VBrick Distributed Media Engine

VBrick H.264 DME v3.2.4

Admin Guide

May 2014
Copyright
© 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
VBrick Systems, Inc.
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
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available source code is posted at http://www.vbrick.com/opensource

About VBrick Systems

Founded in 1997, VBrick Systems, an ISO 9001 certified vendor, is a privately held company that has enjoyed rapid growth
by helping our customers successfully introduce mission critical video applications across their enterprise networks. Since our
founding, VBrick has been setting the standard for quality, performance and innovation in the delivery of live and stored
video over IP networks—LANs, WANs and the Internet. With 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.
 Contents
DME v3.2.4 Admin Guide
Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
How this Manual is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
How to Use this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Font Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Environmental Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

1. Introduction
DME Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Features and Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Server Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Software-Only Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Software Development Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2. Installation
Installing the Server Hardware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Unpack and Connect the Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Power On/Power Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Configuring the DME as a VOD Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Configuring the DME in VEMS v5.x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Configuring the DME in VEMS Mystro v6.x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

3. Getting Started
How it Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Planning and Preparation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
DME Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Streaming Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
VC Gateway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
VOD Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
FTP Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Caching (HTTP) Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Streaming Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Served VOD Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Pushed Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Pulled Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Transmuxed Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

DME Admin Guide iii

 Transrated Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
VBAdmin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Login . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
End User License Agreement (EULA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
DME Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Using Apply, Revert, and Default . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Resetting the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Home Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Configuration Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
VBDirectory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Configuration Using Secure Shell (SSH) or a Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

4. Configuring DME Streams

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Typical Use Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
DME Listener Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
DME Input Streams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
In-1 < Push (RTMP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
In-2 < RTP Auto Unicast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
In-3 < RTP Auto Unicast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
In-4 < Unicast/Multicast Transport Streams In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
In-5 < Pull (RTMP). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
In-6 < Pull (RTSP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
In-7 < Pull Transport Stream using RTSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
In-8 < Unicast/Multicast RTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
DME Output Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Out-1 > Serve (RTMP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Out-2 > Serve TS via RTSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Out-3 > Serve (RTP). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Out-4 > Serve (RTP). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Out-5 > Push TS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Out-6 > Create HLS (for iPod, iPhone/iPad). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Out-7 > Relay (Unicast/Multicast) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Out-8 > Create HDS (for Flash). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Out-9 > Push (RTMP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Out-10 > Push RTP via RTSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Out-11 > Push RTP via RTSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Out-12 > Serve (.wmv, HLS, HDS, other) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

5. System Configuration
Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
IPV4 Network Interface 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
IPv4 Network Interface 2–4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
NAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

iv Contents
 Domain Name Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Network Time Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Security. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
General. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
System Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Login . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
System Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
System Reset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Streaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Caching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Caching Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Caching Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Manage Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
SSL Certificates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
SAN/iSCSI Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Activate Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

6. SAP Configuration
Announcement Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
SAPs for Unannounced Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

7. Input Configuration
Flash/RTSP Pull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Transport Stream In. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
MPG2TS Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
RTP Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
New Media Playlist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

8. Output Configuration
Flash Push . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
RTSP Push . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Transport Stream Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
HLS Streaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Playlist Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
HDS Streaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Playlist Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
RTP Relay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
New Relay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Stream Conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

9. User Configuration
Username and Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Readonly Username and Password. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

DME Admin Guide v

 Stream Input Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

10. VC Gateway Configuration

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Vendor Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Configuring VC Gateway Streams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Delivering VC Gateway Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Integrating with VEMS Mystro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Incoming Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Incoming Line Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Destination RTP Relay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Outgoing Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Outgoing Line Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Creating "Audio Chime" Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

11. Logging
Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

12. Monitor
System Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
RTP Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Multi Protocol Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Relay Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Access History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Upgrade Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Error Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

13. Maintenance
System Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Disk Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Disk Provisioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

14. Diagnostics
Trace Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

15. Playing DME Streams

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Playing RTSP/RTP Streams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Playing Multicast RTP Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Playing HLS Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Playing Transport Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Playing Streams with a Flash Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

vi Contents
16. Detailed Use Cases
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Configuring a Multicast Relay with a Unicast Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
H.264 Encoder Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
DME Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Configuring a Multicast Relay with an Auto-Unicast Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
H.264 Encoder Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
DME Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

17. Other Tasks

Software Upgrade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Installing Security Updates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Managing Disk Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Backup and Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

18. Configuring Devices for the DME

VBrick Encoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
VBOSS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Rich Media Desktop (RMD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Rich Media Studio (RMS). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Streaming to the DME with RMS 1.6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Streaming to the DME with RMS 1.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
More Configuration Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
RTMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
RTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Transport Stream. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
HLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

DME Admin Guide vii

viii Contents
 DME v3.2.4 Admin Guide

Welcome
This document explains how to configure and use VBrick's Distributed Media Engine
(DME). The DME is a versatile, highly-configurable media distribution engine that moves
streaming media to and from a wide variety sources and endpoints. It can for example take a
unicast RTP stream and multicast it to thousands of local IP users, or it can transmux and
serve the same RTP stream to RTMP (Flash) users on the Internet. The information in this
document is available with the DME documentation on the VBrick website. For the latest
technical documentation for other VBrick products, go to www.vbrick.com/documentation

Note This Admin Guide is not written for casual users. It assumes readers will have a
working knowledge of network addressing, communications protocols, and
configuration concepts, as well as hands-on experience working with streaming
video products.

How this Manual is Organized

This documentation in this document is arranged as follows. Some of it is reference material;
some of it is how-to material for specific use cases. For best results, please take a few
moments to familiarize yourself with the way the information is organized and follow the
steps listed below in How to Use this Manual.

1. Introduction provides a system overview and provides a detailed

explanation of the different DME models available. It also
has a glossary of terms that are used in this document.
2. Installation explains how to setup and test the server hardware. It also
explains how to configure the DME as a VOD server in
VEMS.
3. Getting Started explains how the DME works including an overview of the
major system components. It also explains how to use the
VBAdmin management program.
4. Configuring DME Streams provides detailed use cases with step-by-step instructions
that explain how to configure DME input and output
streams for all common scenarios.
5. System Configuration is a reference chapter. It provides a detailed description of
all of the parameters on the System Configuration page in
VBAdmin.
6. SAP Configuration How to configure SAP announcements for different kinds
of streams.
7. Input Configuration explains how to configure DME input streams including
Flash Pull, TS In, and RTP Playlists.
8. Output Configuration explains how to configure DME output streams including
Flash and RTSP Push, TS Out, HLS, and RTP Relays.

DME Admin Guide ix

 9. User Configuration explains how to configure the DME user name and
password and the announce settings that let you push
streams into the DME.
10. VC Gateway explains how to set up a video conferencing gateway.
Configuration
11. Logging explains how to enable and configure the Access History
and the Error Log.
12. Monitor explains how to view the various status and log pages to
monitor important DME resources and tasks such as
connected users and CPU Load.
13. Maintenance explains how to reset or shutdown the system.
14. Diagnostics explains how to capture trace files for VBrick Support
Services when troubleshooting VC Gateway issues.
15. Playing DME Streams explains the most common ways that DME end users can
view live and stored RTP and RTMP (Flash) streams.
16. Detailed Use Cases shows all of the detailed steps required (on the encoder and
on the DME) to configure input and output for a common
case.
17. Other Tasks explains how to upgrade the server when new software is
available from VBrick.
18. Configuring Devices for explains how to configure VBrick's RMD and RMS
the DME applications to stream from the DME.

How to Use this Manual

We have tried to organize this manual in a useful and constructive manner and encourage you
to become thoroughly familiar with the information it contains before getting started. The
DME is a complex and highly-configurable product that can be used to transmux and stream
video in a variety of different ways. For best results, we recommend you use this manual as
follows:
1. Read the introduction and install the hardware as explained in the Introduction and
Installation chapters. Be sure to read the Glossary.
2. Carefully review the Getting Started chapter. Pay particular attention to How it Works
and Planning and Preparation.
3. Carefully review the Configuring DME Streams chapter. Find the input and output use
cases that are appropriate for your site and follow the step-by-step instructions.
4. While configuring your DME inputs and outputs, refer to the reference chapters (for
example System Configuration or Input Configuration) for detailed information about
each configurable parameter.
5. If you run into trouble, see the Logging and Monitor chapters for help with finding
errors or troubleshooting problems. If you experience unexpected behavior, see the
DME Release Notes for caveats that may apply.
6. For step-by-step procedures that fully explain the encoder setup and the DME setup for
multicast relays, see the Detailed Use Cases chapter.

x Preface
 Getting Help
If you can't find the information you need in this document, or from your reseller, you can
contact VBrick Support Services on the web, by e-mail, or by calling 1-203 303-0222. For
faster service, be sure to have your VBrick product serial number or support contract
number. Support Services can usually answer your technical questions in 24 business hours or
less. Note that all VBrick documentation is posted on the web. For more information about
any VBrick product, go to www.vbrick.com/documentation

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

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

Safety Precautions
There is always a danger present when using electronic equipment. Unexpected high voltages
can be present at unusual locations in defective equipment and signal distribution systems.
Become familiar with the equipment and observe the following precautions:

• Every precaution has been taken in the design of your system to ensure that it is as safe
as possible. However, safe operation depends on you.
• Always be sure your equipment is in good working order. Ensure that all points of
connection are secure to the chassis and that protective covers are in place.
• Never work alone when working in hazardous conditions. Always have another person
close by in case of an accident.
• Always refer to the manual for safe operation. If you have a question about the
application or operation call VBrick for assistance.
• Never allow your equipment to be exposed to water or high moisture environments. If
exposed to a liquid, remove power and send unit to be serviced by a qualified technician.

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

DME Admin Guide xi

 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.

xii Preface
 Chapter 1

Introduction
Topics in this chapter
DME Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

DME Overview
The VBrick H.264 Distributed Media Engine (DME) simplifies delivery of high definition
video and other rich media content across multi-site enterprises and campus environments. If
properly configured, you can simultaneously input multiple streams (of different types) into
the DME and output them as the same stream types or as different stream types. For example
you can input RTP and TS (transport streams) into the DME and output those same streams
as RTMP (Flash) or HLS (for Apple iOS devices). The DME also provides video content
caching, storage, and serving to ensure that stored content is delivered from a DME as close
to the end user as possible. The Distributed Media Engine may be deployed at a central
location, to support transmuxing, or at remote locations to support distribution. It is a single
integrated platform providing media redistribution, media transformation and video-on-
demand content storage. The DME accepts multiple H.264 media streams from multiple
central sites and redistributes that content to diverse endpoints including PCs/MACs, mobile
phones and televisions/monitors. This one integrated platform optimizes WAN bandwidth
use, simplifies endpoint support and offers local storage of centrally managed content.

Figure 1. DME Model 7530

The Distributed Media Engine is offered on a choice of three robust hardware platforms, all
leveraging VBrick's experience with high performance, low touch appliances. It is also
offered as a software product to be installed on the customers own hardware (including

DME Admin Guide 1

 VMWare). Requiring only a web browser interface for management, the H.264 DME
seamlessly integrates as a distributed element within the VBrick enterprise IP video platform.
This includes working in concert with a central VBrick Enterprise Management System
(VEMS) to intelligently store and serve content from a local DME. Deploying the H.264
Distributed Media Engine assures users of access to high definition quality video on both
fixed and mobile endpoints, even if they are located across campus or across the world.

Applications
The H.264 Distributed Media Engine is deployed on the network edge to support endpoints
requiring RTP or RTMP (Flash) streams as well as firewall-friendly HTTP progressive
downloads. It supports enhanced scalability and performance across the VBrick suite of
applications including:

• Meeting and Event Broadcasting – Provides ubiquitous access to high quality broadcasts
and corresponding rich media content at the network edge.
• Training and Lecture Capture – Flash streaming and progressive download via HTTP
allow for distribution of content to a wide variety of clients including mobile devices.
• Television Distribution – Simplifies multicast distribution at remote buildings or
locations that might not be connected by multicast enabled WAN connections.
• Enterprise YouTube® – Local content storage reduces burden on WAN.
• Surveillance & Monitoring – Deliver more content to diverse endpoints over challenging
or far flung network environments.
• Digital Signage – Enhanced performance for greater scalability.

Features and Benefits

• Bandwidth Conservation – Redistribute high quality, live or on-demand, media via RTP
multicast; enables more end users to share a single media stream. Leveraging multicast
eliminates the need to incrementally scale network bandwidth to support more viewers.
• Media Transformation – Stream high quality H.264 content once and leverage the DME
at distributed locations to deliver multiple formats (RTP, RTMP Flash, and/or HTTP
progressive download) to reach multiple types of endpoints.
• Mobile Device Support – Enables delivery of live H.264 content to mobile devices as
Flash video or supports HTTP progressive download of video-on-demand content.
• Transrating provides for delivery of content to mobile devices of different types on
networks of varying quality.
• Intelligent Central Management – Content is created once and then intelligently managed
by the VBrick Enterprise Media System (VEMS) regardless of the location. Stored
content is appropriately distributed to local DMEs so users have faster access to
frequently viewed content without the need to contend with constrained WAN or
Internet links.
• Robust Appliance Design – Requiring only a web browser for management, the DME
eliminates the need to separately manage patches and security updates on commercial
server operating systems.
• Secure – Designed to meet the security requirements of demanding government
information assurance policies.
• Firewall Friendly – Supports video on demand content via HTTP download; eliminating
barriers imposed by network security policies.

2 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Introduction

• Enhanced User Experience – Increases user adoption and impact by assuring

outstanding picture quality and response from video applications. The DME easily
accommodates increased user demand without degrading performance or the user
experience.

Table 1. DME – Supported Protocols

Protocol Description
Incoming • RTSP Announce
• RTP Over UDP (with RTCP) Unicast and Multicast
• RTP over TCP (with RTCP) Unicast Only
• RTP over UDP (SDP file delivered via FTP)
• FTP for VOD file transfer
• RTMP via RTMP Push over TCP
• Transport Stream (MPEG2TS delivery of H.264
audio and video content)
Outgoing • RTP via RTSP (stream)
• UDP, TCP Interleaved, and HTTP Tunneled
• RTP via RTSP (relay - Push)
• UDP, TCP Interleaved using Announce
• RTMP (stream and relay)
• HTTP (progressive download)
• TS (transport stream)
• HLS (Apple HTTP iPad/iPhone live streaming)
• HDS (Adobe Flash HTTP dynamic streaming)
• HTTP Caching Server
Management • HTTP/HTTPS for management
• IGMPv3

Server Models
VBrick currently supports a variety of shelf and rack-mount models. See the DME Release
Notes for a detailed description of DME models and specifications. There are no absolute
rules for sizing a multipurpose device like the DME but there are some basic guidelines that
can help you select the right model. The smaller Model 7530 (Figure 1) does not offer
redundant power supplies or redundant VOD storage so if these attributes are important, you
should consider the larger models. The Model 7530 is shelf-mount only while the larger
models are rack mount 1U and 2U servers. Users seeking significant VOD content playback
should consider one of the two larger models. The RAID arrays built into the Models 7550
and 7570 are much more powerful and better suited for frequent requests than for
concurrent VOD playback. The single drive on the Model 7530 is well suited for small to
medium offices that have occasional VOD demands.

DME Admin Guide 3

 Figure 2. DME Model 7550/7570
All of the models have excellent throughput performance and are designed to manage
occasional traffic bursts exceed recommended performance characteristics. The throughput
recommendations are based on a combination of input and output. For example, a Model
7530 (with 250 Mbps throughput) can support four 1 Mbps streams in, and reflect out 96 1
Mbps unicast streams of RTP or Flash (any combination that equals 250 Mbps). Also keep in
mind that one multicast stream out counts as a single stream from a bandwidth perspective,
regardless of how many users are watching. Please refer to the DME Release notes for complete
hardware specifications.

Software-Only Version
The DME is available as a hardware/software combination in which case VBrick will deliver
the DME server hardware with the DME software already installed. You can also purchase
the DME in a VMware virtualized version in which case you must install the DME software
on your own server platform. For more about this option, and server hardware
recommendations, see the "Software-Only Version" topic in the DME Release Notes.

Software Development Kit

The DME Software Development Kit (SDK) is available for customers who want to build
custom applications to control the DME. It assumes the reader is an experienced software
developer with a working knowledge of Web Services. All code examples are written in C#.
The SDK includes an .xml document with DME name/value pairs, a sample application, and
the DME SDK Reference Guide which explains how to use the APIs. For more information
contact your certified VBrick reseller or VBrick Support Services.

Compatibility
Table 2 shows DME compatibility with other VBrick products:

Table 2. DME Compatibility

VBrick Product Compatible With Version †
VEMS Mystro® Portal Server 6.0.1
VEMS Portal Server 5.4
H.264 Encoding Appliance 3.0 (RTP)
H.264 Encoding Appliance 3.1 (RTP, RTMP)
H.264 Decoding Appliance 3.0
Rich Media Desktop (RMD) 1.1

4 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Introduction

VBrick Product Compatible With Version †

Rich Media Studio 1.3 (1.6 recommended)
† Use version shown or higher.

Technical Support
If you can't find the information you need from the documentation or your reseller, you can
contact VBrick Support Services on the web. The Support Services website has downloads,
FAQs, documentation, support guidelines, and an on-line form you can use to submit
questions. VBrick will make every effort to answer your technical questions in 24 business
hours or less.

Figure 3. VBrick On-Line Support Page

Glossary
For best results, please take a few minutes to become familiar with the glossary terms listed
below. These technical terms are used throughout this document.

DME Admin Guide 5

 Auto Unicast A transmitter mode that allows an encoder to "automatically" establish and
maintain a connection with a streaming server like Quicktime or Darwin.
The stream is pushed to a configured publishing point external clients can
connect to retrieve the stream.
CDN Content delivery networks are distributed server systems of deployed in
multiple data centers in the Internet. The goal of a CDN is to serve
content to end-users with high availability and high performance.
DASH Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP. DASH is a multimedia
streaming technology where a multimedia file is partitioned into one or
more segments and delivered to a client using HTTP.
DME Distributed Media Engine is an integrated platform that provides media
redistribution, media transformation and video-on-demand content
storage.
Caching Server Content is cached at remote locations so subsequent requesting clients can
access it locally.
FMS Flash Media Server is a proprietary data and media server from Adobe
Systems. This server works with the Flash Player runtime to create media
driven, multiuser Rich Internet Applications.
Flash Multimedia platform used to add video and interactivity to web pages.
Flash uses RTMP and is a proprietary Adobe technology.
FMLE Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder is a media encoder appliance that
streams audio and video in realtime to an Adobe Flash Media Server.
FTP Server The DME uses File Transfer Protocol to populate the DME with files for
progressive download.
HDS HTTP Dynamic Streaming is Adobe's HTTP streaming protocol for Flash
players. Like other HTTP adaptive streaming protocols, it breaks the
stream into small HTTP-based files so the client can select from different
streams containing the same material encoded at different data rates. This
allows the streaming session to adapt to available data rates.
HLS HTTP Live Streaming is Apple's HTTP streaming protocol for QuickTime
and iPhone. Like other HTTP adaptive streaming protocols, it breaks the
stream into small HTTP-based files so that the client can select from
different streams containing the same material encoded at different data
rates. This allows the streaming session to adapt to available data rates.
HTTP Server The DME has an internal web server that serves VOD files via progressive
download.
ICP Internet Cache Protocol coordinates multiple web caches. It finds the
most appropriate location to retrieve a requested object when multiple
caches are in use at a single site. The goal is to minimize the number of
remote requests to the originating server.
Multicast A highly-efficient streaming mechanism wherein one stream is sent to
multiple clients without impacting available bandwidth. Multicast is a
one-to-many connection between client and server. Used only in local IP
networks (not the Internet); requires support from a switch. See Unicast.

6 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Introduction

Progressive Progressive download is a method of delivering audio and video that

Download involves caching and playing the downloaded portion of a file while a
download is still in progress via FTP. The files are downloaded—not
streamed.
Pull The mechanism whereby a video stream is requested, and pulled, from an
RTP server (e.g. QuickTime or Darwin), an RTMP server (e.g. Wowza or
FMS), or another VBrick DME.
Push The mechanism whereby an RTP or RTMP stream is continuously pushed
to a configured destination.
RTMP Real Time Messaging Protocol is a proprietary protocol developed by
Adobe for streaming audio and video over the Internet, between a Flash
player and a Flash server. The DME has an internal RTMP server for
Flash files. Wowza and FMS are also RTMP servers.
RTMPS RTMP over a secure SSL connection. With RTMPS streamed content is
encrypted by the Flash Media Server "on the fly" so there is no need to
encrypt the source file.
RTP Real Time Transport Protocol is the Internet-standard protocol for the
transport of realtime audio and video over the web. The DME has an
internal RTP server. Darwin, QuickTime, and VBrick VOD-W streaming
servers are RTP servers.
RTSP Real Time Streaming Protocol is a network control protocol used to
control streaming media servers. RTSP defines the control sequences in
streaming playback and uses TCP to maintain an end-to-end streaming
connection.
SDP Session Description Protocol. A standard which provides information
about the timing and format of a live RTP stream and provides
information on how to tune into the stream. It can be provided as part of
a session creation in a protocol such as RTSP or as a text file with a .sdp
extension.
SIP Session Initiation Protocol is a signaling protocol widely used for
controlling video conferencing communication sessions.
StreamPlayer VBrick PC application used to view live and on-demand streams.
StreamPlayer can discover program names on a network by listening for
session announcements (SAPs) from VBrick devices.
Transmux The process whereby a digital bit stream is converted from one file format
or streaming protocol to another—without changing the compression
method. An example of transmuxing is when a unicast stream is converted
to multicast or when an RTP stream is converted to RTMP.
Transport MPEG transport stream (MPEG2TS) is a standard format for
Stream (TS) transmission and storage of audio and video. Transport Stream specifies a
container format encapsulating packetized elementary streams, with error
correction and stream synchronization features for maintaining
transmission integrity when the signal is degraded.
Transrate Change the speed/compression characteristics of a stream without
changing the compression algorithm to accommodate different devices
(e.g. laptop, mobile phone) on networks of varying qualities of service

DME Admin Guide 7

 Unicast A bandwidth-intensive streaming mechanism wherein a separate and
complete video stream is sent to each requesting client. Unicast is a
one-to-one connection between the client and the server. See Multicast.
VBAdmin An integrated management interface that lets you manage the DME
configuration from an external web browser.
VBDirectory A proprietary VBrick application used to auto-discover VBrick devices
(including DMEs) on a local IP network. It is available on the VBrick
Downloads page for new customers and is automatically installed when
you perform an upgrade.
VBDME A proprietary VBrick application used to perform a software upgrade on
Download DME appliances.
VC Gateway VBrick's Video Conference Gateway uses standards-based SIP and H.264
technology to become a participant in a video conference and stream the
content to multiple endpoints including PCs, Macs, iPads, iPhones, etc.
VEMS VBrick's flagship VBrick Enterprise Media System is an integrated
solution that delivers both live and on-demand audio and video over an
IP-based infrastructure. It provides access to a dynamic viewing portal,
scheduling and administrative controls, and a media management engine.
VEMS Mystro VEMS Mystro is VBrick's modular enterprise media management system.
Mystro's unique widget-based streaming design lets you personalize and
embed IP video in any communications environment such as unified
communications, learning management, or mobile devices.
VOD Video-on-demand files are stored streams that can be played from the
DME's FTP server via progressive download.
Wowza The Wowza Media Server is a proprietary platform that serves multiple
protocols and files.

8 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Chapter 2
Installation
Topics in this chapter
Installing the Server Hardware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Configuring the DME as a VOD Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Installing the Server Hardware

This topic explains how to install the server hardware if purchased from VBrick. The
installation of the DME server hardware is straightforward. Unpack and inspect the server
and connect the cables as described in the high-level overview on the following pages. As
noted, all software is pre-installed and no additional software installation is required. For
complete installation instructions, please refer to the manufacturer's documentation that was
shipped with your server. Server models 7550 and 7570 are shipped on Dell platforms. You
may wish to refer to the following Dell document for a detailed technical overview.
Dell PowerEdge R620 Technical Guide

Unpack and Connect the Server

Each shipment includes a complete DME server with all power cords and cables.
 To set up the DME server:
1. Connect the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and network cables as described below.
2. If rack mounting the unit, mount the DME server in the rack, using the rack mount kit
provided.
3. Connect the DME server to the network by plugging the 10/100/1000 BaseT Ethernet
cable into the Ethernet port 1 on the rear of the unit. Port 1 should always be connected
first and is the leftmost port as seen below.

Figure 4. Ethernet Port 1

DME Admin Guide 9

 Figure 5. DME Model 7530 (rear)

Figure 6. DME Model 7550/7570 (Dell 620 rear)

4. Connect the monitor cable to the blue video port (front or rear) on the DME server.
Turn the monitor on.
5. Connect a mouse and keyboard to any available USB ports (front or rear) on the DME
server.
6. Plug the DME server into a power source, using the power cords provided. (All VOD
servers have redundant power supplies, each with its own cord.)
7. Turn the DME server's main power on by pressing the power switch at the front of unit.

Figure 7. DME Model 7530 (front)

Figure 8. DME Model 7550/7570 (Dell 620 front without bezel)

Figure 9. DME Model 7550/7570 (Dell 620 front LCD panel)

10 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Installation

8. The DME server will boot and automatically load using the default settings. Wait 5–8
minutes for the unit to fully power up. As new hardware is attached (for example a
keyboard and mouse) the operating system will automatically find and install the drivers.

Note The DME ships with DHCP enabled and you can use VBDirectory to auto discover
any DMEs in your network. The Login topic explains how to login to the DHCP
address. The IPV4 Network Interface 1 topic explains how to set a static IP address.

To manage the DME with the VBAdmin web interface, you must have IP access to the
network where the DME is located. Then you can use the VBDirectory management
application to discover and display the name, IP address, and software revision of all VBrick
devices on your network, including DMEs. By default, the DME sends management
information about itself via multicast so a multicast-enabled network is required.
VBDirectory listens for Management Announcements from VBrick devices on the network
and is available free of charge from the Downloads page on the VBrick website. You can also
find the IP address of the DME by connecting a monitor to the blue VGA port (Models 7550
and 7570) or the DVI port (Model 7530) of the DME. The IP address will be displayed at
start-up.

Power On/Power Off

To power-on DME (7530/7550/7570) servers, press and release the power button on the
front of each unit. To power-off DME (7530/7550/7570) servers (and perform an orderly
shutdown), press and release the power button again. Do not press and hold the button or
you will force an immediate power-off. Note that you can power-off the server using the
Shutdown button on the Monitor in VBAdmin.

Configuring the DME as a VOD Server

Optional. When used with VEMS, the DME functions as a VOD server. VEMS will auto
discover all stored content on the DME and make it searchable in VEMS. If you will be using
a DME in this manner server, it must be configured in the VEMS Portal Server before it is
recognized as part of the VEMS system.

Configuring the DME in VEMS v5.x

 To configure the DME on a VEMS 5.x Portal Server:
1. Launch VEMS Portal Server and login as an administrator.
2. Go to Global Settings > Servers and select DME-Media Engine from the dropdown list.

DME Admin Guide 11

 Figure 10. Portal Server 5.x (Add/Modify VOD/FTP Servers)
3. Enter the IP or Domain , Server Description (optional), FTP User Name (default = admin )
and FTP Password (default = admin ).
4. Accept the default Publishing Point parameters and click Add when done.

Sync DME with Portal Server

Once the DME is configured in VEMS, the Portal Server will auto discover any VOD
content on the DME. It may take up to 20 minutes before the DME content is available
unless you manually sync the DME server with the Portal Server.
 To manually sync the DME server with the VEMS Portal Server:
1. Launch the VEMS Portal Server admin tool and go to Global Settings > Global
Assignments > Assign VOD Polling Interval .
2. Click Sync Now. Do not change anything else and exit when done.

Adding Live DME Streams

The Portal Server can play live streams served from a DME if the URIs are provided to the
VEMS in one of two ways:

• If the stream is sourced from a VBrick H.264 appliance, the URI of the stream can be
automatically provided to the Portal Server server using an external announcement. See
the "Announce Settings" topic in the VBrick H.264 Encoder Admin Guide for details.
• The URI can be added manually as a live URL. See the "URLs > Add/Modify a URL for
a Live Video Stream" topic in the Portal Server 5.x Admin Guide for details.

Configuring the DME in VEMS Mystro v6.x

 To configure the DME on a VEMS Mystro 6.x Portal Server:
1. Launch VEMS Portal Server and login as an administrator.

12 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Installation

2. Go to Devices > Stored Servers and click Add New Server.

a. On the Server Information page, enter a user-friendly name, a brief description, and
click Submit.
b. On the Entry Points tab, enter the Hostname or IP address.
c. On the Publishing Points tab, click Add New Publishing Point .

Figure 11. Mystro Portal Server 6.x (Stored Server Administration)

3. From the Type dropdown select DME.
4. Fill in the remaining fields as appropriate and click Submit when done. In most cases you
can use the defaults. For more information see the Portal Server 6.x Admin Guide.

Supporting Cached content

The option exists on VEMS Mystro to automatically support the DME caching of live
streams. When configuring this DME, the administrator can select a list of DMEs capable of
delivering cached HLS or HDS stream is s to clients located a DME’s zone. When a source
DME is configured and HLS or HDS cached on it, Mystro will redirect clients in the DME’s
zone to this DME. The content will be accessed via the DME cache

Refresh Stored Content

Once the DME is configured in VEMS, the Portal Server will auto discover any VOD
content on the DME at a configured interval.
 To force an immediate refresh of stored content on the Portal Server:
1. Launch the VEMS Portal Server admin pages and go to System Settings > Task
Scheduler.
2. Find Refresh Stored Content on the Current Tasks page and click Run .

DME Admin Guide 13

 Adding Live DME Streams
The Portal Server can play live streams served from a DME if the URIs are provided to the
VEMS in one of two ways:

• Announcements (SAPs) can be automatically provided to VEMS by the DME (see

discussion of SAPs in this Administrators Guide)
• If the stream is sourced from a VBrick H.264 appliance, the URI of the stream can be
automatically provided to the Portal Server server using an external announcement. See
the "Announce Settings" topic in the VBrick H.264 Encoder Admin Guide for details.
• The URI can be added manually as a live URL. See the "Live Entered URLs" topic in the
Portal Server 6.x Admin Guide for details.

14 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Chapter 3

Getting Started
Topics in this chapter
How it Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Planning and Preparation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
DME Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Streaming Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
VBAdmin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Home Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
VBDirectory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Configuration Using Secure Shell (SSH) or a Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

How it Works
The VBrick DME is a multi-faceted platform that performs a variety of serving, reflecting,
and transmuxing, and transrating activities. In a typical application, a DME receives a unicast
stream over the WAN link (often over TCP) to effectively traverse the LAN and pass through
firewalls. The DME then streams via unicast and/or multicast to a variety of different clients
in the streaming protocol of choice for each client. To conserve bandwidth, reflectors can be
linked across the WAN to relay video streams from one remote site to multiple downstream
DME reflectors. The net effect is that a single unicast stream across the WAN can reach tens
of thousands of viewers. To improve reliability, reflectors can either pull or push streams
across the WAN using TCP. If a network outage occurs, the DMEs will automatically
reconnect and resume streaming without any user intervention. The DME is comprised of
the major components shown in Figure 12.
To reach different classes of clients (e.g. PCs, STBs, and mobile devices), a single stream of
H.264-encoded multi-bitrate (MBR) video can work in concert with reflectors to distribute
streams in the most efficient manner. Reflectors can also transmux video streams, converting
from one type of transport stream on the input to another type of transport on the output. In
transmuxing, a digital bit stream is converted from one file format or streaming protocol to
another—without changing the compression method. An example of transmuxing is when a
unicast stream is converted to multicast or when an RTP stream is converted to RTMP.
H.264 offers a variety of transport protocols to ensure the reliable delivery of video over a
variety of networks. For live broadcasts, the Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) is efficient,
while the Real-time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) offers the player controls (fast forward,
rewind) needed for VOD playback. Newer transport protocols like RTMP (for Flash) and
HTTP are optimized for Internet clients and mobile devices.

Planning and Preparation

The DME provides a powerful way to redistribute media by allowing you to reach multiple/
remote locations and multiple users with minimal use of streaming bandwidth. Streams can
be converted from unicast to multicast or delivered as Flash HDS and Apple HLS streams

DME Admin Guide 15

 from an RTP source. Since the DME accepts multiple types of input streams and provides
multiple ways to output streams, it may not be entirely clear which use cases apply to you and
what is the simplest way to deploy your solution using the DME. The best way to determine
how to use the DME effectively is to understand three basic factors:

• How you will be delivering media to the DME. This is typically determined by how your
media is currently being created, for example as RTP, RTMP, etc.
• How your clients will be viewing content from the DME and with what players, for
example with StreamPlayer, QuickTime, etc.
• Which firewalls, virtual networks, proxies, encryption systems, etc. are in place that will
need to be traversed and/or reconfigured.
Once you have a better understanding of these issues you are ready to start considering what
type of input streams you will have (RTP or RTMP) and how will they be distributed. For
example they can be pushed to the DME, pulled from the DME, or by unannounced unicast
from the source or an announced auto-unicast to the DME. You will also know how your
clients will be viewing the content, for example as RTP, RTMP, or both, using a standalone
player, an embedded web page, or through VBrick's VEMS Portal Server. You will also know
whether or not the content needs to be relayed to another remote DME or to a CDN for
Internet Distribution. Finally, knowing how many users you have and the bandwidth
consumed by each will help to clarify how many DMEs and which models you will need to
distribute the streams. By gathering this information in advance, and reading this manual
carefully, you can help to ensure a successful deployment of the DME in your own unique
environment.
To help you understand the various options available, Configuring DME Streams on page 33
defines a number of typical use cases—not all of which will apply to you. The use cases can
help to simplify the configuration. They can help, for example to avoid deploying a simple
solution in an overly complex way. In other cases you may also choose one method for one
requirement, and have to choose a different method for a second requirement, meaning you
will have two input streams when one could just as easily be used for both.
Firewalls can also play an important role in determining which use cases are appropriate.
When no firewalls apply, a push or an auto unicast solution can be easily deployed. However
if the DME is behind a firewall, you probably cannot reach it with a push without having to
reconfigure the firewall. Similarly, you can probably pull a stream from a source into the
DME. However if the source is also behind a firewall, more network planning, such as
placing the DME in a "DMZ" (which the source can push to and the destination can pull
from) may be a better solution. If virtual IP addresses are used, you will need to know more
about the configuration of the network; and if deploying RTP streams that will travel over
UDP, your firewall may need to be configured to allow UDP data in and out.

DME Components
Streaming Servers
As shown in Figure 12, the DME has an RTP server, a Multi Protocol server, and an HTTP
server for progressive download. Each of these servers supports specific types on inputs and
outputs which are described in detail on the following pages. For example, as shown in
Figure 19 on page 34, the Multi Protocol streaming server supports multiple input methods
and multiple output methods. The streaming servers and the VOD servers are built on a
robust embedded operating system.

16 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Getting Started

Figure 12. DME Server Components

VC Gateway
The DME video conferencing solution builds on a simple video conference by delivering a
multi-vendor, standards-based stream that lets smartphones, tablets, PCs/Macs, and TVs
display the video conference. It provides a cost effective way to leverage existing video
conferencing investments by delivering the video conference audio and video as a stream to
other elements in the VBrick ecosystem. See VC Gateway Configuration on page 111 for
more information.

VOD Servers
The DME engine includes an RTP VOD server, a Multi Protocol VOD server, and an HTTP
Progressive Download server. All stored VOD files are added to the DME via FTP. The
VOD servers support all of the file types shown Table 3.

Table 3. Supported VOD File Types

VOD Server Supported File Types
RTP mp4, mov, m4a, m4v
Multi Protocol flv, f4v, mp4, mov, m4a, m4v (H.264)
HTTP all available files including M3u8
(HLS) and f4m(HDS)

FTP Server
The DME has a fully functional web server that uses File Transfer Protocol to populate the
DME with files for progressive download. You can FTP to the FTP folder on the DME or to
a subfolder. When adding VOD files via FTP, you must wait for the ingestion to complete
before the stream will play in VEMS. You can view the ingestion progress on the Status page
in the VEMS client. If the ingestion is not complete, the title will display but the stream will
not play.

Caching (HTTP) Server

The DME has an internal web server that serves VOD files via progressive download. It also
serves video content via the various HTTP adaptive streaming protocols. The HTTP content
is cached at remote locations so that subsequent requesting clients can acquire the content
that is cached on a local server. See Caching Overview on page 71 for more about the
caching server.

DME Admin Guide 17

Streaming Overview
Depending on how it is configured, the DME can receive or pull from an encoder, a Flash
server, a video conferencing device, or another DME; it can also serve streams or push
streams to an RTMP server, an RTP server, or to another DME. The DME supports unicast
and/or multicast for both input and output. Unicast streams typically have one source and
one destination; most network traffic between clients and servers is unicast. Multicast packets
however have a single source and multiple destinations. Instead of sending out individual
unicast packets to each client, a single stream of multicast packets can be viewed by multiple
clients. This can save substantial network bandwidth when multiple clients are accessing the
same stream.

Served VOD Streams

The DME has an RTP server, an RTMP server, and an HTTP Progressive Download server
for stored VOD files (including Windows Media files). In server mode, a served stream does
not become active on the network until requested by a client. The client may be a software
player like StreamPlayer or QuickTime running on a PC, a Macintosh, a mobile device, or a
set top box like the VBrick Multi Format set top box. The user requests a stream from the
DME by directing the client to issue an RTSP/RTMP/HTTP request via a URL to the DME.
The client and the DME then exchange a sequence of RTSP/RTMP messages to direct the
DME to send the program to the client. The DME server examines the file to determine
Transport Type, Video Rate, Audio Rate, and other parameters. It then plays the stream using
optimal settings adjusted for bandwidth, frame rate, etc.

Note New content files that are transferred via FTP will not be available immediately for
VOD RTMP streaming until the associated seek and meta files are generated. Meta
and seek files are typically generated within a few minutes of being transferred.

18 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Getting Started

Table 4. Supported Stored Stream Types/Players

Players

WM iPhone, Android QuickTime QuickTime Flash StreamPlayer, Silverlight/ MF- Amino

Player iPad (MAC) (PC) Player VBrick MAC Smooth STB STB
Player Streaming
Player

Windows Progressive Yes No No No No No Yes Yes No No

Media Download
(wmv,
wma, asf)

Flv, f4v Progressive No No No No No Yes No No No No

Download

m4v Progressive No Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No No No

(assumes Download
AAC
audio)

MPG, TS Progressive No No No No No No No No No No
(H.264, Download
Mpeg2)

MP4, mov Progressive No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No

(H.264) Download

MP4, Progressive No No No Yes Yes No No No No No

mov(MPE Download
G4P2)
Stream Types

Flv, f4v RTMP, No No No No No Yes No No No

RTMPT

m4v RTMP, No No No No No Yes No No No No

(assumes RTMPT
AAC
audio)

MP4 RTMP, No No No No No Yes No No No No

(H.264) RTMPT

MP4, mov RTSP No No Yes* Yes* Yes* No Yes* No Yes* No

(H.264)

MP4, RTSP No No No Yes* Yes* No Yes* No Yes* No

MOV
(Mpeg4P2)

MPG, TS RTSP No No No No No No No No No No
(H.264,
Mpeg2)

HLS file DASH No Yes Yes (4.0) Yes No No No No No No

(m3u8
manifest)

HDS file DASH No No No No No Yes No No No No

(f4m
manifest)

Smooth DASH No No No No No No No Yes No No

Streaming
files (ism
manifest)

* Only if the MP4 files are hinted

DME Admin Guide 19

 Pushed Streams
The DME also pushes live streams to a configured destination. The destination may be a
single endpoint in the case of a unicast, or multiple endpoints in the case of multicast. The
transmitter does not directly depend on a client to initiate the streaming but is always
transmitting (in the case of multicast) and transmits if the client is reachable and listening (in
the case of unicast). The streams are transmitted across the network via RTP, RTMP., or
Transport Stream. Note that RTMP is a unicast-only protocol.

Pulled Streams
The Multi-protocol Streaming Server can pull live streams from an RTSP/RTP server or an
RTMP server. It can pull from various outside sources, for example from another DME, or
from a Wowza, FMS, QuickTime, or Darwin streaming server. These streams can then be
served or pushed via various protocols.

Transmuxed Streams
Transmuxing is the process whereby a digital bit stream is converted from one file format or
streaming protocol to another—without changing the compression method (as opposed to
transcoding which actually changes the compression method). The DME transmuxes streams;
it does not transcode streams. An example of transmuxing is when a unicast stream is
converted to multicast or when an RTP stream is converted to RTMP. The following table
shows the live input streams that are supported in the left column and the live output streams
that are supported in the top row.

Transrated Streams
Transrating is the process where a digital bit stream is converted from one bit rate to another-
without changing the compression. An example of transrating is when a high bit rate stream
is converted into multiple lower bit rate streams for delivery to mobile devices. Note that the
DME does not change the resolution of the source stream, although the receiving device will
generally display the stream at its preferred resolution.

20 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Getting Started

Table 5. Live Transmux Capabilities

DME Output Streams

RTMP RTMP RTP RTP RTP RTP TS TS TS Apple VC SIP

Unicast Auto- Unicast Auto- Unicast Multicast Unicast Unicast Multicast HLS
Pull Unicast Push Unicast RTSP Push RTSP
Pull Pull

RTMP Unicast Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Pull

RTMP Auto- Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Unicast

RTP Unicast Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Push
DME Input Streams

RTP Auto- Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Unicast

RTP Unicast Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
RTSP Pull

RTP Multicast Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No

TS Unicast Push Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No

TS Unicast Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
RTSP Pull
(3.1.1)

TS Multicast Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No

Apple HLS No No No No No No No No No Yes No

(Cache)

Adobe HDS No No No No No No No No No Yes No

(Cache)

VC SIP Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No

VBAdmin
The VBrick DME server has an integrated management interface (VBAdmin) that lets you
manage the DME configuration from an external web browser. This allows network
managers to remotely configure and monitor the appliances from virtually any location that
has web access. The most convenient way to access the VBAdmin interface (Figure 17) is via
the VBDirectory utility. After installing VBDirectory you will see the screen shown in
Figure 18 on page 30. Locate a specific DME and simply double-click on the Name to launch
the VBAdmin Login. To optimize the functionality of this tool, set the Host Name of the
DME (on the System Configuration > Network page) to a meaningful text string during
initial configuration.
Alternatively, if you know the DME's IP address, you can access it directly from a browser.
As shown in Table 6 you can launch VBAdmin in Internet Explorer or Firefox (other
browsers are not supported by VBrick). You connect to VBAdmin by pointing to the IP
Address and Port Number (for example: http://192.168.5.5:8181 ) of the DME and logging
in with valid credentials. Note that the DME's management interface is not on Port 80. By
default the admin port for the DME is 8181. This allows Port 80 to be reserved for HTTP
downloads.

DME Admin Guide 21

 Table 6. Supported Browsers
Browser Version
Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 or higher
Mozilla Firefox 3.6 or higher

Login
The DME ships with DHCP enabled and you can use VBDirectory to auto discover the IP
addresses any DMEs in your network. The VBDirectory application (which you can install on
a local PC) is provided free of charge. It is available on the VBrick Downloads page for new
customers and is automatically installed when you perform an upgrade. Once you know the
DME's IP address, you can login by entering the server's IP address or host name, and the
management port (8181), in the address bar of your browser. When the login page is
displayed, enter a valid User Name (default = admin) and Password (default = admin) to
launch the VBAdmin management interface. A typical login URL would have the following
format:
http://172.22.2.50:8181

Figure 13. VBAdmin Login Page

Note Administrators should be aware that the DME’s management interface is not on Port 80 as
is typical for most web-based admin tools. By default the admin port for the DME is
8181. This allows Port 80 to be reserved for HTTP downloads.

Log Out
To log out of the application, click Log Out in the navigation panel on the left. As a security
measure, if no keyboard activity is detected for 20 minutes, VBAdmin will automatically
timeout and display the Login page. It is highly recommended that you use the Username and
Password page in VBAdmin to change the user name and password after logging in for the
first time. The user name and password cannot exceed 20 characters.

End User License Agreement (EULA)

The first time you launch the DME you will need to page down and click on Accept EULA .
This means that you accept the end user license agreement for the VBrick software. The
application will not run if you decline to accept the EULA.

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 Getting Started

Figure 14. VBrick EULA

DME Registration

Note If you have purchased a hardware DME, it will come pre-registered from the factory
and you do not have to complete the registration steps described in this section.
These steps below are for software-only DMEs only.

After accepting the EULA the registration splash page is automatically displayed with
informational data. When the following page is displayed click Next to display the DME
Registration page. You will need to register your DME with VBrick before you can run the
application.

DME Admin Guide 23

 Figure 15. DME Registration Page
To register the DME you will need (1) the MAC address of the DME machine; (2) the serial
number for future support, and (3) a license file. The MAC address is prefilled on the
Registration Page (see above); the serial number and license file are available using the
"License Activation" letter you received with your order. (After you get the license file you
will copy and paste the entire contents into the text box shown in Table 15.)
 To get a license file and register your DME:
1. Contact VBrick Support to obtain the License files needed for the type of DME and
features purchased.
2. Click on the green link for information on how to contact support.
3. When prompted, browse to a folder where you will save the .lic license file (once received
from support).
4. Open the .lic file in Notepad and copy the entire contents. Then go back to the
Registration Page and paste the contents into the license text box.
5. Enter the serial number from the sticker in the serial number text box.
6. Then click Finish Registration and you are done.

Using Apply, Revert, and Default

Depending on screen resolution, it may be necessary to scroll down the page to see additional
information and fields. The Apply, Revert and Default buttons however, are always shown at
the bottom of the page when appropriate. You may also see Refresh , Reset Counters, and
other buttons depending on what page you are on.

24 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Getting Started

Apply Applies the changes made on the screen to the appliance. Each
configuration page has an Apply button. You must click Apply before you
exit the page; otherwise your changes will be lost.
Revert Aborts all changes made on the screen and returns to the values that were
present prior to any changes. The Revert button restores the values that
were present prior to the last "apply."
Default Returns to the default settings for all parameters on the page. You must
still click Apply for these default settings to take effect.

Resetting the System

A System Reset resets (i.e. reboots) the appliance. It does not change, save, or reset any
configuration parameters.
 To reset the DME:
1. Navigate to the Maintenance > Maintenance page.
2. Click the System Reset button.

Note Some changes to the configuration will initiate an automatic reset. When this happens,
wait approximately 60 seconds, then refresh the page and log back in with your user
name and password.

Help
A link to the online help system is available from the Configuration Menu on the left side of
the VBAdmin page. This help system has a powerful full-text search engine that can quickly
find the information you need. You may wish to take a few minutes to familiarize yourself
with the help system. It can save time when tying to find information about DME parameters
or options. When using VBAdmin, click on the question mark hyperlink in the upper-right

DME Admin Guide 25

 corner of each page to get context-sensitive help for that page. Be aware that you must have an
Internet connection to see the online help.

Figure 16. DME Online Help

Home Page
The DME "Home" page (Figure 17) has the Configuration Menu on the left and a read-only
snapshot showing the health of the system on the right. Within the Configuration Menu, the
System Configuration pages let you access all configurable DME parameters; the Monitor
pages show important status information. The Configuration Menu also lets you log out or
get online help. The read-only snapshot fields on the right side of the home page are
explained below.

Note Be aware that the VBAdmin pages (including the home page) are not automatically
refreshed. To update the page with the latest information, use the refresh or reload
button on your browser.

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 Getting Started

Figure 17. DME Home Page

Model Number Circled above in Figure 17. See Server Models on page 3 for
more about DME models.
Host Name Circled above in Figure 17. The DME Host Name is defined
on System Configuration > Network page.
Status Day, date, and time (hh:mm:ss) the server was last reset.
Current Time on Server System Time (as set on System Configuration > General page.
Up Time Aggregate up time since the last server reset.
Application Code Revision DME software code revision currently installed.
RTMP Server Version RTMP server software code revision.
OS Registration Number OS registration number.
RTP CPU Load Current processing load on RTP server.
RTMP CPU Load Current processing load on RTMP server.
Total CPU Load Total CPU load as a percentage of available resource.
Current # of Connections Total number of clients currently connected.
Current Throughput Current throughput in bits/sec.
Multi Protocol Connections Current number of input and output multi protocol
Count connections.
Multi Protocol Max Count Maximum number of multi protocol connections (configured
on System Configuration > Streaming page).
RTP Connections Count Current number of input RTP connections.

DME Admin Guide 27

 RTP Connections Max Maximum number of RTP connections (configured on
Count System Configuration > Streaming page).
Disk Usage System Total megabytes used and available for DME system
resources.
Disk Usage Content Total megabytes used and available for DME content.
iSCSI Usage Total megabytes used and available on iSCSI device ( if
enabled).
Disable Server Use this button to quickly terminate all connections. The
"Server is running" message will be replaced with "Server is
idle."
IP Address The DME's IP address is shown in the lower right corner.

Configuration Menu
The DME Configuration Menu on the left side of the VBAdmin page provides access to all
configurable DME parameters. Use the (plus and minus) tree controls to expand or collapse
the menu. Click on any item in the menu to display the corresponding configuration page.
Note that the DME is a reflector and always sends what is received. For this reason, there are
no video or audio configuration fields on the DME pages nor do the destination pages let
you select different video and audio rates.

28 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Getting Started

Table 7. Configuration Menu Options

Home Page Displays a snapshot of important status indicators
including software version and the current number
of client connections.
System Configuration Provides access to configurable system parameters
such as Network, Streaming and Caching.
SAP Configuration Allows configuration of announcements of DME
capabilities and streams
Input Configuration Lets you configure input stream types.
Output Configuration Lets you configure output stream types.
User Configuration Lets you configure the DME user name and
password and the announce settings that let you
push streams into the DME.
VC Gateway Configuration Explains how to configure the DME as a video
conferencing gateway.
Logging Lets you enable and configure the Access History
and the Error Log.
Monitor The Monitor pages show status information for
users and relays as well as the Access History and
the Error Log.
Maintenance Provides access to system maintenance options
including Shutdown and Reset.
Diagnostics Explains how to run diagnostics when
troubleshooting VC Gateway issues.
Log Out Logs out the current user and displays the Login.
VBAdmin automatically times out and displays the
Login page after 20 minutes with no activity.
Help Displays the online help system. You can also click
the question mark (?) icon on any page to go
directly to the help for that page. You will need an
Internet connection to display the online help.

VBDirectory
VBDirectory is VBrick management application that discovers and displays all VBrick
devices (including DMEs) connected to your network. It shows the Name (as DME and MAC
Address), IP Address, and Model (see Table 8) for each DME on your network. VBDirectory
is an easy way to connect to the management pages for the DME or other VBrick devices.
The VBDirectory application is available on the VBrick Downloads page for new customers
and is automatically installed when you perform an upgrade. Be aware that you will need
VBDirectory v5.3 or higher to discover the DMEs on your network. Click on the Upgrade button
to launch the VBDMEDownload upgrade tool. See Software Upgrade on page 151 for more
about upgrading your software.

DME Admin Guide 29

 Figure 18. VBDirectory
Table 8. DME Models
Type Model Recommended Concurrent Users
DME BPS 7530 50–100
DME XPS 7550 1000 or less
DME HPS 7550 1000 or more

Configuration Using Secure Shell (SSH) or a Console

It is recommended that you use Secure Shell (SSH) or a Console to perform basic
configuration tasks such as configuring your network before you access the user interface of
your DME. To use the SSH interface, login to the DME using PuTTY or a similar Telnet/
SSH client (default administrator login name and password: admin|admin). The Configure
Network option (see below) lets you configure for DHCP or set a static address (including
IPaddress, Subnet Mask, and Gateway), for example. SSH is enabled by default on the System
Configuration > Security page. Each configuration option is described in the Table below.

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 Getting Started

Configure Network Used to quickly configure your network and includes the
ability to configure for DHCP or static address and designate
an IP address, Subnet Mask, and Gateway. This is the same
ability that is included on the System Configuration >
Network screen on the DME. This is useful to set your IP
address on your DME before you begin using your appliance.
Set Hostname The DME Host Name may also be defined on System
Configuration > Network page. It will display in the banner
graphic in the top right area of all DME configuration pages
and defaults to DME <Mac_Address> which is a hardware
address unique to each node of a network. The DME
Hostname also identifies the appliance to various network
applications including DHCP and the VBDirectory
management application.
Clear DNS If the DNS entries are not reachable, the device may respond
sluggishly. Clearing the DNS entries will alleviate the
situation.
Reset to Default Settings This task resets most settings except for network settings and
passwords to their default settings. The same task may be
executed from the System Configuration > Manage
Configuration form in the DME.
Reset to Factory Default This task resets ALL settings including network and
Settings passwords to factory defaults. Use with caution. The same
task maybe be executed from the System Configuration >
Manage Configuration form in the DME.
Show Network This task will show your entire network configuration
Configuration including your IP address, Subnet Mask, Gateway, DNS1, and
DNS2 settings.
Reboot Device with Disk If the DME is shut down improperly, the disk may need to be
Check checked to verify and recover any bad sectors. Use this option
to do so.
Reboot Device Reboots the device without running a check disk.
Shutdown Device A graceful shutdown and power off that will require human
intervention to power the device back on.
Exit Exits the session.

DME Admin Guide 31

32 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.
 Chapter 4
Configuring DME Streams
Topics in this chapter
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
DME Input Streams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
DME Output Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Overview
The diagram in Figure 19 shows the most common input and output streams supported by the
DME. The DME Input Streams shown on the left in the diagram are live inputs from a
VBrick encoder or streams from another live source—these streams can be inputs to either
the RTP server or to the Multi Protocol server in the DME. The DME Output Streams on the
right may include live streams as well as stored streams from any of the three (RTP, Multi
Protocol, HTTP) onboard VOD servers. Live output streams are reflected from the RTP
server or the Multi Protocol server. For an important conceptual overview of the DME,
please read Planning and Preparation on page 15.
For both Input and Output cases the numbering reflects the general priority of the various
streams. For example, other factors being equal RTMP push in (In-1) is the preferred
method for delivering streams into the DME. The alternate mechanisms may be required,
however, based on a number of factors as follows:
1. Ability of the source to deliver a stream by a given protocol.
2. Ability of the firewalls to manage delivery of the stream via the given protocol.
3. Specific requirements of the stream. Prominent examples of these requirements are (1)
closed captioning which cannot be transported via RTMP within the VBrick ecosystem;
and (2) KLV metadata which can only be transported via Transport Stream in the VBrick
ecosystem.

Tip: Click an input or output method on the image map below (e.g. In-8 or Out-3)
to view a step-by-step description of how to configure that method.

DME Admin Guide 33

Figure 19. Supported Input/Output Streams

Note The VBrick H.264 Appliance Admin Guide has complete configuration details for the
H.264 encoder. Please refer to this document when configuring the DME. This
document is included with the DME documentation on the VBrick website.

Typical Use Cases

Input Streams
In-1 < Push (RTMP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
In-2 < RTP Auto Unicast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
In-3 < RTP Auto Unicast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
In-4 < Unicast/Multicast Transport Streams In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
In-5 < Pull (RTMP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
In-6 < Pull (RTSP). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
In-7 < Pull Transport Stream using RTSP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
In-8 < Unicast/Multicast RTP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Output Streams
Out-1 > Serve (RTMP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

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 Configuring DME Streams

Out-2 > Serve TS via RTSP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Out-3 > Serve (RTP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Out-4 > Serve (RTP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Out-5 > Push TS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Out-6 > Create HLS (for iPod, iPhone/iPad) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Out-7 > Relay (Unicast/Multicast) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Out-8 > Create HDS (for Flash) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Out-9 > Push (RTMP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Out-10 > Push RTP via RTSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Out-11 > Push RTP via RTSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Out-12 > Serve (.wmv, HLS, HDS, other). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

DME Listener Ports

The following table shows the listeners that are configured by default on the DME. They are
used in differing use case scenarios as shown below.

Table 9. DME Listener Ports

DME Port Protocol Description Where Used
554 RTSP Auto Unicast Announce (UDP/TCP) In-3 < RTP Auto Unicast
5544 RTSP Auto Unicast Announce (TCP) In-2 < RTP Auto Unicast
1935 RTMP Push from a Flash encoder, for example In-1 < Push (RTMP)
a VBrick encoder or an Adobe FMLE.

DME Input Streams

In-1 < Push (RTMP)
This is the preferred method for providing stream input to the DME. In this scenario the
DME input is a live stream push from an RTMP transmitter. Common examples of sources
that produce the RTMP live stream push include H.264 encoders, VB7000 v3.1 or higher,
VB9000, another DME, and a Flash Media Live Encoder (FMLE). Since no configuration on
the DME is required for this input mode, the stream name is derived from the RTMP stream
name on the source. This stream name is used for redistributing the stream to various
outputs.

Note If you wish to redistribute the stream using Unannounced RTP (Out-7), or using
Served RTP from the RTP Server (Out-4), or Push RTP via RTSP from the RTP
Server (out-11) an internal RTP Push (Out-10) must be configured.

DME Admin Guide 35

 Figure 20. Encoder RTMP Push to DME

36 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Configuring DME Streams

 To configure a Push (RTMP) input:

Objective: This use case allows the DME to receive a live stream from an RTMP push
source. The source can be an FMLE, a VBrick encoder, or another DME. If you are
pushing from a VBrick encoder go to "When sending a stream from a VBrick encoder." If
you are pushing from another DME go to "When sending a stream from another DME." If
you are using a FMLE, please refer to the FMLE documentation for help pushing to a
Flash Media Server.
When sending a stream from a VBrick encoder:
1. In the encoder, set the desired Audio/Video configuration for frame rate, resolution,
video and audio rate, sampling frequency etc.
2. Select a stream to send, set the stream type to RTMP, and select the streams you want to
send to the DME (including audio, video, or both).
3. Select a transmitter for the selected stream and setup the information to send the
stream out to the DME. From Stream Select, select the RTMP stream to be used for
this transmitter. Enter either the IP address of the DME or DNS host name. The
destination port is 1935 by default unless the administrator changed it on the DME. Do
not use the hostname of the DME unless the DME hostname is registered via DNS.
Enter the application name in the DME. It can be live, vbrick, vbApp, vod, or just vb.
Enter a unique string name for the RTMP Stream. You need to make sure no other
stream (in the destination DME) is using the same stream name. Also enter the user
name and password for the DME to receive the stream if authentication is enabled. You
can get this information from the administrator who configured the DME. By default,
the username and password are broadcast/broadcast.
4. Enable the stream to be sent to the DME.
When sending a stream from another DME:
1. In the DME, launch the management interface, log in, and go to System Configuration
> Flash Push Settings. Find an open slot from the 25 possible slots, enter the server IP
address or DNS host name, and enter the port (1935 is the default port for RTMP). The
port number is required. You also need an entry for Application name for the
destination. If the destination is another DME, most likely the name would be live.
Enter the destination publishing point name. In the stream name field, enter the name
of the stream that exists on the local DME that you want to push out. The Target Name
is optional and is the synonymous with the publishing point name. The other fields like
Emulate , swfURL , and pageURL are optional and are only needed if the destination
server requires special value to be inserted for them. They are not required for a
destination DME. The DME push component currently emulates a FMLE v3.0. If a
different emulation string is required, enter it here. This is not required for a destination
DME. If security is enabled on the destination server you will need the user name and
password so enter the appropriate values here.
2. This stream can now be redistributed by the DME.

In-2 < RTP Auto Unicast

From a source perspective, these two mechanisms are very similar. The only major difference
is whether the stream is sent to the RTP Server or the Multi-protocol server. This is
determined by DME port that the stream is sent to. In general, In-2 is preferred to In-3. The
only situation where In-3 should be used is if the UDP protocol is required. since IN-2 does

DME Admin Guide 37

 not support UDP. Note that depending on the mechanism used, and the output protocols
required, manual configuration of In-6 or Out-10 is needed so the stream can pass between
the two servers.
This use case is commonly used to publish streams to the DME from VB7000 encoders
running v3.0 or earlier software. These early versions of the VBrick appliance did not support
RTMP, hence the preferred mechanism of RTMP Push (IN-1) is not available. In this
scenario the input is sourced from an Auto Unicast transmitter on a VBrick 7000/9000 Series
(H.264) encoder. Auto Unicast is a transmitter mode that allows the VBrick encoder to
"automatically" establish and maintain a connection with a streaming server. The stream is
pushed to a configured publishing point location on the DME to which external clients can
connect to retrieve the stream. For example, you can place a VBrick encoder inside a private
network and configure it to Auto Unicast to a DME. External clients will then connect to the
DME server via the Internet. Auto Unicast uses RTSP to control the session. It establishes a
connection with the streaming server, negotiates ports, and begins streaming to the server.
Once established, the encoder will push this stream to the DME until the session is
terminated (typically by disabling the transmitter).
In the case of both In-2 and In-3, the Auto Unicast transmitter can be configured to send a
UDP stream or a TCP stream. The key difference is that a TCP stream provides guaranteed
delivery and therefore adds additional overhead; UDP does not and lost UDP packets are not
retransmitted. If overhead is not a factor, TCP is recommended. See the "Auto Unicast
Mode" topic in the H.264 Encoder Appliance Admin Guide for more information. In addition,
please keep the following points in mind when configuring this input method:

• If using UDP (IN-3), the DME chooses the audio and video ports. The default DME
Auto Unicast Destination Port = 554.
• If using In-3 or In-2 and Flash Server Authentication is enabled on the DME Security
page, you will need to configure an Auto Unicast Destination Username and Password.
• This input method has the desirable characteristic that no input configuration is required
on the DME so the stream name is generated by the stream configuration parameters on
the source side. This name must be unique in the DME. derived from two encoder
parameters which must be configured to be consistent. One of these is the sdp file name.
The second name source is the incoming program name. In some cases, multiple streams
with different bit rates are to be sent to the DME. In these cases, the unique program
names are preserved using the Announce Session Name Override parameter to override
the common program name.

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 Configuring DME Streams

Figure 21. Encoder Auto Unicast Listener

 To configure an RTSP Announce (RTP) input:

Objective: Send a unicast set of streams via Auto Unicast to the DME as input. RTP
streams can be generated either by an encoder or another DME, and the corresponding
SDP file describes the RTP stream(s). Configure your encoder as follows:
1. Set the desired Audio/Video configuration for frame rate, resolution, video and audio
rate, sampling frequency etc.
2. Select a stream to send, set the stream type to RTP, and select the streams you want to
send to the DME (including audio, video, or both).
3. Select a transmitter to use for the selected stream and setup the information to send the
stream out to the DME. Select either auto-unicast UDP or auto-unicast TCP. If
transmitting to the Multi Protocol server, only TCP may be used. The destination port,
must be the Multi-Protocol or the RTP Server port as configured on the DME. The
destination of the stream is the IP address or hostname of the target DME. Do not use
the hostname of the DME unless it is registered via DNS. Also enter the user name and
password of the DME to receive the stream if using In-3 or if required and using In-3.
By default, the username and password are broadcast/broadcast but may have been
changed by the DME administrator.
4. Configure the DME stream name by setting the Program name, sdp file name, and
Announce Session Override as required per the discussion above.
5. Enable the stream to be sent to the DME.

DME Admin Guide 39

 Figure 22. Encoder Auto Unicast Listener

In-3 < RTP Auto Unicast

See following text In-2 < RTP Auto Unicast.

In-4 < Unicast/Multicast Transport Streams In

This is the preferred method for providing stream input to the DME when Transport Stream
is required. Transport Stream is required in cases where transport of metadata such as KLV is
required, since no other protocol is capable of transporting this metadata. In this scenario the
DME input is a live stream push from a Transport Stream transmitter. Common examples of
sources capable of producing a live Transport Stream push include a VB6000/7000/9000
VBrick MPEG-2/H.264 encoder or another DME.

Note If you wish to redistribute the stream using Unannounced RTP (Out-7), Served RTP
from the RTP Server (Out-4), or Push RTP via RTSP from the RTP Server (out-11) an
internal RTP Push (Out-10) must be configured.

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 Configuring DME Streams

 To configure a Unicast/Multicast (TS) input:

Objective: Use this option if you need to tune into an MPEG2TS carrying an H.264 load
and need to distribute it further. The transport stream is either a multicast on your network
or a unicast directed to this DME from a source. If multicast, you will need to know the IP
address and port the multicast is being sent on. If unicast to you, you will need to know
which port number it being sent to.
1. Fill in the multicast address and port if multicast, or enter 127.0.0.1 and port if unicast.
For source specific multicasts, enter the multicast address followed by a colon and then
the source address. Example: 232.1.1.1:172.22.2.166
2. Enter the port number. The port number needs to be unique for all unicast sources
specified in the list.
3. Enter a name for this incoming transport stream. You can also use the default name, or
create another meaningful name for this stream. The name is used to distribute the
stream to other destinations and stream types.
4. Enable the location and click Apply. The status will indicate "Receiving" if the stream is
found and being received. It will display "Waiting For Stream" if the stream is not
detected. For multicast sources, the multicast address and port combination must be
unique. For unicast sources, the port number must be unique (i.e. the same port cannot
be used for multiple unicast receive.)
TS Pull supports true pass-through without any parsing of the stream so the stream and all
of its contents including KLV (if any) can be passed through to other TS destinations. See
use case Out-5 > Push TS for more information.
The incoming name specified in the user interface can now also be used to stream the
incoming transport stream as RTMP, RTP (via RTSP), or HLS. Once configured, you can
see details about this stream in the Monitor > Multi Protocol Connections page.

In-5 < Pull (RTMP)

This scenario is the same as method In-6 Pull RTSP/RTP above except that it is an RTMP
pull from an RTMP server (for example Wowza, FMS, QuickTime) or from another DME. In
this case the stream is pulled by the DME from a source with a URL similar to: rtmp://
server:port/application/publishing_point. If pulling from another DME it is convenient
to make the stream name on this DME the same as the publishing point on the source DME
in order to retain the same stream name throughout the ecosystem. The following example
shows the original RTMP URL from a VBOSS URL and the parameters on the Flash Pull
Setting page from which the URL is derived:
rtmp://fml.2D84.edgecastcdn.net/202D84/fls/2D84

Server:Port fml.2D84.edgecastcdn.net

Application 202D84/fls

Publishing Point 2D84

Stream Name myprogram

Note that if you wish to redistribute the stream using Unannounced RTP (Out-7) Served
RTP from the RTP Server (Out-4), or Push RTP via RTSP from the RTP Server (out-11) an
internal RTP Push (Out-10) will need to be configured

DME Admin Guide 41

 .
 To configure a Pull (RTMP) input:
Objective: Pull a RTMP stream from another DME or a Flash server to redistribute.
1. In the DME, launch the management interface, log in, and go to System Configuration
> Flash Pull Settings. You will need to pull an RTMP stream from a source, so find an
open slot from the 25 possible slots and select RTMP as the type. Enter the server IP
address or DNS host name, and enter the port if not already 1935 (default port for
RTMP). Since this is RTMP an entry in Application is required. Enter the source RTMP
server application name, for example live. Also fill in the publishing point name, which
identifies the resource on the remote system that we need to pull from. Enter a unique
stream name to be used for redistributing the stream within the DME. In most cases
there will be no need for the user name and password since this is a pull. This stream
can now be redistributed in several ways by the DME. It can also act as a source for
uses case Out-4 > Serve (RTP) and Out-11 > Push RTP via RTSP.

In-6 < Pull (RTSP)

In this scenario the input originates from an RTSP/RTP external
source. Examples are the server on an H.264 encoder another DME, a
Wowza, QuickTime, or Darwin server. The stream is pulled (via the
RTSP session protocol) from the external source. The DME can pull
from various outside sources (e.g. from another DME, or from a
Wowza, QuickTime, or Darwin server). An RTSP Pull is configured in
the DME on the System Configuration > Flash Pull Settings page.
The stream packets are received as RTP and used as a source for any of the output protocols.
Another use of this protocol is to pull the live stream from the DME's RTP server and deliver it
as a source for one of the Multi Protocol server’s output protocols or as a source for transrating.

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 Configuring DME Streams

Figure 23. Flash/RTSP Pull

Type • RTSP – pull the RTSP stream into the DME. See In-6 < Pull
(RTSP).
• RTMP – pull the RTMP stream into the DME. See In-5 < Pull
(RTMP).
Server:Port The IP address and port number of the VBrick server. Enter a port
number only if you are not using the default RTMP port (1935) or the
default RTSP port (554).
Application Only required if you are pulling RTMP from an RTMP server such as
another DME or an FMS. See In-5 < Pull (RTMP). This string is
defined by the source.
Publishing Point This is the Resource Name on the Program Configuration > Servers
page on the encoder.
Stream Name User-friendly name displayed on the DME. Used, for example, to
simplify cryptic publishing point names coming from a CDN. This
name becomes the incoming stream name the DME uses to distribute
the stream in multiple ways.
User Name If the incoming stream requires authentication, enter the user name
and password.

DME Admin Guide 43

 Password If the incoming stream requires authentication, enter the user name
and password.
Use RTCP Lets you use RTCP sync reports for the incoming stream. If you know
your source does not produce RTCP reports, uncheck this box.
Status Displays the high-level status (Disabled | Connected | Receiving) of
the incoming stream.

 To configure a Pull (RTSP) input:

Objective: Pull an RTSP unicast RTP stream(s) from a source as input to the DME. If the
stream is coming from an external server, like a VBrick H264 encoder, follow steps 1 and 2,
and 3. Otherwise the stream should be active and available either from another DME, or
internally from the same DME, and you can start at Step 4.
1. In the encoder, set the desired Audio/Video configuration for frame rate, resolution,
video and audio rate, sampling frequency etc.
2. In the encoder, select a stream to send, set the stream type to RTP, and select the
streams you want to send to the DME (including audio, video, or both).
3. In the encoder, select the resource name of the stream to be used in the server
component of the encoder. The default name for streams served from the encoder is
vbStream1S1. You can change the name to anything you want. You also need to enable
the server.
4. In the DME, launch the management interface, log in, and go to System Configuration
> Flash/RTSP Pull Settings. You will need to pull an RTSP stream from a source, so
find an open slot from the 25 possible slots and select RTSP as the type. Enter the
server IP address or DNS host name, and enter the port if not already 554 (default port
for RTSP). Since this is RTSP, no entry for Application is required. Enter the publishing
point name like vbStream1S1. If you are pulling a stream specified in use case In-8 <
Unicast/Multicast RTP or In-3 < RTP Auto Unicast, enter the sdp filename used when
creating the stream. In most cases there will no need for the user name and password
since this is a pull. Note: the pull uses RTSP Interleaved streams delivered by TCP only
so make sure this is supported on the source.
5. If you know the RTSP source does not generate RTCP reports, or the RTCP reports do
not have accurate time sync information, uncheck the Use RTCP box and the DME will
not look for RTCP reports or ignore those coming in. Note: RTCP reports help to
enable audio and video sync. If unchecked, there will be no way to "re-sync" the stream
once it has started. Uncheck only if you have knowledge of the source and the RTCP
reports it sends.
6. Enable the stream and apply, and the DME will start acquiring the stream. This stream
can now be redistributed by the DME.

In-7 < Pull Transport Stream using RTSP

This protocol is not supported in DME 3.x.

In-8 < Unicast/Multicast RTP

This input is sourced from a unicast or multicast transmitter on a VBrick 7000/9000 Series
(H.264) encoder or equivalent source. In this scenario, a transmitter is configured to send a

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 Configuring DME Streams

live unicast stream (e.g. 172.xxx.xxx.xxx) to the DME or a live multicast stream (e.g.
239.xxx.xxx.xxx) to a multicast address. For both of these options you will need to manually fetch
the SDP file from the encoder and FTP it to the root folder (or a subfolder) on the DME. The SDP
file has information describing the stream such as profile, bit rate, addressing, and
transmission method.

Note • In order to redistribute a stream via any of the mechanisms sourced from a multi-
protocol server, an RTSP pull (In-6) must be configured between the RTP
streaming server and the multi-protocol server
• Similarly, if this input mechanism is used to source a transrating operation, the
RTSP Pull must be set up. Announcements need manual configuration if this input
mechanism is used

 To stream from a VBrick encoder:

1. Launch the VBAdmin page for the encoder.
2. Go to the Program Configuration > Transmitters page.
3. Click on the SDP File URL button.
4. FTP the SDP file to the root folder (or a subfolder) on the DME.
When configuring the encoder, the default Video Port is 4444; the default encoder Audio
Port is 4644. These ports must be unique for each stream and must match those configured
in the DME. The DME administrator must ensure that all SDP files have unique port
numbers and that no port numbers are duplicated across all SDP files. Subsequently the
encoder must also be configured to transmit on unique ports when streaming to the DME.

Figure 24. Encoder Unicast/Multicast Configuration

DME Admin Guide 45

  To configure a Unicast/Multicast input:
Objective: Send a unicast or multicast RTP set of streams to the DME as input. RTP
streams can be generated either by an encoder or another DME, and the corresponding
SDP file describes the RTP stream(s). Configure your encoder (v3.0 or higher) as follows:
1. Set the desired Audio/Video configuration for frame rate, resolution, video and audio
rate, sampling frequency etc.
2. Select a stream to send, and set the stream type to be RTP, and select the streams you
want to sent to the DME (including audio, video, or both).
3. Select a transmitter to use for selected stream and setup the Destination Port parameter
to send the stream out of a port that is not already used on the DME. This is a manual
process to determine which other streams are on the DME. Usually, choosing a high
number in the 20000 range is likely safe and will not conflict. Use an even number, then
use the next sequential even number for the next stream (audio or video), for example
Video Port 20100, Audio Port 20102.
4. Enable the stream to be sent to the DME either as a unicast or multicast out. The
Destination IP address determines whether it is a unicast or multicast.
5. Extract the SDP stream once the settings above are applied and active. Place the SDP
file in DME via FTP in the root folder. Make sure the SDP filename you use is unique
when placing the file in the DME. This stream can now be redistributed by the DME.

DME Output Streams

The DME supports the output methods described on the following pages. There are
different output scenarios available depending on whether the stream originates from the
RTP server, the RTMP server, or the HTTP server. This is illustrated in the diagram in
Figure 19. Please refer to this diagram when configuring DME output streams.

Out-1 > Serve (RTMP)

Live streams content can be served via unicast RTMP. Note that the port generally will not
have to be defined in the URL provided the default port 1935 is used. You can play the
stream in a Flash player using a URL similar to the following:
rtmp://server:port/application/publishing_point

For live streams the publishing point is the stream name and the application is typically "live".
For stored the publishing point is the file name and the application is "vod". No explicit
configuration of this option is required.

 To configure a Serve (RTMP) output:

Objective: This use case is typically used to allow Flash clients using RTMP streaming to
acquire a live stream or a VOD stream.
1. Enter the RTMP URL information in the embedded Flash client with an application of
live or vod depending on the type of content served.

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 Configuring DME Streams

Out-2 > Serve TS via RTSP

You can serve available live streams and stored files via unicast RTSP/TS. Note that the port
must be explicitly identified in the URL. The port required is the Multi Protocol server port -
default 5544.

Live
No explicit configuration of this option is required. All live streams in Multi-Protocol server
are available for serving via an appropriate URL. Generally only Transport streams
containing H.264 video are supported, but for transport streams which are brought into the
DME using a transport stream protocol and are transmitted using transport stream protocol,
any codec will be supported. This allows support of MPEG-2 video in transport stream for
this use case. There are number of possible formats for the URLs. The recommended URL
format includes "ts" in the URL path:
rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port>/ts/<stream_name>

Alternate URLs are available for backward compatibility. These URLS are not
recommended. If the stream has been provided using a TS push only (In-4) the following
URLs are acceptable:
rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port>/<stream_name>_ts

rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port>/ts/<stream_name>_ts

rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port><stream_name>?ForceTS

rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port><stream_name>_ts>?ForceTS

rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port>/ts/<stream_name>?ForceTS

rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port>/ts/<stream_name>_ts>?ForceTS

If the stream has been provided using another Input use cases, the following URLs are legal:
rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port><stream_name>?ForceTS

rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port>/ts/<stream_name>?ForceTS

Stored
ts/mpg, mov, or mp4 files can be served using unicast RTSP/TS. Only files containing H.264
content video are supported. The recommended URL format for this use case is as follows.
Alternate URLs are available but not recommended.
rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port>/vodts/<filename.extension>

If the file is a transport stream file then the following formats can be used:
rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port>/vod/<filename.extension>

rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port>/vod/<filename.extension>?ForceTS

rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port>/vodts/<filename.extension>?ForceTS

If the file is a mov or mp4 file then the following format are acceptable:
rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port>/vod/<filename.extension>?ForceTS

rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port>/vodts/<filename.extension>?ForceTS

You can serve an available stream via unicast RTSP with the resulting URL as follows
(append "_ts" to the URL path).

DME Admin Guide 47

 rtsp://<dme_ip_address>:5544/<stream_name>_ts

Out-3 > Serve (RTP)

The Multi-Protocol server on the DME serves live or stored content using the RTSP/RTP
protocol. You can play the stream in StreamPlayer, QuickTime, or VLC using a URL similar
to this:
rtsp://server:port/<publishing_point>

Since the Multi-Protocol server uses a non-standard RTSP port (default 5544), the port
number is required in the URL. There are two use cases for serving RTSP. Out-4 should be
used for optimal stream stability, but if many simultaneous users are expected, the equivalent
Out-3 is preferred. There are three possible protocols used for RTP serving: UDP; TCP
using RTSP interleaved; TCP using HTTP tunneling. Out-4 supports all three of these
options while Out-3 does not support HTTP tunneling. This difference may determine which
RTSP/RTP server to utilize.

Live
This output option requires no explicit configuration on the DME but is available for all live
content present on the Multi-Protocol server, whether brought directly into the server or
Pulled from the RTP server using an internal In-6. An example of a live publishing point is:
rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port>/<streamname>

Stored
There are two options for serving RTSP. Out-4 is used if the VOD content contains
MPEG-4 Part2 video or PCM audio. Since Out-4 is more generally applicable it is
recommended for this use case. Stored content is accessed using the filename of the content.
Examples of stored URLs are:
rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port>/filename.mov

rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port>/filename.mp4

The RTP server on the DME serves RTP files. Play the stream in StreamPlayer, QuickTime,
or VLC using a URL similar to this:
rtsp://server:port/publishing_point.sdp

Since the Multi Protocol RTP server uses an non-standard RTSP port – default 5544 – normally
the port must be explicitly included in the URL.

 To configure a Serve (RTP) output:

Objective: This use case explains how a stream available on the Multi Protocol server is
served to clients that support RTSP streams. Further, this server is commonly used for
delivering VOD content.

From a client that supports RTSP RTP streams, enter the RTSP URL, typically:
rtsp:// DME_ip_address:5544/streamname

Out-4 > Serve (RTP)

The RTP server on the DME serves live or stored content using the RTSP/RTP protocol.
You can play the stream in StreamPlayer, QuickTime, or VLC using a URL similar to this:

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 Configuring DME Streams

rtsp://server:port/<publishing_point>

Normally the default port 554 is assigned to the RTSP/RTP server, so the port number is
optional in the URL. If an alternate port is assigned to the RTSP/RTP server, then the port
number must be entered. There are two use cases for serving RTSP. Out-4 should be used for
optimal stream stability, but if many simultaneous users are expected, the equivalent Out-3 is
preferred. There are three possible protocols used for RTP serving: UDP; TCP using RTSP
interleaved; TCP using HTTP tunneling. Out-4 supports all three of these options while
Out-3 does not support HTTP tunneling. This difference may affect which RTSP/RTP
server to use.

Live
Note that this output option requires no explicit configuration on the DME but is available
for all live content present on the RTP streaming server, whether brought directly into the
RTP server or Pushed from the Multi Protocol server using an internal Out-10. A live
publishing point includes the ".sdp" extension in the publishing point name so an example of
a live publishing point is:
rtsp://<dme_ip_address>/my_streamname.sdp

Stored
There are two options for serving RTSP. Out-4 must be used if the VOD content contains
MPEG-4 Part2 video or PCM audio. Stored content is accessed using the filename of the
content. Examples of stored URLs are:
rtsp://<dme_ip_address>/filename.mov

rtsp://<dme_ip_address>/filename.mp4

 To configure a Serve (RTP) output:

Objective: This use case explains how to allow a stream acquired through use case In-8 <
Unicast/Multicast RTP or In-3 < RTP Auto Unicast, or most commonly via an internal
Push form the Multi Protocol server (Out-10), to be served via an RTSP server from the
DME to clients that support RTSP streams. Additionally this server is commonly used for
delivering VOD content.
1. From a client that supports RTSP RTP streams, enter the RTSP URL, typically rtsp://
dme_ip_address/streamname.sdp where the streamname.sdp file is the original output
SDP file name.

DME Admin Guide 49

 Out-5 > Push TS

 To configure a Push TS output:

Objective: This use case explains how to distribute available streams to unicast or multicast
Transport Stream destinations. Note that although any stream available to the Multi-
Protocol server can be distributed as a Transport Stream, if it is required for KLV
metadata, the stream must remain in a Transport Stream container in all cases.
1. Enter the destination unicast or multicast address.
2. Enter the destination port to send the stream to.
3. Enter the name of the incoming stream you want to distribute to your destination.
4. Enable the stream and click Apply.
5. The status will indicate either "Sending" or "Waiting for Stream" if the specified input
stream cannot be found.
6. You can also verify the detailed status of your outbound transport stream on the
Monitor> Multi Protocol Connections page.

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 Configuring DME Streams

Out-6 > Create HLS (for iPod, iPhone/iPad)

 To create an HLS stream for Serving via HTTP:

Objective: This use case explains how to create an HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) stream
which is essentially a set of TS files made from an input H.264 stream with a playlist, so
that it can be played on Apple iPad/iPhone/iPad devices via a wireless connection. Mac
QuickTime X players (and some VLC players) can also play the stream.
The playlist generated can either be from a single input stream or multiple input streams.
Multiple streams are useful in varying bandwidth environments. If you need to create an
adaptive playlist that allows the player to switch between multiple rate streams to adapt to
the fluctuating bandwidth, you need to create multiple HLS output streams—all with the
same Master Playlist Name.
The playlist generated can vary depending on the configuration. Since the segments must
be generated on an IDR (Key Frame) boundary, the source must be producing IDR frames
at a regular interval in the stream. It is helpful to know how often IDR frames are being
inserted into stream from the source and it is a good idea to set a Minimum Segment
Length that is a multiple of IDR interval number. Larger segment sizes increase latency.
The default settings will create a latency of about 30 seconds (a common latency for HLS).
This is probably optimal in terms of IDR frame interval/segment sizes. You can reduce
latency by forcing the incoming IDR interval to 1 and setting the minimum segment length
to 1 but this will make the source, the DME, and the client work much harder than they
may need to.
You can also enter the bandwidth associated with each incoming stream. The stream
bandwidth is important when generating an adaptive bitrate stream with multiple streams.
Although VBrick 7000/9000 Series (H.264) encoders include the bandwidth information in
the stream, some stream sources do not. You may need to provide this information (if your
encoder does not) because HLS generation for adaptive bitrate streaming requires accurate
bandwidth information to work properly.
1. Enter the stream name for the generated HLS stream.
2. To create an adaptive bit rate playlist, enter a unique name for your master playlist. This
must be different from any incoming stream name, otherwise leave blank. When blank,
the default non-adaptive playlist name created is "HLS" which is required in the
playback URL. Use the same name when creating multiple HLS streams which are then
all associated with the adaptive bitrate master playlist. The highest bandwidth streams
should be at the top of the list of (1 to 25) HLS streams.
3. If you know your incoming stream does not have bandwidth information, enter a value
(in kbps) in the bandwidth override field for the stream. This value supersedes any value
actually in the stream.
4. Playlists that are created using "rolling" means that the old segments are deleted as new
segments are created for a live stream. In some applications, you may want to keep all
your segments and create an ever growing playlist. This lets you create a DVR-like

DME Admin Guide 51

 feature where users can tune in late into a live presentation, and rewind to the beginning
or jump back to the present. Caution: the "appending" setting does not delete segments
and may adversely impact the space available on your hard drive. You could conceivably
use all remaining disk space if you leave a live stream running from the source into the
DME. Thus a built-in safeguard stops creating appending segments and switches to
rolling segments after 7 days. Note: if you need to archive appending (non-rolling
segmentation), the segments and playlist are available via FTP in the folder: /HLS/
streamname or /MultiplePlaylistName/streamname, only when the stream is enabled
and active. When disabled, all associated playlists and segments are deleted from disk.
5. The Playlist Length field signals the playlist size of segments and controls the length of
DVR functionality when Type = Rolling. This field is ignored when Type = Appending.
Leave at the default (rolling) unless you have a compelling reason to change.
6. The Minimum Segment Length is a number (in seconds) that determines minimum size
of segments that will be created. Although reducing this number reduces latency, it also
creates smaller files meaning that the player will need to request new segments more
frequently. Make this number a multiple (2x) of the IDR Frame Interval. For VBrick
encoders, the default interval is 4, so that 8 (the default) is a recommended value.
7. Enable the stream(s) and click Apply.
8. The status will indicate "Active" if HLS streams are being created or "Waiting for
Stream" if the input stream cannot be found.
9. You can also verify the detailed status of your outbound TS stream on the Monitor >
Multi Protocol Connections page.

Out-7 > Relay (Unicast/Multicast)

Relays can be used to output RTP streams as either unicast or multicast. However, it is
normally used for multicast, since pushing RTP should use OUT-10 whenever possible. As
explained below, after configuring the stream source, there are two ways to configure the
relay destination. You can (1) configure an Announced UDP relay where the stream is
announced and transmitted via Auto Unicast (Out-11); or (2) configure an Unannounced
UDP relay where the destination device requires access to the sdp file located on the source
DME.
The use case for Auto Unicast is not recommended—use Out-11 instead, a similar use case.
Details are covered in Out-10 > Push RTP via RTSP below. If using Unannounced relay with
a unicast destination the sdp file may have to be manually copied the from the source to the
destination - an error prone and inconvenient process. It is occasionally necessary to use this
technique to communicate with an end device depending on firewall settings. The dominant
use for the Relay configuration is to generate an RTP multicast. Typically the sdp file is
accessed via HTTP. The sdp file contains all of the information needed for the client to
locate the multicast. Each of these options is explained below. See RTP Relay for more about
relays.

Note For a step-by-step procedure that explains how to configure a multicast relay in greater
detail, see Playing DME Streams on page 141.

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 Configuring DME Streams

Figure 25. RTP Relay Page

Source Settings
Every relay has one source and one or more destinations. The source is typically the
Hostname or IP address of the DME.

Source Hostname The Hostname or IP address of the DME.

or IP Address
Mount Point The incoming stream .sdp filename.

DME Admin Guide 53

 Request incoming This option creates an RTSP pull for an RTP stream. It is
stream recommended that this option NOT be used. If this option is needed
please use In-6 and configure an RTPS push to the RTP Server (Out-
10). Check this box to request an incoming stream from the specified
DME source. If the source is a DME server, you must specify the
administrative username and password of that server.
• User Name – valid administrator name on the DME.
• Password – valid administrator password on the DME.
Wait for announce This is the preferred option. Check this box to wait for a stream to be
d stream(s) announced (via Auto Unicast). The DME will start relaying when a
new stream is announced on the source IP address. Under normal
circumstances the Auto Unicast is a local RTP Push via RTSP (Out-10)
internal to the DME

Destination Settings
As noted a relay has one source but it can have multiple destinations. Use Add Destination or
Remove Destination to manage the destinations. Always click Apply to save your changes or
the changes will be lost when you exit the page.

Hostname or IP This is the unicast or multicast destination IP address, typically an

Address QuickTime or Darwin server or a another DME.
Announced UDP This option is not recommended. Please use the equivalent Push RTP
via RTPS (Out-10). Check this box when the stream will be
announced automatically and continually via an Auto Unicast
configured on the encoder. No .sdp file is required with this method.
• Mount Point – this is the .sdp file name.
• User Name – valid administrator name on the DME.
• Password – valid administrator password on the DME.
Unannounced UDP Check this box when the stream will not be announced via Auto
Unicast. The stream will be sent to the specified IP address and port
number. The most feature is most commonly used for multicast stream
distribution. In this use case, the most common means for a player to
access this stream is by fetching the sdp file via HTTP. For unicast the
only method for playback requires the inconvenient step of placing
an.sdp file on the destination server so it is not recommended.
• Base Port – the port to which the stream is sent. It can be an
arbitrary port. It must however be an even number and, in the case of
unicast, be a unique port number on the destination server. The Base
Port will be used to send either audio or video depending on the
order of streams in the .sdp file. The first stream uses the Base
Port number; the next stream uses Base Port number + 2.
• Multicast TTL – Used to specify the number of routers the
multicast stream will pass through before it stops propagating over
the network. Range = 1–255. Set this for the topology of the
network you are working on.

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 Configuring DME Streams

 To configure a Unicast/Multicast output:

Objective: This use case describes how an existing RTP stream can be relayed as a unicast
or multicast output from the DME. This allows the rebroadcast of stream acquired through
use case In-8 < Unicast/Multicast RTP or In-3 < RTP Auto Unicast or (most commonly)
through an RTP Auto Unicast (Out-10) from the Multi Protocol server. For a step-by-step
procedure that explains how to configure a multicast relay in greater detail, see Playing
DME Streams on page 141.
• Announced UDP – follow Steps 1–4, and 7.
• Unannounced UDP – follow Steps 1–6.

1. The SDP file generated for input use case In-8 < Unicast/Multicast RTP will need to be
copied, renamed, and modified when relayed to another destination. Leave the original
SDP file in place. For the remaining cases, the sdp file will be automatically generated
2. Create a new Relay in System Configuration > RTP Relay Settings by clicking on new
relay.
3. Enter a relay name identifying this relay.
4. In Source Settings enter the IP address 127.0.0.1, Select Request incoming stream.
If the input is In-8, enter the original SDP filename for mount point. In other cases,
select the Target Name of the “Push RTP via RTSP”. Note that the mount point must
always have a “.sdp” file extension. For In-3 or Out-10, use the stream name. If using
Announced UDP, go to Step 7.
5. Enter the multicast or unicast address or hostname to send the stream to in Destination
Settings. Since this is not an auto-unicast relay to another DME (Step 7) or a server that
supports auto-unicast, select Unannounced UDP and enter the first port number used by
the first stream listed in the SDP file. Subsequent streams use an incremental even
number value. If this is a multicast, and needs to adhere to multicast time-to-live
restrictions, enter the value in the Multicast TTL field.
6. Enable and apply the relay and stream will start to be delivered. You will need to
distribute the new SDP file created in Step 1 for your destination for subsequent
multicast clients to use to tune into the relay. If using Unannounced UDP you are done.
7. If you are utilizing the Auto Unicast output feature select Announced UDP and enter
the user name and password if required by the destination device. If the input is
from an Unannounced Unicast/Multicast (In-8) be sure to use the new SDP name.

Out-8 > Create HDS (for Flash)

 To create an HDS stream for Serving via HTTP:

Objective: This use case explains how to create an HDS (HTTP Dynamic Streaming)
stream which is essentially a set of Flash video fragments made from an input H.264 stream
with a playlist, so that it can be played on Flash players via an HTTP protocol
The configuration of the HDS is equivalent to the configuration of HLS streams in Out-6
above; the same steps may be followed. The screens for configuring these options are
identical.

DME Admin Guide 55

 Out-9 > Push (RTMP)
In this scenario the DME functions as a live encoder that sends the stream to another RTMP
(i.e. Flash) server such as a Wowza, an FMS, or another DME. The parameters on this page
are similar to those on the Flash Pull Settings page (see Figure 23 on page 43) but there are
also additional fields marked with (o). These (o)ptional fields may be required at the
destination device, for example by a Wowza or other Flash server. For more about these
fields, see Flash Push on page 89.

Figure 26. DME Flash Push

 To configure a Push (RTMP) output:

Objective: This use case is similar to use case In-1 < Push (RTMP) where the stream is
incoming into a DME. See In-1 < Push (RTMP) for more details.

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 Configuring DME Streams

Out-10 > Push RTP via RTSP

 To push an incoming stream out via Auto Unicast:

Objective: This use case explains how to push an incoming stream via RTSP RTP Auto
Unicast to another destination. This feature is typically used to bring a TS or RTMP stream
into the DME and send the stream via RTSP to the internal RTP server so that you can
multicast the RTP stream via a multicast relay.
1. Enter the destination address. This is typically the loopback address (127.0.0.1). The
port is assumed to be port 554. If not 554 enter a different port number, for example:
127.0.0.1:555
2. Enter the incoming stream name you want to publish as an RTP stream. This can be
another incoming RTP, RTMP, or TS stream name.
3. Enter the target name (typically name.sdp) which then can be used to serve or relay the
RTP stream using the SDP name. Be sure the name is not already in use when pushing
to this destination.
4. Most likely external destinations will require authentication. If so, enter the username
and password.
5. Select Enabled and click Apply.
6. The status will indicate "Active" if a stream is being delivered, "Waiting for Stream" if
the input stream cannot be found, or "Disconnected" if the destination cannot be
written to.
7. You can also verify the detailed status of your outbound TS stream on the Monitor >
Multi Protocol Connections page.
Once the stream is being pushed to the destination, example localhost (127.0.0.1), it can
be used to stream to more clients via RTSP, or you can setup a multicast relay to send the
original incoming RTMP stream out via an RTP multicast.

Out-11 > Push RTP via RTSP

This is not a recommended configuration, Please use the equivalent Out-10 instead. It
should be noted, however, that Out-11 will do RTP via RTSP Push using UDP while Out-
10 will use RTSP interleaved, a TCP protocol. The TCP protocol is recommended, but
firewall considerations may require use of the UDP option. Configuration of this option is
discussed briefly under use case Out-7 > Relay (Unicast/Multicast).

Out-12 > Serve (.wmv, HLS, HDS, other)

Use this option to serve .wmv, HLS, or other files via progressive download. The DME has a
built-in HTTP Progressive Download server for stored VOD files only that have been FTPed
to the DME. A Progressive Download server lets you begin viewing the stream before it has
been completely downloaded. It streams all file types supported on the DME (see Table 3 on
page 17) including Windows Media (.wmv), HLS (.m3u8), and HDS (f4m) files. This is the
only way to serve .wmv files from the DME. The HTTP server uses Port 80 by default but this
can be changed on the System Configuration > Port Settings page. You can play the stream in
an appropriate player (see Table 10) for example in a QuickTime, Flash, or HLS (iPhone)
respectively using a URL similar to these:
http://<ip_address>/filename.wmv

http://<ip_address>/subfolder/filename.flv

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 HLS
For HLS, use the following options:
 To play a live non-adaptive HLS stream when no master playlist is selected:
http://<dme_ip_address>/HLS/<stream_name>/playlist.m3u8

 To play a stored non-adaptive HLS stream when no master playlist has been created:
http://<dme_ip_address>/<stream_name>/playlist.m3u8

 To play a live or stored adaptive HLS stream and have the player specifically select one
stream (normally for test purposes):
http://<dme_ip_address>/<master_playlist_name>/<stream_name>/playlist.m3u8

 To play a live or stored adaptive HLS stream and (typically) have the stream selected by
automatic negotiation between the player and the server:
http://<dme_ip_address>/<master_playlist_name>/playlist.m3u8

HDS
For live HDS, use the following options for a configured live stream.
 To play a non-adaptive HDS stream when no master playlist is selected:
http://<dme_ip_address>/HDS/<stream_name>/manifest.f4m

 To play an adaptive HDS stream and (typically) have the specific stream selected by
automatic negotiation between the player and the server:
http://<dme_ip_address>/HDS/<master_playlist_name>/manifest.f4m

For stored HDS content the content must be placed in the hdsvod directory under ftproot.
Use the following URLs for playback:
 To play a non-adaptive HDS stream when no master playlist is selected:
http://<dme_ip_address>/hdsvod/<filename>.f4m

 To play a stored adaptive HDS stream and (typically) have the specific stream selected by
automatic negotiation between the player and the server:
http://<dme_ip_address>/hdsvod/<filename>.f4m

Table 10. Outputs and Associated Players

DME Output Supported Players
RTP VBrick StreamPlayer, QuickTime
RTMP Flash players (e.g. Adobe, JW, VLC, etc.)
WMV Windows Media Player, VBrick StreamPlayer
HLS iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod)
HDS Flash players via HTTP

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 Configuring DME Streams

 To configure a Serve (WMV) output:

Objective: This use case allows files to be delivered via HTTP to a destination client. Files
of type .wmv (Windows Media) cannot currently be served via the DME. Files can however
be delivered via HTTP progressive download. This u is not restricted to WMV files, and
almost any file type can be served via HTTP.

DME Admin Guide 59

60 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.
 Chapter 5
System Configuration
Topics in this chapter
Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Security. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
General. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Streaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Caching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Manage Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
SSL Certificates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
SAN/iSCSI Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Activate Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Network

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 Host Name
Use this field to configure the host name shown in the banner graphic in the top right area of
all DME configuration pages. The Host Name defaults to DME<MAC_Address>, a hardware
address that uniquely identifies each node of a network. The DME Host Name also identifies
the appliance to various network applications including DHCP and the VBDirectory
management application.

IPV4 Network Interface 1

The DME supports up to four network interface (NIC) cards you can use to increase the
bandwidth and throughput available to the DME. A DME with one NIC card has an overall
bandwidth limitation of 1GB for all output streams. A DME with the load shared over four
NIC cards provides 4GB of bandwidth. Note that when load sharing is enabled, the primary
NIC card (IPV4 Network Interface 1) cannot use DHCP. With multiple NIC cards and load
sharing enabled all NICs will use the same IP address as the primary.

Network DHCP Default = Enabled. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. If

DHCP is enabled, the appliance gets its IP Address, Subnet Mask,
and Gateway from the DHCP server. If the DHCP server
supplies the DNS server address, these parameters will replace
the user-entered DNS settings.
The DME is setup by default to acquire an IP address via DHCP.
If the DHCP server is not available at boot time, the DME
DHCP IP address acquisition will fail and the appliance will retry
to re-acquire the address every 10 minutes. During the 10 minute
retry period, the appliance uses a default IP address of
172.17.1.5 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. If you need to
change the DME to use a static IP address instead of getting one
from DHCP, connect the DME to the network, connect a laptop
to the network, set the laptop to be on the same subnet, and give
the laptop a fixed IP address of 172.17.1.6 with subnet of
255.255.0.0. You can then go into the DME management
interface (default: http://172.17.1.5:8181) to login and give the
appliance a static IP address.
IP Address This is either a static or a DHCP-enabled IPv4 address. If IPv6 is
turned on for this segment of the network, this will be an auto-
generated global IPv6 address. If using IPv6, use the IPV6
Address field below. Note: Although the IPv6 address is
displayed, it cannot be used to manage the appliance as yet.
Subnet Mask Subnet mask for the DME address.
Gateway IP Address Gateway IP Address for communicating across distinct network
segments.
Maximum Transmission Range 500–1500 (default = 1500). The MTU is used for all
Unit Size network traffic from the DME and defines the largest network
packet size that will be transmitted. A higher MTU brings higher
bandwidth efficiency and VBrick recommends using the default.
However you may wish to reduce MTU size to meet the
requirements of some networks with VPN or other security
tunnels that cannot tolerate 1500 byte packets.

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 System Configuration

Configured Interface Default = Auto Detect. Use Auto Detect or manually set the bit
Speed / Duplex rate and duplex setting for network devices that do not support
auto negotiation. With Auto Detect the DME will automatically
adjust its duplex setting and speed to match the switch or hub to
which it is attached.
Detected Interface Read only. Displays the current connection speed and duplex
Speed / Duplex setting.
MAC Address The Media Access Control address is a unique identifier assigned
to the DME for network communications.
IPV6 Address Optional. Enter an IPv6 address.

IPv4 Network Interface 2–4

IPV4 Network The DME will auto detect the number of NIC cards installed. If
Interface 2-4 more than one NIC is installed, you can use the additional card(s)
to increase bandwidth and throughput.
• Disabled – Default. You can disable the NIC if, for example,
you have bandwidth constraints imposed by your network or
service provider.
• Load Share Enabled – The NIC will load balance the resources
used by output streams.

NAT
Network address translation is the method by which private IP address are held and
referenced in a network translation table. It is common practice to hide an entire IP address
space, usually consisting of private IP addresses, behind a single IP address. To avoid
ambiguity in the handling of packets, a one-to-many NAT alters higher level information
such as TCP/UDP ports in outgoing communications and maintains a translation table so
that return packets can be handled correctly. The DME allows stream access through a direct
IP address, a Natted IP address, or both.

NAT Public IP Address The public IP address in a network translation table.

Domain Name Server

Primary Server IP Address This is the primary server used for DNS. Note: An invalid
IP address will adversely impact the operation of the user
interface. If the user interface pages are loading slowly,
make sure this is a valid IP address. If you are not using a
DNS server, leave this field blank.
Secondary Server IP Address This is the secondary server used for DNS.

Network Time Synchronization

These fields are used to synchronize network time using the host name or IP address of a
known server to provide a synchronized time for all appliances in the network.

DME Admin Guide 63

 Note Network Administrators please note. DHCP Option 4 (TIME) and Option 42 (NTP)
are requested from the DHCP server to obtain SNTP server addresses. One or both
of these options must be enabled in the DHCP server for these addresses to be
returned to the DME. If both are returned, the DME will use the NTP server address.
If the DHCP server configuration is unknown, it is recommended that the address(es)
be manually entered since the DHCP server-supplied address will always override a
manually-entered address.

Network Time Protocol Check to enable network time synchronization. Default =

Disabled.
Primary Server IP Address Primary host name (DME Host Name or DNS Host Name)
or IP address of valid SNTP server providing time
synchronization. A blank field indicates the server address
will be acquired via the DHCP server only if the Network
DHCP field above is checked.

Secondary Server IP Address Secondary host name (DME Host Name or DNS Host
Name) or IP address of valid SNTP server providing time
synchronization. A blank field indicates the server address
will be acquired via the DHCP server only if the Network
DHCP field above is checked.

Ports

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 System Configuration

RTSP Server Port Default = 554. RTSP port for VOD streams from RTP
server. Cannot be changed. Used to receive an RTP Auto
Unicast stream as input and to serve RTSP RTP clients for
output
RTMP Server Port Default = 1935. RTMP port for Flash VOD streams from
RTMP server. Allows RTP streams as input. For example a
VBrick H.264 encoder can be an RTMP input stream.
RTMPS Server Port Default = 4443. Secure Flash alternate of RTMP.
Multi-Protocol Server RTSP Default = 5544. The port number used by the
port Multi-Protocol Server to listen for announcements.
RTMP Server Announce Default = 5544. Allows for listening for auto unicast
Listener Port sessions from RTSP clients. Lets you send RTP streams to
an RTMP streaming server via Auto Unicast (for
transmuxing to Flash, HLS, or TS). Also allows TS streams
to be served via RTSP on this port.
VBAdmin Server Port Default = 8181. Specifies the listener port for HTTP
management connections as follows: http://
IPaddress:port where IPaddress = DME IP address or
hostname, and port. The port number can be moved to
another port if required as long as it does not conflict with
another existing port in the system.
Conversion Input Port Start Default = 64879. The starting port number used by the
Stream Conversion feature.
Secure VBAdmin Server Port Default = 8383. Specifies the listener port for management
and HTTPS connections. Used for HTTPS connections
when enabled on the Security configuration page. Can be
moved to another port number if required.
HTTP Server Port Default = 80. Sets the port used for progressive download
(HTTP), HLS streams, and Caching. This port can be 80 or a
safe port in the range 1025–65535. An error message will
indicate an invalid port.
HTTPS Server Port Default=443 Secure HTTP port
HTTP Streaming Default = 8080. Sets the port for HTTP tunneling via RTSP.
Tunneling Port The default is 8080 but if you are streaming HTTP directly
from a DME via the Internet, it is a common practice to
change this to 80 and to set any other service using port 80
to a different port. If you change this value you will need to
make a comparable change on the player and on the DME
configuration (i.e. HTTP Tunnel Port) in VEMS.
HTTP Caching ICP Port Default = 3131. Sets the port used to discover multiple web
caches on the local (source) DME and on remote DMEs.
A/V RTP Port Range Start Outgoing port range for RTP/RTCP reports. Default =
56000.
SIP Port SIP port used with VC Gateway. Default = 5060.

DME Admin Guide 65

Security

External FTP Server Default = Enabled. Disabled will prevent FTP sessions to the DME
appliance. Note that this feature must be enabled to upgrade the
appliance firmware.
External FTP Server Determines the FTP mode, standard (default) or encrypted over
Mode SSL (FTPS), in which the external FTP server will run when FTPing
files to the DME. Any changes to this setting will not reboot the
server but will restart the FTP service—ending any active FTP
transfers in progress. The options let you configure the server to use
TLS, SSLv3, or both. Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure
Sockets Layer (SSLv3) are cryptographic protocols that provide
communication security over the Internet. TLS and SSLv3 require
an FTP client to communicate with the FTP server in the same
protocol. Most FTPS clients will support TLS. However since there
may be legacy clients that only use SSLv3, the mode selection lets
you pick one option or both options. The client and server will then
negotiate a stateful connection and agree on various parameters to
establish a secure connection. The DME FTP server supports FTPS
(FTP over SSL); it does not support other secure FTP connections.
This FTPS server supports only explicit FTPS.
• Standard FTP – standard File Transfer Protocol. Not encrypted.
• FTPS TLS Forced – forces the client and server to communicate
via TLS.
• FTPS SSLv3 Forced – forces the client and server to
communicate via SSL.
FTP TLS or SSLv3 Forced – forces the client and server to
communicate via TLS or SSL.
SSH Shell Default = Enabled. SSH Secure Shell access may be used by VBrick
Support Services. Do not use except as directed.

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 System Configuration

RTMP Server Default = Enabled. Enable the RTMP server for Flash streaming.
RTMPS Server Default = Disabled. Enable the RTMP server for secure Flash
streaming. Note that if RTMPS is used, the DME must be identified
to the player via a FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name)
RTMP Announce Default = Enabled.
Receiver
HTTP Server Default = Enabled. Enable the HTTP server.
Flash Server Default = Enabled. If checked, a Flash server can send streams to
Authentication the DME without authentication being required.
External VBAdmin VBAdmin cannot be completely disabled: select HTTP or HTTPS.
Default = HTTP.
• HTTP – VBAdmin is enabled via HTTP.
• HTTPS Only – VBAdmin is encrypted and secured using
HTTPS.
Cache Manager Default = Disabled. For debugging only.
Utility
External VBAdmin Specifies how an external administrator will connect to the DME.
Choices are HTTP or HTTPS for a secure connection

General

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 System Maintenance
The Name, Location , and Contact fields are used to identify the appliance. They are not
changed when you click Default . (They are changed when you reset to the defaults on the
Manage Configuration page.)

System Description Read-only. Company name and product name.

System Model Number 7530, 7550, or 7570.
System Serial Number Unique serial number assigned to unit. See label on DME.
System Licenses Displays whatever licenses are currently installed and may include:
DME Base, VC Gateway, among others.
System Name User-defined. System name, for example Biology Dept.
System Location User-defined. System location, for example West Campus.
System Contact User-defined. Contact person, for example Jane Doe.

Login

System Login Message This customized message (max = 256 chars) will be displayed on
the Login page.
System Login If default is unchecked a custom Logo can be uploaded.
Banner(200x45px)

System Time

Date Time Sets system date and time in mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm format. The
appliance will reset when you click Set Time.
Time Zone Select from list: (GMT-12) Eniwetok – (GMT +12) Auckland.
Daylight Saving Time U.S. only. Check this box and the appliance will automatically
adjust for Daylight Savings Time. This is particularly useful when
monitoring the System Logs.

System Reset

Reset Resets (i.e. reboots) the appliance. A reset does not change, save,
or reset any configuration parameters.

Streaming
This page is used to set various configuration constraints. Be aware that it is possible to
overload the DME. That is you can configure the maximum number of RTP connections
(and the maximum throughput) in such a way that performance will be seriously degraded. If
this happens all clients will be affected and some connections may actually be rejected.
Guidelines for choosing the number of connections depend on the model number (shown on
the System Configuration > General page) of your DME. For best results, use the
recommendations shown below.

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 System Configuration

Max. Number of RTP Range: 0–1000. Select this value based on number of expected
Connections connections. When selecting the number of connections, the total
expected bandwidth of the streams should not exceed
recommendations. The recommendations shown here for each
model are for total throughput (input and output) in megabits per
second:
• DME Model BPS 7530 - Do not exceed 100 Mbps.
• Hardware Part # 8000-0222-0x00
• Software Part # 7500-0250-0x00
• DME Model XPS 7550 - Do not exceed 500 Mbps.
• Hardware Part # 8000-0223-0x00
• Software Part # 7500-0251-0x00
• DME Model HPS 7570 - Do not exceed 3000 Mbps.
• Hardware Part # 8000-0224-0x00
• Software Part # 750-0252-0x00
Max. Number of Multi Shows the maximum number of allowed connections. Default =
Protocol Connections 500.
RTP Server Max. Set maximum allowed throughput in mbit/sec or kbits/sec. See
Throughput recommendations above.
Multi Server Max. Maximum amount of bandwidth used by streaming clients for
Throughput flash streams. This number is capped by the appropriate DME
license, but can be set lower to limit the actual max bandwidth
used.

DME Admin Guide 69

 RTP Buffer Length The maximum time a packet will sit in a streaming buffer before
(seconds) being delivered to the client. This is adjusted for poor quality
networks between client and server. Lower numbers may reduce
playback latency. The higher number allows it to behave better
with poor network connections.
RTCP Timeout The maximum time the DME will wait for a RTP server will wait
(seconds) before timing out the connection. Setting a value of 0 means
never timeout. This is useful if the source is not sending any
RTCP reports. Also, when using Pause in a RTP player, this
number is what the server will wait as a maximum before
terminating the paused connections. Setting it to 360 will allow a
maximum pause of 5 minutes. It also means it will wait up to 5
minutes to drop connections that do not terminate gracefully,
including live content, where the stream is interrupted.
Default Authentication • Basic – the DME server sends authentication credentials over
Scheme the network in Base64 encoded text.
• Digest – the DME server sends encrypted authentication
using MD5 credentials over the network.
Differentiated Services The value is set in the IP header to allow QoS for the data packet.
This value is in decimal. The value is usually set for priority
delivery of UDP packets.
Cache System Settings Be aware that this setting has a direct impact on memory usage. If
Used not configured properly, system memory will not be available for
other functions. Do not change the default (Normal) unless you
will be using the DME for a different function as explained below.
• Low – the DME will not be used for caching.
• Normal – the DME will be used primarily as a reflector and
secondarily as a caching engine.
• High – the DME will be primarily used as a caching engine and
secondarily as a reflector.
• Exclusive – the DME will be used exclusively for caching.

Caching
HTTP Caching of content allows a particular piece of HTTP content to be retrieved once
from a remote source on request of a viewer and then delivered locally to any subsequent
viewers. This scheme offers the benefit of reducing the bandwidth required to deliver content
requested by multiple viewers across WAN links. The DME can cache http content whether
stored internally by the DME or externally by another DME or other HTTP source. This
caching is limited to relatively small files not the large files typically delivered via progressive
download. A primary use of the caching is to deliver video from the family of http adaptive
streaming protocols - HLS, HDS, Smooth Streaming, and DASH. Currently the DME is
capable (on its own) of generating only HLS and HDS (see the specific discussion of content
sourcing elsewhere in his manual) so content utilizing these protocols is often sourced from
an external source

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 System Configuration

Caching Overview
The goal of configuring the caches on each DME in a network is to allow a client in any
subnet (i.e. a "zone" in the VEMS context) to access content hosted by an HTTP server
elsewhere in the network. Although, a major focus of the feature is to allow access to HLS or
HDS content created in another DME, the mechanism is generally the same for all HTTP
accessed content. This is accomplished by creating a configuration of parents and alternate
sources (i.e. siblings) on each DME. Then a client is directed to a DME located in the same
zone by providing the URL of the local DME. It is not uncommon to have different sources
for different types of HTTP content. Given that the most common and efficient way to
configure the caching network is to configure parent relationships, the configuration allows
different parent configuration for each major type of HTTP content.
As shown on the System Configuration > Caching Settings page, each DME configuration
consists of parents for each of a number of types of HTTP content, one Default Parent, and
multiple Alternate Sources. When the DME receives a request for HTTP content it will first
determine if the content is cached locally. It will then try to find the content by (1) seeing if it
is being produced locally; (2) checking with the alternate sources; and (3) trying to get it from
a Parent. Content Specific Parents are checked before the Default Parent. Each parent may
follow the same process trying to locate the content. Once the content is found, it is
delivered to the requesting client through the discovery path. Each DME in the path will also
cache the content to allow provide more efficient delivery to other requestors. For many
simple caching matrices, configuring the Default Parent is all that is required. Note that
HLS/HDS/Smooth Streaming/DASH playlists are never cached since in the case of a live
events, the playlists are constantly updated.
Figure 27 shows a sample network diagram of multiple DMEs with one DME in each zone.
In general, the goal is (1) to allow any DME to be a source of appropriate HTTP content, and
(2) to allow clients in any subnet to access appropriate HTTP created in any other DME.

Figure 27. Multiple DME Configuration (Sample Network Diagram)

Caching Configuration
When configuring a DME, the first step is to designate one Content Specific Parent for each
content type. Also identify a Default Parent for the DME for content not explicitly handled
by one of the other parents. In the following example for simplicity, we have only a Default
Parent for each DME - no Content Specific Parents. When Content Specific Parents are
present, separate caching matrices exist for each content type.
In order to minimize the amount of required information, the master parent (DME A in the
diagram above) should be at the "center" of the caching mesh, although you can actually
designate any DME as the master. Each DME should designate as its parent the DME most
efficiently on the path to the master parent. The master parent should designate all other

DME Admin Guide 71

 DMEs that may be generating content as Alternate Sources (i.e. siblings). It is recommended
(but not required) that any DMEs which can not be efficiently accessed on the master parent
path, be entered as Alternate Sources. Table 1 shows the recommended configuration for the
sample mesh shown in Figure 26.

Table 11. Recommended Sample Configuration

DME Default Parent Alternate Source
G E None
F D G
D A E, F, G
A None B, C, D, E, F, G

In another example, suppose a client co-located with DME E in Figure 26 wants to access an
HLS stream initiated on DME G. Since this configuration defines DME A as the Master
Parent, the ultimate path for content delivery would be as follows (with asterisks showing
where caching occurs):
DME G* > DME E > DME D > DME A* > DME D* > DME E*
Note that if DME G was designated as an alternate source for DME E, the path would
simply be: DME G* > DME E*. Although this example designates a DME as master parent
(as often happens if the content to be cached is HLS or HDS where content is not sourced
from a DME, e.g. Smooth Streaming), the master parent will likely be an HTTP server. In the
VBrick ecosystem, a VBrick H.264 encoder can generate a Smooth Stream to a Microsoft IIS
server that can then deliver it to multiple Silverlight clients or to DME caching engines. Since
IIS servers do not utilize the same caching protocols as the DME, an IIS server cannot be
used as an alternate source.

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 System Configuration

Display Select number of sources (20, 50, or 200) and the number of
available entries in the Alternate Sources table will be adjusted to
match.
Mystro Server Default A DME has one Default parent. When the DME receives a request
Parent for content, this is the final place it looks after failing to discover
the content locally, at an alternate source, or being directed to a
content specific parent. The syntax is: <ip_address>:port
Note: The specified port number overrides the displayed port
number. See Ports on page 64 for more information.
Force HTTPS: Secure SSL communication can be enforced between a DME and
any of its parents (selected individually). A DME can also
communicate securely with alternate sources (siblings) on an all or
nothing basis.

DME Admin Guide 73

 Content Specific Parent Certain types of content that can be cached and streamed may not
be created directly by a DME. This can be because a DME cannot
transcode into that type (Smooth Streaming or DASH), or simply
because the administrator decided not to do that with a specific
device. In this case, an administrator can name an "alternate
parent" for a specific type of content. The DME will look to the
alternate parent when a specific type of content is requested, is
not in cache, and cannot be located on an alternate source. In all
cases the syntax is: <ip_address>:port
Note: The specified port number overrides the displayed port
number. See Ports on page 64 for more information
Apple HLS HTTP Adaptive Streaming used for display of live or stored
streams on iPhone/iPad.
Smooth Streaming Microsoft-specific HTTP adaptive streaming typically used by the
Microsoft Silverlight player or Windows mobile video display.
Adobe HDDS HTTP Dynamic Streaming used by Flash players for HTTP
adaptive display of video.
MPEG DASH An emerging video distribution standard for display of video via
HTTP adaptive streaming. Players are not yet widely available.
WM Session Files WM Session Files (asx or nsc) are often used to display WM video
and are required for display of Windows Media multicast. They
are generated by a VBrick Appliance (not DME)
MPEG Multicast MPEG multicast Session Files (.sdp) are required for display of
Session Files RTP multicast video. They are generated by VBrick VB6000,
VB7000, and VB9000 appliances.
Alternate Sources If the DME does not already contain the requested content it will
(siblings) look sequentially through the alternate sources before it checks
the parents. The syntax is:
<ip_address>:port
Note: The specified port numbers override the displayed port
numbers. See Ports on page 64 for more information.

Manage Configuration
Use this page to manage the DME configuration. It lets you set the defaults or reset to the
factory defaults. It also lets you save the configuration to an xml file or restore the
configuration from a previously saved xml file.

Note Be aware that when you change the user name and password for the server (See
Username and Password on page 107) you are changing the FTP user name and
password as well. However, when restoring previously saved settings, the FTP
username and password will not be the same as the system user name and password.
For best results you will need to login again and change the user name and password
to match the FTP username and password. (To keep the same username and password,
change the username and password to something different, and then change it back
again to the current username and password.)

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 System Configuration

Set Defaults Reset most settings except for Network Settings, and passwords to
the factory defaults.
Set Factory Defaults Reset all settings including Network Settings and passwords to the
factory defaults.
Save Configuration Save all configuration settings that can be restored at a later time.
This action will (1) save all settings in a system location (i.e. a
"snapshot point") and (2) prompt you to save a physical file that
can be restored at a later time.
Restore Configuration • Restore from a file – Restore a previously saved configuration
settings file. Note that this operation will not restore the FTP
user name and password. After a "restore configuration" you
will need to manually change this (if desired) using the
Username and Password page. Typically you would change the
user name and password to something and then change it back
to the desired user name/password after a restore.
• Restore from a snapshot point – Restores from the snapshot
point created with a "Save Configuration." Note: This option
only works if there is a previously saved snapshot created with a
"Save Configuration."

SSL Certificates
When using SSL, a server certificate is required for secure communications. DME Supports
two types of SSL security certificates: Self-Signed and Authority Generated (e.g. Verisign). If
an organization elects to use a certificate from an authority, the necessary information is
entered here. Organizational requirements determine which to use. Both are supported by

DME Admin Guide 75

 the DME. In the case of self-signed certificates, the certificate is simply generated and
installed by the DME. For an authority generated certificate, this screen allows generation of
a certificate request. The request must then be supplied to the certificate authority who will
provide a certificate which can then be installed using this screen.

Self Signed Certificate Select a self signed certificate.

Certificate Authority Select a certificate authority-generated certificate.
Generated Certificate
Country Information only. Country of certificate holder.
State (Province) Information only. State of certificate holder.
City Information only. City of certificate holder.
Company or Information only. Company of certificate holder.
Organization
Department Information only. Department of certificate holder.
Full Domain Name The complete name of the domain as registered on any internet
DNS
Contact email address Information only. Email address of certificate holder.

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 System Configuration

Generate Certificate The information in the previous fields is used to generate the
Request request.
Certificate Authority Generated Certificate is entered into this text field.
Install Certificate Install the certificate for SSL use.

SAN/iSCSI Setup
This page is used to set the parameters for accessing content over a Storage Area Network.

Device Enables the DME for SAN use. Disabling will remove the SAN
device and restart the DME. Enabling the device will discover the
device and provision the disk using the folder name specified below.
Username/Password SAN access rights may require use of a user name and password.
Device IP Address Where the SAN is found on the network.
Virtual Folder Name The name given to the SAN disk as a mapped folder. "iSCSI" is
recommended and becomes the folder name in the default FTP
path. Be sure the name you choose is not already in use.
Format Destination • Do Not Format – Default.
• Force Format – When used in conjunction with enabling the
device, this option will delete all content on the disk. If the disk
was previously provisioned, you may not want to format the disk
again.
Discovered Device Read-only. If the SAN is found the device identification will be
provided automatically.
Status Read-only. Displays the disk size, or "unknown" if no SAN is
discovered.

DME Admin Guide 77

Activate Feature
Some optional DME features, for example the VC Gateway Configuration and Stream
Conversion must be "activated" before the functionality is available on the Configuration
Menu. To activate a feature you will need (1) the MAC address of the DME machine, (2) the
serial number for future support, and (3) a license file for the feature. The MAC address of
the DME machine is shown on the Activate Feature page (see below); the serial number and
license file are available using the "License Activation" letter you received with your order.
After you get the license file (as explained below) you will copy and paste the entire contents
of the file into the License Content text box. Once activated, the system license will be shown
on the System Configuration > General page.

Figure 28. Activate Feature Page

 To obtain a license file and activate a feature:
1. Contact VBrick Support to obtain the License files needed for the type of DME and
features purchased.
2. Click on the green link for information on how to contact support.
3. Open the .lic file in Notepad and copy the entire contents. Then go back to the Activate
Feature Page and paste the contents into the license text box.
4. Enter the serial number from the sticker in the serial number text box.
5. Click Activate to close the application and display the login page.
6. Login and repeat these steps for each additional licensed feature.

78 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Chapter 6
SAP Configuration
Topics in this chapter
Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
SAPs for Unannounced Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Announcement Types
Management SAP
Management SAPs provide the ability for a DME to announce its existence to interested
programs/devices on a network. The major clients for these announcements are:

• VBDirectory - A free application from VBrick. VBDirectory provides an easy way to

access a DME from any PC for configuration or upgrade. It lets you see the status and
code revision levels of all networked VBrick devices.
• VEMS Mystro - VBrick's portal product uses the announcements to recognize the
existence of DMEs and to make DME configuration easier and less error-prone.

Figure 29. VBDirectory

Announce SAP
Announce SAPs are used by a DME to announce the existence of live streams. The major
clients for these announcements are:

• StreamPlayer – This application provides an easy way for a PC to view video transmitted
by DMEs. It can be useful as a test device for VEMS Mystro users, or as a standalone
player for much of the content distributed by the DME.
• VEMS Mystro – VBrick's portal product uses the announcements to recognize the
existence of video streams from DMEs. Streams appear on the Mystro interface without
manually configuring URLs of the sourced video.

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Announcements

Management SAP
Transmit Enable Check to enable transmit for management SAPs. Default =
Enabled.
Group Name Optional. This parameter defines the Group Name. It is
included in the Management SAPs used by VBDirectory. It is
used for organizing VBrick devices into groups to simplify use
of VBDirectory.
Unit Number Optional. The appliance unit number (range 0–2147483647) is
used to identify each DME in a group.
Retransmit Time Defines the Management SAP Retransmit Time.
Time To Live For Unicast, the number of hops (between routers) for which
an IP packet is valid in the network. For multicast the
distribution scope of the SAP.

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 SAP Configuration

Differentiated Services The six bit Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) field in
the header of IP packets for packet classification purposes.
DSCP replaces the three bit Type of Service byte of the IP
header.
IP Address Defines the Destination IP Address for Management SAPs.
Port Defines the Destination Port for Management SAPs.
Announce SAP
Announce Enable Enables configuration of the Announcement.
Send SAP for Internal IP Destination IP address of the Multicast Announcement for
Stream Announcements. Most commonly for multicast, but can
be unicast for direct transmission to, for example, a VEMS
Mystro server.
Send SAP for NAT'ed IP Send a SAP for the natted IP address configured on the System
Configuration > Network page.
IP Address Actual IP address of the SAP announcement.
Port Announcement Destination Port.
Transmit Interval How often the Announcement is transmitted in seconds.
Time to Live For unicast, the number of hops (between routers) for which an
IP packet is valid in the network. For multicast, the distribution
scope of the SAP.
Differentiated Services 8-bit value that instructs (capable) routers on how to handle a
packet. These are generally quality of service items. This is
typically set to all zeros.
Author Optional author information
Copyright Optional copyright information

DME Admin Guide 81

SAPs for Unannounced Streams
Use this page to enable SAPs for streams which have been configured for input to the DME
using Unannounced Unicast/Multicast (In-8). This is not a common configuration and it is
recommended that an alternate input method be utilized if possible.

Enable Enables the SAP of the stream

Publishing Point The publishing point of the stream. The format of this publishing
point is <streamname>.sdp and is the file name which has be
manually placed on the DME. See the discussion on In-8 above.
Status Current status of the connection and the SAP transmission for this
stream.

82 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Chapter 7

Input Configuration
Topics in this chapter
Flash/RTSP Pull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Transport Stream In. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
RTP Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Flash/RTSP Pull
Use this page to configure streams that will be pulled into the RTMP Multi-protocol server
on the DME. Both RTMP and RTPS streams are configured on this page. As shown below
the number of supported streams depends on the DME hardware you purchased. See table
below for the number of configurable input streams.

DME Admin Guide 83

 Stream Name Name used within the DME to connect input and output streams.
It is possible to effectively retain the input stream name by making
stream name and Publishing Point names the same or changing the
stream name to the name used within the DME. In some cases, the
publishing point names may be cryptic as is typically true if coming
from a CDN
Type • RTSP – pull the RTSP stream into the DME.
• RTMP – pull the RTMP stream into the DME.
Source IP/ Enter the IP address of the source server. Enter a port number only
Address:Port if you are not using the default RTMP port (1935) or the default
RTSP port (554). If pulling RTSP from the RTP Streaming server,
enter 127.0.0.1.
Application Only required if you are pulling RTMP. This string is defined by the
source. For example, on a VBrick encoder, this string corresponds
to the RTMP Application value on the Program Configuration >
Transmitters page. Valid strings are limited to: live, vod, vbrick,
and vbApp.
Publishing Point This is Publishing Point Name on the source server. If the source
is a VBrick encoder, use the Resource Name on the Program
Configuration > Servers page on the encoder.
User Name Required if client-side authentication is required by the source
server.
Password Required if client-side authentication is required on the source
server.
Use RTCP Default = Enabled. RTCP server reports assist maintaining audio/
video synchronization for some players. Uncheck if your server does
not generate RTCP reports of if you wish to ignore RTCP reports
from the source.
Enable Use this dropdown to enable or disable the stream. All streams are
disabled by default.
Status Read only: Disabled | Connected | Receiving.

DME Model Number of Configurable Input and Output Streams

7530 25
7550 35
7505 60

Transport Stream In
Use this page to configure streams pushed via unicast or multicast to the Multi-Protocol server using
transport stream. The number of streams supported depends on the model of the DME.

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 Input Configuration

MPG2TS Streams
The DME can accept a live unicast or multicast MPEG2TS (with an MP2 or MP4 H264
payload) and deliver it from the DME as unicast or multicast. (A live MPEG2TS is typically
pushed from a a VB6000/7000/9000 VBrick MPEG-2/H.264 encoder or another DME.)
For H264 content wrapped in an MPEG2TS, the stream can also be transmuxed and
delivered as Flash, HLS, RTP, or HDS. For MPEG-2 content, there is no transmuxing. In
order to identify an incoming Transport Stream with MPEG-2 content (so that it can be
"passed through" without further parsing), the incoming stream name must be prepended
with "mp2:" For example when configuring a Transport Stream In (with MPEG-2 content) the
Stream Name must be: mp2:streamname. Similarly you must use the same Stream Name
(prepended with mp2:) when configuring the stream for Transport Stream Out . Using this
stream as input for HLS or other conversions will not work. Passthrough Transport Streams
preserve KLV data when being delivered through the DME.

DME Admin Guide 85

 Stream Name Name used within the DME to connect input and output streams. Use
the default stream name (TSPullStream1, TSPullStream2, etc.) or
override as desired. See above, MPG2TS Streams (with MP2 content)
must be prepended with mp2:
Multicast Source / Source of multicast stream/local host. If the stream is a unicast to the
Localhost DME, enter the DME's IP address.
For source specific multicast addresses, enter it as
"multicastipaddress:sourceipaddress.". Example:
232.1.1.1:172.22.2.166
Port Port on which the stream is unicast or multicast. If there are multiple
unicast input streams, be sure that each input stream has a unique port
number.
Enable Use to enable an input stream.
Status Read only: Disabled | Connected | Receiving.

RTP Playlists
RTP Playlists make it possible to send stored .mp4 (Part 2 or Part 10) VOD files as live
streams. They can consist of a single file or multiple files can be reordered and concatenated
into a single playlist. They can be weighted and played in differing modes: for example they
can be looped or played sequentially. You can then use a playlist to create a multicast relay
using the .sdp file, i.e. the Mount Point . For more about this scenario, see Out-7 > Relay
(Unicast/Multicast) on page 52. To launch a playlist, you can use it in an RTSP URL by
specifying the .sdp file name or you can use it to create an RTP Relay.

Available Playlists
The playlist is playing.

The playlist is stopped.

New Media Playlist Create a new Media Playlist.
Edit Playlist Edit the selected Playlist.

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 Input Configuration

Delete Playlist Delete the selected Playlist.

New Media Playlist

Name Unique name for the playlist.

Mount Point The .sdp file name associated with the playlist in ftproot.
Play Mode Determines the order in which individual streams are played.
• Sequential – the streams are played once sequentially. Drag the
streams up or down to set the order in which they are played.
• Sequential Looped – the streams are played sequentially in an
endless loop.
• Weighted Random – the streams are played randomly according
to the weighted value. Use the arrow icons to set the weight
from 1–10.
Repetition Items only repeat after nnn other items have played.

DME Admin Guide 87

 Available Content Use the dropdown to go up one folder at a time. Click and drag files
from the left to the right to add to your playlist.
Items in This Playlist Order – click and drag file up or down to modify order.
Title – click to select.
Weight – use arrow controls to assign weight (1 – 10).
Open Folder
This control is active when you select a folder (icon shown
here) in the Available Content list. Open a folder, then drag in a file
and click Apply.
Remove Item This control is active when you select an item in the playlist.
Log this playlist's Log this playlist's activity in the Access History log.
activity
Send this playlist to a • Hostname or IP Address – enter server host name or IP address
broadcast server of broadcast server.
• User Name – enter valid administrator name on broadcast
server.
• Password – enter valid administrator password on broadcast
server.

88 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Chapter 8

Output Configuration
Topics in this chapter
Flash Push . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
RTSP Push . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Transport Stream Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
HLS Streaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
HDS Streaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
RTP Relay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Stream Conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Flash Push
Use this page to configure streams that will be pushed to a destination device using RTMP.
Possible destinations for Flash push include a Flash server or a CDN (content delivery
network) like Akamai or EdgeCast. This is the preferred protocol for sending streams to
another DME. As shown below the number of supported streams depends on the DME
hardware you purchased. Note that some fields marked with a trailing (o): these (o)ptional
fields may be required at the destination device, for example by a Wowza or other Flash
server. See table below for the number of configurable output streams.

DME Admin Guide 89

 Stream Name Name identified on the Multi Protocol input for this stream.
Target Name Stream name on the destination. When pushing to another DME it is
generally easiest to reuse the Stream Name as the Target Name.
Destination IP/ The IP address and port number of the destination server.
Address:Port
Application This string is defined by the source. For example, on a VBrick
encoder, this string corresponds to the RTMP Application value on the
Program Configuration > Transmitters page. Valid strings are limited
to: live, vod, vbrick, and vbApp.
Emulate (o) Optional May be required for some destination devices.
swf URL (o) Optional May be required for some destination devices.
Page URL (o) Optional May be required for some destination devices.
User Name Required if client-side authentication is required by the destination
server
Password Required if client-side authentication is required on the destination
server
Enable Use dropdown to enable or disable the stream. All streams are
disabled by default.
Status Read only: Disabled | Streaming | Waiting for Stream (Input source
<stream_name> not yet available.)

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 Output Configuration

DME Model Configurable Output Streams

7530 25
7550 35
7505 60

RTSP Push
Use this page to configure streams that will be pushed to a destination device using Auto
Unicast RTP. Possible destinations include servers such as Darwin, Wowza, another DME or
a CDN. The number of configurable streams is dependent on the model of the DME.

Stream Name Name identified on the Multi Protocol input for this stream.

DME Admin Guide 91

 Target Name Sets the stream name on the destination. The Target Name
has the format <TargetStreamName>.sdp. When pushing to
another DME it is generally most straightforward to reuse
the Stream Name as the Target Name.
Destination IP/Address:Port Enter the destination IP address. Override the Port if not
using the default (554).
User Name Required if client-side authentication is required by the
destination server.
Password Required if client-side authentication is required by the
destination server.
Enable Default - Disabled - Enables the push.
Status Read only: Disabled | Streaming | Waiting for Stream
(Input source <stream_name> not yet available.)

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 Output Configuration

Transport Stream Out

Stream Name The input stream name you will be sending out as a transport stream.
Note: For MPEG-2 content, the Stream Name must be prepended
with "mp2:" See MPG2TS Streams on page 85 for more information.
Multicast/ If multicast output, the multicast address of the output stream, If
Destination IP/ unicast, the destination IP address.
Address
Port The port number you will be sending the stream to.
Announce Name (optional) If multicast, the program name to be included in the SAP
for this stream. If not filled in, Stream Name is used.
Enable Enable or disable the output transport stream.
Status Disabled | Waiting for Stream | Streaming

DME Admin Guide 93

HLS Streaming
HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) is an HTTP-based media streaming protocol implemented by
Apple Inc. as part of their QuickTime and iPhone software. It works by breaking the overall
stream into a sequence of small HTTP-based file downloads, each download loading one
short chunk of a transport stream. As the stream is played, the client can select from a
number of different alternate streams containing the same material encoded at a variety of
data rates, allowing the streaming session to adapt to the available data rate. At the start of
the streaming session, it downloads an extended M3U playlist containing the metadata for the
various substreams which are available. Since its requests use only standard HTTP
transactions, HLS is capable of traversing any firewall or proxy server that allows standard
HTTP traffic, unlike UDP-based protocols such as RTP.

Stream Name Input stream used to generate HLS content.

Master Playlist Name If the stream will be part of a group of alternate streams identified
by a master playlist, enter the master playlist name. A group may
consist of multiple streams with different bit rates and the iOS client
will switch between available streams to provide the best viewing
experience. When using this page to create a group, you must put
the highest bit rate stream first (at the top of the list). This is the
first stream the client will try to play. You will typically have more
than one HLS stream referencing the same Master Playlist Name. If
this stream is not part of a master playlist, leave this field blank.
Announcement (optional) The program name to be included in the SAP for this
Name stream. If not filled in, Stream Name is used

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 Output Configuration

Bandwidth Override Master Playlists for multiple bit rate streams require the bandwidth
of each individual stream to be included in the Master Playlist. For
example, if the stream is sourced from a VBrick H.264 encoder, the
DME will detect the bandwidth associated with each multiple bit
rate stream. For non-VBrick encoders, enter the bandwidth value (in
Kbps) associated with the stream. In general, use this field only if
the encoder does not supply a bandwidth value. Be aware that if
used, this value will override the encoder–supplied value.
Type The number of video segments in a playlist is defined by the Playlist
Length. This field determines how the DME will handle the
generated segments:
• Rolling – the playlist will have a fixed length regardless of the
number of HLS segments generated. Segments will be added or
deleted to maintain a fixed playlist length.
• Appending – the Playlist Length is ignored and the DME creates
a continuously growing playlist. The maximum playlist duration
is seven days.
Note 1: Multiple appending playlists may use a large amount of
disk space unnecessarily. Use this option only if you will need to
return to the beginning of the playlist.
Note 2: The entire playlist will be deleted if you "disable" HLS
generation (on the HLS Streaming page). When the stream is
active, the playlists and associated segments can be extracted via
FTP.
Playlist Length The number of segments to include in a playlist. Default = 10. This
value is used to enable scroll back in the client player. You can scroll
back up to the number of segments specified here. Be aware that this
function uses disk space for segments that may never be viewed.
Minimum Segment The number of seconds for which a media segment is created.
Length Range 1–60. Default = 8. By increasing this number you will
increase the initial time it takes to play the HLS stream. Since a
separate HTTP access is required for each segment,
Performance is optimized by keeping this number larger. Since a
separate HTTP access is required for each segment, performance
is improved by keeping this number larger. For best results, this
number should always be a multiple of the IDR Frame Interval on
the encoder. For example, if the IDR Frame Interval is 4, this value
should be 8, 12, 16.
Enable Enable or disable the stream.
Status Disabled | Waiting | Active.

Playlist Conventions
When generating HLS streams it is important to understand the conventions used for
creating playlists so they can be played via an HTTP URL.

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 To Play: iOS Viewing URL
Individual streams that are http://<dme_ip_address>/<master_playlist_name>/
part of a master playlist: <stream_name>/playlist.m3u8

Individual streams that are http://<dme_ip_address>/HLS/<stream_name>/

not part of a master playlist: playlist.m3u8

All streams in a master http://<dme_ip_address>/<master_playlist_name>/

playlist.m3u8
playlist:

HDS Streaming
HDS (Adobe MPEG-4 based HTTP adaptive file streaming protocol) is an HTTP-based
media streaming protocol implemented by Adobe. It works by breaking the overall stream
into a sequence of small HTTP-based downloads, each download loading one short chunk of
a video stream. As the stream is played, the client can select from a number of different
alternate streams containing the same material encoded at a variety of data rates, allowing the
streaming session to adapt to the available data rate. At the start of the streaming session, it
downloads an extended f4m playlist containing the metadata for the various substreams
which are available. Since its requests use only standard HTTP transactions, HDS is capable
of traversing any firewall or proxy server that allows standard HTTP traffic, unlike UDP-
based protocols such as RTP.

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 Output Configuration

Stream Name Input stream used to generate HLS content.

Master Playlist Name If the stream will be part of a group of alternate streams identified
by a master playlist, enter the master playlist name. A group may
consist of multiple streams with different bit rates and the Flash
player will switch between available streams to provide the best
viewing experience. When using this page to create a group, you
must put the highest bit rate stream first (at the top of the list).
This is the first stream the client will try to play. You will typically
have more than one HLS stream referencing the same Master
Playlist Name. If this stream is not part of a master playlist, leave
this field blank.
Announcement (optional) The program name to be included in the SAP for this
Name stream. If not filled in, Stream Name is used.

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 Bandwidth Override Master Playlists for multiple bit rate streams require the bandwidth of
each individual stream to be included in the Master Playlist. For
example, if the stream is sourced from a VBrick H.264 encoder, the
DME will detect the bandwidth associated with each multiple bit rate
stream. For non-VBrick encoders, enter the bandwidth value (in Kbps)
associated with the stream. In general, use this field only if the encoder
does not supply a bandwidth value. Be aware that if used, this value
will override the encoder-supplied value.
Type The number of video segments in a playlist is defined by the Playlist
Length. This field determines how the DME will handle the
generated segments:
• Rolling – the playlist will have a fixed length regardless of the
number of HDS segments generated. Segments will be added or
deleted to maintain a fixed playlist length.
• Appending – the Playlist Length is ignored and the DME creates
a continuously growing playlist. The maximum playlist duration
is seven days.
Note 1: Multiple appending playlists may use a large amount of disk
space unnecessarily. Use this option only if you will need to return
to the beginning of the playlist.
Note 2: The entire playlist will be deleted if you "disable" HDS
generation (on the HDS Streaming page). When the stream is active,
the playlists and associated segments can be extracted via FTP.
Playlist Length The number of segments to include in a playlist. Default = 10. This
value is used to enable scroll back in the client player. You can scroll
back up to the number of segments specified here. Be aware that this
function uses disk space for segments that may never be viewed.
Minimum Segment The number of seconds for which a media segment is created.
Length Range 1–60. Default = 8. By increasing this number you will also
increase the initial time it takes to play the HLS stream. For best
results, this number should always be a multiple of the IDR Frame
Interval on the encoder. For example, if the IDR Frame Interval is
4, this value should be 8, 12, 16 ...
Enable Enable or disable the stream.
Status Disabled | Waiting | Active.

Playlist Conventions
When generating HLS streams it is important to understand the conventions used for
creating playlists so they can be played via an HTTP URL.

To Play: iOS Viewing URL

Individual streams that are http://<dme_ip_address>/HDS/<stream_name>/
not part of a master playlist: playlist.f4m

All streams in a master http://<dme_ip_address>/HDS/<master_playlist_name>/

playlist: playlist.f4m

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 Output Configuration

RTP Relay
Use this page to configure or edit relays. A streaming RTP relay forwards an RTP stream
from a source to either a multicast or multiple unicast destinations. One of the primary
functions of a relay is to minimize the usage of network bandwidth across limited bandwidth
WAN links by receiving an single incoming stream and outputting either a multicast stream
or serving multiple unicast streams. Relays can also be used to distribute the load across
multiple servers. The incoming stream can be provided to multiple destination servers and
then redistributed to clients. Possible destination servers, include QuickTime, Darwin, or
another DME. There are a number of methods for receiving an incoming stream. The
most common is to receive an incoming stream into the Multi Protocol Server and then
push the stream to the RTP Server (Out-10). It is also possible to receive a Push directly
into the RTP server (In-3) or to receive an unannounced unicast or multicast. In this
scenario you will need to manually place the multicast/unicast .sdp file from the source on
the destination server.
Another important use case for providing input to the RTP server is from the VC Gateway.
This input does not require explicit configuration. In addition to the output options for
delivering multicast or unicast streams via Push mechanisms, streams are available via the
RTPSP/RTP server without any explicit configuration. When clients open an RTSP stream
to the .sdp file from a server, they will receive a reflected unicast of the incoming stream.
This method can be used to distribute the stream to either client players or to multiple
destination servers.

Note If a stream which is present on the RTP server is to be used as source for any output
from the Multi Protocol serer, an RTSP/RTP Pull (In-6) must configured on the Multi
Protocol server. For more about configuring this scenario, see Out-7 > Relay
(Unicast/Multicast) on page 52.

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 Relays Shows all defined relays.
New Relay Define a new relay.
Edit Relay Edit the selected relay.
Delete Relay Delete the selected relay.

100 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.

 Output Configuration

New Relay

Relay Name Enter a unique relay name.

Status Check to enable. Remember to click Apply before you exit the page.

Source Settings
These settings describe the source of the stream to be relayed. It can be sourced internally
from the DME (127.0.0.1); it can be fetched from elsewhere; or you can wait for it to be
announced. The dominant use case is to source the stream internally from the DME.

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 Source Hostname or Hostname or IP address of the source server. Commonly this is
IP Address 127.0.0.1. This is set to an external address only if a stream is being
requested from an external server via RTSP/RTP. Normally RTSP/
RTP requests originate at the Multi Protocol Server (In-6).
Mount Point SDP file name.
Request incoming For all normal use cases, this option is selected. Check to request a
stream stream from another DME or server.
User Name (optional) Name used for authentication on source server. Used
only in the uncommon case of a stream requested from an external
server via RTSP/RTP.
Password (optional) Name used for authentication on source server. Used
only in the uncommon case of a stream requested from an external
server via RTSP/RTP.
Wait for announced Check to wait for an announced stream from the specified
stream(s) hostname or IP address. This is an uncommon case.

Destination Settings

Hostname or IP Hostname or IP address of the destination server.

Address
Announced UDP Use when relaying a stream to another DME or server via auto
unicast.
• User Name – Name used for push authentication to destination
server.
• Password – Password used for push authentication to destination
server.
Unannounced UDP Use when pushing the stream to another DME or server and
publishing the associated .sdp file. Although this option can be used
for either multicast to clients and servers or unicast to a specific server,
the dominant case is multicast.
• Base Port – The base port will be incremented by 2 for each
RTP stream.In most common cases, there are two RTP streams
(audio and video) so 4 ports are required for the relay. The ports
must be unique on the destination device for unicast or on the
multicast IP.
• Output SDP file – Auto-generates an .sdp file using the Output
SDP file name and including the destination information.
• Multicast TTL – For unicast, the number of hops (between
routers) for which an IP packet is valid in the network. For
multicast defines the distribution scope of the stream. Range =
1–255.
Add | Remove A relay can send the stream to multiple destinations. Use this button
Destination to add or remove a configured destination.

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 Output Configuration

Stream Conversion
Use this page to configure input/output stream type conversion. The most common use of
the converted streams is to convert a high rate stream into multiple lower rate streams for
delivery via one of the HTTP adaptive protocols (HDS or HLS). The conversion process
does not modify the resolution of the incoming stream—the end devices will usually
efficiently scale the incoming video to fit the screen. The conversion changes the bit rate, and
in some cases, will modify the frame rate.

Note If you purchased the Stream Conversion feature, the license for this feature must be
activated before the Stream Conversion option is shown in the DME's Configuration
Menu. For more information see Activate Feature on page 78.

The stream conversion function is part of the Multi Protocol server. This means that the
source stream must be present in the Multi Protocol Server and the output stream is available
to the Multi Protocol server. If the input stream is sourced from the RTP server (In-3 or
In-8) or from the VC Gateway, then it will need to be pulled into the Multi Protocol server by
an internal RTSP/RTP pull (In-6). The output parameters for the various available
conversion templates are shown below: The number of conversions configurable is limited
according to model number of the DME as shown in Table 13.

Stream Name Name of the preconfigured source stream selected from the dropdown
list
Conversion Type Sets the video, audio, and resolution parameters for the output stream.
Framerate is the framerate of the source input stream. See Table 12 for
parameter details.
Converted Output The stream name for the converted output stream. This is used as an
Stream Name input Stream name when defining how the converted stream is to be
used as an Output.

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 Extra Parms Use this field to enter specific parameters that may be necessary for the
stream to play on devices with specific conversion requirements. For
example you may need to configure an incoming DME stream with a
modified Key Frame Interval for compatibility with a certain player.
For a library of possible conversion options go to http://libav.org/
avconv.html Libav is software project that produces libraries and
programs for handling multimedia data. Use these options with care.
They will override the selected template in the Conversion Type field
but are not tested or supported by VBrick. If not used properly they
can adversely affect DME performance.
Enable Enables/Disables the conversion.
Status Disabled | Waiting | Active
CPU Load CPU status for transrated streams.

Table 12. Conversion Type Parameters †

Conversion Type Video/Audio Bit Rate Resolution

iPod/iPhone/SmartPhone 300/32 (Kbps) QVGA
iPad/Tablet Low Resolution 400/32 VGA
iPad/Tablet High Resolution 700/48 SVGA
Set Top Box 800/48 VGA
Cloud Delivery Low 200 Kbps 200/16 QVGA
Cloud Delivery Medium 500 Kbps 500/32 QVGA
Cloud Delivery High 1000 Kbps 1000/32 VGA
LAN HD 2000 Kbps 2000/48 HD720
LAN HD 4000 Kbps 4000/48 HD720
† Framerate is the framerate of the source input stream.

Table 13. Number of Permitted Conversions

Model Number of Permitted Conversions

7530 3
7550 6
7570 10

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 Output Configuration

Notes • The actual number of supportable conversions depends on the hardware deployed.
This is a particularly important consideration when using a virtual machine
versions of the DME. Each conversion takes a minimum of one core. Further if
the bit rate of the output stream exceeds 500K an additional core is required. If the
bit rate exceeds 1Mbps, then two additional cores are needed.
• In order to play converted streams, some PCs may need to have the Catalyst
Control Center (for the video card) installed and the option "Enforce Smooth
Video Playback" disabled.

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106 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.
 Chapter 9

User Configuration
Topics in this chapter
Username and Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Stream Input Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Username and Password

Use this page section to change the user name (default = admin) and password (default =
admin) for the DME server (and the FTP server). There is only one user name and password
on the system with the exception of ReadOnly access which is described below. If you change
the user name and password, be sure to record the new name and password. If you lose the
user name or password you will be unable to login to the server.

Note Be aware that when you change the user name and password for the server you are
changing the FTP user name and password as well. See the Note on page 74 for more
information.

Current User Name Enter current user name.

Current Password Enter current password.
New User Name Enter new administrator user name.
New Password Enter new administrator password.

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 Re-enter New Password Re-enter new password and be sure to click Change Password .

Readonly Username and Password

Use this page section to change the Readonly user account password if desired. The Readonly
account user name (default = readonly) and password (default = readonly) is used
specifically for read only access to the DME server. When logged in as a Readonly user, the
user may only browse the DME GUI. No modifications may be made.

Note Be aware that you must know the current Administrator User Name and Password to
change the Readonly password. Further, while you may change the password for the
Readonly account, the User Name will always be the default, readonly, as referenced
above.

Current Administrator Enter current Administrator user name.

Current Administrator Enter current Administrator password.
Password
Readonly User New Enter new Readonly password.
Password
Re-enter New Password Re-enter new password and be sure to click Change Readonly
Password .

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 User Configuration

Stream Input Authentication

Use this page to configure a "broadcast" password that will allow you to publish streams to
this server. This password is needed when sending a stream via auto unicast to a DME using
either In-2 or In-3 or when sending an RTMP stream from a live encoder to the DME In-1.
Only one login user name and password are used for all inputs into the system. The login
name cannot be the same name as the administrator name.

Current Stream Input Read only. Default = broadcast |broadcast (user name/
Authentication User password).
Name
New User Name Enter new announce user name.
New Password Enter new announce password.
Re-enter New Password Re-enter new password and be sure to click Change Password .

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110 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.
 Chapter 10

VC Gateway Configuration
Topics in this chapter
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Incoming Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Outgoing Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Overview
Video conferencing enables people at different locations to see and hear each other, and to
share access to documents, slides, and desktop applications. Each site typically has a video
camera, a display device, as well as a microphone and speakers. The DME video conferencing
solution builds on a simple video conference by delivering a multi-vendor, standards-based
stream that lets smartphones, tablets, PCs/Macs, and TVs display the video conference. It
provides a cost effective way to leverage existing video conferencing investments by
delivering the video conference audio and video as a stream to other elements in the VBrick
ecosystem. The stream can be centrally managed and delivered to thousands of users across
multiple sites. It can also be recorded for subsequent on-demand viewing.

Note If you purchased the Video Conferencing feature, the license for this feature must be
activated before the VC Gateway Configuration option is shown in the DME's
Configuration Menu. For more information see Activate Feature on page 78.

Vendor Compatibility
The VC Gateway is a standards-based solution. It integrates with video conference
infrastructure using SIP (RFC 3264) and H.264. The products shown in Table 14 have been
tested successfully at VBrick. Many of the listed vendors make similar products within the
same families that share the same software and operating parameters and it is expected that
these devices will interoperate successfully as well. However, there are always variations in
software releases and interoperability cannot be guaranteed without testing your specific
product. In short a trial is always recommended. Other vendors and other products may also
work with the VC Gateway but have not been tested.
Table 14. Supported Videoconferencing Vendors
Vendor Product
Avaya 1X Communicator, Avaya Flare, Avaya 1020, Avaya 1050
Cisco Tandberg C20
CounterPath Bria 3.3.1
LifeSize Express 220, Team 220
Polycom HDX 8000 HD, iPad

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 Configuring VC Gateway Streams
The DME's Video Conferencing module has two basic methods that are used to create and
stream a video conference: (1) Incoming Lines allow the he DME to be invited into a video
call by a remote video conferencing system. (2) Outgoing Lines are used to initiate a call from
the DME to a remote video conferencing system. In both cases the DME delivers the video
conference as a stream to other elements in the VBrick ecosystem. As shown in Table 15, the
total number of incoming and outgoing lines available is limited by the license you purchased.
The Total Number Lines read-only field on the Defaults page shows the number of lines
available with your license. You can configure any combination of incoming and outgoing
lines that do not exceed the total number of available lines. (If you purchased hardware and
software from VBrick, the number of lines is determined by the DME model; if you
purchased software-only, the number of lines is determined by license.)

Table 15. Available VC Gateway Lines

DME Model Total Lines Available
7530 (BPS) 12
7550 (XPS) 30
7570 (HPS) 60

Delivering VC Gateway Streams

The VC Gateway creates an RTP input stream of the video conference which you can output
in multiple ways to local and remote viewers. A VC Gateway stream is no different than any
other DME input stream. This means you can use any of the streaming output methods
(Flash Push, RTSP Push, Transport Stream, HLS Streaming, RTP Relay) supported by the
DME. See DME Output Streams on page 46 for more about delivering VC Gateway streams
The VC Gateway streams are delivered to the RTP Server. If you wish to deliver the VC
Gateway stream using any of the output use cases supported by the Multi-protocol server, you
must configure an internal RTSP/RTP pull (In-6) to make the stream available to the
Multi-Protocol server.

Playing Back VC Gateway Streams

Playback of VC Gateway streams is only limited by the configured output and the players you
have available to play that output. For more about playing back VC Gateway streams, see
Playing DME Streams on page 141.

Note The DME can receive a G.711 audio stream from the VC Gateway via a connected call
and will convert the audio to AAC which can then be streamed out of the DME via
RTP and other delivery methods. Without a VC Gateway the DME cannot pull
directly from a source that has G.711 audio. The video input through the VC Gateway
must be H.264.

Integrating with VEMS Mystro

The VC Gateway is closely integrated with the VEMS Portal Server. It can display live VC
Gateway streams on the Live Video pages in VEMS. It can record and save VC Gateway
streams on the Stored Video pages (in VEMS 6.x only). VEMS Mystro recording functionality
is configured on the Details pages for incoming and outgoing lines.

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 VC Gateway Configuration

• Live Video – Provided SAPs are enabled for the outgoing streams, DME streams
sourced from the VC Gateway are automatically discovered and displayed in VEMS.
• Stored Video – The VC Gateway can be configured to automatically record and ingest
streams into VEMS Mystro 6.x only using the VC Gateway "record" feature. These
streams will be displayed on the Stored Video pages.

Note If you exceed the permitted number of recordings, allowed by VEMS Mystro, the
recording(s) will fail and an application error will be shown on the VEMS
Dashboard—not in the DME.

Incoming Lines
The DME can be invited into a video call by an individual video conference camera and
codec or by a multipoint control unit (MCU). When the remote video conferencing system
will be initiating a call to the DME, the VC Gateway is configured using the Incoming Lines
pages. The Incoming Lines page shows the line table. This table shows the current state of all
available incoming lines.

Note As a best practice when using the VC Gateway for incoming audio-only calls, define
one or more lines for audio-only usage. To subsequently use those lines for incoming
audio/video calls you must restart the Streaming Server Service on the System
Maintenance page.

Line Name The SIP Line name is used as Stream name elsewhere in the system
Page Refresh Interval Select a refresh interval from the dropdown or Never (not
recommended).

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 State Displays various descriptive messages indicating the current "state"
of the line. The first connected line will display as connected ;
additional connected lines will display as bridged .
Edit Edit | New. Click to create a new line or to edit an existing line.
Delete Click and confirm to delete a line.
Activate Activate | Deactivate.
Click and confirm to activate an existing line.
A call cannot be connected until the line is activated.
Line Hang Up. Click on Hang Up to end the currently connected call.
Record Record | Stop Record . Click to record the VC Gateway stream on the
configured VEMS Mystro server. The recording automatically
terminates when the line disconnects.
Default Use with care. This button will delete all lines in the table.

 To accept an incoming call from a videoconferencing system:

1. Make sure the Incoming Line Details (including the Line Identity ) are configured
correctly for the selected Line Name.
2. The VC Gateway listens for incoming calls. When the Hang Up button is displayed, an
incoming call is connected to the VC Gateway.
3. Verify the State is "connected " on the Incoming Lines page.
4. Verify you have audio and video on the videoconferencing monitor or your desktop.
5. If a Live Entered URL is configured in VEMS Mystro, verify the stream is present.

Incoming Line Details

This page shows parameter details for the incoming line. In many cases you can use the
default values which are derived from the Defaults page. Click on the Default button to set or
reset to the defaults. Once a line is activated, it will automatically listen for incoming calls
from the configured video conferencing source (i.e. the Line Identity ).

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 VC Gateway Configuration

Line Number Click once to select and edit any color-coded line (1–n).
New line (grey)
Connected line (green)
Not connected line (red)
Line Name User-configured line name. Default = IncomingLine<n>
Line Identity The DME line name and IP address in the format shown. This is
the identifier the remote videoconferencing unit will use to call
into the DME: sip:<line_name>@<dme_ip_address>
Should Register The session will be registered with a SIP registration server if
present. Default = Enabled.
Registrar Address Optional field to add the IP address of a registrar if one is
required.
Line Authentication Id Line Authentication Id for configured SIP registration server.

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 Line Authentication Line Authentication password for configured SIP registration
Password server.
Never Hang Up Do not hang up. If you leave the call connected it will
automatically hang up after 720 minutes.
Maximum Call Time Maximum duration for any call after which the system will
automatically hang up. Default = 120 minutes.
Video Resolution Select from dropdown list. Sets the desired video encoding
resolution (the width and height respectively) of the compressed
video stream. Note that the actual resolution is determined by
negotiation between endpoints.
• 1920x1088 @ 60fps at 4096kbps
• 1920x1088 @ 30fps at 2048kbps
• 1280x720 @ 60fps at 2048kbps
• 1280x720 @ 30fps at 1024kbps
• 960x544 @ 30fps at 1024kbps
• 704x480 @ 30fps at 512kbps
• 704x576 @ 25fps at 512kbps
• 352x240 @ 30fps at 256kbps
• 352x288 @ 25fps at 256kbps
P-Mode Packetization mode defines the packetization rule for the
incoming/outgoing stream. Default = standard. Do not change
except as directed.
I-Frame Interval Video conferencing systems typically do not send IDR frames
although they are required for most players. This is the frequency
at which IDR (Intra Dynamic Refresh) frames are inserted.
Default = 5 seconds.
Audio Bit Rate Select from dropdown: 16K, 32K, 64K.
Activate Line The line cannot be used for a videoconference until it has been
activated. Default = disabled.
Configure Destination Check box to automatically configure a destination RTP relay to
RTP Relay stream the video conference over RTP. See Destination RTP
Relay below.
VEMS Mystro User If the video conference will be recorded to VEMS, the VEMS
user name it will be associated with. This user determines which
categories will be available for the recorded video. If blank, this
user will be the VEMS Mystro User configured on the SIP
Defaults page.
VEMS Mystro If the video conference will be recorded to VEMS, the VEMS
Password password it will be associated with. If blank, this user will be the
VEMS Mystro Password configured on the SIP Defaults page.
Automatic Record Automatically record the videoconference in VEMS Mystro.
Default = disabled.

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 VC Gateway Configuration

Title • Default – "Incoming Linen n "

• Add Time Stamp – appends the date and time to the VEMS
title. For example: Incoming Line_n_12_01_27_15_02_51
Description VEMS metadata. Descriptive text used for content search.
Keywords VEMS metadata. Keywords used for content search.
Categories VEMS metadata. The categories that the recorded stream will be
associated with. These categories are determined by the
configured VEMS Mystro User.
Note: If category permissions are changed on the VEMS Mystro
server, it may take up to 30 minutes before the updated categories
are shown on this DME page.
Reference Material Link VEMS metadata. This will add a link to a web page on the
Reference Material tab.
• Title – Descriptive name for URL.
• URL – Fully qualified path to a web page.

Note The Incoming and Outgoing Details pages have an OK button (in addition to Apply,
Revert, and Default). Use the OK button to save changes and exit back to the previous
page. Use the Apply button to save changes without leaving the Details page. This
makes it easy to edit a different line without leaving the Details page.

Destination RTP Relay

Use the Destination RTP Relay check box on this page (and configure the parameters) to
create a destination RTP relay. Instead of going to the RTP Relay page, you can simply check
this box to run a wizard that automatically creates the destination relay. A destination RTP
relay forwards a multicast stream to local users in an IP network using an auto-generated .sdp
file that becomes part of the URL to the stream, for example: http://<dme_ip_address>/
mystream.sdp. When clients open a player and point to the .sdp file with a URL, the player
will tune into the stream. Be aware that if you change the setting on this page (for a
previously created relay) you will actually be creating a new relay and leaving the old relay in
place. Consequently you will need to open the RTP Relay page and manually disable and
delete the old relay. For best results, if you need to make changes, edit the relay on the RTP
Relay page rather than on the VC Gateway page.

Configure Multicast Check this box to enable and display the relay configuration
RTP Relay options. Default = disabled.
Relay Name Enter a unique name for the relay.

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 Multicast IP Enter a valid multicast address for your network, for example:
239.22.118.72

Base Port Use this parameter when pushing the stream to another DME.
The base port will be incremented by 2 for each RTP stream. Use
numbers that are not already being used for the entire SDP
sequence set.
Out SDP File Enter a name for the auto-generated .sdp file.
Multicast TTL Specify the number of routers the multicast stream will pass
through before it stops propagating over the network. Range = 1–
255.

Outgoing Lines
The DME can also initiate a call into a videoconference. When the DME initiates a call to the
remote video conferencing system, the VC Gateway is configured using the Outgoing Lines
pages. The Outgoing Lines page shows the line table. This table shows the current state of all
available outgoing lines.

Page Refresh Interval Select a refresh interval from the dropdown or Never (not
recommended).
Line Name User-configured line name. Default = OutgoingLine<n>
State Displays various descriptive messages indicating the current "state"
of the line. The first connected line will display as connected ;
additional connected lines will display as bridged .
Edit Edit | New. Click to create a new line or to edit an existing line.

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Delete Click and confirm to delete a line.

Line Call | Hang Up. Click Call to initiate a videoconference with the
configured endpoint or Hang Up to end the call.
Record Click to record the VC Gateway stream on the configured VEMS
Mystro server.
Default Use with care. This button will delete all lines in the table.

 To place an outgoing call to a videoconferencing system:

1. Make sure the Outgoing Line Details (including the Destination Identity ) are configured
correctly for the selected Line Name.
2. Click the Call button for the selected Line Name on the Outgoing Lines page.
3. Verify the State is "connected " on the Outgoing Lines page.
4. Verify you have audio and video on the videoconferencing monitor or your desktop.
5. If a Live Entered URL is configured in VEMS Mystro, verify the stream is present.

Outgoing Line Details

This page shows parameter details for outgoing lines. The parameters shown on this page are
identical to those on the Incoming Line Details page except for the three fields explained below. In
most cases you can use the values specified on the Defaults page. Click on the Default button
to set or reset to the defaults. You can initiate a call by enabling Call Line and clicking Apply
or OK or by using the Call button on the Outgoing Lines page. Either method will auto
connect with the configured video conferencing endpoint (i.e. the Destination Identity ).

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 Destination Identity The name and IP address of the videoconferencing destination
endpoint in the format shown. This is the identifier the DME will
use to call into the remote videoconferencing unit:
sip:name@<destination_ip_address> (or <host name>).

Proxy Address Optional field to list the IP address of a proxy server if one is
required.
Call Line Automatically initiates a call when you check the box and click OK
or Apply.

Defaults
Use this page to set SIP defaults for many of the parameters on the incoming and outgoing
line detail pages. Note that any changes you make on this page do not affect existing lines.
Changes made on this page will apply only to "new" incoming or outgoing lines.

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Line Identity IP address, host name, or domain of the DME.

IP, Host, or Domain
SIP Bind Address Typically the same as the DME. However, you can configure the
source IP address of signaling and media packets to a specific
interface's IP address. Packets not destined to the bound address
are discarded.
Total Number Lines Read-only. The total number of incoming and outgoing lines
available depends on your license. See Table 15 on page 112.
Number Incoming Determines the number of available lines shown on the Incoming
Lines Lines page. Total cannot exceed license.
Number Outgoing Determines the number of available lines shown on the Outgoing
Lines Lines pages. Total cannot exceed license.
Activate Incoming Line Automatically activate newly created incoming lines.
Call Outgoing Line Automatically call newly created outgoing lines.
Video Resolution Select from dropdown list. Sets the video encoding resolution
(the width and height respectively) of the compressed video
stream.

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 P-Mode Packetization mode defines the packetization rule for the
incoming/outgoing stream. Default = standard. Do not change
except as directed.
I-Frame Interval Video conferencing systems do not send IDR frames although
they are typically required for most stream players. This is the
frequency at which IDR (Intra Dynamic Refresh) frames are
inserted. Default = 5 seconds.
Audio Bit Rate Select from dropdown: 16K, 32K, 64K.
Log Level • Debug – Provides verbose information (default).
• Info – Provides limited information.
Never Hang Up Do not hang up. If you leave the call connected it will
automatically hang up after 720 minutes. Default = disabled.
Incoming Maximum Maximum duration for any call after which the system will
Call Time automatically hang up. Default = 120 minutes.
Outgoing Maximum Maximum duration for any call after which the system will
Call Time automatically hang up. Default = 120 minutes.
Should Register The session will be registered with a SIP Registration server if
present. Default = Enabled.
Audio Chime A chime sound is played (before the Audio Welcome Prompt)
when placing or receiving calls to or from an endpoint. To use a
different sound, uncheck Default and upload your own file. See
Creating "Audio Chime" Files below for details.
Audio Welcome Prompt An audio message ("Welcome to VBrick DME") is played when
placing or receiving calls to or from an endpoint. To use a
different message, uncheck Default and upload your own file. See
Creating "Audio Chime" Files below for details.
VEMS Mystro Address VEMS Mystro 6.x only. Set default VEMS Mystro IP address or
host name for recorded files. If SSL is configured on the VEMS
Mystro server, you must use a host name in this URL.
VEMS Mystro User Set default VEMS Mystro user name.
VEMS Mystro Password Set default VEMS Mystro password.
Automatic Record Set auto-record on VEMS Mystro.

Creating "Audio Chime" Files

As noted a chime sound and a brief welcome message are played when placing or receiving
calls to or from a video conferencing endpoint. You can replace these default audio files by
uploading your own recordings that were created in .raw format only. The following steps
explain how to create a .raw file on a Windows machine that has an audio recording device.
 To generate an audio file in .raw format on a Windows machine:
1. Go to the Search box on the Start menu, type: soundrecorder/file outputfile.wav and
press Enter. This will launch your audio recording device if present.
2. Record an audio file and save it as outputfile.wav
3. Install the latest version of SoX (Sound eXchange) from http://sox.sourceforge.net

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4. Convert the recorded outputfile.wav file to *.raw format by running:

c:\<sox-installed-path>\sox.exe outputfile.wav -r 16000 -e signed-integer -b 16
-c 1 outputfile.raw

where <sox-installed-path> is typically C:\Program Files\sox-14-4-0 or C:\Program

Files (x86)\sox-14-4-0.Note that the SoX version you installed may be different than
14-4-0.
5. Uncheck the Default box next to the appropriate audio selection. This will enable the upload
feature. Upload the new outputfile.raw file and test by placing and receiving a call
through the VC Gateway.

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 Chapter 11

Logging
Topics in this chapter
Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Logging
The Error Log on the Monitor > Error Log page displays DME status messages as well as
errors. The Access History on the Monitor > Access History page shows files that have been
accessed since the last reset. This page enables or disables logging and sets overwrite rules.

Error Log Shows DME status messages as well as errors.

Access Log Shows files that have been accessed since the last reset.
Logging Check to enable the Error Log and/or the Access History. Logged
entries are shown the respective Monitor pages. Both logs are enabled
by default.
Roll log Overwrite the log every nnn days or every nnn KB (whichever comes
first).

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 Chapter 12

Monitor
Topics in this chapter
System Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
RTP Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Multi Protocol Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Relay Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Access History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Upgrade Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Error Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

System Usage

Page Refresh Interval Select the desired page refresh interval from the dropdown.
RTP CPU Load Shows the CPU load on the RTP server.
RTMP CPU Load Shows the CPU load on the RTMP server.
Total CPU Load Shows the CPU load on both the RTP and RTMP servers.
Disk Usage System Total megabytes used and available for DME system resources.

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 Disk Usage Content Total megabytes used and available for DME content.
RAM Total Shows the physical RAM present on system.
RAM Used Shows the RAM currently being used.
RAM Free Shows the RAM available for use.
Swap Memory Total Shows the total Swap Memory on system.
Swap Memory Used Shows the Swap Memory currently being used.
Swap Memory Free Shows the Swap Memory available for use.
Memory Total Shows total memory (physical and swap space) available.
Memory Used Shows physical and swap space used.
Memory Free Shows physical and swap space free.

RTP Connections
This page shows all RTP users currently connected to the DME. Click on the column header
to sort the entries up or down.

Display entries From the dropdown, select the number of entries you wish to
display on the page.
Page Refresh Interval Select the desired page refresh interval from the dropdown.
Connected Users The DME displays the following information for each connected
user. Click on the header field to sort ascending or descending.
• Type – indicates a stream is present.
• IP Address – user IP address.
• Bit Rate – stream bit rate in Kbps.
• Bytes Sent – total bytes sent.
• % Packet Loss – percentage packet loss.
• Time Connected – total time connected.
• Connected To – target IP address.

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Multi Protocol Connections

This page shows all RTMP users currently connected to the DME. Click on the column
header to sort the entries up or down

Display entries From the dropdown, select the number of entries you wish to
display on the page.
Page Refresh Interval From the dropdown, select the desired page refresh interval.
Connected RTMP The DME displays the following information for each connected
Streams stream. Click on the header field to sort ascending or descending.
• Type – indicates a stream is present.
• Stream Type – the following strings are displayed only when
data is being streamed. "Active" denotes an inbound stream (i.e.
one being generated); "Streaming" denotes an outbound stream.
– In RTMP Active
– In RTP Active
– In TS Active
– Out RTMP Streaming | blank
– Out RTP Streaming | blank
– Out TS Streaming | blank
– Out HLS Active | blank
– Out HDS Active | blank
• IP Address – IP address of connected user.
• Port – port to which user is connected.
• Session ID – unique session ID for connection.
• Packets Sent – number of packets sent.
• Packets Lost – number of packets lost.
• Time Connected – total time of connection.
• Connected To – target IP address.

Relay Status
This page shows the status of all defined relays. Click on the column header to sort the
entries up or down

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 Display entries From the dropdown, select the number of entries you wish to
display.
Page Refresh Interval From the dropdown, select the page refresh interval.
Connected Relays The DME displays the following information for each connected
relay. Click on the header field to sort ascending or descending.
• Relay Name – relay name.
• Source – source IP address.
• Destination – destination IP address.
• Bit Rate – stream bit rate in Kbps.
• Bytes Relayed – total bytes relayed.

Access History
This page shows the file names that have been requested by all users since the last DME
reset. It is enabled and rolls over (i.e. overwrites the information) as configured on the
Logging page.

Files Requested File names requested since the last DME reset.
Requests Number of times the individual file was requested.

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Upgrade Log
This log shows a history of all DME upgrade activity. Any .rpm upgrades will be reported on
this page as successful, incorrectly signed, or failed. These results are explained in more detail
below. For an explanation of how to upgrade your DME, see Software Upgrade on page 151.

Success The .rpm was signed by VBrick and successfully installed.

Not Signed The .rpm you tried to install does not have the correctly signed VBrick key.
Fail Either the .rpm upgrade has already been installed or is not valid for this
DME.

Error Log
The Error Log shows status messages as well as errors. It is enabled and rolls over (i.e.
overwrites the file) as configured on the Logging page. To reset the Error Log manually,
scroll to the bottom of the page (if necessary) and click Reset Error Log. If problems occur,
you can copy and paste the error text from this page and send to VBrick Support Services via
email. You may also be asked to fetch other log files available in DME root via FTP.

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 Chapter 13
Maintenance
Topics in this chapter
System Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Disk Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

System Maintenance
Note After a power failure the DME may go into read-only mode and FTB will be disabled.
As a best practice, always run Reset with Check Disk after a power failure.

Reset with Check Disk Performs a System Reset (see below) and runs a check disk at
startup. Use this option if the system was powered off
unexpectedly. Be aware that, depending on the amount of content
on the hard drive, a check disk can be time consuming.
Shutdown Performs graceful shutdown and removes power. Toggle the power
switch on the server to restart.
Reset Resets (i.e. reboots) the appliance. A reset does not change, save,
or reset any configuration parameters.
Note: RTP UDP Auto Unicast connections from a VBrick encoder
are not restored after a System Reset. To restore the connection,
disable and then enable the RTP transmitter on the encoder.

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 Clear Licenses Demo licenses for features are good for 31 days. Use this button to
clear a demo license and activate a feature before your demo
license has expired. After clearing licenses, go to the Activate
Feature to activate a new license.
Restart Streaming When using VC Gateway lines for audio-only calls you may need to
Service restart the streaming server to subsequently use those lines for
audio/video calls. See VC Gateway Configuration > Incoming
Lines for more information.
Clear Cache Use this button to clear the Internet cache on the DME's internal
HTTP web server so that the web server will start fetching and
serving new web pages rather than cached pages. This option
works around the default "duration" timeout setting (50 minutes)
on the DME web server.
Remove Active This button will remove all actively configured input and output
Streams streams. Should be used in conjunctions with VBrick Support only.
After use, all active streams will need to be disabled and then re-
enabled to start again.

Disk Status
This page shows the size and status of Existing Disks (i.e. those disks that were present
originally or were added using the "provisioning" process) and of New Disks Found which
have not yet been provisioned.

Page Refresh Interval • Never – Never refresh page.

• 30 seconds – Refresh page every 30 seconds.

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 Maintenance

Existing Disks • Disk Name – Disk name.

• Size – Configured size in KB.
• Status – Displays either "Built-in Disk" or "Provisioning" if a
provisioning is in progress.
New Disks Found • Disk Name – Disk name.
• Size – Configured size in KB.
Provision Shown only when a new disk has been found. Click the named
button to start the provisioning process for that disk. Note that this
step is irreversible. See Disk Provisioning below for more
information.

Disk Provisioning
This topic explains how to provision a new disk in a virtual environment. DME Release 3.1.5
or higher lets you add a new disk to your VMWare virtual environment in order to extend the
current content area available in the DME. The default partition for each new disk is 250 GB.
You can add more disks to the provisioned set by adding more virtual disks and repeating the
process explained below. The number of disks you can add is limited only by the resources of
your server machine.

Notes • Be aware that disk provisioning is irreversible. Once you have added a new
virtualized disk, it cannot be removed.
• Always create a VMWare "snapshot" before you begin so that you can revert to
you original configuration if anything goes wrong.
• Provisioning a disk is not the same as adding an iSCSI disk to the DME. If you
are adding an iSCSI disk see SAN/iSCSI Setup on page 77.

 To add a new disk in a virtual environment:

1. For best results restart the virtual machine with a disk check unless you are sure your disk
does not have errors. To run a disk check on the DME:
a. Go to the Maintenance > System Maintenance page.
b. Click on Reset With Disk Check .
2. When the DME comes up, shutdown the virtual machine using the Shutdown button on
the Maintenance > System Maintenance page.
3. Using the VMWare client tools or other method, create a snapshot of the virtual machine
so that you can revert if anything goes wrong.
4. Add a disk to this virtual machine using the VMWare client tools or any other method
you use to manage your virtual machines.
5. When done, restart the DME virtual machine.
6. After the restart, go to the Maintenance > Disk Status page.
A new disk will be shown in the New Disks Found area and a named button will let you
provision the new disk. If you added more than one disk, the button will provision only one
disk at a time and you will need to repeat the provisioning process for each additional disk.

DME Admin Guide 135

 7. Press the Provision Disk button to begin provisioning the new disk as an extension to the
existing disk. A pop-up message will indicate approximately how long this will take. (The
provisioning time is usually minimal but may take several hours depending on the type of
disk being added.) Be aware that this will stop all streaming services from the DME
until provisioning is complete and the device reboots.

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 Maintenance

8. When the provisioning is complete, the DME will reboot, the streaming services will
restart, and the Maintenance > Disk Status page will show the new disk as active and
available for use.
9. Go to the Monitor > System Usage and the Disk Usage Content field will show exactly
how much space is in use and available for use.

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 Chapter 14

Diagnostics
Topics in this chapter
Trace Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Trace Capture
The Trace Capture utility creates a TCP dump of network traffic that can be used by VBrick
Support Services when troubleshooting VC Gateway issues. It captures packets based on the
criteria you select and can subsequently be viewed in Wireshark or a similar application. As
explained below, you run the utility, retrieve the capture file, and send to it VBrick.

Page Refresh Interval Choose how often to refresh the information on the page.
Interface to capture • eth0 – this is the same as bond0 if load sharing is enabled on the
from IPv4 network interface.
• bond0 – captures a trace across all network interfaces that are
enabled.
• any – captures a trace for both external and internal interfaces
(bond0 and lo).
• lo – captures a trace of the local host interface (127.0.0.1) only.
Capture file size Specify the size (default = 50 MB) of the capture file. The capture
will terminate when file size reaches this value.
Status Displays Capturing while a trace capture is in progress or blank
when finished or idle.
Start | Stop Capture Start or stop the capture process.

 To create a trace capture:

1. Select an interface from the dropdown.
2. Specify a size for the capture file. You can use the default or the value suggested by
VBrick Support Services.

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 3. Click Start Capture and confirm.
4. Run the capture until complete or click Stop Capture at any point.
5. FTP to the device and navigate to the trace folder.
6. The trace file will be in DME root with a name similar to this: /trace/eth0.pcap
7. Copy the file and send to VBrick Support Services.

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 Chapter 15

Playing DME Streams

Topics in this chapter
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Playing RTSP/RTP Streams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Playing Multicast RTP Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Playing HLS Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Playing Transport Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Playing Streams with a Flash Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Overview
DME input and/or output streams can be configured to play on desktops (with a variety of
players), set top boxes, and mobile devices at different locations and in a variety of different
physical configurations. The DME supports live RTP, Transport Stream, RTMP (Flash), HLS,
and HDS streams. It also functions as a progressive download server for .wmv and other files.
Stored VOD files are supported by the onboard RTP and Multi-Protocol VOD servers and
added to the DME via FTP. To play these streams you will need a corresponding player.
Often these players are available either as Standalone players or embedded into a web
page.

Table 16. DME Protocol Types and Players

Protocol Typical Players
RTSP/RTP H.264 StreamPlayer, QuickTime, VLC
SDP/RTP H.264 StreamPlayer, QuickTime, VLC
RTSP WM Windows Media Player
RTMP, RTMPS Adobe Flash Player, JW Player, FLV Player
HDS Adobe Flash Player, JW Player, FLV Player
HLS iDevices, QuickTime MAC, VLC

Playing RTSP/RTP Streams

Live or stored RTP streams are playable via unicast in VBrick StreamPlayer, Apple
QuickTime, VLC, and other players using RTSP for stream control. An RTP player can also
be embedded on an HTML page. It is possible to utilize either the Multi-Protocol Server or
the RTP server to play these streams. As discussed above, for live content the RTP server
should be used for optimal stream stability, but if many simultaneous users are expected, the
equivalent RTSP server from the Multi-Protocol Server is preferred. Regardless of the server
used, to play the live stream an RTSP URL in the following format points to the stream:
rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port>/<publishing point>

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 When using the RTP server the port does not need to be identified unless it has been
changed from the default 554. Normally, the publishing point format is <streamname>.sdp
so, a URL would look like:
rtsp://<dme_ip_address>/vbStream1S1.sdp

When using the Multi-Protocol server, the port does need to be identified. The publishing
point is the stream name so, an example URL would be:
rtsp://<dme_ip_address:5544>/vbStream1S1

Regardless of the server used, playing stored content uses an RTSP URL pointing to the file
in the this format:
rtsp://<dme_ip_address:port>/<filename>

The RTP server can play files containing a variety of codecs, though it is recommended only
for stored content. Again, the port does not need identification unless it has been changed
from the default 554. An example URL would be:
rtsp://<dme_ip_address>/myfile.mov

In StreamPlayer, enter the full RTSP URL in the IP Address field:

Figure 30. VBrick StreamPlayer

Playing Multicast RTP Streams

You can play multicast RTP streams using an SDP file. An .sdp file is a text file that provides
descriptive information about the stream and gives the user's computer instructions for
tuning in. In one case (In-8), the SDP file must be manually FTPed to the DME. For other
live use cases or stored streams, the SDP file is automatically created on the RTP or RTMP
VOD server. To play streams with an SDP file you will use a URL similar to the following:
http://<dme_ip_address>/mystream.sdp

In QuickTime or VLC you open the player and point to the .sdp file. In StreamPlayer you
must enter the complete path to the file in the IP Address field and then click Play.

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 Playing DME Streams

Playing HLS Streams

HLS streams are typically played on iPhones and other iOS devices using an HTTP URL.
The HTTP URL syntax is shown below. HLS streams can be played directly from the source
DME or a local caching DME. Use the local DME name if it is configured to cache from the
source DME.
 To play live non-adaptive HLS streams you will use a URL similar to the following:
http://<dme_ip_address>/HLS/<stream_name>/ playlist.m3u8

 To play live adaptive HLS streams you will use a URL similar to the following:
http://<dme_ip_address>/<masterplaylistname>/ playlist.m3u8

 To play stored non-adaptive HLS streams you will use a URL similar to the following:
http://<dme_ip_address>/<stream_name>/ playlist.m3u8

 To play stored adaptive HLS streams you will use a URL similar to the following:
http://<dme_ip_address>/<masterplaylistname>/ playlist.m3u8

Playing Transport Streams

Multicast Transport stream playback is defined on the Transport Stream Out page. When
viewing a multicast stream, use a player like VLC to tune in to the stream via a URL similar to
the following. (In VBrick StreamPlayer, just use the multicast IP address and port number.)
udp://@<multicast_ip_address>:<port>

Alternatively you can play a transport stream via a "served unicast." You will need a player,
like VLC or StreamPlayer, that supports delivery of transport stream via RTSP. The
recommended RTSP URL for live playback is:
rtsp://<source_dme_ip_address:port>/ts/<stream_name>

The recommended URL for stored playback is:

rtsp://<source_dme_ip_address:port>/ts/<filename>

The port is required even if not changed from the default (5544). If necessary see Out-2 >
Serve TS via RTSP on page 47 for alternative URLs.

Playing Streams with a Flash Client

You can play live or stored RTMP, RTMPS, or HDS streams from any Flash server including
the DME by downloading and installing a desktop Flash player (Figure 31). You can also can
embed the player in a web page that will invoke a Flash plugin. Adobe, Long Tail and others
have resources on the web explaining how to embed a Flash player in a web page. See http://
www.longtailvideo.com/support/jw-player/13/embedding-flash for a good example.
 To play live streams from a DME on a Flash client using RTMP you will use a URL
similar to the following:
rtmp://<dme_ip_address>/live/<stream_name>

 To play stored streams from a DME on a Flash client using RTMP you will use a URL
similar to the following:
rtmp://<dme_ip_address>/vod/<filename>
A port number is not required, unless the default port (1935) has been changed.

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  To play live streams from a DME on a Flash client using RTMPS you use a URL similar
to the following:
rtmps://<dme_ip_address:port>/live/<stream_name>

 To play stored streams from a DME on a Flash client using RTMPS you will use a URL
similar to the following. Note the port number is required:
rtmp://<dme_ip_address:port>/vod/<filename>

HDS streams can be played directly from the source DME or a local DME via caching. Use
the local DME name if it is configured to cache from the source.
 To play live non-adaptive HDS streams on a Flash client you will use a URL similar to the
following:
http://<dme_ip_address>/HDS/<stream_name>/manifest.f4m

 To play live adaptive HDS streams on a Flash client you will use a URL similar to the
following:
http://<dme_ip_address>/HDS/<masterplaylistname>/manifest.f4m

Figure 31. Desktop Flash Player

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 Chapter 16

Detailed Use Cases

Topics in this chapter
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Configuring a Multicast Relay with an Auto-Unicast Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Configuring a Multicast Relay with a Unicast Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Overview
These use cases describe all of the steps you will need to perform in order to create a
Multicast RTP Relay. The first example explains how to configure for unicast source; the
second example explains how to configure for an auto unicast source. These use cases
provide a complete example of the types of things you will need to do to use the DME
effectively. The VBrick Distributed Media Engine contains a fully featured RTP server which
lets you create an Multicast RTP Relay stream. The relay can be streamed from a unicast
source or from an auto unicast source on a VBrick (7000/9000 Series) H.264 encoder. Both
of these scenarios are explained in detail on the following pages. For more information about
encoder settings and parameters, see the VBrick H.264 Encoder Admin Guide.

Note The multicast relay configuration explained here corresponds to the output stream
described in Out-7 > Relay (Unicast/Multicast) on page 52. The key difference is that
this topic explains how to configure a multicast relay in much greater detail.

Configuring a Multicast Relay with a Unicast Source

This example shows how to use the DME to relay an H.264 unicast stream from a VBrick
H.264 encoder as a multicast stream. Clients will then be able to join the multicast via HTTP
to the DME. This example shows how a relay can be streamed from a unicast source on a VBrick
H.264 encoder.

H.264 Encoder Setup

1. Configure a 7000/9000 Series H.264 encoder with a valid RTP stream then configure a
transmitter to unicast to the DME (using higher video/audio port values).
2. Configure the transmitter as shown below:

DME Admin Guide 145

 DME Setup
1. Create a new Relay.

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 Detailed Use Cases

2. Configure the RTP Relay as follows:

a. Enter a Relay Name.
b. Set the Status to Enabled.
c. Enter the IP Address as 127.0.0.1 and enter the original .sdp file name.
d. Select Request incoming stream .
e. Enter the Multicast IP Address from the .sdp file.
f. Enter the Output SDP file name.
g. Enter the Video Port value and Multicast TTL.
The user will view the video using QuickTime and entering the HTTP url to the SDP file
located on the DME. In the example above the original sdp file is taco-uni.sdp and the
output sdp is taco-uni1.sdp. So the URL will be http://172.22.2.50/taco-uni1.sdp.

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Configuring a Multicast Relay with an Auto-Unicast
Source
The VBrick Distributed Media Engine contains a fully featured RTP server, giving the
administrator the ability to provide an RTP Relay Multicast stream. When configured, clients
will then be able to join the multicast via HTTP to the DME. This example shows how a relay
can be streamed from an auto unicast source on a VBrick H.264 encoder.

H.264 Encoder Setup

1. Configure the encoder with a valid Auto Unicast (TCP) stream then configure a
transmitter to unicast to the DME.

2. Configure the transmitter with the following settings:

a. Set the Auto Unicast Dest Port to the RTSP port of the DME.
b. Configure the Auto Unicast Dest Pub Point Name to the desired sdp file name. This
.sdp file will be automatically placed in the root folder. (Note: The file name must be
appended with .sdp or the auto unicast will fail.)
c. Enable the transmitter and verify it is sending to the DME.

DME Setup
1. Configure a new Relay:

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 Detailed Use Cases

2. Play the Multicast Relay using QuickTime with a URL in the following format. If desired,
a URL can be added to the VBrick's external Announce Settings on the Program
Configuration > Transmitters page.
http://<dme_ip_Address>/<testmulti2.sdp>

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 Chapter 17

Other Tasks
Topics in this chapter
Software Upgrade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Installing Security Updates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Managing Disk Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Backup and Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Software Upgrade
You can upgrade the DME software using VBrick's VBDirectory management application
and the VBDMEDownload upgrade tool. You can launch the upgrade tool from the Start menu
(go to Start > All Programs > VBrick > VBDMEDownload) or from VBDirectory. For
details that explain how to use the tool, see the DME Release Notes. To view the history of all
previous upgrade activity, see the Upgrade Log on page 131.

Figure 32. VBDMEDownload Upgrade Tool

Installing Security Updates

Signed VBrick security updates may be periodically available. Do not neglect to install these
updates but to avoid impacting performance, install updates only when the system is idle. Do
not update the DME with any software except as directed by VBrick.

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Managing Disk Space
Your system has differing amounts of content storage available depending on the model you
purchased. For example the Model 7570 has (6) 300 GB of RAID 5 storage. For best results
and to avoid impacting performance it is important to regularly monitor your CPU Load and
Disk Usage on the Monitor > System Usage page.

Figure 33. System Usage Page

Backup and Restore

As a best practice you should periodically save your configuration settings in case they need
to be restored at a later time. Manage Configuration on page 74 explains how to save and
restore the configuration as well as how to reset the DME to the VBrick factory defaults.

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 Chapter 18

Configuring Devices for the DME

Topics in this chapter
VBrick Encoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
VBOSS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Rich Media Desktop (RMD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Rich Media Studio (RMS). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
More Configuration Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

This topic explains how to configure various VBrick devices to stream to and from the DME.
For more information about these products, see the corresponding VBrick documentation.
All VBrick documentation is posted on the web at www.vbrick.com/documentation. Note
that the examples in this topic refer to the following drawing.

Figure 34. Supported Input/Output Streams

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VBrick Encoders
The following uses cases are supported for streams from 7000/9000 Series VBrick encoders
to the DME. Note that regardless of the way the stream is sent to DME, all output use
cases are possible. The order of this table corresponds to the recommended transport
mechanisms. Note that to maintain KLV, only Transport Stream protocols can be used
(In-4, In-7, Out-2, Out-5) The table refers to Figure 34 on page 153.

RTMP (Flash) RTP TS

IN-8 In-2 In-4 †
In-3 In-7
In-6
In-8
† KLV data preserved.

Playback Examples

VEMS Mystro RTMP rtmp://<dme_ipaddress>/live/<stream_name>

(Live Entered URL)
RTP vbrtsp://<dme_ipaddress>/filename.sdp

TS vbricksys://<multicast_ipaddress>:port

HLS http://<dme_ipaddress>/HLS/ <stream_name>/

playlist.m3u8

HLS http://<dme_ipaddress>/HDS/ <master_playlist>.f4m/

RTP http://<dme_ipaddress>/<multicast_sdp_file.sdp
Multicast

VBOSS
Example 1
 To send a stream from VBrick Encoder > VBOSS > DME > Flash client:
1. Configure an RTMP Transmit from encoder to VBOSS URL.
2. In the DME, configure E to L (to pull the VBOSS URL).
3. Distribute as Flash: vbrtsp://<dme_ipaddress>/live/<stream_name>
Example 2
 To send a stream from VBrick Encoder > DME > VBOSS:
1. Configure an RTP Auto Unicast (In-2 ) from encoder to DME.
2. Configure RTMP Push ( Out-9) to the VBOSS publishing point.

Rich Media Desktop (RMD)

Requires RMD 1.1 or higher. You can use RMD to send a Flash (RTMP) stream to the
DME. To configure a a Flash stream, launch RMD, go to Broadcast > Broadcast Settings, and
configure the following page with the values shown below. (As shown in the example, "live"
is the default application name for the DME.) You will also need to click Set Credentials and
enter the User Name and Password for the DME's Stream Input Authentication user (default

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 Configuring Devices for the DME

= broadcast | broadcast). When done, go to Broadcast > Start/Stop Broadcasting to start

streaming to the DME. You can then use any of the DME output methods to redistribute the
stream. See Configuring DME Streams on page 33 for details.

Figure 35. RMD Broadcast Page

Playback Examples

VEMS Mystro rtmp://<VODServerIPaddress>/live/mystream

(Live Entered URL)
VBOSS rtmp://fml.2D84.edgecastcdn.net/202D84/fls/2D84/mystream

iOS http://<dme_ip_address>/HLS/<stream_name>/playlist.m3u8

Rich Media Studio (RMS)

Although the DME is integrated with VBrick RMS v1.3 or higher, for best results, VBrick
recommends v1.6 or above.

Table 17. Recommended Streaming Methods

RMS Version Recommended Streaming Method
RMS 1.6 † • See Streaming to the DME with an RTP Auto-Unicast Push
• See Streaming to the DME with an RTMP Push.
RMS 1.3 † • See Streaming to the DME with RMS 1.3 With this method you
will have to copy the .sdp file to the DME every time you modify
the RMS video parameters.
† or higher

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 Streaming to the DME with RMS 1.6
Streaming to the DME with an RTP Auto-Unicast Push
 To configure an RMS stream for a DME:
1. Open RMS and enter a destination address on the Broadcast page. In the Destination
Address field (Figure 35) enter the unicast IP address of the DME.
2. Change the source port to a legal port number that is unused on the source RMS.

Note When entering metadata (e.g. Session Info, Origin E-Mail, etc.) be sure to remove any
leading spaces.

Figure 36. RMS Broadcast Options (Part 1)

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 Configuring Devices for the DME

Figure 37. RMS Broadcast Options (Part 2)

3. Enter the DME IP Address as the RTSP Address. Enter the DME Auto Unicast
destination port as the RTSP port. You can indicate use of the Auto Unicast listener on
either the RTP server or the Multi Protocol server by designating the appropriate DME
port. The Multi Protocol server (In-2) is recommended. If password security is enabled
the RTSP Username and Password must be entered. Enter an SDP File Name. This name
will be the stream name for stream redistribution.
4. After starting the session, a live RTP stream will be available in the DME that can be
served in a number of ways (see Figure 37). For example, you can reflect the stream as a
multicast relay or auto-unicast it to another DME. See Configuring DME Streams on
page 33 for more information.

Figure 38. RMS/DME Integration

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 Playback Examples

VEMS Mystro (Live vbrtsp://172.1.1.1/vbStream1S1

Entered URL) vbhttp://172.1.1.1/vbStream1T1.sdp

iOS http://<dme_ip_address>/HLS/<stream_name>/playlist.m3u8

Streaming to the DME with an RTMP Push

This topic explains how to configure an RMS-to-DME stream using an RTMP Push output.
This is an alternate improved interface (that requires DME 3.1.1 or higher).
 To configure an RTMP Push to a DME:
1. Go to the Session Properties page and then click Outputs and Create.
2. Click on the Live icon, highlight H.264 for Flash , and click Next .
3. Click on the Options button, scroll down to Broadcast (RTMP) , and expand the pane.

4. Configure the URL , Stream name, and credentials as follows:

URL DME IP address in this format: rtmp://<DME_IP_Addr>:1935/live

Stream User configurable stream name that will be shown on Monitor >
Multi Protocol Connections page and used in a Flash player.
Username DME user name from User Configuration > Stream Input Authentication
page.
Password DME user name from User Configuration > Stream Input Authentication
page.

5. When done click OK and Finish and the H.264 for Flash option will be added to the
menu as a selectable output option.
Outputs

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Streaming to the DME with RMS 1.3

You can use RMS to send an H.264 unicast push or a multicast output stream to the DME.
With both methods you will need to publish the .sdp file to the DME
 To configure an RMS stream for a DME:
1. Open RMS and enter a destination address on the Broadcast page. In the Destination
Address field (Figure 39) enter a multicast IP address (for example 239.2.127.254) or the
unicast IP address of the DME.

Note When entering metadata (e.g. Session Info, Origin E-Mail, etc.) you may need to
backspace to the beginning of the field to remove any leading spaces.

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 Figure 39. RMS Broadcast Options (Part 1)
2. Extract the .sdp file. Once the session is active, the .sdp file is automatically created (in
the specified folder) by “enabling” the broadcast and name the file using the SDP File
Name().

Figure 40. RMS Broadcast Options (Part 2)

3. Verify the .sdp file. When creating an .sdp the information in the file is sourced from the
Broadcast page in RMS. Be aware that any leading spaces (see line 3 below), will cause the
.sdp file to fail when published to the DME. For this reason, be sure to delete leading
spaces before publishing.

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4. Publish the .sdp file (via FTP) to the root folder on the DME using FTP. After you FTP
the file, there will be a live RTP stream in the DME that can be served in a variety of
ways (see Figure 37). For example you can reflect the stream as a multicast relay or auto-
unicast it to another DME. See Configuring DME Streams on page 33 for more
information.

Playback Examples

VEMS Mystro (Live vbrtsp://172.1.1.1/vbStream1S1

Entered URL) vbhttp://172.1.1.1/vbStream1T1.sdp

iOS http://<dme_ip_address>/HLS/<stream_name>/playlist.m3u8

More Configuration Examples

The configuration examples on the following pages refer to the configuration diagram in
Figure 34. The examples explain various ways you can configure the following stream types:
RTMP
RTP
Transport Stream
HLS

RTMP

Desired Result Acquire a RTMP stream from RMD and RMS

Solution • RMD: In-1
• RMS: In-2

Desired Result Use the stream to create a HLS and multicast RTP output
Solution • RMD and HLS: In-1 to Out-6
• RMS and HLS: in-2 to Out-6
• RMD to Multicast: In-1 to Out-10 to Out-7
• RMS to Multicast: In-2 to Out-10 to Out-7

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 Desired Result Acquire a RTMP stream from another source, like VBoss, which is also
being archived on VBoss.
Solution In-5 Archiving on VBOSS not currently supported.

Desired Result Use the RTMP stream to generate unicast flash streams, and convert it to
RTP to be able to multicast it as well.
Solution • Unicast Flash: n-5 to Out-3
• Multicast RTP: In-5 to Out-10 to Out-7

RTP

Desired Result Send announced and unannounced RTP streams from an encoder to the
DME and give it a name in the DME.
Solution • Unannounced: In-8
• Announced: In-5 to Out-10 to Out-7

Desired Result Use the received RTP stream to create a multicast to a multicast address to
play in an enterprise stream player.
Solution • Unannounced: In-8 to Out-7
• Announced: In-2 to Out-10 to Out-7 (preferred) or In-3 to Out-7

Desired Result Use the received RTP stream to create a flash stream to play in a Flash
player via unicast
Solution • Unannounced: In-8 to In-6 to Out-1
• Announced In-2 to Out-1 (Preferred) or In-3 to In-6 to Out-1

Desired Result Use the created Flash stream to generate a HLS stream so that the stream
can be played on an iPad via unicast.
Solution • Unannounced: In-8 to In-6 to Out-6
• Announced: In-2 to Out-6 (Preferred) or In-3 to In-6 to Out-6

Transport Stream

Desired Result Send an unannounced Transport stream from an encoder with KLV data
to DME and give it a name.
Solution In-4

Desired Result Use the name TS stream to send out to 3 other TS destination via RTSP.
Solution In-4 to Out-2

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Desired Result Use the same TS stream to multicast to a single multicast address.
Solution In-4 to Out-5 ( T S ) or In-4 to Out-10 to Out-7 (RTP)

Desired Result Use the same TS stream to play via Flash player.
Solution In-4 to Out1

Desired Result Use the same TS stream to create a HLS stream to be played on an
iPhone/iPod touch.
Solution In-4 to Out-6

HLS

Desired Result Generate a HLS stream from any source and have a second DME be able
to deliver the stream to its HLS clients (vice versa).
Solution 1. Generate a HLS stream: Either (In-3 or In-8) to In-6 to Out-6 or (In-2 , In-6 ,
In-5 , In-1 , In-4 , or In-7 ) to Out-6
2. Do so on both DMEs, make sure HLS names are different from each
other
3. Modify Caching Alternative Source on DME 1 to have IP address of
DME 2.
4. Modify Caching Alternative Source on DME 2 to have IP address of
DME 1.
5. The URL for both streams available in both DMEs:
http://IPofDME1/HLS/stream1/playlist.m3u8
http://IPofDME1/HLS/stream2/playlist.m3u8
http://IPofDME2/HLS/stream1/playlist.m3u8
http://IPofDME2/HLS/stream3/playlist.m3u8

Desired Result Generate three different streams, coming in three separate ways, from the
same source, into a DME to create a master playlist with three streams in
reverse bitrate order so that all of them can be played on an iPad. You
should use the ideal setting for the best video/audio playable on an iPad.
Solution 1. Use same source type from encoder, not three different types.
2. Select either RTP out as IN-2 ; RTMP out as In-1 ; or TS out as In-4 .
3. Use Announce Session Override in encoder to name streams
Rate1High, Rate2Mid, Rate3Low if using In-2 or In-1 as input.
4. Use the names above in the DME if using In-4 as input.
5. Add each stream for HLS generation (Out-6 ).
6. Use the same name for master playlist name (e.g. dmeconfig) to make
them part of an adaptive set
Adaptive URL: http://<dme_ipaddr>/dmeconfig/playlist.m3u8

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164 © 2014 VBrick Systems, Inc.
 VBrick Systems, Inc.
2121 Cooperative Way, Suite 100
Herndon, VA 20171, USA