VBrick 9000 Series Getting Started Manual

VBrick 9000 Series Appliances

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance v2.0

Getting Started Guide

October 23, 2012 4410-0315-0001

This publication contains confidential, proprietary, and trade secret information. No part of this document may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any machine-readable or electronic format without prior written permission from VBrick. Information in this document is subject to change without notice and VBrick Systems assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies. VBrick, VBrick Systems, the VBrick logo, StreamPlayer, and StreamPlayer Plus are trademarks or registered trademarks in the United States and other countries. Windows Media is a trademarked name of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other products or services mentioned in this document are identified by the trademarks, service marks, or product names as designated by the companies who market those products. Inquiries should be made directly to those companies. This document may also have links to third-party web pages that are beyond the control of VBrick. The presence of such links does not imply that VBrick endorses or recommends the content of any third-party web pages. VBrick acknowledges the use of third-party open source software and opensource.

licenses in some VBrick products. This freely available source code is posted at http://www.vbrick.com/

FCC Part 15

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules, Class A for OC-3C Interface, Class A for the SDI Interface. 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 can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at their own expense. This Class A digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations. Cet appareil numerique de la Classe A respecte toutes les exigences do reglement dur le materiel brouilleur du Canada.

VBrick declares that this product conforms to the following certificate standards for electromagnetic emissions when installed according to the manufacturer's specifications: EN 55022:2006; EN 55024:1998, A1:2001, A2:2003; EN 61000-3-2:2005; EN 61000-3-3:1995, A1:2001, A2:2005.

This product incorporates High-Definition Multimedia Interface technology. HDMI, the HDMI Logo, and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC in the United States and other countries.

About VBrick Systems

Founded in 1997, VBrick Systems, an ISO 9001 certified vendor, is a privately held company that has enjoyed rapid growth by helping our customers successfully introduce mission critical video applications across their enterprise networks. Since our founding, VBrick has been setting the standard for quality, performance and innovation in the delivery of live and stored video over IP networks—LANs, WANs and the Internet. With thousands of video appliances installed world-wide, VBrick is the recognized leader in reliable, high-performance, easy-to-use networked video solutions.

VBrick is an active participant in the development of industry standards and continues to play an influential role in the Internet Streaming Media Alliance (ISMA), the MPEG Industry Forum, and Internet2. In 1998 VBrick invented and shipped the world's first MPEG Video Network Appliance designed to provide affordable DVD-quality video across the network. Since then, VBrick's video solutions have grown to include Video on Demand, Management, Security and Access Control, Scheduling, and Rich Media Integration. VBrick solutions are successfully supporting a broad variety of applications including distance learning and training, conferencing and remote office communications, security, process monitoring, traffic monitoring, business and news feeds to the desktop, webcasting, corporate communications, collaboration, command and control, and telemedicine. VBrick serves customers in education, government, healthcare, and financial services markets among others.

Getting Started Guide

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii

Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii

Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

Font Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

Printer-Friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

Product Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

1. Introduction

Appliance Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Encoder Features and Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Decoder Features and Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Encoder Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Decoder Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2. Appliance Setup

Contents

Appliance Setup Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Using the Quick Start Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Environmental Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Appliance Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

1. Connect Encoder Audio and Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

2. Connect to the IP Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

3. Power-on the Appliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

4. Find or Set an IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

5. Verify Streaming Video and Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

6. Installing Blade Encoders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

7. Configuring a Decoder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Front Panel LCD Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Front Panel Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

3. Shelf Setup

Shelf Setup Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

H.264 Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Blade LCD Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Unpacking and Inspection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Installing the Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Software Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide iii

Power Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Fan Tray. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Air Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Blade Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

4. Software Upgrade

Software Upgrade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Installing a Software Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Configuring VBDownload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

5. Management Tools

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

VBAdmin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

VBDirectory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Command Line Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

SNMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Web Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Auto Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

6. VBAdmin

Using VBAdmin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Login Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Home Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Configuration Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

LED Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Edit Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Using Apply, Revert, and Default . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Resetting the Appliance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Logout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

7. Command Line Interface

Connection Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Connecting via the COM Port with HyperTerminal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Connecting with Telnet or SSH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Command Line Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Using the MIB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Finding VBrick Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Setting VBrick Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

CLI Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

8. Web Services

Web Services Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

iv Contents

9. Streaming Video Basics

Video Basics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Getting the Best Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Network Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Assigning Multicast Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

VBrick Accessories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Serial Port Passthrough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

How Passthrough Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Serial Port Passthrough Using Telnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

10. VBrick iPhone App

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Getting the App . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Monitoring an Appliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Running Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Creating Script Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Changing the Function Key Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

11. VBrick 9000 Series Reference

VBrick 9000 Series Appliance Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Device Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Video-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Audio-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

COM 1/COM 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

Ethernet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

External Event Triggering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide v

vi Contents

Getting Started Guide

Preface

This document explains how to set up and configure a VBrick H.264 network video appliance. It explains the management tools available and describes some of the fundamental concepts behind the technology. It also explains how to use the VBAdmin management interface to configure the appliance and control appliance functions.

Organization

This online help system provides access to VBrick H.264 documentation. It has a

powerful search engine so you can get answers to technical questions in seconds; it also has the documentation in PDF format if you need hard-copy. Our publications team is committed to providing first-rate documentation and your feedback is important to us. If you find errors or omissions, click the e-mail icon in the upper-right corner of this window or send your feedback to

1. Introduction Lists the specifications and describes the features and

2. Appliance Setup Explains the basics. Provides general configuration

documentation@vbrick.com

functions of the H.264 appliance.

recommendations as well as how to cable the appliance and connect it to the network.

3. Shelf Setup Explains how to set up and configure a Rack Mount Shelf that houses from 1 to 11 H.264 blade encoders.

4. Software Upgrade Explains how to upgrade the software when a new version is released.

5. Management Tools Explains how to configure the appliance using a variety of management tools. These include the VBAdmin web interface, Telnet, SNMP, and the command line.

6. VBAdmin Explains how to use the VBAdmin application to manage VBrick configuration from an external browser.

7. Command Line Interface Explains how to configure an appliance from the command line using Telnet or HyperTerminal (when an Internet connection is not available).

8. Web Services Explains how to use the standards-based SOAP interface to programatically interface to the appliance.

9. Streaming Video Basics Explains some of the fundamentals behind the technology including compression techniques, network concepts, serial port passthrough, and other video basics.

10. VBrick iPhone App Explains how use an iPhone application to check parameters and run scripts.

11. VBrick 9000 Series Reference Provides back panel drawings, COM port pinouts, LED descriptions, and other miscellaneous information.

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide vii

Getting Help

If you need help, or more information about any topic, use the online help system. The

online help is cross-referenced and searchable and can usually find the information in a few seconds. Use the tree controls in the left pane to open documents and the up and down arrows to page through them. Use the

Search box to find specific information. Simply enter

one or more words in the box and press Enter. The search results will return pages that have all of the words you entered—highlighted in yellow (Internet Explorer only). The

Search box

is not case-sensitive and does not recognize articles (a, an, the), operators (+ and –), or quotation marks. You can narrow the search by adding words.

Our publications team is committed to accurate and reliable documentation and we appreciate your feedback. If you find errors or omissions in any of our documents, please let us know. If you can't find the information you need in this document, or from your reseller, you can contact VBrick Support Services on the

web, by e-mail, or by calling 1-203 303-0222. For faster service, be sure to have your VBrick product serial number or support contract number. Support Services can usually answer your technical questions in 24 business hours or less. Note that all VBrick documentation is on the web. For more information about any VBrick product, go to

www.vbrick.com/documentation

Font Conventions

Arial bold is used to describe dialog boxes and menu choices, for example: Start > All Programs > VBrick

Courier fixed-width font

Courier bold fixed-width font is used for user input in scripts, code examples, or keyboard

is used for scripts, code examples, or keyboard commands.

commands.

This bold black font is used to strongly emphasize important words or phrases.

Folder names and user examples in text are displayed in this sans serif font.

User input in text is displayed in this bold sans serif font.

Italics are used in text to emphasize specific words or phrases.

Printer-Friendly

VBrick H.264 Appliance Getting Started Guide

 To save or print a PDF document:

1. Click once to open the PDF document in Acrobat Reader.

2. To save or print a PDF document, right-click and select

Save Target As or Print Target.

Product Safety

Battery. The appliance contains a lithium battery which may explode if replaced

incorrectly. Do not attempt to replace this battery. If absolutely necessary, replace only with the same or equivalent type recommended by manufacturer. Recycle batteries if possible and dispose used batteries in accordance with local environmental regulations.

viii Preface

General. Do not spill food or liquids on your appliance. Protect your appliance from sudden power-surges and interruptions by using a surge suppressor, line conditioner, or uninterruptable power supply (UPS). Avoid using and/or connecting appliance during an electrical storm. Comply with all standard safety precautions associated with the use of electronic devices.

Servicing. This product contains no user-serviceable parts. No user is authorized to remove the appliance's cover. This device has tamper-evident seals. Breaking or modifying the seals will immediately invalidate the product warranty. If you have problems with this appliance, contact VBrick Support Services.

Placement. Use common sense when installing the device. Do not expose the appliance to direct sunlight, high humidity or wet conditions. Do not block the air vents or impede the airflow in any way. And once installed, do not place anything on top of unit. Failure to follow these guidelines can cause overheating and affect the reliability of your appliance

Cleaning. This product and accessories will only require an occasional wipe with a dry cloth. Do not spray any substance or use any thinners, abrasives, liquids, or aerosol products to clean the device.

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide ix

x Preface

Introduction

Topics in this section

Appliance Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Appliance Overview

The VBrick 9000 Series H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance enables anyone to encode video from an uncompressed source—such as a camera or TV broadcast—and stream it live onto a network for viewing on PCs, MACs, tablets, televisions, or smartphones. The 9000 Series Encoding Appliance is the first portable device that streams 1080p60 HD video from multiple sources at the same time—and the first line of encoding appliances to support up to four channels of HD video. VBrick H.264 decoding appliances deliver high-quality, low latency video with exceptional performance, ease-of-use, and flexibility. The H.264 decoder is fully compatible with encoder appliances and supports single or dual channel HD decoding at either 1080p or 720p resolutions (or decodes up to D1 resolution at lower data rates).

Chapter 1

Building upon more than a decade of experience engineering the most widely deployed enterprise encoders, the 9000 Series sets a new benchmark in H.264 encoding performance. Based on purpose-built hardware and running a real-time operating system, this unique appliance approach combines encoding, networking, stream serving and recording functions to deliver unmatched price-performance and ease-of-use.

Figure 1. VBrick 9000 Series Appliance (Enterprise Model)

Figure 2. VBrick 9000 Series Appliance (Industrial Model)

Applications

• Television Distribution – Deliver selected television channels—including news and

financial programming—to an unlimited number of desktops and displays across your

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 1

existing LAN, WAN or IP network. There is no need for extra cabling or a dedicated network and you can reduce TV headend rack space by 75%.

• Telemedicine – Use the most advanced encoding standards, highest resolution, and

highest frame rate available to watch intricate operations and other medical procedures— applications where image quality cannot be compromised.

• Surveillance and Monitoring – Oversee roadways, seaports, factory floors and security

borders; survey battlefield situations and maintain situation awareness with an unprecedented level of video quality ensuring access to detailed and accurate information.

• Digital Signage – Deploy signage economically by encoding the content once and

distributing over your network to cost-effective set-top boxes. Feed an unlimited number of digital signs with four different HD sources using a single encoding appliance.

• Meeting and Event Broadcasts – Deliver high-impact, rich media event broadcasts. Reach

a large audience of customers, constituents, employees and others over the corporate network and the Internet to communicate a uniform message.

• Extending Videoconferencing – If you already have a videoconferencing solution,

VBrick's H.264 Encoding Appliance can leverage your investment by extending its reach. Your videoconferencing suite, combined with our streaming technology, becomes a minibroadcast studio, enabling you to reach a much wider audience.

• Broadcasting Live to the Internet – Combine the flexibility and reliability of VBrick's

H.264 Encoding Appliance with the global reach of VBrick's Online Streaming Service (VBOSS).

Encoder Features and Benefits

• Capture High Definition Video – Appliances encode and stream HD 720p and 1080p

video at 60 frames-per-second, the highest frame rate available from standard video sources. This provides incredible video quality at bandwidths of 1 Mb/sec and up.

• Capture Multiple Video Sources on a Single Appliance – Dual-channel and quad-channel

models simultaneously encode and stream HD video from multiple sources in a single appliance, leading to economical deployments and space savings of up to 75%.

• Manage the Appliance Easily and Securely – Control and monitor the appliance with

VBrick’s iPhone application. Integrate into any IT infrastructure with a rich set of management protocols and options that let you manage, configure and lock down the H.264 appliance. Use VBrick’s VBAdmin tool to configure and monitor the appliance. Use command line interface over Telnet, SSH, or serial port to configure the appliance.

• Transport Video Over a Wide Variety of Network Transport Protocols – Video streams

are compatible with Adobe Flash™ Player, Microsoft Silverlight, Microsoft Windows Media™ Player, Apple QuickTime and other players. Network friendly operation – meaning everything from streaming with the most appropriate bit rates to the inclusion of advanced features like persistent push – allows VBrick H.264 streams to tunnel through firewalls and traverse any network.

• Integrate into a Complete Enterprise IP Video Platform – VBrick’s H.264 appliance

works seamlessly with our VEMs Mystro™ media management solution and the entire VBrick Enterprise Video Architecture (VEVA). By making video accessible, personal and scalable, VEMS Mystro eliminates multiple barriers to the adoption of enterprise IP video.

• Multicast, Unicast and Serve from the Same Device – Use multicast technology to reach

an unlimited number of users on your LAN or push video over point-to-point unicast

connections to reach remote locations and CDNs. Serve and support hundreds of players that request video directly from a single appliance.

Decoder Features and Benefits

• Dependable embedded operating system and dedicated decoding hardware delivers

highest reliability for mission-critical applications.

• HD video output is ideal for large displays and video backhaul applications.

• Flexible networking and bandwidth options allow placement anywhere in the network.

• Create high density installation using decoder blades in a rack mount chassis.

• Efficient H.264 codec delivers the highest video quality at the lowest bandwidth.

• Low latency enables near real-time applications and two-way video.

Specifications

Encoder Specifications

Table 1. Encoder Specifications

Introduction

Video Encoder (Standard Definition)

Video Encoder (High Definition)

• H.264 Encoding

- Input format: 1080p50/60, 1080i, 720p50/60, 576i, 480i, 1280x1024, 1024x768

- 4:3 Aspect Ratio Resolutions: D1 (720x480, 720x576), SIF (NTSC), QSIF (NTSC), CIF (PAL), QCIF (PAL), 400x304, 384x288 (PAL), 640x480, 320x240, 128x96, 192x144

- 16:9 Aspect Ratio Resolutions: 656x368, 512x288 (PAL), 256x144

- Video Frame Rates: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7.5, 10, 15, 30 fps (NTSC), 2.5, 5, 12.5, 25 (PAL)

- Constant Bit Rate / Constant Frame Rate

- User-defined key frame interval

- Rates: 32Kbps – 20Mbps

- Baseline, Main, and High profile

• Inputs: HDMI/Component or SD/HD/3G-SDI/Composite/HDMI/ Component

• Rate control

• Deblocking filter

• Entropy Coding: CAVLC, CABAC

• H.264 Encoding

- High Definition input formats: 1080p50/60, 1080i, 720p50/60

- 16:9 Aspect Ratio Resolutions: All standard definition resolutions listed above, plus 960 x 544, 720p (1280 x 720p), 1080p (1920 x 1080)

- Video Frame Rates: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7.5, 10, 15, 30 fps (NTSC), 2.5, 5, 12.5, 25 (PAL), 50, 60 fps

- Constant Bit Rate / Constant Frame Rate

- User-defined key frame interval

- Rates: 32Kbps – 20Mbps

- Baseline, Main, and High profile

• Inputs: HDMI/Component or SD/HD/3G-SDI/Composite/HDMI/ Component

• Rate control

• Deblocking filter

• Entropy Coding: CAVLC, CABAC

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 3

Audio Encoder • AAC-LC and AAC-HE Encoding

- Sample Frequency 8 Khz to 48 Khz

- Rates: 8 Kbps to 256 Kbps

- Audio Modes: Stereo, Mono

- Inputs: Stereo Unbalanced at line, microphone or high headroom input levels, and microphone via analog audio inputs. Digital audio can also come through the HDMI input. Stereo Balanced through optional XLR cable on SDI/Composite/HDMI/Component models

• Audio Processing:

- Automatic Volume Control (AVC) with configurable attack and release rates and minimum/maximum levels

- Noise Gate with configurable threshold

- Configurable gain from -96dB to 10dB

Push • IIS Smooth Streaming to Microsoft IIS Server

• 25 concurrent unicast and multicast destinations

• Automatic Unicast/RTSP Announce

• RTP

• Transport Stream

Server • Live multicast server

• Live streaming server—up to 200 concurrent live streams

Ethernet Network • 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet via RJ-45, Static, or DHCP

• Auto sense Full / Half duplex

Protocols Unicast / Multicast, DiffServ (QoS), UDP / IPv4 and IPv6 / RTSP / RTCP / RTP

/ HTTP / RTSP Interleave / IGMP / MPEG-2 Transport Stream / Automatic Unicast (RTSP ANNOUNCE) / HTTPS Management / SSH / RTMP / IIS Smooth Streaming / FEC

Traffic Shaping • RTP Metering

• CBR Transport Stream

• VBR Transport Stream with configurable latency

KLV Metadata • LDS received over the serial port or IP and multiplexed into transport stream

(one channel over IP, up to two channels over serial)

• CoT over serial port or IP converted to LDS and multiplexed into transport stream (one channel over IP, up to two channels over serial)

Management • Two serial ports for local maintenance and data transport

• Management Web Pages over HTTP or HTTPS

• SNMP, ssh, telnet

• soap/xml Web Service

• iPhone application

• Front panel display on Enterprise Models

Dimensions Appliance: 1.75” x 8.1” x 8.75”

Weight 2 pounds

Temperature Range • Industrial Appliance: 0 to +70 degrees Celsius

• Enterprise Appliance: 0 to +50 degrees Celsius

Power Input: 100 to 240 VAC, 50 / 60 Hz, 45 Watts, 12V DC, 4A

Regulatory FCC Part 15, CE

Decoder Specifications

Table 2. Decoder Specifications

Introduction

Transport and Networking Protocols

Video Decoder • H.264 Baseline, Main, and High Profile

Audio Decoder AAC-LC, AAC-HE

Video Outputs • Analog: Composite and YPbPr component video

Audio Outputs • Analog: Stereo Line Level Unbalanced BNC, Balanced XLR (through optional

• H.264 in RTP

• Receive streams: 32Kbps to 20Mbps

• Unicast or Multicast over RTP/UDP

• IGMP

• Autotune streams from VBrick Encoders

• Streaming resolution and frame rates up to 1080p60

• Scaling from any input resolution and frame rate to match output resolution and framerate

• Configurable letter box or stretch to screen aspect ratio

• 4:3 and Widescreen 16:9 Frame Aspect Ratios

• Output Resolutions: 1080p, 1080i, 720, 576p, 576i, 480p, 480i

• Output frame rates: 60, 59.94, 50, 30, 29.97, 25

• Digital: SD/HD/3G-SDI, HDMI

• HDMI, SDI connectors mounted directly on appliance/blade

• Breakout cable to BNC connectors for Analog Audio, Composite Video, and Component Video

XLR cable)

• SDI audio

• HDMI Audio

Network Connectivity • 10/100/100 Ethernet

• Auto senses Full/Half Duplex

• Static IP address or DHCP

Management • Management Web Pages over HTTP or HTTPS from integrated web server

• SNMP

• soap/xml Web Service

• ssh

• telnet

• iPhone app

• RS-232/422

• Front panel display on Enterprise Models

Dimensions Appliance: 1.75” x 8.1” x 8.75”

Power Supply Input 100-240VAC, 50/60Hz, 45 Watts, 12VDC, 4A

Regulatory Approvals FCC Part 15, CE

Protocols Unicast/Multicast, DiffServ (QoS), UDP, IPv4 and IPv6, RTP, SAP, IGMP,

HTTP/HTTPS Management, SSH

Maintenance/Control Port

Weight 2 pounds

Operating Temperature Range

Two serial ports for local maintenance and data transport

• Industrial Appliance: 0 to +70 degrees Celsius

• Enterprise Appliance: 0 to +50 degrees Celsius

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 5

Options XLR audio cable

Table 3. Rack Mount Chassis Specifications

Rack Mount Chassis • Height: 14”, 8 rack units

• Depth: 11”, Allows for two rack mount chassis mounted back-to-back

• Weight: 46.7 pounds fully loaded

• Maximum Channel Density: 88 channels in 8U of rack space with back to back chassis mounting

• Operating Temperature Range: 0 to 40C

• Storage Temperature Range: -20 to 70C

• Regulatory Compliance UL: FCC Part 15 Class A, CE, RoHS (5 of 6)

• Cooling Capacity: 50W per blade with one failed fan

• Hot Swap: Power Supplies, Fan Tray, Encoder Blades, Air Filter Media

• AC Power: 485 watts per power supply, 47 to 63Hz, 8 amps at 90-132VAC, 4 amps at 180-264VAC

Grounding • ESD wrist strap included with ground connection to chassis for user blade

insertion/removal

• Chassis ground connection lug

LEDs • - Power Supply Failure LED (for each supply and for enclosure)

• - Fan Status LED

• - Fan Tray Hot Swap LED

Alarm Audible Alarm on Power Supply Failure

Table 4. Supported Browsers (VBAdmin)

Browser Version

Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 or higher

Mozilla Firefox 9.0 or higher

Table 5. Recommended H.264 Players

Player † Vendor Notes

QuickTime 7.0 Apple If not installed, download application from Apple website.

VLC 1.0.1 VideoLAN Not fully tested or supported by VBrick.

† Use version shown or higher.

Table 6. Recommended Desktop Requirements

• Ethernet LAN with Multicast IGMP Version 2

• Windows XP (SP3), Vista, Windows 7

• Mac OS X 10.3 (Power PC)

• Mac OS X 10.4 (Intel-based PC)

• 750 MHz Pentium III processor (Windows)

• 128 MB RAM

• SVGA video card 640x480, 256 colors or better

• Windows or Macintosh-compatible sound device

• Minimum 5 MB hard disk space for installation

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 or Safari 4.0

• Microsoft DirectX Media 8.1 or higher

• Microsoft Windows Media Player 9.0 (Windows XP), 11 (Vista, Windows 7)

• VBrick StreamPlayer 5.2 or Apple QuickTime 7.0

• VBrick VBDirectory 5.4

Introduction

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 7

Appliance Setup

Topics in this chapter

Appliance Setup Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Environmental Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Appliance Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Front Panel LCD Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

This chapter explains how to set up and configure VBrick H.264 network appliances. The information here is basically the same as that in the Quick Start Guide that came with the appliance. You can use this document or the Quick Start Guide set up and configure an appliance. Before you do anything else, be sure to open the box and inspect the components. Each shipment comes with the components shown in Table 7.

Table 7. What's in the Box?

9000 Series Appliance Number

H.264 network appliance 1 per order

Chapter 2

H.264 Quick Start Guide 1 per order

H.264 Product CD 1 per order

Power supply and cable 1 per appliance

Serial cable and adapter 1 per appliance

Ethernet cable 1 per appliance

HDMI cable and adapters 1 per channel

A/V breakout cables 1 per slot

Appliance Setup Overview

Your VBrick H.264 appliance is shipped with all appropriate cables and connectors. The appliance(s) you purchased may vary slightly from the illustration in Figure 3 but the basic elements are common to all H.264 appliances. See page 63 for more model information.

VBrick 9000 Series Appliance Models on

Figure 3. Quad Channel Encoder (no SDI)

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 9

Figure 4. Dual Channel Encoder (with SDI)

HDMI High Definition Multimedia Interface that transmits uncompressed

digital data.

A/V Attach VBrick "breakout" cable with color-coded (Y, Pb, Pr)

component connectors.

SDI Serial Data Interface typically used for broadcast-grade streaming

video.

Power In 24 VDC Power input. LED illuminates when power is applied.

Ethernet RJ-45 connector. Connect to the network.

COM1/COM2 • COM1 is used with HyperTerminal for appliance configuration.

• COM2 is used for Serial Port Passthrough or KLV metadata.

USB Use to attach an external storage device.

Using the Quick Start Guide

An 11x17 in. Quick Start Guide that explains how to set up the appliance is shipped with each device. The Quick Start Guide explains how to setup the appliance to quickly verify that you can stream audio and video over your local network. (Your actual production setup may be different.) The information is included here for your convenience.

Click to enlarge

Figure 5. H.264 Appliance Quick Start Guide

Environmental Considerations

Airflow and ventilation are primary concerns when installing VBrick appliances. Each appliance has slots and openings to guard against overheating and guarantee reliable performance. Never block these openings or cover them when placing equipment in a cabinet, rack, or shelf. Never place an appliance inside a built-in enclosure such as a bookcase unless proper ventilation and airflow is available. In all cases, the equipment must be separated from other products by at least two inches on each side and at least four inches above and below in order to provide maximum airflow and circulation.

The equipment should never be placed on top or near any heat-radiating product or equipment. The equipment should not be used near water sources or high-humidity areas. Side ventilation provides the best air circulation. There are vents on each side of the appliance and a fan that provides circulation. If appliances are rack-mounted in a cabinet and air flow is blocked, you may need to provide a vent hole or a notch on the side of the rack that is roughly equal in size to the vents on the appliance. You need to make sure there is at least two inches of space between the appliance and the edge of the rack.

Note If you are mounting the device on a wall or ceiling, the best option is an open shelf or

an open mount. Poor ventilation can affect performance and may cause the appliance to fail prematurely.

Appliance Setup

Best Practices

In general, VBrick appliances are designed for rooms that are comfortable for humans (approx. 70 block the side vents and is not recommended. Mounting appliances above a drop ceiling is also discouraged. Ceiling spaces have little protection against heat, cold, dust, etc. Some common practices to avoid include:

• Attempts to "hide" appliances in enclosed areas.

• Closed cabinets with poor air circulation or no air circulation.

• Appliances mounted too close to other heat sources or other electrical devices.

°F or 21°C) with adequate airflow and ventilation. Wall mounting will typically

Appliance Setup

Use the steps listed below, in the order shown, to setup your appliance.

1. Connect Encoder Audio and Video

The audio and video connectors allow the H.264 video appliance to receive audio and/or video from your input source, for example a video camera or a DVD player. (If you have a rack mount shelf, be sure to install any encoder blades before performing this step. See

6. Installing Blade Encoders)

1. Connect the video. On the back panel, connect one end of the VBrick-provided "breakout" cable to the Micro-D15

A/V connector in Slot 1.

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 11

2. Using the labeled component connectors on the other end of the cable, connect the three "channel 1" component video cables (YPbPr) to the three source video connectors on your video camera or DVD player.

Note: There are two channels on each breakout cable for a maximum of four video channels. In this Quick Start demo we only need to connect one set of (three) component connectors.

3. Connect the audio. Connect the "channel 1" (left and right) audio cables on the breakout cable to the source audio connectors.

Note The previous steps explain how to setup a 9000 Series encoder or a blade using

"component" connections. If you will be using the VBrick-provided HDMI (or SDI) cable, you will need to change the management application (go to Encoder Configuration > Video Input) connecting to the network.

How is Video Connected parameter in the VBAdmin

after

2. Connect to the IP Network

Use the provided Ethernet cable to connect the appliance to your IP network.

1. Plug one end of the Ethernet cable into the Ethernet port (to the left of the COM ports) on the H.264 appliance.

2. Plug the other end of the Ethernet cable into a network port or switch.

3. Power-on the Appliance

Attach the provided power cable to the appliance or rack mount shelf (which has two cables) and to appropriate AC power source(s) as explained below. When powered-on, the appliances will automatically run a power-on self-test sequence.

1. For standalone appliances, insert the power connector that comes with the appliance into the 24 VDC power receptacle in the lower left corner of the back panel.

2. For a rack mount shelf, insert the two power connectors into the dual power supplies on the back panel.

3. Connect the other power connector end(s) to a conventional 110/220 VAC power source.

4. Wait until the appliance or blade completes the boot sequence before continuing. This may take 1–3 minutes and the unit will self-test while displaying status messages on the optional LCD display on the front panel.

5. The appliance will then search for a DHCP server and display the IP address on the LCD panel (if present). If this process completes successfully, note the IP address and go to Step 5.

Appliance Setup

6. If you do not have an LCD display, and/or your network is not DHCP-enabled, you will need to connect an ASCII terminal to the serial port to find or set the IP address as explained in Step 4.

4. Find or Set an IP Address

All VBrick appliances are configured by default with DHCP enabled. This means that when you power on the appliance, if a DHCP server is present on your network, the VBrick will automatically get its IP Address and Subnet mask from the DHCP server. If the appliance cannot find a DHCP server, you will need to set a static IP address manually using the serial (COM) port. Similarly, if your network requires a Gateway IP Address, and this is not provided by the DHCP server, you will also need to enter this address manually.

 To Find or set an IP address using the serial port:

1. Connect an ASCII terminal from the RJ-45 serial port (COM1) on the appliance to the COM port of the computer or terminal device (usually COM1), using the provided serial cable.

2. From the Windows Start menu, go to: Start > All Programs > Accessories > Communications > HyperTerminal and press Enter to display the login prompt. Configure the Port Settings for 9600 baud, 8 Data bits, no Parity, 1 Stop bit (8N1).

3. Login to the appliance using "admin" (case-sensitive) for both User Name and Password.

4. When the Command Line Interface is displayed, type " Network Options. This will let you set IP Address, Subnet Mask, and other options.

5. When done, type "apply" and press

Enter to save your changes.

nt" to display the Ethernet

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 13

5. Verify Streaming Video and Audio

The last step is to verify the appliance is running properly and streaming audio and video. Assuming you connected a video source as explained in Step 1, you can use the VBAdmin management application or VBrick StreamPlayer to verify that video is streaming from the appliance.

Verify Operation with VBAdmin (Windows or Macintosh)

You can verify operation on Windows or Macintosh desktops by playing the stream directly from the appliance using the VBAdmin management application. This method requires the Apple QuickTime plugin.

1. Open a browser and launch VBAdmin with the appliance IP Address from Step 3 or Step 4 in the following format:

http://<appliance_ip_address>

Then login with "admin" and "admin"

Note These steps assume that the video source you connected in Step 1 is streaming at

1080i/60. If not streaming at 1080i/60, go to the Encoder Configuration > Video Input page in VBAdmin and set the "Video Format" to match your actual video source.

2. Navigate to the Encoder Configuration > Servers page and click the click on the link labeled "

Click Here to Play Stream."

Edit button. Then

4. This will launch the stream using the QuickTime plugin.

QuickTime 7.0 or higher is required. If QuickTime is not installed, you will be prompted to download it from Apple.

Note If you have streaming problems with Quicktime 7.0, go to Edit > Preferences >

QuickTime Preferences > Advanced > Video > DirectX and uncheck "Enable Direct3D video acceleration."

Verify Operation with StreamPlayer (Windows only)

You can verify operation on Windows desktops by playing the stream directly from the appliance with StreamPlayer 5.3. VBrick's StreamPlayer application lets you receive and play streaming video originating from the appliance on a PC. You can install StreamPlayer 5.3 from the StreamPlayer Product CD (if purchased) or you can download and install the 30-day demo version available from our website. Once StreamPlayer is installed:

1. Launch the StreamPlayer application. Go to Start > All Programs > VBrick > StreamPlayer.

2. In the IP Address field (near bottom of player) type the following text and press Enter:

vbrtsp://<appliance_ip_address>/vbstream1s1

vbstream1s2...1s3...1s4 to test other channels)

(type

3. This will launch the stream in the Windows Media Player. If you hear audio and see video, you are successfully streaming from the VBrick appliance to your local PC.

Appliance Setup

6. Installing Blade Encoders

The VBrick 9000 Series Rack Mount Shelf is a customized enclosure for VBrick blades. It lets you mix and match 7000 Series blades and 9000 Series blades on the same shelf. It

provides common redundant power sources and common cooling, and supports up to 11 H.264 blade encoders. In general, the blades are fully-functional encoders housed within a shelf rather than as standalone appliances. Each blade is configured independently of the others and has its own network connection and IP address. If you purchased blades with your order they will be packaged separately and not installed in the shelf prior to shipment. Like the appliance, each blade is configured by default for DHCP. You connect and configure each blade in the same manner as a standalone appliance. If you have a rack mount shelf, the first thing you will need to do is install the blades:

1. Find the anti-static wrist strap that was shipped with your order and attach the banana pin to the receptacle in the upper right corner of the shelf.

2. Unpack and inspect each blade. Remove and save as many blank filler panels as necessary.

3. Install blades from left to right beginning in Slot 1. Be sure each blade is properly seated in guides before connecting to the backplane.

4. When properly seated, hand-tighten top and bottom spring-loaded screws.

5. Repeat for each blade and then go to Step 1 on previous page and complete Steps 1–5.

7. Configuring a Decoder

A VBrick 9000 Series decoder is available in a single-channel model or an encoder/decoder (EnDec) model. Use the following steps to configure and play a decoded stream.

1. Connect a monitor to the connectors on the breakout cable.

2. On the encoder, launch VBAdmin, go to the Encoder Configuration > Transmitters page, and enable the transmitter.

3. In the

4. Wait a few moments and the decoded stream will automatically play on the attached

This completes the initial installation and verification. If you can stream and hear video and audio you are ready to configure your appliance for the real-world streaming video requirements at your site. The next step is to review the H.264 Appliance Admin Guide. This document explains all of the possible video and audio configuration options you are likely to use.

Destination IP Address field enter the unicast IP address of the decoder.

monitor.

A/V connector on the decoder using the component

Front Panel LCD Display

The 9000 Series Enterprise appliance (and blade) has a read-only 2 line x 20 character LCD screen for informational messages about the appliance and the configuration. When you first power on the unit, it runs through a power on self-test sequence during which a series of messages are displayed. During normal operation (when the self tests are complete) the appliance will cycle through a series of messages as outlined in Table 8 below. As noted, the display is read-only and cannot be used to set configuration parameters. The first two messages (see Figure 6) are user-configurable and can be modified on the System

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 15

Configuration > General page in VBAdmin. The backlight color of the LCD display will alert you to configuration errors or warnings.

VBrick Systems Release: x.x.x

Figure 6. Front Panel LCD (with Default Data)

The following table shows the sequence of messages displayed on the LCD panel. Note that on encoder-only appliance models, you will see messages relevant to the encoder. On decoder-only models you will see those relevant to the decoder. On combination models you will see messages for the encoder followed by messages for the decoder. The LCD display scrolls at the rate of one new message every three seconds. The basic sequence of messages is shown in Table 8.

Note The first two messages in the front panel display are user-configurable and can be

modified (or hidden) on the System Configuration > General page in VBAdmin. See the H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Admin Guide for details.

Table 8. LCD Message Sequence

Sequence Message Description

VBrick Systems Release x.x.x IP xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx

Host Name/MAC Address

Basic information (including user description, IP address, host name/MAC address) is enabled by default and always present unless disabled in VBAdmin.

Edit Mode

An Edit message is displayed when an Edit session is in progress.

Limited Run Mode Video Input Problems

Program x (1–4) Multicast Unicast Served

RX x Connected Program Name Output Format/Frame Rate

POST Errors

Warning messages are displayed if present.

Encoder messages are displayed if an encoder is present. They show program information for each configured transmitters and server.

Decoder messages are displayed if a decoder is present. They show receiver connected, program name, and output format/frame rate.

Error messages, if present, are shown last.

Table 9. Front Panel Backlight

State Backlight

Normal Light Blue

Error Red

Warning Yellow

Appliance Setup

Front Panel Configuration

You can enable/disable the first two lines of the LCD display (Figure 6) with user-defined text. You can also enable/disable the display of the host name and IP address. To enter your own text or enable/disable these options, go to System Configuration > General in VBAdmin and modify the fields explained below.

Display IP Address Check to display the appliance IPv4 address. Default = enabled.

Display Hostname Check to display the appliance host name. If host name is not

configured (on System Configuration > Network page) the MAC address is used. Default = enabled.

Display User Description Check to display the first two lines of user-defined text. Default

= enabled.

User Description 1

User Description 2

Enter user-defined text (20 chars. max.) that will be displayed on first line of LCD panel. Default = VBrick Systems

Enter user-defined text (20 chars. max.) that will be displayed on second line of LCD panel. Default (\r) = Release x.x.x

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 17

Shelf Setup

Topics in this chapter

Shelf Setup Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Blade Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Shelf Setup Overview

The VBrick 9000 Series Rack Mount Shelf is a customized enclosure for VBrick blades. It lets you mix and match 7000 Series blades and 9000 Series blades on the same shelf. It provides a common redundant power source and common cooling and supports 11 VBrick H.264 blade encoders in a standard 19 in. rack. It has hot-swappable, redundant AC input power supplies and LED and audible failure alarms. It also has a common, hot swappable cooling unit and a replaceable air filter. The chassis for a rack mount shelf has a removable cable management panel (not shown) and card rails that make it easy to insert or remove individual blade encoders.

Chapter 3

Figure 7. VBrick 9000 Series Rack Mount Shelf

H.264 Blades

In general, the blades are fully-functional encoders housed within shelf rather than as standalone appliances. Each blade is configured independently of the others and has its own network connection and IP address. The blades can have Standard Definition connectors (see

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 19

Figure 8) or Standard and High Definition connectors (see Figure 8). In most respects, the blade models operate in the same manner as the 1RU Industrial models without a front panel (see

VBrick 9000 Series Appliance Models on page 63) but there are some important

exceptions:

• The blade has a scrolling 8x1 character mini LCD on the face plate.

• The blade displays their shelf slot position (1–11) in the VBAdmin management program.

• The blade in Slot 1 will read and display shelf manufacturing data from an EEprom on the backplane.

Figure 8. VBrick H.264 Blade

Table 10. Rack Mount Shelf Specifications

Dimensions • 8U height

• 19 in. EIA rack mount

Fan Tray Unit • Slides out for easy replacement

• Hot swappable

• Visual LED failure indicator

Air Flow • Intake – front bottom

• Output – rear top

Encoder Blades 1–11 VBrick H.264 encoder blades.

Power Supplies • Redundant AC Input

• Hot-swappable

• Visual LED failure indicator and audible alarm

Cable Panel Removable cable management panel allows for easy routing and

management of cables (video, audio, Ethernet, etc.).

Shelf Setup

Environmental • Standard operating temperature: 5° to 40° C

• Storage temperature: -45° to 85° C

• FCC Part 15 Class A, CE, UL

• EIA Compliant

• RoHS Compliant

Blade LCD Display

Each blade has an 8x1 character, mini LCD on the faceplate panel that displays eight characters at a time and scrolls through informational messages. During boot and POST processing, the LCD will display appropriate messages. Once the encoder is running normally, the encoder will cycle through the IP address and various other messages for five seconds each.

Table 11. Mini LCD Color and Messages

Color Message Description

Green

Yellow

Red

Release x.x.x.x IP:xxx.xx.xxx.x

Warning

Failure

Blade is good.

Blade in warning mode. This can include a DHCP failure, a video input problem, a temperature problem, or an encoder in limited run mode.

Blade in failure mode. This can include a POST failure, a hardware failure, or a hardware mismatch.

Installation

Unpacking and Inspection

Before you do anything else, open the box and inspect the components to make sure you received everything you ordered. Each shipment comes with the components shown in Table 12. If anything is missing or damaged, contact VBrick or your reseller at once. Otherwise install the shelf in a standard 19 in. EIA rack mount chassis.

Note Since the encoder blades are removed from the front, VBrick rack mount units can be

mounted back-to-back (on the same shelf) without consuming additional vertical rack space. This effectively doubles the density in installations where rack space is an issue.

Table 12. What's in the Box?

9000 Series Blade † Number

H.264 encoder blades 1–11 per shelf

H.264 Quick Start Guide 1 per order

H.264 Product CD 1 per order

Anti-static wrist strap 1 per order

Serial cable and adapter 1 per order

Ethernet cable 1 per blade

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 21

9000 Series Blade † Number

HDMI cable and adapters 1 per channel

A/V breakout cables 1 per slot

The H.264 rack mount shelf must be purchased separately. It includes a cable management panel

†

and 2 AC power supply cords.

Installing the Blades

Note that if you purchased blades with your order they will be packaged separately and not installed in the rack mount shelf prior to shipment. Each blade is configured by default for DHCP. You set up and connect each blade in the same manner as a standalone appliance (see Appliance Setup on page 11). The only difference is that, if necessary, you must use the serial port to set a static IP address since there is no front panel. (See on page 13 for details.) Use the provided anti-static wrist strap by attaching the banana pin to receptacle in upper right corner of the shelf. Ten blank filler panels are included. If you remove a blade, be sure to install a filler panel to maintain proper air flow. Before installing blades, be sure to read the

 To install individual blades in the shelf:

Blade Safety Precautions on page 25.

1. Unpack and inspect each blade.

2. Remove and save as many blank filler panels as necessary.

3. Install the blades from left to right beginning in Slot 1. (The Slot 1 blade will report backplane data to VBAdmin if service is ever required.)

4. Each encoder slot has top and bottom card guides. Work carefully and be sure the encoder card is properly seated in the guides before connecting to the backplane.

5. When done, tighten the spring-loaded screws with a screwdriver to prevent them from being accidentally removed.

6. Connect audio/video input and network connections.

7. Connect the power cords from the power supplies to AC power and turn on both power supplies.

4. Find or Set an IP Address

Note Before installing blades, you may want to install ground screws (not included) in the

unpainted area on each side of enclosure. Use #10-32 machine screws to attach earth ground. When rack-mounting, you can also adjust the mounting ears on each side of the unit if necessary.

Software Configuration

All blades are independently configurable using the IP address and the VBAdmin management program. In all respects, blade software configuration is identical to appliance software configuration. See the H.264 Appliance Admin Guide for details about all configurable parameters. To identify the blade by slot number, launch VBAdmin, go to the Monitor > System page, and note the from left to right. If service is ever required, scroll down to the only) for manufacturing data associated with the backplane.

Slot ID (see below). The blades are numbered 1–11

Add-on Boards table (Slot 1

Shelf Setup

Maintenance

Power Supplies

The Rack Mount Shelf has dual, hot-swappable AC input power supplies (Figure 9). An LED and an audible alarm will indicate if either of the power supplies has failed. If a power supply fails, contact VBrick for a replacement as soon as possible. Do not attempt to repair a power supply as this will invalidate the warranty. Although the shelf will operate with a failed power supply, a redundant power supply will ensure there is no downtime. Each supply can handle a full load of 500W if the other supply has failed or been turned off. There will be no loss of service time if only one supply fails. If both are active, they will load share (50/50) to support the rack.

Table 13. AC Input Voltage and Frequency (iStarUSA Model IS-500R8P)

Parameter Minimum Nominal Maximum Max. Current

Voltage (115V) 90 VAC 100–120 VAC 132 VAC 8A

Voltage (230V) 180 VAC 200–24 VAC 264 VAC 4A

Frequency 47 Hz 50/60 Hz 63 Hz

Table 14. Power Supply LEDs

Color Description

Green Power supply is good.

Yellow AC power is applied but power supply is off.

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 23

Color Description

Red The power supply has failed.

If a power supply fails, the LED will turn red and an alarm will sound. Push the alarm reset button (the small black bubble button to the left of the left power cord receptacle) to silence the alarm.

 To remove/replace the power supply:

1. Turn off power to the power supply with switch at bottom and unplug power cord.

2. Pull unit out with handle while pressing the red release lever.

3. When replacing a power supply, push in firmly to seat firmly in backplane.

Figure 9. Dual Power Supplies

Fan Tray

The shelf has a common fan tray with four fans and a replaceable air filter. There are no user-serviceable components in the fan tray. If an individual fan fails, you must replace the entire unit or you will invalidate the shelf warranty. Contact VBrick for a replacement fan tray as soon as possible. The damaging the blades, do not run the shelf if more than one fan has failed. When you pull out the fan tray, you can see the fans slowly spinning down. Any fan

Table 15. Fan Tray LEDs

Color Description

Green Fan tray is good.

Red The fan tray has failed and should be replaced as soon as possible. Do not run

the shelf if more than one fan has failed or the tray been removed.

 To remove/replace the fan tray:

1. Loosen the screws on each side of unit.

2. Press the

REQ (Request) button. This will power down the fan tray. The status LED will

go from green to red and the

3. Remove the tray and determine how many fans have failed (see above). Do not run the shelf if more than one fan has failed.

4. Contact VBrick for a replacement fan tray as soon as possible.

5. When powering down the fan tray to install a replacement, work quickly to avoid overheating the blades.

Status LED will turn red if any of the fans has failed. To avoid

not spinning down has likely failed.

OK LED will illuminate blue.

Figure 10. Fan Tray Controls and Indicators

Air Filter

The air intake unit at the bottom of the enclosure has a replaceable filter element. Inspect and replace the filter element every 90 days—more often in challenging environments. For best results, use replacement filters from VBrick. You need not power off the shelf to replace the filter element.

 To remove/replace the filter element:

1. Loosen the screws on each side and remove the entire unit.

2. Replace the filter with a VBrick-supplied replacement element.

Blade Safety Precautions

Shelf Setup

Use common sense when installing the blade server. Do not expose the unit to direct sunlight, high humidity or wet conditions. Do not block the air vents or impede the airflow in any way.

important safety precautions.

Before you rack mount the blade server, please take a moment to read the following

Restricted Location.

exposed when the fan tray or the blades are removed, this equipment must be installed in a restricted location with limited access for authorized users who are familiar with the electrical hazards and required safety precautions. It should not be used in a home, school, or other area accessible to the public. To be installed only in restricted access areas (dedicated equipment rooms, equipment closets, or the like) in accordance with Articles 110-26, 110-27 or the National Electric Code ANSI/NFPA70, or per the applicable code in the country of installation.

Operating Temperature.

ambient temperature may be greater than the room ambient. Install the equipment in an environment compatible with the maximum ambient temperature (Tma) specified by the manufacturer.

Reduced Air Flow. Do not restrict air flow in any way. Rack mount the equipment so that the amount of air flow required for safe operation is not compromised.

Mechanical Loading. Avoid uneven mechanical loading. When rack-mounting the equipment, be sure that the devices are evenly balanced.

Circuit Overloading. Do not overload the supply circuits. Be aware of the effect that overloading the circuits can have on overcurrent protection and supply wiring. Refer to the equipment nameplate ratings for details.

Reliable Earthing. The rack-mounted equipment must be reliably earthed. This particularly applies to power strips and other indirect connections to the branch circuit

Because of hazardous energy circuits on the backplane that are

If installed in a closed or multi-unit rack, the operating

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 25

Replaceable Battery. Do not attempt to replace the battery since it may explode if replaced incorrectly. Return to VBrick Support Services for replacement with the same or equivalent type of battery. VBrick will dispose of used batteries in accordance with manufacturer recommendations.

Software Upgrade

Topics in this chapter

Software Upgrade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Software Upgrade

Note When you purchased your network video appliance from VBrick, it was shipped with

the latest software already installed and no additional software installation is necessary. If you ever need to reinstall the software, you can get it from the our website. Use the following instructions only when upgrading the software.

VBrick appliances are shipped with PC applications that allow for easy upgrade. Once the release is installed, the upgrade tools become available in the VBrick program group, located under Start > All Programs > VBrick. The upgrade procedure can be invoked by using either the VBDownload application or the VBDirectory application. Either application can be used as the starting point for updating the appliance's flash memory (TCP/IP FTP transport services are used for this). Using VBDirectory is an easier method since it lets you choose the appliances by name instead of IP address. When VBrick appliances are not accessible to VBDirectory, the VBDownload application must be used. Also keep in mind the following considerations:

Chapter 4

Downloads page on

• All saved configuration parameters are saved when you upgrade your encoder and there is no need to reconfigure the unit after an upgrade. The upgrade process requires a unit reset, so be sure to save your configuration prior to the upgrade.

• Part of the install process occurs during the first reboot after the upgrade. Do not power off the unit during this time. The process may take 5 minutes and include an automatic reboot of the unit. The appliance is ready for operation when you are able to login via VBAdmin or CLI.

• VBrick strongly recommends against loading a earlier version of code. As a general rule, never downgrade a unit to a code version older than what was originally installed at the factory. If you do load an earlier version of code, reset all parameters to the factory defaults and remove the external USB drive (if present) before the downgrade.

Installing a Software Upgrade

 To upgrade a VBrick:

1. Double-click on the release executable ( your PC. It is recommended that you accept the default destination folder which is

Program Files\VBrick\VB9000\download\ReleaseVx_x_x.

2. The setup programs for VBDownload and VBDirectory will automatically run after the files have been extracted. Click if possible.

Next, follow the instructions, and use the default folders

SetupVB9000_x_x_x.exe) to install the release on

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 27

3. When the Maintenance Complete page is displayed, click Finish.

4. Go to

Start > All Programs > VBrick > VBDirectory to start the management utility. The

VBDirectory program will show all VBrick appliances available for upgrade.

5. Select the device to be updated by highlighting the name and then click the

Upgrade

button. (If the user name and password are not set, a dialog box will appear and you will need to configure the appliances's username and password (default =

admin/admin).

6. In the VBDownload window, if you installed the release to the default directory, that directory will be auto-selected in the

Revision Folder. If not, Browse to the directory

that contains the unzipped files from the release package.

7. Select a VBDownload is which release components need to be downloaded. When prompted, press

Revision and click OK to start the download. Since the default mode of

Intelligent Download the utility will query the VBrick to determine

OK to allow

VBDownload to upgrade the suggested components. This may take several minutes.

8. When the download completes, reboot the appliance using the

Reset Unit radio button

and follow the prompts.

9. Note that part of the upgrade takes place during the first boot after the download and may take up to 5 minutes. The upgrade is complete when you can login via VBAdmin or CLI, or when its name is refreshed in VBDirectory.

10. When done close the window or click

Note To verify the download has successfully installed, check the

Revision

field on the VBAdmin "Welcome" page.

Exit.

Application Code

Configuring VBDownload

The VBDownload application is used to upgrade VBrick appliances. When you click on the setup executable, the application files are automatically installed in

Files\VBrick\VB9000. If you have both VB6000 Series devices and VBrick 7000-8000-9000

devices present, the application will default to the

VBrick 7000-8000-9000 folder.

Program

Software Upgrade

Experienced VBrick users can modify this default behavior by creating a new shortcut for VBDownload that uses

 To configure the VB6000 folder as the default folder:

VB6000 as the default folder.

1. Go to Start > All Programs > VBrick.

2. Highlight new shortcut and select

3. Enter a meaningful name, highlight it, then right-click and select

4. In the

VBDownload then right-click and select Create Shortcut. Then highlight the

Rename.

Properties.

Target field, append the following text, beginning with a space, to the existing

path. (Note that question marks are required for any spaces in the path.)

-i "" -f C:\Program?Files\VBrick\VB6000\Download\ReleaseVx_x_x

5. Replace ReleaseVx_x_x with the actual version number of the setup file and click OK when done.

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 29

Management Tools

Overview

The VBAdmin configuration tool is an intuitive GUI-based management tool and VBrick recommends using VBAdmin as the primary means of managing VBrick appliances. You can also use any of the following tools to manage a VBrick:

Table 16. VBrick Management Tools

Management Tool Description

VBAdmin The VBAdmin management interface allows quick and secure

control through the VBrick's IP interface. See on page 35.

VBDirectory The H.264 Appliance Product CD includes VBDirectory, an

application that facilitates finding, accessing, and upgrading all VBricks on a network. For more information, see the VBDirectory online help.

Chapter 5

Using VBAdmin

Command Line Interface The Command Line Interface provides management through

the VBrick's COM port. See HyperTerminal on page 43 or Connecting with Telnet or SSH on page 43.

SNMP SNMP commands through VBrick's IP interface, including

SNMP Traps.

Web Services You can set any configuration parameter in the MIB using an

industry-standard Web Service.

Auto Configuration See System Configuration > Manage Configuration in the

H.264 Appliance Admin Guide.

Note There is only one active editing session allowed at any time in a single appliance. In

VBAdmin it is possible to exit a session which still in must determine whether or not to log off the previous editor. For best results, click

Finish Edit before you exit the VBAdmin page. Note that Telnet, CLI and SNMP

automatically log you out when you exit the program.

Connecting via the COM Port with

Edit mode. Other users then

VBAdmin

The appliance has an embedded web server lets you manage the configuration from an external browser. This allows network managers to remotely configure and monitor the appliances from virtually anywhere in the world. VBAdmin is compatible with Internet Explorer and Firefox (other browsers may not give acceptable results). For best results, VBrick Systems recommends Internet Explorer 8.0 or Firefox 9.0 (or higher). You connect to VBAdmin by pointing to the IP Address (e.g. and logging in. VBAdmin is one of several ways to manage a VBrick appliance. There are

http://172.17.5.5) of the VBrick appliance

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 31

other methods but VBAdmin's graphical user interface is the easiest to use. VBAdmin is described in detail in

Figure 11. VBAdmin Home Page

VBAdmin on page 35.

VBDirectory

VBrick provides a management application called VBDirectory that provides quick reference and access to all VBrick Appliances on a network. VBDirectory v4.4 or higher is compatible with H.264 appliances. VBDirectory is automatically installed with a software upgrade and is also available on the H.264 Appliance Product CD. For more information, see the VBDirectory User Guide which is also included on the H.264 Appliance Product CD.

Figure 12. VBDirectory

Management Tools

Command Line Interface

VBrick network appliances can be configured using a standard ASCII terminal or terminal emulator program connected to the serial port ( MIB-based CLI can be used to access all VBrick parameters. (Keep in mind that all parameters that are available in the MIB-based CLI are also available in the web-based VBAdmin application. Always use VBAdmin unless you have a compelling reason to use the command line.) You can use HyperTerminal or other interfaces to run the CLI. For more information see

Command Line Interface on page 43.

COM 1) on the rear of the appliance. The

VBrick appliances can also be managed remotely via industry-standard Telnet. The same suites of menus that are displayed on a local terminal are instantly available over an IP network. VBrick uses the standard Telnet port (23). Telnet uses the same commands as Command Line Interface (CLI). The Telnet and HyperTerminal applications are both referred to as CLI or Command Line Interface. For more information see Command Line Interface on page 43.

SNMP

The VBrick appliance can also be configured and managed through its MIB which is available on the Product CD or on the VBrick website. Various SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) management tools are available to issue SNMP based commands to the appliance. The command structure is similar to CLI and Telnet. It is necessary to become the active editor and apply the changes before they take effect in the appliance. Note that the SNMP community strings are the usernames. The following screen shows a typical, freeware MIB browser.

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 33

Web Services

For customers who want to build custom applications, the VBrick 9000 Series SDK provides a standards-based SOAP architecture to programmatically interface to the appliance. It includes detailed documentation that explains how to configure and control appliances via command line scripts. The SDK is sold separately and is not bundled with other VBrick products. Contact a VBrick sales the SDK.

representative or your certified VBrick reseller to purchase

Auto Configuration

Auto Configuration lets you perform a configuration via a URL script file. It is typically used for remote configuration and troubleshooting or to configure VBrick appliances that are behind a firewall. To configure a parameter on an appliance (or more likely a set of parameters) you simply point the URL to a server with an .xml configuration file. This is useful, for example, to change a transmitter destination address, set the audio and video rates, etc. when the VBrick appliances are behind a firewall and cannot be accessed remotely. See System Configuration > Manage Configuration in the H.264 Appliance Admin Guide for complete details.

VBAdmin

Topics in this chapter

Using VBAdmin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Using VBAdmin

The VBrick H.264 Appliance has an integrated management interface (VBAdmin) that lets you manage VBrick configuration from an external browser. This allows network managers to remotely configure and monitor the appliances from virtually anywhere. As shown in Table 17 you can launch VBAdmin in Internet Explorer or Firefox (other browsers are not supported by VBrick). You connect to VBAdmin by pointing to the IP Address (for example:

http://192.168.5.5) of the VBrick appliance and logging in. (Note that passwords passed

between client and server are encrypted.) VBAdmin is one of several ways you can manage the VBrick encoder (for example you can also use Telnet or the but VBAdmin is the easiest to use.

Table 17. Supported Browsers

Chapter 6

Command Line Interface)

Browser Version

Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 or higher

Mozilla Firefox 9.0 or higher

To login to a VBrick 9000 Series appliance with Microsoft Internet Explorer, you must have

Session Cookies and Active Scripting enabled. Depending on your browser version, these

settings are in the correct username and password will refresh the screen without login. If cannot be enabled, check with your system administrator to see if it was disabled at the server level. To avoid having the VBAdmin window automatically close when accessing a different VBrick appliance, go to Tools > Internet Options > Advanced and uncheck the

windows for launching shortcuts.

Security or Privacy tabs in Internet Options. If either option is disabled, a

Active Scripting

Reuse

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 35

Figure 13. Login Page

 To login to VBAdmin:

1. Enter the IP address of the H.264 appliance in the address bar.

2. When the login page is displayed, login to VBAdmin with a valid user name and password (case-sensitive), and then click the password is

admin and admin. It is highly recommended that you use the Maintenance

pages in VBAdmin to change the user name and password. The user name and password cannot exceed 20 characters. It may include any combination of alphanumeric characters and only the following special characters:

~ ! # $ ^ * + & [ ] { } | < >

Table 18. Default Passwords and Privileges

User Level Default User Name Default Password Privileges

Administrator admin admin Read, diagnostics, edit, change

passwords.

Operator operator operator Read, diagnostics, edit.

Diagnostics diagnostics diagnostics Read, diagnostics.

Public public public Read.

Home Page

The first time you launch VBAdmin you will need to page down and accept the End User License Agreement before you can login. A successful login will then display the "Welcome to VBAdmin" page shown below. This is the "home" page; it provides system information and the colored LEDs in the middle of the page give you a quick snapshot of the health and status of the appliance.

Figure 14. Welcome Page

Configuration Menu

VBAdmin

The options on the Configuration Menu (see Figure 14) are shown below. This menu provides access to all configurable features and functions on the appliance. It also provides access to the help system. All configuration options are described in detail in the H.264 Appliance Admin Guide. Use the (plus and minus) tree controls in the Configuration Menu to expand or collapse the selectable options and note that many pages have additional links to hide or show less frequently used settings.

Home Provides a quick snapshot of appliance health and status

Dashboard Shows a high-level overview of the entire unit. This includes the

configured values for each slot and channel, the streams associated with each program, and the transmitters and servers associated with each stream.

System Configuration Used to configure "system" settings such as IP address and host

name as well as user names and passwords. Also let's you read, reset, or restore the system configuration. Advanced Configurations are used for security, logging, event triggering and other less frequently used options.

Encoder Configuration Used to set video and audio parameters for the encoder.

Decoder Configuration Used to set video and audio parameters for the decoder.

Monitor Lets you view system, network, and audio/video data as well as

the various system logs. Program Status lets you view the status of programs, transmitters, and servers.

Troubleshoot Lets you troubleshoots operational problems by running network

tests and devices tests.

Logout Logs you out of the system.

Help Launches the online help system.

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 37

LED Indicators

The colored LEDs in the middle of the page give you a quick snapshot of the health and status of the appliance. These indicators are dynamically refreshed every five seconds and give you an up-to-the-minute snapshot of the current status. On a decoder appliance, you will only see

Encoder LEDS

Decoder LEDs

Video Input and Alarms.

Video Input Checks whether

Video State on the Monitor > Encoder Status > Video

Input page is running or not running.

• Green – Running.

• Red – Video Input problem.

Streaming Checks whether the

State on the Monitor > Encoder Status >

Transmitters page is transmitting or not transmitting. This includes any configured transmitters or any server clients connected to the appliance.

• Green – at least one transmitter or server client is streaming.

• Yellow – no transmitters or server clients are streaming.

Alarms Checks whether the

System Traps on the Monitor > System Logs page

has any bad traps (for example a temperature alarm or a POST failure) that were not cleared.

• Green – no alarms are present.

• Red – one or more alarms are present.

Configuration Checks for configuration errors or invalid input on any appliance

configuration pages.

• Green – no configuration errors are present.

• Yellow – one or more configuration errors are present.

Edit Mode

In order to change configuration settings in the VBrick encoder, you must click Edit to become the active editor so that multiple users cannot be changing parameters at the same time. After clicking

Progress is displayed on the front panel of the appliance. Only one user can be in Edit mode at

Edit, the button changes to Finish Edit, and the message Edit Session In

any time. Any user can end the current editing session of any other user regardless of login level—admin or operator. As a best practice, you should click changes and then click

Note All configuration screens have a

document are shown in

Save and Finish Edit to avoid interfering with other users.

View mode and an Edit mode. All screens in this

Edit mode, that is after you have clicked the Edit button.

Edit, make any necessary

VBAdmin

Figure 15. Begin Edit

Be aware that some parameters, menu items, and fields are not shown unless you are in edit mode. Click the

Edit button to see all fields, parameters, and buttons. VBAdmin validates most user

entries. If you select and apply invalid settings or mismatched parameters, it will display error messages in red showing the valid range of values or a description of the conflicting parameters. When this happens, try again with different values or parameters and press

Apply.

Figure 16. Finish Edit

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 39

If the browser is closed after entering Edit mode, editing will not be ended. Therefore, a second user can't know if the first user has simply forgotten to log off or is still engaged in editing. After an hour of inactivity, Edit mode times out, whether the browser is open on the desktop or closed without ending the Edit session. In VBAdmin, the

Logout button on the

left side of the menu bar ends editing and logs you out of the application.

Using Apply, Revert, and Default

Depending on screen resolution, it may be necessary to scroll down the page to see additional information and fields. The the bottom of the page when appropriate. You may also see and other buttons depending on what page you are on.

Apply Applies the changes made on the screen to the appliance. Note that these

changes will not be stored in the appliance's flash memory until you click

Save. This means if the appliance is powered down the changes will be lost.

Don't forget to save the configuration.

Revert Aborts all changes made on the screen and returns to the values that were

present prior to the first change that was made. Note that this only applies to changes made prior to the last "apply."

Default Returns to the default settings for all parameters on the page. You must still

click

Apply for the settings to take effect.

Apply, Revert and Default buttons however, are always shown at

Clone, Refresh, Reset Counters,

Clone When configuring the Video Input on

multi–channel encoders, this button lets you apply one set of configuration parameters to one or more of the other channels.

Finish Edit Ends the editing session and displays View mode.

Save Writes all applied changes to Flash

memory. If you do not click Save after editing, any changes you made are lost if the appliance loses power or is reset.

Resetting the Appliance

 To reset the VBrick appliance do one of the following:

1. Power the VBrick appliance off and on by removing and reinserting the power cord.

2. Press the available in

Reset button on the System Configuration > General page. This button is only

Edit mode.

Note Some changes to the configuration will initiate an automatic reboot. When this

happens, wait approximately 60 seconds, then refresh the page and log back in with your user name and password.

VBAdmin

Logout

Click Logout on the Configuration Menu to exit VBAdmin and automatically end any editing sessions. After logging out of VBAdmin, it is a good idea to close the window and exit Internet Explorer.

Help

A link to the online help system is available from the Configuration Menu on the left side of the VBAdmin page. This help system has a powerful full-text search engine that can quickly find the information you need. You may wish to take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the help system. It can save time when tying to find information about appliance parameters or options. When using VBAdmin, click on the question mark hyperlink in the upper-right corner of each page to get context-sensitive help for that page.

Note The online help system requires an Internet connection but can be configured to run

on your local web server. See "Configuring Local Online Help" in the H.264 Appliance Admin Guide for more information.

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 41

Figure 17. Online Help Page

Command Line Interface

Although VBAdmin is the preferred management interface you can also access the appliance configuration using the Command Line Interface. Some users prefer to use the Command Line.

Topics in this chapter

Connection Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Command Line Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Connection Modes

This section explains how to access VBrick appliance parameters using the COM serial port or over an IP network. You can use HyperTerminal or ProComm with the serial port for example, or Telnet or PuTTY over an IP network. To send input commands to a VBrick appliance, you can use ProComm, Telnet, scripts, cut-and-paste, or any program that supplies text-based input via the get and set commands.

Chapter 7

Connecting via the COM Port with HyperTerminal

To manage an appliance via terminal emulation (for example with HyperTerminal), connect the included cable (which provides a standard 9-pin serial connection) from the serial port on your computer to the VBrick's HyperTerminal go to Connect through your computer's COM Port (usually COM1) with the following settings.

Bits per second 9600

Data bits 8

Parity None

Stop bits 1

Flow control None

When you connect to a terminal, a prompt for login (username) and password will be displayed. Login and password are case sensitive ( appear by typing a question mark (

Start > Programs > Accessories > Communication > HyperTerminal.

COM RJ-45 connector. To access the VBrick using

admin). Once logged in, the main menu will

?) at the vbrick> prompt.

Connecting with Telnet or SSH

VBrick appliances can be managed remotely via industry-standard Telnet or an SSH client like

PuTTy. With Telnet the same commands that are displayed on a local terminal are

instantly available over an IP network. VBrick uses the standard Telnet port. See

Command

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 43

Line Interface on page 44 for an explanation of the commands that are available.

Note Telnet (as well as FTP, VBAdmin, SNMP, and front panel data) can be disabled on the

VBrick appliance for security purposes. If you cannot login to the appliance via Telnet, check that the

External Telnet Server is enabled. Open VBAdmin and go to System

Configuration > Advanced Configurations > Security.

 To login using Telnet:

1. Go to

2. Type

Start > Run and type telnet to open a Telnet window.

open <ip_address> using the IP address of the VBrick Appliance. This will launch

Command Line Interface.

3. Enter the Login name and Password. Default is

4. At the VBrick prompt, type

? to display the top-level commands.

Command Line Interface

The Command Line Interface is a VBrick program used to manage configuration parameters for the appliance. It provides a subset of commands that you can use if you cannot access VBAdmin. Regardless of whether you access the CLI through HyperTerminal (shipped with Windows) or Telnet, the command structure is the same. The CLI interface is launched as soon as you enter a valid Login name and Password. The following window shows the Command Line Interface and the "shortcut" commands that are available using the command. You can use these shortcuts at any time during an editing session.

admin and admin.

Using the MIB

All VBrick appliance parameters are accessible via an industry-standard SNMP Management Information Base (MIB). The CLI is a syntactically simple interface which is suitable for scripting. The syntax for each VBrick parameter is documented in the SNMP MIB for the appliance.

Command Line Interface

 Use these basic steps to find and set VBrick appliance parameters with the CLI:

1. Find the parameter you want to set or change. See

Finding VBrick Parameters on

page 45.

2. Set the parameter using valid values obtained from the MIB. See

Setting VBrick

Parameters on page 48.

3. Apply the changed value(s) using the the MIB. See

Applying Changes on page 49.

4. Optional. Save the configuration file. See

ApplySet command for that group as specified in

Saving Changes on page 50.

The Get and Set commands are shown in the following table. All CLI commands are shown in Table 21 on page 48. You will need to login to the VBrick and begin an edit session before you can make any changes. Once the parameters have been set to the correct values, you must

ApplySet. If the response to any ApplySet does not match the value of the set, an error

do an message is displayed. Use care when typing commands. All commands and parameter

names are case sensitive. All parameter names must be prefixed by "vbrick".

Table 19. Get and Set Command Syntax

Command Response

GVAR vbrickMIBNAME

SVAR vbrickMIBNAME=value

$!MIBNAME=value

or $!ERROR=errorstring

Note The serial port is also used by the VBrick appliance to emit system messages. In order

to allow the script writer to distinguish between direct responses to commands and other output, all CLI response messages have

$! as leading characters. Any responses

that do not begin with these characters can be safely ignored.

It is important to note that some commands also cause a reboot of the VBrick. In order to notify the command initiator when this happens, the string

$!Rebooting … is emitted from

the VBrick. In this case the commanding entity must be prepared to wait before continuing the editing session. In practice, it is unlikely that any automated program will be tasked with initiating any tasks that will cause a spontaneous reboot.

Finding VBrick Parameters

The best way to find a parameter name is by viewing the Configuration Log. Once you find the parameter name, you can check the MIB using a MIB browser to verify the definition and usage.

 To locate a parameter name using the Configuration Log:

1. Use VBAdmin to set or change a parameter and click

2. Then go to Monitor > System Logs > Configuration Log see a configuration log message reporting the exact name of the parameter you just changed.

3. Verify the definition and usage of the parameter by examining the MIB file with either a standard MIB browser or a text editor.

4. You can use this parameter name in a script. Make sure you prefix the parameter name

vbrick, for example: vbrickProgramTransmitterName

with

Apply.

and examine the log. You will

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 45

The following example shows how the Transmitter Name in VBAdmin is associated with

vbrickProgramTransmitterName in the MIB. First find the Transmitter Name parameter name

using the Configuration Log. Then open the appropriate MIB file (see Table 20 below) in a MIB browser. The valid value for this variable is

DisplayString. If the syntax calls for an

integer, use a numeric value; if the syntax calls for a string, use an alpha value.

 To find the VBrick parameter name and syntax:

1. Find and change the parameter in VBAdmin.

2. Go go to the Monitor > System Logs > Configuration Log and find the name of the parameter you just changed.

3. Open the appropriate MIB file in a MIB browser and view the syntax. Once you know the syntax, you can use the correct variable name and value on the Command Line.

Command Line Interface

Working with MIB Files

The MIB files provide read-only access to all configurable encoder parameters and are organized as shown in Table 20. To access any MIB variable, open the appropriate file in a MIB browser. The easiest way to visualize VBrick's control structure is to understand the relationship between the VBAdmin and the MIB. To get started, open a MIB file in a text editor or a MIB browser. For the most part, parameters are grouped according to where they appear on the VBAdmin pages. Once you find the parameter, other related parameters are usually contained in the same group. Each of the top-level groups comprises a page in VBAdmin. Note that valid values for the selected parameter are shown next to the column in the lower left area of the window in the MIB browser example above.

Table 20. MIB Files

MIB Description

vbrick_reg.mib

vbrickEncoder.mib

This file is used as a reference by the MIB browser.

Contains encoder parameters including video, audio, configuration, and status parameters.

vbrickProgram.mib

vbrickSystem.mib

Contains transmitter, server, and SAP parameters.

Contains IP address, network traps, auto-config, front panel configuration, etc.

vbrickDecoder.mib

Contains decoder parameters including receiver IP address, jitter queue settings, etc.

Syntax

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 47

Setting VBrick Parameters

Logging In

The first step is to connect to the VBrick appliance using whatever method is appropriate at your site (e.g. Telnet, HyperTerminal, etc.). When logging in, you are prompted for a login name and password. These credentials give you access to the VBrick and are typically provided by an administrator. When the logged in. The CLI shortcut commands are shown below.

Table 21. CLI Shortcut Commands

Command Description

DEBUG

ERRORS

GVAR

QUIT

RESET

SAVE

SFD

SVAR

WAIT

Begin edit session

Generate a debug file if requested by VBrick Support Services.

End edit session

Show configuration errors

Get parameter

Ethernet Network Configuration

Logoff the CLI session

System reset

Save configuration

Set defaults

Set factory defaults

Set parameter

Delay for specified time

vbrick> prompt is displayed, you are successfully

Beginning or Ending an Edit Session

To begin a CLI edit session, first login as explained above, and then enter the first two commands shown below using the same username you used to login to the VBrick. You only need to do this at the start of an edit session or if someone has ended your edit session. Also, you only need to begin an edit session to set variable and table parameters—not to get parameters. You can get parameters without starting an edit session. When your edit session is done, and after you have applied or saved your changes, do an end edit. You can also use the Begin Edit (

BE) and End Edit (EE) shortcut commands shown in Table 21.

 To begin an edit session:

VBrick# SVAR vbrickEditName= VBrick# SVAR vbrickEditName=<admin>

To end an edit session:



VBrick# SVAR vbrickEditName=

Command Line Interface

Getting or Setting Variables

Use the following format to get or set a variable. This command shows how to read the unit's MAC address but is only an example. Use the actual parameter name and value as shown in the MIB.

Finding VBrick Parameters on page 45 explains how to do this. All parameter

names must be prefixed by "vbrick".

VBrick# gvar vbrickManufacturingInfoMacAddress

Valid system commands display a response in the following format:

$!vbrickManufacturingInfoMacAddress=00:07:df:01:07:8e

Invalid system commands display an error response in the following format:

$!ERROR=SNMP GET failure

Note Double quotes (" ") may be used for any strings but they must be used if the string

contains spaces. For example, you can use the following syntax to create a blank space in the

ManagementSAPGroupName:

svar "vbrickManagementSapGroupName=Madrid VBrick"

Getting or Setting Table Variables

Table variables can be single-indexed where there is only one instance of a variable (for example an IP address) or double-indexed where there are multiple instances (for example TransmitterName). As shown below, when viewing the Configuration Log, single-indexed table variables will be appended with " with "

.n.m"

.n". Double-indexed table variables will be appended

Single Index Example

This example shows how to read and change the

VBrick# gvar vbrickEncoderVideoCommonBrightness.1

$!vbrickEncoderVideoCommonBrightness.1=50

VBrick# svar vbrickEncoderVideoCommonBrightness.1=75

$!vbrickEncoderVideoCommonBrightness=75

Brightness parameter on Channel 1.

Double Index Example

This example shows how to read and change the Rate 1

VBrick# gvar vbrickEncoderVideoH264Resolution.1.1

$!vbrickEncoderVideoH264Resolution.1.1=15

VBrick# svar vbrickEncoderVideoH264Resolution.1.1=2

$!vbrickEncoderVideoH264Resolution=2

Resolution parameter on Channel 1.

Applying Changes

The ApplySet command is used to apply changes. There is one ApplySet command per program group in the MIB and the syntax varies slightly according to the group. Use this command, for example you made with an the trailing

=2.

vbrickProgramTransmitterApplySet, to actually apply the change(s)

SVAR or a STAB. An ApplySet is always written in the following format with

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 49

VBrick# svar vbrickEncoderVideoCommonApplySet.1=2

It is important to note that some ApplySets can cause the VBrick appliance to send unsolicited messages. For example, the appliance may reboot with the following message:

$!Rebooting …

Saving Changes

Once you are done, you must save to persistent storage if you want your edits saved in the configuration file. Unless you save the configuration, any changes you have made will be lost if the appliance reboots. A save is always written in the following format with the trailing

=2.

Note that some changes to the configuration will reboot the VBrick in which case you must wait for it to reset. Note that you can also use the

VBrick> svar vbrickSysSaveConfiguration=2

SAVE command as a shortcut.

Error Handling

Programming errors, for example syntax errors, illegal values, etc. display informational messages in the CLI, for example issues, for example a dropped connection or a failed save (see below) are shown in the System Log (open VBAdmin and go to Monitor > System Logs > Configuration Log You can also see all configuration errors using the potential errors in advance by getting the value of various status parameters in the VBrick. For example, if you are writing a script, you might want to check

Status before you set parameters for a related task.

$!ERROR=Value out of range. Other system or network

to see the log).

ERRORS command. You can also detect

Transmitter State or FTP

Resetting the Appliance

Use the following command (or the RESET shortcut) to reset the appliance. A reset is simply a reboot. It does not change or reset any configured parameters.

vbrick> svar vbrickSysReset=2

CLI Examples

The following examples show two common configuration tasks. Remember that you only need to begin an edit session at the start of an edit session or if someone has ended your edit session. You only need to end an edit session when you are done, and after you have applied or saved your changes. Also remember that an comments are not allowed on the same line as a command.

Example 1

This example shows how to read and set the Channel 2. User input commands are shown in bold text.

VBrick# gvar vbrickEncoderVideoH264TargetBitRate.2.1

$!vbrickEncoderVideoH264TargetBitRate.2.1=750000

Then it sets and applies the Target Bit Rate to 800K.

VBrick# svar vbrickEncoderVideoH264TargetBitRate.2.1=800000

ApplySet command is always required and

Target Bit Rate for the first video rate on

$!vbrickEncoderVideoH264TargetBitRate=800000

VBrick# svar vbrickEncoderVideoCommonApplySet.1=2

$!vbrickEncoderVideoCommonApplySet=2

Example 2

Command Line Interface

This example shows how to set the unicast

Destination IP Address and enable the transmitter

for Program1 and Transmitter1.

VBrick# svar vbrickProgramTransmitterInetAddrType.1=1

VBrick# svar vbrickProgramTransmitterInetAddr.1=172.22.118.105

VBrick# svar vbrickProgramTransmitterEnable.1=2 VBrick# svar vbrickProgramTransmitterApplySet.1=2

Scripting Syntax

• Script commands must start in column 1.

svar (set variable) must precede the variable name.

•

• Wait time is defined milliseconds. A value of 1000 = 1 second.

• Most variable changes require an

• There is no clear command.

• There is no chaining of scripts.

• Comments are not allowed on the same line as a command.

• Comments start with

// in column 1.

• Blank lines are not allowed.

• All scripts are executed in a strictly serial manner by a single task.

• While executing a script it is possible to miss a double change of any event.

ApplySet.

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 51

Chapter 8

Web Services

Topics in this chapter

Web Services Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Web Services Interface

VBrick 9000 Series appliances provide a standards-based SOAP architecture to programmatically interface to the appliance. The Web Service interface allows the user application to parameters in the appliance. The methods supported by the service are listed below.

Table 22. Web Services Methods

Method Description

getNewSessionId (device)

Used to get a new session id from the appliance. It allows the web service to maintain session with the appliance.

test (echoString)

Used as a test web service method to test if the interface to the appliance is working. It returns the input string as an echo.

beginEdit (sessionId, editName)

Used as method to allows the user to login into the box as a particular user with appropriate privileges. Returns successful,

ERROR otherwise.

Used as a method to begin the edit session to become editor of parameters. Returns

editName if successful, ERROR

otherwise.

endEdit (sessionId)

endOtherEdit (sessionId)

logout (sessionId)

getParameterValue (sessionId, parnName, parmIndex)

setParameterValue (sessionId, parmName, parmIndex, parmValue)

setMultipleParameterValue (sessionId, parmName, parmValue, count)

Used as a method to end the editor session. Returns OK if successful,

ERROR otherwise.

Used as a method to forcefully end another editor session. Returns

OK if successful, ERROR otherwise.

Used to logout of a web session. Returns OK if successful,

ERROR otherwise.

Used as a parameter to get a parameter value. Returns parameter value as a string if successful,

Used as a method to set a parameter value. Returns OK if successful,

ERROR otherwise.

Used as a method to set multiple parameter values, where

parmName is a string array of names, parmValue is a string array

of values to the corresponding array of names, and count is the number of items in the array. Returns

ERROR otherwise.

Get/Set MIB

OK if

ERROR otherwise

OK if successful,

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 53

The WSDL file for the web service methods can be obtained by calling the following URL where

<appliance_ip_address> is the IP address of the appliance or a host name that can be

resolved to an IP by the local DNS server.

http://<appliance_ip_address>/VBrickWebSrvc/VBrickWebSrvc.wsdl

All methods return ERROR as the response if the request cannot be fulfilled. OK is returned for methods that complete successfully.

test returns the input string as an echo. In order to set parameters, the user must be

authenticated and must also be an active editor (by calling

GetNewSessionId returns a new SessionId if it succeeds;

beginEdit). A typical sequence of

calls to the methods is shown below.

Note There are multiple ways to locate and verify VBrick parameters. See Setting VBrick

Parameters on page 48 for more information.

 To Get a parameter value:

1. Get a new SessionId by calling

2. Login into the appliance by calling the

getNewSessionId.

hashed password value. The algorithm to hash the password is provided as "C" code and also as a VBCrypt package for the Microsoft .NET and C# environments.

3. Get the parameter value by calling the

getParameterValue method supplying the MIB

name and parameter Index (if any). Note: Some parameters may require the user to be the active editor. More parameters can be retrieved by calling the method several times.

4. Logout of the session by calling the

logout method.

 To Set a parameter value:

1. Get a new SessionId by calling

2. Login into the appliance by calling the

getNewSessionId.

hashed password value. The algorithm to hash the password is provided as "C" code and also as a VBCrypt package for the Microsoft .NET and C# environments.

3. Call the

4. Set the parameter value by calling the

beginEdit method to become the active editor in the box.

setParameterValue method supplying the MIB

name, parameter Index (if any), and parameter value. More parameters can be set by calling the method several times, or by calling the

5. End the edit by calling

6. Logout of the session by calling the

endEdit

logout method.

setMultipleParameterValue method.

Note If you successfully login to the appliance, you must logout when your session

completes or subsequent users will be unable to access the appliance. You should end edit and logout if login or begin edit were successful regardless of the success or failure of your Get or Set call.

Streaming Video Basics

Topics in this chapter

Video Basics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Getting the Best Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Network Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

VBrick Accessories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Serial Port Passthrough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

Video Basics

It is important that the source of the video being encoded and streamed is of the highest possible quality in order to avoid using unnecessary bandwidth to transport source video artifacts, distortion, etc. If using a camera, exercise common sense: good lighting and a steady camera will improve overall performance. Cameras, DVD players, and live television broadcast feeds from a TV tuner can all be used as video sources. VBrick supports standard video via BNC connectors, or HDMI via mini-DIN connectors. BNC-to-RCA adapters are readily available if RCA-type cables are used.

Chapter 9

Getting the Best Video

Video quality is a subjective concept that depends on a variety of factors. VBrick's philosophy is to make our network appliances as flexible as possible so they can be used effectively in different applications on a wide variety of networks. This means you can configure an appliance for maximum performance but you can also configure it in such a way that it will only work well in a very limited environment. Video quality is also relative. What is acceptable quality for a surveillance application on a low-bandwidth network is most likely unacceptable for a corporate presentation or a two-way video conference on a high-speed LAN. Much depends on your network, the bandwidth you have available, and the audience you are trying to reach.

For best results, start with the default values and then adjust the bit rate, frame rate, resolution, and other parameters with care. Experiment with different settings to see the trade-offs in quality and performance. You can track your changes by periodically saving the configuration file using the VBAdmin. If the audio and video quality is still less than you would expect, re-apply your saved configuration and try again. Keep in mind that the VBrick is stable, reliable and flexible. In most cases a small amount of experimentation will help you find the configuration settings that will deliver the best audio and video your network can support. For more information, or help configuring your appliance, contact VBrick

Read and Restore options on the Manage Configuration page in

Support Services.

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 55

Network Considerations

Assigning Multicast Addresses

Many factors must be considered when designing a multicast address infrastructure since Ethernet switch implementations can significantly vary between vendors. Furthermore, multicast addressing techniques rely on an Ethernet to IP Address mapping rule, which does not guarantee a unique physical address. In fact, it is possible to create multicast addresses that differ from an IP perspective, but overlap when presented to the Ethernet network. Addresses created in this situation can cause significant network and operational problems.

Specifically, multiple IP Addresses are mapped into the same physical layer address. For example, all IP multicast addresses with the same or differing first octet, and the second octet differing by exactly 128, map to the same physical address (226.5.5.4, 227.5.5.4, and

228.133.5.4 all map to the same physical address). Another factor to keep in mind when

assigning multicast addresses is that 224.x.x.x is a range containing reserved addresses, particularly in the range 224.0.0.x. For example, 224.0.0.1 is the 'all hosts' multicast address and 224.0.0.2 is the 'all routers' reserved address. Other 224.0.0.X numbers are reserved for RIP, OSPF, DVMRP, etc. Here are some recommended rules for multicast IP Address assignment:

1. Do not use 224 in the first octet since many of these are reserved.

2. Use a digit between (225–239) for the first octet and standardize on it for each network.

3. In the second octet, either use numbers from 1–127, given network.

or 129–255, do not mix ranges on a

VBrick Accessories

VBrick appliances have various optional hardware accessories. These work directly with VBrick appliances or through the use of ActiveX control software, also available from VBrick. For information about microphones, cameras and other VBrick hardware accessories, please contact VBrick directly. ActiveX controls for cameras and other software accessories are also available from VBrick.

Serial Port Passthrough

When configured properly, VBricks provide full duplex, end-to-end transparent passthrough of user data from one VBrick to another, or to other IP devices. You can use COM1 or COM2 for passthrough. When COM1 Passthrough is enabled, the management port and CLI are not available. The serial ports operate at the configured baud rate (e.g. 110 to 115.2K bps). See the H.264 Admin Guide for passthrough configuration details. Some common applications include:

• Remote control of a camera, pan-tilt-zoom.

• Remote control of a security door lock.

• Low speed data transport.

• Data collaboration between PCs.

Note Passthrough mode is used to send control information from one VBrick to another

and may not support sustained data at higher data rates.

Streaming Video Basics

How Passthrough Works

VBrick appliances are able to receive data on a particular TCP/IP port and transparently output that data to a serial port. Conversely, any data input to a serial port can be passed through to other devices connected to that TCP/IP port. Devices include other VBricks or special applications connected to the appropriate TCP/IP port. This feature is called "Serial Port Passthrough." COM is assigned port 4439. A typical application is for two VBricks connected to each other's TCP/IP port 4439. In this case, characters typed into a terminal program attached to one VBrick's serial port appear on a terminal program attached to the other VBrick's serial port. In this case, the TCP/IP network serves as an intermediary between the serial ports of two VBrick appliances.

You must select configuration settings to enable Serial Port Passthrough. First it is necessary to decide if the appliance will be designated as an connections. If configured as an

Initiator it will continuously attempt to setup a Passthrough

connection to other devices. When configured as a connections from

Initiator appliances. It is possible to Disable Passthrough Mode, so that the

VBrick neither initiates nor responds to Passthrough requests. If a VBrick is set to be an

Initiator, a Destination must be selected. The appliance will use the destination information

when trying to establish a connection. The destination can be configured as follows:

Initiator or Responder of Passthrough

Responder it will accept up to 64

Dedicated Means that the initiator will attempt to make a Passthrough connection

to the configured Dedicated Destination and Port. The Dedicated Destination can either be configured using IP Address or Host Name. If set to Host Name, the Resolved Destination IP Address is derived from the Host Name parameter. If set to IP Address, the Resolved Destination IP Address is derived from the IP Address parameter.

Since the medium used for setting up Passthrough connections is a generic TCP/IP port, any IP device that is prepared to connect to a VBrick's port can be considered as a Passthrough Initiator. The VBrick Responder appliance will not know the exact nature of the device at the other end of the port. For example, a generic Telnet client configured to connect to a VBrick on port 4439 will cause a VBrick the connection it accepted from the Telnet client. If the appliance is configured as an and the

Responder appliance has Passthrough disabled or is not on the network it will

Responder to start sending data from it's serial port, using

Initiator

continue to try to establish a connection.A VBrick appliance must be configured as a

Responder to accept Passthrough connections initiated by other devices. In addition to the

Initiator versus Responder selection, the serial port operation settings must be entered to establish a connection, baud rate, stop bits etc.

Note Once a Passthrough connection is established between VBricks, the actual flow of data

is symmetric between the ends of the connection. That is, the behavior of the serial ports with respect to typed characters will appear to be the same at both ends.

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 57

Serial Port Passthrough Using Telnet

As mentioned in the previous section, either serial port can be accessed over Ethernet via a Telnet client. A VBrick appliance configured as a Passthrough Responder will accept a connection request to TCP port 4439 (COM). The request can come from a Telnet client or other PC application. Any data sent by the PC to TCP port 4439 will be delivered out of the VBrick serial ports and any data present on the VBrick serial port will be sent to the connected PC.

If multiple Telnet sessions are active on one VBrick (each VBrick supports up to 64 sessions), the data from the VBrick will be sent to all connected PC's, and the data received by the VBrick from the PC's will be delivered on the serial port. If multiple Telnet sessions are active and each is sending data to the VBrick, the data delivered by the RS-232 port will be a mix of characters presented in the order they were received (e.g. the data from all the senders is bridged together). This feature provides a method to broadcast alarm status or other information to multiple locations.

VBrick iPhone App

Topics in this chapter

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Monitoring an Appliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Running Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Overview

Note The VBrick iPhone app is used to monitor the status of 7000/9000 Series encoders

only. It does not provide support for VBrick 9000 Series decoders.

VBrick provides an iPhone app which you can use to monitor the status of 7000/9000 Series H.264 devices. This app lets you perform basic configuration tasks by running predefined scripts. You cannot modify configuration parameters except by running a script. You can create and FTP script files that perform common tasks like changing the bit rate or starting a transmitter. These scripts are associated with the four function keys (F1–F4) on the iPhone interface. F1 runs script 1, F2 runs script 2, etc. You cannot change the script file names (e.g.

event1Script.txt) nor can you add more scripts. After you create the scripts, you will need

to FTP them to the Command Line Interface on page 44. This topic explains how to find and set appliance parameters. These are the actual MIB object names you will need to identify in your scripts.

scripts folder on the appliance. If you need help creating scripts, see the

Chapter 10

Figure 18. iPhone App Home Page

Getting the App

The VBrick iPhone app is available from the Apple App Store. To get the app simply click on the App Store icon on your iPhone home page and search for "VBrick" apps. There is no charge for the VBrick iPhone app.

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 59

Monitoring an Appliance

Be aware that to use the iPhone app, your iPhone must be on the same wireless network as the 7000/9000 Series encoder appliance.

 To launch the VBrick iPhone app:

1. Tap on the VBrick icon to launch the app. The page will show any 7000/9000 Series devices that have manually added or discovered.

2. Click on the icon to manually add devices. You will be prompted for Name, IP Address, and login credentials. When done select a Default Device (if desired).

3. Tap on any available device to see the home page for the device.

4. Click on the Monitor button to display a list of Channels and then select any available Channel. This will display (below right) the relevant status values for the selected Channel. These values are read-only and cannot be changed.

Running Scripts

The iPhone app supports four predefined scripts that you can use to modify appliance configuration parameters. (This is the only way you can modify parameters using the iPhone app.) After you create and FTP these scripts (to the use them to modify configuration parameters on the appliance. You run the script by tapping the

Control icon. F1 is associated with script1, F2 with script 2, etc. You can also change the

scripts folder on the appliance), you can

VBrick iPhone App

label names (below the buttons) as desired (see below Changing the Function Key Labels). If the script runs successfully you will see a confirmation message.

Creating Script Files

Script files are simply .txt files with a list of one or more commands. For a detailed description of how to create scripts that will change appliance parameters, see on page 50. As noted, you can create and FTP script files that will perform common configuration tasks. For example the following script sets the

Target Bit Rate for the first

video rate on Channel 2 to 800K.

CLI Examples

VBrick# svar vbrickEncoderVideoH264TargetBitRate.2.1=800000 VBrick# svar vbrickEncoderVideoCommonApplySet.1=2

Script files have explicit, predefined names that cannot be changed. There are also specific syntax rules that must be observed (see that every configuration element in the script is followed by an appropriate

Scripting Syntax on page 51). In particular make sure

applyset

command. The script file names include:

event1Script.txt event2Script.txt event3Script.txt event4Script.txt

Note When you are ready to start writing your own scripts, the

scripts folder on the 9000

Series Product CD has sample scripts that will help you get started.

FTPing Script Files

After creating a script, it must be FTPed to the appliance before you can use it. You can use an FTP program or you can use the FTP functionality in VBAdmin:

 To FTP scripts using VBAdmin:

1. Open VBAdmin and go to System Configuration > Advanced Configurations > Event Triggering.

2. Click on

3. When the FTP directory page is displayed, click

Windows Explorer.

Edit and again on FTP Scripts.

Page, and then click Open FTP Site in

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 61

4. When the Windows Explorer page is displayed, drag the new script file(s) into the window.

Changing the Function Key Labels

You can use CLI (or a script) to modify Function key labels (F1–F4). Each of the following commands is associated with a specific function key. Replace the bolded text below with a meaningful label that describes the script. Do not exceed 20 characters including spaces.

svar "vbrickFrontPanelUserFunctionDescription.1=F1 label" svar "vbrickFrontPanelUserFunctionDescription.2=F2 label" svar "vbrickFrontPanelUserFunctionDescription.3=F3 label" svar "vbrickFrontPanelUserFunctionDescription.4=F4 label" svar vbrickFrontPanelApplySet=2

Chapter 11

VBrick 9000 Series Reference

Topics in this chapter

VBrick 9000 Series Appliance Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Device Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

External Event Triggering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

VBrick 9000 Series Appliance Models

VBrick network appliances come in a variety of models and configurations. The following tables will help to identify your model and explain it characteristics.

Table 23. Form Factors

9000 Series Appliance Part Number

Blade † 9304-0000-00

Industrial 9302-0000-000

Enterprise 9301-0000-111

† Requires Rack Mount Chassis (P/N 8570-1000)

Table 24. Audio/Video Modules (AVMs) †

Audio/Video Module Part Number Channels Max Streaming Resolution

XPS 9000 Encoding AVM †† SD 1CH HDMI/YPbPr

XPS 9000 Encoding AVM SD 2CH HDMI/YPbPr

HPS 9000 Encoding AVM ††† HD 1CH HDMI/YPbPr

HPS 9000 Encoding AVM HD 2CH HDMI/YPbPr

XPS 9000 Encoding AVM SD 1CH HDMI/YPbPr/ SD-HD-3G-SDI/Composite

HPS 9000 Encoding AVM HD 1CH HDMI/YPbPr/ SD-HD-3G-SDI/Composite

9300-4214-000 1 SD 720x480/720x576

9300-4312-000 2 SD 720x480/720x576

9310-4214-000 1 1080p60

9310-4312-000 2 1080p60

9300-4211-000 1 SD 720x480/720x576

9310-4211-000 1 1080p60

HPS 9000 Decoding AVM HD 1CH HDMI/YPbPr/ SD-HD-3G-SDI/Composite

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 63

9310-5211-000 1 1080p60

† Each Blade or Appliance can be populated with one or two AVMs.

†† XPS = Extended Performance System: encodes at standard resolutions only.

††† HPS = High Performance System: encodes at standard and high definition resolutions.

Device Interfaces

Video-In

Table 25. Support Video Inputs

Interface Description

Component The component connectors (YPbPr) on the A/V cable support high

definition video and audio.

Composite The yellow jack with an RCA connector is used for composite video

input.

HDMI The

SDI The Serial Digital Interface supports both SD-SDI typically used for

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) connector supports

both digital audio and video.

broadcast-grade video (meets SMPTE 259M) or HD/3G-SDI which processes 1080p at bit rates of 2.97 Gbits/sec (meets SMPTE 424M).

Audio-In

Each channel on the encoder can accept digital audio via the HDMI port (Digital L+R 1/2) or analog audio using the A/V breakout cable ( Multimedia Interface) carries high-quality multichannel audio. It moves the audio across the TMDS lanes using a packet structure. The audio can be sampled at rates of 32, 44.1, or 48 KHz.

Table 26. Supported Digital Audio Formats

Format Description

HDMI HDMI 1.1 compatible audio interface (basic audio).

Unbalanced). The HDMI port (High Definition

COM 1/COM 2

RS-232/422/485 COM Port Pinouts

The encoder has two COM ports. COM 1 is generally used for management (9600 8N1) although it can also be used for passthrough; COM 2 is used for passthrough. When COM1 Passthrough is enabled, the management port and CLI are not available. The COM Passthrough Port is used to pass control information between VBrick appliances over the network. The port operates at a default rate of 9.6 Kbps, Async, 8-Bit, No Parity, Controls = None. The pins on the passthrough port can be set for RS-232 or RS-422-485 (see below) using the

Interface Type parameter on the Passthrough page in VBAdmin.

COM port presents a standard DTE interface on an RJ-45 connector. The serial

COM

Note See Configuration: Passthrough in the VBrick H.264 Appliance Admin Guide for

detailed information about Passthrough configuration.

Table 27. RS-232 Pinouts

VBrick 9000 Series Reference

Pin Function Direction

1 RTS Request to Send Output

2 DTR Data Terminal Ready Output

3 TXD Send Data Output

4 Ground Common

5 Ground Common

6 RXD Receive Data Input

7 DSR Data Set Ready Input

8 CTS Clear to Send Input

Table 28. RS-232-422/485 Pinouts

Pin Description

1 TD(+)

2 N/C

3 TD(-)

4 Optional gnd/common or n/c (GND

connected to cable shielded)

5 Optional gnd/common or n/c (GND

connected to cable shielded)

6 RD(-)

7 N/C

8 RD(+)

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 65

Ethernet

The Ethernet port is used to connect the appliance to your network. It uses a standard 10/ 100/1000 cable.

Power

The power entry interface supplies 24VDC to the appliance from an external 110/220 VAC power source.

External Event Triggering

The 9000 Series event triggering feature lets you use an external switch to control the function of the VBrick. This section provides some examples of how to use this feature. In all the examples, a high event is triggered when the switch is closed and a low event is triggered when the switch is opened. The event trigger inputs on the VBrick recognize a high voltage anywhere above +8 volts DC with an upper limit of +12 volts. A low voltage is anything at or below 0 volts DC with a lower limit of -12 volts. The event can also be configured to run a script on Pin 7. See "Advanced Configurations > Event Triggering" in the Admin Guide for configuration details; see pinout details.

Note You cannot execute a script using an event trigger if VBAdmin is currently running in

Edit mode. If you run a script directly from VBAdmin, it automatically exits Edit mode

and terminates the active editing session.

RS-232/422/485 COM Port Pinouts for

The 9000 Series encoder has two COM ports and supports a total of four external events. Note that Pin8 is used for UART control and cannot be used as a trigger.

Table 29. Input Event and Associated Scripts

Input Event Runs This Script

COM1 pin7 High to Low event1Script.txt

COM1 pin7 Low to High

COM2 pin7 High to Low

COM2 pin7 Low to High

A total of four trigger voltage outputs are available for generating trigger inputs. The outputs can be forced high or low (the voltage depends on whether you select RS232 or RS422/485) and are configured on the Passthrough page. (Note that passthrough is only supported on COM 2 so COM 1 outputs cannot be forced). The outputs are:

COM1 pin1 RTS

COM1 pin2 DTR

COM2 pin1 RTS

COM2 pin2 DTR

event2Script.txt

event3Script.txt

event4Script.txt

VBrick 9000 Series Reference

Example 1

This example uses an external power source. Connect an external power supply (+8V to +12V) and a switch directly to the ground pin and an event pin of the COM 2 port on the appliance.

Example 2

This example uses the VBrick COM port output. Connect the COM output pin (COM2 pin1 RTS or COM2 pin2 DTR) through a switch to a COM event pin. For this method to work, you must force the desired output pin (RTS or DTR) to

 To force the desired output pin to On:

On using VBAdmin:

1. Go to the System Configuration > Advanced Configurations > Passthrough page in VBAdmin.

2. Change

3. Change

4. Change

5. Click

Passthrough State to Responder and click Apply. RTS/DTR Control to Force On and click Apply. Passthrough State to Disabled and click Apply.

Save Config when done.

H.264 Encoding/Decoding Appliance Getting Started Guide 67

VBrick Systems, Inc.

12 Beaumont Road

Wallingford, CT 06492, USA

VBrick 9000 Series Getting Started Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual