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# VBrick Systems ETHERNETV 4410-0118-0009 User Manual

VBrick

EtherneTV Portal Server

EtherneTV v4.4 Portal Server

January 15, 2009

4410-0118-0009

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

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.

Contents

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

Downloading 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

2. Global Settings

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

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

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

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

Adding VOD Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Adding FTP Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Adding File Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Add/Modify Video On Demand Content Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

 ETV Portal Server Admin Guide iii

VBricks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

VBrick Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Advanced Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Multimedia VBrick Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Control Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

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

Adding User-Defined VBIRs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Connecting Control Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Configuring Control Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Updating the VBIR Command Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

IP Receivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Recorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Synchronizing the Portal Server and the NVR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Script Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Creating a Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Finding VBrick Parameters and Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

URLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Add/Modify a URL for a Live Video Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Add VOD Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Add Non-VOD Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Priority Alert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Program Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Manage Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Access Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Extended Logging Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Using EthernetTV Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Using an Excel Spreadsheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Channels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Channel Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Custom Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Modify VOD Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Purchased Content Expiration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Expired Content Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Access Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Use LDAP Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Using LDAP with Single Sign-On. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Using LDAP with SSL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Use RSA Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Live Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

 iv Contents

Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

User Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Resource Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Logout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

4. Users and User Groups

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 User-Related Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Configuring Users and User Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 1. Setup and Configure ETV Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 2. Choose an Authentication Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 3. Create User Groups on the Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 4. Create Resource Groups on the Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 5. Create Users on the ETV Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 6. Assign Resources to Users or User Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Configuring User Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Add/Modify Group Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Add/Modify Group's User Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Add/Modify Group's Resource Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Resource Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Add/Modify Resource Group Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Add/Modify User's Resource Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Add/Modify Group's Resource Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 IPR Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

 ETV Portal Server Admin Guide v

Authentication by PIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Authentication by Host Name or IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

5. Configuring for SSL

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 SSL Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 1. Generate a Certificate Request. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

2. Submit a Certificate Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 3. Install the Certificate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 4. Configure ETV Resources for SSL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Configuring Hardened SSL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Configuring Non-Hardened SSL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

6. Network Video Recording

NVR Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

NVR Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

NVR Performance Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

NVR Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Standard NVR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Standalone NVR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

NVR Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Synchronizing the Portal Server and the NVR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

NVR Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Configuring a Standard NVR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Configuring a Standalone NVR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Using an NVR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

7. VBPresenter

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Working with Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Configuring MCS for VBPresenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Configuring an MCS FTP User Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Configuring an MCS Presentation User . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Configuring for Live Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Configuring for Stored Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

8. Auto Content Ingestion

AutoIngest Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 AutoIngest Content via XML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 AutoIngestXML Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Using the XML Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Removing MPEG-4 Closed Captions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

9. EtherneTV Backup

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

 vi Contents

ETV Backup Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Configuring ETV Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 1. Enter License Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 2. Set Profile IP Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 3. Configure the Scheduler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 4. Reset Database Backup Versioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 5. Enable the Warm Backup Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 6. Test the Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Turning a Warm Backup Server into a Live Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Bringing a Failed Machine Back Online. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Bringing a Failed Machine Back Online as a Warm Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Bringing a Failed Machine Back Online as a Primary Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Software Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

10. Amino Set Top Box

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Connecting the Amino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Configuring the Amino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Changing the IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Configuring a Direct Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Configuring the Remote Control for a TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Configuring the Amino for a Widescreen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Setting the TV Display Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

11. ACNS Configuration

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

ACNS Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

VOD-W Server Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Portal Server Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

ACNS Server Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Verify Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

12. Rebranding the User Interface

Customizing the Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Changing the Title and Header Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Rebranding the Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Rebranding Other ETV Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

VBrick IP Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Amino Set Top Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

VBrick IP Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

13. NXG-to-VOD-W Content Migration

Creating an Asset List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Sample Asset List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

 ETV Portal Server Admin Guide vii

Using the Migration Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Increasing the Ingestion Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Running the Migration Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Recovering from Migration Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Verifying the Migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

14. Purchased Content Ingestion

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Configuring IIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Ingesting Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Configuring a VOD-W Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Ingesting Purchased Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Backing Up the Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

15. Manual System Backup

System Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

System Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

16. VBrick Internet Streaming

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Streaming Service Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Portal Server Hosting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

VBrick Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Portal Server Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

 viii Contents

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 provides an overview of the application including server and desktop requirements and an overview of features and functionality. Global Settings explains high-level configuration settings and parameters that apply to the entire system. Server Administration provides detailed explanations of all ETV Portal Server global settings and configuration options, as well as diagnostics and status windows. Users and User Groups explains how to configure the system for access control. It explains how to create users and groups with specific permissions and access to resources. Configuring for SSL explains how to securely configure the system using the Secure Sockets Layer. Network Video Recording 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 explains auto content ingestion. This is the process whereby video content is automatically populated on the portal server. EtherneTV Backup explains how to automatically backup the MySQL database and other key directories if you purchased EtherneTV Backup. Amino Set Top Box explains how to connect and use the Amino set top box to view MPEG-2 streams. ACNS Configuration explains how to configure the Portal Server and Cisco's Application and Content Networking System (ACNS) to work together. Rebranding the User Interface explains how to modify the Portal Server "user" interface. You can simply replace images or you can modify the .css stylesheets and thoroughly rebrand the look-and-feel of the application. NXG-to-VOD- explains how to migrate MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video files W Content Migration from a VBrick NXG (Linux) VOD server to a VBrick VOD-W (Windows) VOD server. Purchased Content Ingestion explains how to mass ingest separately purchased video content to any or all configured VOD servers. Manual System Backup explains how to manually backup the MySQL database and other key directories if you did not purchase EtherneTV Backup. VBrick Internet Streaming 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 Search box to find specific information. Simply enter one or more words in the box and press Enter. The search results will return pages that have all of the words you entered—highlighted in yellow (Internet Explorer only). The Search box is not case-sensitive and does not recognize articles (a, an, the), operators (+ and –), or quotation marks. You can narrow the search by adding words.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Related Documents

ETV Portal Server User Guide

ETV Reporter User Guide

STB Quick Start Guide

NXG Server Quick Start Guide

VBPresenter User Guide

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

ETV Portal Server User Guide

ETV Portal Server Release Notes

TTo 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

Chapter 1

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.

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

 ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 1

navigate or search for specific videos, select the video, and immediately begin viewing DVD 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

The minimum server requirements include:

Windows Server 2003 (Web Edition or Standard Edition with Service Pack 2).

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 2003 Server Web Edition and Standard 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 networkrelated 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.

Table 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.
 2 © 2009 VBrick Systems, Inc.

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, Max. Concurrent Viewers is used to enforce copyright restrictions for any live, stored, or recorded video. If the number of concurrent viewers exceeds the configured value, the content will not play. (The Max. Concurrent Users 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 on page 113) can assign 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.

Administrators can also assign an Expiration Date or Viewing Period for any stored video using the Modify VOD Content 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 89). 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 root. To protect the integrity of the database, you should change the default password (vbrick_18) after initial installation and periodically thereafter as explained below. To backup the MySQL database, see EtherneTV Backup on page 145.

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

1.Open a Command Prompt window.

2.At the C: prompt type cd program files\mysql\mysql server 4.1\bin and press Enter.

3.Type mysql -uroot -pvbrick_18 and press Enter.

5.Type exit.

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 Full Screen for a television-like user experience.

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

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).

 4 © 2009 VBrick Systems, Inc.

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

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

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 on page 30 for more.

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 on page 119.

 ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 5

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 Live TV option.

Emergency broadcasts – can define pre-configured emergency broadcast templates that can be launched instantaneously. See Priority Alert on page 66 for more.

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.

Portal Server Components

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

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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, LAN or etc. Ingests and plays MPEG-4 content only. Requires Internet an FTP server. VOD-WM-Standard Microsoft Windows Media Server (unicast only). LAN or Requires an FTP server. Internet VOD-WM- Microsoft Windows Media Server (unicast or LAN or Enterprise multicast). Requires an FTP server. 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 VODWM 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 Windows Media content stored on Internet-based servers. LAN users can access all content

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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.

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 on page 15. The ETV 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

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 on page 127 for more information.

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.

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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.

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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 on page 155. The Portal Server User Guide explains how to use the Amino infrared remote control unit that comes with the device.

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.

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

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

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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 Download signed ActiveX controls is 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 Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins, Script

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 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.

TTo configure QuickTime for tunneled streams

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

3.On the Advanced tab, click on Transport Setup and then Custom.

4.Check the 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 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 Linux environments; see the ETV Portal Server Release Notes for information and recommendations.

Table 4. Supported Stream Types – Macintosh and Linux

 Environment Supported Streams Closed Captions † Macintosh Safari – MPEG-1, MPEG-2, Supported for MPEG-1/MPEG-2 streams, MPEG-4, WM, H.264. and for MPEG-4 and WM with VBrick plugin. Firefox – MPEG-1, MPEG-2, Supported for MPEG-1/MPEG-2 streams, MPEG-4, WM, H.264. and for MPEG-4 and WM with VBrick plugin. Linux Firefox – MPEG-1, MPEG-2, Supported for MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WM, H.264. MPEG-4, and WM streams.

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

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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 Yes Yes N/A MPEG-1/2 MPEG-4 only (STB) (no MPEG-4) WM-IP Receiver No N/A No N/A N/A

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.

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Table 7. Port Requirements †

 Zone Port(s) Protocol Description Internet > DMZ 80 TCP Web request from client to MCS. Internet > DMZ 9876/9878 UDP Management/RTSP SAP announce from VBrick to MCS. DMZ > Internet 21 TCP FTP from MCS to VOD Server (Darwin/Windows Media/ FTP). LAN > DMZ 80 TCP Web request from client to MCS. LAN > DMZ 9875/9876/ UDP Multicast/Management/RTSP SAP announce from VBrick to 9878 MCS. LAN > DMZ 21 TCP FTP from VBStar to MCS (auto-FTP to MCS autoingest directory). 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/ NXG). DMZ > LAN 21 TCP FTP from MCS to VOD Server (Darwin/Windows Media/ FTP). LAN > DMZ 21 TCP FTP from VOD Server (NXG/VOD-W) to MCS. DMZ > LAN 135 TCP Management command from MCS to Windows Media (DCOM). DMZ > LAN 80 TCP Web service request from MCS to Network Video Recorder.
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 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 Scheduling option in the Portal Server client application.) After initial installation you can install a different license as necessary using Add or Remove Programs.

TTo install or modify serial numbers and license files

1.Go to Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs > VBrick Media Control Server

Suite.

2.Click the Change/Remove button, select a license file type, and click Next (license file types are explained in Table 8).

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 Next.

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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 Not applicable. 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 Not applicable. Server license file.
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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 myserveraddress is the host name or IP address of the ETV Portal Server. The session will timeout after 20 minutes of inactivity. admin is both the default user name and password.

 ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 17
Global Settings > Global Assignments

Note As a standard best practice, VBrick recommends changing the default administrator User Name and Password. Go to on the Admin Console.

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Introduction

 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.
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Users, User Groups, and Resource Groups are only displayed if Access Control is enabled. See Users and User Groups on page 103 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.

TTo configure the Portal Server for Internet Explorer 7.0

1.Go to Tools > Internet Options > Security and select Custom level.

2.Under 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

Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins – Enable

Script ActiveX controls marked as safe for scripting – Enable

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Chapter 2

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Control Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

IP Receivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Recorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Script Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

URLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Priority Alert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Program Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Manage Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Access Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Global Assignments

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

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Table 10. Global Assignments

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 ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 23
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 Global Settings Item Description Assign VoD Content Defines the maximum number of simultaneous video files Ingestion Maximum 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. Assign Default Max. Defines the default maximum concurrent viewers allowed for Concurrent Viewers new live or stored (VOD) content. An entry on the Stream Restrictions page or the Modify VOD Content page will override these value for live and stored streams respectively. Set Expired VOD Content Specifies whether expired content will be kept or Treatment automatically deleted at the expiration date. Assign Content Expiration Enter one e-mail address for the person who is responsible Warning Recipient 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 > E- mail > Microsoft Exchange Server > servername. An e-mail to the assigned Content Expiration Warning Recipient is generated when you configure or change this field.
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 Item Description Assign Presentations VBPresenter is used to create multimedia presentations that can be launched from the Portal Server. The Current Presentations Directory defines the virtual directory on the 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. Configuring an MCS Presentation User on page 135 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 (Presentations for live presentations and MCSPresentations for stored presentations), giving the user Everyone full permissions, and mapping the local paths respectively to: C:\Program Files\VBrick\MCS\Presentations C:\Program Files\VBrick\MCS\MCSPresentations Select Player for H.264/ Select the player to use for H.264/MPEG-4 content on MPEG-4 Content 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 141 for more information. Delete Recorded Files After Used with scheduled recording and push button recording. Ingestion Specifies whether or not to delete the recorded file from the NVR after ingestion. Enabled by default.
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 Item Description Set Cisco ACNS Manifest Check the box to enable generation of a Cisco ACNS Options 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 161 for more about ACNS. Display VOD File Check the box to display file extensions (for example .mp4 or Extensions .wmv) in the Portal Server Asset Library.

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

TTo create a Custom Field

1.Go to Global Settings > Custom Fields.

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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 This panel shows the existing custom fields that have previously been Custom Field 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 Customize Streams page, either as a text field or as a dropdown list box.

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.

 ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 29
 Live Stream Click on any live stream shown in the list to populate this field. Max. Concurrent Set the maximum number of concurrent viewers for this stream to Viewers unlimited or any number greater than zero. Viewing Period of Set the length of the viewing period for a file recorded with this Stream Recordings 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.

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 Servers page; no 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 on page 6 for more about ETV servers.

Note It may take up to 20 minutes for new server content to be displayed in the ETV Portal Server. To make content available immediately, go to Global Settings > Global

Assignments > Assign VOD Polling Interval and click Sync Now.

Adding VOD Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Adding FTP Servers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Adding File Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

 30 © 2009 VBrick Systems, Inc.

Global Settings

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 Server Type VBrick recommends you keep the default 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

 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 vbrickuser. The default user name for VOD-W servers is anonymous. The FTP User Name 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
 32 © 2009 VBrick Systems, Inc.
 Global Settings Supports HTTP VOD-W only. Determines whether or not the server supports Tunneling? 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 The Portal Server and the VOD-W communicate using a web (HTTP) 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 VOD-W only. Default = unchecked. To enable URL password Protection 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.

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

EnableQueryDiskSpace.reg utility.

 ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 33
 Domain or When the ETV Portal Server and the VOD-WM server reside in the same Machine Name 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. WM Publishing Name The publishing point on the VOD-WM (default = VBP) Points 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 = d:/wmpub/ WMRoot. Do not change for first publishing point. FTP Path to user-created FTP directory. See Creating a VOD-WM Directory FTP Server. Low Space Optional. Default = 20 MB. If the available disk space on this Threshold 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 \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.

 34 © 2009 VBrick Systems, Inc.

Global Settings

1.Create an FTP server on the WM server. See Creating a VOD-WM FTP Server on page 36.

2.Create a publishing point on the WM Server.

a.Go to Start > Administrative Tools > Windows Media Services.

b.Right-click on the server_name and select Add Publishing Point (Wizard).

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

d.Select Files (digital media or playlists) in a directory and click Next.

e.Select On-demand publishing point and click Next.

f.Specify the location of your content, for example d:\WMPub\WMRoot and click Next.

g.Skip through the remaining steps and click Finish when done.

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

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

b.Navigate to the Default FTP Website. Right-click and select New > Virtual Directory.

c.For 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.

e.Allow Read and Write permissions and click Next.

f.Click Finish when done.

4.In the Portal Server, configure the publishing point 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.

 ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 35

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 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.

TTo install FTP Guardian

2.Click and run Download ftp Guardian Server Wrapper - 600K 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.)

 36 © 2009 VBrick Systems, Inc.

Global Settings

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 vbrickuser and the password is vbrickuser. Hint: use the settings of the 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 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 vbrickuser and the password is vbrickuser. Hint: use the settings of the anonymous account as an example.

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

VOD/FTP Servers page.


text:
# Average Value of a Function Calculator

The calculator will find the average value of the function on the given interval, with steps shown.

Enter a function:

Enter the left endpoint of the interval:

Enter the right endpoint of the interval:

If the calculator did not compute something or you have identified an error, or you have a suggestion/feedback, please write it in the comments below.

## Solution

Your input: find the average value of $$x^{4}$$$on the interval $$\left[0,7\right]$$$.

The average value of the function $$f\left(x\right)$$$on the interval $$[a,b]$$$ is $$\bar{f}= \frac{1}{b-a} \int_a^b f \left( x \right) d x$$$. So, calculate the integral $$L = \frac{1}{\left( 7 \right)-\left( 0 \right)}\int_{0}^{7} x^{4} d x = \int_{0}^{7} \frac{x^{4}}{7} d x$$$

The calculations and the answer for the integral can be seen here.

format: plain


text:
# Hassett 1: Equations of Universal Torsors

Cox Rings

This follows an exposition due to Hu and Keel (Yi Hu and Seán Keel, Mori dream spaces and GIT, Michigan Math. J., 48 (2000), 331-348). Let , and a projective smooth variety over . Let be line bundles on . If , then .

We have a multiplication map . We have a ring , which is often not finitely generated.

If are (semi)ample (a semiample bundle is a pullback of an ample bundle), then is finitely generated.

Definition. Let be smooth and projective, and assume (e.g. a Fano variety). The Cox ring is where:

1. is a basis for ;
2. Every effective divisor can be written for .

Remark.

1. is (multi)graded by ; for , there is a -graded piece . This gives a natural action by , the Neron-Severi torus, , , corresponding to .

2. Graded pieces which are nonzero are in one-to-one correspondence with effective divisor classes of .

3. Definition does not depend on choice of ; is natural up to the action of the Neron-Severi torus.

The Hilbert function if has no higher cohomology, so is a `polynomial in '. For example, if ample cone, Kodaira vanishing implies that .

If is nef ( is nef if for every curve ) and big ( is big if is in the interior of the effective cone), for example if is Fano, then for all nef and big. Our basic strategy: use knowledge of the Hilbert function to read off the structure of . There is hope that the ring will be finitely generated from this polynomial expression.

Finite Generation

What are necessary conditions for to be finitely generated? (Part of a theorem of Hu, Keel which give necessary and sufficient conditions.) We must have:

1. The effective cone of should be finitely generated. (It is an open problem if the effective cone of a Fano variety is finitely generated, either in the sense that the closed cone is rational polyhedral or the associated monoid is finitely generated.)
2. The nef cone is finitely generated.

There are also sufficient conditions:

1. for if is a toric variety.
2. If is (log) Fano of dimension . Then is finitely generated (Shokurov).

Remark. The universal torsor as an explicitly defined open subset, if is finitely generated.

Cubic Surface

This is joint work with Tschinkel. The cubic surface is defined by the equation embedded in ; it contains a unique line , and a unique singularity .

Analysis of the singularity: In affine coordinates, we have . We rewrite this as , and up to analytic equivalence, this is , which is the normal form of an singularity.

The resolution has six exceptional curves in an -diagram, and has intersection form

with numbering as

The inverse of this matrix is given by

The inverse proves that: Proposition. The effective cone of is generated by ; the nef cone is generated by .

We have

we choose generating . (Descent to involves rescaling these such that the relations are defined over .)

We have , but this is not surjective. We need additional generators. We let ; since is semiample, we have by Riemann-Roch, and is a conic bundle. Then

Similarly, , so we have an additional generator

Since , we have a fourth generator

Fact. We have a surjection .

Now we look for relations among these generators. By the Hilbert function, we know that , but we have elements of degree in the polynomial ring:

Since , , , after renormalization, so the original equation gives the relation

With this,

by a computation of the Hilbert function of the quotient, there are no more relations.

This method should also work for other very singular cubic surfaces.

Back to the main index for Rational and integral points on higher dimensional varieties.


text:
Decomposable Tensors over Rings

Suppose $R$ is a commutative ring and $M$ is a $R$-module. Then we can define the tensor product $M\otimes_R M$ and more generally the $k$-fold tensor powers $\otimes_R^kM$ for any $k\in\mathbb{N}$, which are again $R$-modules.

In addition the tensor power $T_R(M):=R\oplus (\oplus_{k\in\mathbb{N}}\otimes_R^{k}M)$ is an $R$-algebra with respect to the concatenation product $\otimes: T_R(M)\times T_R(M)\to T_R(M)\;;\;(x,y)\mapsto x\otimes_R y$.

Now the question is:

Under what additional assumptions on $R$ or on the module $M$ can we say that any tensor $x\in T_R(M)$ is a $R$-linear combination of decomposable tensors, that is $x=\sum_{i\in I}a_i(x_{i,1}\otimes_R\cdots \otimes_R x_{i,n_i})$ for some index set $I$ and $x_{i,j}\in M$?

-

The tensor algebra is a direct sum, so any element is a sum of 'homogeneous' tensors $x\in \otimes^n_R M$.Ok. But the second point needs more explanation. Is it a linear combination of simple tensors, i.e a finite sum? And why? A proof directly from the definition would be nice. .. If this is obvious, a proof should be easy. –  Mark Neuhaus Oct 7 '13 at 7:41