VBrick Systems 7000 User Manual
VBrick v1.0 H.264 Appliance
VBrick 7000 Series
Network Video Appliances
Admin Guide
March 10, 2009
4410-0253-0000 Rev B
Copyright
© 2009 VBrick Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
12 Beaumont Road
Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, USA
www.VBrick.com
This publication contains confidential, proprietary, and trade secret information. No part of this document may be
copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any machine-readable or electronic format without
prior written permission from VBrick. 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. Flowerfire is a trademark of Sawmill. 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 on those pages. VBrick acknowledges the use of third-party open source software and
licenses in some VBrick products. This freely available source code is posted at www.vbrick.com/opensource.
FCC Notice
This equipment carries the CE mark and is UL listed in the U.S. and Canada. 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 OC3C 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.
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 DVDquality 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.
H.264 Admin Guide
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .v
Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .v
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Font Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Printer-Friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
1. Introduction
Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
VBAdmin LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
VBAdmin Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Login . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Configuration Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Configuration Quick Start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Video Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Audio Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Program Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Contents
2. System Configuration
Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Domain Name Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Network Time Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
General. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
System Identification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
System Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
System Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
System Reset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Usernames & Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Manage Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Reset System Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Read System Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Restore System Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Auto Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Advanced Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Management SAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Event Triggering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Passthrough. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
SNMPv3 Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
SNMP Traps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
VBrick H.264 Appliance Admin Guide iii
3. Video/Audio Configuration
Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Video Template Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Audio Template Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4. Program Configuration
Global . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Transmitter Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Server Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Transmitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
SDP and Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Announce Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
External Announce Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Announce Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
External Announce Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
5. Monitor
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
System Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Manufacturing Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
System Restart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Network Time Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Video/Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
System Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Program Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Transmitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Servers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
6. Troubleshoot
Ping Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Ping Test Result. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Ping Test Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
TraceRoute Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Trace Route Test Result . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Trace Route Test Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Device Tests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Maintenance Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Limited Run Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
iv Contents
H.264 Admin Guide
Preface
This document explains how to configure a VBrick H.264 network video appliance. It
provides detailed information about all configurable appliance options and parameters. The
VBAdmin management application is used for all configuration tasks. VBAdmin is a browserbased application that makes it easy to configure your appliance and to optimize performance
and get the best video. The VBrick H.264 Appliance Getting Started Guide explains how to
setup the appliance and how to use VBAdmin.
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 documentation@vbrick.com
Introduction
System Configuration
Video/Audio Configuration
Program Configuration
Monitor
Troubleshoot
Provides an overview of the H.264 appliance and explains
how to login and get help.
These pages explain in detail how to configure system-level
parameters such as IP address and host name.
These pages describe audio and video input parameters and
explain how to use the pre-built templates for best results.
These pages explain program information and video
destination parameters, as well as how to configure the
internal web server.
Explains various monitoring pages including network, video/
audio, status logs and program status.
This page explains how to use standard troubleshooting tools
to run network, device, and traceroute tests.
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
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
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.
Search box to find specific information. Simply enter
Search box
If you can't find the information you need from the online help, please contact your
authorized VBrick reseller. They are trained and certified by VBrick and can provide help and
technical support for all VBrick products. For additional information, use the VBrick
VBrick H.264 Appliance Admin Guide v
Support Services "On-Line Support" page at www.vbrick.com/support/index.asp or call 1
203 303-0222 in Wallingford, CT, USA to speak with a VBrick representative. Note that the
latest documentation and information for all VBrick products is available online at
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 emphasise 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
Click on the following link to print a hard copy of this document.
VBrick H.264 Appliance Admin Guide
T 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.
vi Preface
Introduction
Topics in this section
Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
VBAdmin Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Configuration Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
VBrick is pleased to announce its new appliance architecture, that will power all of the
VBrick products in the future. The architecture is based on the microTCA standard, which
allows us to create blades that can be placed in VBrick appliances, and also into High Density
rack mount units. The initial products on this new architecture are based on the H.264 video
standard and support standard definition and high definition encoder appliances. The new
architecture and products provide flexibility for easy customization across various industries
and application solutions.
Chapter 1
Figure 1. VBrick H.264 Network Video Appliance
Home
The Home page provides a snapshot of the current status of the appliance. All text fields are
read-only and there are no editable fields on this page. The colored LED indicators in the
middle of the page give you a quick snapshot of the health and status of the appliance. See
VBAdmin LEDs
VBrick H.264 Appliance Admin Guide 1
below for an explanation of what they mean.
Figure 2. VBAdmin Home Page
Logged in as The user who is currently logged in.
System IP Address Read from the System Configuration > Network page.
System Description Read from the Monitor > System page.
System Name Read from the System Configuration > General page.
System Location Read from the System Configuration > General page.
System Contact Read from the System Configuration > General page.
System Up Time Read from the Monitor > System page. Refreshed every 60
seconds.
Total System Up Time Read from the Monitor > System page. Refreshed every 60
seconds.
Application Code Revision Read from the Monitor > System page.
System Serial Number Read from the Monitor > System page.
VBAdmin LEDs
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.
2 © 2009 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Introduction
Video Input Checks whether
running or not running.
•Green – Running.
• Red – Video Input problem.
Streaming Checks whether the State on the Program 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
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.
VBAdmin Overview
Video State on the Monitor > Video/Audio page is
System Traps on the Monitor > System Logs page
VBAdmin is explained in detail in the H.264 Appliance Getting Started Guide. The 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 1 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 with a user name and password. VBAdmin is one of several
ways you can manage the appliance (for example you can also use Telnet or the Command
Line interface) but VBAdmin is the easiest to use. Note that 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.
Note VBAdmin has a read-only View mode and an Edit mode where you can actually make
configuration changes. All VBAdmin screens in this document are shown in Edit mode.
Tab le 1 . Supported Browsers (VBAdmin)
Browser Ver si on
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher
Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or higher
Login
T To login to an H.264 appliance
1. Open a browser and enter the IP address of the appliance in the address bar.
VBrick H.264 Appliance Admin Guide 3
2. Login to VBAdmin with a valid user name and password (case-sensitive), and then click
the Log In button. The default user name and 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:
~ ! # $ ^ * + & [ ] { } | < >
Figure 3. VBAdmin Login Page
Configuration Overview
The VBrick H.264 encoder introduces the concepts of "programs" for many configuration
tasks. A program simply represents a video source and/or an associated audio source.
Another key concept is the relationship of physical I/O connectors and I/O sources. For
example, you may have two audio connectors. You can choose to consider the two
connectors as representing a single stereo audio source or you can choose the two connectors
to represent two separate audio sources associated with two different programs. If a
Composite connector and S-Video connector exist in a certain hardware configuration, the
two physical connectors may represent two separate sources for two separate programs or
may represent a single source. This allows users to select between the Composite/S-Video
connectors thereby allowing switching within a designated program.
Configuration Quick Start
This section gives a quick overview of the steps you would typically need to perform to
configure a VBrick H.264 encoder. Keep in mind that in this initial release, there is only one
program available.
T To quickly configure an encoder appliance
1. Set up the appliance and connect a video source as explained in the H.264 Appliance
Getting Started Guide.
2. Launch VBAdmin and configure the video and audio sources as explained in the various
sections of this document. For information about any option or parameter, click on the
question mark hyperlink in the upper-right corner of any VBAdmin page.
3. A program can have multiple multicast/unicast transmitters. Configure the transmitters
for the program.
4. A program can also have multiple servers. Configure the servers for the program.
5. If you complete the above steps successfully, you will have configured the program.
4 © 2009 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Introduction
Video Configuration
On the Video/Audio Configuration pages you define the relationship between physical
audio/video connectors and audio/video sources and the relationship between audio/video
sources and the program. In most cases this is very simple because the hardware allows only
one set of relationships. For example, in this release, there is one video source which is, at any
point in time, either the Component or S-Video connector, one audio source which can be
either one of the audio jacks or both, and one program consisting of the audio source and/or
the video source.
Going forward, the software will query the hardware and offer appropriate programs. Note
that in some cases, the same video source may be associated with different programs. For
example, you may have a single video source associated with multiple audio sources in a
multi-language environment. Templates can be used to control a single video or a single
audio rate. Templates are part of the rate configuration for each audio or video source. The
Load Template button launches a pop-up window showing the available templates with
preconfigured values.
As noted above, in some cases there is not a one to one mapping between physical video
connectors and video sources. In this release, for example, you can use either the S-Video or
the Component connector as the source for the single program available. You can switch
between the connectors but the viewer will see the video stream adjusting in the program
they are viewing.
Audio Configuration
As noted, this release supports only a single mono or stereo audio source. If two physical
connectors are defined as being utilized for stereo, there will be one configuration for the
stereo pair. That is, the two physical connectors will represent a single audio program source.
The options shown in the dropdown box labeled
audio connectors can be used. There is an Automatic Volume Control field that is enabled by
default. The first three options load preset values that cannot be changed unless you select
User Defined.
How is audio connected? define how the
Program Configuration
The Program Configuration page has an area where all common parameters associated with
the program are defined. The most critical of these parameters is the announcement data (on
the Transmitters page) and the program name (on the Programs page). In order for the Portal
server to know that the various announcements being generated are associated with the same
program, the program name for all announcements for different delivery mechanisms and bit
rates for the given program must be the same.
Transmitter s
There are up to 25 destinations available per program. Each is selectable as unicast or
multicast. The configuration parameters are divided into a common section (on the Programs
page) and another section (on the Transmitters page) which configures each individual
destination. The Announce IP Address for Transmitters and port provides the ability to
configure a single announce IP address and port for all multicast/unicast destinations. The
announcement for all configured destinations will be sent to this IP address and port.
The
Use Global Announce IP and Port option sends the announcement to the IP address and
port specified on the Common parameters page. Users are allowed to name the destinations.
VBrick H.264 Appliance Admin Guide 5
These names will replace the generic names shown in the dropdown list at the top. For
example Destination 1 will be replaced by the given name of the destination. The Select Video
and Select Audio Rate dropdowns show only Video and Audio Rates1 and None in this
Rate
release. These fields can be used to transmit video only or audio only programs by setting
either video or audio to None.
Servers
There are three possible server configurations for a given stream. The configuration
parameters are divided into one common section (on the Programs page) and another section
(on the Servers page) which configures each individual server.
6 © 2009 VBrick Systems, Inc.
System Configuration
Topics in this section
Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
General. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Usernames & Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Manage Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Advanced Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Network
Chapter 2
VBrick H.264 Appliance Admin Guide 7
Network DHCP Default - Enabled. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol –
(Enable, Disable). On Ethernet models, if DHCP is enabled, the
VBrick gets its IP Address and Subnet Mask from the DHCP
server. If the DHCP server supplies the Gateway Address or
DNS server address, these parameters will replace the user
entered Gateway and DNS settings. If DHCP is enabled and the
appliance cannot obtain an IP address from the server, it will start
in limited run mode after 90 seconds, using its default IP Address
172.17.5.5. After 15 minutes, it will automatically reset and
of
again attempt to acquire an address. The LCD screen on the front
of the VBrick will indicate a DHCP failed message. Note: The
VBrick appliance requires a minimum DHCP lease length of 8
minutes to work, however it is recommended to extend the lease
time to what is maximally available via the network to avoid
disruptions.
IP address IP Address of the VBrick.
Subnet Mask Subnet mask for the VBrick address.
Gateway IP Address Gateway IP Address for communicating across distinct network
segments.
Host Name The Host Name defaults to the Media Access Control (MAC)
address, a hardware address that uniquely identifies each node of
a network. The VBrick Host Name identifies the appliance to
various network applications including DHCP, SNMP and VBrick
application tools. The Host Name syntax can be a maximum of 18
characters, the first character must be a letter and the rest can be letters,
numbers or hyphens.
Network Interface
Speed
10Mbps, 100Mbps, or Automatic. This allows the Ethernet
interface of the VBrick to be manually forced to 10 or 100 Mbps.
Automatic is the default and recommended setting. Automatic
enables auto negotiation and the appliance will automatically
match its speed setting to the speed of the switch or hub to which
it is attached. Automatic can resolve up to 1GB depending on
your network.
The settings for Network Interface Speed and Network Interface
Type are interdependent. They must both be set to Automatic or
they must both be set manually. Manual settings should be used
only in the rare case when the appliance is attached to network
equipment that does not support auto negotiation. The VBrick's
capabilities will be limited when its Ethernet link is at 10 Mbps
and/or Half Duplex. If auto negotiation fails, the VBrick defaults
to 100 Mbps, Full Duplex, and attempts "parallel detection," an
alternative way to sense speed. Status parameters are available on
the network status screen to indicate the state of the link and the
current configuration of the Ethernet hardware. In auto mode,
they reflect the results of the negotiation and in manual mode
they follow the configuration options.
8 © 2009 VBrick Systems, Inc.
System Configuration
Network Interface Type Half Duplex, Full-Duplex, or Automatic. This allows the
Ethernet interface of the VBrick to be manually forced to Half or
Full Duplex. The default setting is Automatic which enables auto
negotiation in the appliance so it will automatically match its
duplex setting to that of the switch or hub that it is attached to.
Automatic is the default and recommended setting. The settings
for Network Interface Speed and Network Interface Type are
interdependent. See the description of Network Interface Speed
above.
Note: Half Duplex is only supported on encoder models with a
Hardware Revision level of 2.1 or higher. To check revision level,
go to Monitor > System page.
Maximum Transmission
Unit Size
Range 1024–1500 (default = 1500). The MTU is used for all
network traffic from the VBrick and defines the largest network
packet size that will be transmitted. A higher MTU brings higher
bandwidth efficiency and VBrick recommends using the default.
However you may wish to reduce MTU size to meet the
requirements of some networks with VPN or other security
tunnels that cannot tolerate 1500-byte packets.
Domain Name Server
Primary Server IP
Address
Secondary Server IP
address
Default Domain
Extension
This is the primary server used for DNS.
This is the secondary server used for DNS.
This is the domain name used for DNS.
Network Time Synchronization
These fields are used to synchronize network time using the host name or IP address of a
known server to provide a synchronized time for all appliances in the network.
Note Network Administrators please note. DHCP Option 4 (TIME) and Option 42 (NTP)
are requested from the DHCP server to obtain SNTP server addresses. One or both
of these options must be enabled in the DHCP server for these addresses to be
returned to the VBrick. If both are returned, the VBrick will use the NTP server
address. If the DHCP server configuration is unknown, it is recommended that the
address(es) be manually entered since the DHCP server-supplied address will always
override a manually-entered address.
Network Time Protocol Check to enable network time synchronization. Default =
Disabled.
VBrick H.264 Appliance Admin Guide 9
Primary Server IP Address Primary host name (VBrick Host Name or DNS Host
Secondary Server IP Address Secondary host name (VBrick Host Name or DNS Host
General
Name) or IP address of valid SNTP server providing time
synchronization. A blank field indicates the server address
will be acquired via the DHCP server only if the
DHCP
field above is checked.
Name) or IP address of valid SNTP server providing time
synchronization. A blank field indicates the server address
will be acquired via the DHCP server only if the
DHCP
field above is checked.
Network
Network
System Identification
The Name, Location, and Contact fields are used to identify the appliance. They are not
changed when you click Defaul t. (They are changed when you reset to the defaults on the
Manage Configuration page.)
System Description Read-only. Company name, appliance model number, and serial
number.
System Name User-defined. System name, for example Biology Dept.
System Location User-defined. System location, for example West Campus.
System Contact User-defined. Contact person, for example Jane Doe.
10 © 2009 VBrick Systems, Inc.
System Time
System Date Time
System Configuration
Sets system date and time in
appliance will reset when you click Set Time.
Time Zone Select from list: (GMT-12) Eniwetok – (GMT +12) Auckland.
Daylight Saving Time U.S. only. Check this box and the appliance will automatically adjust
for Daylight Savings Time. This is particularly useful when
monitoring the System Logs.
mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm format. The
System Mode
Operational Mode Indicates the configured operational mode of the appliance. The
following modes are supported:
• Run Mode – Normal operation.
• Diagnostics – User selected mode for running certain VBrick
diagnostics. See Troubleshoot on page 63.
System Reset
Reset Resets (i.e. reboots) the appliance. A reset does not change, save, or
reset any configuration parameters.
Front Panel
The parameters shown here are used to configure the appearance and behavior of the front
panel. Access to front panel Configuration Mode is restricted by Pin number. Pin numbers
(default = 0000) are defined on the Usernames & Passwords page. Some VBrick H.264
appliance models have a front panel without keypad buttons or an LCD screen. If you have
one of these devices, the front panel configuration parameters shown below are not displayed.
For a description of how to actually use the front panel, see the "Front Panel" topic in the
H.264 Appliance Getting Started Guide.
VBrick H.264 Appliance Admin Guide 11
Config Mode Use this option to allow or prevent users from making configuration
changes via the front panel. If disabled, users (in Function mode)
can still run scripts from the front panel using the F1–F4 function
keys.
Display IP Address Check to display the appliance IP address on LCD panel.
Display Hostname Check to display the appliance hostname on LCD panel.
Display Transmitter
Information
Display User
Description
Check to display transmitter name and destination IP address on
LCD front.
Check to display user-defined text on the first two lines of LCD
panel.
User Description 1 Enter user-defined text (20 chars. max.) that will be displayed on
first line of LCD panel. Default =
VBrick Systems
User Description 2 Enter user-defined text (20 chars. max.) that will be displayed on
User Function
Description 1–4
second line of LCD panel. Default =
After navigating to Function mode with the Mode button, there are
four configurable lines of text you can use to describe the behavior
Release nn.nn.nnn
associated with each function key. For example, you might define the
four configurable lines of text as follows:
F1 - Start Transmitting
F2 - End Transmitting
F3 - Mute Audio
F4 - Unmute Audio
12 © 2009 VBrick Systems, Inc.
System Configuration
Read or Write Script
Files
User Function Script
1–4
You can add scripts to the
by clicking on the
Use this parameter to associate a user-defined and user-named .txt
script file with (F1–F4) function keys on the front panel. Simply
press the appropriate function key to execute the script. For an
example of a user-defined script, see Sample Script
Usernames & Passwords
Use this page to define user names and passwords and their corresponding permissions with
respect to the appliance. (Table 2 shows the default user names, passwords, and permissions.)
It also lets you assign a Pin number that will allow direct access to the keypad and functions
on the appliance front panel (if the appliance is configured with a front panel.
/scripts folder on the appliance via FTP
FTP Scripts button.
on page 17.
User Name Enter desired user name. Cannot exceed 20 characters. It may include
any combination of alphanumeric characters and only the following
special characters:
~ ! # $ ^ * + & [ ] { } | < > See Table 2 below for
defaults.
Password Enter password. Cannot exceed 20 characters. May include any
combination of alphanumeric characters but only the following special
characters:
~ ! # $ ^ * + & [ ] { } | < > See Table 2 for defaults.
Confirm Confirm new password entry. The appliance will then display a user
message and reboot.
Pin Default =
0000. Enter a four-digit numeric string that will allow direct
access to the keypad and functions on the appliance front panel.
Confirm Pin Enter the same numeric string from above to confirm.
VBrick H.264 Appliance Admin Guide 13
Table 2. Default User Names and Passwords
User Level Default User Name Default Password Permissions
Administrator admin admin Read, diagnostics, edit, change
Operator operator operator Read, diagnostics, edit.
Diagnostics diagnostics diagnostics Read, diagnostics.
Public public public Read
Manage Configuration
This page lets you reset some or all of the parameters in the appliance configuration. It also
lets you read and save the current configuration to an .xml file and restore that configuration
if necessary. Manage configuration includes the following functions.
Reset System Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Read System Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Restore System Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Auto Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
password, network and routing.
Reset System Configuration
This menu lets you default some or all appliance configuration parameters.
Default All Sets all parameters except Network DHCP, IP Address, Subnet Mask,
Gateway IP, User Names, Passwords and System Date & Time.
14 © 2009 VBrick Systems, Inc.
System Configuration
Factory Defaults Sets all parameters to factory defaults with the exception of System
Date and Time.
Read System Configuration
This function lets you read configuration parameters from the VBrick appliance to a file, as
well as write configuration parameters from a file to the VBrick. The file is an .xml file and
Internet Explorer is the assumed browser. Note that the VBrick appliance the .xml file is read
from, and VBrick appliance the .xml file is written to, should be running the same version of
code. Mismatched versions may work but are not supported or guaranteed.
Note .xml configuration files from VB6000 Series appliances are not
compatible with
VBrick 7000 Series models. Do not try to run VB6000 Series configuration files on
VBrick 7000 Series appliances.
Use any text editor, preferably an .xml editor to make changes to the file. You can change the
"values" field as well as delete objects as necessary. Make sure the right data types are used.
For example if a parameter takes integer values, do not enter a string. Also IP Address
parameters must have the right IP syntax. Enter "0.0.0.0" to enter a null IP address. Blanks
and null strings are not valid IP Addresses.
You can read the configuration parameters from the VBrick by clicking the
Read button on
the page. After clicking on the button, an xml document with all the configuration
parameters will pop up (see Figure 4). The .xml document can then be saved to your PC as an
.xml file using
File > Save As. To view this file offline, you must download the style sheet to
the same directory as the saved file. Do not change the name of the style sheet. It should
always be saved as
cfgdata.xsl and the first line at the top of the configuration file must
always be: <?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="cfgdata.xsl"?>
Note Firefox users: To view or save the configuration file, click Read. Then go to File >
Save Page As and save the file as Web Page, XML only. Then download the stylesheet
to the same folder and you can view the configuration file using the stylesheet.
VBrick H.264 Appliance Admin Guide 15
Figure 4. Sample VBrick Configuration File
Restore System Configuration
This function lets you write configuration parameters from an .xml file to the VBrick
appliance. On a successful restore, all parameters will be saved to flash and the appliance will
reboot. Only administrator-level users and above have "write" privileges. Note that the
VBrick appliance that the configuration file is read from, and VBrick appliance that the
configuration file is written to should be running the same version of code. Mismatched
versions may work but are not supported or guaranteed.
T To restore the system configuration from an .xml file:
1. Click the
appliance.
2. Click on the
no validation errors the configuration parameters will be saved to flash memory and the
appliance will reset.
3. If the configuration has validation errors, the file is rejected and the errors are displayed.
You will need to correct the errors and create a valid .xml "read" file as explained above.
Browse button and navigate to the configuration file you want to write to the
Restore button to write the selected file to the VBrick appliance. If there are
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 appliances 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 set the
audio and video rates when the VBrick appliance is behind a firewall and cannot be accessed
remotely.
16 © 2009 VBrick Systems, Inc.
System Configuration
The VBrick reads the URL field (e.g. www.myserver.com/config.xml) via HTTP protocol and
executes the script depending on the VBEXECUTE tag. If a VBEXECUTEFORCE tag is present in
the .xml file (see example below), the script runs every time at the poll interval even if it has
not changed. If a
VBEXECUTEIFDIF tag is present the script runs only if it is different from the
last executed file. One of these tags is required.
If the VBrick is in
Edit mode, the script file will not run until the edit session is ended. The
auto config script will run before any external event scripts. In Edit mode, you can press Run
Script
to execute the script on demand. After a reboot, the VBrick checks for a script URL
and will run the script immediately, regardless of the
URL Valid path to a URL script file, for example:
config.xml
. Default = blank.
VBEXECUTE tag value.
www.myserver.com/
Poll Rate The rate at which the appliance checks the config file. 0–1440
minutes. Default = 0.
Auto Config Status Shows auto config status including when the script was last run, URL
connection errors, etc.
Run Script Edit mode only. Run the script now.
Sample Script
The auto config script file (config.xml) is an .xml file with the following syntax. It can set any
VBrick parameters and force an "apply" as needed. This example shows how to set various
recorder parameters. Note that a VBEXECUTE tag is required and all commands must be
preceded by an
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<?VBEXECUTEFORCE?>
<VBRICK>
SVAR vbrickEncoderVideoCommonAspectRatio.1.1=2
SVAR vbrickEncoderVideoH264Resolution.1.1=15
SVAR vbrickEncoderVideoH264TargetBitRate.1.1=5000000
SVAR vbrickEncoderVideoCommonApplySet.1=2
</VBRICK>
svar (set variable) command.
Note The script file must have DOS/Windows style line endings. Text files created on
Windows machines have different line endings than those created on Unix or Linux
machines. Windows machines use a carriage return and line feed (
machines use line feed (
\n) only.
\r\n) whereas Unix
Advanced Configurations
The functions in this section are generally used by system administrators to configure
management parameters. These parameters should not be changed except by knowledgeable
systems administrators. Advanced configurations include the following.
Management SAP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Security. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Event Triggering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Passthrough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
VBrick H.264 Appliance Admin Guide 17
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