VBrick Enterprise Media System

VEMS Mystro® Portal Server v6.3.x

Getting Started Guide
Copyright
© 2016 VBrick Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
2121 Cooperative Way, Suite 100
Herndon, VA 20171, USA

This publication contains confidential, proprietary, and trade secret information. No part of this document may be copied,
photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any machine-readable or electronic format without prior written
permission from VBrick Systems, Inc. Information in this document is subject to change without notice and VBrick assumes
no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies. VBrick, VBrick Systems, the VBrick logo, VEMS Mystro,
StreamPlayer, and StreamPlayer Plus are trademarks or registered trademarks of VBrick Systems, Inc. in the United States
and other countries. Windows Media, SharePoint, OCS and Lync are trademarked names of Microsoft Corporation in the
United States and other countries. All other products or services mentioned in this document are identified by the
trademarks, service marks, or product names as designated by the companies who market those products. Inquiries should be
made directly to those companies. This document may also have links to third-party web pages that are beyond the control of
VBrick. The presence of such links does not imply that VBrick endorses or recommends the content of any third-party web
pages. VBrick acknowledges the use of third-party open source software and licenses in some VBrick products. This freely
available source code is posted at http://www.vbrick.com/opensource

About VBrick Systems

Founded in 1998, VBrick Systems is a privately held company that has enjoyed rapid growth by helping our customers
successfully introduce mission critical video applications across their enterprise networks. Since our founding, VBrick has
been setting the standard for quality, performance and innovation in the delivery of live and stored video over IP networks—
LANs, WANs and the Internet. With thousands of video appliances installed world-wide, VBrick is the recognized leader in
reliable, high-performance, easy-to-use networked video solutions.
VBrick is an active participant in the development of industry standards and continues to play an influential role in the
Internet Streaming Media Alliance (ISMA), the MPEG Industry Forum, and Internet2. In 1998 VBrick invented and shipped
the world's first MPEG Video Network Appliance designed to provide affordable DVD-quality video across the network.
Since then, VBrick's video solutions have grown to include Video on Demand, Management, Security and Access Control,
Scheduling, and Rich Media Integration. VBrick solutions are successfully supporting a broad variety of applications
including distance learning and training, conferencing and remote office communications, security, process monitoring,
traffic monitoring, business and news feeds to the desktop, webcasting, corporate communications, collaboration, command
and control, and telemedicine. VBrick serves customers in education, government, healthcare, and financial services markets
among others. VBrick products are manufactured in an ISO certified manufacturing facility.
 Contents
Portal Server Getting Started Guide
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Font Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Environmental Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

1. Software Installation
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Installation Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Creating the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
32-Bit Server Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Installing the Portal Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Optimizing the Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Uninstalling the Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Reinstalling the Portal Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Launching the Portal Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Installing Patches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

2. Software Installation on a Windows 2012 R2 Server

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Installation Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

3. Software Update
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Software Update. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Updating from 5.4.2 to 6.x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Updating from 6.x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Installing VEMS Mystro on a 5.x Server Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

4. Database Management
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Creating the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Moving the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Configuring the Database Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Backing Up the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Restoring the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1. Stop VEMS Mystro Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide iii

 2. Stop and Start the SQL Server (Maduro) Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3. Restore the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4. Resync Database Users. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
5. Restart VEMS Mystro Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

5. Data Migration
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
How It Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Migration Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Re-migration Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Software Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Configure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Migrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Migrated Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Non-Migrated Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Migration Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Re-migrating Metadata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Caveats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

iv Contents
 Portal Server Getting Started
Guide

Preface
This Portal Server Getting Started Guide is written for anyone who will be using or evaluating
the VBrick Enterprise Media System Portal Server. This includes system administrators,
software developers, network technicians, and end users in a variety of business
environments. The VEMS Portal Server is a web-based portal for accessing and managing
video assets including both live or stored audio and video files. The VEMS Portal Server is a
key component in VEMS Mystro®. The VEMS Portal Server provides a simple, intuitive
interface that easily discovers available media assets in your network. The information in this
document is arranged as follows:

1. Software Installation Explains how to install, uninstall, reinstall the Portal Server and
how to install patch updates to the software.
3. Software Update Explains how to update the Portal Server software when a new
version of the Portal Server software is released.
4. Database Management Explains how to create, move, backup, or restore the VEMS
Mystro database.
5. Data Migration Explains how to migrate VEMS 5.x Portal Server database
components to VEMS Mystro 6.x Portal Server systems.

Getting Help
If you need help, or more information about any topic, use the online help system. The
online help is cross-referenced and searchable and can usually find the information in a few
seconds. Use the tree controls in the left pane to open documents and the up and down
arrows to page through them. Use the Search box to find specific information. Simply enter
one or more words in the box and press Enter. The search results will return pages that have
all of the words you entered—highlighted in yellow (Internet Explorer only). The Search box
is not case-sensitive and does not recognize articles (a, an, the), operators (+ and – ), or
quotation marks. You can narrow the search by adding words.
If you can't find the information you need from the online help, or from your certified
VBrick reseller, you can contact VBrick Support Services on the web. Support Services can
usually answer your technical questions in 24 business hours or less. Also note that our
publications team is committed to accurate and reliable documentation and we appreciate
your feedback. If you find errors or omissions in any of our documents, please send e-mail to
[email protected] and let us know. For more information about any VBrick
products, all of our product documentation is available on the web. Go to www.vbrick.com/
documentation to search or download VBrick product documentation.

Font Conventions
Arial bold is used to describe dialog boxes and menu choices, for example: Start > All
Programs > VBrick

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide v

 Courier fixed-width font is used for scripts, code examples, or keyboard commands.
Courier bold fixed-width font is used for user input in scripts, code examples, or keyboard
commands.
This bold black font is used to strongly emphasize important words or phrases.
Folder names and user examples in text are displayed in this sans serif font.
User input in text is displayed in this bold sans serif font.
Italics are used in text to emphasize specific words or phrases.

Environmental Goals
At VBrick, we believe that running our company with a "green" conscience is good for the
environment and good for business and that environmental awareness is an important part of
the value we deliver to our customers. We recognize our responsibilities to our customers,
partners, and employees, and also to the communities in which we live and work. We believe
that the same ethics and principles that guide our daily business decisions should be applied
to the environment as well. We design superior quality, high performance, and energy-
efficient products and are continually looking for ways to conserve energy and reduce waste.
As a company, we look for ways to be environmentally friendly in designing our products and
operating our facilities, and by choosing partners and suppliers who are committed to
sustainable development. You can help by recycling batteries and other consumables and by
finding new and better ways to protect and preserve our environment. If you have ideas or
suggestions that will help to reinforce our commitment to these goals, please let us know.

vi Preface
 Chapter 1

Software Installation
Topics in this document
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Installing the Portal Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Launching the Portal Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Installing Patches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Overview
If you ordered a hardware/software combination, you will need to run the installer which is
present on the desktop. Your software licenses will also be located in a folder on the desktop.
Use the desktop installer to install the software and then refer to the Portal Server Admin
Guide for additional configuration instructions. The User Guide will instruct you and your end
users on how to access and view video from the Portal Server and how to schedule and view
events with the Scheduler (if you purchased the Scheduler module).
For software only orders, it is strongly recommended that you read the Release Notes, which
contain the installation instructions, and the Admin Guide prior to installing the software. The
first step you should take is to activate your software license. See the detailed instructions on
the "Software License Activation" document that was shipped with your system. Be aware that
if you purchased a server-based "software-only" product from VBrick, you will need to install the
software on a fully-dedicated server. VBrick also recommends that you do not use anti-virus,
spyware detection, or similar software. It is also good practice to check that the Date & Time
and Time Zone are set accurately on the server.

Before You Begin

There are certain steps you will need to perform on your server before you actually run the
installer. Be aware that it will not be easy to change these settings after you have installed the server.
1. Put the VEMS Server in your domain and give it a user-friendly name:
a. Go to Start > Control Panel > System and click Advanced system settings.
b. Click on the Computer Name tab to enter a user-friendly name for your server.
c. Click the Change button to join a domain.
2. To set or change the password.
a. Go to Start > Administrative Tools > Computer Management and expand Local Users
and Groups.
b. Select Users in the left pane. Then right-click on Administrator in the right pane and
select Set Password from the popup.
c. Set a password and save this password in an accessible location for future use.

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 1

 Notes • VBrick provides support and software warranty coverage for Portal Server or VOD
software installed in a virtual environment that meets the minimum specifications
for the VEMS Mystro Enterprise hardware configuration. However be aware that
VBrick supports only the VBrick software components—not your virtual
environment.
• In VEMS Mystro 6.x, license files must be synchronized across all servers in the
system. This means that all of the licenses you purchased must be installed on all
VEMS servers (Master, Redundant, and NVR). Also, the "Record" license must
represent the system's total combined recording capacity. For example, if you have
a Master Server and three NVR-40 servers, you will be licensed for 120 concurrent
recording "slots." During software installation you can mix NVR-10/40 servers
and manually allocate recording slots to Master, Redundant, or NVR servers.
• In VEMS Mystro v6.3 and above, one server copy of the transcoding engine will be
included in each VEMS Mystro Standard, VEMS Mystro Professional, VEMS Mystro
Enterprise and VEMS Mystro NVR server (10 or 40 pack). Allocation of the overall
number of transcoding engines and concurrency operates in the same manner as NVR
above.
• You may install on a Windows 2012 R2 server but you must enable .NET
Framework 3.5 features first. See: Software Installation on a Windows 2012 R2
Server

Installation Workflow
The software installation process consists of running the installer which will be present on
the desktop if you purchased both hardware and software from VBrick. If you did not
purchase the hardware/software combination the installer can be found on the VEMS
Support Download site. The following steps explain the high-level workflow. See the
following pages for detailed installation instructions. Note that if you will be using a remote
database you must create and configure the database before you run the VEMS installer.
1. Note: If you will be using a remote database you must create and configure the database (see
Creating the Database on page 17) before you run the VEMS installer.
2. Run the VEMS installer (SetupMystro_x_x_x.exe) once and select Master Server when
prompted.
3. Install the license file(s) from the desktop (License) folder when prompted by the
installer. See "Install/Replace License Files" in the Portal Server Admin Guide for more
about licenses.
4. Optional: If you will be installing a Redundant Server, go to a different machine. Then
run the VEMS installer again and select Redundant Server when prompted. Repeat this
install for each redundant server.

Notes • During installation, the connection between VEMS Mystro and the external
database is over named pipes. During normal operation, this connection is over
TCP/IP.
• During installation, an account with Database Owner (DBO) privileges is required.
Do not use, or modify, the VBrick_User account (which has no installation
privileges).

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 Software Installation

Creating the Database

If you will be using a remote database you must create and configure the database (see Creating
the Database on page 17) before you run the VEMS installer.

32-Bit Server Support

As of version v6.3 of VEMS Mystro, VBrick no longer supports the 32-bit version of VEMS.
An external VEMS database can operate with both 32 and 64 bit software, therefore is easily
converted.

Installing the Portal Server

This procedure explains how to install a master Portal Server, a Redundant Server, or a
Recording Server. Any of these servers can also include a transcoding module. For best
results, follow the instructions and use the installer to create redundant server(s). Do not use
Ghost, virtualization, or any other method.

Notes • If you will be using a remote database you must create and configure the database
(see Creating the Database on page 17) before you run the VEMS installer.
• The installer checks that database user has proper permissions.
• The database is automatically backed up on an upgrade.
• In case of error during upgrade, the installer will revert back to the previous
database and Mystro will continue to function.
• An installation log is automatically created at: C:\VemsMystro.log. Each subsequent
installation will append entries to the existing log.
• VEMS 6.3 supports Windows Server 2012. Similarly, SQL Server 2012 is also
supported, however VBrick installs the 2008 versions.

 To install the Portal Server:

1. If you purchased a hardware/software combination, double-click on the
SetupMystro_x_x_x.exe installer located on the desktop. (If you only purchased the VEMS
software, you can access this installer from the VBrick Support Downloads site.
2. The InstallShield Wizard will extract the files, start Portal Server setup, and verify the
necessary prerequisites are installed. (Note: you may be prompted to reboot after
prerequisites are installed. If so reboot the machine and then double-click on the installer
again to continue the installation process.)
3. When prompted, use the "License Activation Keys & Serial Numbers" card that was
included with your purchase to enter the serial numbers for each purchased component.
Be sure to enter the hyphens.

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 3

 4. Click Next to continue.

Note: As explained in the pop-up window above, if you want to install SQL Server 2012
Express, you should exit this installer and run the separate SQL Server 2012 Express installer
(VemsMystro2012SqlExpressInstall.exe.) provided with your software download. If you
want to install 2008 R2 SQL Server Express, simply continue with this install—that is the
default version that this installer uses. If you select Yes, 2008 R2 will be installed; if you select
No, the install will exit and you will be able to install 2012 SQL Server on your own. When
finished installing 2012 SQL Server, go back to Step 1 above, double-click on the
SetupMystro_x_x_x.exe installer, and follow the prompts.
5. Select Master Server, Redundant Server, or Recording Server and click Next .

6. Click Yes to install the database locally on the Master Server. Click No if you will be
installing the database on an external server. (If installing on an external server it is

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 Software Installation

primarily the customer's responsibility to install and configure the database. Please
contact VBrick Support Services if you need help or run into problems.)
7. Wait while the SQL Server 2008 SP2 setup files are installed (this may take a few
minutes) then click Next to continue.
8. When prompted, navigate to the folder with your license (.lic ) files. License files are
obtained by using the "License Activation Keys & Serial Numbers" card included with
your purchase and through VBrick Support Services. The "Software License Activation"
document, also included, explains how to activate your licenses using these keys. Note
that multiple license files may be shown if you purchased optional VEMS components.
Select all available license files in the folder. (For more about license files, see "Install/
Replace License Files" in the Portal Server Admin Guide.)
9. When prompted choose a Destination Location or click Next (recommended) to use the
default.

10. Select the Database server that you are installing to and click Next . If installing a Master
Server this will be the default local database and you do not need to change anything.
11. If installing a Master, Redundant, or Recording Server, select that previously configured
server from the dropdown.
12. Select a local hard drive on which the database will be installed (default = C) then click
Install to begin the VEMS installation. Note: As a best practice, you should typically not
install your database on the same partition as your operating system.
13. The Portal Server installation will then run to completion without additional input. This
may take several minutes.
14. Optional. If installing a transcoder you will be prompted to enter an additional key (the
VEMS Transcoder activation key (from the "Software License Activation" document).
15. When the installation is complete, press Finish to restart the computer.
16. Optional. If you will be installing a Master, Redundant, or Recording Server, go to a
different machine. Run the VEMS installer again and select the appropriate server
option. Repeat for each server.
This completes the VEMS Portal Server installation. The VEMS Portal Server runs in the
background and will auto-start if you re-boot the server machine. If you experience problems
or need to start or stop VEMS Portal Server for any reason, see VEMS Launching the Portal
Server on page 7.

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 5

 Note If you need to add or change a license file after initial installation, go to Start > Control
Panel > Programs > Programs and Features, select VEMS, and click Change. Then use
the radio buttons to install or replace the required license(s). See "Install/Replace
License Files" in the Portal Server Admin Guide.for more information.

Optimizing the Portal Server

If the system you are installing will typically experience high-load conditions in a
load-balanced environment, VBrick recommends the following IIS modifications to optimize
performance.
1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) and click on the server name.
2. Go to Application Pools > DefaultAppPool and click on Advanced Settings.
3. Set the Queue Length property to a maximum value of 65,535.
4. Restart IIS and then reboot the server.

Uninstalling the Portal Server

Use the following procedure to uninstall the Portal Server for any reason. Before
uninstalling the Portal Server be sure to take it off the network and reboot the machine. If
you fail to do so it may be necessary to reinstall the application and then uninstall again as
explained below.
 To uninstall the Portal Server:
1. Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features. Then select VEMS and click
Uninstall/Change.
2. When the following window is displayed, select Uninstall VEMS and click Next .

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 Software Installation

3. Respond appropriately when prompted to save the database.

4. After the uninstall, reboot the machine when prompted.

Reinstalling the Portal Server

Use the following steps in the unlikely event that you need to reinstall the VEMS Portal
Server software. As a best practice, it is always a good idea to have your database
administrator backup the database before you reinstall the software.
 To reinstall VEMS Portal Server:
1. First uninstall the software. Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.
2. Then select VBrick Enterprise Media System and click Uninstall/Change.
3. When prompted, be sure to keep the database.

Note There is one database shared by the master server and any redundant servers. Be aware
that if you are uninstalling a redundant server, and you click "no" (do not keep the
database), the master server's database will be deleted as well.

4. When finished, restart the machine.

5. Reinstall VEMS Portal Server (see Installing the Portal Server on page 3).
6. Restart the machine and you are done.

Launching the Portal Server

As noted, VEMS Portal Server runs in the background and will autostart if you reboot the
machine. If you experience problems or need to start or stop VEMS Portal Server for any
reason, you must start or stop the default web site. Note also that this is a web server
installation that runs continuously. No desktop icons are present to show run status.
 To start or stop the VEMS Portal Server Web Site:
1. Go to Administrative Tools > Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
2. Expand the tree under the server_name and click Sites.
3. Right-click Default Web Site, select Manage Web Site, and select Start or Stop as
appropriate.

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 7

  To launch VEMS Portal Server from the server host machine:
1. Open a web browser.
2. Enter http://localhost to launch the application.

3. Select the Admin tab and login in with valid credentials.

Default User Name = admin
Default Password = adminadmin

 To launch VEMS Portal Server from a client machine:

1. Open a web browser.
2. Enter http://<ip_addr|server_name> to launch the client application where
<ip_addr|server_name> is the IP address or host name of the VEMS Portal Server.
3. Select the User tab and login in with valid credentials.
Default User Name = admin
Default Password = adminadmin

Installing Patches
VBrick may periodically release patches to address issues in the currently released VEMS
Mystro software. These patches can only be installed on the currently released version of the
software. For example if you have VEMS 6.x.x, you can apply patches that have been issued
for the 6.x.x release. A patch is typically a cumulative .bat file that installs all of the updates
associated with a specific release. To check for VEMS Mystro patches, go to
www.vbrick.com/support/downloads.asp and search for the keyword "patch".

8 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Chapter 2

Software Installation on a
Windows 2012 R2 Server
Topics in this document
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Installation Workflow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Overview
To install VEMS on a Windows 2012 R2 server you need to make sure that .NET Framework
3.5 can be installed. .NET Framework 3.5 does not come with Server 2012 by default and
you’ll need to be able to point to a Server 2012 disc (or network store). Otherwise, the VEMS
installer fails while installing dependencies.
You will enable .NET Framework 3.5 by using the Add Roles and Features Wizard in the
Windows Server Manager.

Requirements
The following requirements need to be met before you begin:
1. Windows Server 2012 R2
2. Installation media
3. Administrator user rights. The current user must be a member of the local
Administrators group to add or remove Windows features.

Installation Workflow
 To enable .NET Framework 3.5, complete the following steps:
1. In Server Manager, click Manage and then select Add Roles and Features to start the Add
Roles and Feature Wizard.
2. On the Select installation type screen, select Role-based or feature-based installation .

3. Select the target server.

4. On the Select features screen, check the box next to .Net Framework 3.5 Features.

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 9

 5. On the Confirm installation selections screen, a warning will be displayed asking, "Do
you need to specify an alternate source path?". If the target computer does not have
access to Windows Update, click the Specify an alternate source path link to specify the
path to the \sources\sxs folder on the source.

6. If the target computer does have access to Windows Update, click the X next to the
warning and then click Install .

10 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Chapter 3

Software Update
Topics in this document
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Software Update. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Installing VEMS Mystro on a 5.x Server Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Overview
VBrick periodically releases software updates to the VEMS Mystro software. You can visit
our website or contact your certified reseller to see if an update is available. The software
upgrade procedure is highly automated with little user interaction. Before you update VEMS
Mystro software from 6.x as explained below, be sure you understand the following
requirements.

Note From time-to-time VBrick issues patches to address issues in the currently released
software. A patch does not require a complete VEMS Mystro installation as does a
software update. See Installing Patches on page 8 for more about patches.

Before You Begin

• Each time you update your VEMS software you will be prompted for license files for
currently installed components (e.g. Scheduler, SharePoint, etc.). You must contact
VBrick Support Services, in advance, to obtain new license files every time you update.
• It is always a good idea to periodically backup the VEMS Mystro database; it is essential
before moving the database or performing a software update. See Backing Up the
Database on page 20 for details.
• Be aware that in a that in a multi-server environment, the Master server must be
upgraded first (before any Redundant servers).
• If you have previously "skinned" the VEMS interface, by replacing image files or creating
themes, and you subsequently perform an upgrade, you will need to repeat some of the
steps to replicate your changes. VEMS Mystro v6.x provides a UI Customization tool for
colors and logos. Your other changes such as widget customizations are not lost—the
CSS files and the changes must simply be reapplied to be active in the user interface. Any
color and logo changes made with UI Customization in the Admin pages from
version v6.3.1 onwards will persist through an upgrade. See the "Saving Skinning
Changes during an Software Update" topic in the Portal Server Advanced UI Customization
Guide.

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 11

Software Update
Updating from 5.4.2 to 6.x
There is no software update from VEMS 5.4.2 to VEMS Mystro 6.x. If you are a VEMS 5.4.2
user, you have two options. In both cases you can use the Migration utility to migrate your
settings and data (see Data Migration on page 29 for more about this option).
• You can install VEMS Mystro on your existing 5.x machine and migrate your data. See
Installing VEMS Mystro on a 5.x Server Machine on page 13.
• You can install VEMS Mystro 6.x on a new server machine and migrate your data.

Updating from 6.x

 To update from 6.x:
1. Before running the update, reboot all VEMS Mystro servers to ensure the system is in a clean
state prior to the upgrade.
2. Install the Portal Server using the downloaded zip file from the VBrick Support
Download site. Run SetupMystro_6_x_x.exe, and click OK when prompted. The current
version of VEMS will be fully upgraded after this install is finished.
3. The installer will then display a page prepopulated with serial numbers for the VEMS
modules you originally purchased. Click Next to continue.

4. The next page shows the database (and SQL credentials) you originally configured. If
there is a change, point to the new database using the Browse button. Otherwise click
Next to continue.

12 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Software Update

5. After the transcoder installs the installation will run to completion without further
interaction. When prompted, reboot the server and you are done.

Note After an update, new features may not show on browser pages (the pages may appear
corrupted). To resolve this issue clear the browser cache following the instructions in
your browsers options.

Installing VEMS Mystro on a 5.x Server Machine

The following procedure explains the steps you will need to perform before installing VEMS
Mystro on what was previously a 5.x VEMS Server machine. This procedure basically
explains how to prepare the server machine for the new VEMS Mystro application. After
performing this procedure you will need to actually install VEMS Mystro 6.x as explained in
Installing the Portal Server on page 3.

Note For best results when installing VEMS Mystro on what was previously a 5.x machine,
VBrick strongly encourages you to upgrade the memory. A minimum of 6GB RAM is
recommended.

Before You Begin

Before you begin it is always a good idea to backup the 5.x database in case you run into
problems. You can backup the database manually or automatically (using the ETVBackup
utility). Both of these options are explained in the VEMS 5.x Portal Server Admin Guide. Be
aware that a 5.x VEMS database backup can only be restored to a 5.x VEMS application.
Also, if your 5.x VEMS Server machine has v5.4.2 installed you have the option of exporting
and then migrating the database to your new VEMS Mystro application. This procedure is
explained in detail in Data Migration on page 29 and typically requires help from VBrick
Support Services. If you do not have v5.4.2 installed, you must upgrade to v5.4.2 before you
can migrate the database.
 To install VEMS Mystro on a 5.x Server:
1. Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.
2. Uninstall VEMS; when prompted do not keep the database.
3. Uninstall MySQL.

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 13

 4. Uninstall ETVBackup.
5. Uninstall EtherneTV Reporter.
6. Uninstall MyODBC.
7. Go to Start > Administrative Tools > Server Manager.
a. Click on Features in the left pane and select Remove Features in the right pane.
b. Find and uncheck the Windows Process Activation Service. When prompted, click
Remove Dependent Role Services, then select Next and Remove.

8. You will prompted to reboot the computer. After the reboot, the uninstallation process
will continue. You may have to wait a minute for it to come back up.
9. After the uninstallation of the Windows Process Activation Service is done, go back to
Server Manager. Click on Roles in the left pane. In the right pane select Remove Roles
and uncheck Web Server (IIS) . See screenshots below.

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 Software Update

10. You will be prompted to reboot the server and after the reboot the uninstallation process
may continue. Wait until a successful removal is indicated before continuing.
11. You will also need to delete preexisting system users from 5.x:
a. Go to Start > Administrative Tools > Computer Management .
b. In the left pane, click on Local Users and Groups and then Users.
c. In the right pane, right-click and delete the following users: vbrickuser,
PDPresentations, Thumbnail , warmbackup and Presentations.

12. When done you are ready to install VEMS Mystro. See Installing the Portal Server on
page 3 for detailed installation instructions.

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 15

16 VBrick Systems, Inc.
 Chapter 4

Database Management
Topics in this document
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Creating the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Moving the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Backing Up the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Restoring the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Overview
In a single server VEMS installation, Microsoft SQL Server Express (the default internal
database) is installed on the same machine as the Portal Server. If you wish to extend to
multiple VEMS Mystro servers, or to redundant services via master servers and redundant
servers, you should connect to a user-installed and configured external SQL Server database
or to an SQL cluster. If necessary, you can change the location of a configured external
database or you can point to an entirely different database. See Configuring the Database
Location on page 20 for more about this.

Creating the Database

Use the create_database.sql script located within the VEMS installer zip file download to
create the Mystro SQL Server database and the required login/user for VEMS 6.0. If
necessary you can modify the filename (shown in bold below) to point to a different file. The
displayed values for the Size, MaxSize and FileGrowth parameters are recommended by
VBrick for a default installation. For best results any parameter changes should only be made
by a qualified DBA. The Create Login, Create User and Role assignment are required and
should not be modified. Run the create_database.sql script on your database management
program.

Note If you are not using the default local database (Microsoft SQL Server Express) you
must perform these steps to create a database before you run the Portal Server installer.

 To create a database:
1. Navigate to the VBrick Support Download site and download the VEMS installer zip file.
2. Extract all the files from the zip file once downloaded.
3. Locate the file: create_database.sql.
4. You will find this file only after you have extracted the files in the VEMS installer zip.
5. The script shown below is for information only. Do not cut and paste from this
document.
6. Your Database Administrator (DBA) will use this file in the SQL Server Management
Studio to create the database.

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 17

 USE [master]
GO
CREATE DATABASE [Maduro] ON PRIMARY
( NAME = N'Maduro', FILENAME = N'C:\Program Files\VBrick\Maduro\Data\Maduro.mdf' ,
SIZE = 3072KB , MAXSIZE = UNLIMITED, FILEGROWTH = 1024KB )
LOG ON
( NAME = N'Maduro_log', FILENAME = N'C:\Program
Files\VBrick\Maduro\Data\Maduro_log.ldf' , SIZE = 1024KB , MAXSIZE = 2048GB ,
FILEGROWTH = 10%)
GO
CREATE LOGIN [VBrick_User] WITH PASSWORD='vBrick!uSer#06492',
DEFAULT_DATABASE=[Maduro], DEFAULT_LANGUAGE=[us_english], CHECK_EXPIRATION=OFF,
CHECK_POLICY=ON
GO
/****** Users ******/
Use Maduro
GO
CREATE USER [VBrick_User] FOR LOGIN [VBrick_User] WITH DEFAULT_SCHEMA=[dbo]
GO
/****** Roles ******/
USE [Maduro]
GO
EXEC sp_addrolemember N'db_datawriter', N'VBrick_User'
GO
USE [Maduro]
GO
EXEC sp_addrolemember N'db_datareader', N'VBrick_User'
GO

Moving the Database

Use the following procedure to move the Mystro database after it has been created and
configured:
 To move the Mystro database:
1. Back up the Maduro database to be moved (see Backing Up the Database on page 20). This is
referenced as MaduroSource.
2. Create the new Maduro database on the SQL Server machine to which the user wants to
move as described in the VEMS installation procedure. This is referenced as
MaduroDestination.
3. Restore the MaduroSource database replacing the MaduroDestination (see Figure 1).
4. Be sure to select the Restore option to Overwrite the existing database (WITH REPLACE)
(see Figure 2).

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 Database Management

Figure 1. Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio

Figure 2. Restore the Database

5. Resynch orphan SQL Server login IDs and database user IDs. Navigate to the downloaded
zip file from the VBrick Support Download site and locate the file: move_database.sql.
The script shown below is for information only. Do not cut and paste from this
document.

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 19

 6. Your Database Administrator (DBA) will use this file in the SQL Server Management
Studio to move the database.
--Script to resynch orphan SQL Server login IDs and database user IDs
USE Maduro --Change to active database name
GO
DECLARE @UserName nvarchar(255)
DECLARE orphanuser_cur cursor for
SELECT UserName = name
FROM sysusers
WHERE issqluser = 1 and (sid is not null and sid <> 0x0) and suser_sname(sid) is
null
ORDER BY name
OPEN orphanuser_cur
FETCH NEXT FROM orphanuser_cur INTO @UserName
WHILE (@@fetch_status = 0)
BEGIN
PRINT @UserName + ' user name being resynced'
exec sp_change_users_login @Action = 'Update_One',
@UserNamePattern = @UserName,
@LoginName = @UserName
FETCH NEXT FROM orphanuser_cur INTO @UserName
END
CLOSE orphanuser_cur
DEALLOCATE orphanuser_cur
GO

Configuring the Database Location

The final step is to configuring the new database location in VEMS. You will need to do this
on the master server, any redundant servers, and any NVRs.
 To configure the new database location in VEMS:
1. On the server machine where VEMS is installed, go to Start > Control Panel > Programs >
Programs and Features.
2. Click on VEMS Mystro(tm) and select Change location of SQL Server database.
3. Click on the Browse button and navigate to the location of the new database.

Backing Up the Database

It is always a good idea to periodically backup the VEMS Mystro database; it is essential
before moving the database or performing a Software Update (although you can choose to not
backup the database during an upgrade if you have an SQL cluster or have backed up your database

20 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Database Management

using another mechanism). Use the following procedure for VEMS Mystro versions 6.0 or
higher. Be aware that this backup procedure backs up the database (thumbnails, metadata,
users, permissions, etc.) only. It does not back up video content. In order to back up content,
you need a separate backup strategy and a robust storage capability.
 To backup the VEMS Mystro database:
1. Go to the server machine where the database is installed, open Microsoft SQL Server
Management Studio.
2. Click on Databases and select the Maduro database.

3. Right-click on Maduro, then select Tasks and Backup.

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 21

 4. On the Back Up Database page, select a Destination for the database backup (or use the
default). Use the Add or Remove buttons to change the folder or location.
5. Make sure the path is selected and click OK . This will automatically backup the database
to the selected location.

Restoring the Database

As explained below, before restoring the database using a previously saved backup, you will
need to stop all VEMS Mystro services, restore the database, resync the database users, and
then restart the services. Be aware that anything connected to the database will prevent a
successful restore.

1. Stop VEMS Mystro Services

 To stop VEMS Mystro services:
1. Open the Server Manager and go to the Configuration > Services pane.

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 Database Management

2. Stop the following services using the icon on the toolbar:

• Maduro Content Manager Service
• Maduro Schedule Service
• Maduro Task Service
• VBSAPSrv
• SQL Server Agent (MADURO)

2. Stop and Start the SQL Server (Maduro) Service

 To restart the SQL Server (Maduro) service:
1. In the Services list, find and stop SQL Server (MADURO) .
2. In the Services list, find and start SQL Server (MADURO) .

3. Restore the Database

The next steps are to actually restore the database, and to resync orphan SQL Server login
IDs and database user IDs.
 To restore the database:
1. Navigate to the downloaded zip file from the VBrick Support Download site and copy the
script file create_database.sql
Note: If you purchased a Hardware/Software combination from VBrick, this file will be
present in the software folder on the desktop.
2. Open Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio, click the New Query button, and then
cut-and-paste the contents of create_database.sql into the query window.
3. Verify that the path to the saved database and log files (see bold text below) matches the
actual location where the files were saved when you initially backed up the database. (Be
aware that the logged in user must have "write" access to the specified folders.)

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 23

 CREATE DATABASE [Maduro] ON PRIMARY
( NAME = N'Maduro', FILENAME = N'C:\Program
Files\VBrick\Maduro\Data\Maduro.mdf' , SIZE = 3072KB , MAXSIZE = UNLIMITED,
FILEGROWTH = 1024KB )
LOG ON
( NAME = N'Maduro_log', FILENAME = N'C:\Program
Files\VBrick\Maduro\Data\Maduro_log.ldf' , SIZE = 1024KB , MAXSIZE = 2048GB ,
FILEGROWTH = 10%)
GO

4. After you verify/modify the paths above, click the Execute button on the toolbar to run
the script.
5. After the script runs, right-click on Databases in the left navigation pane and click
Refresh . This will display the Maduro database in the tree.

6. Right-click on Maduro and click Tasks > Restore > Database.

24 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Database Management

7. Specify the source location of the restore files by clicking the From device radio button.
8. Click the browse button on the right and use the Specify Backup page to navigate to the
file location where you saved the backup files.

9. Find Maduro.bak and click OK .

10. At the top of the left navigation pane, click Options and select Overwrite the existing
database (WITH REPLACE) and click OK . This will restore the database.

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 25

 4. Resync Database Users
 To resync orphan SQL Server login IDs and database user IDs:
1. Navigate to the downloaded zip file from the VBrick Support Download site and copy the
script file move_database.sql
Note: If you purchased a Hardware/Software combination from VBrick, this file will be
present in the software folder on the desktop.
2. Open Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio, click the New Query button, and then
cut-and-paste the contents of move_database.sql into the query window.
3. After you verify/modify the paths to the saved restore files (as explained above), click
the Execute button on the toolbar to run the script. When done, the database restore will
be complete. The last step is to restart the VEMS Mystro services.

5. Restart VEMS Mystro Services

 To restart VEMS Mystro services:
1. Go to the Server Manager.
2. Restart all of the VBrick services you initially stopped using the icon on the toolbar.
These include:
• Maduro Content Manager Service
• Maduro Schedule Service
• Maduro Task Service
• VBSAPSrv

26 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Database Management

• SQL Server (MADURO)

3. When done open the VEMS Mystro admin interface and verify that you can login to the
application.

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 27

28 VBrick Systems, Inc.
 Chapter 5

Data Migration
Note Data migration is supported from VEMS v5.4 to VEMS Mystro v6.3.2. Once you have
migrated to v6.3.2 you can migrate to v6.3.x.

Topics in this document

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Configure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Migrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Caveats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Overview
VEMS Mystro 6.x provides a migration tool for customers wishing to migrate existing VEMS
5.4.2 systems to VEMS Mystro 6.3.3. (Customers wishing to upgrade from earlier VEMS
releases will first have to upgrade to 5.4.2) Once 6.3.3 is installed, you can upgrade to the
current 6.x release. See Updating from 6.x on page 12 for details. Be aware that not all 5.4.2
configuration data will be migrated to 6.3.3. VEMS Mystro 6.3.3 has new features and
functions that were not present in 5.4.2—and 5.4.2 has legacy features that are not replicated
in 6.3.3 Although software versions may be available under your Services and Maintenance
contracts, migration between versions is not covered as part of the VBrick Support
Contracts. A successful migration requires a technical professional who is familiar with
architectural differences between 5.4.2 and 6.3.3. For these reasons a migration can only be
performed by VBrick Professional Services or a certified reseller. For more about migrating
your VEMS 5.4.2 software, contact your reseller or VBrick Support Services. After migrating
your data, you can upgrade to VEMS Mystro 6.3.3 or later using the installer.

How It Works
The VEMS Mystro Migration Tool (VBMMT) reads data from an existing VEMS 5.4.2
system and writes that data to a new VEMS Mystro 6.3.3 system. A data transfer consists of
two processes the first of which is the Export process. The export process reads all the data
contained in a 5.4.2 system database and writes it out in a database-neutral format (i.e. XML).
The second step is the Migrate process which reads and formats the raw exported data and
uploads it to a VEMS Mystro server. The processes are straightforward but if not set up
correctly things can go wrong. Importantly no harm can come to the existing 5.4.2 data. The
tool does not write data to the 5.4.2 system at all, it only reads from it. Table 1 shows a
summary of components that will be migrated and components that will not be migrated.
Table 1 on page 30 provides a detailed overview of all migrated components.

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 29

 Table 1. Migrated Components (Summary)

Migrated Not Migrated

• Users and Groups • Resource Groups (not in 6.x)
• Category Permissions and roles • Schedules
• Compatible Stored Servers, VBricks, • Presentation Devices
STBs and Entered URLs
• Bookmarks/Playlists
• Stored and Live Content
• Presentations • Channel Guide
• Content Metadata (including • Many Global Settings
thumbnails and links/attachments) • Player preferences
• Custom Fields • Transcoding presets (license is
• Zones migrated)

Note Data migration does not include single sign-on functionality. If the VEMS 5.x server
had single sign-on enabled, you will need to manually configure the VEMS Mystro 6.x
server for single sign-on. See "Using LDAP with Single Sign-On" topic in Portal Server
Admin Guide for details.

Migration Process
Because of the significant differences in architecture between VEMS 5.4.2 and VEMS Mystro
6.3.3 (e.g. architecture, database schema, DBMS, and operating system), a successful
migration requires a collaborative effort between each customer and the certified VBrick
representative. Figure 3 shows the overlapping responsibilities in any migration effort. As
always, prior planning and preparation is the key to a successful migration.

Figure 3. Migration Process Schematic

Re-migration Process
If the migration halts when processing the metadata associated with content (e.g. Keywords, r
Custom Fields, etc.), you may be able to work around the issues by editing the config file and

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 Data Migration

re migrating the metadata. See Re-migrating Metadata on page 39 for more about this.

Software Installation
To install the Migration Management tool simply double-click on the installer and follow the
prompts. The tool requires the Microsoft .NET 4 Framework. Be patient while the .NET
installs; then following the subsequent prompts. No reboot is necessary when done.

Configure
The configuration items required include the IP address of the existing 5.4.2 server and the
IP address of the new 6.3.3 server. Pressing the Configure button allows you to edit the two
configuration items. The Portal Server 5.4.2 IP Address value must be a valid IP address, a
5.4.2 server reachable from the machine running the migration utility must be at that address
and that server must be running. Incorrect settings will be detected at runtime which will
cause the export process to fail.

Figure 4. VEMS Mystro Migration Management Tool

The Portal Server 6.3.3 IP address is also expecting a valid IP address. A 6.3.3 server that is
reachable from the machine running the utility must be at that address and before the
migration process is started this server must be running. The 5.4.2 IP Address is only
required during the export process. The 5.4.2 server is not used during the migration process.
The 6.3.3 IP Address is only required during the migration process. The 6.3.3 server is not
used during the export process. When the configuration values have been entered press the
Save button to save them. Pressing the Cancel button will discard any changes made and the
values will revert.
An additional piece of setup information is required and that is the account and password
used to access the 5.4.2 database. These values are contained within a "connection string" on
the VEMS system in a file named Web.config. The VBMMT utility cannot access this file
while it is on the web server so it is necessary to copy it to the folder where VBMMT is
installed. The connection string is encrypted for security purposes so this should pose no
risk. There may also be more than one copy of Web.config on the VEMS server so it is
important to copy the correct one. The active copy is found in the folder C:\Program

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 31

 Files\VBrick\MCS\Common\MCSWebSrvc\. Copy the Web.config file found in this folder to the
folder where VBMMT is installed. The export process will not run if this file is not present.

Export
Press the Export button to begin the export process. The export process will take a few
minutes and if the database is particularly large may take several minutes longer. The export
process should be permitted to complete and should not be interrupted. If the process
succeeds the message Export Process Succeeded will be displayed near the top of the
window. If any step in the process fails for any reason the process will stop and the message
Export Process Failed will be displayed.

If the Export process fails the data that was exported remains in the export folder but the
Migrate process will not run. The problem must be corrected and the export must be re-run.
Any existing export data will automatically be erased when the export process is re-run. The
database table being processed at the time of the failure will be the last item on display. Three
log files are maintained by the system to document the process and to aid in problem solving.
If VBMMT has not been properly configured you will receive the message Unable to export
along with information that should help you determine the cause of the problem. If for
instance the Web.config file is not present the message window will display the following:
Unable to export
...Portal Server 5.4.2 Connection String is invalid
Export Process did not run
If for instance the Web.config file is present but Portal Server 5.4.2 IP Address value is
incorrect the message window will display the following:
Unable to export
...Portal Server 5.4.2 IP Address is invalid
Export Process did not run
In any case it is a simple matter to correct the problem and then to re-run the export process.
Export files are placed in an export folder named \Export created automatically as a
subfolder of the installation folder of the utility. The export folder is used by both the export
and migrate processes. The export process writes all the data in the 5.4.2 tables to this folder
and the migration process reads the data from it.

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 Data Migration

Note that actual video content is not copied. All video content remains on the devices as only
data found in the VEMS database is exported. Some "content" will be copied however
because it is stored in the database, specifically thumbnail images and file attachments.
Thumbnails and documents related to content are stored directly in the database and then
associated with content. Thumbnails and file attachments need to be exported in order to be
uploaded to the 6.3.3 server or they will be lost.

Logging
There are three log files: MMT_SYSTEM.log, MMT_EXPORT.log and MMT_MIGRATE.log. These files
are placed in a log folder named \Log created automatically as a subfolder of the installation
folder of the utility.

Log File Name Description

MMT_SYSTEM.log Used for system-related messages including all error-related messages
that the system generates. Please note that all errors are not fatal and
non-fatal errors will not stop the export process.
MMT_EXPORT.log Used to track the export process basically reporting the date, time and
status of key steps in the process.
MMT_MIGRATE.log Tracks the migration process and flags unsupported devices.

Reporting
The Migration tool generates a comprehensive report summarizing the exported data.
Report_ExportSummary.htm is saved in the \Log folder described above and can be viewed in a
browser or text editor. It shows a list of components that were exported or not exported. If
problems occur, you may be asked to e-mail this file to VBrick Professional Services.

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 33

Migrate
Notes • Before performing a migration you must stop all Maduro services directly on the
6.3.3 server using the Windows interface. You can restart the services when the
migration is complete.
• A migration can be time-consuming. In addition to the "Estimated Minutes
Remaining message," the tool displays an incrementing dotted line (see image
below) as a progress indicator during content refresh.

Press the Migrate button to begin the migrate process. The migration process will typically
take some time and if the database is particularly large, the time may be significant. Frequent
message updates will keep you informed of the progress. The migration process should be
permitted to complete and should not be interrupted. If the process succeeds the message
Migrate Process Succeeded will be displayed near the top of the window. If any step in the
process fails for any reason the process will stop and the message Migrate Process Failed
will be displayed. During the migration, an Estimated Minutes Remaining indicator is
displayed on the page. This value is based on the time it has taken so far for this step and the
number of items remaining. Note that it refers to the time remaining for each step—not the
time for the entire migration process.

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 Data Migration

The migration process is not a simple matter of uploading 5.4.2 data into equivalent 6.3.3
tables. The 6.3.3 database is completely different with new tables, formats and relationships
and as such the process has been defined as a series of migration tasks. It is important to
realize that the migration process is an "all-or-nothing" event. There is no concept of half-
complete and the utility has no ability to "pick up where it left off" or to retry specific tasks.
If a task fails the entire migration process has failed and the database is corrupt. Importantly
the 5.4 exported data remains intact and can be reused (repeatedly if necessary) but the 6.3.3
database will not be in a usable state. The 6.3.3 database will need to be restored to an initial
state and ideally to the state it was in just prior to the attempted migration step. The cause of
the failure may not be obvious. As with the export process little diagnostic information is
displayed on the screen but the migration task underway at the time of the failure will be the
last item on display. Details of the failure should appear in the MMT_MIGRATE log. Due to all the
additional processing the number and types of errors that can occur during the migration
process are considerably greater than those of the export process. It is difficult to predict
and impossible to list all the potential issues. Many are simple errors that may be solved by
changing settings on the VEMS server (or other support servers) other errors may be due to
conflicts in the data. While it is not expected some data may not directly migrate to the 6.3.3
platform without some adjustment.
Should such data conflicts occur there are generally two ways they can be solved. If the 5.4.2
system is still available edits can be made to the 5.4.2 system using VEMS. If the data is
modified this way it will be necessary to re-export the data as changes made to a live system
obviously are not reflected in export files made earlier. The second way edits can be made is
through direct manipulation of the XML files in the export folder. In some cases (if the 5.4.2
system is no longer available for instance) this may be the only option but it must be stressed
that this is not the optimal way to affect a change. Much of the data is related to other data
and relational integrity is not maintained automatically when the data is manipulated with a
text editor.
Again, if the migration process fails you must take steps to correct the problem, restore the
target 6.3.3 database to its initial state and run the migration process again. Do not run the
migration process without restoring the database or duplication of some data will result.
The migration process should not be considered complete until you receive a Migration
Process Succeeded message.

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 35

 Migrated Components
After the devices have been migrated an initial discovery process will run in order to populate
the content records. Depending upon how long it takes the user will be asked to be patient
and to allow the process to complete. Discovery of content is required before the rest of the
migration can continue. If the discovery process takes too long (or halts) the migration will
timeout and fail. The time out setting (currently one hour) can be extended through a setting
in the config file if this becomes an issue. The migration process has some limitations. Many
6.3.3 entities and properties are new, some 5.4.2 properties are no longer valid and a few have
been redefined in 6.3.36.3.3. The following should help document the specifics of migrating
existing 5.4 data to the 6.3.3 system.
Table 2. Migrated Components (Detailed)
Component Migration Status
Categories Categories for Stored Entered URLs will be migrated. Categories are
also auto-created by the discovery process.
Custom Fields Custom Fields will be migrated. Custom Field-related data consists of
two parts, the Custom Field along with any Custom Options and the
content that has the Custom Fields attached. There is no difficulty
migrating the custom fields themselves but matching up the content is
inexact. Identification (ID) fields will be regenerated as content is
added making an exact ID match impossible. As a result matching is
done by content title and categories. Titles are not unique and while
duplicate titles are not common they can occur. All content and
categories with like titles will be assigned the same custom field values
along with the same thumbnails and other content-related metadata.
Devices Generally speaking the settings of all devices will be migrated. Devices
include Stored Servers, VBricks, LDAP Servers and STBs. In each case
the properties (settings) that exist in both systems will be migrated as
appropriate. Settings in the 5.4 system that no longer apply will of
course not be migrated and settings that are new to the 6.3.3 system
will be set to system defaults and when possible to reasonable default
values.
Global Settings Global settings will be migrated. There are however a lot of properties
many of which are new. Reasonable defaults will be assigned when
existing data is not available.
Groups Groups will be migrated.
Keywords Keywords will be migrated. Keywords are stored in a new format but
can be migrated from the existing format without issue. As with other
content-related metadata however the matching is done on the
content title.
LDAP Servers LDAP Servers will be migrated.

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 Data Migration

Component Migration Status

Links and Link and attachments will be migrated. Links (essentially URL links)
Attachments are not a problem. File links will only be attached to a single content
record. File attachments will migrate as well. Both URL links and file
attachments are processed by the "match on content title" mechanism
mentioned earlier. Because of their potential size, file attachments are
only attached to a single content item. If duplicate title/category
combinations are found, only one is used.
Live Entered URLs Live Entered URLs will be migrated. A substantial amount of new
data is available for this data and will likely be set to their default
values. The migration tool user can of course set these values after the
migration has completed on an as needed basis. The keywords
associated with the Live Entered URLs will be migrated as well.
Permissions Permissions will be migrated. It should be noted that the Permission
system has changed in 6.3.3 however and there cannot be a one-to-one
migration. Reasonable default permissions will be granted and the
migration tool user will be informed via the final report.
Presentations Presentations (i.e. "webcasts") will be migrated. This includes the
PowerPoint presentation (slides) and the video.
STBs STBs will be migrated.
Stored Entered Stored Entered URLs will be migrated under the same conditions as
URLs Live Entered URLs mentioned above.
Stored Servers Stored Servers will be migrated if they are online. If any servers are
offline the migration will fail and must be restarted from the
beginning. No major issues are expected but some data (descriptions
for instance) that was not present in the 5.4 system and now is in the
6.3.3 system should be entered by the user at their earliest
convenience. It should be mentioned here that internal "ID" values
used to identify devices, users, content and such are generated by the
system software and will by necessity not match the ID values used to
identify the same items in the 5.4 system. This should not be a
problem. There is no alternative as the old values cannot be used.
Unsupported servers ("Kasenna" and "LifeSize") are skipped and do
not generate a failure.
Thumbnails Thumbnails will be migrated. Thumbnail images (along with file
attachments) are gathered up during phase one of the migration
process known as "export". The migration step consists of matching
up the image files with the content that has been discovered and/or
entered. Importantly only thumbnails that had been attached to
EnteredVODContent and StoredVideo are being reapplied.
Thumbnails that had accompanied other items such as Playlists will
not be migrated because Playlists are not being migrated.
Users User will be migrated. This will include basic user information as well
as the groups the user was a member of.

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 37

 Component Migration Status
VBricks VBrick appliances (encoders / decoders) will be migrated. The VBrick
units and some other entities contain passwords however and
passwords introduce a special problem. Encryption algorithms and
password rules have been changed and it is possible that an old
password cannot be used in the new system.
Zones Zones will be migrated.

Non-Migrated Components
The following VEMS components are not migrated.
Table 3. Non-Migrated Components
Component Migration Status
User Announcements User Announcements are not migrated.
Comments Comments will not be migrated as they do not exist in 5.4.
Scheduler/Future Events No scheduler-related data is being migrated.
Presentation Devices Presentation devices will not be migrated.
Bookmarks/Playlists Bookmarks and playlists will not be migrated.
Channel Guide The Channel Guide (if any) will not be migrated.
Global Settings Some Global Settings will be migrated; others will not.
Resource Groups Resource groups do not exist in VEMS Mystro and will not be
migrated.
Player Preferences Preferences on the System Settings > Player Preference page are
not migrated and must be manually recreated.
Transcoding Presets The transcoding license will migrate to v6.3.3, however the
transcoding engine and the transcoding presets will not be
migrated and must be re-applied

Best Practices
The export folder may contain one or more subfolders used to contain thumbnails and file
attachments. The files and subfolders should not be moved, renamed or otherwise edited
except where needed in the event of a migration failure. Generally speaking an error is not
likely to occur and these files and folders should be left untouched. You may want to make a
backup copy of the entire export folder should it become necessary to run the migration step
again. As mentioned earlier, edits made to the 5.4 system after the export has been run will
not be reflected in these files and any edits made to the 6.3.3 system after the migration has
been completed would be lost if the database system is reset and migrated again. If
adjustments to the data are required it is recommended to make those adjustments to the 5.4
system before running the export or to the 6.3.3 system after completing the migration.

Migration Settings
Some uncommon settings can be modified directing in the configuration file
(MMTClient.exe.config) if necessary using a text editor.

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 Data Migration

Table 4. Migration Tool Config Settings

CommandTimeout5x If the 5.x database is particularly large, it is possible for the database
connection to timeout. This is actually a "command timeout" resulting
from a very large table. The default of 300 seconds (5 minutes) should
be adequate in most cases. However if a timeout still occurs (during
export only) this value can be manually edited to a larger number. For
example 600 would give the system 10 minutes to process a single
table.
<add key="CommandTimeout5x" value="300" />

ServerAccount6x Previous versions of the migration tool had a limitation that required
ServerPassword6x the PC running the migration to be a part of the same domain as the
6.1 server. This is no longer true. If the PC is part of the domain then
no changes are required and these two settings remain blank.
If however the PC is not or
cannot be part of the domain
you may see an error message
like the one shown here.
Password permission to access
the 6.1 server must be granted
using the config file. These
values must be changed to the account and password of the 6.1
server's administrator account. Note that this is not the VEMS
account information but is the admin of the server’s account/
password. They are initially configured at the defaults but can be
changed here. If these settings have a value, they will be used; if blank
the defaults will be used.
Note: Be aware that the password key (if used) is input in plain text.
To protect against security leaks, be sure to edit out the password data
from this file when the migration is complete. As a best practice, never
leave the admin account/password in this config file longer than
necessary.
<add key="ServerAccount6x" value="" />
<add key="ServerPassword6x" value="" />

appSettings These keys are used to specify which metadata is included in a

re-migration. The default value is blank, meaning all items are
migrated. If any item is = 1, only that field (or additional items with a
"1") will be migrated.
<add key="RemigrateDescription" value="" />
<add key="RemigrateKeyword" value="" />
<add key="RemigrateCustomField" value="" />
<add key="RemigrateURLLink" value="" />
<add key="RemigrateFileLink" value="" />
<add key="RemigrateThumbnail" value="" />

Re-migrating Metadata
If the migration halts when processing the metadata associated with content (e.g. Keywords, r
Custom Fields, etc.), you may be able to work around the issues by editing the config file and

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 39

 re-migrating the metadata. Be aware that any metadata that was added after the migration
originally halted will not be included when you attempt to re-migrate the data. Although re-
migration is unlikely to cause additional problems you should back up the database before
you begin so you have a way to recover it (see Backing Up the Database on page 20). To
launch a re-migration, close the application, modify the config file (MMTClient.exe.config),
and reopen the application. The application will open will the reMigrate button shown.

Figure 5. reMigration Page

 To re-migrate the metadata:
1. Close the Migration Tool if open.
2. Go to C:\Program Files (x86)\VBrick\MigrationManagementTool\MMTClient and edit
MMTClient.exe.config as explained below.
3. Open the Migration Tool and click reMigrate.
If the key values are empty (this is the default) a full migrate occurs. You can tell that a full
migrate will happen because the button will be labeled Migrate. If the value is "non-zero" a
partial migrate will occur. That means you set the value to 1. Setting it to one e.g. <add
key="RemigrateCustomField" value="1" /> will cause Custom Fields only to be re-
migrated. If you set more than one of these keys to a value of 1 each of them will be re-
migrated. You can tell that a re-migrate will happen because the Export button will be
disabled and the Migrate button will change to reMigrate.
It is important to recognize the limitations of remigration. First, it doesn’t "fix" anything, it
just tries again. If there is a bug in the software that is causing a problem, running it again will
not help. If there is an unforeseen problem with the data and that data remains unchanged,
then running the re-migration won't help. Second, it re-migrates by removing the existing
(selected) metadata. If Custom Fields have been added or edited since the initial migration,
these changes will be lost.
Since it is possible that content items have changed, the results can be slightly different than
what would have originally been the case. For example if a new title is discovered that
happens to match existing content, the new content will get the metadata as well. If a
content item was removed it will not cause a problem but will be reported in the log. A
category could also have been removed. The matches are done on title and category and the

40 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Data Migration

original content would not be found in such a case. The re-migration does not halt—it just
logs it and keeps on going.

Note The XML files need to be present if it is the only source of the migration data. You
should key in both the 5.x and 6.x server IP addresses (if you have them) though the
5.x one will not be used.

Caveats
This section addresses known migration issues:

• If Single-Signon (and/or HTTPS) is enabled, and you upgrade to 6.3.3, you must run the
MaduroSSLSettings.exe utility again. See the "Enable/Disable Single-Signon and
HTTPS" topic in the Portal Server Admin Guide for details.
• VEMS 5.4.2 allowed STB's to be entered in the database as users in order to have direct
access to VEMS assets. In VEMS Mystro each configured set top box requires a unique
VEMS User. When STB's are migrated from 5.4.2 to 6.3.3, the VEMS User parameter is
blank and must be configured by an administrator. See the "Devices" topic in the Portal
Server Admin Guide for details. (2106)
• During a migration, the Encoding Type for VBrick Viewing URLs defaults to match the
VBrick encoder (H264 or WM). If the stream is transcoded, e.g. on a DME, you will need
to modify the Viewing URL so that the Encoding Type matches the transcoded stream.
(2119)
• VEMS 5.4.2 has a Global Setting (Assign VOD Polling Interval) that polls the VOD
server(s) for new content at a specified interval. This setting is not migrated. The
"Refresh Stored Content Interval" on the Task Scheduler (default = 120 minutes)
provides similar functionality in VEMS Mystro. (2004)
• VOD-WM Server. After a migration, the VOD-WM Playback Port is set to 80 (the
correct HTTP Tunneling Port) rather than to 554 which is typically used for RTSP
streaming. You may wish to reconfigure the port settings although the stream will play
correctly with either setting. (2015)
• Microsoft Silverlight is not supported. When playing back a stored Silverlight
presentation, Mystro will use the Windows Media player—not the Silverlight player.
(3281)

VEMS Portal Server Getting Started Guide 41

42 VBrick Systems, Inc.
 VBrick Systems, Inc.
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