Rascular Support Centre https://support.rascular.com Support resources for Rascular broadcast software Wed, 06 Mar 2024 08:45:56 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 Utah RCP-3A Implementation notes https://support.rascular.com/utah-rcp-3a-implementation-notes/ Wed, 21 Feb 2024 13:05:18 +0000 https://support.rascular.com/?p=6292 TEST Utah RCP-3A protocol for router control is supported in Helm, RouteMaster and RouteMaster VR.

RouteMaster uses the protocol for both outgoing and incoming connections, allowing third-party systems using RCP-3A to control RouteMaster.  Helm uses it for outgoing connections to control routers.

Use over TCP/IP

RCP-3A over IP frequently uses TCP port 50001, but is not fixed.

Supported and Required Commands

This table details the commands used for outgoing connections, and the commands supported for incoming connections.

Command Outgoing Incoming Notes
PING Yes Yes
VERBOSITY Yes Yes RouteMaster always sends unsolicited tallies
TAKE No Yes Helm and RouteMaster always send TAKE WITH NODE ID
GET MATRIX Yes Yes
SET LOCK Yes Yes ThePanelID property below determines which ‘user’ is protecting a destination
GET LOCK Yes Yes
CLEAR LOCK Yes Yes
TAKE WITH NODE ID Yes Yes
DEVICE TABLE REQUEST Yes Yes Only 8-character names are supported by RCP-3A protocol

Special Properties

For outgoing connections, the following properties can be set directly in Helm Designer, or in the RouteMaster configuration file.

PanelID 1-253 AKA Node ID. Used for protecting destinations. Only panels with the same PanelID as the protecting panel can TAKE a source to a protected destination.

 

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Controlling ViewMaster VR with Elgato Stream Deck https://support.rascular.com/controlling-viewmaster-vr-with-elgato-stream-deck/ Tue, 20 Feb 2024 18:00:01 +0000 https://support.rascular.com/?p=6303 ViewMaster VR can be controlled remotely via a simple REST API. This means it’s easy to use with Elgato Stream Deck and Bitfocus Companion.

Full details of the REST API and available commands is available on Postman.

Bitfocus Companion

If you’re using Companion, the first step is to add a Connection for sending generic HTTP commands.

Configure the connection with the URL of the RouteMaster system with a '/api' suffix. The base URL is shown in your browser when using ViewMaster’s Web Control  page.

Now, add a button with a press action of HTTP POST for the Connection you’ve just added.

To load a preset, we use the loadPreset URL, and a JSON body setting “name” to the required preset.

Stream Deck App

If you’re not using Companion, you can configure commands using the Stream Deck application – but to send HTTP POST commands you’ll need a plugin to enable this. We’ve use the API Ninja plugin from https://barraider.com/ but other suitable plugins are available.

You can install it directly from the Elgato marketplace: https://marketplace.elgato.com/product/api-ninja-fd59edeb-e7e5-412f-91ef-304c3e03f035

Once installed, you configure the request in a similar way as above, using the URL and JSON payload.

 

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Leitch Pass-Through Implementation Notes https://support.rascular.com/pass-through-implementation-notes/ Sun, 28 Jan 2024 11:57:40 +0000 https://support.rascular.com/?p=6293 Leitch Pass-Through protocol for router control is supported in Helm, RouteMaster and RouteMaster VR.

Originally developed by Leitch Technology in 1999, the protocol is used by Harris and Imagine Communications routers. Other manufacturers like For-A also use variants of the protocol, with custom extensions. Modern Harris/Imaging routers use the more extensive Harris LRC protocol.

RouteMaster uses the protocol for both outgoing and incoming connections, allowing third-party systems using Pass-Through to control RouteMaster.  Helm uses it for outgoing connections to control routers.

Limitations

The standard Pass-Through protocol does not give access to mnemonics for router sources and destinations. Also, there is no way to query the Lock status of a destination.

FOR-A MFR-4000 series

The MFR-4000 series routers offer an extended version of the protocol which they refer to as “Crosspoint Remote Control 2”, This supports retrieval of source and destination names from the router. Helm and RouteMaster use this extension if the UseRouterNames property below is set to true.

The router must be configured via the web UI to enable the “Crosspoint Remote Control 2” protocol. Setting the Username and Password properties is also required

Use over TCP/IP

Originally designed as an RS-422 serial protocol, Pass-Through can also be used over TCP/IP. There is no standard port number for this.

Supported and Required Commands

This table details the commands used for outgoing connections, and the commands supported for incoming connections.

Command Outgoing Incoming Notes
Enable Reporting Yes RouteMaster always has reporting enabled
Request Level Status Yes Yes
Crosspoint Take Yes Yes
Lock/Protect/Unlock Yes Yes
Crosspoint Status Yes Yes

Special Properties

For outgoing connections, the following properties can be set directly in Helm Designer, or in the RouteMaster configuration file.

Username string Name of user to log in. If blank, no authentication is attempted
Password string Password for login
LoginDelay milliseconds Delay used before sending Username and Password at login. Default = 1000
ID integer ID to use for Panel Take and Lock/Unlock commands. Default is zero.
UseRouterNames Boolean If true, use the FOR-A extension to read source and destination names.

 

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Control of IP SDVN Systems https://support.rascular.com/control-of-ip-sdvn-systems/ Tue, 14 Feb 2023 11:37:26 +0000 https://support.rascular.com/?p=5982 All Rascular’s router control products can be successfully used with SDVN systems from the major broadcast manufacturers to route IP video including SMPTE-2110.

While the AMWA/NMOS protocol suites could allow IP flows to be discovered and connected using IS-04 and IS-05, this would effectively bypass the SDVN which restricts it’s ability to safely manage signal paths and control bandwidth.
Therefore, we communicate directly with the SDVN systems to control routing – in much the same way as a conventional baseband router would operate.

SDVN Protocol Routing Control Name Transfer Lock/Protect Source Status Notes
Grass Valley Orbit Pro-Bel SW-P-08 Yes Yes Yes No #1
Nevion VideoIPath Nevion MRP Yes Yes No Yes #2
Lawo VSM Pro-Bel SW-P-08 Yes TBC TBC No
Evertz Magnum Evertz/Quartz Yes Yes Yes No
Imagine Magellan TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC

Notes:

  1. Orbit Name transfer is restricted to 8 or 12 characters. RouteMaster/Helm should not use the Long16 or Long32 modes.
  2. VideoIPath does not yet support the Lock/Protect commands, although the MRP protocol does describe these.

RouteMaster, Helm and ClockWork can all be used with these systems.

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RouteMaster Redundancy and Failover https://support.rascular.com/routemaster-redundancy-and-failover/ Thu, 26 Jan 2023 12:17:26 +0000 https://support.rascular.com/?p=5974 This page relates to RouteMaster systems controlling external routers. If you’re using RouteMaster VR for NDI routing, please read this page instead.

We’re frequently asked about redundancy and failover options for RouteMaster. Here’s a look at the issues involved, and suggestions for mitigation.

Backup control mechanisms

Because RouteMaster is controlling an external router, you typically have the option of using control panels or other software connected directly to the router, giving you manual control of routing.

Can I just restart RouteMaster?

Yes. Restarting RouteMaster won’t interrupt any of the video streams, and won’t change any routing in the matrix.

Can the restart happen automatically?

Sometimes even the most robust applications can crash due to a bug or glitch. That’s why RouteMaster can be run as a Windows Service, which can be configured to restart automatically in the event of a problem.

Can I run RouteMaster on a second PC?

Yes. If your license allows you can run RouteMaster simultaneously on two PCs, both connected to the same router over IP. Routes made by one system are automatically detected by the other, and vice-versa. Any client software connecting to RouteMaster (for example, via WebSocket API) must be able to detect a comms failure and switch control to the alternate system.  This can be also be achieved using DNS failover.

Does Virtualization help?

Yes. You can run RouteMaster in a Virtual Machine (or as a cloud instance).  This allows you to quickly start an instance on different hardware. Some VMs can be configured to use the same IP address, so clients are unaware of the change of server.

What about synchronization of settings?

RouteMaster’s settings are held in JSON files. You can specify the location of these using a command-line option for RouteMaster.

To simplify the switchover between VM images, you can keep these settings files on a high-availability storage system, or use file synchronization tools to keep them consistent.

Can IP failover be completely automated?

Yes, but it’s complicated: One approach is a Windows Server Failover Cluster, but we are currently looking at alternative solutions for this.

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MAC Address Locking Policy https://support.rascular.com/mac-address-locking-policy/ Tue, 20 Dec 2022 23:28:43 +0000 https://support.rascular.com/?p=5946 Rascular produces a range of software solutions for both the Professional Broadcast sector and – more recently through the implementation and addition of its NDI tools – for the AV sector.

In the past we have trusted end-users to be fully aware of our licensing models and End User Licence Agreement, and have allowed them to copy licences to another PC in the event of hardware failures, without contacting Rascular to re-issue the licence.

In the light of abuses of this trust we are now implement MAC address locking for our software licences. Before a license is  issued we will request the primary MAC address of the PC, and the license provided will not operate on other PCs.

The following aims to address the questions that will arise from this policy.

Q. What happens if the PC running the software fails? Can I transfer the licence to another PC?
A. During the “Support Period” we will reissue a license Free of Charge (FoC) once. Any further requests during the “Support Period” for a replacement licence will incur a fixed charge of £500.00.

Q. What happens if my licence is outside of the “Support Period”?
A. There are various options which are dependent on various factors including the age of the software in relation to the current release:

1: Purchase an Annual Support Agreement.

    • Cost 20% of the Software List Price
    • 1 Year “Support Period”
    • FoC Upgrade to the latest version during the “Support Period”
    • FoC telephone/email support
    • FoC agreed Bug Fixes
    • Support provided during Rascular Business Hours

2: Or, purchase a Software Upgrade to the latest release of the software

    • Cost 30% of the Software List Price
    • 90 day “Support Period”
    • FoC Upgrade to the latest version during the “Support Period”
    • FoC telephone/email support
    • FoC agreed Bug Fixes
    • Support provided during Rascular Business Hours

Q. What about the PC failing outside of Rascular Business Hours or where the use of the system is critical to my operation?
A. In situation where the use of the system is of more importance to the customer then we would recommend the purchase of a “Warm Standby” licence which is also MAC address locked. “Warm Standby” in this case is defined as only to be used in the event of failure of the primary PC for which the software is licenced.

“Warm Standby” licenses are charged at 50% of the Software List Price.

Q. What’s the “Support Period”?
A. For a New Purchase or Software Upgrade the warranty period is 90 days as defined in the Rascular EULA. The Support Period has the same duration. The support period starts when your license is first issued.
For customers with Annual Support Agreements. the “Support Period” is the full 12 month term of the agreement.

Rascular products will display the support period expiry dates in their “About..” dialog.

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Rascular EULA https://support.rascular.com/rascular-eula/ Tue, 20 Dec 2022 22:59:10 +0000 https://support.rascular.com/?p=5941 The end-user license agreement for all Rascular software products is displayed and installed as part of the software installation process. An online copy is available here for reference.

SOFTWARE LICENCE AGREEMENT

IMPORTANT NOTICE: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE: This licence agreement (Licence) is a legal agreement between you (Licensee or you) and Rascular Technology Limited, C/O DRE & Co, Number 5, The Business Quarter, Ludlow, SY8 1FD (Licensor or we) for this software product (Software), which includes computer software, the data supplied with it, the associated media, printed materials and online documentation (Documentation).

BY INSTALLING THIS SOFTWARE YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS LICENCE.  IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS LICENCE, WE ARE UNWILLING TO LICENSE THE SOFTWARE TO YOU AND YOU MUST DISCONTINUE INSTALLATION OF THE SOFTWARE NOW.

1.        Grant and scope of licence

1.        In consideration of the payment of the licence fee, the Licensor hereby grants to you a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the Software and the Documentation on the terms of this Licence.

2.        You may download, install and use the Software for your internal business purposes only, either (as agreed between the parties):

i.        if the Licence is a single-user licence or the Software is for single use, on one CPU; or

ii.        if the Licence is a multi-user or network licence, for the number of concurrent users agreed between you and us.

2.        Licensee’s undertakings

1.        Except as expressly set out in this Licence or as permitted by any local law, you undertake:

a.        not to copy the Software or Documentation except where such copying is incidental to normal use of the Software or where it is necessary for the purpose of back-up or operational security;

b.        not to rent, lease, sub-license, loan, translate, merge, adapt, vary or modify the Software or Documentation;

c.        not to make alterations to, or modifications of, the whole or any part of the Software nor permit the Software or any part of it to be combined with, or become incorporated in, any other programs;

d.        not to disassemble, decompile, reverse engineer or create derivative works based on the whole, or any part, of the Software nor attempt to do any such things except to the extent that (by virtue of section 296A of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988) such actions cannot be prohibited because they are essential for the purpose of achieving inter-operability of the Software with another software program, and provided that the information obtained by you during such activities:

i.        is used only for the purpose of achieving inter-operability of the Software with another software program; and

ii.        is not unnecessarily disclosed or communicated to any third party without the Licensor’s prior written consent;  and

iii.        is not used to create any software which is substantially similar to the Software;

e.        to keep all copies of the Software secure and to maintain accurate and up-to-date records of the number and locations of all copies of the Software;

f.        to supervise and control use of the Software and ensure that your employees and representatives use the Software in accordance with the terms of this Licence;

g.        to include the copyright notice of the Licensor on all entire and partial copies you make of the Software on any medium.

2.        You must permit the Licensor and its representatives, at all reasonable times and on reasonable advance notice, to inspect and have access to any premises at which the Software or the Documentation is being kept or used, to the computer equipment located there, and to any records kept pursuant to this Licence, for the purpose of ensuring that you are complying with the terms of this Licence.

3.        Support and Updating

The Licensor has a support scheme which provides a number of benefits including access to Software updates and other support services. For details of access to, and the costs of, this scheme please contact the Licensor.

4.        Intellectual property rights

1.        You acknowledge that all intellectual property rights in the Software (specifically including any bespoke modifications or enhancements that have been made to the Software for your operational needs, whether by you or the Licensor) and the Documentation throughout the world belong to the Licensor, that rights in the Software are licensed (not sold) to you, and that you have no rights in, or to, the Software or the Documentation other than the right to use them in accordance with the terms of this Licence.

2.        You acknowledge that you have no right to have access to the Software in source code form or in unlocked coding or with comments.

5.        Warranty

1.        The Licensor warrants that:

a.        the medium on which the Software is stored and distributed is at the time it is supplied, and will be for the period of 90 days thereafter (Warranty Period), free from defects in design, material and workmanship under normal use.  If a defect in the medium occurs during the Warranty Period, the Licensor will replace it free of charge if you return it to the Licensor with proof of purchase and (so far as you are able) a documented example of such defect or error; and

b.        during the Warranty Period, the Software will, when properly used, perform substantially in accordance with the functions described in the Documentation (provided that the Software is properly used on the computer and with the operating system for which it was designed as referred to in the accompanying documentation), and the Documentation correctly describes the operation of the Software in all material respects.

2.        You acknowledge that (unless otherwise specifically agreed between you and the Licensor) the Software has not been developed to meet your individual requirements and that it is therefore your responsibility to ensure that the facilities and functions of the Software as described in the Documentation meet your requirements.

3.        You acknowledge that the Software may not be free of errors or bugs and you agree that the existence of any minor errors shall not constitute a breach of this Licence.

4.        If, within the Warranty Period, you notify the Licensor in writing of any defect or fault in the Software in consequence of which it fails to perform substantially in accordance with the Documentation, and such defect or fault does not result from you having amended the Software or used it in contravention of the terms of this Licence, the Licensor will, at its sole option, repair or replace the Software, provided that you make available all the information that may be necessary to assist the Licensor in resolving the defect or fault, including sufficient information to enable the Licensor to recreate the defect or fault.

6.        Licensor’s liability

1.        This condition sets out the entire financial liability of the parties (including any liability for the acts or omissions of their respective employees, agents and subcontractors) to each other in respect of:

a.        any breach of this Licence however arising

b.        any use made or resale of the Software or the Documentation by you, or of any product or service incorporating any of the Software or the Documentation; and

c.        any representation, statement or tortious act or omission (including negligence) arising under or in connection with this Licence

2.        Nothing in this Licence shall limit or exclude the liability of either party for:

a.        death or personal injury resulting from negligence; or

b.        fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or

c.        breach of the terms implied by section 12 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979; or

d.        breach of section 2 of the Consumer Protection Act 1987; or

e.        the deliberate default or wilful misconduct of that party, its employees, agents or subcontractors.

3.        Without prejudice to condition 6.2, neither party shall under any circumstances whatever be liable to the other, whether in contract, tort (including negligence) or restitution, or for breach of statutory duty or misrepresentation, or otherwise, for any:

a.        loss of income;

b.        loss of business profits or contracts;

c.        business interruption;

d.        loss of the use of money or anticipated savings;

e.        loss of information;

f.        loss of opportunity, goodwill or reputation;

g.        loss of, damage to or corruption of data; or

h.        any indirect or consequential loss or damage of any kind howsoever arising and whether caused by tort (including negligence), breach of contract or otherwise;

provided that this condition 6.3 shall not prevent claims for loss of or damage to your tangible property that fall within the terms of condition 5 or any other claims for direct financial loss that are not excluded by any of categories (a) to (h) inclusive of this condition 6.3.

4.        Subject to condition 6.2 and condition 6.3, the Licensor’s maximum aggregate liability under or in connection with this Licence, or any collateral contract, whether in contract, tort (including negligence) or otherwise, shall in all circumstances be limited to a sum equal to 100% of the Licence Fee.

5.        This Licence sets out the full extent of the Licensor’s obligations and liabilities in respect of the supply of the Software and Documentation.  In particular, there are no conditions, warranties, representations or other terms, express or implied, that are binding on the Licensor except as specifically stated in this Licence. Any condition, warranty, representation or other term concerning the supply of the Software and Documentation which might otherwise be implied into or incorporated in this Licence, or any collateral contract, whether by statute, common law or otherwise, is hereby excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law.

7.        Termination

1.        The Licensor may terminate this Licence immediately on written notice to you if:

a.        you commit a material or persistent breach of this Licence which you fail to remedy (if remediable) within 14 days after the service on you of written notice requiring you to do so; or

b.        the Licensee (where it is a company) becomes insolvent or unable to pay its debts (within the meaning of section 123 of the Insolvency Act 1986), enters into liquidation, whether voluntary or compulsory (other than for reasons of bona fide amalgamation or reconstruction), passes a resolution for its winding-up, has a receiver or administrator manager, trustee, liquidator or similar officer appointed over the whole or any part of its assets, makes any composition or arrangement with its creditors or takes or suffers any similar action in consequence of its debt.

2.        Upon termination for any reason:

a.        all rights granted to you under this Licence shall cease;

b.        you must cease all activities authorised by this Licence; and

c.        you must immediately delete or remove the Software from all computer equipment in your possession and immediately destroy or return to the Licensor (at the Licensor’s option) all copies of the Software then in your possession, custody or control and, in the case of destruction, certify to the Licensor that you have done so.

8.        Transfer of rights and obligations

1.        This Licence is binding on you and us and on our respective successors and assigns.

2.        You may not transfer, assign, charge or otherwise dispose of this Licence, or any of your rights or obligations arising under it, without our prior written consent.

3.        We may transfer, assign, charge, sub-contract or otherwise dispose of this Licence, or any of our rights or obligations arising under it, at any time during the term of the Licence.

9.        Notices

All notices given by you to the Licensor must be given to Rascular Technology Ltd, c/o DRE & Co, The Business Quarter, Eco Park Rd, Ludlow SY8 1FD, or, alternatively, at sales@rascular.com. The Licensor may give notice to you at either the e-mail or postal address you provided to it when purchasing the Software. Notice will be deemed received and properly served 24 hours after an e-mail is sent, or three days after the date of posting of any letter. In proving the service of any notice, it will be sufficient to prove, in the case of a letter, that such letter was properly addressed, stamped and placed in the post and, in the case of an e-mail, that such e-mail was sent to the specified e-mail address of the addressee.

10.        Events outside the Licensor’s control

1.        The Licensor will not be liable or responsible for any failure to perform, or delay in performance of, any of his obligations under this Licence that is caused by an event outside his reasonable control (Force Majeure Event).

2.        A Force Majeure Event includes any act, event, non-happening, omission or accident beyond our reasonable control and includes in particular (without limitation) the following:

a.        strikes, lock-outs or other industrial action;

b.        civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack, war (whether declared or not) or threat or preparation for war;

c.        fire, explosion, storm, flood, earthquake, subsidence, epidemic or other natural disaster;

d.        impossibility of the use of railways, shipping, aircraft, motor transport or other means of public or private transport;

e.        impossibility of the use of public or private telecommunications networks;

f.        the acts, decrees, legislation, regulations or restrictions of any government.

3.        The Licensor’s performance under this Licence is deemed to be suspended for the period that the Force Majeure Event continues, and he will have an extension of time for performance for the duration of that period. We will use our reasonable endeavours to bring the Force Majeure Event to a close or to find a solution by which our obligations under this Licence may be performed despite the Force Majeure Event.

11.        Waiver

1.        If we fail, at any time during the term of this Licence, to insist upon strict performance of any of your obligations under this Licence, or if we fail to exercise any of the rights or remedies to which we are entitled under this Licence, this shall not constitute a waiver of such rights or remedies and shall not relieve you from compliance with such obligations.

2.        A waiver by us of any default shall not constitute a waiver of any subsequent default.

3.        No waiver by us of any of these terms and conditions shall be effective unless it is expressly stated to be a waiver and is communicated to you in writing.

12.        Severability

If any of the terms of this Licence are determined by any competent authority to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable to any extent, such term, condition or provision will to that extent be severed from the remaining terms, conditions and provisions which will continue to be valid to the fullest extent permitted by law.

13.        Entire agreement

1.        This Licence and any document expressly referred to in it constitute the whole agreement between us and supersedes any previous arrangement, understanding or agreement between us, relating to the licensing of the Software and Documentation.

2.        We each acknowledge that, in entering into this Licence (and the documents referred to in it), neither of us relies on any statement, representation, assurance or warranty (Representation) of any person (whether a party to this Licence or not) other than as expressly set out in this Licence or those documents.

3.        Each of us agrees that the only rights and remedies available to us arising out of or in connection with a Representation shall be for breach of contract as provided in this Licence.

4.        Nothing in this clause shall limit or exclude any liability for fraud.

14.        Law and jurisdiction

This Licence, its subject matter or its formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English law and submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

15.        NewTek NDI®

This product includes NDI® software and technology licensed from NewTek, Inc. NDI® is a trademark of Vizrt Group. NewTek and/or its licensors owns all copyright rights in the NDI® Software and NDI® copyrightable technology utilized in the Product. All software herein, including the NDI® software and technology, is subject to the restrictions in this End User License, including the following restrictions,limitations and exclusions:

  1. You may not reverse engineer, disassemble, or recompile the Product, including the NDI® Software, or any part thereof, or any NDI® protocols used in the Product, nor attempt to do any of the foregoing;
  2. You may not copy, distribute, or create derivative works of the NDI® Software (except one copy may be made for archival backup purposes);
  3. NewTek is not liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect, incidental or consequential, arising from the use of the Product and/or NDI®;
  4. You accept the Product and NDI® software “as is” without warranties of any kind; all warranties, express or implied, of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and warranty of title, are expressly disclaimed and excluded. To the extent any of the foregoing disclaimers is not allowed by applicable law such term shall not apply and in such case you agree not to utilize the NDI® in the Product.
Rascular EULA (0.3 MiB)
EULA for Rascular software products
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NVision NV9000 Protocol implementation notes https://support.rascular.com/nv9000-implementation-notes/ Fri, 11 Nov 2022 10:31:41 +0000 https://support.rascular.com/?p=5872 NV9000 protocol for router control is supported in Helm, RouteMaster and RouteMaster VR.

RouteMaster uses the protocol for both outgoing and incoming connections, allowing third-party systems using NV9000 to control RouteMaster.  Helm uses it for outgoing connections to control routers.

NV9000 is only supported via TCP/IP. The standard port number for NV9000 protocol is 9193. However, Helm and RouteMaster can be configured for any port.

Levels

NV9000 protocol supports 32 levels. However, unlike other protocols, each level has separate source and destination mnemonics, and can be locked and unlocked independently.  Rascular Products do not support this and currently show mnemonics from the first level, and always lock and unlock all levels together.

Physical Ports vs. Device IDs

The NV9000 protocol has two modes of operation:

  • Physical Ports: Control is by port number, which directly corresponds to physical connectors on each router
  • Device ID: NV9000 maintains a database which exposes numeric Device IDs, and hides the underlying mapping to ports.

Because Device IDs are not necessarily sequential, they’re a poor fit for RouteMaster and Helm’s matrix-based control model, so we strongly recommend that Port-based control (the default) is used. In Helm, setting the UsePhysicalPorts router property to false switches to using Device IDs.  In this mode it’s possible to create a mapping file which assigns specific IDs to Routemaster’s matrix-based numbering.

When using NV9000 as a client protocol with RouteMaster, both Device ID and Port modes can be used. In this case, Device IDs map directly to port numbers.

Supported and Required Commands

This table details the commands used for outgoing connections, and the commands supported for incoming connections. If a command is not listed here, it’s not currently used or supported.

Physical Port control

Command Outgoing Incoming Notes
Get Physical Levels (0x3014) Yes Yes
Take by Port (0x3001) Yes Yes
Lock by Port (0x3003) Yes Yes
Fire Salvo (0x300A) Yes Yes
Request Port Mnemonics (0x3015) Yes Yes Mnemonics for Level 0 are always requested. For incoming commands, the level ID is ignore.
Register for Port changes (0x3005) Yes Yes
Request Port status  (0x3007) Yes Yes
Request Port Protect status Yes
Request Extended Port status  (0x3007) Yes

Device ID control

Command Outgoing Incoming Notes
Get Physical Levels (0x3014) Yes Yes
Take by ID (0x3000) Yes Yes
Lock by ID (0x3002) Yes
Fire Salvo (0x300A) Yes Yes
Request ID Mnemonics (0x3012) Yes Yes
Register ID Changes (0x3004) Yes Yes
Request Destination ID Status (0x3017) Yes Yes

Special Properties

For outgoing TCP/IP connections, the following properties can be set directly in Helm Designer, or in the RouteMaster configuration file.

UsePhysicalPorts Boolean, defaults to True Use Port-base control if true, ID-based control if false.
UserID Defaults to zero Indicates the ID of the controlling device to NV9000

 

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Quartz Protocol implementation notes https://support.rascular.com/quartz-implementation-notes/ Thu, 03 Nov 2022 14:39:59 +0000 https://support.rascular.com/?p=5866 Evertz-Quartz protocol for router control is supported in Helm, RouteMaster and RouteMaster VR.

RouteMaster uses the protocol for both outgoing and incoming connections, allowing third-party systems using Quartz to control RouteMaster.  Helm uses it for outgoing connections to control routers.

Use over TCP/IP

The standard port number for Quartz protocol is 23 (also used by Telnet). However, Helm and RouteMaster can be configured for any port.

Use over serial ports

Helm and RouteMaster can control routers via quartz protocol over with any available COM port. Standard configuration is 38400 baud, 8 data bits, no parity, and 1 stop bit.

Levels

Quartz protocol supports 16 levels,

Supported and Required Commands

This table details the commands used for outgoing connections, and the commands supported for incoming connections. If a command is not listed here, it’s not currently used or supported.

Command Outgoing Incoming Notes
.S Set Crosspoint Yes Yes
.Bl, .BU Lock and unlock Destination Yes Yes
.M Set multiple crosspoints No No
.F Fire Salvo Yes No
.I Interrogate Route No Yes
.L List Routes Yes Yes
.RD, .RS, .RL Read Names Yes Yes RouteMaster supports UTF-8 names, lengths may be > 8 characters
.WD, .WS, .WL Write Names No No
.#01 Test connection Yes Yes

Special Properties

For outgoing TCP/IP connections, the following properties can be set directly in Helm Designer, or in the RouteMaster configuration file.

BackupFrame IP Address For systems with main/backup controllers, control is automatically switched to this address if the primary controller goes offline

 

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TCP/IP Port numbers used https://support.rascular.com/tcp-ip-port-numbers-used/ Wed, 12 Oct 2022 10:16:14 +0000 https://support.rascular.com/?p=5829 Various Rascular products incorporate TCP/IP servers for REST APIs, etc. This document lists the default ‘listening’ port numbers used by the products. Ports used as clients when connecting to third-party systems are not shown here.

If a port number shown here clashes with other installed software an alternative free port number should be chosen.  Tools like netstat allow you to determine which ports are in use. See https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/28609/how-can-i-tell-what-is-listening-on-a-tcpip-port-in-windows/

RouteMaster

RouteMaster uses the following port numbers to allow external router control from client connections. All these port numbers can be changed directly from the RouteMaster UI, and – except for WebSocket API – all other protocols can be disabled.

Protocol TCP Port Notes
BlackMagic VideoHub 9990
Kramer 2000 5002
Kramer 3000 5000
Grass Valley Native 12345
Rascular WebSocket API 81 This protocol must be enabled
Nevion Sublime 4381
Harris LRC 52116
Leitch 23
Network NCB 5020
NVision NV9000 9093
NVision router 5194
Pesa P1N 12000
Pro-bel General Remote 2007
Pro-bel General Switcher 2006
Quartz 2008
Sierra Aspen 10001
Utah RCP 3 5001
VM3000 2009
TSL UMD 40001
WebPanel Server 80

RouteMaster also uses an internal REST API for communication between the backend and frontend. Normally this uses a dynamically allocated port number, but this can be overridden using command-line options.

RouteMaster Lite

RouteMaster Lite uses a subset of the RouteMaster ports, as only Blackmagic and Websocket client protocols are supported.

CastAway

The CastAway engine REST API uses port 887, and the WebSocket API uses port 886. Both can be changed from the settings file,

ViewMaster VR

ViewMaster’s internal WebServer and REST API operates on port 888 by default. This can be changed from the on-screen UI.

ViewMaster VR Pro

ViewMaster Pro includes the Multi-Head Manager, which allows multiple ViewMaster instances to be launched on each connected monitor.

The Multi-head Manager has it’s own REST API and Webserver, running on port 890 by default.

Because each ViewMaster instance has it’s own REST server, the Multi-Head manager allocates ports for these from 891 upwards, so a four-monitor system would use 891-894.

Helm

it’s possible to build Helm panels that incorporate custom HTTP and REST servers, however the port numbers used for these can be directly set in Helm Designer.

 

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