responsible for managing data coming from various feeds by providing live updates of data
values when requested, and distributing the data to the appropriate recipients (figure 3-2).

Figure 3-2. The Data Server manages and distributes data from various data sources

The D

ATA SERVER CONTROL PANEL (VertigoXmedia Data Server Option window) is the user

interface that is used to configure and control the Data Server service (figure 3-3). You can
open the Data Server Control Panel by selecting:

S

TART > SETTINGS > CONTROL PANEL >VERTIGOXMEDIA DATA SERVER.

Figure 3-3. The Data Server Control Panel

Xstudio’s Data Manager

Data Source

Data Server

Xmedia Server

Schemas

Data Source updates

3-6 XMS Configuration Guide

XMS Network Integration and Service Applications

The Data Server Control Panel features three (3) tabbed pages that contain parameters for
configuring the connection, metadata, and logging options, as well as stopping and starting
the Data Server service.

The upper portion of the Data Server Control Panel’s GENERAL page identifies the Data
Server’s software version, the directory path where the Data Server’s executable file is
located, and the working directory path.

The following sections provide information and instructions for how to use the Data Server
Control Panel to configure and manage the Data Server service.

• “Setting the Data Server’s connection parameters” on page 3-7

• “Logging Data Server events” on page 3-9

• “Controlling the Data Server service” on page 3-11

XMS Configuration Guide 3-7

XMS Network Integration and Service Applications

Setting the Data Server’s connection parameters

The Data Server Control Panel’s GENERAL page features parameters that allow the Data
Server to connect and communicate with the Xmedia Server.

The TCP/IP section on the GENERAL page allows you to set the communication port number
at which the Data Server listens for incoming data. Figure 3-4 demonstrates that the Data
Server Control Panel’s L

ISTENING PORT field must always be set to 14060.

Figure 3-4. Setting the Data Server’s communication port

The following table describes the parameters in the M

ETADATA section on the GENERAL

page, which determine the Data Server’s settings for connecting and communicating with
the Xmedia Server(s).

XMS

HOST / PORT These settings are used to identify the primary Xmedia Server that the Data

Server will connect to.

• Specify the IP address or machine name of the Xmedia Server that
hosts the XMS Service.

• Specify the communication port that allows a service to connect to an
Xmedia Server. Typically, the port number is 14050.

B

ACKUP XMS HOST /

PORT

When operating within a server replication setup, these settings are used to
identify the secondary Xmedia Server that the Data Server will connect to if
the primary XMS server fails to respond.

• Specify the IP address or machine name of the secondary Xmedia
Server in the B

ACKUP HOST field.

• Specify the communication port of the secondary Xmedia Server in the

B

ACKUP PORT field. Typically, the port number is 14050.

3-8 XMS Configuration Guide

XMS Network Integration and Service Applications

METADATA DIRECTORY Specify the directory path to the METADATA folder that contains all of the xml

data that the data server needs to retrieve data. The folder is usually stored
in C:\Program Files\VertigoXmedia\Apps\.

This folder is primarily used when the data server can no longer connect to
the XMS.

S

ILENCE SERVER ON MAIN

XMS

CONNECTION

This setting has been primarily replaced by the CONTROL THE DATASERVER
setting on the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s S

ERVICE CONTROL page (see

page 15-5).

When enabled, this setting causes the Data Server service to cease if the
Xmedia Server connection is lost. In a replication setup, this condition
forces a failover to the secondary Xmedia Server.

U

SE LAZY LOADING When enabled, the Data Server does not parse the schemas until they are

requested.

XMS Configuration Guide 3-9

XMS Network Integration and Service Applications

Logging Data Server events

The Data Server Panel’s LOGGING page (figure 3-5) allows you to set parameters to create
a logging criteria that records the status of Data Server events. The resulting logging
information is recorded and saved to a DataServer*.log file, which can be opened a
basic text editor to determine whether the Data Server is being used correctly or help
diagnose error conditions.

NOTE

Be aware that logging may adversely affect the product’s performance, especially on air
performance. Therefore, we recommend enabling logging only when you are troubleshooting.

Figure 3-5. Data Server Panel’s Logging page

The Data Server’s Logging Levels and Debug Categories settings allow you to specify the
type and categories of events that you want to be recorded in the Xmedia Server log files.

Log Level

This sets the default log level used by all logging categories except those that have been
checked in the Debug Categories list. The choices are:

• Error - Only log errors and essential operations.

• Warn - Log unsuccessful operations that may indicate a problem (in addition to all
messages logged at the Error level).

• Info - (Default) Log important events that occur during normal conditions (in addition to
all messages logged at the Warn level).

It is recommended to set the Log Level to Info in order to provide enough information in
the logs to diagnose common problems without affecting performance.

3-10 XMS Configuration Guide

XMS Network Integration and Service Applications

Debug Categories

Select the types of debug logging (categories) that you would like to record in the Data
Server log file:

• G

ENERAL - General logging that does not fit under any other category.

• D

ATABASE - Database connections

• T

CP - Network

• M

ETADATA - Data source parsing

• F

ILE - File handling

• I

NIT - Startup and process initialization

The SELECT NONE button de-selects all of the Debug categories at once.
Log Destinations

All log files related to Vertigo Suite products are centrally archived in the Xmedia Server

•L

OG TO CONSOLE: Currently not available for external use. The events are written to a

console for Miranda personnel to use for testing and debugging tasks.

• F

ILE SIZE - Sets the maximum memory size for each log file created per run. The default

value is 6 MB.

• F

ILE COUNT - Specifies the maximum number of DataServer*.log files that will be

stored. A large enough number should be chosen to store over a day's worth of logs.
This way if a problem happens the relevant log files will be available. Once the
maximum number of files is reached, the oldest log file will be replaced by a new one.
The default value is 20.

T o access and view the contents of the most recent or archived DataServer*.log files:

1. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the Vertigo Suite’s log folder:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VertigoXmedia\Logs

2. Click on the NAME column’s heading to sort the files.

3. Double click the DataServer*.log file that you want to display and it opens in a text
editor (i.e. Notepad).

Figure 3-6. Accessing the Data Server log files

XMS Configuration Guide 3-11

XMS Network Integration and Service Applications

Controlling the Data Server service

By default, the Data Server service is set to automatically start when its host machine
(i.e. Xmedia Server) is started. You can then use the controls on the Data Server Panel’s

S

ERVICE page to stop and start the service (figure 3-7). The service’s current state (started

or stopped) is always reported on this page as well.

Figure 3-7. Manual controls for starting and stopping the Data Server service

In a replication environment, we recommend that authority to start and stop the Data Server
service be given to the Xmedia Server by enabling the C

ONTROL THE DATASERVER setting

on the Xmedia Server Control Panel (figure 3-8). The CONTROL THE DATASERVER setting
ties the control of the Data Server service to the starting and stopping of the XMS service.
Enabling this setting ensures the Data Server remains paired with the Xmedia Server at all
times in the replication environment (see page 15-5

for more information).

Figure 3-8. Configure the Xmedia Server Control Panel to control the Data Server service

3-12 XMS Configuration Guide

XMS Network Integration and Service Applications

The figures below demonstrate that once the CONTROL THE DATASERVER setting is enabled,
the following changes are applied to the Data Server panel’s GENERAL and SERVICE pages:

General Page

• The upper portion of the General page’s software identification banner reads:
CONTROLLED BY THE XMEDIA SERVER.

Service Page

• The manual start and stop controls become disabled

• The upper panel displays the following message: X

MEDIASERVER IS CONFIGURED TO

CONTROL THE DATASERVER

•The SERVICE STATE message reports that the service is DISABLED, rather than START

AUTOMATICALLY

XMS Configuration Guide 3-13

XMS Network Integration and Service Applications

File Ingest Server and Transcode Server

The V ertigo File Ingest Server is a service responsible fo r automatically ingesting media into
the Xmedia Server from a user-created ingest folder. The File Ingest Server is also
responsible for issuing media conversion requests to the Transcode Server, which is the
service responsible for transcoding media from one format to another.

File Ingest Server can be configured to watch one or more folders by defining one or more
instances of the ingest service in the configuration file. Each instance defines the set of
rules that are mapped to each ingest folder being watched.

Information and instructions for using the File Ingest Server and Transcode Server are
provided in “Ingesting media files using the File Ingest Server” on page 20-1

.

Figure 3-9. File Ingest Server Control Panel

3-14 XMS Configuration Guide

XMS Network Integration and Service Applications

Xmedia Server Control Panel - XmediaServer Properties
Window

The user interface for configuring and controlling the Xmedia Server is the XMEDIA SERVER
C

ONTROL PANEL (figure 3-10). The Xmedia Server Control Panel features fifteen (15)

tabbed pages that contain parameters and settings related to the configuration and
functioning of the Xmedia Server.

Figure 3-10. The Xmedia Server Control Panel

NOTE

Although the title bar of this window displays XMEDIASERVER PROPERTIES, it is most
commonly referred to as the XMEDIA SERVER CONTROL PANEL.

Once the Xmedia Server has been installed, you can open the Xmedia Server Control Panel
window by selecting: START > SETTINGS > CONTROL PANEL > VERTIGOXMEDIA XMEDIA SERVER.

Behind the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s user interface runs the XMS SERVICE application.
The XMS service’s main responsibilities are to manage the Xmedia Server’s interaction with
the Vertigo Suite applications and to define the configuration settings for different Xmedia
system setups and uses.

XMS Configuration Guide 3-15

XMS Network Integration and Service Applications

In most cases, the XMS Service is set to automatically launch when the Xmedia Server is
started and it runs in the background, regardless of whether or not any applications from
the Vertigo Suite have been opened. If the XMS service fails to start, the Xmedia Server
Control Panel’s S

ERVICE CONTROL page allows you to verify the status of the XMS Service

(figure 3-11) and restart the service if necessary. See “Controlling the XMS Service” on page

15-1 for more information.

Figure 3-11. The Service Control page displays the state of the XMS Service

3-16 XMS Configuration Guide

XMS Network Integration and Service Applications

Xmedia Server Control Panel’s settings pages

The following table describes the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s fifteen (15) tabbed pages
that contain the parameters and settings that are used to configure the Xmedia Server to
interact with the Vertigo Suite applications and offer extended functionality.

Xmedia Server
Control Panel Tab

Description

G

ENERAL The GENERAL tab displays the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s product

information, as well as parameters for configuring the XMS’s communication
port and directories. This page also features the Authorization Manager
Configuration settings, which are used for enabling user rights management.

See “The XMS’s General Configuration Settings” on page 4-1

for more

information about setting the parameters on the GENERAL page.

DATABASE The DATABASE tab allows you to select and configure the Xmedia Server’s

database settings, as well as how to take a backup of the SQL Server database.
See “Verifying the XMS’s Database Settings” on page 5-1 for more information

about setting the parameters on the DATABASE page.

REPLICATION The REPLICATION tab allows you to configure the current Xmedia Server to

participate in a replication setup, which offers full redundancy for near instant
failover with no interruption in services including on-air playout.

See “Replication of the XMS Server’s Database” on page 6-1

for more

information about setting the parameters on the REPLICATION page.

MOS The MOS tab allows you to configure the Xmedia Server to integrate with a

newsroom control system. The Xmedia Server can then provide graphics assets
to newsroom environments using the MOS protocol.

See “MOS Server Configuration and Monitoring” on page 7-1 for more
information about setting the parameters on the MOS page.

L

ICENSING The LICENSING tab allows you to view, add, and remove the software licenses

that are required to operate each of the Vertigo Suite applications.
See “License Management” on page 8-1 for more information about setting the

parameters on the LICENSING page.

LOGGING The LOGGING tab allows you to set parameters for creating and viewing a log file

that records the status of events while the Xmedia Server is operating.
See “Logging Xmedia Server Events” on page 9-1

for more information about

setting the parameters on the L

OGGING page.

XMS Configuration Guide 3-17

XMS Network Integration and Service Applications

SERVICE CONTROL The SERVICE CONTROL tab displays the current state of the XMS Service. It also

allows you to manually stop and start the XMS service, and set Service Options
for automatically restarting the XMS Service and/or linking the XMS to the
DataServer .

See “Controlling the XMS Service” on page 15-1

for more information about

setting the parameters on the S

ERVICE CONTROL page.

RUNTIME STATISTICS The RUNTIME STATISTICS tab displays a real-time tally of the content of the

Xmedia Server’s database.
See “Displaying XMS Runtime Statistics” on page 16-1

for more information

about setting the parameters on the RUNTIME STATISTICS page.

PROPAGATION The PROPAGATION tab allows you to create a hub and spoke asset distribution

model in which assets can be created and propagated from a central hub to
various spoke servers.

See “Propagating Assets to Other Xmedia Servers” on page 17-1

for more

information about setting the parameters on the PROPAGATION page.

PUBLISHING The PUBLISHING tab displays a real-time view of the status of media assets that

are currently being published. This view allows you to easily clear/cancel some
or all of the pending publish requests. This tab also allows you to enable the
insta-publish device option.

See “Setting and Monitoring the XMS Publishing Activities” on page 18-1

for

more information about setting the parameters on the PUBLISHING page.

WORKFLOW The WORKFLOW tab allows you to create a work order workflow that is used for

requesting, completing, tracking and approving graphics work orders.
See “Work Order Workflow Configuration” on page 10-1

for more information

about setting the parameters on the WORKFLOW page.

SYSTEM PARAMETERS The SYSTEM PARAMETERS page allows you to set the rate at which media objects

are ingesting into the Xmedia Server, at what time expired published and
archived assets will be purged, and the system’s field rate.

See “Setting the XMS System Parameters” on page 11-1

for more information

about setting the parameters on the SYSTEM PARAMETERS page.

OXSOX The OXSOX tab allows you to configure the Xmedia Server to communicate with

the ImageStore Media Manager (IMM) or/and Xplorer applications, which both
use the Oxsox protocol.

See “OxSox Connection Settings” on page 12-1

for more information about

setting the parameters on the OXSOX page.

3-18 XMS Configuration Guide

XMS Network Integration and Service Applications

AUTOMATION The Xmedia Server Control Panel’s AUTOMATION page configures the Xmedia

Server to communicate with a specific automation system for the purposes of
publishing to devices based on the automation system’s schedule.

See “The XMS Automation Parameters for Scheduled-based Publishing” on

page 13-1 for more information about setting the parameters on the AUTOMATION

page.

*** Note ***

Although the Automation page still exists on the Xmedia Serve Control Panel,
the functionality of scheduled-based publishing has been deprecated.

XFTP Although the XFTP page still exists on the Xmedia Serve Control Panel, the

functionality of importing files using a FTP server running locally on the Xmedia
Server been deprecated.

XMS Configuration Guide 4-1

4 THE XMS’S GENERAL CONFIGURATION

S

ETTINGS

The GENERAL p age on the Xmedia Server Control Panel (figure 4-1) allows you to view and
set some of the Xmedia Server’s basic configuration and connection settings. The GENERAL
page is divided into three (3) thematic areas and each is described in the following sections:

• “Viewing the Xmedia Server’s product information” on page 4-2

• “Configuring the XMS’s network connection and directories” on page 4-3

• “Configuring the Authorization Manager” on page 4-4

Figure 4-1. The General tab on the Xmedia Server Control Panel

4-2 XMS Configuration Guide

The XMS’s General Configuration Settings

Viewing the Xmedia Server’s product information

The Xmedia Server Control Panel’s GENERAL page provides a quick view of the Xmedia
Server’s product information (figure 4-2). This page displays the following three (3) pieces
of information regarding the Xmedia Server:

• Version: Identifies the version and build number of the Vertigo Suite that is currently
installed and running on the Xmedia Server.

• Executable is: Identifies the full directory path of where the Xmedia Server executable
file is located.

• Working directory: Identifies the full directory path of the VertigoXmedia Apps folder
that contains the Vertigo Suite’s .ini files, license files, some log files, and some MOS­related XML files.

Figure 4-2. Xmedia Server product information on the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s General page

XMS Configuration Guide 4-3

The XMS’s General Configuration Settings

Configuring the XMS’s network connection and
directories

The Xmedia Server Control Panel’s GENERAL page (figure 4-2) features two sections that
allow you to specify and view the Xmedia Server’s communication port and the full directory
paths where the XMS stores or retrieves information from. The following table provides
more details about each field in these sections:

Figure 4-3. Xmedia Server connection and directories on the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s General page

TCP/IP Configuration Listen for incoming connections on port: The port number at which the

Xmedia Server (XMS) will listen. IP address is the local IP.

Directories Configuration Virtual database path: The full directory path to the Virtual Database

(VDB). The Virtual Database is a directory structure that contains all the
hard assets that the XMS stores.

Working folder: Identifies the full directory path of the VertigoXmedia
Apps folder that contains the Vertigo Suite’s .ini files, license files, some
log files, and some MOS-related XML files.

Filter directory: The full path to of the directory that contains filters such
a LEAD tools filters. Filters are used to convert data from one format to
another.

4-4 XMS Configuration Guide

The XMS’s General Configuration Settings

Configuring the Authorization Manager

The Vertigo Suite offers system administrators and workflow managers the possibility of
restricting access to some of the functionality on a per-user basis using the Xmedia Server
and the operations, tasks, and roles defined in Microsoft’s Authorization Manager (see

“User Rights Management” on page 19-1

for more information).

Use of the Vertigo Suite’s User Rights Management is completely optional and it can be
configured, enabled, or disabled using the settings on the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s
GENERAL page (figure 4-4).

Figure 4-4. The Authorization Manager portion of the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s General page

Authorization Manager
Configuration

Enabled: If checked, it will ensure that next time the XMS runs, it will
create a shared directory called AzMan in the working directory.
Furthermore, it enables the authorization manager in the Xmedia Server.

Policy store URL: Specifies the path of the policy store, which is a file that
helps the AzMan coordinate user rights management. The file is stored in
either the active directory or on disk as an XML file.

Application name: The name of the object that contains rights for the user
in the application.

XMS Configuration Guide 5-1

5 VERIFYING THE XMS’S DATABASE
SETTINGS

The Xmedia Server uses a Microsoft SQL Server database to store asset details,
categories, work order processing data, publish processing data, and other relational
information and data.

The following sections describe how to use the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s DATABASE
page to verify the Xmedia Server’s database settings, as well as how to take a backup of
the SQL Server database:

• “Verifying the SQL Server database settings” on page 5-2

• “Making a backup of the SQL Server database” on page 5-4

NOTE

The Xmedia Server’s database settings have been factory configured and/or commissioned
by qualified Miranda Technologies professionals. Although this chapter instructs users on
how to verify the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s database settings, we strongly discourage
users from making changes to database settings without the guidance of the Miranda’s
Technical Support department ([e-mail]).

5-2 XMS Configuration Guide

Verifying the XMS’s Database Settings

Verifying the SQL Server database settings

The Vertigo Suite uses a Microsoft SQL Server database to store and manage asset details,
categories, work order processing data, publish processing data, and other relational
information and data. The following instructions describe how to verify the MS SQL SERVER

SETTINGS on the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s Database page (figure 5-1)

Figure 5-1. The MS SQL Server settings

To verify the MS SQL Server settings:

1. Select the D

ATABASE tab on the Xmedia Server Control Panel.

2. Verify that MS SQL S

ERVER is displayed in the DATABASE TYPE field.

3. Click the T

EST CONNECTION button to verify the connection to the database.

The connection test validates the current MS SQL SETTINGS values. If the TEST

DATABASE CONNECTION pop-up window reports a successful connection (figure 5-2),

this indicates that all of the current settings are valid and you do not need to continue
the verification procedure.

If the T

EST DATABASE CONNECTION pop-up window reports a failed connection (figure 5-2),

the current MS SQL SERVER SETTINGS are invalid and you must continue with this
procedure to verify these settings.

Figure 5-2. Testing the database connection is a quick way to verify the validity of the SQL Server settings

XMS Configuration Guide 5-3

Verifying the XMS’s Database Settings

4. Verify that the SERVER NAME and the DATABASE NAME fields are accurate on the
Xmedia Server Control Panel’s Database settings page.

The server and database names can be obtained by opening the SQL S

ERVER

MANAGEMENT STUDIO.
a. Open the SQL S

ERVER MANAGEMENT STUDIO by selecting START> PROGRAMS>

MICROSOFT SQL SERVER 2008 R2>SQL SERVER MANAGEMENT STUDIO.

b. Click C

ONNECT in the CONNECT TO SERVER window.

c. In the Object Explorer panel of the Microsoft SQL Server Mana gement Stud io

window, expand the D

ATABASES folder to display the name of the database.

d. Verify that the server name and database name match those specified on the

Xmedia Server Control Panel’s Database settings page.

5. Verify that the U

SER NAME and PASSWORD fields are accurate.

The U

SER NAME and PASSWORD provides a security measure to ensure that only the

qualified user (i.e. the system administrator) has permission to connect, write, and read
to the database.

By default these fields are both set to sa. Contact your system administrator if the U

SER

N

AME or PASSWORD appear to be different than the default.

6. Verify that CONNECTION POOLING is enabled and set to 10.
When this setting is enabled, the value specified establishes the number of

connections in the connection pool. Having a connection pool helps the Xmedia Server
service its clients in a timely fashion. When this setting is disabled, it will not use a
connection pool to the database and it will have only a single connection.

7. Click the T

EST CONNECTION button to verify the validity of the settings and the

connection to the database.
If the T

EST DATABASE CONNECTION pop-up window again reports a failed connection,

contact Miranda’s Technical Support department for assistance ([e-mail]).

Server name

Database name

5-4 XMS Configuration Guide

Verifying the XMS’s Database Settings

Making a backup of the SQL Server database

The DATABASE BACKUP section of the Database page (figure 5-3) allows you to create or
update a backup of the Xmedia Server’s MS SQL Server database.

When the BACKUP DATABASE button is selected, the osql utility is executed and a backup file
(XmediaSuite.bak) is created/updated and saved within the root folder of the server’s
Virtual Database (as indicated by the directory path in the VIRTUAL DB ROOT DIRECTORY field).

Figure 5-3. Create or update a backup of the Xmedia Server’s MS SQL Database

XMS Configuration Guide 6-1

6 REPLICATION OF THE XMS SERVER’S
DATABASE

Replication enables full redundancy of an Xmedia Server that is available for near instant
failover with no interruption in services including on-air playout.

The Xmedia Server implements a simple technique of replicating all events that change the
database and/or virtual database (VDB). Two identically versioned Xmedia Servers
(Primary and Secondary) communicate with each other to ensure database replicas by
queuing all commands that alter the state of the database (and/or VBD) to disk. These
commands are then sequentially executed on the secondary server as if it were a normal
client with a few distinctions.

The primary server’s connection to the secondary server is distinct in that the secondary
server does not send normal replies to the primary server. Instead, it replies with simple
acknowledgements. Most data altering commands consist of user-invoked changes such
as Template saving, whereas other hidden changes, such as publish history and licensing
changes such as soft-key ingestion, are also replicated.

At all times both servers are running and the secondary server is ready to take control when
a failover condition arises at any time. Both servers contain identical licensing information
and each has their own dongle with matching customer IDs. Each server is responsible for
monitoring network conditions and each other’s availability.

The following sections further describe the conditions and behavior of the Xmedia Servers
replication. Instructions are also provided to guide you through the process of setting up and
enabling server replication.

• “Conditions that trigger a failover” on page 6-2

• “MOS Enabled Replication” on page 6-3

• “Replication settings on the Xmedia Server Control Panel” on page 6-4

• “Setting up and enabling Xmedia Server replication” on page 6-6

6-2 XMS Configuration Guide

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

Conditions that trigger a failover

The primary server makes an active TCP connection to the secondary on its main XMS port,
which is typically 14050. When this connection is dropped, there are two perspectives from
which to describe. Firstly , if the secondary server dropped the connection, then the primary
server immediately attempts to reconnect and periodically tries on defined intervals (in
seconds), while it remains running as usual. Secondly, if the primary server dropped the
connection, the secondary server slips into a temporary wait state awaiting the primary
server’s reconnection for a period of time in seconds. If the primary server has not
reconnected within the defined period, the secondary server assumes control and begins
accepting connections from clients.

A failover occurs when one or more of the following conditions are met:

• The primary Xmedia Server service is stopped.

• The primary server loses network connectivity.

• The primary Xmedia Server service involuntarily crashes.

• The primary server tells the secondary server to takeover for otherwise unknown
purposes, see the primary server’s log file.

• The primary server loses its connection with the SQL server database.

• The primary server is powered off.

The secondary server assumes control by accepting connections from clients only when the
primary server is inoperable. While the secondary server is accepting connections it queues
the data changing events to disk, exactly like the primary server does when operating
normally. While the secondary server is live, it periodically checks for primary server
availability by attempting to connect to it.

Once the primary server is back online, the secondary server unloads the queue to the
primary server, and when the queue is empty, the primary server resumes control and the
secondary server resumes its role. The primary server is operable whenever it is running
and the backlog queue from the secondary server is emptied.

XMS Configuration Guide 6-3

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

MOS Enabled Replication

When MOS is enabled in the Xmedia Server Control Panel (see page 7-1), additional
replication requirements must be met. The Newsroom Control System (NCS), which
requires the Xmedia Server MOS presence, is configured to be aware of the Xmedia Server
using a single IP address, which is often referred to as the Virtual IP address.

Figure 6-1 demonstrates that in MOS enabled environments the primary XMS adds the
virtual IP address to the public network adapter. On failover , the primary server releases the
virtual IP and the secondary server adds the IP address to its public network adapter. Since
the two servers cannot concurrently support the same IP address, the Xmonitor service is
responsible for removing the Virtual IP address from the public network adapter of the
primary computer when the primary XMS tells it to, or when it suddenly stops or crashes. It
functions the same way on the secondary server as well. Without the Xmonitor service,
messages would appear on the network indicating an IP address conflict on the network.

Figure 6-1. A Virtual IP Address must be available for replication when MOS is enabled

The Xmonitor.exe is part of the standard install, but it is not automatically configured to
run as a permanent service. Therefore, as part of the replication setup you must manually
install and start the Xmonitor service. See “Verify and/or install the V ertigo Xmonitor service”

on page 6-11 for instructions and further information regarding the Xmonitor service.

Xmonitor

XMS_1

Xmonitor

XMS_2

Virtual

IP Address

Local Area Network (LAN)

Static IP AddressStatic IP Address

Xmonitor

XMS_1

Xmonitor

XMS_2

Virtual

IP Address

Local Area Network (LAN)

Static IP AddressStatic IP Address

In MOS enabled environments,
the primary XMS adds the
Virtual IP address to the public
network adapter.

The two servers cannot concurrently
support the same Virtual IP address.
Therefore, when a failover occurs
on the primary server, the Xmonitor
service is responsible for removing
the Virtual IP address from the
network adapter of the primary server
and connecting the secondary server.

6-4 XMS Configuration Guide

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

Replication settings on the Xmedia Server Control Panel

Replication is setup and enable using the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s REPLICATION page
on both the primary and secondary servers (figure 6-2). T o open the Xmedia Server Control
Panel, select Start>Settings>Control Panel>VertigoXmedia XmediaServer
and then select the R

EPLICATION tab.

While the table below describes each of the settings on the R

EPLICATION page, instructions

for using these settings to implement server replication are provided on page 6-13

.

Figure 6-2. Replication settings on the Xmedia Server Control Panel

E

NABLED Selecting this check box enables the particular server for replication. Deselecting

the check box disables replication. For replication to be activated between the
primary and secondary servers, this setting must be active on each of the
server’s Xmedia Server Control Panels.

SERVER ALIAS MY ALIAS: Defines the name given to the primary server. We recommend naming

it “Primary”.

B

UDDY ALIAS: The name of the secondary server. We recommend naming it

“Secondary”.
PREFERRED PRIMARY: Specifies the name of the chosen primary server.

XMS Configuration Guide 6-5

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

BUDDY SETTINGS HOST NAME OR IP: The name or IP address of the peer host. It is specifically the

name as it is known to this server. It is typically the same as “PeerPublicHost”.
However, it can be different if you chose to use a private network between the
two nodes. In this case, you would put the private network IP address of the peer.

XMS SERVER PORT: The port that the peer XMS is listening on. This is typically,

14050.

RECONNECT TIMEOUT: This is the period of time the secondary server waits for the

primary server to reconnect before it switches itself to live mode. We recommend
that this setting’s value be set to 3.

PUBLISH HOST OR IP: The hostname or IP address of the peer XMS server as it
is known to the general network. This value is given to the clients so they know
exactly where the peer XMS node is.

V

IRTUAL IP SETTINGS VIRTUAL IP ADDRESS: This is a third static IP address the two nodes of a

replication setup toggle when live.

NETMASK: This is typically 255.255.255.0
LAN IP

ADDRESS: The general IP address of the computer. The XMS monitors

this IP address to detect network failure, and also binds the shared IP address
to the adapter where this IP address is bound. Mandatory for MOS when using
a shared IP address.

R

EGISTERED NAME: If a shared IP address is added to the DNS of the network and

given a name. You must put the exact fully qualified hostname bound to the
shared IP address here. Otherwise, the XMS will not add the shared IP address
to the public adapter.

Q

UEUE SETTINGS QUEUE FOLDER: The full path of the folder where the XMS stores the queue of the

replicated commands. If the drive letter is missing, it assumes that the folder is
in the working folder of the XMS (see page 4-3

). If the folder does not exist, the

XMS creates it.
QUEUE TAG: This is typically “XMS” and can be anything you choose. It is used

as an identifier added to each filename in the queue folder. The queue tag does
not have to match that of the peer’s.

OPEN QUEUE FOLDER: Opens an Explorer window to the Queue folder.
DS DB P

ROPERTIES: This setting is for the DataServer on each node. If the

DataServer is running centrally, which is recommended and usual practice, it
should be provided with a default database. The default database is accessible
in the Data Manager/Data Source dialog of Xstudio, where one chooses to use
the default database rather than providing unique settings for the data source.
The default database is unique per node, and is usually a separate database in
the same SQL Server instance as the XmediaServer system database. This is
how redundancy is created for DataServers. The Vertigo policy for populating the
default databases is that the customer is fully responsible for providing data to
each default database in the replication environment, and our system ensures
that the DataServer instance stays paired with its relative XmediaServer
instance.

6-6 XMS Configuration Guide

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

Setting up and enabling Xmedia Server replication

The procedure below identifies the high-level steps involved in setting up and enabling the
replication service of the Xmedia Server’s database. Subsequent sections (identified by the
links within the procedure) provide step-by-step in structions for performing each step.

NOTE

It is recommended that you first read through the conceptual information contained on page

6-1 before you proceed with the following procedure.

1. Verify that the two servers conform to the necessary replication requirements

• “Verify the servers’ dongles Machine IDs” on page 6-8

• “Verify the registered licenses on both servers” on page 6-9

• “Verify the SQL Server versions on both servers” on page 6-10

• “Verify the XmediaServer software versions on both servers” on page 6-10

• “Verify and/or install the Vertigo Xmonitor service” on page 6-11

2. Specify the Replication settings on the primary server’s Xmedia Server Control
Panel

• “Specify the Queue settings” on page 6-14

• “Specify the Dataserver Database Connection settings” on page 6-15

• “Specify the server’s network settings in the Virtual IP Settings” on page 6-16

• “Specify the Buddy settings” on page 6-17

• “Specify the Server Alias settings” on page 6-18

3. Specify the Replication settings on the secondary server’s Xmedia Server
Control Panel

• “Specifying the Replication settings on the secondary server” on page 6-19

4. Make a backup of the primary server’s databases

• “Make a backup of the primary server’s database” on page 6-20

5. Set the Control the Data Server option

• “Setting the Control Data Server option” on page 6-20

6. Specify the server settings on all client applications (i.e. Xstudio, Xplay, Xnews)

• “Specifying the server settings on client applications” on page 6-21

7. Verify proper functioning of the servers and replication

• “Verifying proper functioning of the servers and replication” on page 6-23

XMS Configuration Guide 6-7

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

Server replication requirements

Before setting up or using Xmedia Server’s replication, you should ensure that the servers
respect the specific guidelines and requirements that are necessary to support replication.
The following table briefly lists the mandatory requirements for Xmedia Server replication.

Instructions for verifying that both servers conform to the replication requirements are
provided in the following sections:

• “Verify the servers’ dongles Machine IDs” on page 6-8

• “Verify the registered licenses on both servers” on page 6-9

• “Verify the SQL Server versions on both servers” on page 6-10

• “Verify the XmediaServer software versions on both servers” on page 6-10

• “Verify and/or install the Vertigo Xmonitor service” on page 6-11

Licenses A matching dongle on each machine is an absolute requirement

and the servers’ licenses must also be identical.

Database type SQL Server is required.
Static IP Addresses Acquire two mandatory static IP addresses from your IT

department. These IP addresses are required to monitor network
connectivity.

Virtual IP Address Acquire an additional static IP address from your IT department.

This IP address is only required for MOS Enabled environments.

Matching Software Both servers (primary & secondary) must be usin g identical

software versions (OS, SQL-Server, patch levels, MSXML,
Vertigo Suite...etc.)

Xmonitor Service The Xmonitor service must be installed on each server to

maintain virtual IP address in a MOS Enabled environment.

6-8 XMS Configuration Guide

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

Verify the servers’ dongles Machine IDs

Each XMS server must have a dongle with a matching Machine ID (also known as
Customer IDs). It is of paramount importance because when failed over , client applications
must be able to connect without licensing issues.

To ensure that the two (2) dongles that are installed on the servers have identical
Machine IDs:

1. On the primary server, open the Xmedia Server Control Panel.

2. Select the L

ICENSING tab (figure 6-3).

3. Select S

OFTKEYS from the LICENSE SERVER OPTIONS drop-down list.

4. Take note of the Machine ID number.

5. Repeat steps 1 to 4 on the secondary server.

6. Confirm that the Machine IDs are an exact match. If they are not, contact a Miranda
technical services representative.

Figure 6-3. The dongle’s Machine ID is displayed on the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s Licensing page

XMS Configuration Guide 6-9

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

Verify the registered licenses on both servers

Each XMS server must have exact duplicates of the vxls.bin license file. The XMS
replicates soft-keys to maintain the licensing information at all times. Synchronizing scripts
should take the vxls.bin file into account. Note that this verification must be done before
replication is enabled, or while replication is disabled and there is no active primary server.

T o ensure that the lists of registered licenses on the primary and secondary servers
are identical:

1. On the primary server, open the Xmedia Server Control Panel.

2. Select the R

EPLICATION tab and ensure that Replication is disabled. Be sure that the

E

NABLED check box is cleared.

3. Select the LICENSING tab (figure 6-4).

4. Select L

ICENSES from the LICENSE SERVER OPTIONS drop-down list.

5. Take note of the licenses displayed on the L

ICENSE SUMMARY tab.

6. Repeat steps 1 to 4 on the secondary server.

7. Confirm that the licenses are an exact match. If they are not, choose the server that
has the correct license list and copy its vxsl.bin file. St op the XMS service on the server
that is about to receive the license file, and then paste/replace the license file.

Figure 6-4. The server’s licenses are displayed on the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s Licensing page

6-10 XMS Configuration Guide

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

Verify the SQL Server versions on both servers

Ensure that the SQL Server versions on the primary and secondary servers are identical by
reading SQL-Server’s program group label on the Start menu of both the primary and
secondary server. Select S

TART>PROGRAMS>MICROSOFT SQL SERVER. Figure 6-5

demonstrates that the version number is stated as part of the label.

Figure 6-5. The Start menu provides a quick reference to identify the SQL Server software version

Verify the XmediaServer software versions on both servers

Ensure that both the primary and secondary servers are running the same version of the
VertigoXmedia XmediaServer software. Open the Xmedia Server Control Panel of each
server and compare the software versions displayed on the GENERAL page (figure 6-6).

Figure 6-6. The version of the Vertigo Suite software is displayed on the General page

Software version

XMS Configuration Guide 6-11

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

Verify and/or install the Vertigo Xmonitor service

In a newsroom environment, MOS enabled Xmedia servers require an additional IP
address, referred to as the Virtual IP address. In a replication configurat ion, the two servers
(primary and secondary) cannot concurrently support the Virtual IP address. Therefore, in
the case of a primary server failover, the Xmonitor service is responsible for essentially
transferring connectivity to the Virtual IP address from the primary to the secondary, and
vice versa. See “MOS Enabled Replication” on page 6-3

for more information.

The Xmonitor.exe is part of the standard install, but it is not automatically configured to
run as a permanent service. Therefore, you must manually install and start the Xmonitor
service on both the primary and secondary servers.

NOTE

The installation and use of the Xmonitor service is only required for Xmedia Servers that are
use in a newsroom environment where MOS is enabled. If this is not the case, then you do
not need to proceed with this procedure.

To verify and/or install the Xmonitor service:

1. Verify if the Xmonitor service is already installed on the server.
a. Open the Xmedia Server Control Panel.
b. Select the S

ERVICE CONTROL tab.

c. Click the LAUNCH SERVICES MANAGEMENT CONSOLE button.

The S

ERVICES CONSOLE appears (figure 6-7).

Figure 6-7. Microsoft’s Services Console

d. Navigate down the list of SERVICES (LOCAL).

If the Vertigo Xmonitor service is already installed, it will be included in this list. Be
sure that its S

TATUS is STARTED. If no status is displayed, continue to step 6 to start

the service.
If the Vertigo Xmonitor service is not listed, then you must install the service.

6-12 XMS Configuration Guide

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

2. Install the Xmonitor service.
a. Open the server’s command prompt window (START MENU > RUN and type cmd,

then press E

NTER.)

b. At the prompt, type: “%vxapps%”\..\lib\xmonitor –i
c. Press E

NTER.

Figure 6-8. Launch the Vertigo Xmonitor installation from the command prompt

3. St art the Vertigo Xmonitor service.
a. Return to the Services Management Console and right-click the Vertigo Xmonitor

listing.

b. Select the Start command from the context menu.

Figure 6-9. Start the Xmonitor service

4. Repeat the same procedure on the peer server (primary or secondary server).

XMS Configuration Guide 6-13

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

Specifying the Replication settings on the primary server

The Xmedia Server Control Panel’s REPLICATION page on the primary Xmedia Server
contains all of the settings required to enable and configure the primary server for
replication (figure 6-10

). The Xmedia Server Control Panel is opened by selecting:

Start>Settings>Control Panel>VertigoXmedia XmediaServer

Then, select the R

EPLICATION tab.

Figure 6-10. The Xmedia Server Control Panel’s Replication page on the primary server

A quick-reference of each of the Replication page’s fields and settings is available on page

6-4. Meanwhile, the following topics provide instructions for specifying the necessary

settings for server replication.

• “Specify the Queue settings” on page 6-14

• “Specify the Dataserver Database Connection settings” on page 6-15

• “Specify the server’s network settings in the Virtual IP Settings” on page 6-16

• “Speci fy th e Bu dd y s et ti ngs ” on page 6-17

• “Specify the Server Alias settings” on page 6-18

6-14 XMS Configuration Guide

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

Specify the Queue settings

When a failover occurs on the primary server, the secondary server assumes control and
queues the data changing events to disk in a queue folder, exactly like the primary server
does when operating normally. Once the primary server is back online, the secondary
server unloads the queue to the primary server, and when the queue is empty, the primary
server resumes control and the secondary server resumes its role. The primary server is
operable whenever it is running and the backlog queue from the secondary server is
emptied.

In the Q

UEUE SETTINGS section of the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s REPLICATION page,

you must specify the full path (drive letter and the location) for the replication queue folder.
Typically, the replication queue folder should be stored on the F DRIVE. If you do not specify
a drive letter, the folder location defaults to the working folder specified on the Xmedia
Server Control Panel’s G

ENERAL page. Note that the folder is only created once the XMS

service is restarted.
Also set the QUEUE TAG, which is an identifier added to each file name in the queue folder.

To set the Queue settings:

1. Open the Xmedia Server Control Panel and select the R

EPLICATION tab.

2. Select the E

NABLED check box.

3. Type the full path for the folder’s location (i.e. f:\Repliqueue) in the Q

UEUE FOLDER field.

4. Type an identifier in the QUEUE TAG field (i.e. XMS).

5. Click A

PPLY.

Queue settings

Enabled
check box

XMS Configuration Guide 6-15

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

Specify the Dataserver Database Connection settings

Set the DATASERVER DATABASE CONNECTION settings. It is recommended to set the DataServer
Database connection while the two servers are still fully independent of each other.

To set the DataServer Database connection settings:

1. Open the Xmedia Server Control Panel and select the R

EPLICATION tab.

2. Ensure that the E

NABLED check box is selected.

3. Click the DS DB PROPERTIES button.
The D

ATASERVER DATABASE CONNECTION SETTINGS dialog box appears (figure 6-11).

Figure 6-11. DataServer Database Connection Settings dialog box

4. Verify that the Enable dataserver database connection

SETTINGS check box is selected.

5. Select MS SQL S

ERVER from the DATABASE type drop-down list.

6. Type LOCALHOST as the SERVER NAME field.

7. Type a user-defined database name (i.e. Datafeeds) in the D

ATABASE NAME field.

8. Enable the W

INDOWS AUTHENTICATION option.

9. Type a user name and password in the appropriate fields.
Typically , we recommend using the same user name and password as specified on the

Xmedia Server Control Panel’s D

ATABASE tab.

10. Click OK.

11. Click A

PPLY.

DataServer Database Properties
(DS DB properties)

Enabled check box

6-16 XMS Configuration Guide

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

Specify the server’s network settings in the Virtual IP Settings

The VIRTUAL IP SETTINGS section on the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s Replication page
identifies the server’s IP address (LAN IP Address), as well as information required to
support the Virtual IP address used in newsroom environments (Virtual IP Address,
Netmask, and Registered name fields).

If you are configuring replication for a MOS enabled newsroom environment, then you must
specify a value for all of the settings in this section (see the first procedure below).
Otherwise, if your replication configuration does not require MOS, you only have to specify
the server’s IP Address in the LAN IP

ADDRESS field (see the second procedure below).

To set the server’s network settings for a MOS enabled newsroom environment:

1. Acquire an IP address that is not DHCP from your IT department. This IP address will
be used as the Virtual IP address.

2. Open the command prompt and type: ipconfig

Figure 6-12. The server’s IP Configuration values

3. Take note of the server’s IP

ADDRESS and SUBNET MASK.

4. Open the Xmedia Server Control Panel and select the R

EPLICATION tab.

5. Ensure that the E

NABLED check box is selected.

6. Type the Virtual IP address in the V

IRTUAL IP ADDRESS field.

7. Type the Subnet Mask value in the NETMASK field.

8. Type the server’s static IP address in the LAN IP

ADDRESS field.

9. If the Virtual IP address is registered in a Domain Name Server (DNS), then type the
full qualified domain name in the R

EGISTERED NAME field (i.e. replic1.miranda.com).

10. Click A

PPLY.

To set the server’s LAN IP address (non-MOS enabled configuration):

1. Open the command prompt and type: ipconfig

2. Take note of the server’s IP

ADDRESS.

3. Open the Xmedia Server Control Panel and select the REPLICATION tab.

4. Ensure that the E

NABLED check box is selected.

5. Type the server’s static IP address in the LAN IP

ADDRESS field.

6. Click APPLY.

XMS Configuration Guide 6-17

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

Specify the Buddy settings

When configuring the primary server for replication, the buddy server (also known as a peer
or backup server) refers to the secondary Xmedia Server. When configuring the secondary
server, the buddy server refers to the primary Xmedia Server.

Therefore, specifying the Buddy settings is relative to which server you are currently on.

Figure 6-13. Identify the buddy server ’s IP address, communication port, and timeout settings

To specify the Buddy setti ngs:

1. Take note of the buddy server’s IP address by performing an IP Configuration on the
buddy server.

a. On the buddy server, open the command prompt and type: ipconfig
b. Take note of the server’s IP

ADDRESS.

2. Go back to the server that you are configuring. Open the Xmedia Server Control Panel
and select the R

EPLICATION tab.

3. Ensure that the E

NABLED check box is selected.

4. In the HOST NAME OR IP field, type the buddy server’s IP address (or hostname ).

5. in the XMS S

ERVER PORT field, type the port number that the buddy server’s

communication port. Typically, this would be 14050.

6. Edit the R

ECONNECT TIMEOUT value from 0 to 3.

7. Leave the P

UBLIC HOST OR IP field blank.

8. Click APPLY.

Buddy Settings

Enabled
check box

6-18 XMS Configuration Guide

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

Specify the Server Alias settings

Like the Buddy Settings, the Server Alias settings are relative to which server is currently
being configured. The SERVER ALIAS settings are used to designate whether the current
server is the primary or the secondary server in the replication model.

Figure 6-14 demonstrates that if the current server is the primary server, you must provide
it with an alias and then assign as the primary using the P

REFERRED PRIMARY radio button.

Next, you must identify the b uddy server by also providing it a name. Then click APPLY.
The same procedure must be performed on the secondary server’s Xmedia Server Control

Panel’s Replication page, but the settings should be inverted (see figure 6-14).

Figure 6-14. The Server Alias settings are relative to which server is being configured

Settings on the primary server Settings on the secondary server

XMS Configuration Guide 6-19

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

Specifying the Replication settings on the secondary server

Once you have specify all of the replication settings on the primary servers Xmedia Server
Control Panel’s Replication page, you must also specify the complimentary replication
settings on the secondary server’s Xmedia Server Control Panel’s Replication page.

Open the Xmedia Server Control Panel on the secondary server by selecting:

Start>Settings>Control Panel>VertigoXmedia XmediaServer

Then, select the REPLICATION tab.
The procedures for configuring the secondary server are identical to the ones described for

the primary server. There are some settings and values that are relative to which server is
being configured, however. This mainly applies to the SERVER ALIAS settings and the BUDDY

S

ETTINGS sections and is thoroughly indicated in the instructions.

Therefore, complete each of the following procedures to configure the secondary server for
replication:

• “Specify the Queue settings” on page 6-14

• “Specify the Dataserver Database Connection settings” on page 6-15

• “Specify the server’s network settings in the Virtual IP Settings” on page 6-16

• “Speci fy th e Bu dd y s et ti ngs ” on page 6-17

• “Specify the Server Alias settings” on page 6-18

6-20 XMS Configuration Guide

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

Make a backup of the primary server’s database

It is strongly recommended that you make a backup of the primary server’s MS SQL Server
database in case you experience any situations in the future that requires you to restore the
server’s database.

A convenient method for creating a backup of the server’s database is to use Backup
Database button on the primary server’s XMS Control Panel’s Database page (page 5-4

).

The backup file will be saved to the primary server’s Virtual Database path.
Contact Miranda’s Technical Support representative for further information or assistance.

Setting the Control Data Server option

When replication is enabled, the CONTROL THE DATASERVER setting must be selected to
ensure that the DataServer remains paired with the Xmedia Server at all times in a
replication environment. An essential objective in the replication environment is to keep the
server (which in reality has two components: the XMS and the Data Server) together.

To set the Control the DataServer setting on the primary replication server:

1. Open the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s SERVICE CONTROL page.

2. Enable the C

ONTROL THE DATASERVER check box.

3. Select the L

AUNCH SERVICES MANAGEMENT CONSOLE button.

The SERVICES window appears.

4. Navigate to the V

ERTIGO DATA SERVER service listed in the SERVICES(LOCAL) column.

5. Right-click on the V

ERTIGO DATA SERVER heading and select the STOP command (figure

6-15).

Figure 6-15. Stop the VXDataServer service

6. Return to the Xmedia Server Control Panel and click A

PPLY.

XMS Configuration Guide 6-21

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

Specifying the server settings on client applications

Vertigo Suite applications (Xstudio, Xbuilder, Xnews, and Xplay) that run on the client
machines must be configured to connect and communicate with both the primary and the
secondary Xmedia Servers. Therefore, you must open each of the client applications and
specify the appropriate Server settings for the primary and the secondary Xmedia Servers
(also referred to as the backup Xmedia Server).

To specify the server settings on a client application:

1. Open the X

MEDIA SERVER CONTROL PANEL on the primary and secondary XMS servers

and take note of the following information:

• G

ENERAL page >TCP/IP CONFIGURATION PORT (typically, 14050)

• REPLICATION page > VIRTUAL IP SETTINGS > LAN IP ADDRESS

2. Open the DATA SERVER PANEL on the primary and secondary XMS servers
(START>SETTINGS>CONTROL PANEL>VERTIGOXMEDIA DATA SERVER).

Take note of the TCP/IP>L

ISTENING PORT value (typically, 14060).

3. Launch an Vertigo Suite application by selecting S

TART>PROGRAMS>VERTIGO and then

one of the following applications:

•X

STUDIO

•XBUILDER

•XPLAY

•XPLORER

4. Select TOOLS>SETTINGS from the application’s menu bar.
The S

ETTINGS window appears.

5. Select the S

ERVERS heading from the tree structure to display the server settings

(figure 6-16).

Figure 6-16. Both the primary and secondary XMS servers must specified in the Server settings

Xstudio Server Settings Xbuilder Server Settings

6-22 XMS Configuration Guide

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

6. Specify the appropriate value in the following server setting fields:

7. Click either OK or A

PPLY on the SETTINGS window.

8. Repeat steps 3 to 6 for each of the remaining Vertigo Suite applications.

XM

EDIA SERVER IP ADDRESS The IP address of the primary Xmedia Server, which should match

the value in the LAN IP A

DDRESS field on the primary server’s

Xmedia Server Control Panel.

XM

EDIA SERVER PORT The communications port of the primary Xmedia Server, which

should match the value in the XMS SERVER PORT field on the
primary server’s Xmedia Server Control Panel. This is typically,

14050.

B

ACKUP XMEDIA SERVER IP

A

DDRESS

The IP address of the secondary Xmedia Server, which should
match the value in the LAN IP A

DDRESS field on the secondary

server’s Xmedia Server Control Panel.

B

ACKUP XMEDIA SERVER PORT The communications port of the secondary Xmedia Server, which

should match the value in the XMS SERVER PORT field on the
secondary server’s Xmedia Server Control Panel. This is typically,

14050.

D

ATA SERVER IP ADDRESS The IP address of the primary Xmedia Server that is running the

Data Server. Thus, this value should be identical to the value set
for the XM

EDIA SERVER IP ADDRESS listed above.

D

ATA SERVER PORT The communications port of the primary Xmedia Server that is

running the Data Server. Thus, this value should be identical to the
value set for the XMEDIA SERVER PORT listed above.

B

ACKUP DATA SERVER IP ADDRESS The IP address of the secondary Xmedia Server that is running the

Data Server. Thus, this value should be identical to the value set
for the B

ACKUP XMEDIA SERVER IP ADDRESS listed above.

BA

CKUP DATA SERVER PORT The communications port of the secondary Xmedia Server that is

running the Data Server. Thus, this value should be identical to the
value set for the B

ACKUP XMEDIA SERVER PORT listed above.

XMS Configuration Guide 6-23

Replication of the XMS Server’s Database

Verifying proper functioning of the servers and replication

When starting the Xmedia servers with replication enabled, it is recommended to first start
the primary server followed by the secondary server. This ordering ensures that the primary
server immediately becomes the live mode server. If the secondary server is started first, it
will takeover live mode operation if the primary server does not start within the R

ECONNECT

TIMEOUT value seconds. When the primary server finally does start up, it will force a failback

operation.
Perform the following failover and failback tests to verify the proper functioning of the

Xmedia Server replication:

Type of test Instructions

1 Failover Disconnect the network cable to the primary server.
2 Failback Reattach the network cable of the primary server.
3 Failover Stop the primary Xmedia Server’s XMS service control.
4 Failback Start the primary Xmedia Server’s XMS service control.
5 Failover Terminate the primary Xmedia Server’s service control using a kill

utility like PsKill (or similar).
6 Failback The service control manager shoul d auto-start the primary XMS.
7 Failover Repeat all failover tests while saving assets between tests and

verify integrity.
8 Failover Repeat all failover test while working a MOS enabled rundown and

verify the playlist’s integrity .

XMS Configuration Guide 7-1

7 MOS SERVER CONFIGURATION AND
MONITORING

The Xmedia Server Control Panel’s MOS Server settings enable the Xmedia Server as a
Media Object Server, which allows it to integrate into newsroom environments. As a MOS
server, the Xmedia Server uses the MOS protocol to send metadata and pointer information
about its MOS objects (i.e. graphics pages) to the Newsroom Control System (NCS). The
NCS is responsible for managing all of the elements that contribute to the newscast’s
rundown. Also using the MOS Protocol, the NCS can request the transmission of the MOS
objects from the MOS server for its rundowns. The Xmedia Server Control Panel’s MOS
Monitoring page allows you to monitor the inbound and outbound MOS messages between
the Xmedia Server (MOS Server) and the Newsroom Computer System (NCS).

The following sections provide information and instructions for using the Xmedia Server
Control Panel’s MOS page to enable and use the Xmedia Server’s MOS Server component
for newsroom integratio n :

• “Configuring the Xmedia Server’s MOS settings” on page 7-2

• “Logging MOS Server activities” on page 7-8

• “Monitoring inbound/outbound MOS messages” on page 7-10

• “Mapping MOS channels” on page 7-11

Figure 7-1. The Xmedia Server’s MOS component allows it to integrate into newsroom environments

MOS Server

Newsroom Control System (NCS)

7-2 XMS Configuration Guide

MOS Server Configuration and Monitoring

Configuring the Xmedia Server’s MOS settings

Selecting the MOS tab on the Xmedia Server Control Panel displays the MOS component
settings for the Xmedia Server. The MOS page has three (3) views, which are controlled
using the MOS OPTION drop-down list at the top of the MOS page. Figure 7-2 shows that
selecting the C

ONFIGURATION option from the MOS OPTION drop-down list displays the

GENERAL and NEWSROOM CONTROL SYSTEM (NCS) settings, which are used to:

• Enable the Xmedia Server ’s MOS component and specify details about the Xmedia
Server that allows it to become a MOS Server

• Identify the Newsroom Control System and configure its protocol options in preparation
for communication with the MOS Server (i.e. Xmedia Server)

Figure 7-2. The Xmedia Server Control Panel’s MOS configuration settings

The following sections provide instructions for enabling, configuring, and editing the settings
that are responsible for establishing communication between the MOS server and the
Newsroom Control System:

• “Instructions for configuring the Xmedia Server as a MOS server” on page 7-3

• “Editing the Newsroom Control System’s properties” on page 7-6

• “Deleting the Newsroom Control System” on page 7-7

XMS Configuration Guide 7-3

MOS Server Configuration and Monitoring

Instructions for configuring the Xmedia Server as a MOS server

To integrate the Xmedia Server (XMS) into a newsroom environment, the Xmedia Server
must be configured as a MOS Server and then associated with a Newsroom Control
System like ENPS or iNews. The following procedure provides you with detailed
instructions for accomplishing these tasks.

Figure 7-3. Xmedia Server Control Panel’s MOS server configuration settings

To configure the Xmedia Server’s MOS server component:

1. Open the Xmedia Server Control Panel and select C

ONFIGURATION from the MOS

OPTION drop-down list.

2. Select the E

NABLED check box to activate the MOS Server component.

3. Specify and/or verify the following options:
a. Type VERTIGO (all capital letters) in the MOS ID field.

All MOS messages to and from the Xmedia Server will be identified by this MOS ID.

b. If the Xmedia Server has been configured for a replication environment (see page

6-1), verify that the hostname or IP address of the buddy server is accurate in the

BUDDY XMS HOST field.

c. Type 60 in the F

RAME RATE field.

This field specifies the number of frames-per-second in the video format that is
being used by the Xmedia Server. Valid values are 60 for NTSC, and 50 for PAL.

4. Enable or disable the check boxes for the following settings:

• C

ONVERT MOS RUNNING ORDER STORIES INTO PLAYLIST SEGMENTS

When enabled, the MOS running order stories will be organized in the playlist
within segments. When disabled, the they are placed in the playlist as
consecutive items in one list.

• S

END ROITEMSTATUS MESSAGE ON AFFECTED ITEMS ONLY

When enabled, roItemStatus messages will be sent for each item affected by
each running order operation processed by the MOS server. A running order
operation is defined as an independent transaction enclosed in a MOS
running order message.

• S

END ROITEMSTATUS MESSAGE

When enabled (default), the roItemStatus message is sent to the MOS server
with the status of the items in the rundown. When disabled, the roItemStatus
message is suppressed and the status of items in the rundown are not reported.

7-4 XMS Configuration Guide

MOS Server Configuration and Monitoring

• DELETE XPLAY PLAYLISTS ON MOS RODELETE COMMANDS
When enabled, the Xplay playlists that corresponds to the NCS’s rundown will be
automatically deleted when the rundown is deleted by the NCS client. When disabled,
the Xplay playlists will not be deleted when the NCS’s rundowns are deleted.

5. Identify the Newsroom Control System (NCS) that the Xmedia Server will communicate
with by selecting the N

EW button in the Newsroom Control System (NCS) section.

The N

EWSROOM CONTROL SYSTEM (NCS) dialog box appears.

6. Specify the NCS settings for the ENPS or iNews server on the Newsroom Control
System dialog box (figure 7-4

).

a. Type the ID for the ENPS server or the iNews server in the NCS ID field.

The ENPS’s ID can be found at ENPS>S

YSTEM MAINTENANCE>SERVERS.

b. Type ENPS or iNews server’s host name or IP address in the HOST field.

This value is often the same as the NCS ID.

c. In the R

UNDOWN CATEGORY field, type the name of the Rundown subcategory

where the rundowns will be stored by default.

d. Specify the I

NBOUND ENCODING and OUTBOUND ENCODING setting:

Select UCS2-BE (2-byte Universal Character Set - Big-Endian format) from the
drop-down lists for an ENPS server or iNews server configuration.

e. If using iNews, enable the S

UPPORTS XML VERSION TAG option by selecting the

check box. Enabling the MOS version tag, means the MOS server will ensure each
MOS message sent to the NCS is headed with the <?xml … /> tag. ENPS does
not expect it, but iNews does.

f. Enable or disable the N

OTIFY NCS ON PAGE CREATION op tion.

Enabling N

OTIFY NCS ON PAGE CREATION means that the MOS server will send

mosObj messages to the NCS when graphics are created, modified or deleted in
our system. As a result, you are able to see shared pages in the lists displayed on
the NCS client user-interface.

g. Click OK to accept settings and close the N

EWSROOM CONTROL SYSTEM dialog box.

Figure 7-4. Newsroom Control System’s properties

7. Click A

PPLY.

XMS Configuration Guide 7-5

MOS Server Configuration and Monitoring

8. You must restart XMS Service before the new settings can properly take effect.
a. On the Xmedia Server Control Panel and select the SERVICE CONTROL tab (figure 7-5).
b. Click the S

TOP SERVER button and wait a couple of seconds.

c. Click the S

TART SERVER button and verify that the SERVICE STATE reports:

“The service is running.”

d. Click A

PPLY and then return to the MOS configuration page by selecting the MOS

tab at the top of the Xmedia Server Control Panel. Or, click OK to close the Xmedia
Server Control Panel.

Figure 7-5. Stop and restart the XMS Service to apply the MOS server settings to the Xmedia Server

7-6 XMS Configuration Guide

MOS Server Configuration and Monitoring

Editing the Newsroom Control System’s properties

To edit the Newsroom Control System’s properties:

1. Open the Xmedia Server Control Panel and select C

ONFIGURATION from the MOS

OPTION drop-down list.

2. Verify that the E

NABLED check box is selected.

3. In the NEWSROOM CONTROL SYSTEM table, select the Newsroo m Contro l System that
is to be edited.

4. Click the P

ROPERTIES button that is now enabled.

The N

EWSROOM CONTROL SYSTEM (NCS) dialog box appears (figure 7-6) and displays

the NCS’s current settings.

Figure 7-6. Newsroom Control System properties

5. Make the necessary edits to the setting values. See page 7-4 for a description of each
of the settings on the NCS properties dialog box.

6. Click OK to confirm the edits and close the dialog box.
The new settings immediately appear in the N

EWSROOM CONTROL SYSTEM table.

7. Click A

PPLY.

8. You must restart XMS Service before the new settings can properly take effect.
a. On the Xmedia Server Control Panel and select the S

ERVICE CONTROL tab.

b. Click the S

TOP SERVER button and wait a couple of seconds.

c. Click the START SERVER button and verify that the SERVICE STATE reports:

“The service is running.”

d. Click A

PPLY and then return to the MOS configuration page by selecting the MOS

tab at the top of the Xmedia Server Control Panel. Or, click OK to close the Xmedia
Server Control Panel.

XMS Configuration Guide 7-7

MOS Server Configuration and Monitoring

Deleting the Newsroom Control System

To delete the Newsroom Control System’s properties:

1. Open the Xmedia Server Control Panel and select C

ONFIGURATION from the MOS

OPTION drop-down list.

2. Verify that the E

NABLED check box is selected.

3. Select the Newsroom Control System that is to be deleted from the NEWSROOM

C

ONTROL SYSTEM table.

4. Click the REMOVE button that is now enabled.
The R

EMOVE NCS dialog box appears (figure 7-7).

Figure 7-7. Select Yes to delete the Newsroom Control System from the MOS Server configuration

5. Select Y

ES to confirm that you want to permanently delete the specified NCS.

The NCS is immediately removed from the N

EWSROOM CONTROL SYSTEM table.

7-8 XMS Configuration Guide

MOS Server Configuration and Monitoring

Logging MOS Server activities

Selecting the CONFIGURATION option from the MOS OPTION drop-down list displays the MOS
LOGGING OPTIONS settings (figure 7-8) These settings allow you to set the MOS log file’s

criteria, as well as providing you access to locate and view the MOS log file.
The following sections provide instructions for setting the log file options and viewing the

contents of the MOS log file:

• “Specifying MOS logging options” on page 7-8

• “Viewing the MOS log file” on page 7-9

Figure 7-8. MOS Logging Options and log file access buttons

Specifying MOS logging options

The Xmedia Server Control Panel’s MOS Configuration page provides you with a set of MOS
LOGGING OPTIONS, which determine the criteria for what type of information populates the

MOS log file.
You can enable or disable the following MOS Logging options:

• T

RACE TCP EVENTS: As the most verbose setting, it traces all activity related to network

transmissions.

• T

RACE ALL MOS SERVER ACTIVITY: Logs the MOS server engine messages.

• T

RACE ALL MOS MESSAGES: Logs the content of the MOS messages.

• T

RACE MOS COMMAND NAMES: Logs the MOS command names.

• O

UTPUT LOG MESSAGES TO CONSOLE WINDOW: This is an advanced setting for

debugging. It should be disabled at all times.

XMS Configuration Guide 7-9

MOS Server Configuration and Monitoring

Viewing the MOS log file

During operation, the Xmedia Server’s MOS activities are recorded in a log file. The logging
criteria is determined by the settings specified in the MOS LOGGING OPTIONS (see page 7-8).

The contents of the log file are valuable for troubleshooting if for some reason the Xmedia
Server‘s MOS server component is not behaving properly.

To view the MOS log file:

1. Open the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s MOS page and select CONFIGURATION from
the MOS OPTION drop-down list.

2. Verify that the E

NABLED check box is selected.

3. Verify that the Path field displays the full directory path to the MOS log file, which is
named vxmos.log.

If the log file path is not displayed, click the path field’s

BROWSE button and use the

B

ROWSE FOR COMPUTER dialog box (figure 7-9) to navigate your way to the log file.

For example:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VertigoXmedia\Logs\vxmos.log

Figure 7-9. Browse for the MOS log file (vxmos.log)

4. There are two (2) ways of opening the MOS log file:

• Click the VIEW LOG button, and the vxmos.log file opens immediately in a

Notepad window.

Or,

• Click the E

XPLORE LOG FOLDER button. Windows Explorer opens to the LOGS folder

that was specified in the PATH field (figure 7-10). Find and double-click the

vxmos.log file. The vxmos.log file opens immediately in a Notepad window.

Figure 7-10. You can open the vxmos.log file from within the Windows Explorer window

7-10 XMS Configuration Guide

MOS Server Configuration and Monitoring

Monitoring inbound/outbound MOS messages

Selecting MONITOR from the MOS OPTION drop-down list displays the MOS Monitor page
(figure 7-11), which allows you to view the real-time inbound and outbound MOS messages
that are being communicated between the Xmedia Server (MOS Server) and the
Newsroom Control System (NCS).

The INBOUND MOS MESSAGES column displays messages that originate from the NCS. The
messages communicate back to the MOS server any changes that were made to the NCS’s
running order (i.e. rundown). The MOS server can also initiate communication with the NCS
and its messages are displayed in the O

UTBOUND MOS MESSAGES section of the MOS

Monitor page. Note that although these communications are in real-time, the originating
system must wait for a response after sending each message.

Figure 7-11. Monitor the inbound/outbound MOS messages between the MOS server and NCS

NOTE

We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the MOS Protocol’s MOS messages by
referring to the MOS message definitions at http://www.mosprotocol.com/.

Only the MOS message headings
appear in the upper pane.

The lower pane displays the details of
the MOS message that is currently
selected in the upper pane.

XMS Configuration Guide 7-11

MOS Server Configuration and Monitoring

Mapping MOS channels

The MOS CHANNEL MAPPINGS option on the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s MOS page
allows you to create associations between the Newsroom Control System’s MOS channel
name and the asset’s publish location. These associations are used by the MOS Server to
communicate to the NCS whether or not the story (template and all its linked assets) has
been published to the appropriate location. If the story has not been published, the Xmedia
Server triggers the necessary publish requests until the story in the rundown is published
(i.e published to all locations inferred by the MOS channel name).

A MOS channel map is created on the Xmedia Server Control Panel by adding a MOS

CHANNEL ASSOCIATION for each of the MOS channel names listed in the NCS’s rundown. The

MOS

CHANNEL ASSOCIATION links the MOS channel name with an ASSET TYPE, which

determines where the assets will be published to. The following ASSET TYPES can be selected:

• C

HANNEL: A channel is an object (asset) that is made up of a number of devices each

associated to a publoc2 asset.

• D

EVICE2: A Device2 is a logical representation of a Vertigo XG or another driver

(i.e. Lyric, Deko, etc.) to which Xplay will send Cue/Take, Set text, and Set image
commands.

• P

UBLOC2: A Publoc2 is a logical representation of a location (i.e. hostname, drive,

directory) to which clips, audio, scenes and other files are to be published.

You can also set a default channe l mapping so that if no MOS channel name specified in
the NCS application (e.g. an empty cell in the MOS Channel Name column), the assets will
be published to the location specified in the D

EFAULT CHANNEL MAPPING fields on the

Xmedia Server Control Panel (figure 7-12).

Figure 7-12. Default MOS channel mapping values

The following sections provides instructions for adding, editing, and deleting MOS Channel
Associations:

• “Adding a MOS Channel Association” on page 7-12

• “Editing a MOS Channel Association” on page 7-14

• “Deleting a MOS Channel Association” on page 7-15

7-12 XMS Configuration Guide

MOS Server Configuration and Monitoring

Adding a MOS Channel Association

A MOS channel map is created on the Xmedia Server Control Panel by adding a MOS

CHANNEL ASSOCIATION for each of the MOS channel names listed in the NCS’s rundown.

To map a MOS ch annel name to a publish location:

1. Open the Newsroom Control System (NCS) client application (i.e. ENPS or iNews) and
open the rundown so that the MOS channel column is displayed. T ake note of the MOS
channel names.

2. Open the X

MEDIA SERVER CONTROL PANEL and select MOS CHANNEL MAPPINGS from

the MOS OPTION drop-down list (figure 7-13).

Figure 7-13. Select MOS CHANNEL MAPPINGS from the MOS OPTION drop-down list

3. Click A

DD.

The A

DD A MOS CHANNEL ASSOCIATION dialog box appears (figure 7-14).

Figure 7-14. The MOS Channel Association dialog box

4. Type the MOS channel name from the NCS in the MOS

CHANNEL field.

5. Select either C

HANNEL, DEVICE2, or PUBLOC2 from the ASSET TYPE drop-down list.

6. Select the asset’s name from the A

SSET NAME drop-down list.

XMS Configuration Guide 7-13

MOS Server Configuration and Monitoring

7. Click ADD.
The ADD A MOS CHANNEL ASSOCIATION dialog box closes and the MOS channel

name’s channel map is immediately displayed in the MOS C

HANNEL MAPPINGS list.

8. Optional: Click R

EFRESH to refresh the MOS channel mappings list to verify if any other

additions, deletions, or modifications of channels, devices and publoc2 assets have
taken place.

7-14 XMS Configuration Guide

MOS Server Configuration and Monitoring

Editing a MOS Channel Association

To edit an existing MOS Channel Association:

1. Open the XMEDIA SERVER CONTROL PANEL and select MOS CHANNEL MAPPINGS from
the MOS

OPTION drop-down list.

2. Select the MOS Channel Name of the MOS Channel association that is to be edited
(figure 7-15

).

Figure 7-15. Select MOS channel association’s MOS Channel Name

3. Click the P

ROPERTIES button, or double-click the MOS Channel association’s name.

The E

DIT MOS CHANNEL ASSOCIATION dialog box appears (figure 7-16).

Figure 7-16. The MOS Channel Map’s properties

4. Make the necessary edits to the MOS

CHANNEL, ASSET NAME, and/or ASSET TYPE fields.

5. Click S

AVE and the EDIT MOS CHANNEL ASSOCIATION dialog box closes.

The edits made to the MOS channel association are immediately displayed in the MOS
Channel Mappings list on the Xmedia Server Control Panel.

XMS Configuration Guide 7-15

MOS Server Configuration and Monitoring

Deleting a MOS Channel Association

To delete an existing MOS Channel Association:

1. Open the XMEDIA SERVER CONTROL PANEL and select MOS CHANNEL MAPPINGS from
the MOS

OPTION drop-down list.

2. Select the MOS Channel Name of the MOS channel association that is to be deleted
(figure 7-17

).

Figure 7-17. Select the MOS Channel Name of the MOS channel association

3. Click R

EMOVE.

The C

ONFIRM DELETE dialog box appears (figure 7-18).

Figure 7-18. Select Yes to delete the sele ct MOS channel association

4. Click YES to confirm your intention to delete the selected MOS channel association.
The MOS channel association is immediately removed from the MOS Channel

Mappings list on the Xmedia Server Control Panel.

XMS Configuration Guide 8-1

8 LICENSE MANAGEMENT

The Xmedia Server stores and manages the licenses that are required to operate the
Vertigo Suite applications and devices. As such, the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s
Licensing page provides you with an interface whe r e you ca n:

• View the list of the existing application and device licenses stored on the Xmedia Server.

• View the details of a particular license, such as which computer or IP address is using the
license, the license type, the allocation count...etc.

• Add new licenses to the Xmedia Server.

• Deallocate a fixed license from one client computer, so that it is free to be used by another
computer.

The following sections describe how to use the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s Licensing
page to view and manage the licenses stored on the Xmedia Server:

• “An overview of Vertigo Suite licenses” on page 8-2

• “Orientation to Xmedia Server Control Panel’s Licensing page” on page 8-8

• “Viewing the existing device and application licenses” on page 8-14

• “Viewing the details of a particular license” on page 8-15

• “Resolving license errors and adding licenses to the Xmedia Server” on page 8-16

• “Deallocating a fixed license” on page 8-22

8-2 XMS Configuration Guide

License Management

An overview of Vertigo Suite licenses

All Vertigo Suite applications and devices require a valid license to operate. These licenses
are added to and stored on the central Xmedia Server (or in some cases on the
Intuition XG’s EXMS). Factory configured XGs and Miranda commissioned Xmedia Servers
will already have licenses installed according to the sales agreement.

The following sections provide further information about the Vertigo Suite licenses:

• “Vertigo Suite application and device licenses” on page 8-3

• “Types of Vertigo Suite licenses” on page 8-4

• “The vxls.bin license file” on page 8-5

• “Xmedia Server Control Panel Licensing page versus License Manager” on page 8-6

• “Licensing in a server replication environment” on page 8-7

XMS Configuration Guide 8-3

License Management

Vertigo Suite application and device licenses

All Vertigo Suite applications and devices are required to have a valid license. Without a
license the application or device will not be able to launch, or it will not operate to full
functionality. All licenses must be purchased and they are distributed in the form of soft keys.

The following licenses are currently available for the Vertigo Suite applications:

•QC 4.8

•X

BUILDER 4.8

•X

NEWS 4.8

•X

PANEL2 4.8

•X

PLAYPRO 4.8

•X

PLORER 4.8

•X

STUDIO 4.8

•X

STUDIOD 1.0

Vertigo Suite render and playout devices also require specific licenses to operate at full
functionality, or to enable specific features. The following table identifies and describes the
licenses that are available or related to the XMEDIA SERVER, VERTIGO XG and VX PREVIEW
(Software CG) devices.

XGE

NCODE 4.8 The XG Encode license is required to use Xbuilder’s Render to File feature, which

renders and saves the playout of a template, page, and/or scene to a file in various
clip formats. See the Xbuilder User Manual for more information.

XGE

NCODE FOR

P

LAYOUT 4.8

The XG Encode for Playout license is required to render pages and/or scenes to
playout server compatible formats (XDCAM and IMX compatible MXF files). See the

Xbuilder User Manual for more information.

XGS

OFTWARE 4.8 The VX Preview (Software CG) requires a software application license to function

properly. If the SoftwareCG does not have a valid application license, then the
LiveWindow will show the message "Unlicensed Application" and the SoftwareCG
will be internally disabled. It will only accept Dashboard connections at this point.
See page 1-5

in the Vertigo XG Configuration Guide for more information.

8-4 XMS Configuration Guide

License Management

Types of Vertigo Suite licenses

A license’s transference and lifespan are determined by its license type. The Xmedia Server
supports four (4) different license types, which are reported in the Type column of the

License Summary table on the Licensing page:

•F

IXED/PERM

•FIXED/TEMP

•FLOAT/PERM

•FLOAT/TEMP

The following sections describe the difference between the license types and under which
circumstances it would be more appropriate to choose one type rather than the other.

• Fixed versus Floating license types

• Permanent versus Temporary license types

Fixed versus Floating license types

Fixed licenses restrict the use of an application to one specific computer or device. Fixed
licenses are recommended for a single-user or a devoted machine environment. The
Xmedia Server allows you to deallocate (free up the license so that it can be used by
another machine) up to four (4) times. The D

EALLOC COUNT column on the LICENSE DETAIL

tab keeps track of the amount of times the license has been deallocated. Deallocation of a
fixed licenses is performed manually as described on page 8-22

. If you need to deallocate
a fixed license more than four times, you must contact Miranda’s Technical Support
department to renew the license.

Floating licenses allow an application to be run on any computer/device that is connected
to the Xmedia Server and which has the application’s software installed on it. Therefore,
floating licenses are recommended for sites that have multiple users, but do not need or
want to purchase a license for each user. Floating license imply that multiple users share a
fixed number of licenses since the number of computers permitted to run the application at
the same time is limited to the number of floating licenses granted for the application. When
a computer needs an application program, it sends to a request to the Xmedia Server for a
floating license. If a license is available, the Xmedia Server assigns the license to that
computer. If no floating license is available, the request is rejected. Once the application is
closed on a computer, the license is automatically deallocated back to the Xmedia Server,
which is ready to reassign it to the next client.

Permanent versus Temporary license types

A permanent license type has no expiry date and it is valid for the lifetime of the software
version indicated in the license’s name. Temporary license types however, are associated
with an expiry date upon which the validity of the license terminates and the application is
no longer operational. A temporary license’s expiry date is indicated in the E

XPIRATION

column on the LICENSE DETAIL tab. Contact Miranda’s Technical Support department to
extend or renew a temporary license.

XMS Configuration Guide 8-5

License Management

The vxls.bin license file

The file that contains the required licensing information is named vxls.bin and it is stored
on the Xmedia Server in the following directory location:

C:\Program Files\VertigoXmedia\Apps

You will also notice that the Apps folder (figure 8-1) also contains a series of ten similarly
named files that use the following format:

• 4_8_vxls_1.bin

• 4_8_vxls_2.bin

• 4_8_vxls_3.bin

These files are backups of the license file that get updated and archived every time the XMS
service is restarted. In the case where the primary license file (vxls.bin) gets corrupted,
then you can always revert to a functioning version of the license file.

Figure 8-1. The license file (vxls.bin) and its backups are stored in the Apps folder on the XMS

The following instructions explain how to revert to a valid license file using a backup. The
same procedure can be followed to install a license file sent by Miranda’s T echnical Support
team.

1. Open the Xmedia Server Control Panel and select the S

ERVICE CONTROL tab.

2. Select the S

TOP button to stop the XMS Service.

3. Navigate to the Apps folder: C:\Program Files\VertigoXmedia\Apps

4. Rename the old bin file (i.e. change vxls.bin to vxls_old.bin), or remove the file
from the Apps folder.

5. Rename the backup license file (i.e. vxls_1.bin) that you deem to be valid to
vxls.bin.

or,
Add the new vxls.bin that was provided by Miranda’s T echnical Support team to the

Apps folder.

6. Return to the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s S

ERVICE CONTROL page and press the

Start button to restart the XMS Service.

8-6 XMS Configuration Guide

License Management

Xmedia Server Control Panel Licensing page versus License
Manager

Although the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s Licensing page is the main interface for
viewing and managing the Vertigo Suite licenses, it is only accessible from the Xmedia
Server. Vertigo Suite applications, like Xstudio, are installed on client computers and the
Xmedia Server is likely only accessible to the IT technicians. As such, the Vertigo Suite
applications (i.e. Xplorer, Xstudio, Xbuilder, and Xplay) are equippe d with a L

ICENSE

MANAGER (figure 8-2) that allows you to view and manage licensing from the application.

The License Manager provides you with almost the exact same functionality as the Xmedia
Server Control Panel Licensing’s S

OFT KEYS view, and all edits are immediately shared

between the two once you select the APPLY button (see page 8-12 and page 8-21 for more
information).

Figure 8-2. The License Manager allows you to view and manage licenses from withi n an application

There are two (2) ways to launch the License Manager:

• When a Vertigo Suite application is launched without a proper license, a license error
appears and you can press the E

NTER LICENSE button to launch the License Manager

to remedy the problem.

Or,

• With the application open, you can select the H

ELP>LICENSE command from the

application’s menu bar.

NOTE

Further information and instructions for using the License Manager are provided in the user
manual’s for each of the Vertigo Suite applications and in the Relkease Notes for Vertigo
Suite v.4.8.

XMS Configuration Guide 8-7

License Management

Licensing in a server replication environment

In an Xmedia Server replication setup, the Vertigo Suite application and device licenses are
also replicated from th e primary server to the secondary server to ensure that both servers
contain identical licensing information for a seamless transition in case of failover.

Since a critical part of the licensing mechanism is that machine ID matches exactly with the
license, each Xmedia Server must have a dongle with matching Machine IDs. If the dongles
do not have the same Machine IDs, then a licensing error will occur and client applications
will not be able to connect to the secondary server when a failover occurs. See “Replication

of the XMS Server’s Database” on page 6-1 for more information about these server

replication services.

8-8 XMS Configuration Guide

License Management

Orientation to Xmedia Server Control Panel’s Licensing
page

The Xmedia Server Control Panel’s Licensing page provides you with an interface and
settings for viewing and managing the licenses that are required to operate the Vertigo Suite
applications and devices.

Selecting the L

ICENSING tab on the Xmedia Server Control Panel displays the Licensing page,

which has two views: LICENSES and SOFTKEYS. You can switch between th e two views by
selecting from the LICENSE SERVER OPTION drop-down list at the top of the Licensing page (figure

8-3

).

Figure 8-3. Switching between the Licensing page’s Licenses and Softkeys views

The following sections provide a quick reference of the field and settings on each of the
views on the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s Licensing page, including a brief description of
what the view allows you to accomplish.

• “Licences view - License Summary tab” on page 8-9

• “Licenses view - License Detail tab” on page 8-10

• “Soft Keys view” on page 8-12

To switch views

XMS Configuration Guide 8-9

License Management

Licences view - License Summary tab

Figure 8-4 demonstrates the License Summary table which lists all of the licenses that are
currently installed on the Xmedia Server. Each row in the table represents a license
category and provides the license’s name, type, and the number of licenses installed
(P

RODUCT, LICENSE TYPE, and LICENSE COUNT). See “Viewing the existing device and

application licenses” on page 8-14 for more information.

Figure 8-4. The Licenses view with the License Summary tab selected

8-10 XMS Configuration Guide

License Management

Licenses view - License Detail tab

Figure 8-4 and the following descriptions provide an overview of the LICENSE DETAIL table
that is displayed when the License Detail tab is selected, or when a row in the License
Summary table is double-clicked. The License Detail table is a one-row listing of properties
related to the particular license that was last selected in the License Summary table. You
can also deallocate and reallocate a license using this page. See “Viewing the details of a

particular license” on page 8-15 and “Deallocating a fixed license” on page 8-22 for more

information.

Figure 8-5. The License Detail table allows you to view properties related to the particular license

• Product: The name of the application or device license.

• Type: Categorizes the license by its transference (F

IXED or FLOAT) and the lifespan of

its validity (PERMANENT or TEMPORARY). See “Types of V ertigo Suite licenses” on page

8-4 for more information.

• Expiration: If the license type is listed as T

EMPORARY, then this field displays the date

upon which the license will no longer be valid. If the license type is Permanent, then
this field is blank. See “Types of Vertigo Suite licenses” on page 8-4 for more
information.

• Dealloc Count: The number of times that you can still deallocate a fixed license to
another machine before losing this privilege. See “Deallocating a fixed license” on page

8-22 for more information.

• Checked Out: Indicates whether or not a license is currently in use and allocated to a
user. Conversely when a license is checked in, it means the user is no longer running
the application associated with the license. If the license is a floating license and
checked in, it is freely available for another user. Where a fixed license is always
reserved for a particular computer and cannot be used by another computer even when
it is checked in.

XMS Configuration Guide 8-11

License Management

• Computer: The name of the machine that is currently using the floating license.

• IP Address: The IP address of the machine that is currently using the floating license.

• Machine ID: The Machine ID of the computer that is currently using the floating license.

• Time st amp: The time stamp is the time the license was last altered, either by a check­in or a check-out.

8-12 XMS Configuration Guide

License Management

Soft Keys view

When SOFT KEYS is selected from the LICENSE SERVER OPTION drop-down list, the Xmedia
Server Control Panel’s Licensing page features fields and settings that allow you to add
application and device licenses to the Xmedia Server. Figure 8-6

and the following
descriptions provide an overview of each of the fields and settings. See “Resolving license

errors and adding licenses to the Xmedia Server” on page 8-16 for detailed instruction for

using the Soft Keys page.

Figure 8-6. The Soft Keys page helps you to acquire and add new licenses to the Xmedia Server

1. Machine ID: This is a unique machine ID of the computer running the Xmedia Server.

The Miranda Technical Support representative will require this ID for the purposes of
creating the soft keys for license creation. Therefore, it is recommended that you take
note of this ID and keep it is a secure location.

2. Copy to Clipboard: Since the Machine ID must be exact and error free when reported

to Miranda’s Technical Support team, this button allows you to copy the machine ID to
your machine’s clipboard. You can then paste it into an email and send it without
worrying about errors.

1

2

3

4

5
6

7

XMS Configuration Guide 8-13

License Management

3. License Keys: A license key is a long alpha-numeric code that Miranda’s Technical
Support sends you in response to a license request. The license key is used to add and
engage licenses on the Xmedia Server.

4. Paste Softkey: Since the license keys are long alpha-numeric codes, it is
recommended that you copy (CTRL+C) the license key(s) from the email onto your
clipboard. Then you can press the P

ASTE SOFTKEY button to paste the license keys,

(error free) into the LICENSE KEYS text box.

5. Validate: Once the license keys are pasted into the L

ICENSE KEYS text box, it is highly

recommended that you press the VALIDATE button before applying the licenses. The
V

ALIDATE button checks the validity of the license key, but does not apply the license.

This check step helps to avoid unnecessary licensing errors.

6. Open File/Browse: Opens a window that allows you to browse your computer for the
a license file containing a list of license soft keys. Selecting and opening the file using
this window automatically populates the L

ICENSE KEYS text box with all of the soft keys

contained in the file.

7. License Key Details: When the license keys are validated, you can preview the
resulting licenses in the License Keys Details table.

8-14 XMS Configuration Guide

License Management

Viewing the existing device and application licenses

The Xmedia Server Control Panel’s Licensing page provides you with a complete inventory
of the V ertigo Suite applicat ion and device licenses that a re installed on the Xme dia Server .
The list of licenses is often useful when troubleshooting licensing errors or to get a quick
view of the system components.

To vie w the Xme dia Serve r’s existing application and device licences:

• Open the Xmedia Server Control Panel and select the L

ICENSING tab.

The L

ICENSE SUMMARY table displays all of the licenses currently installed (figure8-7).

Figure 8-7. The License Summary table provides a list of the licenses installed on the Xmedia Server

If the Xmedia Server Control Panel’s Licensing page does not display the License Summary
table:

• Be sure that the L

ICENSE SERVER OPTION in the upper portion of the Licensing page is

set to LICENSES.

• Be sure that the L

ICENSE SUMMARY tab is selected in the bottom portion of the

Licensing page.

NOTE

Contact your Miranda Sales representative if the License Summary table does not contain
an expected license, or if you suspect an error in the type or number of licenses.

All of the licenses currently
installed on the Xmedia Server

XMS Configuration Guide 8-15

License Management

Viewing the details of a particular license

While the License Summary tab provides you with a high-level listing of the licenses
installed on the Xmedia Server (see page 8-7), the License Detail tab displays a one-row
listing of the properties related to the particular license that was last selected in the License
Summary table. See “Licenses view - License Detail tab” on page 8-10

for a list of the

license details and a description of each property.

To view the details of a particu la r lic e ns e:

1. Open the Xmedia Server Control Panel and select the L

ICENSING tab.

The L

ICENSE SUMMARY table displays all of the licenses currently installed on the

Xmedia Server.

2. Select the license in the License Summary table that you want to view its properties.

3. Select the LICENSE DETAIL tab, or double-click the selected license in the License
Summary table.

The Licensing page now displays the License Detail table with the selected license’s
details displayed in a single row (figure 8-8

).

Figure 8-8. The license’s properties are displayed in a single row on the License Detail tab’s page

4. To view the various properties associated with the selected license, move the bottom
scroll bar across the License Detail left-to-right.

NOTE

These properties cannot be edited, except for deallocating a license (see page 8-22).
Therefore, we recommend that you contact your Miranda Sales representative if the
License Details does not contain the expected license settings.

The selected license’s properties