VBrick Systems ETHERNETV V4.4.3 User Manual

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EtherneTV v4.4.3 Portal Server

VBrick EtherneTV Portal Server

Admin Guide

November 13, 2009

4410-0118-0011

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

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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.

Portal Server v4.4.3 Admin Guide

Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x

Font Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

Related Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

Printer-Friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

1. Introduction

Portal Server Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Server Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Desktop Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Copyright Protection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

MySQL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Portal Server Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

End User Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Administrative Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Portal Server Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

VBrick Encoders/Decoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

ETV VOD Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

ETV IP Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

ETV Network Video Recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

VB-PC Remote Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Amino Set Top Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

WM IP Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Portal Server Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Download Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Decoder Closed Captioning Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Port Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Installing Serial Numbers and License Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Admin Console Login . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Admin Console Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Internet Explorer 7.0 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Contents

2. Global Settings

Global Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Custom Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Stream Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Add VOD Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Add FTP Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Add File Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Add/Modify Video On Demand Content Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide iii

VBricks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

VBrick Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Advanced Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Multimedia VBrick Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Control Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Add Control Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Add User-Defined VBIRs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Connect Control Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Configure Control Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Update the VBIR Command Set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

IP Receivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

Configuring IP Receiver Timeout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Recorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Synchronizing the Portal Server and the NVR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Script Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Creating a Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Finding VBrick Parameters and Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

URLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Add/Modify a URL for a Live Video Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Add VOD Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Add Non-VOD Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Priority Alert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Program Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

Manage Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Access Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Extended Logging Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Using EthernetTV Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Using an Excel Spreadsheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

3. Server Administration

Channels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Channel Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Custom Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Modify VOD Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Purchased Content Expiration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Expired Content Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91

Access Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Use LDAP Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Use LDAP with Single Sign-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Use LDAP with SSL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Use RSA Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

iv Contents

Live Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

User Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Resource Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Logout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

4. Users and User Groups

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

User-Related Definitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Configuring Users and User Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

1. Setup and Configure ETV Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

2. Choose an Authentication Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

3. Create User Groups on the Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

4. Create Resource Groups on the Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

5. Create Users on the ETV Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

6. Assign Resources to Users or User Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Configuring Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Add/Modify User Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Add/Modify User's Group Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Add/Modify User's Resource Group Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Add/Modify Live Channel Privileges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Add/Modify Live Program Privileges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Allow Access to Specific FTP Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Allow Access to Specific Recorder Servers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Allow Access to Specific VOD Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Allow Access to Specific VOD Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Allow Viewing by Content Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Allow Content Publishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Allow Content Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Default Content Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Allow VBrick Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

IPR Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Schedule Privileges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Priority Alert Privileges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Content Edit Permissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Configuring User Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Add/Modify Group Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Add/Modify Group's User Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Add/Modify Group's Resource Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Resource Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Add/Modify Resource Group Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Add/Modify User's Resource Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Add/Modify Group's Resource Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide v

IPR Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Authentication by PIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Authentication by Host Name or IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

5. Configuring for SSL

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

SSL Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Configuring SSL (Windows Server 2003) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

1. Generate a Certificate Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

2. Submit a Certificate Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

3. Install the Certificate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

4. Configure Portal Server Resources for SSL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Configuring SSL (Windows Server 2008) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

1. Generate a Certificate Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

2. Submit a Certificate Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

3. Install the Certificate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

4. Configure Portal Server Resources for SSL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

6. Network Video Recording

NVR Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

NVR Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

NVR Performance Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

NVR Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Standard NVR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Standalone NVR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

NVR Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Synchronize the Portal Server and the NVR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

NVR Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Configure a Standard NVR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Configure a Standalone NVR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Using an NVR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

7. VBPresenter

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Working with Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Configuring MCS for VBPresenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Configure an MCS FTP User Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Configure an MCS Presentation User . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Configure for Live Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Configure for Stored Presentations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

8. Auto Content Ingestion

AutoIngest Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153

AutoIngest Content via XML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

AutoIngestXML Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

vi Contents

Using the XML Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Removing MPEG-4 Closed Captions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

9. EtherneTV Backup

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

ETV Backup Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Configuring ETV Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

1. Enter License Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

2. Set Profile IP Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

3. Configure the Scheduler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

4. Reset Database Backup Versioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

5. Enable the Warm Backup Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

6. Test the Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Turning a Warm Backup Server into a Live Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Bringing a Failed Machine Back Online. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Bring a Failed Machine Back Online as a Warm Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Bring a Failed Machine Back Online as a Primary Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Software Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

10. Amino Set Top Box

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Connecting the Amino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Configuring the Amino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Change the IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Configure a Direct Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Configuring the Remote Control for a TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Configuring the Amino for a Widescreen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Set the TV Display Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

11. ACNS Configuration

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

ACNS Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

VOD-W Server Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Portal Server Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

ACNS Server Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Verify Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

12. Rebranding the User Interface

Customizing the Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Changing the Title and Header Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Rebranding the Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Rebranding Other ETV Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

VBrick IP Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Amino Set Top Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide vii

VBrick IP Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

13. NXG-to-VOD-W Content Migration

Creating an Asset List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Sample Asset List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Using the Migration Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Increase the Ingestion Rate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Run the Migration Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Recover from Migration Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Verifying the Migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

14. Purchased Content Ingestion

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Configuring IIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Ingesting Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Configure a VOD-W Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Ingest Purchased Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Backing Up the Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

15. Manual System Backup

System Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

System Restore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

16. VBrick Internet Streaming

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

Streaming Service Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

Portal Server Hosting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

VBrick Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Portal Server Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

viii Contents

Portal Server v4.4.3 Admin Guide

This Portal Server Admin Guide is written for anyone who will be using or evaluating the VBrick EtherneTV Portal Server. This includes system administrators, software developers, network technicians, and others. The ETV Portal Server is a web-based portal for accessing and managing video assets including both live or stored audio and video files. The ETV Portal Server is a key component in VBrick's EtherneTV Media Distribution System. The ETV Portal Server provides a simple, intuitive interface that auto-discovers available media assets in your network. Key components in VBrick's EtherneTV solution include:

• EtherneTV-VOD Video-on-Demand Servers – Provide all standard Video-on-Demand

(VOD) features including support for MPEG, Windows Media, and H.264 for maximum

flexibility.

• VBrick Hardware Encoders/Decoders – Rugged, reliable video appliances that can

reside anywhere on your network to provide either distributed or high-density centralized

encoding/decoding of MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WM (Windows Media), and H.264

video.

• EtherneTV IP Receivers – Leading-edge digital set top boxes that provide a low-cost

standalone decoder for MPEG, Windows Media, and H.264 video assets.

Note The Amino STB is a compact set top box that plays MPEG-2 streams only. It is fully

integrated with the Portal Server and provides access to most Portal Server viewer functionality. It does not, however, support Access Logging, Scheduling, Device Control, Emergency Broadcast, or Copyright Restrictions.

Organization

Introduction

Global Settings

Server Administration

Users and User Groups

Configuring for SSL

Network Video Recording

provides an overview of the application including server and desktop requirements and an overview of features and functionality.

explains high-level configuration settings and parameters that apply to the entire system.

provides detailed explanations of all ETV Portal Server global settings and configuration options, as well as diagnostics and status windows.

explains how to configure the system for access control. It explains how to create users and groups with specific permissions and access to resources.

explains how to securely configure the system using SSL on Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008.

explains how to configure and use an NVR to offload recording tasks from the Portal Server to a separate "recorder server" machine.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide ix

VBPresenter

explains how to configure and launch rich media presentation from the Portal Server including those created with VBPresenter.

Auto Content Ingestion

EtherneTV Backup

AminoSetTopBox

ACNS Configuration

Rebranding the User Interface

NXG-to-VODW Content Migration

Purchased Content Ingestion

explains auto content ingestion. This is the process whereby video content is automatically populated on the portal server.

explains how to automatically backup the MySQL database and other key directories if you purchased EtherneTV Backup.

explains how to connect and use the Amino set top box to view MPEG-2 streams.

explains how to configure the Portal Server and Cisco's Application and Content Networking System (ACNS) to work together.

explains how to modify the Portal Server "user" interface. You can simply replace images or you can

stylesheets and thoroughly rebrand the look-and-feel of the application.

explains how to migrate MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video files from a VBrick NXG (Linux) VOD server to a VBrick VOD-W (Windows) VOD server.

explains how to mass ingest separately purchased video content to any or all configured VOD servers.

modify the .css

Manual System Backup

VBrick Internet Streaming

explains how to manually backup the MySQL database and other key directories if you did not purchase EtherneTV Backup.

The VBrick Streaming Service is available for those users who wish to extend the ability to view live events to Internet clients.

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.

If you can't find the information you need from the online help, or from your certified VBrick reseller, you can contact VBrick Support Services usually answer your technical questions in 24 business hours or less. Also note that 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 send e-mail to documentation@vbrick.com

and let us know. For more information about any VBrick

Search box to find specific information. Simply enter

Search box

on the web. Support Services can

x Preface

products, all of our product documentation is available on the web. Go to www.vbrick.com/ documentation to search or download VBrick product 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.

Related Documents

ETV Portal Server User Guide

ETV Reporter User Guide

IPR Receiver Admin Guide

STB Admin Guide

STB Quick Start Guide

NXG Server Quick Start Guide

VOD-W Server Admin Guide

VOD-WM Server Admin Guide

VBPresenter User Guide

Printer-Friendly

Click on the following link to print a hard copy of the document.

ETV Portal Server User Guide

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide

ETV Portal Server Release Notes

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.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide xi

xii Preface

Introduction

Topics in this section

Portal Server Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Portal Server Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Portal Server Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Portal Server Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Admin Console Login . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Portal Server Overview

VBrick's EtherneTV Media Distribution System consists of a group of products that includes the EtherneTV Portal (ETV Portal Server), EtherneTV Encoders, the EtherneTV-VOD Video-on-Demand Server, EtherneTV IP Receivers and StreamPlayer software. This integrated system delivers both live and on-demand audio and video over an IP-based infrastructure. The ETV Portal Server functions as a video portal, permitting end users to view live and on-demand MPEG, WM (Windows Media), and H.264 streams on a Window PC, a Macintosh, a Linux PC (or a set top box). The ETV Portal Server comes as softwareonly solution that can be installed on a Windows Server or as a pre-configured hardware/ software combination.

Chapter 1

Figure 1. EtherneTV Media Control Server Suite

The VBrick EtherneTV (ETV) Portal Server is a web-based portal for accessing Live and On-Demand audio and video files. A key component of VBrick's EtherneTV Media Distribution System, the ETV Portal Server provides a simple interface to easily locate available media assets on your network. Upon accessing the main portal page, users can navigate or search for specific videos, select the video, and immediately begin viewing DVD

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 1

quality video. For on-demand videos, users can Fast Forward/Rewind and Seek to specific points in the video. Standard access control functionality provides restriction of certain content to particular users, user groups, or IP receivers. An optional scheduling module allows users to schedule devices to send video, receive video, record video, or to initiate a two-way conference.

Server Requirements

VBrick has tested the ETV Portal Server on Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server

2008. The minimum server requirements include:

• Windows Server 2003 (Standard Edition or Web Edition).

• Windows Server 2008 (Web Edition or Enterprise Edition).

• Pentium IV or Xeon Processor 1.26 GHz Minimum (2 GHz or higher recommended).

• RAM 512 MB Minimum (1 GB or more recommended).

• Hard Drive 36 GB Minimum (larger for frequent recording).

Note The ETV Portal Server will not operate correctly on a server that is configured as a

primary domain controller or with other network-related services and software.

Desktop Requirements

Windows-based PC and Macintosh users access the ETV Portal Server through a web browser. For Windows-based PCs, on the first access to the server, VBrick StreamPlayer software is automatically downloaded to the PC. StreamPlayer software lets end users select a stream and view TV-quality video directly on a PC. Macintosh users view MPEG-4 video through the QuickTime player.

Tab l e 1 . Desktop Requirements

PC Type Requirements

Windows PCs • Windows 2000, XP (Service Pack 3), or Vista.

• 750 MHz Pentium III processor (Pentium IV required for H.264).

• 512 MB RAM (1 GB recommended for H.264).

• SVGA video card 1024x768, video card acceleration and 32 bit color recommended.

• Minimum 250 MB hard disk space for installation.

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher.

• Microsoft Windows Media Player 9.0 or higher.

•Firefox 2.0 or higher.

• DirectX Media Version 8.1 and higher.

Macintosh PCs • Mac OS X 10.3 or higher for PowerPC.

• Mac OS X 10.4 or higher for Intel-based PC.

• Firefox for Macintosh 2.0 or higher.

• QuickTime Player 6.0 or higher.

• Internet Explorer on a Macintosh is not supported.

Linux PCs • Red Hat Fedora 9.1

•Firefox 2.0.

• 512 MB RAM.

Introduction

The Portal Server uses copyright restrictions and content expiration to protect the rights of content owners and to enforce rules against unauthorized usage or distribution. Copyright restrictions are specifically used to enforce license requirements. Content is often restricted to a limited number of viewers and you may need a license, for example, to view MPEG-2 content. In the Portal Server, restrictions for any live, stored, or recorded video. If the number of concurrent viewers exceeds the configured value, the content will not play. (The restriction does not apply to viewers who tune in to a scheduled broadcast.)

Content expiration controls the length of time that specific content can be viewed. Content expiration is used for time-sensitive, copyrighted, or otherwise protected content that cannot be legally displayed after a specified date or a period of time. Users with appropriate permissions (see Copyright Restrictions & Expiration Privileges expiration dates or a viewing period when they use the Add Video feature. The viewing period starts at the time the content is added to the server. If desired, administrators can restrict expiration privileges to particular users or groups in which case only those specified users or groups (and administrators) can set content to expire.

Max. Concurrent Viewers is used to enforce copyright

Max. Concurrent Users

on page 117) can assign

Administrators can also assign an using the Modify VOD Content

Expiration Date or Viewing Period for any stored video

page. By default, recordings from live streams have no expiration date. However administrators can set default viewing periods for content recorded from specific live streams (see "Viewing Periods" in Stream Restrictions on page 29).

The ETV Portal Server enforces content expiration by preventing the streaming or scheduling of content that is expired or will expire before the scheduled event. Once content has expired, administrators can set a new expiration date or viewing period. By default, expired content will remain in storage indefinitely unless you choose to delete it automatically using the

Set Expired VOD Content Treatment option in Global Assignments.

The Portal Server writes to a log that tracks content expirations; administrators can view or purge this log as necessary (see Expired Content Log

on page 91). In many installation an administrator is assigned to monitor and/or renew content that is about to expire. To facilitate this process, the Portal Server can be configured to automatically generate e-mail that notifies the designated administrator when content is about to expire by using the option in Global Assignments

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 3

MySQL

EtherneTV Portal Server is shipped with MySQL as the database. The MySQL database is installed as part of the Portal Server installation package. If the hardware/software combination was purchased from VBrick, MySQL will already be installed on your machine; the default user name is default password (

root. To protect the integrity of the database, you should change the

vbrick_18) after initial installation and periodically thereafter as explained

below. To backup the MySQL database, see EtherneTV Backup on page 159.

Note MySQL Query Browser is an Open Source front-end that provides a graphical

interface to the MySQL database. MySQL Query Browser is available with the free software/open source GNU General Public License at to http://www.mysql.com

T To change the MySQL password:

1. Open a Command Prompt window.

2. At the C: prompt type

3. Type

4. Type

5. Type

mysql -uroot -pvbrick_18 and press Enter. set password for 'root'@'localhost'=password ('new_password'); (where

'new_password' in single quotes is the new password) and press Enter.

exit.

cd program files\mysql\mysql server 4.1\bin and press Enter.

Portal Server Features

End User Features

• Windows-based PCs, Macintoshes, or IPRs (connected to televisions or display

monitors) can all access the Portal Server.

• Users can view video at

• Users can view Video-On-Demand assets with full VCR/DVD control, including

Pause, Stop, Fast Forward, Rewind, and Seek.

• Video can be viewed in a preview window or launched in multiple external, re-sizeable

player windows (PC and Macintosh).

Full Screen for a television-like user experience.

Play,

Introduction

• IP Receiver users can use familiar Channel Up/Down keys and other hot keys on the IR

remote control to navigate through video listings.

• Users can search through the list of Live or On-Demand videos by

Description, or other custom fields defined by an ETV Portal Server administrator.

Title, Keyword,

• Users can record and store videos on the EtherneTV-VOD Video-on-Demand server via

ETV Portal Server.

• Users can publish pre-recorded content and thumbnails directly to the VOD server.

• Users can view closed caption text (Windows-based PCs and IP Receivers only).

• Users can launch pre-configured emergency broadcasts. (Optional. Requires Scheduling

module.)

• Users can schedule recordings or broadcasts. (Optional. Requires Scheduling module.)

Figure 2. ETV Portal Server Live Broadcasts

Administrative Features

• Access Control - allows administrators to allow/deny access to specific functions of the

ETV Portal Server server. Access control functionality can use the local ETV Portal Server database or authenticate to an LDAP directory server.

• Clustering support – multiple EtherneTV-VOD Video-on-Demand servers can be

clustered to increase total throughput. The ETV Portal Server will automatically load balance all servers defined in ETV Portal Server; no additional configuration is necessary. See Servers

• SSL/TLS security – the ETV Portal Server can be set up to provide encrypted access to

the Login pages and/or the Admin pages. See Configuring for SSL

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 5

on page 30 for more.

on page 123.

• Customer defined URLs – can be entered into the system and displayed in the ETV

Portal Server interface. The URLs can point to video assets or other assets such as PDFs or PowerPoint documents.

• Autoingestion to the EtherneTV-VOD server – content placed in autoingestion folders

on the ETV Portal Server will be automatically transferred and ingested into the EtherneTV-VOD server.

• Customized global messages can display on the ETV Portal Server interface.

• Channel numbers can be assigned to live streams.

• Define a startup channel for IPRs – the IPR will automatically tune into this channel

when users select the

• Emergency broadcasts – can define pre-configured emergency broadcast templates that

can be launched instantaneously. See Priority Alert

• Status window – shows the status of videos being added, recorded, or ingested.

• Diagnostics window – displays a complete log of system events by source, time, and IP

address.

• Custom fields and streams – the ability to add customized information and search

parameters to live and stored streams.

• A Channel Guide Server can be configured to automatically provide third-party

programming data for configured TV Stations.

Live TV option.

Portal Server Components

on page 67 for more.

VBrick Encoders/Decoders

VBrick's VB4000-5000-6000 Series MPEG-2 network video appliances provide DVD quality video and CD quality audio at 1–15 Mbps of bandwidth. MPEG-2 is the world's most popular digital compression technology and is used to encode DVDs as well as Digital Cable and Digital Satellite broadcasts. VBrick's VB4000-5000-6000 Series MPEG-4 encoders and decoders are versatile and reliable video appliances for one or two-way interactive communications over low or medium bandwidth IP networks. The VBrick MPEG-4 encoder/decoder can be used for webcasting, multicasting, transcoding, and two-way interactive video. Designed for streaming over the Internet at lower bit rates (56K, 128K, 384K) and over a LAN at higher rates (1Mbps and above). VBrick's WM (Windows Media) video appliances provide scalable quality at webcasting rates up to 2 Mbps. It features built-in live streaming server, automatic multicasting, and state-of-the-art reliability. A key benefit of the WM appliance is its compatibility with the Windows Media Player, thus eliminating the need for desktop player installation. VBrick H.264 appliances represent VBrick's newest networked video appliances. The new H.264 appliances can deliver vastly improved quality for a given bit rate, allowing organizations to deliver a better customer experience for any given bandwidth.

ETV VOD Servers

EtherneTV Video on Demand (VOD) servers provide the ETV Portal Server with a source of available video content organized in folders. The VOD content is displayed by name in the ETV Portal Server user interface, along with the duration of the video, and associated descriptions, key words, and other custom information entered by an administrator. You play content from the VOD server by selecting the program name from the application interface (see the Portal Server User Guide for details). The ETV Portal Server currently supports all of

Introduction

the VOD servers shown in Table 2. The configuration for each server is essentially the same (see Servers on page 30 for details) and there is little difference in functionality for end users.

ETV servers can be LAN-based or Internet-based depending on how the range of Internet addresses is defined (see "Assign LAN/Internet Address Range" in Global Assignments

on page 21). VOD servers accessible to Internet users are called Internet-zone servers; VOD servers assessable to LAN users only (within a secured corporate network and behind a firewall) are called LAN-zone servers.

Content added by users in the LAN zone will be ingested to all VOD servers for which they have permissions using the

Add Video page. Users in the Internet zone have the Add Video

page available only if they have permissions for at least one VOD server that is also in the Internet zone. Content added by LAN users is added to all configured servers that can handle the content (for example you cannot add MPEG content to a Windows Media server) and for which you have permission. The content available for viewing may also be limited by the server type. For example, Internet users will see only MPEG-4 and Windows Media content on VOD-D and VOD-WM servers respectively. LAN users however will see all content on all servers.

Table 2. Supported EtherneTV VOD Servers

Server Type Description Zone

NXG Linux-based NXG1/2 VOD server. LAN only

VOD-W Windows-based VOD-W VOD server. Available in

LAN only three versions depending on throughput: VOD-50W, VOD-125W, and VOD-300W

VOD-D Darwin Open Source server for Linux, Windows, Mac,

etc. Ingests and plays MPEG-4 content only. Requires

LAN or

Internet an FTP server. Compatible but not sold or supported by VBrick.

VOD-WM-Standard Microsoft Windows Media Server (unicast only).

Requires an FTP server.

VOD-WM-Enterprise Microsoft Windows Media Server (unicast or

multicast). Requires an FTP server.

LAN or

Internet

LAN or

Internet

ETV Internet-Based Servers

ETV Portal Server supports the installation of LAN-based servers and Internet-based servers. As part of an ETV Server installation, you can configure a VOD server to run in the "zones" (LAN or Internet) specified in Table 2. Before server configuration, you assign a range of IP addresses that define the LAN domain, or vice versa, that define the Internet domain. Any IP address outside that range will assumed to be from an Internet source, or vice versa, from a LAN source. (See "Assign LAN/Internet Address Range" in Global Assignments on page 21.)

You can purchase an Internet-based VOD-W or VOD-WM server from VBrick (in which case they are configured by VBrick) or you can purchase and configure a VOD-WM yourself using the Microsoft documentation (not recommended). You can also install a Darwin Open Source server which is fully-compatible with ETV Portal Server but is not sold or supported by VBrick. (For more about downloading, installing, and configuring a Darwin server, go to: http://developer.apple.com/opensource/server/streaming/index.html

) As noted, ETV

users can be on the Internet or on a LAN; Internet users can only access MPEG-4 and

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 7

Windows Media content stored on Internet-based servers. LAN users can access all content on all servers both inside and outside the firewall. To summarize, Internet-based servers and users are subject to the following limitations:

• Internet servers support MPEG-4 and Windows Media content only.

• Internet servers support unicast only (they do not support multicast).

• Internet ETV users can add video only to VOD servers in the Internet zone.

• Internet users can only see MPEG-4 and Windows Media content stored on Internetbased servers.

• Internet servers do not support ETV scheduling features.

ETV IP Receiver

EtherneTV-IPRs access the ETV Portal Server through a web browser within the IP Receiver. Using the IP Receiver remote control, users can navigate and search for specific ondemand content or live video streams, select a stream, and begin viewing television-quality video. IP Receiver users can also record video directly on the ETV Portal Server using the remote control or the wireless keyboard. See the IP Receiver documentation for more about how to configure and use an ETV IP Receiver.

ETV Network Video Recorder

The ETV Network Video Recorder and the ETV Live Portal Server are optional components that are purchased and installed separately. They have different license files that must be installed separately. See Installing Serial Numbers and License Files Network Video Recorder lets you off-load all recording tasks from the ETV Portal Server machine to one or more separate "recorder server" machines. This optimizes recording performance and improves ETV Portal Server performance as well. The Network Video Recorder uses ETV

on page 15. The ETV

Portal Server components and typically requires two machines: the ETV Portal Server is installed on one machine; the Network Video Recorder software is installed on a different machine. Once installed, the NVR machine is used for all ETV Portal Server recording tasks. See Network Video Recording

Note A standard ETV Portal Server permits two concurrent recording operations. If you

purchase a Network Video Recorder, the number of concurrent recording operations (10 or 40) is fixed by the terms of your licensing agreement with VBrick.

on page 141 for more information.

Introduction

Figure 3. Live Portal Server User Interface

VB-PC Remote Controller

The VB-PC Remote is a handheld infrared device you can use to control (stop/start/pause, etc.) any stream running on the Portal Server. The VB-PC Remote is compatible with Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher; it is not compatible with Firefox. The VB-PC Remote can be used for all Portal Server streams (MPEG, WM, and H.264) and has a line-of-sight range of approximately 40 feet.

After you manually start a stream using the Portal Server interface, you can use the VB-PC Remote to control it. When using the remote controller, the computer running the Portal Server basically acts like an IP Receiver that you can control with the remote control. The VB-PC Remote includes an IR Remote Control and an IR Remote Receiver. The computer to which it's attached must have an available (1.1 or 2.0) USB port. Note that the VB-PC Remote is installed on client machines connected to the Portal Server. It is not part of the Portal Server

installation and must be installed separately on each client machine. See the VB-PC Remote Product CD for details and installation instructions.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 9

Amino Set Top Box

The AmiNet110 is a compact set top box for the Portal Server manufactured by Amino Systems. It connects to a standard TV and only plays MPEG-2 streams; no other streams are selectable for viewing on the Portal Server interface. There is no software installation required. Simply connect and configure the device as explained in Amino Set Top Box page 169. The Portal Server User Guide explains how to use the Amino infrared remote control unit that comes with the device.

WM IP Receiver

VBrick's WM IP Receiver is similar to a conventional set top box but is significantly more stable, rugged, and reliable. It is designed for 24x7 operation, and built for enterprise networks that require a high degree of stability, security, and scalability. The WM IP Receiver is a robust, state-of-art device that meets the demanding requirements of VBrick's EtherneTV Media Distribution System. The WM IPR plays Windows Media streams from VBrick WM appliances and Windows Media servers. The WM IPR is also a fully-featured VBrick EtherneTV client. This means that in addition to the ability to deliver video, subsequent WM IPR releases will provide scheduling, access logging, and device control from the Portal Server. For more information about the WM IPR, see the IPR Admin Guide in the Portal Server online help.

Portal Server Installation

Complete installation instructions for the Portal Server are provided in the ETV Portal Server Release Notes. Once the Portal Server is installed, end users on Windows, Macintosh, and Linux machines may be prompted for additional download components as explained below. This only happens the first time they access the Portal Server. The Portal Server supports a wide variety of clients and video formats. See Supported VBrick Clients and Video Formats for a complete list.

Download Components

Windows PCs

If configured with the appropriate components, Windows PCs (with Internet Explorer or Firefox) can play all stream types including MPEG, Windows Media, and H.264. For Windows-based PC users, the Portal Server uses VBrick StreamPlayer software-based components to decode video streams on user desktops. The Portal Server downloads these components to each client machine the first time you access the Portal Server (depending on the

Specify Components to Download to Clients setting in Global Assignments). No

download is necessary for subsequent access. If this is a new installation, end users must answer Yes to security requests to download these components. After a download, you don’t have to restart your computer but must you must close the browser. These components are downloaded using .cab files.

In certain circumstances however, the use of .cabs is either not allowed or not feasible. In these cases, VBrick provides an installs the same components and allows end-users who cannot download .cabs to have full Portal Server functionality. This installer is located in the folder.

.msi installer called VBrickComponents.msi. This installer

Program Files\VBrick\MCS\utils

Introduction

Note The component download setting will not affect previously-installed components. For

example if you have StreamPlayer installed, you will be able to play MPEG-2 streams regardless of what components you specify for download.

With Firefox, users will also be prompted to install additional components the first time they launch a stream—if they are configured to receive these download components. Links for the appropriate stream types (MPEG, WM, or H.264) will be displayed in the area where the embedded player is normally displayed. These additional plugins must be installed. Firefox users will also be required to install an additional plugin when they use

Add Video for the first

time (again, if they are configured with this privilege).

Table 3. Supported Operating Systems and Browsers – Windows

Operating System Browser

Windows 2000 Internet Explorer 6.0 †, Firefox 2.0 †

Windows XP Internet Explorer 6.0 †, Firefox 2.0 †

Windows Vista Internet Explorer 6.0 †, Firefox 2.0 †

†or higher

Locked-Down Windows PCs

As described above, the Portal Server automatically downloads components to client PCs depending on the Global Assignment setting. This download can be an issue in environments that have restrictions on client software installation. For playback of WM files, Portal Server uses the existing Windows Media Player components on the client PC and there is no need for the extra components to be downloaded. This means that Portal Server and WM can be used in some but not all restrictive or "locked-down" environments.

Even if downloads are configured, a client PC will still refuse to accept the component download if the Internet Explorer security feature disabled. When using Portal Server 4.0 exclusively with WM streams and a WM VOD, the client PC can refuse to accept the downloaded components and all Portal Server features except

Add Video will work. In this case you should uncheck the Add Video Utility in Global

Assignments.

Some sites also require that their PCs be configured with certain Internet Explorer security settings. The Portal Server will not work on clients with Internet Explorer security set to

High. The Portal Server will work at any level at or below Medium. If you start at High, the

client will still work with Portal Server if you enable

ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting

, and Active scripting.

Since firewalls on LAN client PCs can also cause problems with Portal Server, it is recommended that firewalls be disabled on LAN clients. (In Windows XP with Service Pack 2, the firewall is enabled by default.) Portal Server's support for Internet clients is designed to work through firewalls. If you have Internet clients with firewalls see the description of LAN/Internet address ranges in Global Assignments

Download signed ActiveX controls is

Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins, Script

on page 21.

Macintosh PCs

If configured with the appropriate components, Macintosh PCs (with Safari or Firefox) can play all stream types including MPEG, Windows Media, and H.264. In a Macintosh environment, if downloads are configured in Global Assignments, when you launch the ETV Portal Server for the first time, the Home page (see Figure 2) displays a link prompting you to

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 11

download components that are appropriate for your computer. If you agree, these components are automatically installed and no additional download is necessary for subsequent access. On Macintosh PCs, Portal Server functionality is the same as in Windows except that the

Add Video feature is not available. Table 4 shows the stream types supported

for each environment; Table 5 shows the operating systems that are tested and supported. Note that there are certain performance limitations in Macintosh environments; see the ETV Portal Server Release Notes for information and recommendations.

Configuring a Macintosh for Tunneled Streams

You may need to perform certain configuration steps on a Macintosh before you can use QuickTime to view streams tunneled over HTTP from a VOD-W server.

T To configure QuickTime for tunneled stream:

1. Launch QuickTime on a Macintosh and click on the

Apple QuickTime player to set focus

on the task bar at the top of the screen.

2. Click

3. On the

4. Check the

QuickTime Player in the task bar and go to QuickTime Preferences.

Advanced tab, click on Transport Setup and then Custom.

Port ID used for the HTTP Transport Protocol. The Port ID must match the

HTTP Tunneling Port set on the Portal Server for the VOD-W server (default = 8000). If

necessary, get this port number from your system administrator. See the VOD-W Admin Guide for more information.

Linux PCs

If configured with the appropriate components, Linux PCs running Fedora or Red Hat (on Firefox) can play MPEG, WM, and H.264 streams. However, the Portal Server must download Linux components to each-end user desktop before any streams will play. This should only be performed by a system administrator. When you access the Portal Server for the first time, you will see a message in the embedded player window indicating that the appropriate plugins are not installed. See "Installing Linux Components" in the Portal Server Release Notes for detailed instructions. On Linux PCs, Portal Server functionality is the same as in Windows except that the supported for each environment; Table 5 shows the operating systems that are tested and supported. Note that there are certain performance limitations in Linux environments; see the ETV Portal Server Release Notes for information and recommendations.

Table 4. Supported Stream Types – Macintosh and Linux

Add Video feature is not available. Table 4 shows the stream types

Environment Supported Streams Closed Captions †

Macintosh Safari – MPEG-1, MPEG-2,

MPEG-4, WM, H.264.

Supported for MPEG-1/MPEG-2 streams, and for MPEG-4 and WM with VBrick plugin.

Firefox – MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WM, H.264.

Supported for MPEG-1/MPEG-2 streams, and for MPEG-4 and WM with VBrick plugin.

Linux Firefox – MPEG-1, MPEG-2,

MPEG-4, WM, H.264.

Supported for MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and WM streams.

† Closed captions are not currently supported on H.264 streams.

Introduction

Table 5. Supported Operating Systems and Browsers – Macintosh and Linux

Operating System Browser †

Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) Safari 3.1.1, Firefox 2.0

Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) Safari 3.1.1, Firefox 2.0

Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) Safari 3.1.1, Firefox 2.0

Linux Red Hat 9.0 Firefox 2.0

Linux Fedora Core 9.1 Firefox 2.0

† Use version shown or higher.

Decoder Closed Captioning Support

The Portal Server supports live streams with closed captioning. It also supports closed captioning for MPEG-4 stored content as long as the content is recorded with closed captioning and stored on a VOD-W server. Closed captioning is not supported for NXG MPEG-4 stored content. The following table shows closed captioning support for VBrick decoders/IPRs, cross-referenced by live and stored content.

Table 6. Decoder Closed Captioning Support

Live Content Stored Content

VOD-W VOD-WM NXG VOD-D

MPEG-4 Decoder Yes Yes N/A No MPEG-4 only

MPEG-2 Decoder Yes Yes N/A Yes N/A

Digital IP Receiver (STB)

WM-IP Receiver No N/A No N/A N/A

Yes Yes N/A MPEG- 1/2

(no MPEG-4)

MPEG-4 only

Port Requirements

The drawing below, and the table that follows, show the required port configuration for various Portal Server devices. All ports in the drawing are TCP except as noted.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 13

Table 7. Port Requirements †

Zone Port(s) Protocol Description

Internet > DMZ 80 TCP Web request from client to MCS.

Internet > DMZ 9876/9878

DMZ > Internet 21 TCP FTP from MCS to VOD Server (Darwin/Windows Media/

LAN > DMZ 80 TCP Web request from client to MCS.

LAN > DMZ 9875/9876/

9878

LAN > DMZ 21 TCP FTP from VBStar to MCS (auto-FTP to MCS autoingest

DMZ > LAN 21 TCP FTP from MCS to VBStar (content discovery).

DMZ > LAN 80 TCP Management command from MCS to VBrick/IPR.

DMZ > LAN 80/8080 TCP Web service request from MCS to VOD Server (VOD-W/

DMZ > LAN 21 TCP FTP from MCS to VOD Server (Darwin/Windows Media/

LAN > DMZ 21 TCP FTP from VOD Server (NXG/VOD-W) to MCS.

DMZ > LAN 135 TCP Management command from MCS to Windows Media

DMZ > LAN 80 TCP Web service request from MCS to Network Video Recorder.

UDP

Management/RTSP SAP announce from VBrick to MCS.

FTP).

Multicast/Management/RTSP SAP announce from VBrick to MCS.

directory).

NXG).

FTP).

(DCOM).

Introduction

Zone Port(s) Protocol Description

DMZ > LAN 80 TCP Web service request from Network Video Recorder to MCS.

DMZ > LAN 389 TCP LDAP lookup from MCS to LDAP Server (e.g. Active

Directory).

† All ports are TCP except as noted.

Installing Serial Numbers and License Files

You are prompted to install serial numbers and license files(.lic) as part of the Portal Server installation process. Different Portal Server functionality is available depending on the type of license you purchase and install. (For example if you do not install a Scheduler license, you will not see a installation you can install a different license as necessary using Add or Remove Programs.

T To install or modify serial numbers and license files

1. Go to

Suite

2. Click the types are explained in Table 8).

Scheduling option in the Portal Server client application.) After initial

Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs > VBrick Media Control Server

Change/Remove button, select a license file type, and click Next (license file

3. A serial number is required for some components. Enter a serial number and confirm if necessary. If the serial number window pops up and is already filled in, click

Next to

continue. If the serial number field is empty, enter the serial number you received from VBrick Support Services (or from the "License Activation Keys & Serial Numbers" card that was included with the EtherneTV Product CD), and click

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 15

Next.

4. When prompted, navigate to the folder with your license (.lic) file. License files are obtained by using the "License Activation Keys & Serial Numbers" card included with the Product CD. The "Software License Activation" document, also included, explains how to activate your licenses using these keys. Note that multiple license files may be shown if you purchased optional EtherneTV components. Select the appropriate license file. (For more about license files, see "Installing Serial Numbers and License Files" in the Portal Server Admin Guide.)

5. Repeat these steps for each EtherneTV component. When done, manually close the window and launch the application. There is no need to restart the host machine.

Table 8. Portal Server License File Types

License File Description License Errors

Warm Backup Server If you purchased ETV Backup, two Portal Servers

will be present—one of which must be configured as a warm backup. Use this option (and the popup shown below) to enable or disable the backup server. If you enable one server, you must disable the other. Default = Disable.

Portal Server Use this option, as directed, to install a Portal

Server license file.

Not applicable.

License File Description License Errors

Introduction

Player/Content • Player License: The embedded Windows Media

Player has restrictions on the number of licensed users. Use this option to select a license file that modifies the number of allowed users for various MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4 streams.

• Content License: Used to install third-party content purchased from VBrick.

Scheduler Enables the broadcast or recording of future

events. See the ETV Portal Server User Guide for more information.

Network Video Recorder

A Network Video Recorder is a standalone recorder option that can speed up recording operations and/or enhance Portal Server performance. (See ETV Network Video Recorder on page 8.)

Channel Guide Server

Enables access to the Channel Guide Server for TV Stations that are typically provided by a thirdpart content provider.

Modify Host Name or IP Address

Lets you auto-detect or manually change the Portal Server Host Name. This name must match the machine name on which ETV Portal Server is installed. If you change the host machine name, use this option to change the Portal Server Host Name.

If player license not installed, popup message displayed when you try to launch a stream.

If content license not installed, the purchased content ingestion will fail.

If not installed, the Add option will not be shown on Scheduler page.

If not installed, there will be a "record" failure for more than two concurrent record requests.

If not installed, there will be no TV Stations or access to the Channel Guide server.

Not applicable.

ETVBackup/ETV Reporter

Uninstall Media Control Server Suite

Required for optional Backup and Reporter components.

Remove all ETV Portal Server components. You are prompted to save the database as desired.

Admin Console Login

The ETV Portal Server can be administered from Windows-based PCs using Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher only. The Admin Console pages are best viewed at 1024x768

resolution. The Admin Console is not supported on Macintoshes or IP Receiver, or with Firefox or other browsers. In order to access the administrative functions enter the following address in the Internet Explorer browser of the PC where or IP address of the ETV Portal Server. The session will timeout after 20 minutes of inactivity.

http://myserveraddress/admin/

admin is both the default user name and password.

If not installed, the applications will not run.

Not applicable.

myserveraddress is the host name

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 17

Note As a standard best practice, VBrick recommends changing the default administrator

User Name and Password. Go to Console.

Global Settings > Global Assignments on the Admin

Admin Console Options

Login to the ETV Portal Server Admin pages with a valid user name and password to display the following window. This window provides access to all admin configuration options.

Introduction

Table 9. Admin Options

Option Description

Getting Started The ETV Portal Server splash page shown above.

Global Settings Provides system-wide configuration parameters to connect to

VBrick encoders and VOD servers as well as to customize the look of the ETV Portal Server pages.

Channels Lets you define TV stations and custom stations that obtain

programming data from a third-party provider.

Modify VOD Content Provides the ability to Move, Rename, or Delete assets on the

EtherneTV-VOD Video-on-Demand server. (Not supported on some legacy NXG servers.)

Diagnostics Displays system log messages by source, time, and (generally) IP

address.

Status Shows the status of events in progress including recordings, Add

Video commands, ingestion to the VOD server, and FTP downloads.

Expired Content Log Shows all expired content still present on the Portal Server. Use

Purge All to delete unwanted content.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 19

Option Description

Access Control Provides the ability to limit access to the ETV Portal Server system

to different users or groups of users.

Live Presentations Provides the ability to view and remove current live presentations

from the Live Broadcasts page.

Users† Used in conjunction with Access Control to limit access to the

ETV Portal Server system to different users.

User Groups† Used in conjunction with Access Control to limit access to the

ETV Portal Server system to different groups of users.

Resource Groups† Used in conjunction with Access Control to group resources which

can then be provided to users or user groups.

Help Displays the ETV Portal Server online help system in a new

window.

About Displays the MCS version number as well as the license and serial

number status for each installed module.

Logout Logs out the user who is currently logged in.

† Users, User Groups, and Resource Groups are only displayed if Access Control is

enabled. See Users and User Groups

on page 107 for a description of these functions.

Internet Explorer 7.0 Configuration

The Admin Console and the Portal Server user interface support the browsers shown in Table 3 and in Table 5. When using Internet Explorer 7.0, there are additional security settings required for compatibility with the Portal Server.

T To configure the Portal Server for Internet Explorer 7.0:

1. Go to

2. Under

Tools > Internet Options > Security and select Custom level.

Active X controls and plugins set the following parameters:

Allow previously unused ActiveX controls to run without prompt – Enable

•

Automatic prompting for ActiveX controls – Disable

•

Display video and animation on a webpage that does not use external media player –

• Enable

Download signed ActiveX controls – Prompt

•

Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins – Enable

•

Script ActiveX controls marked as safe for scripting – Enable

•

Global Settings

Global Settings include configuration settings and parameters that apply to the entire system. Global Settings include all of the following.

Topics in this section

Global Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Custom Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Stream Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

VBricks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Control Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

IP Receivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Recorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Script Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

URLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Priority Alert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Program Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

Manage Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Access Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Chapter 2

Global Assignments

Global Assignment are listed below. Most are self-explanatory and consist of text boxes where you enter appropriate values.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 21

Tab l e 1 0 . Global Assignments

Item Description

Assign a Global Message The global message will be displayed in the message area of

the Portal Server user interface when there is no program information available. Enter the message text and click Submit. Example: There will be an all hands meeting today at 4:00 PM in the boardroom. Note that if you are running the Portal Server on a IP Receiver, the message area will not display more than 4 lines of text.

Define IP Receiver Startup Channel

When an IP Receiver (in ETV Portal Server Start mode) accesses the

Watch live broadcasts page, it can be set to

automatically play a defined channel in the Preview Window. Highlight that channel from the list and click Submit. If there are no channels listed, channels must first be defined as Customized Live Streams.

Change Admin User Name Change the default admin user name of

admin. Use any

combination of alphanumeric and special characters except slashes, quotes, or commas.

Change Admin Password Change the default admin password of

admin. Use any

combination of alphanumeric and special characters except slashes, quotes, or commas.

Global Settings

Item Description

Define FTP User Name ETV Portal Server is defaulted for "anonymous" FTP access

which is configured in Windows IIS Default FTP Site. If a more secure FTP access is desired, the User Name can be changed in IIS (see the Windows Server documentation for details). The same User Name should be entered here. Use any combination of alphanumeric and special characters except slashes, quotes, or commas. If configuring for VBPresenter, see Configure an MCS FTP User Account

page 148.

Define FTP User Password ETV Portal Server is defaulted for "anonymous" FTP access

which is configured in Windows IIS Default FTP Site. If a more secure FTP access is desired, the Password can be changed in IIS (see the Windows Server documentation for details). The same Password should be entered here. Use any combination of alphanumeric and special characters except slashes, quotes, or commas. If configuring for VBPresenter, see Configure an MCS FTP User Account

on page 148.

Define a Record Duration Applies to the on-demand Record pushbutton only (not to

scheduled recording). Defines the maximum duration (default 120 minutes) allowed for a continuous recording. Maximum record duration limited only by size of hard drive.

Change Title Changes the text (i.e. VBrick Systems) that is displayed on the

upper left hand corner of the Portal Ser ver User Interface. To leave blank, enter at least one space. Note that the title text is white and cannot be changed.

Change Announcement Addresses

Changing these from the defaults is highly discouraged and should only be done if advised by a VBrick technician or Network Administrator. Changes the Management, Multicast, and

RTSP addresses on which Announcements (SAPs) are received. By default all VBrick devices are set to the same addresses and ports as the defaults in ETV Portal Server. These have to match on all devices for proper functionality.

Change Announcement Filter

Filters SAP announcements so that only the specified IP addresses are shown on the Live Broadcasts page in ETV Portal Server. Wildcards are allowed. For example 255.*.*.* displays only those addresses in the range 255.0.0.0 –

255.255.255.255.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 23

Item Description

Assign LAN/Internet Address Range(s)

Define the range(s) of IP addresses that define the LAN or the Internet domain. Any IP addresses outside the range are assumed to be from the domain you did not select. Check one option and, if necessary, use the text box to enter the range(s) separated by a comma, a semicolon, or a new line. For details, see ETV Internet-Based Servers

on page 7.

• All Users, Servers, and VBricks are in the LAN Domain (default).

• All Users, Servers, and VBricks are in the Internet Domain.

• Specify LAN Address Range(s); assume users/servers/ VBricks outside this range(s) are in the Internet domain.

• Specify Internet Address Range(s); assume users/servers/ VBricks outside this range(s) are in the LAN domain.

• Always use TCP protocol (HTTP Tunneling/RTSP Interleaving) for MPEG-4 and Windows Media content – Use only with Internet-compatible (VOD-D, VOD-W, and VOD-WM) servers. If checked, the Portal Server will always use HTTP tunneling or RTSP interleaving using the

HTTP Tunneling Port defined for the server (see Add

VOD Server on page 31).

Note: Standard VBrick IP Receivers do not support HTTP tunneling and will not play MPEG-4 content if this option is selected.

Assign Multicast Address Range

Assign VOD Polling Interval

Defines the current multicast IP address range and port range. The default multicast IP range is 225.1.1.0–

239.128.255.255. The default port range is 1040–65534.

Not generally changed. Defines the interval at which the Portal Server polls the VOD server(s) for new content (default 120 minutes). This is only used to poll for content added to the VOD from an interface other than ETV Portal Server. When adding a server, use

Sync Now to sync the

program listings on the client Browse Video Library page with the content on the new server.

Use

Hide content for VOD Servers experiencing connection

problems

content and to enable rollover to the

Address(es)

to prevent end users from seeing unavailable

Default Server

specified on the Zones page (see Zones on

page 76 for more information). Default = checked. If this option is unchecked, there will be no rollover to default servers in the event of a server failure.

Item Description

Global Settings

Assign VoD Content Ingestion Maximum

Assign Default Max. Concurrent Viewers

Set Expired VOD Content Treatment

Assign Content Expiration Warning Recipient

Defines the maximum number of simultaneous video files that can be ingested to the VOD Video-on-Demand server. The default is set to 2. Increasing the default may increase the speed at which files will be transferred to the VOD server, but may result in playback issues from the Video-on-Demand server. VBrick recommends keeping the default of 2 for all supported VOD servers.

Defines the default maximum concurrent viewers allowed for new live or stored (VOD) content. An entry on the

Restrictions

page or the Modify VOD Content page will

Stream

override these value for live and stored streams respectively.

Specifies whether expired content will be kept or automatically deleted at the expiration date.

Enter one e-mail address for the person who is responsible for renewing copyrighted or otherwise protected content. When you configure or change either the recipient or the mail server, the Portal Server will attempt to send a test message. Check that this message is successfully delivered. The Portal Server validates the e-mail address but cannot detect other mail delivery failures. If the user's mail box is full, for example, the message will not reach its intended recipient to warn of impending content expiration. For more about content expiration, see Copyright Protection

on page 3. When configuring the Warning Recipient, the e-mail address for the recipient must be in the local domain.

Assign Mail Server Required field. SMTP mail server name. In Microsoft

Exchange, for example, go to Tools > E-mail Accounts > Email > Microsoft Exchange Server > servername. An e-mail to the assigned Content Expiration Warning Recipient is generated when you configure or change this field.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 25

Item Description

Assign Presentations VBPresenter is used to create multimedia presentations that

can be launched from the Portal Server. The

Presentations Directory

defines the virtual directory on the

Current

Portal Server where the live presentations are stored—the default is

Presentations. During a new Portal Server

installation, the required virtual and physical directories are automatically created. To use a different virtual directory, create the virtual directory in IIS and enter only the virtual directory name in this field—do not enter the complete path. The

Current Presentations User is a pseudo VBPresenter user who

will be given permission to publish to specified directories and VOD servers. Configure an MCS Presentation User

on page 149 explains how to create this user; contact VBrick Support Services

if you need help.

If you are upgrading from Portal Server v4.0.1 or earlier and using VBPresenter, you will need to manually create two virtual directories (

MCSPresentations for stored presentations), giving the user Everyone full permissions, and mapping the local paths

Presentations for live presentations and

respectively to:

C:\Program Files\VBrick\MCS\Presentations C:\Program Files\VBrick\MCS\MCSPresentations

Select Player for H.264/ MPEG-4 Content

Select the player to use for H.264/MPEG-4 content on Windows/Macintosh clients:

• VBrick Player – users will be prompted to install a VBrick plugin the first time they launch H.264/MPEG-4 content.

• Apple QuickTime Player – VBrick plugin not required. Does not support access logging.

Assign AutoIngest The current autoingest via XML user name that has access

and publishing rights to a VOD server. See AutoIngest Content via XML on page 155 for more information.

Delete Recorded Files After Ingestion

Used with scheduled recording and push button recording. Specifies whether or not to delete the recorded file from the NVR after ingestion. Enabled by default.

Item Description

Global Settings

Specify Components to Download to Clients

MPEG-2 Packet Ordering at Schedule End

This setting defines whether the Portal Server will download additional components to client machines when the client first makes contact with the Portal Server—before any streams or assets are selected for playback (see Download Components on page 10 for more information.) Any changes

to these settings apply to new client machines only and will not affect previously configured machines. The settings here apply to

Internet and/or LAN users as defined in the

Internet Address Range(s)

in Global Assignments (see above).

Assign LAN/

The default is to download all components to all clients. For Windows clients you can selectively choose any combination of settings; for Macintosh or Linux clients, any one selection will download all components for all clients.

• MPEG-1 Video Support – makes MPEG-1 files playable.

• MPEG-2/1 Video Support – makes both MPEG-2 and MPEG-1 files playable.

• MPEG-4/H.264 – makes MPEG-4/H.264 files playable.

• WM Video Support for Firefox on Windows PC – makes Windows Media files playable on Firefox.

• 'Add Video' Utility – enables or disables the "add video" functionality on client machines.

Network hardware infrastructure determines the order in which packets arrive at a destination. To improve video quality, VBrick MPEG-2 appliances reorder packets by default. Since this reordering can cause an increase in latency and affect applications like video conferencing, you can set packet ordering to disabled at schedule end.

Stored Schedule Mode Used when creating a live broadcast schedule for stored

content. Note that the following parameters are "sticky." They remain associated with the schedule even if the Stored Schedule Mode is subsequently changed.

• Content Centric – content titles are shown; content

servers are not shown. The content is downloaded from load-balanced servers.

• Server Centric – content servers are shown with a tree

control for selecting content. The content is downloaded from a specific server and is not load balanced.

External Player Mode Windows only. Determines whether or not multiple streams

can be displayed by launching external player windows. Default = Single. You can launch multiple windows but you can only record one stream at a time.

Client Multiple Monitor Setup

The Portal Server supports dual client monitors. However, if you experience problems when using a second monitor, disable the DirectX component VMR9.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 27

Item Description

Set Cisco ACNS Manifest Options

Display VOD File Extensions

Custom Fields

Custom fields are used to add additional fields to the Info pages associated with stored videos and live broadcast streams. All stored videos, and those live streams that have been "customized," have an

Keywords. The Custom Fields functionality lets you add additional "custom" fields that are

appropriate to your business or application. This lets you provide more information on the page and it also makes it easier to search for specific streams. (All defined fields are listed in the dropdown list box next to the

Check the box to enable generation of a Cisco ACNS Manifest File. (The Cisco ACNS server must be configured to point to this file.) Select the files (MPEG-4 and/or WM) to include in the file, and specify a Manifest Generation Interval (default = 10 minutes) that defines how often the file will be regenerated. Click Generate Now to create an "on demand" file. ACNS copies all MPEG-2 and WM video files to all (Windows Media, Darwin, and VOD-W) servers in your EtherneTV system. Additional configuration steps are required on the VOD-W server only. See ACNS Configuration

on page 175 for more about ACNS.

Check the box to display file extensions (for example .mp4 or .wmv) in the Portal Server Asset Library.

Info hyperlink. By default, the Info page has fields for Description and

Search button.)

When you add a custom field using this function, the field is available to administrators as a selection in the

Customize Streams window. It is also available to end users as the Modify Info

button on the Info pages associated with stored videos (if they have content publishing permissions).

T To create a Custom Field:

1. Go to

Global Settings > Custom Fields.

Global Settings

2. Enter a Field Name and a Field Type. If you select Dropdown, you can add items one at a time followed by Add Item. These items will populate a dropdown list box on the

Customize Streams page.

3. When done, click

Add Custom Field. The field will be added to the panel at the top of the

window; it will also be available as an option when you are customizing a stream.

Add/Modify Custom Field

This panel shows the existing custom fields that have previously been defined.

Field Name The field name you want to display on the Info page for this stream or

video.

Field Type This determines how the field will be displayed on the

Streams

Stream Restrictions

Use this page to set and the viewing period for live stream recordings and the maximum number of concurrent viewers. There are no default expiration dates for live streams when a recording is made but administrators can automatically set the content from a specific stream to expire by setting a viewing period. For more about content expiration see Copyright Protection on page 3.

Customize

page, either as a text field or as a dropdown list box.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 29

Live Stream Click on any live stream shown in the list to populate this field.

Max. Concurrent Viewers

Viewing Period of Stream Recordings

Servers

Use the Servers page to add or modify VOD, FTP, and file servers, or to add or modify VOD Content Folders. Note that you can cluster multiple servers to increase throughput: the ETV Portal Server will automatically load balance all servers defined on the additional configuration is necessary. Note that content added by users in the Internet zone will only be ingested to VOD servers in the Internet zone for which they have permissions. Content added by users in the LAN zone will be ingested to all VOD servers for which they have permissions. See ETV VOD Servers

Note It may take up to 20 minutes for new server content to be displayed in the ETV Portal

Add VOD Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Add FTP Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Add File Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Set the maximum number of concurrent viewers for this stream to unlimited or any number greater than zero.

Set the length of the viewing period for a file recorded with this stream in hours, days, weeks, months, or years. The file will no longer be available for viewing at the end of the period and will be deleted or saved as configured in Global Assignments > Set Expired VOD Content Treatment.

on page 6 for more about ETV servers.

Server. To make content available immediately, go to

Assignments > Assign VOD Polling Interval

and click Sync Now.

Servers page; no

Global Settings > Global

Global Settings

Add VOD Server

Use this window to add Video-On-Demand Server(s) to the ETV Portal Server. If the network supports Windows 98 users, you must use the IP address of the VOD server—not the host name. After selecting a settings for FTP Password, Publishing Local Path, Publishing Directory, etc. unless there is a compelling reason to change them. Nor is it necessary to create a Streaming Alias. Leave this parameter blank unless you are using HTTP Tunneling.

Adding VOD-W, VOD-D, and NXG Servers

Server Type VBrick recommends you keep the default

Figure 4. Add VOD-W Server

IP or Domain This is the primary IP address or Host Name of the VOD server

for LAN users (see also

Secondary Server Address below). The

Server Name or IP address entered into the ETV Portal Server must be accessible by the ETV Portal Server. (If the network supports Windows 98 users, you must use the IP address.)

Server Description This allows the administrator to define a descriptor such as

location.

FTP User Name This is the FTP user name that the Portal Server uses when

publishing content to the server. The default user name for NXG, VOD-D, VOD-WM, and FTP servers is user name for VOD-W servers is

anonymous. The FTP User Name

vbrickuser. The default

refers to a user account that already exists on the server. If the FTP User Name is changed on any VOD server, it must be changed here as well. Use any combination of alphanumeric and special characters.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 31

Server Type • NXG – Linux-based Kasenna VOD server.

• VOD-W – Windows-based InfoValue VOD server.

• VOD-D – Darwin Open Source server for Linux, Windows, Mac, etc. Ingests and plays MPEG4 content only. Requires an FTP server. See Creating a VOD-D FTP Server

on page 38.

• VOD-WM-Standard – Microsoft Windows Media Server (unicast only). Requires an FTP server. See Creating a VODWM FTP Server on page 38.

• VOD-WM-Enterprise – Microsoft Windows Media Server (unicast or multicast). Requires an FTP server. See Creating a VOD-WM FTP Server on page 38.

• FTP – Use FTP only if you want to copy from the Recorder server to another FTP server in which case it records to

ftp:\root.

• File-Server – Any Windows computer with an FTP server running can be configured as a progressive download file server. See Add File Server

on page 39.

FTP Password The FTP password the Portal Server uses when publishing content

to the server. The default FTP password for NXG, VOD-D, VOD-WM, and FTP servers is password for VOD-W servers is

vbrickuser. The default FTP

anonymous. If the FTP Password

is changed on the server, it must be changed here as well. Use any combination of alphanumeric and special characters.

Publishing Local Path Maps the Publishing Directory to the physical location on the

VOD server.

Publishing Directory Used for Add Video, FTP, or Record. The logical path to a folder

FTP root. This is the staging area on the VOD server from

under which files are ingested to the destination folder.

Streaming Alias (IP or Domain)

Some content hosts (PowerStream, Akamai, etc.) use one host name for FTPing and indexing content, and another host name for streaming content. If necessary, use this field to identify the host name alias for streaming content. Be aware that if you specify a

Streaming Alias here, it overrides all other addresses (LAN and Internet) that have been defined for streaming content. In other words,

one alias is used for all streaming for all users.

HTTP Tunneling Port VOD-W, VOD-WM and VOD-D servers can stream to clients via

the HTTP protocol. By default this uses port 80. If another process on the server (for example a web server) is also using the HTTP protocol, there will be a conflict on this port. This setting lets you select a different port (1–65535 with limitations) to be used when streaming via HTTP. This setting must correspond with the port setting on the server. See "Assign LAN/Internet Address Range > Always use TCP protocol for MPEG-4 content" in Global Assignments on page 21.

Secondary Server Address

A VOD server can have two addresses: one for Internet users and one for LAN users (see also

IP or Domain name above). This is the

secondary server address for Internet users. It is the IP address or domain name of a second NIC or a NAT.

Global Settings

Supports HTTP Tunneling?

VOD-W only. Determines whether or not the server supports HTTP tunneling. Default = checked. Go to Global Assignments to actually enable HTTP tunneling. See "Assign LAN/Internet Address Range > Always use TCP protocol for MPEG-4 content" in Global Assignments

on page 21. Uncheck if you are using a

VOD-W server installed before Portal Server v4.2.

Web Service Port (HTTP)

The Portal Server and the VOD-W communicate using a web service configured to use port 80 by default. If you choose to tunnel over port 80, you must use a different port for the web service communication using this parameter. You must configure the VOD-W to use this same port for the web service. See "Using HTTP Tunneling" in the VOD-W Admin Guide for more details.

Enable URL Password Protection

VOD-W only. Default = unchecked. To enable URL password protection, check the box and enter and confirm a password. The password must match the password configured on the VOD-W server. Default password =

vbrickkey. If checked, all video requests sent to

VOD-W servers by the ETV Portal Server will have a security token embedded in the URL. The VOD-W server will validate and deny the request if the token is absent or invalid.

Configuring a QuickTime Streaming Server

A Darwin Streaming Server runs on Windows Server and other platforms and is configured on the Portal Server Admin pages. A Darwin server is the open source version of Apple's QuickTime Streaming Server. It is supported by the open source community and not by Apple. Darwin servers are compatible with Linux, Windows, and Macintosh desktops. They ingest and play MPEG-4 content only and require an FTP server (see Creating a VOD-D FTP Server on page 38.) For more about downloading, installing, and configuring a Darwin server, go to http://developer.apple.com/opensource/server/streaming/index.html

A QuickTime Streaming Server (QTSS) is a Unix-based device that runs on Mac OS X. QTSS is delivered as part of Mac OS X Server and provides enhanced administration and media management tools that are not available as part of the open source project. The following instructions explain how to configure a QuickTime Server so that it is fully compatible with the VBrick Portal Server. When properly configured, the Portal Server will recognize, display, and play content stored on the QTSS and will record content to the QTSS. A QuickTime Streaming service is part of Mac OS X Server. It is not related to the Portal Server application and is configured separately. This procedure has been tested on Mac OS X 10.5. It may work on other Mac OS X versions but this has not been verified by VBrick.

Note This procedure explains how to configure the QTSS to work with the ETV Portal

Server. It assumes you have a working administrator knowledge of Mac OS X. You can use other methods but this is the only method used and tested by VBrick.

A typical installation of QuickTime Streaming Service (QTSS) under Mac OS X Server will set the default content to be served from installation of FTP service will set the default

Points

and the FTP Root to /Library/FTPServer/FTPRoot. These defaults must be modified as

\Library\QuickTimeStreaming\Movies. A typical

Authenticated users see to FTP Root And Share

explained below.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 33

T To configure a QuickTime Streaming Server:

On the Mac QuickTime Server

1. Create another user in the Mac OS X environment naming it for example

content and set

the home folder for this user to /Users.

2. Create a folder under

3. Open a Terminal window in Mac OS X and login as the administrator e.g

/Users/content called videos.

4. In the Terminal window, navigate to the content folder: cd /Users/content

5. In the Terminal window, set the permissions to allow the world to read/write to the videos folder: chmod 777 videos

6. In the Terminal window, navigate to the QuickTime Streaming Service publishing point:

cd /Library/QuickTimeStreaming/Movies

7. In the Terminal window, create a link to the

videos

8. Open the Server Admin interface to manage the FTP service. Go to

Authenticated Users see to Home Directory Only using the dropdown, and then click Save.

videos folder: ln –s /Users/content/videos

Advanced, set

9. If you will be using this QuickTime Streaming server exclusively with the Portal Server click on

QuickTime Streaming and append videos to Media directory path. If you will not

be using this QuickTime server exclusively with the Portal Server, skip this step and add a Streaming Alias when configuring the Portal Server in Step 4 below.

10. Save and restart the server when done.

On the VBrick Portal Server

1. Open the Portal Server Admin Console and go to Global Settings > Servers.

2. Add a VOD-D server with the IP address, FTP User Name =

content, and FTP

Password.

3. Set the

4. If you skipped Step 9 above when configuring the QTSS, configure a

server_name/videos or ip_ address/videos.

Publishing Directory folder to /videos.

Streaming Alias for

5. After successfully completing these steps you will be able to read and write content from the QuickTime server.

Global Settings

Adding VOD-WM Servers

Although the VOD-WM Enterprise server supports numerous multicast types, the Portal Server creates and displays only "File" multicasts which stream a single file. A Windows Media server administrator can create other multicast types using the Windows Media Services interface but these multicast types are not supported and may not be displayed in the Asset Library. Note that the

EnableQueryDiskSpace.reg utility.

Free Space option (see below) is only available if you run the

Figure 5. Add VOD-WM Server

Domain or Machine Name

When the ETV Portal Server and the VOD-WM server reside in the same domain, this is the name of that domain. When workgroups are being used, this is the machine name of the VOD-WM server. Note: the machine name is not the IP address of the server.

User Name The name of a valid user that has administration privileges on the

VOD-WM server or the network domain. If the VOD-WM Server is within a domain, the name entered here will be a domain user. That domain user must have administration privileges on the VOD-WM Server. If the VOD-WM Server is part of a workgroup, the name entered here will be a local user with administration privileges on the VOD-WM Server. A local user with administrator privileges having the same name must also exist on the MCS Portal Server.

Note: The MCS Portal Server and VOD-WM Server(s) must all be within a domain or part of a workgroup. Any topology that mixes servers in domains and servers in workgroups will not work or will be extremely slow.

User Password The valid password of the user specified above.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 35

WM Publishing Points

Name The publishing point on the VOD-WM (default = VBP)

server where content will be accessed and managed by the ETV Portal Server. Note: this setting must correspond to an

existing, valid publishing point on the server.

Source Local path to the publishing point. Default =

FTP Directory

Low Space Threshold

WMRoot

Path to user-created FTP directory. See Creating a VOD-WM FTP Server.

Optional. Default = 20 MB. If the available disk space on this publishing point is less than the specified value, the

. Do not change for first publishing point.

d:/wmpub/

publishing point with the largest amount of free space will be used.

Free Space Optional. This option automatically calculates the free space

(in GB) available on disk when you add a new publishing point or refresh the publishing point list. This feature can consume server resources and is disabled by default. To enable (or disable) this option (on VOD-WM servers or File Servers), go to

<install_dir>\program files\VBrick\MCS\utils,

run EnableQueryDiskSpace.reg or DisableQueryDiskSpace.reg respectively, and reboot the server when done.

Adding Publishing Points to a VOD-WM Server

In a typical scenario, first you configure the publishing point on the Windows Media server, then you configure the publishing point on the Portal Server with matching values. Additional publishing points are required to make content available when you add disk space to a Windows Media server. As shown on the previous window, a Windows Media Server supports multiple publishing points. In this context, publishing points are used to discover your content via FTP. Use the following steps, in the order shown, to create a new publishing point. Note that as explained below, you must create a virtual FTP directory in IIS for each publishing point on the WM Server.

T To add a publishing point:

1. Create an FTP server on the WM server. See Creating a VOD-WM FTP Server

page 38.

2. Create a publishing point on the WM Server.

a. Go to

b. Right-click on the server_name and select

Start > Administrative Tools > Windows Media Services.

Add Publishing Point (Wizard).

c. Add a meaningful publishing point name and click Next.

d. Select

e. Select

f. Specify the location of your content, for example

g. Skip through the remaining steps and click

Files (digital media or playlists) in a directory and click Next. On-demand publishing point and click Next.

d:\WMPub\WMRoot and click Next.

Finish when done.

3. To create a virtual directory on the WM server for this publishing point:

a. Go to

b. Navigate to the Default FTP Website. Right-click and select

c. For

Start > Administrative Tools > Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

New > Virtual Directory.

Alias, use the Publishing Point name from Step 3 above and click Next.

d. Enter the path to the content directory for this FTP site and click Next.

Global Settings

e. Allow Read and Write permissions and click Next.

f. Click

4. In the Portal Server, configure the publishing point

Finish when done.

Name, Source, and FTP Directory to

match the values you used for the publishing point on the Windows Media server.

Note • The publishing point name within a server must be unique. You cannot add a

publishing point that already exists in MCS database.

• The publishing point FTP directory within a server must be unique.

• If free space information is available at the time a publishing point is added, it must be greater than the entered

Low Space Threshold.

• Publishing points located within another publishing point are not supported although publishing points on the same drive are supported. For example, two publishing points with

Source c:\pub1 and c:\pub2 are supported but two

publishing points with Source c:\pub1 and c:\pub1\pub2 are not supported.

Add FTP Server

Figure 6. Add FTP Server

Using Secure FTP

In Portal Server v4.2 or higher, VBrick's FTP client supports secure FTP connections from the end user (client), Portal Server and NVR to the VOD servers. This is accomplished using FTP over SSL (FTPS protocol). Having a client that supports FTPS however, is not enough to have secure FTP connections throughout the system. The FTP servers on all VOD servers also need to support FTPS for a secure connection to exist. If a secure connection cannot be established, the client will revert to the standard FTP protocol. The FTP server on Windows platforms (IIS) does not currently support FTPS. Therefore, to have secure connections, you must install a third-party add-in on all Windows VOD servers. Of the various solutions available, VBrick recommends FTP Guardian. FTP Guardian is a wrapper for IIS that serves as a proxy between a secure client and an unsecured IIS. You change the FTP port of IIS to an arbitrary

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 37

port (10021 for example), then you start the FTP Guardian service. It binds to port 21 and all incoming FTP clients communicate using a secure front that proxies the calls to IIS on port

10021. Be aware that this add-on, for Windows servers only, is not sold or supported by VBrick. It requires a server wrapper and additional .dlls.

T To install FTP Guardian:

1. Go to http://www.tcpdata.com/ftpg_license.shtml

2. Click and run Download ftp Guardian Server Wrapper - 600K on the VOD server.

3. Click

Download SSL Libraries - 380K on the VOD server.

Then open the .zip file and copy

libeay32.dll and ssleay32.dll into C:\Program Files\ftpgs

Creating a VOD-WM FTP Server

If you are using a VOD-WM-Enterprise or VOD-WM-Standard (Microsoft Windows Media) server, you must install and configure a standard FTP server on the VOD-WM server as explained below. (For more about Microsoft Windows Media servers see ETV VOD Servers on page 6.)

T To create a Microsoft Windows Media FTP server:

On the Microsoft Windows Media Server:

1. Install the FTP server.

2. Set the default FTP directory to the Microsoft Windows Media Server's default Publishing Point directory.

3. Create and configure an FTP user account with full permissions (read/write, rename/ delete etc.) on the directory specified above. If using the VBrick default, this account's user name is

anonymous account as an example.

4. Verify that the directory specified in Step 2 above is set to allow the FTP user account full permissions.

On the Portal Server :

5. When the Microsoft Windows Media Server is created or modified, specify the user name and password created in Step 3 above in the the Add/Modify VOD/FTP Servers page.

vbrickuser and the password is vbrickuser. Hint: use the settings of the

FTP User Name and FTP Password fields on

Creating a VOD-D FTP Server

If you are using a VOD-D (Darwin) server, you must install and configure a standard FTP server on the VOD-D server as explained below. (For more about Darwin servers see ETV VOD Servers on page 6.)

T To create a Darwin FTP server:

On the Darwin Server:

1. Install a standard FTP server on port 21.

2. Set the default FTP directory to the Darwin Server's Media Folder directory (also called the Publishing Point) or create a virtual directory of the FTP root pointing to the Darwin server's Media Folder.

3. Create and configure an FTP user account with full permissions (read/write, rename/ delete etc.) on the directory created above. If using the VBrick default, this account's user name is

anonymous account as an example.

vbrickuser and the password is vbrickuser. Hint: use the settings of the

Global Settings

4. Verify that the directory created in Step 2 above is set to allow the FTP user account full permissions.

On the Portal Server :

5. When the Darwin Server is created or modified, specify the user name and password created in Step 3 above in the

VOD/FTP Servers

page.

FTP User Name and FTP Password fields on the Add/Modify

Add File Server

Any Windows computer with an FTP server running can be configured as a progressive download file server (for Windows Media files only). Progressive download is a method of delivering audio and video that involves caching and playing the downloaded portion of a file while a download is still in progress via FTP. Recorded WM files are automatically ingested to all VOD and file servers if the user has access rights and publishing permissions. A progressive download file server can provide secure (encrypted) playback if configured for SSL. (Note: You can also use a WM encoder with a hard drive for progressive download. See VBrick Configuration available if you run the EnableQueryDiskSpace.reg utility.

on page 44.) Note that the Free Space option (see below) is only

Figure 7. Add File Server

Playback Protocol • HTTP – Use HTTP if there is a web server running on the file

server. For details, see Using HTTP Playback below.

• FTP – Use FTP if there is no web server running on the file server. For details, see Using FTP Playback

below.

• Secure Playback – Use Secure Playback if the file server is configured for SSL. For details, see Using Secure Playback

below.

HTTP Playback Port • 80 – default port for HTTP playback.

• 443 – default port for HTTPS playback. To use Secure Playback, the file server must be configured for SSL.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 39

Domain or Machine Name

Displayed when

Free Space option is enabled. When the Portal Server

and the file server reside in the same domain, this is the name of that domain. When workgroups are being used, this is the machine name of the file server. Note: the machine name is not the IP address of the server.

User Name Displayed when

user that has administration privileges on the file server or the network domain. If the file server is within a domain, the name entered here will be a domain user. That domain user must have administration privileges on the file server. If the file server is part of a workgroup, the name entered here will be a local user with administration privileges on the file server. A local user with administrator privileges having the same name must also exist on the Portal Server.

Note: The MCS Portal Server and file server(s) must all be within a domain or part of a workgroup. Any topology that mixes servers in domains and servers in workgroups will not work or will be extremely slow.

User Password Displayed when

the user specified above.

Content Location HTTP

Directory

Shown if playback protocol is HTTP. The virtual directory on the file server where content will be accessed and managed by the ETV Portal Server.

Source The complete path to the physical location of the

content on the file server.

FTP Directory

Path to a user-created virtual FTP directory. See Add FTP Server on page 37 for more information.

Free Space option is enabled. The name of a valid

Free Space option is enabled. The valid password of

Low Space Threshold

Optional. Default = 20 MB. If the available disk space on this publishing point is less than the specified value, the publishing point with the largest amount of free space will be used.

Free Space Optional. This option automatically calculates the free

space (in GB) available on disk when you add a new publishing point or refresh the publishing point list. This feature can consume server resources and is disabled by default. To enable (or disable) this option (on VOD-WM servers or File Servers), go to

files\VBrick\MCS\utils DisableQueryDiskSpace.reg respectively, and reboot the

, run EnableQueryDiskSpace.reg or

<install_dir>\program

server when done.

Using HTTP Playback

If you select HTTP for Playback Protocol, Figure 8 shows sample content location. The FTP server has three corresponding publishing directories that map to three local paths. These publishing directories are needed for the Portal Server to discover contents in the file server and to publish new content. The file server also has a web server running with three corresponding HTTP directories that map to those three local paths. The Portal Server

Global Settings

constructs an HTTP URL for each file and the Portal Server client downloads the file from the web server inside the file server. By default, HTTP is played back over Port 80.

Figure 8. Content Location for HTTP Playback

Using FTP Playback

If you select FTP for Playback Protocol, Figure 9 shows sample content location. In the example there are three folders: publishing directories that map to those three folders. (Note that only one publishing point is actually required.) The Portal Server constructs an FTP URL for each file and the Portal Server client downloads the file from the FTP server inside the file server. Multiple content locations can on the same hard drive. For example, is necessary to preserve the current file structure on the file server but you cannot create a content location inside another content location. Secure FTP playback is not supported. Note that Portal Server users cannot create thumbnails when

c:\Pub1, c:\Pub2 and d:\Pub3. The FTP server has three

c:\pub1 and c:\pub2 are on drive C. This

Playback Protocol is set to FTP.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 41

Figure 9. Content Location for FTP Playback

Using Secure Playback

If you select Secure Playback for Playback Protocol, the file is progressively downloaded and encrypted. In order to use secure playback, the file server must be configured for SSL with a digital X.509 certificate from a trusted certificate authority. Secure download is only valid for HTTPS. By default, HTTPS is played back over Port 443. Note that Portal Server users cannot create thumbnails when

Playback Protocol is set to Secure Playback.

Note A file server using secure playback can be configured with an IP address or a host

name. If the server certificate is issued for an IP address, you must use the IP address; if issued for a host name, you must use the host name. Otherwise, the video will not play and a message will indicate the security certificate was issued for a different website.

Add/Modify Video On Demand Content Folders

Add/Modify Video On Demand Content Folders can be used to organize content on a specific

Video-on-Demand server. The Portal Server periodically polls certain folders for presence of content and if found ingests the content onto multiple VOD servers. Any files FTPed into a particular folder in the Autoingest folder will automatically be ingested into the corresponding folder on the VOD server(s). You must add these folders using the window shown below. (See Auto Content Ingestion Existing folder structures on a VOD server will be mirrored in the Portal Server. However you will still need to associate those folders with other server(s) if the file is to be autoingested onto multiple servers.

on page 153 for more about autoingestion.)

Global Settings

This function is useful for VBrick VBStar appliances to easily transfer content from their hard drives to the VOD server. (It can also be helpful for users who acquire content outside of the ETV Portal Server, for example from StreamPlayer Plus.) When a folder is created, you must check a box in

Add/Modify Folders on Selected Servers to associate the folder with a

server for autoingestion. ETV Portal Server checks these folders every 5 minutes and ingests new content if present. This feature only applies to Autoingest; it does not apply to

Add Video.

Record or

Note that empty folders are not displayed on the Portal Server client interface. These folders are only displayed when they have content. As the folder structure is created in this section, autoingest folders will be created in the FTP root path. For example, if the FTP root path is

d:\inetpub\ftproot, then folders that are created in the Add/Modify On-Demand content

folders will also be created in the d\inetpub\ftproot\mcs\autoingest folder.

Autoingested content can go into any folder that has been associated with a server or servers using the

Add/Modify Folders on Selected Servers check boxes shown above. If using a

VBStar, be sure to associate a folder with a server for autoingest. This enables the folder that the VBStar will FTP files into. This function is not associated with a user or group permission and is controlled only by the Administrator. See Auto Content Ingestion

page 153 for a more detailed description of the Autoingestion functionality.

Note Use the

change AutoIngest settings in the

Delete button to remove non-empty folders only. Use the Modify button to

Add/Modify Folders on Selected Servers pane.

Creating Subfolders

Use the following steps to create a subfolder in an existing folder.

T To create a subfolder

1. Highlight any existing folder name, for example and click

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 43

New.

/Bill as shown in the previous window,

2. Type the new subfolder name in the text field, preceded by a forward slash, for example

VBricks

All VBricks must be configured in ETV Portal Server before they can be managed and used for scheduled events. (VBrick configuration is only required if you are using the Scheduling feature. Once configured, all VBricks in the system are shown on the following window. In the ETV Portal Server, SAP (Session Announcement Protocol) announcements are sent to the Portal Server by network-connected VBrick devices (encoders and/or decoders). The

Select VBrick panel in the next screen shows VBrick appliances (encoders and decoders) that

have announced their presence on the network but have not been configured for use in ETV Portal Server. (Note that if you delete a VBrick from the will not be shown as available until you logout and log back in to the Admin Console.)

VBrick Configuration

T To add a VBrick configuration:

1. Go to

/Bill/temp, and click Submit when done.

Currently Configured VBrick List, it

Global Settings > VBricks. The information in the panel indicates whether a

VBrick can be used for multimedia or for progressive download (as a VOD server).

2. Select

Add VBricks and click Submit.

Global Settings

3. In Select VBrick, select one or more existing VBricks for which a SAP has been received. If you select one VBrick, this populates the VBrick Configuration panel. (If you select multiple VBricks, it does not populate the panel; if you need to configure the VBricks, you must add them one at a time.)

4. Complete or modify the fields in enter a User Name and Password and

VBrick Configuration as necessary. Note that you must

confirm that Password or the configuration will

fail.

5. Click Submit when done. This adds the new configuration to the list of configured VBricks shown on the previous page.

Note The only time you will manually complete the VBrick Configuration fields is when you

are defining the configuration for a VBrick that will be added to the network at a later time. In this case, you will need to know the following configuration data in advance.

Host Name Required. Host name of VBrick.

IP Address Required. IP address of VBrick.

User Name Defaults to system-defined value if blank.

User Password Defaults to system-defined value if blank.

Confirm Password Defaults to system-defined value if blank. Must match User

Password if entered above.

Software Revision Optional. To get the Software Revision, use IWS (for MPEG

and WM) or VBAdmin (for H.624).

HTTP Port Optional. To get the HTTP Port, use IWS (for MPEG and

WM) or VBAdmin (for H.624).

VBrick Model Select from the dropdown. Advanced settings are enabled if

you select an encoder or a VBStar.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 45

Progressive Download Server

Allow Content Publishing All WM recordings will be published to the VOD servers and to

Check this box to enable a WM encoder (with v4.2.1 or higher software) with a hard drive (a VBStar) as a progressive download server. All .wmv files stored in the of the VBStar will be available in the Asset Library for progressive download. (You can also use a file server for progressive download. See Add File Server

this VBStar if the user has access rights and publishing permissions. Note that ingestions to the VBStar will fail when the 60 GB hard drive is full.

D:\public folder

on page 39.)

Advanced Settings

Advanced settings are enabled if you select a VBrick encoder or a VBStar. Note that the Portal Server will attempt to retrieve and autofill the Multicast IP addresses and Port numbers. You can

modify these fields as necessary.

Note The following values are stored in the Portal Server database only. Depending on how

a scheduled event is configured, they may be saved and written back to the VBrick device after the scheduled event runs.

Multicast IP Destination multicast IP address.

Video Port Destination video port.

Audio Port MPEG-4 devices only. Destination audio port.

CC Port MPEG-4 devices only. Closed captioning port.

Global Settings

Multimedia VBrick Configuration

These settings are only enabled when you add or modify a VBrick that has a WM encoder in at least one slot. By completing these fields you are defining the encoder as a Multimedia

VBrick

that can be used in specialized end-user environments. For example, in some

environments, the Portal Server can be configured to use a multimedia VBrick for rich media presentations. In this scenario, the settings for Resolution, Target Bit Rate, and Audio Bit Rate are used at presentation runtime and will override existing settings on the VBrick encoder.

Slot 1 is a Multimedia Slot Default = not checked. Lets you define the multimedia-specific

fields listed below. Slot 2 (if present) can also be configured for multimedia.

Include CC and Metadata Default = not checked. Include closed captions and metadata if

available in the stream.

Description Text field used for descriptive text.

Resolution Select an available resolution from the dropdown or choose

Configured

to use the current VBrick setting.

Target Bit Rate Enter desired value. Blank = use current VBrick setting.

Audio Bit Rate Select from an available audio bit rate from the dropdown or

choose

As Configured to use the current VBrick setting.

E-Mail Template This field, used with custom applications, adds the specified

text to an auto-generated e-mail and ensures that the e-mail recipient can connect to the right VBrick encoder.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 47

Add Viewing URL To see this field, you must first "Add" the VBrick and then go

Add Publishing Point Do not use. This field is reserved for future use.

Control Devices

Control devices let you configure a video source device so that it can be controlled by end users from the Portal Server user interface. (An example of a video source device is a DVD or VCR directly connected to a VBrick encoder.) Once configured, a special icon on the

Broadcasts

as shown in Figure 10 below. VBrick currently supports DVDs and VCRs from several different manufacturers as well as the VBrick VBIR remote controller that can be customized for use with a wide variety of source devices. See Add User-Defined VBIRs about VBIRs.

Note In some cases you may be able to control a source device using the front panel or the

page indicates you can control the stream using a "virtual" remote control panel

handheld remote that came with the unit, but this is not always possible. For example, if the remote gets lost or the source DVD and/or VCRs are rack-mounted in an inaccessible metal enclosure, you must use the Portal Server interface or a VBIR.

back in and select "Modify". Enter a fully qualified path to the Windows Media Server and Publishing Point that will be hosting the video. For example:

http://www.WM_Server_IP_Address/Publishing_Point

Live

below for more

Figure 10. " Virtual" Remote Control Panel on Live Broadcasts Page

As shown in Figure 11 below, the remote control panel will have a different graphical user interface depending on whether the source device is directly attached (via a serial port connection) or uses a VBIR. The control panel interface for direct-connect devices varies according to the specific device you select; the control panel interface for VBIR-connected devices is the same for all VBIR devices (unless manually changed as in Figure 12).

Global Settings

Figure 11. Control Panel for Direct-Connect Devices (left) and VBIR Devices (right)

Note The Amino set top box does not recognize "control devices." Any video source

devices configured as

Control Devices in the Portal Server will not display a "virtual"

remote control panel on the Amino set top box.

Add Control Devices

Use the following windows to define or modify control devices. As noted, these devices will be displayed on the encoder. If the device is used as a source encoder for a scheduled broadcast, however, only the user who actually created the schedule will have access during the scheduled period. This prevents other users from potentially interrupting the broadcast. If the Portal Server does not have a Scheduling license, all control devices are available at any time to any user with VBrick access and other permissions. See "Using the Scheduler" in the Portal Server User Guide for an explanation of how to schedule events for control devices.

Live Broadcasts page with a special icon for any users with access to that

T To define a control device:

1. Go to

Global Settings > Control Devices and select Add Control Devices.

2. Complete the fields on the next screen as explained below and click

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 49

Submit.

Name Enter a unique, descriptive name that will be displayed on the virtual

remote. For example in Figure 10, "Sony DVD" is the configured name shown on the controller. No embedded spaces or special characters are allowed.

Device Select a device from the dropdown list. The list shows serial port

direct-connect devices and VBIR (SpitFire) commanded devices that are tested and supported by VBrick. It also shows any custom VBIR devices you have added. Creating User Defined VBIR custom devices is explained below. You cannot create custom serial port direct-connect devices. If the source device you wish to control does not have a serial port, you must use a VBIR for remote control.

Source Select as the source either a VBrick encoder or a Live Video Stream

URL (identified by

URL) from the dropdown list. The Device that

was selected above will be associated with the specified Source. Selecting a Live Video Stream URL requires that you specify an IP address and port. Enter these in the IP and

Port fields that are

displayed when you select a Live Video Stream URL.

User Defined VBIRs Select the SpitFire version you have (SpitFire II or III) and enter a

Description and a three-digit Code (see Add User-Defined VBIRs below).

Global Settings

Add User-Defined VBIRs

The VBrick VBIR is an external hardware device that uses the passthough port on a VBrick to send control commands via an infrared link to third-party devices like VCRs, DVDs, etc. (see Figure 13 for a visual schematic). You must use a VBIR if the target third-party device does not have a serial port that can directly connect to a VBrick encoder. The VBIR can be programmed with codes representing IR command sets that are compatible with devices from many manufacturers. Use the following window to create a custom Enter a device description (20 characters or less), a three-digit code, and select the SpitFire model. When done, the new device is added to the

Source Device dropdown list. For a current list of VCR/ DVD device codes for SpitFire II

models, go to http://innotech.com/spitfire-ii-device-codes.pdf

User Defined VBIRs list as well as to the

For SpitFire III models, go to http://innotechsystems.com/Spitfire/SpitFire III.pdf Be aware that the device codes at this link are not tested or supported by VBrick. If you can't find the code you need, or have trouble controlling a non-supported device, check the product documentation or contact the manufacturer.

Note The VBIR Model SpitFire III can be programmed to use IR commands much like a

universal remote controller. These "learned" commands are stored in VBIR memory. See Update the VBIR Command Set

on page 54 for details.

User Defined VBIR.

Adding a SpitFire Model III VBIR

The VBIR user interface on the Portal Server is designed for the Sony SLV-D380P DVDVCR player (supported by VBrick). The default interface is shown on the left in Figure 12 but can be modified for use with other devices. You can add your own labels and functionality to the

Aux 1, Aux 2, and Aux 3 buttons as shown on the right in Figure 12.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 51

Figure 12. Modifying the SpitFire III Control Panel

In the default configuration there are three "auxiliary" buttons for toggling between

DVD

mode and VCR mode plus a Power button. The auxiliary buttons are configurable in that you can modify the button label and the associated instruction that will be sent to the VBIR. For example, suppose you want to support the Framitz device, and instead of buttons for DVD, VCR and Power, you want

Vol Up, Vol Down and the special Gazinta function.

You can do this by selecting a SpitFire Model III. The auxiliary button definitions will initially display the default values (corresponding to the Sony SLV-D380P). You define the

Function and/or Command for each Aux button with an appropriate value—usually obtained

Text,

in advance from the manufacturer. It is the customer's responsibility to determine which functions and/or commands to specify for the buttons. When done, The User Defined VBIR is saved and

configured with a VBrick. The buttons will map properly and correctly perform the defined functions.

Connect Control Devices

To set up a device that can be remotely controlled from the Portal Server, you connect the serial interface on the source device (the DVD or VCR) to the passthrough port (COM1 or COM2 for Slots 1 and 2 respectively) on the VBrick encoder using an appropriate cable (see Table 11) from those shipped with the encoder. For more about Serial Port Passthrough, see the online help for the encoder. You can also control devices using VBrick's VBIR remote controller. To use the VBIR remote controller, you connect the VBIR SpitFire device to COM1 or COM2 on the VBrick encoder. The VBIR subsequently communicates with the DVD or VCR via infrared commands (see Figure 13) at the configured baud rate.

If necessary, connect one end of the XIR emitter cable to the SpitFire and the other to the DVD or VCR making sure the adhesive lead is securely attached to the device. The emitter is used when there is no direct line-of-sight to a control device (for example when the VCR is in a cabinet) and you can't use the remote control. On the back of the VBIR, be sure the SpitFire is in RS-232 mode.

Figure 13. Connecting Control Devices

Tab l e 1 1 . Device Connectors

Device Connector

Global Settings

VCR

DVD

DB-9

DB-15

†

MPEG-1 Encoder DB-9

MPEG-2/4/WM Encoders RJ-45

† Typical device connector.

Configure Control Devices

You also need to configure the baud rate and passthrough state of the VBrick associated with a control device. In VBAdmin, go to the System Configuration > Advanced Configurations >

Passthrough

Tab l e 1 2 . Baud Rate and Passthrough State

Device Baud Rate Passthrough State

DVD 4800 Responder

VCR 9600 Responder

VBIR 2400 N/A

page and set these values as follows:

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 53

Update the VBIR Command Set

EtherneTV Portal Server Control Devices use SpitFire model VBIRs to manipulate DVDs, VCRs or other devices controlled by IR commands. The VBIR contains an internal library of several hundred IR command sets stored in flash memory. The internal library is accessed by a three digit code. The VBIR internal library supports a wide range of devices from many, but not all, device manufacturers. If the IR command set for a particular device is not stored in the internal library there are two ways (as explained below) that the VBIR can be enhanced to control the device.

Learning IR Commands

The VBIR (Spitfire Model III only) can be set to learn and store IR commands like a universal remote controller. Learned commands are stored in VBIR memory areas called slots and are accessed by reserved three-digit codes. The six slots are available are: AUX (994), TV (995), VCR (996), DVD (997), AUD (998), and CBL/SAT (999). Once learned IR commands are stored on a VBIR they can be written as an external library file on a PC. The IR commands in an external library file can be learned by other VBIRs through the process of cloning. For more information, see the application note Learning IR Commands on the VBIR on the www.vbrick.com/documentation page.

Downloading External Libraries

The VBIR can be upgraded by downloading an external library file. External library files contain IR command sets for a specific device or devices. External library files are supplied by a third party or created using the SpitFire VBIR learning mode. For more information, see the application note Downloading External Libraries to the VBIR documentation page.

on the www.vbrick.com/

IP Receivers

Digital IP Receivers (formerly called STBs or Set Top Boxes) must be configured in ETV Portal Server before they can be managed and used for scheduled events. (IP Receiver version must also be 3.7.1 or higher.) Once configured, all IP Receivers in the system are

Global Settings

shown on the following window. The Select IPR panel in the next screen shows IPRs that have announced their presence on the network but have not been configured for use in the Portal Ser ver.

T To add an IPR configuration:

1. Go to

Global Settings > IP Receivers.

2. Select Add IPRs and click Submit.

3. In

Select IPR, select one or more existing IPR for which a SAP has been received. This

populates the IPR Configuration panel. (If you select multiple IPRs, it does not populate the panel; if you need to configure the IPRs, you must add them one at a time.)

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 55

4. Complete or modify the fields in IPR Configuration as necessary and click Submit. This

adds the new configuration to the list of configured IPRs shown on the previous page.

Note The only time you will manually complete the IPR Configuration fields is when you

are defining the configuration for an IPR that will be added to the network at a later time. In this case, you will need to know the configuration data in advance.

Host Name Required. Host name of IPR.

IP Address Required. IP address of IPR.

User Name Defaults to system-defined value if blank.

User Password Defaults to system-defined value if blank.

Confirm Password Defaults to system-defined value if blank. Must match User Password

if entered above.

Software Revision Optional.

IPR Model Select from the dropdown using the last four digits of the IPR model

number. To determine model number, reboot the IPR and note the model number when the splash screen is displayed. See the WM IPR Admin Guide for more information.

• WM IPR 0 – IPR model 8000-0113-0000

• WM IPR 1 – IPR model 8000-0113-0001

• WM IPR 2 – IPR model 8000-0113-0002

Start Mode Select from the dropdown: ETV Portal Server, Local, or Local-

Fullscreen

Configuring IP Receiver Timeout

Digital IP Receivers time out by default every two hours and display a popup message. This means that if a video exceeding two hours is playing and you do not interact with the system, the video will stop, the STB will display a popup message, and you will be redirected to the login page. The configurable timeout option described here lets you set the timeout interval

to a higher value so a video can play all day for example without timing out. requires a periodic timeout for cleanup but you can set the timeout value to a high number to minimize the potential disruption caused by timeouts.

Note The only requirement in configuring a timeout value is that the SDK timeout

(configured in

SessionIPRTimeOut (configured in web.config).

VBUServer.exe.config) must be set to a greater value than

As explained below, you can configure the timeout interval on Digital IP Receivers (STBs) by changing two configuration values in the Portal Server installation files. One value is in

web.config; the other is in VBUService.exe.config.

T To modify the STB timeout value:

1. Navigate to

2. Find the key called

<InstallDir>\Vbrick\MCS\web.config

SessionTimeOutIPR and set this value to the desired timeout. This

value is in minutes, so if you want the STB to timeout every 8 hours, you would set this value to 480.

The STB

3. Go to <InstallDir>\Vbrick\MCS\Common\VBUService\VBUService.exe.config

4. Find the key called

greater than the value set for SessionTimeOutIPR. This value is in milliseconds, so if you have set the SessionTimeOutIPR to 480 (8 hours), you would set the MCSSDKTimeout to 30600000 milliseconds (8.5 hours).

5. After making these changes, reboot the Portal Server and you are done.

Recorders

A Recorder server enables recording by Portal Server users. If a recorder server is not created here, any attempt to record a live stream or a stored video will fail. Once enabled, users must also be assigned the appropriate permissions (see Allow Content Recording (Note: Do not confuse a Recorder server with a Network Video Recorder which is a a separate product. See the ETV Network Video Recorder Release Notes for more information.)

Note By installation default, all recordings are stored on the D: drive. If you install ETV

Portal Server on a system without a D: drive, you must subsequently go to

Settings > Recorders

field shows the default number of concurrent recording sessions allowed. If you need more than 2 concurrent recording sessions, you must purchase a Network Video Recorder.

Global Settings

MCSSDKTimeout that handles SDK timeouts and make this value

on page 116).

Global

and change the record path as necessary. Also, the Max Recording

T To add a Recorder configuration:

1. Go to

Global Settings > Recorders.

2. Select

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 57

Add Recorders and click Submit.

3. Complete the fields in Recorder Configuration window and click Submit. This adds the

newly configured recorder to the previous window. If necessary see Synchronizing the Portal Ser ver and the NVR below.

Recorder Server IP address or host name of recorder server. Defaults to localhost if

recorder server is on the same machine as ETV Portal Server.

Record Path Path and folder where all recording are stored. By default, recordings

are stored on the D: drive. If you install ETV Portal Server on a system without a D: drive, you must change the path. Also, in order to record multiple streams, the Record Path must be under FTP root. For example, if root is

C:\Inetpub\ftproot\<your_folder>

C:\Inetpub\ftproot the Record Path must be

Max. Recording The default number of concurrent recording sessions allowed is 2. If

you exceed 2, you must purchase a Network Video Recorder. Without an NVR, any attempt to record more than 2 concurrent sessions will fail.

FTP User Name FTP user name in operating system of Recorder server.

FTP Password FTP password in operating system of Recorder server.

Confirm Password FTP password in operating system of Recorder server.

Domain Name This field is required only if the Recorder server is not on the local network.

Enter the domain name if the Record Path above points to a server in a different domain,

User Name The user name who has access to the specified path.

User Password The corresponding password for this user name.

Synchronizing the Portal Server and the NVR

The internal clocks on the Portal Server and the NVR must be synchronized for recording functionality to work properly. You can use the

Net time command as explained below or you

can use an external time server. In order to run the Net time command on either server, the server must be on the domain, and the user logged onto the server must have admin privileges and be part of the domain.

T To synchronize the Portal Server and the NVR use the following command:

• Open a command prompt on the Portal Server and type:

Net time \\{NVR IP Address} /SET

Script Devices

Script devices work with scripts and can be used to control VBricks, or other devices attached to a VBrick via the serial port. In order to use a script, the device (a VBrick, IP Receiver, camera, VCR, etc.) must be defined in the Portal Server database as a script device. Once defined, they can be subsequently controlled by a script (see Scripts launched from the Portal Server Scheduler. A script device must be physically connected to the network and must be available at the runtime of a scheduled event. For example, PTZ cameras respond to pan, tilt, and zoom commands. Once defined as a script device, pan, zoom, and tilt commands can be scripted and executed from ETV Portal Server to control the movement of the camera at a specific date, time, and recurrence.

Global Settings

on page 60)

Note You can also write a script (launched from the Portal Server) that uses TCP/IP to

communicate with any compatible device on the network. Contact VBrick Support Services for more information.

T To add a Script Device configuration:

1. Go to

Global Settings > Script Devices.

2. Select

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 59

Add Script Devices and click Submit.

3. In Script Device Configuration, complete the following fields and click Submit. This adds

the newly configured script device to the list of devices shown in the previous window. To modify a Script Device, first delete the device and then repeat these steps.

Device Name Any user-defined name.

Address Hard-coded device IP address. This is usually the address of the

VBrick or the address of the VBrick to which a device is connected but it can be the address of any device.

Port TCP/IP port number range =

Scripts

Scripts work with previously defined script devices such as VBricks, IP Receivers, or other devices attached to a VBrick. Scripts can be used to control any type of VBrick or to control other devices like cameras and VCRs that are attached to a VBrick. To script VBrick commands, you select the VBrick and build a script by choosing parameters from a dropdown list—the parameters vary depending on the type of VBrick you select (MPEG1, MPEG2, etc.). You can script commands to change any of the parameters (in the MIB database) that are available through IWS (MPEG and WM) or VBAdmin (H.264).

For non-VBrick ( that device. This scripting functionality is designed for advanced users and you must know the instruction set for the device in order to script commands that will control that device. You can use a text-based script or a binary script to control devices connected to the serial passthrough port (COM1 or COM2) on a VBrick encoder.

You can control devices that require binary input by pasting binary input into the

Content

require binary input. This type of script will pass binary input through the serial passthrough port on a VBrick to the specified device. You will typically connect your device to the serial passthrough port using the port number previously defined for the device (

4414 for COM2).

1040–65534. If using serial port

passthrough, use the VBrick's passthrough port number: COM1,

Other) devices, you write a script from scratch using the native language for

4414 for COM2

4439 for

Script

text box. Binary scripts let you provide a sequence of commands for devices that

4439 for COM1,

Global Settings

Note If you are scheduling an event, any device for which you write a script must be

available to the network at runtime. If the device is not available the script will fail.

Creating a Script

T To create a script that can be executed from the Portal Server:

1. Go to

2. Select

Global Settings > Scripts.

Add Scripts and click Submit.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 61

3. In Script Configuration, enter a Script Name and select a Device Type (MPEG1, MPEG2/

MPEG4/WM, or Other) from the dropdown list—and wait a few seconds for ETV Portal Server to populate the panel with a list of devices.

4. In

Select Device, highlight one or more devices and use the arrow buttons to populate

the right panel.

5. Create the

a. For VBrick devices, select a

Script Content.

Parameter Name from the dropdown list, enter a

Parameter Value, and click Add. Repeat as many times as necessary and click Submit

when done. Note that the order in which you add parameters is critical. This is the order in which the commands will be executed at runtime. (See Finding VBrick Parameters and Values for more information.

b. For non-VBrick (

Other) devices, write the script in a native language compatible with

the device (or copy and paste binary input) and click Submit when done.

To run a previously created script, login to ETV Portal Server and click Scheduled Programs. Then create a schedule by selecting a date, time, and (optionally) a recurrence pattern. When done, click

Script and select the script you want to run on the schedule you just defined.

Example

The following example shows binary input for a VBrick VBIR device. In a typical scenario you will need to set the can run the script. See "Serial Port Passthrough" in the VB4000-5000-6000 Admin Guide for more information. The following example programs a VBrick VBIR device to device code 351 and sends the Play command. This is just a brief example. If you need help or want more information about using binary scripts, please contact VBrick Support

Passthrough State and other parameters on the encoder before you

Services.

Begin instruction set, program for following device code. This set of instructions is used in all scripts.

<-script-> <-send binary 0xc1 0x0d-> <-receive 2-> <-send binary 0xc0 0x0d-> <-receive 2->

Program three-digit device code. Here code is 351.

<-send binary 0x83 0x0d-> <-receive 2-> <-send binary 0x85 0x0d-> <-receive 2-> <-send binary 0x81 0x0d-> <-receive 2->

End device code programming, set for command. This set of instructions is used in all scripts.

<-send binary 0xc0 0x0d-> <-receive 2-> <-send binary 0xd3 0x0d-> <-receive 2->

Command. Here Play.

<-send binary 0x91 0x0d-> <-receive 2->

T To locate a parameter name by viewing the source code:

T To find the parameter value:

URLs

Global Settings

Finding VBrick Parameters and Values

In order to create scripts, you need to determine the correct parameters and values to use. The following procedures explain how to locate parameters from the VBAdmin page and how to find the value associated with that parameter using a standard MIB browser or text editor. These brief procedures simply outline the basic steps which are typically performed by a programmer or a system administrator. Contact VBrick Customer Service or see the VBrick SDK User Guide for more information.

1. Find the

2. Then locate the parameter name by viewing the source code of the page.

1. Locate the parameter name as described above.

2. Find the

or a text editor.

Parameter Name in the VBAdmin page.

Parameter Value by examining the MIB file with either a standard MIB browser

Add/Modify a URL for a Live Video Stream

Administrators can manually enter URLs to live video streams that will not automatically be displayed by the Portal Server. For example, the administrator may wish to have the Announcements (SAPs) disabled on the VBrick encoders for security purposes. Or the Administrator may want to enter the address of an off-network stream such as an MPEG-4 Stream from an Apple Darwin Server or a stream coming from a hosting provider. Additionally, this feature lets you enter the addresses of non-MPEG streams such as Windows Media and Real Networks. Note that the Access Control feature Allow Viewing by Content Type does not apply to manually added URLs. You can also filter and control which live streams are shown in the Portal Server by using a bit mask on the VBrick encoder. For more about this feature, refer to the Category parameter in the appropriate MPEG, WM, or H.264 encoder documentation.

Note For any non-MPEG video, the correct player (such as Windows Media Player or

QuickTime) must be present on the desktop for the client to be able to receive the stream.

T To add a URL for a live video stream:

1. Enter the URL or IP address in the

2. Enter the

Type and Title and click Add to add the URL to the list of streams shown.

URL field.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 63

URL Enter a valid URL or IP address. See examples above.

Type Choose MPEG, WM, H.264, or Other. Select Other for most non-MPEG

streams; select WM for .swf Flash streams.

Title Title is what will display to clients in the ETV Portal Server viewing pages.

Valid URL Examples

The following examples show valid URL syntax for live video streams. All URLs are case sensitive and the syntax must be accurate because there is no internal validation of user input.

Stream Type URL Syntax

MPEG-1/MPEG-2

vbricksys://ip=239.1.1.1&port=4444

Where

239.1.1.1 is the multicast IP address and 4444 is the

multicast port.

MPEG-4

rtsp://172.1.1.1/vbrickvideo1 vbrtsp://172.1.1.1/vbrickvideo1

Where

172.1.1.1 is the source IP address and vbrickvideo1 is the

program name.

vbhttp://172.1.1.1/vbs2d1.sdp

Where

172.1.1.1 is the source IP address and vbs2d1.sdp is the

SDP file name.

http://172.22.2.147/vbs1http.asx http://172.22.2.147/vbrickvideo1

Where 172.22.2.147 is the source IP address and vbrickvideo1 is the program name. Note that the WM IPR does not support RTSP

streams.

Stream Type URL Syntax

Global Settings

H.264

rtsp://172.1.1.1/vbStream1S1 vbrtsp://172.1.1.1/vbStream1S1

Where 172.1.1.1 is the source IP address and vbStream1S1 is the resource name.

vbhttp://172.1.1.1/vbStream1T1.sdp

Where 172.1.1.1 is the source IP address and vbStream1T1.sdp is the SDP file name.

Other ASX Files

http://172.1.1.1/file.asx http://myHost/file.asx http://www.myCompany.com/files/file.asx

MP3 and WMA Files

http://172.1.1.1/file.mp3 http://myHost/file.mp3 http://172.1.1.1/file.wma http://myHost/file.wma

WMV Files

http://www.myCompany.com/files/file.wmv mms://www.myCompany.com/files/file.wmv

Add VOD Content

Administrators can manually enter URLs to VOD content that is not automatically displayed by the Portal Server. These URLs can be to content that is located on a non-NXG Video-onDemand server, such as the QuickTime/Darwin server, a Windows Media server, or a Helix Real server. This is valuable feature if you want to enter an off-network stream such as an MPEG-4 Stream from an Apple Darwin Server or if there is Windows Media or Real Networks content that needs to be displayed through the Portal Server interface.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 65

URL Enter a valid URL or IP address. For example:

rtsp://ipaddress/programname mms://ipaddress/videoname.wmv

Type Choose MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MPEG-4 NXG, Document,

WM, H.264, or Other. If you are creating a URL for stored video that points to

www.yahoo.com, for example, select Document in this field—

not Other. Select WM for .swf Flash streams.

Title This is what will display to clients in the ETV Portal Server viewing

pages

Folder This is the folder on the VOD server in which the video will be

displayed.

Keywords Enter keywords that can be searched from the user interface.

Max. Concurrent Viewers

Set the maximum number of concurrent viewers for this stream to unlimited or any number greater than zero.

Press Add to add the VOD content to the list. VOD content also can be Modified or Deleted. Simply select the VOD content, make modifications (if required), and click

Modify or Delete.

Add Non-VOD Content

PC Users Only. In the VoD Content section, administrators can also link to external

documents such as PDF files, PowerPoint files, web pages, or anything that can be displayed in a browser or other external program. For content that needs to run with a specific application (for example, PowerPoint slides), the application must be present on the desktop for that file to be viewed. Use the content type (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, etc.) to add video content from an outside source. Select type

Document for PDFs or Word documents, or type Other for PowerPoint presentations, Flash

demos, etc. Each content type has a different icon on the

Type field to identify the content. Select a stream

Video Library page.

The URL must point to a web server or a local drive. The Portal Server server can act as the web server for this content, if the content is placed in the c:\program files\vbrick\mcs directory on the ETV Portal Server (or in any subdirectory you create, e.g.

... mcs\test_files\test.doc). A local path or network shared path also can be entered.

Content accessed from a local drive (or network shared path) needs to be entered in the format

c:/path/file (it will fail if you use back slashes, for example c:\path\file). Also, this

drive needs to be accessible by those that have access to the link.

Priority Alert

These pages are used to create priority alert templates that Portal Server users can subsequently use to launch a priority alert. Priority alerts are launched from the Portal Server user interface—not from the Admin console. A priority alert is a schedule that can be executed by Portal Server users with appropriate permissions. This schedule broadcasts a live or stored video to specified VBricks or IP Receivers in case of an emergency. The schedule is executed instantly, for a specified duration or indefinitely. When done (or manually stopped) all preempted schedules automatically resume.

A priority alert template pre-defines all parameters for the broadcast so that it can be launched immediately; it pre-empts all other broadcasts. Very simply, you define the source stream (live or stored) and the downstream targets (VBricks or IP Receivers) and then save the template for future use. It is important to note that priority alert streams are shown only on monitors or TVs attached to VBricks and IPRs respectively. They are not shown on the Portal Server user interface. If you are watching a stream in the embedded player on the user interface browser, you will not see a priority alert.

Global Settings

Note Live and stored broadcasts, in this context, refer to content that is being streamed over

your IP multicast-enabled network. This does not mean there is IP broadcasting to your entire network.

T To create a Priority Alert Template:

1. Go to

Global Settings > Priority Alert. This page shows a list of previously defined

templates (if any).

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 67

2. Select Add Template and click Submit to display the following window.

3. Enter a

Template Name, select a Schedule Type, and click Next. (Duplicate template

names are allowed but not recommended.)

Schedule Type subsequently has a different wizard depending on the selections you

Each make but basically, you select the video source (which can be a live or stored broadcast), the downstream targets (VBricks or IP Receivers) to which it will be broadcast, and configure any

Advanced Settings (see note below) for the VBricks or IPRs. When done

the template you created is available to authorized Portal Server users as a Priority Alert template. See the ETV Portal Server User Guide for more information.

Global Settings

Note Advanced Settings are available to configure VBricks and IPRs with exceptional

configuration parameters. It is unlikely you will ever need to change these settings. In all cases you can safely ignore the

Advanced Settings and use the defaults provided by

ETV Portal Server.

Template name Alphanumeric characters or spaces. No special characters.

Schedule Type Live Broadcast

• VBrick – Select a live stream by VBrick Name. Then select the destination VBricks or IPRs.

• Program Name – Select a live stream by Program Name from all available. Then select the destination IPRs.

•Enter Manually – Select an MPEG or WM source residing at a specified IP address. Then select the destination IPRs.

Stored Broadcast

• VoD Name – Select a VOD server and a source video. Then select the destination VBricks or IPRs.

• VBrick Name – Select a VBrick (or VBStar) and a source video. Then select the destination VBricks or IPRs.

4. Configure Advanced Settings for VBricks and IPRs as necessary. As noted, it is unlikely

you will ever need to change these settings. In all cases you can safely ignore these settings and use the defaults provided by the Portal Server.

These settings generally set configuration options for source devices and destination devices (VBricks and IPRs) so that they are configured properly (e.g. transmit/receive enabled/disabled) at the beginning and end of a priority alert. All required devices must be present and enabled for a successful priority alert. The settings differ depending on the device (e.g. MPEG, WM, or H.264) you select and may include some or all of the fields explained below.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 69

Schedule Start Options

Enter values that describe the device state at schedule start.

• Program Name – Program name selected above.

• Template – MPEG only. Screen varies for MPEG-1, 2, or 4.

• Destination – Destination 1, Destination 2, RTSP Server.

• Destination Address – Enter value.

• Video Port – Enter value.

• Audio Port – Enter value.

• Closed Captioning Port – Enter value.

• Video – Enabled, Disabled, As Configured.

• Audio – Enabled, Disabled, As Configured.

• Closed Captioning – Enabled, Disabled, As Configured.

Schedule End Options

Enter values that describe the device state at schedule end.

• Video – Enabled, Disabled, As Configured.

• Audio – Enabled, Disabled, As Configured.

• Closed Captioning – Enabled, Disabled, As Configured.

5. Click Next to page through each wizard.

6. Click

7. Verify the information and click

Finish when done.

Create Schedule when prompted (or use the Back

button to make changes). When finished, the template is added to the list of Priority

Global Settings

Alert Templates available to ETV Portal Server users from the Portal Server application. See the ETV Portal Server User Guide for more information.

Program Names

Program Names are used with live presentations. A Program Name is the title that will be displayed on the Live Broadcasts page during a live, rich media presentation—if users have Live Channel privileges. Program names are also used to set permissions for live presentations and all defined Program Names are displayed in the

Privileges

in this window. A Program Name (e.g. HR Presentation) can be pre-configured (with permissions) in advance for use with VBPresenter. When you use this same name in the

Program Name

Portal Ser ver's Live Broadcasts page. See Configure for Live Presentations on page 149 for more about program names.

window. You can allow or deny viewing of any presentation by adjusting privileges

field in VBPresenter for example, HR Presentation will be displayed on the

Add/Modify Live Channel

MCS

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 71

Manage Playlists

Use this window to change playlist attributes including Folder, Title, and Owner. If Access Control is not enabled, the owner for all playlists defaults to MCSClient. Note that if Access Control is subsequently enabled, any previously created playlists will not be available unless they are re-assigned from

MCSClient to other valid users.

Folders Select a folder location for the playlist. The default folder is the

Title Use any alphanumeric characters except ' ^ : * ? | [ ] ( ) < > % #

Owner The owner is the logged-in user who created the playlist.

Access Logging

Access logging tracks Portal Server usage. It creates logs that let you review who has watched what content, when, and for how long. Specifically, it logs access to live or VOD content, and to user-initiated recordings. There are two output logs; one is used for live/VOD content and the other is for recordings. The logs are created in a standard format and can be viewed with EtherneTV Reporter (VBrick's powerful log analysis tool or with a customized Excel spreadsheet. Use the various configuration options described below to save the logs to a different computer, set log time periods, etc. By default, access logging is set to off and the logs are saved in only after viewing or recording is complete. To see what i s currently being viewed or recorded, open the Logged Programs table in MCS using MySQL Query Browser or a similar tool. (MySQL Query Browser is available free of charge with the free software/open source GNU General Public License at http://www.mysql.com constraints; for example, it:

Program Files\VBrick\MCS\Logs. Note that log entries are written to the log file

private

Global Settings

MyMedia folder of the playlist owner.

) Be aware that the access logger has certain

• does not log web page access. This is an IIS function that can be set and controlled by system administrators.

• does not work with the Apple QuickTime player.

• does not have a built-in parser. The logs can be viewed as text files or can be managed and viewed using third-party reporting and analysis tools.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 73

Enable Access Logging Sets access logging on or off. Default = off. The log files are

saved in Program Files\VBrick\MCS\Logs.

Log Cycle Time New log files can be created daily, weekly, or when the file reaches

a certain size. Old files are never deleted or written over.

Log File Directory Specifies where the log files are saved. This can be on the same

machine as the Portal Server or on a different machine in the same network.

Cycle Log File Click

Extended Logging Properties

Cycle Now to close the existing log files and create new files.

See Extended Logging Properties

below. Determines what fields

are logged.

Logger Timeout Values The timeout values (default two hours for stored content, four

hours for live content) are typically used when a client machine crashes or hangs.

Extended Logging Properties

Use the following window to specify which fields are logged. If you are using EtherneTV Reporter, all fields must be selected. The items in parentheses (e.g. cs-username) refer to

the header field shown in the actual log file (see Figure 15 below). The fields are selfexplanatory and most are standard W3C fields. (See http://www.w3.org/TR/WDlogfile.html for more about W3C log file formats.) Note that the fields used in each log will vary slightly and unused fields are marked with a hyphen "-". Note that the following nonstandard fields may be incompatible with some reporting tools and can be de-selected:

x-address, x-port, and x-duration. For best results with log analysis tools, do not de-select any

other fields.

Global Settings

Using EthernetTV Reporter

If you purchased a separate license, you can use VBrick's powerful "EtherneTV Reporter" log analysis tool to examine the access logs. EtherneTV Reporter is a dedicated log file analysis tool. It reads individual log files generated by the Portal Server and generates a graphical statistical report based on the contents of the log data. Each log entry contains multiple fields, and EtherneTV Reporter extracts those field values from the log data and populates the report. EtherneTV Reporter is closely integrated with the Portal Server and has its own documentation. See the EtherneTV Reporter User Guide information.

in the online help for more

Figure 14. Sample ETV Reporter Output

Using an Excel Spreadsheet

You can also use a standard editor like Notepad and the Excel spreadsheet template provided by VBrick to examine the logs. The and sort log files. You can also use this template to build Pivot Tables to analyze the log data in greater detail. Pivot Tables are a powerful tool used to analyze multi-dimensional data. Pivot Tables are beyond the scope of this document and are not explained here. For an introduction to Pivot Tables, there are a variety of resources on the web including the Microsoft Office online demo at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/ HA011989031033.aspx

T To create a pivot table:

1. Navigate to

C:\Program Files\VBrick\MCS\Utils and double-click MCSS Access Log.xlt

2. When prompted, select Enable Macros.

3. Click

Import Log(s) and navigate to the log files in Program Files\VBrick\MCS\Logs

4. Select one or more log files by holding down the Ctrl or Shift keys while selecting files.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 75

MCSS Access Log.xlt template file makes to easy to view

5. Once the window is populated with log data (Figure 15) you can view or sort any of the columns as necessary.

6. Click

Pivot Table Wizard and follow the prompts to build a Pivot Table.

Figure 15. Imported Access Log

Zones

In a standard Portal Server configuration, a client selecting a video is algorithmically directed to a load-balanced (Internet or LAN) server. This is normal Portal Server behavior and the Zones page is not used. The Zones page, if used, directs Portal Server clients (or a range of clients) to specific servers (or a range of servers). It associates each incoming network address with one or more server addresses. If using this page, you will typically create different named zones with different sets of client and server IP addresses. Note that if a client IP address is not included in the

Address(es)

This page is also used to redirect clients when there is a server failure. The Portal Server polls all networked VOD servers at the polling interval specified in Global Settings. If the poll indicates a server failure, the specified Portal Server clients are automatically redirected to the default server(s) only if page. If unchecked, there will be no rollover to the specified default servers in the event of a server failure.

Client Address(es) list, that client is directed to the Server

the Hide Content option is checked on the Assign VOD Polling Interval

Global Settings

Zone Name User-defined string that identifies the zone.

Client Address(es) Enter individual, comma-separated client IP addresses and/or a

range of client IP addresses. For example:

172.16.2.1-172.22.2.255

172.15.2.1,

Server Address(es) Enter individual, comma-separated server IP addresses and/or a

range of server IP addresses to which the specified client(s) will be directed.

Save Zone Saves the zone information in the upper panel.

Default Server Address(es)

The server address to which a client is directed if the client IP address is not included in the

Client Address(es) field.

Save Default Address(es) Saves the default server information in the lower panel.

Note VBPresenter Only. If no zones are configured (the default), then all live and stored

content (including VBPresenter presentations) will be visible in the Portal Server. However, if you do defined

Server Address(es). For VBPresenter Presentations hosted on the Portal

configure zones, then all content will be filtered based on the

Server, zones must be configured to include the users' appropriate Portal Server IP Address.

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 77

Server Administration

Topics in this section

Channels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Modify VOD Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90