VBrick Systems VBrick Systems Server ETV User Manual v3.1
VBrick
EtherneTV Portal Server
ETV v3.1 Portal Server
Administrator Guide
VBrick Systems, Inc.
12 Beaumont Road November 10, 2005
Wallingford, Connecticut 06492 4410-0118-0002
Copyright
© 2005 VBrick Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
12 Beaumont Road
Wallingford, Connecticut 06492 USA
www.VBrick.com
This publication contains confidential, proprietary, and trade secret information. No part of this document may be
copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any machine-readable or electronic format without
prior written permission from VBrick. Information in this document is subject to change without notice and
VBrick Systems assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies.VBrick, VBrick Systems, the
VBrick logo, StreamPlayer, and StreamPlayer Plus are trademarks or registered trademarks in the United States and
other countries. Windows Media is a trademarked name of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other
countries. 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. Use these links at your own risk. The use of such links does not imply that VBrick endorses or
recommends the content of any third-party web pages. Some VBrick products use open source software provided
by third parties. VBrick supports the Open Source Initiative (OSI) and this source code is freely available at http:/
/www.vbrick.com/opensource.
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 over 20,000 video
appliances installed across over 1,000 IP networks world-wide, VBrick is the recognized leader in reliable, highperformance, 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.
Preface
Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Font Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Related Documents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
Printer-Friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
1. Introduction
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Downloaded Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
MySQL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
ETV Portal Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Server Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Desktop Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
End User Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Administrative Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Additional ETV Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
EtherneTV Video-on-Demand Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
EtherneTV-STB Set-Top Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
VBrick Encoders/Decoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Additional Portal Server Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
ETV Network Video Recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
ETV Live Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Portal Server License Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Contents
2. Administration
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Administrator Login. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Administrator Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Global Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Global Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Custom Fields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Customize Streams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Servers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
VBricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Set Top Boxes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Recorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Script Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
URLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Emergency Broadcast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Modify VOD Content. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Access Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
ETV Portal Server Administrator Guide iii
Using Single Sign-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Using LDAP Servers with SSL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Logout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
3. Access Control
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
STB Authentication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Authentication by PIN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Authentication by IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
1. Setup and Configure the EtherneTV System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
2. Choose an Authentication Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
3. Create User Groups on the Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
4. Create Resource Groups on the Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
5. Create Users on the ETV Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
6. Assign Resources to Users or User Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Add/Modify User Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Add/Modify User's Group Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Add/Modify User's Resource Group Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Add/Modify Live Channel Privileges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Allow Access to Specific VOD Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Allow Access to Specific VOD Content. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Allow Viewing by Content Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Allow Content Publishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Allow Content Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Default Content Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Allow VBrick Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
STB Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Schedule Privileges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Emergency Broadcast Privileges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
User Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Add/Modify Group Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Add/Modify Group's User Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Add/Modify Group's Resource Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Resource Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Add/Modify Resource Group Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Add/Modify User's Resource Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Add/Modify Group's Resource Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
4. Configuring for SSL
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Generate a Certificate Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
iv Contents
Submit a Certificate Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Install the Certificate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Configure Resources for SSL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
5. Auto Content Ingestion
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Removing Closed Captions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Index
ETV Portal Server Administrator Guide v
vi Contents
Preface
This EtherneTV Portal Server Administrator 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-NXG Video-on-Demand Server – Provides all standard Video-on-
Demand (VoD) features including support for MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4 for
maximum flexibility.
• EtherneTV-STB Set-Top Box – Leading edge digital set-top box that provides a low-
cost standalone decoder for DVD-quality MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4 videos.
• 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, and MPEG-4 video.
Organization
Introduction – provides an overview of the application including server and desktop
requirements and an overview of features and functionality.
Administration
configuration options, as well as diagnostics and status windows.
Access Control
create users and groups with specific permissions and access to resources.
Configuring for SSL
Layer.
Auto Content Ingestion
content is automatically populated on the portal server.
– provides detailed explanations of all ETV Portal Server global settings and
– explains how to configure the system for access control. It explains how to
– explains how to securely configure the system using the Secure Sockets
– explains auto content ingestion. This is the process whereby video
Font Conventions
Arial bold is used to describe dialog boxes and menu choices, for example: Start > All
Programs > VBrick
Courier fixed-width font is used for code elements (C++, HTML) as well as
filenames, directories, etc.
Bold Courier fixed-width font is used to indicate user input in keyboard
commands, scripts, etc.
Web addresses are displayed as hyperlinks in the format: http://www.VBrick.com
Italics are used to emphasize specific words or phrases.
ETV Portal Server Administrator Guide vii
Related Documents
The following documents describe key components in the EtherneTV Media Distribution
System.
EtherneTV Portal Server User Guide
EtherneTV Portal Server Release Notes
EtherneTV-STB Admin Guide
EtherneTV-STB Quick Start Guide
EtherneTV-NXG 1&2 VoD Quick Start Guide
Printer-Friendly
Click on the following link to print a hard copy of the document. For best viewing, open and
resize the document using the magnification box at the bottom of the Acrobat Reader
window.
ETV Portal Server Administrator Guide
T To save or print a PDF document:
1. Click once to open the PDF document in Acrobat Reader.
2. On the
Acrobat Reader toolbar, click Save or Print.
viii Preface
Introduction
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-NXG
Video-on-Demand Server, EtherneTV Set-Top Boxes 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-1, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 and other streams on a PC,
Macintosh, or Set-Top Box. The ETV Portal Server comes as software-only solution that can
be installed on a Windows Server or as a pre-configured hardware/software combination.
Downloaded Components
For Windows-based PC users only, ETV Portal Server uses VBrick StreamPlayer softwarebased components to decode video streams on the user desktop. The Portal Server
downloads these components to each user machine the first time you access the Portal Server.
No download is necessary for subsequent access. If this is a new installation, you must answer
Yes to security requests to download these components. The EtherneTV Portal Server may
require the installation of up to five components. If you check the box
from VBrick Systems Incorporated
downloaded the next time they are needed. You don’t have to restart your computer.
Chapter 1
Always trust content
, any required components will be automatically
The standard method to download these components is by using CABs. When a user
connects to the Portal Server for the first time, the CABs are downloaded automatically to the
user computer. In certain circumstances however, the use of CABs is not allowed or
impracticable. In these cases, VBrick provides an
VBrickComponents.msi. This installer installs the same components and allows end-users
who cannot use CABs to gain full Portal Server functionality. This installer is located in the
utils directory under Portal Server. Go to Program Files\VBrick\MCS\utils to run this
utility.
Topics in this chapter
Overview
MySQL
ETV Portal Server
Additional ETV Components
Additional Portal Server Components
Portal Server License Files
ETV Portal Server Administrator Guide 1
.msi installer called
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 (
Note MySQL Query Browser is an Open Source front-end that provides a graphical
T To change the MySQL password:
1. Open a Command Prompt window.
2. At the C: prompt type
Enter.
3. Type
4. Type
'new_password' in single quotes is the new password) and press Enter.
5. Type
root. To protect the integrity of the database, you should change the
vbrick_18) after initial installation and periodically thereafter.
interface to the MySQL database. MySQL Query Browser is available free of charge
under the free software GNU General Public License. Go to http://
www.mysql.com for details.
cd program files\mysql\mysql server 4.1\bin and press
mysql -uroot -pvbrick_18 and press Enter.
set password for 'root'@'localhost'=password ('new_password'); (where
exit.
ETV Portal Server
The VBrick EtherneTV (ETV) Portal Server is a web-based portal for accessing Live and OnDemand 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 up to DVD quality video. For
on-demand videos, users can
Standard access control functionality provides restriction of certain content to particular
users, user groups, or set-top boxes. An optional scheduling module allows users to schedule
devices to send video, receive video, record video, or to initiate a two-way conference.
Fast Forward/Rewind and Seek to specific points in the video.
2 © 2005 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Introduction
Figure 1. EtherneTV Media Distribution System
Server Requirements
The minimum server requirements include:
• Windows 2000 Server or Windows 2003 Server (with Service Pack 1).
• 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 VBrick has tested the ETV Portal Server on Windows 2000 Web Server and
Windows 2003 Server Web Edition. Note also that ETV Portal Server also 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.
ETV Portal Server Administrator Guide 3
Windows PCs
• Windows 98, 2000, XP (SP2) or above. XP SP2 has been tested and is supported.
• 300 MHz Pentium II processor for MPEG-1 streams.
• 500 MHz Pentium III processor for MPEG-2 streams.
• 500 MHz (minimum), 750 MHz Pentium III processor (recommended) for MPEG-4
streams.
• 128 MB RAM.
• SVGA video card 640x480, 256 colors, video card acceleration recommended.
• Windows-compatible sound device.
• Minimum 10 MB hard disk space for installation.
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher.
• DirectX Media Version 8.1 and higher.
Macintosh PCs
• Mac OS X with Safari 1.0 (or higher) or FireFoX for Mac 1.0.4; QuickTime Player 6.0 or
higher. (Internet Explorer is no longer supported.)
End User Features
• Simple, intuitive user interface and unified portal for live and on-demand streams.
• Windows-based PCs, Macintoshes, or STBs (connected to televisions or display
monitors) can all access the Portal Server. Mac support is for MPEG-4 only.
• 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 an external, re-sizeable player
window (PC and Macintosh).
• Set-Top Box users can use familiar
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.
• Users can record and store videos on the EtherneTV-NXG Video-on-Demand server via
ETV Portal Server.
• Users can publish pre-recorded content and thumbnails directly to the EtherneTV-NXG
Video-on-Demand server.
• Users can view closed caption text (Windows-based PCs and set-top boxes only).
• Users can launch pre-configured emergency broadcasts. (Optional. Requires Scheduling
module.)
• Users can schedule future recordings or broadcasts. (Optional. Requires Scheduling
module.)
Full Screen for a television-like user experience.
Play,
Channel Up/Down keys and other hot keys on the IR
Title, Keyword,
4 © 2005 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Introduction
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-NXG 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 server can be set up to provide encrypted
access to the Administrative pages, the Login pages, or all pages. See Configuring for SSL
on page 61.
• 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-NXG server – content placed in autoingestion folders
on the ETV Portal Server will be automatically transferred and ingested into the
EtherneTV-NXG 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 STBs – the STB 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 Emergency Broadcast
• 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.
on page 17 for more.
Live TV option.
on page 32 for more.
Additional ETV Components
EtherneTV Video-on-Demand Server
The EtherneTV Video on Demand (VoD) server provides the ETV Portal Server with a list
of available video content organized in folders. The VoD content is displayed on the ETV
Portal Server, along with the duration of the video and associated descriptions, key words, and
other custom information entered by an administrator. The user plays content from the VoD
server by selecting it by program name from the ETV Portal Server interface. The ETV
Portal Server currently supports NXG and VOD-W on demand servers. The configuration is
essentially the same (see Servers
end users.
EtherneTV-STB Set-Top Box
EtherneTV-STBs access the ETV Portal Server through a web browser within the Set-Top
Box. Using the Set-Top Box remote control, users can navigate and search for specific on-
ETV Portal Server Administrator Guide 5
on page 17) and there is no difference in functionality for
demand content or live video streams, select a stream, and begin viewing television-quality
video. Set-Top Box users can also record video directly on the ETV Portal Server using the
remote control or the wireless keyboard.
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,
384K0 and over a LAN at higher rates (1Mbps and above).
Additional Portal Server Components
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 Portal Server License Files
on page 7.
ETV Network Video Recorder
The ETV Network Video Recorder lets you off-load all recording tasks from the ETV Portal
Server machine to a separate "recorder server" machine. This optimizes recording
performance as well as ETV Portal Server performance. The Network Video Recorder uses
ETV Portal Server components and 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. The NVR
has no GUI and runs continually as a background service. You simply install the NVR
software and change the Recorder Server configuration to match the new server. See the
ETV Network Video Recorder Release Notes for more details and installation instructions.
Note A standard ETV Portal Server permits two concurrent recording operations. If you
purchase and install a Network Video Recorder, the number of concurrent
recording operations is fixed by the terms of your licensing agreement with VBrick.
ETV Live Portal Server
The ETV Live Portal Server provides ETV functionality that is limited to scheduling and
viewing live streams. It does not integrate with a VoD server and there is no functionality for
browsing the video library.
6 © 2005 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Introduction
Figure 1. Live Portal Server User Interface
Portal Server License Files
You are prompted to install a license (.lic) file as part of the ETV 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
"Scheduled Programs" option in the Portal Server client application.) After initial installation
you can install a different license as necessary by using
T To install or modify a Portal Server license file:
1. Go to
2. Click
3. Click
4. When done, manually close the window and launch the application. There is no need to
Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs > VBrick Media Control
Server Suite
Change/Remove and select the appropriate license file type (see below).
Next, then browse to the file and click Open.
.
restart the host machine.
Add or Remove Programs.
ETV Portal Server Administrator Guide 7
License File Description License Errors
Live Portal Server
or Portal Server
Either a standard ETV Portal Server license file
or a Live Portal Server (see ETV Live Portal
Server on page 6.) license file.
Player 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.
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 6.)
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 not installed, error page
displayed at login.
If not installed, a popup
message is displayed when
you try to launch a
stream.
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.
Not applicable.
Uninstall Media
Control Server Suite
8 © 2005 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Remove all ETV Portal Server components. You
are prompted to save the database as desired.
Not applicable.
Administration
Overview
The ETV Portal Server can be administered from Windows-based PCs using Internet
Explorer 6.0 or higher. The Administrative pages are best viewed at 1024x768 resolution.
Administration is not supported from Macintoshes or Set-Top Boxes.
Topics in this chapter
Overview
Global Settings
Modify VOD Content
Access Control
Diagnostics
Status
Help
Chapter 2
Logout
Administrator Login
In order to access the administrative functions enter the following address in the Internet
Explorer browser of the PC where
ETV Portal Server . The session will timeout after 20 minutes of inactivity.
default user name and password.
http://myserveraddress/admin/
Note As a standard best practice, VBrick recommends changing the default administrator
User Name and Password.
myserveraddress is the host name or IP address of the
admin is both the
Administrator 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.
ETV Portal Server Administrator Guide 9
Table 1 . Administrator 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.
Modify VOD
Content
Provides the ability to Move, Rename, or Delete assets on the
EtherneTV-NXG 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 NXG server, and FTP downloads.
Access Control Provides the ability to limit access to the ETV Portal Server system to
different users or groups of users.
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.
10 © 2005 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Option Description
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 Access Control
on page 45 for a description of these functions.
Global Settings
Global Settings include configuration settings and parameters that apply to the entire system.
Global Settings include:
Global Assignments
Custom Fields
Customize Streams
Servers
VBricks
Set Top Boxes
Recorders
Script Devices
Administration
Scripts
Emergency Broadcast
Global Assignments
Global Assignment are listed below. Most are self-explanatory and consist of text boxes
where you enter appropriate values.
ETV Portal Server Administrator Guide 11
Table 2 . Global Assignments
Function 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 p.m. in the boardroom. Note that if you are running the
Portal Server on a Set Top Box, the message area will not
display more than 4 lines of text.
Define Set Top Box Startup
Channel
When an STB (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
Change Admin Password Change the default admin password of
admin.
admin.
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 (please reference the Windows Server
documentation for instructions on how to change the FTP
User Name). The same User Name should be entered here.
12 © 2005 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Administration
Function Description
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 (please reference the Windows Server
documentation for instructions on how to change the FTP
User Name). The same Password should be entered here.
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 Portal Server Title Changes the text that is displayed on the upper left hand
corner of the Portal Server User Interface.
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 multicast address 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 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.
Assign Multicast Address
Range
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.
Assign VOD Polling
Interval
Not generally changed. Defines the interval at which the
Portal Server polls the NXG server(s) for new content
(default 120 minutes). This is only used to poll for content
added to the NXG 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.
Assign VoD Content
Ingestion Maximum
Defines the maximum number of simultaneous video files
that can be ingested to the NXG 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 NXG server,
but may result in playback issues from the NXG Video-onDemand server. VBrick recommends keeping the defaults.
ETV Portal Server Administrator Guide 13
Function Description
Assign Presentations The Presenter is a VBrick multimedia presentation
application that can be launched from the Portal Server. This
field defines the directory where presentations are stored. If
this folder is present and contains a valid
index.asp file, View
Presentations will be shown as a option on the Portal
Server Home page and will launch the Presenter in a
separate window.
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 Info icon. By default, the Info page has fields for
Keywords. The Custom Fields funtionality 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
Search button.) When you add a custom field using this
function, the field is available to administrators as a selection in the
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).
Description and
Customize Streams
T To create a Custom Field:
1. Go to
Global Settings > Custom Fields.
2. Enter a
time followed by
Customize Streams page.
14 © 2005 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Field Name and a Field Type. If you select Dropdown, you can add items one at a
Add Item. These items will populate a dropdown list box on the
Administration
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.
Custom Field
Name (Field Type)
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
page, either as a text field or as a dropdown list box.
Customize
Customize Streams
Customizing streams refers to changing the way live streams are displayed in the ETV Portal
Server. (VoD streams are customzed by end users rather than by administrators.) Customizing
a live stream allows you to change the displayed
and enter a
Keywords for searching, and values for any custom fields that have been defined (see Custom
Description that displays in the Messages area of the window. You can also enter
Fields above).
The ETV Portal Server auto-discovers live streams on the network by listening for
announcements, also known as SAPs (Session Announcement Protocols). On a network with
many live streams, the administrator can keep the stream list organized by assigning channel
numbers. This also provides an environment for end users that is similar to television.
T To customize a stream:
Program Name, assign a Channel number,
1. Go to
Global Settings > Customize Streams:
ETV Portal Server Administrator Guide 15
2. Choose an Available Live Stream (one that has not been customized), enter an optional
Channel number, and click Add Customization. This moves the customized stream to
the panel on the right.
3. Optionally, add a
on the broadcast list page and on the
4. You can also add
Description of the channel that will be displayed in the Messages area
Info page.
Keywords and Links (see below) that are displayed on the Info pages
associated with a stream. They make it easier to search for specific content.
Program Name Required. Name that will display in the directory of Live
Broadcasts.
Channel Optional. Unique number that will display in the directory.
Description Optional. Description that will display on the Info page.
Keywords Optional. Enter each searchable keyword(s) separated by commas
or spaces.
Links Optional. Add hyperlinks that will display on the Info page.
Add Link
This feature lets you add a hyperlink to the page you get by clicking the Info icon
associated with each live stream.
T To add a link to a customized stream:
1. Highlight a stream in the
2. Click
3. Click
Add New Link and enter a Link Title and Link Type.
Add Link when done. Repeat as many times as necessary.
Customized Live Streams panel.
Link Title The title actually displayed on the Info page, for example
"Additional Information."
16 © 2005 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Administration
Link Type • Web page URL – Enter a valid URL or copy and paste one
from your web browser.
• Uploaded File – Browse to select an upload file. This can be a
PowerPoint, an image, or any file you want to make available to
end users. The file is automatically uploaded to the Portal
Server, and the Portal Server creates a URL for end users to
access it.
Servers
Use the Servers page to add/modify VoD servers or to add/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
configuration is necessary. If there are multiple servers configured, ingested content is written to
all the servers for which a user has access.
Add/Modify Video On-Demand Servers
Add one or more EtherneTV-NXG Video-On-Demand Server(s) to the system. If the
network supports Windows 98 users, you must use the IP address of the On-Demand
Server—not the host name.
Servers page; no additional
IP or Domain This is the IP address or Host Name of the On-Demand Server. 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.
ETV Portal Server Administrator Guide 17
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