Wegener Communications 6420 user manual Asset Healing, a content modeling & recovery utility

iPump 6420 User’s Manual

3.3.6.“Asset Healing”, a content modeling & recovery utility

After delivering files using AFD, WEGENER has a utility to allow the customers to model the files loaded to the field iPump6420s. This utility includes a function in the uplink control system and within the i6420. To work, the user must have Compel version 5.07 or later, with MediaPlan and CSM. A Return Path system (see Section 3.1.2) must also be available. “Asset Healing” is a regularly scheduled function which looks at the field iPump6420s and orders them to delete files they are not supposed to have, while requesting NACK messages, through the physical Return path mechanism, to flag files that they lack. Then the uplink control system re- downloads the missing files. Because of the complexity of Asset Healing, Figure 3-16is provided to assist understanding.

In the uplink control system MPcm machine, models of all assets are held in a database. Included in each asset, at this location only, is a Compel address tag in an assetname.ini file (where assetname is the name of the asset). This may be a unit serial number or a Compel group number. When the regularly scheduled script requests Asset Healing, CSM copies over the entire asset, and holds the address. It then scours through the asset, building a new metadata.xml file with a correct file list, showing the path for each. It is not limited to a single- level folder, but will scan the structure of even deeply-nested folder trees. When done with that, it adds Action Tags (STORAGE CONFIRM and STORAGE CLEANUP) to the metadata.xml file. It then uses AFD to download the metadata.xml file to the address specified in the assetname.ini file.

At the iPump6420s, their part of the task begins. The i6420 will take the newly downloaded metadata.xml file and place it in the correct asset, if it exists, or creates a new one if not. It then proceeds to analyse the files it has and compare the resulting list to the files it is supposed to have. Files it is not supposed to have are deleted. For files that are missing, it uses Return Path to send a NACK which flags the file identity and the corresponding asset name. This tells Compel’s CSM program which group (for grouped addresses) needs a particular file. Each file is then re-downloaded by Compel, using either satellite or internet download. When the process is complete, the i6420 renames the metadata.xml file to be z_metadata.xml. Since the i6420 is constantly watching its asset files for metadata.xml files, the rename prevents it from duplicating work already done.

The above process is optimum for very large assets, with multiple layers, as is often used for “DJ Liner” assets. In fact, it may not be necessary to ever explicitly request download of this asset. The network operator merely places the asset folder correctly to the MPcm machine, adds files, then posts the correct address file to the asset. The Asset Healing function, running late at night, then does the work of downloading files automatically.

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