Avid Technology MOS Gateway User manual

Avid Technology, Inc.
MOS Gateway
Installation & Operations Manual
Version 1.0

Copyright and Disclaimer
© 2001, Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. All Avid products are covered by U.S. and foreign
patents, issued and pending. Information in this publication supersedes that in all previo1usly pub-
lished material. Specifications and price change privileges reserved.
The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement and is protected
under the copyright laws of the United States and other countries.
U.S. GOVERNMENT USERS RESTRICTED RIGHTS: Use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Gov-
ernment is subject to restriction as set forth in subparagraph (b)(2) of the Technical Data and Com-
puter Software-Commercial items clause at DFARS 252.211-7015, or in subparagraph (c)(2) of the
Commercial Computer Software-Restricted Rights clause at FAR 52.227-19, as applicable.
Avid is a registered trademark of Avid Technology, Inc. Media Browse, ControlAir, iNEWS ControlAir
and iNEWS are trademarks of iNews, LLC. Microsoft, the Microsoft logo, MS, MS-DOS, Win 32, Win-
dows, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows NT Server, and the Windows operating system logo
are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States of America and other coun-
tries. UNIX is a registered trademark of X/Open Company, Ltd. All other trademarks and registered
trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.
Avid
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MOS Gateway Installation & Operations Manual Version 1.0
Rev. A (bbl)
August 29, 2001
Printed in the United States of America

iii
Contents
Preface
Who Should Use This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
About This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Cross References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Keyboard Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
If You Need Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Related Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
If You Have Documentation Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
How To Order Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Chapter 1 Introduction to MOS Gateway
Overview of MOS Gateway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
MOS Control Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Loading a Show to MOS Gateway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Monitor ON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Monitor LOAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Chapter 2 Preparing for Installation
Before You Begin the Installation Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Hardware Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Software Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Chapter 3 Installing MOS Gateway Program Files
Overview of the Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Adding IP Addresses on MOS Gateway Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Installing MOS Gateway Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

iv
Chapter 4 Setting up the iNEWS Server
Configuring iNEWS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Configuration Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Configuration Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Reconfigure the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8
Assigning the Mailbox to the Rundown Queue . . . . . . . . . 4-9
Using the list Command to View Assigned Mailboxes . . 4-10
SYSTEM.MOS-MAP Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
Editing the /site/dict/mcs Dictionary File . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-28
Chapter 5 Configuring MOS Gateway
MOS Gateway Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Editing the Configuration File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Stopping and Starting MOS Gateway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Configuration File Components Explained. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
The <logging> Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
The <tcpPorts> Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
The <names> Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
The <roStatSend> Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
The <handlesEmptyStories> Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
The <handlesRoStorySwap> Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
The <statusTranslations> Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
The <roChannels> Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
The <roSlugMaps> Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Adding MOS Devices to the SYSTEM.MOS-MAP Story . . . . . . . . 5-13
Moving the Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Chapter 6 Troubleshooting
MOS Gateway Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Where to Look For Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Error Categories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6

v
Appendix A Error Messages
Errors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2
Appendix B System Reference Files
Sample Configuration File on MOS Gateway Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2
Sample Configuration File on iNEWS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-7
The /etc/hosts File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-8
Glossary
Reader’s Comments
Index

vi

Preface
Congratulations on your purchase of iNEWS MOS Gateway, the sys-
tem that removes barriers between newsroom computing and broad-
casting. MOS Gateway uses the MOS protocol as a standard for
communications between newsroom computer systems and Media
Object Servers (MOS), such as video servers, audio servers, still stores,
and character generators.
Who Should Use This Guide
This manual is written for journalists, producers, directors, writers,
and various technical personnel responsible for using the iNEWS MOS
Gateway in a broadcast newsroom. Portions of the manual provide
installation data for technicians. Other chapters provide configuration
and maintenance information for system administrators who are man-
aging the system.
nIt is strongly recommended that system administrators have prior experience
in or classroom knowledge of the Windows NT® operating system.

ii
About This Manual
This guide will lead you through even the most complex procedures
with task-oriented instructions, illustrated for a more realistic presen-
tation of the actual icons and images you will encounter. The informa-
tion provided here builds on basic user procedures, while adding a
complete explanation of all the tools and techniques required to create,
apply, and adjust various settings, including useful tips, shortcuts, and
custom options.
The Table of Contents that precedes this preface lists all topics
included in the book. They are presented with the following overall
structure:
•TheIntroduction helps you get oriented with beginning concepts
and general work flow and provides valuable pointers to keep in
the back of your mind as you proceed.
• The main body of the guide follows the natural flow of your work,
with clear and comprehensive step-by-step procedures.
• At the back of the book is a comprehensive Glossary, providing
cross-industry terms and definitions.
• Finally, a detailed Index helps you quickly locate specific topics.
This manual provides requirements and specifications for your system
in the following areas:
• Environmental and electrical
• Minimum hardware and software components
• Installation procedures
• System configuration and maintenance
Use this manual to prepare for and set up your system on the network,
after you have purchased the MOS Gateway components according to
iNews requirements and specifications. Before installing any equip-
ment, the site must already have a configured network.

iii
Symbols and Conventions
Symbols and Conventions
The MOS Gateway documentation uses the following special symbols
and conventions:
1. Numbered lists, when the order of the primary items is important.
a. Alphabetical lists, when the order of secondary items is
important or in the case of optional procedures.
• Bulleted lists, when the order of primary items is unimportant.
- Indented dashed lists, when the order of secondary items is
unimportant.
Look here in the margin
for tips and environ-
ment-specific informa-
tion.
In the margin you will find tips that help you perform tasks more eas-
ily and efficiently. You will also find information specific to a particu-
lar operating environment.
nA note provides important related information, reminders, recommendations,
and strong suggestions.
cA caution means that a specific action you take could harm your
computer or cause you to lose data.
Cross References
Cross references are provided throughout this manual to give readers
locations where additional—sometimes more detailed—information
on a certain topic can be found. In some cases, the chapter name and
number is provided. In most cases, a two-part page number is given
along with the name of a section header. The first number in the page
number is actually the chapter number.
For instance: See “MOS Control Workflow” on page 1-2.

iv
See “About This Man-
ual” on page ii for more
information on what
chapters are in which
sections of this manual.
In this example, information on work flows through a MOS Gateway
system can be found on page 1-2 in Chapter 1 of this manual. Chap-
ters are numbered consecutively; page numbers restart at one in each
chapter. Section numerals are not provided in cross references. So, a
cross reference that shows page 9-57, for instance, indicates that the
information is in Chapter 9.
Keyboard Conventions
•CTRL-x means to press and hold down the Control key and then
press another key on the keyboard, represented here by x. This is
also used for other key-combinations such as ALT-x or Shift-x.
• “Type” in a command procedure means to type the command on
the command line and then “press” the Enter key.
• “Select” means to choose an operation on a drop-down or pop-up
menu.
• “Click” means to click the left mouse button, usually in response
to a dialog box. “Right-click” means to click the right mouse but-
ton.
If You Need Help
If you are having trouble using MOS Gateway, you should:
1. Repeat the procedure, carefully following the instructions pro-
vided for the task in this guide.
2. Refer to the documentation included with your hardware to
review the maintenance procedures or the hardware-related
issues.
3. Check the Support section of iNEWS’ Web site at
http://www.inewsroom.com for online technical publications
and additional telephone support phone numbers.

v
Related Information
4. Check iNEWS’ Web Bulletin Board, at
http://support.inewsroom.com/~avstar for information
about product and user conferences. If you do not find the answer
to your question, you can exchange information with other cus-
tomers and Avid Broadcast Customer Support personnel.
5. Maintenance Agreement contract customers can contact Avid
Broadcast Customer Support personnel at any of these 24-hour
global telephone numbers:
• 1 800 869 7009 in the Americas (All products, except Newsview)
• 44 1256 814222 in Europe, Africa, and Mid-East
• 61 2 8877 6880 in Asia/Pacific
Or online:
•e-mail [email protected]
• http://www.inewsroom.com/support/phone.html
For general information, call your local Avid reseller or in North
America call the Avid Broadcast Customer Relations desk at
1-800-869-7009.
Related Information
Contact your Avid Sales representative for documentation and infor-
mation on other Avid®products, such as the iNEWS™ newsroom com-
puter system, Media Browse™, EditStar™, LeaderPlus™, MOS
Gateway, and so forth.
If You Have Documentation Comments
The Avid Broadcast Technical Publications department continually
seeks to improve its documentation. We value your comments about
this manual or other Avid-supplied documentation.

vi
Send your documentation comments by e-mail to:
[email protected]
Include the title of the document, its part number, revision, and the
specific section that you are commenting on in all correspondence.
How To Order Documentation
To order additional copies of this documentation from within the
United States, call the Avid Sales department at 1-608-274-8686. If you
are placing an order from outside the United States, contact your local
Avid Sales representative.

CHAPTER 1
Introduction to MOS
Gateway
This chapter contains the following major sections:
• Overview of MOS Gateway
- MOS Control Workflow

1-2
Introduction to MOS Gateway
Overview of MOS Gateway
The iNEWS MOS Gateway is an application that does the following:
• receives information from the iNEWS newsroom computer system
as control events are entered in production cues in scripts
• converts the information into commands in version 2.5 of the MOS
Protocol and directs it to specified MOS-compliant devices
• routes the status of each media object in a rundown on a MOS
device back to the iNEWS Workstation
MOS Gateway can handle multiple shows simultaneously.
MOS Control Workflow
MOS Gateway is designed to work with multiple vendors’ MOS
devices. Each MOS device must be accompanied by an ActiveX control
that is hosted by the iNEWS Workstation. This ActiveX control pro-
vides a live view of the media inventory on the MOS device.
The news staff can use the ActiveX control (also known as a plugin) to
browse the inventory of the MOS device and to insert the appropriate
information into a machine control event in the script.
After the news staff has entered the machine control events in the
scripts, the producer can download rundowns to the MOS device
using the monitor server in iNEWS and MOS Gateway.
nMonitor server is a utility program that checks a show’s event requests for
errors, creates composite and event lists, and sends playlists to MOS Gate-
way. For more information on creating monitor servers, see “Creating a Mon-
itor Server for Each Show” on page 4-3.
The downloaded rundown can be controlled using the MOS device’s
interface.

1-3
Overview of MOS Gateway
Loading a Show to the MOS Gateway
When your newsroom staff builds a show, they insert special key-
words into scripts, referred to as machine control events. These items
include at least a word to identify the specific machine or a machine
type, such as CG or SS, and some information to indicate that they
want that machine to display. If the machine is a MOS device, these
machine control events are created using the ActiveX control that
came with the MOS device.
Monitor Mode - ON
When the monitor server is turned on—usually by the producer, from
the iNEWS Workstation´s Tool drop-down menu—it will read all the
machine control events in the rundown and build playlists, also known
as event lists, for each device. The monitor server performs as much
error checking as it can without communicating with any broadcast
equipment. After the monitor server is turned on, it continues to mon-
itor the rundown, examining every story saved for new, deleted, or
updated events in the playlist.
Windows NT /
2000
SCO UNIX / SGI IRIX
Windows 98 / NT /
2000 iNEWS
Server
MOS
Gateway
Vendor OS
Vendor
MOS
Device
Monitor
Server
vendor-s
p
ecific communication
MOS Protocol
iNEWS
Client hosts
Vendor
ActiveX
Control

1-4
Introduction to MOS Gateway
MOS Gateway is not yet involved. Playlists can be printed and distrib-
uted to equipment operators. The devices can be controlled using tra-
ditional methods.
Figure 1-1 Monitor Mode - ON Diagram
Monitor Mode - LOAD
As air time nears and the newsroom staff completes the rundown,
someone—usually the producer or equipment operator—will instruct
the monitor server to load the playlist into MOS devices. As the run-
down is loaded in MOS Gateway, MOS Gateway loads individual
playlists to the appropriate MOS device. The MOS device begins its
assigned task, such as inserting CG text, checking for availability of
video clips, and so forth.
iNEWS monitor
servers
ON: Watch for added,
deleted, or Modified Events
(Machine Instructions)
LOAD: send playlists and
updates to MOS Gateway
iNEWS DB
Rundown & Event List queues
System Map & Resource queues
Messages
(progress, errors, warnings)
ON:Getsysteminfo,ParseRundown,
BuildPlaylist,WriteEventListqueues
Monitor Commands
(ON, LOAD, UNLOAD, OFF)
MOS Gateway
Retains all loaded playlists,
playlist & event status.
Distributes commands,
updated status, event
changes & messages.
iNEWS
Clients
MOS
Devices
Create Rundowns,
Enter Events

1-5
Overview of MOS Gateway
Each MOS device sends MOS Gateway the status of the playlist, called
a running order in the MOS Protocol. Each MOS device also sends the
status of individual running order items, each one corresponding to a
machine control event. MOS Gateway then forwards these status mes-
sages to the monitor server. Error messages are returned to the iNEWS
Workstation used to load the rundown. The monitor server also inserts
status for video clips, such as whether the clip is available, into stories
in the rundown and event lists located in the iNEWS database.
The MOS device operator can now take control of the MOS device and
take the show to air.
Figure 1-2 depicts communication paths after the monitor server is
instructed to load playlists, status, and user messages.
Figure 1-2 Monitor Mode - LOAD Diagram
iNEWS monitor
servers
ON: Watch for added,
deleted, or Modified Events
(Machine Instructions)
LOAD: send playlists and
updates to MOS Gateway
Messages (progress, errors, warnings) Event Status
iNEWS DB
Rundown & Event List queues
System Map & Resource queues
Messages
(progress, errors, warnings)
ON:Getsysteminfo,ParseRundown,
Build Playlist,WriteEventListqueues
Monitor Commands
(ON, LOAD, UNLOAD, OFF)
⇐Device & Event Status ⇐
MOS Gateway
Retains all loaded playlists,
playlist & event status.
Distributes commands,
updated status, event
changes & messages.
iNEWS
Clients
MOS
Devices
AfterLOAD:EventStatus(Available,Cued,etc.)
⇒Playlist, Event Updates ⇒
Create Rundowns,
EnterEvents
Playlist, Event Updates

1-6
Introduction to MOS Gateway

CHAPTER 2
Preparing for Installation
This chapter describes the preliminary steps you must take before
installing the MOS Gateway software, including:
• Familiarizing yourself with this manual, release notes, and other
iNEWS documentation.
• Verifying required hardware and software components
This chapter contains the following major sections:
• Before You Begin the Installation Procedure
• Hardware Requirements
• Software Requirements

2-2
Preparing for Installation
Before You Begin the Installation Procedure
Setting up MOS Gateway involves doing tasks in three places:
• iNEWS Servers (at the console)
•MOSGateway
• MOS devices to connect to
nYou should consult the iNEWS Newsroom Computer System Operations
Manual for specific information on iNEWS Servers, the console, or various
related system operations.
Before you begin installing the MOS Gateway software, do the follow-
ing:
• Read the iNEWS MOS Gateway Release Notes for the most
up-to-date product and installation information.
• Familiarize yourself with the entire installation procedure
described in this manual.
• Ensure the installation CD is available.
Hardware Requirements
To install and run MOS Gateway, your system must have the mini-
mum base equipment described in Table 2-1. For a list of qualified
PCs, contact Avid Broadcast Customer Support.
Table 2-1 Hardware Required for MOS Gateway
Device Description
CPU 500 MHz Pentium®
Memory 512 MB RAM (Windows 2000)
Keyboard 104-key keyboard