VBrick Systems VB Directory System User manual
VBDirectory
MPEG-1, 2, 4 & WM
VBrick Systems, Inc. Telephone: 1-203-265-0044
12 Beaumont Road Toll Free (USA Only): 1-866-VBrick-1
Wallingford, Connecticut 06492 www.VBrick.com
VBDirectory
Users Guide
Version 4.1
June 27, 2007
4410-0061-0009
VBDIRECTORY USERS GUIDE VERSION 4.1
COPYRIGHT VBRICK SYSTEMS PAGE 2 JUNE 2007
Copyright
VBrick Systems, Inc. copyrights this manual with all rights reserved. Under the copyright
laws, this manual may not be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without the prior
written permission of VBrick Systems, Inc.
©VBrick Systems, Inc., 2007
Disclaimer
VBrick Systems, Inc. has reviewed this manual to insure it is an easy-to-use guide. All
statements, technical information, and recommendations in this manual and in any guides or
related documents are believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness thereof are
not guaranteed or warranted and they are not intended to be, nor should they be understood
to be, representations or warrants concerning the products described. VBrick reserves the
right to make changes in the specifications of the product without notice and without
obligation to notify any person of such changes.
Trademarks
VBrick, VBrick Systems, StreamPlayerII and StreamPlayer Plus are registered trademarks of
VBrick Systems, Inc. Other brand and product names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective owners.
VBDIRECTORY USERS GUIDE VERSION 4.1
COPYRIGHT VBRICK SYSTEMS PAGE 3 JUNE 2007
Table of Contents
COPYRIGHT........................................................................................................................................... 2
DISCLAIMER .......................................................................................................................................... 2
TRADEMARKS ........................................................................................................................................ 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................. 3
1: INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................ 4
BENEFITS OF VBDIRECTORY .................................................................................................................. 4
2: INSTALLATION ................................................................................................................................. 5
YOUR NETWORK.................................................................................................................................... 5
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ........................................................................................................................ 5
INSTALLATION........................................................................................................................................ 5
3: OPERATION ...................................................................................................................................... 6
LAUNCH VBDIRECTORY ......................................................................................................................... 6
FEATURES ............................................................................................................................................ 6
VBDIRECTORY SETTINGS....................................................................................................................... 7
CONFIGURATION.................................................................................................................................... 7
FILTER.................................................................................................................................................. 8
GROUPS ............................................................................................................................................... 8
GROUPS ............................................................................................................................................... 9
HOST NAME ........................................................................................................................................ 10
CONNECTING TO VBRICKS.................................................................................................................... 11
Unlisted VBricks............................................................................................................................. 11
USERNAME AND PASSWORDS ............................................................................................................... 11
All Units.......................................................................................................................................... 11
Groups ........................................................................................................................................... 12
Individual Units............................................................................................................................... 12
VB1000-2000-3000........................................................................................................................... 13
VB1000-2000-3000 Connection.....................................................................................................13
VBAdmin ..................................................................................................................................... 13
Telnet .......................................................................................................................................... 14
VB1000-2000-3000 Upgrade ......................................................................................................... 14
VB1000-2000-3000 Settings .......................................................................................................... 15
Host Name .................................................................................................................................. 15
Management SAP....................................................................................................................... 15
VB4000-5000-6000........................................................................................................................... 16
VB4000-5000-6000 Connection.....................................................................................................16
VB4000-5000-6000 Upgrade ......................................................................................................... 17
Settings for Upgrade Preferences............................................................................................... 17
Upgrade ...................................................................................................................................... 17
VB4000-5000-6000 Settings .......................................................................................................... 18
Host Name .................................................................................................................................. 18
Setting the Management SAP..................................................................................................... 18
ETHERNETV-STB ............................................................................................................................... 19
EtherneTV-STB Connection........................................................................................................... 19
EtherneTV-STB Upgrade............................................................................................................... 19
EtherneTV-STB Settings................................................................................................................ 19
Host Name .................................................................................................................................. 19
Setting the Management SAP..................................................................................................... 20
COMPATIBILITY .................................................................................................................................... 20
INDEX............................................................................................................................................... 21
VBDIRECTORY USERS GUIDE VERSION 4.1
COPYRIGHT VBRICK SYSTEMS PAGE 4 JUNE 2007
1: Introduction
Brick products are now shipped with a management application called VBDirectory,
which provides quick reference and access to all VBricks on a network. It is
available as a standalone program available on the product CD ( or from the VBrick
website) and bundled with the release of many VBrick products.
The VBDirectory application listens to the Management SAP (Session Announcement
Protocol) sent by each VBrick on the network1. This allows the administrator to locate the
name and IP Address of each VBrick on the network through its Host Name, which is set in
the Internet Protocol, or IP section of the software. If a Host name has not been selected,
the VBrick is identified through the Media Access Control (MAC) address, a hardware
address that uniquely identifies each node of a network. On Ethernet models, the VBrick’s
Host Name identifies the VBrick to various network applications, including DHCP, SNMP and
VBrick application tools.
As long as SAP transmit is enabled, the VBrick sends a Management SAP to VBDirectory’s
default address. When a new VBrick device is added to the network, VBDirectory
automatically locates it and adds it to its list. Double-clicking the VBrick address after
locating the SAP in the VBDirectory interface launches a Web Interface that provides VBrick
control though one of the following:
•
•
VBrick 1000, 2000, 3000 Series (MPEG-1) appliances through VBAdmin software or
through Telnet access.
•
•
VBrick 4000, 5000 and 6000 Series (MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and WM) appliances
through the Integrated Web Server (IWS).
•
•
EtherneTV-STB appliances through a web browser interface.
•
•
EtherneTV WM IP Receiver through a web browser interface.
Benefits of VBDirectory
•
•
Significantly simplifies management of environments with multiple VBrick
appliances.
•
•
Automatically recognizes when VBricks are added or removed from the network.
•
•
Allows VBricks to be grouped together for management purposes.
1 VBDirectory is compatible with software release 2.0.0 or higher for the VBrick 6000 Series and release 2.4.0 for
VBrick 3000 series. The Upgrade function for the VBrick 3000 series requires VBAdmin release 3.2.5.1 and
higher. It is not backwards compatible with previous versions of code.
V
V
CHAPTER one
ICON KEY
Important
Information
VBDIRECTORY USERS GUIDE VERSION 4.1
COPYRIGHT VBRICK SYSTEMS PAGE 5 JUNE 2007
2: Installation
Your Network
The PC running VBDirectory needs to be connected to the network, and there needs to be at
least one VBrick configured to send Management SAPs (please refer to the VBrick Admin
Guide). It operates on any PC that has access to the network.
System Requirements
VBrick Systems recommends the following minimum system specifications:
•
•
2000, XP, or Vista.
•
•
Any Pentium processor.
•
•
128 Mb RAM.
•
•
Minimal space required (under 400k).
Installation
VBDirectory is installed in either of the following two ways:
•
•
Run SetupVBDirectory4_1_0.exe and follow the on-screen directions. The Setup
program installs the program on your computer. It is recommended that the default
settings be used. The setup installs the software in the default location in Program
Files>VBrick>VBDirectory . Use the default folder or specify the location.
•
•
VBDirectory is installed along with the installation or upgrade of VB1000-2000-3000
MPEG-1 and VB400-5000-6000 MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 VBrick appliances when
using Intelligent Download, the VBrick installation and upgrade program.
CHAPTER two
IMPORTANT: VBDirectory must be closed during installation or upgrade to avoid an
error being reported. If the application is open, just close the file and complete the
installation.
VBDIRECTORY USERS GUIDE VERSION 4.1
COPYRIGHT VBRICK SYSTEMS PAGE 6 JUNE 2007
Create a
shortcut by
right-clicking
on VBDirectory
and choosing
Create
Shortcut.
3: Operation
Launch VBDirectory
VBDirectory runs from the Start menu, Programs, VBrick, VBDirectory.
Features
•
•
VBDirectory can be resized
by dragging the corners or
sides of the menu.
•
•
You can sort the listing by
clicking on any column
header.
•
•
Check the version of
VBDirectory by viewing the
About Box. The About Box
can be accessed by
selecting the VBDirectory
icon in the top left of the
menu or by right clicking
anywhere in the title bar or
from the Windows bar.
CHAPTER three
VBDIRECTORY USERS GUIDE VERSION 4.1
COPYRIGHT VBRICK SYSTEMS PAGE 7 JUNE 2007
VBDirectory Settings
VBDirectory detects and identifies all VBricks that are configured to send Management SAPs
to a network address accessible to the PC on which VBDirectory is running.
The interface window for VBDirectory displays a list of the VBricks on the network:
•
•
Name – Either the Host Name or MAC address of the appliance.
•
•
IP Address – The IP address of the unit.
•
•
Type – MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, STB (Set-Top Box), WM (Windows Media or
WM IPR).
•
•
Model – The VBrick Model number.
Configuration
The Configuration pull down menu
contains the settings for:
•
•
The Default Management
SAP IP Address.
•
•
The Port and the Timeout
value.
VBDIRECTORY USERS GUIDE VERSION 4.1
COPYRIGHT VBRICK SYSTEMS PAGE 8 JUNE 2007
Management SAP IP Address
VBDirectory is configured to pick up Management
SAPs transmitted by VBricks. The default address
from which the Management SAPs are obtained is
224.2.133.134, port 9876. If the default address from
which the Management SAP is received is changed in
VBDirectory without changing the SAP address to
which the Management SAP is sent by the VBrick, the
Management SAP will no longer be visible.
Timeout Value
The SAP Timeout Value specifies the length of time a
Management SAP will remain on the list after it stops
being transmitted. This configuration option works in
tandem with the Retransmit Time value in the
Management Screen of the VBrick. If the SAP
Timeout Value is smaller than the Retransmit Time,
then that VBrick's Management SAP will keep
intermittently appear on VBDirectory's list. Take this into account
when changing the SAP Timeout Value. The default value is set at 25 seconds.
Filter
It is possible to filter the list through the Group Name, Host Name or IP Address by selecting
one of the radio buttons and clicking on FILTER c. To return to the entire list, click the
same button, which will have toggled to UNFILTER d.
1
2
VBDIRECTORY USERS GUIDE VERSION 4.1
COPYRIGHT VBRICK SYSTEMS PAGE 9 JUNE 2007
1
2
3
Groups
The configuration screens on the VBrick allow the operator to organize VBricks into groups.
This helps simplify identification and streamline access to VBricks within a group. Within the
group an individual VBrick is identified by a unit number. Dual encoders or decoders are
identified by the same number.
Displaying a group requires double
clicking on it:
•
•
Double click the name of a
group to display a list of the
contents c.
•
•
Dual encoders/decoders
display the same Unit
Number d.
•
•
Double click Go
Back at the top of the
list to return to the
entire list e.
VBDIRECTORY USERS GUIDE VERSION 4.1
COPYRIGHT VBRICK SYSTEMS PAGE 10 JUNE 2007
Host Name
The Host Name is set in the Internet Protocol, or IP section of the VBrick. Please refer to the
users guide for the model. If a Host name has not been selected, the VBrick is identified
through the Media Access Control (MAC) address, a hardware address that uniquely
identifies each node of a network.
•
•
Host Name is set in the
IP configuration section
of the VBrick c.
•
•
Host Name is not set.
VBrick is identified by the
MAC address d.
2
1
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1
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