Tektronix Aurora Primary User

Aurora Automated File-based Quality Control System
User Manual
*P077111108*
077-1111-08
Aurora Automated File-based Quality Control System
User Manual
This document supports software version 6.7.
www.tek.com
077-1111-08
Copyright © Tektronix. All rights reserved. Licensed software products are owned by Tektronix or its subsidiaries or suppliers, and are protected by national copyright laws and international treaty provisions. Tektronix products are covered by U.S. and foreign patents, issued and pending. Information in this publication supersedes that in all previously published material. Specifications and price change privileges reserved.
TEKTRONIX and TEK are registered trademarks of Tektronix, Inc.
Aurora technical support
Aurora technical support is available on business days from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific time and 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Indian Standard time using the following numbers:
US/Canada toll-free 1-844-219-5329
India toll-free 1800 3000 4835
Russia toll-free 810800-22554411
United Kingdom 44 1344 39 2541
Europe 1 toll-free
1
Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and UK.
00800-22554411
Alternatively, you can send an e-mail request for support to videosupport@tektronix.com.
Contacting Tektronix
Tektronix, Inc. 14150 SW Karl Braun Drive P.O. Box 500 Beaverton, OR 97077 USA
For product information, sales, service, and technical support:
In North America, call 1-800-833-9200.
Worldwide, visit www.tek.com to find contacts in your area.
Warranty
Tektronix warrants that this software product will conform to the specifications in the documentation provided with the product, when used properly in the specified operating environment, for a period of three (3) months. The warranty period begins on the date of shipment, except that if the program is installed by Tektronix, the warranty period begins on the date of installation or one month after the date of shipment, whichever is earlier. If this software product does not conform as warranted, Tektronix will provide remedial services as described in the documentation provided with the product. Tektronix does not warrant that the functions contained in this software product will meet Customer's requirements or that operation of the programs will be uninterrupted or error-free or that all errors will be corrected.
In order to obtain service under this warranty, Customer must notify Tektronix of the defect before the expiration of the warranty period and make suitable arrangements for such service in accordance with the instructions received from Tektronix. If Tektronix is unable, within a reasonable time after receipt of such notice, to provide remedial services, Customer may terminate the license for this software product and return this software product and any associated materials to Tektronix for credit or refund.
This warranty shall not apply to any software product that has been modified or altered by Customer. Tektronix shall not be obligated to furnish service under this warranty with respect to any software product a) that is used in an operating environment other than that specified or in a manner inconsistent with the User's Manual and documentation or b) when the software product has been integrated with other software if the result of such integration increases the time or difficulty of analyzing or servicing the software product or the problems ascribed to the software product.
THIS WARRANTY IS GIVEN BY TEKTRONIX WITH RESPECT TO THE PRODUCT IN LIEU OF ANY OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TEKTRONIX AND ITS VENDORS DISCLAIM ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. TEKTRONIX' RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE REMEDIAL SERVICE WHEN SPECIFIED, REPLACE DEFECTIVE MEDIA, OR REFUND CUSTOMER'S PAYMENT IS THE SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY PROVIDED TO CUSTOMER FOR BREACH OF THIS WARRANTY. TEKTRONIX AND ITS VENDORS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IRRESPECTIVE OF WHETHER TEKTRONIX OR THE VENDOR HAS ADVANCE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
[W9a – 15AUG04]

Table of Contents

Getting started
Installation ...................................................................................................................................... 1
Installation prerequisites ............................................................................................................ 1
How to install the Aurora software ........................................................................................... 1
How to install additional verification units on additional machines ......................................... 8
Activate the software license ................................................................................................... 10
Aurora technical support ......................................................................................................... 10
Aurora software license upgrades ........................................................................................... 11
First time operation ....................................................................................................................... 12
Login as administrator ............................................................................................................. 12
Set up new users ...................................................................................................................... 12
Testuser login .......................................................................................................................... 13
Aurora tray application ............................................................................................................ 14
Log out of Aurora .................................................................................................................... 15
Before you start ............................................................................................................................ 16
File access permissions ........................................................................................................... 16
Test template customization .................................................................................................... 17
Audio service configuration .................................................................................................... 18
Operating basics
Product overview .......................................................................................................................... 19
Key features ............................................................................................................................. 19
Main user interface .................................................................................................................. 19
Tab descriptions ...................................................................................................................... 20
Optional features ..................................................................................................................... 21
Dashboard view ....................................................................................................................... 22
Dashboard job categories ........................................................................................................ 24
Dashboard columns and sorting .............................................................................................. 24
Dashboard buttons ................................................................................................................... 25
View older jobs ....................................................................................................................... 26
QC jobs ......................................................................................................................................... 27
Add new job tab ...................................................................................................................... 27
How to add jobs with referenced essence container files ........................................................ 33
How to add jobs for frame-wrapped sequence files ................................................................ 34
How to add jobs with the DXW generic container to group mono essence files .................... 34
Aurora Automated File-based Quality Control System User Manual i
Table of Contents
Other job add methods ............................................................................................................ 35
Template Editor ............................................................................................................................ 36
File read .................................................................................................................................. 38
Default .................................................................................................................................... 40
Audio layout ........................................................................................................................... 46
QC tests .................................................................................................................................. 51
Template Manager ........................................................................................................................ 72
How to create templates or use default templates ........................................................................ 73
How to create a custom test template ...................................................................................... 74
Default templates ..................................................................................................................... 76
Smart Test plans ........................................................................................................................... 77
How to build a new Smart Test plan ....................................................................................... 77
How to use a Smart Test plan .................................................................................................. 79
How to import and export Smart Test plans ............................................................................ 79
How to import or export templates ............................................................................................... 80
How to import Aurora legacy templates ................................................................................. 81
Reports .......................................................................................................................................... 84
Options for accessing and viewing job reports ....................................................................... 84
How to understand a Job Report ............................................................................................. 85
Help files from the report ........................................................................................................ 91
How to open the file in Hydra Player from an error report location ....................................... 92
How to use the Hydra Review Bar to view results and edit QC events .................................. 92
How to print job reports .......................................................................................................... 94
How to automate the QC process ................................................................................................. 96
Hot folders-Watch folders ....................................................................................................... 96
Email notifications .................................................................................................................. 99
Application Programming Interface (API) ............................................................................ 100
Aurora analytics .......................................................................................................................... 101
Search .................................................................................................................................... 102
Trends .................................................................................................................................... 103
Result comparison ................................................................................................................. 105
Other Aurora settings .................................................................................................................. 106
Manage Credentials ............................................................................................................... 107
Automatic clean-up of old jobs ............................................................................................. 110
Growing file settings ............................................................................................................. 110
Scheduled job deletion .......................................................................................................... 111
Manage multi-core testing (set CPU cores per VU) .............................................................. 111
Report Options ...................................................................................................................... 112
Set a quarantine file location ................................................................................................. 115
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Table of Contents
Change the browse control (file selector type) ...................................................................... 115
Check template compatibility for upgrades ........................................................................... 115
MD5 hash creation ................................................................................................................ 116
Sequence file settings ............................................................................................................ 116
Change how QC event locations are reported ....................................................................... 117
Toggle EBU test codes on-off ............................................................................................... 117
Analytics comparison settings ............................................................................................... 118
Analytics search index settings ............................................................................................. 118
Custom language setting ....................................................................................................... 118
Custom theme setting ............................................................................................................ 119
Decryption settings ................................................................................................................ 119
LDAP settings ....................................................................................................................... 120
Multi-tenant mode ................................................................................................................. 121
DXW configuration ............................................................................................................... 121
Aurora Automated File-based Quality Control System User Manual iii
Table of Contents
iv Aurora Automated File-based Quality Control System User Manual

Getting started

Installation

Aurora is an automated QC system to help media providers drive efficiency, quality and cost savings into their workflows. Based on Tektronix expertise, Aurora reliably validates high volumes of content for Quality, Compliance and Syntax. Aurora is a 24x7 enterprise solution allowing unattended operation so providers can fully QC increasing volumes of linear and OTT content.
A comprehensive API eases workflow integration and configuration, reducing cost of ownership in both on-premise and cloud based systems. Tektronix world­class support protects the investment made by customers, ensuring Aurora is kept up to date in a world of changing standards and formats.

Installation prerequisites

How to install the Aurora
software
Before installing the Aurora software, do the following:
Set your Power Plan to High Performance (Power Options in Control Panel).
Disable CPU/Core Parking options in Windows (a free utility to perform this operation is located here).
Disable User Account Control (if possible in your environment).
Open the firewall port necessary to ‘Allow Incoming HTTP Traffic’ on the default HTTP ports (Windows Firewall disables this or has this rule set to ‘Not Set’ by default).
Perform the following steps to install the Aurora software.
1. The several components of the Aurora software suite are as follows:
a. Aurora Controller: This component runs as a Windows Service (Aurora
Master Controller), and includes IIS registration to host the web GUI and API service. This component is only installed with the Full Application option.
b. Aurora Verification Unit: This component runs as both a Windows
Service (Aurora Slave Controller) and an executable (VU.exe) and is the main QC engine. This component is installed with both the Full Application and with the Add-On VU options.
c. Aurora Tray: This component monitors a hot folder and service status
and is installed only with the Full Application option.
d. Java: This optional component is downloaded separately from the
Aurora installer and is necessary only on client machines that want to use the client-side browse control (by default, the Aurora’s web GUI will
Aurora Automated File-based Quality Control System User Manual 1
Getting started
uses server-side browse control). Java installation procedure is fairly straightforward, as no options are needed.
e. SOAP API Demo & Documentation: These are the WSDL and sample
C# project to exercise the API as a guide for integration of Aurora into higher level processes. They are installed at c:\Program Files\Tektronix \Aurora in a ZIP file during the Full Application option.
f. Hydra Player: Aurora Professional VU and Premium products include a
Hydra Player license, which is downloaded separately from the Aurora installer. Hydra can play any asset that Aurora can test, and Aurora report thumbnails are linked to open container files at error locations directly in Hydra. Hydra player installation is covered in the Hydra player manual.
2. Turn off Windows User Account Control. Installation can continue with it on but we recommend it be turned off.
3. Run Setup.exe.
CAUTION. If you are installing on Windows 8 or Server 2012, right-click setup.exe and select Run as Administrator.
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Getting started
4. If you are installing on Windows 10, double-click on the .exe. The following pop-up appears. Click OK.
NOTE. Beginning with Aurora version 6.6, the Dolby audio codecs (AC-3, E­AC-3, and Dolby E) are not enabled without an optional license. If you are upgrading a previously purchased Aurora system, please contact
videosupport@tektronix.com to update your license key to include the Dolby
audio codecs for no additional charge. You will need to reactivate Aurora using the updated license key.
Aurora Automated File-based Quality Control System User Manual 3
Getting started
5. The following screen will appear, and is required that you accept the license terms by selecting the I agree check box to continue installation. You can open and save the license terms as a PDF file from the license agreement screen.
6. After agreeing to the terms of the EULA and clicking Next, you will be asked to select an installation profile. Selecting “Full Application” will install the controller and verification units on the same machine (you can always use verification units installed anywhere on your network). Selecting “Add-on Verification Unit” will install only the verification units (this option will prompt you for the location of your controller server, so you must run Full Application install first on a separate computer). Select your desired option and click “Next.” If you are installing the Full Application, continue this process. Otherwise, for Add-On Verification Unit installs, proceed to that section.
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Getting started
7. The following configuration screen will appear:
Install To: Browse to the location where you would like to install Aurora or just use the default location. C:\Program Files\Tektronix\Aurora for 64-bit operating systems
Install Default Templates: Check box to install a set of pre-configured templates.
Advanced Options: Click to see advanced options.
Report: Enter the path to the folder where Aurora will save job reports. The default location is: C:\inetpub\wwwroot\Aurora\Report.
Database connection string: The database connection string displays here. The default should be enough for most systems. For assistance, contact Tektronix Technical Support.
Temp: Enter the path for the working directory. This is the temporary location of your report while the job is in progress. The default path is typically used.
Click Save when finished.
8. Click Next to begin installation.
Aurora Automated File-based Quality Control System User Manual 5
Getting started
9. Services Authentication: This step is CRITICAL. Aurora services must have authentication to reach the path your files for QC are stored at.
Services Authentication: Enter the domain\user or machinename\local user and password to allow the Aurora Controller and Aurora Verifier services to access files on your network. Leave the fields empty to log-on with the LocalSystem account.
Click Next when finished.
10. All necessary prerequisites are installed in addition to the Aurora software. The setup wizard displays a progress window showing the status of the installation processes.
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Getting started
11. Once the initial installation is complete, restart the workstation. Subsequent upgrades or updates will not require a restart:
NOTE. User Account Control may prevent the Aurora installer from installing certain components. We highly recommend you turn User Account Control OFF (from Control Panel/Users) for the machine running Aurora. If any components fail installation, you may attempt to install these from C: \Program Files\Tektronix\Aurora\Pre-requisites. If you still have problems installing components with User Account Control turned on, please contact
Tektronix Technical Support.
12. Open a web browser on the local machine and go to http://localhost/Aurora/ (or from a remote computer, open a web browser and go to http:// [Aurora_Machine_IP_Address]/Aurora.
13. Enter admin as the login and password for your Aurora evaluation.
14. Configure your license received from Tektronix fulfillment using the process
found here.
15. You are now ready to begin using Aurora. Create a template and add a job to get started. If you have any questions please contact Tektronix Technical
Support.
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Getting started
How to install additional
verification units on additional machines
Installing additional verification units on additional machines is similar to installing Aurora on your controller machine.
1. Select Additional Verification Unit (VU).
2. The next step asks you for the IP address of the master controller machine, so
that setup can configure the master controller to use the verification units on the remote machine.
3. After installing the majority of components, the Aurora installer will check the status of your license. If you do not have an Aurora license present, it will prompt you for a license key, which you should have received from Tektronix fulfillment. You can configure the license using the Settings tab of the Aurora web GUI from the master controller machine.
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Getting started
4. The Aurora installer will take care of everything else. To confirm that everything is setup correctly, browse to the Aurora application on your master machine and check that the total number of VUs is as you expect by clicking on System Information in the top right (this number must include the number of VUs on the controller machine plus the number of VUs on your new add-on machine).
If it does not, check the Settings page (under Options) to be sure that the add­on machine is correctly listed.
Aurora Automated File-based Quality Control System User Manual 9
Getting started
Activate the software
license
1. License configuration: From the Web GUI click the Options tab and select Settings. Expand the Manage License section.
2. Online activation (trials or commercial licenses): Enter the 28-character
license key provided by Tektronix fulfillment (include dashes) and click the
Activate button in the Activate section.
3. Offline Trial activation: Enter the 380-character offline activation key
provided by Tektronix fulfillment, and then click the Activate button under the Activate section. It is not necessary to use the Offline request button for an offline trial.
4. Offline Commercial License activation: Enter the 28-character license key provided by Tektronix fulfillment (include dashes) and click Request under the Offline Request heading. Save the resulting file to your computer and send that file to videosupport@tektronix.com. You will receive a response file, which you will need to Browse to under the Offline Activation heading, and then click the Activate button in that section.

Aurora technical support

5. Upon successful license activation the “License Status” section will display the number of days remaining if you are using a trial license or the Commercial License state if using that type of license.
Aurora technical support is available on business days from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific time and 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Indian Standard time using the following numbers:
US/Canada toll-free 1-844-219-5329
India toll-free 1800 3000 4835
Russia toll-free 810800-22554411
United Kingdom 44 1344 39 2541
Europe 1 toll-free
1
Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and UK.
00800-22554411
Alternatively, you can send an email request for support to
videosupport@tektronix.com.
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Getting started
Aurora software license
upgrades
When you want to upgrade your Aurora software license, you will need to provide Tektronix with information about your existing Aurora system as described in the following procedure.
To upgrade the license for Aurora, do the following:
1. Click System Information, on the top right of the home page. Make a note of the Version and SKU values or capture a screenshot of the System Information window.
2. Click Options > Settings > Manage License. Make a note of the License Key string or capture a screenshot of the Manage License window.
3. When you are ready to order an upgrade to your Aurora system, send the two screenshots or send the software version number, SKU value, and license key string to a Tektronix sales representative.
Aurora Automated File-based Quality Control System User Manual 11
Getting started

First time operation

Login as administrator

Set up new users

Open any web browser and enter the IP address of the machine Aurora is installed on followed by /Aurora (example: http://192.168.150.10/Aurora or http://localhost/Aurora if you are on the local Aurora machine).
Enter the username and password as admin.
Aurora is ready for your use.
Perform the following steps to set up new Aurora users:
1. Select the Options tab at the top of the Aurora interface.
2. In the Options tab, select Settings, and then select Manage Users to open the
Manage Users control shown below.
3. Use the Manage Users controls to enter the user privileges for Aurora described below:
a. Enter the User Name that you will use to login each time to the Aurora
Verification Unit.
b. Enter the Password that you will use to login. Passwords can be
composed of symbols, letters, or numbers or a combination of all three.
c. Enter the First Name of the user.
d. Enter the Last Name of the user.
e. Enter the Email address of the user.
f. Select Email PDF?Yes or No depending on whether the user wants to
receive a PDF attachment of the job report on notification of the job.
g. Use the Notification drop-down list to select how the user will be
notified on job completion:
None
Every Job
Only Jobs with Errors
Only Jobs with Warnings
12 Aurora Automated File-based Quality Control System User Manual
h. Use the User Type drop-down list to select the type of Aurora user:
a. Select Admin to allow the user all administrative privileges for
Aurora, including setting up the Aurora Verification Units and managing users.
b. Select Super user to allow the user to view and reorder jobs for all
users, but to restrict the user from modifying other user's application settings and templates.
c. Select General to limit the user to adding jobs and viewing reports
related to that user only (additional user jobs and settings are not accessible.)
i. The Active column is for information only and indicates whether the user
is currently an active user. There are two Active status options – True or False. To change the Active status, you must click Edit (see below).
j. Use the Edit control to edit all of the user information, including the
Active status of the user.
k. After completing all fields for the new user, clicking Add to change the
user to the Active status.
Getting started

Testuser login

l. Use the Edit / Show All Users control to view all users and edit all the
user information, including the ability to delete users.
Testuser: There are benefits to being logged in as testuser. Testuser can be used to debug issues with files or QC tests. When logged in as the test user, CSV files are created for each checked test in your template. You can retrieve these CSV files from C:\AuroraTemp on the master controller machine. The default password is testuser.
NOTE. When you log in as testuser it may take longer as Aurora will create CSV dump files for every template test ran. These are files that give support for the errors that Aurora finds in every frame of the test. CSV dump files also show what was measured in order to report the error. This file will add time (sometimes substantially) to each job.
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Getting started

Aurora tray application

The Aurora tray application is mainly a diagnostic tool for use with Tektronix
Technical Support. Additionally, this application ensures that the Aurora services
(Controller and Verifier) stay running, even in the event of job or machine problems. If you need to stop the services for some reason, you must stop them with the tray application (stopping Aurora services with the Windows service manager, the tray application will keep restarting them).
You can access the Aurora Tray Application by double clicking on the icon at the bottom right of your screen. The Tray Application icon may be hidden in your tray, and can be found by clicking the up arrow.
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Getting started

Log out of Aurora

Aurora is designed to be running constantly. When you no longer need to interact with Aurora, click on the Log Out tab on the Aurora interface and close the browser window or tab.
Aurora Automated File-based Quality Control System User Manual 15
Getting started

Before you start

File access permissions

Both Aurora services must have file access permissions to the network storage you will use within your workflow. If you did not set this during installation, you must manually configure file access for both Aurora services.
Open the Services manager by pressing Windows Key + R and typing services.msc.
Locate Aurora Controller and right click the service and select Properties.
16 Aurora Automated File-based Quality Control System User Manual
In the Log On tab of the service properties, assign an account and password
Getting started
that has permissions to access your shared storage.
Test template
customization
Click Apply, and then restart the service.
Repeat these steps for Aurora Verifier service.
Set your service logon credentials in the Aurora Installer, so that these credentials are saved during future software updates. If you do not set your logon credentials in the Aurora Installer, you will have to reset service permissions after each software update.
Aurora includes several default test templates, but you can also customize the templates. Before running your first job, you should do one of the following:
Use the Template Editor to modify a default template to match your QC needs
Use the Template Editor to create a new test template
Use the Template Editor to make a new template from a known good/bad file.
Aurora has many adjustments in the template editor, and the results you receive on the report could vary based on how each test is configured.
NOTE. Customizing your test template is the most important step in having QC results that will efficiently help you make automated or assisted decisions in your workflow.
Aurora Automated File-based Quality Control System User Manual 17
Getting started
If you need assistance, your reseller can help you configure test templates. If you purchased the Annual Service and Maintenance (ASM) agreement for Aurora, you can contact Tektronix Technical Support to help configure your test template.
Audio service
configuration
If you process AES wrapped tracks or have mono channel audio essence tracks that need to be grouped together and tested/played as a single audio service, use the Audio layout to ensure that your tracks are tested correctly.
For each track count, you need to define how the tracks map into services, and then which services should actually be tested. The unchecked services will be assumed to be ‘pad’ and will not be tested.
18 Aurora Automated File-based Quality Control System User Manual

Operating basics

Product overview

Key features

Automated file QC for production, playout and VOD
Fast and accurate checks for Quality, Compliance and Syntax validation
Supports majority of the industry formats such as the latest 4K, UHD, and HDR standards
Comprehensive web-services API for automation
Enterprise class solution for cloud and on-premise deployments
Graphical information to quickly access problems and enable users to determine the root cause
Supports majority of the industry formats such as the latest 4K/UHD and HDR standards

Main user interface

Aurora is designed for ease of use. The straight-forward and logical interface is divided into several areas that simplify and streamline the entire verification process.
Aurora Automated File-based Quality Control System User Manual 19
Operating basics
You can view several items in the top of the browser user-interface when you first access Aurora:
Product Information Area: Displays the product name: Tektronix Aurora.
System Information button: Displays the license options and available VUs for the Aurora system.

Tab descriptions

Tab Bar: Toolbar is the main navigation for Aurora, which allows you to add jobs, edit test templates & plans and modify application settings.
Log Out button: At the top right, this red button logs you out of the Aurora system.
Dashboard: Displays the dashboard view of the system, and is the first page
displayed when logging into Aurora.
Add New Job: This tab, helps you to complete a simple three-step process.
Select
Template for a job
Container for the job
Streams to be verified
Templates: You can use the options you define in your templates to setup how files to be tested by Aurora.
Template Editor: You can create or edit a template that specifies the
parameters that you want the verification process to identify as errors or warnings. At the right side of the page, you can select an existing template and modify its parameters as desired or you can simply create a new template from scratch. File Read, Defaults, Audio Layout and QC tests help you to add tests to the template. QC test parameters include Stream Summary, Syntax Check, Container Parameter, Video Parameter, Video Quality, Audio Parameter, Audio Quality, Distribution/Broadcast Restrictions, and System Specific Distribution Restrictions. You may
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