Server Management

Server Management requires admin-level privileges.  The Server Management section lets you manage email settings, look at server information, change the hostname, configure your network settings, and reboot or turn off the server.

Email

Enabling email notifications on your server will ensure that even when you are away from your server you will be alerted to any significant events. To manage your email configurations, click on the email option. The application displays the Email Configuration screen. The left portion is an example using a gmail address as the account that will send the alert emails. Once you enter the credentials you can send a test email to another account to ensure that your setup is working.

Once you save on this screen you have just one more step. Navigate to config -> users and select a user that you would like the alert emails to be sent too. Make sure that user has a valid email address. Select the Email notification check box and save. Repeat this for any other users as needed. Each enabled user will now receive emails in the event of  a server state change such as the firewall being disabled or if you have an event scheduled within 4 hours that has no media uploaded. The missing files alert window is configurable in the config -> schedule window.

Manage Network Configurations

To manage your network configurations, click on the network option. The application displays the Network Configuration Management screen.

  • Interface – the name of the host interface, such as eth0 or eth1.
  • Type – the type of network connection, such as Ethernet.
  • HW Address – Ethernet card identity
  • Link Detected – if the link is being detected.
  • IP Address – The IP address of the network. If the IP address is dynamic, this entry will display DHCP. If DHCP is used, the assignment should match the MAC address of the Digital Broadcaster.
  • Speed– the connection speed.
  • Route All Multicast On This Interface – if multicast is being streamed through that ethernet port. To enable multicasting for this network connection, click on Route All Multicast below the appropriate ethernet port. Multicast IP addresses must use the range 224.0.0.0 – 239.235.235.235.

Warning: Before enabling multicasting, talk to your system administrator.

  • Interface is Active – if the ethernet port is being used.
  • Using DHCP – if it is a DHCP or static IP Address.
  • Netmask– The Netmask value of the network. The default value is 255.255.255.0.
  • Activate at boot? – If this network connection should be activated when the server is booted this entry will display yes.
  • Enable multicast? – If multicasting has been enabled for this network connection, this entry will display yes.

To edit a network configuration, click on the Edit icon in the Action column. The Edit Network Configuration screen is displayed.

The following fields are editable.

  • Name – the name of the host interface, such as eth0 or eth1.
  • IP Address – Select either DHCP or Static. If Static, enter the assigned the IP address. TelVue® generally recommends a Static IP address so any possible port forwarding does not become stale due to IP address changes. If DHCP is used, the assignment should match the MAC address of the Digital Broadcaster. The default is Static IP address 1.1.1.1.
  • Netmask– Enter the Netmask value for your network. The default value is 255.255.255.0.
  • Default Gateway– Enter the Default Gateway IP address. The Default Gateway is generally the device on your network that routes Internet traffic to the Digital Broadcaster, for example a cable or DSL router.

When you have edited the network configuration, click the Save button at the bottom of the screen. A message verifying that the changes were updated appears at the top of the screen.  Click the Config tab to return to the Configuration menu or click any tab to do other work.

Note: Some changes to the network configuration, such as IP addresses and destination ports, will make it necessary to reboot the media server. The media server will warn you and give you the option of canceling the changes.

Changing the Hostname

The hostname of the server is displayed at the top of every screen.  The default is the product model. You can change the hostname of your server to help distinguish it from other servers of the same model. Click on Change Hostname. Enter the new hostname and click the Save button. When you reboot the server, the new hostname will be displayed at the top of the screen.

Running netstat

During troubleshooting you might be asked to run the netstat utility.  Click the button at the bottom of the Network Configuration Management screen. The results of the status check will be displayed on the UI screen.

Set Samba Workgroup

Your server ships with an integrated Samba file sharing server for easy networked access to your digital video files. Samba is a standard way to transfer files among the server and other computers on the network. For example, you can use Samba to export a project from a Non-Linear Editor (NLE) to the server.

To change the Samba workgroup, click on samba in the Server Management section.

Type the name of the new workgroup and click the Save and Apply button.

Turn Off or Reboot the Server

To turn off or reboot the server, click the Shutdown/Reboot option. The application displays the Manage the Server or Services screen.

Read the warnings on the screen before shutting down or rebooting the server or restarting the server application.  Shutdown, reboot, and restart actions will interrupt work in progress, including any programming you may currently be streaming to viewers.  The interruption could be as brief as a few seconds but could take several hours if the system performs a filesystem check upon startup.  For assistance or if you often need to reboot or restart your server, contact TelVue Support.

Shutdown

To shut down the server without restarting it, click Shutdown.

Reboot

To reboot the server, which will restart the server and the User Interface, click Reboot.

Note: The HyperCaster has a watchdog timer that automatically reboots the server after 2 minutes if it should lock up or suffer a software crash.

Restart Application

To restart the server application, which will restart the User Interface and media server but not restart the server hardware, click Restart Application.

To exit this page without doing anything, click Cancel.

Manage Time Settings

Set the time zone and select at least one NTP time server source so your Digital Broadcaster can maintain accurate time sync. The Digital Broadcaster must be able to send and receive traffic on UDP Port 123 on your network for NTP support. To set the time zone or time servers, click on “Time” in the Server Management section.

  • System Time Zone – Select your time zone from the pull-down menu and click the Save button. This will cause services including web servers and database servers to reset, so you many lose connection to the application momentarily.
  • Trusted Time Servers – Enter the IP address of the time server you want your Digital Broadcaster to use to set its clock. You might want to use a local time server on your network as the primary source and a public server on the Internet as a backup. If using a public NTP server, pick one that is close to your location and in your time zone. Click Save and Apply to apply the time server settings.  Your Digital Broadcaster’s clock will reset if necessary, then run within a few milliseconds of accuracy.

Note: At this time, one place to find IP addresses of time servers around the world is http://ntp.isc.org/bin/view/Servers/StratumTwoTimeServers.  Look for a timeserver with an open access policy. If you are in an area that uses Daylight Saving Time, make sure the time server is in an area with DST also.

Note: Some installations block access to DNS or NTP for security purposes.  Your server, not just your workstation, must have access to a time server. You might need to enter the IP address of your internal time server, rather than its hostname. If you have difficulty accessing a time server, contact your IT staff.

View RAID Status

To view information on RAID disks and file systems on servers with RAID disk arrays, click on RAID in the Server Management section.

To see the event log of hardware RAID processes, click the Show Event Log button below the Disk Info section. If this installation has software RAID, click the Show Details button to see more information.  To exit the page, click on the Configuration tab.