Imagine Communications 2.1.1 Connectus User Guide
Annonce
Annonce
User Guide
Nexio® Connectus®
2.1.1
4/29/2014
175-100286-00
Nexio® Connectus® 2.1.1 User Guide
Publication Information
© 2014 Imagine Communications.
Proprietary and Confidential.
Imagine Communications considers this document and its contents to be proprietary and confidential.
Except for making a reasonable number of copies for your own internal use, you may not reproduce this publication, or any part thereof, in any form, by any method, for any purpose, or in any language other than English without the written consent of Imagine Communications. All others uses are illegal.
This publication is designed to assist in the use of the product as it exists on the date of publication of this manual, and may not reflect the product at the current time or an unknown time in the future. This publication does not in any way warrant description accuracy or guarantee the use for the product to which it refers. Imagine Communications reserves the right, without notice to make such changes in equipment, design, specifications, components, or documentation as progress may warrant to improve the performance of the product.
Trademarks
Nexio® InfoCaster Manager™ and Nexio® InfoCaster™ are trademarks or trade names of Imagine
Communications or its subsidiaries.
Microsoft® and Windows® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective companies.
Contact Information
Imagine Communications has office locations around the world. For domestic and international location and contact information, visit our Contact page
(http://www.imaginecommunications.com/company/contact-us.aspx).
Support Contact Information
For domestic and international support contact information see:
Support Contacts (http://www.imaginecommunications.com/services/technical-support.aspx)
eCustomer Portal (http://support.imaginecommunications.com)
Academy Training (http://www.imaginecommunicationsacademy.com)
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User Guide Contents
Contents
Connectus Basics ................................................................................................. 10
Use Connectus ........................................................................................................................................ 10
Launch Connectus .................................................................................................................................. 11
Connectus Connection Licenses ............................................................................................................. 11
Configure Connectus .............................................................................................................................. 12
Tabs, Tools, and Preferences Overview.................................................................................................. 12
Connectus Tabs .................................................................................................................................. 12
Connectus Tools ................................................................................................................................. 13
Connectus Preferences....................................................................................................................... 14
Configuration Utility ............................................................................................................................... 15
Set Up the Network ............................................................................................. 16
Set Up a Network and Components ................................................................................................... 16
Network Components ........................................................................................................................ 17
Set up Connectus System ....................................................................................................................... 19
Connectus System Specifications ....................................................................................................... 19
Confirm Your Administrator Privileges ............................................................................................... 20
Turn Off Simple File Sharing ............................................................................................................... 21
Pre-Installation Requirements ........................................................................................................... 21
Determine System Communication ....................................................................................................... 22
Identify File Servers & Connectus Systems ........................................................................................ 22
LAN or Internet ................................................................................................................................... 22
Set Up Your File Servers ......................................................................................................................... 23
Set Up a File Server on a LAN ............................................................................................................. 23
Operation ........................................................................................................................................... 24
Set Up a File Server on a Website ...................................................................................................... 24
Configure a Port through Internet Security (Web Setups Only) ........................................................ 25
Configure Web Trigger Settings .............................................................................................................. 27
Install Connectus .................................................................................................................................... 28
Connect Your Dongle .......................................................................................................................... 28
Connect Your U2IO Device ................................................................................................................. 28
Install the Software ............................................................................................................................ 28
Configure Windows XP Firewall Settings ........................................................................................... 29
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File Servers .......................................................................................................... 31
Assign Connectus File Servers ................................................................................................................ 31
Set Up File Servers .................................................................................................................................. 31
Assign the Published Content Main File Server ...................................................................................... 31
Connectus ........................................................................................................................................... 32
Assign Approved Content Main File Servers .......................................................................................... 33
Assign Mirrored File Servers ................................................................................................................... 35
Assign Mirrored File Servers ............................................................................................................... 35
Set Copying Options ........................................................................................................................... 36
Assign Preferred File Servers .............................................................................................................. 37
Connection Preferences ......................................................................................................................... 39
Store Archived Files ............................................................................................................................ 39
Free Disk Space Warning .................................................................................................................... 39
Connections ........................................................................................................................................ 40
Debug Logging .................................................................................................................................... 40
Server Internal Files ................................................................................................................................ 42
Set Up Database ................................................................................................................................. 42
Change Storage Location .................................................................................................................... 42
Set Up Network Components .............................................................................. 44
Connect Publishers ................................................................................................................................. 45
Connect Connectus Players .................................................................................................................... 46
Run Publishers as Players ................................................................................................................... 46
Set Up Players ..................................................................................................................................... 46
License Manager ................................................................................................................................ 55
Player Server ...................................................................................................................................... 55
Set Up Connectus ............................................................................................................................... 56
Connect Connectus Consoles ................................................................................................................. 58
Install Remote Connectus Consoles ................................................................................................... 58
Connect Remote Consoles to Connectus Servers .............................................................................. 58
Use Publishers ..................................................................................................... 61
Connectus Publishers ............................................................................................................................. 61
Hidden Operating System Files .......................................................................................................... 61
Use Different Publishers ..................................................................................................................... 62
Manage Publishers in Connectus ..................................................................................................... 100
Manage Filter Queries on Publishers ............................................................................................... 104
InfoCaster Online .............................................................................................................................. 105
Manage Content ................................................................................................ 109
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Content List ...................................................................................................................................... 109
Content Types .................................................................................................................................. 110
Categories ......................................................................................................................................... 113
View Content List ............................................................................................................................. 113
Remove Content ............................................................................................................................... 115
Content Details ..................................................................................................................................... 117
Preview Content Pages ..................................................................................................................... 117
Content History ................................................................................................................................ 118
Content Versions .............................................................................................................................. 118
Content Expiry ...................................................................................................................................... 119
Define Expiry Behavior for File Servers ............................................................................................ 119
Set Expiry Settings for Content in Connectus ................................................................................... 119
How Shared Media Expires .............................................................................................................. 120
How Punctuate Media Expires ......................................................................................................... 121
Archive Expired Content ....................................................................................................................... 123
Set Up Content Archive .................................................................................................................... 123
Archive to Invenio ............................................................................................................................ 123
Archive Content ................................................................................................................................ 125
Retrieve Content .............................................................................................................................. 125
Content Approval ................................................................................................................................. 127
Enable Content Approval ................................................................................................................. 127
Email Personnel ................................................................................................................................ 127
Approve Content with a Publisher ................................................................................................... 130
Approve Content with Connectus .................................................................................................... 130
Content Settings ................................................................................................................................... 131
Open the Content Settings Dialog .................................................................................................... 131
Select Pages and Regions ................................................................................................................. 131
Set Region Editing Permissions ........................................................................................................ 132
Set Regions for Playback Logging ..................................................................................................... 132
External Data Options ...................................................................................................................... 133
Configure Punctuate Support ............................................................................................................... 134
Configure Punctuate Integration ...................................................................................................... 134
Players ............................................................................................................... 137
Connectus Players ................................................................................................................................ 137
Run Publishers as Players ................................................................................................................. 137
Set Up Players ................................................................................................................................... 138
Offline Players .................................................................................................................................. 138
Add an Enseo STB as a Player ........................................................................................................... 139
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Player Status ......................................................................................................................................... 140
Player List ......................................................................................................................................... 141
Player Details .................................................................................................................................... 143
View Player Content ......................................................................................................................... 146
Playback Queue ................................................................................................................................ 147
Update Queue .................................................................................................................................. 147
View Player Playback ........................................................................................................................ 148
Player Preferences............................................................................................................................ 148
Check Player Frequency ................................................................................................................... 150
Troubleshoot Players with Commands ............................................................................................ 150
Export and Import Player Lists ......................................................................................................... 151
Remove Player .................................................................................................................................. 153
Filter and Display Players ...................................................................................................................... 153
Filter Players ..................................................................................................................................... 153
Display Players in Pages ................................................................................................................... 155
Group Network Components ............................................................................................................... 156
Manage Groups ................................................................................................................................ 156
.No Group ......................................................................................................................................... 157
Assign Network Components to Groups .......................................................................................... 157
Export and Import Group Information ............................................................................................. 157
Auto Assignment .............................................................................................................................. 157
Control schedulable Players ................................................................................................................. 158
Control Content Playback ................................................................................................................. 158
Control Player Operation ................................................................................................................. 158
Send Triggers to Players ....................................................................................................................... 159
Set Up External Triggers ................................................................................................................... 159
Add New Player GPIs ........................................................................................................................ 159
Manage Player GPIs .......................................................................................................................... 162
Fire GPIs ............................................................................................................................................ 162
Player Maps .......................................................................................................................................... 164
Manage Maps ................................................................................................................................... 164
Editing Mode .................................................................................................................................... 165
Add Displays to Maps ....................................................................................................................... 165
Assign Players to Displays ................................................................................................................. 166
Log Playback ......................................................................................................................................... 166
Information Logged .......................................................................................................................... 166
Enable Player Logging ....................................................................................................................... 167
Set Log Collection Options ............................................................................................................... 168
Set Regions for Logging .................................................................................................................... 169
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View Log Files ................................................................................................................................... 169
Display Control ..................................................................................................................................... 170
Filter Players in the List .................................................................................................................... 170
Add Additional Displays .................................................................................................................... 170
Assign Display Types to Players ........................................................................................................ 170
View Player Display Status ............................................................................................................... 171
Manually Control Displays ................................................................................................................ 171
Automate Display Control ................................................................................................................ 172
Status Tab ............................................................................................................................................. 173
Set Information to Log...................................................................................................................... 173
Export and Print Events .................................................................................................................... 175
Set Status Update Frequency ........................................................................................................... 175
Send Software Updates to Players ....................................................................................................... 175
View Software Updates .................................................................................................................... 176
Send Software Updates .................................................................................................................... 176
Add User Custom Updates to Your File Server ................................................................................. 177
Send Content ..................................................................................................... 179
Send Content ........................................................................................................................................ 179
Workflow .......................................................................................................................................... 179
Select Content to Send ..................................................................................................................... 180
Select Content Destination............................................................................................................... 181
Select Update Time .......................................................................................................................... 181
Schedule Content Playback .............................................................................................................. 182
Send the Content.............................................................................................................................. 182
View Update Status .......................................................................................................................... 183
Send Content with Rules ...................................................................................................................... 184
Manage Rules ................................................................................................................................... 184
Create New Rules ............................................................................................................................. 185
Send Content Manually ........................................................................................................................ 187
Save Content to CD........................................................................................................................... 187
Import CD ROM Content into the Player .......................................................................................... 188
Export Content ................................................................................................................................. 189
Multicast Mode Groups ........................................................................................................................ 190
Set Up Transmission Folders ............................................................................................................ 191
Create Reception Folders ................................................................................................................. 195
Monitor Reception Folders .............................................................................................................. 195
Connectus Consoles ........................................................................................... 196
Manage Connectus Consoles................................................................................................................ 196
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Console Types ................................................................................................................................... 197
Set Console Permissions ................................................................................................................... 197
Add Players to a Console .................................................................................................................. 197
Add Content to a Console ................................................................................................................ 199
Add Publishers to a Console ............................................................................................................. 199
Connectus Servers ............................................................................................. 201
Enable/Disable Communication ....................................................................................................... 201
Install Connectus Servers ................................................................................................................. 202
Connectus Name .............................................................................................................................. 202
Set Status Messages ......................................................................................................................... 202
Set Replication Frequency ................................................................................................................ 202
Connectus Server Connections ............................................................................................................. 203
Outbound and Inbound Connections ............................................................................................... 203
Set Up a Server Connection .............................................................................................................. 204
Remove Connections ........................................................................................................................ 205
Configure Server Connections .............................................................................................................. 206
Content Replication .......................................................................................................................... 206
Share Players .................................................................................................................................... 208
Install Web Servers ............................................................................................ 211
Use Microsoft IIS HTTP Server .......................................................................................................... 211
Use the Apache Web Server ............................................................................................................. 214
Configure Connectus .......................................................................................... 216
Launch the Configuration Utility ...................................................................................................... 216
Configuration Utility Tabs ................................................................................................................. 216
Clock Synchronization........................................................................................................................... 217
Configure Synchronization ............................................................................................................... 217
Monitor Synchronization Status ....................................................................................................... 217
Email Settings Tab ................................................................................................................................ 219
Use Microsoft Outlook ..................................................................................................................... 219
Use Harris Mailer .............................................................................................................................. 219
Disable Email .................................................................................................................................... 220
External Triggers Tab ............................................................................................................................ 221
Connect External Triggers ................................................................................................................ 221
Add External Triggers ....................................................................................................................... 226
Software GPIs ................................................................................................................................... 226
Connectus Server Account Tab ............................................................................................................. 228
Local System Account ....................................................................................................................... 228
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Set Connectus Service Account ........................................................................................................ 228
Index .................................................................................................................. 229
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User Guide Connectus Basics
Connectus Basics
The Nexio® Connectus® console interface allows you to control all aspects of your network. Each tab in the console interface gives you access to different network components or activities that configure and maintain networks of all sizes.
Note: Depending on their permissions, console systems may not have all the options and features described in this section. To learn more about consoles and their permissions, see Connectus Consoles
Use Connectus
This is the basic workflow for creating, distributing, and outputting content.
1. Create content with a publisher.
2. Publish the content to the Connectus server. The content is stored on the Connectus system’s file servers.
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3. Set the editing permissions and logging options for the content within Connectus.
Connectus Basics
4. Use Connectus to send content to the players.
Connectus can also schedule and control content playback for players that support scheduling.
5. Schedulable players display content at the times specified by Connectus. On other players, content is displayed manually by player operators or through automation.
Launch Connectus
Use one of the following methods to launch Connectus:
Choose Start > Programs > Harris > Connectus > Connectus.
Double-click on the Connectus shortcut on the desktop.
Note: You cannot launch Connectus remotely through a Windows® remote desktop connection.
When Connectus launches the Connect to Server window appears.
If you installed Connectus as both a server and a console, the server on your system is automatically listed as the “localhost” address.
Select the server you want to connect to and click the Connect to Server button. Connectus connects to the server and launches.
Note: If you are connecting a console to one or more servers that are on separate machines, see
Connect Connectus Consoles (on page 58) to learn how to enable the connections.
Connectus Connection Licenses
The Connectus dongle that is connected to your system specifies a certain number of licenses that are allowed to connect to Connectus.
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User Guide Connectus Basics
All players connecting to Connectus from one machine are considered a single license. Each Windows user account used to connect to Connectus as a publisher is counted as a license.
Players and publishers connecting from a single system will each consume a license. For example, the following setups will each consume two licenses:
A system running both a G-Scribe publisher and a content receiver.
A Channel ONE system running as both a publisher and a player.
A G-Scribe publisher that is used by two Windows accounts on the same machine.
Note: InfoCaster players can run without a dongle while Connectus operates as a license manager. See
License Manager for more information.
Configure Connectus
After you have installed your network components as described in Set Up the Network (on page 16),
follow these basic steps for configuring Connectus to suit your network needs.
1. To set up communication between publishers, players, and Connectus you need to assign the file
servers you are using to store your content. See Assign Connectus File Servers (on page 31) to
learn how to assign file servers to store both published and approved content.
2. Connectus systems consist of both server and console components. If your server and consoles are installed on different systems, you must establish connections between the server and the remote
consoles. See Connect Connectus Consoles (on page 58) for more information.
3. Enable one or more publishers as described in Connect Publishers (on page 45).
4. Connect your player systems to the Connectus as described in Connect Connectus Players (on page
5. Connect multiple Connectus servers together so that they share information as described in
Connectus Servers (on page 201).
Tabs, Tools, and Preferences Overview
Use the tabs, tools, and preference options to access and configure the features of Connectus.
Connectus Tabs
Click on the tabs within the Connectus interface to perform the most common network management tasks such as sending content and monitoring players. Each tab has a hotkey for quick access.
Tab Description
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Tab
Content
Updates
Players
Connectus Basics
Description
Displays the content published by the publisher system. Use the tab to send content to players and other network components. See Send Content (on page
Users can also choose to approve and disapprove content on the Content tab,
as described in Content Approval (on page 127).
Displays the state of all content updates that are being sent by Connectus. See
Allows you to manage and control player systems. See Players (on page 137).
Players Playback Displays playback thumbnails for all compatible players. See View Player
Peer Servers Use this tab to connect Connectus servers and share content between them.
See Connectus Servers (on page 201).
Permissions Allows you to enable and manage the publishers and consoles that connect to
the Connectus server. See Manage Connectus Consoles (on page 196) and
Connect Publishers (on page 45).
For more information about publishers and publishing, see Use Publishers (on
Triggers
Player Maps
Connectus can send virtual "Player GPIs" to compatible players in response to
serial or software GPI triggers. See Send Triggers to Players (on page 159).
The Player Maps tab allows you to place your players on imported maps to
help you visualize your network. See Player Maps (on page 164).
Status Displays the communication status for network components, and allows you to choose the status information that is logged and displayed. See Status Tab (on
Connectus Tools
Use the Tools menu to configure some special features, such as assigning players to groups and creating email lists.
Tab
Groups
Log Viewer
Description
Allows you to manage groups and assign players to them. See Group Network
Displays the playback logs collected from player systems. See View Log Files
Multicast Mode
Groups
Organizes transmission folders, generally used for satellite transmission. See
Multicast Mode Groups (on page 190).
Content Preview Displays a high-quality still preview of the content selected in the Content tab.
Archive Search and Retrieve
Opens a window for searching and retrieving archived content. For more information about archiving content, see Archive Expired Content (on page
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Tab Description
Connectus Basics
Display Control Allows you to control the parameters of supported player monitors. See
Display Control (on page 170) for more information.
Categories Use the Categories window to manage the categories that your publishers can
assign when publishing content. See Categories (on page 113).
Rules Rules allow you to automatically send content to network components based
on events and actions. See Send Content with Rules (on page 184).
Add New Offline
Player
Add New Offline
IconLogo
Allows you to add new offline players to your list of players. See Offline Players
Allows you to add new offline IconLogo players to your list. See IconLogo (on
page 53) for more information.
Add New Enseo
STB
Save Content to
CD
Add Enseo set top boxes to your player list, which you can control using the
Display Control window. See Add an Enseo STB as a Player (on page 139) for
more information.
Use the Save to CD feature to burn your content to a CD ROM. See Save
Export Content If you want to manually send content to players without using the Save
Content to CD feature, export your content as described in Export Content (on
Emails Add, edit, and remove contacts from an email list. These contacts can be assigned to Download Personnel and Approval Personnel lists. See Email
Personnel (on page 127) for more information.
Player Software
Updates
Automatically updates players with new software patches, service packs, and
release notes. See Send Software Updates to Players (on page 175).
Connect to Server Your Connectus console can connect to a different server. See Connect
Connectus Consoles (on page 58).
Connectus Preferences
Change your preferences to assign file servers and configure basic Connectus operation.
Tab
File Server
Playback
Connections
Content
Distribution
Content Expiry
Description
Allows you to set up and edit the file servers used to store content, as
described in Assign Connectus File Servers (on page 31).
Sets playback logging options as described in Log Playback (on page 166).
Sets port connections to other systems. See Connections (on page 40).
The Content Distribution tab contains settings for sending content to
Connectus servers and Multicast Mode Groups. It also allows you to choose a
preferred file server. See Assign Preferred File Servers (on page 37).
Sets your content to expire on file servers and players. See Content Expiry (on
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Tab Description
Connectus Basics
Content Archiving Allows you to archive expired content before it is deleted. See Archive Expired
Punctuate Punctuate is exclusively related to InfoCaster content, and it is not generally part of the Connectus network. Please contact your dealer if you require more information about Punctuate.
License Manager If you are using Connectus as a license manager for players, see License
Server Internal
Files
Sets the location where Connectus stores its internal files. See Server Internal
Configuration Utility
Connectus comes with a Configuration Utility which helps you change your system settings and set up
external triggers. See Configure Connectus (on page 216) to learn how to launch and use the
Configuration Utility.
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Set Up the Network
How to set up and install file servers and Connectus systems.
Set Up the Network
The Nexio® Connectus® solution integrates Connectus systems, publishers, and players to distribute and control digital signage and broadcast-quality output in remote locations. A typical network may consist of a single Connectus which drives a few players, or it can contain multiple Connectus servers and consoles which control the content and output of thousands of players around the world.
This manual explains how to set up and use Connectus with networks of all sizes.
Set Up a Network and Components
These are the general steps for getting started with Connectus. Follow the instructions in this section of the User Guide to:
1. Set up the Connectus system.
2. Set up file servers.
3. Install the Connectus server.
After you have installed the Connectus server you can begin connecting to other components in the
network, as described in Set Up Network Components (on page 44).
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1. Install and connect publishers.
2. Install and connect players.
3. Install and connect Connectus consoles.
4. Install and connect Connectus servers.
Network Components
Networks consist of the following components.
Set Up the Network
Publisher
Publishers create and edit content projects. Content projects contain all the resources and details of your output including graphic files, video clips, and layout information.
Content is published to the Connectus server using a publisher. When publishing content, the publisher contacts the Connectus server, then sends the content to the server system. The server sends the received content to its main published file server.
The publishers in your network will be running Imagine Communications software such as InfoCaster,
Channel ONE, IconStation, G-Scribe, TitleOne, G-3D, Direct Control, G-Flow, or LogoCreator. For
information about the content types created by publishers, see Content Types (on page 110).
File Servers
File servers store the content published by publishers. The Published Content main file server must be accessible to the Connectus server through a local share or over the LAN, and the player systems must have read access to the file servers.
You can create file servers for storing both published and approved content. File servers can be mirrored, and you can customize preferred file servers for players, groups, and Connectus servers.
Connectus
Connectus controls which content is available to players, and it can control the playback of content on schedulable players. Connectus also receives new or updated content from the publishers and keeps track of all the content on the file servers.
Connectus consists of two components: a server and one or more consoles. When multiple sites need to control specific players and content, remote Connectus consoles can be set up to manage a subset of content and players. If consoles are enabled as administrators they have the same options available as the server.
Connectus Servers
Networks may contain more than one Connectus server. Servers are independent and can manage overlapping players and content when they are connected together. They can also be configured to replicate content between their file servers.
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Players
Connectus sends commands to the players, instructing them to download content from the file servers.
Player output can be monitored from the Connectus system, and players can send detailed logs of their output back to Connectus for billing purposes.
The player systems are configured to receive content and play it using their output hardware. They must have read access to the file servers they download from. InfoCaster, IconStation, and Channel ONE players can only edit content if they have permission from the publisher or Connectus.
Schedulable players such as InfoCaster and Channel ONE run software that allows their output to be scheduled and controlled by Connectus. Other players must be controlled manually or with automation protocols.
The players in your network will be running Nexio software such as InfoCaster, Channel ONE,
IconStation, Automation Interface, or IconLogo.
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Set up Connectus System
Before you install or set up Connectus on a network system, ensure that your system meets the following specifications and is properly configured.
Connectus System Specifications
The Connectus server must be a dedicated system which does not have any other Nexio components installed. To build a dedicated Connectus system which contains the SQL Server data storage and content file server, please ensure that the system meets the supported system requirements.
CPU
Intel I5 (2320 or better)
Intel Xeon Processor (X3450 or better)
Motherboard USB for Digital Rights Management dongle
RAM
Monitor
8GB RAM
Minimum desktop resolution of 1280 x 1024
Network
Operating
System
SQL Server
Version
Gigabit Ethernet
Windows XP x64
Windows 7 x64 Professional
Windows 7 x64 Ultimate
Windows Server 2003 R2 x64 Standard SP2
Windows Server 2003 R2 x64 Enterprise SP2
Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 Standard
Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 Enterprise
Windows 8 x64 Enterprise
Windows Server 2012 x64 Standard
SQL Server 2008 R2 x64 Express with Advanced Services
SQL Server 2008 R2 x64 Express with Tools
SQL Server 2008 R2 x64 Workgroup
Free Hard Drive
Space
500GB
For large networks where performance and availability are a factor, we recommend a distributed system where your Connectus server and dedicated SQL server system meet the following supported system requirements.
Note: When setting up your file server, there are many options such as a network file share, FTP server,
HTTP server, HTTPS server, etc. The type and configuration you choose must take into account your network and security requirements.
Dedicated SQL Server Supported System Requirements
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CPU
Set Up the Network
RAM
Intel I5 (2320 or better)
Intel Xeon Processor (X3450 or better)
12GB RAM
Network
Operating System
Gigabit Ethernet
Windows 2008 R2 x64 Standard
Windows 2008 R2 x64 Enterprise (if Failover Clustering is required)
For additional supported operating systems, please consult the
Microsoft SQL Server System Requirements page for the SQL
Server edition you are using.
SQL Server Version
SQL Server 2008 R2 x64 Workgroup
SQL Server 2008 R2 x64 Standard (Supports Failover
Clustering)
SQL Server 2008 R2 x64 Web
SQL Server 2008 R2 x64 Enterprise (Supports Failover
Clustering)
Distributed Connectus Server Supported System Requirements
CPU
Intel I5 (2320 or better)
Intel Xeon Processor (X3450 or better)
Motherboard
RAM
USB for Digital Rights Management dongle
12GB RAM
Monitor Minimum desktop resolution of 1280 x 1024
Network
Operating System
Gigabit Ethernet
Windows 2008 R2 x64 Standard
Windows 2008 R2 x64 Enterprise (if Failover Clustering is required)
Windows Server 2012 x64 Standard
SQL Server Version
SQL Server 2008 R2 x64 Workgroup
SQL Server 2008 R2 x64 Standard (Supports Failover
Clustering)
SQL Server 2008 R2 x64 Web
SQL Server 2008 R2 x64 Enterprise (Supports Failover
Clustering)
Confirm Your Administrator Privileges
You must have administrator privileges to install Connectus. Complete the following steps to confirm your administrator privileges.
1. Login to your computer with your username and password.
If the computer is in a Workgroup, you cannot leave the password blank.
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User Guide Set Up the Network
2. Select Start > Control Panel > User Accounts.
If the computer is in a domain, the login account is listed in Users for this Computer. Check that
"Administrators" displays under the Group heading.
If the computer is not in a domain, "Computer Administrator" displays beside your login account.
3. If you do not have administrator privileges, contact your IT professional.
Turn Off Simple File Sharing
In Windows XP, make sure Simple File Sharing is NOT enabled.
1. Click on Start > Settings > Control Panel.
2. Double-click on Folder Options.
3. In the Folders Options window, switch to the View tab.
4. Scroll to the bottom of the Advanced settings list.
5. Make sure Use Simple File Sharing is unchecked.
If Use Simple File Sharing is checked, clear the checkbox and click on Apply.
Pre-Installation Requirements
Ensure that the following pre-installation requirements are met before you install Connectus.
Microsoft® .NET Framework
The Microsoft .NET framework must be installed and enabled on the system. In some situations the framework will be automatically installed by Connectus, as detailed below.
On workstation versions of Windows® (such as XP, Vista, and Windows 7) the .NET framework is automatically installed by Connectus. No further action is required.
On Windows Server 2008, an administrator must enable the .NET framework before installing
Connectus.
If the .NET framework is not preinstalled on your system you must install it before you install
Connectus.
Windows Media® Player
Windows Media Player must be installed and enabled on the system.
Windows Media Player is preinstalled on some workstation versions of Windows (such as XP, Vista, and Windows 7), but in some parts of the world it is not automatically preinstalled on these systems. If Windows Media Player is not preinstalled on your workstation system you must install it before you install Connectus.
On server versions of Windows (such as 2003 and 2008 R2), an administrator must enable the
Windows Desktop Experience feature before installing Connectus.
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User Guide Set Up the Network
Determine System Communication
You should know how you intend to set up network communication before you begin setting up your
Connectus network. This includes knowing how publishers and players will connect to the file servers that store your content, and how the Connectus server will connect to Connectus consoles and other servers.
Identify File Servers & Connectus Systems
As part of your Connectus setup you need to determine where you will place your file servers, which systems will run Connectus servers, and which systems will run Connectus consoles if applicable.
LAN or Internet
You can set up the Connectus solution so systems communicate through either a Local Area Network or the internet.
Local Area Network
When you set up the Connectus solution to communicate by LAN, you can set a shared folder as your file server where Connectus, publishers, and players access content. Communication by LAN is the easiest to configure.
Internet
When you set up the Connectus solution to communicate through the internet, you can set up a website as a mirrored file server where Connectus, publishers, and player systems access content.
Communication over the internet requires firewall protection for internet connections. You must have your organization’s Network Administrator or IT professional set up your internet security.
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Set Up Your File Servers
File servers store the content published by publishers and approved by publisher or Connectus operators. After you have set up a file server and installed Connectus, use the Connectus File Server dialog to select the servers for your published and approved content.
The Published Content main file server and the Approved Content main file server must be accessible to the Connectus over the LAN.
Set Up a File Server on a LAN
LAN setups use shared folders as the file servers for storing published and approved content. All publishers, players, and Connectus servers must be connected to the LAN to access the file servers. If you are setting up system communication on a LAN, you must determine whether the file servers will reside on systems that are part of a domain or a workgroup. Instructions for setting up file servers are different depending on the setup.
Determine System Setup: Domain or Workgroup
Complete the following steps to determine if the file server system is set up on a domain or a workgroup.
1. On the system where you will set up the file server, login as a user with administrator privileges.
2. On the computer desktop, right-click on My Computer and select Properties from the menu.
3. In the Properties window, switch to the Computer Name tab.
Under the computer name is the word "Domain" or "Workgroup" indicating whether the computer is part of a domain or a workgroup.
Set Up a File Server on a LAN Domain
If you determined that the file server system is part of a domain, use the following instructions to create a shared folder that is accessible to the publisher, player, and Connectus server applications using the published and approved content. Later you will use the File Server dialog within Connectus to select the shared folder as your file server.
Note: Connectus operators must have full access to the shared folder. Player operators must have read access. The following steps include instructions for setting full folder permissions,
1. Set up a shared folder on the file server system. a. Navigate to the location for the shared folder. a. Create a folder on the system for your published content, and another folder for your approved content if you are using the Approve Content option in Connectus. b. Right-click on the folder and select Sharing and Security. c. On the Sharing tab, select the Share This Folder radio button. d. Enter a share name in the field.
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2. Set full folder permissions.
Set Up the Network a. On the Sharing tab, click on the Permissions button to open a window for setting the folder permissions. b. Select Everyone. c. Check the Full Control permission and click OK.
Allowing full control for everyone means that all users on the network have full access to the file server. To limit access to the shared folder, create new groups or users and set permissions as needed. d. Switch to the Security tab. e. Select full permissions and click Apply for Everyone.
3. Click OK to apply the folder’s share and permission settings.
Set Up a File Server on a LAN Workgroup
If you determined that the file server system is part of a workgroup, use the following instructions to create a shared folder that is accessible to the player, publisher, and Connectus applications using the published and approved content. Later you will use the File Server dialog within Connectus to select the shared folder as your file server.
Note: Connectus operators must have full access to the shared folder. Player operators must have read access. The following steps include instructions on setting full folder permissions,
1. Set up a shared folder on the file server system. a. Navigate to the location for the shared folder. a. Create a folder on the system for your published content, and another folder and for your approved content if you are using the Approve Content option in Connectus. b. Right-click on the folder and select Sharing and Security. c. On the Sharing tab, click on the "If you understand the security risks..." link. d. In the Enable File Sharing window, choose "Just enable file sharing" and click OK. e. On the Sharing tab, select the "Share This Folder on the Network" checkbox. f. Enter a share name in the field.
2. On the Sharing tab, set folder permissions by selecting the "Allow network users to change my files" checkbox.
Operation
Communication takes place between the player and the web server when the player connects to the
Connectus on port 9001. Initial communication between the player and the Connectus or web server is initiated by the player. Once connected, the Connectus uses this connection to send content to the player, and the player responds on the same connection.
Set Up a File Server on a Website
Internet setups use a specified location on a website as a file server for storing content. All players and
Connectus servers must have access to the file server on the website.
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Set Up a File Server on an Existing Website
Instructions for setting up a file server on a website differ depending on the web server or web service you are using to host the site. If you currently have administrative access to a website , you can use the options provided by the web server to create a folder on the site. Later you will use the File Server dialog within Connectus to select the folder as your file server.
If you need assistance setting up a folder on an existing website, contact the support specialists from the company hosting the site.
Note: Connectus operators must have full access to the shared folder. Player operators must have read access.
Set Up a File Server on Your Own Web Server
To set up a web server for hosting your file server, you must install web server software on your file server system.
The Microsoft® Internet Information Services HTTP server and the Apache web server software are commonly used, and have been tested with Connectus. Other web server software will work with
Connectus, but you might need the help of your IT professional to download and install the software.
To learn how to set up a Microsoft Internet Information Services HTTP server, see Use Microsoft IIS
To set up an Apache Web Server, see Use the Apache Web Server (on page 214).
Configure a Port through Internet Security (Web Setups Only)
For file servers set up on a website, you must have your organization’s Network Administrator or IT professional help you understand and account for internet security issues, and configure a port through internet security for Connectus operation.
The following instructions are intended for someone who is familiar with setting up internet security.
Private or Public IP Address?
The network security setup depends on whether you are using private or public IP addresses. A private
IP address is any IP address in the following ranges.
10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255 (10/8)
17.16.0.0 to 17.31.255.255 (172.16/12)
192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255 (192.168/16)
A public IP address is any IP address that is not in the private range.
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User Guide
Direct Firewall Configurations
Set Up the Network
If the player systems are behind a firewall and use a public IP address, the firewall must allow outbound connections to port 9001 and 80, and allow traffic from established sessions to return (either through stateful inspection of packets, or by allowing inbound packets with a source port of 9001 or 80).
If the web server computer is behind a firewall and uses a public IP address, the firewall must allow inbound connections to whatever port is serving content (e.g. HTTP is on port 80). Connections must be made from the player computer in passive mode, and must allow outbound traffic from established connections on those same ports (either through stateful inspection of packets, or allow outbound packets with a source port of 80).
If the Connectus server system is behind a firewall, then the firewall must allow inbound connections to port 9001, and must allow outbound traffic from established connections on those same ports (either through stateful inspection of packets, or allow outbound packets with a source port of 9001).
Connectus uses these specific ports by default. After installing Connectus you can use the Connections tab (Tools > Server Preferences > Connections) to choose different ports.
Network Address Translation (NAT) Configurations
If the player systems are behind a NAT device and on private IP addresses, no modifications are necessary.
If the web server computer is behind a NAT device and on a private IP address space then check for the following configuration.
For http: The NAT device must forward connections made on port 80 to the Content Server IP address on port 80.
For ftp: The NAT device must forward connections made to the ftp server’s data channel (the ftp server should be configured to specify a narrow range of passive ports, then configure your NAT device to forward all connections in this range to the corresponding port on the ftp server).
For SMB\CIFS (Windows File sharing): Not recommended. You should not make CIFS shares available on the internet.
If the Connectus server system is behind a NAT device, the NAT device must forward connections made on port 9001 to the Connectus IP address on port 9001.
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User Guide Set Up the Network
Configure Web Trigger Settings
If you will be using the Web Triggers feature on this system, you must configure your Connectus system
before installing Connectus. See the Connectus Web Triggers document to learn how to configure your system and use the Web Triggers feature.
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User Guide Set Up the Network
Install Connectus
The following instructions describe how to install Connectus as a server and console, or as a console only. Before you install your Connectus software, ensure that you have administrative rights on the
Connectus system and that simple file sharing is turned off. For details see Set up Connectus System (on
You can install more than one Connectus server on your network. Repeat these steps for each of your
servers. See Connectus Servers (on page 201) to learn how to connect servers together.
Connect Your Dongle
The purple USB dongle (sometimes called an interlock device) is included in the Connectus software envelope. The install reads the dongle for installation information.
Note: If you are installing Connectus as a console you do not need to attach the dongle for installation or operation.
1. On the Connectus system where you are installing Connectus as a server, log in as a user with administrator privileges.
2. Connect the dongle to a USB port on the computer.
3. Wait a few seconds.
4. If you get a message indicating that new hardware (the dongle) has been found, cancel the message.
The dongle driver is installed during Connectus installation so you do not need to locate software for the dongle.
Connect Your U2IO Device
If you will be using a U2IO device for managing triggers, make sure the device is attached to one of your
USB ports before you begin installing Connectus.
Install the Software
Complete the following steps to install Connectus.
Note: If you will be using the Web Triggers feature on this system, you must complete additional
full instructions.
1. Ensure that you have set up your system as described in Set up Connectus System (on page 19).
2. Insert the Connectus CD in your CD ROM tray.
Note: You cannot install Connectus remotely through a Windows® remote desktop connection.
3. Click on Install Connectus.
4. On the Welcome screen click Next to start the install.
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5. View the license agreement. If you agree with the license agreement, accept it and click Next. You cannot continue without accepting the agreement.
6. On the next screen, leave the default destination program folder.
7. Select a configuration for Connectus: Console and Server or Console Only.
Console and Server: Configuration is detailed, so installation requires further explanation.
Continue with step 8 if you selected Console and Server.
Console Only: Configuration is straightforward, so you can click Next and follow the installation prompts to completion.
After the install, see Connect Connectus Consoles (on page 58 ) to learn how to connect the console
to your Connectus server.
8. To continue with a Console and Server install click Next.
9. Check the Create Desktop Shortcut checkbox and click Next.
10. Enter the Connectus Server Account information. The username and password should have read and write access to the Connectus file server. It is recommended that the account be a Power User, but not an Administrator.
You can run Connectus using the Administrator account, but another account is recommended so that the administrator privileges are reserved for administrators.
Note: If the server computer is part of a LAN workgroup, a common username and password must be used for all players.
11. Enter the Domain name, or leave the Domain field blank if you are using a Workgroup.
12. Click on Verify User Settings to confirm the user name and password.
13. Click on Next to install Connectus. When the installation is complete, click Finish and reboot your system when prompted.
14. Install any service packs which have been delivered to you.
Configure Windows XP Firewall Settings
For correct operation of Connectus on a Windows XP SP2 system, you have to set up firewall exceptions to the Connectus program service and the ports that it communicates on.
1. Right-click on your Connectus folder and choose Properties from the right-click menu. The
Properties window opens.
2. Switch to the Sharing tab.
3. Click on the View Your Windows Firewall settings link at the bottom of the screen. The Windows
Firewall window opens.
4. In the Windows Firewall dialog, switch to the Exceptions tab.
5. Click the Add Program button. The Add a Program window opens.
6. Click the Browse button and browse to the folder where Connectus is installed.
7. Select the NetManServer.exe, then click Open. The service is added to the list of excepted programs in the Add a Program window.
8. Click OK to add the Connectus service software to the exceptions list.
The Exceptions list shows a checkmark beside the Connectus service software.
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Add NM Ports to Exceptions List
Set Up the Network
You need to make exceptions for the ports that Connectus uses to communicate with both publisher and player systems.
1. On the Exceptions tab in the Windows Firewall dialog, click the Add Port button.
2. In the Add a Port dialog, enter a name for the port exception in the Name field.
3. Type in the port number 9001 in the Port Number field.
4. Click OK. The Exceptions list shows a checkmark beside port 9001.
Upgrade from Network Manager Version 1
Add port 135 to the exception list if you are upgrading from Network Manager 1.x and you want to keep the previous settings.
Note: Opening port 135 can make your system vulnerable to viruses that exploit this port. A better alternative is port 9001.
1. On the Exceptions tab in the Windows Firewall dialog, click the Add Port button.
2. In the Add a Port dialog, type in any name for the port exception.
3. Type in the port number 135. Port 135 is used for DCOM (RPC).
4. Click on OK
To use DCOM, make sure you configure DCOM security between the publisher systems and Connectus.
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User Guide
File Servers
Connect, customize, and manage file servers.
Assign Connectus File Servers
File servers store the content published by publisher systems.
File Servers
To set up communication between publishers, players, and Connectus servers you need to assign the file servers you are using to store your content.
Use the File Server tab in the Server Preferences window to assign file servers for both published and approved content. Connectus file servers can be mirrored, and Connectus users can create file servers for storing both published and approved content.
Connectus servers that are connected together on the network can replicate content between their file
servers. See Connectus Servers (on page 201) to learn how to connect your servers.
Set Up File Servers
You must set up your file servers before you can connect Connectus to them. See Set Up Your File
Servers (on page 23) to learn how to set up LAN and Internet file servers.
Assign the Published Content Main File Server
The file servers you assign determine the locations where content is stored.
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User Guide
Connectus
File Servers
You must first assign a Published Content main file server over the LAN. The Published Content main file server is a required file server.
1. In Connectus, select Tools > Server Preferences.
2. Switch to the File Server tab.
3. Switch to the Published Content Locations subtab.
4. The list contains a default file server. Select the file server and click the Edit button. The Published
Content Main File Server Location window opens.
5. In the first text box assign the file server location for published content. a. Click the Choose button. The Select a File Server Location dialog opens. b. Navigate to the shared folder over the network and double-click on the folder. c. Click OK.
Note: Make sure the complete network file path displays, starting with the machine name, even if the Connectus and the shared folder are on the same machine.
If you want this file server to be one of several mirrored file servers, or if it is the top file server in a hierarchy of Connectus servers, you may not want to allow consoles or players to download from the file server. In most cases, however, you will want to allow consoles and players to access the file server.
Follow these steps if players or consoles will download content from this file server.
1. Check the Clients Will Download From This Location checkbox to enable downloading from the file server.
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2. Set the location that consoles and players will download from. This is the external path to a file server.
Note: If you choose an ftp site for this location, you can embed a username and password in the URL using the standard : and @ syntax. For example, user annayu could access a file server at
MC01/mediafiles with password yutvaccess23x by using the URL
ftp://annayu:yutvaccess23x@MC01/mediafiles.
Click OK to save the Published Content main file server settings and to return to the Published Content
File Servers Location dialog. To save the main file server settings without adding another file server, click
OK in the dialogs until you return to Connectus.
To set up another file server for published content, see Assign Mirrored File Servers (on page 35).
Assign Approved Content Main File Servers
If you require that all content is approved before it is sent to players, set up at least one approved content file server. When content is approved it is moved from the published content file servers to the approved content file servers.
You must define at least one published content file server before setting up an approved content file server.
1. In Connectus, select Tools > Server Preferences.
2. Switch to the File Server tab.
3. Switch to the Approved Content Locations subtab.
4. Check the Content Update Requires Approval checkbox. The list becomes enabled.
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5. The list contains an undefined file server. Select the undefined file server and click the Edit button.
The Approved Content Main File Server Location window opens.
From this point, setting up an approved content file server is identical to setting up a published content file server.
6. In the first text box assign the file server location for approved content. a. Click the Choose button. The Select a File Server Location dialog opens. b. Navigate to the shared folder over the network and double-click on the folder. c. Click OK.
Note: Make sure the complete network file path displays, starting with the machine name, even if the Connectus and the shared folder are on the same machine.
If you want this file server to be one of several mirrored file servers, or if it is the top file server in a hierarchy of Connectus servers, you may not want to allow consoles or players to download from the file server. In most cases, however, you will want to allow consoles and players to access the file server.
Follow these steps if players or consoles will download content from this file server.
1. Select the Clients Will Download From This Location checkbox to enable downloading from the file server.
2. Set the location that consoles and players will download from. This is the external path to a file server.
Click OK to save the Approved Content file server settings and to return to the Approved Content File
Servers Location dialog. To save the main file server settings without adding another file server, click OK in the dialogs until you return to Connectus.
To set up another file server for approved content, see Assign Mirrored File Servers (on page 35).
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Assign Mirrored File Servers
After the main file servers have been assigned, Connectus users can store published and approved content on multiple "mirrored" file servers.
When content is published to Connectus, the Connectus server saves the content to all Published
Content file servers.
If you require content approval, content will also be moved to all of the Approved Content file servers when the content is approved.
Mirrored file servers must be accessible to the Connectus server through a local path, a network share, http, or https.
Assign Mirrored File Servers
Follow these steps to assign mirrored file servers.
1. Select Tools > Server Preferences.
2. Switch to the File Server tab.
3. Depending on whether you are adding a mirrored Published Content file server or a mirrored
Approved Content file server, switch to the appropriate subtab.
To assign mirrored published content file servers, switch to the Published Content Locations subtab and click the Add button. The Published Content Mirrored File Server Location window opens.
To add mirrored approved content file servers, switch to the Approved Content Locations subtab and click the Add button. The Approved Content Mirrored File Server Location window opens.
4. In the first text box assign the file server location for published content.
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Shared Folder: If you are using a shared folder as a file server, click the Choose button. The
Select a File Server Location dialog opens. Navigate to the shared folder over the network and then double-click on the folder. Click OK.
Note: Make sure the complete network file path displays, starting with the machine name, even if the Connectus and the shared folder are on the same machine.
Website: If you are using a website as a file server, enter the web address in the first text box.
The website address must start with http:// or https://. Click the Setup button and enter the username, password, and port settings for the site.
If you want this file server to be one of several mirrored file servers, or if it is the top file server in a hierarchy of Connectus servers, you may not want to allow consoles or players to download from the file server. In most cases, however, you will want to allow consoles and players to access the file server.
Follow these steps if players or consoles will download content from this file server.
1. Check the Clients Will Download From This Location checkbox to enable downloading from the file serve r.
2. Set the location that consoles and players will download from. This is the external path to the file server.
Note: If you choose an ftp site for this location, you can embed a username and password in the URL using the standard : and @ syntax. For example, user annayu could access a file server at
MC01/mediafiles with password yutvaccess23x by using the URL
ftp://annayu:yutvaccess23x@MC01/mediafiles.
Click OK to save the published content file server settings and to return to the Published Content File
Servers Location dialog. To save the main file server settings without adding another file server, click OK in the dialogs until you return to Connectus.
Set Copying Options
In the Mirrored Content section of the File Server tab, you can set how many times Connectus will try to copy content if copying fails and how long it will wait between copy attempts.
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To delay sending content to players and peer servers until the mirroring process has been completed, check the Delay Sending Content Updates checkbox.
Assign Preferred File Servers
By default all players and servers use the first defined file server as their preferred file server. Connectus can customize the preferred file servers for groups of players and Connectus servers. When a player or server downloads content, the preferred file server is the one downloaded from.
If you have not set up any approved content file servers, the preferred file servers will be published content file servers. Otherwise they will be approved content file servers.
To learn how to add players and servers to groups, see Group Network Components (on page 156).
Customize Preferred File Servers
Select Tools > Server Preferences and switch to the Content Distribution tab.
1. To set the preferred file servers for a group of players or Connectus servers, choose the Groups option from the drop-down list. The groups in your network are displayed in the Name list.
2. Select a group from the Name list.
3. The lists on the right side of the dialog show the preferred file server and the available file servers for your selected group.
If you have not set up any approved content file servers, the available file servers will be published content file servers. Otherwise, they will be approved content file servers.
4. Select an available file server and click the Add button to add it to the list of preferred file servers.
Select a preferred file server and click the Remove button to remove it from the list of preferred file servers.
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View Preferred File Servers
File Servers
To view the preferred file servers for Connectus servers or players, select either the Peer Servers or the
Players option from the drop-down list, then select the server or player from the Name list. Its preferred file servers appear in the Preferred File Server Locations list.
If the player or Connectus server is part of a group with customized file servers, the customized file servers are listed. If the player or Connectus server is part of multiple groups, the file servers for all of the groups are listed in the order that the file servers were defined.
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Connection Preferences
Use the Preferences tabs to customize the way that Connectus communicates with the other components on the network.
Store Archived Files
Content projects consist of a large number of media and data files. By default these files are stored individually on the file servers, but you can set individual file servers to store content as compressed archive (ZIP) files.
Connectus
On Connectus systems, follow these steps:
1. Select Tools > Server Preferences. The Server Preferences window opens.
2. Switch to the File Server tab.
3. Choose whether to archive files on a published content file server or an approved content file server.
To store your content as archive files on an existing published content file server, switch to the
Published Content Locations subtab.
To store your content as archive files on an existing approved content file server instead, switch to the Approved Content Locations subtab.
4. Select the file server you want to modify and click the Edit button. The File Server Location window opens.
5. Check the Store An Archive File checkbox. Any content sent to that file server in the future will be archived.
If you want to continue to store content as individual files as well, check the Store All Files checkbox. To only store content as archived files, uncheck the Store All Files checkbox.
Free Disk Space Warning
To see a warning when a file server is running out of free disk space, select Tools > Server Preferences >
File Server. In the File Server tab, check the Warn When Server Has Less Than __ MB of Free Space checkbox, and enter the free space warning level in the field.
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Connections
File Servers
The Connections tab allows you to control port connections to systems on the network. Open the tab by selecting Tools > Server Preferences > Connections.
In the Accept Connections on These Ports section of the tab, change the port numbers to change the port the Connectus server uses to connect with the listed network components. You need to reboot
Connectus before any changes are applied.
Component
Players
Publishers
Consoles (UI)
Servers
Description
The port that Connectus uses to communicate with online player systems.
The port that Connectus uses to communicate with publishers.
The port that Connectus uses to communicate with
Connectus consoles.
The port that Connectus uses to communicate with peer
Connectus servers.
Change the value in the Initialize Connections field to set how long the Connectus attempts to initialize connections before listing them as unavailable.
Debug Logging
Debug logs contain internal messages that Connectus and its services produce during operation. These logs can be sent to Imagine Communications technical support to help diagnose problems on Connectus systems.
Within your web browser, use the IP address localhost:8000 to access the Logging Server. The Logging
Server allows you to set the detail level of the debug logs, search your debug logs, export logs, and delete logs you no longer require.
Editing, viewing, and managing debug logs is generally done under supervision from Imagine
Communications technical support.
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Access the Logging Server
To access the Logging Server, open a web browser on your Connectus system and enter the following IP address: http://localhost:8000/
The Logging Server opens in your web browser.
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Server Internal Files
By default Connectus stores information about its network connections, content projects, and preferences in a folder on the Connectus system hard drive. Use the Server Internal Files tab to change where this information is stored. You can also use the tab to store the files in a database instead of a folder.
Choose Tools > Server Preferences > Server Internal Files to change your settings. Your current storage location is listed at the top of the tab.
Set Up Database
Before you can choose to store your information in a database you must add your database details to the NetManMTServer.exe.config file. This file is located in the folder where Connectus is installed.
The NetManMTServer.exe.config file is already configured with default SQL information. Edit the tags to customize the config file to your database setup.
Change Storage Location
Follow these steps to change your storage location.
1. In the New Storage section of the tab, select the radio button for the storage type you’d like to use.
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To store the information on a hard drive, select the Disc radio button and click the Choose button to choose a hard drive folder.
To store the information in a database, select the Database radio button. Ensure that you have
already configured your database as described in Set Up Database (on page 42).
2. If you want to move all of the existing information to the new location, check the Migrate Files to the New Storage checkbox.
Migrating the information can take a long time for Connectus systems with a lot of content, players, and publishers. Perform this operation during a period of downtime.
3. Click the Use the New Storage button. The Messages list displays the progress of the operation.
When the operation finishes you are prompted to press the OK button. Connectus reboots and connects to the new server internal file location.
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Set Up Network Components
Set up publishers, players, and consoles.
Other than your Connectus server and its file servers, networks contain additional components which must be configured and connected. Depending on your network’s structure you may not need to install all of these components.
Publishers are systems that create and/or publish content to Connectus. They must be recognized and enabled by Connectus before they can begin publishing. All networks require at least one publisher capable of publishing.
Publisher setup depends on the software involved, and is described in Connectus Publishers (on
Players are systems configured to automatically receive content in response to Connectus commands. Connectus must recognize players before sending content and commands to them.
Remote Connectus consoles display the Connectus user interface and send commands to the
Connectus server it is connected to. Servers must recognize and enable each console before they accept commands from it.
Additional Connectus servers can share information within the network. Connectus servers can be configured to access each other’s content and player systems.
Connectus servers are described in a separate section of this user guide. See Connectus Servers (on
page 201 ) for more information.
The following sections describe how to configure and connect publisher, player, and console systems with your Connectus servers.
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Connect Publishers
Publishers are systems with publishing and download connections to one or more Connectus systems.
Publisher systems must be recognized and enabled by Connectus before they can begin publishing content. They run Nexio software such as InfoCaster, Channel ONE, IconStation, G-Scribe, G-3D, Direct
Control, G-Flow, or TitleOne. You can also use the Inscriber Shell Extension to send files and folders to
Connectus with Windows Explorer.
To learn more about publishers and publishing, see Connectus Publishers (on page 61).
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Connect Connectus Players
Players are systems configured to receive content and play it using their output hardware. Players run
Nexio software such as InfoCaster, Channel ONE, IconStation, Automation Interface, or IconLogo.
Connectus and players are usually installed on different systems, but you can install a single player on a
Connectus system if necessary. See your player’s user guide to learn how to install and configure the software.
If you do not want to connect a player to the Connectus through a network, you can set up offline
players which manually download content from the file servers. See Offline Players (on page 138) to
learn how to set up and use offline players.
Player systems must be recognized by Connectus before they can begin receiving content and commands through the network. These instructions for connecting players assume that the software has already been installed on the player system.
To learn more about players, see Connectus Players (on page 137).
Run Publishers as Players
A schedulable publisher can only respond to playback and scheduling commands from Connectus if the system is set to run as a player.
If you are using a schedulable publisher such as InfoCaster or Channel ONE and you want it to run as a player, look in the publisher’s Tools menu and ensure there is a checkmark beside the Run as Players option. If there is no checkbox, choose Tools > Run as Player to enable player operation.
Choose Tools > Run as Player again to use the player as a publisher instead. See Connect Publishers (on
page 45) to learn how to configure and manage publishers.
Set Up Players
Before players can communicate with a Connectus, they must be configured to connect with the
Connectus system. This process depends on the player software.
See InfoCaster and Channel ONE (on page 46 ).
See Automation Interface (on page 52).
See Content Receiver (on page 53).
InfoCaster and Channel ONE
After you have installed Connectus and its players, use the Configuration Utility on the player systems to connect players to the Connectus server and its file servers.
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From the Windows Start Menu choose Programs > Harris > [player software name] > Configuration
Utilities > Configuration Utility.
You may need to re-launch the player or reboot the system after making changes in the Configuration
Utility. The utility will prompt you if a reboot or re-launch is necessary.
Note: InfoCaster players can be licensed by Connectus. See License Manager (on page 55) for more
information.
1. Switch to the Player Server Account tab within the Configuration Utility.
2. Choose the type of account you will use to connect to the Connectus system’s LAN servers.
The Local System Account is a built-in default account on all Windows machines. It is designed to allow services to run, but it does not often have permission to access the network.
You can usually run the Player service with the Local System Account when accessing the
Connectus LAN file server, though it is recommended that you use an Administrator account for this service instead.
To use the Local System Account, check the Local System Account checkbox.
When using the Local System Account, check the Allow Service to Interact with Desktop to allow the Player Server to open windows on the desktop when necessary. This also allows the Player
Server to place a monitor icon in the Windows task bar.
If you are not using the Local System Account, uncheck the Local System Account checkbox and enter the account’s username, password, and domain information. Do not enter a domain if you are using a workgroup.
3. In the Player Server HTTP Account section of the tab, enter the username and password that the
Player Server will use when accessing the Connectus system’s HTTP file servers.
The Player Settings tab displays information about the player that was entered when the player was installed. You can update this information at any time.
To access the player settings within your publisher software, choose Edit > Preferences > Player Settings.
The Connectus Player tab opens.
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1. In the System section of the tab, enter the name and physical location of the player, as well as a brief description. By default the description displays the login ID of the individual who installed the player. The player’s name is used by Connectus to select the player when sending content.
2. In the Server Name field, enter the name of the system that Connectus is installed on.
3. Enter the port used to communicate with Connectus in the TCP/IP Port field.
4. Player systems can provide Connectus with information about the system’s operator. Use the Name,
Email, and Telephone fields to enter or update the operator’s contact information. This information is displayed when player systems are selected within Connectus.
5. Check the Notify checkbox at the bottom of the tab to immediately update the Connectus when information on this tab changes.
If your player supports multiple player instances, use the Instance Name drop-down list on the Player
Settings tab to select the instance you are configuring. Each instance can be configured separately.
Connectus treats each instance as a separate player when sending and scheduling content.
Feature Note: You can only configure multiple player instances for compatible players with the Multi
Head option enabled. If your player supports multiple instances, see the player’s user guide for more information.
IconStation
After you have installed Connectus and its players, use the Configuration Utility on the player systems to connect players to the Connectus server and its file servers.
1. Open the IconStation Configuration Utility using one of the following methods.
Within IconStation, choose Edit > Preferences.
From the Windows START Menu, choose Programs > Harris > IconStation > Configuration
Utilities > IconStation Configuration Utility.
Note: You must have administrator permissions in order to properly use the Configuration Utility.
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2. Switch to the Player Server Account tab within the Configuration Utility.
Set Up Network Components
3. Choose the type of account you will use to connect to the Connectus system’s LAN servers.
The Local System Account is a built-in default account on all Windows machines. It is designed to allow services to run, but it does not often have permission to access the network.
You can usually run the Player service with the Local System Account when accessing the
Connectus LAN file server, though it is recommended that you use an Administrator account for this service instead.
To use the Local System Account, check the Local System Account checkbox.
When using the Local System Account, check the Allow Service to Interact with Desktop to allow the Player Server to open windows on the desktop when necessary. This also allows the Player
Server to place a monitor icon in the Windows task bar.
If you are not using the Local System Account, uncheck the Local System Account checkbox and enter the account’s username, password, and domain information. Do not enter a domain if you are using a workgroup.
4. In the Player Server HTTP Account section of the tab, enter the username and password that the
Player Server will use when accessing the Connectus system’s HTTP file servers.
The Player Settings tab displays information about the player that was entered when the player was installed. You can update this information at any time.
To access the publisher settings within IconStation, choose Edit > Preferences > Player.
The Connectus Player tab opens.
1. In the System section of the tab, enter the name and physical location of the player, as well as a brief description. By default the description displays the login ID of the individual who installed the player. The player’s name is used by the Connectus to select the player when sending content.
2. In the Server Name field, enter the name of the system that the Connectus is installed on.
3. Enter the port used to communicate with the Connectus in the TCP/IP Port field.
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4. Player systems can provide Connectus with information about the system’s operator. Use the Name,
Email, and Telephone fields to enter or update the operator’s contact information. This information is displayed when player systems are selected within Connectus.
5. Check the Notify checkbox at the bottom of the tab to immediately update the Connectus when information on this tab changes.
Versio
Versio players are regular Versio systems that are configured to receive layout updates from a
Connectus server. To make the Versio system available in the Connectus Players list, use the options in the remote Software Manager.
Note: If Authentication is enabled, only administrators can access Software Manager.
1. Open a browser on a system with network access to the Versio system.
2. In the address bar, enter the IP address of the Versio system. The Versio Console opens in the browser.
3. Under Local Device Tools, click the Edit Software Settings option.
The Software Manager opens with the Manage Settings screen displayed.
4. On the Versio plug-in line, click the Edit Settings button. The Versio settings display on a new screen.
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5. Click the Graphics tab to view the settings.
Set Up Network Components
6. Use the fields to configure the Versio Player Server. a. In the Player Server Identification section, enter a name for the Versio player. The name is used by Connectus to select the player when sending content. You can also enter an optional location and description. b. In the Connectus section, enter the name of the system that Connectus is installed on, and the port used to communicate with Connectus. c. In the Operator Contact Information section, enter the Versio operator’s contact information.
This information is displayed when player systems are selected within Connectus. d. In the Player Server User Account section, enter the username, password, and domain of the account you will use to connect to the Connectus system’s LAN servers. This account must have read/write access to the Connectus share.
If the user account is a local account, or if you are using a workgroup, you do not need to enter a domain.
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7. When you are finished configuring the Versio Player Server, click the Save Changes button. The Save dialog opens.
8. Enter a description of the changes and click Save. The Versio Settings screen closes, and the plug-in line on the Manage Settings screen displays the MODIFIED using editor highlight.
9. Click the Push Config to Device button to update the player server settings on the Versio system.
10. When prompted, confirm that you want to push the configuration to the Versio device.
Automation Interface
After you have installed Connectus and Automation Interface, use the Preference dialogs on the
Automation Interface systems to connect players to the Connectus and its file servers.
1. Within Automation Interface, click the Preferences button on the main Automation Interface window and switch to the Player Server tab.
This tab allows you to enable or disable Automation Interface’s player options. Select the Member radio button to enable Automation Interface as a player.
2. Click the Setup Player Server button. The Player Settings window opens.
3. In the Player Identity section of the tab, enter the name and physical location of the player, as well as a brief description. By default the description displays the login ID of the individual who installed the player. The player’s name is used by the Connectus to select the player when sending content.
4. In the Server Name field, enter the name of the system that the Connectus is installed on.
5. Enter the port used to communicate with the Connectus in the TCP/IP Port field.
6. Player systems can provide Connectus with information about the system’s operator. Use the Name,
Email, and Telephone fields to enter or update the operator’s contact information. This information is displayed when player systems are selected within Connectus.
7. Choose the type of account you will use to connect to the Connectus system’s LAN servers.
The Local System Account is a built-in default account on all Windows machines. It is designed to allow services to run, but it does not often have permission to access the network.
You can usually run the Player service with the Local System Account when accessing the
Connectus LAN file server, though it is recommended that you use an Administrator account for this service instead.
To use the Local System Account, check the Local System Account checkbox.
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When using the Local System Account, check the Allow Service to Interact with Desktop to allow the Player Server to open windows on the desktop when necessary. This also allows the Player
Server to place a monitor icon in the Windows task bar.
If you are not using the Local System Account, uncheck the Local System Account checkbox and enter the account’s username, password, and domain information. Do not enter a domain if you are using a workgroup.
8. In the Player Server HTTP Account section of the window, enter the username and password that the Player Server will use when accessing the Connectus system’s HTTP file servers.
9. Click the OK button to return to the Preferences dialog.
When Connectus sends content to Automation Interface, the content is stored in Automation Interface’s default startup folder. You can set this folder in the Resources tab of the Preferences dialog.
IconLogo
IconLogo players must be added to Connectus as offline IconLogo players.
1. Select Tools > Add New Offline IconLogo. The Offline IconLogo Preferences window opens.
2. Enter the name for the offline IconLogo, as well as any additional information about the player or the operator.
3. Set the contact information for the IconLogo system. When you send content to IconLogo from
Connectus, this information is used to find the player and upload the content.
Set the IP address of the IconLogo system.
Set the user name and password for the IconLogo system.
4. Click OK. The IconLogo system is added to the list of Connectus players.
You can configure offline IconLogo systems to automatically connect to Connectus when IconLogo powers on. To do this, edit the mgisetup.txt file located on the IconLogo’s compact flash card, and add the Connectus system’s IP address and port number.
For example, if Connectus is using port number 9001 at IP address 167.13.10.241, add the following lines to mgisetup.txt. bnlpAddress: "167.13.10.241" bnPortNum: 9001
Content Receiver
After you have installed the Content Receiver service, use the Configuration Utility to configure the content receivers.
1. Choose START > Programs > Harris > Content Receiver > Configuration Utility. The Configuration
Utility opens.
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2. Switch to the Content Receiver tab.
Set Up Network Components
3. Set the username and password that the Content Receiver service uses when it accesses the
Connectus system’s file servers over a LAN connection.
The Local System Account is a built-in default account on all Windows machines. It is designed to allow services to run, but it does not often have permission to access the network.
You can usually run the Content Receiver with the Local System Account when accessing the
Connectus system’s LAN file servers, though it is recommended that you use a Power User account for this service instead.
To use the Local System Account, check the Local System Account checkbox.
When using the Local System Account, check the Allow Service to Interact with Desktop to allow the Player Server to open windows on the desktop when necessary.
If you are not using the Local System Account, uncheck the Local System Account checkbox and enter the account’s username, password, and domain information. Do not enter a domain if you are using a workgroup.
4. Click the Add button to add content receivers. The Content Receiver dialog opens.
5. Add information about the content receiver.
Enter the name of the content receiver. This name appears in the player list within Connectus.
Click the Choose button and navigate to the folder where the receiver stores all downloaded content.
Add additional information about the content receiver. This information appears within
Connectus when the content receiver is selected.
6. In the Server Name field, enter the name of the system that the Connectus is installed on.
7. Enter the port used to communicate with Connectus in the TCP/IP Port field.
8. In the HTTP Account section of the window, enter the username and password that the content receiver will use when accessing the Connectus system’s HTTP file servers.
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License Manager
Set Up Network Components
Instead of requiring a dongle for operation, InfoCaster players and creation stations (publishers) can be licensed by Connectus to operate without a dongle. You must purchase a valid license manager file to enable licensing within Connectus.
1. Within Connectus, select Tools > Server Preferences. The Server Preferences window opens.
2. Switch to the License Manager tab.
3. Click the Import New License button and choose the license manager file that you have purchased.
The details of the license are listed in the License Manager tab.
4. Check the Enable License Manager checkbox.
5. Click OK to close the Server Preferences window.
After a valid license has been imported by Connectus, InfoCaster players and creation stations can connect to Connectus across the network and will operate without a dongle while the following conditions are met.
Connectus is operating and is accessible to the licensed systems across the network.
Connectus has not exceeded the number of connection licenses for each type of requested license.
See Connectus Connection Licenses (on page 11) for more information.
The license has not expired.
To disable licensing manager, uncheck the Enable License Manager checkbox in the License Manager
Tab. Players and creation stations will require a dongle to continue operating.
Note: Only InfoCaster systems of version 4.2 or higher can operate with player licensing.
Player Server
The player cannot connect to Connectus unless its Player Server is running. Use the Windows Services window to check the status of the Player Server, and to start or stop it if necessary.
Note: IconLogo players do not use a player server.
1. On the player system, choose Start > Settings > Control Panel. The Windows Control Panel window opens.
2. Select Administrative Tools > Services. The Services window opens.
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3. Find the PlayerServer entry. The entry’s name depends on the player type.
The player server for InfoCaster and Channel ONE is called InfoCasterPlayerServer.
The player server for IconStation is called IconStationServer.
The player server for Automation Interface is called AutoCGPlayerServer.
4. If the service is running its status is "Started."
5. To start, restart, or stop the service, select it and click one of the links in the upper-left corner of the
Services window.
Set Up Connectus
With the player server running properly and the correct server name entered, the player shortly appears in the Connectus system’s Players tab with a "Not Playing" status.
Troubleshoot Communication
If you are having difficulty connecting your player to Connectus, use the ping command to return ping statistics and prove communication with the Connectus system.
1. Click on Start > Run.
2. Type "cmd" to bring up the DOS command window.
3. Type "ping *the Connectus system’s computer name or IP address+". The format for names and IP addresses is shown in the following examples.
On a network: ping MyComputerName ping 10.0.0.72
Over HTTP: ping innfo.innfo.net ping 27.344.232.1
Note: For communication between players and Connectus systems, port 9001 must be open for communication on the Connectus system.
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If the installation uses HTTP, the computer might be closed to blind pings. In this case use the telnet command.
1. Select Start > Run.
2. Type "cmd" to bring up the DOS command window.
3. Type "telnet *the Connectus system’s computer name or IP address] 9001". The format is shown in the following examples: telnet MyComputerName 9001 telnet 27.344.232.1 9001
If you connect, the CMD window will clear and you will see a number of data tags. The last tag should read:
</Inscriber-XXX-ClientServerCommand-Init>
To exit the TELNET window, press 'CTRL+]' then type 'quit' to return to the DOS prompt.
Note: You can ping players from within Connectus by using the Ping Player command. See Troubleshoot
Players with Commands (on page 150) for more information.
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Connect Connectus Consoles
Connectus consists of both console and server components. The console component displays the
Connectus user interface, and it sends commands to the server component. The server component is never visible but is responsible for communicating with file servers, players, and peer Connectus servers.
Connectus can be installed on a system as either a remote console or as a console and server combination. Consoles must always be able to connect to a server through the network, even if the server is on the same system as the console. You can run multiple consoles on one system, each connected to a different server.
To learn more about consoles, see Manage Connectus Consoles (on page 196).
Install Remote Connectus Consoles
Choose the Console Only option when prompted for the Connectus configuration.
Remote Connectus consoles do not require a dongle but must always be able to connect to at least one
Connectus server.
Connect Remote Consoles to Connectus Servers
Remote console systems must be recognized and enabled by the Connectus servers they plan to connect to. These instructions for connecting consoles and servers assume that both consoles and servers have already been installed.
Note: If you have installed Connectus as a console and server combination, the console automatically connects to the server and always has full default permissions.
Add a Remote Console to a Server’s Console List
To add a remote console to a server’s console list, the console must first try to connect to the server.
The server will deny the connection, but this process adds the console to the server’s console list.
After the remote console is added to the server’s console list, the server operator can enable the console.
1. On the remote console system, launch the Connectus console using one of the following methods:
Choose Start > Programs > Harris > Connectus > Connectus.
Double-click on the Connectus shortcut on the desktop.
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2. When Connectus first launches, the Connect to Server window appears.
Set Up Network Components
If the window does not appear at startup, you can open it by choosing Tools > Connect to Server within Connectus.
3. To add a new server to the list, click the Add Server button. The Server Properties window opens.
4. Enter a description, address, and port number for the server.
5. Click the OK button. The new server is added to the Connect to Server list.
6. Select the new server in the list.
If you are already running a console on your system which is connected to a server, press the Start
New Console button. A new console is opened on your system.
Otherwise, press the Connect to Server button.
7. If the console is able to contact the server system you are told that the connection is denied.
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Attempting to connect to the Connectus server adds the console to the server’s list of consoles. The server’s operator must now enable the console.
Enable Console on the Server System
After a console system attempts to connect to a server system, the server’s operator can enable the console.
1. On the server system, switch to the Permissions tab.
2. Switch to the Console Permissions subtab. Any remote consoles that have attempted to connect will display in the list with a "Disabled" status.
3. Select the console from the list.
4. Check the Enable For checkbox.
5. Click the Apply New Settings button near the bottom of the tab. The console is enabled and can now access the server.
Disable and Remove Consoles
To disable a remote console, select it in the list, uncheck the Enable For checkbox, and click the Apply
New Settings button. The console remains in the list but its status is Disabled and it cannot send commands to the server.
To remove a remote console, select it in the list and click the Remove Console button. The console is removed from the list.
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Use Publishers
Use publishers to publish, approve, and download content.
Connectus Publishers
Use one or more publisher systems to send content to Connectus.
Use Publishers
Connectus supports a variety of publishers with different capabilities. All publishers are capable of publishing content to Connectus systems, and many can also create and edit content. When publishing content, the publisher contacts the Connectus, then sends the content to the Connectus system.
Connectus sends the content to its main published file server.
The publishers in your network will be running Nexio software such as InfoCaster, Channel ONE,
IconStation, G-Scribe, TitleOne, G-3D, Direct Control, G-Flow, or LogoCreator. See the user guides for your publisher software to learn how to install and configure a publisher.
Most types of publishers can also download and approve content that is stored on a Connectus system’s file servers. Connectus operators can change the download and approval permissions for individual publishers, allowing them to only manage specific content.
To learn more about approving and disapproving content, see Content Approval (on page 127).
See the user guides for your publisher software to learn how to install a publisher. The instructions in this section assume that the software has already been installed.
Hidden Operating System Files
The following hidden files are created by the operating system and are never published with your content.
thumbs.db
ioncache.db
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desktop.ini
Use Publishers
Use Different Publishers
The method you use for publishing, approving, and downloading content depends on the publisher software.
See Use InfoCaster and Channel ONE Publishers (on page 63 ).
See Use IconStation Publishers (on page 72).
See Use Shell Extension Publishers (on page 79).
See Use G-Scribe and TitleOne Publishers (on page 82).
See Use G-3D Publishers (on page 90).
See Use LogoCreator Publishers (on page 91).
See Use Direct Control Publishers (on page 95).
See Use G-Flow Publishers (on page 98).
See Content Types (on page 110) to learn about the content that can be published by each type of
publisher.
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Use InfoCaster and Channel ONE Publishers
InfoCaster and Channel ONE publishers can publish, approve, and download InfoCast content projects.
Run Publishers as Players
If they are set to run as players, InfoCaster and Channel ONE publishers are unable to publish content or connect to Connectus systems for publishing.
If you are using InfoCaster or Channel ONE to publish content, make sure it is not running as a player by choosing the Tools menu within the publisher software. If there is a checkmark beside the Run as Player menu option, select it to disable player operation.
learn how to configure and operate player systems.
Set Up InfoCaster and Channel ONE Publishers
Before publishers can communicate with Connectus, they must be configured to connect with the
Connectus system. You must add the Connectus system to the Locations list in the publisher’s
Configuration Utility.
You can add more than one Connectus system to the Locations list if you plan to publish content to multiple Connectus servers.
To access the publisher settings within your publisher software, choose Edit > Preferences > Connectus
Publishing.
The Connectus Publisher tab opens.
1. Click the New button. A new untitled location appears in the Locations list.
2. Enter the details for the Connectus server selected in the Locations list.
In the Name field, enter a descriptive name for the Connectus server the publisher will connect to.
In the Connectus Location field, click the Choose button to select the network computer name for the Connectus server system. You can also identify the Connectus system by entering the system’s IP address in the Connectus Location field.
If you want to change the port that the publisher uses to communicate to the Connectus system, type a new number in the Connectus Server Port field.
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In the E-Mail Contact field, enter the email address of a person who should be notified every time content is updated. This information is optional.
3. To add more Connectus systems to the Locations list, press the New button and enter details for the new Connectus.
Click the OK button to close the Configuration Utility when you are finished adding and editing
Connectus locations.
Publish InfoCasts
1. In the publisher, select File > Open to open the content you want to publish.
2. With the content open, select File > Connectus > Publish. The Publish Content to Connectus window opens.
3. Select the Connectus system you want to publish to from the drop-down list. The list displays the
Connectus systems defined in the publisher’s location list. To add, edit, or remove Connectus
systems from the list, see Set Up InfoCaster and Channel ONE Publishers (on page 63).
4. If you want to assign the content to a category that already exists on the Connectus server, use the
Category drop-down list to select a category.
You can also type a new category name into the Category field.
5. Set how you want to publish the content.
Type any notes or reminders about the content into the Comments area. These comments appear when content is selected in Connectus.
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Check the Enable Error Checking checkbox to set Connectus to check the content for errors that may have occurred during publishing. Selecting this option ensures the integrity of your files but they may take longer to publish.
Check the Send Rendered Files checkbox to send pre-rendered animations, rolls, and crawls to the Connectus. This increases the amount of information sent through the network but may reduce rendering time on the player systems.
Check the Retry Publish Until Successful checkbox if you want the publisher to keep attempting to publish after a failed attempt.
If you want to customize the expiry settings for the content, click the Add Expiry Settings button.
See Add Expiry Settings (on page 65) for more information.
6. Click the Publish button to publish the content.
If an error tells you that the publisher does not have permission to publish to the Connectus, contact the Connectus operator. The publisher must be enabled on the Connectus system as described in
Enable Publisher in Connectus (on page 100 ).
7. To send the content to another Connectus, select a different Connectus system from the drop-down list and click Send again.
Click Done when you are finished publishing the content to your Connectus systems. To publish a different content project, open the content you want to send and repeat these steps.
Add Expiry Settings
You can set your content to automatically expire at specific times. Expired content is automatically deleted from file servers, player systems, or both.
While publishing content from InfoCaster version 4.4 or later, the publisher can define expiry settings for the content as part of the publishing procedure.
Follow these steps to add expiry settings when you publish content to Connectus.
1. In the Publish Content to Connectus window within InfoCaster, click the Add Expiry Settings button.
The Content Expiry window opens.
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2. If you wish to define the way that this content is expired on player systems, check the Set Expiry checkbox in the first section of the window.
Content Will Not Expire: The content has no player expiry date.
Content Will Expire On: The content expires on the player at a specific date and time.
3. If you wish to define the way that this content is expired on file servers, check the Set Expiry checkbox in the second section of the window.
Content Will Not Expire: The content has no server expiry date.
Content Will Expire On: The content expires on the servers at a specific date and time.
4. If you wish to restore the settings to the way they were when you opened the window, click the
Restore Initial Settings button.
5. Click OK to finalize your changes.
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Download InfoCasts
Use Publishers
On the publisher select File > Connectus > Download. The Download Content from Connectus window opens.
1. Use the Select Connectus drop-down list to select the server you want to access.
2. Use the Search field to display only the content that contains the search text.
Enter your search text in the Search field and click the Search button. Only the content which matches your search condition will appear in the Content list.
To display all of your content again, remove the text in the Search field and click the Search button.
3. Use the Filter controls to display only the content that meets certain conditions. See Manage Filter
Queries on Publishers (on page 104).
4. Select the content you want to download from the Content list.
Click within the Server Version column to see a list of any additional content versions that are stored on the server. You can select a specific content version by choosing it in the list.
5. Click the Download button to download the selected content to the download location.
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If you checked the Show the Confirm Content Download Dialog checkbox when you set up your
publisher, the Confirm Content Download dialog appears. See Confirm Content Download (on page 101).
Publish Channel Guides
1. On the publisher, open the Video Stream Quick Editor.
Note: Publishing Channel Guides requires an InfoCaster publisher of version 4.3.1 or later.
2. Select the Use Channel Guide radio button.
3. Click the Edit Channel Guide button. The Channel Guide Editor opens.
4. If you are using InfoCaster version 4.3.2 or later, select File > Open to open the Channel Guide you wish to publish.
5. To publish your content, do one of the following.
If you are using InfoCaster version 4.3.1, click the Publish button.
If you are using InfoCaster version 4.3.2 or later, select File > Connectus > Publish.
The Publish Channel Guide to Connectus window opens.
6. Select the Connectus system you want to publish to from the drop-down list. The list displays the
Connectus systems defined in the publisher’s location list. To add, edit, or remove Connectus
systems from the list, see Set Up InfoCaster and Channel ONE Publishers (on page 63).
7. If you want to assign the content to a category that already exists on the Connectus server, use the
Category drop-down list to select a category.
You can also type a new category name into the Category field.
8. Set how you want to publish the content.
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Type any notes or reminders about the content into the Comments area. These comments appear when content is selected in Connectus.
Check the Enable Error Checking checkbox to set Connectus to check the content for errors that may have occurred during publishing. Selecting this option ensures the integrity of your files but they may take longer to publish.
Check the Send Rendered Files checkbox to send pre-rendered animations, rolls, and crawls to the Connectus. This increases the amount of information sent through the network but may reduce rendering time on the player systems.
Check the Retry Publish Until Successful checkbox if you want the publisher to keep attempting to publish after a failed attempt.
9. Click the Publish button to publish the content.
If an error tells you that the publisher does not have permission to publish to the Connectus, contact the Connectus operator. The publisher must be enabled on the Connectus system as described in
Enable Publisher in Connectus (on page 100 ).
10. To send the content to another Connectus, select a different Connectus system from the drop-down list and click Send again.
Click Done when you are finished publishing the content to your Connectus systems.
Download Channel Guides
1. On the publisher, open the Video Stream Quick Editor.
Note: Downloading Channel Guides requires an InfoCaster publisher of version 4.3.1 or later.
2. Select the Use Channel Guide radio button.
3. Click the Edit Channel Guide button. The Channel Guide Editor opens, displaying a list of all channels defined for the Channel Guide.
4. Depending on your version of InfoCaster, do one of the following.
If you are using InfoCaster version 4.3.1, click the Download button.
If you are using InfoCaster version 4.3.2 or later, select File > Connectus > Download.
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The Download Channel Guide from Connectus window opens.
Use Publishers
5. Use the Select Connectus drop-down list to select the server you want to access.
6. Use the Search field to display only the content that contains the search text.
Enter your search text in the Search field and click the Search button. Only the content which matches your search condition will appear in the Content list.
To display all of your content again, remove the text in the Search field and click the Search button.
7. Use the Filter controls to display only the content that meets certain conditions. See Manage Filter
Queries on Publishers (on page 104).
8. Select the content you want to download from the Content list.
Click within the Server Version column to see a list of any additional content versions that are stored on the server. You can select a specific content version by choosing it in the list.
9. Click the Download button to download the selected content to the download location.
If you checked the Show the Confirm Content Download Dialog checkbox when you set up your
publisher, the Confirm Content Download dialog appears. See Confirm Content Download (on page 101).
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Approve Content
Use Publishers
On the publisher system select File > Connectus > Approve. The Approve/Disapprove Content on
Connectus window opens.
1. Use the Connectus Server drop-down list to select the server you want to access.
2. Use the Search field to display only the content that contains the search text.
Enter your search text in the Search field and click the Search button. Only the content which matches your search condition will appear in the Content list.
To display all of your content again, remove the text in the Search field and click the Search button.
3. Use the Filter controls to display only the content that meets certain conditions. See Manage Filter
Queries on Publishers (on page 104).
4. Select the content you want to approve or disapprove from the Content list.
5. Any comments associated with the content appear in the Comments field.
6. Click the Approve or Disapprove button to change the approval status of the selected content.
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Use IconStation Publishers
IconStation publishers can publish, approve, and download Layout content.
Use Publishers
Set Up IconStation Publishers
Before publishers can communicate with Connectus, they must be configured to connect with the
Connectus system. You must add the Connectus system to the Locations list in the publisher’s
Configuration Utility.
You can add more than one Connectus system to the Locations list if you plan to publish content to multiple Connectus servers.
Note: If you are using IconStation Offline you may need to perform additional steps. Please consult your
IconStation Offline User Guide for the most complete instructions.
1. To access the publisher settings within your publisher software, choose Edit > Preferences >
Connectus.
The Connectus tab opens.
2. Click the New button. A new untitled location appears in the Locations list.
3. Enter the details for the Connectus server selected in the Locations list.
In the Name field, enter a descriptive name for the Connectus server the publisher will connect to.
In the Connectus Location field, click the Choose button to select the network computer name for the Connectus server system. You can also identify the Connectus system by entering the system’s IP address in the Connectus Location field.
If you want to change the port that the publisher uses to communicate to the Connectus system, type a new number in the Connectus Server Port field.
In the E-Mail Contact field, enter the email address of a person who should be notified every time content is updated. This information is optional.
4. To add more Connectus systems to the Locations list, press the New button and enter details for the new Connectus.
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Click the OK button to close the Configuration Utility when you are finished adding and editing
Connectus locations.
Publish Layouts
1. In the publisher, select File > Open to open the content you want to publish.
2. With the content open, select File > Connectus > Publish. The Publish Content to Connectus window opens.
3. Select the Connectus system you want to publish to from the drop-down list. The list displays the
Connectus systems defined in the publisher’s location list. To add, edit, or remove Connectus
systems from the list, see Set Up IconStation Publishers (on page 72).
4. If you want to assign the content to a category that already exists on the Connectus server, use the
Category drop-down list to select a category.
You can also type a new category name into the Category field.
5. Set how you want to publish the content.
Type any notes or reminders about the content into the Comments area. These comments appear when content is selected in Connectus.
Check the Enable Error Checking checkbox to set Connectus to check the content for errors that may have occurred during publishing. Selecting this option ensures the integrity of your files but they may take longer to publish.
Check the Send Rendered Files checkbox to send pre-rendered animations, rolls, and crawls to the Connectus. This increases the amount of information sent through the network but may reduce rendering time on the player systems.
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Check the Retry Publish Until Successful checkbox if you want the publisher to keep attempting to publish after a failed attempt.
6. Click the Publish button to publish the content.
If an error tells you that the publisher does not have permission to publish to the Connectus, contact the Connectus operator. The publisher must be enabled on the Connectus system as described in
Enable Publisher in Connectus (on page 100 ).
7. To send the content to another Connectus, select a different Connectus system from the drop-down list and click Send again.
Click Done when you are finished publishing the content to your Connectus systems. To publish a different content project, open the content you want to send and repeat these steps.
Download Layouts
You can download Layout content from the Connectus server.
1. On the publisher select File > Connectus > Download. The Download Content from Connectus window opens.
2. Use the Connectus Server drop-down list to select the server you want to access.
3. Use the Search field to display only the content that contains the search text.
Enter your search text in the Search field and click the Search button. Only the content which matches your search condition will appear in the Content list.
To display all of your content again, remove the text in the Search field and click the Search button.
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4. Use the Filter controls to display only the content that meets certain conditions. See Manage Filter
Queries on Publishers (on page 104).
5. Select the content you want to download from the Content list.
Click within the Server Version column to see a list of any additional content versions that are stored on the server. You can select a specific content version by choosing it in the list.
6. Edit the Download Location field if you want to choose a different location for storing the content.
By default, the storage folder path is the same path that the content was published from.
7. Click the Download button to download the selected content to the download location.
Approve Layouts
You can approve or disapprove layouts on the Connectus system’s file servers.
1. In the publisher, select File > Connectus > Approve. The Approve/Disapprove Content on Connectus window opens.
2. Use the Connectus Server drop-down list to select the server you want to access.
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3. Use the Search field to display only the content that contains the search text.
Use Publishers
Enter your search text in the Search field and click the Search button. Only the content which matches your search condition will appear in the Content list.
To display all of your content again, remove the text in the Search field and click the Search button.
4. Use the Filter controls to display only the content that meets certain conditions. See Manage Filter
Queries on Publishers (on page 104).
5. Select the content you want to approve or disapprove from the Content list.
Any comments associated with the content appear in the Comments field.
6. Click the Approve or Disapprove button to change the approval status of the selected content.
Use Versio Creation Station Publishers
Versio Creation Station publishers can publish and download Layout content.
Set Up IconStation Publishers
Before publishers can communicate with Connectus, they must be configured to connect with the
Connectus system. You must add the Connectus system to the Locations list in the publisher’s
Configuration Utility.
You can add more than one Connectus system to the Locations list if you plan to publish content to multiple Connectus servers.
Note: If you are using IconStation Offline you may need to perform additional steps. Please consult your
IconStation Offline User Guide for the most complete instructions.
1. To access the publisher settings within your publisher software, choose Edit > Preferences >
Connectus.
The Connectus tab opens.
2. Click the New button. A new untitled location appears in the Locations list.
3. Enter the details for the Connectus server selected in the Locations list.
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In the Name field, enter a descriptive name for the Connectus server the publisher will connect to.
In the Connectus Location field, click the Choose button to select the network computer name for the Connectus server system. You can also identify the Connectus system by entering the system’s IP address in the Connectus Location field.
If you want to change the port that the publisher uses to communicate to the Connectus system, type a new number in the Connectus Server Port field.
In the E-Mail Contact field, enter the email address of a person who should be notified every time content is updated. This information is optional.
4. To add more Connectus systems to the Locations list, press the New button and enter details for the new Connectus.
Click the OK button to close the Configuration Utility when you are finished adding and editing
Connectus locations.
Publish Layouts
IconStation’s Manage Layouts tool includes the option to publish layouts from the Creation Station to
Connectus.
Note: The first time you publish a layout to Connectus, you will see an error message. This first attempt adds the Creation Station to the Connectus Publishers list, however the error occurs because the
Creation Station is not yet enabled as a publisher in Connectus. Once the Connectus operator enables the Creation Station as a publisher, you can successfully publish layouts to Connectus.
1. Double-click the Versio Console shortcut on the desktop to open the local Versio Console.
2. Click the Manage Layouts option. The Manage Layouts tool opens with the layouts listed that are available on the local Creation Station system.
3. Click the Publish to Connectus button on the appropriate layout line. A message displays confirming the publish was successful.
When you publish a layout to Connectus, an email is sent to the operator's email address entered on the
Connectus tab in the IconStation Preferences dialog.
Note: If the layout does not publish properly, check that the Creation Station/IconStation is enabled as a publisher in Connectus. Also check that the Creation Station operator has full access to the Connectus file server.
Download Layouts
You can download layouts directly from Connectus to the Creation Station system through the
IconStation application. The Creation Station/IconStation publisher must first be enabled in Connectus with download permissions on the Publishers tab. A publisher can have download access to all layouts on Connectus, or to selected layouts.
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1. In the IconStation application, select File > Connectus > Download. The Download Content from
Connectus window opens.
2. Use the Connectus Server drop-down list to select the server you want to access.
3. Use the Search field to display only the content that contains the search text.
Enter your search text in the Search field and click the Search button. Only the content which matches your search condition will appear in the Content list.
To display all of your content again, remove the text in the Search field and click the Search button.
4. Use the Filter controls to display only the content that meets certain conditions. See Manage Filter
Queries on Publishers (on page 104).
5. Select the content you want to download from the Content list.
Click within the Server Version column to see a list of any additional content versions that are stored on the server. You can select a specific content version by choosing it in the list.
6. Edit the Download Location field if you want to choose a different location for storing the content.
By default, the storage folder path is the same path that the content was published from.
7. Click the Download button to download the selected content to the download location.
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Use Shell Extension Publishers
Shell Extension publishers can publish and download files and folders to and from Connectus. When publishing files and folders, a main User Package content project is published to Connectus, along with individual Media Asset content projects for each file or group of related files. The User Package references the individual Media Assets.
More detailed information about Shell Extension is available in the Shell Extension documentation.
Set Up Shell Extension Publishers
Inscriber Shell Extension is automatically installed with many Imagine Communications products.
You must add the Connectus system to the Locations list in the Shell Extension’s Publisher Settings window. You can add more than one Connectus system to the list if you plan to publish content to multiple Connectus servers.
1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. Within Windows Explorer, right-click on a file and choose Send To > Connectus. The Publish Content to Connectus window opens.
3. Click the Publisher Settings button. The Publisher Settings window opens.
4. Set your publisher’s Name and Location in the Publisher Identity section of the window.
5. If you want to see a dialog which allows you to view and control all files that are downloaded and/or overwritten, check the Show the Confirm Content Download Dialog checkbox. When the checkbox is unchecked, content is downloaded by the system without the display of all file details or the
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confirmation of files to be overwritten. See Confirm Content Download (on page 101) for more
information.
6. Click the New button. A new untitled location appears in the Locations list.
7. Enter the details for the Connectus server selected in the Locations list.
In the Name field, enter a descriptive name for the Connectus server the publisher will connect to.
In the Connectus Location field, click the Choose button to select the network computer name for the Connectus server system. You can also identify the Connectus system by entering the system’s IP address in the Connectus Location field.
If you want to change the port that the publisher uses to communicate to the Connectus system, type a new number in the Connectus Server Port field.
In the E-Mail Contact field, enter the email address of a person who should be notified every time content is updated. This information is optional.
8. To add more Connectus systems to the Locations list, press the New button and enter details for the new Connectus.
Click the OK button to close the Publisher Settings window when you are finished adding and editing
Connectus locations.
Publish User Packages and Media Assets
1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. Right-click on a file or folder and select Send To > Connectus. The Publish Content to Connectus window opens.
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3. Enter a name for the content project in the Publish field.
Use Publishers
4. Select the Connectus system you want to publish to from the drop-down list. The list displays the
Connectus systems defined in the publisher’s location list. To add, edit, or remove Connectus
systems from the list, see Set Up Shell Extension Publishers (on page 79).
5. If you want to assign the content to a category that already exists on the Connectus server, use the
Category drop-down list to select a category.
You can also type a new category name into the Category field.
6. Set how you want to publish the content.
Type any notes or reminders about the content into the Comments area. These comments appear when content is selected in Connectus.
Check the Enable Error Checking checkbox to set Connectus to check the content for errors that may have occurred during publishing. Selecting this option ensures the integrity of your files but they may take longer to publish.
Check the Retry Publish Until Successful checkbox if you want the publisher to keep attempting to publish after a failed attempt.
7. Click the Publish button to publish the content.
If an error tells you that the publisher does not have permission to publish to the Connectus, contact the Connectus operator. The publisher must be enabled on the Connectus system as described in
Enable Publisher in Connectus (on page 100 ).
8. To send the content to another Connectus, select a different Connectus system from the drop-down list and click Send again.
Click Done when you are finished publishing the content to your Connectus systems. Consult the Shell
Extension User Guide to learn how to publish multiple files, and for information about how media assets are combined during publishing.
Note: Other than the special situations described in the Shell Extension User Guide, do not publish multiple files with identical names. For example, do not publish weather.mov and weather.avi at the same time.
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Use G-Scribe and TitleOne Publishers
G-Scribe and TitleOne publishers can publish G-3D templates, Media Assets, miscellaneous content,
Scribes, Scribelists, and scripts to Connectus.
Set Up G-Scribe and TitleOne Publishers
You must add the Connectus system to the Locations list in the publisher’s Publisher Settings window.
You can add more than one Connectus to the Locations list if you plan to publish content to multiple
Connectus servers.
1. Switch to the CG module within your publisher.
2. Choose File > Connectus > Preferences > Connectus Locations. The Publisher Settings window opens.
3. Set your publisher’s Name and Location in the Publisher Identity section of the window.
4. Click the New button. A new untitled location appears in the Locations list.
5. Enter the details for the Connectus server selected in the Locations list.
In the Name field, enter a descriptive name for the Connectus server the publisher will connect to.
In the Connectus Location field, click the Choose button to select the network computer name for the Connectus server system. You can also identify the Connectus system by entering the system’s IP address in the Connectus Location field.
If you want to change the port that the publisher uses to communicate to the Connectus system, type a new number in the Connectus Server Port field.
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In the E-Mail Contact field, enter the email address of a person who should be notified every time content is updated. This information is optional.
6. To add more Connectus systems to the Locations list, press the New button and enter details for the new Connectus.
Click the OK button to close the Publisher Settings window when you are finished adding and editing
Connectus locations.
Publish Scribes from CG Module
1. In the publisher, switch to the CG module.
2. Use the playlist to switch to the Scribe layout you want to publish.
3. Select File > Connectus > Publish > Scribe. The Scribe and its assets are published to Connectus in the following manner.
Any user scripts used by the Scribe are published as a Script content project.
If a DVE template is used by the Scribe, it is published as a Miscellaneous content project.
Each image, video, and animation used by the Scribe is published as a separate Media Asset content project.
The Scribe is published as a Scribe content project. The Scribe contains references to all related
Script, Miscellaneous, and Media Asset content.
Note: The assets listed above are only published if they do not already exist on the Connectus file server. If multiple Scribe files use the same assets, the reused assets are only published once.
If an error tells you that the publishing action has failed, contact the Connectus operator. The publisher
must be enabled on the Connectus system as described in Enable Publisher in Connectus (on page 100).
Publish Scribelists from CG Module
1. In the publisher, switch to the CG module.
2. Open the Scribelist you want to publish.
3. Select File > Connectus > Publish > Scribelist.
If an error tells you that the publishing action has failed, contact the Connectus operator. The publisher must be enabled on the Connectus system as described in Enable Publisher in Connectus
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4. A Publish Content to Connectus dialog opens.
Use Publishers
5. Choose a name for the published content.
By default, Scribelists are always published to Connectus using the name of the Scribelist, and the name specified in the Publish Content to Connectus field is ignored. This means that if you publish
Scribelists which share the same names but are stored in different folders, the published Scribelists in Connectus will all have the same name but will be recognized by Connectus as distinct from each other.
To change this behavior so that Scribelists can be published to Connectus using the name specified in the Publish Content to Connectus Dialog, check the Connectus Name Is Scribelist Name checkbox in the G-Scribe or TitleOne Preferences dialog (File > Preferences > Project).
6. Select the Connectus server you want to publish to from the drop-down list. The list displays the
Connectus systems defined in the publisher’s location list. To add, edit, or remove Connectus
systems from the list, see Set Up G-Scribe and TitleOne Publishers (on page 82).
7. If you want to assign the content to a category that already exists on the Connectus server, use the
Category drop-down list to select a category.
You can also type a new category name into the Category field.
8. Set how you want to publish the content.
Type any notes or reminders about the content into the Comments area. These comments appear when content is selected in Connectus.
Check the Enable Error Checking checkbox to set Connectus to check the content for errors that may have occurred during publishing. Selecting this option ensures the integrity of your files but they may take longer to publish.
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Check the Retry Publish Until Successful checkbox if you want the publisher to keep attempting to publish after a failed attempt.
9. Click the Publish button to publish the content. The Scribelist and its assets are published to
Connectus in the following manner.
Any user scripts used by the Scribes in the Scribelist are published as Script content projects.
If DVE templates are used by the Scribes, they are published as Miscellaneous content projects.
Images, videos, and animations used by the Scribes are published as individual Media Asset content projects.
The Scribes are published as Scribe content projects.
The Scribelist is published as a Scribelist content project. The Scribelist contains references to all related Scribe, Script, Miscellaneous, and Media Asset content.
Note: The assets listed above are only published if they do not already exist on the Connectus file server. If multiple Scribe files use the same assets, the reused assets are only published once.
Publish Media Assets from Store Module
1. In the publisher, switch to the Media Store module.
2. Select the media you want to send within the Media window.
3. Right-click on one of the pieces of media you want to send and select Connectus > Publish. The
Publish Content to Connectus window opens.
4. Enter a name for the content project in the Publish field.
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5. Select the Connectus server you want to publish to from the drop-down list. The list displays the
Connectus systems defined in the publisher’s location list. To add, edit, or remove Connectus
systems from the list, see Set Up G-Scribe and TitleOne Publishers (on page 82).
6. If you want to assign the content to a category that already exists on the Connectus server, use the
Category drop-down list to select a category.
You can also type a new category name into the Category field.
7. Set how you want to publish the content.
Type any notes or reminders about the content into the Comments area. These comments appear when content is selected in Connectus.
Check the Enable Error Checking checkbox to set Connectus to check the content for errors that may have occurred during publishing. Selecting this option ensures the integrity of your files but they may take longer to publish.
Check the Retry Publish Until Successful checkbox if you want the publisher to keep attempting to publish after a failed attempt.
8. Click the Publish button to publish the content.
If an error tells you that the publish action failed, contact the Connectus operator. The publisher must be enabled on the Connectus system as described in Enable Publisher in Connectus (on page
9. To send the content to another Connectus, select a different Connectus system from the drop-down list and click Send again.
Click Done when you are finished publishing the content to your Connectus systems. To publish a different content project, open the content you want to send and repeat these steps.
Note: Store content published by G-series publisher versions earlier than 7.1 cannot be downloaded by
Direct Control or G-Flow applications.
Download CG Content
You can download Scribe, Scribelist, Direct Control Playlist, Media Asset, and version 6 Scribe and
Scribelist content from the Connectus server.
1. In the publisher, switch to the CG module.
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2. Select File > Connectus > Download > [content type]. The Download Content from Connectus window opens.
3. Use the Connectus Server drop-down list to select the server you want to access.
4. Use the Search field to display only the content that contains the search text.
Enter your search text in the Search field and click the Search button. Only the content which matches your search condition will appear in the Content list.
To display all of your content again, remove the text in the Search field and click the Search button.
5. Use the Filter controls to display only the content that meets certain conditions. See Manage Filter
Queries on Publishers (on page 104).
6. Select the content you want to download from the Content list.
Click within the Server Version column to see a list of any additional content versions that are stored on the server. You can select a specific content version by choosing it in the list.
7. Edit the Download Location field if you want to choose a different location for storing the content.
By default, the storage folder path is the same path that the content was published from.
8. Click the Download button to download the selected content to the download location.
Download Store Content
You can download User Package content from the Connectus server.
1. In the publisher, switch to the Media Store module.
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2. Right-click within the media library and select Connectus > Download. The Download Content from
Connectus window opens.
3. Use the Connectus Server drop-down list to select the server you want to access.
4. Use the Search field to display only the content that contains the search text.
Enter your search text in the Search field and click the Search button. Only the content which matches your search condition will appear in the Content list.
To display all of your content again, remove the text in the Search field and click the Search button.
5. Use the Filter controls to display only the content that meets certain conditions. See Manage Filter
Queries on Publishers (on page 104).
6. Select the content you want to download from the Content list.
Click within the Server Version column to see a list of any additional content versions that are stored on the server. You can select a specific content version by choosing it in the list.
7. Edit the Download Location field if you want to choose a different location for storing the content.
By default, the storage folder path is the same path that the content was published from.
8. Click the Download button to download the selected content to the download location.
Approve Content
You can approve or disapprove Scribe, Scribelist, Direct Control playlist, and Media Asset content on the
Connectus system’s file servers.
1. In the publisher, switch to the CG module.
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2. Select File > Connectus > Approve > [content type]. The Approve/Disapprove Content on Connectus window opens.
3. Use the Connectus Server drop-down list to select the server you want to access.
4. Use the Search field to display only the content that contains the search text.
Enter your search text in the Search field and click the Search button. Only the content which matches your search condition will appear in the Content list.
To display all of your content again, remove the text in the Search field and click the Search button.
5. Use the Filter controls to display only the content that meets certain conditions. See Manage Filter
Queries on Publishers (on page 104).
6. Select the content you want to approve or disapprove from the Content list.
Any comments associated with the content appear in the Comments field.
7. Click the Approve or Disapprove button to change the approval status of the selected content.
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Use G-3D Publishers
G-3D publishers can publish G3D template content to Connectus servers.
Publish G3D Templates
1. In G-3D, open the scene you want to publish.
2. Select File > Publish to Connectus. The Publish to Connectus window opens.
Use Publishers
3. To add a keyword to the G3D template, type the keyword in the field and click the Add Keyword button. You can add multiple keywords to the G3D template.
4. To delete a keyword, click the X beside the keyword’s name.
5. Enter the machine name of the Connectus system in the Server field.
6. Enter the Connectus system’s port in the Port field.
7. Click the Publish button to publish the G3D template content.
If an error tells you that the publisher does not have permission to publish to the Connectus, contact the Connectus operator. The publisher must be enabled on the Connectus system as described in
Enable Publisher in Connectus (on page 100 ).
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Use LogoCreator Publishers
LogoCreator publishers can publish, approve, and download layout content projects.
Use Publishers
Set Up LogoCreator Publishers
You must add the Connectus to the Locations list in the LogoCreator’s Publisher Settings window.
You can add more than one Connectus to the Locations list if you plan to publish content to multiple
Connectus servers.
1. Choose File > Connectus > Publish. The Publish Content to Connectus window opens.
2. Click the Publisher Settings button to open the Publisher Settings window.
3. Set your LogoCreator’s Name and Location in the Publisher Identity section of the window.
4. Click the New button. A new untitled location appears in the Locations list.
5. Enter the details for the Connectus server selected in the Locations list.
In the Name field, enter a descriptive name for the Connectus server the publisher will connect to.
In the Connectus Location field, click the Choose button to select the network computer name for the Connectus server system. You can also identify the Connectus system by entering the system’s IP address in the Connectus Location field.
If you want to change the port that the publisher uses to communicate to the Connectus system, type a new number in the Connectus Server Port field.
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In the E-Mail Contact field, enter the email address of a person who should be notified every time content is updated. This information is optional.
6. To add more Connectus systems to the Locations list, press the New button and enter details for the new Connectus.
7. Click the OK button to close the Publisher Settings window when you are finished adding and editing
Connectus locations.
The Publish Content to Connectus window opens automatically when you close the window.
Publish Layouts
1. In LogoCreator, open the layout you want to publish.
2. Select File > Connectus > Publish. The Publish Content to Connectus window opens.
3. Enter a name for the media in the Publish field.
4. Select the Connectus you want to publish to from the drop-down list. The list displays the Connectus systems defined in the publisher’s location list. To add, edit, or remove Connectus systems from the
list, see Set Up LogoCreator Publishers (on page 91).
5. Set how you want to publish the content.
Type any notes or reminders about the content into the Comments area. These comments appear when content is selected in Connectus.
Check the Enable Error Checking checkbox to set Connectus to check the content for errors that may have occurred during publishing. Selecting this option ensures the integrity of your files but they may take longer to publish.
6. Click the Publish button to publish the content.
If an error tells you that the publisher does not have permission to publish to the Connectus, contact the Connectus operator. The publisher must be enabled on the Connectus system as described in
Enable Publisher in Connectus (on page 100 ).
7. To send the media to another Connectus, select a different Connectus system from the drop-down list and click Send again.
Click Done when you are finished publishing the content to your Connectus systems. To publish a different content project, open the content you want to send and repeat these steps.
Download Layouts
You can download Layout content from the Connectus server.
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1. On the publisher select File > Connectus > Download. The Download Content from Connectus window opens.
2. Use the Connectus Server drop-down list to select the server you want to access.
3. Use the Search field to display only the content that contains the search text.
Enter your search text in the Search field and click the Search button. Only the content which matches your search condition will appear in the Content list.
To display all of your content again, remove the text in the Search field and click the Search button.
4. Use the Filter controls to display only the content that meets certain conditions. See Manage Filter
Queries on Publishers (on page 104).
5. Select the content you want to download from the Content list.
Click within the Server Version column to see a list of any additional content versions that are stored on the server. You can select a specific content version by choosing it in the list.
6. Edit the Download Location field if you want to choose a different location for storing the content.
By default, the storage folder path is the same path that the content was published from.
7. Click the Download button to download the selected content to the download location.
Approve Layouts
You can approve layouts stored on the Connectus system’s file servers.
1. In LogoCreator, select File > Connectus > Approve. The Approve Content on Connectus window opens.
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2. Use the window to select the Connectus server, choose the content to approve, and choose a version of the content if necessary.
Click the Approve button to approve the content. Click the Disapprove button to disapprove it.
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Use Direct Control Publishers
Direct Control publishers can publish playlist user content to Connectus, and can download playlist, User
Package, Media Asset, G3D, and Scribe content.
Set Up Direct Control Publishers
To register a Connectus server with a Direct Control server, enter the following address in a web browser. The [G-Browser server address] is the IP address of the Direct Control server you want to register with. http://[G-Browser server address]:8880/gbrowser.html
The G-Browser Admin page appears.
1. In the Connectus section of the page, enter the name of the Connectus server in the Connectus
Name field.
2. In the Connectus Port field, enter the port you want to use to connect with the Connectus server.
3. Enter the IP address of the Connectus server machine in the Connectus Address field.
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4. Click the Add Connectus Server button. The Connectus server is added to the list of servers that are registered with the Direct Control server.
5. Click the Apply button. The Connectus server is registered.
Publish Playlists
Follow these steps to publish a playlist from Direct Control.
1. Within Direct Control, select the playlist you want to send within the Playlist pane.
2. Choose File > Publish Playlist to Connectus.
3. Select the registered Connectus server you want to publish the playlist to.
Download Content with Direct Control
Direct Control users can download playlists, User Packages, Media Assets, G3D content, and Scribes from Connectus. Follow these steps to download content.
1. Within Direct Control, select the Connectus server in the File Browser list.
2. Use the Filter drop-down list in the File Browser pane to display only certain types of content in the
File list.
Everything: Displays all content types without any filtering.
All Media: Displays User Package content.
Images and Clips: Displays image files and video clips.
Templates: Displays Scribe and G3D files that were created in a CG application such as G-Scribe.
Playlists: Displays Direct Control playlists that were published to Connectus.
3. Use the Search field to search for content whose titles match your search string.
Type a search string in the Search field and press ENTER. The content that matches your search string and your selected content type appears in the File list.
To delete the text in the Search field, click the "X" button inside the field.
To display all of the content that matches your Filter selection, delete the text in the Search field and press ENTER.
4. Click the Advanced Search Options button to display additional search controls.
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To only display content that was published by a specific publisher, enter the publisher’s name in the Publisher field.
To only display content that was published after a certain date, check the From field and select a date with the From Calendar controls.
To only display content that was published before a certain date, check the To field and select a date with the To Calendar controls.
5. Within the File list, select the content you want to access.
User Package content can be multi-selected by holding down the SHIFT key or CTRL key.
6. Load the content into Direct Control.
To load a playlist, right-click on the playlist in the File Browser and choose Open. The playlist and all its content is added to your Playlist pane.
To load other types of content, click on one of the selected content files and drag it to a playlist.
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Use G-Flow Publishers
G-Flow publishers can download User Package, Media Asset, Scribe, and G-3D content.
Use Publishers
Set Up Direct Control and G-Flow Publishers
To register a Connectus server with a G-Flow server, enter the following address in a web browser. The
[G-Browser server address] is the IP address of the G-Flow server you want to register with. http://[G-Browser server address]:8880/gbrowser.html
The G-Browser Admin page appears.
1. In the Connectus section of the page, enter the name of the Connectus server in the Connectus
Name field.
2. In the Connectus Port field, enter the port you want to use to connect with the Connectus server.
3. Enter the IP address of the Connectus server machine in the Connectus Address field.
4. Click the Add Connectus Server button. The Connectus server is added to the list of servers that are registered with the G-Flow server.
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5. Click the Apply button. The Connectus server is registered.
Use Publishers
Download Content with G-Flow
G-Flow users can download User Packages, Media Assets, Scribes, and G3D Templates from Connectus.
Follow these steps to download content.
1. Within G-Flow, select the Connectus server in the File Browser list.
2. Use the Filter drop-down list in the File Browser pane to display only certain types of content in the
File list.
Everything: Displays all content types without any filtering.
All Media: Displays User Package content.
Images and Clips: Displays image files and video clips.
Scribes: Displays SCRIBE and G-3D files that were created in a CG application such as G-Scribe.
Playlists: Displays Direct Control playlists that were published to Connectus. G-Flow is unable to download playlists.
3. Use the Search field to search for content whose titles match your search string.
Type a search string in the Search field and press ENTER. The content that matches your search string and your selected content type appears in the File list.
To delete the text in the Search field, click the "X" button inside the field.
To display all of the content that matches your Filter selection, delete the text in the Search field and press ENTER.
4. Click the Advanced Search Options button to display additional search controls.
To only display content that was published by a specific publisher, enter the publisher’s name in the Publisher field.
To only display content that was published after a certain date, check the From field and select a date with the From Calendar controls.
To only display content that was published before a certain date, check the To field and select a date with the To Calendar controls.
5. To load a file, double-click it in the File list.
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Manage Publishers in Connectus
Connectus can control the publish, download, and approval permissions for each publisher.
Use Publishers
Set Up Connectus
of publisher. An error message displays the first time you attempt to publish, but this action adds the publisher to the Publishers list within Connectus.
The Connectus operator must then enable the publisher before you can send content to the Connectus without error.
Enable Publisher in Connectus
After a publisher attempts to publish content, the Connectus operator can enable the system for publishing.
1. In Connectus, switch to the Permissions tab.
2. Switch to the Publisher Permissions subtab. Any publishers that have attempted to publish content to the Connectus server will display in the Publishers list with a Disabled status.
3. Select the publisher in the Publisher list.
4. Check the Enable For checkbox.
5. Click the Apply New Settings button near the bottom of the Connectus window. The publisher is enabled and can now publish content to the Connectus.
Disable and Remove Publishers
To disable a publisher, select it in the Publisher list, uncheck the Enable For checkbox, and click the
Apply New Settings button. The publisher remains in the list, but its status is Disabled and it cannot publish any content to the Connectus.
To remove a publisher, select it in the Publisher list and click the Remove Publisher button. The publisher is removed from the list.
Set Publish Permissions
Within Connectus, use the Publish Content section of the Publisher Permissions subtab to control the permissions for your publishers.
1. Switch to the Permissions tab.
2. Switch to the Publisher Permissions subtab.
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3. Select a publisher from the Publisher list.
Use Publishers
4. Use the drop-down list in the Publish Content section of the tab to change the publishing permissions for your selected publisher.
Choose No Content to prevent the publisher from publishing any content.
Choose All Content to allow the publisher to publish content without any restrictions.
Choose Selected Content to only allow the publisher to publish content files whose names meet certain conditions.
Click the Create Condition button to specify the text that the content names must or must not contain.
Confirm Content Download
Some publishers support download confirmation. If you checked the Show the Confirm Content
Download Dialog checkbox when you set up your publisher, the Confirm Content Download dialog appears when you download content from Connectus. This dialog provides detailed information about the content that is being downloaded, and allows you to confirm any permanent changes to your download folder.
File Information
The top section of the dialog displays the number of files that meet the following criteria.
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Files in the folder are overwritten by downloaded files with the same filename but different time/date information.
Downloaded files are added to the folder if no existing files in the folder share the same filename.
Downloaded files are skipped (not downloaded) if existing files in the folder share the same filename and time/date information.
You can also use the Show Files drop-down list to see complete lists of files that match the above criteria.
Confirm Download
Press the Download button when you are satisfied with the way that Connectus intends to download the User Package. Your content is downloaded.
To prevent the Confirm Content Download dialog from appearing in the future, uncheck the Always
Show This Confirmation Dialog checkbox.
Set Download Permissions
Use the Download content section of the Publisher Permissions subtab to control the download permissions for your publishers.
1. Switch to the Permissions tab.
2. Switch to the Publisher Permissions subtab.
3. Select a publisher from the Publisher list.
4. Use the drop-down list in the Download Content section of the tab to set the content the publisher can download from Connectus.
Choose No Content to prevent the publisher from downloading any content.
Choose All Content to allow the publisher to download content without any restrictions.
Choose Selected Content to only allow the publisher to download content files whose names meet certain conditions.
Click the Create Condition button to specify the text that the content names must or must not contain.
Set Approval Permissions
Use the Approve Permissions section of the Publisher Permissions subtab to control the approval permissions for your publishers.
1. Switch to the Permissions tab.
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2. Switch to the Publisher Permissions subtab.
Use Publishers
3. Select a publisher from the Publisher list.
4. Use the drop-down list in the Approve Content section of the tab to set the content the publisher can approve.
Choose No Content to prevent the publisher from approving any content.
Choose All Content to allow the publisher to approve content without any restrictions.
Choose Selected Content to only allow the publisher to approve content files whose names meet certain conditions.
Click the Create Condition button to specify the text that the content names must or must not contain.
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Manage Filter Queries on Publishers
Some publishers allow you to create and save filter queries. These queries help to narrow your content searches and make them more manageable.
Filter queries can be created in the following windows:
The Download Content From Connectus window.
The Approve/Disapprove Content on Connectus window.
See the links in Use Different Publishers (on page 62) to learn how to access the download and
approve/disapprove windows on your publisher.
Create Filter Queries
After you have opened the download or approve/disapprove windows, follow these steps to create a new filter query.
1. Click the Filters triangle to expose the filtering options.
2. Use the drop-down lists to create a new filter query.
Use the Content Type drop-down to choose the type of content you want to view.
If you want to view content by category, enter a category name in the Category drop-down list, or choose a category that you have previously used on the system.
Use the Published drop-down list to filter the content by when it was published. If you choose the Between option, you can specify the publishing dates you want to view.
To view only the content published by a particular publisher, use the Published By drop-down list.
3. Click the Search button to view the content based on your filter query.
Save Filter Queries
After you have created a filter query, click the Save Query button to save it for future use. The query becomes available in the Filters drop-down list.
Delete a Saved Filter Query
To delete the filter that is displayed in the Filters drop-down list, click the Delete Query button.
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InfoCaster Online
If you are using an InfoCaster Online system to modify content, the Publisher Permissions subtab allows you to set which content the InfoCaster Online users can edit and which players they can send content to.
The InfoCaster Online product allows remote users to edit Connectus content using a secure web server interface. When given proper permissions by the Connectus operator, InfoCaster Online users can view, add, edit, schedule, and delete items within permitted content regions.
After they have finished editing content, InfoCaster Online users can publish the updated content to players.
Users connect to the InfoCaster Online system through the network. The InfoCaster Online system access the Connectus server to retrieve content stored on the Connectus system’s file servers. Each
InfoCaster Online user appears as a separate publisher in the Publisher Permissions tab.
For information about configuring and using InfoCaster Online, see the help provided with the product.
Enable InfoCaster Online Users
Like all publishers, InfoCaster Online users must be enabled within Connectus before they can access the
Connectus content and players.
An error message displays the first time a user attempts to connect to Connectus, but this action adds the user to the Publishers list within Connectus.
1. In Connectus, switch to the Permissions tab.
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2. Switch to the Publisher Permissions subtab. Users that have attempted to connect to the Connectus server are displayed in the Publisher list with a Disabled status.
3. Select the user in the Publisher list.
4. Check the Enable For checkbox.
5. Click the Apply New Settings button near the bottom of the Connectus window. The user is enabled and can now access permitted Connectus content and players.
Disable and Remove InfoCaster Online Users
To disable a user, select it in the Publisher list, uncheck the Enable For checkbox and click the Apply New
Settings button. The user remains in the list, but its status is Disabled and it cannot access any
Connectus content or players.
To remove a user, select it in the Publisher list and click the Remove Publisher button. The user is removed from the list.
Set Update Content Players
Each InfoCaster Online user can send updated content to all players, or to the players assigned to specific groups. To learn how to assign players to groups, see Group Network Components (on page
1. Within Connectus, switch to the Permissions tab.
2. Switch to the Publisher Permissions subtab.
3. Select an InfoCaster Online user from the publisher list.
4. In the Update Content section of the tab, choose the players that the user can send content to.
To allow the user to send content to all players, select the Allow to Send Content to All Players radio button.
To allow the user to send content to specific groups, select the Allow to Send Content to Players in These Groups radio button. Check the groups that the user can send content to in the Groups list.
5. Click the Apply New Settings button. The InfoCaster Online user is granted permission to send updated content to the players.
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Manage Content List
Use Publishers
Use the Select Editable Regions window to set which content regions the InfoCaster Online user can edit and publish.
1. Within Connectus, switch to the Permissions tab.
2. Switch to the Publisher Permissions subtab.
3. Select an InfoCaster Online user from the publisher list.
4. Click the Manage Content List button near the bottom-right corner of the subtab. The Select
Editable Regions window opens.
5. Select a content project in the InfoCast list.
6. If the content project contains more than one page, select a page from the Page list.
A thumbnail of the page is displayed. The Region Outline section of the window displays all the regions in the page.
7. Use one of the following methods to select a region.
Click on a region in the Region Outline display.
Select a region from the Region list.
Set Content Editing Permissions
Use the checkboxes to set editing permissions for the selected region.
Permission
Graphics
Clips
Description
The InfoCaster Online user can edit graphics in the selected region.
The InfoCaster Online user can edit video clips in the selected region.
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Permission Description
Text The InfoCaster Online user can edit text in the selected region.
Use Publishers
Press the Add Editable Region button to add the region permissions to the user’s Editable Regions list.
You can select and configure additional regions and content projects for the user in the Select Editable
Regions window.
When you are finished setting content editing permissions for the user, click OK. The updated permissions appear in the Web Editor section of the Publisher Permissions subtab.
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Manage Content
View, approve, and change content settings.
Manage Content
Connectus allows you to distribute published content to players and other Connectus servers. Use the
Content tab to view and send content through the network, and use the Content Settings dialog to change the settings and permissions for content.
Content List
The Content tab within Connectus lists all of the content on the Connectus system’s file servers.
Connectus consoles may only display the content that the Connectus server allows.
By default, the content list displays all of the content projects available to Connectus. See Search for
Content (on page 114) to learn how to change the content that appears in the list.
Column Headings
Right-click the column headings in the Content list to select options for hiding or revealing columns.
You can sort the list by clicking on any of the column headings. Click again on a heading to reverse the sorting.
Column
Thumbnail
Description
A rendered preview of the content project, if available.
Content Name The name of the content.
Type
The content type. See Content Types (on page 110) for a list of
supported types.
Version The content version, represented by the date and time the content
was last published. See Content Versions (on page 118) for more
information.
Players
Resolution
Size
The number of players with this content.
The resolution of the content.
The total size of the content project.
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Column Description
Expiry
Category
Archive
The expiry settings for the content, if applicable. See Content Expiry
(on page 119) for more information.
The category that the content is assigned to. See Categories (on page
The Archive column displays the archive status of content. The archive status can be Archiving, Archived, or Retrieving. See Archive
Expired Content (on page 123) for more information about content
archiving and retrieval.
Manage Content
Content Types
Connectus can manage several types of content. Each type of content has distinctive characteristics and can only be sent to or downloaded by supported systems. The following table lists the content types and their associated systems.
Content Receiver can receive all types of content, so it is generally not included in the table.
For information about publishing content, see .
Note: The following content types are not yet used by publishers or players, and are included in the
Content Type interfaces for future use: Animation, Audio, Font, Image, Template Library, and Video.
These types of content are currently processed as Media Asset files.
Table 1: Content Types Table
Content Type Published By
Ad Copy and
Schedule
Punctuate
Received By
InfoCaster
Description
Advertising and scheduling information sent by a Punctuate installation. This content is processed automatically by Connectus without needing to be manually sent to
Players.Punctuate is exclusively related to InfoCaster content, and it is not generally part of the Connectus network. Please contact your dealer if you require more information about
Punctuate.
ChannelGuide
InfoCaster
InfoCaster
A list of data streams and associated logos which viewers browse with a PC remote. ChannelGuide content can only be published or downloaded by
InfoCaster publishers of version 4.3.1 or later.
DDS Data
POS Gateway
InfoCaster
Client data which is compiled and published by a POS Gateway. This content is processed automatically by
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Content Type Published By
Manage Content
G3D Template
InfoCast
Layout
Media Asset
G-Scribe
G-3D
InfoCaster
Channel ONE
IconStation
IconLogo
Received By
G-Scribe
G-3D
Direct Control
G-Flow
InfoCaster
Channel ONE
IconStation
IconLogo
G-Scribe
TitleOne
Direct Control
G-3D
Inscriber Shell
Extension
IconLogo
G-Scribe
TitleOne
Direct Control
G-3D
G-Flow
MOS
Inscriber Shell
Extension
IconLogo
Description
Connectus without needing to be manually sent to Players.
A 3-D animated scene with support for multiple timelines and triggers.
Can reference one or more pieces of
Media Asset content.
Multi-page layouts containing regions and scheduling information. Each region can contain multiple pieces of content. Supports playback logging and can be scheduled by Connectus.
Single-page layout containing regions and salvos. Each region contains one piece of content. Supports playback logging. Cannot be scheduled by
Connectus.
A piece of media, such as an image or video file. Media Assets can also contain related files such as sidecar audio and xm_scribe (keyword) files.
Media Assets may be referenced by one or more content projects, and are downloaded with those content projects.
MG2
Miscellaneous
Playlist
G-Scribe
TitleOne
G-Scribe
TitleOne
Direct Control
Direct Control
G-Scribe
TitleOne
Single-page layout containing logo information, created and published by
LogoCreator. Cannot be scheduled by
Connectus.
Additional layout assets such as DVE templates, referenced by Scribe and
Scribelist content.
A reference to Media Assets and
Scribes. Does not support playback logging and cannot be scheduled by
Connectus.
When downloaded by a player, all referenced files and assets are also downloaded.
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Content Type
Scribe
Scribe 6.0
Scribelist
Scribelist 6.0
Script
Published By
G-Scribe
TitleOne
G-Scribe 7.0.4 or earlier
TitleOne 7.0.4 or earlier
G-Scribe
TitleOne
G-Scribe 7.0.4 or earlier
TitleOne 7.0.4 or earlier
G-Scribe
TitleOne
Received By
G-Scribe
TitleOne
Automation
Receiver
Direct Control
G-Flow
G-Scribe
TitleOne
G-Scribe
TitleOne
Automation
Interface
G-Scribe
TitleOne
Automation
Receiver
G-Scribe
TitleOne
Manage Content
Description
Single-page layout containing layout objects. Each object contains one piece of content. Does not support playback logging and cannot be scheduled by Connectus.
Scribe files may also reference the following content types: Media Assets
(for storing images and video clips),
Miscellaneous (for storing DVE templates), and Scripts (for storing user scripts).
Single-page layout containing layout objects. Each object contains one piece of content. Does not support playback logging and cannot be scheduled by Connectus.
Unlike the Scribe content type, the
Scribe 6.0 content type does not reference other content projects in
Connectus.
Multi-page layouts containing layout objects. Each object contains one piece of content. Does not support playback logging and cannot be scheduled by Connectus.
Scribelist content projects reference one or more Scribe content projects.
Multi-page layouts containing layout objects. Each object contains one piece of content. Does not support playback logging and cannot be scheduled by Connectus.
Unlike the Scribelist content type, the
Scribelist 6.0 content type does not reference other content projects in
Connectus.
User scripts. May be referenced by
Scribe and Scribelist content projects.
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Content Type
Store
Published By
G-Scribe 7.0.4 or earlier
TitleOne 7.0.4 or earlier
User Package
Inscriber Shell
Extension
Received By
G-Scribe
TitleOne
Direct Control
G-Flow
Automation
Receiver
Automation
Receiver
Description
Multiple pieces of media. Does not support playback logging and cannot be scheduled by Connectus.
Manage Content
Contains references to one or more
Media Asset files. Does not support playback logging and cannot be scheduled by Connectus.
Categories
Each content project can be assigned to a category. Use categories to help you organize and search for content.
Select Tools > Categories. The Categories window opens, displaying all the categories that are currently defined in Connectus.
To add a new category type its name into the field and click Add. Most publishers can access and assign these categories to content during the publishing procedure.
To remove a category from the list, select it and click the Remove button.
View Content List
If you are having difficulty finding content within your Content list or you want to display only the content that meets certain conditions, use the Search and Filter controls to display only the content you are interested in.
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Search for Content
Manage Content
Use the Search fields at the top of the Content list to display only the content that contains the search text.
1. Click the drop-down list to choose the elements of the content projects that you will search within.
Content Name searches for the text within the name of the content project.
File Name searches for the text within the content’s filename.
Keywords searches for the text within the content’s keyword list. Keywords are assigned to content when it is published to Connectus.
2. Enter your search text in the Search field.
3. Click the Search button. Only the content which matches your search conditions appears in the
Content list.
To display all of your content again, remove the text in the Search field and click the Search button.
Filter Content
Use the Filter controls to only display content which meets certain conditions. If the Filter controls are hidden, click the disclosure triangle above the Content list to reveal them.
Choose the content you want to display from the drop-down lists.
Option
Filters
Description
Choose a query that has already been created. See
Manage Queries (on page 115) to learn how to
save queries.
Content Type Select the type of content you want to display. See
Content Types (on page 110) for a description of
the types.
Category Select an existing category that you want to display, or enter a new category in the field. See
Categories (on page 113) for more information
about categories.
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Option Description
Published Choose to display only content that was published on a certain date. The Between option requires you to set a date span for the filter.
Published By Choose to display only content that was published by a certain publisher. You can also enter a publisher name in the field if the publisher has not previously connected to Connectus.
Manage Content
After you are finished choosing your filter options, click the Search button. Only the content that matches your filter options is displayed.
Manage Queries
Queries are search and filter settings that you can save and reuse. If you are frequently using the same search and filter settings, consider saving them as queries.
1. Use the controls above the Content list to set up search and filter conditions.
2. Click the Save Query button. The Save Query window opens.
3. Enter a name for the query and click Save. The query is saved for future use.
4. To use a saved query, select it from the Filters drop-down list.
5. If you want to change some of the query conditions, edit the search and query controls.
You can revert to the saved query’s original settings by clicking the Reset Query button.
6. Click the Search button to display the content that matches your search and filter options.
If you need to delete a saved query, select it from the Filters drop-down list and click the Delete
Query button.
View Content List in Pages
When you have many content projects stored on your file servers, it can be useful to display them a page at a time.
In the Per Page field at the top of the Content list, enter the number of projects you want to display in each page. The Previous and Next buttons move forward and backward through the pages.
Remove Content
Follow these steps to remove content from the file server:
1. Switch to the Content tab.
2. Select the content you want to remove.
3. Click the Remove Content button below the list. All versions of the content are removed from the file server.
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Content is not automatically deleted from player or publisher systems.
Manage Content
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Content Details
The Content Details section of the Content tab displays information about the selected content project, including the history of the content and any additional versions that are stored on the file servers.
Preview Content Pages
If the selected content contains more than one page, click the up and down arrows next to the preview thumbnail to view different pages in the content. Double-click on the preview thumbnail to view a high-quality still preview of the page in a resizable window.
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Content History
Manage Content
The Content History subtab displays all Connectus operations that have been performed on the selected content. Operations that appear in the Content History subtab include publishing, approval, and removal of content.
Content Versions
Connectus stores old versions of content projects each time they are re-published to the file server. If required, you can choose to use older versions when you send a content project to players.
All stored versions of the selected content appear in the Content Versions subtab.
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Content Expiry
You can set your content to automatically expire at specific times. Expired content is automatically deleted from file servers, player systems, or both.
Define Expiry Behavior for File Servers
Choose Tools > Server Preferences > Content Expiry to define expiry behavior for file servers.
Connectus checks its file servers periodically for expired content. Connectus deletes expired content from its file servers at a specific time every day. Use the Delete Expired Content field to set the time of day that Connectus deletes the expired content.
Figure 1: Define Expiry Behavior
If you want to archive your expired content before it is deleted, check the Archive Expired Content
Before Deletion checkbox. See Archive Expired Content (on page 123) for more information.
Note: Players delete their expired content each day at 4:00am local player time. Only players of
InfoCaster version 4.3.5 or later will expire and delete content.
Set Expiry Settings for Content in Connectus
In the Content tab, use the Content Expiry subtab to change the expiry settings for your selected content.
1. Within Connectus, switch to the Content tab.
2. Select the content you want to edit.
3. Switch to the Content Expiry subtab in the upper-right corner of the tab.
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4. Switch to the Server section to set the way the selected content expires on the Connectus file server.
Figure 2: Server Section
Content Will Not Expire: The selected content has no server expiry date.
Content Will Expire On: The selected content expires on the server at a specific date.
5. Switch to the Player section to set the way the selected content expires on the player.
Figure 3: Player Section
Content Will Not Expire: The selected content has no player expiry date.
Content Will Expire On: The selected content expires on the player at a specific date. This option will not be available for Ad Copy and Schedule content.
6. If want to cancel your changes, click the Reset Changes button. Otherwise click the Apply Changes button to save your new expiry settings.
How Shared Media Expires
Multiple InfoCasts can reference media files which they all share. These files are published and downloaded as separate packages. To ensure that shared media files are only deleted when no more
InfoCasts require them, Connectus and its players use a system of reference counting.
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Expiring Shared Media on the File Server
When shared media content is first published to Connectus along with an InfoCast which references it, the reference count for the media is set to one and its expiry date is set to the expiry date of the
InfoCast.
When the shared media is referenced by a new InfoCast, whether the media file has changed or not, the reference count for the shared media is incremented.
When an InfoCast which references the shared media content expires or is deleted, the reference count for the shared media decreases by one.
When Connectus checks its servers for expired content, it checks the reference count and expiry date of each piece of shared media. If the shared media’s reference count is zero and its expiry date has passed, the shared media expires.
Expiring Shared Media on Players
All content downloaded by or sent to a player will include their expiry dates. Shared media files also include their current reference count.
When the player receives an InfoCast which references a shared media file, the reference count for the shared media is incremented.
If a previous version of the InfoCast contained references to shared media, but that media is no longer referenced in the current version, the reference count for the shared media is decremented.
When an InfoCast expires, the InfoCast is deleted from the player after being stopped and closed if necessary. The reference counts of all shared media referenced by the InfoCast are decremented.
When the player checks for expired content, it checks the reference count and expiry date for each piece of shared media. If the shared media’s reference count is zero and its expiry date has passed, the shared media expires.
How Punctuate Media Expires
Multiple Ad Copy and Schedule messages can reference Punctuate media files which they all share.
These files are published and downloaded as separate packages. To ensure that Punctuate media files are only deleted when no more Ad Copy and Schedule messages are likely to require them, Connectus and its players use a system of reference counting.
Expiring Punctuate Media on the File Server
When Punctuate media content is first published to Connectus along with an Ad Copy and Schedule message which references it, the reference count for the media is set to one. Its expiry date is set to the current date plus a configurable interval (the default interval is three months).
When the Punctuate media is referenced by a message, whether the media has changed or not, the reference count for the media is incremented. The media’s expiry date changes to the current date plus the interval.
When a message which references the Punctuate media content expires or is deleted, the reference count for the Punctuate media decreases by one.
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When Connectus checks its servers for expired content, it checks the reference count and expiry date of each piece of Punctuate media. If the media’s reference count is zero and its expiry date has passed, the media expires.
Expiring Punctuate Media on Players
All content downloaded by or sent to a player will include their expiry dates. Punctuate media files also include their current reference count.
When the player receives an Ad Copy and Schedule message which references a Punctuate media file, the reference count for the Punctuate media is incremented, and the Punctuate media’s expiry date is set to the current date plus a configurable interval (the default is three months).
If the AdServer indicates that the new Ad Copy and Schedule message has successfully plotted, the
Punctuate media files referenced by the previous message have their reference counts decremented.
If, on the other hand, the AdServer indicates that the new message has failed to plot, the Punctuate media files referenced by the new message have their reference counts decremented.
When the player checks for expired content, it checks the reference count and expiry date for each piece of Punctuate media. If the media’s reference count is zero and its expiry date has passed, the media expires.
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Archive Expired Content
If you choose to archive expired content before it is deleted, the expired content is sent to a shared folder which you specify. You can search for media in the expired content and retrieve it if necessary.
Set Up Content Archive
Connectus moves archived content to a shared archive folder. To set the folder, choose Tools > Server
Preferences and switch to the Content Archiving tab.
Choose or enter a path to the shared archive folder where expired content will be archived.
If the folder does not already exist, Connectus creates the folder the first time that content is archived.
Configure Content Expiry
You must configure the Connectus system’s content expiry settings to set when and how content is
expired. See Content Expiry (on page 119) for instructions.
Enable Content Archiving
After configuring the Connectus system’s expiry settings, use the Content Expiry tab in the Server
Preferences window to enable content archiving.
Select Tools > Server Preferences and switch to the Content Expiry tab.
To enable content archiving, check the Archive Expired Content Before Deletion checkbox.
Archive to Invenio
If your network includes an Invenio® digital asset management system, you can use Invenio to create a database of expired content for archival purposes or for future retrieval.
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To set up the Invenio web service, choose Tools > Server Preferences and switch to the Content
Archiving tab. In the Invenio Archiving Integration section of the tab, enter the user name and password for the account you will use to access Invenio.
Invenio’s Intelligent Media Mover tool monitors the shared archive folder you have defined. When the
Intelligent Media Mover tool detects that new content has arrived, it notifies the Invenio web server.
Invenio adds the content’s properties and details to its media database.
Note: Invenio does not move or copy content from the shared archive folder. If you delete content from the shared folder, Connectus will be unable to retrieve it.
Set Invenio Web Service Location
Follow these steps to set the location of the Invenio web service.
1. Close Connectus.
2. Stop the Connectus service. a. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services. The Services window opens. b. Select the HarrisNMServer service. c. Click the Stop the Service link. The Connectus service stops running.
3. Open the netmanserver.config file with an editing program such as Notepad. This file is located in your Connectus folder.
4. Within your editing program, change all localhost text in the netmanserver.config file to the name of your Invenio web service system.
For example, if your Invenio web service is installed on a computer called inveniosystem.net, change all localhost text in the file to inveniosystem.net.
Since this text appears in several places within the file, we recommend you use the Search and
Replace feature in your editing program.
5. Save the updated netmanserver.config file.
6. Restart the Connectus service. a. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services. The Services window opens. b. Select the HarrisNMServer service. c. Click the Start the Service link. The Connectus service starts running again.
7. Open Connectus. You can now access the Invenio media databases.
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Archive Content
Manage Content
When configured, Connectus automatically archives and deletes your expired content at the time specified.
Follow these steps if you wish to manually archive content regardless of its expiry settings.
1. Switch to the Content tab.
2. Select a content project in the Content list.
3. Click the Archive Content button below the list. The selected content is zipped and copied to the shared archive folder.
Note: When you manually archive content it is not deleted from your player systems or your file servers.
Set Status Messages
Use the Status tab to monitor some or all of the content archiving events. Content archiving events that you choose to log appear on the tab. By default no content archiving events are logged.
The Status tab provides two content archiving events that can be monitored.
Archive File Server Content.
Retrieve Content from Archive.
For information about setting and filtering status messages see Status Tab (on page 173).
Retrieve Content
Use the Archive Search and Retrieve feature to search for and retrieve any content that is stored in the shared archive folder.
1. Choose Tools > Archive Search and Retrieve. The Archive Search and Retrieve window opens.
2. In the Query field, enter the text you want to search for.
3. If your content is archived with the Invenio digital asset management system, choose the Search
Invenio radio button.
Otherwise, choose the Search the Archive Folder radio button.
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4. Click the Search button. All archived content projects whose names contain the Query text, and any archived projects which contain pages, regions, or items with the Query text in their name, display in the list.
5. To retrieve archived content, select it in the list and click either the Retrieve or Retrieve As button.
Click the Retrieve button to retrieve the content with its existing name.
Click the Retrieve As button to retrieve the content with a new name. A Retrieve As window opens, allowing you to choose a new name for the content.
All content projects which you are retrieving display in the Retrieve Content Status list until they have been completely retrieved.
Retrieved content is unzipped and sent to the Connectus file servers. The content is not deleted from the shared archive folder when it is retrieved.
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Content Approval
You can require that all content must be approved before it can be sent to players. Email notices are sent to approval personnel when content is published to Connectus, and notices are sent to download personnel when content is approved.
Content can be approved on both Connectus and publisher systems. See Use Different Publishers (on
page 62) to learn how to set permissions and approve content with your publisher.
Enable Content Approval
You must enable content approval and assign at least one Approved Content file server for storing your approved content.
1. Select Tools > Server Preferences.
2. Switch to the File Server tab.
3. Switch to the Approved Content Locations subtab.
4. Make sure the Content Update Requires Approval checkbox is checked.
If you haven’t assigned at least one Approved Content file server, see Assign Approved Content Main
File Servers (on page 33) for instructions.
Email Personnel
Connectus keeps a list of email personnel who are notified when content is published or approved. This
is especially useful when the network includes offline players (see Offline Players (on page 138)).
for more information.
Email List
Before you can assign email contacts to the Approval and Download personnel lists, you must add their email addresses to the main email list.
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1. Select Tools > Emails > Email List. The Email List window opens, displaying a list of the email contacts.
2. Click the Add button.
3. Enter a name for the email contact in the Name field.
4. Enter one or more email addresses in the Addresses field. You can enter multiple addresses on different lines or you can separate addresses with semicolons.
5. Click the Apply button to add the email contact to the Email list.
6. Click OK to finish adding email contacts.
To remove an email contact from the list, select it and click the Remove button. The email contact is also removed from the approval and download personnel lists.
Hold down the CTRL key if you want to select multiple contacts from the list.
Approval Personnel
When content is published to Connectus, an email notice is automatically sent to the contacts in the
Approval Personnel list. In many networks the approval personnel are in charge of approving new content.
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1. To add an email contact to the Approval Personnel list, select Tools > Emails > Approval Personnel.
The Approval Personnel window opens.
2. Enter a phrase in the Start Email Subject with This Phrase field. This phrase will be part of the email subject when the notifications are sent to the Approval Personnel.
3. Click the Add button. The Email List window opens.
4. Select one or more email contacts from the Email List. If the email contact isn’t in the Email List, add it by clicking the Add button and entering a name and list a list of email addresses.
5. Click the OK button to add the selected email contacts to the Approval Personnel list.
To remove contacts from the Approval Personnel list, select one or more contacts from the list and click the Remove button.
Download personnel
When content is approved, an email notice is automatically sent to the contacts in the Download
Personnel list. In many networks the download personnel are in charge of all the content that is sent to players for display.
Download personnel must be notified if the network contains offline players. See Offline Players (on
page 138) for more information.
1. To add an email contact to the Download Personnel list, select Tools > Emails > Download
Personnel. The Download Personnel window opens.
2. Enter a phrase in the Start Email Subject with This Phrase field. This phrase will be part of the email subject when the notifications are sent to the Download Personnel.
3. Click the Add button. The Email List window opens.
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4. Select one or more email contacts from the Email List. If the email contact isn’t in the Email List, add it by clicking the Add button and entering a name and list a list of email addresses.
5. Click the OK button to add the selected email contacts to the Download Personnel list.
To remove contacts from the Download Personnel list, select one or more contacts from the list and click the Remove button.
Approve Content with a Publisher
Publishers can only approve content if the Connectus operator gives them permission.
set a publisher’s approval permissions.
Approve Content with Connectus
Follow these steps to approve content from within Connectus.
1. Switch to the Content tab.
2. Select the content you want to approve from the list.
3. Click the Approve Content button in the Content Details section of the tab. The content is moved to the approved content file server, and email notices are sent to the contacts in the Download
Personnel list.
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Content Settings
The Content Settings dialog allows you to set editing permissions, playback logging, and external data source options for content.
Changes do not take effect on the player systems until the updated content is sent to the players.
Open the Content Settings Dialog
To edit the settings for a piece of content, select it in the Content tab and click the Content Permissions button. The Content Settings dialog opens.
Note: Not all content types allow you to set content permissions.
Select Pages and Regions
Most of the settings in the Content Settings dialog are applied to specific regions in your selected content. Follow these steps to select a content region.
1. Open the Content Settings dialog to edit a content project.
2. If the content project contains more than one page, select a page from the Pages list.
A thumbnail of the page is displayed. The Region Outline section of the dialog displays all the regions in the page.
3. Use one of the following methods to select a region:
Click on a region in the Region Outline display.
Select a region from the Select Region drop-down list.
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Set Region Editing Permissions
Use the Content Permissions checkboxes to set player editing permissions for each region.
Note: Not all permissions are applicable to all types of content and player software.
Permission
Sequences
Add Item
Description
Delete Item
Add Sequence
Edit Sequence
Allows player to add items from the content library to the sequence list.
Allows player to delete items from the sequence list.
Allows player to add a new sequence to the region.
Allows player to adjust options included in the sequence settings. Options include sequence start time, item durations, transitions, and speed settings.
Delete Sequence Allows player to delete a sequence from the region.
Content Library
Add Item Allows player to add region items using the
Content Editors.
Delete Item
Edit Item
Allows player to delete items from the content library.
Allows player to edit existing items using the item library.
Duplicate Item
Rename Item
Allows player to make a copy of an existing item in the item library.
Allows player to change the name of an existing item in the item library.
Manage Content
Set Regions for Playback Logging
InfoCaster and Channel ONE players can log the playback of specific regions of content. When you set a region for logging the player system creates the log while the content plays.
To set a region to log, select the region and check the Log This Region checkbox in the Logging section of the dialog.
more information about enabling, collecting, and viewing logs.
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External Data Options
Manage Content
The External Data option allows you to set the storage location for external data files attached to content projects. Players that receive content containing data linked to an external data source, such as an ODBC database or text file, can access the data over a local area network or can store and access the file on their local computer.
Use the External Data radio buttons to set where the selected content’s external data sources are stored.
The Network and Custom options are only available for ODBC data sources that are stored in a system’s shared folder and are referenced with a path that includes the system’s machine name.
Network: Players access all external data over the network and link to the database originally specified by the publisher.
Local External Data: Players receive a copy of all external data with the content. Players access the external data locally, on the player system.
Custom: Administrators can customize which external data files are sent to players and which are accessed through the network. Click the Setup button to select the data sources that will be copied when the content is sent
External Data Locations
If data sources were originally stored in a local folder on a publisher, you can select which sources will be copied to identical folder paths on the player systems, and which sources will be moved to the content project’s own folder.
For instance, if an external data source was stored in C:\datasource\db.xls on the publisher, you can choose to store the data source in an identical location on all the player systems (C:\datasource\db.xls).
This allows other content projects to access the same data source if desired.
By default Connectus stores the data source within the content project’s folder (for example,
C:\Content\Movie Times\db.xls). In this case, other content projects on the player system are unable to connect to the data source. This ensures that the data source will not be accessed or overwritten by other content.
Click the Select Locations button to set which data sources are copied to the original file paths, and which are stored within the content project’s folder.
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Configure Punctuate Support
Punctuate is exclusively related to InfoCaster content, and it is not generally part of the Connectus network. Please contact your dealer if you require more information about Punctuate.
Configure Punctuate Integration
Within Connectus, choose Tools > Server Preferences > Punctuate. The Punctuate tab opens.
1. Configure the connection with the Local Post Office (LPO) web service.
Enter the URL for the Sales Local Post Office web service.
Enter the key that you are using to access the service.
The key value is normally masked for security reasons. If you require visual feedback while entering the key, check the Make Key Value Visible checkbox.
2. Configure the Punctuate web service.
Enter the URL for the Punctuate web service you are using.
Use the Interval field to set how frequently the server gets the state of the players from the web service.
3. Configure the Connectus Punctuate Adapter.
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In the Punctuate Agent Port field, enter the port that Connectus will use to receive connection requests from the Punctuate Agent.
In the Publish Content to Manager On field, enter the machine name or IP address and port of the Connectus system which publishes Punctuate content.
In the Connectus Port field, enter the port that Connectus will use to receive connection requests from the Connectus server.
4. Check the notification checkbox if you want Connectus to notify Punctuate when the following events occur.
A new InfoCast is published to Connectus.
A new player connects to Connectus.
Connectus has collected AdReconciliation files from players.
5. Check the Collect AdReconciliation Files checkbox to periodically collect AdReconciliation files from players.
Set when you want Connectus to collect reconciliation logs from the players and send them to the LPO web service. Connectus will ask players for playback logs every day at this time.
Use the Check and Recollect Logs field to set the number of days that Connectus tries to collect missing logs. If Connectus does not receive an AdReconciliation log from a player, it will continue trying to collect that log for the number of days chosen.
Players notify Connectus if they did not generate a log for a particular day, so Connectus will not continue trying to collect them.
Set the shared folder where Connectus stores the files.
Normally players send their files to Connectus, and Connectus is responsible for writing the files to the shared folder. If you check the Players Can Write Directly to This Folder checkbox, the players will write their files directly to the shared folder and then send a confirmation message to Connectus.
Punctuate users should consult the Punctuate documentation for more information.
Content Distribution to Players
Normally, communication between players and Punctuate is done through LAN, HTTP, or FTP. If you wish to use multicast folder transmission instead (to enable satellite transmission, for example) you must create multicast folders and pair them with player groups in the Punctuate tab.
1. Assign your players to one or more groups, as described in Group Network Components (on page
If you wish to send Punctuate content to all your players, you can skip this step and use the default
.All Players group instead.
2. Define one or more multicast transmission folders, as described in Multicast Mode Groups (on page
3. Choose Tools > Preferences > Punctuate. The Punctuate tab opens.
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4. In the Content Distribution to Players section of the tab, check the Update Content Using Multicast
Mode Groups checkbox.
5. Click the Add button. The Map Group to Multicast Mode Group window opens.
6. In the first drop-down list, select the player group you want to send Punctuate content to.
7. In the second drop-down list, select the Multicast Mode Group you want to send content through.
8. Click OK. The paired groups are added to the list.
9. Repeat steps 5-8 for any additional groups you want to pair.
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Players
View, control, and organize your players.
Players
Connectus Players
Connectus sends commands to the players, instructing them to download content from the file servers and play it with their output hardware. Player output can be monitored from Connectus, and players can send detailed logs of their output back to Connectus for billing purposes.
Player systems run Nexio software such as InfoCaster, Channel ONE, IconStation, Automation Interface, or IconLogo. Most players can only edit content if they have been assigned permissions by the publishers or by Connectus.
If you do not want to connect a player to the Connectus through a network, you can set up offline
players which manually download content from the file servers. See Offline Players (on page 138) to
learn how to set up and use offline players.
All players must have read access to the file servers they download content from.
Run Publishers as Players
A schedulable publisher can only respond to playback and scheduling commands from Connectus if the system is set to run as a player.
If you are using a schedulable publisher such as InfoCaster or Channel ONE and you want it to run as a player, look in the publisher’s Tools menu and ensure there is a checkmark beside the Run as Players option. If there is no checkbox, choose Tools > Run as Player to enable player operation.
Choose Tools > Run as Player again to use the player as a publisher instead. See Connect Publishers (on
page 45) to learn how to configure and manage publishers.
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Set Up Players
Before players can communicate with a Connectus, they must be configured to connect with the
Connectus system. See Connect Connectus Players (on page 46) to learn how to set up a player.
Players
Offline Players
Offline players are InfoCaster, Channel ONE, IconStation, Automation Interface, or IconLogo player systems that never connect to the Connectus server. They need to be manually added to the player list.
The offline operator is sent an email notice when content is updated to the player, and the operator manually retrieves the content and imports it into the player system.
Connectus will not display the status of offline players and they cannot be remotely controlled, restarted, or rebooted. Offline players are removed in the same way that online players are removed.
Offline player systems must have read access on the file servers they download content from.
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Add an Offline Player
To add an offline player to Connectus, select Tools > Add New Offline Player. The Offline Player
Preferences window opens.
Players
Enter the name for the offline player, as well as any additional information about the player and the operator.
In the On Update Send Email to this Address field, enter the email account that you’d like to send the update notice to.
Use Offline Players
When content is published (or approved, if content approval is required), Connectus sends an email to the offline player operator. The email contains information about the content, its version date, and where it can be downloaded from.
The offline player operator must manually download the content from the link provided, then import it into the player. The operator is also responsible for opening, starting, and stopping the content.
Add an Enseo STB as a Player
Connectus can control the display and channel settings of Enseo™ set top boxes that you have added to your player list.
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1. Select Tools > Add New Enseo STB. The Enseo STB Player Preferences dialog opens.
Players
2. Enter the name for the Enseo STB player, as well as any additional information about the player and the operator.
3. Enter connection information for the Enseo STB player.
The IP address of the Enseo STB.
The XML-RPC interface port and the data channel ports used by the Enseo STB.
4. Click OK. the Enseo STB is added to your player list.
You cannot send content to Enseo STB systems. See Control Content Playback (on page 158) to learn
system’s display settings.
Player Status
The Players tab displays all the players that are recognized by the Connectus console. Use the Players tab to view the status of the players and the content they are playing. You can also select individual players to get more information about their settings, software versions, update queues, and playback queues.
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Player List
The player list within Connectus lists all the players on the Connectus system’s network.
Players
Filter Players in the List
Use the drop-down list at the top of the Players tab to choose which players are displayed in the list.
Column Headings
Right-click the column headings in the Content list to select options for hiding or revealing columns.
You can sort the list by clicking on any of the column headings. Click again on a heading to reverse the sorting.
Column
Player Name
Player Type
IP Address
Location
Description
The name of the player. This can be changed using the
Configuration Utility on the player system (see Connect Connectus
Players (on page 46)) or with the Player Preferences window
within Connectus (see Player Preferences (on page 148)).
The player’s type. Connectus supports different types of Harris player software such as InfoCaster, IconStation, Channel ONE, and
Automation Interface. Connectus supports InfoCaster player software.
The network IP address of online player systems, if applicable.
The location of the player. This can be changed using the
Configuration Utility on the player system (see Connect Connectus
Players (on page 46)) or with the Player Preferences window
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Column Description
within Connectus (see Player Preferences (on page 148)).
If the player has been mapped, a mapping icon appears in the
Locations column. See Player Maps (on page 164) for more
information.
Group
Manager
The groups the player is assigned to. If the player belongs to a particular Connectus server, the server’s name is displayed. To learn how to assign players to groups see Group Network
The manager system which owns the player.
Status The current playback status of the player, if applicable.
Not Connected: Connectus is unable to connect to the player through the network.
Not Playing: The player is not playing content.
Updating: The player is downloading content from the file server. Download progress is displayed as a percentage in the
Status column.
Queued: The player is not playing content, but content is scheduled to play in the future.
Playing: The player is playing content.
Offline Player: The player is an offline player. Since offline players are not connected to Connectus through the network,
Connectus is unable to determine the player’s activity. See
Offline Players (on page 138) for more information.
Playing Content The name of the content currently being played by the player, if applicable.
Playing Content
Version
The version of the content that is playing, if applicable.
Playback Status How long the player has been playing or stopped, if applicable.
Playing Since: The player has been playing since the displayed date and time.
Not Playing Since: The player has been stopped since the displayed date and time.
Dates and times are only shown for version 4.3.5 of InfoCaster or later.
Resolution The player’s output resolution.
Players
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Column Description
Connection Status Whether the player is connected or disconnected.
Connected: The player is currently connected. The date and time when the connection began are displayed.
Disconnected: The player is currently disconnected. The date and time when the disconnection occurred are displayed.
Dates and times are only shown for version 4.3.5 of InfoCaster or later.
Channel Guide
Status
PTP Status
If the player is configured for Channel Guide display, this column shows information about the date that the currently-loaded
Channel Guide was last updated, the number of channels it supports, and the default channel setting.
The current clock sync status of the player system, if applicable.
This information is only displayed for version 4.4 of InfoCaster or later.
Punctuate Status A brief description of the player’s Punctuate status, if applicable.
Full status details are displayed in the Player Details section of the
Players tab. See Punctuate Status Details (on page 145) for more
information.Punctuate is exclusively related to InfoCaster content, and it is not generally part of the Connectus network. Please contact your dealer if you require more information about
Punctuate.
System Started The date and time that the player system last restarted. This information is only displayed for version 4.3.5 of InfoCaster or later.
Software Started The date and time that the player’s software last restarted. This information is only displayed for version 4.3.5 of InfoCaster or later.
Players
Multiple Instances in the Player List
When a player system is configured for multiple player instances, the Player list displays a separate entry for each instance.
Feature Note: You can only configure multiple player instances for InfoCaster players with the Multi
Head option enabled. See the user guide for your player system for information about setting up multiple instances
Player Details
When you select a player in the Player list, the Player Details section of the tab displays detailed information about the player and its status.
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Detail Description
Name
IP Address
The name of the player.
The network IP address of online player systems, if applicable.
System Started The date and time that the player system last restarted. This information is displayed for version 4.3.5 of InfoCaster or later.
Software Started The date and time that the player’s software last restarted. This information is only displayed for version 4.3.5 of InfoCaster or later.
Connection
Status
Whether the player is connected or disconnected.
Connected: The player is currently connected. The date and time when the connection began are displayed.
Disconnected: The player is currently disconnected. The date and time when the disconnection occurred are displayed.
Dates and times are only shown for version 4.3.5 of InfoCaster or later.
Playback Status How long the player has been playing or stopped, if applicable.
Playing Since: The player has been playing since the displayed date and time.
Not Playing Since: The player has been stopped since the displayed date and time.
Dates and times are only shown for version 4.3.5 of InfoCaster or later.
Punctuate Status A brief description of the player’s Punctuate status, if applicable.
See Punctuate Status Details (on page 145) for a list of status
messages.Punctuate is exclusively related to InfoCaster content, and it is not generally part of the Connectus network. Please contact your dealer if you require more information about
Punctuate.
Player Version The version of the software the player is using.
Player Flavour The player’s type. Connectus supports different types of Harris player software such as InfoCaster, IconStation, Channel ONE, and
Automation Interface. Connectus supports InfoCaster player software.
Disk Free Space The amount of free space available on the drive which holds the player’s content.
Operator
The name of the player’s operator, if provided.
The contact email of the operator, if provided.
Phone
Description
Location
The phone number of the operator, if provided.
A brief description of the player
The location of the player.
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Detail Description
Groups The groups that the player is assigned to. If the player belongs to a particular Connectus server, the server’s name is displayed. To learn how to assign players to groups see Group Network
Players
Punctuate Status Details
If the selected player is part of a Punctuate implementation, the Punctuate Status box in the Players tab displays a list of warnings, errors, and other messages related to the player’s Punctuate operations. The following messages can appear.
Message Type Message
Warning
Critical
NO Punctuate status received from Punctuate web service
UNKNOWN Punctuate player state
WRONG Punctuate player state
UNKNOWN Punctuate AdCopyAndSchedule state
WRONG Punctuate AdCopyAndSchedule state
NO player AdServer status received from AdServer web service
UNKNOWN player AdServer state
NO player AdServer web server access
WRONG player AdServer state
Booking
Message
Error
Success
Filler only
Out of date
No bookings
Wrong booking code
Message failure
Message wrong code
Played error
Content skipped
Punctuate plot successful
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View Player Content
Players
Within the Players tab, switch to the Content on Disc subtab to view the content that has been sent to the selected player.
The Content on Disc subtab displays the following information about each content project.
The name of the content project, with a color-coded icon representing the page’s state.
The version of the content that the player has downloaded. See Content Versions (on page 118) for
more information.
The content’s current state on the player system. Content projects can be in one of the following states:
State Color Description
Downloading
Not Playing
The content is downloading from the file server. Download progress is displayed as a percentage in the Activity column.
The content is not playing.
Queued
Playing
The content is not currently playing, but is scheduled to play in the future. Only schedulable players can queue content.
The content is playing.
Unknown Connectus is unable to determine the status of the content because the player is not connected.
Delete Content
Click the Delete Content button in the Content on Disc subtab to delete the selected content from the player system. The content is not deleted from the Connectus system’s file servers.
Start and Stop Playback
You can control schedulable player playback by clicking the Start Playback and Stop Playback buttons in
the Content on Disc subtab. See Control schedulable Players (on page 158).
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Playback Queue
Players
For schedulable players, switch to the Playback Queue subtab to view the content that is queued for playback on the selected player.
The Playback Queue subtab displays the name of the queued content and the time each content project is scheduled to start playing.
To remove content from the queue, click the Remove From Queue button.
Update Queue
When you send content projects to a player they are added to the player’s update queue. The player downloads the first content project in the update queue, then starts downloading the next project in the queue. The player continues downloading projects one-by-one until the queue is empty.
Within the Players tab, switch to the Update Queue subtab to view the content in the update queue.
The Update Queue subtab displays the names of all content projects waiting to be downloaded by the player. Download progress is displayed as a percentage in the Activity column for the first project in the queue.
To stop content from being downloaded, click the Remove From Queue button.
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View Player Playback
Players
The Players Playback tab allows Connectus operators to see live playback from online player systems.
Use the Filter Players controls to set the players which appear in the tab. See Filter and Display Players
(on page 153) to learn how to use the filter controls.
Click the Map It button to view the player in a player map. See Player Maps (on page 164) for more
information.
Configure Picons
Use the controls on the right side of the Players Playback tab to set the size and update frequency for the picons.
Player Preferences
You can edit player preferences for InfoCaster, Channel ONE, IconStation, and Automation Interface players from within Connectus.
1. Within Connectus, switch to the Players tab.
2. Select a player from the Player List.
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3. Click the Player Preferences button. The Player Preferences window opens.
Players
Player
In the Player section of the window, enter the name and physical location of the player, as well as a brief description. By default the description displays the log-in ID of the individual who installed the player.
The player’s name is used by Connectus to select the player when sending content.
Use the If Content Download Fails fields to set how often the player tries to download content from
Connectus if the initial download is unsuccessful. Enter the number of times to try to download in the first field, and the amount of time between attempts in the second field.
Check the Check File CRC After Download checkbox to set the player to check the content for errors that may have occurred during download. Selecting this option ensures the integrity of your files, but they may take longer to download.
Connect to Server
The Connect to Server section of the window allows you to change the way the player connects with
Connectus.
In the Server Name field, enter the name of the system that the Connectus is installed on.
Enter the port used to communicate with Connectus in the TCP/IP Port field.
To change how often the player checks for a connection with Connectus, enter a new value in the
Check Interval field.
Operator
Player systems can provide Connectus with information about the system’s operator. Use the Name,
Email, and Telephone fields to enter or update the operator’s contact information. This information is displayed when player systems are selected within Connectus.
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Maintenance Restart
Players
Schedulable players will have maintenance restart options. If you need to schedule regular player restarts, use the Maintenance Restart section of the window to set how often the player system is restarted.
Select Never to never automatically restart the player.
Select Daily to set the player to restart every day, and enter a time in the Start Time field.
Select Weekly to set the player to restart every week, and select a day of the week in the Weekly drop-down list and a time in the Start Time field.
Select the System Reboot radio button to completely reboot the player system, or select the Application
Restart radio button to simply shut down and restart the player software.
Check Player Frequency
Within Connectus, select Tools > Server Preferences > Connections to set how often Connectus checks the players.
In the Check Players section of the tab, change the Request Status values to get status updates more or less frequently.
Change the Ping Players value to check player system connections more or less frequently.
Troubleshoot Players with Commands
To help you troubleshoot players from within the Connectus interface, you can add commands which access command line applications. A "Ping Player" command is installed by default.
Ping a Player
Follow these steps to ping a player using the default Ping Player command.
1. Switch to the Players tab.
2. Select the player you want to ping.
3. Click the Troubleshoot Player button. A pop-up menu appears.
4. Select the Ping Player option in the pop-up menu. The player’s IP address is pinged using the
Windows command line "ping -t" command.
Add a Custom Command
You can call Windows applications by writing custom commands. In your commands, the TARGET_IP placeholder is replaced by your selected player’s IP address when the command is run. This is useful for passing an IP address to the application via a command line parameter.
1. Switch to the Players tab.
2. Click the Troubleshoot Player button. A pop-up menu appears.
3. Select Configure Tools > Add New Tool. The Troubleshooting Tool window opens.
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4. Enter a name for your command in the Name field.
Players
5. In the Action field, enter the Windows command line text that will be run when the command is selected. Type TARGET_IP in places where you want your selected player’s IP address to be substituted.
For example, if you want to create a command which launches an executable called genericvnc.exe, and passes the IP address of the selected player to the executable using a -connectip parameter, enter the following command line text for your action (assuming the executable is located in the
Connectus system’s c:\vnc folder):
"c:\vnc\genericvnc.exe" -connectip TARGET_IP
6. Click OK. Your command is saved.
Note: Commands are saved within the Windows registry in encrypted format, so sensitive information such as system passwords can be included in the text if required.
Run a Command
Follow these steps to run a command.
1. Switch to the Players tab.
2. If the command you want to run contains a TARGET_IP placeholder, select the player whose IP address you want to use.
3. Click the Troubleshoot Player button. A pop-up menu appears.
4. Select the command you want to run within the pop-up menu. The command’s action text is run within the Windows command line, with the selected player’s IP address replacing any TARGET_IP placeholders.
Export and Import Player Lists
Connectus allows you to export and import information about your players, groups, and displays. This is useful if you wish to duplicate group assignments across multiple machines, or if you wish to edit the exported files before importing to customize player groups.
Export Selected Players to File
Within the Players tab, click the Export Selected Players to File button to create a file with information about your selected players.
You can choose to export either an Excel® file or a tab-delimited text file.
1. Switch to the Players tab.
2. Use the Players list to select the players whose information you want to export.
3. Click the Export Selected Players to File button. A Save As dialog opens.
4. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the file, and give the file a name.
If you are going to use this file to establish group membership in the future, ensure you export an
Excel file instead of a text file. See Import Group Membership (on page 152 ) for more information.
5. Save the file. The exported file contains a row of data for each player. If the player controls multiple external displays then each display receives its own row in the spreadsheet.
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The spreadsheet includes the following information.
Heading Description
ID
Name
IP
Type
The internal designation of the player.
The player’s name.
The player’s IP address.
The type of software on the player.
Location
Version
Resolution
Groups
Playing
Content
The player’s group membership, if applicable.
The content that is currently being played by the player, if applicable.
Playing Version The version of the content that is currently playing, if applicable.
Status The current status of the player, if available.
Display
The location of the player.
Build information about the player’s software version.
The player’s resolution, if applicable.
Power
Source
Volume
Mute
If the player is controlling the properties of a display, the display type is listed in this column.
If the player controls multiple displays then each display receives its
own row in the spreadsheet. See Display Control (on page 170) for
more information.
The power status of the display, if applicable.
The input source of the display, if applicable.
The volume level of the display, if applicable.
Whether the display’s volume is muted, if applicable.
Players
Import Group Membership
Within the Players tab, click the Import Group Membership button to import an Excel file which contains
files from Connectus.
When you import an Excel file into your console, Connectus attempts to assign your console players to the groups as described in the spreadsheet. Connectus attempts to recreate the player/group structure of the spreadsheet as closely as possible using the following rules.
Console players are added to all the groups which are listed in their spreadsheet row.
If a group in the spreadsheet does not exist on the console, the group is automatically created.
If console players are already part of a group which is not listed in their row of the spreadsheet, the players are removed from the group.
If a player in the spreadsheet does not exist on the console, the information for that player is ignored. Players are not automatically created.
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Remove Player
Players
To remove a player from the Player list, switch to the Players tab, select the player from the list, and click the Remove Player button at the bottom of the tab. The player is removed.
Filter and Display Players
When you are viewing or managing a large number of players on your network, you often need to filter the player lists in Connectus so that only relevant players are displayed.
All Connectus tabs which display player lists also contain standardized filter and display controls. These controls allow you to display only the players you are interested in, and also limit the number of players which can be displayed at once.
Filter Players
To filter the players that are currently displayed in any of the tabs, use the Filter controls. The controls appear above the player lists.
The Filter Players drop-down list allows you to quickly select a standard filter query. Connectus comes with several useful queries, and the drop-down list also includes any additional queries that you have created.
After you have selected a filter query with the drop-down list, click the Search button to filter the player list using the selected query.
Create a New Filter Query
Follow these steps to create a new filter query using the Filter controls.
1. Click the Filter Editor button. The Search Players dialog opens.
If you have already selected a filter query with the Filter Players drop-down list, the settings of the query are copied into the Search Players dialog.
2. To fill the fields in the Search Players dialog with the settings from an existing query, select the query with the Query Name drop-down list.
3. Use the fields in the Search Players dialog to define your filter query.
Most fields allow you to use the keywords and, or, and not to refine your filter. For example, entering weather and east in the Name field will only display players whose names contain both
"weather" and "east" in their names.
4. Click the Save Query button. The Save Query dialog opens.
5. Enter a name for the query.
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6. Click the Save button. You are returned to the Search Players dialog, and your query will become available in the Filter Players drop-down lists.
7. If you are finished creating queries, click the OK button.
Field Name
Name
Group
Type
Location
Description
Description
The name of the player.
The group the player is in. You can type in a group name, or click the drop-down arrow to see existing groups.
See Group Network Components (on page 156) for more
information.
The player type. See Content Types (on page 110) for a list of
player types and the content they support.
The player’s location.
The player’s description.
IP Address The player’s IP address, if applicable.
Display Resolution The player’s display resolution.
Software Version The version of the software currently installed on the player system.
Owned by Manager The manager system which owns the player. You can type in a manager name, or click the drop-down arrow to select additional options.
Any Manager: Players are not filtered by manager.
This Manager: Players which are owned by your current manager will pass the filter.
Not This Manager: Players which are not owned by your current manager will pass the filter.
Connection Status The connection status of the player.
Any: Players are not filtered by connection status.
Connected: Connectus can connect to the player through the network.
Not Connected: Connectus cannot connect to the player through the network.
Unknown: Connectus is unable to determine the connection status of the player.
Online Type Whether the player is an online or offline type.
Any: Players are not filtered by online type.
Offline: Players do not connect directly to Connectus through
the network. See Offline Players (on page 138) for more
information.
Online: Players connect to Connectus through the network.
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Field Name Description
Playing Content The name of the content currently being played by the player.
You can type in a content name, or click the drop-down arrow to select additional options.
Any Content: Players are not filtered by the name of their playing content.
Not Playing: Players that are not playing any content.
Content that the player can access. Has Content
Updating Content The name of the content currently being updated to the player.
You can type in a content name, or click the drop-down arrow to select additional options.
Any Content: Players are not filtered by the name of their updating content.
Not Playing: Players that are not receiving new content.
Updating Software The name of the software that is currently being updated to the player. You can type in a software name, or click the drop-down arrow to select additional options.
Any Software: Players are not filtered by the name of their updating software.
Not Updating: Players whose software is not being updated.
Punctuate Status
Punctuate is exclusively related to InfoCaster content, and it is not generally part of the Connectus network. Please contact your dealer if you require more information about Punctuate.
Delete Queries
Follow these steps to delete a filter query using the Filter controls.
1. Click the Filter Editor button. The Search Players dialog opens.
2. Use the Query Name drop-down list to select the query you want to delete.
3. Click the Delete Query button.
Display Players in Pages
When you are connect to many players, it can be useful to display them a page at a time.
Players
In the Per Page field at the top of the list, enter the number of players you want to display in each page of the list. The Previous and Next buttons move forward and backward through the pages.
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Group Network Components
Players
It is useful to organize your players, servers, and Multicasts into groups when you have a large number of components on your network. You can send content, triggers, and rules to all of the components in a specific group, and view player information and status according to the groups they are assigned to.
Select Tools > Groups to open the Groups window. The Groups window allows you to manage groups and assign components to them.
Manage Groups
Use the buttons at the bottom of the Groups window to manage your groups.
To create a new group click the Add New Group button in the Groups window. The New Group window opens, allowing you to give the group a name and a description.
The new group is added to the groups list when you click OK in the New Group window.
To change the name or description of the selected group, click the Edit Group button. The New
Group window opens and allows you to change the name and description of the group.
To remove a group, select it in the list and click the Remove Group button.
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.No Group
Players
.No Group is a special group that contains all network components that aren’t currently assigned to a group.
Assign Network Components to Groups
Click the Add and Remove buttons to assign network components such as players, servers, and
Multicasts to different groups.
1. Select the group you’d like to manage from the list of groups at the top of the window.
The list at the right side of the window displays all of the network components currently assigned to that group. The list at the left side displays all of the components which aren’t assigned to that group.
2. To add components to the group, select them in the left list and click the Add button. You can multiple select components by clicking them while holding down the SHIFT or CTRL keys.
3. To remove components from the group, select them in the right list and click the Remove button.
4. Click the Done button when you are finished managing groups.
Export and Import Group Information
Connectus allows you to export and import information about your players and groups. This is useful if you wish to duplicate group assignments across multiple machines, or if you wish to edit the exported files before importing to customize player groups.
Auto Assignment
Use the checkboxes at the bottom of the Groups window to automatically assign players, peers, and
Multicasts to groups.
If a network component’s name contains the name of a group, the component can be automatically assigned to that group. For instance, a group named "Sports" will automatically contain players called
"Generic Sports," "Sports East Coast," and "Sports West Coast."
Check the checkboxes to set which network components the currently selected group will auto assign.
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Control schedulable Players
Players
InfoCaster and Channel ONE player software can be scheduled and controlled remotely by Connectus.
You can also change the channel and closed captioning settings of the players.
You can remotely control schedulable players using the Players tab. Select a player to control from the
Player list, then switch to the Content on Disc subtab to control playback. You can also relaunch and reboot schedulable players using the buttons on the bottom of the Players tab.
Control Content Playback
In most situations, playback is scheduled when content is sent to the player.
Use the buttons in the Content on Disc subtab when it is necessary to manually play or stop playback on a schedulable player system.
1. Switch to the Players tab.
2. Select the player you want to control from the Player list.
3. Switch to the Content on Disc subtab near the bottom-right of the Players tab.
4. To start playback, select a content project from the list and click the Start Playback button. The player immediately opens and plays the selected content.
5. To stop playback, click the Stop Playback button. The player stops playing any content it was playing.
6. If your player supports the channel guide feature and you wish to change the player’s channel, enter a new channel in the Current Channel field and press Set.
If the tuner supports minor channels, enter the minor channel as a decimal. For example, enter
27.100 for minor channel 100 of major channel 27.
7. To enable the display of closed captioning on the player, check the Closed Captioning checkbox and click the Set button.
Control Player Operation
Use the player operation buttons at the bottom of the Players tab to control player operation.
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Restart Player
Players
If you need to restart the player software that is running on a schedulable system, click the Relaunch
Player button at the bottom of the Players tab.
The player’s output will be blank while the software relaunches. Output resumes when the relaunch is complete.
Reboot Player
To completely reboot a schedulable player system, click the Reboot Player button at the bottom of the
Players tab.
The player’s output will be blank while the player system reboots. Output resumes when the reboot is complete and the software automatically relaunches.
Send Triggers to Players
You can configure Connectus to send virtual "Player GPIs" to players in response to serial or software
GPI triggers. Content with GPI Initiated conditional playback rules will respond to the Player GPIs.
Use the Triggers tab to convert regular GPI triggers to Player GPIs within Connectus.
Set Up External Triggers
Before you can configure Connectus to send Player GPIs in response to external triggers, you must use the Configuration Utility to set the external triggers that Connectus can respond to.
See Configure Connectus (on page 216) to learn how to set up external triggers.
Add New Player GPIs
Switch to the Triggers tab to add new Player GPIs within Connectus software.
1. Click the New button. The Create Trigger window opens.
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Note: If the New button is not available, your console may not have permission to manage triggers.
See Set Console Permissions (on page 197 ) for more information.
2. Use the On GPI drop-down list to select the trigger that you want Connectus to respond to. These are the external triggers set up in the Configuration Utility.
3. Type a name for the Player GPI in the Trigger Name field.
4. By default, Player GPIs are only sent when an external trigger is fired. If you want to schedule Player
GPIs or to cause them to recur, check the On Schedule checkbox and define the schedule for your
Player GPI.
See Schedule Player GPIs (on page 161 ) for details.
5. In the Send To section of the window, choose the network components you want to send the Player
GPIs to.
Select Multicast to send the Player GPIs to a network multicast, specified in the IP and Port fields. Players which are set to listen to this multicast can respond to the Player GPIs.
Select All Players to send the Player GPIs to every player system on the network.
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Select Single Player, Group, or Multiple Players to send the Player GPIs to specific players.
Select Multicast Folder to send Player GPIs to transmission folders, for distribution to players via
third-party software. See Multicast Mode Groups (on page 190) for more information.
Select Peer Servers to send the Player GPIs to a remote Connectus server, which will then send
the GPIs to its own players. See Connectus Servers (on page 201) for more information about
servers.
6. Type the GPI numbers that you want to send to the players, clicking the Add button when finished.
You can add a range of GPIs by separating numbers with a minus sign, and add individual GPIs by separating them with commas.
To remove a GPI from the list, select it and click the Delete button.
7. Use the Trigger the GPI at Destination section if you want to change how quickly players respond to
Player GPIs.
If you select the Immediately radio button, players respond to the Player GPIs as soon as they receive them.
If you select the Immediately Offset By radio button and enter an offset value in the field, players will respond to Player GPIs after the offset time has elapsed. This is useful if several triggers are fired at the same time but you want them to be performed in sequence.
8. If you do not want to send Player GPIs to offline players, check the Send Only to Connected Players checkbox.
9. Click the Save button to save the Player GPI.
When Connectus receives an external trigger it activates the Player GPIs associated with the trigger received. Create conditional playback rules in your content projects to trigger actions in response to the
Player GPIs.
Schedule Player GPIs
Use the Trigger Schedule dialog If you want to schedule your Player GPIs or cause them to recur. This dialog opens when you check the On Schedule checkbox or when you click the Edit Schedule button in the Create Trigger window.
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1. Use the Fire At fields to set the time and date the Player GPI is sent after the external trigger is fired.
The Player GPI is sent when the console’s clock reaches this time, plus any offset value you set in the
Create Trigger window.
2. Select a recurrence pattern with the radio buttons. Each radio button reveals a set of options for that pattern.
None: The Player GPI is only sent once.
Daily: The Player GPI is sent once a day. You can choose to send the Player GPI on every weekday, or to send it on every second day, every third day, etc.
Weekly: The Player GPI is sent every week, on the days which are checked.
Custom: The Player GPI is sent repeatedly at the interval chosen with the Hours and Minutes fields.
3. By default, recurring Player GPIs continue to recur until you change their schedule.
If you want a recurring Player GPI to stop recurring at a certain date, select the End By radio button and choose the ending date.
4. Click the Save button to save the schedule for your Player GPI.
Note: If you are firing triggers in a time-sensitive capacity, consider synchronizing your system’s clock to
the other systems in the network. See Clock Synchronization (on page 217) for more information.
Manage Player GPIs
View and manage your Player GPIs with the controls in the Triggers tab.
Option Description
View Player GPIs To view the details of one or more Player GPIs, select the GPIs in the list and view the information in the GPI Details window.
Edit Player GPI Double-click a Player GPI to edit it. You can also select a GPI and click the Edit button.
Remove Player
GPIs
Select one or more Player GPIs and click the Remove button to remove them from the list.
Disable/Enable
Player GPIs
To disable or enable Player GPIs, select one or more GPIs and click the Disable/Enable Selected button.
You can also check or clear the Active checkbox for each Player GPI.
Fire GPIs
To manually fire Player GPIs:
Select one or more GPIs and click the Fire Selected Triggers button.
Click the buttons on a custom trigger web page. See the Connectus Web Triggers document to learn how to create custom web pages for your triggers.
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Fire External Triggers
Players
You might find it useful to simulate the firing of your external triggers, to ensure that your Player GPIs are properly configured.
In the Triggers tab, click the Fire GPI button to open the Fire GPI window.
Select the external triggers you want to fire and click the Fire Selected button. Connectus simulates firing the external triggers, which trigger the Player GPIs associated with them.
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Player Maps
Players
Player Maps allow you to visually represent the locations of all the players in your network. You can place displays on custom-made maps and floor plans, assign players to the displays, and navigate within the maps to get instant information about each player in a particular region or location.
Manage Maps
Connectus uses image files as maps. Once you have created these image files in a third-party product, add them to Connectus within the Player Maps tab.
When you first switch to the Player Maps tab, the Maps window opens so you can add new maps to
Connectus. You can re-open this window by clicking the Maps button in the Player Maps tab.
The Maps window shows a list of maps that you have added to Connectus. Click the maps in the list to see a thumbnail of each map in the Preview window.
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Add Maps
To add a new map, open the Maps window and click the Add Map button.
Players
In the Add Map window, click the Choose button and navigate to the image file you want to use. Enter a name for the map in the Map Name field and then click OK. The map is added to Connectus.
Edit Map
Within the Maps window, click the Edit Map button to change the selected map’s name or to assign a new image file to it.
Remove Map
To remove a map from Connectus, select it in the list and click the Remove Map button.
Editing Mode
Maps are locked by default and cannot be edited. To add or edit displays within a map, select the map from the Map drop-down list and click the Edit button to switch to editing mode.
When you have finished making changes to the map, click the Save button to exit editing mode. Click the
Cancel button to exit the editing mode without saving your changes.
Add Displays to Maps
While in editing mode you can add displays to the current map. Each display represents a player in your network.
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To add a new display to your map, grab the display rectangle and drag it to the proper location. When you drop it on the map you are prompted to give the display a name. You can add additional displays to each map as needed.
Click on the Displays subtab to view a list of all the displays in the current map. When you select a display in the list, the corresponding display rectangle is highlighted in the map.
Assign Players to Displays
Follow these steps to assign a player system to a display rectangle.
1. Switch to the Players subtab to view all of the players on the network. To filter the players in the list, choose a group or a mapping category from the Showing drop-down list.
2. To get more information about the player, click the triangle beside the player’s name. The player’s IP address, connection status, group (if applicable), display resolution, software version, map filename, map status, and operator name are listed.
3. Drag a player from the list and drop it on a display rectangle. You can only drag players that have not already been assigned to a display.
If you drop a player in an area without a display, a new display is created for it.
When you select a player in the list the corresponding display rectangle is highlighted in the map.
Double-click on a display rectangle to view its player in the Players tab.
Remove Players and Displays
While in edit mode, right-click on display rectangles to remove players from the displays or to delete displays from the map.
Log Playback
InfoCaster, IconStation, and Channel ONE players can log the playback of specific regions of content.
When you set a region for logging, the player system creates the log while the content plays.
If Connectus is configured to collect playback logs, the players periodically send their log files back to the
Connectus system where the logs are compiled according to the settings in the Playback tab.
Information Logged
Log files contain the following information:
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Information
Player Name
Groups
Page Name
Region Name
Event Name
Description
The name of the system playing the content.
The groups the player belongs to.
The content page being played, if applicable.
The page region being played.
The region event being played, if applicable.
Start Date and
Start Time
When the event started playing.
Stop Date and Stop
Time
When the event stopped playing.
Duration
Log Note
Display On/Off
The total duration of the event.
When content is created, each event can be given a Log Note.
When the content is played the Log Notes are added to the log.
When content is created, each event can be given a Log Note.
When the content is played the Log Notes are added to the log.
Volume State of the display monitor at the time the content played.
For more information about content, see Manage Content (on page 109).
Players
Enable Player Logging
By default items are not set to be logged on player systems. Players can enabled or disable logging, change the storage folder for log files, and change the number of days that log files are stored on each player system.
Follow these steps to enable playback logging for a player.
1. On the supported player system open the Configuration Utility by choosing Start > Programs > Harris
> [player software name] > Configuration Utilities > Configuration Utility.
2. Within the Configuration Utility, switch to the Playback Logging tab.
3. Check the Enable Logging checkbox.
4. Click the Choose button and navigate to where you want to store the playback log files.
5. Use the Keep Logs for the Last __ Days field to set the number of days the player keeps the finished log files. After a log file has been stored for the specified number of days, the player deletes the log file.
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6. When working with multiple player instances, use the Instance Name drop-down list to select the instance you want to configure. Each instance can be configured separately.
Set Log Collection Options
Within Connectus select Tools > Server Preferences > Playback to change the log collection options for
Connectus.
1. Check the Enable Log Collection From Players checkbox.
2. To set a time for collecting playback log files from the player systems, enter a time in the Collect
Logs At field. Connectus will ask players for playback logs every day at this time.
3. Use the Check and Recollect Logs field to set the number of days that Connectus tries to collect missing logs. If Connectus does not receive a playback log from a player, it will continue trying to collect that log each day for the number of days chosen.
Players notify Connectus if they did not generate a log for a particular day, so Connectus will not continue trying to collect them.
4. To set the number of days that you want to keep the log files, enter a number in the Keep Logs For
__ Days field. After a log has been stored for the specified number of days, Connectus deletes the log.
5. To set where the player logs are stored, click the Choose button beside the Store Logs In field and select a folder for storing the log files.
6. Normally players send their files to Connectus, and Connectus is responsible for writing the files to the shared folder. If you check the Players Can Write Directly to This Folder checkbox, the players
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Connectus.
Players
7. Use the radio buttons to choose a logging method.
Select the Use Database Logging radio button to store the logs in a Microsoft SQL Server database. If you choose this option, the folder you selected in step 5 is used as a temporary storage location.
Before you can use database logging you must configure your system as described in Configure
Database Logging.
Select the Use Standard Logging radio button to store the logs in one or more files, according to the Storage Options you select.
8. Click the OK button to save your logging settings.
Set Regions for Logging
When content is created, each region can be set to store log information. Regions do not store log information by default.
If you want to change the logging settings for content within Connectus, use the Region Settings section
View Log Files
If your log was saved with database logging, use a third-party database tool to view the log database.
If your log was saved with standard logging, select Tools > Log Viewer to view a log file. The Log Viewer opens, displaying the log file for the current day.
To open a different log file, select File > Open in the Log Viewer window and choose the log file you want to view.
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Display Control
Players
You can use the Display Control dialog to control the power status, input source, and volume level of
InfoCaster and Enseo STB player displays.
Choose Tools > Display Control to open the Display Control window. Your players and their display statuses appear in the Player list. You can view whether the displays are on or off, and also see their input sources and their current volumes.
Use the Show drop-down list to only display certain player types in the list.
Filter Players in the List
Use the drop-down list at the top of the Display Control window to choose which players are displayed in the list.
Add Additional Displays
If any of your players are connected to multiple displays, select the players in the list and click the Add
Additional Displays button. An additional display is added to the list.
Assign Display Types to Players
You must assign players to specific display types before you can view their display status or change their display settings.
1. Within the Display Control dialog, select the player or display that you want to assign to a display type.
If many players use identical display types and communicate with them using the same COM port number, you can assign all the players at the same time by selecting them all in the list. Hold down the SHIFT key to select multiple players with identical display types in the Player list.
To select all the players and displays in the list, click the Select All Players and Displays button.
2. In the Display Settings section of the window, use the Display drop-down list to select the display type attached to the selected players.
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If the display type isn’t in the drop-down list, you must edit the DisplayControl.xml file to add your display information to it and then send the file to your players. See the InfoCaster Display List document for instructions.
3. Select the method used to send commands to the display.
If the display is connected to the player through a COM port, select the Serial Port Control radio button. Use the drop-down list to select the COM port that the player sends commands with.
If you want to send commands through the network, select the IP Control radio button. Enter the display’s IP address in the field.
4. If you want to allow a player to control its displays with its own Display Control dialog, check the
Enable Local Display Control checkbox.
5. If you want to allow a player to control its displays with a PC remote, check the Enable Display
Control from InfoCaster Remote Control checkbox.
6. If you want to turn the display on and off with an external trigger, check the Toggle On/Off Using GPI checkbox and select the trigger from the drop-down list.
See External Triggers Tab (on page 221 ) to learn how to configure your triggers.
7. Use the Display Check Interval field to choose the number of seconds that elapse between each display check. Shorter intervals will ensure more accuracy of the Display Status fields but may negatively impact CPU and display performance.
8. Check the Apply These Settings checkbox.
9. Click the Apply Settings button. The players are configured to use the COM port and display type you have selected.
View Player Display Status
Select a player in the list to view its status in the Display Status section of the window. You can view the display’s power status, its input source, its volume, and its mute status.
Manually Control Displays
The Manual Control section of the window allows you to control the display of the selected player.
1. With the display selected, use the Manual Control checkboxes and drop-down lists to choose the desired status of the display.
To turn the display on or off, check the Power checkbox and choose the power setting from the drop-down list.
To change the display’s source, check the Set Source checkbox and choose the source from the drop-down list.
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To change the display’s volume, check the Set Volume checkbox and enter a new volume level in the field.
To mute or unmute the display, check the Mute checkbox and choose the mute setting from the drop-down list.
2. If you only want to change the display status of players that are currently connected, check the Send
Only to Connected Players checkbox.
If you do not check this checkbox, players that are currently disconnected will change their status as soon as they are reconnected to the network.
3. Click the Send Command button. Connectus instructs the players to change their display settings, and the players send the appropriate instructions to their displays.
Note: Enseo STB systems receive commands directly, not from the players they are connected to. See
Add an Enseo STB as a Player (on page 139) for more information.
Automate Display Control
Use the Control Automation section of the window to create automated rules for controlling displays.
1. Select the display you want to create rules for.
2. With the display selected, click the Add button in the Control Automation section of the tab. The
Add Rule dialog opens.
Figure 4: Add Rule Dialog
3. Use the On drop-down list to set the days when the rule is activated.
4. Use the At drop-down list to set the time when the rule is activated.
5. Use the checkboxes to choose the actions that the rule performs.
Turn the display on or off.
Set the display’s input source.
Set the display’s volume level.
Mute or unmute the display
6. Click the Add Rule button to add your rule to the Control Automation list.
7. Repeat steps 2-6 to add any additional rules for the display.
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8. Click the Apply Settings button. The rule is sent to the selected player and will run at the specified times.
Status Tab
Use the Status tab to monitor player and Connectus events, and to send email notifications when certain events occur. The Filter Events drop-down list selects the player or group of players to view. The events shown for the selected players include the time the event occurred, the event type, the player the event occurred on, and a description of the event.
If you want to see events from a previous date, click on the Display Status On drop-down list and select a date from the calendar. Use the checkboxes in the tab to choose the event types that you want to display in the Status tab.
Set Information to Log
All events and event types are logged by default. If you don’t need all information to be logged, use the options in the Settings window to select which events are recorded.
1. Switch to the Status tab on the Connectus system.
2. Select a player, network component, or group from the Filter Events drop-down list. The status settings will be applied to the selection.
.All: Selects all players connected Connectus servers, and the current Connectus system.
.All Players: Selects all of the Connectus server’s players.
.All __: You can choose to select only the players that run a specific type of player software.
.All Peer Servers: Selects all of the connected peer Connectus servers.
.No Group: Selects only players that are not part of a group.
.Connectus: Selects the connected Connectus server.
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3. Click the Settings button. The Settings window opens.
Players
4. Select an event in the list.
5. Use the log checkboxes to set when that type of event is logged. Not all checkboxes are applicable for all events.
To log errors, check the Log Error checkbox.
To log successes, check the Log Success checkbox.
To log warnings, check the Log Warning checkbox.
6. If you want the event to result in an email notification, use the email checkboxes to send emails when errors, successes, and warnings occur.
In the Email Contact section of the window, enter a subject line for the email notification and the email address where the notification will be sent.
7. Check the Show Events Time As This System’s Local Time checkbox if you want events to be displayed using the time from the Connectus system’s internal clock. Clear the checkbox to display events using Universal Time.
8. Enter the number of days the Connectus will keep logging information into the Keep Logs for the
Last __ Days field.
9. Click the Set button to save your settings.
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Export and Print Events
Players
In the Export Events section of the Status tab, click the Save to File button to save the displayed events to a text file.
Click the Print button to print the displayed events.
Set Status Update Frequency
You can set how frequently Connectus requests status updates from players.
1. Choose Tools > Server Preferences. The Server Preferences window opens.
2. Switch to the Connections tab. The update frequency controls are in the Check Players section of the tab.
3. Use the Request Status fields to set how often Connectus requests status reports from the players, and how long it waits for a reply before reporting a failure.
4. Use the Ping Players fields to set how often Connectus tests player availability through the network, and how long it waits before reporting a failure.
5. Click OK to save your changes.
Send Software Updates to Players
You can use Connectus to send software updates to InfoCaster, Automation Receiver, Content Receiver,
IconStation, and Channel ONE player systems. The player systems automatically go offline, install the software updates, and reboot. Sending software updates is an effective way to remotely upgrade all the players on your network.
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Software updates are uploaded to the Imagine Communications Software Update Distribution Server as they are released.
Figure 5: Player Software Updates Window
View Software Updates
Follow these steps to filter the list of software updates and view update details.
1. Within Connectus, choose Tools > Player Software Updates to open the Player Software Updates window.
2. Use the Product drop-down list at the top of the window to select the type of update you want to view.
The update list displays the version, name, size, and date of all available updates. The player list updates to display only the players that match the selected product.
3. The Player Software Updates window does not refresh its list while the window remains open. If you believe that you are not seeing the most updated list of available updates, click the Check for New
Updates button. The list refreshes.
4. Select an update from the list to view its release notes.
Send Software Updates
Follow these steps to send software updates to players.
1. Use the Product Type drop-down list to choose the type of player software you want to update.
2. Press the Check for New Updates button to display the software updates available.
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3. In the Available Updates list, select the patch or service pack update that you want to send to the players. A description of the update appears in the Release Notes section of the window.
4. Select the players who will receive the update.
Use the Filter controls to choose the players which will receive the update. See Filter and Display
Players (on page 153 ) for more information about the Filter controls.
If you are going to send the update via multicast, use the drop-down list at the bottom of the window to choose the Multicast Mode Group which the update will be sent to.
5. Send the update to the players, either through the network or via multicast.
To send update through the network, click the Send Update button. Players download the update according to the settings in the Configure Player Software Updates window, and the status of the update appears in the Software Update Package list.
To send the update via multicast, click the Send Update via Multicast button. All players in the selected Multicast Mode Group will receive the update, but only the players which match your
Filter settings will install it.
If you need to cancel the updates, click the Cancel Updates button.
Player output stops while the software shuts down, the update is installed, and the system reboots.
Output resumes after the system has rebooted and the software has automatically opened.
Add User Custom Updates to Your File Server
By default, software updates are accessed from the Imagine Communications Software Update
Distribution Server. If you do not wish to connect to this server you can store updates on your
Connectus file server.
1. On a system that is connected to the internet, use a browser to navigate to
ftp://ftp.inscriber.com/updates/infocaster. A list of available update folders is displayed. Each folder contains an executable update file.
2. Find the executable update file you wish to add to your custom updates file server.
If you do not know the name of the folder you are looking for, sort the folders by date and look inside the more recent folders. The executable update files have descriptive names.
3. Download the executable update file to your local drive.
4. Transfer the file to your Connectus system.
5. Within Connectus, choose Tools > Player Software Updates to open the Player Software Updates window.
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6. Click the Add User Custom Update button. The Add User Custom Software Update dialog opens.
7. Select the player product with the Product radio buttons.
8. Enter the version of the update in the Version field.
9. Enter a name and description of the update.
10. Click the Choose button to choose the downloaded executable update file.
11. Click OK. The executable is added to your file server, and it appears in your list of available updates as a "Custom" update.
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Send Content
Send content through the network.
Send Content
Send Content
Use the Content tab to send content to players and other network components. If you are sending content to a schedulable player system you can also schedule playback times for the content when you send it.
Instead of sending content through the network, Connectus can also burn content projects to a CD for manual import into players. Content can also be sent to other Connectus servers and can be distributed via satellite using third-party software.
Note: If the Approve Content option is selected in Connectus, all content must be approved before you
can send it to players. See Content Approval (on page 127) for more information.
Workflow
Sending content generally involves the following steps.
1. Select the content you want to send.
2. Choose where you want to send the content.
3. Set when you want to send the content.
4. If you are sending the content to a schedulable player, set when you want the content to start playing.
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5. Send the content.
Send Content
Select Content to Send
The Content tab within Connectus lists all of the content projects available to Connectus. Connectus consoles may only display the content that the Connectus server allows.
Use the Content list to select the content projects you want to send.
To select a single content project, click on it in the list.
To select multiple consecutive projects, click on the first content project in the range, hold down the
SHIFT key, then click on the last content project in the range.
To select additional content projects or to deselect a project that is already selected, hold down the
CTRL key and click the project.
to learn how to use the Search controls to filter the content in the list.
Select Content Version
Connectus stores old versions of content projects each time they are re-published to the file server. The
Content Versions subtab displays all the stored versions of the selected content.
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If the file servers contain multiple versions of your selected content project, and you have only selected a single content project in the Content list, use the Content Versions subtab to select the version you want to send.
For more information about content versions see Content Versions (on page 118).
Select Content Destination
In the Send To section of the Content tab, select where you want to send the content.
Option Description
All Players with
This Content
Sends the content to all the players which currently have a version of the content. This is a useful way to quickly update players with a new content version.
Player Sends the content to the player selected from the drop-down list.
Group
Multicast
Peer Server
Custom
Sends the content to the group selected from the drop-down list. See
Group Network Components (on page 156) for more information.
Sends the content to the Multicast Mode Group selected from the drop-down list. This is often used for distributing content through satellite transmission or ATSC-M/H software. See Multicast Mode
Groups (on page 190) for more information.
Sends the content to the Connectus server selected from the
drop-down list. See Connectus Servers (on page 201) for information
about connecting to other Connectus servers.
Sends the content to the selected players. Enable the Custom radio button, then click on the players in the Destination list. Use the CTRL and SHIFT keys while clicking to select multiple players.
Select Update Time
In the Start the Update section of the Update tab, select the Immediately radio button to send the content as soon as you click the Update Content button.
To send the content at a specific time instead, select the At radio button and enter a date and time.
Note: By default content is sent to a player when the player’s system clock reaches the specified time. If you want to send the content based on the Connectus system’s clock instead, select the This Console
Local Time radio button.
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Schedule Content Playback
Send Content
If you are sending content to schedulable players, the Start Playing Updated Content section of the
Content tab allows you to schedule the playback of the content.
Select the Immediately radio button to play the content as soon as the player receives it.
To play the content at a later time instead, select the At radio button and enter a date and time to play the content. If the content is scheduled to play before the player has finished downloading it, playback occurs when the content is completely downloaded.
If you do not wish to schedule content playback, select the Never radio button.
Note: By default content is set to play when the player’s system clock reaches the specified time. If you want to set the content’s playback based on the Connectus system’s clock instead, select the This
Console Local Time radio button.
Send the Content
Click the Update Content button when you are ready to send the content to its destination. The destination system begins to download the content at the specified time and outputs it as scheduled.
If the destination system has already downloaded the version of the content that you are sending, it does not need to download the content before playing it.
Note:The Update Content button is disabled if the content needs to be approved. See Content Approval
(on page 127) to learn how to set up and approve content.
Send Content Via Multicast
If you want to send content via multicast instead of through a network connection, use the drop-down list at the bottom of the window to select the Multicast Mode Group you wish to send the content to,
then click the Update Content via Multicast button. See Multicast Mode Groups (on page 190) for more
information about setting up your groups.
You do not need to send content to all the players within the selected Multicast Mode Group. The destination you choose in the Send To section of the tab determines which multicast players will use the content that they receive.
Option
All Players
Description
Sends the content to all players in the selected Multicast Mode
Group.
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Option Description
All Players with
This Content
Sends the content to all players in the Multicast Mode Group which already have a version of the content.
Player
Group
Sends the content via multicast to the player selected from the drop-down list.
Sends the content via multicast to the group selected from the drop-down list.
Peer Server
Custom
Sends the content via multicast to the Connectus server selected from the drop-down list.
Sends the content via multicast to the selected players. Enable the
Custom radio button, then click on the players in the Destination list.
Use the CTRL and SHIFT keys while clicking to select multiple players.
Send Content
Send User Packages
Multiple package assets may be sent when you send a single user package to a network component.
When you send a media asset package, any of its combined files will also be sent.
When you send a user package, all the media asset packages that it references are sent.
View Update Status
There are two ways to view the status of your content updates.
About Update Content Window
Within the Content tab, click the About Update Content button. The About Update Content window opens, showing detailed messages about your updates.
You can use the drop-down menu to only view errors, warnings, or successes.
Updates Tab
If you need to see a list of all content updates that are being sent to all players and peers, switch to the
Updates tab.
Use the radio buttons to select whether to view player or peer content updates.
Figure 6: Updates Tab Players & Peers
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Use the Filter controls to filter the players which are displayed in the list. See Filter and Display
Players (on page 153 ) to learn how to use the controls.
Select an update to see information about the content being sent and the system that is downloading it.
Click the Cancel Update(s) button to cancel the selected updates.
Send Content with Rules
Rules allow you to automatically send content to players, groups, and peers. Each rule consists of one or more events and one or more actions. Events are conditions which the content must meet before it is sent, and actions specify the targets the content is sent to and when it is sent.
If Connectus is configured to require content approval, rules are run on the content when the content is approved. Otherwise rules are run when content is published.
Manage Rules
Choose Tools > Rules to open the Rules window. The Rules list displays all the rules currently defined on the Connectus system.
To enable or disable a rule, check or uncheck the rule’s checkbox in the list. Disabled rules are not run but they remain in the list.
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To view the events and rules associated with a rule, select it in the list. The information is displayed in the Rule Details pane.
To delete a rule, select it and click the Delete Rule button.
To duplicate a rule, select it and click the Duplicate Rule button. This is useful if you are creating many rules with few differences in their events and actions.
To edit a rule, select it and click the Edit Rule button. You can change the rule’s events and actions with the Rule Properties window.
Create New Rules
Within the Rules window, click the Create Rule button to create a new rule. The Rule Properties window opens.
Name the Rule
Use the Rule Name and Rule Description fields to give your rule a name and description.
Create Events
Each rule must have at least one event. When content is published (or approved if Connectus is configured to require approval), the content’s details are compared to all of the rule’s events. The content must satisfy every event before the action is run.
Click the Create Event button to add an event to your rule. The Event Properties window opens, allowing you to choose a description, field, condition, and one or more search terms.
Field
Name
Conditions Available Description
Contains, equals, begins with, ends with
Matches the search term with the names of your content projects.
Comments Contains, equals, begins with, ends with
Matches the search term with the comments that have been added to your content projects.
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Field Conditions Available Description
Publisher Contains, equals, begins with, ends with
Type
Category
Keyword
Equals
Contains, equals, begins with, ends with
Contains, equals, begins with, ends with
Matches the search term with the names of your publishers. Click the drop-down button to view a list of publishers that are currently connected.
Matches the search term with content types.
Click the drop-down button to view a list of content types.
Matches the search term with content categories. Click the drop-down button to view a list of categories that are currently recognized by Connectus.
Matches the search term with the keywords in your content projects. See View Content List
(on page 113) for more information.
Send Content
Use parentheses and the special keywords to add multiple conditions to your search terms.
The and keyword requires the conditions to be met in two search terms. For example, the event
"Comments Contains sports and afternoon" only applies to content projects which have both the words "sports" and "afternoon" somewhere in their comments.
The or keyword requires the conditions to be met in either of two search terms. For example, the event "Type Equals InfoCast or User Package" applies to content projects which are either InfoCasts or user packages.
The not keyword requires the condition to not be met in a search term. For example, the event
"Name Begins With not test" applies only to content projects whose names don’t start with the word "test."
Use parentheses to avoid ambiguity in complex search terms. Conditions which are enclosed in parentheses are evaluated before conditions which are not enclosed. For example, the event
"Comments Contains sports and (afternoon or evening)" only applies to content projects which have the words "sports" and either "afternoon" or "evening" in their comments. Project comments such as "afternoon weather" or "morning sports" would not satisfy the event.
Create Actions
Each rule must have at least one action. The actions are run when content has satisfied every event in the rule.
Click the Create Action button to add an action to your rule. The Action Properties window opens, allowing you to choose action targets and an optional time for their execution.
1. If you wish to add a description to your action, enter it in the Action Description field.
2. Select a target type from the Target Type drop-down list.
Groups are collections of players, servers, and Multicasts. To learn how to create groups see
Group Network Components (on page 156 ).
Multicast Mode Groups send content via transmission folders. See Multicast Mode Groups (on
page 190) for more information.
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Peers are remote Connectus servers. See Connectus Servers (on page 201) for more
information.
Players are any of the players available to your Connectus system.
Send Content
3. Based on the selected target type, choose targets with the Available Targets and Selected Targets lists.
In the Available Targets list, select the targets you want to add to the Selected Targets list and click the right-arrow button. The selected targets are added to the list. You can select multiple targets by holding down the SHIFT or CTRL keys.
To remove targets from the list, select them in the Selected Targets list and click the left-arrow button.
4. Use the Update Targets radio buttons to choose when the action is performed.
Select the Immediately radio button to perform the action as soon as the content satisfies the event conditions. All actions in the rule that are set to run immediately are performed simultaneously.
To perform the action at a specific time of day, select the At radio button and choose a time.
By default the action is performed when the Connectus server’s system clock reaches the specified time. If you want to perform the action based on the target’s clock instead, select the
Target Local Time radio button.
5. Click the OK button. The action is added to your rule.
6. If you are satisfied with your rule, click OK to save it. The rule is added to the Rules list and is automatically enabled.
Send Content Manually
You may not want to connect one or more player systems to the network, or the network may be temporarily down. In this case Connectus is unable to send content to the player or to monitor the player’s status.
Connectus systems can burn content to recordable CD ROMs along with auto-load and scheduling instructions. Player systems can import the content and either play it at a scheduled time or manually choose a playback time. Content can also be exported from Connectus and imported into player systems.
Save Content to CD
Follow these steps to save content to a CD.
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1. Insert a recordable CD ROM into the Connectus system’s CD ROM drive.
Send Content
2. On the Content tab, select the content that you want to send to the player. Select a version from the
Content Versions subtab if required.
3. Select Tools > Save Content to CD. The Save Content to Disc window opens.
4. Enter a name for the CD ROM in the Please Name This Disc field.
5. Enter any notes about the content in the Comments area. Comments appear in the dialog which appears when you import the content into a player system.
6. If the content type supports scheduling, checking the Enable Auto-Load checkbox sets the player to automatically load CD content when the CD is inserted.
If the CD is set to auto load, select the Start Playing Content checkbox if you also want to choose an automatic playback option.
To play the content as soon as it is auto loaded on the player system, select the Immediately
Upon Loading Content radio button.
To choose a specific playback time for the content, select the At radio button and choose a date and time.
7. Check the Save Shared Media Files checkbox to save any shared media files to the CD ROM.
8. Click the Burn CD button to store the content on the CD.
After you have finished burning the content, click the Done button to close the Save content to CD window. Repeat these steps if you want to store more content on the CD.
Import CD ROM Content into the Player
The method you use for importing content depends on the player software.
InfoCaster and Channel ONE
Insert the burned CD into the player system’s CD ROM drive. If the CD was set to auto load, the content is automatically imported into the player. Any content that was scheduled for playback will play at the scheduled times.
If the CD was not set to auto load you must manually import the content into the player system.
1. Insert the burned CD into the player system’s CD ROM drive.
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2. Within the player application, open the Get Content from Disc window with one of the following methods.
If no content is open in the application, select File > Get Content from CD.
If content is already open, select File > InfoCast > Get From CD.
The Get InfoCast from Disc window opens.
3. Select a content project from the drop-down list.
4. Check the Overwrite Old Shared Media Files to save any shared media files on the CD to the player’s shared media files directory.
5. Click the Get InfoCast button. The content is imported into the player system.
To import more content from the CD, select another content project from the drop-down list and click the Get InfoCast button. When you are finished importing content click the Done button.
You can open any imported content on the player by selecting File > Open.
IconStation
Insert the burned CD into the player system’s CD ROM drive and manually import the content into the player system.
1. Insert the burned CD into the player system’s CD ROM drive.
2. Within the player application, open the Get Layout from Disc window with one of the following methods.
If no content is open in the application, select File > Get Page Layout from CD.
If content is already opened, select File > IconStation CD > Get from CD.
The Get Layout from Disc window opens.
3. Select a content project from the drop-down list.
4. Click the Get Layout button. The content is imported into the player.
To import more content from the CD, select the content project from the drop-down list and click the
Get Layout button. When you are finished importing content click the Done button.
You can open any imported content on the player by selecting File > Open Layout.
Export Content
The Export Content window allows you to export a copy of your content to a folder, with all its file resources included. These folders can then be moved to other systems and imported into players.
Note: When manually moving content between systems, always move folders that were exported with this method. Never move the content folders that are stored on the file server. The file server folders contain references and resources that are not maintained when the folders are moved.
1. On the Content tab, select the content project that you want to export. Select a project version from the Content Versions subtab if required.
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2. Select Tools > Export Content. The Export Content window opens.
Send Content
3. Click the Choose button and navigate to where you want to save the content project.
4. If the project uses shared media files, check the Save Shared Media Files checkbox to save the media files with the content.
5. Click the Export button.
6. When the content is finished exporting, click Done.
Multicast Mode Groups
Connectus can send content to transmission folders for distribution to IconStation, InfoCaster, and
Channel ONE players via third-party software.
The third-party software (satellite transmission software or ATSC-M/H transmission, for example) monitors the transmission folders and sends the content to reception folders on player systems. The
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Since players used in Multicast Mode distribution are not usually connected to the network, Connectus is unable to send content directly to the players and cannot check player status. Players which do have a network connection, however, can use it to report download errors to Connectus. See Player File
Download Correction (on page 193) for more information.
Multicast Mode distribution must be configured on both the Connectus and player systems. The transmission and reception folders must be created with appropriate permissions, and the Connectus and player systems must know the locations of the folders they will access.
To configure your third-party transmission software to access the transmission and reception folders, follow the instructions that came with the software.
Set Up Transmission Folders
Create one or more transmission folders where Connectus will store content. The Connectus operator must be able to access the folders through a network share and must have full write access.
Enable Transmission Folders
Follow these steps to enable the transmission folders in Connectus.
1. Within Connectus, select Tools > Multicast Mode Groups. The Multicast Mode Groups window opens.
2. To create a new transmission folder, click the New button. The Add New Multicast Mode Group window opens.
Figure 7: Add New Multicast Mode Group Window
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Send Content b. Enter the folder’s file path in the Folder field, or browse to the folder by clicking the Browse button. The file path must begin with the name of the machine that the folder is on. c. Set the properties for the multicast mode group. d. Click OK to add the transmission folder to the Multicast Mode Group list.
3. Check the checkboxes beside the transmission folders you want to enable. You will be able to send content to any of the enabled folders.
Property
Mode
Write All Files in the
Content Package
Every Time
Description
The method Connectus uses to store Multicast Mode files.
Generic: Connectus writes the files in the root of the
Multicast Mode folder, or in separate Cmds and Data subfolders if the files aren’t zipped.
Roundbox: Connectus writes the files in a manner which complies with the Roundbox® standard.
Whether Connectus only writes new content files to the
Multicast Mode folder when content packages are sent.
Checked: Connectus writes all content files to the Multicast
Mode folder, regardless of whether any of the files are new or different from the ones that were written previously.
Unchecked: Connectus will only write new or different content files to the Multicast Mode folder. Files in the content package which have been previously written are excluded from the folder.
Note: This setting does not change the way shared media is written.
Package Data and XML
Command Into a
Single Zip File
Whether content files are zipped.
Checked: All content files and folders are packaged into a single ZIP file.
Unchecked: Content files and folders are not zipped.
To create an additional file containing an MD5 checksum of the ZIP file, also check the Write an Additional File Containing the MD5 Checksum of the Zip File checkbox. This file uses the same name as the ZIP, with an MD5 file extension.
Shared Media drop-down list
How any referenced shared media files are distributed.
Do Not Write Shared Media Files: Shared media files are not written at all.
Write Shared Media Files to Shared Media Folder: Any shared media files which are referenced by content packages are written to the Multicast Mode Folder’s Shared
Media subfolder.
Write Shared Media Files as Dependent Packages: Shared media files are written to the Multicast Mode Folder as individual subfolders.
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Property
Write Shared Media
Files Into Individual
Zip Files
Description
Whether shared media files are zipped.
Checked: Each shared media file is converted into a ZIP file.
Unchecked: Shared media files are not zipped.
To create an additional files containing an MD5 checksum for each ZIP file, also check the Write an Additional File Containing the MD5 Checksum checkbox. Each file uses the same name as the corresponding ZIP, with an MD5 file extension.
Send Content
Figure 8: Multicast Mode Groups Window
Click the Edit button to edit a selected transmission folder. Click the Remove button to permanently remove a transmission folder from the Multicast Mode Group list.
Note: If you want to send Punctuate content to your Multicast Mode folders, you must assign folders to
groups in the Punctuate tab. See Content Distribution to Players (on page 135) for more information.
Player File Download Correction
If your player has a network connection to Connectus, you can enable file download correction.
When this feature is enabled, the player will check downloaded multicast content and compare it with the original download commands sent by Connectus. If any files are missing or corrupt, the player sends an error report to Connectus, and Connectus recopies the missing/corrupt files to the multicast transmission folder for retransmission.
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Note: File download correction requires players with InfoCaster version 4.3.5 or later.
Send Content
After you have checked the Enable File Download Correction checkbox in the Multicast Mode Groups window, use the settings to configure download correction behavior.
Setting
Process Player Reports and Recopy Files to
Multicast Folders Every
__ Minutes
Download Commands
Which Generate Reports
Are Relevant For __
Hours
After Sending a
Command, The Server
Will Not Process Related
Reports For __ Minutes
Files Are Only Recopied to Folders If They Failed
On At Least __ Players
Files Are Recopied a
Maximum of Once Every
__ Minutes
Description
How often Connectus processes player error reports.
If a player is disconnected for a long period of time, it may generate a large number of error reports when it is finally reconnected and attempting to act upon old download commands.
To prevent Connectus from responding to reports in this situation, Connectus will ignore any error reports which were generated by commands sent previous to the selected interval.
For example, if the selected time interval is 2 hours,
Connectus will only respond to error reports that were generated by download commands which it sent within the last two hours. Other reports are ignored and deleted.
If an error report is in response to a download command which was sent more recently than the defined interval, the error report will be ignored until the interval has elapsed and the next processing period has arrived.
This provides the transmission software enough time to complete its operation.
Files must fail to be downloaded by at least the specified number of players before Connectus recopies them to the transmission folder.
To provide the transmission software enough time to complete its operation, each file will only be sent once during the specified interval.
Clear Content History
When you send content to a transmission folder that already contains an earlier version of the content,
Connectus will only send the updated files to the transmission folder.
If you want to force Connectus to send the entire content project for selected projects, click the Clear
History button and clear the projects you want to send.
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Delete All Content
Send Content
If your third-party transmission software does not automatically delete content from the transmission folders once the content has been sent, click the Delete Commands and Data button to delete content manually.
Create Reception Folders
Create one or more reception folders which the player system will monitor for content. The player operator must be able to access the folders through a network share, and must have read access.
Monitor Reception Folders
IconStation, InfoCaster, and Channel ONE players support folder monitoring.
On the player system, choose Start > Programs > Harris > [software name] > Configuration Utilities >
Configuration Utility. The Configuration Utility opens.
Within the utility, switch to the Multicast Mode Distribution tab. Any reception folders you have already added are displayed in the folder list.
To add a new reception folder to the list, click the New button and navigate to the folder you want to monitor. The folder must be referenced via a network share.
To remove a reception folder from the Multicast Mode Distribution list, select the folder in the list and click the Remove button. The folder is removed and is no longer monitored by the Player Server.
Note: If you chose to package your transmitted content in a single ZIP file, the players automatically unzip the files they find in the reception folder. It is the responsibility of your transmission software to verify any MD5 checksums.
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Connectus Consoles
Use consoles in your network.
Connectus Consoles
Manage Connectus Consoles
Connectus consists of both console and server components. The console component displays the
Connectus user interface, and it sends commands to the server component it is connected to. The server components are never visible but are responsible for communicating with file servers, players, and
Connectus servers.
Connectus can be installed on a system as either a console or as a console/server combination. Consoles must always be able to connect to at least one console/server combination through the network.
Consoles can be given full administrator status, or they can have only reduced functionality. Consoles can also have customized access to the players and content on the network.
Consoles are useful when you wish to have Connectus installed on several systems that are distributed throughout the network, all accessing the same content through a Connectus server. Consoles are also useful when you want to give reduced permission to a Connectus or when you want to control a subset of players with different Connectus systems.
To learn how to connect consoles and servers, see Connect Connectus Consoles (on page 58).
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Console Types
Connectus Consoles
There are three types of consoles that offer different permission levels:
When you install a console/server combination on a single system, the console has default administrator permissions. Default administrators have full permission to use all the features within
Connectus.
Default administrators can also choose the content and players that are accessible to remote console systems, and whether the consoles can manage Multicast Mode Groups or Connectus servers.
Consoles that connect remotely to a server can be given remote administrator permissions by the default administrator on the server system. Remote administrators cannot add or modify file servers, set preferred file servers, or change port settings. They also cannot view or set auto update lists, email lists, player maps, or triggers.
Remote consoles without administrator permissions have additional limitations. They cannot change playback or debug logging settings and they cannot add or remove offline players.
Set Console Permissions
Follow these steps to set the permissions for a remote console.
1. On the Connectus default administrator system, switch to the Permissions tab.
2. Switch to the Console Permissions subtab.
3. Select the remote console from the list.
4. Use the options in the right-hand side of the tab to set the console’s permissions.
To give remote administrator permissions to the console, check the Administrator Access checkbox.
Check the Manage Multicast Mode Groups checkbox to allow the console to define new
transmission folders for content. See Multicast Mode Groups (on page 190) for more
information.
Check the Manage Peer Servers checkbox to allow the console to manage Connectus servers.
See Connectus Servers (on page 201).
Check the Manage GPI Triggers checkbox to allow the console to manage server triggers. See
Send Triggers to Players (on page 159).
5. When you are finished setting the remote console’s permissions, click the Apply New Settings button to finalize the changes.
Add Players to a Console
Use the Manage Players section of the Permissions tab to choose the players that the remote console can control.
1. On the Connectus default administrator system, switch to the Permissions tab.
2. Switch to the Console Permissions subtab.
3. Select a console from the list.
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4. Use the drop-down list in the Manage Players section to set which players the remote console can view and control.
Choose No Players to prevent the console from controlling any players.
Choose All Players to allow the console to control all players.
Choose Selected Players to only allow the console to control players which meet certain conditions.
Click the Create Condition button to specify the player properties which allow the player to be controlled by the console. Players can be added according to their name, their type, or their group membership.
5. Click the Set Players Permissions button to choose the type of access that the console Connectus has to the players.
6. Click the Apply New Settings button in the Permissions tab to finalize your changes.
Permission
Send Content
Updates to Players
Control Player
Playback
Control Player
Display
Description
The console can send content to the players.
The console can choose to start or stop playback on schedulable players.
The console can control the displays attached to supported
player systems. See Display Control (on page 170) for more
information.
The console can delete content on the player systems. Delete Content on the Player System
Remote Restart
Change Player
Preferences
View Player Playback
Picon
View Player Status
Messages
Receive Player
Playback Logs
The console can restart the software or completely reboot the systems of schedulable players.
The console can edit the preferences for the players, including their names, debug log levels, and maintenance restart settings.
The console can view the playback picons for the players.
The console can view the status messages for the players.
The console can request playback logs from the players.
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Add Content to a Console
Connectus Consoles
Use the Manage Content section of the Permissions tab to choose the content that the remote console can view, edit, and send.
1. On the Connectus default administrator system, switch to the Permissions tab.
2. Switch to the Console Permissions subtab.
3. Select a console from the list.
4. Use the drop-down list in the Manage Content section to set which content projects the remote console can view and control.
Choose No Content to prevent the console from controlling any content.
Choose All Content to allow the console to control all content.
Choose Selected Content to only allow the console to control content which meets certain conditions.
Click the Create Condition button to specify the content names, comments, publishers, types, categories, and keywords that can be controlled.
5. Check the Approve Content checkbox to allow the console to approve and disapprove the selected content projects.
6. Click the Apply New Settings button in the Permissions tab to finalize your changes.
Add Publishers to a Console
Use the Manage Publishers section of the Permissions tab to choose the publishers that the remote console can manage.
1. On the Connectus default administrator system, switch to the Permissions tab.
2. Switch to the Console Permissions subtab.
3. Select a console from the list.
4. Use the drop-down list in the Manage Publisher section to set which publishers the remote console can manage.
Choose No Publishers to prevent the console from managing any publishers.
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Choose All Publishers to allow the console to manage all publishers.
Choose Selected Publishers to only allow the console to manage publishers which meet certain conditions.
Click the Create Condition button to specify the publisher names that can be controlled.
5. Click the Apply New Settings button in the Permissions tab to finalize your changes.
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Connectus Servers
Connect your Connectus servers.
Connectus Servers
Networks may contain more than one Connectus server. These "peer" servers are independent but can be configured to access each other’s players and content, allowing you to carefully organize your network with servers that are capable of sharing information.
Since each Connectus server can choose the options for its connections, you can create a hierarchy of file servers, Connectus servers, and players that are controlled with a branching or top-down approach.
You can also use the content replication feature to connect the file servers of different Connectus servers. Content that is published to one Connectus server can be automatically published to the
Connectus servers it is connected to. This is especially useful for creating emergency backup or storage systems.
Enable/Disable Communication
To quickly disable all Connectus server communication to and from your Connectus, choose Tools >
Server Preferences > Connections and clear the Allow Communication checkbox. Check the checkbox to enable communication again.
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Install Connectus Servers
Connectus Servers
Before you can connect two servers, both of them must be installed on the network. See Install
Server option when installing a new server.
Unlike console systems, each Connectus server must connect to one or more file servers.
Connectus Name
When you connect Connectus servers their names appear in the Peer Servers tab. Servers use their machine names by default.
To change the name of your Connectus, select Tools > Server Preferences > Connections.
Type a name for your Connectus and click the OK button.
Set Status Messages
Use the Status tab to monitor some or all of the content replication events. Content replication events that you choose to log appear on the tab. By default no content replication events are logged.
The Status tab provides two content replication events that can be monitored.
Replicate content from Peer Server.
Replicate Approve content from peer Peer Server.
For information about setting and filtering status messages see Status Tab (on page 173).
Set Replication Frequency
You can set how the Connectus servers behave when content replication fails.
1. Select Tools > Server Preferences.
2. Switch to the Content Distribution tab.
3. Set how many times your Connectus will try to contact a server if replication fails.
4. Set how many seconds your Connectus will wait between each try.
5. Click the OK button to return to Connectus.
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Connectus Server Connections
The Peer Servers tab allows you to set up connections between Connectus servers. Information is exchanged through these connections.
It is important to remember that a single connection can be configured differently by the servers on either end of the connection. Server A can configure a connection in a certain way, and Server B can configure the same connection in a different way.
For instance, Server A can configure a connection to allow Server B to replicate Server A’s content and share Server A’s players, but Server B can configure the same connection to not allow replication or player sharing in the other direction.
Outbound and Inbound Connections
Setting up connections between two servers requires operators to follow steps on both systems. If
Server A initiates the connection, the connection is referred to as an "outbound connection" on the
Server A system, while on the Server B system the same connection is called an "inbound connection."
There is no difference between the two types of connections. Information can flow in both directions through both types of connections. The information that is sent through a connection depends entirely on the way that Server A and Server B configure their ends of the connection.
Multiple Connections
If you set up multiple connections between the same two servers, the connections all share the same configuration settings. You may want to set up more than one connection to protect against network failures.
Method
Single Connection
Description
One outbound connection from Server A to Server B. If connection fails, communication will not occur until the connection is reestablished.
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Method Description
Reciprocal Connection One outbound connection from Server A to Server B, and another outbound connection from Server B to Server A.
If one server is unable to resolve the other server’s machine name because its DNS server is down, the other server will still be able to establish the connection successfully.
Multiple Connections Two outbound connections from Server A to Server B, and two outbound connections from Server B to Server A.
By using the server’s machine name in one outbound connection and using the server’s static IP address in the other, connection will succeed through the IP address even if the machine name cannot be resolved.
Connectus Servers
Set Up a Server Connection
Setting up a server connection requires steps to be completed on both Connectus systems.
First, Server A must set an outbound connection to Server B
On Server A, switch to the Peer Servers tab.
1. Click the New Connection button. The New Server Connection window opens.
2. Enter a description of Server B in the Name field.
3. Enter Server B's machine name in the Server field. You can enter Server B's IP address instead if you prefer.
4. In the Port field, enter the port number Server B will use to receive information from Server A.
5. Click the OK button. Server B appears in the Out Connections list with a "Not Connected" status.
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Next, Server B must enable the inbound connection
Connectus Servers
On Server B, switch to the Peer Servers tab. Server A appears in the Inbound Connections list with a
"Disabled, Not Connected" status.
1. Select Server A from the Inbound Connections list.
2. Check the Online checkbox.
3. Click the Apply New Settings button. Server A is now "Enabled, Not Connected".
Finally, Server A must finalize the connection
On Server A, switch to the Peer Servers tab.
1. Select Server B from the Outbound Connections list.
2. Click the Connect button. Server B's status in the Outbound connections list changes to
"Connected".
If you want to create an outbound connection from Server B to Server A, repeat these steps again, this time from Server B to Server A.
Remove Connections
To remove a server connection, select it in the Inbound Connection or Outbound Connection list and click the Remove Server button below the list.
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Configure Server Connections
After you have established a connection between two Connectus servers, use the Peer Servers tab to configure file server access, content replication, and player sharing.
Content Replication
Use the content replication feature to share content between the file servers belonging to two different
Connectus servers. If Connectus is configured to require content approval, content is automatically replicated when the content is approved. Otherwise, content is replicated when it is published.
You can define which content is replicated and when replication occurs.
Content Replication in a Server Hierarchy
Content replication only occurs when content is published from publishers, not when content is received from other Connectus servers.
If content is sent from Server A to Server B, for example, Server B will not automatically replicate the content to any servers further down in the hierarchy. For this reason, content replication can occur between only two servers in a network.
If you need to replicate content between three or more servers that are arranged in a hierarchy, use
rules to automatically update your content. See Send Content with Rules (on page 184) for more
information.
File Server Access Settings
If the connected server’s file server requires a proxy server or specific account settings, use the Access
Settings window to configure your access settings.
1. In the Peer Servers tab, select the connection you want to configure from either the outbound connections or inbound connections list.
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2. Click the Setup button in the Content File Server section of the tab. The Access Settings window opens.
3. Enter a user name and password to use when connecting to the server’s file server. If you want to access the file server through a different port, enter the port number in the Port field.
4. To access the file server through a proxy server, check the Use a Proxy Server checkbox.
Enter the proxy address and port number in the Address:port field, and enter any address exceptions in the Bypass for Addresses field.
5. Click OK when you are done configuring your access settings.
Replication Settings
You can configure connections to specify what sort of content is replicated on the Connectus server, when it is replicated, and whether the content can be overwritten.
1. Switch to the Peer Servers tab.
2. Select a connection from the Inbound Connections or Outbound Connections list. The Connectus server attached to the connection is the one that will replicate your local Connectus system’s content.
3. Check the Replicate Publish checkbox to automatically publish content to the connected Connectus server when it is published to the local Connectus.
4. Set when replication occurs.
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Select the Immediately radio button to replicate the content immediately, or select the At a
Specified Time radio button to replicate it only at certain times of the day. You can specify multiple times for replicating content.
Check the Replicate Approve checkbox to automatically approve the connected Connectus server’s content as soon as it is approved on the local Connectus.
5. Use the drop-down list in the Update Content section of the tab to change the content updating permissions for your selected peer.
Choose No Content to prevent the peer from updating any content.
Choose All Content to allow the peer to update content without any restrictions.
Choose Selected Content to only allow the peer to update content files whose names meet certain conditions.
Click the Create Condition button to specify the text that the content names must or must not contain.
6. Click the Apply New Settings button to apply your changes.
Share Players
You can configure a connection to allow a remote Connectus server to access your local Connectus system’s players.
1. Switch to the Peer Servers tab.
2. Select a connection from the Inbound Connections or Outbound Connections list. The Connectus server attached to the connection is the one that will be able to access your local Connectus system’s players.
3. In the Share Players section of the tab, check the first checkbox to allow the connected Connectus server to access your Connectus system’s players.
4. Check the second checkbox to allow the connected Connectus server to access players from other servers you are connected to.
5. Click the Apply New Settings button to apply your changes.
Players can be shared through a hierarchy of peers, but a server must not share the same player through multiple peers.
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Set Access Permissions
Click the Set Permissions button to choose the type of access that the connected Connectus server has to the players.
Permission
Delete Content on the
Player System
Remote Restart
Description
Send Content to Players The connected server can send content to your players.
Control Player Playback The server can choose to start or stop playback on your schedulable players.
Control Player Display The server can control the displays attached to player
systems. See Display Control (on page 170) for more
information.
The server can delete content on your player systems.
Change Player
Preferences
The server can restart software or reboot schedulable players.
The server can edit the preferences for your players, including their names, debug log levels, and maintenance restart settings.
The server can view the playback picons for your players. View Player Playback
Picon
View Player Status
Messages
The server can view the status messages for your players.
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Permission
Receive Player Playback
Logs
Description
The server can request playback logs from your players.
Connectus Servers
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Install Web Servers
Suggestions for installing Web Servers.
Install Web Servers
If your file servers are accessed using the http or https communications protocols, you will need to install web server applications on your file servers. Web server applications are responsible for handling requests from your Connectus and its players.
This section contains instructions for installing the Microsoft
®
IIS http server and the Apache Web Server.
These server applications have been tested with Connectus.
Use Microsoft IIS HTTP Server
You can use Microsoft’s Internet Information Services IIS http server to receive and store files for
Connectus. You will need to add the IIS http server to your system, set up a Virtual Directory on the http server, and set the server location in Connectus.
Enable IIS http Server
Add version 5.1 or later of the Internet Information Services http server to your system.
1. Select Start > Settings > Control Panel.
2. Double-click on Add or Remove Programs.
3. In the Add or Remove Programs window, click the Add/Remove Windows Components button.
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4. In the Windows Components Wizard, check the Internet Information Services (IIS) check box.
5. Click on the Details button. The Internet Information Services window opens.
6. In the Internet Information Services window, check the World Wide Web Service check box.
7. Click on the Details button. The World Wide Web Service window opens.
8. In the World Wide Web Service window, check the World Wide Web Service check box.
9. Clear the Printers virtual directory check box.
10. Click on OK to add the service and close the window.
11. Click on OK to close the Internet Information Services window.
You return to the Windows Components Wizard window.
12. Back in the Windows Components Wizard window, ensure that there is a check mark beside the
Internet Information Services option and click on the Next button.
Follow the instructions in the Wizard as it adds the service to your system.
Set Up Virtual Directory
Set up a Virtual Directory on the http server that points to the folder where your Connectus files are stored.
1. Right-click on the My Computer icon on your computer Desktop or Start Menu and select Manage.
2. In the Computer Management window, navigate to Services and Applications > Internet Information
Service and click on the Web Sites folder.
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A Default Web Site appears in the right-hand pane.
Install Web Servers
3. Right-click on the Default Web Site in the right-hand pane and select New > Virtual Directory.
4. In the Virtual Directory Creation Wizard, click on the Next button.
5. Enter the name of your Virtual Directory in the Alias field.
Use a descriptive name because this name will be part of your http address.
6. Click on the Next button.
7. Click the Browse button and navigate to the folder where the Connectus files will be stored on the http server.
8. Click on OK.
9. Set permissions for your Virtual Directory.
Check the Read check box.
Check the Browse check box.
Clear the other check boxes.
10. Click on the Next button.
11. Click on the Finish button.
Your Virtual Directory is ready to be used as a file server.
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Use the Apache Web Server
Install Web Servers
To use the Apache Web Server you need to download the application, install it on your file server, and configure it to communicate with Connectus.
Download the Apache Web Server
1. On the file server system, go to http://httpd.apache.org/download.cgi.
The web page indicates the best available version of the Apache web server.
2. Download the Win32 binary installer for the best available version.
Set Up the Apache Web Server
1. Run the installer, and change default settings as required to suit your application. Typically no changes to the default settings are required.
2. Test the Apache installation. a. Launch a web browser. b. Browse to your computer or enter the name (http://your_computer_name) in the browser’s
Address box.
If you do not know your computer name, right-click on the My Computer and select Properties from the menu. In the System Properties dialog, switch to the Computer Name tab and view the name beside the Full Computer Name entry.
Once you enter your computer name you should see a page saying "If you can see this, it means that the installation of the Apache web server software on this system was successful."
3. Create a folder on your file server system to use as a file server for storing published content. You can also create a folder for approved content if you are using the Approve Content option in
Connectus.
4. Select the folder you are using as your file server.
The Apache install sets a default root folder where the web server looks for files (C:\Program
Files\Apache Group\Apache2\htdocs). Use the following steps to select your file server folder. a. Right-click on My Computer, and choose Manage > Services And Applications > Services. b. In the list of services, select the Apache2 service and stop it. c. Right-click on the file C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache2\conf\httpd.conf. Select Open
With from the menu and choose Notepad as the application for opening the file. d. Find the line DocumentRoot = "C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache2\htdocs". Replace the file path with the file path to your file server folder. e. Save and close Notepad. f. Right-click on My Computer, and choose Manage
>
Services And Applications
>
Services. g. In the list of services, select the Apache2 service and start it.
5. Determine the http address for your Apache web server when accessing it from the internet.
If the Apache web server computer is NOT behind a firewall, the http address is http://your_IP_address. To locate your IP address, open the Command Prompt on your system
(Start > Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt) and type "ipconfig". Press enter to display your IP address.
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If the Apache web server computer is behind a firewall for security, the firewall must be configured to route a port to the Apache web server computer on port 80. The external http address is http://your_firewall:PORT, where PORT is the routed port on the firewall.
6. Record the http address for the Apache web server so you can enter the download location for your file server in the Connectus preferences.
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Configure Connectus
How to use the Configuration Utility.
Configure Connectus
The Configuration Utility allows you to configure Connectus settings and the devices connected to the system.
If Connectus is sharing a system with a publisher or player, the Configuration Utility includes options that apply to both Connectus and the other application. See the user guide for the publisher or player to learn about the options specific to that software.
Launch the Configuration Utility
From the Windows Start Menu choose Programs > Harris > Connectus > Connectus Configuration Utility.
The utility opens.
You may need to re-launch Connectus or reboot your system after making changes in the Configuration
Utility. The utility will prompt you if a reboot or re-launch is necessary.
Configuration Utility Tabs
The Configuration Utility contains a number of tabs. Each tab allows you to view and modify a certain group of settings. See the following table for details.
Tab Description
Clock Synchronization Configures the way your system clock is synchronized.
Email Settings Sets the way notification emails and log files are sent.
External Triggers
Connectus Server
Account
Configures the triggers attached to your system so Connectus can recognize them.
This tab sets up the Connectus Server account.
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Clock Synchronization
If you are using features which require extreme timing accuracy such as timed triggers, use the Clock
Synchronization tab to configure the way your clock is synchronized.
Configure Synchronization
Follow these steps to synchronize your system.
1. Check the Synchronize Clock checkbox to enable synchronization for the system.
2. Synchronization uses a UDP multicast and network cards to keep systems in sync. To prevent multicasts from creeping too far into networks and clogging bandwidth, multicast packets have a
Time to Live (TTL) number which specifies the number of network hops a packet can take before being discarded.
Use the Multicast Time to Live field to specify the TTL number for the UDP multicast. The default is one.
3. Use the Multicast Network Adapter drop-down list to choose the system network card which will enforce the synchronization.
4. To ensure that synchronization is consistent, one system on the network needs to be set as Master, others as Backup Masters, and the rest of the systems as Slave Only. Use the Clock Priority drop-down list to choose your system’s type.
Systems set to Slave Only will never become clock masters, even if the network’s Master and Backup
Masters fail.
Note: All synchronized systems must be on the same subnetwork.
5. If you are configuring a Master system and you do not wish it to use the Windows NTP implementation, check the Disable Windows Time Service checkbox. This should not be checked in most configurations.
6. Click OK to exit the Configuration Utility.
Monitor Synchronization Status
After you have configured your system with the Clock Synchronization tab, you can use the Clock Sync
Status utility to monitor the synchronization status of your system.
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From the Windows Start Menu choose Programs > Harris > Connectus > Clock Sync Status. The Clock
Sync Status utility opens.
The utility displays your system’s current synchronization status.
Field
Synchronized
Description
Whether the system is synchronized. If you have not enabled synchronization in the Clock Synchronization tab, this value will be Disabled and all other fields will display N/A.
See Configure Synchronization (on page 217) to learn how to
enable synchronization.
Time Last
Synchronized
The time the system last received (or sent, if the system is a
Master) a time sync message.
Synchronized Since The length of time the system has been synchronized.
Master Whether the system is a Master.
Master IP Address The IP address of the system that is the Master clock.
Master MAC Address The MAC address of the system that is the Master clock.
Clock Priority
Network Adapter
Whether the system is the Master, a Backup Master, or a Slave
Only system.
The network card which enforces the system’s synchronization.
Multicast Time to Live The TTL number for the synchronization UDP multicast.
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Email Settings Tab
The settings in the Email Settings tab are used to send notification emails and collect log files. You can choose to use Microsoft Outlook or the Harris Mailer, or you can prevent the Connectus system from sending any emails.
Use Microsoft Outlook
If you have Microsoft Outlook installed on your system, click the Microsoft Outlook radio button to send
Connectus emails with Outlook.
Use Harris Mailer
Connectus provides a Harris Mailer feature which allows you to send email through an existing mail server without installing a third-party email application. You may need to contact your Network
Administrator to get information about your mail server.
To send Connectus emails with Harris Mailer:
1. Click the Harris Mailer radio button.
2. Enter the sender’s email address in the Sender Address field.
3. Enter the name of the mail server in the Mail Server Name field. This mail server must be connected to your system and configured to send emails using the Sender Address.
4. Choose the Mail Server Type of your mail server by clicking one of the radio buttons.
Click the SMTP radio button to send email using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.
Click the NNTP radio button to send email using the Network News Transfer Protocol.
Click the POP3 radio button to send email using Post Office Protocol version 3.
5. If the mail server requires authentication, enter a name and password in the User Name and User
Password fields. Harris Mailer uses this information to access the mail server.
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Disable Email
To prevent Connectus from sending any emails from this system, click the No Email radio button.
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External Triggers Tab
Connectus supports different external triggers for triggering Player GPIs. See Send Triggers to Players (on
page 159) to learn how to use external triggers within Connectus.
This section describes how to connect external triggers to your system, then to add them to the GPI list in the External Triggers tab. You must add triggers to the External Triggers tab before they become available within Connectus.
Connect External Triggers
Connectus supports serial port GPIs, USB triggers, and the LIVE!Link board.
Serial Port GPI
Connectus supports serial port GPI triggers for controlling output. The serial port GPI trigger type allows you to trigger output with an external button press. A serial GPI takes the voltage from a serial port pin to close a switch and complete the circuit, triggering the selected event.
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The following diagram shows the pin closures for 25-pin and 9-pin serial port connectors. Reverse movement is not supported.
Connect USB Trigger
Connectus supports GPI triggers connected to the USB U2IO device for controlling output.
The U2IO device supports 14 GPI connections and 10 GPO connections. The following diagram shows the
GPI pin connectors for the U210 device
© 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 4/29/2014 | Page 222
Nexio® Connectus®
User Guide
LIVE!Link Board
Configure Connectus
To support a LIVE!Link board, insert it in a PCI slot in the computer system. The PCI slot connectors are dummy connectors and perform no function other than support. Use the following illustrations to make
GPI, timecode, Host RS232, and power connections:
© 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 4/29/2014 | Page 223
Nexio® Connectus®
User Guide
LIVE!Link Board
Configure Connectus
GPI Connector Pin-Out
1. GPI 1 2. GPI 2 3. GPI 3 4. GPI 4 5. GPI 5 6. GPI 6 7. GPI 7
8. GPI 8 9. GND 10. GND 11. GND 12. GND
15. GPO
3
16. GPO 4 17. GPO
5
13. GPO 1 14. GPO 2
18. GPO 6 19. GPO 7 20. GPO 8 21. GND
22. GND 23. GND 24. GND 25. GND 26. NOT
CONNECTED
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Nexio® Connectus®
User Guide
Host RS232 Connector Pin-Out
Configure Connectus
HD1 – CODEIN (600 OHM balanced audio input)
Pin 1 - GND
Pin 2 – XLR+
Pin 3 – XLR -
HD3
Pin 1 – MONVID
Pin 2 – GND
HD5
Pin 1 – CAM-IN
Pin 2 – GND
HD7
Pin 1 – 5VDC
Pin 2 – GND
HD9
Pin 1 – LTC_LED
Pin 2 – GND
1. NOT
CONNECTED
2. TX
6. NOT
CONNECTED
7. NOT
CONNECTED
3. RX
8. NOT
CONNECTED
Power and XLR Connector Pin-Outs
4. NOT
CONNECTED
9. NOT
CONNECTED
5. GND
10. NOT
CONNECTED
HD2 – CODEOUT (600 OHM balanced audio output)
Pin 1 – GND
Pin 2 – XLR+
Pin 3 – XLR-
HD4
Pin 1 – VTRVID
Pin 2 – GND
HD6
Pin 1 – CMP-OUT
Pin 2 – GND
HD8
Pin 1 – VITC_LED
Pin 2 – GND
© 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 4/29/2014 | Page 225
Nexio® Connectus®
User Guide
Add External Triggers
Configure Connectus
By adding external triggers to the GPI List you make them available within Connectus. You can add three types of triggers to the list.
LIVE!Link
If you have one or more LIVE!Link boards installed in your system, check the Live Link Installed checkbox.
Eight LIVE!Link GPIs are added to the GPI List.
Serial GPI
Serial port GPI triggers take the voltage from a serial port pin to close a switch and complete the circuit, triggering the selected event. Each COM port on your system can be connected to one serial GPI.
To add serial GPIs that are connected to your system check the Serial GPI checkbox. In the Serial GPI
Configuration section of the tab, choose the port number and name for each of the serial GPIs. Only one
GPI can be attached to each serial port.
USB U2IO
Connectus supports GPI triggers connected to the USB U2IO device for controlling output. A USB U2IO device supports 14 GPI triggers.
Check the U2IO Installed checkbox to add the 14 USB U2IO triggers to the GPI List.
Software GPIs
You can use a software GPI instead of a hardware GPI to trigger Player GPIs in Connectus. Software GPI events are triggered by clicking a link on the maxisoftgpi web page.
To add software GPIs to the GPI list, check the Software GPIs checkbox and enter the number of triggers you want to enable in the Count field. The requested number of GPIs are added to the GPI list. The maximum number of software GPIs you can use is 4096.
Trigger Software GPIs
Since no hardware is involved with software GPIs, they are set up in the Configuration Utility then triggered by clicking a link on the maxisoftgpi web page.
Follow these instructions to trigger the software GPIs that have already been set up:
1. Open Connectus to initialize the software GPI drivers.
2. Open your web browser.
3. In the Address field, type: http://localhost:8009/
A locally stored web page opens. You do not need to be connected to the internet.
© 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 4/29/2014 | Page 226
Nexio® Connectus®
User Guide
4. Click on the maxisoftgpi link.
Configure Connectus
The maxisoftgpi web page opens. This page contains as many hyperlinks as you have enabled. These links are the triggering devices for your software GPI.
© 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 4/29/2014 | Page 227
Nexio® Connectus®
User Guide Configure Connectus
Connectus Server Account Tab
The Connectus Server Account tab allows you to set the account used by the Connectus Server to access content on the Connectus system’s file server.
Local System Account
The Local System Account is a built-in default account on all Windows machines. It is designed to allow services to run, but it does not often have permission to access the network.
If the Connectus system’s file server is being accessed through HTTP/FTP, it is okay to run the Connectus
Service with the Local System Account, though it is recommended that you use an Administrator account for this service instead.
To use the Local System Account, check the Local System Account checkbox.
Allow Service to Interact with Desktop
Check the Allow Service to Interact with Desktop to allow the Connectus Server to open windows on the desktop when necessary. This also allows the Connectus Server to place a monitor icon in the Windows task bar.
Set Connectus Service Account
If you are not using the Local System Account, uncheck the Local System Account checkbox and enter the account’s username, password, and domain information. Do not enter a domain if you are using a workgroup.
© 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 4/29/2014 | Page 228
Nexio® Connectus®
User Guide Index
Index
.
.NET framework • 21
A
About Update Content window • 183 actions • 186 and (event keywords) • 185 and (player query keywords) • 153
Apache Web Server • 214 launch server • 11 approve content assign file servers • 33 email personnel • 127 publisher permissions • 102 with Channel ONE • 71 with G-Scribe • 88 with IconStation • 75 with InfoCaster • 71 with LogoCreator • 93 with server • 130 with TitleOne • 88 approved content file servers • 33 archive content display archive status • 109 enable • 123 archive files (ZIP)See ZIP files • 39 archive folder • 123 assets. See Media Assets • 110 auto assign to groups • 157 auto-load content • 187 automate display control • 172
Automation Interface connect as player • 52 preferences • 148 set resource folder • 52
Automation Receiver • 110 content types • 110 software updates • 175
B
Backup Master (synchronization) • 217
C captions • 158 categories • 113 assign to content • 113 managed by consoles • 199 rule events • 185 search for • 114 set on publishers • 64, 68, 73, 80, 83, 85 channel guide • 141, 158
Channel ONE • 17, 18 approve content • 71 connect as player • 46 connect as publisher • 63 download content • 67 playback logging • 166 preferences • 148 publish from • 64 restart players • 159 schedule players • 158 software updates • 175
ChannelGuide content • 110 download • 69 publish • 68 check logs • 168
CIFS • 26 clients. See consoles • 58
Clock Priority list • 217 clock sync • 141
Clock Sync Status utility • 217 closed captioning • 158 commands (troubleshoot players with) • 150 comments • 185, 199 confirm content download • 101
Confirm Content Download checkbox • 79 connection status • 143
Connectus Name is Scribelist Name • 83
Connectus. See server • 17, 18 consoles add content • 199 add publishers • 199 disable • 60 dongle • 28 import group membership • 152 install • 28, 58 port connections • 40 remove • 60 set permissions • 197 content • 109 add to consoles • 199 archive. See archive content • 109 assign to InfoCaster Online users • 107
© 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 4/29/2014 | Page 229
Nexio® Connectus®
User Guide categories • 64, 68, 73, 80, 83, 85, 113 channel guide • 141, 158 comments • 185 confirm download • 101 data sources • 133 delete • 146 error checking • 64, 68, 73, 80, 83, 85 export from server • 189 filter • 114 history • 118 pages • 117 preview • 109 publish • 100 queued • 147 remove • 115 replication • 207 resolution • 109 rule events • 185 schedule playback • 182 search for • 114 set editing permissions • 132 set playback logging • 132 shared media files • 187 start playback • 158 states • 146 stop playback • 158 types • 110 update queue • 147 versions • 118, 146 view in pages • 115 content expiry in InfoCaster • 65 shared media files • 120
Content History subtab • 118
Content on Disc subtab • 146
Content Receiver • 53 connect as player • 53 content types • 110 software updates • 175 content replication • 202, 206
Content tab • 109 column options • 109 content types • 110 managed by consoles • 199 rule events • 185 search for • 114 content version (playing) • 141
Content Versions subtab • 118, 180
© 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential.
CRC • 64, 68, 73, 149 creation station licensing • 55 critical (Punctuate status) • 145 current channel • 158 custom updates • 177
D daily Player GPIs • 161 data sources • 133 data streams (ChannelGuide content) • 110 database logging • 168
DCOM • 30
DDS Data • 110 delay sending content updates • 36 delete content • 146 delete expired content • 119 description (players) • 143 device (Versio) • 50
Direct Control • 95 connect as publisher • 95 download content • 96 publish from • 95 disable Windows Time service • 217 disk space • 39, 143
Display Check Interval field • 170 display control • 170 add new display types • 170 export display information • 151 rules • 172
DisplayControl.xml file • 170 domains • 23 dongles • 28 operate InfoCaster without • 55 download content confirm content download • 101 with Channel ONE • 67 with Direct Control • 96 with G-Flow • 99 with G-Scribe • 86, 87 with IconStation • 74, 77 with InfoCaster • 67, 69 with LogoCreator • 92 with TitleOne • 86, 87 download correction • 193
Download Location field • 74, 86, 87
Downloading state • 146 downloads download personnel • 129
Index
4/29/2014 | Page 230
Nexio® Connectus®
User Guide from file servers • 32, 35 permissions • 102
DVE templates • 110 publish • 83
E editing permissions • 132
Editor plug-ins (Versio) • 50 email (players) • 143 email personnel • 127 approval personnel • 128 enable error checking. See error checking • 64,
68, 73 enable InfoCaster Online users • 105 enable publishers • 100
End By field • 161
Enseo STB • 139 add as player • 139 display control • 170 error (Punctuate status) • 145 error checking • 64, 68, 73, 80, 83, 85 events • 185
Excel file (player list) • 151 export content • 189 export selected players to file • 151 external triggers • 159 add to GPI List • 226 control display with • 170
See also Player GPIs • 159 simulate firing • 163
F file servers • 41 approved file servers • 33 content replication access • 206 downloads • 32, 35 free disk space • 39 internet • 24
IP addresses • 25 main published file server • 31 preferred file servers • 37
Punctuate media expiry • 121 remove content • 115 shared folders • 23, 33 shared media expiry • 121 store archived (ZIP) files • 39 filter content • 114 queries • 115
Index filter queries • 153 keywords • 153
Fire At field • 161 firewalls • 26 exceptions • 29 free disk space • 39
FTP • 24, 26, 228
G
G3D Templates • 110 download • 99
G-Flow connect as publisher • 98 download content • 99 group membership file • 152 groups • 156 add Multicast Mode Groups • 157 add peers to groups • 157 add players to consoles by • 197 assign to InfoCaster Online users • 106 auto assignment • 157 filter by • 153 import group membership • 152 preferred file servers • 37 receive Player GPIs • 159 send content to • 181 send content via multicast • 182
G-Scribe • 17, 18 approve content • 88 connect as publisher • 82 download content • 86, 87 publish from • 82
H history (content) • 118 content types • 110
MG2 content • 110
HTTP • 26, 228
I
IconLogo • 18 connect as player • 53 layout content types • 110
MG2 content types • 110
IconStation • 17, 18 approve content • 75 connect as player • 48 connect as publisher • 72 content types • 110
© 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 4/29/2014 | Page 231
Nexio® Connectus®
User Guide download content • 74, 77 playback logging • 166 publish from • 72 software updates • 175
Imagine Communications Software Update
Distribution • 175
Import Group Membership button • 152 inbound connections. See peer connections •
203
InfoCaster • 17, 18 approve content • 71 connect as player • 46 connect as publisher • 63 content expiry • 65 content types • 110 display control • 170 download content • 67, 69 import content from CD • 188 monitor reception folders • 195 operate without a dongle • 55 playback logging • 166 preferences • 148 publish from • 64, 68 restart players • 159 schedule players • 158 software updates • 175
InfoCaster Online enable users • 100, 105
InfoCasts • 110 approve • 71 download • 67 publish • 64
Inscriber Shell Extension • 79 connect as publisher • 79 publish from • 79
User Packages • 110 install peers • 202 pre-installation requirements • 21 through remote desktop • 28 instances (players) • 46 playback logging • 167
Intelligent Media Mover tool • 123 interlock device • 28 internet • 22
Invenio web service • 123
IP addresses • 25
K keywords • 114, 153 filter queries • 153 in G3D templates • 90 managed by consoles • 199 rule events • 185
L
LAN • 22, 23 domains • 23 workgroups • 23 launch Configuration Utility • 216 launch server • 11 layouts • 110 approve • 93 approve • 75 categories • 113 download • 74, 92 publish • 73, 77, 92 level (display control) • 171 license manager • 55
LIVE!Link board • 223 local area network. See LAN • 22
Local Post Office service • 134
Local System Account • 228 localhost (Invenio web service) • 124 location (players) • 143
Log Viewer • 169
LogoCreator • 17 approve content • 93 connect as publisher • 91 download content • 92
MG2 content • 110 publish from • 91 logos (ChannelGuide content) • 110 logs playback logging • 166 status logging • 173
M
MAC address (of master) • 217
Magellan Configuration Manager • 50 main published file server assign • 31 maintenance restart • 150 major channels • 158 map players • 164
Master (synchronization) • 217
© 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential.
Index
4/29/2014 | Page 232
Nexio® Connectus®
User Guide maxisoftgpi links • 226
Media Assets • 110 approve • 88 download • 86, 96, 99 publish • 80, 83, 85
Media Player • 21
MG2 content • 110
Microsoft .NET framework • 21
Microsoft IIS HTTP Server • 211
Migrate Files to the New Storage checkbox • 42 minor channels • 158 mirrored content • 36, 37 delay sending content • 36
Miscellaneous content • 110
DVE templates • 83 publish • 83 monitor control. See display control • 170 msgisetup.txt • 53
Multicast Mode Groups add to groups • 157 file download correction • 193 receive Player GPIs • 159 send content to • 182 send content with rules • 186 shared media files • 191
Multicast Network Adapter list • 217
Multicast Time to Live field • 217 multicast triggers • 159 multiple player instances • 46, 143 mute (display control) • 171
N
NAT device • 26
NetManMTServer.exe.config file • 42 netmanserver.config file • 124 network firewalls • 26 internet • 22
LAN • 22, 23
NAT device • 26 set up • 16
Network Address Translation • 26 network components • 17, 173 firewalls • 26
NAT device • 26 port connections • 40
Network Manager Server account • 28
Network ManagerSee server • 17, 18
© 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential.
Index not (event keywords) • 185 not (player query keywords) • 153
Not Playing state • 146
NTP (disable) • 217
O
ODBC • 133 offline players • 138 send triggers to • 159 on file servers • 39
On Schedule checkbox • 161 operator (players) • 143 or (event keywords) • 185 or (player query keywords) • 153 outbound connections. See peer connections •
203
P pages (in content) • 117 pages (view content list in) • 115 pages (view players in) • 155 parentheses (event keywords) • 185 peer connections content replication • 206 remove • 205 peers group peers • 157 install • 202 preferred file servers • 37 receive Player GPIs • 159 send content to • 181 send content via multicast • 182 share players • 208
Permissions tab • 197 phone (players) • 143 ping • 56, 150 with commands • 150 playback logging • 132, 166 database logging • 168 enable • 167 standard logging • 168 view logs • 169
Playback Queue subtab • 147 playback status • 143 player flavour • 143
Player GPIs • 159 add to GPI list • 226 fire manually • 162
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Nexio® Connectus®
User Guide multicast triggers • 159 recurrence pattern • 161 schedule • 161 send to offline players • 159 trigger at time • 159 trigger with web browser • 226 web triggers • 162 player licensing • 55
Player Maps tab • 164 player reports • 193
Player Server • 46, 48, 52, 55 player software updates • 175 player types • 110 player uptime • 143 player version • 143 players • 137 add to consoles • 197
Automation Interface • 52 channel guide • 141, 158
Channel ONE • 46, 188, 195 check file CRC • 149 closed captioning • 158 configure Player Server • 46, 48, 52 connection status • 143
Content Receiver • 53 control • 158 data sources • 133 delay updates during mirroring • 36 delete content • 146 description • 143 display control • 170 email • 143
Enseo STB players • 139 expire content • 119 export selected players to file • 151 file download correction • 193 filter queries • 153 group membership file • 152 groups • 156
IconLogo • 53
IconStation • 48, 189, 195
InfoCaster • 46 location • 143 maintenance restart • 150 maps • 164 multicast triggers • 159 multiple instances • 46 offline players • 138
Index operate without a dongle • 55 operator • 143 phone • 143 ping • 150 playback logging • 166 playback status • 143
Player Server • 55 port connections • 40, 46, 48, 52 preferences • 46, 48, 148 preferred file servers • 37
Punctuate media expiry • 122 queued content • 147 reboot players • 159 receive Player GPIs • 159 remove • 153 restart players • 159 schedulable • 18, 158 schedule • 158 schedule content playback • 182 send content to • 181 send content via multicast • 182 share with peers • 208 shared media expiry • 121 software started • 143 start playback • 158 stop playback • 158 system started • 143 troubleshoot connection • 56 troubleshoot with commands • 150 update queue • 147 update software • 175
Versio • 50 version • 143 view in pages • 155 view player content • 146 view player playback • 148 view status • 140
Players Can Write Directly checkbox • 168
Players Playback tab • 148
Players tab • 140 column options • 141
Playing Content Version column • 141
Playing state • 146 playlists • 96, 110 approve • 88 download • 86, 96 publish • 96 plug-ins (Versio) • 50
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Nexio® Connectus®
User Guide port connections • 40 power (display control) • 171 preferred file servers • 37 pre-installation requirements • 21 preview content • 109 private IP addresses • 25 projects. See content • 17 proxy server • 206
PTP status • 141 public IP addresses • 25 publish content with Channel ONE • 64 with Direct Control • 95 with G-Scribe • 82 with IconStation • 72 with InfoCaster • 64, 68 with Inscriber Shell Extension • 79 with LogoCreator • 91 with TitleOne • 82 with Versio Creation Station • 76 publishers add to consoles • 199 approve content permissions • 102 categories • 64, 68, 73, 80, 83, 85
Channel ONE • 63, 64, 67, 71 content replication • 207
Direct Control • 95, 96 disable • 100 download permissions • 102 enable • 63, 72 error checking • 64, 68, 73, 80, 83, 85
G-Flow • 98, 99
G-Scribe • 82, 86, 87, 88
IconStation • 72, 74, 75, 77
InfoCaster • 63, 64, 67, 68, 69, 71
Inscriber Shell Extension • 79
LogoCreator • 91, 92, 93
Multicast Mode distribution • 135 operate without a dongle • 55 port connections • 40 publish content • 100 publish permissions • 100 remove • 100 rule events • 185 run as players • 63, 137 search for • 114 send rendered files • 73 software • 17, 18
Index
TitleOne • 82, 86, 87, 88
Versio Creation Station • 76
Punctuate application filter players by status • 153 status messages • 145
Punctuate media (expiry) • 121
Q queries • 115
Query Name drop-down list • 153 queued content • 147
Queued state • 146
R reboot players • 150, 159 recollect logs • 168 recurrence pattern • 161 remote consoles. See consoles • 58 remote desktop • 28 install through • 28 remove content • 115 remove players • 153 rendered files (publish) • 73 replicate content. See content replication • 202 reports (players) • 193
Reset Query button • 115 resolution (content) • 109 restart players • 150, 159 rules create actions • 186 create events • 185 disable • 184 event keywords • 185 rules (display control) • 172
S
Sales Local Post Office • 134 save content to CD • 187 schedulable • 18 schedulable players • 18, 158 schedule player GPIs • 161
Scribelists • 110
6.0 version • 110 approve • 88 download • 86 download version 6.0 • 86 names of • 83 publish • 83
Scribes • 110
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Nexio® Connectus®
User Guide
6.0 version • 110 approve • 88 download • 86, 96, 99 download version 6.0 • 86 publish • 83
Scripts • 110 publish • 83 search for content • 114 queries • 115 search for players • 153 send content cancel updates • 183 container packages • 183 media assets • 183 select multiple content projects • 180
Send Rendered Files checkbox • 73 serial port GPI triggers • 221 server • 12 configure • 12 delay updates during mirroring • 36 dongle • 28 enable consoles • 60 enable publishers • 100 launch • 11 name • 202 peer connections • 204 port connections • 40 save content to CD • 187 set console permissions • 197 share players • 208 status logging • 173 update player software • 175 upgrade • 30 workflow • 10 set top boxes. See Enseo STB • 139 share players • 208 shared archive folder • 123 shared folders • 23, 25, 32, 33, 35 shared media files • 187 content expiry • 120 simple file sharing • 21
Slave Only (synchronization) • 217
SMB • 26 software started • 143 software updates • 175 user custom updates • 177 software version (players) • 143 source (display control) • 171
© 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential.
SQL database (logging) • 168 standard logging • 168 start playback • 158 status logging • 173 archiving • 125 email notifications • 173 peers • 202 status messages
Punctuate • 145
Status tab • 173 stop playback • 158
Store content • 110 success (Punctuate status) • 145 synchronization (clock sync) • 141 system started • 143
T
TARGET_IP (commands) • 150 targets (rule actions) • 186 telnet • 56 text file (player list) • 151
Time to Live number • 217
TitleOne • 17, 18 approve content • 88 connect as publisher • 82 download content • 86, 87 publish from • 82 toggle display on/off • 170
Triggers tab • 159 troubleshooting with commands • 150 types (of content) • 110 types (of players) add to consoles by • 197 filter by • 153
U
Unknown state • 146
Update Content list • 106 update player software • 175 update queue • 147
Updates tab • 183 updates. See software updates • 175
USB U2IO device • 222
Use Database Logging • 168
Use Standard Logging • 168 user accounts • 20 user custom updates • 177
User Packages • 110
Index
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Nexio® Connectus®
User Guide download • 87, 96, 99 publish • 80
V
Versio • 50, 76 publish from • 76 versions (content) • 118, 141, 146, 180 volume (display control) • 171
W warnings (Punctuate status) • 145
Web Editor. See InfoCaster Online • 107 web servers • 25 web triggers • 162 websites • 24, 35 weekly Player GPIs • 161
Windows Desktop Experience • 21
Windows Media Player • 21
Windows remote desktop • 28
Windows Time service (disable) • 217 workgroups • 23, 28
Z
ZIP files • 39
MD5 checksums • 191 on file servers • 39
Index
© 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 4/29/2014 | Page 237
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