VBrick Systems ETV v3.1 manual STB Authentication, Authentication by PIN

Access Control

Channels, to view VoD content, to publish content to the VoD, and to record content or schedule a recording. A unique feature of the ETV Portal Server software is the ability to group Resources into Resource Groups. This allows the administrator to quickly and easily assign several resources at once to specific Users or User Groups.

STB Authentication

There are two ways (STP IP address or user PIN) to authenticate and authorize Set-Top Boxes in the ETV Portal Server. STB access control is slightly different from PC and Macintosh-based authentication (which uses the commonly employed User Name and Password mechanism). The two methods are outlined in the table below.

Method	Description	User Interaction	Comment
User PIN	If Access Control is	When the user logs	This implementation is appropriate
	enabled, but the STB is not	into the system, they	for environments where multiple
	defined in the system, then	will be prompted for	users with different privileges will be
	Access Control works based	their PIN. The user	accessing the same STB. An example
	on a User PIN. This PIN is	simply enters the PIN	of this would be a shared classroom,
	defined on a Per User (not	with the remote	where multiple teachers are accessing
	Per STB) basis, so that	control or the wireless	the STB at different times.
	Users need to be setup in	keyboard, and can then
	the system for this to work.	access the video.
STP IP	The ETV Portal Server	No user interaction is	This implementation is similar to a
Address or	system determines the	required. The user	cable TV setup, e.g. if the cable plan
Host Name	content that the STB can	simply turns on the	does not include CNN, then that
	view based on its IP	STB, and only the	channel cannot be viewed. This
	Address or Host Name.	content that the STB	implementation is easiest for end
		user can view displays.	users because you do not have to
			remember user names or PINs. It is
			appropriate for environments where
			one or few people with the same
			privileges access the same STB.

Authentication by PIN

When an end user accesses the ETV Portal Server via a STB, the Portal Server takes the following steps to authorize users.

1.It determines if there is Authentication/Authorization information associated with the Host Name of the STB. If so, based on the STB Host Name, the ETV Portal Server will present the STB with the information appropriate to its privileges. Note that the ETV Portal Server uses the least restrictive settings when providing access to the system.

2.If there is no Authentication/Authorization information associated with the Host Name of the STB, the user will be prompted for a PIN. A PIN is a user-based mechanism to log onto the STB. When the user enters his or her PIN, the ETV Portal Server authenticates the user against the Portal Server database.

3.Once the user is authenticated, the ETV Portal Server will check the User Groups and/or Resource Groups that the User is associated with and the privileges associated with those groups.

ETV Portal Server Administrator Guide 47